The Rural Voice, 1983-04, Page 61MCDONAGH
REAL ESTATE BROKER
FOR FARMS IN THE AREA
Contact:
Fraser MacKinnon
Dave MacKinnon
395-2880
395-2483
BOX 250 LUCKNOW, ONT
NOG 2H0
Bus. 528-2031
528-3423
Ward & Uptigrove
CHARTERED
ACCOUNTANTS
Listowel 291-3040
Mitchell 348-8412
H B Karcher C A.
C D Newell. C A.
I W Smith. C.A.
R E. Uptrgrove. C A.
Supervisors
C.W Brouse. C A
R H Loree. C A
GISELE IRELAND
Travel
is broadening
Rumour has it that farmers who go to
Florida are playing Russian roulette
with their financial status. Curiosity and
the longing to see my parents made
Brian and I decide to check out the
validity of this vicious rumour. We
talked another couple into joining us
and left on a quest for sunshine and
knowledge. We threw some shorts into
a suitcase and took off. All of you who
farm know I am fabricating the ease
with which we left. For most of us, it
takes as long to get ready for a vacation
as it takes to actually go. Along with
your luggage you drag guilt complexes
and the knowledge that you really can't
afford it.
The first thing we discovered was
that there is a lot of country between
Cut out this ad for a 15%
discount on accessories for April.
HONDA
CY-JO CYCLE
1190 Wallace Ave. N., Listowel
PG. 58 THE RURAL VOICE, APRIL 1983
1
519-291-1556
J
here and there. And a lot of places to
pig out. We found some of the U.S.
could stand a trainload of paint and
some scrap dealers. Rusty, dismantled
remnants of cars were a common sight.
Wringer washing machines on the por-
ches of what passed for houses were
new to us, as were mules working the
land. They hadn't invented power take-
offs for mules where we were.
In Georgia the men had taken enough
of our backseat driving and left us in a
shopping mall while they toured. Two
hours later we were still standing like a
pair of petunias in the mall while the
men were frantically trying to locate
where they had left us. I was convinced
the only reason they picked us up again
was because we had all the money and
the credit cards.
Not one of us could ever lay claim to
a mean and lean body, but what we
brought home was ridiculous. We got
to the point where it was impossible to
see the television lying on our backs
because our bread baskets got in the
way. I kept telling myself that the
shocks in the car were bad and that
was the reason it was hanging low in
the back. When I stepped on the scale I
knew that it was the market weight
women in the rear. We literally ate our
way through one-third of the U.S. The
only exercise we had was lugging the
suitcases in and out of motels and
dragging our way into eating establish-
ments.
I convinced myself that the humidity
of the south had shrunk our clothes,
but it wasn't any better at home. Fat
and lazy caught up with us, and it was
an effort to tie our workboots let alone
sprint out like a bunny and move
mountains. The labour muscles had
atrophied.
To make sure that the Florida rumour
doesn't take hold in our community we
are going to have to live on toothpicks
and water for awhile and not groan so
much when we bend over. You can't
farm successfully around here if you
get stuck in the loading chute. ❑
Gisele Ireland is a pork producer from
Bruce county and has a regular column
in The Rural Voice.