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Page 4 â€" Waterioo Chronicle, Wednesday, November 19, 1976 Puplished every Wednesday by Fairway Press, a division of Kitchenerâ€"Wateriloo Record Ltd. 225 Fairway Rd.. Kitâ€" chener. Ontario. Address correspondence to Waterloo Square. Waterloo. Ont. Telephone 744â€"6364. Oh boy! I know every man leads a life of quiet desperation, according to Thoreau. I‘d settle for that, if mine were even quiet. _ _ â€" This has been one of those days that make me wonder how the hell I can be the sweet, gentle perâ€" son I am underneath. It started at five a.m., when the Old Lady‘s alarm clock failed to go off. She had checked it four ti%es between 11 p.m. and 5 a.m., switching on the light and waking me up each time. At 4:45, she settled into a sound sleep and woke with a great lurch and a scream of dismay at 5:30. She takes off for the city at 6. 8 l ues WBR PWY MIVC \-lt: TV OCY Scrambling. Tea and toast. Eyes like rubbed by sandpaper. Turned on the outside light. Six inches of fresh snow, first of the year. More scramâ€" bling, for winter boots, long laid away in some hideyâ€"hole. Shoved her into the snow and tottered about from 6 until 8:30, having cups of tea, shaves and anyâ€" thing else that was reviving. Off into the blizzard with Kim. No snow tires, naturally. Was going to put them on this week. Taught all day. Committee meeting at 3:15. Deâ€" partment heads‘ meeting at 3: 30 until 4: 30. Column to write but went around to the garage to get the snow tires on. Three hundred other people had the same idea. Home at six. Two kids (that useless Hugh‘s home sitting listening to records, with the breakfast dishâ€" es in the sink. Home at six. Two kids (that useless Hugh‘s home) sitting listening to records, with the breakâ€" fast dishes in the sink. â€"Blew up. Got the dinner organized and a few home truths off my chest. â€" Home at last for peace, quiet, relaxation. Kim hit me the minute I got in. A proposition. She‘s been asked to play the organ with a rock group. It seems the in thing for groups these days is to have a girl in them. She‘d also sing. No catches whatever. Except that she‘d have to buy an organ for $150 and spend about 20 hours a week practising. Nothing to it. She has a hundred in the bank from summer earnings. She could easâ€" ily borrow the other $50 from the bank. Brief lesson in economics. *‘What do you have for security?"" She wanted to know what that was. I explained that if you have $5,000 in government bonds, the bank will lend you $50. Maybe. The only assets she could think of were: her biâ€" cycle, leaning against a tree in the snow in the backyard, unridden for three years, a portable recordâ€"player with a broken arm , a guitar that was worth $40 in its heyâ€"day, ten years ago, ‘and ‘"her‘ piano, which I pointed out was owned by her mother "Yes, and now get to bed."" Lip stuck out about three inches, she remembered to inform me that her mother had called while I was out, and wanted to talk to me. It was 16 hours since I‘d seen her. _ ‘"But do you_ know how much this means to me, Dad?" Since my wife went back to college, my phone bill looks like the national debt of Egypt. But I called her. Fortunately, she was in a terse, taciâ€" turn mood. Talked for only 20 minutes. Went off at 11 p.m. to attack the column, while Hugh was brewing up a little snack for himself conâ€" sisting of onions, cheese, beans and salami, all in the same pot. Got a couple of hundred words of soggy prose down, and he came up and interrupted me, for a chat about his prospects. Which are nil. O Worked until two. and I might just as well have been watching television, or sleeping. because it turned out to be a lousy column, as you have just discovered. Just to top off the day, checked the closet and found I didn‘t have a clean shirt for tomorrow. Said. "Gosh darn it." and hit the sack. In Canada: one year $8; in United States and Foreign countries: one year $10 waterioo chronicle 2 Bifl Smiley :r‘ SUBSCRIPTION RATES ESTABLISHED 1854 Downtown perspective There are many dogs running around loose in downtown Waterloo. This was brought home quite vividly to me this past weekend by two incidents. First I saw a woman at King and Union comforting a dog which had been hit in the middle of the intersection. My thoughts then were not on the subject of dogs at large, but on the indifference and detachment of the byâ€" standers. Although there were a number of peâ€" destrians crossing with the lights, they all stared and walked on without offering assistance. That same night a dog was deliberately killed in my neighbourhood, a friendly nuisance of a little dog who was allowed to run loose once too often. I was ashamed to tell my youngsters that there are people around who would commit such an act of violence to another child‘s pet. 4200000000 ts Actecssodfiinsermenmenindbadtiiiiinnmon ooo With the dropping of the temperature, ducks at Laure! Creek Conservation area are, in increasing numâ€" bers. flocking together for the yearly trip to the southern United States. Is my block typical of the downtown? Countâ€" ing on both sides of the street from one interâ€" section to the next we have 11 families with dogs and four with cats in a total of 25 families. Not all those dog owners obey the city byâ€"law. The dog byâ€"law was updated last spring to bring it in line with the new provincial legislation. It enables the Humane Society to ticket an owner on the spot if a dog is caught at large. Should the dog be impounded, the fines have been réâ€" vised to $4 plus $2 a day board for the first offense and $13 plus $2 a day board for the second offense. A third offense could be even more costly, alâ€" though apparently the charge isn‘t laid very often. There is a $5 fine as well for a dog caught without a collar and license. Alderman Mary Jane Mewhinney has been investigating the feasibility of legislation against the messes often left by dogs. People quite rightâ€" ly object to dogs defecating on their lawns, but there is apparently nothing in the Municipal Act (the provincial legislation upon which backâ€" Viewpoint Christmas is the time of celebration for everyâ€" one supposedly. The traditional exchanging of gifts will soon be near at hand, but this year the occasion may bring a note of sadness to some â€" in particular, the senior citizens. If the postal strike continues, as many predict it will, through December, Christmas will have a different meaning for them this year. As few seniors are fortunate enough to travel long disâ€" tances to visit their friends and relatives throughâ€" out the year, Christmas is the time of year they receive warm greetings from those they miss. _ Letters of communication may be exchanged throughout the year, but Christmas is a special time for all to express their emotions, not mereâ€" ing our local byâ€"laws are based) on which to base enforcement. Since the city dislikes passâ€" ing laws which cannot be upheld in the courts, it seems unlikely that people who are annoyed by this dog problem will get any help at present. Obviously there are a lot of cats roaming the streets, and occasionally there are suggestions that they should be licensed and controlled as are dogs. Cats should be grateful to King Henry Vth, who in the 15th century decreed that they could roam free in Britain in perpetuity. That was to enable them to cope with the rats attackâ€" ing the granaries. Since Canadian law is based on British common law, municipalities usually don‘t attempt licensing cats. The dog byâ€"law is certainly enforceable and it is being ignored by many citizens. Dogs run around the streets and they run around Waterloo Park, despite signs that dogs must be leashed in the park. Of course dogs can‘t read, it‘s the owners who are responsible. Unfortunately it is the pets who often suffer the consequences of running loose. â€" â€"Dog; ffifihihg at large are increasing with the growth of the city and the type of society in which we live, where many find solace in a pet. The local Humane Society stresses the education of pet owners as being more effective than actual legislation. Any complaints regarding animals should always be directed to the Humane Society, not to the police. Abuse of an animal is a criminal offense, but charges are laid through the Humane Society. Once again it is important for a citizen to know the right agency through which to direct complaints. _ As Lorne Thrower, the manager of the local shelter remarked "it is not a right to own a pet, it is a responsibility." ly gossip or the latest family news. The bus strike doesn‘t help the situation any either. It‘s difficult enough for seniors to scrape enough money together to buy Christmas gifts for their families, let alone having to pay for transportaâ€" tion. _ Now more than ever they will have to rely on friends, and neighbours to transport them to shopping areas for gifts. . Those who are not so lucky will have to stretch their dollar to pay for taxis. This year, more than ever, it is imperative for everyone to help others, wherever and whenever possible, (not only senior citizens) in order that everyone can try to have a merry Christmas. By Rosemary Rowe by Sandy Hazell