Seniors Situation Room by Dawn Ford – Curling, Cats & Community 021918

 

Cornwall Ontario – Some retired men apparently have a much harder time coping with the change in their lives, according to an article in the March 2018 issue of Good Times Magazine.

The article on “Helping Men Cope with Retirement” by Wendy Haaf quotes Lyndsay Green, Sociologist and author of ” Ready to Retire?: What You and Your Spouse Need to Know About the Reality of Retirement” (HarperCollins Publishers Ltd. 2016) concerning the fact that only 1 out of 10 men, and probably women as well, give a lot of thought to retirement except for the financial concerns.

She also writes about evidence from research of the UK’s Institute of Economic Affairs that has found a 41 % increase in clinical depression 2 to 3 years after retirement. The article cites some practical and useful suggestions on how to deal with retirement for men, one of which is volunteering. It is a very interesting and informative article.

The Family Corner Restaurant at Pitt and 9th. Streets had lots of cupids, red table cloths and red hearts decorating the restaurant for Valentine’s Day.

Henry and his staff do a great job of making special days festive. Good food, friendly helpful waitresses and lots of cute valentines. Very nice.

My friend Fran Irwin reminded me of our younger days when we had cut-out paper dolls.

The dolls were about 5″ high and were made of a heavier paper than the cut out clothes.

We pressed the dolls out of the pages of the book and then we had to cut out their clothing made of the regular paper.

There were little tabs at the tops and sides of the clothing that held the little dress, hat, etc. onto the doll.

We had a lot of fun with those little paper dolls.

The Alzheimer Society is presenting a 50 minute drama at the Upper Canada Playhouse, 12320 County Road 2, and Morrisburg, ON on Sunday, March 11th. at 1:30pm. It is titled: “I’m Still Here”. Call the Alzheimer Society of Cornwall and District for more information or tickets at: 613-932-4914 or visit their office at 106B Second St. West, Cornwall ON.

A recent newsletter from the OSPCA had an article about Animals in War and commemorative pins which were created to honour the war-time contributions of these brave animals. It states that a variety of animals served during times of war and gave examples such as mules that carried artillery, horses transported troops and hauled field guns, pigeons delivered crucial messages and dogs served as messengers, medical assistants, bomb detectors and search and rescue workers.

The commemorative pins are to be worn beside the poppy. For each pin sold, $1 will be donated to the Royal Canadian Legion to support Veterans. Go to: pawsandgive.ca to purchase your Animals in War commemorative pin.

A friend, Pat Marchand, has a very acrobatic and agile cat. Her name is Bella. Pat adopted a cat, Dakota, in June of 2015 (Dawn Ford Seniors Situation Room-Kittens and Spring, June 11, 2015). It wasn’t long before Pat realized that Dakota was going to have kittens -four kittens to be exact. Grandmother Pat kept one of them: Bella. Bella is now a very lovely cat, like her mom Dakota, with long silky fur.

Bella likes to jump on the back of Pat’s wheelchair when she is sitting in it and even when she is not. Bella jumps onto the wheel, then on the arm and leaps to the firm surface of the chair at the back. Then she walks along the back, jumps to the other arm and then the wheel and jumps down to the floor. Pat tried to have someone take a picture of Bella doing all this but as soon as they appeared in the room, the cat leaped off the chair. Pat also tried a ‘selfie’ but it didn’t turn out too clearly…so here is a photo of Bella on the wheelchair, legs striding either side of the arms of the chair. Gorgeous little pet.

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A lot of us have been glued to the TV to view the 2018 Winter Olympics. It has been amazing watching all the athletes striving for medals for their countries. It was incredible to see them leaping in the air on skate boards, flying down slippery slopes on skis, wonderful performances of figure skaters, hockey , the speed skaters on the edges of their skates as they whipped around a corner, etc. etc. Even volleyball on the snow.

Being a curling fan, watching John Morris and Kaitlyn Lawes curling was a big treat for me, having watched them curl for years. And they won the Gold Medal, a historic win for Canada in Mixed Doubles Curling. Great to see Kevin Koe’s and Rachel Homan’s teams also. Our Jennifer Jones was in the stands watching her husband Brent Laing curl with Koe’s team.

Congratulations to all the athletes who participated from Canada and around the world. In my book, you are all Gold Medal winners.

A friend sent in these cowboy puns:

1) What do you call a cow that just recently had its baby? Decalfinated.

2) What did the mama cow say to the baby cow? It’s pasture bedtime.

3) Why did the cows return to the marijuana field? It was the pot calling the cattle back.

4) How did the farmer find his wife? He tractor down.

5) If you wear cowboy clothes are you ranch dressing?

6) What did the buffalo say to his son who left for greener pastures? Bison.

Have a good week, Dawn



3 Comments

  1. Thanks Dawn for the info.

  2. Great issue Dawn. Neat photo of the paper dolls. Your article about Animals in War reminded me of my Grandfather Glass who had been a gunner in WWI carting artillery to the front and they used horses.

  3. I really enjoyed reading about the paper doll junkie and Bella. Your articles always put a smile on my face.

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