Well, here comes winter again. Just a few snow flurries so far, a promise of things to come. Lesley is back from New Zealand, mum's 90th party went well. Lesley is now immersed in putting up garden produce, apples from her annual trip with a girlfriend to Bayfield, Wisconsin. While she was gone I did 6 gallons of green beans and peas from the garden with Lesley's coaching. That is the limit of my gardening skills other than eating the results. She is also getting ready for deer hunting next month. Speaking of deer, we got a call from the local sheriff the other day asking if we wanted a fresh road kill buck. It was only a few miles from us and apparently not hit badly Went and got it, it was still warm and not in bad shape at all. The rest of the day was spent processing it. It is all in the freezer now, which takes the pressure off hunting, but we still would like one more for the winter. Lesley is getting very good at cleaning and processing them. I just do the donkey work, helping where I can. My successful summer of fishing is over, the freezer is full of walleye and bass, even some lake trout there somewhere. I am hoping to get out maybe one more time and get some late fall fresh walleye, it is supposed to get into the 50's this week, so if the winds allow I will likely try it one last time. The water temps are now in the 40's, so safety is the primary concern, any wind and I won't go. Life jackets this time of the year won't save you, just give you a few minutes to get to safety and make it easier to find your body.Don't worry, I stay close to shore and only fish shallow, small lakes that I know well this time of year.

My big project while Lesley was gone was building a heated lean to on the end of our house for the ATV to park in. What I thought would take a week too a month, lifting all the sheets of plywood alone was more work than I thought it would be, but it is done now.

I am really excited about next summer. Because of the success of this years canoe trip, we are planning two more next year. I have also made a friend on another forum that does similar things. He has a few health issues, is about my age, and has been looking for a trip partner, so we are pairing up for a week or so next June.

On the stroke side of things, while working on the lean to I stopped my exercise program. I didn't have energy for everything, Now that that is finished I have been a bit lazy about starting it back. The shoulder soreness and arm/hand spasisity are starting to return, so tomorrow I will start it again. Don't want to lose what I have gained. Well I must go now and help Lesley move her deer hunting tree stand to another tree.

Just one final thing. As the gizmo, gadget guy, I love to see a simple, well designed product. I have been helping Lesley peel apples with an apple peeler. Most amazing thing. It peels, cores, and cuts all with a few turns of a crank. Love it!

Bye for now.