The winter grass kissed white like a wonderland has left impressions on us, so profound philosophers have written about it. We get to snuggle up under blankets a little tighter and drink hot chocolate while listening to Bing Crosby singing about something that reminds us of Christmas trees and baking cookies with grandma in her kitchen.
But not everything works as well as they could during the coldest time of the year.
To better ensure they last as long as possible, here are three essential things to pay a little extra attention to when the season turns cold.
Show Your Car a Little Love
Cars are not cheap, and the better you take care of them, the longer they will last.
Contrary to warming up your car when it is icy outside, driving your car for a few minutes does a better job of getting the engine warmed up. An automobile sitting idly in the driveway wastes fuel and puts unnecessary pressure on the exhaustion and emission components.
More important is keeping the gas tank more than half-way full to prevent the gas tank from freezing. Also, scraping off any ice on the window is critical so that your view isn’t obscured while driving. These are handy tips that the experts at BrokerLink have included in their list of tips for car maintenance for when temperatures drop over the winter season.
Don’t Forget About the Skin You’re in
When the climate takes a frosty turn, we often forget about replenishing our bodies with water. However, chilly days and nights are a great time to take advantage of those teas you’ve wanted to try out.
In addition to protecting our bodies hydration, keeping your skin moisturized helps minimize dry, flaky skin and chapped lips as well. Showers are better than baths because bathing dehydrates the body. Using lotions, or oils, after showering helps trap the moisture in your skin overall.
Be sure to carry around a tube of lotion and chapstick to keep your hands and lips from cracking.
Pay Attention to Your Pets
Even our furry friends need a little extra attention during wintertime. One of the first things you need to do is to make sure any of your pets, or neighborhood strays, haven’t tucked themselves away in your car’s engine. So give your hood a tap before starting your vehicle.
Letting their fur coats grow in and even providing them with a little doggy sweater can help them stay warm when they go out into that freezing weather. Be sure they have something warm to sleep on as well. Prolonged exposure to cold floors can cause them to get sick.
Not only do our pets feel the same pangs of being cold, we feel so chilled to the bone many of us use space heaters. Make sure to place them in locations where your pets cannot catch their fur on fire accidentally.
Fido will also thank you for changing his water often as the liquid in their bowls tend to get so cold they do not want to drink it. Here are a few more tips to help your animals out.
Winter is a Celebration
Most people opt for summer and spring as their favorite seasons, but there is a beauty in winter that is peaceful. Nature takes a rest. She sleeps with her barren branches and frozen lakes. Everything is washed white in snowflakes, and the earth resets herself for another year of life.
We get to hug our loved ones at Christmas and stay in bed a little longer in the dark mornings snuggling with our families. Bringing out that extra blanket to soften the bed and lighting the fireplace are little extras that we are denied the rest of the year.
So scrape the ice away from the windshield, put some lip balm on, and take your pooch out for a snowy play session. Enjoy it while it is here because it all melts away too soon.