Your roots are showing
When I was a lad living at the end of N. First Street our neighbor, Mr. Sam Fitch, whose property ran all the way to what is now McIntire Road, kept a nice coop of chickens along with an appreciative rooster [“Chickens raise concerns when barnyard is backyard,” Development News, February 17]. Not only that, he kept a cow, which occasionally was seen munching grass across the street from our front door. I miss First Street, but I’m happy to read that it is returning to its agricultural roots.
Rick Watson
Charlottesville
Dilation explanation
Alcohol is a “vaso dilator,” meaning it dilates your blood vessels [“Danger ahead? The truth about sulfites,” The Working Pour, February 24]. I’m no expert or doctor, but have heard that dilated vessels in the brain can cause headaches. Maybe the added sugar in white wine balances the dilation effect. Maybe too, tannins is red wine have a greater negative effect?
Alcohol is also a natural diuretic. I do know that a long night of drinking alcohol literally dehydrates your tissues and causes headaches. Maybe people drink more red wine than white wine over the course of an evening, therefore leading to a bit of a hangover. I’ve heard that we are more likely to drink more water at room temperature than cold. Red wine is usually served warmer than white…
Just a few thoughts.
Vanessa Bourgeois
Charlottesville