Hello Summer

 I see that I never finished writing about our week at the Muskoka Soul cottage. Life got busy when school started up again. Hard to believe that was the Covid summer. In November (about 6 weeks after the last post), I ran into the VP at a school I was working at for the day. She had been a teacher/SERT at the kids' school when we were trying to get Megan's IEP started. She saw my name on the board and said if I'm willing to come there often, she'll request me when possible. I was skeptical. This was my 4th time there, it wasn't my favourite, it was all French Immersion except kindergarten. I had been told I'd be requested a lot at my kids' schools....and that ended up with nothing. But I told her sure, however, I was having ankle surgery in mid-December so I had only a couple more weeks to work before taking off at least the first 6 weeks back. 

She kept her promise though, and in February I started going to the school quite often, for all different teachers (previously it had been just music). Then in March, I landed a 0.2 LTO which was 2 afternoons a week at a school that started their afternoons at about the time MPS started their lunch--so there was no way to do both in one day. However, in only 3 weeks, schools shut down again and things went virtual. I managed to get in 8 half days there before virtual. Then I started doing virtual supply which was pretty cool but also challenging. When school started back up in September 2021, I started going there a lot. About 95% of my jobs ended up being there! 

In October 2022 I got Covid (thanks, Megan) and as I was recovering, got asked to fill in for the music teacher who also was recovering from Covid. I was able to do a couple days. Then she (the music teacher, lets call her Christie) had a death in the family and needed to take off a week. It was sudden and I couldn't do the entire week (had a few other commitments), but then there was a second week. Then it was two more weeks. Now it becomes an LTO automatically. It was music and science, and a bit of art. I had kindergarten (just a SK class of 13 due to kindie being phased out at FI schools), 8 periods a week. Some of that was for music and some was for centres (which I didn't have to plan). I had a 5/6 class from hell for 3 periods of music and a double of art (which followed a period of their music, but with recess in between). I had a grade 6 class for 3 periods of music but it was a single and a double. Then I had 3 7/8 classes, each had a single and a double of music and each had 5 periods of science.

It was a lot for me. Megan was in grade 12 and there were her work and skating commitments which meant me driving her. I hadn't worked fulltime before. It was so stressful. It kept getting extended (sometimes with a week's notice, sometimes two days) until May, when it was declared she wasn't coming back that year. It's hard to plan when you think at anytime the original teacher was going to come back. 

By the end of June (we get out at the very end), it was announced Christie wasn't coming back the next year. She was supposed to have 0.5 English and 0.5 Music. I did NOT want the English, but there was another supply teacher who had been doing LTOs there who was fine with that. So we each got a 0.5. This time I had a grade 4 for one double, a 4/5 for a single and a double, two 5/6s for 3 singles (and one of them, I had a period of art where I went in to release the teacher doing the first period), and 3 7/8 classes for 1 single and 1 double each. The terrible grade 6 students were now in grade 7. They were still terrible and brought out the worse in the previous year's grade 7s who had been pretty good that year because the grade 8s were awesome. There was one class in particular who were terrible. I'm pretty easy going but every teacher struggled with them. 

In winter break, one of the full time intermediate teachers went on maternity leave. She was teaching math and science. I would have loved to have just science, but they couldn't re-work the entire schedule. The English teacher started covering the mornings (and keeping her afternoon English), and I covered the afternoons (keeping my morning music). It was horrible. I'm not a math teacher. The kids were suffering from all the changes. Finally, a new English teacher was hired at the start of Feb, and the original one switched to full time math/science (she had been adamant in the beginning of the year she didn't want full time!). I was back to half days. 

In late February, I was told Christie was coming back as the music teacher. The insurance plan had said she didn't need to be on long term disability anymore. She would start with coming in a couple mornings a week but not being in the classroom. Then she'd start shadowing me, and then at the end of March, be back completely and I'd be out of a job. I was really upset. When Christie started coming in, she didn't seem committed. The Principal wasn't sure if it was going to work. The insurance agreed to pay me to be at the school for 2 weeks after she totally took over, "just in case." Of course, those two weeks were both 4 day weeks. I filled in primarily for the primary gym teacher, which was not good for my ankle. It was awkward being there. The kids kept asking me to come back. I went back to being the supply teacher. 

And then, in May, I find out Christie is moving to another school for September. Can you imagine my anger? She hadn't continued the plans I had made for the classes (one was supposed to get ukuleles, one was supposed to get recorders, etc). She went back to her way, which was a lot of reading and handouts. The kids hated it. 

There's been a lot of changes at the school with teachers. Half day sick leaves, maternity leaves, a year off leave...the English turned Math/Science teacher got a permanent position at another school for September. The art (and a few other classes) teacher who was 0.6 is  going on leave but is being replaced with a 1.0 LTO. One other teacher is coming back from a long sick leave due to cancer. A grade 6 teacher, new to the board, was surplussed but got recalled and is moving to intermediate. Several teachers said there'll be a 0.5 permanent music position available. However, the principal went on partial leave in May and wasn't around much to ask about it. It hasn't been posted yet. 

And...we have a 2.5 week trip planned for Oct/Nov! She asked me if I had plans to apply to permanent jobs and I said I wasn't sure because I liked the flexibility and I had this trip. She said not to worry about the trip if it was booked before being offered a permanent job, it shouldn't factor in. Was that a hint?

The terrible grade 7s are going to be grade 8s, but the incoming grade 7s are an interesting mix with some awesome students. However, the incoming grade 4s are a terror.....

Okay, I hadn't planned to write this much! It was pretty hard to give a short synopsis of why I haven't written! Oh, and I opened a Teachers Pay Teachers store, so I'm spending a lot of time creating resources! Fun! With that also came a blog. It's summer again, I'm not on chaperone duty for the kids anymore, so maybe I'll try writing here once in awhile!

Muskoka Soul 2020--Day 4

This is our first day on food duty. We’re supposed to be keeping it more low key than last time, and breakfast is supposed to be self serve buffet. We had Lucy cut up the pineapple last night, since she does that all the time in the salad bar. Rob cut up a cantaloupe, and we put out English muffins, raisin bread, and crumpets—a special treat for the English folk. Lucy is our helper today, but we haven’t seen her yet (9am).

As I was putting the breakfast breads/pastries back in the corner, I noticed the bag of “breakfast buns” had a tear in the bag and the top bun looked like someone took a chunk out. I instantly clued in that the crumbs I had seen in the corner when I picked up everything was courtesy of a mouse. Indeed, there were mouse droppings in the corner. All the breads are now in a cooler.

                              

     

Our lunch was “Wings and Things”—several types of wings, Thai spring rolls, mini mozza cheese sticks, and assorted raw veggies, dips, and pickles. Nothing at all like the dinner the night before!! Everything except a few veggies were eaten though, so it went over well. 

                       

I'm sure one or two were expecting more gourmet cooking, but we’re supposed to be keeping it simple. It was a challenge enough finding cooking and serving dishes! Rob and Lucy did a lot, I just got things in the oven and worked the timer—though I think I messed up the temperature when I set the timer. But everything was cooked and we were just a couple minutes late. Rob even handwashed a bunch of the dishes that didn’t fit in the dishwasher. I made a rum and Diet Coke and called my Mom, who is babysitting Skippy, our dog. He seems to be having a nice vacation too.

There’s lots of boat traffic; luckily the kids are old enough that it doesn’t bother them while swimming. It might be a challenge if you had small kids—though the stairs to get down to the gorgeous dock might stop many kids from bothering to go down. 

           The afternoon was spent relaxing until it was time to start dinner. Rob and Lucy went looking for public boat launches. They found one up the road, but the parking lot was full. Interestingly, none of the cars had boat trailers, or trailer hitches. Maybe they had roof top canoes/kayaks?

                                           

Several of the adults here don’t eat beef, so kabobs are a nice way for those that do eat beef, to still have some. The salad was based on a Hello Fresh meal "Lemon Chicken and Goat Cheese with Crisp Pear, Arugula and Citrus Vinaigrette  but I wasn’t putting the potatoes in. The goat cheese had been sitting out so it was very soft and blended into the dressing, making it creamier. The meal had been for only 2, so I only had one pear and one little thing of goat cheese and grainy mustard, but it was good. I added slices of the tiny cucumbers we had left over from lunch, and combined lettuces from a couple meal kits (okay—I was sure I had declined last week’s delivery, but the box showed up on Wednesday so I had to figure out what to do with it all!). I think some dried cranberries would have added a really nice touch to the salad, but didn’t bring them. Megan was really skeptical of the salad because she “doesn’t like goat cheese” but she did try it, and thought it was really good. She probably wouldn’t have if the goat cheese was in crumbles like it was supposed to be.

For the potatoes, I was originally going to do twice baked potatoes, since we’d have the grill on, but the potatoes were too new and didn’t have skins. Then I thought I’d do my Christmas “Race Rock” potatoes but it seems I left the roasted garlic at home. Roasted potatoes are good, but we have to step things up a notch here. So I decided on “smashed” potatoes. However, I was worried about over cooking them, and when Lucy tried to smash them, it wasn’t working. They ended up being “rustic cut” roasted potatoes with garlic, bacon drippings, bacon, parmesan cheese. Very good. The kebobs were good too. They also came with vegetables on the skewers. We had originally planned to get the all meat ones, but at the last minute, Rob changed his mind. evening snack.

I had a dessert planned—grilled peaches with raspberry sauce, but I didn’t get the raspberries and didn’t feel like grilling the peaches and didn’t know if everyone would want dessert.

After dinner, everyone went out fishing while we cleaned up, then we joined them for a bit. Or, rather, Rob joined them while I made dessert. I boiled the peaches to skin them, let them cool for a bit, and used a brand new pairing knife Lou bought from a local kitchen shop because she didn’t like the knives here. I had used it earlier and noted it was very sharp. Well, oops, a peach slipped and in went the knife. Bloody, sore, and awkward, so I had to get Rob to finish slicing. I made custard (from custard powder, not from scratch LOL), and got out the blueberry sauce I had made at home. Lou suggested adding some of her granola cereal for crunch. Should have kept the extra toasted walnuts from the salad. 

                                         

 

The fishing was surprisingly good. We think it’s very deep off the dock, and Megan reeled in a good size small mouth bass.

                                              

Then grandma came down and wanted to get in on the action. Next thing we knew, she hooked a fish even larger than Megan’s!!   

                                            

Granddad was getting a little flustered because he was spending all his fishing time getting hooks out little fish and re-worming hooks. He says everyone has to worm their own hook today!

This is Grandma's fish!

While I was cleaning up from dessert, I managed to slice my other thumb on the same knife, as I put things in the silverware section of the dishwasher! Not as bad, but again, right at the cuticle of my thumb. This is why my thumb nails never grow right.

The kids and Pawel played Scattergories Jr; I was Megan’s assistant because of her language issues. Grandma came in and teamed up with Pawel. It was fun to play with new people. While setting up the game, I found some pages that had my Dad’s handwriting. He enjoyed playing the game with the kids, getting creative with answers. I’ve pulled the pages out because I was worried someone would throw them out, but I might paperclip them together and tuck them back in the box with a note.

It was a lovely second day for us.

 

Muskoka Soul 2020--Day 3

Blogger is giving me a hard time with photos. After I moved some to where I wanted, they wouldn't re-center, even though Blogger says they're centered. I gave up. 

It'd been a few years since we had an organized extended family  vacation, so it was decided to rent a cottage again. With the COVID situation this year, there was some doubt it would happen, but it did! 

Where’s Day 1 and 2? Longish story. The girls came up on Friday with the rest of the family. Rob and I took the dog to my Mom’s on Saturday, and we stayed the night, then drove over to Gravenhurst on Sunday. It was a pretty drive, though a little busy. I can’t remember the last time I was in Gravenhurst---probably when the kids were little and we went to Santa’sVillage . That’s closer to Bracebridge, so we might not have even come into Gravenhurst. We found the cottage, Muskoka Soul Lake House  and started unloading

It’s quite different from the last cottage we stayed at .  They’re both extremely nice, and both are “traditional cottage” in many ways, but this one is more wood beams and deck, while the other was more modern but decorated in rustic charm, if that makes sense. 

There’s a gorgeous view of the lake, though a lot of stairs down to the dock. We brought my Dad’s little boat, knowing it could be carried by two men, but it’s just not practical (or even safe) to try to get it down the stairs. Rob will take it to the closest boat launch and motor over. 

Luckily, on this lake, and being close to town, there are several boat launches close by.

We arrived just as they were cleaning up lunch. Lucy had texted me that she had tried pickled onions and thought they were actually good! She picks out onions from stir fries and pizza and never partakes in the glorious slurping of a juicy garlic dill pickle. Hopefully, exposure to her aunt’s cooking will awaken her palate.

Rob and I headed back into town to pick up food items for our first cooking day—Monday, August 17. There was no room in the freezer, so it’s all packed in a cooler, with ice, which is then packed in a larger cooler, and filled with ice. We had thought we might be bringing the items with us, but we were too packed. I had a regular cooler, an extra large “Hello Fresh” insulated box, and the very large Costco insulated cooler bag, as well as a big Rubbermaid bin full of food. And this was just our stuff we brought up. I had already sent up another Rubbermaid bin full of pantry items.

After we got back, a storm rolled across. I love watching a storm come across a lake. Or ocean, from our cruise ship balcony...

This was two doors down. It finally took off on the last morning we were there. There were lots of other float planes though. You can get a float plane taxi to town from various points on the lake.

Dinner was Lou & Pawel’s duty. They (along with their helper of the day, Megan), prepared charcuteries boards of French cheeses from Quebec and Italian cured meats from Ottawa, along with many sweet and savory condiments and fruit and crackers. Lucy did try a bit, but then made her own charcuterie plate from the meats and cheeses we and her grandparents brought LOL.

After dinner, the girls and Rob went for a swim.

This is Nya, floating away on the giant inflatable swan

 I sat on the dock and knitted. I am planning on doing a lot of knitting. I was having trouble with the internet, so I hope I brought enough yarn! 

After they dried off, we relaxed. Six played a card game called Dix It. They were quite enjoying it. I was able to get some internet and had a nice chat with an old friend. Then, it was bed time!

Our room is nice, we have a king size bed which is quite the treat. This is Rob showing how much room we have LOL. We have to share a bathroom with Lou and Pawel, but the girls get their own ensuite. It was strange getting up during the night and the dog not being on the floor next to the bed!

Food Truck Review---Ma & Pa's Pitas

Like most good food trucks, this one also closed down about a year later. They retired and are living the good life. 

Megan and I were watching a TV show reviewing restaurants. There was one showing making falafels and other Middle Eastern dishes. She expressed an interest in trying them. Sure thing, I know just the food truck to check out. 

I had heard many good things about Ma & Pa's Pitas truck in various restaurant review groups on Facebook. This truck is new this spring. Previously, it was "Mr Good Chip" but that didn't last long. The owners are super friendly, everything is made/prepared fresh, and it shows. There's shawarma, gyros, shawarma poutine, fries, poutine, garlic potatoes. They use 100% peanut oil! Yay! I've learned a lot about the nastiness of canola oil. 

This is a small poutine. It's packaged in a fiberboard type container! Yay! That means it can go in the compost. It also doesn't steam the fries as much as styrofoam. There was a really good amount of cheese curds, and they even squeaked! I can't remember the last time I had cheese curds on a chip truck poutine that squeaked! The gravy was really, really good. Megan even liked it, even though it was more on the beefy side. I don't think of french fries as traditional Middle Eastern food, so I suspect these are mainly a menu filler and a profit filler, but they don't taste like it--they are very worthy of a visit on their own!!

This is the beef shawarma. Well, more accurately, it's the portion Rob cut off for me LOL. I was really impressed with the beef. I bit into it thinking it was going to be like beef strips in restaurant fajitas. No! Way, way better! A totally different texture!  I could have had a bit more seasoning on it but perhaps it's better business to make it on the mild side. I would definitely get the beef! I try to order beef items when we eat out because we don't eat it a lot at home but I still need it for the iron and other wonderful nutritional factors.

This is Megan's falafel pita. She liked it though she thought there'd be more sauce, and was expecting the falafel to be more green. The ones we saw on TV had a lot of cilantro and parsley, and were quite green. She would have liked cilantro in it as she's quite the fan of it. She did realize that placing the hummus in the middle and being light on the sauce made for a much tidier meal! 

We all agreed that these were really good pitas! You can tell that the toppings are all very fresh. No slimy, runny tomatoes. I had hoped to try pickled mango but that might be a really unusual topping. All this, plus 3 pops (and tax) came to $27, but thankfully, they take credit/debit! Not all food trucks do. We would definitely make a point of going back to this food truck! They will also make the pita as a salad, which is what I'll probably do next. Or maybe I'll get the beef shawarma poutine....

If you're on Facebook, check out their page at:  https://www.facebook.com/Ma-Pas-Pitas-103653898006056/ 

UPDATE:  

I took the other child yesterday, and she agreed it was very good poutine. She felt the gravy to fries ratio was perfect, the fiberboard clamshell practical and optimal. No complaints about the gravy! I ordered the beef shawarma poutine. Wow, so much food! 

No hummus. The beef tasted a bit "spicier," it's not spicy...it had more flavour. Not that it didn't have flavour before, but maybe it was easier to separate the flavours with the poutine. I couldn't finish all the fries, and I even had a helper! What I really need is a small shawarma salad and a tiny poutine. LOL.

Chip Truck Review---Chip Wagon

Update--they moved to another location where they kept getting broken into. They moved or shut down and I don't know more. 

I was taking Megan to her favourite thrift store when we passed a new sign for a chip truck, advertising fresh cut fries. After our shopping spree, we popped in. It's just a tiny cute little chip wagon, tucked in at the "auto spa". 

The menu is very basic. Fries or poutine, extra gravy and drinks. The fries are cut when you order. We got a small poutine.  It was only $5. 

When they handed us the forks, there was also a spoon. Why? Well, we soon found out! There is plenty of gravy on these fries! We did feel that they were a little shy on the curds though (there were more hiding, but we would have liked more). The small was really too small for two to share as a lunch, but it'd be perfect for one person. 

Megan loved the gravy. It was a lighter coloured gravy, probably heavy on the chicken. It had kind of a pasty colour. Not sure if it was from a powdered mix, or what, but it was quite different than most places we've been. She really liked it though and she's much more picky than me on the gravy.

Now, the fries. We went back to the Chip Wagon a second time, and brought Lucy. The young man recognized us and was very friendly. And apologetic that they had run out of spoons LOL. This time we seemed to have even more gravy too. While we were waiting, a man came to ordered. He asked if they are double-fried. The young man responded no. I had figured they weren't. They were definitely cooked, but lacked that little extra that double frying fresh cut potatoes can give you. I am more of a crispy fry gal, and these were almost there, but still fluffy enough  to please the other people with me. 

The location is a nice change from busy streets. Although the car washes are a little noisy and the wagon has a generator running, it's still nicer than other locations. There is a covered eating area, and a stand up table. The only issue is parking--it's kind of a one direction lot and you have to kind of cut through the car detailing to get out, unless you're going through the auto car wash LOL.

More precise directions---Hopkins St, just south of Dundas St (Highway 2), where Nicol Ave meets Hopkins St, Whitby.

Chip Truck Review--Smokin' Chip Truck

 Rob and I got into Bancroft right at lunch time and he hates showing up at my mom's right at meal time, so we stopped at the chip truck at Kawartha Dairy. It had been renovated but the prices/signs seemed the same, so we wanted to try it. However, despite being noon on a Saturday in August, it was closed.  We headed further into town, to the Smokin' Chip Truck. It's on Highway 62 north, next to York River Meats. It's on the west side of the highway, a bit north of Millenium Park. It's been there forever, but we've never gone!  They have a good online presence, so just Google them for more reviews and better photos LOL.

It was very busy--a good sign. We had to wait in the sun, but there is a little bit of seating in a covered gazebo. The menu is very broad, but our wallet was not, so we just got regular burgers and fries. 

The burgers we got were smaller than elsewhere (such as Woody's, on the way up to Bancroft), but I actually preferred the smaller burger, especially at lunch time. I thought it was quite nice. 

It's not as messy as other burgers, and really hit the spot for lunch.

The fries were perfect! I loved the paper bag, though I'm not sure it's a good idea if you use vinegar. Was there a box inside the bag? I don't remember. They were crispy, but not burnt. Very yummy. I could have had more!!

There are likely better photos of the truck and menu online, LOL, but this just helps me remember in my photos where we were--rather than random photos of french fries. 

Verdict--try them! Although it'll take longer than McDonald's, they are yummy and local and have many options you can't get at McD's!!

Chip Truck Visit #3: "Lakeside Chips" now "Grammy's Chip Truck"

Summer 2024:

This truck lost it's spot at the Whitby waterfront and is now in a parking lot on Dundas St (Highway 2) and Hickory St)

August 2020:

Overall, this is probably one of the best chip trucks we go to. The large menu means we can get onion rings and chicken strips and please everyone. And if I have extra money, a deep fried dill pickle. The staff are friendly, the scenery is lovely, and if you're lucky, there's a picnic table nearby. Even an outhouse, though it stunk on this day.

Look at those onion rings! I told the lady that I'm thankful she offers them and that's why we come back. I doubt they are fresh battered, but they are better than what I cook at home.

They are fresh cut fries but I think just single fried. The gravy is rich and dark--like how I like it, but the fries are fluffy like how everyone else in the world likes their fries (I did find someone on Facebook that likes crispy fries, but we recognize we are really in the minority!).

Megan managed to carry everything!

These are the chicken fingers. They were good, but not a huge serving, if you're sharing. 

Original Visits--2015-2017

I don't know if that is the real name of the truck as the only "name" on it was "French Fries!".  Down at the Whitby Waterfront, between the old pumphouse and the big gazebo.  Techincally, it's called Water Street, but really, it's just the southern part of Brock Street.  We park at the lot in front of the pumphouse, because I don't like parking on the road.  There is usually a Port-a-Potty there by the parking lot, though I can't comment on it, LOL.  If you need "real" washrooms, you can park further up at the playground lot and walk to the east up the trail past the Haydenshore Pavillion, to the washroom building.  I do NOT know why it's not situated closer to the middle of the popular trail here!

The last few years, there was a teal coloured chip truck here.  We tried it last summer, and wasn't too impressed.  This year, it's a different truck.  The woman running it was very friendly, it's a nice shady spot, but not enough seating considering how popular the spot is.  There are plenty of benches though along the trail, just not practical for me and three kids.
She said the fries are fresh cut, so they take about 7 minutes.  They did take longer.

Click on the picture for a larger version.  There is a LOT on the menu.

 Lucy and Hugh each got their own onion rings, which we all said were AWESOME!  We'd come again for the onion rings!

 The french fries?  Meh.  Big serving!  Nice tray, lots of long fries for dipping.  But they were a bit mushy on the inside.  I wouldn't turn them down if we were in the area, but I'd opt for the onion rings.

It's a nice spot for a snack, since there is no other food options at the lake.  I've heard good things about Lakeview Grill just up Brock St though.  We're still on the quest for a truck with both onion rings and fries that are AWESOME!

Addition:  We went back and tried a small poutine.  I thought it would be the same size as a small fries, but it was much bigger, and too much for just Megan and I.  The gravy was good, the cheese curds were plentiful, but I still wasn't keen on the fries themselves.

2016:  We tried this truck again and I should have read my own review LOL.  I think we got a small and it was more than enough for a post dinner snack.  Again, the gravy was very good, the cheese curds were good, the service excellent (not fast though).  We just aren't a huge fan of the naked fries.  Don't let this deter you, as others report that they love the fries here.

This menu is from August 2017 but might still be relevant