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Driving in the snow…..

Posted by Granny1952 Tuesday, December 15, 2009


One of the common mistakes driving in the snow: riding the brakes! Or thinking that having 4 wheel drive will let you drive anywhere, anyway you want. One time coming down a hill, I saw someone in front of me with their brakes on – sliding everywhere. I knew he could not hear me, but kept yelling – take your foot off the brake! After he sideswiped a few cars, he finally stopped. You could tell he was a ‘newbie’ to driving in the snow.

Why is it so hard to drive in the snow? Snow can be heavy and wet, light and powdery, cold and icy. Those passing you can create a “white out”, making it impossible to see. Every time it snow’s, conditions of the road and vehicle changes a little bit, just enough to keep you on your toes.

Tires make a huge difference. Winter is not the time to have bad tires. What are the laws in your state? Are you still allowed to have studded tires? Who remembers the old fashion sawdust tires? They were great. Going over mountain passes may require chains.

Another factor is the weight of your car. My pickup had to have weight put in the back end or would get stuck – especially at intersections. Front wheel drive vehicles are so much better than rear wheel. Do they still make rear wheel? Manual transmissions are easier to rock your car out of a spot than automatics.

A safety tip for winter driving: Always have emergency kit in your car -- blankets, snacks, water, flashlights. Keep the gas tank on the full side instead of empty. Take some of the worry out of winter driving. Be prepared and think – slow, easy does it, and safety first.

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Personal Goals

Posted by Granny1952 Sunday, December 13, 2009



Here it is – time once again to make our New Year’s Resolution.  Oh, how many we have made and not kept.  Did you keep one?  What was different about the one you kept and the one that ended after a few weeks? 

Little tricks that help me include journaling and the simpler the better.  Here is a sample of one I use – One goal per week. I take it 12 weeks increments – choose a goal topic for the 12 weeks and then each week choose a goal to help me reach that overall goal. For example:  Exercise. Week 1 it would be to walk 10,000 steps per day.  At the end of the week I would write what I did to get those steps in and then write down my results.  Week 2 may be to make three days aerobic walking, etc….

 
While a year – 12 months – sound like such a long time, taking it one day, or one week at a time, and changing or modifying the goal every 12 weeks, seem more manageable. 
                                       
I try to make at least one day out of every week a Personal Development day.  Learn something new about my goal topic.  The internet is so full of information; the library has so many books.

So my New Year’s Resolution is to do a whole year of 12 week Personal Goals.  I am excited to get started.  Oh, and another trick – only make up one 12 week goal sheet at a time. Keep it manageable. Next year at this time I want to be able to look back and say, yes I did it!

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Family Traditions

Posted by Granny1952 Saturday, December 12, 2009

Holiday, they are filled with traditions. Some are old, some are new traditions. Holiday time starts at Halloween and ends with Valentines; many events and occasions during those 3 plus months.

Our family loves Thanksgiving. We have family and friends over for dinner. Come early to snack, visit and watch football is our motto. Platters of turkey, bowls of salads, dressing, potatoes and gravy are gone through. After the meal is done, everyone sits around to visit more, eating desserts as they wish. Games are brought out. The house is filled with laughter and playing.

Our next big one is Christmas Eve. When our family grew too large for everyone to get together for Christmas day, Mom started having a “Soup and Snack” Christmas Eve. People came had a bowl of hot soup, cookies, visited and left to fit their schedule. Her Cabbage Borscht, Chicken Corn Chowder, Sweet & Sour Meatballs were always a hit. This was Mom’s way of being able to see everyone for Christmas. The grandchildren looked forward to it. Mom passed away a few years ago but we carry on the soup and snack tradition. Family and friends still come; my sisters and I make soups, cookies and meatballs. It is our way for us and our Dad to keep Mom part of our holidays.

Then there is my favorite – New Year’s Day. I love New Year’s Day. It is a beginning of a new chapter in my book of life, a day to make a resolution, and to write down goals for myself. Some I have kept, some I have not. We make it a day of relaxation and rejuvenation.

So what is your favorite tradition? Do you know who started the tradition and why? Wishing you and your family a happy and safest of holiday season; from our house to yours!

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