When I saw this story "In Praise Of Dirt" on Yahoo about the relationship between too much cleanliness and eczema. I had to agree with the findings published in the British Medical Journal that there is some relationship between being too clean and the increased incidence of childhood eczema, asthma and allergies.
I most wholeheartedly support good handwashing but I reject the idea of using antibacterial soap for a similar reason to the results they have found. Nurses that have researched handwashing with ordinary soap and antibacterial soap find that too many good bacteria may be being killed with the antibacterial soap and the door may be opened for the growth of super germs as a result. Only those persons who really need to i.e. those who work in the Operating room or a similar environment, should probably use the antibacterial products. Therapy Resources Inc. publishes a page every year around flu season, that is widely copied and heavily visited, which teaches about good handwashing with ordinary soap. Good handwashing is the number one way to prevent the spread of illness. It's ok to get a little dirty, use common sense and wash your hands well.
Another related issue, that is a pet peeve of mine, is the overuse of antibiotics. Healthcare professionals have known for a long time that antibiotics have been overprescribed, many have lost their effectiveness and germs have become resistant. However it's been taking too long for the public to come around and stop demanding antibiotics for their viral illnesses. Just the other day my mom told me that the doctor prescribed an antibiotic for my dad's cold. Even though the doctor said that it wouldn't make any difference my dad wanted something. My mom acknowledged that it probably wouldn't help but what are you going to do? Well mom and anyone else who feels that way, there are super bugs out there now that cannot be stopped lets not create any more.

Since I like to try different tea shops or high teas I was very interested in the high tea that was being offered at the National Cathedral in Washington D.C. I didn't find out about it until I was already there and my thought was that I probably wouldn't be able to get a reservation but I called anyway and left a message. Actually three messages, the first one that I was interested in tea on Wednesday, the second that I was available both Tuesday and Wednesday and the third to make sure I'd left the correct contact information. Originally I was hoping to go to one of the DC Filmfest's events, a luncheon and discussion with a director. I had already left a message with them requesting a reservation. Then I decided that I might have a better chance at getting a tea reservation at the cathedral if I were available on both days. They have it Tuesday and Wednesday. Well by Monday morning before I left the apartment I hadn't heard from either place. Then Monday night when I got back there was a message from the Cathedral person saying there was a last minute cancellation for Tuesday and to call, which I did. When my husband got back he said there was a message that they had no openings. So they had called me twice. I never did hear from the filmfest.

Tuesday I took the orange line, got off at the stop near the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and switched to the red line after I visited that museum, then switched to a bus and made it to the area of the cathedral before the 1:30P tour time. I had enough time to stop in the St. Alban's Opportunity Shop, make a couple of purchases and ask directions. Then I went inside the cathedral to the tour and tea and joined a group of about 25 other people. The tour was led by a docent and covered all of the major highlights of the main sanctuary after which we took the elevator to the top of the tower and had a delicious high tea with a lovely view. There are also pictures and some informational displays in the tower so I wandered around there with the woman, from San Francisco, who sat with me for tea.
The cathedral is a huge gothic structure constructed as "...a national house of prayer for all people", U.S. Congress 1893 and "This church is intended for national purposes...and assigned to the special use of no particular sect or denomination but equally open to all." Pierre L'Enfant 1791 Plan for the City of Washington. Those quotes I found in the book "Murder At The National Cathedral" by Margaret Truman which I am reading again, I think, now that I've been there.
When I returned to the main sanctuary and went to the store I found out that the cathedral was open late that evening for an evensong service. I called my hubby and both of us went to the service where we got to hear the all male choir, the 10,600 + pipe, organ and sit in the hand carved choir pews. They also had a mazes that could be walked and we tried that. Then I took him around the cathedral and shared the highlights that I remembered. Especially the stained glass; the rose window and the space window with the moon rock, the chapels, the main area of worship and the grave of Woodrow Wilson (the only president buried in Washington). All in all a nice way to spend an afternoon.

The new memorial in Washington D.C., is in honor of those who served in World War Two. We went to see the National World War Two Memorial just a few days before it opened. There were fences around part of it but you could walk around it and through one part. Lots of people were already visiting and it opened fully near the end of last week, although it won't be officially dedicated until Memorial Day weekend. I took a lot of pictures for my dad and mom. My dad is an AXPOW and has a VIP invitation to the dedication. Our concern is, given his poor and mom's questionable health, would they be ok in a probably huge crowd, hot weather, with a lack of facilities and easy access to the site? Never mind the stress of the memories, accompanying emotion and physical activity especially for my dad. Well my mom and I talked about the negatives at length first, then I switched to talking about the importance of the whole thing to my dad and how important attending the ceremonies might be to him. Maybe the hotel has plans to bus people to the site for the ceremonies and those planning the ceremonies have taken into consideration the frail condition of some of the vets. Maybe the VIP invitation has some special perks attached. A big plus is that some of their AXPOW friends are going and staying in the same hotel. She is on the fence about going but plans to contact the hotel, check through the literature and maybe call a few friends. The final thing will be how my dad feels closer to the date and whether he's up for it.