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Good Morning! Just like sanding wood, it’s the rough patches in life that teach you how to smooth things out.

It’s a bit cloudy waking’ up here in cottage country, but the good news is it ain’t all that cold, which is melting’ a lot of our snow and ice. You know, as much as I enjoy our winters here in the north, I’m always ready for spring.

Now, let’s take a quick look at the weather forecast for Port Loring, Ontario:

Today (Tuesday, March 11):

High: 39°F (4°C)
Low: 7°F (-14°C)
Conditions: Mostly cloudy; breezy this morning’ with a brief shower or two, followed by a bit of rain this afternoon.

Tonight:Low: 7°F (-14°C)
Conditions: Mostly cloudy with temperatures dropping’ significantly.

Tomorrow (Wednesday, March 12):High: 33°F (0°C)
Low: 19°F (-7°C)
Conditions: Cloudy skies throughout the day.

So, it looks like Mother Nature’s giving’ us a mixed bag, warmer temps today with a chance of showers, then cooling’ off tonight and staying’ chilly tomorrow. Might be a good idea to keep that extra log on the fire and your old boots handy.

As the old saying goes living in this country: If you don’t like the weather, just wait five minutes… it’ll change!

Highway 522 is bare and wet this morning which in turn will make traveling pretty good if you have a mind to head off to the big city for supplies.

Which is exactly what my wife and I did yesterday. We took a trip to visit our son, with him helping’ us out with a few things. After all that, we treated him to a late dinner at Casey’s, where we had a nice meal and a drink together. Good food, good company, can’t ask for much more than that.

Afterward, we dropped him off at his place, picked up some much-needed groceries, and grabbed ourselves a hot cup of coffee for the drive home. Nothing like a good coffee to keep ya sharp when you’re driving down those back roads.

The drive home was downright beautiful. We had the pleasure of watching’ one of the nicest sunsets I’ve seen in a while. The sun was setting’ so slow and easy, painting’ the sky with colors that even had my wife impressed, and she’s been painting’ masterpieces for over fifty years. It was like the sun decided to put on a show just for us, before calling’ it a night.

You know, I have found on days or evenings like this that the sun doesn’t rush off to the other side of the world after all. It just takes its sweet ol’ time, enjoying’ the view just like we were.

So, what are you up to today, GW? Well, today I’m gonna get back to sorting out things in my old woodworking shop that i started a couple days ago. I lit the shop stove earlier on, so it should be nice and warm by the time I finish up the breakfast my lovely wife has waiting for me. And I’d better get to it before she decides it’s too late for breakfast and turns it into lunch!

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

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Good Morning: If you want to be a northerner, you better get used to wearing a winter coat in the morning and a t-shirt by noon.

Heading off to bed last night, I figured we’d be waking up to fresh snow covering the ground. But wouldn’t you know it, morning rolled around, and not a flake had fallen. The trees though, are still wearing their white coats from yesterday’s snowfall, but the sunshine is starting to show herself. And you can feel the chill starting to give way to a bit of warmth.

Weather Forecast For Port Loring , Ontario , Canada:

Currently 23° · Sunny

Port Loring, ON, Canada

Today	46°39°	Rather cloudy but some sunshine
Tuesday	42°9°	Breezy in the morning; mostly cloudy and cooler with a little rain in the afternoon, ending before temperatures fall below freezing

Highway 522 is mostly clear, and it should improve further as the day warms up. Please note though, that temperatures are expected to rise well above freezing today, which may lead to a lot of melting snow and potentially slippery conditions.

Yesterday… I had planned to work in the old woodworking shop, sorting out the mess I made the day before, but as things often go, I didn’t make it out there. Instead, I decided to spend the day writing up more stories here at my computer. It turned out to be a great day for writing, actually, it’s been a good couple of days… sometimes the words just flow when you least expect it.

So, what’s on the agenda for today, GW? Well, that’s a good question. I’m thinking I’ll head out to the shop a bit later, once I get a few things wrapped up here in the house. Either way, my day will be full, as it always is, and that’s a good thing. Keeping busy with projects helps keep my mind focused on the good, instead of dwelling on the bad.

With that, I’m off for the breakfast that my lovely wife has made for me. After that, we’ll enjoy our cup of hot cocoa and settle in for a good chat, which is something I look forward to every morning. You could say it’s one of those simple joys that gives an old feller a reason to get out of bed. Then again, it seems I’ve always had a good reason to get up, whether it’s work, family, or just the promise of a new day.

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

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Good Morning: You know there is one thing I have learned living where my wife and i do, is that” If you want to be a northerner, you better know that spring is just winter in disguise—until the black-flies show up.

Weather for Port Loring, ON
Current Conditions: Mostly cloudy, 21°F (-6°C)

This Week’s Forecast:

• Sunday, March 09: Thick clouds with some snow flurries this afternoon, but don’t expect much to stick. High: 32°F (0°C), Low: 24°F (-5°C).
• Monday, March 10: A cloudy day but warming up a bit. High: 43°F (6°C), Low: 35°F (2°C).
• Tuesday, March 11: Some sun and clouds, a little breezy in the morning, but the chill’s easing up. High: 44°F (6°C), Low: 14°F (-10°C).
• Wednesday, March 12: Another cloudy one. High: 38°F (3°C), Low: 23°F (-5°C).
• Thursday, March 13: Might see a few morning flurries, but nothing to worry about. High: 42°F (6°C), Low: 22°F (-5°C).
• Friday, March 14: Clouds in the morning, but the sun should peek out later. High: 46°F (8°C), Low: 34°F (1°C).
• Saturday, March 15: Warmer, but still cloudy. High: 51°F (11°C), Low: 33°F (1°C).

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What It Means for You:
Well, it means that winter’s loosening its grip, but it ain’t done yet, as we’ll start the week on the chilly side, with a few snowflakes here and there, but… by next weekend, it’s looking more like early spring.

I’ve farmed for a good number of years, and when you work the land, you learn to read the signs, like how the birds move, how the air smells before a change, even how the animals act. Between that and my own weather station, I can tell you this: Spring is on the way.

The warm southern winds are creeping in, pushing winter back where it belongs. We’ll still have some cold nights, but by the time next weekend rolls around, you’ll start to feel that shift in the air… the kind that makes you think about getting the garden ready or fixing up the fence line. So Hang in there folks.

Not too bad of a morning starting things off, we did have a skiff of snow through the night but not enough to warrant me to wake up my snowblower or bring out the snow shovels. Which is just fine with my wife and I.

Highway 522 does have some snowy patches throughout but with the temperatures rising it will be short lived, which again is fine with me as we are ready for some front porch sittin’.

Well, yesterday was quite the day, let me tell ya. I spent most of it out in the woodworking shop, and while that might not sound like much to some folks, it turned into a real adventure. See, I decided to pull down everything I had stored up high—you know, the stuff I don’t use all that often.

Now, I don’t know if you’ve ever watched any of them hoarder shows on TV, but once I got everything down where I could see it, I started to wonder if I might need to call for backup. The shop was packed full of things I didn’t even remember having. It was like opening a time capsule, only instead of finding buried treasure, I found a whole lot of stuff I should’ve dealt with years ago.

So, what does that mean? Well, it means I’ve got my work cut out for me over the next few days, sorting through it all. And once I’m done, I’m going to have one big sale to clear things out. If you’re in the market for some good old tools, odds and ends, or just feel like rummaging through a pile of forgotten treasures, keep an eye out—I’ll be putting up a sign out front when everything’s ready.

Might even throw in a free story or two with every purchase—just don’t expect any refunds on those!

So, what are you up to today, GW? Well, like I just said, my days are going to be full of sorting through things I didn’t even know I had. How I’m gonna go about it, well… that’s still up in the air. But one way or another, it’ll get done—same as everything else does, sooner or later.

With that, I’m off for my morning breakfast—the little woman’s got it ready and waiting, and I sure ain’t about to keep her waiting.

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

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Good Morning! I found over the years that you can tell a real northerner as they don’t complain about the cold, they just talk about how it used to be worse.

Well, I made my way to the old woodworking shop this morning, and it didn’t take long to figure out that my wife and I have some extra work ahead of us. Turns out, we’ve got another 4-5 inches of that white stuff covering everything. Guess we’ll be busy shoveling today!

Here’s what’s in store for the weather around Port Loring.

Looks like we’ll be seeing a bit of everything today. This morning, a few snow showers are drifting in, but the sun might poke through here and there. Don’t let that fool you, though—it’s going to get breezy as the day goes on, with temperatures hovering around 32°F (0°C).

By tonight, the clouds will thicken up, and the temperature’s set to drop to a chilly 11°F (-12°C). So if you’re out and about, bundle up!

Tomorrow’s shaping up to be another cloudy one, with highs around 28°F (-2°C). And come nightfall, we’re right back down to about 11°F (-12°C) again. All in all, it’s looking like a good couple of days to keep the fire stoked and the coffee hot. If you’ve got shoveling to do, best get at it before that wind picks up!

Highway 522 is mostly bare, but don’t get too comfortable, there are still enough snow and icy patches to keep you on your toes. Or at least, they should!

Up here, road conditions don’t always decide if folks head to town, as if the coffee’s on and there’s good gossip at the local establishments, you’ll see trucks rolling in, no matter what the weather’s doing.

With things caught up in the woodworking shop, Yesterday I spent the day at my computer doing something that’s been a big part of my life for over 40 years… writing stories for the newspapers. Funny how time slips by, but one thing’s for sure: folks must enjoy what I have to say because no one’s ever told me to stop yet!

If you haven’t read one of my stories, maybe now’s the time to give one a try. You might just find a tale that makes you chuckle, gets you thinking, or… helps you see things in a new light. And if nothing else, you’ll know there’s still at least one feller out there who enjoys wrangling words on a computer… though I’ll admit, it’s not quite the same as putting pen to paper!

What are you up to today, GW? Well, with all the snow we got yesterday, it’s pretty obvious what’s on my to-do list. I told my wife the other day I was putting the snowblower away for the summer, thinking winter was finally over. But, as usual, life laughed and said, ‘Nice try, buddy.’ So, guess who’s hauling the snowblower out of the shed again? Yep, that’d be me, an old feller who thought he knew it all, until the snow decided to prove me wrong!

So, with that, I’m off for my breakfast made by my lovely wife, which will consist of a soft-boiled egg and a piece of toast. I’ll need a bit more protein this morning with all that snow to move. As for the hot cocoa, we’ll save that for after we get things cleaned up outside… tastes a lot better that way, along with our usual morning chat, of course.

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