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18 NORTH LEEDS LANTERN GARDENING LETTERS by Doug Green Let me take my first paragraph to wish y‘all a very Merry Christmas and pass along my hopes that 1989 will be a good year for you. If you noticed the southern drawl, its because our family vacation landed us back at Disney World and I‘ve picked up a bit of a southern drawl. I spent some of my time taking some more pictures of those great Disneyland gardens and the rest soaking up the sun. I wonder if the new free trade deal will let us import some of that southern sunshine. This next paragraph is intended for the Poinsettia plants that regularly read the Lantern. These plants can be slightly forgetful, and like small children need reminding regularly on certain aspects of self preservation; things like always wearing gloves and scarves {the Childrenâ€" not the Poinsettia}. So. Poinsettias. When you get home this Christmas, please stay out of the drafts. Last year, you caught a chill and lost all of your bottom leaves. Last year, you also persisted in staying on the kitchen table all season and were in no shape to get to New Years. Get some light I Let the humans stay sober this Holiday Season, I want you to drink. Yes, I know that water makes you giddy but you need a lot. Let me remind you again that last year, you tried to be like your cactus cousins and lost all those bottom leaves. You were not a pretty sight with your bare stems showing. Please, when you drink do not do yourâ€"stand-in theâ€" shower imitation. Don‘t let the water accumulate in your saucer~ I know it reminds you of the lake at the cottage but swampy is out; keep a happy medium. You can stay cool, 60 degrees is fine but you will get sick lower than that. I know that you are a tropical plant but you‘ve been grown here in the north and high heat without getting used to it will shrivel your little stems right up, so don‘t stand on the heat register. Yes you may wind up in the garbage after New Years, especially if you persist on losing those bottom leaves but if you‘re a good plant, you may get to stay around for quite a while. Spring catalogues have started coming in. Watch for the Stokes seed catalogue, it has changed its format to the big magazine style. News release says its going to have all the same information in it though. Trade magazines are full of stories about the plant varieties that managed to survive the heat. New plant to watch forâ€" Vinca. Heat resistant, tough, bugâ€" free. For full sun and comes in a variety of coloursâ€" all of them pink or white. See you in the New Year when we‘ll start getting ready for some serious gardening. Ci? HEART AND STRCXE .FACT 0 R FALLACY? Reducing Cholesterol Levels Once your arteries have begun to clog with fatty deposits, nothing short a! surgery will help. This is not entirely true. FACT: The main cause of fatty deposits clogging arteries is high blood cholesterol levels. Researchers have provedthatbylowenng your cholesterol levels with careful diet and the use of medication, you can slow the build-up of fatty deposits and, possibly, reduce the deposits. sat-owe asks *IIUK***33************************************ WHERE HAVE YOUR DEDUCTIONS GONE‘? FOR THE 1988 TAX. RETURN MANY DEDUCTIONS HAVE BEEN CONVERTED TO "NON REFUNDABLE TAX CREDITS" CONFUSED? HOW PLANNING 0N "CHARITABLE DONATIONS, OR YEAR-END BUSINESS EXPENSES"? DOES THIS AFFECT YEAR-END SUCH THINGS AS R.R.S.P.’s IF YOU NEED HELP IN MAKING AN INFORMED DECISION POSITION, APPOINTMENT CONCERNING CALL US TODAY FOR AN WE CAN COME TO YOU OR YOUR TAX YOU CAN COME-TO us AT: A. & J. HENNESSY INCOME TAX & BOOKKEEPING SERVICE R.R.fi2, PORTLAND, ONT. 283-6728 (SERVICE IS OUR BUSINESS, PEOPLE OUR CONCERN) WE WILL BE GLAD TO ASSIST YOU. REMEMBER WE'VE BEEN SERVING THE 'LOCAL COMMUNITY FOR 11 YEARS. ******************II!************************ THE NEW MOTOR VEHICLE REPAIR ACT Better Protection for Ontario Car Owners! Ontario car owners will be better protected through the new Motor Vehicle Repair Act. included in the new act are the following provisions: oqunmsmuamedea written estimate on request; 0 Customers must be advised, inadvance,chereisafeefor an estimate and the amount ofthefee; o The actual repair cost cannot exceed 10 per cent of the written estimate without authorization; oTherepauernnmtofier return of removed parts to the consumer when the work is authonzed; koanmnymuabepmvwed on new or reconditioned parts and associated labour for a minimum of 90 days or 5,000 kilometres. For motorcycles and motor-assisted bicycles,the warranty period is 30 days or 1,500 kilometres. "we moves serum-res AND WARRANTIES ON ALL PARTS mo LABOUR. OConspmuoussgnsnumtbe posted stating repair rates and the methods used to calculate the charges. - A detailed invoice must be provided to the customer describ- ing the vehicle, work performed, pansinmafledandthmrpnce number of hours billed, and terms of the warranty. If the vehicle becomes inopera- ble or unsafe due to defective repanswhfleunderwananw, mecumomermufiraunnhe vehicle to the original repairer unless it is unreasonable to do so. If it is necessary to have the vehicle repaired by another repairer, the consumer may recover the original cost of the work and reasonable towing chmgeshomtheonmna repauer All car repairers must display a dgndnecfingconsumerconv plaints to the nearest regional office of the Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations. TORONTO 416-963-0321 ; THUNDER BAY 807-475-1641; LONDON 519-679-7150; WINDSOR 519-254-6413; HAMILTON 416-521-7554; OTTAWA 613-566-3878; SU D B U RY 705-675-4378; PETERBOROUGH 705-743-8782 ATTENTION REPAIRERS: Repairers needing additional details may obtain a fact sheet and other information by con- tacting the nearest Consumer Services Bureau indicated above. Ministry of Consumer and Commercial Relations Ontario William Wrye, Minister David Peterson, Premier