We waited for New Years Eve morning to pass, as we watched the weather sock us in with warmth, and continued precipitation. As noon came the temperature stayed at zero, the winds picked up and rain changed to snow. Our WiFi had been down all morning with the bad weather, and there was zero communication options to confirm any arrivals. The lake was pooled with slush puddles and Mountain Man tested the overflow pools to find there was only about 6 inches of ice left beneath them on the lake. His knee is 3 times the size of the other. "I better go make a track with the Summit 1000",…

I was so positive about ending this year with a crystal clear prospective on my life. We finally know what we want, and how to achieve it. If you build it they will come, right? Well...at least we had hoped. We had a great day ice fishing, I did some baking...and then we had a wonderful dinner with some lean Moose sirloin steak that I pan seared in spices and bacon fat in my cast iron, then slowly simmered until it fell apart. Served it with some exquisite risotto that had sauteed onions, morel mushrooms and asiago cheese. The days were moving along perfectly. The last few days have been…

The Solstice celebration had passed, and then Christmas came just as fast. It was sunny and bright, the day was filled with love and laughter while carols were playing in the warm little cabin. It was just how I pictured it would be. We had our fill of turkey and trimmings & dessert - even though it was just the two of us. We were invited to the neighbors and into town for dinner, but the all day drive back and forth and leaving the dogs behind - just doesn't feel right to us on a day like Christmas. Home is where we want to be. We have company arriving…

Bundled up and grooming the runway. Dragging a heavy load of wood to break up the ice ledges. Working on our usual homestead chores of gathering wood & water, cleaning and organizing while we get a little extra done in preparation for the long holidays. Mountain Man has been running up and down the landing strip dragging several different things trying to knock down the ice ledges and ruts that are currently hindering landing. Our scheduled Sunday stop over that was delivering our 6 month load of dry dog food couldn’t land, and hopefully things will be more smoothed out after Christmas for them to stop by. We are fully…

I spent my few days alone doing boring things like defrosting the propane fridge and cleaning it out, emptying the half a foot of ash from my wood stove, cleaning and organizing for the new supplies that were arriving. All things I’m glad to be done with. I had a few above zero, mild days while I was alone here at the cabin. The snow compacted and created overflow on the lake. Our young Neighbor, Luke, happened by on his sled when he was out on the trail escorting someone through. Snow turned to rain and he came across the lake, to our place to take shelter. He drove right…

If you thought we had a relaxing day off after that 'Friday the 13th fiasco', with having to leave the trailer behind - then you thought wrong! When Mountain Man got home by snow machine, after bringing his truck with plane and trailer safely to the field - he only stopped at home to get out of his wet Winter clothes and into some dry ones. "While the conditions are perfect, I'm going all the way to Walt's with the truck & trailer", he said. I quickly made him something to eat and then he was off again. Not to be expected back until later that night. I gave him…

Where were we? Oh yes, at the 'Oops I did it again' scenario. Lets continue shall we? We kept up our speed as the truck and trailer slipped around the corners of the trail, sliding downhill on the steep canters. I clutched the door handle, white knuckled – while Mountain Man was cool and calm looking out at the tracks on the trail. “Looks like Caribou tracks,” as he points across my lap to my window with a smile, as he’s in his element. Breaking my trance like state. The truck veers closer to the ditch of the trail to the direction he’s looking.  “Please don’t talk to me…I’m concentrating”,…

Oops, I did it Again! How do I begin to tell you about the last few days? A similar chain of events, where one thing leads to another, and I end up regretting it. I mean, I know better...right? I've said it time and time again, my husband is crazy and he's still trying to drag me along with him! I know where I should have been,...common sense be damned...tucked safely inside my warm cabin! But no... Now to hook on to the small trailer and go! It all started with a phone call from our closest neighbor, Walt, who lives 30km (18.6mi) away. He had spent most of the…

The full moon lit up the resort, and the giant pines cast their shadows on the frozen lake below - where I stood in awe! I watched the light flicker and glow inside the cabin, and out the chimney rolled a sweet pine scented smoke. How cozy, I thought...that little log cabin in the woods looked in that moment. How wonderful it felt, to stand out on a bright moonlit night and take it all in. It was a strikingly beautiful night for a walk, cushioned in a dead silence that was broken by the crunching of the snow under my feet. Winter doesn’t come by the calendar – it…

Decorating the Moose Antlers Exhaling into Murphy's fur to Warm my Nose! I've put up a few Christmas decorations - no room for a tree this year. After all, I'm surrounded by decor in my very own Winter Wonderland. My walks are now a little tougher, trudging through the snow, but the beauty of my surroundings makes it quickly fade. Warming up my nose by exhaling a warm breath into Murphy's fur sure helps, as he's tucked into my jacket - his favorite place. The circle of chairs and log stools around the campfire on the lake, look like snow ghosts that have gathered round. When I took the photo…