A house made of brick, with stairs up to the bedrooms, insisted my eldest
More than one bathroom was what I wanted most, and better closet space
A basement and a backyard to play in, lots of kitchen cupboards and counter space
The most important thing was to be within the French Immersion School’s catchment area
The bottom line: What could we afford?
It turns out we could afford awesome
The kind of neighbourhood where people say hello when they cross paths
Where backyards have pools and jungle gyms, and tree swings and tree forts
Or hot tubs and teak sets, ponds with koi and garden Buddhas smiling peacefully
Mature trees proudly provide shade as you walk along sturdy sidewalks
Flowers, perennials and annuals, in beds, boxes, urns, and brass bicycles
And some yards are simply broad expanses of lawn mowed on Saturdays
Summers are quiet, and in the fall and winter and spring only the mornings are bustling
So quiet that you can hear the birds and bugs or the snow crunching under your feet
A passing car is loud, and a skateboarder is a storm with headphones humming a tune
Smelly school buses and cranky commuters move along the main roads in the morning
After, a group of dog walkers meet in the park and the tennis matches also start
Then, when the dogs are done, a day care parades to the playground chattering
Walking in Toronto, a new couple, we dreamed about a house and a yard
Until we drove up Yonge Street, looked north, it was just a dream
We followed our destiny up to Newmarket
Now, it’s an amazing reality and we’re gratified and grateful and part of our community
Our house, our neighbourhood, our town, our home sweet home
Not perfect (laundry room, loud landscaping tools, tree rot, dandelions) but awesome
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