Moiya invited me to her house last night to have supper with Terry (Stringer) and Mike Fleming.
The Stringers lived across the street when I was a child. Mrs. Stringer was a family institution. If my folk weren’t home and something happened that needed adult help the cry went out, “Run, go get Mrs. Stringer.” Lila helped to raise us. Lila and Howard didn’t moved into their house until 1948. They lived in the cement walk-in basement of their house, waiting to finish the top part and they didn’t move into it until 6 years after Terry was born and she was born in 1951, so that would make 14 years that they lived downstairs, waiting to accumulate enough money to finish off the top of the house. The $25,000 mortgage didn’t get retired until much after that.
It was over at Terry’s house that Moiya saw her first decanter and lovely cut glass wine glasses. She asked Terry what that was and could she have a smell. When Terry obliged and Moiya went to smell it, Terry sloshed it forward, a small drop landing on the outside of Moiya’s lip. Moiya said she ran to the bathroom and scrubbed that lip until it was raw, hoping not to have lost her salvation over her inquisitiveness.
I reminded Moiya that while our folks had people over every Sunday for dinner, we never had company, which is what the Stringers had. Sometimes Nila would say, “I have to go home. We are having company.” We never had company at our house. Our loss although our house was always alive with people – the ones who lived there and all of their friends. Terry said it was so much fun to come over – there was always something going on at the Pilling’s house. Home made chocolates at Christmas, carefully packed away into nylon stocking boxes. Even Moiya and I had forgotten that detail. Terry said, “How wonderful it was to be there when hot bread was taken out of the oven.” Of course, all of the children at our house were longing for a loaf of the store bought bread that graced the Stringer’s table. Just a piece of that was like dessert to us. Terry could remember the hunting dogs, the rabbits, the frogs – they were the animals that were at our house. And she longed to have matching dresses like the ones that Wyona sewed for Darla and Moiya.
Terry and Moiya compared birthdays, Moiya remembering that she always shared her day with Richard – a double party, not something Moiya really wanted, but that is the way it was. Moiya remembered that somehow Wyora would curtain off the door to the sewing room with a low curtain, and then everyone could go fishing – a string tossed over the curtain and then onto the hook at the other end was a gift attached for each child who came to the party.
Moiya served us pizza from her new pizza oven last night. She asked if we wanted ice cream. Terry is staying away from sugar so she passed. I called for a Pilling-sized ice cream bowl in honour of the fun of yesterday’s reminiscences.
Arta
The Stringers lived across the street when I was a child. Mrs. Stringer was a family institution. If my folk weren’t home and something happened that needed adult help the cry went out, “Run, go get Mrs. Stringer.” Lila helped to raise us. Lila and Howard didn’t moved into their house until 1948. They lived in the cement walk-in basement of their house, waiting to finish the top part and they didn’t move into it until 6 years after Terry was born and she was born in 1951, so that would make 14 years that they lived downstairs, waiting to accumulate enough money to finish off the top of the house. The $25,000 mortgage didn’t get retired until much after that.
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| Front Row: Arta Pilling, Terry Stringer, Moiya Pilling Back Row: Mike Fleming, David Wood |
I reminded Moiya that while our folks had people over every Sunday for dinner, we never had company, which is what the Stringers had. Sometimes Nila would say, “I have to go home. We are having company.” We never had company at our house. Our loss although our house was always alive with people – the ones who lived there and all of their friends. Terry said it was so much fun to come over – there was always something going on at the Pilling’s house. Home made chocolates at Christmas, carefully packed away into nylon stocking boxes. Even Moiya and I had forgotten that detail. Terry said, “How wonderful it was to be there when hot bread was taken out of the oven.” Of course, all of the children at our house were longing for a loaf of the store bought bread that graced the Stringer’s table. Just a piece of that was like dessert to us. Terry could remember the hunting dogs, the rabbits, the frogs – they were the animals that were at our house. And she longed to have matching dresses like the ones that Wyona sewed for Darla and Moiya.
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| Moiya's picture of Jesus is in our photo for a reason. See the accompanying blogpost (which is yet to be written). |
Terry and Moiya compared birthdays, Moiya remembering that she always shared her day with Richard – a double party, not something Moiya really wanted, but that is the way it was. Moiya remembered that somehow Wyora would curtain off the door to the sewing room with a low curtain, and then everyone could go fishing – a string tossed over the curtain and then onto the hook at the other end was a gift attached for each child who came to the party.
Moiya served us pizza from her new pizza oven last night. She asked if we wanted ice cream. Terry is staying away from sugar so she passed. I called for a Pilling-sized ice cream bowl in honour of the fun of yesterday’s reminiscences.
Arta
i love the distiction between "company" and "people over at the house"
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