Loading...
The Rural Voice, 2003-02, Page 16"Our experience assures lower cost water wells" 103 YEARS' EXPERIENCE Member of Canadian and Ontario Water Well Associations • Farm • Industrial • Suburban • Municipal Licensed by the Ministry of the Environment DAVIDSON WELL DRILLING LTD. WINGHAM Serving Ontario Since 1900 519-357-1960 WINGHAM 519-664-1424 WATERLOO INCOME aTAX a SERVICE • farm, business, or personal • complete year-round service including tax audit representation • E -File available Over 20 years' experience Quality work at reasonable rates "FREE CONSULTATION" Stephen Thompson R.R. #2, Clinton 482-7551 12 THE RURAL VOICE Mabel's Grill The world's problems are solved daily 'round the table at Mabel's. "What're the roads like?" called out Mabel when Cliff Murray came through the door the other morning, stamping his feet and sweeping snow off his shoulders. "If the hills were steeper we could take up bob -sledding," Cliff answered. "You can tell it's winter," said Molly Whiteside as she filled Cliff's coffee cup before he even made his way across the restaurant. "The first thing people say is 'How're the roads'. People don't even bother to ask how are you before they ask what the roads are like." "We are a people defined by the road conditions when it comes winter," said George McKenzie as he pushed Cliff's chair out for him to sit down. "Seems to me there are two kinds of people around here," said Dave Winston. "There's those who are afraid to drive if they see two snowflakes fall and there are those who think that even if there's glare - ice and zero -visibility, they still have the God-given right to travel 20 clicks over the speed limit." "And sometimes they're the same people," said Cliff. "Seems to me a lot of people just don't want to admit they live in Canada," said Dave. "You see the way they dress and you'd think they just got off the plane from California. They drive like it's July, no matter what the road conditions and you go into their houses and they keep the temperature at 75 degrees." "Even though they set the air conditioning at 70 in the summer when it's 75 outside," said Cliff. "They won't if the price of oil keeps going up," grumbled George. "All this damn uncertainty over Iraq is driving prices through the roof. I wish Bush would just invade and get it over with, at least in time to bring fuel prices down for spring seeding." "Now there's a good reason for a war," said Cliff. "Well at least they froze the hydro bills," said Dave. "It kind of made me feel warm all over to get that rebate cheque ." "Yeh, but I hear it cost the government $10 million to send out the cheques," said Cliff. Winking at Dave he asked, "Don't you think it makes common sense, George, that they should have saved the money and just given us a credit on our next bill?" "If the voters had the common sense to give the government credit they wouldn't have done it that way," said George. "Of course if the voters had common sense they wouldn't have made such a fuss in the first place about a short term blip in prices when the market opened up." "Well I figure if the government had $10 million to spare they could have helped me cover the expense this Nutrient Management is going to cost me," said Dave. "The more I read about this thing the more it scares me." "I wonder if anybody's really looked at the cost of this thing." wondered Cliff. "I mean just think of all the inspectors they're going to have to hire. The darn thing starts looking like it might be as expensive as the gun registry." "And the government will chalk up the expense to agriculture and say it proves how important they think farming is," said Dave. "Just don't go trying to compare this to the gun registry," said George. "They don't have an Alan Rock in Queen's Park so it can't possibly be as bad." "I guess we won't have Alan Rock in Sussex Drive either, now that he's pulled out of the Liberal leadership race," said Dave. "Me, I was heart broken." "Did you see how he said he couldn't raise enough money to run a `credible' campaign for the leadership?" said George. "I felt like calling him and saying, `Alan, after the gun registry there isn't enough money in the entire country for you to run a credible campaign'."0