The street we have lived on over the past thirty years, and streets adjacent to ours, hosts a community of people from everywhere in the world. There are people living on the street whom we've known for decades and others for only a few years, while some, mostly very young families are as yet personally unknown to us. But we've known and know neighbours from Bangladesh, India, Russia, Hong Kong, France, Syria, Egypt and elsewhere. Among us live French Canadians, Black Canadians, Christians, Hindus and Sikhs, Muslims and Jews.

 

 

When I was out this afternoon working in the garden, a man we know as a frequent visitor to the forest we visit daily walked by with his beautiful Rhodesian ridgeback, a noble creature of great beauty. Down the street came the regular thwack of a young boy hitting his ball through his net. There was a rise of children's voices in play. Very little vehicular traffic passes on the street. It is a quiet street of single-family and attached homes. Just down the street there is a semi-major artery and crossing that, there are parks and playgrounds in both directions.

 

 

The ravine that we visit daily runs through the community. Barely a trickle of the number of people who live nearby have any idea of what it's like to walk through the woodland trails. We're mostly urban creatures with little curiosity about the natural world close at hand, even though on occasion someone might glimpse a raccoon or a rabbit, even a fox and in the past deer or beaver, edging out of the forest briefly onto someone's lawn.

 

 

Another overcast, cool and very pleasant day today met us as we walked through the forest with Jackie and Jillie. On our way there, we came across one of our near neighbours just exiting the ravine as we walked up the street. She walks alone now for a relief from concerns, her husband no longer accompanying her since he's been experiencing health and mobility problems. It's a pleasure to stand awhile and talk together quietly as she described their recent visit with scattered family members in Winnipeg.

 

We made our trip through the ravine this afternoon a bit on the short side. Irving had been busy in his workshop completing one of his stained glass pieces; puttying it before installing it within a door frame he has yet to produce. So while he was cleaning up from that I had taken Jackie and Jillie out and began working in the garden, cutting back our myriad of hostas. On our return the puppies had their salad, Irving went out to run a few errands, and I continued clearing away the garden for its fall/winter rest.