Women With Vision Fall/Winter, 2015 by Women With Vision

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17th Anniversary Issue

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Nostalgia

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Madeleine French

Rock’n in Today’s World

Old Fashioned Ways to Promote Your Business

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Wo m e n w i t h Vi s i o n ! ™ m a g a z i n e i s p u b l i s h e d b y Wo m e n w i t h Vi s i o n I n c . Founder/Publisher, C.E.O. Lorraine Leslie Sales/Marketing: Lorraine Leslie Feature Writers: Karen Brunger, Janette Burke, Monika Gibson, Paola Gucciardi, Laura Hodgkiss, Janet Kurasz, Lorraine Leslie, Susanne Mikler, Jessy Morrison, Lesley Paul, Lynda Pogue, Karen Sencich, Linda Thorn, Marilyn Wetston, Rick Ziemski, Design/Layout: Candice Lewis |www.candicelewis.ca

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Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome. Copyright 2015 Women with Vision! Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, without the written permission of the publisher. The views, opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of this publication and/or publisher who hereby disclaims any liability whatsoever arising from the advice, information or offers presented in articles or advertisements herein. Women with Vision! welcomes submissions, but accepts no responsibility for unsolicited materials. All manuscripts, illustrations and photographs submitted must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope if they are to be returned or acknowledged. Readers who require legal, accounting or other expert advice should obtain the services of a qualified professional.Women with Vision! is a Member of the Canadian Copyright Association.

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Publisher’s note

Creating a Future from Our Past

In this issue of Women with Vision Magazine we have stepped back in time to remember those simple days of doing things together; like sitting with family and putting together a photo album. Hobbies are now often done on social media through online games and such. What happened to the old board games on the card table with a bowl of popcorn and a soda? Perhaps you do this while on vacation but rarely is this an ongoing family ritual. Could you return to the strengths found within ‘the basics’? Do you take the time to see the expression on a child’s face the first time riding a bike? Can you hear the first giggle of an infant when touching a soft little kitten? Take the time to smell that baked plum tart fresh out of the oven – not to mention the dreamy taste of chilled whipped cream on top! Our feature article on Madeleine French will capture the 50’s and 60’s of those who bopped ‘til they dropped on the dance floor to the sounds of The Martels. If you’re of a certain vintage, you will reminisce through this true life story that will bring

back the delight of the past. If you are younger, it will be fun to read about what your parents or grandparents did for enjoyment when they were teenagers! As the cooler weather arrives you can enjoy some mouth-watering old-fashioned recipes… maybe gather around the table for a board or card game… get the family involved in putting old pictures from a shoebox into an album for future generations to laugh at and enjoy. (Yes. Make some hard copies if all your pictures are digitized!) In your mind’s eye you can see what I’m writing about. Our writers have each created a nostalgic article for you to enjoy. We recognize that every generation has its own kind of nostalgia so we invite you to bring back the important memories of your life; sit down with your parents or grandparents and ask questions… have them share their life stories. Make the time. There is so much to learn from the past. It’s what makes our future so exciting! Lorraine Leslie Founder/Publisher

The feature people about whom I write, have traveled a long, winding road to success – each one on their own journey; a journey that sometimes hasn't been smooth. These people open their hearts to inspire and motivate others, of all ages, to follow their dreams and passions, creating their ultimate VISION!™

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Creating both a successful business and a happy lifestyle in today’s busy world can be a challenge. Even Pope Francis is speaking about how we are losing our sense of one-on-one communication. Are you seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting your life for real?

…connecting through educational & networking updates online

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Five Old-Fashioned Ways to Promote Your Business

By Janette Burke

In today’s growing internet era, advertising practices are rapidly shifting toward marketing campaigns for website surfers. And while online marketing is a must for today's communication and promotional outreach, the truth is that good old-fashioned promotions are also still effective when compared to the latest ads optimized for mobile and computer platforms. With a mixture of new technology and old-fashion expertise, you’ll be well on your way to having a well-known business.

Word Of Mouth The traditional advertising technique of word-of-mouth marketing will always be an effective marketing tool. Social media networks are not the only place friends, families and neighbours can share their opinions about your business and personalized service. By engaging in personal conversations, they can actually listen to referrals and recommendations about you. As long as you make sure to provide your customers with great value and service, word-of-mouth buzz will spread gradually throughout the community. Word-of-mouth advertising may not lead to instant leads for a business, but eventually people will remember the recommendations they’ve heard.

Referrals In addition to your customers talking about your business, you can ask current customers for referrals. If they are satisfied with your business, they will be more than willing to give you the contact information of friends and family members who might be interested in your product. People are usually easier to sell to if they know someone who has already tried the product or service out and is satisfied.

Supporting the Local Community A local business should always try to focus on capturing the attention and support of its fellow residents and neighbours. Businesses can establish themselves in the community by tying their name to local events and organizations. For example, sponsoring little league teams and other recreational sports leagues provides direct exposure to a target audience in a local community. Businesses can also sponsor school concerts, holiday parades and other fun events that attract large crowds in a community.

Hosting a Promotional Party Any business can hold promotional parties and events that attract potential partners and future customers. A small promotional event could be held at a local park instead of an expensive convention center. Live entertainment and light refreshments will be enough to draw a solid attendance. Businesses can give away promotional items such as branded shirts, logo pens, custom magnets and other small but useful items. Promotional products like these are customizable and offer repeated marketing exposure for your company every time they are used.

Social Networking You can utilize in-person networking opportunities, such as business networking events, school sports games and other events that allow you to share business cards and get to know each other better. Being active in schools, community organizations and other activities allows you to build long-lasting connections, personal friendships and business promotions. Meeting someone for a coffee outside a big networking event is another old-fashioned promotional practice. Although it’s important to take advantage of new technology to help grow your business, don’t forget about the trusted methods that have worked for years. If you rely too much on technology, you will lose your personal touch and connection with your customers. Combine hightech and high-touch methods, and try something new to promote your business. n Janette Burke Marketing/PR Coach, Consultant and Columnist www.janetteburke.com

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How Good Were Those

Good Old Days? By Day Merrill

Do you get sentimental over images of outdated objects like 8-track tapes and Brownie Starflash cameras or descriptions of simpler times with stay-at-home Moms welcoming school kids with freshly baked cookies? Many of us recall “the good old days” from the perspective of a trending obsession: nostalgia. Nostalgia lets us reflect on childhood and adolescence through a lens of simplicity, innocence and beauty. With Kodachrome clarity, nostalgia magnifies and celebrates what we remember (or misremember) about those days. So how good (or not) was the past? True, back in the 1950’s, someone (male), would have found it easier to get and keep a job in manufacturing, even without a high school diploma. Over time, he and his wife could have bought a house and raised a family on a single income. That’s the idealized past we haul out like a faded snapshot whenever we’re dissatisfied with the present. But let’s look at how other members of the shipyard/auto plant/factory worker’s family fared back in the day. The wife usually stayed home; beyond convincing her husband to “let” her work, she was restricted to the “Help Wanted‒Female” section of the classifieds. Even with a job, she couldn’t take out a loan or get a credit card in her own (married) name. Dependent on her husband, she had no legal claim on his earnings, much less recourse against marital rape.

systematic sexism, racism, anti-Semitism and general intolerance the series exposed. A recent Financial Post story on the end of Mad Men warns of the danger of “trying to revisit past glories, either personally, professionally, or politically,” noting the power of nostalgia to motivate us to “rally behind the symbols of a past that never existed.” At a personal level, many of us spend time revering an idealized past. Nostalgia is now so prevalent that the past we seek to recapture is often seconds v. decades past. Facebook and Instagram let us freeze and share moments while they’re still unfolding. I coach clients to track evolving trends in their fields v. waiting for the economy to get back to “normal.” Even politics is not immune to nostalgia, as demonstrated by the Tea Party in the US, Russians who long for the good old Soviet days and ISIS followers pining for an Islam that never was. Here in Canada, the nostalgic ideal is what the National Post author calls “Diefenbaker-era Canada filtered through the gauze of white, anglo Canada’s post-Imperial longings.” As Mad Men’s Don Draper notes, nostalgia‒literally the pain from an old wound‒ is “a twinge in your heart far more powerful than memory alone.” Rather than focusing on times gone by or trying to capture every instant of today, we’d be better off to heed the words of the late Bil Keane, cartoonist of the newspaper comic The Family Circus: “Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, today is a gift, which is why we call it the present.” Be here now!

People of colour earned 40% less than white workers and were excluded from the post-war suburbs being built for white (but not Jewish) families. Retirees had less economic security, with more than 25% living below the poverty line. If you were a healthy kid, life was good, but disabled children were regularly banished to institutions like the Asylum for Idiotic Youth. The disparity between what I (mis)remembered about those days and reality became clear when I saw the first episode of Mad Men. All the 1960’s clothes, furniture, cars were familiar, but I had been blissfully unaware of the

n Day Merrill, MALS Career Management Coach President, 2BDetermined Inc. www.2bdetermined.ca

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BUSINESS, FINANCE

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Ethics: An Asset

By Rick Ziemski

“Ethics and the principles of justice do not change with the calendar.” ~ D. H. Lawrence Whenever I see increased media coverage of occurrences of corruption and/or unethical behavior in world businesses, governments or societies in general I get concerned. As a Canadian, I especially wonder how Canada is fairing on this subject as I view ethics to be a critical asset for economic success and we need to be sure we have lots of it around. How this asset works is fairly simple. Ethical behavior, which means doing the right thing whether others are looking or not, is fundamental to economic survival of any “economic” unit; whether individual, family, business or government. Absence of ethics leads to corruption and that leads to economic death. We have seen it all over the world in recent times:

• The fall of Communism in 1989 was an economic

So what about Canada? Here at home it is no coincidence that over recent years Canada has had a comparatively healthy economy and also has scored high on scales with various measures as a respected nation and economy. Most recently the World Reputation Institute ranked Canada as the most “admired nation” with the “best reputation”, citing absence of corruption as a significant factor. But are there any chinks in the Canadian “armor” that warrant vigilance? I believe so:

• The near depression of 2008 was caused by less than

• The corporate sector has misbehaved as well with at least one Canadian high profile corporation recently embroiled in foreign corrupt business practices including bribery.

• The 2010 economic disaster in Greece links directly to

• There is also the haven for financial frauds within the

the corruption that underlies daily life in Greece. Unfortunately, people there find it easier to be in selfdenial and blame the rest of Europe.

Canadian financial industry, as exposed by investigative reporter Bruce Livesey in his book “Thieves of Bay Street”.

• Russia’s economy, known for corrupt practices, has

Nothing is ever perfect and so irrespective of any of Canada’s awards; we can always work harder to ensure corruption doesn’t ever kill our economy and great nation. In this sense a zero tolerance for corruption, an ethical society, starting with ethical leadership, and parents and schools that teach our young right from wrong are what is needed. Maybe it is as simple as that 70’s song by Crosby, Stills, Nash; “Teach your children well”. n W. R. Ziemski, CPA, CA Management Consultant rickziemski@cogeco.ca www.linkedin.com/in/rickziemski

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Nostalgia is regarded as pleasant memories of days from long ago...the good ol’ days...days that once were …and may no longer exist. Can we bring back the reality of some of the experiences we had long ago? I do hope so. In this article, I am going to step aside from the topic of handwriting analysis and focus on a memory of long ago - the ability to write cursively. Back in ‘the day’ when I was a kid, I remember practicing writing the alphabet over and over and over again.

that can do all this for us. What’s wrong with being accomplished in both areas? Many think that cursive is harder to learn than printing. Actually it’s easier than printing. Writing involves curves. Printing uses straight lines and round circles. It’s easier to draw a curve than a straight line. As for the value of writing cursively, it stimulates every area of the brain. It improves memory. When you write something down, it sticks in the brain. Ask your children if they know how to write cursively. You’ll be surprised to know that most of them do not. And they can’t read cursive writing! Alas! With all this focus on ancestry, it seems a shame that those who cannot read cursively will not be able to access the thoughts and ideas of their ancestors.

trough” with an attitude that if no one is looking just take it.

ethical behaviors in the financial industry, largely in the USA, in lending money to borrowers who didn’t know or care if they could ever pay it back.

faltered and with a need for distraction Putin has chosen the risky venture of an all-out military intervention in the Ukraine.

By Mary Ann Matthews

highest debt of any world sub-national government and an extremely high debt to GDP ratio, raising questions about the behaviors within Ontario’s government and bureaucracy. The resulting undesirable economic consequences are obvious daily in the media.

• Federal Senate members have been caught “at the

COMMUNICATION

Where has all the scripting gone?

• Ontario has had numerous financial/political scandals,

collapse driven largely by rampant corruption within the member states that eventually found their economies grinding to a halt by the 1980’s.

Give yourself a mental workout today. Write a note in cursive! Better still, teach your children how to write, if they don’t already know how. It’s easy to teach and it’s even easier to learn. Your great grandparents will send you a silent ‘thank you’ for that. Penmanship was important back then. Learning to write cursively (in longhand) was not an option. It was mandatory. Our report cards (yes, they were cardboard) contained an evaluation of our penmanship. Students took pride in their ability to write. Good writing came close to being a status symbol of how well bred you were.

n Mary Ann Matthews, CGA Certified Graphoanalyst Certified Cursive Writing Coach maryann@handwriting.ca www.handwriting.ca

We wrote with chalk on blackboards. We wrote in our notebooks with a thick pencil and we received a gold star if we did it well. We wrote secret notes in our diaries. We wrote thank you notes, usually at the insistence of our parents. Today, it is interesting to observe that thank you notes written by hand have come back into vogue as a classy way of saying ‘thank you’. Many will tell you that cursive writing is now obsolete. It is no longer necessary. We have computers www.womenwithvision.ca

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JUST A Foggy MEMORY… By Lesley Paul, B.Sc. Phm

It was a moment in my career that I will never forget. On a warm day in July of 2002, I felt my first hot flash… Okay. So maybe it wasn’t a real hot flash, but I was certainly feeling heated after reading the front page of the newspaper. The groundbreaking Women’s Health Initiative Study had been halted abruptly. The study participants were told to stop taking their hormone replacement therapy, as were millions of women worldwide. The Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) began in 1993 to study the long-term effects of hormone therapy in more than 161,000 women aged 50 to 79. What researchers found had been suspected by some, but unexpected by many. The results for those taking both estrogen and progestin (compared to placebo) showed 41% more cases of stroke, 29% more heart attacks, twice as many blood clots, 26% more breast cancer cases and a 76% increase in Alzheimer’s related dementia. On a positive note, there were 37% fewer cases of colorectal cancer and 33% fewer hip fractures. However this meant it was more harmful to take the hormone combination than not. After more than 40 years of use of one of the best selling drugs in North America, sales of Premarin® plummeted. Premarin® was promoted in the 1960’s as the wonder hormone. If women didn’t take estrogen they would be unhappy, unattractive hags who would ultimately succumb to a premature death. What the manufacturers failed to note was that there was very little research supporting the use of oral estrogen, especially that of the equine source (the most common source at the time was from pregnant

mare’s urine). Now that we had the facts, what were women to do? In the aftermath of the halt of the WHI, menopausal women were lost. Suffering from sleepless nights, hot flashes, irritated vaginas and foggy brains, women were not happy and neither were their partners. Physicians were frustrated as well, with few options available to help their female patients. The WHI did however continue with other study arms, which included an observational study involving the relationship of health and lifestyle and as well as the effects of calcium and Vitamin D supplementation. When I first started practicing pharmacy, a large proportion of my postmenopausal female patients were taking traditional hormone replacement therapy. The WHI has significantly altered the way health-care providers prevent and treat both major and minor conditions in postmenopausal women. Other forms of estrogen and progesterone are available, commercially or compounded. Non-hormonal treatments are also being tried and we know that lifestyle and diet are important. Research in women’s health is continual even if that day in July for many is just a foggy memory. More information on the WHI is available at www.whi.org and www.menopause.org.

n Lesley Paul, Pharmacist dlpaul@sympatico.ca

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Diabetic Monitory Systems By Laura Hodgkiss

In 1812, the New England Journal of Medicine and Surgery recognized diabetes as a clinical entity. Though no effective treatment had been recognized, scientists and physicians took the first steps to understanding the underlying causes of diabetes as a disease.

government (that is an average of 6.3 cases per 1,000 people). These statistics indicate that diabetes care is more prominent than ever, and that the use and progression of monitors is more and more important to a patient’s well-being.

In 1912, Federick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin when extracting pancreatic islet cells from healthy dogs and placing them in dogs with diabetes. This progression of research and vital scientific discoveries has lead scientists and health care professionals towards better care and improved lives for patients living with diabetes. The discovery of insulin alone has led to widely available and lifesaving treatments. However, based on research from “Statistics Canada” from 1988/89 to 2008/09 the prevalence of Canadians diagnosed with diabetes has increased by 70%. In 2008/09 more than 200,000 Canadians were newly diagnosed reports the

In the beginning glucose monitoring was first done with urine. Urine was boiled and used alongside glucose monitoring strips. Ketones were measured with tablets that changed colour and dipsticks for urine were just beginning to be introduced. It has been over 40 years since Anton Clemens developed the first blood glucose monitor. However, this first development represents a vital stepping stone for the growth of point of care treatment for diabetic patients.

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The 1980’s brought on an evolution of meters, which became easier for patients to use. They were smaller in size, had more variations of design, and some even had software that allowed blood glucose levels to be put to memory and stored. Though test strips have not changed in appearance over the years, they have evolved to need only minimal amounts of blood. However, during the end of the 80’s the first enzyme electrode strip was introduced. This provided a choice of instrument to measure blood glucose. In 1981 lightweight, portable and digital meters became available. They were battery operated and had “countdown” timers with audio signals. They still used dextrostix and had calibration with alarm signals to help remind patients to check their blood sugars. The majority of progress has been centered on data management, specifically for the hospital market. Over the years meters have become easier to use and require less operating steps and calibration. With these advancements in technology results can be downloaded to personal computers, iphones or even specified software programs. The progress and advancements that have been made in the realm of meters during the past 40 years has created a positive impact on patients and their care. n Laura Hodgkiss Home Health Care Practitioner Stuart Ellis Pharmacy

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YOUR EMERGING

Image By Karen Brunger, BHEc, AICI CIP

We have probably all looked at photographs of ourselves from the past and either chuckled or winced. Not only can our image reflect the social, economic and political conditions of the time, it is also a statement of our personal situation, attitudes, and self-image. Taking a look at our past may help us choose where to go. Here is a look at recent decades; what was your experience, and how did your image fit that experience? 1950s. Dior’s post-war “New Look” emphasized the hourglass figure and signaled a time for women to be homemakers. Fashion was limited, as were life options. Clothing reflected the husband’s status; if a woman married well she had a mink stole and pearls. The younger group had poodle skirts, peter pan collars, bobby socks, and saddle shoes. Hair was typically in a page boy or pony tail. Not a lot of choice! 1960s. The Women’s Liberation movement brought the narrow rectangular silhouette. Young people wore mini-skirts, go-go boots and false eyelashes. The Peace movement brought tiedyes and blue jeans.It was a time of exploration and pushing boundaries. For the settled mature woman, matched skirt suits were safe and proper.

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1970s. Women entered the work force en masse, and fashion responded with a variety of ‘male career’ looks. Women lobbied to wear trouser suits to work. Oversize jackets, ties, trousers and boots were made famous by Annie Hall, and completely covered a woman’s curves.

1980s. ‘Dress for success’ arrived. For the first part of the decade ‘big’ continued in hair, makeup, and shoulder pads. Women wanted to take up space, and space equals power. When the look deflated, for the first time women could align clothing choices with personality, lifestyle, and body type. They could compete with men and still be women. With options in clothing and options in life, the personal development movement expanded, and women explored their own personal power.

1990s. The leisure and fitness movements influenced fashion for the coming decades. The relaxation in dress codes benefited women, as the dark, cold, neutral, structured and rigid look of manstyle suiting is not usually flattering or available for women. Flowing fabrics, relaxed styles, feminine colours and patterns, are conducive to creativity, flexibility, and relationship- building.

2000s. Active wear has become street wear, and clothing has never been so bodyhugging or revealing. Although professional wear continues to expand its diversity, it can be a challenge to balance the desire for personal style and the need for professional credibility.

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My passion in Real Estate leads to your Good Fortune. Monika Gibson Sales Representative Representative Sales

72 Hurontario Street, Collingwood, ON L9Y 2L8 Direct Line: 705-607-0445 Office: 705-445-5640 www.century21.ca/monika.gibson

LA UNISEX HAIRSTYLING Walk-ins always welcome

Ideally our image allows us to be our very best, regardless of the decade!

n Karen Brunger Founder and President International Image Institute Inc., ww.internationalimageinstitiute.com

36 St. Marie Street, Collingwood

705-445-5878 www.womenwithvision.ca

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Often a glance back in time can help one shape the present and future. In fashion, past looks are frequently revived and brought forward. Women have been cautioned not to revisit trends they wore the first time around. However, what was old can be brought back and presented as part of a fresh new look. This season offers just such an opportunity for those who crave romantic details or boho atmosphere of the 70’s and 90’s.

Thirdly, you need to have an inventory of your wardrobe. Knowing what you have will help you determine what you need. This will let you set your priorities and focus on pulling your clothes together to make your best wardrobe statement.

It is necessary to dress the woman you are today and to do her justice. If you are an individual who loved any of the trends from these decades you now can revisit your past and take the aspects that suit and flatter you now into your current wardrobe.

Remember the sweater dress? If you are trim, knit dresses can keep you cozy and set the stage for accessories, vests, and interesting sweater coat toppers in the weight you find comfortable.

To list the retro trends offered is easy. To re-invent them so you look your best and convey the positive message you intend takes a few steps. First you need to know yourself. This includes what is reflected in the mirror and your core spirit and values. Secondly, you need an understanding of what fashion is offering you for this season.

Nostalgia

By Marilyn Wetston

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The Wardrobe Doctor

If a coat is on your need list, know that the 70’s maxi is available as well as the fur sleeved coat and a knee length walking jackets in animal print or brocade or velvet. Not a coat person? Capes and ponchos and heavy sweater coats are waiting for you, as are shaggy Mongolian jackets. Need pants? Your options extend from wide legged floor grazing trousers to long bell bottoms. Also cropped culotte lengths are being shown. Tights in leather or assorted fabrics infuse modernity. High waists are part of the new scene. Skirts? All lengths and styles are there for you including the paneled car wash style! Are you a sweater girl? Add to you collection with gorgeous cowl necks or close to the body high necked knits in colours you can layer for oomph.

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red or cobalt or rust and even soft icy pastels.

As for patterns: plaids, stripes and tribal configurations are all there for the person to whom they appeal. For the brave, mixing plaids stripes and patterns in a patchwork is acceptable but not necessary. The boho look, the free spirited romantic and the sleek 90’s flirty look are all offered and are yours for the picking. The looks you can create are limitless. Use the opportunity this season to revisit things past and select those that are uniquely you today to personalize your wardrobe and enhance your best look. You most certainly can revisit past decades and make old new again so long as you select your key items and infuse them with you current stylish clothing. Avoid a head to toe retro look as it is more of a costume and less a fashion statement. Feel free to be nostalgic and look back but make certain what you bring to the present are items that speak the woman you are today. n Marilyn Wetston, Branding Expert Wardrobe Doctor of Marilyn’s in Toronto contact@marilyns.ca www.marilyns.ca

The Hippie revival offers a huge selection of accessories. Brooches, long skinny scarves, big brim hats, and multiple necklaces to layer as you wish all will update to your fall 2015 outfit. Mod is on the menu! Think color blocking, short swingy dresses and high boots. Suede boots, fringed everything and tassel finishes all are there for the taking. The Romantic will be happy to opt for tops with poet sleeves and or Victorian high necks with lace and or tie finishes. She may love the slip dress of the 90’s or the brocade and elegant items for daytime swish including lux velvets. As for colour all the neutrals are available including soft white to all hues of brown. Seek out your special tone and surprise yourself in earth tone neutrals. Accents are possible in an array of bold colors including www.womenwithvision.ca

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Georgian

Que Sera Sera...

Gourmet

Whatever will Be, will Be! By Jessy Morrison

Nostalgia is remembering things with fondness, and a light, happy energy. Having a recollection that actually transports you right back into a memory of enjoyment, of good times - beyond fads, toys, music, fashions. Nostalgia is a flashback to the unencumbered optimism and naivety of childhood, a retelling of magic and fun adventures. It is not a wistful longing for easier times; it is actually transportation back into the moment, biochemically and neurologically re-living a particular pleasant memory. My children, now in their 20’s, remember one of our homes as idealic. It had huge floor to ceiling windows, 18 acres with a fresh water pond big enough to paddleboat on, and swimming daily from May to October. They reminisce over skinned knees and stitches. My remembrances of that place however are very different and not pleasant. Struggling with the aftermath of divorce, insufficient heating, I recall covering the windows with blankets to stop shivering, water pipes bursting, being worried I couldn’t make the rent, inability to repair things or buy my kids winter boots, or even groceries, my daughter living in and out of hospitals, and that constant feeling of not knowing how I’d get through tomorrow. The kids had no awareness of my stress. They remember playing with each other, roaming the acres with their border collie Scruffy,

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sleeping with their black cat Ghost, climbing trees, playing with original Polly Pockets, Barbie dolls, GI Joe action figures, doing crafts, hikes through fields looking for blue herons, swans on the pond, snapping turtles, tadpoles, skinny dipping, fishing, teaching their 70 year old grandmother to swim, and summers lasting all year long...

...eat, drink and entertain

Interesting point of view! How can it get any better than that, eh? Carl Jung said “The name you give your experience is the lens through which you perceive your world.” When the kids shared with me their nostalgic moments my old imbedded feelings of dread and previously unprocessed worries vanished. Twenty years had passed, yet I had never really let go of my angst. They gave me a new lens through which to see the past. Now, I too feel the warm glow of their rose coloured nostalgia, I totally get it! What have I learned? To me Nostalgia is a sweet, soft, and interesting flavour of awareness. The feeling of being transported into the moment , the feeling of being in the now so completely, just as we were as children oblivious to the bad things that can happen in the world. Totally absorbed by the pleasure and sensuality of life as it was ‘when’... It is an energy vibration that takes us back to feeling joy long since forgotten or stuffed away. Reliving that feeling of pleasure and “magic’ that we believed in when... And for a few moments I believe and re-live it again. I enjoy remembering the feeling of being naive, uncritical, un- cynical, and very optimistic. It helps me expand my energy. How about you? n Jessy Morrison Body Talk - relief@jessymorrison.ca © Everett Collection Inc. | Dreamstime.com

I’ve never quite understood nostalgia. I didn’t relate to people who mourned what used to be. I seemed always to be running towards a better future, and moving away from the unpleasantness of the past. I always thought being nostalgic was a particular flavour of unprocessed grief, or something akin to homesickness, a yearning for what used to be. But now as I mourn the death of my two kitties, I realize that the emotions – grief, yearning, loss, home-sickness – are all entirely different energies, with different chemical and physiological responses.

™

Ge orgian

Gourmet

Georgian

Gourmet

Kitchen Nostalgia: Granolahhh

Nostalgia: a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. By its very definition, nostalgia conjures up the memories of comfort food. Some culinary historians will trace the roots of granola back to the late 1700’s when Dr. Sylvester Graham promoted good nutrition and eating habits which included a form of what we today call granola. And over the years since, granola has resurfaced in many forms including what we know today. But most of us will remember the sweet aromas of baking granola in our grandmother’s kitchen; this culinary staple was often used as a topping for desserts, as a cereal or just on its own when a healthy snack was in order. Flash forward to 2013 and meet Fran Kruse. Fran had been dwelling on an idea for some time, and like many foodies who find themselves being asked by friends, family and even strangers for a particular specialty item, Fran decided to finally take the leap from the back burner into the oven! Not Yer Granny’s Granola was born. A business plan with goals and benchmarks was created and the ovens were ready to be fired up. Fran, and her business and life partner, Mark, began taking the steps to turn their idea and recipes into a business venture. Using the basis for good, clean eating (simple, real, natural ingredients), Fran developed her granola recipes and started

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By Susanne Mikler

to spread the word. Schlepping samples and her sunny positive demeanour to numerous local fairs, markets and shows, Fran’s granola was a hit with anyone who tried it. It’s comfort food to the max and delicious at the same time. Fran started to experiment with different flavour profiles in her temporary home at Liaison College in Barrie. Using the school’s kitchen, Fran and Mark would lovingly prepare batches of the favourites: Maple Me Happy, Pumpkin Pizzazz and Hello Orange. The Javanola recipe that includes Espresso is also a fan favourite. The resulting demand from local retailers was a bittersweet event. Fran and Mark would need to find larger, permanent facilities to work from. Not Yer Granny’s Granola was not just a back burner notion any longer!

In July 2015 Fran and Mark officially began to bake in a brand new facility and are now ready to expand their customer base and product line. From an idea that was hatched from a love for life, people and food, Fran is living her dream. Trying something different like Not Yer Granny’s Granola is now an adventure for your taste buds. Thanks Fran for making an old fashioned topping into a healthy, sustaining treat for all ages.

n Susanne Mikler Co-founder Liaison College www.liaisoncollege.com www.womenwithvision.ca

Cabbage casserole is a new favourite at my house. It can be relatively plain or you can add to the recipe and create your own masterpiece.

Ingredient basics

Method

1 lb of ground beef 1/2 C of chopped onion 1/2 C of cooked rice 1/2 Head of chopped cabbage 1 zucchini finely chopped 1—12 oz can of tomato soup 8 oz of tomato sauce 1/2 C water 1/4 Tsp of Marjoram 3/4 tsp of salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp oregano 2 T brown sugar

Brown ground beef and drain Mix in rice and set aside Placed chopped cabbage on bottom of 13 X 19 inch pan Spread meat and onion mixture over cabbage Combine rest of ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a light boil Pour over cabbage, meat and onion mixture Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 1.25 hours. For the last 5 minutes remove foil and sprinkle cheddar cheese over casserole before serving

By Lorraine Leslie Publisher

www.womenwithvision.ca

with Zucchini

Cabbage Casserole

Ge orgian

Gourmet

HOME, GARDEN DESIGN

Women with

VISION! M A G A Z I N E

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...creative and helpful tips

DESIGN

HOME, GARDEN

With a little work, and maybe a little more, older homes are being transformed and rejuvenated into masterpieces. Many communities have established heritage committees to preserve the older homes and buildings to retain our history. What cost the original owner thousands to buy now cost hundreds of thousands for today’s home owner. One can’t help but think that the smell of Grandma’s cooking or charm of taking the other stairway from the kitchen to get upstairs draws people back. I know for me it was the size of the home that drew me back to a red brick. The nostalgic connection we have could be a smell, a feeling or memories of a great point in our lives; something keeps drawing homeowners and business people back to older homes. Nostalgia does have its price. To recreate the craftsmanship and true reproduction of details and construction of older homes requires a certain skill set that has been lost to many. Trades who specialize in older homes have developed a niche and are called upon to restore and recreate detail that may have been lost over the years. That porch or verandah that may have been

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taken down because it was too expensive to replace now costs even more to recreate. So be prepared to do your research when you are bitten by the nostalgia bug. In some areas homes are being torn down to make way for larger more modern homes. While this works in some communities, others have guidelines regarding what kind of building can take place. This can be right down to the color of paint. Nostalgia is soul food, and it can be bittersweet. When considering an older home, it is most important to consider all the idiosyncrasies and outcomes. What you are remembering may end up being different than what you experience. The true blessing of nostalgia in our homes is that we get to live our present lives, comforted through a connection to the past, allowing us the chance to feel a part of something bigger than ourselves. n Monika Gibson Sales Representative Century 21 Millennium, Collingwood

By Monika Whether it is a love for the detail and craftsmanship or wanting to capture a bitGibson of days gone by, there is an attraction to older buildings and homes: an old red brick, stucco, board and batten, or a cute war time bungalow; older homes are in vogue.

Garden Remedies By Janet Kurasz, Hort, AMCT(A) Expensive “new & improved” products come out every year promising to help gardeners grow bigger, better plants and eradicate destructive bugs. Even the eco-friendly and natural lines can be pricey. Homemade products are inexpensive, easy to make and can be just as effective as the commercial products. Home gardeners have embraced these old fashioned remedies. The ingredients can be found in your kitchen and garden; they are earth-friendly and natural.

Nostalgia

is good for the soul!

Old Fashioned

Garlic Tea Make your own garlic insecticidal spray by boiling a pint of water, throw in roughly chopped garlic cloves and steep until the water cools. Remove garlic bits and pour into a clean plastic spray bottle and apply to plants. Garlic, Peppers & Onion Insecticide 2 hot peppers, 1 large onion, 1 whole bulb of garlic, 1/4 cup water. Toss in the food processor and add water, blend until a mash is made. Cover mash with 1 gallon of hot (not boiling) water and let stand 24 hours. Strain. Spray on roses, azaleas, vegetables to kill bug infestations. Bury mash in ground where bugs are heaviest. Good for thrips, aphids, grasshoppers, chewing and sucking insects. Tomato Leaves Mix Crush leaves from a tomato plant and soak in water for a couple days. Strain then spray. Good for grasshopper and white fly control. Tomato leaves are poisonous, take care when preparing and handling. Do not use on food bearing plants. Controlling Powdery Mildew Mix into one gallon of warm water, 4 tablespoons of baking soda and 2 teaspoons of oil soap. Mix well and spray on plants susceptible to this disease. Non-Select Weed Killer Mix together in a large container, 2 cups table salt, 1 gallon white vinegar (5% acidity), and 8 drops of liquid dishwashing soap (use plain soap without antibacterial or other ingredients). Transfer some of the mixture into a spray bottle and spray the offending weed or vegetation, preferably on a hot day. Do not apply if you expect to get rain within 24 hours.

Japanese Beetle Bait Trap 2 cups water, 1 mashed banana, ½ cup sugar, ½ cup wine, ½ tsp yeast. Mix ingredients together and put in an old margarine container, cover with lid and set container out in the hot sun for a day. The next day, remove lid and set in garden where the beetles have been spotted (use a shallow container). Mild Fertilizer for House Plants (always unsalted) After boiling vegetables, allow the water to cool then pour it on soil around your plants. Save vegetable peelings in a small bucket, cover with boiling water and allow to steep overnight (up to 2 days). Strain and use to water your plants. Mosquito Repelling Plants Citronella, Lemon Balm, Catnip, Marigolds, Basil, Lavender, Garlic, Rosemary, Lemon Thyme, Mint, Wormwood, Lemon Scented Geranium. Slug Trap The scent from fermenting yeast attracts slugs. Mix 2 cups of water with 2 tablespoons flour, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of yeast. Mix well and pour into a shallow jar or plastic margarine tub. Bury container into the soil, level with the ground. Use 1 container for every square metre.

n Janet Kurasz, Horticulturist www.kurasz.ca www.womenwithvision.ca

Organizing

Nostalgic Photo Collections

By Karen Sencich

Scrambling to find a particular photo in your photo inventory can be frustrating especially during times of bereavement. When we have lost a loved one, someone needs to sort through a lifetime of memories to gather photos for the memorial. This can be emotionally exhausting, so why not ask for assistance from the extended family and friends? Request that photos be scanned and submitted electronically. To speed up the photo finding process and prevent duplication, assign relatives to seek out memories from specific eras i.e. baby, toddler, school days, wedding, work place, family photos, poses with grandchildren, and photos capturing them on vacation or enjoying sports or hobbies. Flipping through your photo collection can be a source of joy, relaxation and instant nostalgia. The key is to be proactive and re-organize your photo collection now so that you can quickly and effortlessly access cherished memories before there is an urgent need. We can now snap photos anywhere, anytime using smart phones and then instantly post, file or forward them. There is no rule that says your various photo formats must be maintained in exactly the same way. Years ago, a lifetime of photos fit into a couple of conventional photo albums, usually stored on shelving units. You may have inherited albums or shoe boxes with jumbles of unsorted, unnamed family photos of people you don’t recognize. Arrange a special time to review the photos with an elderly relative who may be able to identify who is pictured, the date location and the occasion being celebrated. As technology advanced, photofinishing became less expensive, photo collections exploded and photo storage

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boxes with convenient divider tabs became popular. Today, most photos taken are stored digitally on electronic devices or in the cloud. My advice to keep track of large photo collections is to create and maintain photo inventory lists using either an Excel spreadsheet or a small binder with loose leaf pages to record how and where photos are stored. Whether you are sorting actual photos or digital files, I suggest labelling using annual categories: winter, spring, summer, autumn and holiday season. Add optional subcategories for birthdays, anniversaries and vacations. Some years may have special categories such as graduation, weddings, or baby showers. Avoid storing photos in storage areas with fluctuating temperatures such as the attic or garage. Always store using acid free paper and plastic containers in a cool, dry area, removed from the path of water in case a toilet, dishwasher or washing machine overflows. Share the fun! E-mail or post a forgotten photo favourite on social media. It is surprising how wonderful a jolt of nostalgia can make us feel. Do it now! n Karen Sencich CPO® Certified Professional Organizer®, Speaker and Writer www.havoctoharmony.com

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

ÂŠ Englishinbsas | Dreamstime.com

...experiencing classical & creative masterpieces

ARTS

ARTS ENTERTAINMENT

YOUR BIOGRAPHY

is your biology By Lynda Pogue Hey woman! What’s your vision of your past? Are you still swooning over that good-looking new teacher? Are you still laughing at the fun you had?

Sometimes we experience warm memories that generate a kind of longing. It’s great to visit that moment… share that moment… dream about that moment… Reminiscing about a past boyfriend? Cuddling a warm puppy? An athletic event in which you participated? A play, choir or dance group you were in? A grandparent’s unconditional love? A poem that you memorized or a picture that you painted? They’re all a part of who you are. Those nostalgic moments you experienced were simply building blocks that created that beautiful woman you are today! Treasuring fabulous memories are like keeping dreams alive and this is healthy. Yet… living there isn’t healthy. Sometimes you might meet an old acquaintance who talks as though they’re longing for the past. They say things like, “It was all so much simpler then.” Yes. For sure it was simpler. For a child! However, perhaps, there were adults or older siblings caring for that child for whom things were not so simple. People who dwell on their earlier years are often sad people… maybe even depressed with today and have become melancholy for their past life rather than recognizing and exploring the nuggets of now. It helps to remember this saying:

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The past is gone. Today is the now. It’s a gift. That’s why we call it The Present. And who doesn’t like presents??? Give yourself one today. In order to keep sweet memories in perspective, perhaps you might get a blank journal and draw or write about those past moments. Recalling happy times and delighting in those memories are delicious. Longing for the past and not being aware of the countless number of wonderful glorious positive moments in the present can be toxic. Literally. Personally… I’ve seen too many people that are bringing misery into their own lives by living in the past. I see my role, as a person who loves and lives life, as bringing those people into the present and having fun with it. Today! Right now! Truly… is it wise/healthy to be wistful about your past or could it bring you joy and insights into what’s so incredible about now? I remember someone telling me an important message: Your biology is your biography…and your biography is your biology. n Lynda Pogue, Writer, Artist, Professor, Keynote Speaker lyndapogue@sympatico.ca lyndapogue.com

ENTERTAINMENT

NOSTALGIA FOR

Oldies By Linda Thorn

What was your highest count for keeping a hula hoop swinging around your waist during that 50’s craze? Can you remember the flippity-flap sound of bubble gum cards snapping on the spokes of your bike wheels turning? As youngsters born after the war, our generation of kids in the States and Canada had idyllic lives. Television was a new medium that sold products directly to the mass market of kids for an advertiser’s dream demographic. We were the first impressionable children of visual TV ads with recognizable cartoon characters and catchy jingles. I bet you can still sing a few songs for old cereal ads, chocolate drinks and Brylcreem. Even if lyrics fail you now, you can probably hum the themes from old favourite TV westerns such as Bonanza or Davey Crocket. We all loved hearing Ricky Ricardo from I Love Lucy with his hands on hips, admonishing a guilty Lucy with, “Loosy, you got sum splainin’ to do!” My family were Fad Fanatics! Our house was packed with the newest gadgets, clothes, records and food from shopping forays to Buffalo. With Spoolies in my hair, I sat and squeezed the clear plastic bag of white goop until the little orange coloured capsule had transformed into a new product …a bag of yellow margarine! Once, I received a life sized doll with elastic straps for under my shoes. When I danced (with my Davey Crocket hat on) around the living room, the doll’s legs moved in unison with mine. It was hysterically funny to watch on our new super 8 film projector bought from a shopping spree into the States.

In my neighbourhood, the ice and bread were still delivered by horse and wagon. For some strange reason, the milk deliveries were in a vehicle that was custom-made into the shape of a horizontal bottle of milk. What a cool design! All the men in my family smoked. I was sent to the corner store frequently with 25 cents to purchase a packet of Black Cat tipped cork cigarettes. Looking back, between the TV dinners, coloured lard for margarine and second hand smoke, it is a wonder I survived that household. But health wasn’t an issue in the 50’s. It was a thrilling time for millions of kids who all shared that wonderful culture craze. What are your memories? n Linda Thorn Freelance writer Author- Beautiful Joe PoemBook

There were so many new inventions! I remember our whole family laughing ‘til we cried when an ancient uncle lathered his face with a new invention called shaving cream…only to find it was the other new invention in an aerosol can called Reddi-Wip! I was mesmerized by a painting kit that allowed me to colourize all of our black and white photos. I spent many happy hours painting albums full of photos.

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MOTIVATIONAL INSPIRATIONAL

Nostalgia with Stamps

...gentle insights of awareness and change

By Lorraine Leslie and Ian McRuer

The philatelist – A person who collects or studies postage stamps While attending a networking event in Collingwood the discussion turned to nostalgia...An enthusiastic gentleman shared with the group, information on how Stamp Collecting had a lifelong impact on his life and how his hobby has grown over the past 55 years. Ian McRuer shared, “Back in 1960 when I was nine years old I was cleaning the backyard with my father. The winds were quite heavy, blowing all the leaves around when I came across an old weather beaten envelope that had blown up against the fence. To my elation this discovery of the dirty envelope triggered my curiosity to go and find out more...

Ian became a Boy Scout, earning and collecting many other badges, which led to becoming a Queen Scout. His hard work rewarded him a position at the age of sisteen, working at Expo’ 67 in Montreal. This opportunity led to a specialized collection of world-wide scouting stamps, showing Jamborees in very remote locations. Many African countries like Togo and Guinea generate thematic stamps just for this market of collectors. Retired now, Ian is still meeting former scouts through his Scouts on Stamps Society International (SOSSI), where the Maple Leaf Chapter has celebrated over 50 years. Many other philatelists belong to the Greater Toronto Area Philatelic Alliance (GTAPA.org) which has fifteen clubs under its umbrella. Ian attends these monthly meetings and also both Barrie and the Georgian Bay Coin & Stamp Club(s). These clubs have developed a strong, trusting “fellowship” with many seniors and “hard-core” network of philatelists. Sadly, some older philatelists in these clubs have “lost” their inherited collections and have had to start over three or four times due to wars and immigrating to Canada. For more than fifty five years Ian has saved many fascinating items. Included in his world-wide collection, is all his fiancée’s (love) letters from her trip to Europe - which she thinks is due mainly because of the interesting stamps! What nostalgia are you collecting to share with your family, friends and generations to come?

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“My father, who was a teacher, told me I should investigate the envelope more as there might be something valuable inside. Carefully, I examined the envelope which had a Canadian commemorative stamp, dated 1660 - commemorating the 300 years of Dollard (defending Montreal from the Iroquois, known as the “Battle of Long Sault”) – [see photo/illustration]. It turned out the value of the five cent stamp was worthless but this find led to me joining the Brockville YMCA Stamp club. There were other cubs and scouts, girl guides and Canadian Girls in Training... who were also there to study the art/hobby of stamp collecting so they could earn their merit badges.

MOTIVATIONAL

INSPIRATIONAL

MOTIVATIONAL

Madeleine French

Rock’n

IN TODAY’S

WORLD By Lorraine Leslie

I love Rock ‘n Roll! How about you? I grew up jiving – really jiving with all the fancy steps, dips and twirls...

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A good friend of mine, Linda Thorn, who has organized many Rock ‘n Roll dances throughout the Georgian Triangle has brought The Martels to the Thornbury Beaver Valley Community Centre a number of times, so when she called me in the spring of 2015 to ask if I’d like to interview their lead female singer, I was delighted. Through email singer/songwriter Madeleine French and I were chatting to arrange a meeting date and time in her home town of Elmvale... This is Madeleine’s journey from the rock’n 50’s to present day... Madeleine was born into a large family; ten children to be exact – three older sisters, a brother in the middle, Madeleine, and then five younger sisters. “We are all about a year and half apart. After the first three girls were born my parents were thrilled to have a son. They had their hands full so they took a break from having more children for about five years– then four more girls’ followed.” shared Madeleine. With a smile, Madeleine said, “With a family of nine girls and one boy there were lots of battles about sleeping arrangements. We would draw lines with pillows or rolled up blankets and place them down the middle of the double beds; heaven forbid you crossed the line! The girls, from time to time, were envious of our brother because he had his own bedroom, plus new clothes. We were all very close, even to this day.” As we browsed through the family photo albums, stories started to emerge... “By the time I was six years old I attended kindergarten at Ecole Ste Croix, an all girl school. I loved music! In grade four Sister Aurelie, who was a kind and gentle woman, taught me how to live by example and to also learn by example.”

“My mother – OMG –worked day and night raising the ten of us. She was always there for us, every single one of us. Her wisdom and love...never ever judging...just accepting; no hurtful or selfish words, ever! I remember looking up at her at a very young age thinking, “How beautiful is my mom”! She taught us all how to be kind with each other; and of course this spilled over with me raising my children.” “My dad who was very musical sent my sister Irene (the 2nd oldest) to take piano lessons with one of the nuns. Not having a piano at home I was a bit envious; I wanted to play the piano too. Dad played in a band on weekends. One day he was speaking with a man about how he would like his children to play the piano. True story, the man told my dad he had a piano but didn’t have room for it in his house. The two men made arrangements for the piano to be stored in our home until he needed it back again. We had the piano for twenty five years before his family came and picked it up. So, at age eight I started taking piano lessons from the nuns and through their encouragement began singing and performing in the Kiwanis Music Festival - in trios, duos and as a single. I placed first, second and third in piano but always came second in the singing competition each year.” Madeleine achieved the highest score in her pre-grade one exam from the Conservatory of Music and received a 1st place medal for all of Ontario. She appeared on stage in many plays, performed in choirs, sang alto-harmony and also learned to tap dance, which also became part of her stage performances. Madeleine’s goal was always to achieve excellent grades in school...but then...along came boys! “From grade seven through nine I attended a mixed boys and girls public Catholic school. This was a very unsettling time in my life as the schools were overcrowded and I found it hard to keep focused. I mentioned earlier that I came from a musical father, so from the time I was thirteen until I turned nineteen I continued to play the piano and was doing some lead vocals for my father’s band The Varietones. We played every weekend – Friday nights at the legion dances called Teen Town, and on Saturday nights for the adults (21 and over in those days). My dad’s band did lots of wedding receptions on Saturday afternoons and then we’d do our regular evening gigs.” “At thirteen I made a small salary from being in Dad’s band which allowed me to buy my own clothes from that time on... I’m sure I was the youngest person allowed to

INSPIRATIONAL

have a charge account at the famous ‘Marie’s Dress Shop’ in Penetanguishene! By the way, Marie was the mother of Bert, the keyboard player and one of the original five in the band.” Madeleine’s parents were a great influence on her. “My father was my biggest fan and I always felt his love. He liked the way I used my voice to sing the songs that were his favourites; and for being part of his band. We understood where each other came from when it came to music. He would wink at me on stage while he played his fiddle as I accompanied him on piano at square dances. There was an untold and magical appreciation for music between us!” “At age fourteen I was absolutely positive I was going to be a singing Star! I had dreams and aspirations of singing like Brenda Lee, Shirley Mathews, and Linda Lane. In 1964 I attended a performance at the Rogers Centre (then the O’Keefe Centre) where Stevie Wonder opened for the Supremes This show certainly affirmed I wanted to be an entertainer.” “On Friday nights when we finished at the Teen Town dance in Penetanguishene at 11:30 p.m.; my dad would drive me over to our neighbouring town of Midland to spend the last fifteen minutes at teen Town to listen to The Martels.” “Dad and I knew they had a special sound...and eventually we realized it was the base guitar that set them apart from all the other local bands. The Martels would often rehearse at Bert Desrochers’ house. Bert’s family lived up the street from us so I hung out with Bert’s sister; I knew first hand when and where The Martels would be playing. All the guys in the band were around eighteen or nineteen years of age, and of course I was infatuated with all of them. Through hanging out at the Desrochers household, Bert invited me to attend one of The Martels rehearsals. My first appearance with the band was at the age of fifteen at the Embassy Hall in Barrie in 1965. As I was underage, my father had to drive me to Barrie - that in itself was an adventure. He actually drove me everywhere to perform for quite some time.” When I asked Madeleine what she wanted to do for a career when she grew up, a big smile came across her face... continued on pg. 44

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MOTIVATIONAL

INSPIRATIONAL

MOTIVATIONAL

realized our kids sing along because they know all the words. How about you?

Madeleine French ...continued from pg. 43

“You know Lorraine, I didn’t think much about what I wanted to do when I grew up...I always knew I wanted to be a singer. During summer vacations I played and sang in my Dad’s band on Wednesday nights at the Wagon Wheel in Balm Beach and for the family fun nights. t was a very memorable time in my life. As a teenager, making new ‘beach’ and boyfriends was fun but with all the gigs I didn’t have much time to hang out with them.” Madeleine recalled, “I made a one-time appearance on the Mel Lavigne and Bluewater Boys Show; and the Alfie Fromager Show on television – a local channel CKVR in Barrie at the time. I was also a GO – GO dancer. “Summers were incredibly busy! I was lucky as a teenager in those days to have two jobs; I worked hard during the week as a chamber maid’s assistant at a local hotel and as a waitress in a local restaurant. Teenagers loved to hang out back then. We were always playing the juke box, drinking cherry coke and eating burgers with fries and gravy.”

Dad takes a picture of his nine children in 1964

“As a teenager I was dedicated to singing and playing with my father’s band. I might have missed a lot of teenage experiences like hanging out with friends but my true gift was standing on stage with my dad’s band, The Varietones. We loved to watch the crowd enjoy themselves while they danced and sang along with the music we played. We had a special rapport. He was my champion, mentor and friend – what more could a girl ask for!” Madeleine took the five year Business and Commerce program in high school as she was declined for the Arts and Music program. “I never did understand why I wasn’t accepted into the A & M program with all my musical background.”

1964 duet with Avela - We called ourselves the ROBINETTE'S

“After graduating high school I gave up my part-time jobs and started working as a secretary for a local construction company. I married and had three beautiful children; two boys and a girl – who all eventually gave me six grandchildren. Having longevity as a good secretary and years of experience Madeleine eventually landed a great job with the Simcoe County School Board, where she worked in various positions from 1970 until she retired in 2000.” “Having children changed my life completely as I didn’t sing for twenty five years.”

THE Varietones (Madeleine on far left Dad Gilber on far right) 1964

“I got involved more with the community and volunteering but there was still something missing... In the fall of 1977 I recorded a children’s album of French songs and poems entitled ‘Si Tu Aimes Le Soleil. The album became a teaching tool in the local French schools of the area.” Madeleine missed the original days of be-bopping to the pioneers of jive and wiggly hips... We started to laugh as we reminisced about some of the artists of the 50’s and 60’s such as Elvis Presley, Fats Domino, The Supremes to mention a few. We recalled certain songs she’d sing like Dancing in the Street or Patsy Cline’s CRAZY! To this day both Madeleine and I love to sing along when a song from the 50’s comes on the radio... What’s more fun, is when we

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1967 Winterama Queen Contest

“Looking back to August of 1981 my entire family’s lives were impacted by the loss of my brother. He was in his early 30’s when we lost him in a sailing accident at the Midland Sailing Regatta. The boat capsized due to severe winds coming across the bay. It was a very traumatic day that I’ll never forget. My family always had each other’s back – we came together and leaned on each other – we’ve always had our own self help group. This experience inspired me to write a song in memory of my brother – What a Day This Has Been. The song helped me to deal with my loss. I dig it out and sing it occasionally for family and friends. Family ties mean so much to all of us. From the age of nineteen into my forties, life was full of kids, family and friends but I was longing for more in my life and realized how much I missed performing and singing.”

INSPIRATIONAL

“We all go through life transitions but the band was a staple for me; whether we were at someone’s cottage, keeping in touch in our personal lives or going to gigs; there was a natural draw emotionally between drummer Gary and I. We eventually married in 1997. We settled in Elmvale with my children living close enough for visits and family special occasions.” “When my father passed away it left a huge gap in all our lives. Dad was the king-pin of the family. He ‘directed’ the family in so many ways. He ran a Christmas tree farm and was a carpenter. He only had a grade eight education but he was so smart. Self employed, he worked very hard to make a comfortable life for all of us. After my brother was no longer with us, Dad was really there for us nine girls and my mother.” “You know when you’re in the right place at the right time and doing the right thing when you’re making people happy. We work hard and play hard! All the preparation behind the scene takes hours – even weeks and months of planning. Discussions with venues; instruments need to be checked before packing the vans; and again during set up and tear down. We also have to take into consideration all the travel time...

“Music really took a back seat in my life for so many years. I noticed I was longing for more self development in my forties. Around the same time I heard The Martels were having a reunion in Madeleine performing in 2014 Midland and when I saw them performing and heard that amazing sound, I started to think I’d like to be back on stage singing.” “This past summer, 2015, was The Martels Last Date Tour. It was a difficult decision for all the band members. “Larry, the band’s lead guitarist and music director, came Some of the band members have been performing for and asked me if I’d like to sing with The Martels, so when over fifty five years... Now that’s dedication!” he asked me to join the band in 1990 I was thrilled. I was very appreciative for their patience with me while I was Madeleine is an energetic woman whose love and passion for trying to get my ‘mojo’ back! I had lost my rapport with what she shares through her singing is contagious. People music. I realized I needed to rebuild my self-esteem and admire her true spirit of entertaining, singing and playing the recreate my vocals.” music that so many people love. She has inherited her mother’s positive attitude in everything she does. “They are an amazing, considerate, honest and kind group of guys who really understand what people love to I’ll miss seeing The Martels, but Madeleine isn’t finished hear. Everyone so enjoys our music! The ‘music of their singing yet. She and her husband Gary have had another time’; plus the band never wavered from the objective to four piece band for quite some time and they will be make people happy. It’s so much fun. We are a very close continuing to perform in the area. Keep an eye out for the knit ‘family’ and we all love to create the hype and the four piece band called Stir It Up and six piece band The sound that made people want to get up and dance and join Desotos coming to your town someday soon. the party!”

n copyright Lorraine Leslie – Women with Vision Magazine 2015/16 www.womenwithvision.ca

Life Numbers NOSTALGIC EVENTS INSPIRED BY PERSONAL YEAR! By Paola Gucciardi Lisa excitedly announced her daughter Sharon is having a baby. Lisa was shocked with the news as Sharon insisted children would interfere with her career. This year Sharon’s perspective is strongly influenced by family, love and tradition, themes inspired by her 6 Personal Year. The Personal Year number describes the events and momentum that influence your experiences and actions during a calendar year – past, present or future. Whether you are nostalgic about a past event (marriage, buying a house, traveling) or curious what an upcoming year brings, look to your personal year for clues.

To Calculate Your Personal Year ......Add the numerical values of Month + Day of Birth + Universal Year • Reduce the SUM to a single digit Note: Universal Year = Sum of numerical value of the calendar year (ex. 1993 = 1+9+9+3 = 22; 2+2=4 Universal Year) Example: Sharon’s Birthday is November 14th 1 November (11th month) 2

11 = 1 + 1 = 2

Universal Year (2015 = 8)

1+4=5

2 + 5 + 8 = 15 = 1 + 5 + 6

This year is Sharon’s 6 Personal Year

Personal Year 1 Start new projects, embrace change, and be decisive, innovative and even daring. Be open-minded, organized, confident, and determined. Avoid distractions and pay attention to details. Personal Year 2 Unusual sensitivity this year requires patience, tact, cooperation and diplomacy. Balance your nervous system by taking time to rest, eat properly and meditate. Stay focused on your goals as the momentum of last year is absent. Personal Year 3 This year encourages fun, creativity and self-expression. Your social life is highlighted which inspires you to entertain and be entertained. Focus on completing tasks, avoid scattering your energies and refrain from spending unnecessarily. Personal Year 4 Focus on hard work, organization, practicality, and security this year. Concentration and perseverance are

necessary. Take care of the details and guard against becoming too rigid, inflexible and overly worried about money. Personal Year 5 Embrace new opportunities, people, and travel, for this year freedom, change, travel, and progression are desired. Be aware of the impulsive nature of this year and use wisdom and prudence when making choices. Personal Year 6 Focus is family, business, financial advancement and progress. Create an environment of love, balance and harmony. Do not allow the burdens of others to become your own and to consume you. Guard against fear and worry about financial affairs. Personal Year 7 Introspection is required to seek a deeper understanding of self and the purpose of life. Quiet the mind and use intuition to tune into what really matters to you. Not a year to make material goals your primary focus.

Personal Year 8 A powerful year focused on pursing and achieving business goals. Focus on reaping the rewards of the effort, commitment and motivation in your previous years. Pay attention and stay positive. Tap into your intuition, inner strength and confidence. Personal Year 9 Complete unfinished business and declutter your life. This year close the doors to things that no longer work for you (relationships, attitudes, material things). This lower energy year is easier to handle if you redirect your attention to the needs of others.

n Paola Gucciardi, Numerologist www.lifenumbers.ca