Waking with My Sweeties, Overcast, Clem’s Haircut, Visit with Buddies

It was 6:30 when we woke up, together and Clemson needed out. Then we crawled back in bed for another hour and a half! It wasn’t a late night but with no afternoon snoozes for either of us yesterday, we obviously needed the rest. I could not believe the change in temperature when Bill arrived home last night and it was even cooler this morning at 55F/12C. Brrr but we slept well with just the sheet and bedspread.

Clemson is ready for a haircut

What’s with the weather going from one extreme to almost the next extreme. It would just be nice if it dropped 10 degrees, not 30! Anyway, many of you will be happy with the change and it does allow for more outdoor activity, if only the rain stays away too. It was drizzling when we did get up so no walk for me this morning. We made our coffee and tea and sat reading blogs etc.

Daddy's whispering "look at Mom"

I have been checking our daily WiFi usage all month and we are obviously too busy to be on-line much. The last couple of days seems like we’re giving back what we didn’t use so we’re Googling whatever we want and opening email attachments. It is too bad you can’t bounce the unused mb onto the next month but it doesn’t work that way. We finished our drinks and Bill went out to check on the mower for me. He agrees that the blade needs to be tightened with wrenches so he’ll take care of it.

Clem was a little chilly after his haircut today
but only for a little while

Clemson had a haircut scheduled for 1:30 but when Bill read the appointment card, he missed a “1” and at 11:30 we showed up at Bath and Biscuit. Kate was surprised to see us (no doubt!) but had a free hour and gladly took Clem right then and there. We informed her of his past episode with Vestibular disease, explained it and left him in her capable hands. We drove around to visit Rob and Pat after fueling up the Rav4 at the Esso.

No room in the driveway
spots are taken up by 3 beautiful vehicles

We picked the little skinny guy up at 12:30 and I’ve decided we need to bring Kate along with us to Arizona so she can keep up with his cuts. She does such an excellent job and I’m sorry but I’ve said that before. Back home, we each made ourselves a coffee and I treated Bill to the taste test of the cheesecake cupcakes. Well, of course, I had to try one too.

OMG! I’m making these again and the only thing I would change, besides doubling up the ingredients to the original recipe, is to make the crust thinner. I wasn’t sure how they’d stay together and now I know. If you want to try them, have patience with pressing the ‘dough’ into the silicone muffin cups, and I can email you the recipe. the link I tried adding didn't work. Send me your email address. I baked them for 25 minutes in a convection oven and they were perfect! 

As we were sitting here, the clouds began shifting and blue sky was visible. I’m facing the back of the Suite and on the fence post this bird decided to land. 

This is wonderful but it gets better

I don’t know why it caught my eye but I do think I have a perception for things and this was one of those times that I’m glad I do. Upon researching it afterwards, we believe it is a Cooper’s Hawk. How cool! He was so pretty and turned a few times as he must have sensed we were watching through the window. I missed his flight but maybe another time, that was exciting!

What a beautiful hawk!
Look at his gorgeous tail.

I sense someone is watching me

I sat for a while at my laptop and zipped through the route we took last winter by perusing my blog. It is interesting to go back and see the pictures and read some of the comments. Some of you have been with me since I started posting and some joined me last summer and even more through the winter. That is also exciting to me. I had notes that I hadn’t completed, hand written notes from our travels and wanted to update them.

Are you looking at me?

Then it was time to move. Bill had tightened and sharpened the blade on my mower so it was free for me to finally cut the lawn. It was a good day for it, not getting above 67F. Bill was exhibiting a headache earlier and although he wanted to do some things down at the Hangar, I could tell he wasn’t feeling up to it. He went upstairs and laid down and Clemson joined him, jumping up on his own. I moved the cushions yesterday because they seemed to confuse him.

Finally the grass gets cut

I changed into shorts and a tank top and went out to cut. I don’t know how long it took me but I do know that the mower cut great. It was quite hot in the sun, with all of the walking back and forth. That perception that someone was watching me caused me to look up when I was starting down the hill. I looked up and saw Bill at the door with my camera, snapping photos. That made me smile because I’m always saying there are no pictures of me anywhere unless I put the camera in his hands or I’m taking selfies.

I made the motion for a bottle of water and he brought me out one before hopping on the rider to cut some grass of his own. It sure grows fast when the rain is so plentiful. When I finished, I plugged the battery in, put the mower away and sat to cool down. It felt good to have the chore that I’ve been wanting to accomplish for a few days, done. As I sat there, I was entertained and a little scared at the same time watching Bill cut the berm with the mower. The way he goes up and down the steep hill is a little dare-devilish and I don’t even want to know what he did in the corral.

The hill doesn't look steep at all in pictures
but it is
He drives up and backs down

I decided to light a fire and burn some of the cardboard that has been building up since our friends left in early August. It has been too hot since then and now I found it to be too wet. A few pieces caught so I added some kindling and larger pieces of wood. Clemson was still up on the bed from his nap with Bill, stretched out real comfortable-like. We know he loves it up there so hope he gets confident about going up there soon.

Started off burning papers from our blue bin

When Bill finished cutting, he poured himself a drink and came and sat with me. He suggested once it got going really well that I should burn Daddy’s sunflower box. It is probably over 50 years old and he painted it a couple of times and I did as well after I took possession of it in 2010. It is so rotten and falling apart that it no longer would hold wood anyway. So, I did. It created a nice fire and I know I was forgiven. 😊 Daddy always liked a good campfire.

There goes the Sunflower box

When the air started cooling down, Bill closed up the Hangar and his cargo trailer. It was after 6 and time to start supper. I hadn’t even given it a thought but Bill had already decided. He wanted toasted tomato, bacon and cheese sandwiches and that sounded good to me. I fried up the bacon and he toasted the bread. We added lettuce and mayo and sliced my little garden tomatoes. What a great easy supper after what turned out to be a busy day!

While we were watching the fire, Bill saw Templeton's brother (?)
running along the fence
He still hasn't returned to eat the peanut butter so maybe I was wrong that he was in our house

We cleaned up dishes and settled in to watch some tv. I actually had to close the one window beside me tonight and not to turn the a/c on. The air had cooled off to 64F which wasn’t much of a drop but it made a difference without the sun. 

We all had some butterscotch ripple ice cream
I had bananas with mine
Bill had sugar free Butterscotch sauce with his

Clemson likes his right off the cardboard
or by licking out our dishes

I slipped out to take a couple of pictures of the pretty clouds tonight and ran back in with goosebumps. The rest of the pictures were taken from my window, inside the Suite.

Such a beautiful performance in the sky tonight
and it was a free show
Good night from The Ridge

I hope you have enjoyed your day today as much as we have. Thanks for stopping in. Your comments are always welcome.

Was That a Storm? I Believe I Slept Through it! Much Needed Grocery Stockup

First time that I woke up on Wednesday, Aug. 29^th was at 3 am. I had opted to put my ear plugs in, which I don’t normally do when I’m alone, but with the rain and storm on the horizon, I didn’t want to lay there listening to it. Clemson dropped off quite quickly sprawled across Bill’s side of the bed and I soon drifted into my own dreamland state. I was trying not to think of the possible threats from the sky.

A break in the sky

So, when I woke at 3, I knew the heaviest of the storm was to be around 2:30 to 5 I took my ear plugs out to get a feel for what it was doing outside. It was quite calm so I went back to sleep without them. At 3:30 I was awake again and I noticed that Clemson had jumped off the bed. I went on a search, thinking he was at the door to go out but he was up in his bed on the couch. Hmm, that is very odd.

Our flag pole dropped and that ball on top is our proud Canadian flag

Not pretty but comical at the same time
I guess it did get windy last night

I didn’t disturb him and went back upstairs to my own bed. Then the heavy rain, or was it hail, started. My ear plugs went back in and the next thing I knew, it was 7. I didn’t move until 7:30 when I reached for my phone on Bill’s pillow and it chirped. In other words, ‘you have a text from your sweetie’. 😊 Bill was wondering if I survived the night, since I hadn’t texted him yet. He called, we chatted and then I got up to greet the day.

Clouds and blue sky over me on the drive to Hanover

Clemson never returned because he still isn’t sure about jumping up on the bed, even with the pillows I’ve placed there. Oh well. I came down and walked around the island to turn the Keurig on and open blinds and stepped in a wet spot on the carpet. Oh dear. The poor little guy DID have to go out and Mom didn’t help him. I cleaned and sprayed the area and then went outside for my walk.

It was 68F/20C but I wore my light hoody anyway. The sky was a repeat of the last morning or two....... or three. It was a nice walk down to the turbines and back and as yesterday, the hoodie came back wrapped around my waist. Obviously, I’m no judge of what to wear first thing in the morning. When I returned, I tried once more to cut the lawn. I went through the same motions as yesterday.

And on the way home

I placed the charged battery in, running shoes, hat and gloves on and I got the same sound as before. It obviously isn’t that the battery is dead. Something else is afoot here. The blade seems really loose and clanging but no matter what I tried, it wouldn’t tighten and wouldn’t stop the noise. I hate giving Bill new jobs to do but he’s going to have to look at it tomorrow.

The grass is so green from the rain, how can we complain?

So that is that, again! I came inside, made my tea and sat at my laptop to catch up on yesterday’s news. Bill will have a busy day today with 3 orientations so it will be a long day for him. To make matters worse, he has an 8 or 10 item list of things to get at Costco. With his boss, Nicole, on vacation this week, he says it is highly unlikely that he’ll be needed next week. That just means to take advantage of Costco when he’s there today. Unfortunately.

Back and forth, all day

I’ll worry about him driving home late, and hope he listens to his body when it is time to stop for a rest on the way. He says he will but he is a man and can be very stubborn. God love him. He lets me know when he is on his way so I can judge pretty well what time to expect him.

So many trees succumb to a vine around here
I'm continually fighting them on the trees on The Ridge
This one is in the neighbours driveway

Okay, so today was shopping day. I’ve been compiling my own list for groceries for shopping here at home. We have not done a ‘big’ spree for a while and I’m feeling the pinch when I try to plan meals. It is good to use up the meat that we have in the freezer before filling it up again so I was looking forward to more variety. It seems pork chops (crappy ones at that) and chicken are the choices we’ve had for a while. A trip to the West Grey Meat Market is in order for tomorrow too.

And my petunias in the seating area are healthy again

I finished my tea, cleaned up and drove to Hanover just after 10:30. Grant’s Independent is a hopping grocery store and it is very unfamiliar to me. I’m just getting used to Foodland in Durham and it is a much smaller store. So, I checked my list faithfully and filled the cart before getting in the checkout line. There was an opening behind one person who was paying so I lucked out. When I left there, I drove to the back side of town and picked up a loaf of bread at the Bread Depot.

And on my walk, the worms were stretched out trying
to get nowhere fast
They were wet and slimy and picked up all the stones
How's that for a natural camouflage?

By this time, I was quite uncomfortable having overdressed AGAIN! I was home unloading by 12:30 and it was then I realized that I forgot to pick up the 2 packs of cream cheese. Everything else got crossed off the list. I didn’t do too badly and there were a lot of flyer specials for things I needed. Yay! I like to have cream cheese on hand for when I want to make my favourite dessert. Anyway, I’ll pick it up next time I’m in Durham. I was feeling hungry so had a piece of rye toast with peanut butter. Ooh, so good.

A tree with 3 apples

It is a very muggy day again although the temperature for outdoors is only reading 73F/23C. I know that it feels closer to 80F/27C at least. I’ve left the a/c on and it is keeping the Suite very comfortable for my buddy and I. I had a recipe for Pina Colada Cheesecake Cupcakes so made up a batch. I had to cut things in half because of the ‘grocery list oops’ but it is a good plan to try a partial recipe anyway, in case they turn out like my last creation. These are keto cupcakes and involve Bill’s favourite fruit, pineapple. I think he’ll like them.

ready for the oven

Clemson and I took a walk down the lane at 3 this afternoon and picked up the local flyers. He sure is rambunctious when he wants to be, running in spurts up the lane. My heart swells each time he gets ahead of me and stops to see where I’m going before he moves again. I guess Bill is right. He’s Mama’s boy. That’s not a good example though, because he does the same thing with his Dad.  No sooner did we get back inside and the rain started again. Nothing heavy but it was spitting.

They look good with a kind of shortbread crust

I cleaned up the dishes from my baking and sat with Clemson until his suppertime. Then of course he has to go out, really quickly. The good thing though when it is raining, he wastes no time and he’s back ready to come in. Just after 5, I coated the 2 chicken thighs that had been thawed and in the fridge. It was a recipe specific to convection ovens so I felt quite confident it would turn out. It would take 60 minutes according to the recipe but I should have set it for 50 minutes since there weren’t bones in the thighs.

While I was searching for apples, this nest became visible

I boiled a cob of corn and had some tomatoes and black olives on the side. The thighs were small and I had no problem eating both of them. My goodness, what a piggy! They were pretty much perfect. It was a good supper and I even had room for dessert so cut up a banana with cream and filled that last empty hole. Bill texted at 6:30 that he was leaving London which was better than I thought. Now I knew when to expect him, allotting for time to stop for supper at A & W in Dorchester.

A good supper tonight

The CTV news showed me what to expect for weather and Julie talked about a cool down for tomorrow. I opened windows and was sure we wouldn’t be hearing the a/c kick in anymore tonight. This is a lot of writing for a pretty quiet day but I guess I was on a roll. 

I knew to look for a rainbow but it isn't a very bright one

With dishes cleaned up, I finished this post and sat with Clemson and my book. This one is called One Shot by Lee Child. It will be another slam dunk, I can tell. I'm sure I called the last book Evidence but it was The Enemy. Another silly thing with the Kobo. This series of books are all under one title, so once I'm finished, I can't go back easily.

Our flag is unraveling and the turbine is disappearing in the mist

Thanks for stopping in today. I hope you got some of the clear skies that I did. I’d love to hear from you.

Lovely Morning Walk, Dead Battery, Bill Heads Out, Beach Visit, Chance of Storms

Last night when we got home from Chatsworth, it was still 71F/22C and it felt humid in the Suite. We closed the windows and turned the a/c on knowing it wasn’t going to cool down overnight. I woke up at 6:30 on Tuesday, Aug. 28^th.and realized that worked well, as I slept like a log. I’d only had a margarita and a small glass of Chardonnay last night so I won’t credit the drink.

The sky started out like this

Bill was sleeping soundly with Clemson snugged up against him so I crept out of bed just before 7 and turned the Keurig on and slipped out for my walk. The warm air hit me instantly but there was a lovely breeze so I left my lightweight jacket on just in case it rained. The sky was overcast with threatening clouds again. Nope, not stopping this gal, I’m going! I haven’t been my ‘vain’ self lately and have neglected the selfies, so stopped for a couple along my walk.

An abandoned wheelbarrow on a neighbours front lawn

When I got back, my hoodie was off and I was quite humid. This was a slow-paced stroll and I was still feeling the heat. Bill was up and we made our drinks while sitting reading a bit on line. After finishing my tea, I got my running shoes on and my hat and gloves. Time to cut this lawn! I retrieved the battery from the bunky and put it in the mower. As I began pushing it, I could tell from the whir-whir sound it was making that the battery was dead. Crap!

Promising break in the clouds

It had been plugged in for the required 24 hours after I used it last but Bill wonders now if the power tripped at the panel during that time and it really didn’t get charged. There is no indicator, like on a camera battery, that changes colour when it is fully charged so you never know. Anyway, stuff like this really ticks me off (fortunately, not for too long). I was all geared up to do something and then couldn’t because of ‘mechanical’ failure, so to speak.

Selfie!

Anyway, I admitted defeat, plugged it in, and after grumbling a bit, I calmed down and decided that things happen for a reason. The grass isn’t terribly long, I just wanted to have the whole place cut within the same time period. Now it will be Thursday by the looks of tomorrow’s weather. Oh well, I wonder what else I can get into. Bill cleaned up, packed his lunches and his cooler and was out the lane by 9:15.

Someone's work day started early
It was 7 am when this dump truck passed me

I took the quiet time to read some more about Jack Reacher and all of a sudden, the Kobo stopped. It didn’t black out, just stopped. I couldn’t turn a page or anything. What the heck is going on? Well, it was time for a another cuppa anyway, so I got up and made myself a coffee. Funny how I enjoy a coffee now. When I cut out sugar, years ago, I just drank it with cream and it got to the point that it was habit. I wasn’t drinking it because I liked it. So, I stopped and just drank tea. The difference is that I’ve started with Bill taking it with Splenda sweetener and creamer and I am actually enjoying one a day.

When I sat down at my laptop, with Clemson sound asleep in my chair, I shut the Kobo down and waited a while. Starting it back up was all it needed. It must have frozen for some odd reason. Phew! When I finished my tea, I let ‘sleeping dogs lie’ and slipped outside and sat in my lounge chair and read until I finished Evidence. It was another page turner for sure.

It's a nice park area

While I was outside, I decided to drive into Durham and take advantage of this hot day. I haven’t been to the Dam yet this summer and I’m past due for a swim! I took my lounge chair and a pool noodle plus a bag with my towel, sunscreen, camera and my water. When I arrived, there were only a couple of vehicles in the parking lot at the top of the hill. So far, it looked pretty good. Because it is quite a jaunt down the hill to the beach, I thought I’d first walk over to a picnic table and see how many were swimming.

Just Black Beauty and one other vehicle when I arrived

Within an hour, it was pretty packed

No longer just the two of us

That changed the picture for me as well as my afternoon plan for a swim. There were 3 parents and about 10 children between the ages of 3 and 13. I love children, well, my own children and grandchildren specifically but when it comes to spending some quiet time at a beach with a book, listening to them trying to outdo and out-speak each other, isn’t my cup of tea.

A nice walk through the trees
No vehicles can get back here except township staff

Here in Canada, our school students start back the day after Labour Day. That is just around the corner and I wouldn’t begrudge them from getting the best out of their last 2 weeks of summer holidays. It’s another reason I enjoy so much being in a park in the southwest during the winter months. I can swim anytime with other adults. I sat at a picnic table up on the hill to the north of the beach and enjoyed the lovely breeze in the shade.

I love cedar lined 'forests' like this

I chatted on Messenger with a reader, Elva, about grilling potatoes on the Weber and then Donna about the step they were replacing at their house. Bill called as well and we chatted about our afternoon. He’s had another mixed-up day and made the drive to London unnecessarily today. I know he probably won’t mind but it does take him away from things he’d like to do around home. When things change at CanAm there isn’t always time to inform Bill and prevent him from making the trip. At least he has a full day with 3 customers tomorrow.

I took a walk back through the park just to see where it went as I noticed many people, young people in particular, walking from that way. I was carrying my heavy bag so didn’t go too far and wouldn’t in that heat anyway. I walked back to Black Beauty and there were a lot more vehicles by this time and a lot more ‘bathers’. By 3:30 I was driving back home and soon back in my recliner with Clemson.

there are many areas beyond the marked beach area where you can test the water
So, I walked in and discovered it cooler than I expected

Driving out of the Day Use area you have a nice view of the Dam and the new walking bridge

Clemson was looking for his food from 4:00 on but I managed to ignore him until 5 pm to feed him. At 6 I reheated my chicken thigh and cooked a cob of corn. The tomatoes and olives were a perfect side to my supper tonight. I picked 5 more ripe tomatoes tonight, an apple off the tree at the road and 1 green tomato from the ground. Supper was delicious and again it felt very healthy. The corn from Independent in Hanover (10 for $2) is so good!

Supper was good

Today's crop

Before Bill left this morning, he set the mouse trap again with peanut butter. We didn’t have any issue for the whole week we were in London but yesterday morning there was another turd in the linen drawer. I’m disappointed that Templeton has taught another family member how to get in but I’m wondering when I’ll hear the “SnAp”. I’m not keen on removing him if we catch him tonight but I’ll take care of it if I have to.

This dark blanket rose throughout the evening

After supper and dishes, ‘we’ watched NCIS and Bill and I chatted again. With the a/c on, it is quite pleasant inside the Suite. Bill informed me that there is a storm blowing through this area tonight and maybe that is what that low-lying blanket is to the west. I don’t like to think about that so in my head have to have a plan in case it gets really nasty. The chance of a storm doesn’t surprise me with the humidity we’ve had, I just don’t like being alone in an rv through one.

Clemson wanders looking for Bill, I think

Clemson and I went out for a short walk around 8 and came back in for the evening. I know he’ll have to go out once more so there is no point in getting too settled. This has been a nice quiet day and I hope you have had one too. 

The turbines have stopped because there is no wind at all right now
I stood for a long time trying to capture the flashing red light
and I caught it!
Have a good night!

Thank you for taking the time to check us out today. Your comments are welcome!