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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.