In the spring of 2010 I asked myself if I’d one day say, “I remember when Cynthia worked out of her basement.” Never in a million years did I think I’d be “remembering when,” less than a year later. At the new location the animals will still be in the basement (when they are small and need TLC) – disappointing, it would be nice to have room upstairs with real light – but it is a bigger basement on a gorgeous property donated to the Nottawasaga Conservation area with the specific request that it be used to benefit wildlife. The small bungalow will allow space in its ‘great’ room for a store – important for raising funds, a display area, and meeting space. The two bedrooms will be used for examination and surgery, and an office. Thanks to the Saunder’s family, this lovely property on Beeton Creek will be preserved. Outdoor facilities for the older animals will be brought from the former location, and a deer pen installed if the Aviva charity funds come through.
On Sunday Cynthia and I delivered invitations for an open house to the mailboxes of neighbouring homes.
I wonder about the Saunder’s. This was their cottage for decades. They loved animals. Spent their lives together here. It would be nice to have a photograph of them to put on the wall. They have left behind some old wooden tables and an egg incubator. There are two amateur paintings of the property and someone has piled colourful china tea cups in the corner of one room. Is this what we leave behind – tea cups? When our close friend Vineeta died my sister and I divided her beloved tea set between us. She had always loved it, dusted it every weekend on its brass-coloured trolley. She has been gone over a year now and the last days I spent time with her are getting too far away.
