Comfortable Summer Day, Sky Pictures

The Ridge

On Tuesday, Aug. 31^st, last day of the month, Bill was up and gone early. Shortly after 6:30. Gibbs and I didn’t even get out of bed this time, we watched him leave in Black Beauty from our window. 😉 I relaxed with the little guy until 7 when we got up. We've learned that it's best to put him off the bed to make it. He is just TOO helpful if you get my drift.

A couple of Moonflowers were a surprise this morning

As soon as I get my runners out of the cupboard, Gibbs knows that we are going for a walk. I don’t even have to say the word. He waits for me to lift him onto my lap and sits quite good now while I situate his harness on his usual squirmy body. I must admit, it is also much easier without the long hair getting in the way of the clasps! So, we headed out at 7:15.

He leads the way

The misty pond in the morning

By 7:35, past the body shop, he was already showing signs of slowing down. Seriously? It was a beautiful morning, 15C/59F so he shouldn’t be too hot. I actually had to wear a light fleece top with my shorts or my arms would have been ‘shivering me timbers!’. It was wonderful though, that fresh, humidity-free air. I guess it is an indication of what September will bring. We slept well last night with our bedroom windows open with the temperature dropping to about 12C/54F (ish).

Back home, I had my tea and finished publishing my post from Monday. I just wasn’t up to it last night. I’ve started a new book by Mitch Albom. ‘The first phone call from heaven’ is the title and it catches you from the first sentence. It will be a quick read as all of his are. However, I didn’t touch it this morning or I’d never get outside to finish the vine pulling. Sounds like a carnaval event but trust me, it isn’t. It is addicting though and hard to give up on. There is a strange satisfaction when I free the trees and fences from its tangles.

Three huge hibiscus in bloom today

another surprise on my Rose of sharon bush

I left Gibbs inside with a treat and with gloves, a ball cap and clippers I walked to the end of the lane. I meant business! I started at the end of the lane and it wasn’t too bad there but on the east side, it was a disaster. I pulled and snipped, pulled and snipped and sadly some branches of the small trees along there snapped in my efforts. We don’t stress about losing these trees, there are too many saplings growing up along the ditches anyway. More will be cut out come fall.

This fence side of the lane, is a mess
Both of us need to work at it together

Today, I freed these two trees, at least 
for the time being

The clippers are the long ones and can be awkward, trying to get them in position for cutting as low to the base as possible, so I tossed them aside – a lot. One time in my haste, they flipped and the blade end hit the side of my knee. Ouch! I crouched and rubbed it to try and discourage bruising before getting back at it. Just a small cut, so it didn’t slow me down (yet). I didn’t worry about picking up the vines, just pushed them off to the side. That would mean a  few trips with my wagon so I’ll wait to use the truck.

Across the front field
sky to the west
Now, I see the sun dog

I came inside for something to eat at 10:30 before going back up the hill and finishing what I started the other day. Gibbs was outside by then, on his tether, watching me. We sat together for a while, outside, and when I came in, I did the dishes and went up for my shower. My guardian/protector slept right outside the shower doors on the mat. Unconditional love right there. My ♥ swells at how loveable he can be.

Sky to the southwest

The clouds were pretty dominant all day, keeping the day around the 21C mark. I wouldn’t have minded more sun on a day like this as it wouldn’t be too hot to sit in but surprisingly, under the clouds it felt cool. I’m just a sun person and enjoy all things about that natural Vitamin D. 😊 I made a coffee, since I’d missed one earlier, and started my post for the day.

From up at the Ridge
looking down over the Hangar to the west

Yesterday, Bill and I called our new London doctor’s office. Dr. Persaud, my doctor for the past 24 years and Bill’s for longer, has retired from Family Medicine to focus on Long Term Care instead. We’re happy for him but very sad not to have seen him once more. We needed to touch base with Dr. Obute (one of two taking his patients over) basically as an introduction more than anything. Because of our distance, her assistant/receptionist will email us the forms necessary to be filled out.

We debated looking for a dr. up here BUT we’ve heard the wait lists are long and why worry about that right now when we still have a doctor. Our health is good and we haven’t had the need for a visit for over 3 years. That says it all. At least we’ve made contact now, another thing off the list of things to do. There are a couple of family birthdays coming up next week so I dropped one card in the mailbox this morning. It will likely be early.

Over the berm and my garden
to the southeast

The rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy for me, and I spent it reading with Gibbs on my lap. Bill texted just before 5 telling me he would be late. I’m never sure what that means, by how much time, so I just plan supper in my head and wait until I know he’s on his way. 😉 Turns out they did portions of work at two job locations today so that explained when he said he was leaving Durham. The coin dropped, so to speak, for me.

He was home before 6 and a few minutes after he walked in, I lit the Weber. I was pleased that he noticed the vines along the laneway, it helps to explain why I’m moving more like an old lady tonight. Ha ha. I was thinking of picking the brush up in the truck tonight but when things were later than I thought, I’ll get them tomorrow with the wagon. Taking pictures of the piles showed me that it might only take a couple of trips.

a nice meal tonight
and we had room for dessert

Supper was bbq’d sausages with vegetables of our choice (different, of course) and we each had some Chapman’s ice cream for dessert with salted peanuts. 😊 After dishes and Gibbs was fed, we were both done for the evening. I was happy when Bill told me that he liked his banana bread, saying it with the last bite of a piece going into his mouth. ♥

to the south over our turbines
All interesting views tonight
good night!

This was a productive day and when I took Gibbs out for his business, I snapped some pictures of the wonderful night sky. Gorgeous!

Thank you for your visit.

Start of a Week, End of a Month

The Ridge

On Monday, Aug. 30^th, Bill was able to sleep in past his usual wake up time and no alarm! 😊 It was around 7 when we got up and I left the house for work before 7:30. Today was definitely going to be a bit cooler day but still the humidity lingers. Add at least 10 degrees inside the laundromat and that’s the conditions I work in for an hour. I’m not griping though; others are working in that heat for full days.

What a beauty of a sky!

The Mat didn’t seem too dirty today, the floor needed sweeping and damp mopping. However, some customers are never satisfied and the note on the board had two more complaints added to it. True, the laundromat probably should be cleaned daily but the suggestion of 2X daily is a bit much. Jamie couldn’t pay me that often and I really don’t want to be driving into town twice a day. When I think of the number of times that I walk in and there doesn't seem enough to do for me to earn my hour's pay, it baffles me. They’ll just have to live with it until Jamie sells and someone with the funding steps in to update everything.

You know that I love this tree by now
Without the glare in the bottom corner, it would be nice framed
if we had a house to hang it in!

Back home, I had my tea and it was another one of those days where I didn’t know what to get into. Bill and I left Gibbs in charge and drove to Owen Sound. He has plans (on paper) for a model airplane he wants to build but he needs them to be enlarged so he took them to Qwik Print to see if they could assist. Feeling hopeful, we left the plans with Terry. On the way home, we stopped in at the Walmart for our groceries instead of going to Hanover. It's in a different direction.

Bill had had some cereal earlier so wasn’t hungry for much for lunch. I hadn’t eaten so had a gap to fill. I made a coffee and had a warmed piece of zucchini banana bread with butter. With some yogourt, that hit the spot.

With the fireplace removed,
it's a great space
but before you suggest shelves, I still want a heat unit here 😀

We’d picked up a portable heater at the garage sale the other day and since our fireplace is on the fritz, not shutting off again, we decided to put this unit in its place. It is a nice looking unit, doesn’t look like a fireplace but it isn’t about presentation here, just heat when we want to take the chill off as seasons change. So, today, Bill removed the original unit and we set this one inside. 😊 It looks fine. There is a lot of room on each side and on the top so we’re thinking of ways to make better use of those’ gaps’.

Bill wanted to toss this out but tried
to fiddle with it first
Thank goodness!

Funny story about the heater. Bill decided to take the fireplace unit apart once more and when he touched the relay board on the heater itself, everything worked. It fired up and it shut off with the remote. What the?? Now that is a bit freaky. He tried a couple of times and it continued to work fine. In the manual, he found the product code for the board in their parts list. He put it back in the opening and we are back to square one.

Gibbs refused to carry the recycle bin
He just likes to lead the way and make sure I follow

That’s okay about the heater because Bill can use it down in the Hangar for those cold fall and spring days. 😊 That was really what drew his attention to it at the sale in the first place. He will place an order from Dimplex for a new board because more than likely during travel, we could encounter the issue again with the current one. He took the new heater down to his 'cave' and tucked it away for now. Hopefully he won't need it TOO soon!

He ran so hard and fast that he bee-lined right
for the shade by the Hangar

With 2 ½ soft bananas left in the freezer, I made some regular banana nut bread for Bill. The only thing ‘keto’ is the sugar substitute and he doesn’t mind that, not being able to taste the difference. It is cooking right now, 2 loaves, so I hope he enjoys them. Gibbs and I went out after they were done baking and we walked down to get the recycle bin and check for mail. The latter was junk but we brought the bin back and I let him run with his leash. He can really move! I hope he never stops making me laugh.🐕

Next time I'll only use one loaf pan
Not sure why they had me divide it, each slice was only about 1 1/2" high
I sent a couple of buttered pieces with Bill for his lunch Tuesday

The little bum and I hung around outside at the Hangar and in the hammock. He must have heard something in the wood pile, Chippy maybe?, and so I got some more entertainment watching him root around the chunks of wood. He also ran around and found his pool at the end of the Suite which had about 2 – 3” of rain water in it. It started out with him trying to get a drink and next thing I knew, he was right in it, splashing and drinking. 😊 When he dried ‘out’, we came indoors. The energy!!

Before I dump it this time, it needs a good scrubbing

We watched NCIS for an hour before we started making supper. Fish and chips tonight. I’d wanted burgers but forgot that we cooked the last of the them last week. Woops! Too bad I didn’t remember that when we were at Walmart. LOL I have to go to Hanover this week to get my yogourt from Independent anyway so will pick some up then.

He sat on the corral hill surveying the property and
had a good view of Bill's Hangar from here too
LOL that grass needs cutting again!

Supper was great. Bill had fish and fries and I had fish and my leftover lasagna. I know, I know, it doesn’t go together but when you have leftovers that need to be eaten, you do what you have to. It was spicy, I’d forgotten that and if I ever were to have it again at QB, I would ask them to skip the hot peppers. 😊 Why would you do that to lasagna? We did the dishes together, as usual, and had a quiet evening. I worked on my blog but decided to finish it in the morning. Just because.

My supper was good even though not traditional

This was a really nice day, a surprise day off for Bill. The fact that he got the fireplace working again is a bonus! If we hadn't bought the heater, that never would have happened, right? 👍 Already we are nearing the finale of August! I can't believe it! In case you're wondering, we are trying very hard to be positive about our winter plans. Of course, deep down we have some minor worries about 'what if?' but other thana few inklings of ideas, we aren't dwelling on it - yet.

a spot to fill so here is Clemson
Aug. 30, 2018
after a haircut
Such a sweet little guy 💗💖
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by.

Sundays are for Relaxing and That's What We Did!day

The Ridge

On Sunday, Aug. 29^th we were surprised that we slept in until 7. That goes for Gibbs too! Obviously, we’d had a good sleep. 😉 By the time we got up and made the bed, I decided not to go for a walk. Sorry, Gibbs. Bill informed me that the day was going to be another hot and humid one even though it looked quite cloudy. We went about our day with no real plans in mind.

Bill and Gibbs share a moment

Bill was too frustrated to go back to working on the pump, we just can’t figure it out. Now, he has it working again, the pump seems to be keeping its prime but instead of shutting down after building pressure, it looks like it is letting water go back down into the pipe. Something is definitely different than the other day when it worked perfectly and we are at a loss. I didn’t really want him spending hours on it again today all for naught. He'll get it figured out, eventually. 

Breakfast 

We had an earlier breakfast than usual, a Sunday fare of bacon and eggs, and then I did a couple of updates on my phone and laptop. I also splurged and went into Bill’s Atlas for Men site and ordered myself a couple of things. From that you can tell that it isn’t just ‘for men’. 😊 He has ordered a lot of really nice pieces of clothing from this Canadian company and we haven’t had a problem with anything so I thought I'd try.  I love how he is branching out and getting into more summer colours.

After breakfast, we had a porch visitor

He turned so I could check out his back side too

Bill and Gibbs had their snooze around noon and by then we had closed windows and turned the a/c on again. We should get relief from the heat this week and will be able to cut back on our power/hydro usage. We’re curious about the bill for the month of August. We’ve used air conditioning more this summer than we have in the last 20 years! Times seem to be a-changing.

"Are you getting this?" he asks.

Bill went out to his Hangar, he said he had some cleanup to do and until it got too hot down there, he would putter away. I didn’t really know what to get into this afternoon so just puttered. I’m debating getting my cross stitch out again, something to work at inside. I believe that I am feeling after effects of pulling the vine on Friday. My right bicep is achy when I lift my arm. I did some stretching exercises this morning to relieve what seems to be my sciatica nerve and this new pain. LOL

The rain last night did a number on the 
top of our lane again

Isn’t age wonderful? Well, again I say that it is better than the alternative so yah, I guess it is pretty great. 😊 The clouds are constantly changing positions in the sky so we are seeing white fluffies one minute but lots of blue sky in the background. Bill had some water leftover in the bladder in the back of the truck so he put what he could in the Suite freshwater tank and it took all of it, so that topped us right to the 100%. 

Gibbs and I spent the afternoon
down by the Hangar in the shade

Our supper was bbq’d sirloin steak and a potato with vegetables. A lovely Sunday night meal. We were also ‘topped’ up and didn’t need dessert tonight. I did the dishes while Bill finished up outside. He also rinsed the bladder with bleach, since that hasn’t been done yet this summer. These bladders that we have bought sure pay for themselves with us living up here on the Ridge. The amount of water toted from the Acreage is unbelievable!

I also just wanted to get a few pictures
on my phone

Looks a bit disgruntled but he really
did enjoy the outdoors with Mom

So much so that he fell asleep on his pillow

Bill made his lunch, sadly he has work tomorrow but at least it is just in town again. The weather network has issued another Storm Watch overnight and it looks like this one will bring in some more comfortable temperatures for Monday. 24C/77F or thereabouts. The nights will be cooler so we can opt to have windows open or not. The a/c won’t be necessary, maybe not even tonight.

A really nice supper

This was a wonderful relaxing day. I got a lot of my book read outside sitting in the shade with Gibbs. Bill got some things cleaned up in his Hangar and we even took time to peruse some Quartzsite parks. Dreaming, that’s what we’re doing.

Update: Bill has tomorrow off, yay!

A peek out the back window at the pretty summer sky
As I finish this at 8:20 pm, the sky is now black with clouds
with the occasional flash of lightning and the rumble of thunder
Good night!

Thank you for your visit today. Your comments are always welcome!

Just a Blink of a Post

The Ridge

On Saturday, Aug. 28^th, it was around 7:30 when we got up. Gibbs slept with us last night and with windows open, we were all quite comfortable. I left with the laundry before 8 and had no interruptions or new discoveries at the Mat. Before leaving Durham, I made a bank stop and a stop for water, and then stopped at a garage sale.

Bill and I took a different route to Durham
this afternoon, we each needed things at
Home Hardware
this is called Camp Oliver Road

I was the first customer and left with a new, in the box, HP printer for $10. There was no bargaining required, they were selling their parent’s stuff and taking what they could get. 😊 Ours has been giving us grief for a couple of years, working sometimes, not others and it is very heavy to move around. It is up in the top cupboard making it very difficult to work with when it jams.

the printer should work out just fine 

Anyway, this one is so lightweight, I figured for $10 it was worth a shot. I’ll let you know once the ink runs out on the old one. I hung the clothes back home and watched the clouds move in a couple of times. No rain, even with the occasional threat, and they dried nicely by 2. During the day, Bill worked away at the pump again and I took my wagon up the hill to pick up yesterday’s vines. They were dried from the heat so much easier to cram into the loads.

Supper - simple and yummy

When Bill had the sprinkler working again, I was so hot that I actually stood right in its path. That felt great! Around 4:30, we all came inside and that was it for the day. No more work. We dozed a bit and both agreed on a simple supper after last night’s evening out. So, toasted tomato, cheese and lettuce sandwiches it was. Together we put them together and they hit the spot with a custard for dessert. It also made dishes simple too. 😉

Gibbs can entertain himself giving us time
to ourselves too - sometimes. 🐕🐾

The evening was spent watching movies and unless the rains come through the wee hours, we’ve had another dry day. Good thing I watered my planters, the flowers were getting pretty droopy. It got very hot and humid today, almost unbearable out there. However, we had another good day chocked up and we’re halfway through the weekend already.

Because I didn't take many pictures today,
a look back at 4 years ago today
A visit to our former workplace in London
It never hurts to see pictures of my two sweeties!
Good night!

Thank you for popping around.

Morning Clean Up, Puzzling Afternoon, Birthday Celebration

The Ridge

On Friday, Aug. 27^th, it was again a cloudy start to the day. Bill was up at 6:30 today, he only had to go 10 minutes down the road for work. Gibbs and I got up around 7 and we were actually out the door for our walk before Bill left. I thought we’d walk to the east this morning, since that was the way he would be driving. Gibbs had other ideas. The big hill seemed to freak him out so he braked. 😊 I guess, from his perspective of 10” off the ground, it would seem daunting.

Walking into the sun

Then walking to the west corner

So, we turned back and walked to the corner of Baptist Church Road before returning home. Bill was delayed only because he’d got a call from the boss that he was delayed, which meant he was just getting ready to leave around 8 when we got up the lane. It was a walk none-the-less, even though only 20 minutes, better than no walk at all. Inside, I had my tea and finished publishing my blog. I’d taken a lot of pictures and videos of Mona yesterday so had to sort through those.

Heading towards home

Gibbs notices the pond
and that means a drink
I prevent him from doing that out of this water

Sadly, she isn't looking too good. I kind of hoped she would pass on her own in the safety of her cage. ☹ I feel bad that she got so far only to be stuck. With her antennae still moving, we just have to let her live out her life. I figure there isn’t much I could have done differently and she gave me an amazing experience regardless of the outcome. I had some yogourt then Gibbs and I went outside. While he remained on his rope leash, and behaved very well, I went up the berm and began pulling vines off the fence and out of the trees.

It is a useless vine, the small grape-like things, are not good for anything but perhaps birds. They must not like them though as the branches are loaded. The vines are strangling the small trees and I should have got out sooner to take care of this. It seems every year, they just take over. Getting them cut at the base of the plant is the thing to do but it is not easy, as most of it is either on the other side of the fence or down in long grass.

Back on time to see Bill head off to work

I used the clippers where necessary but mostly just pulled and pulled with gloved hands, freeing the trees and fences from its grip. It is a tough vine for sure. I was glad the day was cooler and there was a breeze but I was still huffing and puffing like an old steam engine by the time I finished for today. There is still more to get at it but that was a start. I also have to pick up the piles but I’ll do that another day too.

Just a small example of what this vine did
The fence line was  almost covered and some trees dying

A couple of the 4 piles of vines and a cleaned up fence

From the right side of the fence, the vine reached over
to the apple tree
It is actually a great feeling getting it pulled out of there

Such tough vines, a few times, I've almost
ended up on my bottom from such pulling

Back inside, I had some lunch and worked on the puzzle again. I love the picture so very anxious to get it completed. Bill surprised us by coming home early today, working only until noonish. He had his lunch and he and Gibbs went up to the bedroom for a snooze. They had a nice long one today. We’ve noticed a big improvement in the little guy’s behaviour lately. Oh, there are still a few things that he does to ‘test’ us, but he is getting so much better at many things. 😊

Today's harvest
The peppers will be shared with Gayle,
they like a bit of 'Mexico' in their meals

I finished the puzzle around 4 but was disappointed to find 2 pcs. missing. I kept hoping they would be found at the end but no, they weren’t. When the boys were snoozing, I took the opportunity to trim my toe nails (when Gibbs wasn’t around to help), removed my polish and gave them a fresh coat, in red this time. 

I wanted to share a picture of someone who is tired
of Covid 19's 'plexiglass'
I'm in the shower and had to open the door to grab my phone for this
sad picture

He doesn't like the plexiglass separation
any more than we do!

When I stepped out he had to check it out

We are going out for supper to help celebrate my sister, Gayle’s, birthday. A new place for all of us, I think, and there will be 8 of us. It will be nice to get out.

Now, you see why I was anxious to finish this odd shaped puzzle
The pieces were very odd shaped too with a few hidden doggie things

We left the house at 5:30 and drove to Hanover. Gibbs was in charge of the house and seems to take on the responsibility with grace now. 😊 Woops! We arrived at Queen’s Bush at a few minutes before 6 and got seated on the patio at our bar table. 

Set up under the big tent at 6 and you can see
that it would have been a great time for us to have met
Meals would have been much quicker

It wasn’t until I texted Donna that Bill realized that the reservation was for 6:30. LOL That's what the waitress meant when she said "hmm, the early birds get the worm?" We didn't get her joke until later. There were complete renos going on inside so no indoor seating which worked well since it was a lovely evening. Other than a couple of yellow jackets (bees) pestering us all, we enjoyed the fresh air. The humidity seemed to have dissipated on time. Bill and I were alone for the first half hour so started off with a rum and Coke and a Margarita. Why not? It was a celebration. Hmm, I need to make these at home again!

We had a bit of rain, which lasted about
5 minutes but then this beautiful sunset

Unfortunately, Ronin, our waitress was run off her feet as the place filled up with diners by 7. Maybe we should have all arrived at 6! This meant the chef was apparently overwhelmed and it took an hour before our meals arrived after ordering. We were all about ready to start chewing on our arms. 😊 Well, not quite, but we were hungry for sure. I ordered their homemade lasagna with Caesar salad and garlic toast and Bill ordered their QB burger with fries. Both were very good, no complaints. I brought half of mine home.

My lasagna

Bill's QB burger

Donna and Gerry invited us all back to their place for carrot cake that John and Gayle brought but we declined. We’d left the house at 5:30 and it was already 8:30. Time to relieve Gibbs of his duty. Bill had also worked this morning and was ready to call it a night. We enjoyed ourselves though and say goodbye. At home we watched television until 10 before the 3 of us went up to the bedroom. Gibbs would be cool enough upstairs on the bed with windows open so we gave it a try.

It would have been a perfect picture had I not got my
finger in the way 
Still getting used to the new phone camera
Happy Birthday, Gayle!
Good night everyone! Sorry it's late.

This was a dandy day. 😉 I hope your end of the week was as well! Thank you for your visit.