Preparing Your Car For Harsh Winter Weather

Severe winter weather can cause a lot of wear and tear on the exterior of your vehicle and potentially result in damaging accidents. If you live in an area that gets plenty of snow and sleet during the winter months, there are a few important things you should do to prepare yourself and your car for the ice and cold.

You should always protect your car from the elements. Salt and sand used on roadways can build up on various parts of your vehicle and cause damage to the finish. Late every fall, you must hand wash your car and make sure that it is extremely clean. Apply one or two coats of synthetic wax according to the directions provided by the manufacturer. After waxing, apply a commercial auto paint sealant. This will help protect your wax job and help you get a little extra mileage out of your efforts. The exterior of your vehicle should be adequately protected for the duration of the winter. You should routinely visit a touch-free car wash to remove dirt and debris from your car. Avoiding gunk and grime buildups will help extend the life of your finish.

It's also a good idea to have a routine maintenance check conducted on your vehicle at the beginning of winter. An oil change, tune up, and diagnostic check can help ensure that your vehicle is in good running condition and prevent a potentially inconvenient breakdown. Check your tires to make sure they are properly inflated. Having the brakes checked is also a very good idea. The last thing you want to do is get break down or slide off of the road and become stranded in the middle of nowhere.

Every driver needs to assemble a roadside emergency kit in case an accident occurs. Grab an old toolbox or other container from the garage. Fill it with some basic supplies, such as a flash light, road flares, matches, bandages, and other first aid supplies. It is also a good idea to carry a small shovel and a container of cat litter mixed with salt incase you happen to get stuck on a patch of snow or ice. These simple tools can help you out of a bind when you least expect it.

With just a little bit of time and money, it's very easy to take the proper precautions that will ensure you can handle any situation that arises this winter.

About the Author

E. B. Chuong writes articles about recreational vehicles, and outdoor activities. Are you still looking for a good price on Shoei Helmets [http://www.helmetcity.com/page/HC/CTGY/shoei]? It's no secret Shoei is a popular helmet. Check out our top selling Shoei Multitec helmets [http://www.helmetcity.com/page/HC/CTGY/shoeimultitec] today.

Choosing the Perfect Kitten Name

So you bring home your brand new kitten for the very first time. You're looking forward to all the wonderful years ahead with your beloved new pet. You have everything she needs: Food, water, toys to play with, a litter box, and a bed to sleep in. But does she have a name yet?

It's not difficult to choose names for kittens, but you'll want to bear a few things in mind. To begin with, your kitten isn't going to stay a kitten forever. She will grow up to be a cat. If you focus too much on the way she is now as a kitten, you might choose a name that she'll soon outgrow. So think ahead. Is Tiny going to be the best name for your kitten five years from now? What if she puts on some weight and becomes a 15 pound cat?

Your kitten's appearance may help determine the name. For example, if you have an orange kitten, you might call her Ginger, Tabby, Cinnamon, Spice, or Sandy. If you have a grey kitten, you could choose a name like Ash, Soot, Dusk, Dusty, or Silver. If you have a fluffball of a kitten, perhaps Furball should be her name.

And then there is your kitten's personality to consider. Does your kitten run so fast through your house that all you see is a flash of fur? You might call her Zoom or Flash. A nervous, shy kitten might need a name like Mouse or Ghost. If you have a kitten that does all kinds of silly antics, you might decide to call her Clown or Jester.

You could also pick names from history. Plato and Aristotle are very dignified names for an intelligent male kitten. Or you might enjoying naming your kitten after famous fictional characters, such as Sherlock Holmes or Cinderella.

The perfect name just might occur to you all of a sudden while you're watching your kitten. If your kitten's favorite toy is a ball of yarn, maybe you decide Yarn is the best name for her. If your kitten's favorite box used to be filled with pippin apples, you might call her Pippin.

When it comes to picking out names for kittens, there is no right or wrong way to do it. The important thing is taking your time to choose a name for your kitten that you'll be happy with for years to come.

About the Author

Catherine L. Conway is a freelance writer who loves cats. If you want more ideas on what to name your kitten, be sure to visit her site at http://kittykittennames.com [http://kittykittennames.com/]