Make your house numbers visible

As Fish Springs continues to grow, so do the number of calls for our volunteer fire department. Last year Fish Springs had 90 emergency calls and so far this year there's been 50 calls. This includes medical, vehicle accidents, HazMat, structure fires and wildland fires. Many people moved out here for the seclusion and dark skies. We've certainly got the dark skies, but in case of an emergency, you need to be found quickly.

Many people have their house numbers attached to their homes but they're not visible from the road, especially at night since we have no street lights out here and many long, dark driveways. Police, fire and medical personnel must be able to find your home address fast.

Delayed emergency service is not only frustrating, but it might also make the difference between life and death. Take a walk down your block tonight and see how many house addresses you can read from the street. Then look at your own house and see how visible your address is.

What if you had to call 911 tonight to summon help for your choking child? Would our EMTs and paramedics be able to locate your house quickly? We attached our house numbers to The Record-Courier newspaper box that's planted in our driveway out on the street. Nailing the address to a post would work also. Make it so the numbers are bold and easy to read from the street. It'll give you peace of mind and make it easier for everyone else too.

Watch out for the weeds

Weeds are popping up all over in our yard right now and I hate to step over them. Instead, I bend over them and pull them out. I strained my lower back muscles and now it hurts to bend at all. It's difficult to sit down and it hurts worse to get up. I don't know how I can put my tennis shoes on and tie the shoe laces without yelling, "Ouch!"

At least I'm learning new ways to handle certain problems. I accidentally dropped a $20 bill on the floor, but it hurt too much to bend over and pick it up, so I tediously picked it up with my bare toes. Wish I had a picture of that! Actually, it was pretty easy as I just squeezed my toes very tight around the bill and then lifted my leg up to my hand. Yankee ingenuity! I guess I had a little incentive to do that right.

n Linda Monohan may be reached at 782-5802.