Freda Glow

Dealing with emergencies abroad

When you plan to travel, it’s important to include health insurance as part of the costs. No one wants to be faced with enormous bills because of an unexpected health crisis. Seniors, especially, must arm themselves with protection.

Get high-energy treats at The Healthy Nut

You’re exhausted. You’ve just come home from working all day at your job, but you can’t rest. There’s still dinner to make and a load of clothes to pop into the washer. You grab a delicious high-protein bar and before you know it, you feel energized enough to carry on.

B-side Apostles offer snapshots of memory

After 40 years as a broadcaster for CBC, CJOB, Power 97 and CITI FM, Larry Updike chose an active retirement. Now he entertains seniors and others, with the kind of music he loves to sing. Over the past eight years he has teamed up with drummer/manager Eric Boorman to travel the highways and byways of the city and surrounding towns. In the past, the duo has played up to 200 concerts per year.

Icing Castle offers summer treats

A refreshing addition to the culinary scene, The Icing Castle can be found in Winnipeg’s northwest corner — a heavily populated area that’s beginning to attract consumer services and businesses. The attractive shop is situated at 55 Waterford Green Common, in a relatively new shopping plaza at the intersection of Adsum Drive and Dr. Jose Rizal Way, the north extension of Keewatin Street

The light-filled shop with soaring windows, serves an assortment of parfaits and sweets that reflect an Asian influence. Shop owner and operator Eumi, as she prefers to be known, said dessert cafes such as this are popular in Japan, Taiwan, China, South Korea, and the Philippines.

Eumi, 38, who came to Canada when she was seven years old, said she opened The Icing Castle in 2018, after graduating from culinary school. Although the past few years were slow, owing to the pandemic, the shop was filled with people when I visited — four teenagers, a grandmother and grandchild, plus a young woman picking up her husband’s favourite treats. Some customers sat down to enjoy their purchases, but others preferred take-out.

“We give them something new and different,” Eumi declared.

‘Wandering Wayne’ entertains at seniors’ centre

Singer/songwriter and musician Wayne Wazny recently appeared at the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre at Syd Glow Place. The one-time automotive salesman, bus driver and auctioneer admitted he is self-taught but added that, if you are open to it “people will teach you”.

Wazny, 71, said he was a lounge artist at the Balmoral Hotel for a year, but he now enjoys entertaining at nursing homes and for seniors groups around the city. His wide repertoire, accompanied by his guitar, includes Ukrainian, Jewish and Hebrew songs as well as oldies made famous by Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, Paul Anka, Elvis, Johnny Cash and Barbra Streisand;

The versatile performer, who calls himself an “old-time fiddler”, also plays waltzes and polkas on his sweet-toned violin.

“I play happy songs”, he said and noted that “Who stole the Kishka? is an audience favourite”.

An inconvenient adventure

It all began with a teary phone call from my friend Helen. She was scheduled to go into the hospital and didn’t have anyone to look after Freddy.

No, Freddy isn’t a dog. Freddy is Helen’s husband and was my husband’s best friend. Before I realized it, I spouted the fateful words “I’ll do it!”

Helen had her surgery and when she woke up in the recovery room of the Health Sciences Centre, she found her husband sitting in a wheelchair, at the foot of her bed. Helen remembers exclaiming “What are you doing here?”

Getting together with Helen to reminisce was fun. My story started with a pratfall I took the night before the operation.

What to know about travel in 2022

Travelling these days is not for the faint of heart. However if you’re determined and want to visit globally, it’s wise to be aware. Each country has its own rules and regulations and they can change overnight.

In mid-December my family travelled to Florida. We each presented proof of our three vaccinations and the negative antigen tests which were required within 24 hours of entry into the United States. After landing in Toronto we headed for Fort Lauderdale Airport, wearing our masks again.

In January we received an invitation from my younger son to visit him on the Dutch island of Bonaire, where he had recently relocated. We reviewed the Bonaire public health website for their travel restrictions and were directed to fill out online forms for each traveller, 12 to 14 hours before departure.

We uploaded copies of our negative PCR tests and Canadian government proof-of-vaccination, including type and date. A special PDF and code was sent back to us by their immigration officials, along with the actual test results and vaccination records. We got their “OK” only eight hours prior to leaving.

Remembering ‘the man called Intrepid’

A blessing in the North End

Many changes in our health-care system have affected this end of town. Serious ambulance cases are directed to Health Sciences Centre. Other catastrophes, such as falls, broken bones and more, head to Seven Oaks Urgent Care.

 I was recently sent there by my doctor. He felt secure that they would solve my sudden problem. While I was awaiting the many tests they do on-site, I absorbed the rhythm of  the place and watched the ebb and flow of nurses, aides and doctors. I sensed a close-knit family that consults with each other to discuss and make important decisions. Having  dedicated their lives to healing, they seem happy to be fulfilling that challenge.

However, as I lay in bed and listened to the group gathered around the desk area, the  talk wasn’t always serious. A lot of joking and teasing went on. The easy everyday camaraderie is pleasant.

It makes life feel normal, although patients are hooked up to beeping machines, waiting for test results. They wonder whether they will be sent home with pills, selected for a more sophisticated treatment in the hospital upstairs or scheduled shortly for elective surgery.

Recalling the legacy of Joe Zuken

I discovered Joe Zuken Heritage Park by accident. When I visited Unicity Paint and Auto Body, on Maple Street in Point Douglas, Dave, the owner suggested I wait in the green space across the street.

“Just follow the path,“ he advised.

What I encountered was a trip back into the past and a reminder of the people who helped this city grow into the bustling place it is today.

The large statue of Ukrainian poet Tarus Shevchenko towers in one corner, and Ross House. a beautifully restored log home, exhibiting the superb skill of the 1854 builders, stands at the other end. The residence was restored as a museum and tour guides are only too happy to relate the story of the first post office in Canada, run by William and Jemima Ross.

Love letter to the community

What a surprise! Greeting me as I cruised around the north end of town was a 90-foot wire fence covered in green leaves, with a message spelled out in pink petals.

I tried to take photos as cars whizzed by at Arlington Street and College Avenue.

In three-foot letters, the message reads: “GOD BLESS U — YOU’RE AMAZING.”

It is plainly a love letter to the community — a thank you to all of us who have hunkered down and isolated, masked-up and vaccinated twice. We were protecting ourselves but, more importantly, we were shielding our children, relatives, friends and neighbours from the vile virus.

Build the Peguis Trail extension now

Faygee Hecht was spitting mad. Ron Schuler, Manitoba’s infrastructure minister, had just announced the funding of several projects in the south end of Winnipeg.

What about the North End? she asked.

What about the western extension of Chief Peguis Trail? Winnipeggers have been waiting since the early 1970s, when the city put aside land and properties for the 16-kilometre route from Main Street to Brookside Boulevard, which would facilitate safer and speedier traffic.Hecht explained that it’s vital.

“Have you seen the new housing developments being built? Construction is booming and there will be two cars in every garage,” she added.

Small joys can keep us strong

We are at war with a battle-scarred bug that keeps re-inventing itself. I’m worn out trying to isolate. I hunger for some social action; meeting friends, dinners out, going to theatres, concerts or sports events.

Although Manitoba is still closed tight, others have achieved minor successes and are opening up to allow normal life and commerce.

Many people in our province are unsure. Should they vaccinate? Is it really safe? Some believe this pandemic is a hoax and rail against masks and vaccines. How they came to this conclusion is mind-boggling. Yet Canada is a place where everyone can voice their opinion. The problem is their behaviour affects the safety of others.

Self-preservation urges us to find a path that will ensure that we come out of these  uncertain times with sound body and mind. Good mental health is difficult to maintain over such a long-term struggle. This war seems never-ending.

Psst… have you heard about Virginia’s Secret Closet?

Situated at 1829 Main St., Virginia’s Secret Closet is a North End diamond, waiting to be found.

Always on hand to help you choose “just the right” outfit, is proprietor Virginia Groshak.

Looking back over her 30 years of experience as a travelling salesperson and buyer, Groshak says she has made many international contacts in Italy, the Netherlands and various parts of Europe. Her shop, which displays many unusual and interesting items, also reflects her appreciation of good Canadian-made products.

With her friendly rapport, Groshak is happy to point out her favourites from straw hats and beach bags to slinky cruise outfits and easy-fitting tops and sportswear. Did I mention the awe-inspiring, custom-made jewelry?

You’ll L.O.V.E. this store

“Wow! I’m in awe,” says intrepid entrepreneur Amanda Woodard, when vendors approach her to include their ingenious creations for sale at her newly re-opened shop in the Garden City Shopping Centre.

The knowledgeable businesswoman saw an opportunity and grabbed it when the COVID-19 pandemic dried up all the sale venues for her and fellow craftspeople.

L.O.V.E. is an acronym for ‘Locally Operated Vendor Emporium’ and it offers products created by local seamstresses, woodworkers, and other artists who work in assorted genres.

When this reporter visited, I was amazed by the variety, ingenuity and first class-class quality of the attractive displays. From hand-made dog biscuits, mint-chocolate honey, loaves of bannock, to hand-sewn blankets, colourful masks, fun plastic items and a magnificent display of casual clothing, in sizes 2 to 5X. Shoppers are sure to find just the right gift or product they can’t find anywhere else.

A man of many artistic talents

I first met James Culleton at the unveiling of a mural he painted in shades of blue and white, depicting special people and activities of the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre at Syd Glow Place.

This non-profit organization has become a popular fixture in Winnipeg’s North End and caters to the needs of the area’s older population. Once called The Golden Age Club, it was organized in the 1940s and finally found its “forever home” in 1988, at the former tire store at Smithfield Avenue and Main Street.

Culleton, 47, says he and Gwen Secter program co-ordinator Dan Saidman put their heads together to create the design of the mural, a historic document that covers the south wall of the building. Saidman was well aware of the artist’s skill, as Culleton was once artist-in-residence at an art gallery Saidman operated many years ago.

The talented painter’s biggest mural was a 60x500-foot birch tree forest for Club Regent Casino. His latest work was a “snofa” for Festival du Voyageur, a snow sculpture of a sofa with the head of a bison. He’s also proud of a 25-foot tall moose of plywood, rope and LED lights that he made for the Zoo Lights festival at Assiniboine Park.

Mount Carmel: A clinic with a cause

In the early 1900s, Winnipeg threw open its doors to immigration. There was a great need for manpower to help established businesses and factories survive and grow.

Thousands settled in the north end of town, where cheap housing was plentiful. However, in spite of a growing, vibrant community, affordable health care quickly became an urgent problem. Mount Carmel Clinic tried to fill that need.

I was four years old when I first visited Mount Carmel Clinic. Established in 1926, it had been operating for 12 years and proved to be a beacon of light in the city’s North End. It became the “go-to” place for Jewish newcomers.

In her biography for the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba, Laura Richman recalls that when she worked at the Selkirk Avenue location as an X-ray technician in 1949, the facility was already open to the needs of the general public. Everyone was welcome.

Temporary move brings nature closer

Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, has just announced the COVID-19 vaccine has arrived. However,  everything in the city is closed tight. All citizens were asked to refrain from visiting family, neighbours or friends over the holidays.

The city is drowning under the second wave of COVID-19 and now that there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, the good doctor is determined to halt the rise of new cases.

My older son approached and asked me to come live with his family for a month. He resides a short distance away, in a secluded neighbourhood in West St. Paul. The area is filled with winding streets, green boulevards, interesting paths and many homes backing on to the winding Red River.

Fall is the nicest time to visit, but overnight this community has turned into a winter wonderland. The snow is deep enough to display the signs of wild animals in the area. I spotted the footprints of a coyote on the back deck last week.

The scoop on hand sanitizers

Hand sanitizers are almost everywhere: in workplaces, schools, restaurants, grocery stores and most public areas. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, using sanitizers is a health department directive. Nowadays we automatically reach for that spray, rub, or gel.

Data released by Statistics Canada show that retail sales of hand sanitizer continue to soar. In early June it was 12 times higher than in 2019. The unexpected demand has created a shortage of pharmaceutical and food-grade ethanol, the primary disinfectant in most hand sanitizers.

On April 15, Health Canada issued a notice about the temporary approval of specific sources of tech-grade ethanol for use in the manufacture of hand sanitizers and hard-surface disinfectants. 

Did you know that your disinfectant may make you sick? Because of the shortage of ethanol, alternative compounds such as acetaldehyde are being used. Have you looked at the ingredients label on your recently purchased bottle of hand sanitizer? Many have been imported from far-off places like Korea.

Venting over our ‘new normal’

The happy times we took for granted may never repeat themselves the same way. There’s been a shift — a global cataclysm that has altered the rules we live by. In spite of modern medicines life has become an even more perilous highway.

Something bigger than you and I has surfaced — a microscopic bug that has split up our lives.

All around the world, people are dying from this cantankerous virus, so strong that it kills, yet so weak that soap and water can dismantle its power.

This is an enemy we can’t see, smell or feel. It can literally take our breath away. Some patients have to be attached to machines that breathe for them, yet a cloth or paper mask is said to protect us.

A look back at the polio epidemic of 1953

It’s interesting to look back and see how Winnipeg dealt with previous devastating illnesses.

Built in 1914, King George Hospital on Mulvey Avenue was considered one of the most modern isolation facilities in the world for the care and treatment of communicable illnesses. It had dealt with smallpox, influenza, scarlet fever, tuberculosis, whooping cough, typhoid, and cholera.

In 1952 the hospital was challenged with an epidemic of poliomyelitis, or polio for short, which causes paralysis of limbs and muscles, including the diaphragm.

The headline on the front page of an issue of the Winnipeg Free Press from September 1953, read: “Small in number, a fighting few stand polio siege.” The story went on to describe the pressure on doctors and nurses in matters of life and death. 

Podcasting to bring the past to life

Lately I have become obsessed with the thought of making a podcast. Simply speaking, that’s a recording that can be accessed through a website or perhaps played on the radio.

Growing up we were often glued to the radio as we ate breakfast, did our homework or carried out our chores. For the listener, it was uncomplicated. You just switched on the radio — period.

Now older folks have to take lessons if we want to operate today’s intricate machines.

It’s no joke. My greatest frustration is when I’m told to do A, B, and C and the technological monster doesn’t behave and wants to do whatever. How I envy those who have an easy rapport with modern technology.