Written by Marilyn Houser Hamm Every year at Christmas time my sister and I would hear again the story of my parents’ experience: waking  up to a home-made gift covered with a serviette at the breakfast table, and beside it the treasure of roasted  peanuts, candy, and the one orange they would know all year. I often reflect on that one orange as I purchase my next bagfull/box at the grocery store – at any time of  year.  I have come to reflect on foods that I did not grow up with that now are staples in produce counters:  avocadoes; mangoes; melons out of season; pears in winter; kiwi. These choices are simply “there” and  some usually find their way into my grocery cart.   All this is now “normal.” And all of these foods have to travel from their countries of origin to southern  Manitoba.  Whether air travel, large steamers crossing the oceans, or semi-trucks traveling thousands of  miles to reach us -  all of these mod...

  Written by Marilyn Houser Hamm Internet service has rapidly become discussed as “a right.”  Those who do not have this service are indeed disadvantaged - particularly in less-populated, low-income, or developing countries. Internet service is, indeed, increasing rapidly across the globe, and right here in southern Manitoba.  For that we are very grateful - as we carry on in this “new normal” of increasing usage, instant information, and communication. Surviving the Covid pandemic has meant many precious hours with family and friends on both Zoom and FaceTime - and we are grateful.  The vast array of streaming options provide ever-increasing availability and accessibility of great movies and entertainment which have become staples for many. I vaguely remember life before my IPhone. Or our IMac,  There are just two of us in our household at the present time, but our household runs two desktop computers, a laptop computer, two iPhones, with four other usable phon...

Inconspicuous Consumption: Seeking Simple Ways Part 2 By Marilyn Houser Hamm One of the great gifts that I have given my mother over the years is the book, Haley’s Cleaning Hints/ A COMPILATION , by Graham and Rosemary Haley.  My mother and her infamously wise sisters were a trio of knowledge magnets when it came to smart cooking, kitchen, or household hints.  Between the book and their shared knowledge, I’ve learned that many basic household staples can effectively clean some common problems. What can you do with the simple basic household staples of baking soda, vinegar, and salt?  Add ammonia, toothpaste, water softener, hairspray, and the treasure trove of cleaning ability is incredible. Baby oil and club soda are also great to have on hand. For example, interior fridge deposits? Make a solution of 3 Tbsp. baking soda in 4 c. warm water. Harder stains/deposits? Apply a thick paste of water and baking soda, let sit for 1-2 hours, and rinse off with a 1-part vinegar to...

Part 1 of 6 By Marilyn Houser Hamm I don’t think of myself as a senior.  It seems like yesterday - or not that long ago- that I came to Manitoba as a young bride to begin life in the European style village of Neubergthal that reminded me so much of my Swiss grandfather’s home outside Basil, Switzerland.  I had been persuaded that we could live with my husband’s parents in their large house happily for the first while – that’s another story. What I do remember vividly is thinking that I had gone back two generations in time. With no water lines coming through the village, and, that first winter, no indoor plumbing, I was in shock.  My mother-in-law’s tiny spinner washer pulled out into the room for laundry day, proceeded to move its way through all gradations of laundry - all hung outside to dry - yes, all - and then brought inside in the winter months to be hung by trails of clothesline interwoven across the ceiling of the upstairs hallway. My mother-in-law was also a hom...