January 2021 VOL. 29, NO. 9, JANUARY 2021 POWERED BY KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK | A PROUD PART OF ABERDEEN PUBLISHING
Exploring the connection between Race and the Food System Page 3
Intake now open of Indigenous Artist Grant Page 5
Seniors and their Vintage Cars Page 11
Moon Weavings Page 15
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LOOKING FORWARD by Moneca Jantzen
ary a soul on the planet will be unhappy to see the year 2020 in our collective rear view mirror. Putting this one behind us will be easy in some ways, much more difficult in others. Just because the calendar has flipped to a new year doesn’t mean much—so far. Psychologically it feels like progress, but in practical terms we need to remain patient. Assuming the vaccines are as effective as suggested will mean we should see progress in combatting COVID-19, but vaccinating the world’s population will prove a Herculean effort and it will take time. While we wait for our turn to be immunized, we must remain vigilant and keep following the protocols to stay safe and not spread or contract the virus. It has been a long haul but a necessary one no matter what the conspiracy theorists and anti-maskers have to say. Continuing to do our part will minimize the siege on our hospitals and healthcare workers and keep more vulnerable people safer than if we were to throw caution to the wind just because we’re tired or feel our “rights” are being overlooked. Undoing the impact of the pandemic will also take time, but hopefully by the next time we turn the page on a calendar year, things will be proceeding in more familiar ways. Some of the things we’ve been missing the most will resume such as getting the economy back on track, travel and socializing, as examples. Hopefully, the silver lining in all of this is that some serious problems will be addressed intelligently as we rebuild. How we take care of seniors is one of the most glaring issues that has been exacerbated in the worst way by this pandemic.
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This New Year Page18
StatsCan found that 52 per cent of excess deaths between May and June 2020 were individuals age 85 and older, 36 per cent were aged 65-84 and 12 per cent were younger than 65, most deaths in care home settings and a trend that hasn’t abated. Understaffing, shared staff between facilities, shared resident rooms, private vs public facilities and aging buildings are some of the contributing factors that are problematic under normal circumstances but have proved disastrous for our elders during this pandemic. Other longstanding problems that have been aggravated by the pandemic are those surrounding mental health, loneliness, racial and economic inequities, the relentless opioid crisis, climate change, an increasingly polarized body politic and a crisis in the proliferation of misinformation and fake news, to name a few. On a more personal level, those of us that still have the luxury of re-evaluating the things that matter to us and haven’t been thrown into utter crisis during all of this, can count our blessings and do what we can to help pick up the pieces and support others that are currently struggling. Maybe we’ve discovered that we like working from home, or indeed, the opposite. Maybe we were forced to slow down and have found some benefits to that. Perhaps we have learned new skills and are better at coping with being on our own. Maybe you have finally had time to start that new hobby or finish that certain project or had to stop gambling and saved a pile of money. Without question, 2021 will be another challenging year, but one filled with more hope and ideally a lot more wisdom. Stay safe and be kind. Happy new year everyone!
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Healthy resolutions that are easy to keep
Dustin Petroff offers a “Pit Stop with Petroff ” featuring a familiar view from the Riverside Park pier, a photo entered into Kamloops This Week’s regular photo contest.
The dawn of a new year is a great time to take stock of the year that just passed and set goals for the next 12 months. Resolutions focused on improving personal health are especially popular, and for good reason. Improving one’s overall health can have positive implications for years to come. Even with the best intentions, resolutions have historically proven hard to keep. Simplifying healthbased resolutions can lead to a higher success rate and a healthier you. • Walk more. It is easy to get preoccupied with the “10,000 steps per day” mantra that many people follow and that certain fitness trackers promote. Walking 10,000 steps daily, which equates to roughly five miles per day, is a healthy goal, but it may not be realistic for everyone. Take stock of how many steps you currently take each day, and then resolve to walk 2,000 more. As your body acclimates to walking more, add another 2,000 steps, continuing to do so until you reach 10,000 steps. • Learn something new about being healthy. Informed health decisions require gaining a greater understanding of your body. Rely on a reputable source such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to learn more about how to be healthy. • Spend less time on social media. Staring at your phone or tablet for multiple hours browsing tweets or checking messages might not be the best thing for your physical and mental health. Browsing the internet may take up time that could be better spent engaging in physical activity. According to Dr. Elia AbiJaoude, a staff psychiatrist at the Hospital for Sick Children and Toronto Western Hospital, various
studies have shown how excessive social media usage can adversely affect relationships, sense of self, sleep, academic performance, and emotional well-being. • Eat more whole foods. Whole foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, whole grains, and fish, contain various nutrients the body needs to function at peak capacity. These foods may help reduce the risk of many diseases and help people maintain healthy body weights. Start slowly by introducing a new whole food to your diet each day. A gradual approach is more manageable than going on a drastic diet. • Avoid sweetened beverages. You are what you eat, but also what you drink. A report published in 2006 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found consumption of sugarsweetened beverages, particularly carbonated soft drinks, may be a key contributor in the epidemic of overweight and obesity. Skip sweetened beverages (even fruit juices can be unhealthy if consumed in excess) and opt for more water or unsweetened teas. • Find a physical activity you like. Rather than resolving to join the gym or signing up for a 5K because it’s what everyone is doing, find a physical activity you truly enjoy and aim to do it a few times a week. Maybe it’s a sport like tennis or recreational cycling with the family. But if the idea of a gym membership excites you, then by all means sign up. Avoid restrictive health and wellness resolutions that can be unsustainable. By downsizing expectations and taking small steps en route to your goals, you may be more motivated to stay the course and realize your resolutions.
JANUARY 2021 | 3
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Exploring the connection between Race and the Food System By Deborah Ogundimu, KFPC Collective Leadership Team
transfer gets altered due to changes in food systems. In the BIPOC community, there is also an increasing number of food deserts and members of the community cannot acquire healthy food let alone culturally relevant food. Because of capitalism, marketing tactics have been launched as a measure to disenfranchise people living in less affluent areas from their right to healthy and culturally relevant foods. Our future network meetings would be focused on culture and normativity, intersectionality and racial caucusing. We welcome diverse perspectives on this topic and we would like to invite people in the BIPOC community to take part in the conversation. To get involved, visit our website at kamloopsfoodpolicy council.com and subscribe to our newsletter to receive a network meeting invite.
Kamloops Realty
Jessica MARVIN 250.374.3022
je-matt@hotmail.com JessicaMattRealEstate.ca
250.319.8784 mmatt@shaw.ca
RealEstateKamloops.ca Member of Kamloops Chamber of Commerce
(Formerly Goessman Denture Clinic) NTURIST AS DE S
with our grandparents and ancestors, the greater knowledge we have about our historical food system and our culturally relevant foods. It takes a very conscious approach to discover food associated with historical backgrounds without intergenerational knowledge transfer. We also discovered that people in the BIPOC community and our migrant workers find it difficult to acquire culturally relevant food. As an immigrant of African descent, it is becoming evident that the knowledge transferred to future generations would be more functional than cultural or ceremonial. The question that will be asked would be how can we adapt a cultural and ceremonial process of food preparation to the means available in the current food system we find ourselves. So the international knowledge
ON OF B ATI RI OC
COLUMBIA SH TI
On December 2, 2020, the Kamloops Food Policy Council (KFPC) hosted the first of a series of network meetings focused on exploring the connections between race and our food system. The series was created as a means to include diverse perspectives, voices and opinions in the KFPC anti systematic racism manifesto and create actionable steps for KFPC to combat systemic racism. The network meeting series was inspired by one of our newest KFPC Board Director, Fauve Garson and her research on the intersectionality between race and food at Thompson Rivers University. It was also facilitated partly by Bonne Klohn, the Policy and Finance lead at Kamloops Food Policy Council and myself. The first meeting was a preliminary conversation to ease our network into this deep and challenging
conversation that requires us all to look back at our experiences historically and compare them to our current circumstances. As Fauve Garson mentioned at the meeting, “food is something that connects us all and regardless of our shape, size or race, there is a disconnect.” At the meeting, we explored the disconnection by posing questions such as; • What did your grandparents do for a living? What did they eat? • Where is home for you? What foods are associated with home for you • Tell us about your ethoracial background. What do you know about its food system? Does it still happen now? Based on the responses we received from the network, we discovered that modernization and capitalism has a huge impact on what we associate as food that is culturally relevant. It also has an impact on our food system in general. Food is shifting from cultural or ceremonial to functional on the level of intergenerational knowledge transfer The younger generation prioritize the “grab and go” lifestyle and neglect the traditional food preparation techniques due to modernization. The more connection we have
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Gingerbread Muffin Source: Ambitious Kitchen
INGREDIENTS • • • • • • • •
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cloves 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/4 cup pure maple syrup 1/4 cup blackstrap molasses
• • • • • •
1 egg, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla 1/3 cup nonfat plain greek yogurt 1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (any milk will work) 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted and cooled to warm Optional: Coarse sugar or sparkling sugar, for sprinkling on top
DIRECTIONS 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a muffin tin with muffin liners; spray the inside of the liners with nonstick cooking spray to ensure the muffins do not stick. 2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt. Set aside. 3. In a separate bowl, add maple syrup, molasses, egg, vanilla, yogurt and almond milk. Whisk together until smooth and well combined. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Fold in the melted coconut oil (we do this last so that it doesn’t harden when mixed with other wet, cold ingredients.) 4. batter evenly between muffin liners, filling about 1/2 of the way full. Sprinkle with a little coarse sugar or regular sugar (this will create a beautiful muffin and a delicious crunch on the outside). Bake muffins for 18-22 minutes until a tester comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached. Makes 12 muffins. Enjoy with a cup of eggnog this christmas!
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Caremongering Kamloops Analysis paralysis
your voice in ottawa CATHY MCLEOD MP
T
here is a great volunteer-driven initiative that has been going on since the pandemic broke out last March, called Caremongering Kamloops. Do you know a vulnerable person who needs a little help, maybe picking up some groceries, mail or something from the pharmacy? Caremongering Kamloops has them covered with their Neighbour-to-Neighbour (N2N) program. How about someone who is self-isolating or recovering from a health
issue and could use a free, made-from-scratch meal delivered to their doorstep once a week? Caremongering Kamloops has that covered, too, in partnership with Mt. Paul Community Food Centre. Are you a person who might be able to help out by shopping for a neighbour, checking in on someone with phone calls, delivering meals … Caremongering Kamloops is always looking for volunteers. Gisela Ruckert, one of the N2N coordinators, says they have people signed up in every area of the city, and these neighbourhood teams make sure vulnerable people have access to food and other necessities. Requests for help or to volunteer are placed on their website at www. KamloopsCares.ca or by phone at 778-696-2039. No personal information is shared publicly. There is also a huge following of 4,300 members for “Caremongering – Kamloops” on Facebook.
It’s a more informal network where people can request help or volunteer, and a place to share jokes and cheerful stories. In taking a glance at the Facebook site, I noted someone offering an assortment of kitchen utensils and bakeware, another person requesting help getting groceries and a meal for her family, someone else seeking food for their ailing pet, another wishing for help organizing paperwork. It’s an inspiring way of getting people together while allowing them to remain physically and safely apart. As Caremongering Kamloops founder AnnMarie Aase says, their goal is to fill “those little gaps” that regular social agencies can’t. It’s neighbours putting themselves out there, to help neighbours staying in and staying safe. Hats off to everyone involved, you make us all proud!
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Most new year’s and holiday breaks can inspire a serious bout of navel gazing and self-reflection on my part. Chances are good that this typically futile ritual will happen again whether I plan for it or not. I think it is just a habit now and obviously this particular holiday My two cents season, we have more Moneca Jantzen time than usual with less Editor going on. Truth be told, I probably spend more time contemplating how to fix what I perceive is wrong with myself or my life than I should, whether it is New Year’s or not. I’m sure I’m not alone in having a bunch of half-read self-help books on the bookshelf, not to mention a multitude of workshops and courses I’ve signed up for over the years. I vacillate constantly between the battle for self-acceptance and the constant barrage of imagery and messaging that one could reach their ideal if they would do this, buy that, make the necessary commitment/investment. Perhaps most of it is snake oil and I should just continue to do my best and quit beating myself up for not being/looking a certain way or having particular successes. I’ve had over half a century of practice transforming myself. You’d think I’d be good at it by now and have it all figured out! But I don’t. No silver bullets for me. My preoccupation with self-transformation is now compounded by the fact that the trend now seems that “success” depends on self-commodification and promotion on social media in the form of our own personal “brand.” The “experts” would have us all believe that we all have something worth sharing or selling. To be a sensation these days, one only need videotape one’s self drinking cranberry juice while skateboarding to an old Fleetwood Mac tune or start a podcast, create a course, write a song or do anything that MIGHT go viral. Get likes and followers and the fortune will come, they say. Running a business or side gig these days is both exciting and exhausting. Keeping up with social media and getting noticed is no easy task on top of all the regular tasks involved—not to mention the “cool factor” that some of us simply don’t possess. I’m certain most seniors are not struggling with this dilemma of being sucked into the digital world and feeling like they should “go analog” for a bit, but my guess is that once the pandemic ends, people of all descriptions are going to be craving life experiences that don’t require a device or screen to facilitate the activity. Just like the digital “coma” I think we’ve actually been in since the early 90s, playing video games and the like, I hope we are not too far gone after this pandemic and can be comfortable again with more “analog” in-person pursuits that we don’t feel compelled to videotape and post ad nauseum as we curate our on-line personas. There have been rumblings in recent years of people going on tech-free vacations and unplugging for periods of time, forest bathing and such. I can see the appeal. The documentary, The Social Dilemma, points out that the major social media platforms of the world are collecting so much personal data on us and using it to “manipulate us.” All of this makes it tempting to drop out in protest, but FOMO (the fear of missing out) keeps one tapped in, and even moreso if one’s livelihood is involved. Personally, if I were to leave Facebook and Instagram, I would never know what most of my friends and family were up to because the majority of them live on the other side of the country and we passively keep up with one another through social media channels. I’m not sure how many of them would willingly take up snail mail again. If I were to drop out, I wouldn’t be able to market my self-help course once I figure out my “revolutionary new formula for success.” Perhaps I can sell a course on how to unplug, but not really and enjoy the best of both worlds. Once I figure it all out, that is.
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Voices of Experience www.connectornews.ca Telephone: (250) 374-7467 Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Please address all correspondence to: Kamloops Connector 1365B Dalhousie Drive Kamloops, BC V2C 5P6 Publisher Bob Doull General Manager Liz Spivey (778) 471-7537
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Dayana Rescigno creative@connectornews.ca Kamloops Connector is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve and entertain adults 45 and over. We aim to publish on the last Wednesday of each month and copy/booking deadlines are either the 2nd or 3rd Thursdays of each month. Please request a publishing schedule for specific information. Kamloops Connector is published by Kamloops This Week, part of the Aberdeen Publishing Group. Letters to the Editor must be signed and have a phone number (your phone number will not be printed unless requested). Other submissions are gratefully received although Kamloops Connector reserves the right to edit all material and to refuse any material deemed unsuitable for this publication. Articles, group and event listings will run in the newspaper as time and space permit. No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from Kamloops Connector. The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Kamloops Connector, Kamloops This Week or the staff thereof. Subscriptions are $35 per year in Canada. Any error which appears in an advertisement will be adjusted as to only the amount of space in which the error occurred. The content of each advertisement is the responsibility of the advertiser. Kamloops Connector recommends prudent consumer discretion.
JANUARY 2021 | 5
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Intake now open for Indigenous Artist Grant By Rebecca Kurtis, Kamloops Arts Council Admin Intern
A
rt is life changing. During these tumultuous times, what better way to support art then to provide individuals with the tools to make art. The Kamloops Arts Council always strives to present as many grants and scholarships to the Kamloops community as it can. Over the past several years the KAC has given away $4500 in scholarships and grants annually! This year, the KAC allocated all 2020 grant funding during the pandemic isolation period as they recognized this was a time of greatest need, when artists needed access to supportive funding the most, but it left a void for a second intake period. Which is why the roll out of a new grant couldn’t be coming at a more suitable time. The Kamloops Arts Council is opening a new
grant in collaboration with artist Mike Alexander in January of 2021. Alexander is one of Kamloops’ most successful emerging indigenous artists and values the importance of support for artists who are just starting out. This grant is centered towards First Nations, Inuit, Metis, and non-status artists who are looking to make the next step in their artistic journey. This $250 micro-grant will be awarded annually to two successful applicants in the Kamloops-ThompsonCariboo Region. To make this grant possible for emerging artists, Alexander will be donating 5% of the proceeds from his work. Alexander has used art to decolonize his life and reclaim his culture by pursuing a career in the visual arts. As part of his vision to decolonize art and support emerging artists, this pay-it-
forward award is an effort to support young/emerging artists, to know that they are seen, appreciated, and supported. When asked what inspired Alexander to create the grant, he responded with “As challenging as 2020 has been for everyone, and through these uncertain times, I have been privileged enough to pursue my passion for creating and sharing art. As a guest on the traditional and unceded lands of the Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc within the ne Secwepemcúl’ecw, I want to extend my appreciation and gratitude to the artists whose dreams and imaginations will carry the hopes of their People through powerful and inspired creations. Artists need the continued support, community and encouragement of all of us and I want to do my part to
contribute to the vibrancy of the Thompson-Nicola region.” KAC Executive Director, Terri Hadwin notes that, “The Kamloops Arts Council is privileged to be able to offer these annual grants and scholarships, but we always wish that we could be doing more. Each year the grants and scholarships are over applied for, each application deserving of support, but we can only provide so much. This opportunity to work with Mike Alexander in partnership on this additional funding that we can together grant to emerging indigenous artists from this region is an exceptional gift.” The due date annually for application to this Mike Alexander Grant is on Jan. 15. For more information, or to apply, visit: kamloopsarts. ca/programs/grantsscholarships/
Loyal Order of Moose • Women of the Moose • Moose Legion
THE FAMILY FRATERNITY
Hey! Now I Can See
Open everyday 11 am Meat Draws Friday at 7 pm & Saturdays at 2-4 pm
By Gary Miller, Retired Service Advisor & Certified Automotive Specialist
A
little while ago I was driving my vehicle on the highway when a sudden interruption of my peaceful trek happened. A rock decided to “ask my windshield out on a date” by hitting on it and leaving a signature. In other words I suddenly acquired a “rock bruise,” a chip in the glass! Now I had to go through the process of repairing the damage to try and prevent a windshield replacement. Off to a local windshield repair shop, that has given me extremely good service, I went in to get it fixed. As previously mentioned a star like chip can be repaired, especially if addressed before it grows into a crack. A crack in turn cannot be repaired—it absolutely requires a glass replacement. The glass repair people use a liquid material that is injected into the chip with its sole purpose to try and stop any further damage to the windshield. If the repair performs as expected, your vehicle may experience an invisible repair or at least a minor, and I do mean minor, telltale evidence of a previous impact. Glass repair is usually paid for through the comprehensive coverage
portion of our vehicle insurance. Whether it be ICBC or another company you may have coverage, so be sure to confirm how much you have and how it applies. I went to the ICBC website for some information as to what “the rules are” and here is what was found: You are covered if you have ICBC Comprehensive coverage. What’s more, you may be able to have your windshield repaired for free, without paying a deductible. You can go directly to an ICBC-approved Glass Repair Program facility. If there are no Glass Repair Program facilities in your area, please call us to report your claim. Windshield repairs can be done for free under your Comprehensive coverage, without paying a deductible. The windshield damage must meet certain criteria, such as the size and location of the chip. Find out more about windshield repairs. Submitting a Comprehensive claim won’t affect your premium. Comprehensive coverage includes free windshield repairs when: The damage is – smaller than a loonie and the repair
leaves no residual damage greater than a quarter inch in the driver’s line of vision. With this information in hand, going to my favoured glass repair location, practising COVID-19 procedures, was made even simpler by the fact that they submit the claim directly to ICBC so I didn’t have to. That is one of the advantages of going to an approved glass facility. I used ICBC as an example but there are other reputable providers of Comprehensive Insurance that follow the same procedures. The repair was really good, by the way. Another part of seeing well, especially in these current adverse winter conditions is the use of good winter wiper blades. I install summer blades after April and Winter ones before October. I like the ability to see! As mentioned in a previous article, be sure to use the correct windshield antifreeze. Winter fluid prevents washer nozzle freeze up where summer fluid evaporates more slowly to give the liquid a chance to soften the dead bugs. Each has a useful purpose. A common factor that causes inner windshield
fog is the accidental use of the “re-circulation” feature of the heating/AC system. Re-circ works well when cooling down a warm vehicle interior but in the cooler times of the year a pass through air flow works best. FYI – When defrost is selected on your heater controls with an A/C (air conditioned) equipped vehicle, you will notice the A/C indicator light may come on. No, you are not defeating the heater function. Instead the A/C removes moisture from the incoming air then it gets warmed by the heater resulting in warm dry air defrosting the windshield. It is considerably more effective than on non A/C vehicles. Last but not least take some time when you are changing your wiper blades to clean the inside of the windshield. I find using a foam type of cleaner stays in place long enough for me to clean it off instead of dripping on the dash. Hey! Now I can see. All the best at this Christmas/Holiday time. Any concerns or questions please don’t hesitate to contact me at bigsix8280@ yahoo.ca.
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Caregivers Must Care (Financially) for Themselves
financial focus LILI A SEERY Financial Advisor
I
f you’re a caregiver, possibly for a loved one dealing with an illness, you’re probably already facing some significant emotional and physical challenges – so you don’t need any financial ones as well. Yet, they are difficult
Headline headline headline headline headline headline headline headline headline
Happy New Year
Call to action. Call to action. Call to action. Call to action. Call to action. Call to action. Call to action.
Happy Holidays Lili A Seery
Happy Holidays Financial Advisor
1315 Summit Dr., Unit 4a Kamloops, BC V2C 5R9 250-374-1882 Lili A Seery
Financial Advisor
Member Canadian Investor Protection Fund
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1315 Summit Dr., Unit 4a Financial Advisor Chianne V Jones Kamloops, BC 5R9 Financial Advisor 1315 Summit Dr.,V2C Unit 4a www.edwardjones.ca 250-374-1882 Kamloops, BC V2C 5R9 1315 Summit Dr., Unit 4a 250-374-1882 Kamloops, BC V2C 5R9 250-374-1882
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maximum of $573 a week. Benefits may be available for you to provide care or support to a critically ill or injured person or someone needing end-of-life care. • Evaluate your employment options. If you have to take time away from work – or even leave employment altogether – to be a caregiver, you will lose not only income but also the opportunity to contribute to your Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. But you may have some options, such as working remotely, or at least working part time. Either arrangement can give you flexibility in juggling your employment with your caregiving responsibilities.
• Explore payment possibilities for caregiving. Depending on your circumstances, and those of the loved ones for whom you’re providing care, you might be able to work out an arrangement in which you can get paid something for your services. And as long as you are earning income, you can contribute to an RRSP or invest in through a Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) to keep building resources for your own retirement. • Protect your financial interests – and those of your loved ones. You may well want to discuss legal matters with the individual for whom you are a caregiver. It may be beneficial to work with a legal professional to establish a financial power MKT-6354F-A-A1 EXP 31 MAR 2022 © 2020 EDWARD D. JONES & CO., L.P. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
to avoid. What steps can you take to deal with them? Whatever your relationship to the individuals for whom you’re providing care, you can take some steps to protect your own financial future. Here are a few suggestions: • Investigate available workplace and government benefits. You may have benefits through your employer that provide you with flexibility and/ or income in the event you need to take time away to provide for the care of a loved one. The federal Employment Insurance programs provides financial assistance of up to 55% of your earnings, to a
of attorney – a document that names someone to make financial decisions and pay bills when the person no longer can. And whether you or someone else has financial power of attorney, the very existence of this document may help you avoid getting your personal finances entangled with those of the individual for whom you’re caring. • Keep making the right financial moves. As long as you’re successful at keeping your own finances separate from those of your loved one, you may be able to continue making the financial moves that can help you make progress toward your own goals. For example, avoid taking on more debt than you can handle. Also, try to maintain an emergency
fund containing three to six months’ worth of living expenses, with the money kept in a liquid account. Of course, these tasks will be much easier if you can maintain some type of employment or get paid for your caregiving services. There’s nothing easy about being a caregiver. But by making the right moves, you may be able, at the least, to reduce your potential financial burden and brighten your outlook.
Member Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Member – Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.
Estate Planning:
Your First New Year’s Resolution family’s future should be your first 2021 New Year’s Resolution. The plan and the paperwork will make sure all of your priorities remain protected. What is an Estate Plan? This is the legal advice and documents that detail who you would like to speak for you in the event of death, illness or incapacity Legal ease and how you would like KERRI D. PRIDDLE your assets (your estate) distributed. Please download logos at The legal documents are edwardjones.com/graphics. the final step to the Estate 2020 gave us all a lot to Do not typeset the logo. Plan, but the real value is in think about! The importance the careful consideration The border is 3ptfront rule, yellow of our health became and advice you will receive (PMS 116C) and centre. Our home from your lawyer about your became our sanctuary, our own specific circumstances workplace and our vacation and assets. spot for the year. Our bubble In these modern times, or cohort of loved ones we have every combination revealed who really matters in our lives and those we we count on for love and the necessities of life. Our health, our home, our family—these are our priorities. How best to protect them? Exercise and eating right? Check! Establishing an RESP for our children’s education? Check! Putting funds aside for retirement? Check! During this pandemic, a lot of us achieved these goals and focused on well-being and the future. Each is so very important. Now, to tie it all together with a bow, finalizing an Estate Plan for you and your
of family members and assets you can imagine. Blended families, second marriages, jointly held vacation properties, timeshares, insurance policies and investments. All of these come with their own unique set of considerations depending on how they are held, who has beneficial and legal ownership, inheritance rights for children and spouses from a remarriage and who is named as beneficiaries on the insurance policies and investments. With a well thought out Estate Plan, what could potentially be a confusing and messy Estate administration process can be made to be orderly and simplified.
The estate planning process is worth the effort, and in fact makes a great gift for family members who may not have gotten to this step yet in their planned priorities. Law Firms offer Estate Plan Gift Certificates for exactly this reason. Your First New Year’s Resolution: work with a lawyer to manage your assets, your goals and your final distribution plans for your Estate and document it all with a Will, Power of Attorney and Representation Agreement as well as any Trusts, Corporate Wills or Memorandums of Intention required. Peace of Mind and an Estate Plan? Check!
JANUARY 2021 | 7
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Alzheimer Society of B.C. invites Kamloops residents to go virtual with long-running Breakfast to Remember fundraiser T
his March, take action and change the future for the estimated 70,000 people living with dementia in B.C., including many in Kamloops and other Thompson-Nicola communities, at Breakfast to Remember, a virtual
fundraising breakfast featuring a keynote address and live Q&A with astronaut Chris Hadfield, the first Canadian to walk in space. Annual Breakfast to Remember events bring B.C. business leaders together with communities
across the province to hear inspiring talks and help raise critical funds for Alzheimer Society of B.C. programs and services, as well as enable dementia research in B.C. This winter, at a time when people affected by dementia need support more than ever,
area residents have the opportunity to join the Breakfast and show people affected by dementia that they’re not alone. “For 10 years, members of Vancouver’s business community have embraced the Breakfast to Remember and provided invaluable
Photo credit: Kevin Light Photography Neurologist and medical educator Dr. Alexandre Henri-Bhargava, seen here speaking at the 2020 Breakfast to Remember in Victoria, will delve into the latest in dementia research during an interactive research event exclusively for attendees of this year’s virtual Breakfast. Access to the March 10 research event is included with the purchase of a Breakfast to Remember ticket.
Time to smile D
technology EXCEPT receive the personal experience of touch. We are social beings. With saying that, I myself am an introvert. I love my “me” time to regenerate, relax and I can be in my own skin comfortably. Not everyone experiences that. They need to be around people. I love that my job as an Esthetician brings me human connection every day for a good balance. Unfortunately, COVID has put a huge wedge between ourselves and others right now and we fear to be too close let alone touch anyone. At Robin’s Room there is no fear. Our fears do not need to interfere with self-care. Come in, relax, and treat yourself or someone else to a personal treat. Whether an amazing
set of nails for a night out, a much-needed pedicure because of an ingrown, or to wax the hair that shouldn’t be there—that is all self-care. From service to service I take pride in providing safe, one-
Serving Kamloops and area for 20 years 100% independent and locally owned • Certified Compounding Pharmacy • Medication Reviews
Free Delivery! B.Sc. Pharm, Pharmacist/Owner Certified Compounder
on-one appointments and practice all safety protocols. We don’t need to be deprived of treating ourselves, so call today to start your “New Year, New Me” off to a bright start!
time sponsors Murrick Group and Bayshore Home Health, who were quick to get behind the event in its new format. Other businesses helping enable dementia research and ensure programs and services are available for people affected by dementia at this time include BC Notaries Association and Valley Mitsubishi Kelowna. Breakfast to Remember is set for March 4, 2021, from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Tickets also include access to an exclusive research event, featuring a live discussion with leading dementia researcher, Dr. Alexandre Henri-Bhargava, on March 10. To learn more, or to purchase tickets, visit BreakfastToRemember.ca.
“Thank you Kamloops for your support for the past 20 years. We will continue to serve and make a difference in our community.”
MISSAGH MANSHADI
Submitted by Robin Clements, Robin’s Room o you know it only takes 17 muscles to smile but it takes 43 to frown? 2020 is behind us so SMILE, it’s much less of a workout! I want to take the opportunity to encourage you with your “New Year, New Me” ideas at Robin’s Room. As we all are learning, selfcare is essential for a sound mind, body, and soul. Mani/ pedi dates with a friend are fun and all but the true fact is that you are nurturing your body at the same time! PERFECT! Human touch is one of our greatest senses and the only one that has not yet been able to be duplicated. We can do self-checkout at the store, use a banking machine, have our food delivered. We can do almost anything with
support for people affected by dementia,” said Robert Piasentin, Chair of the Alzheimer Society of B.C.’s Board of Directors. “We’re very pleased that we’ve been able to pivot this year and offer a wonderfully unique virtual breakfast; it’s an opportunity for leaders to step up and raise the funds needed to ensure help is there for families facing the disease when they need it the most.” The Society hopes people locally and in all corners of the province will make the most of this opportunity to participate in a oneof-a kind event that also provides vital support when it’s needed the most. Breakfast to Remember would not be possible without the generous support of community partners, including long-
NORTHSHORE: OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK 374 Tranquille Rd. P: 250.434.2526 | F: 250.434.2527
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#209-141 Victoria Street 250-320-8860 • Robinsroom1@gmail.com (Wheelchair accessible location)
R
Win a $40 Gift Card Robin Clements Licensed Esthetician
Mail or drop off your entry to: Kamloops Connector, 1365B Dalhousie Dr, Kamloops, BC, V2C 5P6 or email your details with “Robin’s Room Contest” to win@connectornews.ca. Random draw from entries submitted for the contest. One entry per household. Draw date: Friday, January 8th at 9:00am. Prize must be accepted as awarded. Winners will be called to arrange pick up of their prize. Name .............................................................................................................. Phone............................................................................................................. Email .............................................................................................................. If you would like to receive special offers from Robin’s Room, check here
8 | JANUARY 2021
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‘Green’ flooring
The Village of Chase wishes everyone a new year filled with kindness, care and good health! Flooring
chasebc.ca
PAUL MORRIS Nufloors
We are a home that offers an active social life, nutritious meals and a carefree lifestyle. For more information on our unique, home-style assisted living residence, call or email activecare1607@gmail.com.
COMFORT & SECURITY IN A BEAUTIFUL SETTING
Eco Friendly Flooring Eco friendly flooring is a question we, at Nufloors, often get asked about. Over the past number of years consumers seem to be paying a bit more attention to how and where products are made. This holds true in the flooring industry as in addition to price and performance consumers are also asking about “green” or environmentally friendly
everything organized
2021
Payment Dates for Old Age Security & the Canada Pension Plan
If you have signed up for direct deposit, your Old Age Security (OAS) and Canada Pension Plan (CPP) payments will be automatically deposited in your bank account on these dates:
January 27 February 24 March 29 April 28 May 27 June 28
July 28 August 27 September 28 October 27 November 26 December 22
repeated as the bark grows back. Wool Carpet Wool carpet is a small fraction of the market but, dare we say, the most interesting. And for those who may not have heard of wool carpet, it is definitely a thing. Wool carpet is made by shearing sheep and collecting the wool. The wool is then run through numerous steps in order to eventually turn the wool into yarn and finally use the yarn to tuft and weave carpet. This type of carpet looks amazing and is very sustainable as sheep are always growing wool. When you pair a wool carpet over a wool underlayment you end up walking on a stylish, comfortable and completely “green” floor. As always if you have any questions do not hesitate to give us a call or drop by the store.
Being Prepared
LIMITED ROOMS AVAILABLE
1607 GREENFIELD AVENUE | 250•554-9244
options. Let’s take a look at a couple products that fit this category. Cork When you think of cork, your mind usually goes straight to bulletin boards or wine, but hopefully after reading this, cork will come to mind when thinking about flooring. Cork is a great flooring option because of its acoustic, temperature and impact benefits. Since cork is dense it helps to, not only, insulate against heat/cold but also provide both physical and sound cushion underfoot. Because of these attractive properties cork can often be found on the back of vinyl plank as well. The “green” attractiveness to cork is that it is a natural product. Cork comes from harvesting the bark off living cork oak trees. Since the tree does not have to be cut down this sustainable practice can be
SHAWN FERGUSON Everything Organized
I’m quite happy we have had a mild winter so far and just hope this continues. That’s what most of us do isn’t it; we “hope” for the best, but we have to be prepared for the worst. The word was that we were supposed to have a bad winter this year. Seeing as I needed new winter tires anyways I decided to go with studded tires this time around to have that extra safety. So far the tires have not been needed too much but it is nice having the reassurance that if it does get really bad out there I’ll still be safer getting around on our winter roads. Another reason for the studded tires was I recently got quite stuck in
the woods— and I mean STUCK! Being determined to free myself and as it was only 11 am I got right to work. After calling my partner at work I decided the situation seemed easy enough. I had to remove some of a bank in the back of me to enable me to back up. Hmmm—easy enough, but no shovel in the truck, just some hand tools. I grabbed a hammer and got to work carving the bank. That’s when the rain started, and did not stop. It slowed a few times though to build a bit of hope. Long story short, after working for over three long and wet hours to have the bank just perfect, I hopped back into the truck to slowly maneuver out of this rut. I instantly SANK straight down to my absolute horror. It was right then that I realized I’m stuck and no one can make it to me now, with the sun going down fast. I was spending the night there. I got back in the truck started it up to get dry and to calm down after a stressful afternoon of smashed hopes. I wasn’t prepared with a shovel, but as I do spend time driving in the winter I always have spare clothing, an emergency
blanket and always have lots of gas so perhaps I was over confident. It was an uncomfortable night but come sunrise I had my help come along with two shovels and we had it out in about an hour. I could have walked out I’m sure or someone could have driven around to try to find me in the dark, but as I was prepared for the cold it was safer for me to stay where I was and get help in the morning when it was safer for everyone. If people aren’t prepared, many panic and make unsafe choices as priorities get flipped around in such situations and things can get worse. For Christmas I have received a folding shovel from one of my rescuers, to keep in my truck so that I can get myself out next time. This has showed me how an incomplete kit left me stranded. Now it’s time to think about our home’s emergency kit a little more to ensure it has everything that I might need to help out in any situation. Do you have a topic that you would like Shawn to write about? Please email him at Shawn@ everythingorganized.net
JANUARY 2021 | 9
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Kamloops Symphony presents a FREE Christmas Concert until Jan 8
T
he Kamloops Symphony is putting together a free performance for the holidays. Featuring a fun mix of pre-recorded performances of over 40 musicians from the orchestra in a wide array of different combinations, the KSO Christmas Variety Show is a sparkling program of whimsical holiday music that will be fun for the whole family. “It was very important for us to continue with Christmas programming, even with our complicated circumstances,” says KSO Executive Director Daniel Mills. “We are very grateful for the amount of support we have received over the last 9 months and wanted to offer this program as a gift back to the community. We are very fortunate to have been able to bring together these professional musicians to put this concert experience together. In a time when we can’t physically come together, hopefully our audiences will enjoy it from the comfort and safety of their own homes.” The KSO Christmas Variety Show will be available to view online from December 13 to January 8, directly from the KSO’s website at www. kamloopssymphony.com. The KSO is able to present this performance at no charge thanks to generous support from the BC Lottery Corporation. In lieu of tickets, donations will be accepted throughout the program.
After a year of change and challenges, may the new year bring you warmth, love and peace.
Happy New Year!!!
TODD
STONE
MLA Kamloops-South Thompson 446 Victoria Street Kamloops, BC V2C 2A7 todd.stone.mla@leg.bc.ca toddstonemla.ca 250-374-2880 @toddstonebc ToddGStone
PETER
MILOBAR
MLA Kamloops-North Thompson 618B Tranquille Road Kamloops, BC V2B 3H6 peter.milobar.mla@leg.bc.ca petermilobarmla.ca 250-554-5413 @PeterMilobar PeterMilobarKNT
10 | JANUARY 2021
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Hospice Caregiver Workshops
Gone VIRTUAL!
A
re you caring for someone who has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness such as Cancer, COPD, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Renal Failure, or Heart Failure?
Are you caring for someone who has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness such as Cancer, COPD, ALS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, Renal Failure or Heart Failure? If so, you may have some questions such as: •
How can I help my loved one when they experience symptoms from their illness?
•
Why isn’t my loved one eating or drinking?
•
What can I expect in my loved one’s final days?
Our workshops which were previously facilitated in person are now available online at your convenience. The newly adapted VIRTUAL Caregiver Workshop Series offers 10 short videos featuring information to help anyone looking after a loved one with a lifelimiting illness. The videos are guided by a registered nurse who provides knowledge, tips, tools, and techniques to be a more confident caregiver. Topics covered include: • The Basics of Care - How to provide physical care, hygiene and prevent skin breakdown • Symptom Series - Caring for someone with pain • Symptom Series - Caring for someone who is experiencing confusion, delirium and/ or breathing challenges • Symptom Series - Caring for someone with bowel and/or bladder changes • Food for Thought - Caring for someone with appetite changes, nausea and vomiting • What to Expect in the Final Days and Hours - What end-of-life looks like and how to support your loved one
TO REGISTER FOR ONLINE ACCESS and for more information contact us: 250.372.1336 Shelby@kamloopshospice.com Join our VIRTUAL workshops to explore tips, tools and techniques to equip yourself to be a confident caregiver.
If so, you may have some questions such as… • How can I help my loved one when they experience symptoms from their illness? • Why isn’t my loved one eating or drinking? • What can I expect in my loved one’s final days?
Sponsored By:
Workshops are accessible at your convenience with an online access code.
WWW.KAMLOOPSHOSPICE.COM
The virtual workshop series will be available online through kamloopshospice.com. Registration is required in order to gain access. If you have any questions or would like to register, contact Kamloops Hospice Association 250-372-1336 or email shelby@kamloopshospice.com Follow us on Facebook for updates and check out our website at kamloosphospice.com
Reflection
It’s the time of year for reflection, love and usually gatherings, of family and friends, A time to share a year of growing, picture taking, attending churches and gift giving. A time for laughter, Christmas Carols and glittering Christmas trees, full of ornaments. Well friends, it was, until a deadly virus hit. It’s time to find a new way, to share our love, with some in isolation, on their own, A time to let each other know, that we are here to chat, to send a card, a blessing. A time for staying safe but still reaching out, to any and all, with Christmas Greetings. To know, a virus can’t stop each other, from caring. It’s a time for reflecting, in this unprecedented time, when we can’t meet in person, A time to show we can be together, in thought, as we are never really apart. A time to remember the gatherings, with Joy, while sharing the pictures from the past, Through emails, newsletters, Christmas cards and phone calls. We will get through this, as it is just for now, not forever. Merry Christmas & Happy New Year! By Betty Cadre
JANUARY 2021 | 11
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Seniors and Their Vintage Cars Terry Shewchuk and Hanna Ritenburg By Dick Parkes,
Kamloops chapter of the Vintage Car Club of Canada
T
erry Shewchuk and I go back to the early 80s when our sons were in Cubs and we both became Cub leaders. Our escapades over the ensuing 40 years could fill a small book, but I will try and keep to the main topic of vintage cars. One of the first tasks that I asked Terry to undertake during our interview was to come up with the number of vehicles that he has owned in his lifetime. That number is 70—and counting! If every car had a story, this could end up being a very long article! Terry was born on Nov. 22, 1948 in the small town of Bankend, Saskatchewan, with a population of about 80 souls at the time. His dad spent the war in the Merchant Marine and after it was over he came to Bankend where his parents and brothers had farms in the area. He ran the local grain elevator until it burned down and when his brother gave him three concrete block forms he began making enough blocks to build a combined Esso gas station, cafe, corner store and living quarters and this is where Terry grew up. Even though he was too young to get a driver’s licence, Terry’s first vehicle was a ‘48 Willys Jeep which was kept on his uncle’s farm where it remains to this day. His next conveyance was a ‘65 65cc Honda motorcycle which he used to travel about 20 miles across the fields every day to his high school in nearby Wishart. And, guess what, he still has that motorcycle too, which is currently undergoing restoration as his COVID 19 winter project. When Terry moved on to grade
10, the nearest high school was in Foam Lake and his dad bought him a ‘54 Ford which his friends used to carpool them every day as Terry was still too young to legally drive. After graduating from high school in 1966, Terry wanted to be a pilot and tried to enlist in the Air Force but was rejected because of poor hearing caused by too much tractor-driving and bird shooting. He then joined the Army at Camp Borden in Ontario but after nine months of that he decided that the army was not for him so he came back home and began a job in the mail order department of Sears. Terry fell in love with a brand new ‘67 Dodge Charger in the showroom of the local Chrysler dealer and asked his dad if he would co-sign a loan for it. They took the Charger out for a test drive and Terry thought his dad was going to the bank to sign the loan, but instead he drove them all the way to the university in Moose Jaw where Terry’s dad told him he was going to enroll and that he wasn’t getting the Charger. Thus began three years in Electronics Engineering which led to Terry being hired by BCTel. He moved to Vancouver on June 30, 1970 to start his career there and married two months later. In 1973 Terry transferred to Kamloops and in 1978 moved into a house on Dallas Drive where he still calls home today. The vintage car bug struck in the late 80s when he bought his first collector vehicle—a ‘40 Chevrolet 4 door sedan, with a ‘47 Chrysler following shortly after. He then constructed
Terry and Hanna with 1931 Plymouth
a large garage in his back yard to house and wrench on his old cars and his hobby has mushroomed ever since. Being a Mopar (Chrysler product) fan, this is the feature marque currently in his collection which consists of ‘67 and ’70 Dodge Chargers, a ‘70 Dodge Challenger convertible, and a ‘70 Plymouth Superbird. Other cars in the yard include a ‘29 Essex, ‘22 Chevrolet depot hack, ‘26 Star roadster and the bones of a ‘32 Ford sedan. Terry is an avid “Dukes of Hazard” collector and has restored the ‘70 Charger as a replica of the TV cars, right down to the Confederate flag on the roof and having a set of wheels specially cast to match those on the Dukes’ cars. He even has a Willys Jeep that is going to look just like Daisy’s when it is done! Terry’s marriage broke up many years ago and he later partnered up with Dr. Hanna Ritenburg and they have been together now for 19 years. Hanna is too busy with her medical practice to be of much assistance with Terry’s cars, but is supportive of his hobby and she does enjoy dressing them up in vintage costumes and participating in the Easter Parades. Terry is a man of many pursuits and is a hunter, fisherman, flytyer, hockey player, skier, painter, gardener, gourmet cook and a very talented self-taught sculptor. To digress, back when we were Cub leaders, we took the boys out for a weekend camp in the woods above Monte Lake. One of the weekend projects was to have the boys make their own woggles (the things that hold their neck
scarves) and we gave them each a block of wood to carve with their jackknives. While we were sitting around the campfire that evening, Terry decided to make a woggle for himself and a couple of hours later he had carved a beautiful elephant’s head, which surprised even him as he didn’t know he could do that. This started him on his sculpting efforts and he has become quite well known for his beautiful works. Terry has also been very active in the community and has been involved with the United Way, Special Olympics, Telephone Employees Community Fund, the Infant Development Program and the Child Development Centre. Being from Saskatchewan, he is also an avid Roughriders fan and his man cave featuring his favourite team is a thing to behold. “Trader Terry,” as we call him, prefers to trade items rather than buy them and most of his vintage cars were obtained in this manner. For example, he traded away a ‘71 Chevelle, ‘32 Ford, two Corvairs, a ’70 VW Beetle, ‘47 Chrysler and a ‘64 Rambler to obtain a fully restored ‘57 Chevrolet hardtop. Then he recently traded off the ’57 Chev, along with a ’68 Jaguar and a ‘74 VW Thing for the ‘70 Plymouth Superbird. It’s always an exciting event to visit with Terry as his collection is always changing and you just never know what you are going to see when the garage doors go up. Wishing all Connector readers a much Happier New Year than 2020 has been.
1975 Corvette Stingray in original condition
Terry Shewchuk and Hanna Ritenburg at an Easter Parade with their 1968 Jaguar XKE
1970 Plymouth Superbird
Terry Shewchuk’s “General Lee” 1969 Dodge Charger and 1968 Jaguar XKE coupe.
1970 Dodge Challenger convertible
12 | JANUARY 2021
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The Elusive EAR
kamloops birdwatch NAOMI BIRKENHEAD
B
itter, cold, desolate; this is the landscape of my heart as I explore the rolling pastures and rangeland of Knutsford. Despite the Short-eared Owl being one of the most open perching, widespread species present on every continent except for Antarctica and Australia, they continue to elude me. Even its unique and erratic moth like wing flutter evades my prying eyes as they scan the contrasting tawny and turquoise horizon.
It does not help my cause that these mediumsized owls prefer low light conditions (Crepuscular) and favour nesting on the ground; their plumage of alternating browns and beiges mimicking the grasses of their preferred habitat, assisting in their concealment. Their similarity to the Northern Harrier’s hunting style of flying low over the terrain, can also makes one’s heart leap with excitement and then crash with utter disappointment. But I do not give up! I keep trolling for any hint of movement or glint of their vibrant, gumball like, yellow eyes (I wonder if that is why they have Flammeus for a scientific name?!) peering out from the long tufts of grass not yet weighted by the blanket of snow. As chilling as the air and my surroundings are, so is the silence. The odds of discerning their low, eerie ‘poo poo poo’ or soft, kitten like screech, are not stacked
in my favour. Short eared Owls tend to be a taciturn species while wintering and my palpitating heart and crunching footsteps only hinder me further. Short-eared Owls have been known to migrate up to 1900 km, crossing large bodies of water on their migratory journey. Some have even been documented becoming welcomed stowaways whilst they voyage over the Pacific Ocean. So even crews sailing 1000 km from land have seen this fugacious bird!! Perhaps it is simply not yet in the cards for me to witness this majestic creature; much like this was a year that left everyone’s hopes and dreams a little in the gutter. But tomorrow is always a new day, a new opportunity, and dare I say a new year and chance to witness the fruition of what may seem but an elusive dream! Stay curious and hopeful Kamloops!
Owl Tidbits-The Hawaiian genus of Short-eared Owl which is thought to be migrated Alaskan shorteared Owls, is known as the Flammeus Sandwichnsis or Fiery Sandwich. (That just makes me giggle!)
Photo Credit: Dave Whiting
In parts of the Northwest Americas, Barred Owls are being culled to help save the lives of their endangered Spotted Owl cousins. Loss of old growth habitat and family dominance, have played a role in the steady decrease of Spotted Owl numbers.
A lifetime of stories from the Bridge River Valley
P
hil Branca is a longtime resident of the Bridge River Valley, landing there as a boy with his family in 1934 when they moved from Vancouver. He shares a lifetime of stories and photos of his experiences and adventures growing up, working, living and traveling the area. His conversational style and manner of reminiscing has been likened to a fireside chat, sharing all manner of hunting and fishing tales and other stories about miners and trappers. Anyone familiar with the area and the
characters and locales of the past 80 years, will find it an entertaining read. Loaded with photos— including a 20 page colour section, a map and other documents, Branca offers an anecdotal romp through the region. He mentions plenty of names of both people and places and describes in colourful detail stories he was told as well as recounting many of his own experiences. For example, at 21, he began working as a bartender in the Mines Hotel pub in Bralorne that his father had been managing. He describes the mass quantities of beer he served to the thirsty miners and others that frequented the place and how he had to learn how to box just in case things got too rowdy amongst the patrons. He recounts the time an avalanche destroyed a
newly built mine after the Tailor Windfall Mine shut down for the winter in 1934 as well as other avalanche and flooding events that made living in the area quite challenging and not for the faint of heart. Local outdoorsmen, history buffs and those familar with the area should enjoy a look at Branca’s personal effort. Wendy Larman, Branca’s partner, points out that he started writing the book at 87-years-young. “I hear of people reading it aloud to elderly family members and they’re having a hard time getting through the book because the elders are excited to share memories sparked by the book. It’s a conversational and colourful depiction of growing up in the BralorneGold Bridge area,” said Larman. If interested in getting a copy of Branca’s book, write to: Phil Branca, Box 1402, Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0 for more info. The Kamloops Connector will raffle off the used copy we have. Email your entries to editor@connectornews. ca by January 15, 2021 and we’ll mail it to the winner.
ACROSS 1. Tom-tom, for one 5. S omething often on your foot 9. M agnet attractant 13. O rg. that launched Gemini and Apollo 14. C harmer’s snake 16. F iddling Roman Emperor 17. That terrifying time when the gas pedal got stuck when you were breaking up the soil (with 57A) 19. Arena level 20. N ew born in pink 21. B oxing Day specials 23. S quad car necessities 26. I t’s Iran, these days 29. S nack for the folk sowing seed out in the field, maybe? 33. B C Lions players, e.g. 34. R amesses II’s father 35. S upplies with vittles 36. P ap, for one 39. K enyan native 42. B ig cat 43. R odent unseen in Alberta 46. M idday meal that the guys can eat without leaving their oxen? 50. P ampas cowboy 51. Write a music score 52. C ommon Asian songbird 54. P eace agreement 55. R eally bad habit 57. S ee 17A
62. W inged symbol of love 63. Belgium’s third largest city 64. Speckled steed 65. Jamboree sight 66. Respond saucily 67. Eyelid irritant
36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 43.
DOWN 1. Proof of fatherhood 2. Syllable the cheerleaders yell 3. World’s fourth largest nation 4. Good spot to doodle 5. Martin who directed “Raging Bull” 6. Wolves do it 7. Geisha’s belt 8. Europe’s bald eagle look-alikes 9. Surfers’ hang-out 10. Publish over again 11. Hopper car material, often 12. “... neither the time ___ the place” 15. Open-mouthed 18. Violent protest 22. Toronto team, briefly 23. 33, 45 or 78 follower (abbr.) 24. Frothy quaff 25. Blocker of “Bonanza” 27. “___ be an honour!” 28. Palm Sunday mount 30. Elizabeth II’s domain 31. Stretch mark, technically 32. Mountain climber’s spike
44. 45. 47. 48. 49. 53. 54. 55. 56. 58. 59. 60. 61.
ost impudent M Superior power Catches in a trap US fuel rating meas. Order ___ carte Tiny little bit Your basic bio. molecule Work in movies “That’ll be ___ day!” Ramada property Areas of focus Says something Centre of a revolution Cribbage markers Shepherd’s doc. Blazing anger Pod filler “Ripley’s Believe It Or ___!” Caribbean islet Whistler-Kamloops dir.
Solution to Puzzle
JANUARY 2021 | 13
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The health of individuals and our community is paramount.
Book Review
SPH POWER AT WORK PROVIDES CAREGIVERS FOR YOU: ONE TO ONE CARE
By Marilyn Brown
Ridgerunner
• NURSING HOME • PERSON REMAINING AT HOME • SHELTERED LIVING ACCOMMODATIONS
By Gil Adamson
Anansi Press 2020, a novel, 441 pages Available in book stores and in e-book format
Personal care, medical reminders, meal preparation, housework, accompanying to appointments.
I
TIMEFRAME - It takes between three to six months for the caregiver to start working for you or your loved ones
sphcaregivernanniescanada@gmail.com www.sphpoweratwork.com 250-314-6555 CALL FOR AN INITIAL ASSESSMENT!
Seniors’ Resource Centre - Salmon Arm
JANUARY 2021
320A Second Ave. NE (Office Hours: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm)
Calendar of Events
Salmon Arm, BC V1E 1H1 | Phone 250-832-7000 Fax 250-833-0550
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
5
4
3
WEDNESDAY
Foot Care (by appt. only)
Foot Care (by appt. only)
Foot Care (by appt. only)
Foot Care (by appt. only)
21
20
28
27
2
8
9
15
15
22
23
29
30
Day Away
Day Away
Foot Care (by appt. only)
SATURDAY
Day Away
Day Away
Foot Care (by appt. only)
1
Day Away 14
13
26
25
24
7
Day Away
Foot Care (by appt. only) 19
18
17
FRIDAY
6
Foot Care (by appt. only) 12
11
10
THURSDAY
Day Away
Day Away
31
Merritt Senior Centre
JANUARY 2021
The Merrit Seniors Association
Calendar of Events
250-378-3763 • 1675 Tutill Court | Nellie Holuboch, President
SUNDAY
MONDAY
TUESDAY
WEDNESDAY
THURSDAY
FRIDAY
($1 per day fee for all activities to cover cost of sanitizing)
1
SATURDAY
2
ALL Covid-19 rules for “Physical Distancing” will be observed. 3
10
17
24
31
5 Exercise Class 4 10:00 - 11 am COFFEE/TEA & TREAT Drop In Pool/Snooker 10:00 am - 12 pm 11:30 am - 1 pm 12 Exercise Class 11 10:00 - 11 am COFFEE/TEA & TREAT Drop In Pool/Snooker 10:00 am - 12 pm 11:30 am - 1 pm 19 Exercise Class 18 10:00 - 11 am COFFEE/TEA & TREAT Drop In Pool/Snooker 10:00 am - 12 pm 11:30 am - 1 pm 26 Exercise Class 25 10:00 - 11 am COFFEE/TEA & TREAT Drop In Pool/Snooker 10:00 am - 12 pm 11:30 am - 1 pm
7
6
Floor Curling 1:00 - 3 pm
Floor Shuffleboard 2:00 - 4 pm 13
Floor Curling 1:00 - 3 pm
27
Floor Curling 1:00 - 3 pm
15
15
22
23
29
30
Exercise Class 10:00 - 11 am
28
Floor Shuffleboard 2:00 - 4 pm
9
Exercise Class 10:00 - 11 am
21
Floor Shuffleboard 2:00 - 4 pm
Floor Curling 1:00 - 3 pm
8
Exercise Class 10:00 - 11 am
14
Floor Shuffleboard 2:00 - 4 pm 20
n the unlikely chance that an outsider stumbles upon the remote cabin in the Rockies, the shock of finding this hand-hewn structure might be eased by the indicators of a family living there. Both Mary, the mother, and the father are ill-at-ease with strangers, but their boy Jack is more relaxed. What wouldn’t be obvious is that William Moreland, the father, absents himself for extended forays along the Alberta/Montana border and north to the coal mining areas such as Blairmore, making use of his skill and knowledge of dynamite to rob mining companies and “relieve” others of their cash. He makes good use of the U.S. forest Ranger Stations for re-equipping himself at intervals. When his beautiful wife dies, he heart is broken. He temporarily trusts his son to a local nun while he goes on another dangerous foray, his goal: to ensure his son a future. William Moreland is an adept woodsman. He can “read” the land, lives frugally when he needs to, survives outdoors, on foot, even in harsh winters, and learns and remembers the railway lines, roads and trails, and the layout and escape routes of any locale he’s in, always particularly wary of the dangers of towns. Curiously, he can also be respectful and generous to others, even those he steals from. A few close friends are very much like him: essentially honest, straight-talking, and gentle. Jack, his son, is like his dad in some ways. He is sensitive, thoughtful, and smart. To the wealthy and educated woman he is entrusted to, known as Sister Beatrice, the boy is someone to save, too much like his father. Nevertheless, in her way she loves the boy. He would have no idea how she would react when he takes something of hers with him upon his escape. Hell hath no fury like a nun scorned. Ridgerunner takes place in the Rockies, with the town of Lake Louise, then known as Laggan, the central point. It is 1917, near the end of the First World War. At its heart the novel is a warm tale of a loving family. The character of the boy, Jack, just grabs your heart and doesn’t let go. He and others are in the midst of a harsh environment where survival is not a given. The story is truly compelling. Highly recommended. The Ridgerunner made the 2020 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist. Gil Adamson’s first novel, The Outlander, won a number of prestigious awards, as well as being a finalist in the CBC Canada Reads. She lives in Toronto.
Exercise Class 10:00 - 11 am
SUDOKU
14 | JANUARY 2021
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Zone 8 55+ Folks Have High Hopes for a Better Normal in 2021 By Linda Haas
T NEW CITY HALL PUBLIC HOURS Council has approved changes to the hours that City Hall will be open to the public. These changes align with Council’s Strategic Plan to improve fiscal responsibility and enhance operational efficiencies. Please take note of the new hours beginning in January.
Effective January 1, 2021 WINTER
9:00 am – 4:00 pm
SUMMER
8:30 am – 3:30pm
Monday to Friday
Closed weekends and statutory holidays
Have a wall that just won't stay nice?
rusting the Victoria 55+ BC Games will take place in in September, we know they will continue to be friendly and welcoming, offering lively competition in the spirit of fun and friendship, and presenting activity opportunities that are inclusive of all levels and abilities and which will take into consideration any restrictions that still may be necessary. Wish to get involved? Read each issue of The Connector and access Zone 8 on the website www.55plusbcgames.org which will be updated on a regular basis with ongoing information. Minutes of monthly meetings reside there, along with info on special events, and contact information for the executive, area representatives, and the sport/activity coordinators. At this time, following are the sport Coordinators for 2021. We still need coordinators for Hockey, Slo Pitch and Bocce. Please call president Peter Hughes 778-471-1805 or zone8pres.peterhughes@shaw.ca to help out the seniors in Zone 8. As the sports to be offered in Victoria have not been finalized, please watch for changes: Registrar 8-Ball; Snooker Archery Badminton Bocce Bridge/Whist Carpet Bowling Cribbage Cycling Darts Dragon Boat Equestrian 5-pin bowling Floor curling Golf—ladies Golf—men Horseshoes Ice Curling Sturling Ice Hockey Karate Lawn bowling Mountain bike Pickleball Slo Pitch Soccer Swimming Table Tennis Tennis Track & field Trap Shooting Triathlon
Heather Sinclair Jim Barna Valery Gaspard Garth Rustand
250-682-4121 250-679-8302 250-819-6488 250-618-4581
heather55plus@gmail.com james.barna@xplornet.ca vgaspard48@gmail.com gaprustand@gmail.com
Maxine Sealock Sharon March Maureen Hickey
250-320-0248 250-677-4234 250-579-8259 250-374-5550 250-852-3536 250-371-1860 250250-376-0573 778-269-0345 250-320-8341 778-981-0234 250-832-3287 250-453-9665
sealockb@telus.net tote.march08@gmail.com m_hickey@telus.net mstewartsmith@telus.net robertzone8dart@gmail.com supra88@shaw.ca theranchbc@gmail.com kambs12@shaw.ca rrgleech@shaw.ca biwhalley@telus.net mklefty22@gmail.com larocque.fuzie.neil3@gmail.com jpq@coppervalley.bc.ca
Paul Robertson Peter Hughes Darch Oborne Kathy Nielsen
250-319-0940 778-471-7805 250-378-7363 778-232-1699
proberts02@shaw.ca p-hughes@shaw.ca darchoborne@hotmail.com kathyn00@hotmail.com
Peter Langereis Elizabeth Naylor Jarvis Wice
250-852-3419 250-573-2818 250-253-0998 250-453-9391 250-314-9550 250-682-0991 250-833-0325
frans_langereis@hotmail.com frannaylor@shaw.ca jwice@telus.net mrmartin@telus.net karlmey36@gmail.com rick.viventi@gmail.com pgmolnar5@gmail.com
Mike Stewart-Smith
Robert Johnson Phil Maher Ellen Hockley Bill Smedley Bob Leech Inky Whalley Monty Kilborn Neil Larocque Paul & Janet Quesnel
Maria Russell Martin
Karl Mey Rick Viventi Peter Molnar
Waiting for clarification is not the same as procrastinating. Instead of a new year resolution, here is Step 3 of Jeff Herring’s “10 ways to stop procrastinating”: Watch out for monsters! The longer we put something off, the bigger it grows in our mind. The more we procrastinate, the length of time we believe it will take grows bigger in our mind as well. Without a whole lot of trying, soon we have this huge monster of a project on our hands that is just too big to tackle and you just know will take forever anyway. Now stop. This is an illusion. Just like there are no monsters under the bed, there are no monsters here either. It’s easy to get discouraged when you have a backlog of stuff to do and the pile just keeps getting higher and higher. Start with what you’ve just been given, or what is most current. Get that out of the way and then you can work backward in order to go forward. Take heart—things should be clearer in February!
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JANUARY 2021 | 15
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Moon Weavings Story by Rita Joan Dozlaw
A
s far back as I can remember, although my love interests have changed, I’ve remained in a state of recognizing when and where I am most impassioned. Some feelings wane over time; some swell my beating heart; some cause anguish; some elevate me to a dream-state. Some types of the love I speak of are gentle and soft as the babies in my love-life. No matter what or who moves me emotionally at a given time, I am certain of one thing: I shall never forget how the loving feels! It is like owning the sun and the moon, the stars and the universe. The reality, for me, is that the constant and common denominator, underlining variables in our lives, is love. Here’s a for-instance: One beautiful springtime, I fell in love with a Sonoran Desert cactus. Its stand-off persona didn’t mean it would not want to be loved. It was simply the most natural way to ensure its own ‘space’… so like some people I know. For, we are all vulnerable and put out signals for reasons of protection and privacy. Like the traits of certain individuals, when the cacti are good n’ ready to flaunt their beauty, seek affection and adoration, they have the ability to become gracious, colourful flowers in spite of barbed protective façades. In search of worthiness, I figured out that I had to learn how to love better. In recent years, I’ve particularly loved sky’s offerings of our moon. Around the globe, I note subtle and dramatic changes
in its gloriously different faces. For instance, in the Australian Outback, sand painters depict the ‘spirit moon’ in their dreamscapes because its face can appear ghostly. I enjoy the differences in its features seen in different seasons across the globe, say, in Asia, where I marveled at the ‘pearl of heaven’ which was not unlike the exquisite cool face and form of a milky pearl plucked from the sea. I was entranced as well when a ‘strawberry moon’ plucked juicy berries from the darkness near my feet. It highlighted their crepe texture and my weary eyes feasted until I could gaze no longer and brought a succulent strawberry to my lips and let its juice run down my thirsty throat. From an ancient almanac, I learned mothers of the Iroquois weave the ‘woman in the moon’ in their tapestries and headbands while, over the seasons of time, old mother moon’s cat unravels the headbands causing the moon to disappear in the mist then begin again. In the invisible hands of the weaver, the phase of a ‘new moon’ appears which she then hangs proudly in the night sky over cultural festivities, feasts and celebrations… similar to when native tribes honour the ‘long-night moon’. It has a regular heart beat signalling its arrival of winter solstice on the longest night in late December. I note its heartbeat in the flurry of dancing flakes. The islands in the Pacific are dotted under an exotic moon creating the beauty of silver linings which reflect
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on the shimmering sea. Natives there know that the ‘new moon’ gets there by way of rainbows painted on hazy mornings in the rainy seasons or during afternoon storms brutally crashing surf throughout the scattered archipelago. The story goes that Mother Nature, in her grand and natural schemes, splashes her pallet of colours heavenward in arcs just so moon can escape the ocean depths! Watching the tropicalwonder from aboard the bow of a catamaran out on a sunset dinner cruise, I could imagine it well. Late that night on a far-away isle that same moon’s gravity caused tides to rise at my feet sending a rush of power through my limbs, to safety, just as moon reached its perch on the rainbow’s arc. It was over a rugged South African coast that ‘mother moon’ sent her beams to speckle the cliffs of Cape Town with a rare glitter. She meandered inland and glazed over the lush vineyards often creating remarkable nightscapes to the heady beat of Afrikaan tribal drums. Elephants regarded her as their keeper while families and friends celebrated their moonmother religiously in their traditional festivals. The power of mother moon’s magic, in the far north, bears offspring on moonlit nights. Smoke rising from evening campfires feed her starry host, and the energies of swirling aurora borealis urge the universe to dance to the silent music and drama of moon-spells. In a lengthier epistle, I could speak to more changes
and shapes our moon takes as it moves through the sky wherever I am… inspiring me to dream; but, for this passage of prose I’ll stick to the scenes I sketched so hastily in my journal for memory sake. Scenes of corners where moonlight exposed nocturnal meanderings; where, it exposed the frivolous flair of a spider’s web with its droplets of moisture glistening like a string of glass beads; where, in the bog of a bay, night crickets sing for joy; where, if I tiptoe lightly enough, I can catch sight of a young doe and her twins resting in a thicket. As each moon moves in and out of its phases, I too move in and out of mine. Without studying the science of moon’s journeys, the near-side of her always intrigues me. When night is darkest and there is no sighting I understand moon’s shyest phase and tend to identify with it… and my own aura becomes one of mystique. Considering ‘favorites’ brings me to the reality that, for me, mother moon’s auspicious features appearing for the awesome season of winter in North America is most wonderful. The full ‘cold moon’, all dressed in white fur, hangs like a mammoth ornament over my home in B.C. where, inside, a scented pine is dressed in white twinkle lights and moon-shaped bulbs. I’m reminded of Mother Nature’s enduring gifts throughout even the darkest seasons; for, if we take notice, we’re moved emotionally to feel in love with life.
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‘DOCTOR MOM’ Story by Trudy Frisk
O
Wishing you Health, Happiness and Peace this new year! 250-372-1234 • info@cfselaw.ca
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ur homestead was a long way from a doctor. The nearest doctors and hospital were in Jasper, Alberta. In the early days, the only way to reach them was to take the CNR train. Not necessarily the passenger, either. In those days there were local station agents. In case of a medical emergency they’d contact the dispatcher and ask that the next train stop to pick up the patient. I’ve ridden to Jasper in the swaying caboose of a CNR freight train on my way to Seton Hospital. Even when roads were built and people could drive to the McBride Hospital, which was closer, going to the doctor wasn’t done lightly. There was no medical insurance as we know it. The average family didn’t have money to squander. In fact, doctors were often paid in kind with chickens or produce. I have a bill dated April 1942, from the Seton Hospital in Jasper, addressed to my mother. “To: Balance of $23.25. Dear Mrs. Hicks: it would be very satisfactory if we could have berries for this amount. Would this arrangement suit you? Signed: Sister Vincent Marie, Sister Superior.” Since my parents had more berries than ready cash, they paid in produce and the order of nuns who ran Seton Hospital were probably pleased to add food to the table for both patients and Sisters. For many years there were no ambulances either. Seeing a doctor wasn’t a matter of getting an appointment time and reading old magazines in the waiting room until called, or having professional first aid attendants transport the patient. It meant harnessing the horses for the drive to the station, then stopping the train and climbing aboard with a sick child, or gassing up the car for the long drive over narrow, rutted roads. Doctors were saved for serious problems. Of course, deciding when to go, what could be treated at home or what was important enough to be seen by a doctor was a tricky matter. In our house, it was usually decided, if I recall correctly, by
our Mother, who always radiated calm confidence. It could not have been easy. The time I stepped on a shingle lying in the yard, with a rusty spike sticking up and watched in horror as the spike came through my shoe and out through the top of my foot, I did what any kid would do. I stood still and screamed, “Mom!” Out she came, pried the shingle off, helped me into the house, removed shoe and sock, put my foot in a basin of hot water and Epsom salts. After a thorough soaking, with the hot water renewed several times, she advised me I could go outside and play. I was disappointed. I thought a spike through the foot deserved a little more fuss. When my youngest brother fell off the scaffolding for our new house and was unconscious, Mother’s first thought was ‘Concussion?’ She waited patiently to see how he did. He revived, seemingly undamaged and went back outside to ride his bike. Years later when I was a mother myself, I asked her “Weren’t you worried?” “Of course I was worried. But, I couldn’t let you kids know that.” People living far from doctors did the best they could. Mother had a good teacher in her own mother. Grandma, a young farm wife in Beausejour, Manitoba, was widowed when the oldest of her twelve children, Uncle Paul, was sixteen. She and the older children rallied round to run the farm. One of the girls died as a child of scarlet fever. But Grandma raised eleven healthy children on that farm. Many of her home remedies were passed on to them.
Several times a year, jars of ‘goose grease’ arrived at our home from Grandma on the farm. We were always glad to get them. It never occurred to us to ask how many geese it took to fill one jar with grease or how it was rendered. We just knew that, in case of severe chest colds, that grease would be heated and spread over our chests and back. It felt good and there were absolutely no side effects. It wasn’t the only treatment, of course. There were the commercial salves and ointments. Vick’s Vaporub, either a dab under a congested nose, or in a steaming pot of water to loosen the cough. The smell of camphor in Watkins products still transports me back to my bedroom in our log house, where I tried to read between coughs. If a cold was particularly severe, Mother brought out extreme measures; mustard plasters. “No point in making a wimpy mustard plaster,” was her motto. Her mustard plasters were so hot they could melt glaciers. Our bodies began to rebel as soon as we smelled the mustard and flour cooking on the stove. No amount of insisting we were better, really we were, ever prevailed. Only when the skin to which they were applied turned a bright pink, did Mother decide the plaster had done its work. For now. Most of this nursing was Mother’s work. Father excelled at taking out slivers. So he thought. In fact, his approach, using the largest needle he could find, probably a darning needle, sterilized and ready to probe, meant that having him take out a sliver was akin to minor surgery. We tried hard to conceal any
slivers from him but he had an eagle eye, able to detect the most minute of wooden intruders and his firm grip on the afflicted body part meant that we might as well resign ourselves. Both Mother and Father agreed on one medicine; a tot of brandy well mixed with hot water and sugar, for soothing and relaxing the sick. It was considered a cure-all for almost any ailment. We weren’t the only family to keep a bottle of brandy for medicinal purposes, the only time it was used. Certainly no one drank it for pleasure. Linda, the youngest in our family, got so that she hated it. She tried to give it to the dogs but they would have nothing to do with it. Finally she poured it into the house plants. Mother’s many house plants were always vigorous and thriving. Coincidence? There’s a medical clinic well staffed with doctors in our home town now. Twice a week a medical bus takes patients who need specialists or hospital tests to Prince George and Kamloops. There’s even an ambulance. Those are good things. Lately I found myself wondering about Grandma’s remedies. After two weeks of laryngitis, whispering “I can’t talk!” as loudly as I can whisper, and listening to the coughing and gurgling of people around me afflicted with bronchial problems, I recalled that, when we cleaned out the house after Mother died, I found a jar of goose grease. My doctor tells me that laryngitis is caused by a virus. There’s no real treatment for it. Maybe a rub down with hot goose grease might help?
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This new year Colouring outside the lines REV. LEANN BLACKERT Wild Church
T
his new year began before January 1st. This new year began on December 20th – with the arrival of the winter solstice and the turning again of the earth toward the sun. That is when the light began creeping back into our days.
Perhaps this new year began with the arrival of the Covid vaccines and the thought that the end is not yet here but is in sight. That is when the light emerged at the end of the tunnel. As we turn the calendar page to expose a new month in a new year and make promises and resolutions about how we ourselves will be new again, it is good to remember that each morning the light nudges gently over the horizon offering us a new day. The light emerges each and every day, and like it does in the natural world, the sun warms us and the light pulls out our best and truest selves. Each day we turn a calendar page on a fresh start. The darkness holds gifts, and its work is important
to the birth, life, death and new life cycle, but it is the light that pulls new life from the dark of garden beds and forest floors. As we know from December, light is celebrated in many faith traditions. This new year begins with the dawn of a new day. It begins today. And it will begin again tomorrow. And the day after and the day after that. As a beloved friend says, “we see the radiance of light everlasting – its source is the lustre in the lantern of faith.” Faith plays an important role in the lives of many. In the long cold days of January we do well to remember the wisdom of Natalie Sleeth, who wrote words to a popular contemporary hymn:
the soil of yesterday and the light paints the world in greens – then pinks, purples, reds, yellows – a rainbow of colours. New life matures into the fullness of beauty and prepares itself to give birth yet again: flowers and fruits and vegetables emerge – source of life and seeds of future life. The never ending cycle of life is dependent on the radiance of the light. Faith believes – faith knows – the cycle of birth, life, death and rebirth. Light from the sun, light from the Source, begins each new day. My friend, who was also a poet, expresses it magnificently: out from the ebony edges of the night sky the promise of the Maker flew softly down, parting the shadows,
In the bulb there is a flower; in the seed an apple tree; in cocoons, a hidden promise: butterflies will soon be free! In the cold and snow of winter there’s a spring that waits to be, unrevealed until its season, something God alone can see. New life might be unrevealed until its season but faith knows the seasons never fail us. Fall pulls us into the ever darkening days and winter holds us there. The earth tilts away from the sun and darkness fills our days, and every year the earth tilts back and the sun reclaims control of sky. The light returns and with it comes the heat that slowly pulls the spring of new life from the earth. Tiny buds pop up on darkened branches, tender shoots push up through
warming the weary, revealing the elegance of a Luminous Day we see the radiance of the light everlasting its source is the lustre in the lantern of faith This new year begins today. My hope is that the light offers you a Luminous Day today. And tomorrow. And beyond. Rev LeAnn Blackert works with Michele Walker and Lesly Comrie in ministry with Wild Church in Kamloops, Sorrento and the Okanagan (wildchurchbc. org). She is grateful to her friend, the poet, who shared some of this column’s words with her. RIP Lanni Shupe. You held me up in so many ways. I will miss you.
Q. How will we adjust to a post-covid era; will funerals ever be the same again?
ask drake DRAKE SMITH Funeral Director
A. Back in 1917 almost everyone who died was buried, in a coffin, in the cemetery. Not before the funeral took place in a church, however. And, of course, a viewing usually took place before the funeral. That was the normal process. Then, along came the Spanish Flu. According to a February 12, 2020 article by Christopher Klein entitled How America
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www.kamloopsunited.ca 421 St. Paul St. • Sundays 10 am Rev. Dr. Michael Caveney
Struggled to Bury the Dead During the 1918 Flu Pandemic (https://www. history.com/news/spanishflu-pandemic-dead) undertakers, gravediggers and casket makers couldn’t keep up. There was a coffin shortage. Hospitals ran out of morgue space. Approximately 675,000 Americans (50 million worldwide) died. Governments in cities and state levels tried to contain the spread of the Spanish Flu bug. People wore masks if available. Spitting was prohibited. People weren’t permitted to hold funerals. As Klein points out “In many cities, the restrictions on public events meant that families and communities had those (funeral) rites interrupted, so grieving didn’t take place in public but became an individual process, which had long-term consequences. Without an opportunity to share it with those around them, that grief was carried around for
decades.” Fast forward to 2020. For the past eight or nine months governments scientists and health officers have imposed various guidelines, warnings and restrictions on public gatherings, including funerals (mostly celebrations of life these days). As you know the exact rules have flip flopped several times as these leaders have expanded their knowledge: you couldn’t shake hands anymore, but then you could tap ankles, then that was deemed too dangerous (not to mention a little goofy to the naked eye); you had to be 6 feet (pardon me, 2 metres) apart (then it was 3 metres, then it was….); you didn’t need a mask (then you did); you could only meet in small groups, then groups of 50, then only with people in your ‘bubble,’ etc. Wow, what a trip through time! Meanwhile, people continued to die in 2020 (mostly heart or cancer
related) and families continued to make funeral arrangements. But how was the funeral arrangement different from arrangements made in 1918 and 1919? Well, for one thing, almost nobody was buried in 2020 (90 percent of people who died in British Columbia in 2020 were cremated). Many of the people who were cremated did not end up in the cemetery. More likely they found a resting place on the mantle, or in the closet, or out at Murray’s favourite lake, golf course or his favourite rest stop on the Coquihalla Highway! There’s another big difference between funerals in 2020 and funerals in 1918. In 2020, there basically weren’t any! (Okay, that’s a big hyperbolic, but not by much. The number of ‘formal’ funerals or celebrations of life has gone down…way down. But that’s a decades old trend; it’s not especially tied to the corona virus).
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www.mtpauluc.ca 140 Laburnum St. • Sundays 10 am
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But I’d like to come back to Klein’s comment that “without an opportunity to share it (a funeral rite) with those around them, that grief was carried around for decades.” Is that true? Has the decline in formal funeral/memorial services really resulted in ‘grief carried around for decades?’ I don’t think so, but you, dear reader, may be much more qualified to answer that question, especially if you’ve experienced a death in your family recently. A lot of people have held small informal family gatherings over the past year. This has meant that friends on the periphery couldn’t perhaps attend a celebration of life. Some people have held no gatherings at all. What difference has that made to their/your grief adjustment? I’d love to hear from you.
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JANUARY 2021 | 19
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Plenty to do The inside story WENDY WESEEN
There is plenty to do, for each one of us, working on our own hearts, changing our own attitudes, in our own neighborhoods. Dorothy Day
A
s December unfolded, depression dressed in bedroom slippers and flannelette crept through the patio door with a blue moon kicking its butt into my life. Since the onset of the pandemic, mental health has miraculously become an acceptable subject for discussion. As a long time connector, communicator and counselor, I’ve dreamt of a society valuing emotional literacy and mental health. But it hasn’t come yet, and not before our planet shows its shadow side much like the moon, half-hidden until the earth turns sideways and makes lives fall apart. I’m a world in miniature; the pandemic magnified the earth’s shadow as well as mine; not only destructive aspects, but also its creative power. I’ve been on lockdown
since March 8. Can count on one hand the times I’ve been in the outside world. (Perhaps a sinful trip to Value Village to find essential bigger pants). With a faithful sister and brotherin-law and three far-flung grown kids cheering me on, I’m definitely fraying at the edges with Covid fatigue, loneliness and irritability. I remind myself of a rag rug grandma placed at her back door made from old T. Eaton house dresses. Recently I owned my sadness and stress; how hard it is to stay cheerful, kind and compassionate to others. Since the beginning of the pandemic, public broadcasting (PBS) has been running tributes to individuals who have died of Covid 19. I’m stunned by them. One Sunday the station ran the tributes for an hour bringing back to life the reality of the death toll of this slippery virus. I found myself crying. I was alone but even so, felt embarrassed. Was I crying for myself? Or for the terrible revelations of society’s and individual losses of thousands of its members with families, friends, and colleagues. All with full lives, fascinating histories, endless hopes and dreams. People who sacrificed, and made contributions to communities, neighborhoods, charities, and charitable organizations. Real faces, real lives, real loves, no longer statistics. Not only footballs in a time of crisis in the situations of maintaining power and
wealth in spite of it all. Individuals are bucking the system, as if they are riding a bull in a rodeo “you can’t tell me what to do!” ignoring the consequences of Covid spread, chronic illness and death as concrete evidence of their joy ride, toting out constitutions, charters of rights, the erosion of democracy, and personal entitlement, thinking their beliefs are the most important, not realizing scientific evidence, not belief, point to a need to care and protect each other. It isn’t an either/or issue, it’s a yes/and solution, respects vulnerable people and avoids lengthening the work of people dedicated to taking care of new cases and more deaths. The exhausted front line health workers continue to risk and suspend their lives for us. Teachers know children need to be in school and put their faith in the public. People with underlying conditions and mobility/ disability challenges stay locked down hoping the general population will respect the right to be safe. And finally, patients delayed within the health system for non-Covid related tests, surgeries, and medical care pray they can get what they need without a prolonged delay. It’s past time now to honour those who are dependent on the protection and care of others. * Dorothy Day was the founder of the Catholic Worker Movement in New York City
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20 | JANUARY 2021
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Hearing loss plays a significant role in many issues that impact our quality of life. That is why experts recommend early treatment.
Hearing loss impacts everyday life More than anything else, hearing keeps us connected to the world around us. Whether it’s communicating with friends and family, interacting with colleagues, enjoying a recital, movie or TV show, or waking up to birds singing outside your window — when you hear better, you simply live better. But when hearing is impaired, those connections, interactions and moments can be muted and strained, which has an impact on our quality of life. • Missing a grandchild’s first words or a family dinner story • Feeling left out of a conversation or a good joke • Limiting once-fun social activities • Feeling less independent, less confident and less secure • Frustrating loved ones with constant requests to repeat what was said • Not living life to the fullest because hearing loss is holding you back
What to do if you have hearing loss If you’ve concluded you have hearing loss — either by exhibiting these common hearing loss signs or failing an online hearing test — experts recommend you consult with someone who specializes in hearing issues. You can start with your doctor or general practitioner (GP), who will most likely refer you to a hearing healthcare professional. Or, you can go directly to a hearing healthcare professional, like an otolaryngologist (ENT doctor), audiologist or hearing aid specialist. The goal is to find a professional who specializes in hearing: someone who has the equipment, training and expertise to thoroughly evaluate your hearing and work with you to develop a personalized treatment solution.
See someone as soon as possible Experts also recommend you treat hearing loss sooner rather than later. Study after study have linked untreated hearing loss to an array of issues like depression, anxiety, increased risk of falls and hospitalizations, and even dementia1. Also, the longer you live with impaired hearing, the longer and harder it will be to recover once treatment starts.
Hearing testing, hearing aid fittings and hearing aid programming by appointment only. PLEASE CALL 250-372-3090 TO BOOK YOUR APPOINTMENT. Drop in for a cleaning! Please knock and we will be happy to assist you. 414 Arrowstone Drive Kamloops, BC 250.372.3090 Toll Free 1.877.718.2211 Email: info@kamloopshearingaidcentre.ca or online at:
www.KamloopsHearingAidCentre.ca Find us on facebook: /KamloopsHearingAidCentre