INCLUDED IN THIS ISSUE
ISLAND created by local Island women
gals
SHARING INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION, HUMOUR AND INFORMATION
BETH B ETH C COUGLER OUGLER B BLOM LOM discover
COLLEEN C OLLEEN MATTHEWS MATTHEWS support
DONNA D ONNA LYNCH LYNCH adventure
GRACE G RACE COCKBURN COCKBURN passion
CELEBRATING THE WOMEN OF VANCOUVER ISLAND AND GULF ISLANDS Volume I Issue 4
In This Issue Publisher’s Note
It’s that time of year again.
Cover Ar st
Terrill Welch shares a time to reflect.
Joy is a Gi Available to Us All Emily Madill recognizes her joy.
Ukulapha Community Outreach
Carolyn Burns shares the women along her way.
Imagine
Gail Watson shares her memories of South Africa.
Musings
Joyce Bezusko honours her girlfriends.
Boomer’s Legacy
Maureen Eykelenboom shares a mission.
Making a Difference
Gifty Serbeh-Dunn and simple solutions.
The Gi of Learning
Ulla Jacobs and the shift of ages.
Every Mother Fights For Her Child
Colleen Matthews is one mom on the move.
Resident People Tweaker
Ally Rees takes her turn to listen.
Women in Wine
Deborah Wickins shares wine, travel and taste.
My Island
Donna Lynch knows there’s no place like home.
Toni’s Treasures
Toni Graeme shares the positives of cynicism.
Life Can Change ...
Janice Hayward’s letter of love.
An Ounce of Preven on
Vernice Shostal and using your Rock Solid WITS.
What is Motherhood all About
Beth Cougler Blom shares a mom’s perspective.
COVER
3 4 5 6 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21
Look for our next issue in March 2012!
Advertise
Japanese Garden Dressed in Winter
by Terrill Welch Do you have a favourite island photo you’d like to share? Send it to: stories@islandgals.ca and your photo may be on the next cover.
Careful What You Plan
Elaine Lakeman shares adventures of her lifetime.
Kiki and Peaches Get your Zumba on!
It All Makes Eco-Sense
Ann Baird makes her case for living local.
Cancer and Beyond
Terry Dance-Bennink and her time on this planet.
Garden Party
Grace Cockburn gets our green thumbs ready.
Betrayal
Kate Larsen and how she kept afloat.
Big Girls Play, Too!
Linda Irvine and girly play.
Highlands Gal
Pattie Whitehouse wants you to start now!
Spotlight
Volunteer extraordinaire.
A View of Our Islands
Readers share their snapshots.
Resident Techie
Lin Taylor shares holiday gratitude.
Denman Island Gal
Sally Rae Dyck appetizes the New Year!
ISLAND created by local island women
gals
SHARING INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION, HUMOUR AND INFORMATION
info@islandgals.ca
Volume I Issue 4 Copyright © 2011 Island Gals No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher. Island Gals does not endorse or represent any of the products or services in this publication. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher. Island Gals is published four times a year. Printed in Victoria, B.C., Canada by Island Blue Print Company All inquiries may be made to: info@islandgals.ca
or call us at 250-217-2388
Publisher: Johanna Socha Editor: Pattie Whitehouse
advertise@islandgals.ca
Subscribe
subscribe@islandgals.ca
Back Issues
CELEBRATING THE WOMEN OF VANCOUVER ISLAND AND GULF ISLANDS 2
22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 31 33 34
ISLANDgals.ca
IT’S THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN...
Publisher’s Note
by Johanna Socha
…and before you know it, we all look back and sigh, and wonder out loud, “Where has the year gone?” Funny how we never think, “How has the year gone?” Or take a minute and reflect on “Who has been there for me this past year?”
O
ne year ago around this time, I was walking through a craft fair in Sidney on a mission to find more homemade red pepper jelly, but also with the idea of this magazine floating around in my mind.
R
eally makes me wonder: if we took the time — and that time is so little and painless, and actually quite effortless — to connect with someone, what results could we create for that stranger as well as ourselves? Maybe that someone just happens to need a little connecting at that particular time in their life. Or maybe, unknowingly, we’re the ones who need the connecting.
I met Joyce Bezusko, although that day I didn’t even know her name, just that her table was filled with her beautiful handmade jewellery.
I’ve learned this past year that connecting is powerful, and sometimes it can make a difference we’ll never be aware of.
And I did something I never usually do. I struck up a conversation with a stranger, in the middle of a busy craft fair, and mentioned my idea to her. A few weeks later, at Joyce’s invitation, I was sitting in her living room in Parksville, talking about my idea, our lives, relating and connecting. And a few months after that, Joyce was part of the first issue of Island Gals magazine, along with so many other women I shared coffee with, or in whose living rooms I sat. One year ago they were strangers. And today they are my friends and my inspiration, women I admire and aspire to learn more from, to share and connect with. Today, a year later, I walked through that same craft fair and saw Joyce, now my friend. And I can proudly say that I can share similar stories of connecting with every woman in every issue of Island Gals. In one year, these former strangers have also connected me with other wonderful women I have added to my list of inspirations. They all have absolutely no idea of how important they have been to me, how their emails, phone calls and coffee chats have encouraged me to just plain try.
A phrase I often used to encourage my son when he was younger was: “You never know what’s around the corner.” I said that phrase to him to encourage him to try new things, take a chance and not fear what’s around the corner; but I seldom put it into practice for myself, until this past year. (But I will always draw the line at bungee jumping.) And so my dear Island Gals friends who were once strangers to me, thank you for being around that corner. And to the gals who are still strangers? I look forward to a year of new connecting, and sharing you with our readers. Ellen DeGeneres is a comedian I admire for the simple reason that she just seems like a nice person, and she’s pretty darn funny. She ends every show with the simple words: “Be kind to one another.” I think I’m going to put that one on my New Year’s resolution list, maybe a few notches above my yearly “Lose 15 lbs.” The latter always seems to elude me.
And they’ll probably never really know the impact that their words, thoughts and willingness to share have had on me. It has made me realize, moreso this past year than in my entire 47 previous, that it really isn’t that difficult to connect. And the results can be astounding, as they have been for me.
Island Gals would love to hear from you! Write to us with your comments at: publisher@islandgals.ca
ISLANDgals.ca
3
Joy is a Giſt Available to Us All
by Emily Madill
“Joy is what happens to us when we allow ourselves to recog ize how good things really are.” Marianne Williamson
Even though it may sound a little strange or quirky, I really do believe I write my own stories in life. Sure, there is some kind of power beyond the realm of understanding I’m operating under, and there are countless things in life I have absolutely no control over — I am OK with all of that. I am just saying I wake up each morning as the author and creator of my life, and I like it. I may have little say in the overall happenings of the world, but I do have all the say in how I choose to react to the things presented to me on a daily basis.
U
nder this belief system, I get to decide on the level of joy in my life. Sounds pretty basic and easy to attain, and that’s because it is. Yet however irrational it may seem, there are still times when the story I create for myself is the very thing preventing me from experiencing the limitless joy I have available to me. What was once a straightforward feeling suddenly becomes a way of being that doesn’t even register on the radar. The cloud of doom and gloom can be powerful and all-encompassing. The stories and reasons I create for being caught under the cloud always seem so justified. Unfortunately, the only person suffering from the convincing, dismal story is the person creating it. So how do I get out of it once I am stuck in it? Well, this is the best part; as the artist of my life, I know better than anyone what makes me feel happy and brings me joy. The world is beautiful and complex; there are many ways to help me recognize how good life really is. The criteria are different for everyone. How I create my joy is unique to me.
W
hat I mean is that we are all on a solo journey. No matter how interconnected and bonded we may feel with others, nobody really knows our every waking thought and feeling as well as we know ourselves. We can try to explain our story as we see it to others, but it seems silly to expect another person with completely different experiences, thoughts and feelings to grasp exactly what we are saying and meaning. There is often a general understanding that we share with others, but everyone is on their own path and journey.
Emily lives in Nanaimo, B.C. with her husband and two sons. She has a degree in business and psychology, and intends to complete her degree in education in the future. Emily believes in the importance of teaching children accountability and self-empowerment from a young age, and loves to inspire and teach children through writing. Being a mother is her greatest source of joy and creativity. www.emilymadill.com good, great! If they don’t, then I must find my joy — it’s there for everyone to experience, as much and as often as we want to experience it. To me, feeling happy and at peace is the best gift life has to offer. I find my peace and joy by taking the time to enjoy my boys, be with friends and family and reflect on all I am grateful for. Happy Holidays; I hope everyone spends them in their joy.
“The more light you allow within you, the brighter the world you live in will be.”
So what brings one person joy is unique to their story and journey. The joy must be created by the storyteller and not something we rely on others to provide us with.
Shakti Gawain
This brings me back to my original statement that I write my own stories in life. I react to my own experiences in life. These reactions will either feel good or they will not feel good. If they feel
ISLANDgals.ca
5
It all makes
Visit the Highlands Sustainability Page: www.highlands.bc.ca/sustainability Transition Towns on the Islands: Victoria, Sooke, Salt Spring Island, Cowichan, Comox Valley.
by Ann Baird Ann and her family walk the talk of sustainable living in their multi-generational home, Eco-Sense. Their motto is: Less life stuff … More life style! The Bairds offer tours of their home and provide consulting and educational services in sustainable building. Find out more at www.eco-sense.ca, or email Ann at ann@eco-sense.ca
Last issue, I explored one of the reasons why our family built a sustainable home; we simply wished to live in a home that didn’t expose our bodies to the toxic chemicals present in so many building products. From this came the realization that many other everyday products, from laundry soap to shampoo, also contain toxic materials that contribute to the chemical soup in our bodies. Well, there’s another reason why we built an eco-home. We wished to share with our community and the world that it was possible to build a carbon-neutral home and power it with sustainable energy from the sun while living a rich and rewarding conservation lifestyle. The science was clear when we started planning our home seven years ago; human beings were causing the world’s climate to heat up due to the burning of fossil fuels. The same science that brings us all of our technology and modern medicine also predicted that we needed to dramatically reduce our greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide emissions) to avoid catastrophic climate change in our grandchildren’s generation. Well, it turns out the science was wrong …very wrong. According to the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) and the pro-oil, conservative IEA (International Energy Agency), the latest science predicts we only have five years to stop investing in any oil-based technologies. Warnings issued in IEA’s annual report imply that this might be the last century for human life on Earth. These stark warnings come from the highest and most credible levels of science possible. Seriously — I’m not kidding!
Warnings don’t get any more ominous than that, and the consequences locally and globally are unthinkable. It looks like global temperatures may rise past what is called the “tipping point” and spiral into runaway global warming. So what does this mean in our lifetimes? • Rising temperatures and sea levels • Changing weather patterns (more severe and frequent droughts, storms, floods) • Climate refuges (most of the human population lives at sea level) • Water shortages, crop failures (famines) • Mass extinction • Economic collapse … oh, and did I mention war, as we all point fingers at each other and fight over dwindling resources? We have five years to reinvent our entire civilization or else face these escalating consequences, all of which are already starting. So this brings us to the good news … an amazing opportunity to design a better world. Here is what I am doing locally: • Community involvement (municipal sustainability plans — ask at your municipal office) • Community groups like Transition Towns • Learning to grow food (or support local food markets) • Learning basic skills like food preservation, fixing things, making things, woodworking, shelter building, etc. • Live local! Support the creation of a local economy. (I read local magazines like Island Gals, buy local, invest local, drink local wine, trade with neighbours, vacation locally.) The global situation is dire, with last year’s greenhouse gas emissions rising to the highest levels yet. That stress alone can mess up my hormones. But this really comes back to what I wrote about in my first Island Gals article: “I believe that it is our role and responsibility as women to become fully engaged in the creative design possibilities for this challenging time ahead. Whatever our individual gifts are, we need to apply the female perspective to co-create an equitable and ecologically sustainable future for all.” “Hope” is a verb, and it looks like a bunch of women with their sleeves rolled up getting to work on making our local and global communities better. OK, the men can help too. Find helpful links and more at www.eco-sense.ca
ISLANDgals.ca
25
For the Love of Food by Sally Rae Dyck
New Year’s Grazing Ring in 2012 with a feast of gourmet appetizers and canapés, offering tiny mouthfuls of tempting food made from a variety of cheeses, meat, fish, eggs or vegetables. Almost everyone has a repertoire of beloved fare that they proudly offer when people come visiting. Part of the fun is finding new and exciting delicacies to dazzle friends and visitors. Gourmet ingredients do not always mean preparation is difficult. Recipes range from quite simple, to time consuming and more challenging. Grazing on a luscious assortment of finger foods provides a casual affair that is perfect for building the buzz up to midnight.
LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN WINGS
Yield: about 40 pieces
This recipe is a bit time consuming, but for special occasions in my household it is always the first request! It can be made a day before the party and reheated to serve. 4 lb. chicken wing drumettes* 3 eggs, beaten 1½ cups unbleached all purpose flour 1 tsp. granulated garlic
2 tsp. lemon pepper 2 tsp. sea salt 2 Tbsp. light soy sauce Zest of 3 large lemons,about 2½ Tbsp.
►Beat eggs in a medium sized bowl and set aside. In a second bowl, mix flour, granulated garlic, lemon pepper and salt. ►In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, lemon zest and juice, sugar and fresh minced garlic; set aside. ►In a large fry pan melt ¼ cup of the butter and add 1–2 Tbsp. oil. ►Dip each piece of chicken in egg; allow the excess to drip off then coat in seasoned flour. ►Fry floured wings over medium-high heat in butter & oil mixture. ►Turn chicken to brown on all sides, adjust the temperature as needed. ►Spray a 12x16-inch shallow roaster with non-stick cooking spray. ►When drumettes are browned, transfer in a single layer to the roaster. Continue to egg, flour and brown all chicken pieces.
34
Juice of 3 large lemons, about 2/3 cup 1¼ cup granulated sugar 4–5 cloves garlic, minced ¾ cup butter ¼ cup vegetable oil
►Add more butter and oil to the fry pan as needed and adjust the temperature if required. Stir lemon, sugar and fresh garlic mixture and spoon over all the wings. ►Bake in a preheated 350˚F oven for at least 1 hour or until the chicken is cooked through and the sauce is caramelized. ►Turn wings every 20 minutes using a spatula; this prevents burning and assures each wing is coated with the caramelized lemon garlic sauce. If the glaze begins to burn, turn oven to 300˚F for the final 20 minutes. Serve hot or cold. *NOTE: If you cannot find drumettes, use whole chicken wings. You will need about ½–¾ pound more in weight when buying whole wings. Cut them at each joint, discard the wing tip (or use for soup stock) and trim any excess fat or skin.
ISLANDgals.ca
ONION MARMALADE
ONION MARMALADE MINI PIZZAS Yield: 12 pizzas
This marmalade can be made up to a week in advance and store covered in the fridge.
I have been making this easy recipe for at least 15 years. It is a winner!
½ cup butter 4 pounds yellow onions, sliced ¾ cup dry red wine 1½ tsp. balsamic vinegar ¾ tsp. brown sugar 1 /8 tsp. salt
12 hors d’œuvre size pita breads ½ cup Onion Marmalade, divided (recipe at right) 12 sundried tomatoes, packed in oil, divided ¾ cup grated cheese (mozzarella or cheddar), divided 3 tsp. grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, divided ►For each mini pizza, spread top of 1 pita bread with 2 tsp. onion marmalade. Cut 1 sundried tomato into thin strips and place on top of the onion marmalade. Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon grated mozzarella and ¼ teaspoon Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. ►Place pizzas on baking sheet. Bake at 400˚F until cheese melts and pita is hot, about 5 minutes.
SMOKED SALMON MOUSSE
Yield: about 2 cups
►In a large heavy pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté for 30 to 45 minutes or until light golden. ►Reduce heat to low, cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for at least 4 hours or until onions have reduced to about 2 cups. ►Add wine and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes. Stir in vinegar, sugar and salt. Remove from heat and let cool. Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 week. Remove hardened fat from top of marmalade.
Yield: 10–12 servings
This mousse is perfect for a crowd served in a large mould. I have also made them in individual moulds for a light lunch or grazing dinner party. It is best made the day before serving. 1 envelope unflavored gelatin ¼ tsp. paprika ¼ cup cold water ½ tsp. sea salt ½ cup boiling water 2½ Tbsp. finely minced fresh baby dill weed ½ cup mayonnaise ¾ cup finely chopped smoked salmon 1 Tbsp. fresh squeezed lemon juice 1¼ cup flaked poached salmon (or canned salmon) 1 Tbsp. finely minced shallots 1 cup whipping cream, whip until thickened to fluffy peaks 2 tsp. capers, finely minced Watercress, sliced cucumbers, dill weed, lemon wedges or Dash of cayenne pepper slices for garnish ►Pour cold water into a large mixing bowl and sprinkle gelatin over top to soften. Stir in the boiling water and whisk until gelatin has dissolved. Cool to room temperature. ►Stir in mayonnaise, lemon juice, shallots, capers, cayenne, paprika, salt and dill weed. Blend completely, then refrigerate until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, about 10–20 minutes. ►Mix in smoked and poached salmon, and then gently fold in whipped cream. Pour mixture into a 4–6 cup mould or divide into 10–12 individual moulds. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight. ►To unmould, dampen a serving platter slightly. Quickly dip the bottom of each mould into warm water. While holding mousse over the serving platter (or the palm of your hand for individual servings), give the side of the mould a quick tap; the mousse should fall onto the platter (or into your hand). ►Place on dampened serving platter and centre to position. Garnish with watercress, sliced cucumbers, dill weed and lemon wedges or slices. Serve with Melba toast or crackers.
BLUE CHEESE LOGS
Yield: 2 small logs
4 oz. cream cheese, softened ¾ cup crumbled blue Stilton cheese (3 oz.) 1 tsp. Dijon style mustard ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper ¼ cup sunflower seeds ¼ cup chopped walnuts ►Combine cream cheese, Stilton, mustard and cayenne pepper until mixed evenly. ►Divide mixture in half; mould each half in a cylinder shape. ►Roll one in sunflower seeds and the other in walnuts. ►Refrigerate until firm, store in the fridge. ►Use within 10 days.
For more information about Sally Rae, and where you can purch ase her cookbook, For the Love of Food, please visit: www.gourmetbysallyrae.com ISLANDgals.ca
35
ISLAND created by local Island women
gals
SHARING INSPIRATION, MOTIVATION, HUMOUR AND INFORMATION
Visit us at www.islandgals.ca to see more of Island Gals magazine and subscribe!
CELEBRATING AND CONNECTING THE WOMEN OF VANCOUVER ISLAND AND BEYOND