Gray days make me SAD

I’ve long been aware that the January blues that I wrote about last week are symptoms of SAD, seasonal affective disorder. SAD, sometimes known as winter depression, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms during the winter months. Brought on by lack of natural light, SAD is especially prevalent amongst those of us who live at northern latitudes. Like many SAD sufferers, I notice the symptoms most during long stretches of cloudy weather such as we have been experiencing lately.

According to the Mayo Clinic website which I trust for all things medical, symptoms may include:

• Depression
• Hopelessness
• Anxiety
• Loss of energy
• Social withdrawal
• Oversleeping
• Loss of interest in activities you once enjoyed
• Appetite changes, especially a craving for foods high in carbohydrates
• Weight gain
• Difficulty concentrating and processing information

Compared to many, I suffer from a relatively mild case of SAD but I can definitely identify with many of the above. At times like this, I feel grumpy and pessimistic, sometimes even anxious. One of the advantages of retirement is the fact that I don’t have to rise before the sun but, even so, getting up in the morning is a chore; even more so than the rest of the year! When I feel this way I lack the energy or the desire to accomplish very much and I’m sure I’m not a lot of fun to live with! I definitely crave high carb foods, especially chocolate and yes, I tend to gain a few pounds over the winter months.

Though it’s hard to convince yourself to exercise when you’re feeling this way, it does help alleviate the stress and anxiety of SAD and hopefully keeps those pounds from piling on. Knowing this keeps me lifting weights three times a week even when it seems to be more effort than it’s worth. Exercising outdoors is especially helpful. Even on cloudy days, exposure to some natural light is better than hiding away indoors. That’s why cross country skiing has been so beneficial for me.

If my symptoms were more extreme or if they lasted for longer periods of time, I would definitely consider investing in the specialized lights that mimic outdoor light and provide relief for many sufferers. At this point, I haven’t found that necessary. Simply knowing what it is that ails me and realizing that it’s temporary helps get me through the rough spots. I know that one of these days, the sun will break through and as I soak up its rays, I will literally feel myself recharge. It is a most amazing feeling!

Beating the January blues

January has long been my least favourite month. Here in Alberta, it’s long, dark and cold. With the busyness and social whirl of Christmas behind me, I usually begin to feel down. This year, however, that blue feeling didn’t kick in until the month was almost over. I attribute that, at least in part, to warmer than average temperatures and lots of cross country skiing.

I love the swish of my skis under a crystal blue sky with the snow sparkling all around me. Even on cloudy days, getting out and getting active invigorates me. The past month has been the best I ever remember for cross country skiing. In my opinion, the best temperatures for the sport are between zero and -15C. Any colder and it becomes too uncomfortable; any warmer and the snow becomes sticky. Unlike most Januarys when the temperature often plunges to -30 or colder, there have been many days in the past month when the conditions have been ideal and I’ve done my best to take advantage of them.

So far, I’ve done all of my skiing on local the golf course. It’s close and easy to access. In fact, all it involves is carrying my skis to the end of our block! I didn’t even have to break many trails this year. Nathan did that when he was home for Christmas. If the conditions continue, however, I want to break some out on the farm where we work in the spring and fall. I’ve seen some beautiful spots from the tractor and combine that I’d like to explore on skis.

My skis and boots are about 40 years old, purchased by my Mom when she lived in Yellowknife and passed down to me when she no longer used them. That was more than 20 years ago. They don’t owe me anything but imagine my dismay one day early this month when the back half of the sole suddenly separated from my right ski boot! Sedgewick is a town of 900 people. It has a grocery store, a drugstore and even a small liquor store but it most definitely doesn’t have a sporting goods store. I didn’t mind the idea of a new pair of boots but it would mean a trip to the city two hours away. It might also have meant buying new skis or at least new bindings because I’m not sure that new boots would fit my old cable bindings. Worst of all, it would mean missing several good skiing days as I wasn’t able to drop everything else and head for the city the moment the crisis hit.

What to do? I noticed that the sole had originally been glued on. Could I repair it myself? It was certainly worth a try if I could find the right glue. I dug around and discovered that I had a tube of Quick Grip permanent adhesive that claimed to be water and weatherproof. I’d originally bought it to fix a broken vase. It didn’t work all that well on the vase but would it fix a ski boot? I didn’t hold out a lot of hope but I had nothing to lose. I slathered it on quite liberally, wrapped the boot in laces to hold it together while the glue dried and left it overnight. It’s been holding together ever since! How’s that for innovative and frugal?

Now January is almost over and the days are getting noticeably longer. February is definitely still winter and I certainly hope to be able to do lots more skiing but somewhere later in the month, it will begin to hint at the possibility of spring. Before I know it, I will have survived another Alberta winter!

A Woman’s Heart

With the exception of the one year that I spent in Japan, I have been part of a ladies Bible study group for at least 30 years but never have I done a study as amazing as the one we just finished! A Woman’s Heart: God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore is an in-depth video study based on the building of the Old Testament tabernacle. Sound boring? Believe me, it wasn’t!

Over a period of ten weeks, we not only explored the construction of the tabernacle and the significance of its intricate design but we also discovered parallels between it and our own lives as God’s chosen vessels. We almost wore out our Bibles flipping from Genesis to Revelation as we learned of the tabernacle’s pivotal role in God’s eternal plan. Scriptures that I had read many times in the past took on new meaning and we discovered connections and recurring themes that we’d never seen before.

Beth Moore is a gifted teacher and a dynamic speaker. The weekly videos were powerful but it was the homework that was the backbone of the study. Each week consisted of five assignments each taking 30 to 45 minutes to complete. For me, this wasn’t difficult. Not only do I have lots of time on my hands but I love delving into something like this. It was a much bigger challenge for the younger working women and moms in the group. The fact that none of them gave up is a testimony to how good this study really is.

We meet at the church every Monday evening but next week we’re going to gather at my house for a more relaxing evening during which we’ll share some of the things that we think will stick with us from this study. Then it’s back to work as we begin another of Beth’s studies, The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, the following week. I can hardly wait!

Gram’s little helper

We’re spending a few days in Calgary again enjoying a little Drew time. Over the past couple of days, Grandpa did some babysitting while I accompanied Melaina to a medical appointment and we checked out some January clearance sales. What fun we had picking out teeny, tiny outfits for the baby girl that she’s expecting in April! This afternoon, we’re babysitting while Melaina and Aaron are on a date together.

Drew loves to imitate the adults in his life and it seems that whatever I’m doing, I have a little helper close beside me. Such fun!

Horror in Haiti… and still, they sing

Our personal interest in the country of Haiti, which was devastated by a massive earthquake on Tuesday, is twofold. First, we have three teenage nephews who were born there. Given up by parents who had no hope of being able to raise them in this, the western hemisphere’s poorest nation, they were adopted by my sister and her husband. Last summer, Linda, Jeff and the boys traveled back to Haiti on a one week mission trip with the New Missions organization.

Daniel, Jonas and William

Our second attachment to Haiti is Marie, the 15 year old girl who we have been sponsoring through New Missions since 2004. For $31 a month, we have been able to offer her an education in a country where only 2% of the children finish high school and about 40% of the adult population is illiterate. In addition, she receives regular health check-ups and medical care, a nutritious hot meal every day and gifts at Christmas and her birthday. I believe that we are also offering her hope for a better future. In one of her recent letters she mentioned that she wants to be a nurse someday.

My sister, Linda, meets Marie while on a missions trip to Haiti in July

New Missions is a non-profit, non-denominational Christian organization centered on the Leogane Plain, 30 km southwest of Port au Prince and even closer than that to the epicenter of this week’s devastating earthquake. Started by George and Jeanne DeTellis in January 1983 with five tents under a grove of coconut trees, it has grown to include 21 churches, 22 elementary schools, a high school, a medical clinic, a Bible college and a business school. Funded entirely through donations and child sponsorships, it employs over 300 Haitian nationals who were raised through its ministry and who now serve as teachers, pastors and administrators. Today, over 9000 children attend New Missions schools. The ministry has recently expanded into the Dominican Republic.

We have been in constant communication with New Missions over the past couple of days through their website, email and Facebook. Though we have not had specific word concerning her, we have reason to believe that Marie is okay. We do know that the missions team is safe and that they have enough food, water and diesel fuel to last a month. We also know that

• a kindergarten teacher died
• the deaths of four school children have been confirmed
• two elementary school buildings were damaged beyond repair
• the medical clinic building is damaged beyond repair
• the mission’s main office is damaged beyond repair
• two churches are damaged beyond repair

The remainder of the buildings are being evaluated to determine what other damage has occurred. In addition to food distribution which started the morning following the earthquake, a top priority is to hire nurses for each of the school locations to provide medical care for children who may have been injured in the earthquake itself or who may suffer from illnesses or infections in its aftermath.

Reporters tell of an eery quiet in the usually noisy city of Port au Prince where stunned Haitians walk the streets in silence but on Wednesday morning New Missions’ president, Timothy DeTellis, described Leogane this way, “The amazing sight in the middle of all the tragedy was villagers singing songs of praise along the road last night.” I am humbled.

Moose in the yard

Several months ago, I wrote a “You know you live in a small town when…” blog entry. Today, I have something to add to it. You know you live in a small town when you wake up to find two moose in your backyard! That’s exactly what happened today.

When I opened the blinds, I first noticed that what had been pristine untouched snow yesterday was no longer. Something had obviously happened around the tree in the backyard. Then I noticed the huge moose just over the fence in the neighbour’s yard. Usually flocks of bohemian waxwings swoop into town and strip the mountain ash trees sometime during the winter. They haven’t come yet though and when they do, they’ll find that the lower branches of our tree and the neighbour’s have already been cleaned off. We watched for quite awhile as the mother moose and her nearly grown calf wandered back into our yard and casually finished their breakfast. They were obviously aware that we were watching but seemed quite unconcerned.

Eventually they stopped nibbling and stood totally still for a few moments. We could almost hear them thinking, “Hmm… maybe we should have left before it got so light out. How are we going to get out of here now?” Then they turned in unison and made a dash between the houses and out onto the street. I ran to the front window just in time to see them cross in front of a startled neighbour who had just turned the corner in his pickup truck. Fortunately for all concerned, he managed to avoid hitting either one of them but I suspect that it took awhile for his heart rate to return to normal! The huge animals ran down the street, across a yard and into the bushes that mark the edge of town leaving several piles of moose poop in our backyard and something exciting for the neighbours to talk about! Almost immediately, our phone rang and the neighbour across the street laughingly told me that our “pets” were out!

As fun as our morning moose experience was, here’s a link to an even better one.

Memories…

Fifty years ago today, on Jan. 2, 1960, I attended my first wedding. After 23 years as a widow, my grandmother, or Nana as we called her, married my Grandpa. I don’t remember much of the evening ceremony in the Anglican Church at the end of her block but I do remember the small reception that followed at Nana’s house. I remember people asking me if I was tired and insisting that I wasn’t even though it was long past my bedtime. I remember drinking all my juice before the toasts began and my mother rushing to refill my glass so I could raise it in honour of the newlyweds.

I have many other memories of my grandmother; visiting her at the firehall where she was cook, coming home from school to find her helping my mom with the ironing, going to her house for lunch on rainy days because it was much closer to my school than ours was, and staying with her when my parents had to be away.

It was on one of those occasions that I first met Grandpa. My two younger siblings and I were staying with Nana while my parents traveled to a specialist with our older brother who had suffered a brain injury as an infant. We were in bed one evening when a knock came to the door and amazingly, my usually strict grandmother allowed us to get out of bed to meet the kindly gentleman who had brought ice cream to share with us! We were instantly smitten and couldn’t have been happier when we later learned that the two were to be wed. Until their marriage, Grandpa was a bachelor with no children or grandchildren of his own but he took to the role with flair, teasing us, buying us treats and teaching us to play cards. We’d always loved going to Nana’s house but it was even more fun once Grandpa was there!

The funny looking kid is me with my parents and my grandparents on their wedding day!

New Year’s baby!

When Richard and I lived in Japan, we had the privilege of being adopted as grandparents to a darling baby boy born just 6 weeks after our own grandson, Andrew, back in Canada. Loving Ayumu and holding him in our arms filled an empty spot for us and as we watched him grow, we could imagine the stages that Drew was going through. Since returning to Canada, it has been the reverse. As we watch Drew grow, we see the stages that Amu-chan is going through.

Ayumu’s parents, Seiko and Atsuo, are also very dear to us and we have kept in touch via internet and telephone. At the end of May we received the exciting news that we would have another grandchild in January! The baby wasn’t due until the 14th but we woke this morning to find a message telling us that while we were dancing the old year out and the new year in, on the opposite side of the globe Seiko was giving birth to her second son! The baby doesn’t have a name yet and we’re still anxiously waiting to see pictures but we are proud and excited to be the chosen grandparents of a New Year’s baby! It certainly won’t be difficult to remember his birthday!

Richard & Amu-chan on our last day in Japan

Christmas… family, fun and feasting

We had a wonderful Christmas! Of course, sharing it with our grandson, Drew, added to the fun. On Christmas afternoon, we introduced him to sledding on the little hill beside our yard. Gram, who well remembers sledding down hills near the University of Calgary on borrowed cafeteria trays, had a blast and apparently so did Drew. Melaina reported today that he was scooting back and forth across the floor sitting in her dustpan!

Nathan broke some great cross country ski trails out on the golf course which he and I enjoyed thoroughly. Many board games were also played. Nathan arrived with his games packed in a big Rubbermaid bin. After unpacking them into the bottom of our games closet, he introduced Drew to the bin and it became a favourite plaything for the two of them.

Of course, there were presents on Christmas morning. Before we opened ours, we enjoyed a visit with Matt and Sam via webcam. Matt’s reaction when he helped Sam open his present from us was absolutely delightful. Matt is a die hard Edmonton Oilers fan so we sent Sam a baby sized Oilers jersey! Drew, who has always loved playing with pots and pans was delighted with the play kitchen that Mommy and Daddy gave him. Of course, the box that it came in was also lots of fun to play in and he loved finding Gram and Uncle Nathan when we hid in it! The kitchen went home to Calgary but the box is in our basement waiting for his next visit.

In addition to playing, I spent lots of time in the kitchen. Though I’m not usually quite so well organized, I wrote up a menu in advance for the days that everyone would be here and made sure that I had all the necessary ingredients on hand so I didn’t have to waste any time grocery shopping. We definitely ate well! Not only did I do lots of baking before everyone arrived but Melaina brought about a ton of it with her! Then there were our traditional Christmas meals; tourtiere on Christmas Eve and, of course, turkey on Christmas day. Christmas dinner probably isn’t the best time to try out a new recipe but the carrots lyonnaise that my aunt introduced us to recently turned out very well. Escargots in mushroom caps has also become one of our Christmas traditions. We enjoyed those on Christmas evening after the turkey had had time to settle. Boxing Day was my day to relax a bit. I used the breadmaker that my aunt gave me recently to make fresh buns to go with the delicious french onion soup that Melaina made for lunch. My sister, Linda, her husband and their two youngest teens arrived later that afternoon with a cooler full of their Christmas dinner leftovers. We combined them with ours and enjoyed another feast. In fact, it was such a success that we might try it again another year. Someone recently told me that feasting is just one letter away from fasting and that’s what I probably ought to be doing now!

The house is quiet again and life is returning to its normal routines. We made some beautiful memories though and in the midst of it all, we took time to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season. I took part in the Christmas Eve service at church and we were all there again on Sunday morning.

Ready and waiting

Christmas is three days away and I’m ready and waiting. The cards are sent and the shopping done. The tree is decorated and the presents wrapped. Though I’m not usually very domestic, I’ve baked up a storm… nuts and bolts, shortbread, butter tarts, macaroons, toffee, and squares are ready to be eaten! Yum! Since preparing for Christmas last year involved packing our backpacks and heading off to Vietnam and Cambodia, it’s been two years since we last enjoyed all these holiday traditions.

Yes, we’re definitely ready but it’s really been today that I’ve been waiting for. There’s a little bed in the corner of the guest room, the booster chair is in the kitchen and the baby gate is at the top of the stairs. (Gram visited a few garage sales this summer!) There’s a basket of toys in the livingroom and some bright little bath toys just happened to jump into my grocery cart as I picked up some last minute supplies this morning.

This will be our first Christmas shared with a grandchild and oh, are we ready! Melaina, Aaron and Drew are arriving from Calgary today and Nathan from Edmonton. Matthew, Robin and Sam will be spending Christmas in Vancouver but the webcams are ready so that we can share some of our Christmas with them. Yes, Gram is definitely ready and waiting!