March 2009 Senior Living Vancouver Island by INSPIRED 55+ Lifestyle Magazine

March 2009 TM

Vancouver Island’s 50+ Active Lifestyle Magazine

BEST JOB ON THE ISLAND

is Gordie Tupper’s

Master Puppeteer Norma Jackson

I still have a full deck; I just shufﬂe slower now. ~ Author Unknown

A perfect A perfect pace is pace is ﬁnd whatwhen you what you will ﬁnd when you will come home to you The come home to and the Peninsula. A beautiful Peninsula. Aretirement beautiful comfortable andoffering comfortable community many retirement community opportunities to enjoy offering many adventures and excursions, to all atopportunities your own pace. enjoy adventures and excursions, all at your own pace.

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V i c t o r i a’ s P r e m i e r R e t i r e m e n t R e s i d e n c e

Stroll round the garden? We have taken great care with the outdoor spaces at Berwick Royal Oak, just as we have with everything else in this luxuriously different retirement residence. Our inviting and varied themed gardens, each offer an enchantingly unique experience: Zen-like design, the soothing sounds of a waterfall, enjoyable pathways, quiet ponds, and ﬂowers that change with the seasons. We know you’ll ﬁnd Berwick Royal Oak as varied, surprising and delightful outdoors, as it is in. Make your move to a carefree life at Berwick Royal Oak. We’ll see you here - come smell the roses! Call 250-386-4680 for a tour or drop in between 10am and 4pm daily.

4680 Elk L ake Drive, Victoria. Call 250-386-4680 www.berwickrc.com MARCH 2009

CELEBRATING SENIORS IN OUR COMMUNITY

Photo: Judee Fong

MARCH 2009

FEATURES

CHEK TV’s Community Reporter Gordie Tupper is having the time of his life. Story on page 7. Cover Photo: Enise Olding Publisher Barbara Risto Editor Bobbie Jo Reid Sheriff Contributors Norman K. Archer, Tiffany Auvinen, Goldie Carlow, Judee Fong, Gipp Forster, Arlee Gale, Frank Hajer, Mary Anne Hajer, Dr. Bala Naidoo, Pat Nichol, Enise Olding, Rosalind Scott, Vernice Shostal, Barbara Small, Judy Stafford Design Barbara Risto, Bobbie Jo Reid Sheriff Proofreader Allyson Mantle Advertising Manager Barry Risto For advertising information, call 479-4705 sales@seniorlivingmag.com Ad Sales Staff Mathieu Powell 250-704-6288 Ann Lester 250-390-1805 Barry Risto 250-479-4705 RaeLeigh Buchanan 250-479-4705 Distribution Ron Bannerman, Rhonda Donkersley, Gail Fattore, Jim Gahr, Lorraine Rhode, Barry Risto, Betty Risto, Sheila Rose Richardson Contact Information Senior Living, 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave.,Victoria BC V8T 2C1 Phone 250-479-4705 Toll-free 1-877-479-4705 Fax 250-479-4808

12 Blind Wisdom

Tarot card reader Bill Moore learned to listen when he lost his sight.

Columns

14 Master Puppeteer

4 The Family Caregiver 10 Victoria’s Past Revisited

18 Piano Man

23 Ask Goldie

Victoria Broadway Chorus’ Bob LeBlanc hopes performances will beneﬁt the ALS Society, a charity close to his heart.

20 Drinking in the Beauty of Napa Exploring California’s beautiful wine country.

30 Play Together. Stay Together.

Trying new hobbies keeps the bond of Chris and Sheelagh Carter’s marriage strong.

32 The Land of Eternal Sunshine

Web site www.seniorlivingmag.com Subscriptions $32 (includes GST) for 12 issues. Canadian residents only.

36 A Life at Sea

No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Senior Living is an independent 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 editor@seniorlivingmag.com 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)

40 Peace and Healing

SENIOR LIVING

Barbara Small

Norma Jackson found her artist stride by breathing life into her marionettes.

Adventure seekers put Guatamala on their must-see lists – as tourist destination or even retirement option.

E-mail (General) ofﬁce@seniorlivingmag.com (Editorial) editor@seniorlivingmag.com

7 Best Man for the Job

For Community Reporter Gordie Tupper, every day is a new adventure.

Growing up near the waterfront led to a life on the water for Garett Ollander. Gregg Hofstad took his music on the road when retirement gave him the freedom to do so.

Norman Archer

Goldie Carlow

28 Scam Alert

Rosalind Scott

38 Courageous & Outrageous Pat Nichol

39 Bygone Treasures Michael Rice

48 Reﬂections:Then and Now Gipp Forster

and...

Resource Directory 35 Events 44 Crossword 46 Classiﬁeds 47

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Just so you know: Our prices are per person, based on two sharing, and are subject to availability at the time of booking. Non members add $100 per person. Not included: airfare, meals & beverages (unless otherwise stated), gratuities and other expenses of a personal nature. You’ll sleep better knowing that all BCAA Travel Offices are registered under the B.C. Travel Agents Act.

MARCH 2009

Senior Living: Vancouver island March • Docket # 88-09

THE Navigating the FAMILY Healthcare System CAREGIVER

he Home and Community Care program (HCC) of the Vancouver Island Health Authority (VIHA) provides communitybased health services intended to support people with an acute or chronic illness or a physical disability to remain at home, as independently as possible. The services a client is eligible for are based on a standard assessment of needs; may be provided on a short- or long-term basis; and may be subsidized according to the client’s income or provided at no cost. Other health authorities throughout B.C. provide similar services. Teams of healthcare professionals deliver HCC services to eligible clients. Here are some health care professionals and the services they provide: Case managers conduct assessments to determine eligibility for home supports, suitability for adult day programs or placement in assisted living and residential care facilities. They will work with the client and the client’s family to address his or her health care goals. Case managers also provide ongoing coordination of services. Liaison case managers work in the hospital to organize the community supports necessary to discharge clients safely home or assess for residential facility care placement from a hospital stay.

BY BARBARA SMALL

Home support (community health workers) provide in-home care to assist individuals to continue living independently in their home and provide respite to family caregivers. They offer personal assistance with bathing, dressing, grooming, hygiene and toileting. Community rehabilitation services provide home-based physio and occupational therapy services in order to help a person remain living at home safely. Adult day programs provide support in a group setting for older adults, especially those with chronic illness or cognitive impairments. Day centres offer opportunities to socialize, have a hot meal and participate in recreational and health maintenance activities. Clinical nutritionists help a person maintain optimal nutritional health while living at home by providing assessment, consultation and education.

Quick Response Team provides crisis intervention at home to eligible clients when required, aimed at preventing avoidable hospital admission, provide crisis intervention at home and facilitate early hospital discharge. The QRT team includes physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, nurses and home support workers.

Anyone can make a referral to the Home and Community Care program. Each region of VIHA has a HCC General Enquiries Line. For those who live in the South Island region call 250-3882273, Central Island 250-734-4101 or North Island 250-898-2255. The above information can be found in more detail on the VIHA website at www.viha.ca/ hcc/ This website also includes a helpful booklet that can be downloaded entitled, Home and Community Care, A Guide to Your Care. For additional assistance in navigating the healthcare system and ﬁnding resources, call the Family Caregivers’ Network Society at 250-384-0408. FCNS is offering a workshop for family caregivers on April 4 entitled Navigating the Healthcare System. Visit www. fcns-caregiving.org for more details. Next month: The Emotions of Caregiving SL Barbara Small is Program Development Coordinator for Family Caregivers’ Network Society.

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

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MARCH 2009

STORY AND PHOTO BY JUDEE FONG

SENIOR LIVING

THE BEST MAN FOR THE JOB

ooking tan and fit from his Hawaiian vacation, Gordie Tupper, CHEK Community News reporter laughs, “Maui is like a mini-Victoria. Everywhere I went, people would come up and say, ‘Hi Gordie!’ because they were all from Victoria and Vancouver Island!” A graduate of Victoria High School’s Class of ’66, Gordie always enjoyed having fun and entertaining people. While in junior high, he decided on a broadcasting career. “I built myself a little radio station in the basement,” he says. “It had a wood turntable and a microphone. It didn’t go anywhere, but it was fun.” Intent on a broadcasting career after graduation, the CHEK reporter’s first job interview was with the Department of Transport for an air controller’s job. With the flair of a natural storyteller, Gordie recalls his first interview: “I had a guy on either side of me and they were asking all these rapid-fire questions, which I was answering as fast as they fired them until one of them asked me, ‘What’s 1/2 of 1/2 of 1-1/2?’ And I just looked at him and said, ‘Is that something a pilot would ask?’ After all these years, I still remember the answer as 3/8!” Placed on the “short list,” Gordie was saved by an offer from a local radio station that needed someone Godwit immediately. “I said ‘yes’ and the heck with the air controller job! I probably made the wrong decision because the ATC guys get paid way more than radio guys,” he laughs. Admitting he was a genuine “couch potato” until he shed 150 pounds, Gordie now enjoys an active life completing several Times-Colonist 10K races, running half marathons, biking, trying surfing in Hawaii, as well as hitting the gym on a regular basis. Flashing his megawatt grin, he enthusiastically admits,

“Snowboarding is my new passion. I’m really bad at it, but I try to get to Mt. Washington once a week in the winter so I can get on my snowboard.” Gordie recalls his earlier ski attempts: “I remember trying to ski when I was 335 pounds. I could get up on the skis but when I fell down, I couldn’t get up on my own. It was so awkward needing someone to haul you back up again. When you lose 150 pounds, you have to be an idiot to put it all back again.” The CHEK news reporter was one of several local celebrities competing in the 2007 dance challenge, Stars on Stage. “Stephen White from Dance Victoria was putting this on and I got wind of it,” Gordie explains. “I’m a big fan of Dancing With the Stars because I think it’s a cool show. I went to Stephen and said, ‘Hey, I want to be involved in this.’ And he said, ‘Okay, we’re going to need an emcee.’ And I said, ‘No, I don’t want to be an emcee – I want to dance.’ And he said, ‘Oh, do you dance?’ And I said, ‘No, I’ve never danced a day in my life!’” Partnered with professional Latin dancer Wanda Kivitt, Gordie practised twice a week for two months. Chuckling, he remembers watching Dancing with the Stars and thinking how easy it looked – until he tried to do it too. “Learning to do the rumba, I had to eat extra to keep from losing weight,” Gordie says. “Even though the rumba looked slow, the routine was quite physical. It’s a huge workout and for anyone wanting to lose weight, competitive ballroom dancing is the way to go!” Gordie and his partner won the competition with their slow, romantic dance. Exposure to competitive ballroom dancing whetted Gordie’s appetite to continue dancing, but the popular TV personality lacked a partner. Mischievously, he tells his Star-

Things to do at UVic this Spring! Fascinating courses are available to you through Continuing Studies—here are just a few that you can join in March, April and May! • Deep Ecology and Personal Connections with Nature

• Life After Loss: New Beginnings

• Community Mapping for Vibrant, Sustainable Communities* *subsidies are available for

• Travel Photography: Cultures and Landscapes

community groups!

• Living Authentically • Writing the Memoir … and many more! Courses are also running until the end of March at Dunsmuir Lodge on the Saanich Peninsula

Learning for life.

Pick up a free course brochure at Victoria libraries. To register, call 250-472-4747, or online at www.continuingstudies.uvic.ca/courses MARCH 2009

buck’s story: “I was in the lineup for coffees while my wife, Sue, grabbed us a table. This middle-aged, attractive and very ﬁt woman, wearing a miniskirt came over to me and said, ‘You danced with my dance instructor in the Stars on Stage competition. Are you going to keep dancing?’ And I said, ‘Well, I’d like to but I don’t have a partner.’ And she said, ‘I’ll be your partner.’ And I said, ‘Okay, I’ll get back to you.’ I got the coffees and headed back to Sue. I said to her, ‘See that woman over there in the miniskirt?’ ‘Yes,’ she says. ‘She wants to be my dance partner.’ ‘No,’ my wife says. And that was the end of that.” Happily married for 30-plus years, a family man with two adult sons and a proud new grandfather since May, Gordie confesses, “I wasn’t thrilled about getting older, so I told my boys, don’t be in any rush to make me a grandfather. But the day my grandson was born, that changed in an instant,” he says, smiling proudly. “He keeps us active and he’s a lot of fun.” He plans to

coach him in T-ball in about four-and-ahalf years! Contributing his spare time as a volunteer for several worthwhile organizations, Gordie is an active director for the Vancouver Island Mountain Sports Society, (VIMSS), which is developing the infrastructure for various sports on Mt. Washington. Currently, VIMSS is building a training facility there and ﬁnancing young athletes. Gordie has also helped with the disabled skiing competition, the annual “Coca-Cola Classics,” which raises money for the disabled skiing program, renamed the “Vancouver Island Adaptive Snow Sport Association.” “I got to do some trophy presentations at the ‘World Cup for Disabled Athletes’ at Mt. Washington last year,” says Gordie. “It was mind-boggling to see the events these athletes took part in. I remember one athlete who was totally blind and she was entered in the biathlon. She had to compete in the crosscountry skiing and then she was handed

E T I S B E W

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a loaded riﬂe for the target shooting. It was just incredible to see her shoot all the targets in the right spot!” Gordie explains that the blind athletes’ guns were equipped with a sound guide, which gave a distinctive pitch when the gun was aimed in the correct spot. Thoughtfully, the jovial news reporter adds, “Watching the disabled skiers has to be uplifting for anybody because these are athletes who have lost an arm or a leg or their vision and they are going downhill at 100 miles an hour!” As CHEK’s Community Reporter, Gordie likes to go out and talk about what’s happening in the community and having a good time reporting it; chatting to people on the street; talking to creative organizations, artistic and musical groups. Beaming his trademark smile, he enthusiastically declares, “This is a fun job. People come up to me all the time and say, ‘Gordie, you’ve got the best job around.’ And I do – it is the best SL job in town.”

SENIOR LIVING

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NEWS BRIEF

Dementia Care Website BY AURA ROSE

“Looking back, I think I probably knew that something was wrong. The signs were there – the memory lapses, the confusion, the angry outbursts. I guess there’s knowing, and then there’s knowing... I was having trouble remembering things. I would dial a phone number and forget who I was phoning. I’d be taking notes at a meeting and lose track of the discussion. Then, about a month ago, I forgot my best friend’s name!” This is just one of the stories about the effects of dementia that can be found on the new Dementia Journey website (www.dementiajourney.ca). The stories mirror the reality faced by 70,000 British Columbians who have Alzheimer’s disease or a related dementia. New statistics released in January show that nearly 10,000 of those cases are under the age of 65. People with dementia experience a decline in their mental abilities and, as a result, have to make signiﬁcant changes in their everyday lives. To help improve quality of life for people with dementia and their caregivers, the Alzheimer Society of B.C. funded seven initiatives, through a $1 million grant from the B.C. Ministry of Health Services. The Dementia Journey website is one of these projects and includes information on services, programs and resources available across the province. “We wanted to create a webbased resource that, through personal stories from people impacted by dementia, guides users to valuable information from across the province,” explains Altaire Butler, Project Manager, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority. “The site is for those with demen-

tia, their caregivers and families, health professionals and the general public and includes an interactive map of the services available in each health region.” The Dementia Journey website provides an in-depth look at the different stages of dementia and links to professional resources and fact sheets. “Greater awareness about the effects of dementia and the resources that are available to adapt to the disease can help make a difference in the lives of people who have dementia and their

NEW RELEASE

caregivers,” says Butler. Connecting with community resources is another way to get help. The Alzheimer Society of B.C. co-ordinates nearly 100 support groups for people in the early stages of dementia and their caregivers. To ﬁnd a support group, check out the “In Your Community” portion of the Dementia Journey website (www. dementaijourney.ca) or contact the Alzheimer Society of B.C. toll-free at SL 1-800-667-3742.

Embrace the Journey - A Care Giver’s Story

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 decisions and choices. It painfully addresses the problems encountered 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

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

MARCH 2009

T S A P S ’ IA R O T C I V

n 1824, Edward Aspdin, an English bricklayer from Northﬂeet in Kent, was granted a patent for the process of making a new and durable mortar. He called his creation “Portland Cement” because it resembled the stone that was quarried on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. It was this new building material that captured the imagination of a canny Scot from Ontario named Robert Pym Butchart. Born in Owen Sound, Ontario in 1856, Robert was one of George MacLauchlan Butchart’s 11 children. A few years before Robert was born, his parents and older siblings had moved from Forfar, not far from Dundee in eastern Scotland, to open a hardware store. Robert grew naturally into the hardware business. At age 27, he met a charming 18year-old Irish colleen named Jeanette Foster Kennedy and his destiny underwent a dramatic change. Jennie was always the adventuress. She loved ballooning, ﬂying, horseback riding and painting. They were married in Buffalo, but it was on their honeymoon in England that Robert was introduced to the manufacturing process of Portland cement and, encouraged by his visionary bride, he saw the enormous potential the substance would have in

OVER 100 YEARS IN BLOOM!

Canada. Assisted by his brother David, they pioneered reﬁnements, including the storing and shipping of cement in sacks instead of the barrels that everyone else used. The enthusiastic Jennie studied chemistry so that she could be an integral part of the process. In 1903, Bob Butchart heard of huge deposits of powdery white limestone, ideal for cement production, on Vancouver Island. Since Owen Sound was fast gaining an unsavoury reputation, he and Jennie felt it was not the right kind of environment to rear their two daughters, Jenny and Mary. So, when the old Fernie farm around the Tod Inlet came on the market, Bob Butchart jumped at the chance to buy it along with the surrounding acres of limestone deposits. By 1904, the Vancouver Island Portland Cement Company was in full production with himself as Managing Director and a 26-year-old newcomer from Ontario, Harry Ross, as treasurer. Thirteen years later, Harry married Bob’s young daughter, Jenny. Harry’s premature death in 1930 ended the 14year marriage. The couple’s 12-year-old son, Ian, was destined to become the man to bring his grandmother’s garden into world prominence. At ﬁrst, Bob was nervous that the demand for cement would not be great

enough for the supply. He need not have worried. Builders on the Island and in Vancouver bought it by the ton, and the San Francisco earthquake and ﬁre in 1906 drove up the price. As architects dreamed up ways to make buildings taller, so the demand for cement grew. But Jennie was concerned. She was happy in their little three-room cottage, but the cement works was spoiling her outlook. “You’re ruining the country, Bob, just to get your old cement,” she complained. She would be the ﬁrst to admit that she knew nothing about gardening, apart from scattering a few sweet-pea seeds around her cottage door, but little by little, the gardening bug bit her. She took the piles of clay and sand left over from the cement processing and moulded them into the gentle slopes that now form the Upper Garden. She transformed the rough farm pasture into tennis courts and lawns. Then she gave her attention to the rugged slope that ran down to the wharf. Japanese gardens were becoming fashionable. Hatley Castle had one, designed by a reputable landscape architect, so why couldn’t she? Jennie hired his services, but put her own stamp on the design. She erected the red lacquered gate and planted two cop-

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THE TALE OF ROBERT AND JENNIE BUTCHART BY NORMAN K. ARCHER

per beech trees at the entrance – two of the oldest trees in the garden – and was fortunate enough to encourage the rare Tibetan Blue Poppy to ﬂourish there, as it does to this day. “Butchart’s Gardens” was on its way. But the old quarry vexed Jennie the most. The three-and-a-half acre eyesore left by her husband’s huge production venture was soon abandoned since the limestone being harvested from the site was no longer of good enough quality for Portland cement. She had tried with some success to screen the cement works from her house by a row of Lombardy poplars that she planted in 1910 and are still there today, although they’ve surpassed their normal lifespan. The quarry itself was littered with old, rusty abandoned tools and machinery, debris was everywhere, rough jagged rocks were scattered around and it was waterlogged – a disaster area. With the help and advice from several experts and friends, Jennie set to work. Pipes drained the water to a huge catch basin, which became the lake for the Ross Fountain. Cartloads of rich black topsoil were hauled in from neighbouring farms; the horses had enormous problems, coping with the mud. The story has it that Jennie herself

was lowered by the Chinese workers in a basketwork bos’n’s chair, dangling 50 feet in mid-air to plant the ivy that still grows in the rock face of the Sunken Garden. The ﬁrst tearoom was perched above the southeast rim. Jennie’s greatest delight was to entertain visitors who enjoyed her gardens. She wanted people to appreciate the beauty of her ﬂowers, not to peer for names, so the Gardens have, for the most part, respected her wishes and not labelled the plants. She was a hands-on gardener and on one occasion, while dressed in her old work clothes, two visitors, thinking she was a paid worker, plied her with questions, which she happily answered. As they left, they offered her a tip. “Oh, no thank you,” she said, “the Old Lady wouldn’t like it!” And then there was the occasion when a visiting group was enjoying tea and, ever the gracious hostess, seeing two ladies seated at a table, Jennie walked over, smiling and said, “May I sit with you?” “Certainly not!” they replied, not recognizing her, “there’s an empty table – go and sit there!” Jenny was always happy when people visited her gardens. There was no protocol. You parked your car and wandered through the gardens, staying as

long as you liked. She had one ﬁrm rule. Everyone was to leave by sunset. She was most annoyed when she and Bob arrived home late one night to see a car still parked on the property. “I will teach this person a lesson he’ll not forget,” she said. They were woken up early next morning by a commotion outside. Her gardener was complaining loudly that someone had ﬂattened all the tires of his new car while he was hard at work through the night hours. Jennie never let on. When Jennie died just before Christmas in 1950, seven years after her husband, Victoria was robbed of a beautiful woman. But her legacy of beauty lives on to the delight of the millions of visitors who have stood awe-inspired at the accomplishment of her vision, over 100 SL years in bloom. Norman’s new book, More Tales of Old Victoria, will be launched at the 50+ Active Living Celebration on March 13 for the special festival price of $10 per copy. 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 nka@canada.com

Call today to experience the Beltone difference.

1-800-748-3499 10 Vancouver Island locations to serve you. MARCH 2009

Blind Wisdom

BY VERNICE SHOSTAL

Photo: Vernice Shostal

ntil he became blind, tarot card and tree of life reader Bill Moore spent most of his life working with troubled children and youth. “It taught me a lot,” says the father of four on losing his sight. “It taught me how to listen.” Born in England, Bill came to Canada with his soldier father and war bride mother when he was six weeks old. They settled in Southern Ontario where his dad worked at General Motors and his mom worked in the mall. Caring for his little brother in his early years, Bill grew up with a strong desire to work with children and, as a young man, found his first job in childcare with a Private Agency Group Home. “It was easier in the late ’60s to get jobs than it is now,” he says. “I just walked into a treatment centre for disturbed children and got a job. And within a year, I was senior staff in the centre.” The job was satisfying, however, a growing interest in finance and planning took Bill to Ottawa, where he “lucked into an interesting job with the Treasury Board.” He began with balancing the federal budget. “In those days, with no computer, you sat with the 500page budget and the adding machine and you added every calculation in the whole budget twice.” Bilingual and back in Toronto, his next career experience was managing the French Canadian clientele for a company of energy consultants. Eventually, he was drawn back to childcare work. When his oldest son turned three, Bill had second thoughts about raising a child in Toronto and decided to find cleaner air for his family. It was Bill’s intention to move to Vancouver Island. “I was planning to live in Courtenay; we stopped in Nelson for a shower and never [left], which is what happens in Nelson. It grabs you or it doesn’t.” 12

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In all, Bill spent 28 years in Nelson and the Slocan Valley with a two-year break when, looking to continue his work with children and youth, he attended Simon Fraser University to get a teaching certificate. Back in Nelson, he didn’t get the teaching job he wanted because “there was a waiting list as long as your leg.” Undaunted, Bill started an independent junior high school for troubled children. “The kids who came there were wild and wooly,” says Bill. “They had never fit anywhere else.” There, they had a wonderful time. Although Bill had been diagnosed with glaucoma, which he describes as a quiet disease, he didn’t expect the intra-ocular hemorrhage that hit him in 2000 when he started to go blind. At about the same time, for various reasons, the school for troubled children closed. Suddenly blind and without a livelihood, Bill says, “It took me a while to catch my breath and figure out what I was doing.” But a circle of friends closed in around him and started the “Bill” project. They encouraged Bill to pursue his long-time hobby and talent for tarot card reading. With a great-grandmother who was a medium and greatgrandfather, a composer, Bill says his family tradition was “Mad Irish people who were all about religion, music, the supernatural and whisky.” He doesn’t think being psychic is hereditary. “We all have it, but it tends to flourish in a culture that supports it. It’s not in your DNA, but it’s in your environment.” Bill first started dabbling in tarot cards in the ’60s and ’70s, reading for friends and for fun. At the same time, he became convinced that in order to do a better job at tarot card reading, there was another level he had to study: The Kabbala, a kind of Jewish esoteric mysticism. The opportunity came in the ‘80s when he had more

time on his hands. Studying the Kabbala, Bill says, “It just ate me up and rewrote my understanding of the tarot, and rewrote my understanding of a lot of other stuff as well.” Bill admits he doesn’t know everything about the Jewish tradition. “You can study forever and know a little bit,” he says. “I scratched a little hole in one little room and that’s where the tree of life was.” A diagram of the 3,000-year-old mystical concept that Bill maintains is in the heart of the Kabbala, and which helps him understand the tarot, hangs on his wall. For Bill, working with tarot cards is an analytical process. The outcome is twofold. “When you throw the cards, the energy of the whole universe is expressed in those cards because they’re part of the whole thing. Whatever energetic pattern is moving through the whole thing is moving into every single part of it in the microcosm. The order and the number of the cards reflect something about that moment in time while the various kinds of layouts allow you to look for certain kinds of information. Every card means something. A very strong mental process is going on.” The cards Bill uses are a simple design, which he can still recognize, although he has begun to work without them, closing his eyes and watching the cards fall onto the table. Blindness has taught Bill to read voices. In a person’s voice, he says, “You hear everything. You hear what they had for lunch. You hear their childhood. You know, a voice is an amazing thing.” He recalls a story about Helen Keller who put her fingers on the bark of a young tree and through her fingers, heard a robin singing. “It inspired me for sure, so it’s kind of like that with voice. If you really listen, everything SL is there.” For more information, or to contact Bill Moore, e-mail bill. moore@blindwisdom.ca or call 250592-2258.

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MASTER PUPPETEER

STORY AND PHOTOS BY ENISE OLDING

rtist Norma Jackson has a large extended family of over 300. Each has a distinct personality, a unique appearance and a life story that could be completely predictable or totally unexpected. Each has a special place in Norma’s heart because she created them, one by one, 200 hours of work at a time, to fill a need, to meet another person’s vision, or to play a role evoking an emotion. Norma’s marionettes come in all shapes, sizes, types and represent many walks of life and different eras. “I loved art when I was a child,” says Norma, who would draw or paint everything she saw during long summers at the family cottage on an island in Shawnigan Lake. But it would be some time before she revisited her passion because her path took her into the business world where she worked as a paralegal, administrator and development officer. It was in Nanaimo that she had the chance to become re-acquainted with the art world when she became the Development Officer for the Nanaimo Festival Society in its inaugural year. It was quite a change of direction when Norma entered what she calls her “training years” and embarked on a spiritual exploration of a variety of world religions, philosophies and natural health practices, researching their many facets and studying Mind/Body medicine. She eventually had her own practice for some 17 years and taught classes at the then Malaspina College’s Cowichan Campus. 14

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Under the mentorship of a trusted friend, Norma took on a role in the creation of a marionette theatre, which was set up as a non-profit society to serve the community. The plays were aimed to uplift “and enlist communication, interaction with the audience,” says Norma. The plays and characters were taken to many places including care homes, schools and bedsides. The theatre travelled to various locations on Vancouver Island and for two years used a 100-seat theatre in Qualicum. The travelling show was a turning point for Norma, who found it was beginning to draw out her own talents. She recalls her shyness and was given the job of MC for the show, providing some entertainment during scene changes. At first, she had a script but, as her confidence grew, she “felt cramped by the script and wanted to work one-on-one with the audience,” and created her own material. Through the theatre, Norma found her own artistic stride again; marionettes had to be made from scratch. She hadn’t sculpted or painted since she was a child but she tapped into her artistic depths and, much to her delight, found an amazing natural outpouring. “I would look at different materials and think of ways to form them. I had no restrictions or biases to direct me, so I was free to create,” says Norma. “It was the most alive I have ever been. It was the hardest time, too. I lived and breathed it all. It consumed me. It was my life.” During performances, Norma noticed the effect the mari-

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Artist Norma Jackson at work on a painting in her studio.

onettes had on both the puppeteer and the audience. “Marionettes are the part of us we sometimes would like to have a chance to be,” she says. “Through them we can say things we’d like to say, to express, to demonstrate.” And with her observations and extensive experience as a Master Puppeteer,

Norma drew on all her other life experiences and combined them to work in the ﬁeld of therapeutic arts. “The combination of a hands-on therapeutic use of arts, drama and puppetry provides a powerful and dynamic tool promoting healing and hope,” says Norma. “These tools are spiritu-

ally uplifting, projective, nonthreatening and empowering and just downright fun! They can express the unspeakable and touch the soul when nothing else has worked. They can take on any character trait, represent any metaphor and can transcend age, physical, mental and language barriers.” While Norma has created and developed programs for use in hospice and other organizations, one project stands out in her mind. Over 40 teenagers from various high schools worked with her when she was contracted to develop and implement a suicide intervention program for youth called “Staying Alive.” A weekly program engaged the youth to keep them involved, get their ideas and explore their thoughts on risks for suicide, what upset them, what impacted them and discuss scenarios for a play, which would use marionettes. Eventually, the characters in the

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play emerged, their marionettes were created with the features and clothing applied. At ﬁrst, Norma anticipated drawing on her store of marionettes, but it became clear that each character in this play would need to be created from scratch. She worked through the summer to build the marionettes for the play that was presented the follow-

ing fall. Norma recalls the awe in the room “when the students arrived back at school and there were their characters waiting for them.” Not only did Norma create each marionette, but she also built the set and produced the play – all based on the youths’ input. Storing and moving the ensemble is a huge undertak-

ing and she readily acknowledges the great help and support she’s received from her husband Rod. The result was well worth it because “‘Staying Alive’ was later deﬁned by a Health Canada ofﬁcial as one of the best practices in North America,” says Norma. These days, Norma works on her art – watercolours, acrylics and sculpture – from her gallery in the Cowichan Valley. “My passion is the human condition. I paint whatever moves me and there is usually a story behind each picture,” she says. “I’m still trying to tell a story, even in my paintings, trying to get a message across.” In the meantime, the full cast of HMS Pinafore, Jack and Beanstalk, and Aladdin, plus a myriad of other fascinating characters are waiting, (along with two stages, lights, music, props, sets and everything else that goes along with a theatrical production,) for a chance step SL out of the wings again. To learn more about marionettes and Norma’s current art, visit www. normajacksonartist.com

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PIANO MAN

he chairs in the dining room of The Kensington have been arranged in concert style to prepare for the monthly performance of pianist extraordinaire Bob LeBlanc. When he arrives, the 40 to 50 residents who assemble to hear this 74-year-old piano virtuoso entertain greet him with enthusiastic applause. After 12 years of performing at The Kensington, the enthusiasm of Bob’s audiences never wane. The one-hour concert that Bob presents is a display of his marvellous keyboard talents, which include an incredible repertoire and an ability to create medleys on the spot from requests provided by his audience. This skill fascinates his listeners. As one resident says, “I simply don’t understand how he does it. He doesn’t know what we are going to ask for, so how can he play them without even pausing?” Bob needs to occasionally rest his back during his concerts, so he began, a couple of years ago, to get up and tell the occasional joke. It has become a staple in his presentations and his audiences urge him on with their laughter at every joke. (Well, most of them, anyway). What kind of jokes does he tell? Well, obviously clean ones. An example: The nurse at the nursing station answers the phone and the caller asks, ‘Can you tell me what progress Mrs. Duncan in room 313 is making?’ The nurse replies, ‘I’m happy to report that Mrs. Duncan is doing extremely well and we hope to release her later today or tomorrow. May I ask, are you a relative of Mrs. Duncan’s?’ The caller replies, ‘I am Mrs. Duncan and nobody ever tells me anything around here.’ 18

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Photo: Diane Dahli

BY DIANE DAHLI

Here’s another: A man living in a retirement home was trying to get up the nerve to ask a widow friend if she would join him for dinner. She said, ‘Yes, yes, yes’, and off they went to a fancy restaurant where they had a wonderful time. Since he had known this lady for some time, he decided to get right to the point and asked her to marry him. She said, ‘Yes, yes, yes.’ The next day, with great embarrassment, he phoned her and said, ‘Last night when I asked you to marry me, I can’t for the life of me remember what you answered.’ She replied, ‘I said, yes, yes, yes. However, I am so glad you called because I must confess I couldn’t remember who asked me.’ Bob came to Victoria in 1995 from Halifax where he owned various businesses including WHERE Halifax Magazine. While living in Nova Scotia, he was the creator and music director of a musical octet group called Variety Fare. The group performed in Halifax dinner theatres and throughout Atlantic Canada, presenting full-stage shows like On Broadway and Legends of Broadway, which were subsequently mounted by The Victoria Operatic Society at the McPherson Theatre in 1999 and 2002. Upon arrival in Victoria, Bob longed to be involved in music again. He started by approaching Amica at Somerset House with an offer to perform for the residents. They accepted and he played there almost every Sunday night for two years. That gig led to his introduction to The Kensington in 1997. He has performed there, monthly, ever since. He has also performed at The Carleton House, The Shannon Oaks Retirement Residence,

Parkwood Court and Parkwood Place. While living in Halifax, Bob made regular trips to New York to see the great shows and became an avid fan of Broadway music. He was always impressed by the choral numbers in these shows and dreamed of someday having a chorus of his own to perform this inspiring music. In 2002, Bob approached the Victoria Operatic Society with the idea of forming a Broadway Chorus as a fundraiser for the Society – and thus was born the Victoria Broadway Chorus. The Chorus has been an outstanding success. In the past, it has featured soloists Kathleen West, Pam Miller, Timothy Kyle, clarinetist Gordon Clements, Dwayne Gordon and Ken Lavigne. Ken recently performed at Carnegie Hall in New York. Bob likes to say “We are the best musical group in Victoria that nobody has heard of” – he says this despite the fact that the spring concerts of 2008 drew over 1,600 choral fans in Sidney, Victoria and Duncan. As well as being the creator of the chorus, Bob is the artistic director and its writer, accompanist and publicity guru. Bob has always felt that there should be more purpose to the existence of the chorus. Entering its seventh season, this year’s series of four concerts will beneﬁt the ALS Society of Victoria. A natural charity of choice for Bob, since his family is well acquainted with the debilitating illness, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. With a need to raise their proﬁle, in order to move forward in research and services, this is an important connection for the ALS group. With over 80 singers participating, this chorus will be the largest ever. Through the efforts of choral director Hilary Coupland, the members of the chorus and the volunteers from the ALS Society, Bob hopes to increase attendance at the concerts and thus be able to make a substantial contribution to this worthy charity. Two concerts will be held at the Central Baptist Auditorium in Halifax and two at the Charlie White Theatre in Sidney. Dates and times are available on the chorus website www.victoriabroadwaychorus.com Halifax’s loss is Victoria’s gain as Bob continues to make a SL major contribution to the music scene in Victoria.

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Drinking in the Beauty of Napa STORY AND PHOTOS BY RICK & CHRIS MILLIKAN

The authors enjoying a picnic lunch in California’s Napa Valley.

xploring California’s renowned wine country seems the perfect holiday! Arriving at a touted Napa riverside resort, headlights expose hitches of cottage-style house trailers squatting in the dark. Scenarios from Trailer Park Boys flash through our minds! Yet, the resort’s sunny breakfast orientation reassures our plans to drink in Napa’s beauty and natural wonders. Social director Lucy provides us unseasoned sippers detailed guides full of tasty possibilities. Outlining resort amenities, including wine-sampling evenings, she adds, “The adjacent Napa River is one of California’s four navigable waterways. Forty-niners canoed up this river stocking grub for treks to the goldfields, often packing local wine, which is why you’re here, right?” Our explorations begin at Copia, named for the goddess of abundance. This grandiose complex introduces visitors to wine’s extensive pleasures, and benefits. To sample a multitude of Napa’s wines, guests plunk tokens into an array of vendingstyle machines. Some will attend its wine-tasting programs, arts performances and exhibitions. Upstairs, we investigate the food and wine museum featuring, among other fascinating items, antique teapots, toasters, an early blender and a replicated first dishwasher. Outside, well-tended gardens, an attractive grid of raised plots, showcase fruits and vegetables that pair well with particular wines. Here, we see volunteers cultivating and reaping exceptional produce for its on-site restaurant and gourmet cooking classes. Considering extra inducements of Napa’s 400 wineries, such as art galleries, gardens, caves, great vistas, picnic grounds, specialty wines, unique architecture, organic vineyards, cooking demos/classes, and even bocce ball areas, we set out looping 20

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through sun-drenched countryside. Soon, vibrant red, yellow and white-blossomed rose bushes front trellised rows of gnarly vines. Lucy’s free tasting tickets persuade us to stop at the ivycovered brick Cosentino Winery. Inside, Georgian grape groupies invite us to imbibe with them. Fred, their designated tour driver grins, and introduces himself with a happy face business card. Meanwhile, our cheery sommelier pours a series of reds. Feeling like connoisseurs, we comment, “Nice colour!” “Good bouquet!” “Great body!” “Delicately delicious!” “Terrific aftertaste.” Nobody ritually spits out the wine, in fact, we cough up money for two bottles; those chipper Georgians buy two cases. Nearby, extensive vineyards encircle V. Sattui Winery. Inside its Italian-style villa, we’re served another round of five glasses: their excellent Riesling, a Gamay Rose, Cabernet, solera-made Madeira and Zinfandel, California’s popular indigenous wine. Beloved Zinfandel vines may be pampered beyond their productive stage, living for more than a century! Slick wine labels like Cardinal Zin, Commander Zinskey, Zin Man and Zebra Zin readily sell this heritage libation. And we all feel pretty Zin sipping this perky pale potable. When a red-nosed fellow beside us requests a sixth taste, the sommelier smiles, “Sorry, five’s our legal serving limit!” Rather than explore V. Sattui’s underground cellars and caves, we visit its museum and discover that prohibition put many vintners like Victorio out of business. In 1975, grandson Daryl Sattui took out a small loan and lived here in his van, working hard to re-establish Victorio’s 1885 winery. Now, tending 300 acres of vineyards annually, V. Sattui Winery sells 40,000 cases, strictly to visitors like us. A few miles north, we pull Castello di A morosa

into Daryl’s next enterprise. Here, he modelled a winery after a Tuscan castle where three stories underground provide ideal conditions for wine to mellow. Costing over a $100 million and taking 10 years to build, Castello di Amorosa is North America’s only authentically constructed castle. Crossing its moat and passing through the courtyard, we begin tippling around its cozy bar before touring its regal interior. Entering the huge dining hall, we see that Italian painters had reproduced Good Government; the original mural graces Siena’s city hall. After visiting the chapel with saintly frescos, we dash behind our guide through a bewildering labyrinth of corridors filled with wine barrels. Sighting torture devices in the dungeon, our guide jokes, “That iron maiden and stretch table could be used nowadays to persuade some guys to pay up!” Our castle tour ends in the knight’s tasting room filled with heraldic shields and suits of armour, its walls covered in frescos of jousting. After final toasts to “King” Daryl, we saunter off singing the theme from the Man of La Mancha, “‘dream the impossible dream.’” At Napa Valley’s northern end, we pass through Sarasota Hot Springs, a popular health spa area on our way to Old Faithful geyser. Arriving just in time, we witness this wondrous waterworks, performing for over five minutes, boiling, sizzling and spouting a sparkly 40-foot gusher! Lucy had advised, “If you do go there, check out the fainting goats!” So, wanting to test these renowned possum-playing goats, we sneak up and growl. These Tennessee Fainting goats seem unimpressed. Like most kids, they’d rather nibble purchased grain from our hands. Four miles further, we enter the Petrified Forest. Following a shady trail through native purple-barked manzanita, mossclad California oaks and mottled pink, yellow and orange arbutus, we arrive at the sites of 10 huge prehistoric logs. A sign tells us that over three million years ago, a volcano buried a towering grove of Redwood in fiery ash. Logging, ahem, writing about these silvery mineralized woody wonders in our journals, we head back to V. Sattui Winery. From its gourmet deli, we purchase cold cuts, cheese, potato salad and fresh baked bread. Uncorking a bottle of mis-

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chievous red wine, we picnic in shady gardens with scores of others. On our last day, we choose wineries featuring awesome views. Winding up a quiet road at the valley’s south end, we arrive at Artesa. Parked above terraced vineyards, we climb a long staircase beside a cascading waterfall, stroll past sparkling fountains, reﬂecting pools and commanding sculpture and, as promised, sweeping panoramas of Napa Valley, Carneros and San Francisco. This modern winery looks like an art gallery. Inside, expanses of glass, including a large skylight above the Spanish courtyard, provide natural lighting. Rich wood panels add distinctive warmth. Here, we taste its notable sparkling wines and several robust reds,

while awaiting a guided tour. The guide recounts Codorníu family’s winemaking history, which began west of Barcelona in the mid-16th century. They now produce wines worldwide. In Artesa’s huge cellars, we listen to Gregorian Chants melodiously mellow mountains of kegs. The guide continues, “Not only is wine a matter of grapes, it’s also about oak: choosing the most aromatic species, charring barrels to enhance oaken ﬂavours and protecting this delectable wood from hungry beetles.” Our penultimate stop, Kirkland Ranch Winery lies along Napa Valley’s southern edge. Their three-story log and stone hilltop ranch house perches above extensive vineyards and rolling pastureland. Inside, mariachis celebrate “Cinco de

Mayo” strumming guitars, blaring their trumpets and wistfully harmonizing. On the main ﬂoor, stuffed animal heads gaze down on us thirsty folk around the u-shaped bar; a large mural above depicts its early ranch days. Exemplifying western hospitality, a lanky cowboy-sommelier pours a range of reds, telling us about their organic vineyards, where Peruvian shepherds bring ﬂocks of sheep to graze away weeds while fertilizing the vines. He smiles as we giddily recount our tales: free trolley-rides around Victorian-style Napa; explorations in historic Sonoma; hopping the local Vallejo ferry to San Francisco, and best of all, drinking in the beauty of Napa with memoraSL ble encounters of the wine kind.

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ASK Goldie BY GOLDIE CARLOW, M.ED

Dear Goldie: I am troubled by something. Is it possible to change our ways after age 75? Lately, I have changed my lifestyle by selling my home and moving into a senior care home. After six months, I realize I want to live in an apartment independently. I am in good health and able to cook and shop. I am still an active person. What in the world made me choose a care home? –D.W. Dear D.W.: You aren’t the first person to make a wrong decision. It is especially difficult in the later part of life when there are fewer choices. The important thing is that you now realize it, and are willing and able to change. From what you have shared, you are still in good health, energetic and able to enjoy life. My advice is to not waste time in making the necessary changes so you can resume an active and independent life. There are a number of terrific senior residential homes these days, and this can be your choice when you are no longer able to care for yourself. However, there is no need to rush the situation.

Independence is a wonderful asset as long as it is safe. Enjoy your life! Dear Goldie: I am turning to you for help in an uncomfortable situation. A year ago, my wife died of a heart attack. I sold our home and moved into a condo. I am happy in my new location. It is close to buses and stores. One of my neighbours, however, is an annoying old busybody. She assumes I need “looking after.” I am active and independent, and she is driving me crazy! –L.S.

Dear L.S.: This situation is common. I suspect your “helpful” neighbour is lonely, and assumes you are too. You need to nip this situation in the bud before she takes over your life. Be kind, but ﬁrm. Tell her you are entirely able to run your life, and that you have family who are in touch. Furthermore, you are busy with your own interests and wish to have more privacy to pursue them. Then suggest some community agencies that could use her help. She may be upset, but you need to remain in charge of your own life. SL

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

Goldie Carlow is a retired registered nurse, clinical counsellor and senior peer counselling trainer. MARCH 2009

50+ Active Living Celebration presented by Senior Living magazine Friday, March 13, 2009 10am-4pm

Pearkes Recreation Centre 3100 Tillicum Rd., Victoria BC

Who and What will you ﬁnd at the Celebration? Artists Authors Clubs Volunteer Opportunities History Buffs Antique Appraisers Sports Enthusiasts Hobbyists Collectors Senior Activity Centres Musicians Singers Dancers Charitable Groups Entrepreneurs Service Groups

Discover new hobbies Join a new club Meet enthusiastic people Enjoy day long entertainment

Come Be Inspired by over 140 exhibits and a dozen performances • Admission by Donation

(Donate $5 or more to receive a free copy of Gipp Forster’s book “Reﬂections, Rejections and Other Breakfast Foods”.

• Free Parking 24

SENIOR LIVING

• On-site cafe

For more information, call (250)479-4705

Admission by Donation

(Donate $5 or more & receive a FREE copy of Senior Living Columnist Gipp Festival Forster’s newest book “Reﬂections, Special Rejections & Other Breakfast Foods.” ONLY Regular value $14.95.)

Antique Appraisals

Free evaluations by Senior Living Columnist Michael Rice. Small items or photos only please.

Master of Ceremony

Meet Senior Living Columnist Pat Nichol, who once again will be playing host to the numerous performers you will see throughout the day.

50+ ACTIVE LIVING CELEBRATION ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE 10:45 11:05 11:30 11:45 12:05 12:25 12:50 1:05 1:20 1:45 2:10 2:30 3:00 3:15

Opening Ceremonies City of Gardens Chorus Mary Ross - Accordionist Juan De Fuca Cloggers Grandview Quartet Victoria Ballroom Dance Society A Tale of Old Victoria – Norman K. Archer Historic Fashion Show VI Western Square & Round Dance Association Swinging Strings Ukulele Band Evergreen Choristers Ballroom Dancing - Audience participation Announcements M’tonim Mailika Marimba Band

The Art of Storytelling

Senior Living Columnist Norman K. Archer will entertain you with a “Tale of Old Victoria”

Products and Services for the 50+ Over 60 local businesses will be represented at this year’s celebration offering a wide variety of products and services geared to customers over the age of 50.

SPECIAL THANKS TO THESE CORPORATE SPONSORS:

Join a BUS TOUR coming from UP-ISLAND to the 50+ Active Living Celebration Friday, March 13, 2009 PORT ALBERNI - VICTORIA RETURN

COURTENAY - VICTORIA RETURN

7:00 AM COURTENAY FILBERG CENTRE 6:45 AM PORT ALBERNI 10:00 AM ARRIVE VICTORIA 7:30 AM QUALICUM - CIVIC CENTRE 7:45 AM PARKSVILLE - WEMBLEY MALL 3:45 PM DEPART VICTORIA 7:00 PM COURTENAY - FILBERG CENTRE 8:00 AM NANOOSE - SENIOR CENTRE 8:20 AM WOODGROVE MALL - TOYS “R” US From Courtenay 10:00 AM ARRIVE VICTORIA $35 Tax incl. From Port Alberni 3:30 PM DEPART VICTORIA $35 Tax incl. 5:00 PM NANAIMO 5:20 PM NANOOSE SENIOR CENTRE 5:30 PM PARKSVILLE - WEMBLEY MALL 5:45 PM QUALICUM - CIVIC CENTRE 6:15 PM PORT ALBERNI

CAMPBELL RIVER - VICTORIA RETURN 6:00 AM CAMPBELL RIVER - FERRY TERMINAL TO QUADRA ISLAND 10:00 AM ARRIVE VICTORIA 3:45 PM DEPART VICTORIA 7:00 PM COURTENAY - FILBERG CENTRE From Campbell River

$40 Tax incl.

FOR MORE INFO OR TO RESERVE A SEAT, PLEASE CALL Bill Cove (250) 723-0197 MARCH 2009

Celebrate Embrace Aging Month! Victoria’s annual celebration of positive aging is back for a fourth year with dozens of events for the whole family. Explore all Embrace Aging events online at www.gvef.org or call the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation for more details. “Aging is not lost youth, but a new stage of opportunity and strength” - Betty Friedan Victoria is blessed with one of the largest elder populations in Canada, and it’s only expected to increase over the next decade. That’s why every March the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation invites local seniors, their families and caregivers to join us for Embrace Aging month and discover the many senior-focused resources and services available in our community. We believe connecting with your community through shared interests, knowledge and experience is an essential and rewarding part of a healthy and positive elder life. Attending an Embrace Aging event is one small way you can learn about positive approaches to growing older, whatever age you may be. Here is just a taste of what we have planned this month: 26

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The 50+ Active Living Celebration Join us on March 13 from 10am to 4pm at Pearkes Recreation Centre for the premiere event of Embrace Aging month. Presented by Senior Living Magazine, this inspirational celebration features performances and exhibitions by active seniors in our community. Be sure to visit the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation booth to get all the information on all other Embrace Aging events. Senior-Focused Workshops at the Yakimovich Wellness Centre Expand your horizons, learn a new skill and make friends at the Yakimovich Wellness Centre Senior-Focused Workshop series. Workshops include: Making a Personal Journey Doll (Mar 7), Integration of Western and Chinese Medicine (Mar 17) and learning how to protect yourself with Power of Attorney (Mar 27). Other workshops include: Meds and Food Tips (Mar 2 & 26), Your Personal Health Record (Mar 4), Healthy Living Healthy Heart (Mar 10) and

Falls Prevention (Mar 18 & 20). All workshops are free, but pre-registration is required as space is limited. Embrace Aging Celebration Concert This year Embrace Aging month wraps up with a grand Celebration Concert by the Victoria Soul Gospel Choir with Checo Tohomaso on April 4th at 7:30pm at the Alix Goolden Hall. Tickets for this inspiring and infectious event are sure to sell out quickly, so reserve yours today by calling the Eldercare Foundation at (250) 370-5664. Hosted by the Rotary Club of Oak Bay with net proceeds to beneﬁt the Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation. Explore the Possibilities! For a full listing of all seniorfocused events taking place during March and throughout the year, please visit www. gvef.org or call the Eldercare Foundation at (250) 370-5664. Brochures are also available at Greater Victoria recreation centres and senior centres.

March 2009 Victoria, BC

March is Embrace Aging Month! The Greater Victoria Eldercare Foundation invites you to discover the many resources, activities and educational opportunities available to help embrace the journey of aging.

In Celebration of Embrace Aging Month: Senior Living Magazine presents: 50+ Active Living Celebration March 13th - Pearkes Recreation Centre Vancouver Island Health Authority presents: Senior-focused Workshops for Mind, Body & Spirit March - Yakimovich Wellness Centre Rotary Club of Oak Bay presents: Celebration Concert - Victoria Soul Gospel Choir with Checo Tohomaso and special guest blues musician Bill Johnson April 4th - Alix Goolden Hall Tickets $25 For more info on Embrace Aging Month contact the Eldercare Foundation.

1454 Hillside Avenue Victoria, BC V8T 2B7 250-370-5664 w w w. gvef.org MARCH 2009

��

SCAM ALERT BY ROSALIND SCOTT

Healthy Habits when Joining a Fitness Club

he benefits of regular exercise and a healthy diet are well proven, but choosing a quality health and fitness program requires some homework to avoid a costly mistake. Better Business Bureau (BBB) receives a high volume of complaints this time of year from consumers who have gotten themselves into health and fitness programs that don’t adequately meet their needs. BBB offers the following advice to help consumers select a health or fitness program that best meets their needs: Check with BBB first. Visit www.vi.bbb.org to find BBBaccredited fitness clubs or health programs in your area, and find out the company’s customer satisfaction track record. Determine your health and fitness goals. Do you want to build endurance, lose weight, increase flexibility or become a better golfer? What type of activity do you think will best help you achieve your goals? Should you diet, weight train or maybe do cardio or yoga? Considering these issues in advance will help you select the most appropriate facility. Always consult with a medical professional when setting your fitness goals. Consider your budget. Many programs charge an upfront membership fee to join and a monthly fee thereafter. What amount can you comfortably devote to physical fitness? Once you’ve joined a program keep a close eye on your bank statements to make sure you’re not getting billed more than you should.

We offer products that help Seniors in their day to day lives and have your solutions • Voice activated TV remotes • 911 pendants (No contracts) • Motion Detector Lights • Wireless Light Switches & more

Priority 1 Computers 3375 Oak St., Victoria

250-475-7510 www.priority1.bc.ca 28

SENIOR LIVING LIVING SENIOR

Check out the facilities. Visit several clubs on days and at times you plan to attend to see how busy they are. Do the facilities offer the equipment, classes, amenities, support and hours of operation you require? Note the cleanliness and condition of the equipment, workout area and locker room. Ask around. Check with friends and family for recommendations. Do you know anyone who regularly participates in a health or fitness program? Ask them about what they like and don’t like about their program. Don’t give in to pressure. Walk away from clubs or programs that pressure you to sign a contract on the spot. Ask to take a sample contract home to read it thoroughly before you agree join any program. Read the entire contract. Does the contract list all services, hours of operation and details of the program? Is everything the salesperson promised in the contract? What is included in the monthly fee and what’s going to cost extra? Know the membership details. How long is the membership term and is there an automatic renewal? What are the specific terms and conditions if you want to cancel your membership? Make sure it’s all in writing and keep a copy of the contract for your records. SL Start your search with trust at www.vi.bbb.org If you believe you have been the target 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 info@vi.bbb.org

2008 BBB Torch Award Finalist Shop at Victoria’s Most Trusted Independent Auto Dealer. Every effort is made to ensure our CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, but most importantly, AFTER the sale.

1658 Island Highway, Victoria

250-478-1128 www.car-corral.com

Are you an accredited member of the

Better Business Bureau

BBB members care about their customers and their concerns. For information about Ron advertising Spector in this section, call (250)479-4705.

EW NJANUARY 2009 VANCOUVER ISLAND

Housing Guide for Seniors

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 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

An offer worth hearing about... Purchase a set of Phonak hearing aids before March 31st, 2009 and receive a free Bluetooth communication package valued at $395.

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.

We have over 15 Vancouver Island locations. Call today to ﬁnd the one nearest you!

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

Unheard of Service and Value. Guaranteed.

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 housing guide upon receipt of payment.

NEW

BC N IO T I D E

1-800-563-HEAR (4327) www.islandhearing.com

A Helpful Guide for Seniors Considering Their Residential Options

To Move or Not to Move?

Published by Senior Living January 2009

�

ONLY

9.95

Purchase this book and pick up your free copy of the Vancouver Island Housing Guide for Seniors and Senior Living magazine at any Island Pharmasave store.

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 suggestions to help seniors and their families understand the decisions they need to make. Books may be purchased at these Island locations:

• Home Instead #222 - 1595 McKenzie Ave, Victoria (250-382-6565) • Medichair Victoria 1856 Quadra St. (250-384-8000) • Medichair Nanaimo 2517 Bowen Rd. (250-756-9875) • Medichair Duncan #6, 2628 Beverly St. (250-709-9939) • Munro’s Books 1108 Gov’t. St., Victoria (250-382-2464) • Paradise Isle Senior Centre 1013 Victoria Cres., Nanaimo (250-754-9566) • Russell Books 734 Fort St., Victoria (250-361-4447) • Tanner’s Books 2436 Beacon Ave., Sidney (250-656-2345)

ORDER FORM - “To Move” Name______________________________Address _______________________________ City______________ Prov ___ Postal Code____________Phone ____________________ ___ BOOKS @ $14.60 each (includes $3.95 S&H plus 5% GST) = TOTAL $____________

___ Cheque (payable to Senior Living) ___ CREDIT CARD # _________________________________ Expiry ___________ Name on Card ____________________________________

Mail to: Senior Living 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1 MARCH 2009

BY TIFFANY AUVINEN

hey once appeared together in a school photo when they were eight years old, but it wasn’t until Chris Carter began to play badminton with Sheelagh’s brother, that she caught his eye at 17. Now, married for 43 years, the couple enjoys numerous activities together – especially travelling and playing with their children and grandchildren. The Carters agree the key to their successful marriage is laughter. “We’ll have a disagreement, and then we’ll make up straight away,” says Chris, a retired accountant. Never ones to let opportunities pass by, the couple has applied to volunteer for the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver. Sheelagh, a retired oncology nurse, has completed the ﬁrst phase of the intake process and Chris is still awaiting his initial interview. “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to experience the Olympics, and represent Canada,” says Sheelagh, who would like to show

Play Together Stay Together

attendants to their seats. “I’m interested in seeing how the event operates,” adds Chris. There are 25,000 volunteer positions, and 63,000 applicants vying for them. “Canada, and especially British Columbia, is so multi-cultural,” says Sheelagh. “It will be nice for our grandson, Pierce, who is multi-ethnic, to be exposed to both of his cultures and embrace differences; English and Chinese, through his visits to the Olympics.” Chris and Sheelagh have been globetrotting for decades to the U.S., Spain, France, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Hawaii and London, England, their home city. Most recently, they travelled to Ireland, where Sheelagh met her longtime school friend from England to celebrate Sheelagh’s brother’s 60th birthday. They visited the Waterford glass factory, ﬂew to Devonshire, and then met their daughters and son, along with their families, from Canada. The entire 17-member family stayed

on the beach, sailed, and attended a family wedding in Yorkshire, which took place in an 11th century castle. ”It was amazing,” says Chris. Sheelagh adds, “The trip to Ireland and England was complex since we met with so many family members, but it was incredible!” During the wedding, a videographer interviewed the Canadian guests, so Sheelagh, Chris, and family decided to sing O Canada. “Our son, Robert, added some funny words about our travels, and then we ﬁnished off the remainder of the patriotic song. It was great fun!” says Sheelagh. When Sheelagh and Chris aren’t travelling or bonding with family, they spend time with their “other” family at the Canadian Cancer Society. Sheelagh volunteers a few times a week at the reception desk, and as a dispatcher, booking drivers for cancer patients who have doctor’s appointments. “I began volunteering because I always remembered a patient who had

250-477-3322

www.wilsonstours.com License # 45837

Join us for just for the day or multi day excursions.... March 23,24,25 - Ride the rhythm tour • train up island, Lady Rose down the Alberni Inlet and more April 14,15,16 17 - Gulf Island Hop • Overnight on Saturna, Pender, Saltspring, with day trip to Mayne Island March 30 - Day Trip • Point no Point for lunch followed by Whiff and Spit stroll, dessert at Sooke Harbour House Sept (TBA) - Ladies Only trip • to Toﬁno & Meares Island; 2 nights, beach front resort 30

SENIOR LIVING

breast cancer while I was working in the oncology department at the hospital in Edmonton,” says Sheelagh, “She said that she wished she knew about selfbreast examinations. Then, I was inspired by a Cancer Society presentation, so I decided to get involved.” Sheelagh has presented to government organizations, the Intercultural Association of Victoria, and numerous First Nations groups regarding cancer prevention and body awareness. “Being responsible for your body is important. I had a friend who had bowel changes and then three months later, she passed away from colon cancer. If she would have been more aware of her health changes, she may have increased her lifespan,” she says. “I even encouraged Chris to volunteer.” Chris is past president of the Cancer Society on Vancouver Island, and is helping create a corporate engagement program. He is still a member of the Cancer Society’s ﬁnance committee for British Columbia and Yukon. Their other healthy hobbies include playing bridge, skiing and walking. They’ve recently acquired a new interest – geocaching. Geocaching is an entertaining adventure game for GPS users. Participating in a cache hunt is a good way to take advantage of the features and capability of a GPS unit. The basic idea is to have individuals and organizations set up caches all over the world and share the locations of these caches on the Internet. GPS users can then use the location co-ordinates to ﬁnd the caches. Once found, a cache may provide the visitor with a wide variety of rewards. The rules are simple – if players take something from the cache, they must leave another prize behind. “This is a great way to stay active, and see beautiful sites all over Vancouver Island,” Sheelagh says. “More couples ought to try this.” Sheelagh and Chris agree that planning activities together make them happy, and help them grow in their marriage. They recommend that couples try new hobbies together, so there’s always something to look forward to. A couple that plays toSL gether, stays together.



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  

   09-0010 WR SeniorLivingMag-LoveAtFirstSight:Ad 1/13/09 3:10 PM Page 1   

Visit an Amica Community near you! Call to arrange your personal tour. Mainland Communities Amica at Arbutus Manor

2125 Eddington Drive Vancouver, BC V6L 3A9

604.736.8936 Amica at Mayfair

2267 Kelly Avenue Port Coquitlam, BC V3C 6N4

Love at first sight takes time. Maturity

blesses us with a sense of when something is just right. A feeling that comes over you on your first visit to an Amica retirement residence. Discover a unique lifestyle opportunity, with 5-star resort amenities and the company of others who have active lives and no intention to slow down. Amica will justify your belief that the later years should be the best; prompting envy among the younger members of your family. Amica. You'll know right away.

604.552.5552 Amica at Rideau Manor

1850 Rosser Avenue Burnaby, BC V5C 5E1

604.291.1792 Amica at West Vancouver

659 Clyde Avenue West Vancouver, BC V7T 1C8

604.921.9181

Island Communities Amica at Beechwood Village 2315 Mills Road Sidney, BC V8L 5W6 250.655.0849 Amica at Douglas House 50 Douglas Street Victoria, BC V8V 2N8 250.383.6258 Amica at Somerset House 540 Dallas Road Victoria, BC V8V 4X9 250.380.9121

• Luxury Independent Rental Retirement Living • All Inclusive • Full Service Fine Dining • Wellness & Vitality™ Programs • 24-Hour Concierge • Resort-Inspired Amenities www.amica.ca 09-0010

MARCH 2009

THE LAND OF ETERNAL SUNSHINE STORY AND PHOTOS BY CAROL ANN QUIBELL

Just because you no longer carry a backpack doesn’t mean you can’t have an adventure!

ack your suitcase, call your travel agent and book a flight to Guatemala for a journey of adventure and fresh new experiences. If your “must-do list” includes learning a new language, climbing a volcano, exploring noise-filled colourful markets or visiting Mayan preColumbian ruins, Guatemala is your destination. Quoted as being the land of eternal sunshine, it has become popular with more than just young backpackers. Retirees from all over the world are finding this Central American location an eventful place to visit or even retire. If you are looking for all-inclusive beach resorts, amusement parks or well-manicured golf courses, make other arrangements. But, if you are a bit of an 32

SENIOR LIVING

adventurer and are looking for the extraordinary versus the ordinary, take a chance on this emerging tourist destination. Many travellers stop in Guatemala to study Spanish at one of the hundreds of language schools that can be found throughout the country. The most popular location is the city of Antigua, with international travellers on every corner and over 75 schools to choose from. It’s deﬁnitely not a typical Guatemalan city, but its crumbling ruins covered in vivid bougainvillea, the three volcanoes that overlook it, very comfortable accommodation and great restaurants make it a stop that should be part of every tour. The low cost and a friend’s recommendation brought Glo-

ria Forbes, a university professor from Saskatoon to Quetzaltenango (Xela) to study Spanish at one of their reliable schools. Living in an area less populated by foreign tourists, Gloria was forced to use the words she learned daily in the classroom to mix with the friendly locals. San Pedro La Laguna and Panajachel are also popular for people wishing to spend time exploring Lago de Atitlán (Lake Atitlan) and attend one of their language schools. Walking through the town centre in Panajachel and looking into the open-air cafés and bars reveals that tourists of every age enjoy a good meal and great company.

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Chichicastenango market originally sold the basics to locals, but it has expanded to become one of the most popular tourist shopping areas in all of Guatemala. Thursdays and Sundays bring busloads of foreigners into town looking for the traditional distinctive rich-coloured Mayan textiles that include clothing, linens, wall hangings and blankets. If you want to buy a chicken, you can ﬁnd one here too. They have it all! Thirty-ﬁve volcanoes are spread throughout Guatemala with four currently active. Many can be explored by climbing and stumbling up over the lava rock, which crumbles under foot with each step. A day trip to Pacaya, one of the ac-

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tive volcanoes, is 25 km from Antigua and includes the opportunity of looking down into the hot smoking crater. A short flight from Guatemala City is one of the most fascinating Mayan archaeological sites in Central America. Situated in a rainforest, the sounds of howling monkeys can be heard from the hotels located in the Tikal National Park. If you are one of the lucky few that is able to enter the park to watch the sunrise, you will feel the magic that surrounds the ruins. “It was definitely a culture shock and nothing like I expected,” said my husband Barry, a first-time visitor to Guatemala.

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“Although we only visited Antigua, Panajachel and Chichicastenango, at no time did I feel unsafe, but I was wary in the crowded market town of Chichicastenango and was watchful when wandering the streets.” Panajachel on Lago de Atitlán was a favourite stop, says Barry, because it was possible for him to become completely immersed in the culture of the local villages that surround the lake. “Foreigners can be both good and bad for any country,” says Gloria about whether she would recommend Guatemala to her friends. She hesitated and then responded with a “yes.” She spoke of not wanting the country to lose its appeal and charm, but knows the locals need the tourist dollars. Many foreign retirees have chosen to live in Xela because it is quieter than the more popular Antigua. Their pensions from home stretch further here and the climate is milder than Canada’s. As with travelling in any foreign country, visitors to Guatemala should be cautious. With proper planning and an

open mind, there are endless new experiences for every level of adventure. SL How to get th ere: Continental A irlines, Delta Airlines and Mex icana are just a few of the internat ional airlines th at ﬂy into Guatemal a City from where travellers disp erse to destin ations throughout the country. Transportation : Shuttles are ch eap and will ta ke you everywhe re! There are pr iv ate cars with driv ers, taxis, tour buses and, of co urse, the all-fa mous “chicken buses. ” Tours: In almost ever y tourist locati on, there are tour op erators that can arrange transpor tation or ticket s for any activity or attraction. Do some comparison sh opping and don’ t forget to barter. It ’s expected.

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A LIFE AT SEA I

n 1955, Port Alberni teenager Garett Ollander and his friend had saved their money and were on their way to a local dance when an offthe-cuff remark to some other lads resulted in fisticuffs. Garett never made it to the dance. Instead, he found himself in jail with blood dancing across his clean shirt. It was the turning point in his life. “Being thrown in jail was the best thing that ever happened,” he says. While the idea, he now realizes, was to give him a scare and turn him loose, the result was Garett making a choice that sent his life in a direction he’d never imagined. Garett’s enthusiasm for the sea had kept him active and occupied throughout his childhood when, for extra pocket money, he’d catch and sell fish, make himself useful around the boats, sometimes building packing boxes for the cannery and going out on boats whenever he could. Growing up around ships, fishing boats and hanging around the waterfront was Garett’s childhood both in Port Alberni and, for a while, in Steveston. By age 12, he worked as a deckhand on a fishing boat and was out on the west coast swells after salmon. “I just loved it,” he says, “I never got seasick and I had nothing but energy.” 36

SENIOR LIVING

As time went on, he found himself in some pretty rugged company as he worked first as a waterboy for the men who packed lumber in the holds of the ships, and then eventually doing that work himself for three years. He fit in, worked hard, got stronger and he thought this was how his life would be. But the tussle outside the Midway Café on the way to the dance changed all that. In jail, one of the police officers told Garett there was a job opening for a deckhand on an RCMP boat, and if he didn’t take the opportunity to apply for it, he’d find himself in jail a lot throughout his life. Although the idea of being in the RCMP had never occurred to Garett, he didn’t think twice and took that opportunity. “I loved boats and thought this would be great – live on the boat and travel around.” Garett was with the RCMP Marine Division from 1955 to 1963 and his travels on the 65’ ex-airforce boat took him to all the logging camps, mines, canneries and settlements along the west coast of Vancouver Island. “There wasn’t anyone we were not in contact with,” he says, “including Cougar Annie.” Known

B Y E N IS E O L D IN G

for the garden she created out of the wilderness in Boat Basin, Cougar Annie’s reputation as a local character was wellknown to the five aboard the RCMP boat. True to her name, she hefted a shotgun and shot errant cougars, and tried to sell one of the skins to Garett. When the boat called in to Cougar Annie’s place “we would take a small boat in,” recalls Garett. “One day, I could see a dead killer whale on the beach and thought I could see someone behind it. Sure enough, it was Cougar Annie and she was cutting chunks off the whale with a cross-cut sword,” he laughs, “she told us she’d render it down for chicken feed!” Garett relished this life: the travel, the experiences, performing much needed services and treasures special memories of backpacking trips into the mountains with local people. “I couldn’t wish for a better life,” he confirms. And during this time, under the tutelage of the officers, he studied and got his 3rd Mates Ticket, then his 2nd

Mates Ticket and his Masters Ticket on May 20th, 1960. He also studied in Vancouver when the Small Vessels Regulations came into force and in Ottawa for RCMP Marine Division training. By then, he was aboard the 100’ Fairmile design steel boat with a crew of 13. Changing course in 1963, Garett joined the Coast Guard, where he’d be involved in rescues and patrols. He particularly enjoyed visiting the lighthouses along the coast. A couple of years later, he saw the 5,000-tonne ice breaker the Camsell, and thought “I would like to get on that!” And he did. Garett, and a crew of 51 aboard the Camsell, headed to the Arctic, where their job was to assist all shipping such as small tankers, tugs and barges. “We departed Victoria 15th June and worked our way up the B.C. coast to Prince Rupert where we took on ﬁnal stores and the helicopter, and then headed across the North Paciﬁc to the Bering Straits, then across the top of Alaska and into Canadian water,” Garett recalls. Garett took up photography and on every occasion possible he’d leave the ship and capture images of the landscape and life around him. On one such excursion, when he was being transported by helicopter to take pictures of the ship coming through some impressively heavy ice, he was about to alight when he changed his mind for a better location. Lucky for him because as they were pulling away, he spotted a polar bear the other side of the rise with which he would have come face to face. Garett has many experiences as captain onboard private vessels: laying undersea cables, towing boats, travelling to Australia, China, Norway, England, Holland and the U.S. as a marine consultant, and running the famed Lady Rose for a year, of which Garett says, “I’ve never enjoyed anything so much because there were people from all over the world aboard.” Garett lives in Nanaimo now and styles himself a storyteller. “I enjoy sharing my life experiences in all phases of life with anyone who likes to share,” he says. Those pictures he took on his many trips are now edited, and form three digital presentations that many groups have enjoyed: from the Newcomers Club to the Legion. Images and yarns, stories and arSL tifacts, Garett welcomes the chance to share them all. To contact Garett, e-mail him at: garett-g@shaw.ca

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Courageous s u o e g a r t u O

BY PAT NICHOL

WHAT WILL IT BE?

Photo: Frances Litman

It is tragic to do something you hate; something that ife can be an adventure or a chore. How we see the world and ourselves is up to us. It makes getting through each day a chore. You are miserdoesn’t matter if we are 40 or 80, alone or able and, usually, so are the people with whom you inpart of a couple. Everyone around us is merely a sup- teract. Now is the time to be the hero of our own story. At porting character in the grand proevery age, we have the opportunity to star in our own duction that is our life. If that is the case, then what is adventure. Being 50 can be fabulous, 60 sensational, 70 wrong with following a differ- scintillating. (I was told the last one recently when I spoke about being in my 50s ent path? Movies 60s – one of the don’t last forever The story of our life is about and audience members graand, sometimes, the plot changes. If us; what we make of it, alone ciously let me know that the 70s are even we’re unsuccessor with others, will be the better.) Each age offers ful, we can change us something we didn’t course. We can put story that is written. have before. an end to one path The story of our life and begin another. There is a wonderful quote that I is about us; what we make of it, alone or with others, refer to often, “I cannot change the will be the story that is written. It’s up to us whether the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to al- storyline is a tragedy, a comedy, a romance or a wild adways reach my destination.” What does this quote venture. You choose. What will it be, an adventure or a mean to you? How could you use it to make your life chore? I would love to hear what kind of adventure you are a grand adventure? SL living right now. Time to explore our options. Have you thought lately “What is it that I enjoy doing? What am I naturally good at? What did I enjoy doing at the age of Pat Nichol is a speaker and published author. She makes her 12 that when my mother called me for lunch, I didn’t home in Victoria, but travels the world. She can be reached at www.patnichol.com even hear her I was so involved in my activity?”

SENIOR LIVING

BYGONE Treasures View of Roatan from Valor

All Those Little Bits of Paper

n every estate I’ve worked on, I’ve found a brown envelope marked “important papers.” Inside are mortgage documents on homes long sold, expired passports, some blurry photos of two people at a high school dance and, of course, BRIC shares. But I won’t dwell on that! Where the treasure lies is in the box that the family wants to chuck out. As humans, we have a primal urge to line our nests with paper stuff, in case we need it later. So, here are my thoughts on separating the interesting material from the ﬁsh wrap, and your chance to show the family you were right to hang on to it in the ﬁrst place. A short list of paper items currently sought by collectors includes advertising brochures, calendars, ink blotters, maps, old letters, scrapbooks, theatre programs, sheet music and posters. Now, insert “not just any” in front of each of these categories. To have collector value, it should predate the mid 1960s, and subject matter, size and condition are important. You may have a Hudson’s Bay Company calendar worth $30 or more, an old Woodward’s brochure ($10), a prewar street map of Duncan ($10) or a Second World War recruitment poster ($100s). It’s not hard to see how a box or two of this equals a wallet full of money. Look for items associated with well-known names. A theatre program featuring Paul Robeson is worth more than one featuring the Daughters of Leechtown Saucepan Orchestra. Another key point involves genre. Horror movie posters are extremely desirable, especially those from the 1930s. A fullsize poster from The Mummy (1932) is valued at almost a half million dollars, so don’t thumbtack yours to your bedroom wall. A poster from Marilyn Monroe’s Some Like It Hot (1959) brings $6,000; and a Bogart poster from The African Queen (1952), about half that. Cinemas used to give these away! Calendars are true ephemera. They’re used for a year then blue-boxed to begin life anew as a macaroni box. Years ago, you got one free from your gas station, the hardware store or the grocery down the street. Most had artwork at the top, a space for the store’s name, and a date pad where you tore off a sheet every month. The more months left on the pad the better, but if you’ve cut the artwork off, you’ve missed your chance. I love old family letters. People took time to write about their travels, their health, their kids, the farm and the challenges of life in a new land. While some think these are private and should be burned, I disagree as each letter represents a swatch of our social fabric. Last year, I found a letter from

a young man to his sister disBY MICHAEL RICE cussing the trials of running a general store in 1898 Sandon (now a ghost town in the Kootenays). Another letter was from a Welsh miner in Cumberland writing of his loneliness, but encouraged by having steady work in the coalmines. This is B.C. history at its finest. If you travel by bus, you probably read those little pamphlets called The Buzzer. They’ve been around over 90 years, capturing the mood of the populace, celebrating royal visits, providing powersaving tips and slipping in a few jokes. I found 600 old Buzzers once and discovered they were worth between a quarter and a couple dollars each. “Reddy Kilowatt,” the electric company mascot, appeared on some of them and his character is popular with the collector crowd. I must mention the most hilarious piece of literature ever produced by our government and often found in the important papers envelope. For years, every new house had to contain a blue Civil Defense booklet that spelled out measures to be taken in the event of an emergency or a disaster. What made up an emergency wasn’t defined, but presumably might include invasions from outer space and attacks by gangs of disgruntled defeated parliamentary candidates. When a disaster occurred, people were to head home, load up 200 pounds of food, clothing and survival gear (including shovels), then proceed in an orderly fashion up-Island! The booklet fails to say what the population was to actually do up-Island, as its mandate seemed to end at Langford. Try to picture 350,000 overloaded people climbing the Malahat as if it were the Chilkoot Pass in the Yukon gold rush. These little blue booklets are worth a couple of dollars, but are priceless for their unintentional humour. Never assume your old paper stuff is worthless. There are SL treasures amid the trash! Comments and suggestions for future articles are welcome and can be sent to Michael Rice PO Box 86 Saanichton, BC or by email to fenian@shaw.ca Want to find out if some of your old stuff has collector value? Michael Rice will be at the 50+ ACTIVE LIVING CELEBRATION at Pearkes Recreation Centre on March 13 providing FREE valuations. Small, interesting old things preferred. No furniture, artwork or expensive jewelry, please! MARCH 2009

PEACE AND HEALING STORY AND PHOTO BY VERNICE SHOSTAL

orn to a fishing family in New Westminster and raised in Surrey, ordained non-denominational minister Gregg Hofstad began his musical journey when he was a young child. Gregg sang in church choirs and Christmas programs. Before he reached his teens, he was already playing the piano and guitar, writing his own songs and singing in churches, coffee houses and seniors’ homes. As far back as he can remember, Gregg says, he accompanied his parents whenever they showed films of their family in the fishing industry, films of sunsets, beaches, sharks and storms. “I would push the residents around in wheelchairs when I was only seven,” he recalls. As an adult, the former commercial fisherman performed in hospitals, cafés, parks and at many Vancouver Island Community events. Starting at an early age and continuing throughout his adult life, Gregg has recorded many CDs and full multimedia DVD productions. Recently, he returned from a four-week music tour where he sang in towns as far north as Prince George. In the early days, Gregg took a few tips from the professionals but, mostly, he taught himself to read and write music; he now creates by ear. “It goes much faster,” he says, “and it is best to memorize songs or else you will be stuck performing with pages in front of you.” Gregg enjoys folk songs with simple lyrics and messages and are easy to sing along with. He has written many songs about the ocean, the countryside and the old homestead, which he mixes with songs from Bob Dylan and 19th century hymns such as “Peace like a River,”

SENIOR LIVING

“How Great Thou Art” and “Church in the Wildwood.” His music therapy incorporates faster songs while listeners use tambourines, shakers, and bells to sound along. In seniors’ residences, care attendants often help residents get up to dance. Gregg likes to hear stories relayed by the seniors, who “have had amazing lives and

our energy and physical abilities,” says Gregg. During their last few years in the business, the couple converted their boat into a station that bought and sold ﬁsh to customers in Ladysmith. Gregg and Benita have four children, all of whom have worked in the seafood business.

love to sing along.” For many years, before becoming a full-time musician, Gregg and his wife, Benita, who he says was a remarkable sea person, operated a family business fishing in their 52’ Halibut longliner. “We would halibut fish in nasty storms far off shore all over the West Coast as far as the Queen Charlottes, winter and summer,” says Gregg. Finally, the couple retired from fishing. “The ocean has taken its toll on

When they retired, Gregg and Benita travelled and performed extensively in their 40-foot Greyhound RV bus. For 12 years, they’ve visited destinations in the U.S., South America, across Canada from Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, through the Prairies, the northern cities through Peace River and the Queen Charlotte Islands. They sang in churches, seniors’ homes, hospitals, prisons and native reserves. Carrying his own amp, microphone and extension cords with him,

Gregg requires little to set up, particularly in situations such as house concerts where people invite their friends and put on a barbecue. “It works in remote areas,” he says, “where ranchers live too far from town.” The eclectic minister, singer and songwriter, spent time in Argentina, where he and others performed in various churches and theatres with crowds of over 4,500 people. He was impressed with the clean South American cities. “A very wonderful place to be,” he says. His group also performed in prisons. “They [inmates] love it,” says Gregg. “They really do. It’s like, you really feel like you’re Johnny Cash. They always treat singers well because it’s a special event and they don’t get a lot of privileges.” Gregg will continue to share music, which he believes is not only enjoyable, SL but brings peace and healing. For more information about Gregg Hofstad and his music, e-mail ghofstad@msn.com

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Symphony of Quilts STORY AND PHOTOS BY CINDY SCRABA

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his spring welcomes the return of the popular West Shore Quilters’ Guild show, Symphony of Quilts, a colourful renaissance of fabric and quilted artistry. The WSQG produced their FirstEver Quilt Show in spring 2007, held at the Eagle Ridge Community Centre in Langford. Due to the overwhelming support of the West Shore community and merchants, the show is returning for an encore performance March 27 to 29. The Westshore Quilters’ Guild was chartered in 2006, after founding President Jan Peever and Vice-President Anna La Drew visited the famous Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show in Sisters, Oregon. The two became determined to form a local guild for the West Shore communities. “The purpose of this guild is to promote the love and craft of quilting and to share it with others,” says Jan. Since its inception, guild members have been active in various events: Langford Days Parade, Luxton Fall Fair, Mother’s Day Paint-In at Royal Roads, Music in the Park at Veterans’ Memorial Park, Communities in Bloom and Metchosin Days. The guild also established the Westshore Charity Quilts Society under the guidance of Committee Chair Muriel Champagne. This committee meets regularly to create new quilts to donate throughout the community. The Cridge Transition House for Women is the guild’s main charity recipient and has received hundreds of quilts sewn by volunteers. Women who stay at the shelter leave with a donated quilt that some have referred to as a “hug.” The Charity Society is also make quilts that ﬁt on wheelchairs to help seniors and others stay warm. To ensure this worthwhile program continues, the Society accepts donations of

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cash, fabric and quilts from the public. The West Shore Guild welcomes new members to their general meetings held the fourth Thursday of each month, which alternate between 9:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. at Pilgrim United Church on Painter Road. The Guild offers workshops and classes taught by talented instructors from Vancouver Island and beyond. Other Guild opportunities include access to library resources, socials and sewing days, newsletters, fabric exchange and participation in the annual sewing retreat. Thanks to this dedicated group of volunteers, Symphony of Quilts 2009 is sure to be an extraordinary event. The show will March 27th, 28th, 29th, 2009 feature hundreds Friday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. of quilts including Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. heirloom, vintage, Sunday 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. traditional, conEagle Ridge Community Centre temporary, chal1089 Langford Parkway lenge quilts, wall Admission: $5 hangings, art quilts, children and youth quilts, games, demonstrations, plus a lively merchant’s mall. The Guild will have a Members’ Store, featuring handcrafted items, including quilts for sale to the public. Visitors can also purchase rafﬂe tickets for three lovely quilts on display at the show. And rafﬂe tickets will be available at various mall kiosks during March, before the show weekend. According to Show Chair Joyce Wallace, “This is a quilt show you won’t want to miss!” Bring along friends, mothers, aunts, sisters, daughters and others. Yes, men are also welcome! This year features a fun activity for men or anyone who appreciates musical trivia. There are prizes for identifying “oldies tunes” with various clues cleverly quilted onto fabric blocks. Attend the show to see how you can win! SL For more information on the show and how to become active with the guild, visit their website, www.westshorequiltersguild.com or attend a meeting or purchase a membership at the show.

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Rational Investing in Irrational Times Charity in Changing Times Divorce Decisions Fixed Income & Capital Preservation

April M. Dorey, B.Comm, FMA, FCSI Direct Line: 250 405 2429 www.aprildorey.com Securities-related products and services are offered through Raymond James Ltd., member CIPF. Financial planning and insurance products and services are offered through Raymond James Financial Planning Ltd., which is not a member CIPF. Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC

�� • Wheelchairs & Seating • Scooters, Walkers & Rollators �� • Vehicle Conversions & Adaptations* �� • Bathroom Safety Products �� • Porchlifts, Stairlifts & Home Elevators* • Incontinence & Wound Care • Blood Pressure & Home Diagnostic Equipment • Back Care, Supports & Braces • Aids to Daily Living � �

�� The last Thursday of every month is Senior’s Day! � �� Seniors receive a 20% discount with �� a Shoppers Optimum Card. � ��

�� 1561 Hillside Ave., Victoria �� (250)370-2984 �� *20% seniors discount does not apply to these items.

MARCH 2009

events

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MISCELLAENOUS VICTORIA ORCHID SHOW Mar 7–8

Student Union Building University of Victoria (corner Ring Road & Finnerty). Hundreds of blooming orchid plants for show and for sale. Tix: $6. Info, 250-217-4390.

50+ ACTIVE LIVING CELEBRATION Mar 13

Full day of exciting, interactive demonstrations and displays by active, enthusiastic participants who enjoy various hobbies, interests and passions. Authors, athletes, artists, hobbyist, musicians, singers, dancers, storytellers, historians, collectors, seniors clubs and more will be on hand to provide information and insight into the activities they enjoy participating in. Come discover new hobbies, join a new club or just enjoy the ambiance of this fun event. Something for everyone. 10am – 4pm at the Pearkes Recreation Centre, 3100 Tillicum Rd. Admission by donation. Info, 1-877-479-4705 or ofﬁce@seniorlivingmag.com

THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX Mar 29

Are your children or grandchildren Harry Potter fans? A family Easter event for kids of all ages: Explore a mystery! A secret room! Eye witnesses! Flames, ashes, a chalice and an egg! What will be the prize? St. Barnabas Anglican Church, corner of Belmont and Begbie, 3pm–5pm. Free; optional donation. Contact 250-595-4324.

SPRING HARBINGER DAYS Mar 7–8

Starting from 10am–3pm. Admission by donation. Come enjoy the early spring colour and relax with a cup of tea and scones in the Tearoom. More info, 250-752-8573.

SYMPHONY OF QUILTS Mar 27–29

Westshore Quilters’ Guild Quilt Show. Beautiful quilts, special displays, live music, merchant’s mall, concession, rafﬂe quilts, door prizes, guild boutique, games and, hands on demonstrations. Eagle Ridge Community Centre, 1089 Langford Parkway, Langford. 10am–6pm. Admission $5. More info, 250-294-0373.

MUSIC BANYAN TREE Mar 13

Open stage featuring Prairie Jewel, a contem-

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porary folk-singer from Winnipeg. 8pm at Gardiner Hall, 2070 Granite Street. Tix: $5.

The concert features internationally acclaimed classical accordion soloist N. Antonio Peruch performing the Aconcagua Concerto for Accordion, Strings and percussion by Piazzolla. Mar 7 – 8pm at the Sooke Community Theatre, 6218 Sooke Rd. Mar 8 – 2:30pm at the New St. Mary’s Anglican Church, 4125 Metchosin Rd. Tickets are available in Sooke at Shoppers Drug Mart, South Shore Gallery, Wood Travel, Sooke Legion; in the West Shore at Tom Lee Music; in Victoria at Long & McQuade, Larsen Music and Ivy’s Book Shop or at the Metchosin Country Store. Tix: $15. More info, 250-6422849.

LINDA AND JOEL STOBBE Mar 22

Brilliant mother and son team perform works for cello and piano at 2pm in the St. Michael’s Church, Chemainus. Call 250-246-2522 or visit www.smpconcerts.ca

LEGENDS Mar 27

Ocean Entertainment Worldwide Presents the Best of Judy Garland & Rosemary Clooney. Part of the Legends Series celebrating women in music. Starring award-winning singer/actress Jayme Armstrong. 8pm at the Alix Goolden Performance Hall (Victoria Conservatory of Music), 907 Pandora Ave. Tix: $35, Royal McPherson Box Ofﬁce. Call 250-386-6121 or online www. rmts.bc.ca

SENIOR LIVING

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videssigrickscott or contact Valley Hennell at 250-740-0047.

FREE TAX REDUCTION CLINIC Mar 5

For persons with disabilities and their families, from 1pm–2:30pm learn about the Disability Tax Credit. Presenter: Linda Chornobay, Disability Refund Specialist, Enabled Financial Solutions. James Bay New Horizons, 234 Menzies St. 1877-381-2610.

FOOD AND MOOD, WHAT’S EATING YOU? Mar 12

What inﬂuences our eating habits? How do our moods and emotions play a role in what we eat (and vice versa)? How can we identify and manage “triggers”? Many people blame themselves for what they eat. There is a lot of guilt and shame around food and health. Let’s share some tools and strategies for change! Pre-register by March 10 by calling 250-382-5454 ext. 222. 7pm–8pm at the Monterey Centre, 1442 Monterey Ave, Oak Bay.

VICTORIA FLOWER ARRANGERS GUILD Mar 10

Garth Homer Centre, 813 Darwin Rd, Saanich. Topic: Workshop for Vertical design for pre-paid and pre-registered members. Presenters: Guild experienced designers. Experienced designers, please bring your own materials to execute

PSALM SONGS FOR LIFE Mar 15

St. Barnabas Sunday Afternoon Concert Series continues with the Linden Singers, directed by Dr. Garry Froese, including Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, Brahms and Palestrina. 2pm at the St. Barnabas Anglican Church, corner of Belmont and Begbie. Tix; $10. Contact 250595-4324.

DOUBLE VISION Mar 28

SUBSCRIPTION ORDER FORM  Yes, I would like

(Includes GST and S & H)

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SPEAKERS AND WORKSHOPS

ON WITH THE DANCE Mar 7–8

Purchase a subscription to Senior Living for just $32 and never miss an issue!

to subscribe to Senior Living - Vancouver Island (12 issues). Enclosed please ﬁnd my cheque for $32.

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MAGAZINE

Name __________________________________________________ Address ________________________________________________ City ___________________________________________________ Province ________________ Postal Code ____________________

Mail to: Senior Living 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

The 70-Voice VICTORIA BROADWAY CHORUS presents an evening of Broadway and Hollywood favourites led by pianist Bob LeBlanc and choral director Hilary Coupland

Friday, March 27, 7pm Saturday, March 28, 2pm Central Baptist Auditorium, Tickets $25 at Long & McQuade, Munro’s Books, Ivy’s Book Shop or by phone 250-889-9534

Saturday, April 4, 7pm Sunday, April 5, 2pm Charlie White Theatre, Sidney Tickets $25 at the box office or by phone 250-656-0275

Proceeds will go to the ALS Society of Victoria www.victoriabroadwaychorus.com

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a version of the Vertical design, i.e. Modern, Abstract or Contemporary. Pre-pay and pre-register for the April workshop. New members and visitors welcome to watch. Info, 250-655-1524.

nity Centre, 6000 Oliver Rd, 12:15pm. Speaker: Heather Johnson, Director of Programs, BC Branch, Transplant Month. RSVP Marian 250758-4561.

NAVIGATING THE HEALTHCARE SYSTEM Apr 4

ALL THAT JAZZ BENEFIT CONCERT Apr 1

Are you confused as to who to call if your elderly parent is becoming frailer and may need assistance to help him or her manage at home? What is an Adult Day Program? Who do I talk to in the hospital to arrange going into a care facility? If any of these questions sound familiar, this session for Family Caregivers will provide you with answers. In an informal setting where questions and discussion are welcome, learn valuable information to help you understand and navigate the healthcare system. 10am–12pm at the Canadian Cancer Society, Vancouver Island Lodge, 2202 Richmond Rd. $20. Limited seating, please register by March 29. More info, 250-384-0408.

FILM SERIES AND DISCUSSION Monday Evenings in March

St. Barnabas Lenten Film Series and Discussion, featuring writer, director & producer Hilary Prior. 7pm Mondays at the St. Barnabas Anglican Church, corner of Belmont and Begbie. Free. Contact 250-595-4324.

Nanaimo Musician’s Association and VIU jazz and vocal students pay tribute to the memory of Frank Arnone, former Hospice client and jazz student mentor. All beneﬁts go to Hospice. Tix: $10 at door. Show starts at 7:30pm–9:30pm. More info, 250-758-8857.

DOUBLE VISION Mar 2 & 8

Two veteran roots musicians celebrate release of their new duo CD with shows at Port Theatre, and Dinghy Dock, Duncan, Lantzville, Gabriola, Courtenay and beyond. Accompanied by Trish Clair-Peck (violin) and Shelley Brown (acoustic bass). Mar 2 – Port Theatre, 125 Front St. Tix for Port Theatre at 250-754-8550. Mar 8 – Dinghy Dock 8 Pirates Lane. Tix at Falconer Books, Dinghy Dock or info@rickscott.ca. Full tour details www.myspace.com/davidessigrickscott or contact Valley Hennell at 250-740-0047.

CELEBRATING WOMEN Mar 7–8

The West Coast Women’s Show is a two-day

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tradeshow for and about women! Over 90 exhibitors, gifts, seminars, beauty products, health and wellness, business and ﬁnancial info, fashion and more! 9am–7pm, 10am–5pm, Beban Park Auditorium, 2300 Bowen Rd., Nanaimo.

DOUBLE DIAMOND Mar 7

The Deﬁnitive Neil Diamond Tribute – Artist and show presenter Bill Zaalberg has successfully recreated the Neil Diamond world tour concert to a “T.” The 3-hour glitzy “double” feature opens the evening with “TUSK” – The Fleetwood Mac tribute as performed by several members of the 11-piece live show. A full brass section, three female backup vocalists and a full rhythm section. Show starts at 7:30pm at the Port Theatre, 125 Front St. Info, 250-754-8550.

CUMBERLAND TAIWANESE LANTERN FESTIVAL Mar 21-29

Giant, glowing intricately designed wire and cloth sculptures of all sizes, shapes and themes. At least 30 professionally designed lanterns alongside hundreds of local versions will be displayed at Cumberland’s recreation centre in the Comox Valley. Parade, cooking demos and a mass release of sky lanterns lend a festive air to this 5th annual event. More info: 250-336-8313 or www.cumberlandlanternfestival.org

THEATRE BROADWAY BABES AND BEAUS Mar 27–29

Presented by the Monterey Note-Ables at The Monterey Recreation Centre, 1442 Monterey Avenue. Mar 27 – 7:30pm. Mar 28 – 2pm & 7:30pm. Mar 29 – 2pm. Tix: $10 available at the ‘NOTE-Ables’ Box ofﬁce in the Monterey Recreation Centre lounge, between 9am and 12pm on Monday to Friday from Mar 9 – Mar 27. More info, 250-598-0354.

NORTH ISLAND KIDNEY FOUNDATION, NANAIMO CHAPTER Apr 2

Brenda Ellis Certiﬁed Senior Advisor

Lunch meeting at the Oliver Woods Commu-

MARCH 2009

Mind GAMES

Crossword PUZZLE Across 2. Sudden pains 6. Sturdy twilled trousers 11. American 13. Participant 15. Not closed 17. Small notch 18. Strength 19. Edges 20. Kinds of person 21. Stagnant 22. Journey 23. Long-leaved lettuce 25. In this place 26. Alimentary canal 30. 1st letter of the Greek alphabet 32. Violates 36. Full-circle artillery sight 37. Strong thread 38. Atomize

40. Sorrowful 41. Pouches 47. Twain 49. Shut with force 50. Horses 54. An Afrikaner 55. State in the central United States 56. Musical toy 57. Old 58. Change direction 59. Inactive 60. Harden by heat 61. German currency 62. Donkeys

Down 1. Subject to alternating mania and depression 2. Dry measures 3. Sacred chests

4. Openings 5. Native of Scotland 6. Book of the Bible 7. Made a mistake 8. Compass point 9. Steeple 10. Examine 12. Male name 14. It was 16. Islamic chieftain 24. Of copper 26. Incandescence 27. Conjunction 28. Curves 29. Helix 30. Insect 31. A stock exchange 33. Serpents 34. Mild oath 35. Bashful 39. Give a repeated order 42. Drug-yielding plant 43. Cried (avian) 44. Unction 45. Yogi 46. Stupefy 47. Roman garments 48. Seven days 51. Social standing 52. Adriatic wind 53. Drunkards 54. Small child

ANSWERS

SENIOR LIVING

Classifieds SAANICH VOLUNTEER SERVICES. Volunteers do simple income tax returns for Saanich residents who meet the criteria. For info call 250-595-8008. HOME INSTEAD SENIOR CARE - Would you like a little assistance? Meal preparation, light housekeeping, laundry, shopping, appointments, or respite. We also hire seniors. Call 250-382-6565. NEED A HAND? Or have a senior family member needing help? Mid Island. When you can’t always be there, we are committed, trustworthy professionals specializing in helping seniors lead dignified and independent lifestyles. www. helpinghealinghands.com or 250-954-3733. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY. Rent recumbent & upright bikes, treadmills, elliptical trainers or rowers. Details at www.advantagehealthandfitness.com or 1-800-661-4737. RUTH M.P HAIRSTYLING for Seniors in Greater Victoria. In the convenience of your own home! Certified Hairdresser. Call 250-8937082.

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 Classiﬁed ads must be paid at time of booking. Cheque or Credit Card accepted. Ph. (250)479-4705 or toll-free 1-877-4794705. Deadline: 15th of the month. Make cheque payable to: Senior Living, 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave.,Victoria BC V8T 2C1

COLLECTOR SEEKING vintage/collectable cameras, binoculars and microscopes. Nikon, Leica, Contax, Rolleiﬂex, Zeiss, Canon, etc. Mike 250-383-6456 or e-mail: msymons6456@telus. net WANTED: Canadian National Park buffalo and beaver plaques, chauffeur badges, licensed driver badges. Please call Rick at 250-382-2283 - Thank you. FOR SALE: CEMETERY PLOTS Two traditional cemetery plots in Hatley Memorial Gardens, Sermon on the Mount Section, Plot 107 - C1 & C2. $2000 for both lots. 250-383-7157. DOUG’S TRIMMING AND PRUNING. Small jobs, free estimates. Lawn cutting and trimming, pruning, leaf blowing and other yard jobs. Will run errands. 250-213-5239. THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU of Vancouver 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: info@bbbvanisland.org WANTED: OLD POSTCARDS, stamp accumulations, and pre-1950 stamped envelopes. Also buying old coins, medals and badges. Please call Michael 250-652-9412 or email fenian@shaw.ca SENIORS! HAVE FUN making lifelong friendships through internet correspondence. www. cybercityseniors.com COLLECTOR SEEKING VINTAGE BASEBALL / HOCKEY CARDS. In any condition. Anyone looking to sell please call Chris at 250-508-8351 or chris_kenny123@hotmail.com

POWER WHEELCHAIR PRONTO M71 Sure step WT. Cap. 350lbs. Like New - Used 4 months - Paid $6200, Sacriﬁce for $3000 O.B.O. Phone 250-544-6110. CLARE’S CREATIVE CUISINE. Gourmet meals delivered to your home. Low sodium. Nutritious and delicious. Since 1999. www.clares. ca Phone 250-388-0154. HEDGES AND EDGES. Reliable garden help regular maintenance, or occasional heavy work. Pruning and rejuvenation of hedges and shrubs. Seniors references. 250-893-5285. PERSONALS SWM N/S SEEKS FEMALE/FRIEND. Many interests. Newly retired. New to Island. Has humor/bike/hiking boots. Could relocate. Coffee/ walk 1-250-390-3039.

Jim Smallwood Ensign Chrysler

1061 Yates St., Victoria BC

Senior Focused Service Consultant

Phone (250)896-9330 for a free coffee and to book a test drive. More Contemporary Mystics as Guides in our New Cosmological World Facilitator Bill Wilson, SJ PhD - An exploration of the lives and work of Robert Müller, Jean Vanier, Wendal Berry & Elizabeth Johnson Mondays, April 6 – 2 (10am – noon) $85 series, or $25 drop in • 1831 Fern St.

250.380.9786 earthliteracies@gmail.com www.livinglanguageinstitute.org • Programs in Earth Literacies •

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

MARCH 2009

Reﬂections THEN & NOW

BY GIPP FORSTER

y children want to have me bronzed! They want to put me in the hallway so visitors can hang their coats on me in the winter, and ignore me in the summer. They want to polish me every now and then, and point to me as a conversation piece. They haven’t actually said so or put it in those words, but I can see it in their eyes. They don’t want to let me go, but neither do they know what to do with me. My wife just said she knows exactly what they mean. I don’t! I may not have a lot of zip left, but that doesn’t mean I’m totally zipless. I can manoeuvre my walker in and out of tough places and, when I’m on my scooter, I can take a turn at breakneck speed. Well, maybe not breakneck, but pretty fast! I’m tired of the cashiers at the supermarkets asking me if I need help carrying my groceries to my car. I don’t, unless, of course, the total weight of my purchases is over eight pounds. I can still go to an action-packed movie and not fall off my seat. And I

can still stuff my face with popcorn. Though I no longer drive at night, I can still look up at the stars when they come out, and marvel. I still remember to take my pills, as long as my wife reminds me, and I can zip up an escalator with the best of them. No, sir, don’t count me out yet. I’m not a relic, nor am I antiquated. There’s still a lot of will in my power. A lot of zippity in my do-dah! (My wife just left the room, giggling.) I prefer the term “seasoned” when counting years. “Mature,” “digniﬁed,” “impressive” also come to mind. “Debonair” in a grey white sort of way. I haven’t lost my swagger, although I don’t swagger as much as I used to, I threw my hip out a while back. I was swaggering a bit too hard, I guess. I admit there are things I don’t and can’t do anymore that I foolishly took for granted. I used to enjoy sleeping in, but now I consider waking up at 8 a.m. sleeping in. It’s nice, at times, to rise with the sun in the summer and to bid

Reﬂections, Rejections, “Reﬂections” MAIL-IN ORDER FORM and Other Breakfast Foods Name_____________________________________ by Gipp Forster A collection of Gipp’s humorous and nostalgic columns. A wonderful read for Reflections, �� yourself, and and Other Breakfast Foods a thoughtful gift for friends and family members. Limited Edition

128 pages

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Make cheque ____ BOOKS @ $14.95 each = $_________ payable to SHIPPING ($3.95 PER BOOK) = $_________ Senior Living SUBTOTAL = $_________ MAIL TO: GST (5% on SUBTOTAL) = $_________ Reﬂections Book Offer 153, 1581-H HillTOTAL = $_________ side Ave., Victoria Please allow two weeks for shipping. BC V8T 2C1

Photo: Krystle Wiseman

BRONZED

farewell to the stars in the winter. I can no longer stay up to the wee hours. I get sleepy early now. I can’t run anymore or climb trees or ladders. But I don’t have the desire to see what’s on the roof of my house or sit on a branch swinging my legs. I used to like chocolate or strawberry ice cream, but now I prefer vanilla. I do miss the simple things: walking for a distance, and running, and wrestling with my kids and my grandkids, and dancing and mowing the lawn. We take these tasks as our due when we are younger and never imagine that, one day, they might not be there anymore. We are spoiled with good health and often don’t realize what we have until it’s gone. Much the pity! But I repeat, I am not ready to be put out to pasture just yet. There’s still a lot of “varoom” left in this old motor, even though the tread is almost gone on the tires. We who are older, and dare I say, old, are far from obsolete and certainly not relics left over from the 20th century. We are adventurers, explorers, guides; we have the scars and the memories to prove it. Granted, we ration our energy now and, though it may take a little longer, we still get the job done. We’re a force to be reckoned with and we’re on the move! Bronzed, indeed; we’re golden! SL

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