It's either fascinating or terrifying (both?) how well the internet seems to know me.
Last week, I shared some thoughts after a in Victoria. Mentioned in passing was how the "candies in the glass candy dish glommed together and you thought nothing of chipping one or two off for yourself."
I did do a quick search for 'candy stuck together' to see if it matched my memories and it did. Remember the round things with the swirl? The wavy looking things that were just awful? The long, straight ones? Seems like it's been the same for decades. Hint: go for anything orange and you were safe; avoid anything with a little flower design in the middle.
But in terms of any type of online search, that was it. Shortly thereafter, on one of my social media feeds, up popped the picture (above) of the exact green glass candy dish at my Nana's house. Granted, it was probably the same one at thousands of homes across the world back in the day but it creeped me out a little that the online overlords could read my mind so well.
Seeing that iconic dish (was there every anything louder if you were trying to sneak something out of it?), plus the absolute joy and comfort I took from all the memories of that particular home left me wondering... could our current house ever be seen in that light?
As mentioned, to this day, I can recall virtually every square inch of my grandparents' home. Mostly because it was the same from the time I was five until I was in my forties. That dish was always in the same spot, on the same little round coffee table. The little metal knight that housed the tools Gramps used to poke the fire was always right beside the fireplace. The photos on the wood-panelled wall didn't change. The same clock set off the same chimes every hour for decades.
The clothes hanger in the backyard was there forever. The dart board in the garage absorbed bullseyes for years on end. Everything always smelled exactly the same. It was your childhood in a time capsule.
It was perfect, so why change a thing?
Now, we've been in our current home for nearly 20 years 鈥� longer than any of our previous villas. But (and there's no grandchildren yet) it's hard to imagine it ever holding that kind of old-time magic.
Sure, the dining room table is getting a little old, but we've swapped out multiple couches (Nana's was a chesterfield) and TVs over the years. The paint, blinds and flooring have been swapped out. Pics on the mantel sweep to swap out daily. There's a 'snack bowl' (currently a beautiful wooden one my Dad made) but it has changed multiple times.
Of course, the magic remains not in the items themselves, but the people you're visiting. But we'll have to work on having an iconic item or two to spur on future memories.
How about you folks out there? Do you have a home (featuring parents, grandparents, friends) that sticks out as your own time capsule? A wonderful place where time stands still? As always, I'd love to hear some of your own tales.
PQB News/Vancouver Island Free Daily editor Philip Wolf welcomes your questions, comments and local story ideas. He can be reached via email at philip.wolf@blackpress.ca; by phone at 250-905-0029 or on Twitter .