Book Review: Last Call

Sometimes you pick up a book and wonder... This was quite the read.  

It is a novel about addictions, and trauma, and what family and friends go through. I found it illuminating. I nearly couldn't finish, but persevered. It was heartbreaking, what people go through. People are quick to judge, and this really helps people understand. There is so much negativity around addictions. People are quick to judge. This let's those of us on the peripheral to better understand the hows, and the whys, and the nature of addiction. 

It is a story of redemption. I am glad I read to the end. 

 Fundraiser for Manie Daniels Centre in Maberly taking place ... 

Former drug user to open rehab centre in Lanark County - CBC 

Last Call is a story of redemption. It follows the life of Tommy Boyle, an addict whose life has spiralled to a low bottom and seems to have lost all meaning. The story is told by a third party unrelated to the events within the novel. He is a man named Joe who receives what is to be the last in a series of calls Tommy Boyle is making from a pay phone to members of his family. Joe was never meant to be the recipient of the call but the call would impact him forever.

Book Review: Caller Unknown

 What a great read! A new publication, 2026, I devoured it.

I finished it on the back deck, glued to my chair. It is a novel that is very much centred around the mother/daughter bond. I found that something to give me food for thought. 

She writes of cognitive dissonance. When we visited Jordan at university, it was very strange. How quickly they grow up, more so than one's own kids. The big question is, what would you do for your adult child? I found it riveting. A good read.

Gillian McAllister has a great body of work

Walkies with Cinnamon

But first, the kids went out and down to the Ottawa River Remic Rapids. The rocks are quite famous. John Ceprano has been balancing them for 40 years! Sunday was Caitlin's birthday. We had celebrated July 26th!

Cinnamon Walkies

I thought that he'd lost interest in them. Maybe with the bugs much lessened... We went out to the back 40, then the dock, and the frog pond trailcam, and then our 3rd lot. 

First we walked along the path to Barry's spot. Behind the buck is the path down to the viewing point.

Cinn roared along with me and climbed Barry's fallen Aspen trees. It was somewhat buggy, and I hustled to exchange the SD Cards.

I'd set the camera to 'photos,' which is totally inadequate for coyotes!

Lot #3
I haven't been down here since the July 1st storm. I couldn't bear to look yet. I was ready. 

You can see the frog pond on the right. The pond is draining into the wetland, and Cinnamon crossed on a small tree limb. I had flip flop on and was OK!

Ode to a pine tree

This tree the cats liked to climb. No more. The first photo is Aug. 2021, the next this past weekend. 

 

I think the coyotes brought up a road kill deer to eat in the safety of the forest.

He roared up the driveway. We went and put our feet up.

I was trying to clean out some Gramma Camp things from the play area in the basement. I found some Crayola markers. Why not test them, and see if they still work? They do. I'd forgotten my alien, but Joe and Jordan reminded me! 

A new week begins. We shall see what unfolds.

Odds and sods

 That was a storm on Friday. After dinner, we watched episodes 3 and 4 of GONE. Being happy go lucky, we watched 5 and 6! I love the layers of clues, the accents, the scenery. It was filmed at Downside Catholic School in the UK. 

"– inspired by the book To Hunt A Killer by former detective superintendent for Gloucestershire Police, Julie Mackay, and ITV crime correspondent Robert Murphy, with both Mackay and Murphy consultants on the series.^[2]  Wiki  

GONE

We'll often watch a foreign film with translation. We just finished Fosca Innocenti 2022  and it was one of those light, joyful, mysteries. Almost a RomCom. The lead female is the Commissario in this TV Series from Italy. The characters are gender diverse.

She's not a size 2 actor, nor heavily made up. It is refreshing. We've been discussing it, how the make-up, the barely clad people of the American shows, is left behind in the dust in comparison. Filmed in Arezzo, Italy. 

Well, back to our little piece of heaven. The frog in the goldfish pond is against photos. Can you see his little eye balls?!

I wasn't that near to him, but I caught his legs in the photo! I am slow to respond. 

I snapped a photo another day.

Another throw back to cottage life. Caitlin hung up diapers! I have been looking for this photo for days... 

Barry Beaver seems ticked off still. All the trees he'd prepared to chop down fell in the July 1st storm.  We had our path cleared July 30th. I haven't seen Barry since then. I noticed that the duck weed and frog bit hadn't budged. 

Aug. 12

There seems to be some action, Aug. 13th.

 

The Freds seem to be slowing down. The cool nights are doing it, I think. A bit of a shock this morning!

MiniFred peeks his head out. Auntie Fred is minding her own business. They are solitary critters, I've read. I've seen proof as Auntie doesn't go under the deck. MiniFred stays away from the shed.

That sweet little face!

We have lovely afternoons on the back deck. Joe pulled up a chair for Cinnamon. 

As we sat there, I spotted the resident hawk flying at eye level towards us, then it veered up over the roof. I was too slow to spot it and capture a photo. However, this one is a frequent flyer. 

I've noticed several millipedes wandering across the driveway. Three or four, methinks. It's a bit odd. 

Of course there are things that are on the hunt in the night. Finally a half-decent image grabbed from the video of our regular fox visitor.

Saturday's Critters

There are many signs that fall approaches. Friday morning it was 14 ℃, today 13 ℃ and a tad chilly. It reminds me of cottage life. Putting on a fire in the morning. Critters begin to find warmer lodging!

This dock spider has many names. It's a biggie, I'll call it sir! It was released outside. 

The next photo is the exoskeleton of a cicada I think. The one after one I found. Soon they will stop singing as we cool down.

  

The goldfish will come in later. Meantime they have loved all the rains filling their pond.

The light is changing with the time of year. Fred was out munching in the garden, as he is wont to do. He has some eating to do before he konks out for winter. Auntie Fred has been out, as well.

MiniFred has been out front more than the back. I tossed him some leftover cabbage.

   

 I do love reptiles and amphibians. Spending lonely summers at the cottage, they were my friends.

   

 I came across a garter snake on my forest walk. It was sitting there looking like a cobra, head up, watching me! I suspect it had just had lunch and was feeling vulnerable. 

   

 The frog pond is over grown. It is quite full, which varies year-to-year. We've had a lot of rain this month. The frogs are happy with this.

 If you turn up the sound you can hear the bullfrogs.

 

Saturday's Critters # 661 visit more critters, hosted by Eileen!

Algonquin Park Canoe Camping

Nope. Not us. Our extended family! These four braved the bugs, wind, rain, and poison ivy to go camping Aug. 8 - 11th. It was epic. Aster, a school chum, Caitlin and Jean-Luc were off. Jordan had popped in for a couple of days, home on the bus Friday, back on Sunday. He took their photo.

I watched the lightning radar just as they were on their way! There is no cell service in the park. It is a strange feeling, knowing we cannot contact them! 

They were quite prepared, as they are very experienced canoe campers. Maps by Jeff are amazing! You can purchase these detailed maps created by another experienced camper. The maps even warn of poison ivy patches in camp areas.

 

The Algonquin outfitters do a really cool thing. You can have the company take your canoes to the launch spot for you. Then, you can have them take your car to where you finish, and they pick up the canoes. It is a wonderful modern take on such an experience, in my mind. Not that I have ever camped, but I have canoed a lot in my time, and I know how tricky it is to haul on those sore muscles. 

I looked it up online, and found several people who have done this route: Achray, through Barron Canyon, to Squirrel Rapids. This is the video JL took at their campsite! 

 Tuesday we were visiting Jordan in Kingston! Our Kingston trip!

Trip over (Saturday => Tuesday), Caitlin kindly texted to say they were back in cell phone service. By then we were home, too. 

They stopped in Renfrew to recharge the car and grab lunch! Happy Campers! Then, they headed home, safe and sound. Muskoka chair photo-op!

The photos and videos trickled in. Everyone took photos. It was great fun. I absolutely adore Muskoka rocks, flora and fauna.

 I'd love to visit Big Falls in the park, but that won't happen! This was epic. Aster took a flying leap! Twasn't a skill I knew Aster had managed! 

At home, this is what we had. No sound, just a light show. Ah, nature is grand.