… musings from Ms. Butterfly
Perhaps our most poignant writings come from those life experiences that impact us in ways least suspected. Perspectives shift as our eyes open to what is around us. Sometimes such experiences find expression in the written word. The story you are invited to read speaks to this. ‘Totally Unexpected’ is a work of creative fiction based on one such life experience. It is my encounter with a younger brother living on the streets of the Vancouver’s Downtown East Side … an encounter both humbling and joyful. I now see a brother/sister in every homeless person I meet. Editor’s Note:...
Read MoreGrowing your business
First choose your growth strategy – focus on sales or increase your profits. Then ask yourself the following questions to start assessing whether your business has or is able to get what it needs to successfully implement your growth strategy. 1. Products/Services • Are you seeing demand increasing for your products and services or is it slowing? • Which ones take a great deal of resources but are hard to sell or get a good price for? Are there products/services that are actually costing you money? • Are there products or services that could enhance your existing offerings and would...
Read MoreAnney’s Closet
Anney’s Closet was conceived through the ingenuity of Soroptimist International, Victoria West Shore (SIVW), a group of women of all ages who bring with them a wealth of experience and interests. They believe in, and contribute to, the wonderful potential in women and girls in our community and around the world. SIVW identified an opportunity to help girls in the Greater Victoria area who are aging out of the foster care system. For these teenagers, who are often alone in the world, a donation of household items can make a huge improvement in their quality of life, boost their...
Read MoreOver a pot of tea …
Pope Francis, the Duchess of Cambridge, and Ama. What’s in a name? One day, a man called Jorge wins an election and his life changes. One day, Catherine Middleton says “I do” and nothing is ever the same for her. And one day my son says, “He’s arrived” and my world is immediately different. What do Francis, Kate, and I have in common? Beyond the fact that our states have shifted, we accepted new names when that happened. I’ve been thinking. “Is it common for mothers who become grandmothers to agonize over their new identity?” My mother never revealed if she actually liked to...
Read More… musings from Ms. Butterfly
A few years ago, as my eldest granddaughter’s 16th birthday neared, I began reflecting upon what I remembered about turning sixteen. This musing took on a life of its own and morphed into a project of putting together a special binder which contained, among other things, wedding photos and a little history of both my grandparents and parents, our wedding photo and a photo collage of events special to my husband and myself. I also included a photo collage of adventures we had shared with our granddaughter, a few of my baby photos and a photo taken on my sixteenth birthday, as well as the...
Read MoreOver a pot of tea …
Last Saturday afternoon began in a ceremony to greet the Spring season. The setting was Charco del Ingenio, a protected area nestled just over the hill and out of sight of San Miguel. The Charco is a botanical garden, an archaeological site, and has even been named a peace zone by the Dalai Lama. Pre Columbian stone tools found in its caves attest to its antiquity, and hacienda ruins signal its past on New Spain trade routes. Now, it’s the perfect moody place for this ritual to honor Gaia. Though the music came from pow wow drums and ram horns, Tibetan singing bowls and rattles, the group...
Read More… musings from Ms. Butterfly
Some of you may have taken the opportunity to hear Dr Alan Wolfelt , a renowned and gifted grief counselor and director of the Centre for Loss and Transition in Fort Collins, Colorado brought in by Oceanside Hospice last September. Dr. Wolfelt speaks of grief as the internal response to loss and mourning the shared social response to loss as one journeys towards reconciling grief. As a woman who put an infant daughter up for adoption many years ago and has since re-united with her, I realized after attending Dr Wolfelt’s workshop...
Read MoreIsland – Prairie Women
There has long been an interesting connection between the Prairies and the Island. I’m not exactly sure when it started but definitely the “Dirty Thirties” was the impetus for many people to leave the prairies and head West. The Great Depression was hard on the whole country, but particularly so on the prairies where agriculture was our mainstay. It devastated our ability to produce crops and, as a consequence, many people had little or no source of income. They were destitute and had no choice but to pick up stakes and leave. My grandmother and mother were two such pilgrims who, in the...
Read MoreOver a pot of tea …
There is lots to do in Mexico. My marital sabbatical from “what’s for dinner?” has been a rejuvenating experience. Though my husband and I get along pretty well after 37 years, this time apart has freshened me up inside. I’ve spent three months answering the selfish question, “what do I want?” Here’s a sample of some of the things I’ve wanted, and some experiences I have been enjoying in San Miguel de Allende. I wanted to explore new interests. Here, I’m overwhelmed with all the choices. Many tourists to Mexico stay in all-inclusive resorts, where the beach, buffet and...
Read MoreWhat are You Worth?
What is your business worth? What are you worth? Do you know? For women business owners, the question of self-worth has a habit of working its way into business, thereby affecting pricing, profitability and sometimes even growth decisions. In addition, women often tend to be intimidated by numbers and money and are put off by having to negotiate and put a value on their services. Numerous studies and statistics suggest that women-owned enterprises tend to be concentrated at the marginal end of the business sales and profitability scale. One explanation is that this is exactly where their...
Read MoreJoy in an Alien World
Fear and excitement battle it out in my stomach,as I arise early to the slow lightening of a day that would transform my world. Gazing out to sea above the crashing surf below, I wonder about the captivating creatures I hope to encounter today. At sunrise, we arrive at the marina in Kona to board our dive boat, where the captain and crew greet us warmly. We begin to prepare ourselves and our snorkle gear, for on this sparkling Hawaiian morning, we journey out to sea in search of wild Dolphins. Our Captain, China, and his crew express a deep reverence and respect for the Dolphin world and...
Read MoreSharing What We Know
Growing up, my mom kept a large vegetable garden, as did her mom. My paternal grandparents also kept a large garden along with cows, pigs and sheep. We had our own chickens for eggs and meat. My dad hunted wild game and fished for food. I both watched and helped with preserving fruit, vegetables and sauces, freezing corn and peas; watched my dad skin and butcher deer and moose, I helped my mom with wrapping cuts for freezing. We also had fresh (unpasteurized) milk from a neighbour’s milk cow. Although we had treats here and there, Mom was strict about what we did buy from stores: we...
Read MoreOver a pot of tea …
This part of Central Mexico is awash in flowers on this day. It’s Candelaria in San Miguel de Allende. February 2nd is a festival that both honors the part of the year that is ending and looks ahead to what is imminent. On the Island, we look to see if the marmot saw its shadow. We get ready for Seedy Saturdays. Here in San Miguel de Allende, this week is a festival that celebrates both the end of the Christmas season and the beginning of Spring. Seeds for the first crops are blessed with great reverence in the many beautiful Catholic churches. So is the annual candle supply. Parades of...
Read MoreHRT and Hearing Loss
A few years ago I noticed an influx of women in their sixties who were coming to see me about hearing aids with the same type of hearing loss – normal hearing in the low frequencies gradually sloping to a moderate hearing loss in the higher frequencies. This type of hearing loss makes it difficult to clearly distinguish speech. They found they were missing punch lines, the beginning and ending of words and felt that people were mumbling. While taking a detailed case history, I noticed a common thread. Many women had taken the most common form of hormone replacement therapy (HRT)...
Read MoreThe RV Lifestyle – Part 3
Have you ever wondered what it’s really like? After 35 years in the tourism industry and with a desire to complete my Master of Arts degree in Tourism Management, I chose to research and write an ethnographic graduate paper on the recreational vehicle (RV) lifestyle. In order to immerse myself in my topic, I became a fulltime RVer as I travelled North America for 14 months. This third and final installment of my research into this fascinating and trending tourism perspective explores feelings of camaraderie and closeness felt by participants of this way of life. Finding Community and...
Read MoreThe RV Lifestyle – Part 2
Long thought of as a ‘hippies’ style mode of travel, more people are joining in the ranks of the recreational vehicle (RV) nomadic lifestyle, a lifestyle replete with all or none of the luxuries from home, making this travel trend one you craft yourself. This lifestyle became my reality as I embarked upon living full-time in a motorhome, travelling North America while researching and writing for a Master of Arts degree, and the submission of an ethnographic graduate paper on this subject. The second installment in this three-part series explores the affordability aspect of this way of...
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