Frances Olson

You have likely never heard of Frances Olson, but she has had a tremendous impact on your life! Frances, now eighty-two years old, was born and raised in Regina. She grew up on Osler Street. As a young girl, she would often stand in front of a mansion-like dwelling on College Avenue and dream about what it would be like to be rich enough to own a home like that. In 1965, her husband, Ralph, lost his job at SGI in Regina. In those days, women did not work and Frances was terrified that they would lose everything. One thing Frances knew was that she loved selling things and working with people. She had worked as a teen-ager at the Regina Army-Navy store and loved the work she did. She decided she would go into realty. So, at the age of 37, she began to hunt for a job as a realtor. However, no one would hire her – because she was a woman. Women did not sell realty. Rather than let that defeat her, she began her own company: Frances Olson Realty. Remember that house on College Avenue? It became the headquarters for her new company. She became a successful realtor and woman began to contact her to ask her how to break into real estate. What could Frances do? She hired those women. Frances Olson Realty became an all female real estate organization. Frances mentored the women who worked for her, sharing her work ethics, her fashion sense and her knowledge of customer relations. She was a role model for women in the sixties who were just beginning to demand the same opportunities for themselves as their husbands had. Whether we know her story or not, Frances opened the door for woman to demand better and to lead fulfilling lives. Never forgetting the women who came before us and blazed a trail for us . . . it’s a good thing!

Gail Bowen

She is a world famous mystery writer whose book series has been made into TV movies. She has just published the twelfth novel in her series and she is working on her thirteenth. Surely, she must live in a huge American city or perhaps London, England? No – she is our very own Gail Bowen and she lives in Regina! Her books are set in Saskatchewan, her heroine, Joanne Kilbourn lives in Regina, and Kilbourn’s daughter lives in Saskatoon. Bowen has her heroine travel the province. In her last book, The Brutal Heart, Prince Albert played a part in the story. Pine Grove Correction Centre (the woman’s jail) is in The Brutal Heart and staff invited Bowen to give a reading to the inmates there. Bowen was very happy to do so and shared her book this morning. She was well received by the woman who is incarcerated at the Correctional Centre, who took part in a lively question-and-answer in which they questioned Bowen about her book and about publishing in general. Last night, Bowen held a reading at the local library. Gail Bowen is a popular author who takes ordinary prairie living and turns it into a murder mystery. She, nor her heroine, ever forget where they are from and are always proud of their prairie roots. Amazing authors who live just around the corner . . . it’s a good thing!

Loblaws

I love shopping at large grocery stores. The reason I do is because I can get everything I want at one place and then go on with my day doing fun stuff (grocery shopping is not something I consider to be “fun stuff”). One of the bigger stores in our city is Super Store, which is owned by Loblaws. I found out something very interesting about the founders of Loblaws. When Theodore Loblaw and Milton Cork opened their tiny Toronto grocery store in 1919, they introduced a new concept in grocery retailing. They combined self-serve and cash-and-carry shopping contrary to conventional food stores of the time where customers waited for a clerk to give them items from behind a counter. Loblaw and Cork were laughed at by other business people and were told that there new concept would not work. They believed it would work and – as they say – the rest is history. Within ten years the small-time store had over seventy locations across Canada and U.S. Today, it is Canada’s largest food distributor and has over 1000 stores from coast to coast. It employs 138,000 employees. No matter where you shop now, customers help themselves, bring the items to a counter, pay for them and carry them out. Who knew this method was started by two small business men in Toronto? I wonder what Loblaw and Cork would think if they could see what their company has evolved into? It is a great Canadian company that has remained true to its roots for almost one hundred years. Shopping at the most convenient store and finding out it has a great Canadian story behind it . . . it’s a good thing!

Old Friends and New

This week-end I had the pleasure of spending time with some wonderful friends. I was in Regina and stayed at the home of a very good friend who used to live in my city. I really miss Rose-Anne and it was so nice to spend time with her again. I also got to visit with another good friend, AM, who happens to be her daughter. AM now has two beautiful children. AM’s daughter, “Missy” turned four this week-end so we attended her birthday party. Almost since the day she was born, Missy has made it her mission to ignore me. As a baby, I was never able to get a smile out of her. When she got a little older, if I talked to her she would just look the other way. I don’t know what I ever did to her, but she enjoyed pretending I did not exist. That did not change this week-end – at first! As soon as I walked into the house and said hello to her, she turned away. She looked so cute with her cute little sparkly glasses and big eyes. She has a mind of her own and I assumed that I would be spending the evening being ignored by her. Suddenly, after about an hour she decided that maybe I wasn’t so bad after all! She made eye-contact and talked to me. Then she even sat on my lap and brought me a book to read to her. (Although her Mom took the book away from us and began to read it herself because it was a book which listed quotes from Mila and, apparently, I wasn’t using the correct emphasis on the words). By the end of the day, after exactly four years to the day, I had made a new little friend. Spending time with friends – old and new . . . . it’s a good thing!

A City of Compassion

The people in the city I live in never fail to amaze me with their passion and generosity. This week is a good example of how engaged our citizens are in working together to improve the lives of our neighbors. Monday was the International Day for the Elimination of Racism. The day began with a well-attended pancake breakfast hosted by the Multi-Cultural Council. Later in the day, a dinner was held at SIAST. People of all cultures and races attended the dinner. A program followed which showcased the traditions of the different cultures in our city. Many people attended both events in a show of support and fellowship. Today there is a radio-thon happening in support of Children’s Haven. Kids’ Haven is a unique program which can be accessed by parents or social workers in times of emergency or special need. Kids’ Haven is a home especially built to accommodate children who need a safe place to stay on a short-term basis. Children in crisis are welcomed into the home by compassionate people who bring a little joy into a stressful time. The radio-thon is held each year as a way to raise money to keep Children’s Haven in operation. Each year, it raises thousands of dollars through the generosity of the people in this city. Every week there is another event which shows the spirit and generosity of the people here. That’s what makes it such a great place to live. Living in a city you love with people who care . . .it’s a good thing!

Josephine Cochran: Hero to Women and Inventor of The Dishwasher

Last night as I was loading the dishwasher, I wondered to myself who had come up with the inspirational idea of using a machine to wash dishes. Well, I should not have been surprised to discover it was a woman! Actually, a man named Joel Houghton patented a wooden machine in 1850. His invention had a hand-turned wheel that splashed water on dishes but didn’t do a very good job at cleaning them. In 1896 Josephine Cochran of Ohio, apparently proclaimed in disgust “If nobody else is going to invent a dishwashing machine, I’ll do it myself”. Ms. Cochran’s motivation was not her dislike of doing dishes by hand. In fact, she never washed her own dishes in spite of the fact that she held many fancy dinner parties. She was very wealthy and had servants to take care of things like dish washing. Her motivation was that she wanted a dish washer which could wash dishes faster and cleaner without chipping them. She developed her invention and presented it at the 1893 World Fair in Chicago. She had thought that women everywhere would immediately fall in love with it, but only hotels and large restaurants bought her mechanical hand-operated machine. The dishwasher would not become a household item until the 1950’s – long after Josephine had died. She never enjoyed the true success of her invention, but her company lives on today. KitchenAid now sells all kinds of appliances and has come a long way from its humble beginnings as Josephine Cochran’s hand-turned dishwasher. Appreciating having a dishwasher – especially one does not have to turned by hand . . . . it’s a good thing!

Nuts For Your Blood Pressure

Are you worried about something? Pop a few walnuts! Really! A new study from Penn State University shows that the nuts can lower your blood pressure and help you fight stress. The researchers found that including walnuts and walnut oil in the diet of their participants lowered their resting blood pressure and their blood pressure responses to stress. It’s amazing that adding walnuts to your diet could do this. Incidentally, are you curious how they tested blood pressure responses? The team did it in two ways. First they gave each participant a topic to write a three-minute speech on. They were given only two minutes to write the speech and then their presentation was video-taped! Stressful indeed! The second test was to submerge one foot in ice-cold water! Through-out these tests, blood pressure readings were taken. The results showed that the blood pressure was significantly reduced when the participants were including walnuts and walnut oil in their diet for a six week period. Maybe it sounds “nutty”, but apparently it works! Eating walnuts to reduce blood pressure . . . it’s a good thing!

I'm Postive I'm Happy

When I launched this blog, I talked about how being positive was good for you and how you could make yourself happy just by thinking you are happy. Since then, I have found more and more web sites and blogs dedicated to positive thinking and the pursuit of happiness. People are finding that they can indeed "fool" themselves into being happy by having an optimistic outlook. Now I find that the researchers at the University of Georgia have released the results of their study into people who are a hundred years old or older. The researchers studied 244 people aged 100 years or more between 2001 and 2009. They found that critical life events, personal history, how people adapt to situations of stress and how they cope with those situations are crucial to explaining successful aging. One of the scientists, Leonard Poon, said "What is happening to you matters, but more importantly, it is your perception of what is happening to you that is really important for your individual health". In other words, having an upbeat outlook contributes to longevity. The study found this also included having a positive attitude about aging itself! Researchers found that the centenarians' feelings about their health, home and support system was a stronger predictor of survival than other measurers such as blood pressure and blood sugar. The "expert survivors", as they are referred to in the study, were found to be open and conscientious. They accepted aging with the same grace and positivity as they had accepted most events throughout their lives. By the way, the researchers also found that in industrialized countries, 6 women reach 100 for every one man. So, if we women are fortunate enough (and happy enough) to live to be 100, we won't have to put up with "grumpy old men". We may have fewer men around us by then, but they will have a happy mindset! Finding yet another reason to have a positive attitude . . . it's a good thing!

Friendships to Cherish

On Saturday night, I worked at a fundraiser with some of my best friends. The fundraiser, a fish-fry was for a good cause, but what made it even more fulfilling was spending the afternoon and evening with people who are such good friends. As we worked through-out the afternoon preparing the meal and setting up the hall, there was much laughter. At one point, during a lull in the conversation and the laughter, I looked at the people gathered around in the kitchen and it struck me how very fortunate I am to have such compassionate and caring friends. These are people who gave up their day-off to raise money for a cause they believe in. They are the same people who sit on boards and committees and volunteer in countless other organizations because they truly believe in helping others. Each and every one is involved in one way or another in improving our city and helping those who are less fortunate. While this may make them sound like very serious people, they also like to have a good time and enjoy life. They work hard and they play hard. I am fortunate to be surrounded by such caring friends who have such passion for life and believe in lending a helping hand. Taking the time to appreciate the friends who are in your life . . . it's a good thing.

Atlantis

Over two thousand years after Plato mentioned the lost city of Atlantis, three Canadians from Alberta are part of a team that may have found the ruins of this city. Scholars have for years believed Plato had invented the mythic kingdom which he claimed had been swallowed up by the sea. What a coincidence that the team’s discovery comes at the same time the world is watching in horror as Japan suffers the devastating impact of a tsunami twenty-four hundred years after a similar fate may have occurred in Atlantis. The three Canadian scientists specialize in imaging buried ruins. Their imaging has turned up items far buried deep and from any other known ancient settlement. As well, they have found artifacts farther north in Spain where, if there truly was an Atlantis and it was overrun by water, survivors could have relocated. There they have found intriguing art which appears to be a memorial. Could this art be commemorating a lost city? Hopefully, we will soon know more about the lost city of Atlantis and a very old mystery will be solved. Solving an ancient mystery and learning more about our history . . . it’s a good thing!

A Healthy Cup'a Java

A few weeks ago I wrote in my blog about the health benefits of drinking a glass of wine a few times a week. Now I find that the University of California has done research which proves that drinking coffee can reduce the risk of developing diabetes by 60%! The researchers found this applied to people with normal levels of blood sugar as well as those who have been diagnosed as pre-diabetic. How much coffee are they talking? Well, about four cups a day. Not bad – a little less than I usually drink, but still within reason. These findings are consistent with previous studies. However, the University of California research is one of the most comprehensive studies done. The researchers studied 910 adults over an average of 8 years. By the way, they also found that people who no longer drank coffee had the same lower percentage of diabetes as those in the study who still drank coffee. I love it when something I like to consume is found – by scientists, no less – to be good for you (ok – in moderation, but still). Drinking wine and coffee because it’s good for you . . . it’s a good thing!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Why is it that the date of the death of Irland's patron saint is celebrated worldwide? There are many other saints and many other patron saints, but most are celebrated locally and not all over the world as St. Pat is. There is something intriguing about St. Patrick and all the greenery that happens on March 17. The real St. Patrick was born in the 4th Century and is thought to have been taken as a slave from Roman Britain to Ireland. He escaped, returned to Britain and became a priest. He later returned to Ireland and is credited with Christianizing the Irish from their native religion. Folklore says that he used a shamrock to explain the Christian doctrine of the Trinity to the Irish people. That was likely where “the wearing of the green” originated. St. Patrick’s Day and the wearing of green has been celebrated as early as the 17th century. Today, we continue to wear green on March 17th and show off our green in other ways: bars offer green beer, the Chicago River is dyed green, and many businesses change the lights on their buildings to green for the day. The Irish have contributed a great deal to Canada. Irish-Canadian engineering developed and built the Rideau canal system, Irish immigrants helped build the St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railway and one-third of Canada’s 22 prime ministers have Irish ancestry! So, wear your green clothes today and tip a green beer to the memory of St. Patrick. Wearing of the green on St. Patty’s Day . . it’s a good thing!

Scientific Research or Video Game?

Did you ever dream of becoming a scientist when you grow up or did you just want to play video games? Well, now you can do BOTH! McGill University in Montreal has developed a new on-line game called Phylo. With this game, players can contribute to genetic research while having fun. Scientists at McGill developed the game because there are some calculations which the human brain does more efficiently than a computer. One of the things the human brain does better is being able to recognize and sort patterns in the human genetic code, which is what the game of Phylo is all about. Players match parts of a genetic code represented by coloured blocks. Players even have the option of choosing which genetic disease they want to help decode. The game was just launched a few weeks ago and already players have contributed 200,000 solutions! People can use their free time to contribute to important medical research. The McGill team is hoping to soon integrate this game into Facebook as an application. What a way to contribute to science! You can try playing at http://phylo.cs.mcgill.ca . Cracking genetic codes and playing a video game at the same time . . . it’s a good thing!

Looking Out For Number One

Today I did something I have not done for quite some time, something I used to do faithfully almost every day - I went to the gym. It felt so good to go through the paces, I don't know why I let myself get out of the routine. Over the last year, it was so easy to come up with excuses not to head to the gym: my step-dad was ill, my mom needed help, I had to work late; the list went on and on. I never used to let anything come between me and my aerobics class! For the past few months, I have been feeling tired and lacking energy. I knew it was time to take things a little more seriously and look after myself. I started eating better. Last week I started doing the treadmill every day and going for long walks. Today, I was back in the gym and it felt good! After only a week of physical activity, I already feel so much better. Looking after yourself to be the best you can be . . .it's a good thing!

Japan

This morning I woke up to -30 weather - again! As I looked out the window and saw how cold and dreary everything looked, I felt sorry for myself. It's been bitterly cold forever. I am sick of it. Why do we live in this cold climate, anyway? Then I turned on the TV and saw the horrific images of Japan's earthquake and tsunami. How terrifying those events must have been for the people who were caught first in the earthquake, then in a tsunami! We feel so helpless to assist them, here on the other side of the world. The weather here no longer seemed so bad. Later in the day, a friend and I were discussing the tragic events in Japan and how fortunate we are to only have to cope with -30 weather today. The topic turned to gardening and how we may lose a lot of our perennials this year because of the type of winter we have had. I mentioned to her that I hated the thought of having to replant everything. She reminded me that replanting a flower garden is easy when compared to rebuilding homes and cities which people in Japan are facing. We are indeed fortunate to living in a place seldom hit by tornadoes, floods or earthquakes. Minus thirty doesn't seem so bad anymore, does it? Wishing there was more we could do to help the people in Japan devastated by earthquake and tsunami, and appreciating our own safety - even if it is bitterly cold . . . it's a good thing!

Amelia Earhart

I love a good mystery! And I love it when a good mystery becomes a solved mystery - even if it is more than seventy years later. The story of Amelia Earhart and her mysterious disappearance has always fascinated me. In 1937 Amelia set off in her plane with her navigator to circle the world . She was an accomplished pilot and had been the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. As she set off on her journey, she kept radio contact. Somewhere over the central Pacific Ocean near Howland Island, radio contact ceased and Amelia Earhart disappeared. Although there was an extensive search for her, there was never a trace of her found. The official version of her disappearance was that she ran out of fuel and crashed at sea. Now there is evidence that she survived the crash and lived out her days as a castaway on the remote Nikumaroro Island, an island some 1800 miles south of Hawaii. In December 2010, researchers found three bone fragments they believe are from Earhart's body. It will take several months to find out if they are able to extract enough DNA material from the tiny bone fragments. This island was inhabited until 1938 - one year after Amelia disappeared. The British sent a team to start clearing land for a village and coconut plantation. In 1940, the team found bones and a campsite. The skeleton was sent to Fiji and the British lost track of it in 1941. Could this have been the body of Amelia Earhart? Hopefully, the pieces of bone found recently on the island (which has been deserted since 1963, following a drought) will solve the mystery. Enjoying a good mystery . . . it's a good thing!

Wonderful Wipers By Women

Did you know that windshield wipers were invented by a woman? Inventor Mary Anderson patented her "car-window cleaning device" in 1903! While visiting New York City, she noticed that streetcar drivers had to open their windows to see when it was raining. She went home and came up with a swinging arm attached to a rubber blade. The device was operated by the driver using a lever. Many people thought Anderson's invention would not catch on and they worried that it would distract drivers. Of course, it did no such thing and by 1916 Anderson's system was standard on most vehicles. By the way, it was another woman inventor, Charlotte Bridgwood, who patented the first automatic windshield wipers in 1917. Women making a difference in the world . . . it's a good thing!

Farming in Los Angeles

Horses and cattle grazing nearby, roosters crowing to wake you up at first light and chickens and goats running free. Does this sound like idyllic country living? Surprisingly, this serene country scene is in the middle of the city of Los Angeles, California! Situated less than a mile from the 91 freeway and from downtown, the 10-block Richland Farms neighborhood is zoned for agricultural use! Who would have thought you could "go country" in the middle of a huge city of like L.A.? Because it is on valuable land, Richland Farm residents have had to fight off developers for decades. They have managed to keep their land as it has always been: farms situated in the shadow of a city which encircles them. Residents who live in the Richland Farm neighborhood own horses, pigs, cattle, chickens and other farm animals. "Back yards" consist of barns, pens and chicken coops. Imagine living in one of the largest cities in the world and finding working farms in the centre of it! I hope the people of Richland Farms continue to win their battle against developers. I am intrigued by their community and think it is a great reminder to everyone that we all have country roots. Living on a farm in the middle of a city . . . it's a good thing!

Telemiracle 35

People who know me know I am a supporter of local artists, both visual and performing. Our city and province has an amazing amount of very talented people. The music industry here is growing in leaps and bounds, and nothing could make me happier. Having said that, I have not been a die-hard fan of Telemiracle over the years. I do check in, switching television stations during commercials just to see how high the donations have reached and who the show headliners are. I am always impressed with the generosity of Saskatchewan people and I always watch the closing when everyone is on stage, singing O Canada, while balloons are dropped from the ceiling. That never fails to cause a tear or two to flow. I just have never felt a connection with the headliners in previous years, often entertainers from America or other parts of Canada. This year, however, I was pleasantly surprised and impressed. Most of the headline acts were Saskatchewan born and bred musicians, most of who still live here. We have a lot to proud of: we raised $4.6 million during the fund-raiser (that is almost $5 for each man, woman and children in Saskatchewan) and we showcased amazing local entertainers. Supporting local causes and local talent . . . it’s a good thing!

We Care

One of the reasons I love living in a small city is because people care about each other and still take time to help one another. I saw a great example of this today. Over the noon hour, I happened to be driving through a grocery-store parking lot. It was a bitterly cold day and the wind chill was extreme. I saw an elderly woman standing by her car and noticed it had a flat tire. I also noticed a store employee in the store's bright yellow safety-jacket kneeling by the tire, changing it. Then I happened to take a second look and saw that it was not an employee after all - it was the store manager! I was impressed. How many managers would change a customer's tire - especially on a very cold day? I know this would likely not happen in a bigger city. There is still a sense of community here and neighbors still feel a responsibility to each other. That store manager changing the lady's tire on such a cold day epitomized this. At one time, this store used the slogan "We Care" in its national advertising. I don't know if it is still used or not, but in this city, it is very true. People who go above and beyond the call of duty . . . it's a good thing!

Snow

I am quite certain I could live in a climate which has no snow and I would be perfectly happy. People comment that I would miss the snow. No, I don't think I would. Others have also commented that I wouldn't enjoy Christmas without snow. I don't believe that to be true either. I recall one December several years ago in which we had no snow until Dec. 31. I loved that "dirt" Christmas! The boys didn't need boots so there was no twenty-minute struggle to get boots on over snow-pants - just a couple shoes to lace and away they went! It was wonderful. I could see myself living on a palm tree-lined street in a hot climate. However, as I was out walking on the snowy Rotary Trail yesterday, it struck me there is something I would miss: I would miss the sound of snow crunching when you walk on it. I have always loved that sound and I have always been aware of how much I love it. I remember as a child listening to the crunch of my boots on the snow in the quiet of the morning as I walked to the bus. Upon reflection, I guess I would miss the snow after all. Loving some things about life with snow . . . it's a good thing!

A Friend In Need

There is an old saying that you don’t know who your friends are until you really need them. There is a lot of truth to that, as I am finding out. My family recently had to place our Mom in a care home. Mom has always been the person who takes care of everyone. She spent a lot of time visiting people who were alone, had just lost someone or were feeling lonely for whatever reason. She loved to visit and have coffee. She went out of her way to talk to people. She rarely had a bad word to say about anyone and always looked for the good in people. I thought I knew who Mom could count on for support when she moved – the people who would visit her and call her to make her transition a little easier. I have been amazed at who has called and visited and who has avoided her. I am so grateful to the people who have taken the time to call on her and to make her feel she is still valued and loved and that they are still her friends. I also appreciate my own friends who have taken the time to show they care and have helped me get through this. There are angels among us, and they help us when we need them the most. Those are the people who are truly your friends. I hope that when my friends need a hand or an encouraging word I will remember this and be there for them. Sometimes needing a friend, other times being a friend . . . it’s a good thing!

Alone At Home

Have you ever had the occasional opportunity to stay home during the day and to have the house entirely to yourself? Have you ever noticed how different your house looks when that happens? It is amazing how different it looks at various times of the day, depending on the position of the sun. Why don’t we notice that on week-ends? I think it’s because everyone is home, the TVs are blaring, all the lights are on and there is so much action going on, no one notices subtle changes in light. It has always struck me how almost surreal your home is when you are there alone. The light falls on furniture, pictures and ornaments in a softer shade. Perhaps it is more noticeable because every light fixture in the house is not turned on and so everything looks “different”, more peaceful and sometimes more inviting. It is so much more relaxing without every light glaring brightly. I enjoy those days, as few and far between as they are, until everyone comes home again, turning on lights and televisions throughout the house as they come in! Enjoying the beauty of your home on a rare day when you have it all to yourself . . . it’s a good thing!