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•T he I FP • H al to n H ill s •T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 1 9, 2 01 3 8 www.oakcliffphotography.com 905-703-0201 Catching moments in time and time in a moment •Glamour Photography •Wedding •Engagement • Family •Boudoir OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK M-F 9am-7pm Sat. 10am-6pm Sun 10am-5pm Like us on Facebook! SENIORS 10% OFF EVERY WEDNESDAY (REG. PRICED MERCHANDISE) It's worth the drive to Acton Serving Acton and Area Specials from September 20th toOctober 3rd HWY. 7, 1 MILE WEST OF ACTON 519.853.0311 1(800) 387.4039 Go to our website and sign up to receive our store specials by email: www.macmillans.ca ANGUS BEEF & VEG. MEAT PIE Reg. 9.99 ea. 2 x 9 inch $12.99 2 x8" $6.99 IQF CRANBERRIES 1 kg. Reg. $5.99. Product of Nova ScotiaReg. $5.99. Product of $4.99 15% OFF ORGANIC TURKEY PRODUCTS PASTA ALLA VODKA Reg. $7.99. Dinner in a half an hour. Heat & Serve. Great with Grilled Chicken. 2lbs. $4.49 3 lbs. $11.99 LEAN CHICKEN BURGERS (Reg. $9.99) VEGGIE BURGERS (Reg. $9.99) WHIPPED CREAM (Reg. $3.99) $2.99 Perfect for your Thanksgiving dessert! PORK CHOPS BONE IN OR BONELESS Reg. $13.49 FULLY COOKED BABY BACK RIBS Reg. $24.99 Breast, Ground Turkey, Sausages, Bacon Wrapped Tukey Medallions Smothered in sauce, heat & serve. FULL Smothered in sauce, heat & serSmothered in sauce, heat & serve.Smothered in sauce, heat & ser 2x680g $20.99 (Reg. $9.99)(Reg. $9.99) 8x4oz. $7.99 SLICED APPLES (Reg. $9.99) Perfect for pies & crisps! 2kg. $7.99 PUMPKIN PIE Reg. $4.99 each Thaw & Serve. Thanksgiving Special! You know, there's nothing quite as ex- citing as an auction. The sound of the auctioneer's voice, the subtle gestures some people use to bid, and watching some fool overpay for an item is all part of the fun. Years ago my uncle had a farm sale, and the morning of the sale, one of his tractors wouldn't start. One of the overly anxious guys there rushed off to town, to pick up a new battery from the local Ca- nadian Tire. While he was gone, my dad looked at the battery cable connections, cleaned them, and started up the tractor. The other fellow returned with the new battery, but rather than return it, they just put it on the wagon to be sold with the junk. They made $5 profit on the battery. Now that's an old farm auction. But last weekend, The Sidekick and I attended the Limehouse Hall barbecue and corn roast, complete with a silent action. I find silent auctions a bit boring-- there's no exciting interaction between the bidder and auctioneer. And I often wonder-- is it mandatory to be quiet at a silent auction? I will say, a silent auction is the only type of auction I let The Sidekick run free. If it's a typical auction with an auctioneer-- well I'm tempted to duct tape her hands to her belt, prevent- ing her from putting a hand in the air-- an action that can cost money. The Sidekick perused the tables of items she could bid on. A juicer caught her eye, and she decided that would be the item she'd zero in on to purchase. I figured an innocent juicer couldn't be that much in demand. She placed her bid. Minutes later, as she was casually mak- ing the rounds to make sure her juicer was safe, she was aghast to find another bid-- from bidder #23. A 'one' dollar bid at that. Like a crazed pit bull, The Sidekick scribbled another bid-- another dollar higher. "Two can play this game," she mut- tered to herself. It was gettin' personal. For the next hour, she made the rounds. If the juicer bid increased, she'd raise it. One of the veteran bidders suggested she just hold back until the last minute and as they were about to call for final bids, then she could swoop in and slap the winning bid on the coveted juicer. As she discreetly hung around the juic- er, avoiding eye contact with the world, she found another woman was doing the same thing. "I think that's #23," she whispered to me. As the final minutes ticked down, The Sidekick took a different approach. She befriended #23. They discussed the vari- ous uses for a juicer, and #23 admitted she didn't want to spend much more money on it. They made an agreement-- they could share it! At that point I was won- dering why I didn't bring the duct tape to tape her mouth, not her hands. The imaginary gavel silent- ly came down and The Side- kick was the proud owner of the juicer-- with the option of #23 using it too-- I think. I'm not really sure of the exact terms of the agreement. We headed home and The Sidekick set up the juicer on the kitchen counter, all set to magically turn apples into juice. She cut up some apples, and fired up the juicer. I guess squeezing the juice out of an apple is tough work-- man, it made enough noise to do it. I think I've heard quieter chain saws. I really feel one should wear hearing protection when running it. After pushing three or four apples through it, she was rewarded with a small glass of apple juice. I admit it had great flavour, but it would take a whack of ap- ples to make enough for a family break- fast. But as she was proudly sipping her glass, she made an observation. "You know, I just think we might also be able to make apple cider with this thing..." At that point, she was finally speaking my language... A Ted Bit Is it mandatory to be quiet at a silent auction? TED BROWN Ted Brown can be reached at tbrown@theifp.ca 'Like a crazed pit bull, The Sidekick scribbled down another bid...'