Laurie Weir Writer/Photographer

Get to know the new initiative in Lanark County called Inclusive Voices. I had a Q&A opportunity with the coordinator, Julia Winterhalder. This is my third installment in the Metroland wide series on inclusivity. Thanks for your time, Julia!

Today I mark 11 months since gastric bypass surgery and I’m down 86 lbs. Confession time: I gained 5lbs last month thanks largely to Christmas overindulging, a few too many Smirnoff Ice and not much walking due to chronic back pain. I had slow weight loss in October and November because of that nagging back pain. In December I wiped out on the ice while walking Lexi and landed with a catastrophic smash on my hip which I think gave me a helluva chiropractic adjustment because ...my back hasn’t felt this good in almost a year. Back on track I lost the 5 lbs I gained and another 5 since the first of January. I have been doing a 16/8 fast which has been the trick to kickstart the weight loss again. I quit eating at 7 pm and don’t have breakfast until at least 11 am. As long as it’s a 16-hr fast, it’s been beneficial. Decaf coffee with milk has been replaced with black decaf. That’s a shocker since I drank a pot of regular coffee daily over a year ago. I have also ditched a lot of extra carbs and increased the water and protein intake. Lots of salads and limited fruits. Back on stride feels good. I have enrolled in a few virtual challenges completing the Inca Trail and the English Channel and am now onto the Mt. Everest trek. It keeps me engaged at trying to hit 10,000 steps each day which translates to about 7K. My next goal is to hit the big 100 lb loss which I secretly hope to achieve before my birthday March 4 - or at least by the end of the month. Wish me luck! I will take a page from Coach @_leahtang_ and #neversurrender #fastingforweightloss #fasting #wlscommunity #gastricbypass #wishmeluck peace and love See more

There are nearly two dozen volunteer female firefighters in Lanark County, but only one who is a full-time staffer. Smiths Falls hired its first female firefighter on Jan. 4, 2021. Meet Ashley Hamilton who comes to Smiths Falls from the Toronto Fire Service. Thanks for chatting with me, Ashley! Best of luck and keep safe.

Pet groomers are taking the government/health units to task to allow them to open curbside. They take care of our pets - they should be open, at least curbside. Two Lanark County groomers talked to me about their plans to change the minds of those who make the rules. You can help too. Thanks to Linda Lalonde and Ann Curran for their insight.

Second in a series on inclusivity that I wrote in a Metroland wide series. Lots of good information in these stories. For this one, I spoke with Aisha Toor who gave me personal view of her world as a woman of colour who emigrated to Canada from Pakistan 30 years ago. She now lives in Lanark County. Thanks Aisha for the candid interview.