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THE NEW TANNERTHURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018 5THE NEW TANNER THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 20184 Editorial By Angela Tyler Where did all the bananas go? with Dawn Brown Distributed to every home in Acton and area, as well as adjoining communities. Contact us: 379 Queen Street East Acton, Ontario L7J 2N2 Tel: 519-853-0051 Fax: 519-853-0052 E-mail: General: thenewtanner@on.aibn.com (including Advertising and Circulation) Editoral: tannereditor@bellnet.ca Deadline: Advertising and Editorial TUESDAY at 9 a.m. 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. Publisher: Ted Tyler Editorial: Dawn Brown, Angela Tyler, Jane Dougan, Vivien Fleisher, Les Schmidt, Harry Rudolfs, Trish Bell, Alex Hilson, Michael Oke Advertising and Circulation: Marie Shadbolt Production: Iain Brennan Being prepared for winter fun HANDS ON: Grade 10 Tech Design student , Jamie MacRae took her school project--to create a company logo with a fresh, new design--to the next level by creating a sign with her updated logo for Southdown Chiropractic and Wellness and owner Dr. Paul Zmiyiwky. - Submitted photo For some people, this chilly winter weather keeps them in- side where they opt to curl up with a good book or movie and a warm drink--practically hibernating until spring. However, there are others who look forward to the cold and snow win- ter brings, embracing sports and activities that can only take place in during the winter months. We are fortunate to live in an area where so many winter activities are practically right outside our door--everything from tobogganing, to skiing, to snowmobiling, to skating, to hiking and even ice fishing. And while getting outside and taking part in outdoor activities can be a good thing to stay healthy and to keep fit, it is still important to take precautions to stay safe. This is especially true when temperatures are fluctuating between cold warning and thaw. Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) issued the following safety tips to remind outdoor enthusiasts how to stay safe while enjoying their favourite outdoor activities: • Check weather reports before you get out in it. Know what you'll be up against. • Letting someone else know your plans can be a lifesaver. If you do have a problem, your whereabouts will be easier to track. • Proper clothing and equipment isn't about fashion. Floater suits, ice picks, warm scarfs and mitts, GPS, and a charged cellphone can accessorize any outfit. • Moving water doesn't freeze like still water and no two bod- ies of water freeze the same. Strong winds, heavy snow or rain and fluctuating temperatures and water levels will also affect the integrity of ice. • Avoid the cocktails. In addition to reducing ones physical and cognitive abilities, alcohol also expedites the effects of hypothermia by opening up blood vessels and increasing heat loss. Hypothermia occurs when your body temperature falls below 35 degrees Celsius and can lead to death. • If you are immersed in icy water, know the 1:10:1 rule. One minute to catch your breath, 10 minutes to get as much of your body out of the water as possible, and one hour before going unconscious due to hypothermia. The key is to avoid panicking during the first minute of gasping so you don't take in water and drown. Visit www.coldwaterbootcamp. com for more information. • If someone is caught in icy waters, call 911 immediately. Emergency services have specialized training to help in these situations. • Never go out on the ice to help an animal. Most domestic pets weigh considerably less than you, so there are no guar- anties you'll be supported and feral or wild animals won't be looking for your help. Emergency services can assist and will determine the viability of a rescue. There are still at least three more months of winter ahead of us. So for those who make the best of those frigid months by getting outside, be sure that you also take the time stay safe. Sometimes this spot starts off with a thought, then part way through the thought totally changes. This week was suppos- ed to be about the great Acton fruit shortage of 2018. This past week my grocery list was short. There wasn't a lot of stuff on it. However, there was our regular list of fruit and vegetables. It's not exotic or out of season stuff. It was the basics like oranges, berries, bananas and the veggie list. However, by Sunday afternoon there wasn't a fresh banana left in the town of Acton. Nada. Zip. Over and out. The town was banana-less. No organic bananas either which there always seems to be some if the regular ones aren't avail- able--probably because there are less people eager to pay more for organic at our local stores than would pay for the regular ones. So, why was there a banana shortage? Strawberries weren't plenti- ful either. They were almost as difficult to find. However, after two stores, and some pillaging of the produce shelves, I found a couple containers of extremely ripe strawberries that were the strangest shaped strawberries I have probably ever seen. Unlike the bananas, I could understand why strawberries were sparse; between the extreme weather in California and the frigid temper- atures in Florida. Yet, the shape of the strawberries I did finally find were just weird. Then as I was gathering all my thoughts around the fresh fruit situation in our town, Little J comes to me after viewing a "really cool thing" on television. She had discovered a great new game that she thought would be awesome. It involved blind folding kids then having them trying to avoid stepping on little bean bags. The problem wasn't tripping and possibly hurting themselves. The problem was the bean bags. They were pre- tending to be turd mounds or poop piles. The game "Don't Step on The..." is basically blindfolding kids in hopes they won't step on pretend poop. I looked at her and reminded her we already played that game the week before when the dog came home from the kennel and had an upset tummy. Seriously who invents these games? Who invents games that mimic trying not to step on sh.... er, poop? Who invents games that involves sticking a great big plastic spacer thing into your mouth and trying to talk? Probably the same mil- lionaire who invented the pie in the face game. That game was being sold for more than double the price on the black market last Christmas when it was sold out in stores. The game of hu- miliation is apparently where it is at. In one short moment, my thoughts had gone from a ba- nana shortage to pretend turd piles. This is my life. For the record, by Tuesday Acton had green bananas. The strawberries are still absurdly shaped and I refused to buy the kids the poop game as we live it, from time to time, in real life.