The Brussels Post, 1976-03-24, Page 10Sugar and Spice
by Bill Smiley
Trials of old age
If you have teenage children who may in
the next decade get married and have
children, it is not too early for you to start
getting into condition. The, life you save
may be your own.
I'd suggest a lot of jogging, for a start.
Get your wind together. You'll need it.
Then you should get your back in shape.
Practice leaning over a bath-tub until you
can do it for 10 minutes without a stitch or a
twinge.
Next, you should work on your arms and
shoulder muscles. I suggest you buy a baby •
cot and a high chair.Then get hold of a
large plastsic bag and fill it with 25 pounds
of sand or old iron. Nails might be even
better.
Now. Put the bag of sand in the high
chair and practice hoisting it out until you
can do it 10 times in a row without puffing.
Do the same with the baby's cot, with the
sides up.
This is only a facsimile, of course, not
the real thing. One hopes that the bag of
sand will not be struggling, or screaming
that it doesn't want its bib on, or doesn't
want to go bye-byes.
Next, put on your winter clothes, tuck
the bag of sand under one arm and a 20 lb.
bag of groceries under the other, and
practice walking out to the car with them,
over the slippery sidewalk,. If you see a
dog or cat or kid, you must stop and look
for a suitable interval, saying: "See the
nice doggie," about eight times.
If you followed this regime for five years
or so, you might be physically able to cope
with a lively two-year-old grandson or
daughter. I wish someone had warned me.
We're into our third week with Pokey,
and we're getting a bit tattered around the
edges.
When I was a y oung father and had
young children of my own, for some reason
I didn't get so exhausted.
Of course, then, I didn't get home from
work until about 6.30. The kids were fed,
bathed by their mother; and I told them
their bed-time story. There was nothing to
it.
Nowadays, I get home about 4.30, and a
little demon hurls himself at me. He's just
up, refreshed, after his nap, and I'm a little
pooped after coping with the life styles of
150 adolescents. It's no contest.
I'm beginning to have the deepest
sympathy for y oung-mothers. With one
child, it's about a 16-honr a day shift. With
several young ones, it's got to be the
modern answer to the Chinese water
torture.
How many of you old-timers have tried
recently to get an infant into one of fhb's%
winter snowsuits? The boots won't go"
through the legs, the zippers won't zip.
Yesterday, I spent eight minutes getting
one leg in, and for once the zipper worked.
I straightened up to draw breath and ease
my back, looked down with some satisfac-
tion, and saw to my horror that the child's
leg was in the wrong leg of the snowsuit.
Back to scratch.
Sunday, there was a fresh fall of snow,
and I thought I'd take Pokey for a toboggan
ride. After the usual ordeal of getting him
dressed, I was sweating and puffing. He
was calm and keen to get going.
Unfortunately, our house is surrounded
by hills. If you start off downhill, you'll be
going uphill on the way home. I was smart.
I tackled the steepest hill, going up, so it
would be easier, downhill, on, the way
back, when I'd be tired.
Oh yes, I was smart. Near the top of the
first hill, an elderly lady, out shovelling her
snow, remarked: "Well, you must be a
devote d grandfather. I've seen men
pulling kids on a toboggan before, but I've
never ,seen one doing it on his hands and
knees, pretending to be a sleigh dog." I
wasn't pretending.
After three blocks, all uphill, we hit the
road home. I didn't know, by this time,
whether I was going up, down, or
sideways. I was lathered in sweat and my
knees were trembling like a virgin's on her
honeymoon.
If you're wondering, how your heart is,
take your grandchild for a toboggan ride,
preferably with long patches of bare
sidewalk covered with sand. By the end of
it, you'll either be dead, or you'll know
your ticker is in pretty good shape.
But the outdoor games are mild
compared with the indoor. At least, when
he's swaddled in a snowsuit, he can't move
much. All he could do was yell: "Go
morel" every time I stopped, gasping.
Indoors, he's a living, breathing mobile.
Favorite game is to line up at the other end
of a 30-foot room, run as fast as he can,
chortli ng fiendishly, and hurl himself
head-first, into my stomach.
On SAturday Mornings, I like to read the
book •reviews in the daily paper. Last
Saturday, I spent four hours trying to read
a six-paragraph review. In between I was
changing records on the record player,
which must be playing simultaneously with
the tape recorder, fetching drinks of juice
and crackers with peanut butter, hoisting
him onto the pot (he's too busy to be
bothered), helping him build a train, trying
to keep him from pulling the cat's tail and
60 or 70 other things.
No wonder he likes it here. H e's like a
little prince, with two servile attendants
who leap to cater to his every whim.
When in BRUSSELS- Stop In at the
TEXAN GRILL & GAS BAR
Weekly Special —Steak Sandwich
French Fries & Coleslaw
TRY ONE SOON!
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Parmers —Businessmeri. — Individuals
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Ronnenberg Insurance Agency
Open in Brussels = tuesday and #riday Only Ph. 8874663
Menkten Office Open Mainday. to' Saturday Mien
Phone 347,2241 Any Time:
Phone Early tor Appointment and Avoid the Rush
SAM
of the .
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We sell a complete line4Speed and Custom accessories plus
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For the Best Deal at the Best Price contact
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Blyth 523-9326'
If you require financing to start, modernize or
expand your business and are unable to
obtain it elsewhere on reasonable terms and
conditions or if you are interested in the
FBDB management services of counselling
and training or wish information on
government programs available for your
business, talk to our representative.
FEDERAL
BUSINESS
DEVELOPMENT BANK
Play cards
at 1 OOF
A pleasant social evening was
spent playing cards at the
Brussels 1.0.0.F. hall last Thurs-
day evening.
Prize winners were as follows:
High Lady - Mrs. Elsie Evans;
Low Lady - Mrs. Walter
Hackbart; High man - Walter
Hackbart; Low Man - Clarence'
Pegelow.
After play cOncluded lunch was
served by the committee in
charge.
Get Our rear in gear.
take a walk.
416' Ci
vartiriaanTO
t
Bluevale
WI at nursing home
Correspondent
Mrs. Joe Walker Cancer Society Canvas this year.
Members of the Bluevale The new cookbooks have arrived
Women's Institute travelled to and will be the same price as
Brookhaven Nursing Home on before. Members are asked to
Wednesday afternoon to visit take a gift or donation for the
with the residents there. Mrs. Cancer Cupboard next month.
Wendell Stamper, President, in- the Food Forum "More about
troduced the members and nutrition and family Meals" will
patients. A sing-song was enjoy- be held at Central Huron Secon-
ed with Mrs. Carl Johnston at the dary School, Clinton on April 6 at,
piano. Miss Margaret Curtis, a 8:00p.m.
resident of the Home thanked the Ladies of the •Institute served
ladies and ,invited them t6 her home made cookies and coffee to
room for their meeting. Miss the residents of the Home.
Curtis had been a former member The 'Annual meeting will be
of the Bluevale Institute for many held at the home of Mrs. Jim
years. Armstrong on April 14,with a pot
Mrs. Mel Craig and Mrs. Chas luck dinner preceding the
Mathers will be conveners of the; meeting.
SENIOR CITIZEN WEEK
20% DISCOUNT for SENIOR
CITIZEN with this ad. On anything in
the store
20% off on charm bracelets
Mayer'4 Jewellery & Gifts
Brussels 887-9000 Audrey & Lloyd
ASII
orthis
folder
from our
representative,
Wayne Rounding
who Will be at:
Blue Barn Motel & Restaurant
•LISTOWEL
on the 1st Thursday of each
month
[April 11
For i/rior inforination call 211-5650 or write
1636 Ontario Street; Stratford ,
opening neW doors to &nail business:
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