Aug 31; This morning the wind had died down sometime during the night and the lake is now dead calm. After breakfast, I went to Haileybury and shown John the new painting I had completed of the Haileybury Marina. We hung that painting alongside the others and hoped for the best that I might sell one or two artwork. Then I got on the bus to help Betty and Dave with the corn harvest. We had only picked a few bushels at a time because Dave wanted to keep most of the corn attached to the stalk to keep it fresh. So we cut the laws around the camping area and did a few things around the greenhouse. When I left Dave and Betty, they had given me potatoes, some of their tasty corn, tomatoes, onion and cumbers to take back with me to the Island. I went to the Public Library to see if I could take some books out to read, but I could not because I did not have any I.D. It probably did not help my case when I had informed the liberians that I was living on Farr Island. I was invited to come in and read the books while inside the Library. There was no wind about and the lake was a flat calm and it was a very enjoyable paddle back to the Island. I realize now that I would have to try to do something to get back my lost I.D.'s. How I was going to do that, without having I.D.'s was still a problem I had to overcome. I spent the rest of the day gathering wood and driftwood to tidy up the place. I stacked these behind the tent-cabin to be used later for firewood when I bring back the wood stove by canoe.
Sept. 1st.; This morning there is a light south wind. I decided to go to New Liskeard by canoe because I was going to help Dave get the pumpkins ready for the fall fair. By the time I was ready to leave the Island, the wind had completely died down. It was an enjoyable paddle during the whole seven miles to get to Lakeview Gardens. I would have the canoe to bring back the wood stove on my return to the Island. Dave and I worked at the pumpkin patch clearing all the vines away. I had a look at my pumpkin, but it was pretty small. But Dave told me to bring it along to the fall fair and enter it at the pumpkin contest. I told Dave that my little pumpkin would not even make a decent Jack-o-lantern to sell to the public. He just smiled at me and said to trust him, he knows his pumpkins. Today Irene came down to visit. While we were just walking and talking, Irene had slipped $50.00 into my hand. I did not want to take it because what I was doing, was only to help my friends out. But Irene would not take no for an answer. Two days before the fall fair, ( Sept. 12th. 2002) we got the huge pumpkins to the fair grounds with the help of Ken, Bill and James. Dave and I also placed our entries in for judging.
Sept. 15th; Sunday, we found out who had won first prize for the largest pumpkins as well as all the entries that were brought in for judging. Dave won first prize, of course with that huge pumpkin we had brought in. Dave won other prizes for other entries that we had brought in. Like the tall corn stalk, a chicken coop model that had been built in 1920 that had won first prize. Guess what! I even won first prize for that little pumpkin that I had entered. I could not figure out why I had won at all, but Dave explained to me that while my pumpkin was small, it's roundness, beauty and colour made all the difference. Dave reminded me that he knew all about pumpkins and knew what was a winner. I was so delighted to have won something, thanks with the help of Dave who had instructed me along the way. After the Fall Fair was over, Dave and I got that wood stove into the canoe. Irene had come by and had brought some good used clothes for us. I received a winter ski coverall, along with sweatshirt, shirts, t-shirts, pants and socks and a pair of jogging shoes. I thanked Irene for all these fine things that would come in handy for the coming winter months. Even now, the evenings were very cool with morning frost on the ground. Before I left Betty and Dave, I went to a store and bought new funnelling for the wood stove because the old one's had long rusted out. When I was all set to return to Haileybury and the Island, I bid Betty, Irene and Dave farewell and thanked them for all the kindness that they had shown towards me. I left Lakeview Gardens with a light south-easterly wind, a headwind for me, but it soon died down and made the passage back to camp very easy. As I came to Haileybury, I thought how nice it is to be back home. I arrived at the Island by seven PM. When I had unloaded the canoe of the gear I had brought from Betty and Dave, I installed the wood stove and gave it its first lighting in the tent-cabin.
Sept.18th. This morning I went to Haileybury to check if I had received any mail at the Post Office. I hope to receive a letter from Gab, Jane or Justin from Mattawa. I also hope to receive a letter from Don and Chrissie Ross from Pro Hardware in Mattawa. I had let them know how I was and what I was doing. I also hope to receive a letter from Gord. It will be good to hear from them. I had not received any letter yet, so I went to see Herb, just to say hello and have a chat. Then I went over to see John at his Peter Pan Restaurant just to have a chat. John and Monica were there and we sat at a table talking while we all had a cup of coffee. I had not sold any of my paintings or ink drawing yet, but no matter, I will continue to make some more paintings while I have paint and canvas boards on hand. John suggested that I lower the price of my art works. He said that he did not want any consignment from my art. He was only too happy to help me by displaying my art works on his walls. He told me that those walls looked too bare anyhow. My art pieces dresses up the dining area. It gives his customers something to look at. So I told John to lower the price by half for all the art works. John and Monica are the nicest people anyone would care to meet. I just hope that I will be able to sell some artwork soon. For what savings I have left, it is getting mighty low. Right now, I have plenty of food to keep me going for awhile. But I am now getting to the point where I am depending upon a few sales from my art work to keep me going if I am to survive at all. I was right about my initial feelings about the people here in Haileybury. I had been gone for two weeks helping Dave and Betty in New Liskeard. When I returned to the island, the tent- cabin was still intact. Something that would never happen if it were in or around Toronto. The young people are respectful of other people's things, which is a very good reflection on their parents. I have found, when speaking to the young, they have not the foul mouth as those children in most cities across Canada. I noticed that about them, almost at once. I left John and Monica and returned to my camp. I notice that the daylight is getting shorter as we are heading into October. It is so good to have the wood stove. It really takes the chill out of the tent-cabin during the late evening hours. I thank GOD, my Heavenly Father for all that I have and the people in the tri-town area that I had the pleasure to meet. I also thank GOD for the people of Haileybury for putting up with me and my odd lifestyle of living. No doubt they must think I am a little strange.
Sept. 19th. This morning I woke up to the patter of rain hitting against the tent-cabin. It is so nice and warm and dry in here with the heat of the wood stove. The coffee pot is hot so I made some coffee to remove the cobwebs from my brain. I am confident that this little wood stove will keep me warm through the winter months, despite that it gets -30 celsius during the winter months, according to what John had told me about the winters here. That is the least of my problem that I will have to face. The big question is, will I be able to sustain myself during these winter months with my paintings? That, has yet to be determined. I made some breakfast as I listen to the weather forecast. It will remain warm for the next couple of days. That is good to hear, because we had a cold spell for the last few days. I will have to start gathering wood for the coming winter. There are plenty of driftwood about to gather, and I still have those big trees that are down to cut up with that big buck-saw. So today I have plenty of work to do. We had a severe lightning and thunder storm last night. I saw streaks of lightning come down around New Liskeard. For a while, I thought that this lightning storm was going to pass right over the Island but it crossed over the open water into Quebec. It had looked like a real massive fireworks display that had gone out of control. I waited until the sun had dried the rain from the bushes before I started to gather the wood. I stacked these at the back of the tent-cabin. It turned out to be a beautiful warm day. I had also managed to get a good pile of wood today. I stacked some in the tent-cabin near the doorway and under the table. These will get good and dry to use when needed. I also gathered a box of kindling wood along with some birch bark, I had picked up from a rotten log. This will be great to start the fire. I feel tired after all that hard work, but it is a nice type of tired feeling I have because I felt like I had accomplished a lot today.
Sept. 20th; This morning the sky is overcast. I think that we will get some rain today even though the weather forecast do not call for rain. The wind is blowing strong from the south-east. I would have liked to go to Haileybury today, but that wind is much too strong. I do not think that I would have any great problem getting to Haileybury, though the lake is quite choppy, but to try to get back to the Island would be very, very difficult. Even if I should try to hug the shoreline as I have done many times before, I do not think that I can make it back to the Island against this wind. I decided to stay on the Island today and spent my time gathering some more wood. It started to rain by 11 o'clock but it stopped raining by two. At around 9 PM I heard loud music coming from a boat that was passing the Island on the opposite shore of where I am camped. I think the loud music is coming through from a loudspeaker. When I went to investigate, the boat had already passed the Island, heading back towards Haileybury or New Liskeard. It started to rain again so I went back to the tent-cabin and lit the stove to get the dampness out.
Sept. 21st; This morning the sky is again overcast with a strong wind that is coming from the south-east. Later the wind shifted and came from the west. I began to get ready to go to Haileybury for I would be protected from the wind by the shoreline once I get close to it. By the time I was ready to launch the canoe, the wind had shifted again. Now it will be just impossible for me to go to Haileybury today with the strong wind coming from the north. That answered my question if I should go to Haileybury today. I spent the day gathering wood, spent some time reading and listening to CBC on the radio to catch up on all the news and things that are happening around the world. The U.S. President George W. Bush is sure pressing to make war on Iraq. I see another Vietnam brewing in the wind. Israel is still having problems with those Arab "Palestinian" suicide bombings. An Arab Palestinian terrorist suicide bomber has just killed six Israeli and wounded fifty others in their recent attack. That problem will not end until one or the other of these groups of people will leave Israel. A huge mud slide has killed a lot of people in Russia. Vancouver has just felt an earthquake today, about five on the Richter scale that had originated somewhere in Washington State. The killings are continuing in Toronto. This is something that had rarely happened in Toronto just fifteen years ago. Then I switched to the SW band on my radio, I was surprised to hear how many Christian priests and preachers are still verbally attacking the web site that I had placed on the internet called, People of the Holy Testament. I had shut down that web site when I had left Toronto back in May. Yet, they are still attacting it. These people do not know when to quit. I had placed that web site so that the general public will be made aware of the real truth concerning the religion of Christianity, so that these priests and preachers will no longer be able to dupe people into believing their lies and words of deception. Now, with this knowlage in hand, the more these priests and preachers open their mouth, the more foolish they will appear to the general public. I believe that the deception by that Christian religion has gone on long enough. Those priests and preachers have extorted huge amounts of money from their believers by using the guilt factor in their extortion. People deserve to be told the truth. It is time that these things are revealed to the general public and show how stupid, or ignorant these priests and preachers really are about a religion that they believe in, and yet, know so little about its true origin and history. I hope my web site will also expose those priests and preachers who really know better, who know the true facts about the religion they preach, but choose to continue to deceive people with their lies, so that they may maintain their status que. How can I get through to people that there is a real GOD in Heaven, and also a real person by the name of Yeshua, who was Anointed by GOD, the Father, who was and is truly a Son, of the living GOD without causing people to loose faith in GOD altogether? I must find a way. Until then, I hope that my web site will expose this phony, man-made god, that Christians have come to call, Jesus Christ, which these priests and preachers continue to try to deceive people into believing. That make-believe person is in reality, a pagan man-made god. One of these days, that Christian man-made god shall become known as an abomination to the one and only true GOD of Heaven. For the name of this Christian god will become known as a perversion throught-out the world and will be called, je-Zeus Christ, for the pagan god that Christianity represents. And so, the world keeps on turning. Here, on this little part of the world, I am glad to be away from all of that deception. I just want to hear the songbirds sing their songs high above the trees. It is so good to be here, among the beauty of nature, where the madness of this world is so, so far away.
Sept 22nd; Today is heavily overcast that it looks and feels like it is going to rain anytime soon. It do not matter. Today is Sunday and most of the places in town are closed today. I will spend the time to do a painting of Haileybury from the vantage point as seen from this Island. The painting will take in a part of the island's rocky shore, with part of Lake Temiskaming showing the opposite granite rocky shore with its rolling hills beyond in their fall colore with the full view of Haileybury lining its shores. I have this picture already framed in my mind. This evening I had finished that painting. I will take it to John at his Peter Pan Restaurant the next time I get the chance to go into town.
Sept 23rd; This morning there is a chill in the air. I had to light a fire in the wood stove to take the chill out of the tent-cabin. Oh, how nice it is to feel warm and comfortable like in a regular house. I made some flapjacks and coffee for breakfast. The wind is light and it is coming from the south-east. I will be able to go into town today. I will bring that new painting with me to show John. One more painting to put up on the wall. The weather forecast calls for a high of ten degree celsius for today. It had dropped down to two last night. I will have to gather a lot more wood for the coming winter. I will do that after I come back from town. The trees for the most part are still green. There is just a hint of fall colore in and around Haileybury. The wind has shifted to the north-east as I was about to leave. It is a strong, cold wind for me to paddle against. Maby the wind will change later in the afternoon. As I listen to the local radio station, the forecast call for a chance of rain late in the day. It is cold enough for it to snow, not rain. I might as well gather more wood and stockpile it for the winter. It seems like we are about to get unsettled weather for the next few days.
Sept. 24th; Woke up this morning to a severe thunderstorm going on outside. Last night as I was laying on my bed listening to the radio, I could hear the rain beating against the tent-cabin. I do not think it got cold last night because it feels like around +eight celsius right now. The weather forecast calls for the weather to clear but the strong winds from the north-east will continue. We can expect frost tonight. After breakfast, I washed some clothing and did some house cleaning. With all this rain coming down, it is nice to see that no rain is dripping in. It continued to rain all day that I was not able to gather more wood. I had to stay in camp and tried to keep myself busy with building a place to hang my clothes. Something like an open clothes closet. Spent the rest of the evening making a few ink drawings. When it got too dark for me to see, I just listen to the radio while resting on my bed.
Sept 25th; Today I was able to get into town. I brought that new painting to John. He likes it. We found a place to hang it on the wall. Then we talked until it started getting busy with customers. John had asked me if I could paint a sign for him and I had to tell John that I had never painted a sign for someone else. I had only painted some signs for my own use. John said that according to my art work, I should not have too much trouble painting a sign. John figures that if I can paint straight lines, that is a whole lot better than what he could ever do. John wants that big long sign that is above the entrance doors painted with the words, Peter Pan Restaurant, in big bold letters. I told John that if he is willing to take a chance on me, I was willing to give it a try to paint that sign for him. He told me that he needs to get three sheets of plywood, plus the paint required to make that new sign. He will let me know when I can start to paint that sign. I left to get back to the island because dark clouds were forming overhead. I had to paddle close to the shoreline for the wind was against me. It was quite breezy and the lake was getting choppy. When I came abreast the Island, I made a quick dart across the open water. I had to paddle hard without stoping and I thought that I would never make it to the Island, but eventually, I did. I had managed to get back to camp under a dark cloud that was threatening to let loose of the rain it held. As soon as I get into the tent-cabin, down came the rain in buckets. I had just made it in time to miss this downpour. After I had put the things away that I had bought at the store, I got a fire going in the wood stove the made some hot coffee to warm myself up. After I made my supper of chicken legs with potatoes and green peas. I had a couple of cookies for dessert. I spent the rest of the evening reading one of my books. The rain continued while I was going to sleep. It is so nice to be warm and cosy during this stormy night.
Journal to be continued....
