Porterville Diner

2012-01-28T10:04:00.003-05:00

If you are not out sledding today you are missing a great day. The first sleds were out at 6:45 this morning. Where in hell would you be going at 6:45, it's still dark for heavens sake. That is some serious sledding!!!

The groomers were all out again Friday night so the trails should be tip top today (until about 3:00).

We are as well prepared as we can be and hoping for a replay of last Saturday.

Have a great weekend and if you can make it Sunday that would be great.

That's it for now.
Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-26T10:44:00.002-05:00

It's been pretty good sledding week this week. Even with the rain on Monday. There have been riders in every day saying that all the trails are good. We got a lot of snow on Tuesday.

On Monday a small group rode over to Haliburton through the park and said it was great because it had just been groomed the night before. I don't know how it would be today but it wasn't that busy this week. I will try to find someone that has been that way.

All four groomers were out yesterday and last night so all the trails in our area are well groomed. The one down the back side of LSP is being done this morning for the first time. That is the one that is always last to be done until there is enough snow. Well I guess there is enough snow now.

Lake St. Peter and Baptiste are not staked yet because of the slush. At this late stage it seems pointless to do it but who knows.

All the riders in this morning said that trail conditions were excellent. It has been great weather the last couple of days cold but not too bad and sunny. Great riding weather. More snow is expected for the next four to five days. Yea!!!!

If you are looking for a place to park trucks and trailers the owner of Foodland out by Canadian Tire has said that you could park there. This came from a member of the executive of the snowmobile club. So it must be true. There is lots of room there and would be easy in and out.

It looks like things will be great for this weekend. I will not update on Friday unless something drastic happens. I have an appointment in town Friday morning by the time I get back it's too late to blather on. Most of you have made your plans already. So it looks like this is it for the weekend.

Hope we see you Saturday and Sunday. It is looking like perfect conditions.

Have a safe drive up and keep it between the trees.

Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-24T09:06:00.002-05:00

Technical difficulties with the internet and no patience from the operator yesterday so here is the Monday/Tuesday update.

What a wild weekend. Sledders are the best. We were so busy it was just crazy, yet everyone seemed so patient. If anyone was cranky and crusty I didn't notice and I would like to keep it that way. Ignorance is bliss. I feel badly for the people that left because there was no room to sit. I hope you come back another day. Thank you for the people that doubled up with others that they don't know so they could sit.

Keeping in mind that all the girls at the diner are getting little long in the tooth you sometimes have to remind us a time or two for the spoon to stir the coffee, or the cup for the tea even the glass for the beer (the lady with the beer and tomato juice will know who you are). We do try and it is fun.

Thanks to Frank's wife for cleaning off tables so that you had somewhere to sit. Thanks to Blair and buddy for carrying in 10 cases of beer for me. And thanks also to John? from Papineau Lake for backing into me spilling the shot of Baileys on my sweater. Just kidding, it's just another chapter in the book and was a great conversation starter all day.

Now on to the serious stuff. We had rain all day on Monday but it has been snowing for quite a while now. It is really slushy. That is a good thing because if it had gotten cold and the water had frozen it would be really slippery now. So if it gets cold tonight and freezes the snow will already be stuck to the water and it won't be so slippery. Good for walking and good for the trails. It should freeze up tonight.

I would think that there would be no grooming today because of the slush but I can't say for sure. I heard that they were going to head out to the Madawaska trail yesterday. I will make some inquiries and update when I find out more.

Weather for the rest of the week is not great but long range around here is 15 minutes into the future so who knows.

That's all I have for now.

Hope you have a great week.
Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-20T08:51:00.002-05:00

The Friday update is filled with good news. It is a great day today. After yesterdays snow the sky is blue, everything is white. It's the kind of day you would just like to get on your sled and ride forever.

I noticed coming home last night that the trail to Martin Wood had been groomed and it was back out again first thing this morning probably on the way to Bancroft.

In total we have had about a foot of snow this week. I have had the parking lot plowed twice this week so far. That's a first for this year.

The lakes are still not staked so crossing them may not be a good thing but it is being done.

This should end up being the best sledding weekend so far. It isn't going to be too cold and more snow is expected overnight.

Hope we see you this weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-18T09:39:00.002-05:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. The sun is shining the storm is over and it's cold enough to chill your beer in the snowbanks.

Here's a shout out to who ever called this morning to ask if we got a loaf of snow last night. I love it when you get my warped humor. Well we did get a little more than half a loaf overnight (see yesterday's post to do the math).

There is no nicer way to wake up than to have the flashing yellow light from the plow truck shining in your window while cleaning the driveway at 5:45. Well I'm sure there is a nicer way but we won't get into that.

Added to what we already had this should make things really good. No word on grooming last night but I know they have been out regularly. The trail on the back side of Lake St. Peter is still not great but this snow should help.

Now here is a pet peeve and something to ponder while you are waiting for the weekend to come. Why is it when you go to plug something in you always get the plug upside down first? Shouldn't you get it right at least some of the time? I get it wrong every time. Clearly this should be a lesson to me not to buy lottery tickets. If I can't get it right when I have a 50/50 chance why in hell would I think I could get it right picking 7 out of 7.

Well I'd better go. I have more shoveling to do or maybe I'll just wait for Norm to get motivated.

Hope to see you this weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-17T10:29:00.002-05:00

I've been duped again. I am so gullible. Almost everyone that came in on Monday talked about the big storm that was to come yesterday and last night.

I was also told last week that 1 cm is equal to one slice of bread. So I was expecting to wake up this morning to about a half loaf of snowfall. Ha!! Big surprise, no snow overnight. Why do I always believe these people.

Having said that the day is going downhill quickly this morning. We have some freezing rain and some snow. It's generally yucky outside. The buses were all cancelled today I guess because of the bad weather expected this afternoon. More snow is expected tonight (ha) and again on Thursday and Friday. One can only hope.

Last weekend was busy. Lots of sledders everywhere. Nice to see some of the old faces for the first time. Most trails were quite good. The grooming continues daily. All three were out yesterday for most of the day. The few riders that were in yesterday were quite pleased with the trails.

And the carniage begins. By noon Saturday we had our first dead sled. Well not quite dead but badly injured. Poor Mitch. Even with the parts he left behind he was able to drive back to the truck. The next two were not so lucky. Both had to wait at the diner until their buddies could bring the trailer to pick them up. Oh well the beer sales rise when that happens.

Not much else new. I will be back on Thursday to let you know how much snowfall there was during the week.

Keep working so that you can afford to snowmobile.

Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-13T09:49:00.002-05:00

The Friday update is short and sweet so here goes.

Enough snow yesterday to cover up the dog poop in the back yard (and I have a big dog) and the parking lot had to be plowed this morning. So you to the math.

Still snowing a little today. None tomorrow or Sunday but it is getting very cold at night this weekend so this bundle up!!!

Have a great weekend and remember to keep the skis on the snow!!

Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-12T16:53:00.002-05:00

I waited until late today to post to see just how the day would end. That's my story and I am sticking to it.

I didn't realize how powerful my words could be. I am always talking about doing the snow dance. So far this year it hasn't worked. In desperation on Tuesday I said, "I think the school kids need a snow day." Holy cow did they get a snow day. I didn't mean all of Southern Ontario. I just meant here. Sorry guys.

It has been snowing all day with some ice pellets. Mostly fine small flakes but it hasn't stopped so by nightfall it will be a fair amount.

The only riders in today had come from Bancroft or Trudy's on hwy 62. All were pleased with conditions considering the small amount of snow we have had.

Things will be looking pretty good for the weekend by tomorrow morning. Even if it stops tonight we are expecting more tomorrow. You know things are looking up when the Bancroft residents start showing up. They usually wait until conditions are good because they can, and we have had a few groups in this week.

Here is a shout out to Harry from Port Perry, why I'll never know. We haven't seen Harry for a year or two and have given up hope on him. It's very sad. However a previous co-worker was in yesterday asking after you. So you see you still have fans out there.

If I am able I will update tomorrow if anything changes.

Hope to see you this weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-10T10:19:00.002-05:00

Sorry I didn't update Monday but I was really busy. Oh wait no, I wasn't busy just lazy. I got hit with a serious case of drag-ass yesterday and couldn't make it over to the bar to climb up to the computer. It took till today to recover.

Not much in the way of snow this weekend or Monday. Just little skiffs. More is expected later in the week but so far the weather people's idea of snow is not the same as mine!!

The groomers have been busy though. All three were out yesterday. Two went Bancroft way yesterday and the other went that famous route "somewhere else". They even had the new groomer out yesterday. I hear it is a thing of beauty if you are into groomers. What kind is it you say. Well it's a red one!!!

I won't know details until riders come in today and fill me in assuming that there will be riders in today.

There were quite a few riders out on the weekend so it is just as well that grooming was held off until Monday when it would stay good longer. It was pretty mild on Sunday but has gotten colder now so we won't be losing any snow.

Please note the caution tape around the back of the yard. Some sleds rode through the backyard this weekend over the weeping bed from the septic. This is not good because if it freezes none of us will be flushing!!!! I don't know about you but that is pretty important to all of us that work here. Eeks!!!

That's it for now. Nothing exciting to report. I will be back later in the week.

Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-06T09:26:00.002-05:00

Things are looking better in good 'ol LSP. Not fantastic, just better.

We have had a bit of snow every day. The groomers have been out and I had to have the parking lot plowed this morning.

There were quite a few riders in on Thursday. Most said things were good, a few rocks here and there but nothing too serious.

On Wednesday it was groomed to Baptiste Lake and Whitney. They will most likely go out tonight but I don't have a direct line to the Grand Puba so I can't say for sure.

If you are in need of accommodation this winter try Lake St. Peter Resort Cottages on the South Rd. in LSP. New people bought it last year and they seem to be doing a good job. It appears they have people skills and experience in the hospitality industry. There number is 613-338-3171. Check them out at www.lakestpetercottages.ca.

No touching stories, bonehead plays or sad news. Oh yea sad news-my partner and I lost at snooker last night. Well I lost, little John is a pretty good player. Better luck next week.

So come on up and do something stupid or crazy so that you can make the blog next week. I miss the action!!!

I'll keep doing the snow dance and hoping for better days ahead. Back Sunday or Monday.

Have a great weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-04T09:50:00.002-05:00

Here goes. I have good news and fair news, which is better than good news, bad news.

The good news is there is no rain, the temp is staying cool (or downright freezing yesterday). The fair news is we keep getting a little snow with more to come for the next few days.

We haven't had a big dump yet. I haven't had to plow the driveway yet this year because it has just been flurries.

The groomer was out yesterday and went to Martin's Mill. I don't know if it is going out today. I will probably hear later. We had a rider in from Coe Hill yesterday he wasn't thrilled but it was good enough to come this far. We also had riders in from the Whitney area. They said that things were okay but had spent most of the week just clearing the route from their house to the trail. But they were young and the experience was good for them. It will build character.

On a sad note the big orange cat, Bulwinkle that always climbed on every sled, ATV, boat, trailer, or anything else that was in the lot was attacked by we think a fox. So we won't have him to amuse us by looking in the windows or getting in cars etc. and just being kooky. His brother Rocky (no imagination there) was hit by a car on Thanksgiving weekend. So we are now without any cats. I plan to keep it that way so don't do me any favours!!!!! He was fun to watch though and the dog misses not having anyone to wrestle with. We lost four pets last year. Two to old age and the last two to misadventure. So now buddy the Labrador Retriever is wearing a helmet and flack jacket and keeps looking over his shoulder hoping that he won't be next.

I am always telling stories about Brian and Jim. Well Brian has a girlfriend FINALLY. She is a real sweetheart and is getting a great education about the north. We still have to teach her how to pee behind a tree though!!! Well she had never driven a sled before so Brian took her out for a little test ride. (That just sounds bad) They rode from his place to the diner, less that a kilometer. Had a beer and left for the cottage. Who do they meet on the way home. You guessed it the OPP. Everything was okay but what a way to start you sledding experience. Now tell me with barely enough snow to cover the ground wouldn't you think there time would be better spent somewhere else? I suppose he was just looking for an easy way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

That's all she wrote for now. Nice to see all the regular readers back. I am averaging 99 hits per day so that will keep me feeling guilty enough to post regularly.

I will be back Friday for a weekend update because I don't think too much will change overnight.

See you soon and THINK SNOW!!!!
Cheers
Nancy

2012-01-02T10:19:00.002-05:00

Here we go again!!! 2012 bring it on. I am hoping for great things to come this year, winning the lottery could be one of them. I'm just saying.

The toboggan party went well. No serious injuries. Any injuries were preexisting conditions so we dodged the liability issue. The only sled that went over the edge had two little kiddies on it. They are much more resilient than the older folks. Thankfully the raspberry bushes stopped them and they were only a short grab away. Sadly the canoe did not slide well. There will be modifications done for the next time. Val, Vicky and Jen had the most unique sled. They tied three deer hides from this years hunt together. That was another one that worked better when you were inventing it with a couple of beers. It did make it down the hill, just not as well as they had hoped (modifictions here also). Needless to say I was dozing on and off on the couch by 8:00. Our plans for the evening were just another good idea that didn't take place but I did wake up at 11:30 and managed to stay up until midnight.

No on to the important stuff. We did get some rain on Sunday, not nearly as much as last year. Good thing because we don't have enough snow for that. It is snowing now and looks like it will keep up for some time. There is supposed to be more most of the week.

The club is still clearing trees from the last storm so if you are riding on any secondary trails be prepared for some obstacles. A small saw would be handy. The groomer hasn't gone out yet. I will repost as soon as I hear when it is out.

Riders in this weekend were quite pleased with conditions so next weekend should be even better.

Hope to see you soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-12-30T07:17:00.002-05:00

Finally, it's starting to look a lot like snowmobiling season.

The groomer went to Bancroft and Whitney yesterday. Not grooming but just packing and dragging in from the sides. I guess when the temperature drops to -26 you can do those sort of things. At least the sun has been shining and the world looks like a much nicer place to be.

We had a little more snow last night and more is coming tomorrow. So things are looking up.

There have been sledders in every day but they are just out for short rides.

It's a good thing we got the snow because we are planning a New Years Eve toboggan party at the hunt camp and it wouldn't have been much fun sledding on the gravel.

People are invited to build their own sleds out of whatever they want. Now picture this. Doug has a leaky aluminum canoe that he plans on sliding down the hill in. He is having trouble finding someone to go in it with him. Go figure!!! I can't imagine anyone not wanting to give that try. Oh did I mention that one side of the hill has a 20 foot drop? I will give an injury report when I update next. I'm sure there will be a few. If I supply helmets for the crazies is that admitting there may be a liability issue? Maybe I should just let them bring their own helmets and body armour.

I will be back Monday or Tuesday. There is some mild weather coming on Sunday so we will just have to see what happens.

The diner is closing at 3:00 on New Years Eve and opening up late morning New Years Day (assuming none of the staff hurt themselves tobogganing). Have a great New Years Eve.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-12-28T12:55:00.002-05:00

Well finally it snowed. We got about six inches last night with more coming tomorrow and the day after. Added to what we already had is a pretty good amount. I had to have the lot plowed today and I just sent Norm out to shovel. Well he did volunteer. No maybe it was voluntold. Oh well whatever the shoveling is getting done.

Two sledders rode up from Bancroft on Monday and a family rode in from Lake St. Peter today. I have seen others riding up the rail bed. There is a group at White Pines and they even went out on the lake which was not very smart. There is only a few inches of ice so far.

No word when grooming will start until there is more snow, but I will sharing as soon as I hear something.

That's all the good news there is for now.

Back in a day or two with an update.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-12-26T09:55:00.002-05:00

A turkey sandwich and pumpkin pie for breakfast. Yum yum yum. What a way to start your day.

Now that most of the festivities are over it's time to get back to business. I hope everyone had a great Christmas. This was a bit of a wierd one for me. For the first time in 35 years I didn't have any of my kids with me Christmas morning. I guess that means they are all grown up (which they are). Now I could have stayed at their houses if I wanted to and we did all get together later in the day.

We did have a white Christmas though. We have about three inches of snow with more coming later in the week. Let's hope that we get enough to start grooming the trails. If all the rain we had in December was snow we would be climbing out of the living room window to get out of the house!!!

Good news for sledders. Spectical Lake Lodge is re-opening. The previous owner Sharon has taken it back and will be open this winter. I don't have any details just that they are up and running again.

Nothing much more to add. I will update in a couple of days with a snow report (I hope).

Cheers
Nancy

2011-12-21T16:38:00.002-05:00

RAIN, RAIN GO AWAY,

COME AGAIN IN APRIL OR MAY,

ALL THE SLEDDERS WANT TO PLAY!!!!!!!

I am getting so tired of crappy weather. I have gone from pouty to cranky to depressed and now I'm just downright pissed.

It had better start snowing soon.

That's all I have to say except have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

I'll be back when I'm in a better mood which will be shortly after it snows and stays for more than a day.

Happy Holidays
Cheers
Nancy

2011-12-14T07:59:00.002-05:00

I noticed that it has been two months since my last post. I was scolded twice last week for taking so long. On couple sent someone in to scold me on their behalf. Now that is just it. I will take my scoldings but only in person or over the phone. That means you too Cornishes!!!

I have no idea why this has taken so long. It's not like I've been busy, it is just hard to get motivated. Every time something happens and I think that I should write about it I sit down for a minute until the feeling passes.

So here it is December 14 but outside it looks more like March 14. We have only had one good dump of snow and one small amount preceded by rain. That first storm that didn't amount to much sure made a mess of the trails and roads. There were trees down everywhere. There were a lot without power for a day or two. The snowmobile club has been working fairly steadily clearing the trails so that they are ready just in case mother nature decides to play nice. Kudos to the half dozen or so that have been out three or four days a week with chain saws brushing trails. They have had some heavy work to do.

There was another very successful Santa Claus parade in Maynooth last weekend. Almost 20 floats and a big crowd to watch. Alas, we did not win a prize this year but we sure had fun trying. Our float had homemade palm trees, an active volcano, good music, a tiki bar (of course) and a herd of crazy people riding on it. I would post pictures if I could remember how to do it. I will try to find someone younger than me that knows how to do that kind of stuff.

As most of you know Highcountry Lodge closed this summer. Well now Spectacle Lake Lodge has also closed in the last couple of weeks. It is sad to see this happening so often. As well as losing dining destinations the area has also lost badly needed accommodation. Oh when will this down turn end?

Another sad note, Jim Borland passed away in late November. Jim was the older gentleman that did the bear hunt. He was a fixture at the diner coming in two or three times a day for coffee or whatever. He will be missed by a lot of people in the village.

The diner will be closed on Dec 24 & 25 but reopening on Boxing Day about 10:00. We will also be closing New Years Eve at 3:00 and opening Jan 1 at 10:00.

There is now snow expected until early next week. So unless something wonderful happens I won't be back until Tuesday or Wednesday next week.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-10-14T10:52:00.002-04:00

It's beginning to look a lot like really late fall. The trees are almost bare except for the yellow leaves. The weather is defiantly getting cooler.

You couldn't have asked for a nicer weekend than Thanksgiving. Anyone that had a boat was out on the lake for sure for one more ride before taking the boat out.

We had a great weekend at the diner. Lots of turkey and fun. On Sunday night we had the gang from the trailer park over. Four of them have started a group and they agreed to play at the diner. What a hoot. They were pretty good a good time was had by all.

It will be quiet around here for a while. The moose hunt starts this week for guns. A week ago it was open for bow hunters. Then just after that the deer hunt starts for two weeks. Then we just wait for the snow to fall.

It has been a sad time over the last few weeks saying good bye to the cottagers and campers. You always hope that they all come back next year. A number of cottages on Lake St. Peter and Mink Lake sold this summer so there will be many that we will not see again. I guess that is life. People come and go forever.

Snowmobile trail permits have arrived. So if you need one drop by or order online.

Just a note to sledders that need accommodation. The lady that purchased the trailer park has two places for rent this winter. One house by the trailer park that will sleep 10-12 people is available and also a smaller one that will accommodate 6 is also available. The smaller one is also available for long term rental if you want it for a month or two. To book call Amy @ 613-334-0440 or Trudy @ 905-373-8448. Both places are really nice.

Well I am off to Brampton for a girls weekend today. Back for the Maynooth Business Assoc dinner at the diner on Sunday. I am looking forward to a couple of days off.

What's left to say--71 shopping days until Christmas. He he he. It won't be long until I have to put on long pants and shoes. I'm not looking forward to that!! The shoes will be the last that's for sure.

Back in week or so unless something exciting happens.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-09-27T16:32:00.002-04:00

Wow!!!! What a beautiful fall. The colours are the best I have ever seen. I'm sure they are at their peak now. The reds and orange are incredible.

The weather is just as good and it shows by the number of people that are around especially on the weekends.

The local ATV club is having their colour ride this weekend. It would be a great time to be in the bush.

Other than that it is pretty quiet around here. I have had a lot of running to do lately ending with my final trip to Peterborough to have the three miles of packing yanked out of my nose after sinus surgery last week. It won't be pretty folks. I will probably cry like a baby!!! But it should feel good after it is over. I may find out that my feet really do stink!!!

By the way does anyone know where September went. It seems that the kids were just going back to school and now we are talking about Thanksgiving. Time flies even when you aren't having a good time.

That's it for now. I will try to come up with some better stuff next time. But you can't be on your game all the time.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-09-11T10:03:00.002-04:00

What a beautiful weekend. The nice sunny weather is still here. The full moon was great. And there were a lot of people around considering it is the weekend after a long weekend.

I'm sure by now that everyone is back into the old routine of school and work. And the kids are settled for another school year. So--How much did it cost you every time you opened the backpack this week!!!!! If I recall correctly the first few weeks of school are just as expensive as Christmas.

It is nice to see the ATVers back again now that summer is over. The bear hunters have all gone home except for one or two. And I have a warm a fuzzy story about one.

Marty is quite a character. We have a lot of fun with him. Well last night he was on his way back to Mckenzie Lake where he is staying when he ran out of gas. He carries extra fuel with him because the gas gauge in his truck is broken. It was already dark about 8:30. He said that in a short span of five minutes two cars heading in the opposite direction stopped to see if he needed any help. He was so impressed that people would stop so quickly to offer help. Being from New Jersey maybe that doesn't happen too often, well it wouldn't happen in Toronto that quickly either. I guess this really is a nice neighbourhood that we live in.

It is very sad to report that the owner of the Blue Moon Retreat, Pat Hickey passed away suddenly on Friday from a heart attack. I know that a lot of people that follow the blog stay there when sledding and ATVing. I'm sure that he will be missed.

I have decided to have an ATV run next spring at the end of April or beginning of May depending on how quickly the snow goes away. I will put up further information when the time comes closer.

Well that's it for now.
Back again soon. Have a great September

Cheers
Nancy

2011-09-04T11:07:00.002-04:00

Another long weekend has hit. Where has the summer gone. We will all be a year older before we know it and the snow will be flying soon.

Here are my signs that fall is just around the corner.

1) The bear hunters have arrived and are wandering in and out all day just like the kids did when they were bored. They are a nice bunch of people and we all enjoy them.

2) That nice family from London that have a cottage on Mink Lake that come in for breakfast all the time have packed up and gone home early again this year because of commitments at home. :( Go Michigan. Did you get rained out?

3) The cats have started training for their favorite sport; unrolling the toilet paper. An activity that usually only takes place in the winter when they are in the house more often and get bored. Well it was a change from the critters that have been left on the back step.

My daughter went out hunting this year and got her first bear on the first day of the humt which was a good thing because her attention span is as short as her mother's and she was only going out one time. Her husband has still not got his but he has been helping out Jim B with his group of hunters this year and is enjoying himself anyway.

It looks like Maynooth Madness was a success again this year. It is a great day with a lot of participation from such a small town.

Blogger has changed it's format fixing something that wasn't broken so I will see if this works when I publish. Why oh why do you have to keep meddling with things. It's bad enought that I am breaking in a new computer and operating system. Thsi old dog is getting tired of having to learn new tricks.

Well that's it for now.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-08-10T10:56:00.002-04:00

The long weekend is long gone :( and you can tell that August is sailing by. The nights are getting cooler, the bugs are almost gone and it is starting to get dark a little earlier. Summer must be drawing to a close I have already received two Sears Fall Sale catalogs. That isn't as annoying as receiving the big fall catalog at the end of June!! That was just depressing.

What a beautiful summer so far. Even the last couple of rainy days have been welcomed. Maybe not so much today. It is coming down pretty hard right now.

A strang thing happened on Monday of the long weekend. There was a fire call for a bush fire on the Madawaska Rd. The trucks went out, eventually nine of them driving all over the country side looking for the fire. However there was no fire. The wind had shifted and the forest fires way up north had sent the smoke and smog down this way. There were a number of people having difficulty breathing etc. When Pat B arrived home from the weekend away she could smell something burning at her house. She checked all over and nothing was wrong. I was told by a number of people that there was a dull haze over all the lakes for the afternoon.

And that was about all of the excitement for the weekend. I think that it was so hot nobody wanted to move too far or fast.

Not much else to report now. It has been pretty quiet this week. Here's hoping that something exciting happens this weekend.

I have a dinner invite to Jim and Connie's this weekend. So we should be up to some shenanagans there. Funny how she just knew that when I offered to "make" dessert that I would be visiting the farmers market on Saturday. Hmmmm.

Hope to see you soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-07-27T08:58:00.003-04:00

It's almost the long weekend. Yee Haw!! It looks like the weather will hold out again. Even the rain this week was a welcome relief. It didn't spoil a whole day just little bits here and there. The temperature is not so hot and the grass is looking a little green now.

Lots of people traveling around. The highway is really busy as are the stores in town but the lakes are pretty quiet. The lake is so warm, the swimming is great.

There was a theft at the trailer park this week. Amy was telling me yesterday that someone opened up one of the worm containers and stole nine worms. Seriously 9 worms!!! She wondered why there was some dirt and a worm on the bottom of the bait fridge. Upon investigation she noticed the half empty container. CSI will not be called in to check the pockets of the Lake St Peter residents or visitors. I would not like to be doing the load of laundry with that shirt in it. Some people will take anything. She probably would have given the person the whole tub if they has asked her. So don't worry about your beer fridge just keep an eye on your worms.

Now for my touching story. I'm sure some of you are familiar with the Cardiology Clinic and the infamous Dr. Hughes in Peterborough. Well I had to have some tests run and then the follow up visit. So after four trips to Peterborough (some tests taking less than five minutes) my final visit for results was due. Arriving 10 minutes early and checking in I was told that Dr. Pompass Ass was running 40 minutes late. Shocking! So after more than an hours wait I finally got sent in to see the big man on campus. Without even looking up I am told "sit there, I'll be with you in a minute". Then in the next breath he yells "You have perfume on. Get out of here." I didn't have perfume on but non the less I steped out of his very large office and he continued to shout "I said out further-get out. We will figure out how to deal with this later. Out further." I couldn't believe what just happened. I was stunned, so I left his office, went out to the waiting room and said to my daughter is a rather dramatic fashion. I am told that I smell and I must leave the office. I'm not sure how far he wants me to go but I figure the car would be far enough. Let's go home.

So I left Dr. Pompass Ass's office without ever getting the test results and frankly I will croak from a heart attack before I ever step foot back there again. There are lots of really great cardiologists around that treat their patients with kindness and respect. This egomaniac is rude, condescending and ignorant. I have since heard dozens of incidents with him and it makes me feel better to know that I am not alone.

The only thing that I can think of that would have had a scent was the fabric softener that my clothes were rinsed in. So anyone that is that sensitive should live in a bubble and work in a lab away from the public.

There now I feel better. (Big sigh)

We will be having music on Saturday and Sunday evening this weekend. So come on out and join us for dinner or just a drink and some rousing conversation.

I'd better get back to work. I'm making a pot of Broccoli and Cheddar soup and soup waits for no woman.

Hope to see you on the weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-07-20T13:37:00.002-04:00

Wow! I can't believe how long it has been since my last posting. The summer is flying by.

After a long old winter with no spring man are we in the thick of it now. The first two weeks on July were really busy. Almost like everyone just got tired of staying home. But with the rain every day and the bugs so bad it's no wonder.

Now this heat is perfect. I'm not sure just what for but I still love it. The black flies are all but gone. The mosquitoes are bad some day and not others. Who knows why I just enjoy the days they are not bad.

Now on to fun and frolics. A large group of us had the best day last Saturday. We got on anything that would float and some were quite unique (pictures to follow when my daughter shows up) and floated down the Papineau Creak. Now this activity is highly recommended if you want a really good day outside. Some stopped at Baragar's Road. Others quit at the house on the highway that you can see the creek from but six dough heads went all the way to Ryan's Bridge on highway 127. We didn't finish until 7:00. It was a great day. Two punctured floats (Duct tape for repairs) and one tip over. No injuries or mishaps at all and Brian and Jim were with us. And the best part was when the deer came out of the bush and crossed the creek right in front of us. Scared the heck out of Val who was squating in the bush-he he he.

Here is a question that makes me shake my head. I know that some higher end resturants close during the afternoon to prepare for dinner. But when you walk into a place with a bright red and blue open sign on and people sitting at a table eating, why would you ask "Are you open". My sarcasim gets the better of me every time and I reply "You got in didn't you". Now I know I should be more patient but it just hurts sometimes to think that these people are out driving around.

Well that's it for now. It has been quite this week compared to the previous two. I'm hoping this hot weather makes everyone want to head up north.

See you soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-06-27T11:54:00.002-04:00

Summer may have started last Tuesday at 1:15 pm but for me summer started about 10:00 the Monday night before when I took the dog out for a tour around the back yard and saw my first fire fly of the summer. What a neat sight. The next night there were dozens out.

I only know about Tuesday night because we were awakened by the blood curling screech of the big cat that has been prowling around. The general consensuses is that it is a links or a bob-cat.
That would also explain why there are no more wild turkeys around this spring. I was told that a turkey would be a good snack for one of those critters. I'm sure the hunters would have cleaned up some of them but not all.

Another half-assed rainy weekend that ended beautifully just when everyone had to go home has passed. Let's hope for better days ahead for the long weekend. This year being a true long Canada Day weekend should be busy all round.

Not much excitement around the village last week, so there is not much to report.

I have purchased some new products. A natural insect repellant, sunburn and bite relief and a stop itch and sting poultice. All of the products can be used by children and pets. The bug repellant is good for all types of flies including deer & horse flies. So if the little buggers are driving you crazy you know where to go for relief and I don't mean to the beer fridge!!!

Sorry that I don't have anything more exciting to report, no touching stories or bone head plays. Maybe there is something to be said for some quiet time. I'm not sure what would be said-but there must be something.

Hope to see you all one the long weekend. We are open Friday for your dining pleasure.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-06-19T11:15:00.002-04:00

It's beginning to look a lot like summer. What a great weekend. You couldn't ask for better weather. You could ask that there were less bugs but you can't have everything.

I tried to do a black fly report on the deck last week and I only got through 1/2 a glass of wine before I was driven back into the house. Another day I tried with my tea in the morning. Same deal.

These few hot days and dare I say no rain for two days may have killed a few off.

It's nice to see the cottagers back finally. There seem to be a few more each week. Keep on coming.

I now have a supply of the mosquito patches. ($6.99 for a box of 5). They claim to repel flying insects and the only know side effect is no hangovers. I don't quite understand the logic but who am I to judge. So living life "on the edge" as I do ( hee hee hee) I thought I'd try one last night. At 6:00 it seemed like a good idea to have a bonfire after work so I applied a patch thinking that I would send the little biters far away. Well by the time 10:30 rolled around a fire didn't seem like such a good idea, vegging on the couch having a drink sounded better. So alas no fire, but yipeee no hangover either after a few drinks.

In the I can't believe it worked department. Last week I had to go to Peterborough. On the way down I stopped at the Ultramar for fuel. When I went to lift the lever that releases the gas tank door it was ceased. Pulling up on it felt like I would break it. What's a girl to do. Usually that gas station has a dozen cars and trucks at it. But on Tuesday NOOOOOOO. Just me and the little gal that works there. So I put on my thinking cap went into the store and bought a can on Coke. I poured it over the lever kind of tossing it to the back (note to self remove floor mat first next time), gave it a couple of jiggles and lo and behold the lever was loosened and the little door popped right open. Now if a can of coke can work that quickly on a rusty old lever just imagine what it does to you stomach. No broken car parts, no call to CAA, just a $1.00 can of coke and the cay was saved.

The farmers market in Maynooth continues to be a success again this year. Lots of good home made breads, jams, fresh fruit and veggys and all kinds of other stuff. Stop in when you are up for the weekend It's open from 8 am till 1 pm every Saturday and the community centre parking lot.

Also there was a guy in here last week that sells amplifiers for folks that don't have cell service at the cottage. He has hooked a couple up on Mink Lake where there is no service. So that you can not only have cell service but you could have high speed internet also with the stick thingy. I have his number at the diner if this is of interest to anyone. He claims to be a whiz at all things computer and web related bla, bla, bla. At this point my eyes just started to glaze over and I only saw lips moving, but if it works why not.

Well that's all the news that's fit to print for now. I have had two staff off again this weekend and I'm pooped so I am off to the South Algonquin Cookhouse for dinner tonight. Charlie Foster thinks that we both needed a night off from cooking. So off the four of us will go.

Hope to see you all real soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-06-09T08:59:00.002-04:00

Holy Mackerel! What a storm that was. It didn't last long but it sure did come down. The temperature dropped 13 degrees in fifteen minutes.

The hydro is out all over except for the diner of course. Mink Lake, Lake St. Peter and Boulter Lake have all been out since 2:00 on Wednesday and no guarantee of return until Saturday or Sunday possibly. Now that may change. I'll update if it does. So if you are coming up this weekend bring lots of ice (or buy it at the diner) and gas for the generator.

It's amazing how silly people get when the lights go off. You would think it was the end of the world. Now I must say it is good for business. I did quite a few dinners last night and more breakfasts than normal. But explain this-if your hydro is out and you can't cook why would you phone and order salads and veggy wraps for take out. I would think that you could handle this without power. Oh well!

Now for the good news. Oh wait there isn't any. The black flies are still thick so are the mosquitos and they are now joined by the deer flies. 'Tis the season I guess.

The home and cottage show is on this weekend in Bancroft at the arena. Usually not a bad event.

Here's a shout out to Jim and Connie. Lisa and I and the dogs went for a swim at your place on Tuesday. Well I didn't swim but the dogs did. It was great after such a hot day, thanks a lot.

Well that's it for now.
Cheers
Nancy

Here's what northern girls do for fun.

2011-06-03T10:13:00.003-04:00

Would you believe she works at the bank???

Pat Bekkers our cook when she is not in her clean white outfit.

Mrs. Butwell let out on the loose. Who was running the hardware store?

Pat again. A good time was had by all.

2011-05-27T15:44:00.002-04:00

WOW! I can't believe it's been a month since I last updated. I think of it often and then I sit down until the feeling passes. Before you know it another week has gone by.

Well the snow is finally gone. The beavers have every creek and puddle dammed up keeping the lakes high. The black flies are looking for more tourists and the mosquitoes are the size of a Partridge. So all is still the same and spring will arrive any day soon.

Let's see now what has happened in the last month. The girls from the diner and a few others went on an overnight ATV trip to Barry's Bay. We had a great time. One mechanical breakdown and one personal break down. But all ended well and a good time was had by all. Pat B is nearly healed and only took one day off work. What a trouper.

Our annual paddle down the creek was cut short this year because of the weather. You would think that by now we would all be used to playing in the rain. None the less we all had a great time and for the first time I did not end up in the water. It's sad when you get soaked through and you didn't even flip your canoe. Others were not so lucky!!!

For the most part it has been pretty quiet around town. It is nice to see some of the braver summer people back. Maybe if it ever stops raining the rest will come out.

There seem to be a number of new places being built this year. More people retiring and moving north. Yea!!

The new Foodland is now open and 24 hours a day for the summer anyway. How nice to have a real grocery store to shop in. It is such a treat. Bakery, deli and fresh produce just like you have in the city. Not the stuff left on the truck at the end of the day. You can even buy some of those products that are hard to pronounce and you wouldn't know what to do with them if you got them home anyway. Oh what a sheltered life I lead.

I am not able to start the black fly report from the deck yet for two reasons: 1) The Black Flies are too bad, 2) IT NEVER STOPS RAINING!!! I am however still in training in the wine department so when the time is right I will be able to step up to the plate. I'm just not sure where to put the patio furniture this year. Since last summer we have acquired a Labrador Retriever that is now almost two years old. I'm sure he will be as good at getting tangled in the furniture on the deck as he is clearing the glasses off the coffee table.

The biggest news so far this year is the sale of the trailer park on Lake St. Peter. Orioles Nest has changed hands after many years of ownership by the Scott family. Many changes are coming so it will be exciting to see what they have planned. Good luck to the new owners. I wish them well.

Well another Friday night is here and Kelly the evening cook is off this weekend so I'm the best you'll get in the kitchen this week. If you are up take your chances and drop in for a meal.

Hope to see you soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-04-28T10:55:00.002-04:00

I can't believe how fast this week is going. Well I guess is isn't going as quickly as I thought. I was in town first thing this morning for my 9:15 appointment that isn't until Friday!!! Oh well between the storms it was a nice day for a drive.

Speaking of storms construction on the ARK will start on Saturday the only nice day we will have any time soon. You get one nice day and pay for it for three. This time around there will be no Black Flies or Mosquitoes invited for the ride!!!

Reports in yesterday and this morning say that the ice is now almost off Lake St. Peter and Mink Lake. Some is just blowing around onto the shoreline. Other than where the plow left banks all the snow is pretty well gone. Just some spots that the sun doesn't hit for long.

The creeks are quite high and there is a lot of standing water in the ditches etc. A great breeding ground for the pesky mosquitoes that are already starting to show up. Not biting just flying around.

All and all it is starting to look like spring time. The grass has turned green overnight and my chive plant that had one sprout yesterday is nearly in full growth today.

High Country Lodge is having their ATV run this weekend. And the local ATV club will be having their first fun ride Saturday May 7th and a trail brushing/clean up on Saturday, May 14. Both events start at the Bekkers on Boulter Lake Rd. and end with a BBQ back there also.

Things are still pretty quiet. Not much to report just yet. It was nice to see some of the cottagers and summer people up on Easter Weekend. Keep on coming.

That's it for now.
Back soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-04-20T09:24:00.003-04:00

When will the madness end??? One nice day is rewarded with three inches of freezing rain, snow, ice pellets and other assorted crap falling from the sky. ENOUGH ALREADY!!! Let's bring on spring or if not- just jump right into summer.

I saw a few robins this morning with their little suitcases packed heading back down south until things get back to normal.

The ice is still on the lakes with not much sign of leaving. This is very late for the ice to be so thick.

We were just lucky enough to be a few hours ahead of the storms hitting North and South Carolina on Saturday and Sunday only to arrive home to a white out snow storm between Maynooth and Lake St. Peter. Had a great trip. Had my purse stolen and then returned a few hours later a little lighter by with the ID still inside. I hope when I grow up I can take care of my stuff better.

It's pretty quiet around town this week. Not much happening. Not even any ATV's out yet. If you are coming up for the first time this weekend you will notice that the Price Chopper in Bancroft has closed down. It is being renovated and turned into a Food Land opening in the next week or two. It has been closed since the first of March. At last we will have a real grocery store in town.

Well not much else to report. I hope the Easter Bunny is good to all even if he has to borrow Santa' s sleigh and the eight tiny Reindeer.

The diner will be open Good Friday and Easter Sunday with music on Saturday evening just in case you don't feel like cooking.

I look forward to seeing the summer people soon. Think sunshine and rainbows!

Cheers
Nancy

2011-04-06T14:56:00.002-04:00

Seriously-Will winter ever end!!!!

Just when it looks like it might be a nice day it snows again. At least when in rains it might wash the snow away. But noooooooo. It has to snow after it rains just because it can.

There is still lot of snow in the bush so if you haven't had the driveway plowed at the cottage you won't be driving in this weekend. More and more grass is starting to show and I even have some daffodils trying to poke out of the ground. At this rate they will be blooming in July. A number of people have seen robins but most of them have ear muffs and rubber boots on.

This time last year the ice had been off the lake for a week but it hasn't even melted near the shoreline yet. That means chilly swimming in June!

It is so quiet right now I think that there must be a gate up in Bancroft not letting anyone past.

South Shore Cottages the rental cottages on the South Rd on Lake St. Peter just sold this month. They hope to be up and running by May. This is a good thing. They have 5 or 6 rental cottages and may be putting in trailer sites later this year. When I get a number I will post it. It would be a great place to stay if you are ATVing.

The inmates will be running the asylum next week. I am taking a week off. So no new posts until at least a week Tuesday. Let me say that the snow had all better be gone when I get back or I will be very cranky!!!

Have a great week. Enjoy these nice long days especially the sunny ones. It is great to get home and still have some daylight left.

Back soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-27T10:01:00.003-04:00

It was a pretty quiet week around the old diner last week. Not much shaking around town.

We still have way too much snow for my liking. On Saturday our first customers came from Harcourt by ATV and the next group through the door came by snowmobiles. It's that time of year again.

There have been many beautiful sunny days but it is darn cold. If it doesn't warm up this snow will be here until May or June!!!! I think that I am even looking forward to the black flies (easy to say now) and not just to get the wine on the deck black fly report started. But at least that means summer is not too far away.

I will not be doing an ATV run this spring but the one at High Country will be the third Saturday in April.

Not much else to gab about today so I will be back later next week. Brian M is finally back from working away for a couple of months. Maybe he and Jim will do something entertaining that will give me a chuckle. They have started a DYI project at Jim's cottage, that should be interesting.

Have a great week.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-18T12:14:00.002-04:00

What a difference 12 hours makes. When I went over to the house last night about 6 pm the parking lot was covered in snow and ice the trail was good and there was three inches of water on the path from the garage to the house. But with the mild temperatures, a night of rain and a warm wind it is almost gone. The water has all but dried up.

I just talked to Russ that had ridden down from Mckenzie Lake and he said that the rail bed was good and there is still a lot of snow in the bush and the back yard behind be. I know this because I cut through it to take the dog for a walks and I am knee deep in snow trying to get to Boulter Lake Rd.

The stakes have been removed from both Baptiste and Lake St. Peter and Mink is open in the usual places. So any long rides may not be a good choice but if you just want to bomb around your property or through the bush it should be no problem.

Now if we are not going to get any more snow and the season has to end I hope that the snow just all goes away and we can jump right into spring and get out the ATV's. I hardly used mine last year and I am looking forward to some riding this year.

It looks like it will be a great weekend to get away to the cottage this weekend. Great weather, longer days and relaxing. Hope we see you.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-17T08:01:00.003-04:00

It's still looking good. Trails are holding up. A mild afternoon yesterday softened things up but a cold night fixed that.

No rain today, possibly tomorrow. Sunny and cold on the weekend. I'll let you know.

Off to town on an errand.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-16T10:08:00.003-04:00

We have had lots of riders enjoying the spring like conditions. It's nice to go home at night and it is still light out. The trails are in good shape. Groomers were out on Monday night. Riders in this morning say that there are no dirt patches and only the odd rough spots in the usual places.

It was supposed to rain today but so far we have had only snow. It looks like it may snow for awhile. It has been coming down pretty steady for a couple of hours now.

Not too many families around for the March Break. I hope you are all sunning your buns down south, not just hanging out on the couch. The dollar at nearly par makes traveling look pretty inviting.

Other than that nothing new or exciting this week. I will be back if the snow turns to rain and I'll be pissed if no one comes sledding because the weather man called for rain and it snowed again. What a wonderful job. You can go to work every day, screw up constantly, still get paid at the end of the week and the public still loves you!!!! I think when I grow up I want to be a weatherman.

Back soon
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-14T09:14:00.002-04:00

All and all it was a pretty good sledding weekend. We had a fair amount of riders in both Saturday and Sunday. Not as many families as I expected being the start of March Break.

So where are we now? The temperature dropped overnight, the groomers were out, the rail bed looks like a table top. It is cold and very sunny today but tomorrow may not be as nice.

There is still a ton of snow in the bush and I know this first had because we walked into the hunt camp again yesterday. We usually go on Sunday afternoons to let the dogs have a run. I'm just saying that it is easier for a 20 lb beagle to run on top of the snow than it is for a hefty old bag to slog through it. I think it is about a1 km hike in and 10 kms out. I ask myself about half way in why we keep doing this. I also don't know why they keep laughing at me when I fall down and look like a turtle on it's back when I try to get up. My daughter starts throwing snow on top of me like you would a whale beached on the shore. She says she doesn't want to see me dry out before I'm rescued!!!

If we get rain any day this week I will update. It looks like the week may be warming up.

That's it for now. I'm on by myself all day because the cook has been on vacation.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

Saturday again already. A quick update.

Getting colder, a little skiff of snow last night and this morning. More expected Sunday also.

Riders in this morning came from Harcourt said that the trail is a little bumpy but otherwise conditions are good. There is still lots of snow. They were pleased with their ride.

This time last year the snow was all gone and we had ATV's in. I guess we are lucky to be sledding at all.

Here's hoping you can get out for one more ride.

Back soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-11T10:01:00.002-05:00

The good news is the tsunami did not hit Lake St. Peter, the bad news is the rain did!!!

We have had two days of off and on drizzle. Not a big downpour just steady drizzle. The parking lot is like a skating rink. We still have a crap load of snow so when the rain stops the sledding can continue.

There is to be some snow or rain tomorrow, the powers that be have not decided which way to go. The temperature is dropping already today.

I can't update tonight because of commitments but I will be back tomorrow morning with what happened overnight. The old measuring stick is still standing upright in the snow on the picnic table. I would check the depth of the snow if I didn't think that I would break my beak getting there. I am having the parking lot sanded this morning.

To answer anonymous I can't say how much rain fell other than too much. I will check with Charlie Foster the resident weather watcher for the exact amount.

To Bill from Eagle Lake. Way back before my time the village was called Porterville. Named after the MP or MPP (I can't remember which) at the time. The lake and the train station were always called Lake Saint Peter, so in 1941 it was decided to rename the village to be the same as the lake and station. So just for historical sake I decided to name the diner The Porterville Diner. I does make a good topic for conversation.

Hope things clear up. Back tomorrow
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-10T08:26:00.002-05:00

As promised we got about eight inches of snow yesterday. It is mild today and trying to drizzle rain. It is really damp out. Snow conditions are still great. It was a heavy wet snow so it will be sticky.

Buses were canceled today because of the conditions.

So far so good for today. I will be back tomorrow morning with more info.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-09T09:53:00.002-05:00

Monday and Tuesday were the best riding days this year according to everyone in yesterday.

The trails are groomed up pretty well. The whining has started already because they are not like a paved highway. Think back to a week ago and count your blessings for haven sakes.

Nothing new has happened since Sunday that's why I haven't updated. SO to the guy that was crabbing to Helen on Sunday that I don't update enough (even though I explained my absence) keep in mind that this is a blog not face book. I only update when it snows, rains or something exciting happens. I don't "update my status every time I shower and wash my hair".

We are expecting a fair amount of snow tonight but we will just have to wait and see. Usually the more that is predicted the less it falls. Again my sinus barometer is telling me that something will fall and it wasn't the wine this time.

Here is a shout out to the skidder burger guys that were in yesterday from the Picton area. I hope your ride went well. Thanks for checking out the blog and dropping in. This proves that visual aides work. They came up because of the pictures that were posted. Now I am going go have to figure out how to do this myself!!!

I have noticed on the sitemeter that most visits are between 8 am and 10 am. This wouldn't mean that you are checking us out on company time would it????? Well frankly I don't care where and when you check it out just keep on checking!!

Back tomorrow with the snowfall report.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-06T12:13:00.003-05:00

Wow! What a weekend we are having weather wise. Probably the biggest snowfall so far this winter. And the rains down south scared everyone away.

We have had about 12 inches of snow this weekend with a couple of hours of rain in between.

Below are some pics from today to show how much snow we have had. It looks like I am really smart and know how to do all this neat computer stuff. Actually my daughter came for breakfast and did it for me. Thanks Lisa.

We had our two youngest sledders in this weekend. Connor and Noah were on their first boys weekend with their dads. The toddlers captured the hearts of everyone in the diner, guests and staff alike. A good time was had by all and it looks good on Hoppy who wimped out on a great sledding weekend because he thought it was going to rain. Next time put your big boy panties on, load up your sled and join the group. Don't be shown up by two toddlers!!!!!

Shelia, thanks for the great comments. Sorry I missed you last week. You had just left when I got back from town. I hope you get one more ride this winter and get to stop in.

I used the trusty yard stick to measure the snow on the picnic table this morning. It was a big reach when you are built close to the ground. It is showing 12 inches deep but the snow is really heavy so more may have fallen. The banks are getting high like they should be and the road crossings are looking much better.

Let's hope this says around for a while. Here's hoping you can get up for some mid week riding while the trails a quiet and in great shape.

That's it for today, back in a day or two.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-06T11:33:00.000-05:00

2011-03-06T11:21:00.001-05:00

2011-03-03T08:19:00.003-05:00

Just a quick update before the weekend.

It was minus 29 at 5:15 this morning and it was still minus 29 when I came to work at 6:30. Needless to say the trail conditions are remaining the same.

I didn't see the groomer go by yesterday but all riders in said that the trails are in great shape with the new snow. The lake crossings are all good. We had a bit more snow on Wednesday morning other than that it has been sunny and cold. Great sledding weather.

It's nice to see the days getting longer and the snowbanks getting higher.

We seemed to have dodged a bullet in the OPP department also. I haven't seen or heard of any in the area since the dreaded Madawaska Cup weekend. I guess they have rocks in other parts of the province to crawl out from under.

Nothing more to say about conditions. This will be my last post until at least Sunday. My younger sister, being the slow learner that she is, is getting married again on Friday night. So I will be leaving the hustle and bustle of LSP to join in the festivities with my brothers and other sister. Yee Haw she says with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

I hope you can make it up on the weekend for some great riding.
Back Sunday-or maybe Monday.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-03-01T09:48:00.002-05:00

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. I love those cold sunny days after a snowfall.

The temperature was minus 22 this morning when I got up at 6:00 but was up to a balmy minus 17 when I left the house at 8:30 so I don't think anything will be melting any time soon.

The groomer went north to Whitney and south to I don't know where (probably Bancroft) on Monday night. It went south again this morning about 8:00 somewhere else!!!

So it looks like we are back in business again.

That's all the good news I have for today. There is no point in blathering on.

Keep snowy thoughts
Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-28T09:39:00.002-05:00

YIPPE SKIPPY!!! It's finally snowing.

We got snow on Saturday night and again Sunday night and it hasn't stopped yet. It is coming down pretty heavy and is showing no signs of stopping. So far there is about six inches. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!!

All thing considered we had a very good weekend. Riders in were saying that things in the bush were still good so this should make things really good.

No news when grooming will resume. I'll let you know as soon as I find out.

Wayne M (they had just had a successful Matawa run, Jim didn't break down once) commented that when we have three feet of snow and the groomers are out grooming every day and night everyone whines and moans about how poor the trails are. But when it hasn't snowed for two weeks and the groomer hasn't been out at all everyone is telling you how great the conditions are and no one is whining. Go figure-the better things are the more we whine!!!

Well that's it for now. I will be diligent this week and keep you informed.

Have a great week.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-25T09:52:00.003-05:00

Nobody said life was fair but seriously is it fair that all the snow hits down south and none falls up here where we welcome it?

Nothing fell again last night and there are more empty promises of snow tonight. Who knows?

We have had lots of riders in this week. A few groups rode in from Wilberforce and Gooderham. Everyone in this week said that the bush riding is good but the rail line is sketchy in places. The lakes are well frozen but icy because of the lack of snow after the melt down.

I don't want to discourage anyone from coming up but I really don't want to say that things are great when they are not. We are having spring like conditions a little early. The road crossings are getting wider and the side roads are well sanded.

On a lighter note while I was out at snooker last night poor Pat Bekkers had a group of 25 drop in on her while she was here by herself. Yikes!!! They were military that had ridden from Petewawa to Dorset and were on their way back home. They had been delayed for a number of reasons one being fuel. Thankfully for Pat they didn't all eat and two guys took every one's orders and delivered all the meals. They all cleaned up their tables taking their dishes into the kitchen and they even offered to wash up. A nice group. However we did get a look at how money gets wasted. The faithful leader was having a fuel truck sent over from Petewawa to fill up the sleds before calling up to the general store to see if he would open up. Ahh well another chapter in the book. Sometimes it does get interesting around here.

Well now that I have given another definite maybe I'll finish here. I will update tomorrow if we do get snow.

Hope we see you on the weekend.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-22T17:48:00.002-05:00

I'm glad that I didn't update on Monday. I really didn't speak to anyone about conditions yesterday. Have I been misinformed? Wasn't yesterday Family Day? Holy Cow it sure was quiet around the old diner yesterday. Maybe the gate was up again keeping all tourists out. We had a couple of sledders in but mostly just the local coffee boys.

Today there were two groups in. One had ridden from Gooderham the other from Benor Lake. Both said the conditions although fair were not bad at all. They were quite pleased with the trails. Some spots on the rail bed were not great but for the most part no complaints. The one group said that they had been out riding for the last three days with no troubles.

The poker run last weekend was not too bad. 165 registered down from 300 last year. Sadly I only made a donation my King high didn't go far in the standings. I think I'll stick to euchre!!

Some snow is expected Thursday, Friday and Saturday so things may get better by the weekend. It has been keeping really cold all day even when sunny so nothing is melting.

I'll be back late Thursday to let you know if there is any amount of snow. Here's hoping.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-18T09:40:00.002-05:00

All I can say about conditions is that it is a definite maybe!!!!!

We did get showers off and on Thursday. It looks like they are over now. Very dull and cloudy and getting windy and temp dropping.

The trails are still well snow covered but icy on top. Lakes are slushy but still being traveled (Maybe not today for a while).

Where the parts of the property here have been snow blown for walking paths it is down to bare earth. The parking lot and other plowed parts are still well covered. We are expecting some snow today. Not much just a few cms. but enough to cover the icy patches.

So the news is not great for Saturday but all is not lost for the long term.

The poker run is still a go, and it's a long weekend after all so I guess we will just have to make the best of it.

If anything really exciting happens in the next few hours I'll let you know. If not I hope we see you on the weekend.

The bad thing about a little melt down is the doggy land mines in the backyard show up. So I am off to pooper scoop with my old buddy Norm.

Do the snow dance---I am!!!!!

Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-17T09:37:00.002-05:00

So far it's still good news. No rain or showers yet. However my sinus barometer is telling me that something will be falling from the sky soon.

The groomer was out until 3:00 am this morning. It had a big job cleaning up the road crossings. The snowmobile hating township guy that plows the roads up here was up to his old tricks. Known as "Old Puutt Ding" by Jim and Brian. (you know spitting chewing tobacco) This guys house backs right onto the rail bed and he just hates to see anyone having fun there, sleds and ATV's or anything else. He does his best to pile the snow at every road crossing he passes. Once it freezes up it is hard to smooth out. But good for all you guys they succeeded last night.

Three guys were in late last night. They had ridden from Petewawa cutting short a three or four day trip because of the threat of bad weather. One said that it was the best riding in 25 years. Not one kilometer of trail had not been groomed the whole way back.

I won't be back tonight. You know snooker night and all. If nothing changes I may not post tomorrow. If it does rain I will update. It looks now like Saturday will be a great day, sunny and cold and snow Sunday. This will be good for the long weekend.

Back soon
Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-15T09:05:00.004-05:00

Sorry about the late update. Mondays can be hectic with sales reps, weekend cleanup- blah,blah,blah.

So here were are again freezing our butts off. It snowed Sunday night and Monday. Not lots just a good covering. Enough that the plows were out most of last night.

Riders in yesterday were very pleased with conditions. Good temperature and great conditions.

They have been out grooming every night and nothing has broken down that I know of. The trails will be in great shape for this weekend because of the Maple Leaf Snow Skimmers Poker Run. This is their only annual fund raiser. So if you can come out and support the club please do. Even if you don't ride it is only $10.00 to sign up for a hand and have a chance for lots of prizes.

The weather for the weekend has not actually mentioned the "R" word, just chance of showers. So I choose to ignore the forecast and continue to live in blissful ignorance!!!! It has worked for a number of years so why stop now?

Well I'm off to make some soup for the day. I'd better get it done so that it is ready for lunch.

Hope we see you on the weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-09T18:22:00.002-05:00

I looks like the snowmobiling season has finally hit Lake St. Peter.

The weatherman can come a shovel today's six inches of chance of flurries off my back deck anytime now.

I can't believe that it is Wednesday all ready. The week is going so fast. We have had a lot of sledders in every day for lunch. Two tables today said that today was the best ride in a long time. Most are doing the three or four day trips that are so great this time of year. We have even had some Americans this week which is nice to see. Although I haven't see the fun bunch from Pennsylvania that have a camp in Coe Hill yet. Where are you guys? They are usually here two or three times a year. With all the snow south of the border they are probably snowed in!!!

The groomers are out all the time and I was told by a rider today that the trail on the north end of Lake St. Peter to Madawaska was being groomed today when they came down. YEAAAA!!!

No touching stories or bonehead plays this weekend. Although I am still annoyed with the group of cement heads that thought the groomer should be out all day Saturday so that the trails would be in good shape all day. Some people have no concept of life and should not be let out without a handler. They were miffed because at 4:00 pm on Saturday the trails were in rough shape. You would be proud of me. Instead of being my normal sarcastic self I just walked away-right to the bar for a glass of wine!!!!

Not much else to say. Just good temperatures, cold at night warming in the day, good snow, good grooming and did I mention there is gas in LSP now?

Hope to see you on the weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-03T18:03:00.002-05:00

What a great day today was. Lots of sun, perfect temperature, lots of snow. It doesn't get any better than today.

The groomer went by but I don't know where to. We are expecting a little snow every day for the next four days. Just like it's been for the last few weeks but with a better base now that we had the big snow fall. Not nearly as much as everybody else got apparently. Please people stop telling me how much more snow you have at home than here!!! I am already cranky this year and it's too early for me to snap.

For anonymous as I said, Dianne and Shamus are back at the store and doing a great job. They have not run out of gas this year and filled up 900 sleds last weekend. Pete thanks for the help.

I was told today that this is "blitz weekend". Lots of OPP and trail patrols out checking for drinking and watching for Pete speeding. So be cautious and drive safely. The only good thing about lots of snow south is even the OPP can't be bothered coming up here if they don't have to leave home. They have not been around this year at all.

The Madawaska Cup races are this weekend in Birds Creek. Free Friday night, $20.00 for Saturday, $25.00 for weekend pass. Not my cup of tea to pay to stand out in the cold and watch sleds drive fast and turn left all day. Maybe I'm missing something because I've never been. Too bad I have to work on Saturday I'll never know.

I hope we have a great weekend feeding lots of sledders with happy smiling faces. I'm sure Sunday will be a short day because of the Super Bowl. GO GREEN BAY!!!!!

See you this weekend
Cheers
Nancy

2011-02-01T09:33:00.003-05:00

Sorry for not updating yesterday. I seemed to be really busy. I'm not sure just what it was that I did but I seemed busy.

Not many sledders in Monday for the good conditions. Groomers were out Sunday night and Monday afternoon. One groomer broke down trying to groom the trail at the end of Lake St. Peter that goes over to Cross Lake and Madawaska. It will be a while before it is up and around again.

We made some new friends this weekend. Two very nice guys from Ottawa have found the sledding Mecca of Lake St. Peter but not without incident. The GPS is a wonderful thing as long as you don't believe it all the time. I don't remember his name (shocking) but he eats his wings with honey garlic sauce. Anyway he used his GPS to mark the shortest route from Ottawa. Although it marks a lovely drive if it was summer or fall not so nice on a dark and snowy winter night. This route takes you through every burg and hollow along the way. Needless to say that while making good time he still arrived after the diner closed. I reopened to make him wings and fries and set him on his way only to watch him leave in the wrong direction. As we were heading to Maynooth anyway we thought that we would catch up to him and tell him the error of his ways. Well it didn't take long because about 1 km up the road he was in the ditch after trying to turn around. A quick trip back to the house to switch the car for the truck and we had him out of the ditch and back to his original destination of White Pine Cottages. His GPS was telling him to drive 7.5 kms to Williams Lake Rd to turn around. Almost all the way back to Maynooth!!!! Now surely this thing would know that there was a road or driveway some place sooner but alas it did not. We had a good time with them the rest of the weekend lots of laughs and I am really glad you came along. I was in need of some amusement it has been pretty boring around here lately.

Just before ditch boy arrived we had a nice young lady drop in looking for directions to Petewawa. She had used google maps, another wonderful tool for travel or so you would think. It took a whole page in directions to get her from Maynooth to Barry's Bay because it turns her up Hwy 127 through Lake St. Peter, to Hwy 60 and around through Madawaska to get there. It seems that Hwy 62 through Maynooth is a county road for a few kilometers not a Hwy. So as not to send her down and "scary back roads" they direct her about 5o kms and half an hour out of her way. Good instincts though, she was smart enough to know that it didn't feel right so we turned her around and sent her back the shorter way.

Now these devices must be invented by someone very intelligent but sadly lacking in common sense.

Jim and Brian and the boys had a great weekend ride from this area over to Dorset up to Huntsville and back home on Sunday. They said that trails were great and every trail on the way home Sunday had been groomed up to perfection. Nice to hear.

We also had a couple in from Bellville that rode from Madoc I think, up here over to Barry's Bay then Haliburton and back here before heading home on Monday. They too said that they had good trails and a great trip.

Now with all the hysteria about tonight's impending storm it will be interesting to see what tomorrow brings. Man can City TV ever get excited. They sure like a good crisis.

I'll be back later in the week. If you have all finished shoveling out by then you will be able to leave you houses and life will return to normal.

Diane and Shamus are still doing a great job at the store and there is gas and other stuff all the time this year. Yea!!!

Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-28T08:14:00.002-05:00

It would seem that the snowmobile season has officially started.

Baptiste Lake and Lake St Peter are staked. So that must mean that things are official

We have even had some sledders in this week. Regulars that say this is the first ride this year. Sad that it has taken this long to get rolling.

The groomers have been out every day and we have had flurries every day also so things are looking much better.

Now if we could just melt the snow south of Hwy 7 it would be great.

Nothing new or exciting to report so I'll get back to work and get ready for a busy weekend. Hope springs eternal!!!

Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-25T09:20:00.002-05:00

It is getting a little warmer if you consider -25 warmer. At least we know that the snow won't melt!

The groomers were out yesterday north and south. Herb was to take "the little red one" back over to Maple Leaf on Monday and groom that trail up the back side of Lake St. Peter but it wouldn't start. I guess it doesn't like -33. Go figure.

More snow is falling today and it should warm up Wednesday.

I wasn't here on Saturday (grandsons 2nd birthday) so I didn't hear any touching stories or bonehead plays. All was quite on the gossip scene. Better luck this week.

Back later in the week.
Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-21T10:19:00.002-05:00

We are back in business again.

The groomer went to Paradise Point and Dog Bay last night. It went out again this morning but I don't know where. I'm just happy that it went out.

That's all the info I have.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-20T16:42:00.003-05:00

Let the whining begin.

No grooming that I know of. More snow tomorrow, not tons, just some.

It's stinking freezing up here and not going to get any warmer!!!!

Sunny and cold this weekend you know the kind that freezes your nose hairs when you take a breath.

Not much else to say about conditions. Riders in this week have not been complaining about conditions. That is a good thing.

I'm being scolded for not updating more often. But when nothing changes there is not much to say. So I may just update and say nothing new to report. That way I don't catch so much flack.

We did have a little incident Tuesday. Two ladies were out riding when ones sled started on fire of course with a full fuel tank. She thought that it was just fog in her helmet until her pants and boot started on fire. All ended well except for the sled and the pants I imagine.

I hope that cute young couple from Bellville got home in time to pick the kids up from school Thursday. They were cutting it a little close.

Well of to snooker tonight. See you on the weekend.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-19T09:29:00.002-05:00

Finally snow at last. With yesterdays snow fall on top of what had fallen last week we have decent snow. I had the lot plowed on Sunday and it needs to be done again today.

I haven't heard where the groomers have gone or if they have gone but I will hear tomorrow when Pat the cook comes in. She usually has the info because her husband grooms sometimes.

Last night I had two very nice sledders in for dinner. They had ridden from Norland at Hwy 35 and were on their way to Barry's Bay. They were shocked at how good the trails were all the way over after reading the OFSC web site and finding that all trails were closed still. They had a great ride leaving Norland area at noon and arriving at the diner by 6:00.

I will be back Thursday or Friday (sorry Brian if it's Friday) with more info on grooming and other stuff that is important.

I know lots of you won't have to leave your own neighborhood because there is snow everywhere but here's hoping we see you this weekend.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-17T10:31:00.002-05:00

It certainly was encouraging to see sledders in this weekend. The most common comment is we need more snow.

Well there is more coming Tuesday, Wednesday and then Friday so things should be looking much better this week.

It was a great weekend weather wise not too cold and lots of sun on Sunday. However this morning was YIKES minus 33. It zoomed up to a balmy minus 27 by 9:00. Hardly worth putting a coat on to come to work! There was already lots of ice on the lakes but this will really freeze stuff up. Even some things we don't want frozen.

Rhonda and the gang from across the road had a very inventive way of spending the day when sledding conditions were not the best. They shoveled off a section of the lake, built a fire on the shore, moved the bar down to a snowbank and played a afternoon of boccie ball. I'm not sure but they may be representing Canada in the next winter Olympics, they are that good!!!

The groomer went out last night and did up to Whitney and down to Bancroft. Unfortunately on the return trip from Whitney the groomer blew a tire so some work will be done on it this week.

On an even sadder note Jim M's new sled went home on a trailer this weekend :-( Poor Jim after the last few years of reeeeeeeeelllllly bad luck with his Skidoo he was hoping for better luck with an Arctic Cat, but alas it was not to be. Look on the bright side Jim at least you keep us in touching stories. I hope it's feeling better by next weekend and is able to come out to play again.

That's all the news that fit to print for now. I'll be back later in the week.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-13T16:53:00.002-05:00

All right now-Who isn't doing the snow dance? It would seem most of you. Don't be afraid of looking stupid. It hasn't bothered me. I do it on a regular basis.

We haven't had much snow this week even though it has tried every day. It sure is cold though. I don't know if the groomers were out yesterday. But most trails that were groomable were done. Some just don't have enough snow.

I had two riders in today. They went from here to Whitney over to Madawaska and back down the back way. No complaints about grooming just lack of snow and rocks that have come through.

We are still to get snow tomorrow but who knows how much.

So the report is not good today and I am not sure about the weekend. If anything happens tomorrow I will update. If you don't hear from me Friday I am drowning my sorrows in a lovely bottle of white wine while I pout. That's it for today-I'm off to snooker.

Lets hope for snow!!!!
Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-11T11:53:00.002-05:00

Well I'm back with an encouraging report. Not all good news just not bad.

The groomers are back out again. Down to Bancroft, Martins Mill and Whitney yesterday. There has not been much new snow. It has been snowing a lot but the snow is fine so it doesn't add up to much.

On a positive note the continuously cold weather has let the lakes freeze up well. I got this info first hand from Brian and Jim. I know they are goofballs but they would not lead me astray in this department. They were out playing on Lake St. Peter on Saturday and Sunday. Mink is also being traveled on. I don't know about Baptiste but if these two are frozen that Baptiste is also.

We are expecting a little snow on Wednesday and more on Saturday and Sunday. At least this week when it isn't snowing the sun was out which makes things look a lot rosier.

I was starting to get a little cranky or is that crankier than usual with all the dull cold days.

On an amusing note I had the cutest phone call last week from a guy checking on snow conditions. I gave him my usual answer if you are not traveling from too far the trip would be worth it, but if you are coming from far away the conditions were not good enough to make a trip

When I asked him how far he was coming from he asked me "have you ever heard of a place called Oshawa?". Well if you know me at all you can just imagine what I would have liked to say. But in my sweetest voice I told him that I had been raised in Ajax. He then went on to say that he wasn't really from Oshawa but a little town east. Had I heard of Newcastle. He was quite surprised to hear that I had even been there. A number of people from the city are condescending or just rude. But bless his heart I think that he was just naive. I'll bet he didn't know that I have call display and recognized him when he phoned back this week!!!! He he he.

Well this is a shout out for everyone to shake what your mama gave you and do the snow dance for here.

Back later in the week with all the good news.

Cheers
Nancy

2011-01-08T09:40:00.000-05:00

YEEEEEE HAW

THE GROOMER WENT OUT LAST NIGHT!!!!!!!

2011-01-07T10:47:00.002-05:00

Sadly I have lied again. I said I'd be back late Thursday and here it is Friday already.

There is some light at the end of the tunnel but we are not there yet. It has snowed a bit everyday. But not enough to call it a snowfall. We have about 3-4 inches of fresh snow. I have seen the odd sled out on the rail bed this week but haven't talked to anyone that was out.

No grooming yet because of the snow or lack of it. We will be getting more today and tomorrow. We will just have to wait and see what the weekend brings. It is to be sunny over the weekend. The good part is the temperature has not gone above zero for quite some time and is not expected to rise any time soon. The lakes are freezing up nicely and more snow would be just the ticket.

Well I'll end now as I am not finished pouting!

Back in a couple of days.
Nancy :-(

2011-01-04T17:27:00.002-05:00

Riders in today said----Oh wait, there were no riders in today.

We had a little snow yesterday and more today. Today was an actual snowfall not just flurries. Heavy one minute light the next. But it came down all day. Now don't go loading up the trailers just yet. We haven't gone that far.

The temperature has dropped enough that the lakes are now frozen over again. The next few days is to bring more snow after tomorrow and the temp is not going above zero so things should be looking up by the weekend.

It's pretty quiet this week not touching stories just one bone head play by yours truly. After making a lovely pot of Cream of Potato Soup I left the kitchen thinking that I had turned the stove off. Alas I was mistaken. About half an hour later when the funny smell started I wondered what that was. I had a well charred stainless steel pot holding a pot of brown cream of potato soup. Needless to say the soup for today is now beef barley.

I will be back Thursday late in the day to let you know how things are going.

So long for now.
Nancy

Happy New Year

2011-01-02T11:51:00.002-05:00

Let's hope that 2011 brings good things for everyone.

Now that all of the festivities are over it's time to get back to business.

The rain on New Years Eve didn't stop our outdoor activities but it did knock the crap out of the snow.

Since when does a chance of showers become 24 hour downpour!!!

I haven't seen any trails in a few days but it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that they are trashed.

Thankfully today the temperature has dropped and light snow is falling off and on. There is snow if the forecast for the next 6 out of 7 days and the temp is not to come above zero either.

This should improve conditions. I will update in a couple of days to let you know how much has fallen.

Here's a shout out to Brad from Picton. Sorry that there were no butter tarts or rice pudding the last time you were here. Hope you guys get up again when things are looking better.

I guess that's about all to report for now. Better days are ahead.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-12-29T10:49:00.002-05:00

Greetings from the land where rubber boots are considered casual footwear.

It is with great regret I report that grooming has come to a halt until more snow falls. I don't know the reason for this I just know it is so.

The weather is mild to day and yesterday also. Rain is in the forecast and the only time it is right is when it's something we don't want.

None the less it has been really busy the last couple of days and there are no real complaints about the trails. The rail bed is getting beaten up but bush trails are not too bad.

No point in blathering on when the news is bad so I'll end here.

I will update as soon as conditions improve unless there is a touching story to share.

Have a great and safe New Year. I hope to see you back soon.
Cheers
Nancy

2010-12-22T09:46:00.002-05:00

One last update before Christmas.

We haven't had much new snow. A little is falling today, but not enough to make a big difference. The long range is calling for sunny and cold days until the middle of next week. Great travel weather but after the weekend I am starting the snow dance again. I don't care who I tick off.

The groomers were out yesterday. One went to Whitney the other left at 7.00 am for Bancroft and didn't get back until 4.00 pm. What a long day that would be.

The trails that have been groomed are in good shape. Roger D and Dan C rode to Whitney, Madawaska and back down yesterday. Most trails were good except from Madawaska through the dump at Cross Lake. They said it was like sledding in the 70's, pretty rough. The rest was just fine.

The diner will be closed Dec 24 & 25 opening at 10.00 am on Boxing Day. So unless the sky falls I won't be updating before the 27.

The log trucks will be running the Mink Lake area on Wednesday and Thursday the 28 & 29. So if a sign says watch for log trucks-DO WHAT YOU'RE TOLD. These guys take no prisoners and they are bigger than you are.

Happy Holidays to all. Have a great weekend. I look forward to seeing everyone in the new year if not sooner.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-12-20T10:26:00.002-05:00

What a great weekend we had. Good weather, good conditions = good times.

It was really nice to see so many familiar faces back sledding again. Thanks for stopping by. Thanks also to all the people that said they read the blog. It soothes my fragile ego and let's me know that you came this far is because of what you read. It also gilts me into updating regularly.

The trails were in good shape on Friday but with so much traffic on Saturday by Sunday they were toast. No grooming was done on Sunday night so its still pretty rough out there.

I haven't heard when grooming will resume. One of the groomers was undergoing repairs this week. If they start up again I will let you know.

It didn't snow much over the weekend so no new snow yet. It is overcast and my sinuses are all plugged so that may mean more snow.

New this year to Bancroft are the Snowmobile Races. February 5 & 6 there will be two days of racing. The track is being built just across the road from Cafe BC in Birds Creek. I am not sure of the details but check out www.highspeedmotorsports.ca or call Harold Foyster (705) 457-2278 for more information. When I find out more I'll share with the class.

Don't forget that we have fuel in Lake St. Peter now. Go figure--a gas station that actually sells fuel AND all kinds of other stuff!!!

I am happy to report that Jim had his new sled out last weekend and returned home unscathed in one piece not needing any repairs. Now his new friend Gin Boy-well that's another story. I'll just say that he is much nicer at breakfast than later in the day.

That's it for now. I'll be back when I have more info to report or maybe a sad and touching story to share.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-12-15T17:26:00.003-05:00

The picnic tables on Monday after the big snow fall

Well it goes without saying that we got snow. However unlike other parts of the province we get our snow in sensible amounts. Just a few inches every day or so. We have had a good amount this week. I took a really great pic of the snow on the picnic tables but I misplaced the camera cable on the way from the house to the restaurant. That is why I am not allowed out with any substantial amount of money or other valuables.

The groomer has been busy this week. It was out last night to who knows where and out again today to Martin's Mill. All riders in today said that things were great. The creeks are still sloppy but the trails are well covered. Most riders have come from Bancroft or Mink Lake but we did have some in from Barry's Bay today.

I'll keep my ears open to see where else the groomer has been. But so far all looks good.

This is a great chance for some early riding so if you don't have family commitments this weekend load up and hit the bush.

That's it for now.
Cheers
Nancy

2010-12-15T13:39:00.002-05:00

Grampa enjoying some quiet time now that Gramma is gone

The reindeer being arrested by the C.S.I. Maynooth officer

The whole gang getting ready to head to the parade

2010-12-12T12:57:00.002-05:00

It is still snowing like crazy. The trails are in pretty good shape for early in the season.

There have been riders in both Saturday and Sunday. All are saying good things about conditions. A group of four just left that had ridden from Madawaska. I would guess that the groomers will be out tonight if the temperature stays cold. It's hard to tell just how much has fallen. Enough fell that the lot has to be plowed.

FYI if you see something orange heading your way at mach speed get the hell out of the way. Jim M just got his new 1000 Arctic Cat. Lets hope he has better luck this year than the last two in the repair department. His buddy's have gone out and bought a fancy orange tow strap so that he is colour coordinated when they have to bring him home! After all looks are everything.

We had a great time last night. It was the Maynooth Santa Claus Parade and we put in a float. Thanks to all the staff and friends that helped build it and participate in the parade. We had a great time and continued of at the ANAF after. We took lots of pictures and if I fiddle around long enough I may post some. Our theme was Grandma got run over by a Reindeer. It was awesome and we took third place in the judging.

I guess if the snow is going to stay I have to keep this up on a more regular basis from now on.

The dish had to be cleaned off in order to access the internet today so if you don't hear from me real soon it's because I haven't found a tall enough person to clean it off again.

Well I'm off now. Firefighters Christmas dinner is tonight.

Hope to see some familiar faces sledding in soon.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-12-09T18:24:00.002-05:00

YEA------GOOD NEWS

The groomer is heading to Whitney tomorrow.

It has snowed every day since last Tuesday. The sun came out for the first time in a week and it's bloody freezing!!!!!

Got to go. Snooker tonight at 8:00.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-12-04T09:44:00.002-05:00

Well-The weather outside was frightful.

And---It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Even better we had our first two sledders in last night.

Now let's not get all excited but if there isn't any more rain and the snow stays things will be looking good soon.

We have had three dumps of snow, all substantial but a couple days of rain washed it all away. SOOOOOOO Let's hope that this one is here to stay.

It is a great day today. The sun has finally peaked out and it is quite cool.

I'm not sure if my snow plow guy has left town or just hasn't taken the snow fall seriously. But if he doesn't show up soon he will be my ex-snow plow guy!!!

The water in the lakes and creeks is higher than anyone can remember because of all the rain and the pesky beavers. The culvert on the highway just past the diner is blocked up and is being repaired. The guy fixing it wanted to start Monday so that the trail wouldn't be all dug out over the weekend. They were working on it Friday, so let's hope it gets finished soon.

The trail should be smoother now though because the snowmobile club and the township both graded the rail bed.

The diner will be closed at 3:00 pm next Saturday, Dec. 11 because of the Santa
Claus parade in Maynooth. We are putting in a float and then we arranged for music to be at the ANAF in Maynooth afterward so that we can have a little party. So join us for the festivities next weekend. The parade starts at 5:00 pm and the carry on some time after that.

Well I'd better end now. It has started snowing again. Shelia will be getting all cranky because she is already tired of shoveling it. Feel free to pick on her the next time you are in if she starts whining.

See you soon.
Cheers
Nancy

I'm baaaaack!!!

2010-10-18T10:47:00.003-04:00

Greetings all. I am sorry for the long delay in posting but I had someone scrutinizing everything that I wrote and it took all of the fun out of it. Can you imagine me trying to edit myself? I think not. So probably no more sad and touching stories and bone head plays unless they were done by someone else. As usual you are all fair game.

The summer was great with lots going on. Many strange visitors and amusing stories to the diner but it's too late to go into all that now. If you were here you got them first hand.

My family has grown with the addition of two new granddaughters. One in Maynooth and one in Nova Scotia. I have also acquired a golden retriever puppy. He is 1 1/2 but he still acts like a puppy compared to the 15 year old dog that is not impressed with the new addition. I must say that the cats are not amused either but they are getting used to him.

Brian and Jim behaved really well this summer and did not leave me with any funny incidents. Thanks guys for taking out the air conditioner.

Not as many ATV's around this fall like most years. There have been more since Thanksgiving weekend.

The religion known as Moose hunting started here today. So things will be pretty quite for a while. With rain promised for every day this week it will be a soggy hunt.

Snow flurries are predicted for Thursday so I may have to rethink my sandals. I'm not putting them away just yet, it's not that far to walk to work. I did wear them most of last winter.

Fall came quickly and the trees were almost bare by Thanksgiving. So if winter comes as early as the spring, summer and fall there should be snow by the end of the month or November for sure.

The snowmobile club has purchased some land on Boulter Lake Rd and is finally getting a real home. They will eventually put shop on it so that repairs can be made on the equipment more easily. This couldn't be done without all the people that purchase trail permits from the Maple Leaf Snow Skimmers. So way to go Snow Skimmers and all the club members.

Well I'd better sign out. Not that it's busy, but baby Ava is here for visit and I am obligated to fuss over her.

Back soon, I'm just not saying when.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-07-22T11:48:00.002-04:00

We're having a real old fashion summer weather wise. It has been great all month. It mostly rains at night just like it should in my rule book. Even when it rains during the day it's not bad. There is nothing wrong with 20 minutes of rain and 12 hours of sun and heat. I'm sure pregnant woman everywhere are disagreeing with me but that too will change.

There are lots of people around. Trucks with trailers and boats are passing by constantly. The parks are full or nearly full. There have been a few ATVer's out this last week or so. But the water is so warm and the beach is so nice I can understand why riding may not be the first choice for an activity.

I has to go to Oshawa for a day to babysit my two grandsons. I arrived home unscathed and both boys survived an overnight with Gramma with only a few minor incidents and lots of spoiling.

Not too many bone head plays lately and no touching stories this week. Most were done by me and I am not sharing with the class. I still want you to think that Bullwinkle the cat is the village idiot, not me.

However one small story I can't resist. My son-in-law loaned me his trail camera so that I could mount it to a tree and take pictures of the deer feeding in the yard behind the diner. So, as I am technically challenged I passed the camera over to Martin to fiddle with it and see how it worked. Not being much better than me after a day or two we finally got it sorted out. Well we were having some cloudy periods with a thunder storm and I couldn't figure out why there were so many flashes of light and mostly behind me. After a day I realized that the camera was in the on position and every time I reached over it, it was activated and would flash a picture every 60 seconds. I now have about 40 pictures of the ceiling and the camera is still not mounted on a tree. I'm sure they will be good quality pictures when I figure out how to get them out of the camera!!! That is the only down side to your children growing up and moving away. There is no one to reprogram and run all this technical junk that we "have to have".

I thought that I was going to have to replace a speaker because after a storm a week or two ago it was all static and could not be used. But lo and behold after a thunder storm and lightning (not the trail cam) this week the speaker is now working better than ever. Now that is my kind of electronic device. Self repairing. You've gotta love it!!

I have decided for a number of reasons to cancel the September ATV ride.

The general store continues to be a hub of activity and is now open until 8:00 pm every day but Sunday. They even have gas and cigarettes. That is making lots of people happy. They increase their stock weekly and it is looking good in there now.

The paving is starting soon on Hwy 62 so the road will be good again for a few years. The wild turkeys are still roaming around with the baby chicks and the deer and the antelope play. Life in Lake St. Peter is good.

Well that's all the news that's fit to print. Hope to see you soon.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-07-12T15:39:00.002-04:00

July is turning out to be not a bad month. Good weather for the most part. Yes I do consider a heat wave good weather. For the first time in the restaurant business that I can remember it was actually hotter outside than in the kitchen. We had to close the door to keep the heat out. The kitchen door is always open unless it's snowing.

The lake is really warm, the people are happy and smiling, the mosquitoes are happy and smiling. It doesn't get any better than that.

This is old news because it happened a week ago but I have had two firsts last week. The grass was getting very long and I had to suck it up and cut it myself. So my daughter delivered their riding lawn mower, we unloaded it with the help of Kevin A from the trailer park because we couldn't get the truck close enough to the hill and away I went. Well after a bit of trial and error off I went. I was very nervous at first but I figured I've been riding sleds and ATV's for years how scary can this be. As it turns out once you get the hang of it not scary at all. However those indestructible dog bones-ha I think not, and who knew orange snow fence could fly so far. So after all was said and done I rode my little orange tractor around the fence to Marty's and had a cold one with him. Well that's what he always does when he is finished I just thought that must be part of the job. Turns out I was right. Go figure!!!

My next feat was to make a pot of coffee at home. Now I can throw together a dinner for 50 without breaking into a sweat but ask me to make a pot of coffee in a non-commercial coffee maker and I get the shakes. Well after only two phone calls (one to find out how it turns on) I was able to make a half decent cup of coffee for a guest I had coming over one morning. Now, a second cup was not asked for but I'm sure it had nothing to do with the quality. If I'm lucky it will be another 56 years before I have to do that again. I don't like the pressure.

There haven't been many ATV's out this summer but lots of people that have just found out that the riding is great here.

Diane and Shamus area going a great job since they have taken the store back over. We can call it a convenience store again not an inconvenience store. They even have gas if you can imagine, they are open past 4 o'clock and not closed because of the flu on Sundays.

The music is still going strong on Saturday evenings starting at 6:30. We have a few new people playing this summer. Here's hoping they are good. My screening process is a little slack but we have been pretty lucky so far.

Thanks to Connie and Jim for having me over for cocktails a swim and the boat ride. It was a great time. I hope I was a good girl and can come back again. Thanks also to Brian and Jim for installing the AC in the dining room window.

Now is that soccer finally over? I have seen more soccer in the last few weeks than in my whole life. It was nice to have some fans in to watch the games though. Most of the time they were all cheering for the same team so there were no bar room brawls.

Well I'd better run. There are dinner people in and looking for service.

Back when something more exciting than me cutting the grass happens.

Cheers
Nancy

Happy Canada Day

2010-06-30T12:19:00.003-04:00

Another long weekend (sort of) is here. Please if you are coming north this weekend would you do a sun dance or at least bring some hot weather.

If I ever get around to cutting the grass I'll need a hay baler. At least the wild flowers growing in the lawn look nice. And my tomatoes are going to be as tall as me soon. Oh I may have to put the planters on the deck to get that.

No excitement while I was away. Every body played nicely and there were no incidents. The only excitement this week was the rescue of the four kids that rolled a 4 wheeler over down a bank on Hwy 127. Four kids 2 about 14-15 and 2 about 8-10 were let out alone on two
atv's for a days adventure. They ended up in Lake St. Peter from Benoir Lake which is a fair trip. They were trying to get to Helmers Rd. so the drove down the Hwy. What the hell were the parents thinking!!!! Oh ya they were back at the rented cottage. The bike rolled down a bank at a culvert. Myself and three others helped get the bike out of the creek and I drove the kids back home. No one was hurt too much. Grandpa might not be too happy when his bike comes home though. Oh well it takes all kinds I guess.

Now for the good news, bad news. The general store up the highway has gone to power of sale sort of. The previous owners Dianne and Shamus will be taking it back over. It's a shame to see anyone lose their business but it will sure be nice to have a gas station back in town. They will also have more stuff in the food dept. It may take them a while to get all the shelves full again but I'm sure they will do a good job. They are back July 1 and the gas tank has already been filled.

I haven't been doing much deck research this week but the flies don't seem to be too bad which is good because the mosquitoes have come out to help. Until the temperature gets back closer to 30 degrees I'll be doing my research from inside the house for a while. I don't mind taking one for the team but let's not get silly.

Well here's hoping you head up north soon. We will be here waiting.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-06-15T15:33:00.002-04:00

It was a fairly quiet weekend in LSP last week. But I'm happy to report that the weather has smartened up some days so that the black fly research can continue on the deck.

My findings for this week-THEY'RE STILL HERE!!!!! Not so bad though. On Sunday when it was hot they weren't bad at all during the day but just after dinner when my guests and I were sitting outside they got a little friendly. Oh well it was time for them to go home any way.

The Wal-Mart sign is still causing alot of buzz. He He He.

Our little neighbourhood turkey now has four chicks. If she doesn't stop crossing the highway she won't have any soon.

If anything really exciting has happened lately I either forgot about it or missed it completely. The farmers market in Maynooth is doing really well on Saturday mornings. There is a guy there that sells homemade bread that is made is a stone or clay (whatever) oven outside. Last Friday he baked 40 loaves of bread outside in the rain. Oh is it ever good. He sells out by about 10:00 each Saturday. The homemade jams and stuff are also good. One couple sell Diabetic jam and lots of it.

When I publish next week it will just be rumors and hearsay. I am heading down to Nova Scotia tomorrow to see my grandson. It has been almost year. At least they are getting closer to home with each move. An hour and a half plane ride is much better than the flight to Reno. Much less expensive too. He works away in Mongolia so his sister and I are visiting while he is gone. At least I won't be getting into any trouble this trip with two pregnant women and a three year old. Oh who am I trying to kid. Trouble follows me everywhere I go especially when I'm with my daughter.

Well back next week with more news from down town Lake St. Peter.

Cheers
Nancy

Just another day in happy land.

2010-06-09T10:42:00.002-04:00

I would like to know who turned the heat down. It would be appreciated by all if you would turn it back up!!

It has been quite cold of late. At least most days are sunny so that is not too bad. Not too much rain lately, just threats. So I guess the weather man is finally right with his daily forecast of partly sunny with a chance of showers. Rewind and play for 6 months until it changes to partly sunny with a chance of flurries.

Well my sad and touching story today is there is no sad and touching story nor were there any bonehead plays this weekend. I thought for sure that with Jim and Brian having a guys weekend ATVing that something exciting would have happened. But alas they let me down.

We had a great Friday night with Jane, Bob and Victor. All of their biggest fans showed up for the farewell performance. We had a blast. They played until after 11 and a good time was had by all.

The black fly report is looking good. They haven't been bad at all for the last little while. Now they may have headed to Florida for a few weeks until we get the heat thing figured out. Sadly I have not been able to continue my wine on the deck research because if the cool nights lately but rest assured I am keeping in shape by partaking in the house where there usually aren't many black flies but research must continue!!

It's still quite during the week but I'm seeing more cottagers each week.

Not much more to report. Of course I'll think of something as soon as I log off.

Back next week unless something earth shattering happens.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-06-04T11:09:00.004-04:00

Another great week in the wilds of Lake St. Peter. A little rain has freshened everything up and the gardens are looking great. Not mine in particular because I think that gardening is an extension of house work and I don't like to do either. I can't believe that some people actually think that it is therapy. It's just another chore to me. Volunteers encouraged!!

We are looking forward to another great weekend. We have a special treat this Friday night. Bob, Jane and Victor are playing. It's kind of their farewell performance as Bob and Jane will be moving to Nova Scotia shortly. We will miss them. They are great performers. I hope that they hook up with someone down there and continue to entertain. Now if we could just get Victor to partner up with someone else that would be a real treat.

The log home on the lodge property is up now and looks great. Not to be outdone by the Wal Mart story but Honeydoo's sent a letter to the editor of the Bancroft Times last week suggesting that a Tim Hortons go on the property that they own next to the lodge property. What we won't do for some cheesy free publicity.

The black flies aren't gone but they sure aren't too bad. We have been lucky this year. As a test I sat out on the deck with a glass of wine last night after work to see how bad they were. I was pleasantly surprised. They let me finish my wine and start another. I know it is a tough way to have to judge them but I will continue with my experiment until they are gone. Only because I know you are all so interested in the results. If I am still running this test in November you must stop me.

I have had a few customers in that say this is the earliest that they have been in swimming because the water temp is so nice.

Not too much new other than all the new homes that are being built this year. There seems to be a lot of property for sale this year and it is moving quickly.

Not touching stories or whining this week. I'll be back next week maybe something exciting will happen this weekend. After Jim and Brian are up on a guys weekend. They are bound to get into trouble some where. Oh Connie, bless your strong heart. It must be tough always being the responsible adult.

Oops customers in, gotta go. Back soon.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-05-31T09:32:00.002-04:00

Here it is the end of May already. Where do the days go?

The second season of the year is now upon us. That would be Yard Sale season. On my drive to Bancroft on the long weekend Saturday there must have been 15 yard sales just on the highway alone, never mind all the side roads. If you stopped at all of them you wouldn't get home until after dark.

The long weekend was great for the cottagers. We weren't too busy at the diner because the weather was so beautiful why would anyone want to go out to eat.

It is the first May long weekend that you could sit at a bonfire without a ski jacket!!!!

This past weekend was just as beautiful. But who ever says that a few days of good hot weather will kill off the black flies must have been smoking something and not sharing with the class. We have had really hot weather and the little buggers are still here. Not as bad as some years but here all the same. Even the deer flies are out.

I was able to sit out on my back deck on Sunday with the Star crossword for a long time and not be pestered by the flies. It was great. Then my daughter and son-in-law showed up with the granddogs and all hell broke loose. Running around in the long grass (that needs to be cut) stirring the little rascals up. Then after a trip to the pond for a swim they brought the deer flies home with them. There is nothing like a wet black dog to attract deer and horse flies. We weren't long heading inside then.

The Walmart coming soon sign on the Lodge property has created a lot of buzz. It's amazing how gullible some people are. It even caught the attention of the Bancroft Times last week. There was an article complete with a picture. It has been a lot of fun though. Kudos to Warren and Norm for the good idea and to Jeff for the sign.

Speaking of the lodge property, the logs arrived today for the new house being built on the property. It should look really good and be finished in no time.

Someone had the boat launch at Dog's Point on Lake St. Peter blocked off by the township with big boulders preventing access to the water. It only took one person to make the change with no consideration for others that do not have lake front property. You could still walk down but that was about all. It only took one day to have the situation reversed. Kudos to Ted for getting things rolling. He only had to get a memo with two signatures to have it reversed. In less than 48 hours he had at least 50 with more to follow. The little people still have a say. YEA!!!

Bark Lake still has not been filled up because of the low water levels. It is an amazing site. There are docks that are 50-100 feet away from the water. Some are 10 feet and more off the ground. It will be interesting to see if the level is ever up this year. I feel badly for the business that are on the river and are being held hostage by the weather.

Not much else to report. I'll do a black fly update later in the week or early next week.

Cheers
Nancy

It's a Feeding Frenzy

2010-05-19T11:30:00.002-04:00

It is 28 degrees this morning as I am writing this. As far as I'm concerned it can stay like this until November. The week has been beautiful. However with the nice spring weather also come those little black buggers!!

I went out to change the letters on my sign at the Highway and WOW they were very hungry. I got quite a few bites just being out that short time.

So here begins my touching story. Last year an old guy was bitten all over his bald head when we were digging leeks. He was very itchy and he asked me to rub Whiskey all over his head. Now I thought that this was alcohol abuse buy none the less it was his rye not mine, he could do what ever he wanted with it. I poured a small bit in my hands and rubbed it all over his head and presto he wasn't itchy any more. So in my infinite wisdom I though I should try the same when I came in this morning. I got thinking that it wouldn't be a good idea to be serving customers smelling like the rye bottle so I tried a little Vodka behind my ears and on my arm. Go figure-it works!!! Again this may be alcohol abuse but it is better than being itchy when you have nothing else to fix the problem.

I wondered how a person would do in a breathalyzer if you did not drink the rye, just dabbed it on but stunk like a booze hound.

So my advice is everyone should come up north this weekend and help us feed the little critters. That sounds like a good plan. If this really hot weather keeps up hopefully they won't last too long. They were our really early this year because of the early spring.

We did our annual paddle down the Papineau Creek last weekend. A good time was had by all, drinks were served and not one canoe flipped (it's usually mine) this year for the first time in 5 years. We did have one spring a leak. God bless duct tape.

Sadly though I did not finish dry. I slipped into the creek getting out of the canoe while trying to visit mother nature. It goes without saying that after my dip in the creek there was no need to go into the bushes after all. Well what would a trip down the creek be without a few water fights and at least one dunk in the creek.

There is a new sign up at the Algonquin Lodge property advertising the new Wal Mart and Harvey's coming in 2012. It is causing a lot of buzz and has been very amusing for all the folks around the diner these last couple of weeks. I even had a nit wit from the Bancroft Times come in to ask about it. It must be a slow news week.

It's nice to see the cottagers back for another season but no ATVer's are around this year. Is it the gas thing or just too much on the go? Riders are really down this spring.

Well that's it for today. Back soon.

Cheers
Nancy

It rained on my parade-AGAIN!!!

2010-05-02T12:39:00.002-04:00

After three months of no rain and dusty trails, when does it rain. Of course-on the day of my ATV run. I've been told that if it wasn't for bad luck I wouldn't have any luck at all.

The run went well even with a small turn out. Only about 55 entries. At least it didn't rain all day just for a short time in the afternoon.

Here's a shout out to Jim Hodder from Barrie. He won first prize in the run and donated all the money back to the ATV Club. What a nice thing to do. I wouldn't have thought of that. They were thrilled with the donation.

Another shout out goes to Norm Stringer who upon receiving is winnings for second place immediately bought the house a round of drinks. Yea Norm. I'll let him win cash more often.

Just a little bad news. The black flies are back. They are not too hungry yet just swarming and being annoying.

So far the fishing has been great for everyone that has been out, except for Norm S. He has been out a dozen times and comes home with nothing but a sore butt. Better days ahead Norm. I can say what I want about Norm, he doesn't have a computer so he will never know if I don't tell him.

Well I'm taking most of today off so I end now so that I can go and find something exciting to do.

Back soon
Cheers
Nancy

Who turned off the heat!!!!

2010-04-22T10:54:00.002-04:00

It's been a while since I've updated and I am getting some flack. Granted I was away for a week but I have been back for quite some time now.

After a couple of weeks of really great weather the temp has dropped like a stone today. -5 this morning. Still sunny though so every one is cheerful.

DON'T FORGET OUR ATV MUD RUN ON SATURDAY, MAY 1. It should be a fun day. Good trails, good prizes, good food, good people.

It has been pretty quiet lately. There are not even ATVer's around. I wonder if it is still the gas thing or are they just not out yet? The trails are in good shape although a little dusty because of the lack of rain.

There has been a fire ban on for about 3 weeks now. No one remembers a ban starting this early. Maybe that means a hot summer. It also means those little black buggers will be around soon.

We have had a few wild turkeys in the neighbourhood this spring. They show up every couple of days cleaning up the deer feed and bird seed that was left from the winter. I'm sure my neighbour across the pond will have them all in his freezer soon. He'd shoot anything that walked near his property.

There was a real bad storm on Easter Weekend, high winds, rain etc. etc. It caused two house fires on the same day and both burned to the ground. Fortunately no one was hurt in either fire and both foundations were saved.

Our new addition for this spring is an ice cream freezer. We will be selling ice cream cones this year. I am looking forward to this because it means I'll be buying new clothes to fit me after sampling the goods trying to get things right.

There is another mud run the week after mine, May 6 in Maynooth. It is a fund raiser for the Maynooth Mud Dawgs. They are the group that put on the mud bog for trucks in September. So if you can't get up to the diner run, try for the next weekend. Better still come to both.

We are still doing the music on Saturday nights. I have some new bands booked so there will be new faces.

Well I'd better get back to work. Or at least make it look like I'm doing something.

Back when the nagging starts again.
Cheers
Nancy

2010-03-29T09:50:00.002-04:00

Just when we thought that spring was just around the corner Mother Nature showed her crabby side and dumped some snow on us last night. Now not enough to get excited and load up the sleds but snow all the same.

It was starting to get so nice.

The good weather has brought out the ATV's and a nice weekend should get people up to the cottages this weekend. The lake was nicely breaking up when it got so cold on Thursday and Friday that it froze over again. It should start melting again now because it is only about 2 -3 degrees.

The Porterville Diner had it's 15 minutes of fame in the Toronto Sun last Friday. Mark Bonokoski did an article about us and Jane Seary, a lady with a fabulous voice that sings with two friends often on Saturday night. It was a great story that can be found at torontosun.com/colums. Click on Mark's column. In my little world that was pretty exciting.

Other than that it's still pretty quiet here. I will be away for 10 days starting this Friday so there will be no witty banter during that time on the blog.

I hope you all have a nice Easter or Passover and get to do just what you want to.

Don't forget the ATV Mud Run on May 1.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-03-24T12:38:00.003-04:00

Spring must be just around the corner because the March Break is over. It was pretty quiet. Not much snow left so there weren't many cottagers around. Great weather though.

The snow is almost gone. Lots in the shady areas and where the plow left banks. A few buds have started and some unidentified stuff is sprouting out of the "garden".

We didn't get the big dump of freezing rain and snow predicted for yesterday. Once again the weather person gets paid for being totally off base.

It's nice to see some of the summer people heading back up north. The ice is still on the lakes but if the great weather keeps up it won't be long going.

The good news is no bugs yet. There are a few moose roaming around the village this month.

The Algonquin Lodge property finally sold. It closes this week. It will become a private residence with the cabins still being rented out. Another chapter in the book closed.

Other than that nothing new or earth shattering to report.

Don't forget the ATV Mud Run on May 1st at the diner. It's always a good day.

I'll be back next week with all the news that's fit to print.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-03-09T13:31:00.002-05:00

Well this weekend may have been the last. There is still good snow in the bush and for the most part the rail bed is good. The problem is getting to the trail. The side roads are as clear as the highway is.

The beautiful days have really taken the snow down. On Friday you couldn't see the parking lot for snow. By Sunday we are down to the pavement on most of it.

The stakes were taken on Lake St. Peter and Baptiste Lake this week, so the lake crossing is closed officially.

We had a few sledders in yesterday but none today.

One last sad and touching story. Brian, Jim and a buddy went on their annual trip up north. Jim had all the bus routes planned out so that when the inevitable happened he would be ready. Well you guessed it he blew up his sled AGAIN, this time between Cochrane and Smooth Rock Falls. A 50 mile tow to civilization ended in not a bus ride the the train back to New Liskard for the truck to pick up the dead sled. Now he was warned a few weeks ago to take his wife's sled as a back up. But did he NOOOOO!!!!! I think that this might be the last straw. Towed in four times in the last six or eight weeks on top of all of last years repairs. He may just retire to Skidoo and switch brands.

Not to worry Jim. It's almost time to get the ATV out you have so much better luck with that. Brian even sent me a picture of the dreaded tow to insert. If I was more computer savey I would share it with you but alas I just know enough to get myself in trouble.

The impending rain promised for the weekend may be the end of another sledding year. I will be back next week unless something earth shattering happens.

I started this on Tuesday and it is now Wednesday morning so I guess I'm finished. Thank goodness this stuff just saves itself so that I can find it later even when others have used the computer. Life is good.

If you are doing the St Paddys Day thing this weekend have a blast. If you are on the way to the cottage for March Break we will be here.

Back Monday.
Cheers
Nancy

Spring Riding At It's Best

2010-03-05T09:29:00.002-05:00

This week has been great riding. Cool sunny days and cold nights.

On my way home from Pembroke last night I saw the groomer coming out of Barrys Bay heading into the bush to who knows where. The trail following beside Hwy 62 had been groomed the night before and there were not tracks on it yet. There were one or two bare spots on the trail to Barry's Bay but you would have no trouble going around them off the trail. There was lots of room.

I walked across the road this morning to check out the rail bed. It was freshly groomed well frozen and not a track on it.

This weekend may be rough on the trails but I don't think that we are through with snow yet.

Check in on Monday for and update after the weekend traffic. Let's hope it holds up.

We will see you if you are by.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-03-04T10:46:00.002-05:00

The last two days have been second to none for sledding. Beautiful sunny days, cold nights to keep things frozen and well groomed trails.

It is hard to say what the weekend will bring with the warm sunny days ahead.

I just spoke to a rider that went from Lake St. Peter yesterday down as far as the Paudash Club House. He said the trails were great but some muddy spots are starting closer to Paudash.

Even though it is sunny today it is still quite cold.

The local club will continue grooming through the March Break (for those of us without school age kids that is til the 21) as long as the snow holds out. After that they will continue if it still snows.

It's still early today to know how the weekend will be, so if you need further information on conditions call us on the Hooterville Hot line at 613-338-3043. I may not get a chance to update tomorrow morning.

Let's hope things hold out for the weekend because it sure has been great this week.

Drop by if you are in the neighbourhood.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-03-01T13:30:00.002-05:00

Another great sledding weekend up here in the wilds of Lake St. Peter. We had a substantial dumping of snow late last week that was well needed. I think that some of the locals have put a hit out on me for doing the successful snow dance. Some folks are getting tired of the snow. I am way too happy about it.

It would be nice to keep the snow through March at least the March break if we could. I must admit it was nice to see the sun out for a while today.

It is to get quite mild during the day this week but go below zero every evening. The rail bed was all groomed up nicely last night. It was well frozen before any traffic was on it.

It is pretty quiet today so conditions will stay mint. Mid week riding should be great this week.

There were a lot of long distance riders out this weekend. We had two guys that had ridden over from Gravenhurst among other places. Lots are riding from Dorset and there are many groups doing the RAP tour. You can tell that it is getting late in the season. The groups are getting smaller mostly twos and fours. Not so many large groups.

My touching story is about the guy a week ago that had just left the diner and the OPP were waiting for him on the other side of the trail. His sled was in the shop for repairs and a new windshield. He was given a new demo sled from the dealership to try out for the weekend. Sadly it didn't have a permit on it. He had all the paperwork from his own sled even the green paper from his permit. The cocky one was going to charge him with everything from trespassing to no permit and anything else in between. The final tally was reduced to $200.00. He was not too pleased. I know you should have a permit and all that. Who's responsibility should it have been, the dealer or the rider? Maybe he should have purchased a 3 day, if you can find one now. They are pretty hard to come by sometimes. None the less it was an unfortunate incident. Makes people angry at the police for possibly over reacting. Makes sledding too expensive for most people with extra expenses like that.

Well that's all the news that is fit to print. Back later in the week with the weather report.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-02-25T10:38:00.002-05:00

Rewind Play---I think I'm starting to sound like a broken record.

It's still snowing, they are still grooming, trails are good, roads are bare, side roads are snow covered, life is good.

It's been light snow, a short period of drizzle and more snow all week. The daytime temps are about zero or just above every day. More snow is expected today and tomorrow.

Lots of long distance riders. My group from Harcourt Park went to Pembroke Tuesday and back Wednesday. Fairly good conditions all the way. More snow here than there but if they are getting the same downfall we are this should improve. Lots of riders in this week had done the Dorset run and said all was good the whole way.

The general store has just received his second load of fuel in one week. Does this mean that he will still have fuel past noon Saturday?? Who knows.

No earth shattering news to report. After all it's only been two days. Things in Lake St. Peter aren't that exciting. No ranting or whining today either. What is wrong with me!

I'd better get back to work. There are hungry sledders in here to feed.

Hope we see you on the weekend.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-02-23T08:25:00.002-05:00

I waited until Tuesday to update to see what the weather would do. Well I kept letting a black dog outside and letting a white dog in so I guess it snowed quite a bit overnight.

After watching Kevin from Breakfast Television get his weather hysteria turned on I figured we might be in for some flurries.

Can't say how much fell but I wished that I had worn my boots home last night so that I had them for this morning. It is still snowing now with no signs of stopping any time soon. The temperature is staying below zero so nothing is melting. We are to have snow for the next few days, making the weekend sledding great.

The groomers were out Sunday and Monday so the trails were in pretty good shape yesterday. We had quite a few sledders in on Monday that said conditions were fine but more snow was needed and now we have it.

Here is a shout out to Nancy from Pennsylvania. Bruce was here on the weekend. He behaved very well and was having a great time. He should come back. Thanks for reading the blog.

Bone head play of the week goes to Jim M. Brian had to squeal on him. They always run the ripples on Baptiste Lake. Well this past week they had taken the toboggan with them because they had packed a picnic lunch for the group. Jim thought that he would run the ripples with the toboggan still attached, after all it has skis on it just like the sled does so what could go wrong. Apparently the toboggan acts somewhat like an anchor. It flipped over, some stuff, not all, fell out and he just barley made it to the other side without sinking like the Titanic. So note to self, when running the ripples remove all towed objects first. I love it when someone does something more stupid than me. Kind of makes you feel like the only one without the hangover after the party.

We just had some riders in this morning heading from Harcourt Park to Pembroke. They found the trails to be in good shape.

Congrats to the MLSS club on another successful poker run. They had over 300 entries. It was a great day and a good fundraiser for the club. Perfect weather for having fun.

Well that's it for now. I'll keep up later in the week.

Cheers

Nancy

Some snow is better than no snow

2010-02-18T12:24:00.003-05:00

I was all ready to get excited yesterday when I woke up and it was snowing. It snowed most of the day and night. But it was just light flurries. It was enough to cover the ground well, a couple of inches. It is starting again but still light. The bright side is it isn't rain.

Riders in today were very pleased with the trails for the most part. The trail to Madawaska was just groomed today and is in great shape. A group is in now that just came across the hydro line from Haliburton. They said that it was choppy. I thought that was how you described the lake on a windy day, but what do I know.

The temperature is still mild but cold enough that the snow won't melt. Great sledding weather.

Bullwinkle the cat continues to amuse the guests by cruising the parking lot for the sled of his choice for a sit down.

My amusing story for the day is a guy in last night was wet from the seat of his sled. He asked if I had a hair dryer to dry his butt. I got the one from the house and he started to dry his pants. He has on those stretchy tight thingies. Probably the latest in fancy pants. A few minutes later he came over to show me that he had melted a very large hole in the butt of his pants. I am glad he thought it was funny. I'm sure the washing instructions said tumble dry low and don't use a blow dryer.

My whiny story for the day is I just burnt the crap out of a huge pot of chili that I was cooking. The burner was on too high, I got busy and forgot about it. I put pot and all out in a snowbank until tomorrow. I don't feel like dealing with it tonight. Besides there is no cook in now and I would have to wash the pot. Therefore that will be a tomorrow job. So no chili this weekend.

The snow has stopped now but the sky is really dark so it may start again.

Sorry the news isn't better but it could be a lot worse. I guess we will just have to make the best of it and go sledding anyway.

Hope to see you this weekend.
Cheers
Nancy

The gate must be up again.

2010-02-16T09:36:00.004-05:00

It was a great long weekend for riders and the diner. Lots of people around. Good weather and good trail conditions. It was really busy everywhere.

Now that it is Tuesday it feels like someone put a gate up at Bancroft and is not letting anyone through. It is very quiet today. A great day for riding if you don't have to work. The groomers were out and few sledders are out. You would have the trails all to yourself.

We still need a little snow to improve things. Only snow flurries are predicted for this week. But who knows that can change in a heart beat. The temperature is not to go above plus 1 or 2 all week so we should be keeping the snow we have. The highway road crossings are looking a little slushy and dirty.

I'll get started on the snow dance so things get better for the weekend.

I had booming gas sales on the weekend which is a sad thing all the same. 19 jugs on Sunday alone. I may have big muscles by the end of the season lifting all those gas cans. Thanks to all the folks that are really good about only being able to get a small amount and still come back to Lake St. Peter.

And now a new pet peeve. This one is not mine, I am taking requests now. So don't be thinking that I just sit around thinking of things to bitch about.

A couple in this weekend that sled all the time are getting annoyed at all the oncoming riders that don't signal that there are riders behind them or when they are the last rider in the pack. This is a great help on the weekends when the trails are so busy. It is nice to know when someone will be coming around the corner. Even if you are going light speed you can take one hand off the handle bar for a second and give a quick signal. Remember people safety never takes a vacation.

Any further pet peeves may be delivered to me in person for publication on the blog.

They lady next door to me came over on Monday to ask that sledders do not jump the snow bank over the split rail fence into her back yard. I told here it wouldn't happen again. Don't disappoint me now.

There was one lucky sledder last week. I had given directions for gas in Maynooth. Apparently my directions were not all that good. They ended up going down the Peterson trail However all was not lost (or maybe it was). They came across a trail of stuff, wallet, camera, bathroom stuff and clothes. The three of them collected everything up and found two riders looking frantically for the lost articles. The guy was quite surprised when the new comers new the mans name without even having met him before. All items were returned however the cash was missing from the wallet and tossed off to the side. Now these folks were curious. There were T-shirts, socks and other stuff but no undies!!! hmmmm

Well that's it for today. No bone head stunts this weekend to report, no whining, no snow.

I'll be back Thursday unless something exciting happens.

DON'T FORGET THE MLSS POKER RUN THIS WEEKEND.

See you soon
Cheers
Nancy

2010-02-16T09:36:00.000-05:00

Thursday Update

2010-02-11T15:06:00.002-05:00

The Family Day long weekend is quickly sneaking up on us. We are hopping for a busy one around here. This last week has been very quiet, today especially.

There has not been any new snow to speak of but the trails are still in great shape. The groomers have been out every day and so has the sun. The days have been just beautiful. Sunny and mild but cold enough to keep the snow from melting. The nights have been keeping cold also.

There are lots of single riders out which is unusual as most of the time the groups are large.

And now for my rant of the week. I have a new pet peeve. It is cell phone use in the diner. I would be interested to see if any other servers have this same issue. This year more than any other I have noticed people using their cells as soon as the enter the restaurant, like it is an addiction. Now I know that for some people having the phone with them means that they are able to come out and play while still dealing with issues at work. If they didn't have the phone they would have to stay behind. I understand this and can accept it. BUT---- Could you please order your drink and your lunch before you start checking e-mail and returning phone calls. It is frustrating when you are trying to serve a table, when you are busy and you are being ignored by someone on the phone or checking e-mails. Not every one is rude lots of people are very polite about their use so don't take offence at this.

This week there was a group of five in with a table of eight right behind them. I was here by myself. I had served the drinks and was taking food orders. All four had ordered when I got to the last one (he couldn't have been more than 17-18) he ignored me first, then said take all the other orders first. His buddy remarked that she already had. Well I don't know what I want (while still trying to talk on the phone). He then waved his hand in the air at me and said "Come back later when I decide.". I very politely and not sarcastically (stop laughing) in my calmest voice said that it would be a long while before I would get back to him.

I know that food servers are very low on the food chain but we have a job to do also. Dam you Telus for giving away all of those Blackberry's. You have created a society of cell phone addicts!!!

Whewwww-I feel better now.

Hope you have a great long weekend. Drop by if you are in the area.

Cheers
Nancy

2010-02-09T09:24:00.004-05:00

Another great weekend in the wilds of Lake St. Peter. Great weather, good snow and good trails. A little more snow would be great and I understand that it is coming in a day or two.
The groomers have been out every day or evening lately and our local trails are in great shape.

You can tell it's February. There are a lot of overnight riders around. I had a nice group in last night and this morning that had ridden from Eganville and other points over that way. They said that riding was good all the way. Thanks Gene for being a good sport. As always the abuse is always free at the diner. Another group passing through yesterday had taken a day trip from Dorset and were on their way back. They said trails were good all the way.

It looks like we will be in good shape snow wise for the long weekend this weekend.

Brian and Jim are regular visitors to the diner almost every weekend. I always pick on Brian because he makes it so easy. But this week it is Jim's turn. Jim and Brian each have 2006 Skidoos. Jims has a bigger engine than Brian's.

Now the fun starts.... Jim has spent more on repairs than he paid for the machine. 3 engines, 3 tracks and numerous other things that I can't even spell never mind remember. So it wasn't unusual to hear that for the third weekend in a row Jim had to be towed by Brian back to the cottage at Lake St. Peter. They are leaving for a week in Cochrane next week. Jim was not amused when I suggested that he take his wife's sled as a spare. He could just tow it until he needs it and then he would be good to go again. Have a good trip guys.

Now FYI if you have your sled stuck in a slushy spot (driver error) and five guys are trying to pull you out. Eventually you have to be pulled out by Jim (on his wife's sled now-he he). When you get out and still can't go anywhere don't keep trying until you blow a belt. TAKE THE PARKING BRAKE OFF FIRST!!!! True story. Oh the goings on at Mink Lake, it's something new every weekend.

That's all for today. I was scolded enough times this week about slacking off updating so I will be back by Thursday unless something exciting happens.

A big group in this morning said "Nothing but smiles today on the trails".

I still have gas available if you need it.

Have a great Valentines Day and weekend. If you are in the area drop by, we love to see you.

Cheers
Nancy

Another Great Weekend Ahead

2010-02-05T09:53:00.002-05:00

It looks like we are in for another great weekend for sledding.

All of the trails are groomed up. Great riding is waiting for you all through the area.

Riders in this week were all pleased with the trails. The lake crossings are good and the side roads are still well covered.

We have had a little snow everyday this week so everything is still looking fresh. Add the sunny days and longer daylight hours and it is just about perfect.

It is now 5:00, I started this update at 9:30 this morning and I am just getting back to it now.

We got slammed today. As busy as any Saturday. A rider in today said that the best trail was from Whitney to here. The trail through the Hydro Line in the park is not so good. It hasn't been groomed for a while. Trails to Makenzie Lake were done last night and are in good shape.

Well that's it for today. It is probably too late for info because you are already on your way up.

Hope to see you over the weekend.
Cheers
Nancy