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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2005-08-03, Page 76 Exeter Times—Advocate Wednesday, August 3, 2005 Opinion Forum News Seniors' perspective Continued from page 5 before I was allowed to be proud of myself. I just can't recall how bored we were without comput- ers, Play Station, Nintendo, X -box or 270 digital TV cable stations. Oh yeah... and where was the Benadryl and steriliza- tion kit when I got that bee sting? I could have been killed! We played 'king of the hill' on piles of gravel left on vacant construction sites, and when we got hurt, Mom pulled out the 48 -cent bottle of Mercurochrome (kids liked it better because it didn't sting like iodine did) and then we got our butt spanked. Now it's a trip the emer- gency room, followed by a 10 -day dose of a $49 bottle of antibiotics, and then Mom calls the attorney to sue the contractor for leaving a horribly vicious pile of gravel where it was such a threat. We didn't act up at the neighbor's house either because if we did, we got our butt spanked there and then we got butt spanked again when we got home. I recall Donny Reynolds from next door, coming over and doing his tricks on the front stoop, just before he fell off. Little did his Mom know that she could have owned our house, instead, she picked him up and swatted him for being such a goof. It was a neighborhood run amuck. To top it off, not a single person I knew had ever been told that they were from a dysfunctional family. How could we possibly have known that? We needed to get into group therapy and anger management classes? We were obviously so duped by so many societal ills, that we didn't even notice that the entire country wasn't taking Prozac! How did we ever survive? LOVE TO ALL OF US WHO SHARED THIS ERA AND TO ALL WHO DIDN'T- SORRY FOR WHAT YOU MISSED.I WOULDN'T TRADE IT FOR ANYTHING Subject: FW: Hollywood Squares If you remember The Original Hollywood Squares and its comics, this will bring a tear to your eye and a smile to your face. These great questions and answers are from the days when "Hollywood Squares" game show responses were spontaneous! Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course. Q. Do female frogs croak? A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough. Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be? A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it. Q. True or False, a pea can last as long as 5,000 years. A. George Gobel: Boy, it sure seems that way sometimes. Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman? A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake. Q. According to Cosmo, if you meet a stranger at a party and you think that he is attractive, is it okay to come out and ask him if he's married? A. Rose Marie: No, wait until morning. Q. Which of your five senses tends to diminish as you get older? A. Charley Weaver: My sense of decency. Q. In Hawaiian, does it take more than three words to say "I Love You"? A. Vincent Price: No, you can say it with a pineap- ple and a twenty. Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking? A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget. Q. Paul, why do Hell's Angels wear leather? A. Because chiffon wrinkles too easily. Q. Charley, you've just decided to grow strawber- ries. Are you going to get any during the first year? A. Charley Weaver: Of course not, I'll be too busy growing strawberries. Q. It is considered in bad taste to discuss two sub- jects at nudist camps. One is politics, what is the other? A. Paul Lynde: Tape measures. Q. Can boys join the Camp Fire Girls? A. Marty Allen: Only after lights out. Q. When you pat a dog on its head he will wag his tail. What will a goose do? A. Paul Lynde: Make him bark? Q. According to Ann Landers, is their anything wrong with getting into the habit of kissing a lot of peo- ple? A. Charley Weaver: It got me out of the army. Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do? A. George Gobel: Get it into his mouth. Q. Who stays pregnant for a longer period of time, your wife or your elephant? A. Paul Lynde: Who told you about my elephant? Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they? A. Charley Weaver: His feet. Q. According to Ann Landers, what are two things you should never do in bed? A. Paul Lynde: Point and Laugh 1• Please be patient Dear Citizen ComplainAnt, I am sorry about the standing water on the corner of Pryde Blvd and John St. in Exeter. It is not our intention to create anything unsightly. I am in the process of developing these properties and this takes time and your patience would be greatly appreciat- ed. Prior to the printing of this letter I will have taken action to temporarily fix this problem. I would like to explain why the site is in the condition that it is in. These lots, as is the case with most building lots, are low prior to construction. This is not a bad thing. It only means that less materials will have to be hauled away to facilitate construction. The excavated area on these lots were created when we stripped the topsoil to complete the grading on the neighbouring two lots. This aggravates the problem because water does not soak into the native clay as readily as the topsoil. The first two lots did not have any topsoil which is why it was necessary to strip the next two. The only other option would be to haul more topsoil in only to haul it out later. To fully comply with this bylaw it would be neces- sary to fill this hole to the top to facilitate drainage. This will require many truck loads of fill as I will need to replace not only the volume of the topsoil that I used next door but also, I will have to fill higher as this corner has always retained water. Then when I commence construction I will need to haul away the loads that I brought in plus the many loads required to cut the foundation to grade. This will mean many trucks running up and down the road which causes wear and tear on the road, the trucks, the environment and my pocketbook. This action would be incredibly irrational. This is not the only development in the municipali- ty. Most other developments have the same issues with ponding. The excess fill materials from the first two detached homes in this development were hauled away and were used within the town of Exeter to fill ponding areas in a development up to grade. My development for a short time looks unsightly while another improves. As the saying goes "It's got to get worse before it gets better". This is the worst and it will improve. Again I ask for your patience. If you are not satisfied with my temporary solution please contact me directly at 235-4726 as the municipality insists on using a lawyer for these matters and their current rate is $600.00 per letter. Your truly, DEAN DUCHARME Huron Contractors Inc. Registered Home Builders Writer takes offense to t -shirt Dear Editor: Walking down Main St. in Exeter on Saturday morning July 23, I saw a T-shirt in the window of RSD Sport Den- the message on the T-shirt read -Save The Alligator -Feed him a White Squirrel. I find this so offensive and so unkind and here it is is a store window in Exeter "The Home of the White Squirrel"! Squirrel's Friend, ANDY DEBOER Thanks for all your help Dear Editor, Like many in the area, our plans for Saturday July 16th were affected drastically by the weather. As rain doused the golfers and their hopes for the annu- al JMR Electric golf tournament, water flooded part of the first floor of the clubhouse in unprecedented fashion. As we bailed and hauled out pumps and hoses, blindly fling- ing water out into the con- tinuing downpour, we were joined by a large group of JMR employees and suppliers. With their able and uncomplaining participation, working at times in water ankle deep, the situation was brought under control. Their assistance was invaluable: we would not have managed without them. Yet they modestly deflected out thanks and politely refused any reward. I have heard of a grassroots movement to do a good deed a day and 'pass it on'. Our appreciation to these men can really only be expressed by passing on their good will in our interactions with others, and in this way I think that people like the men of JMR make our community a better place. Sincerely, BOB AND JANET MASON Exeter Golf Club Letters to the Editor Support is appreciated Dear Editor, I wish to thank Scott Nixon and the staff of the Exeter Times Advocate for your continued support with the Terry Fox Run. With Sun. Sept. 18 (from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) being the 25th anniversary for the run we are working hard to spread the work Terry started 25 years ago. Terry believed the true act of giving involved an unconditional compassion and care for others, with no favours exchanged. That is why it is a grass root community fundraiser. His vision of $1 at a time is still going. It is the second largest fundraiser for cancer research in Canada with a total of $342 million (CDN) raised to date. The Terry Fox head office works off less than two per cent administration expense and 10 percent fundraising with the balance being given to cancer research. There are over 50 countries and 4,100 international Terry Fox Run sites throughout the world. The following is some information about the local run site: -in 1982 started by Doug Ellison, $1,834.95 raised with 78 participants; -continued by Jane Hundey in 1994, $1,275.00 raised with 36 participants; -co- chaired by Jane Hundey and Ann DeVries in 2002, $11,789.04 raised with 159 participants; -in 2004, $12,234.13 raised with 126 participants; -in 2005 chaired by Ann DeVries and family, setting the goal for the best run results yet! The Exeter Terry Fox Run site has raised a total of $88,371.86 for cancer research from 1982-2004! Terry said "If you've given a dollar, you are part of the Marathon of Hope." "Quite simply, every dollar raised for cancer research is generated through the efforts of our volunteers. They give the public the chance to contribute to a cause that affects all of us. Our promise to them is to fund the best quality research in Canada," says Darrell Fox, national director of the Terry Fox Foundation. On Fri. Sept.16, the schools in the area along with the rest of Canada's schools are hoping to support The Terry Fox Run by running coast to coast keeping Terry's dream of Hope alive. ANN DEVRIES Exeter Terry Fox Run Letters to the Editor The Times -Advocate welcomes letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, complaint, and kudos. By mail: P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 By fax: (519) 235-0766 By e-mail: editor@southhuron.com Please include your name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published.