Valentine’s Day isn't just about roses, candy, and

expensive dinners. Historical data tells us that it is actually a

church sanctioned holiday. Pope Gelasius deemed February

14 to be St. Valentine's Day in the year 498 A.D. Shrouded

in mystery, the exact origins of the celebration of St.

Valentine are somewhat unclear, according to History.com.

While the holiday's history is well documented through the

years, the Saint (or Saints) it's named after is up in the air.

It's still unclear exactly who the celebrated ‘Saint of Love’

really was, as the Catholic Church acknowledges three

separate Saints named Valentine or Valentinus. All of them

were martyrs. According to one legend, Valentine actually

sent the first "valentine" greeting himself. While in prison,

it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl,

who may have been his jailor's daughter, and who visited

him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged

that he wrote her a letter, which he signed "From your

Valentine”, an expression that is still in use today. The

oldest known Valentine's poem in existence today was

written by Charles, Duke of Orleans, during his

imprisonment in the Tower of London, following the Battle

of Agincourt. The poem was written to his wife. The

holiday continued to gain tremendous popularity through

the 17th and 18th centuries, but saw tremendous popularity

in more recent times, with faster communication.

Americans probably began exchanging hand-made

valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A.

Howland began selling the first mass-produced valentines in

America. Howland, known as the “Mother of the

Valentine”, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons

and colorful pictures known as "scrap”. Today, according

to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion

Valentine’s Day cards are sent each year, making

Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of

the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for

Christmas). Women purchase approximately 85 percent of

all valentines.

Happy Valentine’s Day

The Sunnybrae Line-up

Mon(s)/ Fri(s) 9.30am Badminton at Sunnybrae

Community Hall.

Tuesday(s) 7pm Family Floor Hockey

S/Brae Bible Camp.

Tuesday(s) 9.30 am Sunnybrae Art Group

Sunnybrae Seniors Centre

Wednesday(s) 10am Preschool Storytime

Library Blind Bay Mall

1st & 3

rd Thurs. 10am-4pm Shuswap Needle-arts

Guild at Sunnybrae SeniorCtr

Friday(s) 10am Hiking/snowshoeing Group

meet at Blind Bay Mall/carpool

Friday(s) 7pm Card night, Carlin Hall

Feb. 2nd

7.30pm Coffee House, Carlin Hall

Feb 16th

6pm Valentines Crepe Dinner-

S/Brae Seniors Centre.

Feb 23rd 6pm Elks Diamond Dinner,

S/Arm, entertainment by Elvis”

Feb 22nd

- March 2nd 24th Annual film festival

To advertise your event free, call 250 253 1450

or e-mail Sunnybrae@mail.com

British Columbia Observes First Family Day

British Columbia will observe Family Day on Monday,

February 11, 2013. It is a statutory holiday aimed at

allowing time to take part in activities involving the whole

family; perhaps art exhibitions, family sports or playing

board games. Some communities plan special public events

and art galleries and museums may have reduced price or

free entry. Family Day was first held in Canada in the

province of Alberta in 1990. It was created to reflect the

values of family and home that were important to the

pioneers who founded Alberta; Saskatchewan followed in

2007 and Ontario in 2008. Another reason for introducing

Family Day was that there was a long period when there

were no holidays from New Year's Day until Good Friday.

A private member’s bill to establish a Family Day in B.C.

was first introduced in the Provincial Legislature in 1994

but was opposed by the B.C. Chamber of Commerce and

the Campbell government. When Christy Clark became

Premier, she announced that B.C. would observe Family

Day on February 11, 2013 and on the second Monday of

February in the years following. In the provinces of Alberta,

Manitoba, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and

Saskatchewan, it is observed on the third Monday of

February. However, in Manitoba and Prince Edward Island,

the statutory holiday on this date is instead termed Louis

(Cont.onP2)

(Cont.fm P1)

Riel Day and Islander Day, respectively. The remaining

provinces and territories do not observe Family Day. Jack

Layton, the leader of the NDP, proposed in 2008 that

Family Day become a federal holiday, but until that

becomes reality, federal employees in all provinces (such

as public servants and postal workers) will continue to work

on Family Day regardless of the day's status in the

respective provinces. As of 2013, two-thirds of Canadians

will live in a province that observes a February statutory

holiday.

TRAIL TALES By: Walley Walkabout

I spoke with the CSRD to obtain an update on the topic of

Sunnybrae roadside trails. I call them “roadside” trails

because “parallel” trails refers to walking and cycling trails

that are constructed on MOTI (Ministry of Transportation

and Infrastructure) road shoulders. This may not be the

case for the entire length of the trail. I talked with Marcin

Pachcinski early in January and he assured me that our trail

is one of the projects on which they are working. He has the

Friends of Sunnybrae petition with 300+ signatures and is

aware that this project is well supported in the community.

Realistically, as we have been told by the CSRD, this

project will take a long time, even years. The wheels of

Government turn very slowly and we are dealing with

several departments of government, each play a role and

each have their own agenda. Marcin and his team are

working on accessing funding to start us on our way… and

permanent additional funding to expand and maintain what

we have. This is just a small part of the process. Surveys

are necessary, as well as technical assessments, logistical

evaluations, meetings and discussions with many

government departments. Consultations with First Nations

and other property owners are also part of the process. I

will keep apprised of any steps forward that the CSRD is

able to accomplish and report back to the community.

Residents of Sunnybrae need to stay informed and support

the efforts of our local government if we want to see the

addition of safer road and trail access in Sunnybrae. It will

benefit our children and grandchildren, and all the future

generations to come.

GARDENING GURU

Aspen Trees

We are all tired of shovelling snow, and certainly no sane

gardener is out there uncovering the hedges and perennials.

Personally, I would love to donate all the snow from the

driveway and the roof and the paths to any ski hill that

would take it. The next best thing is to look above the snow

at the beauty there. View the black-green spruce, fir and

pine that grace our hillsides; the noble cottonwoods that

provide building sticks for my precious ospreys; the

colourful cliffs that tower above our community. Observe

the aspens with their beautiful white bark, their black knees,

and their delicate branch tracery on the sky. Aspens appear

to be hardier and more salt tolerant than the cottonwoods,

more resistant to disease than the beautiful white birch.

There is a grove of aspens that spans three states in the U.S.,

making it the largest known organism as of a few years ago.

That can be proven or disproven with a simple ‘google’.

You can tell the individual families the same as humans,

taking into account their growth structure. Look for branch

angles and size. Look for trunk variations, and bark

coloring. They were once considered a discard by the

logging industry, but now are used for plywood, and some

lumber. I look forward every year to the day I can hear the

soft clatter of aspen leaves in the gentlest breeze. There is a

legend about the trembling aspen. It is said that Jesus was

crucified on a dogwood, which once grew tall and strong.

After that horrible experience, the dogwood asked God to

decree that dogwood never be used again as a cross. God

allowed the dogwood to change its growth habits, and never

again did it grow tall and strong. The wish had been

granted. Next to the dogwood stood a tall, graceful, strong

Aspen. The aspen began to tremble in fear of being used as

the dogwood had. It has been trembling ever since.

Trembling Aspen

Happy 2013 from Denim Duchess There is not much for a gardener to do this time of year, and

shovelling snow is not something we need to converse

about, so how about a potion that I have used for years, as

did my parents. Whenever Ralph and I take it each evening,

we are free from colds, flu, and other people. I have never

been sure whether the stuff works because of the garlic, or if

it just keeps people so far away that no virus can transfer. It

worked the same way for Mom and Dad. Use at your own

risk.

Garlic Potion

This is an age-old prevention for colds, flu, and many other

winter diseases. The garlic and grapefruit not only prevent

colds and flu, but I found recently that it cured a miserable

bout of sinus infection almost instantly. I could not believe

it, and I have been using this for years as prevention for

winter colds and flu. Ralph calls it our “flu shot”. I warn

you, it is not the most pleasant medicine you will take, and

it is not really socially acceptable, but it works. and the

grapefruit helps lower your blood pressure! The recipe is

very simple; (cont.on P3)

SC2

(Cont.fm P2)

I will give you the full recipe, which can be halved.

• 2 cups pure water

• 5 grapefruit peeled and seeded, (6 if they are small.)

• 2 large HEADS (Not cloves) of garlic, peeled.

These MUST be organic, or locally grown. Anything that

comes from China or India will have been radiated,

killing the enzymes that give garlic its value, plus it may

have been grown with very questionable fertilizer. This is

not a good way to save money!

• 1 cup liquid honey. DO NOT SOFTEN HONEY IN THE

MICROWAVE!! This damages the value of honey. Put the garlic in a blender first, with 1 prepared grapefruit.

Add enough of the water to blend the garlic, then add more

grapefruit, honey, etc. using

the water to keep it rolling.

Use a gallon jar, and shake it

well, then put it in smaller jars,

like juice jars. Shake daily,

and take 1 oz. each evening.

This is an old recipe also called a body purifier. My belief

is that any organism that smells something this bad will

leave of their own accord!

Blatherings By the Scribe

It is easy to open a closed book. It is more difficult to open

a closed mind. I find people admirable when they say what

they mean and mean what they say, whether speaking

generally, or privately.

MIRROR, MIRROR-What’s In Store for Us All?

By Shuswap Suzie

New Help for Stroke Victims at SLGH

On January 23, Interior Health announced that Salmon Arm,

Revelstoke, and surrounding communities will benefit from

improved stroke care following designation of Shuswap

Lake General Hospital as a Thrombolytic Centre for stroke

treatment. The News Release goes on to say that

thrombolytic medications are used in the treatment of some

strokes to clear blocked arteries. In select cases, it may

reverse some or all of the stroke symptoms. Early diagnosis

and treatment can make a tremendous difference for a

stroke patient’s recovery. Now, in many cases, stroke

patients that are presenting to the SLGH Emergency

Department with an acute stroke may be treated on site

instead of travelling to Royal Inland Hospital in Kamloops.

Visit www.interiorhealth.ca to read the entire news release.

It outlines the requirements in order to be granted this new

designation, and also includes information on the symptoms

that signal the onset of a stroke. Stroke is the third leading

cause of death in Canada. 50,000 strokes occur per year in

Canada and 300,000 Canadians live with the disability

resulting from stroke.

Sunnybrae Volunteers The Sunnybrae Dazzling Divas, of Tappen, made the

Christmas season brighter for those in need with a $100

donation to the Salmon Arm Salvation Army. The donation

helped to provide turkey and trimmings for the Salvation

Army’s annual Christmas dinner. Thank you, Divas.

___________________

There is a group of ladies who reside in Sunnybrae, Blind

Bay and Salmon Arm who volunteer under the umbrella of

“TELUS COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS”. A few of

them have actually been TELUS Employees, but most are

individuals who wish to do something special for children

and the elderly. Telus provides them with wool and fleece

with which they knit, crochet and sew to make jackets,

sweaters and afghans for the Salmon Arm Hospital

maternity ward. The Telus Ambassadors assemble baby

bags every month for infants that need a little extra in order

to go home from the hospital. The group knits hats for

cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy as well as warm

toques for the women’s shelter. Over the years, they have

made shawls and lap rugs for the many residents of the care

homes located in Salmon Arm. In the past, the residents

who have no local support have been given goody bags as a

Christmas gift. Hundreds of patients have benefited from

these small acts of kindness. In spring they stuff backpacks

with school supplies for children from kindergarten to high

school. These are turned over to the School Board and are

distributed to needy children in Salmon Arm. Last year the

group gave 85 equipped backpacks to various schools in the

District. The volunteer hours these ladies have accumulated

over the years are forwarded to TELUS. The company

sends a cash donation to the charity of each ladies choice.

The Hospice Society, the Trail Alliance and Salmon Arm

Search and Rescue have all benefited from their efforts.Hats

off to the TELUS COMMUNITY AMBASSADORS and

all their kindness and good works.

CSRD Happenings The CSRD hosted a public hearing for the new Official

Community Plan (OCP) on January 15. More than 30

people attended the meeting at the Sorrento Memorial Hall.

Copies of the new OCP, Bylaw No. 725, were available for

the public, along with mapping and related documentation

to peruse during the open house prior to the hearing. An

Official Community Plan is a broad vision of how the area

will develop. This OCP review is significant in that, for the

first time, it will cover the entire Area C. It is a living

document and can be amended. Rezoning can still be

applied for and will require a public hearing. The OCP

review began in 2006, at which time a committee was

formed, comprised of residents from Area C. They

consulted the community, while working with the staff of

the CSRD, to prepare a plan for future development of

Area C. Open houses were held, the document evolved, and

the first public hearing was held in 2012. It is anticipated

that the OCP will be presented to the Board for third

reading at its February 28th meeting.

SC3

Keep safe on the slopes this winter, and wear a helmet With the coming of winter, skiers and snowboarders are

headed back to the ski slopes. It is a time for families to

enjoy the outdoors together or a time to have some good fun

with friends. It is also a time to remember safety. In an

effort to reduce both the number and severity of preventable

injuries in B.C., Preventable, a registered non-profit

organization, was formed. Their work is made possible

through financial aid and in-kind support from over 80

companies and organizations, including BCAA Road Safety

Foundation, Insurance Bureau of Canada, Pacific Blue

Cross, and TELUS. In partnership with Parachute, a

national leader in injury prevention, Preventable is

launching a new campaign targeting Canadian youth on the

importance of helmet safety. The goal is to make youth,

their families and their friends, aware of the consequences

of not wearing head protection so they will wear a helmet

when they climb on their cycles and skateboards, or head

for the hills with snowboards and mountain bikes. An

initiative called Have a Word With Yourself has visited ten

Canadian high schools. Students have been trained in head

injury prevention and are running a series of innovative

activities (wear the gear fashion show, etc.) to raise

awareness about the importance of wearing a helmet and to

encourage critical thinking by their classmates. On their

website, Preventable speaks of frightening statistics: 66 per

cent of all injuries among young people (aged 12 to 19

years) happen during sporting and recreational activities;

wearing a helmet during skiing or snowboarding reduces the

risk of traumatic brain injury by as much as 60 per cent; it

takes longer for youth to recover from these injuries than

other age groups. For more information, visit

http://preventable.ca/haveaword/

_____________________

The Arts’ District Shuswap Film Society

The Shuswap Film Society started screening movies at the

Salmar Classic Theatre in Salmon Arm in 1974. The movies

were shown once a

month on Wednesday

nights. In 1990 the Film

Society held its first

Shuswap International

Film Festival at the

Salmar Classic. It was

a modest weekend event, and featured movies such as Jesus

of Montreal and Salaam Bombay. The Festival has grown

since then and in 2013 will be celebrating its’ 24th annual

festival, showing movies for nine days, including week-day

matinees. Working closely with the Salmar Community

Association, the Film Society has held many of the festivals

at the Salmar Grand Theatre. With the success of the

festival, it has outgrown the Grand seating capacity and has

returned to the Classic with its larger auditorium. The

purpose of the film festival is to provide the community

with an opportunity to view movies of artistic, cultural,

social or educational value, showing movies from around

the world. Another feature of the film festival is to thank

and entertain our audience. There are opening and closing

night festivities that include top quality food. Their

volunteers like to surprise the audience with pre-movie

entertainment. At the 20th festival, the audience was given

the Hollywood red carpet treatment, complete with stunning

gowns, champagne, swag bags, on-screen interviews and a

stretch limousine. The Film Society has been fortunate to

have the support of the community. Some of the original

festival sponsors are still with them today – Salmon Arm

Stationery (Ian Wickett) and Brooke Jackson Downs (Gary

Brooke and the late Robin Jackson). It is notable that the

Film Society returns its profits to the community,

supporting the Art Gallery, artistic and cultural events,

and scholarships at Okanagan College and area high

schools. The February 2013 film festival will run Feb. 22 –

March 2, with 13 films in the line-up. You can check their

web page www.shuswapfilm.net or look for the Film

Festival guide in mid-February at the theatres.

Paper Tiger says: The Rudder

Pt 3 of the “Summer of Abundence” Series

Another storm blew in just about the time we had gained

confidence in the new mooring buoy and the new chains

and rope. Good thing, because that storm came in the night,

and we could see glimpses of Honeybee in the lightning

strikes. She was held fast. The wind screamed first from the

Northwest, then came back from the South, and the rain

came down again in a deluge. Yes, we had the flashing on

the roof. It was not leaking. And the wallboard had dried

with very little warping. We decided to go to bed. Morning

came bright and clear, Mother Nature asking forgiveness for

her rampage last night. Honeybee was in her place, and

people were picking up their belongings in the early

sunshine. It seemed like Honeybee looked a wee bit bare,

but I could not say why. Oh, well, she was there, and that

was what mattered. Ralph saw the skeleton of a gazebo in

the water, and the owners were gathering it up. We went

over to chat with them, and one mentioned that there was a

part of a boat, or something over there. It looked familiar,

but incongruent with my thoughts. I tried for that eternal

split second to wrap my mind around it, when Ralph said

“It’s our rudder!” Our rudder! That’s why she looked bare.

No rudder! Amazed, and with extreme gratitude, we carried

home our rudder. And wondered how much damage was

done to the gudgeons to tear the rudder off. There was no

doubt that we would need a new pintle. After a reasonable

time to sip a coffee, I decided to swim out to the boat to

survey the damage. I was once again incredulous at our

luck. There, on the lower gudgeon, was the pintle! The

storm was violent enough to steal the rudder, and BRING

IT HOME, but the wee pin was still lying in the inch-and-a-

half gudgeon, just above the water. At that point, I decided

that we were working with miracles.

_

Gold Panner

Restaurant

5177 TCHwy,Tappen(Esso)Ph:2505154422

Open 7am - 4pm 6days/week (8am-2pm Sundays)

“Downhome cooking” like Mamma used to make.

Daily Lunch & Dinner Specials

Sunday All Day Breakfast (includes coffee) $6:99

The Yard New & Recycled Building supplies

(We also accept scrap metal)

2638 Sandy Pnt. Rd. Open: Monday – Fri. 10am-4pm

Sat. 12noon-4pm Closed Sun.

Phone: 250 832 4040 Cell: 250 463 4197, 250 804 1453

e-mail: newandrecycled@gmail.com

The Sunnybrae Citizen is a non-profit, FREE newspaper, printed

monthly and accessible online at www.friendsofsunnybrae.ca.The

compilation/editing is done by the newpaper staff. Please send

any comments or inquiries to Sunnybrae@mail.com

Ph.2508358580 Printed by Hucul Printing

Phone: 250 835 4345

LARRY WALPER TRUCKING & LUMBER

3931 Myers Frontage Road.

TAPPEN BC V0E 2X3 For all your building supplies at the best price

Crossword & Sudoku puzzles are considered, by the

experts, to be a simple, fun way to exercise your brain.

Check back of page for the solution. Have fun!

Your Local Sunnybrae Real Estate Specialist

__________________________________________________

TAPPEN We now have“Pay at the Pump”!! 4828 Trans Canada Hwy. Ph: 250 835 4513

OPEN 7AM TO 7PM Super Specials (prices in effect while supplies last)

Haagen-Dazs Ice Cream 500 ml

Assorted Flavours ........................................ $ 5.49

Toblerone Swiss Milk Chocolate 100 g ......... .$1.69

Ice Cream Logs 2 Litre

• Chocolate & Vanilla • Vanilla, Chocolate & Strawberry Ripple........... $ 6.99

Craig's Bakery

Whole Wheat & White Bread 570 g................. 3/ $ 5.00 Solution to Suduko Puzzle

MISC. FOR SALE To place your ad , call 250 253 1450 or e-mail

($5/20 words) Sunnybrae@mail.ca

rototiller($100), lawnmower deck ($50) for Garden tractor.(all in good working cond.) Ph: 250 835 8580

Queen Costco “Gel Foam” mattress topper, NEW $100 firm 250 832 2378

7’x5’ Area rug, burgundy & cream color $50 firm 250 832 2378