Tag: thanksgiving

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Keep Your Pets Safe This Holiday Season

Keep Your Pets Safe This Holiday Season

When most of us think about the holidays, we imagine gathering the loved ones together and sharing in some spectacular memories. However, for our pets, the season can be more than a little stressful, not to mention dangerous. 

The fact is that things that seem innocuous to us could be a big deal for our furry friends. Crackling fires, guests visiting at various times, and foreign plants and objects in the house can turn the holidays into a danger zone if you’re not careful. 

So, with that in mind, let’s go over some safety tips to keep your furry friends protected during the holidays. 

Stow Away Medications

Family visitors bring a lot of baggage with them, and some of it can include medicine. Even if it’s something as benign as Tylenol, it can wreak havoc on your pets if they ingest it by accident. Be sure that everyone keeps their medicine out of paw’s reach. 

Don’t Feed Them People Food

It’s tempting to want to include your dog or cat in the holiday feast, but much of the food that we eat can be troublesome (or downright toxic) to our pets. Make sure that everyone who comes over respects this rule as well. 

Have a Safe Space

Many animals can get wiry and stressed out when visitors come over. Thus, before the family arrives, make sure that your furry pals are out of harm’s way. Whether it’s a designated room in the house or somewhere else, having a safe space for them will ensure they don’t freak out (too much). 

Fire Safety

A roaring fireplace can be warm and comforting, but it can also pose threats for your pets. Not only can dogs and cats get too overheated from the flames, but they may accidentally knock something into the fire, creating a dangerous situation. Keep all flammable objects away from the fireplace, and be sure that you have a cover in front of it at all times. 

Clear and Present Danger

Neatly wrapped gifts under the tree are appealing to us, but they can be more so to your pets. Ribbons and bows may look tempting to cats, which means that they may chew them up. If ingested, these materials can make your kitty sick, so you might want to avoid them or keep them out of the reach of your purring feline friend.

Decorations 

Cats are notorious for playing with fragile objects, knocking them to the ground for no reason at all. Christmas trees can also be a hazard as your feline attempts to dismantle all of your decorations. Overall, it’s best to keep all fragile items out of reach or secure them so they can’t be destroyed. 

Candles

Yes, lighting a few scented candles can make your holidays brighter, but as with the fire, pets can turn a pleasant evening into a rendition of Backdraft if you’re not careful. Keep candles out of the way, and remove any flammable materials nearby to avoid them getting knocked over.

This season, your pets deserve to have as much fun as you, which is why you want to take steps to keep them and your home safe. Hopefully, following these tips will avoid any disasters. 

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Helpful Tips for Deep-Frying Your Turkey This Thanksgiving

Tips for Deep Frying a Turkey

Although Thanksgiving usually gets overshadowed by the holidays surrounding it (i.e., Halloween and Christmas), the fact is that it’s still one of the most important days of the year. Celebrating with family around the dinner table is an excellent way to give thanks for the season, and the food you prepare will be integral to your festivities. 

In Knoxville, one of the most popular recent trends has been to deep-fry the turkey. While there are many different ways to prepare this succulent bird, frying has become a ritual, all thanks to the crispy, tender results it offers. 

Unfortunately, though, this process is not that simple. In fact, many people get injured when trying to deep-fry their turkeys every year, so we at Bob Johnson Insurance want you to stay safe this holiday season. 

So, with that in mind, here are five tips to follow. 

#1 Create a Safe Space for Cooking

If you’ve never deep-fried a turkey before, you should know that you need a lot of clearance. It is very important that your deep fryer is placed a good distance from your house and anything flammable.  Since you have to heat so much oil, you need space to allow the heat to dissipate. Also, you want to be careful of any spatter that may come from the fryer. Ideally, you’ll have about 10 feet of clearance or more, and the ground will be flat to avoid tipping. 

#2 Use a Smaller Bird that is Thawed

While it may be tempting to fry a 30-pound turkey, the fact is that it can be too much meat to handle. If it’s your first time, you want to start small so that you don’t create a dangerous situation. Typically, about 12 pounds should be ideal. 

In addition, be sure that your turkey is completely thawed.  Wonder why? Check back here tomorrow for a video!

#3 Use Less Oil

One reason why deep-frying can be so hazardous is that you have to heat the oil to a high temperature.  When deep frying, the oil can erupt into flames for several reasons if you’re not careful. Research the smoke point of different oils and use one that won’t get close to burning. 

To test how much oil you need, put the turkey in your fryer and fill it with water until the whole bird is covered. Also, be sure to dry it out completely afterward, as water and fryer oil can create even more of a hazard. 

#4 Be Cautious With Every Step

Typically speaking, when you put the bird into the oil is when the situation can go south. So, make sure that you have more than enough clearance, and move carefully when dropping it in. Also, pulling it out can be tricky, so it helps to practice that as well. Wear protective clothing so that hot oil splatter won’t burn your skin or eyes. 

Check back here tomorrow for a video about why you should never deep-fry a frozen turkey!

#5 Be Prepared for Anything

Should the worst happen (your fryer tips over, the oil catches fire, etc.), you want to be ready. While we hope that nothing bad occurs, it’s better to be prepared than to be caught off-guard. As stated previously, position your fryer away from the house in an area that is free from anything flammable.  Keep a fire extinguisher handy (one designed for oil fires), and keep the area around the fryer as clean and empty as possible. Also, be ready to call the fire department if necessary. 

Frying a turkey can be a delicious way to spend the holiday, but don’t forget that safety is always a priority! At Bob Johnson Insurance, we’re committed to helping you and your family stay safe this season. 

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9 Reasons to be Thankful

9 Reasons to be Thankful

With Thanksgiving in sight, we all begin to make an honest attempt at being thankful.  Have you ever considered that thankfulness is a skill that we can develop?  The more we practice, the easier it is to think of the various ways in which we have been blessed.

Some people practice extensively during November.  Each day, they do their best to post on their favorite social media one thing for which they are thankful.  Still, there are some who don’t give much thought to just how much we can be thankful for.

One aspect that we sometimes do not consider during this season is thankfulness is not just FOR something we have received.  Thankfulness is also TO whoever provided it.  Ultimately, all that we have is provided by God.  So here are 9 reasons to be thankful to God every day.

You Woke up Today

We are all grateful for life, but sometimes we don’t consider that each day is given.  There are many around the world who are not nearly as fortunate.  Don’t let this opportunity for being thankful get away.  We are blessed with another day.

Health

We are not always thankful for our health until something goes wrong or we witness others suffering. We can be thankful to God for our health, for providing doctors and science, and even for His healing.

A Roof

We may not live in our dream home, but we have a roof over our head. It is both a necessity and a privilege. With so many homeless, those of us with a home can be thankful both for the home and what we have in it.

Jobs

Work is work, but we need to be grateful for the Lord providing us with work to support ourselves and our families. There are many who either cannot work or do not have the opportunity to work.  God places us in our occupations and for that we are grateful.

Loved Ones

It is easy to take those closest to us for granted. Tell your family you love them, and thank God that they are near.

Food

We are blessed with not only nourishment and energy, but more choices than ever before.

Transportation

This one might sound a little funny, but have you considered how the early settlers used to travel?  Distances that took them months to cover can now be reached in just a few hours. Transportation helps us make money as it carries us to our jobs.  It helps facilitate relationships as we travel to one another to visit.  It’s never been easier to travel, and we have plenty of choices.  Take a moment to thank Him for transportation — as funny as that may sound.

Good Friends

There is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, and His name is Jesus. He also provides us with true friends in our lives. Be thankful for these people and for God who put them in your life.

The Scriptures and the Freedom to Read Them

Not every person in the world has the freedom we have to even own a Bible.  We have the opportunity to both own and read our Bible without fear of punishment.  Because the Bible is “God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), when we read it we can trust that it is His way of speaking into our lives.  Take a moment to be thankful for the liberty to read your Bible. Do not take it for granted.

 

This Thanksgiving, remember not only to feel thankful for what you have received.  Also give thanks to the One who provided it.  If you have opportunity, you might even share some of what you have with others who are less fortunate.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving season!