Sun, Glorious Sun, Walkabouts, Visit with Mom, Helping at the Acreage

It was 6 when we woke up on Sunday, Apr. 29^th. Hard to believe we are in the last couple of days of this month, especially when we step outside to the brittle cold we are experiencing. We are resting at -1C/29F this morning and the wind makes it feel even colder. The wind is not as strong as yesterday but cool on bare ears, let me tell you!

Good morning from the Ridge

We had our first hot drinks, read blog posts, bundled up and took our cameras for a walk to the corner. I wanted to go further but it was just too darn cold at 7am! 

From our road, we took pictures of our Home on the Ridge

The skiff of snow from overnight hung around for a while this morning

Later, I’ll go later. Bill had his zoom lens on so got some cool pictures of Fred and Ethel and wait, a minute, those two must be Desi and Lucy sleeping in the opposite pond! Funny how they sleep on the water with their necks stretched straight out in front of them like that.

They are so relaxed, with their necks stretched out on the water

The sun has given us a pretty performance and the blue sky welcomed it without a moment’s hesitation. 


Back inside I tried to focus on my book, evenings aren’t working for me, I get too tired and again last night I was in bed before 10. I guess Bill got up too early because soon enough with Clemson on his lap, he was in dreamland again. The book is getting good, so now that I’m 1/3 of the way in, I know I’ll finish it one day.

I'd found that the camera on my phone took blurry pictures when
I took selfies so tried a few things today in our home

At 10 I made bacon and eggs for breakfast and then after dishes, I cleaned up and drove into Durham to see Mom. 

At Rockwood, going to see Mom

She was laying down in her room, drapes drawn, light out and door closed but when I knocked and walked in, she sat up looking quite happy. We never know which ‘Mom’ (as Donna says) we will see when we arrive so I was lucky to get this one. We sat on the bed and had a nice visit for the next hour before I walked her down to lunch. It was a great visit today.

Mom couldn't get over how much we looked alike in this picture
when I showed her

Aaaahh, is what she's saying

With my funky tripod, I set up my phone camera on her walker to capture a couple of fun moments. They turned out pretty good! I left Rockwood and drove to Home Hardware to pick up one last solar light for the garden. We are very pleased with these lights. Something so simple. I had tried to explain them to Mom and she was quite tickled with the whole idea of lights without electricity.

This pictures shows where 3 of our 7 solar lights are located

When I drove into the area where I park, Bill was outside and pushed the new light into the garden for me. The wind out there was very cold so it didn’t take me long to go inside the Suite. Donna and Gerry had stopped in before I returned home on their way to the Acreage to clean out their old trailer. They have a date to trade it in for their new one on Mon. May 7^th but depending on how much rain we get this week, they may have to delay that exchange.

Cleaning out their Prairie Schooner for trade-in
They don't tow it anywhere, this is its permanent site

We bundled up and drove over to see what they were up to. Donna was inside emptying cupboards so while Bill and Gerry wandered the wooded lane trimming branches, I helped her pack boxes with glasses and clothes etc. I know the feeling of emptying one beloved trailer for another. There is a melancholy feeling but also the excitement of what’s around the corner.

Looking through the trees with family birdhouses to their Hilton cabin

Their outhouse has a 5 cent charge ha ha

Front view of the Hilton

We worked together until 3:30 and said our goodbyes for the day. The fresh air was wonderful and the Acreage is in a more sheltered spot than the Ridge so the wind was not so noticeable. Back at the Suite we sat inside and enjoyed the sun coming in from the windows while I caught up on my post and we watched Sister Act 2. We haven’t seen Whoopi Goldberg in action for a while and it is always a good choice.

Gerry, Donna, Pat, Bill
taking a break

Following Sister Act 2, one of our favourite movies came on. We Bought A Zoo with Matt Damon, Thomas Haden Church and Scarlett Johansson is a good way for us to spend a couple of hours. Matt Damon can do no wrong in my eyes and where, in the Bourne movies, he wins me over, in this one, he is so adorable he steals my heart. Bill knows all about it.

There were about 5 of these little garter snakes in the grass together

Thhis little guy lifted his head to look at us look at him

Tonight, I’d planned chicken breasts for supper and with the wind as cold as it was, we cooked inside. I browned one huge breast in the electric frypan, added a can of tomato soup with oregano and sprinkled with mozzarella cheese. They cooked for about 15 minutes and at the same time I used my rice cooker to make some rice and corn. Supper was a treat something different than I’ve made before and splitting it worked perfectly.

Supper was good

After we’d cleaned up the dishes, I noticed the wind had died a bit so bundled up in my layers with a scarf around my head and went for a walk down the lane and to the neighbour’s laneway. It felt good to get outside one more time before night falls. This has been a very good day. I hope that yours was a great one too.

The robins are wondering where spring is so I told them 'tomorrow'

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A Good Night’s Rest, Dullness Abroad, Shopping and Tickets

I woke up on Saturday, Apr. 28^th (that is wonderful in itself!) at 7:05. I was in bed last night at 10, I think, and slept really well. I woke with a couple of strange dreams but dropped right off again. Bill was up but there was a teeny little lump under the covers on his side of the bed. I did my leg stretches, which also helps to extend those back muscles I worked yesterday and slipped out of bed. Hard to make the bed with Clemmy still in it, so I just pulled the covers up for now. Bill had already made his coffee and was sitting at his laptop. “Mornin’, sweetie!”

The dull drive to Walkerton

After making my tea and dispensing my vitamins, I sat with him and read blog posts. I was interested in a regular commenter on a friend’s posts so checked his profile, leading me to his blog. Mister Ed had an interesting post from last fall that I copied and forwarded to a couple of our friends. It is related to MS sufferers and diet sodas. If you are suffering from the disease or similar afflictions you might want to check it out as well here. 

Around 8 Bill had some cereal and then his shower. I wasn’t hungry yet but since we were going to be out for most of the morning, had some yogourt before we left the house at 9. I had a quick ‘bath’ in the sink (so to speak) rather than the shower today so I was equally fresh and Bill allowed me to ride with him. 😊 We knew not to expect anything great in the way of weather today with possible rain or white showers. The fog across the pond and the roadway was incredibly thick first thing leaving a rather spooky feel surrounding the area.

The Walkerton bridge over the Saugeen River
is interesting with the fish adorning the rails

I’m so grateful, yet again, that we aren’t still working at a regular day to day job looking forward to the weekends. After having a pretty nice week and then having a Saturday like this would just tick me off! We drove through Durham and Hanover to Walkerton to stop at Brown’s Pharmacy. They are selling the tickets for the Scott Wood’s Fiddle event at St. Paul’s Church. We have put together a group of 6 that want to attend the show with us in June. There is no doubt it will be another great performance and everyone will love it.

From there we turned around and stopped in Hanover to pick up Bill’s Stihl weed eater, all set and ready to work! It just needed a good cleaning out and now Bill knows what to look for next time. We dropped in on Donna and Gerry for about an hour and a half to discuss barbecue recommendations for them, house sales for our niece and The Ridge. We left with much lighter hearts after learning that Gerry has no thoughts of selling the property as long as we wish to use it. It was a concern we’ve harbored all winter. This was great news to us.

The Saugeen was rushing today again

Back home, it was just after the noon hour so I warmed up my leftover omelette and Bill made himself a sandwich. I needed a tea so made that and sat with Clemson and my book. Bill was sending an email to a school friend of his so I sat quietly reading so I didn’t disturb him. It is nice when we connect with our friends from our past and we go back and forth with our current statuses.

When Bill joined us in our chairs, he turned the television on and that distracts me enough to close my book. I could go upstairs but I enjoy watching some of the Live PD episodes. I’m sure I dozed with Clemson and there is no doubt that Bill did. He kept waking himself up. It was a very lazy afternoon, the weather being a big deterrent to us getting outside to walk with our Fitbits. So, no exercise today.

The wind whips our Canada flag from the northeast
No wonder they only last a season or two

For supper, I put a couple of pork chops in a pan with Shake and Bake for baking in the oven. I made a pasta side dish and our choice of vegetables. Cauliflower for me and corn for Bill. The whole day was kind of low key, as was our meal. We cleaned up dishes and I got into my book some more, still not giving up on Cold Mountain, yet. Bill called his Dad for a chit chat before we settled down for the night. All is well in Stratford so that is great news.

Today's pond picture

I hope you’ve had a warmer day than we have. The good news is that this is the last of our cold days for a while. It hasn’t risen above 29F/-1C all afternoon and even though there have been very few white ‘showers’ the winds have hovered between 40-45km at times. Brrr. I was hoping to squeeze a walk in but that isn’t happening tonight, it is too cold.

And Clemson was happy to get his sweater on today
Oh, and yes still bundles up with Daddy's sweater

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Walkabout, Workabout, Wornout

 On Friday, Apr. 27^th, we woke up together around 6 am and yet remained snuggled under the covers for another 30 minutes. Even skinny little Clemson stayed tucked in with his Daddy. He needs to now to keep warm! Rising around 6:30, we had our first tea and coffee together while perusing blog posts and comments. Seems like our friends are enjoying the spring weather too.

Nice morning for a walk

Today is going to be a non-busy day and that is kind of nice. Well, no commitments, let me say that. We have lots to do around the property but those things are pleasant things as we are setting up life here on the Ridge for the season. With a couple of cold days coming for the weekend, we need to be judgmental of what we pull out. Until the threat of wet flurries has passed completely, I mean.

Yay, I had company for my walk

Bill and I slipped outside while Clemson was sound asleep on the chair and we walked out the lane, down to the corner of North Line and Baptist Church Road. Instead of turning onto the paved road, we crossed and stayed on gravel. Last summer/fall before we left I posted pictures of a foundation that was built for a new house. We wanted to see if it was completed and it looks like it is although maybe no one is living in it yet. The satellite dish is up though so they looked after priorities!

The new house is very modest

This gravel road west of our place is wet in spots
this is looking west

Heading back home, heading east

What a beautiful morning! It is 50F/10C and sunny skies. We could get some rain later tonight so will enjoy the outdoors as much as we can. Bill had some repairs on the back cap of the Suite, something he noticed after we parked. That was his first priority for today. You can read about it in his next posting here.

It was 9 o’clock when Bill said he was needing to eat something so rather than him grabbing a bowl of cereal or toast, I made us an omelette. I toasted his bun and prepared the sandwich before calling him in from the window. I fried a tortilla, placed my omelette on it with cheese and added black olives and tomatoes before placing the second tortilla on top. Yum, I love this breakfast. By the time it is all put together, I realize that I have enough for two meals so eat half and put the other one off for tomorrow.

Can't post without a morning pond picture

Bill washed the dishes and I dried and put them away. He likes washing best so that is the process that works for us. It takes mere minutes and then we both can move on to what we want to do sooner. Clemson has moved to the sunshine by the south window but is shivering a lot. He can’t be cold but who are we to know? He did lose a lot of fur yesterday so the change has maybe put him on edge. Poor little fellow, we’ll do what we can so not to put him in that position again.

Looking up at our spot from the corral point

On Tuesday after moving up the hill, we emptied some things out of the storage shed. One of the things Bill brought out was my bird bath which we usually kept over by the Restroom. No reason, really, but it was seldom used no matter where I placed it. I tended to be dumping it to clean it more often than from usage. Not wanting to get rid of it, I'll put my thinking cap on.

He is so cute and was so excited to have it all to himself

The feeder isn't actually on a slant
I was on a slant leaning on the inside window ledge
He is sitting down in the water now

 I decided to use it as a bird feeder instead. It is only plastic composite so I needed to put a large rock in it to hold it from tipping over. It won’t be perfect because for now the seed does not have any protection from the rain but I’ll work on that. After the rainy day we had on Wednesday, of course, it filled up pretty quickly and covered the bird seed. This morning I was thrilled to see the little chickadees and sparrows drinking and/or eating out of it anyway! 

Such a tiny little fellow

It was around 11 when Bill and I took some trimming tools, a rake and Rob’s chainsaw down to the area across from our corral. We both had gloves, which would be necessary as we were on a mission to pull all the junk out from the trees, brush and weeds. In the middle of summer, it is difficult to see what ‘junk’ we are talking about but in the spring and fall when we are here, it is very obvious.

The top picture is the before
The next two are after a couple of small trees and many spindly red vines were cut down, a truck cargo box comes out in two very large pieces (I helped pull these out Vroom vroom!)
the bottom left picture shows the bike with a tree growing through it (a book title?)
middle, shows the bike with the frame broke after we pulled with the truck
right picture, Black Beauty did her job and pulled the bike out

This stuff has been here since before Gerry bought the property and we’d like to clean it up. It is of no benefit to us except for what we can get for the scrap metal. The rest we will haul off to the dump. Gerry didn’t know the stuff was there but we do so we want to get rid of it. Besides, when it comes to pulling things out of places, Bill and Black Beauty are all in! I even got to have a hand at it, behind the wheel!

Top left, Bill uses the chainsaw - woops! the right one is a duplicate of Bill trying to situate the second half
of the cargo box
Middle left, still working at it with the chain
The right one is the stump left after we got the bike out
Bottom left, after we were done for the day
Bottom right, a pile of some of the metal

We worked hard and steady for over an hour before stopping to take a break for another coffee for Bill and I had water. We carried on a few minutes later, breaks over! and worked for another couple of hours. There was a kid’s bicycle that was just tossed in there but unfortunately tree trunks had grown up through it and around it making it almost impossible to get out. Well, not for Bill. A few trees lost their lives today but a few of those few were dead or dying anyway. Everything got stacked in piles, wood, garbage and metal before we called it a day. What a great day’s work!

We took a much needed break

It was 2:30 when I decided we needed a snack so cut up some cheddar cheese and had a few crackers and a drink. The boys moved inside for a snooze and I read outside for half hour. The sun was so warm when it was out but it turned cool instantly with the wind when it disappeared behind a cloud. My Fitbit vibrated so I closed my book and went for a walk to the end of the lane.

Clemson wouldn't budge from his sunny spot

Back inside at 3 o’clock, I didn’t want to disturb Bill so will wait until he wakes up. I’ve promised him a foot treatment and have been too exhausted after supper for the past two nights. Today is a good time before I sit in my recliner. We have one more meal’s worth of leftover lasagna and when I asked Bill if he wanted a change tonight, he opted to clean it up. He knows we have both worked hard today and doesn’t want either of us to have to prepare a meal.

We watched some tv and noticed that Fred and Ethel (our resident geese needed names) had returned. All day we didn’t hear them or see them until I went for my afternoon walk. I saw them across the road in the farmer’s puddle of water. Maybe he took her out to lunch or something. Sitting inside, we saw them fly over to return to our pond so I’m sure we’ll be hearing them later.

Bill hung our new flat today

I did Bill’s heels and pampered his feet with some softening lotion so he is a happy camper. Literally. At 5 o’clock the sky had darkened, the temperature dropped from 15C/59F when the sun was out to 7C/45F and the rain started. Bill made a slow dash to the sheds to close the doors and to plug us in to power again. We need the microwave again. Pretty soon we will be turning our Blue Flame heater on. The Suite is cooling down.

And once I moved inside, he found another cozy corner

I made up a salad after downloading the day’s pictures and began warming the lasagna at 6. This has been a wonderful day. It feels good to get out there and get dirty! There is a lot more cleanup in that area, lots of dead trees that have fallen over the years. We’ll get them pulled out as there are going to be a few good days yet before someone turns the temperature up and it is too hot to work.

When we uncovered Goose our Spruce tree, we also
uncovered our Red Maple that we got from George and Suzie last year
Hey, you two! Look at the new buds!

I hope your day was a good one too. Have a great evening! 

Fred and Ethel playing in the muck across the road

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Crazy Weather! Sunny Day, Clemson’s Spa Day, Birthday Wishes

We woke up around 6 on Thursday, Apr. 26^th and because there were big fluffy flakes falling last night and the ground was covered before I went to bed at 9:30, we were in no rush to jump out of bed. What crazy weather we are all being tested with this spring! At 6:30 we all got up. It dropped to freezing overnight and this morning the fog covered the surrounding area.

Spooky morning across the pond

Scruffy Clemson and I catching some sun

Bill made our tea and coffee and he sat to do some banking while I caught up with our blogger friends. By 8, the fog had lifted so I doubt there were any bus cancellations much to the disappointment of area children. Once the sun comes out, it shouldn’t take long for the spattering white ground cover to disappear. By 9:30, the snow was a distant memory again. I know we’re not through with this weather yet so we were happy to have the sun overhead all-day long.

We basically puttered around the Suite this morning, tidying things up. It was a relaxing morning as we had our second drink along with bacon and eggs. We took a few walks out the lane and soon enough it was time to get cleaned up for a trip into town. Clemson had an appointment to get his hair cut and my nerves were a bit on edge, wondering if it would work out this time. 



We took him in to Kate at Bath and Biscuit in Durham and explained the Yuma Pet Smart experience in December.

The corral is free of snow

Kate was quite willing to give it a try and was very confident that Clemson would get a new look today. She said to come back in an hour. Just that is unreal, with all Pet Smarts indicating that it could be 3 hours. Kate gives one on one care, dealing with her charge from beginning to end. We walked to the bank on the corner to w/d some cash and order new cheques.

Some new solar lights to be placed yet

Checking the Home Hardware flyer today, we decided to pick up a few of their specials. One of the items was out of stock so we got it on order and will pick it up later this week. From there we drove to Rob and Pats briefly to drop off a strap that Bill borrowed yesterday and one more stop at the accountants to drop Mom’s income tax information off. She doesn’t have to pay so there is no real rush on her file date.

The river runs across Rob and Pat's street
and it is flowing strong today

Rob's pretty rebuilt GMC pickup

1973 Custom 3500

In an hour, we returned to Bath and Biscuit and Clemmy was on the table, 95% trimmed. He was being the perfect little angel. The one we never see when trying to trim him. Our presence got him excited making it more difficult for her so we stepped outside for another 10 minutes while she finished his paws. Before we left we made his next appointment for June. We are definitely happy campers, all 3 of us. I’m sure Clemson feels odd, he probably lost 2 pounds!

Let's go, Clemson says

While waiting for Clemson, I stepped into the Movie rental store. I don’t even know the name of it but the owner inside was very friendly. We don’t rent movies, at least haven’t for years, but I am often looking for dvd’s to purchase. There are new season NCIS’s that we haven’t got and he can order them in for us. That saves us ordering them through our London store. I also placed an order for one of my favourite movies, Bridges of Madison County, a dvd that we don’t have.

Who is this skinny little guy in our backseat?

The star of our day today and we can see his eyes again

Back home, we did some more relaxing, reading and watched a bit of tv before heading outside. Today we’d purchased 6 new solar lights for the garden areas, they were such a good price, so we walked around placing them in different spots. Bill wanted to burn some flyers so started a fire in our pit and we sat in our King chairs for a while and took a couple more walks.

You can tell it is windy the way the flames are blowing

Bill was trying to be goofy but I like his smile anyway

My handsome boys

Supper was easy, leftover lasagna and a garden salad. At 6, Bill plugged us in so I could warm it up in the microwave. We had eaten and cleaned up by 6:45 so the rest of the evening was a quiet one. There is going to be a sunset tonight so I’ll try and include that picture before I post. This has been a great day, with a few more things accomplished around the Ridge.

Even Goose the Spruce gets a light
but I couldn't get it all the way into the hard ground yet

The Spring Peepers (our resident chirping frogs) started Tuesday night and Bill just rolls his eyes. They get so loud, you can hear them a mile away and if it weren’t for the sound of the tv, we’d hear them clearly inside the Suite. There is something said about how they predict rain in the spring and also the arrival of fall but I can’t get a definitive answer on Google. If you have “Alexis” ask her what it means. 😊

We think Ethel is making her nest here

But maybe she is still checking it out
Looks pretty wet to me

I don't think this is one of the peepers but a Kermit for sure

I think there is an extra swagger in his walk now

I hope you have had a fun day and enjoyed the sunshine. Today is Bill's sister's birthday so a big Happy Birthday to you Carol!

An older picture but a great one, don't you think?

Good night all from the Ridge

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