Hayden and I have two homes. Our primary home and residence is a little white house in Winnipeg’s least desirable neighborhood which I like to call our “North End Oasis”. Our second home is the farm I grew up on and where my parents still live. I am grateful to have both places to resort to when city life becomes too constricting or when country life becomes too dull.
You can’t really know how naïve you are until you go from living in a tiny close-knit community to a neighborhood mostly inhabited by less-than-reputable characters. We have witnessed a lot of madness outside our front yard, but have also crossed paths with a few gems.
In the first few years we lived in the North End, some nights Tyler and I would sit on a now discarded couch in our front porch and just watch the scene in front of us. Since we’ve never had cable, I guess this was our version of some train-wreck reality show. One particular saga involved our neighbor, Danny, across the street and the flood of strange women that were always crawling in and out of his basement window. Danny was actually a nice guy, always waving at us and saying “Hi". The last time I saw him I was pushing Hayden in the stroller and he smiled and said, “Awe you had a baby!! Right on!!!” We’re not sure where he is now.
Despite the late-night pandemonium, I have always felt safe on my little Oasis. A lot of people are surprised by this but I honestly feel like our house exists inside an impenetrable bubble. We’ve never been victims of crime even though our neighbors haven‘t been so lucky. I think the first winter we lived here our snow shovels got stolen but that’s about it. Excuse me while I go find some wood to knock on.
It’s cheap to live in the North End! I don’t understand why more people don’t buy houses here. The immigrants have figured it out! When will everyone else? Amongst the friendliest neighbors are the immigrant families. When we move, I will dearly miss my neighbor, John, and his big Philippine family BBQ’s. The loud conversation and even louder laughter that makes me laugh even though I never know what they’re ever talking about. Often when he BBQ’s he shares with us.
Our other neighbor, Jose (now moved) was a young El Salvadorian man who always invited us to come pick whatever we wanted from his tiny garden and apple tree. He and Tyler would often help each other out with random acts of heavy-lifting and the moving of furniture.
Another demographic there’s no shortage of in the North End are senior citizens. They have lived in the neighborhood forever and still treat it like the place it once was (which was apparently pleasant and respectable). They all take pride in their charming little flower beds with their quirky (sometimes creepy) lawn ornaments. Most are friendly, some not so much. Our next-door neighbor, Norma, was as friendly as they get! There was no end to her generosity, particularly with baked goods. Once in a while, I would go sit with her and drink tea and listen to her stories. She would tell me about every single person in her entire Italian family, what they did for a living, what their hobbies were, how much money they made, etc. I enjoyed it! She has since moved into a retirement home and I really miss her! When she moved, she gave us her patio swing and Hayden and I swing on it every day.
Tyler and I plan to one day live in the country near my parents farm. The reason we want to live in the country is for the freedom, the space, the privacy and to be surrounded by nature. We don’t like having neighbors 4 feet away at all times! Now, I feel guilty saying that since the only neighbors I’ve ever known have been genuinely kind-hearted and lovely people. I will miss having neighbors!
Until we are able to make the move from city life to country life, our little home is perfect for us. The fact that it’s tiny doesn’t bother me now that I know Norma raised her own 5 children in a house even smaller! And they’re all rich now! So maybe we should just stay here! ;)
Xoxo Liza
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