Rain, August gnome, and lawnmower repairs

We had a lot of rain this week, so I didn’t do much outside. Most afternoons, I was able to knit and spin. I finished the pair of socks I’ve been making. I also finished the gnome for July that we are going to gift to Don’s physical therapist.

On Tuesday, I went to my knitting group and had a good time. My friend Dagmar’s husband made a red dragon for me on his 3D printer. I sent it to my great-niece Kaeli on Wednesday. I hope she likes it.

On Wednesday, I was able to get out and do some weeding. I spent a couple of hours, but you really can’t tell I made a dent in the weeds. Of course, it set off my allergies, and my sinuses were messed up for 2 days.

Thursday was a quiet day. We ended up going to our local hardware store, which was able to recommend someone who could fix our lawnmower. He sounded very nice on the phone. When I gave him our address, he said his grandmother lives nearby.

On Friday, after Don’s board meeting, we went grocery shopping. Of course, Don was happy with going shopping. I was just glad to get the things I needed.

On Saturday, the guy came and picked up our lawnmower in the morning. We really liked him, so we also asked him to take our small generator with him to get fixed also.

This week, I also worked on washing my salt and pepper shaker collection, and Don helped me put them up on the shelves. I don’t have any more room for any more, so I need to stop finding cute ones at the antique store!

I hope you have a great weekend!

Original photos by Pat Hensley

Rainy Day Driving Precautions

We have had a lot of rain recently and I realized that many people don’t know how to drive in the rain. I don’t know if they haven’t been taught because we rarely have so much rain or they just ignore these precautions. Some of my students are new drivers and need to know this information.

1.     Drive slower because there may be a sheet of oil on the road after a fresh rain. This will make the road very slippery.

2.     There may be standing water on the road and cause your car to skid.

3.     You may see a puddle and it may deeper than you think. If you go through deep water, it could cause your engine to stall and you will be stuck in the water.

4.     Your car could hydroplane and cause an accident.

5.     Even if your car doesn’t hydroplane, other cars may, and you will need to be prepared to stop or evade the other car or cars.

6.     Drive with your headlights on. The better you can be seen, the better you are.

7.     Make sure windshield wipers are in working order. Heavy rains make visibility very hard.

8.     Make sure your tires are properly inflated and have good tread on them. This will help you have better traction on the wet roads.

9.     Obviously, don’t talk on the phone or text while driving because you need to pay more attention to driving than you would normally do on a dry day.

10.  Make sure you have plenty of gas. You don’t want to pump gas in the rain and you sure don’t want to be stranded on the side of the road on a rainy day.

11.  Keep an emergency flare in your car in case you need it. Triangles are nice in normal weather but may blow over or can’t be seen as easily.

12.  Keep an emergency rain poncho in the car in case you need it. You might hit a sudden rainstorm and need to get out of your car.

What other advice would you add? Please share.

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