SEARCH AND RESCUE ON 129

Ute called yesterday that Tasha was missing - Tasha is her new puppy, a 1 1/2 year old rescue husky that, unfortunately, likes to wander.  She is trying to teach her to stay away from the highway and to stick around the camp.  But yesterday she didn't and had been missing for about 2 hours.  I told her not to worry that I would go out on my 4 wheeler to search for her.  I thought the four wheeler would get her attention as it is not the quietest vehicle on the road.  I suited up as we had had snow that morning and was still snowing a bit.  I went up the tower road searching and up the hydro line to a certain point.  I met Ute and she gave me a leash in case I came across Tasha.  Ute had said that she had heard a whimper and then a few barks, then nothing.  She was worried that something might have attacked her.  She called her other neighbour, Mike, who searched with a gun (just in case Tasha was injured and had to be put down).  I then started north up the highway and went down driveways, all the time calling her name.  I went down one driveway and saw tracks in the snow - fresh tracks so I followed them.  They wandered off close to the highway so I started down the highway again.  I just happened to stop and look back and there she was, on the side of the road looking at me.  I stopped and turned off the 4 wheeler and called her.  I had a cookie ready.  She ran up to me but at the last moment kind of backed off but I had taken hold of her collar and attached the leash.  I then had to hold the leash away from the 4 wheeler and slowly go back up the highway to Ute's all the while trying to keep Tasha away from the front of the quad.  She followed quite nicely.  Ute was very happy to see her and invited me in to her place to warm up my fingers and hands that were frozen and hurting very very much.  I then went down the cottage road and retrieved Mike and rode him double home.  On my little 250!!  That would have been a sight to see. 
All's well that ended well.  This time.  Tasha is still a puppy and doesn't realize the dangers of the bush and the highway.  I think Ute will be schooling her this week to stay on the property. 
Me, I had a good time riding the quad in snowy conditions on the rescue mission.  Just another day in paradise...
Tonite, Sauna and Smelting - fun fun fun!!!
See Ya Bye

ACCIDENT ON 129

Linda called yesterday morning and asked if we had seen the ambulance and police cars heading up the highway - we didn't but promised each other if we heard anything we would let the other know.  She soon called back and said that it was a head-on between a transport and a car up the road and that the highway was closed.  And today I read on Kim's Facebook that it was a fatality.  The little red car was crushed all the way back to the back seat according to her as she had seen the wreck on the flatbed hauling it away. 
It was a little frosty yesterday morning so the roads could have been slippery.  There are some sharp curves and steep hills so it is very dangerous for all vehicles.  Sometimes vehicles veer into the other lanes on these roads.   A reader commented about the police report - a 77 year old man crossed the centre line and hit a transport head on.  I had inferred that trucks travel at a fast pace down our highway and sometimes are in the other lane on curves and hills and that it may have been the trucker at fault.  I apologize for that and stand corrected. 
Everyone who travels these highways have to be careful and watch out for the other guy.  But accidents do happen.  My thought and prayers are with the family of the older gentleman.

SMELTING

I guess it is true what they say - as soon as the frogs start chirping, the smelt start running.  Well the frogs were out during the beautiful warm weather we had and lo and behold, the smelt are running.  We headed over to John and Linda's last nite for the smelt run.  Ron and Rejean, John, Randy, Bruce, Mary-Jane, Linda, Bob and myself were all there.  They had a great fire going for us wussies and they guys were on the dock waiting for the run to begin.  It was slow at first - one or two at a time but by the end of the evening, everyone had a lot - that is except Bruce who had to leave early because he fell in the water!!!  It was very cold last nite and when the dock got wet, it turned to ice so it was very slippery.  Well, Bruce made a fast move and in he went - he was holding on to Rejean's leg to pull himself out and almost took Rejean with him.  But he didn't scream, as I would have done for sure.  I am sure that water was extremely cold and major shrinkage occurred ;o)
I would have had pictures to post of the event but my batteries ran out.  I did manage to get a picture of the camp fire but really, how many fires have you seen on my blog?  I decided to post the picture of the head and guts of the little buggers (sorry Mr & Mrs Barr but it really isn't a bad word) and the finished product.  And I did announce that I would not be cleaning any smelt as I wasn't catching any - I only went to watch but somehow I got talked into helping.  I took my car because I didn't want to stay as late as the guys but I was having so much fun I didn't notice the time - I got home at midnite and the guys didn't finish until 1:30am and John said they were running really good after that.
Boots will benefit from the catch - I hope he likes guts....
Now to find a good smelt recipe...

ps - we had smelt for dinner and was it great - they really are very tasty but next time I will use the cheese ritz cracker crumbs instead of just bread crumbs - I like it that way.

A VERY CONTENTED BOOTS

Boots came around again tonite for a treat.  He likes the dog cookies.  After, he curled up over by the edge of the driveway and proceeded to groom himself.  After that, he fell asleep.  I guess he feels safe enough here with us that he can do that.  He is still there fast asleep.  Probably waiting for breakfast...
See Ya Bye

BREAKFAST IN SOWERBY

Today it was breakfast in Sowerby at their hall - I never miss an opportunity to have someone else cook for me so Ron and Mary picked us up and we met John, Linda and Bob at the hall (actually we got there first so we started eating).  Ron and Darlene and their family were there as well plus a lot of other locals.  Plain Jane and Les were part of the cooking crew - Les was in charge of the sausages (and they were good) and Jane was topping up the food and cleaning tables.  It was delicious.
Next door to the Hall there is a brand new Round Barn constructed in part by the local Menonites.  The door just happened to be open so we took advantage and took a self guided tour.  There is another Round Barn in the area that is a gift shop - it is vintage but the same structurally.  The new one is very impressive both inside and out.  It is massive - there are two floors - we entered from the walk out basement area on the side, then took the stairs to the "great room".  I took a picture of Ron and Mary to give you an idea of the size.  And the artsy picture, I lay down on the floor and took a picture of the ceiling peak.  Steve would be proud.
The last picture is of a dog in a car barking at me so I took her picture.  I think she wanted breakfast too.
How was your Sunday?
See Ya Bye

ps - good to see Tiger Woods win again

MY BOOTS

This is where he waits for me - all curled up in the middle of the driveway at the front of the house.  I tap on the window and he slowly gets up, stretches, then walks over to the house and looks in the window in the door for me.  Nice to be needed...

JIMMY'S POINT

It was a nice day here again but we did have rain which is a good thing - it has been a bit crispy and with the lightning it was getting a bit scary.  I think we have about 8 ducks now on the lake.  It gives me, and Boots, something to watch.  When I saw him after dinner, he was just sitting out front watching the ducks and licking his little lips I think ;o)
See Ya Bye

ARE YOU SURE IT'S NOT SUMMER TIME

Absolutely amazing the weather the past few days.  The ice is breaking away and with the temperatures they are predicting, it should be gone by next week - at least a month ahead of time.  There are 3 Buffleheads on the lake -I think the ice was out from the shore for about 5 minutes and the ducks had landed.  They must be circling looking for open water.
I worked in my garden this morning and will finish tomorrow - there are even some things popping thru.  I shouldn't have raked the garden because I know we will get a dumping of the white stuff before it is all over - we did not take the snow blower off the tractor because you never know...
Another partial afternoon of sitting in the sun then we had company.  Ron was over this morning and this afternoon, John, Linda and Diane came over for a cocktail and we sat on the veranda, enjoying the great weather.

IT HAPPENED SO FAST

It wasn't supposed to be so soon - I was only looking.  And I still had some looking to do but when you see the "one" you have to act.  And act I did.  It was exactly what I had pictured down there - a counter height table with 6 chairs, dark wood and dark brown seats.  It was from Shunk's furniture in Sault St Marie Michigan.  It was an amazing experience from start to finish.  And it looks great if I do say so myself - and I also discovered that the little square plugs in the corner of the table are exactly the same as in the end tables I got from Jenn and Steve !!  See, it WAS meant to be.

PROGRESS ON THE BAR

Moving right along.  We don't have to do wood this spring so we can focus on the bar area - which we have been doing.  We got shelves up for the "cocktails" sign that my sister Susan gave me.  It is perfect for the corner and since we call out drinks cocktails, it is appropriate as well.  There is also a dedicated shelf for the popcorn maker - it gets it off the counter and it is easy to reach.  We got the tv trimmed and Wednesday we start on the sink, dishwasher, cooktop and counter area.  Work Work Work

FEELS LIKE SUMMER

The snow is pretty much all gone and the lake is turning very dark which means that it is melting - quickly. It has just been amazing here - March 19th and it feels like summer - not spring - summer.  I raked the front of the house yesterday, washed both vehicles, got the chairs out on the veranda and got some serious suntanning in.  AND I saw a robin today - I am sure the bears have noticed this warm weather as well - it won't surprise me to see one out and about in the near future...
See Ya Bye

KISS ME - I'M IRISH!!!

Happy St Patrick's Day to everyone - even if you aren't Irish. This is the day to pretend you are.  We have dinner plans tonite at Ron and Mary's so I will make sure they party as tho they are Irish.
Enjoy!!!

HOW MANY NORTHERNERS DOES IT TAKE...

...to take a fishing hut off the lake.  Today it took 4 of us.  Thank goodness we had the derby yesterday because today it got up to 12 degrees!!  It was really the last day to safely do it and we got it done this morning when it was still a bit cold.  Ron and Mary fed us breakfast so we helped them.  We had to prop up the shack and place wood under each corner to raise it high enough for the sled to be put underneath.  Then Ron pulled the shack to shore.  I was worried the tractor would go thru the ice but there is still quite a bit of ice there but it would have been really slushy after today.  We were done by 1pm so we still had time to enjoy the sun back at our place - and we took advantage of it.
We survived another winter - yeaaaa!!
See Ya Bye

DERBY DAY

Yesterday was Derby Day on Jobam - it started out being a rather chilly, cloudy and cold day but by the afternoon, the skies had cleared and it actually pleasant out there.  There were two pop-up shacks that Ron and Rejean had - the black and yellow ones - they were supposed to be 4-man shacks but I think only two people can be comfortable in them.  Ron also had his permanent one.  By the end of the day there were a few more portables up.  The first fish caught was the white fish - it took 3 guys to land it.  One guy noticed that the tip-up was down, one guy reeled it in and one guy pulled it up by hand.  We decided to give the prize to Ron W because he took the fish home.  Darlene caught a can of tuna (or maybe salmon) - it's a tradition around here - someone always catches a can of tuna - I don't know why.  And then Rejean caught the lake trout - he and Kenny stayed out longer than anyone else (everyone else was back in the garage drinking and staying warm).  We had hot dogs for lunch and burgers for dinner.  Even Ute was out with her new puppy Natasha.
Everyone had a great time.

TREMOR GIRL

Did you know that March is Essential Tremor Month?  Well it is.  And I know this because I have it.  I was diagnosed with it years and years ago.  I noticed that my hands would shake when I was doing something like writing or holding something in my hand.  I remember I was at a run with Andrew and I was walking across the room with a cup of beer in each hand (one for me and one for him) and my right hand began to twitch so much that I spilled a bit of beer - I was concerned and made a doctor's appointment and he eventually sent me to a specialist.  It didn't take him long to diagnose Essential Tremor or Familial Tremor as it is also known.  I thought for a while that I had Parkinson's.  We discussed medications for it but I decided that the side effects were worse than the actual tremor.  It didn't bother me that people thought I was nervous or had the shakes from the night before.  Besides, alcohol abolishes the tremor for a short time but unfortunately it can't be used as a treatment. :o(
Katharine Hepburn suffered from Essential Tremor but it also caused her head and voice to shake.  I don't think I will be that bad but I am aware of any new twitches.
It really doesn't bother me much in my life - I do have some problems tying knots on the river or stream - it's like threading a needle in the dark - difficult but not impossible.  And I have learned to raise my soup and cereal bowls up to my mouth when I am eating to avoid spillage.  It does get worse when I am excited, as some people have noticed.
With everything else that I could have that affects my health and life, this is minuscule.

That's why I call myself Tremor Girl.

1501st POSTING!!

No, this is not turning into a cooking blog - altho there are quite a few good ones out there - I just wanted to post a picture of my dinner tonite.  It is my world famous beef barley soup.  I made it the other day and there is still some left so that was my dinner tonite along with a salad.  The second picture is of the beef stew I made the other day as well.  Rejean had that.  I liked the stew but I prefer my soup.  Actually the soup is just as thick as the stew - I guess Rachel would call it a stewp.
And, according to stats kept for me by Blogger, this is my 1501st posting since April 2008.  Hard to believe that just a few short years ago I didn't know what a blog was.  I have kept it up for years letting you know what I do everyday up here in the North Country.  Sometimes it has been boring where there has been nothing good to post about (like today maybe?) and other times I don't have enough room for all the news and excitement up here.  But every time I post something I know that you know it is what I have done that I thought you might find interesting.  Hope you are enjoying it.
See Ya Bye

SNOW REMOVAL

The snow on top of the trailer was not bad until the latest snow fall the other day.  Rejean took care of it so that there is no danger of the roof caving in from the weight of the snow.  Thank goodness for the roof rake and ladders and shovels - necessities up here.  Good job done.

BUNCH OF STUFF

The SippySaurus cup - this is Bob's sippy cup that Linda and John got for him for his birthday.  He likes it because he can sip his drinks without spillage.  Last nite was the first time he used it.  But it is not good for travelling because it does spill in his pocket - he has another sippy cup for travelling.

The next picture is of Kenny Jr with his cake.  He graduated from a mining course in Sudbury so we threw him a congratulatory party at John and Linda's last nite.  The cake was from Valu-Mart and it was good.  The party was only supposed to be in the late afternoon but nobody left so John threw some dogs on the BBQ and Linda had some left over cole-slaw so it was dinner.  I enjoyed the dogs.

There is also a picture of Robin having a snooze during  the hockey game - I don't blame her - it was Toronto and Montreal and the first game with Toronto's new coach - they won thank goodness.

The next picture was on the road into John and Linda's.  Bob plowed the road after the big snowfall we had.  Nice job Bob!!
And last but not least is Linda standing on the steps down from the garage - you can get an idea of how deep her snow is.  They call her the SnowBitch in the winter - she wears it well.  ;o)

SNOWED IN

When they close highway 129 and part of highway 17 and don't open the dump on dump day, you are pretty much snowed in up north.  John was up at 7am on Axe Lake blowing snow.  Those guys are probably having a riot over there plowing the Axe Lake road.  There is John, Bob, Kenny and Kenny Jr on the Lake as far as I know so between the 4 of them they should have that road clear by noon.  They better because we are heading over there this evening for a get together at John and Linda's - a welcome home party for Kenny Jr.  He finished a course in Sudbury and now he is home.
We are done here - Rejean took over the tractor because it was a little deep and I was assigned other duties.
The birds are going nuts on the seed - I have 1 scoop left and I will dole it out sparingly to them.  The squirrel gets peanuts.  But he is sneaking over to the bird feeder to get the seeds that drop down.
Now to get the rest of my Saturday chores done.
See Ya Bye

THANK YOU JACK

This is our new toy.  Jack, my b-i-l sent it to Rejean to sharpen his chainsaw chains.  We had been looking at them after seeing Jack's.  Usually we use files to sharpen the teeth on the saw but this works much better.  After assembling it yesterday, it is being put to use today.  I managed to maneuver my way in front of Rejean to try my hand at it.  Easy Peasy.
Usually in the spring we head into the woods to bring in our firewood for next season but since we got some logs from Mitch and cleared some big oaks that fell during a storm, we don't have to do it this year.  But I am sure there will be many occasions to get out the chainsaws.  And now they will be nice and sharp!!
Thanks again Jack.

BLOW BLOW BLOW THE SNOW...

...GENTLY OFF THE LANE
MERRILY MERRILY MERRILY WE WAIT
TO DO IT ALL AGAIN

Did I just post that?  Pretty bad eh?  Mr Picky gave me an "8" on my attempt today.  I sometimes ask on a scale of 1 to 10 what I got and today it started out as a 7 but he changed it to an 8.  I still need some direction around the road area but I am getting the hang of it.  We didn't get that much from the storm that passed us by but enough to blow.
I got some pictures from inside the tractor - I had the tunes blaring and the heat on so I was very comfortable.  I have to find a better station - or take some CDs with me.
The blower is situated behind the tractor so you have to turn around to watch where you are going.  I still have some trouble with the left hand side so my lines still aren't as straight as I (and Mr Picky) would like.
As if it really matters...;op
See Ya Bye

ps - after my complaining about the sensitivity of the chute control, it has now been fixed to my liking.  And we even fixed Ron's.