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Good Morning! I’ve seen the future, and guess what? It still starts with a strong cup of coffee and a bit of hard work. Which I will be doing a bit later on

Well, here we go again, folks. Waking up this morning in Cottage Country, we’re looking at cloudy skies and a few lazy flurries drifting down. Nothing to get too excited about—sure not enough to have me dragging out the old snowblower. And that’s just fine with my wife and me, seeing as we’re still feeling the effects of the last round of shovelling.

Today (Thursday, Feb 6): Off and on snow through the day, might see a couple of centimetres (an inch or so) pile up, but nothing major. A bit of a breeze picking up later on. High around 29°F (-2°C), dropping to 9°F (-13°C) tonight.

Tonight: Staying cloudy with the chance of a few lingering flurries. Cold, but not the worst we’ve seen.

Tomorrow (Friday, Feb 7): More clouds hanging around, not much in the way of sunshine. Temperature will hover around 24°F (-5°C) for the high and dip down to 7°F (-14°C) overnight.

All in all, a typical February day in the north—nothing we haven’t handled before. Best keep the wood-stove fed and the coffee hot.

If you’re heading out this morning, Highway 522 has a light covering of snow with some icy spots here and there. Nothing too serious, but enough to keep an eye on, especially in the shaded areas where the sun doesn’t hit. As the morning moves along and temperatures rise a touch, things should start to melt, making for better driving conditions.

That said, it’s still one of those mornings where a little extra caution wouldn’t hurt. Some folks will be taking it slow, while others will be in a hurry like usual—until they realize that ice doesn’t much care how fast they want to go. Best to give yourself a bit of extra time and take ‘er easy. No sense rushing just to end up swapping stories at the tow truck yard.

Yesterday, well yesterday I had big plans to spend the day out in the old woodworking shop, but after stepping outside and feeling that bitter cold, I decided my time would be better spent indoors. So, I parked myself in front of the computer and worked away on some stories for the newspaper. Turned out to be a pretty productive day—at least in the writing department.

Today, though, things have warmed up some, and with my shop stove perking away as I type, I reckon it’s time to head back out and get to work on them flutes. I’ve found over the years that stepping away from a long, tedious job now and then does wonders. Gives the mind a chance to reset, and sometimes, when you come back to it, things just seem to fall into place—well, most of the time. Other times, you just end up staring at it, wondering what the heck you were thinking in the first place. But that’s all part of the process.

So, with that, I’m off for my breakfast—once again, prepared by my lovely wife. After that, we’ll settle in with our usual hot cocoa and have a good chat, just the two of us. And then, well, who knows what the day will bring? We can plan all we want, but in the end, the results are always a bit of a mystery. Sometimes, the best part of the day is just letting it unfold.

You all have a great day and:

Until next time—keep your minds open and your stories alive! GW

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Good Morning From: Where the Air’s Cold, the Coffee’s Hot, and the Roads Ain’t Always Paved!

I have to tell you folks, she’s a cold one this morning here in cottage country. Rolling out of bed, the thermometer was sitting at -28.9°C (-20°F), and by the time I made my way to the woodworking shop, it had dropped even further to -32°C (-25°F)—the coldest morning so far this winter.

Weather for Port Loring, ON

Today:
Mostly sunny with clouds limiting the sunshine.
High: -6°C (21°F)
Low: -10°C (13°F)

Thursday:
Periods of snow, accumulating 2-4 cm. Breezy in the afternoon.
High: 0°C (33°F)
Low: -10°C (14°F)

A real taste of winter out there—stay warm, and if you can, keep the coffee hot and the fire going.

Highway 522 is snow-covered, which makes things slicker than a fresh-caught trout. With it being this cold, the salt ain’t doing much besides sitting there, looking useless. In some ways, that’s a good thing—at least it ain’t chewing through the old cars like a beaver on a pine log. But with what they’re spreading on the roads these days, a truck’s lucky to see its tenth birthday before it’s more rust than metal.

Damn shame, too, ‘cause they sure ain’t cheap to replace. Used to be a working man could save up and get himself a decent set of wheels. Now? You just about gotta sell a cow, a chunk of your back forty, and maybe your best fishing spot just to afford one. And they call this a great country we live in. Well, the land’s still great… but the folks running it? Let’s just say they could use a little more common sense and a little less hot air.

And for the locals, well they are handling the cold in their usual ways—some better than others. You’ve got the ones bundled up like they’re walking across the Arctic, only to waddle ten feet to the woodpile and declare it “too damn cold for this nonsense.” Then there’s the stubborn bunch, strolling around in a flannel shirt like it’s a breezy fall day, claiming, “Meh, seen worse.” Seen worse, sure—but that don’t mean frostbite ain’t creeping up on ‘em.

Truck/car batteries are dropping like flies, and you can hear the groans of engines that ain’t quite sure they want to wake up. Shovels are getting a workout, and snowblowers are roaring to life—well, the ones that actually do start. The rest are just sitting there, refusing to work like a teenager asked to take out the trash. And don’t even mention the outhouses—this is the kind of cold that makes a man/woman reconsider all their life choices before sittin’ down on that seat.

Even the wildlife ain’t sure what to do. The ravens are huddled together like they’re plotting a takeover of the nearest chimney, and the squirrels? They’re probably second-guessing burying half their stash three feet under the ice. But truth told—it’s just another day for us hardy folks!

On another note, yesterday my wife and I rolled up our sleeves and tackled the driveway and decks, clearing that fresh snow that piled up overnight. Took us most of the morning, and by the time we were finished, I figured we’d earned a good long rest. But, as it turns out, I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Truth be told, we didn’t slow down much for the rest of the day. I was kept busy tending to the fires in both the shop stove and our old wood furnace, while my lovely wife was still at it—cleaning, cooking, and keeping everything running smooth as always. She never sits down for long that woman, no matter what is going on. There’s always something to do, and she’s got a way of getting it done without so much as breaking a sweat. It’s like she’s got a never-ending supply of get-up-and-go tucked away somewhere.

And when I think about it, I didn’t sit much either. Ended up heading out to the woodworking shop for a couple of hours, fiddling around with projects. So, I guess we weren’t really all that tired after all. Just needed a change of pace.

With that, I’m off for breakfast—waffles this morning, made by my lovely wife. Now, she’s got a real gift in the kitchen. Those waffles? They’re better than any fancy restaurant could serve, and I swear they taste even sweeter than they look—must be something in the air or maybe just the way she works her magic. After that, we’ll kick back with our hot cocoa and have our usual chat before the day starts.

Well actually—I guess the day’s already in motion—me writing away and her in the kitchen making sure everything’s just right. So yea!! Just another day in our little corner of the world, and so far, it’s a good one, at that.

You all have a great day now. Take it easy, keep that coffee hot, and if you’re lucky enough to be inside, stay warm!

“Until next time—keep your minds open and your stories alive!” GW