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| | | YTRERIR a a A A. "A Family Tradition for 126 Years" "THIEC COTTAGER c. 1992 by CRAIG NICHOLSON - All Rights Reserved A MAN FOR ALL SEASONS For an increasing number, the cottage is becoming a year- round second home. Some have retired there. Others are lucky enough to be able to live and work in the country. Most commute every weekend. A few have gone to ground and simply disappeared there. For the. wife and me, it is our first home, with unfortunate Monday to Friday city excursions. Our intention was to find a weekend get-away retreat where we could enjoy our favorite season-winter. We actually thought about renting during the summer months. Although we came to love our summers too, the result was a snug winterized place with all the amenities. But I still can't understand how anyone can own a cottage and miss the other best seasons. The color riot and winding down days of autumn, the pristine crispness and stark whiteness of winter, the surging thaw and urgent growth of spring. Each as exciting, as unique, as beautiful as the others, each so different. Summer cottaging is like only ever eating the hors d'oeuvres-- they're good, but you never get to eat the whole meal. Summer's popularity must be premised on Canadians' search for warmth and insects. For some reason, many believe that Canada should be like Florida all year. That October to April is penance for some collective sin, like not understanding Meech. That suffering snow somehow earns summer. If that means 90 degree heat, high humidity, and insect hordes, then I'll take the other seasons, thank you very much. And I'll be as warm as I want to be or rather as warm as the wife wants to be. Without ever going south. Have you ever noticed that it's much easier to get warm when you're cold than to get cold when you're warm? That's why I find the other seasons so much more comfortable. I can control my personal climate. And in doing so, achieve a level of activity, of acuity, of awareness that is precluded by over heating. The advances in heating technology and space age fabrics for warmth and dryness far out-weigh any progress made towards cooling. The old stand-by air conditioner has the disadvantages of lack of portability, high cost, noise pollution and ozone damaging freon. The only other cooling options are a block of melting ice, a swim in a tepid lake or total nudity. None of which can withstand a heat wave or close scrutiny by prudish neighbors. The wife was not a winter person at first. Although she hated heat and bugs, summer was the best of bad choices. Under interrogation, she finally came to the realization that she did not enjoy the colder months because she had always been cold. For some reason, being cold seems to bother women more than men. And it's hard to have fun while freezing. I know I hardly had any under her frosty stares. Soon after I introduced her to the various wardrobe options for staying warm, to the concept of layering and to an unlimited bank account, the wife embraced fall, winter and spring with great enthusiasm. I also got a hug. ' Our cottage experience now encompasses the complete cycle of seasons. Instead of the three-month window of summer that is all many cottagers know, we share nature's complete picture, countless extra days at the cottage and maximum enjoyment of our property investment. Also, we have to be there because we're in charge of fire pumps. There's a special rhythm to year-round cottaging that is smoother, less frantic and more satisfying, The non-summer months are also less crowded, less chaotic and comparatively traffic free. When 'The Season' ends, life returns to normal. You have to be there to appreciate it. We avoid the high cost of travel vacations, we participate more fully in the social life of our new community, and we devote year- round attention to maintenance and upkeep. We never have to worry about what to take, since everything's already there. We just get in the car and go. It could only be more perfect in never having to leave. So as another summer ends and I run out of humorous life experiences to relate, consider making this the year that you | don't close the cottage. Or that you make a special effort to return several times during each season to get a full appreciation of what the country has to offer. You may be as surprised as the wife was to discover, with little investment of time and effort, that all youll ever really need or want is right there for the taking. Of course I knew that all along, Intrepid Cottager that ') \ am. 985-8552 ) LOOSE RUGS ] BROADLOOM Cleaning UPHOLSTERY 3 M Scotchguard ~~ 137%? Exterior Spred Gel-Flo Alkyd House Paint 1900 line Ceiling White 3470 line -- EN per gallon per gallon Lo -Lustre Wall _ & Trim Latex Fast-easy y 3100 line Int/ext White ) i Q9? Latex Eel | 87? Interior Spred § per oelor @F organ | Alkyd Semi Gloss || 3 | d Lat Enamel 4600 line pred Latex | gnred Satin Latex Flat 99 Semi-Gloss | \wall Paint y . Enamel | per gallon 3400 line 3700 fine 99 Exterior Spred 27°? 2D 5 House Dura-Flat per gallon Finish 3600 line per gallon Exterior Spred House Dura-Gloss Finish 3900 line 272 WHAT'S COOKIN! Our very own 1st Port Perry Scout Troop will be serving... Ask for your Draw Ticket for the Barbecue Tank.* 29 per gallon 2 Hotdogs 8 Coke for 99¢ Donuts 8 Coffee for 99¢ There will be a draw when the cooking is over for the Barbecue & Tank. All Barbecue proceeds will go to the 1st Port Perry Scout Troop. So hurry down and support the Scouts and save yourself some money. See our GLIDDEN Sales Rep at our GLIDDEN Warehouse Paint Sale! * No purchase neccessary AKE SCUGOG LUMBER C0. LTD. 1 VANEDWARD DRIVE - (OSHAWA Rb) PORT PERRY 985-1301 « QUALITY PRODUCTS « QUALITY SERVICE * COMPETITIVE PRICING