Winter is Coming!

As the sleet hits my office window this morning I ponder as to what happened to yesterday's higher than normal weather??? Business is getting quieter, snowmobilers are starting to perspire at the thought of what is almost hear (I can hear Geoff pacing in our office - he can almost taste that white powder!), and the first round of hunters are done for another year, with only one week left of deer season. The Highlands is settling down, ready for the white stuff!

Personally, I LOVE the changing seasons. As Canadians we get bored quickly and each change in the weather gives us something to talk about, something to prepare for - new clothes, preparing the house, getting wood - it's all good! We even get to change the interior of our house - colour schemes and nick nacks get to rotate.

Both Minden and Haliburton's main streets received a facelift this Fall - new curbs, sidewalks, street lamps....there is still a bit of work to day, and the contractors will be back in Spring to finish up, but they are looking great. It was hard on local businesses - everyone avoided the main streets for September and October, so let's hope the Christmas season is extra busy this year - perhaps we can all work harder to buy locally this Christmas to give them a boost! I know I will - unfortunately for the business owners though, we don't spend much at Christmas anymore....are daughers are adults and moved away, it is just the two of us. So our donation to the local economy will certainly be small, but every bit helps.

Well everyone! Happy Winter! Snowshoe, ski, snowmobile.......jump in and have fun! I know I will!

Children and Education

Hi everyone - this is a post I found in my "draft" file - it should have been posted last May - oops! Still relevant though ---- so here it is!

I have done a lot of thinking lately about how lucky we are in Central Ontario. Our youngest daughter recently took a job with a charitable organization called "Elephant Thoughts". The organization is based out of Collingwood and provides educational programmes to areas that are challenged. One of their aims is to raise the percentage of graduates from high school. Christine is working in Northern Quebec with Cree First Nations students and her experience to date has been wonderful. In the communities she has been in so far, she has found amazing children with a unique culture and look on life. Many of them start their lives speaking Cree then about Grade 3 they must choose a "stream" or second language - either English or French. This sounds wonderful, but in one community there was a lack of language emphasis, and since in that region you need 2 languages to graduate from high school, only 2 children graduated last Spring. Wow! This is hard for us to relate to, and makes me realize how little I know about many areas of Canada. I know the surface stuff - issues mentioned on the news and in the newspapers, and up until lately, I thought I knew quite a bit - I was definitely wrong. Listening to Christine's stories has become my drug of choice - I talk to her almost every day, and every day I want to hear what she has seen, experienced, and learned. The people have welcomed her with open arms - they have fed her, involved her in their celebrations and have been eager to share with her their history and stories. Every Canadian should get the opportunity to experience this - forget The Bahamas!

Hidden Gems

I love to find hidden treasures in our County - in any format.....geological, physical, people or business/organizations. Last week my business partner and I were hosting an Agent Open House at one of our properties in Irondale. The owner suggested we serve the agents sausage on a bun, and to get the sausages from Highland Meats - a butcher shop located between Gooderham and Irondale, on County Road 503. The Shop has probably been there 2-3 years and I have never stopped in. We picked up two kinds of sausages - cranberry maple and apple. Yum! The flavours are subtle - the cranberry maple was my favourite, but both were delicious. I took the leftovers home and they were an instant hit with the family. Check out this great place!

While I am at it - I have some other favourite hidden gems to mention! Norm's Smoked Meats in Gelert, on Gelert Road - Norm has been there for years and has a very loyal following. All kinds of fresh smoked fish, meats - a treasure of discoveries! Beside him, in the same parking lot is Lambs 'n Ivy Antiques - dissappear in this old barn full of exciting things! The third favourite - The Little Tart Bakery in Donald. Everything is done from scratch, real butter, and real taste! Delicious! You have to turn off Gelert Road onto Koshlong Lake Road (only 5 minutes from Haliburton) - it is well worth the drive! Oh - did I mention Wintergreen Restaurant? Again on Gelert Road - although it is a "pancake house", they go all summer long and offer with amazing pies as they come into season. This place is packed on weekends, so be prepared. A fun place for breakfast!! They have wonderful sauces, jams, etc. also!

Christine and I are off to Algonquin tomorrow for 4 days of kayaking and hiking - can't wait! Hope that fire ban gets lifted!

Volunteers

I was sitting in my living room this morning catching up on newspaper articles (I tend to pile them up and get around to reading the papers slowly), and I was mesmorized by the article on the annual Business and Community Achievement Awards, put on by our Haliburton County Chamber of Commerce. As I read the description of each of the award winners and their accomplishments, I was completely taken by what one individual can do. I am sure people might disagree, but it seems that volunteerism is a bit stronger in country areas rather than urban. Perhaps this is my lack of living in an urban area that gives me this impression, but, wow - the people who live here are beyond amazing!
I dabble in volunteerism, have for many years, and raised our daughters to understand the importance of community involvement - but I could never begin to imagine the depth of involvement that many of our community members have.
Take John Teljeur for instance (not to leave out the other incredibly amazing award winners and nominees!) This gentleman has volunteered with several organizations such as FoodNet/Food Coalition, Haliburton Highlands Outdoors Association, SIRCH, Out to Learn, and Community Care, started three more community gardens growing over 1,000 pounds of organic produce for organizations such as the 4Cs, Minden and Cardiff Food Banks, Ontario Early Years Centre, SIRCH, Point in Time and Community Care - the list goes on.
Is volunteerism a learned state or something that just comes natural to people? I know we taught our children the importance of helping your community, but surely these "above the crowd" members of society take it so much further.
With my limited volunteer involvement, I find I am always stressed - when I am volunteering I am thinking about family and work - am I letting anyone down? When I am concentrating on family and work, I wonder if I am doing enough - it is a balance. Everything in life is a balance - exercise, work and play, eating and drinking habits - all in moderation, just the right amounts of everything. Luckily, the volunteerism in Haliburton County is OUT of balance! Extraordinary people live here, get involved here, and keep our communities going. I feel very blessed (and at times, somewhat inadequate) to live and work and play in this fabulous part of Central Ontario!

Packing and Sorting

Our daughter received one week's notice for a new job in Northern Quebec - eek! We are packing her apartment in Ottawa, trying to organize a sublet from a distance, and now we are in the midst of figuring out what to put into 2 med. and 1 small suitcase that will cover her until June! Mass confusion! It seems that subletting is not that simple either. As Christine is leaving tomorrow morning, we need to pick a day to be in Ottawa to show the apartment to people. And we are learning that there is a fee for everything. Before we can even hand out an application to a possible tenant, the property manager requires $250 for an application fee! Crazy stuff but all for a great cause. She will be teaching Cree First Nations high school students, and assisting them in earning marks high enough to get them a graduation diploma. It will be a wonderful experience for her to see another culture, another area of Canada, and to meet new people. Very exciting! The organization she will be working for is a charitable organization that assists First Nations students and students in Africa with education. Check it out at www.elephantthoughts.com - a fabulous concept, and everything I have heard is very positive. The work they do is top quality and very needed. Their main office is out of Collingwood and they have a store there for fundraising - if you are in Collingwood, check it out! Well, off to pack some more.......

Hmmmm......

Once again I have been tardy in my blogging. Experts say that you should blog regularly or people will not read what you have to say. Well, I haven't had anything to say! My real estate blog goes steady - it's easy! But my personal life has been incredibly quiet, so family and friends - I apologize!

As empty nesters I thought we would have lots on the go, but it seems my first love is work - is that sad? Our daughters are grown and making their own mark on the world. Shannon will be starting an internship with Amnesty International in Australia on January 16. She is very excited and gets to work with Burmese (or Myanmar - depending on your political stance) refugees, as a processor and case worker. It is exactly what she wants to do as a career - it is too bad internships aren't paid, but that will come.

Christine has spent her first months out of university, in Ottawa on the Ottawa West School District's supply list - but she has not had more than 8 or 9 days work since September! This is not a good scenario and she has been to several interviews for temporary positions, with no success so far. The only thing that has gotten her as many days as she has had is that she is certified to teach French! She has an interview in Huntsville in a few days - so fingers crossed! If she gets that position, she will move back home for a while. If she does, I will have more to blog about again, as we will continue our quest of exploring different areas of the County - she is my partner in crime! We are both explorers at heart so I miss her being away from home! We are still patiently waiting for snow in the Highlands - snowmobilers, cross-country skiiers and snowshoers are getting anxious. We have a bit - but not near enough! At least Sir Sam's Ski Area is open! Ahhh, life in the Highlands - we are always waiting - waiting for snow, then waiting for warmth!