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I don't know who has been messing around but somebody out there has obviously stirred up Mother Nature to the point where-she feelsit is time she got even. Witness the recent weather and tell me*she hasn't got it in for us - or rather I should say she's got it in for somebody and we're all paying the price. I must admit I expected the worst after going to the Bahamas and Florida for two weeks and returning to find here,'alternately cold and hot weather. My system doesn't adjust one way very quickly. If I'm in cold weather and it turns hot I can shuck clothes and enjoy it with the best of them. When it turns from hot to cold my system immediately wants to get into the hibernation thing and it's literally weeks before I've made the adjustment and start enjoy the "cold, crisp air". On my return from holidays my system went nuts. We had snow the day I returned, a week later we had record highs and a week after that we had more snow and freezing rain. My front hall closet is absolutely jammed. It only has room for one season's clothing but with the weather being what it is my closet is packed with everything for all seasons except scuba gear. Those of you who remember Fibber McGee's closet can sympathize because th 'HITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 20, 1977, PAGE 5 feel ail that weli. I~could buy thàt, getting up earfl on a Saturday mornin to corne down to a TV studio and sweat under bot lights or a few hours would out anybody off. e noise and the results are exactly the same when I open my door. Within seconds the front hall looks like an explosion at a rummage sale. Not to mention that I spend a disproportionate part of my day trying to decide what to wear. No matter how well I research the weather I always wind up wearing the wrong thing anyway. If I leave home wearing an overcoat it hits 65 or 70 that day and I stagger ' around like a mobile tent, sweating to death and avoiding the funny looks. If it looks warm and I wear a spring coat or jacket it starts to snow and I wind up darting from warm doorway to warm doorway and in between, while shrugged over to avoid the cold, trying hard not to look like a wino who can't afford heavy winter clothing. The worst of it is my clothes are wearing out just from handling them so much tryine to decide what's best to wear. Of course the problem with all this nonsense is that sooner or later your system will rebel. Mine rebels sooner. That, for me, means anything from a sore throat to a cold or worse, the flu. it all came to bear one recent Saturday morning during a taping of "Whitby, Then & Now". Brian Winter and i were in the Cablecast 10 studio to tape our weekly program and as we sat down to put our mikes in place and adjust the set Brian mentioned that he didn't However Brian decided to fill us in éompletely on all his symptoms and I guess about the only thing we didn't do was stick a thermometer in his mouth. As we prepared for the taping session I began tG think abouf'Briaii'-s symptoms and apply them to.. myself. You guessed it! Before long I said to myself, "Hey self, I feel cold and clammy (nothing racially intended against clams!) and I keep;getting hot and cold flushes. I'm too old for adolescence and I'm too young for the change of life - gad, it must be the flu! I feel punky and mv stomach is doing a roller coaster". Before long I was spending more time domg a self examination than 1 was paying attention to the task at hand. Of course the fact that in between taping sessions Brian would make a mad dash for the John didn't help. I didn't know if I should pay a visit or throw caution to the wind and pretend there was nothing wrong with me. Well, to make a long illness short we cut the taping session short and I went home to lay down. for a while. When I got up I felt great - for about a half a day. I don't think I had the flu but I sure had a beaut of a cold, runny nose, hacking cough and all. And in the spirit of true humanitarianism I looked for somebody to blame. It came down to even odds between Mother Nature and Free Press' own Brian Winter. As I collasped into bed three days after our taping session (I was sure it was to be my death bed) I mumbled, "Brian, God will get you for this!" The youngest of one's family is usually 'special' and our 7-year old Trixie is no exception. She's a lovely little thing -- golden headed and twinkling eyes filled with - mischief. But recently tragedy paid our home a visit and we almost lost Trixie. It was all my fault. J blame myself for being foolish and lacking commonsense. It happened with such innocence. It was bathtime. Trixie, like many youngsters is not too particular about her bath. Sometimes she enjoys it -- others she wants no part of it. This was one of those "I don't want a bath situation". Anyway, my wife was out and I decided I would clean up our little one and she'd be 'squeak-clean' when my wife came home. I got the bath water ready and made sure it was a little warmer than usual because of the winter chill around the house. A dry fluffy towel was ready and i retested the water and made double sure it was warn enough. Calling Trixie I then prepared her for the bath and reassured her she'd feel so good and refreshed afterwards. Fat hope. Trixie had decided she wanted no part of the entire affair. She struggled and gave voice to a shrill high pitched tone of disenchan.tment. "Come what may lady, you are going to have your bath and the sooner the better for both of us" ! almost yelled as Trixie finally gave in and becarne stubbornly quiet as she lay in her bathwater. Soon she was splashing around and seemed to be enjoying the occasion and i felt a lot better and decided to make the incident a short one and got her out of the water and into her towel. She dries pretty fast but likes to finish off herseif so I left her to it for a few minutes. Tragedy. When i came back to the bathroom she was was lying on her back, eyes closed, gasping for air, wheezing and sending out little cries. Her limbs were curled in an unnatural fashion, twisted and yet limp. She seemed to have life. Suddenly, it came to me as the saying goes 'in a flash'. She was chilled to the dangerous point of pneumonia. "Trixie" I yelled clutching her frail body and trying desperately to think and do the right thing. Panic. I needed a doctor but sonething told me time was of the essence. There was no time for a doctor and besides, they will not make house calls. Think. i did. My panic went deeper. I must DO SOMETHING. Heat. Trixie needs heat (that decision came to nie). i looked around and searched found something that gave rapid heat. i applied it directly over Trixie's body -- particularly over the lungs and heart area and over her back. Just how long this scene went on I cannot remember. After the awlui feeling of almost despair, what seemed like eternity, Trixie slowly started to move. Some 30 minutes after i had regained my composure she appeared to be over the crisis. Within 2-3 hours she was well enough to sit up. A life saved is a wonderful inspiration and today Trixie is alive and well. We lost Trixie's playmate a few years ago and little Trixie has corne to mean a great deal to us. In my ignorance I had àlmost chilled one of our tanily to death. : should have realised it was too chilly for a bath. Trixie is our gorgeous tull yellow budgerigar and lier life was saved by using our hair blowe r and gently applying warn air over her mattered feathers. From now on l'Il just spray Trixie and hope to have lier continue to be our youngest. Town to assist Legion but not financially Councillor Tom Edwards gave the Royal Canadian Legion a much-needed hand recently when he asked that council not receive and file an offer of Wintario funding for the Queen's silver jubilee celebrations. Council had intended to receive and file the informa- tion because it was not pre- pared to use town money to match Wintario funds because of budget restraints. Councillor Edwards asked council to reconsider the inatter, since the Legion had been told it could not obtain information througlh Queen's Park, but only through the municipality. If the matter was received and filed, the Legion's source of assistance would be cut off, he said. Council finally agreed to a motion by Councillor Bob Attersley that it would pro- vide any assistance other than mnonetary to the Legion for its silver jubilee celebrations. The matter now goes back to committee for discussion with Legion representatives. Library will get $25,000 grant A Wintario grant of $25,000 has been awarded to the Whitby Public Library to assist in the purchase of shelving, furniture and equip- ment for renovations to be carried out on the main floor of the building this year. The library is expected to occupy both floors of the old, municipal building by the end of 1977. JORDAN WELDING & EQUIPMENT 3 MILES EAST OF CLAREMONT R.R. No. 1 Ashburn +FMC °du°C" 649•3340 y Fest-ival Tour m1ted By aWeE ide May 14 -15 TOUR INCLUDES: * Return transportation by Voyageur Bus LUnes * One nite's accommodation at Holiday Inn Centre * Tour of Ottawa's tulip areas * Experimental Farm featuring 1200 acres of flower beds 8 ornamental gardens * Admission to Old Ft. Henry * Tour escort * Baggage handling (1 piece) * Hotel tax * Meals not included RATES Single - $61.00 Twin - $49.00 per person Triple - $44.00 per person Quad - $41.50 per person CONTACT JUSSELL TRAVEL 116 IC LSTL S., WHIIBY 668f- Hours Mon - Set 9.5 , 19 It-1