Kincardine Channel Sunset, Penetangore River to Lake Huron

Hi again,

This will be the last time for some weeks that I put together the forecast from a 700 mile distance from Maple Lake. Next week I’ll be quite happy to forecast from the Haliburton Highlands.

Monday I’ll set out for a few weeks of cottage time. I don’t think I need to tell anyone that the hot and humid suburban summertime conditions are no picnic and the Lake will be a welcome change. So what will the weather be like?

Short Term Forecast Maple Lake and Haliburton Highlands

Overnight on Saturday expect some isolated showers and a low temperature of 63°F.

Waking up on Sunday look for isolated showers to continue and a temperature of 64°F. As the day goes on however you’ll see cloudy periods and can expect a high temperature of 75°F.  There could be 0.1 inch of rain accumulation in this 24-hour period. Sunday afternoon expect cloudy periods and a high of 75°F. Sunday evening, sunny skies and 72°F.

Overnight Sunday expect the temperatures to drop to 55°F and it will be clear.

Haliburton Highlands long term Weather

Monday, expect sunny skies and a high  of 77°F. The low overnight is forecast to again be 55°F.

Tuesday will be mainly sunny and 79°F with the third-in-a-row cool nighttime low of 55°F. Perfect sleeping weather.

There is no precipitation in the forecast for Monday or Tuesday.

Wednesday, expect variable cloudiness a high of 79°F–which will feel like 91°F– and an overnight low of 63°F.

There could be up to a quarter-inch of precipitation accumulation.

Thursday expect isolated showers and a high of 73°F. The low temperature overnight on Thursday is expected to be 61°F and there may be up to one-tenth of one inch rainfall.

Friday, July 30, expect cloudy periods and a high of 73°F. The overnight low  will be 61°F. There is no rain in the forecast.

Saturday, July 31st is expected to be mainly sunny day with a high of 73°F, and overnight low of 59°F and again,

no precipitation in the forecast.

Have a great week! Bug report and webcam pics follow!

Bug Report July 24- July 29

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Ashworth College. All opinions are 100% mine.

One thing in life that we can all count on–no matter who we are– is change.

When you are a parent not only do you have your own changes to manage but those of your children. Though the roles of mother and father used to be very clearly defined and quite different, as we’ve moved into the 21st century the roles they play overlap as we adapt to the ultrafast-paced lives many of us lead.

However, a parent who is staying home raising a child or children has a time-honoured responsibility that has basic requirements that do not change.
It is of course your choice how you find the time do so but it may be more a need for you to prepare for the day when your child grows a bit more independent and you seek to increase your marketability that may have been on the back burner whilst you attended to parenting.

I can vouch for the fact after having two of my own that children do not grow up overnight. I can also speak to the vast challenge it is to juggle being a parent, a wage earner and a full-time student. I did  all of my “non-traditional” student leaning in a brick and mortar university but that was before getting an Online degree became easy, affordable, and the cherry-on-top– as close as my personal home computer.

I am currently closely examining the cost of university as one of my children –now age 17–is beginning college in the fall. You probably know that the cost of education has skyrocketed to ridiculous levels, locking out students that would have sought higher education. With the financial circumstances of raising children this has been especially hard on folks who were on a tight budget to begin with.

Distance education is a mom-and-family-friendly path you can take to help you get the education you’ve may have always wanted or perhaps you realize you truly need. It’s flexible, affordable, and is as close as your nearest computer.

IMAGE FILE: Clockwise from top left: Pottery Lane Studio & Gallery (clay), Red Thread Design (fashion) , Opal Wing Creations (jewellery), Box Boy (wood), Cori Lee Marvin (watercolour)

WHEN: Friday July 23 noon – 7 pm
Saturday July 24 10 am – 6 pm
Sunday July 25 10 am – 4 pm
Admission. $2, children under 12 free

Wow. So this celebration has been going on my whole life. I remember it going back to young childhood and it seems it started at the perfect age for me–when I was four.
This year we traveled back to Maryland to see my folks then took this week “off” (euphemism for madly tried to catch up) so we can leave later this weekend for Maple Lake. So again I’m missing the Art & Craft show though I know that I’ll still be able to enjoy some of the featured attractions individually during the few weeks I’m at the Lake.

And remember: Admission is good for all three days, just be sure to have your hand stamped at the gates for readmission.

Webcam shot from Southern Ontario Today:

Chapleau River, Ontario - 7.22.10

WHERE: Head Lake Park, Haliburton Village
MORE info/directions www.railsendgallery.com

705-457-2330

July 23,24,25 Haliburton Art & Craft Festival – Make it part of your Haliburton Highlands Summer
More to see and do at the 2010 Festival

There’s more to see, do, and hear this year with Buskers throughout the park, afternoon Kids Art Attack, a Lakeside Lions Club BBQ and the Rails End beer tent (a family friendly spot), Artist demos, Brigitte’s Picks of the Show and the Library in A Box. Make a day of it, or make it a weekend. Admission is good for all three days, just be sure to have your hand stamped at the gates for readmission.

Visit www.railsendgallery.com

for a list of participating artists and daily events schedules.

The Haliburton Art & Craft Festival is presented by Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre.

Rails End Gallery & Arts Centre is a registered Canadian charity devoted to bringing art to life in Haliburton and a member of the Ontario Association of Art Galleries (OAAG), the Ontario Crafts Council (OCC) and Arts Council ~ Haliburton Highlands.

Info thanks to the County of Haliburton, Department of Economic Development, Tourism & Marketing.

Lake Of Bays

Haliburton Highlands Short Term Weather

Summer has certainly reached the Haliburton Highlands and on the whole, the weather for the next 2 weeks should be NORMAL. Isn’t that fantastic?!

I had high hopes after the less-than-great summers of 2008-09 and Mother Nature seems to have come through for us.

The remainder of this weekend calls for light rain and a high temperature of 68°F. Light rain continues overnight Sunday with low temperatures a mild 63°F. There could be 0.6 inches of rain in this 24-hour period.

Monday morning is more of the same with a prediction of cloudy with showers and the day starting at about 64°F.  By Monday afternoon  the weather shifts to cloudy with sunny breaks and a high temperature of 75°F.

Monday evening calls for variable cloudiness and a high of 75°F. Overnight Monday, expect cloudy periods which change to mostly clear as the temperature drops to 57°F.

Links to some fun activities this week in the Haliburton Highlands:

Haliburton Highlands Long Term Weather July 20 -25

Tuesday, you can expect variable clouds with a high of 75°F and an overnight low of 57°F. There is no rain in the forecast.

Wednesday also calls for variable cloudiness. The high will be 77°F–which will feel like 88°F– and the overnight low should be about 63°F. There is no rain in the forecast.

Thursday will be a sunny day with a high temperature of 79°F–which will feel like 91°F with an overnight low of 64°F. Again, there is no rain in the forecast.

Friday, July 23 bring clouds and showers, a high of 79°F, which will feel like 93°F and a muggy overnight low of 66°F. More than 10mm of rain is possible so it looks like some significant storms are rolling in.

Saturday, there will be a chance of thunderstorms, a high of 75°F and another muggy overnight low of 68°F. There may be 0.4 inches of the wet stuff.

Finally, on Sunday expect a sunny day, a pleasant high of 75°F and an overnight low  of 66°F. There is no rain in the forecast.

Have a great week! Scroll down for more webcam shots of Southern Ontario and this week’s bug report.

Bug Report July 18 - 23

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Charter. All opinions are 100% mine.

I’m not a big television watcher but I am a serious one and like most folks my non-television schedule can be quite packed so scheduling the watching a television show or movie can be quite a challenge.

I think we can all agree that years ago when the VCR came ’round it was a convenience that ranked up there with the microwave–you know, the type of thing that you wonder how you ever did without?

More recently, DVR technology has been yet another step in the “can’t do without” direction regarding home entertainment. But the one downside to using my DVR to record my must-watch television shows and movies? Unless I program it to record the shows I wish to see–I can miss them. Worse, is when I think I’ve programmed it correctly, then go to watch a favourite show–only to realize that “something” went wrong (code for “I messed up”). How disappointing!

You can imagine then how incredibly enthusiastic I was when the On Demand viewing option became available. On Demand serves me in two important ways. One, it’s a little insurance policy that I will not miss my show if there’s a glitch and the the DVR does not record it. Two, I don’t even have to bother thinking about recording a host of shows both network, basic cable, and premium cable because with the ever-growing roster of television shows available On Demand, with a few simple clicks I can pull up for example, the last episode of LOST and enjoy it on my schedule. This kind of conversation has actually occurred in my home:

Me to my spouse: “Did you remember to record LOST (the ABC network hit/(Hawaii & LA-filmed) struck-on-an-island series that recently ended a phenomenally popular six-year-run)?” Spouse: “Yep!” OK! The two of us get comfy on the TV-room sofa, hit the DVR play button and… nothing.

“What happened?,” I say. “I don’t know, he says…I set it up…” “Oh well, I respond, we’ll just watch it tomorrow On Demand.” And we do. There is no blaming or upset for missing a show so compelling that we watched every episode for 6 years.

Pretty cool, right?

More recently, on the AMC television network, the show “Mad Men” has gotten a lot of praise and currently, quite a few Emmy nominations. Even though I’d not heard of any of the actors in the show previously they were now becoming names that you heard with some frequency. My curiosity has gotten the best of me–but I’ve missed the first three seasons and would feel weird jumping in without even knowing where they left off at the end of season three. So what do I do now? Check out the On Demand home page , of course! My plan is to work my way back, episode by episode, like I did with another television show I enjoy, Sons of Anarchy (on FX) which I’d love to see On Demand. I can watch whenever I wish, night or day! You can, too!
You will ‘Like’ their Facebook page as well.

Welcome t o your weekend! Have a peek at the lovely shot of Green Lake near West Guilford, which was snapped on July 3, 2010. The skies in the Haliburton Highlands are some of the most beautiful I’ve *seen in eastern north America and this shot exemplifies that gorgeously. (*Seen in person, not in webshots (lol).)

To the weather:

Saturday:

For the remainder of today–Saturday expect the sun to be prominent but the temperatures to be moderate at about 75°F. You’ll have a clear overnight with a low temperature of 57°F. Sunday morning you’ll arise to another sunny day at 68°F. As your Sunday progresses the temperature will climb to 82°F. The overnight low will be about 66°F and will remain clear.

There is no rain in the forecast for this 24-hour period.

Monday brings scattered showers in the afternoon with a high of 79°F  and an overnight low of 64°F. The total precipitation should be about one-half inch.

July 12- 16, 2010 Weather Haliburton Highlands

Tuesday will be cloudy with showers. The high temperature will be about 75°F and the low overnight 64°F. Total precipitation should be about one-third of an inch.

Expect scattered showers in the afternoon on Wednesday July 14, with a high of 81°F and an overnight low of 64°F. There should be 0.1 inch precipitation accumulation.

Thursday will be mainly sunny with a high temp of 82 °F and an overnight low of 66°F. Like the day before, there should be 0.1 inch precipitation accumulation.

Friday will bring isolated showers and a high of 82°f. It will feel like 97°F though (with the day before almost at hot-feeling at a 95-degree humidex) so remember to rehydrate. The overnight low temp for Friday will be 66°F. There will be a trace of precipitation in total.

Saturday will be sunny with a beautiful high of 82°F and an overnight low of 66°F.there is no precipitation forecast for Saturday, July 17.

Have  a great week! Enjoy the webcam shots form late Friday! (Click to enlarge) The BUG REPORT follows.

Lake of Bays - Muskoka

Haliburton

Lagoon City

Reach Harbour, Lakefield

Bug report through July 15

Happy Holiday Weekend to both Canada and the U.S.!

I haven’t checked elsewhere but both Maple Lake, Ontario and where I am (23 miles northwest of Chicago) are having very nice holiday weekend weather compared to last year. That makes me hopeful that Maple Lake especially will have a good summer weather-wise which of course effects lots of other aspects of life, too.

On with what to expect in the next week from  the weather and the bugs:

July 1 Holiday Weekend Weather

Chances are if you look outside or are outside right now you’d see a lovely sight–perfect holiday weather at Sunny and 75°F. It will be be clear overnight with a low of 61°F. Seems like summer is here. Yay!

Sunday morning will be sunny and 66 °F, rising to 82°F by Sunday afternoon with a sunny high of 82°F.

Sunday evening will be clear and 77°F and Sunday overnight will be mainly clear with a low of 68°F.

Long Term Forecast. Southern Ontario. July 5 thru July 10. 2010 - CLICK TO ENLARGE

July 1st Holiday Weather- Click to enlarge

Looks like Deer and Horse flies are going to be most pesky. Your mileage may vary.

Scroll below for More photos from the southern Ontario area today July 3. 2010– including cottage country!

Ontario late June sunset photos

[View with PicLens]

Happy week!

Ontario Harmonized Tax Info

I was planning to put up a “Happy Canada Day ” post and after quite a bit of searching google.ca I came up with very little in the Haliburton Highlands even though I know there is plenty happening. Heck, it’s enough that this is the first official long weekend of the summer, right? That is something to celebrate.*** Scroll down to check out the weather below.

Coincidentally, I was was reading today that if Americans want nationalized health care like Canada and Europe then we shall have to pay taxes as you do. Now that I’ve read through a comprehensive list of what you have been paying for sales tax and what you will as of July 1, Canada Day, for my area of the United States (Greater Chicago) there is __right now__ little difference in taxes. (Illinois’ taxing system is both incredibly complicated and incredibly corrupt. Currently some areas pay 11.50% sales tax.)

Even out here, 25 miles northwest of the City of Big Shoulders we pay 10% sales tax and that includes infant car seats and baby clothes and shoes and of course, we pay our health care out of pocket (including prescription drug taxes, taxes on eyeglasses & contact lenses, etc.) whilst paying relatively high sales taxes overall (the highest in the U.S.– Governor Terminator out in California raised their base state sales tax to 11.5%, allowing county tax to be added so they are probably paying what Ontario is and they still don’t have health care!)

So to get to the point, you really do not have it all that bad especially if you cut your own hair, give yourself your own mani and pedicures, don’t smoke, don’t take vitamins and don’t drive a petrol-fueled car. Just about across the board your so-called sin taxes are going up according to the “Harmonized Sales Tax Guide,” which I’ve pieced together and you can read at it’s full size but clicking on each page twice.
I can’t say I’m thrilled about the gasoline taxes getting higher but we kept that in mind when we needed to replace our family sedan. We aren’t in the income bracket to purchase a hybrid but still we found a decent compact car that sips petrol at about 40 mpg. The fact is we won’t change our behaviours that impact ourselves/the environment without a nudge and sometimes a kick in the derriere and so the new “harmonized” taxes reflect exactly that.

This is completely inappropriate to bring up here but it’s true (skip this paragraph if you have tender sensibilities).
The harmonized sales tax dings diaper-clad babies at the 5% GST but incontinent adults are completely exempt from all taxes. Since diapers are paper products usually, they shouldn’t be in a special category because the are deathly to the landfills so making them exempt from HST makes the “sin-tax” logic go out the window. Same argument for adult diapers and paper-based feminine hygiene products. I’m sure if I read closely I’d find other examples that go back and forth sometimes seemingly tied to logic and others not.
Anyway Happy 143 Birthday, Canada! You look wonderful and are and will remain my favourite country in the world–always.
Canada Day Weather : It is NOT going to rain!

Canada Day Weather Thursday July 1, 2010

Sunset June 25, Lake of Bays - Muscoka

It was an OK day for the G8 to come visiting, no? They had to work anyway.

Welcome to your weekend! Apologies again for my tardiness in getting the forecast posted, as last night I was helping my spouse celebrate his birthday weekend. (I’ve now declared a moratorium on June birthdays. Two max. My Dad and my spouse. Everyone else, we’ll wait ’till a later date. It’s one of those preserving one’s sanity measures).

OK then. If it’s Saturday when you read this I suppose you can take a look outdoors and see either cloudiness or cloudiness & showers and temperatures running in the very low 60′s°F. Until late Saturday night that is what you can expect. By overnight Saturday you’ll feel a drop in temperatures to 48°F.  The total accumulation of precipitation should be no more than 0.3 inches.

Long Term Weather Forecast Haliburton Highlands June 27 - July 2

Sunday, expect a day with cloudy periods, a high projected  to be 73°F and a low overnight of 48°F. There may be up to 0.4 inches of precipitation accumulation in total.

Monday calls for thundershowers, a high temp of 70°F and a low overnight of 59°F. Precipitation accumulation will be 0.1 inch.

By Tuesday there is a slight change in the weather with variable cloudiness in the forecast and a high temperature of 61°F. The low overnight will be a blanket-worthy 50°F. No rain is in the forecast.

Wednesday, expect more variable cloudiness, a daytime high of 63°F and and overnight low of a chilly 48°F. Break out the quilts! No rain is in the forecast, however.

Thursday is a day of celebration as the the forecast calls for a mainly sunny day! The high temperature will be a  comfortable 68°F, the low overnight 48°F (don’t forget your quilt!), and there is no rain in the forecast.

Friday, expect variable cloudiness, a daytime high of 72°F and an overnight low of 54°F.  Again, no rain is forecast. (See below for the Bug Forecast.)

Haliburton sunset June 25, 2010 (click to enlarge)

Reach Harbour Lakefield June 25 sunset - (click to enlarge)

Chapleau River - June 25 sunset (click to enlarge)

Bug Forecast

In short, both the black flies and mosquitoes are expected to be rated “high” Friday June 25 through Wednesday June 30. You can check the graph for more specifics about other flying critters.

Delawana docks at sunrise June 18 2010

Welcome to your weekend!
I’ll be back to walk you through the weather for the weekend but in short, I want to apologize for it because it comes from here in the States. We lost power today–tree limbs flying, high winds, pounding rain and your area too possibly shall see similar weather through most of Saturday. It’s full-on thundershowers NOT scattered so I’d cancel what you may have planned outdoors for Saturday morning through at least afternoon. The problem here at least is that there are a series of storm systems …so you get past the one and a short bit later…here in my house one of my dogs starts shivering and I know they are coming back before they hit.

Weekend Weather Jun 18- 19 2010

EDIT/:6.19.10 After a thorough examination other the weather forecasts in your area for the next 36 hours, I agree that  Friday overnight the Haliburton Highlands will be mainly clear and about 17­°C.

By Saturday morning thundershowers turn to full- blown thunderstorms which will last in parts of Ontario until Saturday evening when the skies are to clear. It will be mainly sunny with a comfortable temperature of 21°C on Saturday evening. Sounds nice.

It will be continue to be  mainly sunny at daybreak on Sunday after a Saturday overnight low of 15°C. More below.

Long Term Weather - 6.20 - 6.25.10

Kincardine Harbour - Pentangore River - Lake Huron - June 18 2010

Insect Predictions thru June 25 2010