When I was a kid (as in 16 and just got my driver's license), we used to drive up to Lake Nippissing just outside North Bay, Ontario a few times in late Spring. The male members of the family went fishing while us gals sat on the porch at Freedman's Lodge and enjoyed the Beavers repairing their dam on the other side of the Lake.
The RULE was if you didn't fish, you didn't eat but that never happened - lol lol
You're about 3 hours west of North Bay if I did Mapquest correctly and Mercy you're right on the Lake so you really do get "Lake Effect" weather all year long. I can see why catering to the tourist and outdoor sporting industries would make your weather critical.
It's been Butt-Ugly here. The temps have been hovering barely above the freezing mark, so we have been going back and forth between rain and freezing rain. I would have been a lot happier to see snow because I could have turned my horses out. As it were, they were shut in the barn 22 hours straight on Wednesday.
They range in age from 17 to coming 27 and believe me, NOBODY wanted to go out the door. They have turnout blankets for inclement weather but that didn't matter, they wanted to stay in their stalls and watch that muddy yuk from afar - lol lol Finally at 2:30 PM there was a break in the rain and I threw them all out so I could clean stalls without them re-cycyling hay the minute I was done.
We are in the same weather pattern today but the weathermen are promising sunshine for Friday. It is no joke to say we have not seen any sun whatsoever for nearly a week. I am generally ok with that but when the near-freezing rain is thrown in, all day, and I can't get my outside chores properly done, I am not a happy camper
Even my dogs wait until the 99th second to go outside and spin up mud quickly running back inside --- where they need dried off with a towel

nthego: They are both in the 75 lb - 90 lb category so not as fragile as the Little Tykes and don't need coats. Plus our temps, in spite of my whining, are balmy compared to yours, Steve
