Di Bartolomeo Law Offices - September 2021

Di Bartolomeo Law Offices - September 2021

Makin’ It Better NEWSLETTER

September 2021

Oregon Workers’ Compensation | Personal Injury | Social Security Disability

1139 Exchange St., Astoria, OR 97103 • 503-325-8600 • JoeDiBartolomeo.com

Fall Garden Tips What to Plant

PICKING A MELON Not sure if that melon is ripe? Cantaloupe skin will change color from white to a creamy yellow and will give off a sweet odor when it’s ready. Watermelons are a bit trickier. Look at the “tendril,” which grows opposite from the stem. If the tendril is curly and dry, the melon might be ripe. Also check out the melon belly, which is where the melon sat on the ground. This part of the melon is white, but as it ripens, the belly takes on a yellow tinge. Thumping the melon in the produce section will not help, but you will look like you know what you’re doing! SOME RECIPES Where we live, tomatoes do not have the same opportunity to ripen like they do in other places, but fear not. There are some good recipes for green tomatoes. To make a nice salsa, broil the whole tomatoes for five minutes on each side until charred. Core the tomatoes; add a few jalapeno peppers, a chopped white onion, some cilantro, and salt; and blend. Add water as needed.

The best time to eat is right around the corner. Produce is coming in, wild mushrooms are popping up, and the fall salmon run is in full gear. Right now, planting a fall garden makes sense. It’s not too late to put in some lettuce, spinach, and other greens, along with broccoli and cauliflower. You could even sneak in some radishes. Not sure about which varieties work best? Check with your local independent farm and garden store — nothing beats the advice of someone who gets their hands dirty in the soil just like you. Now is also the time to plan for overwintering crops like garlic and onions. The roots of these plants develop over the winter, putting them in good position to handle rapid leaf growth, which yields nice bulbs in the spring. On the garlic front, there are two types to consider: hardneck and softneck. The hardneck varieties produce bulblets at the top of the stalk while giving you some fat root bulbs. Softneck

varieties produce flowers on the stalk, and the lack of above ground bulblets will give you a bigger bulb to dig out at harvest time.

Summer squash can be worked into an egg scramble or a veggie chili. For a nice side dish, slice the squash into quarter-inch pieces, place on an oiled baking sheet, and sprinkle with salt and pepper and a thin layer of graded hard cheese like Parmesan. Bake at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes, but keep an eye out to make sure you can pull the squash out when the cheese comes to a golden-brown color.

Preparation for a good garlic crop is key. Experts recommend liming

as well as using bone or fish meal and the proper fertilizer. Full sun with well-drained soil works best. If you are in an area that’s heavy with clay, consider using raised beds. Why? Garlic roots will go three feet down into well-drained soil! Elephant garlic is not garlic, but a type of leek that produces larger but milder bulbs. Leek and potato soup comes to mind, which is the perfect meal on a cold November day.

Enjoy the bounty!

–Joe Di Bartolomeo

The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.JoeDiBartolomeo.com

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Hacks to Get Your Kids Organized FROM A SCATTERBRAINED SUMMER TO AN ORDERLY SCHOOL YEAR

Summer break (especially for young kiddos) is a lawless time with little meaning that’s punctuated by a vacation or trips to the park and pool. Transitioning children back to the calm, orderly world of the school year can be challenging for both teachers and parents. How can you make sure your kids trade in their summer hats for their school brains? Well, luckily, you can use a few hacks to make that transition brighter, seamless, and even fun.

Color code different sections of the clock for different parts of the day to help them remember what they’re supposed to be doing, whether it’s blue for breakfast time, orange for homework hour, or purple for their bedtime routine. MAKE SCHOOL SUPPLY CUBBIES. If your child tends to throw their backpack and jackets all over the house, then school supply cubbies could be a game-changer. You could even just label different hooks in your mudroom or hallway if that’s all you have to work with. Whatever the case, when your kids have an established place to put their school stuff, it’s that much easier for them to find as they head out the door in the morning.

teaching them responsibility and taking a load off of your shoulders every school morning. You can even consider making the lunches the night before to lighten up the morning routine! PLAN YOUR KIDS’ OUTFITS FOR THE NEXT DAY … OR THE NEXT WEEK. If they had their way, you know your kiddos would wear the same Spider Man or Elsa T-shirt every day of the week. So, if you want to make sure they look respectable and ready to learn every day, plan out their outfits for the entire school week. This is especially easy if they have a set of hanging cubbies in their closets. Allow them to help choose outfits on a Saturday or Sunday before the new week; it will also help them learn how to dress themselves later in life. Back-to-school season shouldn’t be hectic — and with a few of these hacks in mind, it won’t be!

CREATE A FUN CHECKLIST FOR SCHOOL TO-DO’S.

Spelling out all the tasks your kids have to do before and after school will help them ease back into the routines of going to bed each night and getting up early for school. Plus, it will introduce them to the satisfaction of checking items off a list after completing them. When your kids know what to do and when to do it, it makes your day a little easier! MAKE A COLOR-CODED CLOCK. Lots of kids are visual learners, which means an analog clock will be their best friend when it comes to keeping track of time.

ORGANIZE YOUR SCHOOL LUNCH SUPPLIES.

Making your kids’ lunches each morning can be exhausting, but if you put different lunch items (e.g., bags of chips, apples, juice pouches, etc.) in different, easy-to-reach containers, you can turn making school lunches into an assembly line process where your kids do most of the work themselves,

HANDLING THE RISK OF RETALIATION If you’ve been injured on the job, you may worry that filing a workers’ compensation claim could put your employment at risk. It’s a common fear not entirely unfounded, so it’s important to know your rights. Can You Be Fired for an Injury on the Job?

Employers who retaliate will often come up with other reasons to explain reduced hours, lowered wages, or termination. To make things trickier, Oregon is an “at will” employment state, meaning you can be fired for any reason that doesn’t violate discrimination laws or for no reason at all. Luckily, most employers do the right thing and don’t retaliate against their employees for considering or filing a workers’ comp claim. But some do skirt the rules, so it’s important to protect yourself.

infractions your employer used to let slide will no longer be tolerated. Make sure you are up to date on your company’s handbook and do everything in your power to be a model employee. This will give you the best case if you ever need to file a claim. If we worked on your workers’ comp case and you are experiencing retaliation, please give the Di Bartolomeo team a call. While we do not generally handle employment law, we work with many lawyers who do. We will be glad to connect you with resources and referrals you need.

The good news is that federal and state statutes protect you from retaliation if you inquire about a workers’ comp claim, file a claim, or testify as a witness in relation to a claim. The bad news is that the statute only protects you in instances where it can be shown that the employer’s actions are because of the workers’ comp claim.

After an injury, we encourage you to be on your best behavior. Assume that the little

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The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.JoeDiBartolomeo.com

Kids are headed back to school, which takes on new meaning after a year (and then some) of remote learning. With Oregon schools returning to full-time in- person instruction, it’s a great time for a refresh on safe driving practices. MAKE WAY FOR SCHOOL KIDS Driving Tips for Back-to-School Safety

BE COURTEOUS AT DROP OFF. If you drop your kids off at school, make sure to follow these important rules:

• Put your phone away. Distractions are the last thing you need with stop- and-go traffic, and they can lead to an accident. • Never double-park. It’s not only rude, but it also makes it harder for pedestrians to see both ways before crossing the street. • Don’t drop kids across the street from school. Having children unnecessarily cross the street increases the chance of an accident (especially where there’s no crosswalk). WATCH OUT FOR YOUNG PEDESTRIANS. Children of all ages walk to school but may not always remember safety rules. Be prepared: • Obey the posted school speed limit. This will ensure you can stop quickly if a child unexpectedly enters the road. • Never block crosswalks, as children rely on them to safely cross the street. • Use extra care. Kids can be unpredictable and make poor decisions. It doesn’t matter who has the right of way. Everyone just needs to make it home safe.

FOLLOW SCHOOL BUS SAFETY. Carelessness can lead to tragedy. Follow these tips to make sure kids have a safe ride: • Never pass a school bus unless the driver signals for you to do so. Yes, it’s annoying to wait, but avoiding a collision with a child is worth your time. • Stay out of the bus driver’s blind spot by keeping a distance of at least 10 feet at all times. • Don’t distract bus drivers. That includes honking your horn from frustration or tailgating. If the driver is focused on you, they’re not focused on the road. All of us play an important role in keeping children safe out on the road. Do your part during this exciting new school year!

PUZZLE

Easy Peach Cobbler Inspired by MyRecipes.com

Celebrate the end of summer — and peach season — with this simple and tasty peach cobbler! Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter • 1 cup flour • 2 cups sugar, divided • 1 tbsp baking powder • Dash of salt

• 1 cup milk • 4 cups peaches (fresh is best!) • 1 tbsp lemon juice • Ground cinnamon or nutmeg to taste 4. In a pot, bring peaches, lemon juice, and remaining sugar to a boil. Stir constantly. 5. Pour peaches over batter, but once again, don’t stir! 6. Sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg, then bake at 375 F for 45 minutes.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. In a

9-by-13-inch baking dish, add butter and place in oven. Remove when melted. 2. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 cup of sugar, baking powder, and salt. Then pour in milk and stir until the mixture is smooth. 3. Pour the batter over the melted butter, but don’t stir!

The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.JoeDiBartolomeo.com

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503-325-8600 JoeDiBartolomeo.com

PRST STD US POSTAGE PAID BOISE, ID PERMIT 411

1139 Exchange St. Astoria, OR 97103

What’s Inside

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Fall Garden Tips

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Hacks to Get Your Kids Organized for the School Year Can Reporting an Injury Cost You Your Job?

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Back-to-School Driving Safety Easy Peach Cobbler

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The Battery Barrier

THE BATTERY BARRIER

Every year, newer and newer pieces of technology come to rely on electric motors for locomotion and power. From cars to bicycles to power tools, a lot of companies have invested in the electric battery revolution as we see it — and yet, we haven’t arrived at that future just yet. With no fuel to haul or burn, an electric car could have a thousand- mile range. Failing that, they could have a 10-minute top off — recharging the battery in the same time it takes to fill a big tank of gas. And yet, we’re not there yet. What gives? It turns out that efficiency isn’t everything

Batteries have come a long way since the advent of the Energizer Bunny. For that, we can thank Elon Musk’s company, Tesla, which has long realized that its weakest link is the batteries themselves. Tesla has consistently driven innovation in this area and has found that its research has applications in other fields besides gas-free vehicles. Recent Tesla innovations include “tabless” battery cells that supposedly increase battery capacity five-fold. If true, it would be the largest jump in battery technology in years.

it’s cracked up to be and sometimes comes at the cost of battery power. How do we fix this? A few bold companies are trying. In an era where we should only be limited by the human imagination, we find ourselves up against a familiar barrier: our technology. Battery life just isn’t “there” yet — we’re lucky to get a few hours out of an electric car running full-bore, and the same is true for bikes, scooters, skateboards, power tools, and anything else that uses a brushless motor to do work. That’s what makes NanoGraf’s work in energy cell density so exciting, with a 28% lifetime improvement over traditional batteries.

Musk, however, doesn’t seem too willing to share, which makes sense from a business standpoint. But from a futuristic perspective, there are few good reasons to start thinking about batteries long before you consider bringing a design to fruition; these are the real limitations on a product, and they can only be overcome in so many ways. Until we see Tesla and NanoGraf’s technology on the open market, we don’t know if it can meet the needs of tomorrow’s consumers — regardless of the hype being generated today!

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The Di Bartolomeo Law Office, P.C. 1139 Exchange Street | Astoria, Oregon | 503-325-8600 | www.JoeDiBartolomeo.com