When I was 23, I moved to Boston to better myself. I did not want to spend my life making hay, digging potatoes or spreading fish. I sailed from St. John's on the boat, Nova Scotia. I had three uncles living there at the time. My first job was as a Nanny. They were a well-to-do family and it wasn't hard work. There were four children and it was my job to accompany them when they went to school or music lessons or for a walk. They had a chauffeur that drove us. Oh yes, they had plenty of money, a beau tiful home. I stayed in the house. Well, one time I got a terrible fright. Somehow or other a rat got into the house. I had a box of chocolates on my bed. I went out and when I came back, I found all the chocolate wrappers on each step of the stairs. I almost went through the ceiling because here was a rat in the house. I slept downstairs that night. Michael, the janitor, set a trap and he got the devil.

Being a Nanny was wonderful, but after fifteen years I wanted to do something different. I went to work at Honeywell, an electrical company. I worked in the office for thirty years. I met my husband at a party. I was going with another fellow at the time. He was a nice fellow, but I'd never marry him. Anyway, I looked over and saw this fellow across the room. I said, "Who is he?" He said, "Edward Nickerson." I said, "That's the fellow I'm going to marry." I met him that night and we dated for four years. When we got married, fifteen couples got married the same day in the same Church. There was supposed to be an air raid because it was during World War II in 1943. I said to the priest, "what will we do." He said, "run like hell for the cellar." World War II did not affect us too much in Boston. We were rationed on some things. We did pretty well. We knew quite a crowd and didn't want for anything.

Oh my God, the parties! They were good parties. There were about twelve in our group and we went to different places to cocktail parties and to house parties. We used to go to the Hibernia Hall to the dances. It was a Canadian place where Newfoundlanders and Irish used to dance. There were also Newfoundland parties in Chelsea (Boston suburb). The whole hall would be full of Newfoundlanders. Everyone went, even the children. Whole families did things together. It was a good life. And the New Year's Eve parties! Oh, Blessed God, we never got home. We had good times.

We travelled around a lot. We drove to Florida in 1953 – the year my mother died. I had just gotten home when I received a telegram saying she was sick. So I left right away and flew home. My husband, Eddy and I had 33 wonderful years together. He worked in the city of Newton – a civil servant job. We had a comfortable life. I came home every two years and I always sent stuff home. We never had any children, but I had my little dog, Mister. He went everywhere with me and he understood every word you said. He had his own little bed. He had a diamond collar and seven coats. He had a mink coat, a raincoat, hat and boots. I was very sad when he got sick and had to be put to sleep. He was a dear little dog. My other dog, Skippy, was a devil. One day he got into my blood pressure pills. I had to take him to the vet to get his stomach pumped. He was always into mischief.