HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1985-01-02, Page 4.w>
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P4.GPi 9 •--GO1?1R CII SIGNAI.;STAR, WEDNESDAY, JANViARY 2,1985
SYKES
W.� .......moi,
I'm in deep trouble.
i,+ appears in the flesh and dispense wittl$ift, +( y the reindeer and slat were . .
While the holida were only slightly etc and much mirth and merriment.ed outside ao.'the kid wanted. to for
hausting physical' , my limited mental When Santa entered, Bradley was all over
energies have been ed to the limit. him. He rang his bell, gave h n eg�a hisrd •w d didn'tget o d, and
see the".reindeer
I have embellished., fabricated, reasoned, boots and nearly pulled distinction
Day.
h iiia t� y
d £aka' ret., ;d �,,„:„Abd pf >st zt mt r ire the dist conVei It u . • he way o
lam.
h iYdeirup = °p'atrup, -. ,•. P a, e-,- .�y,-- , ,.�_ . . �s�rotil ; o1p. : —, °
usl�4�t�1 n�b�. .
made up, built up, lied and nsiructed so of acting as Santa • this year. '=.he said Without the
many stories about Santa 0•54
, elves, and d even r Santa didn't eseaPe home with us n year,
reindeers that I'm not too a about the 'hent f io?idnyuuo get omY `latter' a least provocation. I think he wanted to see
proper order of things myself• >
Parents, 1 have learned out of necessity,
must be most resourceful and imaginative
this time year,) to handle the barrage of
questions. Children, whose fertile and
uncluttered minds thirst for information on
-� Santa Claus, how he came to be and What ex-
actly he does, in the summertime, have a
capacity for` questioning things like that to
the minutest detail. ,
My son has problems accepting things at
face value and can drive his dad crazy with
questions, supposition and logia that defies
all ason
bra
Aij P� d l
sons pen • . �x
ere
you,,,.en•,
"Where are the reindeer”„ "Are they in the
parking lot, I .want to talk to Ru olph,
"How did you get here with no snow'”" and
"My sister wan a piano" were just a few of
the questions hurled at the unsuspecting
Santa.
But having a yisible and concrete Santa
surd takes a lot of the work out of explaining
this great mystery of life. It also makes for
some great and treasured memories.with
It is a family tradition that I grewup
and now my son can share that. gather-
ing,
before Santa left the family g
ing, Bradley was bound and determined to
go outside and. see the reindeer. It took 'a lot
of forceful persuasion to keep the. dynamo
indoors. Santa had mistakenly suggested to
reason. �..
The one saving grace is that Santa is a
very real part of Christmas with my family..
Relatives.gather Christmas.Eve, fora tradi-
tional supper, children are forced to sing
carols and songs loud enough for Santa who
THE
E NEWS PORT FOR � CO.DERICH & DISTRICT
'INCE 1°848
-r.
Founded in 1949 end published every Wednesday 'at Goderich, Ontario. Member of the CCNA and OCNA.
Subscriptions payable 1n•aduance `20.95, (Senior Citizens '17.95 privilege card number required) in Canada, '55.
to U.S.A., '55. to all other countries, Single copies 50t. Display, National and Classified actrertising rates
available on roqueet. please.sak for pate Card lUo. 15, effective October 1, 1984. Advertising is accepted on the
condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, ,
together�with reasonable allowance for signature, will not
bbegchaprged for but that balance of the advertipement
will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a t o ra hical error advertising goods or services at a
wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Advertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at
any time. The Signal -Star is' not responsible for the lose or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other
materials used for reproducing purposee.
PUBLISHED BY: SIGNAL -STAR PUBLISHiNG,LIMI1-ED
ROBERT G. SHRIER - President and Publisher
a
DON HUBICK - Advertising Manager
DAVE SYKES - EditorHUCthe
de
P.O. BOX ST. GOroalke%.441
INDU ITS AL S`
20
INDUSTRIAL PARK
EDDERICH, ONT. N7A 496
. Member:
••CNA
CCNA
. Second class
mail registration
number 0716
FOR BNESS OR EDITORIAL OFFICES...please phone"[519]524-26'14
Happy 1-5-0
The final edition of the Signal -Star for 1984 containeda story and pictures relating to
the unveiling of the Goderich Township History Book.
The 376 page book was the culmination of: three years work by a host of industrious
township citizens under the direction of former reeve and county warden, Gerry' Ginn.
The book details life in the township over the past 150 years and no doubt does an ex-.
cellent job of chronicling life in the township since its incorporation.,
In 1985,.residents of the township will. celebrate the 150th anniversary of the incorpora-
tion of their municipaloty. The festivities. begin New.Ye'ar's Eve with the 1-5 0.kickoff
dance at the community centre and a levee will be held the following day.
Thosetwo events only signal the beginning of a new and exciting year for the township
and its people. And it is with pleasure that we wish the residents of Goderich Township a
happy Sesquicentennial year in 1985.
May it be a year to celebrate!
Take care, Mr. Driver-
Dear
Driver:
A few weeks ago, I saw a little girl strucks by a car as she tried to cross the street. I saw
a father race toward her and hold her to him as she -struggled in the agony of death: I saw'
all the plans that had been made for,her dashed, and I saw the look of. despair that came
over his face. I could only offer a prayer that such a thing alight never happen again.
Today my daughter, who is six years -old, started off to school. Her cocker spaniel,
whose name is Scott, watched her leave and whined his belief on the folly of education.
Tonight we talked about school. She told meabout the girl who sat in front of her, a girl
with yellow curls and about the boy across the, aisle who makes faces; about the teacher
who had eyes in the back of her head and thebig girl -who does not believe in Santa Claus.
-We. talked- about a lot of things-tremendously_vital and.. unimportant_things..Now,.. as
"a
this is written, she is sound asleep with her doll "Paddy" in herffns: When her doll gets
broken or her finger gets cut, I can fix them, but when she starts to cross the street -then
Mr.1)river she is in your hands. Much as I wishal could, it's not possible for me to be with
her all the time.
So, Mr. Uriver, please drive carefully. Please slowdown past schools and at in-
tersections, and please remember that sometimes children run from behind parked cars
or (177 the' unexpected. Please c'are`t-run--oyer- et, l+tile gid With-deepest._llianks for
whatever you can do for her.
I am, very sincerely yours, a father. -Toronto Sun. -
me lied." w
t Uh, well, yeah. Sure next year Rudolph'
can -come honle with us," I said. "Arid of
course he'd like to talk to you." '
"How come he wasn't in the parking lot
dad?" he asks. "He wanted to talk to me."
"Next year you can talk to Rudolph'
"Yeah, I suppose next year `I'll talk to
Rudolph because he wanted to talk to me,"
the kid offers. °
For the moment we've got Santa and
Rudolph out of the way and the parents have
made some weird suggestions about resolu-
tions that centre around listening to mother
and father. But I just know I'm going to be in big trou-
ble next year over this Rudolph business. -
The kid doesn't forget.
\..
Winter berth
By Dave Sykes.
PD,ETSCFPT
I haveto admit, my girlfriend did give me
fair warning_ _
She phoned me on Christmas Day and
said, "Put your valuables away! We will be
up tomorrow fora visit!"
The 'we' included herself, her husband
and their 13 -month-old son, Mark, a little
one -reran demolition derby.
Now don't get me wrong because of what I
am about to write:1 will tell you first off that
I really like this little tyke. He is as cue as a
button and afterall, he is also the offspring
of two of my best friends. Even as I write; I
can see his toothless grin smiling back at me
from a photograph which I have of him on
my bulletin board.
Therefore, it is with some guilt that I say I
wasn't sorry to see him leave after a whirl-
wind visit of two and half hours. It is ab-
solutely amazing how one small toddler can
wreak so much'havoc in such a short span of
time.
As soon as his parents had, removed his
coat, he was off and running. He had to in-
ect every corner of my apartment and let
rhe assure you, it is certainly notset up with
a small child in mind. For one thing, there is
a steep flight of stairs right off the living
room and Mark was attracted to them like a
magnet. away from
After taking turns keeping him
the stairs for awhile, we finally dragged my
coffee-table- overs in- front.-of:ihem antput a
chair in another strategic location so -he
couldn't fall down and hurt himself. •
. Undaunted he then turned his attention to
JOANNE t3UCHANAN
intercepted and shut thedor. Then he stopped crying,.ate partofthe cracker and
d shed the. rest of it mto the area
him s u o. carpet.
w the kitchen. His eyes lit up. You soul then Mashed
ted h tear around the -room again
almost read his„ mind. He was trunking,
"Aha! New territory to explore.” and ricocheted off several: more pieces of
furniture before stopping for a moment to
Before we knew it h had every cupboard
e a btu s
door open within his reach and had hauled
out most of the contents. As we. were putting
things back, he smashed some crockery
which was sitting on the window sill and
while we were cleaning that up, he was try-
ing to ,turn the stove on. Fortunately, the
knobs were too stiff for his little hands. We
then -tied all the cupboard doors shut with a
rope (it might have been more effective if
we had tied him up instead! ). Since there
was nothing he could get into then, he
became bored and headed for the living
room again.
We sat him' down and gave him one.of his
ru eyes.
"Maybe he's aired and would.like,-to lie - -
down," I suggested a bit too eagerly when I
noticed him doing this.
"I don't think so. He slept all the. way up
here in the car and he doesn't, usually have a
think wetil t had just better healied his d forhhome
'now."
"Oh, you doh't have to go so soon, do you,"
I said lamely (at the.same time I was also
calculating the number of hosit Wdorld
take to clean up my apartment
e -
arrange my furniture once they were gone).
As they bid me farewell, my girlfriend of- '
toys to play with. He hurled it across the fered me her apologies. •"I'm sorry we
room in the general direction of my televr- ��+t have much of a chance to talk
sion set. By this time, I was really getting because of all that running after Mark•but in
nervous! , a few 'years, he'll be trained to behave bet -
"Have you got any Tupperware or old pots ter." „ I told her. "By
and pans he can play with," his mother "Don't hand 'me that line,
pleaded. Like many kids, Mark often rejects then you'll probably have another one!"
his expensive toys in favor of items such as She just smiled. Mark grinned and waved
these. On Christmas day, his parents tell me . goodbye. I wondered to myself how he could
he had more fun playing with the cardboard . look like such a little angel and act like such
boxes and wrapping paper than he did with a little devil.
his gifts. "Come oh back for another visit when
The Tupperware amused him for about, Mark's in'college," -I called out as they .
-five mutes--b€tore_..he-_decid�esl. O. hays_ _ _dr ove-away---- - —
another romp around the room. He has been a went back into my apartment ari�siar_._._
walking since he was about ten months old at the trail of destruction Which that little.
but he stilt loses his balance from time to human dynamo had left behind
time A 4nrrrturc li-kP a rlrunkel� sailor.
full steam I suddenly had a new-found
This doesn't stop him from going rents who have coped or are coping with
ahead however, and sin't he is also he energy and curiosity of their youngsters,
r ♦L.' �n Tr ceerrpd like he had
ten hands as he grabbed and flung knick-
knacks off tables fasts than his parents and
I court' get to them first (I hadn't heeded his
niotlier's wtirning-t�o-put,- then'` awax., so- I
oblivious to danger, it wasn't long before he
and. ave lived or are living to tell the tale.
had crashe moa il�itd-mt' -a"e._..._ou
guess it was my own fault). Y
He headed for the bathroom next but we began to cry so we gave him a cracker. He Hats off to
eJ
Many people probably agreed witn the
Queen's Christmas message. It is a pity that
we are likely to forget it soon.
There is a concentratibn on the gloom and
doom and not enough emphasis on the good
and enjoyable parts of our lives. In Canada
we live in comfort; peace and relative pro-
sperity, but we arae all familiar with the
mindlessly performed ritual of much whin-
ing, lamenting and demanding throughout
the country
Even our statistics reflect .this strange
reality or lack of it. Take our officially
stated poverty levels. , Depending on
whether one follows the Senate formula or
the f-igures of Statistics Canada, na family
who spends more than 58.5 to 62 per cent of
income on food, , clothing and shelter is
counted as living below the poverty line in
Canada.
How many millions of people, with wh'm
we share this planet would .simply love to
live in that kind of poverty! h How total n
millions would be happy
comes were sufficient to cover the basic of
food, clothing and shelter - never mind e
62 per cent!
Yet we are seriously strutting our self-
' styled poverty, without consideration and .
awareness-whyyt an insult it is to much of the
world's population. The federal government
keeps telling us that we are in a mess: The
politicians `make fierce noises about one
crisis or another, all amounting to less than
a tempest in ateacup.
What is this strange urge to claim misery,
mess and poverty where, appreciative
awareness, satisfaction . and modest pride
would be in order? Why thea -gloom where
there is quite a lot of warm and promising
light?
In our home we celebrated a nicely
modest, quiet and enjoyable Christmas,
with gifts of books, mucic and small items
within our means, the way we like it. The in-
creasingly pushy commercialism has never
appealed to me and I am surprisingly, haPPY
with my lot. The Queen might like my at -
ti ude, but the federal government does not.
I am classed as "economically illiterate"
and it appears that for government pur-
poses there are too- many of us. In the glow
of hearty corporate applause, Finance
Minister Michael Wilson has set out to
remedy this by promising to "do a lot of
public education".
The first lesson is to convince 'me and
others like me that our greatest duty to our
country is to become dedicated, ardent and
constantly shopping consumers of
everything we are told we need and want. It,
seems that Mr: Wilson's economic literacy-,
works only on the premise that we all dash
out on a giddy spending spree, buying and
buying and consuminwas fast as we can and
always asking for more. He -feels that too
many Canadians are saving part of their in-
come will this is "a problem for govern-
ment". •
It is strange that Mr. Wilson has chosen
this time to criticize the people and to urge
us to be extravagant while the government
has created and continues to increase uncer-
• tainty about' the future of the social pro--
grams which have been regarded as solid
security for decades.
It should not surprise anyone that many
people prefer saving over spending as long
as they are kept iii suspense over what will
really happen to the unemployment and old'
age security benefits and other social pro-
grams the government is threatening to pull
Up by the roots. Saving looks. like a
reasonable defence against possible future
hardships while the government is trying to
make up its mind about the defini fi of
"sacred trust".
. In the meantime, I am trying t�decide on
a personal level how the promise lesions.
"economic literacy" (i.e. reckless conni-
sumerism) could enhance individual hap-
piness in this new year.
ELSA H-AYDDN