A relaxing, weekly dip into what matters most to cottagers

For the final episode of the season, we take a look at some of the greats, starting with treasured Canadian journalist and author Roy MacGregor. His work explores what is so special about cottaging in Canada and what makes it unique. Then we’ll listen to the sounds of the regal Great Blue Heron. And to close out the episode, an essay by Roy that’s received one of the greatest responses from CL readers.

Once you pack up the car and put the key in the ignition, your cottage experience is under way. We talk with Dr. Eric Miller from the University of Toronto Transportation Research Institute about how traffic works and the surprising ways drivers can cause problems on the road . Then we’ll listen to the sound of an animal you could mistake for a car coming down the road. And we ask: are you a bullet driver or a meanderer?

Nothing makes the cottage feel more special than when it’s full of family and friends. But the idea of entertaining everyone can seem overwhelming. Thankfully journalist, cookbook author, and cinnamon bun magician Amy Rosen is here with tips to take the pressure off when it comes to feeding a crowd. Nothing will wake everyone up in the morning like the sound of the woodpecker alarm clock. We’ll share what a yellow-bellied sapsucker is really up to when it’s pecking away first thing. And then we visit something all cottage-goers love: a well used deck of cards.

There is nothing more beautiful than the green canopy of trees that make up cottage country. But the health of our trees is just as important as the beauty and arborist Matt Logan is here to answer reader FAQs. Then we’ve got even more tree talk—you’ll learn how trees communicate through their roots, share nutrients, and can warn one another of infestation. We also discover how planting a tree grows more than just a forest.

A conversation about cottage succession can be awkward, but it shouldn’t be avoided. On this episode, we chat with estate planning lawyer Peter Lillico to get his expert advice on the three pillars of a successful cottage succession plan. Whether you’ve inherited your cottage or bought something new, chances are you can hear frogs chirping around your property. We’ll learn about the sounds of some of the most popular frogs in Canada. And then comes the eternal debate: is cottaging better in July or August?

Editor Michelle Kelly sits down with Elamin Abdelmahmoud to reflect on his 2019 Cottage Life article “Breaking the Colour Code” and to discuss race and how people of colour experience the culture of cottaging. Resident bird-lover Liann Bobechko is back to share why we should give a hoot about owls and their calls. And we take a look at how nature can help us come together to find our roots as a community, whether at the cottage or as a country.

Life Below Zero star Sue Aikens, who is famous for living off the grid, shares her thoughts about what it’s like to live in isolation, especially during COVID-19, and offers advice to the cast of Life Below Zero Canada, the Cottage Life channel’s newest hit show. If you spend time in the wilderness, you might meet an otter—a silent and stealthy creature, until it’s not. Find out what sounds the otter makes and what they mean. One sound every cottager is familiar with is the buzz buzz of a particular pesky insect. We share a classic essay about taming the mosquito.

Let’s make some noise about...being quiet. We interview longtime Cottage Life contributor Leslie Garrett about “Killing Us Softly,” from our June/July 2020 issue, about the importance of silence and its surprising effects on our wellbeing. Some noises, however, we love. Like the call of a loon. Deputy Editor Liann Bobechko decodes loon calls. And, in true cottage style, we revisit an essay about relaxing at the lake. 

Catch new episodes every Thursday, just in time for the weekend. Cottage Life, where every day is the weekend!