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Good morning! The coffee’s hot, the wood’s stacked, and the words are waiting…let’s see what today builds.

Starting things off, it’s a cool morning here in the north, but the good news is it’s the last day of February, which means… spring isn’t all that far off. And by the looks of things, a few days from now, temperatures are going to warm up a lot. That’s just fine with my wife and me, as we’re ready for some spring flowers.

Weather Forecast for Port Loring, Ontario:

Today, Friday, February 28, 2025:

• Morning: Sunny, with temperatures around 2°F (-17°C).
• Afternoon: Breezy and colder with considerable cloudiness; snow at times this afternoon, accumulating 0.4 to 1.2 inches (1-3 cm); untreated surfaces will be slippery. High: 23°F (-5°C).
• Evening: Snowfall continues into the evening hours. Low: 10°F (-12°C).

Tonight:

• Snowfall warning in effect from 10:00 AM EST until Saturday, 1:00 AM EST. Significant snowfall is expected, with total accumulations near 6 inches (15 cm), and higher amounts possible. Peak snowfall rates of 0.8 to 1.6 inches (2 to 4 cm) per hour may reduce visibility. Travel could be challenging due to rapidly accumulating snow.

Tomorrow, Saturday, March 1, 2025:

• Morning: Breezy with snow in the morning, accumulating up to an inch (1-2 cm); cloudy and very cold. High: 17°F (-8°C).
• Afternoon: Cloudy conditions persist, with temperatures remaining low.
• Evening: Temperatures dropping further, with lows reaching -10°F (-24°C).

An Alberta clipper will bring snow, heavy at times, over the area. The heaviest snowfall is expected this afternoon and will taper to light flurries overnight. Rapidly accumulating snow will make travel difficult.

So seeing what is about to take place, it might pay to get your running around out of the way this morning. But you wouldn’t know it looking outside this morning with the sun shinning and not a cloud in the sky.

Highway 522 at the time of this post was clear of snow.

On another note, yesterday, I spent the day in my woodworking shop, bringing to life the Native American flutes I’ve been working on these past few weeks. Things are rolling along nicely, and I’m now at the final stage, tuning them.

The thing about making these flutes is that every step matters. If a single thing isn’t done just right, all the work leading up to this point could be for nothing. The spirit of the flute lives in the wood, but it won’t sing unless you shape it with patience, respect, and the right touch. As my friend Grey Wolf once told me, “A flute is not made; it is awakened. Shape it wrong, and it remains silent. Shape it right, and it will carry the wind’s voice to those who listen.”

Late in the day, I tuned one for the first time, just to see if it would speak, and let me tell you, it didn’t just sing; it called out like a bird with a voice meant to be heard. Made me smile, that’s for sure.

So what are you up to today, GW?

Well, today, I’ll get back to tuning those flutes. I’ve calibrated my old tuner, the shop’s warming up nicely, and with a bit of luck, I won’t have to argue with a flute that refuses to sing. If all goes well, by day’s end, I’ll have a few more making music.

With that, I’m off to enjoy the breakfast my little woman has made for me, just like she has every morning for more years than I can count. Then we’ll settle in for our usual chat over a cup of hot cocoa, a simple routine that means more than words can say.

After all these years, it’s not the big things that matter most, it’s these quiet moments, the ones that make up a life well lived. We’ve walked this road together for over fifty years, and we’re still making the best of every day. Which is the way it should be.

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

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Good Morning! If you want to become a writer like GW, you……must embrace typos like old friends, ‘cause they’ll never leave you alone.

It’s a cloudy morning here waking up in cottage country. But it isn’t snowing or raining, which is something for this time of year. Although we are crowding into March. Hard to believe spring is just around the corner.

Today:
Cloudy skies will be hanging around, with a few snowflakes drifting down here and there. Nothing to write home about, just enough to remind us it’s still winter. Temps will reach about 38°F (3°C) this afternoon, so not too bad for this time of year. Might even feel a little mild if the wind stays down.

Tonight:
Staying cloudy, and it’s going to cool off quite a bit. Looking at around 0°F (-18°C) overnight, so if you’re heading out, bundle up.

Tomorrow:
A cloudy start to the day, with a chance of more snow in the afternoon. Not a big storm, but enough to freshen things up a bit. Temps will be around 19°F (-7°C) in the morning, then dropping to 12°F (-11°C) by evening.

Typical late-winter weather—just enough to keep us guessing.

Highway 522 is pretty well clear of snow and ice this morning, making travel easier for those needing to stock up on supplies. As for my wife and me, we’re all set, as yesterday, we took a trip to North Bay to pick up what we needed. Turned out to be a great day. The sun came out, it wasn’t all that cold, and there weren’t too many people getting in our way, which is a plus these days.

After finishing up our shopping, we had lunch in the car with a cup of coffee from a new place in town. Truth be told, it wasn’t anything special, so once we wrapped up our meal and spent some time watching the world go by, we swung by a spot we knew had good coffee and grabbed a proper one for the drive home.

It’s nice to get away once in a while, aside from what everything costs these days. But all in all, we had a great day, and really, what could be better than that?

Now, city shopping folks are a different breed. You can spot them a mile away, zigzagging through parking lots like they’re in some kind of survival race, clutching their reusable bags like they hold the secret to happiness. Meanwhile, us country folks just take our time, trying to remember why we came in the first place.

So, what are you up to today, GW? Well, today I’m getting back into making those Native American flutes I’ve been working on, the ones we call Fluture Flutes. They’re our own style, something we came up with years ago, and there’s nothing else like them, each one is truly one of a kind. Today’s the day I start tuning them, so I’ll be setting up my cameras to video how I go about it. Should be an interesting day, to say the least.

So with that, I’m off for my breakfast, which will consist of an egg, some bacon, and cheese on top of a toasted bun. That should hold me over until lunchtime. After that, before heading out to the old woodworking shop, my lovely wife and I will enjoy our hot cocoa along with our regular morning chat. What would a day be without them?

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