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6- The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday October 28, 2006 The Oakville Beaver 467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5567 Classified Advertising: 845-3824, ext. 224 Circulation: 845-9742 The Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Commentary IAN OLIVER Group Publisher NEIL OLIVER Publisher TERI CASAS Business Manager JILL DAVIS Editor in Chief MANUEL GARCIA Production Manager KELLY MONTAGUE Advertising Director RIZIERO VERTOLLI Photography Director CHARLENE HALL Director of Distribution ROD JERRED Managing Editor WEBSITE oakvillebeaver.com Metroland Printing, Publishing & Distributing Ltd., includes: Ajax/Pickering News Advertiser, Alliston Herald/Courier, Arthur Enterprise News, Barrie Advance, Caledon Enterprise, Brampton Guardian, Burlington Post, Burlington Shopping News, City Parent, Collingwood/Wasaga Connection, East York Mirror, Erin Advocate/Country Routes, Etobicoke Guardian, Flamborough Review, Georgetown Independent/Acton Free Press, Harriston Review, Huronia Business Times, Lindsay This Week, Markham Economist & Sun, Midland/Penetanguishine Mirror, Milton Canadian Champion, Milton Shopping News, Mississauga Business Times, Mississauga News, Napanee Guide, Newmarket/Aurora Era-Banner, Northumberland News, North York Mirror, Oakville Beaver, Oakville Shopping News, Oldtimers Hockey News, Orillia Today, Oshawa/Whitby/Clarington Port Perry This Week, Owen Sound Tribune, Palmerston Observer, Peterborough This Week, Picton County Guide, Richmond Hill/Thornhill/Vaughan Liberal, Scarborough Mirror, Stouffville/Uxbridge Tribune, Forever Young, City of York Guardian Guest Columnist New beginning for a dear old friend Jill Davis, Editor in Chief, Halton Division t's a tiny blue cottage set among a stand of towering trees. At first glance, it looks a little tired; its shutters are in Jill Davis need of paint and the front deck could use the skill of a handyman. But as this is written, there is a group of people lovingly preparing the home for its new owner. There are new laminate floors being installed and fresh paint covering the walls and outside frame. I have only seen photographs of this sweet little cottage located in scenic Bayside, New Brunswick, however, I know this will be the perfect setting for a new beginning. Friends and family of Oakville Beaver Living Editor Wilma Blokhuis have been busy preparing the cottage for her arrival next week. Wilma is bidding adieu to 31 years in community journalism. She is taking with her a wealth of memories from her time spent at the Oakville Beaver and living in Bronte. Her presence in the community is so strong it is hard to imagine the town without her. Many of her stories focused on people struggling to come to terms with an illness or disability that had either affected them personally or a loved one. These types of articles require a special writer who can ask all the necessary questions in a kind and compassionate way. The Beaver could always count on Wilma to get the story without causing added stress to the family or victim. She could pry without seeming intrusive. She always chose the right words, never sensationalizing her work. Her story subjects knew they could trust Wilma with their story. That kind of trust is not built overnight - it is earned. Wilma's love of the outdoors is well known in her circle of friends. She wrote an award-winning mini-series on Oakville's trail system. Her happiness is evident when she has spent time outside. She does not care if it is cold or raining. She is in tune with nature, embracing all the seasons and what they have to offer. Whether it is hiking, cross-country skiing or canoeing, Wilma loves a challenge. Through her years spent in community journalism, she has witnessed incredible changes within the industry. She started her career churning out stories on a manual typewriter. Now as she says goodbye on Friday, she will be turning off her Mac knowing that she successfully conquered all the technological advances that consumed the Oakville Beaver newsroom. I have never asked Wilma why she decided now was the right time to retire. I was convinced she still had many good stories up her sleeve, so I was somewhat surprised when she announced her retirement plans. But Wilma is a wise soul, wiser than most of us. She adores the East Coast and its slower pace of life. Perhaps battling the GTA traffic, watching our precious green space dwindle and one too many smog days prompted her to think of what life would be like away from the hustle and bustle of the Golden Horseshoe. There are many, I am sure, who envy Wilma. This journalist has plans to grow a wildflower garden and carry on with her hobby of birdwatching. Creating stained glass pieces is also on her 'agenda'. Wilma is far too young to retire. Retirement is a state of mind and I honestly believe the people in Bayside will soon be reading stories with Wilma's byline. Their gain is, indeed, our loss. RECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY: Ontario Community Newspapers Association Canadian Community Newspapers Association Suburban Newspapers of America I THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: United Way of Oakville TV AUCTION The dirty little truth about our excessive showering habits L eave it to Energy Australia to shower us with the dirty truth. We all need to shower less to save more. Save time, money, and that crazy little thing we like to call "the environment." Now, I don't know precisely how Energy Australia obtained its figures ­ perhaps there's an unobtrusive little EA representative in everyone's shower stall with a stopwatch ­ but Aussie women shower for an average of seven minutes and 10 seconds each week while Aussie males shower for six minutes and 59 seconds. EA thinks this is excessive. And wasteful. EA should spend a little time in my house. We have three kids who are currently all in clean phases. As any parent knows, kids inexplicably fluctuate between clean and filthy phases. In other words, for a stretch of time you can't get them out of the shower and for another period you can't coerce them into taking a shower ­ not for love or money, not even if you throw them subtle hints like walking by them with a clothespin on your nose. During their clean phases, our kids apparently relish being in hot water. They like the feel of this water hitting their heads. They like to luxuriate in its warm therapeutic pleasure. In their clean phases, our kids spend more time in the shower each day than your average Aussie man and woman spend combined in any given week. Yes, our kids are clean. Now, EA insists that the key to efficient showering is curbing the activities that are done in the shower. It's simple and logical: Andy Juniper if you jump in the shower, scrub what needs to be scrubbed and then jump out, your shower should take 4.35 minutes. If, however, you add activities to the process ­ such as shaving, singing, brushing your teeth, playing air guitar, thinking, contemplating your navel, or playing with your ducky; all things that could be done out of the shower ­ you are obviously increasing the time it takes. So, what's the big deal with increased shower times? Aside from all the wasted water, for those with electric water heaters, showering eats electricity. According to EA, the electricity used in just one minute of showering could run a television for four hours. EA is currently sending out shower timers to residents of Sydney and environs to remind them that to be quicker in the shower is to be richer in the pocketbook. We have a shower timer at our house, too. That shower timer is me. When one of our kids hops in the shower, I start timing. When an outrageous amount of time has expired, the timer (that being me) starts wondering aloud: What could they possibly be doing in there for that long? I mean, at a certain point you'd think they'd be waterlogged. Then, when an even more outrageous amount of time has passed, the timer (that being me) goes off! Stomping my feet, banging on the bathroom door, shouting. All to no avail. Because my clean kids can't hear me. You see, the activity that they've added to their shower routines is music. Played at inhumane levels. Typically, a CD or two for each shower. And with each crashing note on each song on each CD I envision my money swirling down the drain and our supply of wellwater fast drying up. Kermit the Frog once pithily noted that it's not easy being green. Well, Energy Australia is out to remind that it's not cheap being clean. Andy Juniper can be visited at his Web site, www.strangledeggs.com, or contacted at ajuniper@strangledeggs.com