Ahhh...The Cottage Life!

I was deserted this weekend! I was supposed to get up to the cottage but the rest of my family had made alternate plans and as I can't get the boat in the water alone I decided to just stay home. Everyone has gone off somewhere so it was too quiet and boring! I decided to go hunting yesterday and it turned out to be a good days hunt! I got beaver, turtle, turkey vultures.. Oh, and my hunting is only with a camera! No bloodshed!

I have never been to the Luther Marshes, about an hour and 15 minutes from here. I wanted to go for a walk as well, some where near water as I was missing the cottage andI found this area on line. It is a huge area, 5915 hectares for the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area and another 1582-hectare for the Luther reservoir. Today, the Luther Marsh Wildlife Management Area is a core of wetland habitats, including bogs, fens, swamps and marshes, augmented by a patchwork of upland forests, plantations, grasslands, rented farm fields, and recently restored habitats, which together make this the largest "core area" of primarily natural habitat in the watershed.

When I first entered I saw a lake. I didn't expect a 1,400 hectares lake in this area. I thought it was all going to be marshy and boggy. Luther Lake is shallow though and very weedy and full of stumps. It is man made from the headwaters of the Grand River watershed by a damn. Make sure to enlarge these photos for a better look!














The path through the woods was so beautiful and vivid green, lined with many kinds of wildflowers.




As I was driving by this small pond I saw rings in the water.  I stopped, expecting I would see fish.






There were many marshes and little ponds and I saw lots of water fowl. I continued to drive around the wetlands and saw such beautiful farmland, with soil so rich! At one farm I saw an old barn and a couple of large birds sitting on a pile of old wood. Looking more closely  I saw they were Turkey Buzzards. I stopped my car and got out quietly hoping for a couple of pics. Surprisingly they didn't fly away.

 It was through desperation that the thought finally surfaced. I've had enough of the searching, the let downs and the attitude. Apparently you are a second class citizen now if you cannot find work. Of all the thousands of jobs that have opened since the recession, the field I was in was very narrow and there are few companies in the area.
So it is, that I will start a new business of my own. Sounds simple enough. Give myself employment. Well, simple it is not. There is so much to consider. What will be the nature of this business? Should I specialize or go general? What kind of name and logo will stand out in peoples minds? What type of marketing works and how do I get it out there? So, so much.

I had been speaking with a counselor at the local VPI which is a leading Canadian Employment, HR Management and Rehabilitation Firm. I mentioned to the counselor that I thought the best path was to start my own business, become self employed. She informed me of a new government program to assist those that want to start their own self employment or small business. She sent me to "Job Skills" through Employment Ontario to a seminar supplying information to prospects about the Self Employment Benefits Program.

Now my last dealing with the government, it took months to put together all the information they required and then, after 6 months waiting,  I received  a letter stating "they had changed the criteria and I no longer met the requirements of that criteria". I am very leery of any government programs!

This application, which goes through much faster, in just a few weeks, is also through Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The Job Skills counselor meets with the applicant and decides whether the business and the person applying has merit and is eligible. They will than recommend (or not) that person to the MTCU. The applicant has 1 week to fill in a very technical and exact application that is ten pages long. If you are accepted they will assist you to set up the business and get it started. 42 weeks of mentoring and assistance! 

That is where I stand now. This is a brutal application. Not like applying for a job by any means! There is, and rightly so, a wealth of information they require to decide if you are eligible for assistance. There are things in here I never really thought of. So I am researching. Good information for me to know, obviously. They do not want anyone who has already started a business. It is OK if you have picked a name and registered the business but that's all they will allow. I am antsy to get going. The wait will be torture for two reasons. I am not to start the business. I will not find out if I am accepted until mid June. My insurance runs out at the beginning of June! I am really excited and very nervous about the prospect. Wish me luck!

I have been working on the new business, getting resources together and finding a logo, deciding on marketing etc. At this time all I need is a good laugh! Here are a few pics I have found on the net over the last few months. They are good for laugh.