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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1985-12-11, Page 261 Page 10A—Crossroads—Dec. Y 1, INDOOR AIR POLLUTION Have you ever felt dizzy and tired after a day at the office? Well, you're not alone: According to recent studies, indoor air that gets re -circulated in sealed.build- ings is dirtier than the air outside. According to Mont real doctor Serge Gingras, many people suffer from "tight building syndrome" which causes flu-like symptoms. Jack McGaw investigates the problem of "indoor air pnl Iution" and .how it affects the people exposed to it when Live It Up conducts a survey in two Toronto office build- ings, and talks to Vancouver - based environment special- ist Elia Stirling about the problem. Is there a way to clean up the air inside our buildings? Monday, Decem- ber 16 on CTV. 000 This week on Live. It Up, the Watchdog picks a sel- ection of toys which were classified by the Canadian Toy Testing Council and gives his own evaluation as to their safety. 1985 s ackyard Gardener By Patrick Denton Let's take a look today at our poor, long-suffering friends — the houseplants. I have to admit that by about this time every year, some of my potted plants are more or less just coasting along until warmer weather arrives in the spring and I can place them outdoors. After all, when you think about it, growing in pots is an unnatural thing for plants. You've probably heard the old saying, "Nature never made a house plant." For home gardeners who have heated, well -lighted plant rooms with bubbling fountains or humidifiers going, keeping tropical pot- ted plants in a flourishing condition is no problem. But, unfortunately for the rest off us, the majority off our homes offer perfectly rotten conditions for tropicals. In our homes, we can only begin to duplicate such conditions in places like well - lighted and much -used kitchens, bathrooms and laundry rooms where the plants have the high light levels they need for lush growth as well as at least one daily steam bath. The best African violets I ever grew were placed on glass shelves at a south - facing window above the kitchen sink. Once a day we hooked up our portable dish- washer to the tap, and the used water emptied in a steamy stream into the sink. Those plants bloomed all winter and never lost their I wonder whatever be- came of the gypsies. I am not referring to those members of that dark skinned race who beckon at your pocket book from the flaps of . for- tune telling tents at the fairs, but those mysterious indi- viduals who frequented the sideroads of our rural country -sides some 50 or 60 years ago. These were horse traders mainly; although they could turn their hands to ,many another • penny catching skill, such as the concocting of herb medi- cines, the weaving of baskets and the making of laces. But it was the horse which was the real trademark of the gypsy of yesteryear, and a procession of these people passing through a' quiet vil- lage on a summer morning was a sight which no wide- eyed youngster could ever forget. The gypsy wagon itself was generally in the front, and this was of a type which is more easily remembered than described. Essentially, this was a small house on wheels, yet •it was . much more than that, forlit invari- ably expressed the strange 1 character of the men who had built it. Red and yellow were the most favored colors and often the wagon itself manifested a splendour and richness which seemed out of all proportion to the poverty of its occupants. The gypsies •of that day never stayed in one place very long. They would select some quiet sideroad on the edge of town where the grass was sufficient to provide a few days free pasturage for their string of horses, and here they would sleep be- neath their caravan. Or if the family were too large, they might pitch a tent• as well. They seldom had good reputatiqns, it 'seems, and the sight of their bright wa- gon coming to a halt in the vicinity was a silent signal for the padlocking of ' hen pens and tying the dog to the gate -post at night. But for all that, the gypsy camp was host to many a visitor, and many a horse changed hands before their evening. camp- fire. No farmer ever admitted going with the object of mak- ing a trade. He simply 'hitch- ed itch-ed up some doubtful horse belonging to his establish - NOW OPEN JIM'S SALES SERVICE formerly Wilker's Garage • 'Repairs to all farm equipment • Recreational & small engines • Cars & light trucks • Gas sales call 69®-2193 for appointment or just drop iri to 32 William St., Linwood Looking forward to doing business with fou. Proprietor: Jim Cherry ment and went over to see what was going on, To look at the horses which the gypsies had brought along was only a natural part of the evening's entertainment, and though I can never remember anyone giging a gypsy a horse that did not have . some serious fault, these people neverthe- less always seemed to pos- sess at least a few horses of very fine appearance. When a visitor looked too long at one of these better nags, the results were sometimes dis- astrous. The gypsy always seemed reluctant to sell such an ani- mal. "Not that one," he would tell you making his face as honest as it could get. "I keep that one for myself. She belongs to my wagon team." But for enough `boot' money, the gypsy was some- times induced to change his mind, and the horse which took a visitor back home was often a far different animal than the one which had brought him. Sometimes it didn't get him home. Some- times such a horse simply went on strike after the first mile. Sometimes he leaned back on his shafts to recover from a bout of the heaves. Sometimes he just decided to kick out the dashboard of your buggy. If so, you took your beating quietly and waited for the next gypsy caravan. It was a game which sometimes went on for several summers. Where these strange peo- ple came from, no one ever seemed to know. Nor have I ever heard where they spent their winters. They were a part of the summer land- scape only, and •when the horse began' to fade from the land, they faded with it. It would be very interesting to know where they • are now, and what they are trading. ETob Hurst Gary McClement BIGG R % FINANCING on Pick Ups ■ Fieros, Sunbird Skyhawk, Acadians fat -looking freshness. In summer, I unrolled a bam- boo curtain over the outside off the window during the hot part of the day, while the African violets had a bit of a rest. Bathrooms in which at least one shower is taken a day, provided the lighting is good, offer another ideal environment for our humid- ity -loving houseplants. Many houseplant enthusiasts, having discovered this, have turned their bathrooms into small conservatories, with plants hanging from the ceil- ing, sitting on the counter, perched on the toilet tank (with a buffer against the cold) and set on the floor. I tried it, but had to remove some as the family complained • bitterly about not being able to move in the room. They particularly objected to not being able to sit down without being en- gulfed in foliage or poked in their tender anatomies with a palm frond. In their efforts to help people enjoy success with houseplants, indoor land- scape experts have even suggested the use of plants in place of the shower curtain. Provided the water can be directed away from the bathroom floor, this idea could work quite well. Once space is left for access to the shower, while the rest of the space is made . a wall of plants with hanging plants, plants set on the floor, and "some placed on the tub edges. During the • winter months in other parts of our homes, humidity levels often are very low. This dry air prob- lem is especially acute in ' homes heated with forced hot air.. And the warmer a house is kept, the drier the air. Your plants have ways of signaling : to you if they are suffering from too' dry an environment. Dry air is probably themost common cause , of buds and flowers dropping. It also is usually the culprit in cases of foliage turning brown and dry at the tips. „Dry air also means happy hotel conditions for spider mites, tiny pests that suck the juices from plant foilage, leaving the, leaves mottled and bleached until finally they dry and crumble. Webs .. are often noticeable, even if the mites aren't. CBC profiles Bill Stevens "Ah, what's up Doc?" A very familiar phrase most of us remember from a very famous rabbit seen on tele- vision. But to the children of today, many of their car- toons are something born from the energy and hard work of Bill Stevens. This young Canadian entrepreneur from Ottawa is - the subject of Growski & Co., Tuesday, December 17 at 7:00 p.m. on CBC Television. The first post office in North America was located in a tavern. . Here's How By Gene Gary Do you have a means of removing water stains and other spots from oak hard- wood floors? A. In most cases you can remove a stain from a wood floor by wiping up the spill quickly and rubbing the area with a soft cloth dampened with a little cleaner -wax. If the stain persists, dip steel wool in the wax and rub the stain briskly. To eliminate white water stains or hazing caused by spilled alcoholic drinks, rub the stained area with a little moistened cigar ash or fine steel wool dipped in mineral oil. Chewing gum, crayon, candle wax and tar can be remoied from a wood floor by first rubbing the area with an ice cube and scrap- ing off as much of the brittle residue as possible. Then loosen any residue by pour- ing a little dry-cleaning fluid around the edges of the spot. Finish by rubbing the stain with a cleaner -wax. To draw out stubborn grease stains, soak a cotton ball in hydrogen peroxide and press it on the spot. Then saturate a second cotton ball with ammonia and hold it on top of the first ball for sever- al minutes. If . the grease stain persists, sand the area lightly. Next, soak a cloth pad in a solution of one ounce of oxalic acid and one quart Of water and I ve it on the stain for one Your. Wipe the area with a amp sponge, then allow the area to dry. You may have to repeat the treatment for stubborn stains. To repair the finish after a stain has been removed, first rub the area with steel wool. Then apply a thin coat of matching finish, being careful to blend the new finish with the old. Protect your wood floors with regular waxing and buf- fing. Waxing helps clean and preserve the floor's finish. Buffing helps give the wax a hard, stain -resistant shine. Even a small amount of water can cause the wood to warp, swell or discolor, so wipe up spills quickly. Don't damp -mop or use water- based cleaners or waxes on a wood,floor. 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