What’s Happening on February 20/2022

Starting things off here in Port Loring, Ontario, we did have a wee bit of sunshine earlier in the day. At the moment though, we are in the midst of a lot of clouds along with some windy conditions. Overnight we had another inch or so of snow. We also had a lot of drifting, which filled in my path to my wood pile. So … I might have to clean that out if I decide to do some work in the old woodworking shop. I did manage to get our driveway and decks cleaned up yesterday from the snow had a couple of days ago. I have to say, it was cold out there with the way the wind was blowing. I was sure glad to be done with it and get inside where it was warm. It was also very slippery under the snow caused by the melting that occurred a few days ago. Instead of walking behind my snow-blower, I was dragged. Ha Ha.

Today I will get back to writing up a story or two for my columns, which should keep me busy for most of the day. And feed our old wood furnace from time to time throughout the day. It’s kind of nice really, as I get kind of stiff from sitting too long, and when I have to go put wood in the furnace things limber up somewhat.

With that bit of information under your hat, that is, if you wear a hat, I am off for a boiled egg and a piece of toast with my lovely wife. Have a great day and stay safe. This virus is still taking its toll on folks. GW

You can reach George Walters at: [email protected]

What’s Happening On February 19/2022

Good Morning. It’s a sunny morning here in Port Loring Ontario. There are also some clouds thrown in for good measure. The sun is nice to see, that’s for sure. I can’t wait till the warmer temperatures, start to enter into the picture.

We did have around 4 inches of snow overnight, more in some areas. Highway 522 is snow covered with icy sections throughout. So care will have to be taken if heading to the big cities. With the snow we had last night, it looks as if I will have to wake up my snowblower later on. Which will give me some fresh air and some exercise.

Other than that, not much else happening on this Saturday morning. Hardly a car moving on highway522.

So with that I am off for a bowl of oatmeal with my lovely wife, and will then see what the day has in store. Life’s a mystery. GW

You can reach George Walters at: [email protected]

What’s Happening On February 18/2022

We are finally seeing a wee bit of sunshine this morning, but by the looks of things, clouds and some light flurries are going to move into our area tomorrow. We did have a dusting of snow overnight, but nothing to write home about. Highway 522 is bare this morning, so travelling will be pretty good today.

On another note, it did cool down last night, with the temperature waking up sitting at -19.2 C | -2.56 F. It won’t warm up much more than that for the remainder of the day. We did lose a bit of snow over the past two days, which will help with the spring thaw.

Yesterday I worked away on a story I had in mind, and today will maybe do up another. I like to get a few ahead for my newspaper columns for summer, so I don’t have to be sitting in the house when the weather gets nice.

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

Episode 94: It’s All In How You Hold Them

Episode 94: Hi folks. Today, I have another Podcast lined up for you, that I am sure some will identify with. That is, if you enjoy playing cards. And if you don’t, you might start after listening to this story. It’s a true story that took place years ago down in the sunny south.

“I sure miss them days.” GW

You can reach George Walters at: [email protected]

What’s Happening on February 17/2022

It’s a cloudy morning here in Port Loring, Ontario. But the good part is … the temperature is sitting slightly above the freezing mark, which will melt some more snow. Getting out of bed, it was sitting at -0.1 C | 31.82 F. It won’t warm up much more than that. Actually things will start to drop later on today bringing in more seasonable temperatures. We are also having some light rain at the moment, and it will continue off and on for most of the day. Which could cause some slippery sections on Highway 522 along with the side roads. So extra care will be needed if out and about.

Being so warm, I let my wood furnace go out yesterday in the afternoon and through the night. If it gets too warm outside, the wood furnace is a wee bit too much. When that happens, I click on the oil furnace, which does a fine job.

Yesterday, my wife and I had a busy day getting some personal things out of the way, which took most of the day. You know, there are times in life that I wished I could do without. The problem is that some of these things has to be done. Anyway … today I am going to work writing up a couple stories if I can think of something to write about. Which will take most of the day. I enjoy writing once the words start to flow.

With that, you all take care and have a great day. In spite of it being a bit gloomy. Every day is what you make it. GW

You can reach George Walters at: [email protected]

What’s Happening on February 16/2022

Good Morning. It’s a partially sunny morning here in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada. It has warmed up considerably overnight, with the temperature sitting at -2.9 C | 26.78 F. It will warm up a lot more as the day moves forward. We should see a lot of melting of our snow throughout the day. We could also see some rain, freezing rain and then later on some wet snow as things cool down to where they should be. Highway 522 is mostly bare so far this morning.

On another note, I worked away on a couple stories for my newspaper columns yesterday, and will probably do the same today. Just never know, depends on how they come to me. One day I can write up two or three, the next day maybe one, and then there are times that nothing comes to mind. I think it all boils down to what frame of mind I am in.

With that, not much else happening in and around our small town. Have a great day, I am off for a bowl of cereal with my lovely wife and will then get to work. Take care and stay safe. GW

Protests and Things

In the news today: Has Trudeau gone too far by invoking the Emergencies Act?

I don’t believe so. At this stage in the game, he has to do what ever to get things back to normal.
If anything, things should have been nipped in the butt from the very beginning
Now you might think I am against all these protests, but I’m not. Truth be told, I believe a few are on the right track with trying to get their message across.
But there is a place and a time to do so.

And at the moment, we here in Canada, as well as the rest of the world, has enough on our minds getting over this virus that is among us, along with getting our economies back to where they should be.
Now, when it comes to these truckers. They are a small bunch, just trying to be heard, something like I try to do occasionally, and you know, I agree with them in part. But not to the extent that some of them are doing today.

Myself I believe that wearing a mask, self distancing, along with some of these vaccines, has been proven to save lives. And to me, that is all that is important. Now, that isn’t saying that I am for all vaccines, as there has been a few that didn’t work out. I also believe that some, not all, are trying to promote certain medicines that well …. Let’s leave it at that.

Anyway, let’s hope things gets back to normal soon. I am going to go have a cup of tea.

The British say it’s’ a good way to calm down. Tea and crumpets, you know.

No I am not English Ha ha.

Immigration 2022 Canada

Canada aims to welcome 432,000 immigrants in 2022 to fill labour gaps.

Hmm, now don’t get to thinking that I am against all immigration, as I am not, but I have to say, it kind of makes me wonder why we are doing this in such great amounts, with all the homeless that are out there today that can’t get a job. And on top of that, we don’t have enough homes or places for folks to live in as it is. Makes me shake my head wondering, how some of our Powers That Be minds work. They say we need immigration to move forward in one breath and then in another breath some countries are saying that :

Immigration can cause over-population issues. …
It encourages disease transmission. …
Immigration can create wage disparities. …
It creates stressors on educational and health resources. …
Immigration reduces the chances of a developing nation. …
It is easier to exploit immigrants.

Beats the hell out of me. Maybe I am just getting too old to see the upside on things these days. I think I will go have my second cup of coffee, perhaps it will clear my head. Have a good day.

What’s Happening on February 15/2022

. Once again, it is a cold morning here in Port Loring, Ontario. The sun is shinning nicely, but it isn’t helping much at the moment. But when I was outside yesterday, I did notice the warmth coming from the sun, which tells me things are about to warm up. The temperature getting out of bed was sitting at -22.6 C | -8.68 F at 7:45 AM. Not as cold as yesterday, that’s for sure, but still cold enough. Highway 522 is partially snow and ice covered throughout. Tomorrow we should see a lot of melting as the temperature will rise a lot. Just for a couple of days though.

On another note, I did manage to write up a story yesterday for my newspaper columns and today will work on another. Which should keep me busy for most of the day, and out of my lovely wife’s hair. She has been really busy these days working on some painting orders. And when I get to buggin’ her too much, well ….

So with that not much else happening in and around our area, things are real quiet. Which it should be at this time of year. But it won’t be long and things will start to open back up, with folks opening up their cottages. Myself, I am looking forward to seeing a few friends that comes up every year and drops by for a visit. Along with others. From a distance, of course. Ha Ha. Have a great day and stay safe. GW

What’s Happening On February 14/2022

Good Morning! I have your coffee hot and ready for ya. As it is a down right cold morning waking up here in Port Loring, Ontario. It’s so cold that my weather station is shivering. Being so cold, I had to get up a few times through the night to feed our wood furnace. But in saying that, It will warm up on Wednesday to well above the freezing mark, which will melt a lot of our snow. The temperatures last night and into this morning were as follows .-24.1 C | -11.38 F 8:51 PM
-29.6 C | -21.28 F 1:21 AM
-30.6 C | -23.08 F 2:30 AM
-33 C | -27.4 F 5::26 AM
-34.6 C | -30.28 F 8:11 AM

Highway 522 is partially snow and ice covered, but if you have your snow tires on, along with having your car plugged in last night, you should make out okay if you have to go anywhere. I plugged mine in around midnight, and it’s still plugged in. Once it warms up to around -10 or a touch warmer, I will turn it off.

Yesterday, my wife and I worked away on a project we have on the go, which took us most of the day. Today I will get back into writing up a few stories that has caught my attention. How that came about was, my little woman, dug up some old newspapers that I wrote for over thirty years ago, and after looking at a few, they brought to light some new stories. You never know what might get a writer to writing. Ha Ha.

So with that, I am off for a soft-boiled egg and a piece of toast that my lovely wife is preparing for me. I like to mix things up every once in a while. And then I will have another cup of that hot coffee that is bubbling away. Take care … and have a great day!

What’s Happening On February 13/0333

Good Morning. Well … starting things off, it is a very cold morning waking up here in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada. I had to put a few extra pieces of firewood in our wood furnace last night to keep us warm. I took the outside temperatures throughout the night, since I had to get up to feed the furnace, which went like this.

-26.5 C | -15.7 F 12:56 AM
-29.3 C | -20.74 F 3:31 AM
-29.6 C | -21.28 F 5:38 AM
-26.5 C | -15.7 F 9:01 AM

On the bright side of the coin, it is sunny outside, which, if nothing else, makes it look nice. Highway 522 is mostly snow covered, with a lot of icy sections throughout. Care will have to be taken if out and about.

It should be also noted that today things will remain cold, and tonight things get to where a feller wouldn’t want to be outside at all. As it is going to be the coldest night of the year, with the temperature tonight dropping down to minus -38C/-36F. It could drop even lower in our area. So knowing that, a feller might want to add an extra blanket on the bed tonight. Also, you might want to bring your pet inside or to a place that is warm. I feel real bad for the homeless here in Canada.

On another note, yesterday, my wife and I went to North Bay to pick up some groceries and things. The stores weren’t all that busy, but busy enough. With the way the virus is, we order everything online these days. Then all we have to do, is drive up in front of the store, give them a call, and they bring it out to us … and load it into our car. We don’t even have to get out. What could be better than that. No need to go inside and subject yourself to the elements. And along with that, it also protects you from the colds and flu that are going around at the moment. Caused by folks not distancing themselves, or wearing their mask. But you all knew that. Right? While there we dropped by our sons’ apartment said hello in his parking lot, then headed on home. The roads were bad going in but nice coming home, and with the sunshine, all in all, it was a very nice day. I am glad we did go yesterday, being as cold as it is today.

But getting back to the homeless, while we were sitting outside waiting, I noticed this girl sitting on a box in front of a store fidgeting away with things. It then struck me, she was cold trying to warm her fingers, hands and feet. I have to tell you it sure bothered me. So, seeing that, I walked over and gave her a few dollars to buy herself a coffee. She looked up at me with her sad eyes, thanked me and headed on off to the coffee shop. Oh, I know there are a lot out there that are just trying to make money without working, but there are, a lot that are having some really hard times.

The thing that gets me, is that we have so many empty buildings that are being heated here in Canada with no one in them. The main one is churches. There are so many of them, all nice and warm, standing empty. For the life of me, I can’t see why they wouldn’t open all their doors so that these poor folks could get in out of the cold. Doesn’t make sense to me one bit. Now in saying that, I am sure there are a few that are helping out a wee bit, in reality not many.

In my mind, there is no reason why these folks should be suffering here in Canada. We have the resources to fix that problem easily, one would be to stop giving money to these other countries and organizations without meaning, and look after our own. There is so much being wasted when it could be doing so much good right here at home.

On another note. After we got home yesterday while my lovely wife put things away I started up my snowblower and cleaned out our driveway. I have to say, that even with my snowmobile suit on, I was still a bit chilly. It felt good to get back inside when all said and done. But with the temperatures the way they are now, I am glad I did. Again, when I finished, my mind went back to that girl that was trying to keep warm.

Today, my wife and I are going to take things a bit easy. So with that, you all take care and have a great day. And maybe … if you happen to see a homeless person fidgeting, trying to keep warm … maybe walk over and buy them a coffee and donut. It’s not much, but it’s better than a lot are doing. It also makes you feel a bit nice inside, knowing that potentially you helped out a wee bit. GW

What’s Happening on February 10/2022

It’s a cloudy, snowy morning here, waking up in Port Loring, Ontario, Canada. We could see a couple inches or so throughout the day. We didn’t have any more snow through the night. Highway 522 is partially snow covered throughout, and I suspect it will get worse as the day moves forward with the way it is snowing now. The good news is it isn’t that cold, with the temperature getting out of bed sitting at -3.2 C | 26.24 F.

On another note, yesterday I finished up another podcast and today will start on another. I am finally getting used to this new Microphone set up. It took some time for me to get used to it, but the more I use it, the more I like it. With that, I am off to put some more wood in the furnace. After that, I will have some waffles that my lovely wife is making for me. Should be tasty. Take care and have a great day. GW

You can reach George Walters at: [email protected]

What’s Happening On February 9/2022

Good Morning! It’s another cloudy day here in Port Loring, Ontario. We didn’t have any more snow yesterday or overnight. The temperature getting out of bed was sitting at -6.4 C | 20.48 F. Not too bad, and it will warm up even more as the day progresses. It should get up above the freezing mark, which should melt a bit more of our snow. Highway 522 is mostly bare and wet. But there are some snow and ice covered sections here and there. I have also seen a lot of snowmobiles moving around these days. Which shows us that a few are out there enjoying life as it should be. Nice to see.

On another note, I didn’t do all that much yesterday, kind of took it a bit easy. I did work on a podcast that I have in mind, and if I feel up to it, I will finish it today. Other than that, not much else happening in and around our area. With that, I am off for a bagel this morning with my lovely wife, and will then see what develops. You never know what a day will bring. Take care and stay safe.

You can reach George Walters at: [email protected]

What’s Happening on February 8/2022

It’s another cloudy morning here in Port Loring, Ontario. We are also seeing a bit of light snow. It’s possible we could see another inch or so. But in saying that, we could also see a bit of sunshine off and on. Nothing like sunshine to brighten up ones day. Highway 522 is partially snow covered in certain areas. So care will be needed if out and about. On the good side of the coin, the temperature has warmed up with it sitting at -5 C | 23 F. Almost Florida weather.

On another note, I did manage to get our driveway cleaned out yesterday. Not that it really needed it, but it did get me out of the house, so I could clear my head of what is going on these days. I need to do that occasionally. With that I am off for a bowl of oatmeal and a piece of toast that my lovely wife is putting together, and will then see what mischief I can get into.

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.