An Absence of Achmed

 He came into our lives at 3 a.m. in the morning, 7 years ago, crashing in through the cat flap into my bedroom, announcing to all within that HE lived here now.


It wasn't an easy start. He loved our old dog, Holly. Loved all the people at the resort. Did NOT love Napster, the resident cat.   Because he was given to leaping out of hiding places to pounce on Napster, David dubbed him Achmed, the Terrorist. 

The name stuck.  So did the cat.

We loved him dearly. He was a huge personality (cat-anality?)  He loved to come hiking with Nancy and the guests. Would go along with Nancy when she rode the horses, or coached them.  Rode on the roofs of cars... and adored riding on the golf cart with the dog.

He was everywhere, visiting all the cottages, chatting up all the guests. Making friends .

When the G8 rolled into town, he changed Canadian Security regulations.  Every evening he would hop up on the balcony, rubbing his face against the screen, purring, trying to get inside where the officers were holding their briefing. After a few days, the Supervisor asked me, joking, "So, Achmed, who DOES he report to?"
I replied, "Well, you know that bell he is wearing? It isn't really a bell."  Because of Achmed Security now checks all pets for electronic bugs. He saved the world.


He became best friends with Napster, sharing a bowl of food and a place to curl up in the sun together.

He was with his best buddy Holly, when at 17 1/2 she left us.  For two years he 'held the fort' until Taffy arrived to take over the duties of a 'proper dog'.

Determined and persistent, it was impossible to convince him to stay inside at Night.  He was his own cat, with his own agenda, his own ways.

And his own, huge, fan club.

On July 8, following a big rain storm, he slipped out the cat flap door, as he had every day since he arrived.

This time, he didn't come home.

It is incredible how big and echoing the hole is that is left behind by 15 pounds of ginger fur and a purr.

We miss him. Terribly.



“He heard a whisper on the wind,
and went to chase the leaves of heaven,
play with feathers on angels’ wings and sleep in the Greatest Lap of all.”

Storm Scene

 High winds. Emphasis on High.  A tornado Watch in effect from Environment Canada.  Rain. Lots and lots of rain.


It opened up the view -- we lost one of the big willows at the lake, very sadly.

 The water trampoline dragged its anchor, and had to be rescued, but its fine and ready for bouncing again!


The waves were really impressive. Sherry took a short video.

The only real casualties were the Canadian flag at the Lodge -- which was bent straight down by a falling limb from the maple tree. A tree, we add, that has never shed a branch in its lifetime. It shed one today...  




With impeccable timing, it shed that branch in the windstorm not even a half hour after the BMD had brought the guest's red canoe out of storage, and carefully placed it where we always do, right by the door of the Lodge, next to the gazebo...



The rain was impressive, too. And it contributed to one rather soggy poodle.


On the plus side, there was no funnel cloud. We go away lightly, all in all.

Hydro went out, but with the help of generators we can keep the water supply on. All the cottages have bbq's, and there were restaurants open nearby working from back-up generators too.  It made for a rather peaceful interlude.  Amanda and Frank spent the time sitting on the cottage deck, sheltered from the wind, just watching the light show, and quite happy to be 'disconnected' from the grid for a few hours.  They came to visit Napster at his art gallery during a break in the storm, too.

With every break in the weather Brian, Dave and Mike -- and Sarah! --  were out with the truck and chainsaw repairing and cleaning up.


We are very fortunate indeed to have these guys here, all able to run a chainsaw, drive a truck, climb a ladder... essentially all able to FIX STUFF.  The ability to Fix Stuff is not to be taken lightly.

 The hydro was out for several hours, but it's back on now. The trees have been cleaned up, lawns raked again. The moon is out as I write this.  Storms pass...

Trivia

Trivia Night at the Dwight Public Library brought out 23 teams...

We didn't fare so well...  arguing over answers such as where does Saffron come from  and what was the original name of Sonny and Cher as a duo...

But we learned a bit, laughed a lot, and had a great time!

Next year... (as we always promise) we'll know everything!!!

All the Ingredients for a Fabulous Marathon Swim

 Dave and Mike, in the paddle boat... offering Swim Support... and entertainment (they aren't quite in synch with the steering mechanism)








Last one in!!!   Lisa, Valerie and Graham were already well into the swim when Dave and Jon left the dock...









Safety boats are critical. You can't have too many. Sarah and Andrea provided the kayak support. Those foreground teeth? Those belong to the Official Support Poodle...

Four intrepid swimmers tackled the Island Swim. 1.6 km.   In 84 degree water... sounds like a hardship. (not)

John, Heather, Alice and Brian made it look just too leisurely and easy...






 Yes, it is a LONG way back to Bondi's main dock. Slow and steady shows the way.








Frances and her blue canoe kept pace, and kept swimmers on course









Momma duck and her little ones came to join us for part of the swim, quacking encouragement. "If we can do it" the ducklings seemed to say, "you can too!"









Taffy takes her job very seriously, watching the swimmers very closely.  That's Brian, just barely visible out there past Taffy's nose. She's got him in her sights!





The swimmers who went to the Point found themselves escorted by this handsome loon.   He was fishing in quite close to the docks, and quite willing to pose for cameras.








When he wasn't pre-occupied catching a fish for lunch...  Loons duck their heads underwater to look for fish.

Bee-Cause Bees Matter

 Bees are so endangered, with the ridiculous use of deadly pesticides that seems to be the Norm now. That's just foolish, since it is estimated that if you get rid of the bees, humans will have about four years before we follow along.  Our food comes from plants that pollinated by (wait for it) BEES. There is nothing, and will be nothing, that can replace them in the food chain.  Livestock eats plants that are pollinated by (wait...) Bees!  Virtually everything you put on your table at some point was touched by the careful tiny feet of the bees.  So when we found this old bird box at Red Pine had been taken over by one of the 400 + species of bees -- a type of wild bumblebee -- we had to do something.  After all, while these bees have no real interest in stinging anyone, and are just going about their lawful bee-business of harvesting pollen (you can see some, those golden yellow strands on the outside of the box)  we couldn't leave them that close to a cottage where there will be children.

Enter our cousin Ross Tapley and his lovely wife Anne Marie. Along with running Logging Chain Lodge in Dwight, they operate Muskoka Honey Bee, producing the bet honey you will ever taste.  It is available in our office here, or at Logging Chain, or at several local Farmer's Markets.

Kitted out in bee suits, they came to our (and the bees) rescue.

There were LOTS of bees stuffed in there. And Ross reports a crazy amount of pollen.   You can watch him take down the box here.




A bit of duct tape over the entrance and a 'side door' did the trick of keeping the bees within and the people without while Ross popped the box off the pole.


The bees had quite a fan club as they relocated across the road, to a safe place away from any walking trails or foot traffic.

Now bees don't take kindly to being moved, even a short distance such as this, so there will be some who will not find their way home, but we do sincerely hope that the majority of the hive does well. 

We, after all, are cheering for the bees.

Hopefully later in the autumn Muskoka Honey Bee will be locating one of their apiaries in our back field. We are looking forward to that with excitement, and are pleased to be able to join their 'sweet' endeavor!

Beach Time

 At the beach, Alice brought her A-Game, with a little synchro swim demo.








Lauren and Shawn brought the newest member of their family, Lucas Barnes, born May 30.










Everyone, it seems, brought their floaties... to just drift and relax...










And Taffy found friends, with hugs from Kira and Emily making everything perfect.

New Spa in Dorset

Welcome to the new SPA in Dorset -- yet another reason to drop by the village!

Totoka Spa has opened this summer, and is proving a very popular destination.

Christa, a RMT is there a few times a week. Also on offer, manicures, pedicures, facials, relaxation,  what could possibly go wrong.