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Good morning. You know, some mornings I find myself thinking about everything I’ve lost. But then I realize—most of it seems to find its way back to me, just in a different form.

At my age, I wake up and there’s always that moment where I’m thinking about what’s gone. My dad. The old farms. Even things I can’t quite name anymore. But then, as I’m making coffee, I’ll catch myself doing something dad used to do.. maybe I’ll rub my eyebrow or tug at my ear, just like he did. And suddenly, he’s right there with me. Not really gone, just living on in the little things I do.

Or sometimes, I’ll notice the light coming through the window a certain way, and it takes me right back, reminding me of how it felt after a long day’s work back on the farm. Different place now, but the feeling’s the same.

That’s what I mean. The things that matter… they have a way of showing up again. Maybe they look a little different, but they’re still here. Just wearing a different coat.

Backwoods Weather Report
Port Loring, Ontario — October 31, 2025

Well, the barometer’s been falling, and sure enough, it’s raining out there this morning. A steady, cool rain with the air sitting around 37°F (2.8°C) and 84% humidity. The north wind’s light, about 4 mph (6 km/h), just enough to ripple the puddles. Feels like one of those gray mornings when the coffee tastes better by the window than out in it.

This afternoon won’t bring much change. The temperature might creep up to 43°F (6°C), but the clouds will hang around most of the day. The rain could ease up to drizzle later on, maybe stop by early evening. That north wind’s got a damp chill to it, the kind that works its way into your sleeves.

Tonight, once things start to clear, it’ll cool down quick. Lows near 28°F (-2°C), calm air by morning, and a good chance of frost wherever it dries up.

Tomorrow looks better. The barometer will be rising again, which means fairer skies ahead. A cold start, but some sunshine later on and highs around 45°F (7°C). Feels like November will be settling in proper.

Nature’s Signs:
Not many critters moving this morning — most are waiting out the rain. But by late day, you’ll likely see the chickadees out again, busy and chattering. And if the crows gather near the fields toward dusk, that’s a sure sign tomorrow will be clear.

On another note, yesterday my wife and I took a drive to our friends’ place to pick up some potatoes. While we were there, we were invited in for a coffee… and you know how it is, you don’t say no to that.

We sat down at the table and the woman of the house brought out a plate of cookies, the kind that are so good you almost forget your manners. Pretty soon, we were all sitting there talking and laughing, the conversation flowing just as easy as the coffee.

On the way home, my wife and I got to talking, just enjoying the drive and each other’s company and since we don’t get out all that much we decided, why not stop by and see some other friends while we were out? So we did. Ended up with another coffee, more good stories, and more laughter. By the time we finally made it home, I’d had enough caffeine to keep me up till next Tuesday and my cheeks hurt from smiling.

That’s the thing about days like that, you head out thinking you’re just picking up potatoes, but you come home with something better. A full morning, good friends, and the kind of tired that feels just right. That’s the kind of day you hold onto.

So what are you up to today GW?

Well, earlier this morning I went out and fired up my old shop stove. Not as cold today, mind ya, but with this rain we’ve been having, there’s that damp chill that gets into your bones. By the time I’m done with breakfast, it should be nice and warm out there, just right for working on them flutes I’ve got in the works.

So that’s the plan, anyways. Right now I’m heading for breakfast that my lovely wife’s got ready for me. Then I’ll enjoy a cup of hot cocoa and head on out to the shop. Can’t forget that sweet treat.

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

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Good Morning. The coffee’s hot, the floor’s cold, and I’m still somewhere in between.

That’s the space where you’re not asleep anymore but not quite living yet. Body’s moving, brain’s lagging behind. The coffee pulls you forward, the cold floor reminds you you’re still here, and somewhere between those two things you find the day waiting.

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario
Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025

Well, it’s a chilly morning here in Port Loring, sitting at about 29°F (-1.4°C). The air’s heavy and damp with 84% humidity, and the barometer’s dropped to 29.14 inches (986.7 mbar) which is a sure sign of unsettled weather heading our way. The wind’s calm for now, drifting lightly out of the north-northeast, but that still air seldom lasts long this time of year.

For today, expect the clouds to thicken up as the hours pass. We could see some light flurries or a touch of cold drizzle later on. Temperatures should hover right around 32°F (0°C) through the afternoon, maybe a degree or two either way. That low pressure system is likely to hang around most of the day.

Tonight, things will cool off a bit more, sliding down near 25°F (-4°C). There’s a fair chance of light snow or freezing drizzle if the dampness sticks around. The wind might pick up slightly from the east, but nothing too strong.

Tomorrow, expect it to stay mostly cloudy and cold, with maybe a few breaks of sun toward the afternoon if the barometer starts to rise again. Once that pressure begins to steady, we can look for a calmer stretch of weather heading into the weekend.

Nature’s Signs:
The birds are quiet this morning, which often means weather’s about to shift. Yesterday the squirrels were in a hurry, packing away whatever they could find which is another sign of change coming. The air’s got that heavy, still feel that sits before a mix of snow and drizzle.

On another note yesterday my wife and I went to North Bay to pick up some supplies. Had a great day other than the money we spent as well… things are sure expensive. It wasn’t long ago one could go into a grocery store and walk away feeling pretty good that the money he or she had was well spent, now a days well not so much. What once was a shopping cart full cost around fifty dollars, now you can add an extra zero onto that figure. And the worst part is a lot of things we are buying aren’t all that healthy anymore. Vegetables were good, now covered with chemicals that eventually make you sick. Meat that once was grass fed, now loaded with god knows what. Heck even what they package the meat in is pumped full of gas to keep it looking good. And the other thing is that 3/4 of the other stuff in the store isn’t something one should be even looking at, let alone buying it… chips, pop, candy, you name it. At any rate it is what it is, not that I like it mind ya, but not much one can do neither.

Once we had the groceries loaded in the car we had lunch at a restaurant we’d never been to before. Won’t mention any name. The food was so so and here again for a burger and fries times two we were almost fifty dollars lighter in our wallets when we walked out. Kind of think my wife and I are going to go back to the way we used to do things, like making a sandwich and our own thermos of coffee before we leave. Actually we used to enjoy doing that… get things done then stop along the highway, take in the sights and enjoy our meal in the car. Yep that is what we are going to do.

So what are you up to today GW?

Well today I am going to pick up some potatoes from some friends of ours, they grow their own. After that I am thinking a coffee will be in order and then will get back to making them flutes I have on the go. At least that is the plan. I did light my old shop stove earlier this morning which should have warmed things up nicely. Nothing like a warm woodworking shop let me tell ya, makes an old feller like me feel alive and wanting to do things.

So with that I am off for my breakfast that my lovely wife has made for me which consists of a few breakfast sausages that we picked up yesterday and an egg on an English muffin.

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

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Good morning. You know every so often, I can still hear the steady sound of Jennie’s hooves on gravel and dirt, and the lady who raised me calling across the fields that it was time for supper. Those sounds bring back summers that seemed to last forever.

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario – Tuesday, October 28, 2025

It is a calm, cold start this morning sitting around 30°F (-1°C) with a heavy 84% humidity hanging in the air. The barometer is steady at (29.62 inches) and the wind is barely moving out of the south-southeast. With that much moisture and little movement in the air, frost will likely linger on the grass this morning and take its time melting off.

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Today
Looks like we will see a bit of sunshine poking through early, then some thin clouds drifting in later from the south. The barometer may start to slip a bit by late day, telling us change is coming.
High near 42°F (5°C). Winds will stay light, maybe a soft stir from the southeast toward afternoon.

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Tonight
Clouds moving in thicker, the air staying damp. Could see a few flurries or a touch of freezing drizzle overnight depending on how that southern system behaves.
Low around 28°F (-2°C). Barometer easing down a bit, so we will likely wake to unsettled skies come morning.

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Tomorrow (Wednesday)
Starting off gray and chilly. Maybe a few flakes or drizzle early on, then a bit milder by afternoon as light southwest winds drift in.
High close to 40°F (4°C). Could see more wet or snow by late day or overnight if that pressure keeps dropping.

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Nature’s Signs
Smoke will rise straight up this morning, meaning the air is still steady, but if it starts to lay low later, the weather is shifting. Chickadees staying close to the feeders, crows quiet in the trees … both are signs that something brewing, as they feel it before we do.

On another note: Yesterday I headed out to my shop to work on them flutes I have in the making, but as a lot of things in life, it didn’t happen. Instead I fed our birds at the feeders, put the winter window in upstairs, and then turned our couch upside down to see what was happening with the lever that opens the footrest. Found out it was broken, so I had to search on Amazon for a new piece, which I found and ordered. When it comes in I’ll see if I can fix her up. After that I split some more wood for my shop stove. I like to keep it warm for when I do want to get to working out there. After that I did a bit of work here at my old computer, and well, truth told, after that the day was about had it. So yeah, things didn’t go quite to plan, but I got lots done.

So what are you up to today, GW?

Well, as I started out yesterday, I am going to be working on them Native American flutes. Still lots to do before they’re ready to sing. Could take me another month. All depends on how things go along, as it seems the wood occasionally has a mind of its own. But in saying that, so far things are heading in the right direction.

With that I am off for my breakfast that my lovely wife made for me, and will then enjoy a cup of hot cocoa as I do every morning this time of year. And then, well, then we will see.

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

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Good morning: You know I miss the days when work meant building something you could hold, not staring at a screen that stares back. There was weight to it then. You’d finish with sawdust in your hair or dirt under your nails, and your body knew you’d done something. The wood showed you where to cut, the soil showed you when to plant.

Now we push pixels around and call it progress. The screen glows, notifications ping, but nothing lasts. There’s always another email, another update, another thing tugging at your attention.

I’m not saying the old ways were perfect—a bad back at forty will remind you of that—but you knew when the job was done because you could walk around it, lean against it, rest in the shade it made.

These days, it feels like we’ve traded finishing something for never being done.

Backwoods Weather Report – Port Loring, Ontario
Date: Monday, October 27, 2025
Time of Report: 9:00 AM

A bright but cold start here in Port Loring this morning, sitting around 27°F (-2.5°C). The sun’s out and doing its best to warm things up, though the air’s still heavy with 84% humidity. Not a lick of wind either — calm as can be. The barometer’s steady at 1003.4 mbar (29.63 inches), which tells me the weather’s holding its own for now.

Outlook:
With the clear skies and still air, the frost will melt slow, turning to that fine sparkle you only see on mornings like this. If the pressure stays steady, we can expect another quiet night and likely the same kind of calm tomorrow — crisp air, cold mornings, and sunshine when it feels like it.

Nature’s Signs:
The chickadees were out early, chasing each other through the spruce tops, and that’s a good sign the weather will stay fair a while. The squirrels are back at it too, busy along the fence line, tucking away what’s left of the acorns. Even the lake’s got a bit of shine to it today, smooth and bright under the sun.

On another note: Yesterday I spent the day out in the woodworking shop working on those Native American wooden flutes I’m making. Got a lot done, now it’s on to the next step.

It was one of those days that reminds you why you do this kind of work. A touch cool outside, the wood stove perking away, music playing low, and the wood cooperating for once. When everything lines up like that, you lose track of time in the best way.

There’s something about working with your hands that settles a man. Each cut, each sanding, each time you hold the wood up to check the grain, you’re having a conversation with it. The wood tells you what it wants to be, and if you’re paying attention, you listen.

Days like that make an old feller feel like he’s earning his keep. Not chasing something or trying to prove anything, just making something real, something that’ll carry sound and maybe even outlast him. That’s enough.

So what are you up to today GW?

Well today I’m going to be doing the same as yesterday. I lit the old shop stove earlier which will make it nice and warm, turned on the radio which plays country western music directly from the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville Tennessee and after breakfast I’ll head out there.

Some folks might call that routine but I call it a good day waiting to happen.

So with that I am off for my breakfast that my lovely wife has made for me and will then enjoy a cup of hot cocoa while having our regular morning chat and will then get to work. That is if you can call what you enjoy doing work.

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