CUE NEIL YOUNG

Cue Neil Young... and enjoy
 listening to Harvest Moon!
TAKEN: SEPTEMBER 26th, 2026

A couple of weeks ago I was pleasantly surprised when my boss offered to give me a new iPhone. I never asked him to, as my old phone worked perfectly fine – problem was it was Android based and I was the only one on the leadership team that used that platform.

He had hinted a couple of times that I should switch but I never took the bait. It wasn’t until we fired the only other android user on the leadership team, that he said in a group chat that “the other android user is the next to go!” 

Though I knew that he was 1000% kidding, it was at that moment I knew it was time. 

When I told him that I was going to switch over, as a thank you, he offered to purchase the phone. I was grateful because they are extremely pricy to buy new - and I don't have a replacement option on my current phone plan (which he also provides a phone allowance for).

Now, I would be lying if I told you the changeover has been seamless. It hasn’t. I hate this platform. BUT… Enjoying a fall bonfire last Saturday night, I unexpectedly spied on the Harvest Moon. It was truly magnificent.

I grabbed my new phone and captured the photo I am sharing. 

From the few pictures I had taken of the pups, I knew the camera was powerful, but I had no idea it was 4x’s more powerful than my old Android; that I felt took excellent pictures for sharing.

That said, just so we are clear, headed into my third full week I am definitely in a love/hate relationship with this thing.

LOVE the quality of photos and videos I am creating.

HATE absolutely everything else about it and generally want to fire the thing out the window every hour on the hour.

Thank goodness it forcefully bounces off the window screen in my office and ricochets back toward my office chair. 

Because, as I have already shared... Those things are freaking expensive to buy new!!

#yagottalaughaboutit

TRASH INTO TREASURE

A sneak peek at our winfall,
and an action shot of
Jukebox helping his Dad!
TAKEN: May 30th, 2026

As the saying goes, "one person's trash, is another person's treasure." Which was 100% applicable in removing this almost brand-new kitchen for reinstallation in our cottage.

In all my years in high-end custom homebuilding I have never return to a cottage prior to its demolition for personal salvage. But as we prepare to gut the cottage for resale, a new kitchen was going to be one of our largest expenses.

So, when one of our project managers mentioned that an NHL hockey player we are building a new cottage for was ready for demolition, I asked him to send me photos of the kitchen.

Once I saw what was going to landfill, I booked a U-Haul, enlisted Jukebox to help, and hatched a plan.

The important thing my hatched plan lacked, was how difficult a task it was going to be and how I totally missed the mark on how long it would take to disassemble, load and then offload all the items into our garage at the house.

In the moment, my travel buddy hubby and I wished we had rented a larger vehicle because we would have removed some windows and the patio doors as well.

Filled to the brim with a nice kitchen, custom millwork vanities, expensive ceiling fans, shelving and bathroom light fixtures - we headed home.

Not bad for a whopping $130 U-Haul rental and some quality time with our boy!

Thanks Jukebox... Your help was truly appreciated!!

SNOWY STAIR TREK

The girls were kind enough
open a path on the stairs.
TAKEN: DECEMBER 6th, 2025

When I posted November 2nd that we had closed the cottage down, what I neglected to mention was that short of converting the pups into Sherpas, there was no way to get all the items in our fridge up the hill in one haul. So, rather than making a second trip, we decided we would return the following weekend.

Short story long, we never made it back out. Time got the best if us and we left for Toronto on the afternoon of the 20th and flew out at 6am the morning of the 21st into Cancun. 

Back in Toronto on the 29th, we drove home to Muskoka the morning of the 30th in freezing rain that turned into snow by nightfall; and the snow has not let up since.

As the next week unfurled, every day we discussed the urgency of the fact that we had to get back out there. Our main concern was that the fridge was still plugged in and sucking energy from the electrical panel.

Finally, this morning arrived and after a cup of coffee and a breakfast bagel, we loaded up the pups and headed on our fifteen minute drive. I still find it amazing how our pups react when we turn off the highway. 

Back windows go down, and out the window their heads go. They know exactly what is waiting for them when we get there.

Even covered in a blanket of snow, it is one of my very favorite places on earth. Yet, as we plan for retirement, our plan is will be sold. 

Just not sure if that it is what we really want to do. I guess time will ultimately tell what we decide... But we both know that clearing and climbing those stairs all winter in Muskoka is definately NOT an option. 

Construct a two car garage with year round living space above at the top of the driveway?

Definately, maybe!

STELLA ESCAPED

Our girl embracing an
autumn adventure.
TAKEN: OCTOBER 17th, 2025

After our epic day of burning on Saturday September 27th, we spent the next few weekends in town.

With a Baker’s Dozen dining with us for Thanksgiving, I had to steam clean our carpets the weekend before. A week after our turkey coma subsided, we were back to the cottage to begin shutting it down.

Because my travel buddy hubby cannot bring his work truck home throughout the week, we swap at lunchtime which has him picking up the car at home. In this instance, it had him taking the pups and me to the cottage to get the place warm and where I would finish my workday.

As I headed down the stairs, my immediate reaction was that someone had stolen Stella. As I sauntered toward the dock, I discovered that she had simply escaped. Will the fall colour in bloom, I thought she looked so pretty perched in our alcove, keeping our turtles company.

Not wanting to try and rescue her with the unconditional help of two pups, and a premonition that I would end up in the lake, I decided to wait until the next morning to hunt for the hip waders.

The next morning the closing ritual began. Up and out came the pedal boat and dock ladder, in came the ramp with Stella safely perched for the winter. With it too windy to burn, we managed to work at getting the cottage close ramped up.

With everything out and up the hill and the only task left is to shut off the water, we are officially prepared for the end of another cottage season.

...Which has been our 26^th.

Stella is all settled for the winter.
TAKEN: OCTOBER 18th, 2025

EMBRACING SMALL WINS

What a beautiful view!
TAKEN: SEPTEMBER 27th, 2025

Just like the movie Groundhog Day, we landed at the cottage Friday night to wake and experience yet another full day dealing with ice storm carnage. The photo I am sharing above is after burning brush nonstop for over seven hours.

The exciting thing I am sharing in the photo is that if you look at the railing fence at the right of our property line the pile of consumed brush that began being piled there, burned, and replenished multiple times is finally gone.

The even better news that the pre-piled was finally gone, was that I hauled brush off the ATV trail and behind the cottage for much of the day; with a very big bonus of additional and unexpected charcoal being produced.

I know it must be getting tired reading about these dumb milestones, but do you know what is even more tired?

Two sexagenarians working alone without help (except Hughie with the one tree) to clear the land of massive amounts of debris.

I know we could have easily hired someone to do it but what I find somewhat troublesome is that neither of our boys have visited this year, let alone offered to help. I am shaking my head at the thought of it.

When my travel buddy hubby and I talk about what we have accomplished financially in the almost forty years we have been together, I think he has the best plan for how to approach the distribution of it.

I mentioned giving it all to the OSPCA, but he has a better idea.

Apparently, according to him…. WE ARE GOING TO SPENT IT ALL!

#yagottalaughaboutit 

THANKS, BUDDY!

Wee Katie Kate supervising the
disconnection in progress.
TAKEN: JULY 1ST, 2025

The weekend before my mother-in-law unexpectedly passed, my travel buddy hubby and his best cottage mate finally coordinated the dissection of the last fallen tree (from the ice storm) stuck in our shoreline.

They had tried several times to connect but as it would have it, day-to-day life got in the way; until finally the morning arrived. 

A couple of efforts in July (one seen above) to remove the bulk of the tree from stump had my husband realizing that no matter what he tried, this sucker was NOT going to float away. It would have to be dismembered and removed to shore piece by piece.

With Stella (our floating picnic table) anchored to aid with keeping the tools dry, and wee Katie Kate once again was in supervision mode, the project began.

They landed in the water that Saturday morning just past 10am, I served them lunch around noon, and the last of the tools were slugged out of the water about 2pm. Words can’t describe how blessed we are to have such great neighbours in he and his wife. They are truly amazing.

So, check their effort out... Below are just a few photos of the last of the water trees from hell that have literally consumed our time since opening the cottage in May of this year.

Assessing to start...
With dogs in the mix.
TAKEN: AUGUST 23rd, 2025

Turn out my Dad's antique saw
worked best because of Katie Kate's help.
TAKEN: AUGUST 23rd, 2025

Hauling to shore on the home stretch!
TAKEN: AUGUST 23rd, 2025

Mission accomplished... At a cost of 
a couple of burgers and a beer!!
TAKEN: AUGUST 23rd, 2025

TROLLING THE SHORES

Miya Maria (left) and Katie Kate (right).
Soaking up the super fun Stella vibes.
TAKEN: AUGUST 9th, 2025

With us having to unexpectedly cancel my travel buddy hubby’s birthday weekend in Montreal, I decided to use my Triangle reward points to buy new super speedy trolling motor for our floating picnic table. 

Trouble was, with all the ice storm clean up, we never had the time to get it unpacked and attached when he was off in July.

Well, once we got my sister back home, we decided there was no time like the present to get the party started; and down to the dock we went to strap our girl into her shiny new double battery powered upgrade.

Honestly, I had no apprehension about it being Katie Kate’s first trek, which was probably my first mistake. To offer insight, I posted a series of neat photos on my socials with the following caption:

‘We got the pups out on Stella (our floating picnic table) this afternoon. A first for the wee Katie Kate.

It was spicy and dicey getting off the dock, and both girls only jumped off 4 times in the half hour we trolled. Which is probably why we were out only for half an hour!

Don't get me wrong, our dogs are very well behaved and very well socialized. They go everywhere with us. 

So, I shouldn't have been surprised that as soon as someone on shore acknowledged the pups off the chart "cuteness factor," off of Stella they went. Quickly swimming the fifteen feet to say hello to the people and kids waving. 

You know, I have shared here this season that I feel it may be time to tune up the fat lady and sell the lakeside shelter where we've spent the last 25+ summers.

Then we ultimately realize it will never be replaced... and how fortunate we truly are.

PEELING AWAY THE LAYERS

My sister soaking up the sun!
TAKEN: AUGUST 4th, 2025

Summer was chugging along nicely and it was time for my sister to travel to us and spend ten days at L'Hotel Orillia Lake. We chose the same time for her stay as last year, and the weather didn’t disappoint.

Just like last year, I had an extended long weekend but had to work through the week. She didn’t seem to mind. She read four books and tethered to my hotspot to enjoy her electronic breaks; all and all we had a very good visit.

I am always reflective when I think of her. When our kids were small, we spent a lot of time together. But as my business and ultimately my career took off, distance grew between us. Though she was only an hour away, she could have lived in Europe. If I am being truthful, I will always have regrets for those lost years.

I don’t know about you, but for decades I haven’t been especially close with any of my siblings. I took the individual journey to nurse both my parents to their death before I turned forty, and none of them were anywhere to be found. 

Then there is the relationship I have with my sis. She made the choice to become estranged in November 2013. I was devastated.

Once we reconciled, in November 2023, it took me a full a year to fully understand what happened during that time. You see, she reminds me of an onion. I had to peel away the layers of that decade very carefully.

And, just like when I would peel layers off a real onion, sometimes I would weep. Her struggles were very real.

All I can say is thankfully all of those tears belong to the past. 

Today, we generally celebrate with tears of laughter, which are usually produced via us endlessly picking on my husband!

#yagottalaughaboutit

SUMMER WOES

The worse part about using a chainsaw
in a heat wave?
Steel toe boots & long denim pants!
TAKEN: JULY 13th, 2025

I would love to be able to write something as poetic today as, ’summer woes, I don't got none’; but that would be a lie.

Now that the mosquitos and blackflies battles have ended, enter the humidex and UV rays working against us. 

Yesterday we did an extensive repair to our dock ramp. Just the two of us. With the help of a come along, a floating picnic table and a ton of rope. It was 32C outside with a humidex making it feel like 38C.

Today, in hotter conditions, we finished cleaning the stairs of fallen trees with the dueling chain saws so that they can be repaired next week when my travel buddy hubby is off. 

At this point, I think we have processed 80% of the trees on the ground but only burnt 5% of the waste. I honestly think we will be into next year, with all the broken trees are still standing and need to come down.

As I hear my husband begin to remove stair treads so new stringers can be constructed, I am sitting upstairs in my office, typing and hiding. Something I have never done in summers previous. 

I just feel that this year, with work being a 50-hour week and the magnitude of exterior work required, it's made me realize it may be time to sell.

Afterall, the plan was to use the equity to send the kids to post secondary school. We manage to weather that and got the cottage paid for AND we managed to burn our mortgage on our house on the 29th of June.... So, not all bad but still not all good.

As I hear my husband come in downstairs I am sure he’s looking for some assistance. Therefore, I will knowingly alter my sentiments today to… ‘Summer woes, I guess I got a few!’

#yagottalaughaboutit

MY CANADIAN GIRLS

Happy Canada Day!
TAKEN: JULY 1st, 2025

I would be remiss if I didn’t put up my annual dog shot of the pups at the cottage on Canada Day. 

The last few years Miya has been my model; this year I thought Katie Kate could wear our Canadian (dollar store) crown.

With cookie pals behind my ears to bribe her, this was as close as she was going to allow me to put this silly thing on her head. Still a cute shot but this is what a hard NO from a cheeky yellow lab looks like.

All and all we really enjoyed the day. Next year I think I may have to try and snap a photo when she’s a sleep.

... Though I am sure my result will be precisely the same!

#yagottalaughaboutit

A PAW-FECT TEAM

Katie Kate is the epitome of a great team player!
TAKEN: JUNE 28th, 2025 

What a week. 

I was so grateful when end of day Friday of the Canada Day weekend officially arrived. When we started our chores on Saturday morning, the magnitude of what had to get done really hit home. 

Finding a good balance of owning and keeping a home and a cottage maintained twenty kilometers from the other, has always been a challenge the last two plus decades. Throw in an ice storm of a lifetime and the reality that there will never be rest is a harsh reality.

We’ve always invested in the right tools to do the exterior maintenance efficiently but there is just so much we literally choose our battles wisely. Saturday was 'whipper snipping, leaf blowing, and clearing the upper drive and ATV trail', as I took the hacksaw to any saplings’ I wanted gone. 

With my travel buddy hubby in the hospital last summer, all our ongoing maintenance was overlooked; and the ache in my lower back Sunday morning was the reminder it was missed.

When I finished on the ATV trails and septic bed area, Miya and I headed to the top to see how our other crew was making out. As you can see, they were just finishing up and the team leader was rushing up the drive to give me her report.

Specifically, that her coworker WAS wearing his hearing protection, but NOT his safety glasses. After careful consideration, it was decided not to formally write him up. And that a verbal warning (this time) would suffice.

The corrective action was successful implemented once he began leaf blowing! 

#yagottalaughaboutit

Important Notable: Not a single treat was not used to entice a favourable recommendation from our paw-fect team leader!

FEEL THE BURN

The first of many controlled brush burns.
TAKEN: JUNE 21st, 2025

Well, we moved into the cottage this weekend. We moved in with a well thought out plan of attack. A plan that was a total waste of time making the effort to organize.

For the twenty plus seasons we have owned our cottage, bug season has us always planning to work outside in the rain. And the weekend forecast said, rain Saturday and sun Sunday. Well, there was no rain on Saturday which had us pivot.

With the day long burn on hold Saturday, the washing machine was taken off the dolly and connected and up went the clotheslines for laundry. Then I tackled whipper snipping and raking the ATV trail, and more work with the chainsaws filled the day.

On Sunday we got up, I went into the lake to remove more leaf and stick debris, and my travel buddy hubby began to burn. In an effort to process the pile faster, we decided to divide and concur. Branches bigger than a certain circumference were limbed and placed in a "bonfire later" pile.

You can see the start of that pile behind the fashionable guy that dressed when he got up Sunday morning to match the hew of the flames he would create. Safety shirt jokes aside, our six hour burn barely made a dent in the brush pile that was a tall as I am; which only accounts for about 20% of the tree damage processed.

When we finally stopped mid-afternoon, though we were happy with the little progress we made, a hard reality was acknowledged. The cottage yard clean-up is so large in scope that it will bleed into 2026. 

That, and our best guess is that the quantity of firewood we will stock pile will rot before we will ever get around to burning it.... Which will definitely contribute to a lower carbon footprint on Orillia Lake.

You're welcome climate change!

#yagottalaughaboutit

I SAW THAT!

 

As we took our third stab at cottage clean up this past weekend, our focus was on the immediate beach front.

Our challenge wasn’t only that the submersed trees were larger, but that as a team we were in a ‘lift and pull’ effort to get them out of the water and up our hill to be processed.

With my travel buddy hubby’s mobility issue, I drew the only straw to get in the lake, trim the trees to remove as much weight as possible, then heavy ho them up to him and a chainsaw.

With no foresight to get into a bathing suit, I was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and legging rolled to the knees. Within five minutes the leggings were soaked. With the pups helping, within fifteen minutes, everything was soaked – and not in a good way!

We processed three large trees out of the water last Saturday afternoon. The fourth, and last remaining,  is in the photo I am sharing.  

THAT sucker is the one that my hubby hit heading backward on his ATV, that severed the artery in his right leg and cause three brain bleeds, that landed him is St. Mike's Hospital Trauma Unit last summer. 

That said, last fall we discussed cutting the tree down. A sort of cleanse to the shoreline of the constant reminder of a horrific accident that changed our lives.

Then the winter ice storm happened and it was almost as if the universe was sending us a specific message in the form of the tree falling. 

...That message simply read, "I saw that!"

Signed,

Karma

#yagottalaughaboutit

MAKING A DENT

After yesterday, everything aches!
TAKEN: MAY 31st, 2025

Well, we were back at it yesterday, with our dueling chainsaw in action at the cottage. 

We landed at about 10am and put the bad boys away at about 2pm. All in the hope of cleaning up from the ice storm before Labour Day!

We would have worked on today, but my travel buddy hubby left his medications at the house in town, so we spent the night at the cottage and headed home first thing. By doing so, sipping my coffee this morn produced a reality check that I hadn’t considered.

Though we are privileged enough to own two properties fifteen minutes apart, the amount of effort to support the maintenance of both is a balancing act. Previously, we would be lucky enough to have one afternoon of rest (each weekend) for the entire summer.

This year, I don’t think there will be any weekend rest. Except for an exciting long weekend, I have planned in July to celebrate my husband’s milestone birthday; the summer of 2025 will be the summer of sweat. Hard core labour sweat.

Like anything we are faced with, there is a give and take. Yesterday the ‘give’ was that neither of us had any energy or desire to deal with the task at hand. The ‘take’ was that the weather his a balmy 4C, which meant the mosquitoes and blackflies did not impede our efforts.

As you can see from the pic I am sharing, yesterday I tackled the start of clearing the stairs. I took this on because there were three steps to complete here and hubby has an issue bending over for hours at a time.

With the fire hazard surrounding us, I took clippers to the small limbs, then my electric chainsaw to anything that I could quickly process for the woodstove. Then, for tree trunks that had to be cut and would need to be split with an axe – out came my Husqvarna.

Though that might seem all organized and well thought out, there is always one large hiccup that presents itself when I bring this slick beauty out.... I have no ability to start it with the pull cord.  

I have to seek out my hubby, have him get ‘er going, then head back to my task at hand. Not gonna lie, I always try, then fold like a lawn chair and give up.

Glass half full? 

At least I always try!

PS: Can you do me a favour? PRAY for a ton of rain in June!!

WOODEN YA KNOW!

The only good thing to report?
We've opened up our view!
TAKEN: MAY 17th, 2025

When the ice storm of the century hit Muskoka the final weekend in March, the damage around town was brutal. Fortunately, at the house, we escaped with a couple of days of cleanup and a handful of well organized burn piles for the fall.

Because we were leaving for Aruba the weekend following that storm, and with my getting pneumonia shortly after we returned, this past weekend was the first time we landed at the cottage to turn the water on and assess possible carnage.

When we pulled in the driveway, I had to hop out to move limbs so my travel buddy hubby to get up the lane. Once loaded up and headed to the top of the hill, nothing prepared us for the level of damage we would see. There was so many downed trees, we had a hard time navigating to the bottom.

We immediately focused on getting the water on (our lake intake was damaged by felled trees) and then I focused on a deep clean and getting beds made. Late in the afternoon I began cutting and moving the smaller brush (from the firepit area below) with my chainsaw; but it seemed hopeless.

Hubby assessing the damaged plumbing
stack and fascia damage.
TAKEN: MAY 17th, 2025

Pink arrow shows how healthy
trees just snapped off from the weight.
TAKEN: MAY 17th, 2025

Clotheslines gone and our more than 50 stairs are pretty much a write off. The only thing that seemed to survive was 'the shed that won't die', left to us more than 20 years ago - from the previous owners. 

The red graphic below is where I would like us to built the new stairs and electric 'Grocery Bulter'. 

A fancy name for a 4'x4' powered winch system to move items up and down the hill. Not all cottagers will want to climb that hill, like we have for the past 20+ years. 

The shed that won't die.
(The tin boat remained all these years
so I can reach my clotheslines.)

By mid-day Sunday, we managed to clean the top drive, the ATV trail, the firepit landing, and removed the large trees off the roof. 

We spent about six hours, with two chainsaws going, and never argued once. Just effectively communicated on how to untangle this serious puzzle Mother Nature left us.

Wouldn't you know it. The one year we don't check in, is the one year we are gifted with a good month of yardwork that will leave us with a bonfire wood pile fit for a King.

Hope the King can spare some Rub A535.... Because every single muscle in my body is yelling at me today to "HIRE SOMEONE TO CLEAN THIS CRAP UP," which is simply not an option for us. 

Not because we can't afford it. But because we want to prove to each other that we've got this.... No matter how painful and totally delusional that statement may really be! 

#yagottalaughaboutit

Q IS FOR QUIET

 

The older I get.... It seems
quiet is what I seek most.
TAKEN: JULY 23rd, 2022
(Me, floating around Orillia Lake)

I'm not quite sure what happened. Ten years ago, I’d jumped through hoops to stay busy with friends and family but for the last couple of years, I just generally want to be left alone.

I suspect it started with the social distancing mandate that COVID had us live through. Then, as health issues began to plague my travel buddy hubby, I just became hyper focused on him and our home.

I suspect the icing on the cake was when I changed jobs at the end of 2021 and slowly began working from home (I only leave my home office a couple of days a month).

There are times when I feel guilty that I enjoy my seclusion - but as I can see retirement on my horizon, I feel I have earned my quiet moments.

 I truly feel I have spent my life in the service of others. Nursed both my parents to their death before I turned forty and gave my children ever possible opportunity I could manage.  In some areas, I think by doing so I failed them in some way. (…Maybe more than one.)

As we entertained fourteen for dinner Good Friday, my hubby and I decided that Saturday was going to be our day of rest.

The best reward?

A quiet nap.

It was perfect!

WE RESCUED STELLA!

Stella, who? 
Can't you see the yellow football? 
...We had a great day!!
TAKEN: OCTOBER 5th, 2024

Well, with the weather on our side, we headed to the cottage Saturday morn to begin the ritual of shutting it down.

Up the hill went a 42” Roku TV I’d used as an office monitor the last few years, as well as any/all perishable food we wouldn't need. Items of clothing that weren't officially labeled ‘cottage’ were packed for the season, including all my Quintana Roo appropriate swim wear. 

It was a long day, considering any other odds and sods that may freeze and make a mess when we open next spring we also packed and hauled. As a bonus, our washing machine was also drained and stored ahead of schedule.

The last thing we tackled was securing my beloved Stella (a.k.a the floating picnic table).

We had put her into Orillia Lake the long weekend in May, then three days later, all hell broke loose and my travel buddy hubby landed in St. Michael's hospital trauma unit for three weeks.

I know to most, pulling an old picnic table out of the water may not be considered a mentionable accomplishment. But, the fact that my guy could do the stairs and the ramp to help me pull Stella out of the lake and safe for the winter was amazing. When he made it to the first landing, he looked over the railing, acknowledging that this was 'the first time I have been down here all summer'.

I would be remiss if I didn't mention a more significant milestone. Last month, the stroke clinic assured him, his hard work was really paying off. Did you know that if you suffer a stroke, your brain only tries to heal for the first six months?

Though I worried he was pushing it, him doing the stairs at the cottage actually worked in his favour. 

Him not being a quitter, has 95% of his stoke symptoms gone; the 5% remaining are very minor, and we have 54 days left on the calendar for  those to subside. We are grateful.

Here's looking to next year, and Stella getting the workout she has in the past. 

Stella and me both!

CHEERS FROM ANDY GIRL

My smiling sister embracing
cottage life whilst enjoying
a drink with our dad.
TAKEN: AUGUST 9th,  

I'll start with the fact that she's a complete and total homebody. Therefore, I'm not quite sure when my sister and I first broached the subject of her coming to stay with me at the cottage for a week. 

But, if I were to bet on it, I am pretty sure it was in the days and nights I spent alone while my travel buddy hubby was in the trauma unit of St. Michael's hospital last May and June.

She would call me to regularly check in. She was the only one I felt comfortable talking to about the gravity of the situation at hand. Everyone else was kept at a distance. During that time she was unconditionally supportive, and always started our calls with the same four words... "How are you doing?"

Completely unprepared for the emotions swirling at what the many doctors were telling me, she kept me calm. She made me laugh. She helped me focus on the day to day, not on the possibility of what may ultimately transpire.

I don't know if anyone reading this can appreciate just how fragile one's mental health can be during such trying times, but I can confirm that the last few months have tested mine to its limit.

Even now, in a conscious effort to self preserve, I no longer want to be around people. I don't want to discuss what has happened and the journey we are on, as my eyes immediately fill with tears. 

It is like I am transitioning from a full blown extrovert, to a comfortable introvert, hanging out in the bathtub with a blanket over my head; sipping a warm bowl of gravy from a ladle.

That said, my sister visiting offered me a sense of calm and a true feeling of comfort better than any gravy ladle ever could. 

No pressure, zero bullshit. I worked upstairs in my office at the cottage, and she kept herself busy with whatever leftover internet bandwidth I didn't utilize.

I loved hearing the sound of her voice telling the dogs that she was 'NOT going to throw the football in the lake again', probably because it saved me the energy of saying it; about a hundred times a day.

When I dropped her off at home after our nine days together, we gave each other a big hug. As I headed to the door she hollered, "..love ya." To which I responded with "I love you too."

Then, I immediately said, "see you back at the cottage sooner than later." Her last visit was around the spring of 2008.

Which in my opinion, is solid statistical proof, why 4 out of 5 full blown homebody's never come to visit me. 

My sister being the one, that was simply pushed over the edge by a heat wave and the cottage country aromatic allure, of three wet dogs...trying to share her bed!

#yagottalaughaboutit

WHIRLIGIG WONDERS

As you’ve read here many times before, music is a big part of who I am. Numbers and analysis may be how I earn a living, but everything music is how I spend the majority of my spare time. 

To be clear, it’s not because I can sing; because I can’t. 

My point is that I gravitate to the melodies produced (via radio, turntable, and watching live) by those that can. From the time I wake, until I wind down for bed, all genres of music surround me.

Anyway, imagine my surprise when wandering our cottage property my husband came across a 45 rpm record insert. I picked it up, snapped a pic as my tween and teen years came rushing back to me. 

This little fella has been waiting almost 25 years for me to find him.
TAKEN: AUGUST 6th, 2024

We have owned this property for more than two decades. And though I have an extensive vinyl collection at home, we have never broached the idea of spinning a turntable here. 

Therefore, this little beauty has been surviving the seasons for us to find, for almost a quarter century. 

That said, if I am being truthful, as I pondered writing about something so silly, I couldn't resist. 

As I held this gem up, I could see the 45rpm records stacked and ready to play, my hairbrush in grip, with my bedroom mirror pumped on standby to capture my performance.

And trust me. When I was in high school, a whirligig similar to the one my husband found played a large part on those memorable bedroom lip sync concerts.

Here's an idea. How be you cue Sheena Easton and drop the needle on Morning Train. (click to listen) ... and I'll run and grab my hair brush!!

#yagottalaughaboutit

REMEMBERING 2023

As the year comes to a close at midnight tonight, there is so much I am very thankful for. So much so, that I have no idea where to start. 

What I will highlight is that our wee, four legged blondie/Oreo filling, simply stole the show (as well as at least a half dozen of my perfectly good slippers). And, that I can finally admit I have discovered a perfect work/life balance; solidifying the saying 'life is short' as my personal mantra. 

Thanks for the memories 2023. They are truly respected and appreciated. I feel blessed that I have such great hope for an even better 2024.

All the best in the coming year everyone. Cheers to all, and thank you once again for reading. 

~ Rhondi

PS: With the past year 99.9% in the rearview, as you reminisce with me electronically you can click links to journal offerings that you may have missed, or wish to revisit. 

Most Memorable Moment (centre): The addition of the beautiful Katie Lulu, that arrived to her new home on January 31st, 2023. She has proven to be a much welcome thread to the newly reunited Oreo Gang and we love her very much. Thanks again @labradorables

(LINK TO RE-READ: NEVER, UNTIL NOW! )

January: The unexpected and shocking murder of my former coworker Ashley Milne (top left) in Collingwood. I have spent the year following this terrible and unnecessary tragedy in hopes her amazing spirit didn't die in vain. Please keep her and her young children in your thoughts and prayers.

(LINK TO RE-READ: A IS FOR ASHLEY)

February: With my sweet Puddin' passing in June of 2022, we thought for sure The Oreo Gang would be displaced for years. That said, with our addition of Katie, Family Furbaby Day was once again a great success.

(LINK TO RE-READ: OUR ANNUAL ADVENTURE)

March: After checking the Salvation Army Store in Gravenhurst for more than twenty years, I was ecstatic to find four more of my wonderful Petro Canada water glasses for the very first time. In a stinking blizzard no less!

April: I always look forward to my birthday trip and this year was no exception. We hit Vegas Baby! What do you do in Vegas if you have no desire to gamble? Guess you'll have to read to find out! (There are also other offering though my April A-Z posts.)

(LINK TO RE-READ: K IS FOR KNACK)

(LINK TO RE-READ: L IS FOR LOGISTICS)

May: For the first time in more than a decade, I moved to the cottage for the summer.  I set up a satellite office and only commuted to work Monday mornings for meetings. I kept telling my husband that we should have named Katie '649'... Because that pup definitely won the lottery.

June: A milestone anniversary had us hop a plane to Montego Bay for the weekend to celebrate. My dad's birthday the 9th and our anniversary the 11th it made for a great reason to getaway. Though we stayed in a much smaller resort hotel than we usually do, we had a great time.

(LINK TO RE_READ: FROM FEAR TO FEARLESS)

July: July was an amazing weather month. I worked for most of it sitting at my desk in a bathing suit. The only thing I enjoyed more was spending time with Goob in the water. You know, it doesn't matter how old they get, I just love having them around.

August: As reminisce about the year gone by, I think it had to be the 'year of the concert'. I think there were seven in total, with four being my country quartet. From a bucket list perspective, Chris Stapleton won that prize. Man, Budweiser Stage is a great venue.

(LINK TO RE-READ: MY COUNTRY MUSIC QUARTET)

September: Per the work plan, we added another layer to our estimating team, a new project coordinator. I began her training right the first week of September, so I moved home to have a shorter commute. Labour Day Monday (Lab + Our Day as the photo shows) was my last day living at the cottage full time. Made no matter, it was a really great month!

October: This nod goes to spending Canadian Thanksgiving week in Nashville. Boy, did we cram as much in as possible before returning home. The Mother Church of Country Music left me speechless, as did almost everything about this amazing city - including the Opry.

(LINK TO RE-READ:SIMPLY, UNFORGETABLE

November: They say some of the best decisions you make are the ones you think about the least. Well, we bought another boat. A 20 foot Doral bowrider that gets delivered the first week of May (weather pending). Can't wait to load up the pups...

(LINK TO RE-READ:WE BOUGHT ANOTHER BOAT)

December: Well this month is crammed with memorable moments. It closed out another milestone year at work, had us spend valuable time with family and friends, and our home was filling with both birthday and holiday spirit. Not just the birthday on the 25th but the 5th, when Katie celebrated her very first birthday.