Do you have someone to thank, or a peeve to get off your chest? Send it to BandB@comoxvalleyrecord.com
Record staff reserve the right to edit all submissions, and discard beefs deemed to be libelous or mean-spirited. We will not publish beefs (complaints) about private businesses or charities (those associated with published news articles notwithstanding). Please keep submissions within 150 words. Although the post will be anonymous, include a contact name and phone number, because there鈥檚 a draw every week for a meal for two from Dairy Queen. This week鈥檚 winner is Tammy Fassaert.
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SANTA鈥橲 WORKSHOP EXTENDS a huge thank-you to all the Comox Valley community for another very successful Christmas season. There were 540 children from 283 families who benefitted from the workshop, along with 31 grandparents who shopped for 80 grandchildren. Thirteen 鈥渂ike elves鈥� refurbished 160 bicycles complete with new helmets for each. Many thanks to all Santa鈥檚 鈥渆lves鈥� for their ongoing support & dedication. Special mention of large donations to Emterra Environmental, Cross Canada Cycle Tour Society, Canadian Tire, Telus, Royston Cumberland Lions Club, Comox Valley Lions Club Bingo Gaming Acct, D. Bell Designs, 1st Cumberland Scouts, Comox Valley Monarch Lions, Plateau Temple No. 7-Pythian Sisters, Courtenay Elks Lodge #60, Courtenay Royal Purple Lodge #158, Comox Legion Br. 160 & Ladies Auxiliary, Ashcroft & Associates Inc. and Comox Valley Record for your assistance. Thanks to all the businesses who took 鈥渄rop boxes鈥� at their locations 鈥� they had to be emptied often!
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A BIG SHOW OF appreciation to the Valley View residents who illuminated our neighbourhood so nicely this solstice season. It made our dog walks and drives much more bright and cheery!
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MOST PEOPLE ARE eco-fanatics these days. However, there are those that pick up their newspapers every Tuesday and Thursday, take out the advertisements, stuff them back into the boxes on top of all the newspapers. How inconsiderate. The next person to come along for their paper has to sort through your garbage to get to the newspaper. Now, I have to believe that the portion of the paper you take home is recycled once you鈥檝e read the paper. Would it really be a huge inconvenience for you to take the whole paper home and recycle those portions which you do not read? Or, maybe you believe it鈥檚 okay for someone else to clean up the mess you left in the box. You do realize, I trust, that advertising is what pays for the free paper you pick up. Who do think cleans up the mess you leave behind?
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A BEAR-Y BIG HUG for the person responsible for the Bear Necessity Bears that go out yearly to the kids that so very badly need a good friend. You have no idea how much of a difference these bears make to the kids who receive them, and the great adventures they have with them all year round. They are confidants, cuddle buddies and a friend to tell the very biggest and hardest secrets to. Thank you from all the kids and the families you have impacted by your amazing heart and hard work.
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A LOVELY BOUQUET to Anne M. for the Christmas card and scratch ticket from an appreciative volunteer.
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A HUGE SHOUT OUT of appreciation to those in the East Courtenay area of Cowichan Avenue who checked in on their elderly neighbours in this snowy weather, for not only offering to shovel driveways and walks, but taking seniors shopping and offering support.
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ENDLESS REFILLS OF Starbucks/Tims hot coffee to a certain Comox plow operator. After struggling to clear 10 metres of driveway after our Wednesday snowfall, I was faced with a barrier of heavy snow deposited by the street plows. Leaning on my shovel, wondering where to start, I observed a white pickup equipped with a blade, stopped near the end of my driveway. He wheeled to the right, set the blade, and then proceeded to excavate over approximately one ton of that hard-packed, white concrete, in one fluid movement. Taken aback, I could only offer a 鈥渢humbs up鈥� as he drifted by. I didn鈥檛 get a plate or vehicle number. Nonetheless, public acknowledgment of such consideration and a generous character is certainly merited. I鈥檓 sure both of us were grinning for the rest of the day.
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SENDING A BEEF to the City of Courtenay. We just discovered a new definition of incompetency 鈥� Courtenay鈥檚 snow-clearing staff. They took a swipe at our road and we were left with a 30-foot gap between our driveway and the somewhat cleared road. Not only that but they left a three-foot pile of heavy wet snow as well for us to deal with. Our 80-year-old neighbour was left with the same situation. We pay the biggest kind of taxes and then we get this inept snow clearing. Courtenay needs to rethink its snow clearing policy.
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BEEF TO BC TRANSIT. During the recent snowfall, we had tickets for a show in Courtenay; we decided to take the bus into town from Union Bay. Imagine our surprise while waiting, in the snow, at the bus stop, when the 6:09 bus went sailing right past us at 6:14! Then imagine our surprise when a large pick-up truck went past us, then backed up, to pick us up and take us to town! A huge BOUQUET to Leanne and Treasure, the lovely, friendly and very funny ladies that chose to stop. Finally, a BOUQUET to the BC Transit supervisor who replied Friday morning to my complaint of the night before. He was charming and apologetic!
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A BEEF to the-powers-that-be at the Sid Williams Theatre who stopped the procedure of being able to pre-order intermission refreshments. The line-up during the short intermission at the show we attended was very long and slow.
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A BIG BOUQUET OF WINTER FLOWERS is being spread out to all the wonderful folks that helped us out in the Kin Beach area during this recent visit from Old Man Winter. A big shout-out and thanks to the volunteer fire department and Above and Beyond Tree Service that helped manage and cleanup up fallen trees and neighbour 鈥淐hris鈥� with his bobcat that helped with snow removal. You鈥檙e a great bunch of people and much appreciated!
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BOUQUETS TO THE BEEF complaining about gossip (Jan. 14 Beefs & Bouquets). Thank you, writer. This is a topic that needs to be brought into the open. My family and I have suffered terribly because of gossip. We tragically lost a precious family member. This was and is very painful to us and we chose not to announce it. We chose to grieve in private, or so we hoped. We are shocked and angered that someone in the strata complex where I live, somehow found out and turned our loss into gossip fodder. Disgusting! It is a constant, painful reminder (as if we needed one) when someone in the complex comments. 鈥淚鈥檓 so sorry you lost鈥�.鈥� Our family is shattered by this and we will never recover. Writer, you are correct when you say gossiping is a form of bullying. So is snooping. How un-Christian!
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A BOUQUET WITH A LUMP of coal to the snow removal crew. My good wife and I spent two days, dutifully, clearing snow from our sidewalk. Snow removal crews, thankfully, plowed the street but, in doing so, piled three feet of snow over the storm drain. I cleared a route to the drain. Another removal team came to remove the three-foot pile around the drain and covered the drain again, which froze overnight. The next day, with melt water eight inches deep over it, an ax was needed to break the six inches of ice covering the storm drain - a difficult task for this senior.
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I REALLY WANT TO thank the gentleman who lives in the Webdon Road area with the Kabota tractor. He has used his machine, without charge, to clean the mouths of the neighborhood driveways. His generosity is particularly appreciated when he has cleared the heavy packed snow after the contracted plow has finally shoved the slush off the thoroughfare. I am confident this fellow has saved more than one heart attack because there are a number of us seniors in the neighbourhood who won鈥檛 admit the job is too much for us.
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THIS IS A BEEF to the City of Courtenay and the snow removal company. I realize that opening up the streets as quickly as possible is priority one. I fail to understand why a blocker of some description cannot be installed on the plows to prevent filling in the driveway mouths and intersections with large chunks of snow that are extremely difficult tot remove. Upon calling the City of Courtenay Public Works Dept, I was told by an arrogant woman that this is the way snow has always been removed and that if I am unable to shovel these heavy blocks of snow I should hire someone or a company to do it for me. If you feel the way I do, I suggest that you call the public works department and all members of city council until something is done to fix this situation.
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HERE鈥橲 A BIG BOUQUET for all the doctors, nurses and receptionists at Washington Park Medical Clinic. I am always thankful for their hard work and dedication. They consistently provide great care regardless of the fact that they are often swamped with patients. Just thought someone needed to say 鈥榞ood job and keep up the good work.鈥� We might not have a perfect health care system, but we have a good health care system, and for that we need to give thanks.
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BEEF TO SNOW REMOVAL piling snow in handicap parking lot at TD Bank by Superstore when there was room available in other areas in the parking lot.
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I WOULD LIKE TO thank the wonderful woman who rescued my purse from the change room at Comox Community Centre on Monday afternoon. I was shocked by my carelessness and I am afraid in my stunned state my reaction certainly didn鈥檛 convey the level of my appreciation. It is so very comforting to know there are still honest people here. Thank you so much; please accept my heartfelt thanks.
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A WHEELBARROW FULL of beautiful flowers goes to Jamie Rennison at Tippin Point Contracting Ltd. from the Phil and Jennie Gaglardi Academy PAC. We are so thankful for Jamie鈥檚 contribution of consultation, services, and time to help us build our new playground area. We would highly recommend Tippin Point Contracting to anyone who may need excavating or landscaping work done. Thank you, Jamie!
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HUGE BOUQUETS TO the neighbours on Montrose Drive who made our road drivable during the recent snowstorm. Thanks to Gary for clearing our long driveway not once but twice. We would have been stuck for many days even after the snow had stopped falling. We are thankful also for helpful neighbours beside and across from us.
