Staying Positive When the Unexpected Happens!

 Staying Positive When the Unexpected Happens!

'The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.' (Robbie Burns)

'It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.' (Epictetus)

When we turned our faces eastward for our journey back home, we agreed that we would keep an eye upon weather conditions and adjust our plans accordingly. Our main concern was the journey through the Rocky Mountains and the Prairies, which can be challenging at this time of year. However, Mother Nature smiled upon us for the duration of our adventures in the mountains, and for the first part of our journey across the plains to Winnipeg, Manitoba. 

When we rose at 5:00 a.m. to leave Winnipeg for Thunder Bay (Ontario) the other morning, we knew that there had been snowstorm warnings for our destination; and as we progressed, we kept an eye upon the developing storm, encountering a few flurries on our way. Seeing how things were unfolding, we changed our plans and thought we might make it to Dryden, Ontario. However, at last, we decided to break our journey just inside Ontario at a favourite town of ours - Kenora. Safety trumps everything, so we knew that it was in our interest to hunker down for a couple of days until conditions for travel improved. 

Arriving at 9:00 a.m. at a motel in which we had stayed during previous visits, we were delighted that - thanks to a cancellation from the night before - we were allowed to occupy a room ahead of the regular mid-afternoon check-in time, (at no extra cost). In fact, we were even in time for breakfast! 

Unpacking our stuff, we settled in for the rest of the day as we watched the precipitation change from sleet to thick snowfall, which continued overnight. 

Several of our friends on social media, who had been following our journey over the last few months, expressed their relief that we had decided to stay over and put safety first. 

One of our dear friends, for whom we had house/pet sit a couple of years ago, posted this kind message to us: 

For the rest of the day, we relaxed, caught up with e-mails etc., and watched a couple of things on Netflix, finally turning in early as we were both tired after our early start. 

This morning, the skies were overcast, but the snowfall had abated. We always like to get outside at every opportunity, so we resolved to brave the -8 C temperature and take a walk downtown. After being spoiled by more moderate temperatures during our time out west, it was a neat reminder that we were back in our own province, and we were glad that we had packed clothing for all eventualities when we left Ontario in September, last year. 

Donning our boots, coats, and gloves, we ventured outside expecting to see 6 inches of the white stuff over the cars in the parking lot - only to find that that there was just a little ice on the windshields! 

Previously, we had only stayed in Kenora in the summer or fall, and so were glad to experience it in its wintry clothing. We are fairly familiar with the layout of the town, so we set off to walk around the lake, towards the downtown core. The Lake of the Woods, upon which the town is built, was frozen over, though there were some patches of open water to be seen. 

A couple of years ago, when we were here, Dave - our brother-in-law - told us about a huge fish 'statue' in a park in town, and we found out it was called, 'Husky, the Muskie'. Since one of my nicknames for Mark is 'Muskrat Marky' (shortened to 'Muskie), it was inevitable that we would stop there again for the typical photograph! (The story of how this nickname came into being will have to wait for another time!)

A little way after this, we stopped at the lakeside where we had enjoyed a picnic on the lawn the previous September, on our way out west. We laughed and said that the picnic blanket (that our friends, Julie and Chris, had given us), would have frozen to the ground in this temperature!

Moving on to the main street, we were struck by the number of murals on the sides of buildings. 

One, in particular, told of how the First Nations People called this area 'Rat Portage' for the many muskrats that inhabited the waters - another connection with Mark's nickname!

Some of the architecture is rather splendid, and we enjoyed walking along the main streets that intersect each other. 

The City Hall and Library, with Notre Dame Church in the background

On the pier, looking along the main street

St. Alban's Anglican Cathedral - a beautiful stone edifice

At some point, we both agreed that a nice warm latte would be in order. So we stopped at a neat little coffee shop called, Iron and Clay. As soon as we stepped inside, we were so impressed with the ambience that had been created...and by the huge welcome smile of Krystal, the owner of the shop.

We were particularly impressed with the little sign on the counter, which reminded us of our motto in life - Appreciation and Gratitude.

Krystal made us feel welcome, with her huge smile!

Everything in the shop was arranged for the comfort of its patrons, and the range of coffees available was extensive. Being a Thursday morning, there were just five other customers on the premises, so it was easy to find a table where we could sit and enjoy the experience, while maintaining social distance. 

When we went back outside, we were surprised to be greeted by sunshine, which counteracted some of the wind chill we had experienced on our walk into town. It was good to see the shimmering on the patches of open water - and we stopped to watch an otter, who was happily sitting beside a gap in the ice. At one point, he dove in, but reappeared shortly afterwards. 

We loved the sculpture of the fish that had recycled cans in its 'stomach'!

Returning to the motel, we noticed that our car was once more clean, after it had been covered in dust and mud a couple of days earlier during our visit to Grasslands National Park, in Saskatchewan - another benefit of snow and wind!

Although we are looking forward to getting home to be in our own bed after so long, and to be amongst our dear friends again, it was a nice, unexpected detour in our plans. The truth in Epicetus' quote, along with Heather's kind observation, became a reality for us, once again. Making the best of every situation certainly improves our enjoyment of life. 

If you would like to know more about the Iron and Clay coffee shop, here's the link to their website: 

https://www.ironandclaycoffee.com/