October 23, 2020

We are in the waning weeks of 2020, and Team Fergmeijer has been struggling lately, and having a hard time getting out of bed in the morning. A self-help book suggested we switch to a diet of yeast and car wax. We hope to be able to rise and shine again soon.

Happy 29th birthday to Rachel B who will turn 29 this weekend. We hope this hard-working lady packs up Pat and the pup and heads for her happy place to celebrate! Meranda N is also celebrating this week. Not quite 29, but closing in on it! And although her youngun is still needing a lot of attention these days, we hope she gets a bit of down time to celebrate. Maybe send Paisley to grandma’s for a sleepover! 

Set the alarm a little early tomorrow and get that coffee made - there’s an Island-wide power outage tomorrow (Saturday, October 24) from 8am until 2pm. Stay warm! Maybe stay in and read during the power outage. We’re half-way through a scary novel in braille and can’t wait to have time to get back to it. Something bad is about to happen, we can feel it.

Remember euchre? Here’s a flashback to the results from a tournament this time last year. Results for the night were: High score 74 Doris & Elva; Second 72 Mike & Susan; Third 69 Karen & Myra; Fourth 68 Fred & Jim; Most lone hands (4 way tie) 5 Kal & Lilly; Low score 58 (2 way tie) Bill & Brad and Donna & Eva; Special prize Myra. Ah, the memories! We’re pretty sure games haven’t started up again, but given our past history, there well *could* still be euchre tournaments going on, and they just haven’t sent us the results. 

Waste Reduction Week is this week (October 19-25), and the townships of Billings and Central Manitoulin came together to host several virtual panel discussions, as well as an art contest and a swap meet!

The art contest theme is “The Zero Net Future.” All art media accepted. Submit a painting, drawing, photograph, sculpture or collage that shows what the future will look like to you once we reduce/capture our greenhouse gas emissions and reach net zero. Art submissions will be collected until November 6.

Tomorrow (Saturday, October 24) is the community garage sale and swap meet at the Old Church on the Hill in Kagawong from 10am - 1pm. Stop by and pick up some great new finds!

The Friends of Billings Library (FOBL) are holding their annual silent auction online this year! This innovative approach will help keep FOBL members and bidders safe. Items will be listed on the Facebook group “Friends of Billings Library Silent Auction” by the November 1st kick off. Each item will have a post in the group, and you can place your bid by commenting on the item’s post. Highest bid at 4pm on November 6th wins! For more information visit the Facebook group or email the library (billingslibrary@vianet.ca). gravel loads and fantastic art work.

Billings and Central Manitoulin Townships have received a substantial grant from Digital Main Street, Ontario, for a Digital Service Squad (DSS) to help small downtown businesses use digital technologies to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. Stay tuned for more details; the squad will begin visiting small businesses in Mindemoya, Providence Bay, Kagawong and area this fall.

Does it feel like the Coronavirus has ruined all your plans for 2020? Don’t give up - save them for 2022! ‘Cause 2022 is 2020, too. Have a great week!