WLKM Radio 95.9 FM
There’s nothing more American than the hotdog. Going to a baseball game is not a complete experience unless you have at least one dog and a bag of peanuts. You can’t have a real cookout without hotdogs on the grill. It’s also against the law to put ketchup on a Chicago-Style hotdog.
You might be interested in knowing what the ingredients are in that All-American hotdog. In other words, what does it take to make the hotdog the official sign of summer? After doing a little research, this is what I found to be included in a real hotdog: carcass trim from cattle and pigs, which would include cheeks, jowls, tongues, lips, gums, eyelids, hearts, intestines, ears, nostrils, tails, snouts, tendons, windpipes, livers, kidneys, salt, bones, blood, fat, and preservatives. Now we all know that too many preservatives are not good for us, so you might want to get hotdogs without any. Salt is another thing we must all watch out for. Just another time to heed my doctor’s advice and partake of anything good in moderation. “Just two hotdogs, please, and hold the preservatives.”
This is the last day of January, so I’m thinking we only have the possibility of two more months of any real winter weather. I think we’ve been pretty lucky here in St. Joe County, as far as experiencing any really bad weather. I figure we are due at least three blizzards a year. We’ve had one real heavy snowfall so far, so it’s only fair that we should be dumped on at least two more times. I’m not wishing for any snow, believe me, but I still have two cans of gasoline waiting to be used by the snow blower, and in talking with local farmers, we need the snow for its nitrogen content. I’m also sure we still have a few snowdays left for the schools and it would be a shame to see those go unused.
Growing up in the fifties meant that we didn’t have many of the safety features that exist now to keep everyone safe. As a kid, I never wore a bicycle helmet when riding my bike all over town. The only time you wore a seatbelt was when you rode in an airplane. Cars didn’t have them until the late Fifties, and laws requiring you to wear them didn’t come into effect until later on.
We now have seatbelts in every automobile and truck, along with laws requiring you to use them. Airbags are also included in most vehicles. Airbags have been proven to save lives, but they can also hurt you, if certain precautions are not followed. For instance, you should never put a baby, a child, or even a small adult in the front seat, if the vehicle is equipped with airbags. In the event of an accident, the force that comes with the inflating of an airbag could cause serious injury to a smaller person occupying the front passenger seat. The driver of an airbag-equipped vehicle should drive with both hands on the rim of the steering wheel. If you drive with your hand or hands in the center of the steering wheel, you are taking a chance of having them thrown into your face, should the airbag inflate. It makes sense, then, not to drive with a cigarette or lollipop in your mouth.
During the summer, I’ve witnessed front seat passengers riding with their feet on the dashboard. If involved in an accident and the airbags are deployed, that passenger might end up with their knees jammed into their chest cavity. Chances are that this would really hurt.
As promised, here are a few things that might make your winter day just a little brighter:
The shortest known unit of time is that between the change of the traffic light and the honk from the car behind you.
Whatever you do, always give 100 percent. Unless you are donating blood.
If you live in a house with teenagers, don’t ask for whom the bell tolls. It’s not for you.
Have you greeted someone today with a friendly smile, or a “Good morning” or “How are you?” If you haven’t, you still have time to be friendly to someone. It’s amazing how great you’ll feel.
Have yourself a great day, and I’ll see you Out and About!
Submitted by Norm Stutesman
