Next Meeting - Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2019. On the Mezz, at Festival Foods on East Washington Ave., at 11:30 AM, all as usual. Hopefully by then it will be warm enough for your car to start. It seems like forever between meetings around the year-end Holidays, but now things should revert to normal, whatever that is. This is our Business Meeting for February, and no doubt there will be things going on when the Ice Age retreats. There may also be some opportunities for vision screening to discuss.

At our last meeting, KATIE PARADIS, the new TailTwister, took advantage of someone's proclamation of “Hat Day” to require unique costuming for those in attendance. She had an impressive collection of headgear, which many Lions chose in preference to an equally impressive fine for noncompliance. Passers-by outside the meeting room must have wondered a bit about the attire of the group meeting inside. Unfortunately, there were no press photographers present.

VP DALE BURMESTER presided, noting that our ID candidate JODI Is crisscrossing the State, and maybe the Nation, campaigning. We all can see that JODI has been indefatigable in pursuit of the opportunity to expand her Lion service, attending innumerable Lion meetings at all levels and locations, and her commitment and devotion to the cause are obvious. It seems like a long time since the effort began, but the STATE Convention is suddenly not that far off. It is in Month 5, and we are already zipping through Month 2.

Plans are being firmed up for a trip to Rosholt this summer to visit Lions Camp. This is our showcase project for Wisconsin Lions, which needs constant support, financial and otherwise, from all of us. Even if you've been to the Camp before, you should visit, to be familiar with all that they do, and the excellent facility to do it with. Probable date is August 7 for Madison area Lions and Lioness Clubs, and PHIL INGWELL is handling the details for our Club. The schedule calls for departure @ 7:30 AM, with visiting time at Camp from 10:00 - 2:00, including lunch. Let PHIL know if you plan to go.

Lion KATIE says our Scavenger Hunt is set for May 4, to end at a Downtown park. Details will follow.

MELISSA NOVINSKI introduced our speaker, Dr. Neil Binkley, Professor of Geriatrics and Endocrinology at UW-Madison, where he also directs programs for Osteoporosis and the Institute On Aging. This is important to all of us, because we all are on the aging spectrum somewhere, and it marches on inexorably.

Dr. Binkley stressed the importance of early and continuing preparation to prevent and/or minimize the effects of aging, particularly osteoporosis, loss of muscle mass and fracture risk. Walk! Watch your diet (protein, calcium, Vitamin D)! In other words, keep yourself in the best possible shape. There are things you can do to keep yourself going. And keeping going is the objective. Exercise, walk, move, eat well, don't take chances and risk falling down. It is encouraging to know that some of the problems of aging can be mitigated and delayed if you start early and keep working on it. Your editor can testify that the more you move, the easier it is to move, so keep moving!

Calendar for February:
• February 6 - Region Meeting
• February 9 - Albany Lions Pancake Day
• February 11 - Madison West Leo Fundraiser
• February 19 - Program Meeting
• February 23 - State Bowling Tournament
• February 26 - Board Meeting
• March - 27-D1 convention in Middleton, WI
• May 17-19 - MD27 State Convention in WI Dells, WI