HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1981-01-14, Page 6•
PAGE 4 —GODERICH SIGNAL -STAR, WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 1981
(1
dave
sykes
*CMA
BLUE
RIBBON
AWARD
1979
Second class
mail registration
number -0116
Are you beginning to get testy?
Do you get the urge to tie the kids up in the
basement for a weekend. Do you find
yourself exchanging pleasantries with your
mother-in-law and doing other things that
are out of character?
Well do not despair snowbound sufferer. It
can all be blamed on the weather. .
-The situation is comparable to medical
warnings that too much. smoking, or ex-
cessive
xcessive intake 1 coffee, milk, air and other
polluted matter may be injurious to one's
health. In deduction, too much bad weather
is _injurious to one's psyche.
It would only seem fair than any maladies
or personality disorders be blamed on the
weather. Slogging rough a, tough winter
takes a certain degree of intestinal fortitude
and Moly. Not to mention patience.
But when in doubt I like to blame my own
rude behaviour on the weather patterns. I
will `never adittobeing a certified-idiot__'
The winter here has been tnneh and there
SINCE 1848
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Phases. -
PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHING LIMITED
ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Paiblisher
DONALD M. HUBICK -Advertising Manager, ,
DAVID SYKES.- Editor '
P.O.Oink- -
HUCKINS ST.
INDUSTRIAL PARIK
�'sCf1DERICH
NTA 486
a
is no indication the suffering wtll ease. So we
simply have to tolerate the winds, snow and
poor visibility.
So if you are tired of the drudgery of -
-winter this correspondent has offered, far
your enjoyment, a series of tips on how to
make winter more enjoyable.
1.1f you're tired of looking out the living
roach window and seeing nothing beyond the
wind -driven snow,- paint a mural an the
inside of the window. An etheral beach scene
with blue water lapping at sandy shores
would do nicely.
2.Share you long underwear with the
friend of your choice. Rotate friends for the
sake of variety.
3.Don't go outdoors for three months.
4.Hijack a snowplow after it has passed by
your house and insist that the driver shovel.
out the hard packed pile at the end of the
driveway.
_ 5. Use a flame mower to clean off the
sidewalk and drivow., ,ilia ran be done
from a second storey window but is not
advisable.
0.1f your windows steam draw lewd and
suggestive pictures simply to brighten up
your neighbor's day.
7.On a particularly cold night hose down
the neighbour's car and watch with glee as
he attemp(,s to open the door in the morning.
8.Tell the children that shovelling snow is
bad for that' health and under no cir-
cumstances
rcrunstances should they clean off the
sidewalk or driveway. Kids can't resist
things that are bad for them.
9.Install a wood -bunting stove under your
waterbed.
10. On those frigid mornings, when the
mercury dips to a refreshing -25- degrees
Celsius, put insulation bathsin your shorts
for added protection against frostbite.
11. Don't put any windshield washer fluid
in the\ eartainer under the hood of your .car
and see how long you eon follow a'tMinistry
of Transportation gander
Ulf -you are Into lawn agents build.a
snowman and have It make a rude gesture to
passersby.
•13.Convert your toilet into a hot tub.
14.Wear electric rubbers to keep snow, ice
and shish off your feet.
15.On the weekend build a bonfire in the
basement and .roast marshmallowand
wienies.
16.During a slow afternoon at work fill the
boas' boots with slush, �,
17Send yourself postcards from tropical'
vacation islands:
18.Drivehundreds of miles in a snowstorm
on the weekend to do something enjoyable'
but fail to -report to work because of flurries.
Some years we get a little more winter in
these parts than we bargained for and the
months of January and February become
tests of endurance. '
But with a little imagination it's easy to
put some fun into wint r.
FOR. BUSINESS OR EDITORIAL. OFFICES. please phone '(S 19) 524-8331
1N.j1f.iiI damage costly
Wilfull damage can be one of the costliest burdens to
taxpayers.
Taken an a national scale the tally would be millions not
considering court and other related costs. Vandalism and
wilfull damage are expensive:, f
Last week the-Sgnal-Star ran a storyabout the damage
reports in Huron County schools which indicated that
damage in the schools cost nearly $6,000 for the last four
months off 1980. If the figure is consistent it would amount
to $12,000 in damages over a full school year.
When stacked up against the $25 million education
budget in the county the figure is pale by comparison.
Regardless, it a senseless expenditure imposed upon the
taxpayer. -
The cost of repair for damage in elementary schools
was $3,035, more than half the total estimate. In Goderich
there were eight incidents of damage at Robertson School
and five at Victoria Public School for a total cost of nearly
$800 -
The secondary school damage total of $2,859 was largely
due to 15 incidents, of vandaisim at Central Huron
Secondary School m Clinton that cost $1,844 in repairs.
„Two incidents of damage at G`�derich and District.
iii Collegiate cost$186 torepair.
Many. of the repairs required the expertise of outside
tradesmen and often on weekends resulting in overtime
pay. Some of the minor problems were handled by the
custodial staff.
But the number of incidents and the cost is not the focal •
point of the problem. Students should be taught a respect
for all property, public, private or institutional
Their acts of vandalism only syphons more money out of
parent's pockets. The cost of repairs is minimal compared
to the total cost of education but nickels and dimes soon
make dollars. .
But then many aspects of education begin at home and
don't cost a thing.D.S.
Winter driving habits
Winter is again pomading the Huron County area with
cold and snow reminiscent of previous severe winters.
Aside from a relentless cold wave that has inundated
the area recently there has been ample snowfall or snow
squalls a term meteorologists use to describe a foot of
snow.
The snow, wind and cold temperatures have combined
to create potentially dangerous situations on streets and
highways in most municipalities in the Huron County
area. Dangers that everyotne should be aware of.
Motorists must be especiaiy cautious this time of year,
a time when defensive driving is a must. On the highway it
is advisable to keep a safe distance between vehicles.
With blowing and drifting snow highways are slippery and
stopping can be most difficult.
Despite the slower pace driving in town also requires
special attention. Snowbanks on many streets are piled
high and at intersections drivers must pull out part way
onto the road before oncoming traffic is visible. '
What month is this? Yeah, righ,AClow it
is only January, but my entire mental state
is insisting that it is February.
Everybody knows that February is the
month during which depression attacks
from every front. It creeps up round the end
of January, circles you for a couple of days
and then whammo, it -gets you right between
the eyes.
However, those blahs haven't gotten hold
of a calander yet this year and they have
succeeded in furrowing my„ forehead
already. Why me, I ask those little gremlins.
It seems that the post -Christmas inertia
that not .1 . strokes for only a week or two
has h „. around and I fear it intend to stay
right through the next two months.
1 wonder if those in the medical profession
have ever bothered to list the symptoms of
the dreaded disease, Winterus Blab
Yuckurn. If I am ever given the opportunity
Allow yourself enough time to pull out from driveways
--or interseetioos because the ear approaching may have
difficulty stopping and traction is elusive at critical
moments.
Pedestrians should be cognizant of these facts as well
and not put drivers in a precarious position Leave ample
time to get across a street because poor footing can caeise
an untimely slip as traffic approaches.
Winter means many ftur.and carefree days for children
and their frolic often carries onto the roadway. Parents
should caution children about playing on snow banks near
the road and street hockey games could easily be played
in driveways or at a school yard:
It is too easy fora child to get caught up in the activity
and ignore safety but they must be made aware of the
potential dangers.
There isn't much that can be done about to severity of
winter. We have to live with it. But we can live with it
safely. D.S.
to add a chapter to psychology books, I
would describe the Feeling Bad Syndrome
thusly :
Victim first begins to notice extreme cold
in the area of the feet. As a result, he or she
bundles the appendages in several pairs of
wollen socks night and day giving others the
impression that the feet are in casts.'. Con-
sequently, others treat victim as invalid and
Contribute to his feelings of helplessness.
Victim's bad feelings begin to snowball as
he insists ttpon watching only war
documentaries and CBC Wednesday night
shows on television as opposed to light
comedy. Victim claims that he "enjoys a
goodfrown" now and again.
Instead of doodling flowers and geometric
shapes in the margins of notepaper, victim
often composes drafts of ,his own obituary
while he is supposed to be working. Most
interesting to note, victim will List 'cause of
death' as boredom.
Defeated snow fence
Photo by Cath Wooden
0
EAR REA
BY SHIRLEY J. KELLER
I hate to hear the statistics that radio an-
nourrea ssspoout time and time again.
Yesterday it was the grim warning that
thousands and thousands in the United States
will die of lung cancer in the next year - and that
hung cancer is not the only or more common
aihnent brought on by cigarette smoking.
And last evening, one of the American chan-
nels on television was saying that despite the
grave reality of the ravages Of cigarette
smoking, millions of Americans will ignore the
whole thing and just keep right on puffing.
This morning. I heard that the jobless in
Canada rose significantly in December. And
then there's Joe Clark's predictions that because
of the new legislation affecting oil riggers, it is
expected that thousands more will be thrown into
the unemployment lines.
Worst of all maybe are the gloomy predictions
about the economy of the country. It really gets
depressing to listen to the financial wizards
outlining the horrible things_ that are going to
happen .to us in the next few months .... higher
interest rates, increased costs for housing and
food, less disposable inconie,a a drop in real
profits. On and on.
But I try to keep things in perspective.
My Mind goes back very easily to a period 25
years ago or so. I was just newly married and we
e%rat r.t-:i.i TT-.rt,.,r„ r was
were e7Sjlw"�:..,. --- . ,
• Victim begins to feel tbat the whole world
is against him as household appliances
break down one after another. First to go
are the tea kettle and toaster from too much
use. Next is the washing machine, also from
overuse. 'See symptom re : socks) -
Entering a state of panic, the victirfi will
then try to save himself from complete
despair by organizing a Saturday night
party to try to add some levity to his life.
However, the victim will forget to check the
weather forecast in his . haste and
inevitabley it will storm.
As a result, the victim will spend the
Saturday night alone with 15 bags of sour
cream and ' onion daps and four cases of
beer watching and if you can believe it, even
cheering for ttre;;Toronto Maple Leafs on
Hockey Night in Canada.
Victim finally reache's lowest ebb oirl Blah
Scale. Dark circles appear beneath his eyes
frnm t5 Pero.,-- ^e 5feep every night con -
0
ERS
unemployed. We lived with my father. The only
furniture we owned was a second-hand electric
stove (I thought it was luxury beyond belief) and
a foldaway ironing board we'd retrieved from
somebody's garbage.
The future didn't look too bright for us, I guess.
And there were pi'err y of p edietior"s write days
ahead which looked anything but promising.
But we were too young and too inexperienced
W be worried about it. We just went along one
day at a time, making do with what we had,
enjoying it and keeping our eyes fixed on a time
when things would be better.
And better times came. Much better times.
Times so good we could hardly believe it was
happening to us. F`
As I look back, I find we hada couple of things
going for us that many young people don't have
these days.
First of all, neither of us had ever known what
it was like to have plenty of everything. We'd
both come from families where it was slim
pickings most days just to keep fed, warm and
decently covered.
You could say we were hardened down to
adversity.
Secondly, we expected to have to go to work to
improve our lot in life. We knew that if we sat on
our duffs, we'd starve to death. There wasn't
anyone that either of us could depend on to t:mil
us Out..
trasted with absolutely no exercise what-
soever. Victim calls in sick at work because
he cannot find the energy to brash the slow
off the car in the morning.
At this point, the only thing that can help
the victimis the passage of winter. With the
onset of spring, the victim will gain new and
exciting feelings of, optimism andhe will
peel off his socks in merriment.
I don't want to wait until spring! I want to
" be cheery now! It difficult to write light
and breezy co ; i .w about this and that
when one is low than a earwig's kneeca t..
So this is. what I want you to do. Get out a
pen and some paper and write down your
favorite joke, limmerick or whatever and
send it to me care Of the Signal Star. Make
sure you sign it -so I know who made me
chortle for a minute. Maybe I'll even make a
column of them if they are printable. ' h
Hope to hear from you soon.
1
And we didn't have any lofty ideals about the
kind of work for which we were suited. No em-
ployment was beneath us. In fact, we weren't
fussy at all. If it paid honest money for honest
effort, it was our kind of job.
I had a stint as a celery pickerin the wet, cold
muck. T`ii white beans in the blazing sun. 1
scrubbed cottages for wealthy vacationers. I did
laundry for a motel.
Hubby had some super employment op-
portunities too. He cut grass and trimmed
hedges. He made maple syrup. He mixed mortar
fora mason. He pulled beans out of a mow at the
barn threshing as a sideline. He drove a cattle
truck. He cleaned wells and repaired roofs.
Through it all, God provided us with health and
strength and courage. With His help, we raised
our family and learned some valuable lessons in
the bargain.
Now we hear about more hard times to come.
We don't like the idea We're not anxious to
relive the past.
But sometimes I wonder if it isn't just the kind
of medicine that will get this nation back on its
feet. There's nothing like a few hard knocks and
some good old-fashioned poverty to get peon
back to the basics of self-preservation.
And that's when we reach deep within our-
selves for the real stuff that's in us. That's when
we learn. That's when we grow. And that's when
things start to happen for us. And for everyone.
cath
ooden
1