More Shopping in Hanover, Mount Forest and Durham, Digging in the Dirt

Friday, June 30^th, last day of this month. School is out for those who are governed by Education (and we’re not! Yay!) so no more school buses for a couple of months. I was up at 7 and Bill followed by 7:30. We had our tea and coffee and read blog posts.

I was stunned to open my email to 69, yes, 69!! Emails from Blogger with scam ads. Blech! I also had a helpful email from our fellow blogger, George from Our Awesome Travels on what to do to keep an eye on them and report them. Thanks George! I’ve changed a setting the moderation section temporarily.

McGowan Dam - Durham

I did a quick wash up and grabbed a mug of my banana smoothie and took the car into Hanover. It wasn’t a solid rain, just a few lingering spatters once in a while but it was really mild already at 20C. Okay, it was downright muggy already at 8:30 am.

And then the quiet side of the falls

One of the pair of pants Bill picked up yesterday, did I mention this? were the wrong length. I’m the shopper so I volunteered (with ulterior motives) to return them to Mark’s this morning. That was an easy swap out and then I began my own shopping. They have beautiful clothes in that store, good quality, a lot of Denver Hayes and Alfred Sung items.

The hostas don't have a chance with the long grass choking them

Within 30 minutes, I had found 3 pair of different style pants and a versatile little top for $29.50. My oh my! I love when you get great sale prices of $14.88, $9.88, $4.88, $3.00 and STILL get 20% off on top of that! It is almost like shopping at a second-hand store, except better because they are new! Good experience.

I was back in Durham and stopped at a garage sale when Bill texted that he was on his way to Mount Forest Home Hardware. He was looking for things that the Hanover and Durham stores did not have.

Nice deals from Mark's

At the sale, I found a Tupperware cream and sugar set that we were looking for last summer for the Suite. Something that would seal better than the ones we had. Especially for travelling. I had to put an elastic around the blue and white one after a spill all over the cupboard. These, for .50 will be much better. Oh, and I also picked up another garden stone.

New ones on the right - with a firm seal

While tidying up at home and sweeping the floors, my daughter called. It was another fun chit chat, catching up on her weekend and upcoming events. I think I often live the wild and crazy part of life through her adventures. Things that I encourage anyone to do when given the opportunity, with the exception of the head-banging dancing. She’ll love that comment!

Bill hangs our Canada Flag just in time

 Bill returned home and we talked about our purchases while he polished off the cinnamon roll I brought him the other day. It needed some nuking as it had been in the fridge since Monday! He enjoys the ones with frosting but they are too sweet for my tastes. If I can’t spoil my sweetie……….who then?

My veggie garden without weeds (for now)
Onions are planted  (again)

Bill went outside to work on a couple of projects he has on the go and I finished my second tea. I changed into working clothes mindful of the heat and joined him. Clemson had another marrow bone and thoroughly enjoyed it while the two of us worked away.

First, I hoed the vegetable garden and discovered about 5 of my green onion seeds from weeks ago have started growing. I don’t know if they’ll amount to anything but it doesn’t matter at this point. I dug a new row and planted my multiplier bulbs. They should be popping in 4 or 5 days according to Donna. Yes!

I started digging at the west end

Hours later

When I finished that I put on my knee pads for kneeling in the dirt and took the shovel up the hill. The hostas were doing better, either from the MiracleGro or the rain and warmth but the grass around them was growing faster. Grrr, maddening! My plan was to do the same thing up here that I did around my rhubarb.

I started digging and removing clumpy grass roots until I had a nice patch from the tiger lily across to the peony busy at the opposite end. On such a hot day, this was a chore. No worries, I had a hat on and rested occasionally and drank my water. It was tough digging but it felt so good to see the progress I made. This was going to help the plants grow as well as make it easier to cut around and keep the weeds down.

Looks much better

So, 3 hours later or was it 4, I finished. Bill made another trip into town so I asked for another bag of black mulch. He is such a smarty pants and brought me two, which is exactly what I needed. That will also help keep the grass and weeds at bay. I am so pleased when I can look back at what I have done with my own hands and today was another one of those days. I did good!

Covered in dirt from head to foot, literally, I rinsed off my arms, legs, hands and feet in the rain barrels before dare setting foot inside the Suite. Clothes were dropped at the door and I hopped in the shower. Not much heat needed for this one, a cool shower was heavenly! As the dregs of soil washed down the drain, I came out shiny from top to bottom.

While relaxing in the hammock before dinner
The sun played tag with the clouds and the wind chimes lulled

Bill wanted to pop over to The Acreage to fill our water bladder. We were down to 54 gallons so not desperate but we both wanted to have certain jobs out of the way. We chatted with Donna and Gerry while filling the tank and were on our way back home within half hour. It was Clemson’s supper time, after all.

For us, another quick, easy meal. We’ve agreed on toasted bacon and tomato sandwiches. No salad necessary. After a day of physical labour, I’m happy Bill doesn’t require anything elaborate for dinner. Bill started the bbq and crisped up the bacon while I got tomatoes, cheese, lettuce and mayo ready. At the appropriate time, I popped the toaster down. It was good and we are full.

Lovely day

We cleaned up dishes and although I’m pretty exhausted, I wanted to stretch my legs in a more normal way. I walked down to the end of the lane and back, just because it is a lovely evening. I would have to put more clothes on to sit outside with my book so I probably won’t do that. Instead, I’ll sit in my chair and see how long I can keep my eyes open tonight.

this was last night's sky after sunset

Gorgeous, second by second

 Tomorrow is Canada’s 150^th birthday, no surprise there. The weather is going to be ‘iffy’ but I hope where you are, you are able to enjoy some of the inside and outside festivities in your area.

And the moon slips behind a cloud

Thank you for reading today, I’m always happy to read your comments.

Warm, Rainy and Muggy. Almost the Way I Like ‘Em!

Thursday, June 29^th I woke up at 7:30 am and found my sweetie beside me. Yay! Funny how your mind plays games while you are in your sleeping state. When Bill is away, I wake up thinking he is here and it’s an ‘aha’ moment of ‘oh, no he’s not’. Then the times like this morning, waking thinking we are alone and a smile plays across my face as I realize ‘oh no we’re not’.

We were both up by 8 to find that the weather guessers hit it bang on again today. Only one beautiful day allowed per week, apparently. Oh well, the temperatures are mild and muggy even though it is rainy, or because it is rainy. There were a few periods of brightness throughout the day, sunshine would peek through and then some more light showers.

One of Donna's flowers, so pretty

Bill and I had our morning drinks and read posts. He had some toast and I grabbed a half a banana at 9:30 and we drove to Hanover to the Bread Depot. We left there and stopped in for a quick hello to Donna and Gerry’s. Our favourite real estate agent is on his 4^th day of no smoking but he was really quite pleasant! Ha ha, we totally support Gerry in this tough fight.

Obviously lunch time at McDonald's

After leaving there we went to McArthur’s Tire for some bulk DEF fluid, Rona for a few things Bill wanted, to Walmart’s Garden Centre for some multiplier onions and then to Canadian Tire for diesel. Bill had a coupon for .10 per litre off. Good time to have an almost empty tank.

I couldn't help but notice the stylish men getting gas today
Mr. Pink Shirt

Mr. Purple Shirt

While driving into the parking lot we noticed that Mark’s Work Warehouse had everything in store on sale for Canada Day. I very firmly suggested that Bill go in and check out their cargo pants. He’d already found a pair in London but only treated himself to one pair. I found my onions and met a happy guy back at the truck.

Check out the receipt below.

Who gets 3 pair of new good quality pants for $50?
Bill does
(Unfortunately, neither he or the clerk noticed the top pair were the wrong length)

Not only did he get $7 off similar cargo pants but he got a second pair free plus another pair for less than $20. It was THE day to go into that store and I fully take the credit for that. For a guy who doesn’t like to shop, he did very well.

this was a pretty Cougar, but I missed the front grill

 We made one more stop before heading home and that was to Cedarwell Excavating on Concession 2. Bill wanted to get the truck weighed with both of us in it. 

Turns out this place is across from Ground Effects Landscaping
where we'll be attending a wedding in August

Another thing Bill can write about when he does another post. I’m aware but not into all the rules and regulations regarding truck and trailer weights. That is his baby. Driving through Durham, we popped in to see Rob and Pat who were both under the weather with colds. I brought them some soup for supper so I hope they enjoy it and the magic ingredient heals.

We both noticed the humidity in the air and turned the a/c on in the truck. All of these little stops tends to wear a person down and this was no exception. We crashed for an hour and rose around 3:30. There were dishes in the sink so we cleaned those up and relaxed a bit before time to start supper.

Clemson gets his supper right on time

It is too wet to work outside although it isn’t a drenching wet. However, no garden work for me today. Who’s complaining? We turned our reruns of NCIS on at 4, a program you could say is OUR addiction.

Supper tonight is bbq’d pork rib chops. These are the better ones in my opinion, if I must choose. If they are not thick, take only a few minutes to grill and have the fat still around the edges. I’ll make up a salad to go along with them. All I hope now is that the rain holds off through the grilling period so I don’t have to cook inside.

Pretty tasty!

 The weather network on my phone this afternoon said that the sun would appear at 8 pm. I’m happy to say we beat that by a couple of hours. By the time Bill was ready to barbecue at 6, the sun was ruler of the sky. The temperature rose to a humid 23C. I wouldn’t want to be working in it today but I have no complaints.

the beautiful Ladie's Mantle after a rain

While dinner was being prepared, Pat texted me to tell me that the soup I dropped off was good and appreciated. I'm glad. We had our chops, which were very good. I’d added spice to mine while grilling and they were done to perfection. We cleaned dishes up for the second time today and then Clemson and I walked down the lane to see what Bill was up to. We collected the mail as well.

And a close-up view

It is so calm out there that he has decided to cut the front field. Mosquitoes are out early so he sprayed himself with Deep Woods Off first. He is taking advantage of a clear evening. With all the rain, the grass continues to grow at an amazing pace.

When you would think I’m at my most relaxed, with nothing to worry about, I have broken out more in the last two weeks with shingles than the whole winter. I don’t get it but I do know they are painful for a couple of days. Today, I’m a bit uncomfortable with 2 new batches on the back of my upper thigh so I’m glad there isn’t too much going on.

Tonight's sky before sunset

Not too many pictures today as most of the afternoon was inside either on the computer or working around the kitchen. Some days that is all I want to do. It is early in the evening but I’m going to call it a day and post this. I might have to take my book outside and catch some of that light breeze. The sunset photo below is from another evening but a very pretty one indeed.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your day, I think more are on the way!

Thank you for reading today. All comments are welcome and appreciated.

Summer Arrives! Bill Returns Early, Anniversary and Garden Work

On Wednesday, June 28^th is offering all good things with one sad memory. I’ll start with that memory now. It was 22 years ago today that we lost Daddy. He was still young at 70 but of failing health with emphysema. Although we think of him often and miss him always we know he is in a much better place with no discomfort now. The memories, dreams and spiritual moments with him are awesome!

My handsome, quirky Dad

Clemson and I are turning into nighthawks thanks to my late-night reading! We didn’t get to bed until 11:10 last night which meant sleeping in again until 7:30 today. Wow! The sun was crying for me to open the blinds and let it in. Still a cool morning at 12C but with no wind at all it felt wonderful out there. Clemson soon found his morning spot in the sun filled recliner.

It was the perfect morning for coffee in our King chairs and admiring the view

I had my chat with Bill and wished him a great morning. He is done working and will be on his way home after lunch. He had some things to take care of first. I had my tea, finished my post from yesterday and marveled at the blue sky. Finally!

I had to rush to grab Clemson and get seated within the 10 second timer..........and it shows!

Ahh, that is much better

It was around 9:30 that I was ready to go outside and get to work. I have a few things in mind so we’ll see what I complete today. First things first. I removed my two hummer feeders from their trees and cleaned them out. Ants get down in the bottom of the one so had to multiple rinses.

The next project was my makeshift bird feeder on the cedar rail. I’ve been thinking of how to do it and then I found a frisbee at a yard sale. That was Bill’s suggestion. So, I got Bill’s drill out and screwed it onto a flat square piece of wood that I could act as a base. This way, when we go south in the winter, I can just remove the whole thing since I won’t be here to feed them anyway.

Getting down right serious here

To protect it from some rain and wind, I nailed a flat piece of paneling on the top of the cedar rails. Now it has the look of a car shelter so not too appealing to birds. I had a flat old wicker basket ready for the burn pile so temporarily attached that to the top of the paneling.

Hey, it just might work!

At least it looks more natural out here in the country. I still don’t have any bird seed but my sister, Wendy, recommended shelled peanuts to attract the blue jays. I hope it works so I can start doing some more organized bird watching. I do have to pick up more feed next time I’m in town.

Clemson is finally warmed up

The next project is the flower garden which means weeding and mulching. I pulled my wagon with the 3 bags around to the garden’s edge and gathered my hoe, shovel and clippers. First things first, I snipped all of the bright spent yellow flowers off the Ladies Mantle. I don’t need them dropping and rooting when I already have plenty. My, what a lovely basket these clippings make!

A 50 cent birdhouse

I was pleased to see that I am finally getting ahead of the Gout Weed but as persistent as it is, I am stronger, more persistent and more determined to win! I think we have been given some wrong information regarding the name of this plant. I think we misinterpreted it when our forefathers really called it “Getout” weed.

I think our 'cup' runneth over = enough rain!

So, in sections I hoed, pulled and removed every little green and white monster plus other weeds and then opened and spread the Black Beauty mulch. It only took me 3 hours! 

Let's begin

At one point, I took a break and walked down the lane.

My work in the garden is done

Clemson was quite comfortable on his stool while I worked. I knew he’d had enough when I found him wandering and standing in front of the door. Rather than having him wander off, I put him inside and warmed up some of my stew for lunch. I was starving and it was very good.

A bouquet of Ladies Mantle clippings

Back at it after I ate, I finished my chore around 2. I took my camera down the lane to get the mail by myself this time. The mail lady had stopped. As I’m walking, I start pulling some of the tall weeds getting too close to the laneway. These become a nuisance if we let them grow, especially when we want to take the Suite out.

Even a bit for the other side of the fence

I walked through the front field, checked out the turtles on the tree branch while getting wet feet in the rain-soaked grass. Yeuch! I was just heading through the gate when I saw my little Ptooties drive past. Yay! Bill neglected to text me when he left Stratford, on purpose, so succeeded in surprising me. He turned in the lane and stopped so I could catch up.

The mailbox had no flag so I knew it would just be the flyers and grabbed them before hopping in with my sweetie. It is always nice to see him and when it is an earlier surprise than expected, all the better! This was the best day we’ve had in a while full of sunshine and I’m glad I had the opportunity to complete some things before he got home. Time to sit and relax.

In case you missed the turtles, here are a couple on the tree branches

He unloaded the car and came inside for a bite to eat before he and Clemmy went to lay down. No doubt he was tired, he can fill you in on his ventures today. I took my new James Patterson book outside and sat for a while on the patio and then gave in and moved to the hammock. It felt good to just lay and read. My man is home safe and sound. This book is called Kill Me If You Can. Yah, I’m kind of hooked on these mysteries.

I caught him as he was blowing out a big breath of air

Bill lit the Weber Q and barbecued our sausages while I made up a salad for each of us. We were eating shortly after 6:30 and they were good, as usual. After dinner, Bill made a call to his Dad since he missed stopping today on his way home. Dad sounds good and we had a nice chat.

A nice little seating area

The clouds have moved in and our sky is gray from east to west and north to south. You know what that means! More rain tomorrow and the next day and possibly Canada Day. Whoopee! One day soon we will get more than one beautiful day in a row.

We cleaned up dishes and settle in for the evening. Bill noticed the gray water tank was full so went out to pull the plug. We have a hose connected to it that allows the water to drain slowly over the edge. Maybe not the most appropriate but Gerry is the property owner and gave us permission.

I hope you’ve had yourself a great day. I know I did. 

Not sure what this weed is, but it is pretty

Thank you for reading today. If you feel like leaving a comment, please do so.

Sunny Start, Rainy Middle, Puzzle Time, Stew Day, Sunny Finish

(You can click on the Daisy pictures for a larger view)

It was 11 pm when Clemson and I dragged ourselves up to bed last night. Actually, I think he beat me up there by 10 minutes. I turned the tv off, was just watching Family Feud episodes with Steve Harvey until I felt ready to sleep. Bill had already called me around 10 to say goodnight. He had a long, busy day and finished his book before calling.

First things first, check my tickets
Two winners for a Free Play, yay!

That is sunshine out our back window

 It was cool last night and dropping down to 10C so Clemmy tucked his little butt right down under the covers in front of me. He so seldom does that with me that I was tickled. Surprisingly I fell asleep with him nestled there. Usually, I have a position I need to get into to drop off but not this time. At some point, early morning, he crawled out and jumped off the bed.

No way, was I about to let him out at 1 or 2 or whatever time it was so I ignored him. He must have been looking for his papa as he jumped back up after 10 minutes or so and snuggled against my back, on top of the covers this time. Good, we both slept until 7 this morning. When I decided to get up, I began my leg stretches and that is when the little sleepy head got up too.

 HOUSE  4 SALE    

Above pictures show my brother-in-laws listing of Rob's Aunt Mary's beautiful house

I know some enjoy the cooler temperatures but what is with this 10C anyway? It was down to 15C in the Suite so I popped the furnace on for an hour to take the chill off. Because the sun was shining at 7:30, I turned the inverter on and unplugged from power.

Brunch - egg, chicken hearts, tomato

I proceeded to read blogs and drank my creamed tea. Yum, so good. By 8:30 I was warm enough to hop in the shower. I dislike getting undressed when I’m cold. I spoke to Bill this morning before I headed into Durham once more. This time, I knew Aunt Mary would welcome a visit. I spent some time with her before I walked down to see Mom around 10:30.

Clemson and I love the afternoon sunshine

 We sat at the puzzle again and really made some progress today. I think she was hungry because she must have checked her watch 5 times in the last 30 minutes of my visit. At 10 to 12 we rode the elevator down to the dining room and left her with the normal multitude of kisses and admonishments to drive safely. I waved as I left and was happy that I didn’t have to run to the truck due to rainfall.

My geranium took a while to rebloom
I didn't think they were pale pink when they first bloomed, weird

I needed onions, both cooking and green onions for salad so stopped into the Foodland for a few things on my list. Back home, the sun was trying hard to come out. The clouds were floating on the horizon with the odd white ones blocking my view of the blue sky. It was 15C when I got back home where I started my soup/stew.

Turned out yummy!

It has turned into a lovely day and Clemson and I got out for a few short walks on the property.

When in Durham, I stopped at the post office and returned our 2 mail box keys. Payment was due if we wanted to keep the box and we’d long ago decided No Way! Another $65 for 3 months. Here, take your darned keys! She asked if we were moving and I said “no, we just don’t want to pay the high fees so got ourselves a country mailbox”.

Love the sky this afternoon

It is a quiet evening and Clemson and I settled together in the recliner with my book. I got so lazy that I didn’t even finish this post until this morning, as you’ve noticed. At 8 I turned the tv on to watch a 2-hour program and read during commercials. This book is a nail biter for sure!

Tomato and pepper plants are thriving

Corn field behind us is also doing well

Bill and I made contact around 10 to say goodnight but I still remained in the chair with my buddy until after 11. Reading the epilogue had me on the edge of my seat until the very last page! Soooo good. Our solar batteries are sitting at 12.5 as I turned lights off and went to bed so that is good.

Each of these daisies has a visitor

I hope you’ve enjoyed your day as well. I have a few things out of the way that I was concerned about so felt very relaxed this evening. 

A couple of shout outs for the comments regarding Blogger advertising before I leave. Thank you, it is good to know that I am not the only one who receives them. 

After 11 in one day, they stopped immediately just like Skay Kay mentioned. In the meantime, I had tried changing some settings so that may have bumped some commenters out but hopefully I have things back on track now. 

Clemson leaves his mark on the Mailbox stones

I wanted to share this 'twilight zone' moment with you
I was reading this LAST NIGHT, June 27th

I recommend this book

It really wasn't this dark but it is still a pretty moon

 Thank you for reading, a new day is on the horizon!