from november to late april, i don't go outside without ice cleats on my shoes.

I don’t approach dogs I do not know without asking the owner first.

I make sure I’m wearing my underwear with the ”good elastic” if I’m wearing a dress.

Roxsolid, my aunt worked in a jewelry store in a small downtown shopping area. One summer day, she happened to be looking out the front door and saw a woman just step out of the underwear that had slipped down around her ankles. She just walked away with them there on the sidewalk. Your concern is not unwarranted.

Roxsolid, I giggled. Thank you. :-)

I never, ever, never-ever look at my phone while driving. Not even at a stop light.

Sometimes I have the car read texts to me, but that's the extent of any interaction I have with my phone when I'm behind the wheel.

If you drive a car check your gas level and oil before a trip on a cold dark rainy night

Don't drink and drive

If you have young kids lock the medicine cabinet and cleaning products

Be mindful of electricity, don't fix the plugged in toaster with a fork or stand in the wet bathroom with no shoes and use a hair dryer

Don't eat stuff in the back of the fridge that is old/moldy or smells weird

Don't tug on Superman's cape. Don'tspit into the wind. Don't pull the mask off that old Lone Ranger And don't mess around with Jim"

Don’t eat yellow snow.

If you break your hand in two places, don’t go to those places again.

I agree that I wish we had a laugh button here.

I go down stairs one step at a time. I've fallen down stairs too many times so now I'm super cautious.

I try to ensure that my gas tank is never less than half full and that my phone is fully charged.

When one feels a sneeze approaching, clench EVERYTHING. Gets more important as one gets older....

I avoid arguing on the internet with strangers by not participating in threads that have even a trace of potential of becoming contentious.

But sometimes I mis-assess the risk. 🤷‍♀️😄

@roxsolid, you beat me to the yellow snow warning. 😎 and that reminds me of another old saying back in the days when toilet facilities and water weren’t always readily available on some ski slopes. Scroll on by if you might be offended.

If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down.

I always pack my passport first when going on a trip where I will need it. Toiletries are next and I almost always used a spreadsheet when I traveled a lot. Still do for clothing.

I start thinking about getting gas when i’m at a quarter tank and where I will be driving in the next couple of days.

My dad was an excellent swimmer and he always instilled in us having a life jacket nearby to grab or put on when we were boating, skiing, etc. I still do.

@roxsolid, my mother used to tell me about her mother did the same thing once when she was alive. Though from memory she quickly scooped up the drawers and tucked them into her purse (which must have been reasonably large, judging by photos of Grandma :-) ).

I always double check the lock on the back door, as DH goes in and out of it and doesn't always remember to lock it when he comes back in.

this one happened many years ago but it's burned into my memory. i had acquired a new rescue great dane that sorely lacked in the "recall" department so whenever i took the dogs out into the farm fields, he had to stay on a 30' long line.

all 3 dogs were within a few feet of me and i kind of let my guard down since i was sure he wouldn't bolt and leave the other dogs.

cue the deer who burst out of the woods and across the field, laid eyes on us and took off at warp speed. all of the dogs saw her but 2 of them were smart enough to know they'd never catch her and just trotted out ahead of me maybe 10 yards before they turned back around.

bentley, on the other hand, took off at a dead run. me, thinking when he hit the end of that long lead, would give up the chase but nooooo, he wanted venison and NOTHING was going to stop him.

i held on for deer...errrr, i mean dear...life determined not to let him get loose. he hit the end of that lead and kept right on running. i, on the other hand, fierce in my determination to stay upright, crashed and burned in a big way. i instantly saw the error of my ways when i landed face first in the dirt.

the problem was, it wasn't just dirt. i had fallen into a huge patch of prickly pear cactus. if you aren't familiar with prickly pear cactus (and i truly hope you aren't because that stuff is evil i'm telling you, EVIL), it not only has spikes that can be over 1" long, it also has teeny tiny hairlike "fuzz" all over it. "fuzz" that has microscopic barbs on it and will bury itself in tender flesh and haunt you until it eventually works its way back out voluntarily because even the best tweezers can't get a hold on it.

it took a couple of weeks before i felt human again. the one good thing i found out about bentley was that he was very smart, very willing to please, one of the easiest dogs i've ever trained. it wasn't long before he perfected his recall and was allowed to run free in the fields.

that's my story and i'm stickin' to it!

I learned to never swim away from shore, but to wade out and swim back, or parallel to the beach (for ocean swimming).

Speaking of dogs, when I was a teenager a dog was coming toward me and I decided to stare it downn. Dumb, but luckily the dog turned around and left. When I told the story to my husband years later he said the dog made the right decision to just leave.

pekemom, that really made me laugh.

I ride at a large, busy stable. I automatically put my hand on EVERY horse's rump, even the calmest ones, if I have to pass behind them.

I never enter or exit a building without checking my surroundings.

I don't rely on rear view cameras to back out, I still use my mirrors as well, to check what may be coming from the sides.

Apparently I also belong to an exclusive club. The minority of drivers who understand that if the windshield washers are on so should the vehicle's lights be on.

If you find yourself in sketchy territory walk like you own it.

I never leave home with an appliance running (on) that either creates heat or uses water. When we leave home for a period longer than overnight we cut the water supply to clothes washer. I hope that with these safety measures I prevent both a house fire and flooding from an overflowing appliance or broken hose.

Like wildchild I also never exit a building without checking my surroundings. We avoid standing in crowds at airports - mostly at the departure & arrival gates & especially at the international flight gates.

I always warn people on pain meds: no driving, no alcohol, and keep your hands to yourselves, and absolutely no ‘I thought she was flirting with me.’ The medicine is not admissible in court as a personality.

I am currently recovering from a fractured humerus. Treatment at this point requires a home exercise program drawn up by my physiotherapist. If I'd had a little more foresight, I would not have told him I found the program fairly easy. He gave me a new program. I deeply regret my mistake.

Always aware that falls can kill older people(and younger ones too), I hold on to our beautiful polished maple wood bannister up and down the stairs. I rarely use the back stairs because they were the hired man's stairs and are steep and not as wide.

Always lock the doors in the house, and the cars are always locked when they're on the street, but at night they're in the carriage house. Some people say they don't think I should hike alone, but I have my phone and watch with me at all times, and my husband is somewhere in the vicinity. As for sketchy people. That could happen, I guess, but I have never encountered any in the 6 and 1/2 years I've hiked the AT.

I close the door with the deadbolt, using it as the knob. That way, I'll make sure to lock it every single time.

I always zip closed the main compartment of my purse when shopping. A PITA sometimes cause I’m always putting away sunglasses, getting out reading glasses, checking my shopping list on my phone etc.

When shopping with a shopping cart, I put my purse in the child carrier and then fasten the child‘s seat belt through my purse handles. And always keep one hand on the cart.