It’s a clear memory. Plastic was becoming widely used in packaging for food. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration didn’t say it was safe. It said as far as it knew, plastic packaging wasn’t harmful to health. I figured out myself right away that it wasn’t a good idea to... Read more →

Suddenly, last summer … I was all set to continue a busy week of gardening and enjoying summer weather. I even looked at the weather forecast and it was all sunshine, appreciated in the rainy Seattle area. However, it began to rain; then it rained some more. Almost an entire... Read more →

Have you heard of “personalized nutrition?” It’s an approach to dietary advice that uses tests of a person’s genes, blood and other body fluids, and gastrointestinal tract, as well as questionnaires, to develop individualized nutritional recommendations. Personalized nutrition’s global value was estimated at $12 billion in 2022, and it’s projected... Read more →

For most summers, my daughter Lisa, who lives in Madrid, visits me with her kids, Rafa and Cecilia. Although the visits are shorter now that the kids are older and want to spend more time with their friends, we had a great time. Fun times included a barbecue, swimming, walking in an arboretum and parks, dining out, and a July Fourth celebration. Read more →

Recently, I stayed with my daughter and her family at an Airbnb in Seattle. After we were there a while, I saw a big safety hazard: dishwasher pods were stored in an attractive glass container and placed on the kitchen counter. Dishwasher pods are dangerous for children and seniors who may think that they’re candy or some treat to eat. Read more →

It seems today that writing about extreme heat is strange. This weekend, I was so cold when I did yard work here in the Seattle area that I wore my extra-sweater-and-leggings outfit I wear for winter gardening. And, although everyone is warning about not to avoid heat exhaustion and even death, I’m going to write about it, too. Read more →

When I attended Washington State University in Pullman, Washington, during the 1960s, I took a class in consumer economics. It changed my life. I had gotten the idea from my dad about the importance of spending wisely, now here was a field of study and maybe a career in helping people make smart money choices. Read more →

Two models of adult portable bed rails are being recalled because they pose a risk of entrapment and asphyxia since users can become entrapped within the rail, or between the rail and mattress. Medline Industries has received two reports of deaths associated with the Bed Assist Bars, involving a 76-year-old woman and an 87-year-old woman. Read more →

It’s important to protect your skin from the sun by using sunscreen and by taking other protections such as wearing a wide-brimmed hat and long sleeves. Sunscreen protects your skin against radiation from sun rays called ultraviolet A and B. UVB rays are the ones that mostly cause sunburn, while UVA rays mainly cause aging skin. Read more →

Today, I hope you’re having a great celebration with your mom or are remembering her if she is no longer with us. My mom, Ruth L. Slingsby, photo at left, was a hard-working, supportive mom. I miss her every day. She passed away in 2005 at the age of 89. Here are some facts and figures for Mother’s Day 2024: Read more →