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Orono.WeeklV Times, wednestiay uUt7,19 It was- more than maple syrup & pancakes It was in the spring of'this year that we visited the Allan Downes, just south of the seventh concession road and east of Kirby attracted by a feed of pancakes, home-rendered maple syrup and sausages. We found there was more to the outing than that being served up at the sugar shack. We did take trne to visit the bain where work horses, cattie, sheep, and pigs along with some roannng poultry were cleanly housed with thick bedding of sweet smellîng straw. Certainly the Sunday best was on display which was being enjoyed by many at the turne. We also hoofed it off to the sugar bush just to see how the Downes could sit au the bottom of the bul and awaiu the arrivai of the mapie sap from the maple trees standing so stately on the hillside and hilltop. We understand hat with proper snow conditions the team and bob-sleighs corne into play for a trip uo the bush along with an expianation on how it al happens. Do a bit of roaming au the D ownes and you soon becorne aware there is something else happening. Why would anyone have over 25 threshing machines suoîed in a barn and outside? And what about ail the, other old machinery - seed drills, ploughs, cultivators, ractors, manure spreaders, coin binders and tuicked away in a mow some eighu cutters. It was a requirernent that I should return which happened over the past week. Ask Allan Downes the age period of the mnachinery and he cornes up with the fifties, sorne back to the forties. There is likely no computerized tabulation of what is there in total, butits ail recorded in memory - the human kind. Give Allan an ear and you get the whole story - his buying and, selling of machinery - old machinery. Iu ail started by accident states Allan when he was buying for a Joe Horst and when in 1979 he bought five machines frorn Horst who went out of business-. He buys in the Ottawa Vailey aiea and in the Orillia-Barrie aiea and selîs inainly in the Amish communities which stretches froin Sait Lake City to New Holiand in Pennsylvania. He estimates three trips a month to the U.S. and is often accornpanied by his Wife, Lavîna, or Roger or Barry, his sons and then often some locals are namned on his stories to south of the border. He tells of mileages of 400 ihiles or better with a truck load of farm mrachinery. The Anish communities like the Mennonite conununity in the St. Jacobs aiea in Ontario, which is another avenue for sales, farrn wîthout the amenities of modemn machinery. Allan Downes explains that the farin sizes in Amish country average somewhere between 65 to 75 acres and the boise is stili king; mhus the need for horse drawn machinery. tu is laueresting that rubber-tired wheels are a rnust to be removed from tme machinery and îepiaced by mhe old-tradiuional steel wheel. 0f course what is bought is cleaned up,, put in running order, if required, and those pieces ready to go or for saie do look respectable. I fact it does take one back into the pasu especially when Alian explains somne of the features and the improvements that hiad been made over mhe years. Both the Downes arc plcased to show some of their purchases in Amish country especially a fine kitchen table set which shows great workmanship and as well as a horse-collar cdock. Allan speaks of the self- containment of the Amish communities and their industries of butter and cheese making, cabinet making, hamness making. You listenand look around at the Downes and feel that some of the Amish community is right here. Mixed farming with cattie, sheep, pigs, horses, hens for brown egg sales, ducks, turkeys for, Thanksgiving and the smaller ones now preparîngto get targer for Christmas. And you cant set-aside the maple syrup industry and, of course,, the farm machinery function of the family farm operation and the MacDonalds Farm display during maple syrup rendering. With seventy past years Allan Downes does hav'e some philosophy. 'Never look back something mnight be gaining on you", and another "dont worry. When speaking of some lost opportunities on purchases years ago Allan states that if foresight was as good as hindsight one would be better off by a damn sight. At the Downes there is henthathasjusthatchedabuncliof SOmething in almosu every nuk and chicks. No need for incubators the cranny and while viewing an old hens keep their species on mhe farm binder Allan Downes finds a sitting on lie. Weather plays havoc with weekly racing - Mosport by Nelson Hudes Mosport International Speedway coninued with its tbriliing brand of weekly stock car action mhis part long holiday weekend with sorne great things planned, but unfoîtunately mnomer nature ptayed bavoc and some of the feature races had to be postponed. The Sportsman & Late Model features were called off due to fog setting in, as was an added feature, a 30 lap Sportsman race uhis week. Ail of these races wili be îescheduled for later in the season. The racing mhat did happen was jusu as exciting as ever wimh lots of fender to fender action, hard passes, spins, and nose uo nose dicing for the lead. The only feature race uhat ran was Street Stock class and wbau a race it was. Dave Lee of Nestleton held off hard charging Rod Marshall of Cavan to grab the win, and the victory lap around Mosport International Speedways haif mile oval. Later, he stood proud in mhe victory circle as he posed with bis winning trophy for the track photographer. Marshall placed second while Jeff Zeisner of Pickering worked reai bard to grab tird place. In the Sportsman class heats, (which are four of each Saturday night, anid take place prior to mhe feature races) there were four different winners this week. Each were haid fought batles for first n1ace. In heat # 1, Alex Jordan of Miss issauga took die win. I heat # 2, Merv Walt of Shanty Bay grabbed the honouis. I heat # 3, Jr. Regan of Angus was the big winnier, and in heat # 4, Randy Slack of -York, put on an impressive show to win mhe heat. Initme Late Model heats, (which there are four of as well) mhere were two double winners mifs week. AI Thomnson of Uxbridge won Heat #'ls 1 & 3, while Tom Milligan won, heat #s 2 & 4. As an added feature to the public, tmis coming Saturday night (August 10) is Ladies Night. All Ladies in attendance at Mosport International Speedway will receive half price on admission. >Race results from Saturday, August 3: Street Stock Class Winners: Heat 1 - Andy Warbutton, Oshawa; Heat 2 - Joe Mallette, Oshawa; Heat 3 - Andy Waibutuon, Oshawa; Heat 4 - Rod Maishall, Cavan Feature Event Winners: (1) Dave Lee, Nesleton; (2) Rod Marshall, Cavan, (3) Jeff Zeisner, Pickering Sportsman Class Winners: 1Heat 1 - Alex Jordan, Mississauga;, Heat 2 - Merv Walt, Shanty Bay; Heat 3 - Jr. Regan, Angus; Heat 4 - Randy Slack, York Late Model Winners: Heat i - AI Thomson, Uxbridge; Heat 2 - Tom Milligan, Newmaikeu; Heat 3 - AI Thornson, Uxbridge; Heat 4 - Tom Milligan, Newmarkeu The Downes not only deal in threshing machines they aiso work with thein inthe farming operation. t is possibly one of the few faims in the district that undertake such a systemn and do note that it-is a lot job gets down through the cutting cheaper thm combining the modem with a binder and suoking, and method. wagoning to the barn. 0 f course there is more physical Allan Downes states uhere is work but taken a iiutle at a turne the nothing like driving a team of __________________________horses - t is si0 relaxing. Christian, Corner by Rev. Maig West Whose Report Will You Believe? We ahl get reports these days. We get reports about oui work, we get reports if we go to the doctors. There is aiways someone telling us what we should or shouldn't do, giving us advice (reports) on situations we aie going thîougb or la. (Some people neyer go thiough they aie aiways la the situation.) We as Christians should believe the Report of the Lord. Not wiiat people say. (You can change any bad report by the Word of God.) lm not knocking doctors, but I arn saying if you do not get a good report look at the Word of God. God's report for His childien is always good. If we have sickness, we bave aiready been healecd. I Peter 2:24 "Who bis own self baie oui sins in his own body the tree, that we, being dead to sins, sbould live unto righteousness by whose suipes ye were heaied. Jesus took'ail our sins past and present (when we ask forgiveness) when he died on the cross. We didn't even know we had sin la oui lives we thought life was just that way when we lost money or were sick, etc. Then we see that by his stripes wewere (past tense) heaIed. If we were heaied then we must be now. In 3 John 2: We see that Jesus wishes above ail else that we would prosper and be in heatth, even as our souls prosper. God does flot put sickness, poverty, divorce and al hose awful things on people. If He did why does He wanit us weli and prosperous. If you have not received Jesus into your life you dont know what God wants for you. The bible says the natural man (sorneone who bas not received Jesus Christ as their saviour) cannot understand the things of the Spirit (or of God) because the uings of God are spiritually discerned. (1 Corlathians 2:14) Don't be mad au God for ail the bad things that are bappening. God doesnut want litle childien starving to death, famines, wars, etc. These people have chosen what god they wanu to follow and they aie reaplag whau they have sown. There is only ONE TRUE GOD, HIS NAME IS JESUS CHRIST. (S#iipture ref.) "he bas neyer seen the righteous foîsaken nor their seed begging bread.' He supplies oui every need. So whose report will you believe? I will believe the report of the Lord! 1Comments or Questions? Write Box 179, Orono. Total Christian Television, Channel 49, Buffalo. m ..........