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A View From
Grandma's Window
Links in this
Section
 Born
and raised in Walkerville, Bonnie now lives in St. Andrews By-The-Sea
in New Brunswick.
by
Bonnie (Hazen) Nelson
Five
Thirty Three Windermere is no more, nothing remains. I had returned
after 35 years, only to find myself standing in a parking lot, feeling
overwhelmingly sad. Never mind. I soon found something very special
my initials and long lost friends' initials in the cement
sidewalk. My fingers ran across them fondly. Yes! This is where
I spent my childhood!
Grand
Barnes' big, three story, red brick apartment building and the barn-like
garage, the beautiful garden, all gone.  But
not really I can still see it all, and grandma still standing
at the driveway gate.
Mom,
Dad and I lived at 580 Lincoln, in the big home that they had moved
to the back of the lot to build two stores on Wyandotte. Grandma,
being so close, gave me a pleasant refuge from that hectic corner
of Lincoln and Wyandotte.
Grandma
had so many wonderful tenants over the years. All with their own
stories Thelma Montrose, Millie Morrow, Miss Harkness and
Elmer Sirs I remember them well.
As
I stood in that void, so many great times started to well up from
my memory. The roses, oh, the roses. The whole perimeter of the
yard was filled with every colour imaginable. And the fragrance
was so memorable that to this day, some rose perfumes put me right
back into Grandma's garden.
The
garage had the most magnificent cascade of red roses, which almost
hid an old weathered window and door. It was a picture to behold
every spring and summer.
But
the best was Grandma's big
old apricot tree. A plethora of fragrant pink blossoms, her pride
and joy. That stately tree supported my swing, and itshaded half
the yard. The fruit well, how can I tell you just heavenly.
I
remember the Mother's Days and the Children's Days we celebrated
at Lincoln Road United Church with Rev. Sam Henderson and his wife,
who always wore the most beautiful spring hats. Those days meant
bouquets of lily of the valley, roses and lilacs. That garden celebrated
those memorable times as much as we did.
Tulips,
daffodils, and narcissus lined the driveway and offered up their
blooms for our spring bouquets. Lily of the valley blanketed the
ground beneath the apricot tree, and along side the garage. Hands
full of this fragrant delicate flower always went to now forgotten
teachers at King Edward School.
But
my favourite was the trellis covered with sweet peas. Every year,
they would reappear in great profusion and to this day, I grow sweet
peas just because they were a part of my childhood.
Now
I have what I call my own "Grandma's Garden". I have moved to St.
Andrews-By-The-Sea in New Brunswick. There, my son Jeff and daughter
Christie, help me operate a beautiful bed and breakfast called,
"It's The Cat's Meow B&B". My garden is so much like Grandma
Barnes' garden that I feel like she is gardening right along side
me. The lilies, roses, lilacs, fruit trees, and on and on, have
all come full circle in my life. Everything reappears every spring,
much to my amazement.
Every
blossom is a loving tribute to "Grandma's Garden".
Next:
What We Did On Our Summer Vacation: 1950
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