He was a stickler. From the early days of his youth he was wary
of the deal the “too good to be true“scenario. His dad would yell in from the barbecue
“Hey Buddy steak or 2 delicious hamburgers” he asked himself why the choice,
why 2 burgers vs. steak? He chose the steak.
In the 1970’s doctors and lawyers drove Mercedes and BMW
cars while his Dad drove Oldsmobile and Pontiacs, why? He asked his Dad and the
answer was either “you need to buy American Son” or “too bloody expensive, who
am I Rockefeller?” He looked at quality statistics at the library and found out
why.
He built a hockey card collection from 10 years old through 16
and he traded and talked the subject not with his peers but with adults who
traded cards. He learned the game of hockey from a statistics standpoint in
order to make the right choices when saving rookie cards of the latest NHL
prospects. The card collection bought him his first BMW when he was 22 years
old.
He dated many young ladies and would have them in for good
food and good wine, he had learned how to cook and what quality ingredients
were. He was not a wine nut but he knew what wine went with what food and
understood quality. Dates out on the
town consisted of events, good bands, lectures, dances. Some girls wanted to
spend money at fast food joints and seeing bad movies, this was not his way and
they did not last long. Other women though were impressed with his cooking and choosing
really special events to attend. One of
these women duly impressed him and he her and they married.
Early marriage was spent living in a meagre apartment in the
city near enough to work to spare the BMW much usage. Furnishings and clothing were purchased used
but purchased with quality and condition in mind.
He soon purchased a piece of land within walking distance of
the train in a small town near the city. The land was walking distance from the
grocery store, the community centre, pool and the hospital. He paid cash for the
property and this drained his accounts to nil. For the next 5 years they continued
in the little apartment and added a beautiful little girl to their lives. Every weekend they would take the train to
the small town to tend to the land. They grew vegetables and built a small shed
in the back corner of the property and used it to store garden tools,
eventually they put in a counter and stove and spent every summer and fall
canning the vegetables they grew on the vacant property. Sometimes they would
sleep in some sleeping bags in the shed and make it a camping experience. They
dreamed of the day they would build their dream home.
They continued to live with good food good wine and attended
the most interesting events. They seldom drove the BMW day to day, but did use
it to see the countryside and to go on a couple of trips cross country. The BMW
got to 7 years of age with only twenty thousand Kilometers on the odometer.
When the time came he studied plans for good homes, he talked
to the experts, he researched how much space people needed to live if they had
an active lifestyle. He researched how spaces made people feel. He looked at
other cultures and how they used space in their dwellings. He knew his house
should look like others from the outside, but he knew that he had one chance to
do it right and he was not going to jump into things. He was not handy or given
to doing carpentry or other trades. He took the time to interview trades and to
ask the plumbers about good carpenters and to ask the electricians about good
roofers. He settled on the design and the people who would build his home. The
home was placed close to the road; a nice front porch was attached so that they
could feel connected to the community by sharing their life out on that porch. The house was not small, but it was not large
either and every aspect was designed to provide the togetherness a family needed
and the privacy when that was needed. It was built with good material and finished
with quality, lots of windows. Hardwood floor was used throughout for its durability
and its ability to be refinished whenever needed, “slippers compensate for
carpet “he always said. The cost of the project did overrun estimate and they
did not quite have enough money saved. For the next year they shouldered a ten
thousand dollar loan, and when that was done their house was theirs.
They had 2 more girls and completed the family there. The five
lived in the house in comfort. They made the decision to warm themselves in winter
with good wool and fleece instead of warming the house too much. When guests came they turned up the heat. They
eventually stopped buying used furniture and clothes and purchased quality new
things. These things were purchased with the sense that they were forever and
care was taken in the decisions. The BMW was eventually replaced with a new Toyota,
not because it was worn out but because many new safety features made it
obsolete. The Toyota was considered quality and it was built in the city where
he worked. The old BMW being 18 years
old now was sold to a collector happy to have such a gem.
One time he lost his job and times became tough, she had
taken part-time work in the community they lived in so she could be involved in
the lives of their girls. He was without a job for over a year, he did some odd
jobs but spent the time looking for work in his field and upgrading his
education. The good quality of their house, gardens and minimal possessions allowed
them to breathe during a time of no significant income. The trouble passed and
life normalized again.
They always volunteered in different groups in the
community, they gave their time and every few years changed their focus to keep
it fresh. They benefited from the friends they made and the better community that
resulted.
The girls grew and went out into the world. Two of them
followed his example of simple living and the other lived in the consumer
world. All were reasonably happy and that satisfied him. He and she continued in the house and grew a
garden and walked to the grocery store when needed to buy fresh food for
dinner. They sat on the front porch and
the world walked by, sometimes conversation ensued and sometimes it didn’t. They
travelled some to Europe and New Zealand. Eventually they felt no need for the Toyota
anymore and at 25 years old a young man bought it and was thrilled to have the
vintage car.
They did not appear different to others. They had never paid
interest on a credit card our held a car loan or mortgage. The small loan taken
when they built their house was considered necessary and it was never
regretted.
Their lives were no longer than usual and they left the
world without ever appearing anything but regular to their friends and family.
They never boasted or complained and their lives were complete in the success
of their Children and Grandchildren.
