Home & Garden: Feeling at home

It is so nice to see the leaves unfurling and the dandelions popping.

Emerging from a cold winter and below seasonal spring temperatures, it feels like everyone is ready for a little warmth and sunshine.

Here we present our annual Home and Garden special edition of The Creemore Echo, a celebration of all things spring. It is a time when we throw open the doors and windows and begin to blur the lines between indoor and outdoor living. A sure sign of spring is when the dining room is abandoned for the patio table, the oven passed over for the barbecue, and the kitchen starts to spill out onto the deck.

In this year’s Home and Garden edition, we celebrate the past and future.

We have been fortunate enough to have been invited inside some of Creemore’s century homes to learn what people are doing to preserve and enhance them.

In doing so a theme has emerged about the feeling of home. It comes through each story in one way or another.

Getting a good feeling from a home is tricky to describe and even harder to explain but we’ve all experienced it. Being at home may cause someone to exhale fully and settle the nervous system. Sometimes it is about the people in the home and the memories made there, and sometimes that good feeling could be the result of being surrounded by a pleasing palette, heirlooms, or good books. Whatever may be the cause, it is to be acknowledged and cherished. Comfortable homes are not to be taken for granted in this economic climate.

It’s nice to see homeowners appreciate the craftsmanship of the homes they occupy, even if for a relatively short time.

The village is steeped in history shaped by people doing small things to build the community. For example, while researching 198 Mill St., we found that the original resident Thelma Thomson was a founding member of the Purple Hills Arts and Heritage Society and was instrumental in launching Scouting in Creemore. She and her contemporaries put in motion programs that still define and enhance the community. What better legacy could there be?

We also feature people who are sharing their creative talents from their home-based businesses. Most artisans create work that is meant to be enduring but there is a segment that puts just as much time and energy into something that is then devoured (in the case of food) or smashed (in the case of piñatas) yet they are likely the thing that is most remembered after a big celebration.

Others in this issue are advocates for land stewardship, whether creating a healthy ecosystem for plants and birds, or inspiring youth to care about gardening.

We hope this package of local stories helps usher in a spring awakening of community engagement and celebration as we look ahead to some warmer weather and summer vibes.