July 2009 Senior Living Magazine Island Edition

JULY 2009

Vancouver Island’s 50+ Active Lifestyle Magazine

TM

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JULY 2009 1

FEATURES 4 Rods and ReelsMembers of the Victoria Golden Rods and Reels Club share more than just fish tales about the one that got away.

8 Follow the PuckCBC Cameraman Doug MacCormack followed his passion to BC – on and off the ice.

12 Pearl Soup and Mango SmilesArtist and author Wendy Picken draws inspiration from what she knows – and feels in her heart.

14 Paddling the GorgeOutrigger paddlers practise on the Gorge for fun, friendship and journeys that take them further afield.

26 Foodies Go Nuts in the Fraser ValleyTravelling closer to home can be a delicious learning experience.

Cover Photo: Victoria Golden Rods and Reels member Sandy Raven announces the winners of the Club’s chili cook-off. Story page 4. Photo: Enise Olding

JULY 2009

(Vancouver Island) is published by Stratis Publishing.

Publisher Barbara RistoEditor Bobbie Jo Reid [email protected] Norman K. Archer, Goldie Carlow, Judee Fong, Gipp Forster, Barbara MacCormack, Chris Millikan, Rick Millikan, Sctott Morrish, Pat Nichol, Enise Olding, Michael Rice, Candice Schultz, Rosalind Scott, Barbara Small

Proofreader Allyson MantleAdvertising ManagerBarry Risto 250-479-4705For advertising information, call [email protected] Sales Staff RaeLeigh Buchanan 250-479-4705 Ann Lester 250-390-1805Mathieu Powell 250-589-7801Barry Risto 250-479-4705Contact Information – Head OfficeSenior Living Box 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1Phone 250-479-4705Toll-free 1-877-479-4705Fax 250-479-4808E-mail [email protected] www.seniorlivingmag.comSubscriptions: $32 (includes GST, postage and handling) for 12 issues. Canadian residents only.No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Senior Living is an inde-pendent publication and its articles imply no endorsement of any products or services. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Unsolicited articles are welcome and should be e-mailed to [email protected] Senior Living Vancouver Island is distributed free throughout Vancouver Island. Stratis Publishing Ltd. publishes Senior Living Vancouver Island (12 issues per year) and Senior Living Vancouver & Lower Mainland (12 issues per year). ISSN 1710-3584 (Print) ISSN 1911-6403 (Online)

DEPARTMENTS20 BBB Scam Alert24 Classifieds28 Resource Directory

COLUMNS 2 The Family Caregiver by Barbara Small

10 Victoria’s Past Revisited by Norman K. Archer

18 Ask Goldie by Goldie Carlow

25 Outrageous & Courageous by Pat Nichol

32 Reflections: Then & Now by Gipp Forster

WEBSITEWEBSITE www.seniorlivingmag.com

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2 SENIOR LIVING

THE FAMILY

CAREGIVER

Are You a Family Caregiver?

Barbara Small is Program Development Coordinator for Family Caregivers’ Network Society. www.familycaregiversnetwork.org

BY BARBARA SMALL

The Family Caregiver column is brought to you by the generous sponsorship of ElderSafe Support Services

SL

In Canada, there are over eight million family caregivers, and over 94,000 in the Greater Vic-

toria area alone. Are you one? Perhaps you found it difficult to answer this question because you are not sure what family caregivers are or what they do. Perhaps you never realized the informa-tion provided in this monthly column applies to you and your situation.

One of the challenges we experience at the Family Caregivers’ Network is creating awareness and having people self-identify as family caregivers, there-by understanding that the services and programs we offer would be useful to them. So, are you a family caregiver?

Family caregivers provide care and support to family members, friends or neighbours who are chronically ill, frail, elderly or disabled. The person they care for might be an elderly parent, a chroni-cally ill spouse or an adult disabled child. The care recipient may either live in his own home, with the caregiver, or in a care facility. A family caregiver is sometimes also referred to as an unpaid caregiver or informal caregiver.

Family caregivers provide care for a variety of reasons. It may be out of love and caring, a sense of duty, obligation, guilt or because there doesn’t seem to be anyone else available. The support pro-

vided can range from simply driving the person to a doctor’s appointment, pick-ing up groceries or the other extreme of providing one-on-one personal care 24-hours per day, seven days per week. The assistance that family caregivers provide can include:

• Personal care: Assistance with bathing, dressing, toileting, medica-tions, helping the person in and out of bed or communicating with healthcare workers on his behalf.

• Household tasks: Paying bills, shopping, cooking, laundry, cleaning or gardening.

• Companionship: Accompanying someone to a doctor’s appointment or sitting in on an appointment, going to church with them, reading, playing cards, going to the park or simply keep-ing them company and providing emo-tional support.

• Legal and Financial: Managing household paperwork, managing fi-nances or, depending on the person’s cognitive condition, the caregiver may have Power of Attorney to make deci-sions on behalf of that person.

Self-identifying as a family caregiver is one of the first steps toward recogniz-ing the demands and responsibilities that the role entails, asking for and re-ceiving help and accessing information

and services that can help alleviate some of the burden.

Once you recognize you are a family caregiver, you will realize you are not alone – one in four Canadians are in the same situation. The Victoria-based Fam-ily Caregivers’ Network, and similar organizations in your community, can provide programs and services to assist you, including telephone and in-person support, a resource lending library, sup-port groups, educational workshops and a comprehensive website.

Call the Family Caregivers’ Network at 250-384-0408 or visit www.family-caregiversnetwork.org for more infor-mation, including referral to resources in your own community. Also, your lo-cal health authority can provide support and assistance through their Home and Community Care programs. Call 1-888-533-2273 or visit www.viha.ca/hcc/ to access these services.

Next month: How to Support the Per-son Caring for You

JULY 2009 3

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4 SENIOR LIVING

The sun is shining at Elk Lake and in one of the sheltered picnic areas people are stir-

ring great pots of bubbling chili on a series of portable stoves. There are sal-ads under wraps, the fixings for hotdogs are assembled and a Bundt cake along with other desserts waits alongside the plates, cups and napkins.

While the tempting food is prepared, some members of the Victoria Golden Rods and Reels Club sit in the sunshine and enjoy lively conversation, others are making their way up from the near-by lakeside and some are still hauling their boats out of the lake.

Now and then, there’s the glimpse and gleam of a fresh caught rainbow trout and some snatches of conversa-tion: “I had two in the boat and I made a fisherman’s mistake and put them back in – never caught any more.” And, “I don’t eat fish.” And, “if the fish don’t come, then it’s not that exciting, but I love the fresh air.”

But what has a chili cook-off com-petition or the evening’s presentation about a trip to Antarctica, have to do with fishing? Everything – ask any members – there’s more to fishing than, well, just fishing.

Back in 1977, the Victoria Golden

Rods and Reels started out as a fishing and social club with a goal, amongst others, to encourage retired people to enjoy outdoor recreation. As a result, members pour equal amounts of energy into the fishing and social aspects of the club. Combining a love and respect for the outdoors with social activities en-sures all members can participate and get involved.

As their Web site indicates, “the club has a multi-faceted approach. Members include fresh and saltwater fishermen and women, stream fishers and fly fish-ers. Fishing techniques and ideas are shared. Fly tying techniques are taught in a social context, with good food and wine, at a member’s house.”

The story of how Sandy and Art Raven joined the club is typical: “We liked to fish and were looking for some-thing interesting to do and found this club. We just love the people,” they say. “Every-one is active and supportive – as far as clubs go,

you’re lucky if you get one-third of the people out, but with this club, everybody goes to everything. And, we make sure they are okay if we haven’t seen them for a while,” says Sandy, who is on the social committee and manages the club’s website; Art is president of the club.

Dennis Gedney, the current vice-president, used to hear all about the club from his neighbour. He was working, at the time, but his neighbour was retired.

“I really envied my neighbour,” he says, “he would tell me about the com-panionship within the club and the fish-ing, and how great it was. As soon as I retired, the first thing I did was join.”

Others heard about the club by way of pamphlets, the newspaper or from a

list of local clubs. Many arrived from out of the

Rods and Reels

STORY AND PHOTOSBY ENISE OLDING

Dennis Gedney on Elk Lake

Art and Sandy Raven stack more coals on the barbecue

JULY 2009 5

»

province or out of the country to take up retirement in the Victoria area and wanted to get back in touch with the out-doors, with the fi shing they’d enjoyed years ago, or simply to become involved in an active and varied social group.

Shirley has been a member for two years and through her husband, Ray, a 19-year member, she participated in many of the club’s activities. “I came to enjoy the social part of it,” she says, “we have a nice Christmas dinner, there are potluck suppers and going on trips – so I joined too.”

The club meets each Tuesday at the Silver Threads Hall on Douglas Street, Victoria. “As part of the meeting, there is almost always a guest speaker or fi lm. We have a vast range of speakers,” says Club Secretary Barry Proud. They include members sharing their interesting life stories, local experts on fl y tying techniques, estate planning, representatives from Fisheries and Oceans Canada, university professors covering topics of general interest, travel and the outdoors.

While Elk Lake is a popular local spot for club members, organized camping is another way the group appreciates the outdoors. Each spring and fall a small group heads out to But-tle Lake for fi ve days of camping.

Other popular destinations include Langford Lakes, Sooke River, Salmon Point and China Creek, and Cluxewe. And there are always opportunities to expound on past fi shing ex-periences while waiting for the fi sh of the day to cook over the campfi re.

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6 SENIOR LIVING

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The more serious side of the club has them tackling various projects, involving themselves in education and participating voluntarily in a broader range of conser-vation and wildlife activities. In previous years, the club helped clean up O’Donnell Creek, which flows into Elk Lake. And they helped build a sanitary station and wheelchair accessible dock for fishing at the lake. More recently, club members were in Sooke at a Cub Scout camp.

“Eight of us tried to teach over 200 cubs how to fish,” says Barry Proud. “We were going all day with three stations taking about eight cubs each at a time. At times, utter chaos reigned with lines in trees and rods all tangled up. We are all now recov-ering, but the cubs had lots of fun.”

Today, before eating and then voting on their favourite chili, the official weigh-ing of the day’s catch is undertaken; long-time member John Edge’s 1 lb 6 oz [680 g] catch nudged out two contenders.

Back in 1988, friends told John about “this great club,” so he went to a meeting. “I would never have been a per-son to join a club, but I joined this one,” he says. “Within two weeks, I was heading up a fish feeding project in Gold-stream,” he laughs. John later became president for five years and was on the executive until this year. He says there are

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open companionships in the club, “people say ‘anybody want to go with us’ and anyone really is welcome. People help one

another out.” With hundreds of years of combined fishing

experience, the Victoria Golden Rods and Reels is the perfect place for everyone to learn how to fish or hone their skills. As their Web site says: “whether one comes to learn fishing techniques, or to find a fishing partner, or to enjoy the camp-ing trips, or to participate in the conservation ac-tivities, or to listen to the inspirational speakers, one is sure to find friendship, companionship and

a further enriched life-style.”

As the sun-kissed, well-fed, cheery group deliberate on the merits of various chili recipes, the words of Den-nis Gedney might

well sum up the satisfaction that comes from being part of the Victoria Golden Rods and Reels. “I like the companionship. I like the serenity and the quiet of the lake. It is complete wil-derness. The solitude. When I am fishing, there is nothing else on my mind and the cares of the world are gone.”

-30-

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SL

John Edge displays his rainbow trout

– today’s prize catch.

JULY 2009 7

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8 SENIOR LIVING

Doug MacCormack followed hockey to British Columbia in 1967 and, 32 years later,

the videographer and recreational hock-ey player says he found his dream – on and off the rink.

Now a resident of Victoria, Doug grew up in Nova Scotia playing his fa-vourite sport with nine siblings on the rink in their backyard. An avid Montreal Canadiens fan, he played Junior A hock-ey in Cape Breton, and remembers how he and his father started their own team.

“My father and I were sitting at the table one day and we decided, ‘Wow we have enough players for a junior team,’” Doug recalls. “We formed the junior team, and won the Nova Scotia title. The next year, the team won the Maritime title. A couple of years ago, the World Juniors were in Cape Breton and Halifax, and to think back that we started the team. They had a team from that point on.”

In 1963, after high school, Doug got a job at a CBC-affiliated TV station in Sydney as a cameraman. Back then tel-evision was black and white. They had one channel, and the only choice was to turn it on or off. At the time, the cameras the station used were from New York, and were as big as cars. It took four men to lift them from the pedestals, and videotapes didn’t exist, so everything, including the commercials, was live.

“In those days, to work at the TV station in Cape Breton, was a really big deal,” says Doug.

One night, after Doug had been working at the TV station for about

four years, he heard an announcement that Vancouver was getting an NHL team – the future Canucks. “I’m going to Vancouver,” Doug said to the other cameraman.

That year, Doug said goodbye to the TV station and his family, and hitch-

hiked across the country en route to Van-couver. He spent time at the world’s fair, Montreal, worked in Banff, and experi-enced the hippie movement in San Fran-cisco before landing on the West Coast of British Columbia.

Doug joined the CBC in 1967, only, this time, he wasn’t a cameraman. In a time of cutbacks, layoffs, and an enormous focus on the world’s fair, the only job open was the mailboy. Doug took the position and used it as an opportunity to get to know everyone at the station while delivering the mail. When more jobs opened up the next year, Doug was hired on as a cameraman.

When the Canucks joined the NHL in 1970, the first portable camera was avail-able at the TV station. At the time, most people shot in film, but Doug had access to new technology with both indoor and outdoor capabilities.

“It had a backpack, and I looked like the man on the moon,” Doug laughs. “It was the only portable in Western Canada, so I got to go to all of the major sporting events, and I had to shoot the Canucks every night for highlights.”

Over the course of 10 years, Doug cov-ered about 500 games, including the Rus-sia-Canada series in 1972. For Hockey Night in Canada, he filmed between the benches.

“Looking back, out of 10 kids in the family, I was the only one who didn’t graduate from university. When I left Sydney, my father thought I would come home, and was giving up a good job. One night, during the game, when I was between the benches, the Montreal Cana-diens were playing cross the country, and the announcer said, ‘There’s Doug Mac-Cormack. I’m sure his father’s back home watching from his chair in Cape Breton.’ After that, my father thought I had made it,” says Doug.

While it was a thrill to cover games, Doug enjoyed attending practices more than anything. A favourite memory comes

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JULY 2009 9

from Edmonton Oiler practices, when Glen Anderson’s mother came to the rink with salmon sandwiches, which the team would eat afterwards.

“I would pay $100 to go to a prac-tice, but not to go to a game,” says Doug. “The job took you inside - inside a player’s life, to watch them practise, and the way they did things, and who was in charge.”

In 1976, television news switched from fi lm to video. Doug had the fi rst ENG (Electronic News Gathering) cam-era in B.C., so news became a priority over sports. Where fi lm had to be devel-oped over the course of hours or even a day, video was instant, which suited news broadcasts.

“When a big story happened, they would go for the video camera because it was instant, and you could have it on the national feed as well,” says Doug.

While there were many highlights in Doug’s career, there were also sad mo-ments. On March 24, 1989, Doug was one of the fi rst cameramen on the scene

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of the Exxon Valdez oil spill. He rode on the premier’s Lear jet, which fl ew above the scene on the way in. Doug describes the ring around the boat: “It was like Mother Earth was shot,” he says. “The next day, the wind was howling from the northwest, and it picked up the oil like drifting snow in Edmonton.”

When Doug thinks about captur-ing moments on video, whether it’s sports, news or nature, his advice is not to fear it or be overwhelmed with the sit-uation. He thinks back to the riot in Van-couver, in 1994, after the Canucks lost to the New York Rangers in Game 7.

“You get there, and you’re going for the guy who’s throwing rocks through the window... You follow the puck, you get the moment.”

Now 65, Doug is slowly winding down from his career in the television business. He still works occasionally, and covered the B.C. election in May.

“The business is very addictive,” he says. “Every day, I’d go to work and not

know where I was going.” These days, he plays more hockey.

Three times a week, he hits the rink with a group of men his age. They have no referees, but form teams and go to tour-naments. Last year, Doug played more hockey than he did when he played in the juniors.

“When I’m driving to the hockey rink, I feel like a little kid,” he says. “When you’re on the rink, nothing else enters your mind.”

Much like videography, for Doug, it’s about following the puck and cap-turing the moment.

Follow the Puck

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10 SENIOR LIVING

MeeachanVICTORIA’S PAST

It is a common error to assume that the fields of waving blue Camas lilies that adorn Beacon

Hill Park every May are indigenous. They have certainly flourished there for countless centuries, which may give them the right to call themselves homegrown, but there is an increas-ingly popular opinion that they were brought there, perhaps 10,000 years ago, by wandering Asian tribes that followed the woolly mammoth across the Bering land bridge in search of food.

The first white settlers also assumed that the same piece of land was natural, unused and waste. They were wrong. The Lekwungen had been system-atically farming there for generations, carefully harvesting the Camas bulbs for food. The Camas harvesting was a most significant annual festival with highly complex agricultural rituals, preparing the ground for future crops.

And the modern visitor to the park is misled to believe the misinformation carved into the granite monument at the Beacon Hill Park summit, “When Victoria was settled in 1843, this area was a natural park.” Not so.

James Douglas chose this area for the Fort, over the better harbour at Es-quimalt and Sooke because the land

looked so fertile. Of course it did – it was cultivated. Fifty years earlier, George Vancouver described the area “as enchantingly beautiful as the most elegantly furnished pleasure grounds of England!” But the painstaking ef-forts of the Lekwungen were about to be destroyed forever by the misguided, though well-intentioned policies of the white man to civilize the savages.

Soon, sheep, pigs and cattle were grazing indiscriminately over the care-fully preserved Camas fields and heavy booted men trampled the crops, com-pacting the soil. Grazing continued for at least 50 years until a complaint was made that the animals were damaging the cricket pitch, so fences were erect-ed. Then came the mowing machines, followed by the introduction of count-less varieties of bushes and plants for-eign to the area and destructive to the native flora and fauna. Along came the picnickers, the tree-fellers, the rifle range, the horse track, the dog-run and all the other trappings of chic Victoria society.

Victoria is one of the few areas in the world where the climate and soil are conducive to the growth of the Garry Oak, which, at one time, domi-nated the scene and this was noticeably the case in Beacon Hill Park. But the

abandonment of the aboriginal land management threatened the Garry Oak with extinction.

Evidence of more than 20 early aboriginal burial cairns marked the southeast slope of the Park; circles of stones of various shapes and sizes with a mound in the middle. White immi-grants removed the boulders. Artifi-cially reconstructed cairns are visible in the Park now, but they are a poor substitute for the real thing.

The Coast Salish Lekwungen peo-ple dubbed the area Meeachan and one name origin theory is that it means “belly” because from the ocean it looks like the fat stomach of a man lying on his back. It received its name “Beacon Hill Park” because two masts were erected on the hillock near the south-ern edge of the Park, affectionately dubbed “Mount Beacon.”

One mast carried a large blue trian-gle, and on the other, a little to the east, a green square was mounted. If a sailor could see the square through the trian-gle, he knew he was in trouble. He was heading straight for Brotchie Ledge and inevitable shipwreck.

As the years went by, developers came up with some ghastly schemes for “Mount Beacon.” In 1909, an ex-act replica of the Parthenon in Athens

LEARN MORE: Look for our article at www.seniorlivingmag.com “Ask A Professional”

JULY 2009 11

Norman Archer is an historical city tour guide in Victoria and the author of Tales of Old Victoria. Contact him at 250-655-1594 or [email protected]

BY NORMAN K. ARCHER

The Tale of Beacon Hill ParkMeeachan

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was proposed. The plan was described by its creator as, “one of the wonders of the world that would attract visitors from far and near.” Opponents were horrified, calling it a “tumours mon-strosity in the shape of an asinine imi-tation.”

Then in 1964, Mount Beacon was the first choice for the Provincial Mu-seum that would include turning Horse-shoe Bay into an enclosed salt-water swimming pool with picnic grounds adjacent. A few years later, an enor-mous tower in the form of a “Space Age Tree House” was proposed! With almost monotonous regularity over the years and, as recently as 1984, deter-mined developers submitted plans for a “First Class Tea Room” with a resi-dent caretaker on the summit of Mount Beacon.

But delightfully tranquil as the Park is today, it was fraught with bitter con-troversy in its early days. The Hud-son’s Bay Company leased the whole of Vancouver Island from the British Crown for the nominal sum of seven shillings a year – about $1.50.

During this time, there was no doubt who had the administrative rights of every square inch of land. But when Victoria was officially declared a city in 1862, the Park was specifically

omitted from City jurisdiction. Over the next 20 years, agreement

over maintenance responsibilities was never reached. Some said it was the Province, others the City. Protests were common. Fiery debates ensued. Insults were hurled back and forth between the City and the Legislature.

One Member of the Legislature remarked that the incompetence of the City was evident by the condition of the streets! The matter was finally settled in 1882 when it was officially turned over to the City “in trust.”

The Park has seen its share of deaths by drowning, suicide and natural caus-es. But perhaps the most spine-chill-ing concerns a mysterious suntanned woman, with long fair hair who, in the late 1970s, was seen standing on a rock at the corner of Southgate and Douglas Street every morning for sev-eral months. Then, one morning, she was no longer there and was not seen again.

However, in 1983, several years later, a woman exhibiting the same pe-culiar behaviour was seen in the same place, but this woman was very fair with dark hair – almost like a photo-graphic negative of the earlier sighting. Every observer agreed that this woman was a ghostly apparition. Shortly after-

wards, the body of a strangled woman with a matching description was found in the bushes, close to the rock. There was no doubt in anyone’s mind that the two apparitions were the same woman, although the colouring was reversed. Students of the paranormal call this phenomenon a “doppelganger” (dou-ble-walker.)

Today, a visitor may walk the perim-eter of the 75-hectares that comprise western Canada’s oldest Park, survey-ing the “Mile Zero” sign indicating the beginning of the world’s longest high-way of 7,821km.

One may gaze in awe at Mungo Martin’s creation – the world’s tallest free-standing totem pole, carved from one tree, standing over 39-metres high and erected in 1954. But then one may also see the forlorn figure of a dark-skinned blonde standing on a rock – or her doppelganger.

12 SENIOR LIVING

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Written from the heart, Wendy Picken’s children’s book, Gramma’s Pearl

Soup and Grampa’s Mango Smile, is a loving tribute to her maternal grandpar-ents who had the knack of turning ordi-nary days into extraordinary ones.

“Grampa always danced around the kitchen singing ‘chicken in the bread pan’ while Gramma baked bread or he would do this funny little dance when Gramma was cooking chicken,” says Wendy. “When I grew up and saw him still doing his little dance, I knew I had to write a story about it. I had the story written in my mind and could already see the pictures.” The years passed, however, and the thought of a book got pushed to the background.

Enjoying her family, her Canada Post job, her art and garden, Wendy hit one of life’s unexpected obstacles. “I was diag-nosed with uveitis, an inflammation of the middle layer of the eye, causing a gradual loss of vision,” she says. “Being a visual artist, this was devastating for me.”

It was during this stressful adjustment that Wendy attended a stimulating work-shop called “Gifts,” and Gramma’s Pearl Soup and Grampa’s Mango Smile was fi-nally drafted.

Initially, Wendy approached six artist friends who were willing to do the illus-trations for her. “These are women whose work I admire and I felt they would do a great job of what I wanted. They read the manuscript and loved the story. One of the women told me I would have to “story board” it for them. I couldn’t see well at the time, so I very lightly sketched my characters and sent the rough drawings to them. Every one phoned to say, ‘Wendy, you can do this yourself; you don’t need

us!’ My first thought was, ‘Oh no, I’ve never drawn like this. What am I going to do?’”

It wasn’t the temporary loss of vision that made the task daunting but rather the following of her heart and

relying on her memories. “The illustra-tions weren’t so much the result of the ‘eye-hand’ of an artist, but the ‘eye-heart’ that I trusted to guide my hand,” says Wendy.

As a young child, Wendy recalls hav-ing the fear of dying or losing someone she loved. “I can remember people say-ing to me, ‘You’re just a child, why are you thinking about that?’ My grandpar-ents never brushed this fear aside but genuinely tried to address it. After they died, I realized they had given me all the tools to cope with my loss. They had given me the gift of their love and in-spired me to be my own person.”

In her book, Wendy was unsure how to illustrate the little girl’s fears of los-ing her grandparents. “The night before I did the drawing, I had a dream about my grandmother who died 10 months before. In the dream, she was just hold-ing me. It was such a beautiful moment. The next morning, I knew how I was go-ing to do the painting – it was Gramma embracing the little girl as she tucked her into bed. Later, someone told me there was the tiniest heart painted inside Gramma’s eye and I hadn’t realized I had done that!”

Moving to Sidney, B.C. with her hus-band and children in 1989, Wendy suf-fered through pangs of homesickness for the Manitoba family farm. Rich, dark earth colours dominated her early free-style art. “I found it very comforting to work with the dark browns and blacks using my hands and fingers. Don Har-vey, her painting instructor, always told her to “paint what you know.” Smiling, she says, “I only knew the Manitoba

BY JUDEE FONG

PEARL SOUP AND MANGO SMILES

farm country.” Over the years,

Wendy developed her own technique that she calls “finger-painting without the paint.” It is a technique, almost batik-like, combining the use of sta-bilo crayon, conte, pastel and china marker on flat-smooth paper. Using her fingers, Wendy layers on colours and a wax polish, rubbing it away and working at it until she produces vibrant paintings like “Blue Lin-net,” “Red Door Moon,” and “Autumn Pears” from her Seasonal Journey Series. The lively colours and simple shapes of her birds, fruits and flowers are reminiscent of Caribbean or Mexican folk art.

“In 1994, I found a pair of beaded birds from Africa. I loved their simple shape and adapted them into my paintings. I put my yellow birds on first as it ‘anchors’ me, and I work wherever the birds are.”

Wendy recently had several eye surger-ies. Her ophthalmologist is closely moni-toring the eye pressure and fluid buildup. The result is that her eyes are the best they’ve been in 10 years.

“I’m no longer afraid of what’s ahead after completing my first book and cop-ing with the fears of losing my sight,” she says. “I have four new books coming and have completed the illustrations for two of them. I’ve learned that no matter what, I will always be creative and find a way to do things, whether I can see or not.”

And, what exactly is “Pearl Soup?” “Pearl Soup is any soup, hot or cold,

that’s stirred with love. It’s a soup made with pearls, that comes straight from a Gramma’s heart because they’re her hopes and dreams for her grandchildren.”

Wendy Picken can be reached at Mango Smile Studios, 250-656-0137. Her book is available at Sidney’s Tanner’s Books, Muf-fet and Louisa, Bubbalu, Victoria’s Side Street Studio, Munro Books and Greater Victoria Art Gallery. Meet Wendy at the Moss Street Paint-In July 18, 2009.

Phot

o: J

udee

Fon

g

JULY 2009 13

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��Newsletter for Senior Living Readers

APRIL 2009

��

GARDENING TIPS FOR APRIL(POST WINTER)

Herbal Remedies For Anxiety

COOL WEBSITES TO VISIT

YOUR HEALTH - Herbal Remedies For Anxiety And StressThis has something on wellness, health, may be pharma-ceuticals, cosmetics, herbal options, etc. Put article on website to track[READ MORE]

HOME REPAIRS (POST-WINTER)We will do a section that’s related to home renovations, repairs, etc. Handyman tips, etc. We will put these articles on our website to track them.[READ MORE]

HOW FULL IS YOUR LIFE?This is an inspirational, motivational article designed to be uplifting but thoughtful at the same time. We will put this article on our website to track it.[READ MORE]

YOU’LL WANNA SEE THIS!Something really extraordinary -- like the sand on the ocean, or this month, a car that plunges over an embank-ment in Arizona missing a drop into a ravine by inches.[READ MORE]

COOL WEBSITES TO VISIT (in addition to ours!)Will find interesting places readers can go on the web -- starting with www.iserenity.com and www.howisitmade.com

A CHANCE TO WIN ANDRE RIEU CD OR DVDNo entry necessary - this month every newsletter recipi-ent will be entered in the draw for several CDs and DVDs. More details about prizes. Draw date: April 15/09

TRAVEL ARTICLEWe have an article to put in this issue - RB [READ MORE]

Designed to Inspire, Entertain and Inform.

ADVERTISE HERESize??

ADVERTISE HERE

Size??

FREE LAUGHS

Can write a joke here.

Can we put a link to a pop-up cartoon (pdf), or a link to a funny video on our website?

SUDOKU OF THE MONTH

WEBSITE EXPANSIONThis month you will see some inter-esting INTERACTIVE additions to our website. We will be adding an EVENTS section, where the com-munity can post information about upcoming events. We will also be adding a “social” component called “SPEAK OUT” where visitors can post articles and comments.

A FRESH LOOK to our Readers Newsletter. Tell us what you think...

“ASK A PROFESSIONAL”

RECIPE OF THE MONTHGARDEN TIPS FOR APRIL

ASK A PROFESSIONAL

New articles posted this month:

Article 1 by Advertiser AArticle 2 by Advertiser BArticle 3 by Advertiser CArticle 4 by Advertiser D

WELCOME NEW ADVERTISERES

We welcome these new businesses to Senior Living. It’s because of their sup-port that we can bring you this maga-zine every month. We encourage you, the reader, to let them know through YOUR patronage of their business that you appreciate them as well.

Advertiser AAdvertiser BAdvertiser CAdvertiser D

TITLEThis will be something inspirational, like the Tiger Woods blurb on the Business Newsletter. Blah, Blah, blah....And that’s how I look at my life. I will be better as a golfer, I will be better as a person, I will be better as a father, I will be a better husband, I will be better as a friend. That’s the beauty of tomorrow. There is no such thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will ap-ply tomorrow, and I will be better.” -Tiger Woods

TITLEAnother inspiring blurb....personal growth, etc. “If you think of the story of David and Goliath, Goliath is the problem you have currently in front of you. David needed only one slingshot and felled his problem. Then he got to go onto other problems. The point is that each one of us needs to focus that magnifying glass of attention on one specific thing, solve it, then go to the next thing.” - Mark Victor Hansen

My intention is to live forever. So far, so good!

QUICK LINKS APRIL ISSUE BUSINESS DIRECTORY EVENTS BOOKSTORE ASK A PROFESSIONAL SPEAK OUT COMPUTER TUTOR

��Newsletter for Senior Living Readers

APRIL 2009

��

GARDENING TIPS FOR APRIL(POST WINTER)

Herbal Remedies For Anxiety

COOL WEBSITES TO VISIT

YOUR HEALTH - Herbal Remedies For Anxiety And StressThis has something on wellness, health, may be pharma-ceuticals, cosmetics, herbal options, etc. Put article on website to track[READ MORE]

HOME REPAIRS (POST-WINTER)We will do a section that’s related to home renovations, repairs, etc. Handyman tips, etc. We will put these articles on our website to track them.[READ MORE]

HOW FULL IS YOUR LIFE?This is an inspirational, motivational article designed to be uplifting but thoughtful at the same time. We will put this article on our website to track it.[READ MORE]

YOU’LL WANNA SEE THIS!Something really extraordinary -- like the sand on the ocean, or this month, a car that plunges over an embank-ment in Arizona missing a drop into a ravine by inches.[READ MORE]

COOL WEBSITES TO VISIT (in addition to ours!)Will find interesting places readers can go on the web -- starting with www.iserenity.com and www.howisitmade.com

A CHANCE TO WIN ANDRE RIEU CD OR DVDNo entry necessary - this month every newsletter recipi-ent will be entered in the draw for several CDs and DVDs. More details about prizes. Draw date: April 15/09

TRAVEL ARTICLEWe have an article to put in this issue - RB [READ MORE]

Designed to Inspire, Entertain and Inform.

ADVERTISE HERESize??

ADVERTISE HERE

Size??

FREE LAUGHS

Can write a joke here.

Can we put a link to a pop-up cartoon (pdf), or a link to a funny video on our website?

SUDOKU OF THE MONTH

WEBSITE EXPANSIONThis month you will see some inter-esting INTERACTIVE additions to our website. We will be adding an EVENTS section, where the com-munity can post information about upcoming events. We will also be adding a “social” component called “SPEAK OUT” where visitors can post articles and comments.

A FRESH LOOK to our Readers Newsletter. Tell us what you think...

“ASK A PROFESSIONAL”

RECIPE OF THE MONTHGARDEN TIPS FOR APRIL

ASK A PROFESSIONAL

New articles posted this month:

Article 1 by Advertiser AArticle 2 by Advertiser BArticle 3 by Advertiser CArticle 4 by Advertiser D

WELCOME NEW ADVERTISERES

We welcome these new businesses to Senior Living. It’s because of their sup-port that we can bring you this maga-zine every month. We encourage you, the reader, to let them know through YOUR patronage of their business that you appreciate them as well.

Advertiser AAdvertiser BAdvertiser CAdvertiser D

TITLEThis will be something inspirational, like the Tiger Woods blurb on the Business Newsletter. Blah, Blah, blah....And that’s how I look at my life. I will be better as a golfer, I will be better as a person, I will be better as a father, I will be a better husband, I will be better as a friend. That’s the beauty of tomorrow. There is no such thing as a setback. The lessons I learn today I will ap-ply tomorrow, and I will be better.” -Tiger Woods

TITLEAnother inspiring blurb....personal growth, etc. “If you think of the story of David and Goliath, Goliath is the problem you have currently in front of you. David needed only one slingshot and felled his problem. Then he got to go onto other problems. The point is that each one of us needs to focus that magnifying glass of attention on one specific thing, solve it, then go to the next thing.” - Mark Victor Hansen

My intention is to live forever. So far, so good!

QUICK LINKS APRIL ISSUE BUSINESS DIRECTORY EVENTS BOOKSTORE ASK A PROFESSIONAL SPEAK OUT COMPUTER TUTOR

14 SENIOR LIVING

Every Friday morning in Vic-toria, Marilyn and Ken Tom-linson lead their teams, Sen-

ior’s Moment and the Friday Flyers, on a paddle down the Gorge Waterway. They uncover their 45-foot [13.7 m] outrigger canoes while the teams laugh and joke as they lift the boats into the shallow water and guide them to the dock. Once all six team members are seated comfortably in each boat, they take off from the shore. The teams dip

their paddles into the water in perfect synchronicity. On a calm morning, the waves behind the canoe are the only disruption on an otherwise sheer sheet of water. Ripples glide off the stern of the boats as the teams paddle toward the Portage Inlet.

Outrigging is a worldwide sport that requires teamwork and can be practised by all ages and abilities. Un-like rowing, paddlers in an outrigger sit facing the bow of the canoe. The

person in the sixth, or last, seat of the canoe is responsible for steering, while the person in the first seat sets the pace of the strokes. Originating in Southeast Asia, outrigger canoes are stabilized by an outrigger float, which is attached to the hull by two spars. Leaning too far to one side can result in the boat accidentally capsizing. As such, each member of Senior’s Moment and the Friday Flyers must feel comfortable righting a capsized canoe, which can be a wet but necessary process.

“A huli is when the boat acciden-tally tips over. We practise it every two years. Everybody has to do one, and each seat has its own job. I’m a seat one, so I go to the bow and keep the bow in line and gather the paddles. The stern does the same thing, and it rights in no time,” says Marilyn.

“It takes organization,” says team-mate Pat Thomson. Her seat is in the middle of the canoe, so she is respon-sible for going over the hull.

“Accidental hulis are rare but we

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Paddling the GorgeBY CANDICE SCHULTZ

JULY 2009 15

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Our residents move into bright, quiet, one or two bedroom suites.Incredible meals cooked from scratch, not only a delight to the palate, but a reminder of the fresh local ingredients used in days gone by. Meandering paths through wooded meadows and gardens bring peace and pleasure. Housekeeping, laundry services and recreation let them know we're here to spoil them. The laughter of children in the distance brings smiles all around.

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have to be prepared,” says Marilyn. “It’s a very high hull, and very narrow. It won’t go left, but if everyone leaned right, it would go right over. The phrase is, ‘don’t lean right.’ When we reach out for garbage, whoever is reaching out, tells everyone to lean left. That’s to counterbalance.”

Senior’s Moment was formed in 2000, and, like the Friday Flyers, is a recreational team. Five of the six mem-bers of Senior’s Moment have paddled together since the beginning.

They are made up of teammates Muriel Johnson, Peggy MacDonald, June Price, Ken and Marilyn Tomlin-son, and spares Pat Thomson and Anne Marie Meunier.

The Friday Flyers, on the other hand, formed a few years later. Re-cently, the team has been made up of Jenny Cutler, Louise Johnston, Odette Ouellet, Wendy Clapp, Marjorie Hel-land, Karen Dumais and her spare, Tom McPherson. Both teams have a long list of spares that are always eager to participate.

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Paddling the Gorge

16 SENIOR LIVING

Although the teams used to race in Victoria, they’re now content to enjoy the scenery and wildlife around town. The Gorge, with its colourful flowers and rich variety of birdlife, offers the teams plenty to admire as they paddle. At times, the teams will meet up a half hour earlier and paddle to the Inner Har-bour, but it can be difficult to schedule, as such a large group of people is bound to have other commitments.

“If you want to go down to the In-ner Harbour, or up some of the creeks, an hour-and-a-half is not too long of a time, so we switched it to two hours, but we’ve crept back to an hour-and-a-half again,” says Ken.

In April, the teams host Wake up the Gorge, a sprint race that attracts pad-dlers from all over British Columbia. Many of the Friday morning paddlers also take part in other paddling pro-grams such as dragon boating, canoe-ing, kayaking and the voyageur canoe-ing and, this summer, the paddlers will repair and paint their two outrigger canoes. Every March, the voyageur canoes from their club paddle to Port Angeles and back as a fundraiser for Camp Shawnigan, and many outrigger paddlers take part. They practise for two months and are accompanied by naval reserves and coast guards.

“There are some years when the weather and water are too rough and they have to paddle the Gorge Water-way instead, which is always a disap-pointment,” says Marilyn.

Tides can also pose some difficulty for longer trips.

“The problem with the Gorge-Tilli-cum Bridge is the flow of the tide will be three or four hours different than the tide table. You have to make sure you know what’s happening because when the tide stops rising on the other side of the bridge, it’s still flooding over here,” says Ken. “Sometimes when we’ve done the paddle to Port Angeles, you expect that the tide will be different when you get back, because you leave at 6:30 in the morning and get back at 6 at night. Quite often, when we get back, we have to get out of the boats to

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get them back.”Because outrigging is a year-long

sport, the Friday Flyers and Senior’s Moment only break for Christmas, when the weather is poor, or there is ice on Portage Inlet. In fact, the major-ity of outrigging is done from Septem-ber to June.

As a sport, outrigging can be tailored to a wide variety of ages and abilities. With many hands to help transport the boat from land to water, the load is lightened. Competitive teams prac-tise for speed and sprint racing, while recreational teams paddle as a way of enjoying the outdoors and to keep fit.

“Paddling is a sport that you can carry on with, and you adapt to your various aches and pains,” says Linda Thomson.

The paddlers agree, though, the friendship is the best part of being on the team.

Anne Marie, who spares for Sen-ior’s Moment, says, “I’m pretty much needed every week. There’s a great ca-maraderie around this group, they’re really great people. Everybody helps everybody.”

Pat agrees. “I got into outrigger through a member who was on the team, who I met through work. Even-tually, we shared a seat because he couldn’t come every week. I like the experience and the friendship. Oh, and I love paddling, too.”

Phot

os: S

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Mor

rish

18 SENIOR LIVING

ASKGoldieBY GOLDIE CARLOW, M.EDPh

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SENIOR PEER COUNSELLING CENTRESVictoria 250-382-4331Duncan 250-748-2133Nanaimo 250-754-3331Sidney 250-656-5537Courtenay/Comox 250-334-9917Salt Spring Island 250-537-4607Port Hardy 250-949-5110

Goldie Carlow is a retired registered nurse, clinical counsellor and senior peer counselling trainer.

SL

Dear Goldie:I hope you can help me in this un-

comfortable situation.My wife and I are in our early 70s

and have been very happy during our 30 years together. We did not have a fam-ily, but she has a daughter and son from her previous marriage and three grand-children as well. We all get along well and visit often.

My problem concerns the time my wife spends with family at her ex’s home. At first, it was only occasional visits but, over the last six months, it has been at least three days a week. I have brought up the subject, and she says I am being selfish and want to deny her time with her family. This is not true.

I feel spending so much time at her first husband’s home is inappropriate, and our marriage is suffering.

What can you suggest? –N.W.

Dear N.W.:I am sorry you are upset about your

marital situation.You have tried to discuss your feel-

ings with your wife and that was a sensible approach, although she was not ready to do so. You did not com-ment on family illness or problems, so I assume her visits are purely social and

prompted by a desire to be there. In all fairness to your wife, she may not be doing this intentionally. Families are important to mothers and she probably finds that time with them passes quickly.

One suggestion, accompany her on the visits. You stated that you “all get along well,” but you seem to remain an outsider. Make an effort to join her and be more social with her dependants. If you do not take action and become in-volved in their lives, you and you wife may drift apart.

Dear Goldie:

I am finally getting up my courage to write you. My life has become unhappy and I need help.

I am a 65-year-old widow without children. My husband and I were ac-tive in the business world until his death five years ago. In the following year, I became involved with a man who had been a former partner and close friend of many years. He was kind and help-ful when my husband was ill and at the time of his death. I really cared for him, so I did not hesitate when he asked me to move in with him.

Well, this man has turned out to be a cad and a thief. I have learned that he has another lady friend whom he has been with daily, and he has been living on money that my husband left for my care. I have never seen any of it. Need-less to say, our relationship has ended.

I feel ashamed that I was naive, and

angry that my husband was fooled also.I have enough for food and rent but

little else. Life has no enjoyment now. –B.C.

Dear B.C.:I am sorry to hear about your plight.

Do not feel ashamed of your story.You are not the first person to fall

prey to a scam, or to use poor judgment during a vulnerable time.

We trust people. Because you were a businesswoman in the past, you expect-ed respect and fair treatment. You have been treated badly, but the culprit does not deserve another thought from you!

Get your former “business head” working again. First off, you must ob-tain legal help to regain the money stolen from you. Your husband was a businessman and would surely have left legal arrangements to protect you.

Life is not over. Renew and keep in touch with former friends because old friends also understand. As your situa-tion improves, and it will, you will also make new friends.

Get in touch with your lawyer imme-diately and start living again.

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AN EXCEPTIONAL LIFE

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SCAMALERT

Beware of Door-to-Door Magazine Sales Scams

If you believe you have been the tar-get of a scam, call the Better Business Bureau Vancouver Island at 250-386-6348 in Greater Victoria or at 1-877-826-4222 elsewhere on the Island, so others can benefit from your experience. E-mail [email protected]

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20 SENIOR LIVING

Better Business Bureau (BBB) warns that deceptive door-to-door magazine sales crews

are hitting the pavement and looking to earn a quick buck.

Many magazine publishing compa-nies employ crews of high school and college-age people who are trying to earn money over the summer. These crews are sent to communities to knock on doors and sell magazine subscrip-tions. While there are many legitimate door-to-door magazine sellers and com-panies, it is important to be aware that there are also scammers on the prowl.

Door-to-door magazine crews often claim in their sales pitch that they live in or near your neighbourhood and that by purchasing a magazine subscription through them, you will a) help them to get their lives back on track, b) raise money on behalf of a charity, c) raise money to pay for school or d) fund a school trip.

In many instances, these claims are true, but in the case where a scammer is at work, the sales representative may be

working to dupe you out of hundreds of dollars in fake magazine subscriptions, usually paid for via a personal cheque written directly to the sales rep.

BBB offers the following tips to avoid being scammed by a door-to-door magazine sales rep:

• If someone arrives at your door offering you a magazine subscription ask him or her questions like: Where are you from? Who do you work for? How are you paid? How did you get involved with the magazine company? Use common sense and listen to your gut instinct.

• Don’t fall victim to high-pressure sales tactics. If you are interested in a subscription, but need some time to decide, ask the sales representative to return later. Do some comparison-shop-ping and research first to see if the sub-scription offer is legitimate and of any real value.

• Always research the magazine publishing company with your Better Business Bureau (vi.bbb.org) before filling out a cheque for a magazine

subscription.• Never write a cheque directly to a

sales rep. • Get a copy of the subscription order

and a receipt. Make sure there is contact information for the company included.

• Know your cancellation rights. In direct (door-to-door) sales over $50, you have a 10-day right to cancel. If you decide to cancel, mail a notice of can-cellation to the supplier within 10 days by registered mail. This 10-day “cool-ing off period” does not apply to pur-chases or service contracts concluded at a place of business.

Victims of fraudulent magazine sales can file a complaint with their Better Business Bureau.

JULY 2009 21

Are you an accredited member of the

Better Business Bureau

BBB members care about their customers and their concerns.

For information about advertising in this section, call (250)479-4705.

?

SL

Beware of Door-to-Door Magazine Sales Scams

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The B.C. Grandmothers to Grandmothers Cam-paign, consisting of over

50 groups throughout the province that work to support grandmothers in Africa, has been chosen to re-ceive this year’s Rosemary Brown Award.

The annual award, established five years ago, honours a woman or women’s organization in B.C. that promotes the rights of women lo-cally and globally.

This year’s award recognizes the important work of B.C. grand-mother groups that fundraise, raise awareness and advocate in support of impoverished African grand-mothers forced to cope with the loss of their children to AIDS and raise their orphaned grandchildren, while at the same time frequently deal with their own health issues.

“It is definitely exciting to win the Rosemary Brown Award – so much so that we’re having a picnic to lay down tools, catch our breath and celebrate,” says Joan Wen-man of the Victoria Grandmothers for Africa. “We are grateful to the Victorians who have donated gen-erously to the local grandmothers’

groups. And to the hundreds who signed a petition to streamline the federal Access to Medicines legis-lation for they are among the rea-sons the grandmothers’ campaign in B.C. has earned this year’s award.”

Created three years ago by the Stephen Lewis Foundation, and now comprising about 230 grandmother groups nationwide, the campaign has raised over $6,000,000 for the struggling Afri-can grandmothers.

“The more people who know about the tragedy of AIDS in Af-rica and donate to the cause, the more hope we have that one day soon the tide will turn and the Af-rica grandmothers will finally get to take a break,” says Wenman.

There are currently 16 grand-mother groups on Vancouver Is-land (and islands nearby).

Victoria grandmothers alone have raised over $100,000 through events such as the annual grand-mothers for Africa bicycle tour from Campbell River to Victoria, an annual African dinner, and sales of cookbooks and crafts at local markets.

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22 SENIOR LIVING

ekins of dried haddock. One recipe is titled “Home-Made Bread, Good.” I’m guessing “Home-Made Bread, Bad” got poor reviews in the previous edition. What’s the cookbook worth? I paid $2.50 for mine at a garage sale, and the current book market suggests retail prices up to $450. That would pay for a whole lot of conger eel soup.

Companies who coincidentally sold the ingredients to make the recipes work produced many cookbooks. A well-known ex-ample of these is the Five Roses Cookbook. Other classics you may have are the various Betty Crocker Cookbooks, the Mirro Cookbook, Menus Made Easy and the New American Cookbook. I’ve also discovered several editions of the White House Cook-book, wherein wives of U.S. presidents knocked themselves out with recipes for such delicacies as “lettuce with mayonnaise” and “cold pork and beans.”

The most amusing sections are the household remedies. I’m not making these up: “The fl avour of Cod Liver Oil may be made delightful if the patient will drink a large glass of water in which nails have been allowed to rust.” And, “For cold in the head, nothing is better than powdered Borax sniffed up the nostrils” or “Sufferers from asthma should get a muskrat skin and wear it over their lungs.” Last time I checked, the pharmacy was fresh out of muskrat skins, but I can always entertain the family by blowing Borax bubbles out my nose.

Depending on which First Lady was patroness, White House cookbooks run $25 to $50, while circa 1950 editions of the Betty Crocker Cookbook run into the hundreds. A major online used booksite has over 380,000 cookbooks currently listed with values ranging from a dollar to well into the thousands.

Condition is a huge factor in the saleability of cookbooks. They are intended for use and, over several generations, pages have come loose, there are handwritten notes throughout, and the covers are spotted with stains best left unidentifi ed. A com-mon ailment results from years of recipes clipped from newspa-pers being thoughtfully taped inside, encouraging deterioration of the high acid paper. The value in these books is in the memo-ries they hold of favourite cookies, of pots bubbling on the coal stove and of the family enjoying the weekend roast, with the kids wishing the bowl of steaming brussels sprouts could be shipped to another country.

I must try that tongue in tomato jelly. The last time I stuck my tongue in the jelly, I got whacked with a wooden spoon.

Comments and suggestions are welcome and can be sent to Michael Rice, Box 86, Saanichton, BC V8M 2C3, or via e-mail

View of Roatan from Valor

BY MICHAEL RICE

BYGONETreasuresEat Your Vegetables or NO Dessert!

SL

There’s much to be said about the smell of good food in the comfort of a warm kitchen. Like many of my generation, I grew up in a loving home without

much money, but where my Dad grew many vegetables so there was always food on our kitchen table.

Thoughts of food lead me to the topic of cookbooks. A real cookbook is a well-battered volume that sits with its fellows in a row on the top of a kitchen cupboard.

The chubbiest example I have is a “new 1909 edition” of Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management. It tips the bathroom scale at fi ve-and-a-half pounds [2.5 kg] and makes the most fascinating read. There is a full table on what to pay your servants each year, for example your stable boy would receive $17, while your scullery maid would receive $28 plus, I presume, room and board. The cook was generally the highest paid of all the staff.

In over 2,000 pages, one can fi nd recipes on how to braise or stew sheep’s tail, make conger eel soup and prepare ram-

Call 250.756.0799

Proof 2Seniors Living Magazine

RaeLeigh Buchanan 1-877-479-4705 toll freerbuchanan@seniorlivingmagcom

Peace of mind, comfort and securityare just part of daily life at Lakeside Gardens – your private apartment, nutritious meals, weekly house-keeping and caring staff available 24 hours a day.

Our services include recreational activities, social outings and Assisted Living care to meet your needs.

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Come for a personal tour, and have lunch on us.

4088 Wellesley AvenueNanaimo, BC V9T 6M2www.Lakeside-Gardens.com

A member of the Unicare Group of Companies • White Rock • West Vancouver • Nanaimo • Kelowna • Edmonton

JULY 2009 23

If you are a senior who has been wondering lately whether you should consider moving - either because you find the maintenance of your current home more difficult due to diminishing ability or energy, or you simply want a lifestyle that allows you more freedom and less responsibility - then this is the book that can help you ask the right questions and find the solution that is right for you.A handy reference guide for seniors and their families wrestling with the issues around whether relocation is the best option. This 128-page book provides helpful, easy to read information and sug-gestions to help seniors and their families understand the decisions they need to make.• What residential options are available?• How to research and assess Independent and Assisted Living residences.• How much does it cost to live in an Assisted Living residence? What subsidies are available?• Are there any other residential options besides Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care facilities?

Published by Senior LivingJanuary 2009128 pages�ONLY $9.95

A Helpful Guide for Seniors Considering Their Residential Options To Move or Not to Move?BC

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___ Cheque (payable to Senior Living) ___ CREDIT CARD # _________________________________ Expiry ___________

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___ BOOKS @ $14.60 each (includes $3.95 S&H plus 5% GST) = TOTAL $____________

• If you choose to stay in your own home, what are your op-tions and what should you plan for?• Funding sources available to seniors - tax deductions, hous-ing subsidies, home care subsidies, equipment loan programs, renovation grants, etc.• Selling your home - how to find the right realtor or relocation services to assist your move.• Downsizing - Where do you start? How do you proceed?• Hiring home care services; do it yourself or hire an agency?• AND MUCH MORE

CHARLES (CHUCK) PALMER

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Do you know the difference between traditional mortgage insurance and personal life insurance?

Have you analyzed the impact of property tax deferral?

Call us with questions or concerns or find us at Senior Living’s

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24 SENIOR LIVING

ClassifiedsBUSINESS / VIRTUAL ASSISTANT Correspondence; general bookkeeping; faxes; document editing/finishing; office organizing. Business services for small businesses and individuals. 100% Confidential. CHW Inc. 250-886-3975. [email protected]

BRIDIE’S IN HOME HAIR CARE and facial hair removal, in the comfort of your home. James Bay, Victoria 778-430-7781.

REFLEXOLOGY / POLARITY BODYWORK 1 Hour head to toe treatment. Health building / Relaxing. 1st session $30.00. Judith Polston, Certified, 33 Yrs Experience, 778-430-1104.

TRAVEL COMPANION / LIVE IN CAREER / RESPITE / Excellent companionsip and care for seniors by caring lady. References and CRB. E-mail [email protected] 250-885-9341.

WANTED: CANADIAN NATIONAL PARK buf-falo and beaver plaques, chauffeur badges, licensed driver badges. Please call Rick at 250-382-2283 - Thank you!

HEDGES AND EDGES. Reliable garden help - regular maintenance, or occasional heavy work. Pruning and rejuvenation of hedges and shrubs. Seniors references. 250-893-5285.

COLLECTOR SEEKING vintage/collectable cameras, binoculars and microscopes. Nikon, Leica, Contax, Rolleiflex, Zeiss, Canon, etc. Mike 250-383-6456 or e-mail: [email protected]

RUTH M.P HAIRSTYLING for Seniors in Greater Victoria. In the convenience of your own home! Certified Hairdresser. Call - 250-893-7082.

THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU of Van-couver Island is located at 220-1175 Cook St., Victoria BC V8V 4A1. Toll-free phone line for

Up-Island 1-877-826-4222 (South Island dial 250-386-6348). www.bbbvanisland.org E-mail: [email protected]

SAANICH VOLUNTEER SERVICES SOCIETY seeks volunteers to drive clients to medical appointments. We pay 30 cents/km. Call Heather at 250-595-8008.

WANTED: OLD POSTCARDS, stamp accu-mulations, and pre-1950 stamped envelopes. Also buying old coins, medals and badges. Please call Michael 250-652-9412 or email [email protected]

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING $30 for 20 words or less. $1.25 per extra word. BW only. Boxed Ad - Small (2.2 x 1.2) $110. Boxed Ad - Large (2.2 x 2.4) $210. Add BW Logo - $25. Red spot color 10% extra. Plus 5% GST. All Classi-fied ads must be paid at time of booking. Cheque or Credit Card accepted. Ph. (250)479-4705 or toll-free 1-877-479-4705. Deadline: 15th of the month. Make cheque payable to: Senior Living, 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

WRITTEN A BOOK? Aldridge Street Editing can get your manuscript print-ready. Transcrip-tion – Editing - Cover Design - Book Layout. www.aldridgestreet.com Call 250-595-2376.

WEBSITEWEBSITE

Go to www.seniorlivingmag.com

Click on the ASK A PROFESSIONAL tab on the Home Page. This will take you to a Table of Contents of articles written by professionals who advertise in Senior Living.Check back frequently for new additions as we continue to expand this new section of our website.

CURRENT INDUSTRIES REPRESENTED ON ASK A PRO• Dentistry • Health • Home Security • Investing • Housing • Travel

More subjects added monthly

Is there information you would like posted in this section in the future? Let us know - we will pass the request along to the appropriate businesses and profes-sionals with the expertise to address the subject you propose.

LOOK FOR THIS LOGOWhen you see this logo on an advertisement in Senior Living, you will find additional information provided by this advertiser on our Website.

Retreat with Creation Centered Mystics, Meister Eckhart, Mechtild of Magdeburg & Hildegard of Bingen

Facilitator: Mary Jane Wilson, MA Mon-Fri, July 20 – 24 (10am – 3pm)

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250.380.9786 [email protected]

www.livinglanguageinstitute.org• Programs in Earth Literacies •

ARE YOU A GOOD CONVERSATIONIST?Senior Living is looking for seniors willing to volunteer their �me to moderate discussions on our website. See www.seniorlivingmag.com/discussion You pick your topic of interest -- gardening, travel, cooking, computers, grandparen�ng, employment, pets, card games, wri�ng, etc.... start a conversa�on thread and moni-tor the replies, providing your input at various points to keep the conversa�on going. Please email Barbara at [email protected] if you are interested in being an “official” Senior Living moderator. You must demonstrate an ability to write well and have an avid interest in and knowledge about your topic. Although anyone can start and/or join our website discussions, we are looking for some enthusi-as�c people to keep the conversa�on ball rolling... Email Barbara with your name, the topic you are interested in modera�ng, and why you are interested in this topic. Once approved, you will be asked to start a conversa�on thread and then monitor the website periodically (once every day or two). You may stop at any �me - just let Senior Living know. We will publicize the topics that are being discussed, from �me to �me, in our magazine.

Taoist Tai Chi ��

��

��

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JULY 2009 25

CourageousBY PAT NICHOL

Pat Nichol is a speaker and published author. She makes her home in Victoria, but travels the world. She can be reached at www.patnichol.com

Phot

o: F

ranc

es L

itman

BUCKET LISTOutrageous

SL

Do you have a bucket list? In the movie The Bucket List with Jack Nicholson and Mor-gan Freeman, two men take a road trip with

a wish list of what they want to do before they “kick the bucket.” Wish lists could include 100 places to visit

before you die or 50 dives you must complete in your lifetime. What would you have on your list: places you want to see, people to meet or to reconnect with, sports played, musical instruments or languages learned, adventures pursued?

Off the top of my head, I have a few. The fi rst, and I think I will do it this summer, is to hit the Adrena Line Zipline near 17 Mile House. Just writing about it gets the col-lywobbles bouncing around in my stomach. I haven’t found any cou-

rageous friends to try it with me yet, but I’m still trying.

Something else I want to do is the Camino de San-tiago de Compostela Pilgrimage across northern Spain and, while I’m in that part of the world, the Cinque Terra, a rugged portion of coast on the Italian Riviera, is calling my name.

I know another book lies within me and it’s dying to get out. I may follow the path my friend Laurie has tak-

en, and write an online book. She has completed her fi rst on eulogies and has several more waiting in the wings.

One list includes the 10 Best Rollercoasters in the World. I’ve already ridden the largest wooden rollercoast-er, so maybe I should be looking for the other nine.

If creating and living a bucket list interests you, there are countless websites to get you started. Therein lies the problem – getting started! I can hear the moans from here. I’m too old, I’m too short, I’m too heavy, I don’t have enough money. My cats and dog don’t like me to leave home. Piffl e!

Start now. Write the lists of those dreams, those places, all that you always promised yourself you would do. Once they’re written, talk about them, tell friends, ask for their ideas on how to achieve your bucket list. The only sug-gestion you won’t hear is the one that says, “You can’t do that.” Let your imagination run; there are no limitations on what you put on your list. Have fun with it!

Share your bucket list and your dreams with me. I would like to devote the September column to talking about you and your ideas. Have a great summer planning and doing.

“Will you succeed? Yes, you will indeed (98% guaran-teed).” –Dr. Suess

Call today to experience the Beltone difference.

1-800-748-349910 Vancouver Island locations to serve you.

26 SENIOR LIVING

Sk y r o c k e t i n g travel expenses encourage avid

adventurers like us to ex-plore closer to home. So hearing of farming tours less than two hours from Vancouver, we investigate rural life around Agassiz-Harrison, browsing and nibbling our way through several glorious days; but first a detour into Har-rison’s renowned World Championship of Sand Sculptures.

Sculptor Mark Chap-man escorts us around splendid creations rising along the beach. “These aren’t just sandcastles,” he grins. “The world’s best sculptors create these figures; the medium hap-pens to be sand!” Outlin-ing technical aspects of this gritty art, Mark shows us his sketchbook, and lets us handle his unusual tools.

Sixty masterpieces encircle the la-goon: abstracts, Stephen Hawking, an-cient Chinese warlords, drama and drag queens among undersea visions, fairy-tale palaces and grizzled prospectors with ornery mules. Exiting this outdoor exhibition, we notice artists spraying their gigantic works, preserving them for public enjoyment. And this explains how May’s Tournament of Champions sand sculptures gloriously remain on the other side of the lagoon.

Then, at Farm House Natural Chees-es in neighbouring Agassiz, Debra ac-quaints us with farm life, “Our whole family is involved in this work, from twice daily milkings, barn chores and

fieldwork; I hand-make our natural cheeses.”

Lively lady goats greet us bleating, sniffing inquisitively and even wanting to nibble our shirts. Over in the nurs-ery, young kids of various sizes and ages eagerly approach us, anxious to lick salt from outstretched hands. And backstopped by majes-tic mountains, contented dairy cows feast on abun-dant green pastures.

“Our cows and goats produce creamy milk used in cheeses made right here,” Debra says. “And we raise our own animal feed, my hus-band’s out haymak-ing right now. To

make great cheese, you need good milk!” This cheese-making process can be watched through a viewing window near-by; precisely blended fresh Brown Swiss, Guernsey and Holstein milk creates popular ar-tisan cheeses.

Inside the bustling shop, many buy cul-tured butter, crème frache and bottled goat’s milk. Sampling Cheddar, Gouda, Brie, Camembert, famous Castle Blue and several varieties of goat cheese, we purchase our per-sonal favourites.

A few kilometres away, we look at turn-of-the-century country life at Kilby Historic

Site. Leading us toward some early gas pumps, a guide in period costume com-ments, “Mr. Kilby actually sold gasoline from here until 1977.” As she strolls up the weathered boardwalk she adds,

“Harrison

STORY AND PHOTOSBY CHRIS & RICK MILLIKAN

Foodies Go Nuts in the Fraser Valley

Agassiz Hazelnut Orchard

Sand Sculptures

JULY 2009 27

»

Mills was on a fl ood plain at the junc-tion of Harrison and Fraser Rivers, so carpenters raised the buildings and con-structed elevated walkways like this to connect the once-thriving community of 5,000 people.”

She points to the rail line from the old store’s veranda, “Once part of the Canadian Pacifi c Railway’s cross-Can-ada system, passengers stopped here until 1958.”

Stepping inside, we see a fully stocked merchandise gallery dating back to the 1920s. “Thomas and Eliza Kilby opened this magnifi cent general store in 1906; their son Acton and wife Jessie operated it until 1977,” smiles our guide. “At that time, general stores were fundamental to rural communities; places to shop, exchange news, and gos-sip.” The family lived in the back; their pantry, kitchen and dining area now restored. Up narrow, creaking stairs, we discover hotel rooms from 1908. I whisper, “They’re so tiny, sparingly furnished, not like our spacious suite at Harrison’s historic Resort!”

The animals, out-buildings and her-itage gardens are reminiscent of the original homestead. Here, we sight a cocky Tom turkey strutting snowy feathers and wag-ging his scarlet wattle, and a loudly complain-ing gaggle of white geese. The 4H club now stocks it with animals like this for visitors to feed, pet and learn about farm life. Such livestock provided food and income to the Fraser Valley’s early settlers.

Savouring wedges of sweet home-made pie in the teashop, we’re told the fl avourful apples come from the fami-ly’s orchard, planted in 1926. In the gift shop, a former home to workhorses, we reminisce over yo-yos and other hand-

made wooden toys, ultimately purchasing locally made jams and jellies.

Returning to Harrison Resort, we leave worldly cares behind with heav-enly massages in Healing Springs Spa: shiatsu for hubby, refl exology for me. Scrumptious Copper Room dinners highlighting fresh local ingredients complete our day.

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Foodies Go Nuts in the Fraser Valley

28 SENIOR LIVING

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»• Companionship • Meal Prep.• Housekeeping • Shopping• Errands • Respite & Personal Care

Live safely and independently in your own homewww.bclifeline.com

Contact the program nearest you. Victoria Lifeline 1-888-832-6073

Eldersafe Support Services1-866-457-8987

South Vancouver Island and Ladysmith

Nanaimo Lifeline Program(250)739-5770 or (250)947-8213

Mid Island, Cassidy to Bowser

Comox Valley Lifeline Society1-866-205-6160

North Island, Cowichan Valleyand Chemainus/Crofton

Moving? Downsizing?We Can Help Get You Moving!

SENIOR RELOCATION SERVICES Free 1 Hour Consultation

(250)240-2816Insured & Bonded

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• Service all makes and models • Sales of new and used scooters, powerchairs and walkers • Free in-home demonstration • Road-side assistance • Free service loaners • Financing • Processing secondary insurance claims • Safety orientation seminars

Resources to maintain an independent lifestyleCompression stockings, diabetic socks, fashionable canes, Dr. Comfort diabetic/orthopaedic shoes, an

excellent book selection, & full prescription services.Feel at home here.

204 - 1530 Cliffe Ave. Courtenay 250.338.5665toll free 1.877.214.6337

Affordablelive-in care for seniors

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FREE COUPONS from LOCAL STORES that YOU CAN PRINT FROM HOME

visit us online at...

Join our optional online mailing list to learn about the newest coupon deals.

NEW COUPONS ADDED DAILY!

www.CityWideCouponDirectory.com

Are you looking for an economical way to

advertise your product or service?

Success in advertising isn’t a one shot ef-fort. To get the best results, marketing researchers tell us that it usually takes 4-6 exposures before advertising starts to reap the rewards most businesses are looking for. Why is this?At any given time, only 3% of consumers are ready to make a purchase right now. 7% are open to buy, but not really looking. 30% are not thinking about buying right now but could be convinced by the right offer or message. What does it mean for the advertiser? It means you should budget your advertising dollars to extend over the longest time period possible.A radio ad played once won’t produce re-sults, will it? A billboard put up one day and taken down the next isn’t effective, is it? The same is true for any kind of ad-vertising.Planning your advertising budget to ex-tend over a year gives you the best bang for your buck. Senior Living’s Resource Directory pro-vides frequency at a price small businesses can afford. It keeps your company name in front of consumers where they see it every month. Call us for more info.


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Popping in at the Back Porch next morning, proprietors Dan and Lynda share their unique approach to country living: in Lynda’s pottery studio, strik-ing blue and green stoneware fuse beau-ty and function while at Dan’s roastery, burlap sacks of organically grown cof-fee beans await daily fl ame roasting in his antique roaster, circa 1919.

Flamboyant fl owers and garden cu-riosities adorn the yard; weathered out-buildings display antiques and collecta-bles. Russian and Music garlic grows in a huge family garden, just two of 25 varieties seasonally available. Jet-black, feather-legged heritage hens cluck for grain; goats graze in lush meadows.

Stowing aromatic fresh-roasted Country Coyote, Rustic Rooster and Mellow Moose coffees, we head for Limbert Mountain Farm where owners Claude and Trudie welcome us with icy lavender lemonade.

As we walk, Trudie familiarizes us with the heritage property owned by the Bouchards since 1902. “Great-grandpa was a winemaker; Grandma,

Embrace the Journey - A Care Giver’s Story

Please include your clearly written shipping address and phone number. Allow two weeks for shipping.

To order, please send cheque for $19.84 ($14.95 plus $3.95 S&H & GST) payable to Senior Living.MAIL TO: Embrace Book Offer c/o Senior Living 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

by Valerie Green The very personal story of her own journey as a care giver to her elderly parents. This is a story which will touch many hearts and be relevant for numerous adult children who, in mid-life, are faced with a similar challenge and must make agonizing deci-sions and choices. It painfully addresses the problems encoun-tered of ‘aging in place’ and the desire for loving couples to stay together in their home until the end of their lives. 96 pages. Softcover. 5.5” x 8.5” Published by Senior Living. Price $14.95

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a cheese maker. Our ancestors cleared the hillside, planting fruit, vegetables, walnut and chestnut trees, which still stand. Great-grandpa’s grapes produced the valley’s fi nest wines, still used for wines and juice. Today, we live in their 1912 farmhouse, and for 30 years have organically grown crops in much the same way they did then.”

Wandering extensive hillside gar-dens, we touch and sniff herbs of every description. “We cultivate, harvest and process over 75 varieties of fresh herbs, and heirloom tomatoes,” Trudie beams. “Here, we live our beliefs and, three years ago, turned our lifestyle into a business.”

In the heritage-style barn, we fi nd Claude decked out in a spotless white chef’s uniform, preparing a tearoom lunch: blueberry balsamic cocktails to start, followed by crisp salads with yel-low pear and red heirloom tomatoes, purple dragon carrots, mixed greens, red pepper – infused with Trudie’s or-ganic herbs – and savoury pesto cros-tini; after that, melt-in-your-mouth beef

30 SENIOR LIVING

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Nude On A Fenceby Eliza Hemingway

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GST and Shipping Costs will apply. Please allow 2 weeks for delivery

Reflections, Rejections And Other Breakfast

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JANUARY 2009 VANCOUVER ISLANDHousing Guide for Seniors

OR have a copy mailed direct to your home...Please mail a cheque for $5.25 ($5 plus GST), along with your name, phone number and address, to Senior Living, 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1. We will mail you a copy of this resourceful hous-ing guide upon receipt of payment.

Up-to-date listings of senior housing facilities throughout Vancouver Island, including Independent/Supportive Living, Assisted Living and Complex Care. This guide is an indispensable resource to: • seniors looking for alternative housing • seniors moving to Vancouver Island from other parts of

Listings include addresses and contact information, housing costs, number of units in the housing complex, hospitality services, optional home care services, amenities and security features.

Available at most libraries and senior centres. Call (250)479-4705 for a location near you.

BC or out of province • children of seniors who are assisting their parent to select a housing option • professionals who work with seniors or their families • businesses that provide services to seniors

JULY 2009 31

WEBSITEWEBSITE100s OF ARTICLES • CURRENT MAGAZINES


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Nude On A Fenceby Eliza Hemingway

$17.95

Gipp Forster’s Collected

Ramblings by Gipp Forster

$10.00

GST and Shipping Costs will apply. Please allow 2 weeks for delivery

Reflections, Rejections And Other Breakfast

Foods by Gipp Forster

$14.95

To Move Or Not To Move? A Helpful Guide for Se-niors Considering Their

Residential Options $9.95

My Patchwork Life by Patricia O’Connor

$14.95

The Search For Jacqueline

by Patricia O’Connor $23.95

The Spoils Of Angel’s War by Dave Sheed

$20.00

Embrace the Journey

A Caregiver’s Storyby Valerie Green

$14.95

Red Tomatoes by Les NacNeill

$14.95

Nature’s Bounty: Why Certain Foods

Are So Good For You&

Nature’s Bounty: More About Foods For A Longer And

Healthier Life by Dr. Bala Naidoo

$21.95 Each

Identity Theft In Your Good Name

by George Greenwood

$26.95

Morning Light - Triumph at Sea & Tragedy on Everest by Margaret Griffiths

$29.95

Visit Senior Living’s Online Bookstore

Books by Senior Authors and on Topics of Interest to Seniors

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chana masala over quinoa. From behind the counter of his sparkling commercial kitchen, Claude grins, “Our food is the freshest of seasonal produce, gathered locally. Everything’s from scratch, never the same menu twice!” Blackberry-peach pie polishes off our spectacular meal.

Over in the country store, their Simply Fine Foods line includes teas, pickles and vinegars; we add herbal chocolate and jars of basil pesto to booty already stowed in our trunk.

Our agri-explorations wrap up on the edge of Agassiz at Canadian Hazelnut, where a sign inside the shop says: “Wel-come to the Nuthouse!” Going nutty over cinnamon, coconut, sugared and barbecue-fl avoured hazelnut samples, owner Pen-tii grins, “We’re all about hazelnuts here. My family grows,

processes and sells exclusive nut prod-ucts: fresh, roasted, candied, chocolate bark; organic and conventional nuts, fl our, protein pow-der and hazelnut oils.” He shows us the gigantic roast-er, cold-press and storage areas.

Pentii’s 60 acres grow over 10,000 trees. Out in the shady orchard, he points out blossoms bursting with large brown nuts. “They’ll soon mature and fall; then we’ll power rake them from the ground. Agassiz is the centre of Canada’s ha-zelnut production; we plan to market more to Canadians, who consume over fi ve million pounds annually.”

Passion for family farming is alive and well in the Fraser Valley, a whole different world offering visitors a rich mix of things to see, do, smell and taste. Inspired to increase support of these small producers in nearby communities, we drive homeward munching cranberry spice hazelnuts – and con-template those specialty goodies stashed in our trunk.

WHEN YOU GO• Tourism Harrison – www.tourismharrison.com• Harrison Hot Springs Resort & Spa – www.harrisonresort.com• Farm House Natural Cheeses – www.farmhousecheeses.com• Kilby Historic Site – www.kilby.ca

• Limbert Mountain Farm – www.limbertmountainfarm.com• Canadian Hazelnut – e-mail [email protected]

SL

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32 SENIOR LIVING

Refl ections

BY GIPP FORSTER

THEN & NOWBEEN THERE,DONE THAT

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Reflections,Reflections,��

and Other Breakfast Foods

A Collection of Published & Unpublished Writings by Senior Living Columnist Gipp ForsterMAGAZINE

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128 pages Price: $14.95

Name_____________________________________Address___________________________________City______________________________ Prov ____ Postal Code____________ Ph _________________ ____ BOOKS @ $14.95 each = $_________SHIPPING ($3.95 PER BOOK) = $_________ SUBTOTAL = $_________GST (5% on SUBTOTAL) = $_________ TOTAL = $_________

“Reflections” MAIL-IN ORDER FORMReflections, Rejections, and Other Breakfast Foods

by Gipp Forster

Please allow two weeks for shipping.

Make cheque payable to Senior Living MAIL TO: Reflections Book Offer 153, 1581-H Hill-side Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

A collection of Gipp’s humorous and nostalgic columns. A won-derful read for yourself, and a thoughtful gift for friends and family members.

It’s diffi cult for our grandchildren to comprehend that when their grandmother and I were their

age, we didn’t have television, cell-phones, microwave ovens or computers. We didn’t have ballpoint pens or power lawnmowers. They look at us as if we may be teasing them with wild stories. Like senility has begun to practise on the playing fi eld of our brain.

They don’t know what a straight ra-zor is, or a razor strop! They look blank when you mention a chenille bedspread or oil cloth stretched across a kitchen table. They say, “yeah, right!” when you tell them you got only one gift at Christmas. They laugh when we say we sat and watched the radio.

It’s all relative, I guess. I couldn’t comprehend my grandparents telling me that when they were young, they didn’t have telephones, radios and, in many cases, electricity! They talked of coal oil lamps and singing around a piano - and the family all taking part in games and conversation. They talked of privation and struggle, hardship and challenge. And I guess their grandparents before them spoke of settling and planting and turning the ground in search of a home; of toil and sweat to make ends meet.

As I look back on accumulated years, I can’t help but wonder what our grandkids will tell their grandchildren when they come face to face with their many yes-terdays and ever fewer tomor-rows. What will they see and shake their heads at with wonder?

Cars without wheels that hover above the ground and travel at incred-ible speeds without sound, fueled by the sun? Vapour-type machines that can transport a body or bodies from Point A to Point Z in a matter of seconds? A time when supersonic jets are referred to as antiquated objects from the past? Or will that be their grandchildren when they become grandparents?

All is relative to the time, I guess. If I had told my grandparents that in

40 or 50 years, phones would be carried around in pockets and computers would give instant information on any given subject, they probably would have wanted to have me examined to see if my brain was intact.

When I was young, I never thought I’d be old! Forty or 50 were old to me then. Now look at me: 70+ years and still waiting to get old – looking back to when I refused to look ahead. Now, I

consider 40 or 50 to be young and 125 to be old!

Times and thoughts sure change when you’ve been there and done that!

There’s things I’d like to go back and do: throw a forward pass, tread water for an hour, run the 100-yard dash in 30 seconds – things I didn’t, or couldn’t, do the fi rst time around.

But, all in all, I wouldn’t trade today for yesterday. Who wants to trade expe-rience for foolishness? Our grandchil-dren don’t understand our sighs and the occasional misty-eyed memory. But one day they will: when their grandchildren look at them in disbelief when they tell them of days long ago. We are old to them now but, one day, they may sigh and say, “Oh, to be 60 again!”

At one time, I counted my silver dol-lar collection and/or my comic book col-lection or my Disney collection. Now, I count my collected years. Some used to covet my collections, but no one seems to covet my collection of years – espe-cially those who have fewer than me. It is a far more rewarding and valuable than my other collections! It is fi lled with on-the-wall telephones, ice boxes, running boards on cars, mail delivery twice a day and milk in glass bottles.

A young person said to me recently, “You mean you don’t even know how to use a computer?”

And I, in turn, said to him, “You mean to tell me you don’t even know what an Underwood typewriter is?”

All things even themselves out –sooner or later!

R E T I R E M E N T L I V I N G B Y

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LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO ACT FOR YOU IN

YOUR SENIOR YEARS?F. Kenneth Walton, Q.C.

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(250)595-5368 Fax. (250)595-5378

Call me for a free consultation (250)595-5368

• 35 years a lawyer• Compassion & integrity • Preparation of wills, representation agreements, power of attorney and health care agreements• Probate and estate processing including sale of estate goods• Will look after provision for your present healthcare needs or property management • Willing to accept appointment as executor of your will or as an attorney under a power of attorney or representation agreement • Will attend at your home • Will do estate court cases

BACK MAR09

Visit us online at: retirementconcepts.com

Life is grand at the Wellesley.

For more info contact: Margo McIntosh 250.383.9099 Ext. 207

Documents

July 2009 Senior Living Magazine Island Edition