Readers ask me intriguing questions which I like. Somebody wanted to know how the dead are buried in very cold regions in the winter when the ground is frozen.
Here in northern Newfoundland, a few men with pick axes can do the job by digging a grave. In the Arctic, they sometimes use sledgehammers.
I have read that generations ago there were designated sheds where the dead were kept until the ground was ready for a burial in the spring. They were called the Dead House, Mort house, Corpse-House, or Charnel House. You can still see Dead Houses in Labrador, for instance, in Hopedale, Hebron and Nain (of course not in use anymore).
On Battle Island in Labrador where a lot of fishermen from other areas used to work in the summer, the bodies were preserved with salt, until they could be shipped to their final destination for the burial.
As an author of crime novels, death is a constant factor in my books. I try to treat it respectfully and not only for entertainment. It is harder for me to accept death in real life. I have this childlike wish that people can live long lives and that their passing is peaceful.
A contradiction to my mystery thrillers, I know.
If you like to know more about my life in Newfoundland, you can subscribe to my newsletter on my website wwww.bernadettecalonego.com/eng
All the best to you.
A Dark Chill