From creating a haven for mason bees and koi, to crafting unique jewelry and still volunteering for Emergency Social Services, 75-year-old Marge Emery hasnB次元官网网址檛 slowed down one bit.

Her backyard is abuzz with more than a dozen beehives nailed along the fence. Mason bees are excellent pollinators for fruit trees and flowers, she says, and the abundant blossoms in her back yard seem to prove her right.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檓 trying to encourage people to raise native bees,B次元官网网址� Emery says, who also sells the houses.

Diving into other natural pursuits, she recently took up fishing and loves it. B次元官网网址淚 had a 25-pound salmon on the line, but I couldnB次元官网网址檛 bring it in.B次元官网网址� The near-catch made her more determined to bring in the next one.

Emery has never shied away from taking on new things. She learned to skate the year the Juan de Fuca arena opened and was an original member of the Juan de Fuca skating club, established in 1972. In the late B次元官网网址�90s, she became one of the first female installers with Shaw Cable, a fascinating experience, she says.

B次元官网网址淚 met the most interesting people, and then I ended up teaching seniors how to use their computers.B次元官网网址�

Her most consuming passion over the last few years, she says, is making beaded jewelry. B次元官网网址淎 friend and I paid $10 and took a class to learn how to make earrings. We learned how to make necklaces and then we started ordering from the States.B次元官网网址�

A loft-type upstairs with two adjoining rooms is her sacred space in her home. B次元官网网址淭his is my area. I donB次元官网网址檛 let anybody else come up here.B次元官网网址�

Boxes of multi-coloured beads fill shelves flanking a work table covered with jewelry in various stages of completion. She holds up a series of her newest project: fishing lure earrings. She makes two varieties: one with bendable jewelry wire, the other with actual fishing hooks, thankfully barbless and dull.

Emery is finally taking some time for herself these days, though most of her life has been dedicated to volunteer work, starting with St. John Ambulance as a teenager.

After her four children were born, she began helping out in schools.

B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 help children read or sit with the ones with learning disabilities.B次元官网网址�

She was heavily involved with her childrenB次元官网网址檚 sports teams, boy scouts and figure skating, and says sheB次元官网网址檚 taught countless children how to swim through the years.

Working as a bookkeeper for most of her life, sheB次元官网网址檚 also offered work experience and mentoring to a lot of adults to pass on her skills and help them get started in a career.

Emery has volunteered with ESS for nearly 20 years, is still an active member and was a founding member of the South Island Pets Team, a sort of animal emergency service created two years ago.

Though she says she is immensely proud of her many years of volunteer work, itB次元官网网址檚 not her proudest accomplishment. What is?

B次元官网网址淩aising four children,B次元官网网址� she says with a laugh. B次元官网网址淚 had three in diapers at one point.B次元官网网址�

With those four grown and eight grandchildren, Emery has settled comfortably into her status of family matriarch. She doesnB次元官网网址檛 spend time in the classroom anymore, but still gives of her time regularly. An original member of the Juan de Fuca arts and crafts guild, she teaches people how to make crafts, and still does a bit of bookkeeping and mentoring.

With all that activity, Emery still has many things she wants to do. B次元官网网址淲rite a family history, I want to bring in a 25-pound fish, go to Australia.B次元官网网址�

Whatever comes around the corner, Emery has the positive attitude to meet it with enthusiasm.

B次元官网网址淚 enjoy every day,B次元官网网址� she says. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 something good in every day.B次元官网网址�

acowan@goldsreamgazette.com