Home  >> Stories  >> The Tale Spinner #2016-32

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IN THIS ISSUE

• In this Heroic Stories issue, Chuck Chatman remembers a stranger´s help
• Stan French writes about the Toronto Island Ferry Service
• Here are more uses for vinegar from Bruce Galway
• Catherine Nesbitt forwards some clever anagrams
• Shirley Conlon remembers some of the lessons she learned in home schooling
• Interesting sites are recommended by Bruce Galway, Jay, Judith English, and Tom Telfer

From Heroic Stories, here is Chuck Chatman´s account of

A NEW START

After difficult separation from my wife, I decided to go back to Spokane, Washington, where I had been stationed in the Air Force, since I had loved it there. I was living in South Carolina, and left with a shoestring budget. So many things went wrong on the 4,000-mile trip that I often I thought that I wouldn´t make it.

I was driving through Utah outside Salt Lake City. I am an African American and my car broke down unfortunately near a prison, on a weekend. With little money to get the parts I needed in a small town on the Sabbath, I walked to a gas station right off the highway and found out that the part I needed was a dealer item, and every dealership was closed until Monday.

I walked back to my car and tried some temporary methods to fix it so I could at least make it to Salt Lake City, about 20 miles away, and failed. I was on a interstate highway and the likelihood that someone would stop for me, a black man, was slim. Especially since there were signs declaring "Do not pick up hitchhikers" because of the close proximity of the prison.

But a man stopped and offered to help. I was a little skeptical and a little fearful, but I really didn´t have much of a choice. This gentleman took me around to several salvage yards in search of the needed part. We finally found one, returned to the car and found that it would work, but I needed a nut and bolt, so he took me to a hardware store. He then offered to follow me as far as Salt Lake City to be sure I would make it at least that far, but the repair held until I reached Spokane.

All of this took the better part of five or six hours, but he took the time out of his day to assist me. I offered to buy him lunch or pay him gas money. No. I asked if I could I get his name and address so that when I got to Spokane and got on my feet I would send him some money, but he refused that too, saying that if I made it to where I was going it was thanks enough.

I have never forgotten his selflessness, and I try to help others as he helped me. If he hadn´t stopped, who knows where I would have ended up - maybe a resident of Utah instead of Washington state as I planned, or homeless, or worse. He changed my life, yet wanted no thanks.

I have lived a life of trying to do the same ever since. Race didn´t matter. He just saw someone who needed help. I don´t even know his name, but he changed my outlook on life. It´s the first thing on my mind when I hesitate to help someone.

ED. NOTE: To comment on this story, or to get your own free subscription to Heroic Stories, click on

http://www.HeroicStories.org

Stan French, a proud East Yorker, writes about

THE TORONTO ISLAND FERRY SERVICE

Our son, Paul, gave me a small booklet today of Danforth Avenue history postcards that brought back personal memories of many trips to the Danforth for school at Danforth Tech, movies at the Palace and Century theatres, books at Pape Avenue Public Library, and recent summer trips to "A Taste of the Danforth."

I went online to search further and I came across this ferry story about the year I was born. I thought I remembered going on the ferry with a streetcar ticket, but this says a transfer would do in 1927.

When Solman got wind of the city´s plan to confiscate his ferry fleet and put them under the management of theToronto Transportation Commission, he decided to build a $750,000 stadium seating 20,000 people on the mainland. When the TTC finally took over operation of the fleet of Harbour ferries in 1927 (meaning a streetcar transfer could get you onto the ferry for no extra charge), Solman´s new Maple Leaf Stadium was already a year old, sitting at the corner of Bathurst Street and Fleet Street.

Because of the ballpark´s relocation, the demand for ferry service to the Island took a severe hit. More problematic, however, was the terrible shape of the ships handed over to the city by Solman. The "Trillium" suffered from extensive dry-rot to its upper decks, which often held as many as a thousand passengers, and the other ships were also in bad condition.

ED. NOTE: If you are interested in the history of the Toronto ferry service, check out

http://tinyurl.com/hqrbgzw

Here are the rest of Bruce Galway´s uses for

VINEGAR

33. Treat sinus infections and chest colds. Add 1/4 cup or more vinegar to the vaporizer.

34. Feel good. A teaspoon of apple cider vinegar in a glass of water, with a bit of honey added for flavor, will take the edge off your appetite and give you an overall healthy feeling.

35. Deodorize the kitchen drain. Pour a cup down the drain once a week. Let stand 30 minutes and then flush with cold water.

36. Eliminate onion odor. Rub on your fingers before and after slicing.

37. Clean and disinfect wood cutting boards. Wipe with full strength vinegar.

38. Remove fruit stains from hands. Rub with vinegar.

39. Cut grease and odor on dishes. Add a tablespoon of vinegar to hot soapy water.

40. Clean a teapot. Boil a mixture of water and vinegar in the teapot. Wipe away the grime.

41. Freshen a lunchbox. Soak a piece of bread in vinegar and let it sit in the lunchbox over night.

42. Clean the refrigerator. Wash with a solution of equal parts water and vinegar.

43. Unclog a drain. Pour a handful of baking soda down the drain and add 1/2 cup of vinegar. Rinse with hot water.

44. Clean and deodorize the garbage disposal. Make vinegar ice cubes and feed them down the disposal. After grinding, run cold water through a minute.

45. Clean and deodorize jars. Rinse mayonnaise, peanut butter, and mustard jars with vinegar when empty.

46. Clean the dishwasher. Run a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.

47. Clean stainless steel. Wipe with a vinegar dampened cloth.

48. Clean china and fine glassware. Add a cup of vinegar to a sink of warm water. Gently dip the glass or china in the solution and let dry.

49. Get stains out of pots. Fill pot with a solution of 3 tablespoons of vinegar to a pint of water. Boil until stain loosens and can be washed away.

50. Clean the microwave. Boil a solution of 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of water in the microwave. Will loosen splattered on food and deodorize.

51. Dissolve rust from bolts and other metals. Soak in full strength vinegar.

52. Get rid of cooking smells. Let simmer a small pot of vinegar and water solution.

53. Unclog steam iron. Pour equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron´s water chamber. Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.

54. Clean a scorched iron plate. Heat equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Rub solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.

55. Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.

56. Keep colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar before washing.

57. Freshen up the washing machine. Periodically, pour a cup of vinegar in the machine and let in run through a regular cycle (no clothes added). Will dissolve soap residue.

58. Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.

59. Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.

60. Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea. Then wash as usual.

61. Get smoke smell out of clothes. Add a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.

62. Remove decals. Brush with a couple coats of vinegar. Allow to soak in. Wash off.

63. Clean eyeglasses. Wipe each lens with a drop of vinegar.

64. Freshen cut flowers. Add 2 tablespoons vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar for each quart of water.

Catherine Nesbitt writes that this is one of the cleverest e-mails she has received in a while. Someone out there must be deadly at Scrabble:

ANAGRAMS

PRESBYTERIAN :
When you rearrange the letters:
BEST IN PRAYER

ASTRONOMER:
When you rearrange the letters:
MOON STARER

DESPERATION:
When you rearrange the letters:
A ROPE ENDS IT

THE EYES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THEY SEE

GEORGE BUSH:
When you rearrange the letters:
HE BUGS GORE

THE MORSE CODE :
When you rearrange the letters:
HERE COME DOTS

DORMITORY:
When you rearrange the letters:
DIRTY ROOM

SLOT MACHINES:
When you rearrange the letters:
CASH LOST IN ME

ANIMOSITY:
When you rearrange the letters:
IS NO AMITY

ELECTION RESULTS:
When you rearrange the letters:
LIES - LET´S RECOUNT

SNOOZE ALARMS:
When you rearrange the letters:
ALAS! NO MORE Z ´S

A DECIMAL POINT:
When you rearrange the letters:
I´M A DOT IN PLACE

THE EARTHQUAKES:
When you rearrange the letters:
THAT QUEER SHAKE

ELEVEN PLUS TWO:
When you rearrange the letters:
TWELVE PLUS ONE

HOW TO AVOID A SPEEDING TICKET

A female business executive who is late for a meeting is going 65 on a street where the speed limit is 40.

A cop pulls her over and says "Ma´am, can I please see your license?"

She says, "I´m sorry, officer, but it was revoked two years ago for drunk driving."

His brow furrows and he straightens up. "Well, can I please see the registration of your car?"

She says, "I stole the car and I killed the driver; he´s in the trunk."

"Ma´am, DON´T MOVE. I´m calling for backup." He mutters furiously into his walkie-talkie….

Five minutes later, half the squad pulls up. The Chief of Police walks over to the woman´s window. "Ma´am, can I see your license?" he asks sternly.

"Of course, officer," she smiles demurely and pulls out a license from her purse.

He squints warily at it. "This looks legitimate," he mumbles. "Can I see the registration to this car?"

She pulls it out of the glove compartment and hands it to him.

"Ma´am, stand back!" He bangs open the trunk of the car and flinches, but it is completely empty….

The woman brandishes a finger at the first cop and says accusingly, "And I´ll bet that liar told you I was speeding too!"

Shirley Conlon reminds us that many of us were

HOME SCHOOLED

1. My mother taught me to appreciate a job well done: "If you´re going to kill each other, do it outside. I just finished cleaning."

2. My mother taught me religion: "You´d better pray that will come out of the carpet."

3. My father taught me about time travel: "If you don´t straighten up, I´m going to knock you into the middle of next week!"

4. My father taught me logic: " Because I said so, that´s why."

5. My mother taught me more logic: "If you fall out of that swing and break your neck, you´re not going to the store with me."

6. My mother taught me foresight: "Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you´re in an accident."

7. My father taught me irony: "Keep crying, and I´ll give you something to cry about."

8. My mother taught me about the science of osmosis: "Shut your mouth and eat your supper."

9. My mother taught me about contortionism: "Just you look at that dirt on the back of your neck!"

10 .My mother taught me about stamina: "You´ll sit there until all that spinach is gone."

11. My mother taught me about weather: "This room of yours looks as if a tornado went through it."

12. My mother taught me about hypocracy: "If I told you once, I´ve told you a million times - don´t exaggerate!"

13. My father taught me the circle of life: "I brought you into this world, and I can take you out...."

14. My mother taught me about behaviour modification: "Stop acting like your father!"

15. My mother taught me about envy: "There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don´t have wonderful parents like you do."

16. My mother taught me about anticipation: "Just wait until we get home."

17. My mother taught me about receiving: "You are going to get it from your father when you get home!"

18 .My mother taught me medical science: "If you don´t stop crossing your eyes, they are going to get stuck that way."

19. My mother taught me ESP: "Put your sweater on; don´t you think I know when you are cold?"

20 .My father taught me humour: "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don´t come running to me."

21. My mother taught me how to become an adult: "If you don´t eat your vegetables, you´ll never grow up."

22. My mother taught me genetics: "You´re just like your father."

23. My mother taught me about my roots: "Shut that door behind you. Do you think you were born in a barn?"

24. My mother taught me wisdom: "When you get to be my age, you´ll understand."

25. My father taught me about justice: "One day you´ll have kids, and I hope they turn out just like you!"

This should only be sent to the over-60 crowd because the younger ones would not believe we truly were told these exact words by our parents.

SUGGESTED WEBSITES

Bruce Galway sends this link to a video about how technology has hijacked family dinnertime, and how a pepper shaker can reclaim it:

Jay suggests this site for seven things we don´t know about the world:

Judith English forwards the URL for a video of Pokemon Go players interacting in New York City:

Tom Telfer sends this link to an eye-opening video which shows what a 13-year-old boy can buy in the U.S.:

Here are photos of exceptional children who are helping to make the world a better place in their own special way:

There are thousands of free eBooks available on the internet. Here are three of the best sites where you can download free books:

"The Biggest, Baddest Bike-Share in the World" by Streetfilms, an organization that makes short videos about transportation, shows off the Hangzhou program´s efficiency. As of 2013, there are 66,500 bikes and 2,700 stations, and the city´s goal is to expand to 175,000 bikes by 2020:

Oddball, the Maremma sheepdog, helped protect a dwindling penguin population from marauding foxes that managed to reduce a 20,000-strong penguin population to only 27 chicks. Her offspring are set to do the same. Watch their sensational story:

For photos of a dog rescue in the Australian bush, click on

Mitchinson´s Flight Centre in Saskatoon launched its Cessna 185 float plane from its concrete runway:

Here is a cute and funny baby goats compilation. I wish I had some of their energy:

A segment from the popular series "Buy Me That" shows a makeup artist for food showing how burgers and fries are made to look their best for television. The "Buy Me That" series was created to show kids the psychological tricks used in advertising:

To check out the features of the "freedictionary," which changes daily, go to