Life in the Past - Continued from page 18 Dec. 27 Pa and I drew up a load of wood After dinner I went down after Mirt and we went up to Jakes. Jake joined the Chosen Friends. Thu. 28 Mirt and I went over to Picton started from Jakes in a mighty snow storm but cleared up before getting over. Well we did a lot of trading. Mirt got some Furs and many other Valuable things. I got a new suit of cloths $16.00 and some other things which I will not mention just at present. Fri. 29 Ma killed three Geese. Made them ready for eat- able. Sold them to Mirt for a special acasion. We are hav- ing very cold weather at present. Sat. 30 Still it is very cold. I made a set of side straps. Archie is not feeling extra well yet. Over to see the doc- tor last Wednesday. Doctor gave him another bottle of medicine. Sun.31 Snowed and drifted all day. 1 went down to Mirts about four oclock John and Emma Hugh's came there. - Submitted by Vicki Emlaw More Life in the Past on the web at hitp://www.smmirror.ca/page8.html THE LAST WORD - Continued from page 20 Money and the Rec-Plex funding. I think that if the sew- age issue had only come a few months earlier the Rec Plex might have found its coffers empty. I also spoke on the subject of allowing Off-Road 4 x 4 machines on our roads. I was nearly struck by one last week doing over 60 kph THROUGH the car park of No Frills. The two deaths in the snowmobile crash last week underline the need for STRICT control of these vehicles which are capable of well over 160 kph, and a more effective form of licensing. We are entering off-road season now, and WE the public need to inform the local police of any reckless driving or road traffic act infractions and get these few idiots banned from driving. SEPTEMBER 2005 Bulls eye on two counts. 1) The Black Creek Estuary and its creeping death due to silting and uncontrolled weed pollution. I spoke recently to a per- son who was knowledgeable on this issue and they stri- dently voiced the opinion that this river was being de- stroyed due to a misplaced sense of allowing "Nature" to take its course. Lake levels, they assured me, are totally different today than they were 40-60 years ago when ships could navigate up to Milford. What a bonus it would be to that little town (in which every property in its centre seems to be for sale just now. I wonder why?) if small passenger vessels could make the trip from Milford to Picton or Belleville or any point on our coastal shores. 2) My second "HIT" was on the subject of Healthcare and the Conserva- tive's silent agenda. I guess I should have also included the Ontario Liberals, as our Community Meeting the fol- lowing month found out to its cost. The creeping closure of Picton Hospital has been underway ever since amalga- mation, and we now find ourselves at D-Day minus one. Making the excuse "I didn't realize what I was voting Jor" simply doesn't cut it with the public who are relying on YOU, and those County representatives who are mem- bers of QHC Board have failed to keep us informed of the changes coming down the pipe. SAD! OCTOBER 2005 and the big meeting about Picton Hos- pital and its impending "closure." I salute the citizens who turned out to that meeting and I ask each and every person who reads this article to REMAIN VIGILANT. The battle to keep our hospital is just beginning. YOU and I need to cajole, heckle, write, and talk to our representatives on the local and provincial level so that they know we WILL NOT GO AWAY. Mr. Parsons needs to know that his "seat" is on the line on this one. Lastly NOVEMBER 2005 and again we are on the threshold of doing battle with the local council over the cost of government in The County. The new assessment caused uproar from those who realized its implications. To our council I would simply ask the question... where is the money going to come from," if you don't stop plan- ning and executing the spending of $millions on infra- structure, and in the process, place a LID on development of County lands. What will 2006 bring? I have no doubt that it will begin with the results of the Federal Election and the mplications to Canadians. There will be more on these citizens who are doing a great job for The County and I hope to be able to congratulate our Mayor next year on his work to make our hospital the viable service it needs to be. I also hope to be able to say "thanks" more often to coun- cilors like Monica Alyea who this month stood up and said NO to continued spreading of pesticides Every issue I have mentioned in the foregoing paragraphs will still be with us in 2006, plus a few more, I am sure. S000000000... keep reading the last page of the Mirror and I will keep bringing you the honest truth, straight from the hip. - Bill Yates, Friend of The County. bill.yates.sympatico.ca