2019 Canadian Food Guide
The Food guide makes some recommendations specific to all life stages, including for seniors. Specific recommendations on how to meet nutrient requirements and what they are exactly stays a bit murky. To clear that up, the food guide recommends that “Individuals with specific dietary requirements may need additional guidance or specialized advice from a dietitian.” And in here lies the answer. About half of the population 65+ and older have at least one chronic disease, meaning that half of that population indeed may have very specific dietary requirements. This is why staying...
Read MoreMama Said There’d Be Days……..
Martha was having a rough morning. Mind you, it started okay. She woke up smiling. Unfortunately, she couldn’t remember her dream, but its afterglow followed her to the kitchen, where she proceeded to drop her French press on the ceramic tile floor and shatter it – the press, not the floor. Nothing would ever chip, dent, or scar those tiles. Martha suspected they were made from diamonds, or maybe Kryptonite. She dug through her cupboards and found the instant coffee her sister Harriet (she of the tone-deaf taste buds) had left when she last visited. It had hardened to a rock-like...
Read More“In a time out of time.”
Many years ago, I was in a Past Life Regression session with a client, when we came across a lifetime of hers where she had lived in a small village, deep in a tropical rainforest. When I asked her Past Life self when and where she was, her reply was, “In a time out of time.” Curious, right? Upon deeper questioning, it was revealed that her past self had no way to relate to our current concept of linear, industrial time. The jungle she lived in didn’t have seasons, life moved at a different pace and while her life’s experiences were relatable – love, children, social...
Read More“IF WINTER COMES … “
Heads up! The snowdrops are a-bloom, the daffodils’ greenery is above ground, … so most obviously Spring can not be far behind! And Seedy Saturday 2019 in Qualicum Beach is less than a month away! For this day full of curiosity, wonder, learning, and ‘dreaming in green’ (picked up that sweet phrase in Switzerland!) here’s the day to mark on your 2019 calendar: Seedy Saturday February 2nd 10:00 am until 3:30 pm, at the Qualicum Beach Civic Centre, 747 Jones Ave. in QB. Admission by donation. To quote from the Seedy website, “Seedy Saturday is an annual event that provides a...
Read More25th Operation Christmas Child
Congratulations to all those who gave so generously to make the 25th Operation Christmas Child such a resounding success. It is amazing what can be achieved when a community commits to effecting change and assistance to others. I suggest that we need to use that spirit and energy to bring relief and hope to the thousands of children right here in Canada. We may not like to recognise that so many Canadian children live in poverty and squalor. Children to whom hunger is a constant. Children without hope. Children without a chance of achieving what most of us take for granted. An ugly scenario...
Read MoreHOLIDAZE
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...
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