Blood donors kept my husband alive
Re: “Give blood and get a free ice-cream cone,” Jan. 3.
Thank you Times Colonist, Parachute Ice Cream and Blood Services Victoria for encouraging people to donate blood.
You don’t have to battle fires, drive an ambulance or fight crime to be a hero. I now know this to be true. So many heroes gave the gift of life that prolonged and sustained my husband during his 11-month battle with AML — bone-marrow leukemia!
The disease was not curable, but the “top-ups” — ever so many — of whole blood and platelets gave us precious time. Days became months — thanks to those who gave their blood to a stranger.
Rest assured, generous heroes, with each transfusion, you were blessed, thanked and prayed for not only by us, but by the nursing staff as well. Indeed, there was an awe, a reverence, as we watched those precious drops enter his port. Never was a single drop wasted: those wonderful nurses made sure every drop, every last millilitre of liquid was transfused from you into a most grateful recipient, my Fred.
Sadly, Fred succumbed in September; yet to this day I am humbled and appreciative to all those heroes who gave us extra time together. Thank you.
So please, be a hero: donate blood and get a free ice-cream cone! It’s all good.
Marianne Hobbs
Salt Spring Island
Time-zone plan can’t please everyone
Re: “The many dark sides of permanent daylight time,” opinion, Jan. 2.
As a meteorologist for more than 40 years, I have been following with interest the debate about the adoption of permanent daylight time proposed by the B.C. government. Those advocating for standard time are right about the consequences of the darker mornings under daylight time.
One thing is sure: we will not be able to please all parties, no matter what the decision.
Those advocating for permanent standard time lose sight of the fact we would be losing an hour of daylight in the evenings during the warmer months.
This would result in the sun setting after 8 p.m. from only May 25 to July 24. Many sports leagues schedule games in the evenings, and those residents enjoying time on a patio or deck after dinner might not be pleased with the earlier sunsets.
And citizens putting in a full day of work, looking forward to an evening game of golf or tennis after supper also might not be pleased.
Where does that extra hour go during the summer? If I read the charts right, under standard time we would see sunrise before 5 a.m. from April 27 to Aug. 9.
Who uses the extra daylight at that time?
Wouldn’t it be better to have it available in the evenings for outdoor use, not to mention lowering electric bills by postponing when you have to turn on your lights?
To boot, we would be two hours behind mountain time nearly eight months of the year under the standard-time proposal.
Steve Rothfels, P. Met.
Victoria
Let’s stick with biannual time change
With regards to the endless caterwauling regarding standard time and daylight time, how wonderful it would be if there was a system that understood the strengths and weaknesses of each time zone.
A system that recognized short-term transitional negatives are far outweighed by long-term benefits. If only we had such a system.
Turns out we do, good old springing forward and falling back, a system that lets us enjoy eight months with more daylight when most people can use it and a system that avoids stygian morning darkness during our four gloomy months.
Toughing out our biannual time changes has always seemed a reasonable deal to me; pity that’s going to change.
Jamie Masters
Victoria
Find a way to use biosolids locally
Re: “CRD plans to ship tons of biosolids to mainland,” Jan. 3.
I’m happy to see that good use is being made of the biosolids from sewage treatment — but the plan to transport tons of such combustible material by road and ferry to Richmond only compounds the oddity of pumping sludge from the treatment station many miles inland to Hartland.
Wouldn’t it make more sense to establish a secondary cement plant (or any plant, come to that) that can use the biosolids locally?
Jonathan Stoppi
Saanich
Christmas Eve miracle at the legislature
I want to give a big thank-you to a wonderful security guard at the legislature in Victoria.
On a recent visit over Christmas break, my friend and I walked to the legislature from a nearby hotel — Huntingdon Manor — and arrived shortly after noon on Christmas Eve.
We were told by the security guard that the legislature had already closed so staff could get ready for their Christmas celebrations. We were disappointed, of course.
But a lovely conversation ensued about how my friend and I had come to Victoria from San Angelo, Texas, and Winnipeg to celebrate our 80th birthdays — having known each other for almost 70 years.
After a few more minutes of conversation, the guard told us she would to take us on a private tour. So, after alerting the inside security that she would be coming in with two nice ladies, she gave us the most wonderful tour of the building with much explanation of the rooms and architecture.
We will be sure to tell our friends what a wonderful time we had in Victoria and suggest that they should visit your fine city as well.
Roslyn Nairn
Winnipeg
Loss of habitat causing low bird count
Re: “Victoria bird species dive to lowest tally since 2007,” Jan. 2.
I read the story with great interest as I am a lover of birds.
When I first moved to James Bay, I often awoke to the sound of robins warbling in the trees, the chatter of sparrows and the sight of swallows elegantly swooping in between buildings.
Sadly, this is no more. There is a strange silence in my neighbourhood. The reason? The loss of mature trees, including in the once-wooded park abutting Laurel Point Inn as well as along the inn’s driveway and the destruction of the one tree at the intersection of Government and Humboldt Streets, the latter the subject of much protest.
The story quotes an environmentalist who blames the loss of bird life in our city on the abuse of pesticides, climate change and loss of insects. However, the major cause is loss of habitat. And that means trees.
Trees not only provide birds with a perch upon which to rest and sing and a home upon which to sleep and nest and nurture their chicks, they also provide essentials of life with oxygen, shade, protective canopies and also a calming influence.
Indeed, people have adopted the pursuit of “forest bathing” whereby they venture into the woods to calm themselves, lower blood pressure and release oxytocin.
The more we destroy these beloved trees, the more we are the authors of our own destruction.
And the birds.
Margot Todd
Victoria
Birds safe around Mrs. Premise
Whoever determined that free roaming cats kill so many birds that one day we’ll have a silent spring, haven’t met our Mrs. Premise. She wouldn’t be able to catch a robin if it sat on her nose and taunted: “Tag, you’re it.”
Our bird feeder attracts flocks of birds that swoop to the ground to swallow every last seed while Mrs. Premise focuses deeply on grooming herself, pretending not to be interested because it would take too much effort to leap at those hyperactive peckers.
She’s just not hungry enough, I guess.
Mary Lowther
Mesachie Lake
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