April 2009 Senior Living Magazine Vancouver Edition by INSPIRED 55+ Lifestyle Magazine

APRIL 2009

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FULL SPEED AHEAD Global TV’s Wayne Cox

Spring Snowshoeing

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APRIL 2009

MAGAZINE

(Vancouver & Lower Mainland) is published by Stratis Publishing. Other publications by Stratis Publishing:

• Senior Living (Vancouver Island) • Senior Lifestyle: A Housing Guide for Vancouver Island

FEATURES

Publisher

DEPARTMENTS

4 Milestones and Legacies

Barbara Risto

21 BBB Scam Alert

Global TV’s Wayne Cox approaches a milestone birthday – but not gracefully.

Editor

Bobbie Jo Reid Sheriff editor@seniorlivingmag.com

25 Classiﬁeds

8 Spring Snowshoeing

While most British Columbians are thinking warm weather activities, at this time of year, snowshoers are aiming for higher ground.

Proofreader

Allyson Mantle Advertising Manager

Barry Risto 250-479-4705 Toll Free 1-877-479-4705 sales@seniorlivingmag.com

14 Dance With Me

Ad Sales Staff

18 Nature Unblemished

Janice Stevens threw caution to the wind, and it changed the direction of her life.

RaeLeigh Buchanan 250-479-4705 Ann Lester 250-390-1805 Mathieu Powell 250-704-6288

2 The Family Caregiver by Barbara Small

7 Between Friends 11 Forever Young

22 Life on the Farm

Senior Living Box 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1

COLUMNS

by Doreen Barber

Visiting what some believe is the most beautiful place on earth.

Contact Information – Head Ofﬁce

30 Crossword

by William Thomas

City slicker Nadine Jones and her family moved to the farm, and came away with a lifetime of experiences.

Phone 250-479-4705 Toll-free 1-877-479-4705 Fax 250-479-4808 E-mail ofﬁce@seniorlivingmag.com Website www.seniorlivingmag.com

24 He Shoots, He Scores!

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John Landy and Sir Roger Bannister made history nearly 55 years ago – in Vancouver.

John Ashbridge has been the voice of the Vancouver Canucks for over 20 years.

31 Ask Goldie

by Goldie Carlow

32 Reﬂections: Then & Now by Gipp Forster

28 The Greatest One Mile Race

postage and handling) for 12 issues. Canadian residents only.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Senior Living is an indepdendent publication and its articles imply no endoresement of any products or services. The views expressed herein are not necessarily those of the publisher. Unsolicited articles are welcome and should be e-mailed to editor@seniorlivingmag.com Senior Living Vancouver & Lower Mainland is distributed free in Vancouver, North & West Vancouver, Burnaby, New Westminster, Richmond, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam, Port Moody, Delta, Twawwassen, White Rock, Surrey, Cloverdale and Ladner. ISSN 1911-6373 (Print) ISSN 1991-6381 (Online)

Cover Photo: Global TV’s weatherman Wayne Cox reﬂects on a life on the air. Story page 4. Photo: Tracey Block

Senior Living Vancouver is available at most Recreation Centres and Libraries in the following municipalities: • VANCOUVER • BURNABY • NEW WESTMINSTER • WHITE ROCK • NORTH VANCOUVER • LADNER / TSAWWASSEN • PORT MOODY • COQUITLAM • PORT COQUITLAM • SURREY • RICHMOND • WEST VANCOUVER • LANGLEY • ABBOTSFORD • PHARMASAVE STORES THROUGHOUT BC

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Call 1-877-479-4705 for other locations. APRIL 2009

THE FAMILY CAREGIVER

The Emotion of Caregiving BY BARBARA SMALL

amily caregivers can experi- sellor. Many community organizations, breathing can help defuse your feelings. ence a wide range of emotions including FCNS provide telephone sup• You may feel guilty when you exin response to the demands port as well. perience anger or when you take time of caregiving: anger, sadness, guilt, • Ensure you make time for activities for yourself. Many caregivers often feel frustration and worry, as well as hap- that energize you and that you enjoy, guilty about their actions. Remind yourpiness and satisfaction. Finding a safe such as going for a walk on the beach, self that you are doing the best you can, and appropriate outlet to express and working or sitting in your garden, paint- at the time, with what you know. Also, manage these emotions is important, ing, playing with your pets, watching a if you take some time to care for yourespecially the ones that can drain your funny film or listening to music. self, it will benefit the person you are energy, such as anger and guilt. caring for because you will feel Left unexpressed, these emotions more relaxed and focused, and can lead to caregiver burnout and Ensure you make time for less irritated. health problems. activities that energize you Finally, remember that feelings Trust your emotions. Negative are transient. They come and go feelings can be a signal that the and that you enjoy such as continuously throughout the day. current situation is not working What you feel now is not what going for a walk on the beach, for you, or that your own needs you might feel in another hour. are not being met. When you feel working or sitting in your garTake a deep breath and examine happy and energized, take note what is motivating the emotion den, painting, playing with your of the situation and use that inand what small change you could formation in the future when you pets, watching a funny film or make to shift that feeling. need to lift your spirits. listening to music. Below are some ideas to help Join us in celebrating Fammanage emotions that tend to ily Caregivers Week 2009 and . drain your energy: FCNS’ 20th Anniversary while, • Examine the expectations you have • Attend a caregiver support group at the Family Caregivers’ Network (FCNS) or through one of the many disease-specific organizations, such as the Alzheimer’s Resource Centre, MS Society or the BC Cancer Agency. • Talk to a friend, a fellow caregiver, a co-worker, clergy or professional coun-

for yourself, the person you are caring for and the current situation. Are your expectations realistic or are you setting yourself up for further frustration and guilt? • When you feel angry or resentful, take a break and leave the situation, if possible. A quick walk or some deep

at the same time, learning strategies for coping with the feelings of caregiving at our upcoming presentation: Family Caregiving: An Emotional Journey, Friday, May 8, 9:30 a.m.–1:30 p.m. Workshop registration includes a buffet lunch. Visit our website at www.fcns-caregiving. SL org for more information. Next month: Communicating with Healthcare Professionals

Barbara Small is Program Development Coordinator for Family Caregivers’ Network Society.

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Retirement Living Options The right time, the right place -- how do you decide? your loved one will make the transition to their new home and lifestyle, and how monthly costs match your budget. There are a number of retirement directories available that provide a wealth of

information, including locations, options and services, which give you a great starting point for reference. Making the decision is a lot easier and a lot less stressful when you do your homework.

��

oday’s seniors have more service and lifestyle choices than previous generations. For active seniors in their 70’s, 80’s and beyond, it can be difﬁcult to decide if, or when, a move from a long-time family home to a retirement residence is right for them. Why is that? After all, they have made excellent and timely choices over the years -- for their family, in business, in life. The answer can be straightforward if there is a setback in health or mobility, however if still active, it can be as complex and as individual as they are. Because there are more choices t o d a y than ever before, it can make the decision even more difﬁcult – or perhaps easier - once they and their families decide to investigate the options! Planning will help ensure you make the best of all stages of life, especially your golden years. It is important to start looking at options while still active and able to enjoy the services and amenities offered by various retirement residences. Many offer private and spacious rental accommodations complete with concierge services, elegant surroundings, meals, amenities and activities; others provide nursing care and long term care, others a mix of both. Monthly rates and what they include can vary from one residence to another, so ask questions when you visit, spend time to take in the atmosphere of the various facilities and observe how staff interact with residents. Most importantly, envision how you or

� �� APRIL 2009

Milestones and Legacies

BY TRACEY BLOCK

irthdays don’t bother Wayne Cox; it’s all the attention that goes with them he doesn’t like. “I try not to celebrate birthdays anymore,” says the television personality. “It stems back to when I was ﬁve or six years old. The kids at my birthday party started to sing ‘Happy Birthday,’ and I ran and locked myself in the bathroom.” Turning 60 this year, Global TV’s Wayne Cox has been a part of B.C.’s radio and television industry since 1968, when he was just 19 years old. “I didn’t really know what I wanted to do out of high school,” says Wayne. “I was a big fan of television in those days. I liked to 4

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

watch Johnny Carson, Mike Douglas, Merv Grifﬁn and all those old shows.” Wayne says the turning point was a book he read, written by Johnny Carson. In it, Carson said he began his career in radio, suggesting it provided a solid grounding for a future in television. “I always listened to radio, like everybody else,” says Wayne. “So that was the trigger. From there, I took a correspondence course, which led to a radio job at what was then CKLG-FM, now CFOX.” Carson’s advice was right. On-air jobs in Quesnel and Kamloops were followed by work back home in Vancouver at CKNW, CKWX and CJOR.

“I started off as a disc jockey, doing a lot of chatter, music and commercials. I didn’t really get into any kind of journalism until the Vancouver Show [at CKVU, now Global TV],” says Wayne. “That was a lot of fun because it was two hours of live television every night with interviews, bands and demonstrations. I kind of miss that.” Soon after, Wayne anchored the 6 p.m. news with one of Global’s current producers, Doriana Temolo. He credits Temolo for his on-the-job education. “I learned a lot from her,” he says. “I was undisciplined because I was coming in as a disc jockey just having fun.” In addition to anchoring the news,

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Reﬂections, Rejections, and Other Breakfast Foods Reflection��s,�� and Other Breakfa

st Foods Limited Edition

Limited Edition!! A collection of Gipp Forster’s published columns in Senior Living magazine, with other unpublished writings thrown in for good measure. A unique blend of humor and nostalgia, Gipp’s writings touch your heart in such an irresistible way, you will want to buy not only a copy for yourself, but as a wonderful gift for friends and family members. 128 pages Softcover • Published by Senior Living

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Wayne also hosted a variety of game and television shows, including Acting Crazy, 2nd Honeymoon and Talkabout, a game show that played on CBC nationally and on all Fox-owned and operated stations in the United States. Wayne says he came in through the back door to become the weather personality he is today. In 1992, CKVU had an idea for a Saturday morning show with anchor Jennifer Mather [now Burke]. “They were looking for a guy who would do the weather, but more importantly, he would be outside at various events, interviewing people at the beach or a festival, or downtown in a park,” says Wayne. Wayne’s friend Roger Hope, a cameraman at the station, offered Wayne’s name for the job because of his background doing live interviews with the Vancouver Show. “I had already filled in doing the weather for Fred Latrimo, when he used to do it at the old BCTV, so I sort of had the gist of it,” says Wayne. Wayne also began doing the weather for the 6 p.m. news. “I’d fill in for Norm Grohmann on the News Hour and, when Norm retired, they asked if I would continue to do the weather,” explains Wayne. “I wasn’t really coming into it as a weatherman, but as a television personality who could do interviews and live TV.” Wayne learned early on that forecasting B.C.’s weather is tricky business. Such elements as the Pacific Ocean, the mountains and Vancouver Island, which frequently act as a buffer for the Lower Mainland, can make predictions complicated. “But I don’t make the forecasts,” says Wayne. “I’m just the messenger.” Wayne’s Global TV weather information comes from Environment Canada, which sends out bulletins with a synopsis of what’s to come. “Sometimes there’s only three minutes every night to cover the entire province, so it’s only a general look at the various areas and what they can expect. It’s pretty broad-brush stuff.” The audience takes its weather seriously, but always with a sense of

APRIL 2009

humour. “For some odd reason, I’m his home in South Surrey/White Rock, we’re still going full speed ahead.” With two sons in their 30s and a responsible for whatever happens, an area he says he discovered 30 years whether it’s good or bad,” he laughs. ago. “I was living in New Westminster teenage daughter, Wayne is also proud “No one ever blames Squire [Barnes] at the time,” says Wayne. “I looked to call himself a grandfather. “Each of for the Canucks losing. Nobody out the kitchen window in the pour- my sons has two children, so I’m four blames Tony [Parsons] for a war that ing rain and saw a bright light to the times a grandfather,” he says. Wayne is hesitant to give advice to breaks out, but if one drop of rain falls, south. I wondered what that light was, it’s my fault. Of course, it’s all done in so one day we took a drive, ended up others in his generation. “I’m not a regood nature.” in the White Rock area and realized ally good guy to ask for advice. I’ve People stop Wayne on the street be- the weather really is that much better just always tried to have as much fun as I could,” says Wayne. “I’ve always cause they feel they know him. “That’s in the south.” With a milestone birthday ap- had a hard time finding that balance wonderful to hear, because you know they’re out there and they’re watch- proaching, Wayne contemplates slow- between tucking enough away for the ing,” says Wayne, whose passion for ing down – eventually. “I don’t think future and yet still having enough to golf is also well-known to his audienc- I’m much different than any other enjoy right now. If you can hit that balance, I think that would be es. “What would surprise audiperfect.” ences about me? I guess they Reflecting on his career, wouldn’t know that I’ve been “Looking back at the people Wayne is most grateful for the a wrestling fan for many years; opportunities he’s had. “I think and a country music fan.” I’ve met, like Jack Webster, Pat I’ve had the best job that really Wayne also admits to havBurns and Al Davidson – isn’t a job,” he says. “Looking ing enough Hawaiian shirts, back at the people I’ve met, like his trademark summer forecast names from the old radio days Jack Webster, Pat Burns and Al apparel, to last from Victoria and, here, Tony Parsons, what Davidson – names from the Day in May to Labour Day in old radio days and, here, Tony September, without repeating a dream to work with him and Parsons, what a dream to work a shirt. Many in his collection all the people along the way.” with him and all the people are shirts sent in by approving along the way.” viewers. “Some people have even Recent years have seen a made shirts for me. I’ve also rapid change in television techbeen sent things like key chains, lug- baby boomer in that we’re not going to nology. Wayne’s happy to have been in gage tags, Post-it Notes, and a beauti- go gracefully,” says Wayne. We’re go- the business when times were simpler ful cookie jar in the shape of a Hawai- ing to go in our jeans and the stuff we and more vibrant. “The changes that are happening are so incredible,” he says, ian shirt,” says Wayne. “I even got a wore in the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s.” beautiful stained glass window in that Wayne believes perspectives on ag- “and this is just the beginning. So many shape too. I have a shrine at home of all ing have changed since his parents’ roles are being taken over by computthe collectibles. It’s been fun – some- generation who seemed ready to re- ers. As well as robotic cameras filming thing different.” tire when 60 arrived. “I don’t believe our newscasts, we run robotic cameras Born in Vancouver, Wayne makes our generation thinks that way. I think in Ottawa from here in Burnaby.” Recently, Wayne was inducted into the BC Entertainment Hall of Fame, ONLY an honour given to B.C. residents who $25.00 Medical Alert Systems with 2-Way Voice have made an outstanding contribution per month to entertainment in the province, across �� System Activation �� Lifetime Warranty Canada and around the world. “For the most part, I’ve been a jour�� Live 2-Way Voice �� 1st Month Monitoring neyman kind of broadcaster,” he says. Live independently with our Medical Alert System. With a “Being a B.C. kid, a Vancouver kid, simple press of a button the system will alert our and then all of a sudden being up on monitoring centre 24 hours a day. Help will be sent a wall with a whole bunch of older enif needed and family or friends notified. tertainers I remember from my youth, and modern day entertainers, too, that �� SL was a very big thrill for me.”

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SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Between Friends I

TIME

t has been said that time is a great healer, and I agree. But I also think time is a great deceiver. We are lulled into thinking that we have perpetuity here on earth.

to take. Libraries too small for books I want to read. Friendships too short for friends I want to be with.

“Eternity’s a terrible thought. I mean, where’s it going to end.” –Tom Stoppard

“Until you value yourself, you won’t value your time. Until you value your time, you will not do anything with it.” –M. Scott Peck

When time is on our side, we welcome and embrace it. However, time can weigh heavily on some people as they age. Others ﬁnd there are not enough hours in the day to tackle all that they wish to accomplish. Viewpoints seem to reﬂect each individual’s circumstances. A day too short for thoughts I want to share. Trails too short for walks I want

Time is an ambiguous progression of our earthly existence. We cannot see time pass and it is the movement of the clock’s hands or the setting sun that lets us know another day has come and gone. Time can be equated to a revolving door as relationships, employment and

BY DOREEN BARBER

lifestyles evolve to be replaced, displaced or lost. The importance of life and relationships can become like shifting sand as the landscape of our lives continually changes. In times of deep reﬂection, it can all seem meaningless in the light of eternity. “Lost, yesterday, somewhere between Sunrise and Sunset, two golden hours, each set with sixty diamond minutes. No reward is offered, for they are SL gone forever.” –Horace Mann

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APRIL 2009

SPRING SNOWSHOEING

esidents of British Columbia’s Lower Mainland have the exceptional possibility of experiencing multiple seasons in a single day. Skiing on Grouse Mountain in the morning and bike riding in Stanley Park that same afternoon is not unheard of due to the varying elevations of the landscape. Since moving to B.C. two years ago, I have grown to love the relatively long and warm days of April for snowshoeing at higher elevations, where winter can linger as late as May and June. 8

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Sol Mountain

I have seen many references to snowshoeing as the fastest-growing winter sport in North America and, indeed, it is understandable that this accessible sport has gained enormous popularity recently in B.C. Snowshoeing is easy to learn and can be enjoyed at many ability levels. Reasonably affordable, it is an excellent full-body workout and, best of all, provides access to beautiful and otherwise inaccessible landscapes. The old adage is true: “If you can walk, you can snowshoe.” My introduction to snowshoeing came several years ago on

Photo: Debbie McKeown

BY DEBBIE MCKEOWN

Photo: Debbie McKeown

a winter hiking trip to California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains. As I gained elevation and the snow became deeper, I watched enviously as snowshoers strode easily past me. Soon, I was bogged down in knee-deep snow and had to turn back. The next day, I started to research my first snowshoe purchase. Selecting a suitable snowshoe model can be confusing, but most of the major manufacturers have guidelines on their websites to help consumers make the right choice. Body weight and the type of snow are important factors. In general, for those who will snowshoe mainly on Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains, a smaller snowshoe will work well as the snow tends to be densely packed and heavy with moisture. Farther inland, where snow is drier and more powdery, a larger shoe, which provides more flotation or distribution of weight, would be optimal. Lucky shoppers may even find a late-season bargain on snowshoes. For snowshoers new to the sport, a great approach is to rent snowshoes the first few times to discover what works best. As for clothing, hikers or runners may find they already have most of the clothing and footwear they need for snowshoeing. Dressing in breathable synthetic layers is the best approach. Waterproof hiking boots are ideal, but I have also used non-waterproof boots with a waterproof sock. Gaiters are important to keep snow out of your boots, especially in powder conditions. Many snowshoers like to use trekking poles for balance and stability. My telescoping summer hiking poles work perfectly, if I make them a little longer and substitute larger snow baskets. What you carry is as important as what you wear. The most crucial item is water. Drink more than you think you need, and take along some high-energy snacks. Otherwise, some extra warm clothing, a map, matches and the usual emergency preparedness items should set you up safely for a day on the snow. Before heading out, always check with local authorities for potential avalanche hazards and obey signage identifying danger areas. Better yet, sign up for an avalanche safety course with an accredited mountain school. We are fortunate in British Columbia to have many pristine wilderness areas that are excellent for snowshoeing. Downhill and cross-country ski resorts are catching on to the snowshoe craze, often providing marked and groomed trails especially for snowshoers. Community recreation programs and outdoor stores are also great places to check for local outings. For those in the Lower Mainland, the closest snowshoe destinations are on the North Shore. Grouse, Seymour and Cypress represent the holy trinity of Vancouver’s North Shore Mountains. Proximity to the city makes after-work snowshoe hikes an appealing possibility. One of my favourite half-day excursions starts at the Mount Seymour parking area. Snowshoe a rolling forest trail to First Lake, continuing to Dog Mountain for jaw-dropping views of the city, Vancouver Island and beyond. Cap off a snowshoe hike on Grouse Mountain with panoramic views and lunch, a snack or hot chocolate in the chalet. Or, stop in North Vancouver for tea, a smoothie

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Articles written by professionals, answering your questions on a variety of topics. Over the months ahead, we will be inviting professionals to post informational articles on our website for the beneﬁt of our readers. Check back often as we continue to develop this valuable resource. If you would like a particular profession represented in this section, please let us know at ofﬁce@seniorlivingmag.com APRIL 2009

McKeown Photo: Jack

Photo: Debb ie McKeow n

or something stronger. For adventures farther afield, it is worthwhile to make the three-hour drive to Manning Provincial Park. The Nordic Centre staff at Manning Park Resort can provide maps and trail suggestions. On a recent trip, we opted to snowshoe the level Similkameen River trail. The falling snow almost, but not quite, muffled the sound of the fast-moving river. The trail is easy to follow and well trod. Although we ran out of time, the trail eventually branches uphill to a lookout and 1950s tower on Windy Joe Mountain. A full-day trek that we’re told has stupendous views, we reluctantly decided to save it for another time. Another favourite hike in Manning Provincial Park follows the Lightning Lakes trails. The trailhead provides access to loops of varying distances. It’s more open than the forested trails of Similkameen River, prompting frequent photo stops to capSol Mountain ture the classic mountain scenery of frozen lakes backed by snowy peaks. Refreshments and accommodation can be found at Manning Park Resort. My preferred spot for re-living the day’s adven- that were more tures and catching a hockey game on the big screen is their challenging. My favourite was casual Bear’s Den Pub. a six-hour loop hike with Caribou Pass as our farthest desPerhaps my fondest B.C. snowshoe memories occurred tination. Our route followed rolling terrain, mainly sticking in Monashee Provincial Park, midway between Vernon and to a high bench. The views were immensely rewarding with Revelstoke. This remote location, accessible only by heli- a continual panorama of 9,000-foot (2743 m) snow-covered copter transfer, is ideal for spring snowshoeing. On a multi- peaks and deep valleys. Sol Mountain Touring organizes day trip in April, it snowed every night, making each morn- helicopter transfers and operates a comfortable lodge with ing fresh, beautiful and pristine. I had access to a staggering full amenities. Think gourmet meals, drinks beside a roararray of snowshoeing options, from short romps on alpine ing fire and a wood-fired sauna. After meadows to longer treks a day of snowshoeing, I never tired of watching the evening glow of snowcovered trees outside my window, completely undiminished by streetlights or other signs of humanity. I have been snowshoeing for several years and have grown to love the sport enough to stretch it as long as the season will allow. For me, few things can compare with the sheer exhilaration of snowshoeing on a warm April day. The crowds have often retreated to lower elevations by this time, leaving the snow to a few enthusiasts who can’t quite bring themselves to put their snowshoes away for the season. So, go ahead and give snowshoeing a whirl. It’s not too late. Make this the spring you fall in love with k ar vincial P Manning Pro winter. SL

10 10

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FOREVER BY WILLIAM THOMAS

Marijuana –

inevitable signs you live next door to a grow op

know many people who still refer to the weed as “wacky tabacky.” But make no mistake, Canada’s rural landscapes rival California as the greatest producers of marijuana in North America. And the farmlands of Wainﬂeet, where I live, are favourite locations for the illegal growers. And apparently, ACME Greenhouses over on Sider Road were not, as the original agricultural zoning bylaw allowed, producing cucumbers. As it turns out, the 14 plastic-covered hothouses were, in fact, growing grass. Which would be okay except they’re not a licensed sod farm either. Fireﬁghters responding to a 2 a.m. emergency call discovered 4,000 marijuana plants and $350,000 in grow operation equipment at the farm. Some of the potted plants in the 60-metrelong hothouses were four feet high, and the whole crop was estimated to be worth just under $5 million. Police became suspicious two weeks ago when they learned cucumbers suddenly had a street value of $900 each. No doubt about it, I’d be going with the Genetic Engineering Defense on this one. “You know, Your Honour, ever since Monsanto started experimenting with the genetic make-up of cash crops, you don’t know what the hell you’re gettin’. I mean, it said “Cucumber Seeds” right on the package and they looked like cucumber plants when they sprouted but, well, one day the dog ate a full-grown plant and next thing I know he’s “riding” my riding lawn mover and howlin’ one of them

Beatles’ songs. I think it was from The White Album. Then, I started noticin’ all these empty pizza boxes. How the dog got those pies delivered, we may never know. No, I’ll tell ya, David Suzuki was right, you start messin’ with Mother Nature and pretty soon you got a very weird lookin’ cucumber plant that’s worth $1,500 on eBay.” The neighbour who lives across the street from the marijuana grow op was shocked by the discovery. “I couldn’t believe it,” she said. “How someone could have something so big for so long and not have someone find out?” And that’s the real problem – detection. This is not the first time huge crops of marijuana have been discovered growing out here in Wainfleet. Rural agricultural areas have always been prime property for growing illegal cannabis crops. So, here are some sure signs you might be living next door to a marijuana grow operation: • Right after he leases the cucumber farm, the farmer puts up a sign that reads: “Sorry. We’re Plum Outta Cucumbers.” • They replace the weather vane on the top of the barn with a guy wearing night vision goggles and carrying a fog horn. • You’re standing next to the farmer at Minor Brothers Farm Supply when he orders eight metric tons of Miracle Grow. • You run into the farmer’s wife at the grocery store and she’s buying, cucumbers. • One day, the farmer and his wife drive up in matching, black and white

HUMMERS with the vanity plates: “KUKEONE” and “KUKETWO.” • They both wear Best Buds Tshirts, but they have no friends. • The Jehovah’s Witnesses keep having giggling fits halfway up their driveway. • The neighbourhood always smells skunky, but you haven’t seen roadkill in years. • You notice all the people coming to their “Pick Your Own Cucumber Festival” are carrying machetes and green garbage bags. • Their youngest kid wins the school talent show by playing air guitar to “Puff The Magic Dragon.” • The two guys who drive up in the Cucumber Consultants of California truck look an awful lot like Cheech and Chong. • The vegetable stand on the lawn where they used to sell cucumbers now offers four different sizes of scented cigarette paper. • Strangers keep stopping at your house asking where they can buy “those famous cucumber brownies.” And finally, you might be living next door to a marijuana grow op when Weed Man comes twice a week and he’s driving a tractor trailer. SL For more on The True Story of Wainfleet with Lies by William Thomas, visit his website. William Thomas is the author of nine books of humour including Margaret and Me about his wee Irish mother. www.williamthomas.ca APRIL 2009

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Recommend a Distribution Location Near You! Senior Living is looking for convenient, high trafﬁc distribution locations throughout the Greater Vancouver region. If you know of a place of business or activity centre that would be a convenient location for interested readers to pick up our magazine, let us know. Email: ofﬁce@seniorlivingmag.com Phone 1-877-479-4705 APRIL 2009

BY KEVIN MCKAY

DANCE WITH ME

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

he sign read “Walk In and Dance Out.” Janice Stevens used to drive past the Royal Towers Hotel in New Westminster back in the mid1980s and, every time she did, she noticed the sign, which belonged to a business called Dance City. It caught and held her attention until she decided to throw caution to the wind and sign up for an introductory ballroom dance lesson. “I looked at it and thought, my gosh, that is something I’d like to try.” This decision would have a significant and lasting impact on her life. “I took it and I loved it. I loved the way they taught the men to lead and the ladies to follow,” says Janice. “Each dance was challenging to learn. I had never taken formal dance lessons before.” Janice enjoyed the dance classes so much she signed up for more and continued dancing there until the company closed its doors a few years later. In the last session of lessons, a representative from the New Westminster school board came down to see if they could find a teacher for their night school program; Janice was hired as the assistant instructor. She stayed with them as the class moved from the high school cafeteria to a gymnasium in an elementary school. From there, Janice started working at Centennial Community Centre and Century House in New Westminster. Searching for something since she left home at 16, Janice found it in dance, and she hadn’t even known she’d been looking. She already had a career and worked as a registered nurse at Vancouver General Hospital. On the side, she worked as a fitness instructor. Once Janice started teaching dance, she quickly gave up the fitness classes. “Fitness became boring after I taught ballroom,” she says. “The moves were repetitive and not near as interesting.” Born in Dawson Creek in 1957, Janice headed for Prince George after she finished Grade 11. The middle child in a family with three daughters, Janice grew up in a household full of music. “I was part of a musical family,” she says. “We would host parties at Christmas and other special occasions, and both of

my parents were part of the music, Dad playing the guitar, Mom singing. My Dad’s brother played the banjo and they went at it, playing the gooﬁest of songs. Everybody just joined in.” The main activity in Dawson Creek was outdoor skating, though Janice also recalls one other special memory, which would echo in her later life choices: “My mom used to stay up late into the [night] watching those old Fred Astaire/Ginger Rogers movies. I would sneak out of my room and watch those shows from my hiding place, until I got caught and sent back to bed. I just loved watching those shows. I loved seeing the chorus

“I looked at it and thought, my gosh, that is something I’d like to try.”

lines of women kicking together and all the patterns they would form while they danced.” Janice’s mother stayed home to raise her daughters. “Mom is a very creative person. I think her creativity rubbed off on me, and it really blossomed after her kids grew up. Then she started to do what she loved.” After Grade 11, Janice soon found herself in a Prince George employment ofﬁce, taking an assessment test. “One thing that came up as a possible career choice was nursing, and I thought, ‘I could do that.’ If it had come out saying I could be a ballroom dance teacher, I would have said forget it.” Janice signed up for night school to ﬁnish her Grade 12 before obtaining her Licensed Practical Nursing diploma from the College of the Caledonia. She went to work at Prince George Regional Hospital and stayed until 1982 when she realized that LPNs were out pricing themselves. “The LPNs were getting as much as the Registered Nurses, and because we are getting paid too much, I could see they would replace us with RNs.”

At the time, a nursing access program existed, which allowed people to move up from LPN to RN in 18 months. Janice moved back home and, while taking the course, one of her part-time jobs saw her working as the oldest employee at the Dawson Creek McDonald’s – at the grand old age of 26! In 1984, the freshly graduated RN packed up her worldly belongings and moved to New Westminster. “I drove down in a Fiero GT, which I had bought from a great salesman, my father,” says Janice. After a brief search, she located a rental house, which she shared with three roommates. She found work right away at the Royal Columbian, but was unsatisfied with her career choice. “I went into nursing so that I could teach people how to be healthy as they could be, and to give them information about how to have quality of life,” she says. “What I didn’t realize until I got into it is that nursing is not that. There is very little time for teaching. For me, there was just not enough job satisfaction. I am a compassionate, sympathetic person, but I can only do the best I can within the system. If I had to do it over again, I would go into some sort of health teaching.” Though she stayed with nursing, eventually accepting a position at Vancouver General Hospital, Janice also signed up to learn how to be a fitness instructor at the Burnaby YMCA. Soon, she was teaching a variety of classes at the Burnaby Y and for Burnaby Parks and Recreation, including courses on cardiac care, pre-and post-natal fitness and others. When Janice was learning to dance, she became involved in an abusive relationship that ended badly. She considers this a turning point in her life. “I was one of the first people helped by the domestic violence response team in New Westminster,” she says. “Later, I got involved in that, and spoke many times at Justice Institute about my experience. I often spoke to people who wanted to join the victim’s assistance team. I spoke to them and told them how I felt they could best help others by not judging them. Speaking was cathartic. It helped take away the shame of how I felt

» APRIL 2009

and reinforced that I wasn’t the only one in that situation.” Janice did these talks for years, until she became too busy and had to give them up. In 1991, Janice’s daughter was born, so she took a job at St. Mary’s Hospital in New Westminster, where she stayed

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until the hospital closed in 2004. But while she continued working as a nurse, Janice discovered she had a passion for teaching ballroom dance. “At ﬁrst, I struggled with how to get the information to my students so that they could do the dance. When they get

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Photo: Kevin McKay

Dance instructor Janice Stevens helps a student with correct form. Page 14, Janice at her studio with fellow dancer Peter Voros. Photo:Tom Felton

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

it, this light of recognition goes on in their faces,” she says. “When they start the lesson they can’t do anything, but by the time they finish they can do a waltz. Every couple I teach, I try to find the best way possible to teach them. I teach couples who are getting married, and are so nervous. They are thinking they can’t do this. After a couple of hours, they see this is a skill they can learn.” Janice gives much of the credit to her husband, a man she met through a mutual friend. “One of my students wanted me to go for coffee with this guy,” she says. “He was a gift from God. We hit it off right away. He had to jump through hoops, no swear words or anything. We dated for two years before we got married. He had a good job working as a salesman, but he gave up his job to work running the studio, doing the books, and looking after all the details.” Janice never intended to teach ballroom dance for a living. “It started out with the night school program and people just kept asking for lessons. I went to the Spanish Cultural Centre and rented space from them.” They relocated a few times before settling into their current space on Front Street, which had previously been a nightclub. At first, Janice wasn’t too sure about the location and building. “When we walked in, I was positive we could not turn it into a dance studio. The whole inside of the building was red; it was horrible. I put my faith in my husband, though, and he did it. When new students come in now they say, ‘Oh wow, it’s beautiful!’” In the beginning, the studio offered a session that featured four or five classes. Currently, there are over 60 dance classes to choose from, and Janice has hired several instructors to help her teach the various dances. Janice is having the time of her life, and gets no greater satisfaction than in helping someone learn how to dance. “I feel an immense sense of pride and accomplishment when I teach someone to dance. Each person or couple that comes in arrives with their own unique sense of learning style. I love the challenge of capturing their talent and teaching them the very best I can,” she says. Finally, Janice has found her true callSL ing.

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Published by Senior Living

JANUARY 2009

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To Move or Not to Move? A Helpful Guide for Seniors Considering Their Residential Options

If you are a senior who has been wondering lately whether you should consider moving - either because you find the maintenance of your current home more difficult due to diminishing ability or energy, or you simply want a lifestyle that allows you more freedom and less responsibility - then this is the book that can help you ask the right questions and find the solution that is right for you. • What residential options are available? • Define your current situation - What residential option is right for you? • How to research and assess Independent and Assisted Living residences. • What do Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care facilities have to offer? • How much does it cost to live in an Assisted Living residence? What subsidies are available? • Thinking of moving in with family members? Questions to consider before making your decision. • Are there any other residential options besides Independent, Assisted Living and Complex Care facilities? • If you choose to stay in your own home, what are your options and what should you plan for? • Who can help you decide what you can or cannot afford? • Funding sources available to seniors - tax deductions, housing subsidies, home care subsidies, equipment loan programs, renovation grants, etc. • Selling your home - how to find the right realtor or relocation services to assist your move. • Downsizing - Where do you start? How do you proceed? • Adapting your home to meet your mobility needs - tips and suggestions • Hiring home care services; do it yourself or hire an agency? • Legal matters - how to make sure you receive the care you desire should you not be able to communicate due to some incapacitating condition • AND MUCH MORE Advice from professionals who are experts in the area of assisting seniors with their relocation

questions and concerns. A handy reference guide for seniors and their families wrestling with the issues around whether relocation is the best option. This 128-page book provides helpful, easy to read information and suggestions to help seniors and their families understand the decisions they need to make.

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APRIL 2009

NATURE UNBLEMISHED

Princess Louisa Inlet, considered by some to be the most beautiful place on earth, is nestled deep in B.C.’s coastal range and accessible only by water or air. Surrounded and protected by mountains as high as 2,100 metres, it is the premier destination on the coast for recreational boaters, as well as a major attraction for visitors from all over the world. Time and effort, however, are needed to get there. Boats must ﬁrst navigate 80 kilometres up the long and winding Jervis Inlet to Princess Louisa Inlet’s narrow opening. There, unless equipped with engines powerful enough to handle the surging current, they must wait for slack water to safely navigate the Malibu Rapids that guard the entrance. 18

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Hajer

There is a calm tranquility, which stretches from the smooth surface of the reflecting water straight up into infinity. The deep calm of eternal silences is only disturbed by the muffled roar of throbbing waterfalls as they plunge down from sheer cliffs. There is no scenery in the world that can beat it. Not that I’ve seen the rest of the world. I don’t need to. I’ve seen Princess Louisa Inlet. –Erle Stanley Gardner, Log of a Landlubber

I first saw Princess Louisa Inlet in the summer of 2002. We were relatively new to boating, and this was the farthest we had travelled from our home base of Bridgeport (now River Rock) Marina on the North Arm of the Fraser River in Richmond. The previous day had been sunny and hot without a breath of wind, so we had motored up Jervis Inlet from Egmont in our sailboat, the Zephyr, taking close to five hours for the 60-kilometre trip. We saw few other boaters on this leg of our journey, and even fewer signs of human habitation on shore. The area was much as Captain George Vancouver would have found it when he and his men rowed up the inlet in longboats in the summer of 1792, charting the shoreline in their search for the Northwest Passage. Like him, we passed between steep walls of granite, some as high as 2,500 metres, scarred with evidence of past avalanches and punctuated by numerous waterfalls. In places, forests of hemlock, cedar and Douglas fir clung precariously to the rocky slopes, sometimes reaching all the way down the mountainside to dip their lower branches daintily into the water. It was mid-afternoon when we made the turn into Queen’s Reach, the most inland section of Jervis Inlet, and too late that day for a slack tide during daylight hours. So, we dropped the hook at Patrick Point, a small anchorage off the western shore, and the same place Vancouver and his men spent the night over 200 years before. They had missed the entrance to Princess Louisa Inlet, the s-shaped curve of Malibu Rapids deceiving them into thinking the rapidly flowing water was simply another creek. Frank and I spent the rest of that day alone in the wilderness. We basked in the sun, bathed in the clear water, ate our leisurely dinner in the cockpit surrounded by a million-dollar view, toasted the sunset and fell asleep listening Photos: Ma ry Anne

Photo: Frank Hajer

BY MARY ANNE HAJER

to the gurgle of a nearby stream. Early the next morning, we struggled out of our berths before dawn, pulled on our fleeces and made a thermos of coffee. We started our engine, hauled up the anchor and pointed the Zephyr’s bow across the water to Malibu Rapids, adjusting our speed so we would arrive at the slack. Usually, a boat going through the rapids has to take its place in a line of at least half a dozen others but, at this early hour, we were the only ones heading in, although we met a few boats leaving. Just as we entered the Inlet, the first rays of the rising sun appeared above the mountains in the east, bathing the opposite peaks in a sea of molten gold that, as the sun rose higher, flowed slowly down the tree-covered slopes to the still water below. Not a whisper of wind stirred the surface of the Inlet as its colour changed from black to indigo and, finally, to a clear cerulean blue, always mirroring the sky above. Thick forests covered the lower reaches of the surrounding mountains in heavy green blankets, torn in places by avalanches that left gashes of bare rock in their wake. Innumerable small waterfalls splashed into the Inlet, turning the salt water at their base a milky white. When we reached the public dock at the head of the Inlet, our feeling of solitude in paradise vanished. The early departures had left space for us to tie up, and those already there were happy to catch our lines and help us manoeuvre into place.

The dock was crowded with pleasure boats of all kinds – luxury yachts and sleek, expensive sailboats shared the space with handyman’s specials like the Zephyr. Some skippers had anchored their boats at the base of Chatterbox Falls, the largest of the Inlet’s waterfalls and the focal point of the marine park. Thousands come to the park every summer now, but just a few centuries ago, the only visitors were the Sechelt Indians, who used the Inlet as a seasonal campsite. Then, in 1900, a German army deserter named Herman Caspar homesteaded the ﬂat area at the mouth of the Inlet. According to the Sunshine Coast Museum Archives, he worked as a blacksmith for local loggers, performed songs he had composed on his zither and raised cats – 26 in all. In 1940, Caspar sold his land to the aviation tycoon, Thomas Hamilton, who built the Malibu Club, a luxury resort designed to attract the rich and famous. Although initially successful, by 1950, it was no longer ﬁnancially viable, and Hamilton abandoned the project. In 1953, Jim Rayburn, founder of the non-denominational Christian society, Young Life, purchased the resort with the view to operate it as a summer camp. As such, Malibu continues to welcome young people today. In 1927, James F. MacDonald (Mac) bought 45 acres at the head of the Inlet,

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Photo: Mary Anne Hajer

built a beautiful log cabin and acted as unofﬁcial host to visiting boaters. Feeling that such a magniﬁcent place should belong to the public, in 1953, he deeded his property to the boaters of the Northwest, under the administration of the newly-formed Princess Louisa International Society. In 1964, the area became a Class A Marine Park under the auspices of the B.C. Parks Department, although the Society still advises on its operation and raises funds to help with maintenance. Since then, the park has expanded to include MacDonald Island and other small parcels of land. In 2001, the Society secured options to purchase the Inlet’s remaining freehold land from

Weyerhaeuser Co. Ltd. Canada and, in 2003, was able to purchase 2,221 acres of the land surrounding Mac’s original holdings. Now, over 800 metres of trails and boardwalks allow visitors to safely explore the area at the base of Chatterbox Falls. June is a particularly wonderful time to come to the park because, not only are the Falls at maximum volume due to the spring run-off, but many wildflowers are in bloom. Foam flowers, cinquefoil, bleeding heart and others entice amateur botanists into capturing their delicate beauty forever in a photograph. Winding paths lure walkers into the rainforest, where they marvel at the variety of mosses and lichens covering the rocks and trees and the many kinds of ferns growing in the shady, damp hollows. Those looking for a challenge can hike to the Trapper’s Cabin, a steep and often slippery climb that takes about four hours return. Even more adventurous trekkers can climb all the way up to the tree line, but this is an overnight journey and not for amateurs. Today’s visitors to Princess Louisa Inlet are not limited to those who have access to private boats. A quick search on the Internet will reveal many options available for non-boaters who wish to make the trip. In the summer, sightseeing tours (approximately five to six hours in duration) leave frequently from Egmont and Pender Harbour on the Sunshine Coast. Passengers are transported in fast, sturdy boats that are powerful enough to run Malibu Rapids at any time of the day.

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Kayakers paddle the whole length of Jervis Inlet, and then run the rapids into Princess Louisa Inlet with a view to setting up camp in the government-run campsites. One of these is located near the dock at Chatterbox Falls, the other on MacDonald Island, and both have tent sites, toilet facilities and access to fresh water. Other campers arrange with water taxis to be dropped off and picked up with their gear. Regional airlines offer charter flights to the Inlet, giving passengers an unforgettable bird’s eye view of mountaintops, glaciers and inland waterways. There are also “fly and float” options, travelling to Princess Louisa Inlet by boat and back by floatplane. Visitors with a little more money to spend can board chartered sailboats that transport them there in luxury, sometimes taking up to a week for the return trip, visiting other places of interest on the way. Or, if they are experienced on the water, they can charter their own boat and set sail for the trip of a lifetime. SL

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ome renovations are smart investments in the longterm value of a home, and with the newly introduced Home Renovation Tax Credit (HRTC) offered by the Federal government, now might be the right time to make some changes. Your Better Business Bureau would like to provide some clarity about the HRTC and some smart tips for shoppers while they look around for contractors. Firstly, the tax credit is based on a percentage of the total of work and not a lump sum amount. The total credit is 15 per cent, and may be claimed on the portion of eligible renovations over $1,000, but not more than $10,000, meaning that the maximum tax credit that can be received is $1,350. The HRTC credit applies to eligible home renovation costs for work performed, or goods acquired, after January 27, 2009 and before February 1, 2010. Therefore, consumers can only claim the HRTC tax credit when ﬁling their 2009 tax return. There are also speciﬁc types of work that can and cannot be applied to the HRTC. Here are some examples:

Ineligible • Furniture and appliances • Purchase of tools • Carpet cleaning • Maintenance contracts (furnace cleaning, snow removal, lawn care, pool cleaning, etc.) To learn more about the Home Renovation Tax Credit go to: www.budget. gc.ca Avoid making hasty decisions, do your due diligence. Start with bbb.org to make sure you’re dealing with a reputable contractor. You can request a quote

from the BBB website to do your comparison-shopping. Also, be sure to get a written contract and receipt for the project with the company’s name, date, detailed description of the project and total costs. Spend wisely and happy home SL renos! Lynda Pasacreta is President of the Better Business Bureau of Mainland B.C. Contact the BBB to check a company report or Buyers’ Tip before you purchase or invest. www.bbbvan.org or 604-6822711. To contact Lynda Pasacreta, e-mail her at president@bbbvan.org

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LIFE ON THE FARM

introduced into the ﬂock, I was in awe of his visual ability – he seemed able to spot hawks circling a mile in the air, and would call out a warning to his wives, noting impending danger, so they could all run for cover. Living on the farm meant the girls had to take an early school bus ride into town, so it was agreed that I would feed the animals and let them outside to have the run of the barnyard in the morning,

night, called and said, “Mum, I think I see something out there moving in the bushes!” Again, armed with a flashlight, I went into the black night and found the wettest, thinnest chicken I’d ever seen. She had survived the cold and rain, the wolves and coyotes, the eagles and hawks for more than a week! As I leaned over a log and scooped her up, she looked up at me and weakly squawked her thanks. That evening, we fed her a special meal, and used a hair dryer to warm her and fluff out her feathers. Although she recovered exceptionally well after her incredible adventure, she breathed forever more with a noticeable asthmatic wheeze. Her endurance and tenacity made her a favourite with the girls, who, thanks to the wheeze, christened her Sick Chick. My barnyard education was gleaned in large part by the many farm magazines I read. I was particularly impressed by one story, which boldly claimed, “Pigs Have The author cuddles up with Terrible Turk. Paid Many a Mortgage.” Enamoured with the idea, I rushed and the girls would be responsible for out and bought a book on the topic and seeing them in at night. – without reading through to the end One night, after rounding up the ani- – paid $20 each for two tiny, pink, bristly mals and conducting head counts, the piglets, who squealed in terror every time girls rushed up to the house and said, they were touched. It didn’t take us long to learn that of all “Mum, there are only nine chickens, not 10, in the coop!” So, armed with the farm inhabitants, pigs are the cleanflashlights and overcoats, we braved the est and most intelligent of the lot. They dripping wet forest calling, “here, chick went “potty” in the same place without chick chick” to no avail. We retreated fail at the far end of their enclosure; they to the house in tears, mourning our very retrieved sticks, and turned in circles of first loss of an animal – and a friend. delight when I went into their pen to feed Each day, after the girls left for them. school, I continued to call out and look Granted, pigs aren’t born with many for chicken, but lost hope after several manners, but our two piglets, Margaret days had passed. It was inconceivable and Elizabeth, soon learned they weren’t such a small, defenseless bird could going to be fed unless they went to their fend for herself in a hostile forest en- own end of the trough without jostling vironment. Then Jackie, who was look- each other’s jowls. Of course, they got ing out the front window on the eighth dirty walking and lying in the mud, but

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Photo: Jackie Asante

ome experiences in life leave indelible marks on our souls. They enrich us, open our eyes to new worlds, give us joy – and then they pass, leaving us with warm and lasting memories to cherish forever. I was lucky enough to have such experiences when, as a woman who had lived for nearly 50 years in big cities, I moved to a small and secluded farm in northern B.C. With two young daughters, Jackie, nine and Leanne, six, I made choices that resulted in the family “homesteading” in a log house on five cleared acres in the middle of a rainforest. I reasoned that our move north, away from city amenities, gave us one distinct advantage – space. We cleared enough land around the log house to raise a variety of large and small farm animals. Not that I knew anything about them! Growing up in Vancouver, I had never been closer to a pig than a grunt at the PNE, or closer to a goose than a bad-tempered hiss from a bird in a city park. But through a combination of research and hands-on practise, we all learned quickly how to house, feed and care for our increasingly large menagerie. To start, we bought 10 female Araucana chicks (known as Easter Egg chickens because they lay pastel-coloured eggs), two turkey poults and two fluffy white goslings, which luckily turned out to be male and female. Our feathered acquisitions were, of course, as mystified with humans as we were with them, but we all fumbled along learning new things every day. In the case of the chickens, for instance, I came to understand that no matter how many nests I built in the chicken coop, the hens had a strong preference to lay in a specific one. And after a rooster was

BY NADINE JONES

it dried off and I vacuumed up the dust in their pen. Nestled up advances. Though he had nothing but contempt for almost to their tummies in fresh straw, those two smelled like big pink everyone, for some reason, he was fond of me; let me put my arms around him. I would rub his head and talk to him, and roses. According to the first chapters of the book, I figured that with he answered me with low gobbling turkey “sweet nothings.” In fact, one of the most remarkable episodes we had on two sows having two litters of 10 to 15 piglets a year – and selling them at $20 each – they would certainly pay the board for the farm involved a turkey, one of two of Terrible Turk’s the two horses we had by this time acquired, plus Mother and wives. The girls and I came home from shopping, one day, Father Goose and the turkeys. But when I went looking for a and found one of the female turkeys lying prone in the horse’s likely boar to do his job (the sows must be taken to the boar, as corral. When we got close enough, we saw that her right leg they don’t usually perform well away from home) a bona fide was broken at a right angle and hanging together by the skin. farmer down the road told me that sometimes his sows were so Undoubtedly, one of the horses had unwittingly stepped on her. Leanne raced to the house to fetch a bath towel, which I badly gored when they were mated, they had to be put down! Rushing through the final chapters of the book, I was ap- wrapped around her. She lay on Jackie’s lap, looking out the palled to read about other hazards associated with making pig- car window while I drove to the vet’s office. “You want me to do WHAT?!” he asked, aghast. “Make a lets, including broken bones, maiming and various forms of infections. I asked myself, “Would I want to suffer like that to cast for her leg,” I answered. So he did, and the turkey tolerproduce children who would be taken away from me and sold?” ated her heavy appendage for six weeks in the barn, stumping Thus, Margaret and Elizabeth lived their lives as virgin pigs. around in the straw like a peg-legged pirate (She couldn’t go Some of the animals seemed smarter than others or perhaps out, of course, because we couldn’t let the plaster cast get we understood some better. The laying hens, including Sick wet!). Chick and her sisters, were incredibly intelligent. They knew At the end of her six-week convalescence, we took her they weren’t allowed in my fenced vegetable garden, though back to the vet’s office, where he cut off the cast, patted her on they regularly sneaked in when they thought I wasn’t looking. the rump, and watched as she walked without a limp across As soon as they heard the front door to the house slam, they his surgery floor. When she laid her very first beautiful beigewould all jump up and fly out. coloured speckled egg, I took it back to the vet as a gift, and And believe it or not, chickens communicate in sentences. he displayed it with pride. After countless hours in the barn we built, I began to recogAfter several wonderful years on the farm, we moved back nize patterns, and then recorded them, just to be sure. “Get off to the city. I often think of those animals that taught us so the nest; you’ve been there too long,” “Hey girls, I just laid an much. Perhaps the most important thing I learned was that the egg,” and many more easily discernable and repetitive series of animals were not so different from us. We saw love and tenclucks are among the recordings I still have on tape. derness, jealousy and hate, intelligence and stupidity, loyalty When we bought our first 10 chicks, the Co-Op salesman told and even a sense of fun. The experience filled me with wonder SL us they had been factory-hatched for so long that “motherhood” and left me with memories that will last a lifetime. had been bred out of them. But Sick Chick proved him wrong. Our long-sighted rooster proved an equally agile suitor, and Sick Chick became broody, producing our first “natural” baby chicks on the farm. She was a wonderful mother and seemed especially fond of one of her daughters we named Midge. Inseparable, wherever Sick Chick led, Midge wasn’t far Read more at behind. www.seniorlivingmag.com When my own mother, in her 80s, came to “Ask A Professional” the North in the spring to help me plant, Sick Chick and Midge would follow beside her, row by new row in the garden, clucking advice all the while. Mum was sure they were keeping her company. And in the category of animals we never understood was Terrible Turk, our turkey. Unwilling to take direction, he would try to attack the girls as they herded him into the barn. They eventually used the lids of large garbage cans and wielded them like shields against his APRIL 2009

HE SHOOTS, HE SCORES! BY KEVIN MCKAY

Photo: Kevin McKay

hances are most people have heard his rich, deep baritone voice, and likely on more than one occasion. After all, he has worked on British Columbia radio stations for nearly five decades, and still does promotional spots. Despite this, and all the air time over the years, the man with the golden voice is perhaps best known for public address announcements like, “Vancouver Canucks goal, his 13th of the season, scored by number 33, Henrik Sedin. Assists to number 17 Ryan Kesler and number 38 Pavel Demitra. Time of the goal, 8:44.” Hockey fans across British Columbia, and even casual observers, will have heard his announcements, but how many can put the name John Ashbridge to the voice? Fewer still can put a face to it. Regardless, John is front and centre at all home games of the Vancouver Canucks, and he still manages to maintain a relatively low profile. This suits the radioman fine. While he is perfectly at ease behind a microphone, he has never shown any inclination to make himself “the show.” John is a member of an exclusive club. When the Vancouver Canucks entered the National Hockey League in 1970, they kept the same PA announcer who had commentated their games in the Western Hockey League, Tom Peacock. Some time in the early 1980s, Tom gave the job up, and a number of people filled in for a few years, primarily Sterling Faux. Eventually, the team settled on Jon McComb and he held the position for a few seasons, until John took over in 1987. “In 1986, I ran the CKNW operations at Expo ’86 for our live broadcasts from the site,” says John. “At this time, Jon was doing the announcing for the Canucks. When Expo ended,

John reprises his role as Master of Ceremonies at the annual Seniors Festival in New Westminster. Right, John in the booth at GM Place. Photo: GM Place staff.

Jon and I wound up switching shifts at CKNW. This meant Jon was no longer available most games as he was working evenings now. I had already ﬁlled in for him a couple of times, announcing games when he wasn’t available, so the team asked me if I would like to do that. I told them sure.” In addition to announcing at Ca-

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

nucks games, John had a long distinguished career in local radio, starting out at CJVI in Victoria at the age of 13! He was not on the air, at this time, but hung out around the radio station and at their remote broad-

casts making sure they knew who he was. “I worked behind the scenes doing all the minimal odd jobs that needed to be done, unpaid and almost certainly unsanctioned,” John recalls. When he was around 15, John started being paid in his chosen field. “I wound up at CFAX, the smallest of Victoria’s three stations,” he says. “I hung around, helping out, and then the manager started paying me $50 a month. I started getting on the air. It was a good music station focusing on classical music and some pop standards. There were some small bits of live announcing that had to be done, so I did them, which meant I was on the air a couple of times an hour.” John realized the limitations of working on Vancouver Island, so headed over to the Lower Mainland to find work prior to graduation. He got an interview with CJOR in Vancouver and was hired on the spot in March 1964. “When they offered me the job, I advised them that I couldn’t start working for them until June,” says John. “They asked me if I had to finish my university, and they were surprised when I told them I needed to finish high school!” Less than a year later, Hal Davis, the Program Director at CKNW became aware of John and was convinced he could do many different types of work. They offered him a position, and he accepted. After several months of doing some news, some remote work and even some on-air shifts, John went to the manager and asked if he could be put on the news where he felt more comfortable. It was at this point John started to appreciate doing the news. “At the time, Warren Barker was news director at CKNW. I learned most, if not all, of what I know about doing the news from him.” For the better part of the next 40 years, John worked at CKNW until his retirement in 2005. There were, however, a few notable times he left the station briefly. The first time was in 1967 when John departed for CFUN for what turned out to be a three-month stint run-

ning their news department. John left so quickly because the station changed its format soon after he arrived. He landed on his feet back at CKNW. From 1970 to 1973, John served as the original News Director at CJCI in Prince George, where he also served as assistant manager of the station prior to his return to the Vancouver area. His last chance to “run away from home” came in 1980 when he moved to Australia for a year-and-a-half to work on news there. When he returned to CKNW that ﬁnal time, he stayed for nearly 25 years, and became their senior newsman and Manager of Network Operations. His work for the station and his years of charitable work culminated in the Radio Television News Broadcasters Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005. Even though John continues to do on-air spots for the Vancouver Giants and others, and is the regular voice for the popular Crime Stoppers segments, hockey fans know him as the voice that announces the goals and penalties at the Canucks games. One of his announcements is the last minute of play

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in any period. “I have occasionally missed the call over the years, but usually only by a second or less,” he says. “You try not to let it happen, but sometimes you miss. I also am responsible for blowing the horn after the goals have been scored and as of now, knock on wood, I have not once had it go off in error during the past two seasons.” John is proud that, of the more than 20 years he has served as public address announcer at the Canucks games, he’s only had to miss four. Twice, he had assignments from the radio station

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helping cover elections and, another time, he was the station’s point man covering the signing of the Nisga’a Treaty. “They needed someone who could produce a talk show, do the engineering, file the news reports, and much more,” says John. “They needed a multi-tasker, and that was me. We had the only phone line in town and the only hotel was 90 miles away. To make things even more complicated, there is no airport nearby.” The only other game John missed was October 9, 1999 when Wendy, one of his daughters, got married. In retrospect, he is grateful he had his priorities straight as Wendy succumbed to cancer two years ago. For his first few years as the announcer, John sat in the penalty box alongside the other game officials, and even found himself working the visiting teams penalty box some nights when they were short-handed. “After their fights, sometimes some of the heavyweights would get talking to each other. Often I would leave the microphone open so the crew upstairs could listen along and have a laugh.” In the early 1990s, the National Hockey League decided it needed to have a person in the penalty box to signal for television commercials and make sure the TV interests were looked after. The PA announcer became the odd man out, and John was moved upstairs to commentate from much higher in the building. This arrangement continued, of course, when the team moved into GM Place in 1995 and, to this day, John does his announcing five storeys up in the rafters. Over the years, John has noticed a big change in how the games are presented. “Hockey has become far more of a television event these days and far less of a spectator event like it was before,” he says. “Certainly, you could not have moved into the modern age of game presentation in the Pacific Coliseum.” The Canucks’ game presentation is consistently honoured by their peers as one of the best game presentations in the league. “One year, our

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

team was given a mini plastic Stanley Cup in recognition of our achievement. I am proud of the show we put on. People pay good money to attend the games and it is a passionate market. Our fans deserve a good show.” In 2003, John started working for the Vancouver Giants as well as the Canucks. “Late 2003, CKNW was holding its annual Orphans Fund pledge day. The man who had been doing the announcing at the Giants game knew he’d be working late, and asked me to do the Giants game that night. I did, and the Giants asked me to do some more. I told them I had a job with the Canucks, but offered to help them out as a back up for games and with their promotions. Then, the Giants called during the NHL lockout season of 2004-2005. I told them I would do it with the understanding I had a prior commitment to the Canucks if the lockout ended and they came back. The Giants understood my commitment, but asked me to do what I could. They have been good about games I have to miss. I also do some on-air promotions for them.” John is also actively involved with the Canucks Alumni, which he calls, “one of the largest and most active alumni organizations in the league.” Since 1999, the National Hockey League Alumni Association has handed out awards for their alumnus of the year, as well as a Seventh Man award, given to someone who never played the game, but has worked on its behalf behind the scenes. Two Vancouver men have won the award: Norm Jewison in 2003, and John in 2001. He was presented with this prestigious honour at the All Star Game in Los Angeles that year. In addition to all his charitable work with the Canucks alumni, John also ﬁnds time to serve as the Vice-Chair of the Royal Columbian Hospital Foundation. “I am most happy with all of [my duties]... I do them because they are fun to do,” he says. “I love being able to put something back in. I stay in it because I can do it and because it is SL fun to do.”

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NEW RELEASE MORNING LIGHT - Triumph at Sea & Tragedy on Everest By Margaret Grifﬁths

In the spring of 1982, 68-year-old George Griffiths sailed solo from Britain to Barbados, where he was met by his two sons. The younger son, Mark, joined his father to sail home to Canada by way of the Panama Canal. Mark’s older brother, Blair, flew home to begin work as a CBC cameraman on the Canadian Mount Everest Expedition Team of 26 climbers. Six months later, Blair was dead, crushed by a six-storey wall of ice. In 1985, George Griffiths trekked with his grandson to Everest Base Camp, where Blair’s ashes were laid. In this place of awe and majesty among mountains and sky, father and adventurer found peace. Published 2008 by Rocky Mountain Books. 288 pages. Hardcover.

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by Patricia O’Connor

After training as a fashion model in Dublin Patricia O’Connor travelled Europe and the US, working for many top designers, then several years as a popular TV presenter, followed by a career as a stockbroker and real estate agent.182 pages.

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THE SPOILS OF ANGEL’S WAR By Dave Sheed

TO MOVE OR NOT TO MOVE?

A Helpful Residential Options Guide for Seniors

If you are a senior who has been wondering lately whether you should consider moving - then this is the book that can help you ask the right questions and ﬁnd the solution that is right for you. Published by Senior Living. 128 pages.

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REFLECTIONS, REJECTIONS AND OTHER BREAKFAST FOODS by Gipp Forster

A collection of Gipp Forster’s published columns in Senior Living magazine, with other unpublished writings thrown in for good measure.

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RED TOMATOES By Les MacNeill

In 2001, a brutal attack while sailing the South Paciﬁc, left Les MacNeill with 8 skull fractures, severe brain trauma, and a ruptured eye. Although not expected to live, he wrote this story of the trip, his recovery, and how he lives with his injuries. 100 pages. Price $14.95

EMBRACE THE JOURNEY - A Care Giver’s Story By Valerie Green

The very personal story of her own journey as a care giver to her elderly parents. Relevant for numerous adult children who are faced with a similar challenge. 96 pages.

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IDENTITY THEFT: In Your Good Name by George Greenwood

One in four Canadians has been directly affected or knows someone who has been a victim of identity theft. The best prevention is to be aware of the problem and how it is carried out. 173 pages. Price $26.95

THE SEARCH FOR JACQUELINE

By Patricia O’Connor

The search for the truth behind the reported death of the mother of top model Annie O’Hanlon. Annie receives an urgent call from journalist Dermot Moore who believes her mother Jacqueline is still alive.

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NUDE ON A FENCE by Eliza Hemingway

Fourteen short stories about people in compromising situations similar to being caught nude on a fence. Some are humorous, others poignant. 269 pages.

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The story unfolds in England at the beginning of WWII. Angela Gibson, affectionately known as Angel, ﬁnds out that it isn’t always the plans that we make for our life, sometimes it’s the plans that life makes for us that determines the course of our life. 144 pages.

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NATURE’S BOUNTY: Why certain foods are so good for you by Dr. Bala Naidoo

Reduce the risks of heart disease, cancer, type-2 diabetes and obesity by choosing your food carefully. 176 pages.

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NATURE’S BOUNTY: More about foods for a longer and healthier life by Dr. Bala Naidoo

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GIPP FORSTER’S COLLECTED RAMBLINGS by Gipp Forster

A collage of over 150 anecdotes and insightful ruminations on life’s experiences, ﬁrst aired on C-FAX radio, now provided in print format for your reading enjoyment. 188 pages.

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Purchase these items online at www.seniorlivingmag.com GST and Shipping Costs will apply. Please allow 2 weeks for delivery

APRIL 2009

THE GREATEST ONE MILE RACE

unning a mile in less than four minutes isn’t uncommon for today’s world-class track stars, but in the early 1950s, most track and ﬁeld experts were positive it was humanly impossible to run a mile in less than four minutes. Then, in 1954, not one, but two men separately broke the four-minute mile barrier. And a few months later, they would race against one another in Vancouver, British Columbia, in what was called by many, “The Mile of the Century.” Roger Bannister was the ﬁrst known human to run a mile in less than four minutes. He did it at Oxford, England on May 6, 1954. Although many people believe he broke the four-minute mile during a track meet, that isn’t so; it was a planned attempt at the record. During his quest for both the history and record books, two “rabbits,” Chris Brasher and Chris Chataway, carefully paced Bannister. When asked to explain what it took to set such a record, Bannister answered, “It’s the ability to take more out of yourself than you’ve got to give.” Little did he know that he would soon have to do it again. After Bannister ran a mile in 3:59.4 that day in May 1954, the experts were

certain it would be a long time, if ever, before someone bested Bannister’s time. They were wrong. Bannister was the fastest miler in the world for a scant 46 days. In the track and field world, the secret was out that John Landy was also flirting with breaking the four-minute barrier. On June 22, 1954, Landy set a new mile record during a race in Turku, Finland. Where Bannister had squeezed under the four-minute barrier by merely six-tenths of a second, Landy pulverized it by two full seconds. He beat Bannister’s time by one and fourtenths seconds – a huge amount in a sport where old records fall and new records set in times often separated by thousands of a second. Ironically, Chris Chataway, one of Bannister’s “rabbits,” was Landy’s competitor in the Turku race. Chataway nearly caught Landy on the last turn of the last lap of the race, but Landy heard him coming and, with a last bit of speed, managed to hold off Chataway’s challenge. Thus, Chataway inadvertently made history of his own: participating in the first two record-setting sub-fourminute mile runs – and finishing second both times. Bannister was in England when he got the news about Landy’s record run:

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

BY RICHARD BAUMAN

“I heard the announcement on the radio,” he said. “For a few minutes, I was stunned.” He had slowed his training schedule, but that quickly changed. He started training with new intensity since he and Landy would be racing one another in the Empire Games. Even those who took little interest in track and field competition were suddenly excited about the one-mile race at the Empire Games. As Bannister later said, “There had never been a race like this.” It was the first time two sub-four minute milers would compete head-tohead. Both men were in top condition, and each thought he could win. There were eight runners in the “Mile of the Century,” but there were really only two in the minds of spectators. By virtue of his record time in Turku, Landy was the odd on favourite of the experts. Both runners were at the peak of their training, and fans anticipated either Landy or Bannister setting a new record. Few imagined both men would make history at the finish line. When the starter’s gun sounded, Landy initially ran second and Bannister was right behind him. Less than halfway through the first lap, however,

Landy took the lead and Bannister ran in second place. Bannister’s pre-race strategy was simple: let Landy run in front and set the pace. Bannister thought that he could keep pace with Landy and then catch him near the end of the race. “I didn’t underestimate John Landy,” Bannister said later, “he was the greatest miler in the world. But if my mental approach was correct, I could beat him.” Bannister’s strategy worked well with Landy’s race plan, which was to run a fast pace, stay in front of Bannister and wear him down. Landy’s ﬁrst lap was 58.2 seconds, Bannister, on the other hand, was a full second slower. By the time they were midway through the second lap, Landy and Bannister had separated themselves from the rest of the runners. It was strictly a two-man race, just as everyone expected it would be. What wasn’t expected, at least by Bannister, was the pace Landy was setting. Bannister’s pre-race strategy was to let him set the pace, but Landy’s pace was quicker than Bannister could handle, and suddenly Bannister was 15 yards behind Landy. Bannister later said that he nearly “lost contact” with Landy, at that point. Bannister knew he had to make up those 45 feet during the next lap, or he had no chance of winning the race. He focused his attention and energy on closing the gap on Landy. “I quickened my stride and won back a yard, then each succeeding yard,” Bannister said of that effort. “And how I wished I’d never let him establish such a lead.” As the two runners started the last lap, the fans were on their feet and the roar of the crowd was deafening. Bannister had ﬁnally caught the Australian, but it didn’t last. On the back straight, Landy picked up the pace, and Bannister wondered not only how Landy could do that, but also if he was going to be able to catch Landy again. As they pounded into the last turn, Bannister was a short distance behind Landy. Then with an untapped reserve of energy, instinctive timing and a bit of luck, he slipped by Landy. The crowd was ecstatic. Because of the crowd noise, (“The most

enthusiastic crowd I’d ever see,” said Bannister) Landy couldn’t hear him coming. And just as Bannister made his surge to pass, Landy glanced over his left shoulder to see how close Bannister might be. “The very moment that he looked around, he was unprotected against me and so lost a valuable fraction of a second in his response to my challenge,” Bannister recalled. “In two strides, I was past him.” That moment of doubt by Landy, and the incredibly fortunate timing of Bannister made it impossible for Landy to make up those lost strides in the 70 yards to the finish line. Bannister broke the tape at the finish line with a time of 3:58.8. Landy trailed him by a few yards and finished in 3:59.6. Even though a new world’s record for the mile wasn’t set that day, track and field fans weren’t disappointed. Two other new records were created. It was the first time in history that two runners finished a one-mile race in less than four minutes. It was also the second

time each of them had ofﬁcially broken the four-minute mile barrier. Landy was over a second off his record mark, but Bannister improved his previous best by nearly a second. Most runners, who have set world records, especially when they are just 25 years old, continue to race and try to better their records. Not Bannister. At the end of 1954, he quit racing to pursue his medical studies. He ultimately became a neurologist, and director of the National Hospital for Nervous Diseases in England. In 1975, he was knighted. John Landy went on to a career in agricultural research and conservation. In 2001, he was appointed governor of the State of Victoria in Australia. The “Mile of the Century” was an incredible event and an amazing accomplishment for both Bannister and Landy. Each had run the mile in less than four minutes – twice. It was even more incredible when, less than three months earlier, experts believed the four-minute SL mile was impossible.

��

�� APRIL 2009

Mind GAMES

Crossword PUZZLE Across 1. Potato 5. Basic 10. Verge 14. Melody 15. Extreme 16. Heath 17. Female given name 18. Narrow openings 19. Spanish duke 20. Close at hand 22. Inﬂammation 23. Republic in E Africa 24. Provoke 28. Exclamation of contempt 30. Author’s insertion mark 34. High points 35. Long-continued practice 37. Make odorous 38. Republic on the E coast of Africa 39. Russian leaders

40. Fem. pronoun 42. Turn upside down 43. Understanding 44. Hire cars 47. Gardening tool 52. Trade 56. Pretended 57. Egg cell 58. Seaport in the Crimea 60. Fall short 61. Flat tableland with steep edges 62. Negatively charged ion 63. Enclosure 64. British WW2 machine gun 65. Storage center 66. Decays

Down 1. Stench 2. Rub through a strainer 3. Cause to lose one’s nerve

4. A special loved one 5. Actively engaged 6. Entirely 7. Holdup 8. Showily imitative of art 9. Lethal fever 10. Computer letter 11. Dunce 12. Desert in E Asia 13. Part of a tape recorder 21. Ceremonial immersion in water 25. Search 26. West Vermont town 27. Soils 28. Bundle 29. Against 30. Comb of a cock 31. Ax-like tool 32. Horse of mixed color 33. Sin 36. Plant juice 41. Deformed lip 45. Capital of Jordan 46. Wood nymph 48. Postpone 49. Bird droppings 50. Decree 51. Tumbles 53. Above 54. Think 55. Walking stick 56. Breathe hard 59. Also

ANSWERS

SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Photo: Jason van der Valk

ASK

Goldie

BY GOLDIE CARLOW, M.ED

Dear Goldie: I am the mother of four, grandmother of eight and greatgrandmother of two. I love my family dearly but somehow have assumed a role I can’t get out of - family babysitter. Please don’t misunderstand me, I love the children dearly and know I am very fortunate, but I need some time for me. Is there any way I can free myself and not upset the family? –N.D. Dear N.D.: You are fortunate to have a large family. However, you need time for your own enjoyment too. You didn’t say in your letter if you had tried to tell your family that you need time for yourself, but you obviously realize you could have difﬁculty getting your message through to them. In any case, you need to deal with this issue immediately. Lack of communication seems to be a stumbling block in most families and often creates problems. In large families, some counsellors observe that everybody talks but few hear what is said! Senior Peer Counsellors are available (contact info. below) and could help you plan how to approach your family to enlighten them about your needs. It is easy for seniors to give up their lives for family. Families are wonderful but everyone, at any age, needs a life. Many have given up personal liberty, enjoyment and entertainment for love of the family. This is time for you, too. Make the choice. Dear Goldie: I am a retired 72-year-old widower in good health. I live in a nice retirement home, which was chosen by my sons after my wife passed away two years ago. My problem is that my life seems to be over now, and I Senior Peer Counselling Centres (Lower Mainland) New Westminster 604-519-1064 North Vancouver 604-987-8138 Burnaby 604-291-2258 Richmond 604-279-7034 Vancouver West End 604-669-7339 Coquitlam – Tri-Cities 604-945-4480

Goldie Carlow is a retired registered nurse, clinical counsellor and senior peer counselling trainer. Send letters to Senior Living, Box 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria, BC V8T 2C1.

am too young for that. Everything here is arranged for me: meals, when to go to bed, when to get up. I’m not using my brain anymore. Entertainment and outings are arranged in my daily schedule and are great, as are the meals, but... You must think I’m an ungrateful complainer, but I simply must get my life back and be in charge while I am able. Can you help me? –P.O. Dear P.O.: I would never consider you a complainer. You need to be in charge of your own life again. Your sons likely had the best intentions when they placed you in the retirement home. The problem appears that you were not consulted in the planning. You are not alone in this situation. From your letter, I assume you have not talked to your sons about your problem. Do so as soon as possible. It sounds like their main concern was your well-being when they arranged your present situation, so they will probably support your decision to live independently. Your doctor can conﬁrm your state of health, if that is any worry to them. Families are usually concerned when one parent dies and leaves a lonely spouse. In the rush to make life easier for the remaining parent, some decisions are made too hastily. There are cases where the person was never consulted until all the arrangements were made and transition to a new “home” was complete. Relatives with good intentions usually do this! SL

Imagine condominium living in the heart of White Rock. Peace of mind, comfort and security, nutritious meals, weekly housekeeping and caring staff. Just some of the exciting features at the elegant Pacific Carlton.

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Call Call 604.531.1160 604.531.1160 15366 - 17th Avenue White Rock, BC V4A 1T9 www.PacificCarlton.com

Retirement Community

A member of the Unicare Group of Companies • White Rock • West Vancouver • Nanaimo • Kelowna • Edmonton

APRIL 2009

Reﬂections THEN & NOW

SAG EXPLOSION

ell, it’s finally happened! I looked in the mirror this morning and my reflection refused to look back. Talk about rude. There was some other guy in the place where my reflection should have been, making excuses as to why my reflection could no longer appear. This guy’s beard was white and his hair, what was left of it, was almost as white as the beard; it looked like shredded wheat in a snowstorm. And he had a paunch on him that would make Sydney Greenstreet look athletic. I wonder if this guy’s been hanging around for a while and I only noticed him this morning? No matter! He’s an embarrassment and I’ve decided not to give him satisfaction. I refuse, from here on in, to ever look in a mirror again (well, at least until next time). Let’s see how he handles that! But I am puzzled. Where did that svelte, debonair and dashing, lean future machine go? I’m sure he was there last time I looked. I mean, really looked. And now, this jerk in the glass is telling me I can no longer see my reflection

and my reflection can no longer see me. It sounds like when I was young and a father was telling me I could no longer see his daughter. What nerve! My wife insists the rotund guy with the beard is me, but if I should be right, and that athletic figure of a man I insist is my reflection is actually hiding in there, she says she can live with that. That sounds good, but somehow it just doesn’t sound right! That little gleam in her eye disturbs me. I remember a friend of mine some time ago telling me of a similar situation he went through with reflections. He was his usual Joe Atlas-type self enjoying the admiring ladies’ glances of as they passed by. He said he could hear their giggles and he watched the way they hid their smiles behind their hands. He felt good that day with his shirt unbuttoned down to his navel and four gold chains around his neck, just like the young guys at the time. He supposed the ladies just couldn’t help themselves when they saw a 70-year-old man with the build of a 20 year old! He glanced into a department store window and was shocked at his reflec-

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SENIOR LIVING VANCOUVER & LOWER MAINLAND

Photo: Krystle Wiseman

BY GIPP FORSTER

tion. He stopped dead in his tracks. Some old fuddy duddy was blocking out his true reflection, the real him. He said he rushed home, tore off his shirt and headed for the full-length mirror. Two words described that moment: “sag explosion.” I mean, I could have told him that! But I was his friend. I don’t think up until then he could have handled the truth. He probably wanted to be like me or at least look like me! Poor guy. We can’t all be winners. But now, and I can hardly believe it, the same has happened to me. This elderly, out of shape, sag explosion individual is standing in my mirror blocking my reflection. An impersonator, a culprit, a thief who has stolen and probably imprisoned the real me and is trying to push himself forward, ahead of my real reflection. There outta be a law! I should be able to call the police and say: “Get over here immediately! Someone has kidnapped my reflection and left a sag explosion in its place.” But, unfortunately, there is no such law. So, I am left shouting at my bathroom mirror and threatening violence unless my reflection is returned. My wife just yelled through the bathroom door that she is going shopping and will be back, in three or four weeks. Sag explosion, indeed! It’s theft I tell you! SL

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NEW

JANUARY 2009 VANCOUVER ISLAND

Housing Guide for Seniors Up-to-date listings of senior housing facilities throughout Vancouver Island, including Independent/Supportive Living, Assisted Living and Complex Care. This guide is an indispensable resource to:

• seniors looking for alternative housing • seniors moving to Vancouver Island from other parts of BC or out of province • children of seniors who are assisting their parent to select a housing option • professionals who work with seniors or their families • businesses that provide services to seniors

Peace of mind, comfort and security are just part of daily life at Sunnyside Manor – your private apartment, nutritious meals, weekly housekeeping and caring staff available 24 hours a day.

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Listings include addresses and contact information, housing costs, number of units in the housing complex, hospitality services, optional home care services, amenities and security features.

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TO ORDER a copy...

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Please mail a cheque for $5.25 ($5 plus GST), along with your name, phone number and address, to Senior Living, 153, 1581-H Hillside Ave., Victoria BC V8T 2C1. We will mail you a copy of this resourceful housing guide upon receipt of payment.

Call 604.531.7470

Retirement Community A member of the Unicare Group of Companies • White Rock • West Vancouver • Nanaimo • Kelowna • Edmonton

Read my article on the Senior Living website at www.seniorlivingmag.com