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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Advance-Times, 1983-02-16, Page 141 Page 2—Crossroads—Feb. 16, 1983 GREAT FOR GIRLS—Sleeping platforms of plywood covered in pink carpeting are topped with mattresses and lots of pillows in this room shared by two teenage At wit's end by Erma Bombeck Copywright 1979. Field Enterprises. Inc. ' When you think about it, the morality of the nation has really gone downhill dur- ing the last decade. There isn't anything used by the public that isn't nailed to the ground in- sunk in cement. That can mean one of two things: there are more sticky fingers around or sticky fingers are getting stronger. It used to be just little things were secured, like pens in the bank or the post office that we all know were put there for show. You can't tell me anyone wants to steal a pen on a three-inch chain that didn't just run out of ink — it never had ink in it in the first place. Now the items are bigger, but for whatever reason they still carry a warning. Take picnic tables. Just try. They are set in two feet of cement, have never seen paint, weigh 3,000 pounds and are permanently stained with bird doo. On a nearby tree, some optimist has posted a warning, "Picnic tables are provided for pub- lic enjoyment. Those steal- ing a table will face prosecu- tion.- The prosecution comes right after the hernia repair. I'd rather steal two California redwoods and make my own. Another source of amaze- ment to me is what's made secure in a hotel room. The picture over the bed is al- ways bolted to the wall. Why? _We're not talking Sis- tine Chapel art here, we're talking about the same pic- ture that has been over the bed of every room I have ever stayed in: a Chinese junk ship in shades of black silhouetted in a red and orange sunset that glows in the dark. As for the hangers that are welded over the rod, you can have them. They're always made out of wood and ac- commodate a very large man's topcoat never women's apparel. The genius who came up with the idea of putting i link chain on an L.A. phone book does not know travelers. I have never had a burning de- sire to stuff a five -pound L.A. phone book in my carry -on which already does not fit under my seat. No one ever figured out that if you live in L.A. you have your own phone book and if you don't, you don't know anyone in it anyway. As for shopping carts with signs warning violators that theft will be punishable by fines and imprisonment, I won't even dignify it with a comment except to say that I was trying to get four inde- pendent wheels to go in the same direction one day in a parking lot and when a man asked, "Where are you tak- ing that cart?" I said, "I'm stealing it." His laughter still rings in my ears. Maybe things are worse than I realize. A sign on the inside, of a Chicago restroom boothp carried a warning, "Don't put purse on hook." For that cheap shot, some- one should get life! Kub Kar Rally Finals on Saturday The 1983 North Waterloo District Kub Kar Rally Finals will be held at Con- estoga Mall on Saturday, - February 19th, starting at 9:30 a.m. Over 100 entries will com- pete for prizes and trophies in what has become a major annual event. Leading up to the Saturday Rally, displays and activities will be run throughout the mall to promote and show- case the scouting movement. For more information con- tact? Kub Kar Rally, Cathy Schumacher, 745-9439; Scouting Display, Stan Rektor, 579-4110 or contact Conestoga Mall at 886-5500. girls. Built-in shelf for desk and free-standing book- cases provide necessary study and storage space. Carpeting of Anso IV nylon is by Bigelow. Decor Score By BARBARA HARTUNG Platforms solve space problem Q. My daughters share a bedroom which we are planning to refurbish be- cause they now have a rather faded "little girl" room and need a more grown-up look. They are both teen-agers so they need sleeping and studying spae plus storage. Please suggest some ideas for updating our girls' room. — R.R. A. Why don't you consid- er carpeted sleeping plat- forms arranged in an L in one section of the room. Construct plywood boxes about eight to nine inches high and then carpet them in the floor covering mate- rial. These platforms may be topped with standard mattresses covered in col- orful comforters for easy bed -making. Add mounds of soft pillows for lounging comfort. A long desk counter built in on one wall has adequate room for typewriter, books and writing materials. Free-standing or built-in bookcases provide suffi- cient space for books and treasures and even some storage. Pay close attention to the closet to fit it to the personal needs of your girls. Shelves or drawers with clothes -hanging space are helpful for easy access of clothes. Pale shades for carpet- ing and paint are both soothing and luxurious in a moderate to small room. Add some pattern in bed coverings. Q. How much space is required for 'a dining ar- rangement at the end of our living room? — R.P.C. crossroads Published every Wednesday by Wenger Bros. Limited as the lifestyle and entertainment section in The Listowel Banner, The Wingham Advance - Times, The Mount Forest Confederate and The Milverton Sun. Members of the Canadian Community Newspaper Association, Ontario Community Newspaper Association, and the Ontario Press Council Controlled distri- bution in Elmira. Palmerston, Harriston. Brussels, Millbank, Newton, Atwood, Clifford, Drayton. Wallenstein, Moorefield and Arthur Display and Classified advertising deadline — 5.00 p m Thursday week prior to publication date Advertising and Production The Listowel Banner 188 Wallace Ave N., P 0. Box 97, Listowel Ont N4W 3H2 Accounting and Billing The Wingham Advance -Times Josephine St . P O. Box 390, Wingham. Ont NOG 2W0 The Listowel Banner 291-1660 The Wingham Advance -Times 357-2320 The Mount Forest Confederate 323-1550 The Milverton Sun 595-8921 Elmira and District News Kim Dadson 619.2690 A. Usually about eight square feet is necessary for a dining space for four per- sons. This allows 20 to 24 inches of table space for each person. About three feet of space is desirable to pull out chairs around a table although you can sometimes skimp.on this. -If your space is severely limited, consider a pedes- tal table for getting more usable space. Q. I have a garage con- version under way where I pian to put together cast- offs from other rooms be the house. I have almost no extra funds for decorating — yet I want this room to be interesting and exciting. Please suggest some in- expensive ways to de- corate and furnish this space. — M.N. Provide exciting walls for a starter. Paper a wall or walls in old sheet music if you have it. Or cover walls with a fabric rem- nant or sheets whose hems have been trimmed. Slipcover old furniture in bright solid colors. Slip - covering is more economi- cal then reupholstering. Augment seating with inexpensive director's chairs or a bargain outdoor table and chairs refreshed with a new coat of paint. A friend of mine, the man I call Deep Mind, says, that a miracle is simply something that astonishes' him by- its rightness. I hestitate to de- base Deep Mind's coinage, but that is also a pretty good description of a new business that clearly fills a wide- spread need. It astonishes us by its rightness. And maybe Gayle Arthur's new busi- ness, called Friends of the Family, is something of a miracle as well. I should declare a bias on the outset, I guess. Gayle is an old friend. She's had her share of unemployment and other kinds of trouble, and if her little business continues to take off the way it has so far, I can't think of anyone who deserves it more. The need that Gayle per- ceived, for the elderly in her own community, in the Yonge-St. Clair area of To- ronto, was for professional friends ... people who would do small chores for older people for a fee; the kind of thing in fact, that friends and relatives often do for older people now, when and if it's convenient. Hence, Friends of the Family, a company name that says it perfectly. For ten to twelve dollars an hour, depending on the service required, Friends of the Family will do grocery shopping, change light bulbs WRNIIEB in ceiling fixtures, cook a meal, shovel snow, style hair, take the cat to the vet's, drive older people to friends ;for tea, build shelves, wax the floor, or simply read things aloud. Anything in fact, that older people are unable to do for themselves, except for health care and services that clearly require a professional's touch. The service is not inexpen- sive, but when you compare it to the cost of the alterna- tives — cleaning ladies, homecare services with three or four hour mini- mums, or moving to a nurs- ing home, it's not nearly as bad as it sound. "People tell me it's brilli- ant," Gayle said to me re- cently. "But it isn't. It's really very simple." I don't think Gayle is doing herself justice, really. The best ideas are always simple, in retrospect. Like the wheel and the safety pin. And there is a lesson there for all of us, in these days of high unem- ployment and failing com- panies. An idea whose time has come which astonishes us by its rightness is not af- fected by recession, particu- larly when the start-up money is minimal. That's not news but that too is reality. 'All Creatures Great and Small' FAT OR FITNESS FOR. YOUR PET Roly-poly pets like over- weight people are not in fashion. Pudgy puppies and kittens are cute but an adult pet needs to be sleek and trim to enjoy a happy, healthy, long life. Sedentary lifestyles hurt the pet population as well as the human race. "Man's best friends", are as prone to obesity as their owners. It has been estimated that about 50 per cent of the nation's human population and about forty per cent of the nation's pets are over- weight. Food is not love. Some pet owners — like some parents — have the mistaken notion that food is a good way to show affection. Obesity is usually caused ..by overeating. Caloric intake becomes greater than the body's energy requirements and the body stores the ex- cess calories as fat. The sad fact is that obesity can lead to or complicate many health problems such Catalogue Upon Request I ■ 1 1 1 1 31'1" LONG, 6" THICK =796 plus cemetery charges and tax SAVE BY ORDERING DIRECT FROM YOUR FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE SHOWROOM NELSON MONUMENTS LTD. SINCE 1905" ' 1031 Victoria St. N. (across from Canadian Tire) Tel. 743511 For your free catalogue and prices and the name of your nearest Nelson Monuments representative write: NELSON MONUMENTS LTD. 1031 Victoria St. N. Kitchener, Ont. N2B 3C7 NAME ADDRESS POSTAL CODE TEL. Eastern Canada's Largest Memorialist 0 V 0 R A T By Donald V. Martin as arthritis, heart and re- lated diseases. If you have ever watched a pet that is overweight, try to climb a stairway, you will see it is a slow, difficult task. The pet's skeletal system is not built to withstand the weight of ex- cess fat.. As pounds add up, the pet becomes lethargic and loses muscle tone. Eat- ing may be its only aim in life. Obesity is a serious pro- blem and should be dealt with by your veterinarian. A discussion of your pet's life- style, diet and along with a physical examination, may reveal underlying causes of the problem. In most cases a diet plan and an exercise program will maintain the dog's health. Pets as much as their mas- ters benefit from a'sensible exercise program. How about jogging? We haven't heard about jogging cats but most dogs love to jog. A wordof caution: before starting any such pro- gram, both owner and pet should have physical examinations. Workouts should begin gradually. Overdoing at the start of training is a common cause of problems in both human and dog joggers. Walking is fun and good exercise for dogs, cats and humans. Contrary to popular belief, cats can be leash trained. It takes patience and sensitiv- ity. A harness and light weight leash should be used. Play is exercise. Even older pets should be encour- aged to play and move. around a little each day. Easy does it. Don't exer- cise or initiate strenuous play during hot days in the summer. Pets do not per- spire as humans do. They cool their bodies by panting; thus they can easily become dehydrated or suffer heat stroke if they are not given intermittant breaks. Start in the cool morning or evening hours and allow access to water after exercise. At the first signs of weariness, or lameness, cut back on activ- ity. "RAGE OF ANGELS" The glamorous Jaclyn .Smith stars in the two-part miniseries "Rage of Angels" on Global Television, airing on Sunday, Feb. 20 and Mon- day, Feb. 21 beginning at 9 p.m. both evenings. RUMS ® I DENIM COTTON SILK BURLAP can -co_ WItEf ii le division of Sieves Welding) Manufacturers of: Hog & Cattle Penning, Posts, Comfort Stalls, Tombstone Feeders Distributors of: Medicators, Filter Eeze Hog Flooring, Pregnancy Testers, Concrete Troughs and Rotary Bases Steve Kuepfer, President RR 1, Newton, Ontario, Canada NOK 1 RO (519)595-8737, 595-8738 - _ ,STRATFORD AIR SERVICE. Next Course Starts: Wednesday, February 123rd 7:30 p.m. Call now for more information: 271-4881 or Andy Woodham - 638-3002 r Presentthis coupon along with $1 0. and receive an INTRODUCTORY FLIGHT! This offer expires March 31, 1983 J OYER X5 0 0. VALUF AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION AT NO EXTRA COST ON °83 FAIRMONTS & ZEPHYRS rias 1 2. 9 0/o alas At this rate Equipped with: • 4 cylinder engine • Automatic transmission • Power steering and brakes • Twin halogen lights • Steel belted whitewall radials • Cloth bench seats • Full wheel discs • Assorted to -tone paint combinations FINANCING . ®. don't wall GREAT AYo . • . 12.9% finance rate. $743100 MSRP $8555 Freight. license P.S.T extra. 6 cylinder models available equipped as above at slightly higher prices. Asa areaat Sl iw CSeteC•tl ®n. HARVEY- KROTZ FORD Gre pp t ratel Wallace Ave. North, Listowel Car City. 291-3520 Great Where the lights burn bright till 10 each night Saturday till 5 p m