Downhome February 2019

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How to Stock an

Vol 31 • No 09

$4.99

February 2019

APOCALYPSE PANTRY p. 106

Romantic Getaway Contest

Facing Down Bullies The Story Behind XOXO

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life is better Published monthly in St. John’s by Downhome Publishing Inc. 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 Tel: 709-726-5113 • Fax: 709-726-2135 • Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 E-mail: mail@downhomelife.com Website: www.downhomelife.com Editorial Editor-in-Chief Janice Stuckless Assistant Editor Elizabeth Whitten Special Publications Editor Tobias Romaniuk Art and Production Art Director Vince Marsh Graphic and Web Designer Cory Way Illustrator Mel D’Souza Illustrator Snowden Walters Advertising Sales Senior Account Manager Robert Saunders Account Manager Barbara Young Marketing Director Tiffany Brett

Warehouse Operations Warehouse Operator Josephine Leyte Distribution Sales & Merchandising Joseph Reddy Sr. Customer Service Associate Sharon Muise Inventory Control Clerk Heather Lane Warehouse Associate Anthony Sparrow Retail Operations Retail Floor Manager, Water Street Jackie Rice Retail Floor Manager, Avalon Mall Carol Howell Retail Floor Manager, Twillingate Donna Keefe Retail Sales Associates Crystal Rose, Emma Goodyear, Ciara Hodge, Jonathon Organ, Nicole French, Elizabeth Gleason, Janet Watkins, Melissa Wheeler, Rebecca Ford, Darlene Burton, Erin McCarthy

Finance and Administration Subscriptions Senior Accountant Karen Critch Sr. Administrative Assistant Amanda Ricks Junior Accountant Marlena Grant Operations Manager Alicia Brennan Founding Editor Ron Young Operations Manager, Twillingate Nicole Mehaney 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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48 funky spot

Contents

FEBRUARY 2019

48 For the Birds Dr. William Montevecchi leads us in an exploration of Funk Island Ecological Reserve.

Elizabeth Whitten

54 Finding Joe This family travelled halfway around the world – twice – to find each other.

Ashley Miller

106 Apocalypse Pantry Are you stocked for emergencies?

122 Reflecting Pool

122

Edna Breen and her daughters share stories of growing up in an historic, and world-famous, section of Ferryland.

Dennis Flynn

hometown memories

www.downhomelife.com

February 2019

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Contents

FEBRUARY 2019

homefront 10 I Dare Say A note from the editor

20

11 Contributors Meet the people behind the magazine 12 Letters From Our Readers Aloha Mummers, Downhome in the operating room, and a surprise that washed up on shore

cool inspiration

20 Iceberg Photo Contest Winners 22 Downhome Tours Explore southern beaches with Downhome 24 That’s Amazing Wild news from around the world

26 Why is That? Why do we use “X” and “O” to mean kiss and hug?

Linda Browne 28 Life’s Funny Pun Fun Calvin Goosney

24

all aboard… again

29 Say What A contest that puts words in someone else’s mouth 30 Lil Charmers Snowmania 32 Pets of the Month Precious Moments

34 Blast from the Past Remember slates?

36 Poetic Licence Ode to the Wind Storm by Heidi Scarfone and Newfie Scoff by Lisa Butler 4

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glamour pup 1-888-588-6353

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60

second-hand story

38 Reviewed Denise Flint interviews Roger Pickavance and reviews the book he co-wrote with Agnes Marion Murphy, Agnes Ayre’s Notebook.

40 What Odds Paul Warford kicks off the brakes

42 In Your Words Winter Blues and Rustic Muse Charles Beckett

features 44 Stories and Songs Musician Mark Hiscock describes the making of his new solo album. Tobias Romaniuk

60 In Death They Parted An unexpected find in a pawn shop recalls a tragic love story. Burton K. Janes 64 Guest Gallery Featuring painter Gregory Guy

64 guest gallery

explore 74 What’s on the Go Exciting events happening around NL

76 In the Winter Spirit How do communities pull off those incredibly fun winter carnivals? Elizabeth Whitten

82 Amelia Earhart Legacy Tour

76 winter fun

www.downhomelife.com

While researching her family’s connection to the aviatrix, Heather Stemp explores the communities that appear in Earhart’s history as well.

88 My Brush with Celebrity Mel D’Souza shares his encounter with a young musician who became one of NL’s best-known accordion players.

February 2019

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Contents

FEBRUARY 2019

92

food to love

90 Stuff About What does the Seven Years’ War, actress Jennifer Aniston and Labradorite have in common?

food and leisure 92 The Everyday Gourmet In Love with Grits Andrea Maunder

96 Everyday Recipes 8 slow cooker meals to savour

110 Down to Earth There are plenty of ways even young kids can participate in and enjoy gardening.

Ross Traverse

reminiscing 116 Flashbacks Classic photos of people and places 6

February 2019

116 days of gold

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134 “little jail”

117 This Month in History The start of the Benevolent Irish Society

118 Visions and Vignettes Gnat, do you mind… Big-Hearted Snowman?

Harold N. Walters 128 A Mother’s Sacrifice With five boys risking their life for King and Country, this woman earned the Silver Cross. Lester Green

134 “Little Jail” Memories of St. Bride’s Catholic Girls Boarding School Katherine Harvey About the cover Nothing takes the chill out of a winter’s day like a steaming bowl of chili, or oatmeal, or beef stew, or any of the five other slow cooker meals you’ll find recipes for in this issue, beginning on p. 96.

Cover Index Apocalpse Pantry • 106 Brothers at Last • 54 Science at Sea • 48 Slow & Easy Moose Chili • 96 Romantic Getaway Contest • 53 Facing Down Bullies • 136 The Story Behind XOXO • 26

136 Between the Boulevard and the Bay Beating the Bullies Ron Young

138 Ed Chadwick and the Two-Gun Kid Bruce Roberts 142 Mail Order 146 Real Estate 147 Marketplace 148 Puzzles 160 Photo Finish

www.downhomelife.com

February 2019

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Putting the eel in seal and other strange news Pg. 24

From NY to NL: A tragic love story Pg. 60

Valentine’s Day Cards

Mark Hiscock CD Giveaway

Download and print free, uniquely NL cards at www.downhomelife.com.

Search “Valentine card.”

Visit Downhomecontests.com and enter to win a copy of the CD The Old Fishing Schooner.

(Related story on the making of the CD on p. 44.) Contest is open Feb. 11-22, 2019.

8 February 2019

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Submission Guidelines and Prize Rules

You could WIN $100!

Every reader whose PHOTO, STORY, JOKE or POEM appears next to this yellow “from our readers” stamp in a current issue receives $10 and a chance at being drawn for the monthly prize: $100 for one photo submission and $100 for one written submission. Prizes are awarded in Downhome Dollars certificates, which can be spent like cash in our retail stores and online at shopDownhome.com.*

Submit Today!

Send your photo, story, joke or poem to

Downhome 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3 or submit online at:

www.downhomelife.com *Only 1 prize per submitter per month. To receive their prize, submitters must provide with their submission COMPLETE contact information: full name, mailing address, phone number and email address (if you have one). Mailed submissions will only be returned to those who include a self-addressed, stamped envelope. Downhome Inc. reserves the right to publish submissions in future print and/or electronic media campaigns. Downhome Inc. is not responsible for unsolicited material. www.downhomelife.com

February 2019

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i dare say How can something so short seem so long?

Tobias Romaniuk photo

That’s the paradox that is February. It’s the shortest month of the year, but it can often feel like the longest month of the winter. Perhaps it’s because it comes after we’ve already had two months of long nights and snowy days, and knowing that there are still many weeks of winter left.

But it can also be the prettiest, with the best conditions for winter sports, and broken up with special events – Groundhog Day (Candlemas Day in Newfoundland and Labrador’s past); Valentine’s Day; in some years, Pancake Day; and in some provinces, Family Day. For me, it’s also the month of my birthday. And in many communities, it’s the time for winter carnivals.

When I was growing up in Twillingate, the annual winter carnival was a highly anticipated event. There was always a beauty pageant, a figure skating show, a variety concert, sporting contests and community meals. The highlight for me was the Torchlight Parade, when all the youth groups (Girl Guides, Boy Scouts, Sea Cadets etc.) would march across the frozen harbour carrying candles and flashlights. It would be bitterly cold and we’d be bundled in snowsuits, but it was a sight to see (at least I guess it was – I never really saw it because I was always in it). There would be programs printed and special carnival buttons made (I still have several years of them).

I never really thought about what it took to put off the carnival every year, how many volunteers were needed to organize it. But after reading Elizabeth Whitten’s behind-the-scenes article on some long-running carnivals in the province (see p. 76), I have a renewed sense of wonder in those winter festivals of my youth. To all those who put in the time and effort to create something so enjoyable for the entire community, thank you for bringing warmth to the coldest month of the year.

Thanks for reading,

Janice Stuckless, Editor-in-chief Janice@downhomelife.com 10 February 2019

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Contributors

Meet the people behind the magazine

Ashley Miller

Longtime Downhome readers will recognize this contributor; Ashley Miller was on our editorial staff for more than a decade. In this issue she’s back as a freelancer, with a touching story about two brothers meeting for the first time. They had never known the other even existed until a timely letter (their story starts on p. 54).

“I love writing about everyday people who’ve experienced something extraordinary. This story – about brothers who found each other at 66 and 75 years old – is definitely that,” Ashley says.

“One of the most interesting parts of this story, which didn’t make it to the final draft, is that it almost didn’t happen. The letter that started the family’s search was addressed incorrectly and went to numerous wrong addresses before finally making its way into the right hands. So, some diligent local postal workers played a major role in bringing this family together.”

When Ashley isn’t following a story, she’s out exploring the nooks and crannies of our amazing province. www.downhomelife.com

Barbara Critch

Every year, Barbara Critch gives her brother a subscription to Downhome for his birthday. And when he’s done, he passes it right back to her. While she lives in Mississauga, ON, she has certified NL roots. Her parents were both from Newfoundland and Labrador, and all of her siblings but herself and her twin were born there before the family migrated to Ontario for work. The family’s ties to their home province remain strong.

“We love it there. If family wasn’t here, we’d be down there,” Barbara says. It’s a frequent musing among the siblings of what their lives would have been like if they’d stayed in Newfoundland and Labrador.

One of Barbara’s hobbies is taking photos, especially of family, nature and animals. “I enjoy photography, I always have. I think I got it from my dad,” she says.

On page 32 is a photo of her nephew’s French bulldog, Stella.

“She’s just adorable, she’s sweet, she’s funny. We just love Stella to bits,” Barbara says.

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Downhome Operation

My daughter had to have surgery on her thumb and we learned that the surgeon was from Newfoundland. We thought it would be fun if we brought along some old editions of Downhome magazines to give to him and the assisting staff.

In true Newfoundland style, Dr. Cooper was singing the Mummers Christmas song while he did the small surgery, making everyone relaxed and making it the funnest surgery ever!

Heidi Scarfone Fairbanks, NL

Bet Bud Davidge and Sim Savory never imagined their iconic Mummers Song would literally have someone in stitches!

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Thank You I just wanted to say thank you for using the photograph of my niece and nephew on page 112 of your December issue. My sister (their mother) has been in the hospital for four months, and when she saw this in your magazine, it brought her much joy (also causing her to cry). She had more surgery today and her daughter Danielle (the small girl in the photo) and family are visiting her from Ottawa. I just loved that photo and was happy to share it with you.

Glenys Yorke Uxbridge, ON

to lately. After many questions, my husband asked why all the concern?

Our friends were very upset that we were sending cards displaying pictures of the KKK! Guess now I have to contact all our mainland friends to explain the mummering tradition. Some stunned, wha?

Barb Rae Naramata, BC

We’re so used to mummers around here, we never thought how someone seeing them for the first time might interpret them. Perhaps colourful pillowcases would be the best option for janneying in the future!

Mummers in Hawaii

We wish your sister a speedy recovery, Glenys. Thank you for sharing that Christmas flashback with us. We try to print as many reader submitted photos as we can each issue, and we are grateful for every submitted story and photo that we receive. Anyone interested in submitted something to Downhome, you’ll find simple directions on page 9.

Not O-KKK On a recent trip home to Corner Brook, NL, I purchased Christmas cards displaying pictures of mummers. I mailed out the cards and soon after we received a call from a mainlander friend asking if everything was OK and exactly what have we been up www.downhomelife.com

Your article “Mummers on the Mainland” (December 2018) sparked a good memory for us from 1992. In August of that year I received a phone call from my sister, saying they were going to be transferred again (her husband was in the Canadian Armed Forces). This time they were being stationed in Hawaii. I blurted out that I hoped she had an extra bedroom because we were coming to visit. We made plans to spend Christmas in Hawaii that year.

We took our two daughters, aged 12 and 14, out of school early in December and off we went to Hawaii. On Christmas Day, we put the turkey in the oven and went to the beach for a few hours before returning to a great Christmas feast. Our wedding anniversary is December 28, and my sister planed a party for us at their house. They invited their friends and some of my brother-in-law’s work buddies, a combination of Americans and Canadians.

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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

1 888 588-6

to Vera Mullins of Harbour Breton, NL, who found Corky on page 70 of the December issue.

There was a total of seven Canadians at the party, and four of them were Newfoundlanders. When the party was in full swing – Newfoundland kitchen party style – in danced four mummers. My brother-in-law and the other three Forces Newfoundlanders had secretly dressed up and entered the party. The non-Newfoundlanders were speechless as the mummers danced and sang through a few songs.

It really made our anniversary something special and a memory we will hold for a lifetime. (By the way, we also had the cops knock on our door twice that night investigating complaints of noise. After the second time we figured we should call it a night.)

Newfoundland mummering in Hawaii and a Newfoundland kitchen party – doesn’t get any better than that.

Keith Windsor St. John’s, NL 14 February 2019

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.

It was a memorable night for you, and perhaps even more so for the nonNewfoundlanders who’d never before had a party crashed by a mummers troupe! Thanks for sharing that great memory with us.

Remember the Blue Wave February 9 will be the 60th anniversary of the sinking of the trawler Blue Wave, out of Grand Bank, NL. I feel this deserves special mention. It’s as clear to me today as it was on February 9, 1959.

The weather was typical for February: high winds, blowing snow and very cold. It was Monday morning. I was teaching in the Salvation Army school in Grand Bank, and that’s where I was when we received the news. My two sisters and two brothers were at school also.

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an understatement. Sixteen men, including our father, lost their lives on that day. Many children were in our school. What do you do at a time like that? And where do you go? I went to the principal’s office and he (Frazer Oakley) talked to me. But it was something that we all had to face.

These men were hard-working family men, all relatively young. My dad was 48. Twelve of the men were from Grand Bank; four were from Fortune.

Then began the business of trying to put our lives back together and living without our fathers, uncles, brothers and friends.

I was 20 when my dad died. I’m 80 now. Since then I’ve gotten married, raised a family, have grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I watched my husband pass away and am now living alone. I understand what life is all about. We can’t change anything.

We have to accept what life brings us.

But I’ll never forget that terrible day when life changed forever, and neither will any of us who were involved. And on February 9, we’ll be phoning each other and reminiscing and setting aside that day to remember the good times and the father who died too young.

Found on Facebook Deanne Hussey The puppy on the left is 7month-old Maggie, visiting her friend Penny in Labrador City for the holidays and getting her first taste of snow and winter and loving it.

A terrible tragedy for the Grand Bank and Fortune communities. It’s important to remember those lost and the families left behind. We’re sorry for your loss, Betty.

75,000 people gathered for art, music and spirituality. Everyone who goes takes on a nickname. I chose Mummer. I had been to sea my whole adult life and have sailed out of Newfoundland many times as a Fisheries observer. I love The Rock and the people there.

In Black Rock City, upon introducing myself I would have to explain what a Mummer was. All thought the custom was wonderful. I had a great time bringing this Newfoundland tradition to Burning Man.

Mummer at Burning Man

John Robidoux Via Downhomelife.com

In 2016, I went to Burning Man in Black Rock Desert, Nevada, USA. This week-long event is the most wonderful thing you can imagine:

You just never know where a mummer might show up. Thanks for your letter, John.

Betty (Barnes) Stringer Clarenville, NL

www.downhomelife.com

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The Birdhouse House I travel to the Burin Peninsula often for work and some of the sweetest people I have met live in Point MayCalmer-Lamaline, on the very tip of the Peninsula. Recently I was visiting the sweetest elderly man in Calmer and asked if he and his wife knew if “the house with all the birdhouses on it” in Lamaline sell those birdhouses.

They said they weren’t sure but that I could always knock on their door and ask. When I left Calmer I had to drive through Lamaline anyways, but I drove on past “the house with all the birdhouses on it” because I felt foolish knocking on a stranger’s door asking if they sell them. But then I stopped, turned around and drove back. I got up the nerve to pull in the driveway, get out and knock on the door.

A woman answered and said, “I’ve been waitin for ya! I just got off the phone with her and she said you might be comin’ by to look at the birdhouses!

Come on in, it’s freezin’ outside!”

Delicious Surprise I was reading my husband’s December issue of Downhome, and I came across a recipe and was so surprised to see it [Chocolate Chewy Nut Bars, p.

87]. I have been making these fantastic bars for 40 years now. Every time we have a family gathering I have to take a pan of these bars. My whole family absolutely adores them. I’m so glad you also make them.

Marjorie Clouter Via email

Oh yes, the editor’s mom is “famous” for them in her family, too. And they were a hit at the Downhome office potluck last fall.

16 February 2019

I picked out two birdhouses, one for my mom and one for me. I wanted to share my story as it truly warmed my heart. I had just gotten back from a trip to Europe and it made me appreciate living in Newfoundland and Labrador that much more.

Jamie Browne St. John’s, NL

Word travels fast in small towns, especially if there’s someone in need of something.

Fondest Memories I was stationed for two years at the naval facility in Argentia, NL back in 1974. Getting there required I drive the TCH from Port aux Basques to the Base. I instantly fell in love with Newfoundland! Her rugged beauty, tempered by some of the most hospitable people I had ever encountered, assured me I would want to be here more than the two years Uncle Sam had allowed for me.

The car I arrived with was ailing, and I knew I wasn’t going to be content to just stay on the base. I sold my old car and bought a brand new 1975 Honda Civic from McKinley Motors Continued page 18 1-888-588-6353

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It wasn’t long ago that herds of Newfoundland Ponies could be seen grazing in the picturesque communities along Newfoundland’s Southern Shore. For most of the year the Newfoundland Pony grazed openly on the commons, known as Crown land, and bred through natural selection over several centuries to create this breed, which is unique to Newfoundland and Labrador.

All species at risk are affected by loss of habitat and the Newfoundland Pony is no exception. Farmer Shane Conway in Renews remembers when there was upward of 50 or 60 ponies and horses in the area. Those times are lost now. But he is doing his part to bring the breed back to the public eye with the newest addition to his farm, a sevenyear-old Newfoundland Pony named “Holly”.

Holly is the delight of his great-niece Janna Reddy, who has fallen in love with the Pony. Janna is eight years old and every evening, she heads to the barn and takes Holly out for a walk through Renews. Newfoundland Ponies are known for their gentle, trusting and intelligent nature, and Holly has all these qualities and more.

Farmer Conway says Holly has settled into her new home in Renews and is happy.

Her stable mate is a goat named “Lilly” and the two get on like a house on fire.

Little is known about Holly. She lived in Gaskiers-Point La Haye in St. Mary’s Bay at some point. And it is believed she lived in Upper Island Cove as well. If you recognize Holly, please get in touch with Farmer Conway (709-363-2168), as he is looking for information about her lineage with plans to register her with the Newfoundland Pony Society.

And be sure to look for Holly and Janna the next time you’re in Renews!

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Mystery Kids

Downhome contributor G. Tod Slone took this photo of kids playing in a very sudsy fountain in downtown St. John’s 30 years ago. This is at Prince Edward Plaza on George Street. He’s wondering where these children might be today.

Anyone recognize the kids in these photos or the event that led to the soapy adventure? If so, please get in touch and tell us about it. Email us at editorial@downhomelife.com or write to 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.

on Water Street in St. John’s. During my tour of duty I put well over 10,000 miles on my little Honda, travelling up along one shore and down the other. I stopped at each town and sought out the post office. I had the postal worker cancel a stamped envelope so I would have the town name and date I visited.

Visiting with each town’s folks was a wonderful experience in itself! Everyone was so kind, offering me dinner with their family and even overnight stays! It was an amazing experience for me! The local jargon, fish and brewis, the Blackbird Song, trout fishing, hunting rabbits and, of course, cod jigging! I fell in love with the 18 February 2019

music of Newfoundland. Harry Hibbs is still my favourite.

Having to leave was a sad time for me. I will always hold your province in my heart. I still order hard bread to make fish and brewis here at home.

Subscribing to Downhome has kept me closer to a place I truly love. God bless all the wonderful people of Newfoundland! You all have captured my heart.

Danny Delancy Connecticut, USA

Thanks for your letter, Danny, and for keeping in touch.

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Look What the Sea Washed Up It is so true that you never know what you’re going to find washed up on the beach.

Every morning I take my dog out to the beach so he can have a free run and get some fresh air and explore.

While he does this, I pick up garbage that has either washed up or been left behind. While I was doing this one day last summer, I found something that my dad, Kevin Lundrigan, lost years ago!

He had two knitted hats from one of his aunts that he wore religiously out fishing and everywhere else. One day, the wind blew it off his head and he wasn’t able to retrieve it. This day I was able to retrieve my Dad’s stocking cap, and I couldn’t be happier with my treasure I found on the beach that was lost, I’d say, a good 20 years ago!

You may ask how do I know this is Dad’s lost hat? His had a spot of paint on it, and when I found the hat it still had that spot of paint.

Jackie Lundrigan Via email

That’s a pretty lucky find, and a treasure for your dad, for sure! Here are the photos you sent, one showing the hat you found and one of your father wearing his hat circa 1991.

In a recent poll on DownhomeLife.com, we asked: If we reintroduced the NL penny, whose face should be on it?

Joey Smallwood 28%

Gordon Pinsent 20% Mary Walsh 5%

Ron Hynes 11%

Katarina Roxon 8% Shanawdithit 28%

Visit DownhomeLife.com and chime in on our newest poll: Who was your favourite kids’ TV host?

www.downhomelife.com

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We received nearly 150 show-stopping iceberg photos in

our contest last fall. After much deliberation, Ronnie Kinnie’s photo of a big berg lurking outside the Narrows of St. John’s Harbour drifted into first place. He’s been rewarded with $100 worth of canvas printing from Downhome.

Here is Ronnie’s photo plus two more stunning runners-up. Thanks to everyone who participated and please keep sharing your favourite photos with us. All the iceberg photos are continually displayed at DownhomeLife.com (search “iceberg”). And keep your cameras handy, as another iceberg season is just weeks away!

20 February 2019

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WINNER!

Perfectly Parked Ronnie Kinnie Middle Sackville, NS

First Runner Up Summer Sailing NL Frank Edison Bridgewater, NS

Second Runner Up

Iceberg Mountain, St. Brendan’s Tracey Hynes St. Brendan’s, NL www.downhomelife.com

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homefront Downhome Tours...

Southern Beaches

Sand and Surf This Winnipeg family ditched the Canadian snow for the warm and sunny Turks and Caicos Islands.

Submitted by Geoff Garland of Winnipeg, Manitoba

The Turks and Caicos Islands was first inhabited by the Taíno people sometime between 500 and 800 AD, and today it’s a British Overseas Territory. Located in the Atlantic Ocean southeast of the Bahamas, it’s made up of about 40 islands, with most of the people living on Grand Turk and Providenciales, which has an international airport.

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Thumbs Up Lloyd Smith of Angus, ON, is ready for a good read and maybe a nap on the beach in Barbados.

An eastern Caribbean island in the West Indies, Barbados has been an independent British Commonwealth nation since 1966. The capital city, Bridgetown, is a popular cruise-ship port and a crowdpleasing tourist destination.

Seaside Luxury Howard Sheppard took his copy of Downhome everywhere he went on a trip to Sint Maarten. He spent his days lying in the sand, looking for Corky.

Submitted by Catherine Companion of Corner Brook, NL

An island country in the Caribbean, Sint Maarten is actually a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with Dutch and English as the two official languages. The northern part of the island is the French collectivity known as Saint-Martin. www.downhomelife.com

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homefront

That’s

AMAZING Wild news from around the world

Titanic 2.0

A replica of the famed Olympic-class RMS Titanic is set to take its maiden voyage in 2022, following the original ship’s route. The idea of rebuilding the Titanic has been floated since the movie came out in 1997, but this one will reportedly have modern safety features. Bon voyage?

Painting Stroke of Luck

During a recent art roadshow in St. John’s, NL, an oil sketch by A.Y. Jackson was discovered. He was one of the founding members of the Group of Seven painters and this piece, called “Ungava Coast,” is worth an estimated $90,000.

Fast Track to Trouble

A German teenager was on his way home after successfully completing his driver’s test when he was pulled over by police. He’d been caught going twice the legal speed limit in a 50 km/h zone.

After only having his driver’s licence for 49 minutes, it was revoked.

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Russian Ruse

Four men donned a cardboard cutout costume of a bus so they could walk across Zolotoy Bridge, a vehicle-only road in Vladivostok, Russia. However, their ruse was quickly found out and a security guard pulled them over.

Beam Me Up

When ’Oumuamua first flew by Earth, scientists weren’t sure if it was a comet or an asteroid, but eventually they created a new classification called Interstellar Object. A Harvard astronomer recently published a paper suggesting it was an alien ship.

However, most scientists have dismissed this extraterrestrial claim.

Nosy Creatures

Monk seals in Hawaii have been getting into some trouble recently. The endangered species keeps getting eels stuck in their noses. While no seals have been injured, scientists haven’t been able to explain why this keeps happening. It’s possible while seals are foraging with their noses for food, they startle a hidden eel that then darts up the seal’s nostrils in a panic to escape. Or, like human teenagers, young seals are copying each other doing dumb things. www.downhomelife.com

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Expert answers to common life questions.

By Linda Browne

Why do we use “X” and “O” to mean kiss and hug?

Have you ever opened up a letter or a card (or more frequently nowadays, an email or text) and found yourself full of warm and fuzzy feelings upon spying an “xo” at the end of the message? Chances are, you’ve likely expressed your affection to a loved one in the same way at one time or another. But have you ever wondered how these two symbols came together to represent the purest of human emotions? For that, we must take a little trip back in time.

Theories abound about how “X” and “O” have come to mean kiss and hug – from the way they look (some say the “X” and “O,” respectively, resemble lips puckering up and arms encircled in an embrace; while others have suggested a switcheroo, with the “X” taking the form of crossed arms in a hug and the “O” resembling lips on the verge of a kiss), to the way they sound (e.g. “X” and “kiss”). But to gain a better understanding of why we so lovingly sprinkle our correspondence with these symbols, we must look beyond their mere physical appearance.

In the Middle Ages, it was customary to place an “X” on envelopes or letters (with the “X” in this case representing the Christian cross) as a sign of sincerity or faith. Also, as many could not read or write, it presented an easy way for common folks to sign 26

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documents. To reinforce their good intentions, the signer would often kiss the cross, hence the origin of the phrase “sealed with a kiss” and the acronym “SWAK,” which servicemen during the First and Second World Wars would write on envelopes or letters to their sweethearts back home.

“The best explanation that I found is that the ‘X’ was a seal sign put at the back of letters by those in authority. It stands for ‘Christ,’ and to this day it still has that connotation – for example, ‘Xmas.’ So the seal was meant to show authority given that the church held great power,” adds Marcel Danesi, professor of semiotics (the study of signs and symbols and their meanings) at the University of Toronto and author of a just released book, The History of the Kiss! The Birth of Popular Culture and The Semiotics of Love.

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“It seems that many of the secret love affairs of the era started using this symbol as a sign [literally] of transgression. It is a small step from there for the ‘X’ to become a sign of the romantic kiss – the greatest transgression of all, since it likely meant betrayal on the part of the lovers.”

How, then, did the “X” make the jump to the more romantic or affectionate associations of today?

“My guess is that symbols are turned on their head when radical changes are going on. So, at a certain point the symbols of authority were adopted by anyone to suggest a signature, especially among non-literate peoples – to this day, we say ‘Put your X here,’” Danesi says.

“It seems that many of the secret love affairs of the era started using this symbol as a sign [literally] of transgression. It is a small step from there for the ‘X’ to become a sign of the romantic kiss – the greatest transgression of all, since it likely meant betrayal on the part of the lovers.”

Over time, people from all walks of life adopted the practice of signing off with an “X” or kisses – whether to a lover, family member or friend. Even the Oxford English Dictionary notes a letter from Winston Churchill to his mother, dated 1894, in which he

wrote: “Please excuse bad writing as I am in an awful hurry. (Many kisses.) xxx WSC.” Unfortunately, less is known about the “O” part of the equation – but again, there are multiple theories.

According to Danesi, simply studying its shape provides the best clue as to how “O” has come to stand for a hug.

“This one is hard to trace. My guess is that it resembles a hug, doesn’t it?

Also, the circle is a symbol standing for so many things, including eternity.

Don’t we secretly want love to last forever?” he says.

How these two symbols eventually united to symbolize kisses and hugs also remains a bit of a mystery. One theory suggests that their pairing comes from the ancient game of tictac-toe.

“The only inference I can make is that symbols cross over domains,” Danesi says. “It could well be that early players of the game were lovers.”

But, he cautions, “This is a guess!”

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

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

?

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homefront life’s funny

Pun Fun We were getting ready to go shopping, when I picked up my eyeglasses and one of the lenses fell out. I took them to the centre for eyeglasses and asked if someone could fix them. The employee looked them over and found the problem. “There is a screw loose,” she said.

Without missing a beat, I replied, “Oh, it runs in the family.”

She was laughing so hard I was afraid she would lose the screw, but she fixed it!

Calvin Goosney 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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“Which way to Seal Cove?”

- Lisa Grandy

Say WHAT? Downhome recently posted this photo (sent in by Lorne Slade) on our website and Facebook page and asked our members to imagine what the seal might be saying.

Lisa Grandy’s response made us chuckle the most, so we’re awarding her 20 Downhome Dollars!

Here are the runners-up: “Did she say ‘Let’s grab a bite in St. Anthony or...?’” - Noel Martin “I wish my flipper had a thumb. I could use a ride.” - Heather Harding “No matter where I go, I’ll get ‘pelted.’” - Glenn Patey

Want to get in on the action?

Go to www.downhomelife.com/saywhat

www.downhomelife.com

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

February 2019

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homefront lil charmers

snowmania New to the Neighbourhood The snow was still falling fast as the submitter and her daughter (pictured) built this snowman to chill out with.

Marilyn Crotty Chamberlains, NL

All Smiles Here Christian, Jacob and Dale pose with their snowman, Simon.

Chris Lafosse Ottawa, ON

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Dressed to Impress

When making a snowman, remember safety first!

Martha Brewer St. Lawrence, NL

Up in the Air Lauren Penney and Sam the Snowman are havin’ a time.

Tina Battiste Corner Brook, NL

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homefront pets of the month

precious moments Creature Comfort

What could be better than snuggling up on the couch with a hot cup of cocoa, Stella and her blanket?

Barbara Critch Mississauga, ON

Pearl Glam

Bubbles the wire-haired dachshund is all dressed up and looking for a place to go.

Bill Hull Corner Brook, NL

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Heartfelt Hugs

Sir Pounce and Big Kitty were once rescue cats, but now they’re happily adopted brothers.

Heather Warren Torbay, NL

Snowy Snouts

After some fun in the snow, Lexi and Marlie are ready to come in for a spell.

Anne Marie Wade Bridgewater, NS

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homefront

Remember Slates?

Speaking to folks of a cer-

tain vintage, have you ever looked at your grandchildren’s iPads (or your own) and thought that they reminded you of something?

There was this learning and teaching tool that the parents of Apple computer inventors might have used. It was of similar shape and size, was used for writing messages, working out problems and even computing – albeit using just the human brain. It was the slate, and it was commonly used by school students in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Writing slates consisted of a sheet of actual slate framed in wood. Chalk was used to write on it and wet sponges or rags were used to clean it. It was, essentially, a mini handheld chalkboard. They were used in classrooms all over North America up until the 1930s and ’40s (and later in some regions), after which paper and pencils became more common. But there are places in the world today where slates are still used.

In these modern times, Apple may make the iPad, but it is Microsoft and Google that are running on various tablet computers that are all called – guess what? – slates.

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homefront poetic licence

Ode to the Wind Storm

By Heidi Scarfone • Fairbanks, NL

The wind is blowin’, she’s blowin’ a gale, not fit for man to turr or sail.

She’s blowin’ sou’west, just like they said, me nerves we’re gonna wind up dead!

The windows creak, the walls they crack, the winds are getting stronger.

But Bob’s still snorin’ loud and strong, I can’t take this much longer.

The winds a blowin’, the power’s off, no time to even make a scoff. ’Tis dark and windy on our hill, I swear to God, I’ll soon be ill!

I pull the blankets o’er my head, I pray for light of day, that soon my man will wake up and his snoring’s gone away!

The wind’s a blowin’, she’s changed her course, nor’west I do believe.

The waves are crashing on the shore, I thinks I wants to leave!

The wind’s still blowing, wild and fierce, morning’s finally here.

Bob’s awake and sweetly asks, “How was your night, m’dear?”

I lay awake with every gust, I swear the place is shifting.

It’s freezing and so dark in here, no doubt the roof is lifting!

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Written the morning after the wind storm of November 15, 2018

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Newfie Scoff

By Lisa Butler • Gander, NL

It’s Sunday mornin’ on da Rock and ya know what dat means me ol’ cock.

It’s time to get the praties off da peel Ya knows we got to cook up our favourite meal!

D’eres carrot, parsnip and turnip in da pot With da salt beef, cabbage and da pease puddin’ hot.

Now I likes da gravy from da roast But a true Jiggs’ dinner is what I loves da most.

So pull up a chair and sit yer bum down Pass da homemade beets and pickles around.

And stuff yer belly until ya had enough But leave some room for da good ol’ figgy duff!

And after you’re finished quite da scoff Ya might want to lie down and have a little nod off.

And dream about tomorrow’s feed of hash No not that funny stuff – just da leftovers mashed!

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homefront

reviewed by Denise Flint

Agnes Ayre’s Notebook Roger Pickavance & Agnes Marion Murphy Boulder Publications $29.95

Agnes Ayre’s Notebook: Recipes from Old St. John’s is a must have for food historians.

Mrs. Ayre started collecting the recipes, which she seemed to have gleaned from a variety of sources, in a small notebook over 100 years ago. Authors Roger Pickavance, who led the project, and Agnes Marion Murphy, Mrs. Ayre’s granddaughter, have tested, interpreted and, when necessary, adjusted those recipes to present a cookbook that enables the reader to recreate them in a modern kitchen. The book is laid out simply with the original recipe, Pickavance’s notes and the updated version.

The recipes are quite different from the kind you find nowadays, with few, if any, instructions and a very short list of general ingredients.

There is no specification for olive oil or saffron oil such as we have come to expect in modern recipes, for instance, and there is no doubt that Mrs. Ayre would have stared at you blankly if you’d suggested using balsamic vinegar, Dijon mustard, sriracha sauce or any other ingredient modern day cooks take for granted. My own favourite was for spaghetti, which called for the pasta to be boiled for 20 minutes and then put in a casserole dish with “highest quality” tomato soup and baked for 15 minutes. It was probably the epitome of nouvelle cuisine at the time.

The small advertisements from contemporary sources for some of the items mentioned were a fun addition, as were the occasional photos of the original recipes written in Mrs. Ayre’s own hand. It would have been interesting to see more of this kind of contextualization.

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Q&A with the Author Denise Flint: How did this book come to be?

Roger Pickavance: When I was writing my previous book I was chatting one evening at dinner to my friend, Agnes Murphy, and bemoaning the lack of primary sources in writing, and my friend said: ‘Oh, would you like to see my grandmother’s recipe book from 1917?’ – ‘Yes!’ She had inherited this rusty little notebook and she very kindly lent it to me, and it was enormously interesting and helpful. I found it interesting in its own right and it’s the gold standard for historians – a handwritten primary source by someone we know. I approached Boulder [Publications] and they thought it was a good idea as well.

DF: How was the work divided?

RP: Primarily she [Agnes Marion Murphy] got co-credit because the notebook is hers, and without her and the notebook this whole thing wouldn’t have come into existence. I did most of the cooking. I was the prime mover.

instruction. Sometimes there’s no method at all, just a list of ingredients, and for an educated woman she had appalling spelling and grammar.

There are certainly recipes that are very good by any standards: pickled onions; one of the chocolate cakes is made with all cocoa and I recommend it. There are generally some interesting recipes, although there are some that don’t work at all. And there are some that are distinctly anachronistic, like the chop suey.

I don’t think she cooked many of them herself. She collected like a magpie and just jotted them down. The cook would have tweaked them to something sensible.

DF: This is a project as well as a book. How long did it take and how did you decide on the format?

RP: It took just over a year and the

DF: How do the recipes compare to modern ones? Would you recommend it to modern cooks?

RP: Some are very modern and very

form sort of evolved as we went along because, on the one hand, we did not want to reproduce the original in a facsimile because it was hard to read, so we decided to have her original recipe written out. Some of the formulas are brief in the extreme and you had to interpret. It was fun. In general, I like that sort of experimental, what I call forensic, cooking.

palatable today, and comparable to any recipe these days. The big difference is that she has such laconic

DF: Do you have a favourite recipe?

RP: Probably the tomato pickle.

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homefront what odds

i’m on your slide

By Paul Warford

If I really take Ah, February! Winter’s most unforgiving, month, when wind and ice are at their the time to treacherous sharpest and it seems our homes will never thaw. focus, I can see There’s plenty to dislike about February, but I’m the month because it contains my birthday. us at the top of for Downhome faithfuls know this already, and they that hill now, also know to send any gifts – edible bouquets or wines – to the office on James Lane here bruised and fine in St. John’s, where I’ll be sure to receive and sometimes consume them (kidding!).

Speaking of gifts, what’d you get for Christmas? bloodied as the Sure, we all love tea towels and lined socks, but day faded into raise your hands if you got a GT Snow Racer. AnyI hope some of you got the jet-black model the sky. body? with a bulbous red bow, but let’s face it: sliding’s for kids.

I was a kid once, y’know, frail and thin and “not as tall as the other boys.” My closest friends were older by a year or two, but in those days such gaps seemed like chasms I’d never cross. They’d tower over me in their snow suits of black and lime green, so I had no choice but to be at the bottom of a hierarchy regimented by size and ferocity, but I also knew these guys would protect me if some ruffian ever tried to relieve me of the lunch money I kept tucked into my sock.

We all had GT Snow Racers – except me. I had a knockoff racer called a Snow Fox. My parents probably assumed I’d like the flashy colours; the bright yellow steering wheel and the bright blue skis – and I did, but the shades weren’t very tough and, more importantly, it wasn’t the real deal. I could already imagine the taunts: “Snow Fox? Never heard tell of it. GTs were all sold out, were they?”

Of course, what could I do? I thanked my parents and tried to get excited about my new slide. I decided I’d try it out on Boxing Day, once Brian 40

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had kicked off the brakes. The middle son of our family, Brian, always kicked the metal brakes off of the slides we owned because he believed they added unnecessary weight and bulk and were generally “in the way.” He offered to kick the brakes off my friends’ GTs as well, who happily accepted his services. The muffled clangs would echo back from the Ascension Collegiate swimming pool as Brian worked. The pool was (and is) an auxiliary building on the high school property situated at the bottom of a modest slope whose crest was just outside the music room windows. One time, I failed to turn from its path in time and I hit the side of the pool building, bloodying my nose and delighting my buddies in the process. I guess the brakes had some uses, after all.

Dennis would always build ramps.

He believed this was the entire purpose of sliding; building elaborate ramps and launching yourself off them until the sun set. He’d pack the snow into a mound before lovingly shaping it the way a carpenter fashioned a wooden chest. Then he’d climb the hill and goad me to try it first while he panted. He always invited me to go first because he knew I was afraid to try at all, and that I’d inevitably suggest he go instead. Boys can be so mean, can’t they? Dennis needed little encouragement, though, so he’d take a running start and hit his new creation as fast as he could

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manage. The rest of us would watch from the top of the hill and wait to see if he’d break an ankle or a thumb, but he never did. Then we’d all take turns on the thing, catching air and taking tumbles until we knew supper was hot and waiting for us. Peter’s nose would bloody from a shift in the breeze, and the tiniest knocks would force him to hold a chunk of snow to his face while red oozed into the white. If I really take the time to focus, I can see us at the top of that hill now, bruised and sometimes bloodied as the day faded into the sky.

These days, I’m Uncle Paul, and Uncle Paul doesn’t have to go off of any ramps if he doesn’t want to. He’s still up for a day of sliding, though, and he’s found a new place as the toboggan’s anchor, as Peter’s three kids urge me to hurry up and sit. From the bottom, they take turns sitting on it while I drag the child and slide up the hill like a mule. If one of Peter’s boys offers me a go on their GT, I make sure I take them up on it. They haven’t kicked their brakes off yet, but there’ll be time for that later. They’re still young.

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

February 2019

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homefront

Charles Beckett • Gambo, NL

To me, winter is

the melancholy season when everything seems dreary, dark and muted. I read recently, “My favourite thing about winter is when it’s over.” The world remains so unfriendly and cold; in my confined world, I am moody and morose. If I can’t be a “snowbird,” I would like to join the bears and sleep through winter. The wood fire manages to keep the body warm, but it does little to keep the heart warm. So when even warm feelings are in absentia, I find that fond memories can be a small substitute.

My memory takes me back to earlier years, when I was more robust and energetic. I used to go to the cabin at Butt’s Pond East to cut birch firewood and pull it by snowmobile back to the cabin. Those days gathering firewood were good for body, mind and soul; a week in the woods cleanses the spirit.

My favourite time back then was late

February and March, when the days got longer and the sun more powerful.

As we got into late March, we’d have to start early in the morning because by 10:00 the trail would become soft and more difficult to manoeuvre. At times some, or all, of the load would have to be unloaded.

The first thing to be done was to

Above photo: Cabin at Butt’s Pond East 42

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break the trail. If there wasn’t much snow this could be done with the snowmobile. If the snow was deep, it might be necessary to walk around and stamp the snow down compactly, sometimes using snowshoes. Once the trail was ready, the sleds were hitched to the snowmobile. A wooden box was then attached to the sleds to transport the birch junks.

Good weather and favourable hauling conditions were conducive to enjoyment and a sense of accomplishment. But life has its peaks and valleys, good days and bad. There would be days of high winds and deep snow, making sledding difficult. I readily confess that I would not make it into the loggers hall of fame, as my mishaps might prove.

On one occasion, after having the bar and chain off for cleaning, I didn’t tighten the nuts on securely. When I noticed the chainsaw was wobbling and tottering, I realized it was too late.

The two nuts had come off the mount and disappeared in the deep, soft snow. I had to summon my Dora to go to Gambo for two new replacements.

Another problem encountered was more serious and certainly more time consuming. While sawing a big birch I managed to get the chainsaw bar and chain jammed and disabled. After quite an ordeal, I finally freed the saw from its tight grip and discovered that the tip of the bar was bound tightly, preventing the chain from moving.

Once again, I called on Dora to go to Gambo, and then on to Glovertown, to get the right size replacement bar.

A few times we encountered some www.downhomelife.com

Charles Beckett, a few years back, hauling wood at the cabin bad snowstorms. It’s difficult enough to shovel a path away from the cabin.

Then we had to find the snowmobile and the sleds and shovel them out.

Next the trail had to be redone: no doubt the snowmobile would get bogged down and we would need to use snowshoes to press the snow down. After a few runs with a lighter load, we’d finally be back in operation.

But cabin life is not all about work and frustrations. “The woods are lovely dark and deep,” but unlike poet Robert Frost, I had no promises to keep. The heat from the wood stove forced the removal of another layer of woollen clothing. We were ensconced amidst the white, powdery, sparkling snow as it swirled, darkening the windows. There is something special about a cabin blanketed in snow: that eerie silence, solitude and serenity – the very essence of peace. It was a time to unwind the tenseness and rigidness of our bones. Dora would try to read under a dull lamplight, while I sipped a drink. The crackling of the fire was the only sound to permeate the silence; worries and thoughts were subdued by the calming influence.

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features

Mark Hiscock, singer and accordion player best known for his career with Shanneyganock, shares the story of – and the stories behind – his new solo album.

BY TOBIAS ROMANIUK

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It’s 1984,

and the Royal St. John’s Regatta is underway.

Coxswain Cyril Boland, the father of seven sons, is about to fulfill a dream of his, as six of those boys sit before him. His grandson, 12-year-old Mark Hiscock, leans over to speak to the coxswain as the Holiday Inn sponsored boat pushes away from the wharf.

“Pop, I’m going to write a song about this,” he says. If you do, replies his grandfather, I’ll give you my medal.

That’s how Mark came to write “Grandfather’s Dream (The Rowing Bolands),” a song he added to the track list when compiling his new solo album titled The Old Fishing Schooner. Also on this CD is another song with close ties to Mark’s grandfather.

Before he was a coxswain and before he lived in Quidi Vidi, Cyril Boland lived in Calvert, where in 1934, a schooner wrecked during a storm, losing all hands. The tragic tale, told in song as “The Schooner Gertie,” was passed down through the years and Cyril knew it well. “He sang it at all the house parties back in the day,” recalls Mark.

Mark revisited these two songs and many other favourites in Players Choice Studio, the recording studio of Shanneyganock bassist Ian Chipman, where he laid down tracks for his latest solo CD in between their Shanney commitments.

Listen for special guests Mark has been performing and recording since he was eight years old, when he started playing on a local cable TV show on what was then Atlantic Cable. By the time he was 18 or 19 he was playing in pubs, and for the past 25 years he’s been part of Shanneyganock, playing thousands of shows and recording several albums. So he’s quite familiar with recording studios. But his parents? Not so much. Although both his mom and dad often sang at house

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parties and are skilled musicians – Mark’s father taught him how to play accordion – neither had ever laid down tracks in a recording studio.

And they didn’t really have much interest in going into the studio, says Mark, but he wanted them on his album. So Mark and Ian brought a multitrack portable recorder and previously recorded tracks to Mark’s parents’ house. He had previously given them the recording to practice to, and Mark’s dad, just like the pros, nailed it on the first take.

“A lot people don’t get the chance to record their parents,” says Mark.

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Mark’s mom, Linda Hiscock, recording her version of “The Leaves Mustn’t Fall” for Mark’s new album

“It’s too late when they pass on, and I was thinking this was a great opportunity to record an album and get them on this album and get them recorded.”

Listen to the accordion on “The Maritime Farewell” and you’ll hear just how well it all turned out – that’s Mark’s dad. Grandmother Boland was fond of singing “The Leaves Mustn’t Fall,” so he got his mother to sing that one on the album.

“They did a great job,” says Mark.

“I was very proud.”

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on the album, and the songs are mostly ones Mark recalls from house parties at his place, but it’s not all family and friends. A special celebrity also makes an appearance.

Growing up, Harry Hibbs was one of Mark’s musical heroes. His mother’s family met him and saw him play in Ontario at The Caribou, but Mark had never met the famous accordion player, who died in 1989.

A few months before his untimely death, Hibbs went into the studio with his band and recorded some songs that had never been released to the public. Russell Bowers, who looks after all the new compilation albums, found the recording and passed it along to Mark.

“Russell called me and said ‘I hear you’re putting out a solo album,’ and I said ‘Yeah, getting working on it the next couple of months,’” Mark recounts. “He said, ‘I got a track that would be a good duet with Harry Hibbs.’”

The final version of “Song of Ireland (duet with Harry Hibbs)” has many of the original musicians playing on it, plus the accordion and harmony vocals of Mark, vocals from Renee Batten, and Patrick Moran on fiddle.

“I can get goosebumps today talking about it,” says Mark. “In the studio, with the headphones on, and Harry Hibbs singing into my headphones, and I’m singing harmonies with him, it’s like…” he trails off, motioning to the goosebumps on his arm.

After 1989, Mark didn’t think playing with Harry Hibbs would ever be possible. “But it finally came to be,” says Mark, “and I got a message the other day from one of his family 1-888-588-6353

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members, saying how much they enjoyed it and it brought tears to their eyes to hear it. When you get a message like that, it sinks in a bit deeper.”

Living the dream Harry Hibbs wasn’t his only musical hero, and in recent years Mark has had opportunities to play with some of the other musicians he looked up to as a kid, guys like Bud Davidge and Bugs Greene and others.

“Some people dream of singing with Sting, or whoever in the rock world. But a Newfoundland kid growing up, listening to Newfoundland music, the majority [of music] that I listened to as a kid, it’s always in the back of your mind as a kid – I’d love to sing a song with this guy sometime.”

Singing songs with people, and for people, is what it’s all about, and Mark plans to play some shows in support of the album, in addition to his weekly solo appearance at The Newfoundland Embassy in St. John’s. He’s been playing in front of audiences for all but the first seven years of his life, and still gets a kick out of playing for a crowd, especially the bigger shows Shanneyganock plays, like George Street Festival or their annual Christmas show. And this April he’ll head south with the band for the third year in a row, to headline the Downhome Music and Friends Cruise aboard the Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas.

When Mark and Chris Andrews are on stage together, it’s Shanneyganock, and the songs tend to be upbeat. But for his solo album, The Old Fishing Schooner, Mark chose www.downhomelife.com

Mark’s dad, Norman Hiscock, the man who taught Mark to play accordion.

mostly slower songs, with pedal steel slide guitar playing by Doug Randell that gives it a Newfoundland country feel. But no matter the label, or who he’s on stage with, playing songs for an audience is still a thrill for Mark.

“When you get up on stage and get a round of applause, there’s a bit of an adrenalin rush that goes through you. It feels really good… And you know that you’ve done a great job, you know that the audience loved the show. It’s a great feeling to know you can bring some enjoyment and positivity to a room.”

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features

Dr. William Montevecchi leads us in an exploration of Funk Island Ecological Reserve.

BY ELIZABETH WHITTEN

Located 60 kilometres east of Fogo

Island, this granite rock rises out of the Atlantic Ocean. It’s home to a range of seabirds, including gannets, Atlantic puffins, razorbills, thick-billed murres and blacklegged kittiwakes. The bird not found here is perhaps the most tragically famous former inhabitant: the great auk.

Funk Island was one of the species’ last known homes on earth, and where they were hunted to extinction in the mid-1800s.

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Today, it’s an ecological reserve that’s basically been quarantined from the rest of the world. Only researchers are allowed to access it. Among them is Dr. William Montevecchi, a professor of psychology, biology and ocean sciences at Memorial University of Newfoundland.

“So it’s essentially a flat rock,” Dr. Montevecchi describes. “It’s less than a kilometre long and less than a half a kilometre wide.

And it’s essentially covered in birds.”

Once a summer, Dr. Montevecchi packs his bags and heads out to Musgrave Harbour for the five-hour boat trip. He’s usually accompanied by a grad student or fellow researcher who studies sea birds or marine biology.

“But usually the maximum number is three people,” he says.

A lot of the research they do now is tracking the animals to find out how and where they find food, if the birds are getting enough to raise their young, as well as the impacts of climate change. They also try to get a general idea of the health of the population.

Dr. William Montevecchi

S. Garthe photo

Dr. William Montevecchi photo

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Nigel Markham photo

Sometimes the venture will be for just one day in June, to put tracking devices on some of the birds, either taped to their backs or wrapped around a leg. Then he might return a month later. Other times the trips can last one to two weeks, timed to coincide with the murre chicks getting ready to go to sea. “It’s a time when we can get a lot of information about how well the birds are doing, or not doing well,” he says.

Funk Island is no kind of vacation paradise. There’s basically nothing accommodating about it. A bare rock in the North Atlantic, there is no food or shelter, so visiting scientists bring all the necessary items to survive: plenty of water and their own food, which consist of lots of beans and chili, Dr. Montevecchi says, plus frozen foods, oatmeal and cabbage.

“Cabbages are great,” he says. “You make a really good salad with cabbages, which is really nice to have.”

Shelter is provided by a Labrador trapper’s tent, which fits three people and can withstand the wind and storms. He also makes sure to pack a first-aid kit, a small generator and batteries. The most important thing is the satellite phone, which can be used in emergencies and to call the fishermen who pick them up. Even 50

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before they land on Funk Island, they assign a day when the researchers need to be picked up, but that day can change. Once, they were done all their research in the eight allotted days, but due to the weather, they had to stay for another eight days.

“And you’re always, always at the mercy of the weather because the hardest thing can be getting on and off the island,” Dr. Montevecchi says.

“I’d have to call and say, ‘You can’t come.’ That’s the most dangerous part. It’s like when you’re in an airplane, when you’re in the air you’re fine. The risky parts are taking off and landing. And that’s the same with this island. We’d be fine on the island; we might be cold, we might be wet. You have to worry about hypothermia, but otherwise, the real risk part is getting on and off. So sometimes the conditions are just impossible.”

There are also challenges from the birds. During one trip, Dr. Montevecchi was bitten by an angry gannet, which apparently isn’t uncommon in his line of work. “Yeah, I have a lot of war wounds and scars. It’s just part of the thing,” he says, adding he bears no ill will to the bird because “I’m a predator.”

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Dr. William Montevecchi photo

used to let the birds bite him after they’d successfully tagged the creature, just to give the bird a feeling of victory. “We do take a lot of hits, yeah, you do. But they’re deserved, I think. We’re really interfering with them,” he muses.

Funk Island TV Dr. Montevecchi shares his precious access to Funk Island with the public through the YouTube channel and educational website called Funk Island: A Marvelous, Terrible Place.

The idea to create a YouTube series www.downhomelife.com

came about a few years ago, and he credits photographer Nigel Markham with getting it off the ground. He tagged along with Dr. Montevecchi on a trip to Funk Island a few years back and took a lot of film footage.

Initially, they envisioned a TV show inspired by David Suzuki’s “The Nature of Things,” but Markham thought putting it on the Internet would make it available to anyone who was interested. “That’s what we tried to do, is make it, in that sense, accessible… to people but also to school groups,” says Dr. Montevecchi, who also plans to use it in his university courses.

While Markham is behind the camera, Dr. Montevecchi is in front of it.

“I’m the scientist who works there,” he explains of the show’s set-up. “I give a little tour of the island.” With the viewers and accessibility top of mind, they went out of their way to avoid using too much scientific jargon. Dr. Montevecchi also took along an honour student, Seth Bennett, to appear in the video series. A small grant from Newfoundland Independent Filmmakers Co-Op (NIFCO) helped them pull it all together.

The series has nine episodes and there are no plans to make more, but February 2019

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there are future plans for the website, Dr. Montevecchi says. It will continue to grow and be expanded upon, with additional information about the birds, ongoing research and effects of climate change.

The History of Funk Island In many ways, Funk Island is inaccessible, and that’s not just due to its distance from the main island of Newfoundland. It’s been a government-protected environment since 1983, reserved for study. Its location in the Labrador Current means there’s plenty of fish, which makes it the ideal spot for birds to congregate away from human activity and threats.

There was a time long ago when humans frequented this island because of the vast colonies of birds nesting there. While it was never easy to get there (especially before the invention of the engine), people still made the journey in droves. It’s what led to the demise of the great auk population here. The great auk were highly valued for their meat, feathers, oil, fat and eggs. Unfortunately, the breed was flightless and

relatively docile around humans, so they were easy prey.

French explorer Jacques Cartier once wrote, “In less than half an hour we filled two boats full of them, as if they had been stones, so that besides them which we did not eat fresh, every ship did powder and salt five or six barrels full of them.”

Funk Island also held a lot of importance to the Beothuk, who used to make canoe trips out to the island in order to get eggs from the great auk. “And yes, they did that, but this is a brutal trip, or it can be. And for them I’m sure it was an adventure, to be pushed to the limit of your capabilities… But I think it was much more than really just a place to go get eggs,” Dr. Montevecchi says. It’s clear to him that Funk Island was a very dear place to the Beothuk.

Indeed, Shanawdithit had told her captors that for the Beothuk, there was a close association between the afterlife and birds, and they believed the afterlife was a “happy island over the horizon.”

“And all I can tell you,” Dr. Montevecchi says, “is that’s exactly what Funk Island is.”

Dr. William Montevecchi photo

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Growing up at the ocean’s edge in Port Rexton, Trinity Bay, NL, Rodger Randell had no idea that across that vast expanse existed a brother he’d never met – a brother it would take nearly a lifetime to find. Sitting at the kitchen table recently with his wife, Joyce, at their home in Paradise, Rodger pulls a worn letter from its envelope. For 27 years, it was the only tangible link to a brother (and a branch of his family) he hoped, one day, to meet. Last summer that day finally arrived, and recalling the incredible story of how it came to be still brings happy tears to Rodger’s eyes.

“Even now, it’s still unreal at times,” says Rodger, glancing down at the piece of paper that started it all. Joanne Randell of Aberdeen, Scotland wrote the letter in 1991, seeking information about her paternal grandfather, a Newfoundlander named Joseph Randell who lived in Scotland during the 1940s. The man she described sounded a lot like Rodger’s father (Joseph), a member of the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit (NOFU) who served in Scotland during the Second World War. It was the biggest piece of the puzzle, however, that didn’t seem to fit: Rodger’s dad hadn’t fathered any children during his time overseas. Or had he?

“My father being dead at that time for 14 or 15 years, we weren’t sure how to actually bring it up to my mother,” says Rodger. Eventually, he did. To this day, Rodger and Joyce remain stunned by his mom’s matter-of-fact response.

“In her words, ‘Oh yes, I knew. There was a little boy. He was two when your father came home,’” recalls Joyce. Despite their curiosity, they thought it best not to press Rodger’s mother (who’s since passed away) for more details.

Left: Half-brothers Rodger (left) and Joe are pictured in Aberdeen, Scotland on the day they first met. April Woods photo.

Right: Joanne's letter, written in 1991, was incorrectly addressed. It went to numerous wrong addresses before making it to Rodger. Ashley Miller photo

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A Journey to NL Meanwhile, across the pond, Joanne was about to take a leap of faith. Soon after mailing her letter, the then 20-year-old embarked on a vacation to Newfoundland and Labrador.

“We had no other family on my dad’s side living anywhere near us. Nobody could answer any questions, and I just thought, ‘Well I wonder if [Joseph] did go back to Newfoundland and have more family,’” says Joanne, now 47, over the phone from Aberdeen. While here, she mined the local archives but uncovered no leads on her grandfather. She returned home having found nothing, assuming Joseph had died leaving no other descendants.

“I didn’t think the trip was a waste of time because I enjoyed the trip. I enjoyed what I saw, the countryside, while we were there,” says Joanne. “But I do Joseph Randell Sr. served in the Newremember feeling disappointed foundland Overseas Forestry Unit during that nothing had come to fruition.” the Second World War. Courtesy the Randell Family She didn’t know it then, but her dreaming of a trip to Scotland with a letter was already making waves. couple of their closest friends. They Having processed his mother’s hoped having boots on the ground shocking admission, Rodger decided might aid their search. However, to reach out to Joanne, a niece he’d when one of their travel companions never met. But it was too late. became ill (and, sadly, passed away), “By the time we tried to get back to they put the trip on indefinite hold.

Joanne, she had left that address.

In bittersweet fashion, last August, She had gotten married, changed her Rodger and Joyce (with their son, name,” says Rodger. Over the years, daughter-in-law and their late he and Joyce scoured the internet for friend’s widow) finally embarked on signs of Joanne or her dad – that journey. It wound up being so Rodger’s half-brother (also named much more than they could have Joseph Randell, after their father). imagined.

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A Journey to Scotland Like most tourists to Scotland, they were enamoured with the scenery and the old, granite architecture. But the experience was all the more special to Rodger, given his dad’s service in the NOFU – and knowing that, somewhere nearby, he had family.

They had no great expectations of actually finding relatives until, shortly after arriving in Aberdeen, their 27-year mystery appeared solved within minutes.

Though Rodger and Joyce had combed Facebook countless times over the years, their son, Nick, decided to give it a go. “What he knew that I didn’t is that he could look by geographic area,” says Joyce.

Scanning the profiles, posts and friends of nearby Randells, the name Joanne Ferguson caught Nick’s eye.

Her siblings were Randells, and digging deeper turned up photos of her father – Joe – who bore a striking resemblance to men in Rodger’s family. Giddy, Joyce fired off a message to Joanne, and the family went about their holiday hoping for a reply.

However, as their time in Scotland drew to a close, they accepted they’d have to move on without having made the connection. As the family gathered in a local pub for their last meal in Scotland – just two hours before their scheduled departure – Joanne replied!

“All hell broke loose in that little pub,” says Joyce. Within minutes, she was talking to Joanne over the phone and arranging to meet at the hotel where they’d been staying.

While Rodger and his family ran back to the hotel, Joanne shared the incredible news with her father. www.downhomelife.com

They might have grown up an ocean apart, but as children Joe (above) and Rodger (below) couldn’t have looked more alike. Courtesy the Randell Family

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“He was shocked, completely shocked,” says Joanne. “And the thing with my dad is, because he’s had a number of strokes, it takes him a long time to process information, an awful lot longer than it would for myself or anyone else.” Nevertheless, 75-year-old Joe was game to meet his “little brother” for the very first time.

A lump forms in Joanne’s throat as she recalls pushing her father in his wheelchair into the hotel lobby.

“My Uncle Rodger…he just walked straight towards my dad and went on his knees and gave him the biggest hug,” she says. “We were all crying; we all just were so full of emotion.”

An ocean apart their whole lives, the two men quickly learned they have more in common than most siblings raised under the same roof.

Rodger and Joe were both career accountants. They share a lifelong love of sports. Their favourite

dessert? Apple crisp. But the most striking tie that binds them is also the most touching: both Rodger and Joe grew up as only children. They are each other’s only sibling.

“It is something that, growing up as an only child, you miss. And as you get older you miss the fact that there are no nieces or nephews,” says Rodger. (In addition to Joanne, Joe has two other daughters and a son.)

That meeting was painfully short – after 90 minutes, Rodger and his family had to leave for their trip home. So three months later, Rodger and Joyce returned to Aberdeen. “[Joe] was very much looking forward to Rodger and Joyce coming back when they came over in November, and he was happy to spend every day with them… And in my mind that makes me think that he is very happy about it all, even though he’s not really able to say it,” says Joanne,

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Half-brothers Joe (left) and Rodger Randell bond over their first pint together in November. Courtesy the Randell Family

explaining he’s had difficulty communicating since his strokes.

The two sides of the family have swapped stories about the past, including what they’re sure was a true love story between Joseph Sr. and Joe’s late mother, Emily. Joanne believes the pair met in Aberdeen while Joseph Sr. stayed at a boarding house run by Emily and her mother.

Owing to her role in the family business, Joanne wonders if Emily was reluctant to follow her sweetheart back to his homeland. Whatever the reason for their parting, the family believes it was amicable. Five years following his return from Scotland, Joseph Sr. married Rodger’s mom.

“I’m sure he thought about his son in Scotland because he wasn’t the type that would forget that,” says Rodger, adding his father was a good family man.

If his father were alive today, Rodger imagines he’d be pleased to see that his two sons had finally found their way to each other. And while it might have taken nearly a lifetime, good things come to those who wait.

“We feel as close to that branch of our family as we do to any family members,” says Joyce.

“I’m happy we didn’t stop looking,” concludes a tearful Rodger. “I think it was meant to be.”

Have you been reunited with a long-lost family member?

Email editorial@downhomelife.com to share your story. www.downhomelife.com

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The year is 1932.

Twenty-one-year-old Effie May Boone has a lot on her mind. Leaving her house, she walks down to the beach to think things through. She’s brokenhearted because her fiancé has recently passed away. Truth be known, she’s not feeling that well herself.

Fast forward 68 years, to 2000. I forked over $3 for an object at a local pawn shop. It is an exercise book once used for Latin practice, and for working out algebra and geometry sums. The previous owner had used it for a school report titled, “Short History of Transportation.” At the end are the words “Effie Boone, East View Junior High, New York.”

Curious, I set out to learn more about Effie Boone, especially how I came to find her schoolwork in a Newfoundland pawn shop. After a decade-long search I finally tracked down her namesake. I recently sat down with Effie Florence McLachlin Boone of Bareneed, NL, and showed her the book. With good reason, she’s tremendously impressed with the girl’s hand printing. “It must

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have been the way they printed then,” she says. “Every word got its own look.” Then I listened, spellbound, as she told the story of a young woman who died from tuberculosis and, perhaps, of a broken heart. Some details are missing, but the bittersweet odyssey can be recreated with striking precision.

Love and Loss

Effie May Boone was born in Bareneed in 1912. Her parents were John and Leah (Andrews) Boone. Their other daughter was Dorothy, or Dot, as she was known.

John was a schoolteacher who took his family to New York for two years.

Did he study or teach there? This question remains a mystery. The identity of the town where they lived is also unknown.

However, it is known that Effie May attended East View Junior High. She was attending this school when she created her homemade book on the history of transportation. The document is divided into three sections, each displaying her meticulous hand printing.

In Part 1, she gives the facts of

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transportation: “The journey from Boston to New York took from three to six days,” she explains, “and now it only takes about six hours, so my dear reader, you can see that the ways of transportation were very tiresome and monotonous.”

In Part 2, she provides the story of transportation, telling about when mail had to be carried by horse. “So,” she says, “it would not be good for anyone to have many secrets on their letters they were sending because the driver would know all the secrets that would be on them.”

In Part 3, she quotes a poem on transportation by John Kendrick Bangs (1862-1922), part of which reads: Think not on yesterday, nor trouble borrow On what may be in store for you tomorrow; But let Today be your incessant care – The past is past, Tomorrow’s in the air.

Who gives today the best that in him lies Will find the road that leads to clearer skies.

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Effie’s hand printing is accompanied by colourful illustrations clipped from other publications.

There are automobiles, as well as a stagecoach, sailboat, mail coach, train, rickshaw, bus, streetcar, steamboat, and a rider on horseback.

In 1928, the Boone family returned from New York to Newfoundland.

They moved to Bay de Verde, where John taught school.

“While they were living there,” Effie May’s namesake says, “she had a boyfriend.” He was a Thistle. He had given her an emerald engagement ring and they intended to be www.downhomelife.com

married. However, the young man became gravely ill with tuberculosis and subsequently died.

His fiancée was devastated. “When he died, Effie more or less gave up,” current Effie says.

One day, not long after, Effie May “was down on the beach. Everybody thought it was a nice day, but it was cool, and she really wasn’t dressed properly and she got a chill. She didn’t get over that.

She wasn’t able to fight her TB.” Effie May became very sick and knew she was dying.

“She wanted to come home, but the only way to get her home from Bay de Verde was by boat.” Once back in Bareneed, she moved in with her uncle and aunt, Stephen and Elizabeth Boone.

In 1932, Effie May Boone, like her boyfriend before her, died of TB. She was buried in St. Mark’s Anglican graveyard in Bareneed, next to her grandparents.

The family was crushed by their daughter’s death. Her mother, Leah, wore Effie’s emerald engagement ring for the rest of her life.

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guestGallery Featuring painter Gregory Guy

Growing up in Springdale, NL, Gregory Guy showed no interest in the arts. He didn’t draw or paint. In 1978, he joined the Canadian Navy right out of high school. He served for 18 years, sailing on HMCS Fraser and HMCS Algonquin as a radio operator and ships diver. He travelled the world with the Navy, participating in war games and serving on NATO-led missions in Europe.

“The Navy was, all in all, a wonderful experience for a young man from small town Newfoundland,” Gregory says in retrospect.

Art was something he discovered after his service, as a way of coping with his newly diagnosed mental illness.

“I suffer from bipolar disorder,” Gregory explains. “I discovered drawing took me out of my head. I wasn’t good, but I enjoyed it.”

About four years ago, Gregory lost his dearest companion, his dog, Tucker. “I was inconsolable,” he says.

Around that time, his sister gifted him with a book about painter Vincent Van Gogh, and it inspired Gregory, at 54, to take up painting.

“To fill the hole left by my dog, I threw myself into teaching myself how to paint.”

Gregory says he finds inspiration in the work of J.C. Roy and “his depiction of Newfoundland communities.

But it is the colour that inspires me the most – how they balance and fight on the canvas.”

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Springdale home. “Painting is now my life,” he says, adding that it eases his bipolar symptoms. He prefers to work alone, in silence. “This is because, I think, I’m self taught and need my focus to try and express what I feel about the scene I’m about to paint, and how to turn a feeling into colour and form.”

His favourite painting so far is one titled “Lost at Sea, Day 33” (see page 67). “Because it is purely intuitive, done fast and loose without a whole lot of thought, but a lot of feeling,” he says, adding, “It is a depiction of the awful down-cycle of bipolar disorder, and the empty and lost feeling of being in the midst of it.”

Gregory has exhibited a few paintings in a Grand Falls-Windsor gallery, but mostly he’s donated them to charity or given them away.

Or destroyed them.

“Not malevolently,” he explains, “more a case of, I see too many flaws, and to make room on my walls for the next and the next.”

In addition to creating his own works, Gregory is now helping others find the joy in painting that he has 1-888-588-6353

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found. “Right now I’m teaching some seniors here in Springdale, once a month for about six months,” he says. Painting gives them something new to experience, another thing to look forward to in their day.

What advice does Gregory, a fairly new painter, have for other budding artists? “There is no wrong way to paint, not really,” he says. “There are the nuts and bolts: colour theory, which includes the colour wheel and complementary and harmonious 66

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colours and how they play against each other, and other stuff you can pick up on the internet or at the library. After that it is paint, paint, paint. My philosophy is: Learn as you paint. The discoveries are made on the canvas – the mistakes sometimes make the painting.”

He concludes, “Play is the key to it.

If you have to be sure and secure in the results, don’t become a painter.

Above all, have fun with it and don’t take it serious.”

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Are you an amateur artist with a great portfolio?

Would you like to be featured in an edition of Guest Gallery?

Tell us a bit about yourself and send us a few sample photos by emailing editorial@downhomelife.com (subject: guest gallery). www.downhomelife.com

February 2019

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We’re wasting no time preparing for the next

Downhome Calendar, . . . and neither should you!

Submit your best photos of scenery, activities and icons that illustrate the down-home lifestyle. We’re looking for a variety of colourful subjects – outports, heritage animals, laundry lines, historic sites, seascapes, hilltop views and so much more – and photos from all four seasons.

In addition to free calendars and a one-year subscription to Downhome for all those chosen for the calendar, one lucky winner will receive a free trip for four aboard O’Brien’s famous whale and bird boat tours!

Here’s how to submit: Online: www.downhomelife.com/calendar By mail: Downhome Calendar Contest 43 James Lane St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3

Digital photos must be at least 300 dpi, files sizes of about 1MB Must be original photos or high quality copies. We can’t accept photocopies or photos that are blurry, too dark or washed out. Include a self-addressed stamped envelope if you want your photos returned.

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explore

what’s on the

Go February 9

Clarenville Nordic Ski Club

February 1-10

Paradise The Snow and Ice in Paradise Festival celebrates 25 years of bringing family fun to winter. Planned events include a comedy show, dinner theatre, dodgeball tournament, poker tournament, and many more indoor activities. For those that know winter is best experienced outdoors, there are skating and sliding events, too.

Trail Running Newfoundland and Labrador’s first series race, held at the Clarenville Nordic Ski Club, will earn racers series points, making it a mustattend event for competitive snowshoe runners. If quickly snowshoeing with a group of people sounds fun, but 8 km seems too long for you, there’s also a 3.5-km option. Pre-registration is required. Head to ultrasignup.com to register.

February 9

Marble Mountain Big air, big tricks and big jumps – it’s all happening at Marble Mountain, which is holding its first ever big mountainstyle freeride competition, called Blast the Boom. Competitors will hit a series of jumps to perform tricks, while being judged on their form, speed, control and tricks.

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February 15-16

Grand Falls-Windsor Snowmobiles and tasty meals are what the Mid-Winter Bivver is all about. Fuel for a trail ride through the scenic Exploits Valley comes in the form of a gourmet lunch prepared by awardwinning chefs. There’s also a five-course supper, entertainment, and other activities for sled-loving foodies and foodloving sledheads.

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February 22-24

Grand Falls-Windsor

February 16

Mile One Centre, St. John’s Blue Rodeo must love Newfoundland – they are one of the few mainland bands to regularly return to the island. They bring their country-tinged rock sound to the townie crowd again this month.

For fans, the Mile One concert may only be the beginning of the night, as the band members have been known to make their way down to George Street after their show.

February 22, 23

Gander

This central Newfoundland town plays host to the Special Olympics NL Winter Games, with individual events taking place daily. The snowshoeing event takes place at the Shanawdithit Centennial Field Complex, while the crosscountry skiing event will be at the Exploits Nordic Ski Club.

February 26 – March 4

Various locations The Rolston String Quartet have taken the classical music world by storm, winning both the 12th Banff International String Quartet Competition and 31st Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. Now, they’re taking a plane, or maybe a bus, to Newfoundland and Labrador, where they’ll be touring the Arts and Culture Centres. Visit www.artsandculturecentre.com for performance locations, dates and times.

Snow machine trail rides by day, live music and entertainment at night, and a pretty good chance that you’ll meet some like-minded folks – this is SnowFari, an annual sled-centric event in and around Gander. The registration price includes two nights accommodation plus breakfast.

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explore

can sometimes feel like a mediocre month to be endured, only punctuated by the occasional snow day and mornings spent shovelling the driveway, with Valentine’s Day somewhere in the middle. Fortunately, all over the province there are communities creating festivities to get you through the month. What does it take to put off such feats year after year? Downhome recently spoke with festival organizers to find out.

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Corner Brook Carnival mascot, Leif the Lucky, played by David Elms Roger Down photo

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Frosty Festival

After the Christmas decorations have been put away, the next big holiday celebration can seem far away, which is why these community-driven winter festivals can be so important.

“A lot of people told me it’s great that in those 12 days we have events that we put off. And there’s something for all ages,” says Wayne Andrews, chair of Mount Pearl’s Frosty Festival.

This year is the 37th annual Frosty Festival, running February 6-17, and, like always, there’s something for everyone.

During the first week alone they expect to see up to 10,000 people out to enjoy the festival.

Wayne’s been on the board of directors for the last four years, and this is his second year as chair. He says that as soon as one year’s festival has been successfully pulled off, there isn’t much wait before the board is back to planning for the next one. In April they meet to select the new board for next year’s festival.

“We have a lot of entertainment that gets booked, so we have to decide what type of bands we’re gonna have for our concert Saturday night and various other events. To book bands you have to have them booked a year in advance,” he explains.

This also means they have to keep in touch with Mount Pearl in order to rent their venues for next year. “The city is pretty good, certainly, on the 78

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venues because they sort of know roughly the Frosty Festival starts in early February, so they sort of keep that open for us.”

It takes a lot of coordination between the festival and the city to host such an event. For example, they work together to make sure the roads are lit, salted and plowed along the annual parade route.

Mascot Frosty is a central figure in all the Mount Pearl winter carnival events.

Nate & Nicole Photography

It takes a small army of volunteers, about 500 by Wayne’s estimation, to pull this off year after year. “And we need a wide range of volunteers, all ages.” For instance, there are some bar events, and for those they need volunteers who are at least 19 years old. “Usually, in the fall of the year is when it really kicks off in terms of trying to get people interested,” Wayne says.

In more recent years, social media has also helped the festival grow, adding hype and getting the information out to the public in the lead up to events.

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Frosty Festival line-up. While there are staples the crowds can expect to enjoy, the organizers try and bring in new events. So in 2019, for example, there will be Snowshoeing Under the Stars in partnership with the Outfitters. Snowshoes will be available to loan to those without their own, as everyone’s invited to experience a winter’s walk on a starry night.

Corner Brook Winter Carnival

on, the members are busy until the carnival is over for the year.

Even during the off-season there are things to do, like fundraising and creating new events. “You never stop,” David says. It also helps to have support from local businesses, service groups and other organizations that sponsor the carnival.

This year the Corner Brook Winter Carnival begins on February 15 and

David Elms has donned the garb of the Corner Brook Winter Carnival mascot, Leif the Lucky, for 27 years. “My role is to spread the spirit of winter carnival; that’s what the mascot is all about. And from opening night, when Leif comes outta his snow hut to officially open the carnival, then from that point on, as the character I go to all the events during Courtesy David Elms Carnival and just spread good cheer, sort of like a Viking Santa Claus,” he says.

In 1992, when the previous Leif had decided to hang up the horns and the hunt was on for a new mascot, David got the call.

It was a big commitment, but after talking it over with his family, David accepted the responsibility.

He might be the most visible volunteer, but David says he’s just one of the many people who give their time to make this event a hit. “When you go deep, Roger Down photo the number of people who are actually involved in putting together our winter carnival, it’s quite a numDavid Elms has been leading the ber of individuals and it takes a far Corner Brook Winter Carnival as bit of work.” The committee gets Leif the Lucky for 27 years. together in October and from then www.downhomelife.com

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ends on the 24th. On opening night, a crowd will gather at Margaret Bowater Park in the middle of downtown, to chant around a snow hut until Leif digs his way out and emerges to officially kick off the carnival.

“We promote this as a family event, a family carnival, and we try to get everybody out,” says David. People will even bring their infants and seniors come out to take part. It’s a mix of indoor and outdoor events, which is fitting considering the town’s proximity to Marble Mountain. Activities like alpine and nordic skiing, and snowmobiling are popular.

Elementary kids are also invited to make their own Leif the Lucky outfit, and then at the Gala there’s sword play, a Q&A with Leif and a costume contest. The person with the best costume gets to attend all the remaining events with Leif for the rest of the carnival.

The Corner Brook Carnival got its start in 1972 and, “there’s been so many changes over the years… The idea started around 1964 with Leif the Lucky. It was the Corner Brook Ski Club and they had a one-day event, and there was a local dentist here who dressed up in a Viking outfit, and they had a little event out at the ski hill at the time,” David recalls.

“And then in the early ’70s things really started to gel around putting together a winter carnival. It was a weekend event first and then eventually it came into the 10 days, and then over the years, it’s really developed and really grown.”

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He adds, “We always promote it as getting rid of your winter blahs…

The people are looking for something to do.”

Winterlude

This month the town of Grand FallsWindsor will kick off its 27th annual Winterlude, which happens February 15-18.

“When I started, back with the town of Grand Falls-Windsor 27 years ago, this was one of the first projects that I took on, was to start this community-minded festival,” says Keith Antle, director of parks and recreation.

When Christmas is over, Keith and his team “get their teeth” into orchestrating the next Winterlude and reach out to other groups to find out what they’re doing for the next festival, like if they’re planning to hold the same activity or try something different. As well, Keith’s department gets busy with advertising and promoting after the holiday season so people are aware Winterlude is coming up and to mark it on their calendars.

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Gus the Moose is Winterlude’s mascot, making appearances throughout the festival.

Photos courtesy of Winterlude

Years before there had been a winter carnival in Grand Falls, but it had fallen by the wayside. “So we started up again and it’s been getting great reviews the whole way, right on through. We have a lot of community groups that run events,” he says. “It’s a festival that’s not just run by the town. We sort of organize it, but we reach out to different community groups and have them do events.

And the town, as well, does some events.”

Keith estimates about 20 groups are involved in some way, besides the town and parks and recreation staff, from the Exploits Disability Association and Oddfellows Lodge, to the local library, Exploits Valley 50+ Club and the Exploits Nordic Ski

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Club. “It’s a thing that reaches out to the community and keeps the whole community involved,” he says.

Winterlude has no shortage of activities to take part in. There’s music, sleigh rides and ski club events, just to name just a few. Some of the events are still the same after all these years, like the teddy bear parade. Somewhere around 300-400 kids show up with stuffed animals in tow to go on a walk around town, usually ending at Papa’s Sweet Shop.

“It’s always a huge hit and keeps the kids active, and they love to come out to that,” he says.

“Most of the events are free of charge,” Keith adds. “It’s to develop community pride and spirit, and to keep everybody active in the winter.”

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My interest

in Amelia Earhart grew out of a personal connection. As the airstrip supervisor, my great uncle, Harry Archibald, was among the first people to welcome Amelia when she landed in Harbour Grace, NL on May 20, 1932. My great aunt, Rose Archibald, and my aunt, Ginny Ross, met Amelia at the Archibald Hotel where she rested before her solo transatlantic flight later that day.

My family stories prompted me to speak to others, then in their 90s, who had witnessed her landing and subsequent takeoff. I found Amelia’s flight was part of their family history, too. This led to a question that had been playing in the back of my mind while I wrote my Downhome articles last summer about Amelia’s flights. Did Amelia Earhart leave a legacy in Newfoundland and Labrador beyond the family stories that I’d been told?

Above: Storyboard at Trepassey. www.downhomelife.com

All photos by Heather Stemp

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HARBOUR GRACE

Last summer, I decided to forget everything I already knew about Amelia and act like a tourist arriving in Harbour Grace for the first time.

At the Information Chalet on Water Street, I met Wendy McConnell, a tourist from Gimli, Manitoba. She didn’t know that Amelia Earhart flew out of Harbour Grace.

“My husband and I saw the plane outside the chalet and wanted to know more about it. Then we saw the statue of Amelia and wanted to know why it’s here,” she said. “I didn’t realize there was so much aviation history here, and according to the girls working inside there is more about Amelia at the museum.” Once they had finished there, she thought she and her husband might go to the airstrip.

Brianna Vaters and Natasha French, local students, were working at the chalet for the summer. I asked Brianna if tourists are familiar with Amelia Earhart.

“Many young women come in to ask why Amelia’s statue is outside the chalet,” Brianna said. “When they hear about Amelia’s trans84

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atlantic flight, they want to know more about it. Then we send them to the Conception Bay Museum, at the other end of Water Street.”

Natasha said, “Amelia brings people in. They’re fascinated by her and the fact that she took off from here.”

In Natasha’s experience, “American tourists tend to know more about Amelia and are interested in seeing the airstrip.”

From my own trips to the airstrip, I know it isn’t easy to find. Natasha agreed. “Unless you know where you’re going, you wouldn’t find it.

There is one sign on Military Road, but if you don’t drive in that way, you wouldn’t see it.” To help tourists, Brianna prepared a map to the airstrip.

My next stop was the Conception Bay Museum, where I asked curator Kate Pitcher if Amelia Earhart had left a legacy in Newfoundland.

“Amelia is part of the general knowledge about Newfoundland,” she replied, “at least in the minds of Newfoundlanders. But you have to dive into the history for the back story of her as a pilot and how 1-888-588-6353

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she got here.”

She said what tourists know about Amelia seems to be typically based on where they’re from. Newfoundlanders have general knowledge; other Canadians know her name but not her Newfoundland connection. American tourists know her name immediately, but they’re more familiar with her American experiences, especially her around-theworld flight and mysterious disappearance.

Kate likes to take tourists to the aviation room where she shares the history of the Harbour Grace Airstrip. “I tell them about some of the men who made transatlantic flights from here, and then I add there was one woman as well.

They usually ask the woman’s name and are amazed to hear Amelia Earhart. That’s when they want more information about the replica of Amelia’s flying suit, the actual flight plan she signed and the video of her takeoff from the airstrip in 1932.”

I asked about the future of Amelia’s legacy in Harbour Grace. Kate agreed with the girls at the information chalet. More signs would make the airstrip easier to find. She added the idea of interactive storyboards, where tourists could press a button or use their phones to access a video

of a costumed actor who recounts the history at that site.

But, of course, good ideas require money for their implementation.

Kate would like to see more outreach to other small communities, whereby a tourist could spend more time in an area. “We need to offer more of an experience than just a short visit,” she said. “Cooperation among small museums could benefit all of us.”

Kate suggested I talk to Erika Pardy, owner of nearby Rose Manor, for a business point of view on Amelia’s legacy.

“People request our Amelia Earhart

Top Left: Sign at Harbour Grace Airstrip Above: Kate Pitcher with Amelia Earhart artifacts at the museum www.downhomelife.com

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room, especially pilots who know she flew out of here,” Erika told me. “On one occasion, I had a couple decide not to stay because the room was already booked. American guests know Amelia flew out of Harbour Grace, but they don’t know about the airstrip, the museum, her statue at the information centre or the Harbour Grace Hotel (formerly the Archibald Hotel) where she rested before her flight.”

Erika reiterated Kate’s suggestion of more cooperation among communities to draw tourists. “Not enough people know about the Baccalieu Trail. A number of our towns have rich histories – Brigus, Grates Cove and Dildo. Cooperation among communities would strengthen our visibility and make the area a bigger player on the world map.”

TREPASSEY

Last summer, the small town of Trepassey celebrated the 90th anniversary of Amelia’s first transatlantic flight from there, taken on June 17, 1928. It was after this event that I met with Carol Ann Devereaux, owner of Edge of the Avalon Inn in Trepassey, along with anniversary committee chair Paula Stamp, and Lorne Warr, to find out the impact of their event and Amelia’s story in general.

“The whole weekend was a huge success,” Carol Ann said. “The song contest, sponsored by MusicNL, was

a highlight. Another was Lorne’s video about Amelia’s takeoff from Trepassey. Both events kicked off the celebration on Friday night.”

Saturday’s Amelia-centred events included helicopter rides over Trepassey Bay, a gallery of local art inspired by the aviatrix, and an art contest for elementary school students from Witless Bay to St. Catherine’s. A dinner and dance at the Parish Hall raised money for the future 100th anniversary celebration of Amelia’s flight. “Tables were sold to locals and CFAs,” Carol Ann said.

“If anyone had an extra bed, it was filled that night!”

I asked Lorne about Amelia’s legacy in Trepassey. “The older generation know about her flight, but the older ones are dying out. The legacy is here, but it needs to be developed

Above: Erika Pardy with her collection of Amelia Earhart memorabilia Top Right: The Devereaux house in Trepassey 86

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to keep it alive. That’s why I made the video about Amelia’s flight,” he said. Next, he’s teaming up with filmmaker Roger Maunder to create a longer documentary about Amelia in Trepassey.

Carol Ann said preserving Amelia’s legacy will require collaboration and funding. “The 90th anniversary showed us we could make a large celebration work, and now we’re planning the 100th. The mayor in Burry Port, Wales, where Amelia landed after her transatlantic flight, is interested in twinning with Trepassey for the next anniversary.” Amelia is celebrated in both towns and they see value in combining their resources.

Carol Ann said that partnerships with other towns in Newfoundland, especially Harbour Grace, could benefit all of them from a tourist point of view. It would also strengthen funding applications for such things as restoring the Devereaux house where Amelia, Wilmer Stultz and Louis www.downhomelife.com

Gordon stayed for 12 days before they could take-off.

Before I left, Carol Ann took me to see the Devereaux home. “As well as restoring the house itself,” she said, “we would like to see it used as a museum for the artifacts and photographs associated with Amelia’s flight.

It would be nice to get everything out of storage so everyone could enjoy this important historical event.”

From my encounters in Harbour Grace and Trepassey, I’ve concluded that Amelia’s legacy is alive and well in Newfoundland and Labrador – especially in the hands of the people with whom I spoke. Like Amelia, they are thinking outside the box to find ways to reach their goals.

Heather Stemp is the author of Amelia and Me, and her second book about the adventures of her aunt Ginny Ross and Amelia Earhart will be released by Nimbus Press in the spring of 2020.

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travel diary

Mel D’Souza shares his memorable encounter with a young musician who developed into one of the province’s best-known accordion players.

It was the summer of 1989

– my first trip to Newfoundland and Labrador with my wife, Lineth.

Contrary to what I had been told on the mainland about Newfoundland’s inclement and unpredictable weather, our plane landed at Torbay on a glorious day – just perfect for photography! So we picked up our rental car at the airport and made a dash to our first destination: Signal Hill.

While taking in the panorama of the deep blue Atlantic Ocean, the ruggedly beautiful coastline and the city of St. John’s, the distant sound of accordion music broke the stillness. It was coming from a schooner that was leaving the harbour through the Narrows. The setting was quintessential Newfoundland!

After taking many photographs, we drove to Cape Spear and Petty Harbour before checking in at a motel on Kenmount Road. That 88

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evening, we learned that the schooner was the Scademia that took tourists on whale-watching trips in the waters off St. John’s. It didn’t take us long to decide to go whalewatching the next day.

There was light rain in the morning, but it cleared by the time we boarded the Scademia in the afternoon. As we pulled out of the harbour, a young crew member brought out his button accordion, sat at the foot of the mainmast and started playing traditional Newfoundland tunes. Greeting the visitors was a Newfoundland dog and its pup. What a pleasant welcome! We ended the tour being Screeched-in and with the accordion music ringing in my ears.

There was something special in the way the accordion was played, and I felt I should record it someday – which I did on my second trip to Newfoundland in 1991.

The Scademia was tied up along the waterfront when I stepped aboard again in 1991, with my old cassette tape recorder, and asked to see the accordion player. He was in, and he obligingly played a couple of tunes, which I recorded. On my return to Brampton, Ontario, I gave the tape to a Newfoundlander, Bob Cousins, who aired it on his Saturday morning “Friends and Neighbours” radio show. I was told that news of the broadcast got to Newfoundland and gave the accordion player a bit of exposure.

Well, many years went by before I was in Burgeo, NL for the Sun and Sand Festival in 2004. A dance was www.downhomelife.com

held at the local arena, and it was packed. The main attraction was this band from St. John’s called Shanneyganock. The accordion player was awesome, and when I was told his name, it all came back to me. It was none other than Mark Hiscock – the same accordion player who had made my first day in Newfoundland so memorable!

Did you meet a Newfoundland and Labrador celebrity in your travels?

Tell us about it – and we’ll make YOU famous! Send your story (and selfies with the celebrity if you have them) to us by email at editorial@downhomelife.com, or write to us at Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL, A1E 3H3.

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explore stuff about

Labrador

The boundary between Labrador and Quebec, the longest interprovincial boundary in Canada, was under dispute almost from the time it was created at the end of the Seven Years’ War in 1763. It was best defined and settled by a Privy Council decision in 1927.

Wild Labrador tea, a member of the heath family and closely related to the Rhododendron, has edible leaves that can be chewed or steeped for tea. They are also traditionally used to season meat and fish in cooking. Care must be taken in preparation (eg. you should not boil the leaves), as the plant can be toxic.

The Labrador retriever comes in three colours: black, chocolate (brown) and yellow (formerly called golden, and this shade can range from cream to fox-red).

Brian Griffin, the top dog in the animated TV show Family Guy, is a white Labrador retriever.

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Labradorite is the provincial mineral for Newfoundland and Labrador. Rights to mine it belong to the Nunatsiavut government. The mineral, found near Nain, has iridescent streaks of blue and green (and sometimes red, yellow and gold), and this shimmering property is called labradorescence.

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It might be a small mining town on the edge of the Labrador wilderness, but Labrador City has some sizable claims to fame. First of all, it’s nicknamed the “Iron Ore Capital of Canada.” And it’s produced some notable talent, from singer-songwriter Damhnait Doyle (pictured) to Olympic curler Mark Nichols.

Labrador South MHA Michael Martin unfurled his newly designed Labrador flag in Confederation Building in 1974. Its creation helped mark the 25th anniversary of Newfoundland and Labrador’s entry into Confederation.

The term Labradoodle first surfaced in 1955. The Labrador retriever-poodle cross didn’t become a popular family pet, though, until the late 1980s.

Counted among the famous owners of Labradoodles are actress Jennifer Aniston, former US Vice President Joe Biden, singer Neil Young and golfer Tiger Woods.

When icebergs make their way from Greenland to the southeastern shores of Newfoundland, they are travelling on the Labrador Current. This cold current, when it meets the warmer Gulf Stream off southern Newfoundland, contributes to the world-renown fog on the Grand Banks.

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food & leisure the everyday gourmet

In Love with Grits

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the everyday gourmet

By Andrea Maunder

Andrea Maunder is the owner and creative force behind Bacalao Restaurant in St. John’s, NL, and Saucy & Sweet – Homemade Specialty Foods & Catering.

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In my February columns,

I always write a recipe with a Valentine in mind. This year, I’ve decided on pure selfindulgence and am sharing a recipe that I would be thrilled to have made for me! It’s my absolute favourite Cajun dish.

I discovered it on a trip my mom and I took years ago to Savannah, Georgia. We attended a day-long “low-country” cooking workshop and were introduced to gorgeous southern foods. I discovered I love grits – a coarse cornmeal, made from a starchier variety of corn processed with lime. I ordered them at every single meal at every restaurant that offered them. I had white ones and yellow ones, finely milled and coarsely grained, with butter and cinnamon for breakfast, seasoned simply as a side-dish in a BBQ joint, and gloriously creamy and wonderfully savoury. My mother thought I’d lost my mind, but I was in grits heaven.

When I had them with red-eye gravy, it was the next level of paradise.

Red-eye gravy presses all the buttons of my taste buds. It’s spicy, savoury, a touch sweet, a hint of smoke – and the addition of coffee gives it rich toastiness and a delightful hint of bitterness. On the palate, it’s silky, and with the addition of the briny sweet shrimp – perfection. Traditionally, it’s made with smoked bacon or ham, but I prefer to instead add smokiness by using chipotle and smoked paprika.

You can find grits at some supermarkets and specialty stores, but I always see them at Bulk Barn. They come in white (my preference) and yellow varieties. Also, there’s a quick-cooking variety (which has the hull removed) and regular grits. Use them interchangeably, but know the cooking time will be different. Quick-cooking can be done in February 2019

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about 15-20 minutes but won’t suffer if you cook them like regular grits, for 30-45 minutes or longer. Their moisture absorption is about the same.

You can make these dishes ahead, if that works better for you. Grits keep well for a few hours in a slow cooker on lowest setting. Stir occasionally and you might need to add a little more milk or cream before serving. Make the red-eye gravy up to the point where you have thickened it but before adding the shrimp. Then

right before serving, warm the gravy, adjusting the thickness if necessary, and slide in the shrimp to cook.

Best of all, the red eye gravy can be used on nearly anything. Try it (minus the shrimp) poured over thick slices of fried ham, or served with chicken or pork etc.

This recipe makes enough for four people. You can halve it for a romantic dinner for two, or just make the whole works. Leftovers are unlikely to last long.

Grits and Shrimp with Red-Eye Gravy Grits 3 cups water (or chicken or vegetable stock) 3 cups milk 2 tsp salt 5-6 grinds of fresh ground pepper 1 1/2 cups grits (quick cooking or regular) 2 sprigs fresh thyme 4 bay leaves (fresh if you have them) 1/4 cup whipping cream 3-4 tbsp butter 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

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Red-Eye Gravy with Shrimp 2 tbsp butter 2 tbsp olive or vegetable oil 1 small onion, finely diced 1 rib celery, finely diced 1 small green pepper, finely diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 tsp chipotle powder 1/2 tsp smoked paprika 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper Salt and pepper to taste 2 tbsp tomato paste 1/2 tsp sugar 1/4 cup white wine 1/2 cup strongly brewed coffee 1 cup chicken/vegetable stock (or water) 2 tsp cornstarch stirred into 3-4 tsp of cold water to make a slurry 1 lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined 2 green onions sliced Couple handfuls fresh parsley, chopped 1-888-588-6353

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Grits Combine milk, stock, salt and pepper in a large saucepan OFF the heat. Whisk in the grits and let sit for about 10 minutes.

Put pot over medium heat; add thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, stirring with the whisk, then turn the heat to very low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed and the grits taste creamy (30-45 min.). Add water, stock or milk, if grits get too thick (should be the consistency of cream of wheat).

Remove and discard thyme stems and bay leaves. Whisk in cream; wait a moment to let the temperature come back up, then whisk in butter and cheese. Taste and add salt or pepper if needed. Keep warm.

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Red-Eye Gravy In a large, non-stick fry pan or wok, over medium-high heat, melt butter with oil. Add thyme and vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to soften (4-5 min.). Add spices and stir a few minutes more. Add tomato paste and sugar; stir a minute, then add liquid ingredients and bring back to a simmer. Taste and adjust to your liking (I use more chipotle and cayenne because I like it spicy). With the gravy bubbling, stir in the cornstarch and water slurry to thicken and simmer a couple of minutes to cook out the cornstarch. Slide in the shrimp – they will cook very quickly, just a minute or two.

Spoon some grits into warm bowls or high-rimmed plates, top with shrimp and gravy. Sprinkle on a little green onion and parsley.

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everyday recipes.ca

Imagine waking in the morning to freshly made oatmeal, or coming home at the end of the day to a home cooked meal – and you didn’t have to do any of the real work? That’s the beauty of slow cookers (crock pots). Here are some delicious recipes that will keep you out of the kitchen until they’re done.

Pulled Pork 2-3 lb pork roast, fresh/thawed 1 large onion, sliced thinly Sauce: 2 cups balsamic vinegar 1 1/2 cups ketchup 2/3 cup brown sugar 2 garlic cloves, minced

2 2 4 1 1 1

tbsp Worcestershire sauce tbsp Dijon mustard tsp honey tsp salt tsp chili flakes tsp black pepper

Mix all sauce ingredients in a pot and cook until it reduces by about 25%.

Add the pork, onion and sauce to the crockpot. Set to low, and cook for 8 hours.

Once done, shred meat and mix with sauce.

Spoon mixture onto your favourite bun and serve immediately. 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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Moose Chili 5 1 1 2 2 1 2 1 1

lbs moose meat, ground cup carrot, small dice cup celery, small dice cups onion, small dice tbsp chili powder 1/2 tbsp cumin tsp cayenne tsp dried oregano tsp pepper

1 tsp salt 2 tbsp fresh garlic, minced 2 tsp smoked paprika 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1/2 cup red wine 1 can chickpeas, drained 1 can diced tomatoes 1 small can tomato paste 1/2 cup cornmeal

Mix everything together thoroughly. Place all ingredients in the slow cooker and set to “low� for 8 hours. Yield: 6-8 servings

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For prin table recipe cards visit

Fruit & Nut Oatmeal 2 cups steel cut oats (quickcooking or regular) 8 cups milk (substitute nut milks for vegan oatmeal) 1 cup dried cranberries 1/2 cup pecans, chopped

1/2 1/4 1/8 3/4 1/2

tsp cinnamon tsp nutmeg tsp cloves cup maple syrup tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together in your crockpot and set to “low” for 8 hours (or “high” for 4 hours). Thin with more milk if needed or desired. Yield: 4-6 servings

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“Roasted” Chicken 1 whole chicken (4-6 lbs), fresh/thawed 1/2 cup hot chicken stock 1 large onion, roughly chopped 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and chopped

Dry Spice 1 tbsp smoked paprika 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp cumin 2 tsp chili powder 1 tsp pepper 1 tsp celery salt 1/2 tsp salt

Mix all spice ingredients together and rub it all over the chicken.

Place vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker and lay the chicken on top of them. Add the chicken stock and set the slow cooker to “low” for 8 hours (internal temperature of the chicken should be 165°F, at least, when done). Serve with potatoes or rice and the slow cooker vegetables on the side. Yield: 4-6 servings

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Curried Lamb Chops 8-10 lamb chops 1 can coconut milk, cream portion only 1 small can tomato paste 1/2 cup carrot, small dice 1/2 cup celery, small dice 1 cup onion, small dice

Spice Mix 1 tbsp cumin 1 1/2 tsp coriander, ground 1 1/2 tsp cardamom, ground 1 1/2 tsp black pepper 1 tsp cinnamon, ground 1/2 tsp cloves, ground 1/2 tsp nutmeg, ground 1 tbsp turmeric

Blend all spices together and set aside. Place all the veggies, meat and tomato paste in a large bowl, sprinkle with 8 tsp of the spice mixture (save the rest for another time), and mix thoroughly. Add the meat and veggies mixture to the slow cooker with the coconut cream and set to “low” for 8 hours, or “high” for 4 hours. Serve with plain rice. Yield: 4-6 servings

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Beef Stew 2 1 1 1 2 1

lbs stew meat cup carrot, medium dice cup celery, medium dice cup turnip, medium dice cups onion, medium dice can diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried thyme leaves 1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves 1 tbsp fresh garlic, minced 2 shakes gravy browning 3 tbsp flour 3/4 cup cool water

Combine everything but the flour and water in the slow cooker.

Set to “low� for 8 hours. Once you are ready to serve, mix the flour and water together and add to the slow cooker, mixing thoroughly. Turn to high and allow to cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the liquid thickens. Yield: 4-6 servings

For printa recipe ca ble rds visit

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Mulled Red Wine 1 1 1 1 2

bottle dry red wine orange, sliced lemon, sliced green apple, sliced cinnamon sticks (3" each)

3 4 3 2

whole star anise cardamom pods tbsp white sugar tbsp brown sugar

Mix everything in a slow cooker and set to “low� for 2-3 hours. Serve in mugs with additional fruit, if desired.

Yield: 4-6 servings

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Leftover Turkey Soup 3 cups leftover turkey, chopped 1 cup celery, small dice 1 cup carrot, small dice 1 cup turnip, small dice 2 cups onion, small dice

2 tomatoes, small dice 1 bay leaf 2 tsp fresh garlic, minced 1 tsp savoury 1/2 tsp pepper 1 1/2 L water/chicken stock

Place all items in the slow cooker and set to “low” for 8 hours (or “high” for 4 hours). Yield: 4-6 servings

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food & leisure

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If a wicked

winter storm stopped all ferries and flights from mainland Canada, Newfoundland and Labrador stores would be out of fresh produce in two or three days.

A multi-day storm isn’t that hard to imagine; we’ve probably all lived through a few of those. So we run out of lettuce and tomatoes.

Not a big deal. Now imagine a bigger disaster, one that affects not just the province, but also the places where our supplies come from. Imagine it being weeks before supplies start flowing again. Stores, especially smaller ones in smaller communities, would even be out of canned and dried foods in that time. And according to Food First NL (an organization that works with communities to ensure everyone has access to affordable, healthy and culturally appropriate food), only 16 per cent of communities have their own grocery store, meaning many people have to travel to another town to buy food.

What if travel is impossible for days on end?

Are you prepared for that?

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Chad Pelley, communications manager for Food First NL, points out that Newfoundlanders and Labradorians have the resources to be prepared for supply interruptions.

“Our province has a rich bounty of wild foods and a rich history of food skills and traditions to preserve these goods, in order to have year-round access to nutritious food. So, culturally, we have the skills and traditions we need to survive a delayed ferry.”

Many residents are familiar with bottling wild game, making berry preserves and growing a few vegetables. Some even have their own root cellars. (If you are not one of those folks, you should make friends with them!)

But not everyone thinks of everything and, fortunately, most of us aren’t consumed with plotting worstcase scenarios every day. So when we suddenly realize that we can’t just go to the store for a carton of milk or loaf of bread, it can be disturbing.

That’s where a little planning can reduce the discomfort and help you weather a storm.

Downhome reached out to Food

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First NL, as well as our professional foodie contributors Andrea Maunder and Bernie-Ann Ezekiel, to help us create the ultimate Apocalypse Pantry list. If you keep an emergency cupboard stocked with enough of these non-perishables, you and your family will be better prepared to get by during an extended period of isolation. A good rule of thumb, if the power is out, use what’s in the fridge and freezer first before dipping into the non-perishables. And if you plan to use a portable propane stove or BBQ for cooking, make sure you use it outside in a sheltered but wellventilated place.

Aside from food, the Canadian Red Cross reminds us to include a can opener, candles and matches; toiletries and personal sanitation products, including baby needs; extra prescription medicines and over-thecounter medicine, such as pain killers and disinfectants (check on expiry dates and replace as needed); pet food and pet medications; crank or battery operated flashlight and radio; and a small amount of cash in bills and coins.

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Apocalypse Pantry Bottled water (2-4 L per person, per day – enough for at least 72 hours) Bottled meats (moose, rabbit, seal, crab, lobster, salmon etc.)

Pickled vegetables (beets, carrots, cucumbers etc.)

Beef jerky Root cellar vegetables Powdered milk Dried eggs Grains Rice Pasta Dry seasonings (bay leaves,

Teas or other drinks with nutritional value Instant coffee Instant cereal, pancake mix, dried noodle soups, and other “Just Add Hot Water” classics Granola bars Trail mix (nuts, dried fruit etc.)

Protein powder Nut butter (peanut, almond etc.)

Jam Melba toast Crackers Rice cakes

oregano, savoury, chili flakes, granulated garlic, black pepper, cumin, cinnamon etc.)

Shelf stable juice/milk

Flour, sugar and other dry baking ingredients

Sundried tomatoes

Yeast

Shortening (longer shelf life

Meal replacement drinks Olive oil than butter, useful in baking)

Organic baby/toddler fruit and veggie pouches

Powdered lemon juice

Canned items (tomatoes,

Cider vinegar

beans, soup, stew, fish etc.)

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Balsamic vinegar February 2019

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food & leisure down to earth

Gardening for Children There are plenty of ways even young kids can participate in and enjoy gardening.

By Ross Traverse

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Gardening can be

a lifelong activity with many benefits. It’s a continuous learning experience that provides relaxation for the body and mind, as well as self-sufficiency in the way of food and ornamental plants. It’s the kind of activity that can be adapted to all abilities and ages, making it very suitable for children. Teaching children about gardening introduces them to the wonders of nature and the techniques involved in producing their own food and enhancing their environment.

Just think of all the senses that gardening engages and how that would be exciting to children: how it feels to get their hands dirty in the soil; that first scent of a lilac or a rose; the taste of a freshly picked strawberry; the buzzing of a bee as it pollinates the plants; the sight of a sunflower as tall as the child that grew it.

Nowadays, children spend much of their time being entertained by electronic media – gardening provides the opportunity to connect with nature. It has been well documented that children benefit from their interaction with the natural environment. Children who help grow their own food develop better eating habits, and they benefit from increased physical activity through gardening. Using gardening tools strengthens motor skills and waiting for plants to grow teaches patience, while caring for them is a lesson in responsibility. www.downhomelife.com

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There are gardening books and apps designed for children. You can choose them for all different age levels and interest. You can then reinforce what they read in books and online with real life, hands-on experience at home.

Kid Friendly Projects

You don’t have to wait until spring to begin gardening with your kids or grandkids. In the winter months you can use some windowsill space to start plants from seed. Beans, peas, radishes and lettuce are some of the easy plants to grow inside.

Begin by selecting a south-facing window to get the maximum amount of light. Take a pot with drainage holes and loosely fill it with clean, damp potting soil. (It’s best to buy potting soil from a local nursery that they used themselves for starting seed.) Plant seeds at a depth about two or three times their diameter. Water the soil and cover the pot loosely with a plastic bag (making a minigreenhouse) until the seeds come up.

The young plants will lean towards the light from the window. Every few days the pot can be turned around so that the plant grows straight up.

Sprouting seeds is another winter activity for children. One technique 112

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involves selecting large seeds, such as peas or beans, and soaking them overnight. Then fill a mason jar with a folded paper towel that has been saturated with water. Place the seeds between the glass and the paper towel, in the bottom half of the bottle, and cover loosely with a lid. The jar should be kept in a warm place where it can be easily observed.

When the seeds start to sprout, the growth rate can be measured by putting a mark on the outside of the jar.

Another technique for sprouting seeds is to line a tinfoil plate with a damp paper towel and lay out a row each of several different kinds of seeds, such as zucchini, corn, cucumber and broccoli. Draw a simple map showing the location of the different types of seeds. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and keep in a warm place. A record can be kept of the time it takes the seeds to sprout.

Many plants will produce roots in water, or in pebbles or gravel with water. You can use plants like carrots, pineapple tops, celery tops and small turnips. This will show children how roots grow.

Amaryllis bulbs are available in the winter. They produce a spectacular flower within a month or so after planting. Children can easily plant this large bulb, which is usually bought as a kit with the pot and 1-888-588-6353

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soil included. It should be planted so that the top of the bulb is above the soil. It is best kept in a sunny window at room temperature around 20°C. Keep the soil constantly moist and feed it with a dilute solution of soluble fertilizer every two weeks once new growth starts.

This large flower can be used to teach children about the male and female parts of the flower and how it is pollinated. After the Amaryllis bloom has faded, it can be grown outside as a green plant and allowed to die back naturally. After a rest period of a month or so, the bulb can be restarted.

Children can do crafts for their summer garden during the winter. A favourite project is to paint “beach rocks” for use as plant markers outside in the garden. Select rocks about the size of an orange that have a flat, smooth surface. You can paint the name of the plant with acrylic paint and then apply a coating of clear varnish to protect it from the elements.

These painted rocks can be also used as gifts.

A terrarium is usually a collection of plants grown inside in a glass or other clear container. The plants for a terrarium are sometimes planted to create a particular type of ecosystem.

For example, a miniature bog garden can be created in a terrarium. You could use native bog plants that have a particular interest for children.

These include the “insect eating” plants like the sundews and the pitcher plant. They can easily be transplanted from a local peat bog into the terrarium. In a cool atmoswww.downhomelife.com

phere with bright light they will grow for a long time.

Journalling is something else kids can do in the winter months. Help children start a garden journal so they can plan what they want to grow next spring. Seed catalogs and gardening magazines are excellent sources of information and pictures that they can cut out and stick in their journal. Pictures can also be printed from websites. Other helpful information to include in a gardening journal are growing instructions for plants they are interested in, and recorded information about the weather each day.

Overall, keep the projects simple and fun. Children love activity with things they can do themselves and show their friends.

Ross Traverse has been a horticultural consultant to gardeners and farmers for more than 50 years. downtoearth @downhomelife.com February 2019

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with Ross Weed or What?

Best pH Meter

Q: This started out as a smaller plant, about 5-6 inches across with very thick furry leaves. Now it is 23 feet tall, and the leaves are 1218 inches long and up to 8 inches wide. What is it? – Marg Tetford

Q: Hi, Ross. I would appreciate your advice on what pH meter I should purchase to check pH levels of the soils in my gardens and greenhouse container mixes.

I have gathered up supplies of peat, compost, kelp and “decent” garden soil to make mixes for pots and containers in our greenhouse and outside beds etc. I want to be able to verify the pH of the combined mixes.

Your thoughts on what meter or approach to establish pH would be sincerely appreciated! – Mike Tubrett, Holyrood, NL

A: Marg, this plant is called mullein. Verbascum thapsus is the botanical name. It is not native to Newfoundland. It was probably introduced to your garden by seed in the soil imported from the mainland. Mullein is used for herbal remedies, but sometimes it can become a weed in the garden because it seeds itself.

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A: Mike, a good electronic pH meter, like the ones used in a soils lab, will cost several hundred dollars and is difficult to keep calibrated. The most practical way to measure the pH of your soil is to use pH indicator strips with a range of pH 4.0-7.0. They are used for many purposes other than soil testing. The pH indicator strips sold by garden supply companies are not very accurate. You need to get the professional ones like ColorpHast, which are available online at BrewHardware.com. And laboratory supply companies such as Fisher Scientific will likely sell them.

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Mushroom Compost Q: Hi Ross. I live in the Annapolis Valley in the community of Bridgetown. I have a small plot of land in the backyard that used to be the site of a stable in the old days. It is raised from the rest of the lawn, so it is great for planting a little vegetable garden.

My problem: I relied on mushroom compost, which I got from a business in Waterville in Kings County, but the plant was closed down last year when it was bought by another firm. What can I use in its place? I did not have any to use last year: my tomatoes and squash did not fare well at all. Please advise me what to buy or do! – John Montgomerie, NS

A: John, mushroom compost is an excellent source of organic matter, but it does not contain much plant nutrients. You can buy other composted products at most garden centres and this will supply organic matter to the soil, but you are still going to need a source of nutrients. The main nutrients, of course, are nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. If you are growing organically, you can buy liquid or powdered seaweed fertilizer to get those nutrients. If you want to use a chemical fertilizer, then the soluble one with the formula 2020-20 will give you good results. The seaweed fertilizer or the 20-20-20 should be applied several times during the growing season.

Got a gardening question for Ross? email him anytime at downtoearth@downhomelife.com

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reminiscing flashbacks

Downtown Shopping

Fred Smallwood operated a boot and shoe store in St. John’s, NL in the early 1900s. The owner also happened to be the uncle of former premier Joey Smallwood.

John Cornick Halifax, NS

Going for Gold

A.W. “Lucky” Scott poses for a photo on the deck of SS Neptune in St. John’s harbour in 1912. According to the Arctic Journal, he was a prospector from Ontario who’d chartered the ship for an expedition to find gold in Nunavut’s Salmon River. The crew departed St. John’s in July.

(Photo courtesy Centre for Newfoundland Studies Archives)

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Traditional Skills

Taken in Matthew’s Cove, Labrador, this photo features a group gathered around a rug they’d made together. The submitter’s grandmother, Abigail Rumbolt, is second from the right in the light-coloured coat. The identities of the others are unknown. If you know who any of them are, please contact editorial@downhomelife.com.

Linda Rumbolt La Conner, WA, USA

This Month in History On February 5, 1806, a group of Irish settlers gathered at the London Tavern in St. John’s, Newfoundland. They were there to discuss the poverty they’d seen in the colony and what they could possibly do about it. They decided to form a charitable organization and called it the Benevolent Irish Society (BIS). According to The Encyclopedia of Newfoundland and Labrador, they laid out their objectives in a constitution: they would collect donations and distribute them to those in need, such as orphans, the ill and the elderly. Their group would be non-sectarian, with membership open to people of Irish descent but those receiving their help wouldn’t have to be from a certain religion or country of origin. There was also an educational component to their charitable work, and in 1825, the BIS founded a school for orphans, which was later opened up to children of the poor. Today, the BIS is one of the oldest charitable organizations in North America.

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reminiscing visions & vignettes

Gnat, do you mind…

Big-Hearted Snowman?

Another wild adventure with two young scalawags in an imaginary, yet typical, outport of a bygone era

By Harold N. Walters

Aunt Chook’s fur-topped boots toed the floor to keep her rocking chair in motion. Bundled up in two winter coats buttoned to the neck and wearing a woolen bandana knotted under her chin, Aunt Chook shivered even though her rocking chair was placed tight to the stove’s firebox.

“You’ll be warmed up in a minute,” Harry said as he loaded woodchips and shavings into the stove. “You should’ve told someone you was out of wood, Aunt Chook. ’Tis a wonder you didn’t freeze to death.”

“Don’t want to be no trouble,” said Aunt Chook, halting her rocker. “I’ll put on the kettle now that the fire is going.”

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In the porch, Gnat stomped snow off his boots before entering and emptying a second brin bag of dry, split birch into Aunt Chook’s woodbox, making it three-bags-full.

“That’ll keep your fire going all a day,” he said. “We’ll bring you some more tomorrow.”

“God love yous,” said Aunt Chook.

“Sit down till I makes us a cup of tea.”

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Harry and Gnat perched on the daybed like roosting hens while Aunt Chook filled the kettle and lodged it on the hottest damper. The boys sized up Aunt Chook’s cramped kitchen. They’d often seen it, but on this cold February morning, as the stove gradually heated the air, it seemed smaller than usual.

Eventually Harry focused on a shelf nailed on the wall. Above the shelf, February hung on the calendar. On the shelf, a mute radio the size of a shoebox sat beside a dead Eveready battery. Centred on top of the battery inside a brass frame was a faded photograph of a young soldier and his bride.

“Was yous married very long?”

Harry asked, jitting his head at the framed photo.

“Six months, Harry my son,” said Aunt Chook. “Then he went in The War and never come back. But that was a long time ago. Yous sit to the table now for a lunch.”

Harry and Gnat ate buttered Tip Tops and sipped sugared, milky tea.

“You still misses en, I s’pose,” said Harry.

“You knows I do,” said Aunt Chook.

“Especially this time of year when everyone is extra loving and sending out Valentines to one another.” “’Tis sad,” said Gnat, buttering his third Tip Top. “’Tis so, my son.”

“You never married again,” said Harry, simply stating what was common knowledge in Brookwater.

“No, Eli was my one true love,” said Aunt Chook, her wrinkled eyes welling.

Lunch finished, and Aunt Chook warm enough to remove her bandana and unbutton both her coats, Harry 1-888-588-6353

and Gnat tugged on their caps and left the little house. Outside, warm, wispy smoke could be seen rising from its chimney.

Harry and Gnat dodged down the road, their logans clumping on the frozen ground. Halfway to Uncle Pell’s shop, Harry stopped, as if stillness helped him ponder, and said, “I got an idea.”

“I ’low,” said Gnat.

“We’ll get Sally and Ugly Maude to help us,” said Harry, without further explanation.

The next day, Sally and Ugly Maude scrubbed their red crayons to nubs colouring a great big Valentine’s heart they’d cut from the side of a large cardboard box. “Don’t forget to put some of them frilly loops around the edge,” Harry said, supervising over their shoulders.

“We knows what we’m doing,” said Ugly Maude. “Go away and leave us alone.”

“Yes, go,” said Sally.

Harry obeyed. He and Gnat went in search of something suitable to make an arrow. After an hour of fruitless searching, Harry remembered the umbrella that always hung on a nail in Granny’s porch.

“That got a wooden handle,” he said. “T’idden goin’ to rain for a spell, so Granny won’t miss it.”

“I don’t ’low,” said Gnat.

Pilfered umbrella in hand, Harry led Gnat into Pa’s workhouse and reached for a handsaw. “Hold this steady,” said Harry, passing Gnat the umbrella. “I’ll saw off the crooked handle and we’ll strip off the top.”

When Granny’s umbrella was dismantled, me buck-oes had a threefoot arrow shaft. “We still needs a tip and some wings,” said Gnat.

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“I ’low,” said Gnat, making his own snowball and slinging it at the cat.

From the top of a fence post, Dundee observed his attackers with disdain, scornful of their miserable aim.

“Stop tormenting that cat,” said Sally, as she and Ugly Maude clumped through the snow.

“We missed en, sure,” said Harry.

“That idden the point,” said Ugly Maude.

Standing in her tracks alongside Harry, Sally said, “This snow is a stroke of good luck, hey?” “’Tis so,” said Harry. “Is yous all set for tonight?”

Sally and Ugly Maude nodded.

“Soon as we figures Aunt Valentine’s Eve stayed mild. At nine Chook is asleep, we’ll sneak into her yard,” said Harry. o’clock, four shadowy youngsters “She goes to bed early,” said lugging various objects followed Gnat, “and her bedroom is at flashlight beams into Aunt Chook’s yard the back of the house, so she and stood opposite the kitchen window. won’t see our flashlights.”

Valentine’s Eve stayed mild. At nine o’clock, four shadowy Time twilight, a three-foot arrow – youngsters lugging various objects hopefully resembling one Cupid followed flashlight beams into Aunt might fire from his bow – rested Chook’s yard and stood opposite the alongside the crayoned heart on a kitchen window. table at Sally’s house.

“This is a good spot,” said Harry, “Yous goin’ to write anything on sticking the arrow into the snow. that heart?” Harry asked.

Light from the flashlights reflected as “Go away,” said Sally and Ugly colourful sparkles off Aunt Hood’s Maude in one voice. stolen feathers. Sally carefully leaned On the eve of Valentine’s Day, the the big blood-red heart against the brittle winter sky above Brookwater arrow’s shaft. turned grey and a mild easterly wind “Let’s start,” said Gnat, squatting blew in a storm that stogged roads down and mounding snow into a ball and lanes and pathways with two feet that he began to roll on the ground. of soggy snow.

The snowball grew as Gnat pushed it “Dandy,” said Harry, packing a forward. It grew and grew until all snowball between his mitts and letfour youngsters were needed to shuff ting it drive at Dundee, Granny’s it into position facing Aunt Chook’s marmalade tomcat. “This snow is kitchen window. perfect for makin’ snowmen.”

Wince Cody, never one to question young boys’ need for weaponry, helped Harry and Gnat root through the litter in his shed until they found a piece of tin that Wince shaped into an arrowhead.

Thinking of fletching wings, Gnat recalled a pair of feathers he’d seen in Aunt Hood’s Sunday hat. To fetch the feathers required more stealth than it did to snatch Granny’s umbrella. Unbeknownst to Uncle Pell, the boys borrowed a bamboo pole from the shop’s storage room.

Through a prised-open window, they managed to fish Aunt Hood’s hat from its rack, pluck the quality feathers and replace the hat.

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Satisfied, they rolled a slightly smaller snowball and hoisted it on top of the first one. They patted the two mounds of snow until they’d sculpted a seamless join between the top and bottom snowballs.

“One more,” said Harry.

A third snowball, smaller still than the others, soon topped off the stack.

Stretching up, Sally and Ugly Maude molded a perfectly shaped head the size of a small marker buoy.

“Let’s dress en up,” said Harry.

Gnat emptied his pockets of lumps of coal he’d lifted from the Post Office coalbin and gave the snowman a smile and coal-black eyes. Ugly Maude gave him a carrot nose and arms made from the skeletons of blasty boughs.

“Peter Paul give me this,” said Harry, settling a peaked cap – part of Peter Paul’s old army uniform – on the snowman’s head.

“Now the heart,” said Sally.

“Did yous write on it?” asked Harry.

The girls scowled.

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“The heart and the arrow,” said Harry. He held the arrow and waited for Sally and Ugly Maude to position the cardboard heart.

Judging their creation fitting, the conspirators left Aunt Chook’s yard and followed their flashlights home.

Overnight the temperature dropped and froze the snowman solid.

On Valentine’s Day morning, the fire was crackling cheerfully in Aunt Chook’s stove as she went to the sink to rinse off her breakfast dishes.

She pulled aside the curtains to let in the daylight. She gasped in surprise, and dropped her cup and saucer.

A snowman, tall as a grown man, smiled towards the window, the sun lighting up his face. A soldier’s cap sat on his head with military precision. Skewered on his chest where medals might hang was a great big, red heart with scalloped edges.

Cupid’s makeshift arrow pierced the heart between the second and third words painted on its front: Be My Valentine!

Aunt Chook sobbed. “Bless their hearts,” she said.

Mind that big-hearted snowman, Gnat? In those days, it wasn’t often that our hearts were blessed, eh b’y?

Harold Walters lives in Dunville, Newfoundland, doing his damnedest to live Happily Ever After.

Reach him at ghwalters663@gmail.com February 2019

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reminiscing

The two‐storey houses and vehicles look like the discarded toys of children in comparison to the enormous mountain of ice looming over on the narrow neck of land. It’s a scene so startling that it garnered international attention, and photographers from all over the world flocked to Ferryland, NL in April 2017, to see it through their own lenses. I’m told the iceberg picture even made CNN’s list of top news photos that year. I was among the many Newfoundlanders who made the pilgrimage for a picture and wondered, in particular, about who lived in the older, neatly kept, beige, biscuit-box style house in the foreground that anchored the shot. More than a year later, I am invited inside that very house by the owner.

On a cold weekend in December 2018, I’m enjoying a warm, friendly conversation over piping hot cups of tea with the charming Edna Breen, age 83, owner of the stalwart house and the last remaining full-time resident of the historic section of Ferryland harbour known as the Pool.

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Her daughter, Tanya Murphy, shows me a beautiful painting she has done of the famous iceberg scene. She points to the dwelling we are sitting in and says with a smile, “In the spring of 1918, my great uncle, Dave Sullivan, and his wife, Mary Ignatius Barnable, built their house in the Pool, Ferryland. When his wife died, and finding it very lonely with no kids, he asked his

nephew and his wife (my mother and father) to move in with him. That was 58 years ago. My parents raised seven kids here and in the 1935 census, the house was valued at $1,000.

Today with the iceberg fame, it’s priceless.”

The Pool is an area of Ferryland that is almost completely surrounded by water, with very little natural protection from the wind, not even a

Edna Breen (centre) with her daughters, Tanya Murphy (left) and Trina Power, in Edna’s century-old home in the Pool, Ferryland.

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The Breen house (the beige one) showed up in many photos of this massive 2017 iceberg that were beamed around the world. tree, Tanya says. It is at the heart of where Lord Baltimore’s 1621 Colony of Avalon was founded. It certainly matches the description of his colony being a stone’s throw from water to water.

Tanya and her sister, Trina Power, describe it as an amazing place to grow up, with everything as their playground, including the beaches, meadows, boats and stages. They even had the Ferryland lighthouse tower to explore. Neighbours all watched out for each other in those days, and the entire Pool area was open and accessible to the 30-40 children who lived in the half dozen or so houses that once occupied what is now an archeological dig site.

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to stay in the Pool in the winters.

Trina says, “We used to get lots more snow and it would block the road to our house for days at a time, but now we don’t get enough down here to build a snowman.”

Tanya recalls that during blasts of high winds, they’d have to make their beds on the floor of the living room as a precaution since, she says with a laugh, “We all thought that the roof was sure to come off. The road to the Pool is on an isthmus and in stormy weather, there was sure to be a washout. I remember several times on my way to school, waiting for the waves to go out, and then running the living daylights across the isthmus before the next wave came in.” That makes rushing across a crosswalk in 1-888-588-6353

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a big city to beat oncoming traffic seem positively passé by comparison.

Her mother Edna mentions that while the iceberg attracted tons of interest in 2017, she’s been seeing visitors from around the world since the 1960s. That’s when archaeologists from Memorial University first came out and dug test pits on the family lawn and found lots of artifacts related to the Colony of Avalon, including a large iron key.

In the 1990s, Edna herself made an historic discovery. While she was at the water’s edge watching divers (one of whom was her son) working on uncovering a shipwreck, she discovered a very old coin. Edna did the honorable thing and turned it over to archaeologists, who cleaned it up and identified it as an English coin dated

c. 1700. The coin is now in the collection of the nearby Colony of Avalon museum.

Edna notes that her husband, who passed away in 2009, was always inviting tourists into the house, whether it was to take a shower or have Sunday dinner. He was a heavy equipment operator who also served as an informal lighthouse keeper in the 1970s and 1980s. That genuine hospitality continues in the Breen home. Just last September, a couple from Switzerland dropped by unannounced with a copy of the front page of their newspaper from 2017, with the house and the iceberg on it.

Edna invited them in for tea. Before the couple left, they invited Edna and her family to stay with them if they ever wanted to see Switzerland.

Artifacts dating back to the 1600s, found on the Breens’ property, are now part of the Colony of Avalon archaeological dig project.

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Edna Breen, 83, has a wealth of family photos and mementos in albums and on the walls of her century-old home.

One visitor that Edna did not invite inside was a polar bear that showed up at the Pool in March 1987. It arrived on the southward drifting pack ice and was wandering around outside Edna’s house. Not realizing how dangerous this animal was, about a half hour later, Edna and others were walking along the beach, watching the polar bear skip ice pans on its way out to sea. For days after, the Pool was filled with spectators eager to get a glimpse of the bear.

The likable Edna routinely gets mail from all over the world from tourists she’s met. One lady, an artist from Ontario, gave Edna a framed sketch of her grandmother’s house in nearby Aquaforte, the community where Edna grew up. Looking through cherished photo albums and 126

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a wall of mementoes, Edna pauses at her wedding photo taken in Aquaforte. She says, “You know I still have that outfit.”

Knowing the trim Edna is very active as a walker and in her church choir, and she danced the Lancers for years with a local traditional dance group, I gently tease her, “Can you still fit in your wedding outfit?”

Edna replies instantly with a wry grin, “Indeed I can.”

When the laughter subsides, Edna shows me an image of the former schoolhouse in Aquaforte. Edna’s mother died at a young age, so Edna helped raise her younger siblings and helped tend her father’s shop. Even with the grownup responsibilities, Edna has fond memories of her school days. “It is gone now, but 1-888-588-6353

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served many purposes as a tiny school, and a small concert hall, and a place dances were held. We had great times there, and I remember the old pot-bellied stove and us having lunches around it during breaks, and the teacher mixing up the Coco Malt drink and giving it to us all. One of the other students was Georgie, and he was a relative of mine and quite a likeable character. Whenever Georgie decided we needed what he called a ‘holiday’ from school, he would sneak out and shove an old coat or a blanket or something in the funnels somewhere of the stove, just long enough to fill the place with backed-up wood smoke, and then haul it out before the teacher caught on what the problem was. Of course, you couldn’t stay in there then and teacher would have no choice but to shut it down for the afternoon. We

got a good many ‘holidays’ that way,” Edna recalls.

So it went, trading tales and memories for a pleasant few hours with Edna and her daughters.

Should you be among the thousands of visitors who pass by Edna’s house in the summer on the Colony of Avalon walking tours, make time to stop and gaze out at the islands and the Pool. Take a rest or just grab a picture at the famous “Gossip Bench,” which Edna painted up and places out seasonally in front of her home for the tourists. There is also a “Liars Bench,” but she confides with a grin that she much prefers the gossips over the liars. Gossip is more about a little fun, no harm meant, and better stories, she says.

Stories are something in great supply in this little house in the Pool.

The Gossip Bench and The Liars Bench are Edna’s, placed in front of her home to the delight of visitors who sit and pose for a fun souvenir photo of their trip to the Pool.

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reminiscing

The Great War, as it was known prior to the Second World War, took a tragic toll on many families throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Some families paid an extra high price, with more than one son enlisting in the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve.

The constant worry on the home front led to many stressful, restless nights. Parents spent countless hours knelt by their bedside, praying for the safe return of their sons. Combine this with the loss of a husband and four sons who sailed out of St. John’s harbour in 1914, and you have one resilient mother. Her name was Martha Smith.

Off to War In 1902, the British government gifted HMS Calypso to the colony of Newfoundland. The ship was converted at Placentia and then anchored at St. John’s to serve as a training vessel for the Royal Naval Reserve. It drew many new recruits who saw the reserve as a potential 128

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source of income for their struggling families. Traditionally, these men would walk, sail or ride to St. John’s from the outports every spring to secure a berth on a sealing vessel. If they failed to secure a berth, they returned home jobless and broke.

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income, enticing men to enlist.

Numerous Newfoundland families had more than one son enlist in the early 1900s. In the Southwest Arm area alone, 21 families had more than one son enlisted. Joseph and Martha Smith had five sons in the reserve.

Martha and Joseph were married shortly before 1877, in a small school chapel that overlooked a picturesque, now abandoned, community called Heart’s Ease Beach. They were blessed with seven sons and two daughters, all born and raised in the small, scenic fishing village of Gooseberry Cove, Trinity Bay. In addition

to their own children, they took in their grandson Isaac and raised him as their own after his parents died.

Their family was heavily impacted by the conflict that ravaged overseas between 1914 and 1918. Four of their sons, plus Isaac, enlisted with the Royal Naval Reserve. (On his naval application in 1918, Isaac listed Martha as his mother and his uncles as his brothers.)

The first son to enlist was Luke, in March 1906. He was followed by John in March 1909, Uriah in February 1910, and Benjamin in March 1914. All four sons departed St.

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John’s around the same time in 1914, but Uriah was the only one assigned to the Royal Canadian Navy ship Niobe. Between them, her boys had already provided 18 years of service to the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve.

Just two months after the four sons shipped out, the first tragedy struck. Joseph died and Martha was made a widow.

Then in January 1917, Martha suffered the loss of Luke. He drowned off the coast of Ireland, after the ship he was serving on, HMS Laurentic, struck two undersea mines off Lough Swilly. The vessel sunk in just 20 minutes in a raging winter storm, taking 354 people to their deaths – 22 of them were members of the Newfoundland Royal Naval Reserve. In addition to his mother and siblings, Luke left behind a wife, Isabella Spurrell, and an infant daughter, Viola, who would never know the warm embrace of her father’s arms.

Eleven months later, the Great Halifax Explosion occurred on December 6, 1917. Martha was

unaware then that two of her sons, Ben and John, were present at the port of Halifax. Ben had just completed his leave at home, comforting his mother over the loss of Luke. He was aboard HMCS Niobe at Halifax waiting for passage overseas. John was assigned to the Royal Canadian Navy base at Halifax. Both brothers narrowly escaped with their lives but witnessed the absolute horror of exploding munitions and the resulting carnage of human life.

For Martha, the final burden of stress came with the enlistment of her grandson Isaac on May 3, 1918.

She was so distraught by his decision that family history records that she wrote to the Naval Admiralty at HMS Briton in St. John’s, explaining that the Royal Naval Reserve already had four of her sons, one of whom had lost his life. She requested that Isaac be kept away from dangerous waters and remain patrolling off Newfoundland. Isaac’s naval records indicate that the Admiralty showed compassion towards a distraught naval mother. Isaac remained assigned to

Above: Smith Family; Luke, Martha, Isaac, Uriah, Benjamin and John.

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HMS Briton for all of his naval career. Family members of her youngest son, James, also claim that she requested the Admiralty not accept any application for his potential enlistment.

Losing her husband and, not long after, her son could have caused any person to feel abandoned by God, but Martha’s faith was strong. She had to be brave and not show weakness in front of her children who were still at home.

Her granddaughter, Minnie Ryan, explains that her grandmother was a very religious woman who had prayed constantly for the safe return of her sons while holding and rubbing her crucifix that she had received from her parents at a young age.

Three of her sons, along with her grandson, did indeed return safely to Newfoundland after the war. Uriah married Janet Baker, a teacher from Fogo, and they moved to the United States, never to return to Newfoundland.

John married Dinah Pitcher in 1913, 1-888-588-6353

and settled in Sunnyside. Isaac married Rose Breaker, a girl who was in-service at Gooseberry Cove in 1920, and eventually settled in Deer Lake, where he remained until his death in 1965. Ben married Mary Jane Lambert in 1919, but she succumbed to kidney failure in 1921. He remarried in 1924 to Eliza Hiscock of Hodge’s Cove and settled in Hillview.

After the war, Martha lived for another 21 years and enjoyed her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She is known to have said aloud, “I hope that I never live to see and worry about another World War.” She died on September 1, 1939 – the day the Second World War began.

On November 8, 2018, a Commemorative 100 ceremony was held by the Southwest Arm Historical Society to honour the 87 local Royal Naval Reservists who served in the First World War. During this ceremony, Martha Smith was recognized as the Silver Cross mother for the Southwest Arm area for 2018.

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Students at Littledale

reminiscing

Photo courtesy Sisters of Mercy.

Collective Memories

Little Jail

Memories of St. Bride’s Catholic Girls Boarding School

By Katherine Harvey

St. Bride’s Academy, commonly known as Littledale, was pur-

chased by the Sisters of Mercy and opened as a Catholic Girls Boarding School on August 20, 1884. Retired teacher Sonia Neary Harvey grew up on Bell Island and was sent to Littledale by her mother in 1958.

“I guess my mother figured going there, which was run by the nuns, there’d be discipline, and I wouldn’t be a 17-year-old going mad in St. John’s,” she says, “so I think it was just to make sure that I received a half decent education and was taken care of.”

Sonia, the youngest of 10 children, was happy to be in the big city, but she remembers not all the girls were as thrilled as she was. “My very first night at Littledale, in my little cubicle, I thought I was in heaven. I was away from home. And I lay in my bed and I heard all this sobbing around me… you could hear the sobbing for the first few nights: homesick little bay girls.”

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The days were rigidly planned, Sonia recalls, with little free time for the girls to get into trouble. “A typical day was: up with the bell at seven o’clock in the morning, put your little veil on the top of your head and go to mass. Every morning, hell or high water, you went to mass. Then after that you went straight to breakfast… and then we probably had a while to study before we went to class at 9:00.

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Waterford Bridge Road, showing Corpus Christi Church and St. Bride’s College c. 1930.

T.B. Hayward photo

I can’t remember having any breaks, but I do remember finishing at 4:00.

And we’d go down into what you would call the social room, and somebody would put on a record and we’d either dance or chat. I remember when we’d walk down the steps to go to the social room, there was a little, old nun there, about four-anda-half feet tall. And she had a dishpan full of cookies, and we’d go past her, one by one, and she’d say, ‘take two Mary, take two Mary.’ She called every one of us Mary.”

Most days were spent at Littledale, although there were times when they would go to the old Memorial University campus on Parade Street.

“We’d have most of our classes [at Littledale], and we’d go out to MUN on the big yellow bus, say, twice a week.

And [the townies] would say, ‘Here come the bay girls,’” Sonia laughs. “We were the outcasts, the outsiders.”

Of course, the girls did manage to find some ways to get into trouble.

Sonia remembers how some girls

would sneak off to smoke cigarettes.

She never smoked, but she found other ways to get into trouble.

“One time, we got to talking after the dance and didn’t make the bus home, and we were scared to death.

We got on the [later] bus and in the front door were the two sisters waiting for us, because naturally they were responsible for us, so they were worried. So I think we were grounded for a couple of weeks. We weren’t allowed off the grounds. That meant we couldn’t go into St. John’s on Saturday on the bus and just wander around Water Street and be back 5:00. Or we couldn’t go across the street to the little shop, where we went pretty well every day, to get Coke and a cake.”

Listening to Sonia laugh and joke about her days at Littledale, I get the feeling it was a positive experience.

She affirms. “I usually joke about it and call it ‘Little Jail’ instead of Littledale, but the memories were good.

We were treated well.”

The Collective Memories Project is an initiative of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador to record the stories and memories of our province. If you have a memory of old-time Newfoundland and Labrador to share, contact Dale Jarvis at ich@heritagefoundation.ca or call 1-888-7391892 ext 2 or visit www.collectivememories.ca.

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reminiscing

between the boulevard and the bay

Beating the Bullies

By Ron Young

Next day I went Near the end of this month, on Febto the bottom of ruary 27, you’re likely to see folks of all ages stepping out in pink shirts. It’s a global event started Guy’s Lane and over a decade ago by two teenage boys in Nova found the two Scotia, who wore bright pink shirts to school in bullies playing at support of another student who’d been bullied for a pink shirt. This became the symbol of an the top of the wearing anti-bullying movement. Now in my day, we didn’t hill. When they have many pink shirts, but we had our share of saw me they bullies. There are different ways to deal with bulstarted running lies, and not everyone will agree on methods. For what it’s worth, this is how we dealt with ours. toward me and I I was small for my age and always looked started walking younger than I was, which made me the target of toward them. bullies in Windsor. I came home a number of times with a split lip or a bloody nose, or both.

Mom, being a Christian, forbade me to fight back.

One time, two bullies came at me, but luckily my friend Joe Gilbert arrived and chased them off. Joe had a name for being tough and when word got out that he was my friend some of those bullies left me alone – but not all of them.

On one of my trips to Twillingate I was given a dog named Amos, and Jone Daddy made me a catamaran sled and a harness for Amos, which I brought back to Windsor with me in September.

I was the envy of all the kids on King Street as Amos took my sled and me everywhere I went. Of course, all my friends got a sled ride with Amos.

One day Mom sent me to Rice’s grocery store. On the way back I had to pass Guy’s Lane, where two bigger guys lived. They approached and I offered them a ride on the catamaran, but that’s not what they wanted. They wanted to beat me up. And that’s what they did. It would have been worse, but my friend Hilda White, who was six years older than me, arrived and chased them away.

My face was covered in blood and tears when I got home, and when I told Mom what happened

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she asked why I didn’t fight back.

“Because you told me not to,” I said.

“Ronnie, my son, you got to fight back to protect yourself.”

That was all I needed.

Next day I went to the bottom of Guy’s Lane and found the two bullies playing at the top of the hill. When they saw me they started running toward me and I started walking toward them. Either one could have taken me, but maybe because of the look on my face, they changed their minds and started running the other way. I almost caught one of them, but he ran in the door of his house before I got him. I pounded on his door until his mother came out with a broom and drove me away. Neither of them ever bothered me again.

Another of my tormentors around that time was a boy named Pat, a neighbour who was a bit bigger than me. One time he had attacked my friend Roy with a hatchet and a knife; I was very much afraid of Pat and whenever I met him, I had to outrun him to avoid a beating.

Pat’s house was across King Street from LeDrew’s store. One day after leaving LeDrew’s with a package of groceries wrapped in brown paper and tied with string, I was accosted by Pat. It was fight or flight. I couldn’t run with the parcel, so I placed it on the road and punched him three or four times in the stomach until he fell to the ground. Then I sat on his stomach and punched him in the face five or six times before picking up my parcel and walking home. I don’t know how it happened, but after that Pat and I became friends.

When we first came to Windsor, I attended the Salvation Army school 1-888-588-6353

until Mom became a born-again Christian at the Pentecostal church.

After that I went to the Pentecostal school, just down King Street from the Salvation Army school.

Not only did my sister Josephine and I have to attend the Pentecostal school, but every Sunday afternoon we had to attend Sunday school in the church and regular church in the evening. I hated both. I didn’t like regular school either. I have always loved learning new things, and I discovered that my problem wasn’t with learning but being confined to a classroom. I just don’t like places where I can’t leave if I feel like it.

Back then the style was that men wore “quiff hats.” I don’t know where Mom found it, but she found a place to buy a quiff hat that would fit her little boy.

That hat caused me a pile of grief.

All the kids made fun of me, and some chased me trying to steal the hat and destroy it. Thinking back, I should have given it to them. Eventually, I learned to hide the hat under someone’s step on the way to Sunday school and retrieve it on the way home. After a while someone stole the hat, thank God. For this, and other reasons, I never liked Sundays.

One must be with wisdom blessed Before others, he advise To take advice of others He must be much more wise Ron Young is a retired policeman, published poet and founding editor of Downhome. ron@downhomelife.com

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reminiscing

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I was looking at my hockey card collection when the idea popped into my mind.

We didn’t buy our hockey cards in the shops back when I was a boy on Twillingate island. Instead someone, usually another boy, would order a small inventory from the Very Best Bubble Gum Company on the mainland, and sell the product out of their house and at school.

I could be wrong, but I think Fred Pelley was the local bubble gum entrepreneur at the time. Later, I sold the stuff myself. It was an easy sell.

For two or three cents you could buy a package containing a slab of bubble gum and four hockey cards. I was interested in collecting the cards of the Toronto Maple Leafs, my favourite team. I stopped browsing when I got to goalie Ed Chadwick’s card and stared at it for a moment (this was a few years before I ever heard of Johnny Bower). That’s when I got my idea to make a pair of goalie pads just like the ones he wore.

I found an old brin (burlap) bag and cut out two pieces.

I then folded them in a way to create two smaller bags about the size of the goalie pads I wanted to make. Mom got out her big darning needle and helped me sew up the

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sides. Then I went down in the basement where Dad was usually planing wood for something or other and collected enough shavings to stuff the bags full. We sewed the top shut, and there they were: my brand-new goalie pads!

I cut four short pieces of fishing twine and tied the pads to my legs, one tie just below the knee and another just above the ankle. Then I studied myself, and a strange feeling came over me as I allowed my imagination to slowly transform me into Ed Chadwick.

silver pistols, twirled them on my fingers and re-holstered them. I did this a few times and then that feeling came over me. I felt righteous, powerful and fearless! I didn’t see two wool vamps on my feet when I looked down; instead I imagined shiny cowboy boots. In that moment in my mind I had transformed into the Two-Gun Kid! Now, about a month later, I fancied myself to be Ed Chadwick. On Saturday afternoon there was a game of shinny planned down on Churchill’s Pond, so I walked down there with my skates, hockey stick and new goalie pads.

I think one or two guys wore their older sister’s white skates because they had none of their own. Some fellers had homemade sticks, or a broken one with only a few inches left of the blade. Nobody had hockey gloves or shin pads, so there was a “no rising the puck” rule.

My boots served as my goal posts.

The feeling was something like I had felt at Christmas, when I went over to visit my friend, Ralph Boyd.

Ralph had received a set of toy guns for Christmas and they were simply amazing. Getting a toy cap gun for a gift wasn’t unusual. But Ralph had received a set of two – along with the belt and holsters. The gun belt even contained some plastic bullets. I asked Ralph if I could try them on.

“Sure, Bruce. No problem.”

I belted on the guns and tied the holsters to my thighs with the two pieces of rawhide attached. I pulled out the imitation-pearl handled, 140

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Even though it was a bright day, it was freezing cold. It seemed like the pond was frozen right to the bottom, and the ice had a granite-like surface.

Around 16-20 guys had showed up for the game, and as usual we picked sides. In pond hockey or shinny, it didn’t matter how many players you had – everybody played. I was the only one who wanted to play goal.

The other team had a player who stayed back and guarded their goal.

Equipment-wise, I was as well off as anyone. I think one or two guys wore their older sister’s white skates because they had none of their own.

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or a broken one with only a few inches left of the blade. Nobody had hockey gloves or shin pads, so there was a “no rising the puck” rule. My boots served as my goal posts.

A strong northeast wind was blowing down the pond in my face, and it wasn’t long before I was getting cold and less enthusiastic. Like a balloon losing air through a pinhole leak, Ed Chadwick was slowly leaving my system. I had extra wool socks on my feet, which was really working against me. My feet were jammed into my skates so tightly that perhaps the blood wasn’t circulating well, so my feet started to get numb and painful at the same time.

I watched as a pack of players pushed and shoved each other near centre ice. For a while it seemed like nobody had possession of the puck for any longer than a second or two.

Suddenly, Lloyd “Peewee” Clarke squirted out of the pack and had a breakaway on me. He was a couple of years older than most of us and was therefore a bit stronger. At about 15 feet out, he let go a powerful wrist shot.

My reaction was to stick out my left leg turned slightly at an angle, to deflect the puck wide. It worked, but instead of it deflecting off my skate blade, it deflected off my ankle.

Pain came shooting up from my numb foot and – “Poof!” – all of Ed Chadwick was immediately gone!

Now I was just a near frozen kid on frozen water with the winter wind whipping through my clothing. But I 1-888-588-6353

endured it like the man I wasn’t, and finished the game in immense pain.

After it was over, I took off my skates and squeezed my numb feet into my frozen, snowfilled boots and limped home.

When I entered the kitchen, Mom put a chair near the kitchen range and pulled down the oven door.

Toward the end of the day Dad would always put a few splits (kindling) in the oven so they would be nice and dry when he had to light the fire the next morning. I shoved my feet in the oven on top of those splits and waited for them to warm up. As they did, the pain intensified to a whole new level.

Before I went to bed that night, I told Dad that he could use my brinbag goalie pads to start the fire the next morning. I was finished as a goalie.

Ed Chadwick could bloody well be Ed Chadwick, as far as I was concerned. Being the Two-Gun Kid was much more appealing!

February 2019

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GREAT GIFT IDEAS!

The Murder of Minnie Callan: A True Newfoundland Crime Story - Tom Gruchy #76027 | $17.95

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Dictionary of Newfoundland & Labrador - Ron Young #34047 | $19.95

Growing Up Next to the Mental - Brian Callahan #75268 | $19.95

The Day The World Came to Town: 9/11 In Gander, Newfoundland Jim Defede #22117 | $21.00

Channel of Peace: Stranded in Gander On 9/11 - Kevin Tuerff #74151 | $16.95

After the Basques: The Whaling Stations of NL Anthony B. Dickinson & Chesley W. Sanger #75167 | $19.95

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Close Calls & Narrow Escapes Vol. 2 Captain Cyril Burke #76264 | $18.95

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PRICES IN EFFECT FOR FEBRUARY 2019

• For larger images visit www.shopdownhome.com • While supplies last

1902 mail order_Mail order.qxd 1/4/19 4:08 PM Page 143

FOR MORE SELECTION VISIT: www.shopdownhome.com

The Diary of One Now Dead - The Crash of The Time’s a Wastin’ in Saglek, Labrador - Tom Drodge #73590 | $17.95

Walking Towards Sunrise - Frank Gronich #74411 | $17.95

Jack Likes Salt Fish and Scrunchions - Necie #42561 | $12.95

Numbers in Newfoundland - Bonnie Jean Hicks #75941 | $9.95

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Newfoundland and Labrador Lullaby Riemann, McCarron and Steuerwald - Hard Cover #49135 | $12.95

Atlantic Puffin: Little Brother of the North Kristin Bieber Domm #31799 | $9.95

Fat-back & Molasses - Ivan Jesperson #2313 | $9.95

Rock Recipes: Cookies My Favourite Recipes For Cookies, Bars & Sweet Treats - Barry C. Parsons #75585 | $22.95

TO ORDER CALL: 1-888-588-6353

1902 mail order_Mail order.qxd 1/4/19 4:09 PM Page 144

GREAT GIFT IDEAS!

Sherpa Throws 50" x 60” Newfoundland Pictorial Map #75516 | Newfoundland Town Names #75518

$39.99 each

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Newfoundland Seasonings - Newfoundland Moose Spice 200g #53257 | $11.99

Newfoundland Sayings Chocolate Bars Crooked as Sin #60029 Oh Me Nerves #60023 Whadda Ya At? #60026 Yes B’y #60027

$5.99 each

Indigena Bath Soak - Gift Set 6 x 80g

Dark Tickle Jam and Pickle Gift Box

#61144 | $29.99

PRICES IN EFFECT FOR FEBRUARY 2019

6 x 57g

#50224 | $42.99

• For larger images visit www.shopdownhome.com • While supplies last

Item #

Description

Central and Western Canada. 2-3 weeks USA. Guidelines set by Canada Post.

Delivery Time 3-5 days NL, NS & NB. 7-10 days

isfied, please let us know. We will exchange any item in resaleable condition. Sorry, no returns on earrings, books, CDs or DVDs. If you do not receive your order or it is damaged upon delivery, please let us know within 3 business days. Overnight delivery available: please call for details. Product prices and shipping costs may be subject to change without notice.

Service Guarantee If you are not completely sat-

Qty.

Colour

TOTAL

*

Tax (your provincial sales tax )

USA add 15% (+ Shipping)

Shipping & Handling

SUB TOTAL

Size

$15.00

Price

*

NL, NS, PE, NB 15%; ON, 13%; BC, AB, NT, YK, NU, SK, QC, MB, 5%

Please make cheques payable to Downhome Incorporated and send to Downhome, 43 James Lane, St. John’s, NL A1E 3H3 Toll Free: 1-888-588-6353 • Fax: 709-726-2135 mailorder@downhomelife.com • www.shopDownhome.com

*

Card #: ___________________________________ Expiry Date: _____ /_____

Payment Info : ❒ Visa ❒ Amex ❒ MasterCard ❒ Cheque/Money Order

Gift Card to read: _________________________________________________

City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________

Address: ________________________________________________________

Send Gift to:_____________________________________________________

Gift Service Information

Telephone: _____________________ E-mail: __________________________

City: __________________________ Province: _____ Postal Code: ________

Address: ________________________________________________________

Send to: _______________________________________________________

Please complete your order form carefully. Please send this form along with payment to the address at bottom, or fax to 709-726-2135.

Shop online for more selection Visit: shopdownhome.com

1902 mail order_Mail order.qxd 1/3/19 3:15 PM Page 145

1902Mktplace_0609 Marketplace.qxd 1/4/19 9:36 AM Page 146

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Listing ID: 1154568

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Marketplace Movers & Shippers Clarenville Movers Local & Long Distance Service Your Newfoundland & Alberta Connection Over 30 years Experience Toll Free: 1-855-545-2582 Tel: Cell:

709-545-2582 709-884-9880

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Toll Free: 1-866-586-2341 www.downhomemovers.com

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35 Years in the Moving Industry

Andy: 416-247-0639 Out West: 403-471-5313

aandkmoving@gmail.com www.downhomelife.com

Call Jim or Carolyn - Peterview, NL 709-257-4223 709-486-2249 - Cell samsonsmovers@yahoo.ca www.samsonsmovers.ca

Moving you from Ontario and Newfoundland... or any STOP along the way!

DOWNEAST CONNECTION 709-248-4089 905-965-4813

Hawke’s Bay, NL (collect calls accepted) downeastconnection@yahoo.ca

February 2019

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puzzles

The Beaten Path

By Ron Young

Photo by Jackie Pride (Whitt)

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.

j

B

R

s

L

S

M

I C d F

e

V p

n

H V

L

x

Q

T

p

B

L

p L j d V B F A

R

R

V

E

L

Q

S

d

S R

R

x

M

L

C

T

L

n

e

A

j

B

N

Q

M

V

N

M

R s

d

W

L

x

s G

d C I R

L A p F

d H N

A

A

N

C

A s

j x

Q

Last Month’s Community: Hermitage 148

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1902_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 1/3/19 1:21 PM Page 149

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

6 1 5 3 4 7 8 2 9

2 7 3 1 9 8 5 6 4

8 4 9 6 5 2 7 1 3

1 3 2 9 6 5 4 7 8

7 8 4 2 1 3 9 5 6

9 5 6 7 8 4 2 3 1

5 9 1 8 2 6 3 4 7

3 2 8 4 7 1 6 9 5

February 2019

4 6 7 5 3 9 1 8 2 149

1902_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 1/3/19 1:21 PM Page 150

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: • Located in Forteau Bay • Name is French for Love Cove • Original name was Anse aux Morts (Cove of the Dead) • Ancient grave of a Maritime Archaic child was found nearby • Nearby Point Amour lighthouse is the tallest in Atlantic Canada

Last Month’s Answer: Little Hearts Ease

Picturesque Place NameS of Newfoundland and Labrador

by Mel D’Souza Last Month’s Answer: York Harbour 150

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

Last Month’s Clue: Invert a virgin frond In Other Words: Turn over a new leaf This Month’s Clue: The adoration of my existence In Other Words: ___ ____ __ __ ____

A Way With Words GONE SEAS

Rhyme Time A rhyming word game

by Ron Young

Last Month’s Answer: Gone overseas

1. To carry a raglan is to ____ a ____

This Month’s Clue

2. To stroll and converse is to ____ and ___

HAND FIST

3. A sugary dessert is a _____ _____

ANS: ______ ______ ______

1. long song 2. showers with flowers 3. form a storm

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.

.

C I N S

E E O U

C N S V

C E G S W H A N G E N I E I S I A T H I O S N N T W I T T Y T T S W S W

G A A A D A B D A A C H H I N G N O N E G E G I T T N Y T U H I N P U W P T

Last month’s answer: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. www.downhomelife.com

February 2019

151

1902_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 1/3/19 1:21 PM Page 152

Rhymes 5 Times Each answer rhymes with the other four

1. mitten 2. adoration 3. bird 4. push 5. overhead

___________ ___________ ___________ ___________ ___________

Last Month’s Answers: 1. book, 2. look, 3. nook, 4. crook, 5. shook

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!

Ease Owner Whole ____ __ _ ____ Pat Chief Hog ______ ___ Last Month’s 1st Clue: Eigth Reap Ease Hoot Answer: A three-piece suit Last Month’s 2nd Clue: Ape Hack Awful Eyes Answer: A pack of lies

A

nalogical

A

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

1. SUITGAOL 2. ABLEMOREL 3. NOCNE VIRER 4. YBA OIRPESD 5. WELLMITORN Last Month’s Ans: 1. Mount Carmel, 2. Mitchell’s Brook, 3. Admirals Beach, 4. Salmonier, 5. Harricott

nagrams

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

1. JEER WELL – Clue: his job is setting stone 2. ALL PEARL – Clue: forever side by side 3. BREW NO OWLS – Clue: gives shovel the brush-off 4. ATE ONE RING – Clue: X, Y and Next 5. NEON PEN OHM – Clue: strange isn’t the word Last Month’s Ans: 1. multiplication, 2. substitute, 3. dictionary, 4. donation, 5. university 152

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1902_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 1/3/19 1:21 PM Page 153

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

1

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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

2

3

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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

February 2019

E F O E S A O R T L

V I N D I C T I V E

153

1902_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 1/3/19 1:21 PM Page 154

The Bayman’s

Crossword Puzzle 1

2

by Ron Young 3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

17

14

25 30

42

43

47

48 53

February 2019

35

31

39

40

44 49

34

26

33 38

16

22

29

37

15

19

24

28

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154

13

21 23

36

12

18

20

27

11

45 50

51

41 46 52

54

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1902_Puzzles_1701-puzzles 1/4/19 4:47 PM Page 155

ACROSS 1. “What ___ you at?”

3. pinch 4. Robin Hood ___ 5. The Ryans and ___ Pittmans 7. wool hat (2 words) 13. “Keep yer _____ off it!”

17. grass 18. ____ to Newfoundland 19. opposite of friend 20. “No better horse ____ ran the course” 21. Steamship (abbrev) 22. naked 23. _____ as a basket 25. skill 27. father’s 29. Deer Island (abbrev) 31. short for Arthur 32. Deadman’s Pond (abbrev) 33. small wave 34. Indian Bay (abbrev) 36. Iron ___ Company of Canada 38. cure food 41. Fleur __ Lys 42. “You have my ____” 44. large deer 45. long ago days 47. Night-night (text abbrev) 48. “In a leaky punt with a broken ___, ’tis always best to hug the shore” 50. Coal Bin’s friend 52. Women’s Army Corps (abbrev) 53, Whore’s ___ – sea urchin 54. small shark (colloq) DOWN 1. “With oilskins and boats and cape ____ ________ ____” (3 words) 2. “_____ _______ loom largest” (2 words) www.downhomelife.com

6. Santa saying 8. achy 9. load (abbrev) 10. snug 11. advertisement (abbrev) 12. light kiss 14. “Ain’t no use in cryin’, I’m gone and that’s _ ____” (2 words) 15. toil 16. spy 21. “_______ and Company” – 1970s80s CBC show 22. keg 24. fuss 26. Norris Arm (abbrev) 28. pinny 30. folded 34. notions 35. deacon’s _____ 37. emergency room (abbrev) 39. Inside Labrador (abbrev) 40. ____ johns – underwear 43. crackie 46. snowflake (colloq) 49. auditor general (abbrev) 51. radar operator (abbrev) J A C K W A S E V E R Y I N C H A

I B D A ANSWERS TO LAST O N MONTH’S G CROSSWORD G B R E E L E L S K I N R A C E S N Y O C C U R A U S M E R T S S E N T A M E A P S I K O E A S T P A I N L E T S I D E L I N G R E T C O D G S E A R D D D T E M P T Y T A G L A N D R E S P P E E P N Y S February 2019

155

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DIAL-A-SMILE © 2019 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.

___ 626

__ _ 26 3

___ 629 __ _ _ 96 8 7

__ _ 96 8

_ ____ ____ 7 7666 8623

___ 669

_ 4

__ _ 96 8

___ _ 943 3

___ 669

’

__ ____ 24 2643

_ __ _____ 3 22 32665

____ __ 7828 87

Last Month’s Answer: For the best seat in the house, you’ll have to move the dog ©2019 Ron Young

CRACK THE CODE

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

L _ _ _ Qkl

L

_ _

_ _ _

HJK

k\

_ _ _ _ L _ _ fzJ m Q L

L

_ _ L _ _ _, JQX ;

\

L

_ _

_ _

KJ

mL

_ _ _

_ R

_ _

_ _

L

m

K

KJ

_ _ _ L _ _ _ z RQk i

_ R

tK

mL

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

LDfLzkL H7 L;

Last Month’s Answer: Noble deeds that are concealed are most esteemed.

156

February 2019

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Food For Thought

© 2019 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.” _ _ _

dine =

nK}

following =

spell =

_ _ _ _

vk c m

_ _ _ _ _

ax b d k

_ _ _ _

axsm

warring =

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

z b vxm b vv

insensitive =

hsd d

ak

_ _

bn

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _

k c hxsvvk

oz

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _

zoY vkY

_ _ _ _

_ _

}YovYknn

vK b nsvhk svomxkY

hsddoKn

counterfeiter =

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _ _ _ _ _

_ _ _

mxk _ _ _

ovk

_ _ _

zoY

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

vK b nsvhk

Last Month’s Answer: We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game www.downhomelife.com

February 2019

157

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Different Strokes

Our artist’s pen made the two seemingly identical pictures below different in 12 places. See if you can find all 12.

ERN LACES UP FOR A GAME ON THE POND

Last Month’s Answers: 1. Valance; 2. House; 3. Chair’s back rest; 4. Ern’s leg; 5. Ceiling lamp; 6. Cookies; 7. Picture frame; 8. Door; 9. Beer bottle; 10. Vent; 11. Kettle; 12. Rocker.

“Differences by the Dozen”- A compilation of Different Strokes from 2002 to 2014 (autographed by Mel) can be ordered by sending $9.95 (postage incl.; $13.98 for U.S. mailing) to Mel D’Souza, 21 Brentwood Dr., Brampton, ON, L6T 1P8.

158

February 2019

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HIDE & SEEK FRUIT

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

APPLE APRICOT AVOCADO BANANA CANTALOUPE CHERRY CLEMENTINE DATE GRAPEFRUIT GUAVA KIWI KUMQUAT LEMON LIME MANGO E S V U V A O S N R B O N K J A Z Q

A L B H T D W E Z P R O P J E E Q K

H N R U A F C J E A M A A P D J A M

H Y A C U T N S N E O W U N G Y M X

W C O N A G E G L X Q O I S S H D N

Y V A R A Y E R R M L E A L E U J B

PINEAPPLE PLUM POMEGRANATE TANGERINE WATERMELON

NECTARINE ORANGE PAPAYA PEACH PEAR

Last Month’s Answers

A K I E A B S W L A R N P T M M J V

www.downhomelife.com

F N C M P K E N T L F I R G J F C F

E C Q B L Q H N P V K T V H H D Q X

P O M E G R A N A T E N P P Y S C I

C E T A D C J L P N O E H E F T P S

X E H B K Q A I A W G M K X A O I L

Z Y V Z R P Z F O U G A O C O K F H

T G K Y H H V M Y X N E I W K R N Q

Y N S V A O E O D Y Q R U G M Z W S

B G W N T B T C O T F U E M R Z W G

T A X Q G E S E A E A L V H R U E Y

Q S N J A N F A B T N T U A B A L F

J S O D T J C D I F O I H N S V F R

Z I N Y Y B Y P D T M C X L N S A Z

H V O X O A Q B B D B P I E B E O V

X W T Y U W H N W E A N I A A F R O

F T U G N O L E M R E T A W N E P Q

W P A L I S O G E X T L T A T F G P

U C L A L J J T M N R M G K I Q A Y

G A N R E G U A V A O A G D K C P E

B Y P L L K L V E J A F T A V D S Y

R Z N D E E M C I N H R I O E X P T

O U X Q F R O L J U B Q P F A Y L I

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photo finish

Quiet

Ref lection

The still water of the St. Lewis River casts a perfect reflection of a tranquil Labrador winter day.

Selina Morris Mary’s Harbour, NL

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