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7| The IFP -H alton H ills | T hursday,M arch 1,2018 theifp.ca • your window & door professionals • 11 Mountainview Rd., N. Georgetown, ON L7G 4T3 905.873.0236 www.buy-wise.ca info@buy-wise.ca • awarded readers choice 27 times • Visit our showroom • Truck Accessories • Upholstery • Heavy Equipment Glass •Window Tinting 354 Guelph Street, Georgetown 905-873-1655 Wehandleall insurance work. We handle all insurance work. Furnace Air Conditioning Gaslines Boilers Water Heaters Radiant Heating 905-877-3100 proud local dealer of Canadian made products .ca Now that we've survived February, I find most peo- ple I talk to share the same sentiments as me. We're all totally sick of winter! I'm sick of biting, cold wind, I'm sick of having to get the tractor out to clean up the lane, and most re- cently I'm sick of torrential rain, cold aching joints and numb fingers as well as all those other things that ac- company this season. Now I know what you're thinking, "Why doesn't he stop whining and just go somewhere warm, and get away from the cold?" Many of my colleagues do just that - but unfortu- nately with a barn full of 46-plus sheep, all starting to give birth right now, my conscience just won't allow me to place them in the care of someone else. I must oversee them myself. But recently, I found a way to create a gentle dis- traction, something to take my mind off the cold, blow- ing snow, and it also is pre- paring for the coming spring. As many of you are aware, I have a "summer car" that I've had for more than 20 years. It's called the L'il Red Rocket. And last summer, I ful- filled a longtime dream - I acquired a late model Mus- tang GT, which I purchased intending to "replace" the L'il Red Rocket. The only problem, I didn't sell it. Sentiment got in the way, so I now have a car collection. Hey, I'm sure Jay Leno started the same way. So it's been sitting in storage since last July. The Mustang was placed in storage in Octo- ber when the insurance ex- pired, and will be back on the road in April. During the winter, I in- vestigated the options available to insure the L'il Red Rocket for a reason- able premium this sum- mer. I priced out the cost of insurance for it, and learned I could insure it as a collectible. Naturally there are some restrictions on the car with a collectible status. It's can't be driven for work, or parked in a public parking lot, but that doesn't really bother me. It's simply available to go for a tour, attend a cruise night, or maybe go out for dinner at the pub with The Sidekick. Part of insuring the L'il Red Rocket involved hav- ing it appraised, and sub- mitting photos of the car from numerous angles - front, back, engine com- partment, trunk and inte- rior. Before I could do that, I had to get it out of the shed, vacuum the interior, wipe down the body and park it outside in the bright sun- shine, against the white snow. I gotta tell ya, it looked mighty fine. That car still looks really good for 24 years old. And the best part? The insurance coverage starts March 1 - that's to- day! So long as the roads are dry, I can now be on the road six weeks earlier than with the Mustang. Now I admit it, the L'il Red Rocket, sporting about half the 400-plus horsepow- er of the Mustang, is not re- ally a substitute for the muscle car. But it's a lot of fun to drive and has great han- dling with a smooth shift- ing five-speed manual transmission. Now you're probably thinking, "Hey, driving that car is still weather-de- pendent to go out on a tour, right?" Yes, but at least it's still an option, and if the weath- er co-operates, that's posi- tive inspiration to get me through these remaining wintry weeks. Even when the weather is crappy over the next few weeks, I know that fun car is parked in the shed, ready to go at the turn of a key - and that's a pleasant dis- traction that I can enjoy until the green patches fi- nally show through the snow. And then the stars will align and life will once again be in order. Until, of course, till next winter. - Ted Brown is a freelance writer for the IFP and can be reached at tedbit@hot- mail.com. OPINION A gentle, positive distraction - until the middle of April A muscle car can change your outlook, writes Ted Brown Andrew Mckenzie,19, leans in to take a photo of this FORD GT, at the 5th annual Marques d'Elegance that filled the grounds of Paletta Mansion with Italian exotics and super cars, North American muscle cars and vintage automobiles. Graham Paine/Metroland TED BROWN Column A reminder to Ted Brown regarding his col- umn of Feb. 15, where he wrote "sometimes there is a good reason to dispatch a coyote", that due to the Town of Halton Hills' mis- guided and poorly written Discharge of Firearms By- law, that to discharge a fire- arm in rural areas you must be 150 metres away from any structure, in any direction. If the coyote is within the area of his house or barn, he must kindly request the coy- ote move outside the area of any structures. With the town's unguid- ed definition of a firearm, this also includes a Nerf Gun, as they fall into the definition of a firearm in the same bylaw. But Ted should know this as he sat in with the group of fools that passed the bylaw. Brian Olsen Better check bylaw before you dispatch a coyote