A Tale of Dottie the Mouse’s Trek

Our family home is a somewhat large, two story house by the ocean. A few years ago my brother, SH retired and returned to live there. My mother who was in her late eighties at the time and had Macular Degeneration used to walk slowly and really move close to everything so she could better see. She would quite frequently go to the kitchen window and peer out over the back garden and into the cove. My mother also wore what I call ‘boot slippers’……. ankle high, lined with fleece and quite easy to put on. She used to shuffle around the house issuing orders and requests to all who were near.

My sister who was visiting one day thought she saw a mouse/shrew in the porch and of course this just wouldn’t do!

img_8048-533x800-138x205-2 — Dottie the Mouse.

When I heard the story of the mouse, I found it quite hilarious and so I wrote this nonsense verse.

Dottie the Mouse

Harry and his mummy lived in a big house by the sea.

“Oh Harry”, says mummy “you must take care of me!”

“I’ve heard a strange sound from the stairs below.”

“I wonder what it could be…..”

“I don’t suppose you would go………”

“Yes, Mummy dearest”, says Harry with a sigh.

“Whatever shall I do? Oh my, oh my!”

and down the stairs he went

(using a few choice words to vent!)

Suddenly a little critter scurried to and fro

A mouse to catch, a job for a real pro!

Sticky traps were quickly bought

so that mummy wouldn’t be too distraught.

They were placed around the basement floor

And Harry wondered, should he use more?

“Maybe just one near the kitchen wall”, said he.

“Just in case one climbed the stairs and we didn’t see!”

Everything was done and away Harry went.

Mummy shuffled to the window and over she bent.

And that very day, in their very own house,

Harry caught his mummy, Dottie the mouse!

Carol Fudge

Nonsense & Whimsy, 2005

A few years later, I bought two little mice for my daughters and made a little booklet with the poem. Every year Dottie the Mouse is placed in their homes at Christmas time. Eventually I found my mouse and every Christmas, Dottie is placed somewhere in my house, this year in the Christmas Tree.

img_8058-533x800 — Dottie’s home for Christmas 2016

Eventually, other mice were bought and my sister and nieces acquired Dotties of their own…..I can hear mummy grumbling now!

Wishing everyone great treks and tales for Christmas 2016!

O world, I cannot hold thee close enough!

Thy winds, thy wide grey skies!

Thy mists that roll and rise!

Thy woods, this autumn day, that ache and sag

And all but cry with colour! That gaunt crag

To crush! To lift the lean of that black bluff!

World, World, I cannot get thee close enough! Edna St. Vincent Millay

…….actually it came a little too close in the above photo.:)

It was an early morning filled with brilliant sunshine in the Cove (the first in eight days), so we decided to go to Twillingate and hike in the rain:):).

Of course there is a story.

We went to the Women’s Institute Sale first and they were serving ‘light refreshments’……a non-alcoholic punch and homemade treats that included fruit cake and an assortment of Christmas cookies. I just had to have a piece of fruit cake…….well two actually…….and then we went twacking (Dictionary of Newfoundland English defines it as ‘window shopping’, walking about).

Most all the craft shops are closed for the season but the drugstore in Twillingate is a must because they carry sooo many little home decor and seasonal items, plus beautiful scarves, socks, jewelry,etc. The Dollar Store (very little costs just a dollar) sometimes has different items too and by this time it was time for lunch.

The Canvas Cove Bistro (check out their Facebook Page) served a delicious buffet lunch….what a spread……..and so I was so full, I had to walk.

Cousin Debbie introduced me to this trail, Lower Little Harbour, earlier this year but I hadn’t done the extra 3.6 km over the headland to Jonas Cove.

This shrub caught my attention because of its lovely colour, it really stood out in the grey of the day. I find the Wildflower Society of Newfoundland and Labrador and Todd Boland’s Field Guide, Trees & Shrubs Newfoundland and Labrador very helpful when I am not sure of a plant’s identity.

All photos by L. Fudge

We usually take our hiking footwear and clothes on our travels, but this time I forgot my gloves…..

….but I did have an extra pair of socks which worked very well!

At first it was only overcast, then misty and then it rained, but the cool air and barren, rugged scenery were a joy.

Jonas or Jones?

There are a couple of signs, one says Jonas, the other Jones….but they are referring to the same Cove………maybe Jonas Jones lived there once upon a time?:):)

The complete Lower Little Harbour Trail is about 5km.

A unique rock.

Juniper Berries

They are used in the making of gin, lovely added to a drink with gin, and are also used when cooking wild game.

If you Google Lower Little Harbour Trail Twillingate, you will get mixed reviews on the difficulty of this trail, all however state that there are a couple of “challenging” areas. Tripadvisor is a good place to check for reviews and photos.

The wet, detailed forest.

Uphill and …..

…….down, the trail continues.

This had me laughing aloud with glee… the ocean rose at the entrance, came back down and rushed into the little ‘channel’, hitting the rocks with fury. Delightful!

We reached Jonas Cove after a lovely hike and walked back out on a much shorter path to the community of Little Harbour, not to be confused with Lower Little Harbour.:)

img_7966-800x533 — Old church in Little Harbour, Twillingate.

If you would like more on this trail, please check my blog post of April 16,2016.

I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. Nathaniel Hawthorne

” The trail is the thing, not the end of the trail. Travel too fast and you’ll miss all you are travelling for.” Louie L’Amour

A new discovery……Thumb & Finger Tree

20161002_151758-450x800-450x800 — I’ve got my thumb on it!

A recent trip on the Viking Trail (Northern Peninsula Highway) was a delight. The beautiful colours, the interesting foliage, the campfires, the grey jays and moose sightings, the opportunities to learn and, of course, the company.

We went a walking in the Beaver Brook area, approximately 28 km outside of Main Brook.

Brook or River

I questioned why this was called a brook and not a river. Later, after a little research, I read that you can ‘step over a brook’ and ‘swim across a river’, so generally the difference is size……… but it all depends on the region.:)

The underground salmon pools here are fascinating. Click the link below for a great read and some great pictures of the salmon, because unfortunately ours aren’t that great.

A Miraculous Journey Beaver Brook, Newfoundland

(You will have to type Beaver Brook in the search window on the site because the article was written in 2014.)

The forest is full of surprises.

Going underground

The brook flows along and suddenly disappears underground, only to resurface a little further along the trail. This happens in several areas and it is here that the salmon congregate.

“This world….is still a miracle; wonderful, inscrutable, magical, and more, to whosoever will think of it.” Thomas Carlyle

A plant that I later identified with the help of the Wildflower Society. It is widely used in homeopathic medicine and is quite the fascinating plant. I was very pleased to make another check mark in my wildflower book!