FIVE, FOUR, THREE, TWO, ONE...

New Year Wishes and Midnight Kisses

Happy New Year to all my Friends and Family.  May 2020 bring you much love and happiness and good health.

I intend to keep all my New Year's Resolutions!!

DODGED THE BULLET - SORT OF

Did not get the ice storm that was forecast for our area but we certainly are getting the snow.  We came home from Windsor to find the snow had fallen off the roof and onto the lower roof and some on the ground in front of the house.  Rejean got that snow but tomorrow we will have to deal with the snow left on the roof - and I have a feeling it is going to be a chore.  He will have to blow the snow that fell today as well.  There has to be at least 3-4 inches out there and it is still coming down.
AND, I hate to even say it let alone type it, no hydro outages around here.  We are ready for it tho.  The generator is ready and waiting just in case.
Glad we didn't have anywhere to go today and yesterday.  I have seen road reports and it is not pretty!
I have my fires going and all my chores done so now I am just relaxing.  Going to have myself a glass of wine!!!  Cheers!

HAVE YOURSELF A MERRY LITTLE CHRISTMAS...

Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a very Happy and Healthy New Year!!

NORTHERN NIGHT LIGHTS

Never let it be said that us Northerners don't know how to decorate for Christmas.  The Tunnel Lake Trading Post looks amazing for all the holidays.  Keith goes all out for summer with beautiful flowers and his dragon display.  Fall and Halloween as especially beautiful with pumpkins and hay bales and scarecrows.  But Christmas is when he really outdoes himself.  Every year it get bigger and more beautiful.  It is such a treat to go by at night and see all the lights along an otherwise pitch black highway 129.
And in Thessalon, Mayor Bill Rozenberg pulled out all the stops for this year (he may do it every year but this is the first year I heard about it).  I hear there is a constant stream of cars along the road to see his display.  It is beautiful!!
Puts my wreath and Dollar Store Merry Christmas bulb all to hell...

THE BOYS

It's been a while since I last posted pictures of Monty and Charlie.  Still having fun in Abu Dhabi in December!!

BATHROOM MAKEOVER

And we are also working on the upstairs bathroom.  After 20 years of the same cabinets and countertop, we decided to make a couple of changes.  We painted the door and the cupboards the same colour as the bathroom door downstairs - black liquorice.  Not really black but a very dark grey.  And a new countertop we picked up in the Sault.  Exactly what I had in mind and on a nice sale.  Changed the faucet and hand towel holder and soap dispenser and drinking cup in a brushed nickel.  New drawer pulls as well.  The finishing touches like a new laundry hamper and garbage pail, new rugs and towels will have to wait until the new year.
Now if I can just get a new floor...

ps - the two white lines on the last picture is a reflection of the light fixture and not two lines of coke!!  Just to be clear...

PROJECTS

First project in the books.  Rejean McGyvered the bird feeder to keep the Blue Jays from hogging all the seeds and scaring the little birds away.  And also to keep the little woodpecker out as well because all he did was scatter the seeds around looking for the unshelled seeds.  We had some wire shelving that Andrew was throwing out that Rejean kept.  He keeps everything and eventually he finds a use for it.  All he had to do was bend the wire to make the openings smaller so that the bigger birds wouldn't fit.  It works like a charm.  The little birds didn't take long to figure it out.  They fit just fine thru the openings and as they just take one seed at a time, it will be weeks instead of days before I have to fill the feeder up.
And the flying squirrel fits in there too.  We have seen him at the feeder at night.

A WILD GAME DINNER

Bear Balls, Venison roast (from the buck Joy got last month), rabbit stew, venison sausages and a moose shepherd's pie.  All those were on the menu last nite over at Joy and Arnold's house.  I made devised eggs but said I got the eggs from "wild" chickens so it went with the menu.   It was all delicious!!  Joy sure does know how to cook wild game.  The moose shepherd's pie was made by Michelle and was a show stopper.  Everyone brought something for the dinner and there was lots of goodies after dinner.  Butter tarts and fudge and bark and apple crisp.  I especially enjoyed the fudge and the bark.
There had to be about 24 people all gathered inside Joy and Arnold's A frame house.  It was very cozy and you couldn't help but chat with the person right next to you.  Everyone had a chair and a table spot to eat.
I will have to get the recipe for the Bear Balls and the sausages.  Then I will have to get out hunting...

LIGHTS OUT!!

Well, we had that storm on Wednesday - a lot of heavy snow on all the trees and hydro lines and we lost our power quite early on the Wednesday morning.  We were expecting it.  But we weren't expecting it to last for 34 hours!!  But it did.  We kept a watch on the Hydro One app on my i-pad that kept us informed what was going on and the expected time for our power to return.  It kept changing to later, and later, and then going into the next day.  We got our generator out and hooked it up to the house.  Our fridges and water pump is tied into the generator.  Next time the TV is going to be hooked up!!  We had our wood stoves going full time as well.  I cooked dinner on the propane stove downstairs and when it started getting dark, we would put on our head lamps to see.  We hooked a lamp up to the generator and played Uno one night and Dominos the next.  Please don't mind the crazy "Trains"  Our power finally came on Thursday early evening.  Our friends Ron and Mary's hydro was out for 51 hours and there was still a remote area without power today.
It certainly makes you appreciate the conveniences we have in our lives - like hydro!!

But I have to thank the Hydro One workers who I am sure worked their asses off these past few days. They deserve a day off.

To Anonymous ...

...thank you for letting me know about Evelyn.  It is appreciated.

FLORIDA VACATION

We had such a good time as usual on our Annual sisters' Vacation to St Pete Beach Florida.  We did the usual things but managed to get some new stuff as well - like Sunday Bloody Mary breakfast at the Drunkin' Clam located conveniently across the street from the Bon Aire.  We did Willy's for chicken wings that were a little hotter than the medium they advertised.  But I ate them.
the bottom picture is my Bloody Mary made with ZingZang at Hurricane's.  The drink was good ... that is all I will say.
Only 1 year until we can go back again.  Can't wait!!!

THE WEDDING

The wedding of Steve and Taylor was beautiful, held at the Sprucewood Estate winery in Harrow.  I have never been to a wedding at a winery and i thoroughly enjoyed myself.  A beautiful venue for sure and I found I liked a couple of their wines which I shall look for up here for sure.

IT'S THAT TIME AGAIN

Yes, it is getting to be that time again.  St Pete Beach is calling our names...

THE MAVERICKS

I guess if I had a Bucket List, this would be right up there close to the top.  I got to see The Mavericks in concert in the Sault.  I have been a fan for a couple of years and always followed where they were playing.  Never anywhere near here or where I  could travel to.  I happened to be at the Sault airport picking Marilou up and on the monitor, it showed the Mavericks in concert in the Sault on October 24th, 2019.  I got my tickets as soon as they went on sale.  Linda, John, Ute and Roger went with us and it was everything I thought it would be.  I was dancing in my seat and during one song, standing up dancing.  But quickly sat down when I realized the people behind me couldn't see.  I really wanted to dance in the aisle for some songs.  It was a great concert and I am glad I got to see them in such a great venue, Sault College.

A GOOD DAY

A day to give thanks for everyone and everything you treasure in your life.

Plus an excuse to cook a 16 pound turkey...

A GOOD DAY FISHING

It is the latest we have been out fishing on Tunnel Lake.  October 8th is getting late in the season but it was going to be a nice day so we called Ron and asked if he wanted to go fishing.  He immediately said YES even before Rejean had finished his question.  So at the crack of 7am in -2 degree weather, we met Ron at Hooverville.  As soon as I got my line in the water I got a big hit and had one on for about 3 1/2 seconds, but long enough to know it was a good one.  It was a good sign.  Our total for the day was 7 walleye, 3 jumbo perch, a bass and a nice pike.  Ron and I even got a double header!!  Two nice walleye.  But what a beautiful morning it was.  It was a little cool but we were dressed for it.  Rejean and I.  Ron, as usual, had on a t-shirt and a jacket - no gloves.  I swear he has a furnace in that body of his.  My feet got cold but as soon as I started catching fish, I just ignored them.
The colours were beautiful and the water was calm.  Once we got back to the landing, we had our celebratory beverages and talked about the morning.  The guys got to work cleaning the fish once we got back to our place.  We took the carcasses over to the mine side to feed the creatures.
There are still some nice days coming up for more fishing adventures.

PARTY ON THE BIG LAKE

It was Ute's birthday party held at the Lake House.  It turned out to be a beautiful day and we got a chance to sit outside and bask in the beautiful sun.  It was a fish fry with fish Mitch, Roger and Roger's brother had caught in Amherstburg.  It was delicious plus all the other treats that they prepared.
Happy Birthday Ute!!

THE TIMES THEY ARE A'CHANGIN'

Got up to Hinkler for the opener on Sunday.  We went up Sunday and got out to hunt on the Sunday evening.  One of our favourite trails we found has been altered to say the least.  It is in the process of being widened by that huge machine operated by a single person.  And altho I don't agree with what is being done, I was amazed at his progress and skill to make this road thru the bush following only a narrow trail.  But what a trail it once was.  You could always count on at least one bird from the trail and we did get 9 on the Monday morning hunt.  But when we went back after one and a half days, we didn't see one bird as this road now takes up over half of the distance of the trail.

And during our stay we discovered other trails that are being turned into roads.  Not the best for birds.
Progress has it's price.