Mather

Getting out and about in nature nurtures our souls. Cruising along the lake shore in a canoe or kayak or boat, our eyes take in scenes of beauty of rocks and trees, peace and tranquility.

It is not easy making a garden on bedrock. Other people complain of hard-packed clay or too much sand. It makes me jealous. Try digging directly into the Canadian Shield. Nonetheless, I have been gardening for a very long time.

People often ask us why we don’t own a dog. Life here in the wilds seems a perfect place to share with a canine friend. My reply has always been, “Dogs are like kids, and I already have kids.

Enough with the snow already?! Maybe. Probably not. Take a deep breath … let it go. We still have the rest of February. All of March. And April too. Don’t forget about April. Take a deep breath … let it go.

There is a narrow strip of land between the road and the ski trail. In some places it is only 20 meters, in others it’s perhaps 200 meters wide. Surprisingly, it is a wild and natural space. Cars stay on the road and people tend to stay on the trail.

I almost got out for one last paddle in the canoe on Nov. 28, but a 15-foot wide band of ice at the shoreline was too thick to get the boat into the water. I wasn’t about to walk on it either. So, I tucked the canoe away and sat on shore.

So, what is the price of gas this week? I admit to looking around a bit on the day I’m in the city and the tank is running low. Like many folks, I try to get the best price available.

October. Apples! Every autumn we travel south to visit friends and gather in the harvest. All sorts of things grow there that just can’t make it here in the Northern Ontario forest. Apples! When we go south, apples are everywhere.

It has been a great year for blueberries. For the first time in many years, I am still finding the warm, sweet berries in a few of the wilder parts of my travels. Not surprisingly, I have also seen some wild life along the way.

Fireweed is amoung the first plants to occupy the land after a forest fire. It tends to grow in profusion that some people might consider weed-like, thus the name. But is hasn’t always been considered a weed.