SEARCHING

 Property lines are not always easy to determine back here in the bush. 

Yesterday I used Owen's meatal detector to search for survey stakes on a friend's property.

It has a menu that helps identify what it has found. This saves you some digging when the beeping is not for something you want.

I soon found what I was looking for hidden under a blanket of leaves. 

Finding these survey stakes means you are working on your own property not someone else's

We still need to find a few more

Stay safe and well everyone and thanks for stopping by.

BACK IN ALGONQUIN

 This week we spent a few days back in Algonquin Park.

We are ninety minutes from the park and the traffic is light, the area is gorgeous, and the hiking trails are not too demanding for these old bodies.

We wrapped our potatoes and vegetables in foil and cooked then on the hot coals in the firepit. Mary always insists we have a fire. It has been that way since our first camping trip almost 50 years ago. 

Still lots of campers this late in the season. Another two weeks and this campground will be closed but for now we are enjoying warm fall temperatures and perfect camping conditions.

WE use a converted cargo trailer complete with an awning, king size bed, toilet, induction cooking element, propane stove and beds for the grandkids. We are comfortable regardless of the weather we experience while on the road.

Penny was well behaved and stayed close by at all times. Dogs must be on a leash and she is getting better watching people and other dogs without barking. She still needs to work on her walking skills as she likes to wander off and follow her own path.  

She is the best pet anyone could have. We love her so much.

Thanks for stopping by and keeping an eye on us.

EAGLE'S NEST LOOKOUT

 

Yesterday was the perfect fall day; warm, sunny and no bugs. It was just too nice to stay at home so we headed out to Eagle's Nest Lookout. From this vantage point you have a panoramic view of the York River and the surrounding hills.

If you look closely at the photo above you can see the Bancroft airport located about the middle of the photo.

We kept Penny on a short leash and she was well behaved.

Happy  CANADIAN Thanksgiving everyone.

MUSHROOMS

 

Fall is at its best right now which means mushroom season has arrived.

Leanne wanted to collect mushrooms so she could make dyes and so off we went to explore our forest and see what we could find.

They were in abundance. Every step along our trails revealed new mushrooms of different sizes, colours, shapes and texture. Leanne was delighted.

By the time we got home Leanne had a bag full. Unfortunately I didn't take a picture of the collection but I did get a few shots of those still in the forest. 

If you recognize any of the above mushrooms or fungi let me know.

Like I said earlier, the colours are at their best.

Our forest trail that Penny loves to search. 

Enjoy your day. Thanks for stopping by.

PUMPKINS

 It's fall and that means it's harvest time. Yesterday Leanne and Jamie helped us collect pumpkins.

These were not your typical Halloween size pumpkins; these were MONSTER pumpkins. Guess they do have a "Halloween" connection.

Too big to lift and carry we rolled them onto the bobcat for the trip to the house.

Jamie rode "shotgun" and Penny was ready to help if needed.

Up at the house we decided where they were to go and then rolled them into place.

Job done and the inspector (Penny) seems happy with the arrangement.

So far October has been beautiful, much warmer than usual. This is certainly the best time of the year to be in northern Ontario.

Stay safe and well everyone and thanks for stopping by.

OVEN MAGIC

 Look what came out of the oven this morning.

Homemade sourdough bread. So delicious and so easy to eat.

It goes in looking like this ..................

Comes out looking like this ..................

MAGIC!!!

And it disappears like MAGIC!

THINKING WINTER; ......................... BUT IT"S ONLY FALL

 When you live off grid you are always aware of the weather and the seasons. Usually we are living in one season but planning for the next. In winter we start planning our gardens, in summer we are cutting wood for winter, in the fall we are getting the summer machines put away and the winter machines tuned and ready for snow plowing and the chainsaws ready for cutting down more trees.  It's a constant stream of new demands and adjustments according to the weather and the seasons. 

There is one demand you can not leave forgotten or neglected even for  one season.......... Firewood

Firewood needs our attention at least two years before we need it, preferably three. Two years gives it time to dry and three is better. Dry firewood burns better with less soot in the chimney and less smoke out of the chimney, all very important for a warm house and a healthy environment. 

These logs were felled last winter and will be bucked, split and stacked over the next 2-3 months.  Then they will sit in the sun, the snow, the rain and the fog and dry until 2023 when we will need them. Some may not get used until 2024 so you can see, they will by then, be perfect firewood.

This is our second stack of logs but they won't be touched until later in January. Like the first stack, they will get their time to dry in the sun before being used which I suspect could be as late as 2025-2026. We will be warm for years to come.

Now that my log-splitter is back, the job of splitting the logs is so much easier. Swinging an axe is fine and doable but the log-splitter allows me to get more done in a day with less pain in the process . At my age, less pain is preferred.

This is the firewood we will burn this winter These seven bins plus other should be sufficient to keep us warm until next April. Our heating season typically runs from October to April with the occasional day in September and May. Then it's time to refill the bins which will allow the wood to dry for another year before their turn comes again.

The firewood you see stacked and drying in the shed will not be used until 2023. By then the bins above will be empty and ready to be refilled as we burn the wood in this shed. This gets repeated until I become too old to do the work. Up here "TOO OLD" is a figure of speech without any definitive number. I know guys in their 80's who still split with an axe and haul the wood in by the armful. They are a hardy bunch. 

I'm glad we have dry firewood as today is damp and cool but we are warm and comfortable by the fire. Mary just threw another log on, so we will be warm throughout the night.

Thanks for stopping by and keeping an eye on us. Stay safe and well.

ALGONQUIN PARK

 Fall has returned and so have we. It's been good to take a break from writing every day but now that we have family scattered around the world it's time to stay in touch and this blog helps.

I won't be writing every day but I will write every week. Thanks for keeping an eye on us and for being patient.

Fall is the best time to be living in Northern Ontario. The days are cooler, no bugs and the leaves are starting to show their best colours. If you are thinking of viewing the fall colours, this weekend would be  a good time to head north.

Yesterday we spent the day in Algonquin Park. Penny enjoyed herself and was well behaved on our hikes. She is such a good dog.

The highway 60 corridor is the most popular way to see the colours in Algonquin Park.  I was surprised how busy it was mid-week and parking spots were hard to find at the most popular hiking trails If you are  coming up for a visit it's best to book your day pass ahead of time through the internet

Thanks again  for keeping an eye on us and stay safe everyone

WE ARE TAKING A HOLIDAY

 

Summer has arrived and we are enjoying time with family and friends. We both have been vaccinated against Covid-19 so we are confident that we can gather in small groups once again.

Owen and Kate have been here the past two weeks and go home tomorrow. I'm sure they will be back before summer disappears.

Yesterday, Tyler came to service the generator. We've had it for nine years and have only needed to change the oil and filters. Yesterday, Tyler adjusted the valves and it is working like new once again.

I think we will take a break from weekly posting until the fall or until something special occurs.

Enjoy the holidays and stay safe everyone.

Thanks for keeping an eye on us.

ANOTHER TANK

 

We have expanded our gardens and need to have more water available Yesterday I installed this tank before it got too hot to work outside

The tank holds 1000 liters and sits on a base of building blocks left over from our construction days

This simple gate valve from a RV holding tank directs the water to the tank or to the ground

It's been  above 30*C the past few days and we need the rain desperately

Time to do a rain dance and see what happens

Stay safe and well everyone and thanks for stopping by

GARDEN UPDATE JUNE 7TH

 

Our gardens are in full production now. Every day we are able to harvest enough greens for my smoothie and our salads. 

Mary planted cabbage and broccoli in the garden and it has already grown over the top.

Yesterday we covered the bed with this shade cloth to give the plants room to grow and keep the cabbage moths out of the garden. It is a simple step to modify our gardens to accompany the growth of our plants as well as the changing weather.

No idea when we will be harvesting cabbage but the plants do look healthy.

Our regular potato patch is full of garlic this year so we are using these bags for potatoes. As the plants grow, Mary adds soil to give the tubers room to grow

Our peanut plants are well protected from the chipmunks and squirrels This hardware cloth allows the rain and sun in  while keeping the critters out

Thanks for keeping  eye on us and stay safe everyone