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Good morning. I have always said, “You can’t blame the hammer if you miss the nail.” Life’s pointed that out to me a few times since.

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario Friday, November 28, 2025

Well, you probably saw the same thing I did when you looked out the window… a good two inches of snow tucked in around the yard, clean and quiet, like it tiptoed in while we were sleeping. And it’s still coming down, that light steady snow, the kind that doesn’t hurry but never quite stops either.

Temperature’s holding near 21.5 F which is about -5.8 C, so the snow’s staying fluffy for now. Humidity is up at 88 percent, and the barometer’s down at 28.92 inches, so the day’s pretty much set for more of the same. No big storm feel to it, just a patient winter day settling in.

Wind’s still out of the WNW, about 7 mph, enough to drift the flakes sideways a bit but not enough to build real drifts yet. Today will stay snowy and cold. Tonight it’ll tighten up more, and the sky might clear for a while after midnight, but not before we get a bit more accumulation. By tomorrow morning I’d expect a crisp start and maybe a few leftover flurries.

Nature’s signs: The snow was clinging to the spruce needles in perfect little clusters, which usually means the air’s moist and mild enough to let it stick instead of blowing off. The clouds sitting low over the tree line looked soft around the edges… that often means the snow will taper off on its own once the air dries a bit.

Highway 522 is snow covered with some icy sections throughout this morning, which won’t make traveling all that good. My advice: stay home where it’s warm, as there will be lots of days when the roads are better.

On another note, yesterday I got back to tuning those flutes I’ve been working on. The first one—the same one that gave me a real headache a couple of days ago—finally came around. After a bit of fiddling and setting things straight, it sang like a songbird. It’s amazing how that goes: one minute, you’re ready to throw in the towel and move on, and then suddenly, it’s as if something shows you exactly what to do to fix it.

So, what am I up to today?

Well, earlier this morning I lit the old shop stove, so it should be nice and warm out there by the time I finish this blog post and have my breakfast. That’ll make it cozy for working on those flutes. That’s another thing—if it’s too cold, the flutes are hard to tune correctly, so patience is in order. Light the stove, let things warm up, fill the old stomach, enjoy a cup of tea and a chat with the little woman, and then—well, then it’s time to get to work.

With that, I’m off to enjoy the breakfast my lovely wife has prepared, then I’ll head out to the shop. I sure do enjoy working out there, especially on these cold winter days—with the stove going and a good project at hand, there’s nowhere I’d rather be.

With that you all have a great day and remember: “Take things as they come, keep warm, and remember there’s no rush as simply put… good things have a way of working themselves out.”

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. GW

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Good morning. My old Dad always said, “The day’s only as hard as your attitude.” Easy to forget, but true enough.

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario Thursday, November 27, 2025

I was heading out to the woodworking shop this morning to light the stove, brushing a little snow off the brim of my hat. Just a dusting on the ground then, not even enough to crackle underfoot… but you could see it coming down steady, that quiet kind that means business even if it pretends otherwise.

Our weather station had things sitting right around 32.7 F 0.4 C, so everything felt damp and close. Humidity sitting at 81 percent and the barometer down at 28.62 inches tells the whole story. Pressure that low doesn’t point to quick changes. It just says settle in, this system’s staying awhile.

Wind are coming in out of the southwest, though you’d never guess. As there is hardly no wind showing on the meter and nothing moving in the treetops when I stepped past the shop door.

For today, the snow will keep on falling, light but steady. It’ll start to stick a bit more once the ground fully gives up its warmth. Roads’ll get slick faster than you think because of that first wet layer.

Tonight, the snow will continue drifting through. Temperature might slip just a touch below freezing. Enough to make the porch steps a bit greasy, so watch yourself if you’re heading out doors, or hauling in wood after dark.

Tomorrow morning, probably more flurries. Maybe a little brighter, maybe not. The thing is… these long grey stretches don’t rush themselves.

Nature’s signs… the cedars aren’t bowing yet, but you can see the tips getting heavy. The chickadees were sticking close to the spruces when I went to fill up our bird feeder earlier, not much chatter. The whole place feels like it’s holding its breath, waiting to see how thick this snowfall wants to get.

So, what are you up to today, GW?

Well, since my wife and I wanted to beat the snow we knew was coming, we headed off to North Bay yesterday to pick up some supplies and drop a few things off for our son. That meant I didn’t get a chance to work on the flutes. But today’s a different story as the shop is warming up, and I plan to start tuning them. Sometimes the process goes smooth as silk, but every so often, I’ll get one that really tests all my talents. Either way, that’s what I’m up to today!

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. GW

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Good Morning: My old Dad used to say “A slow start’s fine, just don’t quit.” I’ll tell ya, those words have carried me through more days than I care to remember.

Explanation:
In plain talk: It’s alright if you’re slow outta the gate… just keep moving’ and don’t throw in the towel.

Highway 522’s pretty quiet this morning, not much traffic at all. Hunting season’s winding down, except for the bow hunters, and besides us locals, there’s hardly a soul moving around. Out here, way back in the woods, you know you’re local if you can recognize a truck just by the sound of its muffler or by how many ATVs are in the back!

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario Wednesday, November 26, 2025

Walking to the woodworking shop this morning, the air felt damp and still with the temperature sitting at 38.66 F (3.7 C) and the humidity at 79 percent. Barometer’s down at 28.76 inches, and my weather vane shows a gentle ENE, wind.

Today will bring some cloudy skies with a couple of morning showers, turning breezy this afternoon with intermittent snow and flurries. Real-feel around 41F in the, shade or sun, so that chill sticks no matter where you stand.

Tonight and into tomorrow, more snow showers drift through. Highs tomorrow near 35 F, lows around 21, with two to four inches expected by Friday morning.

Nature’s signs: Trees and shrubs are quiet this morning, clouds are low and heavy, not a bird making a sound at my bird feeder. And… the air had that faint, metallic smell that shows up just before real snow hits the ground. Not the snow itself, it’s more like a mix of ozone and the damp earth waking up, stirred by the cold, heavy air right before a storm rolls in. I was taught that many years ago by my old friend Grey Wolf. Miss that old feller.

On another note I did manage yesterday to finish up making them totems for my flutes I am working on. But you know how it goes, sometimes things just don’t work out like you planned. My old chromatic tuner didn’t want to play along. I fiddled with it, gave it a few gentle taps (like that ever helps, but after thirty years, it’s not what it used to be. Guess I’ll have to bite the bullet and pick up a new one sooner or later. That’s just how it is, with woodworking, some tools hang in there, others finally throw in the towel.

With that, I’m off for my morning breakfast that the little woman’s got ready for me. After that, I’ll see what the day’s got in store, which usually isn’t quite what I had in mind, as truth told, every day’s a bit of a guessing game living where we do. Have a great day.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. GW

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Morning. The old boys had a saying: “If you break it, you own it. If you didn’t break it, fix it anyway.” That was their brand of fairness. I’ve always thought there was a certain rugged wisdom in that—maybe a bit old-fashioned, but solid all the same. These days, it feels like everyone’s looking for someone else to blame, or waiting for somebody else to step up. The old boys didn’t have the luxury of passing the buck. They lived in small towns where everyone knew your name, and your reputation was built on how you handled the little things, not just the big ones.

It didn’t matter if the mess was yours or not—if you saw something that needed doing, you did it. Maybe that’s why fences stayed mended, coffee never ran out at the diner, and there was always a neighbor willing to lend a hand. It makes me wonder: have we lost a bit of that communal spirit? Maybe fairness isn’t just about justice or rules, but about choosing to care, even when it’s not required. The old boys understood that, and maybe that’s the real lesson worth holding on to.

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario Tuesday, November 25, 2025

For anyone wondering what the day’s shaping up like around our end of the bush. Stepped outside earlier heading to my old woodworking shop and found that the air had that damp chill to it, sitting around 37 F which is 3 C, and with the humidity up at 83 percent I could feel it right through my shirt. The barometer is down to 29.13 inches, which usually tells me the weather’s cooking up something, even if it hasn’t made up its mind yet.

Not a lick of wind this morning, NNE at zero, trees standing still like they’re listening for something. It makes the whole yard feel quieter than usual. I had half a mind to get a few chores started, but on mornings like this you end up standing around a bit longer than planned, just looking.

For today, we’re in for a grey one. Clouds hanging around, no real brightness, and it looks like we could see a bit of drizzle off and on. Nothing that should cause trouble on the roads, more of an all-day dampness.

For tonight, seems we’ll stay on the mild side. Might get close to freezing, might not. There’s a good chance of a little fog settling in the low spots, especially along our small lakes.

For tomorrow, we’ve got a real change moving in. Cooler air and a better chance of rain, maybe even a bit of wet flurry mixed in early if the temperature dips at the wrong moment. Morning travel should be alright, but worth keeping an eye on things.

And for nature’s signs, the spruce tips are pointing down a bit, and the crows weren’t raising their usual ruckus first thing. The lake’s are flat as a mirror. Those small things usually mean weather’s thinking about shifting gears.

On another note, yesterday I made some good headway in our old woodworking shop working on those flutes. I managed to get the totems for the tops all carved out—well, all but two. I’ll finish those up soon, and then comes the real test. After all this hard work and long hours, it will finally be time to see if the flutes sing. This is always an exciting part of the process, let me tell you. If they don’t, all that effort might feel wasted, but when they do, it makes everything worthwhile.

With that, I’m off to enjoy the breakfast my lovely wife has once again made for me. Afterward, we’ll sit down with a cup of tea and our regular morning chat—a routine I really enjoy. Then, it’s out to the woodworking shop for another day. Actually it’s not a bad day out there temperature-wise; I almost didn’t need to light the wood stove earlier, but I did anyway, just to take the dampness out of the air. All in all, it’s shaping up to be a pretty good morning.

Until the next time: Keep Your Minds Open & Your Stories Alive. GW