Stacking up the Days, Online Shopping, Responding to the Bell, Vegetable Plants

The Ridge

On Monday, May 31^st (last day of the month!) Bill was up early and I’m surprised I didn’t hear him get up. Maybe I did, I’m not sure. I woke up chilly at 2:40 and had a fitful sleep from then until 6:15 when I heard Gibbs barking downstairs. He was trying to grab Bill’s boot laces while Bill was trying to tie them. It is a morning ritual, it seems. Sometimes the spray works and sometimes not. It is a game to Gibbs, more the ‘thrill of the chase’ rather than trying to actually chew. LOL

after Daddy leaves for work, Gibbs takes up post
at the door for about half hour

I got up but I have to admit that I enjoyed the feeling of not having to be anywhere at any time today. My body was protesting somewhat with achy legs and upper arms so the walk and the work in the garden caught up with me. It is always much improved after doing my leg stretches before getting out of bed so by the time I’m downstairs, I don’t need to take anything for easing the aches. 😊

We relaxed in my chair together and these moments
are rare, when he actually sleeps 

After Bill left, Gibbs curled up at the door and slept for a while. I sat at the table with my tea and finished yesterday’s post. I just had pictures to download. The sky was a little ‘iffy’ first thing, looking dark blue but all that did was convince me not to walk right away. Gibbs rang the bell just before 8 so we went out for a short walk down the hill. He had to piddle right away and then pooped on the return trip up the other side. This tells me that he full well knows the theory.

It was a lovely morning

He does love being outside but I kept him on his leash as I wasn’t ready to stay out just yet. I fed him, he ate every morsel rather quickly and then about 15 minutes later, he rang the bell so we went for another walk on the leash. I knew he’d done his business and it was safe to leave him loose downstairs while I had my shower. Sure enough, he slept most of the time. He loves my clogs and drags them around the floor to chew on them. I’d sprayed them with the Bitter Cherry spray before going upstairs and they were left untouched. Good boy!

Another one of Clemson's leftover toys

I went online to my niece’s Norwex party site. I know I’ll be hosting a party on June 11 – 13 but still wanted to place a small order to support her party. Maybe she’ll do the same for me. 😊 After placing the order, I got my Norwex dust mitt out and did all of the woodwork. It actually worked great in the bedroom too, to remove the dust from the closet mirrored doors. Once we take the ‘storm’ windows off the door, I’ll use them on the screens. Supposed to work great.

Gibbs and Ducky (get it? Ducky is the ME on NCIS)
but he is actually chewing on a rubber duck

It was noon hour so I made myself one of my wraps and a coffee. That was filling with some tuna on the side. Bill called to update me on Black Beauty. That was the reason for his early wake up call at 5:30. Our back up camera has stopped working – again. Last spring, summer? We took it to Heinz auto body to get the tailgate fixed and they ordered in a new camera from Leslie Ford and installed it. So, today at L.F. they say they have to replace it. The waiting game of whether or not it was still under warranty begins.

Gibbs is very attracted to our rubber clogs
so I sprayed them today

I wasn’t feeling too energetic today and a had a hard-enough time keeping up with Gibbs each time he wanted to go out. So! I sat around a fair bit and just enjoyed the day. After lunch, I went into Durham to see what vegetable and annuals Foodland had in their greenhouse. I filled up with fuel at Colpepper’s Pioneer station and then went plant shopping.

It seems everything I make is messy and my wraps are
no exception but they taste good!

I found 2 kinds of tomato plants so bought 4 of each. Their peppers didn’t look good to me and were individually potted so I chose some Salvia and some Celosia instead. The latter I’ve had before in London but couldn’t have told you the name. I just think they are pretty. I also found a hanging plant called Bacopa that would work for one of my planters, not in white, as I’d hoped, but in pale purple. 😊 It will have to do.

My new plants will get planted this week

When I left there, I headed for home. It was a lovely hot day and once I returned and let Gibbs out of his crate, the laziness took over. It was a quiet afternoon, in and out, with my book and just relaxing in the sun. Bill got home after 5 and we relaxed watching NCIS until 6. I made omelette sandwiches and they were jam-packed! Eggs, bacon, cucumbers, pepperoni, onions, peppers and cheese. Boy, they were good!

My rhubarb - it isn't as big as it looks

Hardly enough for a pie! But next year there could be
more!

After dishes, we watched one of our favourite movies. The American President came on at 7 and we haven’t seen it for a long time. I think we have our own copy but with nothing else on tv, it was a perfect evening to enjoy it. 😊

A simple supper and we got our eggs and bacon for the day
Good night!

Thank you for stopping around, this was a wonderful slow day. I’m going to be busier for the next couple of days.

Lovely Spring Day, Tilling the Gardens, Peony Pop!

The Ridge

When I woke up on Sunday, May 30^th it was 6:30. I woke first and was surprised not to see Gibbs in bed with us. Nope, both he and Bill were still sound asleep. 😊 The furnace was running so I waited for it to stop and took my ear plugs out to listen for any sounds downstairs. Someone was tired! Within 5 minutes, I heard a whimper and I slipped out of bed and took the little sleepyhead out.

For the first couple of weeks, we had pillows here so Gibbs
couldn't get behind our chairs
He would crawl under and get confused
Now, he goes behind here to sleep or play 😂

I then went about sorting the laundry while Bill got up and about. Unfortunately, I must not have kept him outside long enough, as Gibbs while running around upstairs had a couple of accidents. ☹ Darn, we were doing so good! He does ‘leak’ when he gets excited but who am I to berate that? The poop was unacceptable though and we scolded him appropriately and put him outside right away.

After working outside all morning, I made one of Bill's
favourite things
Pillsbury Cinnamon Buns 

Bill stayed home with him while I went into the Mat to clean and do our two loads. It is a gorgeous day so I brought them home to hang. With that done, I took my tea and laptop outside to the patio table in the shade and worked on yesterday’s blog post. My laptop wouldn’t open for me last night, just gave me a black screen. I have no patience for that so just closed it up. Gibbs was out with Bill so I wanted to be close enough so he would leave him alone.

Gibbs and I went for a walk down the lane on his
leash and I took him off it at the corral point
He runs right to Bill's Hangar looking for Daddy

Bill keeps saying he is Momma's boy but he sure
loves his Papa too, don't you think?

Bill was putting trim on the porch and putting the carriage bolts in to secure the deck to the posts. Both of us are so pleased with this change, having a nice level entry like this is wonderful! Then, when he’d gone as far as he could, he took the tiller up the hill and tilled my garden plot and a couple of spots down the corral hill where it is very uneven and rocky. This will make it easier for him to cut with the riding mower.

Finding noisy things he can play with safely outside

Once he can get pieces off, it gets taken away
I won't bring his inside toys outside yet as they end up
under the Suite and he isn't of the mind at this point
to go get things when prompted 

Now, I can clean the areas up and buy some plants for my vegetable garden. I won’t go crazy with the tomatoes this year since I don’t need to make anything extra. I haven’t fully decided what all I will plant. Tomatoes and peppers for sure. Maybe cucumbers and/or zucchini. Bill isn’t a big veggie eater other than corn, I’m sure you’ve noticed, so no point in planting peas. Hmm, beans maybe?

Bill tills a few hilly rocky spots beside the corral

and along the fence line
I'll pick up the rocks later

I will decide in the morning. Green onions, lettuce and radishes are always a pretty good price when they are in season so I won’t bother with those. I spent the rest of the day outside, pulling the few weeds out of my freshly tilled garden. The earth is so nice now, after 4 years of planting. There are still rocks, mostly the size of an egg or smaller so I picked those out. Gibbs was a big help, playing in the dirt and grabbing the weeds and stones. LOL 😊

The Supervisor making sure things are done properly

Finally, I had to put him inside as I couldn’t keep things out of his mouth at the same time I was working. I do get a laugh out of him and enjoy the time we spend together. Bill was down in the Hangar, making progress on his plane. I’m glad that he is taking a break from the outside work. We could have also gone for a ride on Jazz, it was warm enough, but both decided the priority today was to lay low and relax.

this is the freshly tilled plot on the hill

Our London peonies are popping! Yay!
I wish the flowers lasted longer

I haven’t heard from the fellow who was going to stop in to see the chain saw so maybe he changed his mind. Oh well, I just think he should have let us know. The night isn’t over yet and maybe he’ll be in touch, he seemed nice enough in his texts. 

The garden is ready for planting

Working up on the hill gives me a nice view over our property

With the wagon, I was able to cart my chair up easily

When I finished the garden and was on my own (no Gibbs), I raked and removed the stones and grass/weed clumps from the newly tilled area up on the berm. I didn’t have the energy today to clean up the mess but will get a fresh start tomorrow on that.

Where other trees suffered from the odd spring weather
Goose the Spruce flourished

He is covered in many new pale green sprouts

I came down from the hill and brought my book and Gibbs out. We sat near the Suite and I had him on his long leash so I could relax. That worked for about an hour and I put him back inside. Around and around the base of my chair he went and I had to keep untangling him. What a goof! 

In case you were wondering, the goslings are growing
like crazy!!

Bill joined me around 4 and when I went up to bring the clothes in, he stretched out in the hammock and fell asleep. He didn’t want sun so it was a good spot although he woke up a bit chilly.

The new flower garden is raked, I just have piles of rocks
and grass clumps to remove

At 5:30, Bill lit the Weber Q and began barbecuing the burgers. Inside, all I had to do was get the condiments ready and warm up the buns at the right time. The burgers were good but I didn’t have anything for dessert tonight so I hoped he was full enough. Maybe strawberries, cream and cookies later? 😊 Gibbs ate all of his supper again and when we went out soon after, he took care of business pretty quickly.

Snooze time

I’ve started him using the retractable leash again, the first week was too soon. He just laid down with it then. Today, he walked really good with me down the laneway, staying beside me most of the way. Slowly but surely, we’ll get this little guy trained. There are so many new things for him to learn and he’s doing pretty well!

A side view of our set up
It was lovely today with very little to no breeze most of the day
My kind of day! We reached 19C/66F but felt hotter in the sun

The evening went well, I watched 2 episodes of This is Us that had been recorded and Bill watched a movie upstairs until 9. We came together to watch The Good Witch and that did it for the night. This was a great Sunday, spent with my two sweeties. Accomplishing a couple of things was a bonus! At 9:40 we went out and looked up at the clear sky. It was the first time we've seen the ISS (International space station) this spring. 😊

A juicy loaded burger was more than enough to fill me
but maybe we'll need a salad on the side for Bill next time

A memory from 3 years ago
A visit from Pat, Rob, Ellen, Scott and their pooch
whose name I've 'misplaced'
May 30th, 2018
Clemmy must be hiding
Good night!

Thank you for your visit. This ‘summer-like’ weather can last forever. 😊

Walk for Alzheimer’s with Family, A New Porch, Bike Sale

The Ridge

On Saturday, May 29^th, the day had arrived for my walk. I’ve been registered for a few weeks now and have pushed for sponsors, all for a great cause. So, today, I want to make you proud, myself proud and Mom, in heaven, proud. 😊 Bill was up around 5:30 with Gibbs and they were crawling back into bed behind me soon after. I didn’t move and within a couple of minutes, they were both sleeping. Aah, cute!

The first big thing was our Walk for Alzheimer's
Donna, Patsy, Joanne

We all got up shortly after 6:30, or maybe it was closer to 7. Bill went outside and began gathering tools and the wood required to build the stoop/porch for at our Suite door. It was a cool morning with some wind but the sky was blue and that sun would surely warm things up quickly. It was hard to know what exactly to wear so I layered and topped it off with a jacket.

There were some beautiful homes along the lake

I arrived at my niece Joanne’s place shortly after 9:30. She was having the same queries “what to wear?” Joanne is a teeny gal so feels the cold even more than I do. When my sister, Donna, arrived we set out walking from there. It is a beautiful area that she lives in but no streets connect with others so even though we walked over 8 km/5 ½ miles, we only walked on 3 roads around the lakes to the dead end and retraced our steps each time.

A flower I'd like to look for this Snow in Summer plant
for our rocky hill

And Allium, another great idea

To make it more enjoyable, we called it our Alzheimer’s Garden Tour. That was fitting since we are all looking for new ideas for garden plants in our plots at home. It was about 2 ½ hours before we all agreed that we were ‘done’ and none too soon. I’d passed a couple of yard sales on my way and thought I’d top on the way home but it was later than I thought it would be when we finished. No worries, it was great fun!

A free bird for the fence or Bunky

We did find that a homeowner had put some ‘free’ items out at the road so we each found something to remember the walk by. 😊 I said goodbye with hugs and drove home.  It was around 1:15 when I pulled up the lane after having met Billy just leaving the Ridge. He’d been helping Bill since 9:30. Mike was taking over in his place and I know Bill was very grateful for their help and expertise. These are the guys he works with every day.

A good spot for a picture using my funky tripod

Boy was I thrilled to see the porch done and only the steps to complete when I got home. I couldn’t get inside for a while, until the risers were up and a couple of steps in place but when I got in, I made Bill and I a meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato bunwich. Mike wasn’t hungry but we were starved! My legs were really feeling the extra effort I put in this morning but a good feeling that I’d completed a nice walk for a great cause. Our proud Mom was watching over us, I’m sure.

Donna cleans for the owner of this place
A nice couple who love dogs
There are biscuits in the container

Go fish!

The home stretch, we are de-layered and tired

All the roads we walked on said No Exit

During the final ‘steps of  the steps’ (haha, I kill me!) I made connection with Liz and Brian. They came from Alliston to check out Bill’s folding bike that we had for sale. We left them alone and sat with Mike while they tested it and made a decision. They were looking for two, of course. Hmmm, I wasn’t going to sell mine just yet but they were such a nice couple and we weren’t going to be taking it south anyway…………so, for the right price, they bought both. It was a good deal for all of us.

I sat with Gibbs an supervised the steps going in 😂

Their cutting station

After Mike left, we sat for a while and rested before going out to clean up the mess. 😊 It was a good mess, worthwhile I mean. I picked up the wood pieces and took the ones for burning to Bill’s fire pit and the good ones to stack by the Hangar. We won’t be burning the pressure treated wood in our ‘community’ fire pit. Since we hadn’t eaten lunch until 2:30, neither of us were too hungry but we agreed on toasted tomato, bacon, cheese and lettuce sandwiches for supper.

Yummy and easy

It was very good and we finished off the bit of black cherry ice cream with some strawberries for dessert. I was tired, too tired for a movie and/or too tired for reading so at 9:30 I went up to bed. Bill stayed up until 11, took Gibbs out and he went in his crate easily. He was also very tired from the day supervising the boys while they worked on the porch.

Gibbs seldom sits still so Bill was enjoying
this cuddle moment

Checking out the new steps
Telling me to come and get him

He was a little devil though when Bill first left him ‘free’ inside for a couple of hours. He was upset enough to chew at the bell string and had them all loose on the floor. He also chewed on the little flower in my clogs so obviously he was ticked at us. 😊 We need another few 8’long boards to finish the steps and to close them in but is it ever nice to just step out onto a platform. Bill will have to hone his backing up skills when we return from pulling the Suite each spring.

Just some touch ups to finish

I love it! The boys did a great job!
Good night!

This was a wonderful day with a lot of things taken care of. I’m a happy camper and walker! Thank you for stopping in.