A DOUBLE BLIND DATE THAT WENT SIDEWAYS

As my Dad’s health declined, I had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with my parents and I am grateful for the conversations I had with each of them.

Letter from Editors /The Oomen’s p.3

The Arthur’s/ Ross Creek/Tides. p.4

Free Will Astrology / Star Drop

Sunday Music In the Garden/ The Herrick’s p.6

Puzzles/Mike Uncorked/Books by Locals

Classifieds

Man on the Moon

Acadia Page

Wolfville Page

Horton High School Musical/Ron Lightburn

Kings County/CMHA/In the Garden

Music in Communities/Hidden Gems/Skincare

What’s Happening / Tides p.16-17

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Mon. Mar 20, 2023

I would like to share the touching love story of my parents, Tom and Marian Arthurs, from Greenwood. Recently, on January 20, we said goodbye to my father, Thomas Steeves Arthurs, during a service held at the Middleton Funeral Home. Last year, on November 1st, they celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary. Two weeks before that my Dad asked me if I could send in a notice to CTV’s Live at Five Milestones segment, which of course, I did. It made the cut, though I was a day late CTV Milestones – November 01, 2022.

My father, a retired veteran of the Royal Canadian Navy, would have turned 91 in March.

I asked my mother how they first met and she shared a sweet story with me. In a nutshell, a double blind date that went sideways, I would say. She was 17 years old at the time, from Spa Springs, near Middleton. She told her parents that she was going to babysit with a friend… but in reality, went on a double blind date with her friend and a couple of chaps from the Greenwood base. When the fellows picked them up, my Mom felt nervous because the guys had been having some drinks. So when they arrived at the dance in Bridgetown, my Mom hid out in the coat room and didn’t want to come out. My Dad (who was allowed out on a day pass from Cornwallis as he was nearing graduation) spotted her, and sweet talked her into coming out for a dance. She did, and that was the beginning of what would become their forever romance.

Clearly Mom liked him because she gave him her phone number. The very next week he called to see if she could come to the next dance. Her parents and siblings wanted to know who this fellow was that was calling her.

She then had to confess to her parents that she hadn’t actually gone babysitting with her friend the week before, but that they had gone on a blind date that went sideways, so to speak, and that she met this guy who would soon graduate from Cornwallis.

My grandparents said that she could go to the dance, but that they would take her. Of course, they wanted to meet him. They told her that they would wait for her and take her home when the dance was over. My Dad met my grandparents in the parking lot in front of the Bridgetown Post Office that night. He actually kept a photo of the front of that Post Office in an album he had of special moments.

In one of the many quiet moments I was able to share with my Dad after he was released from the hospital at the end of November, I told him about what Mom had told me about how they met. My Dad responded by saying “the moment I saw her, I knew she was the one”.

When I made arrangements for the floral arrangement that would be placed beside Dad’s urn for his service today, at the center was a small cluster of lavender roses, which symbolize love at first sight.

We brought Dad’s urn home, where he will remain until the day comes for Mom to join him. He did not want to be buried without her, though their headstones have been in place for well over twenty years. They took care of the hard bits because they wanted to make it easier for those of us left behind. That’s who they are.

Seventy years ago they said their I do’s. They said what they meant, and meant what they said. True love is not always a bed of roses. It is hard work, devotion and a commitment to one another. Forever and always. That is my parents’ story of true love.

They’ve shown us younger ones how it is

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A Love Letter To Our Volunteers

Ross Creek Centre for the Arts and Two Planks and a Passion Theatre

Dearest Volunteers,

Roses are red, violets are blue... jokes aside, we appreciate you! At Ross Creek and Two Planks, we believe that volunteerism is one of the most impactful forms of philanthropy. This Valentine’s Day, we want to share our love for volunteers. Whether large or small, your contributions fill our hearts with gratitude!

We idolise the enthusiasm of those who helped us to get us up and running almost 25 years ago — from building trails to constructing cabins (and everything in between!) We’ll never forget the dedication it took to make our dreams come true.

Today, we treasure the ongoing support of volunteers and all the different ways they chip in. Our beloved board is full of amazing voices who guide us as we navigate the ins and outs of operating a rural arts centre and outdoor theatre. Your devotion means the world to us.

We’re wild for our Workaway Volunteers, who come from near and far! Their appetite for new experiences exhilarates us.

We adore those individuals who bring their unique skill sets to the Centre.

Sharing your gifts keeps our driveway passable, provides exceptional administrative support, catalogues our library, assists during events, and even helps feed our community.

Last but not least, we cherish the young people in our Youth Leadership Program. You consistently inspire us with your creativity, ideas, and energy to shape a better world!

Volunteers show their love every day through their work, transforming communities and building brighter futures for us all. They are the glue that helps us stick together. In closing, volunteers, you complete us! We can confidently say that charitable organisations like us wouldn’t be able to do it without you! xoxo,

ARIES (March 21-April 19): Theoretically, you could offer to help a person who doesn’t like you. You could bring a gourmet vegan meal to a meat-eater or pay a compliment to a bigot. I suppose you could even sing beautiful love songs to annoyed passersby or recite passages from great literature to an eight-year-old immersed in his video game. But there are better ways to express your talents and dispense your gifts—especially now, when it’s crucial for your long-term mental health that you offer your blessings to recipients who will use them best and appreciate them most.

TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In esoteric astrology, Taurus rules the third eye. Poetically speaking, this is a subtle organ of perception, a sixth sense that sees through mere appearances and discerns the secret or hidden nature of things. Some people are surprised to learn about this theory. Doesn’t traditional astrology say that you Bulls are sober and well-grounded? Here’s the bigger view: The penetrating vision of an evolved Taurus is potent because it peels away superficial truths and uncovers deeper truths. Would you like to tap into more of this potential superpower? The coming weeks will be a good time to do so.

GEMINI (May 21-June 20): The ingredient you would need to fulfill the next stage of a fun dream is behind door #1. Behind door #2 is a vision of a creative twist you could do but haven’t managed yet. Behind door #3 is a clue that might help you achieve more disciplined freedom than you’ve known before. Do you think I’m exaggerating? I’m not. Here’s the catch: You may be able to open only one door before the magic spell wears off—*unless* you enlist the services of a consultant, ally, witch, or guardian angel to help you bargain with fate to provide even more of the luck that may be available.

CANCER (June 21-July 22): I trust you are mostly ready for the educational adventures and experiments that are possible. The uncertainties that accompany them, whether real or imagined, will bring out the best in you. For optimal results, you should apply your nighttime thinking to daytime activities, and vice versa. Wiggle free of responsibilities unless they teach you noble truths. And finally, summon the intuitive powers that will sustain you and guide you through the brilliant shadow initiations. (PS: Take the wildest rides you dare as long as they are safe.)

LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Fate has decreed, “Leos must be wanderers for a while.” You are under no obligation to obey this mandate, of course. Theoretically, you could resist it. But if you do indeed rebel, be sure your willpower is very strong. You will get away with outsmarting or revising fate only if your discipline is fierce and your determination is intense. OK? So let’s imagine that you will indeed bend fate’s decree to suit your needs. What would that look like? Here’s one possibility: The “wandering” you undertake can be done in the name of focused exploration rather than aimless meandering.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): I wish I could help you understand and manage a situation that has confused you. I’d love to bolster your strength to deal with substitutes that have been dissipating your commitment to the Real Things. In a perfect world, I could emancipate you from yearnings that are out of sync with your highest good. And maybe I’d be able to teach you to dissolve a habit that has weakened your willpower. And why can’t I be of full service to you in these ways? Because, according to my assessment, you have not completely acknowledged your need for this help. So neither I nor anyone else can provide it. But now that you’ve read this horoscope, I’m hoping you will make yourself more receptive to the necessary support and favors and relief.

LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): I can’t definitively predict you will receive an influx of cash in the next three weeks. It’s possible, though. And I’m not able to guarantee you’ll be the beneficiary of free lunches and unexpected gifts. But who knows? They could very well appear. Torrents of praise and appreciation may flow, too, though trickles are more likely. And there is a small chance of solicitous gestures coming your way from sexy angels and cute maestros. What I can promise you for sure, however, are fresh eruptions of savvy in your brain and sagacity in your heart. Here’s your keynote, as expressed by the Queen of Sheba 700 years ago: “Wisdom is sweeter than honey, brings more joy than wine, illumines more than the sun, is more precious than jewels.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your assignment, Scorpio, is to cultivate a closer relationship with the cells that comprise your body. They are alive! Speak to them as you would to a beloved child or animal. In your meditations and fantasies, bless them with tender wishes. Let them know how grateful you are for the grand collaboration you have going, and affectionately urge them to do what’s best for all concerned. For you Scorpios, February is Love and Care for Your Inner Creatures Month.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Revamped and refurbished things are coming back for another look. Retreads and redemption-seekers are headed in your direction. I think you should consider giving them an audience. They are likely to be more fun or interesting or useful during their second time around. Dear Sagittarius, I suspect that the imminent future may also invite you to consider the possibility of accepting stand-ins and substitutes and imitators. They may turn out to be better than the so-called real things they replace. In conclusion, be receptive to Plan Bs, second choices, and alternate routes. They could lead you to the exact opportunities you didn’t know you needed.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author Neil Gaiman declared, “I’ve never known anyone who was what he or she seemed.” While that may be generally accurate, it will be far less true about you Capricorns in the coming weeks. By my astrological reckoning, you will be very close to what you seem to be. The harmony between your deep inner self and your outer persona will be at record-breaking levels. No one will have to wonder if they must be wary of hidden agendas lurking below your surface. Everyone can be confident that what they see in you is what they will get from you. This is an amazing accomplishment! Congrats!

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): “I want to raise up the magic world all round me and live strongly and quietly there,” wrote Aquarian author Virginia Woolf in her diary. What do you think she meant by “raise up the magic world all round me”? More importantly, how would you raise up the magic world around you? Meditate fiercely and generously on that tantalizing project. The coming weeks will be an ideal time to attend to such a wondrous possibility. You now have extra power to conjure up healing, protection, inspiration, and mojo for yourself.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Before going to sleep, I asked my subconscious mind to bring a dream that would be helpful for you. Here’s what it gave me: In my dream, I was reading a comic book titled *Zoe Stardust Quells Her Demon*. On the first page, Zoe was facing a purple monster whose body was beastly but whose face looked a bit like hers. On page two, the monster chased Zoe down the street, but Zoe escaped. In the third scene, the monster was alone, licking its fur. In the fourth scene, Zoe sneaked up behind the monster and shot it with a blow dart that delivered a sedative, knocking it unconscious. In the final panel, Zoe had arranged for the monster to be transported to a lush uninhabited island where it could enjoy its life without bothering her. Now here’s my dream interpretation, Pisces: Don’t directly confront your inner foe or nagging demon. Approach stealthily and render it inert. Then banish it from your sphere, preferably forever.

Homework: Give a blessing to someone that you would like to receive yourself. Newsletter.FreeWillAstrology.com

THE LOW-DOWN ON LOVE – ON THE WINGS OF SONG

Janet Kirkconnell

Love songs have been around since time immemorial, the oldest example dating from the nineteen-hundreds B.C. in China. In fact, the origin of music is found in the use of the voice, the inherent instrument, and the most frequent subject of songs has been love, in all countries and tongues. After notation was invented in the ninth century, and the staff in the eleventh, documentation is rich. In the Middle Ages, the French troubadours and the German Minnelied predominated, whether songs of courtly love, or otherwise. Fast forward to the Romantic period in Germany, with songs of love by composers such as Schubert and Schumann. The operatic repertoire is full of the theme, Verdi, Wagner, Puccini. The central thrust of much popular music is love.

Under the title, Tell Me the Truth About Love, a trio of soprano, tenor, and piano, Tracy Cantin, soprano, Marcel d’Entremont, tenor,

A SUMMER FLING NEVER HURT ANYONE?

Carson and Christine Herrick and Dakota Scott-Digout, the piano will reveal their findings about love on February 19, in the Garden Room of the Irving Centre on Acadia University’s campus. The final concert of a Debut Atlantic tour for them. Scott-Digout and Acadia School of Music graduate d’Entremont, already known to Sunday Music in the Garden Room audiences, are noted for their “virtuoso technique and requisite poise” (Joseph So, Ludwig van Toronto); the superlatives for Canadian soprano Cantin are many. She “has it all – agility, power and dazzling coloratura” (Chicago Sun-Times), her “full, gleaming sound” praised, and her “vocal and physical allure, with interpretive and stage presence to boot” pointed out (Chicago Tribune).

We all have our own unique love stories, and the way we meet our significant other is often a defining moment in those tales.When Carson and Christine Herrick’s children asked them how they met, they decided to each share their own perspective.

Sunday Music in the Garden Room concerts are free of charge. 2pm on February 19.

Carson:

Of course the perception, not to mention the memory, of how your Mom & I met for the first time will differ depending on the teller and the events leading up to that moment. Looking back, it certainly wasn’t your normal romantic encounter.

In early September 1980, I found myself in Edmonton with two weeks of holidays and no plans. I had just purchased a new sporty little Celica and had heard wonderful things about Pacific Rim National Park on the West Coast. After dropping Nika, my cross Samoyed/Lab, at a doggie daycare, I ventured off on a spurof-the-moment road trip without a clue as to how my life was going to change.

It was late afternoon when I hiked into Schooner’s Cove, a somewhat unregulated camping area right on the water. It was sunny, a rare moment between the usual rain & mist, so I chose an off the beaten track area to camp, dropped my stuff and hurried off down the beach for a picture of what was a beautiful sunset.

On the way for a good view I did notice an official park sign advising campers not to camp beyond that point and shortly thereafter a tent and one young lady trying to start a fire. I continued on for my pictures and then on the way back decided to pick up an armful of driftwood for this camper who clearly, at least in my misguided egotistical male mind of the time, needed my help.

After a brief introduction, I learned that Katrin and her girlfriend Christine were from Germany and hitchhiking around North America. Christine was apparently off collecting shellfish for their dinner despite posted warnings all over about the incidence of Red Tide in the area, an algae bloom that can cause a paralytic disease in shellfish and is toxic to people. Before dropping the wood, I’d collected and continuing back to my campsite to set up, I was invited back to share a cheap bottle of “wine” I’d brought with me, at which time I met Christine.

Without the details, that night there was a bear incident at my campsite during which I lost all of my food. Even having breakfast meant a hike back to the car and driving into Tofino, about a half hour away, to grab a bite to eat. Thinking of the girls I’d met the evening before, I hiked my way down to their new campsite (they’d been noticed by a Warden and asked to move) to ask if they’d like to join me to see Tofino. As fate would have it, Christine agreed, and as it happened, we spent the day together talking and walking around town, which later led to a lovely campfire dinner back at the campsite. Again, there were no details, but from then on, the rest was already preordained.

Three days later, in the besotted state I was in, I had the audacity to tell Christine she was not going to marry her boyfriend in Germany but was going to marry me. Other than a wry smile, that prediction was not reciprocated at the time!

The three of us spent the next week camping and driving down the Coast Highway 101 towards California. Reality soon set in and, if I was going to keep my job, I reluctantly had to return to Edmonton and my job as a Forester with the Alberta Government. That was a difficult drive leaving Christine and Katrin to continue on what to me was their risky hitchhiking adventure, especially in the States.

After a few weeks Christine and Katrin returned to Germany and for me it seems that the next three months were spent on the phone. Between phone calls I’d get pessimistic and chalk everything up to a summer fling only to be picked up again by the sound of Christine’s voice from so many miles away. Then there was that beautiful day in November when I was asked if I could pick her up at the airport on December 13th, 1980. I think that was the first test! The “airport” was in Seattle, Washington, two days away.

The next few months were spent getting to know each other in the little cabin I was renting on Cooking Lake, south-east of Edmonton. We were married in Ottawa in the presence of my family and their friends three months later on March 21, 1981.

Christine:

“Well, look at that nice specimen coming down the beach,” I said to Katrin. He was tall, dark, handsome, a look-a-like between Tom Selleck and Sean Connery. “Yes, he said he’d come back”, she said.

Trying to correct us in our tent building was one thing, but learning that he chased a bear that had stolen all his food was quite another. This was September, but we’d been hitch hiking since end of June without any trouble whatsoever.

A summer fling never hurt anyone? Having fun is an essential part of living in my books. The day in Tofino was, well, hampered by the imminent sense of seriousness swirling in my head and heart. This man at mid-thirty was so many things I hoped for as a partner in life; sound values, aged enough to be a man, and a place of work which seem to bring him joy. But no holding hands, instead sharing family stories while sightseeing, and getting supplies for the next few days of camp life made me think, was this feeling of affection just one-sided?

In his generosity, he made the trip down the coast highway very economical for us travellers. And yes, flirtations began. Okay, we parted someplace in Eureka, Oregon, USA, and continued with our plan to see the Grand Canyon, gamble in Las Vegas, visit Reno and San Francisco, and hitch hiked further south to San Diego. A super nice fella, Michael Gonzales, scooped us up and offered us his home for ten days. He made a one-day trip to Baja, Mexico possible. This was a hit for Katrin. I believe Carson and I stayed in contact a few times throughout the weeks. Collect calls were a wonderful institution.

It was December and I was home from Frisco to think and sort stuff out. Oh boy, what to do? Well, to my utter surprise, a stack of love letters and a bouquet of fresh flowers were waiting on my desk at home. In my mid-twenties and Carson in his mid-thirties, the time seemed right to act grown up and decide. Goodbye Germany, hello Canada! How much was at stake, I had no idea! In his cozy cabin, outhouse, and all, we cobbled our two someness together through the first winter. Starting to volunteer here and there until a job as an assistant coordinator for an Adult Day Care became reality. A year and a half later we were expecting our first child and we chose a house in Ardossan, outside Edmonton.

Here our family story begins.

Sudoku

Edited by Margie E. Burke

HOW TO SOLVE:

Each row must contain the numbers 1 to 9; each column must contain the numbers 1 to 9; and each set of 3 by 3 boxes must contain the numbers 1 to 9.

(Answer appears elsewhere in this issue)

Solutions to Sudoku and Crossword (page18)

Mike Uncorked:

Thane Dunn Returns To The Valley

Champion Elvis Tribute Artist Plays the Old Orchard Inn on February 11!

Mike Butler

Solution to Sudoku:

It has been 46 years since the King, Elvis Presley, passed away, but his iconic persona, unbelievable talent and crowd-pleasing charisma have never wavered. With album sales still in the millions, movies and TV specials still being produced each year, and many tribute artists taking to the stage to honour the King with their own incredible talents.

One such artist, Thane Dunn, accompanied by the Cadillac Kings band, is returning to the Valley for his Love Me Tender Elvis Spectacular, and it’s a show you don’t want to miss. Whether you’re an Elvis fan or not, Thane, his band, and his stunning opening act are a crowd-pleasing entity that sets the bar high!

In chatting with Thane recently, he dove into the unsettling last few years, the resurgence of live music and his love of the Valley, where he’s very excited to return for this one-of-akind show. Thane commented on the heart ships and trials of the pandemic, “The past few years were like hell on earth. We made it through, thankfully, but it cut our income to literally nothing. I was lucky to have money in the bank to keep going, but I spent a fortune promoting shows that constantly got either cancelled or rescheduled so it was like the bottom fell out of my world. It’s so great to be back, and we can’t wait to see the Valley audience again. It’s been too long!”

Most people don’t know that Thane wears many hats. Thane handles renting the venues, marketing and promotion, and then the actual show. With so many people in the Maritimes that faithfully follow him and his band, they have become like family. It will be a wonderful return to the Valley music scene when Thane’s latest show, Love Me Tender, comes to the Old Orchard Inn on February 11, just in time for Valentine’s Day.

The Old Orchard Inn, under new management, is striving to be the number one destination spot for comfortable accommodations, great food, high quality entertainment and be the go-to place in the valley to see and do amazing things. Thane Dunn and the Cadillac Kings will be the first of many acts to come to the Inn, so stay tuned for more to be announced.

Thane’s show is going to be unlike his other stage outings. He commented, “We have the best of the love songs like, Love Me Tender and Are You Lonesome Tonite. We will be performing everyone’s favourite songs from Suspicious Minds to Heartbreak Hotel, Gospel greats like How Great Thou Art to Unchained Melody, which has been made even more popular from the success of last Summer’s Blockbuster Elvis Movie. It’s a fast-paced Vegas-style show that creates a lot of excitement and much due happiness. And we’ve always wanted to do a Valentine’s themed show and the Old Orchard Inn is the perfect spot for it. You can do everything there, have supper, enjoy the show, and stay overnight.”

Thane returns with all the glitz and glam, the outfits, the lip, the charm, the voice, and the stunning full Cadillac Kings band along with his secret weapon, The Rhinestone Cowgirl Melly Dunn opening the show, and people absolutely love her. Melly Dunn just recently recorded her first album in Nashville, working with people who have worked with David Foster, Kelly Clarkson, John Denver, Wynonna Judd, and Elvis Presley to name a few. The executive producer of her album is Larry Strickland, who sang the bass with Elvis from 1974 until the end and was also the husband of the late Naomi Judd. Melly recently soldout Casino New Brunswick to rave reviews. She has a three-and-a-half octave voice and looks like a movie star!

Thane and Mel are setting out more tour dates for the year, so this Valley show is a sneak peek of the revived Thane Dunn as he heads out to Alberta, the United States, and more for a tour-de-force year ahead. In his spare time, Thane is working hard to get the shows in full swing. He’s been doing some keynote speaking to different organizations about living your dreams and working hard to achieve your goals, and he always makes time for his family.

The Love Me Tender extravaganza will be a show filled with the love, life, sequins, and the best Elvis Tribute Artist Alive. Treat yourself to the return of Thane Dunn, the showcase of the Old Orchard Inn and the return of brilliant live shows to the valley!

For tickets to this one-of-a-kind music experience, visit www.thanedunn.ca, or the Old Orchard Inn website, or by calling 1-800-5618090. Tickets are selling fast, so jump on it, everyone!

Crossword by Margie E. Burke

Books By Locals

Wendy Elliott

Not a lot of new books locals this month, so I thought I’d mention that the Blomidon Naturalists Society have three of their classic books available at a good price on their web site. Most recent was Wildflowers of Nova Scotia and it packs lots of colour. The book is 97 pages and identifies 170 wildflowers. It slips easily into a backpack for hikes and walks. The guide was written for the average reader.

“This book will help Nova Scotians from many different backgrounds to engage with the botanical world in a user-friendly way, and it will probably join its owners for more hikes and walks than other guides,” said Dr. Sean R. Haughian, Curator of Botany, Nova Scotia Museum. ‘Nature Walks: Within the View of Blomidon’ was written for the society in 2006 by the late Merritt Gibson with illustrations by Twila Robar-DeCoste of Aylesford.

Dr. Gibson delves into the many walking trails and country roads that are literally within the view of Blomidon.

There are walks across dykelands, along lakes and rivers, through different forest types, and along both sandy and rocky shores. Some favourite walks are the trails at Blomidon Provincial Park and Cape Split for carpets of flowers in spring and migrating birds in autumn, the rocky coast at Scots Bay to explore tide pools, and the shores of the Minas Basin in August to watch thousands of sandpipers. Walking the same paths and anticipating the seasonal changes is a never-ending source of pleasure.

Thirdly ‘A Natural History of Kings County’ was published by the society in 1992. This 196-page resource book is profusely illustrated. Organized in three sections, the book examines physical characteristics, history of peoples and wildlife habitats. https://blomidonnaturalists.ca/publications/

Other favourites

Esther Clark Wright’s writing in ‘Blomidon Rose’ goes beyond the cape, but this is what she says of the area: “Blomidon, serene, aloof, dignified, has seen the tides come and go, has seen the seasons change, has seen one generation rise and fade and be replaced by another, has seen the centuries and their folly and their wisdom come and go, and still in the morning sunshine Blomidon stands out clear, green and blue and red, and still in the evening shadows, Blomidon is dark and full of mystery brooding over the land and the sea that are his territory.”

A well written tome, ‘Blomidon Rose’ contains a wealth of historical and natural information. It is interesting to compare her insights and perspectives from the late 1950s on modern life and economics to those of today. Not restrained by political correctness, Wright makes occasional statements about people and events that would cause an outcry if penned today.

Ernest Buckler’s ‘Ox Bells and Fireflies’ is a beautiful memoir of farm life in Annapolis County nearly a century ago. The small world we enter in this 1968 book is charged with a sense of wonder and permeated with the great universals.

In highly charged, sensuous prose, Buckler looks at the rural Nova Scotia of his childhood to reveal a universal human experience. A life style that was closely paced to the rhythm of the seasons, of birth, growth and death.

Prize winners

Two Gaspereau Press authors have picked up significant prizes of late. Bren Simmers, author of If, When, won the 2022 CBC Poetry Prize for her poem “Spell World Backwards.” Annick MacAskill won the 2022 Governor General’s Award for Poetry for her 2022 collection Shadow Blight.

This section works on a first-come, first-served basis. Email your classified to: sales@grapevinepublishing.ca and, if there's room, we'll get you in. Or, to reserve a placement, pay $5 per issue (3-issue minimum commitment). Please keep listings to 35 words or less.

CLASSES & WORKSHOPS:

Al-Anon: Are you affected by someone else’s addictions? If so, Al-Anon is for you. A Support Group for families and friends affected by someone else’s drinking, etc. INFO: 902-300-8657 | al-anonmaritimes.ca

Boogie Woogie Piano Lessons: Learn this wonderfully exciting style of music, along with Latin jazz, rock, popular, and ‘world’ music from an experienced professional. INFO: (902) 385-2375 | rodwsmith@mac.com

Cancer Support Group: For women with and/or recovering from any type of cancer. Meeting the second Thursday of each month. INFO: 902-690-5956 | michellereid566@yahoo.ca | 902-678-9100 | patmutch@hotmail.com | 902-542-1466 | margotwithat@hotmail.com

Voice & Piano Lessons: With professional music educator, Susan Dworkin, with 33 years of teaching experience! Studio located in Wolfville. Offering private lessons for children and adults of all ages, beginner to advanced. INFO: 902-300-1001 | susanlisadworkin@gmail.com

DONATE/VOLUNTEER:

Used Cell Phones Needed: Gently used, unlocked, cleared of personal information, cell phones needed, to be given to people without phones. Drop off: Middleton or Kingston Libraries. Contact us for other drop off locations. Sponsored by Kingston CHB and Stop Trashing It. INFO: 902-448-4744 | info@redbearhealinghome.ca

The Revival Shop: A pay-what-you-can thrift shop offering gently used clothing for all, located at 6 Willow Street in Hantsport. Donations and volunteers are welcome. INFO: Open Monday & Saturday 9am-12pm, Tuesday & Wednesday 2-4pm, Thursday 6-8pm. Horton High School Safe Grad 50/50 Raffle: Support the Horton Safe Grad for your chance to win big! Last day to buy tickets online is February 27, 2023. Draw is February 28th. Prices: 20 tickets for $100, 8 for $50, 3 for $20, and 1 for $10. Jackpot information and online ticket sales at https://rafflebox.ca/raffle/horton-high-safe-grad

PRODUCTS & SERVICES:

Errands by Karen Home Blood Collection: A personalized approach to lending a helping hand. Karen will collect your blood and deliver it to the lab, run your errands, take you shopping, or to appointments. Fully certified and bondable. All COVID protocols followed. Please call or email to book an appointment. INFO: 902-790-2626 | errandsbykaren@hotmail.com

Got Mice?: Do you have a MOUSE problem? Or do you have a HOUSE problem? Got Mice Humane Wildlife Services addresses common and uncommon entry points permanently with guaranteed results. Call for a consultation. INFO: 902-365-MICE (6423) | GOTMICE.CA

Enhance Your Love + Relationships in 2023 Year of the Water Rabbit: Use ancient Feng Shui principles to harmonize your space. FREE 15-minute consults. Book before February 20, 2023 to receive 33% off! INFO: hello@fengshuibysuzanne.com

Interior Painting and Cabinets: Women in Rollers is the Valley’s full-service decorating company. We do accurate quotes, show up on time, and perform to perfection. We even leave your home neat and tidy! We have great references! Complimentary design and colour consultations. Call today for your free estimate. INFO: (902) 697-2926

Traditional Chinese Medicine: Enhance your overall wellness and treat root causes of illness with acupuncture and Chinese herbology. Commonly treated conditions include: anxiety, depression, insomnia, digestive problems, menstrual/menopausal symptoms, sciatica, and more! Jane Marshall, D.TCM, DAc, has over 20 years experience! INFO: 902-404-3374 | janemarshallacupuncture.ca | 112 Front St, Wolfville Wellness Life Coach: See Alexandra Gellman, Ph.D., DHM, RNCP, for homeopathy, integrative medicine, iridology (eye), nutrition to boost your health, wellness, and cognitive capabilities naturally. Free Motivation Monday Workshops on the first Monday of the month (February 6, 1 - 2:15PM): Boost Your Immune System.

INFO: 902-542-5280 | alex@alexgellman.com

Wood Flooring Restoration and Repair: Make your old wooden floors beautiful again! Sanding, refinishing, repairing, and verathaning of hard and soft stevenrhude13@gmail.com