What If . . . You Find Yourself in Danger at Home?

Before we continue with part 4 of these safety posts a reminder . . .

                                                     
Some of these ideas can help you avoid a potentially bad situation while others will help you act IF you find yourself in a dangerous situation.

The following are habits that are simple to develop. Being cautious is not being paranoid. Being safe may keep you from  being sorry.

No matter how safe you feel your neighborhood is,
it is very wise to keep your house locked ---
even when you are home (which some think
is unnecessary.)

BE AWARE IN YOUR HOMES — Don’t automatically act on the “out of the ordinary.” Individuals intent on doing evil are inventive! Stay alert and keep safe. 

DO's:

• If you want to have your windows open for air, take blocking precautions: open them only enough to allow air to come through---not a person! 

          For sliding doors or windows, place a length of dowel in the inside window track preventing the window from being opened wider.
          For windows that open from bottom to top, buy or make stoppers that only allow a few inches to be raised.

• Consider a barrier between you and who ever is on the other side of the door when you open it. Not many years ago almost every home had a screen door along with the regular door(s). They were usually made of window screen  in a simple wooden framework. Not so, these days.  But also, unfortunately, most homes today have oversize or fancy doors that do not "lend" themselves to this extra protection.  A couple of years ago we installed one of the "modern"one at our front door. It not only allows us to have the door open to let in air, it is a comforting safety feature. It is made from heavy holey-stuff with grill work.  They aren't very expensive;  they can easily be installed to the existing framework; in daylight you can see who is at the door without them being able to clearly see you; and they aren't overly "ugly" I think they are a great bang for the buck!!!

• If you need help, yell FIRE instead of help---it attracts more attention, which is sad but, confirmed in a safety class, true. 

• If your car has an automatic car door opener keep your car keys by your bed. If you hear a noise that concerns you, you can press the alarm button and it will set off the car alarm. Somehow the alarm "waves" are able to travel through walls so this is effective even when you are on the side away from your driveway. Have someone stand by your car and then try it to make sure it works for you!

• Keep your cell phone by your bed. Even if it is out of charge I was told in a recent class that you will still be able to dial 911. The control center won't be able to automatically track the location of the call but they can talk to you. I'm am not sure how to test this (since you shouldn't just dial 911) but I trust the instructor that told us.

Any deterrent, even if it is only going to slow the perpetrator down just a couple of seconds, is often all it takes for him to pass up your home in favor of an easier mark. They usually won't take a chance on the possibility that the dog may be just around the corner of the house or in the house, or to speculate on whether you actually have a security system or not. So . . .

• Buy a huge dog dish, paint a mean sounding name on it (like Killer or Bruiser, etc.), beat the dish up to make it look used, and throw it in the backyard.
• Post a "Beware of Dog" sign.
• Buy "This house protected by security alarm" stickers and place on doors and windows.
• Plant "stickery" bushes under windows.
• Add deadbolt locks to your doors --- and then be sure to use both locks. 

DON'Ts: 

The following are reported to be true. While I can't verify them, they do provide extra cautions we may not have thought of on our own.

A woman heard a crying baby on her porch late one night so she called the police because she thought it seemed weird. The police told her “Whatever you do, DO NOT OPEN THE DOOR.” The lady then reported that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window. The policeman said, “We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door.” He told her that they think an attacker has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls from women reporting baby's cries outside when they're home alone at night.

If, especially after dark, you hear, or are awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of your outside water faucet running or what you think is a pipe that has burst, DO NOT GO OUT TO INVESTIGATE! This ploy has the attacker turning on your outside taps full blast so that you will go out to investigate and he can attack.

I think this next one is especially cunning --- I had never considered  predators would be patient.

One day a nicely dressed man knocked on a door and when the woman answered told her he and his family were considering moving to the neighborhood and could she tell him what she thought of the schools. After she answered, he thanked her and left.

The next week, he knocked once again and asked her a couple more seemingly appropriate questions; thanked her and left.

A few days later, he appeared once again with a logical question and apologizing for bothering her.  (By then, even cautious people would be feeling quite comfortable.)  He started coughing, asked for a drink of water and . . .

Next:  Being safe on the phone and more

What If . . . You Find Yourself in Danger while Jogging or Walking?

Before we continue with part 3 of these safety posts a reminder . . .

                                                       
Some of these ideas can help you avoid a potentially bad situation while others will help you act IF you find yourself in a dangerous situation.

The following are habits that are simple to develop. Being cautious is not being paranoid. Being safe may keep you from  being sorry.

• IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, whether alone or with someone, whether walking for exercise or pleasure, or going to and from your responsibilities or activities — EVEN IN FAMILIAR AND COMMON AREAS; EVEN IN DAYLIGHT!

Note from Gail: One summer my girl cousins and I were selling berries from our grandparents' garden, door to door in their small country town. (I was 8 or 9; they were about 12 and 13). It was dusk; the houses were spaced far apart. Suddenly we noticed a man walking briskly behind us and it didn't feel right. My cousins started running down the street. I was prompted to run to one of the houses that had lights on.  They told me he was just a crazy man who wouldn't hurt us and slammed the door.  I jumped off their porch and ran past two other houses until I saw another one with a light on. They were kind and understanding, while explaining his situation and agreeing that he probably wouldn't have hurt us --- still they understood our fear and took us home. 

• USE EAR BUDS AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES WITH  GREAT CAUTION.  Whether you are walking or stationary, THESE CAN ALL CAUSE DANGEROUS DISTRACTIONS ---1) making you less in tune to promptings, 2) less aware of your surroundings, 3) unaware of suspicious noises and activity --- ALL MAKING YOU EASY PREY FOR A CRIMINAL.

• THE ELBOW IS THE STRONGEST POINT ON YOUR BODY. IF YOU ARE CLOSE ENOUGH TO USE IT, DO! (Tip from Tae Kwon Do) 

• IF A ROBBER ASKS FOR YOUR WALLET AND/OR PURSE, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. TOSS IT AWAY FROM YOU---Chances are that he is more interested in your money and will go for that---AND RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

• IF THE PREDATOR HAS A GUN AND YOU ARE NOT UNDER HIS CONTROL, ALWAYS RUN! PREFERABLY IN A ZIG-ZAG PATTERN. Even when running in a straight line the chances of being hit are only about 4 in 100 times and, even then, it most likely will not be a vital organ. 

• GO AGAINST YOUR NATURAL TENDENCIES TO BE SYMPATHETIC AND HELPFUL. It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy*, the serial killer from the 1970's was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS PLAYED ON THE SYMPATHIES OF UNSUSPECTING WOMEN. He sometimes walked with a cane, or a limp, sometimes wore a fake cast, and asked “for help” into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

*Utterly unique in its astonishing intimacy, as jarringly frightening as when it first appeared, Ann Rule's The Stranger Beside Me defies our expectation that we would surely know if a monster lived among us, worked alongside of us, appeared as one of us. With a slow chill that intensifies with each heart-pounding page, Rule describes her dawning awareness that Ted Bundy, her sensitive coworker on a crisis hotline, was one of the most prolific serial killers in America. He would confess to killing at least thirty-six young women from coast to coast, and was eventually executed for three of those cases. ... Rule's book strikes a seamless balance between her deeply personal perspective and her role as a crime reporter on the hunt for a savage serial killer -- the brilliant and charismatic Bundy, the man she thought she knew.... (book review)

Note from Gail: We lived near one of the shopping mall's where Ted Bundy tried and failed  to abduct a teenage girl. He got away but she was able to give a description.  Our neighborhoods were in virtual self-imposed lock-down! It was very scary.

Again, being cautious is not being paranoid. Being safe may keep you from being sorry----even if you feel embarrassed or rude in the process.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

POLICE OFFICERS WOULD MUCH RATHER RESPOND TO A “FALSE ALARM” THAN TO AN ACTIVE CRIME SCENE.

Coming Soon

 Be Safe:
 At home; 

On the phone and more

What If . . . You Find Yourself in Danger in a Parking Lot?

or on the road

Before we continue with part 2 of these safety posts a reminder . . .

                                                         
Some of these ideas can help you avoid a potentially bad situation while others will help you act IF you find yourself in a dangerous situation.

The following are habits that are simple to develop. Being cautious is not being paranoid. Being safe may keep you from  being sorry.

•  Continually be aware of your surroundings --- it is easy to be concentrating on the things you need to accomplish , disregarding the here and now.
• Always lock your car---even when you leave it for just a few minutes. 
• And  re-lock it as soon as you get back in it.
• Have your keys out and at the ready when going to your car.
• Be attentive when walking to your car --look around you-- look into your car before entering, both on passenger side floor and the floor and seat in back. Glance under your car as you are approaching it. Individuals have been known to hide under a car and pull you down or disable you by slashing  your Achilles Tendon as you go to open your door.
•  If you are parked next to a large van, enter your car from the passenger door. Many criminals attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.
• Check the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, your workplace or wherever you were and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.
• Be especially attentive in a parking garage. If someone approaches you with an offer to help with your packages, etc., firmly say NO (not worrying that being assertive sounds rude). 
• If, for some reason, you find you need help, YOU approach a person. There is far less chance the individual you approach is seeking to do harm.
• Be leery if someone asks for your help at their car--- Rapists have been known to wear a cast or fake a disability as a means to lure their victims.
• Make it a habit to lock your doors and leave as soon as you get in your car. 
• Never get into your car and sit there going over your list, your receipts, making calls, etc. The predator can be watching you, and this provides the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side of your car. 
•  If, after you get in your car, you discover someone is in the car DO NOT drive away from the parking lot --- Instead gun the engine and speed into anything solid, wrecking the car. Your Air Bag will save you. The other person will get the worst of it. As soon as the car crashes, bail out and run. It is better than having them find your body in a remote location.

• If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.
• As unbelievable as this seems , it is reported that if you ever need to scream for help, you will get greater response if you yell "Fire!"

Gail's personal experience: In my early 20's I was driving home from work around midnight on a main, but deserted at the time, street when a man indicated I was to pull over to the side of the road. He was wearing a uniform but was in an unmarked car. I listened to my internal warning, and instead pulled into the driveway of a darkened home and began honking my horn. He kept driving and the awakened residents were understanding. Upon arriving home and reporting to my husband he called the authorities and confirmed they had no unmarked cars on duty.  

Again, being cautious is not being paranoid. Being safe may keep you from being sorry----even if you feel embarrassed or rude in the process.

Coming Soon

 Be Safe:
When walking or jogging; 

At home; 

On the phone and more

What If . . . You Find Yourself in Danger?

Each of us has a special internal "warning system."


Holy Ghost - Holy Spirit - Guardian Angel - Comforter - 
Still Small Voice - Intuition -Prompting - Sixth Sense -
Gut Feeling . . . 

No matter what term you choose to use for these feelings, it is always very important to listen to them and act upon them! 

Since we have been taught to be polite to others we worry about displaying actions that may appear rude--even when our internal feelings are on high alert.


DO NOT IGNORE THESE FEELINGS even if you feel they are inconsequential or would cause possible embarrassment. 

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

POLICE OFFICERS WOULD MUCH RATHER RESPOND TO A “FALSE ALARM” THAN TO AN ACTIVE CRIME SCENE.

While the odds of  something happening are remote, it is very important to consider, in advance, things you could do to help yourself if faced with an emergency situation. 

 My next few posts will contain safety tips (reminders and new considerations) that might come in handy during seemingly simple and safe everyday activities, along with my sincere hope you will never have need for them. 

These tips are not presented to cause you to be overly afraid but to make you aware of possibilities and the precautions you can take and  actions you can implement if the need ever arises. 

If these possibilities, precautions and actions are thought out beforehand chances are great that they will be automatically recalled in a time of need, allowing you to act “instinctively.”

I grew up in small quiet towns back when life was mainly gentler and kinder. Even in those times and environments I learned:

IT IS IMPORTANT TO ALWAYS BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS, whether alone or with someone, whether walking for exercise or pleasure, or going to and from your responsibilities or activities — even in familiar and common areas; even in daylight.

As the world continues to increase in darkness, it becomes increasingly important to be cautious. Desperate and drug-crazed individuals do not wait for what we would consider logical (i.e. isolated) locations or times to make their moves.

A Heads Up: We Shouldn't Take Product Labels For Granted

I had an enlightening  experience two weeks ago.  I went to my usual health food store to pick up my usual bottle of 100 percent black cherry concentrate.( It seems to be quite helpful in warding off a gout attack, which is something you want to ward off at all costs ---trust me on this.)

Since this is my fourth or fifth bottle of this same product and same brand  it was a simple matter to go pick up another from the shelf. Or so I thought . . .

Because the print was so small in this composite,
I darkened the information in
the sunburst-looking graphic on the front of each label

The labels are exact EXCEPT for a slight difference in wording. Even if I had noticed the new "juice concentrate" identification I would not have given it a second thought. At the most I would have thought it was just a change for a little clarification.  

What difference would the newly added words "juice concentrate" mean when you were looking at a bottle of black cherry concentrate (unsweetened)?

As it turns out ---- a major difference!!! 
( I am so thankful I still had my previous bottle for comparison, otherwise I would have thought I was losing my mind)

The original* label lists its ingredient: Black Cherry Juice Concentrate.

This new label lists  its ingredients in this order: Apple Juice Concentrate, Natural Flavors, Grape Juice Concentrate, Cherry Juice Concentrate, Peach Juice Concentrate, Pear Juice Concentrate, Pomegranate Juice Concentrate, Black Current Juice Concentrate, Sodium Benzoate, and  Sodium Sorbate. 

How can this newly-formulated product be called, in big bold letters, Black Cherry Concentrate? Wouldn't Fruit Juice Concentrate be more accurate?

Further, the original* nutrition facts portion of the label lists the sugar content as 4 grams and zero sodium. The new label lists sugar at 13 grams and sodium at 10 grams. 

Even the two identification numbers (I don't know the official name) on the labels are identical to each other. 

I spent a long time searching the Internet, trying to locate information of the formula change. If it is there I sure couldn't find it. 

How can this be?  How can companies get away with something like this?  Probably because we let them. 

Sadly the manager of the store didn't seem at all concerned when I returned and pointed our the changes. 

Her comments consisted of "Apparently the company changed their ingredients" and "What do you want me to do." I told her I wanted a refund even though I had torn off the safety seal before noticing the change and suggested she notify the company."  She didn't seem to feel this deceptive labeling was a big deal. I did! She did give me the refund --- I have my doubts about her contacting the company.  I am!!

Once again the beloved children's character The Velveteen Rabbit can ask "What is Real?" It is getting more and more difficult to tell.

*I am using original to identify my first few bottles.

Update: At a second nutrition store we found both bottles side-by-side.  When we pointed the differences out to that manager she was surprised and concerned.  We bought the original. I hope she will follow up.

Finding the Freshest Produce

We have made it through another winter. Soon we will be able to eat tomatoes and other fresh items that actually have flavor.

What is FRESH?

Produce that has traveled in mass for long distances loses a lot of its nutrients and goodness during the journey.  To keep customers from realizing this, many unnecessary steps and additions are used in the effort to keep it all looking “fresh.” I am told the greatest efforts in the produce section of large markets is maintaining the look of freshness by trimming, plucking, spraying and soaking.

The most nutritious and most flavorful are 1) those plucked from your own yard or 2) those from  local farmer’s markets, produce stands, or small growers.

The freshest  (i.e.most nutritious)
have been living in the ground until very recently. 

What? No space for a garden? 
Maybe not a garden ---- but most likely one or two or even a few plants. Think of the joy of picking your own salad makings right outside your door.  Many vegetable plants can be potted. You don’t even need expensive containers. Use your imagination. They can sit on a tiny porch, or balcony, or be tucked in a corner. All they need is sunshine and water.

There are other advantages to small container projects. For probably less than the price of a package of seeds, you can buy a plant or two, already well-started and ready to re-pot in your container.  This gives you a jump on the season — and no weeding!

To give you some ideas check out my previous posts on

gardening in a bag 

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2011/08/gardening-in-bag-or-bags.html

and 

gardening in bits and pieces 

http://thecreativecheapskate.blogspot.com/2012/02/how-to-creatively-garden-in-bits-and.html

Frugality Is Often Priceless!

Is it stating the obvious to say that cheap has become a way of life for me?

Even though financially, it is not as necessary as it once was, it is still wasteful to spend more than is needful for an item. I love the challenge.

As I have stated before our family motto was

    "Broke is a state of pocketbook --- poor is a state of mind"

There is no shame in being broke and we were usually okay with it.  and ----
There is no need to be poor and we refused to see ourselves as such ---- even when our financial circumstances leaned that way.

While we didn't realize it at the time, great dividends resulted from our financial situation. Necessity caused us to be creative in many aspects of our lives. Since there was no money for repairmen or replacement, Dave tried to fix many things. More often than not he was successful. When he wasn't, the only thing lost was a little time. (And maybe a little pride, although that is just a guess :) Over time he became quite the handyman.

By far, the greatest dividend was that our kids learned to share.

First it was crayons, and bikes and bedrooms. Later it was paper routes. When three were in college at the same time, they met weekly to exchange clothes, greatly expanding their individual meager wardrobes.

To this day they still share, usually across the miles ---- strength, support, ideas, and even occasionally, stuff!

Way back then, little did Dave realize when he was on an outing with just one of the kids and they financially had to share a soda pop, that a priceless bond was being created.

Creativity and thrift are not just for the financially challenged. It is caring and resourcefulness in a time when disposables and wastefulness are a way of life.

Following is a poignant message worth sharing (possibly I have already posted it, but if so, it is worth reading again). The author is unknown.

"My mother was so frugal she even ironed Christmas ribbons --- they were rayon then. I grew up in the forties and fifties when my practical mother also ironed wrapping paper and reused it and washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, and then reused it. 

She was the original recycle queen before they had a name for it. It was the time for fixing things --- a curtain rod, the kitchen radio, the screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things that could be fixed and kept rather than simply replaced.

It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, reheating, renewing. I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there would always be more. 

But then my mother died, and I sat in my kitchen that Sunday afternoon reading her old handmade cookbook in a binder. I was struck with the pain of feeling all alone, learning that sometimes there isn't any 'more.' Sometimes what we  care about most gets all used up and goes away---never to return.

So.... while we have it...it's best we love it...care for it...fix it if we can when it is broken...and heal it when it is sick.

This is true...for marriage...and old cars...and children with bad report cards...and dogs with bad hips...and aging parents...and grandparents...and aging family...blended families...sisters and brothers... We keep them because they are worth it and because we are worth it.

Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a classmate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special...and so, we keep them close!

It is best if we can determine what is really worth keeping and, with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away."

                          This post is part of a "Simply, Gail" column in a 2004 issue of Desert News Magazine.