The phone call

After Christmas vacation, Mom and I always go through a bit of withdrawal. We enjoy spending time together so much and both feel the void when we have to say good-bye. To counteract this in January, I booked Mom a flight to come to Toronto and it was to be her longest stay to date. As she is now retired and no longer limited due to vacation restrictions, I went and booked her a two week plus stay. We were both looking forward to it so much. So as to make sure she got to do as many interesting and fun things as possible, I even created an excel sheet to help organized her trip! I prepared as much as possible in advance....purchased tickets to the theatre, tickets to a daytime television show broadcast, scheduled dinners with friends, and looked into a day trip out of Toronto.

Mom arrived on a Thursday evening at the end of March. The ride from the airport to my apartment is always amusing for me. Mom is so hyper upon arrival. Listening to the speeches come out of her as the airport limo driver weaves in and out of the congested Toronto traffic is the beginning of the laughter that commences for the duration of her stay. Her take on life is always so refreshing, inspiring, and humorous.

I had to go to work that Friday but after work our first event commended. My friend Dee, Mom and myself headed for a manicure and pedicure at Cozy Nails. We had our feet and hands scrubbed, backs massaged in the salon’s comfortable massage chairs, and the complementary fruit smoothie. Oddly, we all choose the same colour for our toes. Dee had chosen this colour on a previous trip and I loved it. So we all gave it a go.

After an hour or so of pampering we headed to the Danforth. On previous trips, Mom developed a taste for Greek cuisine, which Dee and I also already loved. Astoria is our favourite restaurant. It is *always* busy and lively, and the souvalki is said to be the best in the city. If you are in Toronto, be sure to give it a try. Here is Mom, Dee and some pork souvlaki:

 

Mom and I made our way to the Textile Museum the next afternoon (Saturday). I love this little museum. The first time I went was in the Fall of 2009 with my friend Beth where we saw the most beautiful exhibit of Molas – front and back panels made by a reverse appliqué technique incorporated into the blouses of traditional costumes of Kuna women (indigenous people of Panama and Columbia). As Mom has an appreciation, ability, and knowledge for various crafts, fabrics and techniques, I thought she might enjoy this museum as well.

When we entered and went to the admission desk, I asked for a senior’s rate for Mom. The lady behind the desk looked at Mom and exclaimed “You don’t look to be 65” in a surprised voice, which of course *is* true. We then proceeded to have a nice discussion with the lady. As I guessed, she was a volunteer at the museum and much to our surprise, she told us she was 91 years old. As we walked away and got on the elevator Mom looked at me and said, “When you get to be that age, everybody looks young.” Always so humble my Mom. Yet I couldn’t help but chuckle as it was so something that Grammie would say.

One of the exhibits was entitled Portable Mosques: The Sacred Space of the PrayerRug. These 19^th and early 20^th century rugs were incredibly ornate and beautiful.

After that, we encountered many impressive pieces from the museum collection: a 19^th century Tibetan jacket; mid 20^th century hooked rug from Lunenburg County, Nova Scotia; crazy quilt made ca. 1890 in Durham County, Ontario; and mid 20^th century bedding cover from Gujarat, India.

From the museum, we made our way back to my beloved Danforth. Having lived my first four years in Toronto in this neighbourhood, I will always have a fondness for this area. It is familiar and how I first became acquainted with Toronto. Mom and I met Doug and Patty Baldwin, who live in the neighbourhood for yet another Greek feast, after which we went to the Baldwin’s home for tea and dessert. Patty made her famous Pat’s Rose and Grey carrot cake, which went so well with the accompanying tea. The phone rang, Patty picked it up, looked puzzled and handed the phone to Mom saying “Caller id says it is Robert Rossiter calling.” Mom answered equally as puzzled. It wasn’t Dad through, it was my brother David. Looking at Mom, I saw a look of shock come over her face. She turned to me and said in a low voice “Dad had a heart attack this afternoon.”

To be continued...