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Good morning, you know, the older I get the more I’ve noticed that the past doesn’t really stay behind us, it just waits until we’re tired enough to listen. And I been doing a lot of that lately.

Well, looking outside this morning, it really looks like it’s going to be a beautiful day. Once again, the sun is shining, and I have to say, our property is looking especially nice. You know what I love the most? It’s the way the sunlight hits the trees and the shadows stretch across the open areas. There’s just something about that moment that makes me want to pause, sit back, and truly take it all in.

Highway 522 is still quiet these days, as are our stores around town. It really lets you know that the season has changed—which is just fine with my wife and me, as we enjoy the quietness of the country that surrounds us. That said, things will pick up a bit when hunting season arrives, but that’s still a ways off yet. Deer season usually starts around the second week of November. Still, time sure seems to be flying by fast these days.

On another note, yesterday my wife and I managed to get our mowing out of the way for another couple of weeks. I have to say, it really makes the grounds look mighty nice… so nice that some front porch sittin’ will definitely be in order after breakfast. We also had a lot of folks drop by our gift shop yesterday, even though I somehow forgot to put up our open sign. Not sure how I managed that… probably too much on my mind. But in true small-town fashion, people found their way in anyway. Actually we had ourselves a great afternoon, sold a bunch of books, some flutes, some small wooden items we made, and a some of my wife’s paintings.

We also had a lot of our American friends stopped by, which is always a treat. I sure do enjoy hearing what’s happening south of the border. You know over the years, we’ve made some great friends in the good ol’ USA—honest, salt-of-the-earth folks who understand that if your boots are muddy, you probably got something done today. The kind who’ll swap stories about just about anything, share a laugh if you’re still in your overalls at noon, and know that “fresh air” sometimes smells like a little manure.. That’s real country friendship… where nobody cares if you forgot your sign, as long as the coffee’s hot and the stories are good. And I have to tell ya I have plenty of them.

So with that, I’m off to enjoy the breakfast my lovely wife has set in front of me. After that, we’ll both head out to the front porch and then? Well, then I’ll think on what I want to do today. Just because I can. Sometimes, that’s the best plan of all.

Until next time, keep your minds open and your stories alive. GW

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Well, instead of sunshine this morning, we’re in the midst of a lot of clouds. That said, we should see some sunshine a bit later on. Which is fine with me, as today is mowing day for us here in Northern Ontario. The grass has slowed down a lot, so now, instead of cutting it every week, we only mow every two weeks. That’s also fine with me, since by this time of year, I’m getting a bit tired of it. Still, it does keep my wife and me fit, and it doesn’t take us all that long—about half a day.

Highway 522: It has slowed down a lot traffic-wise these days, since most of our tourists have packed up and left for another season. Which is just fine with my wife and me, because we enjoy the quiet. Not that it’s ever very noisy around here anyway. Truth is, it’s so quiet inside our house that we can’t even hear anyone coming up the driveway. I blame it on that new insulation we put in a few years back. It works so well, we might need to buy a dog just to let us know if anyone’s at the door.

On another note, yesterday I managed to almost finish up that old wooden horse that George Lee, the former owner, made many years ago. I have to say, it turned out pretty darn nice—I think old George would be happy to see it now. I’m not sure why, but something over the past few years kept nagging at me to fix it up. At any rate, it’s all finished now except for a bit of paint, which my lovely wife is going to do when she finds the time. After that, I’ll let you all have a look at it. I did take a picture before I started, so I’ll be able to show you a before-and-after. It might be a day or so, though, as my wife is pretty busy these days. Well, truth be told, she’s always busy.

So with that, I’m off to enjoy the breakfast my little woman has set in front of me. After that, I’ll have a cup of English tea, and then I’ll head outdoors to see about waking up those mowers.

Until next time, keep your minds open and your stories alive. GW

‘Only On The Walters Post‘

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Good morning, you know, over the years I have found that… every story is just a question pretending to be an answer.

Well, it looks like another beautiful day is upon us here in cottage country this morning. The sun is slowly rising, along with the temperatures, which makes a fellow feel like heading outdoors. As a matter of fact, with it being so nice, I’m planning on having our morning tea out on the front porch—after breakfast, that is. I’m not sure what other folks do in the early morning hours, but to me, living where we do with nature all around us, I can’t think of any better way to start a day. However, being September, those of us who live here in the North know that we’d better take advantage of these nice days, as there are going to be plenty that aren’t so nice. But that’s how it is living in the country—you take what you get. Truth be told, I wouldn’t want it any other way.

On another note: Yesterday, my wife and I had to take our car into North Bay to get it fixed up. We’d been having some issues with a few idiot lights that kept coming on, like the ABS, Swerve, and Traction lights. It ended up being a wheel bearing and a sensor. It all started about a week ago when we decided to take a trip south of us for a few days, and the lights started to turn on and the car wanted to stop while driving—which isn’t a great thing, especially with cars and trucks behind you going 100 km/h. Kinda takes the fun out of things.

At any rate, along the way, we did stop at a Ford dealer near Goderich, Ontario, and had them take a look at it. They charged me $60.00 and told me that it was a wheel bearing, or it could be a broken ring around the wheel bearing, or possibly the axle needed replacing. End of the day, it would have cost us over $1,000. So, hearing that, we said thanks, and I babied it and drove it home. We then took it to our friend who fixes our car now in North Bay. All fixed up—new wheel bearing and new sensor—for about $360.

Kind of makes a fella think about what some are charging for repairs these days, doesn’t it? At any rate, it’s all fixed, and later on this fall, we might just take another trip, which we sure hope has a little less stress attatched to it. We’ll see how that goes, as we do have a lot to do in the fall with things that need to be done before the snow flies.

So, not too much else is happening around our home here in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada, other than, as I mentioned earlier, getting things done outside in preparation for winter. But I have to say, for my wife and me, this is about the nicest time of year to be living where we do. The tourists have just about all left for the season, the weather is nearly perfect, there are no bugs to speak of, and things are winding down in our gift shop. It doesn’t get much better than that. This is a beautiful country, let me tell you, and after our trip south and seeing how the other half lives, well, we’re very happy to be living right where we are.

With that, I’m off for my breakfast, which consists of bacon and eggs that my lovely wife has made for me. After that, I’ll head outside to our front porch and enjoy a cup of organic English tea we ordered online. I have to say, those British folks make some great-tasting tea.

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

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Good morning, You know, The older I get, the more I see that time is not a fire we feed, but a fire that consumes us.

Well it’s looking like another really nice day for us here in cottage country. The sun is up and the sky... well… the sky is as blue as Robbins Egg. It’s the kind of day that seems to say: “Best enjoy that front porch while you can.” And that is just what my wife and I plan on doing.

Highway 522 has really quieted down lately, with most folks heading back to the cities. In the summer, we’re a welcome treat, but come early spring, late fall and winter, well, let’s just say this place is best appreciated by those who truly know the lifestyle. I’ve also noticed many people are putting their boats away for the season, and some of our summer birds have already left us for another year. On top of that, the trees are starting to show their colors, getting ready for a display that only Mother Nature can create. She’s quite the artist when she wants to be, much like my lovely wife, whose paintings are every bit as beautiful. I can’t begin to tell ya how many she has painted for folks over the years.

On another note: Yesterday, I spent most of the day at my computer working on a couple of stories for my newspaper columns. My wife, as usual, was busy as ever—doing the laundry for another week, cleaning the house, cooking a nice roast of beef, and somehow still managing to bake a batch of chocolate brownies. I have to say, just smelling them while they were baking made my mouth water. But despite all that we had to do, we both managed to find some time to enjoy our front porch, soaking up some much-needed sunshine and taking in everything our property has to offer.

So, what are you up to today, GW?

Well, today I’m going to do something special that I’d like to share with you. About 20 years ago or so, when we first moved here, the former owner, George Lee, made an old wooden rocking horse for his Grand-kids to ride. Ever since we’ve been here, it’s been sitting out back on the rocks that surround our property. Over the years, it’s really started to deteriorate. Seeing that, and thinking of all the memories it holds—and being a woodworker for many years myself—I figured I’d try to bring some of its original glory back to life.

It’ll be quite a job, as it’s in rough shape, which isn’t surprising for something that’s probably over 80 years old, maybe more. In any case, I’ll see what I can do. When all is said and done, I’ll take some before-and-after pictures so you can have a look. So, that’s what’s on my plate for today.

So with that, I’m off to have my morning bowl of porridge—steel-cut oats soaked overnight—and then I’ll head out to our front porch to enjoy a cup of hot cocoa. You can’t beat that for starting off the day.

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

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Good morning, the funny thing about wisdom, it usually shows up late and figures that’s just the way it is.

So here we are, settling into the beginning of September. It’s been a week or so since my last morning post. Reason being my wife and I decided to take a little trip south, if for nothing else than to see what the other half has been up to. Truth be told, not much has changed from the last time we visited well, except there’s a lot more folks roaming around.

I’ve never seen such a mix of people from all over the world. Streets, shops, counters, sidewalks, you name it, they’re there. Makes you realize Canada isn’t the same country I grew up in. Back then, it was mostly one kind of people, and that was that. Now, it feels like the land’s been plowed under and reseeded with something else entirely. Some folks roll with it, some grumble like a tractor with a stone caught in the blades.

And me? Well, I figure that’s just the way it is. Seasons turn, fields turn, and countries turn too. Can’t stop it. Can’t fight it. Might as well watch, learn a little, and see what comes of it.

On another note, we’re getting some sunshine here in Cottage Country this morning. Still, the air’s cooler than it’s been the last few days. The good news is, we’ve been getting the rain we needed after a long dry spell. Makes the land feel alive again. You learn over the years that you can’t hurry these things. The sun will shine, the rain will fall, and the seasons will turn whether you like it or not. All you can do is watch, tend what you can, and let the rest take care of itself.

On another note, now that we’re back home, there’s a lot of outside work that needs to be done before winter arrives. We did get our firewood in before we left, so at least we won’t have to worry about being cold, which is always nice.

My wife has also done up a lot of our tomatoes for winter. We don’t put them in jars anymore, we freeze them instead. This year we grew some Early Girls, nice and red for eating, some Roma for the pasta sauce my wife makes a lot of, and some yellow low-acid ones. I have to say, those yellow ones are sweet and tasty this year, and easy on the old stomach, not that the Early Girls aren’t as good; they sure are.

I have to admit, we had a really good crop, one of the better ones, despite the dry, hot weather we had. Actually, we ended up with so many that we’ve been selling them out front on our trailer.

It makes you think, after all these years, that the land has its own way of looking after us. You plant, you tend, you sweat, and then it gives back in its own time. Some years it’s easy, some years it’s hard, but it keeps going… and somehow, we do too.

So with that, I’m off to have the breakfast my lovely wife made for me—a bowl of organic oatmeal, simple and good. After that, I’ll head outdoors and get to work. Well, maybe I’ll have a hot cocoa first, just because I can. No harm in starting the day off right.

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