Sidewalk Stories

Do people really eat this stuff? Buffalo, crocodile and kangaroo at the St Lawrence Market.

One thing I like about my neighbourhood is the streets are lively. Lots of people in the 'hood don't have a car, or else are not in good shape to drive one, so the sidewalks see a steady stream of folks about their business. Plus some other things.

Yak, venison, elk.

Emu, pheasant, buffalo, rabbit, goat, duck, camel.

For example, a couple of weeks ago I was walking home from Loblaws. I was less than 10 metres from my front door when I heard a skateboard coming up behind me. 

I’m an old hand at sidewalk turf battles. I don’t surrender my right of way to wheeled vehicles. 

The rumble of hard wheels on concrete deepened as the ‘boarder slowed but did not stop. I saw him as he passed me on my left. Then I felt something lash against the back of my legs. And then, on my right, I saw a dog, a sandy-red rumpled mutt, part golden lab part heaven knows. The kid on the ‘board dropped the leash so we didn’t all end up in a pile. I gave him the look he deserved. “Sorry,” he said, as he gathered the dog’s leash and rolled away, “It was an accident.”

“Sure,” I said, “a skateboard and a dog on a leash on a sidewalk … what could possibly go wrong.”

He missed my meaning, and continued as he had, southbound on the sidewalk, his dog on his leash, assuming the next pedestrian to come along would do the right thing and get out of his way. 

Ostrich, buffalo, elk, duck.

On Friday, on my way to the St Lawrence Market, I passed two men on the sidewalk. One was fast asleep, lying on the north edge of the path. He lay on his side, his head flat against the hard concrete, his back to the abandoned restaurant that used to be George's Spaghetti House, in its heyday one of the great jazz venues in Toronto. He may not have been as old as he looked. 

The other man was about a block west of the first. He was also lying down on the sidewalk, but not asleep. He was doing pushups - a lot of pushups - in the middle of the sidewalk by the parking lot east of Filmores. He was younger than the first guy and had a cigarette tucked behind his left ear. His head was turned to the left, toward Dundas Street. 

I yielded the sidewalk to him, passing on his right. 

I'll stand up to stupid skateboarders, but sometimes the life on the sidewalk is just too crazy to mess with.  

Thanks for reading!

Have a great week!

Karen