MUSKOKA LIFE — Got a question that needs an expert answer? Send it to us at editorial@muskokalifemagazine.com.

MUSKOKA LIFE — Two Performers by Col Mitchell; Manipulated paper, fluid acrylics and inks on canvas

MUSKOKA LIFE — If there’s one thing your skin cries out for in winter, it’s water. Most of us don’t drink enough to begin with, our bodies in a near-constant state of partial dehydration.

MUSKOKA LIFE — Holiday entertaining – any entertaining, in fact – can easily get overwhelming. Many a dinner party has featured a vanishing host, who spends so much time in the kitchen that he can’t visit with his guests. Dinners like that miss the point, says Mike Rickard.

MUSKOKA LIFE — The Great gray owl is the largest owl in Canada, and one of the biggest in the world. But its Latin name, Strix nebulosa, comes from nebulosus: misty or foggy.

MUSKOKA LIFE - Unfortunately, we don’t understand the glass of wine in our hand any better than we understand the nature of the universe. I can handle being in the dark about dark matter, but this kind of ignorance keeps me up at night. We don’t understand how grapes are supposed to taste. We don’t understand whether expensive wine tastes better than cheap wine. We don’t understand whether wine experts are experts at all.

MUSKOKA LIFE - Winter is the time to retreat to a warm and cosy indoor space to find freedom from the stresses of life. But jobs, families, and countless other responsibilities and commitments keep people busy far beyond the daylight hours, making it hard to find the time to decompress.

MUSKOKA LIFE - There’s an old collector’s maxim that says it doesn’t matter what an item is worth on the market, as long as it gives you pleasure. Collect what you like, and like what you collect. Nowhere is this more true than in the field of bottle collecting.

MUSKOKA LIFE — When scouts and guides are learning to make a fire, the goal is to build something they can light with one match. That’s all very well, but what about the no-match fire?

MUSKOKA LIFE — All summer the rumours have swirled: there are cougars in Muskoka. The stories persist, but proof remains elusive.