HOLIDAZE
It is that time again! Hidden Halloween wrappers finally all discovered and vacuumed up. The last of the frozen Thanksgiving turkey stewed, and now every store isle is full of Christmas. It’s here and you better hurry because one, two, three, and you are making New Year promises. I am older now, a great-gramma and Christmas is calmer. No, not anywhere near as exciting as shopping for the just right gift, or taking five small children to Eaton’s mall to visit Santa so they could tell him in person how they desperately needed the latest toys advertised on TV. I loved watching their...
Read MoreA Christmas Tail
“My goal in life is to be as good a person as my dog already thinks I am” -Author Unknown They say if you are lucky enough to live with dogs that you can’t help but have a favourite & that you will undoubtedly have at least 1 pup who becomes the ultimate ‘million dollar dog’. Well, that would be my dog Peppy, 12 years old (with a 28 year old liver), having defied all odds of survival in dogdom, he’s actually a scabillion dollar dog. But oh so heart-meltingly adorable. I’ve also come to truly believe that with each & every health issue a dog...
Read MoreDisability Parking Permit Holders.
This is an important but mainly unknown regulation for drivers that have a disabled parking permit. It is illegal to drive around with your disabled permit hanging from your rear-view mirror as per the BC Motor Vehicle Act, section 7.05; subsection2: “The permit must be removed when the vehicle is in motion because it is considered a visual obstruction. A fine my...
Read MoreWhat is Collagen?
The ever-present buzzword that invades the minds of beauty gurus, health experts, and all who pursue the path of attaining soft and supple skin. Collagen is a protein that is key in skin’s support structure. Therefore, it plays a crucial role in skin’s integrity, firmness, elasticity, and overall functioning. Despite its vital role, the aging process triggers the progressive decline of collagen in the body which leads to the weakening of skin and the development of wrinkles. As today’s beauty standards value younger-looking skin, it is no wonder that this protein is sought after by so...
Read MoreThe Mystery of the Stone
The stone sat on the front lawn, grey and solid. Over the years, a third of the stone had sunk into the dirt but it’s overall shape was a smooth oval. The whippersnipper kept the grass around it neat and trimmed but people failed to notice it any more. It had originally been placed as a decorative element for the front garden, dragged out when the basement was being dug and dropped from the bobcat scoop where it lay to this day. It’s surface was lined now, years of exposure to the elements showed wear and tear, could it have shrunk? It seemed smaller. I was busy planting some...
Read MoreGrandmother Spider
Spiders. Do you love them or loath them? There are over 40,000 different speicies of spiders living everywhere in the world except Antarctica. They range in size from tiny, to almost the size of a small puppy. Almost all of them have a poisonious bite. There are even spiders that catch and eat birds! They have been here for the last 380 million years and without them, we’d be drowning in bugs. Whether the thoughts of spiders makes your skin crawl or you find them fascinating, there’s also a spiritual side to spiders – at least if you’re human. It’s a part of the human condition that...
Read MoreManage your credit score
…it’s your passport to financial opportunities So maybe you let a few bills slide when things were tight. Or maybe you haven’t seen a zero balance on your credit card in longer than you can remember. Then there was that temporary line of credit… that somehow became permanent. It’s amazing how many things we do that weaken our credit score. Your credit score – the higher the better – is your passport to financial opportunities. Known as a FICO score – with a possible range of 300 to 900 — your number tells lenders what kind of a risk you are likely to be as a...
Read MoreThe Canada Council for the Arts
Seventy Canadian books up for the Governor General’s Literary Awards Canada Council for the Arts revealed the 2018 finalists for the prestigious Governor General’s Literary Awards (GGBooks) today. These 70 Canadian books are among the best published this year in seven categories, both in English and in French. They are the works that stood out to peer assessment committees from close to 1,400 titles submitted for consideration. Quote : “Innovative, troubling, surprising and emotional. This year’s GGBooks finalists have once again proven just how rich, bold, diverse and...
Read MoreOne Reflex at a Time
Ask anyone whose tried reflexology and they will tell you – It feels GOOD! Not many realize however, that this type of applied reflex massage also increases your circulation, lowers blood pressure and triggers relaxation throughout a stressed body. In my goal to help people feel better, my company Centerline Reflexology has expanded. There are; on-line self-help videos on YouTube, Facebook offers, plus informational talks given in multiple communities. We also provide home visits and in-clinic appointments. Still, somehow this didn’t feel like reflexology was reaching all the people...
Read MoreWhat Kind of Healer are You?
You’ve heard me say, “The World Needs Healers” and “If you think you’re a Healer, then you ARE a Healer!” But what kind of Healer are you? There are so many ways to show up in the world to be of service, to make a difference in your own life and the lives of others. I was shown in a dream recently three kinds of Healers and I love how these designations flow so well together. There are many ways of being a Healer and doing healing work; this is one way to simplify what kind of Healer you are: Mentor Healer When you come to a place in your life and your skin feels too tight, when...
Read MoreChloe Angus: Respect by Design
Chloe Angus is a gifted designer on a mission to weave honour and respect for Indigenous Peoples into every garment. She designs with the colours and power of a mighty nation. Like any artist, her primarily inspiration is to create beauty and elevate the human experience, but the spark that ignites her transcendent designs is a profound love and appreciation for the art and culture of our First Peoples. Using the traditional motifs of celebrated Aboriginal artists, Chloe hopes to make a difference in our divisive Western society. The enrichment of her elegant designs with First Nations art is...
Read MoreAn Uninvited Guest
The first time, Max and Gertrude invited us to their cottage on Gull Lake we were given the little cabin behind – rather above the larger cottage because they liked to treat first visitors to that special space. Secluded, built on a rock, this cabin was just a bedroom and a washroom. It was within sight of the main cottage, but afforded privacy. We were younger than our hosts and other guests, and therefore our bedtime was later. I suspect it was for their comfort, not just ours, that this was the arrangement. The view from up there of the Lake and the islands was quite beautiful and the...
Read MoreDo I need to Soak Nuts
Recently I was asked: “Is there any truth to the idea that we should be soaking our nuts and grains to make these foods more digestible, more nutritious or to avoid so called ‘anti nutrients’?” Ah, the Internet, such a double-edged sword. I love it – after all, it’s how I’m communicating with you today. And, I hate it. In my 23+ years of experience in nutrition, I’ve never seen people so confused about nutrition. This question is yet another example of how people are confused about nutrition. What’s the source of this confusion? I commonly see two sources. One source is the...
Read MoreDo I have to eat rabbit food?
Okay,so you are 70-something or older. I have heard it all before: “Kale and corn, that’s pig food!” and “There is nothing good in lettuce.” You don’t have to eat bowls full of rabbit food daily to meet your daily requirements. There you have it, I said it. Truth is, not all of us can tolerate, chew or swallow the raw stuff, or stuff that has tough skins and stems in them. However, this does not mean you can eat cookies, tea and toast all day either. You do need to eat a balanced diet with vegetables, fruit and meat or meat alternatives. We all know this, yet, the numbers of...
Read MoreKeyboard Warriors give it a rest…!
I don’t think anyone would disagreethat the advent of computers, the Internet, and our mammoth progression since then, has been nothing short of miraculous. For most of us, our Grandparents, and beyond, and even to some extent our Parents, would never have believed or even conceived of what we can do, so easily, at the click of a button, today. We can communicate, often at no charge, with Family and friends around the World, or down the street, via Facebook, Twitter and the multitude of applications now available to us…and even see them real-time! I heard a broadcaster today refer to...
Read MoreWhat is your favourite month?
I love September. I have always loved September, it brings me feeling of contentment, peace and satisfaction. As a farmer, and a farmer’s daughter, these feeling were very real, emotionally and physically. It was harvest time. The fruits of our labour were finally there for everyone to see. All the sweat and anxiety over the crops wellbeing, the weather, the pests and many other unknown and uncontrollable happenings that are the constant companions of farm life was over. For better or for worse the crops were finally harvested. There was such a sense of relief and of satisfaction. The...
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