FOR YOU "DAD"
MEMORIES OF OUR
"FAMILY HOME" . . .
60 GILLEY
With the passing of both sets of "Grandparents",
my "POP & NANNY KNOWLTON", and
my "POP & NANNY DICKEY", so many years ago,
my "MOM" in "2012", and now today . . . my "DAD",
we've all become "Orphans" of "60 Gilley"
My "Dad" would constantly ask to "GO HOME",
but sadly, this was a "GIFT" none of us could deliver.
Giving him a
"PACKAGE OF FAMILY MEMORIES"
is as close as I can come, and I know if he were here to read this,
he would have a HUGE SMILE on his face, a LOAD OF TEARS in his eyes,
a WIGGLE to his very strange ears, a THUMPING REJUVENATION
to his shattered heart, yet he'd FOR SURE HAVE
"SOMETHING FUNNY" OF HIS OWN TO ADD
If you knew my "Grandparents",
You knew "60 Gilley".
If you knew my "Parents",
You knew "60 Gilley".
If you knew "Brien", "Elaine" and "Kathy",
You knew "60 Gilley".
If you knew our little fireball "Chihuahua Dog Mickey",
You knew "60 Gilley".
He truly was a member of our family
for the many years we had him,
and my "Dad" enjoyed every one of them.
Even the "Dogcatchers" knew
"60 Gilley" ! !
My "Dad" enjoyed relating that
when charged with "Running at Large",
my very strict "Nan Dickey"
would chastise the "Dogcatchers" every time by saying . . .
"Running at LARGE" ? ?
Haven't you growin' men got anything better to do with your time
than chase "POOR LITTLE DOGS" ! !
And if by chance,
you were but a "Passing Stranger",
my "Dad" would MAKE IT HIS BUSINESS
that you too, knew "60 Gilley",
beginning with "THE TOUR" ! !
Growing up at "60 Gilley" was like growing up on a farm, except with no farm animals. I've called my "Brother & Sister" many "names" over the years, and a "farm animal" may have been one, but hey, what "brother and sister" hasn't done this to their sibling at one time or another ? ?
Every "Season" on the "O'l Homestead" brought with it, something new and exciting to do, try, and explore ! !
I've typed the following by the things I remember "SEASONALLY", and not necessarily in the order of my growing up.
SPRING AND SUMMER:
You'd find my "Pop Dickey" planting zillions of "seedlings" for his many breath-taking "flower beds" and "vegetable garden". The "Month of May" always provided a mass of "red wild strawberries" in the fields behind us, all free for the picking, eating, and gathering. There was also a deserted house in the field, providing us with a pond of "frogs n' tadpoles", constantly brought home in mason jars, "butterflies" galore, and anything else that could live with holes punched through the top of the lid. The field provided us with a "Baseball Diamond", where neighbourhood friends would gather together after "Dinner" to play until dark.
Climbing the trees in the fields, gave us a perfect view of "DeHavilland Airport". It was especially awesome during the "Air Show Rehearsals" every year, but what I enjoyed most about the field, was gathering a lunch and blanket to picnic on for the afternoon, then laying back to count the number of clouds that passed over, and the shapes they'd become in my racing imagination.
Running home on the last day of school, and into our large backyard, anxiously flagging our "Report Cards" in my "Mother's" face, as she non-stop hung, endless baskets of laundry on the clothesline, was a great deal of fun, especially when we'd run through the freshly hung bedsheets.
Learning how to do laundry was something I enjoyed, except for the time I tried to hide from my "Dad", as he viewed on the line, his endless supply of "WHITE T-SHIRTS", now all "CANDYFLOSS PINK" ! !
Whether picking sun-hot fresh-from-the-ground, stem, or stalk, "vegetables", and washing them down with the garden hose for a delicious bite, or picking "black and red currants and raspberries" from the bushes for my "Nan Dickey" to preserve, was a daily enjoyable chore and treat. To this day, I can't look a "raspberry" in the face, without seeing the "little white worms" that popped through the holes while being boiled, as my "Nan" would strain them out and carry on, without missing a beat.
"Nan" would spoil us every night with homemade desserts, all freshly made from scratch. We all had our favourites, but it goes without saying, that my "Dad" just had to carry it further with "his own descriptions" for ALL the "looks and tastes". For example, when "Nan" frequently made us "homemade rice pudding", my "Dad" quickly nick-named it "rass", and described the "pot" we received it in, as matching the "Bedpan" my "Nan" kept under her bed.
My "Dad" would often drop by in his truck, only to enter a porch filled with the aroma of simmering "liver n' onions"; (one of his favourites). When begging for a "taste", my "Nan" would annoyingly respond that she was cooking it for our dog "Mickey".
I remember in "Grade School", coming home for lunch, to a warm red bowl of chopped up boiled eggs, with a hint of butter, salt and pepper, that my "Nan" had ready for us, and to this day, I actually eat this quite often. YUM ! ! The "red glass dishes" are actually quite popular now. I remember "Brien" laying back in "Dad's Maroon Lazy Boy", waiting for my "Nan" to serve him, like he was "King Tut" ! ! He enjoyed being waited on hand and foot ! ! Remember "Bry" ? ? (Ha!) (Ha!)
During the "Summer Months", my "Mom & Pop" would be busy in the garage, prepping, mashing and grinding all sorts of fresh things; especially converting "radishes" into "VERY HOT Horse Radish" ! ! Our "kid fun", was running out of the house with a bowl of sugar, ready to dung into the freshly pulled stalks of "rhubarb", my "Nan" made into all kinds of sweet treats.
Before my "Dad" could start his "Seasonal Grass Manicures", we had this big "Wooden Barrel" that he'd fill with water, in which to "roll the grass flat" first. This was such a "fun time", but a real challenge. Just trying to STAY ON the water barrel was a task in itself ! ! We either took turns, or for MORE FUN, we'd double up to see who would fall off first. I remember when I was FINALLY big enough to cut ALL THAT GRASS, I received a "shiny dime" for my services. Talk about "Child Labour" eh ? ? (Ha!) (Ha!)
Now that it was "Bike Season", my "Dad" would always give our bikes a complete checkup and fixup if necessary, to make sure they were safe and road worthy, before hitting the payment. My fondest "bike memory", was riding in the mornings with a quarter in my hand, to the "Becker's Store" on "Wilson Avenue", to buy a loaf of "Wonder Bread" for my "Mom".
My "Dad" worked very long hours in the "Summer", leaving at dawn, and coming home when we were ready for bed, reeking of "bunker oil". My "Mom" would always have his "dinner" waiting for him in the "warming oven" on the stove.
He had connections EVERYWHERE. I remember he'd bring home big bottles of "Egg Shampoo", gallon bottles of "Coke Syrup", so we could make our own "pop", and boxes full of broken "Kit Kat Bars". As every family knows, "meat" is quite an expensive staple. When my "Dad" was on a job near "Queen Street", he'd do our "meat shopping", dropping off packages and packages for my "Mom" to "re-pack" for meals.
All summer vacation long, waking up at the first sign of light, to strap on my "roller skates", was so exciting. You placed your canvas running shoe into the skate, and then tightened it into the skate with a "key", until it pinched, and I mean PINCH ! ! OUCH ! ! We skated for hours. We then waited until the end of the day, when the tar on the roads was now all hot and bubbly, so we could ride our bikes all over the neighbourhood, "snapping the bubbles of tar" like chewing gum ! !
We built "Play Houses" everywhere ! ! A favourite was behind the "Storage Shed" we had in the backyard. We'd put together in the shape of an upside down "V", two old "garage doors", with window panes we added curtains to, to make it a homey fort we'd eat lunch in. Our little dog "Mickey" always seemed to get himself into something "nasty" in the field, so we'd find "Mom" in the yard, scrubbing him in a bucket of suds, much to his dislike. As much as he hated being "bathed", he certainly didn't mind "Kathy & I", dressing him up in all sorts of doll clothes and hats, as we took him for walks in our doll stroller.
"Lemonade Stands" were a "Summer" pleasure. When I was young, "Brien" would pull me in his wagon, selling "popcorn".
Trips up the "Hamilton Mountain" were also a "Summer Ritual" I looked forward to every year. Once we hit the open highway, I remember my "Dad" would start sneezing NON-STOP, into the sleeve of his black "T-Shirt", cursing the "pollen and ragweed" in the air. My "Dad" would pump out the "waste oil" from various "Gas Stations", and "Road Oil" the "City Yard" and the "Hamilton Drive-in". I remember getting a "dime" or "quarter" from the "Gas Station Owners", as my "Dad" would show me off, playing up how "cute" I was.
He loved to put his foot on the brake, and bounce us up and down, hitting our heads on the truck's roof. Poor "Brien" didn't get it so easy. He'd get rides in the back of the "Can Truck", bouncing up and down with nothing to hold him.
Little did I know I'd be making this trek up the mountain myself, for the rest of my life, after marrying a "Hamiltonian" that lived on "Hamilton Mountain".
I remember the "Band Garage Parties" a.k.a. the endless "musician hunks", "Brien" used to bring home. I could listen to them play for hours. "Dad & Mom" also hosted countless "Garage Parties", as "Aunt Shirley" mentioned, where the music never stopped. I remember when my "Dad" made the "Screen Door" that dropped down, to keep out the flying creatures of the night, and how he'd made it, so he could store it in the ceiling of the garage. My "Mom" was famous for her "devilled eggs"; something I continue to "make like hers" to this day.
"Croquet" was a "Summer Game" anyone visiting our house would play. We had "Bocce Balls", "Badminton", "Playground Equipment", and of course, that little blue plastic "Child's Swimming Pool" that children and adults alike, ALL swam in, year after year. It had four "metal corners" for "children" to sit on, but you'd always find an "adult" doing "headstands" on them, before plunging into the water. Many "towels" were given a dunk in that pool, so they could be whipped at unsuspecting passers by. If that little "Child's Pool" could have talked, it would have had enough stories to fill a book, and then some ! !
Packing a lunch for the local park is where we'd spend many a day. We had swings, a slide, monkey bars, and teeter-totters. Living with joining backyards to my "Uncle Tom & Aunt Betty", provided me with not only a "Cousin", but a "Best Friend" as well; "Marie". When we were too old for playground equipment, we'd practice cartwheels, handstands, and headstands. We were VERY COOL dressing alike; especially in our shiny black maxi coats, heading on a bus to shop at our favourite store; "Honest Ed's", for great bargains. In our "teen years", we both got part-time jobs at "Yorkdale Shopping Center"; meeting up for "lunch" at the "Eaton's Center" for our favourite dish of "mashed potatoes and gravy", and then heading on over to "Kresge's" to spend our paycheques.
We got a job together as "Hostesses" for a "Greek Party". Dressing the part, "Marie" also wore "false eyelashes", and not knowing the "Greek Customs", she got hit in the eye with an "artificial egg" during one of their dances. Remember "Marie" ? ? (Ha!) (Ha!)
My "Dad" didn't get any "Vacation Time", all the years he worked, yet he'd make time to be with us, no matter how short a time that was. In the years prior to our "Camping Trailer", we'd go to "Ogden's Beach"; a.k.a. "Oggies" for two weeks in a rented "Cabin". My "Dad" would drive up after work on a "Friday Night", and the first thing he did when he arrived, was go for a "cool dip in the Bay". He'd then hit the snarling "Sunday Night" traffic jams, to return to "Toronto", for work "Monday Morning".
"Oggies" is where, many years later, I met my late hubby "Bill"; my "Willy". All the years "his family" camped there too, this was the one and only year he changed his "vacation time". As he sat so handsomely on the grass hill, sporting his very cool dark shades, I mentioned this to my sister "Kathy", who said she knew him, and asked me if I wanted to meet him, and BOOM, she had him in my face before I could say a word, while I on the other hand, just bought a triple layered icecream cone, on this boiling hot day. I stood there in awe, in a tiny two-piece bikini with icecream turning to liquid, running up and down my arms, with no serviette in sight ! !
THE REST IS HISTORY ! ! . . . "41 years of history" ! !
When "Jennifer" was born; "Brien & Kathys' Daughter", my "Dad" decided it was "his time" for a "mid-life crisis", and started wearing a WIG ! ! I say "WIG", because it was a very poor attempt at being called a "TOUPEE" ! ! I feel sorry that all the pictures we have of "Jennifer and her Pop", are with him wearing this "RUG" ! ! On the bright side, at least it wasn't the highlight of any of our weddings ! ! YIKES ! !
FALL:
As our "Summer Holidays" drew to a close, the "corn" in our "vegetable garden" was now twice our height and ready for a good old game of "Hide and Seek" ! ! We also had an old white "Milk Wagon" in our "corn patch" too, full of chopped wood, so hiding among the stalks was loads of fun ! !
The "Storage House" I mentioned earlier in our backyard, was now full of newspaper, housing the zillions of "tomatoes" my "Pop" endlessly babied to perfection, and now harvested and lay to their final resting place, for many future dishes to come.
Come "FALL", there was just as much work "raking leaves", as there was keeping up all that grass ! ! I remember the deep "ditches" alone out front, held enough leaves in them, for us to literally bury ourselves in. "FALL" for us as "kids", was a very welcome time ! !
WINTER:
Like "SUMMER", "WINTER" at "60 Gilley" offered up a "Child's Paradise" ! ! My "Dad" would faithfully build us a "Skating Rink", either using one side of the driveway, or the backyard. He'd be out there every night like clockwork, shovelling it off so there'd be no bumps on the ice, and then hose it down. When visiting the local rink at the park, he'd come with us to skate and show off to everyone who would watch, his "skating talents", and HE HAD MANY ! ! We were in awe at his "Spread Eagle", "Figure 8", and especially his "Barrel Jumping" ! ! My "Dad" would always "do up our skates", and that's putting it mildly for sure ! ! When you felt your circulation being cut off, you knew they were "just right". In fact, he ended up tightening everyone's skates at the public rinks ! !
My "Dad" had this "Snow Thrower"; (a very big shovel) that he'd shovel the driveway with, but not before giving us all a "ride in it". He'd run and pull the shovel on top of the snow in the driveway or yard, and then throw us in a huge snow bank. He repeated this many times over, all in the name of FUN ! ! On the weekends, he'd take us "tobogganing". Well for "us" it was "tobogganing", but for him it was a combination of "tobogganing and skating". By this I mean he'd "skate" down the large steep hill we "tobogganed" down ! ! Once he had a sled skim over his knuckles; not a pretty sight. A very dangerous sport, I wouldn't recommend to anyone.
Coming home from school in the "Winter Months" was always exciting. We'd stay outside building and dressing "Snow-men and Snow-women", until it was dark, and we'd hear my "Mother" call us in for "Supper". We'd always take off our wet clothes, mitts and boots, putting them on the "porch radiator" to dry. After "Supper", we'd be back out building "Snow Forts", stacked with "Snowballs" for a friendly "snowball fight".
MY SPECIAL MEMORIES:
Coming out of school, only to see my "Dad" sitting in his "Big Red Oil Truck", ready to give myself and my best girlfriend a ride home. This was especially appreciated on rainy, cold, and snowy days.
"Family Dinner Night" at the "DeHavilland Restaurant". My "Dad" couldn't understand why I ALWAYS ordered a "hamburger" when there were many other options on the menu. I LOVED HAMBURGERS ! !
Having him "teach me to drive". It was great until I arrived at "Driving School", and my "Instructor" freaked out when he saw me driving with "TWO FEET"; one on the "gas", and the other on the "brake" ! ! He hysterically asked me . . . "WHO ON EARTH TAUGHT YOU THAT" ? ? MY "DAD" ! !
Just as I went every "Summer" to work with my "Dad" on "Hamilton Mountain", seeing my young Son "Chad" follow suit; sitting on our front stairs, with his "Dad's" old metal lunch pail in hand, waiting to go to work with his "Pop", and being paid at the end of the day in "Canadian Tire Money" for his services, will ALWAYS bring tears to my eyes.
A "Memory" all of us will never forget, is the time when my "Dad" put a motor on a bike, and then towed "Brien" on it behind his car, heading for "DeHavilland Parking Lot", only to look back and see "NO BRIEN" ! !
"Brien's Bedroom" was upstairs with my "Pop & Nan", so there was no escaping the wrath of my very strict "Nan" ! ! When she found him in bed, skinned to the bone with brush burns, and in a lot of pain, let's just say, BOTH my "Dad" and "Brien" were in for an earful TIMES TWO ! !
IN CLOSING . . .
MY FAVOURITE "PERSONAL" MEMORY:
I received a "Red Garnet Ring" from my "Dad & Mom" when I was "8". One night when they were out, my brother "Brien" dared me to drop it down the kitchen sink drain, and as siblings do, to prove one another wrong, I did just that ! ! I cried myself to sleep over what I had done, only to wake up in the morning with "MY RING ON MY FINGER" ! ! The only reason I noticed it right away, is because my "Dad" put it on the wrong finger. Apparently when he found out what I did, through the night, he took the pipes apart to retrieve it. Today I am "63", and it's never left my finger since ! !
NO . . .
We are NOT
"THE WALTONS" of "WALTON MOUNTAIN"
but your family . . .
"THE MARTINS" of "MARTIN MOUNTAIN"
Until we meet again . . .
Goodnight "POP"
Goodnight "NAN"
Goodnight "MOM"
Goodnight "DAD"
Goodnight "60 GILLEY"
May this "FAMILY PACKAGE OF MEMORIES"
be with you always
LOVE, HUGS N' KISSES,
Willy, Lainzy, Chad, Tiff, Brent, Nicole, Anson (Littl' Bomber) and Jen
