Karen Loftis Rankowitz

Summer, Kids, Chaos…It’s All Good Summer is almost here. The kids will be out of school and if yours are like mine, they will come off the bus for the last time this year, already bored. What to do? I have a few fun ideas to keep the boredom at bay while trying to maintain everyone’s sanity. Going to the park can be fun as well as healthy. Be sure to bring scooters or skateboards, sunscreen and plenty of water. A first aid kit is always a good safety measure to fix up any minor boo-boos. Your children will love the outing. They will ride the scooters, wearing the appropriate padding and headgear, steering clear of hills and trees. They will let you apply sunscreen knowing it is healthy to avoid exposure to the harmful rays of the sun. They will drink the water to keep themselves hydrated as they take in the sights, sounds and various plant life. My children - they will find the steepest hill, apply the sunscreen to this hill, add the water to hydrate the sunscreen, and then ra...

Did You Know? May 27th is Heat Safety Awareness Day. I can only guess that this pertains to either your pets or barbequing in the back yard. As for your pets, National Spay Day (I kid you not), well, that is the in the last week of February so I will get back to you on that. Memorial Day weekend is almost upon us and grills will be firing up all across the country. The aroma of burgers, hotdogs, chicken, chicken that actually tastes like chicken, will awaken the primitive carnivore that sleeps in most of us. In the spirit of this heat safety awareness, there are only two things that people have a primal fear of. One is fire, the other is water. Both are needed to ensure success and safety while grilling out doors. Experts advise not to use a spray bottle of water on ‘flare-ups’. I tend to agree, and the garden hose does provide a safer distance in which to douse the flare-ups that lure enthusiastic firefighters. The spray bottle can, however, be used to keep stray tomcats aw...