It's A Winterizing Kind Of Day

I’ve heard all the laughs from northern friends and colleagues about us southerners having issues with the frigid 30 degree temperatures.

When we have summer extremes at 105 degrees, 30 is cold.  And tomorrow we are expecting 20 degrees.  Good grief – it is only December.  

This morning I have been winterizing the property to protect it against freezing pipes, freezing spa, freezing plants, and even from freezing the dog toys. 

• Wrapped standing water faucets
• Put covers on outside attached water faucets
• Emptied irrigation system bladder
• Wrapped insulation around irrigation system bladder
• Emptied hot tub whose motor decided to die this summer
• Put house vent covers on
• Emptied rain barrels
• Detached all hoses
• Cut the last beautiful rose of the year
• Brought plants inside where it's warmer
• Consumed peppermint mocha to warm up

It took a while but I did my part to protect my property from damage against abnormal Texas temperatures.  I cannot keep the temperature from dropping but I can protect against it doing any severe damage in the process.

It was quiet out while I was ginning around, which provided optimum thinking space.  

Am I doing all I can to protect myself?   

What needs protecting every day that we just let slip by?

Our health?

Our family?

Our friends?

Our business?

As a Certified Fraud Examiner, I work with professional practices daily to help protect the business of their practice.  And, if something happens, then I do the analysis to provide evidence law enforcement needs for prosecution.

Protection is a daily action and requires planning, regardless of the area needing protection.  When we do not protect, there is often damage, seen and unseen.

Curious, I looked up the definition of protection:  “a person or thing that prevents someone or something from suffering harm or injury.”  Sometimes when the word “protection” is used it is interpreted as being selfish.  That’s not what I was thinking.

In business, internal controls are set in place to protect the business from fraudulent activity.  Perhaps it is the same in our own personal lives – internal control.  Interesting correlating thought.

 

My phone rings daily with those concerned about their business.  Something seems off, abnormal.  They aren’t sure anything is going on, but they aren’t sure it isn’t.  Most of the time, they simply feel vulnerable because they realize an area they have not been protecting.      

    

Businesses cannot keep a determined person from trying to steal but they can protect against it doing severe damage in the process.  A severe drop in the temperature will surely drop a few tree branches but my pipes will not burst because I have taken protective measures.

What do you need to protect?