Village Squire, 1976-02, Page 18Down on the farm
City -bred kids
and a country
party line spell
trouble.
By Roy Wildgust
A popular song during World War 1 was "How're you goin' to
keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Paree [Paris]."
Soldiers returning from war might not be satisfied with life on the
farm.
But Jim and Sal, two escapees from the hurly-burly of Toronto
area life, have proven that life on the farm - even just 90 acres can
be interesting.
Furthermore they've learned that their two children, Sal and
Jim, are discovering something new every day - something
they'd never find on paved playgrounds.
So the Jims and the Sals now live on their own farm - well it will
be their own some day after a mortgage company collects its
mountain of flesh.
The names have been changed only to protect the neighbours.
Even in this day of computerized communication the rural
telephone is still the quickest way to pass along a recipe for
Christmas cake, or a juicy piece of news (usually called gossip)
Remember that old story about the quickest way to start a
rumour? Telegram or tell a woman who has a telephone. (They
didn't all have telephones when that story originiated. Maybe
some of Ma Bell's grandsons started the story just to increase
phone sales. If you want to sell keep everyone talking about the
product - or talking into it in this case.)
When Jim and Sal lived in Toronto their two children were
trained to answer the telephone promptly. "J ust say 'mother will
be here in a minute'," mother had instructed. -
It developed into a contest between the two pre -school-age
youngsters to take off at first sound of the bell, as racehorse,
leaping from the starting stalls.
The program procued a two -fold result. It kept the children
alert and halted any altercations. At the sound of the bell they
dropped the gloves and gleefully raced to answer.
Then also it consoled mother who hated to reach the phone just
as the ringing ceased. The children could outrace any impatient
caller.
That was fine - in Toronto. But things were a little different on
the farm, even with the modern dial phones.
The first tinkle, or jangle, depending upon the nervous system,
of the bell was not a signal to start the race.
Of course mother wasn't really aware of the situation until a
neighbour mentioned one day - the neighbour obviously havine
16, VILLAGE SQUIRE/FEBRUARY 1976
Natural
Foods
K itchen
Paraphernalia
Herbs and Spices, including
freeze-dried leeks and saffron
Pepper and salt mills and the
"corns" and "crystals" to go in
them
Natural vitamin and mineral
supplements
A great assortment of
cookie jars
Old fashioned ingredients for
your every day baking.
Stainless mixing bowls and
English pudding basins
Granola and or the oatmeal etc.
to make your own
Homemade soup "makings"
vegetable flakes. pot barley,
beans. beans, beans
Nuts and raisins and lots of
other dried fruits
Storage jars of all shapes
and sizes
Seeds - sunflower, sesame, flax,
alfalfa, mustard and wheat
Well -made, sharp knives for
every use in your kitchen
Lots of books for good health
and good cooking
Bunds, angel and flan pans
- also basic tins
Wholesome peanut butter and
stone -ground flours
Original drawings and paintings
by Mona Mulhern
Whole grain cereals for warm
tummies on frosty mornings
Wire whips and wooden spoons,
wooden scoops and spurtles
and spatulas
38 Hamilton St.
Goderich
524-7181
Open daily
10 - 6
Closed Wed.
Come in and
browse
"The Bay Leaf"
for
Super Health
ideas! r