Canadian Living July 2015

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have seen my occasional reports on how my 82-year-old mother is doing. It might be: “A good day! Mom chatted and squeezed my hand.” Or: “Very tearful during our visit. Wish I could do more.” Like nearly 750,000 Canadians, she suffers from a cognitive impairment. Within a handful of years, this lady, who raised four university graduates in a country she didn’t meet until her mid-30s, whose commanding voice would strike fear into the hearts of neighbourhood bullies and who would single-handedly rearrange all of the living-room furniture while we were at school, became fearful. Her mobility, already reduced because of rheumatoid arthritis, quickly dwindled, leaving her unable to climb stairs and, soon after, unable to walk at all. She rarely speaks.…

OFF THE WALL As a baby boomer now in the process of downsizing, I have been culling my collection of cookbooks and magazines that takes up 12 feet of shelving. My Canadian Living cookbooks and magazines occupy a good eight feet of that! As I turn through the pages, trying to edit some issues dating back to 1984, I realize what a huge part your wonderful chefs and gorgeous magazines have played in my life. I look at recipes and remember the many happy occasions attached to them. I have taken cooking classes with Bonnie Stern, and I followed Elizabeth Baird and Emily Richards to Christmas in November at Jasper Park Lodge for 10 Novembers. I still have a newspaper clipping of a 1981 Elizabeth Baird Christmas tourtière recipe that has…

When David Suzuki was growing up in the suburbs of Vancouver, he would go camping with his father and sleep among the trees, or go fishing for sturgeon at the mouth of the Fraser River. These early experiences ingrained in him a love for the natural world. “Being outside is a critical part of who I am,” says David, now 79. He went on to study biology, and he became a geneticist as well as the face of environmentalism throughout Canada and beyond. When he became a father, David took his own kids camping and fishing. By then, they lived in Toronto, and his daughter Severn Cullis-Suzuki, now 35, recalls looking for fossils near the city, turning over concrete blocks to unearth sow bugs near their house and seeking out snails…

Throughout our anniversary year, we’ll be dipping into past issues to share inspired ideas that are as fresh today as when they first hit the page. Here are four decades’ worth of wisdom from the July issues of Canadian Living. 1 To help salad greens retain their freshness, wash them as soon as you get home. Dry lightly with paper towel and store in plastic bags in the refrigerator. When you’re ready to use them, break or tear (don’t cut) into bite-size pieces. — 1977 2 If you want to take up jogging, start with a time goal instead of a distance goal. At first, alternate between walking and jogging for the allotted time, then gradually work your way up to jogging for the duration. — 1977 3 Certain herbs can serve as…

STRONG AND FREE While Canada celebrates almost a century and a half, our red-and-white flag with a maple leaf at its heart is a mere 50 years old. To commemorate the design and the first use of our national emblem back in 1965, Roots has launched a clothing collection made entirely in Canada. If you’re feeling particularly loyal to your hometown, choose a style with a city patch on the sleeve or back; the places represented are Victoria, Vancouver, Whistler, Banff, Calgary, Mont-Tremblant, Montreal, Quebec City, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Ottawa and Halifax—each available only in its respective location. UNDER THE SEA Montreal-based twins Dexter and Byron Peart of Want Les Essentiels de la Vie are known for their simple yet luxe design esthetic. Their latest collection, A Life Aquatic, features a colour palette…

Squeaky-clean strands are not required to achieve this style: This ’do works best on hair that hasn’t been shampooed for a day or two. Just washed and gotta have the look now? “Get instant texture with dry shampoo. I’m a big believer in the stuff,” says Townsend. Flip your head upside down and concentrate the dry shampoo at your roots, then continue to spray all over to add texture. Using the tail of a comb (or pencil), create a deep side part, pulling the section to where the head starts to round. On the opposite side as the part, section your front strands and pull the rest of your hair into a side ponytail. Secure using an elastic just below your ear. To give the ponytail some softness, Townsend recommends rubbing…