Spring is Coming, I can feel it

All right, I am probably getting too excited for February 19, but there I was sitting in my office, watching my world start dripping.  The roof is dripping, the road is turning into a river, ok maybe mushy, but it is starting and to top it off the SUN IS SHINING.  I just had to go for a walk.

No sorels for me today, just wearing my normal boots.  Big mistake, the sidewalks and trails are still slippy and everything is very wet.  Probably should have put on a pair of welly boots with those chains you see runners wearing on their running shoes.

Started off with the whole gambit, hat, scarf, mitts, coat, by the end everything was off.

Sidewalk, road, trail, definitely the easiest place to walk was the road.  My head was down the whole time on the sidewalks and the trail.

This little guy can't wait for spring.  

Walking along one part of the trail I was trying to keep my eyes open for the "coywolf" that is in the neighbourhood, when WOOF, I almost jumped out of my skin.  Thank goodness all he did was bark, I am pretty sure he could have jumped over the fence with no problem.  LOL

On my whole walk I couldn't find one sewer, they are all totally covered by snow, luckily I live on a hill so the water flows right down my street past my house.  It is going to be pretty mucky and puddly by the end of the week.

The eaves on this house are amazing, I can't believe they can support the weight that these icicles are making.  They should be gone by the weekend, let's hope the eaves survive.

I promise this is the last picture of the snowbank at my house I will take this year.  We added another 2 feet to it on Monday.  I figure that I couldn't use my knee as an excuse after missing most of the shovelling this year so thought I should help before it was all over.  I had to push the snow down the sidewalk in order to lift it up onto the garden.  We have had high banks before, but they have usually come and gone over the winter.  It has felt like these banks have been around since November.

My little Mazda has been hidden in a tunnel.  I can't wait to see how much of this is gone after the rain storm due on Thursday and Friday.  Stay dry!!!!!!!!!!!

A Perfect Winter's Day

If you wanted to experience a "perfect winter's day" then it was definitely yesterday, February 3.  The bluest of blues, the whitest of whites and just enough chill in the air to add a little pink to your cheeks without your nose turning red.  Thank you to my good friend, MJ, for phoning me in the morning and telling me to stop whining about the winter and get my butt outside for a walk and a stern "don't forget your camera".  

I am very lucky to live right on one of the many beautiful trails in Aurora.  These trails go for miles from the north to the south to the east and west.  The Lakeview Link wanders at the back of some beautiful houses, that even in the winter you can barely see because of the lovely tree coverage that has been maintained.

The trees looked like they were covered in really yummy icing sugar.  

I was expecting to see lots more little squirrels and birds, but the amount of noise my feet were making crunching on the snow would have scared every living thing in the woods away.

The trees formed a snow canopy across some of the pathways, would have been lots of fun walking through here if it had been windy, but yesterday nothing was stirring.  The only time I knew there was a squirrel around was when they jumped onto a branch and knocked the snow off.

The sumac all had beautiful white top hats on.  

A picture is worth a 1000 words, so here are a few more pictures of my walk which normally takes me about 25 minutes, this day was more like an hour as I clicked away.  

As I write this post I gather another snow storm is on the way.  Not sure where we are going to put the snow.  Our banks are taller than me and I must say it isn't any fun backing my little mazda out.  Even our cats aren't happy, it's like living in a white, quiet tunnel.  We've had frost quakes, polar vortexes, record cold, record snow, ice, not sure what is next - hopefully spring.  But I must say this winter has been the most "mouth dropping" "awe inspiring" beautiful scenic winter I can remember since I used to have to walk up hill to school both ways in 10 feet of snow without snow pants (definitely showing my age with that comment).  It's going to start melting so take a break and enjoy just how beautiful this season and this country can be.

Lunch at Pine Farm Orchard

A spur of the minute lunch with 2 good friends, Janine and Arlene, turned into an hour of laughs, good food and seeing a side of Pine Farm Orchard I had never experienced before.  I have been there a few times in the fall usually a birthday lunch but had never been there when there was snow on the ground.

What a lovely experience, their big wood burning stove was on.  It is actually a working oven, fire on one side, oven in the middle and an area on the side where water was kept warm to drink and also to humidify the air.  There really isn't anything better than the smell of wood burning.  Along with buying apples and some beautiful artwork and crafts, they also serve a great homemade lunch.

Today Arlene and I split a  tuna sandwich with a "Wild Thai Chicken Soup", a medley of wonderful Thai spices with coconut milk to calm our palettes.  Janine had one of their wonderful homemade quiches and salads.  We didn't succumb to temptation and have their Sticky Toffee Pudding, but it was sure tempting. 

I have only ever seen their front porch covered with apples, what normally seems like 100's of different varieties, they are now kept inside with the delicious cider.  Today their front porch had cedar boughs, along with tons of beautiful bird houses.

Memories of many apple picking trips with my children when they went to Devins Drive PS surfaced today as I am sure it does for a number of moms and dads from all the schools in the region when they come for lunch.  Every fall bus loads of children come in for their 1st apple picking trip and they will go home telling their parents "twist the apple off, don't pull".

New memories were forged today that will become a habit, the setting, the atmosphere in the store/restaurant, the staff and the food all make for an experience I want to do again.

It is sure to be a busy weekend coming up selling their fresh Christmas Trees.

If you are in the area, drop in for lunch, but keep in mind you should make a reservation, it is a small intimate little restaurant that gets very busy.

Here's their contact information:
 http://www.pinefarmsorchard.com/
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Pine-Farms-Orchard/176480305709285

A Walk down Willow Farm Trail

When we moved to Aurora in 1985, there were 15000 people here, lots of empty space and a small town atmosphere.  It is now 2013, there are 45,000 people here and somehow the Town has down a great job of maintaining it's small town feeling.  One of the key elements of Aurora for me are their wonderful trails, I love the way they join up the old and new neighbourhoods as they meander through the Town.

In the north end of Aurora is what I call the "Willow Farm Trail", this trail oozes tons of memories of my kids and their friends, my girlfriends and I (usually trying to get in shape) and my husband and I (enjoying a winter walk - otherwise we would be golfing).
On this particular day I set off from Toms Park on Lanewood and headed down to the Willow Farm Pond.  The colours were in full bloom.  When we first moved to Aurora, there were lots of deers in these forests, now just squirrels, chipmunks and a large variety of birds, cardinals, blue jays, sparrows, etc.

There were so many leaves on the ground that at times it was hard to decipher where the pathway was.  It also made the pathway eerily quiet, other than the noise of my camera.

About 20 years ago when my kids ranged in age from 5 to 9, they told me they were going out to play.  When I asked them where they were heading I was told "the climbing tree".  "Where is the climbing tree... Just down the pathway towards Willow Farm .... OK be careful and stay together".  This was before the time of cell phones and gps implants in your children.  So after an hour, I started to think, maybe I better check on them.  Off I head, it was summer so there was alot more foliage around, but I could eventually hear them.  I turn the corner and there is this tree below, with all of my children and about 10 more neighbourhood children perched in the tree.  Needless to say I was not impressed.  Did consider asking the town to cut it down, but figured that wouldn't get too far.  Well it is still there and really looks like a great climbing tree.  LOL

The pond was always the final destination, a good long walk there and back and if you were lucky you might see a large blue heron in the water or a snapping turtle wandering around the banks.  I had always presumed it was too long of a walk to worry about my children going all the way there and back, but sure enough one day, they come in the door and one of the kids friends is totally wet.  I look at him and shook my head and said how on earth did you get wet.  Well he took a dare and jumped in the pond.  Another phone call to another mom!!!!

 Over the years more houses have surrounded our trails and have helped to encourage more birds and wildlife into the area and some absolutely beautiful gardens.

Over the last 10 years the neighbourhood has changed a ton, on the whole for the better, the only thing missing are the 100's of children who used to be running and racing and hiding around the streets and woods.  Now there are grandparents and lots of houses for sale and being sold as my generation starts thinking about downsizing.  I'm planning on staying as long as we can and continue enjoying the beautiful Willow Farm Trail.