QUESTION: I feel like Pm living in a looney bin. My wife has gone bonkers. ’ve heard a fot of jokes about talking to plants, but here is a real live human being who actually does it! Weird!! No kidding, when she gets up fn the morning, I hear her padding areund in her slippers and actually greet- ing the -plants one by one. ‘Did yeu have a geod night Daisy?’’, “‘it’s a lovely day Alma—tlots of sun today,’’ “Remember Tiger, this is your day for your special drink,’ “Oh, my, Redfern, you are Iscking beautiful this morning.”’ She really does ‘ hhave names for all the plants and talks to them like that. I try to tell myself that she ts indulging in a harmiess little N $ . & Freelance Counsellor, Hayden Stewart ‘does private counsel- ling as well as a great deal of group work. He can be contacted at 261-6242 for information and appointments. Letters are always welcome. Mail ‘them to HAYDEN STEWART, c/o the North Shore News, #202-1139 .Lons- date, North Van. : Sissy boys’ names bug him QUESTION: I want to sound off about a ‘‘pet: -peeve’’ I have. | think It is. cruel to give boys funny little Sissy names and saddle them with them for life. ’'ve really got two beefs. The first Is sissy names being given to boys. The second Is: calling boys (who have good male names] sissy little nick-. names. Why would a kind parent call his son Vivian, or Clarence: or Theodore? | _ know a family who named thelr son Theodore and have. . insisted back Into’ a. social. world of "MEN and. WOMEN together iCahe is tot achurch member and has no ability at ‘sports? ‘Aw fer as I can tell, all the. fellowship-service organiza-— _, Hons are divided each Into a . : male group and an ‘wunitlary fomale froup. - QUESTION: exercise that gives her some fun and that it should not bother me. But, im fact, I find myself kind of worried about her. What makes it worse Is the plants are doing marvel- lously well. Could it possibly won’t even ask. Perhaps the thing that bothers me most Is -that she hardly speaks to me at all, and certainly not until after she has gone the rounds with her plants. with her plants. I don’t like to ‘talk im the merning anyway, so perhaps I shouldn’t kneck it. But seriously—I’m sort of worried about my wife. What do you say? STEWART: I'm sure you know there is a lot of My wmether, who died two years ago, left me a sum of money with no strings attached. I am very grateful to her and am using a bit of the momey to enable me to accomplish some things I might otherwise have had to postpone. I think I am.being wise with the money, but why is it I feel ' guilty whenever I use ft? Part of it may be that my father keeps telling me I should not use the money selfishly, but should save it against some emergency, such as, per- haps, caring for him should the need arise. Now, Hayden I have set aside, and will not touch, an amount that I consider ample for such. an emergency. Most of the rest I have put into bonds and solid Savings plans. The small part ' which I have been so carefully using has been added. to my regular bank account. Spending that part -of the inheritance is what _ seems. to bother me. I would dearly like to go on a small trip, or get myself a few. clothes, bat It Is almost painfal for me to consider It. **Be careful!’’ is what I keep hearing, not just from my father, but from my own Teddy. imagine a full grown man trying to make it in labour! or In the business world while he is being called - Teddy! But Uttle boy nick- names are the worst. | know a guy who COULD be called,, Bill, but his mother calls him Willy. The other night, when I was visiting In their home, he had to go ‘out for a business meeting and his mother dismissed him with,’ “Be careful Willikens.”’. When he left she sald to me, . “He's our youngest child you: in calling him . . Widow wants: to socialize | Guestion:. How. does. a - widow In her late fifties get " STEWART: First of all, you do not have to be a church | member to get in on some of, the social life that ‘is made - available by them. Only a few ‘churches resent such a. | ‘sensible procedure. Then of | course there .are activities: offered. by. the Community Centres, colleges, clubs and | _ service’. ' around you. Various groups ' have mixed: choirs,” Square | organizations all ‘you how to use it. It seems page 13 - December 13, 1976 - North Shore News | Mristmas | impressive. evidence sug- gesting that plants DO respond to congenial, caring, expressive humans. A lot of Stranger things are happen- | ing every hour. | think you. can relax about your wife’s communication with the flowers, but perhaps you should pay attention to your . own lack of interest in| | ; communication with your | °° 0° wife. Heck, who knows, she may feel that her plants are the only living things around | - that are responding to her. | | Why not carry on a secret bit Ocean Galiery | the affordable art store | of research to see if your | Krishna Candies kindly interested and warm a communicating with your - spectacular colours wife might result in her . blooming beautifully? Well | -3 sizes ,2 styles —it’s worth a try. - & 2460 Marine Drive, West Vancouver (Dundarave) 922-1915 conscience. Sometimes I wish I had never been left the money, even though I am so | grateful for it. I would. greatly appreciate your j comments. STEWART: Your mother | gave you the money of her own free will. She did not tell incredible that she would want you to feel badly about | putting her kind Bift - to rewarding use. It seems good to me that you are carefully | ‘saving enough of the funds to cover anticipated. needs. Now. feel free to enjoy the remaining amount .r ways will make YOU f:el good. You may need to tell your ‘father that you have planned the use of the moneys in such: | - a way that.he need have no worries, and, the rest you are ‘going to use in the way you deem good and right for you. Will you want to give away some of it to a worthy cause or a needy person? I hope so. Incidentally, if you use some of the money in that way (and secretly, if possible) you are | less apt to feel guilty about using the rest of it in ways | that seem right for you. You have been GIVEN some- thing. Enjoy it! free kickstand with all new bikes till Christmas "large selection of high-rise, moto-cross, skateboards, trikes & wagons Dec. 20, 21,228 23 . Open every. nite till9 Gift suggestions and great stocking | stuffers! ‘safety lamps 7.95 | plus generator sets, speedometers, tool kits, bells & horns, safety reflectors, locks, carriers,.mirrors Heavy construction roller skates. 1 > custom radius skate sharpening 985-9416 LYNN VALLEY CYCLES 1521 Ross Rd. know.” That poor 37 year old child! STEWART: I hear you | 3s clearly. Some people change . a tune ony ae their names. It. may be }: ‘Woodcarving untrue, but | heard that .a-| (3igasteRae ener eee fellow named Willy Vorti- |; ER nt consychulhymma | had his | ie ‘name legally changed to Bill], Vorticonsychulhymma, because, he said, ‘'! never. did like Willy for.a.name.°* (Now all you 1) lys—Please don't write in!) 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