January 25, 2023

As the first month of 2023 comes to a close, the days are getting noticeably longer, and Dry January is going really well for Team Fergmeijer. Even if everyone keeps saying that we need to shower.

Tomorrow (Thursday, January 26) from 6:30-7:30pm, Manitoulin Streams is hosting Youth Rangers’ Night at the Park Centre, where students in grades 1-8 can learn more about local mammals and winter track identification. For more information or to register your child/children, contact getinvolved.manitoulinstreams@gmail.com

We don’t know about you, but doing puzzles brings Team Fergmeijer an inner piece. If you’d like a piece of that, be sure to come out this weekend for a Puzzle Swap at the Billings Library! Stop in Saturday, January 28 from 10-1pm. Bring the jigsaw puzzles of your past to trade for the jigsaw puzzles of your future and mingle with other like-minded puzzle lovers (don’t worry, you’ll fit right in). 

Happy birthday wishes go out to Susie D who turned 29 this Monday. We don’t want to say she came back to town for a visit just to ensure she didn’t turn some other age (who know how things work over in Calgary!), but it is a bit suspicious. Also turning 29 this week is Jenna C. Remember that age is just a number and we should always take getting a year older with a grain of salt. Even better if it’s several grains on the rim of a margarita!

Looking to stay active? Kagawong has you covered! The community rink is now open - pop in any time of the day or night and take advantage of the roof and lights! Hats off to the volunteers who maintain this incredible space. If indoor activities are more your thing, Zumba classes are also starting up at the Park Centre, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5pm beginning January 31st. So get on out there and boogie or glide your way to healthy living!

Missed the last Billings council meeting? The township is now sharing Council Meeting Highlights in the days after the meeting. Check out the township website at http://billingstwp.ca. 

Did you miss our holiday special? Or want to relive the adventures of the Kagawong Gobble Brigade? Catch up on old times with the complete archive of Team Fergmeijer columns, all the way back to 2015! Check out http://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.com to get your fill of puns and Kagawong happenings.

Reminder that the fire hall is still off-limits for safety reasons. Please utilize the water at the public works garage at 34 Carter Crescent. Please be mindful of the bay doors, and do not leave your vehicle unattended.

January is on the way out, and February is almost here. To celebrate the shortest month of the year, we are pleased to announce the second annual Short Poems for a Short Month! Submit your haiku, rhyming couplet, limerick, or sonnet to fergmeijer@gmail.com and we will add them to the column! We’ll get you started:

This is a ho-hum

Poem.

It was a pretty busy week last week, so much so that one half of Team Fergmeijer was so tired that she fell asleep on a jigsaw. She woke up with a puzzled look on her face. Have a good week!

January 18, 2023

Your friendly neighbourhood journalists are onto a hot story - a mystery of enormous size and consequence. It has come to our attention that the tried and true party game “Swedish Dinkie” is woefully unknown off-Island. We have reached out to numerous non-Islanders and all report having never heard of the popular party game involving a tennis ball in a nylon tied around one’s waist. We didn’t even find anything about it on the interwebs, outside of one video on the Ellen show. Is it a conspiracy? Is Big Nylon trying to shut down the party industry? We are on the case and won’t rest until we discover the truth!

Happy birthday wishes go to Lisa L this week. She has made at least 29 circuits around the sun: quite the achievement! We hope you are celebrating in style!

 

Just a reminder that the library board meetings have changed to the second Tuesday of every month. The next meeting will be February 14th at the library starting at 7pm. Contact the library directly for more information (billingsreads@gmail.com  705-282-2944).

 

There’s never a dull moment in Kagawong! There are a couple of exciting events coming up at the Kagawong Park Centre: On January 25, and just in time for Robbie Burns’ Day, New Grain Kitchen is hosting a “nose to tail” feast by UK Chef Will Atherton. Check out New Grain’s website for more information. 

 

And then the very next day, January 26 from 6:30-7:30pm, Manitoulin Streams is hosting Youth Rangers’ Night, where students in grades 1-8 can come to the Park Centre to learn more about local mammals and winter track identification. For more information or to register your child/children, contact getinvolved.manitoulinstreams@gmail.com

 

A quick heads up to those who know our Manitoulin Mom: keeping secrets and/or sneaking up on her has now become much harder than ever before. You have been warned!

 

Does anyone ever redo a puzzle more than once? Team Fergmeijer tends to treat them like a single-use product, so we are super excited about the upcoming PUZZLE SWAP at the library on Saturday, January 28 from 10-1pm. Bring the jigsaw puzzles of your past to trade for the jigsaw puzzles of your future and mingle with other like-minded puzzle lovers (don’t worry, you’ll fit right in). 

 

Did you miss our holiday special? Or want to relive the adventures of the Kagawong Gobble Brigade? Catch up on old times with the complete archive of Team Fergmeijer columns, all the way back to 2015! Check out http://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.com to get your fill of puns and Kagawong happenings.

 

The rink ice is slowly but surely setting up. It isn’t quite ready for skating yet but we are hopeful we’ll get the go-ahead soon. For now, volunteers are asking everyone to stay off the ice so it has a chance to form a solid base. 

 

The fire hall is still off-limits for safety reasons. Please utilize the water at the public works garage at 34 Carter Crescent. Please be mindful of the bay doors, and do not leave your vehicle unattended.

 

Last week we were sold a fake number puzzle. It was a pseudo-ku. Have a good week!

January 11, 2023

Happy new year! We hope you rang in 2023 in a manner most appropriate. Whether that meant you were dressed up to the nines, or in bed by nine, we hope you had fun! Team Fergmeijer decided to go all out this year and attended a super swanky NYE party with tons of famous people. We didn’t mingle too much; mostly we stayed at our small booth table. But at one point a celebrity we recognized came over and asked if they could sit with us. It was a bit crowded already, but we scooted over because there’s always room for J. Lo. 

Manitoulin is a generous place. Each year members of the public, businesses and townships contribute to grants and bursaries for graduates of Manitoulin Secondary School. Tens of thousands of dollars are awarded to deserving young people who are moving into post secondary education and training adventures. This year’s awards night at MSS was held last week. You can see a full lineup of awards and recipients in the Expositor. The paper lets us get away with the column running a bit long sometimes, but even we realize that the full list of awards and recipients is pushing our luck. Congratulations to all those who received grants and bursaries, and thank you to all of the people who make it all possible!

 

Mary B has been quite the social butterfly in the last few weeks, travelling to North Bay to spend time with Neil and family, (and various chickens too we imagine), then back home just in time to host Rob and family (significantly fewer chickens with them). Now**, she is celebrating (and perhaps lamenting just a bit) the arrival of MBB! That’s right, Mary Buie’s Brother (aka Mike) and the ever lovely Susie are back on the Island for a few weeks to visit. Keep an eye out for them. Or an ear. Those who know and love MBB know that you can usually hear Mike coming before you see him. 

 

The township has altered their council meeting schedule. Council now meets on the first Thursday and third Tuesday of the month. You can find details of meetings (minutes and agendas) on the township website (www.billingstwp.ca).

 

In related news, the Billings library board meetings have changed to the second Tuesday of every month. These meetings are open to the public and are held at the library starting at 7pm. Contact the library directly for more information (billingsread@gmail.com  705-282-2944).

 

Did you know that January is National Puzzle month? The library has pieced together an event to celebrate:  a PUZZLE SWAP! Come to the library on Saturday, January 28 from 10am to 1pm, and bring the jigsaw puzzles of your past to trade for the jigsaw puzzles of your future! Mingle with other like-minded puzzle lovers and piece together which puzzle you want to take home with you. We really hope you can fit this into your busy schedule (we know you jig saw what we did there).

 

There’s a lot of talk in this country about a shortage of workers and companies struggling to fill jobs. We have a friend who was telling us all about it. He just started working at a plant that makes plastic Draculas. There is just him and one other worker on his busy shift, so he has to make every second count.

 

The lights are up and running at the rink! Now covered, with fresh, new boards, the rink can be lit up after dark to extend our enjoyment of the ice. Once we have some ice. It’s slow going with this weather, but there is a dedicated group of volunteers that are gearing up for the colder weather to make that ice a reality. 

 

The fire hall remains off limits due to dangerous structural issues that have come to light during the renovations. The township is investigating the options put forth by the engineering company, but until a solution is implemented, the access to bulk water from the fire hall is completely off-limits. Please utilize the water at the public works garage at 34 Carter Crescent. There are two hoses available: one between the two truck bays, and the other next to the main door. Please be mindful of the bay doors, and do not leave your vehicle unattended.

 

As we enter a new year, we like to reminisce over the fun and adventure we had over the past circle around the sun. One great way to do that is to visit the Team Fergmeijer archives at http://teamfergmeijer.blogspot.com  You can look back over the good, the bad, and the punny in the township all the way back to 2015!

 

January is traditionally the month when everyone kicks off new, healthier habits. Top tip for those getting back into exercising with their new year’s resolutions - after a workout, if you rub olive oil and Epsom salt on painful spots on your body, they will immediately feel greasier and saltier. Have a good week!