Things that are Good for the Heart

2006-03 February is here again to remind us that it is heart month - on two levels. First, the strictly practical matters of the health of the heart, dealing with diet and exercise. Just this morning the TV news was repeating mom's old mantra, "eat your vegetable, they are good for you'. As always, mom was right! Then we have the completely impractical matters of Valentine's Day, and the reminder it brings of the importance of family and friends in our lives. Make a phone call to an old friend, or share a Valentine's Day cup of tea with a new friend and make two hearts healthier! Now that it is official, dark chocolate is good for us - we can even indulge ourselves with a clear conscience! Chocolate and friends just naturally go together, don't they? In honour of the Romantic theme the Okanagan Symphony Orchestra will be offering a special program: "Shakespeare in Love". Not the works of the man himself this time, but music inspired by his works. It will be presented in Kelowna Feb 10 and Vernon Feb 11, both programs beginning at 8 pm and both offering discussions with the conductor, Pierre Simard, at 7 pm. Take a good friend and some chocolate and enjoy a wonderful evening of classical music plus excerpts from "Midsummer Night's Dream". If the music from 'Cats' or "The Phantom of the Opera' is more to your liking, then Viva Musica in Kelowna is offering the music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, February 9-12. If that is not your 'cup of tea' or if you just want more music in your life, ABBAMANIA is coming to Vernon February 21st. That is guaranteed to get the heart pumping faster! Can't listen to Abba music and sit still - it's not possible! In case you are thinking that February could be a dull and dreary month, there is lots more going on to get the heart exercising. The Bare Bones Theatre in Penticton, written about in this issue, is once again offering a full program, as are the theatres in Vernon, Kelowna, Kamloops, Armstrong, Summerland, etc. And there is the fun filled frenzy of the 46th Annual Vernon Winter Carnival, Feb 3-11. This year's theme is "The Roaring 20s" - that should be good for the heart! On a quieter heart warming note, the Wellness Centre in Peachland, also written up in this issue, offers a wonderful program that brings high school students and seniors together with the goal of getting the senior's memoirs down on paper for children, grandchildren, students, etc to enjoy in years to come. How I wish that my grandparents had left some written records. I guess they thought that no one would be interested in the details of their lives, but how wrong they were! I have so many questions now that will never be answered. The Society for Learning in Retirement is offering a similar kind of program with their course in writing a guided autobiography (250-762-3989). Let's make this, the Year of the Dog, also The Year of the Writer. We'll all troop down to the local Dollar Store for a simple lined notebook, and start jotting down things for younger folks to shake their heads at. As a genealogy person I would love to know the names of the faces in the photo albums, and the name of grandfather's grandfather, and what ever happened to Uncle Bill? For posterity, though, we can offer answers to the larger questions: what were you paid on your first job? Well, the minimum wage then was fifty cents an hour. What did you pay for your first house? A brand new house in North Vancouver was $32,000. (!) We can write down the mysteries of iceboxes, gramophones you had to wind up, cars without windshield washer fluid (a handful of snow worked well) and pens with steel nibs that had to be dipped in an ink well. Do they still sell blotters? Share the memories of community food lockers if you really want to see young eyes widen. I remember when my father and I would drive down to the Vernon Locker Plant if mother wanted to cook a Sunday roast. We'd go into the foyer, pick out a parka hanging there for visitors, and enter into the freezer room. Then we'd open our own little locker and remove our frozen meat. Cooking was an adventure in those days! None of this popping a complete frozen dinner into the microwave. Want to keep a healthy heart? Find a good friend and start reminiscing. Soon the tales of 'remember when' will have you laughing til the tears come. Laughter, as we all know, is the best medicine of all for the heart! We wish you all a heart warming February! - Pat Archibald, Editor -

 

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