Vol 37 • No 08
$4.99
January 2025
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2025 Colour Trends Browse Our Book Nook The Baby in the Mailbag
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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 Dillon Collins Assistant Editor Nicola Ryan Editor Lila Young
Warehouse Operations Warehouse / Inventory Manager Carol Howell Warehouse Operator Josephine Collins
Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters
Retail Operations Retail Manager, St. John’s Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Water Steet Crystal Rose Retail Floor Manager, Avalon Mall Jonathon Organ Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Kim Tucker, Destinee Rogers,
Advertising Sales Account Manager Ashley O’Keefe Marketing Director Tiffany Brett
Emily Snelgrove, Alexandria Skinner, Colleen Giovannini, Emma Luscombe, Rebecca Pevie, Morgan Powless, Claudia Hartery, MaKenzie Aylward, Adriana Hann
Finance and Administration Accountant Marlena Grant Accountant Sandra Gosse
Subscriptions Customer Service Associate Jennifer Kane,
Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Dakota Buckley, Gemma Johnson
Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer/Publisher Grant Young President & Associate Publisher Todd Goodyear General Manager/Assistant Publisher Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions 1-Year term total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL, NS, NB, PE $49.44; ON $48.58; QC, SK, MB, AB, BC, NU, NT, YT $45.14. US $54.99; International $59.99
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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best of the best
Contents
JANUARY 2025
44 Submission of the Year Meet the finalists and prepare to vote!
54 Blast From the Past A behind-the-scenes peek into the new season of CBC’s Son of a Critch Nicola Ryan
88 Downhome Recipes Perfect Potluck
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112 Who was the Baby in Mailbag? Learning the story of the SS Ethie Dorothy Bowering Robinson
gather around www.downhomelife.com
January 2025
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Contents
JANUARY 2025
homefront 8 Between the Lines A note from the Editor
10 Letters From Our Readers A Shea Heights surprise and a love affair with Newfoundland 14 Downhome Asks Some of our favourite callouts and responses from our readers on social media.
16 Downhome Tours Cuba 18 Then & There Recent news, notes,
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new friends
events, anniversaries and more from across NL and beyond.
20 Why is That? Why do we say ‘three sheets to the wind’ when referring to someone as being drunk? Linda Browne
22 Life’s Funny Sheep Sack Shenanigans Rose Noel
20 three sheets
23 Say What? A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
24 Lil Charmers Snow Much Fun 26 Pets of the Month Snowy Shenanigans
28 Book Nook Downhome dives into the latest and greatest in Newfoundland literature
30 What Odds Paul Warford takes on Trivia night
24 just chillin’
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the feast goes on
32 Fresh Tracks Wendy Rose reviews Kira Sheppard’s The Internet Moon 36 Adventures Outdoors Memories of Hounds and Hares Gord Follett 40 The Labrador Current
36 hounds & hares
Snowbound Nathan Freake
42 In Your Words A Spiritual Experience David Fraser
features 60 You Want it Darker Vicky Hynes reflects on 25 years of A Feast of Cohen Dillon Collins
explore 68 Simply Moo-velous Lester’s
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snuggle time www.downhomelife.com
Farm Chalet embraces cow cuddling Pam Pardy
72 Small Town Big Dreams Volunteers create a safe space for youth in Northwest River Heidi Atter January 2025
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Contents
JANUARY 2025
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colour your world
home and cabin 78 Stuff We Love Out in the Cold Nicola Ryan
78 stay cosy
80 Ask Marie Anything Interior designer Marie Bishop takes your questions.
84 Todd’s Table Cooking Made Easy
96 Down to Earth Plant Careers Kim Thistle
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104 back in the day
reminiscing 102 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places.
103 This Month in History The College of Fisheries Navigation Marine Engineering and Electronics
104 Visions and Vignettes Adventures of two young scallywags in an imaginary outport in days gone by. Harold N. Walters
About the cover A new year means new opportunities for food, fun and fellowship. Our cover illustrates a mouth-watering mac and cheese that would be the star of any potluck gathering of friends and family. Elsewhere we preview the fourth season of Son of a Critch, offer a glimpse of the 2025 colour trends and reflect on 25 years of A Feast of Cohen.
Cover Index Blast from the Past • 54 25 Years of A Feast of Cohen • 60 Perfect Potluck • 88 2025 Colour Trends • 80 Browse Our Book Nook • 28 The Baby in the Mailbag • 112 www.downhomelife.com
108 This Month in Downhome History 116 Memories of my Father Recollections of Benjamin Bowering Prue Bowering Stelling
120 A Curious Case of Ball Lightning Lightning strikes in Carbonear Anthony Griffin
124 Puzzles 136 Colouring Page 138 Classifieds 140 Mail Order 144 Photo Finish January 2025
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between the lines We may only be acquainted briefly, dear readers, but you should know I’ve been doing this for a while. The lion’s share of my working career has been spent in creative spaces. I love the creative side of the job, birthing ideas from nothing, and watching a seed grow to a fullfledged something. It’s immensely fulfilling going from concept to content and it’s something I still haven’t taken for granted after over a decade in the print media business. But creative burnout is real, and while my tenure at Downhome has far from overstayed its welcome (at least for me and hopefully all of you), time spent immersed in the Newfoundland media space requires its share of reinvention. The idea for this month’s column came from the frustration of having no idea what to do with this column. Make sense? I can’t tell you the number of op-eds I’ve penned on embracing a new year, new you, the nonsensical reliance on resolutions and the promise of better things once the calendar turns to January 1st. It’s been done in ink, pencil and keystroke, so what do we do when we’re between a rock and a deadline? Look to what’s familiar. What does January mean to me? It’s the post-holiday hangover, the weeks-long aggravation of having to remember that it is indeed a new year, and that means re-learning what year you’re actually in. For many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, it also means family, friends and fellowship. The party doesn’t end on The Rock just because the man in the red suit has made his annual yuletide deposit. There’s New Year’s Day, Old Christmas Day, leftover turkey for soup and sandwiches and potluck gatherings to put Tibb’s Eve to shame. So flick to our recipes, grab a casserole dish and a bottle of bubbly and, always and forever, take care of yourself.
Dillon Collins Editor-in-chief
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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.
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 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com Deadline for replies is the 25th of each month.
Congratulations to John Gibson of London, ON who found Corky on page 68 of the November issue!
*No Phone Calls Please. One entry per person
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January 2025
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What My Home in NL Means to Me This is a poem my granddaughter wrote about coming home to Carbonear, NL to visit Nan and Papa. They live in PEI but visit every summer. She sent this letter in the mail in July as she was dreaming about her August trip to NL. Grace Bourne • via downhomelife.com. (Alexandrea Grace McKenna is 11 years old)
We love to see this Grace! So great to see someone’s connection to our province blossoming from a young age! 10
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Shea Heights Surprise My wife and I have been coming to St. John’s from Vancouver every summer for the past twelve years. She grew up in St. John’s and moved to Vancouver in the late sixties. We just celebrated our 50th anniversary here. I love coming to Newfoundland and look forward to being here every year. Can’t wait to get here, don’t want to leave… until winter approaches! I cycle up Shea Heights for exercise and got in 61 rides to the top of the hill during our three-month stay this past summer. I was grinding my way up the hill one morning and passed a work crew repairing the metal barrier on one of the corners. Continuing up the hill I started wondering if they ever had offcuts of the timbers that the metal barrier is bolted to; they would be ideal to place under our car to keep the wheels off the ground over the winter. On the way down I stopped and spoke to the chap with the slow/stop sign and explained what I was looking for. He said, “Ask Richard, he’s our crew boss and see what he says.” I continued to the bend and asked for Richard. He was in the process of placing one of the timbers. I explained what I was looking for, that I was a visitor each summer, loved it here and wondered if he ever had any off-cuts to prop up my car; “How many do you want?” he asked. One, maybe two if possible. He said to come back tomorrow and he’d see what he could do. The next day, I’m schlepping up the hill on my bike. I get to the bend in the
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road, their work is finished, Richard and his crew are gone… and piled beside the barrier are four blocks of wood! On one of the blocks a message is left for me, “Hope you had a good trip.” Richard, you and your crew made my day! This is what endears me to Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders and is why every summer we come from away. Trevor Black Vancouver, BC
Wow! Fantastic story Trevor. First off, we wish we had your energy and endurance! We often hear stories about the kindness between Newfoundlanders and Labradorians and come from aways, and it’s brilliant to see that put into practise. We’re always interested in hearing your stories and welcome any submissions to editorial@downhomelife.com or downhomelife.com.
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The Beauty of Signal Hill The perfect day on Signal Hill. Donald (my brother-in-law) had the opportunity to meet this beautiful creature. Don is normally timid around large dogs, but not with this beauty. The smile on his face says it all as well as the quote on his T-shirt. The only Newfie saying that could have said it better would be “Some Nice.” Kelly Keating via downhomelife.com
Fantastic stuff Kelly! Signal Hill never ceases to captivate. We’re glad Donald had an amazing visit and had the chance to make a new furry friend.
My Love Affair with Newfoundland In April 2018, when my son got a job in St. John’s and told me he had to move to NL from Montreal, I was very upset. I felt that was such a far trip to a desolate place. So my husband and I flew in with him to help set him up. I was surprised that it only took two and a half hours to get to St. John’s by air. We booked a room in the Sandman, a newly opened hotel. Outside, it did not look very pretty. Cement, grey buildings and gravel everywhere. We needed to set up our son. We went down to reception to ask where is a good area for our son to rent an apartment. The young man at the front desk took a map and proceeded to “x” most of the streets on the map. I was horrified, but searching the internet, we finally settled for a place on Hamilton Avenue. We have seen enough in five days and could not wait to fly back to our cosmopolitan Montreal. 12
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We came back to visit our son in his new place and were introduced to the folks coming out of the West End club next door. We kept the door to the apartment locked at all times. We walked with our son to the tourist information office on Water Street to get the information guide to the city of St. John’s. Reading the guide, our son informed us that we had to go to a home hardware store to get a fishing net. I said why? We are absolutely not going fishing. No Mom, “It is for the garbage.” I thought “Mmm, a bin with holes,” and then I started seeing these nets everywhere. How odd! We started to venture out more and since our son was working most of the day, we needed to entertain ourselves and discover the city and surrounding area. We went back to the tourist information office and met Kathy who was welcoming, friendly and very 1-888-588-6353
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informative. She spent hours compiling lists of places for us to visit and scenic drives to take. After each visit to St. John’s, we became closer and closer to Kathy until she became a very close friend. At that same time, we started walking the downtown area of St. John’s. Every store was different and we noticed that there were no chain stores like our downtown Montreal. We also noticed that there were no skyscrapers. We decided to check out the bright yellow-painted store called Downhome. As we were browsing the book section, a voice spoke to us from behind the till. In an English that we couldn’t mostly understand, Crystal told us the news of NL and the places we must visit. After each visit, we would rush to Downhome to see Crystal and get the scoop. On one of those visits, we were asking Crystal for a place to have cheesecake. Her colleague piped in and enthusiastically informed us where to go for the best cheesecake. That is how we first met Jackie. Again, Jackie and Crystal became close friends and that’s how it went everywhere we went in NL. People kept on talking to us in English that we eventually learned to understand. Except in Bauline where we met a fisherman trying to explain to us directions. We smiled and nodded our heads, but in truth we didn’t understand much and we never got to our destination. In the grocery store and on the streets people would call us “me love” and “me ducky,” and they would hold our undivided attention with their stories and their wit. With each visit we would fall more and more in love www.downhomelife.com
with Newfoundland and Newfoundlanders. Our son was transferred to Montreal during COVID, but we never stopped coming to Newfoundland. This autumn was our 10th time to visit. When I am back home in Montreal, I dream about the ocean, the ruggedness of the place and the friends in NL and can’t wait for my next visit. I order mummers, books, rocks, and berries and get so very excited for a package to arrive at my house from NL. Even the postman knows how I looked forward to receiving my package from NL. He would ring my doorbell to deliver the packages personally. Newfoundland not only has the most stunning colourful views, the ocean, and the wind, but it has the people. For me, it is home. Amal Sadka Montreal, QC
Incredible story Amal. We’re very glad to hear you’ve come to love Newfoundland and Labrador, and we’re thrilled that our staff could be a small part in your growing affection to our province. If any of you readers have a story to share about your first time in Newfoundland and Labrador we’d love to hear it! Share with us at editorial@downhomelife.com or downhomelife.com.
Editor’s Correction In our fall Inside Labrador 2024 issue, the illustrator of the children’s book What Can You See From A-Z Under the Labrador Sea, Kayla Williams, was incorrectly named Dayla Williams. We apologize to Kayla and our readers for this error. January 2025
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Asks How do we learn? From you, dear readers. Downhome routinely takes to social media to pose all manner of questions to our followers. From favourites to memories, opinions and everything in between, Downhome Asks, and you answer. Here are some of our favourite callouts for questions and responses from our followers.
Tell us about a time that you got yourself into trouble as a kid. Never once did I get myself in trouble. It was always the other kids’ fault. Yvonne Hawse
A purse with no money and a container with bandages, Tylenol and iodine, not worth the trip lol. Well, unless you’re in pain or injured! Rhonda V Rogers Early trip to the funeral home. Reg Brown
Playing in a bucket of tar didn’t go over so well. Ken Downey
My dad’s ice cream-making bucket and my son’s darts. Kerry B. Foote
From the time I was born ‘till I moved out at 17. Lee Roberts
As long as you bring a rag and some cleaner you can have all the dust you want! Kimberly Martin
My best friend and I talking in church. Robin Fry
If we were to break into your house and steal what was on top of your fridge, what would we be getting? Holy jumpin’ would I be upset. You’d get all my dinner/sandwich plates … and I dare ya touch my binoculars! Don’t worry, they are just to check out the boats, otters, etc. in da bay out back! Jennifer Mugford A picture of my oldest grandson and his kitty cat bank. I’m sure there’s some dust. Marje Mitchell 14
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Empty cardboard egg cartons, cereal, storage containers, plastic tupperware cake holder and a few other things. Gail P. Davis An ancient dented, beat-up metal dishpan that I can’t throw away because I saw my mum use it every day for my entire childhood, a plant and a smoke detector. Janet Locke An old picture of a nephew’s cousin’s grandparents. It’s there for whenever they may grace me with a visit. It’s been there for three years. Karen Tuck Marche Enough dust to fill a beef bucket! Shawn Morrissey 1-888-588-6353
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homefront Downhome tours...
Cuba
Varadero “I had to bring my Downhomer magazine to read around and in the pool!” writes submitter Chad Hollahan. “I even left it behind on the bar for others to enjoy.”
The Taíno were a historic Indigenous people of the Caribbean with a cultural ancestry that can be traced to Arawakan-speaking people in South America. When the Europeans arrived in the late 15th century, they were the principal inhabitants of most of Cuba, Jamaica, Hispaniola and Puerto Rico. The original inhabitants of Cuba, the Taíno were the first to discover the beauty of the waters of Varadero.
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Varadero Marcus and Dianne Noel of Heart’s Content, NL had a wonderful time during their stay at the Iberostar Tainos resort in Varadero in March of 2024.
Varadero is known as a tourist resort town, with more than 20 km of white sandy beaches. The first tourists visited Varadero as early as the 1870s, and for years it was considered an elite resort. In the early 1930s, American millionaire Irénée du Pont built his estate – Mansión Xanadu – there, though after the revolution in 1959 he escaped Cuba and left the villa to the Cuban government.
Varadero Denise Ernst and Pete Saunders of Butts Pond West, NL read the Downhome with Lois, the stuffed buffalo from New Brunswick, while on vacation in Varadero.
About 45 miles from Varadero, visit the small town of San Miguel de los Baños to see the remains of the once-luxurious Gran Hotel y Balneario. Modelled after the Grand Casino in Monte Carlo, this hotel was once a top destination for wealthy travellers in Cuba. In the 1950s, pollution from a nearby sugar mill contaminated the waters, leading to the decline of this iconic resort. www.downhomelife.com
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homefront
Then&There
Downhome catches readers up on major recent news, notes, events, anniversaries and acknowledgements across Newfoundland and Labrador and beyond.
Province Doubles Down on Public Safety The Provincial Government is increasing measures for the delivery of policing across Newfoundland and Labrador with a $20 million investment in public safety over the next two years. In a release, Minister of Justice and Public Safety Bernard Davis shared that the investment will include the establishment of a provincial 10-member joint task force unit to conduct targeted weapon, drug and contraband enforcement activities, five new RCMP officers in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, as well as 19 additional officers (allocation TBD), an RNC leadership position for the intimate partner violence unit and support for ongoing police training, equipment, fleet, and operational requirements.
Newfoundlander Wrangles AHL
Clark Bishop, a native of St. John’s, has been named the second-ever captain of the Calgary Wranglers of the American Hockey League. Bishop, 28, has suited up for 47 National Hockey League games for the Ottawa Senators and Carolina Hurricanes, splitting his time in the pro ranks between the NHL, AHL and ECHL after four years with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the QMJHL. Bishop is in his third season with the Wranglers, the AHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. He put up 23 and 22 points through his first two seasons with the club.
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Emergency Health Services Facebook photo
Baby on Board
A routine crossing between Port aux Basques and North Sydney proved to be anything but earlier this fall. Lindsay Gale unexpectedly gave birth to daughter Miley Genevieve Devoe while aboard the ferry, after she hopped aboard the Ala’suinu with partner Mason Devoe for a trip to Nova Scotia for a roofing job. The little bundle of joy came into the world in dramatic fashion a full seven weeks early. The Codroy couple thanked paramedics and ferry staff for helping all hands through the daunting situation.
Late MHA Honoured The Torbay bypass road has been renamed in honour of former area MHA Kevin Parsons, who passed away last summer. The Kevin Parsons Highway, Route 20A, was christened in a ceremony at the Confederation Building in St. John’s, with family, friends and former colleagues in attendance. Parsons passed away in August following a lengthy illness at just 62 years of age.
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Expert answers to common life questions. By Linda Browne
Why do we say “three sheets to the wind” when referring to someone as being drunk? Happy 2025 (woah, where did the time go?)! Hopefully, your New Year’s celebrations included lots of fireworks, fun with family and friends, yummy food, and a tasty beverage or two. But one too many swallies and you might not recall your New Year’s at all! Hammered, loaded, plastered, sloshed, smashed and others a little too naughty to mention here – there are as many terms for being intoxicated as there are pyrotechnics going off on the big night. However, one of the more evocative phrases is probably “three sheets to the wind,” e.g., “Uncle Larry imbibed so much Christmas slush he was three sheets to the wind by suppertime and missed the countdown altogether!” Like so many of our most interesting idioms, we can thank early seafaring folk for this one in particular. In The Facts on File: Encyclopedia of Word and Phrase Origins, Robert Hendrickson explains that the “sheets” in this case are neither sails nor bed coverings. “A sheet is the rope or chain attached to the lower corner of a sail 20
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that is used for shortening and extending it,” he writes. “When all three sheets on a threesailed vessel (such as a ketch) are loosened, allowed to run free, the sails flap and flutter in the wind. Thus sailors would say a person slightly drunk had one sheet to the wind and that someone who could barely navigate had three sheets to the wind.” Others have noted that the phrase comes not from the way the sails move, but how the vessel does when the sheets aren’t properly in place. In a post on the “Phrase Finder” website, the site’s founder, Gary Martin a writer and researcher on phrase origins, writes “If three sheets are loose and blowing about in the wind then the sails will flap and the boat will lurch about like a drunken sailor.” 1-888-588-6353
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Hendrickson notes the expression is first recorded in Two Years Before the Mast, a memoir published in 1840 by American attorney and politician Richard Henry Dana detailing his two-year sea voyage from Boston to California. But as Martin points out, the earlier form of the expression, “three sheets in the wind,” can be found in print as early as 1821, in Real Life in London by Pierce Egan (“Old Wax and Bristles is about three sheets in the wind.”). Like Hendrickson, Martin says “Sailors at that time had a sliding scale of drunkenness; three sheets was the falling over stage; tipsy was just ‘one sheet in the wind’ or ‘a sheet in the wind’s eye,’” noting an example from the 1824 novel The Fisher’s Daughter by Catherine Ward (“Wolf replenished his glass at the request of Mr. Blust, who, instead of being one sheet in the wind, was likely to get to three before he took his departure.”). The “two sheets” version of the phrase, Martin adds, provides the earliest example in print. This comes from The Journal of Rev. Francis Asbury, 1815, “which recounts Asbury’s travels through Kentucky,” Martin writes. He points to an entry dated September 26, 1813, in which Asbury says “The tavernkeepers were
kind and polite, as Southern folks should be and as Southern folks ought not to be; they were sometimes two sheets in the wind. O, that liquid fire!” As for the geographical origins of the phrase, that’s a bit muddy, Martin muses. While the above example suggests possible American origins, “Asbury was English, born in West Bromwich...and travelled to America when he was in his mid twenties,” he writes. “Whether he took the phrase with him from the English Black County or heard it (or indeed coined it) in the US, we can’t be certain.” So let’s raise our glasses to those salty sailors who came up with this colourful turn of phrase. And if you do plan to enjoy a drink (or two or four or more) into the new year, and beyond, remember to do so responsibly.
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
Sheep Sack Shenanigans A few years ago I visited two friends who were shearing their sheep. They had the sheep up on the table and asked me if I could come and help them. I said yes, what do you need me to do? They asked if I could hold the sheep sack, so I said yes. They sheared one side and then turned to the other side to shear, so they wanted me to hold the sack again. When the sheep were sheared and on their way, I asked them who held the sack when I wasn’t there. They said no one. Well, you don’t want to know my response. Rose Noel McIvers, NL
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.
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that “Never mindnk I beer, I thi y!” found Cork ay – Sherry D
Say WHAT? Downhome recently posted this photo (submitted by Glen Benson) on our website and social media platforms and asked folks to imagine what Poppy might be saying. Sherry Day’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!
Here are the runners-up: Look at Poppy’s iPad, no charging needed! - Caroline Beaton Ah, look, it’s grandpa when he was a wee lad! - Danette G. Rowsell Put this on your wish list and we’ll both have fun playing with it! - Glen Morry
Play with us online! www.downhomelife.com/saywhat
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homefront lil charmers
Ice to Meet You
Daxton chills with his first snowman of the winter. Brianna Walsh Winterland, NL
Snow Much Fun Cool Catch
It’s a cold day on the pond and Kai’s hoping to catch his first trout. Julia Kendall via downhomelife.com
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Snowy Smiles
Cassie and Riley are all smiles on the slopes. Joyce Meade Port aux Basques, NL
A Flurry of Fun Mila and Jada are having double the frosty fun! Annette Tatchell Mary’s Harbour, NL
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homefront pets of the month
Frosty Frolic Emma’s got snowy paws and a happy heart! Cathy Cullinan Froude Grand Falls-Windsor, NL
Snowy
Shenanigans Chasing Winter Jack’s not ready to head inside just yet. Hilary Cooper St. John’s, NL
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Snow Bound Mr. Bruce likes to think he’s a bear. Diana Matthews Fort McMurray, AB
Warm Retreat Sophie Grace would rather cuddle up indoors. Valerie Ploughman Bonavista, NL
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homefront book nook
Downhome dives into the latest and greatest in Newfoundland literature, running down must-reads and offering recommendations for your next literary binge!
Murder on Painted Place: A Novel Emily Hepditch Flanker Press $26.00
Mount Pearl’s Emily Hepditch put Newfoundland and Labrador’s literary world on notice with her gripping debut novel, The Woman in the Attic. Published through Flanker Press, the 2020 thriller became a provincial best seller, earning praise and awards consideration with a Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, NL Reads Award, Independent Publisher Award and nods from the BMO Winterset Awards and Crime Writers of Canada Awards. The graduate of Memorial University followed up the lauded debut with her eagerly anticipated sophomore effort Alone on the Trail, and closed out 2024 with the crime chiller Murder on Painted Place. Following the death of a legendary but reclusive painter, six strangers receive an invitation to his remote island mansion, with his vast estate – and private art collection – to be bequeathed to his guests. But once a storm hits the mansion, stranding the group from shore, an untimely death smells like murder, and the strangers find themselves trapped in a secluded location with a body, a missing will and, worst of all, a killer. Labelled as “a modern twist on the classic noir whodunit,” Murder on Painted Place is another entry into the growing ledger of one of the island’s most prominent and promising storytellers, with a genuine knack for tension and the subtle art of suspense.
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Downhome Recommends Four For Fogo Island Kevin Major Four for Fogo Island finds Sebastian Synard on a May 24th weekend getaway with his new significant other, Mae. (As he says, “what a difference a Mae makes.”) When Sebastian and Mae arrive at a fabric shop, they discover the owner in a back room, lying in a pool of blood, having been stabbed with a pair of antique quilting scissors. This propels the couple along a sequence of occasionally bizarre investigative paths to track down the killer.
Operation Wormwood Helen C. Escott An elderly man is carried into the emergency department of the Health Sciences Centre in St. John’s, setting off a chain of events that leaves doctors mystified. He is the first of many victims suffering from severe nosebleeds and excruciating pain. Dr. Luke Gillespie and Nurse Agatha Catania investigate their symptoms but are unable to diagnose them. The only thing they have in common is Stg. Nicholas Myra, an investigator with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary.
Hard Cases Gareth Mitton Mischief. Mayhem. Seagulls. If you found a briefcase sitting on a city bus, would you take it? If you found $50,000 cash inside, would you keep it? If you could make a million for doing something truly terrible, would you do it? Hard Cases is a fast-paced thriller set on the streets of St. John’s and escalating to a hair-raising conclusion amid the ancient fjords of Newfoundland’s west coast.
Visit shopdownhome.com for these and other great titles. www.downhomelife.com
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homefront what odds
hail to the trivial By Paul Warford
I had only one Whoa, readers, this is one of those days – of those months, even. I’m days late on the stipulation for one Downhome deadline, I’m trying to conduct this new research for an upcoming television show, and I trivia night: have a film festival to host in a matter of hours. First comes the trivia. The spooky boys I make no political horror movies with, GRIND MIND, are hosting questions – our annual “genre” film festival, Fogfest, and we it off each year with a trivia night, hosted by especially kick myself. Unlike most of the trivia I present, American however, I never write the questions for this one politics. because my horror knowledge is far too shallow
to stump the fright aficionados who will be in attendance tonight in their patched, studded, black denim. I’ve hosted other trivia nights in the past few years. Maybe I’ve mentioned them. I began with a Simpsons trivia night, which I called “I’m Losing My Perspicacity!” (a line from the show, spoken by Lisa). Then, it was Seinfeld. In a similar vein, I named that one after a line from the show as well: “Let’s Not Lose Our Heads Here!” I thought it was cute to give the trivia events a name that encouraged participants not to panic, as if my questions might crumple their confidence so much that they’d have some sort of breakdown at their beer-sloshed tables inside Erin’s Pub. The word “niche” is divisive when it comes to entertainment. The Simpsons and Seinfeld were extremely popular television shows, but – let’s face it – they were popular 30 years ago. The audiences I would draw for both of these trivia excursions were passionate but minuscule, and this is the issue with niche; it’s a small, specific pocket of nostalgia that means a great deal to those who adore it, but next-to-nothing for those who don’t. Over time, it became clear I’d have to cast my trivia net a tad wider. A broader, “general” trivia
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was in order to get more fresh faces through the door and in front of my blank answer sheets. After some discussion with the bar owner, I finally (begrudgingly) conceded that a general trivia would likely bring in larger crowds, which is ultimately what we both wanted to see. I had only one stipulation for this new trivia night: no political questions – especially American politics. I found that many trivia nights I’d participated in would inevitably have at least one question about some retired windbag president, or queries on parties I knew nothing about. In the end, my general trivia night was entitled, “Never Politics.” I figured it best to put my one rule right in the title so everyone would know ahead of time and the proper politicos could maybe find their trivia fun elsewhere (with no hard feelings). American politics have always frustrated me due to Canada’s fascination with them. I could never understand friends and loved ones getting into heated discussions about politicians running a country none of us occupy. Sure, they’re just across the border and America’s doings are very close to our own homes at times, but we’re still talking about a separate country. France is close to England, but I doubt British mates are whinging to one another about what Marcon should and should not be doing while at the pub. They have their own parliament to worry about. Try as I might, however, my adult life has been plagued with Clinton’s backpedalling, Bush’s butchering of language, and Trump’s constant, unerring attack on common sense and basic human decency. Since I’m late www.downhomelife.com
delivering What Odds this month, I’m now afforded the knowledge that this money-grubbing, oath-breaking, spray-tanned s.o.b. has been given the golden key for another four years in some misguided, nightmarish blunder of the American people. I heard his opposition didn’t do well and was more preoccupied with describing why you shouldn’t vote for Trump rather than why you should’ve voted for her – another trapping of politics that I despise, the mud-slinging. The smearing of these campaigns is a gross thing to watch and has only gotten worse over time. In a few years I wouldn’t be surprised if, rather than running politicians erecting lawn signs of their smiling veneers, they’ll instead stake signs of their opponents into the ground, adorned with devil horns and dastardly mustaches in black Magic Marker. See? I’ve gotten off-track. I meant to talk about hosting trivia and festivals and sharing a laugh with strangers who may become friends, but these politics tend to bleed red white and blue into things and confuse the fun we were meant to be having. I vote we wish our neighbours well and hope their country can manage to stand proud once again. In the meantime, I’d suggest you get together with friends and enjoy the lighter things, like a game of Trivial Pursuit. That said, when it gets to the political questions, you’ll have to answer those cause it’s really not my category. Paul Warford began writing for Downhome to impress his mom and her friends. He writes and performs comedy in Eastern Canada. Follow him on X @paulwarford January 2025
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fresh tracks
new music talk with Wendy Rose
The Internet Moon Kira Sheppard
KIRA SHEPPARD is an accomplished singer-songwriter, emerging author, visual artist, and classically trained harpist. Over the years, her interest in the arts has also extended to other disciplines such as improv comedy, theatre, and more, but music remains one of her greatest passions. On social media, Kira describes her newest record as “an epic quest through the cosmos with angels and wizards and aliens,” and listeners – be prepared to embark on quite a sonic journey as soon as you hit the play button on this album. The Internet Moon opens with the title track, with Kira’s gorgeous vocals and impressive harp kicking us off on our aural adventure. Spooky synths join light percussion and immediately, you can’t help but be swallowed whole by this beautiful soundscape. “The broken moon, the leaking moon, the internet moon is outside my room,” she sings in the opening lyrics. Kira’s firm grasp on language as a songwriter and creative writer is obvious from the get-go: “My tree of life is a toy, battery operated from the dollar store. Moths emerge from the walls, they are dust incarnate. My 32
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favourite sunrises were lost somewhere on the lawn in a pile of fire ants.” This feels like Kate Bush spliced with Mort Garson’s Mother Earth’s Plantasia, a 1976 electronic album famous for its claim to be an album written for plants. We’re one song in, and I’m completely hooked … and contemplating taking out my headphones and just listening to this album on maximum volume so my houseplants can enjoy it too. She revisits the opening line as the song fades out, telling listeners that the internet moon is now outside YOUR room. “Hexenbesen” is immediately groovy in the most delicate way, and it feels impossible to listen without swaying along. “We will not be hypnotized by world demise, magic mirrors of other lives than mine,” she sings in the first verse, 1-888-588-6353
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with layered vocals giving an even more ethereal feel. “Formless and Free” is more grounded, with slightly less vocal distortion giving this slower song a bit more gravity. “Plants are my friends, they know how to be, they tell you how to let go and be formless and free,” she sings,
with this lyric directly echoing my sentiments about drawing a parallel between this record and “Plantasia.” I had to Google the next track’s title, “Immanence.” While there are varying theological and philosophical meanings, the word stems from the Latin word “immanere,” which means “to dwell in, remain.” This song has an electro-pop feel, with a dash of indiedisco. Kira’s lyrics are presented at www.downhomelife.com
times as spoken word, over a simplistic but truly contagious beat. As I listen to the album, so many amazing electronic and pop bands come to mind: New Order, Pet Shop Boys, Erasure, Ladytron, and Dragonette. To be reminded of so many renowned and revered artists is a compliment to Kira’s remarkable musicianship. Kira’s storytelling capabilities shine in “Gerry the Wizard,” as she crafts an elaborate character and details his world in just over three minutes. I can envision this character in a short film or as the star of a children’s book. Perhaps this comment is something that Kira the Author can think about exploring in between all of her other creative projects. For “Adorama,” synths take the lead, with the harp still making its presence known. A short repetitive beat chugs us along, with fun punchy percussion joining in just before the two-minute mark. Our dizzying, spiralling journey through space and time continues. Heavy synths carry on in “Strange Divide.” “What do I want, what do I need?” the singer asks in the opening lyrics. “A giant rock beside the sea,” she continues, subtly nodding to her home of Newfoundland. This slower-tempo song also has a spoken word segment. I think about how this entire album would read wonderfully as a book of poetry. Soft and delicate, “Yard Sale” is slightly haunting, and stands out as a personal favourite. There’s somewhat of a medieval fantasy vibe, with Kira’s harp commanding attention yet January 2025
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remaining equally weighted with her ethereal vocals and rhapsodic lyrics. Light and airy, “Angel Mediator” is predominantly dreamy vocals and harp, with Kira singing about doing arts and crafts in angel rehab. Once again, she quickly and efficiently crafts a world. At just under 2m30s, it’s the shortest song on the record, yet it still draws emotion. The Internet Moon wraps up with “The Record Keeper.” This selection, with its crisp percussion and gorgeous harp riffs, feels like another personal favourite. I usually try to pick just one from each record, but this album is so cohesive and beautiful that it’s impossible to put one track above another. This might be my personal favourite record that I’ve reviewed in 2024, and I’m disappointed in myself for getting to it a full year after its initial release. The Internet Moon is exactly what the artist described it as, a “strange baroque dream pop fantasy.” As we descend from our voyage through Kira’s cosmos, I’m already eagerly awaiting the opportunity to review her next record. She says will be “more down to earth probably,” but honestly, I’m excited to go wherever on whatever voyage Kira Sheppard wants to take me on.
Q&A with the Artist Wendy Rose: Let’s start by introducing you to our readers! How, when, and where did you start playing music? Kira Sheppard: I’ve been playing music for a very long time. When I was eight years old I was in the car going home from school one day and declared to my mom, “I want to play the harp.” I was very determined. She then found me a teacher and I studied classical music for 10 years. I was pretty serious about it and would practice three hours a day sometimes. I started writing songs when I was a teenager. We had this amazing little theatre in the basement of our high school so I would perform songs and plays that I wrote there. And also in the local arts scene at various performances, installations, dance shows, etc. I was so lucky as a young person to have influences like that, and to be encouraged by the community. Newfoundland is a pretty amazing place to be as a creative person. 34
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WR: I think it’s really interesting that you play harp. Not a common instrument around these parts! What drew you to this instrument specifically? KS: It’s not a very common instrument, that’s true. And there are not too many singer-songwriter harpists either. Although I think there are more harps out there these days, which is wonderful. A lot more harpists are experimenting with extended techniques and pedals, which is something that I was exploring with this album. What I like most about the harp is the magical sound and the resonance of the strings. I never get tired of it. It’s also mythical and dramatic and I love that as well. I was fortunate to hear a lot of incredible music growing up, so I think that must have been a factor.
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WR: What has the feedback been of The Internet Moon? KS: There were a few music blogs that
wrote some really wonderful reviews. I can’t even believe the kind things people have said. I always feel grateful when people take the time to listen. It’s definitely more of a concept album and maybe not everyone’s cup of tea. But I had a lot of fun making it and I hope that translates. I enjoyed seeing what I could do as a producer as well, experimenting with different atmospheres for all of these songs. And of course, working with Michelle LaCour was such a joy.
I try to listen to what each song requires and go from there. Making things, whether it’s stories or songs or art, usually comes from a very streamof-consciousness place and seeing what structure might emerge.
WR: What’s next for you, The Internet Moon and your various creative endeavours in 2025? KS: I’ve been learning a lot of
traditional music these days and I’m letting that influence my songwriting. So I have a feeling the next album will be more folk-oriented. I’m working on a short story collection which I’m excited about. I am also in the process of putting together a live show for The Internet Moon, a multimedia experience with light projection and puppets. I’ll be announcing a date for that soon, stay tuned!
WR: On top of creating music, you’re also a talented writer who recently made the longlist for WritersNL’s 2024 NLCU Fresh Fish Award. Can you tell us a bit about your process for creative writing versus songwriting? What are some of the similarities or differences? KS: Thank you for saying that! Every
song is different, so there really isn’t a formula. For me sometimes songs take their shape like stories and other times it’s more about the music. Sometimes I have to fit words into a melody and other times I am constructing melodies around words. www.downhomelife.com
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homefront adventure outdoors
Gord with Cassius and Clay around 2004 Tony Vinnicombe photo
Memories of Hounds & Hares By Gord Follett
The majority of my rabbit hunting days have been spent with a buddy or two, but there were several occasions in the early 2000s when a 4:30-5 a.m. call of nature resulted in an impromptu ride over the highway with my two beagles in their kennel. I’d glance out the house window and if it looked like it was gonna be a great day weather-wise, both for me and scenting conditions for the dogs, I’d open the door and shout at Cassius and Clay – named after Muhammad Ali, of course – to wake up and have their business done before I got ready and started the truck. They knew every time what that early morning shouting meant. Those hounds simply could not wait. They’d jump at the fence constantly once they saw me put my gun and backpack in the truck. And when I came towards them with their coupler leash, they would almost turn themselves inside out with excitement. 36
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Those two beagles, incidentally, came from a breeding kennel in California. Yes, California. The Mojave Desert, actually. I was contacted by the breeder, who had seen one of my rabbit hunting stories in the Newfoundland Sportsman magazine, and offered me a pair of six-week-old brothers in exchange for a mention in future articles, “if” I was pleased with them as hunters.
They were shipped from Los Angeles and I was at St. John’s Airport waiting long before the plane touched down. After a month or so of being completely pampered, it was time to introduce them to the woods and – a few weeks later – live, wild rabbits. Some days I’d take them alone for training, while most others I would be joined by my main hunting buddy, Tony Vinnicombe, and his Ol’ Blue, at www.downhomelife.com
the time. To this day I can clearly remember the first “squeal” from one of my pups at three months of age as he joined Blue in the chase after a snowshoe hare, or “rabbit,” as they are commonly called, that the older dog had started. A week later, my second hound “broke,” which thrilled me to no end, for now, I had a pair of prized beagles that would only get better over the coming weeks, months and years. And that they certainly did. One of the most satisfying solo hunts I had with my beagles occurred on a mid-November day near Blaketown on the Avalon Peninsula when they were three years old. I smile proudly as I write this, recalling with vivid detail the show they put on for their owner/hunting partner. I parked my truck just off the old rail bed and decided to let the hounds go right away, as opposed to first getting my gun, shells and backpack ready, as is often the case. As usual, Clay spent the first couple minutes taking care of business while Cassius went straight through the alders and into the woods. “Arrrr, arrrr, arrrr.” Cassius jumped a rabbit after 40-50 seconds and Clay followed immediately, pee still coming out of him when he first joined the chase. The “music,” as avid beaglers refer to it, coming from those two dogs on that clear and windless morning was beautiful and thrilling at the same time. I was almost ready and sliding my January 2025
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right arm into the strap of my backpack when the rabbit darted alongside and into the woods at the edge of Dildo Pond. “Unless he’s planning on swimming across the pond, that rabbit is gonna have to come out of that thin stretch of trees pretty soon,” I said to myself as the dogs followed about 30 metres behind. I stood on the trail, looking to my left, with shotgun raised. Twenty seconds later – “Boom!” Stopped in his tracks. One rabbit in the bag already. I walked back towards the truck with intentions of sending the dogs to a small wooded area that always produced rabbits, but before I got there, Clay opened up on a rabbit and Cassius was right with him. I found myself smiling once again. I guess you’d have to experience this to understand why we love it so much. This hare came running straight towards me until I raised my gun. That’s when he tried to make a quick turn into the alders. My first shot was behind, but the second – fired right through the alders – toppled the speedy critter. A brace of rabbits so early in the day – excellent! The third one, however, took two hours before I finally managed to bag it. The dogs did a fine job of holding the rabbit, but after a couple of long, straight runs, it somehow circled me at least three times, just out of sight.
John Dyke photo
Gord and friend Sean Kearsey hunting Northwest Gander My “boys” started another just a few minutes after I harvested No. 3 and I took it with a 50-metre shot about 10 minutes into the chase. Although it was still 15 minutes before noon, I called it a day and put the dogs back in their kennel after shooting my fifth hare. I was quite pleased with them and made sure they had extra treats when we got home. While I no longer have my dogs, nor do I spend as much time rabbit hunting as I used to, my years with them and Tony’s hounds left no doubt in my mind that this is one of the most exciting and action-packed hunts you could experience in this province.
Gord Follett was editor of the Newfoundland Sportsman magazine for more than 30 years and co-hosted the Newfoundland Sportsman TV show for 15 years. Email gordfollett@gordfollettoutdoors.com.
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homefront
the Labrador current
Snowbound
By Nathan Freake
On a cold and dark January night 25 years ago, my phone rang in the quiet of my bedroom, shaking me in shock. “I need help,” the voice said through spotty service. “Where to?” I asked. I couldn’t make much out of what he was trying to say. Here and there a word came through, but the clipping reception and the sound of cutting wind made for little else besides radio static. Amongst our friend group, Blair had been the most experienced (and responsible) on a snowmobile, so it was odd when I got the call deep in the night to find and help him. In those days we were still learning the ins and outs of our powerful machines, but we weren’t so powerful ourselves. Our parents advised us against riding alone. We had all been riding together earlier that day, carving trenches in the fresh powder before going our separate ways and retreating home for late suppers. Hours had passed when I got the call. I had settled in for the night, the 40
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chill in my bones long passed, but I had no choice but to head out in search of my friend. I stepped into my still-damp snow pants and zipped up my dripping coat. Outside, I jolted my snowmobile awake with the rip of the pull cord, fastened my helmet tight, and sped off with snow flicking violently behind me. I can’t quite recall what led me down the route I took, back towards where we had come from earlier that day. Maybe something came through in our phone call, or perhaps it was the most logical place to turn – but the thought struck me that he was out there by himself all this time. As the snowmobile ripped me through the woods, my stomach sank. The sky was black. The high beams lit the path in front of me in bright white as trees and branches skimmed my shoulders and scraped at my legs, but 1-888-588-6353
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until I was out and in the clear, I saw nothing. Peeling out onto the lake, I scanned the area and saw no signs of a snowmobile or tracks of any kind, so I continued along the trail in search. I came to a hill where we frequented and surveyed the area. Still nothing. My engine rumbled over the hill and into the air. I thought for a moment and hit the kill switch on the handlebars.
chuckle. “What made you want to run into this tree here?” He laughed in his casual, pleasant state. He wasn’t nervous or stressed. Not even phased, truthfully. But that was Blair. He was always a jokester in our group, carefree and easygoing. He was, and is, a kind, steady friend. “I dunno. Really wanted to spend an evening digging myself out of a ditch.” We laughed and started in.
I took off my helmet and chanced the night air. It was silent – no wind, now – but it was freezing. Immediately, what couldn’t be seen before me became cast in the light of the stars. The silhouettes of trees littered the landscape below and the skyline rolled with hills, pitch black in the distance. I took off my helmet and chanced the night air. It was silent – no wind, now – but it was freezing. “You missed me,” a voice called out, somewhere far below. “Where are you?” “Down here!” He pulled over his snowmobile and the headlight lit up a cluster of trees to my left. I rode down and found him sunken under a drift of deep snow. The sidewall of the machine was wedged into a tree, the ski stuck up under the roots. His hair, slick with sweat, poked out from under his balaclava, and steam wafted around his head in the frigid air. The sled was totally on its side, covered in snow, and badly stuck. “Very good,” I said, stifling a
As we worked the machine out from under the snow, he told me he had been there ever since we parted ways. He spent nearly two hours trying to dig himself out. He didn’t have an axe to chop down the tree, and, cutting his losses, walked back toward the trail until he was able to make a phone call. I don’t know if I was the first person he tried to reach – I’m certainly not the best woodsman he could have called – but I was grateful nonetheless. I will forever look back on that day as one of my fondest memories with a friend. If you’ve ever spent enough time on a snowmobile then you know more than anyone that getting stuck (and unstuck) in the woods brings people closer together. It’s something that, for a long time, I took for granted. Nowadays, I would do anything to go back and get stuck with my childhood pals.
Nathan Freake is a writer and educator from Labrador City. For any inquiries, you can reach Nathan at thelabcurrent@gmail.com
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homefront from our readers
By David Fraser • Goulds, NL
I have tried writing this story several times over the past 33 years that happened just before my 50th birthday, which would have been around April 1988. The details are as clear in my recollections today as they were at the time that they happened. My difficulty was in describing an experience called “ecstasy.” The Oxford Dictionary describes it as an “overwhelming feeling of great happiness or joyful excitement,” origin Greek “ekstasis,” meaning “standing outside yourself.” The complete experience happened in a dream that started with my own death and took me through the following several hours as a spiritual copy of myself. I had gone to bed around 11:00 pm on a Sunday evening. I think I fell asleep in about 20 minutes and the dream started. I saw myself standing in space several thousand miles above the complete globe of the earth. My perspective is as if I am standing about 15 feet away from myself and I see myself with the earth behind me. I am dressed in the usual clothes that I wore to work as a carpenter – a plaid short-sleeved shirt, a pair of jeans with a small rip in one knee and a pair of white sneakers. I realize I have died and I say, “What about my wife and family?” A voice with my own Scottish accent comes to me from 15 feet away and says, “Your family are all fine,” which I accept and I guess that I can share my thoughts and questions with this other self. I have no idea where I go next but I turn with my left side to the earth and start to move very fast in 42
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that direction. I know that this other self is with me and knows exactly where we are going. When I look back, the earth and sun are about a quarter of the size, but there is no sensation of moving very fast. The sun is just a small blue dot and is indistinguishable from all the other stars in the universe, much as we see the sky on a clear summer night. I don’t know how long I was travelling through space, but it felt like it was between one or two hours. Eventually, I see a small orangecoloured dot in the distance. I know I am moving very fast toward it because it is rapidly becoming bigger. As I get close, it blocks my view of the universe behind it and I think I have no way of slowing down and I am going to crash into it and become a small splat on the surface. At the last moment I close my eyes and wait for the collision. It 1-888-588-6353
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doesn’t happen. Instead, I am inside a massive sphere which is in semidarkness. As I am standing inside this space, I first notice that the clothes I was wearing are gone. I’m standing there like an invisible man. I try moving my legs and arms and they function as normal. My other or spiritual self is still with me and we appear to communicate telepathically. He tells me that all the energy in this place is spiritual and the energy closest to this inside wall is from all the lesser evolved forms of life and it vibrates much slower than higher life forms. Away in the distance is a somewhat brighter area and he lets me know this is where I have to go. I look in the direction and start to move. I don’t have to use my legs to walk, I just float through all the vibrating energy which appears to open up a pathway taking me to the light in the distance. When I reach it, it looks like a sphere or very bright light. I know I have to go into it and I float very easily right into the centre of it. My other self or spiritual self comes in with me but stays just on the inside. Because it appears that my spiritual self and myself can share our thoughts I can see myself from where he is. What he sees is a form exactly like myself, David Fraser, but visible as vibrating energy. I’m standing there feeling quite normal and comfortable when I start to feel a beautiful feeling come up through my feet then go up through my whole body, then turn around and come down again. It continues like a wave to move up and down, becoming more and more intense and absolutely beautiful, pure ecstasy. As this continues it becomes more and more intense, absorbing my whole being. www.downhomelife.com
My whole form starts to very slowly separate. As each cell of my form separates from the next cell, a burst of ecstasy goes through the whole form. This is happening hundreds of times as the whole form separates and slowly floats up to the top of this sphere and passes through to join all the spiritual energy of the millions or trillions of those who have gone before. I can see this all happening through the eyes of the spiritual self still inside the sphere. After my spiritual self has seen all this and sees my departure, he says it’s time to return to my body back on my bed. Instantly I am back and I wake up. While I am wide awake I can see the air all around me vibrating and I am experiencing the same ecstasy going up and down my body as when my human form was changing to spiritual form, just in reverse. The waves of ecstasy were slowly becoming less and all the vibrating air around my body was also becoming less and seemed to be absorbing into my body. I experienced that for about ten minutes while wide awake. I have written this complete account over the last two to three hours from memory, it’s exactly as it happened. The experiences of going through space and being inside that sphere of light and the transition from human form to spiritual form and from that day to this I have never had any worries about death or any concern about my health. At almost 83 I feel as well as I did at 63. Having had that experience, I have to believe that when my time comes I will again go through the same experience. No gods, no devils, no saints. We are all spiritual as is all life in the universe, all very natural. January 2025
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As the new year begins, it’s a perfect time to look back on the last 12 months. For us at Downhome, that means revisiting each issue of 2024 and celebrating the incredible, beautiful, funny, and moving submissions from our readers. This is all part of a larger mission: to create our Top 12 list of submissions, giving our readers the opportunity to vote on which one will be crowned Submission of the Year and win $500 in Downhome shopping coupons! Take a look at all the finalists on the following pages, then visit our website from January 12-19 to cast your vote for your favourite. We’ll announce the winner in the March 2025 issue. A heartfelt thank you to all our readers who share their photos and stories with us each year. You make Downhome the magazine it is today. 44
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Excursion Around the Bay Alana Murray
Fresh Fish Carole Ann Abbott
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Eagle Eyed Georges Noesen
On Top of the World Julie Baggs
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Magical Mischief Maggie Pardy
Family Gathering Patsy Day
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Wrecked Penny Spencer
Fox Trot Tina Sullivan
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Adventure Awaits Trudy Sale
Winter Radiance Julian Earle
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Puppy Loves Steven Lockyer
Sunrise at Spillars Cove Sheldon Hicks
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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. This is your chance to get in on our most popular reader contest and try to woo the judges into choosing your photo for the 2026 Downhome Calendar. These calendars are seen by tens of thousands of subscribers and displayed all year long.
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, file 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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Mark Critch plays Mike Sr. in Son of a Critch All photos courtesy CBC / Photographer: Derm Carberry
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First day of High School
T
alk about strolling down memory lane!
I’ve traipsed down this leafy path in St. John’s many times. It runs behind Merrymeeting Road past Yetman’s Arena towards Holy Heart High School on Bonaventure Avenue. Today, I'm here to watch the cast and crew of Son of a Critch film a fresh episode of the nostalgic CBC series. Young Mark’s heading off to high school in season four, and this shortcut’s taking me right back to my own days at Holy Heart in the 1990s. On this summer morning though, the school’s buzzing with crewmembers, and production’s in full swing. With a familiar twinge of first-day nervous excitement, I head in through the main doors. In the lobby, there’s a poster of a Sony Walkman, and a nun sitting in a stacking chair — maybe some things never change. Publicist Lisa Ghione welcomes
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me and hands me a headset to listen in on a scene currently filming in the library. It's like stepping into the heart of the action as she leads me down a brightly lit hallway, giving a rare behind-the-scenes peek into the making of a hit television series. Techies dart in and out, moving with quiet precision as they shuffle cables and gear. A designer makes lastminute tweaks to a costume, directors 1-888-588-6353
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Behind-the-scenes – First day of High School as the gang gathers outside
Sister Rose played by Nora McLellan www.downhomelife.com
watch intently as each take is filmed with meticulous attention. The whole set hums with a quiet mix of energy and focus. Since the series first premiered in January 2022, Son of a Critch continues to be the most-watched original Canadian comedy series in the country and one of the moststreamed comedies on CBC Gem. Based on the award-winning, bestselling memoir from local comedy favourite Mark Critch, Son of a Critch is a heartfelt show; a window into the life of now 14-year-old Mark as he comes of age in a nostalgic era of St. John’s. It stars Mark, portraying his father Mike Sr., with Benjamin Evan Ainsworth playing young Mark. Benjamin ducks out of a dressing room to say hello and I’m dazzled by how tall and British he is. Other cast January 2025
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Tina (Daisy Harris), Fox (Sophia Powers), Mark (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and Middle Fox (Teigan Follett) in the gymnasium members on set today are Mark Ezekiel Rivera as Ritchie, Sophia Powers as Fox, Maya McNair as Cara, and Daisy Harris as Tina. Claire Rankin plays Mark’s mom Mary, and the nun in the lobby, of course, was Nora McLellan as Sister Rose. “I think it’s really interesting, just coming back and seeing how much the kids have grown and changed and how much more mature they’re becoming,” Claire says. “To see physically how they’ve changed, but also to see how their interests have grown and their skills. They’re such talented actors and they’re such a joy to work with. “It’s like summer camp where we all come together,” she adds. “We may not see each other the rest of the year, we’re back to our regular lives. And then we all land here in St. John’s and we spend the whole summer together in this wonderful bubble.” The show’s based on Mark’s real-life experiences growing up – and in the 58
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particular’s contained the universal, as they say. It’s a story of family, friendship, and growing up, told with a gentle humour that highlights the quirks and bonds of small-town life. In the new season, Mark’s on the cusp of a new decade – one of Video Dance Parties, Magic 97 and the Peace-a-Chord. Who can’t relate to those youthful feelings of promise and potential? Season four’s all about passion and Mark’s chasing something great, even if he’s wearing uncool loafers. With its mix of sweet moments and poignant lessons, Son of a Critch resonates with audiences of all ages. Lisa leads me down an unfamiliarlooking hallway where I’m ushered into a side room to meet Mark and CoShowrunner and Executive Producer, Tim McAuliffe. I’m fairly starstruck – among other things, Mark’s been the host of CBC’s long-running This Hour Has 22 Minutes, and Tim was a writer/producer on NBC’s Emmy1-888-588-6353
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winning comedy classic The Office and wrote for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. (Other Executive Producers are Andrew Barnsley, the Emmy and Golden Globe-winning producer of Schitt’s Creek and hometown hero Allan Hawco of Republic of Doyle.) I try to gracefully climb into a director’s chair between them as they intently watch the library scene on a monitor. “We have a very happy set,” Mark
Mark and Tim chat about the young actors. They're clearly impressed, swapping stories about how the cast is nailing those familiar high school moments. “Well, it’s amazing. Benjamin was one of the best actors I’ve ever seen when I first met him a couple of years ago. But we forget how young he was. But now he’s a young man. And he’s growing in skill every year. What I
Behind-the-scenes – Benjamin Evan Ainsworth with Director John Vatcher says, in between reminiscences of a certain vintage of St. John’s school days. “We have such talented people in every department. We have a lot to get done but we try to keep it loose and happy and as stress-free as we possibly can. And you know, it’s a real joy as someone who’s had to travel a bit for work, like, you know, all Newfoundlanders like to be home. And for me, this is like a five-minute walk from my house. So to be able to wake up, walk out the door, come to work with all my friends and make a show… if I could tell young me that? It’s amazing. I’d say it was a dream come true, but I wouldn’t even have dreamt it at that age. It’s been a real gift.” www.downhomelife.com
love about the kids is, they’re all great actors but they’re truly really nice, polite, lovely people and we all kind of spend the summer in each other’s pockets and the weekends we’re always together and things like that, so you do get a real sense of family and it’s amazing to watch them all grow. But I couldn’t be prouder of the real people they are.” A bell rings, signalling the end of filming, and I’m on my way again. As I leave the set behind, it’s hard not to feel a mix of excitement and curiosity — young Mark’s high school adventures are just beginning, and I can't wait to see what happens next. Son of a Critch season 4 premieres Jan. 7th on CBC and CBC Gem. January 2025
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Vicky Hynes reflects on 25 Years of A Feast of Cohen By Dillon Collins
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“Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord, that David played, and it pleased the Lord, but you don’t really care for music, do you?” Reading between these lines from the timeless “Hallelujah” by Canada’s supreme poet laureate Leonard Cohen, it fits like a velvet glove that the dedicated troupe that makes up the annual A Feast of Cohen should tap into such fertile sonic pathways. More ironic still, is that the masses that have packed theatres for 25 years in St. John’s do indeed care for music, and damn fine music at that. A Feast of Cohen, an annual night of song and performance dedicated to the magic and majesty of the late, great Leonard Cohen, returns for its silver jubilee from January 3-4 at its longtime home the LSPU Hall. For Vicky Hynes, founder of the Feast and a longtime disciple of The Godfather of Gloom, two decades of trumpeting the dark yet ethereal ballads of one of our greatest-ever songsmiths still holds immense weight.
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“It just evolved in such a natural way because, in the early days, we had just a little gathering, a friendly kind of a thing,” reflects Feast of Cohen founder Vicky Hynes (above centre with fellow Cohenettes, Jill Porter and Lori Cooper) Returning in 2023 following a hiatus brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and a lapse that included the passing of two key Feast favourites, Bryan Hennessey and Derek Pelley, Vicky admits that it was “hard to go forward. Our hearts were kind of sore from the events that took place, so many people lost,” acknowledging that the demand for a return Feast propelled the company forward out of the pandemic. “I got contacted by so many people. It’s so much a part of their lives now, going there at the beginning of January. It’s almost like a cleansing experience for them. It’s a very strange thing to describe. But for me, I think that’s what it means to a lot of people. It’s like, okay, I can start the year off 62
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right, I’ve been to the Feast of Cohen.” The event began casually enough, as a vessel to fill the void between Boxing Day and New Year’s Eve. The inaugural Feast took place at the LSPU Hall on December 28th, 2000 before moving from the hallowed hall to Holy Heart Theatre and back again. Flipping to the beginning of the calendar and post-New Year’s showtime, A Feast of Cohen has increased in size and scope over the years, while never losing its lustre or commitment to carrying the pride and passion of the music of its namesake. “It just evolved in such a natural way because, in the early days, we had just a little gathering, a friendly kind of a thing. I did put it together and helped people select songs so things wouldn’t 1-888-588-6353
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be repeated in the program. But it was very casual,” Vicky recalls, reflectively. “We had Duane Andrews and Curtis Andrews and a bunch of people like that. And then by the time we got to the third year, Sandy (Morris) came on board. So we’ve been working together on this now for years and putting the band together and it just kept going up a notch every year. It started to improve because it was more organized and more rehearsed.” Complete with the Beautiful Losers Band (Sandy Morris, Paddy Byrne, Maria Cherwick, Andrew McCarthy, Dave Panting, Geoff Panting) and The Cohenettes (Jill Porter, Lori Cooper),
the latest rendition of the gathering includes Feast regulars Sean Panting, Jenny Gear and Matthew Hornell alongside special guests Rube & Rake, Natasha Blackwood, Roger Howse, Valmy and Len O’Neill. Indeed, the pedigree of the cast of Cohen is immense, to say the least, though tracing the history of the twodecade-plus spectacle will reveal a who’s who of Newfoundland’s artistic and musical tapestry. “I’m a great listener of radio and I hear all these younger artists that are so talented or go down to hear a performance or hear them at The Ship because I was working there and the
The annual Feast has been a popular event for concert goers and local media alike
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Sandy Morris and The Beautiful Losers Band Alick Tsui photo
first time I think they were introduced to the larger community was on the Feast of Cohen stage,” Vicky shares, thinking back on the names that have helped bring the Feast to life. “Tim Baker, the Fortunate Ones, all of those. Kellie Loder was fabulous when they came on the show there about four or five years ago. And it just continues on.” Vicky’s love affair with The High Priest of Pathos began at a young age,
Matthew Hornell Alick Tsui photo
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she shares. “I come from a large musical family, so putting out concerts and performances to start was like old hat to me. It was such a natural progression. But my original impressions and shall we say, the introduction of Leonard, I was about 15 or 16 years old. “My boyfriend at the time was going to Memorial University and a friend of his was totally into him. And I remember him bringing over an LP
Sean Panting Alick Tsui photo
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Jenny Gear Alick Tsui photo
and we listened to it, and I was totally captivated by it. It’s as much his poetry for me as it is the songs. I’ve always been a great lover of poetry. And for me, there’s nobody that can string a phrase together like him.” And while this writer and the founder can attest to the power of Leonard Cohen, we ask what it is about the maverick Westmount, Quebec native that commands such devotion?
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“The thing about Leonard Cohen is it’s awful dark. Some people say ‘why would you do Leonard Cohen? Oh my god, he’s so dark!’ And it’s like Bryan Hennessey said, yes but there’s always some message of hope,” Vicky says, warmly. “There’s always some light at the end of it. It’s like his song “Anthem,” that’s how the light gets in. The darkness and the light.” For tickets and more information on A Feast of Cohen visit lspuhall.ca
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life is better Evening glow at The Battery, St. John’s, NL Bailey Parsons Stephenville, NL
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daughter of ‘Farmer Jim’ of Lester’s Farm Chalet, opens by saying that cows are often “underappreciated,” especially when it comes to affection. “Cows naturally love to cuddle. We always did it as kids growing up on the farm. All the volunteers and staff love to do it, and I guess it’s like many things – sometimes good things get taken for granted. We thought maybe it would be nice for the guests to experience it too.” Sam admits to having doubts at first. “Apparently there are a lot of people who would love to cuddle cows,” she laughs. Lester’s Farm began offering cow cuddling this past summer and time slots have been pretty well sold out ever since. The cuddling, all overseen by staff, offers visitors an opportunity to feed, groom, and maybe even lie beside the cattle. “People who do it are overwhelmed by the cow’s gentle demeanour, and just being around these big but amazingly affectionate creatures gives them a sense of relaxation that’s hard to duplicate or explain.” Sam and her family have been farming in St. John’s in the Brookfield Road area for generations. Her relatives operate the Lester’s Farm Market with a focus on vegetable sales on a nearby property. While cow cuddling won’t replace Lester’s other business endeavours, it certainly is a small boost for the farm financially. Better again, Sam adds, is the fact that it gets more people to visit the farm while offering an opportunity for everyone to connect with nature and animals, positively. 1-888-588-6353
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The Lester family has been farming in St. John’s for generations, and the animals are always a popular draw for visitors. “I believe that people should try to connect with the Earth and get their hands dirty and experience the positive side of farming. Cows are one of the older domesticated livestock species,” she explains. So, how do you cuddle a cow? Sam laughs. “You know what cuteness aggression is, right? When you see something really cute, and you just want to squish it because it’s so cute? Well, with cows, you can cuddle them with all your might and with all your love and the cows love it. You hug their neck, their body, their face and you can brush them and the cows will actually start to groom you as well while you’re grooming them,” she explains. Cows will rub you gently with their head. They’ll give you “lots of licks with their little sandpaper tongues too,” she adds, explaing that cows love the cuddling as much as the guest does. “It’s a nice experience. You can book for groups of two up to eight, 70
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and we’ll bring you down and you’ll get the rundown on what the experience is going to be. We will go over a few safety points and you get your animal food and then we head down to the cow cuddling area and you go out in the pasture for 20 minutes with some baby cows and their moms. You can feed them, pet them, cuddle them, groom them, and then after that, we’ll go out and pick a flower in the field that guests can take home with them.” Cow-cuddling clients can walk through the petting barn and farmyard where a tour guide will explain about the different animals, share some fun farming facts and then it’s back inside for some ice cream. “It’s a full farm experience from start to finish. And you see all of the best parts of the farm and the feedback is phenomenal. Guests are so thankful and it’s just one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences for them. Sam’s honoured to be able to share the experience of the farm with others. 1-888-588-6353
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“I’m so blessed for the opportunity to grow up on a farm because it teaches you a lot about hard work and planning for the future. Farming is all about how you put plants in the ground, or you raise livestock, with so much hope. I think that’s a really important lesson, especially nowadays. People need to plan for the next generation. Giving others real-life experiences and real skills that they can use really builds community as well. Sharing a real farming experience is eye-opening, I believe.” There’s always somethin happening at Lester’s. In the fall there are pumpkins for sale, wagon rides,
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games, and Halloween-themed displays. In the winter, there’s a harvest festival, sleigh rides and holidaythemed events, all of which can be planned and attended by following Lester’s Farm Chalet on social media. “Overall, whether someone is petting a bunny or looking at a baby chick or cuddling a cow, what we strive for is to provide an above-andbeyond experience for everyone and for everyone to be really satisfied,” she says. For more on the products and services offered at Lester’s visit lestersfamilyfarm.ca
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Volunteers create a safe space for youth in North West River BY HEIDI ATTER
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Every Thursday evening
in North West River, the Lake Melville School gym begins to fill with children and teenagers. Some head straight to the basketballs on metal racks and instantly start shooting hoops, while others stop by the canteen for a sweet treat. The gym’s large performing stage’s curtains are open for puzzles, rest, and play, while some sit on the floor and watch. In the town of 500, it’s the only public place in the community where these teenagers can go and play in the evenings. “There’s some misperceptions that kind of lead to, like, ageism and discrimination towards the younger population,” says Jeanien Cooper. “They really think that our kids are up to no good.” There’s a thinking in the town that kids are hard to handle and will only destroy things. It’s that thinking organizers Jeanien Cooper and Rox1-888-588-6353
anne Riche are hoping to combat. The two created the non-profit North West River Youth Engagement Initiative in June 2024 and began holding unstructured youth nights on Mondays and Thursdays. After months in the gym, not a single piece of equipment has been destroyed and there have been no complaints from parents or teenagers, Jeanien explains. “They’re good kids,” Roxanne admits. The two have a long-term view. These children and teenagers are going to grow up, with Jeanien explaining that many hope to stay in town to improve it. January 2025
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Jeanien Cooper (left) and Roxanne Riche (right) created the NWR Youth Engagement Initiative non-profit “If a community isn’t invested in their kids, then they’re not investing in themselves, because the kids are the continuity. They are the future generation,” she says. At the far side of the gym, a group of teenagers is already displaying what it means to be a role model. Seven-year-old River Cooper jumps as high as he can while trying to throw a dodgeball into a tall basketball hoop. After each shot, the teenagers take turns grabbing the ball and passing it back to him. River may only be half the size of the 15 to 17-year-olds, but the group encourages him, offering tips, making sure he has space to shoot and that no one playing near him bumps into the child. “It’s very fun here,” River says with a smile. “[The big kids] help you with hard stuff that you can’t do yet.” Basketball is River’s favourite, 74
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Basketball is River Cooper’s favourite activity
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especially when the “big kids” help. River says he can’t slam dunk like some of the older kids just yet, but he’ll get there. The volunteers are kind, selling food in case they get hungry or thirsty. If it weren’t for the youth nights, River shares that he’d probably be home alone playing video games. He hopes they do more youth nights so he and others can play. Roxanne and Jeanien can’t stop smiling as they watch River play with the teenagers. “They’re being very patient. They’re giving them his high fives and they’re letting him play with them,” Roxanne says. The teenagers have patience for the young kids, but also get two hours with only their older age group each night from eight to ten to play with a bit more space. “And there’s never been a night that we didn’t have anybody show up,” Roxanne admits. “And again, where else are the kids going to go?” Jeanien asks. Without healthy places to go to, kids turn to where they can get a sense of community and belonging 1-888-588-6353
elsewhere, Roxanne explains. Often, that unhealthy place can include alcohol and drugs, as kids seek to fit in and belong. Growing up in North West River, Jeanien and Roxanne remember not having spaces when they were teens and both individually turned to drinking outside in the woods with others because there wasn’t anywhere in town to go. “We’re hoping that it’s a safe place to go. It keeps them off the streets,” Roxanne says. “We need to break that cycle,” Jeanien adds, emphatically.
Combatting intergenerational trauma with play Breaking the cycle goes far beyond Jeanien’s generation. The community of North West River has a majority Indigenous population, with many families that have been affected by colonization and the local residential school that operated in the town for decades. Many Inuit and Innu homes struggle with intergenerational trauma, with grandparents and parents on January 2025
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their own healing journeys. The community also has high rates of addiction to drug and alcohol use, Jeanien says. But with the youth, there’s a chance to help them understand the legacy of residential schools, and colonialism, build healthy relationships, be in a safe space, and learn about their cultures by interweaving traditional Indigenous knowledge throughout their future programming. “It’s not reactive, it’s proactive,” Jeanien says. “They can come to know who they are, and then they can be proud in their own identity and community and culture.” It also provides a space where parents know their children are safe, so they can take the evening to rest, recharge and continue their healing journeys.
Removing technology from the equation In an hour, children and teenagers play with scooters, soccer balls, jumping mats, and basketballs and only one child takes a break from playing to film goofy videos on their cell phone. The rest have no phones in sight. It’s something Kierra Blake thinks about during the unstructured time. The 16-year-old comes to socialize and see her friends and other kids all in one place. She doesn’t mind playing with the younger children as some have quite a strong soccer kick, and she gets a lot of exercise. “I love it,” Kierra says. “I’m not on 76
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my phone for four hours. I’m off of it and playing sports, getting exercise.” Kierra comes every night she can and hopes to volunteer with the nonprofit when she’s a bit older. Roxanne and Jeanien have only cancelled two youth nights since June, one on Canada Day and one on Thanksgiving.
16-year-old Kierra Blake enjoys being able to disconnect from technology for a few hours Despite not getting support from leaders and organizations, the support from the community members in general and parents is incredible. The pair talk quickly about their big dreams for the future, excitement filling their voices. They dream of a youth centre with a gym, artistic space, gaming room and cultural space where they can teach traditional Indigenous programming, so the youth know and be proud of who they are. The duo have been applying for every grant possible to try to get a part-time staff member hired to run youth programming even three 1-888-588-6353
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nights a week. The group used the community centre until it wasn’t an option, and then the Lake Melville School principal Melissa Hackett reached out to offer her help. Melissa lets the group use the space free of charge and offers a canteen space so they can fundraise for youth supplies. Jeanien explains it was not a perfect situation. Not all the youth are interested in sports and it can be tough for them to get to as the school doesn’t have many street lights surrounding it, so the number of kids coming in the evenings has dropped. The two went to a town council meeting, with the idea to tear down the former North West River youth
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dormitory and reuse the land as a positive centre for youth. Residential school survivors have been calling for it to be torn down for years. However, there wasn’t an enthusiastic response for a youth centre to be created. “I think people are old school around here, and they’re reluctant to change,” Roxanne says. While the reluctance can be disappointing, Jeanien and Roxanne look out at the kids and can’t stop smiling. They are determined to push forward, create a healthy space for the next generation to learn kindness and create a better future. “They’re good kids,” Roxanne says. “They’re better than we were,” Jeanien adds, laughing.
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HOME and Cabin
stuff we love by Nicola Ryan
Out in the Cold BUNDLE UP Hand-knit with love and a touch of downhome charm, these mittens from Marie’s Knits are just the ticket for keeping your hands warm on crisp winter days. Made from soft, high-quality wool and featuring an adorable puffin design, they’re practical, warm and great for braving a brisk sea breeze or bundling up for a snowy walk. mariesknits.com
ON ICE Lace up and get ready to glide into winter! Treat yourself to a pair of Bauer Colorado ice skates – an excellent choice for both beginners and seasoned skaters. With a cosy, padded interior that keeps your feet snug, these skates are perfect for everything from easy loops to zippy spins on the ice, whether you’re gliding across a local rink or tearing up the pond behind Nan’s place. sportchek.ca
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HATS OFF Inspired by the iconic hats worn by Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police, this hat’s designed to shield you from biting winds and frigid temps. Made from authentic sealskin, it’ll keep you snug no matter how harsh the winter gets. Sealskin Treasures takes pride in crafting quality, affordable sealskin clothing and accessories using the finest locally sourced tanned seal pelts. sealskintreasures.com
PERFECT PAIR A good pair of socks is a must-have when it comes to surviving a Newfoundland winter. Hand-knit from super-soft, insulating wool, these Spindrift socks will add a touch of old-world charm to any outfit, whether you’re slipping them on under your boots for outdoor adventures or curling up by the stove with a hot cup of tea. Your tootsies will thank you. spindriftknits.com
BEST IN SNOW Gear up your pup! Pet Value has lots of winter warmies for your best buddy. A Canada Pooch Everest Explorer dog vest will keep your furry friend warm and dry no matter the weather. With a water-resistant exterior, snuggly fleece lining and a handy removable hood this vest is just right for tackling snow-covered trails or braving the blustery backyard. petvalu.ca www.downhomelife.com
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Ask Marie Anything Interior designer Marie Bishop takes your questions
Q. It’s time to repaint the house inside, so my plan for the new year is to give the space an update. I get the impression that whites and neutrals are on the way out, is that true? I’m curious, what is the trend for interior colours heading into 2025?
A: That’s a very large and often-asked question.
As we head toward the end of every calendar year, the design industry, in general, comes together to discuss, consider, research and decide what the colour trends will be for the year ahead. The Color Marketing Group, CMG, an international association for colour design professionals which identifies the direction of colour and design trends, is the foremost colour forecasting group in the world. They create storyboards with textures and finishes to accompany each colour or colour family. It’s quite a process. Through that process, colours are chosen and promoted as the trends for the coming year or years. 80
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Different paint manufacturers will select their own colour of the year. For 2025, Benjamin Moore has created Cinnamon Slate
There’s never one colour. Even among the paint manufacturing companies, each will choose ‘their’ colour of the year and each is very different even though that colour will be part of the trend. For instance, the Benjamin Moore colour of the year for 2025 is #2113-40 Cinnamon Slate, “a delicate mix of heathered plum and velvety brown,” shown on their website along with the palette of colours they recommend to www.downhomelife.com
accompany and coordinate with it. Pittsburgh Paints, or PPG as they are known, has chosen #1046-7 Purple Basil, a dusty violet mauve. According to PPG this colour “reflects the movement away from lighter, airier hues in favour of deeper richer colours, a trend evident in everything from fashion to interior design.” So, to answer your question, whites and neutrals are taking a backseat to colours that are more moody, and January 2025
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Neutral colours are suitable for hallways and stairways but areas such as living rooms are a great place to use colour as a feature wall cosier and offer an inviting sense of warmth to their surroundings. The neutral colours that were the main players in recent interiors are now serving as a backdrop for the feature colour. I would still recommend going with light or neutral shades in places like hallways and stairways, but in your living room, family room, bedroom and other lived-in areas, it’s a great time to incorporate some colour. This could mean a feature wall in a colour that you are particularly drawn to or one that works with your existing furnishings. In some cases, you may want to use that deep, sultry colour on all the walls, like in the bedroom for instance, or the dining room. This will create an instant atmosphere of warmth and intimacy. One factor to take into consideration when using a darkercoloured paint is the paint finish. This can make or break the overall look and most paint stores will offer good advice on finishes. But if your 82
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walls are not in perfect shape, and few are, keep in mind that a flat finish will cover more imperfections than a gloss finish. There are several finishes on the spectrum between those two and the standard one for wall paint is Eggshell, which is probably the best one for a lighter neutral colour. However, when using darker colours, eggshells will still show areas that have suffered some abuse. The best recommendation here is a flat finish. Each manufacturer has their product to fit that category. Benjamin Moore has one called Ulti-matte, “a premium quality 100% acrylic matte finish that washes clean with soap and water.” Another way to add colour and interest is to use a bold print wallpaper on one wall. This can add a combination of colours that can be incorporated as accent colours throughout the room. A large prominent piece of art will accomplish the same effect, with the bonus of being portable and therefore less permanent. 1-888-588-6353
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Another way to add colour is a bold print wallpaper or a large prominent piece of art. I was recently asked to update the living room of a client while she was away. The walls were being painted, which we lightened slightly from the original. The only parameters I had were to get rid of the red and incorporate some blue, also the furniture was being replaced, and she was leaving that choice up to me, so pretty much a clean slate to start with. Then she suggested it would be nice to have the “Big Reveal” when she arrived home in two weeks, hmmm, no pressure. Well, while the painting was underway, I was shopping like a demon. Fortunately, I found pieces that fit the criteria and were readily available for delivery. Draperies, lamps, tables, and accessories were all sourced locally. The only item I ordered online was
the rug and it arrived within three days. The things I love most about this new room are the blue wall (B.M.#HC-156 Van Deusen Blue), blue draperies and large artwork that brings the whole space together. She arrived home late on a Friday night at the end of the second week and I waited anxiously for her text the next morning. “I love it! What a great surprise! Love the decor, love everything… completely overwhelmed with how clean, simple, comfortable yet sophisticated it is. Thank you so much!” Mission Accomplished. Giving your space an update is a great way to start the new year. It’s uplifting, refreshing, calming and energizing at the same time. It’s a fantastic way to love your space.
Ask Marie Anything! Got a design question for Marie? Email editorial@downhomelife.com. www.downhomelife.com
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Todd’s table
Cooking Made Easy 84
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Todd’s Table By Todd Goodyear
When he’s not dreaming up or cooking up great food, Todd Goodyear is president and associate publisher of Downhome. todd@downhomelife.com
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We’ve heard so much lately about food security in our world. So many people globally, and more particularly in our neighbourhoods, are in need of food. Obviously, the human body needs food every day, and a wellbalanced diet is not only challenging when one can afford it, but very difficult when you are concerned about where the next meal is coming from. For anyone who knows me well, I live by three mottos. Now, I must say up front before I share what they are that it’s a broad-stroke philosophy I have carried with me for years. I fully understand that we all struggle to afford things sometimes and right now I won’t get into my thoughts on inflation. It’s just a statement that I have always made to highlight what makes me tick. I have lived by these three things long before I was married and had a family, so don’t judge me, okay? I know there are more important things in life. Over the years I have been unfortunate enough to come across many traffic accidents. It could be because back in the day I was constantly driving somewhere in all seasons and every sort of weather. I would always stop, take a look to see if anyone needed help and carry on down the road. I would take notice of the tires on the vehicle. Sometimes it was a wet road, and not to mention that, in Newfoundland and Labrador, we have “ruts” in the road where water builds up. Don’t get me started. More than likely it was a wintery scene where the roads may have been snowcovered and slippery. This leads me to my three mottos:
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#1 Life Motto
I always try to have good rubber on my vehicle. I learned many years ago from a guy who managed a tire store on the ramp in Stephenville that in the summer you should have “all season” tires and in the winter proper “winter” tires. He said that all season tires may be okay in certain climates, but not in Newfoundland and Labrador. I remember saying to him, ‘I want the same tires you have on your vehicle.’ I figured this guy should know a thing or two about tires, so I took the advice of a professional and have felt safer on the road ever since.
#2 Life Motto
I am not wearing a sweater in the house! When I’m home doing whatever I like to do (cooking, watching TV or just sitting around chatting) I like to feel comfortable. If it’s cold outside I want to keep my surroundings warm. I don’t mean melt the candles hot like it is when you walk into a wood-fired heated home and it’s 30 degrees (Celsius) and you can’t breathe. I’m talking about 20-22 degrees. That’s summertime temperatures, so you don’t need a sweater and sweatpants. We all know people who are constantly turning down the thermostat, trying to save a buck or two. I’d rather be warm and not bundled up.
#3 Life Motto
I love to cook. I guess it’s because I also love to eat. A good meal is to be enjoyed and appreciated. I know many people simply hate cooking 86
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and they get along the best they can with meals because they have to eat. I take it to the next level because I love to cook. I often say to my wife as I am gathering up what I need for the meal, “I’m excited!” I have been saying for years I like to buy good food which yields good meals. Don’t get me wrong here, I’m not saying I buy Japanese Wagyu steaks every day. Come to think of it, I have never bought or cooked a steak like that. What I’m saying is I like to buy fresh fruits and vegetables and I’m very particular about finding the best meats and fish for the best price. If I’m going to be excited about cooking, I want to use good ingredients. It’s winter now and food is surely on everyone’s minds as we navigate special occasions and family traditions, which of course include great meals. For me and my family, late autumn is a time when we jump on the bulk cooking and bottling for the long winter ahead. It’s great when you come home for lunch, or the odd day when you don’t have time to cook, and can grab a bottle of whatever and enjoy a quick meal. I want to give a plug to the Instant Pot! If you don’t have one or you have one and don’t use it, I recommend blowing the dust off of it and getting cooking. Here’s a list of what I’ve made in mine: Good oldfashioned stewed beans with salt beef, moose soup and stew, beef soup and stew, chicken soup, split pea soup, and tomato soup. For the most part, I have bottled every single one 1-888-588-6353
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of these meals and what a treat! Some may call me a gadget guy, but when it comes to cooking I like to keep it simple. There’s nothing simpler than the good old pressurecooking method. It’s quick and easy and most importantly doesn’t jeopardize flavour. If you have one in your pantry, try it again and bottle up some of those favourite meals that you can cook fast with the pressure cooker.
Todd’s Tips Don’t be afraid to try something new. Follow the recipe and it will be fine. Cook what you love to eat. Cook with confidence.
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HOME and Cabin
downhome recipes
Perfect Potluck
From town to outport Newfoundlanders and Labradorians gather for post-holiday potlucks and we’ve got your must-try menu!
Pineapple Glazed Ham 1 (6 pound) fully-cooked, bone-in ham 1 fresh pineapple
2 (6 oz) cans pineapple juice 1 cup brown sugar
Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place ham, cut side down, into a roasting pan. Cut the skin off the pineapple with a sharp knife and slice off any brown spots or skin left behind. Cut pineapple into 1/2-inch-thick rings and use a round cutter to remove cores. Pin rings onto ham with toothpicks. Bake ham in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. While ham bakes, mix pineapple juice and brown sugar in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on medium power until the glaze is boiling and slightly thickened. Work carefully because glaze will be sticky and very hot. Pour 1/2 of the glaze evenly over the ham and pineapple rings. Bake ham for 30 minutes more, then pour the remaining glaze over the ham. Continue baking ham until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of ham reads 140 degrees F (60 degrees C), 30 to 60 minutes more. Serves 20.
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Egg-cellent Potato Salad 1 pound potatoes (for 2 cups diced cooked potatoes) 4 large hard-boiled eggs, mashed 1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tbsp minced onions 1 tbsp mustard 1 stalk celery, diced
Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with salted water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. When potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel and cut into 1/2-inch cubes. Add potatoes, eggs, mayo, mustard, onion and celery to a bowl and stir until well combined. Chill at least 1 hour prior to serving. Serves four.
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Moose Meatballs 1/2 cup honey 1/4 cup minced garlic 1/4 cup soy sauce 3 tbsp onion powder
2 tbsp garlic powder 1 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional) 3 pounds ground moose 2 tbsp canola oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Stir together honey, garlic, and soy sauce in a small saucepan, then stir in onion, garlic, and chili powders. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and gently simmer for 15 minutes. While the sauce is simmering, roll 2 tablespoons of ground moose into a ball. Repeat to make the remaining meatballs. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook meatballs in batches until well browned and cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes per batch; drain well. Transfer drained meatballs to a large baking dish. Pour in the sauce and stir until meatballs are well coated. Bake in the preheated oven until meatballs absorb some sauce and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the centres reads 160 degrees F (70 degrees C), about 20 minutes. Yields 48 meatballs.
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Baked Macaroni and Cheese 8 oz of uncooked macaroni 1/4 cup salted butter 3 tbsp all-purpose flour 2 1/2 cups milk, or more as needed 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese salt and ground black pepper to taste 2 tbsp salted butter 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs 1 pinch ground paprika
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease an 8-inch square baking dish. To make the macaroni and cheese: Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add macaroni and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes; it will finish cooking in the oven. Drain and transfer to the prepared baking dish. While the macaroni is cooking, melt butter in a medium skillet over low heat. Whisk in flour and stir until the mixture becomes paste-like and light golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Gradually whisk milk into the flour mixture, and bring to a simmer. Stir in shredded cheddar and finely grated Parmesan cheese; season with salt and pepper. Cook and stir over low heat until cheese is melted and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes, adding up to 1/2 cup more milk if needed. Pour cheese sauce over macaroni and stir until well combined. Make the bread crumb topping: Melt 2 tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add bread crumbs; cook and stir until well coated and browned. Spread bread crumbs over macaroni and cheese, then sprinkle with paprika. Bake in the preheated oven until the topping is golden brown and the macaroni and cheese is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Yields four servings.
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Ham and Cheese Sliders 3/4 cup melted butter 1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard 1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce 1 1/2 tbsp poppy seeds
1 tbsp dried minced onion 24 mini sandwich rolls 1 pound thinly sliced cooked deli ham 1 pound thinly sliced Swiss cheese
Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish. Mix butter, Dijon mustard, Worcestershire sauce, poppy seeds, and dried onion in a bowl. Separate the tops from the bottoms of the rolls; arrange the bottom pieces in a layer in the prepared baking dish. Layer about 1/2 of the ham onto the rolls; add a layer of Swiss cheese and top with remaining ham slices. Place the tops of the rolls onto the sandwiches. Pour the mustard mixture evenly over the rolls. Bake in the preheated oven until the rolls are lightly browned and the cheese has melted about 20 minutes. Slice into individual rolls through the ham and cheese layers to serve. Yields 24 servings.
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Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip 1 (8 oz) package of cream cheese, softened 1/4 cup grated Romano cheese 1/4 cup mayonnaise 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced 1/2 tsp dried basil 1/4 tsp garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste 1 (14 oz) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 1/2 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a small baking dish. Mix cream cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, garlic, basil, garlic salt, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Gently stir in artichoke hearts and spinach.Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish; top with mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven until bubbly and lightly browned about 25 minutes. Yields 12 servings.
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Millionaire’s Shortbread Bars 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup butter, cut into small pieces 3 tbsp brown sugar 1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk
4 tbsp butter 3 tbsp brown sugar 6 oz milk chocolate, chopped
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9-inch square pan. Sift flour into a bowl. Rub in butter with your fingertips until the mixture resembles fine bread crumbs. Mix in brown sugar and shape the dough into a ball. Press dough into the prepared pan. Prick all over with a fork. Bake in the preheated oven until set and golden brown, about 20 minutes. Let cool. Meanwhile, combine condensed milk, butter, and brown sugar in a nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until caramel comes to a boil. Reduce heat and cook until golden and pulling away from the sides of the pan, 4 to 5 minutes. Pour caramel over cooled crust and refrigerate until firm to the touch, about 1 hour. Place chocolate on top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate over cooled caramel. Refrigerate until chocolate hardens, about 15 minutes. Cut into bars. Yields 12 servings.
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Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies 1 cup butter, softened 2/3 cup white sugar 1 1/4 tsp almond extract, divided
2 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam
Gather all ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Beat butter and white sugar together in a medium bowl until creamy. Mix in 1/2 tsp almond extract. Add flour and mix until dough comes together. Form dough into 1 1/2 inch balls and place on ungreased cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Use your thumb to press down and make a dent in the centre of each ball, then fill with jam. Bake in batches in the preheated oven until edges are lightly browned, about 14 to 18 minutes; allow to cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes. Makes three dozen cookies.
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down to earth
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Plant Careers BY KIM THISTLE
How many of you ever think of a plant as having a career? They do, you know. They have very important careers. Without ‘them’ there would be no ‘us.’ Let’s think about some of the many important jobs that they do. Of course, the first thing we think of are the thousands of plants grown for food. You may be a diehard meat eater who is reading this and thinking that, well, you don’t eat vegetables. The steak you eat would not be on your plate now if it were not for grazing cattle. Fruits and vegetables are the mainstay of our diet. You may have a career as a chef, but thank heavens for those carrots and turnips that give up their lives for you to do your job.
What would we do without the trees that give us shade? Where are you most likely to find relief on a hot summer’s day? Perhaps you have access to air conditioning, but does it replace the coolness of the forest or the pleasure of relaxing under a leafy maple with the dappled sunlight filtering through?
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What about the tires on your car or bike? Are you aware that rubber comes from trees? Colour. Many of the colours we enjoy are plant-based dyes. Indigo for blue jeans, onion skins for yellows, rose petals for pink. These dyes are not only used for fabrics but also for foods.
Then there are the plants that provide erosion control. Without trees, shrubs and plants to take up water through their roots, we would have an awful mess on our hands. Picture a clear-cut near a stream or river. Aerial pictures, after a heavy downpour, clearly show the erosion that takes place. Note: If you are purchasing waterfront property, think twice before removing trees so that you can enjoy the view. That view may become a little too close for comfort with an eroding streambank. Oh, and then there are scents. Delicious scents of lavender or freshly mown hay. What about Christmas? What are the scents of Christmas? Balsam Fir, Cinnamon, and Cloves. All come from plants.
Did you wipe your butt this morning? The toilet paper you used ended the life of a tree. Not many self-respecting Newfoundlanders don’t like to pick a quart of blueberries or partridgeberries.
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Do you have a cork floor or do you enjoy a great bottle of wine? Cork is the bark of the Cork Oak tree.
Do you put out a bird feeder? Do you use sunflower seeds to attract these beauties? Guess where the sunflower seed comes from? I love pecans and cashews. Both are tree nuts. So are walnuts and Brazil nuts. Peanuts are not, but they are the tuber of the peanut plant. That means they grow like potatoes, underground.
Lumber – the stuff that your house is built with and your furniture is constructed from. Have you considered where turpentine comes from? It’s the distilled resin of trees, mainly pines.
Maple syrup is the sap of the maple tree. Birch syrup comes from the sap of the birch tree. Bees use the pollen of plants as the basis for making honey.
Unless you are wearing a synthetic fibre today, you’re clothing probably came from a plant in one way or another. Cotton and linen are grown, wool comes from sheep that graze on grass, and viscose comes from a plant fibre called cellulose. What is the best place to hang a swing from?
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Chewing gum. Who knew.
Gin is made from the berries of the Juniper tree.
Palm oil. Easy… Palm trees. Firewood and coal, both used for fuel.
Carnauba wax comes from the palm Copernicia prunifera and is used in cosmetics, shoe polishes, dental floss, candy coating, deodorant and much, much more.
Popcorn is the kernel of the Zae mays everta variety of corn.
Plants consume carbon dioxide and release oxygen. The one thing is what we should be most grateful for.
Guitars, violins, pianos and many other musical instruments. We hear beauty because of wood.
Many of the products that are derived from plants and trees can be harvested without destroying the plant. Nuts and berries, Maple syrup, rubber. These things can be harvested over and over. Products such as lumber, paper and Balsam Fir Christmas trees put an end to the life and career of a particular plant, so that’s why regeneration (natural or the replanting of trees) is so important. Today’s assignment is to think about the things you eat, the medicines you take, the clothes you wear, the music you hear, and the shelter over your head. Where does it come from? Now, consider what plants provide that you don’t see, touch, smell, or eat. That’s where a precautionary principle takes the place of knowledge. Do no harm if you do not know of the harm you will do. Kim is a horticultural consultant, a retired garden centre owner and a dedicated garden enthusiast!
Got a question for Kim?
downtoearth@downhomelife.com
www.downhomelife.com
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life is better Winter in the Tablelands Becky Wiseman Springdale, NL
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Party Like it’s 1964
“Celebrating New Year’s Eve in Hodge’s Cove by playing a game of cards with our cousins.” From left: Max Peddle, Howard Peddle, Elsie Spurrell, Betty Peddle, Lloyd Spurrell, Joe Peddle, Elaine Peddle and Andrew Peddle. Elaine Spurrell Hodge’s Cove, NL
Winter Whinny “My Aunt Armorel Day getting ready to travel on horse drawn sled on Indian Islands, Notre Dame Bay, around 1950.” Patsy Day Corner Brook, NL
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Snow Angels Carol Clarke Holden and a friend on Craigmiller Avenue in St. John’s about 1948. Andrea Holden via DownhomeLife.com
This Month in History The College of Fisheries, Navigation, Marine Engineering and Electronics was officially opened January 15, 1964. It was the first educational institution devoted to the teaching of subjects related to fisheries in Newfoundland. Under the leadership of its first president, Dr. William Hampton, the college offered technology diplomas in nautical science, marine engineering, and naval architecture, along with specialized short courses in watchkeeping, navigation, and engine repair. “The opening of this new college today is another bold step forward for Newfoundland,” announced Premier Smallwood. “Thousands of young Newfoundlanders, I confidently hope, will pass through this new college and in it equip themselves to take their place in a greatly strengthened and expanded fishing industry.” Today, the Marine Institute provides more than 30 industry-driven programs and is one of the most respected centres of marine learning and applied research in the world. 1-888-588-6353
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Gnat, do you mind…
Tinctures & Tea By Harold N. Walters
Snowstorms battered Brookwater twice a week after the New Year. The elbows of Christmas sweaters frayed; the cuffs ravelled. Granny ‘lowed ‘twas the worse January since The War. Ten-foot drifts leaned against the schoolhouse windows. Those smothering drifts were part of the reason Miss Britt decided to stage a feel-good concert. “A good singsong will cheer us all up,” she said to a classroom of gloomy students. “We will invite the whole community.” Almost everybody cheered. Harry didn’t. He despised singsongs. He’d hated them ever since he’d first heard Olsen Tetford singing like a bird whose trills flew directly into Sally’s open ears. Without noticing — or more likely ignoring — Harry’s scowling jowls, Miss Britt outlined the particulars of the concert. Students cheered and stomped 104
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their feet. Harry didn’t cheer, but he did stomp his feet. He pounded the taps of his logans against the floor, imagining he was dancing a jig on Olsen Tetford’s noggin. While students swarmed Miss Britt’s desk pleading for songs to spotlight their talents, Harry sat like a stump in his seat. He glowered and thought about Aunt Sissy Hatt, the Brookwater witch. More particularly, he thought about a specific shelf in Aunt Sissy’s pantry. After school, Gnat shoulderchecked Harry nearly pile-driving him into a roadside drift. “I knows 1-888-588-6353
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why you’ve been sporting a sour puss all day.” Harry showed Gnat the darkest version of his pickle puss. “We got to go to Aunt Sissy’s house.” “We?” said Gnat, adding another drop of vinegar to Harry’s pickle juice. “I needs you to distract Aunt Sissy,” said Harry. “Alright.” Despite his teasing, Gnat offered help without hesitation. Five minutes later at Aunt Sissy’s house, Gnat planked his arse on the daybed and engaged Aunt Sissy in conversation. “Hard ‘ol winter,” he said, jitting his head towards the wind-driven snow whizzling against the windowpanes. In spite of his friendly chit-chat, Gnat without Harry aroused Aunt Sissy’s suspicions. “Where’s Harry?” Without missing a breath, Gnat said, “He stepped in fresh sheep’s whoopsie and went in the woodhouse for a stick to scrape off his boot.” “Hummm,” said Aunt Sissy. Of course, Harry wasn’t in the woodhouse. He was in Aunt Sissy’s pantry. Harry pushed a three-step stool alongside the pantry shelves. Bypassing the lower shelves containing cake cans and flour tins and enough cold-packed preserves to last till spring, he climbed on the stool. Standing on the top step, he could almost reach the highest shelf. His fingertips stretched to touch the array of vials and flasks, and oddly shaped jars stocked in the shadows near the ceiling. Harry guessed the contents of the dusty containers even though he couldn’t read Aunt Sissy’s printed 1-888-588-6353
labels. He knew he was reaching for the collection of herbs and roots Aunt Sissy’d foraged from the forest — her collection of go-widdy leaves and bark scrapings — her mysterious powders and salves, tinctures and elixirs of things that could heal, or harm, depending on dosage. Somewhere on the shelf, there had to be a concoction that would seize up Olsen Tetford’s kin-corn and paralyze his voice box. But which one? Luckily for Harry, help arrived. Poof! A miniature tornado, an eddy no bigger than a dancing dust bunny spun to life behind the vials and flasks. It wound down to a halt, and Beasley Bob, the Old Feller’s imp, peered at Harry over the shoulder of a blue, medicinal-looking bottle. The corners of a devilish grin were hooked on Bob’s pointy ears. Harry nearly toppled off the stool but caught his balance in time to catch the vial that Beasley Bob shuffed off the shelf. “This one. This one.” Beasley Bob cackled, then vanished. Harry poked the vial into his jacket pocket, climbed off the stool, went into Aunt Sissy’s kitchen and joined Gnat on the daybed. “Awful weather, eh Aunt Sissy?” he said indicating the still whizzling snow. “Hummm,” said Aunt Sissy. For the next couple of days, Harry lugged the bottle from Aunt Sissy’s pantry around in his jacket pocket. All the while he tried to figure out a way to get its contents down Olsen Tetford’s gullet. “’Twill taste awful for sure,” Harry said. January 2025
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“’Twill,” Gnat agreed. Harry scratched his thinking cap, pondering how to trick Olsen into swallowing Aunt Sissy’s potion. “Can’t fool him with a spoonful of sugar, like taking Friar’s Balsam,” Harry said. “No, you’d never get to pinch his nose.” Gnat’s grin didn’t raise a smile on Harry’s chops. After much cogitation, Harry said, “Mixed in a cup of switchel tea.” Gnat’s eyebrow formed question marks. “Olsen won’t drink switchel tea for you.” “He will for Sally.” Another pair of question marks. “You’ll have to trick her too.” Harry realized involving Sally would be a risk, considering she knew how he felt about any attention from Olsen — especially when Olsen crooned romantic ballads. Nevertheless, “I’ll talk her into it,” he said. Gnat’s eyebrows were in peril of becoming permanent interrogative punctuation marks. The weather was bone-numbing on the evening of Miss Britt’s moraleboosting concert. Brookwater folk filed into the schoolhouse chaffing their hands and bivvering. The school’s pot-bellied stove, its funnel rosy red, hove off heat enough to roast a tom-turkey. Backstage, Miss Britt drilled the performers with last-minute instructions and encouragement. In the wings, near the door of the school kitchen, Harry sidled up to Sally. “I s’pose you’m looking forward to Olsen singing?” Sally was immediately suspicious. “You don’t like Olsen’s songs.” Harry shrugged. 106
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“I know you’re jealous,” said Sally. “No, I idden. As a matter of fact, I knows something that will make Olsen sing better than ever.” “That’s doubtful.” Harry pressed on. “Granny told me about it one time when she heard me trying to croak out Jingle Bells.” Sally looked askance. “Well, tell me.” “Granny said if I’d drink switchel tea, I’d sing like a robin.” Sally squinted skeptically. “If you don’t believe me, get Olsen to drink a cup of tea.” “Maybe I will,” said Sally. Harry fought to banish the image of Beasley Bob that popped into his skull. His hand clutched the vial buried in his pocket. Off in a corner, Olsen Tetford chewed Sen Sens. He trusted the good-for-your-voice ingredients of the bitter liquorish flakes would work their magic. He swallowed and la-la-la-ed some musical scales. Sally approached Olsen. “I heard switchel tea is better for your vocal cords than those things.” She tapped the Sen Sen packet in Olsen’s shirt pocket. “Want me to get you a cup?” “Can’t hurt,” said Olsen. Listening from his seat on the hobs of hell, Beasley Bob snickered. Harry bolted for the kitchen where a pot of tea steeped on the stove for concertgoers who wanted a sup. He grabbed a cup and filled it almost to the brim with tea as dark as bog water. He checked for witnesses before emptying the vial into the brew. “Here, I poured the tea.” Harry handed Sally the pungent brew when she entered the kitchen. “Tell Olsen to drink it all no matter how bad it tastes.” 1-888-588-6353
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Sally headed back to Olsen carrying the steaming cup of unsweetened black tea. Without any thought of mischief afoot, she passed it to Olsen. “Drink it all.” Olsen blew on the tea to cool it, then drained the cup. Spying from the kitchen, Harry watched Olsen slurp the last drops. Pleased as punch, Harry clapped his hands and kicked up his heels. No one noticed Harry cavorting. Nor did anyone notice Beasley Bob suddenly appearing and mimicking Harry’s antics. His plot in play, Harry joined Gnat in the audience to enjoy — oh, enjoy he surely would — the concert. The curtain opened. The Primmer Class sang. A trio of boys sang. A quartet of girls sang. A choir sang. A fiddler … well, fiddled a tune that raised the rafters. All hands knew Olsen was the best singer in Brookwater. They understood why Miss Britt saved his performance for the finale. Eventually, Olson stood in the spotlight, strumming the opening chords of Goodnight Irene on his blue guitar. A pin dropping would have raised a racket. Olsen opened his mouth to sing. “Gaawwwwkkkk.” A wave of uneasiness washed over the audience. Olson coughed and tried again. “Gaawwwwkkkk,” “God bless Aunt Sissy’s potion,” thought Harry. He nudged Gnat and gloated. 1-888-588-6353
After a third Gaawwwwkkkk, Olson knew his voice had been sabotaged. He looked at Sally, unable to believe she’d betray him. Sally glared at Harry. Olsen recognized the villain… … and chose to stand his ground. Lodging his guitar aside, Olsen stuck his hands in his pockets, shook his shoulders, puckered his lips, and commenced to whistle. Strutting back and forth the stage, chest stuck out like a young swain gone a’courting, he whistled Davy the Gypsy Rover — tunefully enough to win the heart of a lady. The audience clapped and cheered and created a great hullabaloo. Harry said bad words. Mind Olson’s whistling, Gnat? Mind how long it took for the black mark on Harry’s arm to fade after Sally’s vicious pinch? Harold Walters lives in Dunville, NL, doing his damnedest to live Happily Ever After. Reach him at ghwalters663@gmail.com January 2025
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reminiscing
For over 35 years, Downhome Magazine has been at the heart of all things Newfoundland and Labrador. A comforting, familiar and constant presence in our province’s media climate, Downhome has been a name synonymous with ‘home’ for over three decades and counting. In this Month in Downhome History, we dive through our archives to give readers snippets of days gone by, highlighting major events, unique facts and the stories that matter to our readers.
January 1990 Volume 2 • Number 8
Harry Hibbs Dies Newfoundland’s favourite son died on December 21, at the age of 47 at Toronto General Hospital after a brief illness. The Bell Island native came to Toronto in 1962 and brought his family up a short time later after landing a job in a factory. Harry loved to play his button accordion and sing. He started playing the squeeze box at the age of seven. His first public appearance as an entertainer was at the Crang Plaza in Toronto in 1967. Later that same year Harry had his own TV show on channel 11. Harry had a total of seven gold records. With his shy, laid-back manner he endeared himself to the people of Canada and was loved by Newfoundlanders everywhere. He was buried on Boxing Day at Queen of Heaven Cemetery at Albion Rd. and 27 Highway, a long way from home. We’ll miss you, Harry.
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The Commercial Salmon Fishery … an Enterprise of the Past? The Salmon Council of Newfoundland and Labrador is seeking to outlaw the commercial salmon fishery. According to the council, this would allow the declining salmon stocks to be rebuilt and is in the best interest of the fishery. A similar ban was put into effect six years ago in New Brunswick, and that province is in full support of the council’s efforts. According to authorities, there will never again be a commercial salmon fishery in that province, although the moratorium has produced consistent growth in the sport fishing industry, from $13 million in 1980 to $30 million in 1988.
January 1995 Volume 7 • Number 8
Little Bay Islands – Sea Treats Ltd. has been fined $50,000 for issuing false and/or misleading statements to Fisheries Officers regarding snow crab landings at their plants between June 9 and September 15, 1993. The company pleaded guilty to 50 separate charges in Provincial Court in Gander, October 21 and fined $1,000 on each charge. Reprinted from The Nor’wester. Used by permission.
Point Amour – Max Sheppard will be the last lightkeeper at Point Amour. He will be replaced by a computer. The Canadian Coast Guard held public consultations in Labrador to discuss its Legislation Services Project, which is aimed at making the best use of current technology. Weather permitting, public consultations will be held in Mary’s Harbour, Red Bay and L’Anse-auClair. The consultations will consider the impacts of destaffing on the provision of marine safety and other services. The results of the consultation sessions will be used in the development of a final plan for implementation of destaffing. In addition to Point Amour, light stations will also be destaffed at Red Bay and Camp Islands. There are 56 light stations in the province – 24 have been destaffed. Reprinted from The Labradorian. Used by permission. 1-888-588-6353
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January 2000 Volume 12 • Number 8
In sports news, Harold Druken of St. John’s made his National Hockey League debut with the Vancouver Canucks. He scored his first NHL goal in his second game. Elsewhere, Michael Ryder from Bonavista continues to advance his hockey career. A member of the Hull team in the Ontario Hockey League, Ryder was invited to the training camp of the national junior team.
When Child Find Newfoundland and Labrador and The Canadian Red Cross made the decision in a joint venture to produce a Celebrity Cookbook, they had no idea how successful it would become. Sixteen days after the book launch, 5000 books were sold. Their goal is to sell 10,000. The book contains recipes collected from celebrities and fine restaurants of Newfoundland and Labrador. Some of the celebrities included are Brian Tobin, Kim Stockwood, Toni-Marie Wiseman, Shirley Newhook, Gordon Pinsent and Great Big Sea.
A tip of the hat to some outstanding Newfoundlanders and Labradorians. Elizabeth Heneghan of St. John’s has been sworn in the Federal Court of Canada. She is the first female Newfoundlander to be so honoured. Elsewhere, environmenalist Greg Mitchell won the Guenter Behr Salmonid Conservation Award for his work during the Star Lake controversy.
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January 2005 Volume 17 • Number 8
Petro Canada has blamed a recent oil spill off the coast of Newfoundland on equipment failure. The company has taken steps to clean up the spill, but the harsh weather conditions prevented most of the recovery. The oil was leaked from Petro Canada’s Terra Nova FPSO on November 21. At press time it was still unclear as to the extent of the damage, but roughly 165,000 litres (1,000 barrels) of oil had drained into the ocean and spread over 57 square kilometres.
Jillian King, Warrant Officer First Class of the 837 Northeast Air Cadet Squadron, has been named Newfoundland and Labrador’s top cadet. She received the Sir Leonard Outerbridge Award at the provincial chapter of the Air Cadet League of Canada’s 55th Annual General Meeting. Guy Albert, the league’s national chairman, presented Jillian with the award in recognition of six years of distinguished service.
Newfoundland and Labrador’s own Mark Nichols rink has captured gold at the 2005 Canadian Mixed Curling Championships in Saskatchewan. Team members Mark Nichols, his sister Shelley Nichols, Brent Hamilton and Jennifer Guzzwell are the first Newfoundlanders to receive the medal.
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By Dorothy Bowering Robinson
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I
n 2003, my husband Francis and I flew from
Boston to St. John’s to see where both my grandparents had been born and lived until they emigrated to the U.S. in the 1920s. My grandmother and her family lived at French’s Cove, Bay Roberts while my grandfather was across the causeway at Coley’s Point. It was a long-held wish to trace where they had lived, visit cemeteries, and gather genealogy information. While I personally didn’t know anyone there before our trip, I received a few names of distant cousins that others had provided. When I knocked on doors, even though I was unexpected, I was warmly welcomed, served cups of tea and heard stories – all exceeding expectations.
One distant cousin whom we met was Clayton Menchions and his delightful wife Hilda Batten Menchions, known as the “baby in the mailbag.” She happily related her story, with the caution that we don’t tell her age. She was very modest and reluctant to be the centre of attention, although agreed to talk to us about the harrowing event. Her mailbag tale began on 10 December 1919, when the ferry that she and her mother were on became caught in one of the worst blizzards recorded on the western coast of Newfoundland. The S. S. Ethie, a fully laden steamboat, was trapped in the sudden storm as it was making its way between Cow Head and Bonne Bay. The seas rolled over the ship and ice accumulated rapidly on all surfaces. Captain Edward English Jr. and crew worked gallantly to keep the engines going to prevent the ship from crashing into the rocky coastline. Most of the coal supply was burned trying to stay out at sea. Empty barrels stored on the upper deck, heavy with ice, were tossed overboard. The thick coating of ice covered everything on deck including livestock. The Ethie was 155 feet long with a gross tonnage of 440 tons and a steel hull, but no match for the forces of nature. Ice was building up quickly and water poured into the stoke hole and engine room. Even with the valiant efforts of the men, the storm was winning the battle and the ship faced certain destruction on the rocks. Huddled in a stateroom below deck were Elizabeth Caines Batten, who was pregnant and her 18-month-old daughter Hilda Batten. Travelling with them was her father-in-law, Joseph Batten, who anticipated spending Christmas together with the family at their home. 1-888-588-6353
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The next morning, December 11, the unrelenting winds seemed fiercer with heavy seas and blinding snow. In the daylight, blurred glimpses of land were sighted and declared to be Martin’s Point. When the ship appeared destined to crash on the rocky coast, passengers were fitted with life belts and remained calm, according to reports. The captain realized that nothing short of a miracle was going to save the ship and the ninety-two passengers and crew. The captain and crew studied the coastline and in desperation steered towards the cove. At noon, the ship was thrust on the sharp-ridged reef known as the Whaleback, about 100 yards from shore and plans for abandoning the ship were put into action. The ship struck with a terrific force, listing heavily to the port side and lying solidly wedged amongst the rocks. Residents of the nearby settlement had seen the ship in trouble and prepared a rope line. The western coast of Newfoundland, with its rocky coastline and tempestuous waters, was no stranger to shipwrecks and daring rescues. The crew of the Ethie sent out a life buoy with a line attached to empty kegs. Then a larger line was fastened to the smaller one and pulled ashore with a rigged bosun’s chair attached. One 60-fathom line stretched from bridge to shore. Men on land secured ropes and a cable hauled from the ship was fastened to the cliff above. The ship’s purser went first to test the rope. Next off were six women. The dilemma was how to get baby Hilda to shore. Her mother could not hold her and grasp the ropes of the 114
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Elizabeth (Caines) Batten holds the mailbag used to bring her daughter ashore after the SS Ethie went aground in 1919 bosun’s chair simultaneously. The transfer of passengers was not an easy feat with gale winds and sharp sleet attacking both them and the rescuers. In desperation, her mother wrapped Hilda in blankets and placed her in a mailbag that was then strapped to the chair and the “mailbag baby” was pulled across the tumultuous water. How fearful her mother must have been to release the bag and watch its slow progress over the stretched frozen rope with turbulent waters below. By dark, all had safely made it and a tragedy was averted. Who was the baby? Hilda Vera 1-888-588-6353
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Batten was born on 22 June 1918 in Norris Point, the oldest of four children born to Elizabeth and John C. Batten. She attended a one-room schoolhouse and finished grade 11 at age 16. Too young to attend the university, she began teaching at Bear Cove, near Flower’s Cove, attaining her degree later. In 1946, she met Clayton Menchions who was a fellow teacher at St. James High School in Channel-Port aux Basques. In the 1950s they were employed in the same school system where Hilda
written about it. The long-running performance at the Gros Morne Theatre Festival has been playing since 1996. Her mother saved the mailbag where she had placed her baby. The bag had bans of red and white on the outside and Hilda remembered that her mother kept it folded and clean for the rest of her life. Later, her mother Elizabeth said it was the worst thing she had ever felt. Every year on the anniversary, her mother would bring out the bag, reluctant
The bag which brought 18-month-old Hilda ashore taught eighth grade and Clayton was the principal. They dated for several years while Clayton finished his degree and became an Anglican minister, marrying on 23 December 1953 in St. John’s. Hilda taught for 31 years, mostly seventh and eighth grade English and math in different towns where she was a beloved teacher. Little did Hilda or her parents know that her mailbag rescue would become a famous shipwreck story. As word spread, newspapers picked up the tale and dozens of books, poems, songs, paintings, and a play would be 1-888-588-6353
though to talk about the emotional event. When Hilda inherited the mailbag, she too continued to preserve the artifact and eventually donated it to the Gros Morne National Park. Appropriately the remnants of the ship Ethie are visible from the shore of the park; rusty pieces of the hull, boilers and engine poking out of the sea as a reminder of its fortune that fateful day. Hilda Batten Menchions died on 6 October 2007 at age 89. We were fortunate to meet her and hear her story firsthand. January 2025
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By Prue Bowering Stelling
Benjamin Bowering (December 21, 1902-October 3, 1982) was born in Glacé Bay, Nova Scotia. His father was a carpenter working on Marconi’s tower when the first transatlantic wireless message was sent from North America to Europe. Benjamin’s early years were spent in Nova Scotia and the Boston area. The family moved often as they built houses, sold them and moved on to other building projects. Left: Benjamin Bowering graduating from Harvard College in 1927 1-888-588-6353
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Ben’s report card from 1917.
In early 1914, when he was 11, he was adopted by his childless aunt and uncle and moved to St. John’s, Newfoundland. We have letters written to his brothers in the Boston area when he lived on Bond St. and Gower St. His uncle, also Benjamin Bowering, at that time was a prominent builder in St. John’s who worked on the tuberculosis sanitorium on Topsail Road and the general post office. Ben was a contemporary of Joey Smallwood and attended elementary school in St. John’s. He graduated from the Methodist College (high school). After high school, under the auspices of the Methodist church, 118
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he spent three years as a student minister in Newfoundland outports and small towns in Saskatchewan, western Canada. With the aid and support of the Canadian Methodist Church, Benjamin attended McGill University with the intention of becoming a minister. After two years, due to health problems, he returned to the extended family in the Boston area. He graduated in 1927 from Harvard College and later moved to New York City for graduate school. My father was very proud of his Newfoundland heritage. His greatgrandparents were James Bowering and Elizabeth Russell Bowering, early settlers in Coley’s Point, Bay 1-888-588-6353
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Benjamin as a teenager in his clerical collar
Roberts area. His mother, Julia French Bowering, and her family were settlers in the French’s Cove area of Conception Bay. My parents visited Newfoundland in 1934 and I returned to Newfoundland with them in 1966 for the “Come Home Year.” My father Benjamin enjoyed showing me Newfoundland and remembering his life there as a child and young man. Please see included pictures of Ben and Aunt Lucy (left), Ben’s school report card from 1917, teenage Ben in his clerical collar and his Harvard graduation. I would like contact with any descendant from James Bowering, born in 1793 in Chard, England and died in Coley’s Point Newfoundland in 1861 and his wife Elizabeth Russell Bowering. Thank you. 1-888-588-6353
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Mary Maude Laing
was born in Carbonear in 1882 to John Laing and Elizabeth Clarke. In 1902, she married John William “Jack” Green of Venison Island, Labrador. Together the two settled in Carbonear and had three children: George “Maxi”, Hayward, and Maisie. They settled on family land near the railway track on Park Lane, on the south side. Their house was two storeys but was said by many to have an extremely low ceiling, where a person taller than 5'8" would have to duck their head in between the floor joists to walk around. Mary lived in this house for the majority of her life. Her husband John had died and been buried in Labrador in 1942; thus Mary was left a widow. One day, while home alone, Mary was sitting in the kitchen. All of a sudden, a strange bright static orb appeared in the room through the ceiling and began to move around. The orb came and jumped up into Mary’s lap. In a fashion described as completely unfazed, Mary took her apron and flicked the orb out of her lap and onto the floor. The orb moved once again and left the house through a closed door. In 1983, after the death of Maxi Green in 1980, who owned the house, the house was demolished by his son-in-law, Gerard Griffin. As testified by those who were there, while hauling apart the house, a perfectly round hole with scorch marks around it, about the size of a pop can, was discovered on the back door that had been patched up. What has been described here is a case of Ball Lightning, an extremely rare phenomenon that has no definite scientific cause, but has often been associated with thunder1-888-588-6353
storms. A similar event has been documented in Newfoundland and has been dubbed the “Bell Island Boom,” which occurred in 1978. On that very same day, just 75 yards away, the house owned by Robert Fraize experienced a similar event. An electrical panel in the porch with glass screw-in fuses was destroyed. The fuses were reduced to fine dust, the wires were scorched, and the surrounding wall was damaged. The large kitchen radio was also said to be split in two. This indicates that a very powerful force had also entered this house. On another note, years before this, Jack and Mary’s house was struck by lightning while the family was in Labrador for the summer. The lightning caught the roof on fire, but the neighbours were quick to act and doused the fire in time to save the house. While demolishing the house in 1983, under cedar shingles, a massive burnt-out section of the roof was discovered. January 2025
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Now more than ever a Downhome subscription is a great value. Not only do you save over $20 off the cover price, you receive: 1 Year (12 issues) OF DOWNHOME
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puzzles
The Beaten Path
Gene Greene 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, when unscrambled, will spell out the name of the above community.
M A
K
T p
E
B G F I J
R I G
H V U E J L M R K
H
H
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p B E A C L J E K V Q E T G H I B T
S
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R A M J H
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p M V B
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Last Month’s Community: Grand Falls 124
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Sudoku
from websudoku.com
Last month’s answers
?
Need Help
Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
www.downhomelife.com
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Gary Mitchell original photo
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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: • a popular NL cruise port • ravaged three times by fire • home of the oldest commercial street in North America • one of 3 NL cities • Guglielmo Marconi flew a kite here
Last Month’s Answer: Ferryland
Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: Bauline 126
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In Other Words Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.
Last Month’s Clue: It is preferable to offer than to accept In Other Words: It is better to give than to receive
This Month’s Clue: Boogie in a manner that not another soul is observing In Other Words: _____ ____ __ ___ __ ________
A Way With Words Last Month’s Answer: Two-Tone
TONE TONE
This Month’s Clue
i always
Rhyme Time A rhyming word game by Ron Young
1. A blizzard shape is a _____ ____ 2. A cold-season runner is a ________ ________
analyze
3. A brazen flu is a ____ ____
Answer: _ ______ ___________
Last Month’s Answers 1. bell knell, 2. Yuletide bride, 3. gift thrift
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.
’
O H E A E A D E H E E I A D I L A D D A R K A B E U N I G H E L T R H H S H E S S R T H E S N H O T R L O E R T P T L E S U O H T T O U T V F U S P T Y T U Y O W
Last month’s answer: I will go for a simple girl who’s completely in tune with me and who gets along with my family. www.downhomelife.com
January 2025
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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four
1. precipitation
____________
2. enlarge
____________
3. raven
____________
4. toss
____________
5. display
____________
STUCK? Don’t get your knickers in a knot! Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
Last Month’s Answers: 1. shocking, 2. flocking, 3. docking, 4. stocking, 5. blocking
Tangled Towns by Lolene Young Condon and Ron Young
Unscramble each of the five groups of letters below to get 5 Newfoundland and Labrador place names.
Sound out the groups of words below to get a familiar expression.
1. BANAAW
For best results sound the clue words out loud!
2. GOATPURL VCOE
Tie Man Dug Hen ____ ___ _____ Abe Earth Daze Hoot _ ________ ____ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Backed Ooze Queer Won. Answer: Back to square one. Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Weigh Cup Tooth Thief Axe. Answer: Wake up to the facts.
3. ALBEINU 4. COPUH CVOE 5. YANASCIB ECVO Last Month’s Answers: 1. Natuashish 2. Makkovik, 3. Sheshatshiu, 4. Nain, 5. Postville
A nalogical A nagrams Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue. 1. CAT RAISES ~ Clue: it takes you to a whole new level 2. RIPE PINTS ~ Clue: it’s a fine line 3. DIVED DIN ~ Clue: a small price to pay 4. LAPEL WRAP ~ Clue: the original “cut and paste” 5. ROCKS LAWS ~ Clue: it’s not as angry as it sounds Last Month’s Answers: 1. cardinal, 2. cookies, 3. patience, 4. delivery, 5. designer 128
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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. 1-10: shorten 1-91: unintended 2-42: main force 3-23: saloon 3-93: serving drinks 6-3: action word 6-8: by way of 6-36: big tubs 10-40: Napoleon isle 11-14: stuff 12-42: pipsqueak 14-17: nasty 14-44: big cups 16-20: heavenly host 23-26: erode 25-5: espy 30-25: gives birth 30-28 implore 33-63: look after 34-37: wind squall 36-39: stalk 39-37: encountered 41-61: lair 41-91: of the teeth 42-72: youth 44-42: place 44-74: go by ship 47-43: dwelling 50-48: sister 54-74: become sick 55-52: walkway 56-26: mail 56-52: aircraft 56-60: deck 58-56: faucet 63-83: noise 66-63: compensated 66-70: secret plans 67-70: plenty www.downhomelife.com
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67-87: journal 69-99: Dorothy’s dog 72-52: born 72-75: longest river 74-71: fluff 74-78: citrus fruit 78-75: Alaska city 83-85: profit 85-82: tepee 85-87: kid’s game 87-89: acquired 89-86: robe 91-93: limb 91-100: lawmaker 95-55: pilfer 96-26: streetlight 100-10: fair
100-50: cause 100-98: decay
Last Month’s Answer
F A B R I CA TOR I LMAOR E E P E S L A P P AGA I N HOL I O F OR TO I WE D E T I S I V NA E LOROADA GN I Y F I T S E T R E VOL P A S T I O P A R A E RMOO D E L EGA T I ON January 2025
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The Bayman’s
Crossword Puzzle 1
2
3
by Ron Young
4 5
6
8
7
9
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21 24
15 22
18
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25 27
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M
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42 46 51
130
17
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36 40
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ACROSS 1. Any? (colloq) 4. Labrador ___ – region of the North Atlantic Ocean 5. she 6. United States Navy (abbrev) 8. entrance sign 10. workplace of fishers and oil drillers 15. refuge 20. NS, NB, PEI and __ – Atlantic Provinces 21. bubbly chocolate bar 23. makeover 24. NL game bird 27. either’s partner 28. countdown start 29. rural route (abbrev) 30. operating system (abbrev) 31. Gull Island (abbrev) 32. American Music Awards (abbrev) 33. naptime in Mexico 37. “He’s as old as Buckley’s ____” 39. ______ Patrol - a seabird rescue group on NL’s Southern Shore 42. Great Big Sea’s second album title 43. happily ____ after 45. man’s name 46. plot 48. Canadian National Railway (abbrev) 49. Famous clownfish 51. common dovekies 52. Lion’s ___ Hiking Trail, Fogo DOWN 1. cinders 2. jigs and _____ 3. not any (colloq) 6. Fish, Food and Allied Workers _____ 7. “__ flies on he” 9. Newfoundland (abbrev) 11. spruce juice 12. paddle www.downhomelife.com
13. finish working 14. “To ___ is human” 16. Toronto football team 17. swerve 18. Edward to his friends 19. Atlantic fulmar (colloq) 22. Hibernia output 25. “Whaddaya __?” 26. common bird on beaches and parking lots 28. trademark (abbrev) 29. ritual 30. dumb lout 32. Great ____ – extinct seabird, related to the penguin 33. St. Anthony (abbrev) 34. use 35. “Ten little ____ in the freezer is better than a hundred in the bay” 36. exhausted 38. gem of a girl’s name 40. flipper 41. title 44. VHS player 46. Port Union (abbrev) 47. Northern Bay (abbrev) 50. “How’s ye gettin’ __?” A R E T E N ANSWERS O D D TO LAST M S MONTH’S K CROSSWORD D Y E I B L O B S T E R S B A R G E L E A U S Y E R A S C A R I H E A D E R S C U L P I N O P O E C A P L E A N J U N B L A S T Y S E I T D R F I R S T A G T R I O C R OW J I G E S O T U S H O R E R O C K B O T T OM Y R January 2025
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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2025 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.
______ 628873
_ ___ _ _ 8 228 8 6
____ 6824
____ _ 4283 7
___ 288
’
__ 27
_ 2
_ 2
___ 668
___ 228
__ 27
___ _ 363 7
Last Month’s Answer: Camping is nature’s way of promoting the motel business. ©2025 Ron Young
CRACK THE CODE C
Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance =D Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.
_ _ _ ’_ _
KLb m m _ _
xi
_ _
D _ _ _ _ D
t D CQ7 ; D C
_ _ _
KLb
D _ _ _ _ D _ _ CQ7 ; D C x i
D _
_ _ D Q ;C
CL _ _ _
b
KL
D _ _ ’_ C ;Z
L
Last Month’s Answer: All things are difficult before they are easy. 132
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Food For Thought
© 2025 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.”
purchase = _
_ _
bonkers = _
_ _ _
endure = _ _ _ _
n[ x
t y
_ _ _
ftm
nx
_ _ _ _ _ _
y[I m
_ _ _ _ _
` lqIK
_ _ _ _ _ _
`c
_
_
_ _ _ _ _ _
nKhhKs xy[
y[I m _ _ _
ftm
_
elder = _ _ _ _ _ _ `K q s
lyhKI
`c
_
c ftmn f a
_ _ _ _ _
_ _ _
_ _ _
purse = _ _ _ _ _
m f]h
inn =
_
hyIKs fhK
_
_ _ _
]fs _ _
_
_ _ _
]ysaKh _ _ _
_ _ _ _
xy[
hc f t
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
sKlKlnKs _ _
nK
_ _ _
`f m
Last Month’s Answer: Happiness lies in the joy of achievement and the thrill of creative effort. www.downhomelife.com
January 2025
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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 TAKE DOWN THE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS
Last Month’s Answers: 1. Cable, 2. Tree, 3. Sleeve, 4. Rein, 5. Belt, 6. Boot, 7. House, 8. Antler, 9. Sled, 10. Reindeer’s legs, 11. Toy Bag, 12. Coal Bin “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, 212 Pine St., Collingwood, ON, L9Y 2P2
134
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HIDE & SEEK BATHROOM ITEMS
The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line.
BATHTUB CURTAIN FAUCET HAIRBRUSH MAGAZINES
MEDICINE MOUSSE MOUTHWASH RAZOR SHAMPOO
SOAP TISSUE TOILET TOOTHPASTE TOWEL
Z Z L J N K K B J M A G A Z I N E S G I Q W I H R U B F E D Y H T T C K F C B S G A C E M G Q T O K I A J F W E C O M U T M K L B E N E C M W E Z U W Q T S I Z O R U V H X F B Y S O O R N K L A D B L U H Y T O T T K R D V O O J J W U I E I R Z F I X C T T Y G F K G U T N W O C Z L Z F O W C E C E H S U E R R G V M V S A G F P H U G T G R F I L E O L B F Q T I C E D A V I V Y M W A B N B Q G D Z D F N O M M W I T S Q B K N T C A S T Y J B E T E V T T M O O Y W S A W H I C K U F H I X D L W M D M P V X U U H G A R D H A I R B R U S H N N L O S K L K R T S T Y P Y P G K V X C Y L S P L Z R C H H H K V H S T I H L T T M X S K V V U T W A W A E U U G B W E O U T M T O N J M J O P E N Q G V K R W L M L A K O K O Z E N U R Z A B U C L S F M H U A D W Y S Z T X O T Q Z H R D P S H P C V V Z K D Z K X J H E Q F T N C X J X N R J E A S O A P N U K L O W T E C U A F A S Z M J S T E Z A E I I N I V
Last Month’s Answers
Q S Q R S L I R A Q F Y O B A D S N Y K J P K I Z W M I R W C S D M E Q R I A H C S V O M E C I R E V Z D I F O A A J Z Y I N T B A B S Z A P R U J N S I A X H C Y R A L R A E P U W R A K R G R D C J H E E W U O R A G J C U A A V S C M D S E L I O Q U N J J D N O A U C G O K D A M L T X H V O G I B J O A N U U W T L V V A A K D H O S U M F Z J Y Z C T E G X T O O E Z K A Y R P E K I Z A O S R G W Y S Q T U T U N B Y V B F P E O M R O L I T L M A O E L K U D I U Z N Q D V F V K R H O L R Z P Z N R M J I S G Y B X M W S T K T K A C K O R G J M O G I W J K R A J B G H X G X X Z H L E W X M U E O Y L A Y I S R G B A M N S I C B D U F L N F Y C M E W E H W U Q Y I F R R K V B S S B U W A Q F A B Y U G X R Z C B Q B F G W L B S W I B Y O I H P K X D I A G F X Z D J E V Z T I V S A F O P N N C J E E W D N J H B P D D G R T W O N W N N I F S N X U R Q G S H E R B F K C M B Z G F F Y U N G L T S
www.downhomelife.com
January 2025
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Colourful Culture
The drawing on the opposite page
is the work of Newfoundland Mi’kmaq artist Marcus Gosse, a member of the Qalipu Mi’kmaq First Nation Band. His grandmother, Alice Maude Gosse (nee Benoit) is a Mi’kmaq Elder from Red Brook (Welbooktoojech) on the Port au Port Peninsula. Marcus’ work has been exhibited in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax; The Rooms Provincial Art Gallery in St. John’s, NL; and the Canada 150 Art Show at the Macaya Gallery in Miami, FL; and his work is in private collections around the world. He has generously offered a series of colouring pages that run monthly in Downhome. Each image depicts a NL nature scene and teaches us a little about Mi’kmaq culture and language. Each colouring page includes the Mi’kmaq word for the subject, the phonetic pronunciation of the word, and the English translation. And you’ll notice a design that Marcus incorporates into most of his pieces – the eight-point Mi’kmaq Star. This symbol dates back hundreds of years and is very important in Mi’kmaq culture. Marcus’ Mi’kmaq Stars are often seen painted with four colours: red, black, white and yellow, which together represent unity and harmony between all peoples. Many Mi’kmaq artists use the star, and various Mi’kmaq double curve designs, to decorate their blankets, baskets, drums, clothing and paintings. To download and print this colouring page at home, visit DownhomeLife.com. To learn more about Marcus and find more of his colouring pages, look him up on Facebook at “Mi’kmaq Art by Marcus Gosse.” 136
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www.downhomelife.com
January 2025
137
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Not intended to solicit properties currently under contract
" ' ! ' " ' ! ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '
709-726-5113 1-888-588-6353 advertising@downhomelife.com
' '" ' '" + ) )
,+*)('&%$#)$""" ,+*)('&%$#)$""" !
Book Your Ad Today 709-726-5113 888-588-6353 advertising@downhomelife.com
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Marketplace
Book your ad in Marketplace 709-726-5113 • 1-888-588-6353
advertising@downhomelife.com
Book Today 709-726-5113 1-888-588-6353 advertising@downhomelife.com
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905-424-1735
arent58@hotmail.com www.ar-moving.ca
Movers & Shippers Rates start at $175 for a 1 col. x 2" ad. Call Today! 709-726-5113 Toll Free 1-888-588-6353 Email advertising@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com
January 2025
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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
Total Party Kill: Poems - Craig Francis Power
False Bodies
Erika McGann & Gerry Daly
#89929 | $17.95
#89928 | $22.95
#89926 | $24.95
The Weather Diviner:
And Then Some: Collected
Kuekuatsheu Creates the World - Retold by Annie Picard
It’s Too Dark, Puffling -
A Novel - Elizabeth Murphy
#89927| $24.95
Columns by Bob Wakeham
#89925 | $26.95
- J.R. McConvey
#89923 | $24.99
Island
Crow Gulch
Chowder and Soups:
- Douglas Walbourne-Gough
- Douglas Walbourne-Gough
50 Recipes for the Home Chef - Liz Feltham
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ORDER ONLINE: www.shopdownhome.com
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
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MORE SELECTION ONLINE www.shopdownhome.com
Berries of Labrador
In Her Glory: An Homage
Big Splash Knits: Mittens,
- Ellen Bryan Obed
in Prose and Poetry - Marian Frances White
Hats, Socks, and More from Atlantic Canada - Shirley A. Scott
#89894 | $22.95
#89890 | $32.95
Murder on Painted Place:
Tom Cod’s Tale
A Novel - Emily Hepditch
- Jeannie Guy
#89895 | $26.00
#89879 | $10.00
Between the Boulevard and The Bay - Ron Young
Downhome Reflections -
Downhome Memories
Pictorial - Hard Cover
- Ron Young
#89891 | $26.95
#36228 | $27.95 $3.88
#32671 | $14.95 $2.88
TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353
#51175 | $17.95 $1.48
Downhome Memories Vol. 2 - Ron Young #46853 | $17.95 $2.88
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
2501_Mailorder_Mail order.qxd 11/20/24 3:45 PM Page 142
GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
Hootie Patootie Leggings - Sizes 3, 4, 6
#86498 | $9.99 $6.88
Butterfly Kisses Onesie - Sizes 6M, 12M, 18M
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A Pinch to Grow Onesie Neutral - Sizes 6M, 12M, 18M #86293 | $14.99 $9.88
Don’t Moose with Me Leggings - Sizes 3,4,6
Pinch Me Leggings
Don’t Moose With Me Onesie - Green
Don’t Moose With Me Onesie - Pink
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A Pinch to Grow Onesie Blue- Sizes 6M, 12M, 18M
Unicorn Rainbow Onesie
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ORDER ONLINE: www.shopdownhome.com
Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
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MORE SELECTION ONLINE www.shopdownhome.com
NL Flag Toque
Froze Da Det Pom Pom Toque
Froze Da Det Toque
NL Moose Toque
NL Puffin Toque
Kid’s NL Puffin Hat
NL Camo Blaze Cap
NL Flag Wrap Cap
NL Patch Dad Cap
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Prices subject to change without notice. Prices listed do not include taxes and shipping. While quantities last.
2501_photo Finish_0609 Photo Finish 11/20/24 3:47 PM Page 144
photo finish
Fiery Farewell
A stunning sunset over frozen winter waters in Bonavista. Mark Gray Bonavista, NL
Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share? Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit. 144
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