Some Paid and Some Unpaid Work

The Ridge

On Tuesday, Sept. 22nd it was not only a busy day but also the last full day (almost) of summer 2026. Wow! Where did it go? We've had some different weather for sure. 

Good morning!
This was last night's sunset sky.

Hot, wet, dry and cool but the good thing from our vantage point is that we didn't have any nasty storms up here to send us rushing off to the neighbours. Bill was up and on his way to work by 6:30. I got up to say goodbye and made my own way to Durham after sitting with Gibbs until 7. 

This morning was a different
story.
Frost on the 'pumpkin'?

The Mat was empty the whole time for which I was grateful. I had to test one machine and run another that was very dirty.  Then when I discovered one had been repaired but the sign not removed, I dropped in $4 to test it. There was a lot of soap powder in it and boy did I pay for that move! LOL

When I prepared to leave the
Ridge, this was picture worthy.

I had to wait for it to finish, 15 minutes after I was done cleaning and then it took another 15 minutes to clean up the mess. Oh brother! What a mess! I went back to the record book where I record my hours and added 30 minutes more for today. 

I knew I was in trouble so got the
bucket ready.

When I left, the floor was doubly clean as I made use of the extra soap in the mop bucket. 🤭 I came straight home and hung out with Gibbs inside. It's another cool day and I had to wait for the light frost on my windshield to clear before I left the Ridge. It's too soon! Goodbye, summer! 🥺

On the left, I had to get the bigger
mop pail out.
On the right, the drain in the maintenance
room was slow and took forever to
disolve the soap.

The sky was clear though and our 4C/39F was forecasted to change under the sunny skies by mid afternoon. And it did. Gibbs and I walked down to the garbage bin at the gate and dropped a couple of bags and old garden hose from the shed in. On the way back, Bill pulled in. Gibbs was quite excited.

He loves rolling in the grass.
All the places he's left his mark.

I'd eaten my lunch, a warm tortilla wrap with some leftover taco fixings. Yum, it was so messy but so good! I loved the sunshine but the wind was still quite chilly so put on my windbreaker and went out to fill my 3 garden bins. It doesn't take long once I start.

If I do it now, I will have more free time this and next week to make more greeting cards for the show. 🤷‍♀️Bill stayed out once he changed and started the chain saw. We have more of the apple trees that we want to chop down and relieve ourselves of a mess each summer.

Today's pond picture

Once he started cutting, and once I finished my job, I joined him in using the clippers to shorten the branches. We have Robin and Andrew's dump trailer here so were happy to make use of it again. We worked until 5 and the trailer was full. 

I should have taken a full picture before
he cut these 3 trees down.
The light coloured leaves at the top of the tree
on the left is that invasive ivy (?) vine so
I'm very glad the tree is going.

There is enough for another load once this is dumped. Robin needs me in the morning so maybe tomorrow afternoon I'll paint the cut off tree trunks to discourage any new growth and maybe get at another of the gardens. We'll see. 

One load, well tamped down.

For supper, I first thought burgers but at 4, when I came in to make a tea, I discovered none in the freezer. Woops! Bill finished them last week when he was 'baching' it. He suggested hot dogs instead and that worked for me. We have those!

Bill and I tasted the end
piece and with butter, it
is quite good.

This morning I made a peanut butter/chocolate swirl loaf. It looks great, baked in our new oven. 🥰 Supper was good. Bill had 2 hot dogs and I had 1 with the last of the macaroni. There was enough ice cream for Bill to finish the carton too. I can see a grocery day in my near future. 🤔

My boys have a snooze before supper.
💕💕

We cleaned up the dishes, loaded the dishwasher and Bill made his lunch. The wind has died down and the sky is still clear so it will be another cool night as we greet fall. Not as cool as last night though, a few degrees warmer, in fact. The week looks great with sunny skies and warming temps.

Good night!

This was a busy day, we made a huge dent in more clean up, and pack up. 

Thank you for stopping by.

An Easy Cooler Day at Home with Gibbs

The Ridge

On Monday, Sept. 21st, I almost feel guilty spending a 'relaxing' day........or even saying it. The rest of you always seem so busy at harvest/fall time. With this being our last day of summer, it seems the weather is taking a nose-dive. 🤷‍♀️ Bill was up, showered and on his way to work at 6:30. Gibbs and I lounged in bed until 7.

Good morning!
Bill said I missed a beautiful sunrise,
this was all that was left at 7 am.

I had my tea and went upstairs to re-examine the items I picked up yesterday. There is a 'woowoo' test that our sister taught us last week. Woowoo, as in, kind of out of this world, but it works if you have an open mind. She always has new things for us to experience and I'm game to at least try some of them.

Yesterday's haul.
The colour here does not do the
items justice.

As it turned out, after doing that, all but one of my items were definite 'yes' responses and that one was 'undecided'. I kept it anyway because I like it. 🤭 

Gibbs watched me when I opened
the package, the sound indicated a
possible treat. 

This was my package that came
yesterday. A few quilling shapes
to create - more easily.

I made my coffee and once the sun pushed partway through the blanket of white/gray clouds, I slipped on my wind breaker and Gibbs and I walked down to bring the recycle/garbage bins in off the roadside.

We walked down to bring the bins
in off the roadside.

It is a bit cool, only 10C/50F just before noon but although I am a bit timid of crawling around on the ground to cut back the flower gardens, I don't want to be a wimp! 

Lunch was good.

Cleaned up at the outhouse
and the Bunky.

I had an egg and bacon for lunch and Gibbs and I were very surprised when at 1 pm, Bill came home. Done another job in Listowel.

I left the big hosta (top left)
because the leaves are so big.
In the corral, I need to snip those hostas too.

He ate his lunch and while he snoozed with Gibbs I went out to start snipping. Around the Bunky, along the fence and in the big garden, I cut or pulled off the tops of the irises, corabelles and hostas. They are done blooming. I used the leaf rake to clean up the stragglers that I missed.

I guess Gibbs thought he needed
more exercises.
🥰

It was right around the time he was ready to snooze that Honeywell arrived to replace our hydro meter. Gibbs went out to greet the young man too, very curious about what was in his bag. Goof, thankfully the employee didn't mind him snooping. It took a mere 10 minutes and he was able to drive out.

Between Bill and I, we kept the
fire going  all afternoon.

Bill started working in the storage shed, deciding what is garbage and what should he keep. We both have a habit of collecting 'stuff', and every so often, we have to do this. Each fall, when things need to be packed away, is when we re-evaluate these needs. 

Our old meter was missing
a few numbers so this is good.

We worked away together until supper time. He started a fire in the pit and we were able to burn some of our wood stack. There was quite a breeze so I'm glad it is contained. Gibbs hung around, back and forth, keeping an eye on both of us. 🥰

We made a dent in the cleanup
here too. I'll get my 3 tubs out
this week to put away garden decor.
It's early but, the weather is good so
why not.

For supper, I air-fried sausages, mixed the last of our kale salad and cooked some mac & cheese. It was quick, easy and tasty. It filled us up. We did the dishes and sat for some tv together. Tonight, we'll be looking at 3.89C/39F so our Blue Flame heater will be on.

Supper was good.

This was a good day and if I'm feeling any pain tomorrow, I'll bet it has nothing to do with sciatica. I don't mind that kind of discomfort! 5,123 steps today is more than I've had since Sept. 11th. I hope you enjoyed your day too.

A memory photo from Sept. 25th, 2018.
This was Brian's birthday but I don't recall
why they came to see us. 🤷‍♀️
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by.