Gretchen Gavin

My dad has a new love interest and I’ve called his house several times to wish him a happy father’s day but all I get is his voice mail. I guess his new girlfriend and her kids are taking him out to dinner today. I didn’t want to send him flowers – that seems too sissified for him – but I wanted to at least talk to him and make sure he got my card and the book I mailed. I guess I will keep trying for a bit and maybe catch him before they go to bed.

So Dad, if I miss you by phone today, Happy Fathers Day!

More regulations are underway for the tobacco industry. It is being touted as a tool for the FDA.

Statistics that I heard today are that about 20% of America’s adult population still smoke cigarettes.

About one half of the people who smoke cigarettes will die from smoking related causes.

Personally, I don’t smoke and don’t intend to ever start smoking. But I respect the rights of other people to do so if they choose.

The only caveat I have is that:

if you choose to do something that you know has a high risk of death or serious consequences, then you shoyuld not expect the Government or the Taxpayers to pay for you medical care when you get sick and die as a result of your poor choices.

Trying to lose a little weight (aren’t we all?), my doctor told me on Friday that I should limit drinking fruit juices, even those 100-percent fruit juices, to no more than 4 ounces a day. That is not much juice! And here I was thinking that a full glass of fruit juice was a healthy thing to do!

She said she was making this recommendation for my weight loss plans because:

1. Juice contains concentrated amounts of calories
2. Juice is quickly consumed – especially just 4 ounces!
3. Juice doesn’t fill you up the way fiber-filled, whole fruits do.

She said that I am better off eating real fruit and skipping the juices in favor of plain water. So that’s what I plan to do and see how that works out for me.