It’s not you, Almonte. It’s me. It’s nothing you did. You’ve been great… really!
You welcomed me 13 years ago when I moved here to start a new job in Lanark County, and we’ve had a lot of fun together. There have been new friendships and old friendships made stronger over tea, coffee, dinners, cards and potlucks. There’s been art and music, restaurants and festivals, community choir, knit-nights and sewing poppies. I’ve hiked your trails, paddled with the Prior Chest Nuts, enjoyed your rivers and lakes, the gardens, community art and the walks along the beautiful Alameda.
Together, we welcomed visitors who also fell in love with you. No, I was never jealous. I wanted them to see you the way I did. And really, who could blame them? With your beautiful old buildings, the river running through town, wonderful shops and gathering places, and all that gorgeous scenery, you are easily the most charming town I’ve ever called home.
But what I’ll remember most isn’t just how beautiful you are. It’s how it felt to live here. When life brought harder moments, there was a listening friend, a warm hug, a laugh, and the comfort of knowing I wasn’t alone. Those small things weren’t so small after all.
You’ve been much more than a lovely little town, Almonte. You’ve been my community and my home. But I have to tell you something. I’ve been feeling the pull of another for some time now. Someone much younger—eleven months old, to be precise. So, it’s time to move west and wrap these grandma arms around a sweet little grandbaby on Vancouver Island.
I’ll miss so much about our time together, but I’ll carry a little of that Almonte spirit west with me. Your beauty may draw people in, but it’s the people and the sense of community that make you so very hard to leave.
Wel…there is one thing. It’s a small thing really and hardly worth mentioning. But it has always been a mystery to me that I’ve never been able to get a butter tart with raisins at Baker Bobs! Perhaps in the end, it was just a tiny bit you, Almonte.
All joking aside, if you’re out walking along the Alameda, look for our family bench in honour of our folks. The line from the poem on the bench reads:
“I’ll e’er be in sunshine with my love by my side.”
Sit for a while and enjoy the view. I hope it gives you a moment to appreciate this wonderful little town and, especially, the people who make it home.
As for me, I’m off to the west coast, a new adventure and one very important little person.
I’ll be back to visit, Almonte. After all, you don’t spend 13 years together and just walk away!
With love and still holding out hope for that raisin butter tart.
Jane Coyle
