Kamloops Connector June 2020

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Happy Seniors week - June 1-8 VOL. 29, NO. 2, JUNE 2020 POWERED BY KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK | A PROUD PART OF ABERDEEN PUBLISHING

Read about a grassroots agricultural revolution Page 3

Visit the BC Wildlife Park — virtually Page 4

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HELPING HANDS On May 21, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 52 Kamloops and 886 Wing (Overlander) RCAF Association held a tribute ceremony to honour Capt. Jennifer Casey, the Snowbirds public affairs officer who died when the jet she was in crashed on May 17 after taking off from Kamloops Airport.The ceremony also offered support for pilot Capt. Richard MacDougall, who was injured in the incident, and for the Canadian Forces Snowbirds. This collage of hands being joined was shot by Kamloops This Week photographer Dave Eagles.

To read more about the ceremony, and to view more photos, visit the Connector website at connectornews.ca.

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The time is now for the brown revolution:

How soil health can heal our food system from the ground up

A

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our Seniors

3255 Overlander Drive Kamloops, BC 250.579.9061 thehamletsatwestsyde.com

– Recipe courtesy of The Chunky Chef –

Crockpot Shredded Beef INGREDIENTS • 2 - 3 Tbsp packed light brown sugar • 2 1/2 tsp paprika • 2 tsp garlic powder • 2 tsp onion powder • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt • 1 tsp black pepper

• 4 lb beef chuck roast • 2 Tbsp yellow mustard • 2/3 cup beef broth • 1 tsp liquid smoke (optional) • 3 - 4 Tbsp unsalted butter (sliced)

DIRECTIONS

1. Combine brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Set aside. Add chuck roast to slow cooker, drizzle with mustard and rub into the meat.

2. Sprinkle with half of the rub. Rub into the meat, flip the roast over and rub the remaining rub into the meat. Pour in beef broth and liquid smoke (if using), being careful to pour it around the roast, not over it. You don’t want to wash away that rub and mustard! Top with butter slices.

Cover and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours or until roast is fork tender.

3. Remove roast from slow cooker to a large cutting board and shred, discarding large fat pieces. Drain cooking juices from the slow cooker and return shredded beef to the slow cooker.

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grassroots agricultural revolution is happening, one that addresses many of today’s ills by rebuilding our soils through recognition of and respect for the interconnectedness between food, people and nature.

Regenerative agriculture is catching on locally and around the globe as we collectively re-learn the ancient practices and natural laws of our First Peoples. Building on these natural laws using new technologies means we will be able to feed and sustain ourselves, while also nourishing the soil and the planet.

In January, I attended the BC Interior Soils Conference in Williams Lake, where more than 120 attendees were treated to a two-day workshop on sustainable and practical tools to build soil health. Soil microbiologist Dr. Kris Nichols shared with us some of her in-depth knowledge on biological solutions to agricultural problems, using regenerative agriculture.

Her message is well worth sharing to encourage a change from the green revolution of input-intensive agriculture to the brown revolution of revitalizing resilient soils.

Returning to high-quality, nutrient-dense food cultivated from regenerated soils draws carbon from the atmosphere and offsets the immense carbon dioxide emissions that conventional agriculture creates. One-fifth of total carbon dioxide emissions come from agriculture, so this is a huge opportunity to directly address climate change, while improving our food system.

Regenerative agriculture feeds soil organisms with regular carbon inputs. Examples include using cover crops strategically to protect soils and fix carbon, increasing diversity in crop species and intensively managing grazing livestock to convert carbon to nitrogen-rich soil deposits.

Livestock plays a key role in boosting nutrient cycling and moving away from industrial/chemical monocropping of annual grains. Carbon, in the form of carbohydrates, becomes the currency for a diverse underground network, including fungi, bacteria and many small to microscopic critters, such as worms, insects, nematodes and protozoa.

Plants release carbohydrates in the form of sugars through their roots to establish relationships with soil organisms, especially fungi. Fungal threads (mycelium) become the pathway for nutrient transfer. Since fungi do not create their own sugars, they provide nutrients to plants in trade for the sugar they need to feed themselves.

The combination of carbon and healthy soil organism activity generates heat, holds water and keeps dissolved minerals and nutrients in solutions available to plants.

These biologically active soils support nutrient-dense crops that feed healthy animals and people.

In contrast, conventional agriculture relies on synthetic inputs to address problems created by degraded soil health. Nichols pointed out that applying synthetic nitrogen fertilizer results in plants taking up nitrogen directly. This disrupts the natural cycle of plants feeding sugars to the soil fungi and receiving nutrients in exchange. Furthermore, tilling the soil breaks up the stable soil habitat created by the micro-organisms and fungi that support thriving soil biology.

Occasional plowing can be beneficial in some circumstances. However, annual tillage over multiple decades to grow low-quality monocrops has brought soil carbon content from five to seven per cent to less than one or two per cent now.

Today’s inactive soils produce nutrient-poor crops deficient in magnesium, calcium, zinc, copper and a host of other vital minerals. These crops grow less overall and are more susceptible to pests and disease, as are the livestock and people that feed on them.

Pasture-raised ruminants like cattle, sheep and goats draw carbon from the atmosphere by encouraging plant turnover. Livestock incorporated into grain production is a skill we must re-learn, as regeneratively fed soils will outproduce conventional systems. Mineral-rich wheat, corn and other grains grown in regenerating soils do not require synthetic fertilizer and pesticide inputs. This further reduces carbon emissions created during the chemical manufacturing process and avoids pollutants leaching into our waterways.

The brown revolution is needed now, more than ever, in order to draw down atmospheric carbon, clean our watersheds, create viable employment and improve human health (both mental and physical).

With the brown revolution underway, it is the perfect time for us to push policy makers to support positive changes to our food system through regenerative agricultural practices.

In addition to being a board director with the Kamloops Food Policy Council, Percy Folkard is an agrologist, a rancher and an instructor in the applied sustainable ranching program at Thompson Rivers University. For more information about the Kamloops Food Policy Council, visit its website at kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil.com

NTURIST AS DE S

By Percy Folkard, Kamloops Food Policy Council

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Barbecue Sauce INGREDIENTS:

•1 large yellow onion, finely minced •4 cloves garlic, minced •3 Tbsp butter •1 tsp olive oil • s alt and pepper, to taste • 20 - 24 oz bottle of ketchup

• 1/3 - 1/2 cup packed light brown sugar • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar • 2 - 3 Tbsp molasses • 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce

DIRECTIONS

1. Add butter and olive oil to a saucepan and heat over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 8 minutes.

2. Add ketchup, brown sugar, cider vinegar, molasses and Worcestershire sauce to saucepan and stir until combined. Pour barbecue sauce into slow cooker with beef and stir well. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or so, to allow the sauce to really mesh together and slightly caramelize on the beef.

3. Serve hot and enjoy.

Sunday, June 21

NOTES

1. Both the barbecue sauce and shredded beef can be made ahead of time and reheated together in the crockpot.

Combine shredded beef and cooked sauce and cook, covered, on low until hot.

2. If you’d prefer, store-bought barbecue sauce can be used.

3. This beef is incredibly flavourful on it’s own, so if you’d prefer a sauce-less shredded beef, this is a great recipe.

4. Feel free to play around with the amounts of barbecue sauce ingredients, depending on your tastes and the size of the roast you’re using.

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You can visit the BC Wildlife Park — virtually

T

he last couple of months have been quite the challenge as we all continue to navigate the uncertainty the COVID-29 pandemic has brought.

On March 23, the BC Wildlife Park made the incredibly difficult decision to temporarily close, based on the recommendation of the Ministry of Health and the City of Kamloops. Since then, the outpour of support, heartwarming messages, financial contributions, food donations and fundraisers developed on our behalf have been nothing short of amazing.

During this difficult time, and with your financial assistance, we have been able to continue to keep the doors open to the Fawcett Family Wildlife Health Centre, the only full-service wildlife rehabilitation centre in the Southern Interior.

Spring is the busiest time of year for the rehabilitation centre, where we take in more than 400 animals annually.

Additionally, in partnership with the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society, the wildlife park’s burrowing owl captive breeding program released 25 breeding pairs

into the grasslands of British Columbia and we are in the process of breeding more owls to be released next spring.

As a non-profit charity, the BC Wildlife Park receives very little funding.

The donations and park admissions allow us to continue to do the work we love to do, including both of these integral programs.

We are so thankful for every single one of our supporters and we can’t wait to welcome you back soon.

Because you are unable to visit us, we’ve been working on bringing the BC Wildlife Park home to you.

We have recently starting featuring live zookeeper feed talks on our Facebook channel, which allows our viewers to ask zookeepers questions in real time.

Our education department has begun offering 15-minute educational animal encounters for school classes, birthdays and for those that would like a oneon-one virtual experience with some of our indoor animals. Additionally, we’re making sure you receive your daily dose of the park animals on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Have you heard of our

weekly conservation minute? Every Friday, join us for a new conservation message. This month, they’ll be focused on baby animals and what to do if you come across one.

Some of the park’s residents recently celebrated their birthdays or have birthdays coming up. Last month, the Arctic wolves celebrated their sixth birthdays and Thunder the elk celebrated his 14th birthday. To name a few, this month, Sir Winston the goat, Finn the burrowing owl and Gontran the turkey vulture all have birthdays.

If you are interested in giving any of the animals in our care a birthday gift, we have created an Amazon wish list. You can visit our website www.bcwildlife. org/howtohelpouranimals. htm for more information on the many different ways to help the BC Wildlife Park and its animals.

Again, on behalf of the entire BC Wildlife Park team, we can’t wait to welcome you back as soon as it’s safe to do so. Stay safe and healthy.

— Julie Ratcliffe, marketing and events manager, BC Wildlife Park

Allen Douglas/KTW file photo Dawson the grizzly bear gets into some yoga moves at the BC Wildlife Park. While the park is closed to the public due to the pandemic, you can connect with the animals and staff via the park’s Facebook page, which features live feeds and videos.

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There is good news despite the pandemic

We know these are almost unprecedented times.

We know society has not been through such a crisis for at least a century, since the Spanish Flu of 1918 to 1920 rolled across the globe while a world war was raging, leaving tens of millions of people dead in its wake.

We know this pandemic My two cents is serious and we know we Christopher Foulds must continue to adhere Editor to the advice and orders of medical health experts.

But, honestly, who among us does not have COVID-19 fatigue?

Kamloops This Week and myriad other news outlets will continue to report on the pandemic because it is indeed newsworthy. Even in the pages of this month’s Connector, you will find some references to COVID-19, paramount as it is in our lives.

But from this sentence onward, I am giving the plague a rest and touching on some positive news that tends to get buried at the best of times and can be invisible when competing for headlines amid a global pandemic: • Gwynne Dyer, Kamloops This Week’s global affairs columnist, has noted that researchers at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands are having some success in blocking the growth of bacterial resistance to antibiotics.

Dyer said this is the most urgent medical issue of our time because if the antibiotics don’t work, then the old infections they have long suppressed will come back and make even the simplest operation life-threatening.

Dyer has also noted that a French start-up company called Carbios has found in a leaf compost heap a bacteria that produces an enzyme that could decompose plastics quickly and cheaply into chemical building blocks that can be recycled into new plastics. In March, German researchers found a different bacteria that will eat up polyurethane.

• Reader’s Digest reports that the Dutch city of Utrecht has turned more than 300 of its bus stops into shelters for bees. The “bee stops” have green roofs planted mainly with sedum, a drought-resistant plant favoured by pollinators, which also captures dust and rainwater. The new beefriendly stops are cared for by a team of workers who use electric vehicles. Perhaps this is something the City of Kamloops can look into emulating?

• According to Reuters, Tom Moore, a 99-year-old British war veteran, completed 100 laps of his London, England, garden in mid-April, raising 13-million pounds (CDN$22.9 million) for the country’s health service. “For all those people who are finding it difficult at the moment, the sun will shine on you again and the clouds will go away,” Reuters quoted Moore as saying after displaying his war medals following his walk. The retired army captain, who has used a walking frame with wheels since breaking his hip, set a target of walking the 25 metres around his garden 100 times before his 100th birthday on April 30.

• Locally, a group of about 75 residents operating under the moniker the Kamloops Meal Train are putting together meals and distributing them to those in need, while selfisolating at home. Volunteers are grocery shopping, making meals and delivering them on the streets. The group is accepting ingredients and monetary donations and has so far collected about $800 toward the effort. To make a donation, e-transfer glennhilke@yahoo.com.

• Also in Kamloops, the online Facebook group Caremongering Kamloops has signed up hundreds of volunteers in more than a dozen neighbourhoods in the city to help with various tasks during this trying time.

The group has an online network of volunteers, which will be able to aid community requests. Requests are being accepted online at kamloopscares.ca.

The next Kamloops Connector, the July edition, is scheduled to be published at the end of June. If you have an article or column you feel will fit within our pages, send an email to editor@connectornews.ca.

Thanks for reading. Stay safe.

Voices of Experience www.connectornews.ca Telephone: (250) 374-7467 Office Hours: Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 4:30 pm Please address all correspondence to:

Kamloops Connector 1365B Dalhousie Drive Kamloops, BC V2C 5P6 Advertising Sales/Publisher: Linda Bolton (778) 471-7528 lbolton@ aberdeenpublishing.com Editor: Christopher Foulds editor@connectornews.ca Graphic Designer: Lee Malbeuf creative@connectornews.ca Kamloops Connector is a monthly newspaper dedicated to inform, serve and entertain adults 45 and over.

We aim to publish on the last Friday of each month and copy/booking deadlines are either the 2nd or 3rd Thursdays of each month. Please request a publishing schedule for specific information.

Kamloops Connector is published by Kamloops This Week, part of the Aberdeen Publishing Group.

Letters to the Editor must be signed and have a phone number (your phone number will not be printed unless requested).

Other submissions are gratefully received although Kamloops Connector reserves the right to edit all material and to refuse any material deemed unsuitable for this publication. Articles, group and event listings will run in the newspaper as time and space permit.

No portion of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from Kamloops Connector.

The opinions expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of Kamloops Connector, Kamloops This Week or the staff thereof.

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Any error which appears in an advertisement will be adjusted as to only the amount of space in which the error occurred. The content of each advertisement is the responsibility of the advertiser.

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THERE IS HELP TO ESCAPE THE STORAGE UNIT TRAP

Everything Organized SHAWN FERGUSON

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, most people are staying home and doing as little socializing as possible — but for some, that is not an option.

Some have no option but to downsize and move at this time, which is quite difficult with few charities taking items and online sales proving difficult.

People are deciding to rent storage lockers until things settle down, but as I’ve written before, storage lockers can become a trap that many don’t escape.

Let us take a look at why I say they can be a trap.

When talking to people about our services, it’s very common to hear, “Oh, I wish I knew about this company prior to us moving as this would have made life so much easier.”

Another question is, “Can you downsize our storage

unit?” That is the solution to downsizing for people who don’t know what to do with the items they couldn’t bear to part with, didn’t know how to get rid of during a move or are unable to put on a sale.

The problem is storage units are not a fix. They are meant to be a temporary solution that many times become a permanent solution. The problem is the cost is relatively low and the stuff is out of sight, so it’s out of mind. Although the costs of storage are not normally outrageous, over time this cost tends to exceed the value of the items being stored in the unit.

When items are put in storage, don’t say, “I’ll get to it one day.” Instead, make a plan right away to start removing a few boxes/ items per week. As you start, don’t think of it as a huge task. You only have to look at it as a few boxes and this will allow you to start downsizing or selling these items at your pace.

I have seen a few units with lots of large furniture pieces I was told the owner would not just give away.

But these are same pieces for which people would not pay a fair price. The issue is a lot of these items did not hold their value over the

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years and, as they are out of style, few people are even looking for them.

So, yes, the value has decreased and the price of storing them has negated any money the owner would have received; therefore, the owner would have been better off selling in the first place at a lower price, rather then spending more money to store the items.

Storage rooms can be dangerous places if you start digging around while looking for certain items, so start at the front and work your way back during your downsizing. As you downsize, you perhaps will still have items you would like to store, but at this point, you will be able to get a much smaller unit or even find room at home.

Downsizing can be very

difficult and can seem to be an overwhelming task, but get help from a company such as Everything Organized, or assistance from friends and family, and you may yet escape the storage unit trap.

Shawn Ferguson is a professional organizer in Kamloops. He specializes in senior transition, downsizing, estate liquidation, hoarding and chronic disorganization.

Contact him by phone at 250-377-7601, online at everythingorganized. net or on Facebook by searching “Everything Organized Kamloops” for a free 30-minute consult in Kamloops.

Do you have a topic that you would like Ferguson to write about?

Email him at Shawn@ everythingorganized.net.

You will be floored with the technology underfoot

Flooring SHAWN VANDERWAL Nufloors

The power of technology has touched many areas of our lives, including online shopping, video chats and movie streaming, all of which we have probably used and done more of given the pandemic environment we have been living in during the past

couple of months.

Technology finds ways to make things more convenient and affordable — and this includes the world of flooring.

Most of us are familiar with vinyl plank — the longer boards that work well within our homes to offer the sense of natural wood, but with the benefits of being waterproof, durable and comfortable.

Vinyl tile offers all of the same features, but in addition to natural wood, you can achieve a stone-quality look that is perfect for kitchens and bathrooms. The styling innovations result in designs with grain patterns you can feel,

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enhanced bevel edges and realistic application.

When installed the right way, it is difficult to tell the difference between stone and vinyl tile.

There are beautiful looks in vinyl tile that are resilient, realistic and, above all, affordable. When comparing price against stone or porcelain tile, you will save time and money with easy installation and breathe a sigh of relief when it comes to durability concerns.

To recap, vinyl tile has many benefits: it is a very hardy flooring option and is scuff-, stain- and scratch-resistant. It also stands up to real life as it is spilled-milk proof, petaccident proof and, well,

waterproof.

It is also a softer product, especially when compared to stone. When standing on it, you will be more comfortable underfoot. I cannot forget to mention it is easy to clean. Just use a dry mop and a pHneutral floor cleaner, which you can find at your local flooring store.

It is exciting to see the use of technology being put to play in the flooring world. It is an affirmation that consumer voices and concerns are being heard and solutions are being applied. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to us at 250372-8141. As always, we are happy to help.

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How much will market volatility affect you?

3.5” x 2.5” | Maximum Font Size: 30 pt Member - Canadian Investor Protection Fund

Keep a level head in an up-and-down market.

Lili A Seery

Financial Advisor 1315 Summit Dr., Unit 4a Kamloops, BC V2C 5R9 250-374-1882

financial focus LILI A SEERY Financial Advisor

www.edwardjones.ca MKT-5894B-C

Personal Injury ICBC Claims Civil Litigation Wills/Estate Planning Probate/Estate Administration Corporate Commercial

Kerri D. Priddle

Lawyer

Notary Services

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9th Floor - 235 1st Avenue, Kamloops 250-434-8911 www.priddlelaw.ca Open Mon - Fri: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM

There’s no way to sugarcoat it — if you’re an investor, you haven’t liked what you’ve seen in the financial markets recently.

The effects of the novel coronavirus triggered a bear market — a decline of 20 per cent or more — and more volatility is almost certainly on the way. But instead of fretting over your investment statements, you could consider some more positive approaches to this situation.

For one thing, ask yourself this: When do you really need the money from your investment accounts, such as your RRSP or LIRA? These are retirement accounts, so, depending on your age, you may not need

to tap into them for 20, 30 or even 40 years. If so, your losses may be “paper” ones for now and aren’t subjecting you to imminent financial jeopardy.

This isn’t to minimize the effect this downturn will have on you, of course.

It always takes time to recover lost ground and there are no guarantees with investing. However, although past performance does not guarantee future results, it is useful to note that, over its long history, the stock market has typically trended in one direction — up — despite serious and sometimes lengthy declines such as we saw in the Great Depression and, to a lesser extent, the bursting of the dot.com bubble of the early 2000s and the financial crisis of 2008-2009.

Nonetheless, you may have shorter-term goals — a wedding, a down payment on a home, an overseas trip — for which you need to save. For these goals, though, you wouldn’t want to touch your RRSP anyway, as you’d likely face income and withholding taxes. Instead, you’ll want

your money invested in liquid, low-risk accounts that will be minimally affected, if at all, by declines in the financial markets.

These vehicles might include guaranteed investment certificates (GICs), money market accounts and even good old-fashioned Government of Canada Savings Bonds, all of which offer the protection of principal and can pay higher rates than traditional bank savings accounts.

But you might also have longer-term goals that can be addressed through investments that may be somewhat or largely free of the effects of market volatility. For example, to supplement your retirement income, you might consider a fixed annuity, which can provide you with a guaranteed interest rate and, depending on how it’s structured, an income stream you can’t outlive.

Apart from the issue of when you may need money from your investment accounts, you might want to ask yourself another question: Just how much of

my net worth is tied up in my portfolio?

If you’re like many people, you have other assets apart from your investments. If you’re a homeowner, consider your house. Has it dropped in value at all during the recent market decline?

Probably not. Do you still have just as much equity in it as you did a month ago? You might have even more. In other words, the value of your investments may have dropped a certain percentage, but the decline in your overall net worth may well be significantly smaller.

So, here’s the bottom line — large drops in the financial markets aren’t much fun for investors, but that doesn’t mean the bottom has dropped out on your financial future. Keeping things in perspective is a good move in all of life’s endeavours, including investing.

This article was written

by Edward Jones, member of the Canadian Investor Protection Fund and member of the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

Where there’s a will, there’s your way

Kamloops Realty

Jessica MARVIN 250.374.3022

je-matt@hotmail.com JessicaMattRealEstate.ca

250.319.8784 mmatt@shaw.ca

RealEstateKamloops.ca Member of Kamloops Chamber of Commerce

Legal ease

THANK YOU

SENIORS for all you do in

family & community

KERRI D. PRIDDLE

Clients often attend with their lawyer and say, “I have a simple estate.

Everything goes to my husband and children.”

While that does sound simple, not all may be as it seems.

There are several questions that need to be answered, even in that statement.

You may want your estate to go to your

husband first and then to your children when he passes away. Alternatively, if your husband has sufficient funds, you may want your children to inherit some of your estate at the time of your passing.

You may have a child who has or will predecease you and that child has blessed you with grandchildren. There is specific wording you need in your will to ensure the that deceased child’s share of your estate will go to their children (called per stirpes in Latin).

You may have young children. Placing a trust staggered their inheritance into stages as they mature will avoid pitfalls of receiving large sums of money without having the life experience and guidance to manage it successfully.

As you can see, there is not really any such thing as a “simple” will.

Without specific legal considerations and particular wording, there might be unintended consequences that are costly and time-consuming to sort out after your death.

Alternatively, there is such a thing as making a will too complicated.

Directing your estate funds after you are gone can only go so far.

In a will, you may not promote a marriage breakdown or go against public policy as a condition of receiving an inheritance.

So, while you can place funds in trust for your son for the purpose of education or buying a home, you cannot hold those funds on the condition he divorces

his wife (marriage breakdown), be a member of a specific religious group (religious freedom) or void the gift if he contests the will (application of valid legislation).

Further, if you direct an unreasonably long period of time for your beneficiary to receive their inheritance from a trust, they can apply to the court to have that condition removed.

At the end of the day, your estate is yours to distribute how you wish, but the wording in your will must conform to certain legal principals and must be clear in its directions.

A lawyer can assist you in making sure your last wishes are met by ensuring what is written in your will is what will actually occur upon distribution of your estate — simple or not!

MAY 2020 | 7

www.connectornews.ca

Get ticked off this spring and summer HEALTH MATTERS MISSAGH MANSHADI

With spring and summer heat, we will see more ticks our region. It seems we see more ticks due to environmental issues and global warming.

I would like to share simple information about ticks and prevention of tick-related diseases.

1) Get out there and enjoy nature and do not panic or overreact if you find a tick crawling on you.

2) Ticks are not insects.

They are arachnids and, like their relatives, spiders, they have eight legs when they reach adulthood.

3) Ticks do not jump, fly or drop off trees.

4) In order for ticks to survive, they need to feed on blood of other animals.

5) Some ticks are infected with bacteria, viruses and parasites, which sometimes can pass to humans.

6) Ticks are found in backyards, under leaves, on ground cover, in woodpiles and where other small mammals live.

7) What illnesses are

caused depends on where you are and what kind of tick bites you.

8) Most infected people will never show symptoms and some develop fever and headache, muscle pain and rash.

9) Lyme disease is the most common tick-born disease.

10) Lyme disease can cause fever, headache, fatigue and a bull’s-eye rash known as erythema migrans. If not treated, Lyme disease can spread to the joints, the heart and the nervous system.

RIH Foundation launches campaign to help health-care workers The Royal Inland Hospital Foundation has created a campaign to collect funds to provide further assistance to frontline health-care workers at Royal Inland Hospital.

The RIH Foundation is taking donations to support frontline health-care workers and help ensure they have the equipment and tools they need to provide the best care possible.

The foundation is hoping to raise $60,000 to fund the purchase of personal protective equipment (PPE) and other needs for frontline health-care workers.

In a letter to donors, the foundation outlined how hospital operations have changed and how workers have been impacted.

“Amidst the COVID-19

pandemic that we now find ourselves in, the significance of our hospital and critical needs of our health-care team is top of mind for everyone,” the letter reads.

It goes on to explain how the hospital has effectively been divided in two, with the emergency room and ICU separated to ensure patients with respiratory symptoms are kept apart from those without.

The letter also acknowledges a wide range of workers who are continuing to help the hospital deliver safe care, including housekeeping staff, patient porters, unit clerks, security, administrators, medical technicians and IT staff.

To donate, go online to tinyurl.com/y7vfwmxz.

11) Most people cannot feel tick bites, but after one or two days, may feel the itch.

12) All transmitted disease are treatable with antibiotics.

13) Ticks are often found on hair, on their way to scalp. Ticks like to move to warmer, moist parts of body, such as the groin, armpits and scalp. They are also found behind ears, behind the knees and around the waist.

14) Use a bug spray with DEET before outside to help repel ticks and

insects. Upon arrival home, wash your clothes in hot water and put them in a hot dryer and check for ticks before bathing or showering with a washcloth.

15) It may take a full day or even 36 hours before ticks get to the skin and start to suck blood.

16) If you notice a tick attached, remove it as soon as you see it by using finetipped tweezers as close as possible to skin, pulling the tick straight out with steady pressure. Do not jerk it up and work slowly.

17) Clean with alcohol and then wash with soap and water and apply antibiotic ointment.

18) It is not necessary to see a doctor unless symptoms appear, which can takes days to weeks.

19) Once you have removed the tick from the skin and decide you want to see a doctor, do not destroy the tick. Take it with you. Also, don’t think you have to go on antibiotics right away.

20) Ninety-five per cent of cases of Lyme disease are acquired in

June, July and August.

21) Three-quarters of people get bit on their own property because we spend more time in our own backyards.

22) Tick collars, sprays, shampoos and other tickcontrol products can prevent family pets from bringing ticks to the home.

We need to remember the benefits of going outside to nature outweigh the risks of getting Lyme disease. You can protect yourself with some of the above suggestions.

Have a good summer.

Trusted Advice, Wholesome Care

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8 | MAY 2020

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n view of the current status of COVID-19, staying at home and performing those extra to-do list of activities is a good idea — and this includes the RV. As I was pulling the cover off the motor home, I began to reflect on what had to be done to have it road-worthy.

Even though I did take preparatory steps in the fall, work still has to be done. In speaking with staff at a local RV location, they impressed upon me the common items to address when getting the trailer/motorhome ready.

First item recommended was to sanitize the freshwater system to remove the taste and smell of antifreeze. They also explained to me the difference of a sanitizer compared to bleach for the most effective system flush.

Most antifreeze used in RV water systems is a glycolbased fluid to protect the system and prevent freeze-up during winter’s cold conditions. It was also

recommended that a sugarbased fluid is available. It is easier to clean out, but slightly more expensive.

Either fluid is available at RV parts and service locations locally, so don’t hesitate to use in the fall to protect for the spring.

Another area of concern recommended to me is to check seals for leaks or damage. Seals around windows, doors, roofs and air-conditioning units should be primary on your list due to the expansion and contraction of the metal located at each item. The movement of the metal can tear a seal or cause separation, which could result in a water leak.

Of course, now is a good time to check the status of your battery, propane system, tires, brakes and wheel bearings. Now I know, as we put our motorized vehicles into hibernation last fall, we changed the oil and filter so we didn’t leave dirty oil in the engine over winter.

That will be one job we won’t have to do now.

Be sure to run the auxiliary generator for at least 20 to 30 minutes to get some fresh fuel into the carburetor. If that oil is dirty, now would be a really good time to change it. Just be sure to use the correct grade and type of oil as recommended by the manufacturer.

Change the batteries in any clocks, radio and battery-powered devices so they also will be ready for the season — even if you are going to camp in your backyard, due to COVID-19.

Reset all tire pressures where applicable and replace wiper blades, as they have deteriorated during storage.

Apply a coat of polish if feeling energetic and sit back and admire your handy work.

If you have any questions, concerns or suggestions, email me at bigsix8280@yahoo.ca.

MAY 2020 | 9

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Considering ‘all my relations’ PLAYGROUND

Colouring outside the lines REV. LEANN BLACKERT Wild Church

Nearly every day, I read a bit of wisdom from a local sage and elder.

The late Richard Wagamese gifted us with his words, but more importantly, with his heart made visible through his words. In his book, Embers, he writes: “I’ve been considering the phrase ‘all my relations’ for some time now. It’s hugely important. It’s our saving grace in the end. It points to the truth that we are all related, that we are all connected, that we all belong to each other.”

This pandemic called COVID-19 drives this point home in a hard way.

We are invited to stay home and to wear masks in public because of our interconnectedness. The choices I make about whether I will follow the recommended protocols impact not only myself, but also those I meet when I do venture into the wider world. I am forced to consider the lives of others every time I leave my home.

I have ventured out — to nearby trails that are little travelled by humans.

There I discovered a magical place where the interconnectedness of “all my relations” was lived out loud for me, a silent observer:

Sentries stand attentive, uniformed in golden yellow – low growing dandelion on the left, tall lean arrowroot to the right – guardians of this portal to a magical playground.

The first hint of fun: birds laugh and sing, a chorus of sparrows accompanies the solo of meadowlark.

Chitters and chatters and pitch perfect notes rim this circle.

Deep-throated crow chuckles at the raucous joy of geese flying overhead.

Stump sits in stillness as hundreds of ants dance across the circle of her face, milling, swirling, slowly spinning merry-goround.

One chipmunk, then two, then too many to count skitter across fallen trees, climb vertical bare-skinned branches for a better view, tails brushing the air with gladness.

Hummingbirds and bees thrum here buzz there playing hide and seek all around.

Sweet scent of sage tiptoes across the breeze – perfume of pine chasing in a game of tag.

I stand in the centre of this merriment and my heart’s rhythm shifts

Forest fires, pandemics, the threat of bee extinction — so many events in the natural world remind us that we exist because we have “neighbours” in this world, neighbours we often overlook or, if we do look, we often see only commodities to be used.

The Christian scriptures call on us to love God (insert whatever name you use for that which is bigger than any name we can ascribe) and to love our neighbours as we love ourselves. I think Wagamese offers us this same wisdom with different words: “The most important words is ‘all’ … ALL my relations. That means every person, just as it means every rock, mineral, blade of grass, and creature. We live because everything else does. If we were to choose collectively to live that teaching, the energy of our change consciousness would heal each of us — and heal the planet.”

As Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry reminds us often: be kind, be calm and be safe.

Rev. LeAnn Blackert is in ministry with the new Wild Church in Kamloops (wildchurchbc.org), where she works with Michele Walker and Lesly Comrie.

She is spending her “stay home” time with her partner and two cats.

She enjoys walking local trails, taking a cuppa into the local “wilderness” and sharing a moment with her neighbours there and connecting online with her Wild Church community.

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10 | MAY 2020

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Are we thriving or simply surviving?

By Cathy Lidster

F

or the past two months, I have been habitually asking friends, family, client and colleagues how they are surviving the lockdown.

It is a poor choice of words because what I am really hoping for is that they are thriving in health and vitality and not merely surviving this pandemic event.

Many are saying the lockdown has been good for the planet and has provided a chance for water and skies to become clear again and, perhaps, for global warming to change course.

It sounds good for the planet, but what about for humanity? What are we needing to actually thrive?

Certainly, hanging on and waiting for a miracle solution — such as an antiviral drug or vaccine to come to our rescue — is not a state of thriving. It is, perhaps, not even logical. Do we not realize these socalled fixes would just be temporary until the next novel coronavirus arrives? And the next and the next?

What if, instead of painting the ceiling to fix the leak, we looked at solving the problem of our weakened

Photo: Brooke Lark/Unsplash

immune systems?

Having studied and worked with human bodies and their health and immunity for more than four decades, here is what I have come to realize: • Our bodies are each unique in their response and they have been made by divine design.

• Since divinely designed, it follows that bodies can do no wrong.

What? You might ask about high blood pressure and failing kidneys and allergies.

To which I say those are symptoms of an underlying problem because we have messed with the design, impairing an otherwise efficient and effective system.

We do this in one of two ways: • We overburden it by exposing our design to contaminants in our water, air and food supply. We overburden our senses with noise pollution, LED screens and electro-radiation.

We remove organs, implant teeth and other artificial devices, apply pharmaceuticals to suppress the body’s warning signals and so on.

• We undersupply it with the raw materials it needs to function optimally and to heal rapidly and completely. We are malnourished

from decades of a diet low in plant nutrients and high in refined and altered products.

Is it any wonder our immune systems are at risk?

Perhaps this pandemic is giving us a chance to look at our lifestyles and health habits and realize our present and future immunity depends on us thriving, not just surviving. This means we must demand quality food, air and water and take responsibility for our own health.

It starts with what we put into our mouths. The truth is ventilators, masks and gloves are not the answer to a future of health and vitality.

Let us just start with what our grandmothers always knew and tried to teach us — eat your vegetables, dear ones.

Cathy Lidster (GCFP, ABF, ACNRT, ABF) is a semi-retired health consultant, helping those who wish to help themselves live a happier, healthier and more vital life so they can raise future generations of healthier, happier and wiser humans.

She can be reached by phone at 250-819-9041 or by email at cathy@ cathylidster.com. More articles about health and nourishing wellness can be found online at cathylidster.com.

Trying to stay connected amid the pandemic

ask drake DRAKE SMITH Funeral Director

How many times a day do you hear or see the word “COVID” or “coronavirus”?

It seems like that’s all we talk, read or hear about these days. I think I even heard Edith telling Archie to stop calling it the Wuhan Virus on All In The Family the other day!

At the risk of adding more talk about the virus, I thought you might find the following information worth reading. It’s simply a few observations about

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the virus in Kamloops and surrounding areas from an undertaker’s perspective.

In Kamloops, and indeed all of British Columbia, chances are Murray will die from heart disease or cancer, not the coronavirus. Statistics seem to support this claim.

For example, in 2011 (sorry, B.C. seems to be giving up on producing current statistical reports), more than half of all deaths were due to cancer, heart disease/heart attack and stroke. By comparison, 1,112 (four per cent) of British Columbians died of pneumonia or influenza in 2011. For some perspective, as I write this, approximately 150 British Columbians have succumbed to COVID-19.

I hope we find a treatment and a cure and I hope we can at least have very few more COVID deaths going forward.

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to be close to their loved ones.

Another observation I’ve made is that, following Murray’s death, most families want to meet the funeral director in person. You may or may not be aware that it’s possible to make arrangements by phone and email. Documents can be scanned, printed, signed and emailed back to the funeral home (you can even docu-sign documents, for which you don’t even need to use a pen). But most people seem to prefer to come by in person. To mitigate risk to fellow staff, we have temporarily closed our location downtown at Second Avenue and Lansdowne Street, but we continue to meet people at our little house at 425 Tranquille Rd. in North Kamloops.

When people come to make arrangements, we sit farther apart than usual.

People sign documents

be essential. I presume they are because people continue to need help when Murray passes away. So, we continue to stand by, 24/7 and people continue to call for help.

However, people are expressing different concerns and needs because of the pandemic.

Here are some patterns I’ve noticed over the past couple of months.

One of the most common comments I hear from bereaved family members or friends is the frustration they felt during their loved one’s last days.

In particular, they often were deprived of the chance to visit Murray in the hospital or care facility.

Or only one person could go to visit per day. It’s natural to want to be close to the one you love during their last days. On the one hand, bereaved people understand the need to protect other patients and staff; on the other hand, they desperately wanted

with their own pen.

We don’t shake hands anymore. I try to open the door as people leave, rather than perhaps place them at greater risk by touching the door knob.

All in all, it’s kind of an odd time we’re in, isn’t it?

With almost everyone (more than 90 per cent of Interior residents) choosing cremation, it means they can choose to wait a while to have a celebration of life. I’ve heard of some church ministers holding private blessings or mass, with no family present. A few families are having backyard gatherings, but most people are holding off. Many people have expressed sadness they can’t at least get together.

It looks like we’re slowly dipping our toe into the pool. Perhaps by next month, we’ll be closer to “normal.”

In the meantime, take care and call if you need help.

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MAY 2020 | 11

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’Tis the season for macking on the Mac

kamloops birdwatch NAOMI BIRKENHEAD

Baby (you’ve got what it takes) and A Rockin’ Good Way (to mess around and fall in love).

Those are two wicked old songs by Brook Benton and Dinah Washington that carry an element of strength and romantic expectation laced with all the playful coyness that comes fluttering out on your quest to woo and pursue your love interest.

Birds are no exception to that behaviour.

In fact, they exemplify it even more. Why else would it be called the birds and the bees?

On recent strolls around McArthur Island with my three boys — my youngest always insisting he will never make it and acting as though I am the worst mother for making him walk — there is a noticeable increase in bird activity.

Melodic chatter fills the air, followed by a rush of

wings. The most notable is the hum and zing unique to each of the three hummingbird varieties mating along the banks of the northwest side of the island, performing some of the most daring stunts simply to impress a lady.

The smallest, feistiest and most territorial is the calliope (barely reaching four inches in height). Delicate tendrils of magenta fan out from beneath his chin (gorget).

He has the ability to flash and raise them as a means to intimidate other birds or anyone he deems to be a threat, or to mesmerize a female before he ascends to roughly 65 feet before plummeting into a deathdefying u-shaped dive. The sound generated by his descent creates a distinctive “zing.”

Anna’s hummingbird, on the other hand, has been considered one of the fastest birds when it dives. Pulling up in a J-movement, he will push up against close to 9Gs after falling nearly 150 feet. His iridescent gorget of deep rose completes his daredevil charm, complemented by a seductive chirp.

But amidst the zing and chirping that transforms the usual rustle of leaves into a hot and heavy clublike scene is the metallic

buzz generated by a rufus flapping his wings at a rate of 200 beats per second. His climb to dizzying heights ends with a teasing rush, halting a mere two or three inches from the hopefully dazzled female. Unlike his counterparts that tend to be a varying kaleidoscope of greens, pinks, and reds, he shimmers in a rusty orange plume.

The effort and commotion put in by all male birds over the next few months will be rewarded with a mere

average of four seconds — just a shimmy and a shake of the female’s tail feathers.

There is a part of me that can’t help but add a humanistic narrative to these happenings. I am entertained by imagining a tiny hummingbird zooming from the sky, hovering just a beak’s length away and, in some sultry deep voice,

asking if his zing was zingy enough to make little love eggs with her. His little bird eyebrows wiggling, in his head he is hoping she accepts because he is so tired from his performance that he just really wants a sip of nectar.

Romance is in the air and McArthur Island has morphed into the island of

amore — and not just for the birds!

Birding tip: Three great horned owl babies have recently begun to fledge and learn how to adapt to life on their own. Look for them on the island’s west end.

I would love your feedback. Email me at naomijbirkenhead@yahoo. ca.

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12 | MAY 2020

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Pondering new priorities after the pandemic

THE INSIDE STORY WENDY WESEEN

I’ve been locked down since March 8. That’s 67 days.

I feel like a member of the cast from the Muppet Movie’s Breman Town Musicians Band — beat up, worn out!

But when I feel sorry for myself, I try to balance my sorrow with the daily joy of loving care I’ve been given from the people of Kamloops. And then I remember people with my vulnerabilities of age and underlying conditions are dying of COVID-19 and I honour the radical sacrifices of the personnel caring for them.

And, in my worst big picture moments. I fear

a whole generation — mine — is being lost. But then I remind myself of the exposure of gaps in a system not working before the crisis.

Fully togged with mask, eye goggles and a bottle of hand sanitizer, I walked to London Drugs a week ago, during the seniorsonly hour, to get a new toothbrush and, yes, I admit it, a chocolate bar.

Though everyone is in the same storm, we are not in the same boat.

The COVID-19 crisis has awakened universal feelings because of the communal trauma highlighting compassion and mental health, but at the same time unique in individual circumstances.

Finding protective gear, losing physical connections with family and friends, working from home while caring and tutoring children, managing groceries, doctors’ appointments and prescription refills have become a challenge.

And there has been a rude awakening of a dependency on the global economy and how conflicting the need

to starve the virus is with an economy that has been shut down.

The rules of the virus are scientific, but novel. The consequences of human decisions about what to do cannot be fully predicted.

The greatest challenge might be living in the gap of uncertainty and the unknown. We want pat predictable answers, timelines and hope of a familiar normal to come back. Deep in our hearts, we know it will never be the same as it was. And we are forced to ask if it should be.

The pandemic has shattered a way of living and, to our consternation, we have uncovered realities we didn’t expect.

It makes sense for me to be interested in the care of people in the last stage of their lives, a flawed situation existing long before any pandemic. The crisis has pointed to how we treat disadvantaged people all over the world and I’ve discovered I’m one of them.

The symptoms of a dysfunctional world were already there: wars, aggression and violence;

millions of refugees and social injustice; ageism, racism and sexism; erosion of democracy; devaluation of workers caring for disadvantaged persons and, ultimately, the desecration of our planet for the maintenance of these competitive and inequitable realities.

We may have forgotten the marches, the protests and activist groups existing before the pandemic began. Climate change,

global warming and earth wounds have slipped from our memory. We may have forgotten a materialistic world has estranged us from knowing our place on Earth.

Maybe the pause is giving an opportunity to consider new priorities and to ask questions pointing to a different direction, toward a more humane, peaceful world for our children and grandchildren.

I have worried for a long

time about my future care, having travelled with my mother on her journey through aging. The system was flawed and my family crossed many anxious moments when she needed complex care. There will be the same flawed senior care after the virus is contained. There will be a need for our generation to voice our concerns and unwillingness to accept inadequately financed care and poor accountability.

Nominate

someone to win a flag

We Canadians are a proud and patriotic people, and love to fly the colours of our nation with a Canadian flag.

To commemorate Canada Day every year, I give away Canadian flags to constituents who have entered their names in our draw. The flags are a very in-demand item and people are always thrilled to receive them.

This year, I would like to change the entry process up a little by asking people to nominate someone who has done an exceptional job in helping others during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Those whose names are drawn will receive a volunteer service medal along with their flag.

Cathy McLeod, MP

6-275 Seymour Street, Kamloops, BC cathy.mcleod.c1@parl.gc.ca | 250-851-4991 www.cathymcleod.ca

If you know of a great Canadian from the Kamloops-Thompson-Cariboo riding who has gone beyond the call of duty to help others during this challenging time, please email cathy.mcleod.c1@parl.gc.ca or phone 250-851-4991 with their name, phone number, address and email (if known).

The draw Friday, June 26, just in time for Canada Day. I will contact the lucky winners.

MAY 2020 | 13

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Professional Company: The difference a specialized and professional company can make is game-changing. A company that specializes in a specific product will be your 1 stop shop. From advice to installation to servicing the tubs, they are the experts you can count on.

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What else makes Safe Step Tubs unique? They are manufactured in North America. From the design to the construction, it’s all done in North America. We are experts in walk-in tubs providing seniors with comfort and independence, allowing them to bathe and relax.

As a company that specializes in walk-in tubs, we understand this is an investment, which is why we offer different financing options & discounts, along with free consultations and professional installations. Rest assured that you will not only get excellent customer service but a walk-in tub that will last you a lifetime.

Purchasing from a store: Although it can be convenient to walk into a store, it’s not always beneficial, especially if you are wanting to get in-depth information about walk-in tubs. Store associates will know basic information about walkin tubs, such as the country it

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14 | MAY 2020

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2020 Guide to Paying Your Property Taxes & Claiming Your Home Owner Grant PROPERTY TAXES & HOME OWNER GRANTS DUE JULY 2 A 5% late payment penalty for outstanding amounts on residential property (Classes 1, 2, 3, and 9) will be applied on July 31, 2020, and an additional 5% will be applied on October 1, 2020.

A 10% late payment penalty will be applied on October 1, 2020, for commercial property (Classes 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8).

WAYS TO PAY YOUR PROPERTY TAXES

HOW TO APPLY FOR YOUR HOME OWNER GRANT

X AT YOUR BANK online, in person,

X ONLINE at Kamloops.ca/eHOG See your property tax notice to determine your grant.

or telephone banking. Don’t forget to claim your Home Owner Grant.

NOTE: Financial institutions are unable to accept HOG applications.

OTHER OPTIONS TO PAY & APPLY X DROP BOXES at City Hall (24 hours) or the North Shore Community Policing

Office, 915 7th St. (8:30 am–4:30 pm)

X BY MAIL to the City of Kamloops Revenue Division, 7 Victoria St. West,

Kamloops, BC, V2C 1A2

X IN PERSON In-person payment will be available; however, hours, availability,

and location have not been determined at the time of printing.

Please visit Kamloops.ca for in-person payment options.

250-828-3437 Kamloops.ca

FAHAP T P DAHER Y Y S

ENTER TO WIN 2 GOLF PASSES TO THE DUNES Mail or drop off your entry to: Kamloops Connector, 1365B Dalhousie Dr, Kamloops, BC, V2C 5P6 or email your details with “Dunes Contest” to win@connectornews.ca. Random draw from entries submitted for the contest. One entry per household. Draw date: Friday, June 5 at 9:00 am.

Prize must be accepted as awarded. Winners will be called to arrange pick up of their prize.

ACROSS

1 Ear-like 5 Sleep stage that's linked with dreaming 8 Comes out ahead 13 Final musical passage 14 Pop, to baby 15 Bone doc., briefly 16 Walked all over 17 Shoot out 18 Felt unwell 19 Has cabin fever, maybe 22 Illuminated 23 Shipping hazard 24 Takes part in a filibuster 31 Cass and Michelle in the '60s 32 Supportive shouts 33 Popular household cleaning brand 35 Vote into office 36 Golf hole objective 37 Rock full of crystals 39 Piece of your pants 40 Place in piles, say 41 Leisure suit material, once 42 Complains loudly 46 Pecan or almond 47 Young gent 48 Totally loses it 56 Baffin Islander, probably 57 Exchange a few words 58 Uncouth one

60 High altitude weather balloon 61 In this location 62 Grease job 63 Look of scorn 64 Manitoba's official bird 65 Silent actress Markey

DOWN

1 Halloween mnth.

2 Ancient metal collar 3 Temple effigy 4 Pretty swanky GM auto 5 Smashes into 6 Correct the text 7 Algebra and trig 8 Leave base with permission 9 Pungent yellow cheese 10 "___ all be over soon."

11 Portraitist Alice ___, painter of many pregnant nudes 12 Lays down turf 14 What you owe 20 Central area 21 Failing grades 24 In better health 25 Swiss watch brand 26 Thsi cleu has a couple 27 Artichoke centre 28 Where you live (so do I) 29 Quarter round moulding 30 Free from

31 Gibson of "Braveheart" 34 Dudes 37 Himalayan antelope 38 Vulnerable to wind and rain 40 Adam's third born 43 Not outdoors 44 Family of six NHLplaying brothers 45 Cream of the crop 48 Sound of escaping air 49 Knowledgeable about 50 Little ditty 51 Resound 52 Work on a tough piece of meat 53 Mountbatten, for one 54 Adjective follower, usually 55 Mongolia's desert 59 Winnipeg's river

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MAY 2020 | 15

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Sales of Heinz red puzzles to help food banks Heinz Ketchup recently released what it calls “a ridiculously slow, all-red ketchup puzzle,” with its limited release available only to 57 people in 17 countries, chosen based their comments on Heinz’s Instagram posts globally and telling Heinz with whom they wish they could finish the puzzle.Due to an overwhelming response, with more than

5,000 Canadians and 14,000 people globally angling for a puzzle, Heinz has decided to make a limited run available for purchase in Canada and the U.S., with 100 per cent of all profits in Canada going to support Food Banks Canada.The puzzle is available for US$24.99 online at HeinzKetchupPuzzle. com while supplies last.

Columbo Cares takeout dinners are back The Colombo Lodge and Italian Cultural Centre’s monthly Colombo Cares program has resumed.

On the third Wednesday of each month, dinners

SUDOKU

are cooked and the public can order them for takeout. Proceeds from each month’s sales go to charity. May’s charity of choice was the Mount Paul

Community Food Centre.

To learn more about the monthly dinner dates and to place your order, call 250-374-4914 or go online to colombolodge.com.

Seniors Picnic cancelled due to pandemic The City of Kamloops has cancelled its annual seniors picnic, which is held in Riverside Park, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a press release, the city made the decision due to provincial health orders banning large gatherings and requiring physical distancing.

“We know that seniors are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19,” Mayor Ken Christian said in the release. “We hope the seniors in our community are finding safe

ways to stay connected with friends and loved ones.”

The free event, for the city’s residents ages 55 and older, was scheduled for July 5 in the downtown park.

Sponsored by Kamloops Seniors Village, the Residence at Orchards Walk and the city, the event is touted as an opportunity for seniors to get together with old acquaintances and meet new friends, with entertainment provided by the Kamloops Rube Band, as well as face painting, chair Zumba and more.

Mt. Paul Golf Course Restaurant Now Open 250-374-4672

Call for tee times 250-374-4653

Located in the Mt. Paul Industrial Park

250.374.4653 | www.mountpaulgolf.com

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• Wills • Probates • Enduring Powers of Attorney • Representation Agreements

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PERSONAL CARE ITEMS

Keurig K-Cups Tetley Tea Soups/Broth 1 L Tetra Paks Juice (Orange/Apple/Cranberry) Pop (Gingerale, Coke/Pepsi, Sprite/7up)

Biotene Mouthwash Tissue Gold Bond Powder & Cream

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

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202-444 VICTORIA ST., KAMLOOPS V2C 2A7

Dish Soap/Dishwasher Pods Dryer Sheets (Bounce Unscented) NEW Twin Top Sheets/Matching Pillowcases (solid light colours) NEW Double Sheet sets for Sofa Beds (solid light colours)

Please contact Hospice Reception 250-372-1336 or Info@kamloopshospice.com to arrange drop off of donations

We welcome monetary donations through website / phone /mail www.kamloopshospice.com

16 | MAY 2020

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The importance of the arts, now more than ever

By Shay Paul

D

o you know how much art you’re taking in now, compared to this time last year?

Have you been helping your children with little art projects, drawing with chalk on sidewalks, binge-watching the latest Netflix show, or even tuning into the global stream of One World: Together At Home?

Art is all around us and engagement in creative outlets has increased exponentially since self-isolations restrictions were put into place. Perhaps while being cooped up inside, we are reading more books, listening to music we wouldn’t have before or buying craft projects to keep our

SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY

children and ourselves busy.

No matter what the reasons are, or what type of art we are consuming, it’s undeniable that art is quickly becoming a saving grace for us in isolation.

While we are exploring new types of media and art during this strange time, we are also noticing the impact of arts closures or cancellations. An example that hits a little close to home is the recent decision to cancel the 2020 schedule for Music in the Park.

This is something that will be felt by countless families in the Kamloops area, many of whom have been attending the summer music festival for years. It’s an important note to remember that we are creative

by nature and many things you may not recognize at first as being artistic are indeed creative outlets that we benefit from for entertainment, social connections or conversation.

After all, what type of world would be left if all of these creative pieces were to become obsolete?

There are many challenges we are facing as a society. For many of us, a lack of work or distraction may trigger a selfexploration period or bring up parts of yourself you may not have had to face before.

Creative outlets, in their many forms, can often provide a safer way to explore and express yourself in times of stress or anxiety. If there is just one suggestion to heed, it is to engage

in a new craft or hobby, even if it could risk exploring outside of your comfort zone.

Creative works are popping up all over the nation as people are exploring new things or now have the time to be creative.

Take some time this season to experiment with one new art, whether it be yourself creating or being a witness to someone else’s creativity.

There are many suggestions or opportunities online for the solo artist or for the family with children at different ages.

Don’t lose your connection to the arts at this time. Pick up a new book, take one of the virtual museum tours that are becoming available all across the world, tune in to one of the

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Some of the organizations we support include:

At Glover’s Medicine Centre Pharmacy, we believe in giving back to the community. We recognize that these type of actions help build a stronger community in Kamloops and allow us to get involved to make an impact!

• RIH Foundation • Heart and Stroke Foundation • TRU Sports Foundation • SPCA • Kamloops Hospice • Kamloops Wildlife Park • New Life Mission

• Kamloops Brain Injury Association • Kamloops Minor Hockey Association • Canadian Cancer Society • Humane Society • Juvenile Diabetes Association • Turtle Valley Donkey Refuge • United Way

Seniors Healthy Living • Questions about your medications?

• Having trouble remembering to take your medications?

• Do you know what compounded medications are?

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free Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre premieres or listen to one of the many live concerts put on by music artists.

All of us are facing new challenges, no matter where we are in the world, so we must continue to work together to be safe and keep others safe.

These are unprecedented times, but do not allow them to stop you from trying something new or experiencing creativity you already love.

We must not forget the passion that comes with art and how works of passion can inspire compassion in the ones around us.

The Kamloops Arts Council can be found online at kamloopsarts. ca. It can be reached by phone at 250-372-7323.

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MAY 2020 | 17

Jack Gregson: A man attached to ticks www.connectornews.ca

Remembering the world-renown acarologist from Kamloops

By Trudy Frisk “Wood ticks,” said acarologist John (Jack) D, .Gregson, “are friendly little creatures. You can get quite attached to them!”

Jack would have known.

He was Canada’s leading expert on ticks and tickborne diseases.

Before his death in 2013, Gregson had more than 100 scientific papers published, identified and named three species of Western ticks and had an Eastern boreal forest tick named for him as a tribute to his 40 years of contributions to understanding the complex world of tick physiology.

His research at Agriculture Canada’s Veterinary and Medical Entomology Laboratory in Kamloops was known and respected worldwide.

There are 24 kinds of ticks in B.C. Most are specific to certain birds and animals.

“The shrew has its tick, the pika its tick, the squirrel its tick.” Jack explained during his time as a world-renown tick expert.

“They evolved with their hosts over about 300-million years and they don’t like any others. The exception is the Rocky Mountain wood tick, which will attach itself to humans and a variety of animals. In addition to transmitting several diseases, it can paralyze and kill its host.”

Paralysis by different species of ticks has been recorded in a dozen countries around the world, but Gregson noted, “B.C. holds the dubious honour of containing the greatest association between one particular species of tick and man, livestock and pets.”

In 1928, at the request of local ranchers, a laboratory was established in Kamloops to study the tick. Kamloops was selected because of its ecological diversity and thriving cattle industry. It is also the wood tick’s heartland.

In order to find a remedy for tick paralysis, Gregson investigated the method and specific toxins ticks used.

He pioneered a means of collecting tick saliva (by the thimbleful) for analysis.

In order to ascertain how ticks could both suck blood and inject saliva, Gregson cut the tick’s head, about the size of a grain of sand, into more than 100 slices, which were then stained to differentiate the tissues.

LEFT: Jack Gregson spent the greater part of his career studying ticks and wrote more than 70 scientific papers on the subject. He was considered a world specialist in his field and attended conferences in Geneva, Cairo, Nairobi, Vienna and elsewhere. He was very well-known in Kamloops in his time. This article, sent to KTW from Gregson’s daughter, Petrina, appeared in the Spotlight publication on March 27, 1987.

RIGHT: A young Jack Gregson takes photos with a vertical camera.

The resulting slide show — A Journey Down The Throat Of A Tick — is an example of Gregson’s painstaking care and precision. He discovered there were long periods of sucking, broken by intervals of injection of saliva, and that slow administration of the toxin was important for paralysis to take place.

Researchers found in excess of 70 components in tick saliva and noted that paralysis by ticks occurs at the junction of nerves and muscles. If they could identify the individual toxin, the scientists believed they could discover an antidote.

Ticks, which are arachnids (eight-legged), not insects, crawl up blades of grass or onto bushes and wait there in their quest for a host.

When an animal brushes by, the tick catches a ride.

All ticks are not alike.

Ticks in B.C. will crawl to the highest point, the top of the head, in cattle and humans. Scientists at the Mission Flats lab advised ranchers to spray their cattle on the backs and tops of their heads In Alberta, though, ticks may not crawl upward, but attach to the underside of the animal. Ticks in the Nicola Valley south of Kamloops are more potent than ticks in Alberta. In fact, Alberta ticks rarely cause paralysis. Even in B.C.’s hot spots, only about 10 per cent of ticks paralyze.

“But those that do can repeatedly paralyze successive hosts,” Gregson said.

The Rocky Mountain wood tick doesn’t carry Rocky Mountain spotted fever in B.C., but in Alberta and the U.S, it does.

The coast tick, which is very different to the Interior tick, feeds on mice and lizards in its early stage and can carry Lyme disease. Its longer mouth parts are quite difficult to remove. Moreover, it seems that around Shumway and Napier lakes between Kamloops and Merritt, a new sub-species is evolving.

The earliest tick Gregson ever recorded was on Jan. 4.

Trick, most often found on rocky hillsides with southern exposures, are usually active only in spring.

Gregson correlated their cycle to the blooming of native plants.

“Ticks become active when buttercups come out, peak when Saskatoons flower and are finished by the time chokecherries bloom,” he said.

Males emerge a few days earlier than females. Only females cause paralysis.

They have to feed for four days before they become dangerous and, after mating, they are benign — unable to cause paralysis.

Gregson’s work at the lab was ground-breaking.

“Not many people were studying ticks,” he said of his

time there.

In fact, there were only about 50 people, dispersed worldwide.

They corresponded, exchanged papers and met at international congresses in Seattle, Vienna, Nairobi, Geneva and Nottingham.

Tick research had its unexpected difficulties.

First, of course, they had to catch their ticks. This meant traveling to good collecting sites and sweeping the vegetation with flannelette sheets. (There was a suggestion that also wearing long flannel nightgowns would hasten collection.)

During the Second World War, citizens were alert for strange events.

Police received a report of suspicious activity around Stump Lake, which turned out to be just the fellows from the research lab gathering ticks.

“They thought we were signalling with white flags,” Gregson recounted.

Keeping specimens separated and correctly labeled is essential.

Gregson often took his children along on tick outings. After one particularly successful day, he noticed how quiet they were in the car going home.

Only in the driveway did he discover that daughter Sally, in the back seat, had patiently pulled the plugs out of all the collecting vials.

Gregson’s wife, Barbara, worried about getting ticks

off the kids and out of the car. Gregson’s chagrined reaction was that all the collecting had to be done again.

Kerosene had been the chemical compound used against ticks. When veterinary systemic insecticides were introduced, they were tested at the Kamloops lab under Jack’s direction. Those tests, widely recognized, added to the reputation of both the lab and Gregson himself.

Emphasis was shifting from a search for an antidote, to tick toxin, to preventive methods. Some programs were taken over by other research stations, while others were phased out.

The Mission Flats lab in Kamloops closed in 1971.

During his career, Gregson was invited to address the World Health Organization. He spoke in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Austria and Switzerland to other councils investigating arthropod-transmitted diseases.

He was the U.S. Navy Medical Unit’s consultant on parasitic problems in the Middle East. Scientists from Australia and Egypt visited Gregson at the lab in Kamloops and he travelled to Cairo to advise on methods for tick research there.

Upon his retirement, colleagues in universities and medical centres, from

Alma Ata in Mongolia to Israel to Russia to South Africa to Australia to the U.S. praised his innovative work on tick taxonomy, ecology and disease vector capacity.

Even after retirement, Jack continued to work on the problem of Lyme disease.

He was named a Freeman of the City of Kamloops for his many contributions to his community, including co- founding the Garden, Naturalist and Outdoor clubs.

The Jack Gregson Trail connects the east end of Lorne Street with Valleyview.

Gregson was also a skilled amateur artist who, in the 1940s, painted alongside A.Y. Jackson of Canada’s famed Group of Seven. In 1942, Gregson’s painting, Revelation Pass, was judged second-best in show at the Vancouver Art Gallery.

In 2004, at the age of 93, Gregson presented his first solo exhibit in the Kamloops Art Gallery.

Mission Flats Road, painted in 1939, was his view of the road he travelled to the research lab for nearly 40 years. Who would have suspected the work being done at the end of that quiet, one-lane country road would establish Jack Gregson and the Kamloops Mission Flats Veterinary and Medical Insect Laboratory in scientific circles around the world?

18 | MAY 2020

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SCHOOL ZONES ARE IN EFFECT Mondays–Fridays 8:00 am–5:00 pm

Church Directory

UNITED CHURCHES OF CANADA Kamloops United Church

www.kamloopsunited.ca 421 St. Paul St. • Sundays 10 am Rev. Dr. Michael Caveney

Mt. Paul United Church

www.mtpauluc.ca 140 Laburnum St. • Sundays 10 am

Plura Hills United Church

www.plurahillsunited.com 2090 Pacific Way • Sundays 10 am

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Fiction For You: RIVER REFLECTIONS REFLECTIONS RIVER Fiction For You:

By Rita Joan Dozlaw

F

rom her art studio where the walls were papered with her stunning paintings, Becky bounded across the alfalfa field to my place, knowing the coffee was on.

Oftentimes, that motorcycle mama was accompanied by her ambitious husband, Kinney — if he wasn’t on his ridey-toys maintaining his alfalfa/hay fields, mowing, harvesting and baling several-hundred quality hay bales a year for livestock.

He did rest, sometimes, in his man-shop complete with looms, where he explored his creativity and artistically wove very fine tapestries and rugs.

Our acreages overlooked the beautiful South Thompson River. Breezes off the water invited us to check the river out from each other’s docks and, when the weather permitted, my husband, Jake, and I visited Becky and Kinney outside in their quaint gazebo.

We often had our coffee breaks on their sun decks, inside at their dining room table or at our kitchen counter.

We were all ears to each other’s tales of travelling the world in boats, planes and automobiles. We also shared stories of our motorcycle adventures and endurance rides.

Becky’s hobby was painting and mine was writing. We shared our passion for the arts and encouraged one another to step out of our comfort zones and into new ventures. I was enthralled with her talent. As a teacher, she held art classes, while I, as a secretary, composed business letters and reports. In a way, we continued doing what we loved — painting and writing. Becky’s scenes in acrylics on canvas drew me in and, sometimes, my poetry and short stories reflected visions I picked up from her work. She and I collected photos and magazine pictures for ideas and inspiration.

I loved hanging out in our “guest house/writing studio,” killing time softly with music. Beyond the courtyard, the chalet with its beautiful Steiner/Gothic

arch structure housed my digital piano. I played it, pathetically in my fashion — by ear. Once, just before Becky arrived, I was poised and tense at the keys, trying to play a new piece without any music in front of me. My hubby heard me struggling and verbalized how awful it sounded.

In defence, I ranted, “I’m trying to play Morning Has Broken by ear. Give me a break!”

“Maybe you should try to play it with your fingers,” he suggested.

I laughed hilariously as I went to the door and greeted Becky. That was just one good laugh out of the thousands over the years while we were neighbours on Shuswap Road in Kamloops.

Walking the shores, partying on the South Thompson, paddling a little red rented rowboat and experiencing the exhilaration of tubing down the river, even if I chickened out, left our heart’s vessels full and overflowing, literally, with the best reflections ever.

We lived in a great location to identify water fowl and birds of the air and in our heaven-on-earth locale, as neighbours in full-of-colour conversation, we dramatically shaped our art forms and solidified our friendships.

One time, Becky favoured a depiction of a Renoir painting on the back covers of a Reader’s Digest. Girls on the Edge of the Water was originally painted in the early-20th century by Pierre Auguste Renoir, who was a French impressionist, and Becky decided to try her hand at reproducing it.

Working in her spacious

studio, she sketched the girls shown in the famous painting, with their backs to her. She swished her brush in the glass jar of water and dabbed at the puddle of brunette that she had mixed on her palette.

Deftly, she directed strands of dark wavy tresses to drape over the back of one girl’s cream-coloured frock.

And, with finesse, she filled in the white lace and ribbons of the girl’s broadbrimmed bonnet. Over the foreground of the canvas, she painted the calm greens of native grasses and reproduced the subtle aura of Renoir’s girls sitting on a bank overlooking a body of water.

I happened to visit Becky in her studio one afternoon several weeks after she’d begun the painting. I was impressed, to put it mildly.

“I want to buy that when it’s finished,” I announced.

Becky was modest and laughed it off.

In his painting, Renoir had dressed one of the girls in an irresistible peach chiffon gown. From Becky’s tubes of oils, she squeezed and blended just the right combination to match the peach. Satisfied with the gown, she cleaned her brushes and drew the soft bristles over a mixture of persimmon, sorbet and glints of gold. Her tool became a hairbrush and, with flair, it left streaks of strawberry-blonde hair over the sketchy shoulders of the girl in chiffon. The magic of Becky’s brush freed the curls allowing them to cascade from under the bonnet’s strawtextured brim.

She artfully splashed blue-greens and distant

misty shadows over the background of the portraiture. Her strokes, symbolic of energetic currents of the South Thompson River, cleverly captured the shoreline’s olive trees reflecting in the sun-speckled prisms.

As an artist and visionary, she saw the river flow close to the flowing hemline of the girl in the peasant gown. As well, she imagined crystal waves meeting the flavor of vanilla in the soft ruffles around the other girl’s ankles.

Such surreal daydreams appeared subtly over the painting, transforming Becky’s sensitivity to earthy colours into an ethereal vision on canvas.

During the months she worked on her interpretation of Renoir’s girls, Jake and I relocated to the city. Autumn and winter came and went.

Spring bulbs rose from their beds near the banks of the river as Becky’s canvas bloomed with images reminiscent of the past On a bright afternoon in April 2006, a knock sounded at my door.

“Happy birthday!” Becky sang.

Holding a gift out to me as we hugged, she blurted, “I finally finished this for you!”

Before our visit was over, I hammered a nail into the dining room wall and hung my delightful gift, River Reflections, a.k.a Girls on the Edge of the Water, where all could see.

Becky’s painting, childlike in style as Renoir’s original, has followed me into my octogenarian decade and continues to punctuate the indelible memories of kindred spirits.

MAY 2020 | 19

www.connectornews.ca

BOOK REVIEW By Marilyn Brown Ask Again, Yes Mary Beth Keane

Scribner publishers, novel, 2019, 390 pages

F

rancis Gleeson, recently arrived from Ireland, is taken aback by the brashness of Americans, who, it seems to him, are comfortable asking strangers personal questions and at ease in commenting on his actions, like the cashier’s “Big night” remark when he grabbed beer, a few potatoes and deodorant at the supermarket.

He is ambitious, joins the New York Police Department and is paired with another rookie, Brian Stanhope. Together they adjust to each other and the job as they patrol the Bronx.

Brian carefully removes from the inside rim of his police hat a photo of a pretty blonde young woman, his fiancée, Anne.

Francis and his fiancé, Lena, follow a parallel path: marriage, house, kids.

Coincidentally, the families end up as neighbours in a suburb outside of the big city.

Kate is the daughter of Francis and Lena; Peter is the son of Brian and Anne.

The two children become fast friends, then as teens the relationship matures.

However, a shocking act of brutality by one close to them abruptly changes the direction of the growing romance and shatters the connection between neighbours. Kate’s dad, Francis, is one of the victims of the violence.

The story centres around Kate, whose closeness to her father is not surprising.

They are both “take charge” people, protective of others, neither prone to dramatics, thoughtful and capable.

It is therefore hard for Kate when she and Peter reconnect years later and the spark between them is still there. How will her father react? Kate’s father is “the strong, silent type,” tending to his wife, Lena, who is surviving cancer, and is prepared to shelter his daughter from life’s blows.

But giving his blessing to Kate and Peter is more than he can bear.

When Kate and Peter follow their hearts, will their bond be enough, will Kate’s determination and

passion for her family be enough, to support Peter as he struggles with his own demons, and to manage serious problems within the two families: mental illness, alcoholism, and infidelity?

Ask Again, Yes mesmerizes the reader, the characters drawn with such skill and delicacy that we know these complex people, flaws and virtues both presented with clear-minded, convincing detail. We can’t help but feel their pain and sorrows and rejoice at their strengths and triumphs.

The character of Francis

Gleeson, for example, experiences what most fathers can relate to — the drive to protect one’s children (including adult children) in challenging situations.

The writing is powerful, rings true and leaves us pondering human resiliency.

Happy Father’s Day to all dads.

The author, Mary Beth Keane, was one of the recipients of the American National Book Foundation’s award for authors under the age of 35. She lives with her family in New York.

Don’t forget Dad this June June 21, 2020

While we slowly open up our world

Keep 2 metres apart from others when outside your home

ONE & TWO BEDROOM UNITS

• Apartment living for seniors • Beautiful gardens • Walking distance to North Shore shopping • One block from McArthur Island • Within the same for more information or complex as the to book an appointment North Shore Community Centre #307-730 Cottonwood Ave. & the Moose Lodge Kamloops, BC V2B 8M6 • Suites for purchase info@cottonwoodmanor.ca (life-lease) • SAFER (wait list)

Call 250-376-4777

www.cottonwoodmanor.ca

Salute to Seniors

Week

June 1-7, 2020 TODD

STONE

MLA Kamloops-South Thompson 446 Victoria Street Kamloops, BC V2C 2A7 todd.stone.mla@leg.bc.ca toddstonemla.ca 250-374-2880

Get Help. Give Help.

Call 211 or visit bc211.ca to help seniors in your community.

PETER

MILOBAR

MLA Kamloops-North Thompson 618B Tranquille Road Kamloops, BC V2B 3H6 peter.milobar.mla@leg.bc.ca petermilobarmla.ca 250-554-5413

20 | MAY 2020

www.connectornews.ca

Hearing loss symptoms The signs of hearing loss are more obvious than you think.

One in six adults 18 and older has hearing loss. Here are ways to tell if you or someone you love might have hearing loss.

COMMON SIGNS OF HEARING LOSS YOU FREQUENTLY ASK OTHERS TO REPEAT THEMSELVES

If you find yourself saying “what?” all the time, or you need to be looking at someone to hear what they’re saying (by also reading their lips), your hearing might be fading.

YOU HAVE DIFFICULTY HEARING WOMEN AND CHILDREN’S VOICES

High-frequency hearing loss is very common — so it’s to be expected that women and children’s voices would be tough to hear.

YOU FEEL LIKE OTHERS ARE MUMBLING

A classic complaint of people who have hearing loss is that others don’t speak clearly. If you find yourself thinking people When you can’t have a conversation because your are mumbling and hard to understand, TV is too loud, it’s time to get a hearing test. that may be a symptom of hearing loss.

YOU TURN THE TV TO A VOLUME OTHERS FIND LOUD

YOU HAVE TROUBLE UNDERSTANDING CONVERSATIONS IN NOISY PLACES This is one of the first challenges people with hearing loss encounter: tracking what someone else is saying in a noisefilled place like a restaurant.

YOU HAVE TROUBLE HEARING ON THE PHONE

If you have trouble occasionally, that is OK. If you constantly feel like you cannot hear on the phone, whether you’re using a landline or mobile phone, this may be a symptom of hearing loss.

YOU AVOID SOCIAL SITUATIONS THAT WERE ONCE ENJOYABLE

People who can’t engage easily, feel left out of conversations, or who have bad experiences trying to hear in public spaces often decide it’s easier to decline invitations and stay at home. It doesn’t have to be this way.

YOU HAVE RINGING IN YOUR EARS Ringing in your ears is often thought to be a symptom of hearing loss or damage to the auditory system — and hearing loss and tinnitus very often go hand in hand.

YOU ARE TOLD BY OTHERS THAT YOU HAVE HEARING LOSS

If more than one friend or family member questions your hearing acuity — in seriousness or jest — guess what? They could be onto something.

DUE TO COVID-19 WE CANNOT DO OFFICE APPOINTMENTS AT THIS TIME. During closure, we will mail out batteries. Please call and leave your mailing information.

414 Arrowstone Drive Kamloops, BC 250.372.3090 Toll Free 1.877.718.2211 Email: info@kamloopshearingaidcentre.ca or online at:

www.KamloopsHearingAidCentre.ca Find us on facebook: /KamloopsHearingAidCentre