Kamloops Connector December 2021

December 2021

VOL. 30, NO. 8, DECEMBER 2021 POWERED BY KAMLOOPS THIS WEEK | A PROUD PART OF ABERDEEN PUBLISHING

Welcome to The Stir: Kamloops New Food Hub Page 2

Building our own wellness plan Page 11

Show what you got at the Kamloops Arts Council!

Page 15

Ring in the Festive Season at Christmas with the KSO Page 16

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Make Room at the Inn Page 21

Kamloops Brandenburg Orchestra performs “A Christmas Concerto” “We are all extremely excited and enthusiastic to perform some of the most wonderful 18th century Baroque Christmas music for string orchestra, written by the great Italian violinists and composers including Corelli, r 5, 2021 Torelli, Manfredini, Albinoni, Vivaldi, Sunday, Decembe 2:00 pm Locatelli, and Tartini. At this concert athedral C an lic ng several members of the Kamloops A s ’ ul Pa St. , Kamloops et re St Brandenburg Orchestra will be a ol ic N 0 36 featured as soloists.

5 $1 : nts de Stu Tickets: $25 e The performance of the famous Fre : 12 r Children unde and beautiful Adagio attributed KBO.eventbrite.ca Limited Seating to Albinoni will be dedicated to . BCCDC or if space available . do Tickets at the the memory of our colleague and applied be ll wi les ru 19 COVIDassociate guest conductor of the orchestra, Donald Bennett, who passed away in August 2020.

We would like to welcome our live audience at Submitted by Vickie Groves, Secretary, KBO our first concert after more than a year long break ollowing an unexpected hiatus caused by on Sunday December 5, 2021, 2:00 PM at St. Paul’s the pandemic, the Kamloops Brandenburg Anglican Cathedral in Kamloops.”

Orchestra is once again performing for a live Tickets are $25, students $15 each, and under 12 audience for the first time since December 2019. can attend free of charge. Tickets may be purchased About the concert, music director Cvetozar Vutev in advance through http://KBO.eventbrite.ca or at the says: door on the day of the concert.

burg Orchestra Kamloops Branden ts presen

A Christmas Concerto

Mrs. Bowman recently submitted this frosted leaf composition to the Kamloops This Week photo contest.

We are on the cusp of full blown winter weather, but given all of our recent weather challenges, hopefully the worst is behind us. Keep warm and dry this holiday season!

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2 DECEMBER 2021

Welcome to The Stir: Kamloops New Food Hub

By Kent Fawcett, Kamloops Food Policy Council Food Hub Coordinator

W

hen I first started my food processing company, Local Pulse, in Kamloops in 2018, I immediately struggled with the lack of commercial kitchens available to rent and the lack of business mentorship that focused on the unique needs of food entrepreneurs.

I was able to rent a local church kitchen to start out, but the growth of my business was limited. I had to bring my ingredients, equipment and final product back and forth each time and store everything at home. These conditions were fine for selling at the farmers market, but would not permit me to sell in retail or online. Starting my own facility was too much risk

to take on at such an early stage in my business journey, I needed some kind of inbetween option.

The Kamloops Food Policy Council approached me in 2019 to participate in their Food Hub Pilot Project. I received group and one-onone food-focused business coaching in a cohort of local food entrepreneurs that were at a similar stage in their business development as me.

By the end of the 3-month course, I had a network of like-minded business owners to rely on and had gotten my products on the shelves of my first retail stores in Kamloops! I instantly knew that a food hub was what our community needed to support our small-scale food businesses and encourage more to start.

Food hubs can take on different models in different places. The core goal is to provide shareduse facilities for food and beverage processing, storage and distribution as well as services and resources to support business development and growth.

In spring of 2021, the Kamloops Food Policy Council was one of 12 BC communities to be awarded $800,000 by the BC Ministry of Agriculture to expand our Kamloops Food Hub

and build our own shared processing facility as part of the BC Food Hub Network.

It was a no-brainer for me to apply for the Food Hub Coordinator position to help the cause.

The Kamloops Food Hub project is unique in that our decentralized food hub network is more than just a building. In our first phase we helped fund the new Gardengate Training Centre with a state-of-theart commercial kitchen to be shared between food hub members and Gardengate’s horticultural therapy program, as well as the Kweseltken Kitchen, a mobile food processing trailer that services rural indigenous communities.

Our next phase of the project is the implementation of our own food processing and innovation centre, called The Stir. We leased a 4,500 square foot building on Kamloops’ North Shore at 185 Royal Avenue and hired Acres Enterprises, who built the Gardengate Training Centre, to take on the renovations.

Using our market research from our pilot project, we determined that the demand was highest in our region for canning and dehydration equipment. The Stir kitchen will focus on these food

Seasonal Recipe:

Pepper Pico MIX TOGETHER: • 2 red bell peppers, diced • 1 medium onion, diced • Juice of 1 lime • Salt and pepper to taste Source: Kent Fawcett

Enjoy like pico de gallo or fresh salsa on tortilla chips or tacos. You can also add diced jalapeno chili pepper if you’re feeling loco!

preservation methods and house a 40 gallon steam kettle, semi-automatic filling line and commercial dehydrators with over 170 square feet of drying space.

This gluten-free, HACCPeligible facility will be ideal for processors making sauces, pickles, jams, jellies, jerky, dried fruit and dried vegetable products. A smallscale sauce producer will be able to scale-up their business from a few dozen jars per day to over 1000 jars per day, giving them more time to work on their business, rather than in it. Also available for Food Hub Members at The Stir will be a convection oven, tilting skillet, walk-in cooler, dry storage and warehouse storage.

Located right off the bustling Tranquille Market

Corridor, The Stir will provide a consumer retail experience in our “Stirfront”.

The community will be able to purchase locally made food products, pick up CSA boxes and meat orders from local farms, peruse our organic seed library and participate in workshops.

Out back, our riverfront parking lot will be home to outdoor food truck dining and live events to help bring our community together over the sharing of good food.

Our Gardengate kitchen is currently available to rent and The Stir will be opening in January, 2022. If you are interested in becoming a Food Hub Member, please contact me at: foodhub@ kamloopsfoodpolicycouncil. com or call 778.870.9867.

185 Royal Ave, future home of The Stir

DECEMBER 2021 3

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I‘ll have a blue Christmas

kamloops birdwatch NAOMI BIRKENHEAD

T

hough deep and robust, the vocal calls of the Great Blue Heron hardly ring out as a sultry tune across the frosted blades of grass rimming the glistening frozen ponds the heron hunts. While the slow, majestic form of this large avian glides through only during the warm, summer breeding months in other provinces, BC’s west coast winter wonderland remains decked out with their statuesque forms.

Herons often conserve heat by folding up into what looks like an alien cocoon attached to a single spindly branch. The natural biology of bird feathers help to protect them from the chilling effects of the many microscope ice crystals swirling about to create our frozen season. Oils create a waterproofing barrier that aid in preventing the build

up of moisture, while tucking up one lanky leg at a time reduces heat loss by half. You may witness this behaviour in open fields or in a more peculiar place, the tops of trees.

Though usually seen as a “solitudinarian,” large groups often come together forming a Rookery for nesting and rearing of offspring.

These colonies can range from a few breeding pairs to a hundred. Both sexes will swap parenting duties and the Rook will often collaborate as a unit when it comes to preparing the young for fledging and life beyond the siege. One of the most amazing moments I witnessed, was flying lessons.

All the adults or mature fowl formed a massive circle in the sky above the nesting site with all the young floundering about in the centre. Now, Great Blue Herons have a wingspan of about 5-6.6 feet, so just imagine the currents they could generate!

Moving completely in sync, in one direction, they seemed to call out instructions to which the younger birds would then react. I watched as they would bob up or down or cause the young to spiral or knock them off course.

The heartwarming

beauty of this commotion and spectacle is an impactful memory I often replay when I am struggling on my own path in life and feeling disconnected or unsupported, or when I hear or read about fractures or divisions creating strife within a community, business or family. I remember watching how one bird may react differently to the winds generated than another, but the outcome was the same.

They all learned to navigate the types of turbulence and gained confidence to face the challenges nature will undoubtedly provide them.

Birds really are amazingly resilient and plucky creatures and no matter the conditions or struggles they are facing, they seem to always find a way to keep on singing!

I wish everyone the most joyous of Holidays seasons and even though we may not all fly or react the same to the currents and updrafts of life our goal is still the same, and a kind word of encouragement and love is a gift that can be unwrapped and appreciated for a life time.

Stay Curious Kamloops!

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At the time of writing, our province is literally broken. An “atmospheric river” paid an unwelcome visit much like the “heat dome” of the summer—this time wreaking havoc on our highways and in many nearby communities.

I hope that by the time this publication goes to press, some of the disaster areas My two cents have been tidied up and life Moneca Jantzen can return to normal in some Editor respects. Those that have been directly affected by the flooding and mudslides deserve all the compassion and help we can muster as a community and province. The devastation is again hard to fathom. I will be surprised if we aren’t all collectively headed towards a PTSD diagnosis after the last couple of years as we leap frog from one disaster to the next all the while trying to fend off our newfound but unwanted companion—COVID-19 and his variants.

Despite being tested in so many ways, especially this year, I hope everyone can find their way to joy during the upcoming Christmas season.

I had already planned a minimalist celebration this year for a variety of reasons. It has been my modus operandi for a number of years—easy to accomplish when there are no little ones to impress. For starters, I don’t really need much. Secondly, my budget is being focused on something else at the moment and doesn’t leave a ton of disposable income.

On top of these considerations, we have the ongoing problem of climate change. Mass consumption of things we don’t need really does need to stop. I’d prefer to be part of the solution, not part of the problem but it certainly requires some discipline in our consumer culture.

The fact that we are experiencing supply chain issues since COVID, now further aggravated by recent highway closures, factors vaguely into my decision to cut back on Christmas. Add to this, the mentality of people panicbuying and clearing off grocery store shelves the day after the flooding just sealed the deal for me. Quite confident that I would do very poorly in a Mad Max kind of world, I will avoid the stores until this insanity subsides if at all possible. Just like last year, when everyone thought toilet paper was precious, I will refuse to join the lemmings and the fight over the last kumquat in the grocery store.

I have to say that I was rather disappointed to see the madding crowd behave this way and I can’t help but feel bad for the retail workers that have to try to cater to this craziness and the shoppers in genuine need of a few items.

I can only imagine how this will extend to other goods as people worry about having items to put under the tree.

Let’s hope the supply chains recover and that people adapt positively to the situation as it evolves.

Whether you were one of the intrepid shoppers; one of the poor souls that has been forced from your home because of the flooding; a trucker and got stuck waiting for hours because you were cut off from your destination; an exhausted retail worker; a member of the cleanup crew; or good gracious, a healthcare worker and have been going full tilt for so many months; whoever you are — I want to wish you all a holiday season full of gratitude, kindness, good health, civility and warmth.

I think we all deserve a happy Christmas on whatever speed we can handle. I’m aiming for quiet and relatively uneventful. How about you?

Merry Christmas dear readers!

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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 Publisher Bob Doull General Manager Liz Spivey (778) 471-7537 publisher@connectornews.ca Editor: Moneca Jantzen editor@connectornews.ca Graphic Designer: Dayana Rescigno 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 Wednesday 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.

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Articles, group and event listings will run in the newspaper as time and space permit.

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Kamloops Connector recommends prudent consumer discretion.

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WCT celebrates the return of live theatre with Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen Tracey Power’s nationally acclaimed musical blends theatre, music, and dance in an inventive and emotional reimagining of Leonard Cohen’s transcendent music, lyrics, and poetry.

K

AMLOOPS, BC – This December, Western Canada Theatre (WCT) transports audiences to New York’s infamous Chelsea Hotel with the powerful and poetic music of Leonard Cohen.

Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen, on stage at the Sagebrush Theatre from Dec 2 to 11, 2021, opens WCT’s 2021/22 Heart Series with an enchanting, eclectic cabaret of love won, lost, and found again.

“Leonard Cohen’s songs have been covered by countless artists across all genres for decades, and we are thrilled to be offering this fresh, new interpretation of his music,” says James MacDonald, WCT Artistic Director. “Through the work of an immensely talented team of versatile creators and dazzling

performers, Chelsea Hotel pays tribute to Cohen’s genius with beautiful new musical arrangements and a dramatic, playful reinterpretation of his poetic storytelling.”

Haunted by memories of his tumultuous love life, a writer checks in to New York’s infamous Chelsea Hotel, desperate to find the words and inspiration for his next song. Featuring favourites from Leonard Cohen’s iconic songbook— Dance Me to the End of Love, Everybody Knows, I’m Your Man, Famous Blue Raincoat, Hallelujah, Closing Time, Suzanne, and more— the audience is taken on a musical journey through the virtuosic performances of six artists playing seventeen different instruments.

Bringing the show to life on stage are original Chelsea

Hotel cast members Adrian Glynn McMorran, Steve Charles, Tracey Power, and Marlene Ginader, joined

by Juno nominee Michelle Bouey, and seasoned BC musician Jack Garton of Demon Squadron.

Chelsea Hotel marks the return of several WCT audience favourites and regular collaborators.

Creator, Director, Performer, and Kamloops local Tracey Power is no stranger to WCT audiences, having worked on previous hit shows such as ELF: The Musical (Director/Choreographer), GLORY (Playwright/ Choreographer), as well as acting in Les Misérables and UBUNTU (The Cape Town Project). The work of Steve Charles, returning here as Music Director, Arranger, and Performer,

has previously been heard in GLORY, Empire of the Son, and Hey Viola. Drew Facey’s gorgeous set designs have wowed us in several past productions, including ELF: The Musical. Acclaimed Lighting Designer John Webber has illuminated the Sagebrush stage many times, including past holiday favourite, The Sound of Music. Additionally, WCT’s very own Artistic Director, James MacDonald, joins the creative team as Associate Director; previous longtime Head of Wardrobe and Resident Designer, Marian Truscott, brings the costume design to life as Associate Costume Designer; and frequent WCT Stage Manager, Madison Henry, returns as Assistant Stage Manager.

Rounding out this incredibly talented creative team, and

making their Kamloops debut, are Sound Designer Xavier Berbudeau, Associate Set and Props Designer/Scenic Painter Tegan Klancnik, and Stage Manager/Associate Choreographer Tanya Schwaerzle.

Since the award-winning Chelsea Hotel premiered at the Firehall Arts Centre in Vancouver in 2012, it has played across Canada to sold-out audiences. The Georgia Straight has praised it as “a knockout” and The Globe and Mail recognized it for its “overwhelming inventiveness” and “ingenious creativity.”

After the local production faced postponement due to COVID-19 shut-downs in March 2020, the cast of Chelsea Hotel treated Kamloops, and beyond, to a virtual concert performed

live from the Riverland Inn—resulting in one of the most watched theatrical livestreams in Canada last year. The cast went home, the theatre went dark, and the set stood waiting in WCT’s scene shop, until this very moment. Now, after nearly two years, the company of Chelsea Hotel: The Songs of Leonard Cohen makes a triumphant return to the stage with a brandnew production, created just for Kamloops.

Provocative, mysterious, and daring, Chelsea Hotel is the perfect holiday outing for friends and lovers looking to heat up chilly December nights.

For tickets and further information, visit wctlive.ca/chelseahotel.

Seasons Greetings Submitted by Penny Ouchi

G

reetings everyone from Seniors’ Community Centre at Desert Gardens and WOW is all we can really say – who ever thought we would be kept apart for nearly two years.

Unbelievable!

We would like to thank everyone from the bottom of our hearts for their patience, understanding, resilience and endurance.

Adaptation has become such a huge part of our lives – along with masks, sanitization and distancing.

We truly miss everyone and can see on the horizon the possibility of getting together soon for reconnection and fun.

To all our residents, tenants, volunteers, supportive groups and friends we cannot thank you enough for waiting out this storm with us.

As everyone is so precious to us, the thought of just one person

potentially contracting COVID in our centre because of opening too soon is unfathomable.

With our centre serving such a large area and folks who are most vulnerable, every precaution is being taken to keep everyone safe and healthy.

Taking charge and creating a new way of life for so long has been commendable and assisted in keeping everyone in your home, bubble and community safe. It has not been easy, but you have all shown your strength.

We have kept in close contact with the Provincial, Interior Health and Worksafe BC folks and taken our guidance from them. At no point did we want to re-open only to close again and jeopardize you folks in the process. Things seemingly change almost daily.

We hope to open up our calendar of events

come January 2022 and welcome everyone back into our Seniors’ Community Centre safely and, of course, with protocols in place.

Keep tuned folks for a new start soon.

We, the Board of Directors would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy Holiday Season and may 2022 bring Love, Joy, Special Memories, Friendship and Togetherness to all of you.

Happy Holidays Everyone!

ENTER TO WIN TWO TICKETS TO “THE WILDLIGHTS EVENT” AT THE WILDLIFE PARK Mail or drop off your entry to: Kamloops Connector, 1365B Dalhousie Dr., Kamloops, BC V2C 5P6 or email your details with “Wildlights Contest” to win@connectornews.ca. Random draw from entries submitted for the contest. One entry per household. Draw date: Friday, Dec. 3rd at 9:00 am.

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

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6 DECEMBER 2021 Font Size: 30 pt 3.5” x 2.5” | Maximum

Tips to protect your information this holiday season

Happy Holidays Chianne V Jones Financial Advisor

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

www.ed wa rd j o nes .ca MKT-5894C-C

financial focus CHIANNE V. JONES Financial Advisor

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SUPPORTING OUR COMMUNITY

ith the holiday season just around the corner, many retailers are vying for your business. But scam artists may also be trying to make a sale by stealing your money or profiting from your personal information. Check out these tips for busy holiday shoppers.

Online • Look for indicators that a retailer’s website is secure, such as a lock icon on the status bar or a web address beginning with https://.

• Use caution when shopping at a WiFi hot spot. If you’re on an unsecured network, other users can see what you see – and what you send.

• Know the seller before you buy.

Remember if a deal

Glover’s Medicine Centre Pharmacy offers a variety of health solutions. We’re an independent pharmacy, catering to the entire family. Our pharmacists play a unique role in providing personalized health care, we do much more than just fill prescriptions; we also provide health care and health advice to parents, children, and families on topics ranging from prenatal vitamins to maintaining a healthy weight to infant care. Located in Kamloops, you can find us right next door to a medical walk-in clinic.

looks too good to be true, it probably is.

• Don’t click on pop-up ads or links in unsolicited emails.

• Don’t provide personal information via email. Instead, call the business at a number you know to be correct to confirm the request.

• Consider checking your accounts online frequently so that you can spot potentially fraudulent activity more quickly.

• Create unique, hard-to-guess passwords for each of your online accounts and change them often.

• Make sure the virus scan detection software on your computer is current.

Out and about • Carry only essential IDs such as

your driver’s license and health card. Leave your Social Insurance Number (SIN) card in a safe place.

• Do not let private organizations make copies of your IDs unless there is a legitimate need and you know your information will be protected. The information on the copy is as valuable as the original document.

• During transactions, tap, insert or swipe your cards yourself. If you must hand over your debit/credit card, never lose sight of it.

• Don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket or in an open purse slung over your shoulder.

For a better understanding of the growing number

of scams targeting investors and their money, visit Fraud Awareness & Prevention, under Client Resources at edwardjones.ca.

If you believe your identity has been stolen, contact the following: • Your local police and file a report • The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre: Toll Free: (888) 495-8501 If you’ve been victimized by a scam involving your Edward Jones account, contact your Edward Jones advisor for further guidance.

Member Canadian Investor Protection Fund. Member – Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada.

Veterinary Medicine

Glover’s Medicine Centre fills prescriptions for animals too.We understand that your dog or cat is a big part of your family.

Seniors Healthy Living • Questions about your medications?

• Having trouble remembering to take your medications?

• Do you know what compounded medications are?

“Your prescriptions & compounding specialist”

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Give us a call or drop by our pharmacy and see for yourself how we may be able to help.

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DECEMBER 2021 7

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Holiday tech tips

THAT TECH GUY JEFFREY READE

H

olidays become more and more tech and gadget oriented with each passing year— a fact that has driven more parents mad than tickle me Elmo

ever did. The trap many fall into is going for the “latest and greatest.” This can be dangerous, and not just for the bank account and credit cards. Many devices can have what we in the industry call “zero day exploits.” These are vulnerabilities that either exist and haven’t been patched or cannot be patched due to hardware conflicts. Here are some tech tips to make your holidays a little less stressful.

Set a budget and stick to it. If you’re looking at laptops or tablets, chances are you won’t need a high end gaming system or the latest tablet. Usually you can find a decent

system on sale or even on clearance.

Don’t take the latest models too seriously.

Sales people love to show off the high end systems to intentionally trigger a fear of missing out mentality. We’ve been conditioned to compete with neighbours and friends. As long as the technology works for you then that’s the only thing that matters.

Sometimes upgrading parts of a computer is far more practical and cost effective than buying a whole new system.

Don’t stress about getting technology communicating with your other technology.

I know this is a key factor for many people. Getting new technology as a child is exciting. As you get older it seems to get more stressful. My suggestion to my clients is to wait until after the holiday insanity has subsided.

The holidays are stressful enough without worrying about technology too. Let guys like me worry about your technology. Enjoy the holidays with friends and family and try to take a lesson from the kids: enjoy the tech toys and know that you can’t push any buttons that can’t be un-pushed.

KAMLOOPS IN DECEMBER

EVENTS 2021

250-318-7977 jreade@gmail.com

Win a FREE Tech/Repair Consult ($60 Value)

Jeffrey Reade

That Tech Guy IT Services Mail or drop off your entry to: Kamloops Connector, 1365B Dalhousie Dr, Kamloops, BC, V2C 5P6 or email your details with “That Tech Guy Contest” to win@connectornews.ca.

Random draw from entries submitted for the contest.

One entry per household. Draw date: Friday, December 3rd at 9:00am. Prize must be accepted as awarded. Winners will be called to arrange pick up of their prize.

Name ..............................................................................................................

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DECEMBER & JANUARY

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WCT PRESENTS Chelsea Hotel at the Sagebrush

WILDLIGHTS at BC WIld LIfe Park

BC Wildlife Park. 9077 Dallas Dr, Kamloops, BC

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year TODD STONE

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

PETER MILOBAR

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8 DECEMBER 2021

Properly pack a car emergency kit A

fter home and work, the next most common place people spend their time is in their vehicles. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety says the average American spends 17,600 minutes driving each year. Statistics Canada indicates that most of the Canadian population averages 1.2 hours per day behind the wheel.

Recent flooding and mudslide disasters in our province are a perfect reminder of how important it is to be as ready as possible for an emergency situation. Drivers need to be prepared for breakdowns. Packing an emergency kit in the car can help people make the best of such

situations.

A car emergency kit can help drivers get back on the road promptly. Without such kits, drivers may be stranded for hours after a breakdown.

Emergency kits also come in handy during weather-related events that can sideline cars until roads become passable. Getting caught in a vehicle during a snowstorm and failing to have the proper gear can be a life-threatening scenario under extreme conditions.

It is always wise to plan for the worst and hope for the best.

Experts note that these key items should always be included in a car emergency kit.

• durable bags or

crates to store supplies • s mall fire extinguisher • jumper cables • r ain ponchos, reflective vest • plastic tarp • fl ashlights and extra batteries • bottled water • s mall cache of nonperishable foods • wrench and pliers • local maps • rags • duct tape • multipurpose tool • ice scraper • automotive fluids • blankets/warm clothing •A first-aid kit containing at the least, gauze, tape, bandages, antibiotic ointment, aspirin, non-latex gloves, scissors,

hydrocortisone, thermometer, tweezers, and instant cold compress • cat litter for slick roads • tire-changing equipment • a properly inflated spare tire • road flares or caution reflectors

• empty, refillable gas canister • cash for gas • An extra quart of motor oil • phone charger cable Being prepared can make a difference when vehicles are sidelined.

In addition to an emergency kit, cars and trucks should be regularly maintained to

prevent breakdowns.

This includes ensuring all fluids are at proper levels, filters are changed, batteries are in good working order, and tires are inflated correctly. Investing in a roadside assistance service also can help get drivers back on the road quickly.

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When two charitable foundations get together the result can be amazing

W

Give today. Grow tomorrow.

By Dale Bass, Kamloops City Councillor & retired journalist

hen the Stollery and B.C. Interior Community foundations partner, Kamloops becomes a better place. Just ask Tara Ettinger.

The executive director of Big Bear Child and Youth Advocacy Centre wanted a kid-friendly entranceway to its new offices on First Avenue.

It was essential, Ettinger said, because what brings them to those doors is trauma.

“You can see it when they come to the door,” Ettinger said. “They’re scared but then they come inside and see all the bears and they’re just kids again. They’re counting bears.”

The mandate of the Stollery Charitable Foundation is to help non-profits in Edmonton and Kamloops, cities where family members live. Through BCICF it has helped through the years the Kamloops Food Bank, New Life Community (now known as the Mustard Seed), the Kamloops branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association and Elizabeth Fry Society, and many others.

Ettinger said there was no hesitation when she approached them for some help with the renovations required to ensure the space where she and her team work was completely comfortable

for children and youth.

Big Bear provides the kind of service cities need, but it’s also some of the hardest work.

Often, children coming there are traumatized, conflicted, blaming themselves, afraid and unwilling to talk about what happened to them.

Just as partnerships created the environment, partnerships are the foundation of Big Bear. Ettinger works with the RCMP, the provincial Ministry of Children and Family Development, Secwepemc Family Services, Lii Michif Otipemisiwak Family and Community Services, Interior Health Authority and Heather Price, the Canada Research Chair for culture, communities, children and law.

In the past, children would be taken to the RCMP detachment and interviewed by an officer. At Big Bear, police go to the child in plainclothes, use just their first name and wait for the child to be comfortable to talk. That may mean just sitting and just talking about anything but the reason they have been brought together — but it removes the sense that, as a three-year-old once told her after having to go to the detachment, “they took me where bad people go.”

Social workers who in the past would have also interviewed the child can observe from a monitoring room, avoiding the need to keep repeating the story over and over.

Ettinger said she’s hopeful the Suspected Child Abuse and Neglect clinic at Royal Inland Hospital will soon move to Big Bear to eliminate that extra need to repeat the story — and ideally she would like to create a child- friendly courtroom so everything needed to help the child is in one place.

Since opening in May, hundreds have come through that lobby of bears, she said.

And, thanks to BCICF and Stollery, they find a place where they can still be kids!

While Big Bear Child and Youth Advocacy Centre is a new agency in Kamloops, it is based on an established and successful model providing a coordinated, multidisciplinary response for victims of child abuse. The Stollery Charitable Foundation awarded funding to help renovate Big Bear Child and Youth Advocacy Centre’s new space so that if feels safe and welcoming for the children and families that the agency and its partners serve.

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10 DECEMBER 2021

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ou have just completed your move. You spent months finding the right neighbourhood, arranging to buy or rent a new home and then packed up your old one and moved to the new one. There are a million and one things to organize – hook up power, internet and natural gas. Register the kids for school. Buy a dog tag from your new town office.

With all of the tasks that come with establishing yourself in a new location, what so

many people forget to do is switch over their drivers licence and insurance information to their new location.

This has to be done in the time allotted by the insurance company (ICBC in BC) which can have serious consequences if you fail to do so.

Whenever you change your address, even to a new neighbourhood or town within BC, you should make sure your vehicle licence, registration and insurance is up to date to maintain your coverage. This is due to the fact that different locations carry different risks of theft, collision patterns and road hazards.

If your licence or policy information isn’t up-to-date, you might not be covered if you have an accident and could be on the hook personally for the damages and ICBC has a collection department specifically for this purpose. The basic rule is that your drivers

licence and insurance policy must always show your current home address. You can easily change your address at any auto plan broker in BC. If you move to BC from another province, you have 90 days to exchange your existing licence to a BC licence.

However, you only have 30 days to register, licence and insure your vehicle after arriving in B.C. unless the vehicle is commercial, in which case it must be done immediately and has special rules for that.

When exchanging your drivers licence, you will need to prove your driving history which is done with a letter or driving abstract from the jurisdiction you moved from (if moving from within Canada) or an international driving permit and corresponding drivers licence (if moving from out of country). If the driver licence you are exchanging is your first licence ever issued then you just need to provide

that and if you obtained your first licence in BC and are now returning, they already have your driving experience information. You will receive up to 15 years credit for driving experience you had in any previous jurisdiction.

Interestingly, you do not have to provide your claims history to exchange your drivers licence. Your rates are only set based on the length of driving experience.

Remember that ICBC requires any documents not in English to be translated by an ICBC approved translator at an additional cost – this includes licences from Quebec.

Because of the serious consequences, it is prudent if you’re temporarily relocating to study or work (or any other reason) to contact ICBC to be sure you don’t need to exchange your licence or change your vehicle insurance.

Zone 8, 55+ BC Games Survives 2020, Anticipating 2022 Submitted by Linda Haas

A

lthough we did not get to enjoy the usual physical and social activities associated with the leadup to and participation in the 55+ BC Games in 2021, Zone 8 kept in touch virtually, while various members continued to perform executive and Board duties. People must be starting to get interested in the Victoria Games in September, 2022, as we have filled several vacancies on

the Board of Directors.

But we are still short sport coordinators in Badminton, Horseshoes, Whist and Bocce. Please let Peter Hughes 778471-1805 or zone8pres @55plusbcgames.org know as soon as possible so that you, too, can be a star in Zone 8.

We wish all those 55+, and those who wait impatiently to be 55 so they, too, can take part in the exciting 55+ BC Games, a happy and safe holiday season. Looking

forward to seeing you next year, in March, at our first live General meeting in two years.

There will be more information upcoming about membership, participation in the 2022 Games, and about the Canada 55+ Games being held for the first time in British Columbia, right here in Kamloops. Keep reading The Connector which helps us keep you on track and in the swim of Zone 8 activities.

In the meantime, love to all and to all a healthy end to this challenging year.

THE FOUR STAGES OF LIFE: 1) You believe in Santa Claus.

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May you keep on smiling!

DECEMBER 2021 11

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U

Building our own Hair Clips salon Professional Hair Care & Styling for Adults wellness plan

ntil I was 50 years old, I was unhealthy, overweight and stressed.

I was stuck.

And on the outside, by society’s standards, I was a success. A great career as a COO, a wonderful family, multiple homes, vacations, great friends and charitable endeavors.

So why was it so hard for me to achieve my health and wellness goals?

I was sick of all the “solutions” I was being offered. Get to the gym, try this diet.

They just left me more frustrated and more stressed than before I started.

I would make excuses I didn’t have time.

I didn’t have the willpower.

I wasn’t strong enough.

And I was a slave to my cravings..

Sound familiar?

Well, that all changed for me when I met my business partner Adam and learned some

powerful realities about being a human on this earth.

You see my partner Adam had gone through a different but very similar experience some 15 years earlier.

When he hit his “bottom” he was prediabetic, overweight, on multiple medications and addicted to junk food and candy. When his doctor told him he was pre-diabetic it was a cold slap in the face.

You see Adam was just 26!

Adam taught me two key points The health and fitness industries didn’t really prioritize our health and wellness, they prioritized the bottom line.

While there are many things we are sold that are “good for us,” there is no magic pill. Yoga or a diet won’t make us healthy if we aren’t taking care of all the other key aspects of our natural way of being healthy.

You see, like any other animal, we evolved to be fit and healthy in

sync with nature in all key areas of wellness.

Our breath, sleep, nutrition, movement, environment and human connection.

Sounds obvious right?

So why is it so hard to stick with lifestyle practices that we know are good for us?

It’s because of two key obstacles.

Our revved up nervous systems pushes us to our cravings and our negative self talk keeps us stuck.

When we remove these obstacles, creating our own healthy lifestyle that fits our unique life becomes way easier than you can imagine.

Stay tuned over the next few months as we explore the two key practices that you can do to remove these obstacles and how you can build your own wellness plan, for life!

Stay tuned!

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12 DECEMBER 2021

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14 DECEMBER 2021

Winter Hibernation and Travel Tips T

By Gary Miller, Retired Service Advisor & Certified Automotive Specialist

his may be a little late in the season to bring up this subject but I did witness a neighbour mowing his grass yesterday for it’s final cut of the year. I put my lawn mower into hibernation two weeks ago after changing the oil, treating the fuel, cleaning the underside and removing the blade to sharpen it. I also took a few minutes to wash out the grass catcher bag to minimize any potential of fungus growth.

Fuel treatment consists primarily of topping up the tank with fresh fuel leaving enough space for the addition of some fuel system conditioner/cleaner and some fuel stabilizer. Start the engine and let it run for 5 minutes. Fuel turns into a gum or shellac if allowed to evaporate in the carburetor which can result in a hard or no start next spring. By running the engine, the fuel treatment can go to work protecting the fuel system so there are no hidden surprises.

After sharpening the blade it is a good idea to spray the fresh edges with penetrating oil to decrease any

rust potential. When doing the yearly oil change I recommend to use an air cooled 4 stroke lawnmower/motorcycle oil. It doesn’t have to be synthetic as much as the oil change has to occur. I will say the same thing for other garden implements that are finished for the season. Wash them up, clean them out and give them a little thank you pat on the tank, cover up or store in the shed.

Just a couple of notes that were brought to my attention have been the concern over higher fuel consumption and the necessity of winter wiper blades.

Winter brings out a plethora of economy and driveability concerns that aren’t there in the warmer temperatures so to help clarify or explain the situation here are a few facts: You will lose 25-35 percent of your fuel economy because of cold air. Your engine will run much richer when cold until it heats up which takes a while, especially at minus 10 and more. Your heater is on which takes heat energy from the engine to provide that blast of interior warm air. Your heavier lug pattern winter tires have a much higher

rolling resistance which requires more fuel to move the vehicle at required speeds. Cold air is denser which also takes more fuel energy to move through it. Race car drivers discovered they could get 6-9 more miles per hour top speed with a polished vehicle. With just these few factors there can be a notable difference in consumption that can greatly affect how often you fill up but, also saving the best to the last. The biggest factor is the fuel itself.

Winter fuel is a lighter fuel that evaporates more quickly than the heavier summer gas. Because gas as a liquid does not have very explosive powers, it has to evaporate or vaporize inside the engine, be converted into a gaseous state then gets mixed with oxygen, is compressed 10 times then ignited. The energy from the internal combustion is harnessed and used to turn the wheels and away we go. Since the winter fuel is lighter and mixed with ethanol it will more readily fire up the engine because it ignites easier but, you need more of it. Summer fuel is heavier, has more energy but is harder

to ignite or start when it is cold because it is considerably slower to evaporate.

The good part of the heavier fuel is that it requires less fuel volume to get the same transportation results but that only works well in warmer temperatures hence better economy. Fuel is blended anywhere from 10 to 20 times a year by the fuel companies to match the seasons’ temporal conditions so you don’t end up running summer fuel in winter and vice versa.

As for winter wiper blades, you may have noticed after this very hot season we experienced, your summer blades are brittle and dry or they just plain don’t work well. Time for new winter ones, which are heavier in construction, to help clear snow off the windshield. Combined with the use of winter windshield antifreeze and a few moments running for the front glass to warm up you won’t have to drive blindly during the cold travels.

Stay COVID-19 smart. Any concerns or questions don’t hesitate to contact me at bigsix8280@yahoo.ca.

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Show what you got at the Kamloops Arts Council How exhibitions come alive at the Kamloops Arts Council and how you can get involved

By Elizabeth Nygren

F

or many many years, Kamloops has always had a flourishing arts community, with multiple art galleries, theatres and support programs in and around the city. If you didn’t know, the Kamloops Arts Council is one of, if not the largest supporter of artists in the Kamloops area.

The Kamloops Arts Council has over 600 members who are made up of artists from all different disciplines and arts supporters who subscribe each year to watch the city and the artists within it thrive.

There are many perks to being a member of the Kamloops Arts Council, including exhibitions at the Kamloops Arts Council, discounts for workshops, entry fees and more, as well

as plenty of exposure through events and advertising by the KAC. Twyla-Lea Jensen is a member of the KAC and is an artist in her own right.

Jensen’s artwork consists of copper and silver jewelry making, alcohol ink painting and working with resin. Jensen recently held an exhibition at the Kamloops Arts Council at the beginning of August this year and showcased many of her alcohol ink with resin paintings. She also has a piece at the Kamloops Airport with help from the KAC’s Art in Public Spaces program.

When asked about how the process of doing an exhibition works, Jensen said “When they have openings, you submit your work and they give you a

slot.” Easily enough, members interested in hosting a gallery at the Kamloops Arts Council can fill out the exhibition request form on the KAC’s website and when a space is available for them, they come on in and set up their exhibition.

Jensen felt very pleased and proud of her exhibition at the KAC. “It was awesome,” she said, “I felt honoured.” For Jensen, the exhibition was an opportunity for her to get some exposure rather than keeping her work in her home.

“It’s a pretty easy process.

The hardest part is hanging the work yourself,” Jensen said.

Normally the KAC would also host an opening gala for each exhibition, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those

are on pause at the moment.

Jensen’s advice to those interested in having their own exhibition would be to have a variety of works to showcase without overcrowding and nice hangers for their artwork.

Jensen recently just moved back to Kamloops and believes it’s worth it to become a member. Her favourite thing about the KAC is the SMALL//works exhibition as “it’s really cool that anyone with any level of artistry can apply to be a part of that.”

Anyone can become a member of the Kamloops Arts Council just by signing up on their website. Prices range from $10 for a Student Supporter membership per year to $150 for a Corporate membership per year. There

are also hardship memberships available for those who would like to become a member, regardless of their income.

Visit kamloopsarts.ca for more information.

Twyla Jensen - Dragon’s Lair

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16 DECEMBER 2021

Ring in the Festive Season at Christmas with the KSO T he Kamloops Symphony is presenting Christmas with the KSO, their annual celebration of the festive season, on Saturday, December 11 in the Oasis Church. There are two performance times: 2:00 pm and 7:30 pm. The concert features a sparkling programme filled with music to delight the whole family. Joining the KSO on stage is dazzling local soprano Rachel Casponi and guest conductor Cosette Justo Valdés, as well as the jubilant return of the KSO Chorus.

Guest soprano Rachel Casponi is a performer, director and educator holding a Bachelor of Arts in Music and Drama from University of Windsor and a Master of Music from the University of Western Ontario. She has worked across Canada including with BC’s North Peace

Community Choir that she led at their Carnegie Hall performance. A regular performer with the Chamber Musicians of Kamloops and director of local choirs, Rachel teaches for Kamloops-Thompson School District and Kamloops Music Collective.

Guest conductor Cosette Justo Valdés was born and raised in Cuba by amateur musicians who instilled their love of music in her.

At 18 she saw a symphony orchestra for the first time and immediately knew she wanted to be a conductor.

After graduating from the national Institute of the Arts in Cuba in 2009 she was appointed Music & Artistic Director of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Oriente in Santiago, Cuba’s second-most important orchestra. There she conducted premieres for some of Cuba’s best-known composers, and the Cuban

premiere of Domenico and can be purchased from Scarlatti’s La Dirindina, Kamloops Live! Box Office including designing the at 250-374-5483 or www. costumes, sets, superkamloopslive.ca. titles, and directing the Annual Christmas with overall artistic production. the KSO concert, taking In 2018 she earned her place in Oasis Church on Master’s Degree at the Saturday, December 11.

State University for Music Attached is a photo of guest & Performing Arts in soprano Rachel Casponi, Germany. She had the and a photo of guest opportunity to conduct conductor Cosette Justo many orchestral, choral, Valdés. and chamber ensembles throughout Europe while remaining Music Director of the OSO in Cuba. In January of 2019 she became the Assistant Conductor of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.

Christmas with the KSO features a collection of festive hits from the Baroque and beyond with works by Handel, Charpentier, Mozart, Vaughn Williams, Holst, and more.

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Preparedness

everything organized SHAWN FERGUSON Everything Organized

I

feel like I’ve talked a lot about the importance of preparedness this year to get ready for anything be it fun or hazardous. This year has proven to be a very difficult and challenging year and right when we think the years’ hazards are all over with, we get slides and flooding that has people scrabbling to get to safety once more. This just reminds me of the importance of having an emergency preparedness kit at home and car.

What you should have to be prepared: Food storage—try for two

weeks’ worth and don’t get excessive or there will be waste down the road. At home we rotate our food stock so new items always goes to the back of shelves so items will not go out of date tucked in the back corner.

We also preserve food from our garden and farmers’ market so we always have a little extra just in case. Having supplies in place minimizes the panic buying in stores in emergencies. As we saw during the slides, stores do not have the supplies to deal with panic buying and quickly run out, leaving many with nothing.

Water storage to me is the most important. Many will think this is silly but you may not be able to run to the tap and fill the old water bottle when you need to leave or hunker down in a panic as the water may be turned off or contaminated. In an emergency such as flooding, you should shut off the main water to your home so you may still be able to use the water in your piping system. Also the hot water tank in most homes can be used as an emergency source of water. Your water storage should also be changed out and/or checked to ensure quality periodically.

Warmth—for many this will be layers of clothing, candles

and/or some small heat source but always remember any heat source with flame needs to vent poisonous gases, so ensure to open a window a crack to allow these gases to escape (like a chimney).

If you are going on a road trip or have to evacuate, go to your supplies and pack a bag with some food, water and blankets and/or clothes as preparedness doesn’t stop once you leave your home. I always have some emergency candles in my glove compartment for heat for any emergency. It is a great way to stay warm and save gas, but again open a window and have a safety candle holder to keep it fire safe for a vehicle. A little preparedness can help you weather the storm in a bit more comfort.

Shawn Ferguson is a Professional Organizer in Kamloops, BC. He specializes in Senior Transition, Downsizing, Website - www. everythingorganized.net, FaceBook –everything organized kamloops or call (250) 377-7601 for a free ½ hr consult in Kamloops.

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

Please email him at Shawn@ everythingorganized.net.

DECEMBER 2021 17

Come find your Zen

Zen Wellness Massage

Find us on Facebook and Instagram!

141 Victoria Street #209 • 778.538.4225 KamloopsZenMassage@gmail.com

Win a $40 Gift Card Nicole Clay

Licensed Esthetician/Owner Mail or drop off your entry to: Kamloops Connector, 1365B Dalhousie Dr, Kamloops, BC, V2C 5P6 or email your details with “Zen Wellness Contest” to win@connectornews.ca.

Random draw from entries submitted for the contest.

One entry per household. Draw date: Friday, December 3 at 9:00am. Prize must be accepted as awarded. Winners will be called to arrange pick up

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Loyal Order of Moose • Women of the Moose • Moose Legion

THE FAMILY FRATERNITY

Open everyday 11 am Meat Draws Friday at 7 pm & Saturdays at 2-4 pm

NEW MEMBERS ALWAYS WELCOME! mooselodge1552@shaw.ca

Loyal Order of Moose Lodge #1552

730 Cottonwood Avenue • 250-376-8022

­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Eco Friendly Flooring This holds true in the flooring industry as in addition to price and performance consumers are also asking about “green” or environmentally friendly options. Let’s take a look at a couple products that fit this category.

Cork

Flooring PAUL MORRIS Nufloors

E

co friendly flooring is a question we, at Nufloors, often get asked about.

Over the past number of years consumers seem to be paying a bit more attention to how and where products are made.

When you think of cork, your mind usually goes straight to bulletin boards or wine but hopefully after reading this, cork will come to mind when thinking about flooring. Cork is a great flooring option because of its acoustic, temperature and impact benefits. Since cork is dense it helps to, not only, insulate against heat/ cold but also provide both physical and sound cushion underfoot. Because of these attractive properties, cork can often be found on the back of vinyl plank as well. The “green” attractiveness to cork is that it is a natural product. Cork comes from harvesting the bark

off living cork oak trees. Since the tree does not have to be cut down, this sustainable practice can be repeated as the bark grows back.

Wool Carpet Wool carpet is a small fraction of the market but, dare we say, the most interesting. And for those who may not have heard of wool carpet, it is definitely a thing. Wool carpet is made by shearing sheep and collecting the wool. The wool is then run through numerous steps in order to eventually turn the wool into yarn and finally use the yarn to tuft and weave carpet. This type of carpet looks amazing and is very sustainable as sheep are always growing wool. When you pair a wool carpet over a wool underlayment you end up walking on a stylish, comfortable and completely “green” floor.

As always if you have any questions do not hesitate to give us a call or drop by the store.

250-372-1234 • info@cfselaw.ca

Downtown Kamloops - #300-272 Victoria St.

CFSELAW.CA

www.connectornews.ca

18 DECEMBER 2021

Happy Holidays The Village of Chase wishes everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Stay safe, everyone!

Office closes noon Dec 24, 2021, and is closed December 27, 2021 through January 3, 2022 re-opening at 9:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 4, 2022.

“Solid waste collection schedule will not change.”

chasebc.ca

KAMLOOPS’ BEST SELECTION OF VQA WINES AND BC CRAFT BEER Lansdowne Liquor Store wishes you and your family

We’re In Lansdowne Mall!

225-450 Lansdowne St. 250-571-1377 Lansdowneliquor.ca lansdowneliquor

Buying or Selling Real Estate?

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For all your Real Estate needs in Kamloops, call

BILL ALBERS

250-851-1193 Office: 250-374-3331 Email: billalbers@remax.net

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Real Estate (Kamloops) 258 Seymour Street

ACROSS 1. Prepare cole slaw cabbage 6. ___ now or never!

9. Use a swizzle stick 13. 1 7 syllable Japanese verse 14. Z en Buddhist’s “truth” 15. C ry from the crow’s nest 16. Alcoholic drink that sounds like it’s made from old fruit 19. F emale deer 20. S ing without the words 21. S imple melody 22. Jack Sprat wouldn’t eat it 23. I n favour of 24. Theda Bara, notably 28. S inbad’s burden who refused to get off 32. R egion 33. X mas egg-___ 34. B alance sheet plus 35. O il well drilling gizmo 36. “ Scram!”

39. Tiny Tim played it 40. S plit apart, old-style 42. Work at Rainbow Stage 43. S oothsayer’s sign 44. C oleridge’s seafaring character 48. C ause of a sore lid, maybe 49. 6 th sense, for short 50. I ndustrious insect 51. D rive-___ restaurant

53. T upperware piece 54. Greek’s “T” 57. OAS recipients, perhaps 61. Hunt beaver, say 62. Road rage, basically 63. Fine chaps 64. Sweet potatoes, to some 65. Big shiner 66. More peculiar DOWN 1. Drop hair all over the place 2. Saintly circle 3. Take the car 4. Scrape by: ___ out a living 5. NE English cathedral city 6. Thing on the list 7. Sticky pine goop 8. Kinda 9. Like logs 10. Robbers 11. Charged particle in the aurora 12. Reuben sandwich bread 17. Lighter fluid 18. Mongolian tent 22. US drug safety org.

23. Pea soup driving aid 25. Take for granted 26. Howie ___, old “Hockey Night in Canada” commentator 27. Eucharist plate 28. Get one’s bearings 29. I t’s passed on by one who’s passed on

30. “___ if I can help it!”

31. Trilby or sombrero 32. Elaborate wall tapestry 36. “Aw, shucks!”

37. Starchy South American veggie 38. BC’s Georgia ___, for one 41. Where Saigon is 43. Doug Ford’s bailiwick (abbr.)

45. Well-known old Roman Emperor 46. Trouble, in Yiddish 47. Ellington’s “Mood ___” 52. What hula dancers wiggle 53. Lender’s security, often 54. Minister to 55. The “a” of 8am 56. Khrushchev’s state of the ‘50s and ‘60s 57. Piggery 58. The Prohibition ___ 59. Word on a fine French wine bottle 60. The mark of Zorro

DECEMBER 2021 19

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Merritt Senior Centre

DECEMBER 2021

The Merrit Seniors Association

Calendar of Events

250-378-3763 • 1675 Tutill Court | Cyril George, President

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

No Bingo at this time Office Hours: Mon, Wed, Thur 11:00 am to 2:00 pm Tue, Fri, Sat 10:00 am to 1:00 pm All programs are subject to change

ALL HEALTH AND SAFETY RESTRICTIONS WILL BE FOLLOWED.

5

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Exercise 10:00 am Pool 11:00 am Cribbage 1:00 pm

Craft Time 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

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Exercise 10:00 am

Craft Time 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm

FRIDAY

16 Exercise 10:00 am Pool 11:00 am Pool 11:00 Cribbage 1:00 pm Floor Curling 1:00 pm Floor Shuffleboard 2:00 pm Whist 7:00 pm

SATURDAY

Rummoli 7:00 pm

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Pool 11:00 am Pool 11:00 Cribbage 1:00 pm Floor Curling 1:00 pm Floor Shuffleboard 2:00 pm Whist 7:00 pm

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Exercise 10:00 am Pool 11:00 am Cribbage 1:00 pm

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1

THURSDAY

25

Rummoli 7:00 pm

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Seniors’ Resource Centre - Salmon Arm

DECEMBER 2021

320A Second Ave. NE (Office Hours: 9:00 am - 3:00 pm)

Calendar of Events

Salmon Arm, BC V1E 1H1 | Phone 250-832-7000 Fax 250-833-0550

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

OFFICE CLOSED DECEMBER 20 TO DECEMBER 31 TH

ST

Foot Care (by appt. only)

Happy Holidays Monday Morning Market 12

7

6

5

Foot Care (by appt. only)

Foot Care (by appt. only)

2

Day Away

SATURDAY

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Day Away

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Day Away 16

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Day Away

Day Away

Foot Care (by appt. only)

FRIDAY

9

8

Foot Care (by appt. only) 14

13

Monday Morning Market

1

THURSDAY

By Marilyn Brown

Food Floor: My Woodward’s Days

By Margaret Cadwaladr

Madrona Publishing, 65 pages Biography, available in hard cover and in e-book format

T

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30 Exercise 10:00 am Pool 11:00 am Pool 11:00 Cribbage 1:00 pm Floor Curling 1:00 pm Floor Shuffleboard 2:00 pm Whist 7:00 pm 29

Book Review he author was preparing for her graduation from high school in May of 1967 when she landed a job at the Woodward’s store on Hastings Street in Vancouver. The manager expected her to start Friday evening – but that was her graduation day. “Okay, you can start on Saturday, but don’t let this happen all the time.” With this humorous anecdote we learn from an adult Margaret what life was like working at this famous and successful store. Jobs were allotted by gender: “girls” were the grocery wrappers and cashiers, “boys” ran errands. All had to abide by a dress code which for women included a modest hemline, polished shoes, and for men an apron, shirt and tie. Name tags were required. The Woodward employees were well treated, and clearly the author has fond memories of the store.

The early history of the store is told concisely, giving insight into what the city was like when the department store opened in the early 1900s. Fishing fleets would dock in Coal Harbour, where now million-dollar high-rise condos flourish, and provisions for lengthy sea trips would be arranged with Woodward’s. The town would house men down from logging camps, the single tenancy rooms often in hotels with popular beer parlours. In these times logs were “skidded” along tracks in the middle of roads, carrying the payload to the ocean front. The area even now is known as “Skid Row”.

Woodward’s was famous for ensuring customer satisfaction. Its own brands of numerous food items were reasonably priced. The peanut butter made on site with the 100 year old grinding machine was a hit: its ingredients were peanuts and salt; only the no-salt variety did not sell well. Also appreciated by the public were the $1.49 Days, on Tuesday, as the jingle went. The Christmas holiday season was probably the most widely anticipated of all festivities. Months in advance children would study the Woodward’s catalog, and families would make a tradition of visiting the magical Christmas window displays, which included lights, music, and animated characters.

The book’s well-chosen photos and illustrations tell a story all by themselves. For example, on page two is a photo of one of the interurban trams used prior to 1950, followed by a photo of a Brill bus - with the rounded back end and soft tires, then a photo taken in May 2020 showing a modern bus in a street deserted because of COVID-19. Photos of the iconic Woodward’s “W”, and the stories behind the famous sign(s) reflect the changes in the city.

Food Floor, My Woodward’s Days, at 65 pages, is a short and snappy look at the progression of grocery stores in general, and of downtown Vancouver, past and present. Margaret Cadwaladr is a BC writer and publisher.

Book Raffle Winner Congratulations to Connector reader Gerry Campbell, the winner of the book by Phil Branca, More Tales from the Bridge River Valley. We will pop it in the mail and hopefully it won’t take to long to get to our winner given the recent disruption to the regular mail service. We

did a draw on the review copy and were impressed by the number of readers that entered. For those of you that didn’t win, and are interested in getting a copy of Branca’s book, write to: Phil Branca, Box 1402, Lillooet, BC V0K 1V0 for more info. Thanks to everyone who entered.

www.connectornews.ca

20 DECEMBER 2021

AWAY WENT THE MANGER J

Creative Writing by Rita Joan Dozlaw

essica Adams was hooked on window dressing and agreed to look after the display window in her friend Lindy’s Fabrics n’ Sundries Shoppe.

From a long line of quilters, Jessica knew how to put colours and shapes together to please the eye.

Her talents gave her seasonal joy in Lindy’s place because it was the stage for many a drama, decoratively speaking.

Lindy’s only rule of thumb was to have the store window decorated in time for her big Christmas sale in late December.

She also insisted the window dressing be done up using instore materials. “No plastics, please, Jess.”

“Okay; there’s a lot of material to work with right here, and I’ll use twinkle lights to bring glitter into the window.”

“Be careful using silks, please. They fade in the sun if they’re too close to the window.”

Jessica smiled at the creative thoughts she had for the tall, narrow window.

After hours, as Christmas neared, she stayed back to put a poster in the window announcing, ‘StoreWide-Sale’, then she closed the blinds and closed off the area around the window frontage to create a space which no one would be privy to until the unveiling.

She called on Marty, a staff member, to

come in and discreetly assist. He mounted silver rods over and alongside the window frame and went all the way around the window tacking up twinkle lights. Then, on the rods, he hung shear curtains. They cascaded down each side of the window and created deepswooping swags along the top edge of the window. With the twinkle lights on, the whole window appeared three times wider. An illusion of pale blue winter skies appeared in the height of the swags.

The pair measured the areas that would require covering with textiles then rolled out and cut up bolts of material which included flannel and flannelette, wool, velveteen and burlap.

Together, they laid the white velveteen over the floor and successfully tackled covering a shelving unit with heavy rustcoloured flannel.

The hand-painted brick designs in black transformed it into a fireplace with mantel.

In the centre of the velveteen, Jessica laid a few feet of crumpled brown burlap. Using an empty moderatesize basket, which once held swatches of quilt material, she lined the weave with cool blue flannelette and added a shiny cherry-red and green silk pillow. Like a ‘manger’, it was positioned just so on the rustic burlap.

Marty carried the quaint Queen Anne chair from a corner of the room and lined it up as a backdrop for the manger. Catching her breath, Jessica whispered to him, “It’s lovely. I particularly like the contrasting textures; they’re a feast for the eyes. It shows off the fine materials we have in here to sell. We can’t leave that tall window completely bare, though.”

“I can paint something on it, poinsettias or something.”

“No, no, the window must stay clean, but with your artistic edge, I bet you could turn it into a tall cottage window with your paints?” Marty’s wide grin over the compliment signalled his willingness to accommodate Jessica’s suggestion.

Months earlier, Jessica’s four-year-old daughter, Maggie, lost a toy somewhere in the shop. Jessica knew exactly where it was but let it remain ‘lost’ for all intents and purposes.

“When it is time, I know what to do with the toy Maggie left here ages ago,” she whispered to Marty.

“It’s been hidden in my office for a long time, so I consider it part of the shop.”

“Go with your idea, Jess, as long as it isn’t a plastic toy.”

“It isn’t!”

On a late dark night, before the morning unveiling

for public and inhouse enjoyment, a pair of tapers were set on each end of the ‘mantel’, and a new pair of green woolen socks on sale were hung with stick pins to the heavy flannel mantel piece. On the floor in front of it, yule logs on sale were placed strategically around batteryoperated tea lights signifying a warm fire. The scene was set except for one final well-kept secret.

Everyone went home leaving Jessica to finish and lock up.

When her husband and daughter arrived to take her home, she quickly arranged the final detail.

Little Maggie quietly wandered through the shop while her mother got into her coat and boots. The curious child peeked under the drapery and spotted the basket.

She snuck under and toppled it as she

grabbed her long lost toy and clutched it near her chest.

Out on the sidewalk, she hung back to shove her ragdoll under her coat to keep it dry from the falling snow. Her parents locked Lindy’s, and the family left for home. Excited beyond words, Maggie pulled the toy from her coat and spilled her heart out.

“Mummy, look what I found…my Raggedy Andy doll!”

“Oh honey, really?”

An urgency was in the mother’s voice.

Oh no, away went the manger!

There was a bit of shuffling in the back seat as Maggie’s dad got orders and swerved in a U-turn to get back to the store.

Jessica explained, “Honey, your doll is the most special prop in the Christmas window. We need to put it back.”

Maggie wouldn’t let

go of Andy and cried.

The tactful mother spoke reverently, “Just like the baby doll in your Christmas pageant at playschool, it is Raggedy Andy’s turn to be the special holy baby boy laying in the manger. So, you see, sweetheart, we need to put him back in the window for Christmas.”

The child listened, still clinging to the ragdoll. “No, mummy, I’ll lose him again!”

Her mother wiped her tears away, “Honey, I promise you won’t.”

Inside Lindy’s, with hesitancy, Maggie leaned down, turned the basket upright, fluffed the soft lining and tenderly laid Raggedy Andy into the make-shift manger. Kissing the colourful little doll, she covered him and said, “Bye bye, and be good, Andy! I’ll come get you soon!”

DECEMBER 2021 21

www.connectornews.ca

Letter to the Editor Dear Editor,

On Saturday, Nov. 6, as part of a global rally for Climate Justice, more than 150 Kamloopsians gathered to rally, and to ask local leaders and citizens to sign a pledge to commit to strong action on the climate emergency and ensure a just transition to a sustainable lowcarbon future, as well as work with all levels of government to ensure this happens.

Meanwhile, world leaders were meeting at the COP26 conference in Glasgow to discuss

their plans on this issue.

Climate justice refers to helping people in greenhouse-gas producing jobs and businesses transition to carbonneutral enterprises, as well as assist countries of the global south (who, despite producing the least amount of greenhouse gases, are suffering the most with the effects of climate change) cope and transition to a livable future. After the summer we’ve just experienced in BC, with the record-shattering temperatures known as the heat dome in

late June that took the lives of 600 British Columbians, extreme fires and smoke-choked skies for much of the summer, the drought in western Canada, and now this week, the record-shattering extreme rains and resulting floods and mudslides in the Merritt/lower mainland regions, we can be sure the climate emergency is now here in our neck of the woods. People’s lives are being seriously disrupted, in Lytton and Monte Lake, and now Merritt, Princeton and surrounding areas, and

we can expect more of the same and worse, for years to come.

The Glasgow COP26, which has now ended resulted in more commitments to bring emissions down to a level that, if all the all the commitments are kept, the temperature will still rise to 2.4 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, much higher than the original 2015 Paris Agreement to keep temperature rise to 1.5 degrees above preindustrial levels. So far, after 25 previous years of COP conferences,

governments’ past commitments have been largely unfulfilled; in fact global emissions have continued to rise precariously, bringing us closer to irreversible tipping points, which would mean our existence as a human species, along with many other species, is profoundly threatened.

We must start putting our heads together to collectively resolve the issues we are facing; you can take a step by signing the pledge, organized through Kamloops Climate Cafés and Transition

God sending Jesus to the world to show the pathway to achieve these ideals.

For many of us, the Christmas story is like the run through of a well rehearsed script. Joseph takes Mary, his betrothed, to Bethlehem so that they might register in his ancestral town for the great census.

When they arrive, they discover there is no vacancy anywhere and are shown to a manger, or stable, where Mary gives birth to Jesus. The story is complete with angels announcing the

miraculous birth and shepherds coming to worship. There is even an evil king, Herod, who wishes to kill this perceived threat to his power.

For me, the tense moment in the story is when Mary and Joseph arrive in the town, which is swarming with visitors from all over.

They are exhausted.

Mary is ready to give birth. Joseph is concerned, if not frantic, that they will complete the journey and, when they arrive, they are unable to find any lodgings. There is

no vacancy anywhere.

Any of us, who have miscalculated hotel or motel reservations and have had to sleep in the car overnight, will know of the predicament in which this young couple finds themselves.

An innkeeper, sensing their dire need, offers them somewhere to rest. The stable out back. It is by no means ideal, but it is somewhere. I like this innkeeper. He saw their predicament and he did something about it. He thought outside the box. He made some

room at the inn. In my imagination, I envision the light of the Holy Star of Bethlehem spotlighting him, for he is, in many ways, the saviour of the night.

Otherwise, who knows where Mary would have given birth?

2021 has been a difficult year for some.

Yet, through fires, heat, COVID and a dawning realization of the pain of residential schools, I have seen many people reach out to neighbours and strangers in outside the box ways, as they have seen the predicament

Kamloops. Let’s get together and get on to this critically important work, if we love our children and grandchildren.

We need to rely on our own collective actions, and not count on governments and corporations alone to resolve this emergency.

You can sign the pledge here: https:// transitionkamloops.net.

Sincerely, Margaret Huff

Make Room at the Inn REV. DR. MICHAEL CAVENEY Lead Minister Kamloops United Church.

D

uring the month of December, many faith traditions celebrate festivals which centre on peace, love and hope. For Christians, this is expressed in

of others and come to their aid. Perhaps we have a long way to go, but I hope, having experienced the challenges of the past year, that this Christmastime, peace, love, and hope are a little more concrete in our world than they were last Christmas.

I hope that as we have experienced and learned from 2021, we have opened the door of our hearts for caring just a little more.

May the gifts of this season of hope, joy, peace, and love, be yours this Christmas.

Christmas With The United Churches Of Kamloops All services also online at Kamloops United Church YouTube BLUE CHRISTMAS Tuesday, December 7th at 7:00 PM 421 St Paul Street A quiet service for those dealing with loss.

Affirm United LGBTQ2S Welcome

SING NOEL Sunday, December 19th at 10:00AM 421 St. Paul Street An extravaganza of Christmas Music and Carols.

CHRISTMAS EVE SERVICES Friday, December 24th 7:00 PM at 421 St. Paul Street - Lessons and Carols for Christmas. A service for the whole family!

9:00 PM at 140 Laburnum Street - Traditional Christmas Eve Service with Communion.

BOXING DAY online service at Kamloops United Church YouTube.

Everyone is Welcome!

Services led by Rev. Dr Michael Caveney and Rev. Emily Cooke. Music Directed by Tomas Bijok Kamloops United Church 421 St. Paul St. www.kamloopsunited.ca 250-372-3020 Mt Paul United Church 140 Laburnum St. www.mtpauluc.ca 250-376-2261

www.connectornews.ca

22 DECEMBER 2021

Befriending the Darkness

UNITED CHURCHES OF CANADA Kamloops United Church

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

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Plura Hills United Church

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It’s interesting that our human response to darkness is to seek out and celebrate the light. Simon and Garfunkel once penned a greeting to their “old friend,” darkness. David Whyte has written Colouring outside the lines a beautiful poem REV. LEANN BLACKERT suggesting darkness Wild Church can be a place of healing: When your eyes ecember are tired…When your comes, each vision has gone…time day a little bit to go into the dark darker as we trudge where the night has toward winter solstice eyes to recognize its on the 21st. Solstice own. There you can is also known as the be sure you are not longest night because beyond love. it is just that – the 24 We are born from hour period with the the darkness of the most darkness – and womb, and then we the day upon which are taught to fear the earth’s axis shifts the dark and all and the length of that it holds, both daylight hours begins imaginary and real. to increase.

What if Whyte is Is it any wonder ‘tis correct: There (in the the season of lights darkness) you can and tinsel and candles be sure you are not and gaiety. We beyond love. decorate trees. We Our faith festivals decorate our lawns. in this month are Our faith holidays also a celebration become about light. of love – the love Christianity settles of God/Creator/ into the season of Great Mystery for Advent, anticipating us, demonstrated in the birth of Jesus, different ways in our the one called the different faith stories.

Light of the World.

Christina Rosetti The Jewish faith penned the words to celebrates Chanukah/ this seasonal hymn: Hanukkah, also Love came down at known as the festival Christmas, of lights. The panLove all lovely, Love African celebration of divine; Kwanzaa includes the Love was born at lighting of candles.

Christmas, Some celebrate the star and angels gave feast day of Santa the sign.

Lucia, whose name I was invited once means “light.” to sit out in a forest

D

in the absolute blackness of night.

No ambient light but the moon playing hide and seek behind clouds. I sat in my camp chair in the midst of wildness.

Every noise was magnified by my imagination. That twig cracking was surely a cougar creeping up on me.

That rustle in the trees a bear passing nearby. It took time but I finally relaxed into the stillness and the small sounds surrounding me. I began to feel a deep peace settle over me. I felt held by the earth. I felt love. In the midst of darkness, beyond my fears, I found love in a way I hadn’t experienced it before. I felt fully enfolded in holiness.

Something in me shifted that night. My spirituality shifted.

That belief that God arrives in light and with light ended. The presence of holiness is in the darkness, too.

David Whyte ends his poem, “Sweet Darkness,” with this line: Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet confinement of your aloneness to learn anything or anyone that does not bring you alive is too small for you.

My faith was reborn that night. I walked out of the forest – and the darkness – more fully alive than

I’d been for a very long time.

As we move into the days of long darkness, slowly moving toward the longest night on December 21st, I invite you to explore the darkness. There are gifts to be had there. It might just be holding the very thing that will bring you more fully alive.

Note: We are coming to understand the danger of associating good with light/white and bad with dark/black. A black and white view of the world in which one is good and the other is not can contribute to a belief that white skin – and white skinned people – are good and people with “darker” skin are bad. It’s subtle, and it’s there.

This season celebrate the light if your faith invites you to do so.

AND celebrate the gifts to be found in the darkness as well. .

Rev LeAnn Blackert works with Michele Walker, Lesly Comrie and Linda Clark in ministry with Wild Church in Kamloops, Sorrento and the Okanagan. She considers herself a seeker in her faith journey and wanders the wild world looking for the Great Mystery and the “wild Christ.”

July happens to be her favourite month of the year. To find out more, visit wildchurchbc.org and be in touch!

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President

DECEMBER 2021 23

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The Common Good I

spent Christmas in Prague once. It was an add-on option at the end of a river cruise I was on feeling very The insiGhT story privileged to WENDY WESEEN travel from Amsterdam to Budapest. It cost quite a bit but since I was so close, I bought it. What they didn’t tell me was that everything usually offered to a tourist would be closed. After spending 3 hours in my hotel room sulking and feeling indignant about my right to an experience I paid for, I left the hotel to at least see the famous architecture and mechanized clock that survived the bombing of WW II. As it turned out, I discovered many special Christmas offerings. Vivaldi’s Four-Season concert.

The Nutcracker Suite. A unique rendition of the Nativity. Streets laden with musicians, old world Santas, Christmas markets, and corner stands offering spiced hot wine; the people of Prague exercising their communal right to experience Christmas as they

wished. It turned into an unforgettable Christmas.

Here in Canada, after a long pandemic and off-again-on-again lockdowns, there is an air of optimism but also mistrust about what might come next. December is the most grandiose of any seasonal holiday. I’m suffering from what we have coined “COVID fatigue.” Everyone is. Over the pandemic, there’s been stressed health care services, loss of in-person family and community connections, disrupted work lives, and havoc wth children’s normal learning. (One could make the argument that the learning children had while dealing with COVID will stand them in good stead in the future of climate change.)

This has led me to become more knowledgeable about the unique characteristics of COVID, to examine the devastation, and explore a concept I encountered many years ago: the concept of the common good.

Common good is difficult to define because it means different things to different people. According to the Stanford Encyclopedia, the “common good” refers to what members of a community must do to fulfill the common interests of a society such as survival and safety. Communal

interests seem to be related to altruism, the moral practice of concern for the welfare of other humans and the morethan-human world. Altruism is a core aspect of selflessness that characterizes many cultural and religious world views. Those who possess this quality genuinely care about other people, whether they have a personal tie to them or not and it was widely demonstrated during the pandemic when people checked up on the needs and well-being of others, did errands for the elderly, delivered meals, made sure I had regular video and phone calls and yes, chocolate in the house.

I’ve never thought aggression was the solution for resolving conflict between individual and communal rights. But I do know we can never underestimate the myriad of consequences that inevitably result from human actions.

We live in an unbelievably complicated The amazing and famous clock in Prague, world. Covid has taught us about capital of the Czech Republic. the many conflicts about values and responsibility to wear them), to save a opinions in a “win at all costs” world. man stranded in a river. Perhaps this We elect governments with the faith Christmas will be a time of reflection they will balance the common good and re-setting our moral codes to with individual rights. Responsibility include a balance and the responsibility is the other half of individual rights. of individual and communal rights with For example, this fall something made good will to all women, men, and to the a group of Sikh men take off their future of our children. turbans (with an individual right and

Can I witness Murray’s cremation?

ask drake DRAKE SMITH Funeral Director

I

met with Alice to make funeral arrangements for Murray, her devoted husband of nearly 50 years. “Murray just wanted to be cremated” said Alice.

Murray’s wish is most common, I thought to myself, approximately 90 per cent of British Columbians choose cremation these days.

So, while Alice’s request

to cremate Murray didn’t surprise me, her next comment did.

“I was watching Midsomer Murders the other night on TV. They showed the casket being cremated. I think it’s called a ‘witnessed cremation’. That’s what I want for Murray!” Thanks to my dearly departed mother-in-law, I’d seen the episode Alice was referring to. (My motherin-law took control of the TV remote when she visited us about 12 years ago and got us hooked on Midsomer Murders every Saturday night!)

“Alice, we can arrange for you to witness Murray’s cremation,” I said, “but perhaps I should explain how it works in Canada. It’s not like the way they seem to do it in Britain.” Alice was all ears.

It appears that the crematorium or crematory in Britain is often physically a part of the funeral home. The scene on TV shows family and friends gathered in a chapel, sitting in pews, with the oak casket perched on a platform or dais at the front of the chapel. As the funeral service comes to an end the casket magically starts to move towards heavy drapes. The drapes part.

The casket goes through the parted drapes and the curtains close. I wonder if that’s where the saying “It’s curtains for Murray” comes from.

So, the family/friends gathered don’t actually ‘witness’ the cremation.

They see a casket proceed down an elaborate conveyor system on its journey to the retort,

which is somewhere beyond the curtains.

“How is that different from the way we do it in Canada?” asked Alice. I replied “I haven’t seen every crematory in Canada or even the Interior, Alice, so it’s possible there is crematory based on the British model in Canada.

I’ve simply never seen anything like it here.”

Most crematories in B.C. are not located in the same building as the funeral home. Some are, but most aren’t. Why is that? Well the biggest reason is probably zoning restrictions. Most people don’t want to live or work next to a crematory.

Funeral homes are usually located next to houses or retail stores.

Local governments are usually very particular

about where they permit a crematory to be built; it’s often permitted in an industrial setting or in a cemetery.

Because crematories in our area are typically not situated in a funeral home, they are generally designed for function, rather than for viewing by the public. So, what is Alice likely to see if she decides to proceed with a ‘witnessed cremation’ for Murray? She’ll see the huge machine called the retort. It will not be hidden behind plush drapes. She’ll hear the retort in action; retorts are noisy machines.

She’ll probably feel the heat. Most retorts these days are programmed by computer, and the operator needs to follow specific steps in a certain order, whether it’s

‘witnessed’ or not.

“Wow, I’m glad you told me all about it,” said Alice. “I think I’ll wave goodbye to Murray at the door of the crematorium and leave before you proceed with his cremation.” I’ve heard many people say this when they have a clearer idea of the reality of a witnessed cremation. Other people have proceeded to watch the actual process begin. Both choices are perfectly okay, as far as I’m concerned. I think the most important thing is for Alice to make an informed decision, rather than discover – perhaps to her dismay or even shock – that a ‘witnessed cremation’ is not like the one she saw on TV.

www.connectornews.ca

24 DECEMBER 2021

There are always flowers for those who want to see them. - Henry Matisse

A

nother Christmas is just around the corner and in true holiday fashion I’m trying to focus on the positives, but truthfully the pandemic has affected us all in ways that could never have been predicted.

Those who know me well will say that I live by the motto that every cloud has a silver lining. This year I have had to be imaginative in the ways to find that silver lining, and I must say that finding ways to connect with friends and family and to keep our office running smoothly for all of you has definitely been a challenge.

Years from now, we will all still be talking about the seclusion of the fall and winter of 2020. After all there was only so much sourdough to bake and closets to clean before we found a creative and safe way to meet with our friends. For us, the silver lining throughout this pandemic has been the increased amount of time that we’ve spent outdoors. Blaine and I have spent many a day at our camping spot on his cousin’s property in Heffley Creek. You may remember I mentioned that we had purchased a small wood stove last year. With this addition our little RV has become a year-round escape for us.

We were still social distancing in January – so I didn’t have my annual birthday party and instead Blaine and I made the trek to Helmcken Falls to enjoy its winter beauty. We spent a lot of time taking drives last year in order to relieve the boredom. Blaine and I explored the backroads of the Kamloops area, and often invited our friends. Now, before you get all worked up, we each drove our own vehicles and communicated with walkie talkies. This way we could communicate and drive safely.

About halfway through each drive we would pull over, start a campfire and roast some dogs. We could stay meters apart but still enjoy our friends and also the great outdoors.

It was hard to stay positive when Lynda announced that she was ready for retirement last fall. I wasn’t sure what we would do without her. When someone has been such an important part of your work family, it’s hard to see them go. Retirement is supposed to be the best years of your life and it looks like Lynda is thoroughly enjoying it.

I just recently asked her how she was doing and she said, “Retirement is great! I’m enjoying sewing and painting during the day and we’re out side-by-siding as often as possible on the weekends.”

In the past I’ve taken many Sun Fun bus tours and became friendly with the Sun Fun customer liaison, Eroca. I must say I was pretty surprised and happy to see a Eroca’s resume in the pile after we had posted Lynda’s job on the internet. There was no need to interview a bunch of candidates, we knew that Eroca was personable, caring and professional. Eroca, has been a ray of sunshine in the office just proving to me that there always is a silver lining.

At Kamloops Hearing we truly believe that the personal connection that we have with our clients is cornerstone to our success. We understand the importance of the regular care and maintenance of your hearing aids and we try to stay in touch with you at least every three months. Don’t be surprised to get a call from Eroca, giving you a reminder call and inviting you to stop in because we know how quickly time flies by. There are so many reasons to get your hearing aids professionally cleaned. As an example, the smoke and ash of the wildfires this summer wreaked havoc on hearing aid microphones. Just like your dental hygienist, we can clean places that you literally didn’t know existed. This will keep your hearing aids functioning better, longer and extend the value of your purchase.

Speaking of the wildfires, Tammy was on the edge of her seat most of the summer waiting to see if she needed to be evacuated as she bordered the Sun Peaks fire.

Luckily for her, she was safe. She did open her home and pastures to friends and animals who were displaced because of the evacuation orders.

It seems that there have been so many health restrictions imposed on us this last couple of years, and we want everyone to stay as safe as possible. We are an essential service and continue to do hearing tests, fittings and programming in the office, but only those with appointments can enter our office. We will be continuing to offer contactless curbside service for everything else.

This includes the purchase of batteries as well as the cleaning and servicing of your hearing aids.

You all know that they are saying the supply chain is broken and our silver lining is that we order all batteries a year in advance. We are stocked to the brim with batteries although some hearing accessories have been affected by Dolby chip shortage. This isn’t just affecting the hearing aid industries but also automobile and stereo manufacturers as well.

We know that not many people are loving the newest addition to all of our wardrobes – the mask. For different reasons masks are even more difficult for people with hearing aids and hearing loss. So many of our customers have commented that they’ve either almost lost or have lost their hearing aids when removing their mask.

We do have some suggestions for you though. Always remember to use two hands while removing an over-theear mask. One hand holds the hearing aid in place while the other unhooks the strap from your ear.

If it’s time to replace your hearing aid, you might want to consider one of the custom in-the-ear hearing aids that are not affected by any mask straps. You can even get a rechargeable hearing aid now. Imagine that, no batteries that drop and roll under the fridge.

If you have had the unfortunate experience of losing one, or both, of your hearing aids, don’t forget that all hearing aids come with a one to three-year manufacturer’s loss and damage warranty. And even if the manufacturer’s warranty has expired, most homeowner insurance policies cover lost hearing aids. It’s really worth calling us or your homeowners insurance company to inquire about coverage.

Masks are definitely tedious and even more challenging when you’re trying to understand what someone is saying through them. Most newer hearing aids have the ability to add accessories that will help your hearing in difficult situations. The simple addition of a remote microphone may be all you need to reduce background noise and help with one-on-one conversations.

Technology has come a long way and it’s super simple to learn. I have to tell you that I had the joy of fitting a a 91-year-old client and paired her hearing aids to her cellphone, iPad and remote microphone. No grandkids involved – she took to it like a duck to water.

some of their songs, check out “The Band Forum” on Spotify and Apple Music.

Although we are living through a time of social restrictions – life just has a way of moving forward.

Joanne’s son Thomas recently got engaged to a lovely young lady. Joanne and I are hoping that planning Thomas’s upcoming nuptials will go a little more smoothly than it did for my daughter Erika. As many of you know, Erika’s wedding dream was to have high tea at an English tea garden themed wedding. So many of you kindly donated beautiful tea cups and saucers for the event. It was heartwarming for me to think that much of this china originated as bridal shower gifts from cup and saucer showers years ago.

Unfortunately, Erika and Wyatt just couldn’t’ wait for the pandemic restrictions to be lifted and they eloped! They may still have a high-tea wedding reception at a later date. We will definitely bring out the fine china for this event.

It seems that so many of our annual events have been postponed, including our staff Christmas party. I guess the bright spot in this was that we choose to celebrate during the summer instead. Joanne graciously invited all of us, and our spouses, to her cabin and Eroca, Tammy and Glenn, Blaine and myself all spent the weekend just relaxing. We played board games, lawn games, did some fishing and floated on the lake. It was so much fun, and Joanne doesn’t know this yet, but it may become an annual event.

This fall we’ve also had a new addition to our team. Some of you have already met Ariel, a lovely young woman, who is our hearing instrument practitioner-in-training.

She just recently completed her university courses and is now completing the requirements to be licensed in the province of BC. Don’t be surprised to see her during your next appointment. She is already testing, fitting and programming like a pro.

Although I can find the silver lining in almost every situation, Covid-19 has changed our world in so many ways and it’s changed mine drastically. I would be remiss to not include our heartfelt sorrow and deep loss we all feel on the passing of so many of our dear clients. We promise that we will do everything in our power, when you come to our office, to keep you safe and connected.

We go above and beyond with sanitizing, cleaning and all health regulations.

Keep your loved ones close this holiday season and let’s remember that we’re all in this together and stay positive because better days are on the way. Remember to stay safe, be kind and whenever possible spend some extra time with those who might be struggling or lonely.

Once again, I have to thank you for your friendships and in the spirit of the holidays, we all wish you all a very Merry Christmas and healthy and happy New Year!

Technology has played a big role in the music scene as well. Blaine’s pandemic project was to work on music on a smaller scale. It’s been nice for us to have our musician friends in our ‘safe six’ circle. The music that Blaine and his bandmates have been writing and recording were debuted this summer at Music in the Park. The park was filled with music enthusiasts, of all ages, and don’t tell Doctor Henry but some of the kids were dancing up a storm. It was nice to see the park filled with live with music – if only for a short while. If you would like to hear

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

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