https://mynaturaldeodorant.com/foraging-mushrooms-at-the-cottage/
Wednesday, June 3, 2020
Sunday, July 6, 2014
2014 Week 1 cottage
Some of the chores:
Cutting grass (it was 2-3 feet tall)
Fortunately I have a lawn mower given to me years ago as a barter for using our cottage by a long time member of my men's group. I have been using this old beater for 6 years and it refuses to die!!!
Life hack... Only buy Briggs and Stratten engines!!
Next up deal with crazy mosquito situation by buying and installing 8' x 8' netted gazibo on deck!
Negotiate with a neighbour to buy a 12' aluminum fishing boat for my son.
Spend day in town with Matt buying electric motor and battery- then using my trusty Briggs and Stratten powered pressure washer (courtesy of Dan Galler) help Matt power wash boat and replace rear rotted wood with fresh waterproof plywood!
Get boat to water and take a maiden voyage with Matt at the helm.
Replace rear bike tire in my wife's bike... ( got extra points for that)
Next up - the vegetable garden, again using a Briggs and Stratten powered Roto Tiller (bought for $25 at a garage sale up here years ago) this 30 year old beast turns over the garden in no time! I use this for about a 1/2 hour a year, it always starts and it is just fabulous!!!
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Friday, August 17, 2012
August feels like October!
The past few weeks have shot by and the end of summer is quickly approaching!
My Parents have come for a brief two night visit and gone. Matt and I packed for a week of camping at the Haliburton Scout Reserve - yikes the forecast says overnight lows of 6 degrees... sure glad we have our cozy MEC mummy style sleeping bags.... oh so cozy. Still swimming but the river is much cooler than it was in July. We spent the day yesterday at our friend Paul's cottage where we swam, Matt got to go tubing and we shared a fine dinner before driving home after dusk!
Today we went and found two Geocaches in Gelert - one in the cemetery and the other by the Burnt River! 2 for 2 is pretty good for us!
I have also accomplished some work around the house adding trim to the inside of the front door and the living room!
We have seen a few more of our wild neighbours.... two bucks at the side of the road near Apsley were very patient subjects!
We have had some regular visits from the local Turkey family! And this Turkey sure knows how to strut its stuff!
I didn't mean to ruffle your feathers.... but I am glad I got to keep a shed tail feather!
Some very fine local mushrooms from the Farmers Market in Kinmount made a few great stir fries!
Friday, August 3, 2012
July Turns into August
The summer is moving quickly and along with daily swimming and a few ongoing projects to improve the cottage, we find time for some adventure!
Getting set to head down the Irondale to Kinmount with our cottage neighbours Sharron and Lynne! It was a glorious day of paddling with lunch by the Falls and a swim at Black Rock.
Matt and I headed out by canoe one afternoon from Howland Junction - to go fishing for Muskie at Three Brothers Falls just a short paddle upstream from this beautiful trestle bridge. It was a fun spot to fish but two lost Muskie lures and a few hours later... still no bites. The scenery and company make the trip well worthwhile, but a bite or two would of been nice!
Matt gets his new Tomahawk throwing axe from Robyn Simpson of http://www.songofthewoods.com/. We met Robyn at the Kinmount Farmers Market where he sells his handcrafted knives and aboriginal ceremonial tools and leathercrafts. Over the past five summers Matt and Robyn have become buddies as Robyn is always ready with a tip on knife care and a story about his wares. Matt got this throwing axe as a grade 6 graduation present from his Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill and Grandparents - Shirley and Marvin!
Upon returning with his new axe we go and visit our neighbours Ekk and Doris who are avid axe throwers and they offer Matt a stump of wood to use as a target!
The Harvest is starting - some fantastic beans! There are lots of tomatoes on the way and some very nice cukes!
With some advice and help from Ekk, I manage to get some electrical bugs worked out. I really never thought things were right as the spare bedroom lights and plugs kept tripping the ground fault plug in the bathroom! Fixed! Now everything should stay on and bathroom plug is separate from bedroom! And all accomplished without running any new wires or lines to the breaker panel. It is amazing how simple things can be when you know what you are doing. Thanks Ekk!!
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Weeks 3 & 4
The Summer is rolling by quickly.
Last Monday we spent the day driving Matthew to Cobourg to catch the Via Train to Montreal for the week to visit his grandparents for the week! As the train arrives the Tag he is wearing is to ID him as an "Unaccompanied Minor" supposedly so Via staff can keep an eye on him, it also tells everyone else on the train he is alone which for some younger, less muscular kids might not be such a great idea!
The early morning drive to Cobourg was beautiful as we took a route along the West side of Pigeon Lake South of Bobcaygeon. After Matt's train departed, Deb and I took a stroll along the beach in Cobourg and then stopped for lunch on our drive back to the cottage at a diner in Milbrook, a little town with many huge Victorian homes and a quaint tiny main street.
The week has gone by quickly for Deb and I with many swims, walks, and a short hike in the woods - where we really noticed how incredibly dry the forest is without any rain in July.
Deb harvested her first ever Garlic crop - the buds are a bit small but the aroma is very pungent as they dry in the bunkie.
I also continued work on the cottage - my current project is making baseboard and door frames. Using 10 ft long 1x4 pine and sending them through a router to create a nice milled edge. Once I get about 20 done, I'll be able to get most of the cottage trimmed up!
There have been many great meals - including one the night before Matt left at Lili and Johns down the road. On our way back from Haliburton today we stopped at a local country butcher and bought some huge Scallops. Fried in butter along with onions they were a great treat! We are planning to host a few neighbours next week for dinner when WynneAnne is visiting.
We are slowly collecting a variety of interesting twigs and things around the deck!
Tomorrow I am planning (weather permitting) to canoe from our dock to Kinmount with Two of our neighbours - Sharron and Lynne. We did the trip last summer with friends, it takes about 4-5 hours and involved two portages - one around the nicest set of Falls in the Haliburton Highlands - Three Brothers Falls!
We have been swimming almost everyday and playing a lot of after dinner badminton which has been fun for us all! We have also been throwing darts this summer - Matt really likes that.
A recent visitor to the tree in front of our deck gets Matt out of bed one night and after grabbing his camera he gets the shot of the midnight Bandit grooming!
An evening paddle alone on the river brought me close to a few beavers and their Kits! I sat quietly in the canoe taking photos and video (a bit shaky) of the busy creatures as they worked on their house and ate the bark off a few twigs - here the beaver is eating bark much like we would corn on a cob!
We spent a nice afternoon with Linda and Bill at their cottage - where we celebrated Matts Grade School Grad with a lovely cake from Aunt Linda and Uncle Bill (even if they can't spell in Minden!)
Last Monday we spent the day driving Matthew to Cobourg to catch the Via Train to Montreal for the week to visit his grandparents for the week! As the train arrives the Tag he is wearing is to ID him as an "Unaccompanied Minor" supposedly so Via staff can keep an eye on him, it also tells everyone else on the train he is alone which for some younger, less muscular kids might not be such a great idea!
The week has gone by quickly for Deb and I with many swims, walks, and a short hike in the woods - where we really noticed how incredibly dry the forest is without any rain in July.
Deb harvested her first ever Garlic crop - the buds are a bit small but the aroma is very pungent as they dry in the bunkie.
There have been many great meals - including one the night before Matt left at Lili and Johns down the road. On our way back from Haliburton today we stopped at a local country butcher and bought some huge Scallops. Fried in butter along with onions they were a great treat! We are planning to host a few neighbours next week for dinner when WynneAnne is visiting.
We are slowly collecting a variety of interesting twigs and things around the deck!
Tomorrow I am planning (weather permitting) to canoe from our dock to Kinmount with Two of our neighbours - Sharron and Lynne. We did the trip last summer with friends, it takes about 4-5 hours and involved two portages - one around the nicest set of Falls in the Haliburton Highlands - Three Brothers Falls!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Week Two
Week two started with having guests for a night! As Matt and Tess were heading to camp Sunday, having Tess's family over Saturday night proved to be a nice interlude for everyone before dropping the kids off for a weeks camp.
We have also been having a daily visitor to the yard, I think he likes Croquet. I know he like dandelions and weeds which is good as the alternative is some fine dining in Deb's vegetable garden.
Deb and I spent Monday and Tuesday in Peterborough exploring the various neighborhoods and the downtown core. Dinner at a local pub featured some live music which made for a very pleasant accompaniment to our meal! Tuesday we spent several hours touring a number of homes with a realtor to get a better sense of possibilities.... It was a great visit.
No traffic, drive across town in 10 minutes, walk from west end to downtown in 15 minutes, some nice boutiques and restaurants, reasonable home prices, brand new hospital and YMCA, just over an hour drive to cottage, food for thought....
The rest of the week has involved much swimming and canoe/kayaking along with finishing the trim in the bathroom... I can finally cross that off the to-do list!
Friday - our last day before Matthew comes back for camp Deb and I woke at 5:45 am and headed out for an absolutely glorious morning paddle. Who would ever of thought Deb would get out of bed at that hour??!! The river was magical with the mist rising off the water and the sun peeking out around each bend. The forest was alive with birds! It was really fantastic!
Deb and I spent Monday and Tuesday in Peterborough exploring the various neighborhoods and the downtown core. Dinner at a local pub featured some live music which made for a very pleasant accompaniment to our meal! Tuesday we spent several hours touring a number of homes with a realtor to get a better sense of possibilities.... It was a great visit.
No traffic, drive across town in 10 minutes, walk from west end to downtown in 15 minutes, some nice boutiques and restaurants, reasonable home prices, brand new hospital and YMCA, just over an hour drive to cottage, food for thought....
The rest of the week has involved much swimming and canoe/kayaking along with finishing the trim in the bathroom... I can finally cross that off the to-do list!
Friday - our last day before Matthew comes back for camp Deb and I woke at 5:45 am and headed out for an absolutely glorious morning paddle. Who would ever of thought Deb would get out of bed at that hour??!! The river was magical with the mist rising off the water and the sun peeking out around each bend. The forest was alive with birds! It was really fantastic!
Looking forward to seeing MattI'm sure h'll be pleased with the new darts I got him... He is becoming a pretty good diddler!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
