Up and At ‘Em, Bill Trims the Fields and Lawn, Making Apple Butter, Maybe

The Ridge

On Saturday, July 18^th Bill and I were up at our usual 6:30-6:45 time. He didn’t have to go anywhere today which is nice for him but he helped me sort the dirty laundry. When I arrived, there was no visitor but she’d been there at some point as the washer showed her dirty footprints. I loaded our 2 loads of clothes and only one other customer was present the whole time.

Last night we were coming home when the sun set

I finished cleaning and laying the clothes in the basket before texting Pat. There was a bag of clothes in my trunk for her from a friend. At least someone is losing weight! Way to go, Michele! I drove home and Bill had finished trimming along the laneway so we sat together for a coffee and my tea. While sitting there, he called his girls and was successful in touching base with two out of four. Not bad odds. He’ll connect later this afternoon.

Our solar field at the corner of Baptist Church and Hwy 4

He went out then to cut the front field and I went up the hill to hang the clothes. There is a really nice breeze we feel when sitting on the patio but in the hot sun, it is hard to notice. When he returned to cut the lawn area, I was inside after remembering that I hadn’t posted yesterday’s blog yet. I like to get out and move the furniture and hammock so he doesn’t have to stop to do it. Once my post was published, I did some of my puzzle in the Bunky.

They are waiting for me

Then when he ran out of gas for the mower, he drove to Durham to get more. We had bacon and eggs, which I forced down. I was not hungry really and the bacon tasted a bit off so we didn’t end up eating it. Bill had enough from the eggs to fulfill him so off he went to work outside. He had made arrangements with a fellow from a tire place in Walkerton that he wanted to come and look at the tires/wheels on the Suite. There still trying to figure out why we’re having issues.

It always looks nice when the grass is cut, even if our grass in this area is very spotty

I sent him off to uncover the wheels before he came and I did the dishes. I still have 2 packs of apples in the freezer so brought those in to attempt making apple butter. The recipe I have calls for cooking it in the crock pot for 10 hours. I’m not doing that so got Madame IP out to help. I’ve decreased the time and will see what happens with it. There are still 4 packs at Rob and Pat’s that I need to relieve them of now that I have room.

Bill's Pumpkin is happy

It is a hot, humid day but we are happy regardless. Beats the cold and snow so we’ll deal with it. Bill managed to get in touch with his last two girls and everyone is doing great. The last one was his youngest, Jess, and she is doing awesome in her 3^rd (or 4^th) month of pregnancy. Little Easton is still a hit at the day care and it’s all she can do to get a hug and kiss from him before he’s off and running for play time. That is wonderful, just the way you want to leave your child for the day.

The garden is looking good

After 1 1/2 hours, of cooking the apples in Madame IP, I turned it off. When I stirred them, they were dark and thick and looked great. Now, seldom do I peel apples when I freeze them so I wasn't sure how it would turn out for a spread. Next step was to put the mixture in a blender and puree it. Voila! The skins disappeared and the apple butter tasted cinnamony and sweet. Yum! I poured it into 3 jars and put them in the fridge. I'll have to offer a jar to our buddies for holding the apples for us. 😁

Success with the apple butter

I reheated the meatloaf in the IP and fixed a salad on our plates. We were eating by 6 and cleaned up by 6:30. I texted Donna that we were finished as they were coming over for a campfire tonight. Not that we need the heat, but it is just nice to sit around on a lovely Saturday evening.   

And our leftover meatloaf was good

Before supper, I caught the last hour of Staying Alive. We don’t think we’ve ever seen the whole movie so it was fun. Then during supper, Bill put Rio Grande on with the Duke. Sometimes it is fun watching the old classics. 

At 7 Bill started the fire
First time for an evening fire this year

This was a good day and Donna, Gerry, Mike, his daughter and granddaughter arrived shortly after 7:30. Sophie kept us entertained and even though Ava, their poodle/jack russel didn't sit on my lap, she was quite the reminder of our little bum. 

Sophie enjoyed the hammock

Ava enjoyed the fire and Donna's lap

We didn't need the fire for heat, it was a beautiful 23C/75F

We had a great evening. Mike hadn't been over to see Bill's Hangar since he helped build it so was quite impressed with it and the planes. Everyone left after a viewing of the space station around 10:45. The breeze is wonderful tonight, I hope it keeps up through the night.

I liked the look of the Hangar with the lights on
Good night from the Ridge

Thank you for poking your noses in to see how our Saturday was.