Old times in Drum Head

What kinds of chores did you have to do as a young girl?

One of my jobs was dishwashing, at home, and of course, I had to make my own bed--after I got old enough to do those things.  And on Fridays, after I got home from school, I had to mop and sweep the floors upstairs...things like that.  Run the errands that had to be done...anything needed from the grocery store.

Now, at the time, there was a store in Seal Harbour, I imagine?

Well, I lived in Drum Head.  And there was two grocery stores in Drum Head--and a post office!  And one of the stores...did you ever see an ice cream parlor?  Well, the one fellow who kept the store had ice cream brought down from Halifax, and he had a little freezer, and he kept it in that.  And who was it...Aunt Judy, would always go.  And when she'd hear the steamer blow, "Oh, the ice cream's here!"  Oh, dear.  It's amusing...amusing, if not confusing!

When you think about how things have changed from back then to now around here, what do you see as the biggest changes?

Hard to say.  People are more independent today.  You know what I mean...things like getting groceries, and all that.  They didn't have the money, now, like lots of times; the men, with their fish, they would trade them for groceries in the fall of the year.  They'd dry their own fish on flakes, and they'd take them up to the store, and go over, and they'd trade them, and get their groceries.  And of course, what little money they got for their fish in the summertime, they'd have to save up, to get through the winter.