Chillin' with Patsy: A Bright Sunny Day, Time with Mom, Our Geese Return, Campfire!!

Up on the Ridge

On Saturday, June 8^th I woke at 6:30, thinking it was much later but I was having a great sleep and dreaming so was in no rush to get up. Not wanting to miss such a gorgeous day, I was up 15 minutes later. Bill was at his laptop finishing his coffee and I slipped on my safety vest and went for a walk. It was great with a fresh breeze blowing and sun greeting my every turn. Shadows, mine and natures, walked with me down Baptist Church Road today.

I never walk alone

Shadows mean sunshine

Turbine Lane, my turnaround point

When I returned, Bill was down at the Hangar to finish the second coating of mudding on the drywall screws.

He’s almost done that process. I came inside for my tea and eventually made us breakfast omelettes.

It looks better than it tasted, so I ate the omelette w/o the bread

Bill had his on a bun and so I whipped up 2 slices of keto bread and toasted half for mine. Nope, didn’t enjoy that at all. I’ll eat the other piece another day, probably as a grilled cheese. Almond flour has to be the trick, so I need to pick some up. Otherwise I’m missing something.

I love my deep purple irises

We cleaned up the dishes and then I made myself pretty for Mom. Time to go for a visit and see how she’s doing. Other things got in the way these last 2 days when I would normally have gone. Bill returned to the Hangar. The winds seem to have died down from earlier this morning, reporting in at 2 mph on the anometer. The gusts are stronger but quite refreshing up here on the hill. At 11 I drove into Durham and prayed for a nice visit.

I like this little corner but the grass doesn't grow well here

Mom was quite befuddled today, confused about where she was and all the stuff in her room. It was just stuff, why did she have it all? I know better than to take her at her word and remove things as in two days, she’ll think of ONE thing that she can’t find. It was a nice visit, otherwise, and when I took her down to her table, she said goodbye on a refreshing note and with a kiss for my ‘man’. 😊 As lovely as it is to spend time with her, I can’t deny the relief when I walk out. Another successful visit.

I helped Bill move the monster Telemaster out so he could work overhead

Then he cut up the leftover smaller pieces of drywall for disposal

I went to the I.D.A. Pharmacy in town before heading home. We were out of Benadryl pills (for bug bites) and I wanted to look for an over-the-counter muscle relaxant. Found some heat cream and tablets that should help. They both will also be good for Bill when his hands and arms ache from arthritis. The dampness of the past few weeks does a number on him and the steady working in the Hangar adds a big part as well. Aren’t we a pair?

My garden frog is puzzled over the toadstools popping up again

I took 2 pills when I got home for the pain and we both crashed for an hour. Well, all 3 of us actually. I’m surprised that we dropped off so quickly and didn’t move for that length of time. Usually, in the afternoon I only drop off for 20-minute naps. We both felt rejuvenated when we got up and my back was improved, noticeably. I still didn’t push it too much.

Not sure if you can see the upside down pots in the corner - they cover the sunflowers

With my watering can and using our hose from the fresh water tank, I took 2 trips up the hill to water my vegetable garden. That should be good until Monday when we are expecting rain. They all look healthy. I placed my supports around the tomato plants so now they can grow and grow. I was going to plant more radishes but figure I’ll wait until I start pulling these first ones. Shirley has me encouraged to eat more fried radishes and now I’ll be able to do that from my own garden!

Clemson was enjoying the outdoors with me today too

Chippy is in my bad books, the little beggar! He has managed to dig up 4 or 5 of my sunflower seeds that I planted. 2 of them had already started growing! I’ve had to resort to covering four remaining ones that have sprouted and will monitor them until they are big enough to withstand his little nose. I’m experiencing a new feeling – frustration at a chipmunk! I don’t know which ONE it is, so they are all getting the evil eye right now. Good thing they are so cute, I forgive easily.

And for critters who are so skittish when I walk by -
this little fellow or lady had no problem coming into OUR area

Not afraid of me at all

For two days now, we were missing our geese families. Bill noticed that they aren’t anywhere on the property. The babies aren’t old enough to fly yet, still having mostly fluff instead of wings, so we can’t figure where they would go. Maybe night animals have been making an appearance and frightening them into hiding places. This morning, we saw them start to show up again. It must have been just a vacation, walking distance away, and now it is over. 😊 We missed them.

Early afternoon, Bill's thermometer in the Hangar
Thermostat is outside in the shade

The progress in the Hangar is coming along very quickly, although not quickly enough for one of us. I had to tease him that I wish he could work faster to get it finished so I could start ‘feminizing’ the Bunky. There are things in there going down to his cave. With Gerry’s borrowed 6’ step ladder, the mudding is done and next is paint and trim. Getting there! He installed a solar light over the front peak so when he or someone approaches, the area will be well lit.

minimal but delicious supper

After watering, I sat, walked and sat some more. There isn’t much going on for me to do and I’m not ready to do too much bending anyway. It was an absolutely gorgeous day from beginning to end. We had grilled sausages for supper with vegetables and Donna invited us to join them for a campfire when we were finished. It was 7:30 when we all 3 headed over. Hard to know what to wear, we weren’t dressing so much for a cool night as one with possible bugs. We took our chairs so I had a decent one for my back.

Solar light installed

Bill wanted to lower the frame and his flourescent light
so top picture is full height, bottom picture, he has cut it down
Now the whole table will roll out his big doors when necessary

Donna had the big fire pit at the back of their property ablaze when we arrived. She had been stacking and tidying up the wood all afternoon, burning ‘crappy’ pieces (I think she called them) as she came across them.

Driving back to where their trailer and the big firepit is at the Acreage

Gerry kept a beautiful fire gong for the 2 hours we hung around. Clemson enjoys the Acreage and did some exploring before coming to roost on Momma’s lap in the heat. Mike was out for the weekend in his trailer so brought his chair and cooler back to join us.

Clemson is comfy, cozy on my lap

A happy gang, first shared campfire of the season

The bugs weren’t too bad but we did spray some Off on our hands to dab around our faces. Clemson indicated around 9:30 that it was time to take him home. We finished our drinks and said good night.

pink sky from the Acreage tonight
(Sailor's delight)

What a great day! It feels like the season is just starting instead of coming to a close. We were ready for bed and wasted no time putting things away and hitting the sack.