Cleaning, Haircut, Wet Days, Remembering

The Ridge

On Friday, Oct. 15^th I didn’t wake up until Bill came to and get Gibbs to take him out. It's a game for the little guy. He scoots as far from Bill as possible which means right up against me. Goof. He’d already been up, washed and dressed. Ear plugs help. 😉 It was a few minutes after 7 when I finally pulled myself out of bed. I think I’d been dreaming, good things, visions still floating of my sisters and daughter.

It was a pretty sky again this morning, but different

Bill left at 7:30, pulling the work trailer down the lane and the road. Gibbs and I have started standing at the top of our stoop and watching him until the lights of Black Beauty disappear completely. Then Gibbs is happy to come inside. Our little watch/security dog making sure Daddy is safely away. I had some time so sat at my laptop and read comments and a couple of blogs to catch up.

I know the saying "red sky in the morning"
but unless it is referring to the rain coming,
it wasn't a bad day at all

Next thing I knew, it was 8:05 and I hadn’t washed or brushed my teeth after my tea. I bustled a bit then and Gibbs and I left for Durham. Parking at the laundromat by 8:20, we walked down main street to Bath and Biscuit. It was time for Gibbs to get groomed before his special surgery (ouch!) on Monday. Kate took him in and I walked back to start cleaning. I’d also taken the bed sheets and chair covers to be washed.

There were 3 customers, the whole time I was there, all friendly and one lady, in particular, and I struck up a conversation about dogs and travelling so that was interesting. I had time to kill, Gibbs would be 2 hours, so I opened the big dryers and they really needed to be done. I’m getting the hang of doing those and manage to undo the screws easily. .20¢ was my bonus, under all that lint. 😊

And the sun came up for a short period of time

When it was close to 10:30, I walked to pick the little bum up. He looks so different after each cut and I remember the same was true with Clemson. His hair wasn’t as long this time so not as drastic a change but once again, Kate did a great job. She admitted to having to put a muzzle on him for a short time while she did his nails, he was nipping at her hands. I’m sure she wouldn’t do that if she didn’t have to and it certainly doesn’t hurt him.

Guess who got a spiffy hair cut? 💗🐶

Before heading home, I got a 5-gallon water jug filled at the Water Store. It was a pretty nice day, with the sky breaking up into blue and white patches. Because I had the extra time, I’d dried our sheets at the Mat so it didn’t matter what the sky did.  I had some yogourt and a keto tart before heading upstairs to sort through the cupboards and under the bed to see what bedding we would need to take. I sure don’t need 4 or 5? Sets of sheets!

I mentioned cleaning up the stones around the firepit
a few days ago, next spring this will look better still

That set off a carousel of actions and I went through my end of the closet again, setting aside some wintry clothing (that I needed last year) to put in the Bunky. I felt good that things are falling into place, the way they should. I had good (no, great) news from my buddy Pat while at the Mat. That CNN announced the land border between Canada and US will open on Nov. 8^th! Woohoo! I couldn’t help but feel excited over that as it’s sooner than we expected.

Carrying on upstairs, I removed suitcases and bedding from under the bed and made room for my paint/craft supplies. First, I took the time to test each and every bottle of acrylic paint that I have. If it wasn’t good in any way, it got tossed. I put 3 containers together and tucked them under the bed. I also sorted through my wool stash and chose just what I wanted to take along. If our plans work out the way we’re thinking, I will have a fair bit of time to do a variety of craft projects. 😊

The shampoo, pedicure and hair cut wore him out

Bill came up the lane around 1 o’clock, done for the day. Yay! They made good progress at the shed so he was pleased. We had a bite to heat together and then sat together in our chairs. Gibbs was tired out from his ordeal this morning so Bill dozed too. I’m really into this book so zipping through it pretty good. It is a different kind of story again than I’ve read but figured with saguaro cacti on the cover, I couldn’t go wrong.

At 5, I called Godfather’s Pizza in town and placed an order. I’ve been craving pizza for a very long time but I know Bill doesn’t like the frozen from the store and he is particular about any other than Pizza Hut (or Silly Al’s, of course!!). I’d decided by the time Bill got home that I wasn’t cooking supper. I checked reviews at Riverside Diner in town first but they were not favourable AT ALL. New owners have it going downhill, apparently.

Bill agreed to try this pizza – for me. 😊 At 5:40, I drove into Durham and a piping hot Medium ½ Hawaiian ½ Deluxe pizza was handed to me. For under $15, I couldn’t have been happier. I slipped it into our foil lined grocery bag, zipped it up and zipped home. I can’t believe I ate the whole 4 pieces but they were devoured! Bill didn’t say how much he did or didn’t like his, but it was filling and that was supper.

This was a great pizza, my craving sated

We chatted with Marilynne when she called about the November 8^th border opening. Just one more hurdle and everyone is rooting for us. We cleaned up the few dishes and spent the evening either watching tv or reading. This was an awesome day.

A proud lady and her proud children
on her 90th in 2016

The one damper of the day was the date. October 15^th. It was a year ago at 10 pm tonight that we lost Mom. I clearly remember my sister’s phone call after I’d crawled into bed. “Can you get to Rockwood Terrace? Mom is fading fast”. Missing her by a mere 3 minutes was a heart break but we were still able to sit with her, knowing that she wasn’t alone. The nursing staff was by her side. I miss her joy, her smile, her presence but I also know she is in a better place right now.

I wrote a small poem last night for her and if you don’t mind, I’ll share it now.

The Missing Piece

Boy did we love to do puzzles with you!

Jigsaws and crosswords

And the everyday life ones.

**

From the time we were old enough

Board games, puzzles and books

were part of our life together.

**

The story of our family times shared,

Farm or town living,

Was passed down to my children.

**

A year ago today, I was minutes

From saying goodbye

To my lifetime hero, you, Mom.

**

I held your hand and wept for my loss

Although bittersweet

Because your suffering also ended.

**

I think of you as I work on puzzles

With a saddened heart

A very important piece is always missing.

**

I love and miss you everyday,

Mom ♥

 

Continue to rest well, Mom
good night everyone.

AND - before I finished posting, our blogger friend, Maxx Trails has given us the best news. "The U.S. confirms it will accept Canadian travellers with mixed vaccines". Our departure date is now Nov. 8th. 💕💕😍

Thank you for stopping in on this beginning to a wet windy weekend.