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the
JAN. 2020
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A LIFELONG HOBBY And Love for the Outdoors
One of the things that drew me to the plumbing profession was all the time I got to spend outside being active. I think that’s what draws me to the hobbies I enjoy outside of work as well. January is National Hobby Month, an opportunity to celebrate all the things we spend our time doing when we’re not at work. I have plenty of hobbies, but I think my primary hobby is fishing — specifically trout fishing. It’s something I’ve enjoyed doing for most of my life, and I don’t see that enjoyment waning anytime soon. I’ve been trout fishing since I was in junior high school. Three of my friends and I would go camping in the North Georgia mountains and fish in one of the countless trout streams up there. The camping element of the whole adventure was half the fun, honestly. We all loved to fish, but we also just loved being out in the woods. I still go fishing with those same friends today even though it’s usually only once a year. We’re all scattered now; one lives in Texas, another one lives in North Carolina, and another lives in Kentucky. My friend in Kentucky usually has it easy when we get together to go fishing because we’ll all visit him. He lives on 300 acres near the Cumberland River, which is known for having a lot of huge trout swimming around in it. “All the triumphs and tragedies of trout fishing blend into one big adventure.” Back when my friends and I first started trout fishing, we’d be lucky to come back with two or three fish total. Luckily though, we’ve gotten better at fishing the longer we’ve done it. Now we usually fish right up to the limit, depending on where we are. In Georgia, you’re allowed to keep eight fish, and there’s no size limit. In Kentucky, there are a lot more restrictions. I always tell people they need to take a lawyer with them when fishing in Kentucky just to navigate the many laws and regulations there.
North Georgia along the West Fork River around five years ago. I hooked a really big fish, but it got off my line right away. I wouldn’t let anyone else fish in that spot for the rest of the day. I told my friends I was going to get that fish. I switched from a spinner to just a hook with a cricket and sinker, and I cast my line into the water. It went taut
almost immediately, and I thought, “That’s him.” I was right and ended up reeling in a 21-inch brown trout. I haven’t had a catch quite like that since. Of course, fishing comes with its own share of misadventures as well. One time, one of my friends capsized his canoe on the Cumberland River, and another time a friend and I fell out of our canoe in North Georgia. And that was in mid-March when it was only around 35 degrees outside.
A lot of my stories from over the years run together now. We’ll all be sitting around a campfire, and I’ll start telling part of one story, only to end it with another. All the triumphs and tragedies of trout fishing blend into one big adventure. What’s something that you enjoy doing so much that you’ll endure the misadventures with the adventures? What hobbies do you want to continue doing, or pick back up, this year?
–Pa u l Little
My love of fishing has led to a lot of great adventures and experiences over the years. My favorite catch ever happened in
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Medical Miracle or Healt 3 RED FLAGS TO WATCH OU
The new year is a great time to make your health a priority again, and there are a bunch of workouts and diet plans to choose from. Too many, some might say. It can be difficult to determine exactly which health plan will help you reach your goals, but there are some pretty obvious red flags that you’ll want to avoid.
have been diagnosed with a disease that would impair your liver or kidneys, you don’t need to spend extra money to keep your insides clean. A healthy diet is enough.
Cellulite Isn’t Real
Beware the Dreaded ‘Detox’
In 1968, Vogue magazine introduced American women to the word “cellulite,” warning them of a terrible “diagnosed” condition women suffered from. They encouraged the use of a special rolling pin to banish the little lumps of fat on women’s thighs and buttocks. Since then, cellulite has been used as shorthand to mean “bad body fat you need to remove.” But cellulite is not an indication of poor health. Furthermore, there’s no cure for cellulite because it’s not a disease. It would be like using a special lotion that claims it can remove the wrinkled skin on your knuckles! Most people, especially women, have cellulite. It’s perfectly natural!
Plenty of diets, supplements, and products claim to “purify” your body by removing unspecified “toxins.” These “detoxes” conveniently forget that your kidneys and liver are already removing substances your body doesn’t need! The human body has been capable of cleansing itself for thousands of years. It doesn’t need a special smoothie or footpads to get the job done.
Most detox products are nothing but snake oil, and some of them can leave you feeling worse than you did before you started using them. Unless you
CLOGGED DRAIN?
Why You Need Drain Cleaning and How We Do It
Roots
Drains clog. For most people, it can be hard to guess why —but with Plumb Smart Inc., you don’t have to wonder. Here are three common reasons for clogged drains and what we can do about it.
It’s relatively easy to unclog a drain from roots but impossible to get rid of the roots because roots are evidence that the pipe is cracked
‘FlushableWipes’
Flushable wipes do not decompose like toilet paper, so it’s like flushing a thin washcloth. Removing flushable wipes from drains is difficult because they get wrapped around cable, flex shaft, and high-pressure jetter heads of our drain cleaning machine, thus impeding its performance. On one job, I retrieved over 50 flushable wipes, but only 2–3 at a time — a very time-consuming job. Do not flush wipes! Everyone has grease in their kitchen drains. Over time, grease builds up layer-by-layer on the inside of pipes and hardens. The combination of grease and food from the disposal will clog your kitchen drains with a sticky mess similar to wet Georgia red clay. The only difference is Georgia red clay doesn’t stink to high heaven like greasy rotted food in your pipes. We usually have to use two different machines on grease clogs: a cable machine to cut through the clog and get water flowing, and then a flex shaft machine to thoroughly clean the interior of the pipe. Using Bio- Clean monthly will prevent future clogs. Grease
or broken. Unfortunately, the only permanent solution is to dig up and replace the
pipe. We can clean the pipe of roots entirely with a flex shaft machine and video the cleaning at the same time, but in about a year’s time, the roots will grow back in. The best way to manage roots is to schedule a yearly cleaning or dig up and replace the pipe.
Whichever problem you may encounter, please don’t use acid drain cleaners. They are harmful for the environment and your pipes. And they don’t really work. During all of January, this month only, we will do a free video inspection with any drain-cleaning service! Contact us now at 404.427.0302 for better, cleaner plumbing.
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Hoax? FOR
Say Hello to Local Auto Care MAX AUTO EXPERTS Andrew Maxted (Max) has been in automotive repairs since 2005, but when he’s not working on cars, Max can weld with the best of them, play a mean guitar, and even rub shoulders with celebrities! When he was a teenager, Max helped his dad clean Whitney Houston’s house. Max and his wife, Rebekah, once worked together to restore her grandfather’s 1971 boat, which they still enjoy today. Before he opened Max Auto Experts in Kennesaw, Georgia, Max was the shop foreman at Cobb County Kia for eight years. He is committed to customer service, and at Max Auto Experts, every customer gets a free multipoint inspection. Max’s experts will check over your brakes, hoses, belts, suspension, engine cooling system, lights, and so much more. Their goal is to keep you safe on the road. Max Auto Experts also performs a range of regular maintenance services. To keep your vehicle fuel-efficient, they’ll ensure your engine is well-tuned and performing at its peak. They’ll also do free regular AC checks, help you keep up with your oil changes, and maintain your transmission so you can avoid problems later in your vehicle’s life. Finally, Max Auto Experts gets the ultimate seal of approval: My wife likes what they’re doing. She recently had her car serviced there and was impressed with their attention to detail and service. The next time your car starts to sputter — or better, before your car starts to sputter — go see Max at Max Auto Experts. He’ll take care of you.
If you want to get in shape this year, avoid diets or products that claim to melt cellulite. This is a clear indication these treatments aren’t based on real medical science.
Cure-Alls Cure Nothing
A “cure-all” is any product, treatment, or diet that claims to cure a bunch of unrelated medical problems. Cure-alls have been a problem for centuries, claiming to help with weight loss, migraines, heart disease, anxiety, depression, and even baldness! This isn’t how medicine or the human body works. One change cannot magically fix many different, sometimes unrelated, problems. A good way to determine if something is a cure-all is to check if it claims to help treat, prevent, or cure cancer. That’s a big red flag you want to avoid.
HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN SAUERKRAUT
InspiredbyNourishedKitchen.com
Ingredients
• •
2 lbs cabbage
4 tsp fine sea salt
Equipment
• •
Jar
Lid with airlock
• Something to weigh down cabbage, ideally made of a nonreactive material like glass
Directions
1. Remove outer leaves from cabbage. Slice very thinly. 2. In a large bowl, combine cabbage and salt. Let stand for 20 minutes. 3. Squeeze cabbage to release juices. Let the cabbage continue to soak and release juices for another 20 minutes. 4. Transfer to a jar and press down cabbage until completely submerged in its juices. Weigh down cabbage. 5. Seal jar with airlock. Let cabbage sit at room temperature and away from sunlight for one month. Once fermented, transfer to the fridge. Sauerkraut will keep for six months to one year.
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PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411
175 Goldfinch Path Acworth, GA 30101
www.BePlumbSmart.com 404.427.0302
Trout Fishing With Lifelong Friends 1
These Health Hoaxes Will Sink Your Resolution
3 Common Reasons You Need Drain Cleaning 2
How to Make Your Own Sauerkraut
Say Hello to Max Auto Experts 3
Helping Your Kids Make New Year’s Resolutions 4 With Simple and Actionable Goals
With every new year comes an opportunity to reinvent ourselves or start down a new path toward self-improvement. Making resolutions is a big part of many families’ New Year’s traditions, and parents often have a desire for their kids to take part in that tradition when they’re old enough. Following through on resolutions is tough, especially for young children, but with your help, they can achieve their goals. Practicewhat you preach.
around the house” incorporate good values but don’t include any actionable steps. Help your kids think of tangible ways to act on those goals. For example, if they want to be tidier, a good resolution might be for them to clean their room once a week or take responsibility for one household chore every day. Don’t do all thework for them.
While it’s important for you to help your kids formulate their goals, be sure that you aren’t taking over. If
You are your children’s role model for almost everything, including following through on New Year’s resolutions. So, ask yourself if you follow through on your own resolutions. When you proclaim that you will read more books or finally get a gym membership, do you actually try to do it? Your kids will assign as much importance to New Year’s resolutions as you do, so by sticking to your own commitments, you can help them stay on track, too. Keep things simple and achievable. When your kids are forming their resolutions, their first attempts will probably be very broad. Statements like “I want to be more kind” or “I will try to help more
they’re ultimately responsible for their resolutions, they’ll feel more compelled to keep them. Instead, suggest different goal areas they could improve, such as home, school, or sports, and let them elaborate.
When it comes to creating habits, nobody is perfect, so even if your kids falter on their goals in the middle of February, don’t worry. The important thing is that you continue to encourage them every step of the way.
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