HINTS FROM HELOISE
PRACTICAL, DEPENDABLE TIPS FOR TODAY’S BUSY CONSUMERS
Dear Readers: In today’s Sound Off, a reader asks the difference between weather and climate change:
Dear Heloise: I’m confused. What is the difference between climate change and weather? We’re having nice fall weather, so I don’t seem to notice any climate change.
— Jessica H., Flint, Michigan
Jessica, according to U.S. Geological Survey (www.usgs.gov), “weather” means atmospheric conditions over a short period of time, while “climate is the weather of a specific region averaged over a long period of time.” For example, weather might be a chilly day, while climate change would be having warmer winters than the past generation.
Nasa.gov states that weather is minute to minute, day to day, season to season. But climate is the measure of weather over a long period of time. NASA shares that an easy way to remember the difference between the two is that “climate is what you expect, like a very hot summer, and weather is what you get, like a hot day with pop-up thunderstorms.” Tropical storms have become stronger and more erratic due to warmer temperatures in the ocean water. Places that were normally packed with snow and ice, such as the polar regions, are now experiencing unprecedented melting.
— Heloise
Dear Readers: Here is a list of things to check before the heavy winter weather:
■ Have a chimney sweep check your fireplace.
■ Have winter blankets washed or dry cleaned and ready.
■ Stock up on a few basic food supplies.
■ Check windows and doors for drafts, and seal off any you find.
■ If you are snowed in, have a plan of action in case of an emergency.
Dear Heloise:
— Heloise
Before I visit my doctor, I line up my medications and take a picture up close of each one. Then I hand the camera phone to my doctor, and he can see what I take. This has saved a lot of confusion, and it’s easier on the doctor to see what I take.
— Patricia V., Shelton, Connecticut
Dear Heloise: After I had a total hip replacement, I was told I could take a shower in a couple of days but to wrap something around or over my wound site.
I finally thought about the clear cling wrap I use over bowls of food and used that to cover the area of surgery. It worked perfectly!
— Joann S., Centerville,
Massachusetts