The Scoop February/March 2013

SCOOP The

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

www.thescoop.ca

celebrates rural life

Dale Ritchie

Belle Starr Entertains

Erratic in Tamworth

Hockey Gold

Little Foxes

THE

SCOOP CELEBRATES RURAL LIFE Founded in 2005 by Richard Saxe PUBLISHER / DESIGNER / AD SALES Karen Nordrum stonemills.scoop@gmail.com EDITOR Angela Saxe angela.saxe@gmail.com PHOTOGRAPHER Barry Lovegrove barrylovegrove@bell.net All photographs are by Barry Lovegrove unless otherwise noted.

HOW TO CONTACT US Telephone: 613-379-5369 Email: stonemills.scoop@gmail.com Web: www.thescoop.ca For written enquiries you can reach us at: Stone Mills Scoop 482 Adair Road, Tamworth, ON K0K 3G0 THE SCOOP is published six times a year by Stone Mills Scoop. Copies are delivered for free to 6000 households in the communities of Tamworth, Centreville, Enterprise, Erinsville, Camden East, Newburgh, Colebrook, Yarker, Verona, Hartington, Sydenham, Roblin, Selby, Parham, Kaladar, and Stella. An additional 1000 copies are distributed to select locations throughout Lennox & Addington County.

SUBSCRIPTIONS 1 year: $30 + HST = $33.90 CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Sebastian Back, J. Bartlett, Leah Birmingham, Sally Bowen, Carolyn Butts, Mary-Jo Field, J. Huntress, Thomasina Larkin, Barry Lovegrove, Cam Mather, Blair McDonald, Reba Pennell, Allan Proulx, Cora Reid, Blair Richards, Angela Saxe, Grace Smith, Terry Sprague, Merola Tahamtan, Ivy Vinette, Isabel Wright.

The contents of this publication are protected by copyright. Reproduction of this publication in whole or in part without prior written permission of Stone Mills Scoop is prohibited. The Scoop is an independent publication and is not affiliated with nor funded by any corporation or interest group.

Here’s The Scoop ...

By Angela Saxe

I

recently decided to make a list of all my biggest fears. Predictably, there were the fears around illness, suffering and death, but the one that got me really thinking was the fear of not having access to the natural world.

The thought of not being able to walk out my front door and into nature actually terrifies me. I’m outside as much as possible – weather permitting. I love to walk through the woods and spot the hepatica and trilliums flowering in the early spring while the daffodils are pushing their way out of the garden beds.

Even today as I walk through the snow, I marvel at the diversity and busyness of all the animals that live around me: the slender, deep tracks of deer, the straight arrow markings of grouse, the tiny imprints of mice and voles as they scurry along the top of the snow. Whether it’s the animals, the flora or even the colour of the hay fields as the sky sets in the west, nature stirs some very powerful feelings in me.

Humans have always bonded strongly with a piece of land - it’s one of the most elemental of human behaviours. Over twenty-five years ago, my husband and I fell in love with our piece of land. A lot of hard work, time and money has gone into this love affair but it’s been worth it just to be able to stand and marvel at the patterns the wind makes as it whips up the snow in the fields.

Make no mistake, I’m equally aware of the back-breaking work the original settlers and homesteaders did in order to turn the wild forest and bush into pastoral farm land. They too must have felt the bond of ownership

Letters and submissions are most welcome and encouraged. This is your community magazine devoted to celebrating the stories and lives of the folks who live here. Get involved!

Let us know what’s happening in your area.

COVER PHOTO Dale Ritchie in Kaladar.

Credit: Barry Lovegrove.

SCOOP Distribution We mail The Scoop for free to 6000 households in the communities of Tamworth, Centreville, Enterprise, Erinsville, Camden East, Newburgh, Colebrook, Yarker, Verona, Hartington, Sydenham, Roblin, Selby, Parham, Kaladar & Stella. We also arrange with local retailers (convenience stores, gas stations, etc.) to display 1000 additional issues of The Scoop in Napanee & many other locations. Subscriptions to The Scoop cost $30 + HST annually by first class mail ($33.90). We encourage you to subscribe - your subscriptions go towards our print & mailing costs.

The SCOOP’s looking for writers!

Are you a community-minded person who loves to write?

Well then join our team and have fun writing for the best little newsmagazine in the area!

Contact Angela Saxe: angela.saxe@gmail.com 2 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

and love of the land; their descendants still live on the family farm or in the small rural communities in this area and they also have a strong passion for the land.

Yet I can’t forget that the land I’m living on was once part of a First Nations community.

Nearby, a spit of land on Beaver Lake is known as Indian Point. Native families would set up winter camp there because they could catch fish on the lake and then use the open river as a highway down to the big waters of Lake Ontario where they could trade. Men, women and children lived on this land and knew it intimately. I can assume that they, like the original settlers and the generations of people since then, including myself, have all felt a strong connection to the land.

The problems now facing First Nations people today are immense and new solutions are absolutely necessary. Hopefully this generation of highly educated and motivated native people can work with the Canadian government to find ways of improving the life of their people while protecting the environment and sharing in the wealth of the land.

First Nations and aboriginal people object to Bill C-45, now before the Senate, because it changes the Indian act: for example a decision to lease reserve land can now be voted on only by those who come to the meeting as opposed to the majority of eligible voters.

It also changes the Navigation Protection Act so that energy companies do not need to prove that their project will “not hurt” the environment unless the waterway is on a list prepared by the transportation minister. The amendment removed the protection of 99.9 per cent of the lakes and rivers in Canada.

No matter how powerful our feelings of ownership are, we all have a responsibility to be good stewards of the land while we are alive. Everyone, whether it’s the government, First Nations people or individual Canadian landowners, should keep in mind the wisdom of the ancient aboriginal proverb: Treat the earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children.

We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children.

The origins of this discontent and frustration come from a history of “stolen lands and broken promises.” Centuries of racism and negative stereotyping has created a public perception that their claims are not legitimate and they have no right to withhold the rich resources that the country needs to develop. But we have to educate ourselves and try to understand why Native Canadians are now organizing demonstrations, hunger strikes and blocking rail lines.

FRENCH FOR KIDS We offer French immersion for kids aged 3-8 in our Tamworth home. Drop off your child after school for conversation, reading, counting, singing, & playing learning games - in French!

Some previous knowledge of French is great, but not required.

See your nature photos posted on The SCOOP’s website & Facebook page

Email for more info: stonemills.scoop@gmail.com

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Do you have a terrific photograph of coyotes wandering across your fields?

A barred owl perched on a limb?

Send us your nature photos with the following information: a. Identify the animal, plant or scene b. where the photograph was taken c. & the name of photographer And we’ll do the rest!

Contact Barry Lovegrove: barrylovegrove@bell.net

expand especially now under their new owners: Dalton Cowper and Beverly Frazer. As a team they work long hours but it is quickly evident thatofthey doinghave whatadditional they love.

Do any ourare readers information about the following two items from Many Itofseems us that stilla recall the Napanee Beaver? test wellthe went down 900 feet looking for oil in Verona, owners Poppy Harrison whileoriginal tests were being conducted for natural gas in North Fredericksburgh. and David Greenland who opened SELECTIONS FROM their doors boasting that “they made THE NAPANEE BEAVER Vol. the 27, No. Friday,in May 15, 1896. best20.bagels Eastern Ontario.”

Wm. Templeton, Editor and Proprietor.

Over the years the Bakery changed The residents this locality owners but theof quality of the food are in a state of anxious and the baked items only got betexpectancy to learn the decision of the company prospecting for Now Bev and Dalton,the with the oilter. near Verona, respecting sinking of a test well here. A aid large of David, who still does the bulk very amount of property has been leased, and within of the baking, have expanded the the last few days upwards of 1,000 secured menuacres and have offer been a greater variety of on Big Creek. B. E. Steele, accompanied an always experthas a take-out items.byBev from Boston, sent specially to inspect this case, were here who warm smile to greet everyone Thursday last. A test was made entersproved The Bakery and many of her which satisfactory, although not as strong a recipes are was now inproduced demand.as Annette flow of gas on previous occasions. The Wilson,foralong with Anita Wilson, reason this being the fact that a large quantity of clay welcome the patrons andtheprovide has apparently settled into seams and crevices the rock, pop first class service. ofCustomers thus preventing the usual flow, but there right,bread, and mufby itto ispick up aallbagels, only requires the removal of six feet of and water andvariety another fins, pies a wide of other blast put in to set it flowing with renewed Mr.can Schell baked goodsvigor. or they sit down has been working energetically and have delicious lunch from the since last afall to have a test made and we believe he will expanding menu. oldtofavounow succeed.

He The went Verona to-day when the final rites, such as be themade much-loved decision will in thelemon matter. We have every reason tarts are still available but look for to believe his efforts to have a what’s test made new. will A bigultimately hit has been the succeed. slow-cooked ribs that are offered Friday nights as part of a prix fixe menu with five delicious courses.

Dalton, well known for his year-round boarding kennel for dogs called the Regal Beagle on Hwy. 41, had already brought the same level of attention to detail and a love for quality organic pet foods with little or no preservatives to their kennel. I share Dalton’s love of dogs and can appreciate the attention he pays to keeping both his and his clients’ dogs on a nutritionally sound diet which gives the lucky pooches wonderful immune systems and superior health. So it’s not a surprise that Dalton and Bev wanted the very best for the customers that visit The Bakery.

The Regal Beagle was envi-

new show: Dogs with Dalton… never a dog’s breakfast!

The website for the RegalHAZARDOUS Beagle www.regalbeagleunleashed.com offers aDAY wealth of inWASTE formation for dogApril lovers. 27, Saturday The website for- the Bakery is in 8 a.m.

2 p.m. progress:Mills www.riverbakery.com Stone Township lot

Natural Gas? Oil Wells?

TopSave photo: Dalton and Bev.toxins! up your Bottom: Dalton, Anita, and Bev. Photo credits: Barry Lovegrove.

sioned as the culmination of a five year plan when they first moved to Kingston. While working at a fulltime position, Dalton managed to fit in several years of part-time work learning more about dog training with boarding experts in Kingston. well.

Dalton believes19th thatcentury when oildogs are boarded, they are embarking on theirnatural own holiday The gas from well home. on theThey farm of Mr. Schell, North join the Cowper dogswas whotested live there Fredericksburgh, one day last weekfor bythe Mr.duration B. (all seven of them) C. Steele, one of the owners.

A thrust of lighted their stay;torch they was become a part of into the mouth of the well, and the gas pack. ignited immediately, the dog Dalton’s love of dogs bubbling up through the water, and spreading over its was evident when he rhymed off his surface in a sheet of flame. The ownisdogs names: Dabney, Saxon well not an unusually strong one, Mr. Steele says, but better (the newbie), Kilty, Cooper, results can bePorter, got by boring in other localities in the district, Lacy and Louis Targethas (yes,been he is so possession of which secured by the company. The special he has his own last name). firm will commence work at once work well,three and sink Theretoare twotheLabs, Beagles, others in the neighborhood. a Bloodhound and a Coonhound; all of them serving as excellent hosts welcoming the other dogs into the kennel.

Some dogs may never have experienced this before, but dogs love to socialize with other dogs.

Since they are free to mingle and roam in a safe environment, they learn to enjoy the comfort of a routine that includes a nap and, yes, a weekly campfire night on Saturdays when humans and all the dogs are quite literally “happy campers”.

Dalton was pleased to learn that the burn ban has been lifted for now so the dogs won’t have to miss this special campfire night. Returning “clientele” recognize their holiday spot and jump out of the cars looking forward to another visit. For own-

A Scoop reader submitted this photo of a downy woodpecker in winter.

The Scoop

Caregiver Support Drop-In Southern Frontenac Community Services Corporation offers a Caregiver Support Drop-in the second Tuesday of every month from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at Grace Centre in Sydenham.

This is an opportunity for those who are Caregivers to enjoy a cup of coffee/tea with other Caregivers in a safe and supportive environment.

It is possible, with prior arrangements, to bring your loved one with you who will be cared for by caring and qualified staff of the Adult Day Service.

For more information please contact: Mary Gaynor-Briese, Caregiver Support 613-376-6477

ers, this is a huge relief knowing that their pets are in good hands. Even QUINTE as a youngster, Dalton was drawn to dogs, caringFILM for his own family’s ALTERNATIVE dogs and for those he walked as a presents part-time job while growing up. Bev alsoGloves dogs Labrador! ReREAT M OVIE and WEDNESDAYS at The Theatre, trievers haveEmpire a special place in her St. Belleville heart321 as sheFront always had a loving Lab Matinee at 2:00 p.m. growing up.

Evening show at 7:30 p.m.

The kennel has many home February air 13conditioning, comforts including MIDNIGHT’S homemade and CHILDREN branded organic February 27 treats and CBC radio for their listenA LATE QUARTET ing pleasure.

Some of the March 13 visitors canine kindWAR stayWITCH for a month or 6 MarchThere 27 -is a feeling of weeks at a time.

STORIES WE TELL comfort and safety communicated more info please visit: www.

by For thequintefi resident dogs to newcomers lmalternative.ca or ‘Find us on Facebook’. and plenty of time to enjoy human

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| 3

Rural Telephone Companies “Handkerchief Language”

By Cora Reid

The following lines were found in Cora Reid’s house among some old letters dated 1879-80.

A

one-page article entitled “Rural Roots” appeared in The Better Farming Magazine written by Campbell Cork of Mount Forest, in which he described the early days of the telephone in rural Ontario. “Telephones were as new fangled and strange as anyone could imag ine at the turn of the last century. Some users worried that they could catch diseases travelling down the wire. Others thought people could see them when they picked up the phone. Everyone wanted a telephone in 1900 like everyone wanted the Internet in 2000.”

Taking it by the centre, you are too willing Dropping it: we will be friends Twirling it in both hands: indifference Drawing it across the cheek: I love you Drawing it through the hands: I hate you Letting it rest on the right cheek: yes Letting it rest on the left cheek: no Twirling it in the left hand: I wish to be rid of you Twirling it in the right hand: I love another Holding it: I wish to speak to you Flirt it over the right shoulder: follow me Opposite corners in both hands: wait for me Drawing it across the forehead: we are watched Lifting it to the right ear: you have changed Letting it remain on the eyes: you are cruel Winding it around the forefinger: I am engaged Winding it around the third finger: I am married Putting it in the pocket: no more at present Crumple it up in the hand: I am impatient

I suspect that the Touch the right eye twice as your last signal. problem of getting a telephone then (like getting hi-speed Internet ser vice Telephone construction workers during the telephone today) was that construction boom. Newmarket, Ontario, 1906. the Bell Telephone Company was not them to string their line above the tracks, interested in providing telephone service they put a piece of galvanized pipe under to rural customers who were spread over the rails between the ties and ran the wire miles of country roads. If farmers wanted a through to connect them at no cost. telephone system they would have to build it themselves - so that is what happened.

In 1910 a long distance line from Enterprise to Roblin was built with twenty of miles Rural residents joined together to look of poles bringing the telephone into the into the possibility of providing telephone homes of farmers. As Mr. Corks tells us service to their areas. They eventually in his article: “By 1921 there were almost became the owners, staff and shareholders 700 independent telephone companies in of their companies. Eventually the Bell Ontario.”

Telephone Co. helped these independent groups by offering yearly inspection By 1960 many of these independent Printed “flirtation card” found in a private Hudson, NY services and helping them to improve the collection of ephemera. Source: sampratt.com. companies had been bought by larger equipment and the service. But these rural companies like Bell but there telephone companies were still connected were others that were still to Bell through their switchboards in order operable. Tamworth had the to operate. What started off as simple lines Redden Telephone Co. Ltd. between farms eventually linked their The Yarker Rural Telephone communities as the network of small Co. brought ser vice to companies spread across Ontario.

Yarker and Colbrook while the Newburgh Rural line ran A description of a couple of these private through Centreville, Forest lines in the Moscow and Desmond area can Mills, Croydon, Strathcona, be found in the Camden Township History Selby, Roblin and Camden Born Jan-Apr on test at Broekland Farms, Tweed archives. Joseph Foster, a farmer east of East.

Keith Gilbert 613-393-5336 gilcroftmaines@hotmail.com Moscow, built a telephone line between himself and a neighbouring farm south of The expense of upgrading him. Another farmer built a line between equipment and keeping up his two farms. In 1905 a Desmond farmer, with greater demand has seen Horatio Bell and his three sons bought the end of these independent three telephones and built a line across telephone companies the fields to connect their houses. Moscow - except for a handful merchants, the VanLuven Brothers, across Ontario. Today, who were also able to obtain some old rural residents are more telephones made arrangements with the concerned about getting hiBells to have their lines meet at the railway speed Internet service into tracks at Moscow. When they learned that their communities. they would need to buy a permit to allow

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Napanee Photo Club

By Barry Lovegrove

O

n the second Tuesday of the month at 7:30 pm a bunch of snap-happy Napanee Photo Club members meet at the County Memorial Building at 41 Dundas Street West, in Napanee. I joined the club a couple of years ago and have really enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and camaraderie among the club members. What I like about the club is that the emphasis is placed on the photographic images and not as much on the equipment that takes them.

Hence the name Napanee Photo Club.

I have had my eye stuck behind a camera’s view finder since I was fourteen years old. I started off with an old box camera and then I got a Kodak Brownie 128 and started making my own contact prints. A lot has changed over the years. Now-a-days everyone has a camera, be it a 35megapxle Digital Signal Lens Reflex (DSLR), a point and shoot or a cell phone.

Every year the photo quality gets better and cameras are made to fit into one’s pocket. I have a Canon G12, point and shoot that really takes great photos and movies. I also carry around a chunk of metal called a Nikon D800 DSLR with a 28-300mm telephoto lens. It’s

big and heavy but produces great results and gives me the opportunity of many settings with which I like to experiment.

Cell phone images are great for capturing a moment in time and then sending the image to a friend immediately. There is also so much computer software available these days that can enhance any image. The days of enlargers, developers and fixers are almost things of the past. As are those rolls of film that we had to take to a store to get them processed. Today images get downloaded into our computers and that’s where they stay for the most part.

In many ways it’s a shame that we don’t seem to print and store them in albums anymore.

The nice thing about the Napanee Photo Club is they encourage their members by having Photo competitions, theme slide show evenings and they provide an opportunity to have photos critiqued anonymously by all the members. In October they also put on a photography exhibition at the Napanee General Hospital which has proven to be very successful; it gives members an opportunity to showcase their work. Throughout the

year the club has guest speakers who present interesting photography based on subjects such as underwater, flower, macro photography etc . At Januar y ’s meeting Garry Kirsch a club member who is an avid birder and wildlife photographer gave a presentation on how he and his wife Elaine go about photographing birds, the best places to go locally to photograph them and he even gave tips on how they do it.

Garry Kirsch.

I was talking to Mike World, one of the founding club members, and he told me that the club started in 1984 back when there was a photo shop in Napanee run by Jeff

Webster. He was one of the two professional photographers in Napanee at that time.

Not only would Jeff be out photographing weddings, family photos and portraits he would also process peoples films and slides.

This is where it all started. Jeff was starting to notice the excellent quality of photography that was coming through his store from several of his regular customers. He then got the idea of forming a photo club and approached several of his customers that he thought might be interested. Ten interested photographers met in an un-used store in the old Napanee mall, gathered a few chairs together and talked about starting the club.

Thus the Napanee Photo Club was formed.

Mike no longer lives in the Napanee area but he commutes to every meeting from Gananoque with his wife Judy whenever possible. He told me that over the years the club has generally averaged about thirty members, both men and women. Not everyone has a highfaluting camera with all the bells and whistles. One lady said she bought her camera because it was red.

The idea of the club is to have fun, get out in the fresh air by yourself or with friends and take photos. Graem Coles, this year’s president said one of the club’s objectives is to encourage people to join in order to improve their photography skills and to share their passion and enjoyment with other likeminded people.

Having said all this, check-out the club’s website at www.napanee_photo_club.tripod. com The quality of the members’ photos is phenomenal and they have won many awards.

You can also check out some of the members’ website links – they really are worth seeing.

Napanee Photo Club 2013 members.

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| 5

The Wildlife Rescue Dilemma

By Leah Birmingham

W

e handle several thousand phone calls annually at Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre; with an admission rate of 2000 animals per year, you can bet the actual calls coming in are double that number. For those who don’t work in the animal welfare industry, 2000 patients is A LOT and especially with little to no funding. The majority of our funds come from donations by people. Not that we aren’t constantly exploring other options (grants, corporate sponsorship, etc.), it just comes down to the fact that most of the funding for wildlife care comes from caring individuals, not large organizations with oodles of ‘loot’.

I have already gone off topic, because the goal of this article is to explain to the general public why they do not get the response they would like when they find an injured wild animal and start making calls in search of help.

Most often people are dismayed when they are informed that no organization/government body is funded to do the rescue. In fact the majority of actual wildlife rescues in Eastern Ontario are done by caring individuals who come across an injured animal and want to find it some help. This is not so hard for most people if the injured animal is easy to catch, stunned or in shock from the initial trauma, and/or near dead. However, there are a multitude of circumstances by which the animal is still capable of a high degree of mobility and still in need of help. Here are a couple of scenarios that illustrate this situation in particular.

A while back there was the case of an injured female osprey who was unable to leave her nest which had several young; the confused father didn’t know how to deal with their scenario either. Sue Meech the founder and director of SPWC, knew exactly how to help but she needed a machine like those used by Ontario Hydro to hoist her up to the nest in order to retrieve the female osprey. We were willing and able to help, but lacked the resources to make it happen, and if you don’t have a personal contact with the businesses that own and operate cranes and cherry pickers, you are stone walled quite quickly. Eventually the word got to the ‘right’ person who contacted another ‘right’ person in Ontario Hydro and Sue was brought in to instruct their worker on how to capture and remove the female osprey. Unfortunately, by the time this all happened the mother bird was dead. However, removing her body allowed Dad to get on with raising the young; all flew beautifully and eventually they migrated south for winter!

Credit: Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre.

Water birds with fishing line/hook entanglements are often unable to forage for food and sustain their waterproofing by grooming. Unfortunately many of them can still swim/fly or even run away from a capture situation. Even in times of great suffering these animals know that to be caught by humans is a death sentence. They do not know our intentions are to help, and if they can avoid us they will. In this scenario, many people call in to SPWC for assistance.

Even if we can monitor from a distance, we can’t out swim a loon, out run a mallard or out fly a gull, we too are left helpless. Other similar predicaments may involve deer who are injured but still able to run (and most notably kick) or young orphans of many species stuck in nests high up in trees. We spend countless hours helping wildlife but we’re not always successful.

These types of rescue are full of adrenalin, passion and a pleasure to participate in. That being said, caring for the patients already at SPWC puts pressure on our funding every year. The notion of adding a rescue team, at this point in time is not financially feasible.

There simply is not enough reliable annual funding to employ people who are able and

6 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

John McClellan

A SPWC patient from 2011. Credit: Sandy Pines Wildlife Centre. willing to face the myriad of scenarios in which wildlife are found in need of rescue.

If we were able to hire and train the necessary bodies, logistics would then pose a problem.

We receive calls from all over Eastern Ontario (heck sometimes from all over Canada), how do you affordably mobilize a rescue team to cover that area? In many circumstances you would be sending your rescue team on a literal ‘wild goose’ chase, because wildlife continue to move, especially if they are aware they have been spotted. So the animal in all likelihood will not even be there when your team arrives!

licenses our work they do not fund it. It is my understanding that funds from the OMNR are allotted to local Stewardship Councils that then choose organizations and projects to dole the money out to. We have been lucky to have been the recipient of funds from several local Stewardship Councils (Frontenac, Lennox and Addington, and Hastings to name a few), however they often want to fund a specific project, which can turn into more work, adding pressure on existing resources. Recent government policy and funding changes are depleting the Stewardship Councils as well.

As is evident with the OSPCA’s Cruelty Inspectors, there would never be enough man power to cover all the scenarios and a few underpaid people end up doing the work of many.

At this point in time injured animals have no one to help them, but you. With a little guidance from SPWC we can talk you through the rescue, or help you decide if this rescue is even possible. It is a harsh cruel world, and only the injured patients, fortunate to have been rescued by someone who simply cared enough to step outside their comfort zone and rescue the animal, have a chance to recover. The next step is getting it to a wildlife centre, usually accomplished by a volunteer.

When finally they reach our doors, we will help ease their pain and suffering and provide them with a safe, warm and quiet location to convalesce in.

This situation has certainly become more relevant since the OSPCA took wildlife off their mandate. Therefore when you call most Humane Societies and OSPCA shelters, you are informed that no one will go out and help the animal. If a wildlife centre or simply individual wildlife rehabilitators are known to that branch they will forward your call on. Before these changes, there was more cooperation between wildlife rehabbers and humane societies. With the mandated changes, OSPCA agents who go and help in wildlife rescues, risk their job and their shelter’s funding. If a cruelty complaint or domestic animal in need call is placed and that agent cannot be located quickly, they are in deep trouble for disregarding policy.

Most want to help, but their hands are tied.

All wildlife custodians or rehabilitators are licensed in Ontario (by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources or OMNR) to house and care for wild animals. It is illegal for any member of the public to house wildlife for longer than 24 hours whilst trying to locate a licensed individual. While the Ministry

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So that is the state of injured wildlife in Ontario. Now you know why your actions are so critical in helping our good work happen.

If you are willing and able to help with rescue and transport of injured wildlife to SPWC please contact info@sandypineswildlife. org and ask to be added to our volunteer transportation list.

Leah Birmingham is the Assistant Director at SPWC. As a Registered Veterinary Technician, she helps manage patient care and treatment.

As well as coordinating a successful Internship Program, handling media relations, and assisting Sue Meech with management of the staff and operations of SPWC.

A Thoughtful Approach…

I

By Mary-Jo Field

t’s January, winter is upon us, and many of us are in post-Christmas, take-a-breath mode, at least for a few hours. Time to think. Some of us are even thinking about our gardens, and what we might do differently.

The Tamworth-Erinsville GrassRoots Growers hosted two thought-provoking evenings late last year. On Tuesday, October 16 an attentive audience heard from Paul Fritz about alternatives to lawns, and on Tuesday, November 20 an equally engaged audience listened as Karen Holmes introduced her thoughts on the merits of a strong local food economy. If you believe, as I do, that a stimulating presentation leaves you with both questions answered and questions to ponder further, the evenings were highly successful.

Paul Fritz, a retired history professor, has excellent qualifications for speaking to gardening groups, having built a fabulous garden surrounding his historic family stone cottage near Athens, Ontario. His home has been featured in Century Homes magazine, and his gardens were chosen as the cover feature for the 25th anniversary issue of Harrowsmith Country Life. They have been the subject of a PBS show “From a Country Garden”, and won second prize in a Canada-wide contest for Canadian Gardening magazine. Although Paul has spent years building a remarkable perennial garden with a special emphasis on heritage roses, he has become convinced over the last few years that some of our labour-intensive gardening practices could use a fresh examination, especially our apparent affection for great stretches of mown, weed-free lawns around our houses and gardens.

In recognition of this new direction in gardening, several m a n i c u re d a c re s behind his house have been allowed to return to a more natural pasture with wild grasses and flowers and only a few mown paths through it to meander and appreciate the diversity of form, colour and fragrance provided by native species. The world famous Dutch garden designer and plantsman, Piet Olduf, is primarily credited with bringing about this transformation of thought and approach, along with Rob Leopold, Ton Ter Linden and Henk Gerritsen, all great names to research if you are interested in exploring this way of gardening. In addition to cutting back on the amount of grass cutting, Paul has become a proponent of more natural gardens overall, with less staking of plants that could otherwise look gracious falling about freely, and less dead-heading of plants whose seedheads are attractive and provide food for animals in our environment.

Our November event turned our thoughts from the ornamental and decorative, to gardening to meet that most basic of needs, nourishment. Karen Holmes is a gardener and beekeeper in Bellrock, and a contributor to Food Down the Road, the newsletter of the Kingston area National Farmers’ Union. She does not claim to be an expert in local food, rather she is interested in researching to determine what is actually going on in food production. It is a complex and multi-faceted topic that Karen introduced with myriad facts and provocative questions. Just who is a food producer? Almost everyone, if you consider farmers, gardeners, retailers, cooks. What is included in the “cost” of food? There is much talk about how expensive food is, but did you know that in the USA in 1970, 18% of income was spent on food and 10% on health care? In 2010, those figures are almost reversed, with 9% going to food and 16% to healthcare. How do you factor in the cost to the environment of monoculture farming and factory farms with their extensive use of chemical fertilizers, pesticides and antibiotics, destruction of pollinators, contamination of groundwater and loss of soil fertility? Is food security a basic human right? Karen’s research indicates 2.5 million Canadians are “food insecure”. The numbers of food bank and meal-programme users are going up. In Canada, the number of acres dedicated to growing fruits and vegetables is declining, except for grapes. (I suppose we can drown our worries in a glass of local wine!) The average age of farmers in Ontario is 53.

Personally, I was very intereste d in the discussion of how Corporate Industrial Agriculture (another CIA to vilify??) uses words in advertising a n d o t h e r fo r m s of communication about food security, safety and availability.

Karen presented some thou g hts on how words create “spin” and demonize the local food movement.

The higher cost of local and organic food is emphasized to create the impression that it leads to an elitist, 2-tier food system and that the local food movement will return us to a world of subsistence farming. On the other hand, corporate food advertising uses positive words such as “strengths”, and “feeding a growing world” to portray the global food industry as the best and possibly the only answer to food now and in the future.

Karen noted that to protect ourselves from being unduly influenced by partisan communication, we must be aware of words and their impact on our thinking.

Growing food to put on our table for family and guests, and giving away surplus produce, is a tremendous pleasure for me.

But I also know it is a lot of work.

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Less clear to me however, is how far we can take the local food idea. Few who know me

would doubt that I am an ardent gardener.

Some might say obsessed.

I have already ordered most of my vegetable seeds for the 2013 season.

Onions, leeks, shallots and fennel will soon be sprouting on the window ledges.

Growing food to put on our table for family and guests, a nd g i v i n g away surplus produce, is a tremendous pleasure for me. But I also know it is a lot of work. In retirement, I have chosen to spend untold hours in the garden, and what I grow would probably feed a family of eight.

Many people do not have that choice, or the space or decent soil, or the inclination or the good health. My admittedly very limited conversations with local producers who have ventured into the farm gate or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) field confirm that it is indeed very hard work, and if they have not already given up, they continue to search for alternate, less labour intensive crops or methods, and / or question whether the model will work.

So how do we feed our cities? Can we ever get to a point where people are prepared to pay enough to make it worthwhile for enough farmers to work small, diversified landholdings and sell on a local basis? We could also ask when people will give up shopping at the Walmarts and Costcos of this world. According to Doug Saunders, author of Arrival City, a recent book which explores migration patterns of people around the world, cities are currently growing by five million people every month. More people now live in cities than in rural areas. Given that farming and food production are largely rural activities, we might need to better define what local means, and focus more on increased production, better distribution systems, and more environmentally friendly, ecologically sustainable practices.

A trip to Montreal does give me hope, though. The second largest city in Canada and the 15th largest in North America, Montreal has a number of colourful, vibrant markets, open year round and selling a preponderance of locally grown produce and locally made cheeses, meats and artisanal food items, at what I consider reasonable prices, especially the fresh produce in season. What a treat to go there. But what I have not been able to determine is market share – how much of

the population shops at local markets on a regular basis and what portion of their foodshopping dollars is spent there? How big would the markets need to be and how many farms within 100 miles would there have to be to feed the whole city of Montreal? Not to mention Toronto or London or New York City. Surely the eat local idea is not just about rural eastern Ontario, else what is the point?

A few questions to ponder as we prepare for the 2013 gardening season.

Tamworth-Erinsville GrassRoots Growers continues to offer timely, pertinent and informative events. Next up, at 7 pm on Tuesday, January 21 at the Tamworth Library is a demonstration on seed starting, transplanting, and hardening off plus a free seed/bulb/houseplant exchange and sale of secondhand gardening books and magazines. In the works for future meetings are a workshop on garlic growing and a discussion group on starting a community garden. Everyone is invited to these free events. Come, participate, and enjoy free light refreshments. All are welcome.

Also, visit our website at te-grassrootsgrowers. weebly.com to learn more and check on specific dates for upcoming events.

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FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 7

It Takes a Team

By J. Huntress

F

or the past two years a team of six Tamworth women has helped plan the Tamworth Christmas festivities: Kathee Hutcheon, Marilyn McGrath, Peg Campbelton, Lorraine Prue, Barb Pogue, and Judith Huntress. The group named itself the Christmas Events Committee (CEC) and it follows a Mission Statement Marilyn McGrath wrote in September 2011: We exist to bring the community together to experience the joy and nostalgia of the holiday season, to strengthen family bonds, to creating lasting memories for children and to support community spirit.

The Royal Canadian Legion #458 and Tamworth Lions Club have always played an important role during this time by collecting food items to fill Christmas Hampers for needy Tamworth families and by encouraging parents to bring their children to the Tamworth Legion to visit Santa and Mrs. Claus. CEC is proud of its financial solvency: it charges parade entrants $10 and craft vendors $15 for table and space -- these entry fees are distributed between the Lions Club Hamper Programme, Tamworth Library, and replacement of downtown decorations.

Nine team planning meetings were held from September to December, 2012 to discuss planning events, scheduling and assignments, often followed by e-mail communications.

Kathee, Marilyn and Peg worked together to organize the Tree Lighting and Caroling Ceremony and the craft fair. Marilyn headed solicitation/tracking of float entrants for the Parade and overall coordination; she or Peg Campbelton chaired meetings and kept discussions on track. Lorraine Prue secured former Tamworthian Catharine McGrath to help decorate (both have experience in civic de corat i n g ) a nd they created some beautiful Tamworth storefront windows and with the assistance of other team members hung wreaths along the main street; they also helped to arrange craft fair locales. Barb dealt with financial budgeting and traffic regulation and liaised between CEC, the Legion and the Lions Club while I provided general help and contacted media, wrote press releases and other articles.

regulations, route map and entry payment fo r m . E a c h team member was asked to suggest and try to procure a m arching band for music.

During October’s two meetings we learned that the United Pentecostal Choir of Tamworth would sing carols inside and outside Tamworth’s Library at the Tree Lighting/ Caroling Ceremony on November 24. A second location for the growing number of vendors was located at the Old Hotel; Richard Saxe graciously volunteered the ground floor area.

Lindsay Hannah and the Tamworth Medical Clinic kindly offered their parking lots along Concession Road South and a date for village decoration was set. By October’s end each of us began to get a little nervous because there was much work to do and unknown factors were at play--Number One being weather for November 24 and December 2.

“Every year the craft fair grows in popularity and success, as does the parade, and the tree-lighting/ caroling event.”

-- K. Hutcheon

Our first meeting on September 20, 2012 made us aware of the enlarged scale and scope for the 2012 events. We were to contact 103 possible parade entrants and 40 area craft fair vendors. Locations of these businesses and people stretched from Yarker to Newburgh to Forest Mills, Marlbank and Erinsville. Once an entrant was contacted, he/she would receive a special CEC kit with entry forms,

During November’s five meetings, as deadlines approached, everyone’s list of duties b e ga n to s h r i n k- our anticipation and fatigue grew as pressure mounted. 32 craft vendors were registered and 40 float entries were recorded for entry.

Traffic coordination had to be done; the flow of the parade had to be discussed, and vendors’ tables had to be located. The village had to be decorated and the CEC team had to meet with Dominick Wisniewski of Napanee Beaver for an interview. The Tree-Lighting/Caroling Event was scheduled for 5 p.m. on November 24 and each member was requested to provide some cookies and crock pots of cider or cocoa for families attending. By November’s end each of us was trying hard to recruit volunteers to help with the parade but not one team member knew what to expect on December 2.

As rain poured down on Tamworth on Sunday, December 2, the CEC team and

2012 Santa Claus Parade in Tamworth. volunteers worked to set up the two locations for the craft fairs, and Marilyn and Peg supervised setting up of registration table and volunteers for the parade, not knowing how many spectators and shoppers would actually brave the weather. We were very lucky; according to the artisans and the holiday shoppers, the craft fair was a great success.

Everyone got soaked! Two residents of Adair Place who were chosen to be Parade Marshalls started the parade procession one in a wheelchair and the other in a golf cart. They were soaked but they smiled and waved to the crowds lining the streets. Santa & Mrs. Claus, who sat with umbrellas in a newly decorated cutter sleigh, also didn’t let their wet costumes interfere with their enthusiasm. All 38 floats, groups and one marching mail box from Tamworth Post Office showed up and were rewarded by the sight of children’s happy and wondrous faces in the crowds. Float participants Greg and Cheryl Storring spoke to me after the parade. “The onlookers had such terrific spirit to come out in the bad weather. This Santa Parade was even better organized than in 2011. Well done!”

The Christmas Events Committee is grateful to everyone who participated in all the events and appreciative of the assistance offered by the many groups and persons who have helped in the past two years: Stone Mills Fire Department and EMS, Robert Storring, Parker Snow, Terry Shelley, Stone Mills Township, the OPP., Kulwant Singh, and many others for whom our thanks is heartfelt.

As Marilyn McGrath said, “It is you out there who have made these events so successful.”

The spectators (especially the children) gave us the greatest gift. The CEC team hopes all

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Get Fit, Stay Fit

By Thomasina Larkin, RMT

G

etting into shape is one of the top three New Year’s resolutions every year. Whatever your reason – improving health, fitting into a dress for a special event, spring break on a beach – the turn of the new year is an ideal time to turn a new page in life.

Unfortunately, less than 20% of New Year’s resolutions are kept the entire year and most resolutions are forgotten about around week four. As we’re into February, it’s about that time.

The top two reasons Canadians do not keep their resolutions are lack of discipline and lack of motivation. After getting home from a long day at work, one of the last things they want to do is change into exercise clothes and head back out the door. A cold beer and TV program can seem way more enticing.

I can relate. I teach fitness classes at the Enterprise Hall after I’ve worked all day in Kingston, and I’ve often thought if I wasn’t the one teaching I wouldn’t make it that night. But as soon as class starts I feel great.

The hardest part about exercise is actually making the move to start it. However, once you conquer the task of disciplining yourself to keep motivated, exercise starts to become a habit that you don’t want to break.

Today is a new day, you can start exercising now and I’d love to help you.

Choose one of the motivational sections below that speaks loudest to you. Clip it out and stick in on your fridge or in your purse and then look at it when you need an extra little disciplinary kick in the butt to get you going. Forget about the difficulties associated with exercise and focus on the benefits.

Benefits of exercise: • Lose weight.

• Prevent various conditions and diseases • Improve your mood.

• Boost our energy and stamina.

• Build and maintain healthy bones, joints and muscles.

• Reduce feelings of anxiety, stress and depression.

• Lower blood pressure and cholesterol.

• Strengthen the heart and lungs and make them more efficient.

• Live longer and more actively with your kids and grandkids.

Things you’ll start to notice: • You’ll get more accomplished at home and work. With a new source of energy and spunk, you’ll start to hear more thanks for all the extra little things you’re getting done.

• People will ask you what’s changed about you. Little things will start to shine through: glowing skin, looser fitting clothes, a happier attitude. Expect to start getting more compliments.

• Your enthusiasm will be contagious. People will want to be around you and will ask you for advice. They’ll see a confidence in you because of how fantastic you’re feeling.

Once you keep your motivation, you’ll motivate others.

Ways to stay motivated: • Think of how amazing it makes you feel!

The adrenaline rush, the improved clarity, the energy... Compare that to the sluggish feeling you feel as you sit around not doing anything.

• Think about exercising every day. Think about some of the moves and techniques you’re learning, think about how much stronger you’re becoming, how your balance and stamina is improving. Get excited about exercising!

• Read something motivational or fitness related every day. Keep it on your mind.

• Anticipate a fun social night out with a bunch of like-minded friends. Give yourself a couple of hours a week to do something for YOU! And remember how much exercising will carry through the rest of your week, reducing stress levels and keeping you energetic.

• Tell everyone you know about the new classes you’re taking. If your friends and family keep asking how it’s going, you might be more likely to commit.

• Donate $2 to your favourite charity every time you exercise. That way if you bail, you’re not just letting yourself down and you feel extra great about working out.

• Rock it out! Listen to music that pumps you up during your drive home from work to get you ready to rock your workout.

• Buy a bunch of classes in advance and schedule time off for all your classes ahead of time. Make friends with fellow regulars in your class.

• Chart your progress. Every day write down one positive thing about yourself: I feel more energized or my pants feel a little looser or I chose fruit over cookies today.

When you’re down: • Focus on wellness rather than weight loss.

• Remember, nobody ’s perfect – and you are awesome!!

• Celebrate the sm all victories you’ve already made. You’re already closer to your goal.

• Call a friend from class to boost you back up.

• Watch a YouTube video or Google an inspiring story.

• Tre at yo u r s e l f to a massage to reduce stress and become more comfortable with your body.

Remember to keep small, realistic goals and to pace yourself.

By resolving to lose 30 lbs by summer, you may be creating a magic number and setting yourself up for failure. Instead, come at it from a different angle. For example: I am going to join two fitness classes a week and walk twice a week. This is a resolution that you can definitely succeed at and that may very well have the same end result of losing that 30 lbs by summer.

If you’re serious about exercising and eating healthy, this means setting goals that involve a change in your lifestyle. This is the absolute best way to get fit, but it can’t be done overnight. Make a long-term plan for yourself with a resolution that will continue for years to come. The key aspects in your plan should include lots of activity, clean nutrition and stress management.

Think small. It’s not often you can reach a big goal in a short period of time, but small cumulative goals will start to add up to big results. For example: Drink less pop; eat one more vegetable each day; take the stairs instead of the elevator; add some light stretches to your TV watching at the end of the day; drink two glasses of water after every meal; visualize yourself as standing taller, looking leaner and feeling lighter and happier.

And most of all, have fun!

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Thomasina teaches Zumba, Pilxoing at Yoga at the Enterprise Hall. She is also a Personal Trainer and Nutrition & Wellness Specialist.

For more information visit www.thomasina.ca

Hospice L&A’s Annual Fun-spiel

Date: February 9th, 2013 Where: Napanee Curling Club Two 6 End Games First Draw: 8:00 & 12:30 Second Draw: 9:30 & 2:00 Third Draw: 11:00 & 3:30 Prizes * Fun * Lunch * Dinner Cost: $180.00 per team For details call Hospice at 613-354-0833 or E-mail: info@landahospice.ca

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FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 9

A Natural View:

Wildlife - Not In My Backyard!

By Terry Sprague

Raccoon. Credit: Monica Mills.

T

here is a village near where I live that boasts a large mill pond. Now, one would think that would be a bonus, especially to anyone wishing to locate along its banks. However, the presence of this large pond resulted in some amusing phone calls to my office when I used to work for the conservation authority. On one memorable day, I could almost feel the spittle through the earpiece on my phone when one new resident wanted our agency to do something – today – about those bullfrogs that kept him awake all night at his new home. Another one wanted me to pick up “my” geese that were defecating on his lawn, refusing to accept my suggestion that it was his lawn being mowed to the water ’s edge that w a s p ro v i d i n g a grassed runway for them. Unconvinced, he steadfastly maintained that if the geese were picked u p a n d re l e a s e d somewhere else, this would be the end of his problem.

two or three squirrels you may have had at your bird feeder one winter, and how you decided to live trap them, release them in another area, and how at the end of the winter, you had live trapped 55 squirrels, and were still going strong. Live trapping rarely works, as Nature refuses to let it work.

Wildlife is constantly on the move, inhabiting new territory as it becomes available. Live trapping does nothing more than accelerate the process, as in Nature, there is to be no void, if food and water, space and shelter, are all available. Wildlife species never exceed the carrying capacity of any given area. The more food there is, and the more readily accessible it is, the more there will be. Yet, some homeowners continue to live trap, falsely believing that this is the end to their problems. Meanwhile, residents elsewhere are bombarded by a growing number of groundhogs, raccoons, skunks, and foxes, all thoughtfully being delivered by urbanites who feel that wildlife does not fit into their style of living.

“...one new resident wanted our agency to do something – today – about those bullfrogs that kept him awake all night at his new home.“

In more recent years, a resident of a subdivision in Belleville wrote a letter to the editor demanding that the city do something about the unwelcome wildlife that was getting into his garbage overnight. I was unfamiliar with this residential area, but it sounded like an upscale area where no one had a clothesline and everyone on the same day of the week mowed their lawn diagonally.

As a rural resident, I am happy that I don’t have those stresses. Evidently, this was also an area where the presence of wildlife was viewed with contempt and a few residents were convinced that their unwanted presence was not their problem, but the responsibility of the municipality. This resident openly admitted that he live trapped a “nuisance animal” every night and released it north of the city in someone else’s backyard. The thought, however, of storing his garbage responsibly overnight had not crossed his mind, so skunks and raccoons continued their dubious journeys to new territory.

As I explain in my backyard naturalization courses to those who want to encourage backyard wildlife, the presence and abundance of wildlife can be decided by following their four basic needs – food, water, space, and shelter. Provide one or more of these, and they will come. Work within the system and one can either prevent wildlife by not offering those necessities, or encourage them by providing a variety of wildlife shrubs and other attractants. You do not prevent skunks, raccoons, groundhogs and foxes from entering your property by leaving garbage out overnight, and then expecting city hall officials and mysterious agencies to drop what they’re doing and take care of what is essentially a “homeowner’s problem.” Again, it is a classic example of responsibility, or lack thereof, a term that is becoming less fashionable with each passing year. The concept of wildlife management is one I learned back in Grade 5 in a one-room school from a teacher who was way ahead of her time. And it is the same principle upon which sound wildlife management is still based today.

and ground covers, and the problem goes away. The problem will not go away by phoning every agency in the book and brusquely demanding that someone come and remove “your” geese.

It’s all about taking some time, and doing a little research about any animal which a resident may be experiencing problems with, and does not want on their property. Learn what makes them tick, their likes and dislikes, and work within their system to achieve results.

Our system is not what it is cracked up to be. Our failures have become legendary. A simple Internet Google search will bring up numerous suggestions that have worked for others, and it doesn’t involve live trapping.

It involves homeowner responsibility and a bit of common sense.

White-tailed Deer. Credit: Don Carr.

Subtly suggesting that the animal be trapped and taken downtown to be released near City Hall, is not a responsible solution.

For more information on birding and nature and guided hikes, check out the NatureStuff website at www.naturestuff.net.

Terry Sprague lives in Prince Edward County and is self-employed as a professional interpretive naturalist.

Live trapping is not the humane answer that many purport it to be. In addition to the animals leaving behind scores of starving and unattended young, these animals are being unceremoniously dumped in an area already claimed by others of their species, and the outcome is not pretty.

The answer is responsibility, and seeking information from those knowledgeable on the subject on how to work within the system and dissuade those species that may be unwanted. And contrary to the soothsayers, any wild animals present are not predestined to introduce debilitating diseases, nor are they purposely seeking out children to bite and carry off; they are more than happy to stay out of our way, if not harassed.

Furthermore, if I never get another call from a resident droning on about the Canada geese problem, it will be too soon. Yet, we see these same people blithely mowing their grass to the water’s edge and intentionally providing a grassed runway for them.

Naturalize the shoreline with a buffer of select shrubs

If you think this concept of wildlife management is nonsense, think back to the

10 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

Grey Squirrel (black morph). Credit: Dave Bell.

Belle Starr

By Barry Lovegrove

T

he Tamworth Legion was filled to capacity on the 26th of January to see and hear Belle Starr. I guess you can call them a girl band but that doesn’t do them justice. Their individual voices are unique but when they blend them together in harmony - that is something to behold.

Miranda Mulholland is a feisty redhead who sings and plays the fiddle beautifully.

Stephanie Cadman with long black hair not only sings great and plays the fiddle but can really dance up a storm, setting a mood of excitement that gets everyone’s toes a-tapping. Kendel Carson not only has a beautiful voice but plays guitar and fiddle as well. You put this combination of talent and beauty along with original songs and musical arrangements and you end up with the unique sound of Belle Starr. They played nonstop for ninety minutes, finishing with a song that brought everyone to their feet wanting more. At the end of their show, they stayed to chat, sold lots of CD’s and had their pictures taken. What more could you ask for: another successful evening of music in Tamworth. Check out their website: http:// www.bellestarr.ca and watch their videos. You won’t be disappointed.

The tickets for Belle Starr sold out weeks before the concert, which only goes to show how popular they’ve become and how enthusiastically music lovers in the area support new talent. This could also be an indication that one should get tickets early for future events, featuring talented Canadian singers and songwriters at the Tamworth Legion.

Miranda Mulholland, Stephanie Cadman, and Kendel Carson. In the background playing the guitar brilliantly is Stuart Cameron, the son of the well-known John Allen Cameron.

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FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 11

Neighbours Helping Neighbours:

The “Storey” of a House

By J. Bartlett

D

ale Ritchie has a lean weathered face with an ever present cigarette poised between his mouth and the next story. He’s a sinewy package of strong, tough stuff and at 80 years old is a master of the self-reliant spirit that built Eastern Ontario.

“I’m like a crosscut saw,” he says “it’d take two men to handle me but it wouldn’t take ‘em long.” Born in the summer of ’32 on a Perth Road farm, Dale learned early on how to work and play hard. And like many other farm boys of the time he also learned how to drive and fix heavy machinery, cut wood, find a good bargain, build things, play the fiddle and witch for water - lifelong skills that serve him well to this day.

Dale and his present wife Norine moved to the Kaladar area about 10 years ago where they found their “ideal property at the right price” in a forested area between the ponds and craggy Shield outcroppings characteristic of the area. With help from Norine, Dale designed and built their offgrid house by hand. First, he had to make a roadway into the site with his chainsaw, bulldozer, and backhoe then dig a basement for the foundation. Soon enough they had built themselves a homestead and a secure place in the community where Dale is now the Vice President of the Olde Tyme Fiddlers and Norine, past Secretary.

Not long after finding the property, Dale and Norine met their future neighbour Hela, an eccentric lady of indeterminate age living alone in an old farm house at the end of the road about a mile away. Hela describes their first meeting this way: “We started talking and it was like we had known each other forever so we talked a long time.” She found Dale was like a really good version of her father, someone she could talk to about anything (except this time she could swear).

In short order they all became fast friends and formed a sort of mutual admiration society.

In winter, Dale plows them out with his tractor and since Hela doesn’t drive, Norine takes her out grocery shopping. The younger Hela helps with the cost of gas and will carry the groceries for both - when Norine will let her. They often have meals together. And if it gets late when Dale’s out with the chain saw cutting trees or firewood (up to 3 bush cord in a half day) Norine knows she can call on Hela, who is better able to get back through the bush to check on things.

So with Dale and Norine nearby, whenever Hela’s old house needed repairs (and there were lots of them) she had someone close at hand to call on. And Dale would always do a good job and charge her little or nothing

for the work. About five years ago, as Hela’s repairs were starting to mount up, Dale finally told her point blank that he could build her a better house than the one she had.

Hela put off the idea for just about four years worried that the challenge might be too much for a man then in his late 70’s. She changed her mind however when her toilet threatened to fall through the bathroom floor.

Last winter they got down to some serious talk about just what it was Hela wanted and needed in her new house. Her needs were modest - a good size kitchen with a woodstove for auxiliary heat, one bedroom, a nice sized living room to accommodate her studio, and a basement for a gas furnace and storage. Dale came up with a compact splitlevel design and Norine suggested logs. They would start in June, giving them enough time to get the permits in place.

Now they faced one of their biggest hurdles – Dale as usual, had created the entire house plan (measurements included) completely in his head. He had to get the dimensions on some drawings to take to an architect for blueprints. That done, building permit in hand they were ready to start. This involved walking the overgrown property to choose the best building site. They came up with four choices and picked the one with southern exposure, a good view of the pond and the best access to the lane in and out.

The land was fairly level and they (wrongly) thought not too rocky. Dale brought over the backhoe and dug out the basement on the 24th of July. Everyone knows it’s impossible to find a rock-free plot of land in Kaladar. And Dale found plenty more proof of it during the dig. Thankfully, Dale’s clever split-level design would still allow for a full basement under the higher side of the house with a crawl space under the kitchen. The large kitchen would form the lower half of the

Doug Tackaberry and Dale Ritchie. split-level with garden doors facing south and windows to the southwest and west. The larger living room would be several steps up from the kitchen in the higher level of the open concept home. It would have windows to the north and west creating the perfect light for Hela’s artworks. The bedroom would be off on the south side of the living room.

The concrete blocks arrived for the foundation on August 1st. Dale laid the blocks to form the foundation for the house and the basement walls and a week later ordered the ready-pour concrete for the basement floor. He then levelled and finished the concrete by himself the same day it was poured. (Keep in mind that it was a hot summer with temperatures in the high 30’s and we’re talking about an 80 year old guy here working pretty much alone.)

Hela can attest to Dale’s work ethic. “His energy belies his age,” she says of him.

“He has more energy than someone of 20.

While doing one thing he’s already planning what needs to be done in three days’ time keeping all of it in the filing cabinet that is his head.” Dale usually starts working at 8 in the morning and finishes at 5 every day without taking lunch. His incredible energy is evident in his other endeavours as well.

On Old Tyme Fiddler days, you’ll see Dale at the Hall around 6 am to set up the sound system. Then he works all day and at 7 pm goes back to the Hall with Norine to play a few songs (some of his own making) and enjoy the music till closing time. Round about midnight, after the last guest leaves, Dale’s still there taking down the sound system, packing it away and closing up shop.

It’s the end of August. Dale has the septic bed done and subfloors in with knee wall and partitions underway. Now it’s time to take a well-deserved vacation so he and Norine can go to Pembroke for the Olde Tyme Flidding Championships. When he gets back, he’ll order the windows, doors and logs. Originally, Dale planned to harvest the logs for Hela’s house from her property but decided instead to purchase them from Wilson’s Lumber Products in Madoc. The milled logs from Wilson’s would provide for sealed joints and were reasonably priced.

12 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

By mid - October Dale had the log walls on the lower side of the house almost done and the roof trusses ordered. He witched for water using his favoured method - a branch from an apple tree and found the ideal site for the well. November brought the roof truss delivery and Doug Tackaberry, another skilled carpenter, to the job site. Dale welcomed the extra hands. This would speed things up Hela needed to be able to live in the new house by winter. The furnace in her old house had been condemned and it was starting to get cold out. Together Dale and Doug soon had the doors and windows in and the roof on the house. Hela was awed by Dale’s agility and would tell everyone how she saw him leaping around like a “squirrel on the roof” while installing the roof ridge.

Hela moved into the new house after the furnace installation at the end of November.

She is now in position to marvel at the finishing carpentry going on around her and how Dale knows the right measure for each and every board of the maple flooring and partition walls. When the interior walls are up and hardwood floor sanded they all take a break for Christmas and get the flu.

Dale and Doug have been back to work now since January. The new well is in. The finishing carpentry is almost done and the pine ceilings are up. By the time you read this, the interior work should be done and the kitchen installed. Hela is thankful and proud of her new home. Pride of workmanship surrounds her. Neighbours have been coming by to see her log home and everyone seems impressed - even the neighbour who likes to brag about his own log cabin will grudgingly admit it’s a job well done.

Dale Ritchie likes to say he’s “the last tree standing” in the forest of friends his age. He also once said this would be the last house of his building career. Now he says he’ll rest when he’s ninety then build another house at 100. Why not? At eighty, he’s got more life than a man half his age and twice the experience!

Scoop Backroader:

In Search of Erratics

By Angela Saxe

A

boulder sits in the middle of a farmer’s field. Generally, there is nothing special about that – unless the boulder was left behind by a receding glacier thousands of years ago.

Several years ago, a local farmer, Earl Smith, phoned my husband Richard, who at that time was the publisher of The Scoop, inviting him to the family farm. He wanted him to see a very unusual boulder; one which he claimed had been left behind by a glacier. We made note of the message and put it into our Scoop Ideas folder. But it wasn’t until the late fall of 2012, that we remembered the Tamworth boulder sitting in our midst.

On his way home from Trenton one day last fall, Richard followed a sign for the Bleasdell Boulder Conservation Area curious as to what he would find there. It turned out that this boulder is a glacial erratic, one of the largest known erratics in North America.

My interest was piqued and we planned a Scoop Backroader to see a bit of geological history. We traveled the back roads from

Tamworth, heading to Marlbank and onto the Moneymore Road until it hits the Old Hungerford Road. Turning left we drove pass Chisholm’s Mills on the banks of the Moira River. The mills have been in the Chisholm family for six generations; W.F. Chisholm acquired the property in 1857 and built a flour/feed mill and sawmill there, but the company now concentrates on forest products producing both hardwood and softwood lumber. It’s quite a sight to see a fully operational mill in this part of Ontario.

The November day was cold, with the smell of winter in the air, but bright and sunny, providing a great view of the landscape.

Autumn winds had stripped the foliage from the trees and bushes exposing the naked countryside: spines of rocky ridges, gold stumps of corn stalks and the red osier sitting in swaths of wet lands and bogs. Avoiding Highway 37, we drove along the Shannonville Road turning right at the intersection in Blessington following Concession #4 until we reached Corbyville where we picked up Hwy 33 towards Glen Miller Road.

Eric Smith standing beside an erratic on his Tamworth farm. Credit: Barry Lovegrove.

After parking the car, we walked the 1.4 km to the Bleasdell Boulder. The interpretive sign provided details from Beasdell’s study: It’s 13.4m long, 7.3m wide and 6.7 m high (44’x24’x22’), weighs 1 million kilograms and is 2.3 billion years old. What an amazing sight!

A glacial erratic is basically a rock that is different from the size and type of rock native to the area that it rests on and they are usually carried by glacial ice over a distance that could reach hundreds of kilometres.

Examining the mineralogical character of the erratic identifies its source thus providing important information to confirm the flow direction of the glacier.

The Bleasdell Boulder, also known as the Glen Miller Boulder, was first studied by Reverend William Bleasdell in the 1800s. Bleasdell was the Rector of St. George’s church i n Tre n t o n fo r more than thirty years and apar t from his studies in theology, he was also a passionate student of science and literature. “The Great Trent Boulder, its Geological and Botanical Association” was published in the Botanical Society of Canada thereby bringing its existence to the attention of geologists.

Moving the Bleasdell Boulder. Credit: Angela Saxe.

His close study

of the boulder enabled him to ascertain that the boulder is a metamorphic rock originating from the southern reaches of the Precambrian or Canadian Shield. Since the Canadian Shield is primarily granite except for the most southern sections where metamorphic rock can be found, Bleasdell believed that the rock travelled at least 40 kilometers to its location. He identified “the presence of Grenville marble with veins and patches of coarse quartz. Decimetre-scale marble blocks are surrounded by cm-scale reaction rims of blue-green actinolite and coarse calcite and patches and bands of pale tremolite are also visible.”

The Bleasdell Boulder property was bought in 1997 by Paul and Maria Heissler. Because they wanted to ensure the preservation of the site, they founded the Bleasdell Boulder Preservation Corporation and with a group of dedicated volunteers they established trails, put up interpretive signage and built a parking lot. The ownership of the property was transferred to the Lower Trent Conservation in 2005 and they continue to maintain and provide public access to this geological wonder.

Since Tamworth sits at one of the fingertips of the Precambrian Shield, it is not a surprise to discover that an erratic was left behind by the receding Laurentide Ice Sheet that once covered this part of Ontario to a depth of 1 km over 20,000 years ago. When it started to melt 8,000 years ago it not only left behind erratics, eskers, drumlins, kames but also fertile soil perfect for farming.

It still amazes me that both boulders - the one on the Smith farm and the Bleasdell boulder, were pushed along slowly like a child rolling a pebble, until they finally came to rest. Who knows, there may be others in among our rocky fence lines or in the middle of the woods…hitchhikers riding the melting sheet of ice far from their original homes.

Research by Isabel Wright.

11 Concession St. S., Tamworth, ON

Myatt L & r a g td.

Wa Real Estate Brokerage

www.wagarmyatt.com 112A Industrial Blvd., Box 384 Napanee, Ontario K7R 3P5

Bus: 613-354-3550 . Fax: 613-354-3551 Toll Free: 1-866-461-0631 Cell: 613-484-0933 BARRY BRUMMEL Email: barrybrummel@sympatico.ca Sales Representative

HOUSE TO HOMe SERVICE

Now open weekends Breakfast, lunch & desserts

8-4 Friday 8-4 Saturday 9-3 Sunday

Come in & see what’s new on the menu Follow us on Facebook @ The river bakery café & patio llbo We look forward to serving you!

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 13

Stone Mills Girls Win Hockey Gold

By Barry Lovegrove

T

here was an air of excitement the evening that I went to photograph the Stone Mills Aces PeeWee House Girls Hockey Team at the Tamworth arena. They had just recently come home with the gold medals after winning the 2013 Ice Wolves Cup in Ottawa.

The team figured they were out of the championship so all the kids went to bed.

But, later that evening a phone call came in saying that they were chosen to be the wild card team.

This meant an early game against Nepean, which they won. That put them in the semifinals so at noon they played Ottawa and won 7-0.

Then at 4:30 the same day they played Carlton Place for the final and Gold, beating them 5-2.

A s encoura gement , coach Dennis Miller said that if they win he would dress up in a pink skirt and play with them - which he did at one of their practices.

The Stone Mills Aces (Peewee House Team) players in no specific order are:Olivia Powell, Georgia Gillan, Gabrielle Miller, Kaitlyn Kouri, Madeline Carscallen, Kylie Meszaros, Cassandra Parks-Delyea, Avery Lalande, Emma Brown, Hannah Uens, Morgan Botting, Mackenzie Birdsell and Kirsten Jeffrey-Lalaide. Coaches: Dennis Miller, Carrie Botting, Tony Botting and Stacey Gillan.

The Natural Choice Jill Detlor BASc., RNCP, R.BIE Nutritional Consultant Bio-Energetic Practitioner

164 Moira St. East Belleville, Ontario K8P 2S6 Tel: 613.921.9539 email: jill@jillsnaturalchoice.com website: www.jillsnaturalchoice.com

Contact a member of the Paudyn team for success in buying or selling your next property.

Swimming Lessons lOCaTiON: Neville’s Point, Beaver Lake

daTes (MON-Fri): July 15-19 July 22-26 July 29 - Aug. 2

Aug. 6-10 (Tu-Sa) Aug. 12-16 Aug. 19-23

TiMes (3-Hr lessONs): 9am-12pm or 1-4pm

COsT (Per WeeK): $65 child / $55 siblings $55 if registering for more than 1 week No lunch provided.

Children must be 5 years old by July 1, 2013.

regisTraTiON daYs: Sat. March 9, 9am-12pm @ Stone Mills Arena

Sat. May 4 , 11am-2pm @ Stone Mills Market with BBQ & raffle

Sat. May 11, 1-4pm @ Tamworth Library & Beaver Lake Variety

Cash or cheques payable to Red Cross Beaver Lake Swim Program, due the day of registration.

14 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

Unusual Uses for Wool

By Sally Bowen

S

heepskin and wool have been used for warmth as long as sheep and people have been around. Wikipedia says: “Sheep wool is a natural, sustainable, renewable, theoretically recyclable and

totally biodegradable material that does not endanger the health of people or the environment.” Sheepskins not only add beauty and comfort to our lives but they can be healing for poorly sleeping infants or

bedridden sufferers. These uses are familiar but here are a few less known ways that wool can be used.

At Topsy Farms we have an excess of ‘belly wool’ which contains too much dirt, chaff and fecal matter to process for yarn. However, it is ideal to use as mulch around the base of trees and shrubs. It is porous and cooling for plant roots yet impervious to weeds. As a side benefit, the birds in our area often use bits of this mulch to line their nests. They know a good thing when they see and feel it.

Tri-Art Audio in Kingston uses local wool including ours for audio insulation in amplifiers and speakers. On their website (www.tri-art.ca) they state: “Wool is an ideal vehicle to dampen out sound. Tri-Art Audio blocks use local, 100% natural sheep wool to control sound frequencies in the cavities of the blocks and the Tuned Acoustic Damper.”

Dominic in his sheepskin padded wheelchair. Credit: Thomas Tomkow.

Sheep wool is also a natural insulator. The Good Shepherd company in Alberta produced wool batts (not mineral wool) for house insulation. Wool is used extensively in yurts in western Canada; in ropes between logs in log houses, and to stuff around cracks in windows. It beats the toxicity of fiberglass or caulking and presents no danger to the installer.

Robin’s nest from last year, showing wool used in interior: Topsy Farms.

Andrea Graham, who is a felt maker and fibre artist in Odessa, has gained world-wide fame with her wool felted creations. She uses Topsy washed and carded wool among other sources. See her site at www.andrea-graham. com .

One of our lamb customers has a daschund with damaged hips from too much joyful jumping so he has lived in a wheelchair for the past 5 years. Dominic is now far more comfortable, with his chair padded with sheepskin.

From nest-building to insulation, wool continues to be a versatile and effective material for a multitude of uses. We don’t have to just wear it!

Topsy Farms website: www.topsyfarms.com Blog: topsyfarms.wordpress.com

Viburnum, Viburnum, Everywhere!

By Blair Richards

D

eep in the frozen marshy wilderness where clusters of red berries hang from leafless branches, birds and animals congregate. It’s the Highbush Cranberry, or Viburnum trilobum, that creates this lovely habitat.

Wandering through the towering hemlock forest something trips me up and I hobble around looking at the ground. But it turns out to be a good thing otherwise I would never have noticed the beautiful flowers, the deep red colour of ripening berries, or the unusual miniature leaves that overwinter instead of the buds. Maybe it was the root sticking out of that

previously unnoticed plant, a Hobblebush, Viburnum lantanoides, that tripped me up and taught me to look down. Along the roadside a tempting cluster of what appear to be raisins are blowing in the wind. Could it be a wild Raisin Bush, Viburnum cassinoides, growing there?

In this part of the world we are blessed with many different types of Viburnums: Highbush Cranberry, Hobblebush, Wild Raisin, Black Haw, Maple Leaf Viburnum and Nannyberry. They are not as prolific as Maples or Ash, but they are with us and waiting to be admired and enjoyed. There are more than 150 species of Viburnums worldwide.

Native Viburnums make wonderful garden plants that attract birds and in the case of the Maple Leaf Viburnum are host to the azure butterfly larva. Viburnums have round flat clusters of white flowers often with larger sterile flowers encircling the smaller fertile f lowers. The flowers turn into berries that range from dark blue to red. Fall foliage prov ides re d s a nd purples, to feast our fall eyes. As a garden plant Viburnums provide interest multiple times per year, making them a p opul ar nurs er y plants as well as wild favourites.

Viburnum opulus var. opulus.

The name that herbalists use for

Highbush Cranberry is Cramp Bark*. The inner bark is removed in the spring or summer from a branch rather than the main trunk of the tree, then dried or tinctured.

This herb is categorized as an antispasmodic nervine, meaning it is relaxing to the nervous system. Highbush Cranberry bark is often used for menstrual cramps and to stop early labour. A friend of mine, when pregnant with twins, used Highbush Cranberry tincture to help her make it to her doctor’s goal of 36 weeks. It can also be used to treat cramps in other parts of the body as well.

The debate about the edibility of Highbush Cranberry comes down to taste buds. I personally like to eat these Vitamin C packed berries as a winter treat. They taste the best after being frozen and thawed a few times. I happily munch along with the birds. Other people have attempted to use them like regular cranberries and have credited them with ruining the Thanksgiving turkey. They are rumoured to make wonderful jelly, that smells faintly smells of sweaty feet, but it is delicious none the less. Not being a jelly maker, I have never eaten it myself.

Highbush Cranberry has a European doppelganger which often goes by the same alias. The Latin for the native Highbush Cranberry is Viburnum trilobum, it has very red berries and grows wild in Ontario.

The European Viburnum opulus grows mainly in gardens, the berries lean more toward an orange colour. They both have the same three-lobed leaves that look very similar to Maple, the scaly grey bark can be used interchangeably as medicine, but the Viburnum opulus berries -slightly poisonous and bad tasting- are to be avoided.

Hobblebush, Black Haw, Nannyberry and Wild Raisin all make similar looking blue clusters of fruit. They all have a flat seed

which is a distinctive Viburnum feature.

They all taste yummy (to me, who likes to eat Motherwort). During my many years as helper at the Golden Bough tree farm, one of my jobs has been to clean seed. Cleaning Nannyberries was always a favourite task: the unusual, pleasant taste is one I look forward to. They are soft and creamy with mild sweetness; a taste that belongs only to Viburnums.

Viburnums come in many shapes and sizes, they are generally shrubs, have flat flowering clusters either white or soft pink, often with larger sterile flowers on the outside and smaller fertile flowers on the inside.

They have flat seeds (except one non-native variety that I know of) and often overwinter with little hard leaves instead of buds. The leaves are opposite, but beyond that they vary greatly: Viburnum trilobum and Maple leaf Viburnum have maple-like leaves, Black Haw - Viburnum prunifolium - looks like a Cherry tree, Hobblebush is alder-like. So if Viburnums excite you, dust off your field guide or contact your friendly neighbourhood plant enthusiast and start the hunt. They are out here.

Viburnums are beautiful, delicious, and nutritious for man and beast, a joy to have around. They just don’t make good firewood, so why burn ‘em? *Cramp Bark is not recommended for people with kidney disease. As with any medicine, research it and talk to your health care provider before using it. Always be 100% certain of a plant’s identity before consuming it.

Blair Richards is a Chartered Herbalist and Plant Geek who lives in Marlbank. You can email her at blisstian@gmail.com.

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 15

s

Y2K Meets Climate Change I

Re-tailings

By Carolyn Butts

By Cam Mather

started selling computers in 1982, just as microcomputers came on the market.

When the Apple Macintosh came out in 1984 I was smitten and my charming wife, who had a good job as a teacher, bought one for us under the “Own a Mac” program. In 1984 I was aware of Y2K. Apple used this as a selling feature. No one thought much about it, but it was at the back of my mind.

Come on, it was sixteen years away, who worries about that in the business world?

In the early 1990s I read warnings about it periodically in computer and trade magazines but again, it was largely being ignored. It wasn’t until 2000 was a few years away that it became a crisis of epic proportions.

less, in more efficient cars. We’d be flying less. We wouldn’t be burning coal. And many of us would be heating with geothermal.

But now we’ve got this royal mess.

I’m reading a book right now called Hell and High Water by Joseph Romm. He was one of Clinton’s advisors on climate.

In it he talks about how scientists are usually pretty low key. They write articles in peer reviewed publications, but they haven’t historically sought the limelight.

In fact, it’s frowned upon in the scientific community. Remember Carl “billions and billions” Sagan? Apparently they wouldn’t even let him into the National Academy of Scientists. That’ll teach him for being on Johnny Carson.

As I recall, all the computer code that had been written assumed that the date would e have just passed through be 19XX. Assuming that the 19 would be So what’s happening today? Well a lot of another holiday season and as a constant, computer programmers really scientists are just starting to get very vocal. each year passes, I hear more just used those last two digits for all their They’ve decided this issue is too important grief surrounding the pressure of shopping. code. The powers that be in the business and to stay quiet. They were wrong. They I resisted for most of the season, opting to government world had decided that it was underestimated the intensity and rate of make gifts or purchase ‘experiences’ but inconsequential to bother to add the time climate change and now they know we have eventually, on December 24th, I succumbed and cost to acknowledge that the year 2000 to do something quickly. Something radical. into doing some seasonal retail shopping: might actually arrive. And as it got closer our a reflex of a lifetime of conditioning. In society became to more and moreyour dependent reading about James Hansen Call us today reserve space:I remember 379-1128 2008, the economy was in a tight spot and on technology from power stations to oil from NASA who for years fought being the solution was politically dictated, “Get muzzled by the Bush administration. He refineries to washing machines. out to the stores and shop!” What is this kept putting the data out there. He vowed telling us? Suddenly buying things was our If companies had started changing their he’d never write a book, but then he wrote responsibility - we had to save our way of life.

JUSTearly 39on, BUCKS FOR A they BIZCARD AD. $110 FOR 3 Grandchildren because he is so code say whenever introduced Storms of my “Hope, Purpose & Belonging in Long Term Has Christmas become the Care” annual rebirth of a major upgrade their software ISSUES. to YOU CAN’T BEATorTHAT!worried. I haven’t read it yet because you our economic salvation? hardware, it wouldn’t have been that big a can’t buy Prozac over the counter yet. I’m deal. But humans don’t work that way. That finding there is no amount of chocolate and Retail shopping can be described as a would have cost money. And really, don’t Dr. Pepper that can help you get through necessity, therapy, an addiction or drudgery. worry; be happy, we’ll cross that bridge these books.

The difference usually determined by the when we come to it. If they had started feelings it provides such as the experience early it would have cost millions of dollars, Climate Scientist Bill McKibben helped with sales staff, the ease of online shopping but short-term oriented organizations create “350.org.” We’re at 390 ppm of carbon and the excitement of having or giving preferred to put that money in to their in the atmosphere on our way to climate something new. bottom lines and hence their pockets. purgatory and he and others advocate that we need to throttle that number back to 350 What happens when the experience is not So instead we left it until the last minute ppm. Twenty years ago he was advocating perfect? The game I bought to give as a gift and it cost us billions of dollars. It became we take the simple easy steps. Now he’s this year came broken in its box. I went to a really big deal. Since the lights stayed on suggesting we really have to pump up the exchange it only to find the last one on the in Times Square as 1999 became 2000, volume on this. There’s an overview of his shelf wasNapanee broken as well. I& should not assume District everyone assumed that everything had gone “Do the Math” campaign on the 350.org that those games will make their way back just fine. It didn’t. Th ere were numerous website.

Commerce John McClellan toChamber their country of of origin to be repaired and problems, we just didn’t hear about them.

47 Dundas St. Napanee shipped back to restock E the• shelves of this Chartered Accountant Michelle and I know from the comments 613.354.6601 box retailer.

And today we have this climate change 6661 Wheeler Street,on our blog that our readers understand www.napaneechamber.ca thing. Back inTamworth, 1989 I stood ON in front of 3G0 this and are taking personal action. I just K0K What happens to appliances that do not Burlington City Council recommending wish we could get some of “The Powers That perform to reasonable expectations or to • Business Seminars 613-379-1069 some tough measures in their Official Plan Be” to smarten up and take this Networking seriously, children’s snowsuits that don’t sell during and they were unmoved. I used information really seriously. I just can’t understand how That Can Save Businesses $$ Programs the winter? These inexpensive and generally from climate scientists who had modeled a government would stand by and watch Ask Us About Membership poor quality items don’t necessarily make it a devastating drought, unprecedented weather patterns that resembled some of to people with real needs. Most end up in our heat waves, catastrophic wild fires and the big storms we’ve been experiencing, landfills, many of them brand new items. like Super Storm Sandy. “Mr. Mather you cataclysmic superstorms causing billions Solid Gold Organic sound like Chicken Little, go back to the of dollars in damage (not to mention the In my design business I recycle used tires Pet Food.

100% Sustainable Development Committee and loss of life) and not take action. Our elected into home accessories. The landfill was where leave us alone.” are like deer caught in headlights organic!politicians No Chemical I “shopped” for materials until I was denied and we all know how that ends.

Preservatives!

Beef, access. Our Municipal Waste Management If we had started to take aggressive action By-Law states, “No person shall scavenge, Lamb and Fish/ steven@moorepartners.ca on carbon emissions 20 years ago we would You can follow Cam’s blog at pick over, interfere with, remove or scatter any susan@moorepartners.ca Vegetarian Formulas. www.cammather.com be in a much better situation than we are materials within the landfill area of a Municipal in today. If we had taxed carbon, we’d allPick-up be or delivery Waste Disposal Site unless authorized by living in more efficient homes and driving available. Please call the Reeve and Clerk-Administrator of the www.moorepartners.ca 613 • 379 • 5958 Township”. If I need discarded tires as for more information

BIZCARD The Scoop’s

F

I

L

E

and catalogue. Call the Regal Beagle: 613-379-1101

The Stone Mills Fire Department is holding a Blanket Drive. We are looking for blankets to use at emergency calls. If you have any blankets you would like to donate please drop them off at the Township of Stone Mills municipal office. Thank you, Stone Mills Fire Department

16 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

W

materials for my business in Stone Mills, I must ask for permission.

A friend who was working at a large landfill facility in Eastern Ontario received a phone call one day advising him that 60 railcars of cereal needed to be disposed of because they contained too many raisins. In the world of manufacturing, labels must match the contents. Fortunately, this shipment was diverted but brand new items enter landfills all the time. Unfortunately, employees and the public are forbidden to remove anything of value or use.

The need to discard more and more items is fueling the search to find additional space to bury it. Expendable land is becoming rare near large cities. Rural towns and villages with small populations and few resources are prime candidates. However, social media and the media are empowering citizens to expose exploitation and environmental hazards. An online article from Canada’s magazine Solid Waste & Recycling, focused on collection, hauling, processing and disposal, is titled “How to Survive Community Opposition”.

This article describes the “eight steps to move projects forward in a politically savvy society”. It isn’t easy to install a landfill these days and careful maneuvering through public opposition and political leaders is the new strategy.

Where do we go from here? We make garbage at an alarming rate and it isn’t fair to expect any community to store it in massive piles on the ground that will expose them to centuries of contamination of their land, water and air. I believe that change starts with significant reduction of waste in the manufacturing and retail sectors. I recently visited Quinte Recycling in Trenton and my conversation with General Manager Rick Clow was encouraging. Rick says we could recycle 85% of the materials we consume.

I believe there is an industry in waste that does not include burying it. Wouldn’t a local economy based on research and development of raw materials and finished goods from waste be more dynamic, more attractive to investment in our region and have greater international appeal for its benefits of sustaining our way of life than a landfill?

I volunteer with a concerned citizens group opposing landfill on the delicate, fractured limestone of Greater Napanee. We need financial support to pay for our experts that give us the environmental science to avert further contamination. Watch for tickets to a draw this spring for many wonderful donated items. For more information on our work visit www.leakyland.com.

Moving Out and Growing Up Lessons Learned

By Grace Smith

By Blair McDonald

N

ow that my first year of university is coming to an end, it’s time to start thinking about moving out and growing up. Living at home for this first year has been absolutely wonderful—I was still able to access to the warmth, love, and support of my family. But now that I, and my sister Megan, have transitioned into postsecondary education, we need to get out there on our own, or at least with each other.

The process of finding a house can be long and complicated; you need to find something that fits everyone’s needs.

And we managed to do just that—we heard about a house through a family friend and it was perfect for us. Not a complicated hunt after all.

And while we are both excited about this new house, it scares Megan a little bit to leave her home. As long as our new house was an idea in the future, Megan has been able to get excited. But now that moving out is becoming a reality, she’s slightly less thrilled.

Take packing for example. I started packing up anything I could—things that I wanted to take to the new house, but I could do without for a couple of months. I’ve organized everything with anticipation. Megan, on the other hand, has yet to pack a single thing.

And when the time comes for her to pack away her things, we all believe that she’s one

of those people who will sneak her things back in her drawers the minute we look away.

Another aspect of moving out that freaks Megan out is the cooking part. While she has taken cooking classes in high school and knows some very basic cooking skills, she has never had to fend for herself. So in preparation, we’ve been trying to give her some simple and useful cooking lessons. At this point, we’re pretty sure she’ll be eating peanut butter sandwiches seven nights a week, but we’ll make sure she knows her way around the kitchen before we set her loose on the world. I, in contrast, think it will be exciting to be buying my own groceries, eating what I like, and being creative in the kitchen.

Hopefully some of my excitement will rub off on Megan. I think it will once we’re in our new house. Sure, she’ll miss home, and so will I, but she’ll realize how special it is to be out on your own. The new house will be a chance for us to put our own mark on something larger than we’ve ever had before. An opportunity for us to show the world that we’re growing up.

We get to buy our own furniture, our own dishes, our own decorations. This is a space that will be all ours. A space where grown-ups live. But being a grown-up is recognizing that it isn’t childish to believe that you can always go back home, even if it’s just for a visit.

I

t’s common to hear a lot of groaning about making New Year’s Resolutions this time of year. It’s understandable given that change is hard and failure hurts.

The argument against resolutions typically goes that if you want to change something in your life, you shouldn’t wait for a new calendar year to do it. From the even more negative, we hear the argument that it’s just a silly convention that no one ever follows through on anyway.

Fortunately, while I understand these claims, I have yet to surrender to this mindset. As I see it, for those looking for change, a positive outlook or a simple refocusing of priorities, there is no better time to name and identify your aspirations than the start of a new year.

As the old saying goes, if you want to see what your life will be like in five years, look at what you are focused on now. What you are thinking about today is determining your future.

I’m of the belief that resolutions are good simply because they are positive. They put you into a positive frame of mind and as a result plant seeds of hope for the coming year.

With each new school year, I always remind students that a new term is a new beginning and that regardless of what you did last term, a fresh start begins the moment you commit to it.

After all, so often I think we forget that while inspiration motivates us, it’s commitment that produces results.

Money, power, influence, happiness, (all these things) are the result or by-product of committing to our commitments; to what we have to offer the world. As Tony Robbins recently reminded me, the history of the world is written by those ordinary individuals with extraordinary levels of commitment. Not talent, nor genius, simply commitment. Our world is the result of the actions of ordinary, but committed individuals. This lesson shifted everything for me, and a result, left me to ask: What are my commitments for 2013? I can’t think of a more persuasive argument for making a resolution than this.

Not your typical summer camp (ages 13-18) – sail with us and be the best you can be.

One and two-week live-aboard sail training cruises on Lake Ontario, $805-$1495.

613-544-5175

LENNOX & ADDINGTON 4-H Sign up for this year will be coming soon!

Check our website for updates on what clubs there are for this year and sign up dates.

www.lennoxaddington4-h.ca PUBLIC NOTICE Waste Management and the Ministry of the Environment are appearing before Ontario's Environmental Review Tribunal.

The trial is set to determine how to monitor and deal with leaks and odours from the closed Richmond Landfill.

Recently, the MOE announced their discovery of off-site groundwater contamination.

This is the time to show your support to protect our water, air and land.

Trial Starts Monday, March 25, 10:00 a.m.

Location to be determined. Public welcome.

LeakyLand.com A BAD PLACE TO HAVE A DUMP FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 17

A Senior’s Pre-Exam Rant The Best Years of Your Life

By Sebastian Back Grade 12 student, Sydenham High School

By Reba Pennell Grade 12 student, Napanee District Secondary School

U

H

niversit y and Colle ge application time is almost over.

Within the month most applications will be in and many reviewed.

A lready, some o f my f r i e n d s are receiving acceptances from colleges and universities.

W ith ex ams creeping toward us, things are stressful. It is said that “ You should just follow your dreams and the path will pave itself”. Well in times like these it’s pretty easy to toss these encouragements aside as a load of rubbish.

I’m currently creating my portfolios for film programs while my classmates take photos, build books and portfolios, preparing for examinations and trials ahead. The pressure is on. I am positive that the stress will only increase once I have moved on to postsecondary. However, through this griping and self-pity, I have come to the conclusion that simply following one’s dreams does not pave the way, but it makes - if you’ll indulge me the analogy - wading through the swamp absolutely worth it. The distinction between pursuing a passion and pursuing money for the sake of survival is that in one case you have a shore to wade toward and the other is an uncertain, aimless ambling through the muck.

I make this analogy because, even in this privileged country of ours, life can be hard certainly for some more than others. There seems to be no specific path for success and the distractions of media as well as the expectations society has for success - beautiful house, on beautiful property, with a gorgeous car - weigh us down. These social pressures are what tend to keep us from regarding what we really want. There is the pressure to please others and to live

up to the image they have of us to the point that we go along with what other people think we should do, not stopping to remember who is in charge of our future. Us. In the case where we let others make our choices, we end up confused and conflicted. There’s the warm feeling of having pleased the people around us, but on the other hand there is a sense of confusion and dissatisfaction with one’s current position because there are other things we might rather be doing. This leads, again, to walking about the swamp with no rhyme or reason until we just sit down and the muck levels at our shoulders. Unpleasant - yes.

So wouldn’t it be much better to work and live with a sense of certainty; to climb onto the dry shore, and escape the befuddlement and confusion of suppressing our own inclinations?

Well, it seems I have written myself in a circle.

Passion, and the pursuit of that passion, does apparently lead us down a road, regardless of how windy, hilly, or bumpy. For me and for many others the real issue is to find and pursue my own passion as it is elusive and is obscured by passing fads and the advice of peers. This piece itself seems to have twisted and turned a tad, though that is how the mind works. Especially for the young and stressed.

ow many times have teenagers heard the line: These are going to be the best years of your life? I know I have heard it more times than I can count. I guess adults say that because they think that high school is a place where we don’t have to worry about bills or money or anything like that.

whether or not they had a lot of friends; were they the quiet type who kept to themselves, were they nerds or ‘try hards’ (something I get called all the time!). What’s going to happen 10 years from now? Is the person who goes to the party instead of staying home and studying going to be successful?

Probably not.

It may be true but the ‘best years of our lives’ are also very stressful. Apart from the hours at school, we also have homework, friends, family, relationships and after school work to deal with and that can be very stressful.

We have university applications o r co l l e g e applications to complete and we have to get high marks to qualify. The realization that our future is in our hands now, not in our parents or guardians is also stressful.

I think that it’s sad in our generation that many kids are more worried about going to a cool party than staying home and worrying about their education and their future. What

Most important we have to make our own choices.

Should we go to a party or study for an exam that we need to do well on? Personally I choose studying but not all teens do. The ones that choose to party believe in the mindset that ‘you only live once’. I agree with that but what happens when the teen that goes to the party walks into the exam the next day and has no idea what she is doing? Meanwhile the person sitting behind her finished the exam in an hour because she stayed home with lots of coffee and studied her butt off to make sure she passed.

Some students think that once they are out in the real world people are still going to care about who they were in high school: whether they were popular and played sports, or

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Space is limited and pre-registration is encouraged.

Light refreshments will be served.

18 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

does that say about the next generation in the work force? What’s going to happen?

Teens who want to soar through school based on how they look or how ‘cool’ they think they are should take a step back and think about what is going to happen out in the real world. Our four years of high school define our lives and can either make or break our future. We can care about what we do and choose studying over partying or we can think that life is just going to be a big party. Our future is in our hands. Life doesn’t owe us anything, we owe the world our knowledge to make the world a better place and that starts with a choice; party or study?

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S.W.F.

Valentine Colours

By Ivy Vinette

By Merola Tahamtan

I

’m cute, positive, fun, adventurous, hard-working, determined, outdoorsy, athletic... Hmm, what else would a guy want?

Thirty-something and single. After a few years of being alone I think I’m ready to jump back into the dating scene.

I’ve just recently moved back to the country after ten years of living in big cities for school and work. While I was away I dated -- a lot: Big guys, small guys, outgoing a n d s hy, intellectuals and goofballs.

Guys from different countries, cultures and languages...

But I still haven’t found “the perfect man!”

I don’t actually believe that there is such thing as the perfect man.

I know that relationships are about compromise and overlooking certain things, but after a decade of dating I’ve come to the conclusion that city men are not for me.

My break from dating was similar to how alcoholics stop drinking -- cold turkey. Dates were starting to feel like a big heavy night out. I’d get super excited, buy a new outfit and get all gussied up. Sometimes I would be so head-over-heels happy that I’d open my heart too much too early. But most of the time I’d listen in amazement to some total weirdo I was sitting across from. Then the next morning I’d wake up with a headache, feeling like crap and vowing never to do it again.

Now here I am back in the boonies, surrounded by many loving friends, family, and familiar places but unfortunately, there seems to be little chance of meeting my man. It seems like everyone around here got snatched up and hitched soon after school ended. I don’t know any single men or women in their thirties.

Almost every time I meet someone they ask if I’m married. When I say no, 99% of the time there’s a sympathetic tilt of the head followed by, “Oh don’t worry, you’ll meet someone soon who will make you happy.”

I find this so funny! Why do I need to find someone to make me happy? I’m happy already -- I don’t clean up after anyone, I have no expectations that someone will do things for me, I don’t have to coordinate my schedule with anyone. I’m free to do what I want, when and how I want to.

?

But then I start to question myself.

Am I truly happy?

It would be nice to snuggle up with someone on the sofa with a movie and a bowl of popcorn; or to have someone to share my t e n t when I go camping; or to have a partner in crime for some of my crazy adventures. And it does seem that country men are quite a different breed. They’re handy, they do boy things like snowmobiling or playing hockey, and for the most part they seem pretty darned reliable.

A

t this time of year, we are all feeling the winter blues, and although we have been fortunate in not having that much snow, it still seems a little “blah” out there. But, we can embrace the power of colour in our homes. Colour is a powerful tool and can project the p e rs o n a l i t i e s o f those who occupy the space.

Children learn to identify colours early in life. When we are born, we only see black, white and grey but within a few weeks, a baby begins to see more colours. Colourful toys and books attract a baby’s attention as his perception of colour strengthens.

Colour also plays with our senses. We all respond to colours differently. In general, blue is calming and is great for bedrooms and libraries. Red on the other hand excites most people, as our heart beats faster and we experience an increase in appetite. That would explain why many restaurants are painted in shades of red.

Today we can easily transform a room on a limited budget with the wonders of paint and the hundreds of colours to choose from.

Some of us intuitively understand how to use colours, while some of us only know what colour we like when we see it. But it doesn’t matter: have fun with colour. Let it warm up your interiors. Take chances – you can always repaint a room if you don’t like it.

Here is a fun project to do with paint chips.

These are perfect for Valentine’s Day. Visit your local paint store for your favourite paint swatches. You can get as creative as you like.

Stamp on cute sayings for your valentine, or free-hand with a black marker. You could also add stickers, or cut our hearts, add buttons, ribbon. A great project to do with your kids.

Happy Valentine’s Day! Merola Tahamtan is an Interior Stylist in Home & Business Design, Home Staging, Paiting, and Window Draperies. You can reach her at 613561-0244 or merolatahamtandesigns@live.ca.

So here I am, back in the saddle -- country style. I’ve never dated outside of my city dating, so this should be interesting. I’m up for trying anything: blind dates, online dating, singles dances, hoedowns, and bingo, whatever! And since most of my past dates have typically been heartwarming, humorous or downright horrendous, I’m going to share my experiences with all of you.

So let’s make a toast: To love, life and happiness forever and ever.

To be continued...

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February 14th is Valentine’s Day! Make your sweetheart a special meal, with our local farm raised beef.

We carry a unique selection of jams, jellies, preserves, sauces, honey, cheese, curd, & fresh from our ovens baked goods.

Weekly meat specials, & freezer packages available.

RIVER VALLEY POULTRY FARM FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 19

Kids & PareNTs

County of Lennox & Addington

School Readiness Program at

Public Library Children’s Programs NAPANEE BRANCH • • • •

•

•

AMHERSTVIEW BRANCH

Monday - Thursday 3:004:30 p.m.: Homework Help Monday - Thursday 6:007:30 p.m. : Wii night Tuesday every other week 2:00 p.m.: Writer’s Group Tuesday 3rd of the month 10:30 a.m.–12:00 noon: Book Club Wednesday 1st of the month 10:30 a.m.–12:00 noon: Book Club Thursdays 1:30 p.m.: Story Time

CAMDEN EAST BRANCH Mondays 10:30-11:00 a.m.: Toddler Tales. Story, puppets, and flannel board stories.

•

•

Tuesdays 5:30-7:30 p.m.: Family Night Board games, activities, crafts, puzzles, and a storytime at 6:30.

Wednesdays 10:15 a.m. & 11:15 a.m.: Storytime.

Session 1 at 10:15 a.m. and Session 2 at 11:15 a.m.

Please call the library at (613) 389-6006 to register or to find out more.

Centreville Public School We have a fun and interactive way to help your child adjust to the exciting new adventure they will take in September 2013. We will be running a nine week program, Friday mornings from 9:30 am until 12:00 pm beginning April 5 to June 7, 2013. Our focus will be on the social and listening skills that your child will need for starting the Early Learning Program (Kindergarten). This gives children the opportunity to build new friendships while they learn the routines together through songs, games, stories, crafts and free play.

Space is limited and the program fills fast so please call to register!

LARC/OEYC North Office 613-336-8934 Ext 257 This is a FREE service provided by Lennox & Addington Resources for Children’s Ontario Early Years Centre Program.

Your Child does not need to be attending Centreville Public School to attend. All children welcome!

Playgroup

TAMWORTH BRANCH Wednesdays 6:30-7:15 p.m.: • February 6-27: Games • March 6-27: Movie night • April 3-24: Writing - your stories, poems OR drawing

Do you want to: Have fun with your child?

Meet other parents and children?

Expose your child to new experiences in a safe environment?

Play, sing, laugh, share, and try new things?

Then come along and try our playgroup. We have a great space, lots of toys, and as part of our playgroup time, we do crafts, circle and have a singing time. Anyone is welcome - we have Moms, Dads, Grandparents and Caregivers who bring children.

MiniMind Masters Fun Games

Where?

Located in the multi-purpose room at the rear of Sheffield Camden Community Centre (Arena), 713 Addington Street, Tamworth

When?

Monday mornings from 9.30 am to 12 pm

Cost? FREE

For more information:

613-336-8934 Ext 257 or 613 354-6318 ext 27

It’s Rhyme Time!

A fun and versatile program that helps

You Will Learn

children build positive living skills which they can use anytime, anywhere for the rest of their lives.

Jelly Belly & Changing Channels

This program gives parents and children’s service providers proven successful activities to do with children to teach them: ‐listening and focusing, body awareness, relaxation, stress management and

Spaghetti Toes & Umbalakiki “Tree It”

March 20, 27 & April 3, 2013 As well as other Relaxation Techniques

9:45-10:45 a.m. (Playgroup runs 9:30—11:30) Napanee Playgroup at Trinity United Church-25 Bridge St. East, Napanee

For more Information or to register call LARC 613 354-6318 ext. 34

20 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

Free Childcare if you register at least 1 week in advance

Discover the pleasure and power of using rhymes, songs and stories with your baby, toddler and young child.

Parents and their babies are invited to join Early Literacy Specialist, Susan Ramsay, for 20 minutes of rhymes and songs babies love.

Older children play under supervised care while parents and babies enjoy undivided time together.

Then toddlers and preschoolers join in too for more active songs, rhymes and story.

I T ’ S R HYME T IME !

Dates: March 7, 14, 21, 28 Times: 10:45—11:30 a.m.

Location: LARC OEYC

Free Classifieds Free to private individuals or not-for-profit community groups.

Ads are accepted by phone at 613-379-5369 or by email at stonemills.scoop@gmail.com.

FOR SALE: Electric IBM typewriter & all accessories. Winter coat: brown borg fur, knee-length, size 16, new $40 - asking half price.

Winter grey cloth coat: kneelength, size 16, $20. Phone 613379-5244.

WANTED: We are looking for 2 sets of old stairs (to use outdoors). Call Susan or Steven: 613-379-5958.

WA N T ED: St udeba ker memorabilia. Items such as manuals, brochures, old dealer calendars, pens, pencils, lighters, watches, etc. Phone Norm 613968-4400.

FOR SALE: Best kindling anywhere!

Locally sourced mill ends cut and ready to go. $10/box. Delivery

and discounts available for 5 or more boxes. “The Ultimate House Warming Gift!” 613-539-2831 FOR SA LE: Met a l Work ing Equipment - universal metal bender with numerous dies; 1/2 inch bar twisting machine (powered, several scrollers for producing identical scrolls of different sizes with ease; & 4 x 4 foot steel welding table with vice.

Phone 613-379-2682.

CORRECTION: Please note the following error in the 2011/2012 Tamworth and Erinsville Telephone Directory: The phone number for “Gillan, A” should be 379-2393.

Apologies for this error. Please report other errors by email at michelle@aztext.com WORK WANTED: Secretarial, micro-publishing, bookkeeping, etc. Contact Jeannette at 613-3589173.

W&S ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES Approved by the Ministry of the Environment

• Grass cutting • Seniors receive 10% discount • Large items pickup • Garbage pickup & recyclables

Phone: 613-379-5872 Cell: 613-483-8441 sadie40039@hotmail.com

Answers to the crossword on the Puzzle Page (page 22):

Family Mediation or Arbitration or a Combination of Both?

By Allan Proulx

I

n the last issue of The Scoop I discussed the b ene f i t s of choosing mediation over litigation and this time, I will take it further.

To resolve your issue(s), would you consider mediation, or arbitration, or a combination of both mediation and arbitration - referred to frequently as Med/Arb? How does one differ from the other? What is the process of each? and What is the end result?

Very few people like the idea of going to court to resolve issues. Litigation is adversarial, very expensive, very time consuming and each side is forced to leave important decisions about their children and family up to a judge who knows little about them or their needs. The alternatives include mediation and arbitration, but which is suitable for you? They both work toward a fair resolution to your issues but in different ways.

Mediation Mediation is slightly less formal than arbitration. Mediators agree to hear both sides of a dispute objectively, but the main focus remains on the two parties as they work together to resolve their differences.

The mediator will not make any binding decisions on their behalf but instead, will keep the discussion moving forward toward a solution that both parties agree with and both consider fair. For mediation to work, it is important to keep the dialogue “interest based”, why you want something, as opposed to “position based” approaches, what you want, which lead nowhere except, often, to the termination of mediation. At the end, once your agreement is properly signed and witnessed, you will have a “domestic contract” which can be registered formally with the court. It then becomes enforceable.

Should child or spousal support form part of this agreement, the document can be sent to the Family Responsibility Office for enforcement.

The choice of mediation is good when there is not a high level of conflict or evidence of abuse and both sides can see and appreciate the other’s interests. It is much less costly and can be much faster than litigation.

Underlying all this is both parties’ genuine desire to mediate or reach agreement and thus resolve their issues fairly and efficiently between themselves.

Arbitration Arbitration is usually associated more with commercial contracts but it is becoming more frequently used in the context of separation or divorce.

It is a more formal process than mediation.

A family arbitrator can include a person who has met the educational requirements set out by the Province of Ontario or can be a lawyer or a retired judge.

Where arbitration differs from mediation is that it allows each side, generally represented by a lawyer, to explain their position and their evidence to the arbitrator. Much as in regular court, they or their lawyers can question or examine or cross-examine any witnesses from both sides. When each side has finished, the arbitrator will then make a written decision based solely on the evidence that was provided during the arbitration.

That decision is legally binding on both sides.

The benefits of arbitration are that it is generally much faster than going to court and that it is confidential. Court documents (except those of the Children’s Aid Society) are open to the public but arbitral awards are confidential, thus people can keep from having their laundry aired in public. It is most often used by couples seeking a final, quick, and efficient solution to their issues.

What About Med/Arb? Great question!

Med/Arb is short for mediation/arbitration.

It is a two-step process that borrows from each of mediation and arbitration, where the same, neutral facilitator serves as both mediator and arbitrator. A specific Mediation/Arbitration Retainer Agreement is signed by both sides prior to starting with the Mediation.

First, the parties work hard at trying to reach a common decision on each of their issues using mediation. Should all or some of these issues remain outstanding at the end of mediation, the mediator automatically assumes the role of arbitrator. At the end of the arbitration part, the arbitrator makes a legally binding decision that both sides must honour.

Many couples find this dual process really useful in reaching a conclusion to their issues as they can expect finality efficiently, without having to go to court. Often Med/Arb turns into a successful mediation without the need for arbitration, however, if mediation does not clear up all the issues, the threat of having a third party render a decision in a binding arbitration often inspires people to work extra hard in mediation to come to an agreement!

Allan Proulx is a Comprehensive Family Mediator and Arbitrator at Aequus Mediation and Arbitration and can be contacted in Napanee at 613-354-2904 or by email at aequusfamilymediation@bell.net.

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

| 21

29/01/2013

Valentine’s Day Word Worksheets Valentine Word Scramble – Classroom Jr.

Puzzle Page New York Times Crossword

by Randall J. Hartman / Will Shortz ©The New York Times Across

1

1. #1 number two who became the #2 number one

14

15

16

6. Actors who mug

17

18

19

10. Talking equine of '60s TV

2

3

4

5

20

6

7

8

16. Toy on a string

26

27

28

29

30

35

37

38

39

19. ___-again (like some Christians)

40

41

42

44

43

48

24. Last letter, in London 25. Gordon of "Oklahoma!"

29. Went out, as a fire 31. Club discussed in clubhouses: Abbr.

31

32

33

53

54

45

46

23. Garment accompanying a girdle

13

36

18. Lot in life

20. She offered Excalibur to the future King Arthur

12

24

34

17. Food from heaven

11

22

23 25

10

21

14. Roll over, as a subscription 15. Neighbor of Yemen

9

47

49

50

51

52

55

56

57

59

60

61

62

63

64

29/01/2013

Valentine’s Day Word Worksheets Valentine Word Search – Classroom Jr.

58

34. Guiding philosophy 35. Couch

61. Do, as a puzzle

36. Standard

62. Something to slip on?

37. Popular canned tuna

63. Whirling current

40. Word of invitation 41. Broadway award 42. Alleviates 43. Nile stinger 44. Hockey legend Gordie 45. Handles the food for the party 46. Big bird of the outback 47. Quilt locale

57. Ram, astrologically 59. Voting no

26. One of the Three Musketeers

1. Elbow's place 2. "Are we agreed?"

3. Late celebrity ___ Nicole Smith 4. Repair

8. Trig or geometry

25. Holy city of Islam

27. Cheeta, in "Tarzan" films 28. Serving with chop suey 29. "Lorna ___" 30. Questionable 31. Rapper's entourage 32. Garson of "Mrs. Miniver"

45. Corporate V.I.P. 47. Stomach 48. Disappeared 49. Old Harper's Bazaar www.classroomjr.com/valentines-day-word-worksheets/valentine-word-scramble/ artist 50. Wart causer, in legend 51. Rocklike 52. Greek love god 53. Needs medicine 54. Campbell of "Scream" 55. 40 winks 58. Topic for Dr. Ruth

33. Accumulate

9. Take lightly

35. The white in a whiteout

"Oops! I made a mistake"

38. Crayfish dish

St. Patrick’s – Fantasy 36.

TidyJr. 10.Day Activity Sheets St. Patricks Printable Maze

60. Warren of the Supreme Court

11. Castle, in chess 12. "Jane ___"

39. One who could use a shrink

5 6 8 1

7 5 7

www.classroomjr.com/valentines-day-word-worksheets/valentine-word-search/

4

3

4 3

6 9

8

2

8 5

9

1 2 5 22 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

2

Daily Sudoku: Sun 27-Jan-2013

6 7 8 2

(c) Daily Sudoku Ltd 2013. All rights reserved.

29/01/2013

46. Earthlink transmission

Down

7. Amo, amas, ___ ...

56. Lamb : ewe :: ___ : mare

21. Valuable rock

64. County ENE of London

6. Labor leader Jimmy who mysteriously disappeared

55. Witty Ephron

44. Medical care grp.

22. ___ Zeppelin

5. Sag on a nag

48. Columbia, in an old patriotic song

13. "___ we now our gay apparel"

Winter Family Fun Napanee’s Winter Chill Fest

Newburgh’s Canal Bash

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SAP BUCKETS SAP LIDS SPILES

THERMOMETERS HYDROMETERS CONE FILTERS

Call : (613)583-9377 Text : (613)583-9377 Email: contact@mtss.ca Web: www.mtss.ca

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013 • THE SCOOP

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OPEN: Mon. - Fri. 8 - 7 Sat. 8 - 6 Sun. 11 - 5

CHECKSUS OUT ALL YOUR FRESH UB SFOR ANDWICHES GrOCerY Needs & MORE! HOT SOUP & HOT COFFEE

Fresh Bakery • Deli • Produce • Fresh Cut Meats Visit tamworth.ca to see our weekly flyer

672 Addington St., Tamworth

613-379-2440

CHALK WELL DRILLING

LTD.

Established since 1922

Wells for home, farm & industry Rotary & cable tool drilling • • • •

Prompt service Free estimates Pump installations & service Wells decommissioned & abandoned

RR 6 Napanee

1-800-850-2881 chalkwel@kos.net

ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS ACCEPTED Licensed by the Ministry of the Environment

LANE Veterinary Services

Since 1983

Serving Pets & Farm Animals Mon, Tues, Thurs: 8:30am-5pm 211 McQuay St. off Cty. Rd. #6 Wed: 8:30am-7pm (between Colebrook & Moscow) Fri: 8:30am-4pm RR#3 Yarker, ON K0K 3N0 Sat: 10am-1pm Emergency Service By Appointment

www.lanevetservices.ca www.lanevetservices.ca info@lanevetservices.ca

(613) 358-2833 or 1-888-832-1904 “Prevention is the Best Medicine”

24 | THE SCOOP • FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

TECDC 2013 Concert Series Tickets on sale now - Call 613-379-2808 for info!

The Good Lovelies

Multi award winning east coaster Catherine MacLellan & one of the Best 50 Songwriters of the Past 50 Years, Jonathan Byrd, on one stage for one night here in Tamworth. Don’t miss it.

Sat. Feb. 23 $20

Please suPPOrT Our sPONsOrs

Juno Awards headliners at major festivals, tours of Canada, England, Australia & the US and they’re in Tamworth, Sat. April 20. Don’t miss their amazing harmonies. $30

Rik Emmett

Music Hall of Famer, Juno Hall of Famer, numerous gold albums, Music Instructor at Humber, & award winning guitarist performs with David Dunlop in an acoustic show that will impress all his fans. $30