Living

There's a little bit of Frank Sinatra in each of us. We all want to be independent and do it our way. I've never met anyone who, when pressed, will not admit there is a God.

There's no longer a magic number for retirement. Some people find that they want to work past the traditional retirement age while others discover they need to.

With a little sunshine and warming weather, spring certainly seems to be in the air. At least, that's what the birds seem to think.

It's hard to imagine a June garden without the mouth-watering flavour of strawberries and the good news is, planted now, both the everbearing and day-neutral varieties will produce fruit this year.

We all remember the fairy tales of our childhood but what we may forget is that fairy tales were originally spoken, not written, and often they were cautionary tales told to adults as well as children.

On March 8, we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of International Women's Day (IWD).

Irritable bowel syndrome support group meets monthly in PoMo to exchange information, to offer one another support, and to share experiences and coping strategies. Info: 604-875-4875 or www.badgut.org. Al-Anon meets Wednesdays, 8 p.m.

One day, when I was about eight years old, our family of eight was visiting my dad's mom and dad on their five-acre hobby farm.

GUEST COLUMN With spring and summer just around the corner, I have been hearing a lot of talk about weight loss from my patients. There are tales of failed resolutions or unattained weight goals, or new goals for feeling good in swimwear and shorts.

A GOOD READ byLeslie Utsunomiya As our society grows increasingly frenzied in speed, we often hear people say, "I don't have time to read - I get all the information I need from the internet.