Thursday, July 17, 2008

Winter is Here Folks !!!

"A Little too soon
To start planning
Ahead for the winter
Because
Summer is not over
You would be a Fool
To be planning for Winter now"
- Aldo Kraas

I found this poem called “A Little Too Soon,” while idly browsing through the internet. Well, if your poetic self wants you to relax on a couch, Best of Luck, because winter is here and there’s very little time before day turns to night!

You might still tend to go out with half sleeves shirt of the closet from summer clothing, and would realize that there’s no more sun. Kids are back to school and streets are empty. Leaves are turning yellow and almost ready to wither off. By the time all the leaf is gone... you will be entering full term winter.

1. Time to get the thick clothing out from your Self Storage or attic or large box that is hiding in a corner in closet.

2. Get the winter clothing washed or dry cleaned so you can avoid any possible allergy and have fresh welcome to winter.

3. Time for shopping some cold creams and lip-guards and any other protective skin creams.

4. Home Owners

a. Have your gutters cleaned after the fall and before full term winter. So drain gutters are clean enough to handle the rain water off your roof and sides and snow.

b. Have your snow blower ready, fill it up with gas, and start it for a few minutes to see if it’s ready for some work. Clean up the ignition plug; check the tire pressures etc…

c. Get some snow/ice melt (Salt) ready so you can have your drive way and walk ways clean from snow and ice. That would avoid any possible accidents from slippery walk surfaces.

d. Be sure to close and tightly lock all the open windows. You may have to use some packing strips to make sure the window joints are sealed properly from any possible air leaks. Detach any window air-condition units installed. Remember, if you have your house completely insulated, your heating cost you can at least keep heating cost to a minimum. Also, shut off your fireplace damper. It makes sure no heat escapes out of your home.

e. Before you switch on your heating unit make sure air filter is installed properly and it’s clean. If needed, please get the filter changed.

5. Parents

a. Kids and children who have a history of flu or have not yet had the complete flu vaccination need to be vaccinated now. The Department of Health and Human Services has released detailed instructions about how to go about doing this. Also, you would find other instructions like what you should do in case of a flu emergency. Please visit hhs.gov for more information.

b. If you’re using a heater, put it up on a level- just for caution’s sake- and out of reach of kids at your home. Also, make sure it is not anywhere near flammable substances like carpets.

c. Make sure everybody at your home is wearing proper protective clothing. Hypothermia and Frostbites are not unheard of. Some of the major reasons which lead to Hypothermia include improper diet and alcohol intake. The least you can do is eat a lot of fruits and other fiber rich food. Also, go a little easy on your scotch.

Actually, this list hardly ever ends. So, go ahead tell me about what you think I might have missed in the comments section.

Vidya Garapati (GV)
Movers.com Team


No comments: