FRECKLES

We've been looking after Freckles the past few days.

She is part Corgi, very smart, lovable and inquisitive.

Excavating my drain pipe as she thinks it's home to our resident chipmunks.

"I know he's in there I just can't reach him." She has her head as far up the pipe as it will go.

She chased chipmunks and squirrels all week without success, swam in the lake as often as she could and followed the scent of animals through the bush always making sure we were within eyesight. She is a delight to have around. Today she goes home and we will miss here.

Happy Birthday Sean.

HEALTHY DRINKS

Mary has been enjoying tea thanks to our neighbour who gave her some chaga mushrooms last week. If you are like us and haven't heard of this mushroom or its health benefits then check it out by clicking HERE

The chaga is actually a fungus that grows on the birch tree and is found only in boreal forests. This is what it looks like after you remove it from the trunk of the tree.

The exterior is hard and rough. The interior is cork like until it is completely dried out.

After you bring it home you dry it and pound it into smaller chunks for making tea.

We have also been brewing up a bunch of Kombucha. It is a lightly effervescent fermented drink of sweetened black tea. It is produced by fermenting the tea using a symbiotic colony of bacterial and yeast ( a SCOBY, a.k.a. "mother" because of its ability to reproduce, or "mushroom" because of its appearance). 

It has been used for 2000 years and has a history of anecdotal health claims like preventing cancer, arthritis and other degenerative diseases unfortunately without any scientific proof. However it is rich in many of the enzymes and bacterial acids your body produces and/or uses to detox your system, thus reducing your pancreatic load and easing the burden on your liver. 

We have yet to taste our first batch of Kombucha. It naturally ferments for 2 weeks, or up to a month depending on how potent you like your drink. We will update at some point after we have tried it.

If you drink Kombucha let us know your thoughts.

NORTHERN ONTARIO

For those of you who have never been to northern Ontario this is what you see..................

.......................... rocks, trees and water.

The economy is based on forestry, mining and tourism. The air is clean, the water pure and the place is quiet. If you enjoy the outdoors this is the place to be with plenty to do year round.

These pictures were taken as we drove home this week along highway 118. 

Why not plan a fall trip to enjoy the colours as the leaves change from greens to reds and yellows. It is the perfect season to be up here.

BLUE MOUNTAIN

Just got home from a quick trip down to see friends in Wasaga Beach.

Wayne and Barb were wonderful hosts taking us out to see the village at Blue Mountain. 

Wayne is a double lung recipient and if you have ever wondered about the donor program wonder no more. Wayne is alive today because someone signed into the program years ago.

The Village at Blue Mountain has a Swiss Village atmosphere with narrow streets, smalls shops on the ground floor and apartments above.

The village square hosts live entertainment every evening and you are welcome to sit and enjoy for as long as you like.

Behind the square are the ski hills used by the bike crowd in the summer for downhill races and competitions.

From the top one can see Georgian Bay off in the distance. (not the best picture to show the bay)

Thanks Wayne and Barb for a great mini holiday.

CANNING

We are beginning to see a lot more local produce at the farmers' markets on the weekend. Their produce is fresh from the field and just full of so many good nutrients. 

Mary has decided she will try canning some of this local harvest as we want to enjoy it throughout the winter.

This jar of freshly canned carrots was a gift from our very thoughtful neighbour and naturally got us to thinking about canning some ourselves.

If you have any advice for us please send us a note. We want to do this right and enjoy the fruits of our labour every time we open a jar.

Looking forward to hearing from you. 

LOG-SPLITTER

When you live in the bush and get 80-90% of your winter heat from wood then your log-splitter becomes a very important tool.

Yesterday it was time to change the oil and make a few repairs.

The hydraulic hose you see above had developed a slow leak and needed to be replaced. I also replaced the filter when I had everything else apart.

This line is for draining the oil in the engine. It was the first modification I made to the machine once I had it assembled. The drain plug was up inside the metal box and very awkward to get at. I simply attached this tap and plastic line to the oil outlet making the yearly replacement of engine oil so much easier.

Everything is back in place and the machine is splitting logs once again just as it was designed to do. The old oil and filter will be taken to the hazardous waste collection this weekend and that will be another job done until next year.

No shortage of jobs to do before winter arrives. Next I need to replace the oil in the generator. I should do that today so I can get rid of the old oil on Saturday.

Thanks for stopping by and safe travels everyone.

TOOLS

Just wondering what you do when someone borrows your tools and forgets to return them?

Maybe they returned them  damaged. 

I need to post a sign, any suggestions?

How about:

If you need a tool

Call Bancroft Rental

Think I'll post that and see what happens.

Just another rambling post.

Enjoy today and keep your tools under wraps.