Be thankful for Florida's winter

Reports from my family up North keep me informed about the unusual weather up there. When cold weather sets in here, I comfort myself with remembering some of the miserable days we had to deal with out in the woods where we lived in Pennsylvania.

Since my birthday falls in February, the weather is always cold, but I recall once when my husband had arranged a big celebration for me at our home and a snowstorm hit just the day before. I guess I must have been turning 35 or some other 'significant' number.

Well, there we were, waiting for the caterers to come with the food, but they couldn't get their truck up the long icy driveway. The man who was to serve as the bartender had the same problem, but he gamely parked his car on the main road and mushed along in the snow till he reached the house.

The band members came from New Jersey and they got lost twice before they arrived. And of course, the guests had it rough, too. Most of them had only been to the house in spring or summer and had no idea how hard it would be to get up the driveway in snow. Women in high heels with no boots were out of luck.

However, eventually all did assemble, and the party passed in a happy blur. We were warm with the fireplaces in the living room and kitchen blazing away, and since there was no way out, the party ran on into the next morning, by which time everyone, guests and party help alike, felt like family.

As survivors of any catastrophe do, in later years all of us remembered that night in legend. As my husband said, "In retrospect, the story lost nothing in the telling." As the years passed, the ice became icier, the snow became deeper, and even the angle of the driveway became steeper. Aren't memories wonderful? Well folks, we still have time to make more of them .

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A classic play is back this month at Pensacola Little Theatre (PLT). Performances of "Arsenic and Old Lace" will play Jan. 25-27 and Jan. 31-Feb. 3. This wellknown comedy features Patty Holcombe and Barbara Jacobs as the sweetly murderous sisters, Abby and Martha, who attract old men to their home, only to dose them with arsenic in their homemade wine.

Jeremy Lambeth plays the part of their harassed nephew - we all remember so well the wonderful Cary Grant in this role. It will be fun to see what our local actors and actresses will do with it. Call PLT at 850-432-2042 to request your tickets.

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According to Baptist Hospital's "Get Healthy Pensacola" newsletter, obesity has become a national epidemic. Fat is not only unsightly, it's the fastest way to undermine your health. Morbid obesity is connected to conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes. The newsletter says flat out that extreme overweight "can ruin and shorten lives." How do you like them apples?

Get Healthy Pensacola will offer an open house on March 19 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Baptist Hospital. We seniors plan to stay healthy and be here for many more birthday celebrations, so let's all plan to save the date!

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Fact: Americans, on average, eat 18 acres of pizza every day. Shouldn't we be a little more careful that our own acreage doesn't increase? OK, put down that pizza box and step away from the table with your hands up . . .

See you next week.!