The Rural Voice, 2006-10, Page 41Home Decorating
Home there, home here - it makes you thankful
Patti
Robertson
operates
Classic
Interiors in
Wingham.
By Patti Robertson
The thoroughfare is dusty and
deeply rutted. Where there had been
many trees they are sparse...many
chopped down for firewood and those
remaining are without the full
complement of their leaves.
Parking the vehicle, one walks up
a barren dirt road past leafless poplars
and rows of houses with caved in
roofs and broken mud walls to the
wooden slab door of a dilapitated
one -storey home. Upon knocking,
one is warmly greeted and bowed to
upon entering a low adobe ceilinged
common room. Dirt walls are entirely
barren, the floor covered with a straw
mat with frayed edges. A pair of
lanterns in the corner provide the
only light. There has been no
electricity for some time now.
Running water, cold only, is sporadic
if at all.
Along the one wall sit three little
boys, cross-legged on a mattress
covered with a dusty blanket with
frayed edges. A couple of worn
leatherette office chairs are reserved
for company. Tea is offered and
comes out, black, strong and steamy
in chipped earthenware mugs. Later a
meal of steamed vegetables (meat has
been non- existent for a long while) is
offered with heels of stale bread and
one's hands used as utensils.
While Mom and Dad sleep in the
barren room next door, the common
room is divided with tattered sheets
and serves as the sleeping quarters for
the three little ones all cuddled onto
the mattress while company is
extended another mattress on the
opposite side of the makeshift
divider.
This is the home of Rana and Fadi
and their three cherished sons.
This is Jalalabad, Afghanistan
once renowned for its fruit, warm
climate and air sweetened by .the
sugar cane fields...but that was
before three decades of war. This is
today....
Meanwhile, here at home, our
trees are changing to their autumn
splendor of rich gold, burnt sienna
and crimson red. Huge orange
pumpkins are filling the market place
for eating and the fall decorating of
our homes. Cornstalks, squash and
gourds are all plentiful as expected.
Any average neighbourhood sports
well-maintained and groomed
landscaped properties, paved
walkways and embellished, freshly -
painted entranceways with which to
welcome neighbours and friends.
Inside, homes are brimming with the
fresh scents of fall cooking, stews.
soups, meat, potatoes and the ever -
popular fall apple pie with the perfect
amount of sweetness and cinnamon –
if one's sen$es deceive one it could
be the aroma coming from a scented
candle, enticing us with mouth
watering appeal.
Furnaces and fireplaces come on
and take the chill out of the fall
evenings. There is plenty of seating
around the dining table and the
entertainment unit. Movies and X -
box rentals are easy to come by.
Schools, hospitals, grocery stores and
shopping are mere moments away.
Beds sporting clean crisp linens and
comfy comforters await us after we
indulge in a long, hot shower or
linger in a tub scented with sensual
soap.
As we gear up for Thanksgiving
with family and friends, planning
who will cook the turkey. the pies.
veggies and casseroles. we have so
very much to be truly thankful for —
first and foremost this incredible
country of ours. so bountiful and
brimming with possibilities. The
warmth and splendor of our homes,
the safety and security of our loved
ones. How truly wonderful our
Canadian lifestyle can be. and how
obvious our blessings are in compari-
son. How honoured I am to be deeply
appreciative and thankful for all.
My best to you and yours.
Patti
Patti 's Tip:
Take your clean and gently used
clothing and household items to a
donation store where they will be
sold and proceeds donated to those in
need or what does not sell and is
surplus will be shipped to those in
need around our world.0
READY TO LAY
PULLETS
WHITE 8 BROWN EGG LAYERS
FISHER POULTRY FARM INC.
AYTON.ONT NOG 1C0
519-665-7711
PATTI ROBERTSON'S
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nferiurz
Unique Residential and
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135 Victoria St., W'INGHAM
357-2872
• Custom-made Window
Fashions, Bedspreads
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• Fine Domestic &
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• Furnishings, Lighting
& Artwork to suit
any interior...
OCTOBER 2006 37