I went shopping!

First, sad news. I went down to check the driveway entrance. We'd had snow, it does  pile up when the snowplow goes by. A pair of crows flew up. I looked around, and found a half-eaten cottontail. It's so sad. Drivers just fly along the road. R.I.P little bunny.

 A busy week, it was. I went into town to fetch deer food. Saturday we had 10 friends visiting! Not at the same time, once I went out. Several aren't our regulars, and took off. We've a healthy group of deer. All of them get a mouthful. Not a lot, but enough. I am watching for an antler this year, but I am not exactly hopeful. I haven't seen any bucks in weeks. They drop them January/February here, after rutting season, and testosterone drops with lack of food and the cold.

Friday, I had major errands. Kitty litter, cat food, potassium chloride for our hard water. These are errands Joseph usually does, but his back is not great. With his health issues he cannot lift them, but last week he didn't even feel up to driving. This is serious. We have great people who carry out the heavy things for us. It is an aging community! 

Home Hardware has two little sheds for shopping carts! It makes sense. 

This is the best, though. A sauna! I would love a sauna and a hot tub. It's not going to happen, although my brother, from whom I am estranged, said he'd buy us one! What a dreamer.

Not too many shoppers and/or weird drivers, hell bent for election. The trunk filled up.

 

I have a story! I was so proud of myself. I began to shovel the sidewalk, but found ice underneath. This isn't good. I put on my boots with cleats. They are wonderful. On sale, the last pair in the store and I scooped them up. 

Not being too happy with slipping, I figured I'd best put some salt down. It can be very dangerous for us old farts. The problem is, I haven't used this for the pool in a couple of years, it's too small for our teenaged grandies. The salt is hard. Using a hammer, I smacked it to break up the chunks. Well, most of them.

I had a chunk, flung it at the pavement hoping it would smash to smithereens. It did. But some bounced off the step, backwards into my hair. I forgot about it until bedtime. Reading in bed, my scalp was itchy. Sure enough, salt all over the pillow! I could have gotten up and washed my hair, but I resisted the urge. Manana...

Speaking of shovels, apparently you can't have too many! They were quite necessary in Bala, Muskoka, in Central Ontario. 

 

sputniks and gardening

I wrote the other day about: Critters: cats of different stripes. There were 14 monarch caterpillars in site that day! 

I popped this leaf into the aquarium. I don't know what the eggs are, they were on a rose bush, and I was afraid I would knock them off. 

The question mark caterpillars have gone into their chrysalis. Now we wait.



A pretty little bug, perhaps Dicera tenebrosa! It looks copper. It was crawling on the sunflower plant, then got mad at me (privacy!) and fell to the sidewalk.


Update on the monarchs: another has gone into chrysalis. After a bit more research, I realized that when they morph, they do that within the outer striped shell. Then, as they turn green and expand their size within the shell, the outer casing/shell falls off. You're never too old to learn!



In other news...
We cottaged in Bala for 50 years or so, and we all have fond memories of the sputnik buttonbush on the lakefront. Here is was, to the right of the white lawnchair.

My brother and my dad moving dad's sailboat, preparing to put the docks in. Again, the buttonbush on the left.

The new homeowners have put sod in, and I presume the buttonbushes are gone.


Caitlin and I liked the sputnik plants we used to have at the cottage, where we lived in Muskoka. We both bought one. Now, mine was up on a rock garden in the front and it wasn't doing well. Hers is amazing. Hers is beside her rain barrel, and got the overflow water. She took a photo for me to compare the size. It's her 40th birthday Friday. I don't know where the time goes!


You can see why it has this name.

 

Mine was facing serious issues. I did some gardening Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, and moved the bush. Here is my piddly little bush! You can see the dead, brown branches. Cross your fingers for me!


Well, I paid for gardening in flip flops. Again.

I shall donate the flip flops to Isabelle, who quite likes them! She is 8, now, and she is growing.

Between this, and my worsening cataracts, it's getting frustrating! JB has been amazing.

Muskoka Trip – Part 7 Bala => Port Carling => Rosseau => Huntsville

We drove around Bala. Great memories.
The Balacade was just sold this past year, by the family who has run it for decades.


OK, as I said, we cottaged here for 50 years. This building has had many iterations.


There aren't that many older buildings in Bala, many burned in the days of yore. Can you guess the year? That's me (red), my dad, and little brother.

This place has been a pub for as long as I can remember. The patio is interesting!



Everyone knows the Kee to Bala, formerly Dunn's Pavilion! The big band era, women in white gloves, dancing around the water fountain.


I cannot remember when this building was full.




The school must have been having a blanket ceremony! There are so many wonderful First Nation teachers at Wahta. I retired from teaching when we lived in Bala (2005 - 2010). I offered to volunteer at the local elementary school. The principal phoned me and asked me to pour juice during the nutritional breaks. I didn't get back to her.

Port Carling

This hill is quite something. I made a video of an incident during the big snowfall. We'd had snomaggedon that December. The plow was trying to do its job when a car passed it, went around it at the bottom of the hill and couldn't get up, (Dec. 2009 – Snowplows and skidoos).


There are a lot of wealthy cottagers who come from the US.


An amazing Port Carling building.


Can you see the sign? "Sweet Jesus!" I was curious and we walked around to it.


Sweet Jesus and its stairway to heaven.


This mural is amazing. It is made of individual photos.


This new building is interesting.


One must keep an eye out for critters.

Rosseau!

The OPP are on patrol.

Crossroads

This restaurant is a favourite of ours. Husband and wife, chefs Julie and Richard Lalonde, used to live in Bala. Julie prepared Meals on Wheels for Bala residents, which JB delivered. They moved 11 years ago to run this place. 

Muskoka Rocks! Tricky on these hills with this load. This was quite the tale!



We toodled along highway #141 to Bent River. It's a pretty drive.


I liked this cloud!

We left Rosseau to go back to the hotel. 

Muskoka Beach Road, Gravenhurst

For dinner, we went to Huntsville, to visit with Lake of Bays Counsellor Nancy Tapley.
The show was on in Huntsville. Muskoka has a great summer theatre.


We ate on the upper back deck. Yummy food.


We talked and had a great time. Nancy and her brother run Bondi Village. It's an amazing cottage resort. My family and I stayed here the last weekend in January for many years. We'd go skiing.

Then, back to Gravenhurst, to our hotel.

It was a big day for travel!

• Our vacay – a road trip Part 1
• Trip to Muskoka Part 2 – the turtles
• Trip to Muskoka – Part 3
• Muskoka Trip – Part 4 Bala
• Trip to Muskoka – Part 5 Bala Falls dam update #52...
• Trip to Muskoka – Part 6 Gravenhurst Hotel & Marke...