Good Morning!

It is one beautiful day here in Cottage Country. The sun is showing off without hardly a cloud in the sky. No need for any heat in the house this morning, actually we have the windows open, which is nice.

Yesterday I worked outside leveling the driveway with the new blade I made out of scrap, and I have to tell ya it worked slick. I had it all done and looking good in less than an hour. So now I will be able to freshen up the driveway once a month throughout the summer. Kind of nice, and the best part of it all it didn’t cost me a cent, and along with that I don’t have to buy any new gravel.

Highway 522 is still quiet, but we are having a few folks drop by our gift shop, along with picking up some tomatoes now and then. Today I will clean up my shop as it is a mess from my last project. After that, I am thinking some front porch sittin’ will be in order.

With that I am off for a bagel this morning with some grape jam that was made by my lovely wife and will then see what the day has in store other than what I have planned. I never know, really.

Have a great day! GW

Good Morning!

It’s a nice morning, waking up in Cottage Country. The sun is out of bed, showing off with just a few lazy clouds. However, with the temperature getting up sitting at 14.6 C | 58.28 F we did turn on our oil furnace for a few minutes to take the dampness out of the house. It felt good too. It seems the older I get, the more I dislike the cold. But I am not complaining, mind ya, as it is nice to be able to get out of bed.

Highway 522; It has been quiet for the past few days, being that the kids are going back to school and the parents are spending their hard-earned dollars getting them prepared. It’s nice to be able to do that if you have the money. And right now a lot of people haven’t got it to spare.

On another note, yesterday my lovely wife and I did manage to get all the grass cut around our home here along with the weed eating which makes it look just that much better. After that I had a rest and then worked away here making a small blade to drag behind my 4 Wheeler. Not sure how it is going to work as I made it from some scrap pieces of heavy steel I had lying around. We will experiment today. It’s amazing, though, what a feller can make out of some pieces of metal and an arch welder. I bought one a few years ago and just got to using it now. I used to do a lot of welding on the farm, as there was usually always something that needed fixing, and to get someone other than yourself to do it for you… well let’s just say, a farmer is a man of many talents.

With that, you all have a great day, enjoy the nice weather while it lasts. GW

Good Morning!

It’s a sunny morning here, waking up in cottage country with the temperature sitting at 9.4 C | 48.92 F. However it will warm up a lot as the day moves forward.

Highway 522: Yesterday was a busy day for us at our gift shop, with folks coming in to say hello and picking up a few items of choice. We have also had a lot of folks buying our tomatoes and vegetables for the past week. Yesterday, all I put out on our trailer sold by 4:00 PM. I will replenish it later this morning as we do still have more tomatoes’ Roma, Yellow Low Acid and regular Early Girls. Anyone who has bought our tomatoes or vegetables has always come back saying how good they tasted. Why is that? Simple really as they are all organic, not grown in a Green house or by Hydroponic means. They are grown right where they should be in good soil with a bit of love of the land from me and my lovely wife throw in for good measure.

Switching gears, today is the day we’re going to mow the lawn. My wife and I will be busy with that in the morning. Once we’re done, we like to relax on our front porch and admire how neat and tidy the yard looks.

With that, I am off for a boiled egg and some cottage cheese along with a sliced up tomato taken right from our garden this morning. Can’t beat that for a breakfast to get a fellow moving.

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

It’s a cloudy morning here in cottage country, and along with that we are having a wee bit more rain. The rain started around 3 yesterday afternoon. Kind of a dismal sort of day. But the trees and plants need it with them preparing for their long sleep, which isn’t that far off. But in saying that, we are going to have a few more hot days before the cold enters into the picture. Which should arrive for Saturday, Sunday, Monday with Tuesday being the warmest. So summer isn’t finished with us yet.

On another note, my lovely wife is still doing up preserves for winter, it won’t be long now before we pick our Acorn Squash. They are ready now, but I like to leave them on till the last minute, in doing so they last all winter long. I also have been busy putting firewood in for winter for the past two days, and I should have it finished after one more day. Then other than cleaning up our vegetable garden we will be ready for what ever comes our way weather wise. Oh, I will also plant our garlic but that won’t happen until the weather gets really cold.

Highway 522 has slowed down considerably these days with folks leaving the country and heading back to their homes in the cities. And with the kids going back to school, most parents have a lot to do getting things ready. It isn’t like it was years ago, that’s for sure. I was lucky to get a new pencil and an eraser. And when I did get them, they were well-used. I never got new clothes, neither, as what we wore all day on the farm was what we wore to school.

With that, I am off for a bowl of cereal this morning and will then see what the day has in store for me. Life is sure interesting.

Have a great day! The sun will shine a bit later on. GW

Good Morning!

It’s a sunny morning waking up in cottage country, but in saying that it is a touch cool. It’s the first morning that we had to turn on our oil furnace for an hour or so to take out the dampness and warm things up a bit. My old bones don’t move around as good when it gets cold. It will warm up to where it is nice as the day moves forward.

On another note, we have sold a lot of tomatoes along with other vegetables over the past week or so. I have to admit, the tomatoes are sure tasty this year. We now have some Roma ones for sale as my wife did up pretty well, all we will be needing for winter. They are great for making sauces and things. Lots of pulp and not as much juice. My lovely wife, she just washes them and then dries them and vacuum seals them and puts them in the freezer. Easy to do and come winter when she needs a few for cooking, she simply takes them out of the freezer, runs a bit of hot water over them which removes the skin almost instantly and drops them into what she is cooking. Nice to have when the snow is up around your ears. Today she will be doing up Brussel- Sprouts, Cauliflower and Broccoli. Tomorrow she will be doing up our Shepherd Peppers as she uses a lot of them in different recipes. Shepherd Peppers are huge, big sweet red peppers — very much like standard sweet red Bell Peppers in taste, thickness and colour, but somewhat juicier, and because of their size very easy to work with. Yesterday she also made up some grape jelly which sure will be nice with a toasted bagel this winter along with being good for you, not like that store bought stuff. So she is a busy lady these days.

For myself I think I will start to bring in some of our firewood for winter before it gets too damp outside, as if that happens the wood has a tendency to suck too much moisture, and it doesn’t burn as well as it should. Right now after 4 months or so of drying under our lean-to it is nice and dry, and I like to keep it that way. I won’t bring it all in right away, just the first two rows where the sun has been shinning on it for the past few months. I will let the rest dry a wee bit more. So that is the plan for my day. What are you up too?

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

It’s a cloudy morning, starting things off. However, we could see some sunshine as the day progresses.

On the other side of the coin, the weather is getting colder, and like I’ve mentioned before, I have a feeling that this winter might not be so great. I think we’re going to get a lot of snow and really chilly temperatures. It might be worse than the winters we’ve had in the last few years. You can just look at how nature is getting ready for it. The fish aren’t biting like they normally do, the leaves on the trees are changing color a lot, and the animals are growing thicker fur.

Even the birds and squirrels are more active than usual, gathering and storing food. My gut feeling is telling me to get things prepared, which is why we’ve been busy making extra preserves and getting ready in ways we don’t usually. I can also sense it in how my body is reacting. So, for those who get ready ahead of time, things will probably be fine. But for those who don’t, they might end up regretting it.

In the end, whatever will happen, will happen. I’m just giving you a heads-up, and what you choose to do with that information is up to you.

On a different topic, my wife and I decided to head into town yesterday because the grapes near our old farm are ripe. My wife wanted to get some Concord grapes to make jelly for the winter. While we were there, we not only got the grapes but also picked up a bunch of other items that we can store away for the winter. My wife always ensures that we have enough supplies to manage on our own if necessary. It’s all about being self-sufficient and not relying on anyone or anything else. We’ve always lived this way and have no plans to change our approach now. Our instincts have served us well over the years.

I think many people could benefit from learning these skills instead of depending so much on authorities. These so-called figures often want you to rely on them, giving them control over what you eat, do, see, read, or hear. Unfortunately, they’ve been quite successful in achieving this.

Anyway, after we gathered what we needed, we had lunch in our car while observing people, and then we headed back home, appreciating the beauty of nature along the way. It was truly a wonderful day.

With that, I am off for a bowl of cereal and will then see what the day has in store.

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

Starting things off, it is a bit cloudy this morning, but we should see some sunshine as the day moves forward. Which would make for a nice day.

Highway 522: It has picked up some, as yesterday we had a lot of people drop by our gift shop, dropping in to say hello and picking up items that they liked. We also have had a lot of folks picking up our tomatoes, which are out front on the trailer for sale. They sure are tasty this year. It is nice seeing and chatting to folks. Makes my day. You know you can learn a lot simply by listening. Something a lot don’t take the time to do these days.

Bug Report: For myself and everyone I have talked to, it has been a good year in that department.

On another note, I did manage to get most of my storage building cleaned up yesterday. I have to tell ya, I sure had a mess on the lawn there for a while. But after straightening things up and moving things around, I now have it in order, so I can get things in and out easily. It’s been a long time coming. Now though I have boxes of things I need to go through which I put in my main shop. If things goes to plan, I will work away on that in a bit. We still have a lot of other things to do getting ready for winter.

With that I am off for a boiled egg and will then see what the day has in store.

Have a great day! GW

Good Morning!

Actually, there isn’t all that much happening in our area these days. However, there has been an uptick in customers dropping by our gift shop. Saturday and Sunday were really busy with folks picking up a few items of choice. It’s nice to see new faces and hear what is happening in other cities and towns. Along with making a few more friends.

We’ve also had a good number of people staying in our cottage over the last month, which was really nice. And I have to mention, all of them really liked what the cottage provides. Right now, we do have a few available slots if anyone is interested. If you want to know about prices and other details, feel free to email us .[email protected]

Highway 522: It has picked up traffic wise with folks taking advantage of the nice weather. Lots of day trippers.

On another note, both my wife and I kept busy yesterday, with me working outdoors on a few projects I have on the go, and my wife doing up tomatoes for winter, along with her housework, looking after customers, making meals and helping me in between, along with other things. Just too many to name. That woman of mine never stops. But she is sure getting lots of produce and vegetables from our garden done up this year, which will save us a lot of money this winter along with eating healthy. Today I have a shed that needs cleaning. I haven’t been able to do it for the past two years, and it’s’ a mess. So … I am thinking I will tackle straightening it up today. We will see how that pans out in a bit.

With that, I am off for a bagel that my lovely wife is making for me.

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

It looks like we are in for another fine day here in Cottage Country. The sky has a bit of cloud cover, but you know what they say – every cloud’s got a silver lining, and I reckon that sun’s just sleeping in a wee bit before it decides to rise and shine proper. The nice thing is it has been real nice for sleeping with it being a bit cool.

Highway 522: it has picked up some the past few days with folks from all over driving through. A lot has stopped by our gift shop too, which is nice to see, picking up one of a kind items that you can’t buy anywhere else. Speaking of our gift shop and unique items, I am in the process of making a few more flutes. It is a long process in making them, but I do enjoy working with wood. And it’s nice to be able to do these things. Sometimes, though, it seems the wood is working with me.

On another note, I did manage to clean up my vegetable garden yesterday with the help of my lovely wife. It took us most of the day as I had to remove the suckers on our tomatoes. They die this time of year. You know this is a trend with tomatoes. The thing is when seeing this … a lot of people think that their plants have a disease when really they don’t. The next thing is that bothers me a lot, is that certain folks then tell them they have a blight and things like that, and they have to treat the soil or spray chemicals on the plants to correct the problem. The truth is, this is a natural occurrence this time of year with the plant itself killing off the suckers, so it can feed the tomatoes along with making room for the sun to move in for them to ripen. Nature sure is amazing if you take the time to listen and watch, what she is telling/showing you.

With that I am off for some waffles this morning that my little woman is making for me and will then see what the day has in store other than what I have planned. I never really know for sure.

Have a great day, make it a great day. You’re the only one that can do that. GW

Good Morning!

It is a touch cool this morning, with the temperature at the time of this post sitting at10.2 C | 50.36 F. However, it is going to warm up a lot, and it will be a real nice day with lots of sunshine. Which should make it real nice for those that are having a wedding in our area. We wish them well. The winds are coming in from the west this morning, which will help with the fishing for those that like/want to catch a few. I am thinking I will give my fishing buddy Barry a call and see if he wants to get out there in a day or so. I don’t like going out when it’s cold, so if we are going to, we had better get at it soon, with September on the horizon. Time sure flies by these days.

Bug Report: All is well. No one should have any complaints these days, other than a few fruit flies floating around from doing up preserves for winter. But we have a great little bug zapper that takes care of them, along with other ones that manage to sneak into the house occasionally. It works great indoors and sits here on a table in our living room. It’s called [Upgraded] Aspectek 20W Electronic Insect Zapper, Bug Killer for Indoor use – Effective Against Flies, Moths, Mosquitos, Cockroaches, Wasps, Beetles and Bugs – Kill Insects! It is available on Amazonca and costs $53.54. There are cheaper ones, but we found this one to be the best.

Highway 522. There are a few tourists and day trippers driving through our area. We had a steady stream of folks dropping by our one of a kind gift shop yesterday as the days before.

On another note, I did do some trimming outside yesterday, removing some overgrown bushes with the help of my lovely wife. I like to keep them cut down, as they do have a tendency to get out of hand if let go for too long. It sure is nice to be healthy enough to be able to do these things. A feller or gal sometimes doesn’t realize just how lucky they are to be able to walk and do things on their own. We kind of take certain things for granted. Moving along, our tomatoes are looking and tasting good these days. We will be starting to do them up for the freezer starting later on today or tomorrow. They sure are tasty this year.

With that, I’m setting off to savor a delicious bagel, ready to embrace whatever surprises the day has up its sleeve.

Have a great day! GW

Good Morning!

We are starting things off with a wee bit of sunshine this morning, which is nice to see. But by the looks of things we will also be seeing a lot of clouds today and possibly a shower or two throughout the day. And it will be a bit cooler than we have been seeing. However, the weekend is looking really nice with lots of sunshine along with the temperatures warming back up.

Highway 522 has picked up a wee bit.

Bug Report: All good in that department. Actually, it’s been a real good year.

On another note, my lovely wife and I got all our mowing out of the way yesterday in the morning. After lunch, I had a friend drop by, and we chatted the afternoon away on the porch. It was a nice afternoon. It’s always nice when folks drop by for a visit. Today I have to do some weeding around my beans that I planted a couple of weeks ago, and after that we will see. Also, our gift shop has experienced a significant influx of new customers, all of whom are drawn to our collection of exclusive, one-of-a-kind items that cannot be found anywhere else. We have sold a lot of my flutes and books this year, with folks loving them. Not only are my Flutes and Books selling well, but there’s also been a significant demand for the beautiful paintings created by my talented wife. All in all, this year has proven to be truly exceptional for our gift shop.

With that, I am off for a bowl of cereal and will then see what the day has in store. Other than dealing with customers and chatting to folks.

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

We are having some sunshine here this morning and it is a touch windy. But all in all it looks as we are in for a pretty nice day. However, we could see some showers later on in the day, along with more rain moving into our area for tomorrow. But Saturday and Sunday are looking good, which will be nice, as there are a couple of weddings in our area this weekend. I have no complaints about the weather so far this year.

Bug Report: Everything is good in that department.

Highway 522. There is still some construction and new pavement being put down heading into Trout Creek, but by the way they are going, it won’t be too long before it’s finished. Which should make it a lot easier on the front ends of our car for a couple of years.

On another note, being Thursday, my wife and I will be mowing grass around the house here. I like to keep it looking nice, as it makes it nice when folks drop by our cottage or gift shop. We have had so many compliments about how nice we keep it over the years, which makes me want to do more, when I am able to, that is. For the past year or so, not being well it’s been a challenge, but I am about caught up now. The only big project we have to do now is bring in our firewood for winter. We will see how that works out in a bit. I am thinking we will put it into the basement sometime in September, as nearing the middle or end of September things will be starting to cool down a lot. Sign of what’s to come. And by the way things are looking using nature as a barometer so to speak, it is going to be cold with a lot of snow.

With that, you all have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

It’s a bit cloudy this morning, but the sun is trying to show her self and by the looks of things it will be a really nice day. So in knowing that I will do some work in our vegetable garden a bit later.

Highway 522 is still quiet, and I suspect it will remain that way for the rest of the year, It might pick up a wee bit the first of September when the kids go back to school.

On another note, my lovely wife and I took a trip to North Bay yesterday as we had some things to do along with picking up some groceries. Other than the prices being a touch high, we had a great day while there and on the way home. They are paving the far end of Highway 522 going into Trout Creek. But it isn’t slowing the traffic down all that much, and I have to say they are doing a nice job. I also noticed that they can do quite a stretch in one day too.

With that I am off for a bite to eat that my lovely wife is preparing for me and will then see what the day has in store other than what I have planned. I never know, I start off doing one thing and end up doing something totally different.

Have a good day! GW

Good Morning!

Looking towards the east, we have a red sky this morning, with the sun easing its way out of bed. It should remain with us throughout the day, with a few clouds blocking it off and on. We could also see or smell some smoke today if the winds come in from the east. At the time of this post, it was coming in from the North East. Caused by the smoldering forest fires in Quebec and some parts of Northern Ontario. So, we will have to see how that pans out. For most parts this year, we here in Port Loring have been lucky without hardly any smoke. Which is fine with us.

Bug Report: Everything is good other than a few mosquitoes.

Highway 522 is still quiet these days.

On another note, I did manage to wash, clean, vacuum and wax our vehicle yesterday. It actually took me all morning and part of the afternoon to complete. But I didn’t mind, as it was a nice day, and I am happy I am able to do these things. But in saying that, my old body last night told me about it. We also had a steady stream of customers dropping by our gift shop on the weekend and yesterday, picking up a few things that struck their interest. We do have a unique selection of things, things that you can’t buy in most gift shops. Things that are created and made right here at our home by my lovely wife and I. None of that offshore stuff that you find in pretty well all the gift shops these days. And that is why they come to us, wanting to meet the people that makes these things and purchase a one of a kind piece from the creators themselves. Which is my wife and I.

With that, I am off for a piece of toast and will then get to work cleaning up my old woodworking shop.

Have a great day! GW