Morning Chat March 31/2021

Good Morning! Last day of the month, and it’s a cloudy morning here in Port Loring, Ontario. It is a touch cool with the temperature sitting at 3.1 C | 37.58 F. It will remain cool for another couple of days, and then things will start to warm up to where a feller or gal would enjoy being outside. If lucky these clouds should start to move out of our area around lunch, and maybe, we might see some sunshine. Got my fingers crossed. Highway 522 is bare and dry this morning in-spite of the showers we had overnight. Yesterday I stayed in for most of the day with the weather being so windy and things. I was planning on some front porch sittin’ but that wind kind of changed our minds. So we had our afternoon coffee inside chatting. If there is one thing my wife and I enjoy, and do well … it’s chatting. We always seem to have an endless supply of topics. And you know! They are all interesting too LOL LOL. I chalk it up to being married for 50 Years. Actually … we both just had our 50th year anniversary of being married, the day before yesterday. We sure have been a through a lot together. I did finish up another Podcast and will work on another today. I enjoy doing them for folks, and it does keep the old mind off things that are upsetting. Especially these days. On another note, we have still been burning wood in our wood furnace. I suspect I will light it again this morning. When not burning wood we burn oil. I have to admit … that I am getting a touch lazy in that department, as this winter I burned wood all day, and then I let the oil furnace come on through the night. Kind of nice, as we don’t have to get up. On the real cold nights I do. So with that bit of information out in the open, I am off for my morning bowl of cereal with my lovely wife, and will then see what develops. You just never know. Take care of yourselves and stay safe. GW

Close the damn Schools

And this isn’t enough information to close the schools. Man I have to shake my head in disbelief.

The Ministry of Education reported another 518 school-related cases confirmed between last Friday and yesterday afternoon, including 440 students, 77 staff members and one person who was not identified. A total of 58, or about 1.2 per cent of Ontario’s 4,828 publicly-funded schools, are closed due to the illness.

Morning Chat March 30/2021

Good Morning! It’s a sunny day here in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada. It is a touch cool though, with the temperature getting out of bed sitting at3 C | 37.4 F. It will warm up a lot as the day progresses. If lucky … we should be able to get some front porch sittin’, which would sure be nice. Looking forward to it. The warm temperatures will only remain with us today though, and then things will begin to cool back down for around four days before it starts to warm back up. Typical weather for our area this time of year. Highway 522 is bare and dry this morning, so travelling will be good. That is if you have to go anywhere. On another note yesterday I worked away here on a podcast and finished it. I like to get them stored up, so come summer I don’t have to be sitting inside the house. I get enough of that all winter. And this year … my wife and I have a lot of outside work to do. It’s going to be a busy year for us. But that is okay, as it keeps us at home, and our minds active. Once the vaccines are readily available, we will have a look at them. My wife and I will only be willing to take the Pfizer Inc with BioNTech SE and Moderna Vaccines. There is just to many issues going on with the AstraZeneca Vaccine for us to feel comfortable taking it. First they said that the old shouldn’t be taking it, then they say the young shouldn’t be taking it and just the old. And now there is the possibility of blood clots. There is too much up in the air right now, and I have a gut instinct telling me that my wife and I should wait. I know they say that the risk outweighs the alternative, but I am not so sure about that statement. We are taking precautions to the fullest and will continue to do so for now. A few more months will tell a lot. You do what you feel is right. With that I am off for my morning bowl of cereal with my lovely wife, and will then see what mischief I can get into. Or so my wife says. Life is good in a lot of ways. Take care and stay safe, the virus is getting a lot worse at the moment here in Ontario. GW

Morning Chat March 29/2021

Good Morning! It’s a really nice day here in Port Loring, Ontario. Other than the 2 inches of snow we had overnight. But the sun is shinning, which makes things at the very least look nice outside. Highway 522 is mostly bare, but there are some icy sections here and there. Yesterday was a heck of a day, rain for most of the day, changing to ice, and then to snow through the night. Winter isn’t done with us yet. But the long range is looking a lot better, once we get past Wednesday of this week. On another note, I didn’t do too much yesterday, kind of took it easy. I finished up another podcast and will start another today, being it is such a cold snowy day. With that I am off for my breakfast with my lovely wife and will then see what the day has in store. Take care and stay safe. This virus is getting much worse here in Ontario. Well over 2000 a day now, with around 10-20 dying every day. Caused by opening things back up and some not doing what they should be doing. Simple as that. It all boils down to money in my eyes. It is the ruling figure these days.

Morning chat March 28/2021

Good Morning! It’s a cloudy rainy day here in Port Loring, Ontario. We didn’t have the rain they forecasted overnight, but we are getting some this morning. They do still have warnings up for our area for heavy rain. But that is just one more reason why I hate the metric system. An example would be like, where they are saying. We could see up to ….. 25 mm of rain. They make it sound like we are going to get a lot, when in reality, if you went by the old scale, you would see right away that we would only be getting, not even an inch. Just one more way of corrupting ones mind. That’s my feeling on the subject, you are entitled to yours. LOL Highway 522 is wet this morning, and we could see some icy sections later on today if things cool down a touch more than it is now. Maybe some wet snow too, so care should be taken if out and about. Yesterday I worked here on another Podcast for all those that keep on asking for more. Along with the new listeners that are entering into the picture every day. In doing so it breaks up my day and keeps my mind fresh. So with that information out in the open, I am now off for my morning bowl of cereal with my lovely wife, and will then see what the day has in store for me. Other than what I am planning. You just never know. Take care and stay safe.

Weather Update March 27/2021

Heavy rain tonight and Sunday For Port Loring

Heavy rain will begin overnight. Rainfall accumulations of 15 to 25 mm are expected before the rain ends Sunday evening.

The ground may still be frozen in places and have a limited ability to absorb this heavy rainfall. Localized flooding in low-lying areas is possible.

Morning Chat March 27/2021

Good Morning! It’s a cloudy cool day here in Port Loring, Ontario. The temperature getting out of bed was sitting at -1 C | 30.2 F. It will warm up as the morning moves forward. We should see a wee bit of sunshine later on, which will be nice. Yesterday we did have a dusting of snow along with some icy conditions. Nothing that would cause any problems. Which is okay by me as I am ready for summer. The snow we did have is almost all gone. There is some left where the plows left it piled along the roads and in peoples driveways. I still have one large pile at the end of my driveway up by my woodworking shop. I will be glad when it is gone, so things can dry up a bit. I also put in my order for firewood, so it can be drying through the summer months. I am going to put in a new small wood stove in our cottage to be this summer, as it is too expensive to heat it with electric. It will be nice when all said and done. Yesterday I didn’t do too much, kind of took it easy. The old body needed a rest after all that yard work my lovely wife and I have been doing for the past week. Today I will work away on some things here in the house it being so cold outside. With that I am off for some flap cakes that my wife is making this morning. I will give her a hand since it is her birthday today. Take care and stay safe. GW

Episode 66: Alarms And Things

Episode 66: Good Morning! Well … it’s a rainy day here in Port Loring Ontario, Canada. And I suspect it will continue for most of the day. We could also see some snow as things cool down. There are warnings up for some icy conditions for our area that might occur as the day progresses. So care should be taken if out and about. On another note it is Friday. And Friday to most is somewhat special. It’s the end of the week and some fun time is in order. Like listening to my Podcast, which comes out every Friday. I hope you enjoy Alarms and Things. You can listen to all my Podcasts here: https://www.keepingnotes.com/category/podcast/

You can also listen to my Podcasts, on Google Play Music, TuneIn, Sticher, Radio Public, Pocket Casts, Castbox, and Google Home.

Just say, Hey Google … Play Just One More Story by George Walters.

And if you enjoy my Podcasts, share them with others, or tell a friend, in doing so it will help me make more Podcasts for all to enjoy.

Take care, and stay safe. George Walters

You can reach George Walters at; [email protected]

Weather Update

Issued at 15:45 Thursday 25 March 2021

Winter weather travel advisory in effect for Friday

A mixture of ice pellets and freezing rain will move in from the southwest early Friday morning then change to snow during the morning hours. Many areas will receive 5 to 10 cm of snow by Friday evening. Local snowfall amounts of 10 to 15 cm are possible especially over Northern Algonquin into the North Bay and Nipissing areas.

Hazardous winter driving conditions are expected Friday. Untreated roads may become snow covered and slippery.

The snow will come to an end Friday evening.

There is uncertainty as to the location and duration of the heaviest snow and freezing precipitation. Freezing rain or snowfall warnings may be issued as required.

Something to think about

Why I quit Facebook

  1. It Allows You to Waste Time
  2. It Can Decrease Motivation
  3. You Use Energy on People You Don’t Care About
  4. They Feed You Useless Information
  5. It Damages Your Communication Skills
  6. You Get Manipulated
  7. It Takes Over Your Life
  8. They collect huge amounts of data on you
  9. They track you as you browse other apps and websites
  10. And the worst of the worst, it allows these conspiracy thinking people to manipulate your thoughts.
    Bottom line … I think it is a good place to stay away from.
    But … Hey! It’s your life.

Morning Chat March 25/2021

Good Morning! It’s a real nice day here in Port Loring, Ontario. The temperature is mighty nice too sitting at 7 C | 44.6 F, getting out of bed. We are having some sunshine, but there are a lot of clouds. I am kind of thinking we will be seeing, some sunshine off and on throughout the day. Tomorrow though is a horse of a different colour as believe it or not we could see up to 3 inches of snow. I am hoping it passes us by. But if anyone gets snow Port Loring does. It’s been that way from the beginning of time. LOL Highway 522 is bare and dry this morning which will make travelling good. That is if you have to go anywhere. For my wife and I we are staying put these days, only going out for groceries. Most everything else we can buy right here in town. On another note my lovely wife and I finished up most of our yard work. It sure looks nice out there now. This is my favourite time of year as everything is new. Our gardens look kind of bare at the moment, but give things another couple weeks and the transformation takes place when all our perennials start to show themselves. And we have lots. It’s amazing really. Our snow drops are out in full bloom though, which are sure nice to see. Mother Nature is sure amazing. Last night we had a good rain with around three inches or so. My rain barrel is about half full. Which will give us some nice fresh soft water for our plants to be, in the coming days. We are now starting some vegetable seeds in the house, which when up to size we will plant in our outside gardens. Nothing like fresh veggies for the table every day. We can’t wait. I also can’t wait to till up our vegetable gardens as the smell of the soil is something I can never get enough of. I guess it’s the farmer in me. With that I am off for my morning bowl of cereal, and will then see what the day has in store. Maybe do some front porch sittin’ before the colder temperatures move into our area. Stay safe and have a great day. It’s all in how you make it. GW

Morning chat March 24/2021

Good Morning! It’s a cloudy day here in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada. The temperatures climbing out of bed was sitting at 9.3 C | 48.74 F. Not too bad, considering the time of year. Yesterday it was a really nice day, so nice a person didn’t even need a jacket. Which was perfect for doing the work around the house here that my lovely wife and I did. It took us most of the day, but we got over half of our property raked up and burned. Today we will finish things up providing the rain holds off. We could see some sunshine off and on if we are lucky. Highway 522 is bare and dry which will make travelling good for those that are in dire need of going somewhere. I kind of figure with these new variants gong around it is best to stay home. Shop local and don’t dilly-dally in the stores, if you have to go into them. In out and home LOL. We have lost most of our snow, but there are some lingering patches, especially where it was piled throughout the winter months. Like at the end of my driveway. LOL But it is melting slowly. We need warmer weather, along with some rain to get rid of it all. Which is headed our way. On another note we did see some Robins while working outside yesterday, so they are back along with the red wing black birds. The crows are back also, they came back about a week ago. Which means that spring is in the air. Nice to see them back as we sure enjoy the birds along with what nature has to offer. With that I am off for my morning bowl of cereal and will then see what the day has in store. Take care and stay safe. GW

Seniors

Nearly 200,000 Ontarian’s aged 80 and older have not signed up for a COVID-19 vaccination. The reason for this is, that a few of us older folks are a lot more conscientious about the vaccines than others. My feelings on the subject, is to give the Seniors the opportunity, to pick and choose what vaccine they want. In doing so, I am sure there will be a lot more that will get it. I know I will …. but not till I can choose.

Morning Chat March 23/2021

Good Morning! We are having a few clouds this morning, but we should see some sunshine a bit later on this morning. Tomorrow however things will begin to change weather wise, with the temperatures slowly dropping. Friday we could have an ice storm, if the system stays on track. Let’s hope it moves south a wee bit, so it misses us. Highway 522 is bare and dry this morning making travelling pretty good. There are lots of deer alongside and crossing the highway these days, so extra care should be taken. The reason for this is that they are coming out of the bush, so they can soak up some sunshine, along with nibbling at the green grass alongside the highways that is starting to show itself. It’s kind of a treat for them. On Another note I did do a bit of work in the woodworking shop yesterday working on a cabinet I started awhile back. It was actually quite nice out there, with the sun shinning in through the door. I didn’t even need to light the shop stove. Today I am thinking of putting up a new clothes line for my lovely wife. I will see how it goes. She has been asking me to replace the one we do have as it is getting a bit shabby after 16 years. With that I am off for my morning bowl of cereal and will then see what the day has in store, other than what I want to do. You just never know. Take care and stay safe. The numbers are getting worse here every day in Ontario with this virus. Also, more are dying from it too, and the new variants are starting to pick on the younger folks a lot more. What’s happening is that, we now face a new virus, of the same kind, but with very different characteristics,” More deadly, more infectious, and infectious for longer.”

Morning Post for March 22/2021

Good Morning! It is another sunny day here in Port Loring, Ontario. There are a few clouds floating around, but for most parts the sky is clear. Highway 522 is bare and dry, There was no snow overnight or frost. The snow we have is about 3/4 gone and I suspect the remaining snow will be gone by the end of the week. These warmer temperatures should stay with us till Thursday, when things cool back down, and I hate to say this, but we could see some snow, or … an icy mix on Friday. Let’s hope it by passes us. That’s the thing about weather … what will be, will be. On another note … my wife and I took a trip to North Bay yesterday to pick up our order of groceries, that we order online. Doing it that way we don’t have to go into any stores, which keeps us safe. We did drop by our son’s place, and gave him some meals that mom made for him. A kind of treat. We chatted in his apartment parking lot for a bit, wearing a mask, along with keeping our distance, and then found a nice spot along the way home to eat our lunch in the car. We did notice though that hundreds of folks were going in and out of stores. In my mind they are asking for trouble, and truth be told there is no reason to do this. As they can order online, and they will bring it right to your car. People have some strange way of doing things. I guess the only thing, that will make them realize what this virus can do … is if the get it. Or a family member catches it caused by them. After we ate our lunch we headed on home enjoying the beautiful day. Can’t beat that. An outing out and kept safe, along with enjoying Mother Nature. With that I am off for a bowl of oatmeal that my lovely wife has made for me and will then get to doing some work in the woodworking shop. Stay safe. GW

Morning Chat For March 21/2021

Good Morning! It’s another sunny morning here in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada. The temperature at the moment is a touch cool sitting at -2.7 C | 27.14 F. It will warm up a lot though in a couple of hours. Which in turn will make for … one heck of a nice day. No reason to not do some front porch sittin’ today. Actually my wife and I sat out yesterday for an hour or so and it was quite nice. Great to soak up some true vitamin D 3. A supplement is fine, but you can’t beat what the sun has to offer. Highway 522 is bare and dry this morning making travelling good. There was a frost overnight which is melting as I type. On another note I didn’t do too much yesterday, kind of took things a bit easy. Chatted to our boys on the phone for an hour or so, and then did a wee bit of work in the shop finishing up a small project for the cottage to be. Today I have some work to do on a cabinet I have been making, and after I get bored working on it, I will do some more front porch sittin with my lovely wife. Just because I can. With that I am off for my morning bowl of cereal and will then see what the day has in store. Take care and stay safe. The number of infections with this new variant is growing fast these days. And you have to remember … you can get it even with a mask on if your not careful, with in seconds. Ontario reports 1,829 new COVID-19 cases yesterday, the highest daily count in nearly two months and a lot of them are from the new variants. Not good. I keep saying this, that opening things up isn’t a good thing, it is only making things worse. The vaccines are here, so why not keep things closed down till everyone is vaccinated. That would be the smart way of doing things. And I would also like to mention, that I think that from the age of 60 and up, along with women 20 – 40 that those people should not be taking the AstraZeneca vaccines. My wife and I have made up our mind to wait till the Pfizer or Moderna is available. But it’s your choice. Do your own research and then make a wise decision.

Morning Chat March 20/2021

Good Morning! It’s a nice looking day here in Port Loring, Ontario Canada. The sun is shinning with no clouds to speak of in the sky. However, it is a touch cool with the temperature getting out of bed sitting at -4 C | 24.8 F. But, things will change in a few hours as our temperatures today will climb well above the freezing mark. We should see the temperature reaching around 54F/13C mark. Can’t beat that for this time of year. My wife and I might even get to do some front porch sittin’. Now that would be nice for a change. And on top of that good news it will remain warm for the next week or so. Which will get rid of the remainder of our snow I am sure. Highway 522 is bare and dry this morning, and we didn’t have any snow overnight. We did have some frost though, which is melting fast with the sunshine. Cold nights warm days is the norm for this time of year, and that is what we are getting. Great for Maple Syrup. On another note, yesterday I finished up fixing my rototiller and mower that wasn’t working, and now they are ready to go. It took a bit of figuring out what was wrong, but as my old Dad used to say that is how we learn. LOL Miss that old feller! After that I cleaned up my shop, getting it ready for some woodworking projects I want to finish and do. Things for our new cottage. Then once it warms up and the ground thaws out, we will get to doing some outside work that we have planned. So lots to do these days. Which I like … as it keeps me busy along with my mind off the not so good things. With that I am off for my morning bowl of cereal with my lovely wife, and will then see what the day has in store. Life is a mystery, every day something new comes along. Some say, No … that isn’t right as their days are all the same. I say … well, if that’s the case, you aren’t paying attention. LOL Anyways … have a great day and stay safe. This virus is getting worse every day by the looks of things. These new variants are working hard to infect us humans.

Episode 65: Hard Lessons

Episode 65: Hi folks. Here it is Friday, and the weekend is upon us. And weather wise, things are looking pretty good. It is a touch cool, but things should start to warm up a lot as the day progresses. Which is okay by me as I am sure looking forward to summer. I even made a swing in the old woodworking shop throughout the winter months, that I am going to hang outside when the ground thaws. Which will be nice for the wife and I to sit back, and take in what nature has to offer. And we have a lot of it around where we live. Anyway … I hope you enjoy the story I have for you today. It’s called Hard Lessons. Take care and stay safe. GW

You can reach George Walters at; [email protected]

Welcome to my little corner of the countryside, where storytelling meets the everyday joys of woodworking, farming, and gardening. I’m GW, a writer and published author with over thirty years of experience.