This week on the Monday Mash:

Gardening with Native Plants.  It’s that time of year (finally) when gardens are being planted. If you’re looking for a good selection of native plants, shrubs and trees you can check out Prairie Originals which has a huge selection of potted plants and seeds. Also look at their resources, which includes landscaping tips, links to other local eco-networks, farmer’s markets, and nature photography. There is also a link to the Living Prairie Museum (located on Ness) which sells some plants as well, in addition to providing other resources, workshops and information.

Summer Reading.  Are you looking forward to enjoying a warm summer day sitting back and reading a good book while lazing in a hammock or comfy chair?  If you’re that type of person, consider dropping in to the Library closest to you and see what they have to offer.  One of the more interesting books that I’ve recently read is A History of the World in 100 Objects by Neil MacGregor of the British Museum, which exists as a book and a BBC radio series. This series tracks human history as told through little vignettes on selected objects, making it an easy book to pick up and put down at your leisure.

Discovering Art. The Winnipeg Art Gallery is one of many places that you can drop in to find interesting art.  They currently have a 100 Masters show on that goes until Aug 18. They also have some summer art camps beginning in early July. A couple of other interesting local galleries to consider are Ace Art and if you’re looking for something edgier the Plug In Gallery usually has something to grab your attention.

Summer is fast approaching and with school soon over for children, camp time starts. Whether assisting in a camp or sending your child to a camp you should check if immunizations are up to date! Vaccine preventable diseases are more likely to occur in groups of susceptible children and adults. Illness and severe complications can and do occur from these preventable diseases.

If sending a child to camp:

• Send a signed consent for them to be seen and treated by a health provider;
• Provide your contact number in case you have to be called for any reason; and,
• Send a copy of their immunization record along with any allergies and health instructions.

This helps them receive the attention they may need in as quick a manner as possible.

Camps are a special time for children and some may have health conditions or medications that make them more susceptiple to illness than the average child and they may not even be able to have certain protective vaccines. Feel good that your child is immunized for their protection so they can create an environment that helps others have a fun experience and be protected.

Check here for Manitoba Health information about vaccines and immunization schedules specific for various age groups.

Health Services

Want to get into shape? Want to make a difference? How you approach the later may actually help you to achieve both.

As raising money for charity is becoming increasingly difficult, taking on extreme challenges for charity can both capture potential donors’ attention and drive your motivation to work out like never before. After all, those adrenaline fueled stunts and epic, unforgettable, adventures do demand a certain level of endurance and physical prowess, non?

What can better capture the imagination than a six day multi-terrain race across the great, stony Gobi desert in China? Or perhaps eleven days whitewater rafting down the Zambezi into the depths of Victoria Falls, wrestling with the biggest commercial white water rapids in the world? Read More →

As the weather improves, we get inspired and anxious to work in the garden, get rid of the old left overs from the fall and start planting for the summer. It is important to realize that Tetanus lies in soil and dirt and is a toxin that can enter our system in even the smallest scrape. If unprotected it makes you very ill. Children get protection from tetanus with their childhood immunization programs. Did you know as an adult (young or old) we need a Tetanus booster every 10 years? That is not often, but very necessary to keep us protected from this toxin.

Here’s a short video on the importance of tetanus.

Just let your health provider or clinic know it has been 10 years since your last shot.

Whether for work, or play, be protected.

Be wise Immunize!

Health Services

Gear up this summer for some wellness approved summer festivals!

• Skip the workout! Spend an evening (or a week and half) hiking from venue to venue around downtown Winnipeg, while watching some of the best theater the 2nd largest Fringe Festival in North America has to offer.
• Music is medicine! Check out the Winnipeg Folk Festival for some natural (legal) happiness therapy.
• People from Japan, Italy and the Scandinavia are some of the world’s healthiest. Learn their secrets of food and dance at Folkorama. Check out the VIP Cycle Tour to burn calories between pavilions!
• Let the kids run wild at the Winnipeg International Children’s Festival. BUDGET SAVER ALERT! Did you know that children under 12 can pay once and visit everyday of the festival? Just keep that wristband on and trade in at the box office when you go in again.

Need more culture? Visit Travel Manitoba to fill your summer with fun!

To kick off College Days, the Wellness Committee is hosting a series of events to eat, meet and greet, and move your feet. If you’re an RRC staff member, you can register for all the Wellness events here.

Come out for a free Wellness Breakfast

On the morning of May 30^th staff are invited for a free Wellness Breakfast at the Roblin Centre and the Notre Dame Campus (Voyageur Cafeteria) beginning at 8:00 am and going till 9:30.  The buffet breakfast includes a yogurt parfait bar, oatmeal, turkey bacon, back bacon, eggs, toast and beverages. Wellness Committee members and other helpers will be on hand to take pledges and answer any questions you may have. Please register for the breakfast using the link above.

Help support staff dependents to study at RRC

If you’re participating in the Wellness Walk-a-thon or the Rebel Run, you can drop off your pledge form for the Bursary for Dependents of RRC Employees at the breakfast or the over the lunch hour. If you do not wish to gather pledges we encourage a donation of $10 towards the award. The bursary was started back in 2009 from an endowment fund, which the Walk-a-thon has helped grow to over $20K. For more information about this award  and/or to get an application form, head to the RRC website and look under General Awards.

To date, the award has been given to eight recipients including Taylor Schapf (Business Administration, 2012) daughter of instructor Glenn Schapf.  Taylor shared these words with us:

It is outstanding how Red River College strives to open doors for their students to guarantee their education is being put to use in the real working world. When deciding where to pursue my post-secondary education, it was evident that Red River College was the perfect match for me. I knew that I wanted to receive practical training within a closely-knit student/instructor environment. I also knew that I wanted to receive my diploma in only two years and immediately start getting on-the-job experience after graduating. I can truly say that Red River College has exceeded my expectations and is preparing me for a successful career in the business industry. In receiving the RRC Dependents’ Award, I feel motivated to continue learning and enhance my skills as a future businesswoman.

Glenn and Taylor Schapf

Wellness Walk-a-thon Read More →

Tips on fighting boredom
Have you ever been bored? I have been on occasion. But I think I might be a lucky person because I don’t feel bored very often. Unfocused – yes, absent from my brain – far too often for comfort, bored – not so much. There are some good tips available for dealing with boredom when it sneaks into your mind. I’m amazed at how often I end up stuck somewhere without my usual ways of keeping my mind happy – favourite diversions include books, people watching, and humming (but only that only works if I’m alone.) Next time I might try one of the tips, like seeing things from a different perspective.

Gangster Gardening
If you are at all interested in gardening or greening up your community, watch the TED talk by Ron Finley. I’ve certainly been looking at my parking space and boulevard with different eyes ever since I watched it.

Shared Words, Shared Worlds
When I read a story-poem about kindness and new friendships formed during an airport delay, I realized I should have taken my nose out of my e-reader the last time I was in an airport. I smiled at lots of people and some of them smiled back. I had a few conversations with a couple of people but they were what I call waiting-for-the-bus conversations (brief, partial conversations while everyone involved is hoping the bus is coming soon.) The story in the poem was such a lovely example of people coming together in a trying situation. Kindness, caring and sharing can work wonders.

Global Oneness Project
At first what caught my breath about the Global Oneness Project were the photos but this website has articles, photo essays, interviews, short films and study guides. Maybe it will inspire and inform you and make you want to explore further as much as it did for me.

When the weekend is upon you, do you get cold sweats thinking about finding something to do to keep the kids active and engaged? Have you exhausted your activity selection in the city limits and need to find some fresh new ideas to keep your family entertained?

Oak Hammock Marsh has many family related wellness activities that are open to the public, and only 20 minutes north of Winnipeg. Check out the events page on their website to see all they have to offer. Read More →

Back in the 1940s, did lentils hold real estate in my Grandma’s cold room?  Were they included in any of her German dishes? This is one question Google can’t answer for me, unless there is a Time Machine Camera App which can take a photo of my Grandma’s Lowe Farm pantry circa 1940.  Passing on information between family members through story-telling and through sharing memories & traditions is one of the most fundamental and purest ways humans pass on knowledge.

German Spaghetti

I do know that Canned Tomatoes coloured my Grandma’s shelves & globs of everything fat was put into casseroles. See the recent post on German Spaghetti as a gooey example.

Let’s give our arteries a breather &  use canned tomatoes in a heart happy recipe.  It takes no time at all to make, is colourful, and will absolutely make you the potluck star at your next picnic.
Middle Eastern Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 tsp Dijon Mustard
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 19 oz can of lentils (drained & rinsed)
• 1/2 English Cucumber
• 2 chopped tomatoes (Roma)
• 1/4 chopped onion
• 1 minced garlic glove
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh dill
• Feta

Instructions:

• Whisk together:  olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard & salt
• Stir in:  lentils, cucumber, tomatoes, onion, garlic & dill
• Crumble feta over the top

Looking for signs of spring, well then you will enjoy this edition of the Monday Mash. Here are a few great sites dedicated to helping you spring into wellness this week.

• If you are looking for a great way to catalogue the best and brightest of ideas related to – almost anything – check out Pinterest. I have recently “pinned” their info on gardening and started my own “pin” collection on home organization.
• A new book called the UnDiet, is making waves in Canada. Winnipeg born author  Meghan Telpner has told a compelling story related to her diagnosis of Crohn’s Disease and her battle back to health using what she calls the UnDiet.
• Are you looking for new ways to get more local food on your plate, check out Food Matters Manitoba for upcoming workshops and menu ideas. You can also “Dig In” to Local Food by attending the next Sustainability Speaker Series on May 14th.
• I just discovered a local food group called Urban Eatin‘. They are a local gardeners workers coop that promotes building edible urban spaces. One workshop I am interested in, is learning how to make a cob oven in my own backyard.
• If you are you good with a camera, you may want to submit your favourite photos to the Manitoba Sustainability in Focus EcoCalendar Photo Contest. Winning entries will be featured in a future Manitoba EcoCalendar.

If you have a link or a photo that you’d like to share send an email to mkrywy@rrc.ca and we’ll include it in a future “Mash” edition.