THANK YOU to the young man who picked me up off the sidewalk at 13th and Fitzgerald on Thursday night. I was in such a daze I forgot to thank him.
BOUQUETS OF BRAIN CELLS to people who think it is OK to bully their neighbours. The whole neighbourhood is watching your pettiness. What a sad example for your children. Fortunately, Karma knows your address.
I LIVE IN UNION BAY. Once upon a time people would comment, “oh, that’s a great place to live!” Now I get sympathy! Because of a very select, small number of people. Unhappy, bitter, very opinionated people. I am one of the silent majority. I vote in elections at all levels; I worked in my yard and enjoy my home; my neighbours help me and I try to assist them; take part in community activities and probably don’t help as much as I should. We have a volunteer fire department, we have a community hall and club, we have a church, pub and store. Ten thousand people used to live in Union Bay in the days of shipping out coal and now the papers tell me it’s 1,200. Why would I engage in mud-slinging and disrupting others? Besides not having the extra energy to do so, I like Union Bay and its residents. I want to leave the elected folk to get on with it and respect them for wanting to do so. Yup, don’t want to disclose my name as I don’t want any of the vindictive stuff that goes on in the paper. If people don’t like it here perhaps they should move on to somewhere else!
A BIG BEEF to the rude, pushy woman who cannot tolerate perfume in a public area and gags at the weekly buffet. Perhaps the restaurant should hire scent police and sniffer dogs to patrol the entrance. Anyone with bad breath, body odour, scented body cream, soap residue, sunscreen, scented hair products, lipstick or any faint hint of perfume should be expelled! The perfume industry spends millions of dollars world-wide to develop combinations of individual scent notes for men and women, many of which come from the (attar) oil of flowers. How can an intolerant person live on Vancouver Island where flowers and tree blossoms fill the air with nature’s delightful scents for much of the spring, summer, plus fall and be able to cope? These are the very same scents which apparently offend you. There are several solutions for the intolerant: 1. dine in an open-air restaurant; 2. sit in another room by yourself, away from many offending odours; 3. stay home with your air purifier on high. Perfume makes a woman feel feminine at any age and will continue to be part of my regime.
I JUST WANTED to take a second and share a heartwarming story about one of our local businesses here in the Comox Valley. A family purchasing a property here in the Valley were preparing for their new home as well as the birth of their first child, when the little one decided to show up a few weeks early. Due to the early arrival the couple were forced down to the hospital in Victoria, which could have caused a delay in closing the deal as they obviously were preoccupied and couldn’t meet with their notary to sign the necessary paperwork. That’s when their notary, Daryl Robbins, stepped up to the plate and drove down to Victoria on his own time to meet with them and get the paperwork signed, allowing the deal to complete on time, without complications. Now this young family has a great property to come home to and can concentrate on their new baby without the stress of the transaction weighing on their mind. It’s not often you see the level of compassion, understanding and commitment displayed by Daryl Robbins and his staff. Maybe these sorts of good deeds and acts of kindness are what makes the Comox Valley the place it is; all I know is that both Karin and I were very proud to be part of this transaction and we’re both very proud to call Comox Valley home.
SPRING IS DEFINITELY here now. Yahoo! While most people look for the visual signs of new growth and greenery, I tend to listen for telltale sounds. I’m a bird lover and we have so many varieties to enjoy. This morning however the sweet serenade of my favorite flock caught my attention with their return. Long before they came into view a smile came across my face as I realized, the “Snowbirds” are back! We are so lucky to have them here for spring training. Their presence always makes me think well beyond the free airshow right above my house, to the bigger picture of what they represent. Canadians are so fortunate in so many ways. So much of what we enjoy, and sometimes take for granted, is due to all the folks in, or connected to, the Canadian Forces. In these times of global uncertainty and political instability our Forces continue to represent our country with dignity and respect on the world stage. They protect us, they defend us, and they even entertain us! The next time you fly over my house, look down. You may very well see me in the back yard standing at attention, hat off, and hand to brow, in full salute. Thanks for everything you do. You really are the best!
SPECIAL GRATITUDE to the colonoscopy department at the SJGH. Having been examined in the colonoscopy procedure on March 29, 2017 at the St. Joseph’s General Hospital, I would like to express my utmost gratitude to Dr. Kimberley and the nurses including Alison and Brenda in the procedure room, Vicki, Laura, and Eunice in the recovery room. All of you are my hidden hero and heroines who are dedicated to delivering outstanding and compassionate care. Dr. Kimberley is the most reputable surgeon in the community demonstrating his professionalism once again to save my life since he performed gallbladder removal surgery a few years ago. The veteran nurse, Vicki is my special heroine who helped me relieve the most painful and embarrassing situation during the recovery after the gallbladder surgery a few years ago. Most remarkably, it was very impressive that every nurse introduced herself courteously and also explained what she was going to do for the patient prior to performing her duty. Moreover, as Alison moved my bed into the procedure room, she even introduced me to Brenda saying “This is DJ.” Particularly, when Laura inserted the needle into a vein in my hand to perform the intravenous therapy, I did feel a very sharp pain triggering grimace on my face. Then she rubbed around my grimaced glabella gently as if she were trying to help relieve my pain. Simultaneously, her caring spirit touched my heart reminding me of my mother’s magic hand that used to comfort me when I was a little child. Thank you so much! You are DJ’s great hero and heroines!
