Big Cliff

When I came across the causeway at Port Perry about 6:30 last night Scugog was open around the causeway but it looked like there was still a lot of ice out on the main body of the lake. Water level looked really low!

Ya, I'm a big enough fool as it is, I don't need anything to help me along

That would be for a lamb roast or chops, those I save for special occasions like when we have company.

Well judging by the picture it turned out just the way it should have; picture perfect! Glad you enjoyed it! Now I'm off this morning to pick up my fresh Ontairo lamb, butcher called last night to let me know it is ready. Kind of have a hankering for a nice lamb curry.

Going to be a very interesting year, the ice is desolving very quickly perhaps because of the rain and wind. Three days ago I'd have walked across the lake here, today I wouldn't step off the shore.

If you need a good pastry for pies and things in a pinch; I usually keep a package of the Tenderflake Puff pastry in the freeser. Just take it out of the freezer for about 15 minutes before working with it and you can roll it out on a lightly floured surface. One package makes an upper and lower pie crust.

Well it is a sad state of affairs when our soldiers are told not to wear their uniforms out in public because they might be targeted!

LOVE IT!!!!!

This will make enough for two standard pies: First, don't bother getting all fancy like some of the recipies. I had a couple of frozen pie shells in the freezer and a package of puff pastry that I keep for those times you just don't have time to do it from scratch. 1 chicken (or) turkey carcus, break it up into pieces and toss it in a pot, cover it with water and boil until the meat falls off the bones. Strain it keeping the liquid and put that in the fridge to cool. Let the meat cool slightly then remove any meat from the bones and discard the bones you want to have about 4 cups of meat when you are done. Once the stock has cooled and the fat has solidified remove the fat from the stock, you want about 3 cups of stock so add water if required. Add to the stock: (quantities are about) 2 cups frozen peas 1 medium onion chopped 1 stick celery 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into pieces 2 small or one large potato, peeled and cubed ½ a tsp fresh ground pepper 1 tsp salt 4 cups of chicken/turkey (You can go getting all fancy with different spices but believe me you don’t need to; you will only take away from the natural flavors) Let that simmer for about 20 minutes. In the mean time make a white sauce ¼ cup butter ¼ cup flour Melt the butter in a sauce pan and slowly stir the flour in, once it is blended start slowly stirring milk into it, not too much, about a cup should do it, you want a very thick almost glue like texture (you know what that white wood glue looks like) . Now stir the white sauce into the pot with the chicken, stir it well then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 5 minutes then turn the heat off. Now I cheated this time and used the frozen deep dish pie shells and some frozen puff pastry. Fill your pie shells, cover with the puff pastry: Bake at 450 for about 10 minutes on the middle rack then reduce the heat to 325 and bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let it rest for about 5 minutes before cutting and serving. 1 pie will feed 3 hungry people or 4 normal ones. I did two pies, the boys down stairs ate one between them, Sue and I had leftovers from ours LOL.

10-4 on that one Lew, just another stupid way of doing things! When the people that are trained to fight for their/our country have to be protected by the police 2+2 just doesn't make 4 anymore. Guns without bullets; they might as well be carrying a fishing rod!

WOW! I am stone cold sober but I have to admit I am having a heck of a hard time wraping my head around all of this and I read it three times LOL. Very well written BTW! If you are ever in the Kawarthas drop by for a beer, I'd love to hear your rational on a number of topics, I do appreciate your take on this one!

Just go get a citizanship card, they never expire! Got mine over 40 years ago and it is still good to this day, picture doesn't look much like me anymore but that doesn't matter, I show the card, good as gold!

Nice to hear it from the "voice of experience" side of things and you make some very good points for anyone moving from the city to the country, our newest neighbors were at our door almost daily for the first 6 months after they moved in needing to borrow eggs, bread, milk..... they just weren't use to living in the country and so didn't plan ahead. Just out of curosity, do you still have your place and if so, where is it? I know a camp owner in the Kawarthas that does exactly what you are describing!

Orange, green, brown.... doesn't matter. I don't know about the rest of you hunters on here but when I pull the trigger on anything, deer, rabbit,,,,, I know EXACTLY where I am aming on that animal and it is either a heart or a head shot. You don't just point the gun at something thinking it is a deer and hope you hit it somewhere that is going to kill it. No matter, it is very sad that a man died, his wife is now a widow and a son will never know his father and it all happened in a split second. I wonder how many other lives have been ruined because of this?

What I want to know is; how come there are only 7 1/2s there?

Sounds absolutly fantastic!

You and I both my friend! I have actually now created a folder where I copy all of these ideas and recipies and store them so I can look back and "try" to re-create some of them. I have learned so much about so many things since becoming a member of this site!

Paul, anytime you need detailed information, pictures, anything, just let me know and when the time comes to do the dock thing, I would be more than happy to lend a hand! Got the float from Sinker, I would think it will be a lot of help and I am going over to Patric's Tire on Tuesday to get some tubes. I also have some VERY heavy duty ratchet straps and I am going to be buying a barn jack this week. If I have it and you need it, it's yours! (that goes for anything but the dog and the wife and the wife is negotiatable ) (don't tell the dog, it will go to her head).

Just drooled all over the keyboard again. That cabbage looks VERY interesting, care to share? Wouldn't mind trying that myself I usually just make sauerkraut out of any left over cabbage I have (it's a good thing LOL). But I love cabbage soooooo! Have a beautiful free range chicken that Lukasaurus (Steve) and his beautiful wife Llori gave us a couple of weeks ago on the BBQ as we speak getting all golden and smoky. The rest of the dinner is just the "back to basics" kind of meal, mashed taters (dressed up a little with some cream cheese, some onion chopped up but not too fine, mixed in after the taters are mashed so it is still nice and crunchy and a hint of garlic, carrots and parsnips, and some cauliflower with cheese sauce. Dessert is a cherry cheese cake which is sitting in the fridge setting right now. Our company is due to show up any minute now! Happy Easter everyone!

I'm thinking that the "big three" played a big part in "killing" it. Heaven forbid that someone comes out with an affordable car that you can plug into any 110V outlet. That car would have been perfect for someone like Sue, just runs into town to do a few errands, never goes more than about 30 or 40 km in a trip and she sure doesn't need to do it fast although 40 might be a little on the slow side. Didn't realize that that clip was from 2007 though LOL.

There are some good ones in the Kawarthas but location is going to be the key. There is a place on Sturgeon Lake (actually on the river coming out of Fenelon falls) that I think would do very well if it was run properly. They have a nice dock, lots of traffic an ice cream counter..... but I don't know how many times we have stopped in there to get fuel, ice cream, have a snack and they were closed. After about the third attempt you just quit trying. Friends of ours use to own Lunge Haven, they made a decent living at it but they worked 7 days a week 16 hours a day. Not quite my idea of retirement They sold it a couple of years ago because they were just worn out and wanted to retire.

Good news is that the walleye haven't started their spring spawning yet, most years they drop the water levels after the walleye spawn and leave the eggs high and dry. Sturgeon Lake is just starting to show some signs of open water in the current areas, I'm thinking ice out here in about another 2-3 weeks at least. There is still plenty of ice on the Scugog River as of yesterday and only a small area of open water down by Lunge Haven for those that know the area. Many of those that draw water from the lake are having problems, with the water level so low, many of the water lines have frozen solid. Friends of ours down the road have been without running water for the last two months! I would guess though that the water management job must be a really tough one, you just aren't going to please everyone no matter what you do. Keep the water levels high and run the risk of flooding out a lot of people and causing millions in damages. Drop it too low and people are running out of water and you are affecting wildlife.... Tough job, glad I don't have to do it!

https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ri2BG2qOvCg?feature=player_detailpage

I use to do my own and did for years then one year I got audited. I was informed that in the auditors OPINION I didn't need a computer to run my business (I had just increased sales from about $95,000.00 a year to over $300,000.00 a year) so he disallowed my claim for the cost of the computer and everything associated with it. That was the day I got escorted out of RC by two rather large security guards with my feet just touching the high spots on the way out and informed that if I did return I would be charged with tresspassing and utering threats (I probably shouldn't have offered to throw him out the 8th floor window). From that day on I have used an accountant (the cost of which is tax deductable) and I have never paid a penny more than I absolutly needed to. Mind you I keep everything very well doccumented and have backup receipts for everything but the accountant has often been able to advise me of things I can/could do to reduce the amount of taxes oweing every year.

The Canada Revenue Agency has a free introductory course on its website called Learning About Taxes. The lesson takes around 90 minutes to complete and covers the basics of the tax system and how to file a simple tax return online. When you have to take a 90 minute course to learn how to file a SIMPLE tax return how SIMPLE can it be?