Love,  Shelley, Jennifer and Rae Marie

GETTING TO KNOW YOUR NEIGHBOR
Margaret Palmer

For this month's column, we spent a delightful half hour getting acquainted with new resident Margaret Palmer.

Born in Alberta, Canada, Margaret was the only girl in a family with three sons.  Perhaps that is why she developed such a great sense of humor.  When we asked her what she enjoyed most in school, she quipped, "Recess," but then said her true favorite was music.

After graduation, Margaret worked in a dress-making factory.  She met Michael Palmer, brother of her best friend, at her best friend's home.  He was a serviceman who had been overseas and then transferred to Calgary.  After a year of dating, they were married.  Mr. Palmer remained in the service until the war's end.

When their son Larry was about nine years old, the couple moved to the United States.  Mr. Palmer's brother had relocated to Portland, Oregon.  Margaret and Michael had enjoyed their visits to Oregon so much they decided to settle here as well.

From Portland, the Palmers moved to Pacific City on the coast.  Here they joined good friends from Canada, and Michael Palmer helped build the Pacific City bank and post office.

Later, the Palmers bought Glenwood Village in Warrenton.  They managed the mobile home park for twenty years and during that time, expanded the park from thirty to seventy-five spaces.  A couple of Margaret's Suzanne Elise neighbors were tenants at Glenwood Village during this period of time!  After the park sold, Margaret and Michael retired to Yuma, Arizona, again joining good friends.

Margaret Palmer has a gift for creativity.  Her apartment is beautifully decorated, and she enjoys crocheting.  She likes "everything" about Suzanne Elise and looks forward to teh Bingo games, especially when she is feeling lucky!

WELCOME NEW RESIDENTS
Please take time to say hello to your new neighbors and help them feel at home.  Invite them to an activity or to a meal and make a new friend!

WELCOME NEW STAFF
Dietary:  Jenny Boehm, Kaly Lybarger
Health Services: Paula Martin, Liliana Miranda
Housekeeping: Columba Mirando, Grace Price

Health Services

Holidays are a time of family , friends and festive gatherings but they do not need to be ones of weight increase when you plan ahead and make good choices; you can gain when you lose.  When you slim down, the most obvious payoff is the mirror.  But the even more impressive benefits may be the ones that you cannot see.  Just shedding ten percent of your body weight may help prevent many serious diseases.

When you are overweight, your body may not use insulin efficiently to bring cells the sugar they need.  So your pancreas pumps more and more of the hormone, but it eventually may not be able to keep up.  The result:  high blood sugar levels.  Lose weight and you may avoid the disease.

Heavy people produce more triglycerides, one kind of fat molecule.  Triglycerides and HDL (the good cholesterols that get rid of fat in arteries) typically work like a seesaw:  when one goes up, the other goes down.  Lose weight and triglycerides will drop; keep pounds off and your bad cholesterol will drop.

Because your heart has to pump more blood around a greater area, overweight adults are twice as likely to develop hypertension.  Drop pounds, and pressure will go down to normal.

A third of heart disease cases in women are linked to obesity, as are a significant number of strokes.  In part, this is because excess weight ups your chances of developing risk factors such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes that lead to problems.  The more overweight you are, the greater the danger.

Overweight women have higher levels of estrogen in their bloodstreams, making them more likely to develop breast cancer. Other cancers linked to obesity include colon, ovarian, uterine, kidney and cervical.

Gallstones that develop in your gall bladder are linked to excess production of cholesterol, which is tied to weight.  Stones are seven times more common among heavy women.  Not surprisingly, excess pounds put a strain on your muscles and joints.  Lose even a small amount of weight, and you'll move easily, with fewer aches.

Think moderation this season and plan ahead.

Happy Holidays!-Linda