Wednesday, September 16, 2015
I was so shocked and saddened to read about Laurie’s passing. It’s been so many years, about 45 since I saw her last. But I’ll never forget her or the fun I had in her home on Elgin, just a field or two away from my own on Henderson. I have so many cherished childhood memories of her. It’s too bad Laurie and I lost touch a couple years after I moved away. I remember for my eighth birthday party that her mom Louise kindly drove all the way to our home in Etobicoke and brought a gaggle of girls from Thornhill, including Laurie, of course, to help me celebrate. That was a big deal for me as I was having trouble adjusting to the barrenness of the suburbs. I remember bouncing down hardwood stairs on a bear rug at her home. Her dad didn’t seem to mind our silly antics. I remember her mom coming home from work, so exotic I thought, since my mom was always at home cooking or cleaning. Laurie and I made up dancercise routines (though they didn’t call it that then) to Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: A taste of honey, which we played repeatedly. Listening to it here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_KDPUTyDyQ just now, I remember the fun we had bouncing around Laurie’s living room. And how serious we were at the ages of 7 and 8 trying to perfect these routines, doing them over and over again. Classical Gas was another favourite. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEzyrpfrPEI I remember sleeping over a number of times and her dad frying up bacon, six slices each, another novelty for me. (Perhaps it wasn’t really six, but just three cut into six.) I don’t ever remember eating bacon at home. I remember him distinctly asking if I wanted it crispy or flabby. I didn’t know, so he did some of each. Then there was this dress, a blue one with white polka dots with a three tiered skirt and short ruffled sleeves. An impromptu overnight stay one Saturday night necessitated the loaning of this dress for Sunday church. I felt like a princess. And soon after the dress was mine since Laurie, a year older than me had grown out of it. And I am just remembering the Scottish dancing lessons that I also somehow was included in. And our obsession with the Monkees. I’ll never forget; how much fun I had with Laurie and how kind the Turnpenny’s were to me. It’s hard to process this. Fifty-seven is far too young. I hope you are dancing in heaven Laurie.
