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Good Morning! The coffee’s hot, the road’s covered with snow, and somewhere in between, there’s a good day waiting.

Well, looks like we’re all waking’ up to a fresh blanket of snow here in the north. Ol’ Mother Nature decided we needed another 6 inches overnight, and when you add that to the couple inches from the day before yesterday, we’re sittin’ at about 8 inches total. Good for the snowmobilers, not so much for those of us with a shovel in hand.

Weather for Port Loring, Ontario

Today (Thursday, Feb. 13)
A bit more snow’s gonna fall off and on through the morning, maybe another inch or so, then mostly cloudy the rest of the day. Not much for sunshine.

• High: 20°F (-7°C)
• Low: 4°F (-16°C)

Tonight
Cloudy and colder than a well digger’s boots. Gonna dip down near zero in some spots, so best throw an extra log on the fire.

• Low: 4°F (-16°C)

Tomorrow (Friday, Feb. 14)
Another gray ol’ day, but at least the snow’ll ease up. Still cold, though, so don’t be in a hurry to put the long johns away.

• High: 19°F (-7°C)
• Low: 11°F (-12°C)

So all and all, you might wanna hold off on any long hauls ‘til the roads get cleaned up. And if ya do have to go out, drive like ya got some sense—there’s always one fella out there who thinks he’s in a race.

Highway 522, well— it’s snow-covered this morning, which isn’t much of a surprise for folks living where we do. And if I had to guess, I’d say it’ll stay that way for most of the day. That’s nature’s way of telling us we might be better off hunkering down at home, keeping the fire stoked and the coffee pot full. No sense battling the elements unless you have a real good reason-like the coffee running low. Now that would be a true emergency.

Meanwhile, here in our little northern town, folks are finding ways to keep busy. Some are out shoveling, trying to stay ahead of the drifts, while others are looking out the window, convincing themselves it can wait until tomorrow. The smart ones? Well—they’re sitting by the wood-stove, swapping stories and wondering how much snow it will take before the “Purolator” truck starts delivering by dogsled.

Just another good old winter day in the north.

On another note, yesterday I had every intention of heading out to the woodworking shop to work on those flutes I’ve got on the go. But as is often the case, plans changed. A delivery showed up—my new battery backup—so I figured I’d best get it hooked up.

Now, that might sound like a simple enough job, but let me tell you, with all the wires I’ve got running here, there, and everywhere, it turned into a real morning project. By the time I was done untangling, plugging, and scratching my head, half the day was gone.

The real surprise, though, was that my computer fired up and ran just fine—maybe even better than before. A rare victory when it comes to tinkering with technology. The only thing that has me wondering is the handful of extra wires I ended up with. No idea where they belong, but since everything is still running, I’m going to assume they were just along for the ride. Either that, or I’ll find out what they were for when something stops working. Time will tell!

Today, like just about everyone else in our small town, my wife and I will be spending some time digging out from under all this snow. But first things first—breakfast, a good chat, and a cup of hot cocoa. Got to fuel up before tackling a job like this.

From what I saw on my walk to the woodworking shop earlier, I’d say we’re in for a real workout. Might not need to do any stretches beforehand—as Mother Nature has taken care of that with knee-deep snowdrifts. My lovely wife and I will no doubt start out strong, full of ambition, but I suspect that after a while, the enthusiasm will fade, and we’ll be standing there, leaning on our shovels, wondering if we really need a driveway after all.

One way or another, we’ll get it done.

You all have a great day, and don’t forget—shoveling is just nature’s way of reminding us we’re not as young as we used to be. Take it slow, take plenty of cocoa/coffee breaks, and if the snow gets too deep, well, there’s always tomorrow.

Until next time—keep your minds open and your stories alive! GW

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Good Morning! They say every snowflake is different, but right now, they all look the same—piled up in my yard.

Well, I’ll tell ya, it’s a damn cold morning here in the north. Woke up to a downright bitter -18°F (-28°C), and let me tell ya, that kind of cold don’t mess around. By the time I got the old shop stove fired up, I was about ready to hightail it back inside. Lucky for me, I threw a few chunks of hardwood in there before bed last night, so it wasn’t too bad once I got things rolling’. But just the same, trudging’ out there and hauling’ out the ashes had these old bones feeling’ every one of their years.

Weather for Port Loring, Ontario:

Today: Cold as a banker’s heart this morning’, with temperatures crawling’ their way up to 20°F (-7°C) by afternoon. Not much of a warm-up, but at least it ain’t getting’ worse.

Tonight: Dropping’ down to a chilly 10°F (-12°C), so best toss another log on the fire before bed.

Tomorrow: More of the same—cold and stubborn, with a high near 19°F (-7°C) and a low of 2°F (-16°C). And if that ain’t enough, there’s a good heap of snow rolling’ in, expecting’ to drop around 6 to 10 inches (15 to 25 cm) by the time it’s done. Gonna be a mess out there, so best be prepared.

Sounds like a good time to stay close to the stove and keep the coffee hot.

Highway 522: Well, once again, it’s snow-covered—no surprises there. With these kinds of temperatures, that white stuff ain’t going’ anywhere fast. Not much a fella can do about it neither, ‘cept take it slow and hope the plow guy’s had his coffee. But hey, that’s just life up here in the north, especially as we creep toward mid-February.

Folks in the city might complain when they get a dustin’ of snow, but out here, we measure it in “how many shovels deep” instead of inches. And when the highway disappears under a fresh blanket, we don’t panic—we just pour another coffee, maybe throw another log on the fire, and figure we’ll get where we’re goin’… eventually, and take in what nature has to offer.

On another note, I worked the day away yesterday out in the old woodworking shop, fussing’ with them flutes I’ve been talking’ about these past few weeks. Still lots to do, but I’m making’ good, steady progress. Today, once the shop gets toasty enough that I ain’t seeing’ my own breath, I’ll be back at it.

Not much more to report this morning, so I reckon it’s time to see what my lovely wife has rustled up for breakfast. Can’t beat a good home-cooked meal to start the day. After that, we’ll settle in with a couple of steaming mugs of hot cocoa, have ourselves a good old-fashioned chinwag, and watch the morning show at our bird feeder—no commercials, just the kind of entertainment you don’t get in the city.

This time of year, it’s mostly nuthatches, chickadees, and the occasional finch, flitting about like they own the place. And in a way, I suppose they do. They sure don’t seem to mind the cold, unlike us humans who bundle up like we’re facing’ the next Ice Age. It’s funny—some folks spend a fortune on fancy getaways, looking’ for peace and quiet, while all we gotta do is pour another cup and let nature come to us.

Well folks, that’s about it for this morning. Time to see what kind of mischief—I mean, productivity—I can get into today. I might even take a moment to just sit back and appreciate the simple things, like a warm fire, a few hot drinks, and the fact that I don’t have to scrape ice off a windshield to get where I’m going’.

Until the next time: “Keep your minds open and your stories alive!” GW