Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1984-02-08, Page 2911 H. GORDON GREEN A few days ago I, helped a that there were tears in her waste. That for the living fine old neighbor lady of ours eyes. room, she was asking the Al- to move out of her house. I do "I've just been saying a mighty to let it be filled not think I should record her little string of prayers," she again with the bubbling, real name here because said. "A prayer, sort of, for bursting racket of irrepres- diaries have a sad history of every room in the house, I sible youth, and that their having their privacy invaded guess. For the young folks parents might be sensible and she is the kind of woman who're coming in, you know. enough not to hope for quiet. who would be embarrassed I sure hope that they're as That the cellar which she by publicity, humble though happy as we were." had scrubbed and 'white - it would have to be. So I will Which, come to think of it, washed just for this going enter her name here as Mrs. was a new idea so far as away, would soon know MacPherson. prayers went, one which the again the wonderful smell of And after the last cher- catechisms seemed to have a bulging potato bin, and of ished piece of blue -veined missed entirely. There are, turnips, onions, cabbage and chinaware had been tenderly of course, all sorts of suppli beets and all of the other boxed, and the last piece of cations exorting the All things that a good man rheumatic furniture was Mighty to bless our home. should grow and a good safely up on my truck, Mrs. Fifty years ago one worked woman should know how to MacPherson dug the house such pious thoughts into cook. And that these shelves key out of her purse as if to cross-stitch mottoes which would soon be bright again lock the place up. Then sud- were hung above the parlor. with the proud colors of denly she went back into the Today we are more likely to home -canned fruit. place again and began to put the words to music and to And as we went upstairs, wander from one room to the jitterbug to them. But in and the old lady went from other, looking, looking either case, it is taken for one room to another, looking everywhere, though both of granted that this pious tenderly at each, smiling us had searched every cor- charm is for ourselves and bashfully when I noticed her ner in every room a half the house which is, or is tears, and wishing each a sil- dozen times already and we about to be, our home. I have ent good night as if it were knew that there couldn't be a been to more house -warm- once again filled with sleep - thing left anywhere. ings than I can readily count. "Just want to take a last But I have yet to go to a look," she said. party whose intent was to I was in a hurry, but I say good-bye and thank you wouldn't have told her that to a place. for the world and as I waited It was with this in mind I wondered what Mrs. Mac- that I suggested to Mrs. Pherson's thoughts must be MacPherson, as gently as I. now. could, that she tell me what The shadows of life's eve- ning have fallen on her now, and her husband has already passed on; but I thought as I sat there that this godly old lady could have had but few regrets for the life she had known here. She had been blessed with a husband who had kept her love singing till the day he died, and with six good children. They had never been rich but they had seldom been hungry. Now she had sold the farm to a Mrs. MacPherson suspects. down the stairs again, ("I younger --fat ilg ; a Yaority- -- e' b InTI- e—reaffy sTiould -lave cleaned which was almost pathetic- that there couldn't have been them better, you knoww! ") ally eager to move in and be- many words in any of Mrs. Mrs. MacPherson paused on gin the same struggle of MacPherson's little string of the front porch with her hand bright hope which she had known forty-five years ago. Mrs. MacPherson did not seem to be moving around very.quickly in the house and 1 gotout of my truck and went up to her. She was still in the front hall. "You're thinking about something, Mrs. MaePher- . son," 'I said, "what is. it?" I was sorry I asked that; for when she looked up, I saw she included, in those prayers, but she reminded me that she had never been any good with words and I'd just have to use my imagina- tion. Well, I have known the MacPhersons for quite a while, and I knew something about the kind of life they had lived here. So I think that my imagination might be more accurate than even ing children. I thought that I could read her prayers for this story of the house, too. I was sure for the little room at the head of the stairs, the one with the Mother Goose wallpaper, her hope was that it might again 'be the trea- sure room of a mother who wouldn't be disturbed by the sweet disorder ofa nursery floor. And for the bedrooms beyond, I think she prayed that. God might grant that kind of peace which allows .one the time to sort out the worries for tomorrow so you can see that they are not so unconquerable after all. And that each might know the kind of love that will permit no sleep till , the quarrel is mended. As we finally went prayers new any flowers of on the, door knob as if she poetry. As she was so quick couldn't quite bring herself to tell me, she had never to this Last effort of locking been much of a hand with fine words. But I imagine that for the kitchen of the house, Mrs. MacPherson was praying that it might know again the clamor of many boisterous appetites and that there would be al- ways enough to satisfy all of them. Enough, but none to At wit's end by Erma Bombeck Copywright 1979. Field Enterprises, Inc. All my life I've been look- ing ,for a sport that (a) fea- tures a cute outfit 'that I can wear to do my grocery shop- ping, (b) requires no more effort than putting one foot in front of the other, (c) has your next meal strapped to your back and (d) offers the cheap thrill of having some- one breathe heavily behind you. I've found it! Cross- country skiing. Imagine. No ambulance parked at the bottom of the hill waiting for your No tents at the finish line 'offering blankets and I.V.'s. No standing around trying to find your pulse to see if it's accelerated, I know there's a lot of curi- osity about cross-country skiing, so I'll try not to get too technical. As with any sport, basical- ly what we're talking about is coordination. I cannot tell you how important it is to co- ordinate your entire outfit at one time. The knickers should fit well and be some- thing eye-catching, prefer- ably matching your light- weight jacket. A cotton turtleneck or scarf tucked smartly under a blouse is a nice touch. Socks should be • dark to help -keep your thighs from looking like piano legs. A lot of people wear therma underwear, but personally, any clinical signs at all even though the jaints are grossly abnormal. Signs to look .for are a stiff gait in the rear legs, particu- larly after exercise. Miter, the dog will walk awkwardly • when he first gets, up but of, ter a few Minutes,, he will seem to "work" the lame- ness .off. Most often, these signs surface at five to six months of age. • Once diagnosed by a vet- erinarian (it is confirmed with x-rays) , the treatment n vary, depending on indi- • idual dogs. For some, sim e restricted exercise may pr''event the progression of lameness. A host of pain re- lieving drugs are available if necessary, and this will often help keep many dogs. quite happy for the balance of their lives. For others, arth- ritis will set in, as a result of up, of locking a door which I could never remember being locked before. Or perhaps this 'was merely her.. way of shaking hands good-bye. - For that moment too, I think I knew what was in her mind. She was hoping that, when at last it came time for this next family to move on and out, they would shed a few tears too for the happy memories they were leaving behind. Am I right, Mrs. MacPherson? found it too warm for the su- permarket. What I really love about the sport is that you don't have to wear those awful caps that flatten your hair and make it look like an un- made bed. I prefer earmuffs. They're cute. Another tip' is to avoid needless exertion.' That's why I fry my chicken the night before and pack the knapsack with small bread- and-butter sandwiches, ther- moses of hot soup and choco- late, candy bars and of course, a corkscrew. Setting your pace as you go is very important in cross- country skiing. If you tear off in a kick -glide movement the way you are supposed to, you'll never meet anybody. I prefer to stand helpless. and unsteady until I hear fast, heavy,., breathing behind me. It's a real ego -builder. As in most sports, cross- country skiing improves with time and practice. After awhile you learn that if you look too frightened to move, someone .will clamp your skis on for you, pull your gloved hand° through your poles and never leave your side. As for the promise of great personal satisfaction, I wouldn't know. Maybe next week, when I venture outside of the parking lot. !-' THE HEART FUND Veil IR OR t All Creatures Great and Small "HIP DYSPLASIA" By Dr. D. V. Martin It is disheartening to be told that your dog's.seeming- ly simple lameness is due to "hip dysplasia", a disease process that is progressive and for which there is no known cure. Unfortunately, veterinarians have seen more and more such cases during the last 15 years. , "Dysplasia" is the abnor- mal development of tissue (in this case, it refers to the hip joints). It can be mild or very severe and usually af- fects young dogs of large breeds, such as Retrievers, Standard Poodles, St. Ber- nards and many more. Hip dysplasia is seldom found in breeds that weigh less than 25 pounds at maturity. The defective hips are pre- sent from birth, but' clinical signs may not develop for months or years. In fact, some cases may not show the poor conformity Of the hrdtr,; pints and iI' drugs de not relieve discomfort,: surgery wilLprobably be required. *spite of the reluctaxtce of many breeders to accept the fact, this disease is" inherit- ed. The, abnormal genes from either parent can be passed an for - generations. Society has allowed itself to be more concerned with re- latively unimportant aspects of a dogs" conformity (e.g. length of ears, or shape of tail), and the defect of hip dysplasia has thus been created through indiscrimin- ate mass breeding. The only hope off correcting this pro- blem is by breeding only those dogs that we know to be free of the disease. The best treatment is pre- vention. Potential parents should be x-rayed when at least 18 months of age, and certified free of hip dysplasia. Although your veterinarian can take the x- rays, they must be sen to one of the very few vetetin ary radiologists in Canada who are qualified to certify hips. When you purchase a puppy from a breeder known to have dogs with hip dysplasia, satisfy yourself that both parents were certi- fied free of the disease, not just x-rayed. This certifica- tion cannot act as a 100 per cent guarantee, but the chances of your puppy de- veloping will be very low. *•a► •0�w�••�•��4��.r�rs•a��a�q®a+q*®ww�s�•w•••1��•�I+��*��/����I�P>,�tP0R!:�P0�r.!s• • �► ---! • NINE. DUCKS ARE •SITTING 01, IN T 1ARIOUS TYPES OF POSITIONS ON THE PONO CROSS SE.GTION ILLUSTRATED AT RIGNT.,. YOUR TASK iS TO DETER-, to MINE NOW MANY MORE : DUCKS MUST ENTER. THE, PICTURE AND (1 -IOW ?) AND (WI4ERE?) 1-14Y MUST SIT TO FULFILL THE FOLLOW- : ING CONDITION • ONE DUCK OF EACH SITTING • POSITION MUST BE SITU - • ATED IN EACH OF TI -4E ''3" Although some breeders, • %-IORIZONTAL AND VERTI - will recommend the use of CAL ROWS vitamin C, there is no Proof • that it is effective in prevent- • • • • • • 0 • • • • • 0 ®f\ • 0 • • • • • • 0 0 • • • 0 • • • • • 0 0 • ing hip dysplasia. The only •00.00®®.®®®,®•.®.®ar®®®.,,,..s•®0•.®®®dr••••®®•+®0 ®•0.•®••o••®••••• answer at present, is careful and proper breeding of dogs. .1903 By SOLID WOOD 7 pc. Colonial Dining Rooms Hutch & Buffet E Table with Targe extension leaf E 3 side chairs 1399 C 1 captain's chair FULL SIZE"PULL-OUT" SOFA BEDS 00% POLtYPROPELENE ..{ DtOP CARPET Choice of Colours Rso sl., yd 2 -PC. DESIGNER From Armstrong and "`J . Gafstar-Tarkett E with accent cushions $437 UtIFULDARK PIIS • ROOT -SUITE ,•, Drassor $ Hutch Mirror Lenge chest • 3 Cannonball bed • $ 58 l 2 night fatbitq`s» HURRY ON THIS LIMITED OFFER .CHOOSE YOUR FURNITURE AND FLOORING TODAY WITH A MINIMUM PURCHASE OF S500 AND A 50% DOWN PAYMENT ON APPROVED CREDIT AND GET 18 MONTHS NO INTEREST (DOES NOT INCLUDE TVs, STEREOS OR MICROWAVES). VISIT CENTRAL ONTARIO'S FAMOUS p Sofa and chair ' C] Coffee and two, end tables 11T Sofa and chair El 2living' room lamps -p 3 -pc. coffee and end tables Contemporary stylebedroom Suite ©5 -pc. kitchen suite $97 O SOLID WE S -PC. DIN`ETtE SUITES .Choice of light or dark colour . li-� ` n1a►i' �1�11i'!I'�'J 11;11flj I ._.. .. J Jam. 4. 'is , ....®..rIIII ii ( 111 11 Ati_ xE Furniture Warehouse & Showroom Ltd. Enzaa R HEW LOCATION NEAR" HIWAY - MARKET • "FORMERLY THE ROLLER RINK" AT THE FOOT OF KINGSBURY, RIGHT BESIDE KITCHENER S JOURNEY'S ND MOTEL $93-29 ANYWHERE IN ONTARIO • 11 within the lifetime of your purchase you find the Identical item with the same terms and conditions to less, al any other Irenchls'bd retailer other Than Martens, we will refund the difference to you in full Manufacturers rebates excluded NOBODY UNDERSELLS OUT OF TOWN CALL COLLECT SET-UP 1IAILABLE The savings shown represent discounts off our asking price These items from time to tirtll may have been sold toeless than the asking price by Marlene. All Items suble'ct'to prior ea ' ALS t, ,, NOBODY! WE GUARANTEE IT FOR LIFE!