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-. 8 EX Yesterday's Memories 60 YEARS AGO February 18, 1926 A silver cup will be offered for competition in a mil. race at the Port Perry Skating Rink. This contest will be a "free (or all" and the cup will remain the property of Port Perry Rink Co. until it has been won twice by the same person. - $2,500 - Eight room house for sale in Borelia, fine location on cor- * ner lot, property in excellent condition (Not too bad a price). Owing to the absence of Rev. W. Higgs, Sunday, the service at the United Church was taken over by Rev. C. E. Dyer, Greenbank in the morning and by Mr. R.B. Smallman in the evening. Both ad- dresses were much appreciated. Bob Carnegie won two prizes for boys under 10 years old at the annual ice carnival last week. 35 YEARS AGO Thursday, February 15, 1951 Earl Howsam, Uxbridge, was elected president of Ontario County Hog Producers Association, Grant Christie, Reach Township, honourary president and G. Rynard, Zephyr, vice-president. Representatives to the executive from the local townships were: Reach - Earl Howsam and Fred Christie; Scugog - Anson Gerrow and Cecil Fralick. Six teams from the Ajax Badminton Club visited Port Perry last week and defeated six local teams, 145 points to 140 points. The total circulation of books at Port Perry Library for 1950 was 7,297, an increase over last year of 1,486. 25 YEARS AGO Thursday, February 16, 1961 Chief Cameron of Port Perry Police Department informs that a number of people have reported money taken from their empty milk bottles. It has been suggested that persons buy tokens rather than leaving change in the bottles to discourage would-be thieves in "their attempts of stealing money. Ontario County Health Unit has issued a warning to persons mak- ing use of temporary water supplies during the current shortage due to weather conditions. The Unit urges extreme care should be taken in the source of supply for drinking, preparation of foods, etc. Tenders will be called for major road construction work on the Oshawa-Port Perry County Road No. 2 to the amount of $200,000. 20 YEARS AGO Thursday, February 17, 1966 After placing third in the Canadian Junior Pairs Championship in 1965, Anna Forder and Richard Stephens captured top honours by winning the 1966 championship in Peterborough, Thursday. The win - is more noteworthy considering Anna is only 14 and Richard, 17 years of age, and have only been skating together for three years. Wayne Goreski won a medal by placing third in a slalom race held on Sugar Hill at Gray Rocks Inn, St. Jovite, in the Laurentians, Janet Baird, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James Baird, Port Perry, ~a grade 8 public school pupil was a winner in the district's public speaking contest last week. Chief Constable R.J. Cameron received an increase in his salary from $5,500 to $6,500 and the constable received an additional $600 bringing his salary to $5,600. 10 YEARS AGO Wednesday, February 18, 1976 The once award winning Sea Cadets have had to fold their youth organization party due to lack of parent participation. The club which at one time numbered 30 also lost support from the Department of National Defense. : Kin Lorne Scanlon, president of the local club, received his Master Kinsmen award from the association. At Blackstock's High Schools annual winter carnival Cindy Van- Camp was chosen Heart Queen with runners-up being Cindy McCall and Debbie McLaughlin. > by George Crenshaw BELVEDERE PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, February 18, 1986 -- § Letters Canada not obliged to lower flag Dear Sir: In response to a letter from a rural Blackstock reader who was upset by our flag not being lowered after the space shuttle disaster, | am wondering where her priorities and loyalties are based. Firstly, she should realize that this is Canada -- a sovereign coun- try, and just because big cousin says to lower the flag, we are in no way obligated to follow his orders. Secondly, any new undertaking has a certain element of risk and any who are willing to dare, stand a, chance of failing. Does she want to Fairground should not be moved Dear Sir: It is with sadness and dismay that I read the intention to relocate the geographic position of the Port Perry Fair. The justification for this move is less than clear. Yes, it would provide space for a new school, but at what cost? Surely, the future of Port Perry is an increase in the population base, new houses, new schools, shopping etc. While a school can be located in many places, a centralized green space is irreplaceable. It is my hope, that Hospitul Report plans to relocate the Port Perry Fair are reconsidered. Moreover, that any concrete moves to violate this important green space are *'nip- ped in the bud." Yours truly, Everett Prentice R.R.3, Port Perry. 80 honour the fatalities that are the result of train crashes, fires, plane crashes, floods or shipwrecks? How many times during the car- nage in the war of '39-'45 when many thousands of young men and civilians died in one day did "Ron- nie" feel a sense of loss and remorse? Perhaps she feels so strongly about the ramblings of a sleepy old man that she isn't a true Canadian. It is fine that we are near the U.S.A. but I for one am proud to be part of Canada. Did you during the last federal election think that we were giving the winning party a mandate to see about our becoming the 51st state? We are a different people and I for one am very happy that this is the case. Yours truly, R.E. Steer, R.R.3 Port Perry. Letters to the Editor ... our policy It has always been the policy of this newspaper to encourage our readers to make use of the letters to the editor column. Our readers have a right to freely express their opinions and view- points on just about any subject, and we feel that a lively letters column February 7 - 13 helps make a better community newspaper. We insist, however, that a letter writer sign his or her name. On rare Admissions .............................. 35 | occasions, we will agree to with-hold publication of a letter writer's name, Births ............cooooovvviieierennn, 4 | if we feel there are very good reasons to do so. : Deaths ................ SU --, Under no circumstances will this paper print an anonymous letter Emergencies ......................... 236 | to the editor. Operations ................cccevvvennn. 17 While we enjoy receiving letters from our readers, we must continue Discharged ........................ ....24 | to insist on knowing the identity of the writer. Remaining ....................c.......... 43 comma ( ( NgHAW "Wis RECORD 15 Blo OF A SECOND." \ I lead a fairly busy life. In addition to large chunks of time spent working, driving, sleeping, eating and reading, I occupy myself with activities like shovelling snow, or mowing the lawn, repair- ing broken toys, fiddling with malfunctioning ap- pliances and running errands. I'm a busy man. So the last thing I need is houseplants, right? You guessed it. .I have houseplants all over the place. No, I don't have a green thumb. But I have 17 green liabilities (with a seasonal variation of plus or minus two). Why do I do it? I'm a pushover, that's why. If I had any sense at all, I'd chuck the lot. Give them away or simply throw them out. But no, twice a week or so I spend precious time with my plants. Pretending I know what I'm doing. I water them whether they need it or not. I mist them whether they enjoy it or not. I turn them around. I clean them up. Once a month or whenever I happen to remember, I give them a squirt of revolting- looking plant food that may or may not be good for them. I have no idea whether my plants sur- vive because of my care or in spite of it. But sur- vive they do. Some of them are lush. Some look skinny. Others look mediocre all year round. The only plants that ever flower are those that shouldn't. Like my asparagus plant. It sends up long, spindly shoots with funny little balls that turn from green to yellow and then pop, leaving a mess on the floor. The most consistent non-flowering plants I have are my begonias and African violets. They have extremely efficient foliage, though. Do my houseplants add to the decor? I know they don't. With the possible exception of my three triffid-like Wandering Jews that serve in lieu of curtains. The scrawny bamboo is certainly not decorative. It has been dormant for about five years. When its leaves looked like barley straw, sickly yellow, I doctored it. Instead of pitching it Peter Hessel THE GREEN TYRANTS -- as was suggested by my constant advisor who specializes in destructive criticism. I gave it a ruthless brushcut, and it went into a sulk. It hasn't forgiven me yet. ™ If my houseplants were failures, I'd get rid of them and spend more time doing something useful like answering mail. Or paying my bills. Or touching up the paint in the kitchen. Or wat- ching the National. | If they were more successful, I might even have fun looking after them. But as things stand now, my plants are giving me a maximum amount of work and a minimum amount of gratification. What am I going to do? Any ideas? © Should I buy books and spend some time reading and following rules? Should I turn the job over to my seven year-old? Or should I get rid of my plants at the next garage sale? Would you like to buy them, cheap? I could use the space on our wide window sills to display some bric-a-brac. It doesn't need fertilizer. And it never makes you feel guilty because it doesn't threaten to.die when neglected. Help! How do you cope with your houseplants? I don't want to hear from the afi- cionados. If you spend three hours a day in the greenhouse attached to your living room, if you belong to the Houseplant Growers Association, if you own a dozen ultraviolet and two dozen in- frared growing-lamps, don't call me. I'm not in your league. But if you wonder whether you deserve your houseplants or whether they deserve you, if you use imagination instead of horticultural expertise, if you get annoyed at your plant and call them names that are neither Latin nor common, you may write to me and share your frustrations with a fellow sufferer. Especially I'd like to hear from people who have successfully detached themselves forever from the clutches of their green tyrants. We purple thumbs must support each other.