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President – Laura South2013 - 2015.

Birkdale Seniors, Birkdale Community Centre1299 Ellesmere Rd M1P 2Y2, 416-396-4069

BIRKDALE BANTER

We are starting a new year and I hope everyone has made a resolution that they can stick to. Otherwise it is a waste of time. The message this time will have a different ring to it. This message will be about differentpeople who have been a huge help to me over the past four years. I tell you this because I will not be seeking re-election in April. The first person I owe a huge thank you to is my wife Heather who has listened to the good, the bad and everything in between during my terms as President. Heather has played devil advocate (which has been very helpful to me), offered suggestions and always had my back.Betty Wardrope, our illustrious Vice President, said it all when we were first elected four years ago. Betty said she came on board to help Bruce. Betty has helped me in so many ways, told me what she thought, corrected me if she thought I was wrong, told me to shut up and smacked me. Most of all Betty is my friend and I trust her to always be honest and up front with me. Thank you, Betty for everything you have done over the last four years, not only for me but for Birkdale. You are always there to lend a hand no matter what or where it is needed. Betty you are an inspiration.Margaret Hardy and Carol Stark are the corner stones of Birkdale. Margaret who has spent the last several years taking you on Bus Trips and hosting our Saturday Night Dance (I call it Saturday Night Live). Carol has done a great job looking after the Kitchen. Carol is responsible for ordering in supplies and scheduling the volunteers as well and keeping the records for our Executive meetings. Margaret and Carol have been doing these jobs for a number of years. These ladies are as I have said the Corner Stone of Birkdale.A special thank you to Linda Stafford who took over the Treasurer’s job half way through 2018 and has kept our financial records up to date.The two lovely ladies who look after Special Events, Lynda Smith and Barbara Anderson, are worker bees. They make sure that whatever is required to make the function a success that they go get it (door prizes, table accessories, decorations, etc.). Lynda and Barb help set up the room, serve the food and then help clean everything up. Whatever is required, we can count on these twoladies to find it and bring it in. They do this as well as volunteer in the Kitchen. I get tired just telling you what they do. We need more Lynda and Barbs.Jane Vella oversees the Craft Ladies who give of their time making knitted and sewn items which are sold at our garage sales and bazaar. These funds help pay for the functions at Birkdale.

A Message from the President

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

A message from the President 1Notes from the office/message from President 2Upcoming Events 2Word Puzzles/Jokes 3Christmas Fun 4Travel 5Puzzles6/7 Snow shoveling tips8

Winter 2020

Birkdale Seniors Executive President

Bruce FrewVice President

Betty WardropeTreasurer

Linda StaffordSecretary

Carol Stark

Saturday Night DanceMargaret Hardy

KitchenCarol Stark

Craft ConvenorJane Vella

TravelMargaret HardySpecial EventsLynda Smith

Barb Anderson

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Boggle Word Game Debbie Azuma

Community Recreation Programmer

Karen BarrettSeniors Co-ordinator

Notes from the Office

Tuesday Feb 11th– Valentine lunch.Tuesday, February 25 - Pancake Tuesday

Upcoming Events T.T.C TicketsTTC tickets are still

available!From the kitchen on a

Wednesday and Thursday only

10:00am to 2:00pm

MARK IT DOWN!

Dates to Remember

Check out our Winter programing. A great way to

keep active in our sometimes long winter!

MembershipsWe are a membership driven centre and in order to attend our drop in

programming, a Birkdale membership is requiredWe are a paid membership of $26.00 for 1 year. There are many benefits

ofbecoming a member. Subsidized lunches, free giveaways and more!See our website for more information.

www.birkdaleseniors.com

Whoever named it necking is a poor judge of anatomy.

Whatever you may look like, marry a man your own age - as your beauty fades, so will his eyesight. Phyllis Diller

You know you're 60 when...

The phrase zero to 60 means your life is flashing before your eyes.Your carefully saved nest egg has flown the coop.You start getting carded again, but now cashiers want to see your senior card to make sure you're old enough to qualify for the discount.Your joints snap, crackle and pop more than your Rice Krispies.You save a ton of money on shampoo, not because of your senior discount, but because you now have too little hair to bother with it.

Message from the President – Continued from page 1A special thank you to all our Convenors who give of their time to make sure each Drop In is a success.To Debbie Azuma, the captain of the ship. Over the years, Debbie has brought items to my attention in regards to rules of the ship and what we can and cannot do. Debbie is responsible for keeping the peace and making sure our Code of Conduct is followed. Thank you for your support over the last four years, it means a lot to me.To Karen Barrett, the Seniors Co-ordinator for Birkdale, thank you for all your work and helpful ideas. You have been my go-to girl when I needed a variety of things accomplished. You put up with my dumb jokes and my many ways of driving you crazy (wait, they are not dumb jokes). I hope we will always be friends.Finally, to all the Birkdale Members, I thank you for putting up with the changes that we have made over the last four years and supporting us. Thank you to all the volunteers who pitch in at the various functions, the servers, my BBQ guys and their wives who help in the kitchen and to everyone who helped in making the functions a success.I hope you all have had a wonderful Christmas and from all of the Executive Committee, we wish you a very Happy New Year.

Point Scale3 letters = 1 point 0-10 = try again4 letters = 2 points Amateur5 letters = 3 pointsRookie6 letters = 4 pointsGamer7 letters = 6 pointsPro

How Many Words Can you Find?Link letters up down diagonally and side to side. You may only use each letter once within a word. Write your words on a piece of paper and see how many points you made. You cannot count names of people and places.

Coming your way! Workshop; Caribbean CookingTuesday March 31st 2020, $16.00

B A B I F

L A E L D

L H S K I

K C O U N

E Y A R T

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Celebrating the Festive Season!

1. How did the ornament get addicted to Christmas? 2. Why was Santa’s little helper depressed?He was hooked on trees his whole life Because he had very low elf esteem.3. What do you call a kid who doesn’t believe in Santa?4. What do you get when you cross a snowman A rebel without a Claus.and a vampire? Frostbite!5. What’s the difference between the Christmas 6. What do you call an elf that can sing and alphabet and the ordinary alphabet. dance? Elfis

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COME JOIN US!

WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!!!Do you enjoy the availability of having a coffee when you come to Birkdale? When we don't have someone in the Kitchen it is closed and coffee will not be available! So can you consider

volunteering, maybe on a backup basis, coming in when someone is sick or has an appointment?

TRAVEL INFORMATION CONVENOR: Marg Hardy, Pauline Stines

THANK YOU!Pauline and I would like to thank our members for making the 2019

trips a success.We will not be hosting any trips for January, but we will be

planningGreat ones for February-December 2020The following are some of the Trips we hope to offer!

Musicals, Shopping, Theaters, CruisesAnd of Course Casinos

Rama, Fallsview, WoodbineWe try to keep ourtrips within a price range that is acceptable to all.

Please remember we appreciate your input, so if you have any suggestions please let us know.

Margaret Hardy and Pauline Stines

1. How did the ornament get addicted to Christmas? 2. Why was Santa’s little helper depressed?He was hooked on trees his whole life Because he had very low elf esteem.3. What do you call a kid who doesn’t believe in Santa?4. What do you get when you cross a snowman A rebel without a Claus.and a vampire? Frostbite!5. What’s the difference between the Christmas 6. What do you call an elf that can sing and alphabet and the ordinary alphabet. dance? Elfis

He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition

youth and age are equally a burden. Plato

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Word Puzzle answers on page 7

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Each row, column and box must end up containing all of the numbers from 1 to 9.

Answer to word puzzle. 1. Tulips 2. Back in five minutes3. One Life to Live4. First Thing in the Morning5. Go Through the Motion 6. The Coast is Clear

An elderly man visits the doctor for a checkup. "Mr. Smith, you’re in great shape," says the doctor afterward. "How do you do it?""Well," says Mr. Smith, "I don’t drink, I don’t smoke, and the good Lord looks out for me. For weeks now, every time I go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, he turns the light on for me."Concerned, the doctor finds Mrs. Smith in the waiting room and tells her what her husband said."I don’t think that’s anything to worry about," she says. "And on the bright side, it does explain who’s been peeing in the fridge."

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Snow shoveling tipsThe days are getting shorter. Temperatures are getting colder. And snow and ice are here. Fear not. There are several tips that may help you prevent an injury this winter season.If you have a joint injury or a chronic condition, you may want to speak with your doctor to ensure you are healthy enough for shoveling snow. If you get cleared by your doctor, consider the points below:1. Think ahead. Consider salting your driveway or sidewalk before snow starts falling. This may help prevent an unnecessary fall once you start shoveling.2. Warm up. Before you head outside, warm up for about 10 minutes to prepare your body for the vigorous activity ahead. This can include doing squats, walking, and/or stretching.3. Start early. It’s easier to shovel 2 inches of fresh snow than 6 inches of snow that’s been sitting awhile, becoming dense and packed. If an all-day snowfall is expected, then you may want to clear a few inches of snow at a time throughout the day—rather than waiting for the snow to stop and shoveling it all at once.4. Push snow, instead of lifting it. Pushing snow is easier than lifting it. But if you must lift it, keep these pointers in mind

Keep your feet hip-width apart Bend your knees and keep your back straight Try not to twist your torso when lifting snow Shovel small amounts of snow at a time Don’t throw the snow into a pile; instead walk it over to

where you want to pile it.5. Stay hydrated. Shoveling snow is taxing, and you’re probably doing more work than you think. Take breaks and drink liquids while you’re shoveling. Remember to hydrate after you’re done shoveling as well.Lastly, consider hiring someone to do the shoveling for you. The cost may be well worth it to prevent an injury or avoid making joint pain worse.

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And check out this webpage for help from the city.https://www.toronto.ca/services-payments/streets-parking-transportation/road-maintenance/winter-maintenance/clearing-snow-and-ice-from-your-property/