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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1979-12-20, Page 6• PAgg6. DgcA,MP.g.g.;94979; tiotvrolly ,spooking tr • Why not take a stroll into the great outdoors to celebrate Christmas this year. It'Il be good for both you and the younger.members of the family. All of us tend to eat too much during the festive season and even all the frantic activity around the tree in the morning does little to work off the excess pounds we'll have put on, A Walk in, the bush with the fresh snow crunching under your eet will work wonders, however. - -4 If you takedlie kids along, you can give them*" an excellent lesson in nature, or you can just poke around and read all the stories for yourself. A fresh snowfall is perfect for finding out what birds and animals do -when you're not around to watch them. Their comings and goings are all • laid out for you to see, and if you start following - say the nocturnal wanderings of a cottontail rabbit.- you'll be amazed at how quickly the time seems to fly. Ever wondered just what a rabbit preferred to eat. All you have to do is follow along a set of tracks and see where he nibbled on the tips of a low hanging apple branch, snipped off a few wild raspberry canes in passing and settled down to a good feed in a patch Of young poplar. You might see where a grouse strutted around, picking up fallen haws. Along a creek, if it's still open, you may see where a muskrat crawled out on the bank for what might be his last big meal before ice and snow covers most of his food, There may be an odd snipe flush from the bank, one that has been reluctant to leave, and now is forced to forage along spring fed creeks and probably will perish when even these banks freeze up. If you're lucky, you may spot the tracks of a deer where it came down to drink before heading into thick cover for the day. The snow will often record the other, bleaker side of nature as' well. Here the pin point tracks of a mouse end in a few drops of blood with the imprint of a set of wings embossed in the snow. on either side. Back in the edge of the hardwood bush, a set of coyote tracks chink back and forth before heading out in a straight line with some sort of purpose. Suddenly the tracks turn at right angles, and a short dash ends in trampled snow, tufts of fur and a few splatters of blood. You'll see where the rabbit froze when it first spotted the coyote, hoping it would pass without seeing it. Then, whetthe rabbit realized it was doomed, stayed rooted to the spot as if hypnotized or paralyzed by fear. , If you think I'm laying it on too thick, take a walk and find out for yourself. Every little wood lot is a veritable story book and just imagine the fun you'll have explaining it all to your kids. The extra little side benefit you'll get is that' sud- denly, in the kid's eyes, old dad will be right up there with Daniel Boone and Davy Crockett. The main part of the hunting season is over. While a lot of people will still go out in search of rabbits or foxes, the end of the pheasant and duck season means that the, bulk, of today's hunters will be putting away their gear for the year: If you are one of those people, make sure your. equipment is stored properly. Hunting coats, etc. should be shipped off to the , dry cleaners for their yearly revitalization and • Stored in the plastic sleeve thdY are returned in. This serves a double purpose as it forces you to finally clean out those. pockets and get all .the little miscellaneous items sorted out. You may even find that duck call you were looking for., Waders and other rubber footwear should be cleaned up and stored properly. Make sure they are absolutely dry and clean before folding them into a box and tucking them away in a cool place. Some people even dust them with talcum powder before putting them away till next season. The important thing to remember about, rubber goods is that light (eltraviolet rays) and heat cause rubber to break down, so if you guard against those two things, you should be safe. Guns should never be stored in their cast, as even a small amount of moisture trapped there can cause severe rusting. Your guns should be taken down and cleaned as much as possible With a good solvent such as Hoppes 9, When you feel everything is as clean as you can get it,. give it a good rubdown with 'a fresh soft cloth and apply a thin coat of gun oil to all metal parts. I always like to stand my guns muzzle down for a few days to let any excess oil drain off onto a rag, rather than into the stock. Over the years, excess oil in the stock will discolour the wood and make it • soft. If you take a little bit of time to do these things now, when next fall rolls around you'll be ready to go with a minimum of fuss, and your equip- ment is guaranteed to be in good shape. 14;40 OP. regiv Aheap of 4hris1mas 1reals • is oar wish for yola. May your holidays be 4`11-4`ryi h fig you waiii then. 10 bel • • 4, ga I 4k. •it • • a the merriment of Christmas sing through**ali your holidays. As WE: rerne Frank MacDonald, left, chairman of the Clinton Recreation Committee, presented gifts to members who have retired during the past year, including Percy (Poss) Livermore, and Dean Reid. Poss, who has spent nearly 55 years helping amateur sports in Clinton, was also given a standing ovation by the guests. (News -Record photo) orts Stangs close in on third place by Brian Marriage The .Clinton Mustangs moved another step towards third place last weekend with a pair of weekend victories. Friday night they squeaked out a narrow victory 10-9 over Hanover Barons, while on Sunday night they upset second place Walkerton Black Hawks 6-2. Klaas Westburg led the scoring attack on .Friday night with a three goal performance, while Phil Arthur and Dave Stephenson each scored a pair and singles were notched by Steve Arbour, Gary Peters -'and Bilil Pickering. Pickering's goal at the 16 minute mark of the third period was the winner. Phil Arthur also had four assists for a six point night, as he closes the gap on the Cehtral Jr. 'C' scoring race. He currently trails Port Elgin's Dan. McDermott by two points. Sunday night's game was the first win for the Stangs over the Black Hawks this season. Paul Helesic led the Stangs with a hat trick, while Paul Dougherty, Phil Arthur and Greg Flowers each scored singles. Helesic is just retur- ning to his old form after a knee injury which sidelined him for the first ten games of the season. The two teams were tied at one apiece after the first period and Clinton had a, 3-2 lead after two periods. The ,Stangs scored three unanswered goals in the third period for the win. The Mustangs lost the services of Dave Stephenson for a couple of games due to a major misconduct and also to John Hart, indefinitely, with a knee injury suf- fered "-in the Hanover Game. Klaas Westburg has returned to Sweden for the Christmas holidays and then will visit his Skaters receive badges On Wednesday, ,December 5, the executive of the Figure Skating Club,,met and are • busy with further plans for the carnival on Friday, March 7, 1980. The club is pleased the following skaters passed the following badges on Saturday, December, 15: beginner, Denise Garon and Kelly Brandon; elementary, Bryan Beattie and Greg Crawford. Also on Saturday, December 15, the following tests were passed at a test day in Goderich: Dutch Waltz,' Robyn Norman; Ten fox, Jennifer Wood ;- fiesta tango, Suanne Smith, Lorelei Robinson, Kim Cook.. On Saturday, December 22 there will be a hrisurnas Party for all skaters from 12 until 1 and Santa\ Claus is going to visieusikg j5preiits are welcome." Seaforth plays Denmark The Seaforth Midgets, will be playing host to a touring Denmark Hockey Club. The game is scheduled for Tuesday, January 1, 1980, at the Seaforth Arena, starting at 3 p.m. pie Denmark team is from "VOJENS" and consists of eight Midgets and twelve Bantam aged players. Advance tickets are available at several Seaforth Businesses and at the Seaforth Arena. Advance Tickets are $2 for adults and'$1 for high school students. Tickets at the door are $2.50 for adults and $1.50 for students. Public School children are admitted at no charge. The game. is being arranged with the OMHA and the Seaforth Minor Hockey Association. father in Holland where he currently coaches the national team. Veteran defenceman Gary Peters played very steady on the weekend after returning to the Stangs. Gary is currently studying at Western University in London. Rob Stovel is back after a bout with the flu apd Brent Daw, on loan from the CMHA Midgets, all played well defensively on the weekend. The Mustan\gs travel to Walkerton this Friday night, December 21 for another match against the Black Hawks and then they have a w,eek lay-off before the Arthur Eagles come this way for a name on Friday. the • t....et • YOUR AGENT & SERVICE DEALER IN GODERICH, CLINTON AND DISTRICT L BOGIE„ 524-7502 We wish you joys • to remember, memories to treasure and love to share at • Christmas and always. With full hearts we say thanks. Barry Buchanan QUALIFIED LICENSED CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE ELECTRICIAN AND Glenn McLean CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE ELECTRICAL WORK , , hopc gio\ving ‘:)pirit ri" . \vill brighten every da your holiday and its holy light alw;tv , 1Tine in ytair 'heart. t1iank t() Darrtili grid Anne Abbott Mervyn Erb David Erskine I t A goOd h id grOW OniCefleld 482.3948