STONES & ROSES
(MID) JANUARY 2007 NEWSLETTER


HAPPY NEW YEAR... a little late, I know... but well intentioned.
Maybe I'm one of those procrastinators that I just read about in the Sunday Star.


Click here for the 2007 updated info on local Drumming Circles (there are now 5 local circles!)

GURDS, GORDS, or GOORDS
However you say it, these uniquely shaped plants make great birdhouses and feeders.
I'm having a lot of fun painting and dying and polyurethaning a bunch that grew in our garden two years ago.
A box full of gourds of all shapes and sizes arrived from Northern Dipper Farms and I started experimenting with bowls and vases and trinket boxes.
But after seeing those results I'm thinking I had better stick to birdhouses and feeders.

STONES & ROSES - A DAY FOR WOMEN
SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2007


Yep, Nancy and I are getting geared up for our third May event.
Our theme this year is "Humour" so come prepared to laugh, giggle, smile, grin, guffaw, and chuckle.
We both hope that by the end of the day your cheeks will be sore and your sides will ache and your endorphins will have soared.
Location: Willows Golf & Country Club, Nilestown
Gathering Time: 9am - 9:55am
Coffee & Muffins will be available
Welcome and Introductions: 10am
Carol Parkes will be our first guest speaker to be followed by Donna Costa who will introduce you to "Laughing Yoga".
Lunch (menu to follow): 12 - 1pm
Post-lunch exercises will be led by Sharon Robb
The Rhythm Sisters: 1:30pm

We will wrap up the day by 2:30pm

Tickets will be limited to 80 this year so get yours early.

Tickets will be available by emailing Penny Wearne or Nancy Van Geel

'GATHERING OF THE GOOD MINDS, 2007"
A Celebration of Native Arts, Wisdom and Culture

SEPTEMBER 21 - 23, 2007
DOWNTOWN LONDON

This is an early notice to any of you who might be interested in this event. In 2005 (it is a biannual event) I went down to Museum London in the pre-dawn hours for the lighting of the sacred fire. It was one of the most powerful circles I have been in and I am looking forward to this year's gathering.
I will post more information about the whole weekend program as I get it.

BOOKS, BOOKS, BOOKS... READING, READING, READING

KINDRED SPIRITS BOOKS (owned and run by Pauline Schlegel Shank) has put out the reading list of new books for January 2007. Click on the title of her store and you can take a look at the list of Pauline's newest additions to her in-house bookstore. Better yet, give her a call or email her and make a date to pop over and spend some quality time in the midst of all her books.

A DORCHESTER READING CIRCLE is starting up on Thursday, January 18 at the Dorchester Library... 10am is the start time.
Come with a favourite book to share and some ideas on how you'd like to see this reading circle unfold.

I'm in the process of reading a thought-provoking little book... "Urgent Message from Mother: Gather the Women, Save the World" by Jean Shinoda Bolen.
In it she talks about the need for "women's intuition, intelligence, and courage to heal the earth, our human family, and ourselves."
She has an interesting website too... www.millionthcircle.org
Hmmmm... food for thought... maybe even for action.

NEED SOME APPLIANCE REPAIRS DONE?
ACTION PLUS
519-433-9082

(not my current dishwasher or kitchen... maybe sometime in the future though)

Christmas Day dinner at our house... a lovely affair... turkey turned out perfectly, potatoes mashed up nicely, gravy wasn't greasy, veggies were tasty... and the dishes piled up and up and up.
"Don't worry," I told everyone. "My favourite appliance, my dishwasher will do the job!"
The dishes were loaded into the gaping silver mouth. The liquid gel was poured into the tiny box in the door.
The door was clamped shut, the timer set, and the family settled back to visit and digest the last crumbs of Christmas pudding.
"I love my dishwasher," I said to everyone again, nodding with pride as the first load neared completion.
Suddenly a shotgun type bang rang out and a mechanical smelling puff of smoke poured forth from the dishwasher.
Well, to make a long story longer, we managed to coax the dishwasher through two more loads of dishes (blowing three fuses in the process) before we gave in to doing the leftovers by hand.
And I found an appliance repair shop that handled our problem professionally and promptly.
And so I'm going to recommend them to you....
ACTION PLUS
519-433-9082
Pete (owner & repairman) told me they only do repairs, they don't sell new appliances (a good thing I thought... this means he won't try to sell me a new dishwasher), but they do sell some used appliances that they have refurbished/repaired.
Great job... and they're located in the east side of London.. handy to Dorchesterites.

Okay, the dishwasher's repaired...
the gourd birdhouses are turning out not so bad...
the plans for Stones & Roses 2007 are underway...
all in all not a bad start to a new year!

SEE YOU IN FEBRUARY...

Penny