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4 - Orono Weekly Times, Wednesday, February 12, 2003 Places I've Done Time by Clifford Francis Valentine's Day Valentine's day is nearly here again. For me, some have been better than others. One that stands out vividly happened years ago. I met a girl called Shelly Serge in a round about way. My dentist worked in the jail in Millbrook and had a small office in the village. He would work in the jail on Monday mornings and at his office on Main street in the afternoon. He eventually closed the office in the village and worked in Peterborough full time. I would go to his clinic there. Being more than frightened of dentists was one of my traits. Whenever possible, I would be fully fortified before I went to visit the dentist. This one particular Thursday, I had drank nearly two quarts between the time I left home and showed up at the Grand Hotel after being to the dentist. dentist. I asked for a couple of doubles but the barmaid said I had drank more than I needed, so she gave me a couple of singles instead. While talking to her I found out her name was Shelly and that she lived in Pontypool. After she offered me a ride home, we sat and talked for several hours and she told me she came from a place 100 miles from Quebec City on de North Shore. She told me her father had come to Ontario to work at General Motors and how she hoped to become a teacher and go home to Quebec to teach. After much pleading and a few promises she agreed to a date. For the next several months we had the occasional date when time allowed. Each and every day it was fun and the more I saw of her the more I liked Shelly. On Valentine's Day I sent her roses and everything changed. Her mother phoned me and told me to get lost and forget her daughter. I was more than a little hurt. Unbeknownst Unbeknownst to me, Shelly's mom worked at the Forestry and knew who I was. A few days later Shelly came out to the Ranch when it started to rain and it was too icy to drive so she stayed over. The next morning I saw her mother come sliding up the ice in the pouring rain. I opened the door and she gave me a good calling down. I said just don't stand there in. the rain, go on Home and I slammed the door. She slid back down the drive and opened the trunk of the car. Back up the drive she came canying a single shot 4.10 and when she got to the gate she fell on her ass and the gun went off and broke into a few pieces. I was so scared that I wasn't sure if I was breathing in or out. For everyone's concern concern and safety, we stopped dating and a sadness fell over the ranch for a little while. Have a happy Valentine's ; Day. : Elk. white-tailed deer, bison, wild turkey and the white rhino are wildlife conservation successes. Help us foster turnarounds. Him Heads Safari Club International foundation 800.377.5399 • www.SafariClubFoundation.org Valentine's Day still as popular today By Anita DeVries Ready or not, single or married, Valentine's day is coming this Friday. But why is it we celebrate love on February 14? The origins of Valentines began about 1300 years ago, so the fact and the fiction of it may be a little mixed. According to The New Standard Encyclopedia, Saint Valentine was a Roman priest who was put to death on or about February 14, 270 A.D., because he refused to pay tribute tribute to the pagan gods. However, the History Channel's website states that there is a legend that says Valentine secretly opposed Emperor Claudius ll's decree that young men were not allowed to marry. Claudius believed single men made better better soldiers than those with wives and families, in order to strengthen his army he made the decree. Valentine defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When his actions were discovered he was sentenced to death. Legend has it that Valentine fell in love with the jailor's daughter when he was in prison. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine.' In any case the Roman Catholic Church canonized Valentine as a martyr. The date of his death closely coincided coincided with a Roman feast called the Lupercalia, a night when youths chose by lot their sweethearts for the following year. The two occasions eventually eventually merged and the Lupercalian method was adopted by lovers in England and elsewhere. The girl whose name was drawn was often given a gift. No matter how exactly Valentine's day originated-- present lovers are still celebrating celebrating today. Purchase bricks for shelter The local shelter for battered battered women and children is hoping to sell bricks for Valentines day. Bethesda House hopes to raise $200,000 locally from their "Bulding Hope... Changing Lives" fun- drasing campaign. Bethesda House has recently purchased a big, old Bowmanville home which they are currently renovating into a new shelter for women with or without children who feel they must flee from abu- Community Continued from front as a community to share! The tone of Ms. Jackson's letter suggests this long standing standing co-operative approach has changed: it has not. As I write this letter I'm watching Ms. Jackson scrape off some snow on a couple of patches on the Orono Mill Pond; This is the first time I have seen her out there all winter. I guess it's an example of her community spirit. I look forward to that sense of community spirit spreading to the kids she had with her. sive situations in their own homes. While the Ministry of Community and Family Services has provided the shelter with funding in the half a million dollar range for which board members are very grateful. They do have to raise some money in order to complete the renovation project. project. Local artists and Bethesda House board members will be painting a mural in the dining room of the new shelter for which they are looking for sponsors to purchase bricks, stones, windows, trees etc. Donors names will be painted on the mural on whatever symbol they purchase. This way, shelter clients will see they are part of a community that cares, according to Catherine Fox, Bethesda House Executive Director. The funding levels begin with $25 for a brick and move up to $ 1,000 for a roof on the mural. The Board suggest that buying a brick or a stepping stone on the mural for Valentine's Day is a unique gift for a loved one. "Small amounts do add up," said Fox in a media launch of the fundraising drive, Monday. The original Bethesda House was forced to close its Durham continued from front ton council. Anderson congratulated congratulated .councillors on the 10th Anniversary of the name Ciarington , rather. than Newcastle, , identifying the amalgamated former townships townships of, Clarke and Darlington. While one of the noteworthy noteworthy successes of the previous year for Chairman Anderson was the new integrated waste management service which will start in Ciarington this week, his personal highlight of 2002 was the opening of the new Hillsdale Estate in Oshawa with 300 beds for Durham's frail and elderly citizens. citizens. "With communities like Ciarington as the foundation for a dynamic future in Durham, I hope we can build that future together," he concluded. concluded. John Thomson, Orono (jet Swwty A PAINT JOB fa VoAntUUb jbay Give the gift of lasting colour - get that interior painting done for your Sweety for Valentines Day CALL PRO PAINTING 905-983-5761 Mlittl Sikma's Orchard ^^rpSv'^-vi: ' ■ Mf, 1 L ;! i ;■> GREAT SELECTION OF FANCY & CEE GRADE APPLES ipnupii ii*i pure fyppi e Qy er mac / e on our farm I located on Hwy. #2, 3 km east of Newcastle • 905-786-2153 Open Daily 8am - 6pm Closed Sundays Northcutt Elliott Funeral Home THOUGHTFULNESS, SERVICE & CONCERN A Family Owned Business, Offering: Traditional Funeral Services Pre-arranged & Prepaid Services - Cremation Arrangements Alternatives to Traditional Funerals - Out of Town Shipping CORY KUIPERS- PRESIDENT 5.3 Division Street 905-623-5668 Bowmanville. Ontario I.IV 2Z8 off STREET PARKING