Spring is Sprouting Everywhere

On our walk this afternoon, there were so many signs of spring, I snapped a few to share.

 There is a definite green cast to the woods as you walk along, mostly due to all these buds, I think.

These freckled leaves are everywhere and I am pretty sure they are Dog Tooth Violets, which I used to pick in bunches for my mom when I was growing up in NB

First perfect dandelion - what would spring be without them!

 Sure enough - they ARE Dog Tooth Violets - finally found one!!

Even the Trilliums are coming up - by the middle of next week, I'm pretty sure the woods will be peppered (or should I say salted) with them.

It's so much fun to walk and see the changes each day.

Oh, and the loons are here - or at least one of them.

Ducks and Daffodils and Beavers - Oh my!

Back to posting after two glorious trips. And, other than missing the palm trees, there really is no place like Home.

We arrived to find the ice out of the lake, a beautiful Easter weekend with all the signs of spring, and weather mild enough to get all the clean up done before the bugs arrive.

Daffodils along the road on Greene Lane.

A pair of ducks who have been hanging around the bay.

There are noisy geese on the bay, daffodils and other flowers coming up on our property (fully bloomed on Greene Lane) and a pair of ducks swimming around the bay on a regular basis.

And the big chatter on Easter weekend - other than about the crazy/brave people who went swimming - was about the beavers. Apparently we practically have an infestation, who have been busy as "you know whats". Trevor, el Presidente, was bemoaning the loss of trees all over his property as were Glen and Sara.

Trevor did his duty and investigated further to see if this plague was everywhere on the lake (except for us, because we have no hardwood trees anywhere near the water). He was able to learn that the Township actually sent in a trapper because of a problem at the outlet to Otter and she removed 5 large fellows for relocation. Apparently, they are prepared to remove the beavers if they pose a problem to township property, but not so fast with private property. For that, they charge $25 per beaver.

Since Glen and Sara saw a huge fellow on the neighbour's beach when they arrived for the weekend, which was after the trapping, it would appear they are not all gone yet. And they seem to have an appetite for not just saplings, but mature oaks as well. Hopefully, the damage is not too wide spread.

On the weather front, the forecast for the next while is rain, rain and more rain, which is probably just as well since we had so little snow. But I was up to watch the early morning unfold today.  The light mist on the lake turned into fog so dense I couldn't see the island. Within an hour it had lifted to unveil a beautiful sunny day.

Won't be long before the lake is humming again. There are already a couple of boats in the water. And we look forward to having lots of company on the lake again.

This is March break?

I just came back from town and my car thermometer said 23 degrees outside!!! That is warmer than Toronto, according to my iphone.  (In fact, our friends who stayed behind in Barbados are only 6 degrees warmer than we are.)

And according to this blog (which is my virtual memory), on March 17th last year it was 6 degrees - yikes!!

I took some pictures to share. The roads are bare and a bit muddy. There is a tiny bit of the snow banks left and some patches of snow in the woods, but mostly it is all gone.

No snow on the road, except the occasional bit in the woods.

Absolutely no snow on the property.

The ice is melted from the shoreline and there are large dark patches of ice in the centre of the bay - the last step before going.

I took this picture yesterday to show the dark spot in the centre

.

This is how much darker it is today.

This shows the open water at the shoreline

And here is a picture of the water line duck. I just checked my posts from last year, and it was April 4th before his head popped out and April 7th when he was this far out, so we are definitely ahead.

Already he is out to his shoulders (if ducks have shoulders)

Too bad for the snow mobilers, the skiers and the snow plow guys. This has not been a great year for them. And I'm sure all the critters and plants are more than a little confused.

Oh well, on the bright side, if this spring continues with these temperatures, we'll all be swimming by April 24th instead of May 24th.

Driveway Warning

OK, Mother Nature is having a laugh at me trying to report weather and snow conditions. Because, after telling you we had "so much snow", we lost a lot of it again in the big melt this week. The good news is, it meant not having to clear the deck.

Yesterday getting out the driveway was like driving uphill on a titled skating rink. Luckily the warm temps encouraged the sand/ice combo to melt tracks for the cars, but the driveways that are plowed, but not used are virtual rinks.

So, if you are coming this weekend to take advantage of all the snow, pack skates instead. LOL. If we get a big freeze, there's an amazing game of hockey to be had somewhere....

But who knows....by the time you read this, it might be snowing again.

Snow Snow Snow Snow

Looks like we are making up for lost time.

The last week has had snow at least part of every day. So for those of you who still have none - or none to speak of, here are a couple of pics taken today.

We have to be careful not to move the snow too early in the day, or we have to do it again. But the roads are great - the plow seems to come after the smallest snowfall. It's fantastic to know that we will never be "snowed in".

A few more snow machines over the weekend, but certainly not in the numbers we have seen before. I just visited The Parry Sound Snowmobile District website and this is their Trail Conditions page  and there is a lot of Closed or Limited and not too much Open.  As non-riders, it doesn't affect us too much, but we know the impact it has on the local economy when the sledders don't come. Hopefully all this new snow will improve things.

The cross-country ski club is open and there's certainly enough snow around here for snow shoeing - just maybe not on the lake without testing first.

If you're lonely for the snow - come and get it.

First Snowmobiles on the Lake

We've had lots of snow this week and pretty cold temps so I figured it wouldn't be too long before the first snowmobiles would be on the lake. The first four went by about half an hour ago. Hopefully it's safe out there for them.  Once we have seen lots of them, we know it's safe for skiing and venture out.

Thursday was the first time I can remember white out conditions driving back from town. Here is a picture I took from inside the car. Luckily, I didn't encounter any other vehicles on my way in.

That night, after the storm, the lights along the deck railing looked like a million paper lanterns, so I took this shot.

Yesterday, it snowed again - the largest flakes I have seen in ages. So large, that I actually was able to take a picture of them falling.

The snow removal on the road continues to boggle the mind - they are here as soon as you even think there is enough snowfall. It's amazing!

So far, the driving has been ok - at least for us. Not so for the two pick up trucks who managed to go off the road, both on the first turn past the transfer station.

Happy 2012

Our bright and shiny new year came in looking like anything but.  It's a dark and blustery day indeed.

But it does look as if winter is here to stay. Starting on the 27th, we got snow that has stayed - even required three driveway clears since then.  Thanks to our kids for doing the first one - that was a real Christmas treat.

As the ice was arriving, I took lots of pictures. Different areas froze long before others and some areas had a good two inches while the centre channel - as well as warm spots in our bay - remained open.

This is what it looked like when I started taking the progress pics.

One snowy morning it looked as if it were all iced over.

Two frigid nights made it look like we would get a freeze without snow.

Then, after a couple of days of steady rain, we had puddles and were open again.

The ice now appears to be all in, although not thick enough for any lake-top activities. That said, is it any surprise to hear on the news that we have had the first snowmobile mishap with some bozo being fished out of the water already? Duh.

You will be pleased to hear that your stalwart Lake Association Secretary and Treasurer, George and Eva, went above and beyond their assigned duties and welcomed 2012 in style last night - with midnight fireworks. Try as we might to stay awake, that is past our bedtime and Rick and I didn't make it. I'm sure it was spectacular. In light of the the thin ice factor, the celebration was held at the sand pit, which is the sensible way to do it.

Here's to a happy and healthy 2012 for one and all. To a short winter. And a L-O-N-G cottage season.