Baby Cakes are Back

Beloved Bo! with a Cream Cheese Frosted Carrot Cake Baby Cake

By Robyn Dailey

Looking for a very special treat to enjoy this Valentine’s Day?

Our long standing tradition of Baby Cakes has become a Cowichan Valley favourite over the years and this year will not disappoint. “These BabyCakes are hands down the best part of February!” - Duncan Garage Customer

This Downtown Duncan tradition started over a decade ago when on a whim one of our bakers decided to use tiny cake pans to make small cakes to practice decorating on. The result was so pretty and delightful the small cakes were added to our display case as a one time special. What srtated as a whim turned into one of the most adored items on the Cafe’s menu, garnering it the name “Baby Cakes” and becoming a much loved part of Valentine’s Day at the Duncan Garage Cafe Bakery! Perfectly sized for 2-4 servings and decorated with hearts. This year we are offering: • Carrot Cake with cream cheese frosting • Chocolate (classic, triple chocolate, quad chocolate, raspberry, mocha, blackberry) • Hazelnut Torte (blackberry or chocolate) • Lemon Raspberry Torte NGI and Non Dairy options are available too!

Also available for Valentines Day are our famous Cupcakes, Sugar Cookies and back by popular demand - Jam Hearts!

Pre Ordering) your cake is recommended to avoid disappointment. Call the Café at 250-748-6223, or stop by and ask one of our baristas to order your Baby Cake today! Orders will be taken from now until February 14th.

Lemon Raspberry Baby Cake (NGI)

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Find us inside the historic Duncan Garage

Duncan Garage Cafe & Bakery 330 Duncan Street Downtown Duncan 250 748-6223

Ryan Jones, Sleep Blogger Ryan is committed in bringing the latest revelations in restfulness to the valley community.

The story of wool begins around 10,00 years ago at about the same time as the origins of animal husbandry. As soon as the people living in the region of Mesopotamia (modern day Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, and portions of Syria and Turkey) figured out that they could domesticate

A Warm and Cozy History of Wool

livestock instead of hunting, they also realized they could double down on the output of their herds and flocks. From cows, beef but also milk; from chickens, poultry but also eggs; and from sheep, mutton but also perhaps an even more important resource, wool.

The fact that sheep produce wool fleece and Stone Age shepherds understood how to use it, meant that a

WILLOWANDORCHID.COM

101 Station Street Downtown Duncan 250-748-9868 willowandorchid@gmail.com herd could feed, clothe, and house a village. Wool could be made into clothing that was adaptable to a variety of temperatures and weather conditions. It was also wellsuited to crafting items for homes in an array of climates, such as tents, carpets, and bedding. Plus, sheep are hardier and more adaptable to extreme conditions compared to other livestock, making them more portable, a true advantage when venturing into wild lands. Because of these qualities, it is likely that the utility of sheep and their wool helped civilization spread quickly from the Fertile Crescent outward, west into Africa and north toward the Eastern Mediterranean. The Romans especially loved their flocks, taking them along as they conquered most of Europe, establishing wool production in Winchester, England as early as the year 50 CE.

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More Than Just Blankets

A big, flat rectangle of woven wool would have been one of the first innovations to arise from the raising of sheep for wool. Warm yet breathable, insulating even when wet, moisture wicking, and fire retardant, perfect for sleeping next to an open fire prone to sparks, the wool blanket quickly became a standard piece of bedding in every home and travel kit the world over. But wool proved its usefulness again and again. As rugged clothing for Neolithic peoples spending a lot of time out in the elements, and eventually as finely woven vestments for the wealthy. And also, as mattress stuffing.

The earliest humans slept on the ground or on a pile of leaves or straw. Eventually, they got the idea to stuff that straw into a big cloth bag and that became the first mattress. It was an improvement but not exactly ideal. Straw and similar organic materials are susceptible to mould, infestation, and don’t offer the forgiving, supportive sleep surface one might hope for. As a result, mattresses often had to be restuffed with new material each season.

By the 16th century, however, wool batting had caught on for those who could afford it. Resistant to moisture problems, fire retardant, and resilient (it springs back into shape), wool was a far superior stuffing for the mattresses of the rich. And it didn’t need to be replaced: relatively simple maintenance called carding was enough to keep a wool mattress serviceable for decades, a fact that remained true into the early 20th century when mattresses stuffed entirely with wool were still common.

With a finely woven wool blanket on top and a carefully stuffed wool mattress below, it’s possible that King Henry VIII slept virtually encased in a material that only a few thousand years before was keeping poor shepherds warm as they stood watch over their flocks.

Wool in the Modern World

While other types of bedding have been adopted over the centuries, wool textiles have endured and evolved. Some wool products are made with traditional methods that wouldn’t look out of place in a Dickens novel, like MacAusland’s blankets, which have been in production since 1932. Other items, such as organic latex and coil mattresses combine wool with modern materials and forwardthinking design to produce a sleep surface unlike anything the shepherds of Babylon could possibly have imagined. Strangely, wool pillows weren’t common until the 19th century. Previous to the Industrial Revolution, pillows were largely considered to be a somewhat wasteful use of expensive fabric and batting and so were mainly reserved for the very wealthy. However, with the advent of modern weaving machinery, pillows became cheaper and a fixture of modern homes, from large wool-stuffed pillows for sleeping to small, decorative throw pillows on your grandma’s chesterfield. Today, wool pillows offer support, customizability, and luxurious comfort. The list of thoughtfullydesigned wool bedding products continues to grow as people come to understand the true value of such a diverse material. From moisture barriers that don’t crinkle and rustle underneath your slumbering toddler, to thick, sumptuous mattress toppers that transform your bed into a dreamland, to comforters that breathe while keeping you warm and cozy, wool can be found throughout the 21st century bedroom.

Resthouse Sleep Solutions 126 Station Street Downtown Duncan 250-597-7378

TinaLee Foster, RHN Essential Remedies

The heart muscle is your body’s prime blood pump, and uses the circulatory system to assist in pulsing the blood throughout the body to supply oxygen and nutrients to all tissues and other organs, while removing carbon dioxide and other wastes.

So you can see that keeping it tip top is vital to life. It’s time to heart your heart! That starts with your plate (or bowl)- eating whole foods, more plant foods, avoid overly salted and fatty processed foods, and drinking enough water. What you prime the pump with will result in your wellness level. Especially heart healthy fare includes fruit and vegetables, such as spinach and broccoli, garlic, berries, and oatmeal, ground flaxseed, omega3-rich fish, almonds and walnuts, even dark chocolate (at least 70% cocoa content), and some red wine once in a while too! Green tea in particular is exceptionally loving to your heart and the rest of you too. It is rich in catechins and supercharged antioxidants that lower your blood LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, help rid of arterial plaque, and has great anti-aging benefits- improves your mind and mood too!

Exercise and physical activity ofcourse is also vital, for your heart, muscles and bones, circulation, and your mind. Aim for at least 20-30 minutes, 5 days a week. Choose activities you enjoy and that are rewarding, such as walking, running, hiking, etc. Get your heart and lungs working and take in fresh air. Relaxation, stretching, and yoga, along with deep breathing also promote healthy organs and circulation.

Along with poor food choices, major things to avoid are smoking, and binge drinking. Regular heavy alcohol consumption is harmful to your heart and other organs, and is linked to cardiomyopathy, hypertension, and arrythmias (to name a few). So keep it rare to moderate. Losing excess weight will benefit your heart, energy level, and lower those blood triglyceride levels. A few supplements to assist you in your heart healthy life:

1) Multivitamin/

mineral- as diet often falls short and food content can vary, a daily multi will help fill in nutritional gaps, top up a broad range of needed nutrients, and support your whole body including the blood-pumping heart muscle and circulatory system. Studies have shown a link in this simple add-in and heart disease prevention.

2) Extra Magnesium-

is a mineral not readily stored, and used in over 800 enzymatic reactions in the body! And so gets used up quickly. Magnesium does alot, including lowering all heart disease risk factors (such as high blood pressure, arterial build-up, calcification in soft tissues, cholesterol, and hardened arteries) and supporting the heart itself. Magnesium is known to relax muscles!

3) Coenzyme Q10- found in every cell in the body. Deficiency common at age 50+ and recommended to begin supplementing then, especially if you are at risk. It is very heart protective, as well as energy boosting, exercise recovery, is a major antioxidant in body, and protects organs from the effects of certain medications.

4) Omega3 fatty acids- from fish and plant sources, as both help protect your heart by lowering triglycerides(high amounts linked to coronary artery disease and stroke), and acting as anti inflammatory. 5) L-Carnitine- an amino acid-like B vitamin relative, this substance helps oxygenation of the heart and prevents fatty buildup. It is needed to transport fats into the mitochondria of cells so it can be utilized for energy- so also good for achieving a healthy weight, energy production, and normal heart function.

6) Hawthorn- a berry available as tea or a stronger extract, dilates the coronary blood vessels, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, decreases fat deposits, restores heart muscle, and increases intracellular vitamin C levels. A wonderful herb to add to a heart and circulation regimen. Garlic and/or garlic supplements are worthy to include to prevent cell damage, regulate cholesterol, lower blood pressure, reduce plaque buildup, and excellent for keeping the blood running clean and smooth through the arteries and veins, boosting your circulation.

Even if you’re in relatively good health, these are all important things to consider and implement for overall health, well being, disease prevention or improvement, healthy aging, and having energy to live a joyful life!

Prudence

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Open: Monday - Friday 10am - 5pm Sundays 12 - 4pm

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Take Heart

Essential Remedies 141 Craig Street Downtown Duncan (250) 748-9632

Cowichan Women’s Health Collective

When we think of “midwife”

“ The historical we see pregnant people and role of midwifery babies. We would like to invite you to expand your has been to vision and consider the word in a broader context—one support the that is perhaps particularly

ENTIRE life relevant to the times. cycle of all Here’s midwifery as people: cradle described in Wikipedia: to grave. ” “A midwife is a professional in midwifery [...don’t you just love it when the word is used in the defi nition!?!] specializing in pregnancy, childbirth, postpartum, women’s sexual and reproductive health (including annual gynecological exams, family planning, menopausal care and others), and newborn care.” There are many aspects of midwifery that integrate into the services at the Matraea Centre and the Cowichan Women’s Health Collective that Wikipedia’s defi nition overlooks. The historical role of midwifery has been to support the ENTIRE life cycle of all people: cradle to grave. The very tools and skills that people use when a part of a community committed to natural living, whole foods, and fi ercely dignifi ed birth experiences are the skills that can carry us through the menopausal metamorphosis/life change with greater depth and ease... and beyond? Historically midwives provided support through herbal medicine and other healing practices to all families, and to the dying. European midwives in the middle ages- before the Burning Times—brought babies into the world, cared for the sick, sat with the dying and prepared the bodies of the dead for burial. We speak of hiring doulas (emotional and physical support specialists) as we birth babies. Is it time for doula support as we face issues of chronic illness, terminal diagnoses and death? We believe it is... and so do many others. See this site: http://sacredcrossings.com/ or google “mid-life midwife” to see what pops up internationally. What about the etymology of the word “midwife”? It comes from the German, wherein “mid” simply means “with.” To be with someone-connecting in profound ways. And not just in birth, but as we continually reimagine ourselves throughout our entire life cycle. COVID-19 and the need to social distance makes the word midwife all the more meaningful as we delve into new ways of connecting and being together. The collaborative community within the Matraea Centre fi lls the gap between the Wikipedia defi nition of midwifery and the historical one. Healing artists, counsellors, naturopaths, and acupuncturists are all here weaving this community of deep women’s and family health and support. By Hestia! There’s even a Tax Preparer Extraordinaire, The Place to Mortgage and Sonia Furstenau’s Cowichan Valley Constituency Offi ce. Now that’s a sign of a community that understands ALL of what we need in these crazy times!

Authored By: Opeyemi (self-described African American lady with a funny name and big hair) with Kate Koyote (she/her)

The Cowichan Women’s Health Collective acknowledges our settler relationship to the unceded territory of the Hul’q’umi’num’ speaking peoples upon which we live.

PRACTITIONER & SERVICES AT MATRAEA CENTRE: Denise D’Fantis, Registered Acupuncturist, Hayley Sinai Youth & Family Counsellor and Intuitive Reader, Registered Midwives Kate Koyote and Elizabeth Morrison, Amanda Slydell Tax Preparation, Two Moons Lactation with Candice Wray, Naturopathic Physicians Dr Attema ND & Dr. Waddy, ND, Amber Burwash and Erin Sheen, The Place to Mortgage, Cowichan Valley MLA Offi ce.

LOVE & GRATITUDE

February is the month when we express our love and gratitude for the special people in our lives and this year we have much to celebrate.

We want to wish a very fond farewell to Rebecca Christofferson, Registered Clinical Counsellor, as she moves on to other opportunities.

We honour our colleagues Jane Ballaro and Talia McKenzie in their new endeavour, opening a midwifery practice, on Station St. in Downtown Duncan, just around the corner from the Matraea Centre. Midwife Willow McConell joins them as they expand midwifery services in the Valley. Congratulations!

We also want to say goodbye to our dearest Elizabeth Morrison as she and her young family set out for the Yukon to begin their latest adventures in the snowy North. You will be missed! We wish you a warm hearth, and hope that you will come visit as often as you can.

For more information about services available at the Matraea Centre, check us out at matraea.com, drop us an email at info@ matraea.com.

www.matraea.com I 170 Craig Street, Downtown Duncan I 1-844 Matraea

Valentine’s Shopping at Imagine That! Artisans’ Cooperative – a Local Shopping Experience

By Veronica Scott

No-one knows for certain how Valentine’s Day originated. One thing is for sure though, the central message of love and affection is both timeless and important, perhaps now more than ever.

If you are thinking about a hand crafted gift for Valentine’s Day, we are well stocked with a variety of gifts and cards made by local artisans who live and work on the island. Our neighbours!

Lee Stead, for example, lives in Nanaimo. She has been creating gorgeous decorative and functional ceramics and pottery for twenty years. All of her work is hand built and designed by herself. She credits her training in fashion design when it comes to designing patterns and understanding shape and form. Lee also loves to teach and has started offering classes on Zoom.

Susan Jean Whyte’s custom made necklaces, brooches, rings and bracelets have an intimate and very special attachment to the Island. That’s because they are made from the bark of local trees. Susan, who lives in Crofton, takes impressions and molds of the bark to create textures which form her designs. She uses fine silver, copper and bronze to create colour and interest. She then applies patinas to the metals to mimic the wood. Best of all, she includes a picture of the tree from where the necklace came from. She calls this line of jewelry Impressions of Trees.

If the occasion calls for a special dinner, Carolyn Morrison’s elegant tapered candles are just the ticket. Carolyn has a small scale business called BeeLightful Candles in Shawnigan Lake. She has been making beeswax candles for more than a decade resourcefully creating her own molds from bottles, ornaments, even apples from her backyard. The biggest challenge, she says, is pouring the hot wax with great care.

To compliment the Valentine dinner table setting, how about place mats and a table runner from Sandra Holmes. Sandra, who lives near Cobble Hill, has been with Imagine That! for many years. She knows her way around a sewing machine after a career sewing fur coats for the family business. In addition to table settings, Sandra also makes hats, purses, and jackets.

After dinner, you will probably want to wrap yourself up in one of Sandy Greenaway’s eye catching kimono-style dressing gowns. These hugely popular wide-sleeved rayon and silk gowns are colourful, simple and elegant. When Sandy isn’t busy in her North Cowichan sewing room, she is occupied with the day to day business of the cooperative.

Looking for something small and unique? Margot Page’s enamels are the answer. Margot creates brightly coloured works of art with shapes cut out from copper and steel and glazed with finely ground silicate. Her earrings, bookmarks, vases, and fridge magnets are affordable little works of art, incorporating birds, sea-life, flowers and animals. A former drawing teacher with Sheridan College of Applied Arts and Technology in Oakville, Ontario, Margot is an active member of the cooperative.

Sometimes a beautiful card with a simple handwritten message is plenty. We are known for our wide selection of art cards at Imagine That!. In fact, we have hundreds of cards, all created by BC artists and photographers. Subject matter includes everything from seascapes and flowers to Laurel Hibbert’s kerchiefed grandmas dancing by the sea. Some cards, like Robin Millan’s naughty ladies on bikes are guaranteed to make you smile.

To ensure quality as well as variety, everything at Imagine That! has been approved by a five-member jury.

If you are an artist or artisan looking for a place to sell your work, please drop by the store to fill out an application form. We are open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday, closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Raku heart by Lee Stead

Margot Page Enamels Beeswax candles by Carolyn Morrison

Sandra Greenaway Kimono

Imagine That! Artisans 251 Craig Street Downtown Duncan (250) 748-6776