My loom is sitting ready, there are rug hooking projects to start, scarves to be knit and a sweater to be started.  But ‘tis the season for baking, visiting and writing to friends.  So here goes.

Well we did a little travel last year.  J travelled to Nicaragua with friends Carl and Tom to work on renovations to the office of Casa Canadiense in Managua.  For two weeks the boys plastered and painted and scraped and fixed.  Oh and they travelled too and visited a friend from Erin who retired to a house on the pacific ocean. They also went to a Nicaraguan baseball game and climbed part way up a volcano.

Rats, my spring trip did not allow me to escape the syrup season.  But I still had a great visit with Carol and David Freeman on Denman Island.  We went to Courtenay and to the coffee house on the island and a lovely independent bookstore.  Denman Island is a unique community and Carol and David are a large part of it.  On my way there I reconnected with Julia Bardos in Qualicum Beach and learned of her plans to move to Sri Lanka and purchase a tea and spice plantation.  I should only be as adventurous.

And then I had hardly unpacked when I got finagled to organize election day for Chris Charlton the MP for Hamilton Mountain.  It was a successful campaign as were so many across the country.  New Democrats were pinching themselves for the next 4 months.  And now we have the challenge of finding a new leader who will continue to put forward policy and action that will work to protect our environment, reduce income disparity, and put Canada back on to the world stage as a Leader.

Spring is always busy on the farm.  The maple syrup co-op continued to grow and became more “sophisticated”.  This year J had a reverse osmosis machine to help with the syrup process.  All you need to know is that it takes the half water out of the sap and reduces the boiling time by half.  What a machine.  Never a man to stand in one place J is INCREASING the number of taps in 2012 to 750 so he will process more sap, create more syrup and still be able to spend 14 hours a day at the job.  Memo to self:  I don’t have travel plans for the syrup season - yet.

And chickens and turkeys kept us entertained.  J swears he didn’t order turkeys but the breeder brought them anyway, along with 50 Chantecler chicks, so we had those along with 40 Buff Orpington chicks and our laying hens.  Despite efforts to keep them separate they insisted on fraternizing and the turkeys particularly liked to sit on the roof of the stake truck, or J’s workshop, and gaze over their dominion.  For those of us from the city, roosters crow all day.  They start before sunrise and they continue throughout the day.  I never knew.  But all is quiet now as they have passed though the system and are now in the freezer.  And tasty they are.  Friends have said the flavour reminds them of their Grandmother’s chicken dinners.

And just in case there was a spare minute, Willow Creek is the exclusive eastern Canadian distributor of soil blockers.  You can check them out on our website.  And we grew, and sold several thousand tomato plants for the spring season.  It’s a good thing that we both enjoy markets and don’t mind getting up REAL early on a Saturday morning in order to get there and get set up.  In any case it’s easier than when we used to do a season at the Milton Market.

The weather wasn’t conducive to being in the camper this season.  It was either too hot or too wet.  But it did provide a good base for our Stratford excursion.  Seanna McKenna as Richard III was a highlight.  My God she was evil.  A spectacular performance.  And we went to the Blyth Festival which promotes Canadian plays and to Drayton and then to Westben where we saw a fabulous performance by two professors from Calgary reciting Robert Service.  And visited with Patty and Murray.

And J proved he still has what it takes.  He managed the main stage at the Underground Railway Music Festival which is organized by Chris Whitely and Diana Braithwaite.  A lovely day in Drayton with fabulous blues.  We recommend it to anyone in the area.

FORE!  J took up golf again this summer.  When it is too warm to fish he turns to the clubs and is already making dates for 2012 for fellow golfers to keep in mind.....But fishing remains on the agenda and J and Ross suited up early in the mornings to go out with their local guide.

September was the Toronto International Film Festival.  We just bought a limited pass but that kept us hopping.  I won’t bore you with the arcane and allegedly fair and unbiased system of deciding which films you get to see.  Their bureaucracy challenges that of any government.  But we did see “The Hunter” with Willem Dafoe and we highly recommend it.  The other ones, not so much.  But never to be deterred we are saving September 2012 for another go at it.

Well, this letter started with rug hooking and so we will end.  J and I travelled to Sauder Village in Ohio.  Rug Hooking Week is a huge event with an amazing gallery of rugs on display and courses to be taken and VENDORS!  But also Sauder Village is a wonderful reconstructed pioneer village with knowledgeable docents who are not afraid to engage you in conversation.  It was a good excuse to get away for a few days and travel to a new area of the U.S.

And October saw Clare travel to the NY Sheep and Wool Show which included a visit with Lauren.  And I only bought a little bit of wool, from an Ontario wool producer.  I know it doesn’t make sense, but it was fun.

2012 sees us travelling to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico for 2 weeks.  This is J’s escape from the cold.  And in July we are heading east to explore the shore of the St. Lawrence River.  Any thoughts, favourite places, what to do along the way, please let us know.

My friends, be healthy, be well, have fun and don’t be afraid to give everyone a hug.