The Rural Voice, 1998-07, Page 648TH ANNUAL
Rotary Club
CANADIAN FIDDLING
CHAMPIONSHIP
Shelburne, Ontario
AUGUST 6, 7, 8
Thursday 7:30 p.m.
BANCHORY SCOTTISH
FIDDLERS
Admission: $8.00 advance $10.00 at the door
Friday 1:00 p.m.
PLAY DOWNS BEGIN
Admission: afternoon $2.00 - evening $5.00
Saturday 7:30 p.m.
CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS
CBC Radio broadcast
M.C.: Philly Markowitz
Featured Artists: J.P. Cormier and Cindy Church
Admission: $15.00
For tickets and information call
519-925-3551
Bruce County
Heritage Association
5th Annual Show
Featuring: Gibson Tractors
Friday, Saturday, Sunday
August 7 - 9, 1998
Riverside Park - Paisley, Ontario
Parades
Saturday & Sunday 4:00 p.m.
Corn Roast
Friday and Saturday evening.
Corn cooked by steam of the Steam Engine
Everyone welcome
Entertainment Days & Evenings
Working Exhibits Daily
• Grain Threshing • Sawmill • Log Sawing
• Rope Making • Shingle Making
• Horse Power • Baker Fan
• Crafts • Gas Tractors • Gas Engines
• Antique Car & Truck Show
• Flea Market • Indoor Craft Show
• Blacksmithing Demonstration
- Saturday Only -
12 noon - Stock Tractor Pull
People Mover - rest while touring the show
Fun for the Kids
• Puppet Show • Petting Zoo
• Pony & Donkey Rides
Church Service: 10:00 a.m. Sunday
2 THE RURAL VOICE
Gisele Ireland
Please, don't encourage him.
Whoever came up with the saying,
"if it ain't broke, don't fix it", was
functioning on my comfort level.
What I'm not comfortable with are
changes made
by
noodleheads,
such as the one
who wrote the
article Super
Wrench read
and passed to
me with that "I
gotcha" gleam
in his eye. The
gist of it was,
spring cleaning
is no longer in
vogue, and has
been replaced
by a new and improved version
named, cleaning when company' s
coming.
Personally I found this about as
interesting as the onset of
menopause, and have no inclination
to follow its dictates. I know that
most of you have husbands who just
can't wait to get their hands on paint
brushes and just love to hang paper,
knock down walls and practice their
carpentry skills during this time of
the year. Super Wrench is not one of
those. I've spent years perfecting my
nag -and -reward method with Super
Wrench to get him to the point where
he'll participate, even half-heartedly,
and open his wallet. Now someone
wants to tamper with that and I'm not
impressed.
Obviously the author of this new
home etiquette has never been around
when a closet space -saver needs to be
installed. Saving this chore to be
done just before company is to arrive
would be interesting. The company
could possibly prevent husband and
wife from doing physical injury to
each other when the job's half done,
or better yet, finish it for them while
they go for marriage counselling. It's
pretty well same scenario for window
washing, floor refinishing or the
chronic temper -igniting "I think the
sofa would look better over there"
routine.
The only way this new method
would work is if you had company
that gave two months advance notice
of their impending visit. We don't
have friends like that. They drop in
whenever, and barely give you
enough time to run to the mirror to
check if there's anything stuck
between your teeth and run a brush
through your hair.
It usually takes at least a month of
very heavy hint -dropping to get
Super Wrench motivated to act, and
company would not be an asset.
February is a good month to start, and
with any luck you'll get some action
by March. Super Wrench naturally
balks and even revolts at some of the
suggestions, but he wouldn't be a
normal husband if he didn't. I take
this into account and make some
excessive demands I know he won't
go for, just to get the lesser ones he's
persuaded to participate in. I take
what I can get and show him how
grateful I am during this trying time
for him. This is very important or he
goes back to balking and revolting.
Company is the last thing we need.
I know enough to cut him loose when
he's making tractor noises and gazing
longingly at the fields. It's all over.
This spring his co-operation has
been zilch and he's taking the stand
that the new method makes a lot of
sense. We'd better get some company
soon, and they'd better give a day's
notice at least. I figure it's how long
it will take to install the new shower
head (which fell off this morning),
and put the surrounding tiles back
into working order. If you just happen
to drop in, you might catch Super
Wrench washing behind the house
with the garden hose. Better yet, bring
some plumbing tools, the Wrench
needs spring cleaning support!0
Gisele Ireland, from Bruce County, is
an author of several humorous books
on farm life.