The Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-05-07, Page 21zir
ue
sykes
The transition and learning process
is painfully slow.
And to be truthful, I have a nagging
suapiciton that failure looms large.
The learning process involves green,
growing things nurtured with care
from seed into bountiful, leafy life. For
most people that is.
This business of landscaping and
gardening looks relatively simple to an
outsider. Plant a few seeds, trees or
whatever, add some water and stand
back to avoid the exlosion of green
things through the soil. I suspected
there wasn't much more to it than that.
But, I hate to admit, I may have
made a faux pas.
My exposure to gardening , as a
youngster was relatively limited
althoughmom ensured the grounds
were in meticulous shape. There were
hundreds of colorful flowers and en-
dless beds of shrubs and trees that
were the envy of the neighbourhood. To
me, though, they became off fairway
hazards in my routine golf games
around the house.
. Needles to say, my wedge blasts
'froin the beds clipp'eel the odd. fie.ur and
beo'ame a source Of argument in .the
h,py¢sehold. Serious gardeners can't
tike a joke.
Other than chopping up the lawn with
the wedge, my experience was limited
to lawn cutting and hedge trimming.
And, I wasmost proficient, in both
areas.
The lawn would warrant my at-
tention when the weather wasn't good
for much else and the hedges came
under the knife only when our view of
the !world was cut off. But I was later
pulled off hedge duty when the electric
cord was accidentally snipped in half. I
told you gardeners were a serious lot.
13}it now I have to do my own gar-
dening and the prospect is bewildering.
It is vogue to be a gardener these
days and people hold their backyard
carrots, squash and zuchini as trophies.
of a communion of man and nature.
Getting back to the land.
So I thought' a small garden was
worthy of the effort and took to the land
Saturday. The soil was well vyorked and
provided a pleasant contrast against
the semi -green, patchy grass around
the plot-. Seems like a shame to have
those leafy green plants growing in it.
The next step is purchase an
Nsortment of seeds that will even-
tually bless the dinner table as healthy,
crisp vegetables, sal am told.
Now I figured a gardener simply had
to buy a mess of seeds, stick em in the
ground and ahng around until harvest
time. Wxongo garrulous gardeners.
The seeds get, planted at different
times and some should have started
indoors weeks ago. Some are covered
. .with two inches of soil, others, maybe
an inch and there should be a good
measure thrown about for the birds to
feast on.
I didn't want a full time job when,the
prospect of a garden was finalized, All
ask IS' that there be a'few vegies for
dinner.
But now, at least, I can speak with
others as an erudite man pf thesoil..
"Oh ya, the reteions came up last
week. Should be a good crap if the frost
don't get em. The parsley is a little
thin, though."
Somehow, I 'don't think I can pull it
off without coming across_ as a
neophyte. I even have several sticks
planted in the back yard•and don't have
the foggiest notion what they, are. If
they eventually grow into something I
may have a backyard resembling a
rain forest.
That prospect is unlikely. There are
also several spruce trees in the back
that are turning a dirty brown and
leaning sickly to one side. A tree
surgeon may be called in to administer
last rights any day.
Others have offered that I am all
thumbs but I don't suspect there is a
green one in the lot.
1
tine
oderich
SINAL. -STAR
132 YEAR -19
WEDNESDAY, MAY 7, 1980
SECOND SECTION
lew before he drove
After over 13 years with the Children's Aid Society In Goderich, Marion Hin-
dmarsh is retiring to enjoy her grandchildren, garden, and farm, and to raise
puppies. (photo by Cath Wooden)
BY CATH WOODEN
Meet your flight in-
structor. His name is Rod -
Graham.
"What?" you exclaim.
"He looks kinda young."
Well, it is true that he is
only 19 years old, but Rod
is a full-fledged in-
structor and charter pilot
to boot for Western Air
Services out at Skyharbor
Airport. He's also a full
time student in Grade 13
The son. of Glen and
Wilma. Graham, of
Goderich, Rod actually.
learned to fly an airplane
before he could drive a
car. At 16, he was taking
lessons and going to
ground school and before
he turned 17, which is the
required age to obtain a
pilot's license, Rod had
accumulated the 45 hours
of flight time necessary.
He received his license on
his birthday.
But an ordinary run-of-
the-mill pilot's license
wasn't enough' for Rods
He obtained the 200 hours
of flight time required for
a commetcial license
whenhe was 18, and, last
winter before his 19th
birthday, he received his
instructor's rating.
So why the hurry, Rod?
"If -want to make
money." By working part
time for Western Air
Services after school and
on the weekends, Rod is
now getting a return on
the $7,000 he has invested
learning how to fly.
To finance his lessons,
Rod worked at a local
super market and also for
the town. A typical
ervice loses lovely la
BY CATH WOODEN
Marion Hindmarsh
exudes a kind of warmth,
understanding, and
relaxation • that im-
mediately puts whoever
she is talking with at
ease. Perfect
qualifications for a
Family and Children's
Services social worker.
After over 13 years with
Family and Children's
Services in.• Goderich,
Mrs. Hindmarsh is
retiring from het- wzi in -
adoption and ' fostering.
As a result, the branch is
going to lose a Woman
who, according to co-
worker Margaret Cook,
'''has the ability to put
herself in the other
person's position.
Empathy is the word.
And she has the positive .-
attitude that made her a
joy to work with,"
.Fourteen years ago;
when her youngest of five
children was in his teens,
Mrs. Hindmarsh decided
that she wanted to get a
job. Because of a
previous experience with
adoption procedures, she
knew the people at the
agency in Goderich and.,
decided to apply there. "I
was told there Wasn't any
openings, so I went to
-work" at Lhe psychiatric
hospital. Within a year,
the agency had a position
available and the gave
me the job."
At , first, Mrs. Hind -
marsh was involyed only
with adoptions, but her
job soon expanded into
fostering, which is one of
the main focuses of
Family and Children's
Services. There just
aren't the new babies
available for adoption
anymore.
. "In 1971„ we placed 38
infants with new parents,
-and the next year there
was only six;" Mrs.':
Hindmarsh explained.
"The main job is working
with families in trouble,
and our main focus is to
try to keep the children in
the home.
One h as—to- leap----in-
mind that the family is
undergoing a vulnerable,
sensitive time. It is the
social worker's job to
help them find out what
they want for themselves.
I think that is the only
perspective a social
worker can have, or else
the responsibility would
be too heavy."
It is obvious that Mrs.
Hindmarsh has been
highly successful in
keeping the right per-
spective in a potentially
depressing job. The
positive attitute that
Margaret Cook talked
about is revealed when
Mrs. Hind/marsh men-
tioned one of her first
cases.
"I had a girl who has
since become a very dear
fsie.rLd._._...
Toronto's Thistletown
now, which is a centre for
disturbed children."
There was no mention of
the girl's problems years
ago, only that she is
happy now. •
And Mrs. Hindmarsh
has nothing but praise for
Y
the people she came in
contact with at the
agency. "We were just
like a family. I feel
priv.ilaged to have
worked with them all."
Because so much of her
job had to' do with
fostering, Mrs. Hind-
marsh has become close
to the foster parents of
Huron County. "I think
that the foster parents in
this area are uniquely
wonderful people. They
are dedicated and real.
They __understand that
there are going to be
ongoing problems with a
foster child and suffer no
false illusions about the
disruption to a household
that one can cause."
She says that the
Family and Children's
• Turn to page 2A •
sutnmer day' last year
involved' Rod flying all
morning, working for the
town all afternoon, and
working at the, super-
market at night.
So when did you sleep,
Rod?
"There was no time for
that.." Apparently,, Rod
likes it better in the air
than anywhere else.
ou're always
lealRling. You're only as
good as you want to be."
Rod is lucky to• be able to
turn his favorite pastime
into a career. He says
that if you are going to
invest that much time
and money into • flying,
you might' as well make a
career of it.
Asked if he has con-
sidered joining the Air
Force, Rod flatly says no,
he doesn't like the
.haircuts, and he doesn't
like marching.
At Western Air, Rod
usually flys charter trips'
for businessmen during
the week. On weekends
he gives lessons to
students who are nor-
' mally quite a bit older
than he is, but he says
that' it isn't usually the
students who are nervous
about his age; it's the
charter passengers.
"But they usually relax.
after awhile," he laughs.
The farthest' Rod has
flown is to Ottawa and
recently he took the
Goderich OPP to Akron,
Ohio. He usually flys a
Cessna 150 or 172 or a
twin -engine Aztec.
Rod often misses
classes at school because
of charter flights, but he
says "they're pretty
understanding," in, light
of the fact that when Rod
steps out of school he is
going to step into a full
time career.
"There's no point in
waiting," says the busy
young man.
Rod Graham is 19 years old and teaches people who are twice his age how to fly
airplanes,. Rod instructs and flies charter trips part time for Western Air
Services while finishing Grade 13 at G.D.C.1. (photo by Cath Wooden)
"It is important that one's feet be
attached to one's ankles, in order to
keep them from fraying." I don't
remember who said that, but it was
certainly someone wiser than I.
How many of you out there are aware
of your feet? I mean really and truly
aware, aware enough to set aside a
part of your day to think about your
feet and nothing else.
Well. This upstanding correspondent
is aware of her feet. During the past
few days, the terminal parts of my legs
and what I imprison them in have
taken precedence in my,mind over all
world crises, the Stanley Cup playoffs,
the price of gas, and when I'm going to
get my'•lauiidry done.
And it certainly isn't any wonder.
My feet deserve all the praise they
can get, considering what I've been
putting the pear thingi through lately.
Take, for instance, last Saturday night
when I attend a rather dressy sort of
affair.
Someone (I don't know who) labelled
it chintzey to wear adidas to a formal
dance. I myself consider it avante
garde, but then...I'm not from Paris and
my opinion does not count. About a
week before the dance it occurred to
ma mere that I didn't own suitable
footwear for the occasion.
She insisted upon accompanying me
to a shoe store. My mother is a very
expedient woman. She remembers the
last pair of shoes I purchased without
supervision. They are beautiful, white'
leather, ankle high sneakers. She does
not consider them beautiful.
I saw a pair of saddle shoes in the
first store we went to and thought
they'd • go nice, but Ma shook her head
and insisted I needed heels.
"Why on earth do I. -need heels?" I
inquired loudly. "I have a perfectly
good set of my own. If God had wanted
me to have high heels, he would have
provided me with a pair."
• Ma did not buy my logic. She bought
me high heels instead.
Alarmingly high heels. They made
me dizzy when I stood up. Then I tried
to walk. Understand that my sense of
balance is rather precarious on thick
socks, never mind 17 -inch heels. Ma
said, "With a little practice, you will be
fine."
I took the stilts home, tossed them in
the- closet and promptly forgot them
until the inevitable evening arrived. I
strapped the suckers on and asked
myself, "How does one boogy, ge't
down, and get back up again in these
things?"
Myself answered, "After several
glasses of wine, you will he wonderful."
I was indeed wonderful after several
glasses of wine but my feet weren't.
-They protested so loudly, I was afraid
people would hear. (They use very
descriptive language.)
I felt very guilty the next day. My
feet whined and pouted and insisted on
special treatment. Happy to oblige,
your conscienctious correspondent has
been extra nice to them ever since.
After a winter of confinement, I let
them out in the sun all day Sunday and
aired them, so to speak. They squealed
in delight. I even took them to a movie.
Obviously the manager is not aware of
his feet or anyone else's. He became
annoyed when I put mine on the seat in
front of me so that they could see.
But my feet love me for it. Why not
make your feet love you too? It's time
feet got recognized for their part in
society. For leading the way for years
when someone, "Puts their best foot
forward," and when someone, "puts
his foot down," or "puts his foot in his
mouth," or has "one's foot in the
grave."
Stand up for your feet! Take them out
to 'lunch! Wear a button that says,
"Support your local feet. They'd do the
same for you!"
cath
wooden