A Very Special Christmas Gift!

This has been a very busy year for us . . . especially when you consider we are seniors. This photo was taken in advance of Christmas. Our friend, Rebecca who majored in art and photography took several shots of Keith, Buddy (the Lhasa) and me and we chose several favorites.

We are sitting in front of our fireplace which is the focal point of our so-called great room.

The term "Great Room" is certainly not a Canadian term so I will explain briefly. And for Americans - especially here in Texas - I must tell you that in the Toronto area, the frontages of the lots are very narrow and builders compete to see who can cram as many houses as possible on the least amount of land. That is simply because Toronto land is very expensive. The demand is very high because that is where the jobs are.

Something else to note is long commutes for people attempting to get houses for more economical prices.

Well, where we live in Texas, almost all houses are one storey, or as that is called in Ontario - bungalows. Yes, yes, I know - in Texas a bungalow is half a house or two houses on one lot. In Ontario, that is called semi-detached. And then there are quad houses which are four to a lot.

So, thirteen years ago when I came here, I had to begin learning all these terms wo people could follow what I was saying.

I had seen a "great room" before - back in the early 90s in Big Bear, California.

A great room is a giant room which most people dlvide (by furniture) into living and dining areas.

When we actually moved to our current house, and so many boxes were marked "Great Room", one of the movers asked Hubby,

Where is this "Great Room"?

"It's right here! Doesn't this look like a GREAT room?"

So, you get the idea.

I was interested and found the history of our subdivision which is called "Englewood" from the builder a few years ago. He now has the Century 21 Franchise in town and his brother is a District Court Judge, having traded the family business for law school.

One time, we even got to talk with their father who created the subdivision some 45 years ago. Although it is inside the loop of the city, it was at one time an area of cottages with a little lake and a general store.

The great room? Well, since we had seen about four of this same design home around town, we were not at a loss for ideas.

Some of you know I sold real estate in the 70s in the Toronto market and so for me, a house that had no garage showing at the front was a beautiful sight to behold: major curb appeal!

Our lot is on a gentle curve and has a 239 foot frontage, so it was easy to set the garage at the front, sideways with windows matching the other side of the entrance. So, the garage door is at the side of the house. Voila! Instance curb appeal! Without being a corner lot, we still have lots of room for a double drive to come up and make a gentle turn into the garage. (Our home is now about 15 years old and we have lived in it for 12 years.)

For my Texas readers, garages in the Toronto area are very prominent and the living space is built on top and behind. Land cost is the whole name of the game.

There is a street in Toronto spelled Inglewood where many famous people, including movie stars filming there, have lived. So the street name had a nice ring.

So, our subdivision - as I said - is inside the city's loop and has many egresses (ways in and out) which was another plus for me.

The great room? Well, when you walk in our front door - greeted by the exuberant "Buddy", you are in a small ceramic-tiled foyer. When you are in the great room, you are first in the dining area. (Remember, to your left as you came in was actually a double garage.)

You come past a curio with my dog figurines and past the buffet and hutch, the table and you are coming upon a chesterfield - ah ha, you thought I would say "sofa" first, didn't you?

(You know, being a Toronto native in Texas, I must be every bit as bilingual as I was in Toronto, only not French, eh?

So, there is a sofa with recliners on both ends facing a loveseat which also reclines. (Texans are pretty casual.)

The sofas and tables are grouped around the fireplace which has bookcases on either side and a lovely mantle, with brickwork up the wall.

The major windows face out to the garden which has a covered patio. As you might have figured out, the backyard is very wide and "Buddy" does a lot of running back and forth there.

At about 10:15 on Wednesday night, this computer went dead as did the power in the entire house. There was no warning, no rumble, nothing. Earlier, there had been Tornado warnings and flash flood warnings, but not exactly for 10 or so blocks away.

Yes, a tornado - not very common for this area, came through and flattened the VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars) Building where people play bingo Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Hubby's name was on the special wall they have there.

Down the block from us, say four houses, trees where flattened to the ground and a little further down, a garage was demolished.

Once again, we were very fortunate! One of our decorative Christmas angels took a fall for us, as did a patio chair and two small limbs.

How blessed we are to have been spared! A very special Christmas Gift this year!