I can see Canada from my house. Actually it’s my wife’s cabin, but it sounds better that way. Canada is a little more than a mile away, across open water. About half as far is the international boundary. Crossing that boundary is no crime. Boats do it everyday, all day long. The two dueling coast guards only complain after someone has strayed too far across that boundary. Two shipping lanes straddle this boundary, up bound is in the US and down bound is in Canada. These lanes are plied all day and night by boats big and small, up to 1000’ long. You don’t want to be going the wrong way when one of those are about.

Yesterday, when we were on Cedar Point, we were even closer to Canada, maybe a hundred yards or so from the border. Once in the past the lake level was so low that except for the dredged shipping channels it seemed that you could almost walk to Canada, hopping from rock to rock. In the winter this would be even easier, once the lake froze over.

It used to be easy to travel to Canada. Any American with a credit card was always welcome there. In areas of the border with many islands on both sides, the border patrol had setup special pay phones at public docks, where one could self declare your entry. Then 9/11 occurred and everything began to change. First US customs turned nasty and then soon after Canadian customs began to reciprocate. Now with the Rona, Canada has all but closed its border with us. There is a loophole though that American caravans of RVs can exploit to gain entry to Canada, but still it is sad to see how far the mighty have fallen.

Speaking of the mighty fallen, Mister Red T Rodent Es-squirrel continues to outwit and torment us. He was about, but was laying relatively low. Making only enough noise to keep us on our toes. The rat trap snatched its fifth victim, but not Mr. Red. In frustration I went online to research my foe. Various reputable looking websites offered advice. One totally poo-poo the idea of ultrasonic rodent repellent devices. Another informed me that Red squirrels are the hardest to catch, because they stock their nest with a larder and so are less tempted by traps. Normally, squirrels vacate the attic when it gets warmer, but in more temperate climes could remain. Mostly they advised being subtle when trying to trap them, because once warned, they will become very wary of the trap. Well, too late for that now.

Good night Moon. Good night Zoom. Good night sense of impending doom. That’s all the news from Lake Woe-be-gone.