374 Woodlawn Street

We had our street party last night. 

JEM made Ponin's Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies. They were a huge hit.

During the party I was telling a neighbour about how when I lived with my parents I would often wake up for class and there would be fresh oatmeal cookies in the kitchen that were not there when I went to bed. 

My sister and I kept completely different hours and while I was sleeping, Ponin would bake in the middle of the night.

This got me to thinking about a number of things. One of them being that I lived at home with my parents until I was 26 years old. Yup, that old. 

Guess what. My sister lived at the house on and off until at least her mid twenties as did my brother. Guess what else. They have also both lived there with their spouses.

Why would you we do that, you might ask. Let me tell you a bit about the house.

374 Woodlawn is a 1 1/2 storey on a lovely tree-lined street. There are three normal-sized bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. There is a lovely front yard and a kick-ass backyard.

This glorious little house also comes crammed from top to bottom, left to right with love, fun, laughter and the coolest owners ever!!

The front door is literally always open. People are always dropping in for coffee or Friday night drinks. The fire in the backyard burns all summer as does the BBQ.

Who out there has sat at the Gillespie's kitchen table? Better question. Who hasn't?

There is something magical about 374 Woodlawn. 

Something that beckons people to stop by. 

Something that makes people know they are always welcome. 

There have been lifelong friends stopping by on Friday nights for at least a decade.

This is why I didn't leave until I got married. This is why Ponin and Body lived there off and on for years and why they bought a house down the street. This is why Jam and Bee lived there while they went to college.

So to this magical little house and its owners, I say THANK YOU. 

Thank you for the wonderful memories and thank you for teaching me how to create a home (thousands of kilometres away) where the front door is literally always open (although I installed a screen door so the neighbour's cat would stop sneaking in) and where people pop in on a regular basis.

Many of you out there have 374 Woodlawn memories. What are some of your favourites?

Some of mine:

Watching Ponin leap from our garage to the neighbours garage, again and again.

Waking up to fresh cookies that weren't there when I went to bed.

Making a pile of money off the garage sale mom let Ponin and I run. We gave JEM 10% for dragging stuff out of the roof of the garage.

Me, dad, Old Milwaukee in the backyard. 'Nuff said.

Reading Cue For Treason with mom in her fuchsia and paisley bedroom. I think I was in grade 2.

Jam, Tim Cripps Curley drinking Scotch and sitting around the fire pit in winter. Me waking up to a smoke filled bedroom (my bedroom was right beside the firepit) and screaming at them to go away. It's funny now.

Putting all the leaves in the enormous kitchen table and having glorious feasts with family and friends.

Dad BBQing dinner for us. He made beef, chicken and pork and all the trimmings. God, I miss that.

Hosing off mom's car in the middle of the night b/c we drove that drunk guy home we didn't really know and he threw up down the side of her car. We actually let him out in the middle of River at Osborne but we think he was close to home. Dad comes out to the garage to see what's going on. Ponin and I say go back to bed, you don't want to know. He went back to bed.

Christmas night in the living room with mom, dad, JEM, me, Ponin, Body, Jam sipping Scotch and watching a movie. What a great night.

Many, many, many games of hide and seek in the house and neighbourhood.

Rolling rocks!

Remember the time we found out dad had a cousin Ken and he came for Christmas dinner? It is never boring in that house.

Being allowed to draw all over the wall between the kitchen and living room just before it was torn down during the "big reno".

There are many, many more and as they come to me, I will add them.