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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1977-03-03, Page 6Sugar and Spice by Bill Smiley End of the blahs Ah, there's nothing more exhilarating than a good old-fashioned Canadian winter!(Is this the same guy who wrote a glum, lugubrious column last week about the physical and financial horrors of just Such?) We just had three days of sbn and no snow, and all those red-eyed, drippy-nosed, hacking, whining, snow- shovelling Canadians of a week ago have been transformed into virile, vibrant, smiling, sickenly'.hearty exponents of the fabulous Canadian winter. I made my stand a day or two after last week's column. I thought to myself "Screw this," or words to that effect. "I'm gonna go berserk. The Old Lady is getting weird. All my friends are either depressed or eerie. I'm gonna make the great escape." So I did. A certain group of young punks to whom I am forced to refer as my colleagues, have been after me, slyly and maliciously,' for about two y ears, to attend one of their poker evenings. They knew perfectly well that my wife wouldn't let me go, even if I told her it was a group of Sunday School teachers, and we were only to play for matches. They got after me again last Thursday. Maybe it was the weather, but something snapped. I said "Right. What time ?" They started to snicker, and poke each other with their elbows. This is known in their circle as humor. "Sure you won't have any trouble making it? We sometimes stay up as late as midnight, you know, Smiley. How ya gonna get through the, next day's work?" And so on. I treated this juvenilia with the respect it deserved. There was only one more hurdle, and you know what that was. But there was no real problem with her. All I had to do was get out and check all my insurance policies, make sure the cars and the house were properly signed over and promise not to have a drink before dinner, in case I had one at the poker den, and the Old Battleaxe caved in. Oh, not completely. As I went out the door, she was yelling: "And 'don't expect the door to be unlocked when you get home, and if you're not here by midnight I'll call the police." But that was nothing. In the old days, when she really loved me, and was really jealous, she'd get physical. She'd throw her arms around my neck and her legs around my waist, and I'd have a hell of a time getting through the door before I could brush her off against a tree, or dump her in a .snowbank. Anyway , the boys picked me up, and off we went into the wild night. The last of the blizzards was just easing off, but it was blowing great curtains of snow off the mighty banks. I thought we were going a couple of miles, in town. Turned out we were heading for a chalet out in the hills, about eighteen miles away, and the driver of the Datsun, in which I was ensconced fancied himself as a contender in the Grand Winter Rally of Montenegro, or something. Had to call on the old steely fighter-pilot's nerves to refrain from screaming, "Lemme Out! I wanna go home and watch TV " However, true grit prevailed, and six hours later I was home, steady as a rock, about even on the night's poker, and ready for a few hours sleep. I wouldn't bore you by telling y ou what kind of poker these aging juvenile delinquents play. Almost no stud or draw poker. They play what we used to call, before the male chauvinist crap began "Women's Poker". Games like Twenty- seven Skip to My Loo ninth card wild anything in your armpit doesn't count and split the pot four ways. It took three times as long to describe the game to be played as it did to play it. Had a Mississippi gambler, or even an old cowhand, been asked to sit in on just one of those deals, he'd have pulled his derringers, or his.38, as it might be, and started shooting "poker" players right and left. I hate to mention one more detail. But, old enough to be the father of most of them, I was at work the next day bright as a shiny new dollar, teaching With my usual superb elegance, and looking askance at some of these bleary-eyed young "gamblers" who thought they were showing the 'old boy a big night out. Migawd, I was in rougher games than that when I was 17. However, I forgive them their miscon- ceptions, and if they want . to call a hangover being "down with the flu", that's their problem. Point is, I had made the big break-. through of the winter blah's. On Saturday morning, was up at the crack of noon, and off skiing in the bush with my wife. She fell five times. I fell once. Sunday, off again skiing with 'a gang. My wife fell four time. I fell once. Followed this with an apres-ski party with old friends. Dandy, fire going. Wizard mulled wine. Massive injections of hot home-made soup and home-bleed bread. And home to bed at ten o'clock with a tremendous sense of physical and moral rectitude. I've been feeling good about winter ever since, and all depression is gone.. Why don't you try it? You don't have to begin with a poker game out in the wilds. Especially if you happen to be an 80-year-old lady. But do something. Kick the cat. Give your grumpy old husband a goose. First thing you know they'llboth be chasing you around the house , and your winter blues will vanish. HA YWARO'S Discount - Variety COVittetitS Tobacco Patent Medicines Groceries and Stationery eekddyt 9-9 Hoiidayt & Sundays 12.6 MARCH 3 19? Dave Robb PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY Weddings - Anniversaries Portraits - industrial Team & Group Pictures SEAFORTH 527-0064 OLYMPIA RESTAURANT Brussels Phone 887-6914 Wednesday Friday ROAST TURKEY & Dressing Coffee 2.75 Saturday PEPPER STEAK Mushrooms &Wine Sauce 3.25 Sunday ROAST BEEF DINNER Soup or Juice, Coffee- or Tea $3.00 SPECIAL -- SUNDAY MORNING .HAM .8't, EGGS., X1.00 Arena Short Shots (Continued from Page 1) (this from youngsters 5 to 11); fist fighting in classrooms, one teacher had a knife pulled on her and three others were assaulted; it's a nightmare! A bus driver said day's students are Undisciplined, unmotivated and their language is filthy. A 14 years old student said she Was ashamed Of the kids she goes to School with. She blames parents who will not back up teachers. Is it possible such behaviour takes place 'in Canadian Schools? We Cannot believe that the young people we know would disgrace themselves by such conduct. * * lot* ,* What could be incite rewarding thati to know you have helped a Crippled Child to enjoy a 6d—THE BRUSSELS POST, happier life. You can do just that by making a donation to the Easter Seal Campaign. Just enclose your gift of money in the envelope you received in the mail and send it in., If you have not received your Easter Seal letter you can still do your bit. Any member of the Brussels Lions (Continued from Page 1) arena" he said. "We cannot, however ensure that they will be used. We can only suggest that, they might be used." Approximately. $167,000 has been raised so far, Mr, Prior said. "About ten percent of the canvass area has yet to be covered. Hopefully, it will be completed . within the next two weeks" he said. The committee' has made application to the Ministry of Culture and Recreation for a grant of $50,000 to cover the cost of an elevator for the handi- capped, M r. Prior felt that the design and facilities of the building would meet the require- ments set down by the Ministry. "We have an excellent chance of getting the grant" he said. A by-law passed Monday by the Brussels Council designating the new arena as a community centre means that the'Committee can seek further funding from the Community Centres branch of the Ministry of Culture and Recreation, Mr. Prior told the meeting. Grants from Wintario should cover the balance of the money needed to build the structure. "We've been given very good assurance that we will get -whet- we 'have asked for," Mr. Prior said. In response to a question from the audience Mr. Prior said that the' seating. capacity of the Special SPAGHETTI $1 .29 arena is not known at the moment because it will depend upon the type of seating recommended by the contractors. "It will, probably seat about 500" he said, with standing room for more. Mr. Prior said that he estimates that the washroom facilities in the building are sufficient to allow the arena to tie ii cenced for up to 1000 people for special' events, "We're trying to put things in the building that 'will encourage; its use" Mr. Prior said; "We're trying to put in quality as cheaply as possible." The arena committee is to meet with'the executive of the curling club Thursday to settle one of the major sources of confusion about the arena and the facilities it will contain. "We hope that we can, iron out our problems" Mr. Prior said. Club, who sponsor the campaign in this community, will be happy to accept your contribution. * * * * * This week's winners of the Brussels Lions Club hockey draw were Cecil. McFadden, first, Emma Hackbart, second arid "Izzy", third. No tax hike as (Continued from Page 1) 10 year debenture to expand facilities at Huronview, was paid off in 1976. 1977 represents the , third -consecutive year that' Huron has managed to hold the line on tax increases depsite the fact spending has increased from $5,600,718 in 1974 to the .1977 budget total of $8,321,207.