The Oakville BeaverGuest Column467 Speers Rd., Oakville Ont. L6K 3S4 (905) 845-3824 Fax: 337-5566Classified Advertising: 905-632-4440 Circulation: 845-9742The 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 theWise outdoor water use contestcondition 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 chargedfor, 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 theOakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.Gary Carr, Halton Region chairNEIL OLIVERVice-President and Group Publisher,MARK DILLSDirector of ProductionMetroland WestMANUEL GARCIAProduction Manageralton Region and Sheridan Nurseries invite resi-DAVID HARVEY Regional General ManagerCHARLENE HALLDirector of Distributiondents to enter the Regions second Wise OutdoorJILL DAVISEditor in ChiefSARAH MCSWEENEYCirc. ManagerHWater Use Contest for a chance to win one of threeROD JERREDManaging EditorWEBSITE oakvillebeaver.comprize packages. DANIEL BAIRDAdvertising DirectorThe Oakville Beaver is a division ofThe contest is running as part of Haltons OutdoorRIZIERO VERTOLLIPhotography DirectorWater Use Program Know Your Colour, Know YourSANDY PAREBusiness ManagerLimits, which asks residents to be mindful of their outdoorGary CarrRECOGNIZED FOR EXCELLENCE BY:water use during the summer months. Ontario CommunityCanadian Community Suburban NewspapersNewspapers AssociationNewspapers Associationof AmericaWise Outdoor Water Use Contest prize packagesinclude:THE OAKVILLE BEAVER IS PROUD OFFICIAL MEDIA SPONSOR FOR: Grand Prize (valued at more than $3,255): An At-Home Master LandscapeDesign Plan from Sheridan Nurseries, a Sheridan Nurseries Gift Card towards theUnited Wayof Oakvillepurchase of drought tolerant plants, a copy of The Canadian Illustrated Guide toGreen Gardening and an Outdoor Watering Toolkit. ATHENAAward Second Prize (valued at more than $1,155): In-Store Landscape DesignSketch from Sheridan Nurseries, a Sheridan Nurseries Gift Card towards thepurchase of drought tolerant plants and an Outdoor Watering Toolkit. Third Prize (valued at $975): In-Store Landscape Design Sketch fromSheridan Nurseries, a Sheridan Nurseries Gift Card towards the purchase of drought tolerant plants and an Outdoor Watering Toolkit.To enter the contest, visit www.halton.ca/waterconservation to complete theentry form by answering four questions about the Regions Outdoor Water UseProgram and by pledging your commitment to reduce your outdoor water usethis summer. Completed forms can be submitted online or printed and mailed toHalton Region at Wise Outdoor Water Use Contest, 1151 Bronte Rd., Oakville,L6M 3L1 c/o Strategic Communications.The contest closes July 15.Haltons Outdoor Water Use Program promotes the importance of reducingoutdoor water use to ensure a continuous supply of water during the summermonths for emergency services like firefighting. The program was also designed to quickly communicate any outdoor wateruse restrictions that may be required by using a numeric and colour coded systemthat establishes three levels of outdoor water use:Level 1 (Blue) Careful Use. Outdoor watering permitted. Level 2 (Yellow) Limited Use. Only water outdoors on odd or even days thatcorrespond with your house number. Outdoor watering should only occurbetween 6 oclock and 9 oclock during the morning and evening.GRAHAM PAINE / OAKVILLE BEAVERLevel 3 (Red) Stop Use. No outdoor lawn watering or car washing is permit-OUR CANADA: When the Our Canada Awards (formerly Vision Canada Awards) were handed out at theted in order to conserve water for emergency and essential services.Halton Region Museum to students from across Halton, Oakville's Traci Morson, an Oakville Trafalgar High SchoolTo learn more about Haltons Outdoor Water Use Program or the Wisestudent, was recognized for her project that includes a WWI time capsule and a tribute to Paul Henderson's 1972Outdoor Water Use Contest, dial 311 or visit www.halton.ca/waterconservation. Canada /Russia winning goal.When you're still together even though you're worlds aparty wife abandoned me. Left me to my own devices, to fend for Make no mistake: if my mother was how the travellers were doing, and all they were experiencing. WeMmyself. Mind you, she didnt leave me alone. No, she left in my AWOL, we did not suffer from any lack of treasured these missives. They kept us connected, bridging the vastcare: the house, the hound, the property, and our precious progeny. love. distance between us.Oh, and the plants.Just a general dearth of decent nutri-But, you know how in the olden days when someone returnedTry not to kill the plants, she said because I have a propen-tion. And clean clothes. My father cer-from a trip, they were brimming with tales of their travels? Well,sity for bringing houseplants to an early, inexplicable demise.tainly knew where the washer and dryer nowadays those tales have already been told, if not actually postedAnd then she and her sister and her niece jetted off to explore were he was forever tinkering with on Facebook with accompanying pictures. Upon the travellersItaly. It was over the next 12 days, as her travels took her to Rome them to extend their lifespan but he triumphant return, about all thats left is the airport hugs.and Venice and Florence, that I realized just how much has had no clue how to operate them. In my On the day she was to depart Italy, my wifes flight was delayed.Andy Juniperchanged in recent generations. And just how much remains the mothers absence, I got to wear my favou-On the runway. For four hours. Although we were worlds apart, wesame.rite shirt and pants over and over, until wiled away that time together. Sixteen emails passed between us.Back in the day, if a woman flew the coop and left her husband even I soured on them.To keep each other updated, pass the time, entertain and amuse.in charge, it meant almost certain death (or, minimally, slow tor-Well, times change. I work from home. I do most of the cook-Finally they took off, arriving home 10 hours later.ture) for the offspring. Because gender lines were so clearly drawn, ing. Consequently, when my wife said Arrivederci, the menu At the airport, we did indeed hug. Then I taxied her home.fathers were typically terrible around the house, particularly in the remained the same at our house, with an additional pizza here and Where she found waiting for her: the hound, our precious progenykitchen.there. And while there was a little less urgency in the clean up, for and a few (mostly) dead houseplants. She was starved. I offered toMy father was no exception. On rare occasion when my mother the most part, we really didnt miss a beat with my wife away.satisfy her hunger with a plate of comfort food. Ah, bacon andleft us, we existed solely on dads specialty bacon and eggs (your That said, we missed her immensely. Although, not as much as eggs. basic heart attack on a plate), and buckets of Kentucky Fried wed anticipated. Why?Andy Juniper can be contacted at ajjuniper@gmail.com,Chicken. While this diet seemed heavenly for the first few days, it Two words: modern technology (the bane and boon of todays found on Facebook http://www.facebook.com, or followed ateventually started to wear on more sensitive stomachs.world). You see, every day we received updates via text or email on www.twitter.com/thesportjesters.www.insideHALTON.com OAKVILLE BEAVER Thursday, June 30, 2011 6