Wednesday, June 06, 2007

13 Newfie Lessons Learned (T13 #1)


01) If the destination you have been seeking appears to be less than desirable once you finally arrive after driving 3 days in a 2-door Sunfire crammed with boxes, 2 Golden's, a cat, your Mother and yourself - 6 hours of that on a ferry with no where to rest your head but on the table in front of you - sleep on it. It's always brighter in the morning.

02) Cherish the trivial things such as "movie time" with your Mom even if they are movies you've seen 100 times before and are played on a lap-top rather than the 27" TV screen you are accustomed to as 6 months will pass in a blink and she will be gone - these being some of what you remember.

03) If it is absolutely necessary to travel the 2 hours into the "big town" during the winter one must leave early morning, not early afternoon to avoid driving home on the darkened winding, rolling roads and risk sliding into the ocean as there will be no guard rails to protect you and your vehicle. Or worse, you may spot a moose but if you're lucky and your car is small enough you just might be able to drive right under it.

04) Sea salt diluted in warm water works well to disinfect and help speed the healing process when your beloved dog splits one of his pads open. However, wrapping the wounded paw in gauze and pulling a sock over it is a waste of time (but comical when he attempts to walk on it) as he will only kick or bite the make-shift bandage off. The cause of the injury is still unknown.

05) Do not always take your neighbours word when they tell you that you can use their phone any time you need to. Some times people say things to be hospitable but do not always mean them. A surefire way to know is when you knock at their door in the middle of a snow storm to make that important call and your would-be hostess has done everything but invite you in, you're obviously quite unwelcome.

06) When house hunting trust your instincts. The moment you feel it in your gut, when you begin moving in and you haven't seen the upstairs yet it is the right home for you. Do not allow the thick layers of dirt and grim, the grey and burgundy kitchen decor, the numerous cracks and holes in the walls and ceilings talk you out of it. They are only superficial. It is and will be worth it in the end if you are willing to put forth the effort.

07) Do not take it personally if a handful of the local women give you odd glances, are rather short with you or if they don't speak to you at all. It is not their fault they are ignorant. Not every "main lander" comes here to steal their men.

08) The men that are available are pushy. Be direct and firm if you are not interested. "I'm not looking for a relationship" is not enough. (I've yet to learn if "I do not feel for you the same way you do for me" works but I'll keep you posted.)

09) One way to determine the difference between green and dry wood is by how heavy a log is, not by the amount of foliage that covers it. The heavier the junk the greener it is. It is not suitable to burn all green junks in your wood furnace or stove as they do not burn as easily as the dry junks. Mix your wood for better and longer lasting flame.

10) When shovelling your driveway or outside of your home at any time for that matter be prepared to have passers-by slow to a near stop to stare are you. Remember, you are foreign to them. They can not figure out why you want to be here when the majority is trying their best to get out.

11) No matter where in Ontario you're from you're from Toronto. You can tell them 1000 times the name of your home town and it will forever be Toronto or simply the main land.

12) It's not only the "tip of the iceberg" as they say. What ice you see above water there is 10x that below the oceans surface. This being coined The Iceberg Capital of the World, that's a lot of bergs!

13) Most important lesson of all: Enjoy every minute of life and what life throws at you. It will make its turns, dips and sweeps but it's all about the attitude and how you choose to deal with it.

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome to the TT community. Hard to believe that I've been at it for 16 weeks . . .

I love your blog. I will definitely be back.

I am also hooked by your change in lifestyle: moving from the mainland to the atlantic . . . what a great adventure.

I would also love to see photos of your new place, am intrigued by your description.

Thank you for sharing.

My TT this week: phobias - do stop by!

Anonymous said...

I totally agree with you on # 13.

Just enjoy it!

Happy TT!

Anonymous said...

Lovely TT. I enjoyed every word. The kindness that you have shines through, even during the complaints! It is nice to know you some... :)

Marie said...

spending time with mom, trusting your guts & instincts when house hunting, and enjoying every minute of life => P r I c E l E s S . . . for everything else there's . . . is it mastercard or visa? ha ha, do u have that commercial there in Canada? you have a great list T13 this week!! i had fun reading.

DigiscrapMom said...

I absolutely agree about cherishing the trivial things :)

Happy Thursday!

Anonymous said...

I love this list. And every one of the 13 makes absolute sense (and truth.) I is funny too.

Unknown said...

I second the enjoy life..What a nice post this week..happy thursday

ERZSÉBET said...

Terra, thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your wonderful comments! Hopefully you return to see this as there is no link back to you.

Thanks again!

Happy Mama to Three said...

Welcome to TT. #1 is oh so true, sleep it off, everything is better in the morning, eventually.

Enjoy roaming through the TT world.

Cindi

satyr said...

hmm, a very interesting list indeed. a very intriguing expreience that u're living. Though yes the attitude does count at the end, but you already know that. Smile.

Crimson Wife said...

I visited Newfoundland once as a kid & remember it being beautiful. We drove up through Maine & Nova Scotia IIRC (sorry if my Canadian geography is a bit hazy!)