Grand Boulevard Residents Association

SNOW

Why do we love or hate snow in our neighbourhood?
What does it teach us, when we confront it?
How do we treat it?
Is it the icing on the cake?
Is it the magnifying glass that exposes the intricate beauty of nature?
Is it the imaginary brick wall that says “Stop! Look! Listen!”
Is it a danger, a pain, an inconvenient visitor? or a joy we wish for, because of the quiet it brings, that forces us to either stay sheltered or dress for the occasion to play and laugh with others on snowy slopes.
How softly it dresses the trees and mountains and reflects the sun.
How mesmerizing it is, as it falls from the heavens; how quietly fascinating.
As a child, I remember catching snowflakes on my tongue, while the rest of my face was gently Continue reading →

RESOLUTIONS for 2022, Part 3

In case you have been following my blogs, you noticed that I took another break, after RESOLUTIONS for 2022, Part 2, posted on Dec.13. It wasn’t so much a period of writer’s block, as much as a period of Life-Gets-in-the-Way. And the weather played a role, too. Sometimes, we need to cancel our planned activities and just enjoy looking out at the magic of snow, creating a peaceful quiescence (look that one up!) over the neighbourhood. At times, I did just that and had a great Christmas.

So, the weather has been exceptional in the past two week, don’t you agree? I mean, a White Christmas in Metro Vancouver? Unbelievable! Oliver has posted exquisite photos to record our Grand Boulevard 2021 Christmas in the Park. It brings out the Continue reading →

RESOLUTIONS for 2022, Part 2

If you didn’t read last week’s TGIF on the Boulevard, or have never heard of James Clear, I wrote about his book called Atomic Habits. This week, I’d like to introduce you to Julia Cameron’s The Artist’s Way.

I learned about it this fall and was leery when I read that she was referring to her self-help program as “a spiritual path” and “the simple process of engaging the Great Creator in discovering and recovering our creative powers.” (Introduction xv) That sounded like something I wouldn’t spend much time pursuing. But as I read further, she clarified her use of the word “God”, writing “…you may substitute the thought good orderly direction or flow... a creative energy.” (Introduction xvi) That felt a little better to me, and as I read how she developed her 12-week (12-chapter) program, by trial and error, over many years of Continue reading →

RESOLUTIONS for 2022, Part 1

On January 1, 2021, I posted one of my first TGIF on the Boulevard articles. I was asking what you thought was in store for us in 2021: getting used to a New Normal; finding the motivation to make the necessary changes to be healthy; and getting to the little jobs around the house that had been put on hold in a busy life.

I mentioned James Clear’s book called Atomic Habits, which was a wake-up call for me. It can be found in the North Van City Library and the District Libraries. I listened to the CD’s at home and on hikes in Lynn Headwaters and I looked at his website: https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits/.

The homepage menu shows: Continue reading →

DRAWDOWN, Part 2

Paul Hawken is the editor of the New York Times Bestseller, DRAWDOWN: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming, published in 2017. “In atmospheric terms, drawdown is that point in time at which greenhouse gases peak and begin to decline on a year-to-year basis.”¹ Paul and scientists from all over the world gathered lists of climate solutions—mapping, modelling and measuring their “potential to reduce emissions or sequester carbon from the atmosphere.”² The results were reviewed by “experts who evaluated the inputs, sources, and calculations.”³ They are solutions that also benefit society and the environment in many ways.

While the Drawdown movement gained momentum in the U.S. and Canada—we have three non-profit organizations in Canada: Drawdown Toronto, Drawdown Alberta and Drawdown BC—Paul had a concern that there was more to reversing global warming than the Continue reading →

DRAWDOWN, Part 1

Paul Hawken, author and activist, edited the book called Drawdown in 2017. His journey began in 2001, when he started asking scientists and environmental experts what we needed to do to reverse global warming. But the answers to his questions were too complicated. No one had a list of what to do and how much it would cost or save us to do it.

So, in 2013, Paul decided to create Project Drawdown “to identify, measure, and model one hundred substantive solutions to determine how much we could accomplish within three decades towards that end.” (Drawdown Origins, page x.) He and his colleagues — 75 researchers and scientists in 22 countries — came up with the 80 best ways we can reverse global warming, including a ranking of each solution by its emissions-reduction potential and the total incremental cost or savings to implement each solution. The remaining 20 solutions don’t have measurements or costs associated, yet, but Continue reading →

MILK KEFIR

I’d like to tell you about my experience making milk kefir, a fermented milk product like yogurt but a lot more nourishing than yogurt. It’s not thick, like the store-bought yogurt, but that wasn’t a surprise to me. I had made yogurt before so I knew it’s naturally more liquidy. I rarely bought flavoured yogurt (with sweet ‘jam’ at the bottom of the container) or the low-fat yogurt.

To be exact, yogurt and milk kefir are probiotics. Yogurt contains three beneficial bacteria which help the gut, but these are ‘transient’ which means that they help with digestion and cleaning the gut, but they pass through the gut. Kefir contains about 23 beneficial bacteria plus 9 different strains of yeast. Not only is kefir more easily absorbed by the intestine, but the beneficial bacteria in kefir can colonize the intestinal tract, which means they stay in the gut and continue to eliminate pathogens. People who are lactose intolerant can tolerate milk kefir better than yogurt because the lactose (milk sugar) is digested better by the many beneficial bacteria in kefir.

“Many health claims exist for kefir, including the enhancement of Continue reading →

Hi Neighbour,

I’m sorry I missed you last Friday, but I was busy getting ready for the Great Grand Boulevard Pumpkin Walk on Saturday afternoon. The Grand Boulevard Residents Association (GBRA) were invited to set up a tent and be part of the fun. And fun it was! The weather was fantastic! The crowds of disguised and costumed people — big and little — were happy to be meeting friends and neighbours, and to have a free Halloween photo taken by GBRA’s resident photographer, Oliver. It has been quite a job to process and digitally frame the 42 photos taken last Saturday, but the results are so good! GBRA has received positive feedback about the event, though we can’t take credit for organizing it. The City of North Vancouver(CNV) staff did all the hard work, and we helped them, when they needed it. If you’d like to have another Grand Boulevard Pumpkin Walk in 2022, write to CNV, with your feedback about this year’s event. They weren’t sure how their first Pumpkin Walk would happen, how many people would come and what organizations would do to make it so GREAT! So please, take a moment to write to them at info@cnv.org.

On another subject, at the beginning of November, I received a postcard appeal from Continue reading →