Last but not Least Sister, First time Visit to Teeswater, Hallowe’en – a New Way

 

Paisley, On

So, on Saturday, Oct. 31^st (spook time!) we didn’t rush getting up. I was awake at 7 but remained in the warm bed until 7:30. Bill has a loud notification sound on his Samsung that he had to get up to turn off so that was a good message to get moving. I was ready anyway. Once I'm awake, I can only lay or toss and turn for so long. We washed and got dressed before having our coffee and tea.

Ignore the reflection, just snapped this as we left Cathy and Bill's
house

Bill had some toast downstairs and we left the house at 9:30 for Teeswater. One last sister to hand deliver the package to. She is my oldest sister and the closest in distance (well, the same as Donna) so we planned to visit Cathy and Bill this morning. We haven’t been telling any of them the reason for our visits so it has been nice to produce a little surprise for them. Mom is still looking after her children from above and I'm only a pawn carrying out her wishes.

The sky was pretty today

Cathy was very happy to welcome us into their rental home just on the edge of Teeswater since we’ve never been. It is lovely! They were very lucky when they were looking for a place in the area a few years ago and I can tell they are very happy there. After a tour, I got down to business and surprised her as well with Mom’s gift. We had a really nice visit, something the four of us have not ever done without others. It was overdue! Thanks for the coffee, Cathy!

On the way home, we tripped around the Walkerton way and checked out the specials at TSC. Bill needs warm work clothes and we are slowly getting him fixed up. They had men’s flannel shirts on sale for $9.99 so he got a couple and rather than pay the ladies prices of $34.99 and ↑, I found 2 Medium that will be perfect for my work at the body shop too. We left then for home and had a bite to eat before Bill stretched out for a snooze.

I sat in the front room waiting for the laundry
It was a warm spot this afternoon with the sun

While he dozed, I finished yesterday’s blog post, well, started it and finished it. Friday was a whirlwind so nothing got written. Then I started on today. I went downstairs around 3:30 and began 2 loads of laundry. I figured I’d get it done today so the machines were free for Susan tomorrow. On new hydro (electric) rates starting Nov. 1^st, we will be paying close attention to high-mid and low-peak times. Weekends are low so we'll just carry on the way we've been doing since we came home in March.

Just as good the second night

Peaches and ice cream

I took my book down with me and the crossword from the Sun Times so I could in the front living room to wait for the loads to finish. Susan and Wes had their supper between 5 and 6 and I warmed up our Chinese food leftovers around 6:30. Bill was working on setting up his hobby radio so I left him to it and called him down when everything was ready. Usually he helps me prep supper here but I gave him a break today and did it alone. Golly, I'm a keeper too! haha😊 

So, here's what you should know about my little brother
He and his family in Alberta know how to do Hallowe'en right!
Every year, they have a party and go all out
I love it!!
these are their decorations and their food

As we were finishing up our dessert of peaches and ice cream, they returned from taking their BMW out to the farm. It is Hallowe’en but because this house, their home, is in the midst of downtown, next to no children usually come to the door. Plus, with the mess of Covid-19 this year, there wasn’t much chance of that anyway. We noticed a few parents with young children walking down the sidewalk out front but didn’t need to be concerned about giving out candy. Strange year for the little ghoulies. I loved this night when we lived in our house in London and would always dress up.

and they ALL dress up for the party

After dishes, we came upstairs and I helped Bill read the serial # on his radio before finishing this post. Not much going on today which is a nice change from our previous pace. Tomorrow will be similar. Wes and Susan are into the Hallmark movies like Bill is so they all have a ‘date’ in the theatre room to watch a new one. LOL, I’ll either be downstairs watching my own show or up here in the bedroom with my book. We'll all be happy.

sorry, little brother, nice try but this little guy
takes the prize this year
Easton, the adorable dragon

Have a good night and thank you for your visit today.

The Day Got Away From Me! Just a Short ReCap

Paisley, On

On Friday, Oct. 30^th, from beginning to end we were on the move. Bill left for work at 6:30, I left for work at 8 and we didn’t seem to stop until our heads hit the pillow. I won’t bore you with the details but I will recap our day so I know what we did and when.

My first picture of the day was of Moka, Joe's dog at
Hometown Tyre
I think he wanted to come for a ride with me

There was still no frost on the windshields so my thoughts of scraping before work was put to rest. Thank you! I left Mitch’s at 12:30 and then subsequently left the laundromat at 1:45 where Bill met me. Yes, he left his work in Mildmay at 1:00. We drove separately to the I.D.A. Pharmacy in Durham for our flu shots at 2 and then he came home to Paisley and I stopped in Walkerton at Hometown Tyre to get the snows on.

Second picture, Buddy, sitting on his Mama's desk
He was watching me from the other room
after showering me with affectionate kisses and licks
My doggie fix has been fulfilled

That all went like clockwork. Joe was sweet enough not to charge us for the nuts that he had to order in. He said that was our solace for not being able to go south PLUS he suggested that for the $50 he spent, Bill should take me out for supper. I’m liking Joe more and more. 😊 Bill was just hopping in the shower when I got home at 3:30.

The real reason I was there
other than dog visiting

The clock was ticking so after his shower, we didn’t have time to have a ‘lay down’ but instead warmed up the lasagna leftovers, ate, did dishes and drove back to the Durham area and dropped the tires off at the Ridge. They will sit nicely in the Bunky until we need them in the spring. 

the drive to the Ridge was a dull one

Until the sky broke up a bit

It looks so lonely and sad up there but at the same time, toooo cold to be hanging around for very long. After leaving there, we drove to Chatsworth to visit Gayle and John for an hour.

I've often showed you this tree in the spring and summer
It is usually adorned with a full vine all the way up the tall trunk

When we left their home, it was dark but we carried on to see my little sister, Wendy in Owen Sound. The plan was to deliver all of the ‘estate’ packages I’d put together by early weekend. We had a short visit and were able to drop off Wendy’s electric keyboard and stand as well. She had loaned them to Mom while in Rockwood Terrace and they were being returned now to the rightful owner.

Arriving at Gayle and John's
Cedarhaven
I managed a blurred shot

It was around 9 when were driving home. We took some back roads, all paved, into Paisley, following our newly found gps*. *another story for another time, if I remember! I was kapooped but we were also a bit hungry so did the worst thing possible and snacked on some Lay’s chips. LOL I crawled under the covers at 10 and was gone by the time Bill joined me at 10:20. It was a good day though.

and because I was good at the 'blur' 
a spooky picture of Wendy's pretty home
Good night!

Thank you for checking in! Your comments are always appreciated.

Making Progress on a Dull, Cold, Damp Day

Paisley, On

Thursday, Oct. 29^th after Bill left for work at 6:30, I stayed in bed until 7:30. It was still dark (until Nov. 1^st when that will change) so I had my shower and made a tea. Then, I needed to wait until my hair dried before I walked. The house was quiet and I assumed I was alone, already at 8 am. You can’t see the full laneway from any of my views in their home so I couldn’t tell if the van was gone. They have 3 vehicles that they take on any given day. Abe 'Lincoln' was still in the garage.

At the top of a paved street, it ended at this gravel lane
Hmmm?

I walked into the front living room and was a bit startled to see Wes sitting in his chair. When I softly said ‘Good morning’, I guess I woke him and then I noticed Susan was sleeping on the sofa. Woops! (oh brother here I go again with that kind of day!) She’d had a rough night so curled up on the couch and Wes was biding his time in the room until he had to leave for work. I apologized for waking him but he said it was no problem, he had to get moving anyway. 

Curious as to what the yellow sign said, I apporached it

There are many places in this house for them to be and with no lights on, I am never sure if they are home or not. We will be diligent of turning lights off when not in use and be considerate of their efficient style of living. I came upstairs and drank my tea and then went out for my walk. By this time, Wes had left for work.

So, the most interesting path (the one down the hill to the right)
was the Private lane and this to the left, is Public
It wasn't too appealing to me today so I turned back to town

I can’t say enough about my walks, I so thoroughly enjoy them in the freshness of the mornings. I did get a wee bit wet on the home stretch when it started to rain but although it dampened my hair, it didn't do the same to my spirits. 😁 Susan has a booklet called Paths of Paisley and I have been seeing many of the older homes featured in the pages. This could turn into a bit of a treasure hunt which can be very exciting! In another post, we'll tour some history together.

I'll share one of the booklet finds with you today
It said to  ‘follow Victoria St. to Church St, which leads west to the top of Woodpecker Hill, the hill where Paisley’s first Presbyterian Church, the Auld Kirk, stood’. 

As I stood there and did a 360° turn,
Can you see it what I was being directed to?

The steeple that is currently the Legion

When I returned, I had notification from Shannon at the bank that all investments had successfully been moved into one account and that gave me the go ahead to do my thing. I set about doing that and put aside Paisley’s history lesson for now. Susan and Wes are going to Port Elgin this afternoon for some shopping and will be picking up Chinese food for their supper on their way home later. Did we want to order and do the same? I spoke on behalf of Bill and printed off a menu, chose a meal and gave them cash for our supper too. Yay!

Hard to see these gals with my and other reflections
but they were moving
One was turning pages, one stirring the stew in the cauldron
and the third pouring in the 'healthy' concoction

I’d thought about going to P.E. myself this afternoon but think I’ll wait until the weekend to pick up the few groceries we need. It’ll give me a chance to explore the town a little better. Today, I have banking and postal stuff to take care of. First, though, lunch. I had some fresh mushrooms, cheese, yogourt and peaches and cream. That hit the spot and then I bundled up against the brisk wind and headed out.

Someone's half house was going down the street

Wes and Susan were on their way as well and as we were leaving, Bill was backing in the lane. So much bustle all at one time! 😊 Because he was home, Bill walked with me to the bank and post office and when we returned our hosts had left. I felt hungry, so my meagre lunch held me for a meagre time. It was only 4 so I had a nibble to tide me over until they returned. Back in the house, I crawled up on the bed to read.

Okay, sorry Jamie but this is my favourite laundromat now

It's small but adorable!

And someone keeps it wonderfully clean which is a bonus
in my book!
Even a small book exchange
(but "Put the toilet seat down!" haha

Because we are not actually in the main part of the house (as I first thought) there is no furnace heat register into this room. What that means for us is that we can control our own heat by a floor heating system. Electric, so that means using it wisely but it also gives us a room as warm or cool as we prefer. Downstairs is feeling cool today so this is the hot spot. Wes needs to clean out the garage wood stove so it isn't going right now. It heats the garage and pool room to a toasty 24C/75F.

I wonder if any of my older sisters know this church?
Did Mom and Daddy ever bring us in to Paisley for services?
I only remember going to Mount Brydges when we lived in that area

I read the flyers rather than my book and Bill worked on banking at his laptop. At 4:45, we heard “your supper’s here!” so went downstairs to enjoy a meal of fried rice, chicken chow mein, spare ribs and wontons. It was very good and we have plenty for another couple of nights. For $30, Bill and I were very pleased with our choice. We sat and shared a bit more about ourselves, all 4 of us. We each took turns telling our own family details and childhood memories before getting up to do dishes. We were headed out the door shortly after 6.

Oh, supper was sooooo good
A nice treat from Tangs in Port Elgin

Tonight, we were driving to Hanover for a visit with Donna and Gerry. It was nice to see them again and we caught up a bit. Before we left, they said they would be coming our way on Sunday to see where we’ll be spending our winter. We were back home by 9 and settled upstairs for the night. I felt exhausted. I guess a long walk and financial stuff does that to a person. It feels good though, to get things taken care of sooner than later. At 9:30, I closed my own laptop and crawled into bed. Delayed posting again.

I picked up a free paper, The Paisley Advocate at the laundromat
Remember the day I said about so many bridges?
This write up made me chuckle.
apparently at one time, there were 11
Currently, there are 8

                                                       GOOD NIGHT!

I hope you’ve had as good a day. Thank you for popping around.

A Topsy Turvy Day Because the Jell-o Jiggled

Paisley, On

On Wednesday, hump day, Oct. 28^th I didn’t even hear Bill get up. He was awake before his alarm and had turned it off so that would explain it. When I woke up around 6:15, he was downstairs and I was glad to be awake. I was having an uncomfortable dream and I’m not sure what brought it on. The only good thing is that Shirley was in it. It wasn't a dream in either of our favour so I won't relay any of it. (It was still nice to 'see' her).

I started out my day driving into this pretty sky

Bill came up to finish getting ready, kissed me goodbye and then I got up too. I’d half been expecting frost on the windshields this morning but a peek out the window proved that to be wrong. Yay! I’m not looking forward to that at all. We haven't hit below freezing temps yet. I made my tea, a snack lunch to take and returned upstairs to drink it. There were a couple of letters to get to the mail today and when I left at 7:50, I stopped to drop them in the post office box.

Then it got better with a sunrise
Because I was driving, it took a few shots to get a good one
without traffic and without trees

I didn’t see Wes and Susan when I left so didn't get to say goodbye this morning. They were outside somewhere because the door was unlocked. The drive was beautiful as I was witness to a gorgeous sunrise. My buddy, Pat, texted me on my drive which brightened me up. With the thing-a-ma-jig in the car, connected to my phone, I don’t need to do anything other than push a button to hear what she says. There are ‘Quick Message’ responses that often work or at a light, I might speak a text message back. 😊

I was going to delete this one because of the pole but
then saw the sun peeking around it
I kind of like it after all!

Mitch needed me to meet him at the garage on my way to his place so picked him up after dropping his Acadia off. The morning was spent on Tommy, nothing new, I will be sanding him for a long time. There are many surprises, unfortunately, meaning dents that need to be filled before we can paint him. This is a long project but I’m still keen on it. Removing the old black paint is the hardest part so it takes a lot of elbow grease.

The final reward and within 2 minutes it changed to a
non-flattering picture so I put the camera down

Mitch wasn’t feeling great today, his back giving him grief from moving wood that he shouldn’t have been doing, so I worked mostly on my own under his direction. That’s what I’m getting paid for so I don’t mind. When I get frustrated with getting some paint removed, he directs me to the fridge for cheese to go with my ‘whine’ (all in fun) and then compliments me on what I’m doing. That gives me the push to keep going. He's clever. Ha ha.

I felt bad calling the police but Jamie said they are very good with these cases
They just move them along because the situations are tough for some of
these young people

When I left there, I drove to Durham to clean the Mat. That’s when the Jell-o moved. Inside, was another sleeper. He was curled up in the corner on a chair and he had his bicycle and little cart (with all his possessions ☹) parked in a spot making it difficult for me to do my job. I immediately felt uncomfortable, not knowing what I might encounter. My experience with this type of situation wasn’t good previously, although not terrible. I didn’t know what to do, a bit concerned what reaction I'd get if I asked him to move along.

If it wasn't for his stuff spread out, I could have worked around
him

After chatting with Jamie, at his direction, I called West Grey Police. They are used to dealing with vagrancy, even though it may sometimes just be a gentle conversation. Jamie’s wife called me and we both were there to meet the officer. It was fine, finding out he was homeless, but by this time, my hour was up and I’d done no cleaning. Officer Rod Hilton was gentle and asked the young man to pack up his stuff and he’d take him to Tim Horton’s for a coffee and bite to eat. 😊 Nice guy!

Constable Rod Hilton drove in from Markdale and seemed
very gentle in his demeanor
turns out he was and took the young man to Timmy's

I apologized that I couldn't stay to clean but had to scoot. Cheryl wanted no part of my apology and thanked me profusely for calling them, saying that they can’t have that situation (during the day especially) when customers are trying to do their laundry. Strike one. Then, I got to Walkerton, Hometown Tire, to get our snow tires put on Ptooties. I had a nice visit with Joe’s Mom (I think) and their 2 dogs. A husky and a shih-tzu, both very friendly and fun to be around.

Unfortunately, Joe said he wished he’d asked or at least looked at my tires as we have shank nuts on the current wheels. He doesn’t have enough of the regular nuts in stock to put the snows on today. Woops! Strike two. He’s such a nice guy and felt bad but I said I’d come back Friday if that worked. We’re good to go. He showed me the snows we've bought and told me customers have raved about them. Great news for me for driving in the winter.

I drove home with no more upsets and chatted with Susan for a bit. In my mind, I planned supper and then went upstairs. I was going to walk to the post office to get postage stamps but instead, chose to have a cup of tea while stretching out on the bed with my book.  You knew that would lead to sleepy eyes and I just rolled over about 10 minutes before my sweetie came in the door. It was almost 5:30. We chatted, or I chatted, filling him in on my weird day.

then I drove to Walkerton for the tires

For supper, I had some of my spelt bread to eat before it went bad so we had French toast. Woops, I set the smoke detector off again. I think because it is right outside the butler’s kitchen and frying in butter is not its friend. I even had the exhaust fan turned on! Wes, just removes it from the ceiling until I’m done. Bill set it off the first time when he used the toaster. It hadn’t been used for a while either. 😊

The trip to Hometown Tire wasn't a total loss
Buddy and his husky friend gave me a doggie fix today
They were both so cute and affectionate
Here, Buddy is watching for Joe to return

Supper was filling whether it was good for us or not and we enjoyed it with Jamie's maple syrup. After dishes, we came upstairs for the evening. Nothing on tv tonight that we need to watch. I hadn’t decided if I’d watch Jeopardy with W & S so caught up on my blog for a while and downloaded pictures until 7:30. Then I walked around the corner to the theatre room. When I left at 8 we all felt smart because we got 3 or 4 correct responses. 😊

Backed into the driveway looking out to the main street
See the motor home all covered up

Bill caught up on his online reading and watching FB videos. I know he isn’t the only one who does that. This was a mixed-up kind of a day but I got through it. When I came home and told Bill that I made the tire appointment for 2 pm on Friday, he reminded me that we were scheduled to get our flu shots at that time. Third Woops! of the day. I left Joe a message at Hometown Tire to call me tomorrow to reschedule.

Yummy french toast
Never fails, this meal reminds me of my late brother, Bruce.💓💓
Good night!

Today felt cooler than its actual daytime temperature of 9C/48F because of the wind but we all enjoyed seeing the sunshine for the best part of the day. I can’t believe we are at the end of Wednesday nor can I fathom that we are just around the corner from month’s end. The good news is that our Canada and Old Age pensions went in today. 👌 Wherever does the time go? Have a good night!

Thank you for your visit today.

Taking it Slow and Easy, More Sights in Paisley

Paisley, On

When Bill’s alarm went off at 5:30 on Tuesday, Oct. 27^th, I pretended to myself that I didn’t hear it. 😊 We can fool ourselves of all kinds of things, can’t we? He was done downstairs, after having his cereal, and returning when I heard the door squeak. Maybe we need an oil can. It doesn’t matter, really, all the beautiful old hardwood floors creak when you walk everywhere. One of the things we adore about old century home houses.

Lo and behold, another bridge

Bill saw me stir and said good morning as he came in for a kiss. Gotta start the day right. Another one before he left and I decided that there was no need for me to get up at 6:30. I popped my ear plugs back in and dropped off for another half hour or so. At least! At 7:15 I was ready to greet the day. I didn’t have much planned today other than a walk and a visit to Service Ontario. I can see it from our window so it wouldn't take me long.

Under a sign that says "Dogs must be on a leash" this seasoned little pooch
explored the grass 
It was obvious that he lived in the closest house

Dead end street? I'll take it!

And along a trail that I walked on, I saw this fenced off area

And close up, it looks like a memorial stone

Nice that they have a bench for walkers to sit on

In someone's back yard, a grave for old vehhicles

And in that car lot, these are for you Jim

When I returned from my walk, Susan had her coffee and I had my tea in the front room together. I don’t spend a lot of time with her but I know she likes the company. I’ve been a bit preoccupied so I just let her chatter away about the town and people. 😊 At 10:30 I went to S.O. and then to the post office to check for mail. They have a mailbox so I need to remember to get the key when I leave or the mail clerk won’t give it to me. LOL

The river was not too far from me

Bill texted and told me that he was only working until 11:30 and would be home by noon so that was nice. It was raining so the boys got to come home early. Even Wes, who got called in on his ‘day off’, was back around 12:15. At 12:30 Bill and I had tomato soup together downstairs while they were also finishing up their lunch. I get distracted with stuff upstairs so it seems we’re always late eating.

This little farm slept on except for the fowl
Ducks? Geese? Not sure

But I do know who's the king of the castle

I decided on lasagna for supper so got the ground beef out of the freezer. After lunch dishes, Bill had a snooze and since I’d received the invoice from the funeral home, I wrote a cheque for the meagre balance owing and walked it to the post office for mailing tomorrow. Purple Shield, Mom’s insurance was a huge help in paying for the funeral expenses.

Take us with you!!!

Then, I relaxed with my book. So far, it is a much nicer story to read and follow. Around 4, I went downstairs and decided to turn the tv on in the pool room. It is the room next to the garage and it is wonderfully warm. I was watching For the Love of the Game with Kevin (my favourite) Costner when Bill joined me. We decided to watch tv there in the evening if we weren’t into what our hosts were watching.

I've tried to get this Paisley sign since day one
Today, I guess I walked to the outskirts of town without
realizing it

At 4:30, I started frying up the ground beef and once I added mushrooms and sauce and saw how much was in the pan, I got an idea. I’m not only getting older, I’m getting smarter. Since I cook lasagna in Madame IP, I usually fill the inner pan to the brim. That makes for a very thick but delicious lasagna. Tonight, I decided to split it into two pans, (since I have 2 for the IP). Genius!! I cooked one and, on the side, served up a kale, cabbage and carrot salad.

These two rivers meet under this bridge
That's kind of cool!

The second one got sealed up and popped in the freezer. All I have to do another night is put it in the IP and cook it for 30 minutes. It was a delicious meal. Wes and Susan had been out and returned with a pizza which they’d finished by the time we sat down. After dishes, we did some surfing on our laptops upstairs and then went down to watch some of The Voice. My post ‘may’ be delayed until tomorrow so I’ll apologize now just in case. 😊

The view out the pool room window

A new place to watch tv
It works better for us than the kitchen

The evening went quickly and we were ready for bed at 10. Back to work tomorrow and Ptooties gets snow tires. Hate to do it for one winter but it has to be done. As for today, I enjoyed my day off.

I could have put the salad on the plate
but didn't realize that until it was too late

Over the stove in the kitchen, we see the back of this picture
 through the opening
From the hallway, the stove light brings the picture to life
I love it!

Good night! 

Thank you for stopping in.