Calm Before the Storm? Easy Day

Paisley, On

On Monday, Nov. 30^th we both looked out the window when we first got out of bed. I knew Bill must have liked what he saw as he carried on and got ready for work. When I checked, yup, wet but no white precipitation in the air or on the ground. I knew what we were told was coming though, this afternoon, evening and tomorrow. The forecast is for less than an inch today but overnight and tomorrow between 3 to 5”.

No special pictures today, just a paved country road

So, I had my tea upstairs after getting washed and dressed. It was around 7:30 when I made my coffee-to-go (it’s my ‘done work’ drink for on the way home) and packed some cheese and a pepperette and headed out by 7:45. So, let’s take the ‘shortcut’ today since it isn’t snowing. That worked well, less traffic, good roads and albeit only one slow down on Concession 8 for about 5 minutes, I shaved at least 10 minutes off my travel time.

That isn’t a lot but avoiding Walkerton and Hanover (where we're slowed down to 50km/hr for a long stretch) is a bonus anyway. A familiar customer was at the Mat and we chatted while he finished his laundry and I cleaned. One lady who has been in the area for years stuck her head in the door to compliment the new sign. 😉 I’ll pass that on to Jamie. When I finished cleaning, although Durham was dry when I arrived, it was starting to rain.

It was a nice drive
and I arrived at Durham before 8:30

Knowing I might not be out for a few days, if the storm comes, I stopped at Walmart in Hanover on the drive home and picked up bread and milk and some yogourt cups. When he does go to work, Bill likes to take one with his lunch. I popped into Giant Tiger to get a gift card for a friend and some birthday cards for December and then scooted home on Hwy 19 to bypass Walkerton again. I enjoy the new route and with good weather, will do it often.

There are two of these metal signs on the way into Paisley
I keep trying to get a picture but someone is always in the way
They remind me of Arizona signs - Sonita comes to mind

When I returned home, I nipped across to the bank and w/d our rent money for W & S and then unloaded the groceries from the car. I hadn’t eaten my cheese and pepperette so warmed up my last piece of quesadilla and brought them all upstairs. An early lunch but that’s okay. I eat when I’m ready to eat. Before I left for work this morning, I finished the last chapter (epilogue actually) of A Man Called Ove. Omg! If you want a good story, check it out. I loved it. It’s written by Fredrik Backman.

Today's brunch

My daughter put me on to a good one there and she says they were making it into a movie (before Covid) so I’ll keep my ears open for that news. 😊 I considered doing some more crafty stuff downstairs but forgot (duh!) to go into Dollarama to get more letter stickers. I was right there and didn’t think of it. It’s nasty getting old! LOL So, I moved on to a Lee Child book, The Enemy, I picked up out of a book box in Durham last week.

The book caught my interest right away as Jack Reacher tends to do. Around 2:30, I went downstairs and washed the few dishes in the sink from this morning and then slipped on my poufy vest and hi-tailed it to the post office. It had just started some wet snow/rain crap so I tucked the cards and letters, that were ready to mail, inside the zipper. I had the key for the box so checked it while I was there. Oh good! Bill’s parcel arrived.

This is called 'filler' (for when I don't have enough pictures
All writing would put you to sleep!

Back home, I made a tea after deducing there would be no walk today and moved upstairs to curl up with the book again. I did receive mail today from Rockwood Terrace, which was expected. Now I can stop thinking about that. All I did from then on was read and when Bill texted shortly after 4 that he was on his way home, I went down to unlock the door and wait for him to come in. It has just recently started snowing so I’m glad he’ll be home soon.

Tonight's supper

At 6, I started supper. Tonight, mild Italian sausages in Madame IP (with onions in the bottom for me) and Caesar salad on the side. I wasn’t feeling overly hungry but it was good. After dishes and Bill’s lunch was made, we mostly hung out upstairs in our room. I finished my post, watched Jeopardy next door and then came back in for the evening. It has been an easy day for me and we have made it to the end of another month.

Our friend Jim sends me a lot of really good emails
This made me laugh too
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments are always welcome.

Sunday Walk, Sunday Laundry, Sunday Crafts, Sunday with Sweetie

Paisley, On

Bill and I took full advantage of it being Sunday, Nov. 29^th and slept in. It was wonderful just lolly-gagging around for the morning. It was a frosty 3C/36F outside and the sun was shining. I sorted our laundry into 2 loads and then bundled up around 8:30 and headed out for my walk. It was a great walk!

I call it a sleepy little town but this morning, I believe
everyone was still sleepING!

I had my peaked winter cap on and there was no need to cover my ears. My direction took me down main street where I mailed some cards and then down the back way to the west to find the train bridge again. Sometimes my feet know where I want to go before my mind does. The bridge boards were a bit frosty and I walked carefully. They seemed to creak a bit more today, freaking me out!

Before I got to the trails, this pretty house caught my eye
I don't know of any history

But with barn and buggy, I want to believe there is some

It's amazing what the sun does to our view

I could have carried on the trail on the other side but it was muddy and had large puddles in the walk way. I also wasn’t sure where it would take me so I turned around and headed back. 

I walked slowly, you can see the frosty surface

The trail beyond the bridge wasn't appealing

So, I turned back towards the way I came

Following the trail in the opposite direction from the other day, I was walking into the sun this time. At the middle of the stretch, was a barn-like box on a post that I’d noticed the other day. I thought it was cute.

This is the back side of a HUGE home
Beautiful!

I was curious the other day but it felt like forbidden fruit

Today, I noticed it had 2 little doors with a hook to latch them shut. Of course, I opened them and smiled at another free book exchange. 😊 I checked out the books but didn’t see anything to my liking. No worries, I’m just glad to know it is here and I don’t have to take my completed books to Durham anymore. I followed the path back down Queen St. from the south and remembered to retrieve Bill’s jacket and overalls from the truck for him.

What the heck, today I took the bite

Inside, I made a tea and joined Bill upstairs. Oh, first the laundry. Susan did hers yesterday so I knew we wouldn’t be in the way today with ours. 

The trails are clearly marked, some for walking only
but most for bikes and 4-wheelers too

You could walk a long way without leaving the town limits
and I like that

I've gone straight through before but not today
I turned back towards main street (left)

We had bacon egg and mushroom toasted Westerns for brunch and they hit the spot. 

I decided that this was the day to decorate our little tree so did that and then in the creative mood, took my paints and a puzzle downstairs to the garage where Bill’s table is set up for me.

The foyer outside our room is ready for Christmas
even the soldiers on the step and around the tree base

One of our favourite decorations is
Santa (Avon) He actually reads a story from 3 books
when you put them in his hand
Nathan loved him when he was younger

Our favourite/special ornaments all fit
on our little tree

The little glass ornaments that I bought at the Mill were in my plans today. I never really know for sure what I’m going to do sometimes but an idea came to me and I was pleased with that. 

So, in between the cars, our craft table is set up

There is one for every child and grandchild so I began painting. I went as far as I could and just left things on the table for another day. It was very warm in the garage, today, from solar heat, and very bright with the large upper windows.

It worked perfectly sitting beside Clementine, the Model A

Back upstairs, Bill and I called our friends, Dave and Cheryl, from Alberta to see what they ended up doing for the winter. They are also full-time rv’ers. How great it was to talk to them and we had a lot of laughs and caught up on each other’s lives. We’ll miss them this winter as well. *sigh* Life is too short for this pandemic nonsense; we all just want to get on with it!

Each ornament had a hooked wire for hanging
I painted one side and got creative on the opposite side
It's a work in progress

Supper tonight, at Bill’s request, was simple. “Let’s just have soup”, he said. I’m here to oblige and when an easy meal is suggested, (once in a while) I’m all for it. I read some of my book between 5 and 6 until it was time to get started. Nothing challenging about opening a can of beef stew so no prep time was necessary. At 6, we went down and warmed it up and made some toast.

One special part about decorations at Christmas
The soft glow of the lights

After dishes, we came upstairs. Bill went in to watch Angel Tree, another movie, and I moved into my chair at my laptop. With leaving our bedroom door open, I had a good view of our pretty little tree. The soft lighting in an otherwise dark hallway gives everything a very special glow. The only thing that would make it better would be if it was sitting in the Suite. 😊

This was a good day and for the evening I read my book. Ove is quite the character and I’ve laughed, shuddered and shed a tear or two while getting to know him. We are hearing about weather patterns coming tomorrow and Tuesday so we will just have to wait and see what the morning brings. It could be another ‘indecisive’ day, but I hope it isn’t. I hope you’ve had a good day.

The stew was 'so-so' but it filled us up with a butter tart
for dessert
Good night all!

Thank you for your visit!

Sunny Saturday Work, Visit with our Buddies (finally)

Paisley, On

On Saturday, Nov. 28^th Bill and I slept later than we’d planned. It was 7:20 when I looked at the clock. My goodness! We wanted to be on our way to Durham by 8. So, we washed, dressed and grabbed a coffee and tea-to-go and headed out the door. We were meeting Jamie at the Mat at 9. Bill decided to take along his work overalls and jacket to throw in the big washer while we were there. We also needed an RO water fillup.

What a beautiful morning

Bill took the ‘back’ way, south on Bruce County Rd. 3, east on Concession 8, south on Grey Road 3, east on Concession Rd. 4, south on Mulock Rd., east on Hwy 4, south on Hwy 6. We couldn’t believe that by not going through Walkerton and Hanover, we shaved about 25 minutes off our time. I’ll take that route or one close to it when driving to work as long as the roads and sky are clear. We fueled B.B. up at the Pioneer. Jamie met us at the laundromat within a few minutes of our arrival.

This is the type of shelf we need at the back door
As least this is what was there before it was stolen
a place for customers to set their baskets while opening the door

The boys set to work and although there wasn’t much for me to do, I’d just been in yesterday, I busied myself for about an hour and a bit throughout the time we were there. Bill and Jamie worked steady on one thing or another until after 3. Jamie treated us to lunch at noon and the last thing they completed was hanging the new sign and light out front of the building. The post was already there but there was some basic electrical work required, which Bill took care of while Jamie assisted.

It was a good 'fix-it' day
and I know Jamie appreciated Bill's help and expertise

Jamie works inside on machines while Bill fastens the kick plate thingy
at the front door

This one washer has given them and customers grief
Two heads are better than one and four hands better than two!

I could see why some U.S. laundromats have full-time personal on site for the bigger venues. There were a few customers using a lot of machines and after each one left, things would get dropped and left (dryer sheets, Kleenex) and just dirt and fluff from their boots or their clothing. I would wipe things down as they vacated and swept the floor in certain areas about 4 times.

A couple of the dryers had been 'jiggered' with and screws were
loosened
We're sure some kids were trying to get to the coins
Jamie has security cameras all over so it is easy to see the culprits

In between tidying, I got out the gray paint and did some touch up painting for Jamie on baseboards etc. and especially over a graffited wall inside. Seriously? I don’t care who loves who. I did some reading from a Lee Child book I picked up across the street at the book drop and chatted back and forth with Donna and Pat. We were packed up by 3:30 and drove over to Rob and Pat’s for Happy Hour. We hadn’t seen them for at least a month and a half and that’s a long time! ☹

Preparing and then connecting the light

From both sides

And the new sign is up

We stopped to get water before leaving Durham

It took a lot of pictures to get three decent ones of the night sky
on the drive home

It was a great visit over coffee and some slices of banana bread and we caught up on a lot of things. We do miss these get-togethers. Time flew by and it was 5 that Bill said we needed to get a move on. Didn’t mean to cut into their meal time. 

But it was pretty sky and worth the effort

We weren’t that hungry when we got home so opted for cheese and a snack instead of a full meal. Even soup or grilled cheese seemed like too much. At 7, Bill went next door to watch the first of two movies with W & S.

It reminded me of the colours we see in Arizona
The gray marks in the sky here are geese 
the first flock in V formation

I finished yesterday’s post and started this one for today. It was a busy one, out and about, but it was a great day. Jamie sent me an evening picture of the new sign and it looks awesome! I hope you had a wonderful day too.

After we got home, Jamie sent me a picture
of the sign in the dark of night

From both sides
He is very pleased to have them up
Eventually, they may add a second light but for now
it looks great!
Good night!

Thank you for popping by.

Light up my Life and Town - Late Post

Paisley, On

On Friday, Nov. 27^th after Bill left, I was ready to get up by 7. I took my time, washed, got ½ dressed (meaning I slipped into my fuzzy jammy bottoms) and went down for my cup of tea. I tossed a couple of pepperettes and some cheese in a baggie and got my coffee thermos ready to go. Upstairs, I worked on finishing my blog. Gosh, I get lazy and/or tired at night and just don’t have the gumption to publish. I think the yarn did me in!

Another Norm's sign for you
It made me chuckle too

I left the house around 8:30 and had a good drive to Durham. I did a text wave to Donna as I went through in response to her text. 😊 It was mild but occasionally sprinkly. The wipers were intermittent, then off, then on again. One customer was present at the Mat doing laundry. An older lady who frequents the laundromat often and she seems like a really nice person.

Coming home from Durham, a bunch of us got caught behind this
wiggly, wobbly scrap metal load on the wagon behind
a tractor
Lordy oh Lordy, are you kidding me?

When I found one of my Do Not Use cards stuck in a washer, I turned it over to see if they’d written what the problem was. Instead it said: “Need a date?” A phone # was provided. I showed the lady and we both got a good laugh out of that as I tossed it in the garbage. Neither of us were game. Ha ha. Two other ladies and a gent came in while I was there and one lady in particular is important. A young lady who needed some assistance.

Bill's day ends before 4

I say young, she’s probably my daughter’s age. We started chatting and I came to find out that she works at Rockwood Terrace. When I told her my Mom was in there for 4 years until she passed, she asked her name. She had me repeat again that Marjorie Snelgrove was my Mom. I’m getting teary-eyed just writing this because I have never been prouder of my sweet Mama, leaving such a wonderful impression on people.

Here are some pictures of the Paisley lights
some better than others
Marty's, where we picked up supper

This house looked better than the picture shows

but I loved that they had lights in every window
simple but elegant

All of the staff know her and remember her with a smile, a laugh and a story. The more we talked, the more she remembered meeting Bill and I when we were eating supper with Mom one time. She is the dietician there and with her mask on and the distance we kept between us; I couldn’t recall her. There were so many stories, so many coincidences in regards to Mom, Rob’s Aunt Mary and on and on.

The little gingerbread couple greeted me first

It was definitely a ‘bump into’ type of meeting that was destined. Before we parted ways, Erin asked me for my phone # so we could text. She is looking for temporary accommodations somewhere, long personal story, so maybe I can keep an eye open for her too. I hope she doesn’t forget to get in touch, I really enjoyed meeting her. I was delayed because of this but had finished cleaning so was on my own time. 😊 It was 11:30 when I left to drive home.

These characterson the 4-wheeler were next
sorry for the blur

In Hanover, 40 minutes from Paisley, I stopped at the mall with Giant Tiger, Dollarama and Independent stores. I had a small grocery list and managed to find everything in G.T. and Independent. The drive home had me smiling about my laundromat experience and singing along to Elvis on XM-Sirius radio. When I returned home, I got the Christmas tree box out of the closet. Bill got it down for me last night.

Crossing the bridge to the north

We love the gingerbread lighting

Here's the stage coach lit up
as was my wish

Before he texted about being on his way, I had it up and a few decorations spread around the foyer. Not decorated yet, that will be a Sunday time passer. I sent an email off to our 6 children after Bill read it and then relayed my days events. Tonight, the town is displaying lights. I’m not sure what it is called, Tour of Lights, Festival of Lights, but at 5:30, you are welcome to tour the town. Businesses are putting their best dresses on, I guess. Yay! I was hoping to see the night time lights.

Not sure why Santa and the snowman are facing the gingerbread man
"I'm over here!" I said but they didn't turn around

Next door, the Hair Garage is pretty too with
an interesting facade

We’ve decided to order supper from Marty’s Bar & Grill across the street. Right across the street. 😊 It is a beautiful night, no wind and so I slipped into my boots, hat and coat and walked to the north of town. Just as I reached the Community Centre corner, Santa came by on his float. It’s a one-man parade! My picture is terrible of him as well as the other characters who went by on their quad but I enjoyed it all the same.

And the little town display in the window was beautiful and moving
parts entertained young and old alike

It was too early when I came back to pick up our supper so let myself in the house. It is a dark corner getting into the garage door but I’m sure they didn’t know I was out and about. I should have turned a light on myself when I exited. Bill had a snooze while I was out so we were both happy and ready to eat at 6:30. Mine was a chicken quesadilla and Bill ordered a classic burger with fries.

A yummy supper, which we'll do again
There were a lot of choices on the menu

Bill's burger and fries

As we ate, we both expressed how good the meal was. I had to wait about 5 minutes which was great because it meant it was hot ‘off the grill’. We will definitely do this again and my compliments to the chef and the establishment. We only had a few dishes since we ate right out of the Styrofoam containers. Why not, eh? I had one piece of quesadilla left over for a lunch one day. It was yummy!

More businesses on display

The parade - again, I almost missed him
Hi Santa!!
Only one float 😁

The Christmas Bazaar display
Simple cardboard but it's very creative

The Museum

Upstairs, I hopped in the shower and Bill stretched out on the bed to finish his book. At 7:30, I went across to watch Jeopardy with Wes and Susan. Got a few answers correctly, as did they, so I guess we’re all pretty smart. 😊 Then I returned to our room and worked on my blog post. I’m feeling mighty tired so it will be delayed.

In the Pharmacy window, this adorable
replica of Mrs. Claus baking cookies and Santa reading the paper

This was a good day with some variation. You’ll see our little tree when it is finished so I hope it is worth it! 

And my favourites of the night are the ones of the Mill
at the dam
This abandoned building had Christmas lights in every window

Spooky but wonderful!

And even though this one isn't crystal clear, I believe it belongs on a
decorative plate. Don't you?
Good night - (stay tune for Saturday's posting)

Thank you for popping by!