Learning the Language

It seems that every town, community, city and even sometimes individual family have terms that they use which are unique to their specific locale.
I would have to say that one of the most interesting peculiarities about this area of New Brunswick is the use of the Enlish language. Here are a few of the different expressions I have learned and oddly enough on occasion have slipped into my own conversations.

• I decided it was time to ding out the closet. Translatation: Remove unneccesary junk from the closet
• Why are you always yanging at me? Translation: I heard you the first time, no need to nag!
• We were going straight out the week before Christmas. Translation: The bakery was very busy.
• It's too bad that you are gettin' done. Translation: It's a shame that you are quitting your job.
• It's so cold out today I had to wear my leakatards, yessir. Translation: I put leotards on under my skirt today because it's so cold out, that's right! "Yessir" is a common way to end any statement when you are agreeing with someone.
• Those cookies were some good. Translation: The cookies were very delicious.
• Peggy and Lyndon are from away. Translation: Peggy and Lyndon have not lived here their entire life!
• It's right cold out there today! Translation: Brrrrr!!!!
• Another word I have added to my vocabulary here is straw-boss. This is not a commonly used term in today's conversations, however I thought it was worth looking up when I heard it. It means: supervisor.

I hope this little tutorial will assist you in understanding the lingo of this quaint little town when you come for a visit. I would love to hear from you if you know other unique expressions from this area or even from the place where you live.

Remember when....

I was going through some old pictures today after cleaning and found this picture of me from when our family lived in the house my dad built in Springvale. (see below) Old pictures bring back lots of memories, not just of the picture itself but the small things I thought I forgot. Remember the winter boots we wore as kids, the kind that your shoes fit right inside and then you zipped them up the front? I also recall the homemade mittens mom used to make for us and that awful smell that they created when drying out on the radiator after a long afternoon of playing in the snow. This picture also evokes memories of the neighbours that lived in that house across the road. They have long since passed away but I still remember the wonderful cookies Mary used to bake and share with me when I went over to visit. I also recall that they didn't have running water in their kitchen, but instead had an old fashioned hand pump right there on the kitchen counter!
We didn't sit around the house playing video games or chat with friends online way back then. We would walk the mile down to Springvale, pulling sleds and toboggans to where all the village kids gathered to slide down Pierce's hill, much like the kids down here building ramps in my back yard and making their own fun.
We had a long laneway when we moved up the road to the farm and my dad used to plow it with the tractor and blade making huge piles of snow. We used to tunnel into the piles and make forts and slide down the sides of the huge bumpy mounds. I also remember going outside early Sunday mornings before church and hiding in the fort in an attempt to be able to miss the service which only proved fruitful occaisionally.
Funny how an old picture of a little girl in a snowsuit brings back a flood of good memories. Think I will go out and take a walk in the snow!

Remember when...

As usual on Monday morning I got up at 4am, made my coffee, got ready for work then sat down to drink my coffee and check emails. That routine completed, I headed out the door to shovel my way out to the road so I could walk to work. Unfortunately when I opened my door there was a 2 foot snowbank there to greet me and some of it tumbled into the house. As I got busy cleaning up that mess, apparently some of the snow around the door frame turned to ice and I could not close my door. I tried chipping away any visible ice to no avail! I finally gave up and just propped a chair against the door to hold it closed as far as it would go. When Lyndon got home from work he was able to remove all the ice (that I obviously must have loosened! hahaha) and we were able to close the door.
As a result of the storm, the bakery wasn't so busy this morning. I baked less bread but then had extra time so I made some fresh cream puffs as a treat for anyone willing to trudge through the snow to come to the bakery as well as a delicious coconut pound cake...Mmmmm!
The neighbourhood kids are having a ball snowboarding down the hill in our back yard. Glad someone is making use of it!

My Halloween Cake for friends

Our woodpecker friend visiting the tree growing up through our deck

Benedict Madison!

At Home:

My dog has become a traitor and has for the first time ever, taken to sleeping with Brooke. I believe she senses a change is coming and is starting to become anxious already. We had originally thought of getting another dog to keep Maddie company but I now feel that one pet is enough responsiblity for us at this time. We do plan to do more travelling this summer and it will be challenging enough to take Maddie on road trips. I think another dog might make her even more anxious too! She is such an attention seeking animal but we love her just the same.

At Work:

Elsie and I started looking at new recipes to start trying this week! I have just gotten used to the regular bread recipes and now it's on to something else. This, to me, is one of the perks this job offers. If you have known me for any length of time then you are aware of my short attention span and need for change and challenges in my work.

All is well in my little world today. I woke up on the right side of the sod, with all my faculties. Life is good!

It was such a beautiful sunny day today, Brooke and I decided to go out for a drive. I got a few more pictures from around the area for you to see, I particularily like the deer and we did see a number of them today. It is also interesting to compare the area in different seasons. Enjoy!

Wildlife in town!

It has been an interesting week for wildlife spottings here in St. George this week. A man that lives near Lyndon's work had a black bear on his yard. I thought bears hibernated in the winter??? Maybe he could smell the fish from the factory. Yesterday 4 deer were standing outside the funeral home...perhaps Bambi died, I will have to keep an eye on the obituaries! While outside enjoying a break at work I spotted a bald eagle standing on the frozen river. I tried to get some pictures but unfortunately couldn't zoom in enough.

Let it Snow.....

The Back Door View from the Bakery

The three minute walk to work this morning was a little more of a challenge after a night of snow and freezing rain. As the day went on, the snow came down heavier and now the grass we could see yesterday is hidden beneath a blanket of white!
Brooke has enjoyed two snow days in a row since school was cancelled yesterday due to the impending storm and again today because we finally got it!

The ferry ride to Grand Manan Island
We catch the ferry in Blacks Harbour which is about 15 minutes from the house.
We did see lots of porpoise swimming along side the ferry and apparently
at certain times of the year, whales can also be seen on this ferry ride.

The Girls at the Bakery

These pictures were taken on Deer Island. It is a 20 minute ferry ride (free) to get there. The ferry leaves from L'Etete, near Back Bay (thanks Chris!) which is about 10 minutes from our house.

At the end of Deer Island, you can see "The Old Sow" which is one of the largest whirlpools in the world where many boats have been lost in the past.

As my daughter is planning to leave our adventure here in New Brunswick to return to Ontario I decided to journal what life will be like without her. After living in Ontario my whole life, I decided to follow my dream and move to a quaint little town and eventually open a Bed and Breakfast. In the meantime, I enjoy my current job at the Country Market here in St. George as the bread baker.
Contrary to the beliefs of my Ontario pals, this area of New Brunswick has seen a fairly moderate winter so far. We have received less snow than Ontario but now that I am living in a small town and can walk to work, I am actually hoping for more snow. The scenery is amazing when it is all draped in white.
As I am brand new to blogging, I am not sure what to expect. Hopefully my friends will be able to get a glimpse into the small town life of New Brunswick in which Lyndon and I are settling into.