A CANADIAN FATHER'S DAY

Fathers are the other half of the parenting team. Children need the male role model along with a female one. Father's Day give us  a time to remember what our Dads mean to us. For those whose fathers have passed away, remembering can bring a smile and tears. To those apart from their Dads, a phone call, a tweet, an email will link you with them. Living close-take your Dad to lunch and have a hug or two. Wives love the fathers of their children. If kind and loving, it just makes a Dad love more. The drawings made by precious hands are lifelong keepsakes. To Dads-enjoy your day! In Canada we enjoy Father's Day various way- a trip to church, a breakfast or lunch out, cards and simple gifts like a new shirt or T-shirt and just time together! If far away from a Dad, a gift basket with goodies goes a long way! What do you do for Father's Day?

PORT PERRY THAT LITTLE TOWN OF LAKE SCUGOG

Lake Scugog is a lake near Toronto. It actually started as a river but a dam created in the 1800s near Lindsay created the lake. The water levels rose wiping out the cranberry and wild rice crops of the Native Canadian people living in the area. The farmers lost many acreage of crop land as well. There is a road that is called the causeway in Port Perry that joins the land to Scugog Island. It is a picturesque drive for a Sunday afternoon. Port Perry's main street has some interesting stores which make the trip fun. Of course good old fashioned Canadian Fish and Chips can be found in several locations. So why not take a drive east and north of Toronto to discover this little community.

 

Palmer Park is a good place to have a little picnic if a restaurant is not for you.

 

 

 

I love the architecture of old towns. The brick work is so Victorian period. The walk on the main street is not long so can be enjoyed in a short time before the drive home. 



MEMORIAL SERVICES-A CANADIAN WAY TO REMEMBER

Memorial services are a sombre way to remember a person, group or an event. The 70th anniversary of D-Day was a reminder of the sacrifices made to liberate Europe from the Nazi regime. Remembering our Mounties who died at a large funeral and memorial in New Brunswick this week gives that community a time to grieve collectively. Historically we remember important days that gave modern times its meaning. The signing of the Magna Carta is such an event that contributed to modern law. Memorials have testimonials, poems and quotes from the Bible as their mainstay. Ecumenical ones incorporate all religions and faith groups.  A time for reflection and sometimes soul searching.

Flowers add some colour and meaning. Music soothes the soul. Do you notice it does not matter have often you hear Amazing Grace it gives new meaning each time to the event you are attending? Some refreshments afterwards to give some time to talk and share stories. Sometimes as a Social Worker I have the opportunity to be part of hospital wide memorial projects. In my personal life giving the eulogy at my  mother's funeral was such a testimonial! Writing caring letters or cards to others experiencing a loss knowing they help the people involved! Remembering so we can move on with the person, event or group as part of our conscience! Knowing the event has made us a better person or at least appreciative of what we have in the present moment! Or it should make us so! What are you remembering today? Have you been part of a memorial service?

DOES LOVE HELP YOU HEAL?

Research has shown that people with positive social contacts fare better. For example, the elderly with a hip fracture will heal better with more family and social contacts. Stimulation! The hospital environment is the worst place for anyone with diminished capacity. They need the familiar. So does healing generally occur better when an individual is surrounded by people who care. People with a strong faith rely on the love of God! I would contend yes. If you have a purpose to get up in the morning with social supports, your life has better value. If you feel valued does it affect your physical systems? I would contend yes. So does love help you heal? Unfortunately I do not have any studies to quote and to cite for you. However I would say love helps with everything. Being loved, feeling love and loving others does something amazing for our general well being, doesn't it! Through the hard times, love from others just feels good! Emotionally! Physically! Socially! So I would go with- Love helps you heal!

NANA SAYS JUNE IS A BUSY BUT PRODUCTIVE MONTH WITH CHILDREN

June is a busy month for everyone. Winding down the school year, community meetings will take a hiatus for the summer season and planning for summer vacations and camps can seem never ending and overwhelming. For parents it can seem very hectic with the ending of dance and hockey and the beginning of the baseball, soccer and swimming lessons along with the school functions. Learning to take it with stride. This too shall pass and the ease of a couple of summer months with "the lazy days of summer" arriving. For any working person, the longer days give more time to be outside completing any gardening or maintenance. In all the planning put some real down time. If you like biking then do some family biking around the neighbourhood. Swimming lessons are great but there is nothing like parents and children enjoying water play with the parents doing some teaching of swimming. Just playing at the park. I take my little grandchildren to a small local park where they can play on equipment. The walk there is good exercise for me and time to enjoy the kids. Less can be more with store bought ice cream and cones for a treat. Freezies and of course lots of farm fresh summer fruit makes snack time easy. A simple outing with children is a visit to a local farm to buy the fruit! So as June seems so busy try to think of ways to enjoy and be happy to part of your children's lives. The warmer months are way too short so embrace them and do slow easy things. If you have a row boat, a quiet row on a river is good. Teaching children to paddle a canoe with slow easy strokes let's us take advantage of many worlds. June is a good month to enjoy for itself!

MULTI MEDIA RENAISSANCE WOMAN

Due to the influx of the smart phone, many people especially young ones try to say there is no need for other media devices. Even yesterday someone said there is no need to have a TV anymore due to the ability to watch shows on a device. It made me think- well I am a multimedia person. I use most devices- TV, radio, land line phone, cell phone and a real camera. Yes I know one can take pictures on their cell phone but for the real photographers of the world they are nice casual shots like the old Brownie Instamatic camera  used to take. Okay for those average family shots but not professional level. As for watching any show on a cell phone- well I like my modern flat screen TV. If I had the money for a larger house  for a  theatre screen, I would have that too. The radio in the car or a boom box playing while I work in the garden works for me. I have a CD player that I use to play my favourite CDs when working  on projects or doing housework. Yes I like to buy new CDs occasionally. Uploading and sorting is okay but there is nothing like have the whole collection of a favourite singer's songs and well singing or dancing along! I have a dual VHS and DVD player so I can watch any of my collection of movies or home movies when I like. Even bought some children's VHS tapes at a flea market that my modern grandchildren love watching. In case we are at a picnic or a cottage without electricity the battery operated boom box comes in handy and the music tapes can be played as well as accessing a news channel. Yes I upload pictures from my memory card to my computer but I also like to print some as well and put them in a real album. It is hard to view the 200 vacation pictures of someone on their little cell phone screen no matter how advanced it is. Besides aren't the slide shows on the computer just like the slide shows that everyone had to endure as a child? Visiting family and having to watch the slide show! How many pictures of a family eating or standing by famous landmarks do we need to see? Have you noticed that no matter how modern the pictures look they are just like the ones your grandparents took? I have two little transistors battery operated radios with my emergency stuff. They have come in handy during power outages. Sometimes the overload on the cell phone towers crashes those systems. Even the old fashioned ham radio operators can be necessary in emergencies as it has been seen in Eastern Canada and United States during power outages! So what's my point? Well with age comes lots of smiling as the latest gadget gets heralded as "the bee all and end all"!  I don't throw out my old gadget when a new one arrives. Old TVs and computers have gone to recycling centres however! I am not a hoarder! Oh yes I am not one of those people with a phone in my hand doing the average 200 plus textes that people do on a daily basis or checking and checking their phones. I actually pay attention to my environment and the people around me. No media device needed for that! Yes I read real books and newspapers as well as access information from the Internet. Guess what- most of the devices used can fit in a corner of my house or if you live in an apartment would fit there too.  I like to call myself a Multi Media Renaissance Woman! Modern with a flair for what works in my world! Does anyone really have to be stuck with one device?

MY CANADIAN ONION FLOWER

The onion flower adds some much colour to my garden. Round bulb like flowers on a long stem they can be seen from many angles especially my kitchen window. Like other bulbs planted in the fall they produce new bulbs. If you have squirrels in your yard, there could be some growth in unexpected parts of the garden. There are various sizes so they are a welcome addition to any perennial beds. Of course it has some real scientific name that I have forgotten. Perhaps a fellow gardener will clue me in.