The Rural Voice, 1982-02, Page 23GISELE IRELAND
Keeping the
home fires burning
Heat generated from any source these days is very welcome.
Long underwear generates some, husbands cuddled up to you
generate some, but the best source has to be wood. There has to
be something about it or people wouldn't be knocking holes in
expensive panelling and putting cement
slabs over plush carpeting to install a wood
stove. The only way you can afford
comfortable temperatures in a big old house
is by using wood. When we moved on the
farm ten years ago and put a heating system
in, we put in a combination wood/oil furnace
and have never been sorry. We burn a lot of
trash and keep the bushes on the farm
cleaned up. A day in the bush with Dad and
the saw is a big thrill for all the kids and when
they come home they'll eat anything that
doesn't move.
This year, our modern day Scrooge decided
that NO OIL would be put in the tank since we
had abused this last year. The oil kicks in at 65 degrees, and this
led to a slack attitude by the kids and myself in trundling
downstairs and stoking the old burner. More often than not, when
Dad came in, he would have to start the fire, and the jolly little elf
he was not. We got a lecture and a tongue lashing but evidently
things didn't improve much because he laid down the law
concerning oil. If you are cold, says he, keep the fire burning.
This poses a variety of problems.
I can't chop wood. I get the axe stuck in the block and there it
stays until help arrives. If Brian is gone all day I either find all the
chips on the cellar floor or sucker someone who comes looking for
him to chop a few blocks. This means he has to get the axe unstuck
first. The hardest part has got to be the morning. Someone has to
get up and put wood in so that the house is tolerable. It is usually
around 50 degrees or sometimes below when you get up,
depending when you went to bed and out the last block in. Dad is
pretty good about starting it, because he seems to be the only one
that can get heat and not a lot of smoke. The kids are in the
meantime fighting over the big square upstairs register about who
gets to sit on it while dressing. I am trying to make lunches with
butter that if thrown, could kill at forty paces. I put off brushing
my teeth or washing my face until the room temperature rises to
the point where my toothbrush won't freeze to my teeth. You don't
flop around in a fancy housecoat either, just jeans and a sweatshirt
with several sweaters on too and then you out a slow moving
vehicle sign on your rear in case you get hit while you are
unseizing all frozen joints. If there is a reason to stay married, it
has to be winter, for the comfort of a cuddler and someone to start
the fire in the morning.
Why do 1 market
my grain Et corn
through my
Co-op?
Well there are several mighty good reasons neighbour.
I have CONFIDENCE in the abilities of the staff at my
Co-op elevator. I can be certain they will give me proper,
accurate weighing, moisture -testing and grading.
I know that every bushel of grain I market through my
Co-op means more CONTROL of the Grain Market for
farmers like you and me.
Then there's the matter of SERVICE. I know that my grain
will be conscientiously handled, through well equipped facilities
and as fast as is possible. I'm also kept up to date with last
minute market information and prices.
And let's face it, neighbour, it's our business, we OWN a
part of it, the Co-op is working on our behalf, so why shouldn't
we patronize it ... why, we benefit from the very existence
of our Co-op.
We now have a transfer unit on our feed
truck and can move grain from one farm to
another or market it for you through our
Wingham Co -Op Feed Plant.
Before you sell,
call us first for a price.
LUCKNOW
District Co-operative
529-7953
THE RURAL VOICE/FEBRUARY 1982 PG. 21