TAMMY’S TIDBITS ‘

WRING

BY TAMMY VREELAND

The season of ‘wring’ is upon us. I’m sure you are wondering what in the world am I talking about? ‘Wring’ is how I describe the season in-between Winter and Spring.

Now you may ask yourself why in the world would I call it this, besides the obvious of combining the two words Winter and Spring together?

Think about the meaning of ‘wring’ and the term ‘wringing our hands’. The definition says it is to clasp and twist one’s hands together as a gesture of great distress, especially when one is powerless to change the situation.

In this day and age that seems to be more often than not, but we’ll just focus on the ‘season’ aspect for now.

This is the time of year where it can be very winter like one day and spring like the next. True, it’s still too soon to set our sights on spring, but when spring like weather appears, it’s hard not to!

Which, in turn, tends to take away enjoying winter weather to its fullest potential. I don’t know about you, but when it stays cold for a couple of days, I get used to it.

To me, if it feels like winter, then it is winter. But throw in a couple of warm days and I begin to wring my hands on how my plans for the weekend will be affected.

Will I be rained out for the day I want to go sledding or skiing? Or perhaps the warm weather has me itching to get my motorcycle out for a quick ride. However, the weather can change so quickly it’s best to try to tamper down that desire for now!

Traveling during the ‘wring’ season can certainly have us wringing our hands no matter what the weather is!

If it is wintery conditions, of course we need to be more careful driving. I’m sure most of you in the area heard about the closing of 95 in Virginia. How hundreds were stranded on the highway due to the weather?

Can you imagine? Some travelers were stranded for up to 19 hours! One poor trucker needed his insulin, while others feared running out of gas; not knowing how they were going to stay warm!

This would make anyone ‘wring their hands’! What can we do to lessen our anxiety in such situations? Perhaps being a little prepared in advance.

First of all, some of those motorists were going somewhere only an hour away. However, it ended up taking 13-19 hours. How were some of those people dressed?

Just the day before, the temperature was in the 50s! Now, I admit sometimes knowing I may not be traveling far, I have jumped in the car without my coat.

A thing I grew up knowing full well to never do! I grew up in Indiana. Winters were harsh. I can’t tell you how many times I either had to dig my way out of a ditch or help someone else while going to school or work. So, I think a key element here is to dress accordingly for the season, not the temperature. Granted, that can be tricky, especially warm days thrown in the mix, but try to remind yourself if you had to walk, could you?

Wear appropriate clothes, you can always take them off if you are too hot, but you’ll be thankful to have them in case you need them. Also, doesn’t hurt to have a blanket in the car. It doesn’t take up that much room and is nice to have in an emergency.

Next are snacks. Can’t hurt to have a little care package in the car just in case. Bags of nuts, granola bars, even jerky I’m sure would have tasted good to those poor motorists stuck for 19 hours!

Of course now, you need something to drink! Bottles of water are the easiest but how do you keep the water bottles from freezing when you are leaving them in the car for the next time?

Believe it or not, coolers are an excellent way to delay them from freezing. The key is to keep the cooler smaller, so it is insulating a smaller space.

Or at least filling the space up around the bottles. A perfect solution is to keep your snacks and the blanket in the cooler with the water. If at possible, keep the cooler inside car the car with you instead of the trunk, giving it a chance to heat up during the times you are driving.

If your water bottles get too cold and burst, at least they will be contained. As an extra caution, throw snacks and blanket in a sealed bag so they will not