Monday, October 14, 2019

Laundry Day, Sleet, Freezing Rain or Snow? Winter Plans


On The Ridge
‘Tis the morning after our celebration dinner, Monday, Oct. 14th, Canadian’s Thanksgiving holiday. We didn’t get up until close to 7:30 after a very good sleep. I knew I was tired after my previous night. Bill and I had our coffee and tea together and I caught up on our blogger friend’s posts. What are you thankful for? We are thankful for our family, friends, health and every day that we can wake up to continue this wonderful lifestyle!

This morning, Bill told me about the full moon
saying goodbye for the day
And in the opposite direction, the sun was just coming up
After tea, I went upstairs and sorted the clothes. Mostly Bill’s from last week’s working. He left with Black Beauty to go and fill the water bladder for my upcoming few days alone. This will be the last week that he can help Bob paint. It is a jumbled, different kind of week on my horizon. You’ll find that out as I go day to day. I keep having to look at my calendar so I don’t forget things or miss appointments.

Funny, at the laundromat this morning, I was the only lady out of 8 customers doing laundry. It was certainly busy and whether all of these men are single or not, doesn’t matter. It just struck me as comical. Ages ranging between 45 to 75. I was hoping to hang our clothes out but I was watching this big black cloud come from the north, soon covering Durham and surrounding area. Bill texted advising me to dry them in town. He obviously was getting rain on The Ridge.

A bitter cold wet day for the most part
with some sunny, dry breaks
After the water fill, he was trying to get the grass cut. Twice he had to stop because of the rain or wet snow or whatever. It was 3C/37.5F so I’m not sure it was freezing. I needed to use the wipers coming up the lane, the new windshield was spotted with white. Brrrr! I stopped the wipers to take a picture. Bill met me and carried the basket of clothes in for me and we busied ourselves at putting them away. They were folded at the Mat.

Half for today and half for tomorrow
At 10:30, I made us each an omelette and today splurged with a toasted sandwich for Bill and a half a quesadilla for me. Bill had measured the opening left for our new microwave when he removed the tile. This past week he and Bob got a piece of cherry wood cut to fit and Bill is staining it today. We think it is a pretty close match. They will get it re-affixed during the last week of October while we are in Stratford.

The space above the blue line is where we need to add the wood piece
It is hard to tell but the tile had to be removed there
in order for the new oven to fit
Chatting with some family yesterday about our plans for the winter, made me realize that I haven’t probably filled you in on the latest. First off, did I tell you that Rob and Pat will not be travelling with us this winter? They informed us late summer after hinting a bit prior to their news. Things on the home front have caused them to make the decision. We are extremely sad about this but we all have to do what we need to do without any undue pressure from anyone else. Just because we want it to happen, doesn't mean it will.

They are still undecided, but hopeful, whether they will follow in mid-December or early January. We sincerely hope that they can join us to celebrate Christmas but that will be determined. Then, on the other side of things, we were approached by Bob and Jo-Anne, first time rv owners and travelers, if we would mind them tagging along with us when we leave. That is exciting and of course, we are thrilled to have them make this winter’s journey with us.

There is Bill, cutting the grass in between the rain showers
We all know how intimidating it can be the first year and if we can be of any help in their first adventure, we are happy to do that. You will love these two and I’m sure welcome them into the fold as we all were. We all love to meet new friends who share the same passion. So, our sadness to lose one couple was brightened a bit by having our new friends join us. You are now up-to-date! Oh, and I mustn’t forget Higgins. He, also, is excited about joining the ‘team’.

We had dishes cleaned up and Bill was done the first coat of staining by 12 noon. The rain has stopped but for how long, we don’t know. He started a new book by James Patterson. The 5th Horseman, the one I recently finished. He’s hooked, first chapter in. We closed the door to upstairs and sat reading for a while. There isn’t much for me to do inside other than transferring the leftovers from yesterday into smaller ‘fridge-size’ dishes.

And during this afternoon and supper, the sky was quite
exhilarating
Bill went out to cut grass again after a snooze as by then the sun had returned and the rain had stopped. He finished the back field and I know forged on through a few persistent rain showers. Gerry had called and thought he would be popping over to borrow Bill’s wooden ramps that we use for putting the rider in and out of the shed. I took this opportunity to get up and go outside. I bundled and walked to the front field where he was now to let him know.

When I came back up, I pulled the old sheets from the garden and fought the wind to hang them on the clothesline. They’re dirty and that is fine but I won’t put them away wet. By then, Bill had finished cutting and came inside. We learned that Gerry didn’t need the ramps after all so Bill settled down with his book. I made us each a cup of tea and we had a couple of sugar free peanut butter wafers for a snack. I finished Hide and Seek by J.P. and just sat and enjoyed Bill’s company until it was time to start supper.

I obviously made more sauce than I did potatoes
but taste is what the bottom line is, right?
They were still good.
Tonight, starts another week, only 3 days this time, of Bill being away. I will join him on Thursday in Tavistock and the week will go quickly, I'm sure. We are down to 6 sleeps before our flight out of this cold weather. Woohoo! It is a nasty cold day and I won’t be sad to say goodbye. It is only 88F/31C in Cancun, hmmm, I wonder if we can take that?! At 5:15, I got the meatloaf, potato casserole and veggies out of the fridge for warming.

Good bye, dear and Good bye Ptooties
A nice prepared meal without any effort at all, you gotta love that! Bill got cleaned up and finished packing his bag and cooler while it was reheating in the oven. It tasted quite good and my timing was perfect so he was here to help me with dishes. Heh heh. I still have some meatloaf for another night, the cookies spoiled my supper, I guess. Then, at 6:30, it was time to say goodbye. I had some programs set to record for him and would watch The Voice tonight.

The sun setting on the clouds tonight was beautiful
I thought that this was my favourite 
The rest of the night was cuddled up inside with the shades drawn. That also keeps the heat in and the cold out, don’tcha know? This was a relatively quiet day, for me especially and Bill was happy to get the grass cut once more. I hope you enjoyed your long weekend, although for many of us, it’s just another Monday.

But then I saw how the sun from the west, lit up the clouds in the north
which reflected in our pond
Yup, my favourite picture today
Good night, if you are in Canada, bundle up!
Thank you for stopping by! Your comments are always welcome if you care to leave one.

18 comments:

  1. Only 88 degrees huh! Hope you're warm enough. Sorry we never got together this summer, but I look forward to continuing to follow your blog over the winter. Have a wonderful time in Cancun!

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    1. Hi F.G. Yah, I don't know if I can take that heat and beach etc etc. :)
      Thank you, we are sorry too, I know it isn't as easy as it sounds to get together but I appreciate that you will be following along this winter!

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  2. Lots going on. What a big help would be for a newbie couple to follow along for their first year....especially with Bill's trailer knowledge. And there is a little bit of security having two couples together in case of major breakdown etc. I especially like the way you guys do it with not many meals together etc....makes it much easier.

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    1. We fumbled our first year alone but we did have help from good friends who had done it for years. Tips help a lot but having someone right there to travel with is a bonus and fun! I don't like unnecessary 'obligations' if that is the right way to put it. We are still basically 'camping' and don't need to spend all the time together. We only seemed to eat together when we went out to a venue and that was perfect!

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  3. Wow, you had it pretty cold up there today. Flying to Cancun in a few days sure will help you through this cold spell. Wish I were going too! Having new travel companions will make your journey interesting and I bet these folks will be pros come spring time with your help and guidance. Looking forward to your postings!

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    1. I am sad that we won't be seeing you this winter but many people find Florida appealing too. We will hold you to a visit on the Ridge come summer 2020!

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  4. That's to bad about Rob and Pat not going with you, but it will be a whole new adventure with first timers coming along. I'm sure you must be getting excited about your trip to Cancun ... and the warmer weather :-)

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    1. It is sad about R & P but fingers are crossed that we'll see them before the year is out in Arizona!

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  5. Yes it was a cold day sis. I did manage to get 3 loads of laundry dry on my clothesline in Hanover so no rain, sleet or snow to speak of and we're only 20 minutes West!

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    1. Crazy Ontario weather! Glad your clothes dried and glad I didn't have to deal with that through our rain! :)

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    2. Crazy Ontario weather! Glad your clothes dried and glad I didn't have to deal with that through our rain! :)

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  6. Love the pictures of sun and moon. Looks fascinating to see them opposite each other like that. 88 sounds good, especially with those cold, dreary, wet days you are experiencing. Brrr!

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    1. Thank you, I thought it was very cool as well seeing the sun and moon with just the turn of my head.
      88 sounds wonderful!! I'm so ready!

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  7. Nice that you git things take care of and Bill was able to head south in good time, Getting ready for you Cancun Trip and am sure you will have an awesome time. We love it there.

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    1. We did get a lot taken care of and very little left to do. I'll get that done this week. Looking so forward to a week on the beach and being treated like royalty. :)

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  8. The last pic is beautiful! Frameable for sure! How fun to have a new couple along with you for the winter, we'll look forward to meeting them! I hope Rob and Pat are able to make it down too! Cancun will be wonderful! You'll start the winter nice and tan LOL!

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    1. Thank you Shirley. I love the pond reflections.
      It will be a lot of fun with Bob and Jo-Anne, she is very excited too.
      We are sure hoping Rob and Pat join us all, fingers are crossed!
      Cancun is just around the corner and I'm getting so excited. I'm taking my shingles meds between now and when we leave as a precaution. :)

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  9. Really liked your last picture. It is so pretty when the setting sun lights up the clouds like that. The reflection on the pond just adds a nice touch to the beautiful scene. You two have certainly had some busy days but I have a feeling sitting in the warmth very soon will make it all worth it.

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