Romancing The Fish

Nothing beats the serenity of fishing on a quiet lake with your favorite fishing partner.

Fishing is good for your physical and mental health but I have seen how fishing can strengthen bonds of friendship, love and romance. When I was young and spent my summers on a lake, I witnessed my aunt and uncle leaving early in the morning for a fishing trip in a small aluminum row boat. Aunt Ann packed a picnic lunch and Uncle Charlie took a special cushion for her to sit on. Hours later, they'd return with a few fish and smiles.

Hubby and I took the row boat out in our early years. A few years later, he took our boys out when they were small to teach them the basics of fishing. 

Family Fishing Fun

I managed to cast the line during our vacation but enjoyed sitting back and watching the others fish. My heart filled with warmth seeing them horse around when a "grass pike" was caught then become serious when hubby had a bass on the line.

Son #3 really took to casting.

Fishing requires lots of focus and awareness. This takes your mind off internal conflict and stress, similar to meditation. As a result, it helps to reduce anxiety, fight off depression, and promote relaxation. Studies have shown that fishing lowers your cortisol levels (otherwise known as the stress hormone).Jul 12, 2020

Health benefits of fishing - Parks Blog - Ontario Parks

www.ontarioparks.com › parksblog › health-benefits-fi..

Cabin Comfort Food

A cold rainy day calls for some old fashion comfort food for the crew.

Trevor brought some summer squash from his garden. I diced it up and put it in a pan with some olive oil, a dash of cloves and cinnamon to give a little warmth to the dish. I added a couple ice cubes and a dash of garlic salt then covered the pan to let it simmer. 

Slow cooking a smoked ham in the oven warms to a kitchen. A cabin's open layout lets the wonderful scents to travel throughout. Cinnamon and smoky clove waif through the rooms. Waiting for dinner to be done, is a perfect opportunity for some cuddle time.

Three boxes of Mac-n-Cheese were needed to feed my gang. 

By the end of the  meal, everyone was warm, comforted, and full. At least for a few hours.

What comfort food do you make while on vacation?

Sunsets and Family Time

Vacation Day #1 part 2

Evening is calm, quality togetherness time.

Mood is relaxed.

Ending an evening surrounded by the beauty of nature reminds us of the romance humans have with wonder of the wild. Mother Nature provides us with beauty, comfort and joy. Little things we often take for granted in life or completely ignore. Looking at a sunset, our reflection in a lake, or closing our eyes while sitting next to a bonfire will quickly take us to a calm place and fill us with love.

The evening is spent fishing. 

Relaxing around the bonfire was interrupted when the sprinkler system turned on.  Laughing, we dried off and still enjoyed the fire after the water stopped.

All smiles, all night long.

Staying cozy with each other.

Being together outside with nature is great bonding time 

to strengthen family ties which is important when a family grows.

Rain Won't Ruin My Vacay

Vacation Day #1

Woke to cool temperature and rain.

Mood is relaxed.

No, I'm not at Martha's Vineyard, I just like the mug and I've adopted it for the week.

Rain doesn't ruin my vacation. I look at the fact that rain can be relaxing and enjoyable. The peace is rejuvenating. Yes, even in my noisy family, peace can be obtained.

My favorite part of vacation is preparing the morning meal with my honey. We have a lot of fun in the kitchen which usually creates moans, groans and complaints from our kids. Hubby took off his shirt because he didn't want bacon grease splatter ruin it. Yes, I know that's not a good idea; just goes to show our morning goofiness.

After breakfast, eldest son and his wife curled up with books for some quiet reading. 

A mated pair of loons floated across the middle of the lake. We had the opportunity to meet them closer when we visited the public boat launch. Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me. I'll try to get pix later.

Hubby, I, son #2 and his GF went on a mission to find beach towels. Oops... it's a little late in the season so we ended up with large bath towels to take boating this week. Anyways... 

When we arrived back to the cottage, they decided to brave the misting rain and take the kayaks out. 

After I write this post, I believe a bit of reading and a nap are in order.

How to handle a rainy day on your vacation?

Housecleaning Before Vacay - Who Does That?

We are heading on vacation tomorrow so that means I'm cleaning the house today. My mom always hated coming home to a dirty house, so I must have inherited that trait from her. 

I don't go all Spring-Cleaning-Crazy, I just do the basics.

1. Vacuum. This is the most important and often the last thing I do. We have a dog, a cat and a guinea pig so hair and dander is abundant. When I enter the door a week after I left I don't want to be hit with an overwhelming smell of dog. 

2. Bathe the dog. If she doesn't go with us, I usually give Maggie a bath because she stays with Gram & Gramp. She's getting out of the spa treatment due to having it last week for the wedding. Gram & Gramp will be joining us theregore Maggie will have a pet sitter this week. I'm hoping all goes well since last time she had a sitter, she was a hellion.

Don't let her 13 year old face fool you. She's a lab. "Nuff said.

3. Clean the bathrooms. Guys are gross, plan and simple. Let the nastiness set for a week, even grosser. Is that a word? Must be, spellcheck didn't freak out.

4. Wash all the dirty dishes. If I have to, I'll run a load as I'm leaving.

5. Make sure laundry is done. I actually did laundry yesterday since the guys were running out of underwear and didn't have anything clean to wear. They can be such divas. Nonetheless, I'll be bringing home dirty laundry and who would want to come home to a pile of dirty laundry that has been sitting for a week.

6. Wipe down counters. Clorox wipes or my favorite scent of Meyers, leaves a nice fragrance in the air.

How can you find romance in cleaning the house? Have your honey help, you will appreciate it and make sure you show your appreciation later. Or... ask for a nice back or foot massage later. Remember what I said about touch? Check out my post Touch Me, Babe.

Okay...I'm ready. Time to pack.

Do you clean the house before leaving for vacation?