SMOKEY

 

A bit Smokey here the last couple of days.  Stacey, Jodie and I were in Sudbury on our annual shopping trip during the really bad day - Tuesday.  The drive home on Wednesday was eerie - so Smokey the disability was not very good. And even with the air on and recirculating the air inside the truck, you could still smell the smoke.  And once on 129 you couldn’t see Candy Mountain from the highway!!  The picture of the garden was taken from a Facebook post of one of my friends.  It was yellow and some places were orange the haze was so bad.  Fingers crossed the fires don’t get too close.  There is really nothing you can do.  It is so dry here.   The boys can’t go outside as it is hard to breathe. They don’t mind as they get to play on their devices.

THEY’RE BACK

 The Boys are back in town and Jodie too.  A day late but they are here.  A suitcase was lost but was found still in Athens but delivered today.  We got out picking strawberries which is a tradition.  Rejean even came with us which was fun.  He scouted for the best berries.  We have a ton now.  Stacey is now on a vacation so she can join Jodie and the boys for more fun.  Parker’s is a great place for all of us to sit around and watch the boys and join in the fun.  They will be 12 next month so we thought they were old enough to ride the quads by themselves.  They practised on the driveway and next week Rejean and Andrew and Rick will go with them on Footprint Lake road for their first solo rides.  I am sure it will be an adventure for them. Stacey and Jodie and myself will be heading for Sudbury for some shopping.  

Charlie and Monty did jump in the lake the first morning without hesitation and I joined them. My first time in this year. Wasn’t bad.  Refreshing.  We will get the kayaks going as well as some fishing.  Lots of fun to pack into too few days.  But we can do it!!

LET THE GAMES BEGIN

 

Well we now have our shuffleboard!  We had talked about it and after months of researching and calling around we finally have it.  We knew what we wanted - a 9’ Jett bank board shuffleboard.  Places had them but they were located so far away and delivery wasn’t possible.  Lots of gaming stores in the Toronto area - not so many around here.  And when I found them, no one delivered up here.  I couldn’t even get quotes for delivery. I finally found North Player in Richmond Hill.  I explained my problem and they quickly had a quote for the table and delivery and set up.  It was very reasonable and I accepted their quote.  Delivery was scheduled and confirmed and followed up to be sure we would be home.  They drove 7 hours to deliver and set up the shuffleboard, made sure everything was perfect, thanked us for our business and drove another 7 hours back home!  Talk about customer service!!  We are enjoy8ng the table and getting the hang of it.  Bank board is, I find, more challenging than a straight board. Back in my Fanshawe College days I would play at the OxBox, a great bar in my neighborhood.  They had a bank board so that is what I learned on.  I must admit I wasn’t bad after a couple of beers…maybe that is the secret to my game.  But then again, maybe not.

ROAD TRIP

 

Road trip to Windsor with my beautiful Sister Susan to see Jann Arden in concert at Casino Windsor. A check off my Bucket List.  Beautiful view out our window day and night.  Susan was settled right in enjoying the view and our cocktails.  We had dinner at Smokies BBQ on Ottawa street and it was delicious!!  Sue had the pineapple hamburger and I had the 1 skewer of chicken wrap and as I said, it was delicious.  Give them a try. You won’t be disappointed.  Heading back to Susie’s tomorrow. Or should I say shopping back to Susie’s tomorrow.  Walmart, Costco, Winners etc etc here we come.

The concert was amazing!  She sang all my favourites.  She made me laugh and cry and smile and reminise. 

650 DAYS

 

Finally moved in last Sunday.  650 days from the fire to living in our new home.  Totally different from our other house but we love it.  It will take some getting used to - remembering where I put stuff, finding the best place to put things.  I don’t have enough dishes or pots and pans to fill all the cupboards in my new kitchen.  I have a pen and paper to write things down I need.  Like pot holders!  Don’t have any here and I have to replace the ones from the cottage we lived in during the build.  It will take a while to be settled.  It is big!  I will certainly get my steps in every day.  

I will give you a tour in my next post.

PINK LADY SLIPPERS

 

…or as I like to call them - Testicle Plants.  They are in full bloom and I have a lot of them on the property, especially around the cottage and house.  Some are large and some are quite small.  There are clumps of them and some single plants.  Some are a deep shade of pink and some are almost white.i am very fortunate to have so many around here as they are hard to grow. Must be a perfect environment for them here.

A BEAUTIFUL DAY

 

Finally got out fishing today.  What a beautiful morning!  We used to be out at 6am but now we aim for 7 am.  We were on time.  It does help that we are 5 minutes away from Hooverville Landing and we can be on the water within about 15 minutes from leaving home.  It was slow going today. We only got 3 small ones plus the one I caught!!!!!

I thought I had snagged until I felt movement.  Holy Moly!  I knew it was massive.  It pulled drag and thank goodness I had checked mine earlier at Rejean’s suggestion.  I thought it was a big pike and I was hoping it didn’t get off.  But I finally got her to the surface and Lo and behold, it was a walleye!!  A huge one.  It measured 30 inches long and the stupid weigh scale didn’t work.  But we thought 7-8 pounds.  We got some pictures and got her right back in the water.  Rejean held her tail as he slowly moved her back and forth waiting for her to get her bearings. And with a splash of her tail, she was gone.  What a thrill!!  The biggest walleye I have ever caught and probably ever will.  She was a fish of a life time I am sure.  And I still had my worm!!!

Ps. Look at Rick’s smile in the first picture.  He is happy to be going fishing finally.