Vol. 11, Issue 139
“Dedicated to Excellence�
October 2011
Templeton Stroke Recovery with our Australian friends (Charles & Lina Brincat)
Charles Brincat Photos
Chair Hockey
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RECIPE: Bean & Corn Chowder Ingredients:
Stroke Survivors B.L.A.S.T. “Building Life After Stroke Together”
2 tbsp ........... Olive oil 2 .................. Carrots, medium and chopped 1 .................. Onion, medium and chopped 1 clove ......... Garlic, minced 4 tsp ............. All-purpose flour 2-1/2 cups .... Skim milk 1-1/2 tsp ...... Chili powder 1 tsp ............. Worcestershire sauce 1/2 tsp ......... Salt (optional) 14 oz ............ Kidney beans, drained 12 oz ............ Whole kernel corn, drained 2 tsp ............. Parsley flakes, dried Directions: 1.In a large saucepan, over medium heat, sauté carrots, onion and garlic for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour. Add milk, chili powder, Worcestershire sauce, and salt (optional). 2.Bring to a boil, stirring often. Stir in kidney beans, corn, and parsley flakes. 3.Simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 10 minutes. Buying a TURKEY When you’re buying turkey, consider that 40 per cent of the weight of a frozen bone-in bird is actually edible meat. The rest is lost to shrinkage, bones, and thawing. Use the carcass in soup and you’ll get more for your dollar.
Good Friday to Easter Monday April 6th - 9th, 2012 www.TurtleTalk.ca $25 Early Bird Discount, $50 Deposit. R.S.V.P. before November 30th, 2011. Camp fees will be less than $250. Christmas Gift Certificates available now. Ask your loved ones to give the gift of BLISS (Better Life In Stroke Survival) For more information: Go to TurtleTalk.ca 604-943-3206 Days 604-253-2390 Evenings
ENCOURAGEMENTS Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write. All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don’t worry, they can’t last long either. A blind person asked St. Anthony: “Can there be anything worse than losing your eye sight?” He replied: “Yes, losing your vision!” —submitted by Loy Lai Templeton Stroke Recovery
www.templetonstrokerecovery.com
Templeton Newsletter Mailing Address: 204– 2929 Nootka Street, Vancouver, BC V5M 4K4 Canada Published every month, if possible. Contributions are always welcome. The articles should be in, not later than day 25th of every month. Disclaimer: The views expressed in Stroke Recoverer’s Review newsletter: articles, submissions and spotlights are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of Templeton Stroke Recovery or the editor of Stroke Recoverer’s Review. Editor reserves the right at any time to make changes as it deems necessary. It is the purpose of this periodical to share a variety of viewpoints mostly from stroke survivors. October 2011 Contributors: Charles Brincat Loy Lai Deb Chow Ollie Stogrin Werner Stephan Carol Roycroft Jose Suganob Production of SRR: Jose Suganob Email: suganobj@gmail.com Printing Pick-up Person: Ollie Stogrin
“There’s life after stroke” Inside this issue: Recipe Encouragements by Loy
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Stroke Survivors B.L.A.S.T. April 6-9, 2012
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Last Month’s Happening by Ollie
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Jose’s Notes HandyDART
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The ‘Good Old Days’ by Werner
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LAST MONTH’S HAPPENING by Ollie Stogrin Here we are again, it’s almost November. It just seemed we were closed for summer vacation and it is almost Xmas again I don’t know if time vanishes for everyone, as it does for me? Or is it just my age? We, at Templeton, are busy every week. Last week, we went bowling at Commercial Lanes. Everyone had fun! Some of our members had never bowled? Yet, they thought it was a great way to get exercise and have a fun time together, too bad that its quite expensive to bowl weekly. What we do as a group, is have a ‘dinner nite,’ (one time a month as a group). It seems our members like being together, whether it’s bowling, bus trips, dinner nites, picnics, our Xmas dinner! Whoppee! Which is coming December 3rd. We manage to be more than just a ‘stroke group.’ We like being together. Maybe because we are a smaller group and get to interact with each other? And another reason, we have Key, which always is there to deal with HandyDART for these get-togethers. She is the one who arranges the rides; she is the one who calls to remind our members that the HandyDART will be there to pick them up at a certain time for dinner or any outing. It takes a lot of phone calls to keep track of 25 people, if they are coming or not coming. I just hope that our members knows lucky we are to have someone like our Key.
Speaking of members, so many are so capable: Jeanie, who does our exercise, serves our members coffee and even cooks lunch a couple times a year; which she did 2 weeks ago, for our members. Also our Loy, she, also, does lunch a couple times a year. We are lucky to have the nice change for lunch. Jose and the newsletter! All 39 groups knows him. He gets the news out. He can also sing like a bird. Is known for his paintings, too. Constantino, an early bird, always is there to get the coffee out and put tables away at the end of the day’s program. Nancy cleans up the table clothes and has them put away. Katelyn, our volunteer, who does blood pressure when member George isn’t there. Debbie, who totally put together “BLAST” with volunteers and made it a success. Dianne, who comes all the way from Richmond with the goodies. Athena, who loves to take to order from the lunch menu and calls Bingo but hates to exercise. So many of our members are so helpful, which a therapy for them and help for us! JoAnn, our former volunteer (which still volunteers at Xmas dinner) has donated napkins for our Xmas dinner. “There’s life after stroke” www.templetonstrokerecovery.com
She said, ‘I wanted’ red napkins every year! Thank you, JoAnne, so very nice of you. Again, a big thanks for the stories that are contributed by other members from the other groups to the newsletter. Hope we will see some of you at our Xmas Dinner , Saturday, December 03, 2011. DOORS OPEN at 5:30pm. Dinner at 6pm. Let’s hope it’s a nice clear December night. See you all next month! —Ollie Stogrin Templeton Stroke Recovery
Templeton Stroke Recovery Invites YOU!!!
Christmas Dinner 2011 When: Saturday, December 3, 2011 Door Open: 5:30pm Dinner at 6pm Where: Lion‟s Den, 770 Commercial Drive, Vancouver, BC “Turkey dinner with all the trimmings” Raffle galore, Door prizes, of course, „THE ENTERTAINMENT‟ Please bring friends and family for an evening of fun and friendship! Members $10 each—Guests $12 each RSVP: Please reply not later than Nov. 26, 2011 For More Information: Ollie-604-434-3609 Key-604-434-6513 Page 3
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JOSE’s NOTES:
HandyDART
‘A Night of Wine and Art ‘ last October 19, 2009 –5pm ‘Templo’ to 8pm was a success! Aha members and volunteers had the Room 103 of Shadbolt Center for the Art opened for the Aha Art Show right on time, 5pm.
Templeton Stroke Recovery member, George T. and wife, Yoko, with volunteer Margaret G. were there to view astonishing works of art. George’s daughter and her husband also came.
INCLEMENT WEATHER: HandyDART will reduce the level of service delivery to ‘Essential Service Only’ in all cases where passenger safety could be compromised by anticipated severe weather conditions. When HandyDART determines that their services will be Essential Service Only, the automated phone calls will begin immediately for all passengers who have a booked ride for that particular day. All booked rides will be automatically cancelled when Essential Service Only levels are invoked for a particular day, (with the exception of those for renal dialysis or cancer treatment).
Margaret Hansen came to see the art show and Burnaby Stroke Recovery member, Lorraine, who came to bid in the silent auction, too.
Essential Service Only means that HandyDART will only provide transportation for thos e at tending appointments for renal dialysis or
Crowd of people met the Aha members. Unique art works were displayed and, some were sold.
Aha President Christine Limmer and fundraiser, Kate Evans had a group of volunteers, who took care of almost everything; from food, door prizes, art sales, etc. They had their well heeled friends show at the art show to bid at the silent auctions. —Jose Suganob
This information is also available by listening to CKNW 98.0 am radio.
OOPS! jokeonly Next time you use a pair of rubber gloves, you’re going to smile when you think of this. A dentist noticed that his next patient, a little old lady, was nervous, so he decided to tell her a little joke as he put on his gloves. “Do you know how they make these gloves?” he asked. “No, I don’t,” she replied. “Well,” he spoofed, “there’s a building in Canada with a big tank of latex, and workers of all hand sizes walk up to the tank, dip in their hands, let them dry, then peel off the gloves and throw them “There’s life after stroke”
Amazing Laughter
cancer treatment. In the event of anticipated severe weather conditions, passengers can determine if HandyDART is operating at Essential Service Only by calling 604-575-6600. A recorded message will indicate if service for that particular day is being provided for Essential Service Only.
www.templetonstrokerecovery.com
into boxes of the right size.” She didn’t crack a smile. “Oh, well. I tried,” he thought. But five minutes later, during a delicate portion of the procedure, she burst out laughing. “What’s so funny?” he asked. “I was just envisioning how condoms are made!” (Gotta watch those little old ladies! Their minds are always working!) Be afraid of old ladies! Be very afraid! They have been there and done everything!
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THE ‘GOOD OLD DAYS’ (Werner Stephan, NSSRC - West Vancouver Group) I jus t watched an epis ode of ‘Britain Above.’ It reminded me among other things that the British roads were mostly designed more than 100 years ago. Some are even based on Roman designs. And, these roads are supposed to cope with today’s traffic chaos? Here in Vancouver, most major roads were designed and built about 50 years ago for a much smaller population. The ‘good old days’? Remember the ‘good old days,’ we often hear from seniors, when one could buy at Woodward’s a ‘super deluxe’ sandwich for 40 cents and wash it down with a king size Coke for a dime? Of course, with wage increases that these prices totally without meaning by comparison. Just the other day, I read in the local paper (North Shore News, Sept. 09, 2011) that a local driver had been stopped by the RCMP for having 2 dead bears strapped to the roof of his car. For a moment, I thought that the ‘good old days’ had returned and that the police wanted to congratulate him on being a successful hunter; like in the ‘60s. Dream on!!! They wanted to give him a ticket and investigate him for having in his possession wildlife without a proper permit. It made me realize that the ‘good old days’ have gone for good. The ‘good old days’ were they really that good? One has to consider: that there was a difference in the lifestyle of the rich and privileged, and the poor and desperate segments of society.
In 1842, Mass achus etts was considered progressive for passing a law which limited the allowable daily working hours for children under 12 year old to 10 hours. (Child labor was finally outlawed in the US in 1904). During the depression, one in five workers were unemployed. If one worked in a company town, one was paid in company s cript, redeemable only in company stores at inflated prices. One’s debt never decreased. Charles Dickens and Friedrich Engels described the condition of the working class perfectly. I don’t want to elaborate on it; the Internet is full of examples. By comparison, it makes living today seem like living in paradise. Living in Africa, for example, is a different matter. Hopefully, in 20 or 30 years, people will wonder how we got by. Would you want to live without health care, unemployment insurance, cell phones, the Internet, air travel, imported food, plastics, credit cards, electronics, TV, among many other conveniences? If you are a homemaker, would you want to do without a washing machine, a clothes dryer, a dishwasher; a microwave oven? Think of all the extra work. See, modern living has it’s advantages! It seems that the ‘Good Old Days’ are a cliché in popular culture, promoted by the media, perhaps based on the theory, that less is more. Some writers rants about how today’s “There’s life after stroke” www.templetonstrokerecovery.com
world is going to hell. I began thinking about the huge changes we seniors have seen in our lifetime. Our grand-parents might have had to cope with fewer changes, but I like modern living. Learning new things keeps one young. But like the song says: Would you want to live forever? —by Werner Stephan, North Shore Stroke Recovery Center West Vancouver Group
“The secret of success is to be like a duck—smooth and unruffled on top, but paddling furiously underneath”
THE NEW DENTURES A Pastor goes to the dentist for a set of false teeth. The first Sunday after he gets his new teeth, he talks for only eight minutes. The second Sunday, he talks for only ten minutes. The following Sunday, he talks for 2 hours and 48 minutes. The congregation had to mob him to get him down from the pulpit and they asked him what happened. The Pastor explains the first Sunday, his gums hurt so bad he couldn’t talk for more than 8 minutes. The second Sunday, his gums hurt too much to talk for more than 10 minutes. But, the third Sunday, he put his wife’s teeth in by mistake and he couldn’t shut up. - jokeonly —Submitted by Carol Roycroft Burnaby Stroke Recovery
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