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Wednesday, July 14, 2010 Orono Weekly Times - 3 The house at the centre of the universe by Tracy Tonkinson Mill St., Orono In the fall of 2009 we came to visit the house that held us spellbound from the moment we saw it that June. As we approached, a crowd had gathered at the intersection, lawn chairs filled the driveway. After a moment or two we cautiously crossed the intersection, the lawn chairs parted and we drove up to the side of the house. Our realtors solved the mystery; there was about to be a parade, our first clue that we were buying the house at the centre of the universe. Run down, yes, overgrown, absolutely, in need of plenty of tender loving care, no question, but without a doubt, the most amazing place we have ever lived. When we told our townie friends we were moving to Orono, some frowned and couldn't find it on a map, some laughed and said we might need to learn French if we were intent on moving so far east and some suggested it would be nice to live in a lovely quiet country place away from it all where nothing ever happens. The fall parade was, of course for the Orono Fair. Amongst the lovely old cars, marching bands and kids was a camel and a Zebra from Bowmanville Zoo; the same zoo that figured in news reports around the world after Jonas the tiger and Todd and Shawn the camels were kidnapped in Quebec. Was our parade camel Todd or Shawn, who knows, but it was fun to speculate? Moving in was a twelve hour marathon, and then came the jobs inventory. Job one, get a new roof! Empty for a year and a half, the roof and garden certainly convinced us that neglect had been the fate for this amazing old home. We bought it because it felt welcoming, and crazy as it sounds, it seemed to be begging us to love it. During a wickedly watery October we got our new roof and removed the buckets from our bedroom floor. Next stop was Halloween. We had given up on Halloween. The kids in our neighbourhood had grown and moved away, so when we came to Orono we were unsure how to deal with Halloween. Our son and his friends made up our minds for us. "It's a spooky old house, you have to decorate it and do Halloween right." Ok then. We let the kids, (nineteen-year-olds, by the way!), get at it and soon cobwebbed trees, grave stones, and even rubbery limbs reaching out of the flower beds festooned the yard. We stocked up with candy and waited for darkness to fall. We had a blast. So many kids came, dressed in their scary best, some of the smaller ones a little hesitant to go up to the spooky house, but most eager and polite, and by the end of a photo supplied Donald Welsh helps Phyllis Stapleton out of the new Clarington Older Adult Association's "Wheels in Action Van". The van is available to provide transportation to and from activities and programs hosted by the COAA. busy night Halloween was rekindled for our family by many others, giving us a "welcome to the neighbourhood". In our new house a little over a month and already we were having fun. We began to suspect our friends were sadly mistaken in their reservations about the wisdom of our move. No sooner was Halloween packed away than it was time for the Santa Claus parade. That inspired us to go Christmas crazy resulting in a large inflatable snowman and Christmas tree appearing on our lawn. We're not sure our neighbours enjoyed the spectacle but the kids at the school bus stop seemed to like it! I guess you know what's coming. After Santa Claus came parades for the Olympic torch that stopped at the end of our driveway so we could watch as they exchanged the precious flame from one torch bearer to the next, the youth hockey champions, so great to see, as the guys mugged for our camera's with their trophy and rightly seemed to be having just as much fun on the Bickle fire truck as if it was their Stanley Cup, and most recently Bryan Bickell Day where Bryan and the Stanley Cup made many of our friends especially sorry they weren't living here. These amazing things make our friends gasp at HOUSE see page 4 ~ Happenings ~ Tuesday, July 27, 2010 - ZEP Wind Farm Ganaraska Public Meeting, 5:00 to 8:00 pm, Orono Town Hall, 5315 Main St., Orono. See notice on page 7. Thursday, August 5, 2010 - Orono Horticultural Society Summer Flower & Vegetable Show, 7:30 pm, Orono United Church. Speaker: Kristen McCrae; Topic: Garden Photography - Up Close. Refreshments. All welcome.