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4 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, February 5,2003 Ü •i- I Places I've Done Time by Clifford Francis Ground hog day This past Sunday was Ground Hog Day and I was up bright and early to travel north of Leskard to see if the ground Hog would come out of his burrow. I had never actually seen him, so I wasn't sure if he would be a ground hog or a wood chuck. When I got there I was bitterly disappointed. The only thing I saw was a pile of bones and fur. A coyote or something had eaten him. My mind drifted back in time and I thought about the furry little fellow that I once had. He was not the common run of the mill ground hog. He was a proper little wood chuck. I first noticed him in June or July when he burrowed into the side of a hill. After that any time I looked that way he would be out surveying his domain. When winter came he disappeared disappeared and I thought nothing more about him. February came and on the 2nd I was startled startled to see him chasing a ground hog down the lane and out onto the road. Several minutes minutes later he returned alone, and stood on the hill again overlooking overlooking his domain. Suddenly another ground hog appeared and he took off after it. He chased it up over the hill and onto the next farm. It was then I realized he wasn't worried about his shadow, but he was driving off any suitors from harem. He was out and about in March mating with his ladies. I then realized that Punxsutawney Phil or Wiarton Willy had nothing on my little fellow. I called him Leskard Laverne and I started to domesticate domesticate him. Before the grass got green I started to feed him a head of lettuce or cabbage and it wasn't long before I had several several hundred dollars invested in Laverne. I tried feeding him turnips but they made him gassy. And he didn't particularly particularly like cabbage so I was stuck feeding him heads of lettuce and with the freeze in Florida they were $2 a head, and he ate one eveiy day. Later in the summer the vet stopped by to give me some medication for the sheep that I had bought at the sales barn. During our conversation I told him about my wood chuck. For your own safety you should give him a shot for rabies and distemper, the vet said. That was another $80. I mention how he chased off the other males and the vet said if he was that amorous he should be circumcised circumcised for his own health. But I declined since the cost was over $100 and I had already spent several hundred. When winter came I built him a den in the comer of the bam and hoped that when the 2nd of Februaiy rolled around he would appear and I would have the local media there to see Leskard Laverne. He never really hibernated at all. Two or three times a week he would stagger "out of his den looking for another head of lettuce. In late November he had a fight with a stray dog and the vet made another $60 stitching up his nose and head. He was a cute little guy, stitches, buck teeth and all. I was still hoping to cash in on Laverne but it never came to be. One evening when he wasn't wasn't hibernating I brought him into the house to show him to someone. Sometime later I noticed he was sweating a little and I put him out in the porch. After drinking a couple bottle of Bombay Gin, I went to bed and forgot about the wood chuck out in the porch. The next morning Leskard Laverne was frozen stiff. I still feel bad about what I did and how it happened. Stere leads the By Anita DeVries Kindergarten at Kirby is more than just 'fun and games' ...it's a 'load of fun' with Laura Stere leading the way. Jeremy Hartwell wrote the Orono Times telling us about his teacher. This is what he says: "I think Mrs. Stere should be teacher of the month. She's so great. She doesn't make us do any homework. She lets us play lots of different kinds of games. I really like her, she's so special. Mrs. Stere really helps make our hurts feel better. Sometimes she has Band-Aids around here, last time I got a big cut that Band-Aid felt great. She makes learning fun because we do lots of singing and actions. She is going to put snow in the water table and that will be fun and fun and fun. We had lots of fun in our Christmas and Halloween parties. parties. It is really great being with Mrs. Stere and the rest of the kids. " For winning teacher of the month, Stere was given flowers flowers from the Apple Blossom Shop in Orono. She was both surprised and touched by her student's letter. "That's really nice," she said humbly. Teaching has always been something Stere wanted to do, "I've always liked children, even as a child I liked the younger,children,"she said. Stere taught grade four the past couple of years, but decided decided to teach kindergarten so she A ,)f f/w ANITA DEVRIES PHOTO Laura Stere accepts flowers from her student Jeremy Hartwell, who nominated her "Teacher of the Month" could be home every other day for her children. She hadn't taught kindergarten for over five years and forgot how much fun it was listening to the children's comments. "I was helping children write cards out one day," Stere said, "and I was writing the word 'mom', another child looked over and said, 'that's how you spell my mom's name too!"' Kindergarten children show their emotions so easily which makes everyday an adventure. "It's most gratifying when they learn a new letter or song and their faces light up," said Stere, as she sat in her spacious classroom among the sand box, computers, small climbing gym and loads of toys. "It's hard work (being a teacher), but when you feel like your making a difference it's all worth it." For Jeremy Hartwell and the rest of the kindergarten children, she's already made a difference as she opens the world of learning everyday in their classroom at Kirby. Host Family Needed for Visa Student Attending Clarke High School In Newcastle On February 3, 2003, a 15 year old, female visa student from Japan, will begin her Canadian studies at Clarke High School in Newcastle until January of 2004. She and her family in Japan have specifically chosen the Newcastle area for her to attend school. With the small town charm and hospitality that Newcastle provides to travelers it is no wonder that they would chose this area in particular. Globally, Canada is viewed as being a safe and welcoming environment for international visitors of both short and long term stays. The Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board and the schools within have been drawing students from all over the world for years, which indicates how positively the education system is viewed from abroad. This provides our small town communities with the opportunity to participate and promote global peace and harmony through the hosting of international students and welcoming them into our communities. Hosting of visa students allows international exposure for our own Canadian children without having to leave the Country. Host families in the past have expressed what a wonderful opportunity it was to be introduced to a different culture and traditions, while at the same time, sharing Canadian culture and tradition with their guest. This Japanese student is looking forward to attending Clarke High School and becoming a part of the community during her stay in Canada. To quote her, "While in Canada I hope to learn about the Canadian culture and traditions. Most of all I would love to learn how to cook Canadian food...I studied about cultural differences in my high school, but I am sure there are many more cultural differences I am still to experience and I have no doubt I will find them just as fascinating." Her interests are vast, but she truly enjoys reading, playing sports and singing, If you and your family would be interested in providing a loving and nurturing home for this student for the duration of her studies at Clarke High School please contact Tara Warren at The Community Training and Development Centre 1 -877-749-2832 for further information. Monthly compensation is provided to the host family for expenses incurred. The Community Training and Development Centre is a not-for-profit organization associated with the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board