Greetings! What a wild winter. Are you sick of it yet? I was sick of it in December and it just keeps coming. This week we dealt with two car accidents among our off-spring…one serious (but no injuries) and the other simply involved a snowbank. Both on the same day, though…so if that tells you anything about OUR weather…

We also celebrated our 20th anniversary yesterday. Quietly, I might add…just the way I like it! BUT…there were flowers…a LOT of them!

Ready for some good news?

Volunteers Brave Weather to Help D.C. Hospital Employees
They are urging people to stay home in DC where the storm is raging. However, emergency personnel in hospitals don’t have that luxury. So, volunteers are shuttling them back and forth from their shifts at the local hospitals.

Volunteer drivers are offered a gas voucher from the hospital–most refuse it though. One hospital has an active list of 30 drivers ready to drive hospital personnel during inclement weather.

The hospital workers appreciate the volunteer drivers.

A recent analysis of 100 commercial beers shows that beer is a significant source of dietary silicon, (beneficial for bone health).

Two beers equal approximately one half liter. This means you could take in 30 mg of silicon from two beers. In the US, most people consume between 20 and 50 mg of silicon each day.

Beware, however…other studies show that drinking more than one or two alcoholic beverages a day may be detrimental to your health. So, drink your favorite beer in moderation and remember that it is contributing silicon to your improved health.

After 40 Years, Heinz Revamps Ketchup Packets
For as long as anyone can remember, there has only been one way to use a packet of ketchup…and it is messy. Heinz has finally given fast-food lovers a choice: squeeze or dunk.

The redesigned ketchup package is shaped like a shallow cup. Peel the top back to dip or tear off the end to squeeze.

Says a Heinz spokesman (about the original packets): “We created the packet in 1968. Consumer complaints started around 1969.”