For a book title, “Four Great ‘F’ Words” certainly grabs attention. But it’s not what you might think for the subhead of ‘Fur, Feathers, Fish and Fun’ tells you right away you’re heading for a story or stories about animals.
And that’s mostly the case for “Four Great ‘F’ Words” is indeed a collection of short stories about the wide variety of animals encountered by author Nadine Jones during the years she spent in Terrace beginning in 1971. But there’s also the story of the log house built on a large piece of property on the way to Old Remo.
Jones is better known among longtime Terrace residents as Nadine Asante, the author of “The History of Terrace,” published in 1972 by the Terrace Public Library Association.
She originally came north with husband K.O. Asante, a physician who has since established an international reputation for research into fetal alcohol syndrome.
“My husband worked at the hospital all day and a lot of nights so I was left to create a farm in the forest,” Jones writes.
The farm required a barn and outhouses to hold an assortment of chickens and goats, leading to many experiences involving constructions and trips to the Co-op. “Here I was, a city woman all my life, driving down a dirt road with a loaded gun to scare a bear,” Jones recounts in one recollection.
In addition to stories about animals, Jones also provides vignettes of local residents who helped shape her life in the area in one way or another.
Now 91, living in Richmond and long divorced, Jones, during a phone interview, brings up one point dear to all former Terrace residents – the weather.
“I remember, when we were living on Soucie Ave. before we moved to our property, we had to tunnel through the snow to our front door.”
Copies of “Four Great ‘F’ Words” are available at Misty River Books.