Handy mobile hitching post

Our tractor proves to be a handy temporary hitching post for our January equine visitor.   His rider is in the house having hot chocolate and cookies while he catches some rest and sun in the sheltered south side of the house.  He was all for climbing the stairs up to the porch but we persuaded him to stay here instead.

Snow machine trail opens December 31, 2009

Maurice zooms by on the snow machine trail, which crosses through our 430 acres.    Maurice does a great job of keeping the trails clear and groomed in season.  The trails open December 31, 2009 - this means that the lake portion of the trail (just past our place) is marked and safe to cross.

Friendly bear

Merry Christmas is this bear from Catherine's Mum and Dad!   It is the "bear what Santa brought her".....

As he was rather large, Catherine strapped him into the front seat with the shoulder seatbelt for the trip home in her pickup truck......Bob was quite alarmed when he first opened the door and saw the little face and eyes looking back.  

Christmas brought ice and freezing rain, so getting in and out of the road to the log house was challenging.  As soon as the Christmas holidays were over, Catherine invested in studded tires (now legal in northern Ontario).   No more acting like a toboggan coming down that last hill when it is icy!!!!

Mid December visitors

Three lovely mid-December visitors to the field next to the house.  Usually they move off to the area west of here to "yard" for the winter, but it is so mild this year that they are sticking around.

Snow and sun

These are the days that make winter so beautiful.   We have selective harvesting for poplar in progress, so are spending lots of time in the forest marking property and cut line limits.  So far they are doing a nice careful job, maintaining the mature hardwoods (which are not being harvested).  

Winter 2009

Although technically not winter, early December brings some snow and it sure feels like winter.

Equine visitors

Rio and Dancer dropped by with Nikki and Kyla (left to right) to check on our progress.   Naturally this is a time for a cookie break...