HomeMy WebLinkAboutZurich Citizens News, 1977-02-09, Page 4Page 4
Citizens News, February 9, 1977
"This must be the end of the 200 -mile offshore fishing limit. "
Licenses
There have never been long line ups in
Zurich to get your licence renewed, but
there might be this year. Less than 10 per-
cent of the 2000 people who usually get their
licences renewed in the Zurich office have
done so and this is way down from last
year.
We realize the weather and road con-
ditions have been less than ideal but we
must urge those who have not done so to get
their licences renewed as soon as possible.
It is not fair to those in charge of the
licence renewals to wait until the last
minute. This only makes for very rushed,
days towards the end of the month for the
licence office and as most of us know, when
you are it?a hurry things that can go wrong
usually do go wrong.
We are not asking you to take a lot of
time, that is not necessary. If you have fill-
ed out the licence cards available at either
the LCBO or the licence bureau in
Heimrichs Variety, and have a current
card of insurance coverage and the re-
quired money in cash, then it takes only a
few seconds to get your 1977 licence
sticker.
'There never have been long line-ups for
licence stickers in Zurich, but then its been
a long time since there was a winter like
this one. Take advantage of the first sunny
day you see and get those stickers on your
car licence plates now.
Blizzard
There's nothing quite like a blizzard to
prove that people can be funny. Or perhaps
"stupid" would be a more appropriate
definition.
How else can one explain the apparent
desire of some people to risk their lives by
heading out onto the highways when it is
obvious that travel is virtually impossible?
And yet, there were repeated examples
throughout last week of motorists tempting
fate to reach a destination.
It is not difficult to sympathize with
people who were caught in the frightening
throes of the blizzard when it quickly
descended and in minutes reduced visibili-
ty to nil and made travel extremely hazar-
dous. Weather forecasts have never been
able to provide accurate indications of the
extremity of any weather movement to the
point where it can be determined well in
advance what is to befall us.
However, it is difficult to sympathize
with people who head out into such a storm
once it has arrived and end up in the car-
nage of wrecked vehicles which dotted area
highways.
Some people would argue that a citizen
has that freedom of choice. They would
claim that such drivers are endangering no
one but themselves or others who may be
similarly displaying their lack of in-
telligence.
But that is not correct! Once those peo-
ple get into trouble they expect ambulance
drivers, policemen, tow truck operators
and snow plow crews to come to their
assistance. It is an illegitimate expecta-
tion.
It becomes apparent that the police
must be given greater authority to halt"
traffic when the need arises to save
foolhardy motorists from themselves, and
to alleviate the risk that must be subse-
quently taken by their rescuers.
FIRST WITH LOCAL NEWS
Publish Each Wednesday By J.W. Eody Publications Ltd.
Member:
Canadian. Weekly Newspapers Association
Ontario Weekly Newspapers Association
Manager - Betty O'Brien
News Editor - Cathy McKinley
Second Class Mail Registration Number 1385
Subscription Rates: $7.00 per year in advance in Canada
$1$.00 per year outside Canada Single copies 20¢
1
by Cathy McKinley
Maybe, it's y. ort q it
If there is one word that describes this winter, the word
has to be monotonous. You get up every morning, listen to
the radio spiel out what roads are closed, or one lane only,
what schools are closed and what buses aren't running, and
you think oh well it's just another day.
You don't hurry because it will likely take you a long time
to get to work anyway if you get there at all and it is nice to
be awake when you start shoveling.
Once outside you shiver as the icy blast of the wind takes
your breath away and pump patiently on the accelerator in
your car hoping that against all odds it will start. It usually
does and then you spend precious time clearing the snow off
your car as it vainly attempts to warm itself up.
Then it's off to work and the snow is falling and the roads
are lousy and it is drifting again and visibility is going from
poor to nil again,
When you do get to work you spend half the day rushing to
the windows to make sure it hasn't started blowing too hard
or snowing too hard to allow you to get home and if it starts
you drop everything and high tail it home because you've
already been stormstayed somewhere this winter and the
novelty has worn off:
Then you think tomorrow is going to be better but it never
is and you wonder if you will ever drive on clear dry pave-
ment again and actually be able to see where itis you are
headed without crawling along at a snail's pace and praying
the person behind you is going the same speed and the per-
son in front of you doesn't stop.
You read in the papers where we've had some fifty odd
days with snow every day and the thermometer is plunging
way below normal and there doesn't seem to be any end in
sight but cheer up because it's cold in Florida too.Only that
doesn't seem to make you feel any better as you read that
in Alaska they are picking pussy willows and cancelling
hockey games because the ice keeps melting and you
wonder what is happening to the world.
And then there comes a day like Sunday, when the sky is
blue and the wind is only moderately strong and the air is
cold but not so cold it cuts your breath off.
A day when you really feel like going outside and making
snow angels and lying in the snow with your face to the sky
and feel the gentle rays of the sun that have been hidden
from you for so long.
A day to get out the toboggan and some of the kids and
head for the nearest tall building where chances are the
snow is right up to the roof and you can go for a glorious
ride from the peak of that roof right down to the ground.
A day to go for a walk and listen to the snow crunch
beneath your feet and talk about things you've done and
things you want to do and things you've always dreamed
about with the one person who you know will understand.
A day to try out the cross-country skis or the snowshoes
you bought and just take off across the fields or down the
streets in town until you think you will die from the exer-
cise, and loving every minute of it.
A day to take a drive and marvel at the size of the snow
banks and listen to parents and grandparents talking of
winters gone by when the snow was really deep.
A day to go to the lake and walk out on its icy majesty
and see nothing but craggy whiteness as far as the eye can
see and no matter how far out you walk it never changes.
Yes, it is days like Sunday that manage to bring back the
good feelings about this winter season of ours. The feelings
of happiness at .being alive, and the feelings that only exer-
cise in the good crisp air can give and the feelings you get
when you visit neighbours for the first time in days because
you couldn't get out your lane before.
These are good feelings, and if it takes weeks of stormy
weather to make us appreciate these feelings, then maybe,
just maybe, it was all worth it.