POSTING #55

Stories from Ottawa's Suburbs

The first house we bought (in 1967) was in the east end of Ottawa in a new development, surrounded by hills, fields and bush. Until the spaces got covered with houses and streets it was a fine place to raise children. They were able to roam over a huge area---they were 'free-range' kids.

We lived there for a decade. The suburbs are sometimes depicted as dull places with people from the same backgrounds, values and economic class. That isn't how I remember that area.

There were some fascinating people.

One was a scientist who loved to tinker with anything electrical or electronic. He had bought a new car and I wandered over when I saw him working under the hood.

"What are you doing?", I asked.

It turned out he was doing two things. First, he was disconnecting all the emission control items on the car. According to research he had done, they reduced the power of the car as well as its fuel efficiency, while the impact on the environment was marginal.

Second, he was rewiring the ignition so that the car would not start unless the cigarette lighter was in place.

He could leave the keys in the car's ignition and carry the cigarette lighter in his pocket.

No one could 'hot wire' his new car.

I guess it worked, no one ever stole his car.

ooo

There was another neighbour who believed that the oil companies were behind the instructions that one should change the oil regularly. According to him the oil companies just wanted to sell more engine oil.

He never changed his oil. When the oil level got down he would add a quart.

He was also convinced that regular servicing of the car was unnecessary. He took the car into the garage whenever something went wrong.

I, on the other hand, followed all the instructions about oil changes and regular servicing and I'm really not sure that our cars lasted any longer or better than his.

ooo

A friend bought a house in the early 1960s in another suburb of Ottawa, in the south. In 1963 a newly elected Member of Parliament from Quebec moved into the neighbourhood. His English was poor but he was outgoing and soon most of the neighbours had met him. In the evenings he liked to play catch with his two young children, a game that was soon joined by other kids from the neighbourhood.

My friend was part of an informal car pool and someone suggested that they invite the newcomer, whom they had seen waiting at a bus stop, to join them.

He was a congenial member of the car pool, telling them stories in his mangled English about his experiences in the House of Commons. He once thanked them for helping him practice his English.

The car pool worked for several years and then the MP told the others that he wouldn't be riding with them anymore.

"The boss", he said, "wants me to have a car."

That was Jean Chretien's way of telling them that Prime Minister Trudeau had appointed him to the cabinet.

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See you next Sunday for Posting #56 with more stories from our family’s universe! If you have comments or suggestions, please leave a comment at the bottom of this posting, or email me at johnpathunter@cs.com.