Downhome November 2018

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Vol 31 • No 06

$4.99

November 2018

8

squash recipes you’ll fall for

2019 Calendar Contest Winners

Small Game Hunting Household Bugs Be Gone!

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PICTOU, NS Decoste Centre of the Arts November 6

SYDNEY, NS Highland Arts Theatre November 7

HALIFAX, NS, Rebecca Cohn Auditorium November 9 - 10

SAINT JOHN, NB Imperial Theatre November 13

SUMMERSIDE, PEI Harbourfront Theatre

RIVERVIEW, NB Riverview Arts Centre November 15

FREDERICTON, NB Frederiction Playhouse November 16

November 14

www.buddywasisname.com/tour-dates

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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 Graphic Designer Jeff Cave Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters

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

Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Marketing Director Tiffany Boone

Goodyear, Ciara Hodge, Jonathon Organ, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Janet Watkins, Melissa Wheeler, Rebecca Ford, Darlene Burton, Natalie Engram, Erin McCarthy

Finance and Administration Senior Accountant Karen Critch Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Operations Manager Alicia Brennan Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney

Subscriptions Sr. Administrative Assistant Amanda Ricks Customer Service Associate Drew Ennis 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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80 we ™ travel

Contents

NOVEMBER 2018

52 The First Lady of the House Elizabeth Whitten visits the new home of Her Honour Judy Foote, Newfoundland and Labrador’s first female Lieutenant-Governor.

74 Weather or Not Good weather, bad weather, summer or fall, these rhyming sayings predict it all.

80 Destination: Everywhere A love of travelling, and travelling for love. This is the wild story of Chris Brennan and Larry Mullett. Wendy Rose

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130 She Answered the Call The story of Neatha (Stroud) Riggs and her role in the RCAF during WWII Phil Riggs

weather, or not? www.downhomelife.com

November 2018

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Contents

NOVEMBER 2018

homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor 11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine

12 Letters from Our Readers Praise for Lord’s Cove, in search of longlost relatives, and a happy 106th birthday to Rupert Molloy

22

it’s a small world

22 Downhome Tours Explore Florida theme parks with Downhome 24 That’s Amazing Wild news from around the world

26 Life’s Funny The Church Mouse Orville

27 Say What A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth

24

fog on the brain

28 Lil Charmers Fall Favourites 30 Pets of the Month Season of Fun 32 Blast from the Past Remember Flash Cubes?

34 Why is That?Why do we carry bread in our pockets to protect us from the fairies? Linda Browne

36 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews editor Robert Finley and reviews the book, Best Kind: Essays.

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seasonal snaps 1-888-588-6353

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42

did you hear who won?

38 What Odds Paul Warford’s lottery fantasy

40 In Your Words When baking bread with Grandma Olga, kids learn the secret ingredient is love. Debby Lane

42 Winners Revealed in the 2019 Calendar Contest

features 58 Home on the Farm These veterans of the military and the RCMP are honouring the Royal Newfoundland Regiment in the most unusual, endearing way. Elizabeth Whitten

62 lost arts

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62 Keeping the Flame Alive These local artisans make things people want, using traditional skills that were once a dire need. Tobias Romaniuk 68 On the Hunt The longstanding tradition of hunting small game is as healthy as ever in Newfoundland and Labrador. Todd Hollett November 2018

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Contents

NOVEMBER 2018

88 on display

explore 78 What’s on the Go Exciting events happening in Atlantic Canada 88 History Renewed How the people of Renews-Cappahayden have reinvigorated the cultural and historic vibe in this small town.

Dennis Flynn

96 trivia time

92 Travel Diary My Second Attempt at Paradise G. Tod Slone 96 Stuff About What do actor Allan Hawco, Easter Sunday and the Arabian Peninsula have in common?

food and leisure 98 The Everyday Gourmet Baklava Cigars Andrea Maunder

102 Everyday Recipes 8 recipes bound to become fall favourites 6

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124 a tale of loss

112 Crafted Home As Good as Dunn 116 Down to Earth Bugging Out Ross Traverse

reminiscing 120 Flashbacks Classic photos of our veterans

122 Poetic Licence The Fighting Newfoundlander Curt Budden 124 Tragic Loss of HMS Laurentic Lester Green About the cover This colour-drenched sunset scene – taken in Whiteway, NL, by Sharon Abbott – is what old-timers might call a "sailor's delight." It's the perfect backdrop to our weather lore story, beginning on p. 74.

Cover Index 8 Squash Recipes • 102 Antiques, Ghosts and a Love Story • 52 Readers Salute to Fighting NLers • 120 Rhymes & Signs • 74 2019 Calendar Contest Winners • 42 Small Game Hunting • 68 Houshold Bugs be Gone! • 116

134 The News No One Wants Charles Beckett

136 Between the Boulevard and the Bay Farewell to a Friend Ron Young

138 Mail Order 144 Real Estate 144 Marketplace 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish

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Find out how a hobby farm went small scale with mini milkers, Turn to page 58.

A group of researchers are studying fog in NL‌ and collecting it? More on page 24.

Book Giveaway

Get caught up on our monthly podcasts, available at www.downhomelife.com.

Head over to Downhomecontests.com to enter to win a copy of comedian Mark Critch’s memoir, Son of a Critch.

Contest is open Nov. 5-16, 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

November 2018

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i dare say

“Where’s your sense of adventure?”

That’s usually the last thing someone says to their pal in a movie before they both dive off a cliff or challenge a ghost in a haunted house. Maybe a better question is “What is your sense of adventure?”

In this issue, we have a wide range of stories by and about adventurers in their own right. There are, of course, our veterans. Setting off as young men and women, many of them sought adventure and were eager to see the world and make their mark.

One such veteran, who defied family and social conventions, was Neatha Stroud. Read about her on page 130. Then there are the globetrotters, out to experience every culture and custom they can. Try keeping up with Chris and Larry as they check locales off their bucket list (see page 78). And the explorers, like frequent visitor to this province G. Tod Slone. On page 88 he regales us with another trip of discovery to an abandoned outport.

Life can present us with many adventures, not all of them involving travel. A new job, a night out with friends, your first attempt at making bread from scratch – they all have the potential to excite us with their newness or turn into something unexpected.

What is your sense of adventure? Tell us about your favourite or latest adventure. I bet it would make a great Downhome story. Turn to page 9 for all the easy ways to reach us.

Thanks for reading,

Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief Janice@downhomelife.com

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Contributors

Meet the people behind the magazine

Lester Green

Curt Budden

Lester Green grew up in Little Heart’s Ease, NL, and after retiring as a science teacher, he and his wife were able to return home. It was a plan they’d hatched way back in their university days and it’s a quiet life for them now in this small outport. “We get a car going over the road and we get excited,” Lester laughs.

Lester first heard about HMS Laurentic, which he writes about in this issue, from his wife, whose great uncle Luke Smith was onboard the ship when it sank. It’s a gripping tale set during the Great War. In early 1917, HMS Laurentic was en route from Liverpool, England, to Halifax, Nova Scotia, ferrying mostly sailors on leave – but also a secret shipment of gold. After making an unscheduled stopover in Ireland, the vessel struck underwater enemy mines. The blasts killed more than 300 passengers and crew.

“One story that circulates is that maybe the Germans intercepted the telegraph, got wind that the Laurentic was going into this port and laid the mines after she went in,” Lester says, but there’s no evidence. Read all that Lester learned in researching this wartime tragedy, beginning on page 124.

Like many Newfoundlanders and Labradorians, Curt Budden moved away for work. Edmonton, AB, is where he works and raises a family now, and when Curt feels homesick, the Topsail native writes poems.

“I’ve always liked to rhyme to myself,” he says, adding he never really pursued it until a friendship was struck over Facebook with his wife’s cousin. They’d send rhymes to each other for fun, and it lit a creative desire in him to write more.

Curt’s poem “The Fighting Newfoundlander,” on p. 122 is about the statue in Bowring Park in St. John’s, NL, dedicated to the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.

The statue holds a lot of meaning to Curt, a former reservist with the Royal Newfoundland Regiment and the Loyal Edmonton Regiment.

This year being the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, Curt wanted to do something special to commemorate NL’s history and military service, so he wrote a poem. His friend, artist Anthony Noel, captured his imagery in art. It’s not the first time they’ve worked together, and Curt and Anthony are currently collaborating on a book project.

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New War Memorial

Here is a photo of three brothers, sons of Thomas and Jessie (Heffern) Greening of Port Blandford, Bonavista Bay, NL. They are (l-r) my uncle, Rexman; my father, Frederick John; and my uncle, Nelson. They served in the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit during the Second World War. On July 1 of this year, a new memorial bearing the names of all the local people who served in WWI, WWII and the Korean conflict was unveiled at Port Blandford Memorial Park, under the auspices of Port Blandford Heritage Society and the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 48.

Austin Greening Clarenville, NL

Thank you for sharing these photos, Austin.

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Look Who’s 106!

I’m enclosing a story that was published in the Valley News, titled “Sunapee Man on Life at 105.” The writer has given me permission to share it with you.

It was published last February, and in September this year, Uncle Rupert turned 106. His mind is still as clear as a bell!

Madeline Martin Via email

Here (above) is the photo that appeared with the story by Kelly Burch.

In her article on Rupert, who was born in St. Shotts, Newfoundland and Labrador, she writes, “When Rupert Molloy was born on Sept. 28, 1912, Fenway Park was just six months old, William Taft was president, and there were only 47 states.

In the 105 years since, the Sunapee [New Hampshire] resident has lived through two world wars, endless technological and medical advances, and the loss of many beloved friends and relatives. The amount of change he’s seen is hard to fathom…

“Sitting in the home on the shore of Lake Sunapee that he shares with his www.downhomelife.com

daughter-in-law Jean Molloy, 75, he is decidedly practical and pragmatic about a life that has spanned more than a century. Molloy was the sixth of seven brothers born in St. Shotts, Newfoundland. He remembers working with his mother to farm potatoes when he was just four years old.

“Despite the harsh realities of life in what was then a rural British dominion, Molloy’s mother regularly took in orphans. Molloy recalls one baby girl in a crib that was hanging from the rafters of the house, hoisted up near the ceiling so that the child could sleep where the heat rose. ‘We had that kid in a crib hanging from November 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 Russ Damskov of Oakville, MB, who found Corky on page 45 of the September 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.

the beams so she wouldn’t get cold,’ Molloy said.

“When Molloy was in his early 20s he followed his brothers to the Boston area. He started working at Bethlehem Steel in East Boston, helping to build and repair ships. His wage was just $2 an hour, but Molloy made up for that by putting in as many hours as he could. ‘I’d work right around the clock if they wanted me,’ he said. Oftentimes, they did, particularly as work increased throughout World War II. During that time Molloy became an American citizen…

“When Molloy was 28 he attended a dance for other immigrants from Newfoundland and met Catherine, who would become his wife. The two

14 November 2018

married in 1938, and were together until Catherine died at age 67... They had one son, John…

“Molloy said that his biggest piece of advice after 105 years of experience is simple: ‘Most importantly, do whatever you’re doing, and do it well,’ he said. ‘Don’t half do it.’ He often tells his great-grandchildren, who range in age from preschool to college, to finish what they’ve started.

“Molloy is in generally good health for a man his age, though his hearing and eyesight are fading. He still makes his own sandwiches, always dresses properly before leaving his room and, until recently, maintained a weekly lunch date with a friend.

‘I don’t have an ache or a pain,’ he said.”

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Happy Belated 100th Birthday In August, while visiting my hometown of Cupids, I made a special visit to a lady by the name of Gwyneth (Gwen) Power, who celebrated her 100th birthday on August 25, 2018.

When I was a boy about 50 years ago, I handpicked 15 gallons of blueberries in a single day and sold them to Mrs. Power, who was the local blueberry merchant at the time. I never repeated this feat, but I most certainly bragged about it each year around blueberry picking time. The berries were picked behind the former pig farm in Cupids, and it took three separate trips to get the berries home.

I thought this year, since I was home in Cupids, it would be fitting to visit Mrs. Power and present her with a belated birthday gift of a container

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of blueberries, picked near the place where I picked the 15 gallons for her 50 years ago.

Gerard Noseworthy Gander, NL

Here is the photo Gerard sent to us presenting his “berry� thoughtful gift to the lovely Mrs. Power.

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Looking for my Relatives I am looking for my uncle’s family. My uncle was Michael Whalen, born March 28, 1897, the brother of my father, John E. Whalen of Clarke’s Beach in Conception Bay, NL. I met my uncle for a brief moment in 1955, when he visited my father in Toronto, ON. I was 11 years old. I was told that his first wife, Lil, died and left him with six children – four boys and two girls. Their names were Pat, Johnny, Thomas, Mike Jr., Dorothy and Laura. He immigrated to Lindenhurst, Long Island, NY, with his children. He remarried to a woman named Eva. Their last known address was 111 Venetian Promenade in the Lindenhurst area.

Found on Facebook Deanne Hussey Penny Lane, enjoying a late summer dip in Gull Pond, St. Lunaire-Griquet, while moose hunting with her Dad.

Anne Whalen London, ON

If anyone has any information on this family, please contact Anne by writing to her at 710 Leroy Ave., London, ON, N5Y 4G3. Or send her an email via eastgarden07@gmail.com.

1959 Regatta Rowers I need your readers’ help in identifying this 1959 Regatta team. I believe the team to be Adelaide Motors. My father, Allan Walsh, is in the bow (only his head showing in the photo).

I would appreciate knowing the correct team name, the team members’ names, their race time etc., to submit with this photo to the Ferryland Come Home Year in July 2019.

Jim Walsh Mount Pearl, NL

Anyone with information about the Royal St. John’s Regatta rowing team in this photo, please write to Jim Walsh, 29A Donovan St., Mount Pearl, NL, A1N 2C7.

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Summer of Charlie We had just arrived at Cottage at The Dock, our summer retreat in Bareneed, NL. There was no dock in sight, but in earlier times this area was called The Dock. We were hastily unpacking the van when we noticed Charlie (the name my husband soon gave him), the wild ruffled grouse, sauntering up to greet us.

When taking a rest on the front porch later in the day, Charlie flew up on the rail in front of me and stared me down. Pretty soon he was on the flat arm of my chair. From there he jumped onto my left leg, then onto my right and onto the other arm of the chair! Luckily, I had my iPhone with me and captured this unusual behaviour.

Since then we have had almost daily encounters with Charlie this summer.

He pecks at my legs when I am weeding the garden (being a vegetarian, his beak is not too sharp!). He follows us down the path to our lower garden. He stands at our front or back door with a pleading look in his eyes,

“Can I come in?” To my chagrin he has dined on my impatiens and begonias and a few of my perennials. One day my husband was up on the ladder cutting a branch off a tree. Charlie was at the base of the tree, but from that vantage point he couldn’t see what was going on. Naturally, to get a better view, he flew up onto my husband’s neck!

We miss Charlie since going back to Ontario in September, and I am sure Charlie is missing us in Bareneed, too!

Elsie Watson Markham, ON (formerly of St. John’s, NL)

Looks like you had some wild times at the cabin this past summer, Elsie! Any other readers have great stories and photos from their summer 2018 adventures? Share them with us!

Send your summer stories to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3; or email them to us at editorial@downhomelife.com.

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The Real Deal During my granddaughter Denver’s first visit to NL this summer, we drove right to Signal Hill to give her the ultimate experience of her grandparents’ much loved province. And look at what she found – this wonderful dog “Chief,” a Newfoundland dog! We had a great trip. And Denver can hardly wait to go back again.

Libby Wells Wolfville, NS

How’s that for a warm and fuzzy welcome? Thanks for sharing this beautiful photo, Libby. Anyone else have favourite photos from your trips to Newfoundland and Labrador? Turn to page 9 for all the easy ways to submit your photos and stories to us, for your chance to be featured in our magazine.

The LOL Hat The hat pictured in the photo is the same as the one we have at our Heritage House in Champney’s West, NL, and it is from the order of the Loyal Orange Lodge. They were Protestant community groups. We have a LOL Hall in Port Rexton, NL. Karen Gladney Via email

Thanks, Karen, for confirming the type of hat a reader in Cole Harbour, NS, was asking about in the September issue. We got a similar response from Robert (Bob) Dawe in Bridgewater, NS; Joe Fiander in North Sydney, NS; and Fred Burden in Conception Bay South, NL; as well as readers Peg Chaffey, Bruce Edwards and Selby Noel.

Vivian Butler emailed to say, “The guy at the head of the parade riding the horse would wear this hat. My grandfather was an Orangeman a long time ago.”

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Praise for Lord’s Cove Lord’s Cove, the little town that thought it could and DID! As were many other communities in Newfoundland and Labrador when the moratorium hit in 1992, we were devastated. The life seemed to drain from the place and its people. No more boats in the harbour and no one on the wharf.

It was a tragedy on so many levels.

But we are not blessed with God’s own name for no reason! When the research group at College of the North Atlantic realized that Lord’s Cove has some of the biggest waves in NL and they are constant (always a swell on here), and there was an empty fish plant going to ruin, the Wave Energy Research Centre (WERC) was created.

This is a multi-million-dollar investment made right here in our backyard.

Mom said it best when she said, “It’s nice to see the lights on again.” With this came companies from all over the world wanting to do research. This meant strangers who fell in love with Lord’s Cove and its people.

Of course, we wanted to show off our best features, Sandy Cove Beach being the crown jewel. But Hurricane Igor had destroyed access to it. What did we do? We fixed the road! With the help of so many generous people the first year, we made it passable. Then we went from there. Tourism became the big word being thrown around.

While we worked on the provincial and federal governments and ACOA for help, which I can say have been amazing, a new business was opening up.

Excitement was electric. You could hear it in people’s voices. Phyllis Lockyer and Cyril opened up Nan & Pop’s Shop, The Pantry and The Cellar. We went from having nothing to everything in what seemed like a day!

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November 2018

We have revitalized Sandy Cove, and it is being visited and used by people from all over the world. Our hidden gem is no longer a secret and that’s a good thing! The WERC touch tank offers daily tours, we have a petting zoo now and even horse-and-buggy rides.

Entrepreneurialism at its best!

In my opinion, Lord’s Cove is working as a tourist destination because we work together. If a visitor goes to The Pantry or Shop, they’re sent on to the WERC site, where Nelson then, in turn, tells them to visit the petting farm, and then they’re told about Sandy Cove Beach. We share our colourful history and make sure they know the story of the 1929 Tidal Wave and the struggles that have been here. We help one another and, in fact, try to help others by recommending other communities and what they have to offer.

We have been blessed to have visitors from all over the world, places I have only dreamt of seeing, and they all say the same thing: “We will be back.”

That’s the best compliment a place can get.

If we cannot be proud of where we live, how can we expect someone else to be?

Margaret Mary Martin via Facebook

What a great story of community, ingenuity, determination and cooperation.

Well done, Lord’s Cove!

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homefront Downhome Tours...

Florida Theme Parks

Down on Main Street

Alyssa Brown of Thunder Bay, ON, poses for a quick photo alongside her husband-to-be, Alex, on Disney’s Magic Kingdom’s famous Main Street.

There are Disney theme parks all over the world and every single one has their own Main Street, including the parks in Tokyo, Paris and Hong Kong. The Main Street in Florida opened in 1971 next to the park’s entrance, making it a staple of any visitor’s experience.

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Epcot Excitement Brada and George Tucker, along with their three granddaughters – Hailey, Chloe and Brooklyn Colbourne – take a quick break while exploring Epcot.

Submitted by Stephen Colbourne, Norris Point, NL

In 2017, Epcot was ranked the seventh most-visited theme park in the world, but it was initially meant to become an actual community. Epcot is sometimes called the “permanent world’s fair” because it focuses on technological achievements and cultures from around the world. One of the most popular draws is the World Showcase – 11 pavilions representing various countries, including Canada, Japan, Norway and Italy.

Magic in the Air?

Lauren, Emily, Charlotte and Sarah are being watched over by the dragon guarding Gringotts Bank at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.

(Submitted by Robert Lilley of Cambridge, ON)

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened in 2010 to huge fanfare. It’s a theme park based on the fantastical world created by author J.K. Rowling and recreated in the Warner Brothers movies.

People can step into The Three Broomsticks to try pumpkin juice and butterbeer, buy some sweets at Honeydukes, and then get fitted for their own wand at Ollivanders shop. www.downhomelife.com

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homefront

That’s

AMAZING Wild news from around the world

Fog City

Newfoundland is one of the foggiest places in the world and an international team of researchers is in the province to study it. CBC recently reported on the project known as “C-Fog,” which aims to collect fog from Nova Scotia and the island of Newfoundland in order to get a closer look at it and attempt to understand this weather phenomenon. Fog isn’t just a dreary weather pattern, it wreaks havoc on and poses dangers to transportation on land, at sea and in the air.

Hot Discovery

Last summer, Britain and Ireland experienced the worst heat wave in decades.

While grass was wilting, it also revealed ancient archeological sites, including Roman farms and burial mounds. These were identified during flyovers by aerial archaeologists, leading them to hundreds of previously undiscovered sites.

Could This Spell Trouble?

The University of Exeter, UK, recently announced sponsorship of postgraduate research on the best way to summon fairies and demons.

Researchers will examine spell books from the 15th century, because what could possibly go wrong?

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Truly Aged Cheese

The world’s oldest piece of cheese has been discovered… and rediscovered. One team found cheese in an Egyptian tomb that dates back 3,200 years. However, it only held the record for “oldest cheese” for a few weeks. Soon after, 7,200-year-old cheese was found in what is now known as Croatia.

Four-legged Race

The 9th annual International Pug Meeting was recently held in Germany and once again, Emma has been crowned the World’s Fastest Pug. The four-year-old dog ran 50 metres in under six seconds to claim victory for the third consecutive year.

(To put that in perspective, greyhound dogs, bred for racing, average 20 metres per second.)

Serving for 1,963!

The Guinness World Record for largest serving of noodle soup was claimed by Vietnamese food company VIFON this past summer. It was enjoyed by almost 2,000 people in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The beef pho soup took 55 chefs to make and weighed 1,300 kg.

www.downhomelife.com

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homefront life’s funny

The Church Mouse When I was the organist at a metropolitan church, one Sunday morning as I was about to play, I felt an unusual sensation on my left leg. I reached down to scratch and felt a large lump, which I had not noticed before. Then the lump moved, and I felt a scratching sensation! A moment later, a mouse emerged from my pant leg and scurried across the floor, towards the choir and then headed down the aisle!

Many un-church-like sounds were heard as several women tucked their legs under themselves and a few chose to leave. Then the hymn I was about to play was announced: “All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small...”

Orville Via email

Do you have any funny or embarrassing true stories?

Share them with us. If your story is selected, you’ll win a prize! See page 9 for details.

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“Don’t shoot!

I’m not armed!”

–Danette G. Rowsell

Say WHAT?

Downhome recently posted this photo (submitted by Alick Tsui) on our website and Facebook page and asked our members to imagine what the duck might be saying. Danette G. Rowsell’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!

Here are the runners-up: “Go ahead and frisk me, I have nothing to hide.” – Doug Hicks “Wave your arms in the air like you just don’t care.” – Sadie Carroll-Peyton “Doing a happy dance cuz I'm packing my bags and gonna fly south.”

– Dianne McIssac Johnstone

Want to get in on the action?

Go to www.downhomelife.com/saywhat

www.downhomelife.com

“Like” us on Facebook www.facebook.com/downhomelife

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homefront lil charmers

Fall

Favourites Model in the Making

This little fashionista is enjoying her photo shoot at Gander Lake.

Rexene Lockyer Gander, NL

Loving the Leaves Lyla loves to catch the leaves around Tanya Lake in Labrador City.

Kayla Decker

Raleigh, NL

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Pile on the Fun Don’t let this frown fool you. Parker is enjoying his leaf pile.

Courtney Harris St. John’s, NL

All Smiles Logan Best is having a ball on an autumn stroll through the park.

Michelle Best Port aux Basques, NL

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homefront

pets of the month

Contemplative Cat Are these two about to become fast friends or will one become fast food?

Tamara Woods West Bay, NL

Season of

Fun Sittin’ Pretty

Cookie’s waiting for her owners to take the perfect picture.

Jaelyn Brenton Marystown, NL

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Dog, Leaves, a Trail Scooby takes in all the sights and smells of a fall walk in Gander.

Sharon Gareau Gander, NL

Colourful Crown Could Mac be wondering if there’s something stuck on his head?

Steven Lockyer Lamaline, NL

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homefront

Remember...Flash Cubes?

Imagine having to attach a flash unit to your instant automatic camera every time you want to take a low-light photo. It’s the equivalent of getting up and walking across the room to change the TV channel. But that was what owners of instant cameras did in the 1960s and ’70s, with the invention of the Flashcube, Magicube and FlipFlash, to name a few popular ones. They were more compact and affordable than the glass flash bulbs of the day.

The cube flashes were just that – small, clear cubes that clipped into a slot on top of the camera and had one flash per side. After a flash was used and the film was manually rolled to the next stop, the flash would turn with it, exposing a new flash until all four were used. The FlipFlash was also well named. It was a rectangular tower of eight or ten flashes, and when the first half was used up you flipped it upside down and reinserted it in the camera top to use the second half.

These days we hardly give the flash a second thought, as the LED flash is inside cameras and cellphones, which are so automatic that they select the flash for you. No more digging around in pockets and bags only to come up empty handed and declare with utter disappointment, “I don’t have a flash!”

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Expert answers to common life questions.

By Linda Browne

r pockets Why do we carr y bread in ou ? to protect us from the fairies If you grew up in Newfoundland and Labrador, and enjoyed meandering around and exploring the woods as a child, chances are, at one time or another, you’ve gotten a dire warning from Nan to “be careful of the fairies.” And if she happened to poke a bit of bread into your pocket on your way out the door, you knew Nan meant business.

Whether to entertain, explain away the unexplainable, or to convince kids not to venture too far into unknown territory, fairy stories are an important part of our cultural heritage and help lend an air of whimsy and wonder to our sometimes humdrum, everyday lives.

Here in this province, our fairy lore, which can be traced back to the early Irish, English and Scottish settlers, is serious stuff and it abounds in many communities and coves. Contrary to what their name suggests, the “Good People” (or the “Little People,” as they are also called), are often characterized as mischievous imps known for playing tricks, entrancing people (resulting in them not being able to 34

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account for hours, or sometimes days, of their lives – a phenomenon known as “being in the fairies”) or leading them astray should they wander too far from home; hence, the need for protection.

According to the local lore, there are several ways in which one can safeguard themselves against the shenanigans of the oft-fiendish fairy folk, such as turning an article of clothing inside out or carrying a few coins.

But… bread? What protective powers does this seemingly innocuous mixture of flour, water and yeast possess?

Folklorist Barbara Rieti is the author of Strange Terrain: The Fairy World in Newfoundland, the definitive book on Newfoundland and Labrador fairy 1-888-588-6353

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lore. She says there are a few reasons why bread is the protective charm of choice. For instance, bread could act as a substitute for an unwilling victim should they cross a fairy’s path.

“The fairies could take the bread instead of the person, or especially a baby (so that people sometimes would put bread in babies’ blankets or cots),” Rieti writes in an email to Downhome.

Conversely, if you didn’t manage to escape the fairy’s lure, “you could eat the bread instead of fairy food, because if you ate their food, you would become one of them,” Rieti adds.

The religious symbolism of bread, Rieti says, cannot be discounted. “In many households a sign of the cross was made over the bread, sometimes even cut into the crust. Fairies could also be repelled by other religious symbols (such as medals, especially among Catholics, where there is also an association of bread with the Eucharist host.) Salt (as contained in bread) was another fairy repellent.”

Of course, some of the reasons why folks carry bread, breadcrumbs or “fairy buns” to ward off the fairies are a bit less fanciful.

“On a practical (ie. non-symbolic) level, having something to eat could be crucial if someone got lost outdoors. And people told me that adults might tuck bread or cookies into children’s pockets when they left a house, telling them it was in case of fairies (maybe meaning it, or maybe just an excuse to give them a treat),” Rieti writes.

In her paper “Bread for the Road: Intersections of Food and Culture in Newfoundland and Labrador,” published in the journal Newfoundland and Labrador Studies, Memorial University folklore professor Diane Tye notes instances in which people were advised against munching on this magical morsel.

“In many rural communities, bread helped guard against fairies when one was in the woods, picking berries, in fog, at night, or when passing a graveyard. Visitors, particularly children, were thought to be vulnerable so that a host often provided them with ‘bread for the road’ or ‘company bread’ to ensure their safe return home,” Tye writes. “While some believed hard bread offered this protection, more often it was homemade and travellers were warned not to eat their charm.

‘You won’t get back; you’re eating your path’ would be the admonition to someone eating as they walked.”

Tye also discusses bread’s association with “maternal nurturing,” family and the domestic sphere. “For at least the first half of the 20th century, most homemakers always had home-baked bread on hand, and its ever-present nature made it a convenient protector of both physical and psychological health. Bread was present at every point in the life cycle,” she writes.

“When entering spaces beyond the borders of known safety for activities such as berry picking, bread was a physical reminder of where you came from and, by extension, who you were.”

Do you have a burning life question for Linda to investigate?

Turn to page 9 for ways to contact us. www.downhomelife.com

?

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homefront

reviewed by Denise Flint

Best Kind: Essays Edited by Robert Finley Breakwater Books $19.95 Best Kind is the latest collection of stories from the students in the Creative Writing Program at Memorial University. The last one, Racket, a collection of fiction, was a best seller. Now Breakwater has introduced this new volume featuring works of creative non-fiction. Like the last one, its cover references a traditional Newfoundland food package – this time, the old Good Luck margarine wrapper.

The stories run the gamut as far as style, subject and nuance are concerned. Some are relatively straightforward accounts of events. Others seem to drift into the realm of fantasy – pushing the limits of the creative side of creative non-fiction. Many of them are like snapshots of a particular moment – placed under a microscope for examination, elucidation and, perhaps, revelation. Others are more bizarre, with few concessions to a traditional narrative form.

As will always be the case with a selection like this, some are stronger than others, or perhaps appeal to certain tastes more than others. And some can surprise you. Despite my usual preference for a linear story, I found Joan Sullivan’s “Clive Wearing Writes (and Writes and Writes) His Autobiography” fascinating. A lot of the stories refer back to a past event or series of events that clearly resonated with the author. There is a Portuguese word, saudade, which refers to a kind of joyful sadness. It’s at times like this I wish we had a similar word in English. It would perfectly describe the feeling evoked by many of these beautifully crafted essays.

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Q&A with the Author Denise Flint: Can you explain what creative non-fiction is?

Robert Finley: I think in some ways it’s a new name for something which has been around for a long time – the essay. What it is, is people looking at the world through the lens of experience. The word essay means to try something, but it also means “assay,” as in to discover the content.

It’s a way of leading an examined life.

Folks, for obvious reasons, think of it in relation to fiction, and it certainly can, at one end of the scale, share a good deal with narrative fiction.

There are very powerful examples of this kind of writing in the collection.

But the form can also come close to lyric in intent. It’s a form that lets you hold something up to the light and examine it because it’s not governed necessarily by narrative and necessity for plot.

DF: True confessions: Do you have a favourite story? Which one?

RF: Absolutely not! No, look, the selection process was over three years.

It’s a wildly talented bunch of folks in there. I’ve got a whole file of equally strong pieces I would have loved to include, but I wanted to get a real range of kinds of pieces; so some are more lyrical, there’s different kinds of subject matter, some personal, some exploratory. So it came down to, “I’ve got one of those kind, now I need another kind.” www.downhomelife.com

DF: Who are the authors in this book? What sets them apart?

RF: They’re folks from all over the place with vastly different life experiences. What sets them apart is the commitment to paying attention to the world through the lens of the essay. They are hugely committed people. The work is joyous, but the work they put into this is really impressive, careful and considered.

DF: With all the attacks on literacy we’ve seen recently – the book tax, the threat to close libraries, an iconic bookstore closing in St. John’s – how do you view the state of the writing world in Newfoundland and Labrador?

RF: The state of the writing world is vibrant, I think. Certainly our program is growing by leaps and bounds. More and more people on the ground are doing excellent stuff to which our government should pay attention. I think the urge to tell stories is irrepressible and there’s a lot of energy going into creating forums for that to take place: in our program, in podcasts, in writing groups and workshop groups. There’s just tons of stuff going on.

DF: We’ve had fiction and nonfiction. Can we expect more of these anthologies?

RF: This is a fantastic symbiotic thing that happened with Breakwater (the publisher of Best Kind). First came Racket and, as far as I understand, they’re interested in doing more. The talent base is there and it’s wonderful to collect these folks while they’re still writing within the program.

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homefront homefront poetic licence what odds

a million for your thoughts

By Paul Warford

I’m sure if “You see people interviewed on CBC they’ve won the jackpot and they say, ‘We’re you’ve ever after excited, but we’re not going to let it change our indulged in the lives’ – let it! It should change your life!” This is lottery fantasy, the setup for a bit performed by the very funny Kyle Radke. He then describes hillbilly lottery you’ve included winners from Alabama giving the same television this part, where interview, saying, “Yeah, we’re gonna buy a cheap car and build a ramp on the back of it and then you hand out we’re gonna drive real slow on the highway so money to your other cars can ramp off the back of us.”

When I first saw Kyle do this joke among the closest friends, huddled chairs and candlelight of Halifax’s Yuk basing the Yuk’s, I realized he was right; of course, your life should change if you win the lottery. amounts on I’d say I fantasize about winning the lottery how much you every four hours or so. Do you ever do this while you sit in traffic waiting for the green light? Your like them. mind starts counting dollars you’ll never see, contemplating the stuff you’d do with them. Renovate the bathroom, obviously. Maybe install a hot tub…

I bet Kyle would tell you to think bigger. A zipline from the roof of your home to the end of your driveway, so you can add some fun and danger to checking the mail. Now that’s not bad, and that’s just off the top of my head.

Let me run you through my first few imagined purchases, for comparison’s sake. Okay, so picture it: I’ve finished shaking hands with the Atlantic Lotto people following our photo shoot with the oversized cheque. I’ve heard that if you want to collect your winnings, you have to make promotional appearances such as these. It’s in the fine print. I guess this is to demonstrate to everyone else just how easy it is to win the lottery. And really, who’s gonna say no? “Oh, sorry, I’m a tad

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camera shy. You can keep the $24 million, thanks. Easy come, easy go.”

I don’t think so.

Anyway, I’ve finished posing and I’m thanking them for everything, as if I’m a hopeful applicant for a job interview. They tell me my winnings should now be in my bank account. I walk out into the sunshine (snow, drizzle, hail etc.) and breathe deep, smelling the fresh air seemingly for the first time. Now what?

I go buy a suit, a nice one. After selecting my threads, I tell the tailor I intend to “wear it out” and he can keep the clothes I walked in with – in fact, he can burn them.

In my new suit I go buy a new car.

Maybe three. A car for summer, a solid vehicle with four-wheel drive to withstand any moose I happen to slam into, and one for road trips with my wife. The third car is already determined: a Mazda MX-5 (Miata).

Now, before you go dismissing this as a “girl’s car,” I remind you that these little Japanese beauties are the bestselling roadsters of all-time for a reason.

While I wait for my cars to be delivered, I call the government and tell them to get off my back, paying off silly things like student loans and any outstanding bounties on my head. Repeat the process for my brothers and parents, and then it’s time for handouts! I’m sure if you’ve ever indulged in the lottery fantasy, you’ve included

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this part, where you hand out money to your closest friends, basing the amounts on how much you like them.

Once these cheques have been cut, I walk the dog to Halliday’s, let her pick out a sirloin, drop herself and the seared meat at a kennel, pick up my wife from her job, tell her boss she’s quitting, and drive the two of us to Dollywood. You read that right. Andie has always wanted to go to Dollywood. She actually believes Dolly Parton comes out and waves to the crowd at the end of each Dollywood parade, despite how many times I’ve told her Dolly Parton has better stuff to be at.

Still, Pigeon Forge, Tennessee seems a good distance to test out the new Mazda, and once we pass the Kentucky state line we can put the top down and leave it down. I can almost hear the Pirelli tires rolling…

Then the light changes and I begin to move with the traffic, and I remind myself I have to pay my phone bill.

Reality has its costs, but everyone has a dream, as they say. With any luck, you’ll wake up to your own one day.

I’d cross my own fingers, but I should buy an actual ticket first.

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

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homefront in your words

During the summer months, my aunt Olga MacWhirter, 81, of Corner Brook, NL, often spends time visiting her daughter, Denise Grimston, and family in Brooklin, ON. Although the trips take her away from her daughter Lana Dicks and family in Corner Brook, her time in Ontario allows opportunities to visit her sons: Dennis (Oshawa) and Dana (Stoney Creek), and brother, Robert Lowell Thomas (Orangeville), and their families.

One of Grandma Olga’s (as she’s fondly called by her great-grandchildren) greatest joys is sharing her bread-making expertise with greatgranddaughters Sienna and Raya

Raya eagerly helps to make the dough.

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Pelvin (age 12 and 7, respectively), who live near their grandmother Denise in Brooklin.

Aunt Olga is one of 12 siblings. My mother, Bernice Lane, 91, of Grand

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Sienna has it all bagged and ready to freeze.

Falls-Windsor, is the eldest, while Olga was the sixth child born to Allan and Gladys Thomas. Back in their day, most (if not all) girls were taught how to make bread at a very young age.

Here is an excerpt from “Memories of Mother,” written by my mom for a Mother’s Day service in 2014: “Mom taught me how to make bread at nine years of age; she put the pan on a

All set to dig into these mouthwatering toutons www.downhomelife.com

chair, tied up my hair and washed my hands up to my elbows. She explained the ingredients and after the second or third mixing, I was on my own.”

They were taught well, and over the years Aunt Olga’s and her sisters’ homemade bread became well known to family and friends alike as “melt-inyour-mouth-delicious.” Although my aunt can see very large print and objects at close range, she is legally blind, so the magic trick must be in knowing the feel of the proper texture of the dough.

In keeping with the old Newfoundland tradition for bread-making day, Aunt Olga always puts aside a ball of dough to make toutons. No, they’re not pan-fried toutons or flapjacks, as they’re sometimes called; they are the extremely yummy, old-school style, deep-fried toutons.

These photos not only depict the process and final results of making a batch of scrumptious-looking bread, but also the wonderful memories being made right along with it on a fun-filled day in July 2018. Hopefully, the girls will forever cherish this priceless, bread-making event that their Grandma Olga sealed with a kiss!

Way to go Auntie, Sienna and Raya – job well done!

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And the winners are...

If anyone doubted that Newfoundland and Labrador

is equally beautiful any time of the year, the photos entered for the 2019 Downhome Calendar Contest proved it. Winter, spring, summer and fall, you showed us all. It was a challenge, but our staff managed to pare down the entries and choose 12 winners. The 13th and final winner was chosen by popular vote carried out online. Thanks to everyone who entered and everyone who voted.

Each of the 13 winners will receive 10 copies of the calendar and a one-year subscription to Downhome magazine. In addition, a random draw from the 13 winners netted one lucky person the grand prize: a free trip for four adults with our contest sponsor, O’Brien’s Whale and Bird Tours. Congratulations to the winning entries, which you can preview on the following pages, and to the winner of the O’Brien’s boat tour, Barb Dauncey! And be sure to read right to the end, where we announce the launch of the 2020 Calendar Contest and the prizes you can win!

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January Winner West Coast Winter Gail Rideout, Corner Brook, NL

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November 2018

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February Winner Loves a Good Boil-Up Margaret Martin, Lord’s Cove, NL

March Winner Ready to Unload at Leading Tickles Ryan Peddle, Leading Tickles, NL 44

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April Winner End of the Day at Tilting Jim Costello, Mount Pearl, NL

May Winner Heading Out the Narrows Ronnie Kinnie, Nova Scotia www.downhomelife.com

November 2018

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June Winner Puffins at Elliston Bernice Goudie, St. John’s, NL

July Winner Pretty Pitcher Plants Cheryl Power, Marystown, NL 46

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August Winner Working Boat at Rest Barb Dauncey, Calgary, AB

September Winner Newfoundland Pony Having a Field Day Scott Udle, Ottawa, ON www.downhomelife.com

November 2018

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October Winner Rock Solid: Rose Blanche Granite Lighthouse Harold Feiertag, Kingston, ON

November Winner Fall Forager Nicole Watson, Kingston, ON 48

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December Winner All’s Quiet in Conception Harbour Cathy Murphy, St. John’s, NL

Winner by Popular Vote Seagull Sunrise Mike Parsons, Little Bay Islands, NL www.downhomelife.com

November 2018

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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 winner will receive a free trip for four aboard O’Brien’s famous whale and bird boat tours!

And you could win right away! Downhome staff will select four Calendar Contest entries submitted during this month of November to be put to a public vote at www.downhomelife.com. The photo that receives the most votes will be turned into a postcard. The lucky photographer will receive 10 postcards and $50 Downhome Dollars, gift certificates that can be used like cash to purchase products from Downhome Shoppe & Gallery locations and online at www.shopdownhome.com.

The 2020 Downhome Calendar Contest begins November 1, 2018.

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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features

WHEN WALKING ALONG

Military Road in downtown St. John’s, NL, you can’t ignore Government House and its expansive grounds. And if you see a flag flying at full-mast just beyond the lush tree border, you know the lieutenant-governor is in. Today, instead of walking past the entrance, I’m going inside for the first time.

Her Honour Judy Foote has been in this new position for a few months, and I have an appointment with her to chat about her entry into politics, her new role as the province’s first female lieutenant-governor and the personal touches she’s brought to the position.

I’m led through a hallway and seated in the drawing room.

The walls are pale green, flooded with light from majestic floor-to-ceiling windows. There’s a fireplace and on its mantle sit a Louis XV clock and two framed photos of Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. It’s a setting that wouldn’t look out of place in a popular period drama. Then in walks Her Honour, a decidedly contemporary person.

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All photos Elizabeth Whitten

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“Even after I was appointed and even going through my installation ceremony, it really didn’t hit me that I was the first woman in this position, and even holding this position, until my name was engraved in the board out there,” Lieutenant-Governor Judy Foote says. “And, of course, my husband is the first male consort, so he’s made history as well.”

It’s a long way from her roots in Grand Bank, a small rural town on the Burin Peninsula, where she had no political aspirations growing up.

“It wasn’t a part of my career path,” she says. “I’m not sure it is for anyone, really. I think it comes about as a result of wanting to make a difference and to help others – and, of course, there are so many avenues you can pursue to do that.”

After graduating university, Foote was a teacher in her hometown, then moved to St. John’s, where she took a job with the CBC. She went on to complete a diploma in broadcast arts, radio and television from Lambton College in Ontario. She worked at Memorial University before taking a communications job with Premier Clyde Wells in 1989.

Foote’s political career began as a Member of the House of Assembly for Grand Bank from 1996 to 2007.

Then she ran federally and served two terms (2008-2015) as Liberal Member of Parliament for RandomBurin-St. George’s. From 2015 to 2017 she represented BonavistaBurin-Trinity, and was appointed Federal Minister of Public Services and Procurement.

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cancer survivor, Her Honour was first diagnosed 20 years ago and then again four years ago. Testing showed she has the BRCA2 gene, which means she’s susceptible to numerous cancers. Two of her children have tested positive as well (thankfully, they are both currently cancer-free).

“It’s one thing for me to have it; it’s another for my children to have it,” she says. The diagnosis meant a change in priorities, so in 2017 she made the difficult decision to step down from politics to spend more time with family. It was a job that she loved, she says. Fortunately, she was chosen to be the next lieutenant-governor, a role that allows her to serve again while staying close to her family.

REDEFINING THIS HISTORIC ROLE The position of lieutenant-governor is non-partisan and a term typically lasts for five years. Her Honour, being the viceregal representative of the Queen in Newfoundland and Labrador, performs the monarch’s constitutional and ceremonial duties.

Such standing comes with particular protocols that Foote is still getting used to. For instance, she’s supposed to be the first person to leave any official event – no one can leave until she does. And she is appointed a chauffeur, but Her Honour doesn’t wait for the driver to open the door for her. She hops right out. “But I’m getting there,” she laughs.

Foote brought her own sensibilities to Government House from the start.

During her installation ceremony in 1-888-588-6353

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People have told Her Honour that Government House has a lived-in feeling, “And that’s how I want them to remember it,” she says. “It is a museum of sorts, but I don’t want it to be a museum where you can’t touch anything or feel like things are off-limits.”

May, Foote made women a focus, in part by including an Indigenous water ceremony – a ritual that can only be performed by women. “In this role, I think the message is there for young girls and women that you can be whoever or whatever you want to be. You just have to believe.

But you have to work hard,” she says.

In the near future, Her Honour sees Government House becoming an epicentre for roundtables to discuss the various issues impacting society, such as mental health. She wants to bring together experts in the field and those living with mental illness. “I want to be able to help the government of the day, if they’re open to it, to bring together people and have an appropriate minister sit in on the discussion to hear,” she explains.

High on her list is making Governwww.downhomelife.com

ment House a part of the community. She reminds us that former Lt.-Gov. Edward Roberts revived the annual public garden party. In her first summer, Foote introduced free yoga and tai chi sessions on the lawn, both of which were incredibly popular. And she has the exterior of Government House lit up to support various causes. In September she had it lit up blue in recognition of Sexual Violence Awareness Week.

The House sits on 22 acres of immaculately landscaped property that includes a greenhouse and stables for the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary’s mounted unit. More than that, Foote reminds others that the property isn’t hers, it belongs to the people. It’s a popular spot for downtown strollers and wedding photo shoots. Tourists also wander the grounds and used to step inside just far enough to sign the guest November 2018

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Outside Her Honour’s office, opposite this wall of portraits, is a floating staircase – an engineering marvel when it was designed in 1827. book, but Foote wanted them to explore it more. “This house is a gem and we need to share that history with anyone who will listen to us,” Foote says. So now there are tours of the house.

The new tour guides really relish in telling ghost stories, she laughs.

Once she was going down the staircase while a guide was recounting a ghostly resident – a woman in white who might have been a previous lieutenant-governor’s mistress.

“And I’m halfway down the steps and I stop, ‘A ghost? No! There can’t be a ghost here!’” she retells. “So every night when I’m turning off the lights and walk up there by myself in the dark, a ghost is hanging out here.”

Apparently there are a few hauntings going on at Government House.

While not a believer, Her Honour says, “If they’re here, they’re really friendly and I’m not gonna hurt 56

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them. But it’s all become part of the lore now.”

A HOUSE OUT OF TIME

Government House is the residence that comes with the job. Completed in 1831, it’s an impressive two-storey red sandstone home and a National Historic Site. It’s been the home of every lieutenant-governor since the start, and visiting British monarchs stay here.

Throughout the home there are portraits of past monarchs, nobles and lieutenant-governors, as well as the work of Canadian artists, like the late Mary Pratt. The desk Her Honour sits behind in her office has been used by every lieutenant-governor, “so that overwhelms me,” she admits. “The dining room table here that you see, that’s been here since the house was completed in 1831.”

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One of Her Honour’s favourite features of Government House is the drawing room ceiling. lot but directs me to look up. The painted ceiling is the handiwork of polish artist Alexander Pindikowski.

In 1880, he was arrested for attempting to cash forged cheques and was sentenced to 15 months in prison. For a reduced sentence, he put his paintbrush to several local buildings, including the Colonial Building and Government House. In four corners of the drawing room ceiling is the face of a woman said to be the maid Alexander fell in love with and married.

Her Honour then points out the chandelier hanging above. It’s Waterford Crystal and originally featured candles that had to be individually lit.

“Isn’t that amazing?” she says. “It was all rewired to be electric.”

Government House is still a building of its time and doesn’t have air conditioning. And in winter the many fireplaces throughout the mansion will come in handy, Foote www.downhomelife.com

observes. But what might have been a bigger shock was that Government House didn’t have WiFi. “Four months ago there was no WiFi and I came in and I said, ‘No WiFi? I want to do roundtables. I want to bring in people who’re going to be away from their offices for two, three hours at a time. They need to be able to check in with their offices… You can’t say to them ‘You’re going to have to go to Coffee Matters [down the street] to check in with your office.’” WiFi has since been installed.

Having the Internet is necessary in this day and age, especially for someone who likes to get a lot of work done. A self-confessed workaholic, Her Honour starts early in the day and is often the last one to turn off the lights. “It’s four months and sometimes it feels like we’ve done so much in that four months,” she says.

“It’s hard to believe we still have four and a half years to go.”

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All photos courtesy Wayne Deave

Every morning pretty much starts the same way:

first the pigs are fed, then the chickens get their feed and their eggs are gathered. Then the cows are separated from the calves and milked. It’s a far cry from their former careers in the military and law enforcement, but it is the dream retirement life for Wayne and Jackie Deaves.

A few years ago, after Wayne had retired from the Canadian Forces and Jackie from the RCMP, they moved to a property in Jackie’s hometown of Cape St. George, just down the road from her parents. Jackie’s parents have kept a hobby farm for more than 70 years, and Wayne used to help out on his uncle’s farm in Rigaud, QC, in his younger days, so their desire to have a farm of their own someday came naturally.

“We had thought about getting Newfoundland ponies for years and years, even when we were in Ottawa,” Jackie says. But with city life and raising kids, the timing wasn’t right and the dream faded. It was reignited, though, once they were settling in at Cape St. George.

This time they were looking for an animal that would give them sustenance in the form of milk or meat – something like a cow. And that’s where The Addams Family came in.

Jackie was watching the movie and this miniature jerseylooking cow appeared in a scene. Immediately she knew this was the animal she wanted. “So I just queried www.downhomelife.com

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‘miniature cattle’ and the Dexters came up. And what interests me about them is they’re originally from Ireland, [where] they have the same kind of temperatures, the same kind of landscape, kind of the rugged ol’ country. So I said ‘They should be really, really good around here, right?’” she says.

They had no success finding local Dexter breeders or suppliers online, but then a trip Wayne took to Ontario for a friend’s retirement party opened the barn door.

There Wayne just happened to meet a man who raised Dexters and had some for sale. “It was really serendipitous!”

Jackie recalls. Not long after, Jackie travelled to the man’s Ontario farm and picked out three Dexter cows – females Jemima and Jewel, and male Jethro – and made arrangements to ship them to Cape St. George in the spring of 2016. That was the start of the Blue Puttee Dexter Farm.

Describing Dexters Since founding the farm, four calves have been born. Because they have two cows, every year there will be two more calves. “So they just add up and add up!” Jackie says. “It’s one of those things, ‘Oh no, we don’t have a herd,’ and now it’s all of a sudden we’ve got a herd!”

In comparison to Angus, Holstein Friesian or Hereford breeds, Dexters are miniscule, but that doesn’t mean they are tiny. “Well, no, they’re not little teeny things,” Jackie explains.

“But when you’re beside a full grown standard cow, they are significantly smaller.”

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Above: The farm’s donkey is a companion to the cows.

Jackie calls him “a bit needy.”

Right: Jackie and Wayne, with their growing herd of Dexter cattle. winter they grow an even longer coat, so they love being outside even in the colder months, Jackie says. “When they come out, jeez, they’re kicking and frolicking. They just love it!”

Dexter cattle come in three colours: black, dun and red. The Deaves’ cattle are all black.

These are multi-purpose animals; they can be used for milk and meat as well as labour. Currently, the Deaveses are just milking the cows for their own use and don’t intend to sell any of it. Their future plans include using the cattle for meat because, Jackie says, they’ve noticed a local interest in grass-fed beef.

Their farm is also home to one donkey, 25 chickens, three pigs, as well as three toy poodles. They used to have turkeys, but they turned out to be too high-maintenance. “I named them ‘Christmas,’ ‘Thanksgiving’ and ‘New Years,’” Jackie laughs.

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Blue Puttee Connection The name the Deaveses chose to put on their farm carries a great deal of significance. Jackie’s late grandfather, Eugene Cornect, was one of the young men who signed up in 1914 to fight for King and country as a member of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, and was one of the soldiers who would become known as the Blue Puttees. Cornect survived the Battle of Beaumont-Hamel, though many of his comrades didn’t.

The year Jackie and Wayne started their farm also marked the 100th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, so they named their farm to honour the regiment.

The first calves born on the farm are named Arras and Aldershot – a battleground and a major training site, respectively, for the Regiment in WWI. And when the second pair of calves were born, the Deaveses reached out to the Grade 7 and 8 www.downhomelife.com

students at École Notre-Dame-duCap to name them; they chose Blue (as in Blue Puttee) and Beaumont.

A Great Escape Of farming, Jackie says she enjoys her new routine that keeps her in touch with the land. “It doesn’t seem to be a lot of work, it’s just little routines here and there. And it just keeps us busy,” says Jackie, adding that she actually finds its relaxing and therapeutic. “And I find, like, sometimes of course, life gets on your nerves, things stress you out, and you go ‘Oh, it’s time to do the animals’…

“Sometimes you can just sit in the barn with them for hours, just kinda looking at them. And they all have their little personalities and their little quirks… Something about being in a barn is just really calming and relaxing, away from the real world,” she muses.

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These local artisans make things people want, using traditional skills that were once a dire need.

BY TOBIAS ROMANIUK

The isolated, rugged

and often harsh living conditions in the North Atlantic have shaped and defined our culture for centuries. In many ways, the practices we now hold as tradition were born of necessity. People, far removed from shops and lacking the money to buy things, had no choice but to make what they needed.

Rugs or mats made from old clothes were used to separate feet from the chill of bare floors; candles were homemade to fend off the long winter darkness; clothes were spun from sheep’s wool. Such was life in outport Newfoundland and Labrador before electricity, indoor plumbing and automobiles.

We don’t need to make things anymore – there are factories across oceans flooding the world with inexpensive items for all our modern needs. Now we make things because we want to. For some it’s an internal drive to get that feeling of fulfillment that comes only with making things by hand. Here, we introduce you to four modern makers whose craft can be traced back centuries.

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Hooking Mats Frances Ennis and Maxine Ennis,

sisters by marriage, have been hooking rugs since 2002, when they, unknown to each other, both took rug-hooking classes at Anna Templeton Centre in St. John’s, NL. Discovering this common interest afterwards, they began hooking together, and have since exhibited nationally and internationally, in addition to selling their works in private sales through their website, Ennisdesigns.ca.

The rugs they make – highly detailed and beautifully artistic creations – tend to be hung on walls, not laid on floors, as the hooked rug has transitioned from practical to decorative. But back in Maxine’s youth, mats, as her grandparents called them, were a necessity in the outport town where she grew up.

“I was used to seeing the mats scattered around the homes of both my grandmothers,” she says.

Wall-to-wall carpet hadn’t arrived yet, and both her grandparents hooked rugs to provide warmth in the colder months.

It was common, says Maxine, for those mats to be laid on benches or beds at night. Her grandmother’s house, she recalls, had a rug-hooking frame in the corner of the kitchen, where anyone who came in – children, family, neighbours – 64

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could do a bit of hooking if they desired.

Although she appreciated rugs, throughout her life she had no real interest in actually making them until a friend convinced her to go to that class.

Frances, who doesn’t share her sister-inlaw’s childhood memories of hooked rugs, first became enthralled with the craft while working on a book in the 1970s, when she met a woman practising the craft. Still she didn’t pick it up at the time, instead exploring many other artistic pursuits. But once she finally tried it, she was hooked.

In their work, Frances and Maxine are looking to progress the craft, while, as Frances puts it, rethinking what’s possible with fibre arts. This has led to using texture and fabric variation to create threedimensional elements, exploring handdyeing processes, and pushing themselves to be expressive in new ways through their mat hooking.

“It has become,” says Frances, “a mode of artistic expression that I didn’t know I had.”

They’ve also maintained that connection to the old ways of doing things, says Maxine. The community aspect of rug-hooking has been carried on in a wintertime group that meets weekly to work on projects, much the way they would have back in the day. It has to do with tradition, in part, but it’s also about maintaining a sense of identity and finding a creative outlet.

“It’s about creating something that is a part of you,” says Frances.

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Making Scents “Everything that I do,”

says candle-maker Emily Campbell, “is centred around taking care of homes and helping other people take care of homes. I really believe that your home, your physical environment, has a strong connection to your physical well being.”

For Emily, scent is a big part of what makes a house feel like a home. In looking for a smell that would evoke a sense of place and inspire her Yorabode branded products, she explored and foraged, as Newfoundlanders might have done centuries ago. Back home, she ordered several allnatural essential oils with scents like spruce, mint and lovage, and began the process of creating a scent that smelled like Newfoundland to her. Eventually, after much trial and error, she came up with a scent that evokes summer (Brackish) and one reminiscent of winter (Tuckamore).

These scents are then mixed with soy wax to create an all-natural candle (also available as room sprays). Done in small batches in her home, Emily makes candles in a manner reminiscent of the way it was done before electricity, although not for the same reason.

She has a background in architecture and design, which informs her Yorabode pursuits, and her approach to both candle making and design share common elements.

“I think with a building or a scent, you have a goal or a problem you’re trying to solve,” she says. “In a renovation it might be you need more light or you need more storage. Or when I was developing the Brackish scent, I wanted something lighter and something more refreshing.”

Emily’s scents, and home-related services, are available online at Yorabode.ca.

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Weaving Wonder Being a craftsperson is woven into the fabric of Morgaine Parnham’s being. She comes from a family of craftspeople, and has built a life around making things, largely because she has to. The need, for her, is one of emotion, rather than the more direct need that motivated people to make things like clothing centuries ago.

Morgaine is a weaver, a maker of shawls, cushions, blankets and other items from woven fabrics she creates on her loom at her Bonavista shop and studio, Tree Line Fine Art and Craft.

Each year in this province, thousands upon thousands of pounds of raw sheep’s wool is sent to the landfill, largely because there is nowhere to process that wool into usable products, like yarn, thread and fleece. Morgaine is working to change that with the creation of a new fibre mill. The mill, still in the early stages of development, will process local wool which will, in turn, be used in locally made products.

A recent collaboration between Morgaine and other craftspeople illustrates how a mill could find a place on the path from sheep to shawl. Morgaine got wool from Baynoddy, where Linda Lewis raises sheep and turns their wool into knit items. The wool was dyed a muted pink using lichens that Morgaine collected herself in the wilderness.

Once spun into yarn by Jasmine Paul, the former sheep’s coat was then woven

by Morgaine into a shawl.

The result, recently displayed in a show at the Quidi Vidi Village Plantation in St. John’s, is a piece of clothing made entirely on www.downhomelife.com

the island of Newfoundland, from growing the source material, to refining it and finally creating the piece.

And, like it once was for early settlers, Morgaine finds herself doing it because she has to – in her case, her well-being depends on it.

“Not doing it,” she says, “would hurt my soul.”

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I CAN REMEMBER many a fall in my childhood when my father and I would head out the door, with the frost coating the grass and trees, to check our rabbit snares. I dearly loved this activity and was always excited as I approached our snares, almost shaking with the hopeful anticipation of seeing one in snare. At first my father would always do the dirty deed of dispatching the critter if it was alive, but as I got older I began to take over this task. Now decades later, my father has long since stopped snaring. As for me, now a 37-year-old with a career, a wife and children, I haven’t spent much time in pursuit of bunnies either.

However, my eldest son, Charlie, has taken a keen interest in wildlife, the outdoors and hunting, and he can’t wait to head out this fall with his dear old dad while I hopefully fill my moose licence. But I also hope to get him involved in snaring this fall. I look forward to teaching him how to responsibly hunt and enjoy the whole experience.

Getting more young people interested in hunting is a motivator behind the provincial government’s move last fall to lower the minimum age for small and big game hunting.

In the past, an individual had to be 16 years old to hunt small game with a firearm and 18 to legally hunt big game; the legal ages are now 12 and 16, respectively. Minister of Fisheries and Land Resources, Gerry Byrne, stated in a press release at the time, “Including young people in our outdoor heritage, access to our hunting experiences, that’s been something that other provinces, other jurisdictions have enjoyed for quite some time.” Young hunters will not be permitted to head out with a gun slung over their shoulder, however; they still have to be accompanied and supervised by a qualified adult. www.downhomelife.com

A very young Todd Hollett with what might have been his very first snared rabbit.

Seven small game species are hunted and managed in Newfoundland and Labrador: snowshoe hare, arctic hare (Labrador only), willow and rock ptarmigan, ruffed and spruce grouse, and porcupine. Annually nearly 35,000 residents, and many non-residents, take part in the longstanding tradition of snaring and shooting small game, sometimes using hunting dogs. Harvesting small game, both recreationally and for sustenance, has proven to be an important part of our culture.

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HUNTING HARES Newfoundland and Labrador is home to two species of hare (though locals call them rabbits): snowshoe hare, Lepus americanus, and Arctic Hare, Lepus arcticus.

The snowshoe hare is native to Labrador, but was introduced to the island from Nova Scotia between 1864 and 1876. In 1879, the first open season was declared and today nearly 30,000 residents are hunting hares, with 300,000-1.5 million hares harvested annually.

Snowshoe hares prefer areas with dense stands of young conifers and brushy deciduous growth with an abundance of food and shelter. The average annual litter size in Newfoundland ranges from 2.9 to 3.5.

Arctic hares, also known as polar rabbits, are native to the province.

They are restricted to arctic-alpine areas of the Long Range Mountains, Buchans-Topsail Plateau, Brunette Island off the Burin Peninsula and small pockets of exposed coastal barrens. The current island population 70

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is thought to be between 5,000 and 20,000 hares, and the Labrador population appears secure.

Northern populations of both species undergo cycles that peak every seven to 10 years with a period of abundance lasting for two to five years, followed by a sharp decline.

Many factors are thought to regulate these cycles, including winter food shortages, predators, disease, weather, stress and changes in the age and genetic structure of a population.

When declines occur, juvenile mortality can be as high as 80-95 per cent, and as low as 45-70 per cent when populations are increasing.

Both species of hares are hunted by snaring or shooting, and often those who shoot hares use hunting dogs to flush them out of hiding. It is illegal to harvest Arctic hares on the island, though, and the provincial government would like individuals to report any sightings of Arctic hare on the island to the Wildlife Division by emailing chriscallahan@gov.nl.ca or calling 709-637-2025.

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TRAILING PTARMIGAN Ptarmigan, locally called partridge, are probably the most sought after game bird species in the province.

There are two species here, the willow ptarmigan and the rock ptarmigan, and where their ranges overlap they are called browers and rockers. In Labrador, they are collectively called “white partridge.�

Willow ptarmigan are found on barren and marshy areas with low growing vegetation and in coniferous woods; rock ptarmigan, though, are distributed throughout the highest, most barren, rocky habitats. On the island this is prevalent from Cape Ray to Fortune Bay, in the Long Range Mountains, and on the highest plateaus of interior uplands.

Like hares, ptarmigan experience population fluctuations.

The breeding success influences the annual change in numbers, where the yearly harvest can range from 36,000 to 77,000 birds.

The provincial Wildlife Division relies heavily on licence holders to gather valuable management inforwww.downhomelife.com

mation, with three obvious ways for hunters to provide this information: licence returns, completing periodic questionnaires, and sending in one wing from each bird taken. The wing helps determine the ratio of immature and adult birds killed, as well as assess nesting and brood survival.

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PURSUING PORCUPINE The North American Porcupine, Erethizon dorsatum picinum, is found in Labrador but not on the island. The most distinguishing feature of North America’s second largest rodent is its coat of 30,000 quills.

Catching a porcupine has been described as relatively easy, given its slow and awkward movements. Traditionally they have been hunted by striking them with a stick or club; using snares, deadfall or leg-hold traps; and shooting. Today they can be legally harvested in Labrador by shooting only.

GETTING GROUSE Two species of grouse, both native to Labrador, have been introduced to the island: ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus, and spruce grouse, Falcipennis candensis.

Ruffed grouse spend most of their time in brush, aspen and alder stands, and second-growth forest, frequently seeking out gravel and clover along road beds during the early morning and late afternoons.

Spruce grouse are commonly called fool hens because they often prefer to sit motionless and rely on camouflage to avoid predators instead of fleeing. They are the most arboreal grouse species, closely associated with coniferous boreal forest and taiga. They also may frequent older burnt lands and blueberry barrens.

Commonly hunted, both species are caught by shooting and snaring in this province; dogs are often used for shotgun hunting.

Want more information on small game hunting in NL? Visit DownhomeLife.com for a list of government regulations and season dates.

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Celebrating 50 years of family Ford of Canada is proud to announce the 50th anniversary of Carol Automobile Ltd. Since they opened their doors in 1968, Carol Automobile Ltd. and their team have committed themselves to providing exceptional customer service as a trusted dealership in Labrador City and the surrounding area. Aside from offering a large inventory of new and used vehicles, the key to their success lies in their community involvement, sponsoring events like Cain’s Quest Snowmobile Endurance Race and numerous drives for the local food bank.

What started as a long-time dream for Robert Cayouette is now a legacy that has been passed down through generations of his family. By committing to Robert’s belief in treating employees, customers, vendors and members of the community as family, Carol Automobile Ltd. will continue to provide exceptional service for many years to come.

Ford of Canada would like to extend our congratulations to the Cayouette Family, as well as their team, for their hard work and dedication. Please join them in celebrating their 50th anniversary.

Carol Auto 55 Avalon Drive Labrador City, NL A2V 1K3 (709) 944-2000 www.carolauto.com

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Good weather, bad weather, summer or fall, these rhyming sayings predict it all.

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Ever notice your cat

suddenly flatten her ears and race around the house like the devil’s on her tail? Or the dog sleeping the entire day away? Beware, there’s a storm brewing – at least, if you believe such superstitious weather lore. And it can be hard not to, when anecdotally, even if it is by coincidence, some such observations really seem to forecast the weather.

Newfoundland and Labrador is famous for its ever-changing weather, and for its rich culture and folklore customs. It’s no wonder the two intermingle. In the Downhome Dictionary of Newfoundland and Labrador, author Ron Young devotes an entire chapter to age-old signs of impending weather. The signs typically look to the actions of animals, seen as more sensitive to atmospheric pressure and more tuned to the slightest changes in their environment. But there are also a number of omens connected to special days of the year and astronomy. Many of these sayings are put to rhyme, to make them easier to remember; remembering them and using them was critical back in the days before computerized forecasting, satellites etc., back when lives and livelihoods depended on the weather outside. Nowadays, they’re not much more than a curiosity – though old salts will say they trust these omens more than any TV forecaster!

Nick Adey photo

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How many of these weather sayings are you familiar with, and are there any here you swear by?

The closer the ring to the moon or sun The further the weather yet to come.

Winter thunder Summer hunger.

Bright Northern Lights above the hill, A fine day, then a storm foretell.

Rain before seven Fine before eleven.

Sunrise & Sunset Evening red and morning grey Double signs of one fine day.

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight Red sky in morning A sailorman’s warning.

When the sun is setting in a bank A westerly wind is on the hank.

If it rains early in the morning, it will be fine by afternoon.

Mind the Birds Gulls flying at great height Windy weather overnight.

When gulls fly high over sea or land

Stormy weather is close at hand.

Seabirds keeping near the land Tell a storm is near at hand; But flying seabirds out of sight You may stay and fish all night.

When the sun is drawing water Better bide home with wife and daughter.

When the wind shifts against the sun Trust it not, for back ’twill run.

Paul Kinsmen photo

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The Days to Watch If Candlemas Day is fair and fine The worst of winter’s left behind; If Candlemas Day is dark and grum The worst of winter is yet to come.

If the wind’s in the east on Candlemas Day There it will stick ‘till the end of May.

If St. Matthew’s Day is bright and clear It means good weather for the coming year.

St. Matthew’s Day is September 21 – around the fall equinox

Candlemas Day is February 2, a day when the priest would bless a candle from your house to protect your home from fire the rest of the year.

We’ve all heard April showers bring May flowers, but what about:

If St. Vitus Day is rainy weather It will rain for thirty days together.

Mists in May, heat in June.

St. Vitus Day is June 15

St. Swithin’s Day if we have rain Forty days it will remain.

St. Swithin’s Day is July 15

If St. Bartlemy Day be fair and clear Hopes for a prosperous autumn that year.

St. Bartlemy Day is August 24, Feast of St. Bartholomew

If the first days in April be foggy Rain in June will make the grass boggy.

When the winds of October won’t make the leaves go There’ll be a frosty winter with banks of snow.

If February gives much snow A fine summer it doth foreshow.

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what’s on the

Go

Corner Brook November 6 The Velveteen Rabbitm, by Margery Williams, has been a childhood favourite since it was first published in 1922. Now, nearly a century later, the words have danced off the page and onto the stage. Choreographer Kathleen Rea has created a dance-based retelling of the story, which Ballet Jörgen brings to the Corner Brook Arts and Culture Centre this month.

St. John’s November 17-18 Calling all dog lovers: the Newfoundland All Breed Kennel Club is having their last show of the year this month at the Buckmaster Recreation Centre. The show features a conformation component – dogs judged on how well they conform to their breed’s ideal qualities – but it’s not just a beauty show for barkers. There will also be obedience trials, in which dogs of all backgrounds (not just purebreds) show how well they follow commands.

St. John’s November 18 - December 15

Torbay November 7-11 The Jack Byrne Arena will be filled with the work of more than 100 craftspeople for the 45th annual Craft Council Christmas Craft Fair. Whether it’s gifts or something new for the home that you’re looking for, this show is a mustattend event for anyone interested in beautifully crafted, handmade art and functional items.

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The Mummers Festival takes mummering out of the kitchen and into the streets…and everywhere else, as they host workshops on hobby horse building, ugly stick making and creating your own holiday beast. The main event, the mummers parade, is fun to watch and even better to experience. With no age limit – young or old – and a crowd of people out for a good time, it’s a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, or a good excuse to be walking around with your underwear on the wrong side of your clothes.

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Gander November 24

St. John’s November 19-20 Enjoy an evening at the Majestic with Donovan Woods, a singer/songwriter with a soft voice who plays a folksy brand of music that will appeal to anyone who has spent an evening in Bannerman Park during the Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival.

The first show sold out, so the second date was added. These Majestic shows are solo acts, featuring stripped-down arrangements of his tunes.

Various Locations November 24 The Fortunate Ones are celebrating the release of their latest album, Hold Fast, with a series of shows at Arts and Culture Centres across the province.

Fortunate Ones are the St. John’sbased duo of Catherine Allan and Andrew O’Brien. Their music combines elements of folk with hints of pop for a unique, thoroughly enjoyable sound.

Discover more at Fortunateones.ca.

The Holly Jolly Market at the Joseph R. Smallwood Arts and Culture Centre is the place to find local baked goods, handmade items, jewelry and other giftable things. Bath bombs, dog treats, knitted hats and scarves can all be found at this show, which focuses on locally made and available goods.

Gambo November 24 The Christmas Craft Fair at the GCYC in Gambo features a mix of home-based businesses (Scentsy, Acti-Labs and others) and handmade goods such as freshly baked treats, woodworking and crocheted products. The one-day craft fair’s organizers have announced they’re looking for a larger venue to accommodate wait-listed vendors, so it’s possible the location will change. Check the Facebook event for updates by searching “Gambo Christmas Craft Fair.”

Bay Roberts November 26 – January 6 The Festival of Lights in Bay Roberts is, according to the town, a celebration of all things Christmas. There’s a programmed light display, a Nativity scene collection, and two Santa Claus parades – one at night, one in the day – plus selfguided tours of Christmas light displays that are a must. www.downhomelife.com

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Their passports already heavily stamped by their mid-20s, Mount Pearlian Chris and Burin boy Larry had feelings of wanderlust long before they started travelling together.

At 21, Chris was living in Minnesota, taking road trips across eastern US, Canada and more, enjoying new and foreign experiences like skydiving, bungee jumping and getting his first tattoo. Separately, on the other side of the country, Larry, at 24, was working in Lake Louise, Alberta before road tripping across the west coast, through the Rockies and over the Alaskan Highway.

Chris and Larry did not meet by chance while adventuring in a foreign city – they met in the most ordinary way, in a downtown St. John’s, NL, nightclub, through mutual friends in 2010. Recalling that meeting now, eight years later and after four years of marriage, both confirm it was love at first sight.

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Dynamic travelling duo Larry Mullett (left) and Chris Brennan in Malta “We had our first kiss on Water Street as we were parting ways into cabs,” Chris and Larry explain in an email to Downhome from their current home in Dublin, Ireland. They made plans for lunch the next day, and their first date lasted 12 hours.

The relationship moved quickly, with Chris – a recent university graduate who had just bought a plane ticket to move to Australia – soon moving into Larry’s house. With a looming departure date, and Larry’s home and car seeming like too much to leave behind, the pair decided to continue dating for the four months that Chris had left in Newfoundland. But when the departure date finally arrived, they were conflicted.

“We both decided that breaking up just wasn’t going to cut it, but a long distance relationship wasn’t going to either,” they explain. They made a www.downhomelife.com

decision that would change the course of their lives forever. While Chris went to Australia as planned, Larry tied up loose ends in St. John’s, selling his car and renting out his house etc.

When they eventually reunited Down Under, not having seen each other in six weeks after being together only six months, the couple struggled with the concept of their new reality.

“That first day, for a few hours, it was almost a bit awkward, as we both realized what we had done. In some ways, did we even really know each other? And now we had literally moved to the other side of the world to completely start our lives from scratch,” they recall. “We got past the initial shock of it all and got right into the groove of living a life of unplanned adventures abroad.”

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Round and Round They Go…

Chris and Larry have amassed an exotic photo collection from their trips all over the world.

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Chris and Larry travelled around Australia for a few months before settling in Sydney to live and work for six years, while continuing to travel. They toured Canada, Cuba, Dominican Republic and the USA. In Europe they touched down in Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, England, Wales and Vatican City.

They also extensively toured the Asia-Pacific region, visiting China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Turkey, Vietnam, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.

Chris and Larry have had some seriously wild adventures throughout their travels: great white shark cage diving in Australia, fire breathing in Thailand, canoeing in the Mississippi River, swimming in glacial lakes in New Zealand, riding camels through the Sahara Desert, white water rafting in Kicking Horse River in the Rockies, scuba diving shipwrecks in Bali, sailing in Ireland, learning to surf in Australia, and so much more.

They’ve bungee jumped, completed a Tough Mudder Challenge, rapped on “Canadian Idol,” and eaten everything from pig intestines and ears, to maggots, scorpions and cockroaches – none of which sounds like a typical vacation.

Their travels are documented on their blog, Facebook page and Instagram account, operating under the witty moniker of “Gays Around The Bay.” With so many adventures already under their belts, and having already lived in Nova Scotia, 1-888-588-6353

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Minnesota, Alberta, Czechia and Australia, the pair eventually returned home to Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We have always loved travelling across Newfoundland with friends and family,” they share, listing a plethora of Newfoundland-specific activities that they adore – zip-lining and snowboarding in Corner Brook, hiking the East Coast Trail, snowmobiling and fishing in Burin and Spanish Room, boating, scuba diving and iceberg hunting.

As arts lovers and foodies, Chris and Larry also enjoy theatre, local performances and art shows, and they’re especially excited about “the rise of a local artisan food and drink industry, with new craft beer breweries and fine restaurants opening up across the island.”

Their love of their home province is what brought them back to the island in 2016. They purchased a house in Carbonear and spent six months

(Top) Chris (left) and Larry have been exploring the world together for eight years.

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15 Things Chris & Larry Know Now That They Wish They Knew Then Hidden Airline Costs – Depending on the airline, you may have to pay extra for a boarding pass printed at the airport, for last minute luggage, carry-on baggage, seat selection, food, water, headphones, a screen, movies, and more and more every day. Be sure to read up on your airline to know what to watch out for.

Taxi Meters – Whenever you get a taxi, agree on the price beforehand and, if possible, avoid cabs without a running meter to prevent any surprise “tourist price” taxi fares.

Train Over Flying – Trains can be so much more of a time and money saver than flying, especially in Europe. And the seats are normally much larger than on planes!

Free Walking Tours – Pretty much every major tourist city offers excellent free walking tours where you only tip what you can. Great way to save money if you’re stuck, and great way to learn about the city, get the local perspective, and make friends with other travellers.

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Local Water Safe to Drink? – Nine times out of 10, it’s perfectly safe to drink the local water in a city or region, but hotels and restaurants are often happy to tell you you should buy bottled water even if unnecessary.

Check online for more information on the area you’re visiting.

Plan Around Local Holidays – Double check any local holidays that could affect your trip. Like we learned, Munich clears out much more and earlier at Christmas; religious periods like Ramadan can affect access to food or certain services; and a long weekend in China could result in a country of a billion people cramming into all the sites you were hoping to see.

Don’t Fall For Rumours – Don’t let rumours, urban legends or, even worse, prejudices affect where you choose to go. So often certain places, people and cultures will get labelled as unsafe, arrogant or unfriendly when they are actually wonderful places full of amazing people! Do your own research and seek out advice from those with first-hand experiences for the real stories.

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Climate Patterns – The timing and the severity of weather changes can vary dramatically between hemispheres and regions. If a holiday deal somewhere like Central America or Asia seems too good to be true, it could very well be during monsoon season or some other low weather period, which you don’t want to be around for. The same way you may not want to be around for 45°C weather! So plan accordingly.

Photo Paralysis – Don’t live through a camera lens. If you’re a photo hoarder, you’ll probably never look at 99% of the photos you take, ever again. Live in the moment. Enjoy it. And start to more actively think of the moments you really want to keep that will add value to your life.

Remember to Relax – Don’t finish

Respect Cultural Differences – Every culture has different cultural norms. For our social norms like “lining up,” it may seem barbaric and hard to accept if a culture does not practise this, but we may also appear equally out of line just by eating or taking a phone call in public. Try to learn and accept the culture you are visiting and respectfully try and live by theirs while there.

Meet the Locals – Whether on tours, at bars, in restaurants or online, make some local contacts for the best insider advice – even better if they’re willing to show you around the local hotspots!

Working Holiday Visas – Dozens of countries offer Canadians (aged up to 35) visas for up to two years to explore and work for a whole new cultural experience. And they are super easy to get!

a trip more tired than when you started. Prioritize the things you really want to do because sometimes cramming every church, museum and statue into long days isn’t as memorable as just taking in the scenery and enjoying the local food.

Don’t Make Excuses – There’s always excuses you can make for not travelling: can’t get your friends to confirm, responsibilities holding you back, or waiting for the perfect time, like retirement. If there’s somewhere you have always wanted to go, make a plan for it, ask for advice and be flexible. It may be much more attainable than you think.

Animal Tourism – Many animal tourist attractions like elephant riding, tiger petting, cobra shows and more can be linked to some very dark practices and cruelty. Do your research to be sure you’re aware and plan for acceptable alternatives, like visiting an elephant sanctuary instead.

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renovating it. Chris and Larry describe their décor style as “downhome kitsch,” inspired by growing up in Newfoundland and Labrador. The home has “an ever growing collection of flamboyantly coloured afghan blankets, throws and pillows – just like Nan makes – a modern balance of lace curtains, a prominent vintage painting of the Virgin Mary to represent Newfoundland’s Catholic roots, old oil lamps, homemade wooden furniture, barrels and oars built and owned by family back to our greatgreat-grandparents, and some brightly patchworked caribou heads,” they write. Their personal favourite amenity is a VCR, “with a full collection of childhood VHS favourites from the ’80s and ’90s, to really get back to the love of disconnecting and watching your favourite movies with friends at the cabin when you were a kid.”

They rent out their Carbonear home via Airbnb, and use it as their own base whenever they come back to visit. When they are home, the couple don’t spend much time sitting in front of the TV, though. Instead, they enjoy travelling to the amazing nearby sandy beaches, like Salmon Cove, and eating at The Stone Jug, which they herald as “an amazing interpretation of a classic colonial pub and restaurant.”

On their next trip to Newfoundland, Chris and Larry are excited to check out the new Dildo Brewery – keep an eye out for this adventure on their social media accounts.

Until then, they are making discoveries in their other island home – Ireland. Chris and Larry moved to Dublin in 2017, where they are 86

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exploring their ancestral roots.

“We have been on the hunt to finally understand where our relatives came from and our ancestral link to Western Europe,” they explain. “We have found out so much about our family already and may be on the verge of a breakthrough of confirming our family lines here in Ireland.”

Their Dublin digs also works well as a jumping off point for exploring more of Europe and Africa. This past summer alone, the couple visited Morocco in July, and celebrated Pride in Amsterdam in August.

Their particular brand of wanderlust does not satisfy easily, and after living and travelling across five continents, Chris and Larry are already feeling the need to start crossing South America off their list.

“We are always up for new opportunities, but for the time being we are really loving living in Europe as a base and getting back home to Newfoundland as often as we can.” www.downhomelife.com

Among their favourite travel destinations is home, Newfoundland and Labrador, where they run an AirBnB in Carbonear (above).

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Loyola Hearn,

a proud life-long resident of RenewsCappahayden, is a quiet man on a mission, as he takes my recent phone call to discuss the remarkable team efforts of local people to rejuvenate, resurrect and (I have to say it) renew the rich cultural and historic attractions of his hometown. I’ve met Loyola a number of times at events over the years, and at age 75 his voice still carries the careful cadence of an educator, a songwriter, an author of recitations, a long-time politician and a diplomat.

Hearn was all of these things, as well as the 28th Canadian Ambassador to Ireland from 2010 to 2015.

It is quite the resume for someone helping drum up interest in local sites, but Hearn says with a chuckle, “It is really a team effort, and I am only one person in a very active group that got together about a year ago and… decided to revive some of the attractions we have here. First of all we have to remember, Renews is the home of Captain William Jackman, who saved 27 lives on the coast of Labrador, and there is an effort by a separate group to erect a monument to him that will be tremendous.”

Hearn says his group “spent a fair amount of time working on our Grotto, which had fallen into some disrepair and it is a beautiful attraction. Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto is built on what we believe is the only ‘Mass Rock’ in the New World. The Catholics

(Above) This tranquil path outside Holy Apostles Church passes by the Stations of the Cross. www.downhomelife.com

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(Top to bottom) Mass Rock, mysterious writings on the Mount and a wartime cannon are among the history-laden sites in RenewsCappahayden.

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hid away during the days when they could not say mass [for fear of religious persecution at certain points in the history of the colony], and they brought in a priest at night and had mass behind the Mass Rock.”

He continues, “We also promoted and publicized writings on the Mount, which is the headland at the entrance to the harbour where the old fortifications still exist, and there are still four cannons there and a great view. There are writings etched into the slate down there that a number of people think go back hundreds of years. Now how many hundreds we are not sure yet, but these things are being looked at and the lettering itself is certainly drawing a fair amount of attention.”

The museum located in the former Regina Mundi School had been closed for a number of years. Hearn’s group reopened it this summer.

“There are beautiful murals by local artist Dane McCarthy that clearly illustrate scenes from the town’s history and attractions of the area,” Hearn says. When asked which one strikes him most, Hearn pauses only a second. “One of the murals depicts the Masterless Men, and as you look out the window you can see the Butterpots [a nearby low mountain range] where men who jumped ship hid and lived free from the British.

The story of the Masterless Men and that spirit is certainly alive and well here in Renews.”

Another mural in the museum depicts the famous Florizel shipwreck. Hearn says for those who don’t mind a short drive and a stroll, there is new signage, informative interpretive panels and a walking 1-888-588-6353

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This mural inside the newly reopened museum, painted by local artist Dane McCarthy, depicts the 1918 wreck of the Florizel at Horn Head. path at the Florizel site in nearby Cappahayden. The ship’s name is from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, in which “Florizel” was a prince of Bohemia. The vessel Florizel left St. John’s on February 23, 1918, en route to Halifax and then New York City. Unfortunately, it crashed into Horn Head at Cappahayden during a storm and of the 78 passengers and 59 crew aboard (there were only 137 people aboard, not 138 as was incorrectly reported at the time of the disaster), only 44 souls survived (17 of them passengers). Many local people assisted in the heroic rescue efforts.

I comment on the restoration of Holy Apostles Church, built in the 1870s in an example of vernacular Gothic Revival style architecture, and its lovely outdoor walking path following the route of the Stations of the Cross. The church building, a www.downhomelife.com

registered heritage structure, is at the geographic if not cultural and spiritual heart of the community.

Hearn notes, “Our church was practically condemned until local people and committees went to work and have completely renewed that beautiful building.”

He adds, “So the last few years we all have been extremely busy here with a lot of local volunteers involved in fundraising and various projects.”

For Hearn, being involved with this project in his hometown, after a career that took him to Ottawa and Ireland, “it feels like I have come full circle. I started out as a teacher and principal in the very building in which the museum is located, which was our junior high school. I am back home where I was born, grew up and will remain in the little town of Renews.”

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travel diary

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In the last issue of Downhome, I chronicled my summertime adventure to find Great and Little Paradise, two abandoned communities in the Placentia Bay area of Newfoundland and Labrador.

After getting a bit lost, I only made it to Little Paradise on my first attempt. Now I’m keeping my promise to myself to return and set my feet upon Great Paradise.

At 10:00 a.m., the ferry leaves Petit Forte for the 30-minute run to South East Bight. I chat a bit with the only other passenger, a travelling guidance counsellor. When we arrive, a woman seated on a quad is waiting for the counsellor. She sees me and it’s soon clear she’d heard of my earlier visit, when I’d ventured inside the unlocked school building to fill my water bottle before my hike. “So, you’re the feller that broke into the school the other day!” she says to me. “I’m the principal!” She tells me to drop by to see her later on in the day. Uh, oh.

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While they motor on down the road towards the school, I amble along behind. Eventually my path becomes a rocky rubble trail, up and down past pristine ponds, erratics and barrens. It’s a long hike, more than two hours. The rubble turns to dark brown peat, marred now and then by large, muddy puddles. Finally, I arrive at the Half Way sign, then 3/4 Rock, then the wooden bridge and “Little Paradise/Great Paradise” sign. And so I turn right this time and trudge on until, finally, I perceive a large blue building, the community centre, where once the old church stood. (For a video of the old church that used to stand there, watch the 1975 “The Brothers Byrne” NIFCO film on Youtube.)

It’s an interesting outport, quite different looking than Little Paradise, which was a large, open cove.

I’m attracted to an old house, so I walk over to it. On the way, a big guy steps out of his house and introduces 94

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Top: The author at the sign where the two abandoned communities cross paths.

Above: The trail to Great and Little Paradise, well used by ATVs, is held together in this spot by a wooden bridge.

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The Pomeroy brothers, George and Ernest, have summer homes in Great Paradise. himself, George Pomeroy. He escorts me into the abandoned house and shows me around. It was his uncle’s.

Then he invites me inside his house for tea. There, his brother Ernest is seated with the two women, Carmelita Pomeroy and Jessie Morgan. One of the women serves me tea and a blueberry muffin, and asks me to sign her guestbook.

Afterwards, I walk to one end of the cove to photograph some old houses.

On the way back I meet George, who is mowing his lawn, and he offers to take me on a tour of the community centre. George tells me they have dances there sometimes and adds that I could sleep there if ever I needed a place to spend the night because they rarely lock it up. Back outside, we stand by the old church bell. “It’s very loud,” he says, clanging it once to prove it. Then he generously offers to give me a ride back to South East Bight whenever I’m ready, rather than have to cut my visit early to catch the ferry. “That will give you more time www.downhomelife.com

here,” he says, and I gratefully accept before doing some more exploring on my own.

On the other side of the cove, I meet Pat Power, who points to a wreck of a house and says, “That was the Hermit of Paradise’s [house], who lived there all year-round alone with six dogs.”

Then he introduces me to another guy, Gerald Pearson, who invites us inside his house for tea. Such friendly people! I’m just not used to it. Finally, Pat shows me the inside of his 130year-old house that was probably a hotel at one point because the rooms are each numbered. “It is the oldest house now in Great Paradise,” he tells me.

George and Ernest show up then to take me back to South East Bight, not by quad, but in their motorboat! What a nice ride past such a rugged coast.

Then it’s a ferry ride back to Petit Forte, where my rental car awaits. I drive away, the distance growing between me and Great Paradise.

What lies ahead? Who knows?

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Islands Easter Island, famous for its giant statues called moai, was so named for Easter Sunday – the day it was first encountered by a European, Dutch explorer Jacob Roggeveen, in 1722.

The name Al Jazeera, the state-owned Arabic news network launched in Qatar (and now broadcast globally in several languages), translates in English as “the island,” though it refers to its home on the Arabian Peninsula.

Manitoulin Island, in the Ontario portion of Lake Huron, is the largest lake island in the world – so large that it has 108 lakes of its own, some of which have islands, which in turn have ponds.

The chart-topping Kenny Rogers/Dolly Parton duet “Islands in the Stream” was written by the Bee Gees and named after a 1970 Ernest Hemingway novel published after his death.

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That triangle of concrete halfway across a wide, multi-lane road at a pedestrian crossing is sometimes called a “refuge island,” as it offers a safe place for pedestrians to wait for a light change or for traffic to stop before continuing across.

The Republic of Haiti and the Dominican Republic share one island: Hispaniola, in the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean Sea. Haitians speak French Creole, while Dominicans speak Spanish.

“Woman of the Island” was performed at the installment of Judy Foote as first female lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland and Labrador in May 2018. It was written by Delores Hynes of Calvert, NL, and has been recorded by several local artists.

The largest island in the world is Greenland, at more than two million square kilometres.

(Australia is counted not as an island, but as a continent.)

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food & leisure the everyday gourmet

Baklava Cigars

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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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Baklava is one of those desserts that seem exotic and complicated to make – until you have made it! It’s actually made with simple ingredients, and my recipe for the cigar shape reduces the “fiddly” factor of using phyllo pastry, reduces bake time and lets you easily control the number of portions. (Most recipes require precutting a pan of phyllo pastry layers before baking, and then cutting through again at the end – my recipe lets you avoid all that!)

Baklava is found on dessert tables in the Middle East, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe.

It’s essentially sweetened, spiced or flavoured nuts in buttered phyllo pastry. Honey, cinnamon, lemon and either rose or orange blossom water are common additions, depending on where it’s made, and the kind of nuts used varies by location, too. What they all have in common is that after the baklava is baked, a syrup is poured over or brushed on.

My recipe uses a mixture of nuts; but you could use all of one kind of nuts if you like. (That said, I don’t enjoy the flavour or softer texture of peanuts, or solely almonds, in baklava.) I love the subtle floral nuance that rose water brings to baklava, but you can leave it out. (I use my homemade rose syrup, which has been a popular item at my Saucy and Sweet stand at the St. John’s Farmers’ Market!)

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Baklava Syrup 1 cup sugar 1/2 cup water 2-3 strips lemon peel 1 tbsp lemon juice 4 tbsp honey 3 cinnamon sticks 6 whole cloves Pinch salt 1/2 tsp rose water (or orange blossom water or vanilla, or omit)

Filling 2 cups unsalted, roasted, chopped nuts 1 tbsp sugar 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon Pinch ground cloves Pinch salt For Assembly 1 (454 g) package thawed phyllo pastry (18-20 sheets) 1 cup butter, melted 1/2 cup pistachios, chopped finely, for garnish

Make the syrup In a small pot, stir together sugar, water, lemon peel strips, lemon juice, honey, spices and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce to a simmer for a few minutes. Remove from heat and add rose water. Set aside on the back of the stove. (You will strain it later before brushing on the baklava, but leave all the flavourings in for now to infuse syrup.)

Make the filling I used a mix of pistachios, almonds, walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts, cashews and filberts, and pulsed it in the food processor until medium-fine (about the size of rice). If using salted nuts, rub off some of the salt in a tea towel and omit the salt from the recipe. In a small bowl, stir together nuts, sugar, ground spices, salt and 3 tbsp of the syrup you made (just spoon the liquid out of the pot, avoiding the solid spices etc.).

Assembly Lay out a sheet of phyllo on a large cutting board, landscape presentation (long side facing you). Keep rest of phyllo covered with a tea towel while you work, so it doesn’t dry out. The rectangle in front of you should measure roughly 18 inches wide by 14 inches high. Brush lightly with butter and lay on a second sheet. Brush with butter. With a sharp knife, cut phyllo sheet vertically into three even columns, making each about 6 inches wide by 14 inches high.

Place about 3 tsp filling in a rectangle shape towards the bottom edge of each phyllo column (edge closest to you), leaving about 1/2 inch from the bottom edge and 3/4 inch on each side. From the bottom edge closest to you, begin rolling the pastry over the filling, tucking in the side edges as you roll. The butter will help the pastry stick to itself. Roll the entire column into a cigar shape. Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, seam-side down, and brush with melted butter.

Repeat with remaining sheets and filling. Leave a little space between baklavas for even browning. Bake at 350°F for 12-15 minutes until golden.

Strain the syrup and brush each baklava generously. Then sprinkle each piece with finely chopped pistachios. Set aside to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 30 portions.

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everyday recipes.ca

There’s more to fall flavour than pumpkin spice lattes. These recipes make delicious uses out of zucchini, squash and… okay… pumpkin. But there are definitely no lattes here!

Squash O’Brien 3 cups squash (your favourite winter variety) cubed 1/2" 1 tbsp olive oil 4 slices bacon, julienne

1/4 cup butter 1 cup onion, medium dice 1 1/2 cups peppers, medium dice 1/2 cup chicken stock, hot

Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash in olive oil and roast in the oven until beginning to brown and nearly cooked through.

Render the fat from the bacon over low-medium heat. When bacon just starts to crisp, add butter and onion. Turn heat to medium-high and sauté onion until just turning translucent.

Add peppers and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the roasted squash and turn the heat to high. When everything starts to sizzle loudly, add chicken stock to deglaze the pan. Cook for another 1-2 minutes, until most of the stock has evaporated. Remove from heat. Yield: 4-6 servings

All of our recipes are brought to you by the fantastic foodies in Academy Canada’s Culinary Arts program, led by instructor Bernie-Ann Ezekiel.

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Pickled Zucchini 2 cups zucchini, 1/2" cubed 1 cup cauliflower, medium diced 1 cup onion, medium diced 1 cup bell pepper, medium diced 1/3 cup carrot, medium diced 2 tbsp pickling salt

Pickling Liquid: 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar 1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 1/2 cups water 3 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp chili flakes 2 tbsp pickling spice 1 tsp pickling salt

Toss all vegetables together in a bowl with 2 tbsp pickling salt; let sit for 4-6 hours at room temperature. Rinse veggies and drain well, then divide them equally between two sterilized 500 ml mason jars. Bring your water bath to a boil while preparing the pickling liquid.

For the pickling liquid: Mix together all ingredients in a medium pot and bring to a boil. Boil hard for about 2 minutes. Strain the liquid into the two mason jars and discard the spent spices. If jars are not filled to within 1/2" of the rim, top up with boiling water. Seal jars finger-tight and immerse in the water bath, ensuring tops of jars are under at least 1" of water. Once water returns to a boil, process jars for 20 minutes (use a timer). Once processed, remove jars (without tilting) carefully and place them on a rack to cool. Leave them undisturbed for 24 hours. Yield: 2 jars

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Acorn Squash Chutney 1 tbsp olive oil 1 cup shallot, brunoise (very finely diced) 2 tbsp pine nuts 1 cup acorn squash, brunoise 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup red pepper, brunoise

1/2 tsp cumin 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp mustard seed 2 tbsp sugar 1/4 cup malt vinegar

Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large frying pan. SautĂŠ shallot and pine nuts until the shallot becomes translucent and nuts are starting to brown.

Add the squash, garlic, red pepper and spices. Reduce heat to medium and continue to sautĂŠ for about 5 minutes. Add the sugar and turn the heat to high. Once the pan is sizzling and the sugar has started to caramelize, add the vinegar and swirl the pan to deglaze. Reduce the heat to medium and cook for another 2-3 minutes. The pan should be nearly dry. Serve with your favourite meats. Fried cod is nice! Yield: 2 cups

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Spaghetti (Squash) with Tomato Sauce 1 spaghetti squash 3 tbsp olive oil 1/2 cup carrot, grated 1 cup leek, split and sliced thin 1/2 cup celery, small dice 1/3 cup TVP (textured vegetable protein) or 1/2 lb ground beef, cooked

3 cloves fresh garlic, minced 1/2 cup green pepper, small dice 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, small dice 1/4 cup white wine 1 (19 oz) can diced tomatoes Salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Wash squash, split in half lengthways and rub the inside with a little salt, pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil. Line a pan with parchment paper and place the squash cut side down. Roast for about 20-30 minutes. The skin will be starting to brown and the flesh will be easily pierced all the way through with a fork.

Remove from oven and keep warm.

While squash is roasting, prepare the sauce: Heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add carrot, leek, celery, TVP (or cooked beef) and garlic. Sweat until the leek starts to become translucent. Add green pepper and mushrooms. Turn heat to high and cook until pan starts to sizzle loudly; deglaze with wine. Once wine is nearly evaporated, add the whole can of tomatoes (including juice). Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

While sauce is simmering, prepare your “spaghetti.” Using a fork, start scraping out the inside of the roasted squash. It will come apart in long strands. Place a serving of squash on a plate and top with tomato sauce.

Yield: 2-4 servings

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Stuffed Acorn Squash 2 acorn squash 2 tbsp olive oil 2 shallots, small dice 3 garlic cloves, minced 1/4 cup white wine

3 tomatoes, small dice 1 tsp dried basil leaves Salt & pepper to taste 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 375°F. Wash squash, split in half crossways and rub the inside with a little salt, pepper and 1 tbsp olive oil. Line a pan with parchment paper and place squash cut side down. Roast for 20-30 minutes, until skin starts to brown and the flesh is easily pierced all the way through with a fork. Remove from oven and keep warm.

Heat remaining 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Sauté shallots until they begin to brown a little and become translucent. Add garlic and cook for about 1 minute (just until the garlic become fragrant). Turn the heat to high, and when the pan sizzles loudly, add the wine to deglaze. Return heat to medium-high and add tomatoes and basil. Sauté, stirring often, until the liquid is reduced and thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Fill each squash half with the sauce and top with Parmesan cheese. Return squash to the oven and roast until cheese is just starting to brown (about 10 minutes). Yield: 4 servings

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For prin table recipe cards visit

Pumpkin Muffins 1 1 1 2 1 1

cup coconut oil, melted 1/2 cups brown sugar tsp vanilla eggs cup pumpkin purée cup whipping cream

2 1/2 cups flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 2 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice 1 tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350°F. Using a mixer with paddle attachment, beat oil, sugar and vanilla together until well mixed. Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the bowl and beating after each addition. Mix in the pumpkin purée. Add cream and mix well, being sure to scrape down the sides to ensure it’s all evenly mixed. Sift dry ingredients together and add to the wet mixture. Mix only until just combined – no more. A few lumps are normal. You may even want to use just a rubber spatula/wooden spoon instead of the mixer for this step. Scoop the batter into lined or greased muffin tins. Bake for about 25-30 minutes. The middle will spring back when poked gently. Yield: 20 muffins

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Butternut Squash Tart 12 tart shells

Filling 1 2 2 1

cup cooked squash purĂŠe eggs tbsp whipping cream tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp brown sugar 1/2 tsp cinnamon Pinch cloves 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp cornstarch Whipped cream for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°F. Blend all filling ingredients together until completely smooth. Divide equally between uncooked tart shells.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and the filling starts to puff a little. Cool on a rack and serve with whipped cream. Yield: 12 tarts

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies 1 cup butter, unsalted 1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp vanilla 3/4 cup pumpkin purée 1/2 tsp salt 2 1/2 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1/8 tsp cloves 1/4 tsp ginger 1 cup dark mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time and beat until fluffy. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin purée. Sift together the dry ingredients, add the chips and blend it all in with the pumpkin mixture until everything just becomes smooth. Drop cookies by teaspoonful onto a parchment-lined or greased pan, flattening each one just slightly. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Yield: 3-4 dozen

ble For printa s rd a c e recip visit

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food & leisure crafted home

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The old wharf

in Bay de Verde had stood for decades, its submerged logs soaked in saltwater, collecting barnacles. Now, after a rebuild of the wharf, some of those old timbers sit in the garage-turned-workshop of Charlene and Brad Dunn’s home in Portugal Cove-St. Philips, where they make furniture and accessories under the name Dunn Designs. In their workshop, Charlene tells of how her dad saved those timbers, and how she and Brad have transformed them – and other reclaimed woods – into tables, charcuterie boards, and other furniture and home accessories.

The wharf wood – thick, square beams of long-weathered wood – has a character and features you won’t find in a newly felled tree, like the grey streaking or the weathered surface.

While suitable for woodworking projects, it also looks fine on its own, as seen in the Dunns’ living room, where a raw timber has been mounted on the wall as a floating shelf.

“The character and look of old, weathered wood – you can’t get the same look by faking it,” says Charlene.

Although their business is fairly new (they hung the Dunn Designs shingle in January 2018), Brad has been a hobby woodworker since he was about 10, he says. Some of his fondest memories are of hanging out with his dad in the workshop,

(inset) Brad and Charlene Dunn of Dunn Designs (above) a sofa table made by Dunn Designs, using reclaimed wood. www.downhomelife.com

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In addition to tables of all sorts, Brad and Charlene also make cutting boards, charcuterie boards, and a variety of wooden kitchen utensils. making birdhouses and other small projects. He carried that woodworking interest into adulthood, mixing it with an education in architectural engineering, where he learned to use CAD software to design things on a computer screen.

Design is an important part of what they do, says Brad, and the CAD drawings give them a sense of proportion and scale before committing to making something. The design process is a collaborative one, with Brad and Charlene creating new designs together, before Brad turns them into CAD drawings. “It has to be something that I would pick up and buy. We don’t want to sell anything that we don’t absolutely love,” says Charlene.

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both have years of woodworking experience under their tool belts.

They’ve made tables of all sorts and built much of the home. But it wasn’t until this past January, at the urging of close friends, that they decided to have a go at selling their wares. Charlene started a blog to document their builds, and they began making small things – boards and utensils – for people who weren’t ready for a tablesized purchase. The first table they sold was to the couple who encouraged them to start a business. The orders kept coming, and now they’re working on a large dining table.

Each piece they make is unique, in part because of the use of reclaimed wood, but also because Brad and Charlene have little interest in production-style work, making the same thing over and over again. Because 1-888-588-6353

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they intend to keep Dunn Designs as a side business, they don’t have the pressure to constantly churn out product. It’s how they make sure the passion remains, says Brad.

Wanting people to love the things they make isn’t just a vague hope – the couple actively works at learning what their clients want and like.

“I like when somebody gives me an idea of their style,” says Charlene.

“Like this client that’s coming up now with the giant 12-seater table: I want to go into her house and see what she likes, and that way I’ll know. I love when people say ‘these are the criteria: I don’t like breadboard edge, I don’t like this, I want pedestal style’… then they go. And we take the reins.”

Says Brad, “I want to create something that, no matter what, every day they look at it and go ‘I love it.’

www.downhomelife.com

Because there’s stuff in this house that I look at and I go ‘I love it.’ It’s not going to get old,” he says.

As for their influences, it’s all about food, which explains their focus on tables, serving boards and kitchen utensils. But it’s also about what happens around a dining table: the shared family experiences and holiday moments that come about because they made a table from old wharves, telephone poles and shipping materials.

“If someone can appreciate a piece that we’ve done, created, and are willing to buy it, then we’re happy to have it in someone’s home,” says Charlene.

“I just love the idea that there’s a bunch of people around this table at Christmas time that we put there from this. It came from nothing and now it’s something.”

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food & leisure down to earth

Bugging

Out

Controlling garden insects that come inside in the fall.

By Ross Traverse

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When the weather

gets colder in the fall, many people have a problem with insects that move from the garden into the house. Some of these insects can be harmful, but most are just a nuisance.

Your first line of defense is to make your home less accessible to insects. For instance, keep plants trimmed back from the outside walls of the house, and remove dead leaves and debris that have collected around the exterior. Install a strip of crushed stone around the foundation of the house to eliminate shelter for some insects. Seal gaps around the foundation and windows, and install weather stripping around doors and windows (this also helps conserve heat).

To address the problem of insects that have gotten inside your house, a good understanding of the lifecycle of the insect, as well as the environmental conditions and food that they eat, will help you find ways to control them. Here are a few of the most common insects that find their way indoors when the weather gets chilly.

Carpenters The name carpenter for this insect is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador. The British call them woodlice and Americans know them as sowbugs. Fully grown, they are about a half-inch long, dark grey and oval shaped. Carpenters feed on decaying vegetation and other organic matter. They do not cause any damage indoors but are a real nuisance.

To keep carpenters out, you should make sure that gaps around the foundation are sealed up and screens are kept on the basement windows. A material called diatomaceous earth spread around the perimeter of the foundation will help prevent their movement into the house.

Carpenters are typically found in areas of the home where there is excess moisture and high humidity. To solve the www.downhomelife.com

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problem in the long run, you will have to address the moisture issue and perhaps install a dehumidifier or air exchanger. In a dry basement there isn’t usually a problem, unless you store your firewood there.

You can easily trap carpenters inside where they are found in damp, dark places. One method is to soak a towel in water that has been lightly sweetened with brown sugar. Spread out the damp, folded towel where you find carpenters. The moisture attracts them and they can be easily disposed of by shaking them off the towel into a toilet or a pail of soapy water. Another ingenious trap uses a scooped-out half of a turnip, placed upside down with a small stick under one side so that carpenters can gain access to the cavity in the turnip.

Large numbers of carpenters in one area can also be taken up with a vacuum cleaner.

European Earwigs The European earwig can cause damage to plants in the garden, but when it gets into the house it is a major nuisance with its objectionable appearance and unpleasant odour.

Earwigs often lurk around foodstuffs

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or clothing. The adult earwig is three-quarters of an inch long and reddish brown in colour. It has a pair of pinchers at the rear, but they are harmless to humans.

Earwigs feed on decaying organic matter and small insects, such as aphids. In the garden they can eat small holes in tender leaves and flower petals. They like to shelter in tight-fitting, dark locations.

To prevent them from getting in the house, you should use the same techniques as for carpenters. A clean, dry border should be kept around the foundation. If you are bringing plants inside in the fall, inspect them carefully and shake off any earwigs that may be present. Also check any lawn furniture, barbecues and other equipment that may be brought into the house for winter storage.

One of the safest and best ways to control earwigs inside the house is to trap them, based on the fact that they like to hide in tightfitting, dark places. One of the simplest traps is made by tying a bundle of drinking straws together and blocking one end of the bundle with peanut butter. The earwigs will crawl in the open end of the straws and they can’t back out.

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They should be checked every few days; dump the earwigs in soapy water. Boards with narrow grooves can also be constructed as a trap.

Another method is to mix equal parts cooking oil and soy sauce in a shallow container, like a sardine tin. This is a very effective trap for use both inside and outside the house.

Fruit Flies Sometimes you will find tiny black flies with red eyes around the kitchen area or around garbage containers. They are likely fruit flies.

They do not survive outside in our climate, but they thrive in a warm house where there is fermenting food. They don’t necessarily need fruit to survive and breed, but you will usually find them around overripe fruit like tomatoes. The lifecycle is very short, which means that the next generation may be just a few weeks apart from when the adult flies have laid their eggs.

These nuisance insects may be introduced from store-bought fruit or other fresh produce. The best way to control and possibly eliminate them is to remove their food sources.

Change indoor garbage containers every day or so. A simple fruit fly trap can be made by putting apple cider vinegar in a container with a few drops of liquid dish detergent. The container is covered with plastic wrap with a few holes punched in it so the fruit flies can get in. They are attracted to the vinegar and drown. www.downhomelife.com

Fungus Gnats The adult fungus gnats look like tiny mosquitoes. They breed in the moist soil of houseplants. They are usually introduced in the house by infested plants from elsewhere. Adult flies lay their eggs on the soil, and the eggs develop into small, wormlike larvae.

In the short term they are not a problem for the plants, but if allowed to multiply they can cause root rot and kill the plant.

They develop when soil is kept constantly wet, so soil should be kept on the dry side. A layer of fine sand on the surface may also help control them. If there is a severe infestation, the plant should be discarded and new, clean soil used with new plants.

Ross Traverse has been a horticultural consultant to gardeners and farmers for more than 40 years. downtoearth @downhomelife.com November 2018

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reminiscing flashbacks

Served with Honours

William Leamon was born in Burnt Islands, NL, to Sarah and William Leamon. He fought in WWII from 1939 to 1945, and for his service he was awarded several medals, including the Atlantic Star for participating in the Battle of the Atlantic, as well as the King George VI Medal.

William passed away in 1996.

Wayne Leamon St. Andrew’s, NL

Willing Soldier

Bob Herdman was 20 years old when he signed up to fight in the Second World War. He was sent to Halifax, NS, but by the time he’d finished training, the war was over. He later attended Mount Allison and McGill universities and worked for the Corner Brook paper mill in western Newfoundland until 1963.

Susan Herdman Lincolnton, GA, USA

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In the Navy

Charles Reginald Foote was born September 14, 1915, in Foote’s Cove, Pardy’s Island, NL. A fisherman by trade, he volunteered for the Royal Canadian Naval Reserve on December 18, 1939. Among the boats he served on were the Stadacona, Protector and Venture. He survived the war, but later drowned at sea in a terrible winter storm on December 24, 1967.

Ernest Foote Victoria, BC

Military Family

This photo was taken in Fort William, ON, in January 1946. These five veterans are all related, either siblings or cousins. They all served in the army, navy or air force in WWII. Rob Perry Thunder Bay, ON 1-888-588-6353

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reminiscing poetic licence

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The Fighting Newfoundlander Poem by Curt Budden

He presides with valour in light or dark.

Upon his post in Bowring Park.

Defending proudly he does stand.

With a live grenade grasped in his hand.

Entrenched in war both brutal and loud.

He gladly makes his country proud.

A monument is now the case.

Yet he represents a different place.

The life we live now comes with ease.

Due from his actions overseas.

Some walk by him, others visit.

But his place in Bowring is exquisite.

As for my thoughts?

Here’s my two cents.

I honour what he represents.

He may not move much like a boulder.

Still he represents the gallant soldier.

Strong with gusto, grit and grace.

Determination on his face.

A uniform that’s proudly worn.

Even with emotions badly torn.

Newfoundland deep in his roots.

With helmet strapped and tight-laced boots.

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Illustration by Anthony Noel

His passion cuts just like a knife.

On foreign soil he risked his life.

He fought through doubt as well as pain.

No time to wonder or complain.

If passing by please pay respect.

His presence you must not neglect.

He represents what we call home.

While standing proud on chiseled stone.

The Regiment was his home unit.

If singing a hymn? Be sure you tune it.

Ensure your gratitude is paid.

As he stands with rifle and grenade.

Defending Fathers, Sisters, Mothers.

But where he fought? He fought with Brothers.

He perhaps returned with soul in tatters.

Still what he stood for is what matters.

Latched to us all much like a lock.

For it’s so much more than bronze and rock.

There is no monument that’s grander.

Than the stoic Fighting Newfoundlander.

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reminiscing

Tragic Loss of

HMS Laurentic

By Lester Green

The sinking

of the Titanic off the coast of Newfoundland in 1912 is a well-known story to those who live in Atlantic Canada. However, most have never heard of the sinking of another White Star Liner, HMS Laurentic. It is an intriguing First World War story intertwined with a secret cargo of gold. The ship, a passenger liner pressed into service as a Canadian troop carrier when war broke out, struck two enemy mines below the murky surface of Lough Swilly, Ireland.

Hundreds were killed, including 22 sailors from Newfoundland and Labrador.

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steamed into freezing gale force The ship left Liverpool, England, winds that whipped the falling snow on January 23, 1917, with 475 pasinto a frenzy, reducing visibility to sengers, mostly sailors and crew near zero. returning home to Canada. Unknown The ship struck the first mine, to most onboard, the ship was also blowing a hole in its side. She veered carrying a cargo of gold valued at heavily to the right, causing her to hit £5,000,000 destined to pay for a second mine. A number of passenmunitions that were urgently needed gers were instantly killed by the if the British were going to turn the explosions. The groaning sounds of tide and win the war in Europe. water pouring into the ship signaled The Newfoundland Royal Naval to survivors aboard that the ship was Reservists were returning home to doomed to the depths below and they spend time with their families after scrambled to get into the lifeboats, serving overseas. Four of the sailors where the fate of many more was were from the Southwest Arm region sealed by the frigid temperatures. of Trinity Bay. They were all experienced sailors, having been trained on HMS Calypso years before the war Laurentic in Halifax harbour during wartime began. All were married and had left their wives in charge of everything on the home front while they fought for King and country. One had left behind his wife and two infant children; another, a young pregnant bride.

HMS Laurentic was instructed not to change course after departing Liverpool, but just hours into its voyage, it received a Seaman Eldred Gosse, of Long telegraph message to alter course Beach, and Seaman Luke Smith of and head to the nearest naval base.

Gooseberry Cove were among those The message explained that onboard claimed by the sea. Eldred left were several men suspected of havbehind his bride, Elizabeth Jane Butt ing a contagious disease. The ship of Queen’s Cove. Luke’s wife, Isaheaded to Lough Swilly, Ireland, and bella Spurrell, had given birth put in to the naval dock to remove months after he went overseas. His the five men. Seaman Abraham daughter, Viola May, would never sit Avery of Long Beach, NL, was one of in her father’s arms or feel the secuthe five. The ship then prepared to rity of his warm embrace. weigh anchor and continue its jourOnboard, Seaman Edward John ney to Halifax, Nova Scotia. On the Green, of St. Jones Without, heard night of January 25, 1917, the ship www.downhomelife.com

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Courtesy of Peggy Ball

Courtesy of Pauline Peddle

Courtesy of Baxter Smith

Newfoundlanders on board the Laurentic that day included (l-r) Seaman Abraham Avery, Long Beach; Seaman Edward John Green, St. Jones Without; Seaman Luke Smith, Gooseberry Cove. the explosion and described that “it came from the ‘unterzee boat’ and the great waves swept in on the stricken men and broke on the foundering liner with a mournful roar.” He managed to get into one of the lifeboats.

It was an extremely, bitterly cold night and during the inquest that followed the tragedy, Captain Norton described the situation that the men found themselves in. “The survivors suffered much in the open boats, due to exposure, owing to the coldness of the night...” Men would be found dead but sitting upright, their hands still gripping the wooden oars, bodies of sailors lying all around them.

Edward John lived through that horrific night in the lifeboat, tossing in the foaming waves, not knowing if the next breaker would dump him into the cold Atlantic. His mind was tortured by the groaning sounds of dying men and the hopelessness of the gloomy night. He had to focus on surviving and returning home to his wife. He had married the widow Martha Jane, daughter of George and Mary Jane Pitcher, on December 126

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1, 1913, in St. Jones Without. Martha had already lost one husband and he wasn’t going to surrender to death and make her a widow again.

In his book Courage at Sea, historian Robert C. Parsons quotes Edward John, who was the only conscious sailor in his lifeboat when he was rescued by a British trawler: “During the 15 hours adrift, my lifeboat capsized three times and 15 bodies washed away, but the others, 21 in number, was lashed to the thwarts and thus saved for burials after they died. The boat was kept afloat because it contained air tanks.”

Although weak and shivering, he returned to the deck to help haul the unconscious men aboard.

The 121 survivors (12 officers plus 109 passengers), including Edward John and Abraham, were treated kindly by the people of County Donegal and County Derry. They were photographed at Derry’s Guildhall, where they were given a meal, a shilling and a packet of cigarettes.

This scene was reenacted on January 25, 2017, at the same hall to honour those who survived, along with 1-888-588-6353

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those who did not get the chance to go home.

Back in Newfoundland and Labrador, the St. John’s Daily Star printed the headline “Sailors Given Good Reception” on March 7, 1917.

The article described how the survivors were treated to a reception at the railway station in St. John’s.

Afterwards they were carried by horse’s sleigh to Government House,

Photo of Survivors dinner at Derry’s Guildhall, January 1917.

Ray Cossum & the Laurentic (Courtesy of Don McNeill)

where they were met by Governor Walter Davidson and his wife. His Excellency mentioned how those who lost their lives would have their names handed down to future generations as the personification of all that was brave, loyal and true.

Edward John and Abraham never forgot that tragic day nor their fallen comrades, Seaman Luke Smith and Seaman Eldred Gosse. They returned to their respective homes and raised their families. Edward John moved his family to Heart’s Content in the late 1920s. He passed away on November 3, 1963. Abraham www.downhomelife.com

returned to Hillview, raised several children and lived there until his death on November 9, 1969. They are both buried in their hometowns.

As for the gold, the British Navy sent deepwater divers to retrieve the cargo within weeks of the disaster.

Over the years all the gold bullions were recovered.

Don McNeill of the Ulster Canada Initiative, County of Donegal, claims that the official figure from The Admiralty in London for the num-ber of fatalities is 349 (some unofficial sources say 354). Of these, 69 are buried in St. Mura’s cemetery, Fahan, and two are buried in Cockhill cemetery, Buncrana, County Donegal, near the site of the tragedy. A few were brought by their families to be buried near their homes in Ireland.

The Southwest Arm Historical Society had a wreath placed into the sea on January 25, 2017, where HMS Laurentic slipped below the surface.

The wreath laying was part of the Centenary Commemoration that saw the Irish Naval Service facilitate a visit to the wreck site onboard the L.E. Samuel Beckett for family members of those lost and those, fewer in number, who were saved.

This November 11 marks 100 years after the end of the Great War. We can only hope that we learn from the tragic loss of life in all world conflicts and the suffering of those who return with physical and emotional scars that remain with them for a lifetime.

Lest we forget.

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* Valid in Canada on a 1-year term. 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. ** Valid in Canada on a 3-year term. Total inc. taxes, postage and handling: for residents in NL $99; AB, BC, MB, NU, NT, QC, SK, YT $103.95; ON $111.87; NB, NS, PE $113.85. US and International mailing price for a 3-year term is $140.00.

Send to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or call 1-888-588-6353

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visit www.downhomelife.com/membership

130_stroud_Features 0609 10/4/18 2:40 PM Page 130

reminiscing

World War II RCAF recruitment posters for the Women’s Division 130

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1-888-588-6353

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October 12, 1942,

was a very fortunate day for Neatha Stoud of Glovertown, NL. She took the ferry from North Sydney to Port aux Basques, going home on leave from the war. If circumstances had delayed her crossing by just a day, she may never have survived to tell her life’s story. Fortunately, she was already safe on the other side when, on the morning of October 14, a German U-boat did its dastardly deed in the frigid waters of the North Atlantic. Commander Oberleutnant Ulrich Graft sighted the SS Caribou through his periscope and fired a torpedo upon the passenger ferry. Many unfortunate souls sank to a watery grave when the broken ship settled on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. It was the closest she came to being a war casualty since leaving home to join the Allied effort.

When WWII broke out, Neatha Stroud was an ordinary young woman living at home with her family. But her adventuresome spirit and desire to join the fight drew her to enlist in the Royal Canadian Air Force. Some family members opposed her choice, strongly suggesting she stay home and help her widowed father, but she was having none of it. She www.downhomelife.com

knew her father was perfectly able to cope, especially since there were other family members around to help. Her Stroud stubbornness came to the forefront and she told all concerned that she was enlisting no matter how they felt about her traditional womanly duties.

Neatha travelled to Halifax, Nova Scotia, landing as an immigrant because Newfoundland and Labrador November 2018

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was not yet part of Canada.

She enlisted with the Royal Canadian Air Force at the Halifax recruiting office and was deployed to British Columbia, a long train ride all the way across the country. There Neatha joined the ranks of other enlisted women whose primary role was taking incoming messages from headquarters for a select group of people working to break the coded inscriptions as they arrived in Victoria.

Living with a large group of women in RCAF barracks was a whole new experience for such a young woman so far from home. Though she had lived comfortably in Glovertown, it was still before electricity had come to her little community. And that led to a dilemma when she gazed upon the first duty roster for all the ladies in her barrack and saw her assignment: “vacuuming.” Well, she was stumped as to what her duty meant.

While she was mulling that over, another lady grumbled next to her. “I got to make soup. I hate making it!”

Neatha sweetly smiled and told her she would gladly exchange duties with her. When the other lady, Louise, scurried to do the vacuuming, our bewildered young recruit showed her craftiness. Neatha crept behind Louise and spied on her as she plugged in the contraption and cleaned the floors with it. Next time she was tasked with vacuuming, she 132

November 2018

Neatha (left) and her friend Louise during the war years knew just what to do.

Of course, it wasn’t all nose to the grindstone while Neatha was stationed in the beautiful English-styled city on Canada’s west coast. She became good friends with Louise and they explored Victoria on their offduty days. They strolled through the beautiful Butchart Gardens, taking in the aromas of all the glorious flowers, and splurged one time on High Tea at The Empress Hotel – a truly English experience of scones, cucumber sandwiches and other delights for the two ladies of leisure to enjoy.

1-888-588-6353

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When the war ended in 1945, Neatha headed home. Sometimes chance meetings have a way of sending you on a different kind of journey, and that’s what happened when she arrived at Alexander Bay Railway Station. There stood a tall, handsome gentleman with a guitar and case waiting for a drive down to Glovertown to meet some friends for the weekend. As she sat in the back of Diamond’s Taxi, Clarence Riggs placed his guitar case next to her, sat down on the seat and introduced himself. For the young couple, it was love at first sight, and for the next 67 years they were inseparable.

Neatha Riggs was released from the RCAF, but she wasn’t finished with the organization.

At the same time that Clarence retired from teaching, Neatha’s niece Phyllis and her husband Howard Saunders, who was an RCAF gunner during the war, were also embracing retirement. For the next innumerable years, the two couples travelled together to take in the annual air force reunions, reconnecting with old friends and comrades.

Neatha’s brother and brother-inlaw, who served overseas in the war, were both given all the benefits that the Department of Veterans Affairs afforded since they travelled in “dangerous waters” during the war. However, Neatha was not so fortunate, due to a technicality. All the people who were from Canada and had served in Newfoundland and Labrador during the war were considered serving overseas and given all the Veterans Affairs allowances, but Neatha and others who had www.downhomelife.com

served in Canada during the war were not eligible for any benefits.

Until she was afflicted with dementia in her mid-80s, she had gone decades without receiving one penny from our Government of Canada’s Department of Veterans Affairs.

However, sometimes it may be worth the wait. When dementia descended quickly upon her, the family knew it was time to approach Veterans Affairs once again. This time it was more forthcoming. They

Neatha and husband Clarence were married for 67 years allocated enough money for the family to hire a lady to help with her needs, as Neatha descended more and more into the helplessness of the illness. Once again, circumstances and chance meetings changed our family’s lives. I heard of a lady, named Patricia Arnold, when I was visiting a sick relative. She turned out to be an angel in disguise. She came to work with my mother, Neatha, until Mom died at 95, in 2013. She even stayed to help Dad until he died at 101 in 2017.

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reminiscing

By Charles Beckett

On Friday, December 19, 1941, the quiet harbours and coves in Newfoundland and Labrador were cloaked in snow and the residents, in spite of a war raging, were already caught up in the Christmas spirit. The lamps were trimmed, the wood stacked, handmade or knitted gifts completed, Eaton’s catalogue mail order items wrapped and the school Christmas concert staged. Amid these festivities, 16 households in various settlements throughout the colony received from the British Admiralty what they thought was a Christmas message from their boy overseas. They were not braced for the devastating news it contained: “The Admiralty regrets to report that your son has been missing and presumed killed as a result of torpedoing of destroyer HMS Stanley during an engagement with the German U-boat 574.”

I was too young to recall the emotional impact this had on Uncle Edgar, Aunt Louisa and the rest of the Beckett families, or the pall that must have enshrouded the community of Old Perlican. Being nextdoor neighbours, I can faintly recall Oscar Beckett as a happy-go-lucky young man who would pass by the house singing and yodelling. His favourite gospel song was “I’m Pressing on the Upward Way.” I recall visiting Uncle Edgar and Aunt Louisa, an amputee, 134

November 2018

seated with her residual limb elevated. She remained forever in denial, never accepting that her son was gone, believing to the end he would eventually return.

Oscar Beckett (Service #JX216793), along with two other Old Perlican comrades, were among the members of the Tenth Naval Contingent that sailed from St. John’s on August 5, 1940, on the troopship Nerrisa. After six weeks of naval training at the Ganges Barracks, Oscar was assigned 1-888-588-6353

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to the destroyer HMS Stanley as Ordinary Seaman.

Most of our boys served in the Battle of the Atlantic aboard various escort vessels, helping Allied convoys deliver supplies to Britain and other European countries. This was both dangerous and difficult, having to contend with not only hazardous weather conditions, but also the constant threat of an enemy U-boat attack.

Gibraltar was a strategic shelter for the Royal Navy and gateway to the hostile Mediterranean, with fascist Spain to the west and Mussolini’s Italy to the east. On December 16, 1941, Convoy HG (homebound from Gibraltar) found themselves surrounded by nine enemy U-boats off the coast of Portugal. The escort vessels were involved in an intense and horrendous battle for four days. Two of the three destroyers, HMS Exmoor and HMS Blankney, had each sunk a U-boat on the 17th and 18th, and had returned to Gibraltar for refuelling, leaving only HMS Stanley on the scene. On the 19th, U-boat 574 spotted HMS Stanley and torpedoed it, resulting in a violent and devastating explosion that sent flames hundreds of feet in the air.

Only 28 of the 168 crewmembers survived, including three from Newfoundland and Labrador. Ironically, this catastrophic event occurred just off Cabo da Roca, Portugal – the most westerly point of continental Europe and thus the nearest point to Newfoundland.

Now years later, I have my thoughts and recollections of the 1940s and keep asking myself, for whom were they fighting? I recall the socials for 1-888-588-6353

HMS Stanley

comrades home on leave; and the stirring and passionate speeches of Winston Churchill (on film) extolling patriotism, sovereignty and freedom; and the Union Jack flag-waving. Our small country of about 300,000 sent 22,000 to support the war effort, fighting ostensibly for freedom and democracy, only to see our rights and freedoms being trampled by political appointments and dictated agendas.

Arthur Findlay’s quote is perhaps apt: “Why will men fight and suffer to advance the interests of their masters, who fling them aside when they have no further use for them?”

Is not war too serious a business to be placed in the hands of politicians or governments? Are they the victims of the hardships, poverty, deprivation and devastation of war? Mahatma Gandhi, who was a pacifist, may have had a point: “What difference does it make to the dead, the orphans and the homeless, whether the mad destruction is wrought under the name of totalitarianism or in the holy name of liberty or democracy?” For who were once our enemies, are now our friends; Germany has become a member of the European Community and a trading partner. As someone once declared, and is probably ever true: “War does not determine who is right – only who is left.”

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reminiscing

between the boulevard and the bay

Farewell to a Friend

By Ron Young

While Dee was He had already been on my mind well versed in that morning when I got the call. Not that I was expecting it. Quite the opposite, I was thinking I’d the politics and like to give him a call for one of our chats. But it news of the day, was not to be. Dennis “Dee” Murphy, a longtime friend of Downhome magazine and of mine, had his forte was passed away. sports. Not just Until I moved back from Toronto to Newfoundone sport, but land in 1996, I hadn’t heard of Dee Murphy. But shortly after I moved home, I got a call from Dee. every sport in He loved Downhome magazine and told me so. He Newfoundland had lots of ideas for good Newfoundland and stories, and was always there to write or and Labrador. Labrador suggest a local success story. He was proud of our province and our people. For a while he was behind our regular monthly roundup of positive stories on local people, simply called “Well Done,” and a salute to towns called “Community of the Month.” Dee and I quickly became good friends and remained so over the years.

While Dee was well versed in the politics and news of the day, his forte was sports. Not just one sport, but every sport in Newfoundland and Labrador. In sport, Dee was one of those special heroes known as volunteers.

Dee became involved with Newfoundland and Labrador sports in 1953, when he was elected assistant secretary of the St. John’s Football (Soccer) League. Dee became involved with the news media that same year, as a soccer reporter for the Daily News. He eventually became an editor of that newspaper. Over the years he wrote about various sports for a number of publications, including the Evening Telegram, the Newfoundland Herald and Downhome magazine.

Dee was also a radio announcer, starting with the US military station VOUS (Voice of the United States) at Pepperrell Air Force Base in St. John’s.

As a broadcast reporter, Dee hosted and appeared 136

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on more than 1,000 television shows, for CJON-NTV, Atlantic Cable and CBC-TV. With his cousin, journalist, publisher and one-time politician Bill Callahan, he was part of the first televised local hockey game. Alongside Jack Howlett and Gerry Wiggins, Dee hosted the first televised Royal St. John’s Regatta.

Dee also covered nine Canada Games, nine Newfoundland and Labrador Games, and three Labrador Winter Games, in addition to a long list of other major sporting events.

As the first provincial softball president, Dee was a member of the charter executive of Softball Canada and one of only seven honorary life members that organization appointed.

While best known for his softball work, Dee served in executive capacities, often as president, in soccer, hockey, baseball, table tennis, bowling, darts, wrestling, broomball and basketball. Dee represented the province on the National Advisory Council for Fitness and Amateur Sport for three years and was chair of the St. John’s Athlete of the Year Committee for an incredible 29 consecutive years. A member of five sports halls of fame, including the Newfoundland and Labrador Sports Hall of Fame, Dee had been associated in a committee capacity with soccer, athletics, bowling, softball and the Royal St. John’s Regatta halls of fame. Mainly for sports halls of fame but also for other recognitions, Dee had submitted 101 successful nominations.

His coaching career lasted 35 years, including 25 years in female softball, taking 11 teams to national championships. He also coached minor, high school and intermediate hockey, 1-888-588-6353

Dee interviewing Prime Minister Jean Chrétien during the Royal St. John’s Regatta (from Our Sports) soccer and race walking.

In 2009-2010, Dee and I worked on a project together and produced a 368-page book of all aspects of Newfoundland and Labrador sport. Entitled Our Sports, the book included a CD containing an additional 2,000 pages of local sports trivia. Dee’s knowledge of the history of local sport was incredible, and I’m honoured to have played a small role as editor in helping Dee catalogue all that history for perpetuity. In the foreword for the book, Dee’s longtime friend, Premier Danny Williams, wrote, “An outstanding book of incredible value that has been 50 years in the making.”

This great Newfoundlander, Denis (Dee) Murphy, passed away on September 6, 2018, in St. John’s, at the age of 82.

Ron Young is a retired policeman, published poet and founding editor of Downhome. ron@downhomelife.com

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Hoodie - Adult - Home with Pink Lettering Size S - XXL

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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

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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

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FOR SALE

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Newfoundland Gold & Silver Rings Silver Rings • $120 Gold Rings: Mens - $599.99 • Womens - $410 gwgoulding@rogers.com (905) 725-4442 Visit: homepridejewellery.com 144

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November 2018

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life is better Rosco visits Lobster Cove Head Lighthouse Cory Bembridge, Steeves Mountain, NB

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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.

M

C

K

E

B

S

T

d

c L L

E

T p

n

H V

U

x

Q

L

n

E

X

Q

d

T

E

B

K J

M

E

x

L

T

Q

V

O

L S

U

C

p B

M

I

d

S

F

E

J c

M L

T

d

C

U

T p

E B A C

K S E

F

F

n

T

V

V E Q H K H

A p

H E x

A

n

F

T

Last Month’s Community: Robert’s Arm 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

November 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: • southernmost Inuit community in the world • hosts annual Tikigiaksaugusik Cultural Festival • local girl inspired Robert Munsch book • home of the longest boardwalk in North America • not accessible by road

Last Month’s Answer: Elliston

Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador

by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: Cartwright 150

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In Other Words Guess the well-known expression written here in other words.

Last Month’s Clue: Terrified to expiry In Other Words: Frightened to death This Month’s Clue: Take pleasure in the minutiae In Other Words: _____ ___ ______ ______

A Way With Words WAT(DISSOLVE)ER

Last Month’s Answer: Dissolve in water

Rhyme Time A rhyming word game

by Ron Young

1. To grab the wind is to _____ the ______ 2. A happy boat is a _____ _____

This Month’s Clue

STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP STEP PROGRAM

3. A sicker seaman is a _____ ______

ANS: ______ ____ _______

1. cat hat, 2. witch switch, 3. leaf relief

Last Month’s Answers

Scrambled Sayings

by Ron Young

Place each of the letters in the rectangular box below into one of the white square boxes above them to discover a quotation. Incomplete words that begin on the right side of the diagram continue one line down on the left. The letters may or may not go in the box in the same order that they are in the column. Once a letter is used, cross it off and do not use it again.

D G O A E G E H O I L G I I E P S O M N S K N D Y W U Y T N M Y

E H A E A L R F D O U R G D O S N E R N O U U P F T Y R R

A E N I

D I D I E N M

Last month’s answer: A family is a place where principles are hammered and honed on the anvil of everyday living www.downhomelife.com

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Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four

1. laptop 2. robber 3. courter 4. headhunter 5. teacher

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Last Month’s Answers: 1. mask, 2. task, 3. ask, 4. flask, 5. bask

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

Sound out the groups of words below to get a familiar expression.

For best results sound the clue words out loud!

Pee Cub Who Icy Hue ____ _ ___ _ ___ ___ Piece Sun-up Odd ____ __ _ ___ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Watt Sap Inning Answer: What’s happening Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Thud Ham Itches Stun Answer: The damage is done

A

nalogical

A

Unscramble each of the five groups of letters below to get 5 Newfoundland and Labrador place names.

1. LARDYFERN 2. FEARQUOTA 3. SEWNER 4. DANCEHAYPAP 5. SEEMEFUR Last Month’s Ans: 1. Twillingate, 2. Summerford, 3. Durrell, 4. Newville, 5. Fairbank

nagrams

Unscramble the capitalized words to get one word that matches the subtle clue.

1. GOLF IRON – Clue: always underfoot 2. LOST VEIN – Clue: makes things up as she goes along 3. CLONE HELP – Clue: nobody leaves home without it 4. TRIFLE HOPS – Clue: five-finger discounter 5. CAT DID – Clue: living the high life Last Month’s Ans: 1. costume, 2. Facebook, 3. envelope, 4. dictionary, 5. environment 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: religious rituals 1-91: clerks 3-23: fish 4-44: attacks 6-96: made-up 8-38: black bird 10-100: pilfered 11-31: beer 12-15: avenue 12-32: raced 13-43: Norse god 14-34: assist 15-55: fear 17-15: father 20-17: tough 20-40: jump 21-23: boy 23-43: noise 25-23: free 26-29: footwear 28-48: hooter 29-27: also 29-49: male cat 32-52: zero 34-31: feast 36-34: colour 40-34: driven 40-36: strength 41-44: transgressions 44-47: cruise 45-47: be unwell 46-48: sick 47-77: tardy 51-54: shine 51-81: female 50-80: pick up 52-92: head crawler 54-84: envelop 56-76: feline 57-59: broadcast www.downhomelife.com

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63-67: delicacy 67-37: story 69-67: swallow 70-67: achievement 71-75: countryfied 72-92: utilize 75-55: guided 76-80: entice 78-48: post 79-49: hair-do 82-84: spruce juice 84-86: tart 87-67: came upon 87-90: quarry 91-100: used 93-73: vehicle 93-43: box

93-95: swindle 95-65: longest river 97-100: worker 98-78: objective Last Month’s Answer 1

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R E C O N S I D E R

O A R E A R D O N E

T R A P V E N T E A

AL I T N I MA NKE S OEMT Y WO E V I RD A S LA E E NE AT UH S ONA

N O I N U B T A O B

November 2018

E F O E S A O R T L

V I N D I C T I V E

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The Bayman’s

Crossword Puzzle 1

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by Ron Young

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ACROSS 1. workout space 3. papa 5. sister (abbrev) 6. Early Modern Human (abbrev) 7. fish with baited hook (colloq) 9. untidy person (colloq) 12. standing dead tree (colloq) 17. either’s partner 18. “The hard and the ____ we take as it comes” 19. midday 21. pancake (colloq) 24. water barrier 25. ship’s jail 26. emergency room (abbrev) 27. per (abbrev.)

28. Ashuanipi River (abbrev) 29. afford 31. Whaddaya __?

32. political assembly 35. cart 37. common soap ingredient 38. sign language (abbrev) 39. Pa’s mate 40. “Long may she ____ between people and me” 41. Little Heart’s ____ 42. seal (colloq) 44. Jeanne d’___ Basin 46. Harry’s buddy in “Visions and Vignettes” 47. laying flooring (colloq)

11. The Big Land 12. NL pre-Confederation policeman 13. tiny settlement near Elliston 14. “I’m a broken man on a Halifax ____” 15. island (abbrev) 16. Harbour Grace landmark vessel 20. “In a leaky punt with a broken __ ’tis always best to hug the shore” 22. “And you can’t eat the ___ and you can’t drink the sea” 23. armful (colloq) 25. blood pressure (abbrev) 29. ______ of Belle Isle 30. Come __ Chance 31. battery size 33. Hawco to his friends 34. bloodsucker 35. beach for drying fish (colloq) 36. spun product 38. steamship (abbrev) 39. monosodium glutamate (abbrev) 43. on arrival (abbrev) 45. remote control (abbrev)

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DOWN 1. “Come day, go day. ___ ____ _____” (3 words) 2. motorboat storage space (colloq) 4. point a firearm 8. “Stay where you’re to till I comes where you’re __” 10. Coal Bin’s friend in “Different Strokes” www.downhomelife.com

ANSWERS TO LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD

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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.

’

__ __ 36 68

_____ 37465

__ 63

’

__ 86

’

_____ 96855

_ _ ____ 7 3 3464

______ 367438

___ 363

_ _ 6 3

__ 87

_ ____ _ 3 6825 3

Last Month’s Answer: He who wakes up early, yawns all day long. ©2018 Ron Young

CRACK THE CODE Z

Each symbol represents a letter of the alphabet, for instance =N Try to guess the smaller, more obvious words to come up with the letters for the longer ones. The code changes each month.

_ _ R

\

_ _ N’ _

x0 Zf

_ _ _ _ _ _ N _, RzR H pZR

t

_ _ _ _ _ _ N _ RzR H pZR

t

_ _ _ _ ;RbQ

_ _ _ _

;RbQ _ _ _

nBf _ _ N

x0 Z

_ _ _ _ _ N _ JpkRpZR

Last Month’s Answer: The best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today.

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Food For Thought

© 2018 Ron Young

Each food symbol represents a letter of the alphabet. Find the meanings to the words then match the letters with the food symbols below to get a little “food for thought.”

firearm =

ago =

_ _ _

aardvark =

[YV

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` zos

m

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b z h`

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fk`

i Yo i d}`

foY`

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eky

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dh

}dez y b

` Vfo` io`V` Yo

V[`

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hdY[kf

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_ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

eyo` hY b

battled =

_ _ _ _ _

fk`

yVf`yf`o

cautious =

i y}f

strange =

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

fk`

_ _

z}

_ _

fd

_ _ _ _ _

mdo b s

Last Month’s Answer: Every family is dysfunctional, whether you want to admit it or not. www.downhomelife.com

November 2018

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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 FIND AN OLD KILLICK

Last Month’s Answers: 1. Cabot Tower; 2. The Narrows; 3. Sea gull; 4. Ship's mast; 5. Container; 6. Marking on hull; 7. Bow; 8. Ern's arm; 9. Coal Bin; 10. Bollard; 11. Legs; 12. Trousers.

“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.

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HIDE & SEEK OCCUPATIONS

The words can be across, up, down, backward or at an angle, but always in a line.

ACCOUNTANT ARTIST BARISTA CARPENTER CASHIER CATERER DESIGNER DOCTOR DRIVER ELECTRICIAN ENGINEER

N O I S I V I D B U S Z S S O G K E

Last Month’s Answers

U Y Q N T O R O Y P M X T G L R W S

H Z Y A R E U G T O V E A U I E A O

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

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

W W G T A F O A H C R R M M I N I R

www.downhomelife.com

NURSE POLITICIAN SECRETARY SOLDIER TEACHER THERAPIST WELDER

GARDENER JANITOR JUDGE JOURNALIST LAWYER LIBRARIAN MECHANIC

O E U C C X B U R L W A O N A E F Q

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

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

A O G F Z C B C E D K F B W Z V N T

O S A T E Z Y K L L W U F Z X C T J

P O T X A A O Q U G Z R O X K T Z J

A W P B S T Y R E L O Q F D D M C H

O A I S H L Y I R L W E B G Z X E Z

R U I G T B O S K W Q C A J K I P B

T N S A Z R U C N C G Y R H Y E Y N

E U R L A E T J R E X M J H O F Y V

M O G Q X O Z S P O N J D O J S B I

E E H I H M T A S U R F E P E U F Y

X U N W A I R E T O N E D D S Y G T

N B Z N C O N T I N E N T F T O I X

T S W I N G H Z R T R O Z R T H O T

N M Y V C N T A R L U G R L C P U X

X O Z E E L M E D R Z I M X M E Y Q

T E J Y Y T L E O Y Y G B D K E N I

O E R I M N R G P F O D I X K O E K

S G L T L I K C O D O U T P O R T B

V T I P A Z J W H I U S B O A T R L

R Z A C E B A U V I O U V S D G P C

M C A R U Q U D R I M W Z W X O B Z

E U T T B D F C U I O A I V E V G Y

Z N G P M R J L O Y S J E R E X Q R

G C I Z E S W X O J Z H N E A O P L

A J N N V Y L O B M L Y G S X K W D

X X R W D R Z U F J R T R E N D S N

L M H I I K K R H R M H I M I S K U

L L O M V M C G G A Y U R M J O M E

D A A E T A B Q C I N A H C E M O U

I P U O X O O E I F E P N I E P N A

V E S C B M R D E H X Z B I C A D U

C Z N N L W E L D E R O L R J Q M O

K T E F E Y E P N V J O Y Z T E Z W

W E N U M M O C A O H U R E K Y H C

E E C A S H I E R Z D U T D V R G Q

November 2018

Y Q Z T E N A L P X C G K L V L J X

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photo finish

weather worn

This submitter captured the perfect reflection of the Cape Race Lighthouse framed by a window.

Jennifer Brushett Burin, NL

Do you have an amazing or funny photo to share?

Turn to page 9 to find out how to submit.

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