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Illinois Valley News, Cave Junction, OR Wednesday, December 21, 2005
Arrive alive when the snow flies
By BRYAN HARLEY
IVN Staff Writer
Through rain and sleet
and snow and fog … No,
it’s not the battle cry of the
vigilant postal carriers, it’s
winter driving in Oregon.
We might live in South-
western Oregon because,
“It’s the Climate,” but locals
are significantly aware how
quickly that climate can
change.
In order to not get
caught in a winter
storm unprepared, the
Oregon Dept. of Trans-
portation (ODOT) of-
fers a list of tips to as-
sist travelers this busy
holiday season.
Want to know
weather and road con-
ditions?
Use
ODOT’S
travel information
Website:
Trip-
check.com before beginning
a trip. See real-time camera
views of locations through-
out Oregon, including most
major mountain passes.
The site also displays
current traffic and travel
alerts to inform drivers
when they may need to
make adjustments to their
routes or schedules.
Road conditions also
can be checked by phoning
511 or by dialing toll-free
(800) 977-ODOT (6368).
Calls to 511 are considered
local when dialed from a
pay phone or wire line
phone, said ODOT.
For California highway
conditions use dot.ca.gov/
hq/roadinfo, or phone (916)
445-7623.
ODOT also advises
having the following list of
winter driving supplies in
vehicles:
•Tire chains or other
traction devices.
•An ice scraper, battery
booster cables, road flares, a
properly inflated spare tire, a
vehicle jack, lug wrench and
basic tool kit.
•A small shovel and a
bag of kitty litter or sand for
traction in case you get
stuck, and a plastic tarp to
help keep you dry when
installing tire chains.
•A flashlight with extra
batteries and bulbs, an extra
pair of winter gloves and a
warm hat, a change of
clothes and a warm blanket,
snack foods, matches in a
waterproof container, a
pocket knife and a first aid
kit.
•A full fuel tank and a
good highway map.
•A large thermos
container filled with water
or hot drink.
•A cell phone with fully
charged batteries.
•If you travel with an
infant or young child, pack
extra food, warm clothes
and blankets, toys and
games, and extra
diapers.
In addition,
the American Red
Cross suggests
that you have
your
car
winterized.
Have
a
mechanic check
your battery, anti-
freeze, washer
fluid,
ignition
system, thermostat, lights,
heater, brakes, and defrost
system; and install good
winter tires.
Most of all, use
common sense. Slow
down; allocate more time
to get to your destination;
remember to buckle up and
be safe.
“If people can delay
their trips until after a
storm passes, they can save
themselves a lot of grief,”
said ODOT District
Manager John Vial.
Healthy tips to keep holidays hopping
From decking the halls
to hitting the malls, prepar-
ing for the holidays can
leave you with no energy to
spare for celebrating.
Fortunately, there’s
plenty you can do to fight
off the fatigue that follows
after preparing for the holi-
days. The following tips
from CyberWize, maker of
supplements for stress, will
help you remain stress-free.
Drink plenty of water.
Since dehydration can make
you tired, carry a water bot-
tle and sip the water
throughout the day. Also,
limit coffee and alcohol in-
take. These two drinks can
induce dehydration.
Get a sufficient amount
of sleep. Sleep at least eight
hours a night. By being
well-rested, you’ll have
more energy to achieve a
productive day.
Don’t turn to sweets for
energy. Candy is only a
quick fix that will cause
your energy level to crash
and burn. Instead, eat
healthy snacks throughout
the day, like fruits and vege-
tables.
Ask family members
for help. Preparing for the
holidays with the family will
not only take some strain off
you, it also can be a great
way to spread holiday cheer.
Take an all-natural sup-
plement. Including a supple-
ment in your diet will help
you get the nutrients your
body needs to function at its
best. For example, Vital
StressX contains a unique
combination of seven herbs,
called adaptogens, that help
your body regulate cortisol,
the “stress hormone.”
“Low levels of cortisol
produce the energy your
white cells need to keep
you healthy,” said Dr.
Nicholas Hall, director of
the Saddlebrook Resort
Wellness Center in Tampa,
Fla.
Focus on progress, not
perfection. Instead of
stressing over holding a
flawless dinner party or
finding immaculate gifts,
remember that what really
counts is the time you
spend cherishing your fam-
ily and friends. Plus, holi-
day hiccups can always
make for great stories
come next holiday season.
Holy cow! International gift giving made easy
Want to give a mean-
ingful gift that won’t be for-
gotten or stashed away after
the holidays?
Heifer Interna-
tional, an organization
working to fight hun-
ger worldwide, has a
solution: livestock.
By donating a
sheep, cow, or any
other farm animal in
honor of a loved one
through Heifer Interna-
tional, you can help
impoverished families
get the resources they
need to get out of poverty
and become self-reliant.
The farm animals pro-
vided by Heifer Interna-
tional give families wool,
milk, eggs, transportation
and other necessities. Fami-
lies can sell their surplus
products and use the money
for school supplies, medi-
cine, farming supplies and
housing improvements.
A goat, for example,
can supply a family with
several quarts of milk each
day. Extra milk can be sold
by the family or made into
cheese, butter or yogurt.
Heifer International also
provides llamas, water buf-
faloes, heifers, chicks,
ducks, geese and hives of
honeybees - to name a few.
Here is how to set your
gift in motion:
Contact Heifer Interna-
tional to receive a free gift
catalog.
Request a unique gift
card that you can personal-
ize and send to your honor-
ees, describing the
generous contribution
you’ve made in their
name.
Revel in the joy of
knowing that, thanks
to your gift, a strug-
gling family is on the
road to self-reliance.
Watch your gift
multiply. Every receiv-
ing family promises to
“pass on the gift” of its
animal’s first offspring to
another family in need.
Thanks to this act, entire
communities can lift them-
selves out of poverty.
For more information,
visit www.heifer.org or
phone (800) 696-1918.
A Heartfelt thank you to all our cus-
tomers. We wish you
all the joy of the
holiday season now
and throughout the
new year!
Symbols speak to holiday stories
Christmas is the cele-
bration of Jesus’ birth --
God’s own son.
Following are high-
lights of a recent Bridges
to Motherhood lesson,
about the true meaning of
Christmas, given by the
Pregnancy Center of the
Illinois Valley.
*Why do we give
Christmas presents?
The tradition as we
know it started in the late
1800s, although the early
Romans gave “New Year’s
gifts” and the Wise Men
brought gifts for Jesus af-
ter His birth. Note that the
Avoidance
of sugar
proves no
easy feat
Would you give your
child a 5-pound bag of sugar
for a snack?
New data show that this
is the amount of sugar kids
consume every month, most
of which does not come
from sugar bowls or cookie
jars. Rather, it comes from
liquid sugar: soda, juice, and
fruit drinks.
A recent study at Cor-
nell University found that on
days when children drank
sweetened drinks, they were
consuming 244 more calo-
ries than on days when they
did not. During a two-month
period, kids who consumed
more than 16 ounces of
sweetened drinks per day
gained an average of 2.5
pounds: Those who drank
between 6 and 16 ounces
only gained 0.7 to 1 pound.
According
to
“Prevention” magazine, too
much of any sweetener can
increase children’s risk of
obesity, poor bone density,
and type 2 diabetes. Sweet-
eners do this by adding calo-
ries and making kids less apt
to eat healthier food such as
dairy products, fruits, and
vegetables -- not to mention
the tooth decay it causes.
The World Health Or-
ganization recommends no
more than 40 grams (10 tea-
spoons) if any type of sugar
per day. But most experts
suggest that amount should
be less: closer to 30 grams.
Don’t be fooled -- sugar
often masquerades as many
other ingredients:
*Dextrose
*Evaporated cane juice
*Fructose
*Fruit juice concentrate
*Glucose
*High fructose corn syrup
*Honey
*Lactose
*Maple syrup
*Molasses
*Sucrose
cross. The red berries re-
mind us of the blood that
Jesus shed on our behalf.
*Why is Christmas
Eve a big deal?
Christianity has Jewish
roots. In the Jewish tradi-
tions, a day ends when the
sun goes down (therefore,
a new day begins in the
evening).
*What’s the history of
candy canes?
A candy maker in the
1800s developed the candy
cane. The white symbol-
izes the purity of Jesus, the
three narrow stripes repre-
sent the Trinity, and the
darker red stripe represents
the blood that Jesus shed
for us. The cane represents
a shepherd’s crook, and if
you turn it upside down,
you have a “J” for Jesus.
gifts given to Jesus signi-
fied truths about His life
on Earth: gold was for a
king, frankincense was for
worshipping God/royalty,
and myrrh was used for
burial.
*Why do we have
Christmas trees?
The tree signifies life
and strength with Jesus.
Evergreen trees symbolize
eternal life (the promise of
going to Heaven if we be-
lieve in Jesus and ask Him
to be our savior). This tra-
dition originated in Ger-
many around 700 A.D.
*Why are holly and
red berries popular at
Christmas?
The sharp edges of
holly represent the crown
of thorns placed on Jesus’
head as he hung on the
To all our patrons -
May the joy of the holidays be yours.
Precision Glass
592-3399
from
The Eye Care Group
Drs. Hamada, Matti,
Vidlak, Walters, Pelson
& Richardson
Optometric Physicians
335 Caves Hwy., Cave Junction
592-3921
Merry Christmas
and
Happy New Year
to One & All
from
Country Hills Resort
May He whose
birth we celebrate,
bless you with
true happiness.
Merry Christmas
& Happy New Year!
From all of us at The
Boarding House
Reach
I.V. Building Supply