8 Terrace Review —— Wednesday. September 18, 1991

The Way I

See It...
by Stephanie Wiebe

It’s a dirty

‘ Autumn’s outdoor chores are
the most satisfying tasks. Digging
in the garden and raking leaves
can be dirty, back-wrenching
work, but standing back to survey

- the results inspires a real sense of
accomplishment.

I like to see tidy lawns, freshly
turned soil and neatly stacked
firewood before the snow falls.
Even the compost pile looks good
when it’s been dug up and reor-
ganized. Of course, all this rarely
happens in my yard. When it
does, life in general seems better.
But nothing can compare with the
best chore of all, hosing off the

- driveway.

Somehow, hosing off the drive-
way is mistakenly categorized as
a chore. That’s like calling a
Snickers bar "nutritious" — a
questionable definition that’s
acceptable in dire emergencies.

When I drag out the garden
hose, I become "Robo-hoser".
I’m ready to ruthlessly battle the
_-road gravel, stray leaves and
living creatures that dare to tres-
pass across my asphalt. The hose
is the ultimate weapon. A broom
is inferior, not nearly as effective
or fun. A rake is inefficient and
makes an irritating screech. No,
nothing beats a green hose with a
pistol grip sprayer.

With my sprayer aimed at the
sticks, rocks and driveway debris,
I can shoot the enemy clean
across the pavement. There's a
heady feeling of power that
comes with this chore. Anybody
_ crossing my path is vulnerable to
a dowsing, I have the hose, I
control the water. —

_. | remember when I was a kid,
and ali the neighbourhood
children would gather in the yard
on hot summer afternoons fo play
with the garden hose. There was
always some big obnoxious kid
who would hog the hose, not
letting any of the smaller children
have a turn. Now I’m the big
- obnoxious kid.

When I hose off the driveway, I
‘have the most sought-after job in
the family. Even small children
down the street. watch with wide-

iob but...

eyed envy. But no one is bold»
enough to come near. Well,
actually, there’s one young child,
my own, still naive enough to
approach in hopes of getting the
hose. But I leave no survivors,
and she goes away drenched.
Meanwhile, the neighbours usher
their pets inside and slam their
front doors. An eerie silence
settles over the neighbourhood.

The water stream pounds along
the asphalt. Occasionally, drive-
way imperfections will create
puddies of muddy water and
trapped debris, This is a real
challenge for an amateur hose-
person, but using precise aim and
the laws of physics, I can blast
an asphalt dimple clean in two
minutes. Slugs, moss, and creep-
ing lawns don’t have a chance. I
have the hose, I control the
water.

The stream of water shoots
gravel into the street, pushing it
out across the path of passing
cars. The cars slowly swerve
away, the drivers keeping a wary
distance from the woman with
the hose and the "Saddam
Hussein" look in her eyes.

Suddenly, the driveway is clean. -

There are no rocks, no leaves, no
sticks or clumps of dirt. But I’m
reluctant to relinquish my power,
and so, I continue along the
sidewalk, killing insects and
small weeds in the cracks. Event-
ually, there’s nothing left to be
sprayed. [ tum off the tap and
walk barefoot, my feet slapping
across the wet sidewalk. Slowly,

 [ reel in the hose, coiling it

around itself, and then toss it into
the shed.

Near the door, a towe! lies
folded for me. Inside, I flop into

a chair, feeling like a much nicer -

person for having spent all my
aggressions on the pavement. "
cleaned off the driveway," I
announce, trying to sound
exhausted. Hot tea and sympathy

are dispensed, and I soak it all in.

The family thinks I deserve it.
They think I was working.

I have them convinced about
the Snickers bars, too.

"TERRACE MONTESSORI CHILDREN’S
HOUSE PRESCHOOL

4907 LAZELLE
(WEST END OF KNOX UNITED CHURCH)
We are a non-profit, licensed preschool for children ages

32 months to 5 years, Our philosophy is geared around the
developing and ever curious child, who will be encouraged
to learn practical life skills in a sensitive, caring and highly

~ enjoyable atmosphere. Field trips, visilors and Special

-Projects are also part of the curriculum. Parent

participation is desirable, bul not mandatory.
~ Hours: 8:55 to 11:45 a.m. Monday to Friday

2,3 or 5 day sessions available.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
CALL TERRY @ 635-3287

Applications. for unused .

City council is considering one
application for the purchase of a
road rights-of-way but has turned

- down a second. The first applica-

tion, from David Bartley of 4702
Graham Ave., has been tabled
pending receipt of a drainage
report and information on existing
services within the boundaries of
the right of way.

Bartley said in a letter to council
last month that he was one of four
residents adjacent to the Sparks St.
right-of-way between Graham and
Goulet who wanted to purchase the
land and add a piece of it to each
of the four properties. He
explained that there was more to
the acquisition of the land than
simply increasing the size of the
four properties, however. The city

didn’t maintain the right-of-way .
. and it was becoming a problem.

It is nothing more than a garden
of weeds and alder in the summer,
he explained. And some local
drivers like using thé right-of-way
as a short cut, but most drive too
fast and endanger the lives of
neighbourhood = children. Also,

_ pedestrians and cyclists like using

the right-of-way and this results in
an unusual amount of litter.
According to Bartley: "People
walking their dogs allow them to
use it as an all-purpose litter box.
There has been. vandalism to our
property especially during holiday
weekends, etc. There have been
occasions as well, where the police
have been called because of people
using the alley as a drinking spot.

It's so easy to make a switch for the better. Simply
rernember to tum off the lights when you leave a room.
And keep energy waste down to a minimum.

_ rights- of-way get >
_ consideration from city

In the summer particularly, the late

_ night pedestrian and vehicle traffic

can be disturbing."

The second request forthe pur-
chase of a city right-of-way came
from Peter Meuser, who lives at
the intersection of Morris and

‘Westview Drive on the bench.

Meuser said the short section of
Morris west of Westview dead-
ends at the edge of the bench and
can never be used by the city. For
that reason, he explained, he
wanted to purchase all or part of
the right-of-way and build a garage.
City council: disagrees with
Meuser, however. They say they
do have a purpose in mind for the
right-of-way and they want to keep
it due to the possibility of future
right-of-way requirements.

Ere le
ay

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