The Scoop October-November 2012 by The SCOOP

SCOOP october-november 2012

The

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celebrates rural life

Ramblinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; the Salmon

Bringing in the Hay

New Playgrounds

Pet Photo Contest

Shot Gun Shoot

THE

SCOOP Founded in 2005 by Richard Saxe

A newsmagazine that celebrates rural life in the communities north of the 401 and south of Hwy 7. Published six times yearly by Stone Mills Scoop 482 Adair Road Tamworth, ON K0K 3G0 Voice: 613-379-5369 stonemills.scoop@gmail.com Circulated for free to about 7000 households. Subscriptions by mail: One year: $30 + HST = $33.90 THE PUBLISHER / DESIGNER / AD SALES Karen Nordrum stonemills.scoop@gmail.com THE EDITOR Angela Saxe angela.saxe@gmail.com THE ROVING PHOTOGRAPHER Barry Lovegrove barrylovegrove@bell.net All photographs are by Barry Lovegrove unless otherwise noted. THE CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS ISSUE Sally Bowen, Lillian Bufton, Dalton Cowper, Christine Fader, Mary Jo Field, Beverly Frazer, Andrea Hilborn, J. Huntress, Thomasina Larkin, Barry Lovegrove, Cam Mather, Blair McDonald, Susan Moore, Mike Paterson, Katrina Rees, Angela Saxe, Grace Smith, Terry Sprague, Merola Tahamtan, Barb Wilson Copyright©2012. Articles may be reprinted only with written permission from the publisher and author. The Scoop is an independent publication and is not afﬁliated with nor funded by any corporation or interest group. Letters and submissions are most welcome and encouraged. This is your community newsmagazine 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: Heron by the Salmon River in July near the feed mill in Tamworth. Photo credit: Mike Paterson, 2012.

The Scoop’s looking for Writers!

Here’s the Scoop Ding Dong! By Angela Saxe

his September school bells rang signalling the beginning of another school year, but for the first time since I was five, I wasn’t there. After thirty years in the teaching profession and countless years as a student, I spent Labour Day weekend feeling relaxed – not anxiously clinging to the last hours of the summer break before I would once again be submerged into the frantic day-to-day life of a high school teacher. Don’t get me wrong – I loved my job. I enjoyed going to work every day. I like teenagers. I like their enthusiasm and energy, the turbulence and drama of their social life, the dynamic quality of their learning and yes, as I matured as a teacher, I was amused by their strident need for independence, their suspicion of authority and their dogged insistence that they were right. Many days I came home thankful that I wasn’t a teenager – who would ever want to be that young again! When we moved to the Tamworth area in the early 80s, I had already taught five years and supply teaching was a good way to earn some extra money while I stayed home to raise my sons. It was a brilliant move…within a couple of months I knew most of the families in the area through their children. Today, I come across former students everywhere; they are now working as nurses, teachers, mechanics, shop keepers and tradesmen and they have children of their own. After all those years of marking and struggling to be heard over the ruckus of a high school classroom, it is wonderful to be able

to catch up with my former students. In our conversations many of them exclaimed: “I learned a lot in your class Ms. Saxe – thanks!” – a phrase that gives me great satisfaction every time I hear it. Effective teaching, like parenting, not only entails that you give your knowledge, expertise and wisdom in a respectful manner to a student, or to your son or daughter, but that you are also humble enough to recognize that there’s a lot that they can teach you as well. Raising children and teaching young people professionally has exposed me to their passions and interests; to their resilience and courage when they face challenges; to the diversity of their ideas and imagination and to their remarkable ability to overcome obstacles to attain their goals. A wise adult realizes how little he or she really knows – the trick is to be just as open to learning as we did when we were children. I’m no different from many teachers: I have a plethora of observations on society, but really my retirement is just another passage of life like getting married, having children – it’s a change of identity, a step into an unknown future, a time to reassess and make decisions about my life and of course it’s the harbinger of

impending old age. One of the dreaded questions at social events is: So, what do you do for a living? For many of us, we do not want to be pigeon-holed, reduced to our job, have other people’s pre-conceived notions define us or we simply don’t want to talk “shop”. We want to be seen as active and diverse citizens with a multitude of roles and interests. Retirement from my job will take care of that question – I’ll be free to say that I’m an editor of a fantastic little paper called The Scoop. I’m a member of a small rural community instead of a commuter zipping through the village. I’m a lover and observer of nature thrilled by the landscape – both floral and fauna, around me. I’m a gardener and a hiker; I’m a reader and writer, a friend and a concerned citizen; a volunteer and of course…I’ll be a supply teacher. You can’t expect me to make a clean break from working immediately!

NEW HOURS HAVE BEGUN: Closed Monday & Tuesday Wednesday 11-3 Thursday 3-7 Friday & Saturday 8-8 Sunday 8-7

RESERVE NOW FOR

THANKSGIVING

Turkey Dinner Friday & Saturday Sunday Brunch 10-2 Sunday Dinner Buﬀet 4-7 (No regular menu Sunday)

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

DRIVERS WANTED FREE Training Flexible part-time hours

1-800-831-6872 hwoodhouse@martinsbus.ca

Land O’ Lakes Veterinary Services 12497A Highway 41 Unit 2 Northbrook, ON K0H 2G0 (613) 336-1608

NOW OPEN IN NORTHBROOK ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS The Scoop

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816 Goodyear Rd. Napanee K7R 3L2

Letter to the Editor

ifty years ago, when I was 12, a friend and I decided to make some Christmas shopping money shoveling snow for his neighbour on a street in what was then the west end of Kingston. We started a bit late in the day, and the job was bigger than we realized; it was fully dark before we were done. It was a clear, cold mid-December night, and I was getting tired. I stopped for a bit and looked up at the sky. I think that the rhythmic monotony of two hours of shoveling had put me into a kind of meditative state, because I saw the night sky in a way I hadn’t seen it before. It wasn’t only that it was beautiful, I had the sense that it went on forever, in both space and time. The feeling was novel and moving. I felt very small and yet my awareness had been expanded beyond anything I could have imagined. To use a word that has unfortunately been trivialized, it truly was awesome. I believe that that sense of mystery, of the wonder of infinity and eternity that the night sky inspires, is a vital experience for people to have. But I suspect that a kid shoveling snow in that part of Kingston this December would not have an unobscured view of the universe because there is just too much artificial light. And that is why it is important that we take positive

Hospice Lennox & Addington Bereavement Support Group Are you grieving the loss of a loved one? You are not alone. In our group sessions you will have the opportunity to share your losses in a supportive, compassionate and conﬁdential environment. The eight week group sessions are open to both men and women and will begin on October 16th, 2012. There is no cost to participate in this program. For more information please call Peggy at 613-354-0833

steps to maintain areas that still have good conditions for star gazing and astronomy. And that is why I was happy, as a member of the executive committee of Quinte Conservation, to vote in favour of providing a space in the Sheffield Conservation Area for the Dark Sky Viewing site. I am also delighted, as a councilor for Stone Mills Township, that Bon Echo Design of Tamworth created the design for the project. I am sure this place will be the site of many wonderful experiences such as the one I had that winter’s night 50 years ago. John Wise

Time for Fall Clean Up! Colleen’s Gardening Service 613-379-5959

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OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

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Queen’s Studies the Salmon By Mike Paterson

ack in July, there was a heron that stood for several days just below the weir that’s across from the feed mill in Tamworth. From time to time it would strike and gulp down a small fish disoriented by its plunge from the still pool above into the mini-maelstrom below. A few weeks later, drought had reduced the flow to a trickle and hundreds of fish below the weir were trapped by bare, dry rocks just a little downstream. My granddaughter threw them some bread and the water exploded as they found food. They were hungry and the water was stale.

“He wanted to leave a gift to the department that had some teaching value. Doing what we’re doing is exactly along the lines of his vision. The property is a wonderful asset. “We’re envisioning all kinds of uses, even having retreats there for graduate students who are finishing up their writing. Russ wanted the property used. He thought very deeply about what the future might be like for our students and he believed that a connection to land was really worthwhile. So it’s not just about the hydrology, it’s the property itself. A hands-on asset like this is of great value. The students love to go out there.”

Then came the rains of September. The Salmon River rises on the Precambrian Shield near Cloyne, just south of Bon Echo Provincial Park. It flows south through Lennox and Addington, Frontenac and Hastings Counties before emptying into the Bay of Quinte near Shannonville. Its lower reaches cross sheets of Ordovician limestone. The Salmon River’s 920 square-kilometre watershed includes more than 50 lakes and a number of unique habitats that support some of Ontario’s rarest plants and creatures. Queen’s University Professor of Civil Engineering Dr Kent Novakowski is an expert in the movement of ground water in “fractured rock” environments — like the limestone underlying much of the Salmon River. “In this kind of a setting, changes in subsurface water levels can be quite marked,” he said. “These kinds of aquifer are very sensitive to changes in climatic conditions. “In a sand and gravel aquifer — like you find in the Oakridges and Toronto region, for example — if there’s no rainfall for a while, you may see a decline in stream and ground water levels, but you’re looking at centimetres rather than metres: the water flowing in the stream comes from the ground. That’s not necessarily the case here; the complexity is much greater and subsurface water doesn’t discharge into the river. Sometimes it actually flows right underneath.” So should local farmers be worried about drawing too much water from their wells? “Here, water extraction is probably not an issue,” said Professor Novakowski. “When you calculate how much falls as rain and makes it into the sub-surface, and how much is lost as surface water, the extraction component is a small fraction. It’s all precipitation-driven.” It is opportunities to better understand questions like this and wider sustainability issues that makes Queen’s University’s 135-acre Kennedy Field Station on Thompson Hill Road just north of Tamworth such a significant asset. It was given to the Department of Civil Engineering in 2009 by Professor Emeritus and former Queen’s Vice Principal Russ Kennedy. Professor Kennedy died in 2010. “He was an interesting man and I had a great deal of respect for him,” said Professor Novakowski. “He was department head in Civil Engineering, and an expert in hydraulics.

As a part of their course work, third-year hydraulics students will soon be studying a weir at one area of the property. Monitoring wells have been drilled into the groundwater system and one of Queen’s geology courses will be using these as an outdoor laboratory. Later, graduate students will be at the field station for a two-week intensive course on hydrogeological research techniques. “We’re also looking at developing a senior undergraduate course focused on watersheds and associated processes to be delivered on the site,” said Professor Novakowski. “So there’s quite a lot of activity that we have planned, and the planning is ongoing.” Said Queen’s researcher Dr Geoff Hall: “Kennedy Field Station is a highly naturalized site in relation to the shoreline and so on, and it’s important for us that those kinds of things are protected. So, when we’re talking about courses, one of the important concerns on the planning side is low impact so we can show our students what the river ‘wants’ to be, as opposed to what you get with development.” In June this year, the Tamworth site became a key part of larger research and educational resource that includes a 2,000-acre area on the Tay River near Perth and the Bayview Bog close to Amherstview near Lake Ontario. With $2 million in funding over 10 years from the RBC’s Blue Water Project, Professor Novakowski’s department is developing a unique, globally significant watershed research and education resource.

Credit: A. Saxe

“In Ontario,” said Professor Novakowski, “topical issues include water takings and their impacts, and climate change: What happens if we experience more severe droughts, or more water in the system; what are the impacts of urbanization… “And internationally, we’re looking to gain a better understanding of how the various physical processes interact and how things like climate really manifest themselves… making big predictions and large scale simulations of the processes. “Water movement below the surface is much more complicated than on the surface and what makes this watershed different in a worldwide context is the complexity of the underground substrate.” While the project will resource research, “the intent of the RBC funding is to help build stewardship around watershed processes, give us a better idea of individual responsibilities and how we should be taking care of the watershed, particularly one of this type which is actually quite vulnerable. “ We’re going to look for local involvement,” he said, “but we’d also like to get national and, ideally, international involvement because what we’re developing will be something unique around the world. “We will be working with local conservation authorities to build access, and we intend to work with the school system. But we’re starting at a more academic level where we’re developing some watershed-based and more holistic courses particular to our students that relate to stewardship and understanding,

“What we’ll be doing will take in the whole watershed,” said Professor Novakowski. “We’re installing equipment and infrastructure — including weather stations and water level gauges that feed information back to us electronically — so we can watch changes in the water levels, flow rates and precipitation across the watershed in real time. And we’ll be able to observe that back in the lab at Queen’s.” Dr Geoff Hall added: “The idea is to open all of that data up so that a biology teacher in a school, say, who wants to interest students in watersheds and how they work will be able to let them watch a storm progress through the Salmon River watershed. The data will be available to whoever wants it.”

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not just one process, but of all the processes that interact together. “There are seasonal differences and what we’ve been experiencing recently is what some authorities say we can expect more of in the future… big swings in terms of storms and drought conditions. How that impacts our watershed and our activities in the watershed, these are the kinds of research questions we want to answer. “The focal point, though, is trying to engage people, potential stakeholders, and letting them see what the impacts will be. “It’s important to have deliberate, thoughtful conversations about water, which is so much a part of our daily lives that we rarely think about it. Water is one of the most precious resources on earth, and even in Canada, where we’re ‘water-rich’ compared to many countries, we can’t afford to become complacent. Projects like this help make sure we don’t.” The focus of the $2 million RBC Queen’s University Water Initiative is on larger scale issues such as water supply, the effects of climate change, urbanization and agriculture… the way land use changes affect the hydrology. And what makes the Water Initiative’s work particularly important is the fractured limestone bedrock and Canadian Shield granite that underlie the region’s watercourses — particularly the Salmon River. Mike Paterson lives in Tamworth. You can reach him at (613) 379-5605.

ANNOUNCEMENT

Todd Steele

Nikole Walters

Rick Walters, President, L&A Mutual Insurance Company, is happy to announce the appointment of two new agents to our agency sales team. Todd E. Steele and Nikole J. Walters have been appointed as agents to administer the portfolio of retiring agents Allan and Linda McLaughlin. Both Todd and Nikole are long time residents of the area and look forward to dealing with the McLaughlin portfolio customers. Todd currently resides in the Tamworth area and Nikole currently resides in the Colebrook/Harrowsmith area. Both new agents look forward to providing quality insurance advice to new and existing clients. Todd and Nikole invite you to contact them for a no obligation quote on your home, farm, and automobile insurance needs. They can be reached at our office 613-354-4810 or 1-800-267-7812.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

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The Great Sunflower Farm Food Experiment Story & photo by Cam Mather Ever notice how everything gets blown out of proportion these days? Everything has to be a big deal. You can’t just cycle across the country like people did 20 years ago, now you’ve got to come up with a cause, and a slogan, and a Mission Statement, and at the very least, an impressive name. So this year we’re running “The Sunflower Farm CSA” (Community Supported Agriculture) which is an okay name, but I’ve decided I need to turn up the hyperbole on it. So I’ve been experimenting with other names. “The Most Totally Awesome Food Growing Vision” … that sort of thing. But I think I’ll settle on “The Great Sunflower Farm Food Experiment”. It was an experiment on a number of levels. First off, I was checking to see what it was like to be a market gardener after all these years of giving my food away. It’s a whole different can of worms charging people for your produce. It’s even tougher when you’re growing organically since most people spend much of the year buying conventional produce that looks pretty darn… pretty. That part of the experiment has gone well. So far the feedback has been great. I was paranoid for the first weeks but mellowed as each week we’ve been able to fill the boxes with cosmetically appealing, and healthy and nutritious produce. We supplemented our produce with strawberries from John Wise in Centreville and blueberries from John

Wilson in Tweed since we don’t grow enough of either of these to share with the CSA yet. The second aspect of this experiment was to determine if our water would hold out in a drought. It did, but barely. It got pretty close to the wire; I was almost at the point of having to let some plants die but I was able to collect enough water from my drilled and dug wells. The third and most questionable part of the experiment for me was wondering if I could grow enough food from our gardens to feed the 12 families who are part of our CSA and have enough left over for our own needs. In terms of what I wrote about in my book, Thriving During Challenging Times, this was the most important part of the experiment. We are all very much plugged into a very industrialized food system. The bulk of our calories come from large-scale farms, which use a huge amount of energy through fertilizers, pesticides, and fossil fuels to till, plant and harvest. I continue to ask myself this very important question: How much of my own food can I grow? I’m a carbo-tarian. Or a wheatatarian. I love bread. I love pasta. I love cake! We use a lot of flour and although I’ve grown wheat, it was a small trial. The majority of my calories still come from someone else. Each week as we ran the CSA I started feeling better and better about my ability to be completely self-sufficient in terms of food production.

The Raging Salmon River By Susan Moore of Friends of the Salmon River

ater levels on the Salmon River generally fall during the summer, and this year the drop was early due to the long dry spell. By mid-July the river had slowed to a mere trickle near Tamworth. Kids occasionally walk up sections of mostly dry riverbed when it is this low. On the afternoon of Sunday, July 15, a Scoop reader who lives by the river noted the low level. When she returned a couple of hours later, the slow trickle had become a raging torrent. Apparently a dam had been breached somewhere upstream, raising the water level approximately 12 to 14 inches. If someone had been caught in the middle of a river walk, they probably would have been swept off their feet and bashed against the rocks. The consequences could have been tragic for a small child in this scenario. Consider also the dramatic scouring effect this sudden flooding has on the aquatic life in the river. Small fish, frogs and other animals that make their homes in quiet pools would have been swept downstream. A call to Quinte Conservation the next morning made it clear that this breach was a surprise to them, and that it is not their practice to ever release such

large amounts of water. Whether it was one, or a series of beaver dams that were breached, the river’s flow didn’t return to normal levels for more than 48 hours. Following this event, Quinte noted increased flow levels at several points on the Salmon. Homeowners in Lonsdale noticed a significant rise in the river. It is not known what created this surge. The removal of beaver dams by a public agency or private landowner is an act that can result in serious downstream damages and dangers especially if the dam or dams are sizable and the water being released is significant. It would appear in this instance that one or more dams were altered in an effort to solve a localized property flooding problem, but in doing so this caused a potentially dangerous situation downstream. Area landowners and government agencies who become involved with beaver dam removal need to be aware of the consequences and therefore act in a responsible and safe manner. Please be advised that if anyone witnesses such a sudden rise in water level, they should contact Quinte Conservation at 613968-3434 immediately and alert them to the situation.

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We have about one acre under cultivation. There are a number of other areas where Our kitchen warehouse on CSA delivery morning I have been building up the soil in preparation to expand the gardens, but right now I am focused fried potatoes and onions and toast on what’s ready to go. And when I see (from someone else’s wheat). Oh and what we’re producing I feel pretty good coffee. But hey, if we have many more Julys with this summer’s heat I’m sure about our ability to feed ourselves. I’ll be able to grow coffee here in Canada A huge aspect of the question of self- soon. sufficiency revolves around what you eat. I believe to optimize your return I haven’t worked through the whole on investment in terms of calories from calorie thing yet… how many calories you your garden, eating a plant-based diet need, how many you can produce from helps. Chickens seem to require the your acre or however large your garden is. least additional land available to support But I do know that when I see how much them. They do like to chase down insects we’ve produced this summer on an acre it and are happy with many of our scraps would provide us with a pretty good start. like potato peels and things. But I’m still We’d just eat a pretty boring diet with a buying the bulk of their diet from the lot of potatoes and frozen corn and peas Tamworth TCO mill and so in order to and tomato soup and oats and things. be self-sufficient I’d have to set aside a fairly large area to grow oats, wheat, and All these vegetables will need salt. On grains to get them through the winter. icy days sometimes the snowplow drops some pretty big chunks of salt on the I still like a bit of cheese and some dairy road in front of our place. So if I get out products but I’m pretty happy that our there right away I could probably scoop “ladies” in the hen house are providing up a pretty good supply of salt. Does that us with eggs. They are doing a marvelous count in my quest for self-sufficiency? job of recycling grains from the mill, and table scraps and grasshoppers into high We’re booking now for our October 20th quality protein. Quite honestly I’m not “Living Sustainably and Independently, sure I’d be able to get as much physical Ready for Rough Times, Hands-On, Solarwork done as I did every day this summer Powered, All You Can Grow Workshop” at running our CSA if I didn’t start with a Sunflower Farm. For more information or big plate of scrambled eggs and home- to follow my blog visit www.cammather.com

Corporation Of The Township Of Stone Mills 4504 County Rd. 4, Centreville, Ontario K0K 1N0 Tel. (613) 378-2475 Fax. (613) 378-0033 Website: www.stonemills.com The Township of Stone Mills Community Centre has been revitalized. Increased efforts are ongoing to provide the Municipality with a facility they can be proud of. • Manager/Caretaker Bryden Weese and his arena crew are Municipal Employees and there to assist when needed. • The canteen is now being operated by Marg and Brian Weese/Devon Tea Room. • Sponsorship signage is available to promote your business at a very reasonable rate. • Schools are being offered a special ice rental rate in hopes of bringing youth back to the rink. • Free Adult Public Skating is scheduled for an hour every Tuesday. • There is ice time available - just call 613 379 2349 Improvements have been made both inside and out. • New holding tanks have been installed • Paint to freshen up the interior • Downspouts have been installed to address drainage issues • New accessible ramp installed with additional accessible parking now available • Improved parking and sightlines • Plumbing and washrooms upgraded • New privacy fence and landscaping We would welcome your feedback: Phone 613-378-2475 or email caoclerk@stonemills.com You will be receiving the MPAC (the Municipal Property Assessment Corporation) Property Assessment notices in the mail. Please review the content carefully and take note of the key dates for the Assessment Update: Sept. 13 - Nov. 16, 2012: Notice Delivery Period April 1, 2013: Deadline for filing a Request for Consideration Naming Of Private Roads Due to difficulties encountered by emergency service providers at dispatch, the new Official Plan for the Township of Stone Mills will include name revisions and a more cohesive system for numbering private roads. The Township acknowledges this decision will result in an inconvenience to those persons who will be required to change their mailing address on personal documents, although we regret this inconvenience, it is necessary to provide improved service and increased safety for residents. The changes will be implemented by 2013. Township of Stone Mills Waste Site Winter hours will be in effect commencing November 3rd, 2012 Wednesdays: 12:00 – 4:00 and Saturdays: 8:00 – 4:00

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

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Go Play Outside! By Lillian Bufton Set the children free. Let them have fair play. Let them run out when it is raining, take off their shoes when they find pools of water, and when the grass of the meadows is damp with dew, let them run about with bare feet and trample on it. Let them rest quietly when the tree invites them to sleep in its shade. Let them shout and laugh when the sun wakes them up in the morning, as it wakes every other living creature. The Discovery of the Child, Maria Montessori

hat can be more natural for children than running and playing outside? Unfortunately it has become all too obvious to parents, and to those who live or work with young children, that there are far more things that come natural to youngsters than enjoying the great outdoors, including the use of a bewildering array of electronic devices even very young children have access to. Most children have seen dozens of computer mice before they have laid eyes on the rodent namesake. Families and experts say that playing outside on a regular basis is good for the whole family - children and families are happier, healthier and smarter. Plus, children who spend time in nature regularly are shown to become better stewards of the environment. If you live in a rural community like we do, connecting with nature with your kids can be as easy as heading out the back door. In our backyard over late summer and early fall, our young budding naturalists discovered a recently vacated turtle nest in the sandbox, chased after frogs hopping in the grass, observed snakes basking in the sun, collected and compared fallen leaves, carefully touched fuzzy caterpillars, picked (and ate) cherry tomatoes and baby carrots from our vegetable garden, spied a family of deer grazing by the river, and listened to the many birds who call our backyard their home. Ah, the joys of growing up in the country!

Facts about outdoor time and children • Children are spending half as much time outdoors as they did 20 years ago. (Juster et al 2004); (Burdette & Whitaker 2005); (Kuo & Sullivan 2001) • Today, kids 8-18 years old devote an average of 7 hours and 38 minutes using entertainment media in a typical day (more than 53 hours a week). (Kaiser Family Foundation) • In a typical week, only 6% of children ages 9-13 play outside on their own. (Children & Nature Network, 2008) • Children who play outside are more physically active, more creative in their play, less aggressive and show better concentration. (Burdette and Whitaker, 2005; Ginsburg et al., 2007) • Sixty minutes of daily unstructured free play is essential to children’s physical and mental health. (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2008) • The most direct route to caring for the environment as an adult is participating in “wild nature activities” before the age of 11. (Wells and Lekies, 2006)

Benefits of outdoor play • Creativity: Playing outside inspires, and requires, an active imagination whether designing a trap out of pieces of scrap wood and rope, building an elaborate sand village, or preparing delicious “recipes” of grass, leaves, and lots of mud. • Intelligence: Kids who spend time outdoors score higher on standardized tests and assessments of cognitive ability. They’re better problem solvers as adults and learn to work as a team. • Relaxation: Kids could use more unstructured playtime in today’s overscheduled world. Within minutes of being outside, studies show their stress levels drop. I know first-hand there’s no better cure for cabin fever and pent-up energy than simply running around outside.

• Kindness: As parents, we’re always telling our kids to “play nice”. Well, when they play outside, they’re more likely to! Being outdoors improves social bonds and helps develop compassion. • Happiness: Play nurtures kids’ emotional development, letting kids be kids. Swinging in a swing, splashing in puddles, or playing a boisterous game of tag in the backyard gets everyone in our family grinning. • Strength: Sunshine helps boost vitamin D, which is essential to preventing disease and building strong bones. • Health: Let your kids run around outdoors to help them maintain a healthy weight. Overweight and obese children are at risk for shorter lifespans.

Outdoor fall activities Heading out into nature is a great way to soak up this colorful season and enjoy the outdoors before cold weather sets in. A nature walk in the woods, fields, or nearby park, gives kids an opportunity to witness the changing landscape up close. It’s also a great way to come together as a family after a busy school and work week. If you have a yard full of deciduous trees like we do - and a yard full of leaves that need raking - there are plenty of ways to have fun outside on an autumn day at home: • Collect leaves. Gather leaves of all shapes and colours and then make fun artwork to display around the house. Older kids can have fun identifying leaves using a field guide. • Walk a leafy labyrinth. When leaves cover the lawn, rake a twisting pathway through them. • Find a hidden prize. Hide a wrapped prize under a leaf pile. The first one to

Rambling on the Salmon River

The aim of the shoreline program is to improve the buffer area and provide increased habitat for wildlife, as well as reducing soil erosion, stabilizing river banks, and helping to prevent flooding.

In the long term, this project will increase habitat areas near the river, protect water quality, and increase stewardship action by individuals on their own properties.

If your family wants to go on a field trip, celebrate autumn with the timehonored tradition of visiting a pumpkin patch or going apple picking with your kids (there are some great farms and orchards around in our area). Along with the walking, picking, and hauling of your harvest, apple orchards and pumpkin patches often offer all kinds of outdoor fun. You might find a petting zoo, hayride, corn maze, or stack of hay bales to climb. Make a day of visiting (and supporting) a farm near you. There will be plenty to do, plenty to eat, and plenty to bring home too. As with most things, your kids will have more fun if you participate and join in. Don’t worry about what you look like, or what the neighbours will think. Go outside, get wet and grubby, laugh, and have fun. Fall’s a wonderful season, so get out with your family and enjoy it together!

Susan Moore, David Chowen (landowner), Barbara King Credit: Centre for Sustainable Watersheds

On this day, the shorelines of 15 properties were surveyed, from Tamworth to Beaver Lake. The landowners will receive a personal report, with recommendations on habitat improvement, planting of native species, and a wealth of resource information. The program is voluntary, very low-cost (donations), and provides seedling trees that homeowners can plant in the spring. The Centre for Sustainable Watersheds and Friends of the Salmon River are the main partners in the project, aiming to champion and preserve The Scoop

find it keeps it. • Stuff a scarecrow. Break out an old shirt and overalls and stuff until firm. Complete with a pumpkin head. • Jump in a leaf pile. I’m looking forward to seeing our two kids jump into the giant pile after they’ve been raked - and by supplying them with child-sized rakes, they can help with the raking too!

VANNESS AUTOMOTIVE TAMWORTH

By Susan Moore n September 17, three explorers set out in their rubber boots to assess riverfront properties on the Salmon River. Biologists Barbara King and Lynn Preston of Centre for Sustainable Watersheds and Susan Moore of Friends of the Salmon River rambled in the river, ploughed through brush, and clambered over rocks in their quest: helping property owners care for their section of the river as part of the Ribbon of Life shoreline program. They encountered the herd at Calypso Moon Alpacas, some curious horses enroute to the river at Hayes’ farm, and doggies of all sizes.

Along with milk and vegetables, kids need a steady diet of rocks and worms. Rocks need skipping. Holes need digging. Water needs splashing. Bugs and frogs and slimy stuff need finding. Go RVing advertisement

water quality in our lakes and rivers. TD Friends of the Environment and the Tamworth Erinsville Committee generously provided funding. Visit friendsofsalmonriver.ca and www. watersheds.ca for more on community programs. If you would like free recommendations and native trees and shrubs to plant along your section of the river, call Susan Moore at 613-379-5958. The three ramblers could swing by your “river backyard” next summer.

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Page 6

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KIDS & PARENTS County of Lennox & Addington Public Library Children’s Programs NAPANEE BRANCH

AMHERSTVIEW BRANCH

• Monday 6:00-7:30: Wii night • Tuesday every other week 2:00: Writer’s Group • Tuesday 3rd of the month 10:30– 12:00: Book Club • Wednesday 1st of the month 10:30– 12:00: Book Club • Tuesday 6:00–7:30: Wii night • Thursday 10:30–11:30: Story Time

• Wednesday 10:30 am: Storytime • Avid Reader Club: A get together to talk about books. Meets monthly with the first meeting to be held October 18th, 2012 from 2-3pm. This October theme will be “Favourite Summer Reads”. • Mom’s Night Out Book Club: A book club for mom’s who like to read. The first meeting will be held October 25th at 6:45 and will talk about the book “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. • Tuesday 5:30 - 7:30: Family Night. Board games, activities, craft, puzzles and a storytime at 6:30.

TAMWORTH BRANCH Wednesday 6:30-7:15: Bedtime Buddies/ Storytime. Wear your pyjamas and bring your bedtime friend!

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TAMWORTH BEFORE & AFTER THE EARLY YEARS Saturday CENTRE October 15th 1178 County Road 8, Napanee, 9:00am ON SCHOOL PROGRAM - 12:00pm T EA RS CA INIC CL h Wit .S .A.T S.E ada n Ca

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Located at Tamworth School, LARC offers an exciting Before and After Offered in partnership with our Early School Childcare Program. Our hours Literacy Specialist, this program focuses of operation are: 7am until school on Active Play, Literacy, and Family commences and school dismissal until Eating principles. It engages families in 6pm. Stimulating programming as well active play concepts through the love as a nutritious snack is provided. Cost is $15 perONday for both before and after. of reading, rhyme and songs with Rd an 8 Napanee, 1178 County Before only is $7 and After only is $9. emphasis on families eating together. NEWSLETTER For more Program starts Tuesdays October October 16 – - December 2011information or to enroll your November 20, 9:30–11:30am. Space is child(ren) today please contact Karen limited, so please register in advance at Dunlop 613-354-6318. 613 354-6318 ext. 34 Chat with Early Literacy Specialist Susan Ramsay

All parent packages & resources will be available

e se me Co & joy e n e c pa rs ou

Cr af ts o & fun ther stu ff

MERRY MAKE & TAKE

Monday 10:30-11:00: Toddler Tales. Story, puppets, and flannel board stories.

E.C.E’s, educational assistants, kindergarten teachers and childcare providers will make a variety of activities to assist them with Early Learning. Activities will include finger plays, numbers, colours as well as tools/ activities for children with physical and behavioural challenges. Nov. 26, 2:45– 4:30 NAEC Cloyne. $10 is due upon registration to cover the cost of supplies.

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN Parents will come together in the kitchen with their child and we will focus on the importance of selecting nutritious foods that fit their budgets. Children will experience multi-cultural foods, fresh foods that are in season as well as something special for Thanksgiving. Sponsored by a grant from The United Way’s Success by Six. Flinton Township Recreation Hall on Thursdays from Oct. 4 – Nov. 22 from 10 am. – 12:00 pm. Register 613 336-8934 ext. 257

PLAYGROUP HAPPENINGS Tamworth Playgroup

Mondays at the Tamworth Arena from 9:30–12:00pm.** NEW TIME**. On Oct. 15 meet with the Public Health Nurse at our Baby Talk Drop-In. She will answer questions on your child’s health and development.

Yarker Playgroup Wednesdays at the Yarker Free Methodist Church 2841 VanLueven St. Yarker, 9:30 – 11:30 am. Visit with other parents and play with your child in our NEW SPACE. For playgroup times in other parts of L&A County check out our website at www. larc4kids.com or call us at 613 354-6318

Santa’s float in a past Tamworth Christmas Parade

Bigger, Better Parade: It All Begins on November 24

anta’s Elves are already busy at work planning this year’s bigger and better Tamworth Village Christmas Parade and Craft Fair. Santa has given them instructions to make a more musical parade this year, and he’s emphasized the need for better parking and registration arrangements for floats. Families can bring donations of food to the Parade to give to the Lions’ Food Hamper at Tamworth Legion (Last year nearly 30 food baskets were distributed by The Lions) and they can deliver their letters to Santa at the Tamworth Post Office or during the Parade. He will most definitely reply. Children can have their pictures taken with Santa at the Tamworth Legion after the Parade. Last year’s Parade saw wonderful animals and festive floats on cars, tractors, and trailers. Begin making your float NOW

by securing a Float Entry form: $10.00 per entry--contact Marilyn McGrath at 613.379.2727 or Barb Pogue at 613.379.2808. The best floats will be honored. If you are a craft vendor/ artisan/baker wishing to exhibit and sell your wares, entry is $15.00 for space, table, and chairs--contact Kathryn Hutcheon at 613.379.2959 or Peg Campbelton at 613.379.2002. The Elves need extra help this year and are asking for volunteers to help with the Carolling and Tree Lighting Ceremony on Saturday, November 24 at the Cenotaph/ Library and for the Parade and Village Craft Fair on Sunday, December 2 from 10:00 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Parade begins at 1 p.m. that Sunday. The Elves are VERY excited and promise you that your help will be “listed and checked off twice as Santa comes to Tamworth.”

The Scoop

Local kids having fun on new playground equipment in Enterprise in September

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Page 7

Gardening at My Favourite Time of Year By Mary Jo Field

any years ago, I remember, my mother said how much she enjoyed autumn. My youthfully short-sighted response was that I did not like fall because everything turned brown and died. How foolish was that!!! How could anyone not enjoy the wonderful September we have had so far? It has brought welcome relief from both the heat and drought of this past summer. The sun has been shining beautifully most days. Evenings are crisp and the nights great for sleeping. And absolutely best of all, we can garden for hours in the cooler temperatures and without those annoying bugs that plague us in spring and most of the summer. Which is a good thing, because there is a lot to do in the garden at this time of year. First, let’s take a look at what I think are things generally agreed as “must do’s” before winter sets in. Plan for spring flowering bulbs. Daffodils, tulips, and crocus are the most common, but hyacinths, fritillaria, allium, scilla, grape hyacinths, snowdrops, and winter aconites also put on a good show in the spring. All these bulbs are showing up in nurseries as I write this, to be purchased and set aside for planting in October. If you already have bulbs in the garden, but they are not performing as well as in previous years, it may be time to dig up, divide, and re-plant for renewed vigour. Don’t forget to think about garlic. If you haven’t already thought about what varieties you want for next year’s harvest, now is the time. Buy now and put aside for planting in October. Weed. Everyone gets excited about dandelions in June. But now is the time to dig up dandelions, when the soil is moist and soft, and the newly germinated plants with shorter taproots are easier to pull. Edge your gardens. Grass has been making its way into your garden all summer. It is so much easier to edge now while bugs are not around. Gather seed from your favourite annuals and perennials. Take cuttings from plants you wish to keep going indoors over the winter – fuschia, begonia, geraniums, and impatiens. Move tender herbs indoors. Rosemary and bay laurel need to be sprayed with insecticidal soap and isolated for two weeks before bringing in to a bright, sunny spot to spend the winter. Harvest the last of the tomatoes before cold nights affect the flavour and texture. Winter squash and onions should also be making their way onto shelves for curing prior to long term storage. Divide perennials. The list of perennials is long, so be guided by what you wish to propagate and replenish. Re-plant what you want and maybe pot up a few to give away or donate to plant sales. Plant evergreens, trees, and shrubs. The fall is a good time to purchase these, as the shape and contours of your garden are fresh in your mind, so you know where the gaps are. And many are on sale.

Keep them well-watered until freeze-up. Lift tender bulbs and corms. Gladioli, tuberous begonia, and dahlia should all be lifted after the first frost and prepared for winter storage. Summer bulbs such as acidanthra, canna, calla lilies, amaryllis, and hymenocallus also need to come indoors to rest. Rake leaves, which can go into a pile to produce leaf mould for soil improvement. Leaves left on grass over the winter can promote disease and cut off light, leading to more weed infestation. Leaves can also be used use to provide insulation at the edges of a garden, around a cold frame, compost bin, or pots of divisions or transplants buried in the ground awaiting the fund raiser plant sale in May. Shredded leaves can go directly on the garden to break down as organic matter. In the vegetable garden, remove all plant material that has stopped producing. Burn all diseased or pest infested material, or put in bags to be taken to landfill. Compost healthy material. Plant seeds. If you haven’t already done so, and especially if you have a cold frame, you can plant some seeds now for an early start next spring. Coriander, spinach and some lettuce survive freezing temperatures to appear soon after the snow melts. Last year, on a tip from another gardener, I planted my parsnip seeds in October, and covered them with straw mulch. Germination rate was pretty good. I haven’t dug any yet, as I’m waiting for frost to sweeten them, but they look like they are doing well. Clean garden tools ready for storage. Empty rain barrels and store upside down Once you are finished the “must do’s”, there is time to consider two activities about which there is more conversation and maybe even controversy. The first of these is whether to cut back perennials and pull out all the annuals. Proponents of thorough cleaning up argue that it leaves a tidier garden, makes it easier to see and remove weeds, and helps keep disease and pests in check. Supporters

of the “leave it ‘til spring” approach would counter that the dying foliage and spent flowers not only provide food and shelter for our feathered friends, but trap snow, which gives insulation in winter and more moisture in spring. Leaving things in place longer also allows seeds to mature and drop to provide new plants for next year. And let’s not forget our views from inside the house – many plants continue to look wonderful through the autumn and into winter, as they change colour and are touched by frost and snow. Somewhere in the middle, I think we can find a compromise that allows for deadheading and cutting back the pesky and rampant seeders and travelers, as well as those that tend to develop mould and fungus. Bergamot, phlox, eryngium, and roses come to mind. This year all my peonies have already been cut back to the ground because they developed some ugly black spots and patches that I’m told were a virus. So the rules for cutting back need to be somewhat flexible.

those lovely protective cages would provide cozy spots for bunny rabbits to eat to their hearts content? All the lower branches of all the wrapped plants were chomped right off, and the holly bushes plus a clematis behind them were completely eaten to the ground. All have recovered, but I am now questioning the wisdom of my previously tried and true method of protection. And so it goes. Every year we learn something about some aspect of gardening. That’s part of the beauty of it. Gardeners love to exchange knowledge and information. The Tamworth/ Erinsville GrassRoots Growers now has a forum where you can add to the discussion about winterizing gardens, or ask a question that hasn’t been answered here. Visit their website at http://tegrassrootsgrowers.weebly.com/

Whether and when to mulch or provide other forms of winter protection is another topic that seems to be not completely clear. In some cases, such as for roses, it is almost universally accepted to mulch and hill up after a hard frost or when the ground is frozen. Some trees, especially fruit trees, need protection And come to the next Tamworth/ from rabbits and other rodents, with Erinsville GrassRoots Growers event plastic wrap or hardware cloth. Wrapping on October 16, 2012 at 7 pm in the entire trees is sometimes undertaken to Tamworth Library, where Paul Fritz, an protect from wind and sunburn, as well award winning gardener, will talk about as voracious deer. Sometimes, however, alternatives to lawns. our best intentions backfire. Last fall, I put up chicken wire cages around several tender perennials – a golden Japanese maple, a handcrafted goat’s milk soap & lotion . pyracanthus, an lavender products . gift buckets . wholesale . oak leaf hydrangea, (613) 358.5835 . livsimplefarms@gmail.com and my holly www.livsimplefarms.com plants– and filled the cages with leaves. I had done this in previous winters with good results. Who knew that this time

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A Natural View: First Encounters of the Lasting Kind Story and photos by Terry Sprague

e no longer get to read Barry McCullagh’s great offerings in the Belleville Intelligencer. The man whose columns I always enjoyed passed away about five years ago. The restaurant north of Brighton where we first met is also gone. I saw him watching us from a nearby table, as we carried on, lost in our excitement after the completion of another Presqu’ile Park winter bird count. In fact, the waitress had already spoken to us twice about excessive noise. It was about 1969 as I recall, and barely in my mid-twenties – I was surely being viewed as the ringleader, as we shared in the impressive checklist of birds we had managed to acquire that day. After the noisy gang had departed and I remained to finish my cup of coffee, the gentleman who had been eyeing us, came over to my table. I prepared to be raked over the coals for disturbing his meal. Instead, he said he was curious about the strange winter activity we had shown such excitement, especially given that the night outside was reduced to zero visibility as the result of lake effect snow. He asked about our interest in nature, about birding in particular, and the story behind this event in which we had just participated. At some point he must have told me that he wrote for the Intelligencer. He mentally took notes as I explained the history of the winter bird count, and the following week, his encounter with us and our enthusiasm for nature, was woven into an editorial. I never forgot that. I bumped into Barry a few times after that, but never had occasion to speak to him much after our first meeting,

WAYLEN CAR WASH

FALL CLEAN UP

but I always made it a point to read his contributions whenever they appeared in the Intelligencer. People do that to me, when I first meet them. I always remember first encounters, and then try to follow their careers or chosen path of interest to find out more about them. I still remember the time I first met the late Trentonian nature columnist Orval Kelly in 1965. My only means of transportation then was a small Honda motorcycle, and I had just spent an hour on it in mid-March under cloudy skies and melting snow to meet this person. Shivering uncontrollably after the long ride, I arrived at his house and rang the doorbell. He startled me at the door with

I was then cordially invited in to meet Helen. Many of these first encounters developed into close friendships and they assisted me during my earlier years of birding. Helen and I birded together for years and she unselfishly spent time guiding me through the complexities of bird identity, as did Orval Kelly in the few months that I knew him. To the best of my knowledge, Frank Tumpane who wrote in the now defunct Telegram, was not a birder. However, I enjoyed his columns because whatever the issue, he shot from the hip, with no apology. When I gave a presentation to a group in Campbellford three years ago, I randomly picked a gentleman from the audience to assist me with a prop on stage. The stranger turned out to be Frank Tumpane’s son, Michael! We did go on a birding trip together, and his greatest gift to me was a book that his dad had once owned and kept on his desk at the Telegram. In it, Michael wrote, “Dad would be pleased to know that his book ended up in the hands of a working journalist.”

Birding is supposed to be a hobby, but I also learned through the years that it can be an unforgiving world out there, filled with competition and hard knocks. After one uncharitable review of my very first book on the birds of Prince Roger Tory Peterson Edward County, one Toronto MNR employee put his arm on a strange, white kerchief tied across his my shoulder, and said: “I didn’t think chin and secured behind his neck. He too much of the review he gave your quickly explained to me that it was just book, and I think even less of the person protection for some minor chin surgery, who wrote the review.” I thought to and that he didn’t always look like this. myself, what kind words coming from a We were close birding friends until his professional, who didn’t even know me, untimely death a few months later from yet chose to console me in this way when a massive heart attack. even I knew that we must all be able to withstand constructive criticism. The late Helen Quilliam of Kingston was the high priestess of eastern Ontario To the best of my knowledge, the late birding. She was a nature columnist, and Roger Tory Peterson was not involved had written a book on the birds of the Kingston region. My first meeting was not with her, but her husband, whose first words in a heavy English accent as he greeted me at the door were: “My God, do I smell a skunk?” I quickly identified myself and hastily added that the odour could be from the exhaust of my motorcycle that had seeped its way into my clothes. However, he quickly apologized and was actually making reference to a real skunk smell that had momentarily drifted by and assailed his nostrils from the neighbour’s property.

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Orval Kelly

in the newspaper business, but he did write a lot of books, including everyone’s birding Bible, A Field Guide To the Birds. When I met Roger Tory Peterson at a conference in London, Ontario, he first instructed me to change my camera position, and photograph him from “his good side”. In our brief conversation while he was busily autographing field guides, I remember him referring to himself as being “the bridge between the shotgun and the binoculars in bird watching”. Before he came along, the primary way to observe birds was to shoot them and stuff them. First encounters. It’s strange how the sometimes rather innocuous quotes they make can stay with you a lifetime. A well-respected ornithologist, the late Jim Baillie (after whom the Baillie Birdathon is named) grew up in the old school of thought, and was trained that in order for sightings of new birds to be confirmed, they must be “collected”. He came out with a classic one day. I had spoken to him in the mid-1960s about a rare lark bunting we had found, but no one could see the bird clearly enough to determine whether it was, in fact, a lark bunting, or a simply a leucistic redwinged blackbird with unusual patches of white on its wings. With his hand cupped to one side of his mouth, he bent over and whispered, “To settle the dispute over what the bird actually is, I think you should just go out and quietly shoot it”. 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.

Dry Times, Come Again No More! By J. Huntress

pproaching the farmlands near Renfrew, Ontario in early August I began to see even more parched farm fields and burnt cedar trees than I expected. I saw only a few cattle near farmers’ barns; the rest of their herds had been culled. A soft and mournful violin sonata seemed to emanate from the fields; the same music came to mind as I looked at the cracked earth in my garden or as I watched weary, dust covered farmers take a coffee break at Tamworth’s Corner Store, exchanging tales of lost hay cuttings. The difficult spring with its late frost and the intensely hot summer caused many people to feel anxious as they observed how the behaviors of plants, trees and animals had changed. As autumn approaches I see flocks of birds foraging for food in grasses because berries are rare; the squirrels and chipmunks are hungry and I hear that coyotes are coming closer to dwellings in search of prey. As I preserve and freeze my garden’s harvest of vegetables for the coming winter, it occurs to me that my diet is becoming more vegetarian. Some of the world’s food experts are warning us that we all should learn to love vegetables more, especially for the future. I wonder if we’ve reached a tipping point due to changing climate, lack of rain during summers and the simultaneous infestations of insects. On August 21, again in Renfrew, hundreds of farmers gathered to ask for disaster relief funds from the Federal and Provincial Agriculture Ministers, Minister Ritz and Minister Meek. Their desperation and need for funds to keep

their farms operating was voiced by one man who cried, “If this drought had occurred in Alberta, funds to help us would have arrived quickly.” Both governments’ response: they plan to make more assessment of Eastern Ontario Farms before granting monies. The National Farmers Union said it best: “Fast track this assessment! “ Canada’s western provinces have had abundant crops of wheat, soybeans and corn this year and it’s good to learn that Canada’s Eastern Ontario farmers, who had shared their hay with prairie provinces when a drought hit them several years ago, now are receiving Western Canada’s hay via rail. Farm communities, organizations, and people throughout Ontario are trying to help. The Mennonite Disaster Service for farmers in the Ottawa Valley area held a Farm Aid concert in Ottawa on September 16. All proceeds from the successful Country Music Concert are presently being channelled to the area’s neediest farms. Calls for help with food distribution have been heard and partially answered. The Salvation Army Food Bank in Napanee had to stop distributions and close its doors at one point in the summer; they put out a call for help to all citizens and businesses of Napanee and many responded with donations of money and food to allow the Food Bank to reopen. Food Banks are hurting everywhere (despite the end-August record profits made by commercial banks) and requests for donations will continue through winter. If you wish to give to Food Banks, gifts to them may be directed through

local schools and churches, some with collecting bins for non-perishable food near their doors. I hope that conversations between local farmers over their parked trucks will lead to their sharing of hay and feed for livestock. They could call it a Hay Bank: a needy farmer could request a donation of bales of hay or pay a lower affordable price than market price for winter animal food. In this time of “exceptional drought” in 70% of America and much of Russia soy and grain prices have risen 19-20% in recent months, and I acknowledge that farmers with commodities to sell deserve and can earn good profits. However, thousands of farmers with little to sell lose at many levels; for them I hope farm organizations solicit help and farmers with good crop production share. Some farm animals are being abandoned, either in front of SPCA’s or by the roadside because they have become costly to maintain. The owner of Selby Creek Stables, Jessica Tyger, picked up a half-blind and lame horse wandering on Highway 41 and she adopted the horse, calling it Lucky; she is giving Lucky a bed, food and care at her stables(see www.Lucky.CA to learn how to donate for Lucky). Calls for farm animal adoption are being broadcast on radio and published, asking people to adopt, care for and raise some of these animals. Local village gardeners and “hobby farmers” could collect their excess harvest and sell it at low prices to the public. In cities the nightly leftover foods from some restaurants are collected and given to shelters and soup kitchens for

meals. Perhaps more local groups could voluntarily prepare dishes and give some innovative free food nights to their communities: this requires a lot of willing labor, cheerfully given, for the benefit of all. Christ Church in Tamworth had a free food night in spring and it was a happy success, as was the recent “Feast from the Fields” in Napanee--dinner served to paying guests in the middle of a soybean field. This may be a time of reckoning for many rural communities; we do not want this to be a time when more farms close and disappear. I hope one day to see a web of farmers, farm organizations such as the NFU, OFA, 4-H, and Farm Aid groups interacting and giving, providing for regions of country people. Such organizations and local communities could pose proudly for a group photograph, similar to the citizens of Goderich, Ontario who rebuilt their devastated town last year after a bad tornado. In that photograph I saw on each citizen’s face the smile that comes from helping one’s neighbor. It is a smile like the Dutch had on their faces during the Hongerwinter in 1945 when food parcels began to be dropped to them by Allied Forces. It is the same smile on African children’s faces when they are fed after migrating across deserts and it is the smile of people everywhere in the world when they receive benevolent gifts of food for their animals and tables, together with assurance that their farms and homes will be preserved for the future.

Surviving a Drought Year Story and photo by Sally Bowen

ost of our 41 summers farming on Amherst Island have been dry. The summers of 20082011 were a pleasant exception – no Islanders could remember three green summers in a row and four in a row seemed miraculous. For us, the driest summer was in 1988. We had to buy some poor quality hay and quite a bit of grain to get the sheep flock through to the next spring. It was a near squeak that year to pay the bills. Once again this year we have had a tough spring/early summer with high temperatures and very little moisture. The August rains enjoyed by some have managed to miss us almost entirely. But we are in quite a bit better position than we were in ‘88.

and is less prone to breaking down when urgently needed. Hay can be made more quickly now that we have the equipment and experience to make baleage early in the growing season. This enables us to harvest good quality forage while encouraging re-growth for pasture, and to slightly reduce our dependence on increasingly expensive grain. The sheep are rotated from pasture to pasture and we try always to trim the completed pastures to remove plants that the sheep didn’t eat. (We don’t want the least favourite to reseed, coming to dominate the pasture.)

Our soil quality is much improved. We roll the hay out in the fall and winter, spreading it on the ground. That is the most efficient way for all sheep to have Our equipment isn’t quite so ancient equal access to the fresh hay. It also leaves tiny hay fragments which, combined with the sheep droppings, increases the organic matter in the soil. We have less manure to spread as we now use Lamb and The Wool Shed the barns less, but we still stockpile the on Amherst Island barnyard gleanings Email: info@topsyfarms.com and spread them on the 613 389-3444 Web: www.topsyfarms.com fields when we can. This topsyfarms.wordpress.com 888 287-3157

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The Scoop

increases the ‘tilth’ of the earth, draws earthworms (which add their own castings) and other small organisms, w h i c h helps hold moisture if we do get any rain. The first year we unrolled hay on poor pasture, we could clearly see the green stripes in the ground, where the more lush grasses were growing thanks to the increased organic matter. Last year was a good year - we harvested as much hay as possible and were able to build up a surplus - called ‘drought hay’ which we are already feeding during the weaning process (5 large round bales/ day plus supplement). Last year we made over 1700 round bales and didn’t start feeding until November; this year, we were able to make just over 1100 bales, and have had to start feeding during the summer. That is a big difference. Consequently, culling animals that are not productive for the farm is a much higher priority this year. A first year

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Page 10

Newly-shorn sheep

ewe-lamb who didn’t get pregnant is unfortunately sent to market. Older ewes unable to raise lambs one more time, would normally be culled in the fall, but this year, they are going in the summer. We just can’t feed them. We need to enhance the core of our flock, feeding them well, rather than giving everyone skimpy rations. Tough decisions! Our soil has improved as have our techniques, and our equipment is in better shape. We just need to perfect our rain dance techniques! Topsy Farms www.topsyfarms.com http://topsyfarms.wordpress.com/

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Contact

44 Industrial Blvd. Napanee

Direct: Ofﬁce: Toll Free:

14 Concession St. Tamworth

MLS®: 12605164 $294,900 165 NEVILLE POINT RD, BEAVER LAKE

This well appointed, private waterfront home on Beaver Lake with fantastic views is a must see! Totally updated 4 season home with attached sunroom and large deck. UV System (2011), dock (2010). High eﬃciency propane furnace and hot water tank. Gradual sloping to the lake. Clean deep water. Landscaped gardens. Lots of parking.

For a family in country bungalow near Centerville. 1800 sq.ft., large principal rooms, main floor family room, separate dining room & master with ensuite bath. New hardwood floors & propane furnace. Full basement awaits your touch. See www.spaciouscountrybungalow.com $269,900 MLS 12605910

STRIKING CURB APPEAL

For side split in Centerville. Features 3 bdrms, eat-in kitchen, bright living room. Lower family room with woodstove to heat whole house, exercise area, & inside wood storage. Solarium/sunroom is all screened, insulated 2 car garage has workshop & the lot is nicely landscaped. See www.centervillecountryhome.com $227,000 MLS 12606648

4 ACRES

Stunning all brick home with hardwood floors, Florida room, central air, emergency generator system, extensive decks, outside jacuzzi hot tub, new kitchen cupbds, all new windows, patio doors, newly drywalled & painted basement, & new flooring. Southern exposure to watch the wildlife & pond. See http://www.Obeo.com/727116 NOW $239,900 MLS 12604220

Office: 613-354-4213 Cell: 613-453-4347

Bill McCutcheon Broker of record

26B Richmond Blvd. Napanee

BROKERAGE

MLS® 12606566

Great country home on a treed lot. Brand new kitchen and newly finished basement. Up to 5 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms and new storage building. Nothing to finish - just move into your new home. Priced at $189,900. Call for more information. Lovely Duplex or single family residential home overlooking the Napanee River. 5 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, 2

TUCKER ISLAND Kitchens. Located on a very quiet street on the MLS® edge of 12606541 town. MLS ® 12602573

Own your own island on Beaver Lake. Tucker Island on Beaver Lake featuring over 600 ft of waterfrontage with 2 cottages, boathouse, storage building, good docking, and well. This is an excellent family property. The island is only a 2 minute boat ride from the mainland. Priced at $195,500. Call for full details. Great family home only 10 minutes north of Napanee. Very well maintained home on treed lot. Custom kitchen 4 yrs old, large living room with propane FP overlooking quiet farm land. Finished basement with 2 beds, 4pc, rec room. 2 car att garage plus second det garage 24’ x 32’ for your toys. Above ground pool, 27’ with large deck. Updated windows, shingles, furnace, central air. Take a look, you won’t be disappointed. MLS ® 12602660

Fantastic country property. 45 acres mostly treed with pine, spruce and natural hardwood. Abundance of trails through the property 588 and along the creek that runs ROAD CEDARSTONE MLS® 12607217 across the property. All brick home with part 8-PLEX finished basement, 4 beds, 1.5 baths, in a nice area of Napanee. Well updated Waterfrontage windows, 2 woodstoves. onReBeaver Lake. Cottage on Cedarstone maintained and easily rented. All 2 shingled with fibreglass shingles in 2012, a lovely lot. The apartments. price alsoGreat includes bedroom windowsRoad replacedon in 2007, septic wooded and tile bed replaced in 2005. MLS ® 12603005 MLS ® 12601698 a separate building lot on investment! the lake. Asking price for

total property is $340,000 or the cottage and one lot is $199,900. Call for full details.

Large commercial building located with high visibility on busy corner in downtown core of Napanee. The build571 RD MLS® 12606156 ing hasSALMON over 7000 sqftRIVER with main floor Totally homeThere on 5.49 having a renovated long time restaurant. is acres. Gutted in SALMON RIVERfurnace, BUILDING LOT 2010/11 rebuilt. Newfloor siding, windows, a large open&area on second and some 428 bathrooms, Feet Waterfront on the lovely 2 Apts oninsulation, third floor. Listing price with wiring, drywall, flooring, trim, Salmon River, near Forest Mills. Good lot all restaurant equipment is $299,900 doors & new 26’ x 23’ garage. Large custom kitchen for walkout basement. New drilled well at or $279,900 without equipment. Call leading todetails. deck overlooking creek. building 8.79Also GPM.small Very pretty setting for your today for full new home. MLSkm ® 12601063 for only 12 north MLSanimals. 12603513Great home & property

of Napanee near the quiet village of Forest Mills. A must to see. Listed at $199,900. Call today.

The Scoop

1670 PINE GROVE ROAD

DOWNTOWN NAPANEE COMMERCIAL

“We’d like to oﬀer Brian Steenhoek, new proprietor of Beaver Lake Variety, our very best wishes for success in his new business. When we support our local businesses we all win!” - from Jack & Sharon - your friendly, neighbourhood “home” team!

storring@kos.net robert.storring@century21.ca

LOTS OF ROOM

MLS®: 12606744 $499,900 92 NEVILLE POINT RD, BEAVER LAKE An unbelievable 360 feet of prime waterfront on Neville Point! 1.48 acres of manicured privacy, a gorgeous southern view of South Beaver Lake, walkouts to large decks and patios, 4 bedrooms, two baths, newer dock and seawall. Large double garage and huge storage building. This truly is a dream home!

613-379-2903 613-354-4347 1 866-233-2062

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Page 11

DENRIDGE RD, NAPANEE

10 Acres with many mature trees. Surveyed, drilled well 5 gallons /minute, hydro, driveway, paved road. MLS ® 12602603

Meet Doug Banks By Barry Lovegrove

his is a throw away world. It’s cheaper to buy new than it is to have something repaired especially when it comes to electronics. Every week something like The Acme Electronic unit Mark 001 is being replaced with a bigger, brighter, faster Mark 002 version, so on and so on. If the Mark 001 breaks down, off it goes into recycling or (hopefully not) the land fill as it’s cheaper to replace than fix.

equipment twenty years ago when he worked for Vern Napier’s Camera and Audio in Kingston. While working for Vern he took courses in how to repair cameras which led them to opening a camera repair side of the business and not just sales. When Vern retired Doug just kept repairing cameras and all the related equipment that goes along with it like lenses, projectors, flash guns etc. Over the last twenty years he told me he has repaired over thirty thousand cameras and still counting.

So it’s nice to know that there are people like Doug Banks around with his home based Photographic Equipment Doug, who now lives in Enterprise, Repairs shop. He in his own way is doing also likes the education side of his something about it. Doug repairs cameras business; he gives lessons and courses and he encourages people to bring in old on Digital Photography either privately cameras that are no longer being used or in groups. If you ever pay him a visit and collecting dust or space on a shelf you will immediately be impressed by or in a cupboard. “This all started about his clean and well organized basement five years ago,” he told me. He noticed shop, which to me is a direct indication that he could salvage parts of broken of the quality of his work. You can learn down cameras to repair other cameras. more about Doug on his website: http:// If a customer brings in a camera that photographicrepairs.com/ or call him at needs repair and he has the needed part 613 331.1871 in his recycled parts inventory, he will change it at no cost for the part and just charge labor. The rest of the camera’s parts Doctor of Naturopathic that can’t be reused Medicine will then go into the appropriate plastic 613-876-2855 and metal bins for info@natural-route.com recycling. www.natural-route.com 3161 Rutledge Rd Doug started repairing Sydenham cameras and related

Andrea Hilborn,

If you have old cameras, slide projectors, don’t just put them in the garbage, contact Doug and you might not only

be helping out the environment but supplying re-usable parts that will help others.

THE EGG BASKET ALWAYS FARM FRESH EGGS

240 Embury Road, Newburgh • 613-378-0407 Reg. White Eggs $2.10 Jumbo White Eggs $2.55 Reg. Brown Eggs $2.40 Jumbo Brown Eggs $2.65

TRY OUR TENDER TOP GRADE BEEF Always fresh with weekly specials

NEW STORE HOURS!

MON - SAT 9:30AM TO 4:30PM • SUN 11:00AM TO 3:00PM (closed Sundays as of Oct. 7)

We carry fresh eggs daily, top grade beef & other local products, jams, jellies, honey, Wilton cheese & curd, Limestone Creamery milk, homemade fudge & baked goods.

Daily lunch specials with our new lunch menu Come take advantage of our great deals!

RIVER VALLEY POULTRY FARM

SUE RANKIN Sales Representative Wagar & Myatt Ltd 112A Industrial Blvd. Napanee, ON

Toll Free: 866-461-0631 Oﬃce: 613-354-3550 Cell: 613-536-8589 suerankin.homesandland.com suerankin@kos.net FIRST TIME BUYERS! NEW PRICE!

A very nice century 2 + 1 bedroom home on large lot in Erinsville, walking distance from Beaver Lake. This home has new paint throughout, tastefully decorated with newer windows & furnace installed 3-4 years ago. Beautiful pine floors in living room. Landscaped with very nice flower & vegetable gardens. A must see! 20 minutes north of Napanee in the village of Erinsville. 5991 County Road 41.

Asking $139,900

SIMPLY SENSATIONAL! REDUCED!

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

Perfect water view home for entertaining. 2000+ sq’, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home is the place for your growing family. Formal dining room, huge rec room with bar, attached garage. Central air. Many extras. Country setting just minutes from Pickerel Park. Go out to your large back yard with mature trees, large garden & berry bushes. Plenty of room to play on this 1 ½ acre property. 1438 South Shore Rd. Napanee.

Asking $289,900

CHECK US OUT FOR ALL YOUR GrOCerY Needs & MORE!

CEDAR COVE ESTATES – WHITE LAKE!

613-379-2440 The Scoop

MLS # 12604917

Enjoy your summers and or winter on White Lake. Watch the view from your covered deck. Become a joint owner of Cedar Cove Estates. Own 3 sites on this lot complete with mobile home and bunkie so you can bring the whole family. White Lake is known for its excellent fishing, swimming & boating. Your escape from the city. 181 White Lake Road, Erinsville. 20 minutes north of Napanee.

Fresh Bakery • Deli • Produce • Fresh Cut Meats 672 Addington St., Tamworth

MLS # 12606797

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Asking $109,000

Page 12

MLS # 12606137

Shoot ‘Em Up Fundraiser By Barry Lovegrove

Local Wildlife Centre Needs Your Help… Volunteers needed for data entry. Requiring at least one 4 hour shift/month, but once a week is preferable. During peak season (April-July) extra shifts maybe necessary. The information must be entered on SPWC’s computer. You will require a short orientation with current data entry volunteer. If you are able to help in this area please contact Barb or Sue at info@sandypineswildlife.org.

Shot Gun Shoot winners (L-R): Joe McKenny 2nd, Cam Hartins 1st and Curtis Mathews 3rd

Barb Cronin gave me a warm welcome and asked if I was going to register for the Shot Gun Shoot. Not really knowing what was going on I asked her if she minded if I took a few photos. I then asked her what it was all about. “Next summer we are planning to get swimming lessons re-started at Neville Point Park and to do that we’re trying to raise money to get the project underway. What we are doing today is having a Shot Gun shoot-out which is like skeet shooting. My husband Ken has provided a 12 gage shot gun and shells. Each shooter pays $20.00 for five shots. Todd Hartin, over by the barn, is in charge of the Clay Pigeon shooting devise that sends the Clay Pigeon flying through the air and guys and girls try and shoot them when they are in flight. The ones with the most hits get first, second and third prizes and the money raised goes into the pot to help get our project underway. “Are you sure you don’t want to try?” “No thanks,” I said. “I think I’m safer behind the camera than wielding a 12 gauge shoot gun”.

Natural stone • Native plants • Water gardens • Consulting

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and a nice cool breeze was blowing across the open field where the shooters were aiming. Ken Cronin loaded his Remington 870 with three shells then handed it to the shooter

telling him that the safety was on and to shout “Pull” letting Todd Hartin know when to release the clay pigeon which is about 4” in diameter and bright orange in color. It flew like a fast Frisbee about fifty to sixty yards away. Each one took a different flight trajectory making it harder to hit.

We also are in desperate need for road-kill to feed the carnivores in our care (Red Fox, hawks, eagles, falcons etc.). Preferably rabbits, squirrels and birds, that have been fairly recently killed. For more information on how to help in this area email Sue at info@ sandypineswildlife.org .

One by one each shooter took their shots. Cam Hartin shot four in a row so he was an easy winner but there were a few that had hit two out of their five shots so a shoot off took place eliminating them one by one. It was really an exciting shoot off as Joe McKinney and Curtis Mathews kept tying. Joe ended up coming in second and Curtis came in third. It was a great afternoon; after all the shots were taken the three winners were given their prizes and all the door prizes, donated by local business, were handed out as well. At the end of the day The Red Cross Swimming Program received $675.00. Big thanks go out to Barb and Ken Cronin and everyone who helped out. The Program is off to a good start. The Milligan and Hinchey families put on a Pig Roast this summer and raised over $300 and the Tamworth Lions have donated $500 to help them get started. The Stone Mills Township is also onboard and will be supporting it financially. The Red Cross Beaver Lake Swimming Program will start next summer 2013 at the Neville Point Park in Erinsville. There will be two certified swimming instructors, a beach supervisor along with volunteers. If you would like to help out or donate please contact Barb Cronin at (613) 379-2359. It’s a great program and will help keep our children safe.

Fall Family Forest Field Day at the Schoenwandt Farm

Saturday, October 6, 2012 9:00 am to 1:00 pm

1599 McIntyre Road (north of Bath)

abovethewaterline.ca

hile driving down County Road 13 heading for Marlbank I spotted a sign at the edge of a driveway that read “Shot Gun Shoot - Proceeds to go to Red Cross Swim Team”. There were some parked trucks and people gathered around under a large white awning. My curiosity got the better of me so down I drove, parked my car, and made my way to the gathering.

landscapes by

James Birmingham 613.561.4233 master craftsman and horticulturalist

water ine

The Schoenwandt family has been planting trees since 1968. Join us on a walking tour of their property, including their plantations and a mature hardwood stand. Visitors can see how the property has been managed for wildlife such as deer and wild turkey. Red-tailed hawks and bald eagles live there too. Arborist Eric Weese will demonstrate chainsaw operation, as well as tree pruning and felling. There will also be examples of small scale log skidding equipment on site. All are welcome. Bring your children: for young builders, there will be an opportunity to create a birdhouse or bird feeder to take home at the end of the day. The cost is $10 per adult; children under 12 are free. This includes a delicious chili lunch – topping off a delightful morning in the forest. Please RSVP (for lunch numbers). For more info & to RSVP, call Barry Ennis at 613-386-3737 or email us at owalimestone@gmail.com

428 Buttermilk Falls Rd. RR# 3 Roblin Ontario K0K 2W0 james@abovethewaterline.ca

The Scoop

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Page 13

ENTER ANOTHER GREAT

SCOOP CONTEST! Tell the world why your pet is so cute, so special? Send in a photograph (digital or print) of your pet accompanied with a brief anecdote or description (no more than 100 words) and win prizes!

1st Prize: $50 gift certificate 2nd Prize: $20 gift certificate 3rd Prize: $15 gift certificate

St. Patrick Catholic School in Erinsville might be small in numbers but they are very big in heart. Twenty seven students participated and raised three hundred and sixty seven dollars for the Terry Fox Marathon of Hope walk-a-thon. They walked from their school to Beaver Lake Park and back, escorted by two of Tamworth’s volunteer fire fighter trucks. Every step that each child took and dollar that she/he raised went towards helping finding cure for cancer - a very worthwhile eﬀort on all of you. Well done kids!

Framing Offcuts

All prizes provided by TCO Agomart of Tamworth & Napanee To Enter the Contest Send:

Digital photograph and description to: stonemills.scoop@gmail.com or Print of photograph and hard copy of description to: The Scoop, 482 Adair Road, Tamworth, ON K0K 3G0

Deadline: November 10, 2012 Everyone has a favorite story and photo of their pet – here’s mine to share. Lulu was a mere three weeks old when Zowi, our great big German shepherd, brought her down the driveway to the house. Wet from Zowi’s motherly licking, she was a terrible sight. But Lulu quickly made friends with every animal and person in the family and she is now a spunky kitten intent on not being excluded from the day’s activities. This isn’t the first time a dog has brought us a cat: Moondog our late Bouvier, brought us an equally young and vulnerable stray and Ms. Putty lived to a ripe old age and was the Grand Dame of cats. - A. Saxe

be bon eco D E S I G N

Tamworth 613-379-3074 www.bon-eco.com

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 Formerly ONeill’s Farm Supply - Your Local, Full Service Farm Supply Dealer Since 1994

BOOK SHOP Visit our wagon at the Napanee Canadian Tire and at the Farm 7243 County Rd 9 613 354-1452 vfoster@kos.net

Quality Second Hand Books: Bridge Street East at Peel, Tamworth Fri-Sat-Sun, 11 am - 4 pm 379-2108

The Scoop

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Page 14

FALL VEGETABLES Sweet Corn Tomatoes & More!

128

rganic 00% hemical ! Beef, Fish/ rmulas. elivery ase call mation e. Call eagle: 101

YES, YOU CAN WRITE! Country Daizy

Home

By Christine Fader

By Katrina Rees

all is one of my favourite times to be a country dweller. But, when the porch chairs get packed away and the skunks have one final hurrah at digging grubs from our front lawn, I brace myself to say goodbye to a friend. Life with my 1973 Volkswagen Beetle only lasts from May to October. Then, owing to lack of anything resembling an effective window defroster, the Beetle must be snugged up in a building on our property, her tailpipe stuffed with steel wool to prevent the field mice from seeking refuge in her cozy belly over the winter.

driveway, waiting for a miracle. Everyone has either owned one or knows someone who did—and they love to share the stories. Eventually, we drive on with the sunroof open, shouting to be heard over the engine noise and the wind as we pelt down dusty, gravel roads towards the Prince Edward County vineyards my friend likes to visit on a sunny, summer afternoon. We pull up alongside the Jaguars and Mercedes in the parking lots and pride ourselves on classing up the place.

All old Beetles are somewhat conspicuous The parting is never easy, but I content because of their “cute” factor but ours is myself during the dark winter months even more eye-catching because it arrived, with the memory of long journeys down fortuitously painted bright yellow and Frontenac County&roads. In inspring, “Hope, Purpose Belonging Long Termwhite. Care” We named it “DaizyBug” after my the ditches and hollows are lined with favourite flower and because my husband periwinkle and trilliums. In summer, said that the car’s paint job was a sign hollyhocks and corn lean against that it was meant for me. weathered split-rail fences to wave at us and in autumn, the maples dance on the To drive it is to be waved, honked and wind and turn all the colours of a sailor’s smiled at. Even babies turn their heads sunset delight. Three seasons of rural, when we tootle by. It’s not for the day driving euphoria should sustain me but when you want to skulk somewhere, oh, how I long for the Beetle by February. unnoticed, with a little grey cloud over your head. This is the Beetle’s power: I wasn’t always a country dweller or a the ability to evoke—and sometimes Beetle owner. I have a fainting disorder demand—a lightness of spirit and that kept me tethered firmly for 15 years connection with other people and the to a Kingston bus route. Despite being past. Napanee a lover of classic cars, I despaired of ever & District being able to drive again. Seven years ago, I was finally, Chamber of Commerce miraculously, 47 Dundas St. E • Napanee correctly diagnosed and “What year is it?” people ask and I rattle successfully treated for my swooning 613.354.6601 off the details like a parent with a new tendencies. Suddenly, our country www.napaneechamber.ca baby. It’s a Super Beetle actually, meaning dreams were taking shape. We bought a the windscreen is curved instead of flat property near Battersea on a limestone Networking • Business Seminars and it has a 1600 cc engine instead of only ridge. It had a brick house with potential, Programs That Can Businesses $$we euphemistically called an 1200. What might seem like Save boasting is something actually amusement because even a 1600 “orchard” (with no soil), a forest with Ask Us About Membership cc engine is not designed for power. sugar maple trees ripe for tapping, and a couple of outbuildings for the Beetle I Yet, the Beetle has it in spades. never thought I’d drive. My cheeks hurt from smiling so much. Living in the Stop at a roadside produce stand, garage country with DaizyBug is two impossible sale or ferry dock and the conversations dreams come true. abound. The mother who owned a “Bug” as a young singleton; the adult who was In the intervening years, it has struck steven@moorepartners.ca once reportedly susan@moorepartners.ca a colicky baby rocked me more than once that the sensibilities to sleep by riding in his parents’ Beetle of country living and owning an old car around and around the countryside; the are similar. Both benefit from a certain uncle who always had one in pieces in613 his • 379 constitution www.moorepartners.ca • 5958 and predisposition for adaptability. Both evoke memories or a yearning for a simpler kind of life.

ive. We u have off at the ou,

ELL RTIST “I THE ND ERRKS.

ADAIR PLACE Seniors Residence

Personal care, country living, friendly atmosphere www.adairplace.ca 613-379-5700

462 Adair Road Tamworth, ON

But now, it is autumn again and DaizyBug must go to bed. Perhaps for the last time before winter, we sit on the porch planning the spring maple syrup season and dreaming about the day when highspeed internet will come to our neck of the woods. Life is grand. Christine Fader works as a career counsellor and writer in Kingston. Find her at: www. careercupid.com

can’t remember a time when I wasn’t in love with the countryside. Perhaps I was born with this longing for blue skies and open spaces or maybe it’s just a natural consequence of growing up surrounded by farmland. Whatever the reason, the intense feeling of belonging never fails to overwhelm me when I stand in the middle of a field and breathe in the fresh air. I think it must be belonging in the truest sense of the word; the feeling that humans don’t rule the planet but that we’re a piece of it. No matter how hard people try to control the Earth they will never succeed in postponing the darkness that follows a sunset or hastening the oncoming light of sunrise. I find immense comfort in that knowledge. It’s difficult to describe how wonderful rural life can be to someone who has never experienced it before. Most of my generation doesn’t understand the concept of not having full access to a Starbucks and city transit at all times; nor do they have any desire to understand. When I try to explain how amazing the stars are sans city lights, or the brilliance of a summer night lit up by fireflies I receive blank stares and amused smiles like I’m telling a fairytale, like such things no longer exist in our modern and advanced society. But they do exist, people have just forgotten about them. They’ve forgotten how to be good neighbours and caring community members. They’ve forgotten how to appreciate the type of beauty that isn’t always symmetrical and made of glass, the type of beauty that’s purely natural. And most importantly, they’ve forgotten that success isn’t defined by the number of zeros in your bank account but rather by the amount of character in your backbone.

that rarely gets overlooked in quiet townships. Trust is another notion openly adhered to by the people of small towns. Doors are unfailingly left unlocked and businesses tend to accept “I Owe Yous” if you’re short on cash. One of my neighborhood stores is often left unattended except for a note that says “Back soon – please leave your name and what you took.” This type of blind trust is virtually extinct in every city around the world. Terrorist attacks and business scandals have made people much more suspicious of one another yet somehow, a belief in the underlying goodness of our fellow man lives on in the countryside. Knowing the people in your community gives you confidence in your ability to do the right thing and makes you want to live up to that confidence. Recognizing that they are willing to lend a helping hand encourages you to extend the same courtesy in return. The rural cycle of trust is infinitely more valuable to a person’s life than the ability to order Chinese food. When I stand in the middle of a grass field, I feel like I belong. When I interact with the people in my community, I feel a renewed sense of hope in human kindness. When I gaze at the stars, I know that life can be full of greatness if you remember what’s truly important. Rural life is not as convenient as city life, but perhaps convenience is not what we should be continually striving for as a global culture. If we really want to see an improvement in the state of our planet, perhaps we need to direct more focus towards instilling values in our children and trusting in our neighbors. At the end of the day the country is a place of peace, beauty, and hope. More than all of that, it’s home.

Fortunately, these values have not been lost to everyone. There seems to be Katrina is currently studying Commerce something about having room to run and at Queen’s and visits her parents’ home stacking hay that builds moral fibre. The in Tamworth during breaks and in the concept of respect is instilled in country summer. children at a young age; probably because they know someone is always watching. If Johnny is tormenting the cat down the street, his mother will inevitably know about it before 4G Fixed he even makes it Wireless Desmond Technology home. This of course (WiMAX) now Derek Troyer in select areas. occurs because his Owner Please call or 24 Desmond Road mother was informed email for more RR#3 Yarker Ont. K0K 3N0 about his antics by information. Cell (613) 328 5558 Phone (613) 378 2331 Miss Baker at the desmondtechnology@gmail.com village grocery, who http://desmondtechnology.com heard about it from Mrs. Jones, who in Authorized Hi-Speed Internet Dealer + Installer fact saw Johnny’s 4G Fixed Wireless and 4G Satellite Service Solar Systems Integration crime from her front porch a mere fifteen Desmond Technology minutes earlier. In Derek Troyer short, Johnny quickly Owner 24 Desmond Road learns not to mess RR#3 Yarker Ont. K0K 3N0 with the local cats; Open 7 days a week Cell (613) 328 5558 along with a deeply Phone (613) 378 2331 6:30 am - 9:00 pm desmondtechnology@gmail.com rooted understanding • Gashttp://desmondtechnology.com • Ice of right from wrong. • Diesel • Coffee Respectful children Authorized•Dealer + Installer Propane • Hot dogs grow up to be Hi-Speed Internet, Fixed Wireless and Satellite Service • Soft ice cream • Groceries respectful adults, a simple concept 6682 Wheeler Street,Desmond Tamworth Technology 613-379-2526

Tamworth Variety & Gas Bar

Derek Troyer

Owner

The Scoop

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

Hi-Speed

Page 15

24 Desmond Road RR#3 Yarker Ont. K0K 3N0 Cell (613) 328 5558 Phone (613) 378 2331

Hi-Speed

Fall Comfort

Lessons Learned

By Grace Smith

By Blair McDonald

s the last humid days of summer come to an end, many people shiver at the prospect of the arrival of fall and the abrupt end of their days sprawled in the radiant sun. But not for some of us—we welcome autumn eagerly, arms wide open. The sudden shift in weather that fall often brings can cause distress for some, but the crisp air is refreshing after the lulling heat of the summer. The temperature cools down and we are able to venture out of our air conditioned houses and enjoy our surroundings. And this is perfect timing because this really is the time of the year to bask in the incredible power of nature and its ability to transform the world around us. The fluttering leaves fill the sky masterfully in shades of muted green, brilliant yellow, war m orange and fiery red. The painted scenery is almost impossible to ignore— for people who live somewhere with four distinct seasons, it’s time to appreciate the wonderful changes around us. Autumn also marks another change in our lives. For most families, it means that it is time to return to school. Though some students claim this a traumatic time for them, most enjoy it. Maybe not the homework part, but most love falling back into the comfort of routine that accompanies school. There’s something reassuring about knowing how your day will unfold—following a schedule. And while the leaves may eventually fall, the students will always stand up. Then there is also the fact that school often brings friends back together. You don’t need a reason to see your friends anymore; they’re just simply there to support and soothe you. Autumn, unlike

any other season, has the incredible power of bringing people together, not only friends, but family as well. At some point in October, we all gather with as many relatives as we can find and give thanks not only for these people, but for all the aspects of our lives that we are grateful for. Thanksgiving is a time to congregate and appreciate all the wonderful things around us, past and present. And Thanksgiving isn’t the only holiday that takes place in the month of October. As the month draws to a close, people of all ages lose themselves in the spirit of Halloween. Children dress up as witches, superheroes, and ghosts to collect their well deserved candy and adults don their scary costumes either to hand out that said candy or win that best-costume prize at the local Halloween d a n c e . Hallowe en b r i n g s people t o g e t h e r, but in a slightly more fun and exciting way than Thanksgiving. Also, for many sports fans, autumn signals the beginning of the football season. Quarterbacks and wide receivers rise to the challenge at every level—little league, high school, university, the CFL, and the NFL. No matter which we prefer, we’ll always have a game to watch in the fall. Eventually, frost begins to coat the ground, the trees become barren and we know that our time to revel in the crispness of autumn is limited. We move onto winter only because the cycle will begin again—the leaves will change, the students will come, and fall will return. This fall, Grace entered her first year at Queen’s in the Arts and Science Degree program.

fter my long drive from Kamloops to Tamworth earlier this May, it was hard to believe that by mid-August I would be doing the whole thing over again. With my teleportation machine still on the fritz, I realized there was no easy way around it. I just had to bite the bullet, fill up the car, say my goodbyes and hit the road. Part of me was excited for another year in Kamloops, now familiar with the place, and the other half was wrestling with another round of goodbyes and “I’ll see you at Christmas.” Sadly, no matter how ‘good’ you get at leaving, these conversations never get easier. Nonetheless, they happen and life goes on. After all, when I put it in perspective, unless you’re a truck driver, how many times do you get the opportunity to drive across Canada once, let alone twice? With that frame of mind everything started to take shape and before long I was half-way across Ontario.

in the Terry Fox R un this year, something which I have never done before. What gets me the most about Terry’s story is the way in which he reacted to his situation (at the tender age of twenty) with a mission and a goal that was not only bigger than himself but bigger than anyone at that time could have thought possible. As I was running today in the Terry Fox Run, I thought to myself: If only every time we find ourselves saying ‘But I could never do that’ we could also remember Terry who, in spite of this fear, in his very actions said: ‘I will and I have to.’ Today, remarkably thirty-one years later, we stand witness to an incredible legacy because of this one individual who refused to be limited by the hand life dealt him. In doing so he teaches us that not only are obstacles opportunities in disguise but also, as proven today, great acts produce great legacies.

While I took the Trans-Canada the whole way, I did make some different stops this time. While the Wa-Wa goose may not be as exciting the second time around, nonetheless discovering the Scenic High Falls on the edge of town was an unexpected surprise. As well, just outside of Thunder Bay, I ventured Web: www.s-o-s-computers.com off-road to see the Wm. (Bill) Greenley Ouimet Canyon, a Kim Read monumental gorge Network and Internet Security Specialists with spectacular Wired, Wireless, Network Design and Implementation views. One of the few places I did make a repeat visit was the Terry Fox Monument in Thunder Bay. It struck a nerve with me the first time I saw it and it hit me again the second time as well. The lingering effects of that stop even convinced me that I ought to run

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For the Love of Trees By Barb Wilson Tree planting is always a utopian enterprise, it seems to me, a wager on a future the planter doesn’t necessarily expect to witness. Second Nature: A Gardener’s Education, Michael Pollan

love trees and have been enjoying them for years, but I’ve been taking the trees on my property for granted, but not anymore. Not since news of the relentless spread of the Emerald Ash Borer became news in Ontario and has been spotted closer to home. It has been officially confirmed in Frontenac County (and near Lennox and Addington County) at a private campground in Mountain Grove, likely brought in with non-local firewood. Ontario Parks have now put a ban on bringing in firewood for exactly this reason. I was a child when the grand old elms started falling to Dutch Elm disease, yet I’ve watched the maturing of the elms close to my house, offspring of the huge elm carcass that recently toppled. Yes, I use the word “carcass” because it reminds me that trees are living bodies and the decimation of any variety of tree is not only an esthetic loss but a tragedy for our county, province, and planet. And these “teenaged” elms, which now shade my home, will likely succumb very soon. And so will the ash trees. The Emerald Ash Borer won’t sleep until the ashes are gone. Can I do anything about it? Well I might be able to slow the process by a season or two by heeding the advice of the MNR and CFIA to refrain from bringing in firewood from away but this poses problems as the cooling temperatures and my woodstove demand a cord or two of firewood—from somewhere else. I spoke to my firewood supplier who assured me that the wood was cut in an area close to my home. Still,

I am uneasy. I suppose I need to identify and inspect my ash trees for signs of infestation and report when I see signs of the metallic green beetle. I pore over the pictures and hope that I can match what I see to the real thing. The city of Ottawa cut down over 5000 ash trees, but they were not dealt with swiftly which probably contributed to the spread of the disease; an inoculation program is now being implemented. And the University of Guelph has done the same with its 200 year old white ashes in a bid to preserve some for posterity or research. Incidentally, mountain ash and blue ash do not seem to be at risk. But the inoculations cost from $200-$400 and must be reapplied every two years. If I lived in an urban setting with one or two ashes I might consider it, but living in a rural setting with forest at my back door makes this solution impractical. Have I run out of options? I guess I could throw up my hands in despair or rant away at the perpetrators of this ecological tragedy: importers, firewood movers, slow acting governments, bungled removal programs, nature itself but that helps nothing. Frankly the sadness and despair for the demise of the ash, a tree I have practically ignored in the past, seems to be taking over. However, this tragedy has heightened my awareness of the value of trees. And that has to be good. I have learned from the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources that 2/3 of Ontario ( the size of Germany, Italy and the Netherlands) is covered by trees which convert 425 million tones of CO2 into wood , mitigating the effects of 6 billion kilometers of car travel. Trees

reduce the need for air-conditioning by about 30% - a huge energy savings. Something can be done it seems, although maybe very little for the ashes. It may sound obvious but the answer is: PLANT TREES. Trees Ontario, a not-for-profit organization, has several programs to pump up the volume of tree planting. Partnered with Ontario’s MNR, it is spearheading the “50 million Tree Program” by which the government is hoping to reach its target by 2020. Climate change, urban sprawl, disease are all taking their toll on our forests. In the 1980’s 30 million trees were planted on privately owned rural property. By the 1990’s this had dropped to 2 million. By 2005, the number of trees plants had reached dangerous low levels.

• Recently the governments of Ontario and Canada agreed to significantly increase those numbers. Eastern Ontario is part of the Great Lakes –St. Lawrence Forest area, a transition zone between the southern Deciduous Forest Region and the northern Boreal Forest Region. Thirty-eight percent of this area is privately owned compared to 4% of the Boreal Forest Region. And this is where I can make a difference even if I can’t save the ash trees. I have three large hay fields; my neighbours take the hay off as a favour to me, but I think that planting new woodland to extend the existing forest to the edges of those fields would help heal the planet. It would also reduce my feelings of helplessness that the drought this summer and the advance of the Emerald Ash Borer engendered. Here are some of the requirements of the 50 Million Tree Program Landowner and Site Requirements • Have a productive area at least one

Beware of Invaders! By Susan Moore

here are frequent news stories in the media of invading species of foreign plants and animals into the natural environment, but often we don’t know very much about the ones that are affecting our area. To find out more about the types of invaders in your community attend the Friends of the Salmon River Annual General Meeting, at 7pm in the gym of Tamworth Elementary School (6668 Wheeler St.) on Thursday, October 18. Folks familiar with lakes on the limestone plain to the south or lakes on the Canadian Shield that have calcitic rock in the lakebed know a major invader - the Zebra mussel. But there are several invader plants that also need watching. The spread of purple loosestrife is being slowed by released beetles. Dog strangling vine, purple knapweed, common reed (Phragmites) and European buckthorn need prompt attention. No one wants to see our native

Purple loosestrife. Credit: Matt Smith, Ontario Federation of Anglers & Hunters

plants overrun by intruders: nasty gatecrashers who don’t know when to leave the party. Alison Kirkpatrick will share her knowledge and expert help for Zebra mussel sufferers with all who attend the Friends of Salmon meeting. Alison is the Terrestrial Invasive Species Outreach Liaison with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. She also grew up in Tamworth and knows the area well. All are welcome to hear Alison (and see her photos), meet other community groups, and learn more about the Friends of the Salmon, a volunteer group who are stewards of the Salmon River watershed, all the way from Cloyne to Shannonville. Information: Gray Merriam (613) 335-3589 Susan Moore (613) 379-5958 The Scoop

Emerald Ash Borer and larva. Credit: Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources

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hectare in size; smaller areas may be considered depending on the landscape context Ensure land is open or mostly open and has not been a woodland as defined by the Forestry Act since December 31, 1989. Sign a 15-year management agreement to maintain the trees Employ good forestry practices May have to assume some of the additional costs for trees, to implement the plan and to maintain the trees

The Cataraqui Conservation Authority will also assist in tree planting on smaller acreage as well as sell seedlings to those who wish to plant. And this is what I have applied to do. And anyone can donate money to this urgent cause. Although I am keeping an eye out for the Emerald Ash Borer and making the acquaintance of ash trees that will probably disappear from the woodland, I am looking forward to a nursery full of babies of the woody variety. Here are two websites to check out: www.treesontario. ca and www.mnr.gov.on.ca

The Jack O’Lantern

Hound Advice:

Enjoying Autumn in Dog Country

By Merola Tahamtan Oh!-fruit loved of boyhood!-the old days recalling, When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling! When wild, ugly faces were carved in its skin, Glaring out through the dark with a candle within! John Greenleaf Whittier

umpkins will be popping up on front steps and porches all around us and even all around the world. In a few weeks these gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and illuminated by candles will scare trickor-treaters young and old on Halloween night. I enjoy this tradition with my three kids, especially as they are getting older and able to carve out their own designs. Have you ever really wondered where this outra geous tradition came from and when it got started? Jack-o-lanterns originated from an Irish myth about a man named Stingy Jack. Stingy Jack invited the Devil to have a drink with him. Jack did not want to pay for his drink, so he convinced the Devil to turn himself into a coin that Jack could use to buy their drinks. When the Devil turned himself into a coin, Jack decided to keep the money and placed it in his pocket next to a silver cross, which prevented the Devil from changing back into his original form. Ultimately Jack freed the Devil with the promise he would not go after Jack for one year, and if Jack were to die, he would not go after his soul. The next year, Jack tricked the Devil into climbing into a tree to pick a piece of fruit. While the Devil was in the tree, Jack carved a sign of the cross into the tree’s bark so that the Devil could not come down until the Devil agreed to not bother Jack for ten more years. Before long, Jack died. And as the fable has it, God would not allow such a sinful character into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack played on him

and keeping his word to not claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. Jack had nowhere to go, so he sent Jack away into the dark night. The Devil mockingly tossed Jack an ember that would never burn out from the flames of hell. Jack carved out one of his turnips (which were his favourite food), put the ember inside it and began endlessly wandering the Earth for a resting place. The Irish began to refer to this ghostly figure as “Jack of the Lantern, “and then simply “Jack O’Lantern.” In Ireland and Scotland, the people began to make their own versions of Jack’s lanterns by carving scary faces into turnips or potatoes and placing them in windows or near doors to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits. An offering or, as we now know it, a “treat”, would also be commonly left to placate roaming spirits and evil spiritsotherwise they might ‘fiddle’ with property or livestock (playing a “trick”). Irish immigrants brought this tradition to North America, home of the pumpkin, and it became an integral part of Halloween. The pumpkin was more readily available, bigger and easier to carve.

By Dalton Cowper

hether you live in the city or in God’s Country you will probably agree that the best time of year for walking your dog is autumn. The trees are all changing colours and the weather is just perfect for a walk through your neighbourhood streets or on a trail in the country side. I notice how excited my dogs become whenever the seasons change; in April they clearly get spring fever, but in fall they wriggle and writhe with even more excitement. There are no skeeters or deer fly to pester them, Hallelujah! And as the trees and shrubbery thin, interesting smells from far off waft by their noses as they lie in the warm afternoon sun. I’m sure my hounds appreciate taking the trails on my property and marking out the turf we had left behind in the heat of the summer. But for a real treat, my wife and I will take our pack of five and head out to a new country road we have never explored or to one of our favourite conservation areas. The Land O’ Lakes region has a terrific variety of nature preserves, conservation areas, and hiking trails that will ensure that you and your dog will never get bored. Some of these spots are hard to enjoy in the summer, mainly due to the bugs and in the spring they are often too wet and muddy to attempt. But autumn brings the perfect conditions to enjoy it all.

As centuries have gone by, we continue to practice this crazy tradition, trying to come up with the scariest and sometimes most intricate designs. Pumpkins have also evolved to a more stylish design, and with more staying power than just for Halloween. We now see them painted in a variety of designs, or decoupaged in an iconic country motif for a polished appearance. Whatever the look you’re trying to achieve, remember when placing that lit candle inside - Stingy Jack is still roaming the Earth around us.

The Land O’ Lakes map is a great resource for hikers, travelers, and adventurers. The map can be found at many stores and shops throughout the region. All the conservation and picnic areas are easily identified on the map. There is also an interactive map found on the Land O’ Lakes website www.travellandolakes. com. If you like hiking and getting out with you dogs there really is no other map. It covers a wide range from Belleville to Perth and even north to Denbigh.

Merola Tahamtan is an Interior Stylist in Home & Business Design, Home Staging, Painting and Window Draperies. 613-5610244 Follow her on twitter @MerolaDesigns

When Beverly and I first moved to Kingston we would take our dogs and the map and head out for the day to explore. Sometimes we would hit several hiking

The Pumpkin Roll By Beverly Fraser

t’s that time again, all things Pumpkin! There really is nothing better than the smell of a kitchen in the fall especially the smell of pungent pumpkin slowly mellowing as it bakes. Being rewarded with these glorious smells created by the ones we love with the fruits from our gardens is one of the wonders of the harvest season Topping it all off is pleasing your anxious palate with a slice of your favourite pumpkin recipe. This one is a little bit of work, but well worth it. Included are vegan options for the dairy ingredients. Both are great and will wow your Thanksgiving and Christmas guests.

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Ingredients: • 1 cup sugar

1. Mix all ingredients up to and including the eggs and pour mixture over the

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1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon ¾ cup whole wheat flour 2/3 cup pure or canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling) 3 eggs (Vegan: egg replacement, equivalent of 3 eggs) 1 tsp. vanilla 2 Tbsp. butter or non-hydrogenated margarine (Vegan: butter replacement) 1 cup powdered icing sugar 8 oz. cream cheese (Vegan: soft tofu)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place a sheet of wax paper on a 10 x 13 Cookie Sheets and spray with non-stick spray.

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wax paper spreading evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. 2. Remove from oven. Sprinkle the top of the dough with extra powdered sugar and then place a tea towel over top of the dough. While holding the tea towel to make sure the dough does not fall, flip the cookie sheet over onto a work surface. Remove the wax paper and allow to cool. 3. Combine the remaining ingredients for the filling. Spread filling evenly over the dough. Carefully roll the dough into log shape. Sprinkle more powdered sugar on top for serving. 4. Wrap up with plastic wrap and allow to refrigerate until filling is firm (best overnight).

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spots in one day. In fact, it was on one of those trips that we found our current hometown - Tamworth. The map helped me create some of my fondest memories and it will always remind me of what a beautiful part of Ontario and Canada we live in. A few things we discovered on our adventures with the dogs: always have a good first aid kit, take lots of water and treats and if your dog is on a routine for dinner you may want to take it along too. It is not a bad idea to know where the closest vet office is ahead of time. But most importantly take your camera; I promise you, you will take the best pictures ever of your dog. There is nothing more heart-warming than your dog smiling and you will have captured that image forever. The part I love best is when we get back home, we can watch them drift off to sleep with wild dreams, and of course we try not to giggle as they twitch, yip, and snore their way through the night. Get out and explore for Dog’s Sake! Some of my packs favourite places are listed here. Bon Echo Provincial Park Frontenac Provincial Park Foley Mountain (Westport)

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By Andrea Hilborn, ND

s I write this, the beautiful fall colours are beginning to appear on the trees. Leaves are beginning to fall. The nights have cooled off, allowing for comfortable sleep. During the day, the beauty of Nature and the moderate temperatures coax a body outdoors. By now, most people are aware that being physically active increases our health and longevity. The key is to make a habit of getting physical activity each day. Establishing a routine of walking is relatively easy in the fall, when the scenery is so rewarding and the temperature doesn’t deter, but how can we maintain the habit of getting outdoors when the weather gets nippy and all we have to look at is dirty, crusty old snow? Let me give you some pointers, adapted from Charles Duhigg’s excellent book The Power of Habit. 1. Start small. To begin a habit, start with something you cannot possibly fail to do. Even if that means you start by doing one lap of the house. Even if that means you start by doing nothing more than lacing up your walking shoes. 2. Establish your cue. Your cue is what

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If you follow these simple approaches, your chances of success are good. But don’t worry if you fall off the wagon. Think of it like quitting cigarettes. It takes a lot of people multiple tries before they quit for good.

John McClellan

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signals you to get moving. It might be a certain time of day. It might be when a daily event happens, like getting out of bed or finishing your supper. Pick something that happens every day. 3. Reward yourself. Getting a reward after you do your activity signals to your brain that you should make the activity into a habit. The reward doesn’t have to be complicated: it can be as simple as taking a moment to shower yourself with praise, or making a mark on the calendar each time you do your activity, and admiring all the marked days in a row. Avoid the trap of rewarding yourself with something unhealthy, like a sweet treat. I only mention it because it is so easy to doit’s how our brain works: Well I did my exercise today so it wouldn’t be so bad if I had a brownie or two, or five . . . 4. Plan for the worst. Sit down and write out scenarios that would make it really difficult for you to do your activity. Below 30 weather. An exceptionally busy day. Feeling tired. Then plan in minute detail what you would do to overcome your reluctance to get outside.

Cakes and Truffles

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Meditation and Mindfulness in Daily Life

Beginning To Exercise

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Now is the perfect time to get started. As you step outside you will get the added bonus of breathing in the earthy smell, feeling the contrast of the cool air and warm sun and hearing the crunch of leaves beneath your feet. Are you on Facebook? Find my page by searching: Andrea Hilborn ND and share what physical activity you are planning to do this fall and winter.

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As you plan your new habit, know that any physical activity will benefit your body. Even standing rather than sitting improves your health. We don’t all have to be marathon runners to reap the rewards of being active. Which makes me happy because personally, (now don’t tell anyone), I despise running.

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The Scoop

By Thomasina Larkin, RMT

ave you ever had those moments when you realize you ate your dinner way too fast? Have you ever replied to someone without really thinking about it, only to later regret putting that energy out there? Is it ever impossible to get your mind to shut down? Oh, and how’s your posture? These are just a few tangible things we can start to change with even the smallest practice of meditation. Learning to meditate is something we can all do, no matter what age, ethnicity, religion, or cultural background. It’s not just something for yogis or monks. You don’t even have to consider yourself a spiritual person. And the best part is that once you start trying it, you’ll notice subtle positive changes in your day-today life. While meditation can help to still the mind during its busiest times, it also teaches us loving kindness, insight, and freedom. It allows us to let go of the negative thoughts and worries that clutter the mind. By transforming our consciousness from hatred, fear, or jealousy, we can begin to see more clearly. When we clear the mind, we make better decisions and our body feels happier. A great first step to take is just to become more aware of yourself. How is your posture now? How does your body feel? How does it feel to sit taller or to take a deeper breath? How does it feel to move your arm? Try thinking of your body as a vehicle for awakening yourself. The more aware you become of how you drive yourself through your daily life activities, the more mental and physical freedom you can find. I recently read that medical professionals believe stress causes or contributes to 98% of all illnesses. As a massage therapist and yoga instructor, I can’t count the number of times I’ve heard someone say they got used to their pain and it just became normal to them. You don’t have to live with a cluttered mind or body, and you have the power to start to free yourself from it. Once you realize the habitual patterns that keep us in bondage, you can start to liberate yourself from them. Sit straight. Stand tall. Let go of negative thoughts because they don’t make life improve. Rather they create turmoil and turbulence in the mind and body. By starting to be mindful of negative thought patterns or behaviors, we can begin to give ourselves freedom and inner peace. Ready to try? Before you begin, make sure you’re comfortable. You don’t have to sit with your legs bound in a cross-legged pretzel; you can even be in a lazy boy if that’s the best pain-free way for you to sit. Try to find somewhere quiet to practice. And start small. Try it for just a minute a day and then gradually grow it from there.

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Meditation is a practice, meaning you have to keep doing it to get better. If you can’t stop thinking about laundry or your shopping list, don’t beat yourself up about it. Even the most dedicated yoga practitioners have days where they just can’t let go. The point is that you’re becoming more mindful. Here are a few simple techniques:

Counting Meditation

This is a great one to start with. Just close your eyes and count with your breath. One on the first inhale, two on the exhale, three on the next inhale and so on, all the way to 10. If you lose count and realize you’re thinking about your laundry, don’t worry about it. Let go of the ego, let go of judgments and just start counting again. Then once you get to 10, start over. Try to keep your breath slow, deep, and controlled. In other words, be mindful of it. For an entire minute, nothing else matters except your breath. If the counting disappears and there are no thoughts, just breathe -voila! Ever hear the suggestion to take 10 deep breaths when you’re angry? Next time something irks you, try breathing before reacting.

Candle Meditation

Just light a candle and stare at the flame long enough for it to leave a spot behind your eyelids when you close your eyes. Then simply stare at that spot and think about nothing. Notice how your breath might alter the size, color, or shape of the spot, but do so without creating any internal dialogue. Just be aware.

Music Meditation

Put on a relaxing song, close your eyes, and listen to it. Pay attention to every note and cadence, letting it envelope your entire body. If any thoughts come into your mind, just float them away and absorb yourself in the music. Once the song ends, notice the stillness in the silence. Maybe try holding onto that stillness. Or maybe become aware of any mood changes. Become mindful of your existence.

Chocolate Meditation

Mmm... My favorite! If you don’t like chocolate, try a strawberry or something else you like. Hold the food and look at it. Then close your eyes and take a few breaths. Next take a bite and chew slowly, noticing the taste and texture. Savor the food, thinking of nothing else, and feel gratitude for the earth providing you with it. Thomasina Larkin is a RMT and Fitness Instructor based in Enterprise. She has a website at www.thomasinca.ca.

is now another assistant Dalton can rely on. One way I can enjoy both their businesses is when I go to purchase fresh bread, smoked almonds or specialty cheese, I bring one of my dogs, sit on the patio and talk “dogs” Story and photo by Angela Saxe with Dalton. Sounds like a new show: Dogs with Dalton… nevhen I first received Terry as the walk along a dried up old river bed. er a dog’s Sprague’s article for thebreakfast! It was spectacular. We walked through August/September issue: a canyon between towering walls of The website for the ReA Jurassic Park Right Here in Our Yard, limestone; huge slabs of rock worn away I wrote back and said gal that I enjoyed ago by a tributary of the Salmon. Beagleeonswww.regalbeagleunreading it and I was amazed that I had Even though the wet areas were bone leashed.com offers a wealth of innever visited the Hell Holes - considering dry and the foliage was limp from the that they were only 15formation minutes away for drought, sight of a rare fern – the dogthe lovers. from my house. He quickly e-mailed me walking fern (Asplenium rhizophyllum) The website the Terry Bakery is upon in back with an invitation to join him when wasfor exciting. impressed he would be taking a group of nature www.riverbakery.com us that the ferns were drooping from progress:

Bow Hunting

Joining Terry for a Nature Walk

By Barry Lovegrove

enthusiasts on one of his guided Nature walks. I quickly accepted.

the dry weather, but still they were so unusual. The leaves are long and tapered Top photo: Dalton Bev.and are found growing down and to points I arrived at the parkingBottom: area of the Dalton, Hell on Anita, top of limestone boulders. I want and Bev. Mark Alton of Boundry Bait & Bow near Harrowsmith Holes Nature Photo credits: Barry Lovegrove. to go back and Trails Caves & see them when s the leaves start to change and which is pretty standard as it has to be Ravines Park they are at their the days get shorter, a over 45lbs to be legal. He then gave me oned as the culmination of when a five just off the best – supple lot of small country businesses a 65lbs bow to pull back. I was shocked C e n t re v i l l e and invigorated ar plan when they first ofmoved to at how much strength it took to pull it close down for a couple weeks or go Road on a by rain. slow mode – we know that deer back. This was a good indication of how ngston. into While working at athefullbright and The walk took a hunting season is quickly approaching. important it is to be properly fitted August couple of hours me position, managed to with a bow. Mark then showed me a sunny There’s aDalton general excitement in the air morning. The and many andyears even though deer hunting doesn’t compound bow that had aiming sights in several of part-time work temperatures people stayed start for another month, trucks can be on it. It consisted of three pins. These had dropped behind for a arning more about seen pulling ATV’s indog trailerstraining heading to three pins each had a different colored picnic lunch. to a cool and the hunting camp and in sporting good tip. He went on to explain to me that E ve r yone I enjoyable ith boarding experts in Kingston. stores hunters are getting their supplies. each pin will be sighted to different temperature spoke to loved alton believes that when dogs are distances. As an example, the top one in the low spending MNR (Ministry of Natural would be sighted for a 40 yard distance, to mid 20s their Sunday oarded, The they are embarking on Resources) does a fine job regulating the middle one to a 30 yard distance and – per fect mornings being the harvesting of deer. If you have an the bottom one to a 20 yard distance. The eir own holiday from home. They entertained weather for Outdoors Card and the appropriate reason for this is when a hunter goes out a hike. Th ere – not just by in the Cowper dogs who live there licensing to go hunting you can pick up to a place that he might hunt whether was a group Terry’s affable Licence for whichthe is forduration Bucks Only he is on the ground or in a tree-stand he ll seven aofDeer them) personality of over twenty at a place that sells hunting licenses like should know his distances. What some people gathered together – some were and knowledge, but by nature in its their stay; they become a part of Canadian Tire in Napanee for instance. If hunters do is measure or pace out 40 couples, some were single; some knew beauty and diversity. “I go home feeling you callDalton’s the MNR earlylove enough e dog pack. of- usually dogs yards, place a stick or rock from where each other from other walks and of refreshed and excited by the world before the end of June your name goes they will be sitting as distance indicators, course, they had come from different around me” one woman told me as we as evident when he you rhymed off in the hat giving a chance to gethis an remembering of course that the angle directions: Prince Edward County, wandered back to our cars. deer (doe) tag. EvenSaxon though would be different from a tree stand. wn dogs antlerless names: Dabney, Belleville, Kingston, Deseronto. doe tags are given out there are a lot of Mark also showed me the different As I drove the short distance back he newbie), Porter, Kilty, hunters that will only huntCooper, for bucks. types of arrows and arrow heads that The walk first took us through a picnic to Tamworth I thought about how Having taken the Canadian Firearms acy and Louis Target (yes, he is so can be screwed onto the end of the arrow and playground area until we found the wonderful it is to be surprised by the Safety and Ontario’s Hunter education for different types of game or just for trail that followed the ridge overlooking natural world – especially when it’s pecial he courses has his last I knowown the work thatname). goes into practicing. the CPR tracks and further below hidden so close to home. Sometimes we just safety and education ofBeagles, hunting. It here are the two Labs, three behind the dense foliage was the Salmon need someone to take us there and to is top notch. My visit with Mark was a real eye opener People broke off into small point out the unusual, the unique, and Bloodhound and a Coonhound; all and enforced the importance of getting River. groups and small snips of conversation unexpected. Thanks Terry. Rifle hunting seems to be the most the right equipment. Hunting is a great punctuatedthat the air. them serving as excellent hosts ers, this is a huge relief knowing popular form but there is a special breed sport that gets you out in the open air Occasionally Terry BUCKET TRUCK SERVICES - FULLY INSURED elcomingof the the and their in good huntersother that will dogs only huntinto with bows. teaches pets you theare meaning of true hands. Even stopped to give us Bow hunting twigged my curiosity so I patience and the beauty of nature. I have some information ennel. stopped to chat with Mark Alton who sat and aschatted a youngster, Dalton was drawn with a lot of hunters and or to answer a owns and runsmay Boundrynever Bait & Bow on listened many hunting stories. the own family’s Some dogs have to todogs, caring forYeshis question. Rutledge Road just east of Harrowsmith. truth might be exaggerated a little (in perienced this before, but dogs dogs and for those he walked as a I soon found out that getting into the some cases), but there is no doubt in my Eventually we came sport of bowwith hunting other is a lot more than mindpart-time that bonding and true friendships ve to socialize dogs. job while growing up.theBev across Hell I expected. Shopping for a bow on eBay are made during hunting season. It Hole cave which is nce theyor are free to mingle and dogs and Kijiji and randomly buying a bow is also also brings loves families together and it’sLabrador Rebasically a hole in nitely not the way to go unless you definitely not onlyhave a man’sasport there place in her am in adefisafe environment, they trievers special the ground with know what you are doing. But, if you are are a lot of lady hunters too. sturdy Lab ladder arn to enjoy comfort of alikerouheart as she always had a aloving cold ofthe the street so to speak me, leading 8 metres go to the experts like and, Mark. My onlya Hunting is something ne that includes a nap yes, growing up. that has been down into a small experience with a bow and arrow was going on since the start of time; humans cave. A small group eekly campfire night ononSaturdays The kennel has many home watching Robin Hood TV as a young have always hunted to feed their families. of us descended lad and and makingall a bow out of a bamboo with all the safety measures thatair are conditioning, hen humans the dogs are Nowcomforts including into the co ol cane with a straight twig for an arrow. in place today with the MNR courses and darkness and spent uite literally “happy campers”. ruleshomemade and canbranded organic and regulations, hunting also several minutes told me that a bow hasthat to fit the you be atreats fun sportand with CBC many challenges. alton wasMark pleased to learn radio for their listenlooking at the properly. He showed me three bows: the Instead of using sophisticated longjumble of broken urn ban has been lifted so rangeing first was a standard bowfor or anow long bow rifles,pleasure. try the challenge Some of bringingvisitors of the rocks perched over as I know it, then a compound bow that down a buck using just a bow! narrow crevices e dogs won’t have to miss this specanine kind stay for a month or 6– all really has to be fitted to the individual very precarious. al campfire weeks at ainterested time.inThere and anight. cross bowReturning which is aimed“cliand As I said, I’m always hearing is a feeling of shot somewhat like a rifle. Mark put a good hunting stories, so, if you’ve got I have to admit that ntele” recognize their holiday spot comfort and safety communicated compound bow in my hand and said pull one, send it in to me at: barrylovegrove@ the descent into the back - of which I did cars with a little effort bell.net the coming dogs huntingto newcomers nd jumpit out the looking by Enjoy the resident Hell Hole didn’t until it was fully back. He said that the season: be responsible and stay safe. impress me as much rward tobow another visit. For ownand plenty of time to enjoy human I was pulling had a 50lbs pull back

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The Scoop

The Scoop SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2011

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

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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: Organically grown garlic. Call Sunflower Farm at 613-539-2831. FOR SALE: Rigid 10” Table Saw $300.00, King 6” Wood Jointer $250.00, Ryobi 12 5/16” surface planer $175.00, DeWalt 20” Scroll Saw $250.00, Kenmore Electric Stove exellent working order $100.00, Beautiful Gibbard Single headboard & footboard (refinished) $100.00, Handmade quilts many sizes & coloiurs for sale. Call (613) 379-2578 for appt. to view. 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

THE HOROSCOOP

HELP WANTED (part-time): Involves evenings and weekends (days or evenings). Must be friendly, mature, and able to work with the public. This would be suitable for students. Send resume to: Part Time, Box 68, Tamworth, ON K0K 3G0 WANTED: Looking to purchase 5 full cords of wood at good price. Please contact us at gagreen1957@yahoo.ca WORK WANTED: Secretarial, micropublishing, bookkeeping, etc. Contact Jeannette at 613-358-9173. WANTED: French-speaking family with young children (under 6 yrs old) for playdates and/or playgroup. 613-3795369. WANTED: Blacksmith looking for donations of scrap metal of any shape, angle iron, old tools, old sheet metal, scrap barn roofing, etc. Contact: Jonathan Leonhardt (613) 378-6089 after 6pm or (613) 540-3124 during the day. Email: dragonforge@xplornet.com

By The Oracle Cassandra

Seasons come and seasons go Spring, summer, autumn, snow ARIES March 21 – April 19 In the starry night Pumpkins on the vine Form a conga line It’s a Halloween sight Group activity will help you gain confidence this month. You have all the right moves so take the initiative and make the changes you have been thinking about. Don’t get sidetracked, stay focused and don’t pay any attention to what someone says, stay calm and you will not upset any chances you have of to fix a pending problem. The end of October promises fun with family and friends.

TAURUS April 20 – May 20

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

SCORPIO Oct 23 – Nov 21 Most believe on All Hallows Eve That the moon is a lantern And sprites from far off Saturn Dart about, best not to disbelieve Attend that reunion; reunite with old friends it will lead to interesting changes that will benefit you. Don’t let past problems stand in your way, get out and do something unique that just might put you on a path to new adventures. Wait and watch, observe what others are doing and saying then make your move. The word for Scorpio now is compromise.

GEMINI May 21 – June 20

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 – Dec 21

On Halloween night Goblins come to play They are a fright But bring luck your way Travel, adventure, and fun are coming your way. It is time to harvest what Lady Luck is bringing to you. Take the time to get away for a weekend jaunt you may just find unexpected opportunities. You have plenty to look forward to; don’t be afraid to move along the path you have chosen.

In the still of the night October left us apace November’s frosty embrace Arrived at first light Changes will come quickly and your social life could take an interesting turn. Don’t let a grudge from the past stand in your way; a change of attitude will bring satisfying results. Some good news will give you an optimistic outlook very soon. Embrace a challenge do whatever needs to be done and keep moving forward. Give some thought to a move you have been considering.

I see images in November clouds That appear to be shrouds They leave at dawn Drifting like black swans Let past dark clouds drift away, don’t let them influence your future plans. You are in a much better position than you expected. Believe in your capabilities and others will too. Expand your horizons and mix with people who share you interests. Travel if it will help find information concerning you present pursuits.

LEO July 23 – August 22 Cold star shine of November Silvers the birches Mist chills the night Swirling and white Do something unique to beautify your surroundings. Develop your creative skill to put your position a step higher than your competition in your professional life. Change is swirling all around you now, don’t worry about it your ability to adapt to any situation will see your through. If someone is being a bit frosty, leave it, they will thaw to your way of thinking in due time.

VIRGO Aug 23 – Sept 22 Oh boy Halloween Spooks and witches unseen Hover about the neighbourhood Wondering why they’re misunderstood Look forward, travel and learn something new, a change in lifestyle is on the way. Notice what others are saying or doing, you don’t want anything you say to be misunderstood, focus on what you can do to make your life better. Any doubts that have been hovering around concerning a project you want to pursue should soon vanish so go ahead and make those special plans.

The Scoop

Come visit in December My house is your house We’ll make memories to remember Come the first week or thereabouts You may make a residential move or be involved in an issue involving property soon, be aware of all opportunities before making any final decisions. This could be a time of unexpected changes. Take a stroll down memory lane get together with someone you haven’t seen for a while you may pick up an idea that will turn your dreams into reality.

November brings the snow moon It rises as the leaves fall Trees will be bare soon As November makes its curtain call Do not bow out of a situation, rise to the occasion and you will be amazed at what your tenacity accomplishes. Opportunities are coming your way and only you can make the decision that will enable you to reach your goal. Your creativity allows you to be more whimsical than most people and it gives you the ability to convey your vision to those who will listen. Do something out of the ordinary; a change of scenery may motivate you.

CANCER June 21 – July 22

SCOOP Distribution

LIBRA Sep 23 – Oct 22

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CAPRICORN Dec 22 – Jan 19 November blasts leaves from trees Brings the year’s first snows Make small streams freeze And folks get cold toes Don’t get cold feet about a situation that only needs a little give and take to come to a satisfactory conclusion. Your ability to adapt to a change of plans will enable you to take charge and a better atmosphere will develop in a short space of time. Change will bring you a new attitude and more connections to people who will inspire you.

AQUARIUS Jan 20 – Feb 18 Shades of grey Herald November We know December Is on the way Surprises are on the way, a last minute change will motivate you to engage in a pursuit that will help you on your way to reaching your goal. Don’t labour over matters you cannot change. Look, watch, assess and proceed, you will make positive moves. You need not exaggerate your abilities to anyone. Those who matter are aware of what you can do.

PISCES Feb 19 – Mar 20 Tonight the full moon Will be shades of blue The phenomenon ends as soon As dawn comes into view Set your sights high and pursue your goals, don’t follow the crowd, dare to be different. You can make a difference; opportunities will develop out of the blue. Do something out of the ordinary, go someplace new to you; expand your circle of friends. You will stand out and dazzle with your ability to present your views, don’t look back a new dawn awaits you.

PUZZLE PAGE New York Times Crossword by Steve Kahn / Will Shortz ÂŠThe New York Times 1

14 17

18 21 22 26

23 28

32 37

41 43

39 42

62. 1940s Bikini blast, in brief 63. Subject to mildew, perhaps 64. Web destination 65. Nick of "Lorenzo's Oil" Down 1. Baseball team V.I.P.'s: Abbr. 2. Gobs 3. Assign an NC-17, e.g. 4. Corn and wheat 5. Nancy Drew or Joan of Arc 6. One who knows "the way" 7. Unlikely dog for a canine registry 8. Lunched, say 9. Neither's partner 10. Mishaps

11. Silver Cloud of autodom 12. Bea Arthur sitcom 13. Winter precipitation 18. Not fooled by 21. Explosive inits. 23. Steellike 24. Way off 25. Lecture 26. "Garfield" canine 27. Classic kids' show 31. Exhortation at a pub 32. SSW's opposite 34. Atop 35. New Jersey hoopsters 37. "Lovely ___, meter maid" (Beatles lyric) 38. Entry-level position: Abbr. 42. Ross Perot, in 1992 and 1996

44. Tummy muscles 45. Like pumpkins and traffic cones 46. Harry Potter prop 48. In front 49. Nurse Espinosa on "Scrubs" 51. Prefix with -plasm 53. Football kick 54. Cain's brother 55. Aerosol spray 56. Poker stake 58. Monopoly quartet: Abbr. 59. Pro vote in a French referendum

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7 8 2 6 1 8 3 The Scoop

Daily Sudoku: Mon 24-Sep-2012 Page 22

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

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Across 1. "Madness" month 6. Crime-fighter Eliot Ness, notably 10. Hug givers 14. What a sun visor prevents 15. Saab or Subaru 16. Santa's "present" for a naughty child 17. Company that clears clogged drains 19. Game with Miss Scarlet and Professor Plum 20. "Faster!" 21. Spanish squiggle 22. Uses a stool 23. Phone part 25. Rocky hill 28. "___ on your life!" 29. Following 30. With 48-Across, popular computer product 32. Second Amendment rights org. 33. Adjective follower 36. Car for a star 37. Break, briefly ... or a hint to this puzzle's theme 39. Use a keyboard 40. Held on to 41. Suffix with expert 42. Fancy tie 43. French political divisions 45. Barn bird 47. U.S.N.A. grad 48. See 30-Across 50. The Godfather's voice, e.g. 52. Put in ___ way 53. Scenic view 57. Greek Cupid 58. Friendly tournament format 60. Baseball's Matty or Felipe 61. Ladder step

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The Scoop

OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

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this fall come in and try our big buck breakfast served daily fresh made daily soups & daily lunch specials

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OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2012

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