Ha pp y B ir th da y

February 27, 2007 - Joint Meeting with Minneapolis

March 27, 2007 - Program Meeting

April 24, 2007 - Business Meeting

May 22, 2007 - Business Meeting

Please RSVP to Dorothy no later than Thursday, February 22, 2007 so that she can give the count to Josephs by February 23, 2007. Cocktails start at 5:30, dinner at 6:00 and meeting at 7:00.

Members are to call Dorothy if they are unable to attend no later than that the Friday before the monthly meeting date. If you do not call, it will be assumed that you are attending and you will be billed for that meeting.

If you are unable to attend due to last minute circumstances, you will be billed for that meeting.

Northwest Youth and Family Services - their annual Leadership Lunch will be held on May 2, 2007 at Midland Hills County Club. Let Peggy know if you would like to attend. The event is a lot of fun with good food, interesting speakers and also gives us an opportunity to help the Organization as individuals with an individual contribution at the end of the event. While there is no cost to attend, this event is a fund raiser and a request for contributions will be included in the program.

The other day the movie Groundhog Day came on cable TV - you know the one with Bill Murray and Andie McDowell - where Bill wakes up each day to discover that he is reliving Groundhog Day over and over again. I thought it might be fun to give some information about this celebrated day from the official website of Punxsutawney Phil. who has been celebrating Groundhog Day since 1886!

Punxsutawney Phil is the only true weather forecasting groundhog. The others are just impostors. Phil’s prediction is correct 100% of the time, of course! While one might think that there have been many “Phils” over the years, there has only been one Punxsutawney Phil. He has been making predictions for over 120 years!

February 2, Phil comes out of his burrow on Gobbler’s Knob - in front of thousands of followers from all over the world - to predict the weather for the rest of winter. According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he does not see his shadow, there will be an early spring.

Phil’s forecasts are not made in advance by the Inner Circle. After Phil emerges from his burrow on February 2, he speaks to the Groundhog Club president in Groundhogese" (a language only understood by the current president of the Inner Circle). His proclamation is then translated for the world.

The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states,

"For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..."

Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. So the story goes, Punxsutawney Phil was named after King Phillip. Prior to being called Phil, he was called Br'er Groundhog.

Since February is Heart Month –
did you know that heart disease is responsible for more deaths in women than all forms of cancer combined.

Heart disease is the most significant health concern for women in the United States today, causing nearly 350,000 deaths each year. But doesn't heart disease affect mostly men? No — and that's a dangerous myth. In reality, more women than men die of heart disease in the United States each year.

The good news is that heart disease is one of the most preventable health conditions. You have the power to reduce some of your risks:

• Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke and limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
• Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products.
• Exercise regularly.
• Control other health conditions that increase your risk of heart disease,
• such as high blood pressure,
• diabetes
• and high cholesterol.

If you have anything that you would like included in the newsletter, please let Peggy know. I know we would all be glad to hear what is going on with you!

See you all February 27th at Josephs!