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Vol 32 • No 08
$4.99
January 2020
Make your own SALT MEAT p. 17
The stranger side of 2019 Travel Tips for Heading South NALUJUIT VS. MUMMERS
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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Katherine Saunders Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Graphic and Web Designer Cory Way Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Marketing Director Tiffany Brett Finance and Administration Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Accounting Assistant Sandra Gosse Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Warehouse Operations Warehouse / Inventory Manger Carol Howell Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins Distribution Sales & Marketing Amanda Ricks Sr. Customer Service Associate Sharon Muise Warehouse Associate Anthony Sparrow Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, St. John’s Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Emma Goodyear, Jonathon Organ, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Rebecca Ford, Erin McCarthy, Mackenzie Stockley, Marlene Burt, Marissa Little, Hayley Fitzgerald, Elizabeth Gauci, Beth Colbert, Kim Tucker, Heather Stuckless, Katrina Hynes, Tammy Keating
Subscriptions Customer Service Associate Kathleen Murphy Customer Service Associate Nicola Ryan
Founding Editor Ron Young
President & Associate Publisher Todd Goodyear
Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Grant Young
General Manager/Assistant Publisher Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $39; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $41.99; ON $45.19; NB, NS, PE $45.99. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.99.
Canada Post Canadian Publications Mail Sales Product Agreement #40062919 The advertiser agrees that the publisher shall not be liable for damages arising out of errors in advertisements beyond the amount paid for the space actually occupied by the portion of the advertisement in which the error occurred, whether such error is due to the negligence of the servants or otherwise, and there shall be no liability beyond the amount of such advertisement. The Letters to the Editor section is open to all letter writers providing the letters are in good taste, not libelous, and can be verified as true, correct and written by the person signing the letter. Pen names and anonymous letters will not be published. The publisher reserves the right to edit, revise, classify, or reject any advertisement or letter. © Downhome Publishing Inc. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form without permission of the publisher. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
Printed in Canada
Official onboard magazine of
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76 get moving
Contents
JANUARY 2020
50 Submission of the Year Meet the finalists and vote for your favourite to win!
58 Foresight 2020 Some things to look forward to in the year ahead
76 How to Get Around (in) Winter Transportation tips for the cold, ice and snow. Katherine Saunders
58 future cast www.downhomelife.com
122 The Poet Laureate Ena Constance Barrett’s tumultuous life in Scotland and Newfoundland brought sorrows and delights that inspired volumes of her poetry. Helena Barrett MacLean January 2020
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Contents
JANUARY 2020
homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor 11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine
12 Letters From Our Readers Downhome love story, hello from HMCS Halifax and homemade salt meat
20 Downhome Tours Downhome readers explore Iceland
22 Why is That? Why do we say we “heard it through the grapevine”? Linda Browne
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remember summer?
26 Life’s Funny Didn’t Quite Catch That… Isabel England 27 Say What A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
28 Lil Charmers The Great Outdoors 30 Pets of the Month Snow Days 32 Poetic Licence Where I’m From Megan Sitzmann
34 Blast from the Past Remember… Truck Rides?
36 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews Kevin Major and reviews the final book in his trilogy, Land Beyond the Sea
38 What Odds Paul Warford keeps it in the family 4
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30 super scooper 1-888-588-6353
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40 Dear St. John’s, My Sweet! A travelling journalist falls in love with Newfoundland and Labrador Alec Bruce
42 The Life of a Corner Boy Remembering longtime St. John’s newspaperman, Carl LeGrow Steve LeGrow
46
yup, that happened
46 The Stranger Side of 2019 The oddities of the year in review
features 64 Waiting For You A reunion between a boy plucked from the ocean and his rescuers, a crab fishing crew from Port de Grave, was over 40 years in the making Dennis Flynn 68 Mercedes the Matriarch Tony the Tailor’s widow, now 87, still keeps the family in stitches. Karen Silver
explore 84 Plan Your Escape Essential tips for your next trip down South
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southward bound www.downhomelife.com
90 This Spot is Reserved Thanks to a generous donation, a new nature reserve has been established on the edge of St. John’s. Katherine Saunders 94 The Jewels of James Cove If legend is to be believed, this resettled area has an unsettled past. Dennis Flynn January 2020
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Contents
JANUARY 2020
104
new year, new start
98 Fun and Fright on Nalujuk Night Floyd Spracklin shares his holiday experience in Hopedale
102 A Hike to Remember Family members honour a loved one on top of Gros Morne Mountain. Arlene and Bill Adams
food and leisure 104 Everyday Recipes 8 recipes to help you turn over a new leaf in 2020 114 Down to Earth A Year in the Life of Gardening Kim Thistle 6
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114
a year in the yard 1-888-588-6353
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132 bye-bye bay
reminiscing 118 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places
120 Between the Boulevard and the Bay Ron Young 130 From Dust to Dust The Newfoundlanders who patented coal briquettes About the cover This serene moment in Quidi Vidi Village, in St. John’s, NL, puts winter in its best light. The photo was taken by Charmaine Young of Twillingate, NL.
Cover Index Make Your Own Salt Meat • 17 Foresight 20/20 • 58 Emotional Reunion • 64 Welcome Winter • 76 The Stranger Side of 2019 • 46 Travel Tips for Heading South • 84 Nalujuit vs. Mummers • 98 www.downhomelife.com
134 Downhome Memories The Montreal Move Sam Barnes
138 Newfoundlandia The end of the smallpox monster began with Newfoundland daring. Chad Bennett 142 Mail Order 144 Marketplace 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish January 2020
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An emotional reunion that was 40 years in the making (Story on p. 64)
Premiers past and future meet‌ in a K-Mart? See p. 118
Vote for Submission of the Year!
Like the foodie stuff in Downhome?
Visit www.downhomelife.com/soty from January 6-17 and vote for your favourite.
(Turn to p. 50 to preview the finalists.)
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January 2020
Join our new Everyday Recipes Facebook Group!
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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules
You could WIN $100! Every reader whose PHOTO, STORY, JOKE or POEM appears next to this yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue receives $10 and a chance at being drawn for the monthly prize: $100 for one photo submission and $100 for one written submission. Prizes are awarded in Downhome Dollars certificates, which can be spent like cash in our retail stores and online at shopDownhome.com.*
Submit Today! Send your photo, story, joke or poem to
Downhome 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or submit online at:
www.downhomelife.com *Only 1 prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material. www.downhomelife.com
January 2020
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i dare say
Entering a new year is like crossing the street.
Todd Young photo
You want to look both ways – back at the year past and forward to the year ahead – as you cross the threshold between the old and new at midnight on New Year’s Eve. In this issue, we give 2019 one more look over our shoulder, particularly at the stranger side of it (see p. 46). I mean, who expected Dildo residents to be recurring guests on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”? Then if you turn to p. 58, you’ll discover what you might want to bookmark for the year ahead, in our “Foresight 20/20” report. This is also the issue where we say goodbye to a longtime contributor while welcoming a brand new one. Finally enjoying a real retirement, Dr. Ross Traverse has turned in his spade as our “Down to Earth” gardener. Ross first joined the magazine as a columnist in January 2007. His articles and advice made him highly popular with readers, and we would like to “throw him a bouquet” to sincerely thank him for all his wisdom and considerate advice over the years. Meet our new gardening columnist, horticulturalist Kim Thistle, on the opposite page and read her first column – the four seasons of gardening – on p. 114. I find myself looking back not only on the last year (I finally got to interview Gordon Pinsent!), but on the last 19 years I’ve spent here at Downhome. I’ve been a part of so many changes – remember when it was The Downhomer and the magazine was on newsprint? – and met and said goodbye to so many wonderful, interesting people. This month I begin my 20th year. I can’t wait to see what it brings. Thanks for reading,
Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief janice@downhomelife.com
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Contributors
Meet the people behind the magazine
Helena MacLean
Kim Thistle
Helena MacLean grew up all over the island of Newfoundland, from Corner Brook to St. John’s, Gander and Stephenville. She now resides in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. In this issue, she presents the story of her grandmother, Ena Constance Barrett, past poet laureate of Newfoundland and Labrador. Helena’s grandparents were very important figures of her childhood. She writes, “My fondest childhood memories are of my grandparents. My very earliest memory of all is of Granddad lifting me up in his arms before bed to show me the full moon and ‘the old man in the moon,’ which I always said I could see but never did! Even then I would not disappoint him. My grandmother always made me feel I was a source of joy. What a gift to give a child! From her I learned kindness and a love for the written word.” Helena has spent a great deal of time researching her grandmother’s fascinating life, and has written several articles and short stories of her own, some of which are about her grandmother.
Kim Thistle is Downhome’s new gardening columnist. With more than 35 years of professional experience in horticulture, she’s ready and eager to share her knowledge with our readers. Kim grew up “under the benches,” as her mother would say, of her parents’ gardening business in Steady Brook, NL. She hated gardening when she was young, but during post-secondary school, she realized gardening was in her blood and grew to love it. She studied horticulture in Nova Scotia and Alberta before returning to western Newfoundland. When her parents retired, she and her husband, Sean, purchased their business and moved it to Little Rapids. Today, The Greenhouse consists of three acres, four greenhouses, a retail shop, vegetable gardens, a demonstration space, consultation and design services, and a wonderful staff that are practically family. Kim and Sean have two children, one grandchild and three cats. When she’s not tending a garden, Kim enjoys sewing, hiking, skiing, reading and swimming.
www.downhomelife.com
January 2020
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Vacation at the Cabin
I’m living in Ontario, but was born in Newfoundland. I crave summer vacations every year and am so happy owning a piece of the Rock in Point of Bay, Newfoundland. This photo was taken of me during my August 2019 vacation at the cabin, taking in the fresh air and much needed relaxation. Calvin Bolger Pontypool, ON
Talk about “soaking” it all in! Thanks for the photo, Calvin.
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Kudos to Harold Walters
Love and Downhome
I am pleased to read on page 18 of the October 2019 issue of Downhome magazine [“Letters from Our Readers”] that part of Downhome’s mission is to “teach each other about our colourful phrases and keep them alive in print.” My wish is that your Downhome publications continue to inspire the artistic community of Newfoundland and Labrador to recall, in a respectful way, the language of our ancestors through poetry, stories, drama and song. In this effort, I applaud Harold Walters in doing this, in an entertaining way, in his October 2019 Downhome submission, “Autumn Leaves.”
We were just in your store at the Avalon Mall in town and got some stuff. The cashier gave us a free copy of your magazine that she said was a “little” outdated. When I got home I looked at the date: May 2004. My jaw dropped. That is the exact copy my hubby read 15 years ago and found my name in the pen pal section. He wrote to me and we have been together since September of 2004. We were in the store together when she gave it to us. That made my day. It will be kept for a long time.
Ivan Hibbs Via email
What a remarkable coincidence! Anyone else have a Downhome love story? Tell us how Downhome brought you together and you could be featured in an upcoming issue! Email us at editorial@downhomelife.com, submit a letter online at Downhomelife.com/ submit; or call 1-888-588-6353 and ask to speak to assistant editor Katherine Saunders.
Harold Walters of Dunville, NL, has been entertaining and educating Downhome readers (and editors) for 30 years with his cleverly spun tales of Harry and Gnat – the scallywags in the imaginary outport of Brookwater. He returns again next month with another new adventure.
Paula Ryan Via Facebook
Mystery Solved
With reference to the mystery item pictured on page 18 of the December 2019 issue of Downhome, they are actually “storm sail hoops from a sailing vessel.” This information came from the curator of the Fisheries Museum of the Atlantic in Lunenburg, NS. He said they have a couple of identical items on display at the museum. Thanks for working on it. G.E. Pike Via email
What goes around comes around – the original submitter of this photo, G.E. Pike, got the answer to his own question. Here’s that photo again – of what we now know are storm sail hoops. www.downhomelife.com
January 2020
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find corky sly conner Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.
Can you find him? Look carefully at all the photographs and in the text of the stories. If you spot Corky, send us your name, address and phone number, along with a note telling us where he’s located. Your name will be entered in a draw and the winner will receive a coupon worth 25 Downhome Dollars redeemable at our store, or through our website.
Send your replies to: Corky Contest
Congratulations to Jean Carew of Cape Broyle, NL, who found Corky on page 95 of the November issue.
43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com *No Phone Calls Please One entry per person
Deadline for replies is the end of each month.
What Year Was It?
Nanny Hynes
I believe there is an error in the article titled “No Stone Unturned” on page 70 of the November 2019 edition. On page 73, it mentions that Private Hugh Walter McWhirter of Bay of Islands was the first combat casualty of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment (RNR), of the “First Five Hundred.” The article states that he was killed September 22, 1914, in Gallipoli. The year is in error and should be 1915. The Florizel transported the RNR to England on October 4, 1914. The RNR arrived in Gallipoli on September 19, 1915. I am hoping that the year error was a typo and not as copied from his headstone.
Our 99-year-old mother, Ethel Hynes (aka Nanny Hynes), enjoys reading the Downhome while recuperating at St. Clare’s hospital. Syretha Hynes Ontario
David H. Kelly Courtenay, BC
It was a typo, David. It should have read 1915. Thank you for pointing out the error and correcting it. 14
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Best wishes to you for a full and speedy recovery! 1-888-588-6353
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Good Friends I just read Bruce Roberts’ article about a fine man, Bob MacDonald, who passed away here in Miramichi this summer [“Good Friends,” October 2019 issue]. I am a Newfoundlander as well and met Bob after he had retired at the Miramichi Mental Health Clinic, where I worked. He would drop into the office and there was immediate excitement as various staff members dropped by the admin area to say hello. I later knew him better as a member of a Dinner Club. Bruce’s summary of Bob as “cultured, courteous and crazy, always in the right amounts and at the right times” sums him up perfectly. His lasting impression on me was made when our daughter was struck and killed by a car near our home several years ago. He and his wife, Anna, were so quietly supportive. I last saw Bob when General Roméo Dallaire was in
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libby carew @LibbyMCarew NPS president Jack Harris acknowledges the support of @downhomelife in helping promote the Newfoundland Pony. @JackHarrisNDP
January 2020
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town giving a speech at a dinner last year. Bob and Anna are fondly remembered by many on the ’Chi. RIP. They were indeed lovely people. Ann Rendell Miramichi, New Brunswick
crops. We have a short season to get crops out of the ground and not enough people to do so. Even with high unemployment figures, jobs go begging. It does no good to grow more crops if that means more crops left in the field to freeze and rot.
Thank you for sharing your connection, Ann.
Everett Adams Wooddale, NL
Farming in Newfoundland
Thanks for your feedback on that story, Everett. As we learned in working on that three-part agriculture series, we have a ways to go to produce our own food at a sustainable level. There are various obstacles – climate, technology and investment, to name a few. Manpower, in an aging population, is no doubt a concern as longtime farmers prepare to retire with no one ready or willing to continue working their land (not to mention farmland being sold off to property developers because it’s more financially viable). But on the upside, there are young people getting into agriculture, a new college program to educate them, and a societal movement to protect and support local producers.
I enjoyed your article about farming in Newfoundland [“Putting Food First,” October 2019 issue]. I was surprised to learn we once had 4,000 farms here and now only have 10 per cent of that figure. There must be a reason for that. Is it because small farms cannot compete with the large farms on the mainland? We have postage stamp size farms here, which means farmers here cannot have large equipment to cut down on labour costs. All farms have problems, like weather, weeds and insects, but one big problem now facing small farms is lack of available labour. No one wants to work anymore. Farms cannot find local workers to help harvest their
Recipe Adjustment A reader wrote in about the Butternut Squash Soup recipe in the November issue. She followed the recipe, but her soup was watery. So we checked back with Chef Bernie-Ann Ezekiel about her recipe and got her advice for anyone who might have had the same issue. “So, I think the discrepancy is in the 4 cups of squash. If it’s not cut small enough (mine were like 1/4” square), then you have big spaces in the cup, therefore less squash. I would remove 1 litre (about 4 cups) of stock from the recipe, make the soup and add more stock as needed once it’s blended, to achieve the desired consistency. Hope that helps.” 16
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Homemade Salt Beef Recipe
When Christine Brown reached out to us on Facebook for a recipe to make salt meat from scratch, we shared it on our Facebook page and in our Everyday Recipes Facebook Group. Tina Vardy Gorman replied: “I’ve been living away from home for almost five years and I can’t get salt beef here, so I went online and found the perfect recipe. When I cook a good feed of Jiggs, there’s honestly no difference in taste than when I made it at home. Anyway, here’s the recipe and enjoy. I’ll add a pic of the beef I just recently cured!”
Homemade Salt Beef 2-3 kg brisket 5 L water 1.5 kg coarse sea salt 500 g brown sugar 1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp juniper berries 5 cloves 4 bay leaves Sprig of thyme
Put all the brine ingredients (everything except the brisket) into a large saucepan and stir well over low heat until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Bring to a boil, allow to bubble for 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and leave to cool completely. (I usually leave it overnight.) Place a 2-3 kg piece of brisket in a large non-metallic container, such as a large Tupperware box, cover the meat completely with the cold brine and leave in a cool place or the fridge for 10-12 days. I store mine in freezer bags once it’s finished brining, and freeze it until I want to cook it.
www.downhomelife.com
January 2020
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Holiday Wishes from Overseas As we enjoy spending the Christmas break with our family and friends, a number of former residents from our province are currently deployed overseas with the Royal Canadian Navy. Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Halifax is on a six-and-a-half month deployment to the Mediterranean Sea as Flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, providing support and conducting interoperability training with our NATO Allies. While being away from family and friends is never an easy task, especially at this time of year, the sailors in this picture are all proud to serve their country and home province with honour and pride whenever or wherever duty calls. Halifax’s sailors would like to wish their loved ones throughout Newfoundland and Labrador a very merry Christmas and joyous New Year. HMCS Halifax Mediterranean Sea
Thank you for your service. Stay safe! Here are the names and hometowns of crew members from NL aboard HMCS Halifax (l-r): Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Dwayne Pope (Port aux Basques), Master Seaman Randy Street (Port aux Basques), Leading Seaman Kenneth Squibb (Carbonear), Petty Officer 2nd Class Jeremy Warford (Point Leamington), Lieutenant Commander Rod Madden (Petty Harbour-Maddox Cove), Petty Officer 2nd Class Trent Clarke (Hants Harbour), Leading Seaman Michael Saunders (Corner Brook), Leading Seaman Lucas Linfield (Loon Bay), Petty Officer 2nd Class Patrick Braye (Grand Falls-Windsor), Leading Seaman Christopher Dyson (Churchill Falls), Petty Officer 1st Class Curtis Penton (Gander Bay), Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Fillier (L’Anse-au-Loup), Master Seaman Desmond Pye (Mary’s Harbour), Leading Seaman Darcy Barnes (Trout River), Chief Petty Officer 2nd Class Brian Walsh (Grand Falls-Windsor). Missing from photo: Petty Officer 1st Class Josh Taylor (The Goulds), Corporal Thomas Luscombe (St. John’s) 18
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Newfoundland
Pony Facts
1. They evolved from ponies that settlers brought with them from the British Isles including Exmoor, Dartmoor & New Forest. 2. They have unique physical survival traits: their hooded eyes keep snow and rain out; their tails are low set so snow slides off; their ears are short and furry to prevent frostbite. Their legs are close set which makes them nimble & sure footed on the rugged terrain they thrived on. 3. Some Newfoundland Ponies change colors! These “Radical Changers” change in coat colour from white in summer to roan in winter. 4. They are smart, hardy, easy to keep, and very caring about people. Their trusting nature aids in their bonding quickly with people. 5. They are listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ by Rare Breeds Canada. 6. In the 1960s, there were an estimated 12,000 Ponies on the island of Newfoundland. There were fewer than 100 by the 1980s when they were shipped away to meat buyers. 7. The NL Pony Society maintains a Registry of known Newfoundland Ponies. Registering them enables us to track their numbers, and it also helps protect them when they are moved or change owners. 8. Access to grazing land is one of the biggest issues facing the breed in Newfoundland. Top: Darwin Anderson and baby Salty in Conception Bay South. Below: Foundation Breeds of NL Pony.
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homefront Downhome tours...
Iceland
Smelly Springs
Debbie Olson and her Downhome magazine at the Námafjall Hverir, near Lake Mývatn in northeast Iceland Sometimes called a “steaming desert,” this geothermal area is made up of fumaroles – mud pots and springs that emit sulphurous gases. It is located at the foot of Námafjall Mountain. Visits to this area can be brief – the smell of sulphur sends some visitors running away with their noses plugged!
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Deep Heat
Nick and Doreen McDonald, Bob and Karen Young, Cecil and Glenda Lockyer, and Hayward and Effie Eastman visit a geothermal power plant in Iceland during a cruise vacation. This is one of five geothermal power plants in Iceland. These power plants harness geothermal energy from the Earth’s core, providing a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly source of electricity. Only areas near tectonic plate boundaries can access this type of energy; however, recent advancements in technology have expanded the range of this power source.
E
Ro pa ca Le Ch
Reaching for the Sky
Samantha Long and Lucas Roy visit the Hallgrimskirkja Parish in Reykjavik. This church is a parish of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Iceland, the officially established Christian church in the country. It is named after the poet and clergyman Hallgrímur Pétursson. The church is one of the tallest buildings in Iceland and a well-known landmark in Reykjavik.
www.downhomelife.com
January 2020
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Li Ic to es la M to Pe
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Expert answers to common life questions. By Linda Browne
Why do we say we “heard it through the grapevine”?
We live in an age where information seems to move faster than the speed of light, thanks to the Internet and social media. Of course, there’s still the good old telephone and before that, the telegraph, handwritten letters, smoke signals… you get the idea. Over the course of history, humans have come up with many inventive ways of conveying information. But how does fruit factor into all of this? Have you ever shared a particularly juicy tidbit of information and when questioned about your source, replied that you “heard it through the grapevine”? (This term usually applies to information that falls under the category of rumour or gossip, and it often gets garbled as it’s passed from person to person.) Of course, the phrase might immediately call to mind that famous earworm recorded by Gladys Knight & the Pips, Marvin Gaye and countless others. But have you ever wondered where the saying originated as you grooved along to the Motown tune? Of course, you can’t go to the fridge, stick your head against a bag of fruit and expect to receive secret transmissions (although that would be a cool party trick!). Rather, it’s commonly believed that this saying takes its 22
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name from the twisted shape of early telegraph lines, which were strung from pole to pole – or in some places, tree to tree – resembling a grapevine. However, it appears that the saying (specifically “grapevine telegraph”) was in use even before this – originating in the United States around the late 1840s or early 1850s – and has connections to the Underground Railroad. Dr. Jitendra M. Mishra, then professor at the Seidman College of Business Administration at Grand Rapids, Michigan, took a look at the origins of this saying in his paper “Managing the Grapevine,” published in the academic journal Public Personnel Management (which focuses on human resources and public administration). Mishra refers to the grapevine as a communications network, or “that 1-888-588-6353
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nebulous, all-seeing, all-knowing network of ‘truth.’ If you want to know the real story or the ‘kernel of truth,’ tune into the grapevine.” The phrase, he writes, can be traced back to the Civil War, “when vinelike telegraph wires were strung from tree to tree across battlefields and used by army intelligence. The messages that came over these lines were often so confusing or inaccurate that soon any rumour was said to come from the grapevine.” In his 1901 autobiography, Up From Slavery, educator and civil rights leader Booker T. Washington details how slaves in the South used the “grape-vine telegraph” to learn the news of the day. “Often the slaves got knowledge of the results of great battles before the white people received it. This news was usually gotten from the coloured man who was sent to the post-office for the mail. In our case, the postoffice was about three miles from the plantation, and the mail came once or twice a week,” he writes. “The man who was sent to the office would linger about the place long enough to get the drift of the conversation from the group of white people who naturally congregated there, after receiving their mail, to discuss the latest news. The mail-carrier on his way back to our master’s house would as naturally retail the news that he had secured among the slaves, and in this way they often heard of important events before the white people at the ‘big house,’ as the master’s house was called.”
Looking at the term from a more modern perspective, through the lens of a workplace setting, Mishra adds, “Usually, grapevines flow around water coolers, down hallways, through lunch rooms and wherever people get together in groups. The lines of communication seem to be haphazard and easily disrupted as the telegraph wires were; however, they transmit information rapidly and in many cases faster and with a stronger impact than the formal system allows.” However, according to a post from The New York Public Library’s blog, written by Billy Parrott (associate director of the Mid-Manhattan Library), the phrase has ties to The Hawthorne saloon, which was located in Greenwich Village. Parrott writes that the building was covered in gnarled grapevine along one side and by the early 1800s, became known as the Old Grapevine Tavern. “During the Civil War it was a popular hangout of Union officers and Confederate spies. Later, when the Jefferson Market Courthouse was built, the local lawyers and politicians would gather there to talk business. Artists and actors also met there. It was the ideal place to get news and information, or in the case of spies and politicians, the ideal place to spread rumours and gossip, leading to the popular phrase ‘heard it through the grapevine,’” he writes. Regardless of its origin, it’s clear that the grapevine is still alive and well today.
Do you have a burning life question for Linda to investigate? Turn to page 9 for ways to contact us. www.downhomelife.com
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homefront life’s funny
Didn’t Quite Catch That…
My son took his two children, aged four and five, out to camp and out fishing on the lake. Of course, they were at the age where they wanted to know the ins and outs of everything. For instance, they wanted to know where their greatgrandfather was now. “He died,” my son explained, “and he asked that we spread his ashes on the lake where we fish.” They had a great time and when they got home the oldest one, Owen, was telling his mom all about their trip. When he finished, he said, “Guess what, Mom? They even threw Great-Grandpa in the lake!” Isabel England Sudbury, ON
Do you have any funny or embarrassing true stories? Share them with us. If your story is selected, you’ll win a prize! See page 9 for details. 26
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ke “Last timeeIrtinag.” you mumm– Dale Ryan
Say WHAT? Downhome recently posted this photo (sent in by Marilyn Crotty) on our website and Facebook page and asked our members to imagine what this snowman might be saying. Dale Ryan’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding him 20 Downhome Dollars!
Here are the runners-up: “Keep practising if you want to qualify for the Snow-lympics!” – Patricia Callahan “If you’re going to curl with me you have to learn to stand on your own two feet.” – Doug Hicks “If you keep like that, you’ll freeze like that.” – Heather Harding
Want to get in on the action? Go to www.downhomelife.com/saywhat
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“Like” us on Facebook www.facebook.com/downhomelife January 2020
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homefront lil charmers
Hitting the Ice
The boys in Marystown get together for a good old-fashioned game of pond hockey. Glynda Evans Marystown, NL
The Great Outdoors Put to Work
Brayden Mugford helps gather wood for a wiener roast in the woods. Cheryl Mugford Pasadena, NL
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Mini Mug-Up
Caleb, 4, Irellyn, 3, and Lucky the pooch enjoy a snack during a day of backyard play. Carla Oldford Happy Valley-Goose Bay, NL
Jack Frost’s Kiss
Jessie goofs around while clearing the snow off the car one winter’s day. Melanie Parsley NL
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homefront pets of the month
Snow Days Little Guy, Big Land
Dexter loves getting out in the snow on large Labrador days like this one! Sarah Kennedy Labrador City, NL
I Help!
Gilmour reps his favourite team as he takes over the shovelling after four days of snowstorms. Brian Button Port aux Basques, NL
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Catching Flakes
Seven-month-old Maggie, left, gets her first taste of snow in Lab City alongside her best friend, Penny. Deanne Hussey Labrador City, NL
Face and Eyes Into It
This doggie loves the feeling of fresh snow landing on her fur. Terri Peyton Grand Falls-Windsor, NL
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homefront poetic licence
Where I’m From By Megan Sitzmann Grade 9 student New York, USA
I am from an outport From Jam-Jams and mustard pickles I am from the bitter bakeapples, biting on my morning bread. I am from the lupines, The moose and the puffins in their harmonious mountains. I am from the rocky beaches, Like pepper to the saltbox houses that seal the seal’s southern shore. From the Fennellys to the Powers. I am from the rhythm of the mummers on Christmas Eve. And screech-ins and cod-kissing, From “Jesus Murphy” and “Go on, b’y.” I am from Nan’s rosary beads, mass at dusk. Visiting the graves of generations gone. I am from the Rock, the eating of beets behind the beating of an ugly stick, Hot turkey sandwiches and gas station fish and chips. From the slushies after splinters from the back porch, Jiggs dinner after a day of throwing jigs under the iceberg And the capelin and cod dancing under the cold waters. I am from these moments. The plane ticket still beckons me annually, a message to keep me going, To look forward to bright smiling faces of home.
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Illustration from a photo by Dana Orr
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January 2020
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homefront
Remember… Truck Rides? We found in our archives this undated vintage photo of kids from the Traytown area riding to a school outing in Newfoundland and Labrador. Submitter Bev Ralph asked, “Could you just see the RCMP and the parents if children travelled this way today?” Pictured here are: Teacher Alan Hobbs (tall man on the left), and (in no particular order) Rex Arnold, Melvin Arnold, Elva Ralph, Jim Patten and Bill Patten, among others. In the forefront is Lester Feltham, the owner of the truck. We posted the photo to Facebook and stirred up some memories. Yvonne Arnold Roach commented: “The highlight of the last day of school. Wondering if I’m in there somewhere?” And Dorothy Beattie Olafson wrote: “My Uncle Ben Woodworth and five-year-old me rode in the truck box from Northern Ontario to Saskatchewan once in the ’50s.” It also sparked a discussion over what this part of the truck was called. We compiled the comments and here are how the responses were divvied up: Dump 19%
Box 15%
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Back 8%
Bed 4%
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homefront
reviewed by Denise Flint
Land Beyond the Sea Kevin Major
Breakwater Books $19.95
Land Beyond the Sea is the final book in Kevin Major’s historical trilogy that began with New Under the Sun and continues in Found Far and Wide. Unlike the previous two novels, it covers a relatively short period of time, although it has a broad cast of characters. While a work of fiction, the event that ties them all together is the real life WWII German U-boat attack that sank the SS Caribou, a passenger ferry that ran between Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. The story’s focus alternates between the passengers and crew of the Caribou and the captain of the U-boat. We get to know their desires, their fears and hopes, and, eventually, their fate. The actual sinking, the hook upon which the entire story hangs, is not the climax. There is more to the tale. It’s immediately apparent that Major did a lot of research to write this book. His most casual descriptions are strikingly authentic and the focus is wide-ranging. Whether standing on the bridge of the Caribou or peering through the periscope of U-69, the reader is plunged into the surroundings. Occasionally the timeline can be a little confusing, and the shift back and forth between first- and third-person points of view takes some getting used to, but these are very minor quibbles. Land Beyond the Sea is a crackling read that invokes both sympathy and empathy for the people on both sides of the conflict. It’s quite an achievement on Major’s part.
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Q&A with the Author Denise Flint: This book is written from both first- and third-person points of view. Why did you choose this style, and how did you choose which characters would have which point of view? Kevin Major: I chose to tell the U-boat captain’s story from the first person. That was different in itself. I suppose that, partly, I wanted people who would know the story from the Newfoundland/Canadian perspective as a tragedy put in the mind of the person who actually sent the torpedo and where he ended up. Not to deflect from the tragedy on the other end, but there’s two sides to war always, and we sometimes think of Germans with a blanket frame of mind as evil Nazis, and they weren’t necessarily. The book is going to be translated and published in Germany, so I’m anxious to see what the reaction is there.
DF: I interviewed you in June of 2018. What have you learned or discovered since then? KM: I’ve had a new grandchild, which is a great personal discovery of how much you can appreciate family connections, and that’s a really nice thing. I still enjoy the process of putting words together. I still enjoy seeing books being published. There’s a long history behind me of having published books, but it’s something I enjoy as much as I ever did. This venture into detective murder mystery genre has opened up some-
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thing that I probably wouldn’t have anticipated. One for the Rock has been chosen for [NL] Reads. It will be interesting to see how people react on a wider scale.
DF: Writers never seem to talk about retiring. Why is that? KM: Well, you know, if you love writing as I do, it’s such a pleasurable thing you never want to give it up. I’m past the stage of wanting to do books that require long and extensive research. I’ve slowed down. I hope I’ll know when to stop. If your mind is sound, I don’t think there’s any real reason to stop. You need not be doing it all day every day. You can enjoy other aspects of your life. When I wrote As Near to Heaven it was three very full years of writing, and I’m not sure I have the stamina to do that now.
DF: Who are your favourite authors? KM: In my latter years I’m starting to go back to classic books I missed out on. I read Don Quixote for the first time, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I thought ‘Oh, wow, now I see why it’s a classic.’ I’ve gone back to Hemingway – which I liked a lot when I started writing but haven’t read in a long time – and I so much appreciate what he does with so few words. I’m discovering classic writers for the first time. I’ve made a list of books I want to read before I exit. I’m going to tackle Ulysses.
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homefront what odds
in or out By Paul Warford
When you get Let’s give a shout-out to all the inreading Downhome today! Where are you, married, you laws in-laws? Don’t be shy. agree to join a When you get married, you agree to join a new new camp camp of people, and suddenly you find yourself skates with a whole new hockey team. You of people, and lacing don’t know the goalie, you don’t know the suddenly you find defenceman – can you trust your right winger? yourself lacing In-laws promote their own category of familial skates with a relationship for the starry-eyed newlywed: people who know your special love like you do. whole new It creates a bizarre cocktail of intimacy and hockey team. unfamiliarity, shaken and poured over holiday
drinks. Andie has three siblings plus two parents. Justin, the oldest, has four daughters and keeps a small farm. I’m amazed he’s awake every time I see him. I’m in awe of Justin’s tenacity to be a good, modern dad. Sarah’s easy to get along with. She’s studying to restore historic properties, and if she sees your house during a stroll and thinks it’s beautiful, she’ll knock on your door just to tell you so before requesting a tour. Alexis is different. She’s a fiercely talented visual artist. Her paintings line the walls of her parents’ retirement home. I find them beautiful, but she dismisses them as “early works,” clearly embarrassed they’re even on display. She applied for more than 70 artist grants across Canada last year. If you’re like me, you didn’t know there were that many to apply for. Most institutions rejected her application, which she shrugs off. Meanwhile, if our fearless editor Janice tells me my “What Odds” for the month needs a little work, I’m falling to pieces. Alexis boasts a huge list of awards and artist residencies across the country, and her accolades continue to grow. We do have some common ground, though.
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We’re both the youngest child. We’re both crafty and a tad misunderstood. We both use a lot of sarcasm. Still, I’m always trying to find subtle, creative ways to endear myself to this new sister of mine. I mean, I’ve never had a sister. What do sisters like? I know they like handmade pottery, but that’s all I’ve learned. So, this year, I was relying on the tubes of paint. Let’s rewind to six years ago. Andie and I had just moved into our first apartment together. We were in Halifax then, above The Slackers – an older married couple with two yapping terriers and an indifferent son who would leave the dogs outside for hours on end. Andie and I had managed to drag a love seat to our new, tiny space, grunting and cursing as we hefted our newfound furniture up the stairs. The thing was still damp from being left on the sidewalk by whoever unwittingly entrusted it to us. With the seat in place, I started unpacking the few boxes we had. While digging through a canvas grocery bag, I discovered several tubes of artist’s paint: hydrant-red, daffodilyellow, smaller tubes of brown, blue and white. Beneath these were about 40 booklets of matches. (Matches!) Who would pack such volatile items together? My wife, that’s who. First, I removed the matchbooks. Then, I enquired about the paints. They belonged to Alexis. They’d been left with Andie to hang onto before I’d ever met either of them. I decided to keep and store the paints. When Andie and I moved to Pasadena on the west coast, I boxed them up. When we moved back to Bay Roberts after my friend passed away, www.downhomelife.com
I boxed up the paints. When we left my hometown for St. John’s, I— well, you get the idea. I’ve been toting these friggin’ tubes of paint with us ever since, with the sole plan of returning them to Alexis. Four days ago, Andie gave them all to a friend of hers who helped tidy our office. “Alexis would’ve taken one look at them and said, ‘These are all dried up,’ and then she would’ve thrown them out,” my wife assured me after I explained to her why those paints had been on such a journey with us in the first place. Andie’s probably right. Alexis seems very picky. Still, you gotta admit it was a charming effort on my part, right? Now, I’m back to square one. The paints were meant to be my gag birthday gift for Alexis, who was born just before Christmas Day. I thought that perhaps she’d even paint something for me with them, but Andie has often pointed out that at this juncture in Alexis’s career, I couldn’t afford a commission from her. That’s okay, though. If Alexis wanted me to do a comedy show, I’m not sure she could afford me either. All that aside, I head to PEI with a love for my in-laws that continues to grow each year (Alexis, too). Forget the paints. I’ll buy her a nice handmade mug. Paul Warford began writing for Downhome to impress his mom and her friends. He writes and performs comedy in Eastern Canada. Follow him on Twitter @paulwarford January 2020
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homefront guest column
Dear St. John’s, my sweet!
No one I know
By Alec Bruce
would ever describe me as sentimental. Reckless, foolish, tiresome, opinionated to the point of insufferable: these characterizations fairly apply, even concurrently. But sentimental? Not even close. I once wrote a piece about Toronto for The Globe and Mail, where I had worked as a reporter and features writer for several years. I was leaving The Big Smoke to return to my East Coast roots and I had something to say. I began this way: “The easiest thing about leaving Toronto is saying goodbye. If a city is even a little like the people who live in it, then most of the time Toronto is that guy you know with the sharp elbows and fast feet who’d stop to chat if only he could. You might get to shake his hand or slap him on the back, but you’d never grab his attention long enough to explain why you’re leaving. You suspect he wouldn’t care anyway.” As if that hole wasn’t deep enough,
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I decided to keep digging: “I am leaving Toronto for the second and probably last time in my life. I have a wife and two daughters and my own reasons for returning to Nova Scotia. Saying goodbye is always easy when welcome was never extended to begin with.” The exquisite irony, of course, was that I was blustering just like the... um… butt apertures I had reviled. My friends rolled their eyes. After all, they astutely noted, I was born and mostly raised in Toronto. Though I’d spent my teens in Halifax, Hog Town was, by every reasonable measure, my hometown. If I could talk this sort of trash about my place of origin, what sort of garbage was I prepared to spew about, well... anywhere? I wondered about that myself when,
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sometime later, I travelled to St. John’s, NL, for a national magazine. My assignment was to portray Christmas there. What, oh what, was I going to say as I licked my chops like a bilious come-from-away? I began this way: “A day or two after Christmas, fortified with hefty helpings of roast turkey and homemade savoury dressing, family and friends explode from the stately residence of Karen and Albert Hickman like a band of marauding magpies, ready to swoop up treasures for the scavenger hunt. Almost half a hundred strong, they are living proof that when it comes to the Yuletide, Newfoundland is the party capital of Canada.” Two thousand sunny words later, I ended the piece thusly: “If, sometime down the road, enthusiasm for the scavenger hunt begins to fade, something else will spring up to take its place. That’s the way it is in Newfoundland among people who truly understand what it means to keep Christmas, and the rest of the year, well.” My Toronto pals were stunned. One even called up to inquire after my health. “He seems fine to me,” my wife laughed into the phone. And I was. Unbeknownst to me then, I had begun my sweet, sappy love affair with St. John’s – and, in fact, much of Newfoundland and Labrador. Over the years, whenever I’m there, I’ve made a point of hitting all the places most tourists frequent, and some they don’t. I’ve made friendships that will last a lifetime. Astonishingly, I’ve made no enemies; apparently people there don’t care when, occasionally, I’m some crooked. I haven’t even minded the weather much. Bracing, wha? Nothing explicable accounts for this. www.downhomelife.com
No member of my family is from The Rock. I wasn’t even raised like a traditional Maritime homing pigeon. Growing up, my familial duties were decidedly nomadic, and involved near-constant preparations for moves west, east, west and east again. Home was like a waiting room where you met your ride to the next destination. But, for me, that spooky feeling of familiarity you sometimes get in a place you only visit is palpable in St. John’s. It’s in the morning’s light and the evening’s shadows. It lingers among the cobblestones of George Street and along the harbour’s moorings. It’s in that little shop where they used to sell “genuine” Icelandic sweaters, and that other one where my wife once bought a cherished set of earrings made of rare metal from a boat’s gunnel. In a different life, did I live there? Am I remembering something from that one – something important – that I lost along the way in this one? Maybe. I do know that my decades-long tryst with St. John’s has made me a better Torontonian. I’m still reckless, foolish, tiresome and insufferably opinionated at times, but I look at my hometown now not as a place from which to flee in a cloud of curses, but as a spot to cherish for as long as memory can cradle affection. Of course, I’m not sentimental. Not by half. Alec Bruce is an awardwinning journalist whose bylines appear in numerous Canadian and international publications. He lives in Halifax. Brucescribe.com January 2020
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homefront
Lately
I have been thinking about my brother Carl, who passed away in October. You see, when Carl was born in 1950, things were different. If you were perceived differently, society looked at you in a different light.
When Carl was born, my mom already had real life experiences on how to prepare children for life. Her mother had passed away when Mom was nine years old, and instantly she became the mother of the household, having to care for 42
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her father and six siblings. Mom left Small Point on the train to St. John’s early in life and got married. She was determined to give her family a good life. Mom had 13 children, and Carl was the gifted one. Carl didn’t learn to walk until he was almost four years old – which may have been a blessing for Mom because he was one toddler she never had to chase after. Carl’s food had to be spoon fed to him because the simple things were difficult for Carl to comprehend. Mom did get through those terrible twos, though with Carl it lasted a little longer. When it was time for Carl to attend school, he was prepared, but he was a little late getting off the mark. I think he was close to seven years old. Over the years, Carl always said he was the only person to ever to repeat kindergarten. In the late 1950s, Vera Perlin came on the scene and things changed. Ms. Perlin was educated to teach children with developmental disabilities (in those days, it was called something much worse), and she was starting a new school on Patrick Street. Ms. Perlin had one other teacher, Molly Dingle. Carl went to that school, where he received an education suited to his needs. Over the years, Ms. Perlin and Ms. Dingle became people of discussion at our dinner table. Carl always talked about them. I think that is who gave him the gift of gab. While attending the Vera Perlin school over the next 20 years or so, Carl excelled in all areas. He learned so much, working with his hands to produce simple twine furniture and hooked wool rugs. Carl found a way to help to fund the Vera Perlin School by selling or auctioning his handmade www.downhomelife.com
items. On top of that, he was commissioned to make rugs for the government of the day. While the rest of the world wanted Persian rugs, the Newfoundlanders wanted Vera Perlin rugs. Carl hooked many rugs for his family, and each one was perfect.
Carl used his craft to help his neighbours. He would bring home pieces of scrap wood to make splits. If anybody downtown threw out a couch, Carl brought it home for the wooden frame. Each split was the same size and shape. He delivered them to neighbours who could not make or buy splits. I think Carl always got a few pennies for his labour of love. This way, Carl learned to make and save money. When Carl was nine, my father encouraged him to sell newspapers. January 2020
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Carl and his mom, Doris, on his wedding day
The first paper he sold was the Sunday Herald. Carl had one customer who operated a farm near where the Village Mall stands today. Carl would walk from Lime Street to the farm to deliver this one paper each week. Before long, Carl was selling the Daily News, the Evening Telegram and the Sunday Herald. Soon he sold the Sunday Herald on Water Street. Carl’s papers grew from 30 to a few van loads, which he received hot off the press every Thursday. Before long, Mr. Geoff Stirling came to our house on Lime Street to honour Carl. This was a proud moment for Carl; he got a new bike and $400. Carl spent over 55 years on Water Street selling papers in front of Woolworths and later Atlantic Place. Carl was on Water Street no matter the weather, usually starting his day at 4:00 a.m. He sold papers to most of the premiers of Newfoundland and Labrador, starting with Joey Smallwood. He sold to lawyers, judges, taxi drivers, bus drivers, the homeless, the 44
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rich, the poor, blue collar workers, white collar workers and the list goes on. The one thing all those people had in common was that they got a few kind words from Carl – he even gave advice to the politicians. It was always a pleasure for me to visit Carl at his place of work. I would park with my morning coffee and talk to him. People would open their bags to buy a paper and pass Carl a sandwich or homemade treats. Passersby would give him coffee; they knew exactly how he liked it. Others waved or smiled, and with all of this going on, Carl kept a careful eye on the moving traffic and pedestrians; he knew who wanted a paper. Carl was always very swift to give out a paper, but when it came to giving change, it was like watching a movie in slow motion. The majority of people would just say, “Keep it.” Selling papers was not Carl’s only life. He sold tickets, hockey cards and Bingo cards for many charity organizations. He always had them in his hand or hanging out of his pocket. He was kind of like the person at work who we dreaded because they were always selling something. But for some unexplained reason, Carl could sell you something and it was like he was doing you a favour. Carl’s family was so important to him. He always attended family gatherings. He loved to sit and chat, and always had gifts for the family. He never forgot any of them, especially the children. Though he always said he could not read or write, for some reason Carl would cut articles from the news papers and mail them to family members who lived away. Receiving a 1-888-588-6353
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Over the years Carl was often recognized for his hard work, from winning carrier prizes to the highest humanitarian award given by the Lions Club.
package from Carl normally meant a parcel of clippings on current events with no letter. He also collected articles for himself. One of his prized possessions was a scrapbook of old people who’d appeared in the paper. He could tell you who was the oldest person in the world or when somebody died. Carl was a member of the Lions Club and never missed a meeting in more than 30 years. He excelled in this volunteer organization, promoting and selling Bingo cards and tickets. Carl received the highest recognition a Lion member can receive: the Melvin Jones Fellow. Carl met his wife, Diane, at the Lions Club. Diane was the love of his life. The two of them went everywhere together and made a home. He called her his “little pumpkin.” He cared for her, and when she became ill, he looked after her while still managing to sell his papers and volunteer. Her passing left an open spot in his heart. www.downhomelife.com
A few years ago, Carl had an accident on Water Street and broke his hip. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and had to move to St. Luke’s Home. At the home, Carl found a new family and friends. Although he was not able to go to Water Street to sell his papers, he still sold his tickets and Bingo cards at the home. Carl was the greeter at the home who always managed to sell you something as you visited. There is so much more I could talk about. The way Carl handled money and knew numbers, he could have easily worked in a bank. He never drank or smoked, and I never heard foul language come from his mouth. Carl was a decent, loving man who never had an enemy in the world. If only we all lived our lives like Carl. I have so many fond memories. Farewell, my brother. My life is better by having had you there. You have touched so many hearts. January 2020
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homefront
Kimmel Toys with Dildo
The summer’s surprise romance was between an American TV star and a Newfoundland and Labrador outport. After learning in August about the existence of Dildo, and that it had no town council, late night host Jimmy Kimmel announced his desire to run for mayor of Dildo. Dildonians appeared several times via satellite on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!”, Kimmel’s sidekick Guillermo and a camera crew spent several days in Dildo, a Hollywood-Dildo twin cities sign was erected outside Kimmel’s studio and a Hollywood-style Dildo sign was erected on the hill overlooking Dildo.
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What Went Up Must Come Down Cat with Two Lives
A Portugal Cove-St. Phillips, NL, woman got a wonderful surprise when her cat, who’d been missing for more than a year, suddenly came back. But the soap opera twist was that her “Ginger” was actually someone else’s “Chico.” Chico had been sneaking over to her house for extra food and attention until she adopted the “stray” and called him Ginger. Then when his real owners made him an indoor cat, Ginger went “missing.” When Chico snuck out recently, “Ginger” reappeared at the neighbour’s, and thanks to social media, the jig was up.
The saying goes “good fences make good neighbours,” but the opposite was true this summer when Parks Canada erected a wooden privacy fence on Signal Hill practically overnight. Local residents, including celebrities such as Rick Mercer, blasted the operators of the National Historic Site for blocking an iconic view of the harbour from Signal Hill Road and Queen’s Battery. Within days, Parks Canada took the fence down, stating their plan to look for another way to separate passing traffic from performances on the Signal Hill Tattoo grounds.
Creeped Out by Crime Stoppers
The public was quick to sound the alarm after Crime Stoppers launched an awareness campaign in June. Stark posters plastered downtown St. John’s, NL, quoting descriptions by anonymous callers of imaginary criminal scenarios playing out nearby. Perhaps meant to remind people to report suspicious activity, instead it made the downtown seem like a very dark and dangerous place, according to local residents and business owners. The posters were swiftly torn down by angry and embarrassed passersby.
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Who’s Billed, KR?
Not since JR was shot on “Dallas” did residents in Conception Bay South and area have a mystery everyone was hot to solve. For several months, two large billboards near Manuels declared KR loves Sonia and that they are soulmates. Was it a marriage proposal? A very expensive apology? A stalker situation? A marketing ploy by the sign company? No one ever found out, and unless they return this winter for a second season, we’ll never know what happened to KR and Sonia. January 2020
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Flying Drunk
An eagle rescued by the Tamarack Wildlife Center in Pennsylvania had taken one heck of a trip. Tracking bands on her legs indicate that “Journey,” as her rescuers have named her, was born off Newfoundland in 2000. Her injuries suggested she had been hit by a vehicle, which may have happened because she was “flying drunk.” This impairment is caused in birds by lead poisoning from eating carcasses of animals containing remnants of lead shot. The lead in the blood is similar to alcohol’s affect on human drivers, in slowing their reaction time.
Election Rejection
It was a hard fought federal election where Trudeau’s Liberals squeaked out a minority win. Left bruised after the fight were Conservative Albertans (and NL ex-pats living in Alberta), who took their hurt out on Newfoundland and Labrador voters for shutting out Conservative candidates. As Newfoundland and Labrador’s seven seats wouldn’t have swung the final results for the nation, the blowout caught many by surprise.
Set for Life (in Prison)
In an embarrassing case of you win some, you lose some, a woman found her lottery win was not so lucky after all. When she tried to claim her prize, it was revealed that she’d bought the winning ticket using a credit card recently stolen from a Paradise, NL man. Instead of getting her cash, she got cuffed. 48
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Smash and Grab
There was a slew of brazen breakand-enters on the Avalon Peninsula of Newfoundland in January, where stolen heavy equipment, such as excavators, were used to plow a hole in the side of a bank or business to get at the ATMs inside. It became such a regular occurrence that the term “backhoe bandits” was born, and contractors were warned to better secure their heavy equipment on construction sites after hours.
Greenbacks for Greenland
When US President Donald Trump mused on twitter about buying Greenland, the largest island in the world, the Danish prime minister quickly shut that down, calling the idea “absurd” and soon after cancelled an upcoming meeting with Trump. Was it something he said? 1-888-588-6353
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Hockey’s Second Cup
Teenager or Time Traveller?
In November, Twitter went wild with speculation after a photo was posted of a girl at a Yukon gold mine who looked almost exactly like climate activist Greta Thunberg, right down to the steady gaze and braided hair. But this unknown girl was photographed in 1898! The photographer, like Greta, was from Sweden, but that is all that is known to connect the two girls. Meanwhile, the internet had a fun time creating conspiracy theories of a time travelling teen sent from the past to the future and back again to 2019 to save us all from climate change. But hey, whatever gets us talking about saving the planet, right?
The hockey crowd went wild in Newfoundland and Labrador in June as the Growlers became the first pro hockey team from the province to win the ECHL Kelly Cup. Or did they? The Kelly Cup they hoisted is a genuine trophy and they are the true champions, but the trophy is a new one that had to be made as the series was closing in. The original Kelly Cup was never returned from the 2018 champs, the Colorado Eagles, who play in a different league now. The drama continued later that month, as rumours flew on social media that the new Kelly Cup got “broken” in at a St. John’s strip club during its celebratory tour with the b’ys.
The Picture of Embarrassment
In March, CBC reported that a man threatened to sue a magazine for using a photo of him without his permission. The photo was of a bearded man in a flannel shirt, in a story was about the “hipster effect,” in which people who try to buck mainstream trends ironically all end up looking alike. The lawsuit was quickly dropped when it was proven that it wasn’t actually him in the photo.
Puzzled over Pizzles
Shoplifting doesn’t usually raise many eyebrows, but a strange theft this summer in St. John’s cocked a few heads in surprise. A couple of people were picked up for stealing hundreds of dollars’ worth of pizzles – dried bull penises, a popular chew treat for dogs. Too bad the canine unit missed out on this case.
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homefront
We wouldn’t recognize ourselves if it weren’t for all the reader-submitted photos, stories and poems inside every issue of Downhome. Thank you to everyone who contributes to this magazine all year long. Recently, Downhome staff looked back over all the readersubmitted photos we published last year and came up with our top 12. Now we turn it over to you. From January 6 to 17, visit www.downhomelife.com/soty and vote for your favourite photo. The one with the most votes will be declared the 2019 Submission of the Year, and the submitter wins a $500 Downhome coupon to spend at our retail stores in St. John’s and Twillingate, and online at ShopDownhome.com. The same prize will be awarded to the best written submission of the year chosen by Downhome staff. Both winners will be revealed in the March 2020 issue. Don’t miss your chance to win the 2020 Submission of the Year. Turn to page 9 to learn how to submit to Downhome today. 50
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Winter Boats in Dunfield Bernice Goudie St. John’s, NL
Shades of Cool Helen Rose Pasadena, NL
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Out Like a Lamb Sara Mang Branch, NL
Big Ambitions Andrew Ralph Mount Pearl, NL
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Wavy at Cape Race Harold Feiertag Langley, BC
Big Blooms Joanna Green
Harbour Breton, NL
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Summer on Fogo Island, NL Vicki Schofield Stratford, ON
Mailman of Long Ago
Marjorie (Prince) Yetman Princeton, NL
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Fresh Catch Carolyn Warren Massey Drive, NL
Wild Beauty Derek Butler St. John’s, NL
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Little Lobster Marcy Farr Burgeo, NL
Company on the Trail in Goose Cove Melisa Troy
Goose Cove, NL 56
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YEAR OF THE RAT
If you follow Chinese astrology, the Year of the (Metal) Rat begins January 24, 2020. As the rat is the first of the 12 animal signs of the Chinese zodiac, this will be a year of new beginnings. Buying a house, starting a business and other new ventures are positively viewed in this coming year of prosperity and strength – as long as you carefully plan for it. This is the year to go for your dreams.
CLASSIC WINTER AHEAD
The Weather Network is calling for a “classic Canadian winter” in 2020, with the exception of eastern Newfoundland and Labrador and western British Columbia having higher than normal coastal temperatures in January and February. More central parts of the country will experience periods of extreme cold in the deepest days of winter, while we’re all getting average amounts of snowfall. AccuWeather predicts that the biggest snowfalls and storms in Atlantic Canada will appear from late January into March. www.downhomelife.com
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“COME FROM AWAY” CHINA EDITION
After excelling in Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia, the award-winning Broadway musical “Come From Away” is lighting up a new marquee in Shanghai, China, in May. It’s the first stop on a broader China tour, and the first time the musical is performed in a country where English is not the first language. The musical will be presented in its original (Newfoundland) English, so it will be interesting to see how the material translates for Chinese audiences.
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The world will mark 75 years since WWII ended in Europe with Germany’s surrender. V-E (Victoria in Europe) Day is commemorated on May 8. No doubt the world will also pause and reflect somberly on how Japan surrendered in August, after two atomic bombs were dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima. The ethics and politics of those bombings are still being debated.
FOLK FEST COMING SOONER
The long-running Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, traditionally held the weekend after the Royal St. John’s Regatta and George 60
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Street Festival, is being held several weeks earlier in 2020. Organizers say the Folk Fest has grown so large that it can’t afford to compete with other big St. John’s events for volunteers and other supports (such as security fencing). So this year, mark your JULY calendars for the 44th annual NL Folk Festival, happening July 10-12 in Bannerman Park.
NEW LONG TERM CARE
According to the 2019 infrastructure plan of The Way Forward, the Newfoundland and Labrador government’s budgetary blueprint, a new long-term care home will open in Corner Brook this year. Construction on the 120-bed facility is due to finish in the spring. 1-888-588-6353
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ROOT FOR ROXON AT THE PARALYMPICS
The 2020 Paralympic Games take place in Tokyo, Japan, this coming August 25 to September 6. Expect Katarina Roxon of Kippens, a Paralympic gold medal-winning swimmer at the Rio Games, to be in the pool for Canada. At the World Para Swimming Championships
in London, UK, in September 2019 – an Olympics qualifying meet – she earned silver and bronze medals and set a new record time in the 100 m breaststroke (breaking her own record previously set in Rio in 2016 that earned her the gold medal). Depending on when Canada competes, and where you’ll be watching from, you might have to PVR a lot of the events – and do some mind-bending math. Newfoundland and Labrador, for instance, is 12 hours 30 minutes behind the time in Japan. So morning and afternoon events in Tokyo are happening the night before in Newfoundland and Labrador!
SOFTBALL AND OTHER GAMES SOUND SYMPOSIUM RETURNS
The 20th biennial Sound Symposium plays St. John’s July 11-18, attracting musicians from around the world. The musical event that brought us the Harbour Symphony (a special piece of music ringing out from ship’s horns in St. John’s harbour), will be focused this year on “drumming, percussion and rhythm,” according to the event’s website. Keep checking back with SoundSymposium.com for more details as they become available. www.downhomelife.com
Newfoundland and Labrador will host three national softball championships this season. Carbonear is hosting the U19 Men’s Canadian Fast Pitch Softball Championships August 11-16. Following that, St. John’s will play host to the Canadian Men’s and Master’s softball championships September 2-6. Meanwhile, Bay Roberts will host the Newfoundland and Labrador Summer Games, August 15-22. Athletes from all over the province will compete in 11 sports: artistic swimming, athletics, ball hockey, baseball, cycling, golf, soccer, softball, swimming, tennis and triathlon. January 2020
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CHEER ON OUR SPECIAL OLYMPIANS
Watch for our hometown athletes as Team Newfoundland and Labrador competes at the 2020 Special Olympics Winter Games in Thunder Bay, ON, February 25-29. Team NL is competing in seven sports: speed skating, figure skating, floor hockey, snowshoe racing, cross-country skiing, bowling and curling.
OTHER ATHLETES TO WATCH
Several rising sports stars from this province made news in 2019 and are ones to watch in 2020. Alex Newhook and his sister Abby Newhook of St. John’s are blazing a pro hockey path. Alex, captain of BCHL Victoria Grizzlies and league MVP in the 2018-19 season, was a first round draft pick by the NHL Colorado Avalanche last June. This
season he’s playing in the NCAA league for Boston College. Abby is not even finished high school yet and already has a full scholarship to play for Boston College women’s hockey in 2021. She reportedly has her eye on Olympic hockey in her future. Golfer Blair Bursey of Gander went pro in 2018 and has been swinging
MISSION TO MARS
In a continuing effort to determine whether humans can live on Mars someday (and whether any life form ever did), NASA plans to launch its Mars 2020 rover on July 17, with a touchdown on Mars expected in February 2021. This rover will be equipped with a new core drill and a helicopter drone.
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his way through mini tours hoping to qualify for the majors. Among his scheduled competitions in 2020 is a PGA Qualifying School in Phuket, Thailand, March 3-6. Michelle Liu was just 12 years old when she competed in her first LPGA Tour, so why not these eight-year-old twins from Portugal Cove-St. Philips? Freya and Mila Snook made sports news last year when they qualified for the IMG Academy Junior World Championships in San Diego, CA, in July. Mila also qualified for the U.S. Kids Golf World Championships in North Carolina the following month.
BOLD IS IN FASHION
Style watchers predict this year’s ladies’ fashion to feature a lot of stripes, polka-dots and leather. Puffy sleeves are also in, as are neon colours.
PRETTY IN PINK-ISH
The trend-setting paint colour of 2020, according to Benjamin Moore Paints, is First Light 2102-70. The hue is reminiscent of the pale pink that sometimes spreads across the eastern sky at dawn.
BYE-BYE BAGS
A province-wide ban on single use plastic bags is due to come into effect mid-year. While some businesses and communities in NL have already banned plastic shopping bags, the only other province to enact such a ban so far is Prince Edward Island. www.downhomelife.com
WHAT’S NEXT FOR THE UNITED STATES?
The United States presidential election takes place November 3. At press time for this issue, President Donald Trump is the focus of impeachment hearings. While he’s stated his intention to run for office again this fall, it’s really too early to predict what might be going on south of the border by then.
COME HOME YEARS
Any Newfoundland and Labrador expats who haven’t been home in a while, this could be your year to visit. Several communities are celebrating Come Home Years in 2020. Those we know of so far include Port aux Basques, Harbour Grace, Twillingate, Bauline, Peterview and Grand Bank. Before you make your summer plans, you might want to check with the folks back home. January 2020
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Skipper Raymond Petten
of Port de Grave waves for all eternity from the foredeck of the Sandra and Diane II, standing next to a female passenger. Above them the phrase “Just Waiting For You” hovers in the sky in blue font on a pale yellow background. It’s not a scene from a dream sequence or a movie introduction, but rather the cover of a late 1970s-80s era tourism brochure. The slogan, meant to encourage visitors, turned out to be prophetic in more ways than one. I have the unique experience of watching a group of strangers gather on April 8, 2019, at a coffee shop in Bay Roberts, NL. They’ve been brought together by serendipity and an article that I wrote about a remarkable rescue at sea (“Powerless Against Nature,” April 2019 Downhome). Left to right: Rescuer Wade Kennedy, Doug McDonald and rescuer Harold Stokes in Bay Roberts, April 8, 2019. Dennis Flynn photo www.downhomelife.com
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Harold Stokes at home in Bareneed, looking at a vintage tourism book that ironically features the rescue boat and the late Captain Raymond Petten on the cover. Dennis Flynn photo On the far side of the table are rescuers Harold Stokes and Wade Kennedy, who were crewmembers aboard the Sandra and Diane II in the summer of 1977. Wade’s account of the incident, a teenager himself at the time, was detailed in my original article. Everything about the informal meeting is tentative at first, but profoundly touching by the end. Missing from the group today are rescuer Dave Andrews (unavailable at the time), rescuer Captain Raymond Petten (deceased) and rescuer Gordon Petten (deceased). 66
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Standing in for the late Capt. Petten is his son, Ivan. With a slight catch of emotion in his throat, he says, “I was not on the boat during this incident, but I know my father would have loved to have been here today. He took it all in stride as just something they did. He was a very quiet man and truly felt that anyone who works on the water would have done exactly the same thing without any hesitation. Still, he told us about the incident many times.” Ivan continues, “He never really stopped wondering what happened 1-888-588-6353
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to them and how they made out. It is so nice to hear they were all OK and went on and had good lives. That would make him and his deceased brother Gordon, who was also aboard the ship during the rescue, very happy to know. I am just glad to be here and to be talking about such a positive outcome. A few miles’ or a few minutes’ difference either way and they might never have crossed paths. It would have been a very different story.” On the near side of the table is Doug McDonald, 53, of Colliers, who was the boy found adrift in that small boat along with his father, James McDonald, and his uncle, Bill McDonald. Both of those men are deceased today, but lived long after the incident thanks to their rescuers. Doug had not seen any of the rescuers since that day 40 years ago. He tells the men what became of his father and uncle; of his memories of the event; of his work and travels since; of his family; and of all the long litany of things that go into moulding a successful life. They listen patiently and exchange similar tales of their own. After an hour of reminiscing, the men prepare to part. Doug can’t exactly keep back a tear as he says goodbye and adds, “I can’t thank you enough for what you did. I know I was only a child, but you gave us all a second chance at life. It meant the world to us, and I am so happy to have finally met you to say it in person.”
Remembering the Day
More recently I visited with rescuer Harold Stokes, 70 now, at his home in Bareneed. We got to talking again www.downhomelife.com
about that fateful day in the summer of 1977, when he and his crewmates just happened to discover two men and a boy in distress, in an open boat in rough seas. They’d been adrift for two days. “I remember when we put out late Sunday night or early Monday morning, the wind was down southerly and rain – it was real miserable and you would hardly think anyone would survive out in it in the open in a small boat. We had a very rough time going out, and we were aboard a good vessel and [with] proper clothes and gear. It settled back a bit on Monday, and by the time we were coming in [on Tuesday] it had calmed down a lot, but there was still a real big swell of eight or 10 feet.” The crew spotted a marker in the water, and when they went closer to investigate they found this “little plywood boat maybe 12 feet long, with two men and a little boy maybe 10 or 12 years old,” Harold recalls. “The younger man and the boy were able to get aboard on their own, but the older man was in a very bad way with his legs all bruised up and swelled up and turned blue. I don’t think they would have lasted another night, certainly not that man.” Harold says in the 40 years since, the crew knew nothing of what happened to the people they saved. “I was so happy to meet Doug McDonald, and to hear it had turned out so good for them… It was as if meeting a lost member of my own family; it almost made me cry a little to see him. I’m really glad it worked out. It was wonderful. It was like we were meant to be there, waiting to find them.” January 2020
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Tony the Tailor’s widow, now 87, still keeps the family in stitches. By Karen Silver
My grandfather,
Tony Silver – better known as Tony the Tailor, had been interviewed for almost every local media before his 2010 death, including a CBC “Land and Sea” episode in 2006. My nan was never shy of the attention, yet she was always telling my grandfather’s story and never her own. My grandmother’s life is more than a story – it’s a series of new beginnings and fresh starts, trials and tribulations, and more good times than bad. It is one woman’s account of making the best with what you are given and making a life worth living. She recently sat down to talk to me about it. The Silver family. Back (l-r): Pat Silver, Tony Silver Jr. Middle (l-r): Mercedes Silver, Sheila Silver. Front (l-r): Karen Silver, Tony Silver Sr., Aimee Silver www.downhomelife.com
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Life in St. Joseph’s Mercedes Lake was the eldest girl and the second child born to Jack and Elizabeth Lake. She was born on October 31, 1932. Her name is pronounced Mer-SEED-ease or Mer-SEED-is, not like the brand of car. They lived in St. Joseph’s, a remote community close to Placentia that was only accessible by boat from Rushoon. It was eventually resettled in the late 1960s, and the residents floated their houses across the harbour to their new home. Nan’s father was a fisherman who was gone pretty well all summer, just coming home long enough to dump his catch and go on again. His schooner was called the Mercedes J, named after Nan and himself. Her family owned sheep, a vegetable garden and a pony named Molly. Being the oldest girl, Nan had many responsibilities, including shearing the sheep, spinning the wool, and knitting socks and sweaters for her father and brother for going out on the boat. She also helped with the hay and tended the gardens, watched the younger kids, and when her father returned home with the fish she helped prepare the catch. When there was a death in the community, my great-grandmother, Elizabeth, would make up the bodies for the funeral service. Back then in the 1940s, there was no embalming procedure, so they still practised the true wake. Someone would watch the body 24 hours a day – just in case they actually did wake up. Nan and her sisters were often recruited to watch the body overnight in their parlour. 70
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A Whole New World “Why did you leave St. Joseph’s?” I asked her. “Poverty,” Nan replied, nonchalantly. “There was nothing there for me. I wanted to find something of my own. “Confederation was this big shagging deal – sure, Dad thought Joey [Smallwood] was God. I didn’t notice the difference first or last because St. Joseph’s was all I ever knew.” In 1949, at the age of 17, my grandmother packed up and left St. Joseph’s for St. John’s. She wanted to get out and see what the rest of the world – or island at least – had to offer her. She began working at the Fever Hospital on Forest Road, making beds and doing laundry, and making many friends along the way. My dad told me that until they 1-888-588-6353
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Mercedes and Tony Jr. (right) and two boys who lived in the neighbourhood, 1956 moved out to the Goulds, he’d always thought it was my grandfather who had all kinds of friends from over the years. He quickly realized that Nan was the one who knew everyone, from working at the hospital and going to dances. She was a real social butterfly who introduced my grandfather to everyone he knew. In 1953, Mercedes met Tony Silver, son of a Portuguese stowaway, at a dance when they were both 21. He obviously saw something special in her because Tony was engaged to another woman when they first met. When I asked her how she lured him away, she winked at the portrait of www.downhomelife.com
my grandfather hanging on the wall. She didn’t elaborate and I didn’t press her on it. My grandparents married in January 1954. My dad, Tony Jr., was born in February 1955. Ten more children – Donna (Clarke), Bobby (Flynn), Jackie (Higdon), Theresa (Antle), Rose (Mullet), Micki, Shawn, Mike, Pat and Tom – followed over the next 16 years. Tony’s Tailor Shop opened in 1964. Nan worked there until around 1995, taking care of all the time-consuming hand-sewing tasks. My grandparents also owned another business that opened around the same time as the tailor shop – a restaurant in the Goulds called The Silverdale Drive-in, where Nan ran the entire show. In 1968, my grandfather got sick. He had to fly to Toronto, where he and another woman were the first Newfoundlanders to receive openheart surgery. Both Tony’s Tailor Shop and The Silverdale Drive-in closed while my grandfather recovered and Nan took care of everything else. Tony’s Tailor Shop reopened in 1970, but the restaurant never did.
Home is Where You Hang Your Hooks My grandmother’s preferred pastimes range from expected and traditional hobbies, like sewing, knitting and baking, to a whole other end of a spectrum: watching stock-car races, going to car shows, watching “Cops” on TV, hunting, fishing and a taking a boat out around the harbour. She and my grandfather had always had a cabin. Before Pop passed, he and Nan had their hunting cabin in January 2020
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Millertown and their everyday cabin just 30 minutes outside town on Witless Bay Line (which I am proud to call my own nowadays). Their idea of relaxing was hunting moose, caribou, grouse and rabbits, which Nan adored. But her favourite way to spend the day was fishing. Whether she stood at the edge of the pond, flicked her line off the wharf or took the boat out for a run, she absolutely loved fishing.
Who’s Sylvia? My friend Vicki came to visit my grandmother with me one day, and Nan’s phone rang. “Hi, Sylvia,” we heard the voice say from the other end of the line. “That’s my cousin, Alyshia,” I 72
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Millie (last name unknown, friend of the family), Tony and Mercedes informed Vicki. “Your cousin calls your Nan by her first name?” Vicki asked, astonished. “No, she calls her ‘Sylvia.’ Her name is Mercedes,” I corrected her. At three years old, my cousin Alyshia Silver joined our family when her mom married my uncle, Tom. Alyshia used to have a hard time saying “Mrs. Silver,” so instead she started calling Nan “Sylvia.” She really thought it was her name for a long time. My grandmother has always had a special relationship with all of her 11 children, 22 grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. She’s never 1-888-588-6353
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missed a concert, graduation or birthday. She really knows each of us, and she never forgets to remind us how much she loves us all. Nine years ago, Nan started a brand new chapter again, as we all said goodbye to her husband, Tony the Tailor. She sold their home of 16 years, and moved into the apartment that my parents, Tony Jr. and Sheila Silver, had built in their basement for her. Even though my parents live upstairs, this is the first time in her life that Nan has ever lived alone. As I guided her walker around the tight corner of her bedroom after we’d finished our chat and a cup of tea, she stopped and held herself up sturdily with her walker so she could confidently perform a short Irish step dance at the end of her hallway.
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It was a move taught to her by my uncle Shawn, an Irish dance instructor, many years ago. “I still got it,” she said, nodding at me before making her way back to the living room. She’s definitely still got it. She has a charm and charisma like no other, with a dry and unintentional humour that has us rolling on the floor in knots without her ever trying. Even though she may have married into the name, she is the silver lining of our family, and she can still manage to keep us all in stitches to this very day. Karen Silver is a children’s author from St. John’s. She hosts writing workshops for local youth through Write On NL, in partnership with For the Love of Learning.
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life is better Caribou along the road near St. Shott’s, NL Bernice Goudie, St. John’s, NL
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explore
Jonathan Anstey photo
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In Newfoundland and Labrador,
winters are long. It’s cold, it’s snowy, it’s icy. But that doesn’t have to keep us from getting out and enjoying the outdoors. Whether it’s getting to work, getting around town, or just getting out of the house, these are some of the ways you can get around (in) winter in our province.
Snowmobile
Snowmobiles may not be street legal, but they are a great way to experience the outdoors off the beaten track. You can ride them in the woods and on the groomed trails. With the right route and plenty of preparation, you can get pretty far on a snowmobile – you could even cross the province if you wanted to! And in parts of Labrador (north of 54°), you can ride them everywhere! If you don’t own a snowmobile, there are lots of places province-wide that rent them, so you can enjoy a day of exploring the outdoors. You can get lots of helpful information and safety tips from the Newfoundland and Labrador Snowmobile Federation: www.nlsf.org.
TIP Snowmobiling can damage your hearing, especially if you spend long hours on your machine. Snowmobiles can reach noise levels of up to 100 decibels! The American Research Hearing Foundation recommends wearing earplugs if you plan on being out for two hours or more. You may even find you feel less tired after a day on the snowmobile if you wear ear protection.
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All-terrain vehicle
Good news! If you love going out on the quad in the summer, you can still do it in the winter! ATVs can navigate snowy conditions and most are able to do so without any modifications. After a fresh snowfall, all-terrain or mud tires are typically sufficient to manoeuvre the vehicle. If you do want to rig up your ride for the snow, there are a couple of options, including all-terrain tires with tread, studs for tires, or dedicated ATV snow tires.
Tip Some users add snowplows to the front of their ATVs. These make it easier to access trails that are not cleared, and you can use them to clear your driveway!
Ice Clamps
For everyday walking, it is useful to have a pair of ice clamps. These slip onto your boots and have spikes on the bottom, which provide extra grip when walking on slippery surfaces such as icy driveways, parking lots and sidewalks.
Tip Remember to take them off when you go indoors – inside, they make it easier to slip, and they can scratch flooring.
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Dogsledding
Aiden Mahoney photo
Snowshoes
If you want to hike trails in the winter without having to worry about sinking to your waist in snow, snowshoes are the way to go. They are a great way to access spots that would otherwise be too snowcovered for walking, and you can take your time and enjoy the great outdoors. Plus snowshoes are relatively inexpensive to buy, require no registration or safety gear, and are easy to use, even for beginners.
Tip
Ski poles are helpful while snowshoeing, especially if you encounter any grades. And don’t forget to dress in layers, and bring extra socks, snacks and water.
Bicycle
Although it’s not a common method of transportation these days, dog sleds were essential for winter travel in northern communities not so long ago. When asked what the significance of dog sleds were during his childhood in Black Tickle, Labrador, Scott Hudson tells Downhome, “One word: survival.” Before snowmobiles, trucks or ATVs, dog sleds were essential for accessing supplies and medical care in Labrador communities. And they were used everywhere: all along the coast, in Central Labrador and Lab West. Today, dog sleds are not used for everyday travel, but they remain a huge part of Labrador’s cultural heritage, including as a component of the Labrador Winter Games. Scott and his wife Lori offer dog sled tours through their business, Northern Lights Dog Sledding, based in Happy Valley-Goose Bay. They offer as authentic an experience as possible, to pay homage to the dogs and the stories of their ancestors.“I think that’s one thing that all cultures here in Labrador have in common, whether you come from an Inuit culture, a Métis culture, or a settler culture,” Scott says. “I think it really moulded us as people.” Learn more about more about dogsledding tours at Northernlightsdogsledding.com.
If you are someone who rides a bike regularly, you don’t have to stop when winter comes. You just need to layer up and be mindful of road conditions. You can purchase special studded tires for your bike that makes riding in icy conditions safer and easier to manage.
Tip If you are worried about the impact of winter weather on your bike, it is not a bad idea to purchase a used bike especially for winter use.
Roberta Buchanan photo
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Winter Tech Texting Gloves Texting gloves are winter gloves that have fingertip pads made with conductive wiring. The electricity in your fingertips travels through the wiring so that you can use touch-screen devices such as cellphones without removing your gloves.
Heated Jackets Heated jackets, and other heated garments, contain wires that heat up to keep you warm when you are out in the cold. They are powered by battery packs, usually located in an inside pocket. The clothing is designed not to overheat, and it is safe to wear in wet conditions, as long as you do not submerge the garment.
Pocket Warmer Heat Pack An alternative to heated clothing is to purchase a rechargeable heat pack for your everyday winter gear. These are thin, battery-operated warmers that you can carry in your pocket. They recharge using a micro-USB cable. They are easy to change from one outfit to another, and are water-resistant and shockproof.
Temperature-Controlled Travel Mug If you hate when your coffee gets cold in the car on the way to work, you can get a travel mug that will keep it at the optimal temperature until you arrive at your destination. These mugs plug into the outlet in your car, and you can set the temperature for your beverage. As long as your mug is plugged in, your drink will stay at that temperature for the entire trip.
Hat with Headphones Do you love to listen to music when you’re out and about, but find it hard to wear headphones in the winter when you have a hat on? You need a hat with Bluetooth headphones built right in. Some designs also contain microphones, so you can take phone calls right from your hat. 80
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Loyal Squires photo
Fat Bike
If a regular bicycle just won’t cut it, fat biking may be for you! A fat bike is a bicycle with large tires – about 4”-5” wide – that is designed for winter travel. Local fat bike enthusiast Loyal Squires writes, “Fat bikes provide a fun way to travel short or long distances over packed snow and ice (with studded tires). Fatbiking is an activity that is enjoyed by all ages and all walks of life.” Fat bikes can even travel on frozen ponds!
Tip If you are interested in fat biking, you can find resources on Loyal Squires’ blog, www.fatbikerepublic.com.
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Safety Tips Motorists, watch out for pedestrians. Sidewalks are not always cleared, which can force people onto the roads. Carry an emergency kit in your car in case you get stuck in the snow. You also need to have a snow brush and window scraper, and it is a good idea to have a shovel and extra warm clothing in the vehicle at all times.
Daniel Rumbolt photo
Skis
Skiing is a fun and unique way to experience the trails and hills in winter. There are 18 ski clubs around Newfoundland and Labrador, offering both cross-country and downhill skiing. You can also ski in some provincial and national parks. Skiing is a great family activity, and if you’ve never skied before, clubs offer rentals and lessons for all ages. The website Crosscountrynl.com has lots of information about skiing in Newfoundland and Labrador, including contact information for each ski club.
Tip Make sure you have the proper safety
gear for skiing, including a helmet and goggles. Never go skiing alone because if you get hurt, you will need someone to help you.
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Keep your cellphone charged when you are going out anywhere, in case of an emergency. Carry a back-up charger – one that plugs into a cigarette lighter – and cord in your glove box. Many vehicles have direct USB outlets so you may only need a cord that matches your phone. Don’t forget to salt your driveway and stairs. And carry a small baggie of road salt when you’re going out walking, in case you encounter a slippery spot in your travels. When you’re heading outdoors, don’t forget sun protection! It may seem an odd thing for the winter, but even in the cold months, the sun can be harmful when you are outdoors for an extended period. Sunglasses are important for protecting your vision when the sun reflects off the glistening snow, and coat any exposed skin with sunscreen. 1-888-588-6353
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Accessible Transport
For mobility device users, winter can be an added challenge. However, there are modifications available for mobility aids, which can improve safety and make winter more accessible. Wheelchair users can purchase special winter tires for wheelchairs that are made with knobs for better traction. If these are out of your price range, the United Spinal Association suggests a DIY option: wrap 25-30 zip ties around each wheel of the chair, with the knobs pointing outward on the tires, to give your chair extra grip. Wheelblades are German-made skis that you can attach to the front wheels of a wheelchair. They prevent the wheels from sinking down into the snow and getting stuck. If you use a walker, it is a good idea to get one with large wheels, as they make it easier to get around outdoors, especially in the winter. There are also all-terrain wheels available for walkers. You can purchase ice prongs for canes and crutches. When paired with ice clamps for boots, these make getting around on icy pathways a lot easier and safer.
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Tip Talk to your doctor to determine the best accessibility modifications for your needs.
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This is the time of year
when many of us “northerners” plan our annual pilgrimage to somewhere sunny and warm, to bask on the beach and wade in the water. Winter has its charms, and for many of us that includes a much anticipated vacation down South. To make the trip less stressful and perhaps even more enjoyable, Downhome asked travellers on staff and our friends at LeGrow’s Travel for tips they’ve picked up along the way – either from their research or hard-earned lessons learned by experience.
Before You Go Purchase adequate travel insurance that covers all your activities. (For instance, if you will be doing something “high-risk,” like skydiving, you will need to make sure your insurance covers the activity.) Make a copy of your passport for your own records. Either take a picture of it and keep it secured in cloud storage, or make a copy and leave it with a trusted friend or family member back home. That way if your passport is lost or stolen while you’re travelling, you’ll have information to bring to the local embassy and start the replacement process.
Make sure you have enough of your prescriptions filled to cover you if your trip gets delayed by several days. Many people take donations to their destination, especially if it’s in a poorer country – clothes, school supplies and small toys are some ideas.
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When You Pack Roll your clothes. It saves space and reduces wrinkling. Save space by tucking socks and underwear into any extra shoes you’re packing.
Make sure you pack sun protection – a brimmed hat, sunglasses and high SPF sunscreen.
Put a sheet of paper with your name and home address clearly printed on it atop your clothes inside your checked luggage. If the airline loses your suitcase and your luggage tag comes off, staff will know where to send your luggage when (if) it’s found.
Consider packing over-the-counter medications for aches, nausea, infections, cold and flu etc. that you are familiar with taking and that you may not be able to find where you are going. A small first-aid kit with a few bandages and antiseptic solution or wipes can also come in handy.
Put all your liquids (including lip gloss, creams etc.) that you need in your carry-on in one resealable baggie and keep it in an outside pouch so it’s easy to retrieve and show when going through security (saves digging time).
Ladies, pack your swimsuit and your one “fancy” outfit in your carry-on. Most casual clothes can easily be replaced if luggage gets lost, but not having your most flattering dress or swimsuit could impact a good time.
Carry all medications in your carryon so if your luggage is lost, even temporarily, you will not miss a dose.
Leave your sealskin purse, boots, jewelry etc. at home if you are travelling to or through the United States or any country where those products are banned.
While on Vacation Be prepared to encounter armed guards at resorts, airports and seaports at many destinations these days. They are there for your safety. Avoid eating pre-cut fruit. This has been handled more than whole fruit, and can be contaminated by unclean hands, cutting boards or utensils. 86
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Always drink bottled water. Don’t consume drinks with ice, or mixed drinks made with water. Some areas have less-than-clean water, and it can make you sick. Make sure all activities or tours are booked through your resort or a travel agent. There are scammers around that target tourists for robbery or other crimes by taking them away from their resort.
Do not wander into areas you do not know. Stay on the resort or within the city limits, unless you have booked an excursion with a reputable company.
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Be careful what you purchase as souvenirs. Some items may not be allowed through customs. If you purchase any organic products, such as food or coffee, make sure it is sealed, and it is not advisable to purchase anything made of bamboo. These products can sometimes contain insects that are not native to Canada, and they risk introducing new species that could become invasive. To reduce the risk of identity or credit card theft, only use credit/debit cards in established businesses (i.e. not street vendors or taxis), don’t carry your wallet in your back pocket, and only use ATMs inside banks if possible (better yet, go to the human teller).
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We’re wasting no time preparing for the next Downhome Calendar, . . . and neither should you! Submit your favourite photos of scenery, activities and icons that best illustrate the down-home lifestyle. We’re looking for a variety of colourful subjects – outports, wildlife, laundry lines, historic sites, seascapes, hilltop views, and so much more – and photos from all four seasons. In addition to free calendars and a one-year subscription to Downhome for all those chosen for the calendar, one lucky winner will receive a free trip for four aboard O’Brien’s famous whale and bird boat tours!
What are you waiting for? Submit today, using one of these ways:
by mail: Downhome Calendar Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 online: www.downhomelife.com/calendar Must be original photos or high quality copies. Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi, files sizes of about 1MB. We can’t accept photocopies or photos that are blurry, too dark or washed out. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your photos returned.
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In Newfoundland
and Labrador, you are never far from nature, and this is truer than ever now with the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s (NCC’s) new 98-hectare nature reserve in the Freshwater Bay area, situated along the coastline between St. John’s and Cape Spear National Historic Site. The reserve encompasses a section of the East Coast Trail along Deadman’s Bay Path.
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The purpose of nature reserves is to protect the habitats for local species and maintain them for traditional human use by preventing development or urbanization. This particular area of Freshwater Bay is ecologically important for several reasons. “The big ecological features are older boreal forest – trees like balsam fir, [black and white] spruce and birch, with a healthy amount of wetlands interspersed in there,” says Megan Lafitte, NCC program director for Newfoundland and Labrador, in a recent interview with Downhome. This area also serves as a buffer zone between the city and the nesting area for several seabird species along the cliffs of Freshwater Bay, including black-legged kittiwakes, black guillemots, herring gulls and great black-backed gulls. As many common birds in North America are on the decline, it is important to protect their environments as much as possible. The NCC aims to protect the Canadian wilderness and help combat the worldwide decline of wildlife outlined in a UN report on climate
change. Since their start in 1962, the NCC has protected 14 million hectares in Canada, including 5,200 hectares in this province. “We have incredible natural heritage in Canada, probably the world envies how much wilderness and nature that we have in our country, and maybe sometimes we even take it for granted because we are surrounded by beauty and wild places,” says Kathryn Morse, Atlantic director of communications for the NCC. The parcel of land for the new Freshwater Bay reserve, valued at $2.2 million, previously belonged to the Crosbie family, Kathryn explains. Ron Crosbie donated it to the NCC in 2017, setting in motion the process for declaring a nature reserve. First, the NCC completed surveys of the site – on foot, combing the land metre by metre – to take inventory of the various species of flora and fauna residing there. They worked with lawyers to have the site appraised and legally protected against development. They generated funding for the project through donations from various organizations, including the
NCC Protected Sites in NL Freshwater Bay Grand Codroy Estuary, Codroy Valley Crabbes River, St. Fintans The Grasses, Robinson’s River Sandy Point, St. George’s Bay Black Ash, Reidville 92
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Cahill Group, the Sisters of Mercy, the Presentation Sisters and Exxon Mobil, as well as the federal government and private donors. There were also consultations with the East Coast Trail Association. It all adds up to a lot of paperwork and fieldwork, but for the great reward of conserving a piece of our natural landscape. “It’s a great day whenever we can declare something fully protected,” says Kathryn. The great thing about nature reserves is that they do not exclude humans. In fact, as Megan explains, the NCC intends for reserves to serve as educational areas where university students can complete fieldwork, and younger students can explore and learn about the local flora and fauna. Given that this particular reserve is close to the city, it provides ample opportunity for urban dwellers to explore nature without having to travel far. Deadman’s Bay Path is already a well-known and muchloved hiking area, so the reserve is sure to attract many visitors to explore the wilderness. In fact, all nature reserves are open to the public for recreational use, including foraging, hiking, and legal hunting and fishing. Kathryn says, “We feel that people should be able to use these areas for traditional uses.” Once a region is declared protected by the NCC, it stays that way forever. www.downhomelife.com
The NCC follows up with each of their sites at least once per year to ensure that there has been no wildlife damage, to complete ongoing species inventory and to do general maintenance. Megan recently earned a drone pilot licence, which will help with surveying some of the more remote sites across the province. So what’s next for the Freshwater Bay Nature Reserve? Megan hopes to connect with the nearby communities of Shea Heights and Blackhead, to work together on the continued protection of this reserve, and to compile some of the history and memories of the site. As for visitors to the area, there will be no change to their experience at the site or along the East Coast Trail, except that they can be assured that the wilderness they love will be protected forever. Kathryn says, “We hope that the more people enjoy these areas, the more they’ll want to enjoy in the future.” January 2020
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Linda Corbett
stands facing a warm southwest breeze and the setting sun on a postcard-pretty September evening. We linger for a moment on the late Aunt Nora Skanes’ series of small bridges that allows a melodious sliver brook to pass unimpeded down the natural rock terraces and empty into the ocean. Across Colliers Harbour, I count the landmarks in the skyline: Man O’ War Ridge, Crow’s Gulch, the Scrapes, the Roost, the Lord and Carrick. It’s been said that in my grandfather’s grandfather’s time, red pine trees 80-100 feet tall dotted that skyline. They were big enough to be harvested for the masts and spars of British naval vessels in the golden age of sail. Behind Linda, a worn wooden post and rail fence put up during my
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boyhood by the fisherman and fine old gentleman, the late Dick Skanes, guards an ancient gravel path that marches over the hill and into history. We move down into James Cove, at the end of Harbour Drive in Colliers, and stop beside a large headstone. The marker belongs to James Cole, “one of my paternal ancestors,” Linda says. Linda, 55, has lived in Colliers all her life and her roots here run deep. “My great-grandmother, Mary Kate
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Brien, was born in a house right here to James Brien and his wife Agnes Murphy – the house is no longer existent. She married my great-grandfather, Jimmy Doyle, who was born in Doyle’s Lane, which is at the mouth of this section of the harbour known as Burke’s Cove.” The Doyle house is still standing and Linda’s current home is just beyond it. “Jimmy’s and Mary Kate’s daughter, Alice Doyle, was my maternal grandmother. If I start with my great-great-grandparents, James Brien and Agnes Murphy, and advance forward to my two grandchildren, I can trace seven generations of my lineage to this exact area.” As I, too, am from Colliers, Linda and I share a number of fairy stories, folktales and pirate tales all based in or near James Cove – the earliest settled section of the community, being closest to rich fishing grounds off Harbour Rock and White Point. Habitation and evidence of human activity here far predates the official records, if the stories are to be believed. One particular tale is about a ghostly black boar guarding the treasure of Dan’s Pen. Linda says with a smile, “According to Nan [the late Alice Doyle], pirates visited this area. This is no doubt historically accurate, since Colliers Harbour is a stone’s throw away from Cupids Harbour, and this was a potential site for John Guy’s 1610 settlement as the first English colony in the New World. Legend has it that there was a particular plot of land here, known as Dan’s Pen, where the 96
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Linda Corbett stands next to the headstone of James Cole, one of her paternal ancestors. pirates buried gold and other treasure with the intent of retrieving it later on.” The pirates left a black pig or wild boar to guard the goods, so the story goes. “Whether or not the treasure was ever retrieved was a mystery, but the black boar remained on guard – even past its natural life. The story goes that if you dig a shovel of dirt in the exact area of Dan’s Pen, you will be accosted by the ghost of the black pig.” I’ve heard other stories passed down about old-timey prospectors 1-888-588-6353
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digging for pirate gold at night and getting such a fright that they run from James Cove never to return. In fact, the pirate lore is so strong here that a large mural in the Colliers Recreation Centre depicts pirates landing and burying a treasure in James Cove. “Even if there was pirate treasure here at one point, I don’t need to dig a piece of valuable metal out from the earth to appreciate the wealth of this area,” Linda muses. “I just need to open my eyes to see the physical beauty, smell the salt water, hear the waves caress the pebbled beach and cast my memory back to my Nan’s voice relating that story. There is no replacement for storytelling as a medium for preserving intangible cultural heritage. Being able to recount those stories in the actual environment where they originated is truly priceless.” A proposed rock quarry in James Cove has residents worried about the future of this storied area. Those opposing the quarry want to see the cove preserved, for its historical significance as well as its beauty. “An ideal proposition for this area, which would preserve intangible cultural heritage and support healthy www.downhomelife.com
living, would be under the auspices of an ecotourism project that would see the current ATV trail – which is used by hikers, snowshoers, photographers, mountain bikers, berry pickers and tourists – properly maintained. This trail loops to the neighbouring community of Bacon Cove in Conception Harbour and has historically been used as an access route between the two communities for hundreds of years,” Linda says. “Additionally, the trail could be expanded by opening up a clear path to the waters of Conception Bay. I’ve sat in a small boat on those waters during the recreational cod fishery, and I guarantee that the view is second to none. Kayakers and sailors tell me the same thing. They love coming into James Cove. No matter how often I travel out Colliers Harbour by boat, I am always in awe of the majestic beauty and tranquility of the area.” She concludes, “So if there are any changes to be made in James Cove, let those changes be ones that require minimal disruption to the area… Let’s not make the change one that scars the earth, pulls rock out of the ground and forever mars a pristine landscape.” January 2020
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of January 5, 2019, Inuit children in Hopedale reposition their Christmas stockings long since void of their Christmas morning treats. All is ready in anticipation that their exemplary behaviour of the past year will once again reward them with treats. Unlike the Christmas lyrics, “He sees you when you’re sleeping, he knows when you’re awake, he knows if you’ve been bad or good, so be good for goodness sake,” Inuit children must maintain their streak of good behaviour way beyond Santa’s arrival. Or else the Nalujuit will fill their waiting stockings not with goodies but with sticks, rocks and other useless items. Therefore, the children dare not incur the wrath of the Nalujuks. Nalujuk Night 2018 did not happen for me. After I had heard about the strange goings on and how I would be chased by Nalujuit (Nalujuks) brandishing sticks if I ventured out, I hunkered down in my house with the lights turned off to pretend it wasn’t happening. As it turns out, I missed the experience of a lifetime. Last year, I decided it was time I overcame my fears.
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An eerie sight
With resident Ryan Flowers, I brave the 25-below temperatures with 50 kilometre per hour winds, hop onto his snowmobile and take off in search of the Nalujuit. I must have looked the sight with a black balaclava covering all but my eyes and a fur hat pulled tightly under my chin. Minus the stick, I could easily have been mistaken for a Nalujuk myself. It didn’t take long to find a group of five strange souls wandering across the bay ice and heading menacingly straight for us. As they near us, I break out into my own rough version of “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” Next thing I see is an outstretched sealskin-gloved hand for me to shake. Then it reaches into a bag and passes me some sweet treats. I ask if we can take some photos, and the entire group immediately gathers
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together, kneels on the ice and assumes a pose. As quick as that, they are off. Ryan and I repack our camera gear, start up the snowmobile and drive around Hopedale in search of more Nalujuit. They are everywhere. It is a wild night of fun and mayhem as the Nalujuit hit every nook and cranny in Hopedale. Children run frantically from the strangely dressed creatures that roam the town every year on January 6, while snowmobiles drive around for a look at and quick photos of the rare and fanciful Nalujuit. Some children and
and was first recorded on the island of Newfoundland around the early 1800s. Medieval mummers were at one time amateur actors who performed for various functions throughout the year, including harvest time and Christmas. Mummering usually commences on Boxing Day, the Feast of St. Stephen, and lasts until the 12th day of Christmas, Old Christmas Day. Newfoundland mummers dress in outlandish costumes and perform for anyone who will listen after being invited into their homes. This is now more of an outport tradition because
adults receive a few treats, while others are chased by the muted stickwielding Nalujuit. The town is alive with wonderment at the undying tradition that crystallizes Hopedale and the other Labrador Inuit communities into such unique places. But this year, it isn’t my fear of the Nalujuk that drives me back indoors – it’s the fierce cold.
of the invasiveness of this custom. Mummers garb up in everything from Granny’s old bra to lacy slips (both usually worn over the outside of a mummer’s clothing), rubber boots with perhaps a pair of vamps pulled over them, and homemade and store-bought masks. If you can dream it up, all is fair game in the costuming department. Mummers are treated to libations and food as thank-you gestures for their gifted surreptitious performances. However, once the secret identity of the masked one is guessed, they must remove their disguise for all to see. The longer the guessing game, though, the more food and drink a mummer gets, so lots of time and energy go into having the perfect disguise.
Mummers vs. Nalujuit
At first glance, one would think mummers and Nalujuit are one and the same. Not so. Although both traditions occur during the Christmas season and involve dressing up to hide one’s identity, the similarities end there. Mummering is actually an old English and Irish custom that resurfaced 100
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While mummering is both a time of entertainment and stress relief from whatever are the prevailing conditions, the Nalujuk appears to be primarily a teaching opportunity evolved from their Moravian roots. Nalujuk Night occurs in Inuit communities throughout Labrador on
the shores of Labrador from the far off Eastern ice and cold Atlantic waters, the realm of the sea goddess, Sedna. They playfully taunt the children while teaching them lessons of good behaviour. The Moravian Missions of Nain, Makkovik and Hopedale seem to have influenced the manner in which these Nalujuit masked and dressed themselves in animal furs of all kinds, especially with the moralistic teaching that accompanies the tradition.
Nalujuit in Hopedale, 2019
Old Christmas Day, January 6. Like other Inuit communities on Nalujuk Night, Hopedale comes alive with frenetic Nalujuit running and teasing children and adults alike. They are only appeased once you sing them a song in Inuktitut or any other language. Christmas carols seem to pop up regularly. The Nalujuit, a hodgepodge of eerie-looking characters, have finally made their annual return trek. They are boogeyman characters that visit www.downhomelife.com
Now, hundreds of years later, these Nalujuit still return with gnarled spruce sticks in hand, dressed in their Inuit sealskin mukluks and gloves, and with their faces and bodies covered in furs. These unreal spectres are not unlike the boogeymen of cultures from all over the world. Whether they are wolves in sheep’s clothing or some other misshapen forms, their return the same time every year instills a real fear in children as well as adults. So, after these unearthly visitors have long gone, the children will presumably remain nice and not naughty because the Nalujuit will definitely be back next year. January 2020
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Family members honour Marshall “Bumpy” Adams by completing his dream return to the top of Gros Morne Mountain. By Arlene and Bill Adams • Shoal Harbour, NL known to family and friends as “Bumpy,” was diagnosed with liver cancer in April 2011. From then until 2017, he and his wife hiked 33 trails in our great province, while he was battling cancer and taking chemotherapy treatments. He was full of enthusiasm: showing us pictures and telling us all about the trails they hiked. The one he was most proud of was hiking to the summit of Gros Morne Mountain, which he vowed he would do again. Sadly, he passed away in July 2018, unable to fulfill that dream. In June of 2019, some of his family decided to do the hike in his honour. It was a rough trail and they encountered snow near the top, but they knew if he could reach the top while receiving chemo treatments, they could do it, too. Sharing his experience, taking in the view – and seeing the beautiful butterfly waiting for them at the top – made it feel like he was there with them.
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Right: Marshall “Bumpy” Adams ascending the gully part of the Gros Morne Mountain trail in 2012. He was undergoing chemotherapy treatments for liver cancer at the time, but he persevered and achieved his goal of reaching the summit. Below: Members of Marshall “Bumpy” Adams’ family climbed Gros Morne Mountain in his memory in 2019. (L-R): Bumpy’s daughter, Robyn and her husband, Ben; Bumpy’s sisters Lori, Sandy and Gail; and his widow, Tracey.
Sean Sumbler photo
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everyday recipes.ca
Determined to turn over a new leaf this year? Start with adding more leafy greens to your diet as part of a healthier lifestyle. Here are delicious ways to enjoy collard greens, bok choy, radicchio, spinach, Swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale.
Asian Cabbage Slaw 4 cups Napa cabbage, shredded 1 cup carrot, grated 1 red pepper, julienne 1/2 small red onion, shaved
Dressing 2 tbsp white sugar 1/4 cup rice vinegar 2 tbsp soy sauce 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated 2 tsp garlic, minced 1 tsp sambal 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together until the sugar is dissolved. Toss all veggies together in a large bowl. Mix dressing into veggies, tossing well to coat. Set aside in the fridge for 30 minutes. Toss well when serving. Yield: 4-6 servings
All of our recipes are brought to you by the fantastic foodies in Academy Canada’s Culinary Arts program, led by instructor Bernie-Ann Ezekiel.
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Radicchio Burger (vegan) 2 radicchio heads, cut into 4 cross-section slices 2 vegan burger buns Vegan chipotle mayonnaise Shredded lettuce & sliced tomatoes for topping
Marinade 2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced 3 tbsp white wine vinegar 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp fresh parsley, minced 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp ancho chili powder 1 tsp onion powder
Whisk all marinade ingredients together well. Take the two middle cross-sections of the radicchio (they’ll look like burger patties) and set on a baking sheet. Reserve the end pieces for a salad. Spread the marinade on both sides of the radicchio patties and let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Preheat the BBQ/grill and lightly oil it. Grill the patties until you have distinct grill marks on both sides and it’s heated through (it shouldn’t be soggy – about 8 minutes total will do). Top burgers with mayo, lettuce and tomatoes. Serve warm. Yield: 2 burgers
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Swiss Chard Bruschetta 1 loaf French bread, sliced 1/2" thick & toasted (at least 12 slices) 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1/2 cup shallots, small dice 4 cups chard, thinly sliced 2 tbsp garlic, minced
1 tbsp dry basil 2 cups tomato, small dice 1/4 cup white wine 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 12 tbsp provolone/Parmesan cheese, grated
Heat the oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Sweat the shallot, chard and garlic. When shallots are translucent, turn heat to high, let the pan sizzle and add the tomato and basil. Stir/toss for about 1 minute, then add the wine. Shake the pan – be careful because the wine may briefly catch fire. When the wine has nearly cooked off, add the salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on slices of toasted French bread. Top with 1 tbsp cheese and broil until the cheese melts and starts to just turn brown. Serve immediately. Yield: 12 pieces
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Collard Greens Pesto 1 cup pine nuts, toasted and cooled 3 cups collard greens, chopped 3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp lemon juice
3 tbsp fresh garlic, minced 3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp kosher salt
Place all the ingredients in a food processor fitted with an S-blade and blend on high until a coarse paste is created. Scrape down the bowl and blend again to ensure it’s all mixed evenly. Use as a spread on flatbread with your favourite toppings. Yield: approx. 2 cups
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Spinach Pasta Pasta
Sauce
3 1 6 1
1 cup butter 2 cups leek, thinly sliced 2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced 12 sundried tomatoes, julienne 1 cup white wine 6 cups whipping cream Salt & pepper to taste Parmesan cheese (opt.)
whole eggs tbsp extra virgin olive oil cups spinach, packed cup + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour 1 cup + 2 tbsp semolina 1 tsp salt
For the pasta
Whisk together eggs and oil; set aside. Wilt spinach with a tiny amount of water in a frying pan. Once wilted, chop very fine, squeeze out as much liquid as possible and set aside. Put the dry ingredients in a food processor fitted with an S-blade. With the machine running, add the squeezed spinach, letting it blend thoroughly with the flours. The flours should start to look like a green powder. Once it looks even, add liquid ingredients all at once. Once a ball forms, remove it from the processor and knead it with some semolina flour if it’s a little sticky. It should be smooth and firm, but only slightly tacky. Wrap airtight and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, to allow the gluten to relax. Divide dough into small sections and roll it out using a pasta roller (my roller goes to a size 8 thickness, and I roll it out to a size 6 thickness). Once rolled out into sheets, run the pasta through the cutters to make fettuccine. Sprinkle fettuccine with semolina to keep it from sticking together.
For the sauce Melt butter over medium heat in a frying pan. Sweat leek and garlic. When leeks are translucent, add tomatoes and turn heat to high. Once veggies start to sizzle, add wine and swirl the pan to mix. Add cream and let it boil over medium-high heat until it reduces by about half (or to the consistency you desire). Season to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside and keep warm.
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Boil a large pot of salted water. Add the pasta and boil until it’s still a little bit firm, but cooked through (5-8 minutes). You may have to do it in batches to ensure the pot is not too crowded. Strain pasta and gently toss it in a small amount of olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Serve onto plates topped with warm sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired. Yield: 6-8 servings
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Bok Choy Sesame Stir-Fry Sauce
Stir Fry
1/2 cup soy sauce 1/2 cup rice vinegar 1 1/2 cups chicken stock 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp chili flakes 2 tbsp cornstarch 1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 cups white onion, sliced 4 heads bok choy, chopped 1 red pepper, sliced 1" ginger, peeled and minced 1/4 cup garlic, minced 1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted
For the sauce
Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.
For the stir fry
Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and sautĂŠ until it starts to become golden. Add bok choy and red pepper; continue to stir-fry until bok choy starts to soften. Add ginger, garlic and sesame seeds; continue to stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes. Give the sauce a good whisk and add to the hot pan, being sure to stir the vegetables as the sauce starts to thicken. Once the sauce has thickened fully, remove from heat and serve as is, or over your favourite rice. Yield: 4 servings
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Brussels Sprouts 6 cups Brussels sprouts, halved 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper
Sauce 2 tbsp butter 1/2 cup shallots, minced 1 tbsp garlic, minced 1 tsp chili flakes 1/2 cup honey 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss Brussels sprouts in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on a parchment-lined pan and roast for about 20 minutes (they should have a little bit of char on them, and be cooked through).
For the sauce Melt butter in a saucepan over mediumhigh heat and sautĂŠ shallots until they are translucent. Add garlic and chili flakes. Cook for another minute. Add honey and bring to a boil for 3 minutes. Add vinegar, stir, and continue to boil until sauce is reduced by half. Toss the roasted sprouts in the sauce and serve immediately. Yield: 4-6 servings
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Kale Pizza 1 lb pizza dough, divided into quarters 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 cup shallots, minced 2 cups kale, chopped 1 tbsp garlic, minced
6 sundried tomatoes, diced 1 tsp sugar 1/4 cup white wine 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tomatoes, sliced 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Preheat oven to 350°F. Roll pizza dough into four 1/2" thick circles. Set a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add oil. SautÊ shallots until they start to become translucent. Add kale and cook while stirring until kale starts to wilt. Add garlic and sundried tomatoes. Cook for another 2 minutes and add the sugar, stirring well to combine. Turn heat to high and when the pan starts to sizzle, add the white wine and shake the pan (it may briefly catch fire while burning off the alcohol). When the mixture is cooked almost dry, add the vinegar and stir well. Cook until the mixture is nearly dry and remove from heat. Divide the mixture evenly between the four pizza dough bases and top with sliced tomatoes and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until crust is cooked and golden. Yield: 4 personal-sized pizzas 112
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life is better Frozen shadows in Twillingate, NL Julian Earle, Twillingate, NL
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food & leisure down to earth
A Year in the Life of Gardening By Kim Thistle
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I learned to love gardening
at a very early age. Both of my parents were gardeners; they started a greenhouse business and flower shop the year I was born. I guess I was destined to follow in their footsteps. Some of my earliest memories are of helping with the transplanting in the spring, when the snow was receding and days were starting to lengthen. In summer, I loved to sit in the rock garden and enjoy the scent of lavender. I watched my mother weed till dark during those long summer days. Autumn reminds me of raking leaves for the compost, and putting the garden and greenhouse to bed for a few months. The howling winds of February remind me of helping with the seeding and watching the heat disappearing through the seams in the greenhouse. The risks of the furnace failing during a winter storm caused my father sleepless nights, and some of my earliest memories are of the alarm going off in the dark to alert us that his fears had come true. I guess that is what made me come to appreciate the four seasons of gardening. Yep‌ four seasons. Every season has a landscape and a place in the heart of a gardener.
It starts with spring
Spring is the time of rebirth. Planting seeds and watching those first two leaves emerge through the soil is one of the few ways we have of assisting Mother Nature with a miracle. Who doesn’t love to see a carpet of crocuses and squill followed by tulips and daffodils? It is in the spring that we have the opportunity to prune off a few branches from our fruit trees and forsythia, and watch them come into bloom in a vase of water inside our homes. It is the time when we plant seeds and set them in our living room windows or (for those lucky enough to have one) a backyard greenhouse. I love that first warmish, sunny day when I can get out in the garden and rake the leaves off my perennial beds to see what treasures are poking through the earth. It is the time we awaken to the sound of the songbirds. Spring is the season for coltsfoot, the banquet provided to hungry honeybees. Yes, spring is the time when we all stretch and yawn, and look forward to the feeling of sore muscles at the end of the day. www.downhomelife.com
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Summer brings the heat
Then come the hot, sweaty days of summer, we hope. Now we get to watch those teeny, tiny seedlings that we started a few months ago mature into adults. We battle insects, disease, drought and flood; and when we are not dealing with those nuisances, we are weeding, weeding and weeding. My dopamine is triggered when I get halfway through a garden row and look back from whence I’ve come. That clean, weedless soil is like an artist’s palette. Summer is the season when the perennial gardener realizes there is “that” spot that lacks colour on the 25th of July or the 9th of August, and we go in search of the perfect plant to fit. It is the time when walkers or drivers slow down in front of a house with a beautiful hanging basket. Even non-gardeners take part in this activity and wish they could make their own homes look so inviting.
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Hot summer days are times when we are grateful for large trees that provide shade for our midday siesta. It is the time for picking our homegrown salad greens and strawberries. You can almost taste the sunshine on them. Summer is the time when the vegetable gardeners sneak around the neighbourhood at night, leaving their copious amounts of zucchini on their neighbours’ doorsteps. Only a person who has grown more than two zucchini plants can appreciate that innuendo.
The rewards of fall
Then comes autumn, the season when we reap what we have sown. It is the time when we wonder what to do with all those tomatoes; or, conversely, why our tomato harvest was so poor. Then there are the bushels of green tomatoes that did not have long enough to ripen. (Heads up, Green Tomato Jam is to die for.)
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Kim’s garden under a winter blanket I find autumn to be the busiest season. The harvesting, pickling, blanching and freezing seem never ending. On the decent days, there is the raking, pruning, soil amending and tree wrapping that goes with the fast-approaching end of season. Then, there is the planting of spring bulbs and garlic, as well as the seeding of winter cover crops. There are the drives to the coast to gather seaweed and the search for the perfect, well-rotted manure to top dress your beds for the following year.
A winter’s rest
Thank heavens for winter. Sweet winter. It is time to put our feet up and rest, but not the time to go on sabbatical. Now comes the planning for the following year. Now we can sit in our windows and observe the garden. Are there enough trees that attract winter birds and give them www.downhomelife.com
shelter? Are there plants such as grasses and trees with decorative barks to give our garden colour and interest when the season is bleak? What were our successes and failures over the past year? What are we going to plant next year? Where are we going to plant it? When you get sick of making notes, there are always tools to be cleaned and sharpened. For those of you who are not gardeners, I hope that through my articles I can inspire you to plant even one thing. That one plant will be the beginning of a long love affair with the earth. Kim Thistle owns a garden centre and landscaping business on the west coast of the island. She has also been a recurring guest gardener on CBC’s “Crosstalk” for almost three decades. January 2020
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Premiers Past and Future “When I took this photo of Joey Smallwood and my husband, Tom Marshall, during a book signing at K-Mart in Corner Brook (circa 1980), I had no idea that I was taking a photograph of the first premier of Newfoundland and Labrador with the future 11th premier of the province,” the submitter writes. She’s also wondering who the boy and the woman in the photo were. If anyone knows, please contact Downhome. Lin Crosbie Marshall, Corner Brook, NL
April Snow Showers “There has been a lot of talk this past winter about snowstorms,” writes the submitter, who sent this photo as a reminder that it can always be worse. This scene greeted residents of the Burin Peninsula after a snowstorm on April 9, 1981. This photo was taken between Dunn’s River and Sandy Harbour River as the snowplow operator attempted to clear a path along the highway. William Kirby, Burin, NL 118
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Game Day Taken in St. John’s c. 1933, this is the submitter’s grandfather, Thomas Redmond (left), “playing cards, smoking and drinking with some of his brothers,” writes the submitter. “My favourite photo of all time! I love the content, the smoke haze in the sunlight, the bottle of whiskey, the concentration on the dealt cards...” Cholan S., Via Facebook
This Month in History On January 2, 1919, the Newfoundland Postmaster General issued a special set of 12 stamps called “Trail of the Caribou” to commemorate Newfoundland’s role in the Great War. Each stamp was a different colour and depicted a caribou head, the emblem of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment. Eight of the stamps noted the various locations where the Regiment had played a special role: Beaumont-Hamel, Sulva Bay, Monchyle-Preux, Combles, Cambrai, Gueudecourt, Langemarck and the Steenbeek. The other four stamps honoured the Royal Naval Reserve and bore the word Ubique, meaning “everywhere.” The sale of the stamps raised funds to support veterans and their families. The postage value of the stamps was anywhere from 1 cent to 36 cents. Newfoundland Governor Sir Charles Harris disapproved of the stamps because they did not depict the Royals, as was customary for stamps at the time. However, they remained in circulation. Today they are a collector’s item, and an entire set can be purchased on Ebay for C$118.28. 1-888-588-6353
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between the boulevard and the bay
Our Colourful Language By Ron Young
“I’ll hit you so hard over your head that you’ll have to turn down your socks to see out over!”
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The language
of Newfoundland and Labrador is very colourful. We regularly use alliteration, onomatopoeias, metaphors, similes, puns and hyperboles – not that most of us realize it. Many of us have never heard of these communication devices and couldn’t define them if asked, but we use them in sentences every day. Especially hyperboles. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians love to hyperbolize. A hyperbole is a gross exaggeration, not meant to be taken literally. Sounds familiar now, doesn’t it? Instead of saying “The road is very winding,” we might say, “The road was so winding that there was times when I seen me own tail lights!” We don’t just speak words, we paint pictures. One time when my friend, Cyril Cooper, and I were youngsters playing on the beach in Twillingate, his father Frank yelled out a hyperbolic warning. “Cyril, if you don’t come up from the beach this minute, I’m going to crack the skin on thy skull and haul thy carcass up through!” Effective, no doubt. Frank was prolific in the use of hyperbole. He once threatened his son, Herb: “I’ll hit you so hard over your head that you’ll have to turn down your socks to see out over!” My grandfather, Jonas Cooper, was also a master of hyperbole. Being a big believer in the power of Mecca Ointment, he one-time proclaimed: “That Mecca Ointment is able to heal over a cat’s ass overnight!” One fellow, in describing how far a distance his gun could shoot, said that he once fired a shot into the air and long after he had put the gun away and gone on to something else, he heard a thump on his roof. When he went up on the roof, he found an angel with a broken wing. 1-888-588-6353
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What about other communication devices? See if any of these sound familiar: “How would you like your heart clapboarded with your ribs?” (A metaphor to better express “If you don’t stop that I’m going to strike you.”) “You’re as busy as a bayman with two wood stoves.” (A simile, comparing you to something to express that you’re so busy you can’t keep up with it all.) Something rather unique to Newfoundland and Labrador figures of speech is the way we describe things in opposite terms. If something is really good, we say, “That’s bad, me son!” Or if it’s chilly outside: “Nar bit cold out, d’day.” Or, when we’re expecting a fine time out: “I knows it’s not gonna be a wicked time here d’night.” (That one is almost a double opposite, because “wicked” actually means excellent, and this seems to say it’s not going to be an excellent – and not wicked – time.) We don’t even notice we’re doing it, but it must be some challenging for come-fromaways to follow our conversations. Two other communication devices that add a fair amount of colour to Newfoundland and Labrador conversations are cuss words and rhymes. We use these devices to make a point and, especially with cuss words, really drive it home. More often, though, alliteration is used to emphasize oaths. “By the lard, liftin’, lamplightin’, reevin’, roarin’, mortified Moses!” Rhymes are sometimes created to remember something, as in folklore forecasting: “Mackerel skies and 1-888-588-6353
mare’s tails; make the sailor furl his sails.” Or “Bright Northern Lights above the hill; a fine day, then a storm foretell.” As you’ve probably noticed in Downhome, there are a lot of poets in our readership. Rhyming is a creative way to describe an emotion, an event or a scene. In this issue alone, we have a poem written by a past poet laureate in the 1920s, and one written much more recently by a Grade 9 student. I hope you’ve found this brief foray into Newfoundland and Labrador language interesting. And maybe you’ll get a chuckle out of this rhyme I wrote decades ago for a bit of fun:
English Was the Hardest The trouble what I had in school Learning grammer and the spelling rool Was the falt of Mister King Who never learned me anything And to no degree The falt of she Who sat studiously across from me And unknowingly let me see A lot of leg above the knee. “If you can’t be a great person, be a good one.” – Ron Young
Ron Young is a retired policeman, published poet and founding editor of Downhome. ron@downhomelife.com
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My grandmother, Ena Constance Barrett, was once known as poet laureate of Newfoundland. She came from Perthshire, Scotland in 1920, the war bride of John A. Barrett of Curling, in the Bay of Islands. She had, up to this point in her life, known much loss and sadness and, unfortunately, even more tragedy was to follow in the years ahead. Despite the sorrows she experienced, Ena always had a passion for life, much love for family and friends, and a strong bond with Scotland and her adopted home, Newfoundland. She took great joy in nature, had a strong faith and always had hope for the world. All of this was reflected in the hundreds of poems she wrote and which were widely published throughout her life. Ena was born in Leicester, England, on January 14, 1893. When she was seven months old, her mother died and she was taken to near Liverpool to become the ward of her mother’s sister and husband, Constance and Arthur Culbard. Her half-brother, Jack, who was two years older than Ena, went to live with his father’s sister and her husband in London. Ena and Jack never saw each other again.
She was now known as Ena Constance Culbard. Unfortunately, Constance Culbard died in 1902, and her husband, Arthur, passed away in 1903. Once again, Ena was displaced. This time she was taken to Dunkeld in Scotland, to live with Arthur’s widowed mother and spinster sister, Jessy. It seems that Ena enjoyed a loving home with the elderly Mrs. Culbard and her daughter. There she received a typical young lady’s Edwardian education under the guidance of a governess. Living in the scenic Tay Valley, she was inspired to begin writing poetry. Her first published poem, “The Little Road of Life,” 1-888-588-6353
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Ena Constance Culbard in 1912, when she was 19 years old.
appeared in an English newspaper in 1913. Before long, her poems were widely published in newspapers and magazines in Scotland and England. A volume of verse, Rainbow Thoughts, was published by Rosemount Press in Aberdeen in 1915. A booklet of poems called On the Old Drove Road came out two years later. It was during the First World War that Ena met her future husband. She once wrote in 1960, for the Evening Telegraph, about her life in Dunkeld before and during the war. She reminisced about the war years and the “happy little gatherings in the manse by the river, around the piano singing the old war-time songs. Being seen home – sometimes 124
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a long way home.” One might imagine her meeting the handsome John Barrett there in his uniform of the Newfoundland Forestry Unit. They married on June 17, 1920, in the beautiful Dunkeld Cathedral and soon left for Newfoundland. Miss Jessy Culbard had died six months earlier. In 1921, they returned to Dunkeld when Mrs. Culbard, Ena’s last tie to her “adoptive” family, passed away. As Ena was expecting their first child, they stayed until after John Hamilton’s birth on January 18, 1922. Once again they left Scotland, now for the last time, and settled in Curling, NL, where three more children would eventually be born: Arthur, David and Rose. Through all the changes – from leaving her beloved Scotland and adjusting to life, marriage and motherhood in a new country – Ena never ceased to use poetry as a means to express and share her most intimate feelings, her joys and sometimes her heartaches. In 1929, another volume of poems, Lilts of Newfoundland, was published, and it left no doubt that she deeply loved her new land. Both world wars inspired some of her most powerful and meaningful work. One of her very poignant poems was written after the loss of her son, John. He had been a gifted student and musician who graduated in science from Dalhousie University, the youngest ever to have done so at that time, 1941. He then joined the RCAF, earning his wings and the rank of Pilot Officer. On October 14, 1942, he was bringing his bride of two weeks to Newfoundland, where his family eagerly awaited their 1-888-588-6353
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Ena and John Barrett on their wedding day in Scotland, June 17, 1920
arrival. In the wee hours of that morning a German U-boat torpedoed the passenger ferry SS Caribou in the Cabot Strait. John’s body was never recovered. His wife was rescued after many hours in the frigid water. He didn’t come home with the boys today That son who was so dear, But his father stood as the train came in And helped to raise a cheer… Newfoundland newspapers frequently published Ena’s poems, and she became so well known that a new volume, Mayflowers and Roses, was published in 1946, to wide acclaim. 1-888-588-6353
She always had a great love of and respect for the British monarchy and especially Queen Elizabeth. When the then princess and her husband, Prince Phillip, visited Newfoundland in 1951, a six-verse poem Ena had written to honour them was officially presented to them. Then when they returned to Newfoundland in 1959, Ena was thrilled to be presented to the now Queen Elizabeth. Also at that time a collection of her poems, in booklet form, was published as a token of loyalty to the throne of Britain and as a souvenir of the Royal visit. Even long after her death, many remembered her work. In 2002, her wonderful poem “Newfoundland” was recorded by Buddy Wasisname January 2020
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John and Ena Barrett lived together in Curling, NL, until his death in 1955. (Photo taken c.1952)
and the Other Fellers for their Up Boot album. Although Ena had never been able to know her brother, Jack, she had followed his illustrious career in Britain. Jack Drummond became a biochemist and was knighted in 1944 for his revolutionary work in the field of food science. In August 1952, Jack, his wife and their 10-year-old daughter were on a camping holiday in France when they were brutally murdered. It was a crime that shook Europe and was never satisfactorily solved. How Ena must have felt, knowing that any chance of seeing him again was now lost. In July 1955, Ena’s husband, John, passed away. They had only 35 years together, but they had been happy ones in Curling, a place they both loved. John also had a gift for writ126
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ing, and was a publisher and journalist at the Western Star newspaper. It soon was apparent that Ena could not continue to live there on her own, and for most of the rest of her life she lived with her daughter, Rose, and family. In 1967, Ena was admitted to hospital in Grand Falls, where she died on January 21. She is buried in the United Church cemetery in Curling beside the man she loved. Today her daughter, Rose, and husband live in Mount Pearl. Her son, David, and his wife reside in Welland, Ontario. Her son, Arthur, passed away in St. John’s in May 2019. Ena’s legacy is one of love for family and country, and through her gift of words she brought images, ideas and emotions to all who enjoyed her poetry. 1-888-588-6353
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SPRING ON THE WEST COAST Ena Constance Barrett
There’s a wind coming in from the warm sou’west, Filled with the scent of rain; And the earth, that slept, is awaking to hope And newness of life again. Where snows lay deep, there are patches of brown, And grey rock peeping through, And dear little clouds, as soft as down, Are scudding across the blue. The silvery ice is drifting away Like fairy ships set free, And hundreds of jubilant musical brooks, Are dancing down to the sea. There’s a misty haze on the birch-clad hill And the spruce – the woodland’s Queen – Is shaking the blossoms of spotless white From her beautiful tips of green. Far in the forest, the robin bird Is wooing his chosen one, And the mayflower is lifting her exquisite face For the kiss of the lordly sun. Winter is passing and love is astir, Making the tired heart sing, And the Giver of life is blessing the Earth With the joy of returning Spring. First published in “Lilts of Newfoundland,” 1929 1-888-588-6353
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George Noseworthy,
a labourer, and his son Percy, a bookbinder, found themselves on hard times during the Great Depression. The St. John’s men, finding no work in their trades, made a few dollars unloading coal ships on the South Side of the harbour, across the road from where they lived. When they’d finished unloading the cargo holds, they couldn’t help but notice the layer of coal dust left behind. It seemed a shame to let that material go to waste. It got them thinking… Left: Percy Noseworthy, Vancouver, BC, 1941. Above: George Noseworthy, St, John’s, 1940. 1-888-588-6353
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One day they filled their gunny sacks with the coal dust at the end of their shift and brought it home to experiment on uses for it. After years of trail and error, their attempts to form the dust into something useful paid off. They finally found the precise mix of slack coal, water and cement for making coal briquettes. In October 1932, they took their discovery right to the patent office. Among the claims laid out in their patent was the process for making the briquettes: “mixing 24 pounds of Anthracite slack coal with 36 pounds of cement, adding approximately 3 gallons of water, and mixing until the mass assumes the consistency of mortar, moulding the mass into briquettes and allowing to dry for 48 hours before handling.” George and Percy had just enough money between them for a standard 14-year patent with the Colony of Newfoundland. If they’d had $5
more they could have bought a lifetime patent, but they figured they could make enough money in the next few years to buy the renewal. Unfortunately, the Second World War changed their future plans. Percy went to war and died in combat. George died sometime later. The patent was forgotten about after their deaths until it was much too late to renew it. In fact, the patent was lost to the family until the 1980s, when Percy’s son Herb found the papers in a container along with letters Percy had written from Hong Kong before he died overseas. Thanks to Jacob Noseworthy, greatgrandson of Percy and great-greatgrandson of George, for supplying the researched information. Also, thank you to readers Herb Noseworthy and his cousin Cecil Noseworthy, for providing documentation and photos.
Right: The patent issued to George and Percy Noseworthy by the Colony of Newfoundland in 1932. 132
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Champney’s West, c. 2014
Kevin Sellars photo
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ON A COLD, WINTRY,
early April day in 1949, I found myself on the corner of Somerled and Walkely Avenue in Montreal, QC. Though not physically alone, I felt emotionally alone – I didn’t know where I was. But I certainly remembered how I got there. It was a long way from the remote Newfoundland fishing village I had left behind only a week previously, a village I knew like the back of my hand and one that stood in stark contrast to this patch of concrete outside a store in NDG (Notre-Dame-de-Grâce). My journey started on a sunny, brisk March day several weeks prior. Not only had I no idea where our family was going, but what lay ahead was unimaginable, as nothing in my 10-year exposure to life in Champney’s West, Trinity Bay, afforded me the capacity to understand what else was out there. It’s safe to say that my past severely limited my knowledge of what could come in the future.
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On that day, Middle Brook was a raging river and certainly not passable by rail. However, on the other side of the washedout trestle was another train and men with punts waiting to row us across. My family travelled to Port Rexton by horse and sleigh to catch the “branch train” to Clarenville. We were leaving so much behind: relatives, friends... our very home. I felt sad about leaving because I knew we were going away forever. With a gust of wind and a whoosh of steam, the train pulled into the station. We boarded – some of us more tentatively (I had never been on a train before) – and were soon underway. As the train pulled away from the station, my father explained that the train would travel around a big loop and stop to take on water. When we reached the point where the tracks began to curve, I looked out and saw the engine and coal car up ahead. We stopped and someone directed a spout from an elevated barrel and water poured into the coal-fired locomotive. The water was required to make steam, and the Lockston Loop was needed to help the train up a steep grade. Upon reaching Clarenville, we boarded the mainline train (now commonly referred to as “The Newfie Bullet”) to cross the island. We didn’t go very far before we stopped, just 136
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before Port Blandford, where a trestle over Middle Brook had washed out. The word “brook” was a misnomer. On that day, Middle Brook was a raging river and certainly not passable by rail. However, on the other side of the washed-out trestle was another train and men with punts waiting to row us across. Once all the passengers, luggage and freight had been transported, our journey across the island resumed. Having never been on a train before, my voyage was filled with surprises and wonder. This extended to the very act of dining. When it was time for supper, we walked through the train towards the dining car. This would be my first meal outside of the house that we had left behind and, as we entered the dining car, I was impressed by the expanse of tables adorned with white tablecloths. Though the particulars of the meal have faded, I vividly recall being impressed by the grandeur of it all. Later that evening, I received the next of what would prove to be several surprise experiences. The porter – a position to which I had never been previously exposed – came 1-888-588-6353
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along and converted our seats into a bed. Reaching up to the curved ceiling, he pulled down a second bed and drew heavy velvet drapes for our privacy. My brother and I slept in the upper bunk – another adventure in a trip already filled with them! We awoke and took to looking out the window to watch the world pass by. But that view was soon obscured by a pristine whiteness – enormous snow banks. We were travelling through a chasm of snow upon the Topsail Mountains. After reaching Port aux Basques, we transferred to a ferry for the ride across the icy gulf. I can still recall the loud noise caused by ice cracking and scraping against the ship’s hull as we inched forward. It was on this ferry, somewhere in the Gulf of St. Lawrence between Newfoundland and the mainland, that we heard the news that Canada had joined Newfoundland. A few days later, there I was, standing on a sidewalk in Montreal’s Notre-Dame-de-Grâce neighbourhood, hundreds of miles away from the small fishing village where I had spent my entire life. I had gone to the 1-888-588-6353
store with a cousin who had migrated weeks before and now was comfortable with life in the big city. And how different that life was! As I left the store I felt an overwhelming sense of homesickness, anguish and, yes, even fear. Had I been on my own, I would not have known how to get home. Despite the intervening years, I still miss “home,” but I realize that the relocation was best for our family. It certainly opened up opportunities that would have been far more difficult to access from “around the pond” in Champney’s West. I have returned home to The Rock many times, but for me the trip that had the most meaning was the 2010 Champney’s West Come Home Year. We had the opportunity to reunite with classmates that we left behind in March 1949. It surprised me that our departure had such an impact on them. Very emotionally they described how they felt watching us disappear over Jack’s Hill, gone forever. We may have been gone. But, for my family, Newfoundland was never forgotten. January 2020
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reminiscing
The End of the Smallpox Monster Began with Newfoundland Daring by Chad Bennett
If you had a chance
to change the world in a substantial way, but it would mean risking everything, would you take it? Dr. John Clinch’s normally bright, jovial face turned ashen and took on a sickly pallor as his eyes fixated on a gingerly held parcel. The package had arrived with a now threadbare letter from John’s lifelong friend, Dr. Edward Jenner. Edward and John had grown up together in Cirencester, England, and later both attended medical school in London. The letter, finding him at the quay of his new home of Trinity, Newfoundland, brought great joy, then astonishment and terror. John pushed his front door open, hinges making a soft scream, and stepped inside. Seeing his expression, his wife immediately asked, “John, what’s happened?” Hannah Clinch, nee Hart of English Harbour, had married John Clinch in 1784, and together they had eight children. She thought she knew every line on her husband’s face, but now she hardly recognized him. He handed the parcel to Hannah and placed his hands gently on her shoulders. “Take this to my office,” John said, his voice hoarse. “Don’t let anyone touch it, not anyone.” 138
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She nodded, not taking her eyes off his. “Where’s Joseph?” “Joseph? I...” Hannah swallowed, “I think he went down around the bight.” “I’ll be back as soon as I find him. Everything’s OK,” he reassured her. “I’ll explain when I get home. Keep that parcel safe.” John turned and hurried out the door, the hinges crying softly in his wake. Hannah carefully placed the parcel in the centre of the office desk and left it in the dark, closing and locking the door on life or death. She tried to remember where her day had been, 1-888-588-6353
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tried to focus on preparing supper: pigeon, mutton and some leftover partridge, a garnish of a few vegetables. But she couldn’t shake off the itchy seconds of waiting. John’s eyes held a sort of elation mixed with dread, but how can both be true? And why does he need my nephew? No matter where she looked, her eyes would find the locked office door. Her wait stretched well into an unsettled night. Then a noise, a low crunching, could be heard outside, getting closer. The carriage! Hannah flew to the door. Coming up the long country lane were John and Joseph. The horse was making steady progress, though with laboured breathing. Great plumes of smoke pouring from the beast’s nostrils in the cool night air, warped and twisted by an imagination left to spin out for far too long, sent chills down Hannah’s spine. The carriage came to an abrupt stop. John smiled his reassuring smile. “Are the kids to bed?” “Yes.” Joseph stepped forward, carrying a weary day with him. “I’m sorry for the state of me, Auntie,” he began. “I’ve come directly from the shipyard.” “Never mind that,” Hannah said, embracing him. “Get inside before you catch a chill, both of you.” They moved inside, leaving the horse to the ministrations of the stable boy, its diminishing breath steaming into the black. Sitting to the kitchen table, John handed the letter to his wife. She devoured the words as hungrily as the two men tucked into the food. She read it once, twice, and yet a third time, to make sure she under1-888-588-6353
stood. “John, did he really experiment on a nine-year-old boy?” “Yes, he did,” he confirmed with a sigh, shifting in his seat. “With the father’s consent, but yes. It worked, Hannah. The boy was completely protected.” “I don’t understand. How does this affect us? Why have you fetched Joseph here in the middle of the night? And what is in that parcel?” John placed the parcel on the table between them, surrounding it with candlelight, cold meats and quickly beating hearts. “Edward needs independent testing to confirm his results, to discount any random convergence of local factors.” “And Joseph?” Hannah’s eyes have not left the parcel. “I can’t ask a stranger, Hannah. Our children are too young to understand the risks, you need to be able to care for them, and I need to keep my faculties in case something goes wrong. Joseph is the only family that I can ask.” A long moment hung in the air. “It’s in there, isn’t it?” Hannah said, indicating the parcel. “Yes.” John took a breath. “The first real vaccine in human history, the only example outside of Edward’s hands, here in Trinity, Newfoundland, on our kitchen table, something with the capability to alter the course of humanity.” A beat. “But it’s still just a chance, not a sure thing?” Joseph asked, looking agitated as if just waking from a bad dream. “Yes, just a chance,” said John, “but a real chance.” “Dammit, John.” Joseph’s voice rose. “You’re asking me to risk my January 2020
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“In the time it would take Edward to convince other doctors to support his work, opposition would form; delays would be incurred, slowing or preventing publication of his findings. They could even force an outright suppression of his work, setting the cause back decades. Untold millions would die needlessly.” life on an if, a maybe. You can’t ask this of me.” “Please forgive me, Joseph, but I am. I’m more than asking. I’m imploring you. I’m begging you to do this.” Joseph leaned back in his chair, shaking his head back and forth. “How do we even know that this English test was legitimate?” “I trust Edward with my life,” John vowed. Something in John’s voice caught Hannah’s ear. “You’re going to do this, too, aren’t you?” John looked at his wife. “Yes, I have to. If all goes well with Joseph, I will be next. There need to be multiple tests, with multiple exposures. You would be next.” John looked to his wife with what could only be described as a shameful apology. Thick air filled the room. “If we do this, we all do this. It needs to be conclusive or there’s no point.” Joseph cleared his throat. “How would it work?” “First, we would enter the vaccine into your bloodstream; allow for the correct number of weeks to pass as described by Edward, to allow your body to fully incorporate the inoculation; then we would extract the 140
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smallpox virus from an active pustule on a living host, make an incision in your arm and insert the pus directly into the wound, letting it course through your system.” Hannah’s mouth went dry. “And then what? We wait?” John placed a hand on the parcel. “The virus has an incubation period of between seven to 19 days.” “John, couldn’t someone else test this thing? Why does it need to be us?” Hannah asked. John replied in a quiet voice, “Time. In the time it would take Edward to convince other doctors to support his work, opposition would form; delays would be incurred, slowing or preventing publication of his findings. They could even force an outright suppression of his work, setting the cause back decades. Untold millions would die needlessly.” “It has to be us because you’re his friend and you believe him,” said Hannah, understanding. John nodded. Hannah looked from Joseph, who’d gone limp, to her husband. “OK, when do we start?” “Tomorrow morning.” Joseph Hart’s courage held and he 1-888-588-6353
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become the first person in North America to trial a vaccine, and he was repeatedly exposed to the virus. It was a complete success: Joseph never experienced so much as a sniffle. Dr. Clinch then vaccinated himself, and when an outbreak of smallpox occurred in St. John’s he visited the city to expose himself to a new and fresh virus. Hannah was inoculated as well, her mettle and courage every bit as extraordinary. But the story doesn’t end there. Word leaked out into the rumour mill of Trinity about a protection against smallpox, and soon Dr. Clinch was inundated with volunteer testers. A large-scale trial had begun. More vaccine was sent for as St. John’s surgeon Dr. McCurdy teamed up with Dr. Clinch to conduct a second large-scale trial in Portugal Cove on October 3, 1800. Smallpox was nothing short of a monster rotting the efforts of human civilization. It was responsible for 300-500 million deaths in the 20th century alone. In Canada in 1702-03, just one year, a quarter of the population of Quebec City died due to a smallpox epidemic. Finally, in 1800, there was a way to fight back. It is 1-888-588-6353
hard to exaggerate the importance of this vaccine or these early trials. The results were an absolute and astounding success. No patient inoculated with the vaccine would ever contract smallpox again. Opposition did emerge to Dr. Jenner’s work, but his treatise, On The Origin of the Vaccine, was published in 1801, backed by the confirmation of the Newfoundland trials. Vaccination programs became widespread. As a result, the World Health Organization (WHO) officially certified the global eradication of the disease in 1980, although it certainly took longer than Dr. Jenner, Dr. Clinch, Dr. McCurdy, Hannah or Joseph might have expected. Today, the smallpox virus no longer exists in nature. The WHO considers the eradication of smallpox the biggest achievement in international public health. Many of us drawing breath today wouldn’t be without these efforts, without Newfoundland daring. Thank you, Joseph Hart and Hannah Clinch of English Harbour, NL. (This has been a dramatic reimagining of historic events.) January 2020
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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
Where Once They Sailed: Stories of Our Boys who served in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve - Lester Green #78491 | $19.95
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Sale!
Sherpa Blankets 50" x 60" Pictoral Map #75516 | Mummers #75515 NL Flag #75518 | NL Tartan #75517 | NL Sayings #75514
Was: $39.99 each
Now: $29.99 each
TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353
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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
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Plush NL Dog 10" #43618 | $19.99
PRICES IN EFFECT FOR JANUARY 2020
• For larger images visit www.shopdownhome.com • While supplies last
Plush Moose 8" #77013 | $15.99
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THREE BEDROOM OCEAN FRONT HOME Surveyed Land Daniel’s Harbour, Northern Peninsula Photos available $64,000
Call: 709-898-2452
ASPEN COVE, NL • $54,900 1000 Sq. Ft., 220 Ft. Ocean front overlooking Fogo Island. Artesian well, new air exchanger & hot water boiler. Laminate flooring, galley kitchen, 3 bedroom. Includes: appliances, 42" flat screen, bdrm set, kitchen set. Great retirement or your home away from home. Dan: 709-728-8386 • Wendy: wendy.summers@hotmail.com
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puzzles
The Beaten Path
Dylan White photo
By Ron Young
Block out all the letters that are like other letters in every way, including shape and size. The letters that are left over will spell out the name of the above community in letters that get smaller in size.
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Last Month’s Community: Gillams 148
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Sudoku
from websudoku.com
Skill level: Medium Last month’s answers
?
Need Help
Visit DownhomeLife.com/puzzles for step-by-step logic for solving this puzzle
www.downhomelife.com
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Downhomer Detective Needs You After more than two decades on the Urban City Police Force, Downhomer Detective has come home to rid Newfoundland and Labrador of a new threat – cunning thief Ragged Rick. A real braggart, the slimy criminal sends DD a blurry photo of his surroundings plus clues to his whereabouts just to prove he’s always a step ahead. DD needs your help to identify where in Newfoundland and Labrador Ragged Rick is hiding out this month.
Use these 5 clues to identify where Ragged Rick is now: • Located inside Gros Morne National Park • Hosts an annual writer’s festival • Encompasses Curzon Village • It’s a Registered Heritage District • Nestled in Bonne Bay
Last Month’s Answer: Bell Island
Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Mel D’Souza
Last Month’s Answer: Frenchman’s Cove 150
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In Other Words Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.
Last Month’s Clue: The entirety descends from this point forward In Other Words: It’s all downhill from here. This Month’s Clue: No location compares to my domicile In Other Words: __ _____ ____ ____.
A Way With Words Aristotle Confucius Socrates
Last Month’s Answer: Three Wise Men
Rhyme Time
A rhyming word game by Ron Young
1. A carnivore likes to ___ ____ 2. A lair of males is a
This Month’s Clue
___ of ___
K I C K
3. A runaway elk is a _____ on the _____ Last Month’s Answers 1. steal a meal, 2. grey May, 3. raven haven
ANS: ________
Scrambled Sayings
by Ron Young
Place each of the letters in the rectangular box below into one of the white square boxes above them to discover a quotation. Incomplete words that begin on the right side of the diagram continue one line down on the left. The letters may or may not go in the box in the same order that they are in the column. Once a letter is used, cross it off and do not use it again.
’ B I M T
A E O U
F E I F O A I L A B G A T H A H E A N N F O T W O N L L D P E Y H E P E I O S Y T W S T U R U Y R E S P R R T T Y T P S
A B C E
H A M L E R L S S S
Last month’s answer: A woman whose smile is open and whose expression is glad has a kind of beauty no matter what she wears. www.downhomelife.com
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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four
1. season 2. shard 3. coiner 4. publisher 5. runner
_______________ _______________ _______________ _______________ _______________
STUCK? Don’t get your knickers in a knot! Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
Last Month’s Answers: 1. fever, 2. beaver, 3. lever, 4. retriever, 5. believer
Tangled Towns by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young
Sound out the groups of words below to get a familiar expression. For best results sound the clue words out loud!
When Hurt Aches Saul ______ _____ ___ Hit Sewn Leap Lame Honey ___ ____ ____ _____ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Hit Snowed Ice Answer: It’s no dice Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Ease Bees Items Elf Answer: He’s beside himself
Unscramble each of the five groups of letters below to get 5 Newfoundland and Labrador place names.
1. YBA ED DREEV 2. CREHO TPI VCOE 3. CORAITIV 4. RONAREBAC 5. ABURORH CRAGE Last Month’s Answers: 1. Cape Norman, 2. Wild Bight, 3. Gunners Cove, 4. Raleigh, 5. Straitsview
A nalogical A nagrams
Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue. 1. BAT NICE ~ Clue: comes in curio and shadow varieties 2. ROAD SINUS ~ Clue: their earth was shattered 3. CIRCLE IT YET ~ Clue: it brightens every room it enters 4. SHY RIOT ~ Clue: that was so last week 5. CHAIR ON SAM ~ Clue: it’s the cherry on top Last Month’s Answers: 1. magazine, 2. gingerbread, 3. nativity, 4. tradition, 5. chocolates 152
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Four-Way Crossword F o re Wo rd s • B a c k Wo rd s • U p Wo rd s • D o w n Wo rd s By Ron Young
Unlike regular crosswords, in Four-Way Crossword each letter is not necessarily related to the letter in the adjacent row or column, but is part of one or more words in some direction.
1-4: Napoleon island 2-22: limb 3-33: forehead 5-95: appraisal 7-5: frozen water 8-38: change direction 10-1: conspicuous 10-5: poster 10-8: negative 10-100: darkness 11-31: knit 12-32: self 15-12: positive 15-17: Sol 19-17: sister 19-49: snoozes 21-23: past 22-42: acquired 23-27: frequently 24-22: mist 24-54: renown 27-25: seine 27-57: naked 28-30: berate 30-10: strong drink 30-25: gemstone 31-33: drag 33-36: delay 33-93: exercise 38-36: pecan 38-68: tidy 42-44: male cat 42-62: weight measure 44-74: humble 45-50: shy 45-65: carpet 47-97: distort 49-19: duration 49-79: block www.downhomelife.com
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51-31: ignited 51-54: legend 53-56: study 56-60: bargains 56-86: moist 59-99: tag 61-63: printer’s liquid 62-92: zilch 66-68: astern 68-88: foot digit 70-68: tam 70-90: owned 71-91: cot 72-92: single 76-56: crazy 84-81: song 84-86: apex 90-87: ungulate
91-1: enfeeble 97-100: distance 100-91: took out Last Month’s Answer 1
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P O L I T E N E S S
O I L E O D I S H I
S P U R N I A P O L
TMA S T E T I P A S K K S E L EC A F T ER I TOOREH A R Y AMC R TANNE YUB RAN RNT ART V E R WA R January 2020
R O T A C I D A R E
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The Bayman’s
Crossword Puzzle 1
3
2
by Ron Young
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5 6
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8 15
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ACROSS 1. Smells like ___ dog! 3. fox’s home 5. Irish Republican Army (abbrev) 6. Songwriters Association of Canada (abbrev) 7. electric fish 8. “An honest man when there are __ _______ around” (2 words) 15. Davis Strait (abbrev) 17. nimble 18. port 20. seaweed 21. 5 ____ Goose Bay 23. “_ ______ at this damsel standing longside” (2 words) 25. “__ on wit’ ya!” 26. head 27. _____ Tickle, Labrador 30. Salt Pond (abbrev) 31. General Motors (abbrev) 32. Great Big ___ 33. harvest a wild animal 34. in other words (abbrev) 35. relative of the Great Auk 36. disoriented 38. roe 40. make like a bunny 42. “where,” in St. Pierre 44. “fish and brewis and ______ ____ ____” (3 words) DOWN 1. “A star behind the moon tonight – strong ____ __ ____ __ _____” (5 words) 2. “A warm smoke is better ____ _ ____ ___” (4 words) 4. historic period 9. made of oak www.downhomelife.com
10. ripened 11. none 12. Canadian Liberal Party (abbrev) 13. not she 14. ballad 16. crammed full (colloq) 19. go in secret 21. craziest 22. St. John’s west farming neighbourhood 24. Kimberley to friends 27. ply 28. jet ___ 29. James II or Edward I or Henry VIII 32. “___ no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” 35. larger size 36. mimic 37. nickname for Dorothy 39. state in India where Downhome illustrator Mel D’Souza has roots 41. “I can’t marry all, __ in chokey I’d be” 1
2
S U F ANSWERS U A 3 4 TO LAST M A R 5 M R O MONTH’S 6 E E U 7 CROSSWORD R A T S O 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 P A N C A K E T H I R T 16 17 18 R U T U I B A I T U 19 20 21 22 E H A N D B A R H A R 24 25 26 27 A G E N T E A T I R 28 29 30 31 D U T Y S O WO N 32 33 34 35 36 S T I M S T H I N K I N 37 38 39 H D O C H I N T A 40 41 42 43 44 45 E V E R Y U S E S E R 46 47 48 49 R A E A C A W L 50 51 T O B A K E A P P L E January 2020
Y 23
D R A G G E R S
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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2020 Ron Young
Pick the right letters from the old style phone to match the numbers grouped below and uncover a quote which will bring a smile to your face. ___ 843
________ 74462663
______ 338423
___ 367
_________ 387648873
__ 46
__ 47
_ 2
_______ 3463464 _ 2
____ 3275
____ 7666 Last Month’s Answer: To attract men, I wear a perfume called New Car Interior.
©2020 Ron Young
CRACK THE CODE
O
Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance =R Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.
_ _ R _ _ _ _ _’ _ O J0fRi m LQ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ _ _ _’_ if Jf m fO 0R
DK
R _ _ _ _.
L\
_ _ R O Kz m O LQ _ _ _ _ R _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _’_ R R O Jf m f D K if L 0 _ _ _ _
\
\
CfB m
Last Month’s Answer: Age imprints more wrinkles in the mind than it does on the face. 156
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Food For Thought
© 2020 Ron Young
Each food symbol represents a letter of the alphabet. Find the meanings to the words then match the letters with the food symbols below to get a little “food for thought.”
_
_ _ deity = n
_ _ covetously =n
alongside =
_ _ _ _
m
`Kp
endeavour =
_
i
erector =
_ _ _ _ _ _
Iftyw w _ _ _ _ _ _
vf mKw} _ _ _ _ _ _
mf
_ _ _ _ _
tay
`w
I c i w ay _ _ _ _
c f i sfy
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
veK c}ft
_ _ _ _ _ _
tfIep i pKww’ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
boards =
yptKsf
nww}’
_ _ _ _ _ _
tff}Kc [
w}
_ _ _
vi}
_
i _ _
wt
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
`
_ _
_ _
wt
mftfsft _ _ _ _ _
yp i [y
Last Month’s Answer: The wheel that does the squeaking is the one that gets the grease. www.downhomelife.com
January 2020
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Different Strokes
Our artist’s pen made the two seemingly identical pictures below different in 12 places. See if you can find all 12.
ERN AND COAL BIN AT A GAME OF CHESS
Last Month’s Answers: 1. Chimney, 2. Hair, 3. Cap, 4. Santa’s arm; 5. Outcrop, 6. Wharf shed, 7. Narrows, 8. Antler, 9.Window, 10. Coal Bin 11. Box, 12. Boy’s leg “Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 21 Brentwood Dr., Brampton, ON, L6T 1P8.
158
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HIDE & SEEK WEATHER TERMS
The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line. ARID BAROMETER BLIZZARD CELSIUS CHINOOK CLOUD CYCLONE DEGREE DROUGHT EARTHQUAKE FAHRENHEIT FLOOD FOG FORECAST GALE HAIL HUMIDEX HURRICANE
K H M P Z W B A K W J T C C S Y Y D
V B O R H H L S O G D G O U I O O U
N V N E U M I W O G N H I R O O G O
B F S C U U Z C N Z C S A Z N B W L
N D O I F R Z Z I Y L T G I L A N C
G P O P P O A Q H E E I J H L N D V
PRECIPITATION THUNDERSTORM TORNADO TSUNAMI WIND
LIGHTNING METEOROLOGY MONSOON MUGGY OVERCAST S F Y S Y H J K H P F O X D H J Q R
Last Month’s Answers
H G N I X N R V C K E E P F A Y D O
www.downhomelife.com
E H E T E K D Z Y K Y H T T T I W W
K L E A I N O D A W K N R G Q O I D
T M P T F F O U E L U E A U H H H R
E H H I G D Q L I Z N R Z V D U E V
R Q U O G H K G C S B H V K M E O J
F N E L L R W U W G O M E T P V D C
B E Z N T N H V I Y A A G I R L W I
Y W O S L E U M T R A H R M X E H K
S F Z I T O I S R N P I S W M A X S
F G T R D T D H N W C F D G K S B G
B C K C T I H G G H B K B K R C B V
U G F M K A V E H A X L F I R O V E
J O A E N E J O L L G E E V N V Q X
Z D A E R B R E G N I G T U M O W K
O H H X N Y S O F P M Y H E U K W J
L E R I M J R X O O X D J R F F A Z
W Y G C E T G E C I N V N G M I Y E
J C U L S I N S X E R O Z E M E Q S
J G N E G O D S A L Y G G U M R B X
O W O F N V I D D P D E U H E S L I
H Y B H E I D W V U L Y P Y R R E M
K G Q O C M R E T E F I A Q I R H P
S U U B C T I X Z D T S O L C V C D
E K O I N A T K R H A K Z U A C E M
P G F K R A D A H O H C L D W I J D
G L M P I N P S G N D T X P R C J Z
Y T D M K G R U T Y S D O H O H E F
A Y W M D G S L B C R B E D X I D T
A B W N N V A A E V K I H Q L F J Q
T B N A A N M O I N N H T K L R M T
T S U N A M I T O V J M G N H U P N
N V T I R C T O G S I R Q B I V U H
A V M E T E O R O L O G Y H N R U C
K B F H F E R V E T E U N A N G M E
I C I C L E S T S T H G I L G G H K
Q M B M W X E N A C I R R U H H V T
I U G T Z V T F R U I T C A K E I S
I M S N P I A N G E L X Z G P J V U
P W I N D O V E R C A S T V R S M X
January 2020
P I B S A S F Z D W Y O J I H S V V
M E D I T E L U Y W R M Z B C A G L
J C K T S T H G U O R D R P V B V K 159
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photo finish
Seeing Red
The first snowfall of the year in Rigolet made Mother Nature’s bright colours come alive throughout the town. Eldred Allen Rigolet, NL
Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share?
Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit. 160
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