Gentle Tiger Acupuncture

Stay on the couch, bundle up with loved ones, two legged and four footed and turn on your favorite holiday movies -

1. A Christmas Story – “You’ll shoot your eye out, kid!”

2. The Grinch – Animated or Live (if you have little ones, stick with the animated, the live version with Jim Carrey is a LITTLE scary. Some critics panned the live version, but I don’t agree. I think it’s pretty good.

3. A Muppet Christmas Carol – Oh, it’s just classic Jim Henson with Kermie, Piggy, Fozzy, Rizzo, Gonzo, et. al. Michael Caine makes a great Scrooge – both before and after his inner transformation from cold hearted, iron hearted butthead to generous loving human being.

 I’m sure you have your own favorites, please share them with me. I understand that we can’t all stay home in inclement weather, so if you MUST go out, let’s get some things in check here. I’ve included a top 10 list of important items to have on hand or have ready in case of travel in inclement weather.

1. Properly filled tires – maximizes gas mileage, increases better handling of your vehicle

2. Gas tank filled up the night before – this minimizes getting in and out of the car the next day. Also, if you do go off the road, it’s important to have enough gas to keep the heater going in case it takes a while for help to come. I looked up the temp at which gas freezes, 3-4 different sources I found said that it’s basically -97 degrees F. That’s even cold for WI. I have this superstition, based on my own rationale that despite this figure, a gas tank that is full will NOT contain frozen gas by morning than one that is on or near E. Feel free to set me straight on this idea.  

2.5 Speaking of freezing, they sell windshield cleaning fluids with lower freezing temps than the average windshield cleaning fluid. I have found that the stuff that requires more effort by Mother Nature to freeze is purple and usually costs a little more, but if you’ve ever had frozen windshield cleaning fluid (present company included), you’ll know it’s worth it. And make sure you check levels before leaving the house.

3. An auto first aid kit is a GRAND thing to have in the car just for GP (general purpose), but doubly important in case of inclement weather. A space blanket (some come in the car first aid kit), a flash light with fresh batteries (may also be in the car first aid kit). There are several different models, sizes, styles to choose from online. They contain things like: Motion sickness tablets, accident report forms, light sticks, an emergency whistle, etc. 

3.5 Make sure you’re up to date on your oil change(s). Thinner, cleaner oil assists to ease starting up your vehicle in colder weather and moves more quickly through your engine to aid in quicker warm-up. Also, in general regular oil changes decrease wear and tear on engine parts, maximizing engine life.

4. Jumper cables – In case you have to start a campfire while waiting for help to arrive, LOL! just kidding – the reason I think is obvious. If your car battery dies/stalls and you need to start it up, you’ll have the ability to do so with jumper cables.  

5. Candles – if you can’t keep the heat on in your car and you get stuck, 1 candle is enough to heat the interior of your car to a tolerable level. It won’t be roasting, but you won’t freeze. Carry a few. My suggestion is to  put 5-7 tea candles in a kit/container. Tea Candles last about 20-30 minutes each.

6. Road flares – for placing on the road in case of limited visibility and you’re still in the road or near it and can’t move.

7. A cell phone charger cord that is cigarette lighter adaptable. Not all cars come with a cigarette lighter anymore, so pay attention to that before you buy this type of charger cord. Remember too, that if your battery dies/stalls you may out of luck in this regard, but if you were charging your cell phone before the accident, you’re in luck!

8. When it IS cold out – a.k.a. inclement weather in winter, pack some non-perishable foods – trail mix (the chocolate has sugar and the nuts have great protein and fat), bottled water, whether yours or store bought, canned food is an option too.

9. I know that On Star, Tom Tom and Garmin have wonderful GPS systems, but you may not always have reception…despite these companies reassurances, so a good old fashioned paper map of your county and the surrounding areas or a map of wherever you are is a good idea.

9.5. Oh and don’t wait to get through ooooooone more winter to get brand new tires that you should’ve bought when it was still warm, but were wondering if it would fit in your Xmas budget.

10. And throw in a good book of your favorite holiday recipes that you’ll be cooking once you’ve contacted the police, insurance company, family/friends, towtruck and are sitting waiting for rescue in your nice warm vehicle. Okay, any book will do. You say You’d prefer to play on your cellphone to kill time? I suggest you save the battery for any calls you may need to make, in case the tow truck can’t find you, your family needs information, etc. who knows?  -  besides when do any of us with kids, jobs and bills to pay have time for a good book besides at bedtime or on the toilet – LOL!

Alright, I’m sure many of you have many of your own practical ideas for what to keep in the car and how to maintain your car for inclement weather. Please share. thank you – Miguel

p.s. Crank handle powered flashlights exist and are a good idea if you don’t want to deal with batteries. They only need to be hand cranked in order to charge. It will make reading at night in your warm stuck car more practical, too.

No related posts.