Book excerpt: The Cleavers Didn't Live on Our Street chronicles one man's tales of growing up on the other side of the tracks in Windsor, Ontario, Canada, where father didn't always know best and the Cleavers never came to visit. J.V. Trott, a former humour columnist, shares his witty pie-in-the-face childhood reflections that illustrate his innate ability to laugh at his family's antics even as they co-existed in the sticks without a refrigerator, furnace, telephone, or car. His essays detail once-in-a-lifetime experiences such as building a Christmas tree from scratch, celebrating Thanksgiving with a "best friend" on the menu, taking driving lessons in a garbage truck, inviting a drunken Santa to spend Christmas Eve with the children, and babysitting in a tomato field. As Trott cleverly illustrates the value of family and the importance of humour, his anecdotes will transport others back to a time when a previous generation both lived-and laughed-through their own set of unique challenges. "Utilizing humour, emotion and wit, John engages the reader with his many hilarious, sentimental and sometimes painful anecdotes from his childhood memories. His family stories will remind you of your own childhood adventures and misadventures." -Nora Zylstra-Savage, Instructor, Hailburton School of Fine Arts