The Days Run Together – Birthday and a Loss

The Ridge

On Sunday, Apr. 30^th we woke, hoping for a reprieve in the wet weather although we really knew better. We're losing track of days because they are all the same. Sounds like everyone is getting much the same weather, well, except for Nancy, our friend in California who is currently in a heat wave. 😊 Lucky her! So, we move on with another ‘inside’ day since there isn’t anything to be done but wait it out.

A cloudy day with periods
of heavy then light rain

It was mild at least, with a high today of 10C/50F, if we make it. After a cup of tea and Bill had his cereal, he drove over to the Acreage for another bladder of water. It wasn’t 15 minutes later that he called and asked me to come and save him. Woops! Black Beauty backs into a place under their shelter frame to get close to the pump shed and beside the wishing well. This is so we save the grass. I neglected to get pictures. Just as well, Black Beauty was embarassed. 

My keto peanut butter sandwich cookies

Today, it was wet from days and days of rain and as soon as Bill backed up, our duelly just slid sideways. Ptooties to the rescue! We had to try a couple of different moves, as we kept slipping in the wet leaves too. LOL It took the 3^rd position for us both to grab some gravel and then it was easy pulling BB forward. To get water, we did have to go on the grass but not too far with an extended hose. I waited, just in case and then he followed me home.

Last year, we had visitors here for a few days.
Hi Patty and Duncan!

Back home, we relaxed for a bit and I attempted to get into the crocheting project I bombed on a few days ago. I feel like such an idiot when it comes to certain things and following instructions on a knitting or crochet pattern is where I fail. I opened a video of the exact kit and as soon as I saw her holding the needle, I knew what I’d been doing wrong. Duh! I made a few mistakes in my project but eventually got on the right track.

a birthday celebration from 2018

We had our bacon and eggs and it was as we were finishing lunch that Donna called and invited us to supper. Today, is Gerry’s birthday and we thought it to be a very nice invitation. Just because. 😊 A call from M informed us that he was feeling better this morning with the meds they gave him and he asked that I come to work tomorrow as planned. When I dropped him off last night, we weren’t sure what how he’d be feeling.

Happy Birthday, Gerry!

We got cleaned up, out of our ‘bumming around the house’ clothes, and went to Hanover just after 3:30. It’s a school night (haha) so we won’t be too late but I wanted to get a run at my blog post. Gibbs was invited too but he whined the whole way, riding in the back of the car. I like to try and understand why and all I could come up with to explain the anxiety is that it was his first time in the car this season. Hmmm. Anyway, we were glad when we got there and he was quite a good boy. 

Aunt Fern as a young lady

On a sad note, this morning, my very first message at 7:50 was from my cousin, Tammy. She was passing on the sad news that her mom, my aunt, Mom’s remaining sister, passed at 7 am. It wasn’t unexpected but that doesn’t mean this loss is any easier for them. Rest in Peace Aunt Fern. She was 98. ♥ At Donna’s, we had a wonderful visit, I worked on her puzzle a bit and then had a delicious supper. Pork loin, roasted potatoes, Caesar salad and apple Betty for dessert. 😊

A pretty sunset with a heavy blanket
hanging in the wings

We relaxed in their living room until after 8:30 when we said our goodbyes. We really enjoyed the evening! This has been a dull, wet day and of course, after supper, the sky cleared and the sun accompanied us home – almost. We’re not done with the wind and rain but tonight, the sky is telling another story with a lovely sunset. Bill packed his lunch, something he hasn't done for 6 months and I headed to bed by 10:30.

Gibbs had an anxious evening
so was exhausted when he got home
He did eat his supper up though. 
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by.

A ‘Nasty Damp Day’

The Ridge

On Saturday, Apr. 29^th there isn’t much to tell. We were all up by 7:30, in succession. Bill first with Gibbs at 6:30 and then me with Gibbs at the latter time mentioned. 😊 I know I will have to change that come Tuesday when I hope to be at the Mat by then.  We’ll see about that!

No matter which window we choose to look out,
these drops were in our view

The day was just another wet, miserable one from beginning to end. The only time I went out was in to town for a couple of things and once to walk to the end of the lane with Gibbs. Bill went to the Hangar but only for an hour or so and the rest of the day we spent inside together.

I love the pond view regardless
of the weather

If you noticed that my title was in quotes, that’s because it is exactly what my sister called this day. I got a fair bit of reading done, watched a movie with Bill, worked on and finished a crossword puzzle from the local paper, chatted with Donna by text and just hung out.

A very wet Bunky

M called that he was heading to the Durham hospital by ambulance with a popped hernia so I felt that I was on ‘call’ to bring him home later. He doesn’t have much support from his brother, who lives closes, or his tenant, whom he does a lot for. I’m hoping they opt for surgery tomorrow and will keep him. It needs to be looked after, sooner than later. ☹

For supper, we had baked chicken thighs, potatoes, Brussel sprouts for me and corn for Bill. It was delicious, the chicken was perfect. I’m getting better at knowing how long they take in the convection oven. Sure enough, at 8, M called and was being sent home so I went to pick him up. The man needs to get things looked after. Monday work at his shop is on hold for the time being.

My sleep boys this afternoon
I can't deny it, I dozed myself

It only took half an hour and I got back to watching The Devil Wears Prada. I’ve seen it before but it is a good one. This has been a very slow but fine day which is okay for a weekend, I guess. 😊

A good supper
Good night!

Thank you for popping by.

Talk About Lazy! That’s What Today Was Here

The Ridge

OnFriday, Apr. 28^th, approaching month end, we woke to clear skies for the second day in a row. Last night’s weather forecast for our area, Grey Bruce, said the clouds would move in late morning and the rain would not appear until around 4. It was a surprise after we were up and had breakfast to step out into a mild 10C/50F at 10:30. If it wasn’t for the wind, which seemed mild by then, it would be lovely.

The clouds moved in about 11 ish
yet it was still a warm day

We lazed around for the better part of this day. We had bacon and eggs for lunch and then took a drive into the Co-op for 10 bags of black earth for my gardens. It was listed outside at $2.49 /20litre bag so I was pleasantly surprised when I got inside and was charged only $1.99/bag. Gotta love savings like that. We stopped at the Water Store to fill a 5 gallon jug and had a chit chat with Mark before heading home.

Gibbs has found a small 2 x 4
and carries it around the yard
Goof!

We did stop at the little book library to drop off 4 of the books we’ve finished. I didn’t pay for them so didn’t want to drop them at the Salvation Army yesterday where someone else would have to pay either. Bill went down to the Hangar for a couple of hours and Gibbs and I stayed inside and watched the next 5 or 6 episodes of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisle. I’m loving this program a lot. 😊

Time for a little play with Daddy

When Bill came up, we settled in to watch some old episodes (with LJ Gibbs!) of NCIS together. At 6, I made what Bill calls ‘pussy-muck’ for supper. That involves ground beef and whatever else I decide to put in it. Tonight, it was onions, celery and vegetable soup to have alongside vegetables and fried potatoes for Bill. It was very good. This afternoon, I did make some keto peanut butter sandwich cookies and the taste-test was a thumbs up.

I started this book yesterday
I like the author but trying to get through
the first chapters on Egyptology. 
Seems like a good story line.

Supper was good

This has been a good day, ending with a phone call from Sandy, laundromat boss, setting up my return on Tuesday. Feels good as I will start back with M at the auto shop on Monday. Things are happening and before we know it, we’ll be head on into the fray again for the summer.

Someone has to check to see if there are any
crumbs left on Daddy's placemat 💓
Good night!

Thank you for the visit.

Shower, Shopping, Shooting the ............Bull 😊

The Ridge

On Thursday, Apr. 27^th there was a covering of frost on the vehicle roofs and even on the ground. We knew last night was to be the coldest night, since we’ve been home, so we weren’t surprised. We also knew that today would be the one and only day in the next 14 that we’d see the sun for any length of time. If it was warmer, it would be a great time to have plants in the ground because so much rain is expected in the future. ☹

This is what I'm talking about

I hopped in the shower once I got up and that hot water felt good on those ‘invisible’ muscles that I used in the garden yesterday. My fingers, wrists, shoulders, back and biceps. I did some ‘Donna prescribed’ stretches in bed last night and then first thing this morning so that helped greatly. Bill said we needed another propane tank filled, it’s true that we’re using it for heat, so headed off to Durham.

Gibbs and I walked to the corner
There's the little stone house that resides
across from 'our' property
Only the cows visit there

Gibbs and I went for a walk after my tea and then had to rush home, hitching a ride with Bill when he returned. I was to be at M’s to pick up his phone on my way to Hanover. He had it set up to get the battery replaced and it is like ours, needs to be done professionally. I dropped it off at Al’s at 11:05 and then went off to drop our 2 donation bags at Salvation Army before stopping at Grant’s Independent store. They are the only ones who have my 10% plain Liberte yogourt. I’ve missed it!

Bill was working up on the hill
so Gibbs and I joined him

I love this view looking down on our home
This looks north toward the road

Then, it was down the road to Walmart where I dropped a bundle on groceries. You can tell our pensions went in the bank last night! The list was long but I’m still pleased with the prices. I thought it would hit harder. I dropped the phone back at M’s and he was happy to have it fixed. At home, I had to eat something. I was weak from missing lunch, it was 1:30.

and this one looks west where you can
see all of our storage units
I like how they are all adorned in
the weathered look

I made some keto toast with pb & honey. Sadly, the Walmart doesn’t have my keto bread so other than the loaf in our freezer, I’ll not be eating bread as often. Bill had been busy at home on one of his ‘list’ projects so after lunch he went back out to work on that. (He has said that he needs to write another post) 😊 Gibbs and I went out as well and walked down for the mail.

We walked to the mail

He ended up getting wet and dirty in the pond edges around the Hangar. That meant he couldn’t come inside so I sat at the picnic table while he rolled around, played fetch and slept until he was dry again. What a little piggy! Patrick and I chatted, shooting the bull as I caught up on the goings on in his life. He is in the middle of a whole lot of changes right now so I’m gla he is keeping us in the loop. ♥ I feel so far away sometimes so a phone call is wonderful.

The more adult turtles across the pond
jumped in the water immediately
This little fellow, right along the lane's edge,
was too curious

We all came inside around 5 and around 6, I began supper. Tonight, even though we have a freezer full of meat now, we finished the shrimp with fried potatoes and a salad. I mentioned being pleased with my food purchases, well $200 bought us lots of dairy to last a couple of weeks and enough meat for 20+ meals. We were down to the nitty-gritty so it feels good to have choices again. 😊

Up near our patio and parking area, we
let Gibbs chase these majestic geese.
Down here in the front field, we don't.
They can hang out here where we seldom walk

After supper, which was filling and easy, we enjoyed tv together. It’s Swamp People night so we’ll be using the dish. Today, has been gorgeous from beginning to end. We woke up to-3C/27F but with full sun all day, reached our high of 13C/55F. There was a cool wind but that sun was wonderful! I didn’t do much outside, I forgot to pick up the bags of black soil that was on my list. Just as well, my body needs to re-coop.

Supper was good

Tonight won’t be as cold, nor will the coming days but we’ll see a lot of clouds and rain. Grin and bear it, we can do that. This has been a great day and our fridge is full again.

A memory from Apr. 27th, 2018
It looks like it was a nice day then too!
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments are alays appreciated.

Three for Three, We Did It! Sister's Birthday

The Ridge

On Wednesday, Apr. 26^th my first question after arising was ‘what kind of day will we have today? Wet or dry?’ I’m happy to say that we were looking at a cold BUT dry day again. I wasn’t expecting sun but after I had my tea, had plans to get outside. Bill took both Ptooties and then Black Beauty into town to fuel up while Gibbs and I stayed home so I could finish my book. It was sooo good! What wasn't so good was getting hacked on my Facebook account. A friend notified me last night as I was on my way to bed so this morning took the steps to change my password and notify friends. 

Last night's sunset

After I posted

When he returned, we all went outside. I wanted to dig in the small gardens, removing the old wood chips and loosening the dirt so I can put newspapers down with new earth on top. I’m determined not to get frustrated over weeds this summer. At least try! Bill put our satellite dish up and then moved the small tv from the basement to his Hangar. We’d decided to make use of the service until it ran out on May 12^th and watch some of those programs before they disappear – for now.

You'll notice me working in the garden
But take a look at our little monster
He was vying for attention and grabbed my
glove as soon as I laid it down

The ground wasn't hard but digging the Ridge
rocks out made me use both hands

Last week, we noticed that our remote control for the Dometic fireplace got damaged on our journey home. It meant using the ‘on board’ controls which aren’t as user friendly. Today, our new remote, that we ordered on Monday, arrived. Also, we received our second package containing our Amazon firestick. That's great since we weren't expecting it until Friday. 

Tomorrow, I'll pick up some black earth
I'm happy with the new shape of this garden

These little areas are also
ready for new dirt
One is the hibiscus and one is the flowering raspberry

This garden is filled with evening primrose
and echinacea/corn flower and
another one I can't remember

After bacon and eggs for lunch, I went back out to the garden.  By this time, it was around 3 and the air had cooled considerably. Brrr. It wasn’t good to be working on my knees and butt on that cold ground but I finished what I’d planned to do before coming inside for a cup of tea. It seemed, after being outside, that I couldn’t get my feet warm so wrapped a blanket around them and Bill and I worked together to set up the firestick.

And we got Harry Bosch without the home page
of the laptop showing up on screen
We're so proud! 💖😃😃

The third great thing was that us older folk got it figured out after a few jump starts. Yay! While connected, we streamed 2 more episodes of Bosch and I had no fear of falling asleep this early in the day. At night, after 9, I’m pretty much useless. 😊 The weather didn’t bounce around today, just a very cold cloudy 6C/43F. That is the highest point before it started dropping to a very cold low of -4/27F overnight.

The chops were perfect and the sprouts
with melted butter - yum!

For supper, I baked pork chops, boiled a couple of potatoes and cooked our veggies. I’m trying not to eat as many carbs, so didn’t put any potatoes on my plate. It’s hard, when I love them so much, but I know I’ll appreciate the sacrifice down the road.  Ha ha! After a delicious meal, we cleaned up the pots and loaded the dishwasher. Bill put Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy on for me and then we delved into more experimental programing. The firestick works great! 😄

The blanket of clouds lifted a bit at supper time

This has been a good day; I’ll do some stretches tonight so I don’t wake up with regret tomorrow. Before I say good bye, help me wish my sister-in-law, Carol, a wonderful and Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Carol!

Of course the sun made an appearance
at the end of our day
Just in time to set beautifully.
Good night!

Thank you for the visit.

Talk About Mixed Bags! Today was One of Those.

The Ridge (settle in, it's a long one)

So, we woke up a dry day – to start, at least – on Tuesday, Apr. 25^th. It was a bitter cold morning, only -1C/30F when Bill took Gibbs out at 6 am. He said there was a showing of frost on the vehicle roofs. I was up around 7 and joined Bill downstairs for my cuppa. The clouds hung heavy over The Ridge and although Bil said the sun would make an appearance today, it would only be for a couple of hours, max.

Our morning walk

Funny, how our days are focused on weather. First job for my sweetie was to dump our black tank. That meant giving the riding mower a wee run to wheel the blue boy/honey pot over to the dump station Bill created our second year up here. It isn’t too far but too far to drag it by hand – which he has done in a pinch. Gibbs and I went out for our walk and when we returned, the little mutt ran around, back and forth ‘helping’ us. 😊

Gibbs helps with the dumping
Our storage shelter is now complete
for the summer

I emptied the plastic shelving that we stored in the Bunky for the winter and took it over to our storage shelter. This is what holds our helmets, boots, bike cover and snow materials like boots and scrapers. It has been used for many things and came all the way from our home in London, re-utilization. It’s a pretty sturdy shelf for being only plastic. Then we all hopped in the truck and drove to the Acreage for a bladder full of water.

A few pictures from the Acreage

Gibbs is just plain happy,
and I'm thinking he remembers
this place to run ♥

Gibbs still gets quite nervous (?) when we start driving and we’re not sure why but once we approached Donna and Gerry’s other property, I think it was recognition and excitement more than anything. He ran around there, through the leaves, rolled in the grass and had fun. Yah, I think he remembers it. When he went to the door of their Landmark 5^th wheel, he was looking for Auntie Donna. ♥ No one was home.

It is a nice summer place

Back home, Bill brought the step ladder in and (darn! I forgot to get a picture!) removed the blade that broke when it got caught in the slide. Sometimes it is just hanging on a slant, enough to catch and……..Anyway, Bill glued it with his special epoxy and has reassembled it. It is running just fine and will help to circulate the rising heat in here. 😊 Mr. Fixit, I never have any doubt until proven otherwise.

As the snow fell, the grackles
ate

This is a bamboo style fan that we removed from our sticks and bricks home when we sold it. We replaced it with the cheaper looking model from the Suite. You can understand how disappointed I was when it broke. Between the time we got up and now, 1:30, we’ve had sun, clouds, wet rain, wet snow, clouds and sun again so there is the mixed bag I mentioned above.

Lunch was good and I was ready for it!

Oh! I also received another mixed bag today in our snail mail. It was only a day late so for that, Temu gave me a $5 credit on my next order. This vendor is probably China based but when it popped up in Canadian funds and with a lot useful things, I placed an order before leaving Arizona. I will definitely order again once we get ahead of our unplanned expenses. They have lots to choose from. 😊

Bill fixed our ceiling fan blade

Cushion covers for the sofa, necessary when sharp claws (and age) tear the faux leather, recliner covers that match to protect those chairs, a couple of clothing items, a cell phone holder for when I walk without pockets, a grill cleaning brush, disposable air fryer papers and a belt that doesn’t buckle. So far, I’m very pleased. I messed up by only ordering 2 couch cushion covers instead of 3 (duh) so will be getting the 3^rd one in my next order.

My own mixed bag
delivered to our door

We had bacon and eggs on toast for lunch, yummy. I’m into my next loaf of keto bread and although eat it sparingly, love that I can eat it guilt-free! Bill took our Sirius radio down to the Hangar today and has just texted that he is able to get the StarLink satellite signal down there on his phone! Yay! We’ve put his big tv away but that move gave him tons of extra shelf space. We have extra 2 small tv’s so he can use one.

I'm happy with everything that came
The bottom left is a pack of 50 air fryer papers
and top right is a silicone cell phone holder

Because the mail lady tends to still leave mail in the box even when she brings parcels up, Gibbs and I walked down after lunch. The sun is out at the moment and the wind is cold but even though there were no other pieces in the box, we enjoyed our walk. I hung about in the Bunky, tidying more things and then brought my laptop out to test the process. Bill has always done the ‘streaming’ thing from his laptop so I needed to know how. It worked like a charm! 😊

a new shirt and a belt without a buckle
I love them!

Gibbs sat on the picnic table for at least an hour and just enjoyed the peacefulness as well as the occasional bursts of sunshine. ♥ I kept checking on him and he never moved. We came in at 3:30 and I connected to a new series that my daughter watches. Logged in as ‘me’, I didn’t have free access to any more than the first episode of the first season of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisle. I love it and will use Bill’s login tomorrow to hopefully get more free episodes.

Our afternoon walk
That's a lot of water, Mom.

I retrieved Dad's bird house
from the ponds edge
It's a bit beat up but salvagable.

Still on his leash, he performs 
like a champ

For supper, I went lazy and simple with the old-fashioned pork and beans. The weiners are actually called ‘all beef’ but I’m sure there is supposed to be some pork fat in the beans. 😊 Doesn’t matter, we both enjoyed it and finished off the last dish of the lava cake. I’ll make that again for sure! It’s a 5* keeper. 

Gibbs, off leash, stayed on the
picnic table for over an hour

Our hutch at the table has a different
appearance now that the bulky radio is down
at the Hangar.

I cleaned up dishes and Bill went over to the Acreage to put the pump well water on trickle because of the low temps over these next two nights. Darn weather!

Supper

Not sure what we’ll find tonight on tv but knowing the detective series is available is a good back up plan. The sun has been out in full force since 4 pm and our temperatures have reached our forecasted high of 6C/43F. Too bad it hadn’t warmed up sooner, I might have felt like raking some more. It was a good day and more things are getting accomplished.

I'll show you the sunset tomorrow
It was too late for posting tonight.
Good night!

Thank you for the stop in today!