KN, p.187 “On the Road – Get Ready for the Blizzard”
“Blizzard? What blizzard? It’s 70 degrees outside!” That’s Sheila talking as she looks over my shoulder.
I’ll have you know that there has been snow falling in the northwestern part of the USA already. In 2018, the northwest received over 400 inches of the white stuff, with the midwest getting pounded often enough that there were cars and trucks stuck on the roads for a while.
Top 10 Snowfalls From Last Winter + Prediction For 2018 – 2019 Winter
I never think about being prepared to get stuck for hours because I live in one of the most densely populated areas of the country. If traffic stops for any length of time, people have been known to get out of their cars, leave them on the highway and walk to the houses close by. That can cause a LOT of headaches when snow plows come through during the blizzards.
But, it’s not an option to leave the car in the middle of no place during a blizzard when you might be miles away from help. It’s usually warmer inside the car, plus it’s a shelter until help does arrive.
What do you do when you get caught traveling to a vacation spot or a storm moves in more quickly than the weatherman predicted? It is possible to die if help is a long time coming or your car gets buried in snow, so how do you avoid that?
To borrow a phrase from the Boy Scouts, Be Prepared.
If the weatherman isn’t sure about the path of the storm and you need to get somewhere a couple of hours away, follow these tips:
- Make sure you have a full gas tank.
- Let someone at your destination know your predicted arrival time.
- Charge your cell phone.
- Travel with snacks and several bottles of water for each passenger.
- Toss a couple of blankets in the car, just in case.
- Always travel with flashlights, but before the trip, check the battery power.
- Keep kitty litter in the trunk, in case you get stuck and need traction to get out of the slick spot.
- Buy a short shovel (available in auto supply stores) and leave it in the trunk.
If the storm hits unexpectedly while you are on the road and you can no longer see to drive (or the roads are hazardous) stop the car and pull over if you can.
- Stay inside the car.
- Run the motor for ten minutes every hour.
- Open the windows just a crack to avoid carbon monoxide buildup inside the car.
- Make sure the exhaust pipe is not blocked
- Tie a colorful scarf to the door. During a white-out, this will help the road crews find you more quickly.
- Make sure to stay hydrated.
- Exercise to keep warm – swing arms and legs as much as possible for a few minutes out of every 30.
Be smart about it and travel safely this winter. Better yet – stay off the roads until they are clear.
*Photo by Patti Phillips
KN, p. 229 “The Twelve Days of Christmas”
Many years ago, mom ran behind on organizing our family Christmas preparations. Dad helped whenever he could after his seasonal twelve hour shifts and the kids pitched in when asked to fetch and carry and clean up, but somehow with evening meetings and community outreach volunteering, our own celebrations got away from us. At the last minute, shopping hadn’t been finished, wrapping was far from done, and about the only thing we had nailed down were the cookies, the tree, and the Christmas music in the background.
So Mom invented her own version of the twelve days of Christmas. Mom proposed that we stop going crazy and instead of exchanging all the gifts, big and little, on Christmas Day, we would spread them out over twelve days. After a little grumbling about the break from our normal routine, we kids got on board when we realized that 12 gifts were more than 2 or 3.
The rules: We all had to contribute the ideas and some of the presents. We had to be creative about the gifts, since we didn’t have any more cash than usual. We also had to decide as a group what the theme would be for each of the twelve days.
Mom and Dad and three children working in unison, with varying levels of skills and commitment, could have meant chaos, but Mom kept us on track with the word, “Twelve.” That’s all she had to say. Lolol So many secrets, so many mini-projects, such a busy house, but instead of crammed into three days beforehand, with everyone scattering to friends’ houses during the evenings after Christmas Day, we had a blast. Our friends joined us some nights. Dad’s hours slowed down to a normal 9 to 5 and Mom had the whole week off from her day job. Take a look at some of what we gave. Not always individual presents, and a few were gifts from one of us for the whole group.
- Cookie Day: A batch of cookies, split five ways – and hot chocolate came with the cookies.
- Book Day: A book for each person, already purchased by Mom – each of us read the first page to the family.
- Drawings Day: My brother created drawings for each person.
- Photo Day: I picked out a photo of each person and placed it on a handmade ornament for the tree.
- Poetry Day: Each of us had to write a poem and share it.
- Joke Day: We made up jokes – mostly knock-knock jokes – and shared. Silly fun.
- What I Like About You: One thing about each family member was shared by each of us.
- Favor Day: A bowl contained papers telling something we each needed help with (yard work, trading chores, etc) We chose from it to see what favor we would do.
- Game Day: Dad had this one covered beforehand and we played the games he had picked up for us.
- Performance Day: My brother told a scary ghost story, Sis and I sang an off-key duet, Mom played the piano, and dad played the kazoo.
- Present for Mom: We cleaned our rooms. Even the closets.
- Present for Dad: We helped him straighten up and sweep the garage.
If you’re keeping track, no, we didn’t receive twelve wrapped gifts, but that Christmas stands out in my memory bank. Could it be replicated in this day of internet and streaming technology? Maybe not all of it, but the basic concept still works.
Give the gifts of time and love for each other. 🙂
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!
KN, p.226 “On the Road: Myths about Traveling Abroad”
Portal Tomb, Ireland
Travel abroad is more affordable during September and October. The airlines drop their high season prices, and package deals abound. Everybody loves a bargain and if you have a sense of adventure, travel to a foreign country might just fit into your budget at this time of year.
However, traveler beware: you might get less than you paid for and be faced with more challenges than you ever expected. Or, you might have great fun exploring new worlds.
Here are some truths about travel myths that might put that foreign trip into perspective:
Myth: everybody all over the world speaks English.
Reality: That’s not even remotely true. It is likely that more English speaking people can be found in major cities in Europe (some servers in restaurants, some taxi drivers at the airports, some bank managers, some bookstore cashiers, some grocery cashiers) but be ready to do a lot of pointing to your chosen purchase when outside the tourist areas.
Kelvingrove Art Gallery, Glasgow, Scotland
Myth: language apps will get you through the communication gaps
Reality: Your cellphone plan may not cover other countries, in which case you will pay roaming charges as soon as you turn on the phone in any foreign country. 24 hours a day of roaming charges. Call your phone company before you travel to see what plans are available. They are not one-size-fits-all.
PLUS, even if you have an in-country plan, there are dead zones everywhere, just like in the States. So, when you have to translate what you need for the train station ticket guy, the app may not work. Or, the guy in front of you in line may not have the app at all. During our latest trip, we missed our train connection (true story) because a guy in front of us in line could not make himself understood. The line grew longer and longer behind us.
BUT, you sputter, the ticket guys are supposed to speak English! Nope, there might be one person per shift and you might not be in the right line. Allow LOTS of extra time, because most of the countries we have visited have excellent, exactly on-time, public transportation. The train leaves the station on time, whether you are on the train or not, even if you have paid for the ticket. No refunds.
AND, the Post Office – for mailing great finds back – might not have any English-speaking employees. There are forms to fill out, so communicating about that is important. If you’re nervous about sending items back, see if your hotel (or the business itself) will handle it for you.
Of course, you can take English-only tours, or hire a translator, and these should be booked well in advance.
Myth: There are taxis everywhere
Reality: Not when the taxi drivers are on strike. Yup. Happened to us on our recent trip. The news showed pix of tourists walking with luggage long distances (a mile or more) to get from the airports to their hotels or to other transport. TAKE UBER? Not when Uber is barred from the airports and is the target of the taxi strikers. Be flexible in your travel arrangements.
Sidewalk, Ponta Delgado, Sao Miguel, Azores
Myth: You are gonna love the food!
Reality: Years ago, a stumbling block for our possible trip to Greece was whether or not we would like Greek food. We attended a local Greek festival, loved the food, and booked the trip the next day. The country’s food might be new to you, but go ahead, order menu items even if you don’t know what they are. No dead bodies lying on the ground around the tables means it’s probably safe to eat at that location.
I ordered codfish, salad, egg, and fried potatoes in Europe. I envisioned a piece of cod, a tossed green salad, a fried egg, and French fries. What I got was a famous local dish: mashed cod mixed in with straw potatoes and the egg. The salad was on the side. The straw potatoes are crunchy fries the size of those skinny, crunchy, chow mein noodles. The mashed cod was seasoned with a mustard flavored sauce. The straw potatoes were fried in olive oil. The plate had about two cups of the cod/potato/egg mixture piled in the middle. It was not at all what I had pictured in my mind and I questioned the waiter as to whether he had delivered somebody else’s order. We figured out with my limited Portuguese and his limited English that it was the correct dish. It was delicious. Truly. I would eat it again, but other travelers seated near us were horrified and left 90% of the food on the plate.
Vegetarian dishes are tough to find on the menus. Gluten-free is a challenge in most places. Be creative in your dining choices and be willing to experiment.
Metal Sculpture, Braga, Portugal
Myth: A resort hotel is the only way to go
Reality: If you want to travel less expensively, remember that ‘all-inclusive’ does not mean the same thing everywhere. In fact, the hotel may supply cheap liquor, badly prepared food, and no off-site excursions in the ‘all-inclusive’ price. Ask the travel agent lots of questions.
Renting an apartment or staying at a B&B are other options, especially if you have dietary restrictions and need to have some control over your food. We’ve done all three, and had wonderful in experiences in each, without tripping over any bodies anywhere. Promise.
Myth: You can travel with your prescription medication as long as you keep the meds in the original container and have a paper copy of the prescription with you.
Reality: We followed all the rules and an over-the-counter cold medicine (sold in their country) packed in the suitcase, was confiscated by the foreign country officials. No idea why.
Travel outside the country is an adventure. You learn astonishing things about the rest of the planet – culture, language, religion, incredible food, politics – and can witness some of the most majestic sights on Earth.
Notre Dame Basilica, Montreal, Canada
Book that trip! Be surprised. Be flexible. Fall in love with the world. 🙂