Morning Chores Stretch into Afternoon, A Wonderful Memory to Close the Day

The Ridge

On Thursday, Apr. 8^th I was up just as Bill was leaving the Suite by 7:15. It looked like another glorious day, with clear blue skies. I had my cup of tea and at 8:30 got ready to head to town to clean the Mat. The warm 10C/50F gives me a burst of energy but it only lasts for a few hours and then I want to just chair hop as a few of my blogger friends call it. 😊

I wanted this to be my first picture
rather than my 'real' first picture!

I found 2 machines with signs that they were used for horse blankets AGAIN so I had a mess x2 to clean. They weren’t as bad as before but still………I removed the ‘debris’ and ran a wash with bleach through each one. I also texted Jamie and his wife, Cheryl, to see if they are able to see anything on their home cameras. Who is doing this? At home, I will make up a couple more signs but I’m not too optimistic they will change anything.

Not what a cleaner wants to find
%*#!!**#

There was a nice gentleman in the Mat, whom I’ve not seen before, doing his laundry and we chatted about travelling south and the virus and vaccines. We are kind of both on the same page in our thinking about Covid and the pros and cons (and unknowns) of the vaccines. I’m getting mine because we will have to in order to travel south, and that is probably the only reason that is substantial, right now. It is yet to be seen where else anyone may or may not be able to go without it.

The dam looks different today than any other time I've seen it
with only one section flowing

Before leaving the laundromat, I called our Durham Home Hdwe to see if they have a toilet seat in stock. Jamie has given me/us the go ahead to replace the broken one. I’m so glad as I’ve feared someone will fall off and get hurt (or claim to be hurt), there isn’t much room to fall in that small loo. I drove there to their curbside pickup table and had it in the car within 5 minutes. Faster than going in anyway!

Watching water flowing at a dam is as mesmerizing
and calming as watching a fire

I dropped the seat off in the lockup and started out of town. I’ve been meaning to stop at the McGowan Falls to see the dam since arriving here but today was my first chance. It is quite beautiful and I’ve never noticed only one section before. While sitting on the bench watching the falls, I received an email that my Amazon order for Fitbit face covers and a new fancy band will be delivered today.

These geese are hungrily grabbing weeds
The river here is very low, that ground off in the distance
is usually covered in water

I scooted back to Ptooties to be home to receive it. I don’t know what Purolator does if you’re not home and didn’t want to find out the hard way. Before I left the Ridge earlier, I turned our inverter on and uplugged from power. That will be two days savings on an electric bill. 😉 Every little bit helps. I know we have a couple of days of sun but then rain takes over for even longer. We’ll get the best out of the warm, dry ones while we can.

He hadn't even left the area and I'd picked up my parcel

I was happy to see my package arrive

Two face covers for my Fitbit Alta
and a dressy watchband for a wedding in the fall
I love it!

Well, I shouldn’t have rushed because my parcel wasn’t dropped until 3 and it was left in the mailbox. I was just happy to receive it. After I had a bite to eat, and a coffee, I puttered around. Bill had found a door knocker in the storage shed, that he got from his Dad. 

I'd forgotten we had a second one like this

It is like the one on our bathroom door but this one is damaged, he figures, by mouse pee since their dropping were rampant in there from the winter.

It didn't work perfectly but it is a natural cleaner
and wouldn't hurt the knocker

It is definitely better but our name is next to invisible

So, I mixed up a home remedy for cleaning brass. The vinegar, salt and flour made a pasty mixture that I coated the piece with as well as the metal ceiling tile I found. It didn’t clean it up completely, and you can’t read the Richards’ name, but it is definitely better. Then, I was drawn to the garden. There was a lovely breeze so I shouldn’t get too hot, even though our outdoor thermometer was reading 74F. Boy, was I wrong.

I worked on cleaning up the garden and made great progress
The bottom right picture shows the irises at the top by the fence
and I'll tackle them another day
Soon, I can spread my mulch in there 😀

I am pleased that I got a lot of the garden cleaned up and removed the dead leaves and some grass that had started growing up from under the plants. The phlox is the worst, hard to stop grass from sprouting up through the thick foliage. It is one of the summer banes. It was when I was just finishing up for the day, when I noticed Purolator driving by. It was a good time to walk down and check the mail box and that was when I found my order.

Lots of wind up here and it comes from all directions
on any given day so building a sheltering wall wouldn't work
Don't fence me in!! Ha ha

Not real dandelions, can't remember the name (again)
but for you, Deb D.

Within a few minutes of getting back up the hill, Bill drove in. 😊 It was only 3 so nice that he had some afternoon left. He dozed in the chair while I went outside to paint my toenails in the shade. It is that time of year when they need colour. Usually, they are painted all year round, with our lifestyle being as it is. Bill came out and did a couple of small jobs too, moving Ptooties tires into the shelter and then we discussed an alteration we want to make to the corral.

the 'new' thermometer from the auction
works well, sitting outside on my shelves

A beautiful day and I slipped the awning out for a while

We came inside at 5. I was hot and sweaty so hopped in the shower before I began making it. We were having burgers tonight. I Bill had hoped to bbq them but we had an empty propane tank for the Weber Q so I fried them up inside with bacon and cheese. They were good and I even enjoyed the mess of mine in a tortilla wrap a second time. For dessert, it was hot enough that a dish of frozen yogourt tasted really good.

So, in the shelter of our awning, I painted my toenails
'Tis the season! 

After dishes, I finished writing my blog and downloading pictures. Whether it gets posted tonight is to be determined. 😊 Tomorrow, I have to take a run to Elmwood and then work at the body shop for a couple of hours. It will be a busy day. I hope your weather today was as nice as ours was. The evening was longer than I expected because Bill and I planned to watch one of our all time favourite movies together. It meant staying up until 11:30. I teased him and asked "Have we ever seen this one before?" Only a hundred times!!! Bridges of Madison County. 

3 memory pictures today 
June 19, 2011
Winterset, Iowa

You couldn't drive across it in 2011, not sure when they closed it
The movie was based in 1965 but made in 1995

Good night!

Thank you for stopping in.