Good Rains Overnight, LadyFest Begins! Humidity Lingers

The Ridge - Priceville and Cedar Haven - Chatsworth

I think it might have been excitement for the week with my sisters that had me awake at 4:30, then 5:30 and finally at 6 on Tuesday, July 30^th. It is crazy to think that it is here already, meaning the end of the month too. I’ve been looking forward to this time as we have a lot of laughs but when I finish putting everything together to take, it looks like I’m going for a month!

A nice little walk this morning

When you consider the outfits for 3 days and evenings out for dinner, that is one thing. Then, when you consider a cooler with my drinks, my camera bag and tripod to get a group picture and I’m also taking my Bullet and laptop. Oh, plus, I’m taking the bag of clothes that I’ve already started for the fall exchange. I may as well let my sisters have a poke through while they are together. Probably nothing there they’ll want but you never know.

The tracks through the wheat field

I got out for my walk this morning, under a cloud-filled sky. The temperature was 67F/20C so very nice. We had our morning brew together and read a few blogs. Bill went to the Hangar to tidy up a few things and when he came back up, he brought Ptooties over to the patio. He is such a sweetheart. Little things mean a lot to us, don’t they? I finished my tea and then hopped in the shower. Donna texted me that she would be leaving her place at 9 so I put the push on.

It was a bit misty out there

That was the time we’d planned on but all of a sudden it felt like I had a lot to do to get ready. I made Bill bacon and eggs because I doubt he’ll do that when I’m gone, and finished packing up. Gerry drove up and Donna loaded her bags into the bag of the SUV and we were off. I took the back route to catch Hwy #6 and we were the first to arrive. We knew where we were sleeping so carried out ‘stuff’ into the downstairs bedroom through the back patio door.

And a visiting family crossed our laneway on my return

And a couple of downy woodpeckers prefer the tree
rather than the suet

I was indoors with just my phone camera so not as nice
a capture as I wanted on short notice

Donna and I encountered a downed tree on our way
Good thing we could get by or we'd be out playing lumberjack

Doesn't Ptooties look happy under the gazebo?

Cathy and Audrey arrived next and the hugging began. This is something we all so look forward to. Gayle, being the host, we agreed a few years ago that she purchase the breakfast/lunch food and at the end of our time together, we will all pitch in towards the cost. 

Our spread and our hostess in the background
giving us the rules of the house (haha)
The recycle is here, the compost is here etc.

My plate

 This works well and she is very good at entertaining and knows what we all like. I would be terrible at this part! We had quite a spread of food, unusual things and low carb, keto, high fat keto things.

We ate, we chatted, we laughed, we ate, we drank and then after dishes we got cleaned up and hopped into Cathy’s GMC SUV. For 5 of us, it was the most comfortable ride. She drove us first to Value Village in Owen Sound where we spread out and easily killed a couple of hours. I did really well and was very particular with what I purchased. 

This is the challenging puzzle

 Next was just down the street and across the street to the Mission Store where prices are crazy cheap. I did well there too with only a 3-item purchase. Cathy isn’t keen on driving downtown Owen Sound so Gayle took over and weaved her way to the new Salvation Army location on the west side.

Our 3 vehicles, Cathy is the red one

This store wasn’t as appealing to me but I did find a very comfortable pair of leather loafers and some paints for my rock painting. A lot of mine are drying up so I can replace them. We contacted our youngest sister, Wendy, who had to work today, as it was 5 o’clock and we were getting ready for supper. A few ideas were tossed around and we settled on a homey restaurant where we’ve eaten a couple of years ago. We drove to Rockford and couldn’t have made a better choice.

I had a lovely Raspberry Ice

Yummy!

Lisa was our waitress and had us seated and laughing within minutes of our arrival. She was wonderful. We ordered drinks and then meals. Most of the group ordered liver and I debated but ended up going a different route and had the chicken quesadilla with sweet potato fries. Oh my, great choice! The liver looked good too but I was quite pleased with my meal and even brought some home for tomorrow.

And we enjoyed our first meal together

Back home, we did our usual ‘modelling of our purchases’, taking turns with a little flair. They went through the exchange clothes and I was happy that a few things were claimed. Yay! We had an on-going game of Scrabble and Audrey brought a challenging puzzle for us to try. The rest of the evening was relaxing and chatting and around 9:30 I touched base with Bill to say goodnight. We finished the game and the puzzle before calling it a night. It was 11:20!!

A wonderful day! Thank you for popping in. Stay tuned to see what tomorrow brings.

Buddy Cleaning, Bill Spots a Bulge, Family Departs, Final Pack-Check.

The Ridge

On Monday, July 29^th, we woke up to another hot day. No doubt about that when at 6 am it was already reaching 65F/15C. We both got up and drove into the Laundromat. This was Bill’s ‘training’ day so we did a Buddy Clean. He will be looking after the Mat on Wednesday and Friday for me while I’m off 'hi-faluting' with the girls. 😊

I don't think I showed you there little set up in yesterday's blog

He knew the basics but just wanted to go over the things that I did while he would do the floors. It didn’t take us long, 40 minutes maybe but it was an hour’s work. I found a dime and gave that to him as a tip. Don’t worry, when he works my shift, he’ll earn that money. So, we were back by 7:30 after filling Ptooties up with fuel. Now I’ll be set for my week. There will be 4 of us driving with our vehicles, coming from different directions so we share the ‘touring’. Because there are 6 of us, everywhere we go, we need 2 cars.

This morning's sky as we left for town

Patrick came to the door around 8:30 to get Molly some water in her dish and then he returned a bit later with Nate’s cereal, milk and juice so they had their breakfast in the Suite. The morning was slow and easy and Bill did a few things down in the Hangar. If it hadn’t been so windy, and the wind picked up as the hours passed, he could have taken the Timber out for another flight. He would have let Nate fly it but the wind just wasn’t conducive. Another time.

These were from last night
Patrick and Nate playing with their little plane

It was a dud so we laughed a lot

So Bill showed them how to do it

I knew Bill was getting hungry so around 10 I made him his eggs and bacon. I’m glad he has accepted that if I’m not hungry, I’d rather not eat. We cleaned up those dishes and Patrick and Chaela started the pack up. They are heading to Collingwood to a campground for 3 nights and plan to tour the Blue Mountain area. They will have a good time, all of them and possiblyget into Georgian Bay for some swimming.

Bill had fun and Nate was in awe

I made myself a B.P. coffee and went outside on the patio and watched, staying out of the way. I was impressed with how Chaela was helping and learning how to pack the trailer. Nate was back and forth, probably saying goodbye 3- or 4-times way before it was time to leave. Bill helped Patrick check the tire pressure when one looked low and it was a good thing because he/they noticed a bulge and some cracking on the tread. The tires are so small compared to our big ones but just as important!

A nice shot of our pond

They changed the tire and topped up the spare that came with the trailer. When all was set, they were very appreciative for Bill’s help and eagle eye. We said our goodbyes and I got a family picture before they left. They have an old unit so things are going to go wrong and need to be replaced. Bill gave Patrick a few tips on things to do and when to do them. This can be a fun adventure if things are looked after on a regular basis. If we were closer, I know Bill would help him out but right now, it is just advice.

It was 12:05 when they pulled out of the laneway and turned right, following their gps. I think the dark clouds that we were watching were ahead of them so they should arrive at their destination by 1:30 and get set up before any rainfall. They have confirmed that their site in the park has plenty of shade so they shouldn’t have any problem keeping cool. I’m excited for them, Patrick especially, because this is something he loves.

It was hot to be working in the heat
but it had to be done
Molly watches, just a little afraid of what was happening

We enjoyed seeing them all and I value every moment alone with my son to the nth! I don’t see him often enough. No matter who visits, there is a sense of peace when they leave. Not that we want to see them go, that is inevitable, but when it happens, we enjoy it for what it is. Aloneness. Our lifestyle is very complacent and when families visit with children, we realize how complacent we really are. We love them dearly but the void after is still a pleasant one. 😊

Nate looks after Molly while waiting

Now it was time for me to eat and I’d found a package of chicken hearts in the freezer yesterday. Hmm, good! I fried them up in butter and fully enjoyed the treat. I need to get more of those! They are hard to find packaged by themselves, usually gizzards are in the same pack and they don’t appeal to me as much. I did buy a package of calf liver yesterday at Foodland so divided that up for two meals for me, me, me.

checking the tire pressure

Thinking of the next 3 days, I changed my big bulky purse for a smaller cross-body one, easier to carry. I was sitting writing my blog and playing online Scrabble when a knock on the door surprised me. Why was Bill knocking? It was UPS with my little Avon package. He could very easily have left it in the mailbox but kindly drove up to hand deliver it. He’s a nice guy. Then I went upstairs to go over the items I’m taking to Gayle’s tomorrow.

And another little family says goodbye

That didn’t take too long but it was a good thing because of the heat upstairs. We have the a/c on down here with the door closed to the bedroom so I was quite warm by the time I finished. With a quiet afternoon ahead of us, we dozed some, read some and then watched some tv. It was much more comfortable inside than out. I walked to the end of the lane around 4 to check the mail and touched base with Patrick. They had arrived at their destination so I could relax.

The wind picked up and the sky darkened around 5:30. Donna kept me informed about the weather as we seem to get what they get, 15 minutes later. True enough, the sky opened up around 5:45 and we got a heavy rain for about 10 minutes. As the storm (high winds, thunder and rain) moved to the east, the rain remained so we had some much waited for showers into the evening until about 8 pm.

My Avon arrives

We had planned burgers and salad tonight but I changed that to Tilapia loins instead. Something I could cook inside for an easy and tasty meal. I steamed broccoli for me, cooked mixed vegetables for Bill and we were eating by 6:30. The fish was really good and a great choice for this rainy night. There was one dish each of custard left in the fridge so that topped supper off perfectly. We cleaned up dishes after watching the rest of the news and I watched our regular Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy programs. Bill went upstairs to watch a Mash episode instead. 

Here comes the rain

But thankfully, it was only wind and rain for the most part
and the wind soon let up

We were doing dishes and Bill said “this is the last night to do this together for a little while”. Aaah. We have discussed his meals for the next 3 nights and I think he might feel my absence in the evenings more this year than previous ones. for obvious reasons. He’ll keep himself busy down in the Hangar and by spending time over at the Acreage with John and Gerry. Not only the gals get together and for that I'm happy.

We had a nice supper

with custard for dessert
Gosh, I love this stuff!

This has been a good day, some time with family, some time alone and a good rainfall. I hope you also got some rain (if you need it) and had a wonderful day!

No sunset tonight so I'm sharing last night's with you

Good night y'all!

Thank you for YOUR visit! Thanks also for any comments you leave me.

Not Much Rain, Clothes on the Line, Car Detailing, My Son Visits

On The Ridge

On Sunday, July 28^th we woke up around 6 after a wonderful sleep. I know I had to close my window at one point, stopping the beautiful breeze, as my face was getting a light shower. Then later, I woke again and heard the rain on the roof but it didn’t last long so I opened my window again. We got up around 7, nice and leisurely, and Bill made his coffee.

You can see the rocks that came up from that area
He is covering the trench here

I had sorted our dirty clothes last night and Bill loaded them in Ptooties for me. I took a water and my purse and was headed into Durham by 7:30. The laundromat looked so clean with the exception of one washer that had had clothes in it when I was there yesterday. It is a machine marked “Use for work soiled clothing”. Someone did and there was loose dirt in the bottom so I wiped that out while waiting for our 2 loads to wash.

Bill was happy that our hand pump is working well
and I watered the garden on the hill and all of my
plants
Filling the watering can was easier this time because I could secure
it better beside the plant

Because pride is a good thing, I swept the floor in the spots that had debris from detergent or the open doors. When I left there, I drove to Foodland to pick up a few more groceries. I love that even on Sunday they are open at 7 am. When I returned home, Bill was digging the last 15’ of his trench. The section up here by the Bunky was all that was left and it was a bit shady in that area. He started soon after I left and had a couple or three feet left.

I pulled up close to the Suite where I could hook up the vacuum
under the garage

He took a break when I returned and I had my tea with him. Back to work! I hung my clothes and Bill finished the trench work. Not an easy task so he took his time. Donna inspired me to clean Ptooties after hearing how she washed their vehicles yesterday at the Acreage. So, I got the polish out and cleaned and vacuumed her out. Amazing how a good wipe down makes her smile. We came inside around 11 for showers and I made us each an omelette for breakfast. Lunch, I guess since it was closer to 12 when we were eating.

She's all clean, see the smile

Last job for me was to get the California Duster out (don’t read this, Jim!) and just give the outside a wipe. We don’t have the liberty of water like many do so have to do what we can. After finishing the SUV, I went over the truck as well. I’m happy to say that both Ptooties and Black Beauty look 80% better. The dust from the gravel roads between here and The Acreage is unavoidable. We do what we can! :)

Patrick and Chaela arrive

It was around 1 o’clock when our company arrived. Patrick, Chaela, Nathan and Molly piled out of their Honda and received greetings. Once Patrick parked, he proceeded to get their tent trailer set up. I’m a firm believer in both ‘campers’ helping in this process so I felt that I was a distraction when Chaela started visiting right away. Patrick has come to this ‘camping’ thing naturally as it is born and bred into his blood. 😊 I can tell he loves it and I was hoping Nate would get into it more but he preferred to wander into our Suite rather than getting his hands in on the set up.

Setting it up

It is a hot day so I had moved chairs and our patio table over to the shade of our biggest cherry tree. We’ve had a few Happy Hours there recently. Chaela played a couple of games of Jenga with Nate and I brought our clothes in off the line, folded them and Bill and I took turns putting them away. Around 3:30, I could sense Nate getting bored. He is 9 and has just spent time with 3 or 4 other children so I’m sure there is a void here. There just isn't much to do here for a child on their own. 

We sat around and chatted until eventually Bill moved inside for a snooze. Patrick and Nate went into town for a few things and it was then that we went our separate ways. Chaela took Molly, their Golden Doodle inside their trailer for a nap and I moved inside the Suite. Bill went down to the Hangar to work on a plane after he woke up. I began prepping supper.

A tense game

I washed the last of our potatoes. We don’t eat them much at all and they are getting soft. I buttered them and wrapped them in foil and spiced 6 chicken thighs and got Madame IP out. Lastly, I filled a stock pot with water for the corn. The kids were cooking out there in their tent trailer. Patrick has purchased a small portable a/c and it was running but with the heat of the sun and no shade on them, I invited them inside the Suite.

Nate helps Grandpa dry the big pots

Molly is the type of dog that just settles down and being she doesn’t shed, we don’t mind having her inside. She lays down on command and is very content. We chatted while I made supper and Bill lit the Weber and put the potatoes on. We were seated at the table by 6 and supper was really good. With a lot going on, I didn’t get a picture. After loading the dishwasher, we moved outside as the air had cooled considerably.

And a nice picture of Nathan and I

Patrick and Nate had picked up a small plane kit at Foodland so they went out to fly it but first a tour of the Hangar. Bill was encouraged by Nate’s excitement to get his electric Timber plane out and flew it until the battery died. That was fun. Nate calls him the architect. He’s great with the big words and it makes me chuckle. When the bugs got too annoying, we sat at the patio table for a while before the chill air sent us inside around 10. It was a good day. We turned the a/c off and opened windows for the night.

And Molly poses for me

Thank you for stopping in!

Laundromat Gets Cleaned, Mom Gets a Visit, The Ridge Gets a Few Light Showers, Game Night

The Ridge

On Saturday, July 27^th we were both up around 6 and I got washed and ready to head into town early again. I left Bill making his coffee and arrived at the laundromat to find both doors propped open and someone inside with the dryer running. Good grief! I don't mind so much but overnight, flies and skitters get inside and I battle with them while cleaning. No one else arrived so I closed the doors until the inevitable automatic unlocking at 7.

Pop Goes the Sun

I think Jamie had been in since the garbage and recycling bags were removed and things looked fairly clean. I did a quick lint removal from the dryers, a wipe down of the washers, cleaned the bathroom, dust mopped and wet mopped. It seemed that I was making good time but it was still an hour. I guess that is my minimum for the job. Just before finishing with wet mopping, I texted Jamie to let him know I was in town and he would owe me for 9 hours.

Sparkling

After leaving there, I went to Foodland to pick up a couple of packs of cream cheese, on sale, and a bottle of Ketchup that I forgot yesterday. I hadn’t heard back from the boss so scooted home for my cuppa tea. Bill was in the Hangar and each time I walk in, there are new things finished. I love the propeller over the big doors. A nice touch. The sky was clouding over by this time which wasn’t surprising as we were forecast to get some.

Clouds moving in by 8 am

I read blogs from yesterday and since Jamie had responded, made arrangements to meet in town when I go in to visit Mom. Saves him a drive out here, which I know he doesn’t mind doing. Bill came up around 9 and I made him bacon and eggs for his breakfast. Too soon for me so instead I started today’s post. It was around 10:15 that I refried my quesadilla for my own breakfast and had a B.P. coffee with it.

Mom couldn't get over her 'old wrinkly hands' today
I told her that mine weren't much different for 30 years difference

I left for Durham at 10 to 11 and met Jamie at Rockwood before going inside. It was nice to see him and it just felt right that we gave each other a hug. Don’t tell the boss! Wait a minute, he IS the boss. They had a wonderful trip out to Manitoba and enjoyed some relaxing times even though it was a lot of driving. He asked about things back home here and we talked about plans for painting the Mat and some of his other ideas.

Mom and Me (No, it's Mom and I, she said)

He’s feeling that come August, he will be looking for some employment, already getting offers worth considering. I hope it all works out for him, anything to make life easier financially is good, we all know that. I went inside and found Mom down her usual hallway. Funny how when she doesn’t remember certain‘things’ that she knows that she walks at that time of day. I’m sure she didn’t know me but she was very complimentary of me in my dress and ‘white’ hair. 😊

We walked to the northeast hall and sat together, goofing around. I never know what she’ll come out with and don’t understand half of it but we just chatter away and enjoy each other. The time for special moments is dwindling, I can feel it, so I take pictures/selfies of us together. Looking back on them will give me peace when the time comes that I need it. Just this morning, I came across videos of Clemson running. I cried but they are worth millions to me.

The creek on Jamie and Cheryl's property

It was a good visit, and she accepted that I wasn’t staying for lunch. We said our multiple goodbyes and I slipped out of the dining area. I would have waved but another resident who lives down the hall from Mom stopped me and by the time I finished answering her questions, Mom wasn’t looking in the right direction to see me. I walked to Ptooties feeling a bit deflated, not realizing until then how much I love the ‘waves’.

It's an old trailer but provides a roof over their head

I scooted around town the back way, across Main St. to the bank and Liquor Store parking. I wanted to withdraw spending cash for Bill and I as well as my Ladyfest cash. Because I have to pay a few for any debit transactions out of my savings a/c, this is easier than first going through ‘our’ chequing and then transferring it.  I’m stepping back a decade to the time when I carried cash most often.

A deer blind on their property
yes, Jamie is a hunter

He's got some clean up to open up more of Bear Creek
but I love the old tree stumps

 Then I walked 3 doors down to the LCBO and picked up a bottle of Vodka and a couple of 0% sugar canned drinks to try. By the time I reached home, Bill was just finishing emptying the water bladder from a fill-up at the Acreage. We chatted a bit and I came inside and he went to the Hangar. Jamie had texted and invited us out to see his and Cheryl’s property just on the outskirts of Durham so we hopped in the SUV and went to find them. In the field.

Yes, they have a cute private spot off the beaten path, where they have a Terry trailer and a few ‘red neck’ amenities. The more I know of Jamie, the more I know he’d hit it off with my brother, Michael. Cheryl and their son, Aaron, arrived soon after and we had a great visit. Morgan was also present, Cheryl’s guide dog and what a beautiful dog he is. You know me with big dogs, but I know a kind one when I see it.

The deck goes right to the water
or you can put your chair right IN the water to cool off

It was 2 ½ hours later when we left for home. We really enjoyed the visit. The wind was strong, around 21 mph, and certainly welcome with this humidity. I’m surprised their little haven, where it was, got the winds too. Bill had closed windows first thing this morning and had the a/c set to come on at 75F so when we returned home, it had just come on to run through a cycle. It wasn’t enough to make it chilly, just enough to make it comfortable.

Okay, finally - you get to meet my boss, Jamie
Cheryl and her guide dog, Morgan

I made myself a creamy tea and Bill stretched out in his recliner. I knew that was coming and I even feel a little tired myself. Out the window, I noticed more of the pretty brown birds. I’ve tried capturing them a few times but I’m never fast enough. They really stand out against the greenery so I followed them from inside the Suite until I got a couple or three or four good pictures. Then I joined Bill in my recliner with my book.

This one is a James Patterson and it is called You’ve Been Warned. I’m pretty sure that Bill wasn’t the only one who dozed. Something about working early and visiting Mom tires me out. Oh, I think the heat from sitting outdoors had something to do with it too. 😊 That’s my excuse anyway. At 6 we hadn’t fully decided what to eat as we’d snacked on cheese and a fat bomb when we got home. Neither of us was too hungry.

Simple, filling and yummy supper tonight
woops, my wrap unwrapped

So, we agreed on a couple of things. I had leftover asparagus soup and I made myself a tomato, lettuce and cheese wrap. Bill opted for a toasted tomato sandwich. Works for me! We had dishes done by 6:30, that’s how easy it was for us. With a dish of custard each for dessert, we certainly weren’t going to starve! Bill went to the Hangar; a blog post is coming soon folks! Just watch for it in the next few days on On Our Way.

Mixed bag in the sky tonight

The sky blackened to the north

But we only got about 25 rain drops

I downloaded the day’s pictures and finished my post. At 6:45 Donna texted about playing a game tonight so we agreed on a time for them to come here. Yay! We haven’t done that for a while let alone with Donna and Gerry. It will be fun. They arrived before 8 and Bill and I had the game board all set up. Guys against the girls and I’m happy to say that us girls won the night. 6/9 games. We were going for best out of 11. We had a few drinks together and they left around 11.

We had fun playing Double Series on a night
when we couldn't be sure it wouldn't rain on a fire

The night was beautiful so we opened up windows and went out to show them the Hangar in the dark. Good thing we have motion sensor lights on the Suite, our Bunky and his Hangar. Gerry and Donna were impressed with Bill has done and especially with the brightness inside. He has lots of light for doing the miniscule plane stuff that is often required. We said goodnight and we were in bed by 11:30.

This was a great day ending with a wonderful evening with my sister and her husband. IWe sure didn't get the rain that we expected. A few light showers during the day but nothing to water the garden very much. I hope you enjoyed your day too.

There are a lot of Brown Birds around
I think this might be a baby

Then he found a hole in our rocky grass to have a sand bath treatment

Oh-oh, I think he spied me in the window

Oh, he definitely sees me

And this is what happens when you ogle someone having a bath
You get a tongue lashing
Good night!

Thanks for the visit!