Images: (above left to right) 1. Picture of me in Mrs. Katherine garden circa 1978, 2. Mrs. Katherine & I on her front porch, 3. (below) BBQ dinner at Mrs. Katherine's cottage
Life is a culmination of moments - some happy, some sad, others inspiring or heartbreaking and if you’re lucky, many of them amazing!
During the month of July, at Home Coffee Solutions, we are giving thanks to Amazing Summer Moments – not only those shared over a cup of coffee or tea (though we’re sure you have many of those) but all Amazing Summer Moments. You’ll hear some of our cherished stories and we encourage you to share yours - together we’ll pay tribute to summer days and taking the time to enjoy them.
My name is Lisa, and Claudio and I started in the coffee business in 1996. I could share countless Amazing Summer Moments from my childhood – playing ball in front of my house with friends until sun down, Sunday picnics with my large extended family and 2-month long summer trips to Portugal. They all involved some Amazing Summer Moments.
The story I’ve chosen to share however, is about my childhood neighbour Mrs. Katherine and her, run down but nonetheless fabulous, Wasaga Beach cottage.
Mrs. Katherine was a sweet, widowed, little old lady that lived alone in a large home next to mine. Any thought of my childhood evokes cherished moments with Mrs. Katherine. I could often be found in her backyard garden running around between the flowers she so carefully grew, sitting side by side in her front porch feeding the cats (yes she had several cats) and in her kitchen patiently awaiting the yummy snack I had requested of her and she gladly prepared. I loved Mrs. Katherine and Mrs. Katherine loved me.
In addition to her majestic old home in downtown Toronto, Mrs. Katherine also had a cottage in Wasaga Beach and several times she would hand me the keys and have me tell my parents that we should drive up for a visit. We never stayed a full week, but the few days we spent there were bliss.
From sunrise to sun set, I spent the days exploring. I ran around the cottage seeing if I could find poison ivy (I never did thank goodness), searched the water and sand of the beach for creepy-crawlies I could inspect & play with and settled in after dinner and a bath for imaginary tales I conjured up using the creaky cottage as my setting. The fresh air, the new surroundings and my parents laid back demeanour all made for some Amazing Summer Moments at the Wasaga Beach cottage.
While Mrs. Katherine has since passed away, I remember her fondly every time I visit my parents or watch my daughters play with Mrs. Barbara, our sweet, widowed, little old lady that lives in a large old home next to ours.
Thank you Mrs. Katherine for so many sweet Amazing Summer Moments.
