Daytripping Summer 2022

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Lake Huron The Daytripper Now we double back a bit toward TILLSONBURG MI ONTARIO SHOP NY LOCAL A Moment in the Kitchen By Gayle Etherington, Ancaster • from Daytripping Nov-Dec 2016 issue Standing in the middle of the kitchen, I stare at the geometric design on the formica table. The swirling circles of brown and mustard yellow, a forgiving mistress in concealing a lifetime of coffee rings, cigarette burns and the etched initials of an old love. The room is a time capsule. In fact, the entire house is a scrapbook of a typical farmhouse one sees dotted alongside the roads of Ontario. Solid stone structures that lay impervious, while families come and go, leaving a backdrop of faded gingham wallpaper, history and secrets. I look down at the surface of the table littered with prescription bottles, an open McKenzie Seed Catalog and a milk glass cereal bowl. The remains of what looks like a bloated mass of Shreddies lay hardening, covering up most of the ivy pattern that clings to the rim. The only clue that she has been here recently, is the bright pink lipstick smear on the chipped mug that sits half full of beige oily liquid. I pat the stained knitted tea cozy covering the pot and it is cold to the touch. Belly tightening, I turn and walk to the sink. A gentle breeze lifts the flimsy curtains and as they blow inward, my fingers capture a piece of the fabric. Years of sunlight have taken its toll but the faded images of vintage toasters and coffee percolators still bleed through the cotton. A dark ugly memory streaks through the quiet as I recall the day my mother hung them up for the first time. “Add a bit of colour to the room, don’t you think Katie Cat?” she stated as she climbed down from the rickety step stool one of my brothers had made in shop class. My response is a pile of lost words, but I am left with the sick feeling of intentional cruelty. A senseless slaughter of a happy moment, my victim, a slight woman who always seemed to get in the cross fire of my teenage misery. She was an easy target for my nasty tongue, and as I mocked her lifestyle and ideals, we clashed often. What I did not realize at the time was that she could sense my inner need to rebel and gave me a safe place to do just that. In the shadows just before sleep, I often relive my careless words and the shame that comes still brings me to my knees. I should have made the biggest fuss over these darn curtains. They would after all, be the frame around her world for the next forty years. I let the material slip free, releasing it to the outgoing wind. It was too quiet. Where did she go? I never liked hearing the sound of my own heartbeat. Right now, its echo battles the cheap starburst clock that hangs over the stove. The insidious ticking reverberates off the walls, even though the hands, made to look like a knife and fork appear to be frozen permanently at ten to five. My eyes automatically move to the doorway where I half expect to see the weathered face of my father coming in for his dinner. A man of routine and few words, I always felt his love for us when I looked at his hands. Crossing the room to the built in alcove, I turn on the radio. The familiar click of the worn knob lights up the greasy face and the silence is filled with the crooning of Johnny Mathis. I notice the elf figurine sitting on the shelf. His casual cross-legged pose and impish smile were a part of my childhood Christmas memories, and as I wipe the dust off him, I wonder when he stopped being put away with the other ornaments. A creepy piece of plaster, I spent far too many hours looking at his snide little mouth and squinty eyes. I turn him over and look at the generic stamp on his bottom and the place where his legs have been glued back together after one of its many falls. He may be worthless, but he has earned the right to reign over this corner of the kitchen while he can. With a newfound sense of respect, I gently place him back where he belongs. The sound of gravel on the driveway draws my attention and my anxiety level is dialed back when I see who is getting out of the car. Moments later I hear the screen door slam and her voice call out. “Katharine?” “I’m in the kitchen, Mom!” I holler. She enters wearing the yellow plaid raincoat she bought for herself at Eaton’s in the sixties. One pocket is torn, the other swollen with used tissues. Her flannel pyjama pants are tucked into black wellies that are leaving fossil like footprints on the linoleum floor. Her thinning hair is sticking up in rooster fashion and one lone curler still clings to her scalp. She is carrying a flat of fresh strawberries in both arms. “Look what I picked this morning,” she states, smiling so wide her eyes all but disappear. I return the smile, taking the fruit from her to place on the counter. I can feel where her gaze slips to and prepare myself. “Not hungry?” she says as she looks down at the unfinished breakfast. I don’t have the heart to tell her that it’s not mine. I can’t...not when she smells like sunshine and earth. When her cheeks and nose are pink from the cool air and her bent fingers are still stained red. Later perhaps, but not now. I bring the dirty dishes to the sink and wash away the unwanted mess. “So, Mom, I guess we are making jam today?” Page 78 “Notice - drivers do not carry burritos” (sign on a Chipotle truck) Summer 2022
Again, you can take whatever route you choose of course. ARTS, CULTURE, COMMUNITY & HERITAGE ~ OPEN YEAR ROUND ~ Art Programs - youth & adults - various mediums - all skill levels Monday-Saturday 9-4pm Pottery Studio & In House Groups • Summer Camps & Events 41 Bridge St. W • TILLSONBURG • 519-842-6151 • www.stationarts.ca the findings that bring you home • Visitor Information • Artisan Gift Shop • Galleries • Art Supplies • Farmers Market: Saturdays, May-Nov. GIFTS, BOOKS and MORE! Thoughts On Golf Stop in to our warm & homey environment where you'll find treasures that bring inspiration, comfort & joy! A collection of funny quotes on the subject on golf Monday to Friday 10am to 5pm Saturday 10am to 4pm 147 Broadway, Tillsonburg I 519-842-6612 www.lighthousetreasures.ca OPEN Civic Holiday FROM HWY. 401 19 Broadway OLD VIENNA RD. FROM AYLMER Simcoe St. 6 OLD VIENNA RD, TILLSONBURG • 519-688-7770 3 Tillson Ave. Annandale House KIA 19 (Vienna Rd.) 3 FROM SIMCOE OPEN Labour Day • OVER 10,000 SQ FT • 1 FLOOR - NO STAIRS! • AIR CONDITIONING Spring Savings 10 % -50 % OFF SELECTED BOOTHS & ITEMS Throughout the Store TILLSONBURG Tillsonburg 1872: The Story of Incorporation 70+ Vendors • Collectables • Vinyl • Vintage • Furniture • Jewellery • Diecast • Glass & China • Military • Toys OPEN Tues to Sun 10 am to 5 pm • The man who takes up golf to get his mind off work soon takes up work to get his mind off golf. • Golf is an expensive way of playing marbles. • Golf: A five mile walk punctuated with disappointments. • There are three ways to improve your golf game; take lessons, practice constantly, or start cheating. • The secret of good golf is to hit the ball hard, straight, and not too often. • Golf was once a rich man's sport, but now it has millions of poor players. • An amateur golfer is one who addresses the ball twice: once before swinging, and once again after swinging. • Many a golfer prefers a golf cart to a caddy because it can't count, criticize or laugh. • Golf is a game in which the slowest people in the world are those in front of you, and the fastest people in the world are those behind you. ANNANDALE NATIONAL HISTORIC SITE 30 Tillson Ave TILLSONBURG, ON www.tillsonburg.ca kwatkin@tillsonburg.ca 519.842.2294 Exhibit Open Now until August 28th in the Pratt Gallery 150th Anniversary Fun Fair Party July 1st • 1 to 3 pm on the Annandale lawn Small Wonders Art Show & Sale September 10th - October 30th Annandale NHS & Oxford Creative Connections Inc. Summer 2022 “Warning - never use a lit match or open flame to check fuel level” (label on a Jet-Ski) Page 79
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This issue has Sections in Southwes
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DESTINATIONS TO EXPLORE The Summer
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...and then wanders town by town, t
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Lake Huron MI ONTARIO NY Now we’r
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TOWN NAME, TOWN NAME and another aw
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TOWN NAME, TOWN NAME and another aw
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Welcome to Blenheim • Joseph Ribk
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- Southwestern Ontario Map - Unique
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River Grand Willow R. 8 9 6 28 R. 9
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T RRY Shop Locally, enjoy dinner an
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CHATHAM, KENT BRIDGE, BOTHWELL, THA
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Lake Huron MI ONTARIO NY Daytrippin
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Further north now to SARNIA, POINT
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Page 45 and 46: Organic & Specialty Farms for food
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Daytripping Summer 2022

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