Monthly Lunches: Another summer has come and gone but our lunches continue on. August brought our “old fashioned” picnic, just indoors to escape the heat. It’s time to start thinking of after lunch entertainment ideas. Do you have a speaker you’d like to hear, a movie to watch, or an entertainment group?
Day Trips: Our August 19 trip to Sundre to experience an Indigenous Medicine Walk was a great success. We were split into two groups, so all had a chance to see the plants being discussed. The sacred plants in this region are sage, sweetgrass, tobacco, and cedar although cedar had to be obtained through trade. The tour began with a tobacco offering as a way of leaving something for the land when something is taken. This is a reminder not to take too much from the land or too many animals and not to be wasteful.
The first plant discussed was kinnikinnick or bearberry. The berries are good for both bears and humans and can be used to flush parasites out of our bodies. Our next stop was at a common juniper bush. The ripe (second year blue) berries can be used to make a tea to treat a UTI. Spruce trees and their many uses were also discussed. The fresh or dried needles can be used to make a tea for vitamin C and to counter the effects of drinking dirty water. Chew spruce gum to counter cold symptoms and use spruce roots as roots. Other plants and how to prepare moose hides were also discussed.
Our guides were a Métis couple who ended the tour with information on their nation, history, and sashes. The sashes were originally sold at high cost by the Hudson’s Bay Company to the coureurs de bois for their many uses such as warmth, carrying heavy loads, even hernia support. The Métis soon learned to weave the sashes themselves and incorporated the bright colours over time. After the walk, we travelled to downtown Sundre for lunch and our return to Calgary.
The November 13 Rosebud Theatre trip to see Miracle on 34th Street is completely booked with a wait list. Day trips sell out quickly, often before the Pulse is delivered. If you’d like to receive email notification of upcoming trips or have ideas for where to go next, contact Linda at [email protected] or 403-289-8390. People of all ages are welcome to join us.
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