Cousins Reunion 2008

Just home from my weekend in southwestern Ontario. I spent the weekend with the 3 other cousins that I would hang out with during the summers as we were growing up.

We stayed at The Vintage Goose:The O'Heron House in K'ville. As a young girl I often visited in this home with the twins that lived there. They sold the house to a local group of investors who set it up as a B and B. This weekend we stayed up stairs in "Grandpa Pickards". Mr. Pickard was Pauline O'Heron's father and he and his wife lived in the upstairs of this huge Victorian Home.

I told the young ladies who run the B and B daily, one of my stories of staying there as a child. Just inside the front door is (was) a coat closet, situated under the front stairs. Just before one weekend that I stayed there my parents had bought me a brand new coat, a rarity as I had lovely hand me downs from my cousin Gail. My brand new blue wool coat with the velvet collar was hanging in that aforementioned front hall closet. On the Sunday morning as I was getting the new coat out of the closet to go to church we noticed that their dog had chewed mouthfuls off the bottom of the coat. I still wore it to church. I was devastated. I was in Junior Choir that morning. I remember sitting in the front row, crying all during the service. I also remember not one person ever asked me why I had cried so much in church. I never saw my beautiful coat again. I don't remember what replaced it.

That closet has its door and the back wall removed. There is now a small check in counter built in front and the closet is like the front office area.

I told the young woman there as I checked in that the twins had their huge bedroom over the garage when I stayed there.

It is a lovely place, updated with modern conveniences like hot tubs or showers in each room plus the garage area is now a Spa. The food is delicious and the presentation is lovely.

The majority of our weekend was spent with our Aunt Marg. She is the last living sister of our mothers' family. There were 9 girls and 2 boys in this family. Another cousin still owns the family home. He came and opened it and let us walk around. It was a wonderful morning. With each of us giving little vignettes of memories. Our Aunt Marg told stories from her generation. The house was built in the 1870's. It was a one floor home. After 7 children our grandfather decided to have the roof raised and built an upstairs addition.

Aunt Marg was able to tell us where each of mothers' bedrooms were. We heard from our cousin about the rain barrel system in the upstairs bathroom. We heard about the time the house went electric, the cost of having electricity and fixtures installed. We heard about the time lightning came through the old ringer phone on the wall in the kitchen. We talked about the meals and snacks grandma made. Her fried chicken, freshly killed by grandpa or an uncle earlier that day.

One of my big memories is going out to the hen house with grandpa. Watching him pick up a plump bird, chop its head off on an old stump and the chicken would end up as grandma's yummy fried chicken later that day. One cousin reminded us of vanilla ice cream and maple syrup for dessert.

Our aunt wrote beautiful memories for us to read. One I love was of the lining of an old coat of an older sister being turned into a beautiful dress for a younger sister. She received many compliments on this gorgeous dress.

We heard stories of Julia, our grandfather's mother who wanted to run off with a skedaddler (an American Civil War 'resister'). She returned home and eventually married our great grandfather.

We heard of hard work and happy times. We heard of the loss twin baby boys years after my mother and her twin were born.

Many pieces to the puzzle of the family relationships fell in place for me. I fell back in love with this family of origin. They became real, not perfect, a blessing.

It was cool to hear stories of my 3 cousins visiting our home when we were kids. How they remembered eating toast with maple butter. How they remembered swimming near the docks in K'ville and two us holding up the youngest to keep her from drowning ( I didn't remember that part), they remembered going to the Roxy with me on Saturday afternoons and some movies we saw there. We remembered playing with grandpa and combing his hair. We remembered grandma fixing hems of dresses after we stood at the kitchen table, still very still.

Our cousin is going to have to "raise" the house. The foundation is cracking, other issues. That will be sad day for many but the memories and stories will remain. It was a magical time to grow up. As children we were unaware of the struggles, we were unaware of any pain. We knew when we went out to the farm there would always be some one to play with. I can remember telling by the cars in the driveway who would be there and what fun we would have.

Other places we visited and ate: Jack's Restaurant in downtown K'ville, I had Lake Erie perch, wonderful. We all went to Colasanti's Farm - they have the Broasted Chicken recipe from the old Hilltop - was just as delicious and yummy. Joan and I went to Annabelle's, across from the Catholic church. Lovely tea room that now serves dinner. Once again beautiful old home that has been restored with tremendous food. It is owned and operated by a local couple - I went to high school with their older sibs.

Thanks Joan, Ann and Becky and Aunt Marg and Gordon for a Memorial Weekend! Thank you Don(ald) for patiently driving me to and from the airport, I sincerely appreciate your kindness!

Joan and I also visited with our Erna. We were just coming for coffee but she had baked Shepherd's Pie for us at 9 AM. We had a short but great visit. She is doing well and was thrilled to spend even some time with us. We also visited Greenhill and walked among the graves of many no longer here but richly remain in our thoughts.

On Friday as I was leaving for the airport I felt somewhat guilty for leaving Larry and Ya-Ya, don't mothers always have misplaced guilt. But it was so worth my time. Larry was totally supportive.

If I could have time in a bottle, I would fill it with memories of ya'll!

babs