Winter Wonderland

Well winter has decided to finally grace us with it's presence. We received around 11 inches of snow over the past weekend and we're expecting another foot or so today into tomorrow. Wouldn't be a problem but we're going to be trying to get to North Dakota tonight to go fishing, where they are expecting equally troubling weather.

One good thing...reports continue to support my theory about the health benefits of fine wine:

What are the health benefits of drinking red wine?For over 10 years, research has indicated that moderate intake of alcohol improves cardiovascular health. In fact, in 1992 Harvard researchers included moderate alcohol consumption as one of the "eight proven ways to reduce coronary heart disease risk." However, research has suggested that specifically red wine is the most beneficial to your heart health. The cardioprotective effect has been attributed to antioxidants present in the skin and seeds of red grapes. Scientists believe the antioxidants, called flavonoids, reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in three ways: by reducing production of low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (also know as the "bad" cholesterol) by boosting high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the good cholesterol) by reducing blood clotting. Furthermore, consuming a glass of wine along with a meal may favorably influence your lipid profiles following that meal. Recently, researchers have found that moderate red wine consumption may be beneficial to more than just your heart. One study found that the antioxidant resveratrol, which is prevalent in the skin of red grapes, may inhibit tumor development in some cancers. Another study indicated that resveratrol aided in the formation of nerve cells, which experts believe may be helpful in the treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

So drink up my friend...................