Mary Queen of Scots was beheaded Feb 8th, 1587
February is Friendship Month
The toothpick was patented Feb 20th 1872
Royal Canadian Mounted Police officially came into existence In Feb 1st 1920
Girls and Women in Sports Day - February 6th
February 16, 1937 - Nylon stockings patented
There are times or events in life that are game changers, those things that permanently alter our future. We can perceive these as positive or negative, the difference between them is simply how we choose to react or deal with them. It is after all always a choice.
I recently had one of those events. One of the most positive people I know had her life taken quickly by cancer at 47. Even though this tragic event left many asking why, she remained positively well even into her last moments. How did she live and remain so positively well even when faced with her own mortality? She was a determined and positive woman. Here are some positive tips I’ve learned from her life.
Deal with the elephant: Whatever the issue is no matter how difficult or seemingly unpleasant, deal with it concisely and as soon as possible. The stress form ignoring or trying to bury a problem almost always weighs more than the elephant in the end.
Believe in people: People and who we help are the only true measure of our success. The people you help and their gratitude will encourage you and help you to stay positive.
Take the next step: Have faith in purpose and take the next step. What you can achieve will only be limited if you don’t take that next step. Even if the next step seems misplaced, you will learn and have wisdom for your next step.
Take good care of yourself: When you feel good, you are also positive and vice versa. Love yourself each day.
Smile: Wear a smile every day, it’s infectious, and it’s harder to be negative when you are smiling.
Believe: Live with integrity, and believe in yourself, the people around you, and a higher purpose. Trust your heart.
So you see even though the event seemed tragic and untimely, I choose to be positive. I choose to take to heart how she lived her life, and to do my best to lean her lessons on living positively well. These are powerful lessons from a powerful woman.
In loving and positive memory of Sylvie Hyndman (Houle) 1963-2011
Stay well, stay strong… you deserve it.
email info@ohanawellness.ca, or visit www.ohanawellness.ca.
©Darren Renaud Natural Health Practitioner
Take time to try these tips, and I’m sure you’ll see results.
Always warm up your car or truck before you go driving in the winter. Revving a cold engine causes additional wear, and a warm car with cleared windows is much more safe and comfortable to get into.
Ice covered windows are not only a pain, they are unsafe. Put a large, flattened piece of cardboard over the windshield, securing it under the wipers. When it’s time to leave, gently crack the wipers free and remove the covering. Large garbage bags taped together and laid across the windshield, closed in the doors, protects from ice build ups, too
Florence Bayard Bird, (January 15, 1908 – July 18, 1998) was a Canadian broadcaster, journalist and Senator.
Born Florence Rhein in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended Bryn Mawr College and in 1928, married journalist John Bird. They moved to Montreal in 1931.
In 1937, they moved to Winnipeg where her husband worked for the Winnipeg Tribune. She also appeared on CBC Radio and Television as Anne Francis, a political analyst. Francis [Bird] made several appearances on the panel show, Fighting Words in the early 1960s.
She is best remembered for her work as chair of the Royal Commission on the Status of Women. She was also a member of the Canadian Senate from March 23, 1978 until January 15, 1983. In 1971, she was made a Companion of the Order of Canada.
The Royal Commission on the Status of Women was a Canadian Royal Commission that examined the status of women and recommended steps that might be taken by the federal government to ensure equal opportunities with men and women in all aspects of Canadian society. The Commission commenced on 16 February 1967 as an initiative of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson. Public sessions were conducted the following year to accept public comment for the Commission to consider as it formulated its recommendations. Florence Bird was the Commission’s chair.
The Commission discovered that in 1970 only 3.9% of managers were women, women were still paid less than men for doing the same work and two thirds of people that were on welfare were women.
In 1970, a report came out with 167 recommendations to ensure that men and women had equal opportunities. Some recommendations were “gender” and “marital status” be prohibited as grounds for discrimination by employers, training programs be made more open to women, name more women judges to all courts, more qualified women be appointed to the Senate and employed women be granted eighteen weeks of unemployment benefits for maternity leave.
CHERRY CHICKEN
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces
salt and pepper to taste
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 (15 ounce) can pitted dark cherries packed in water
½ cup white sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 orange - with peel, quartered and thinly sliced
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Directions:
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then coat with flour.
Fry in the hot oil until browned, turning as needed. Reduce heat to medium, cover and cook for about 25 minutes or until meat is tender and juices run clear.
Remove the chicken from the pan and pour off all but 1/4 cup of the drippings. Return to medium heat and stir in the cherries, reserving some of the cherry liquid for later.
Stir in sugar and bring to a boil. Dissolve the cornstarch in the reserved cherry liquid, then stir into the pan. Cook, stirring gently, until thickened.
Add orange slices and almonds to the skillet, then return the chicken pieces to the skillet. Spoon sauce over the chicken to coat, and simmer over low heat for 5 to 10 minutes before serving
CHERRY WALDORF SALAD
Ingredients:
2 large apples, chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 celery ribs, chopped
1 cup pitted tart red cherries
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons honey
1/8 teaspoon salt
Directions:
In a large salad bowl, toss apples with lemon juice. Add the celery, cherries, cranberries and almonds.
In a small bowl, whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream, honey and salt until well blended.
Pour over salad and toss to coat.
Plan dinner the night before. Have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs.
Prepare yourself. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking.
Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
Make one last trip through the main part of the house just to clear away clutter before your husband arrives.
Light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order. After all, catering for his comfort will give you immense personal satisfaction.
Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces, comb their hair, and if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part.
At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet. Be happy to see him. Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him. Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first. His topics of conversation are more important than yours.
Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late, or goes out to dinner, or other place of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.
Don’t greet him with complaints and problems. Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Consider this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.
Have a cool or warm drink ready for him. Arrange his pillows and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice. Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgement or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. you have no right to question him.
A good wife always knows her place.
In Medieval times, girls ate bizarre foods on St Valentine’s Day to dream of their future spouse.
In the Middle Ages young men and women drew the names from a bowl to see who would be their Valentine. They would wear this name pinned on their sleeves for one week. This was done so that it becomes easy for other people to know your true feelings. This was known as “to wear your heart on your sleeve”.
In olden times some people used to believe that if a woman saw a robin flying overhead on the Valentine’s Day, it meant she would marry a sailor. If she saw a sparrow, she would marry a poor man and be very happy. If she saw a goldfinch, she would marry a millionaire.
Edna Dickieson is the manager at the Tim Hortons located in the North Gate Square. She has successfully held this position for 15 years. “When the Donut King closed, the owner of Tim Hortons asked if I would like to be the manager of the new Tim Hortons which was going into the Donut King location so I like to joke that I’ve been coming to work at the same spot for thirty years now.”
Edna believes in keeping an open door policy with her staff of thirteen. “I like what I do. The people are friendly and my staff is wonderful. I appreciate all the hard work that they do but it’s important to lead by example.” Edna continues by stating that her bosses are respectful of her and routinely stop by to see how things are going with her.
Edna was born and raised in Newfoundland. There she grew up in a loving and nurturing family along with two brothers and three sisters. “I contribute my managerial skills to my father, Rex. He was a foreman. I would listen and watch him interact with his workers.” Sadly, Edna’s mentor died of a massive heart attack at the age of 64. Edna’s mother and role model, Eliza taught the importance of living an honest life and instilled morals in all her children. “Mom was a beautiful person who lived a good life until passing away at the golden age of eighty-one.”
Edna met her husband, Tom in Newfoundland and the two were married in the month of June 1969. He was in the Armed Forces. They have one son named Sean. The young family were posted in numerous locations including North Bay throughout Tom’s 25 year career and decided to settle in friendly North Bay.
Edna likes to golf and ride on the back of her husband’s motorcycle. “I like the feeling of freedom that riding gives me.”
Edna Dickieson has come a long way from the quiet and shy little Newfoundlander.
