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6 EDITORIAL with Frances Learment THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 01, 2012 Be Prepared The inconvenience of a short power outage in most of Acton on Monday ­ caused by falling tree limbs near a Halton Hills Hydro substation ­ was a emergency preparedness wake-up call for some. Where was the flashlight to see in the dark basement? Was there something to eat that did not have to be cooked? Millions of citizens on the US East Coast are still without power/food/shelter after Mother Nature unleashed a mega storm ­ and for many of them, emergency preparedness meant an evacuation plan. There are many preparations you can take to protect yourself and minimize damage in an emergency: · Have an Emergency Survival Kit. Don't know what to put in it? Visit www.haltonhills.ca/fire/pdf/emergPrepareGuide2007.pdf · Make sure you have fresh batteries for flashlights and radios. If you have a generator, make sure it is fuelled up · Most home phones need electricity to operate so make sure your cell phone is fully charged · Have at least a 72-hour supply of water, food, clothing, blankets, and medication · In case ATM machines are down due to lack of power, have a supply of cash ­small bills ­ available · In high winds, take shelter in the basement or under the stairs. If these are not available, sit under a large sturdy piece of furniture. · Check on the elderly and disabled neighbours. If you need assistance yourself contact a neighbour. · Do not use charcoal, gas barbecues or home generators inside. They give off deadly carbon monoxide. · Do not use 911 unless it is a genuine emergency. FROSTY FISHING: This Acton angler, who did not want to be identified, said fishing was good in Fairy Lake on Sunday. Despite the blustery conditions, he'd caught a couple of two-pound bass. ­ Frances Learment photo We're pretty lucky with the kids. Neither one of them, so far, have had any food allergies or allergies in general. They can pretty much eat anything at this stage, especially the little guy who is doing his best to be all boy and eat us out of house and home way before he hits his teens. I'm the first to admit I am a picky eater. I always have been and it hasn't changed much with age. The Dude, on the other hand, has some stuff he doesn't prefer, but is a good eater, always making sure he has his veggies and fruit. However, we both have sweet tooths and maybe because of that and me being picky, we both try hard to emphasis the four basic food groups and try to keep the sweets on the backburner for the kids. Now, I say we try, yet there are some things that can't be avoided. For example, my dad started buying an assortment of cookies for Little J when she was young, and although I think it is my dad's way of getting the cookies for himself as well, both kids now almost instantly race to Grampa's house and ask for a double chocolate chip cookie from his stash. Then he found out that they like candy ice cream cones. You know those ones that are gooeysugar? Well, since they don't get stuff like that from us, getting it from Grampa is a big treat which he doesn't discourage. The snacks are far from anything healthy, but I look the other way because all Nocturnal nibbles By Angela Tyler three of them get such a kick out of having them. As I said, the Dude and I have a sweet tooth and there is usually something on hand for those late night sugar urges. A little while ago, we discovered that Little J really liked licorice. "Can she have one of these?" the Dude asked me one night when he was getting a red one. "She hasn't had one, but I guess...." I don't even think she chewed it. It was gone before we knew it. We tried to compensate and reverse the licorice liking by giving her those horrible real black ones, but she liked them too. The next day the Dude went to grab a couple pieces after the kids went to bed and was surprised to find there were none left. "What happened to them?" he asked. I reminded him that he didn't put them in the top cupboard where she couldn't reach and in a blink of an eye when my back was turned she had snorfeled down what was left. Since then I have had to become creative with buying and stashing the sweet stuff. I was thrilled on my birthday when along with my card from the kids, the Dude gave me two boxes of Milk Duds. I had discovered these wonderfully dreamy caramel chocolate treats after a Looking Back Ten Years Ago · The Acton owner of Lucy, a pit bull-type dog linked to attacks on local residents, appeared in a Provincial Offences Court in Milton, charged five offences under the Dog Owners Liability Act. · Acton Citizens Band members George Elliott and Aldo Braida, who despite their dissonance made beautiful music together for six decades, were honoured for their dedication to the band at a ceremony and dinner. Five Years Ago · Acton's Robert Little School is Halton's first Gold Certified Eco-school, recognizing its efforts to conserve energy and focus on environmental projects, in and out of the classroom. · Areas of the Rockwood Conservation Area and the Rockwood Academy were transformed into Prince Edward Island for filming of Anne of Green Gables: A New Beginning, a three-hour made-for-TV movie. friend told me about them. At the time, we could only get them in the states and then we found them locally. Little J's eyes lit up when she handed me the boxes in anticipation of me sharing them with her. We had also made the mistake of giving her one once and she has never forgotten it. I distracted her and hid them away for that special mommy moment where I could enjoy them in peace and all to myself. I preach to the kids about sharing, but mommy was not sharing these. One night, long after the kids were asleep and the Dude was watching the late night news, I headed off to bed, grabbed my secret stash then sat in bed savouring each piece while I was reading. Then I fell asleep. The problem was I must have fallen asleep during my mommy moment because when I woke up, I felt an odd goo on my side. I looked and saw a big brown blob on our cream coloured bed sheets. I immediately thought that one of the kids had done something or put something in the bed. Then I realized it was Milk Duds. Three washings later with super-duty stain remover I almost have the chocolate out of the sheets. However, it is a constant reminder that maybe mommy needs to work a bit more on practicing what she preaches... controlling the sweets. And if I do, maybe I should share or at least not eat them in bed. Publisher Ted Tyler Editor Frances Learment Angela Tyler Distributed to every home in Acton and area, as well as adjoining communities. Every effort will be made to see advertising copy, neatly presented, is correctly printed. The publisher assumes no financial responsibility for typographical errors or omissions in advertising, but will gladly reprint without charge that part of an advertisement in which an error may occur provided a claim is made within five days of publication. All articles, advertisements and graphic artwork appearing in The New Tanner is copyrighted. Any usage, reproduction or publication of these items, in whole or in part, without the express written consent of the publisher of The New Tanner is a copyright infringement and subject to legal action. Editorial Contributors email: thenewtanner@on.aibn.com 373 Queen Street East, Unit 1 Acton, Ontario L7J 2N2 Advertising and Circulation Marie Shadbolt (519) 853-0051 Fax: (519) 853-0052 Composing Traci Gardner, Iain Brennan Typesetting Melissa Paul