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Vol 31 • No 07
$4.99
December 2018
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prized Christmas recipes
The Merb’ys: Fundraising Tales
Newsmakers of the Year What to buy an expat for Christmas
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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Elizabeth Whitten Special Publications Editor Tobias Romaniuk Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Graphic and Web Designer Cory Way Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Marketing Director Tiffany Boone Finance and Administration Senior Accountant Karen Critch Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Operations Manager Alicia Brennan Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney
Warehouse Operations Warehouse Operator Josephine Leyte Distribution Sales & Merchandising Joseph Reddy Sr. Customer Service Associate Sharon Muise Inventory Control Clerk Heather Lane Warehouse Associate Anthony Sparrow Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, Water Street Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Avalon Mall Carol Howell Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Emma Goodyear, Ciara Hodge, Jonathon Organ, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Janet Watkins, Melissa Wheeler, Rebecca Ford, Darlene Burton, Natalie Engram, Erin McCarthy
Subscriptions Sr. Administrative Assistant Amanda Ricks Customer Service Associate Drew Ennis Customer Service Associate Keri St. Croix Founding Editor Ron Young Chief Executive Officer / Publisher Grant Young President Todd Goodyear Chief Financial Officer Tina Bromley
To subscribe, renew or change address use the contact information above. Subscriptions total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $39; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $40.95; ON $44.07; NB, NS, PE $44.85. US and International mailing price for a 1-year term is $49.00.
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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84
festive flavours
Contents
DECEMBER 2018
40 Rick Mercer Reports On the heels of his hilarious new bare-all book, Canada’s favourite ranter and Newfoundland son talks about politics, pursuing passions and making childhood dreams come true. Linda Browne
56 Let the Right Mummer In A filmmaker returns to Newfoundland and Labrador for a chilling take on mummering. Elizabeth Whitten
84 Cooking Up Christmas Downhome staff and friends present our favourite holiday food and drink recipes.
124 special delivery
www.downhomelife.com
124 Christmas Memories From secret Santa to Christmas Barrel Day and a tree trimmed in suckers, these are cherished stories of holidays past, written by readers.
December 2018
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Contents
DECEMBER 2018
homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor 11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine
12 Letters from Our Readers The story behind a family name change, overlooked veterans, and a mystery tool that needs identifying
24 santa con
22 Downhome Tours Explore Sweden with Downhome
24 That’s Amazing Wild news from around the world
26 Life’s Funny Tough Love Myrtle Byrne
27 Say What A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth
28 Lil Charmers Holiday Treasures
28
Christmas kids
30 Pets of the Month Festive & Furry 32 Blast from the Past Remember Pong?
34 Why is That Why do we close our eyes when we sneeze? And why do we hang wreaths on our doors? Linda Browne 36 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews Melissa Barbeau and reviews her book, The Luminous Sea.
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video playback 1-888-588-6353
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52
mummers away
66 attitude to go
38 What Odds Paul Warford’s high expectations
features 46 Merb’ys with a Message Look who’s back with a 2019 calendar Elizabeth Whitten
52 Mummering on the Mainland 60 Newsmakers of the Year
explore 64 What’s on the Go Exciting events happening in Atlantic Canada
66 Living His Best Life A St. John’s man faced down physical challenges for a dream tour of Europe. Marie-Beth Wright www.downhomelife.com
December 2018
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Contents
DECEMBER 2018
106
outside adornment
70 Stuff About What do Irish rock band U2, Bell Island and the Tour de France have in common?
72 Travel Diary A Fine Mug-Up! Florence Strang
food and leisure 78 The Everyday Gourmet Unforgettable Gravy & Ham Glazes Andrea Maunder
102 Gifts From Home 106 Down to Earth Deck the Garden Ross Traverse 6
December 2018
78 saucy stuff
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114
winner takes the cake
reminiscing 112 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places
113 This Month in History Remembering NL’s first postmaster
114 Visions and Vignettes Gnat, do you mind … Dogcat and Cake? Harold N. Walters 118 Christmas Miracle at Sea About the cover It just doesn't feel like a Christmas issue if the mummers aren't in it. You'll LOL at the stories of mainland janneys (p. 52) and be intrigued by a filmmaker's dark take on this age-old custom (p.56). (Mummer designs by Cory Way)
Cover Index 24 Prized Christmas Recipes • 78 New Book, New Chapter • 40 Wheeling Around Europe • 66 Mummers Away! • 52 The Merb’ys • 46 Newsmakers of the Year • 60 What to Buy an Expat for Christmas • 102 www.downhomelife.com
An incredible tale of a storm, a shipwreck and a surprise salvation Dennis Flynn
122 Between the Boulevard and the Bay The Queen of Swansea Tragedy Ron Young
140 Mail Order 146 Real Estate 146 Marketplace 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish December 2018
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Twillingate plays host to a Mummers movie, pg 56
Like Elvis, there’s only one true Santa Claus but there are many, many impersonators. And they have a Santa convention! pg 24
Book Giveaway
Need a Recipe?
Head over to Downhomecontests.com to enter to win a gift package of three Christmas books. Contest is open Dec. 3 -14, 2018.
With almost 3,000 recipes, from traditional NL scoffs to delicious desserts and dietary specialties, find what you want – or share your own – at EverydayRecipes.ca.
8 December 2018
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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules Be a Winner!
Every reader whose photo, story, joke or poem appears next to the yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue will be awarded 20 Downhome Dollars.*
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
In January 2019, a panel of Downhome staff will select the top submissions published in 2018, which will be put to a public vote on DownhomeLife.com in early 2019. The submission with the most votes will win an iPad mini and a 3-year subscription to Downhome magazine.
*One prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material. www.downhomelife.com
December 2018
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i dare say
Christmas is so close I can taste it.
Todd Young photo
That’s how it felt preparing for this issue, as the staff gathered for a potluck of the foods that are a central part of their family Christmases. It resulted in our holiday-themed recipe section, beginning on page 78, with everything from meat pie and glazed ham, to steamed pudding and a festive Yule log. I love the turkey dinner and occasional New Year’s turr as much as the next member of my family, but what really gets me hungering for Christmas are the cookies! I’ve written about Nan’s sugar cookies before; this year I’m heralding Mom’s Chocolate Chewy Nut Bars (her recipe is on page 87). These squares are lovely with tea after supper, but you know when I like them best? Coming home late after a night out with friends and tiptoeing down to the deep freeze in the basement where Mom keeps all the cookies. She’s even tried hiding the best ones “for company” under stacks of frozen roasts and turkey drumsticks, but I always find them. Mom’s reading this and laughing now, and you’ll find yourself having similar responses to other stories by readers in this issue – some might even have you tearing up a little. I suggest you make yourself some hot cocoa (recipe on p. 90), curl up next to the tree, take a break from the hustle and bustle, and have yourself a jolly read. From our Downhome family to yours, have a very merry Christmas,
Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief Janice@downhomelife.com
10 December 2018
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Contributors
Meet the people behind the magazine
Marie-Beth Wright
Jason Jones
This teacher, writer and volunteer moved to St. John’s, NL in the 1960s from her home in Valleyfield, Bonavista Bay. In this issue of Downhome, Marie-Beth speaks with intrepid traveller Douglas Elton (p. 66), who was diagnosed with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy at a young age. By the time he was a teenager, Douglas was in a wheelchair and has since come to need a ventilator. “His chair is instrumental to his life; it’s almost like an extension of his body,” Marie-Beth says. It’s a situation that makes it difficult to travel. But through meticulous planning, Douglas and his family spent two months touring Europe. Marie-Beth has known the Elton family for years, “and the story reached out to me, of course, because of the almost impossible physical difficulties of doing this,” she says. Currently Marie-Beth is working on a children’s book with Justin Barbour, the outdoorsman and explorer. Their book will follow the adventures of Saku, Justin’s canine companion.
Five years ago, Jason Jones got hooked on photography. “My sister got me into it ’cause she went to Academy Canada doing photography study. And she started teaching me some stuff, and then I started learning stuff on my own.” On p. 160 you can see one of Jason’s favourite photos, a nighttime picture from Holyrood awash in Christmas lights. It’s the perfect “Photo Finish” to this December issue. “And that Holyrood picture actually was my first ever night photo I took,” he says with pride. He had heard about the town’s festive light display and drove out there from St. John’s one evening. However, the community property was closed and he couldn’t get in. So Jason got inventive. He propped a tripod up over the fence to get the shot. A cook by day, Jason often heads outside with his trusty Nikon D7100. Since taking that photo in Holyrood, nighttime has become his favourite condition to shoot in. “It’s fun doing it because you can be really creative with it,” he explains.
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Mural Memories The “State of the Art” article by Ashley Miller in the August issue gave me a flashback memory – in particular, the mural on page 86. When I was a child growing up in Laurenceton, NL, just across the bay from Botwood, I was prone to having many bouts of sore throats and tonsillitis with high fever. This one time my mother felt I was serious enough to go to the hospital in Botwood to see Dr. Twomey (he is shown on that mural). Upon examination he prescribed penicillin. I went to the next room and a nurse was standing there holding a needle – again, similar to one shown in that mural. She said, “Drop your pants!” With fear and trembling I did as she ordered. I received two needles, one on each side. I had two sore cheeks for a number of days to follow! However, it did the trick and I was back to normal in no time. These murals truly do bring back to life the ways of our past. Kudos to Mike Shainline for his recapturing of the history of Botwood, and for his 12 December 2018
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foresight and efforts to seeing this amazing project come to fruition. Congratulations to Botwood for receiving the honour to host this Global Mural Conference in September. These many murals will enlighten us for years to come of how people endured and give us insight on our past. I travelled through Botwood in
September 2017 and took this picture of this amazing mural, obviously depicting the lumber industry that employed many.
Overseas and Overlooked
Clasp. When he was discharged at the end of the war, he was refused the overseas supplement because by the end of the war, Newfoundland was considered Home Defence. Dad felt to his dying day that he had been treated unfairly by Veteran’s Affairs. He had signed up to go overseas, was deployed overseas, and felt he should have been duly compensated for his overseas service. I’m sure there were many others in the same situation.
Just read the very interesting story of Neatha Stroude Riggs, “She Answered the Call,” in your November 2018 issue. The author states, “All the people who were from Canada and served in Newfoundland and Labrador during the war were considered serving overseas and given all the Veteran’s Affairs allowances.” My father served in the RCAF – he signed up in Edmonton [Alberta] and they sent him overseas to Newfoundland, where he served until the end of the war. He was awarded several medals, including the Volunteer Medal, with Overseas www.downhomelife.com
Calvin Perry, Oshawa, ON (formerly of Laurenceton, NL)
Thanks for sharing your (painful?) memory, Calvin.
Sharron Pomeroy Grand Falls-Windsor, NL
Thank you for your letter, Sharron. December 2018
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find corky sly conner Hidden somewhere in this issue is Corky Sly Conner.
Can you find him? Look carefully at all the photographs and in the text of the stories. If you spot Corky, send us your name, address and phone number, along with a note telling us where he’s located. Your name will be entered in a draw and the winner will receive a coupon worth 25 Downhome Dollars redeemable at our store, or through our website.
Send your replies to: Corky Contest
Congratulations to Leonard J. Davis of North Bay, ON, who found Corky on page 23 of the October issue.
43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3
mail@downhomelife.com www.downhomelife.com *No Phone Calls Please One entry per person
Deadline for replies is the end of each month.
Longtime Reader I read the Downhome from cover to cover. There is never a dull moment when I receive it in the mail. I have been subscribing to it since 1988, or thereabouts. Keep up the good work. Thank you also for the reasonable price. Ethel Clevett Channel-Port aux Basques, NL
Thank you for all the nice words, Ethel, and for your longtime support!
Last Name House? If your last name is House and you are having trouble tracing your family tree, I have some information that may help. My great-grandmother was Jane (House) Caines. Our ancestor, a Mr. Jefferson, boarded a ship as a stowaway from Britain generations 14 December 2018
ago. He was terrified of being caught and punished, or worse. When they arrived in Newfoundland and were getting off the ship, a man was writing down the names of everyone leaving. Mr. Jefferson panicked and looked around. As he approached the man, a house in the harbour caught his eye and he said, “House, my name is House.” The name was used from then on. This was passed on to me from my great-aunt Tryphena Caines, who lived to 96 years of age and died a few years ago in Ontario. Brian Allen Campbellton, NL
This could be helpful for folks attempting to trace their House family tree beyond Newfoundland and Labrador. Thanks for sharing, Brian. 1-888-588-6353
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Province of Tidy Towns My husband and I recently returned from a simply wonderful trip in your province. Everywhere we were struck by the well-kept homes, neatly sided; tended lawns; and complete lack of junk and litter. There were a few exceptions on the west coast, but they appeared to be long abandoned buildings. In two weeks in St. John’s, around the Irish Loop, to Bonavista, Twillingate, Rocky Harbour, St. Barbe, Blanc Sablon, St. Anthony, Flowers Cove, through Gros Morne to Deer Lake, the only coffee cup we saw on the road was not a Tim’s, but a brown one, which flew out of the back of a hunter’s truck very close to Deer Lake. Friends who have visited the province have all remarked that we have something to learn from you in terms of pride of home. We had wondered if there had been a government program to side houses, but learned that from whitewash days to now, people look after their places, even if living away. The letter in your September edition from Sean Conway surprised us. We hope that he will see his home province in a different light when he returns. The people lived up to their reputation of warmth, helpfulness, hospitality and fun. Many thanks. We shall never forget our experiences. We certainly hope to return. Elaine Nicholls Midland, ON
All the folks who take such pride and care in their properties will no doubt be pleased to know that their efforts are noticed and appreciated. Thanks for the supportive letter, Elaine. 16 December 2018
Found on Facebook Sheena Coles
Apparently my 3 year old really enjoys the Downhomer as well. I was at the counter speaking to the pharmacist and when I looked over he was sitting there with his leg crossed, “reading.” Made us laugh!!!
Sounds Like… I always await the issues with great anticipation and am never disappointed. Recently, there was a great series of comments on “Neighbourhood Stores” [August 2018 issue]. I have a whopper of a tale to tell, relative to same. In summer 2017, I collected Young James Power (of Cornwall St., St. John’s) and we drove to nooks and crannies, back and forth across the island. The general intent was to revisit places in Young James’ past, with the highlight being Bonavista town and a very special restaurant. I was really excited when we reached Bonavista and started our search for Sam ’n’ Ella’s Restaurant. We drove 1-888-588-6353
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SERVING THE COMMUNITY FOR 50 YEARS Carol Automobile Ltd. 55 Avalon Drive, Labrador City
709 944–2000 1–800–563–5555 www.carolauto.com
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RECENT TWEETS Dominic House
Take a look at Vera Murphy of Corner Brook after her dinner celebrating her 96th birthday. Check out her reading material.
down all the streets, then started asking “those of an age” who might have heard tell of Sam ’n’ Ella’s. No soap... totally disappointed, to boot! Well, here’s the thing. Young James is a comic of the “fines’ koin.” He can stretch truth to a line of cod (as Joey S. might have said!). Was there really a Sam ’n’ Ella’s in Bonavista town? Given the name, one needn’t wonder why it may have shuttered years ago! Richard Buggeln Lower Three Fathom Harbour, NS
Good one, Young James! For anyone who hasn’t yet caught on, trying saying the name of the restaurant out loud.
Mystery Tool While in Twillingate in July, I visited my cousin Joe Clarke. He showed me this tool he’s had in his shed for many, many years and did not know what it was used for. So I decided that I would help him find out. I am hoping that someone out there will be able to help us solve this mystery. Patricia Baker Holyrood, NL
Juvonen @gjuvonen Happiness is when your son comes back from #Newfoundland with all this goodness! @downhomelife @PurityFactories
Anyone know what this object may have been used for? Email us at editorial@downhomelife.com or write to 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3. 18 December 2018
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homefront
For years a sailor’s photo lay in someone’s attic in Bay de Verde, waiting to be returned to its rightful home. by Lester Green
For the past few years, I’ve been involved with the Southwest
Arm Historical Society in Hodge’s Cove, NL, promoting knowledge and preservation of local history. We compiled the histories of 26 area men who served with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, and then turned our attention to the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve. Through contact with The Rooms and the Canadian Legion, Clarenville Branch, we identified 87 men from the Southwest Arm area who served with the Royal Naval Reserve during the Great War. There were about 30 known photographs of these men in uniform, and the daunting task of locating the photos and families began. Some of that research was used in the story I wrote for the November issue of Downhome, “The Tragic Loss of HMS Laurentic.” It also led to this amazing story of the rediscovery of one sailor’s photograph.
Above: Elsie Demmer, recently reunited with these family portraits of her grandparents 20
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Eli Seward was born to Enoch and Elizabeth Seward of Gooseberry Cove on February 25, 1885. He first enlisted with the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve in February 1910. He married Elsie Cook on August 15, 1914, just a few weeks after receiving his Royal Proclamation orders to report to HMS Calypso. Their one and only child, Eli Richards, was born that same year. When Eli returned from the war, they chose to live and raise their child in Clarenville. Their son, Eli Richards, married Mabel Goobie of Queen’s Cove and they had two children, Fredrick and Elsie. Upon the death of her father, Elsie was raised by her grandparents. She remained with them until the death of her grandfather in 1944. She moved with her mother to Corner Brook and eventually married a US serviceman and moved to Colorado. Our task was to locate Elsie Demmer in the United States and have her positively identify a photo labelled “Eli Seward” that hung on the walls of the Royal Canadian Legion at Clarenville. We suspected that the photo was not her grandfather and more likely George Stringer of Little Heart’s Ease, but we needed confirmation. Contact was made through email and her returning answer was a definite “no,” it was not her grandfather. She sent a photograph that she had carried and treasured all those years of her grandfather’s family, including him in his naval uniform. I inquired about his medals and she informed me that her grandmother had remarried in 1947 to Moses Blundon at Bay de Verde. She suggested that maybe the medals were in that community and gave me the name www.downhomelife.com
of Eric Blundon, her grandmother’s stepson. I called Eric, who said he’d never heard his stepmother mention any medals, but he had something else we might be interested in seeing. He described rescuing an oval-shaped photograph of a soldier that used to hang in the hallway of his father’s house. The house was being sold to Quinlan Brothers of Bay de Verde and was being demolished. He didn’t know who the soldier was, but he felt the photo should be saved, so he brought it home and stored it in his attic. One day in June, I made the trip to Eric’s home in Bay de Verde. Eric brought out the framed photo and laid it on the kitchen table. The man was definitely in the Royal Naval Reserve based on his cap tally. However, I could not be sure if this was Eli. Then Eric smiled as he told me about a second photo he found tucked behind the soldier photo when he took the back off the frame. It was a family portrait of people I recognized from a similar portrait that Elsie had emailed to me months earlier. This photo showed Elsie Seward, her son and her husband dressed in a naval uniform. Seeing these photos framed together removed any doubts I had about the soldier’s identity. It was Eli. With the photos positively identified, Eric entrusted them to me and I arranged to send them to Eli’s granddaughter. The parcel arrived in the States a few weeks later and Elsie was ecstatic to open the box. Today the oval-shaped photo hangs on Elsie’s wall and triggers the memories of time spent with her grandparents so long ago. For Elsie and her family, it was the perfect, priceless gift. December 2018
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homefront Downhome Tours...
Sweden
Old Town
Paul LeDrew took along a copy of Downhome on a trip to Gamla Stan in Stockholm, Sweden. Gamla Stan is one of the best preserved medieval city centres in Europe. It also happens to be where the city of Stockholm was founded in 1252. The area is home to Stockholm Cathedral and the Nobel Museum, as well as the Royal Palace.
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Family Connections
For Pat Niemi of Cochrane, ON, her recent trip to Sweden was a journey close to her heart: it’s where her grandfather was born. In the background are the ruins of Borgholms Slott.
Borgholms Slott was originally a 13th-century fortress on the island Öland in the Baltic Sea. For centuries it served as a defensive point against invasions, particularly from Denmark. Over the years the castle was rebuilt and in the 17th century it was renovated into a baroque palace, but a fire in 1806 left it in ruins.
Sweden Sweethearts
The Borlands were on a cruise of the Baltic Sea to celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary and briefly stopped in to visit Stockholm, Sweden. Photo courtesy David Borland
Officially known as the Kingdom of Sweden, this Nordic country in Northern Europe has a population of 9.98 million. It’s also a constitutional monarchy with King Carl XVI Gustaf as head of state, though he only performs ceremonial duties.
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homefront
That’s
AMAZING Wild news from around the world
Santas on Parade
In July, Santa Clauses from around the world took flight and converged on Denmark for the annual World Santa Claus Congress. There was a parade, a beach party and the Santa Obstacle Course World Championship.
I Spy a Fly
For the 28th year, the annual Ig Nobel Prizes were awarded. This is a celebration of unusual research being carried out and this year’s Biology Prize went to a study on wine experts being able to confidently identify the presence of a single fly in a glass of wine.
Later, Alligator!
The mayor of Livingston, Texas recently took revenge on a 580 lb alligator, killing it with a single shot. She believes it was the same alligator that had something to do with her mini horse vanishing three years ago. She plans to eat the meat and taxidermy the head as a trophy.
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Up on Blocks
A wild eastern box turtle was found with a fracture on the underside of its shell and taken to the Maryland Zoo to recuperate. After surgery, a wheelchair was constructed out of Lego to help it get around.
Sword Raised
An eight-year-old girl in the south of Sweden was skipping stones on a lake when something unusual caught her eye. She reached into the water and pulled out an ancient sword. Analysis shows it’s 1,500 years old and dates back to the Iron Age.
Smashing Success
The World Conker Championship, a game of smashing chestnuts, was once again held in England, where it has been on the go since 1965. This year, 250 people participated in Southwick, Northamptonshire and competitors came from as far away as the US and Australia. The title went to a 32-year-old woman who’d only practised for 20 minutes the night before.
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homefront life’s funny
Tough Love My husband and I had a cabin in Howley, Newfoundland. After fishing, we would drive around the lake. On this particular day we saw a moose near the road. I had seen lots of moose before, but none this close. We stopped and I got out with my camera. The moose was only about 15 feet away. It looked at me, twitched its ear and pawed the ground. I turned and asked my husband, who was still sitting safe in the Jeep, “What should I do if he comes towards me?” My husband nonchalantly replied, “Try to catch the Jeep!” Myrtle Byrne Corner Brook, 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. 26
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“Wilbur, what did you do in the water?” – Nancy Rose Whittle
Say WHAT?
Downhome recently posted this photo (sent in by Cheryl Fagner) on our website and Facebook page and asked our members to imagine what the bird might be saying. Nancy Rose Whittle’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!
Here are the runners-up: “What do you mean this is not a public bath?” Laura Oxford “Did you just make stinky bubbles?” Pamela White ODell “A hot tub! Did you win the lottery?” Patricia Callahan
Want to get in on the action? Go to www.downhomelife.com/saywhat
www.downhomelife.com
“Like” us on Facebook www.facebook.com/downhomelife
December 2018
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homefront lil charmers
Holiday
Treasures Ready to Decorate
There isn’t even any snow on the ground, but Kasen got his tree. Sam Freake Lewisporte, NL
Keeping with Tradition Little miss Ahleighra is all ready to go mummering. Gail Bolt Terrenceville, NL
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Festive Fascination Jacob is absolutely mesmerized by his first Christmas tree. Norbert Turpin Holyrood, NL
Picture Perfect Meet Emily Winsor, Santa’s cutest little helper! Patricia Park
Carmanville, NL
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pets of the month
Let It Snow
Season of
Fun
Tillie got dressed up to wish you all a Merry Christmas. Nicole Watson Kingston, ON
Digging This Christmas Thing This cat’s enjoying his Christmas spoils, like the tunnel and plush toy. Gloria Young Botwood, NL
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Deck the Dog With her festive hat, Stella fits right in with the decorations. Barbara Critch, Mississauga, ON
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Remember... Pong? One of the hottest items on Santa’s list for Christmas 1975 was the Home Pong game from Sears. The computer video game, consisting of two short vertical bars (paddles) and a square ball in a tennis match, was created by Atari a couple of years earlier. It was originally a training exercise for a new game designer, but was developed instead as an arcade game. It became so popular that Atari developed a home gaming console for it that would allow users to play the game on their television sets. The company set up a distribution deal with Sears in 1975, which sold them in limited edition under their “TeleGames” label. About 150,000 of the units were sold that Christmas. We asked our Facebook friends what’s the first video game they played. Remember these?
Pac-Man on a table arcade machine – Ashley Eden 32
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Duck hunt – Todd Hollett Super Mario Bros. on my cousins’ NES – Rob Parko Sonic the Hedgehog – Maureen Hawco Bishop Atari Pac-Man – Paula Romaniuk Othello – Reg Pollard Space Invaders – Georgina Parsons Digital Derby – Robert Oliver Donkey Kong – Judy Rose Sellars 1-888-588-6353
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Expert answers to common life questions. By Linda Browne
Why do we close our eyes when we sneeze? Whether it happens because of pollen, pepper or a cold virus, sneezing is a normal (and often satisfying) bodily function. But why do we always close our eyes when we sneeze? Dr. Doug Angel, an otolaryngologist (head and neck surgeon) with Eastern Health and clinical assistant professor of surgery at Memorial University in St. John’s, NL, says the reflex is essentially an involuntary one. “Why we’ve evolved to do this, I don’t think anyone is completely sure. It’s a reflex that connects what are known as cranial nerves that share a common nucleus in the brain stem,” he explains. “When we sneeze, the trigeminal nerve [fifth cranial nerve] is the nerve that is responsible for detecting the irritant in our nasal cavity. It would then relay a signal to a mutual nucleus in the brainstem shared with the facial nerve [seventh cranial nerve]. That nerve would then send a signal to the muscle that is responsible for closing the eye. As a result, the eyes shut.” Some literature, Dr. Angel adds, suggests that we’ve evolved to involuntarily shut our eyes to protect them from foreign irritants as they are 34
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expelled from the nasal cavity. Try to sneeze with your eyes open and you’ll find it an almost impossible task, although there are scores of YouTube videos of folks who have attempted and (hilariously) achieved it – something which Dr. Angel credits to a disruption in the neural pathway. “Regardless, it would suggest it’s not an absolutely necessary mechanism to protect our eyes,” he adds. What about the urban myth that sneezing with your peepers open will make your eyeballs pop out (or sublux)? Dr. Angel says not to worry. “The human eye is pretty comfortable and settled in its bony orbit, attached by multiple muscles, nerves and blood vessels,” he says. “I suppose the only thing that could happen would be moreso related to an increase in intravascular pressure, resulting in a ‘ruptured’ blood vessel or capillary in the eye,” he adds. “This may look bad, but is certainly not dangerous!” 1-888-588-6353
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Why do we hang wreaths on our doors? There’s nothing like a wreath to add some festive flair to your humble abode, no matter the occasion. While many folks enjoy the door decor simply for aesthetic reasons, there are a few theories as to how the practice of hanging wreaths came to be. In Christianity, the evergreen wreath and its circular shape is said to signify eternal life, while the sharp leaves of the holly are reminiscent of the crown of thorns. In this context, a wreath on the door is a welcome to Christ and the spirit of the season. In Europe, wreaths comprised of wheat, fruit and nuts were traditionally hung year-round as a good luck charm to ensure a healthy harvest. While it’s widely believed the origin of the wreath can be traced back to ancient Rome, Dr. Luke Roman, associate professor and head of the Department of Classics at Memorial University, says we can’t necessarily trace a custom like this “back to antiquity with any degree of certainty.” But many cultures, he adds, including the ancient Greeks and Romans, used wreaths and garlands in various ways. “Garlands consisting of foliage and flowers of some kind were placed on tombs, temple entrances, houses and doors, sacrificial animals and persons: e.g., victors in athletic contests; triumphant generals in ancient Rome; attendees of a drinking party. So, while wreaths or garlands made from
plant material were placed on doors sometimes, they were also used for a wide range of occasions,” he writes in an email to Downhome. “For example, the Roman poet Juvenal mentions the practice of placing garlands on the door to celebrate the birth of a child (Satires 9.85). A special ‘civic crown’ made of oak leaves was awarded during the Roman Republic to heroes who saved citizen lives. This crown was awarded to the emperor Augustus and placed outside the doors of his house on the Palatine Hill.” Wreaths and garlands, Dr. Roman adds, were used for special occasions, “to mark out a place, structure, person or animal as worthy of honour, often in a religious context. Doors were one such site that could be ‘marked out’ in this way,” he explains, adding that “in ancient Roman religion... the door or threshold itself was protected by the god Janus. “Hence, from this perspective, doors are just like any other site, space, structure or living being associated with cult and divinity, and it was therefore appropriate to place wreaths or garlands on them.”
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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reviewed by Denise Flint
The Luminous Sea Melissa Barbeau Breakwater Books $19.95
Vivienne, a young woman reeling from a broken relationship, gets a summer job collecting marine samples in a Newfoundland bay that has recently been infested with some kind of phosphorescent glow. It’s not a great job – the graduate student who is her immediate boss is both dismissive and demanding – but at least it gets her out of the city and gives her a place to stay. Then one day, Vivienne pulls something out of the ocean that no one has ever seen before. What is it? Is it sentient? Is it unique? Vivienne’s bosses don’t care. They just see it as a ticket to scientific fame. But what about Vivienne? Is she willing to just shut up and do as she’s told? That’s the question we follow towards an answer in Melissa Barbeau’s debut novel, The Luminous Sea. The characters are just a shade stereotypical. It would be nice for once to read a book (or see a movie) where a university professor is not taking advantage of, sleeping with or assaulting his female students, for example; or a hard-working, decent woman isn’t married to a bit of a lad. In a couple of cases, the secondary characters were more interesting than the main ones. I’d like to read a story about the people who live in the outport where the book takes place. But Barbeau’s use of language is stunning. This is a woman who knows how to put a prose sentence together and make it sound like poetry, turning The Luminous Sea luminous in more ways than one.
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Q&A with the Author Denise Flint: Where did the idea for this story come from? Melissa Barbeau: From two places,
really. First, I read a lot of magic realism, and I was thinking about how there are stories where something magical happens in real life and I wondered what we would do in modern Newfoundland if something magical happened. The second thing was when that blue whale washed up on the west shore [of NL] and who would own it. People want to own things; they want it to be ours, like the blue whale.
DF: Do you believe there are creatures like the one in The Luminous Sea that we haven’t yet found? MB: I don’t know there’s a creature like
that, but I was reading that we only know about 16 or 20 per cent of creatures underwater. So what’s in the water is very unknown to most people and it’s very unknown to science. Think of a giant squid. There may be so much out there we can’t even fathom.
DF: Do you have everything planned out before you begin, or does the story come as a surprise as you write it? MB: It’s not at all planned! I knew the
beginning and I knew the end, and I had to get there. I couldn’t write chapter three before I’d written chapter two because I didn’t know what was going to happen. Characters do unexpected things and you don’t know what will pop up. You only find out by walking along the path of the story. I wrote the beginning and the last scene, and then everything else I
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wrote in order. I didn’t plan out what would happen, although there were a few key things I knew would happen.
DF: What’s the hardest and easiest part of writing a book? MB: I think the hardest part is finding
the time and the motivation to sit down and do it; to get yourself into the chair. The easiest part is... I think I have a good imagination, and I think imagining the scene was easy for me. I could really feel myself in the space and could imagine the things happening in that space.
DF: Can you describe your writing day? MB: My writing day is sporadic be-
cause I work and have a family, so it was very much squishing writing in when I had 45 minutes before I have to pick someone up. And I did a lot of late nights. We have a larger family, so there’s a lot going on in general. It helps that I’m a teacher and could write a fair amount in the summer.
DF: It’s Christmas time. What book or books do you think should be under every tree this year? MB: Absolutely Lisa Moore’s new book
of short stories [Something for Everyone]. I think the new book by Miriam Toews [Women Talking] is a great book. And to put in a plug for my writing group, any book by The Port Authority would be great. We have Jamie Fitzpatrick [The End of Music] and Susan Sinnott’s Catching the Light and Sharon Bala [The Boat People]. And any magic realism, from Michael Crummey to Gabriel Garcia Marquez. December 2018
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homefront what odds
gone to pot By Paul Warford
Do you think I’ve just started a new job and NASCAR’s been on my mind. Otherwise known as the whole stock car racing, it’s America’s favourite spectator country’s going sport. I’ve never watched a race, but I’ve read a little history on it. Did you know stock car racing to hell and this rose from the dust of prohibition during the ’30s? Bootleggers would purchase unassuming Meris the first step? curys and Oldsmobiles, enhance their performMaybe it is, ance and hide clattering cases of rum in a compartment under the back seat. Smugglers in but I’m not suits would tip their caps to authorities as they knowing all the while that the engine convinced. passed, beyond their windshield could easily outrun any police cruiser. These past few weeks, during my training, NASCAR’s forefathers came to mind. I imagined their cars kicking up mud and leaves, careening down back roads on the run. What would those drivers say about my new job? As you have no doubt heard, recreational cannabis is now legal in Canada. I won’t specify the store, but I have a job as a consultant (of sorts) for a major retailer. Some Downhome die-hards may know I used to sell cars. Back then, I’d feel confident as I walked up to customers with a “Hi!” and an extended hand because I knew the vehicles. Now I’m getting to know a new product, and I’m experiencing that showroom sensation as I approach couples wearing shy smiles and wondering just how this is all supposed to work. So far, it works quite well. A little too well, in fact, given today’s shift was cancelled because we’re out of supply. I’m eager to see us as stocked as we want to be, so I can really narrow down selections for people as I was trained to do. But let’s get to it: we’re talkin’ drugs here, right? Like many unfamiliar indulgences, there are different perspectives on cannabis. Brett Martin, a comedian from Vancouver I worked with, would say in his act, “Weed’s not a drug, it’s a flower.” 38
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Raise your hand if you want no part of legalized marijuana. Do you think the whole country’s going to hell and this is the first step? Maybe it is, but I’m not convinced. Instead, I think this move is something long past due, and moreover, I believe it’s something to be excited about. I know some nans are clucking their tongues, and without nans in my fanbase I don’t know what I’d do, so let me elaborate. Longtime What Odds readers know I’ve visited Amsterdam, and they know I love it there. However, cannabis isn’t the reason. I felt respected in The Netherlands, like I was an adult who could make my own choices (thank you very much), and if I wanted to try a substance that’d muddle my head, it was my business. Newfoundlanders already know we can hold our liquor – lots of us brag about it. But not me. My stomach is about as good at holding liquor as my hands are. After three-quarters of a flask of gin, I once tore down a friend’s shower curtain. Who just laughed at that? It’s funny, right? Of course, I could’ve hurt myself when I fell in the tub. I could’ve fallen over the balcony later when I stepped out for air. What’s considered “okay” in our heads has a lot to do with what’s accepted in our culture. Is alcohol bad for you? Well, it’s not great, but that doesn’t bother many of us, does it? The stalks and branches of the marijuana plant are held upright by the research supporting it: its use has been linked to reduced anxiety, nausea and pain, along with other medical applications – though I’m no pharmacist and I’m no botanist. I would never speak on its medical applications, in www.downhomelife.com
or out of the store, but specialists are talking and research is growing. In my new role, I’m more of an advisor and educator on the basics, and after just three days of legalization, I can say I’m proud of it. I’m proud because I’m home and now it’s our country treating us like adults, leaving us to make our own decisions. I don’t want to influence yours, but I’ve decided to educate myself and, much like a joint, pass it around. I’m eager to help newcomers feel at ease, help them understand that there never was anything to be afraid of; there was only scrutiny, or uncertainty, maybe. But where does uncertainty end and shame begin? Personally, I hope to replace those apprehensions with something better, like awareness and understanding. If you respect the “vice” you’re consuming – which is how I sip my gin these days – you might find yourself having a fun night at the kitchen table or in the shed, among friends. So, now I put it to you, dear reader: will you champion one substance while decrying another? Are you already happy this day has arrived? Either way, there’s never been a better time for all of us to get informed about cannabis. After all, we have to move forward as a group because it’s always been the best way to watch out for each other. Besides, unless we huddle close and block the wind, we’ll never get it lit. Paul Warford began writing for Downhome to impress his mom and her friends. He writes and performs comedy in Eastern Canada. Follow him on Twitter @paulwarford December 2018
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Newfoundlanders and Labradorians are a humorous and outspoken bunch by nature. Visit any community and you’ll find someone more than willing to give their two cents on the news of the day, or politics or the weather (two of our favourite subjects). There is perhaps no better place, then, for Rick Mercer to have cut his teeth. Hailed by the New York Times as “Canada’s leading political satirist,” the Middle Cove native has built his career upon ranting. One might think that after nearly three decades of it, he would tire of the shtick or run out of things to say. Not a chance. If there’s one thing Rick Mercer never runs out of, it’s opinions – and hilarious ways of expressing them.
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RICK’S LOVE OF POLITICS IS EQUALLED BY HIS LOVE FOR THE COUNTRY, SOMETHING THAT WAS ON FULL DISPLAY DURING THE RUN OF HIS BELOVED COMEDY SERIES, “RICK MERCER REPORT.”
HE’LL RANT & HE’LL ROAR Growing up, Rick was surrounded by a cast of colourful characters. Perhaps one of his earliest influences was his godfather, the late businessman and politician Hugh Shea. “I loved that someone could be as passionate about politics, could be as passionate about the province, and could be engaged on so many different levels. He went from, at one point, being in the legislature, to being as far from the legislature as you could possibly get. But he was still involved in party politics and would write more letters to the editor than I’ve probably written rants in my life,” says Rick over the phone from his Toronto home. In his youth, Rick developed a penchant for politics and a knack for delivering his thoughts in his own witty, rapid-fire way. His big break came in the most unexpected of places: while working as a dishwasher at the Duckworth Lunch restaurant in St. John’s. One of the patrons was a man who produced 42
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political commentaries for CBC Radio, “which I thought were very dreary, being a cocky 16/17-yearold,” Rick recalls. “Every time he’d walk by there, I would be up to my elbows in dishwater and I would say, ‘You gotta let me come in and do one of those commentaries.’ And I don’t know what happened, but one day he actually said, ‘Are you serious? What about today?’” And Rick has been ranting ever since. His eight-year stint on CBC’s “This Hour Has 22 Minutes” saw him bringing his signature rants (what he calls “the cheapest two minutes in Canadian television,” due to their bare-bones production) to a national audience. Rick’s love of politics is equalled by his love for the country, something that was on full display during the run of his beloved comedy series, “Rick Mercer Report.” In 15 seasons, he visited every nook and cranny and participated in countless hair-raising adventures with the who’s who of Canadian culture, sports and politics – everything from bungee jumping 1-888-588-6353
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with Canadian icon and Man in Motion Rick Hansen, and dangling 1,168 feet off the CN Tower with singer-songwriter Jann Arden, to skinny dipping with Bob Rae (who was then running for the leadership of the federal Liberal Party). And, of course, he ranted – a lot. In fact, it’s estimated that over the course of the show, Rick walked 42 kilometres in Graffiti Alley (off Toronto’s Queen Street), where his rants were filmed. On April 10, 2018, he bid adieu to the “Mercer Report” after approximately 250 rants and more than 250 episodes.
RULES OF (DIS)ENGAGEMENT In November, Rick released his fourth book, Rick Mercer Final Report, a rollicking ride that brings together 131 of his finest rants. Some of them, like “The Art of Dealing with Trump,” “Climate Change” and “The Facts Are Out” (“Why is it that now, when we have access to more information than ever before, we are www.downhomelife.com
becoming increasingly dumb?” Rick asks) couldn’t be more timely in our hyper-politically charged climate. Some tackle more innocent matters, like how many Canadians can’t grasp how to use turn signals, or what it’s really like to attend the often-chaotic Question Period in the House of Commons. While the headlines of the day might make folks want to run for the hills (or switch off their TVs, computers and brains), Rick strongly advises against it. “So many Canadians, they view their Member of Parliament the same way they view a box of baking soda in the fridge – they kind of know that it’s there, they’re not even really 100 per cent sure of the brand, and until there’s a giant stink they ignore it. And then they go, ‘Oh, maybe it’s time to throw that one out and get another one,’” he says. “If I had any wish, it’d be that people would be engaged on a day-today basis. I would reiterate that the parties often are quite content when Canadians don’t pay attention to December 2018
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RICK IN THE STUDIO RECORDING THE AUDIOBOOK EDITION OF HIS LATEST BOOK.
what they’re up to. And it matters. All of the arguments like, ‘It doesn’t matter who I’m going to vote for because they’re all the same,’ that’s just not true. It was not true in the last presidential election and it was not true in any election I’ve ever seen.” While some of the rants will make readers hot under the collar, there are more than enough laughs along the way. They’ll also make you think – or, at the very least, hit up Google to find out where the heck Flin Flon is (and if Rick’s “Talking to Americans” segment has taught us anything, it’s that learning more geography is never a bad thing). One thing’s for sure, he’s got these 90-second diatribes down to a science. “In the book, I equate it to taking an entire cow and reducing it to a cup of gravy… You have to get everything down on paper, and it could be seven or eight pages, and then you just start distilling and distilling and distilling, 44
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all the while being careful that you don’t lose your original point,” Rick says. The book also offers an intimate, behind-the-scenes peek into the making of the “Mercer Report,” from all the things that went right, to those that went horribly wrong. What was it like rolling joints with the late, great, bow-tied author Pierre Berton? And how did a scriptwriting gig with legendary Canadian film director Norman Jewison inadvertently lead to him sending a scandalous snap to his mother? Well, you’ll just have to read the book to find out. As much as the “Mercer Report” has helped Canadians learn about and discover their own backyard, Rick says it’s been an education for him as well. “Accessibility is something that I just think of now as second nature... I just built a cabin in Newfoundland... and it’s designed so Rick 1-888-588-6353
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RICK MERCER WITH JUSTIN TRUDEAU (RIGHT) AND BONHOMME AT QUEBEC CARNIVAL, FOR A 2007 EPISODE OF RICK MERCER REPORT.
Hansen can roll down the driveway, roll in the front door, roll through the living room, roll out through the deck, and then roll on down to the fire pit. And past that it’s the ocean; he’s on his own,” he jokes. “But it’s a purely accessible building because of Rick and all the Paralympians I’ve had on the show over the years.” With the “Mercer Report” behind him, Rick has been busy performing live and attending to other important matters, he says, like figuring out where to place his rhubarb patch and getting ready for the holiday season. “I think there’s one Christmas in my entire life I wasn’t in Newfoundland,” he says, “and so getting home and spending time with my parents, and however many other siblings can manage to make the trip, is really important.” While it seems like his career has come full circle, one thing’s for certain: www.downhomelife.com
this isn’t the last we’ll see of (or hear from) Canada’s favourite ranter. “Ever since I was a kid, and I wanted to be on television and work in television, I wanted my own show... and for me, I was fortunate enough that it came true, and then I had it for 15 years. But if I wanted to do that right now, if I wanted to have a show on TV, it would be season 16 of the ‘Mercer Report,’ because if I had to write out my dream job, that would still be it. So, this is new for me,” he says. “I’m sure there’ll be other adventures. I just don’t know what they are.”
Rick's latest book, released last month, includes his rants and the goings-on behind the scenes of his long-running show. December 2018
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You could be walking
along a stretch of beach in Newfoundland and Labrador one day and be stopped in your tracks by a scene just ahead. Reclining on a rock, a vision with glistening scales reflecting the light, and bejeweled and flowing… facial hair? Congratulations, you’ve spotted an elusive Merb’y. While not as well-known as their female cryptozoological counterpart, Merb’ys have been popping up along the shores of Newfoundland and Labrador for two years running, posing for photographers, all in the name of charity. It’s a project headed by the Newfoundland and Labrador Beard and Moustache Club, and its president, and top Merb’y, Hasan Hai. The group was formed in 2017, not only to appreciate facial hair, but also to champion good causes in the community. Merb’ys got its start when a friend of Hasan shared an image of a bearded man in a mermaid costume on Facebook, along with a dare for him to do it, too. It’s a commonly known fact in Hasan’s social circle that he isn’t afraid of wild ideas, particularly when the goal is fundraising for a good cause. He’s also the founder of Project www.downhomelife.com
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Hasan Hai (being photographed, right) was dared to dress up as a merman; the result was a Merb'ys calendar featuring a slew of burly mermen that raised a massive amount (below) for Spirit Horse.
Kindness and has dressed up as the Dark Elf on the Shelf to raise funds for the Community Food Sharing Association. Hasan then shared the merman photo, asking for others to join in. Originally it was going to be a photo series, but then he saw the interest for a calendar. He called a meeting at the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation and 30 people showed up, from photographers to potential models to crafters. “Once I realized all the raw 48
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bits were there, I’m like ‘Okay, we can do this,’” Hasan recalls. “I knew that if I did this it would be for charity in some way, I just didn’t know [for] who,” he adds. Around the time the Merb’ys calendar was coming together, there was the grand opening of Spirit Horse’s Hope Arena. Hasan was inspired by their peer mental health program that brings horses and people together. Hasan had found the cause for the calendar. The project was a hit, 1-888-588-6353
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Posing in their colourful tails, these Merb'ys are helping drown toxic male stereotypes and start conversations about masculine identity. becoming a worldwide sensation thanks to a Buzzfeed post about it that went viral. The calendars were sold as far away as Asia and Australia. In total, more than 14,000 calendars were sold and $300,466.53 raised for Spirit Horse.
Turning the Page for 2019 The first calendar was so successful, the Merb’ys decided to do it again. But how would they make it bigger and even better? For one thing, they’ve added Merb’ys merch, such as clothing, and Quidi Vidi Brewery made a brew called Salt of the Sea. And they took their photo shoots on the road. In the first year, they had stayed close to St. John’s, but this summer they travelled across the island and into Labrador for photos. Roth and Ramberg Photography from Calgary, AB, volunteered their time and expertise to come down for seven days to travel the province www.downhomelife.com
with the Merb’ys. Shooting started on a Monday in Cape Spear and by Sunday they were in Happy ValleyGoose Bay. They also had some great weather for their trip. A session in Twillingate was especially fun, Hasan recalls. It was 30ºC, there was no breeze and they had to cart the photography equipment and a cooler of beer down to the beach for the photo shoot. Afterwards they celebrated with a boil-up. To put this calendar together takes much dedication. This year there were 38 models, two photographers, plus Ray Agency to help design the calendar, market it and build the website. Volunteers chipped in for things like hair and make-up. The Refugee and Immigration Advisory Council offered to sew the tails – there are all new tails in this calendar, including a chain mail tail weighing 50 pounds. All in all, it took December 2018
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close to 60 people to make the 2019 calendar happen. The Merb’ys sent out an open call for charities to support with the 2019 calendar and roughly 40 groups came forward. It was a difficult choice to make, but the Merb’ys ultimately chose Violence Prevention Newfoundland and Labrador (VPNL) as their beneficiary. VPNL is a coalition of organizations who engage men in averting violence in their communities. “It just checked all the boxes on what we were looking at doing,” Hasan says, noting that the Beard and Mustache Club values inclusion, breaking down toxic masculinity and giving back to the community. Tackling Toxic Masculinity Not only are the Merb’ys raising money for good causes, they also sparked a way for Hasan to talk about toxic masculinity: the pervasive and harmful cultural attitudes about what it means to be a man, such as being physically strong, 50
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aggressive and unemotional. Mermaids and mermen are common folklore figures, “but most people think of them as a very feminine icon, and I kind of wanted to turn traditional and harmful masculine and male stereotypes on their head,” he says, “and, you know, pair up what is typically seen as a very feminine image along with this really traditional look of big, burly bearded guys and show that, you know, it doesn’t matter what these men look like. Men can look and act, dress and feel however they like and that doesn’t define what masculinity is.” Says Hasan, “The basic premise is always going to be deconstructing masculinity and presenting men in a healthy way and inviting a lot of great conversations.” The group behind the Merb’ys calendar, the Beard and Mustache Club, is not only made up of men with thick facial hair. Its members include transgender men and women who don’t have facial hair. “One very 1-888-588-6353
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minor aspect of the Beard and Mustache Club is appreciating facial hair, but there’s absolutely no requirement to have it. Most of it’s about what people do in the community and their values, and raising inclusion, breaking down toxic and harmful stereotypes of masculinity, and just giving back to the community in a lot of creative ways.” These positive messages are spreading, according to the feedback Hasan has gotten. Local schools and organizations have reached out to the Beard and Mustache Club to come speak about issues such as body positivity. “People are hungry for this message and they’re looking for people who can connect with the people who need to hear the message the most,” Hasan says. “I’m a big, bearded, tattooed guy. People look at me and just assume www.downhomelife.com
Sales of the 2019 calendar will benefit Violence Prevention Newfoundland and Labrador. Find it at www.nlbmc.com. I’m this big, masculine, macho guy. And yet on the other hand, I’m shirtless and tailed all over town… So people will listen to me, for whatever reason, and so I’m going to use that platform, and my group’s going to use that platform, to try and get some good messages out there.” Says Hasan, “I’m proud that we took a risk on something that was a little bit out there and found a fun way to connect with people.” December 2018
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Wear a bikini top that resembles a bra to the beach in summer and no one will bat an eye. But put a bra on over your woods jacket and walk down the road in the middle of winter? You might get a chat with the police. That’s how it is when you’re a Newfoundlander living away and decide to give mummering a go on the mainland.
It’s a winter’s night in Sarnia, Ontario, and the holiday season is well underway. Somewhere, a table is missing a doily. It’s likely on one of the six people walking down the road, faces covered, undergarments worn as outerwear, looking ridiculous in a Halloween sort of way. But this is the Christmas season, a time when, in southern Ontario, people don’t generally dress in costume, unless it’s a red suit accompanied by a jolly laugh. Mummers, you see, are so rare that most people on the mainland have never even heard of them, let alone seen one in person. But for a homesick Newfoundlander or Labradorian at Christmas looking to entertain fellow expats, going mummering seems like a great idea. So it was for Dawn Hennessey,
“Went to my Aunt and Uncle’s for a few drinks Christmas Eve in our mummering gear,” says April. “It was so nice and unexpected!” Photo submitted via Facebook by April Kendell.
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“Introduced mummers to our Alberta friends at our son’s wedding on NYE 2016!” Photo submitted by Kimberly Osmond via Facebook
“My sister and I had a blast. But no one really knew what we were doing.” Photo submitted via Facebook by Angela Dever
who went out with five of her friends one year, looking for a good time and a bit of a laugh. It don’t seem like Christmas without the mummers, and it don’t seem like winter without a bit of snow. This particular winter, in Sarnia, ON, there wasn’t enough snow to feel seasonal. The mummers, being a resourceful lot, knew exactly what to do. With a slight detour to the back of the local rink, they found the pile of ice shavings dumped by the Zamboni. Shaved ice is close enough to snow, sure? Inhaled affirmations of “yeh” all around. There may not be snow on the ground, but it’s cold – way below zero – and the mummers, six of them in a car, heat off and freezing because they don’t want to melt their Zamboni “snow,” were followed home by the police that night, Dawn told us via Facebook. She doesn’t remember much of the night, she says, aside from breakdancing on somebody’s floor at one point, dressed as an old 54
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woman, and having a run-in with the law. “The police followed us home,” writes Dawn, “because they didn’t understand why we were dressed up.” _____ • _____ Despite having a lot in common, including Celtic culture, Newfoundland and Nova Scotia don’t share the mummering tradition. Lori Cooze is a Newfoundlander now living in Nova Scotia, and she writes to tell us that her brother-in-law, a mainlander, convinced her, her husband and her sister – all Islanders – that mummering at his friend’s house late one night would be a good idea. The grandmother of this household was a Newfoundlander, after all, so this should all be fine. In full mummer regalia, they knocked on the door. It wasn’t opened. Instead, they heard the lock turn. Then the lights went out. Undeterred, the crowd went around to the back door. “Their dog was barking [and] they 1-888-588-6353
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foundlander Christa Rice-Sacrey and a couple of friends decided to surprise their flatlander friends with a bit of East Coast culture. “We had planned a visit... one December evening for a few bevvies and decided earlier that day we would show up dressed in disguise, hoping for an amusing reaction,” says Christa in a Facebook message
“Surprised our Alberta friend a few years ago!” Photo submitted via Facebook by Christa Rice-Sacrey
were screaming they were calling the police, just as we found an unlocked door in the basement and went in singing and dancing,” writes Lori in a Facebook message to Downhome. There were six people in the house, including one elderly Newfoundlander who, Lori writes, was spooked by seeing mummers in Nova Scotia – she thought someone was breaking in. Once everyone realized this was not a robbery, they all had a good laugh and got on with enjoying the evening. And one more thing, writes Lori, “The homeowner came to the basement area with a stick in his hand! Not sure who he thought he was going to confront with a stick!” And no, it wasn’t an ugly stick. _____ • _____ Sometimes, an unexpected visit from mummers doesn’t involve a threat to call the police. In Lloydminster, which straddles the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, Newwww.downhomelife.com
to Downhome. Her friends weren’t sure what to make of the spectacle at their door – “they were definitely taken aback at first,” she says. The mummering crew was foiled by their own mirth, though, as their giggles gave away their identities. Out West, or at least at this house, people aren’t let into a home until those inside are sure of just who they’re letting in. That giggle, which cost them the secret of their identity, proved to be the price of admission and the mummers were invited in for a drink. “It was so great to share a small part of our Newfoundland culture with them,” writes Christa. “A fond memory for sure!” _____ • _____ Lock up the liquor cabinet, for you never know when – or where – the mummers may strike next. Got a story about mummering outside of Newfoundland and Labrador? We’d love to read it. Turn to page 9 to learn how easy it is to share your stories and photos with us, and follow us on Facebook and Instagram. December 2018
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IMAGINE THIS: night has fallen over the town of Twillingate, NL. You’re home alone when there’s a knock at the door. You get up to answer it and standing on your porch is a mummer, but he isn’t here to dance in your kitchen. In filmmaker Bhaveek Makan’s world, this masked visitor might have far more sinister intentions. Lovely Mummers is the latest short film to come out of Rendering Glint Films, a movie production company Bhaveek founded with his brother, Jashan. Filmed on location in Twillingate, at its core Lovely Mummers is “a home invasion film with people that you know. You know who’s underneath the masks and it’s a community story, so you’re from a small town [and] you pretty much know everyone there,” Bhaveek says. “And I think that’s what makes it extra creepy. Because putting on a mask is like a disguise, but underneath the mask you’re even more evil.” Mummering is typically seen as a treasured tradition, where people dress up and visit their neighbours for a good time. It’s an exercise in community trust because while you don’t know exactly who you’ve let inside, you must know these guests. Left & Below: Scenes from the filming of Lovely Mummers in Twillingate
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Whenever Bhaveek explains mummering to people outside the province, he gets a few strange looks. “I never thought it was ever weird, actually. We always did it, and it was only until we started talking to people when we realized that, oh, this might be a little creepy,” he laughs. Bhaveek describes his film as a fairytale drama rather than a horror story. “I think it’s more of an unsettling family drama, and then all the horror stuff sort of comes out after that.” The film is also open to interpretation whether or not, beyond the fairytale, there is a supernatural element at work. “I really wanted to talk about the metaphor of people being monsters and not actual fairies being monsters. There is a scene in the film that kind of shows a fairy, but the fairy looks like a human,” he says. “I wanted to explore supernatural and real human horrors and monstrosities within people,” he says. Mummering does have a bit of darkness in its past. After the murder of Isaac Mercer in Bay Roberts, NL, by a group of disguised assailants in 1860, mummering was declared illegal.
RURAL NL HOMECOMING The crew was filming in Twillingate last April, and for Bhaveek, this was a homecoming. In 2001, when he was 10 years old, he and his family moved from Durban, South Africa, to Twillingate, and later to Glovertown. In 2007, they relocated to Calgary, AB. It was while living in Newfoundland and Labrador that Bhaveek and Jashan were introduced to filmmaking by a friend. 58
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“I’ve always been interested in going back to Newfoundland to film anything, really. And then a few years ago when my brother and I were thinking about making a horror movie, the first thing that came up in our heads was mummers.” As a kid, he went mummering in the outports. “It was a lot of fun,” he recalls. When it came to getting Lovely Mummers started, Bhaveek says it all came together on a whim in 2015. “We didn’t really plan the short film or anything; we just were like ‘Hey, let’s announce that we’re making a short film, and then we just saw a lot of feedback and people were really excited.” So they started a crowdfunding campaign and then selffunded the rest. Because they were creating a story about mummers, it was crucial they film in the province. They set out to make an authentic Newfoundland and Labrador film that people from here could watch and recognize their home, from the actors’ mannerisms to the writing and folklore. To achieve that, they hired local actors to get the unique accent that just couldn’t be mimicked. The sound technician and make-up and prosthetics artists were also all from the province. “There’s clearly talent in Newfoundland,” Bhaveek says. The crew arrived in Twillingate on a foggy spring day, ideal atmosphere for this project. “It was windy, cold, wet. It was just perfect for the film. Obviously, it was really difficult to film in that, but it looked really cool,” Bhaveek says. There was even a foghorn blasting from the Long Point Lighthouse, an auditory element Bhaveek really wanted in the film. 1-888-588-6353
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Bhaveek Makan (left) was a child when he immigrated to Twillingate, NL, from South Africa with his family in 2001. He had always wanted to return to Newfoundland and Labrador someday to shoot a film. “It was nice to be back home. We filmed a minute from the house that I moved to, so that was really surreal. I went for a walk in my [old] backyard,” he says with a laugh, “so that was cool.” In fact, he even found a few of the friends he grew up with and they ended up helping out with filming. All in all, it took their small crew a month to film Lovely Mummers.
ANY MUMMERS ’LOWED IN…? Rendering Glint Films is also planning to turn Lovely Mummers into a full-length movie called Allowed In. Local writer Cole Hayley is finishing up the script and the next step is to figure out how to fund it. Ideally the crew would go back to Twillingate to www.downhomelife.com
film Allowed In, but Bhaveek explains it’s expensive to do a feature-length production in such a remote location. For now, Bhaveek is concentrating on the finished short film and screening it for audiences. Lovely Mummers has already gotten a warm reception at FIN Atlantic International Film Festival. He was there when it was screened in Halifax, NS, and says it was a great experience. “And watching that on the big screen… was a really cool experience, even for me sitting in the theatre and hearing the sounds that we spent hours trying to mix and all the details really shining through on the big screen,” Bhaveek says. The audience seemed to like it as well. “People just appreciated that I stayed true to the folklore of it all.” December 2018
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Maybe it’s because we’re a small province; maybe it’s because we’re all connected to each other in some way or another; but whenever anyone from Newfoundland and Labrador does something good that makes the news, we collectively puff out our chests a little and lift our chins a bit higher. We’re proud of their achievement and proud that they “belong” to us. Here’s a look back at some of the folks who made us all proud in 2018: Paralympic gold medalist Katarina Roxon of Kippens keeps collecting shiny hardware: a gold and a silver at the 2018 Pan Pacific championships in Australia in August, and a gold and two bronze at the 2018 Japan Para Swimming Championships in September. She was also named to the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador this year. 60
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NL Powerlifting Association
Babette Meister, a Paradise veterinarian, proved herself to be a world-class athlete when she won gold in the deadlift and gold overall in the 63kg (age 40-49) class at the International Powerlifting Federation World Masters Championships in Mongolia in October. She’s only been powerlifting for three years.
@SwimmingNL
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Red Cross photo
Lynelle Cantwell of St. John’s was presented with the Canadian Red Cross Young Humanitarian Award for her amazing work on anti-bullying and youth empowerment. The young woman made national headlines for her compassionate handling of high school bullies, which led to highprofile speaking engagements across Canada and her inclusion in the documentary Rising Above: Stories of Courage and Hope.
He’s not your typical NL musician, but Kielley Koyote is one to watch. The St. John’s hip-hop artist was singled out by Rolling Stone India as one of the top 10 acts at this year’s Live at Heart musical festival in Sweden. (Koyote was actually born in Ontario, but has lived in NL so long he considers it home – and we’ve adopted him now.) www.downhomelife.com
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As a member of Canada’s para ice hockey team, 19-year-old Liam Hickey of St. John’s helped Team Canada bring home a silver medal at the 2018 Paralympic Games in South Korea. He also played on the Canadian wheelchair basketball team at the Toronto 2015 Parapan American Games and the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games.
Figure skating has taken Marystown’s Kaetlyn Osmond around the world, including winning two medals (individual bronze and team gold) at the 2018 Olympic Games in South Korea. She was also crowned the 2018 World Figure Skating Champion at a competition in Italy – the first Canadian woman to do that in 45 years.
Brad Gushue set a record for Brier game wins as a skip on the way to leading his rink to winning the 2018 Tim Hortons Brier curling tournament with his team of Mark Nichols, Brett Gallant and Geoff Walker.
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A Dollar A Day Foundation, a national fundraising program, was launched in February by Newfoundlanders Alan Doyle, Brendan Paddick and Dr. Andrew Furey. It aims to improve mental health and addictions services by providing money directly to front line services.
Making history as Newfoundland and Labrador’s first female Lieutenant Governor, Judy Foote now lives at Government House in St. John’s. Her Honour was raised in Grand Bank and served as a provincial MHA and federal MP before accepting her current post. Ordained as a Salvation Army officer in 1977, General Brian Peddle of Norman’s Cove was assigned the top post in the worldwide organization this year. He now lives in London, where the Salvation Army International is headquartered, with his wife, Commissioner Rosalie Peddle. Archaeologist and filmmaker Dr. Latonia Hartery of Bay D’Espoir became the first female from Newfoundland and Labrador accepted into the prestigious and exclusive Explorer’s Club, which counts Buzz Aldrin and Elon Musk among its current members.
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Shauna Griffiths of Ship Harbour was crowned the 2018 Miss Canada Globe pageant winner. She’s currently studying kinesiology at MUN, and is working on a program to recruit refugees to post secondary education. Dr. Mohamed-Iqbal Ravalia, a family doctor in Twillingate, is the recipient of the Canadian Family Physician of the Year Award, the Order of Canada, and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal. And in June 2018, he was appointed to the Canadian Senate as an independent senator representing Newfoundland and Labrador. Dr. Ravalia is originally from Zimbabwe and now calls Newfoundland and Labrador home.
Alan Doyle – musician, singer, actor, author – is now also a member of the Order of Canada, thanks to his extensive charity work with the Canadian Cancer Society and Canadian Red Cross. Originally from Petty Harbour, he now calls St. John’s home when not on tour. 1-888-588-6353
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Bethany Downer, of St. John’s, is making progress in her journey toward space. The 24year-old has completed a Master’s at France’s International Space University, and this year was accepted into the PoSSUM astronaut training program in Daytona, FL. She’s also the founder of Reaching Space Science, which aims to inform and educate people about space. Bethany is the first person from Newfoundland and Labrador selected for astronaut training. Florence Barron, 80, broke the Tely 10 record for the 80+ age group by more than 45 minutes this year. The octogenarian runner has competed in the 10-mile running race several times, previously setting records in the 75-79 age group as well.
Joel Thomas Hynes was awarded top prize for fiction in the 2018 Newfoundland and Labrador Book Awards, for his novel We’ll All Be Burnt In Our Beds Some Night – which had already earned him the prestigious 2017 Governor-General’s Literary Award.
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Invictus Games
Cavell Simmons of Bishop’s Falls, made headlines in October as the oldest participant in the Invictus Games in Australia. She came away with a bronze medal in archery and a shoutout by the Games patron, Prince Harry himself, in his speech at the closing of the Games: “When 67-year-old former military nurse Cavell Simmons decided age was just a number and entered into five sports at her first Invictus Games, you saw what determination really looks like.” These are some of the top newsmakers up to press time in October for this issue. We tip our hats to all Newfoundlanders and Labradorians who do good work, make good things happen, and create good news year after year.
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Go December 5-8
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Corner Brook Theatre Newfoundland and Labrador is again putting off Ed & Ed’s Newfoundland Christmas Concert. The Arts and Culture Centre show includes a comical review of the year, a mummers play, fashion show, songs and more.
“The Christmas Spirit” isn’t your average holiday show, according to the play description: “It’s early Christmas morning and Death has come to take Julia Dowling to the promised land, but she’s not ready to go yet!” Get your tickets at the Arts and Culture Centre for these performances in the Barbara Barrett Theatre.
December 6-9
St. John’s Our Divas Do Christmas at the Arts and Culture Centre, a highly anticipated annual event, features a massive cast of more than 150 singers, dancers, musicians, choirs and aerialists.
December 2
Gander Ian Foster is a modern folk singer and a lyrical storyteller. He’ll be on hand for the Ian Foster & Nancy Hynes Christmas Album release party at the Gander Golf Club, an evening of festive music.
Chris LeDrew photo
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December 15-16
Clarenville December 7-8
St. John’s Beautiful music in a beautiful setting. The Newfoundland Symphony Orchestra and the NSO Philharmonic Choir present “Handel’s Messiah” at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.
The Irish Descendants and The Navigators, two bands with deep roots in the traditional Newfoundland music scene, present the ninth annual A Celtic Christmas at the Eastlink Events Centre. If you’re in the Clarenville area, this one should be on your list.
December 14-20
St. John’s, Gander, Clarenville “The Nutcracker” is nearly synonymous with Christmas. This year, the famous ballet is presented by Kittiwake Dance Theatre and includes performances by more than 300 dancers from across Newfoundland and Labrador. Shows take place in the Arts and Culture Centres.
The Irish Descendants
December 19-20
St. John’s Hear all your favourite Christmas songs masterfully performed as Shelley Neville Presents O Holy Night. She is joined on the Arts and Culture Centre stage by Sheila Williams, Peter Halley, Corey Tetford and David Pomeroy.
December 20
St. John’s
December 15
Boney M., those disco darlings who once took us on a redeye to Venus, are pointing their starship at a closer rock – ours – where they will land at Mile One for one night’s performance on their Holiday Favourites and Classic Hits tour.
Grand Falls-Windsor Give the gift of funding for furry friends this holiday season by stopping by and donating to the SPCA’s monthly fundraiser, Looney Line, set up at the Exploits Valley Mall. There will be a shelter animal there to greet you – and maybe become your new best friend?
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Living His
Best Life A St. John’s man ventured far outside his comfort zone and faced down physical challenges for a dream tour of Europe.
By Marie-Beth Wright
Douglas overlooks the French city of Marseille.
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Douglas with his mother Joanne in Dublin
past summer, Douglas Elton, his mom and his sister spent two months in Europe on a family holiday. Europe is a tourist staple for Canadians, a bucket list item for many. For Douglas, it was so much more than a grand getaway. It was a milestone achievement. Now 29 years old, Douglas has been living with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy since childhood. His wheelchair gets him around and a tube helps him breathe. To travel, his chair has to be viewed as an extension of his body and essential attachments and equipment must be handled with care. Douglas had never travelled far from his St. John’s home, but last year he set his sights on touring Europe. The trip germinated from Douglas’ desire to attend Tankfest 2018, an annual exhibition of historic military transport vehicles in Dorset County, England. Then, “Mom dared me to expand my horizons and increase our timeline abroad,” Douglas says. So Glasgow was added to meet some Elton relatives, and his keen interest in WWII history and engagements took them to Normandy. By the time Douglas, his mom Joanne and sister Tiffany were packed to go, they had an itinerary of 14 major cities in seven countries! The learning curve was instantaneous and consistent all summer. True accessibility meant rolling into your shower without a barrier. Travelling by train required a 24-hour alert in most cities to ensure the services of wheelchair attendants. Concerts are worry free and pleasant if an www.downhomelife.com
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Douglas’s European adventure included an 18-hour ferry ride (above) and a picture with a Sherman tank at Tankfest in Dorset County, England – the event that inspired this entire holiday.
elevated platform is provided for wheelchair fans and their attendants. At Normandy, “unfortunately, the landing beaches and ocean were inaccessible,” Douglas says, but Caen Memorial Museum was accessible. It housed many interesting artifacts, making this his favourite French stop. Ferries, like buses and trains, were accessible but had tight sleeping quarters (on the plus side, the ship’s bar had lively music!), while regular city buses were economical and convenient even without a tour guide. Planes were the biggest challenge, since storing the wheelchair risks damage and a regular plane 68
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seat is uncomfortable when you need neck and leg support. And moving through crowds requires extra caution for breathing equipment and fragile limbs. “Crowds are just a waiting game,” says Douglas. Fortunately, “I have a lot of patience.” For all the physical challenges and apprehensions, there were many outstanding moments on this trip. Observing a father with muscular dystrophy interacting with his family was uplifting, and Douglas says, “My sister, Lee-Anne, and her husband, Day, meeting us in Marseille is a favourite memory.” At a Geneva concert, he and Tiffany met members of the band, Grave Pleasures. Overall, this amazing travel experience inspired all the Eltons to become change agents in their lives. Tiffany says, “I’m guns blazing setting a new direction in life. The trip gave me a lot of inspiration.” When rolling by the Berlin Wall, Douglas says he had an epiphany. “I recognized that fear had built a wall preventing me from fulfilling my dreams.” His success in Europe has sold his respirologist on the benefits of travel to feed your soul and enhance your health. Since his return he has continued to operate outside his comfort zone with more energy, bravery and independence. He ventures out more often on city buses and takes in musical events. Crossing the tickle to Bell Island was a new adventure, and Douglas praises the accessibility of the ferry Legionnaire and the inclusive attitude of the crew. Recently, Douglas accepted a speaking engagement at this year’s Run for Muscular Dystrophy, and soon he’ll speak to students of the 1-888-588-6353
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Recreational Therapy program at Academy Canada. His sister, Lisa, who joined them in Paris, says it best. “Douglas took on the world and against all odds, excelled.” Tiffany kept a blog of their adventures and near the end of the trip she conducted this interview with her brother. It reveals Douglas’s growing confidence and newfound sense of adventure, and it contains his poignant revelations about the world we live in and how we choose to live in it.
Tiffany: Why did you do this trip? Douglas: I was tired of being ruled by my negativity. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone and my house. I wanted to feel like I could do something with my life that was crazy and exciting. T: What were you most afraid of? D: Dying and my chair getting destroyed, but I had to let go of these quickly. T: What have you learned about the world? D: It isn’t as scary as the news makes it out to be, and there’s still hope for humanity. T: Was there anything that touched you during this trip? D: All the support I got from some of my family, and strangers helping me, and people following the blog.
Douglas and his sister Tiffany pose for a selfie in Berlin
else’s negative experience. Never let anyone say that you can’t do something just because you are disabled. If you want to do something, find people who want to help. Avoid cobblestone. T: How has this trip changed you? D: It’s made me realize that if there’s something I want to do, no matter how difficult it sounds, with enough planning I can. T: Would you do this again? D: I hope to keep travelling to many other places. Iceland is next! T: What have you got planned for when you go home? D: I will try not to let my comfort zone shrink back to where it was.
T: Was there anything really upsetting? D: The only thing that really upset me was rude people who can’t see outside of themselves.
T: What do you think was the most accessible city? D: Berlin or Amsterdam were two of the most accessible. Zurich came close, but the attitude of some of the public employees was discouraging.
T: What would you recommend to others who want to travel with similar mobility issues? D: If you have a dream, don’t tell yourself you can’t do it – think of ways you CAN do it. Plan for it and don’t pull out because of someone
T: What is the least accessible place you visited? D: Marseille was the least accessible city; considering its size, you’d expect more accessibility than what we found there. France was very unfriendly to people in wheelchairs.
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Tours
The first female golfer to tee up at a PGA Tour event was Babe Didrikson, in 1945. Since the PGA Tour began in 1929, there have only ever been five female golfers compete alongside the men. The most recent was eight-time LPGA champion, Brittany Lincicome, this past July.
The British Royal Family visits to Canada date back to the 1700s. In 1860, the Prince of Wales (before he was crowned King Edward VII) became the first Royal to tour Newfoundland and attend the Royal St. John’s Regatta.
There are 58 boat tours, offering trips to view everything from icebergs to fjords to resettled outports, listed on the Newfoundland and Labrador government tourism website.
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“The Grand Tour,” a 1970s #1 song by George Jones about divorce, was rated by Rolling Stone magazine in 2014 as one of the “40 Saddest Country Songs of All Time.”
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U2’s 360° Tour in 2009-11 is the highest grossing, most attended band concert tour of all time. More than 7 million fans packed venues the world over, bringing in gross revenue of more than US$700 million. The special 360° stage design for this tour, nicknamed “The Claw,” was left behind after the tour’s final show, held July 30, 2011, at Magnetic Hill in Moncton, New Brunswick.
Bell Island is famous for its Mine #2 tour, but its Haunted Walking Tour has been turning heads and raising hairs. To be relaunched in 2019 as The Ghosts of Bell Island, these performances feature terrifying characters such as the Ghost of Dobbin’s Garden (who appeared on a 2016 Canada Post stamp titled “Hag of Bell Island”).
The rock band 30 Seconds to Mars owns the Guinness World Record for longest concert tour: 309 shows, achieved by their final stop, New York, in December 2011. Here’s a Newfoundland and Labrador connection: In 2002, 30 Seconds to Mars toured with I Mother Earth, whose lead singer is Brian Byrne, a native of Steady Brook, NL.
The three-week, multi-country Tour de France is revered as the most gruelling bicycle race in the world. Still a men-only event since its inception in 1903, four cyclists have died in their attempts: one drowned, one fell down a ravine, one crashed at 88 km/h, and one died of a heart attack. www.downhomelife.com
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The thing that most amazes
me about the Newfoundland and Labrador tourism industry is the resourcefulness of the people. On a recent trip through Twillingate and Gros Morne, my partner, Steve, and I were pleasantly surprised by the abundance of pubs, cafés, tearooms and restaurants we had to choose from. Most surprising, however, was how the locals could turn just about any space into a diner’s delight. At one stop, for example, we enjoyed coffee and a sweet on the wharf of a converted fishing stage. As I sat back in the brightly coloured Adirondack chair, with the warm scent of salt water and creosote wafting past, I couldn’t help but giggle at the conversation taking place at the counter behind me.
“I think I will try one of your scones,” said Steve (a born and bred mainlander). “Sorry, sir, we don’t have any scones,” replied the lady serving him. “Isn’t that a scone?” he asked, pointing to one of several baked goodies. “No, me duckie,” was her reply. “That’s a raisin tea bun.” At another stop, a lovely couple had turned their garage into a delightful tearoom, where tourists flocked for the assortment of baked goods and homemade jams. I could easily envision how, at the end of the tourist season, the space would once again be used to store the snowblower, lawn mower and ATV. The best lobster roll ever to cross my lips was served in the back room of an old general store, appropriately named, “The Back Room.” It was the type of general store where you could find anything, from catgut to cabbages to condoms. The dining area consisted of a couple of chrome table sets with a stack of Downhome magazines to keep the customers entertained while they waited. I imagine The Back Room converted back to Nan’s craft room come the fall. www.downhomelife.com
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“No, I’m sorry,” she replied with a smile, “but I can get ye a tea or coffee.” We both ordered a coffee, as she set out the table with a tin of Carnation milk, a sugar bowl, thick slices of homemade bread and an assortment of local jams. I felt proud that Steve would get to experience an authentic Newfoundland “mug up.” Unlike any other dining establishment we had visited, the matron actually sat with us and poured herself a cup Florence and Steve sampled a variety of Tetley as she entertained of cafés and tearooms on their holiday. us with stories about the history of her small town. What hospitality! Steve actually plans our road trips “I got my crowd reared up now,” around coffee stops, so he was feeling she said. “Most of them lives out west kind of antsy as we drove through the in Fort McMurray, but they are all northern part of Gros Morne Nathome now for their cousin’s wedding ional Park with nary a café in sight. up in Cow Head. They brought back a Then to our relief, we spotted a large, bunch of their friends with them and green saltbox house, with the door they are staying here, too.” wide open and about a dozen people “Genius,” I thought. “She has conleaving and boarding their cars. verted her empty bedrooms into a “Perfect timing, Steve,” I said, B&B!” “Looks like the tourists are just “Is there anything else I can get pulling out.” I noticed several of the ye?” she asked, as I wiped the last cars had Alberta licence plates. spot of bakeapple jam from the corOnce again, I smiled at the ner of my lip. resourcefulness of the locals. To the “Just the bill,” Steve said. untrained eye, this café could have “The bill?” She looked at us with a passed for an ordinary dining room, blank stare. except for the super-sized wooden “Do we pay here or at the counter?” table set with a total seating capacity I asked. of 16. As we seated ourselves, an She burst out laughing, “No me elderly woman emerged from the love, this is not a restaurant – it’s kitchen, wiping her hands in her me home.” apron. Needless to say, we were super cau“Can I help you?” she asked. tious about our dining stops for the “Just wondering if you have an remainder of the trip! espresso?” Steve cautiously inquired. 74
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life is better Surrounded by ice in Twillingate Julian Earle, Twillingate, NL
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food & leisure everyday gourmet
Unforgettable Gravy and Ham Glazes
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the everyday gourmet By Andrea Maunder
Andrea Maunder, locovore, wine expert and pastry chef, is the owner and creative force behind Bacalao, a St. John's restaurant specializing in "nouvelle Newfoundland" cuisine. www.bacalaocuisine.ca
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My mom has always made glazed ham with scalloped potatoes for Christmas Eve. The house would be busy with gift-wrapping, visitors, last-minute decorating, maybe some cookie-baking, so it wasn’t as much a sit-down meal as it was nibbles. We’d carve off a few slices of ham and ladle a scoop of potatoes as we carried on Christmas Eve activities, returning to the kitchen occasionally to nab another bit of the caramelized ham bits with loads of glaze. There was always ham and scalloped potatoes, but Mom changed up the glaze. The one she made most often was a combination of red currant jelly, pineapple juice and cloves – and, of course, the pineapple rings adhered to the ham with toothpicks. Sometimes she added mustard. As a little gift from our kitchen to yours, here’s a selection of Ham Glaze recipes to get your culinary neurons firing for the 2018 holiday season. All of these are for prepared ham (boiled a couple of hours, excess fat and skin removed, remaining fat scored as crosshatches). After painting ham with glaze, bake at 350°F to reheat, set glaze and brown a little, repainting with glaze as needed. A little water in the bottom of the roasting dish helps collect baking juices and keeps glaze from burning to the bottom. I usually double the recipe, so there’s loads of glaze left over for serving/dipping or late night snacking.
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Daphne’s Tried and True
Blackberry Mustard
1 cup red currant jelly (store bought is fine) 1 can sliced pineapple rings, drained and 1/2 cup juice reserved 2 tbsp yellow mustard (optional) Pinch cloves Ground black pepper to taste 20 or so whole cloves, if desired, to stud ham
1 cup blackberry jelly (I used homemade, but you could melt blackberry jam and sieve out the seeds to get one cup) 1/2 cup yellow mustard 1/2 cup cider vinegar 1 cinnamon stick 1 star anise 2-3 bay leaves
Warm jelly with reserved pineapple juice in the microwave 1-2 minutes until melted. Whisk until smooth. Add mustard and spices. Glaze ham, stud with cloves and secure pineapple rings with toothpicks.
Brown Sugar-Mustard 1 cup light brown sugar 2-4 tbsp yellow mustard Stir together until smooth. Adjust mustard to taste. Add a little water if sauce is too thick. Substitute smooth or grainy Dijon mustard for spicier version.
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Simmer everything together in a small pot on the stove. Remove whole spices before glazing ham.
Pink Grapefruit and Pepper Jelly 1/2 cup your favourite hot pepper jelly 1/4 cup honey Zest and juice of one pink grapefruit (about 1/2 cup juice) 3 tbsp red wine vinegar 1/4 cup water (more if needed) Sprig fresh thyme Simmer everything together in a small pot over medium heat until melted and smooth (about 10 minutes). Remove thyme sprig. 1-888-588-6353
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Raisin Orange
Delicious Make-Ahead Gravy Stock
1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp mustard powder 1/2 tsp onion powder Pinch chili flakes 2 tbsp white vinegar 1 cup raisins 1 tbsp grated orange zest 1 1/2 cups water 3 tbsp orange juice 2 tbsp cornstarch
It’s a toss-up which part of Christmas dinner is my favourite. I do love the dressing loaded with butter, studded with sautéed onions and redolent with savoury. And I simply must make homemade cranberry sauce, just the right amount of tang and hints of spice. But it’s the gravy that is the anchor on my Christmas plate: deeply flavourful and complex, rich and lip-smackingly good. And it’s so important, don’t you think, to have loads of gravy for the meal, the leftovers and those all-important hot turkey sandwiches? (I’ve even added leftover gravy to turkey soup to enrich the broth – a delicious trick!) So, don’t worry, I’ve got your back this Christmas. Get out your slow cooker or stock pot on Tibb’s Eve or Christmas Eve and make gorgeous, rich stock from turkey necks (or wings or legs if you can’t get necks, or a combination of the three). You’ll have loads of stock so you don’t have to worry about how much broth you get from roasting your turkey. You can just make and refrigerate the stock and add the fresh drippings Christmas Day to complete the feast. A slow cooker is ideal for this recipe, but you can certainly do it in a stock pot on the stove. If you’re deciding that now is the time to treat yourself to an early Christmas gift of a slow cooker, I recommend you buy a bigger one than you think you’ll need. I have three sizes and I nearly always find myself transferring to the largest one to add more liquid or a few more veggies etc. Turkey necks are generally available in the freezer section of the supermarket. Ask the butcher if you
In small saucepan, stir together brown sugar, spices, vinegar, raisins, zest and water. Simmer 10-15 minutes to soften raisins. Add a little water if evaporated too much. Stir cornstarch and orange juice together until smooth. Whisk into simmering liquid and stir until thickened. Add a little water if too thick.
Ginger Maple Rum Spice 2-3 tbsp butter 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tbsp grated fresh ginger 1/4 tsp each of cinnamon, cloves & allspice 1/2 cup real maple syrup 1/2 cup amber rum (or whiskey) 2 tbsp brown sugar 2/3 cup apple juice 1-2 tbsp cider vinegar (to taste) Sauté garlic and ginger in butter in a small saucepan over medium heat a couple of minutes. Add spices and stir another minute or so. Add remaining ingredients and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. www.downhomelife.com
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don’t see them. The ratio of bone to meat in the necks, and the richness of the meat, is ideal for making stock. That lip-smacking quality from really tasty stock comes from the collagen in the bones and cartilage. The bonus for me is that I love the neck meat, sprinkled with a little salt. That’s the cook’s treat! If you can’t find necks, legs and wings will work very well – you just may have to skim a little more fat.
Turkey Neck Stock for Gravy 2 tbsp vegetable oil 2 tbsp butter 4 lbs turkey necks, thawed Salt and pepper to taste 2 small yellow onions, cut in quarters, skins left on 3 garlic cloves, smashed, skins left on 2 carrots, cut into 3-inch lengths (peeled if very dirty, simply washed otherwise)
4 ribs celery (and use the leafy parts from the middle of the head) cut in 3-inch lengths 1/2 cup white wine (or water) 6 bay leaves 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme 1 tbsp savoury 1 tsp whole black peppercorns 8 cups water or more
Turn the slow cooker to low.
brown a little (3-5 minutes). Add white wine (or water) to pan to deglaze and let it bubble off. Add a little more water and stir the bottom of the pan to get all the brown bits up. Scrape everything into the slow cooker. (If using stock pot, return turkey to the pot.) Add bay leaves, thyme, savoury and peppercorns and rest of the water (to the slow cooker or stock pot). Make sure everything is submerged; add more water if needed. For slow cooker, cover and leave 8-10 hours on low. For stock pot, bring to a boil then loosely cover and reduce heat to simmer for 3-4 hours, stirring and checking periodically to be sure the water doesn’t evaporate or the food burn on.
You’ll be searing everything first, so you’ll need a large, deep frypan (or shallow wide-bottomed pot) before transferring to the slow cooker. If you are making this in a stock pot, you can start right in the pot. Heat the oil and butter over medhigh heat. Salt and pepper the turkey necks and brown them on all sides. You are not cooking them fully, just getting a nice caramelization on the outside to create deep flavour in the stock. Transfer the necks to the slow cooker (or set them aside in a bowl if using stock pot). Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery to the pan, with a little more oil if needed, and stir to 82
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Strain stock through a fine sieve. Skim and discard any fat. Discard solids, except for turkey necks. Pull meat from bones and enjoy with a sprinkle of salt or pepper, or reserve to add to soup. (Also great in turnovers or sandwiches!) If you do this Christmas Eve night, let the slow cooker go overnight, and wake up to a gorgeous aroma in the morning. Strain and keep warm in the slow cooker until gravy-making time, or go ahead and get the gravy out of the way in the morning. If making stock a few days ahead, either strain and refrigerate stock or complete the gravy and refrigerate. (The bonus to refrigerating stock in
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advance is the fat rises to the top and forms a firm white skin, which you can easily remove and discard.) A collagen-rich stock will become jellylike in the fridge, but will melt back to liquid with heat. Freeze or refrigerate any stock you don’t use for gravy for later use in soup or sauce. To finish the gravy: You’ll need about 2 tablespoons flour per cup of stock. Either whisk the flour into an equal amount of cold water to make it smooth or shake it up in a mason jar with the lid on tight. Add flour thickener to boiling stock and whisk until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
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food & leisure
Aside from the decorations, the music and the gifts, the thing that Christmas is most noted for is all the eating! Recently, Downhome staff had an office potluck and shared the foods and the recipes that make Christmas for us. Perhaps some of these will stir up memories of your holidays at home, or inspire you to cook up Christmas your way. 84
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Chocolate Yule Log Every year, we celebrate Yule on the 21st (or the 22nd, depending on when it falls). My husband makes a Yule Log for the occasion and it is out of this world. My kids practically count the days because they know the cake is coming! - Heather Lane, Inventory Control Clerk Cake 6 (large) egg whites 1/2 tsp cream of tartar 6 (large) egg yolks 1 cup granulated sugar 1/3 cup cocoa 1 tsp vanilla 1 pinch salt Extra cocoa for dusting
Filling 2 cups whipping cream 1/2 cup cocoa 1/2 cup icing sugar (or granulated sugar) 1/4 cup chocolate / coffee liqueur (opt)
Preheat oven to 350°F. Line greased 10" x 15" jelly roll pan with wax paper. Make the cake Beat egg whites in a medium bowl until soft peaks form. Add cream of tartar. Beat until stiff. Using the same beaters and a larger bowl, beat egg yolks, sugar, cocoa, vanilla and salt until frothy. Carefully fold in egg whites. Spread in prepared pan. Bake at 350°F for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick poked in the centre comes out clean. Sift cocoa over a tea towel to lightly dust it. Turn cake out onto cocoa-coated towel. Peel off wax paper. Begin at the shorter side and roll both the towel and cake together, continuing to dust with cocoa as you go. Let cake cool completely in this form. Filling and assembly Beat cream, cocoa, icing sugar (and liqueur, if desired) in a medium bowl until thick. Carefully unroll the cake. It may break a little, but this is OK since it can be put back together as you roll it back up. Spread 1/2 the filling on the cake and gently roll back up without the towel. Spread the outside of the cake with remaining filling and garnish, if desired. www.downhomelife.com
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Pea Soup This is my December 27th tradition, a tasty way to use up leftover Christmas ham. - Drew Ennis, Customer Service Associate 2 bags split peas 5 carrots 3 cloves garlic 1 ham bone, and whatever scraps you have leftover 3 cups cubed, cooked ham
Chop 2 carrots and garlic, and add to a stock pot with about 15 cups of water. Add the ham bone and your ham scraps, and bring to a boil. Simmer for about an hour, then strain out the broth so you get rid of everything else. Dice the remaining three carrots, and set aside with your cubed ham. Add the two bags of split peas to the broth, and simmer again until most of the peas have burst. Add in the cubed ham and diced carrots, and simmer until the carrots are cooked, 10-15 minutes. Now you could eat it hot right away‌ or let it cool, store it in the fridge and eat it the next day because everyone knows pea soup is better the next day anyways.
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Chocolate Chewy Nut Bars My mom is the only person I know who makes these, and they appear every Christmas alongside all the other sweets she makes for company. These are delicious anytime – but especially when pilfered from their hiding spot in the freezer late at night! - Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-Chief 1/2 cup butter 2 cups brown sugar 1 tsp vanilla 2 eggs 1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt 1 (6 oz / 300g) pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips 1 cup chopped walnuts
Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large, deep saucepan, melt butter on the stove. Remove from heat and use a wooden spoon to stir in sugar and vanilla until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat in using spoon. Add flour, baking powder and salt, and mix well to form smooth batter. Pour batter into an ungreased non-stick 9" x 13" pan (you could line with parchment paper), or a greased and papered regular baking pan. (The batter will stick to the paper, so be careful spreading it around.) Toss together the chocolate chips and walnuts, then spread them evenly over the batter. Very lightly press them into the top of the batter. Bake for 25 minutes, until the batter is cooked and the top is slightly browned (the edges will brown first). Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Makes 25-30 squares. www.downhomelife.com
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Nan Ennis’ Christmas Pudding This pudding and the custard sauce are a huge tradition for my family at Christmas. Every year Dad makes about three puddings, tweaking the recipe to make it a perfect dessert for Christmas dinner. The recipe is almost always doubled, and we steam our puddings in pillowcases because no one has made a pudding bag big enough or durable enough for our needs. - Drew Ennis, Customer Service Associate 1 cup molasses 1/3 cup sugar 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp allspice 1/2 cup hot water
1 tsp baking soda 1/2 cup melted butter 1/2 lb raisins 4 1/2 cups flour 1/2 tsp salt
Mix together the molasses, sugar and spices in a large mixing bowl. Dissolve baking soda in hot water, and stir into the molasses mixture. Add melted butter and raisins; mix well. Add sifted flour and salt a little at a time. Pour mixture into a large, damp, floured pudding bag and tie the bag tight. The pudding batter should not be sticky or wet; it should be an almost play dough-like consistency when you put it in the bag. Steam in a large pot of boiling water for 2-3 hours, or until the pudding seems firm inside the bag. (If the bag starts to float, weigh it down in the water with a plate on top of it.) Serve with Grampy Ennis’ Custard Sauce (see next recipe).
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Grampy Ennis’ Custard Sauce 1/4 cup butter 2 cups Carnation milk 1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla Rum to taste 1 1/2 tbsp custard powder + milk to thicken it
Simmer the butter, milk, sugar, vanilla and rum for 30 minutes. Add milk to the custard powder to thicken it, then whisk it into the sauce.
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Homemade Cocoa Hot cocoa was something we’d make in the kitchen during the winter months, day or night. You can also add a pinch of cinnamon or peppermint sticks to this recipe for some extra festive flavour. - Elizabeth Whitten, Assistant Editor 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder 1/3 cup hot water 1/2 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt 4 cups milk 1 tsp vanilla extract
In a medium saucepan, stir together cocoa, hot water, salt and sugar. Keep stirring all the ingredients until it starts to boil and continue to stir for a minute. Pour in the milk, but don’t let it come to a boil. Add the vanilla and stir, then remove the pan from heat. Serve hot.
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Baked Stuffed Moose Heart This is a traditional Christmastime meal in many parts of Newfoundland and Labrador. (from EverydayRecipes.ca)
1 moose heart 1 onion, chopped 1 tsp savoury 1 cup breadcrumbs 1/4 cup melted butter Salt & pepper to taste 1/2 tsp mixed poultry spice Fat pork strips
Wash heart and soak overnight in baking soda and water. Clean out vessels inside. Prepare dressing by combining onion, savoury, breadcrumbs, melted butter, salt & pepper and poultry spice. Stuff heart with dressing. Skewer, sew up or tie with line. Place heart in a baking pan and put strips of fat pork over it. Add a little water to the pan and cover. Bake at 325°F for 3 hours. Baste occasionally.
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Spicy Cheese Ball Alicia Brennan, Operations Manager
1 block cream cheese 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce Taco seasoning or cayenne pepper 1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese, grated 1 box crackers (or nachos), crushed
Let cream cheese sit at room temperature for 15-20 min. In medium bowl, mix cream cheese and Worcestershire sauce using a spatula. Once the cream cheese is softened, mix in seasoning. (The amount of seasoning will depend on how spicy you want the cheese ball to be.) Mix in cheddar cheese. Use wax paper and plastic wrap to cover the cheese mixture and form it into a half sphere. Place on serving tray. Cover the ball with crushed crackers or nachos. Garnish plate with anything colourful (i.e. peppers, fruit, carrots etc.). Refrigerate once made and let stand 20-30 minutes at room temperature before serving. Serve with crackers or nachos.
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Raisin Bread A treat any day, raisin bread is paired with salt fish and hot cocoa on Christmas Eve in some households. (from EverydayRecipes.ca) 1 1/4 cups warm water 2 tbsp white sugar 2 envelopes dry yeast 1 1/4 cups molasses 2 beaten eggs 1 cup warm milk 1 1/4 tsp salt 1 tsp cinnamon 7-8 cups flour 2 cups raisins 3/4 cup melted butter
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In a large bowl, combine water and sugar; whisk in yeast. Let sit undisturbed in a warm place until it froths (10-15 minutes). Once yeast is ready, add molasses, eggs, milk, salt, cinnamon and four cups of flour; stir until very smooth. Mix in raisins and all but one cup of remaining flour. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, adding reserved flour as needed. Cover with plastic wrap and keep warm for 60-90 minutes; punch down dough and let rest for 15 minutes. Grease 3 bread pans with cooking spray. Divide dough into three equal loaves and place in pans. Cover dough and set in warm place until dough rises to 1 1/2"-2" over top of bread pans (takes about 1 1/2-3 hours). Bake at 375°F for about 35 minutes, until crust is dark golden. To check doneness, take a loaf out of the pan, turn it upside down and knock on the bottom. If it sounds distinctly hollow, it’s done. Cool bread on wire racks. December 2018
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Emily’s Meat Pie My mother-in-law makes dozens of these every year for friends, family and neighbours. Everyone looks forward to them and have grown to expect them every year around Christmas. It gets pretty tangly among the siblings when someone eats the last piece or doesn’t get the same number of pies! Of course, she makes this by heart, not by recipe. With her guidance, here are the steps I took to try my hand at these this year (and I’m told by coworkers that it was delicious!). This recipe makes three to four pies, depending on how much filling you desire in each pie. - Tiffany Boone, Marketing Director
Filling Two cans corned beef One piece salt meat 1 lb beef / moose steak 6 carrots 8 potatoes 1 turnip Pepper to taste (if your salt meat does its job, you will NOT need extra salt)
Make the Filling Place salt meat into a large pot with just enough water to cover meat. Boil for about 30 minutes or until meat is cooked. While salt meat is boiling, peel and dice the carrots, potatoes and turnip. Place 2/3 cup water in the freezer to get it ready for when you prepare your pastry. Brown beef/moose in a frypan and cook to your liking. Remove from pan and cut into small pieces. When salt meat is cooked, remove from pot and cut meat into small pieces. Reserve the water. Taste water; if too salty, replace some 94
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Pastry 4 cups all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder Pinch of salt 1 1/2 cups butter, separated 2/3 cup ice cold water
water with fresh water. Set the water to boil. While pot is heating, prep pastry (directions below) and place in the refrigerator to chill. When water boils, add veggies. Make sure there is only enough water to just cover your vegetables. Cook until vegetables are tender. Meanwhile, shred salt meat and beef/moose with a food processor. Toss into a big bowl and add cans of corned beef. Mix thoroughly. Once veggies are cooked, drain them and add to the bowl of meat. Lightly 1-888-588-6353
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mash your veggies, but not completely. Mix thoroughly with meat. Add pepper to taste. Make the Pastry Place dry ingredients into a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Gradually add 1 cup butter – you can use a mixer, but mixing by hand ensures you don’t overdo it. Gradually add the ice cold water until a smooth dough is formed; stop adding water if your mixture becomes too sticky. Wrap dough into 3-4 evenly shaped balls and cover with plastic wrap. Chill dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Remove pastry from the refrigerator and separate each ball into two pieces, one for your bottom crust www.downhomelife.com
and one for your top crust. Roll out crusts to fit your pie plates. Assembly Once your filling is ready and pie crusts are rolled and ready, fit one crust to the bottom of each pie plate. Add desired amount of filling (avoid putting filling on the edge of your pie crust) and add your top crusts. Pinch together the edges of your pie crust with damp fingers or a wetted fork. Melt remaining 1/2 cup butter and generously brush it on the top of crusts. Bake pies at 355°F for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Pies can be eaten warm or cold, and can even be frozen and taken out to thaw for a later meal. December 2018
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Mac ’n’ Cheese Every Christmas Eve we have a feed of Mac ’n’ Cheese. The secret to its deliciousness is the old cheddar. - Tobias Romaniuk, Special Publications Editor
2 cups elbow macaroni 3 tbsp margarine 1/4 cup flour 2 cups milk 2 1/2 cups old cheddar cheese 1/3 cup fresh bread crumbs
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions. Over medium heat, melt margarine in a large saucepan, then stir in the flour. Stir for one minute, then add milk, stirring and cooking until thickened (five minutes should do it). Add 2 cups of the old cheddar, stirring until the cheese has melted. Add the macaroni, stirring until the pasta is coated. Pour it all into a greased casserole dish, cover with the remaining cheese, sprinkle on the breadcrumbs, and bake until golden brown (about 20 minutes). Broil for an additional 5-10 minutes to brown the cheese (but watch it carefully so it doesn’t burn).
Hashbrown Casserole
Amanda Ricks, Senior Administrative Assistant
2 small pkgs frozen hashbrowns (thawed) 1 (250 ml) tub sour cream 1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/2 onion, chopped 2 cups grated cheddar cheese 2 cups cornflake crumbs 1/2 cup butter
Combine the hashbrowns, sour cream, soup, onion and cheese. Spread evenly in a baking dish. Mix together crumbs and butter; spread over top of casserole. Bake at 350°F for 45 minutes. 96
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No-Bake Pineapple Snowballs Marlena Grant, Junior Accountant
1 (8oz) block cream cheese, softened 1 (8oz) can crushed pineapple, well drained
1 cup chopped pecans 3 cups flaked coconut
Combine cream cheese and pineapple; mix well. Fold in pecans. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Roll balls in coconut. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Makes 2 dozen.
Sylvia’s Cherry Cake 8 oz cream cheese 1 cup butter 1 1/2 cups sugar 4 eggs 1 1/2 tsp vanilla flavouring
Sylvia Carter (EverydayRecipes.ca)
1 1/2 tsp almond flavouring 1 1/2 tsp lemon flavouring 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 1/4 cups flour 1 lb cherries, pitted
Cream together cream cheese, butter, sugar and eggs. Add flavouring, baking powder and flour. Lastly add cherries. Pour batter into greased and floured tube pan. Bake at 350°F for 1 hour.
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Boiled Dark Fruit Cake
Ruby Cabot (EverydayRecipes.ca)
1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 pkg raisins 1/2 pkg mixed peel 1 pkg currents 1 cup nuts, chopped 1 cup dates, chopped 1 tsp allspice 1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cloves 2 1/2 cups water 3 tsp baking soda 3 cups flour 1 tsp vanilla
Boil first 11 ingredients for 15 minutes. Let cool. Add baking soda; beat well. Add flour and vanilla. Pour batter into a greased and parchmentpaper lined tube pan. Bake at 300°F for approximately 2 1/2 hours.
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Seven Layer Dip This popular dish is a real party pleaser, easy to serve to your own guests or bring to a potluck. (from EverydayRecipes.ca) 2 pkgs cream cheese, softened 1/2 cup sour cream 1 cup mayonnaise 1 1/2 lbs ground moose or beef 1 1/2 cups chunky salsa 2 red peppers, diced 2 green peppers, diced 3-4 green onions, diced 1 (600g) block marble cheese, grated
NL Slush
Bertha Smith (EverydayRecipes.ca)
1 can frozen orange juice 1 can frozen lemonade 1 flask vodka or gin 1 cup hot water 1 cup sugar 7-UP or ginger ale
Mix all ingredients except soda in a bowl. Transfer to clean beef bucket and freeze. Serve individual drinks mixed with 7-Up or ginger ale.
In a large bowl, cream together softened cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise until smooth. Spread over the bottom of a large rectangular glass dish. In a frying pan, brown meat and cook completely, drain fat and let meat cool. Add browned meat to dish as second layer. Follow with a layer each of red peppers, green peppers and green onions. Smooth salsa over the top. Cover the salsa layer with the grated marble cheese. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve this dish cold or warm (heated slightly in the microwave or oven), with nacho chips for dipping.
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Eggnog
Danielle Flynn (EverydayRecipes.ca)
6 eggs, separated 1 cup sugar 2 cups heavy cream 2 cups milk 1 tbsp vanilla extract 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
In large bowl, beat egg whites until fluffy; add 1/2 cup sugar. In another bowl, beat yolks until creamy; add 1/2 cup sugar. Fold egg whites into beaten yolks. Stir in cream, milk, vanilla and nutmeg. Refrigerate before serving. 1-888-588-6353
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food & leisure
Know a homesick expat? With Christmas just around the corner, we got to thinking about our friends and family members who we wish we could bring home to Newfoundland and Labrador for the holidays. And if we can’t do that, then the next best thing is to ship some “home” to them. We looked around our Downhome Shoppe and online at ShopDownhome.com, and asked the crowd on Facebook for the best things to fill care packages and stuff stockings with NL nostalgia. Here’s a handy list of what we found:
Newfoundland Shaped Cookie Cutter What would be sweeter than a sugar cookie shaped like the island of Newfoundland?
Mini Knit Sock Ornament
They’ll think warm thoughts of home when they hang this on their mainland tree.
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Sealskin Coin Purse
It’s good luck to put a coin in a purse before you gift it – make it extra special with a Newfoundland penny, for their thoughts.
Indigena Lip Balm
Home is never far from their minds, and this locally made product will keep it on their lips, too.
Cod Ear Earrings
With these, she can make a fashion statement that says “proud of my fishing heritage.”
Mummer Wine Glasses
Delightfully hand-painted, these are perfect to hold some Christmas cheer.
Say It with Chocolate
A sweet reminder of home, every bite of these Newfoundland Chocolate Company bars begins by unwrapping a familiar fun phrase.
www.downhomelife.com
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Jams from Dark Tickle
Spread the love for home with the wonderful taste of bakeapple and partridgeberry jam.
Row House Shot Glasses
Paint the town jellybean colours and make festive cocktails using these hand-painted shot glasses.
Pooch Perfect
Let your furry friend flaunt his or her ties to the Rock with these specially designed collars and leashes or strut their canine stuff with a Newfoundland tartan bandana.
Purity Presents
From syrup to salt fish, Jam-Jams to Hard Bread, and Kisses to Peppermint Nobs, Purity is the quintessential Newfoundland and Labrador food company. A care package from home is just not complete without some Purity inside.
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Sweet Tastes of Childhood
There are certain treats that every Newfoundlander and Labradorian has a sweet tooth for: Barrel Candy, Tunnock’s Snowball’s, Caramel Log bars and Saltwater Taffy. (And on the salty side, Hawkins Cheezies and Roast Chicken chips.)
Thirst for Home
For those who love their “pop” culture, send them some hard-to-get soda flavours: Crush pineapple, White Cream Soda and Birch Beer. (And, if you’re allowed, Blue Star or other locally bottled beer.)
Meats They Miss
Homemade and Heartfelt
Any dyed-in-the-wool Newfoundlander or Labradorian would melt at the gift of hand-knit mitts, socks, a sweater or a salt-and-pepper hat. And you’ll never go wrong with home-baked goodies, like molasses buns, raisin tea buns, Mom’s bread or partridgeberry pie (just don’t forget the Fussel’s cream!). www.downhomelife.com
Yes, Virginia, there are those who love their Vienna sausages, as well as their bologna, salt beef and salt pork. Add to that their moose sausages and burgers, bottled rabbit, seal flippers, salt fish and dried caplin. If you know your expat, you know what’s best to put in a cooler container for shipping upalong. (And for goodness sake, don’t forget to put in a package of Newfoundland Savoury, some split peas and a pudding bag!)
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food & leisure down to earth
Deck the
Garden Outdoor trees and shrubs for Christmas decoration. By Ross Traverse
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Christmas decorating
can be expensive and time-consuming year after year. Why not grow your own trees and shrubs that can be used for decoration? Plant them this coming spring and enjoy them for years to come. For example, a balsam fir tree planted outside makes an attractive ornamental tree all year-round and even more so when decorated at Christmas time. If outdoor plants are planted in the right location, they can be viewed and enjoyed from inside the house, especially when the weather is bad. Branches from established trees and shrubs can be used both inside and outside for Christmas decoration. Here are a few of the traditional trees and shrubs that can be planted on your property to enjoy all year-round and be used for festive styling around your home.
Balsam Fir The balsam fir is native to Newfoundland and Labrador and is the traditional evergreen tree that is cut and brought inside to decorate at Christmas. This tree can be easily transplanted from the wild into the landscape around your house. You should select a tree that is growing in an open, exposed area because it is already adapted to the wind. Smaller balsam fir (2-3 feet tall) will be more successfully transplanted than larger ones. In fact, a smaller transplanted tree will grow faster than a larger one in the long run. Spring is the best time to transplant trees. This is done just after the ground thaws out but before new growth starts. Select a balsam fir with dark green colour and good top growth. Try and get as much of the root as possible to transfer, as well as organic matter underneath the forest floor www.downhomelife.com
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where it was growing to mix with the soil where the tree is to be transplanted. The microorganisms in this organic matter helps stimulate the tree’s growth. Water the tree every few days during the growing season if the weather is dry. Balsam fir can be pruned to stimulate dense growth and kept at the size that you want. This is done by removing the tips of the branches and the top in August or September.
Holly Holly shrubs are commonly associated with Christmas. Holly has religious significance in that the prickly leaves are said to represent the crown of thorns and the red berries represent drops of blood shed by Jesus because of the thorns. In Scandinavia, the shrub is known as Christ Thorn. There are male and female plants of the holly shrub. You need two plants for pollination in order to get the berries. One male plant is sufficient to pollinate five or six female plants. You can identify the sex of the plant from the flowers produced in the spring. The female flower has a green centre, which is the start of the holly berry. This green centre is absent on the male plant. Nursery-grown holly shrubs are sold in containers to be transplanted in the garden. It is important to keep the newly planted shrubs watered every 108
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day or so until the plant gets established with new roots. Plant the holly in welldrained soil that has been improved with organic matter and lime. After a few weeks, saturate the soil around the plant with a soluble fertilizer like 20–20–20. Apply organic mulch, such as compost. Established plants should be fertilized every spring with a generalpurpose fertilizer. The beautiful red berries and evergreen leaves are very attractive during the winter, so it is best to plant them where they can be viewed from your window rather than up against the house foundation. A group of several plants will eventually give a good permanent display. The most common variety of holly hardy enough for our climate is the Blue Prince and Blue Princess. There is no need to wrap these shrubs during the winter, except maybe the first year after planting. You may need to provide a sturdy, permanent support inside the branches of the shrubs to prevent snow damage. Holly shrubs should be pruned 1-888-588-6353
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every spring to keep them nice and compact, and to prevent winter damage. Long branches that have come in above the main plant should be removed. Pruning can also be done in December, when you want to bring branches inside for Christmas decoration. They will dry out quickly, so it is best to keep them in water or spray them with a fine mist every day or so. Holly plants grown in containers can be purchased during the Christmas season. They must be kept watered and then kept in a cold, sunny place, like a greenhouse, until they can be planted outside in the summer. (By the way, the red berries on these small plants that you buy are artificial decoration just for Christmas.)
Ivy Vine The evergreen vine called Baltic Ivy is usually quite hardy in our climate. It clings to something to support itself as it grows (said to symbolize the need to cling to God for support), providing an attractive background to decorate for Christmas. The evergreen vine can also be cut and used in Christmas flower arrangements. Baltic Ivy can be grown as an evergreen ground cover or as a climbing vine to cover walls, tree trunks or fences. It can be used to make a www.downhomelife.com
chain-link fence look like an evergreen hedge. Baltic Ivy can also be grown in containers. The vines root very easily to make new plants and can be pruned anytime. Nursery-grown plants can be purchased in containers and planted anytime during the growing season. The soil should be improved with organic matter and lime. A general-purpose fertilizer applied in the spring will help stimulate the growth and keep it dark green.
Native Trees and Shrubs Many native trees and shrubs can be cut and used for Christmas decorating. Wild rose plants have attractive rose hips that can be used in flower arrangements. The red osier dogwood branches are used for their attractive red colour. Small juniper (larch) trees make unique Christmas trees that can be used inside or out. Pine and spruce cones can easily be collected and used for decoration. Just browse the Internet and social media sites like Pinterest and you’ll find endless decorating ideas using plant material from your own backyard or in the wild. Ross Traverse has been a horticultural consultant to gardeners and farmers for more than 40 years. downtoearth @downhomelife.com
Got a gardening question for Ross?
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We’re wasting no time preparing for the next Downhome Calendar, . . . and neither should you!
Submit your best photos of scenery, activities and icons that illustrate the down-home lifestyle. We’re looking for a variety of colourful subjects – outports, heritage animals, laundry lines, historic sites, seascapes, hilltop views and so much more – and photos from all four seasons. In addition to free calendars and a one-year subscription to Downhome for all those chosen for the calendar, one lucky winner will receive a free trip for four aboard O’Brien’s famous whale and bird boat tours! Here’s how to submit: online: www.downhomelife.com/calendar by mail: Downhome Calendar Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3
Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi, files sizes of about 1MB Must be original photos or high quality copies. 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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reminiscing flashbacks
Tinsel Time Taken in 1967, these cuties are the submitter’s niece and nephew, Danielle (19 months) and Kevin Rice (8 months). A military family, they had just returned from overseas and were living in Prince Edward Island during the holidays. Glenys Yorke, Uxbridge, ON
Christmas Morning (l-r) Sandra Miller (Flowers), Elaine Miller (Rogers) and Marlene Miller (Brennan) were visiting the home of Garfield and Lillian Rogers, the submitter’s grandparents, in Trinity, Bonavista Bay, NL in the mid1960s. Sandra Flowers, Rigolet, NL
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Class Christmas This is a vintage photo of the Grade 5 class in Hare Bay, Bonavista Bay, NL. Front row (l-r): Rita Roberts, Fred Wilkins, Bobby Collins, Maxine Saunders, Beulah Collins. Second row (l-r): Rosalyn Colbourne, Wayne Howse, Wilson Saunders, Fronie Vivian, Boyd Way, Clifford Collins, Willie Saunders, Domino Wilkins, Richard Parsons, Michael Ennis, Eliza Parsons, Winnie Saunders. Third row (l-r): Sylvia Colbourne, Priscilla Keats, Vila Curtis, unknown, Ross Collins, Cecil Curtis, possibly Lloyd Glover, Lloyd Collins, Whitefield Howse, Donald Boone. Mary Wells was their teacher. Maxine (Saunders) Vaders, Gander, NL
This Month in History Some historic records indicate that the first Jewish person to live in Newfoundland and Labrador was Simon Solomon. According to The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, Solomon had arrived in St. John’s by 1792, and he went on to establish a jewelry and watch-making business on Water Street. In 1805, Governor Erasmus Gower appointed Solomon as Newfoundland’s first postmaster, a position that came with an annual salary of £30 to £40. Out of necessity, Solomon carved a handmade stamp to use on the letters he received. By 1814, his services as postmaster were so in-demand he was no longer able deliver the mail he was sent. Instead, he posted a list of letters he’d received outside his shop, which people could consult. On December 8, 1839, Solomon passed away and his son took over the role of postmaster. 1-888-588-6353
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reminiscing visions & vignettes
Gnat, do you mind…
Dogcat and Cake? Another wild adventure with two young scalawags in an imaginary, yet typical, outport of a bygone era By Harold N. Walters
Harry’s new dogcat was robin’s egg blue. Against the fresh snow it looked like a splinter of summer sky. Harry stood behind the rear bunk, his hands lodged on the sled’s horns, poised and ready to begin the race. Ah, the race… On Monday morning, Miss Britt had rapped her desk for attention and announced to her classes, “I have a wonderful idea. Let’s bake a Christmas cake.” All the girls – Sally first, Harry believed – clapped in agreement. Harry poked Gnat with a ruler and said, “I loves Christmas cake.” “I ’low you do,” said Gnat. 114
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Miss Britt hushed the students and continued. “The girls will bake and decorate the cake, and on Friday the boys will have a sled race. Whoever wins the race also wins the cake.” “The winner takes the cake,” Harry said, giving Gnat another poke. “Frig off,” said Gnat, but snickered at Harry’s silly humour. In the schoolhouse kitchen on 1-888-588-6353
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Wednesday morning, the girls began making the trophy Christmas cake. Each one had brought some of the fixings from home – flour and baking powder; butter, sugar and milk; cherries and dates and mixed Christmas spices. They stacked the ingredients on the countertop. Carrying a mixing bowl half the size of a puncheon, Miss Britt said, “Goodness, girls! We’ll be able to make a cake fit for the Queen.” The boys, barred from the kitchen, jammed their heads in the doorway and watched a storm brew up between the sink and the stove’s hot oven. Ugly Maude dumped a quarter-stone of flour into the giant bowl. Sally plopped in chunks of butter. This girl and that girl poured milk and sprinkled sugar. Spinning, reaching, twirling, girls and girls and girls chopped fruit and nuts, and tossed the pieces into the bowl. Using a wooden spoon – a sculling oar, Harry said – Miss Britt stirred the batter. Wielding a spatula, Miss Britt then guided batter from the bowl to two baking pans, filling each one to within half an inch of it rim. Every head stogged in the doorway licked his chops at thoughts of the finished cake. “Them cakes’ll be as big as grindstones, I ’low,” said Gnat. While the aroma of baking Christmas cake filled the school, while the girls worried and fussed and peeked through the glass in the oven door, the boys thumped their chests and bragged about winning Friday’s race. “My dogcat’ll beat all of yous,” said Harry. “Don’t crow yet,” said Spud Spurvey. “Her runners idden even broke in. I’ll beat you with father’s old bobsled.” 1-888-588-6353
“My trusty coaster will fly past everyone,” said Gnat. “My toboggan’ll win.” “No, my barrel-stave slide.” “My komatik.” “My slab sled.” Someone even rooted for the swiftness of a sheet of sail canvas greased with blubber. “Dismissed,” said Miss Britt to youngsters hesitant to leave because the delicious-looking layers of cake fresh from the oven entranced them, held them in awe like the enchanting eaves of a gingerbread house. “We’ll decorate it tomorrow,” said Miss Britt, herding her students out the door. Once beyond the cake’s bewitching spell, Harry and Spud Spurvey almost immediately tackled each other, tumbling into a snowdrift and tussling to punch mitts into noses. “Dogcat… bobsled… dogcat… bobsled,” declared the struggling bundle of boys. Neither sums nor spelling spoiled Thursday at school. Instead, those not directly involved with decorating the cake watched in fascination as Miss Britt and the girls applied inchthick frosting as white as snow. Deft use of flexible knives scribbled designs like swirls of snow in the icing. With nimble fingers, Sally and Ugly Maude selected bells and bows from a pile some other girls had cut from a sheet of tinfoil and tapped them into the frosting. Finally, Miss Britt sprinkled silver balls no bigger than buckshot on top of the cake and stood back to admire their creation. “Done,” she said. “I can’t wait to cut that cake,” said Harry. “I ’low ’twill be me,” said Gnat. December 2018
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“I’ll be takin’ that cake home,” said Spud Spurvey. “Boys!” said Miss Britt. Two inches of fluffy snow fell on Brookwater in the wee hours of Friday morning. When the sun opened its eyes and peeped out over the Crow Cliffs, it squinted against the dazzling light reflected off the powderpuff snow. If it had sported a cap, it would have tugged its bib down like a visor. En route to school, youngsters kicked snow before them like spindrift. Sally and Ugly Maude led a parade of girls all a’twitter about the Christmas cake waiting in the school kitchen. Trooping along, the boys pushed and towed assorted sleds and slides. Harry shuffed hard on his blue dogcat, hoping to hone its still-rough runners. Spud Spurvey zig-zagged his bobsled, taunting Harry with its slick manoeuvrability. Gnat’s coaster bumped along behind him, light as a feather at the end of its towrope. Half an hour later, the whole school population congregated by the Big Rock at the foot of the Pond Path. Miss Britt strung a Finish Line ribbon across the path and placed the coveted cake on a three-legged stool just beyond the point of victory. “Off you go,” said Miss Britt, waving the racers into the Pond Path. “And listen to Otto. He’s going to start you off.” Otto Cook from over in The Bogs, puffed and preened, tickled frosty pink with his responsibility. He hiked up the grade, his logans merrily breaking a trail. Racers and sleds obediently fell in line behind him. Half a mile in the path, Otto halted on the log bridge spanning the brook 116
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flowing out of Wester Bay Pond. “Yous line up here,” he said pointing to the wide space in front of the bridge. With a minimum of shuffing and elbowing, the competitors managed to form a scraggily line across the path. “Wait till I says go,” said Otto. Harry stood behind his sky-blue dogcat. His mitts gripped the peeledbirch horns. His knees flexed, ready and itching for Otto’s command. Spud Spurvey spit at Harry’s boots as if squirting ’baccy juice. “Try to catch this,” he said, slapping his arse pocket. Gnat held his coaster across his chest, ready to heave it forward and fling himself aboard. “Go!” said Otto Cook. Gnat slammed aboard his coaster and immediately took the lead. Harry and Spud Spurvey galloped behind their sleds to generate momentum. Then, knees on bunks, they lunged to catch Gnat on the steep slope before the Horseshoe. Olsen Tetford was in fourth place on his toboggan, followed by a komatik, and a boy on a barrel-stave slide, and a kid on an oiled piece of sail. Harry gloated when he saw Gnat approaching the sharp Horseshoe curve much too fast. Gnat rocked to one side trying to adjust his trajectory but failed. Its spindly runner buckling inward, the coaster shot off the path and pitched in the tangled tops of young firs under the bank, leaving Gnat strung up among the branches. “Yippee!” said Harry, slewing his dogcat in an effort to ram Spud Spurvey’s bobsled. “Bugger!” said Spud, booting at the dogcat as it came broadside. 1-888-588-6353
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“My cake,” said Harry, shuffing Spud’s shoulder. “Never,” said Spud, attempting to trip Harry. On the downhill run past the Horseshoe, dogcat and bobsled locked horns. Harry and Spud pummelled each other. Between blows they fought to wrench their sleds apart. Olsen’s toboggan gained on them. The snarled sleds slewed sideways, snow-plowed a spray of snow and capsized into an alder thicket. In the process, a runner hooked Olsen’s toboggan and up-sot it in the middle of the path where a komatik crashed into it. A barrel-stave slide avoided the pile-up but veered into an open bog and stogged. A slab sled simply fell apart 10 feet from the finish line, where cheering girls and the magnificent Christmas cake waited for the winning entry – the only one left in the race – to break through the ribbon. 1-888-588-6353
Cocooned in oily sail canvas, Harry’s little bother, Moe – kinda like the fabled tortoise – slid to a stop a foot over the line and claimed the Christmas cake. Mind that race, Gnat? Moe, the little shagger, wouldn’t share. I had to swipe a piece on the sly.
Harold Walters lives in Dunville, Newfoundland, doing his damnedest to live Happily Ever After. Reach him at ghwalters663@gmail.com December 2018
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As a young boy I received a gift of Edith Hamilton’s (1867-1963) Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes and was fascinated with the stories of titans and terrors, monsters and men, risk and redemption. Ploughing through boxes of old books on a fall weekend in 2018, I came across the much-loved little volume and thumbed through dog-eared pages to the section on Hercules, the mythological adventurer known for his epic 12 Labours and incredible physical prowess. In 1915, in an unusual twist of fate off the coast of Newfoundland and Labrador, it took the strength of Hercules to lift a Swallow. The act culminated in a strange story of a storm, a shipwreck and salvation during the dark days of the First World War. An entry in Newfoundland and Labrador archivist Larry Dohey’s online series “Archival Moments” set me onto this relatively obscure story. According to his research, the schooner Swallow, owned by Albert Fradsham and based out of Bay Roberts, NL, was last spotted on November 15, 1915, in SeldomCome-By (sometimes simply called Seldom) on Fogo Island after dropping off three crewmembers. The vessel, with a remaining complement of 16 men and women (plus the captain), was returning from the Labrador fishery. Sometime after leaving Fogo Island, the ship disappeared. It was believed to have been blown out into the Atlantic and lost at sea during an horrific storm. Despite extensive searches by a nearby whaling vessel, tugboat and other steamers, no sign of the Swallow was found. The worst was assumed – all hands were gone to the bottom. Dohey’s work also mentions the November 29, 1915, issue of the Bay Roberts newspaper, The Guardian, where it was reported that the Swallow’s crew were all from a relatively small
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“… The lack of modern communications technology and general secrecy around wartime messaging meant it was by no means certain that the final fate of the Swallow, or any vessel lost on the ocean, would ever be known.” – Clarence Mercer, Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation section of Conception Bay: “Beatrice Batten, Chas Batten and Henry Batten of Bareneed; Abram Smith and Rebecca Menchions of Bishop’s Cove; John Jones of Upper Island Cove; William Dawe, Frost (girl) and a boy named Snow of Clarke’s Beach; a boy of South River; Ambrose Fagan of Kelligrews; Samuel Kinsella, William Russell, Arthur Greenland and William Russell Jr. of Coley’s Point; and Clara King of Country Road.” Prominent local mariner Captain John Bowering, also of Coley’s Point, was in command of the vessel, so the sense of loss and grieving in the Bay Roberts area at the thought of so many perished must have been heart-wrenching. I reached out to Clarence Mercer of the Bay Roberts Cultural Foundation, to ask what he knew about this tragic tale. “I have heard of the story of the Swallow, but don’t know of any other records or anything of that nature that still exists,” he says. “But it was another remarkable tale of the sea, and our history is very rich with these amazing stories. I don’t really know why the story is not more prominent today, but perhaps it may have been overshadowed by what 120
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was to come. It was a very dangerous and different time because, aside from storms and reefs and all the normal things that could sink a ship, there was the Great War raging. So the papers of the day were filled with news of battles in Europe, wartime deaths, and destruction of ships at the hands of German U-boats and the like. The lack of modern communications technology and general secrecy around wartime messaging meant it was by no means certain that the final fate of the Swallow, or any vessel lost on the ocean, would ever be known.” Benson Hewitt, the Central Voice (formerly of Lewisporte Pilot) newspaper columnist behind “The View from Fogo Island,” wrote a threepart series about the Swallow, some of which was published online in 2017. He noted that while quite a number of vessels bore the name “Swallow,” this particular one was a two-masted schooner out of Bay Roberts coming in at 73 tons and carrying some 1,440 quintals of fish. He also referenced the St. John’s Daily Star, December 1915 edition, as an additional source of archival information on the specifics of the vessel and voyage, should someone 1-888-588-6353
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The Daily Star’s story, published shortly after Capt. Bowering’s return to Newfoundland on Christmas Eve 1915 wish to dig further into the topic. His description of the size matches information obtained from the Maritime History Archive at Memorial University, which gives a vessel of the same name and general description that was closed out of the vessel registry officially in 1916 as a result of having “foundered at sea.” No crew agreements or photographs of the Swallow were on record that I could locate, but who knows what may exist in a family album or old trunk in someone’s attic to add to the story? Finally, just when all hope was nearly exhausted, on December 1, 1915, a telegram arrived at Government House in St. John’s from Captain John Bowering. As if by a miracle all hands were alive and well in Scotland. Captain Bowering eventually told the Daily Star upon his return to Newfoundland what had happened to his ship and crew. They were battered by a fierce storm off Cape Freels and adrift for roughly four days, in grave danger of sinking, 1-888-588-6353
before being rescued by a Norwegian steamer, Hercules, under the command of Captain Christopherssen. Bowering indicated that they were very kindly cared for by the rescuers for the eight days that they sailed with them. The Norwegian vessel, which had been bound from New York to Norway, deviated course and landed the Newfoundlanders at Stornoway in the Hebrides Islands in Scotland. By a circuitous route they all made their way back to Conception Bay, NL, for which, Bowering indicated, “all were thankful in reaching home and not anxious for another such experience.” What came after is not as well known, but it is said they arrived back in Bay Roberts on Christmas Eve 1915. The survivors of the wreck, who had been given up for gone, all returned home to much joy and warm welcomes from their friends and families in what was, perhaps, the best Christmas gift the communities had ever received. December 2018
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between the boulevard and the bay
The Queen of Swansea Tragedy By Ron Young
Meanwhile, the There have been many shipwrecks along coast of Newfoundland and Labrador over the 11 survivors on the years, but the wreck of the Queen of Swansea is Gull Island had among the few, if not the only wreck, where surno matches to vivors resorted to cannibalism to survive. the Queen of Swansea left St. John’s for start a fire and TiltWhen Cove on December 6, 1867, she had 15 people no wood to aboard, including ship’s master, Captain Owens; burn even if pilot, Captain Patrick Duggan; and seven other crewmembers. Among the ship’s six passengers they had were Dr. Felix Dowsley, who’d been appointed to matches. the medical staff at Tilt Cove; two young women,
Maria Hoskins and her sister Jean; and their brother, William Hoskins. In an east-northeast gale of wind and driving snow, the 360-ton brigantine ran aground on Gull Island, little more than a barren rock off the Baie Verte Peninsula. Before the survivors of the foundered ship could get any food or provisions from her, the Queen of Swansea was swept out to sea on a large wave, taking some of the crew and passengers with her. No one in the area even knew there was shipwreck until the following day, when some cargo and pieces of the ship’s wreckage were driven ashore at Back Harbour, Twillingate. Locals knew then that a vessel had been wrecked, but they had no idea when or where, or where the survivors were, or even if there were survivors. Meanwhile, the 11 survivors on Gull Island had no matches to start a fire and no wood to burn even if they had matches. Their only drinking water came from frozen snow, which did nothing to keep them warm. They had little or no food, and to keep from starving they drew straws. The one who drew the shortest straw sacrificed his life to keep the others from starving.
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Their one chance at discovery and rescue came and went without them knowing about it. That winter two men from a nearby community were out hunting seabirds, within easy sight and sound of the rocky island. But because the survivors had found shelter out of the wind behind a rock, they didn’t hear the shots. The following April, Captain Mark Rowsell of Leading Tickles was returning from the seal fishery when the wind died out near Gull Island. While waiting for the wind to pick up he sent two of his crew out in a small boat to shoot seabirds. They crippled one duck, which fell on the shore of Gull Island. That’s how they stumbled upon the remains of the passengers and crew of the Queen of Swansea. “Two of the bodies were perfect skeletons; all the flesh eaten from their bones,” reported one newspaper in Bristol, England at the time. ”Another had three stab wounds near the heart, and a number of slices cut from his breast and arm.” Beside the remains of Captain Owens and Dr. Dowsley they found handwritten notes. In one, dated December 12, Owens wrote: “Did not save anything only this book and the ship’s papers, which are in a tin case now here; and God have mercy on our souls! We shall all perish here without food or clothes or fire.” One of the notes found near Dr. Dowsley’s remains read in part: “We were dragged up the cliff by means of a rope tied round our waists. Not one of us saved a single thing but as we stand, not even a bit of bread; this is our fifth day, and we have not had a bit of sup, not even a drink of water,
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there being no such thing on the island. It is void of everything that would give us comfort. It is so barren and bleak that we cannot even get wood to make a fire to warm us. Our bed is on the cold rocks, with a piece of the canvas, full of mud, to cover us. You may fancy what my sufferings are and have been. You know I was never very strong or robust, and I am getting very weak. I expect that, if Providence does not send a vessel along this way today, or tomorrow at the farthest, some of us will be no more, and I very much fear I shall be the first victim; if so, you will not have the gratification of getting my body, as they will make use of it for food.” In another note he wrote: “Whilst I am writing this, under our little bit of canvas, I am shivering with weakness, and cold from head to feet. I don’t know how I have written what I have, but this I can say, the facts are worse than what I have named. Give my love to my darling children and tell them to think often of my sad fate. Tell them I leave it as my dying request to be kind and obedient to you and to be advised by you in everything.” At the end of his last note Dowsley wrote: “If I had you, or at least if I were with you and my dear children, and had the clergyman, I don’t think I should fear death half so much. I must now, my darling, take my last farewell of you in this world… Your loving, but unfortunate husband, F. Dowsley.” Ron Young is a retired policeman, published poet and founding editor of Downhome. ron@downhomelife.com
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reminiscing
s a m t s C hri s e i r o Mem ’Tis the season of gatherings, fam-
ily, friends and joy. While we live in different towns and different times, all of us who celebrate Christmas share the sense of wonder the holiday brings. We all have memories of that extra special Christmas or welcome the traditions that are revived every year. Here are some cherished stories of Christmases past, written by our readers.
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Sneak Peeking Mary French Scarborough, ON
My cousins,
Carole and Muriel, and I were put to bed early this Christmas Eve. Our ages at that time were three, four and five. I was the oldest and Muriel was the youngest. We all slept in the same bed upstairs in the alcove. From that spot we noticed that the dining room door downstairs was open. We snuck out of bed and crept to the top of the stairs, where we watched our parents decorating the Christmas tree. Our parents never found out about the great time we had. We all kept this secret all these years. Our ages now are 78, 79 and 80.
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The
Christmas
Barrel By Doug Wells, Harbour Breton, NL
Christmas traditions
in rural Newfoundland have changed over the years and some have disappeared altogether. The Christmas barrel at Jensen’s Limited is long gone from Harbour Breton and now only exists in the memories of older residents. The custom was carried out in the community from the late 1940s to the mid-1960s. In early December, the store would set up a large barrel into which parents would drop wrapped gifts right up until Christmas Eve. On Christmas Day, the children and parents gathered at the store to see Santa pass out the gifts and candy. The crowds commonly spilled out of the store all the way down to the wharf. Regardless of the weather, the Christmas Barrel Day went ahead with large turnouts. Children enjoyed hearing their name called and accepting a gift from Santa himself. If there were children present who did not get a gift from the barrel, they surely got some candy. Santa was generally played by Albert Sodero, a funny guy who enjoyed entertaining children. Santa took his place on a short ladder overlooking the crowd at the front entrance of the store. Typical gifts in those days were colouring books, crayons, a doll, a slide, a toy gun and other Audrey with Maisie’s doll 126
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Locals congregating in front of Jensen’s Ltd., c.1950s toys. The memories of this tradition and the gifts received stayed with those children long into adulthood. Maisie (Bullen) Mullins says she will never forget the doll she received one Christmas, a beautiful doll that she still has. Audrey (Jensen) Wells (pictured left holding Maisie’s doll) recalls, “When Santa was finished passing out gifts, he would then spend some time tossing out candy to the children from the top door facing the road. Uncle Tom Jensen assisted Santa in tossing out candy. Trying to get as many candy as possible made for one exciting event.” Joan (Buglar) Banfield remembers, “Besides gifts and candy, there was always a joke played on someone, especially Mr. Bill Herritt, who usually received a pig’s tail from the barrel.” Betty Jensen says, ”It was the highlight of Christmas for us growing up.” Betty also mentions that after the children received their gifts, it was 1-888-588-6353
not unusual for Santa to pass out beer to the local men who happened to be around the store. Pansy (Stewart) Blackmore was a young child who attended the barrel event on a regular basis and always got a gift from Santa. “Most children in attendance got a gift and every child got lots of candy,” she says, adding that many children spent the rest of the day in the Sunny Cottage yard sliding. Pansy compares it to the Santa Claus parade of today – a whole community event. After the barrel event was over, nearby adults would gather at Hermon Jensen’s place for a game of poker. Some of the regulars in attendance at the poker game included Joe Bullen, Albert Sodero and Bill Herritt. Hermon’s table carried proof of an enjoyable game of cards, as it bore many dents from Bill Herritt’s ring. The Barrel Day is no more, but it was a major event in its day at Jensen’s Limited in Harbour Breton. December 2018
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All Dressed Up Ann Bell (nee Galgay of St. John’s, NL) Welland, ON
I was born and grew up
in Newfoundland and left for Ontario at 20 years old to start a new life for myself. I’ve lived in Ontario for 50 years. I married a wonderful man, we have two great sons, lovely daughters-in-law and four granddaughters (not to mention the dog Piper and cat Bella, who both think they are human). Even though I left home a long time ago, I try to get back as often as I can, usually every two years. I have nine brothers and sisters, four of whom still live on “the Rock” and keep the home fires burning for me. December 2016, after a family (party) night spent at my brother John’s (I call him Johnny because he will always be my little brother) and wife Maureen’s, my sisters and I walked up the snow-covered street, laughing and carrying on all the way home. When we arrived, there were four outfits laid out on the dining room table with our names on them. I became Mrs. Claus; Dawn, the snow girl; Helen, the elf; and Joan, the reindeer. The outfits were left for us by our niece, nephews and spouses. It brought many smiles and certainly helped with the Christmas spirit (also helping with that was my sister Helen, who always has a fully decorated tree in almost every room in the house during the month of December). I keep this picture of us where I can see it every day, as it brings back many good memories. 128
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The
Newfoundland Parcel
Marie J. Watson Stenhousemuir, Larbert, UK
I was born in
St. John’s, NL, in St. Clare’s hospital in 1944. My mother was from St. John’s; my father was in the navy and hailed from the Shetland Islands. We left for Scotland in 1945, and I did not return until 1999, but that is another story. My parents had four more children, and the highlight of the Christmas season was the parcel of goodies sent across the Atlantic by our Newfoundland relatives. How we looked forward to receiving the parcel! Lots of times, depending on the post, we waited until February or March for it to arrive. Each day we would come in from school and ask, “Has the parcel arrived?” and, oh, the joy when our mother finally said, “Yes, it’s here at last.” Our aunts, although we were far apart, seemed to know just what we would like, and we especially loved to receive items that were uniquely Newfoundland. I remember, particularly, souvenirs of Cabot Tower and sweets called Lifesavers. Each Christmas, without fail, one of my brothers or sisters will reminisce and say to us, “Do you all remember the Newfoundland Parcel?” 1-888-588-6353
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Journey Back to
Outport Christmas By Margaret Peckford, Appleton, NL
Christmas memories in Newfoundland! I know my pen
won’t fail me now that I need to express a subject so special to me. I grew up in outport Newfoundland during the ’40s and ’50s with a mom, dad, four brothers and three sisters. Grandma and Grandpa also shared our five-bedroom, two-storey home. The innocence of youth and the wisdom of the aged gave us the opportunity to feel the real meaning and spirit of Christmas. Join with me now as I journey back in time… It’s Christmas Eve. The green fir tree is brought in from the porch. In the kitchen you hear the clinking of pots as Mom and Dad prepare for tomorrow’s feast. The rooster who proudly “strutted his stuff” early that morning now lies freshly plucked and stuffed. Grandma sits in our flour-barrel chair. She wears a long black dress with a white lace collar. A shawl is draped over her shoulders and a starched white apron almost reaches the hem of her dress. Her hair is parted in the middle and pulled to the back of her head in a bun. Amelia Elizabeth is a distinguished looking lady who always keeps a watchful eye on the children. The children get their baths in the washing tub and don their new, colourful flannel pyjamas that Mom has made especially for Christmas Eve. Stomachs are filled, prayers are said and children are tucked in bed, while the old familiar lyrics, “You’d better watch out, you’d better not cry,” can be heard all over the home. The older children, with Mom and Dad, decorate the tree with colourful rings and ornaments made by the children from candy wrappers. Delicate textured bulbs, strings of tinsel and smaller gifts are tied to the branches and a star is placed on top. Aunts and uncles visit, carols are sung, and everyone is wished a Merry Christmas. Then there’s silence until early dawn, when you hear the pitter-patter of little feet and muffled giggles in this modest outport home.
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It’s Christmas morning and a blanket of snow covers the earth as if to blot out the impurities of the past year. The children scramble for their stockings, eyes bulging as they look at the tree for the first time. “Is it magic?” they wonder. It’s Christmas morning and a blanket of snow covers the earth as if to blot out the impurities of the past year. The children scramble for their stockings, eyes bulging as they look at the tree for the first time. “Is it magic?” they wonder. Between squeals, each dumps his or her stocking and bites into a five-point apple. There are also oranges, shelled nuts and a few grapes. But tradition stands, and bellies must be filled from the porridge pot. Dad has family prayers, which is a true test of endurance for the little ones as they kneel in a row by the daybed. Soon the tree-stripping starts. The girls are excited to get perfume and pretty hankies; the boys, five-blade pocket knives. It’s a good year if the girls each get a doll and the boys get skates. Everyone always gets handknit mitts and socks, and smiles of thanks go all around. Church time! Their horse Dan pulls the squeaky sleigh over the crystalline snow and everyone is off to the village church. Grandpa is proud because he helped build this house of worship. “Peace on Earth, good will to men” is evident in this quaint house of God. Christmas dinner is special. All eyes are on the juicy roasted rooster; some want a leg, others a wing, and Mom finds a way to please all her children. Everyone gives thanks for 1-888-588-6353
the abundance of vegetables and figgy duff set before them. Traditionally, just before Christmas Day, the children perform at a school concert where Santa makes an extra visit. On Boxing Day, mummering begins. Young and old dress up in costumes and wear masks. Then they go door-to-door, bringing love to all in the home. They sing songs, dance jigs and share the seasoned fruitcake and homemade blueberry wine. There’s special syrup and cookies for the children and hot peppermint for anyone with a tummy ache – probably gotten from laughing at the mummers. Christmas continues until Old Christmas Day, January 6, with storytelling and card games among family and friends. On beautiful moonlit nights, lovers wish upon a star as they court by the garden gate. That same star still shines as it did 2,000 years ago, when a Saviour was born in a stable in Bethlehem. Now that star shines in our hearts forever. Grandma, Grandpa, Mom and Dad are gone to their heavenly home. But all eight children are still living, as well as their many children and grandchildren. Fifty-plus years later, memories flood my heart as I write of the happiness I experienced in our Newfoundland home, especially during the Christmas holidays. It was a precious journey back in time. December 2018
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My C hristmas
Rose By Phoebe Warren, Glenwood, NL
Seven years ago
in the season leading up to Christmas, I listened to a story that changed me forever. I have worked in public service for 20 plus years and that year, that person, that story, changed my life. I love Christmas and everything that goes with it – the hustle, bustle, carols, cookies, decorations and, most of all, the giving of gifts. I love deciding what gift to give, wrapping it, delivering and receiving. That little bit of joy it brings for that moment can make a big difference to someone’s life. At work I was chatting with a patron who expressed her feelings to me about Christmas. Not being too well to do, she told me how she had tried over the years to make sure her son had whatever he wished for beneath the Christmas tree. While doing this, she had gone without and very rarely was there a gift under the tree for her. But it didn’t matter, she said, as long as her son was happy. After she left, I sat there thinking how I would feel if I were in her shoes. Now I know it’s not about the getting, it’s about the giving, but I would be lying if I said I didn’t like getting presents. I vowed then that she would not get up this Christmas morning without a gift. I talked to my coworkers, family and friends, and asked if they would be interested in being a secret Santa. Together we filled Santa’s sack, and on Christmas Eve, I waited until late at night to load up my car and drive past her house. Seeing no lights on inside, I parked up the street, walked back to her house and left Santa’s sack on her front steps.
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I let the year go by without a word. Christmas came again and she had moved, but I knew to where. Once again I made my eve delivery and drove away. For four years, I completed this task and it made me feel so good. The purse on her shoulder, the gloves on her hands, the brooch in her lapel, all made my Christmas. Weeks later someone told me how she had told them about waking on Christmas morning to find Santa had actually left a sack of presents on her front steps. I let the year go by without a word. Christmas came again and she had moved, but I knew to where. Once again I made my eve delivery and drove away. For four years, I completed this task and it made me feel so good. The purse on her shoulder, the gloves on her hands, the brooch in her lapel, all made my Christmas. As the fifth year approached, she was diagnosed with cancer and I was crushed – no Santa this year. The months went by and then it was December, what would I do? Would she be here this Christmas? I wanted to tell her who I was before she died; I wanted to laugh with her, but I was terrified. On Christmas Eve, I gathered up her gifts and made my way to her home. This time, I knocked on the door and brought the presents 1-888-588-6353
inside. We sat at the table chatting and I told her what I’d been doing. Thinking I was going to cry, instead I laughed because of her response: “You ruined my Christmas,” she said, “now no secret Santa tonight.” Our day ended with laughter and a feeling of love I never knew. In year six, Roseanne was still gracing us with her laughter, sick but still funny. Her son Scott is quite the guy – terrified, too, about losing his mom. We tried to comfort him because we love him so much. Christmas was fast approaching and her health was failing just as fast. My Christmas Rose got to see another Christmas with Scott, the love of her life, and instead of a secret Santa, I brought Santa to her. We laughed and shared memories on Christmas Eve. Unfortunately, on December 31, 2017, she lost her battle with cancer. I will never forget her, and I will always be someone’s secret Santa in her memory. December 2018
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A Sweet C hristmas Story Veda (Clarke) Payne, Kitchener, ON
It was Christmas Eve, 1928. Our parents, Herbert and
Flora Clarke of Petries (now a part of Corner Brook), had recently moved into their newly built home with six small children. There was little money left over for Christmas. Our grandfather, who lived nearby, came to visit and was saddened to see a bare Christmas tree in the corner of the living room. He gave the oldest girl 50 cents and took her to the community store to see what they could buy for the tree. Alas, there wasn’t much. She spent the entire 50 cents on candy suckers, which were probably two or three for a penny at that time. After the younger children were in bed they trimmed the tree by tying every candy sucker to the branches. When the children came down the stairs on Christmas morning, their eyes widened in surprise and happiness showed on their faces when they saw their beautiful tree hung with all colours of candy suckers. Stockings below the tree held apples, oranges and nuts. It was a happy Christmas day filled with the love of family. Yes, Cassandra, Marion, Jean, Harold, Allister and Sarah, there is a Santa Claus. Our mother kept that memory alive by passing this story on to us younger children. Maybe to remind us that where there is love you don’t need lots of gifts under the tree to have happiness.
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Sights, Sounds and Smells of the
Season Inga Johnson, North Easton, MA
Love, laughter, friendship. Weeks were spent preparing; my mom would bleach flour sacks, cut them into strips, and then dye them red or green. They were then used to make bows for wreaths in our windows. In memory, I can still smell the wonderful aroma of special Christmas cakes and breads being baked. My dad took us deep into the forest by dogsled to find the perfect Christmas tree. He also made candleholders from milk tins to decorate the tree. The candles were only lit for a few minutes at Christmas Eve. With guests that we had in for supper, we would sing carols, accompanied by Mom on the pump organ. The community would all gather at the schoolhouse for the children’s Christmas pageant, many coming by horse and sleigh with bells, or by dogsled. After the conclusion of the pageant, the children would gather around the large Christmas tree to receive presents from Santa. These gifts consisted mainly of pencils, writing slates or crayons. At home on Christmas morning, our stockings would contain things such as skin boots, mittens or wool socks, and perhaps an orange. And oh yes my dear, the northern lights and the moon rising over the bay.
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Christmas in the 1940s Charles Beckett, Gambo, NL
According to W.J. Cameron, “There has been only one Christmas – the rest are anniversaries.” In my case, growing up in Old Perlican in the 1940s, there were a few Christmases and the rest are memories. Those days of yore were the best of times in the worst of times – the best in the sense of being satisfied and content with very little, enjoying a simple way of life in spite of hard economic times. The earliest sign of the season, as I recall, was the annual school concert, a community event usually held on December 18. Joy, excitement and anticipation precipitated the arrival of Santa and, sometimes, Mrs. Claus. Their exuberance and animation charmed the young and old alike. We’d be in bed early on Christmas Eve and before dawn on Christmas morning, we found our stockings on the bedstead. We would usually get a treat: an apple or an orange, maybe a few grapes in addition to Christmas cake. We would go to the 11 a.m. church service and come home to our Christmas dinner; I doubt if it was always turkey. My sister and I, accompanied by another friend, started a practice of going around knocking on a few doors in the afternoon, asking to see their Christmas tree. Being kids, and especially because of the season, we were welcomed in, shown their tree and some gifts, and given a treat. 136
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After Boxing Day, many of the population went jannying. We rummaged in closets and old trunks for outmoded garments to wear, or resorted to tablecloths, blankets, sheets and window curtains (the latter doubled to conceal one’s face). We tramped every lane and bypath, gave a harsh rap on the back door and were jovially welcomed inside. Sitting around the kitchen there was a lot of prodding and fun making. The conversation was left to those most adept at janny-talk. We’d be given at least a cookie or a piece of cake, usually after our identity was exposed. Once we got overcome with the heat, especially after some merry dancing, we were soon on our way to the next house. As it got later in the evening, we were more fearful of the bigger jannies and tried our best to avoid them. The singular event that involved almost everyone in the community was the Orangemen’s Time. Some 1-888-588-6353
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Two rows of tables were set up and covered with freshly washed tablecloths laden with platters of cold meat, huge bowls of salads and, the crowning glory, a variety of pies, cakes and cookies that had not been seen since the summer garden party. had sacrificed to save a half-dollar for this much anticipated dinner and dance. Two rows of tables were set up and covered with freshly washed tablecloths laden with platters of cold meat, huge bowls of salads and, the crowning glory, a variety of pies, cakes and cookies that had not been seen since the summer garden party. As soon as the third sitting had had their fill and the tables were cleaned up and stored, and an auctioneer had sold off the remaining cakes and pies, folks sat back against the walls awaiting the main spectacle: the square dance. The locals were novices and depended on the seasoned veterans from neighbouring communities to guide them through the various steps. Seated on a chair in a conspicuous, central location, a jovial guy with beads of perspiration on his forehead tapped his feet to the beat of the lively tunes he played on the accordion. Some were of Irish ancestry and were used to the Irish jigs and reels; no one thought it ironic that they were participating in an Orangemen’s affair. Those long forgotten traditional enmities would not deter their enjoyment of the evening. At the end of a set, the 1-888-588-6353
dancers, their shirts drenched with perspiration, stepped outside to cool off in the wintry air, and perhaps intake something warm and stimulating to increase their agility. During the short break, one of the visitors, amid much applause, displayed his tap dancing skills as he danced the broomstick with much nimbleness and skill. Starting sedately, the dancing became wilder as the evening advanced and blood became heated. Toward morning, as they became even more spirited, some women were whirled around with their legs well off the floor, trusting their strong-armed partner would not lose his grip. The other ritual we had around New Years was to traipse around the harbour to the stores seeking their calendars. We were fascinated by the beautiful pictures and compared them to see which ones we thought were best. Those Christmas days and nights were indeed a child’s delight, or as Charles Dickens said, “Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childish days; that can recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth.” December 2018
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Downhome Pudding Bag Extra Large - 10"x 21" #75944 | $3.79
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1812 mail order8_Mail order.qxd 11/2/18 6:07 PM Page 144
GREAT GIFT IDEAS!
Hand-Painted Wine Glass Mummer with Ugly Stick #73794 Mummer with Guitar #73793
$21.99 each
Pewter Ornament Clarenville Christmas 2018 #75461 | $18.99
Cookie Cutter Newfoundland Map #75942 | $8.99
Rock Recipes Christmas: Your Complete Guide to a Delicious Holiday Season - Barry C. Parsons #60474 | $22.95
Rock Recipes Cookies: My Favourite Recipes for Cookies, Bars & Sweet Treats - Barry C. Parsons #75585 | $22.95
I Saw Santa in Newfoundland - J.D. Green, Nadja Sarell, Srimalie Bassani Hard Cover #75853 | $17.99
A Puffin Playing by the Sea: 12 Days of Christmas in Newfoundland & Labrador - Gina Noordhof #53792 | $16.95
A Newfoundland and Labrador Christmas Wish - Necie - Hard Cover #57326 | $16.95
A Newfoundland Christmas - Dawn Baker #43813 | $9.95
PRICES IN EFFECT FOR DECEMBER 2018
• For larger images visit www.shopdownhome.com • While supplies last
Item #
Description
Central and Western Canada. 2-3 weeks USA. Guidelines set by Canada Post.
Delivery Time 3-5 days NL, NS & NB. 7-10 days
isfied, please let us know. We will exchange any item in resaleable condition. Sorry, no returns on earrings, books, CDs or DVDs. If you do not receive your order or it is damaged upon delivery, please let us know within 3 business days. Overnight delivery available: please call for details. Product prices and shipping costs may be subject to change without notice.
Service Guarantee If you are not completely sat-
Qty.
Colour
TOTAL
*
Tax (your provincial sales tax )
USA add 15% (+ Shipping)
Shipping & Handling
SUB TOTAL
Size
$15.00
Price
*
NL, NS, PE, NB 15%; ON, 13%; BC, AB, NT, YK, NU, SK, QC, MB, 5%
Please make cheques payable to Downhome Incorporated and send to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 • Fax: 709-726-2135 mailorder@downhomelife.com • www.shopDownhome.com
*
Card #: ___________________________________ Expiry Date: _____ /_____
Payment Info : ❒ Visa ❒ Amex ❒ MasterCard ❒ Cheque/Money Order
Gift Card to read: _________________________________________________
City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________
Address: ________________________________________________________
Send Gift to:_____________________________________________________
Gift Service Information
Telephone: _____________________ E-mail: __________________________
City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________
Address: ________________________________________________________
Send to: _______________________________________________________
Please complete your order form carefully. Please send this form along with payment to the address at bottom, or fax to 709-726-2135.
Shop online for more selection Visit: shopdownhome.com
1812 mail order8_Mail order.qxd 11/2/18 6:07 PM Page 145
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FOR SALE
7699931
PHASE 1
Nan’s Pantry • Gander Mall $149,000
709-235-9113
cd.osmond@nf.sympatico.ca
Marketplace Marketplace Information Prices start at $50 for a 1 column x 1 inch colour advertisement. This size fits approx 20 words. The smallest size of advertisement with a picture is $100.
Happy 50th Wedding Anniversary
(709) 726-5113 Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353
Martin and Agnes Byrne of Marystown Sep 14, 1968-Sep 14, 2018
146
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Marketplace Movers & Shippers
A Family Moving Families Professionally and economically Coast to Coast in Canada Fully Insured
Newfoundland Owned & Operated
Contact: Gary or Sharon King
Toll Free: 1-866-586-2341 www.downhomemovers.com
SAMSON’S MOVING Let our Family Move Your Family Home
Newfoundland, Ontario, Alberta and All Points In Between Newfoundland Owned & Operated Fully Insured, Free Estimates Sales Reps. in Ontario and Alberta
Clarenville Movers Local & Long Distance Service Your Newfoundland & Alberta Connection Over 30 years Experience Toll Free: 1-855-545-2582 Tel:
Call Jim or Carolyn - Peterview, NL 709-257-4223 709-486-2249 - Cell samsonsmovers@yahoo.ca www.samsonsmovers.ca
Moving you from Ontario and Newfoundland... or any STOP along the way!
DOWNEAST CONNECTION 709-248-4089 905-965-4813
Hawke’s Bay, NL (collect calls accepted) downeastconnection@yahoo.ca
www.downhomelife.com
A&K Moving
Cell:
709-545-2582 709-884-9880
clarenvillemover@eastlink.ca www.clarenvillemovers.com
Covering all Eastern & Western Provinces and Returning Based from Toronto, Ontario Discount Prices Out of NL, NS & NB Newfoundland Owned & Operated 35 Years in the Moving Industry
Andy: 416-247-0639 Out West: 403-471-5313
aandkmoving@gmail.com FIVE STAR SERVICE Without The Five Star Price! ★ Local & Long Distance Moves ★ Packing
Voted CBS Chamber of Commerce Business of the Year
★ Door-to-Door Service Across Canada ★ Replacement Protection Available ★ NL Owned & Operated
MOVING INC. 709-834-0070 866-834-0070 fivestarmoving@outlook.com www.fivestarmoving.ca
Over 25 Years Experience in the Moving Industry December 2018
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puzzles
The Beaten Path By Ron Young
Block out all the letters that are like other letters in every way, including shape and size. The letters that are left over will spell out the name of the above place name in letters that get smaller in size.
D E K E H
B x
T p
n
m
AA
n
C
S
H
m
U
x
H
F V R U
p
E
E
U
E
N
G
S J R A N J C B F O p H m R A D K B U x N p T E n
G
n
O
J R B N
A T
G
S K F B C
V
T
T
N
G
N
E
R
V V R F x
U
A U
Last Month’s Community: Felix Cove 148
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Sudoku
from websudoku.com
Skill level: Medium
Last month’s answers
?
Need Help
Visit DownhomeLife.com/puzzles for step-by-step logic for solving this puzzle
www.downhomelife.com
December 2018
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Downhomer Detective Needs You
A
fter 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: • Possibly named by Portuguese sailors • First artificial fish dryer in Canada was used here • Famous fossil site • Located near the “toe” of the “boot” • Gateway to France
Last Month’s Answer: Rigolet
Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador
by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: Bayview 150
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In Other Words Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.
Last Month’s Clue: Take pleasure in the minutiae In Other Words: Enjoy the little things This Month’s Clue: Exist extensively and succeed In Other Words: ____ ____ ___ _______
A Way With Words STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP PROGRAM
Last Month’s Answer: 12 Step Program
This Month’s Clue
THE TREE GIFTS
Rhyme Time A rhyming word game by Ron Young
1. To steal the dessert is to ____ the ____ 2. A brand of soda for Saint Nick is _____ for _____ 3. To hold up Santa’s ride is to _____ the ______ Last Month’s Answers
ANS: _____ _____ ___ ____
Scrambled Sayings
1. seize the breeze, 2. merry ferry, 3. paler sailor
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.
. A H P Y
E E O P
’
O I E E L L I F I L D K C A G E E N A H D N H P P L E N O T L L N O U H N I P F O E N E T T U R N I S S O L O S I O M V I R S I Y W W N Y R V P S W S
Last month’s answer: Going home and spending time with your family and your real friends keeps you grounded. www.downhomelife.com
December 2018
151
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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four
1. conveyed 2. extradited 3. organized 4. consoled 5. blocked
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
Last Month’s Answers: 1. computer, 2. looter, 3. suitor, 4. recruiter, 5. tutor
STUCK? Don’t get your knickers in a knot! Puzzle answers can be found online at DownhomeLife.com/puzzles
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. For best results sound the clue words out loud!
1. CAPENTAIL
Us Her Cure Lures Awe _ ________ ___
3. IDSJEERSYE
Inn Tooth Hen Heir ____ ____ ___ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Pee Cub Who Ice Hue Answer: Peek-a-boo I see you Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Piece Sun-up Odd Answer: Peas in a pod
A
nalogical
A
2. ERAGIANT 4. DULLVINE 5. CUTLETS Last Month’s Ans: 1. Ferryland, 2. Aquaforte, 3. Renews, 4. Cappahayden, 5. Fermeuse
nagrams
Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue. 1. DAM SUIT – Clue: where good sports gather 2. AIRING MAY – Clue: your pretend friend 3. MOW SNORTS – Clue: a flurry of activity 4. AGE LIP ZOO – Clue: say it wasn’t so 5. CAN TICK SLED – Clue: lit, there be light Last Month’s Ans: 1. flooring, 2. novelist, 3. cellphone, 4. shoplifter, 5. addict 152
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Four-Way Crossword F o re Wo rd s • B a c k Wo rd s • U p Wo rd s • D o w n Wo rd s By Ron Young
Unlike regular crosswords, in Four-Way Crossword each letter is not necessarily related to the letter in the adjacent row or column, but is part of one or more words in some direction.
1-10: get better 3-5: mug 7-97: elaboration 8-6: exists 9-7: pitch 7-10: merit 9-49: works 11-41: fencing sword 14-11: away 18-20: decompose 19-17: magnetite 20-17: ripped 21-25: beeper 22-24: get older 23-26: bacteria 26-6: Ms. West 27-47: fish part 32-35: strong wind 34-32: fall behind 40-20: betrayer 43-46: donated 44-24: beverage 45-41: indistinct 47-50: proboscis 49-47: boy 49-69: knight’s title 52-32: embrace 56-26: hair-do 56-53: in poverty 56-76: skillet 58-28: space 62-32: hoodlum 64-94: time of day 65-5: concealment 65-35: lagoon 66-46: primate 66-63: yearn 67-61: knife 67-70: female equine 67-87: hands www.downhomelife.com
1
2
3
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100
69-67: male ovine 71-75: teacher 73-76: ripped 76-78: born 78-58: appendage 79-99: fish eggs 80-76: colour 82-62: bolt’s buddy 83-85: pelt 85-87: seek election 88-58: split 88-90: foot digit 91-1: St. Peter 91-61: fence opening 91-100: warranted 93-53: later 94-97: rave
95-97: insect 96-76: sister 97-99: golf start 100-10: immoral Last Month’s Answer 1
2
3
4
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9
11
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17
18
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30
S A L E S G I R L S
A R A N I L O U S E
CR I OAD D I R I DE N S A OWD TRE RAL A P I CON
10
F I CE S ADRAH BOOTO R E WO P I L LML CA I R I ATAE F T EMP T EM I N E DHAND
31
32
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December 2018
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The Bayman’s
Crossword Puzzle 1 3
2
by Ron Young
4
5
6
7
8
9
16
17
19
20
10
11
28
24
25
32
22
26
33
34
35
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47
154
15
30
31
42
14
21
29
37
13
18
23 27
12
44
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48
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ACROSS 3. Home Box Office (abbrev) 5. steal 6. pig pen 7. overseas 11. Iron Ore Company (abbrev) 14. “One split pea and a ten pound ___” 16. international distress signal 17. small mutt (colloq) 19. hatchet 20. box of beer 21. ____ Haven, NL 23. lad 24. hide and seek (colloq) 27. _____ Cashin – antiConfederation politician 30. fried cod ______ – NL delicacy 31. shelter from the wind 32. fear 34. real life (abbrev) 35. “__ ___ along that very stone where oft times we played” 36. Bay __ Islands 38. scavenge the beach 39. tidbits of information 42. backwater (colloq) 44. “home of the brave” 46. conceited 47. henhouse 48. “never scald your lips with _______ man’s porridge” DOWN 1. BC fruit brought in for the holidays (colloq) 2. mummer’s steed (colloq) 4. Little __ Peep 8. Think outside of it 9. Harry Hibbs’ instrument 10. two-wheeled cart (colloq) 11. winter sled with a sail 12. all right 13. Cyril to his friends 14. tour www.downhomelife.com
15. Joey Smallwood’s radio persona (2 words) 18. foolish __ odd socks 21. “I heard someone count, ____, ____, six, seven” 22. in other words (abbrev) 23. “There’ll __ many a dry eye at his death” 25. “Music ____ Friends” 26. Ragged Gulch (abbrev) 28. electrical engineers (abbrev) 29. Labrador or molasses 30. break-time biscuit (2 words, colloq) 33. Regimental Sergeant Major (abbrev) 36. “He don’t know if he’s punched __ bored” 37. cow sound 38. hat 39. make lace 40. balsam tree (colloq) 41. two, to the Romans 42. Bacon Cove (colloq) 43. “__ on b’y!” – not true! 45. “lights that shine __ bright in the skies of Labrador” 1
2
G
Y
M
D
A
D
S
I
S
E
M
H
D
A
P
S
T
O 3
I 4
ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD
5 6
N 7
I 8
9
10
R
11
E
E
12
L
R
13
A
17
U 19
N
O
R
O
N
21
24
D
B
A
A
M
B
R
I
I
S
Y
B
E
L
N
G
P
A
R
G
E
E 32
A
T
A
R
D
R 36
L
Y
27
R
R
O
R 33
E
A
A
A
R
L
L
L
Y
E
I
N
A
T
46
L
F 38
S
L
A
S
E
I
N
G
41
O
L
L 44
O
F
Y
37
W
43
W
B 34
40
A
42
E
30
S
39
G
K
A 26
35
B
16
I
29
R
Y
S
15
P
23
A
31
M
14
22
25
28
A
A
20
O
M 18
O
E 45
A
R
C
N
C
H
47
P
L
A
December 2018
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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2018 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.
’
__ 46
___ ____ 566 5464
_____ ____ 26663 7264 _____ 84769
__ 86
.
___ 843
___ 289
___ 469 __ _ 65 3
_ 2
___ 639 _ 4
___ 226 ___ 663
_ _ _? 688
Last Month’s Answer: Don’t drink to forget me, you’ll end up seeing me double. ©2018 Ron Young
CRACK THE CODE
B
Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance =T Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.
_ _ _ _, kQJR _
l
_ _ _ _ T
; JnpB _ _ _
ZnX
_ _ _ _ _ _ Rm fl Jm _
l
_ _ _
O np
T _ _ T
BL nB
_ _ _ _ _ _
nkKnXf
_ _ _ _ ZQJ m
T _ _ _
BLnp
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ nOOQ ZLkl f
L
Last Month’s Answer: We can’t help everyone, but everyone can help someone. 156
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© 2018 Ron Young
Food For Thought
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.”
lumber =
sceptre =
creator =
immature =
_ _ _
t ik
dumb =
_ _ _ _ _
b h}
_ _ _
Yz h
_ _ _ _
ki
i`
_ _ _ _ _ _
Yz v dkf _ _ _ _
[ i }V _ _ _ _ _ _
sz pdk h
sz vt` vfz
legends =
_ _ _ _
Kpd`
Vp
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _
nf
_ __ _ _ _
fYnv v `
_ _ _
_ _ _
ep`
pd`
_ _ _
p}h
_ _
pf
_ _ _ _ _
Vp
_ _ _ _ _ _
[pet hf
b hf
_ _ _ _
Kz pY
_ _ _ _ _ _;
vhi vt h _ _
_ _ _ _
nf k}iK
Last Month’s Answer: The life purpose of the true social entrepreneur is to change the world. www.downhomelife.com
December 2018
157
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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 MEET SANTA
Last Month’s Answers: 1. Church; 2. Grass; 3. Boulder; 4. Cap; 5. Ern's arm; 6. Hill; 7. Longliner; 8. Killick; 9. Coal Bin; 10. Boat; 11. Sea Gull; 12. Narrows “Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 21 Brentwood Dr., Brampton, ON, L6T 1P8.
158
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HIDE & SEEK CANDY FLAVOURS
The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line.
APPLE BANANA BLUEBERRY BUTTERSCOTCH CARAMEL CHERRY CHOCOLATE CINNAMON COCONUT GRAPE LEMON LICORICE
I Y E Z N A Y Y O T U N O C O C C G
Z R L S H O N E B Z O V L E E I A Z
Q R P J Q E L H M M J P G Q C Z E Q
W E P C S X F E A A Z N R P N Q Q X
P B A D P H H N M T A A T X N A L E
Q W E D J T N S N R S N R C O B P J
P A D T V I H I O B E F B E I D A C
www.downhomelife.com
PEACH RUM SOUR SPEARMINT STRAWBERRY VANILLA WATERMELON
LIME MARSHMALLOW NOUGAT ORANGE PEPPERMINT PINEAPPLE RASPBERRY U Y Q N T O R O Y P M X T G L R W S
Last Month’s Answers
K R L C C C M U E A B T K I P G U W
A T G X L R N T E N S P A G W E F W
Q S K V E X V M C A N I E W Z A Y A
R I I P Y A K H I N U N R Y Z H E K
E A P C N E O R R A A E G F H Z B N
H Z Y A R E U G T O V E A U I E A O
B E S I H C P L O L R A J N G T N E
N D Z I E A A Y V X O T D X B E A L
K S H C R J A C F X S I Y N R N G D
P U L P O E A F C I L P S U U G X J
Y Q W I E Y X C H I W I M Z A I L I
B A K R T H X T R E I U Y Z R G D E
E L T L B Q R B I M Y P Z F Y V Z V
W W G T A F O A H C R R M M I N I R
O E U C C X B U R L W A O N A E F Q
A P A T C E L R L E C L S Y N X Y P
C Q S E C R E T A R Y Y R T N Y C C
O K O L Z C Q R O T C O D T I S X R
E T A X E C R E Y D Z E Y W I O E U
M A B E P U O D I F P Z R Y I N H J
T X M T N A T N U O C C A S Z S A N
E S O R K R U R M Y C I F I J A G V
O S A T E Z Y K L L W U F Z X C T J
O A I S H L Y I R L W E B G Z X E Z
O I G D G D S K Y A K G W D C I U H
E U R L A E T J R E X M J H O F Y V
X U N W A I R E T O N E D D S Y G T
N O M E L A O C S Z R C H H D P D V
N M Y V C N T A R L U G R L C P U X
O E R I M N R G P F O D I X K O E K
U E R Q K P K I O O V A Z R U M V X
R Z A C E B A U V I O U V S D G P C
Z N G P M R J L O Y S J E R E X Q R
S P E A R M I N T T U A C B N U N J
X X R W D R Z U F J R T R E N D S N
D A A E T A B Q C I N A H C E M O U
M U Z N O U G A T N C R L J D K L C
C Z N N L W E L D E R O L R J Q M O
E E C A S H I E R Z D U T D V R G Q
M A R S H M A L L O W H V S U I H B
December 2018
R P A N T O P N I Y W E I B W M M P
D S I Y R R E B E U L B Y O K X N M 159
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photo finish
O Holy Night
This submitter captured the perfect Christmas night in Holyrood, NL. Jason Jones St. John’s, NL
Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share? Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit. 160
December 2018
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