Happy June

June is such a lovely month, usually the weather is great, the flowers are out, and we have the whole summer ahead of us!

More good news! It's time to start thinking about second doses of vaccine!

Vaccine hunters is an independent source of reliable info on Covid and vaccines. Check out their site here for info about obtaining a second dose in Ontario.

How many people need to be vaccinated to avoid a 4th Covid wave this fall? Here's an article from The Globe and Mail with 4 different scenarios to consider.

And if the reopening rollout has you confused here's the Ontario Government rollout plan with all the steps and stages listed!

In other news.....

Thanks to Joyce L for sharing this link to a Mindfulness and Meditation online event at University of Toronto Continuing Studies June 10th from 12noon to 1pm.

Are you looking forward to renewal and change as the pandemic (hopefully) recedes? Here's an interesting article about 8 Reasons You Should Do The Hard Things

June Birthdays!

Happy Birthday to Greg J on June 19th!

New!! Zoom for Widows/Widowers under 55!

Young widows and widowers often face complicated issues with children at home, career challenges, parent's health and managing everything all at once and all alone.

If you are facing these challenges and would like to join your peers to connect and share thoughts, please email us at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com and let us know if you would be interested in a special Zoom series dedicated to young widows and widowers!

Recipe of the Week

Strawberry Brownie Ice Cream Sandwiches from Foodland Ontario!

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 mL) granulated sugar

3/4 cup (175 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (50 mL) unsweetened cocoa

1/2 tsp (2 mL) each baking powder and salt

1/2 cup (125 mL) vegetable oil

2 Ontario Eggs

2 tbsp (25 mL) water

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla

Filling & Topping

1/4 cup (50 mL) strawberry jam

3 cups (750 mL) vanilla ice cream, softened

3 cups (750 mL) sliced fresh Ontario Strawberries

1 tbsp (15 mL) granulated sugar

Directions

Line 8-inch (20 cm) square baking pan with foil, allowing 2-inch (5 cm) overhang on 2 sides of pan; grease the pan and foil.
In large bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Add oil, eggs, water and vanilla; mix well. Spoon batter into pan; smooth top.
Bake in 350°F (180°C) oven for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Let cool completely in pan.
Loosen edges and using foil, lift brownies to counter. Cut horizontally in half. Slip flexible cutting board between halves to easily remove top. Set foil and bottom half back into the pan. Cut top half into 9 pieces. Set aside.

Filling and Topping:

Spread bottom half of brownie with strawberry jam. Spoon ice cream over jam, making a smooth layer. Arrange top pieces over ice cream; press gently into place. Wrap and freeze until firm.
In medium bowl, combine strawberries and sugar; let sit for 15 minutes. To serve, cut into pieces and top with strawberries.

Acclaim Health's New Dementia Centre

The new Dementia Centre is named Patti's Place. To find out who Patti is and why the centre is named after her, check out this article from Inside Halton.

We are raffling a great gift basket in support of Acclaim Health's new Dementia Centre. It's a great gift for relatives or friends or to keep and enjoy on your own!

Thank you to everyone who has bought tickets already! We really appreciate your support!

There's still time to purchase tickets at $20 each or 3 for $40! The raffle is open to family and friends and friends of friends!!! All proceeds will go to Acclaim Health.

To enter, email us at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com and let us know how many tickets you'd like, then etransfer the funds to us or drop off a cheque or cash at Stephanie or Penny's house and we'll email you your ticket number.

We'll pull the winning ticket Sunday June 13th during our Sunday 1pm zoom! Good Luck!

Events!

Time for a Style Change? Today!!

If you've been wearing jammies and sweatpants pretty much all through the pandemic, you'll be interested in this fashion and style presentation from Cabi Online, presented by Marlene Marco.

Join us today at 2:30pm when Marlene will share the latest styles and trends and some great fashion tips and tricks for all body types and sizes. Men are welcome to attend to!

Please let Penny know at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com by 1pm today if you'd like to attend and she'll send you a Zoom invitation!

New!!!

Join Marlene again on Tuesday June 8th at 2pm for a Style Show presentation of Cabi Fashions!

This is an opportunity to see Cabi fashions and place an order if you'd like to purchase any summer clothes before they run out of inventory!

If you usually attend the Tuesday at 2pm Zoom you will automatically receive a Zoom invitation. If you don't, but would like to attend this fashion presentation, please let Penny know at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com.

The Garden

Join Lianne Harris for a fascinating discussion about The Garden: The History & Stories About Famous Flowers, June 11th at 3:30pm

A beautiful flower garden in the past was a sign of culture, but also great wealth . . . and maybe a bit of bribery, smuggling and extortion as well!

If you haven't attended one of Lianne's presentations before and would like to come, pls let Penny know at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com and she'll add you to the invitation list. If you have attended before, you'll automatically receive an invitation.

Loss Workshop with Dr. Flavia Ceschin

Dr. Ceschin returns for another session focusing on life after loss and loneliness and Covid on June 25th at 1pm.

This session has limited capacity, so if you'd like to attend, please register asap at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com to ensure your spot. The cost of this session is $10 per person and all proceeds will go to Heartache to Hope.

Note: If you registered previously for an earlier cancelled session we will automatically rebook you to this session and thank you for your previous $10 payment.

Zoom Event Calendar

June

Friday June 4th at 2:30 NEW! Join us for a presentation from Cabi Fashion (see details above)

Sunday June 6th at 1pm - Travel Day! Send in your travel pics (without people if possible so we can guess the location)

Tuesday June 8th at 2 pm - Cabi Fashion presentation! (see above for more details)

Wednesday June 9th at 1pm - Book Club Meeting!

Wednesday June 9th 6:00pm - Bring a Glass of Wine or cup of tea for a social with an entertainment/movie quiz and an opportunity to bring a quiz of your own if you would like to share!

Thursday June 10th 2:00pm Chat about Loss & Grief -Join us for a discussion of the grief journey and steps we can take to support one another.

Thursday June 10th 4:30 pm - Bingo! Join us for an hour of virtual bingo. Let us know if you would like us to email or mail bingo sheets to you and bring your own dabbers or markers.

Friday June 11th - NEW! Lianne Harris returns with a presentation about The Garden

Sunday June 13th -TBD

Tuesday June 15th - at 2pm - Social Chat and What Am I Quiz

Wednesday June 16th 6:00pm - Bring a Glass of Wine or cup of tea for a social with an entertainment/movie quiz and an opportunity to bring a quiz of your own if you would like to share!

Thursday June 17th 2:00pm Chat about Loss & Grief -Join us for a discussion of the grief journey and steps we can take to support one another.

Thursday June 17th 4:30 pm - Bingo Join us for an hour of virtual bingo. Let us know if you would like us to email or mail bingo sheets to you and bring your own dabbers or markers.

Sunday June 20th -TBD

Tuesday June 22nd - Social Chat and What Am I?

Wednesday June 23rd 6:00pm Bring a Glass of Wine or cup of tea for a social with an entertainment/movie quiz and an opportunity to bring a quiz of your own if you would like to share!

Thursday June 24th 2:00pm Chat about Loss & Grief -Join us for a discussion of the grief journey and steps we can take to support one another.

Thursday June 24th 4:30 pm - Bingo

Friday June 25th 1:00 pm - Loss Workshop with Dr. Flavia Ceschin (see details above!)

Sunday June 27th 1:00 pm -TBD

Tuesday June 29th 2:00 pm - Social and Who Am I Quiz

Wednesday June 30th 6:00pm Bring a Glass of Wine or cup of tea for a social with an entertainment/movie quiz and an opportunity to bring a quiz of your own if you would like to share!

Please let Penny know at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com if you'd like to be added to the attendee list for any of these Zooms or if you have any questions! Penny sends out the link the day of the zoom, if you don't have it before noon, please contact her and she'll send the link to you. All games are just for fun, no pressure!

BINGO!

Join us June 10th at 4:30pm for the next game! Please email us at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com and we'll add you to the group.

Winners from the June 3rd game include:

Game 1: Donna

Game 2: Leslie T

Game 3: JoAnn

Game 4: Sandra

Game 5: Pauline

Game 6: Pauline

Game 7: Leslie F

We are drawing a monthly prize from all the bingo game winners of the month's 4 sessions. Since a prize is offered, we ask members to use a dabber (or thick marker) for verification of each game. Widowed Friends has some dabbers available to give out during the lockdown. If you need a dabber or more bingo cards, please let us know at widowedfriendsltd@gmail.com.