Taking the Day Off, Warm South West Winds, Grandson’s Birthday, Labour Day

The Ridge

On Monday, Sept. 7^th we slept in again. It’s nice to be able to do that on weekends and this one having an extra day. Mitch said it was up to me if I wanted to work but because Bill was off, he wouldn’t expect me today. I’ve decided to stay put this morning and get some of our keto desserts made up for the week.

the poor branch had to give up the fight

Downstairs, readying to make our coffee and tea, Bill looked out the window and said “oh no!” The little service berry tree that had the broken branch when we came home in March has snapped right off. The winds last night had some very strong gusts but coming from the southwest, they were hitting the Suite’s nose so didn’t affect us too much. This little week branch, splinted up in the hopes it might reattach, didn’t stand a chance. ☹

Bill had the branch bound up pretty good with a strap
and our rope lights

The temperature is very warm (18C/64F) and the overnight rain seems to have stopped for the most part. Arizona winds. 😉 The sky is pretty gray with cloud cover so I wouldn’t risk a walk yet. So, we sat and enjoyed our drinks at our laptops and listened to the 400 top summer songs on Sirius XM’s 60’s on 6 oldies. Songs we haven’t heard in a dog’s age. Well, actually longer than that. Speedy Gonzales by Pat Boone, Alley Oop, Tell Me by Rolling Stones, Mary in the Morning by Al Martino and I Like it Like That by Chris Kenner. Remember those?

Most of the day looked like this

I decided to get to work first thing on cooking as later today, I wanted to touch base with Patrick and see if Nathan, our second youngest grandson, was venturing back to school. Here, they have the choice. 

Happy Birthday, Jacob!

Speaking of grandchildren, our second oldest, Jacob, turns 23 today. I’m sure his Mom is wondering how that happened! When she used to tease me about being 20 years younger than me, I warned her that it would catch up with her!

Look at Madame IP steaming up

At 9, I made some Jell-o and put it in the fridge to set and then made keto custard for Madame IP. Since I’m in the mood, maybe some other creations will come out of this little kitchen. Bill and I had a coffee and I noticed the windows had rain drops so not a day for outside. I’m glad we got the work outdoors done yesterday. Bill did manage to get out and remove the broken branch. Hopefully, with a bit of tree doctoring, the little tree survives without it.

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The puffball wasn't bad but I will find a better way to cook it

I sat down and sent an email to our 6 children, updating them on our recent news. It saves repeating it that many times when we talk to them on the phone. I called Patrick before noon and chatted with him for a while before making us some lunch. Things are really screwy for our grandchildren and how they go about schooling this fall. I fried up some bacon and eggs for Bill but just puffball and bacon for me. I’d found a recipe with parmesan after Donna suggested it but didn’t care for the taste. Next time, I’ll go back to just butter-fried.

The garden is so full, I have lots of plants to split

The rain arrived, not surprisingly because the sky was a very dark gray all around us, when we began doing dishes. Definitely an inside day. I didn’t do anymore baking but I did mix up the cream cheese and heavy cream for the set Jell-o. It wasn’t as set as I would like but it would settle more later. I blended them together and put it back in the fridge.

There wasn't any early clearing in the sky 

I sat and finished my book The Harbinger with mixed feelings. It is one of those that make you really think. It confuses me to some degree and scares me to a different degree but I enjoyed it and feel better for having finished it. I won’t forget it and although many things won’t stay in my brain, some will. 😊 At the same time, I was happy to move on to one of my regular Jack Reacher stories. I quickly fell into Without Fail by Lee Child and had 43 pages read in a heartbeat. No thinking required here, just entertainment.

The rain had to have helped my rock garden

At 5, I made my afternoon cup of tea and the sun has made a brilliant appearance in the blue sky. Kind of late but you know what they say: better late than never! Bill has been doing a lot of online research for his hobby and has enjoyed his quiet afternoon too. At 5:30, I spiced up 4 hefty chicken thighs and put them in our pre-heated Rosy. My air fryer did the thighs so well one time that I thought we’d give Madame IP a break.

A view walking up the laneway instead of down it today

Bill brought the Fry Daddy in to cook the last of the shoestring fries. We want them gone so we can buy the straight cut again. We also need to think about eating the foods in the freezer over the next month. We will be sharing our ‘hosts’ big fridge, that is one thing they don’t have two of, so hopefully we can take our Koolatron cooler for drinks and maybe our small fridge from the Bunky. That will help a bit. It will work out, we’re pretty confident.

Supper was so good
We each have a chicken thigh for another night

Earlier today, we called Wes and Susan and had a fun conversation while setting up a return visit. They will be away for a vacation after Saturday so we’ll touch base when they get home again. We are all looking forward to a different kind of fun over the coming seasons. Supper was ready by 6:30 and it was delicious! The chicken thighs were crispy and done perfectly. The fries were perhaps overdone by about 2 minutes but pretty good. Hard to cook them just right when they are so thin.

Custard for dessert

After dishes, we finished watching a movie I’d turned on at 5:30. We’ve seen it many times but we love The Blind Side. The fact that it is a true story, really gets to our hearts. The evening went fine and after posting my blog, I was reminded of two jobs I had for tomorrow. That meant I shouldn’t stay up too late tonight. 😊  Another great day under our belts even though we didn’t get too active.

And the sun did finally come out
and then set like it should
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by. As usual, your comments are welcome!