Good Morning!

It’s a cloud morning here in cottage country, and we did have a wee bit of rain overnight. Things will start to clear up as the day moves forward, and once it does, we should see some sunshine off an on throughout the day. Temperatures will be in the comfortable zone.

Bug Report: Not much to talk about there, as things are pretty good right now.

Highway 522 was quiet over the weekend, but I suspect it will pick up being Monday.

On a different topic, yesterday, my wife and I dedicated most of our day to working on various projects outdoors that required our attention. If I’m feeling up to it today, I plan to do the same. It’s sure nice to be able to move around. However, I must remember to take it easy despite the desire to push myself.

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

We here in Cottage country are in the midst of a lot of clouds this morning. We didn’t have any rain through the night. But in saying that, we could see some rain throughout the day. And by the looks of things, the clouds will be the dominant feature for the day.

Bug Report: All is well, but being so damp and warm out for the past few days a few mosquitoes are starting to enter into the picture and of course we can’t forget the deer flies. Once they get their sights locked onto you, they stay with you, annoying you for no reason. They are just down right mean, Ha ha.

Highway 522 is getting a wee bit busier every day with folks wanting to get away from the cities.

In our area, a lot of the new folks moving in lately have come straight outta them big cities. They’re lookin’ for a place where they can stretch their dollar a little further, and I can’t rightly blame ’em for that. But I just can’t figure out why them Powers That Be keep bringin’ in more immigrants when we’re already short on space, and housing. Right now, a whole heap of ’em are settlin’ down in tents right on the street, beggin’ for a handout.

If we keep on this path, our country’s going to end up plumb broke. Truth be told, we’re already knee-deep in debt, and things are fixin’ to get even worse if they keep at it. Now, mind you, I ain’t got nothin’ against a bit of immigration, but we have to make sure we can take care of ’em, or they can take care of themselves without us dippin’ into the hard-earned money of the workin’ man/woman.

Either way, things are comin’ to a head. No matter where you turn when you head into town, there’s always someone down on their luck standin’ near them buildin’ entrances, askin’ for some spare change. And let me tell ya, some of ’em get downright ornery if you ain’t willin’ to hand over a few bucks.

On another note, yesterday being that it didn’t rain I managed to finish cleaning up our driveway with my lovely wife’s help, and I have to say it sure looks nice. It’s amazing what a feller or gal can do using a bit of ingenuity along with some physical labor. You know, that is the biggest factor of how my wife and I got to where we are today. Doing and making things ourselves along with doing without, a lot of things that most go in debt for.

With that, I am off for a boiled egg this morning with some fried potatoes and a piece of toast, which should give me the necessary protein to last me till lunchtime.

Have a great day! GW

Good Morning!

It’s another fine morning in Cottage country, and wouldn’t you know it, the sky decided to play a little game of hide-and-seek with the sun. In fact, this dance of weather is anticipated to continue over the next three days, with the possibility of rain showers making intermittent appearances.

Bug Report: Actually, I worked outside all day yesterday and didn’t see any, even the deer flies stayed clear.

Highway 522 is a wee bit busy these days, and I have to say we had a very busy day yesterday with folks coming in to our gift shop. But let me tell you about this one old feller who stopped by. He’s a regular reader of my stories in the newspaper, and I reckon he’s got good taste. He’s fixing to celebrate his 95th trip around the sun in just a couple of days. He’s got more years under his belt than the hills in our area got squirrels. He was telling me that he worked for the Hydro, and was one of the fellows that put in the hydro cable up the Pickerel River many years ago. He had a lot of interesting stores to tell, including ones about the old Light House, along with the different lumber mills and where he worked for a short spell making shingles down by the lake here in Port Loring. His stories painted a picture of a time when folks rolled up their sleeves and got things done, no matter the challenge. Spending time with that old feller reminded me of the wealth of stories’ some of these older folks carry with them. It’s a reminder that almost everyone has a story to tell, it was a privilege being able to listen to him. We also had some folks from Michigan and Ohio drop by and bought a few things. They were real nice folks. But then again, all the Americans that drop by are nice. My wife and I have made a lot of good friends from the USA over the years.

On another note I decided to work on my driveway yesterday cleaning it up, moving the stone around a bit that has been packed down over the years. It actually worked out pretty good and looks as if we put in a new driveway. At least half of it, I didn’t have time to finish it with all the customers dropping by. Maybe I will finish it today, that is if it doesn’t rain. I sure enjoy being able to do some outside work.

With that, I reckon I better mosey on over to the kitchen and grab me a plateful of flapjacks whipped up by my darlin’ wife before I wrangle with whatever the day’s got in its back pocket. Ain’t no tellin’ what kind of shenanigans await, but that’s just part of the charm of country living. You never know what surprises a day’s got tucked away, so might as well savor them pancakes and let life take the reins.

Have a great day! GW

Here is a picture of a Heritage Lily that grows in our garden in front of our home. It comes back every year, sometimes with only one flower, this year it has around seven. It sure is pretty.

Click on image to enlarge!

Good Morning!

Once again, it looks like another great day is upon us here in Cottage Country. The sun is shinning, and the temperatures are about perfect with it sitting at 16.4 C | 61.52 F. Along with that, the wind is coming in from the SS West. Perfect weather for fishing. Which is something I haven’t been doing lately, reason being getting our boat in the water and set up is just too much for me. But not complaining as I am moving around and able to do things around the house. I guess I am going to have to seek out a secluded place where I can fish offshore. Which is hard to find these days. If any of you happen to know of a spot, I would appreciate hearing from you.

Bug Report: The deer flies are annoying these days, but other than that things are good.

On another note, after the rain ended in the afternoon yesterday, my wife and I managed to get the mowing done up around our property. I have to say once mowed and the weed eating is finished it sure looks nice. Everyone that comes for a visit or drops by our gift shop always comments on how nice things look. You know, in our world, there are two types of people. The first kind owns many tools and gadgets but lacks the skill to use them effectively. The second kind possesses a few tools, but has the ability to create and construct things of great beauty. It’s not about the tools themselves, but rather the person who wields them.

Today being such a nice day, I have some work to do in our vegetable gardens along with cleaning up my old woodworking shop. After that I think a drink will be in order sitting on our front porch. Maybe a game or two of checkers.
With that I am off for a couple pieces of toast and will then see what the day has in store.
Have a great day … make it a great day! GW

Good Morning!

It’s a cloudy, rainy morning here in cottage country waking up, and by the looks of things it will continue like this for most of the day. However, we do need the rain, or more so the earth needs the rain along with everything on it. The good news is I don’t have to water my vegetable garden today. The not so good news is we were going to cut our grass this morning, but it will have to wait. Probably tomorrow.

Highway 522 is very quiet for this time of year due to the cost of things. Simply put, most folks can’t afford to go anywhere or do things they want to do, being taxed to death. There isn’t much that isn’t taxed these days, hell, even when you die they are taxing folks on everything you worked all your life for. And it shouldn’t be that way. A day of reckoning is coming, let me tell ya. My old Dad always said, what goes around, comes around. And I believe that to be true. I just wished it would happen sooner than later to certain folks. I guess that is how we humans learn patience. Ha ha.

But Report: All is well these days in that department.

On another note, being Market Day here in town, my wife and I decided to head on into North Bay to pick up some supplies and things. The local market here doesn’t carry the specific things we require. I have to admit it was busy in North Bay with most of the parking lots were full of cars. While there we picked up what we needed, had our lunch in our car while people watching, chatted to a couple that was from our town doing the same as we were doing and then headed on home. All in all, it was a great day, other than the cost of things.

Today my wife and I will take it a bit easy being that it is raining outside, I might head on out to my old woodworking shop as I do have some projects on the go and my shop does need a bit of cleaning. Then later I will pick some fresh beans and garlic for supper. They sure are tasty this time of year.

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

Well, it’s a bit cloudy this morning, but the sun is trying her hardest to break through, and it will as the day moves forward. There is a slight chance of a sprinkle of rain later on. The thunderstorm that went past us yesterday didn’t amount to anything. And by the looks of things, there isn’t hardly any rain now for the next week. But the good news is the temperatures are going to be perfect for doing about anything outside.

Highway 522 is quiet these days, not many people moving around, other than the locals. There is also a lot of building going on, as I noticed a lot of truck loads of lumber moving up and down the highway. Not sure if that is a good thing or not. Time will tell.

Bug Report: Other than a few deer flies, things are good these days.

On another note, my wife and I worked outside most of the day yesterday. We had to fix our eve trough on our cottage which took most of the morning, after that we did some trimming of our bushes around the place. It sure is nice being able to get outside and do a few things. Today I will clean up my shop a bit and my lovely wife will look after customers that come into our gift shop along with other things. Lots to do this time of year, but in saying that, we are getting things done and doing things we enjoy. I also put my Hoe to work yesterday, working up around our plants in our vegetable gardens. I enjoy doing that, takes my mind off the not so good things and puts it on the straight and narrow. Which is what is needed in this old world of ours these days.

With that I am off for another bowl of oatmeal and will then see what the day has in store.

Have a great day. GW

Good Morning!

It looks like we are in for another really nice day here in Cottage Country. The sun is shinning and the temperatures you could say are … just perfect. However, there is a slight chance of a thunderstorm later on this morning.

Highway 522 has actually been slow for the past few days. I suspect with the price of things along with the forest fires, people are staying home. And I can’t say I blame them. And on top of that, a lot of people are losing their homes with the increase in interest on their mortgages. We here in Canada are being taxed to death, some say it’s the price we pay for what we have today. And I would be okay with that if … the tax money was going to the right places here in Canada. Which it isn’t. You know, I have come to the conclusion this war or wars that are being fought isn’t really about wanting to take over another country, I believe it’s about depleting the rich countries of their resources, which they are doing quite rapidly. I could be wrong, but I don’t think so.

Bug Report: All is well these days, no complaints other than a few pesky deer flies.

On another note, I finished sprucing up our swing I made awhile back. A feller has to keep on top of these things. Either that or lose them. Actually, it’s that way with a lot of things if you own your own home. Seems there is always something to take your hard-earned money, be if food, gas, lumber, appliances, new roofs, or what ever.

With that I am off for a bowl of oatmeal my lovely wife made for me and will then see what the day has in store, other than what I have planned. You never know.
Have a good day. GW

Good Morning!

It’s a bit cloudy this morning waking up, and we did have a few showers through the night. Which is fine with me, as now I don’t have to water our vegetable gardens. Not that I mind, mind ya. But I will say this, things are sure growing lately. My tomatoes, garlic, zucchini, onions, squash, peppers, cucumbers, corn and beans have sure grown. It won’t belong before we are enjoying more from our gardens. It will be nice not having to by from the grocery stores.

Bug Report: Everything is good these days in that department. No complaints.

The good news is the real hot weather has moved out of our area, which will make things a lot nicer for doing things outdoors, and it looks like we are in for some really nice weather now for the next couple of weeks. Yesterday was a busy day for my wife and I with a lot of new customers dropping by our gift shop. Along with that, I had some plumbing to do in the basement. It seems plumbing and me doesn’t get along, but with Steve’s help at the Home Hardware along with my wife I managed to get it looked after. I still have one thing to fix, but it can wait for now. My wife and I have had so many things going on this year so far, we now are going to take a break as I am still not back to my old self health wise. At any rate I am not complaining by no means as it sure feels good to be able to do some things. A person doesn’t really realize just how lucky we are being able to do the simplest of things like walking to the front porch or getting out of a chair.

With that I am off for some waffles my lovely wife is making for me topped off with some of Mike Clappertons Maple Syrup. And then I will see what the day has in store other than what I have planned.

Have a great day. The sun just got out of bed. I sure enjoy the mornings here in Cottage country with everything being fresh and new.

Good Morning!

It’s a cloudy morning here, waking up in Cottage Country. But we did have a nice rain starting in the afternoon yesterday and through the night. Today we should see a wee bit of sunshine with a possible thunderstorm. The good news is the rain of course, but the temperature has cooled down a lot, to where it is more comfortable. Which puts a smile on my face.

Highway 522 is still very busy these days with lots of folks moving around, coming into our area from all over. If there is one thing that never changes all that much is people take their holidays no matter what. And I can’t say I blame them. The only drawback is the cost of things these days. I have also noticed that the produce in the stores today are mostly from other countries and what they are selling shouldn’t be allowed on the shelves, as most as much as I hate to say this … is rotten, and I am not kidding. One Isle we went down smelled so bad with bad vegetables it brought tears to my eyes. Another store we went to the cherries were all moldy and rotten, they couldn’t be eaten. Another store we went to the Brussels sprouts we bought as ours weren’t ready yet, they were so stringy and hard that no matter how much you cooked them they would never soften up. Had to throw most away. And that is another thing. We are paying all these high prices, and a lot of things we are getting for our hard-earned dollars isn’t good at all. Hell, even the meat in most of the stores today is cut all wrong and so tough that you can’t chew it even if you cut it in tiny pieces. You know when my wife and I were farming our fruit and vegetables had to pass a lot of restrictions before being allowed on the store shelves. Today it isn’t that way as truth be told most everything we see in the stores are grown in other countries other than right here in Canada and what a shame that is. Now in saying that there are still some very good family farmers out there, but there are also a lot that thinks they are farmers when they aren’t. Today our powers to be, think, that farming can be taught in schools, when in reality good farms are passed down from generation to generation. And it should also be noted that without productive farms eventually a country will fail, as simply put if you can’t support your own you soon parish. And it is happening here in Canada now, but it is being hidden and covered up. And what a shame that is. Anyway, that is my rant for the day, not sure how I got onto that.

Bug Report: Everything is good in that department.

On another note, my wife and I did get our mowing done yesterday before the rain hit, and we also had some folks here in town help us put in a new washer and dryer. It was a challenge for sure as I had to widen our stairway leading into the basement beforehand. But it had to be done eventually, and now we can get pretty well anything up and down the stairs. Today I will put things back together. Which should keep us busy for most of the day. With owning a home, there is always something that needs to be done. But it’s still better than renting, which only makes other folks rich. Not saying renting is a bad thing, but here again the rent they are charging today for apartments and houses is outrageous. And the worst part is we keep on bringing more people into our country when we have no place to keep them or jobs, so they can support themselves. They say we need more people to fill the jobs we have now, but I don’t believe that for a minute. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see what is really happening.
Anyway, you all have a good day. GW

Good Morning!

It’s a cloudy morning here, waking up in Cottage Country. We are going to see some rain off and on throughout the day, and maybe a touch of sunshine thrown in for good measure. The rain will or could start around 9 or 10 AM

Bug Report: Just a few horse flies irritating folks these days. The heat we had slowed them down a lot.

Highway 522 is getting busier every day with tourists, day trippers and campers moving in and around our area. No slowing them down, they are wanting to get to where they are going and not stopping for anyone. I had to take my wife to Sundridge yesterday for an appointment, and I was going the speed limit, and they were passing me like I was standing still.

Today is mowing day here for us, but with the rain, I am not sure how much we will get done. We will have to see how that turns out. And I am still not feeling all that well. I can move around, but not for too long before having to sit down.

With that, you all have a great day. GW