tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36674649822703257142024-03-05T08:53:52.127-04:00gwynabellegwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-44379061247919004752015-02-09T12:53:00.002-04:002015-02-09T12:53:20.741-04:00Delusions in Agriculture<br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> My concern for agriculture is that people are making assumptions before knowing the truth. The concept of organics is best, GMOs are bad, our food is poison, has to stop. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> When I think of food, I think of what is in my cupboards and what can I eat next. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Did I eat breakfast yet?</span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Is the coffee still hot? What do I need from the grocery store? Can it wait until market day? Then I choose my wheat-based fibre cereal and whole milk, and usually white sugar (even though it may or may not give me cancer) to get me through till my next procrastination break. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So here is my issue. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I, as a farmer, a farmer's daughter, and a farmer's granddaughter, don't appreciate the random fickle comments condemning farmers that supply the grocery stores with their products. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Knowing the work and daily dedication that goes into providing the consumer with a safe, healthy product that I can be proud of, I take it to heart when people criticize "industrial" agriculture or "corporate" agriculture or "factory" farming. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMULEbzzuklpOiScqlOJKRU8TpqfFEZ9k20NzRNPbOlI3gUNFUe86qoGaDdC0NiFPPtaHjR59YEpWvbBNjvRGW5AtBL4vx_AwmKUFtV5HbvDHb-uFhiP0z7LvVXgNGbIJVD2tsrHiCEM/s1600/IMG_0500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWMULEbzzuklpOiScqlOJKRU8TpqfFEZ9k20NzRNPbOlI3gUNFUe86qoGaDdC0NiFPPtaHjR59YEpWvbBNjvRGW5AtBL4vx_AwmKUFtV5HbvDHb-uFhiP0z7LvVXgNGbIJVD2tsrHiCEM/s1600/IMG_0500.jpg" height="200" width="150" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A summer felfie (farmer selfie) on <br />
the small factory dairy farm of 50 cows <br />
and 50+ young stock that is a <br />
corporation run by a young couple <br />
and their 2 pre-school children</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Yes, the "small" farm of 50 cows where I work now is a corporation because taxes are cheaper that way. Yes, I work on a family farm because its owners are a young couple in their mid-30's with a 3 year old and a one and a half year old. Yes, this is an industrial farm because we deal with thousands of litres of milk on a daily basis using stainless steel pipelines and vacuum pumps and cleaning chemicals. Yes, this is a factory because it is the same thing day in and day out, twice a day. Feed the animals, milk the animals, clean the barn, it's a small factory, but it's still a factory, That doesn't mean that I am a mindless, ruthless person mistreating the animals. It also doesn't mean that my neighbour working at the tire plant (factory) is mindless and ignorant to his coworkers because he works in a factory. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Until you are able to grow your own vegetables in your backyard and learn to preserve them in your freezer for the winter, until you go to a u-pick and actually pick your strawberries to make your own jam, until you are willing to wake up before work and go out in a snowstorm to your shed to make sure your chickens are safe and warm and that the warming light is still on and the water is not frozen, please don't judge the farmers that will do that for you. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> No matter what size farm, people are working very hard to get a product to a store or market for you to eat well. </span><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you choose to eat organic, that's great. I don't prefer organic to conventional products because I know that through regulations and farmer-pride, my food is not poison. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Consumers have to shake themselves of the delusions of the romantic, idyllic farm life and understand that my Grandpa's Old MacDonald-type farm could only feed one family. But the neighbours don't own a farm anymore so now my Grandpa's farm, has to feed the neighbours too. The farming population is getting smaller and technology is getting smarter so that we, as farmers, can feed you and the community you live in. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-91832398406575068642014-06-01T17:39:00.004-03:002014-06-01T17:39:49.195-03:00Grocery Shopping. <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Public opinion of agriculture. I often wonder what the consumer thinks when they buy their food at the grocery store or wherever. When I buy food, I'm trying to think of what my thoughts are when I peruse through the aisles. I look to see the price of clementines, when they are in season, and then I check that they are from Manila because they are either seedless or have very few seeds. I look at the price of mangoes. I check the size of the green peppers because I'm going to buy it anyway, and the price of the red peppers. I just started buying out-of-our-season strawberries which I wouldn't do before because California was making money by sending big, white waterberries, not strawberries and until they found the link between heat stress and flavour, they were irrigating way too much. I buy Ontario peaches and cherries, only because I used to sell those fruit at the St. Lawrence market for Cherry Avenue Farms in the late 90s, early 2000s and he's still my friend. Every once in a while I find a Moyer's Farm caramel chocolate covered candy apple and buy it because I know the same Cherry Avenue Farms guy worked hard to make it. Sometimes, it's even outdated or looks horrible because the caramel has slid down the sides of the apple but I know it's the store's fault because they have placed the apples on top of the salad fridge, instead of inside the fridge. Then I text Paul and tell him how good it was but that he might want to have a discussion with his buyer because it's making his farm name and his awesome apples look bad. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">When I lived in Quebec, I learned a lot about labels and it was really only because of what I didn't want to purchase. That being carrots that I knew were grown in black muck soils. I chose to find the Prince Edward Island carrots from Brookfield Gardens. Carrots in black muck have too much water and not enough flavour. I don't really consider myself a connoisseur of carrots but if you had the chance to taste the difference, you'd be a believer. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I tend not to buy Mexican foods, except bananas, just because I've been to Mexico and I'm not sure they are up to the food safety guidelines of the rest of the world. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">When buying beef, </span>I tend not to choose the marbled beef because I don't like gristle, but rather choose the biggest, reddest piece of meat I can find. Somedays I wish I knew more about cuts of beef that I might even do my own cuts, but that will have to be another lifetime when I become a butcher. Do other people think that way? Are other consumers maybe considering where the beef came from? Are they wondering if the beef is from Argentina, the US maybe, or is it an animal that was grown on this Island? Or is it even from Atlantic Canada? I don't consider the way it was grown because I know how animals are raised and I know that if I'm buying Atlantic beef, then it was raised with respect to the animal and to me, the consumer. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">That brings to a point. Farmers are not trying to add chemicals and antibiotics to their produce because they are trying to swindle you out of a dollar. It's because they are trying to provide the consumer with a decent product that is not full of wormholes or gangrenous meat. I realize that is disgusting to say but the reality of it is, if an animal gets a cut from a fence and it is starting to look like an infection, then it needs to be treated for the benefit to the animal to be healthy, not as a way to poison you and fill your body with antibiotics. For many beef cattle in Canada, they have never had a dose of penicillin. Why would a beef farmer who is making only a dollar a pound for his or her work, add the extra cost of penicillin to the finished product if it's not necessary?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">And then I go to the chips aisle and the ice cream freezers, debate the price of potatoes versus the cost per gram of chip being offered, check for the blue cow symbol on the label to make sure its made with real milk, head off to the check out counter and call it a day. </span><br />
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<br />gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-21043451230728424082014-06-01T17:15:00.001-03:002014-06-01T17:15:43.799-03:00adrenaline<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't realize just how much I relied on adrenaline to keep me going. I am far from a deadbeat, but I find that I am not as energetic as I once was. Call it age, blame it on Multiple Sclerosis, maybe it's a combination of the two, but I just can't seem to find my groove. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have had a very stressful farm job over the past year in which this is not the farm life that I had envisioned that I would be a part of when I signed on. I do love farming but not the daily stress of just-get-the-job-done-asap type farming. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wanted to be a part of the farm's growth but growth is slow to stagnant at the moment due to many factors, the main reason being their succession plan, or lack of participation by certain family members in a succession plan. I, as an employee, did not want to be a part of the daily "hatred" that exposed itself. I do not want to be a part of that type of family dynamic and I wish them all the best in their future endeavours without me. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today, I am faced with ideas and opportunities that I look forward to but my body is not ready to face yet. I have a broken finger with a splint, a sore thumb that doesn't seem to be broken but also has a splint, a sprained ankle on one foot, a strained arch in the other foot, and general muscle aches that I wake up to every morning since I quit. I think it is just my body telling me to relax for a little bit. This aches and pains lifestyle is also giving my brain a rest and allowing me to move on to a healthy spirit. When I quit my job, I was so serene. I was almost proud that I had taken that leap and left the farm without spectacle but also that I had finally allowed myself to step away. To what, I had no idea but I was away from the negativity. That in itself was enough to lift my spirit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I just need to find a way to feed the adrenaline junkie....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-54791999607532501112014-06-01T17:13:00.000-03:002014-06-01T17:13:17.506-03:00<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Bluenose weekend was a great success. A whole lotta fun with beautiful sunny and warm weather, a group of people that all have the same goal: enjoy a run and have a good time before and after the run. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">The hotel issues were even minimal, just because we booked a room with 2 double beds and only got a double bed and a pull-out couch, we managed to overcome our discomfort and the cost of a less than ideal room and still enjoy the weekend.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So running as a family was the initial idea and we were going to run 3 minutes and walk 1 minute with Martha and Rachel, the oldest and youngest of our group. Well, that only lasted till the gun went off to start. There were so many people that were running and walking the 5km route that it was hard for seven people to stick together. We lost Martha in the first minute and shortly thereafter, Ronda was gone too. That left Debbie in the lead dodging the people and passing from behind, jumping up and onto the sidewalk and down on to the street, to the left of the street to the right of the street just to get ahead of the walkers and slow runners. Lindsey and Emma right on her heels, Rachel close behind and me keeping Rachel in my sights. Rachel had never run a race by herself so I kept my eye on her long blond ponytail, telling her pass left, follow closer behind Emma, dodge right. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">There was absolutely no sign of Martha. Debbie wasn't concerned that my watch was beeping every 3 minutes to take a one minute walk break and Rachel seemed to be keeping up. I did know that she couldn't keep up this pace so after about 5 three minute beeps went by, I asked her if she wanted to take a walk break. Breathlessly, she shook her head, and we slowed our pace to a walk. I hollered ahead to Debbie that we were taking this break, giving her the option to slow down and run with her granddaughter in her inaugural 5k race, but Debbie glanced back with Lindsey and Emma hot on her heels and she gave me the nod and hollered back that I was ok to stay with Rachel? Yep. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Still no sign of Martha or Ronda. We came to a water stop and had a few sips and started again. I brought us down to a more manageable pace for Rachel and kept my eye out for Martha and Ronda. I gave Rachel a few pointers on her running posture and how to land on her feet which she quickly adapted her stride. A few seconds before we started to climb the hill to the Citadel, Ronda caught up to us, said hi, have we seen Martha, no, and was on her merry way. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">As part of our route, we had to climb the hill to the top of Citadel Hill and follow around the historic route, passing soldiers in period dress, bagpipers in kilts, fans that were lining the route and down below in the street, the 10k and half marathoners were beginning to line up at their start line. It meant the world to me that the announcer made everyone in line turn and look uphill and cheer for the runners above. So cool. I had my iPhone in my hand and since we were at a more manageable pace and fewer people to maneuver past, I was taking pictures of Rachel and I running and Rachel passing the 3k mark and the people at the bottom of the hill. I was having a grand time as Rachel managed to run with somewhat ease. She'd have been happy to walk the rest of the way, I'm sure, but I wouldn't let her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Down the hill we went and made a quick left and quick right and then another quick left. It was all downhill from here! Sort of. We did one more walk break and off we went again. I was telling Rachel that we just passed the 4 k mark, less than a kilometre to go. The watch beeped another three minutes that we had run and I asked if she wanted the one last one minute walk break. There was only 600 meters left, could she run it to the end? Sure she could. Onto the last street we went. The finish line was right there but it was a slight uphill. Keep up the good work, Rachel. Don't forget to breathe. Only 400 meters to go. Do you want to race to the finish? NO! Ok, keep your pace, almost there! Start smiling for the cameras! Are you smiling yet? Cameras are from here to the finish line! Look like you're having fun when you cross the line! Let's go! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I left her in my dust and when I crossed the finish line, I raised my arms and cheered in vistory like I had just won the race. Rachel was only 2 seconds behind me. When I turned to give her a two-handed high five, she clapped my hands and told me she was gonna be sick. I smiled again and tried to steer her to the garbage can along the sideline but she was going to be alright. We got water and tried to find the rest of the gang and wondered where Martha may have gotten to. We were pretty sure that she was probably sitting in the Metro Centre waiting for us to finish but just in case, we waited on the sidewalk. Shortly after, she came strolling up to us, arms swinging like dead weights, and cussed us for leaving her in the dust with no watch, no directions, nothing. I blamed Debbie but felt a little guilty because I had said that I would stay with her and Rachel the whole way. Too funny. Oh well, she'll get over it. </span><br />
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<br />gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-20219118945351957202013-11-19T17:56:00.001-04:002013-11-19T17:56:57.965-04:00Ever have one of those days? One where you just think that if I could have just built it myself, I wouldn't have to be wasting my time figuring out the hows and whys of how to fill in the blanks. I think I have spent more time trying figure out how to fill in the blanks of a website template that really isn't all that functional, glamorous, or useful than is quite necessary. My limited knowledge of website building from scratch has helped some because I have been able to read the code and fix it/change it so that the front pages suit. <br />
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The same goes for changing an advertisement in photoshop. Rather than start from scratch, I tried to re-build it and it took forever. There were layers upon layers of photos, some hidden photos, text that wasn't a layer, text that for some unknown reason was a layer. Very frustrating. <br />
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The work got finished but it has been frustrating and the lesson learned was that the customer is always right, no matter how right they actually are. Get 'er done. <br />
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<br />gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-43526746386006810442013-08-19T15:25:00.000-03:002013-08-19T15:25:10.805-03:00Over your shoulder<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being a farmer these days is almost like being in the kitchen with your annoying know-it-all aunt looking over your shoulder as you cook...did you add the salt?...make sure you don't add too much garlic, I can't eat that stuff...a little less sage and maybe more rosemary... </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You've been cooking for years and quite enjoy it and your family enjoys it but she doesn't trust you to do it right. Even though she's eaten your cooking several times before and she hasn't gotten sick. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I use this analogy because farmers these days have to farm like they are cooking with your aunt over their shoulder. The farmer has been producing the same healthy goodness for years and now Auntie is checking up on what they are doing, making sure they don't add anything that might make her uncomfortable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are no HORMONES in Canadian milk! Farmers don't beat their animals. Farmers don't spray herbicides and pesticides just because they feel like it...a) it's too expensive and b) they are just trying to save their crop from pests and disease so you don't eat bugs or molds in your fruit or vegetable. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are many regulations within the agriculture food producing system to keep you safe that are strictly adhered to by farmers each and every day that coincide with their daily chores and management practices. To say that your food is safe and secure, that you don't have to lean over the farmer's shoulder like your know-it-all Auntie, is something that farmers are quite proud of. If you had a backyard garden and could provide carrots and potatoes for you family meals, you would feel the same pride that farmers feel when they are able to feed hundreds, sometimes thousands, of people from their fields and barns of produce and commodities. </span>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-20695688612923067002012-06-28T12:16:00.000-03:002012-06-28T12:33:57.849-03:00<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is a link to a flash project that I put together for a web development course. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lesson 6 of 6.</span><br />
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<a href="http://gwynabelle.freeiz.com/FB_GwynBellefontaine_ex6_CS3.swf">http://gwynabelle.freeiz.com/FB_GwynBellefontaine_ex6_CS3.swf</a><br />
<br />gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-8705488330548889592012-05-18T10:52:00.000-03:002012-05-18T10:52:59.453-03:00Bluenose weekend will be a family event<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This weekend is the Bluenose Marathon Weekend in Halifax, Nova Scotia and once again, I'm going to run something. This year, I am tapering for a marathon in Ottawa so for Bluenose I'm going to run the 5k race. I have two other sisters, Debbie and Ronda, and Ronda's daughter, Lindsey, that are also running Ottawa with me so they are running the 5k too as part of our taper program. Then I had the big idea to get my whole family involved. My oldest sister, Martha, had done the 5k walk a few years back so I knew I could get her involved again. Now just to get her to run, rather than walk. And Martha's daughter, Emma, will be around and I think she's planning to run. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Martha relunctantly said yes but that she is very busy, at which she is, but I said that we needed to get some of our nieces involved. Rachel, Debbie's granddaughter, has taken up the challenge. She is now 13 and she has participated in the Doctors Youth Run a few times so she's capable of 4k for sure. I don't know if they've ever done any training together but Martha has mentioned a couple of times that she's gotten out for a run once in awhile. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">Debbie had emailed a bit ago and asked if we were all going to run together or run our own race (she's the competitive one of the bunch, especially when it comes to Martha beating her at something). Kidding, Debbie!! if you happen to read this. I responded that I would run with Martha<em>..."I'm planning to run it with Martha so I'm expecting another PB if she's actually running this time. Her walking pace was crazy fast a couple years ago when we did it, so I'm expecting that since she's never run with us to pace herself, she's probably expecting to beat every old person, stroller-pusher, wheelchair, and whoever else might be in her sites. :)"</em></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">So here we are, a week before the race, hotels are booked, race registrations paid, pasta dinner tickets, check, now just to get there. I am headed over to the mainland from Prince Edward Island with Ronda. There are also a great group of women that I run with in PEI that are coming too. We call ourselves the Island Girls and we've got our new shirts and carpool schedule planned. There are even a few newbies that are going to be running their first 10k race, so the excitement is building. We have birthdays among our group to celebrate this weekend, so for those runners staying for the Molson Canadian 67 post-race party, lookout, it's going to be awesome. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I'm excited to be running with my three sisters, two nieces, and a grand-niece this year. Maybe I need to make some sort of <em>SISTERS are SPECIAL</em> signs for our shirts, or <em>I'M WITH <strike>STUPID</strike></em> <em>SISTER</em> with an arrow left and right so that when we cross the finish line, others will know that we did this as a family. Next year, I'll work harder at convincing our one and only brother and his twins to join us too. </span>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-42030836341656577312011-12-14T12:03:00.000-04:002011-12-14T12:03:27.066-04:00Strongest Bank in North America Looking for Growth in PEI<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">In June 2011, the National Bank of Canada was awarded the Number One Bank in North America for its financial strength by <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Bloomberg Markets</i> magazine and they are <span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;">setting their sights on agriculture in Prince Edward Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Located in Charlottetown and Summerside, the National Bank Financial Group’s branches have been concerned with their lack of visibility.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>To this point they have relied on word of mouth as their advertising platform and it has worked well so far. That is because it has been a positive message from Island farmers that have been dealing with National Bank.</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="mso-bidi-font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">National Bank Financial Group is one of the top six chartered banks in Canada, and the undisputed leader in Quebec. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>With more than $4.0 billion worth of approved credit to farms and agribusiness across Canada, the National Bank Financial Group has been involved for a long time in farming communities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The firm is proud to trace its roots back to 1859, attributing their success to customer service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dallas Kelly, Manager of Agribusiness in the Charlottetown branch, admits that the cookie cutter approach to credit does not work for farming.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Every farm has their own cost of production based on many variables and that doesn’t work with fill-in-the-blanks credit applications.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Customer service for Mr. Kelly includes farm visits to get to know the farmer and to see the operation that the farmer is proud to own.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">This week, National Bank is one of the many sponsors of the Dairy Cup of Golf, an annual event at Mill River Golf Club in support of PEI 4-H.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They are sponsoring two teams to golf in the event, as well as two of the course holes.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will be the third year that National Bank has attended the golf tournament.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Carl Arsenault, Branch Manager of the bank’s Charlottetown location, says, “Everyone enjoys a day of golf and when we can put our sponsorship money toward a great cause, such as 4-H, we are happy to participate.” </span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Dr. Gary Morgan of Veterinary Management Services in O’Leary has been organizing this event for twelve years.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The monies raised at this event go directly to PEI 4-H Dairy Team to allay costs for participants headed to Toronto for the Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in November.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">National Bank Financial Group is proud to support all commodities of agricultural business.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Being awarded the Number One Bank in North America for financial strength and Number Three in the World suggests this is just one sign that National Bank has a commitment to grow this market.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As well, a realignment of priorities to fit the agriculture model will help to focus on agriculture.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A recent renovation at the Charlottetown Branch also shows the long term thinking behind the bank’s affirmation of support and success in Prince Edward Island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><br />
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</div><div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;">Gwyn Bellefontaine</span></div>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-2620984492943885642011-10-14T16:24:00.000-03:002011-10-14T16:24:18.380-03:00Raw Milk vs Whole Milk<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There has been for some time an issue regarding the sale of raw milk. It is against the law to sell raw milk. Raw milk just means that it hasn't been pasteurized, a quick heat treatment and cooling process that kills most bacteria in milk. It's not about dirty milk, pasteurization doesn't clean the milk...if there is cow poop in the milk, then your milk will be brown. It's about killing unsafe contaminants that can be spread to humans by drinking cows' milk. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The usual disease culprit is that of tuberculosis, which can be contracted through raw cows' milk but with pasteurization, the bTB bacteria are killed and your milk is "safe" again. Not all cows have tuberculosis. In fact, tuberculosis in cows was eradicated in Canada in the 1950's through a major cull.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My point is not about tuberculosis, but more about the holistic ideals that "raw milk cures". People swear that because they have been drinking raw milk, they have been saved from disease and their families are healthier. That could well be, but do you think that maybe it's not because you are drinking raw milk but because you are drinking "whole" milk? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Pasteurization is only done to kill bacteria and any type of contaminant that can be affected at temperatures of up to 77 degrees Celcius. But because these people are drinking the natural product, straight-from-the-cow, raw milk, they are drinking whole milk that has probably four percent fat or higher. When a cow is milked, she is producing an average 4% milk, not this reduced fat, pasteurized milk that you buy at the store. When you go to the store and buy your 2% milk, 1%, or even skim milk, you are not getting the full fat milk that the cow produced at the farm. The fat is reduced for your health conscious minds because you think you may get fat if you drink high fat milk. Well did you think that maybe you might get healthy?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Maybe this raw milk issue would be a non-issue if processors sold pasteurized whole milk that we could all enjoy. The CFIA inspectors would be happy because it would be safe to drink without fear of disease, farmers wouldn't have to go to jail because they are selling an illegal raw milk product, and you can lead a healthy, happy life because you know you are drinking natural whole milk the way the cow intended....just without possible disease contaminants</span>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-68764787374989036922011-07-12T12:12:00.000-03:002011-07-12T12:12:19.167-03:00Time's up already?<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Below was written a few weeks ago and I've left in all of the typing mistakes and added some corrections to show you that I can't type as fast as my mind will think. I tell myself I want to be a writer but suffer from writer's block and perfectionist punctuation issues. This is what came out...</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Fifteen minutes a day...that's all it takes. I'm supposed to just write about whatever is on my mind and just keep writing for 15 minuts. I have too many thoughts for that and I cant't type that fast and it's hard to not stop for spelling mistakes because I am a wee bit of a perfectionist. I'm already making mistakes and trying to change them. Blank....still blank. I can't fix my mistakes. I...blamk. All I can think abou is my run to the finihs line at the Johhnny Miles race. I go tto the end near the end with about 1 km lef tand I had told Paula who was running with me the whole way that tmy plan was to get to the turn around pint and take our pace up a nothch to a 5:30 pace to finihs. I didn't know if I could do it because I was tired tired tired and my legs the quads were feekking <span style="color: blue; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">(feeling) </span>klike <span style="color: blue;">t</span>hey would lock up at any time, Ihad thought earlier about hitting the wall and wondering if that happensd to half marathon runners. I thought I couldn't do that becussd hat <span style="color: blue;">(because that) </span>was only for marathoners and I'm not one so therefore I could not hit the wall. I wasn't even going to come close. I would not hit the wall. We were on trxack to hit a 2:10 half naarathon and we were going to do ti. When we got the bridge and up the metal grate and under, i hit the huge pipe and a tall person might have to duck for. Up we wen t onto the gracel <span style="color: blue;">(gravel)</span> that took us onto the path along the river to our turn around opiutn <span style="color: blue;">(point)</span>. That was hard. my legs were burning. I ran it though and took long steps and pucshe <span style="color: blue;">(pushed)</span> it to hit the uphill with pride. Pauls <span style="color: blue;">(Paula) </span>nad I ketp going, she was looking like more of a runner than I was and I was hoping that she wasn't being as negative in her mind as I was and I couldn't talk to her because I knew I waould say soemthing negative which I didn't need to pass on to her. We kept going and goping, eventually we saw my sister, Debbie and she was looking tiredbut still running liek a tropoper <span style="color: blue;">(trooper)</span>. Shwe wasn' that far ahead of us, I deceided. If I could keep thispace, I might even catch upt ot her, especially if we can do our pace pick up after the turn around point. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When I finally saw rhat poster board, Paila was ahead of me by a few steps and we made the utrn and suddenly it was downhill. Ok Paula, lets pick it up. I realaly had to convince my self and as I examined my waych, I said to her with a pissed off voice that Shit we missed our 2:10 finish. I had miscalculated oiur time. Damn. I was ready to quite and then Paula's little voice said that we were going to come close to oru 2:10. for whatever reason, I believed her. Not much of me but I was kicking myself inside for somehow missing a minute miscalculation a minute of the race. we had been so close but we really did each take a pee break, and I had to stop many times for water breaks, weven ifg they were for only 15 seconds. It's not <span style="color: blue;">(like) </span>we really stopped moving to have a drink. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My mind had to get off the negaticve thought so I needed to think about the finihs,. I needed to think about my training runs. How did I keep going when my sister and sister in law were biking beside me as I ran? I thought about mty dance pace so I started counting. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. this was my cadence. it was a fast pace and I still can hear it in my head...1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. I couldn't think of my legs, I couldn't look at anything but te fact taht I was crossing the line and Paula was a few steps behind me. i wanted her to keep my pace but I couldn't push her to do it and I wasn't sure I could keep it up. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Over the bridge and people were cheering me on. i saw the lady ahead of me making the turn and someone told me that it was just a few more feet to the finsh. I had to keep that pace through this last street. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8. Just keep moving. As I crossed the first mat, I then heard my name over the speakers. GWYN BELLEFONTIAINE of th ISLAND GIRLS from Rpince Edward ISland. he saidf my name right! And he knew that I was one of the Island Girls! 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8! I remembered to smile and I raiesed my arms in vicotry and crossed the finish line in stride with a huger smile. I hope they got that picture because I do'nt really want t he agony to show. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As i slowed to a walk, i strated to get dizzy and closed my eyes and let the man talk to me and someone put a red ribbon with a medal over my head. He suggested I sit but there was no way I could sit at this point. I heard Paula's name over the loudspeaker and inside I cheered her victory. Not only that, I was grateful to her for getting me to the finihs line. If I hadn't been running with her, I probably would have walked the whole thing and gave up like a spoiled rotten kid and sulked the whole way home. Thanks again Paula. Great race. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">turns out our final race times were 2:11:13 and 2:11:18. Only a minute off our mark. Only one pee break away, only 4 water breaks. If only I could run with a full bladder or if only I wasn't telling myself that I was thristy. I wasn't thirsty, I was tortallly hydrated from the previous night's drinking water. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">All's well though. As disappointed as i think I am, I still finihsed my third half marathon in better time than ever, a personal best for me. Now I just need to concentrate on the next run....Harvest Fest 25K, Here i come!!!</span>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-5413846282934513982011-06-09T16:32:00.000-03:002011-06-09T16:32:36.112-03:00Agriculture and Forestry Day<div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today I spent the day with hundreds of school children from grades 1, 2, and 3, teaching them how potatoes grow. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I was running late for work and had to go to the bank so I called the office to let them know that I would be late. It seems that I was needed to be in early because I had been volunteered for something. My call was put through to the marketing guru and she tried to explain what was happening but really, I was just to get the stuff off my desk and get there by 9:30. On my way. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> When I got to the office, I asked for directions to where I was to go and grabbed the posters and plant and bag of potatoes that were on my desk. When I got there, my table was empty and waiting for my arrival. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It seems that the Potato Board was a part of a larger event with Ag Canada, Farm Safety, Forestry, 4-H, and others for an Agriculture and Forestry Education day being put on by the Agriculture Sector Council (of which I am the Chairman. Go figure that I’d be outta the loop on both counts.)</span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I had a chance to glance at the information that I was to inform the students but I still really didn’t know what I was about to embark on. I couldn’t just read the information from the sheet so I paraphrased and learned to fit it all into the five minute window that I had the attention of each group.</span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> We started off by raising our hands if we had potatoes for supper last night. Usually about half of the group did. Then we discussed how they were cooked or prepared. Mostly mashed. Some had french fries, one or two were baked. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Then I started with the potatoes that I had brought with me and asked what the little knobbily-bits were on the potatoes we had on display. Not very many of the kids knew what the eyes were and when I told them they were eyes, they all asked if potatoes can see. One little guy held up three fingers and asked the potato "how many fingers?" </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I told them how you can cut the potato into smaller pieces and keeping at least one eye on each piece will ensure the potato "seed" will grow to become a plant. I mentioned that the potato farmers are now on the fields with their newly cut potato "seeds" and planting the potatoes in the rows that they see in the fields on their way home. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Then I told them that in about three weeks time, the potato with the eye will sprout and showed them a small potato plant growing in a glass-sided pot. I showed them the roots of the plant and how the roots grow down and look "fuzzy" and the leafy plant grows up. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I then told the kids that when they are on summer vacation, the plants are still growing and showed them with my arms in a V-formation above the pot approximately how big the plant would get. I explained that a flower will grow from the plant, just like in their home garden and asked what colour the flower might be. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Yellow was always the first colour chosen and I wonder what type of psychology is behind that choice. The next colour choices were pink or red. Pink is one of the answers I was looking for, that and purple and white because those are the colours that I have seen on the potato fields in my area. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I used the flower pot with the clear window and held the small potatoes that I had brought with me against the glass to give the impression that the tubers were connected to the roots and explained that now was the time (after the flower fell off the plant) that the potatoes started to really grow. With this demonstration of holding the small potatoes against the glass of the flower pot, I told them that from July until October when most of PEI’s potatoes are harvested, the potato will grow "this much" and held up a large potato bigger than my hand. Their little eyes would bulge at the site of this big potato. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> My next question to the group was to see if they knew how many potatoes one plant could produce. I got a variety of answers from one potato to a hundred million. I told them that a plant would ususally produce about 10 potatoes (which I knew I could be completely wrong but figured from my two weeks of potato harvesting experience, I wasn’t far off). So, if one plant could make ten potatoes, how many potatoes can 10 plants make? what about the row of potatoes the farmer plants and times 10 potatoes? Now times all the rows in the fields? MILLIONS of potatoes! </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> That was about the time the whistle blew and off they went to the next station and I repeated the whole story again with the next group. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I could now tell you all about the children that stood in front of me and surrounded my table and how they interacted or behaved but that is probably something that parents and teachers already know. All in all, a good day. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><strong>The science behind the story I told:</strong></span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> As I write this, I am concerned about whether I was actually telling the proper story of how a potato grows. You see, I just started working for the PEI Potato Board a few weeks ago and I was only hoping the anything I told these children was right. I totally relied on my two weeks of seasonal worker employment on a potato harvester last fall and all of my ag experience and education for this spur-of-the-moment exercise in what I term is my "forte", that being agriculture communications.</span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So I went to ask the experts (Greg and Scott) in the office next door. I was wondering about the potato blossom and when the tuber actually starts to grow. At first I thought that maybe because of the flower, the tuber didn’t grow until the flower was done blossoming but as the day progressed I was questioning that theory.</span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> It turns out, I was wrong. The flower really has nothing to do with the tuber’s growth but they do occur on the plant at about the same time. The blossom is all about seed set and since seeds are not an important part of commercial production, the flower is meaningless. The potato starts from the eye, which produces a genetic clone of the original potato plant and seeds are produced based on pollination from other plants and are capable of cross pollination between varieties. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I also learned that early potatoes are actually based on days to maturity of each variety rather than just going out to the field and digging up small potatoes. The <em>Jemseg</em> potato variety is a short season plant, in that it takes about 60 days to maturity. The <em>Russett Burbank</em> is a long season variety of about 120 days to maturity. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> You can still dig your potatoes early and it wouldn’t make a difference to the "ripeness" of the potato (I think) but if you want a specific size of potato, then that is based on days to maturity of the particular variety. </span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I still have a whole lot of other questions but it would take me several pages to write all of the answers so as I learn, maybe I’ll share my knowledge.</span><br />
</div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> So, for Agr and Forestry Days, I hope the children learned something that they will take home with them and share their experience. Who knows, maybe one day, one of these kids will look back on their school outing as something very valuable. </span><br />
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</div>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-62088958736858851782011-06-04T15:47:00.000-03:002011-06-04T15:47:47.096-03:00Technology Can't Motivate Like Friends CanI'm almost ready to run a half marathon that I have been training for since April. I did 19kms last weekend. Turns out I was a little ahead of my training schedule because we were still on 17km but since I wasn't running with my group the past few weekends, I just went. I had my sister and sister-in-law on their bicycles as my trainers on these last two runs and they were great motivation. Mostly because they just talked away and I didn't have to partake in the conversation much and it was good to have them there for company. I probably wouldn't have gone if they weren't coming with me. <br />
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I keep telling myself that I have a goal to run a 2hr half marathon one day but I'm not ready to hit that this time. If I can bring my time down to a 2:10 half marathon, that's still going to be a personal best. My very first ever running event was a half marathon, which I would not recommend to anyone. Start with a nice 5k event somewhere. Anyway, my time for that run was 2:24 and change. My second half marathon wasn't until almost 10 years later and my time was 2:14 and change. I ran my 19k training last weekend in about 2:04 and that's including a talk break with a friend and her dog in the village, a pee break in the trees, and a bunch of walk breaks. I say that it was about 2 hours and 4 minutes because we left my mother's place at 6:45 pm and when I stopped running it was 8:49 pm. <br />
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I was using my iPhone stopwatch as my timer and it even does laps but when we stopped to talk with a friend and her dog, I eventually remembered that my time was still running and I stopped the watch. When we took off again, I started the stopwatch again but must have touched the reset button and it erased all of the previous time. It was at about 42 minutes, I think. When I finally made it to my imaginary finish line, the watch was at 1:21:40.6 but the actual time was 8:49 pm.<br />
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This weekend I'll run with my running group and use my Garmin for distance and time accuracy. For whatever reason, I couldn't get the MapMyRun app on my iPhone to work properly and do all of the things that the Garmin does. I think it's going to work tomorrow but that means I have to carry it again. I will just because I want to know that it works and then I don't have to re-do the whole thing on the computer when I get back. <br />
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Well, it's time to stop drinking tea and start hydrating for the morning. I should also think about a pasta dinner for some energy. I need to charge my phone, my watch, and myself, and then go meet my friends at 7 in the morning. <br />
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Until next time, have a great day.gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-3889754141661697632011-04-04T14:15:00.000-03:002011-04-04T14:15:36.801-03:00Reichen's Story. Written by his Mom, Adrien<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Tahoma; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div style="line-height: 17px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: normal;">I am fortunate enough to have a great group of friends and we call ourselves runners. The Island Girls running group meets in Kensington, Prince Edward Island and we have just started our training for the Johnny Miles half marathon in mid-June. On Wednesday, April 6th, 2011, a Running Room store is opening in Charlottetown, PEI and as part of their Grand Opening, they are sponsoring a 2.5k and a 5k run/walk with all monies going to the IWK Childrens' Hospital in Halifax, Nova Scotia.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;">Adrien and Wayne have just run their first 10k race last weekend in a spring snowstorm as part of the W3 Wear Red race festivities. Below is their IWK Story...Come join us on Wednesday evening to run/walk as far as you can and help the IWK help little children like Reichen. </span></div><h2 class="ecxuiHeaderTitle" style="color: rgb(0, 110, 18) !important; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</h2><h2 class="ecxuiHeaderTitle" style="color: rgb(0, 110, 18) !important; font-size: 21px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 23px; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Why we LOVE the IWK - Reichen's story</h2></div><div class="ecxclearfix" style="line-height: 17px;"><div class="ecxmbs ecxuiHeaderSubTitle ecxlfloat ecxfsm ecxfwn ecxfcg" style="line-height: 17px;">by <a href="http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=649041417" style="color: #0068cf; cursor: pointer; font-weight: inherit; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: underline;" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3b5998; line-height: normal;">Adrien Bernard Sherry</span></a> on Sunday, April 3, 2011 at 9:33pm</div></div><div class="ecxmbl ecxnotesBlogText ecxclearfix" style="line-height: 17px;"><div style="line-height: 17px;"><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;"><br />
</div><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">keywords: IWK, Isaak Walton Killam Childrens' Hospital, Halifax, Spina Bifida, </div><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Reichen was born with a "hole" in his back; it looked like a belly button. We saw numerous doctors in Summerside but none of them knew exactly what it was, or if it was serious. UNTIL we saw Dr. Wong, one of the Paediatricians in Summerside. He knew right away that it was something that required immediate attention. He took pictures and emailed them to the neurology dept. at the IWK and we were sent for an MRI the next week. Reichen was 7 weeks old for our first trip to the IWK to have his MRI. The MRI was in the morning and we had an appointment with a pediatric neurosurgeon at 1pm to discuss the results. </div><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Dr. Dan McNeely, is one of the pediatric neurosurgeons at the IWK. He told us that Reichen had Spina Bifida Occulta and Tethered Cord Syndrome. Spina Bifida Occulta is the mildest form of Spina Bifida and referred to the hole in his back. The hole was open all the way into his spinal column so he was had a major risk for meningitis and other infections. Tethered Cord Syndrome was something they would NOT have seen without the MRI, but is quite common in children with Spina Bifida Occulta. It meant that his spinal cord was attached (tethered) to his spine. The spinal cord is supposed to float freely in the spinal fluid but his was attached/tethered. The risk was that as Reichen grew the spinal cord would stretch and worst case scenario, break causing paralysis from the waist down. We were terrified but Dr. McNeely and his nurse Coleen were so supportive and understanding. Dr. McNeely pulled out his blackberry and said “We need to schedule surgery as soon as possible; I am available June 22nd or July 6th.” It was amazing, there was no waiting for phone calls or letters, and we scheduled Reichens surgery right there for June 22nd. </div><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">Dr. McNeely preformed Reichen surgery on June 22nd, Reichen was 9 weeks old. The absolute hardest thing I have ever done was hand over my 9 week old baby to the surgeons, but they took such great care of him. They were able to “un”tether his spinal cord and close the hole into his spinal column. The surgery took about 5 hours. Reichen was a trooper, he had to lay flat on his back in his bed for the first 48 hrs (very challenging for breastfeeding!) and needed pain medication but was a pretty happy little baby!</div><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We were able to come home 4 days later, amazing! We returned in August for a check up and Reichen passed with flying colors. Every year we attend the spine bifida clinic at the IWK where Reichen has an ultrasound and appointments with specialists who check to make sure everything is working properly. At our appointment in 2010, they were so pleased with his progress that we got to skip a year!! </div><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful facility available to us. Reichen is doing extremely well; he can do everything a normal 3yr old can do. He is also fully potty trained!! Bowel and bladder function were a concern in the beginning but he is doing just great!</div><div style="line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 1.35em; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: 0px;">This year we are celebrating Reichen’s success with his first ever 2.5km fun run on Wednesday April 6th. PLEASE JOIN US!! The Running Room is opening in Charlottetown and they are having a fundraiser for the IWK. EVERYONE is welcome, it is a family event. There will be a 5km run/walk and a 2.5km run/walk. Registration is $10 and 100% of that goes to the IWK. PLEASE register for this event, if you can’t attend at least you made a donation to one of the BEST hospitals in the world!</div></div></div>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-16582772271196698642011-03-14T10:04:00.000-03:002011-03-14T10:04:57.217-03:00Facebook FriendsFacebook can be a great thing and it can be a reason to wonder why you are attached to such people. Then you realize that you can delete them from your life!<br />
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I am a "friend" of the Farm PEI facebook page and I think I am making an enemy of this guy/person, I'm assuming it's a guy but correct me if I'm wrong. There have been a few posts that I read that I wonder what it has to do with farming in PEI and then there are posts that just slam agriculture and all its practices. I replied to his post that maybe he shouldn't bite the hand that feeds him quite so harshly.<br />
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Well then the war was on. I can't "un-friend" the guy, I can't delete the page because I feel like I am his devil's advocate, always seeing the good in agriculture and its farmers. I'm putting it on myself to inform the reader that all of what he is posting (mostly from American websites) is not truth. In fact, I am going to contact a few scientists and ask some questions about the validity of the information he is linking to his facebook friends. I'm also hoping that a few other "friends" will add their comments because there aren't many people replying to his posts, maybe because they are scared of the conspiracy theory? <br />
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I've made a few inquiries to the intention of the Farm PEI facebook owner but to no avail, yet. I don't mean to stop this person from bringing up some issues but let's see both sides of the argument. I hope that if and when I do meet this person, he (she) will sit and have a beer with me and discuss farming in PEI, farming in Canada, farming in general, with a little less severity than is portrayed on the facebook page.<br />
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If you get to his facebook page, he seems to like music too.gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-18060516871096344872011-02-27T18:57:00.000-04:002011-02-27T18:57:15.742-04:00Farm Technician Apprenticeship Program Friday, February 25th, 2011 marked a banner day in farming history with the first Blue Seal Certificates being awarded to five young men from Prince Edward Island, Canada. The Farm Technician Apprenticeship Program is the only apprenticeship of its kind in Canada, combining on-farm experience with in-class training. <br />
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Jeff Stewart, Basil Attwood, Chad Lawless, Kyle MacLeod and Lawrance Purdy are the first official Farm Technicians in Prince Edward Island, in Canada even. Dr. Leslie MacLaren, Co-President of the Nova Scotia Agricultural College told them in her address that "you can now confidently call yourself a professional". <br />
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This group of young men has spent the past three years in training for this program by attending 8 weeks of classroom learning with 10 months of log book skills upgrading. The 8-week classroom sessions began with courses such as farm safety and preventative maintanence and in their third year of the program they learned about farm financial programs, attained their 3A Class licence, and endured intense courses regarding cropping systems and weed management.<br />
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The Prince Edward Island Minister of Agriculture, George Webster, said to the group, "farm labour is not what it used to be" and went on to say that the farm labourer needs to be highly skilled and that "knowledge is the key to continuous progress." <br />
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Sarah MacDonald, NSAC's Manager of Continuing Education said that adult learners have a strong connection to what they are learning and it showed through their commitment to the program. These five graduates of the Farm Technician Program "are leading the way for others to follow." <br />
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In my opinion, this program is exceptional. I would offer up a few changes but on the whole, farming is now a job that needs a professional status. There are so many skills needed to be a farmer or a farm worker in this century. With the farming community reducing in size, what used to be considered common sense on the farm is now an unknown skill that needs to be taught, hence the need for an apprenticeship program. <br />
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Check out the link to the NSAC Press Release regarding the graduation of the first Blue Seal recipients of the Farm Apprenticeship Technician Program on February 25th, 2011:<br />
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<a href="http://nsac.ca/news/2011/farmtech.asp">NSAC delivers educational component of unique farm apprenticeship program</a>gwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-5944839910884993532010-12-06T13:04:00.000-04:002010-12-06T13:04:48.652-04:00Seeing is believing...It's a windy day in the neighbourhood, the neighbourhood...I'm afraid my house may blow off it's foundation. Sorry, no rhyme there, just the truth.<br />
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The start of another week and hopefully an extension of the visual recovery that I had last week. Last week started with being able to see through the blank spot that has been affecting my vision for the past 6 weeks and the recovery each day was exhilarating. To lose any percentage of your eyesight is truly an eye opener and I was lucky enough to eventually get my sight back. Even though I can see through this spot, I still have trouble seeing yellows and things are darker than normal. Believe me, dim lighting is only cool for romantic dinners and watching television. <br />
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To say that I only had about 10% of my vision left may seem horrible but when you close your eyes and see nothing, 10% is a heck of a lot. And it's a lot to be grateful for. <br />
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I rely on my OTT Light at my desk and I really wish I had one shining on my clothes shelving so I could pick out blue jeans vs black jeans. I've only been wearing white shirts lately because that's the easiest to pick out of the closet. That and any colour sweater that may match blue or black jeans. <br />
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For whatever reason, my creative juices have started to flow in that, I have been thinking about sewing or knitting crafts as Christmas presents. Why would that happen when I can't see well enough to do any of that. Is that just a challenge that my mind has given me to prove that I can do it with only minimal vision? I have been imagining the photos that I will enlarge and the posters of my pictures that I will create and the frames that I will make...maybe not such a good idea to be using a skill saw with reduced eyesight. Is it a good idea to be making posters when I don't really see colours as I think they should be, which may become distorted to what actually is? <br />
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I may have to take that challenge anyway, just so that when I do see normally again, and I will, I will look back on this past eight weeks of visual distortion (pain included) as a growth and maturity that got me to that point in life, be it good or bad. <br />
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Let the healing continue...namastegwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3667464982270325714.post-82248738255610015352010-12-03T11:18:00.000-04:002010-12-03T11:18:18.907-04:00Starting to blogIn procrastinating for one thing on my to do list, I've started another task, a blog spot. <br />
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One of my interests is agriculture and I hope that I can educate, vent, ramble, discuss anything related to agriculture. If you ate it, somebody grew it. If something else comes up, that'll be included as well. <br />
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My thoughts at the moment are really concerning procrastination. I'm really good at it and I wish I weren't. I want to be one of those people that when they are given a task, I would just do it, no excuses. <br />
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I was at the massage therapist yesterday and because when she had her fingers behind my head pressing on the base of my skull and my left shoulder twitched, she said that was an indication that I was full of ideas and not able to express them<span></span>. The woman is a psychic without a crystal ball. Not only that, she basically told me my life story because I'm an aquarian. I agree with a lot of the things she was telling me and we had quite a conversation, even if I was trying to breathe evenly through the pain she was causing on the back of my head. <br />
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I seem to have a mental block/writers block and can't get beyond it. I have lots of ideas, I just can't seem to express them on computer, on paper, or verbally. Hence, the blog and I'll just spew with my fingers on the keyboard until something of any substance comes out. Ha, ha, read on as this will be my therapy until it becomes an informative message board for agriculture and it's consumers.<br />
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Please feel free to leave comments and suggestions, questions or opinions. It's time for me to write an article regarding Championing Agriculture based on a one day conference with Michele Payn-Knoper (<a href="http://www.causematters.com/">www.causematters.com</a>) informing Islanders how we as agriculturallists need to be the greatest advocates of food and farming we can be so that consumers feel they are informed, knowledgeable and confident about the food they eat. <br />
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Have a great day,<br />
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gwynabellegwynabellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04637197550964803170noreply@blogger.com1