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The
Squamidian Report – Mar. 22 / 25
Online
Versions
Of This And Past Issues Issue
#1191 Wayne
&
Sylvia
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From Wayne & Sylvia
Hi Squids: Another NB farm update. More animals – delivered by trailer, not by stork but the stork is due in a couple of weeks. Here is Dixie, Pixie and Trixie. I wonder which will taste best.
Granddaughter Gabi looks on nearly giving a plumber’s view.
The river broke two nights ago. Son-in-law Kenny put out sap pails on the trees lining the river 4 days ago. Maybe there will be some fish in the pails when the water recedes.
Like Porky Pig says: “Th-th-that’s all folks” Wayne & Sylvia ****
From Russ
Hi Fellow Squamidians, this story may or may not reach you, but I have been sending weekly articles to Doug, but he never gets them - maybe he thinks I'm 'mad at him', but until my computer is fixed he won't receive my regular articles. So there! This being a "family Newsletter" I'll be short & sweet and provide info on my present state of health - I have been living with Type 2 diabetes since 1986 - diabetes is a "crippling disease" which attacks eyes, kidneys, and feet leaving some permanent damage to all three areas. Today, I'm concerned mostly with my feet. Unkown to me, diabetes has been quietly at work for many years causing "club toes" - if you don't know what club toes look like - - the word hidious comes to mind, I wish I could send you a picture, but try this: place your hand palm down on a flat surface - now bend your fingers until the knuckles show; now you have some idea what my feet look like. The knuckles are constantly exposed to rubbing-pressure of a shoe causing blisters which fill with blood; in time, the blisters break and I have yet another "pressure ulcer" - these take very long to heal - I'm talking months to years! By the way, I also get pressure ulcers on my heals - the last one 'lived' over 3 years! And I won't even mention the two on my butt - which I describe as my "ring of fire!" Dear reader: if you suffer with these issues, let me know - I'll pray for you, if you'll pray for me!! Your old Uncle Russ. ****
From Nova Scotia Sus
It's been a busy week between baby sitting and the loss of a good friend. Today is the funeral of our friend Art. We met him years ago and he became a regular visitor at our house. His wife had passed away and he was in need of people around him. He loved to play cards but never on a Sunday. Crib was his game and he was sharp as a whip. He would meet up with his old friends at Tim Hortons and they would play there. I rarely beat him but lately he wasn't as swift. He was living in a seniors apartment in Pictou so we would pick him up on a Sunday and feed him a good meal...play some games and then take him home. He always enjoyed his visits. He was a farmer from way back so he loved seeing our chickens. So we are sad to lose him but will always remember the good times we had. I just heard from my brother Warren and he has decided to fly here rather than drive. Sorry Gary I got your hopes up for a visit from Warren.
Sus ****
From Doug
There was a bit of chatter last week around the joys and benefits of honey. I’m going to add a bit more to our conversation. Real honey is good for you. By ‘real’ I mean the kind that comes from a bee farm, not from some food processing company. The honey found on many grocery store shelves is more than often the processed kind, meaning it has been altered with profit, not purity, in mind. If your jar of honey lists ingredients it is not pure because honey is honey. The cheaper brands of honey often have corn syrup as a major ingredient. That stuff is a bad, not good, but it sure helps the producer’s bottom line. The flavor of honey is a direct result of the kinds of pollen / nectar that the bees are collecting. Because face it, honey is bee spit and ingesting what they are gathering is how they bring it back to the hive. The honey we get is made by bees that are kept up in the local forests where the tree pollens are. That honey is dark, with an earthy aroma. It tastes quite different form flower honey or buckwheat honey. I use our local forest honey as a remedy for my tree pollen allergies. A bit every day builds up my immunities. As it should. Karen mentioned being careful not to add your honey to your tea etc when your tea etc is too hot. The heat will kill the live enzymes in the honey. Wait until your tea is at a drinkable temperature before adding the honey. If you cook using honey, the taste will still be there but the honey will basically be dead. Pure honey, being natures wonder food, does not spoil. Samples of it have been found in ancient tombs that have been dated thousands of years old. It could still be eaten. Honey will crystallize but can easily be put back to its smooth liquid state by heating it gently, keeping the temperature low enough to not accidentally ‘cook’ it. So, find some real, pure honey and enjoys. And, be sure to thank a bee the next time you see one. Did you know that bees are probably the most important creature on this world? Well, they are. * And now for something both surprising and touching….. Friday, as in ‘yesterday’, we headed to the gondola as per usual. When we got to the base we parked our vehicle and walked over to where you enter the lift station. The lift wasn’t yet running but thats normal, they often do minor maintenance each morning which is a good thing when you think about it. There was a group of employees standing around all together, some lift personnel, some office staff, some from retail etc. Again, nothing out of the ordinary. Then however, with big smiles on their faces they beckoned us over and as we approached the circle opened up, exposing a table with some flowers, a box of chocolates, and a big 2000 sign. Apparently the cat was out of the bag, they had found out, this was all about the fact that this was my 2,000th trip up the gondola. I was a bit embarrassed but what can you do. In chatting with one of the office staff who we talk to regularly, we were informed that our passes have been extended for another year, meaning that instead of expiring next Nov, they are now good till Nov 2026. Cool. By then a friend of ours had come along and we all boarded a lift cabin and headed up to the top. When we walked in and headed for our usual, ‘Doug & Sue’s Corner’ comfy chairs we noticed that our table had a fancy cover, more flowers, and coffee and muffins for all set out for us. Wow, and again, cool. I obviously made a point of thanking everyone. Any of the workers who came by made a point of stopping to chat (mind you, they usually do that anyway). This had all been quite touching. I hadn’t intended for them to be aware of hitting the 2,000 times up, it is kind of embarrassing, but it had slipped out when chatting last week with one of the senior staff who we’ve known since the beginning. He had asked how we were doing and I’d explained that we take it day to day and week to week and that I set little goals such as the fact that in another week (that being now), I’d hit the rather embarrassing number of 2,000 times up, and that Sue’s sister will be coming out again in the first week of April which is a huge help to me. And so on. I guess the word got around and they decided to treat us even better than they normally do. That whole gondola business has been incredibly nice to us. Through conversations some had already picked up on the fact that we have been dealing with Sue having Alzheimers. That ‘Doug & Sue’s Corner’ sign had been put up when we were having a hard time dealing with her diagnosis.
Doug ****
Have
a
Good One ****
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