HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1993-04-14, Page 4Let tw to Editor
Page 4 Times -Advocate, April 14,1993
Publisher: Jim Beckett
News Editor: Adrian Harte
Business Mower: Don Smith
Composition Manager: Deb Lord
Publications MaH Registration Number 0986
stffiSCRIPTION RATES.
WIt sM 40 miles (65 km.) addressed
to mon lotto, earrlor addresses *30.00 pieta *2.10 0.6.T.
Outside 40 miles (65 km.) or any tatter oania •dolma
530.00 pias 530.00 (total 60.00) + 4.200.5.T.
Outside Canada ,66.00
Prophets and old buildings
favourite joke at conferences
:and seminars is that an expert is de-
fined as someone Who comes from at
.least 100 bialometres away.
Followingb, that train of thought, - it
would seem historically significant
buildings only exist in other people's
towns.
The people of Exeter can gavel to
other towns and cities, marvel at their
-magnificently restoredbuildings, 'and
-maybe wonder why .they .tden't have
anteing quite so nice back home.
blow we:leam Exeter's old-rail:station
is better appreciated in Grand -Bend
than.itis in its own town. if all goes as
planned, the :station will be on its way
to the iakeshore community in early
May. The purchasers aren't converting
-it into a quaint mstauramt; it won't be-
come a museum or curio shop; or any-
thing directly aimed :at commercially
exploiting its :appearance. - The station
will become, of all things, an optome-
trist's office. The only reason is she
Grand .Bend purchasers would 'rather
risk .a lot of money to save the building
than to see it demolished.
One wonders why that kind of spirit
isn't pr+es010444er... ,Batt,
molt' Exeter'retfida is *vet !gtwn. ttded
to the idea the oldstation was no more
than a moldy. storage shed on the west
edge of town.
The station's main curse was its loca-
tion. Since 'the min :mks never ran
through the oven's core, 'Mere was no
opportunity to 'convert -building into
a store, art gallery,musetun or restaurant
where it stood. Any worthwhile project
to-restore-itawould:mesnsnoving:it. Un-
foren Lely, it will have to go to 'Grand
Bendwhere there are people left who
still stand buildings . are worth
more than justsquare foot*ge.
Is.thisthe ,shirt of anew:irend ftor:Exet-
er? What other landmarks can be sold
off to appreciate people elsewhere?
Given =the prices being paid ler 'large
Victorian -homes elsewhere in this -prov-
ince, -perhaps 'Tomer can sell Doff .a few
and open.:up somemore„space .for- k-
ing-
Local congregations might get .good
prices for their highmainteaaneechtuch
towers and slate -roofs - enough to build
a new brick and tinted glass gymnasium
for their services. Obviously town offi-
cials -missed the mark a few years ago
when Peirolia'stowwhall burned down.
Exeter could have sold'them theirs.
:It mustn't cometo this. Furore genera-
tions should not -have • to travel -to other
osi*ununities to get a .glimpse of what
kind of townExeter's first families creat-
ed.
- ,A:DJ1.
A vicious, unprovoked attack
I dedicate this column - an ex-
cerpt from my book "Fathering,
Mothering and Kidding" - to
Wes and Betty Garvin, who sup-
plied me with 2 litres of deli-
cious Reid's Dairy buuermilk.
When Alex and I picked up
the buttermilk gift, Betty
seemed a little distracted. She
confessed: < ,8ht;iad just spilled
the plum -sauce fbr their chicken
diluter r all over her clean kitch-
en floor. It reminded me of the
following story, which I may as
well share with all my readers.
The yogurt attack
I opened the 2.50 ml yogurt
container and set it on the kitch-
en counter, at a safe distance
from the edge. I opened the
fridge to get a jar of strawberry
jam to mix with some yogurt.
Yes, I do sometimes treat my-
self to a little snack when Eliza-
beth is at an evening meeting.
One of my very few vices.
Suddenly, without provocation
or warning, the yogurt jumped
forward and dropped on the
kitchen floor, bottom up. The
contents splashed upwards and
horizontally in all directions, di-
viding into molecules.
It was a vicious attack. 1
hadn't come anywhere near that
container. I'm wearing trifocal
glasses. But I'm not that uncoor-
dinated. No, this was a mali-
cious, spiteful, treacherous act
by the forces of evil. It happens
to me all the time.
Thc kitchen floor - which had
just been cleaned - now jd
eight hundred thousand patches
• of white. And there were three
1.
hundred thousand on each cup-
board door.' Another five hun-
dred thousand on the out side of
the fridge. And I was covered in
yogurt from my spectacles to
my slippers.
Peter's
Point
•
Peter Hessel
Now for the inside story. Thc
stuff had splattered right into the
open fridge and fridge door,
covering every jar and package,
every bar on every grill in that
machine. The fridge walls were
oozing yogurt; the stuff was run-
ning down in rivulets.
I know when I'm beaten. I
looked up at the ceiling, which I
always do when addressing fate:
"I give up. You've destroyed my
kitchen. What else do you want?
My living room? Go ahead,
take it from me!"
But I'm an incurable optimist.
I searched for a grain of fortune
in a quagmire of misery. It
could have been worse. The
house could have been struck by
a cargo plane carrying swine flu
vaccine.
I don't really panic. I analyzed
the situation and planned my
course of action. I stripped
down to my underwear and tip-
toed to the laundry room, leav-
ing white footprints behind mc.
I dumped my clothes into the
laundry tub. I tiptoed back to the
kitchen to review the scene.
For a minute I considered run-
ning away. Leaving everything
the way it was and joining the
Foreign Legion. But I am too
old. How about hiring a profes-
sional cleaning crew? Or taking
legal action? Could I sue some-
body for damages? Had my civil
righLs been violated? Shouldn't
the Charter of Rights and Free-
doms protect Canadians against
yogurt $hacks?
I decided to sob silently for
several minutes. Still in my un-
derwear, I realized that my situa-
tion was only grotesque, not life-
threatening. I had a fit of hysteri-
cal laughter.
Then I rubbed and scrubbed,
washed and wiped, rinsed and
dried. Three hours later, the
kitchen was clean again. I was
amazed to find that the yogurt
container was still half full.
From an optimist's point of view
at any rate. Quickly I ate it all,
before it could jump again.
Then I mopped up my foot-
steps in the hall and laundry
room. I threw my pants, shin,
socks and slippers into the wash-
ing machine. Then I rested. God
knows, I deserved to rest.
When Elizabeth came home
from her meeting, her first ques-
tion was: "Why are you sitting
around in your underwear?"
Her second remark was :
"What is wrong with the kitchen
floor? The place is a mess. The
floor is sticky, and there is white
stuff all over the window above
the sink. What have you done?"
What is it they put into yogurt
anyway?
"Men'are never so likely.
to.settle a question rightly
as when they discuss it
freely."
... Thomas Macauley
PubNshed Each Wednesday Morning at 424 Matn St.,
Exeter, Ontario, NOM 1186 by LW. Eedy Pubneattetts Ltd.
Telephone 1-61S-235-1331
O.s.T. VR106210815
Letter to Editor
Things like this neer happen in Exeter?
Dear Editor:
Last Tuesday, :it was nice to
have -my spirits lifted with -she on-
set of the spring weather. It was a
perfect day.for a.walk in the park,
.-along the riverbsek::However, my
mood was quiekl�y changed from
light-heartedness' -to oneof im-
mense anger and distaste. You
see, while I was walking along I
found .a three milliliter hypoder-
mic needle laying in the grass.
This needle was only a few hun-
t
dred feet from a children's
playground.
As 1 bent
down to pick it
tap, one thought
,..11its5 111
.crossed_my.mmd.
AIDS.
knows.,if°$i -HIV
infected person had used this nee-
dle? I'm quite sure that a five year
old child wouldn't realize the possi-
ble consequences of handling this
needle without extreme care. In one
Letter to Editor
moment, that child's life could be
shattered due to another one's irre-
sponsible and careless actions.
Now, so far as I'm concerned,
what people do behind closed
_ idaors is.their,own.I usic ;L.if
you want to cleanly
please do it in private, 'don't "relive
it on public display at the probable
misfoi tune of others.
Name withheld by request
Exeter
In support of local hospital
Re: Community support of the
hospital
Dear Editor:
I am appalled at this community
and area regarding the treatment
of the hospital and its staff. I was a
resident of this area and had been
for many years until I moved
away. Unfortunately I am back in
the area to look after an ailing rel-
ative. I have been to visit the hos-
pital by way of the emergency de-
partment on a few occasions.
Every time I have been there, the
staff, nurses, doctors and everyone
else I was in contact with have
been most helpful and compas-
sionate. I understand that if it is
not an emergency, you may have
to wait. Try wailing in an emer-
gency department in a city such as
London, you may sit for
up to six hours
before being k
seen for things
such as colds,
lacerations,
sprained ankles,
etc. The present
health care system and status is so,
that a small hospital cannot have a
doctor sit and wait for everyone to
come in. They have busy lives as
well! I wish this community would
gain back the common sense that it
used to have. I've seen people run-
ning in with colds and injuries that
have waited for three days or more
and they expect instant service! If
you can wart three days or more,
you can surely wait for the doctor
to see you!
Also the verbal abuse that tlic
staff has to endure both I hear in
the hospital and on the street is ap-
palling! You know who you are
and when it comes down to it,
you're the ones that show up on
their doorstep! SHAME ON YOU!
We need this hospital very much
and may lose it if, the community
does not show their support. How
would you like to drive to London
or Clinton to be seen? So come on,
show the hospital your support and
let them know that they are need-
ed.
I'm enjoying the articles that are
being wriuen about the hospital
very much.
A concerned heajth care consumer.
P. V irabek
Winner enjoys trip to Toronto
Dear Editor:
I would like to thank Sears,
Playtex and Flare for their gifts
and generosity last November. I
won a trip to Toronto on Sunday,
November 22, and Monday, No-
vember 23, 1992.
I was one of three women in
Canada that won this •. "prize." I
filled out a contest entry form that
came in a Scars catalogue last Sep-
tember. and mailed to to Toronto.
Then I forgot about it. I began get-
ting phone calls the beginning of
November, but they couldn't say
what or how much I had won.
Eventually I received by courier, a
return plane ticket from London to
Toronto, and itinerary of the two
days.
The other two women were nicc
ladies. Cynthia was from South
Slocan, near Nelson, B.C., and
Barbara was from Ferment, Que-
bec (English speaking), near the
Labrador border.
I got a ride to London airport
that Sunday afternoon by my old-
est daughter and her boyfriend.
Then I had a twenty minute plane
ride to Pearson international Air-
port in Toronto.
I was met by a Playtex represen-
tative, Penny, and taken by limou-
sine, as were Cynthia and Barbara,
to the Marriott Hotel, where we
were staying overnight. It is very
fancy. (I felt like Chevy Chase.)
We each received a package from
Playtex worth about 5100.00. We
were taken to our rooms and seuled
in, then changed our clothes and
were taken out to The Keg restau-
rant for supper, again
by limousine,
our personal
driver for the
two days. He was111)
very pleasant, and
sure knew Toron
to!
We throe winners spent some
time together that evening chatting
in the hotel. What a coincidence,
we all have girls - ringeue players.
We exchanged addresses.
We were treated to breakfast at
the hotel "early" the next morning.
We then checked out, and Danny
drove us to a Scars store (I forget
which mall) where we each were
given 5750.00 in gift certificates
for clothing. I compromised. I se-
lected many nice clothes for my-
self, and picked out some clothes
for Christmas presents for my fam-
ily.
Danny then drove us to a Town-
to� salon - Civello, sponsored by
Flare, where we were given a com-
plete hair and face make over. We
were also given two Flare maga-
zines. We had lunch at the salon.
They took before and after pic-
tures, and one of the three of us.
We sure looked different! We
since have received a before, after,
and one of we three "winners" pic-
tures. However, we were told we
wouldn't appear in the Flare maga-
zine.
We then were chauffered to flit
airport where we said our good-
byes and were on our way home. I
arrived in London airport around 5
pan. I was met by my truce daugh-
ters, and my oldest daughter's boy-
friend. He was our chauffeur.
We went to MacDonald's for
supper. "All dressed up . and no-
where to go!"
Now back to reality.
Sue Wilson,
Huron Park
1