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The Brussels Post, 1977-02-09, Page 2Member Canadian. Community Newspaper Association and Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association *CNA Subscriptions (in advance) Canada $8.00 a year. Others $14.00 a year, Single Copies 20 cents each. Amen by Karl Schuessler Karl and the storm When you drive in a snowstorm, you can always rely on St. Christopher to get you through. And, of course, there's St. Anthony, the patron saint of lost articles. Or if things really get bad and you need a rescue, you can call on a St. Bernard. But for me, I'll stick with Pepper. My beloved cat Pepper and I will brave the winds together. Oh, it's not that Pepper wanted to go down to the Bornholm post office with me. But I had my Amen all typed. Ready to put in the mail on Friday. And for me that's early. That's way before a Monday deadlilne. I thought I'd surprise my editor. Keep her happy in this unpredictable snow blizzard country. "Come on, Pepper, let's go, " I said, "You've lazied around this house long enough. You gotta face life and all the storms. Not just curl up and snooze by the hot air register." Let's face it. I couldn't drag anyone else out of the house. And anyone in his right mind knows that yOu should travel in pairs in this kind of weather. Pepper, 1 figured, was better than nobody. She is some body. And even a small somebody produces its own kind of heat. And besides,I could always warm up my hands in her black thick fur. "Stop grumbling, Pepper," I said, "Things could be a lot worse. Remember what happened to the Meyer's family pet? When he died, that dog wound up as a pair of gauntlet gloves -- all nicely skinned and tanned for teatnstering.. "I don't have any after-life designs on you, Pepper. I just want you now alive,' warm and breathing—and keeping me company for the next three miles," I loaded up the car, Shovel. Salt. Sand. Blankets. "Yes, Pepper', I need to take the candle. 1-leard it over the radio. Light a candle in .your snowbanked car, and the tetriperattire won't go below freezing. "Oh, be quiet, Pepper. Flow do I know what I'd do when the candle burns out? You just sit there and no back talk; Yes, Pepper; I have to go to ifornfidlin. This trip is really necessary. I know. I know. If I were a little more efficient, I'd write these Amens a few weeks in advance. But that's none of your business, Pepper, I'll, write them whenI'm readly. "And besides, I want to go into Ralph's store in Bornholm and buy some old cheese. He's got great old cheese. Don't you see, Poppet? I have two good reasons for getting to Bornholm today. "Walk? Do you think I'm crazy, Pepper? Okay. So, what if that's the only way you know how to get around? Animals like you don't know any better. "You see you watched a certain young man walk those three miles to Bornholm twice this Week? Shhhh. That's enough out of you. So you think I couldn't do it? That I don't have enough stamina to tramp that far in zero weather.? Listen, Pepper, I have a car and I'm going to use it. What's a car, for? It's times like this, I need my car. , "You say the least I could have done was' buy a pair of snowtires, eh? That's enough. That's enough mouth out of you,: I can afford snow tires. I'm not -as tight as you may think. I have my reasons. I've talked to some of the locals, and they don't buy them, either. Just one more winter nuisance and not that much help either. "You think we're stuck, eh? Can't even get out of my own driveway? "Shovel ; Pepper, shovel. That's what this winter is all about. I've get,,to get out and shovel. Oh, no, you stay right here in the car. You're not sneaking out on me. You wait while I go out and rearrange a few square yards of snow. "Hey, I see a car trawling down the road. Jut a second, I'll be back. I want to talk to him.. " ad news, Pepper.,The road's blocked. We can't get through, to Borilholiii. There goes-my cheese. There goes' My Amen. "Come on out, Peper, have it your way. You win. Go back-to the.':hodse, you lazy' cat. Sleep this blizzard Off. Snooze away. while my reputation for ineeting deadlines gets snowed under Go ahead,, eat nap, Don't give a darn while .I spikityydrp and , try to saves my good tiaine. N/00111.114111111 • itswaustego 4Brussels Post BRUSSELS WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1977 . WAR 10 Serving Brussels and the surrounding community. Published each Wednesday afternoon at Brussels, Ontario by McLean, Bros, Publishers, Limited, Evelyn Kennedy Editor Dave Robb - Advertising A tricky game There's more than one way to close a hospital. That's what former provincial health minister Frank Miller has been telling us. But the portion of Premier Davis' recent cabinet shuffle which took Mr. Miller out of his job at Health, seems designed to make sure those ways to close hospitals don't get tested, at least not until after Ontario's not totally unexpected upcoming provincial election is over. The song and dance goes something like this. A government appeal against a court decision which allowed four Ontario hospitals to stay open, will be heard next week. Now, in case the government were to lose the appeal and the courts rule that the .hospitals can stay open, former health minister Miller had another ace up his sleeve. He had, he's been saying for months now, legislation ready that would allow the government to close the hospitals. And if. the cabinet did not agree, he'd resign the health protfolio. But that whole mess. has been neatly avoided by the smart move of Mr. Miller to the Natural Resources ministry,., where his talents will be needed at least'as badly as they, were in Health. Neither Mr. Miller or the government has to lose face if their appeal is lost and the hqspitals stay open. The proposed legislation, the, other way to close hospitals, cap sit quietly in limbo. It looks very much like a smart pre-election ploy. The provincial Conservatives will have all sorts of leeway to fight the hospital closing issue in that election. Both opposition parties are saying that they'll make the closings an issue. f he Tories can take the wind out of that by saying "see we're not exactly committed to closing hospitals now, we've taken Mr. Miller out of health." Having robbed • the opposition parties of one potentially explosive issue, they can go to win their election. They could conceivably win by a much wider margin than they did in 1975. Then, with young, outspoken and capable Dennis Timbrell as minister of health, the newly elected Progressive Conservative government can close all the hospitals they'd like to. And that list is probably a .lot longer than four. Seaforth Community Hospital, and many other small institutions could find themselves facing closure along with Clinton and the other three who were given the chop last year, as quickly as you can say Goderich Psychiatric Hospital. It's a tricky game, politics. And our present Tory government hasn't been in office for a. straight 34 years without learning how to play it well.