Isn’t anyone old enough to remember singing “Halloween Apples” instead of “Trick or Treat”? Or do you have to come from Winnipeg too?

There were several things I wasn’t prepared for when I left Winnipeg and moved to Stratford, Ontario. To name a few: The squirrels weren’t the same colour as they were in Manitoba.

I thought pigs had little curly tails, quite inedible? Pigs in Ontario had big tails that people roasted or barbecued like ribs—well, not people, restaurants, some restaurants. We went to one and tried the tails. Very meaty. I tried cooking them myself. It took a lot of cooking and it took three days to clean the roasting pan.

In Winnipeg we drank soft drinks, not pop or soda. But then what do I know? I had a deprived teenage-hood. All the Cokes went to the armed forces, so I never acquired the habit..

And so it was with Halloween . No one sang Halloween Apples and the kids were too hot. I was used to the end of October being very cold and I used to put layers of clothes on my children, under their costumes. They came home before they reached the end of the street to strip off some of the layers.

Travel is so broadening.