"Wal', it was some years back when a frail pensioner, name Barney, a citizen of Meadows township took his nightly constitution, walking carefully on every step he took. "Do tell, do tell,'' echoed the chorus of the oldsters. “If you be so kind and I will tell you all.”
As his dark eyes flared on his slightly wrinkled face and he was a bit annoyed. "Tis' true, tis true!” answered the Old Major. One of the elders, the village postman past his retirement spoke up, “ There you go again spewing malarkey!'' The boy laughed at his scarey move and then he moved on.īut the garrulous Old Major wasn't a bit ruffled by this scarey intrusion he tittered softly and spoke up, “It reminds me when the Grim Reaper came to the town of Meadows and. Suddenly a boy with a skull mask and covered with black cloth snuck on them and yelled 'Boo Nyaah' and the elders looked on him with a surprised look. The elders were delighted and amused with the sight of the various children's costumes. The weather was not chilly and the old timers, eight in all led by the Old Major, a white haired gentleman of eighty-three years, tall and straight with a slightly bent back.Ī child in a scarey costume and chaperoned by his mother said 'boo' to them and elders pretended to be frightened a cowboy pointed his six shooters with a 'bang bang' and the Old Major clasp his chest and said he was shot a wee fairy waved her magic wand over them and they bowed. The costumed children passed by the old timers bundled up and were sitting on the benches on the green near the community center. It was a yearly event with decorations in the the rather large auditorium, with tasty refreshments, games, prizes, fun for all. They were supervised by the mayor with a few of his staff and their parents, all in costume. Thirty per cent are women.Hallow-eve was in the air of our town children in various costumes, some scarey, some delightful and some with a bit of imagination, all were going to the Community Center to a nightly celebration in the atmosphere of the holiday. Clients range from urban dwellers to farmers and country folks with a small piece of land, Ms.
Vido says he's had to turn away orders for his custom-made wooden scythe handles because he can't keep up with the demand.Īt another major scythe retailer, Maine-based, sales have been growing 20 per cent each year, totalling 800 or 900 scythes in 2006, owner Carol Bryan says. "There is definitely a growing interest." "almost doubles from year to year," he says. Vido, an organic farmer in Lower Kintore, N.B., a decade-long international campaign to revive the scythe has resulted in brisk sales through his website. As well, they say an experienced user can cut a lawn as fast as with a powered mower.įor the self-described "eco-missionary" Mr. It puts less pressure on the root "Īficionados also like the fact that non-powered mowing equipment isn't noisy and has fewer parts to maintain. "They provide a better cut for the lawn because of the way the blade contacts the grass. DeFranco said, and are favoured at many golf courses.
Reel mowers produce healthier, more lush lawns, Mr. The program, running two weeks each April, saw a record 5,000 gas-powered mowers brought in this year, Home Depot's John DeFranco said. Home Depot Canada has tapped into the trend with its six-year-old "Mow Down Pollution" program, offering anyone who turns in a gas mower a $100 credit toward a new electric mower or non-powered reel mower, which has blades that spin as the mower is pushed by hand. "There has been a shift toward more environmentally friendly thinking." "We have definitely noticed an increased interest in non-gas-powered lawn mowers," said Maeve Burke, a spokeswoman for Canadian Tire. Enthusiasts say non-powered tools are catching on because of growing environmental concerns about fumes from gas-powered cutters.Ī gas mower emits the same amount of smog-causing emissions each hour as 40 new cars over the same time, according to the California Environmental Protection Agency.Ībout 2.7 million Canadians mow their lawns each summer weekend, using 40 million gallons of gas annually, Environment Canada says.