Useless knowledge: Julia Child worked as an advertising copywriter for a furniture store before she became the “queen of cuisine” and darling of TV’s PBS.
Related articles PBS Reveals Celebration Plans For Julia Child’s 100th Birthday (huffingtonpost.com) 
John Donne, one of the most famous Metaphysical Poets. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
When I was 17 years old in 1965, I went on one of the most memorable dates of my life. This was the first time I heard the poem by John Donne that sparked the song. We lived in Jersey, an hour or two from NYC. The drinking age was 18 then which still had me underage so we were sober. (I got carded everywhere until I was 25.) Anyway we had tickets to a old fashion vaudeville show in “The City” which turned out to be very entertaining and quite great. We walked and talked and laughed and watched the people. Dinner came from street vendors, serenaded by the life and energy of New York. As it got later, time came to go back to the car……but where exactly did we leave it? We walked and walked and still could not find it. Somehow we ended up in the Bowery section and gained a walking companion. Granted he was an old drunk but a learned, interesting one who spoke to us of the preciousness of young love and life and truth. His oration of this poem brought tears to my eyes. In retrospect, what is most impressive craziness was that I was barefoot- my fancy heels were in my hand by then. Oh yes, we turned a corner and our friend was gone but we had found the car.
No Man is an Island by John Donne
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Each is a piece of the continent,
A part of the main.
If a clod be washed away by the sea,
Europe is the less.
As well as if a promontory were.
As well as if a manor of thine own
Or of thine friend’s were.
Each man’s death diminishes me,
For I am involved in mankind.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
John Donne
USA news today ran on article with this title :Panel to postmenopausal women: Don’t take vitamin D, calcium Click on name to go to the article
A government advisory panel’s recommendation Tuesday that healthy postmenopausal women should not take daily low doses of vitamin D and calcium to prevent bone fractures is a wakeup call to millions of Baby Boomer women that more is not always better. It went on to say that the calcium chews that taste like chocolate are easy to overdo— well that I believe. being a retired RN and a postmenopausal woman gives me the right to comment.
The first problem I have is “healthy”- you can still be healthy and have a low vit D level. How many women have there level checked at their yearly physical. I had never had it done because I walk the dog every day and sunshine “makes” vit D in the body. I read an article somewhere and oked the Dr to check. What a surprise to find my level was below normal. There are nutrional ways to get VitD, the most popular is added to milk or orange juice, neither of which I drink.
Vit D is really important in the body in a variety of body systems. It helps pull calcium into the bones, appears to have effects on immune function. A diet deficient in vitamin D causes rickets, softening of the bones. There is much you can learn about it- if you are savy enough to read this blog, you to can “google” Vit D. I just want us all to live the best life we can. Moderation is the key to everything, including moderation.
