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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-11-29, Page 10You would think that after having written 76 Facts 'n Fancies columns during the last year and a half, the 77th wouldn't be too difficta. But column 77 is also my final column for the T-A and having to write it is like having to compose my, own obituary. Next week I start a new job writing with Gordon Sanderson of the Sound-Off column in the London Free Press. And to tell you the truth, I'm scared to death - Nit not nearly as much as when I first game to Exeter. It was my first real job, my Hist real responsibility, in a town where I didn't know anybody and no-one knew me. You may remember that the first time I came here was on a one-week internship program while I was still a student at Western.Two friends drove me out and I made them cruise around town for at least an hour while I tried to- calm down. And my first real assignment - that was something else. I went out with Gwyn Whilsmith to do a "new neighbor" interview and I was so scared that she ended up doing .all the talking and I just wrote. When. I left Exeter after that first week, I thought they would never want to see me again. So you can imagine how sur- prised I was the day I got a letter from the editor. All it said was "Dear Susan: Have a job in which you may be interested. Bill". And there was a P.S. scribbled on to the end; "Will accept collect call from im- poverished student". My parents couldn't believe it. After supporting me through four years of university, I finally had a job - one that paid real money! Then came the day when I had to write my first column. I was sure it would be the most difficult thing I would have to do. And until today, I thought I was right. But now, every time I think of something which might be ap- propriate for th6lasttblumn, my mind goes off on a tangent. There is my car, for example, to which I have dedicated several columns. I remethher the day I got lost three times in one afternoon with that car, in Hensall..That must be a record. •• — liken I think of the night I got strilinded half-way between Luein and Exeter at 2 a.m. and how Jim drove me out from the T- A the thekt day to fix it. Of the Friday night about 5 .o'clock when Dave, Frank and George pushed me halfway around the block in the pouring rain trying to get my red bruin) started. And that was not an isolated incident. But there are lots of other things too. There was the night Doh and literally tore the darkroom apart looking for a lost wedding picture which even- Ocie/r eezed The Times-Advocate would like to extend best wishes to several members of the Over 80 Club this week. Birthday congratulations to: Clarence Fletcher, RR 1 Woodham, 83, December 2. Albert Regier, Cen- tralia, 82, December 1. Mrs. Daisy Ivey, Hen- sall, 86, November 29. If you know of anyone who would like their name to appear in this column, please tell us. There is no charge. 4e#040t Mat, tually turned up under masses of other junk on Ross' desk, There was the day Harry and I went on a "wild-goose chase" out ' near Devil's Elbow and couldn't get within a quarter of a mile of the geese. Then there are all the girls at the back. If it wasn't for them I might have been fired long ago, Nancy or Lossy, Marion or Leone would come into the office with a remark like, "Susan are you sure this is what you mean?" and more often than not, they were right, And it is only because of them that I finally learned how to spell "convener", I can't even count the number of times the proofreaders saved my life by pointing out that I had spelled a name wrong or worse, that I had quoted someone who had been dead 15 years. Once or twice my mistakes slipped past them, like the day I quoted a man who was talking about life expectancy: "Five decades ago a person wasn't expected to "love" past the age of 45 or 50': Well, you never know, do you? And how can I ever thank the Mrs. Viola Coates was released from hospital recently and is convalescing at her home. Mr. and Mrs. R.H. Doherty, Debbie and Richie visited their mother Mrs. Whitney Coates in South Huron Hospital recently. Wilma Coates, London visited at her home and also spent some time with her mother. Whitney Coates returned home after spending two weeks at the Royal Winter Fair. Mr. and Mrs. George Racey, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, are visiting with Mrs. Racey's parents Mr. and Mrs. A.O. Elliot and her sister, Mrs. Larry Snider. \NRIXII II UP AN 11415 CSRISIM E P AS m Our Choose Fro Selection of * BOODSI CHOCOLAIES PERFUMES ., CNRIMAS CARD ELECIRC RAZORS * costsnoics * HAIR BRUSHES * • ......... This Week's EXTRA SPECIALS $1.14 3 L8S. $ 1 .09 GO DI SCCIU T 431'"MAIUST, EXETER 235.1661 Protein 21 Shampoo NORMAL 7 oz. Cadbury Choco FOR HOT OR COLD, DRINKS 4 1s The Children's Aid Society REQUESTS YOUR SUPPORT at CHRISTMAS Any new or good used toys, gifts and clothing may be left at Exeter United Church after December 3. In- come tax receipt issued for all finan- cial donations. Reg. No. 0184192-01-15 4 Make Dreams Come True ...If ifiR SHOPIArfER BARGAINS flii Shoulder Roast Fresh Pork Butt Roast Fresh Pork Butt Chops Maple Leaf No. 1 Bacon Maple Leaf Cooked Ham Burns Back Bacon Maple Leaf Ranch Style Bologna Fresh Ground Hamburger Schneiders Minced Ham, Mac & Cheese, Chicken Loaf Cooked Meat Fresh Frying Chicken Burns Limited Quantity Bee Maid Creamed HONEY Fleecy FABRIC SOFTENER Campbell's MUSHROOM if SOUP looz, King Size BOLD or ARCTIC POWER E. D. Smith Blueberry or Cherry PIE FILLING York PEANUT BUTTER Encore Lemon Fresh LIQUID DETERGENT 4111111111111011111111111111111111MOMINIMMINOMMININIEW FRESH PORK SALE Fresh Pork 134 lb.93 lb.995 lb.$1.39 ..$1.89 lb.$1.59 ib.634 1 lb, Plastic 794 128 oz $ 1 69 tins $ 00 51b $199 19 oz 754 2 lb. jar $129 Pre Priced 89¢ 48 oz. 59t Vac Pak Buy of the Week Delsey Bathroom Tissue Phor., 235-0212 lb.85t lb.99t 3 lb. Average lb. 59‘ 5-6 lb. ave lb.89( Gold Seal Sockeye Salmon $ 1 09 7 3/4 oz. tin FRUIT & VEGETABLES Produce of U.S.A.' HEAD LETTUCE 24's each 21 t USA Vine Ripened TOMATOES lb. 334 California &midst Navel ORANGES 163's doz 894 Mexican TANGERINES 120's dozen594 •At,qop,„A Libby's Fancy TOMATO JUICE 48 oz. tin 434 ...... hg.• • Smoked Pi cnics Fully Cooked ' • • • • Brights Fancy APPLE JUICE Vitaminized 48 oz, tins 2/$1°0 Maple Leaf Bick Sweet MIXED PICKLES 32 oz. 59( if) Lysol Toilet Bowl CLEANER 160z.59t Carnation EVAPORATED MILK '2%23( David Empress COOKIES 69t Chocolate Mallows with Coconut FROZEN Mrs. Coops Cod FISH & CHIPS 24 9t oz. _ 7 , FRESH BAKING Wonder WALNUT ROLLS Hostess Giant OATMEAL COOKIES 494 59' I Early *energy crisis mode quitting bees necessary Paw, 10 Times-Advocate, November 29, 1973 Facs n fancies BY SUSAN A CENTENNIAL ATMOSPHERE - Some of the items at Saturday's bazaar sponsored by the Exeter United Church Women were on dis- play in an old fashioned kitchen. Above, Mrs, Mery Cudmore and Mrs. Norm Wolper are shown with a table decorated with coal oil lamps. paste-up girls, who must have been cursing me every Wed- nesday afternoon because I forgot to do cutlines or because I wrote a headline too long. There's Dorothy, who was never able to get my lay-out sheets on time because I wasn't finished with them. And Nic who never once complained even though I continually gave him pictures to process hours after the deadline. I can't forget the girls in the front office who didn't make me talk to all the complaining customers and who just shook their heads in disbelief every time I lost yet another pen. But I guess the two people who really had to put up with me are Bill and Ross. All I can say is that it has been a real education working with them. I probably learned more from those two about newspapers in 18 months than I could have learned in six years at the best communications school. But I learned lessons in life too. From Ross I learned never to bet on a sure thing, because the only sure thing was that I would lose. From Bill I learned that there is no-one more self-righteous than someone who has stopped smoking. To the Southcotts and to everyone at the T-A, for the opportunity to work with you and to everyone in Exeter, thanks for putting up with my often blun- dering ways. Naturally, I would like to think I am indispensible to the T-A, but unfortunately, when I start to think that I might be missed just a bit, I am reminded of this piece of philosophy: Indispensible Advice Sometimes when you're feeling important, Sometime when your ego's in bloom, Sometime when you take it for granted You're the best qualified person in the room. Sometime when you feel that you're going Would leave an unfillable hole, Just follow this simple in- struction And see how it humbles the soul: Take a bucket and fill it with water, Put your hand in it up to the wrist, Pull it out and the hole that's remaining Is a measure of how you'll be missed, The moral of this quaint example (As quoted by poets anon) Be proud of yourself but remember There is no indispensible one! Several hand, made quilts have been given to the Strathroy Middlesex Museum for display. Quilting is one of the crafts that developed in North America, and is an example of how necessity leads to development of articles of beauty. Early settlers brought some comforters and woven blankets with them, but bedrooms had little, or no heat, and more bed covers were necessary. Cloth was expensive to purchase, and took hours to spin and weave at home, so every scrap was put to use. At first the quilt patterns were "crazy" - any scraps of cloth from, dressmaking, or good parts of worn out clothing were put together to make a covering. Later, patches were sorted by colour to make more harmonious patterns, or decorated by feather stitching or embroidery. When cloth became more easily available, the pieces were cut in definite sizes and shapes to • make a particular pattern, such as Bear Track, Pinwheel, Log Cabin, etc., often combining many coloured bits on a white or neutral background. The first quilts were padded with anything that was available, raw wood, cotton, feathers, milk- weed down, or even straw or corn husks, Then it became more common to pad them with thin layers of cloth, or worn blankets; and finally cotton batting became the usual padding. To keep the padding in place, ties were put through at regular intervals. But as quilt patterns became fancier, it became more usual to join the layers together by rows of fine stitches in straight lines or in fancy patterns that enhanced the pattern on the top. And then the quilting bee, which was a feature of pioneer social life was born. It took hours and hours to do all the fine stit- ching by yourself, so it was more pleasant to invite your neigh- - bours in to help you do it, and then go to their homes to help them with their quilting. Quilting kept the hands busy, but didn't stop the tongues from wagging, so everyone got caught up on the neighbourhood news! A bee was held last week at the Strathroy Middlesex Museum, to help prepare for the old time Christmas display. Those who were present found that it is harder than you would think to string popcorn without breaking it to pieces. Remember the museum winter hours - Wednesdays and Sundays from 2 to 5 p.m. Consumers' Association of Canada reminds motorists to periodically inspect the seat belts in their cars. Sections of the webbing that make regular contact with metal hardware should be examined carefully. Continued abrasion at such vital points can weaken the fabric, Following last year's suc- cessful experiment at de- centralizing its Christmas assistance program to families and children in co-ordination with other local community groups and volunteers, the Children's Aid Society will again be un- dertaking sponsorship of a volunteer bureau in each of the five major centres in Huron County. "The spontaneous support and active assistance of so many groups and volunteers convinced us that keeping such a program at a local level was far better than attempting to direct a large effort of assistance to upwards of 200 families through our office in Goderich," said Bruce R. Heath, Children's Aid Society county director. "Meeting the needs of the children and families referred to us is directly dependent on the response of the people of Huron County. Already we have received financial donations, gifts and commitments of Plan assistance program CAS helps Santa Claus assistance from many com- munity, church groups, and generous individuals, Others have undertaken to sponsor a family as a group project and this we highly endorse. "In many communities, church and service groups have always taken it upon themselves to engage in Christmas projects similiar to our own, Where such activities are already in existence, these same groups would again be responsible for people known to them or referred to them, In such cases, we would act only as a clearing house, or possibly share in the local project as appropriate. "Any authorized represen- tative of a church or community group may check the referral index at our office in Goderich, or with the local co-ordinator. Similarly families needing assistance can contact us directly or be referred by any community group or interested individual, "We are particularly desirous — Please turn to Page 11