Tag Archive for date

Do NOT Miss this Important Date

An important date is coming up soon. For many of us during this pandemic, the only safe way to vote is by mail. And voting is not just a right or privilege; it’s a necessity if our democracy is to work.

It’s not too early to request a vote-by-mail ballot. Here’s a chart of deadlines for the states so you can submit your request for an absentee/mail-in ballot in plenty of time. Put it on your calendar. Better yet, send in your request today.

For a Healthy Marriage

“AFTER the kids are grown and we retire, THEN we’ll have time for us!” Too many couples put their relationship last.  Wouldn’t it be better if our kids grew up with a different outlook, that Marriage, as the heart of Family, is important enough to nourish?  We can do this in our own homes and among friends.  Find out about Marriage Encounter weekends and couples’ group activities. Do a date-night exchange, taking turns watching the kids while one couple goes out on a date—or just goes back home alone for a few hours.  Give that extra set of tickets to friends who need a night out.  Or take their kids with yours to the Children’s Discovery Museum and turn over your pool or hot tub to the parents for an afternoon.  All these things are inexpensive or free to you but priceless to your friends.  Your reward comes when they return the favor, and the community benefits from healthier marriages, both yours and your children’s!

$4 Billion Worth of Milk

That’s how much money is wasted every year by discarding perfectly good milk. That’s 34 pounds of safe-to-drink milk per person. And mostly because of the carton’s confusing date label, which isn’t even regulated by law. We look at it as an expiration date, when it’s really just the date the manufacturer thinks the milk is at its highest quality (tastes best).

Milk is the most wasted food in the U.S.–by weight, 12% of all food products wasted.

There is an easy fix. Ignore the date and let your eyes and nose be the judge of whether the milk is still safe to drink. You’ll see a color or texture change, and your nose certainly knows. If you take a swig and it’s sour, remember that experts tell us that drinking sour milk won’t make us sick. But the land and water it takes to produce that much lost milk does take a toll on our Earth.

Honoring Our Military

Tomorrow is Armed Forces Day. President Harry S. Truman ushered in this day in which we recognize and honor the military women and men who have, do, and will protect our country and way of life. The observance became official on Aug. 31, 1949, replacing days honoring the different branches of the service now that they were all combined under the Dept. of Defense.

Let’s stop and think what these people and their families give up for us and express our gratitude in some small way. “Thank you for your service” has become an automatic response, often with little or no feeling behind it. Say or do something different. Buy a current or ex military person a cup of coffee, visit their family and help with household repairs, or take care of their kids while the parents have a “date night.” I’m sure you’ll think of something that will let them know how much you appreciate them.

Will Your Tires Kill You?

Aging tires can be dangerous, say studies done by the National Transportation Safety Board.  They deteriorate in the store, and they’re kept until they’re sold.  You might even buy a 10- or 15-year old tire that has rubber that’s breaking down and steel belts that are weakening.

Most of us just look at the tread and figure our tires are fine…sort of a “not-bald-is-beautiful” attitude.  That doesn’t mean they’re safe, though.

When you buy tires, look for the manufacturer’s code date.  Find the string of numbers on the tire.  The last four are the code for the day and the year of manufacturer.  For example, if the tire was made after 2000, “6811” means that it was made on the 68th day of 2011.  If you’re checking the tires you have now, be advised that there may be a different date on each of the four you’re driving on.

How Old Are Your Tires? Your Safety May Depend on the Answer has more information on tire age, safety, where to find the code number, and how to read code numbers on tires made before 2000.

Then, go check your tires!  I want my readers to be safe!