Quiet Weekends and Vacation

We all love weekends, those of us who are still in the 'work' field, that is. We also love vacations and only hope that the minute we walk out of our employer's door that the weather cooperates and time s - l - o - w - s         d
                 o
                       w
                             n.
It means different strokes to different folks, but to me it means no alarm clock, no morning rush, come and go as I please, do what I want when I want and late nights if I so choose. I don't have to go away to enjoy all that! Besides, with my husband working this week, I don't like to be too far removed. :)

I've just had a weekend, a quiet one with Clemson our dog. Bill spent a couple of days in Tillsonburg with some friends and our fiver, helping out with security at an air show. What did I do?

I did the normal things, sleeping in, laundry and cleaning. Then I decided to attack our weather-beaten deck.

 So above you see the large deck that we installed/replaced in 2008, but our finances were already extended so we didn't apply any water protection at the time. Below is the newer portion, raised 12' x 12' platform deck built in 2010. Looks good here but it doesn't hold that beautiful wood colour for long.

So, I set to work. I wanted to surprise Bill by doing this without his knowledge, although it was something we had discussed doing........sometime. I basically was more interested in perking it up for our next two years in the house rather than protecting the wood. Hey, but that's me! I concocted a mixture 'According to Google' of 1 gallon of water and 1 cup of vinegar and mopped, scrubbed and washed the smaller deck portion. I was at it by 8 am on the Saturday morning, then I went shopping for Thompson's Water Seal Wood Protector. This was something I felt didn't need a big discussion on what works, what doesn't, just get 'er done. I googled a bit for comments and ratings and was satisfied that this product would do the trick.

 The steps were done first, and I was pleased with the appearance from the Clear coat. I didn't want a stain, just natural wood showing.Then I moved on to the deck section under our gazebo.

I love how the water now pools on the deck boards instead of soaking in. It means I did my job right and so did Thompson's!


 I also have included pictures of the front deck that Bill mostly built himself, after a total construction/reno flub................a contractor gone bad but that's another story! This also was done in 2010 with no further treatment. It has faded, a lot.

 

Do you see a difference? I see a difference!

 
There's no stopping me now! Well, yes there is but I have the back deck to finish when the rain stops. I also took on a couple of small projects, my wood plant stand needed a face lift, the bbq needed a wash and the fire pit needs some rust proofing too.

Hey! It's only Tuesday!






Before  Somewhere in the middle 

Final picture in a later post, if I remember!

Today, I have to wait to have our summer air conditioner check, routine is all, and we pay for it. Then I'm off to the Four Points Sheraton to help the Avon ladies set up for their banquet tonight. Lunch provided and a small token of appreciation so I don't mind a day of light work. :) After all, I worked harder at home over the last 3 days!

Thanks for reading, I appreciate any comments you may have. Stay cool!

The Acreage - Always greeted with a Smile!

When Bill and I started back into camping, after 'been there done that' in other lives, with other partners, we started out simply to spend a weekend at my sister and her husband's property. Aptly known as The Acreage.

Donna and Gerry bought this property, all 10 acres of it, in 2004 as a summer retreat, near Durham, Ontario. They own a home in Hanover but wanted to be able to get away to the country on select weekends. A couple of cabins, a spring fed pond, 2 fire pits, a johnny on the spot, their 5th wheel trailer, a well, a horseshoe pit and lots of land for company meant they could open it up to family once in a while.
They started a tradition on the long weekend in August, Civic Holiday, in 2005.

This is Designer Drive, where we park our home.

 The family loves it and we drive for miles to set up camp in whatever living arrangements we can provide. For some of us, it is more than just a weekend away in August. Bill and I 'reserve' our spot "Designer Drive" for the May 2-4 weekend, a weekend in June, a weekend in July and most often Thanksgiving weekend. The rate is great and the serenity of the place and welcome from our hosts make the 3 hour drive totally worth it! The sunsets are beautiful too.

The pond provides everyone with their own self made entertainment. You can swim, float on pool noodles, take the inflatables out for a spin and as you see here, Bill chooses to sail his remote controlled sail boat when there is enough breeze to do so. 

The rustic cabin in the woods, named The Hilton, is a favourite spot for a friend of mine, who at least once a year says goodbye to her hectic life in the city and comes away with us for a weekend. Very quaint with all the comforts of home. The johnny is just behind the cabin, nice and convenient!

The invitation has just arrived, by email, to all family members and our invited friends to join them again this year. It's a special occasion, it's the 10th anniversary! Each year the turnout is different, our lives tend to get in the way of this campout and we can't always all be there at the same time but we make the best of it no matter how small the crowd.

Here's to Donna and Gerry and looking forward to another great season of camping!

Thanks for popping in, hope to hear from you sometime!

Changes and Challenges

     I don't spend a lot of cash on clothes, really, although some beg to differ because I'm always going to chosen second hand stores and wearing 'new to me' pieces. My closet is full, overflowing actually and I take up the space in the spare bedroom as well.

The fact is when you take into consideration how much I spend in a year for clothes.......if I were buying new, really new, it would be exorbitant! That's why I do it my way.

     My better half never complains about how often I shop or how much I spend as I seldom buy anything out of our household money. I save up my earnings from my part-time job selling Avon and use that. I don't have to, but it justifies to me the number of times I go. When I bring 'new' clothes in, I usually also weed/purge through my 'old' stuff and donate certain pieces to another drop box. I don't feel bad either with this turn around because I didn't pay more than $3 or $5 for it and got use out of it. 

     I understand that with the changes that are around the corner for us, retirement and full time rv'ing, I am going to have to face some real hard facts about CLOTHES. How much do I need? Since 'need' has never ever ever played a part in what I purchase to wear, this will be the biggest shock to my system in 2016 when we sell our home. Bill will probably be most impressed with my ability to downsize, in between the chuckles while I decide. 

     I won't donate everything, I'm too cheap, scratch that, too thrifty to do that. I expect 'something' for my cast-offs, even if it is a dollar here or two dollars there. I would pay it and have paid it at many garage sales. 

     So this will be my biggest challenge in the change. It will not be selling the house, although that will create a ping to my heart when we drive away for the last time. It will not be selling the furniture because we already know what we want to keep and what is just functional as opposed to sentimental. 

Now if Bill could create something like this in the Jayco.........hmmmm, what an idea!On the other hand, I've found some very cool vacuum bags of varying sizes that I will likely be putting to use and cramming in the back of our bedroom closet.

     Nope, clothes for me, that'll be my obstacle but obstacles are put there for us to overcome so bring it on! LOL getting too philosophical here, time to sign off. 

Thanks for stopping in today. Come back soon!

Gotta Start Somewhere!

Hi there! Here I am!  I've been mulling this over for awhile and with a little push and encouragement from my better half, yes, I think that is true, I took the plunge. I want to think that when you are happy in your life, you blog!

I invite you to visit me when you have the time and see what I've been up to and even make a comment to let me know you've stopped by! I hope to keep it fun, positive and interesting with what I am up to throughout the next two years of employment. After that, I hope you stick with me as I enter another exciting part of my life........Retirement!!

I love the warmth, hate the winter, can't get enough sunshine, reading or camping with my man and my pooch.

I love to shop, the apparel type of shopping but since I don't have a money tree in the back yard, I have to limit to what excess I do this. Second hand shops are my thing.  I'm not fussy who wore an item before me, and if I only spend $3 on it, I don't feel bad if I toss it back in a donation bag when I'm tired of it.

I currently sell Avon, the brochure type of store, and have been for 17 years. After I retire, that will come to an end for reasons I will disclose later.

Just a little bit about myself for now.   Thank you for peeking in today!