FRESH AIR & FROLICS
SWEET TREAT
“I snapped this fun-filled pic in March of 2016 in nearby Bass River, N.B.,” says Coleen Ramsay of Bathurst, N.B. “Pictured are David Ellis (driving the ATV) and Dawn Thibodeau seated behind him, who are the parents of Jordyn (in pink) and Ashton. Along for the ride are friends Sandra Lavigne, and Stephen Ellis in the red sled. The day was filled with tapping trees, collecting sap, reducing it on a wood stove and finally, enjoying the syrup poured on snow and scooped up on popsicle sticks!” shares Coleen.
CRASH LANDING!
“I used a timer to capture this pic of me and my son LJ,” writes Joe Brander of Sarnia, Ont. “Here we are at the base of a hill near the Bluewater Bridge in nearby Point Edward, Ont.”
PLAYFUL CHUMS
“I snapped this photo of my oldest granddaughter Oksana (left) and her friend Lara at Parc Omega just north of Montebello, Que.,” shares Bruce Raby of Perth, Ont. “After driving around the park taking in the various animal exhibits, we stopped at one of only two locations in the park where you are allowed to exit your car. There was a play area for kids, which on this day the girls had to themselves. We were waiting for the wolf demonstration to begin, so they decided to try out the seesaw!”
Fibre Plus
A few years ago, my husband Jim, who is diabetic, was admitted to the hospital, where he stayed until his diabetes was under control. We both attended nutrition classes, so when he was discharged, I was adamant that he was going to follow his diet religiously. We stopped off at a large grocery store and bought multi-grain cereal to start his morning off right. I prepared his cereal and, as he was eating it, he remarked that he thought he saw a worm in the cereal (at that time his eyesight was not the best due to his diabetes.) Without taking him seriously, I jokingly told him to “Shut up and eat your porridge.” I then proceeded to empty the rest of the cereal from the package into a glass jar when, lo and behold, a moth flew out. I was horrified as I realized just what had happened. Jim thought it was funny and said, “At least I got my protein along with the fibre.”
We took the remainder of the cereal back to the store. The apologetic manager felt the same way I did and said he would take up our concern with the company. We received a huge box of different products from a salesman of the company, along with an apology, at which time
Jim thanked him for all the goodies but remarked, “Where is the cereal that I had?” The salesman remarked that he had thought he wouldn’t want to eat that particular cereal again. A short time later, we received another package containing a few boxes of the desired cereal. Jim delights in telling everyone about the first meal I made for him when he came home from the hospital. By the way, we are still married—57 years now! Olga Craig, Edmonton
A Slip of the Tongue
The new LRT (Light Rail Transit) here in Ottawa is going through a lot of growing pains and some commuters are getting very upset with the system. Recently, I decided to drive my grandson to university because he’d been up most of the night cramming for a test. While driving, I asked him if he was being badly affected by all the problems with the new LSD. “I think you mean LRT G’pa” he responded. To which I said, “Yes, of course, sorry, that’s old age for you.”
But the more I thought about why I’d made such a dumb mistake, I came to the conclusion that LSD might be a more appropriate name for the new transit system since so many people are having bad trips on it! Richard Lane, Ottawa