Outdoors in Northern New England

Here in Northern New England it takes awhile for the weather to catch up with the calendar but after a long winter it has finally turned into spring. My family has been enjoying the summer-like weather by spending time outdoors. When I say outdoors, I don't mean "The Great Outdoors" or the wilderness or the woods as one might think. But here in this part of New Hampshire we call outside the outdoors. Don't know why, we just do. Just like the driveway is referred to as the door yard. I guess it has something to do with going out the door, through the door, out there, not indoors as we refer to the inside of a house or building. It is funny, I use these terms a lot and don't often think twice about it. I suppose the people I am talking to understand and use the same words. If I had to sit here and think about all the New Englandisms I use, I probably could not come up with any until I actually use them and someone who is either a english major or a city slicker would have to point them out. They are such a part of me now I really don't know the difference. I remember being a kid and picking on my mom for using certain phrases or words because I thought they sounded dumb or ignorant. But now that I am older I see how it is part of our culture and history and charm and that it has nothing to do with one's intelligence. I am sure there are still plenty of people from the big city who laugh at us in a condescending way, but I don't care. I will continue to embrace phrases like, "For corn-sakes!" Whatever that means, but my mom said it all the time so it must be important.