Lunch out!

My client cancelled Thursday. Joe suggested we go out to lunch or dinner. Off we went to Smiths Falls for lunch.

I've noticed this silo over the years. They tore down the top and seem to be rebuilding it. You can see someone using the snowblower.

The river is frozen over, it's got snowmachine tracks and fishing huts on it. You just have to embrace winter!

Boats in their coats tucked up for winter:

Parking lots have lots of snow piled up, I noticed on our first stop. It may that some this week. Slowly, I hope. It's going to be above zero this week. A slow melt is much preferable!

Icicles drip from some homes, towns are struggling with snow removal. 

We tucked in for lunch. 

What I like about ordering a large, as opposed to a lunch-sized meal, is I take half home for dinner the next night. 

We drove through Lombardy. This home, on 0.5 acres, is for sale again. There was an open house Sunday. It has a lot of history. My 97-year-old client (who passed away during COVID of natural causes) told me about its past uses. Bakery, post office, the addition was removed as it was well beyond its best before dare. 

Otter Creek Antiques: Store Deconstruction in Lombardy Prior to deconstruction, Nov., 2018.

It used to be Otter Creek Antiques! It was renovated, and again Lombardy home for sale! 

• They rebuilt it and it sold for $249,900.  
• It is for sale, again. For 389,900!  That was October, 2024.
• Listed by Remax, $649,900, Feb., 2025!

There is an Open House Feb. 23rd, 2025

Let's all have us a good week. Calmer heads prevail. We've a 🇧🇲 provincial election for Thursday. I am not hopeful. 

An adventure

 Last week, I was supposed to visit a new client. Joe still can't shop, with his back, so I did an online pickup order. Off I went. No problem. When I arrived home, I left the car out on the driveway in the sun shine. Our driveway is 100m long, and I left my purse in the car, ready to leave for 2:45.

Out I went to start it for my volunteer work. The car was totally dead. We hadn't driven anywhere for a week. What with Joe's back, and all. I hadn't thought anything about it! Not only that, but I'd left the keys in the ignition. Rookie move.

I thought that the lights would automatically go out. They do not if the keys are in the ignition, methinks. 

I quick call to CAA and I patiently waited outside. It was sunny and beautiful, thankfully.

There was lots of action!

 

Dave came with his portable recharger. He suggested I keep it running for 30 - 45 minutes.  

Rather than letting it sit there idling, we decided on a drive to Smiths Falls. 

They are still harvesting pumpkins in Lombardy!

Smiths Falls is an interesting town.

Dinner was great. It was early, and it was quiet. And I had leftovers! 

Look who I found across the street from the plaza! Our rescuers. Happily the car started after dinner.

In the fields, a huge flock of Canada Geese.

I did an edit, as the power lines were marring the skies. 

The pumpkins arrived at the stand.

The car started the next day, no problem.

Narrows Lock Birding – Part 1

 We needed a change, and to get away from the news. Off we went for a drive to Narrows Locks. It was a sunny day, finally, and it was good to get out. We had our lunch, and took off. Back in the pre-COVID days we'd head out for a trek and have our lunch out. Perhaps, when we can eat outdoors, we'll do that. We still have people in hospital in our health unit with COVID–19.  March doesn't look too good. 

The boats still in their coats. The bay at the Rideau Ferry Marina is still quite frozen. 

You can see things beginning to thaw, especially where people have dock bubblers and where the sun shines facing south.

There is much meltwater, but the grass is a bit green at Lombardy.

Otter Lake is frozen.

Funny story:

I was down at the end of our driveway last week. I was wearing a bright red hoodie. A car honked as they went by. On the back of the car was a large sign reading FREEDOM! I think they thought I was part of that wacko movement of those who protested in Ottawa last month. It was really strange. 

We have our fair share of COVID deniers and protestors. This is an example. I don't think they know that mandates are being lifted. 

On the way, there is winter wheat growing, the tender green shoots were obvious.

Corn is gone. I love the straight lines.

Then, on a creek beside highway #15, there were quite a few geese on the open water. I was hopeful that we'd find geese and swans at Narrows Lock. 

The roads are pretty bad, with potholes here and there. 

I snapped 158 photos on Monday. I shall curate the rest soon, so Joseph Brian can see where we have been! Here is a foreshadowing of what we saw, open water which is a good place to find geese, swans, and mergansers! Here they gather until they fly further north to breed.

Otter Creek Antiques: Store Deconstruction in Lombardy

This was a lovely, old antique store in Lombardy. A creek runs behind it, Otter Creek. 

It was sold, by auction, in May. 

Formerly a c1837, stone, Bell switchboard company bldg. with an additional turn-of-the-century red brick building, plus an add-on cinder block bldg. Main floor features 3 rooms & 2 pce bath. 2nd level features 3 rooms with a partially constructed unfinished loft. Stone basement houses an abundance of storage space. On well & septic. Surveyed. Lot size 0.27 acres (+/-). 

There is an extension on the right, built after the stone house was constructed. It is on the east side of the building, very close to the road. Apparently, the new part used to be the post office and the Bell building, where local people would go and pay their bills, my client tells me. Her daughter worked for Bell, back in the day.

I noticed, as I drove past, that they were deconstructing it! It caught my notice, as they had scaffolding up, and were removing bricks. 

Oct. 9

Oct. 11

Next, the roof disappeared!

Tues., Oct. 16

Thursday, Oct. 18

You can see through the windows to the other side. In the front, the walls are coming down.

Tuesday, Oct. 23

By now, the walls were coming down on the main floor.

Oct. 25

They are refurbishing the bridge. It's very handy to stop here.

I decided to go park on the cross street, to see what was what!


I asked someone working on the stone and mortar. Apparently, the person who bought it decided to tear down the extension, as it was too far gone to bring it up to code. The oldest part has an oven in the basement, the man thought it was a bakery at some point. I'm sure it was!

Nov. 6

Nov. 8

I drove by at 12:45, came back at 4:15. GONE!

They are renovating it to make it into a two-bedroom home. My daughter tells me this is a Bench Mark indicating known elevation above sea level.

100 Years of Geodetic Surveys in Canada

Nov. 12 & 14

Nov. 29

The property was sold after the renovations. 

There is a book, published in 1984, about South Elmsley.


It includes this little hamlet, Lombardy. It was a delightful little town, with a grocery store, post office.