THE 6AM SNOW SHUFFLE

Trying to dig out from the overnight 
storm after the plow passed.
DECEMBER 13th, 2024
(Shortly after 6AM)

Yesterday marked more than two weeks since I’d left our house.  

Technically, it was since I had left our yard - but I think you can catch my drift. Which is not be confused with those drifts that have been freshly fallen snow since Snowmageddon 2024 roared into Muskoka on November 28th!

Though we did get a bit of reprieve during those calendar days, because I work from home, I simply stayed home. With each work break including the movement of snow around the yard. The dog trails seemed to occupy the most of my time. But that's the household deal we agreed to. I run the manual shovels and my travel buddy hubby navigates old Bessie our blower.

The snow accumulation was getting to be so much, that we found ourselves going to bed early, so we could clear required snow for the car, and get it the hell up the driveway before the snowplow passed. 

For whatever reason, the eve of Thursday the 12th had me the most concerned with the new storm front that arrived. Our largest dumping came that day, with another 40cm expected overnight. The photo I am sharing above is what we woke up to.

The photo came to fruition because less than a minute before the car was going into reverse, the end of the driveway was filled. The pups and I hauled butt up to the top to assess the situation. There was no way we could push through the bank without damaging the under carriage of the car. So, out came old Bessie to the rescue.

I shoveled most of the morning to clear the doors and decks, as well as widen the dog trails. Old Bessie was back in action at lunch time, when her operator returned home to blow out the remainder - as only the top was cleared before he had to head to work.

My morning photos illustrate a couple of thing that I know to be true. 

The top photo proves to me that this was definitely the one day a year when winter is really pretty.

So, what does photo two (below) illustrate?

...That WINTER FREAKING SUCKS!

Old Bessie doing the 6AM snow shuffle
TAKEN: DECEMBER 13th, 2024

DECEMBER 11th, 2009

In preparing for another possible 40cms of snow, I have spent my home office breaks clearing the overhanging white stuff with our roof rake. In the twenty plus years we have owned our home, we’ve never had to shovel our roof.

If we get the next dumping of snow they are predicting, I am going to have to hire someone to do it. With my travel buddy hubby having balance issues, it will be the first chore we haven’t been able to do ourselves; yet another reminder that getting old really sucks!

Nonetheless, while I was eating my lunch and checking my socials, I clicked to take a look at my online memories. You know, where Facebook shows you something you posted on this date, and how many years ago it was.

Well, today I was reminded that it was eleven years ago today that I had lunch with one of my closest clients, sharing my intent to quit my job at MWDC.

Thirteen years ago, today I posted, "Leadership is about influence and impact, not title and accolades." (Something I still truly believe.) 

And, that fifteen years ago today Bracebridge was under a State of Emergency.

I really like checking out my memories. It gives me a chance to download pictures I may have lost thanks to the many 'blue screens of death' I have experienced. I can recall two desktops and a laptop that I never fully recovered from.

Today's memories helped me recover about a dozen pics from varying years. Now safely stored on an external hard drive, that I also back up.

The photos I am sharing today were taken with my Blackberry - no clue which version. 

Not only do the photos bring back great memories, like when the kids still living at home, when the house had green trims, and that we really DID shovel before old Bessie.... It shows me just how far digital photography from a phone has progressed.

Stay safe and warm everyone. Winter is here to stay!!

Taking a break from shoveling in the whiteout
TAKEN: DECEMBER 11th, 2009

The house when it had green trims
TAKEN: DECEMBER 11th, 2009

Before we got rid of the trees
TAKEN: DECEMBER 11th, 2009

Goob in a cape and shorts!
TAKEN: DECEMBER 11th, 2009

SHOVELING SUNSHINE

With only about 30% of the front leaves fallen,
it was time to start getting them moved into the gully.
TAKEN: OCTOBER 16th, 2024

It started last week. For my afternoon work break, I started shoveling the fallen leaves.  

You read that right, ‘shoveling’.

By dusk Thursday I knew I would spent the weekend in town, rather than going into the cottage. Simply because it hadn’t rained, and everything was dry. Shoveling dry foliage is much easier than the wet soaked crap, so by supper Saturday, though I was spent, all the leaves that had fallen to date were processed.

For those that have never tried it, I have been shoveling for years. You can simply move ten times more leaves by pushing them into the desired piles with a large snow scoop, rather than whisking a rake into the air trying to target where you want them to land if the wind cooperates.

I know I must look silly going through the motions, but I don't care. Believe it or not, my shovelling effort work more effectively than either of the two leaf blowers we own. Three if you count my travel buddy hubby plugging one of them in.

With 90% of the folks on the street retired and me working from home, I see and hear them moving leaves for weeks before we get on the band wagon. For us, it is a balance of finding the best time to blitz them, which usually happens when I see my neighbour next door blowing leaves back onto our lawn.

As I have always written here, I love fall. And this year has been a particularly memorable one weather wise.

The only downfall is I know what is on the way, and it is white, heavy, really annoying, and ALWAYS outstays its welcome.

Kind of like Donald Trump!

#yagottalaughaboutit 

Y IS FOR YAHTZEE

As I’ve written before, it’s not always easy having two places to maintain a mere 15 minutes apart. I’m in no way complaining, rather just pointing out that the weather has so many things happening on the fly. If we stay home there’s work to be done and if we head to the cottage its offers the same loaded buffet of chores. 

That said, all these years later, I have never focused my energy on the work. For me (in either instance) it keeps me outside and exercising, or inside with the tunes cranked cleaning; until I can get outside soaking up the sun.

After the work is done, we literally let the games begin. 

That's fifty points baby!
TAKEN: July 2013

If you recognize game pic I’m sharing, you’ll know it takes little skill and a lot of luck to play. It tends to be what we easily agree on playing first.

It always seems neither of us want to think too much after chores are done. To make it a tad more interesting, we play an entire Yahtzee page, which is six games at once.

The other side to that coin is that I very rarely ever win. It can’t be because I have less skill, because you’ll agree it take none to play. 

My issue is in the luck department I have absolutely none!

A FRESH FALL START

A very uneventful September ended with me home sick in bed, and October started with my taking last Friday off as an extended long weekend. I wish was I reporting that it was because I'd planned some sexy adventure, but the truth is I landed at the cottage first thing Friday to pile enough wood to get through this fall, as well as make it possible to stay between Christmas & New Years. An annual tradition I always look forward to.

Thanks to the sub-zero weather Friday morning offered, I landed and immediately built a fire in the woodstove to warm everything up. Once that had me toasty, I had zero ambition to start my wood cutting mission. Instead, arose early Saturday and headed outside to tackle the physically exhausting task at hand.

After close to 20 seasons of Orillia Lake cottage life, this was definitely a season of great change. The two sisters to the left of us swiftly sold their cottage, while the American widower to the right sold via a private sale and fled back to his homeland Labour Day weekend. I was sad to see him go but understand why. He unexpectedly lost his wife on New Years day 2017. She was the Canadian in the duo, so the sale wasn't entirely unexpected. The surprising tidbit's that there's general interest and buzz to privately purchase our humble abode as well.

Though our selling was officially tabled in May of this year, I think the part that surprises me most about our digs is even though the kids have no desire to come out and stay anymore, I seem to be attached to this silly piece property more than ever. I love that I am outside more than in, and I truly feel I am at my best there, not to mention that fall is always absolutely amazing.

So, as my favourite month creeps into the one I dread most, I honestly can't believe Thanksgiving is already behind us. A quiet celebration at the house yesterday left me not only thankful but also very grateful.

Grateful I've discovered that sometimes the smallest step in the right direction, can be some of the biggest steps in your life... and secondly, and equally as important, is that people will come and people will go. Those meant to be, will always want to stay!

Happy (Canadian) Thanksgiving all. I truly appreciate you reading.

Enjoying my happy place, alone, in the rain.
TAKEN: OCTOBER 6th, 2018

N IS FOR NASTY

While vacationing in South Beach this past week, I experienced something that I would classify as amazing.

Not in the whole ‘sense of wonderment’ form of amazing, rather how quickly your day can change without warning type amazing... which borders on down-right nasty!

Just love this photo I snapped of my husband taking it all in.

NASTY storm arriving over South Beach, Miami.
TAKEN: APRIL 10th, 2018

BITCHY WIFE 1 - HUSBAND 0

Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock the last few weeks, I’m sure you have been experiencing this amazing summer weather. With the majority of my evenings and weekends being spent at the cottage, accomplishing my outdoor/yard type chores at home's suffered. So much so, that when my husband got home from work this eve, he put his hands on his hips and felt the need to announce just how long the grass had grown.

As you can expect, unconsciously, his comments didn't stop. I felt bad for Jukebox, because he obviously felt jammed in the middle. In turn, though it was very amiable dialogue, I sensed he felt the need to apologize that the lawn wasn't cut. As I've said before, and I'll say again: I sit behind a desk all day. I love the exercise/fresh air of working in the yard, and have zero expectation that I receive any help with said chores. I suppose I do have one small caveat to disclose, which is, don't look a great big stinkin' gift horse in the mouth!

Anyway, by the time he'd made it into the house, his steady rant of comments resonated and I started to laugh. When he asked me what was so funny, I told him that I could go to into my home office and send a shout out to Facebook, asking if there was anyone that wanted to come on over and help me mow my lawn. He didn't know what to say....

"Hell, I figure I have at least one buddy that wouldn't hesitate to head over and start-a-mowing," I said. Then continued..."But I fear they may only agree if you'd hang around, have a beer & watch us do it!"

Not another word was said. Cool as a cucumber, I got out of my dress clothes, hooked in my headphones, and opened the garage door. Suffice is to say that my photo illustrates exactly how my lawn officially got mowed this eve. 

Who says a bitchy wife needs to lose their temper to get what they want? Not this cat!

I always knew having two kickass lawn mowers would come in handy!
TAKEN: JULY 25th, 2013

MY INNER ANGST

Well, here we sit. It’s the tail end of the long weekend in May and this is officially longest stretch I have ever gone without writing. Last time it was because I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue my electronic journal journey, this time it’s that I've been fashionably embracing the sheer excitement of spring. You know that swag, when no matter what you're wearing, it's always complimented by a smile.

As you can imagine, my change in seasonal mindset has kept me on my toes. So much to do at the house, with equally as much to getting the cottage open, and my very busy social life getting the last sliver of free time available. Like most people my age, I still have a level of inner angst that I will miss something that may be worthy of being embraced. As I've written before, in some way, shape, or form, I believe that need for adventure is connected to the fact that my mother passed at 57.

Found 500 pecos in my bathing suit bag I moved this weekend.
It'll stay on the cottage fridge to remind me of Mexico
TAKEN: MAY 21st, 2016

As a result, I am always saving and planning. Trips, concerts, sporting activities, dinner parties; you name it and I'm on it.

With a wide range of activities planned until I leave for my fall trip to the Bahamas, the focus outside of those will be upgrades at the cottage.

This weekend had us complete the installation of a new pressure tank and hot water heater. Then, beginning next weekend, all the decks and stairs will be resurfaced. Lots of elbow grease to be exercised, which is fine by me.

Though we have a deck and dock expansion planned for July, I am most excited to build a new retaining wall along shore. Moving all the material in will be a bitch but after that I'll get to wade in the water, work, and suntan. A much better task than rebuilding the old outhouse which is something my husband keeps mentioning.

I get that it's currently a bit of an eyesore but the good news is that because I am the keeper of the list, I am pleased to report that particular renovation is only a topic of conversation and not currently earmarked as an official project.

...Which is where it will stay if I can keep adding to the list!

MY FINAL FALL FLAMES

As you know, I’ve been clearing behind the cottage all summer (& into the fall) one pulled muscle at a time. As expected, it’s been a very long and physically daunting task but as of last night, I’ve officially gotten my project to a place I'm actually happy with.

The good news is that everything that was going to get cut this season was down and moved a couple of weeks ago. The bad news was that burning of all those remnants of brush, saw little end in sight. With the core goal of cleaning that mess in mind, I landed with the pups around noon with a plan. A plan to just keep my head down and the fire stoked until my last muscle was pulled and the great big clutter of crap was gone. Though it started to snow shortly after 1pm, it made not matter. In fact, the odd burst of white precipitation and radio blaring made for great company.

Pleased to report that it snowed for the first time this fall at exactly 1:12pm yesterday!
TAKEN: OCTOBER 17th, 2015

As I maneuvered around my fire yesterday there was lots of time to think. As a result, here’s today’s question… When you look inward at yourself, is there anything your grateful for? 

For example, I am proud at how I’ve raised my children, happy that I have made a comfortable living over the years; but most of all I am grateful that I’ve never been lazy. After all, the only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary.

At the end of the season, I’m glad my little cottage project was something I decided to work away at on my own. I was telling my BEF (best electronic friend) this morning that I can see physical changes in my body from all my hard work but it’s more than that. As a goal oriented person, the results speak for themselves.

I guess the bottom line is that I had a vision and I knew it would take a hell of a lot of work to see it accomplished. The added bonus is that I am going to look really good in my bikini next month in Mexico.

A win, win, win, win, win, win for little ole me....Wouldn’t ya say?!

It may not look like much but it was a hell of a lot of hard work!
(...As I proudly blogged about my first phase in July.)
TAKEN: July 21st & October 18th, 2015

I’M OFFICIALLY SPENT!

What a weekend. Though I had the luxury of spending the majority of Saturday with my daughter, I definitely paid for it by trying to cram three days of cumbersome fall house chores into two. I have aches on top of aches and they aren’t what I consider a “good hurt”. I’m not sure if I remember the euphoric kind if pain I’m alluding to that usually follows really great sex; but trust me, these aches ain’t them.

Yesterday was spent inside, cleaning and purging. From moving furniture, to vacuuming the corners of ceilings, to sorting through a boat load of closet crap I no longer need. If there’s one thing I’m not, it’s a pack rat. This time last year, I told myself that I would hang onto certain items of clothing until I hit a certain goal size. Well, I’ve hit that goal and all I could do was laugh as I crammed specific residual frocks into garbage bags for donation. Why? Because the I have no idea why I was holding onto the stuff. They was some dat mo-fo ugly kinda stuff!

Anyway, after a Jays win last night, I went to bed early and switched the focus to outside chores today. With my man working his list of things to do, I was really hoping that this would be the last time I'd have to mow the lawn this season but you never know. It’s 22C here today, so I just may need to pull out my bad boy Lawnboy one more time before my snow scoop replaces it and my closest yard work confidant.

I swear we're the only household on our street that doesn't have someone else do their yard work!
TAKEN: OCTOBER 12th, 2015

Speaking of my snow scoop. When I finished the mowing the main part of the lawn, I couldn’t help but notice that we were the only house that was suffering extreme foliage spillage onto the street, so I decided to rake. Though it was still raining leaves as I tackled the task, the good news is that I grabbed my snow scoop and shoveled the suckers into submission. Like I said, I’m spent.

As I sit here in a near comatose state, squinting at the screen, I have no desire to prepare dinner. With the twins engaged elsewhere for dinner and Jukebox working at his computer, I’m contemplating what to prepare. At this juncture, a bowl of Fruit Loops and an ice cream sandwich for dessert seem mighty inviting.

Then again, I’m not sure that I will be able to lift the cereal spoon to my mouth without wincing; so three ice cream sandwiches into the blender it is!

Uh-Oh, where's my straw? Come on.... Has anyone seen my straw?!

THE SKEETER/HACKSAW SAGA

Living at the cottage most definitely has its perks but it also comes with a long list of things to do that simply don’t take care of themselves. Changing out everything from deck boards to light bulbs, I’ve become a pretty hands on handyperson. (I’m working on a small hot water issue that has me bathing in the lake until the weekend but that's another post.)

I don’t know what things look like from where you’re sitting but from where I’m typing the mosquitoes are plentiful and some range up in size resembling small hummingbirds. Though life teaches one to appreciate quality and not quantity, some days I feel a swarm of skeeters could carry me from the car down the 55 steps and dump me at the sliding patio door on the deck. BBQing dinner last night, I’d had finally had enough, and hatched a plan.

Not stitch of brush was safe today. My buddy Gary would have been proud!
TAKEN: JULY 21st, 2015

You’ll be impressed when I share that I don’t run the chainsaw when I’m here alone, so a few years back I bought myself a hacksaw. 

Knowing what I had to do to get it done, I fetched it from the shed last night. Then, once the high noon sun hit today, I slathered myself in Muskol, and hit the back hill on a mission. 

Come hell or high water, I was going clear as much brush as I could to get some serious sunlight onto the hill to help Mother Nature burn them blood sucking skeeters to a crisp. Two hours later the remnants were hauled into a pile and I had gone as far as I could. I was sweaty and stinky. The good news is that there wasn’t a skeeter in sight. I gobbled my lunch, cleaned myself up and worked the afternoon away at my desk.

About  15 minutes ago I went outside to see if I had actually made a dent in my task at hand. Truth is, I couldn’t tell. The mosquitoes were so friggin’ bad that I just turned around and came back in the cottage. Guess I’m gonna give it another go tomorrow. Just like preparing a solid annual operating plan, more hacking and slashing (I mean sawing) shall happen tomorrow!

YUP, the skeeter/hacksaw saga continues. Something tells me I’m fighting a losing battle but at least I’m committed on giving it an honest go and not pouting when it simply didn't work out the way I wanted it to.

Afterall, we all know quitters never prosper!

WOODn’t You Like To Help?!

When it comes to the day to day chores at home, there are only two things that I really hate doing. One is taking out the garbage, and the second is hauling wood. The chore of the garbage will never be a participation sport for me, however, I know I am going to have to kick it up a notch in the hauling wood department.

The first two of our ten cord arrived this morning.
Get me some A535...STAT!
Taken: October 12th, 2013

Oh, the mighty double edged sword... Or shall I say axe?

Once my son started paying rent, he was ambitiously quick to point out that it was exactly that: “Room and Board” not “Room and Chores!” 

Just like our Sunday night suppers, the hauling and piling of wood in the fall, has been a seasonal tradition since we bought our home in 2002.

I really do love the airtight fireplace we have.

I love the warmth the fire offers me on those damp fall days, and cold winter nights.

Yet, I hate the stinking mess it produces! Not to mention, the day to day regiment of keeping it stocked, stoked, and going strong with the flames a flickering.

Ah hell, what the heck am I grumbling for? There's only one thing I love more than my fuzzy socks and painfully ugly off season bathrobe... and that's embracing them both in front of a toasty fire in the fireplace.

Those three simple indulgences right there truly help get me through our harsh Muskoka winters!

Those, and a couple of other tricky tidbits, I'd rather not share just yet.

Sunday Sunshine Always Makes Me Smile…

I woke up this morning, jumped in the shower, and I have to admit I have a skip in my step. 

For me, there is nothing better than a spring like winter day (especially when it just happens to arrive on a day that I don’t have to haul my sorry ass into work)!

True to form, my list is complete for the day. Indoor chores are few and outdoor chores are many. The fact that I’ll be able to wear a heavy sweater & gloves has me ecstatic. There’s always something in the air on a day like today that makes me smile. It’s like I am unstoppable or something.

For whatever reason I always end up in the back yard with a bonfire started. Not because I have something to burn (though I have been known to empty the garage of stuff without warning) but because it feels right. 

I am so jazzed for a really great day that I don’t even give a crap (no pun intended) that my first outdoor chore is to clean Daisy & Dots front yard powder room. Bring on the wheel barrel and my rubber boots – I’m on a mission!

Who says you have to be in Jamaica this time of year to tan?