When I wrote last week’s column, I thought the winter storm weather was over. Boy was I wrong! It wasn’t until Saturday morning that I could shovel out my car, and I might add without the help of my neighbor – although I certainly could have used him! 

I don’t enjoy slipping and sliding on snow-covered streets. But what I dislike just as much is driving at night. There are more dark nights than snowy days, and in the snow, I can at least see what I’m sliding into.

So, what should we know about driving at night? Tom Vanderbilt in his article “Why People Have Difficulty Driving at Night” on the AARP website offers some thoughts.

It’s not surprising that as we grow older our eyes change: vision in daylight may be just fine, but our night vision becomes less acute; our pupils shrink with age, so we become less sensitive to changes in contrast and less able to distinguish objects from their background; and most annoying, the glare from the bright lights of oncoming headlights which after seeing takes us longer for our visual acuity to return to normal.

Consequently, many of us try to avoid driving at night, but often we can’t: the night drive back from Portland, an evening meeting, or going to dinner with a friend.  

So here are a few tips. 

1. Stick to the roads you know and are more confident driving. 
2. Be cautious when approaching unfamiliar Intersections or changes in the traffic patterns.  
3. Don’t rush and allow yourself extra travel time when driving at night – although it is unsettling when semis are passing me on I-84! 
4. Keep ample space between yourself and other drivers so you have more time to react.
5. Make sure all your windows and mirrors are clean. Dirty windows tend to fog up more often at night. 
6. Make sure your headlights are aligned properly. You don’t want to throw too much light toward oncoming traffic and less on the road ahead.
7. Set the illumination levels of your dashboard lights and any in-car screens to low. Bright light inside makes it harder to see outside.
8. Use your brights at night in almost all cases when there are no oncoming cars. High beams give you the best chance of reacting fast enough to an unexpected hazard. Even on dark, rural roads without much traffic, some three-quarters of drivers typically use their low beams, causing drivers to overdrive their headlights.
9. Take a driving course such as the AARP Smart Driver online class or in-person class when available in the Gorge. 
10. See a physician regularly for eye exams to be sure your eyes are still fit for driving at night. 

The snow-covered roads will be gone soon, but we will still have long winter nights for a while. So, when you drive after dark, consider these tips to make sure you reach your destination safely.

Brain Tease. See if you can decipher this quote by Elbert Hubbard?

“evila ti fo tuo teg reven lliw uoY .ylsuoires oot efil ekat ton oD “

The name of the 1930s animated cartoon character and famous sex symbol was “Boop-Oop-a-Doop” Betty Boop – a favorite of many. I received correct answers from Sandy Haechrel, Donna Mollet, Bruce Johnson, Lana Tepfer, Judy Kiser, Tina Castanares, Rebecca Abrams, Dave Lutgens, Pat Evenson-Brady, Keith Clymer, Kathy Gay, Deborah Medina, Nancy Higgins, Linda Frizzell, Marny Weting and Stephen Woolpert this week’s winner of a quilt raffle ticket. 

This comedian was a regular on the Smothers Brothers Show and ran for President in 1968 with the campaign slogan, “Just a common, ordinary, simple savior of America’s destiny”. For this week’s “Remember When” question, what is the name of this comedian who announced during his campaign, “It is time to forget the petty bickering and settle down to an old-fashioned mudslinging campaign”? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, call 541-296-4788, or send it with the 1968 movie about his run for president on the “Straight-Talking American Government” ticket.

Well, it’s been another week, staying warm under the covers. Until we meet again, keep those home fires burning.

“The art of living lies in the fine mingling of letting go and holding on.” Havelock Ellis

Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted. Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) – Mondays and Wednesdays; Mt. Hood Townhall (541-308-5997) – Tuesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services: Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County call Senior Services (509-427-3990).

Answers: “Do not take life too seriously. You will never get out of it alive.”