More than Treasure!

It has been 9 years since we bought our bungalow in the city. I remember the events leading up to our purchase as if it were yesterday. Ha! With that, I can’t help but wonder why is it then that I can’t recall where I put my watch from 2 months ago?

I work 6 km away and on my 30 minute lunch I discovered this home on a private sale by internet. The next day I drove to the location. Loving what I saw, I called on my cell to make an appointment for viewing with my husband.

Upon seeing me parked in front of her house, the owner insisted that I “get in here and see it!”  Not surprisingly, getting a personal tour added much to my intrigue. We signed on the dotted line and made a new friend in the process!

One of my favourite features was the vine-covered pergola on the west side, shading a flagstone walkway. It has provided us with cool in the summer, and warmth and shelter in the winter from the harsh Ontario wind.

In September 2011 we decided it was time to bring the deteriorating structure down.  With another purpose in our heads, once I gave the final nod, WilleR acted quickly before I changed my mind.

It’s amazing that the carpenter bees didn’t put up a fight since they had claimed many pieces of the structure for their food source.  Cedar planks were bored and hollowed with perfection and the bees were snuggled inside, presumably for the winter.  My, they have been busy!

While WilleR was busy stacking the sawed planks to burn on our camping trips, I set about pulling the remaining tendrils of the still-rooted vine. Emphasis on rooted!

Life seldom fails to bring a smile no matter what we are doing, if we are open to it, and this chore was no exception. When I dug my shovel in to turn more earth, there was a small glass elephant! In the house, from four years ago, an identical miniature waits … almost as if it knew. Obviously these were parts of a once-hanging garden chime.

Being a lover of elephants, DohNa will be excited for my treasure, and will understand, as I do, that this is a wonderful reward for saying goodbye to a well-loved shelter!

What a special day!