Full Circle - Our Trips Around the Sun

The Ridge

On Sunday, May 31st the last day of the month is upon us. Whether we are ready for it or not. My post today starts off with a message from a good friend regarding a fellow blog writer as well as a good friend.

Good morning!

Benno, from Marlene and Benno's Odysseys on Land and Water, messaged me this morning. Sadly, his lovely wife, Marlene, the author of the blog, passed quietly in his arms Saturday morning, May 30th. Benno does not blog, admits to barely doing anything on the computer or phone. He asked me if I would share the news on today's post for him.

Last night's 'blue moon'
from our south facing window.

Please take time to offer up a prayer for Benno with this period of grief. Bill and I are blessed to have known Marlene and even more blessed that we had the presence of mind to stop in for a visit this spring. 

So, today started quietly for us. I didn't have to clean the Mat and Bill wasn't going flying for one reason or another. He went for water at 10:00 and then made a second trip after that one was deposited into the Suite. 

This one is from outside.
Lots of sunshine allows
our solar lights to shine during the
evening hours.

I did some quilling and around 11:45 made a sandwich for an early lunch. At 12:15, I drove into town, donned in yellow Lion's Club attire. There was a lacrosse game between West Grey/Durham Rampage and the Huntsville team and I was helping to sell tickets for the bar.

Sitting at my station, waiting
for thirsty visitors!
The Lion's club did good in sales
tonight.

It was busy enough during the periods and Gord was good company, sitting beside me with C the A and Canada Day tickets. We tallied up and left the Community Centre shortly after 3 and I was home soon after. Bill had spent the afternoon working on our water pump situation.

Gibbs and I walk down the lane
to see what Daddy's up to.

Unfortunately, no matter what he did, he would not stay primed. I'll be using rain water for the time being. It is a beautiful day out there today, still not fly-less but not too bad. I really wasn't outside much so shouldn't judge. 

Bill got the flags up
at the gate.

I crossed the field to our neighbours and bought a dozen eggs (fresh from the coop!) and met Adam's wife, Anne. When I got back, Bill, Gibbs and I drove to the Acreage for a visit with Donna and Gerry. It was nice sitting at their trailer in the sun, catching up. 

Good job, dear.

For supper, we had smoked sausages on a bun with black cherry ice cream for dessert. The evening was spent watching Bosch Legacy and Bill made his lunch for tomorrow. 

I enjoyed the smoke sausage 
tonight.

Jumping right into June with temperatures today reaching 20.55C/69F. Getting better all the time. Happy Birthday, Dot! Glad your boys are treating you special today. 💕

I managed to finish the greeting card
that I started last night.
It did come together.
Good night!

Thank you for coming by to see how we're doing. 

Laundry Day, Photos, Quilling

The Ridge

On Saturday, May 30th, (already!) I didn't hear a thing until 6:15. Gibbs was already back in bed asleep and it was quiet downstairs. Bill did a lot of sleeping last night after we got home and didn't end up charging plane batteries. 

Good morning!
Last nights photo of the sun
saying goodbye.

I assumed that he was up early and doing that before going to the field. I remembered that he was a noisy sleeper last night too and I'd popped my ear plugs in at 10:30 when I went to bed. I haven't been doing that for 3 weeks or so. That's why I never heard him get up.

Traffic jam in the laneway,
so had to wait for this family
to cross. I'm always sad when
they are old enough to leave us.

I left the Suite first, at 7ish after Bill sorted the clothes into 2 loads for me and carried the basket out. Only Dollar Store Dave was in the Mat and we always have a good chat. He's never there on Saturdays so I was surprised to see him. 

Our pond looks so serene in the
morning sun's reflection.

He has a 'date' tomorrow so switched days and wanted to get the laundry done before opening his store at 9. He was gone by 8 and I finished up by loading our damp clothes and washing the floor. Today was a perfect day to hang clothes on the line.

You know what this is.
I wonder if they'll need to trim it
this year?

Gibbs supervised while I did that and it was cool enough that I wasn't bothered by any bugs. It was 7C/44.6F when I left and 12C/53.6F when I hung them. There was a light breeze so they would dry quickly and smell great. 

It's up to the sun and temperature
now.

I worked away on another greeting card and had a poached egg on toast for lunch. I never expect Bill home on time to eat with me on the weekends. Unless, of course the winds pick up or it rains. 😉 

Gibbs and I went out about 3 minutes before the little guy heard a familiar vehicle on the gravel road. His hearing!! Sure enough, Bill was coming down Northline. He'd stopped in town to fill our propane tank or would have been 15 minutes sooner.

I pulled out my photo album
of Ladyfest pictures.

He's had difficulty with getting the tailgate open (& sometimes closed) and sure enough, with a 40 lb. filled propane tank in the back, it happened today. He had to lift it up over the gate and all I could do was steady it for him. I guess Black Beauty will be going to a repair shop to see what can be done.

These are fun to look through!
Recognize anyone here from 33 years ago?

At 2 pm, I brought the clothes in, completely dry. This time, the blackflies found me and I'm sure bit me a few times. They get around my face, my glasses and neck. Grrr! They need to vacate! Bill worked on the tailgate and I came inside with Gibbs.

I wanted to refresh my memory about when I started going to Ladyfest with my sisters. They started back in the 80's, Cathy will remember the date she and Donna hopped on the train to Montreal, which started the whole thing. ☺️ For me, it was 1993 and I've missed 3 years.

I try hard to come up with new
ideas for my cards but then I
realized, they don't all have to be so
different. They aren't going to the same powers are fun to do.lace.
LOL
these flowers are fun to do.

Looking at the pictures is a lot of fun. The places we've stayed, the hairstyles, the clothing choices and the times my youngest sister joined and those precious moments when Mom joined us. She kept saying "this will be my last year, I am slowing you down". ❤️🤭

I have hard copies of pictures from 1993 up to 2008 and the rest are on my laptop. I almost want to put those on a stick and take them in to get printed. Not the scenery ones, just the ones with us in them. 🤔 Still debating that. They are certainly fun to see again. 

Supper was good.

For supper, we had fish and chips. I blanked out the fact that I had fries last night (🤫) and had a handful tonight. Bill deep fried them and I air fried the fish in Rosy. It was a good meal and we had the last of the strawberries and whipping cream for dessert. 

I'd never heard of a sour dough
chocolate chip cookie before.
🤔

Oh, and part of a sour dough chocolate chip cookie that Bill brought home from the field. Friend of a friend (kind of) made them. Good, but quite heavy and filling! We cleaned up the 'wash me' dishes and ran the dishwasher with the rest.

Bill went out to cut the front field's grass before going to the Hangar and I worked on my blog before watching tv while quilling. The creative juices have been flowing but I'm stumped on this particular card. Hmm, need to finish it tonight or I may abandon it altogether.

This is the work in progress.
Not sure yet what I'm doing with it,
but I'll figure it out and share tomorrow.
Maybe. 
😂

This was a good day. I'm disappointed that now that we have such lovely weather, the black flies are still hanging on. I have a handful of bites giving me grief already so I'm a bit timid of being out unless I'm fuilly garbed. What fun is that?

We only reached 20.55C/69F at its peak today and that wind was definitely on the cool side. Tonight, cool again, below 10C and low 40'F but we put the Blue Flame heater away. We haven't been turning it on at night anyway for about a week.

So, Once in a Blue Moon (every 2 or 3 years).........you'll see this. Apparently. It won't be a blue moon, like its name, but it will be full and apparently the smallest full moon on record. 😉🤔 Okay, the sky is clear so I'll watch for it in my dreams since I won't be awake at 4:45 am.

Now it would be much more
fun if it were really blue!!
Good night!

I hope you've enjoyed your Saturday. Thank you for popping in.

Another Wonderful Day

The Ridge

On Friday, May 29th we had a couple of birthdays in our immediate family, so when Bill and I got up, we sent those messages off to the sons-in-law. Dennis and Cory, I hope you've had a wonderful day. Also a niece, whom I don't send cards to, but I hope Christa also enjoyed her day.

Good morning!
Gibbs greeted me at the door yesterday
with two toys in his mouth.
Talented little guy!

Bill left for work at 7:30 and Gibbs and I relaxed for the day. Nowhere to be today for me, so after a couple of walkabouts with Gibbs, on the property, we relaxed. We are waiting for our Amazon delivery so I have to keep a closer watch on Gibbs. These delivery guys drive him nuts because they don't stay to greet him.

Yesterday's blog mentioned
I'd find a picture of my 2nd oldest
Grandson, Jake (Jacob) and his partner, Carmen.
This is the best I could do but it is
obvious these wee babies will be dark haired
and gorgeous.

Robin texted from Nfld and asked if I could set out one of her sale items at the side door so I was able to drop off the bath mat I'd brought home from Williamsford to hang on our line. She and Andrew won't be home until Thursday so I said I'd continue to bring her mail into her house for her. She gets a lot in her mailbox.

On his leash, we braved the winds
and walked the laneway to check mail.
No delivery driver yet.

Back home, the winds had picked up and when I lost internet (it was area wide), I worked on greeting cards. That's never a hardship for me! I love quilling as long as the ideas keep flowing. 🤭 Bill was home by 3:30 and hopped in the shower. Yay, early Friday. They had a brief snooze before we left.

Not sure if this is a new nest this spring,
or remnants from last year.
This is the entry to Bill's Hangar.

We left Gibbs in charge and went to the curling club for 5 pm. Tonight we prepare C the A tickets with the committee members for two weeks as well as count and balance those sold this past week. We enjoy this group and the 1 1/2 to 2 hours out each week.

Speaking of nests, the 3 eggs are gone 
and so are the parents.
I read that they hatch and as soon as the babies
are dried off, they fly off.
Crazy!
No evidence of tampering.

So, we wanted take our turn in buying drinks for the committee; 8 or 9 of us count and prepare tickets. I don't think it is 'required' but it is nice to do on occasion. Bill bought the first round, and before we knew it, Brian bought a round (I declined a second) and before long, Doug bought a round. LOL

This morning, this little guy
(probably 3" dia.) crossed
the laneway in front of me.
He sure bustled to get down
into the pond. Topsy turvy
but he righted himself and waited
for me to leave.

Needless to say, by the end of the 2 hours Bill was in no condition to drive - let alone walk. 🤭😉 We left, not winners again, but the weekly jackpot is growing. When we left, Bill suggested stopping at the food truck behind the Bank of Commerce. Hmm, great idea! 

Bill trimmed the corral around my
messy garden. It's a thorn in my side.

I had poutine and he had a combo of smash burger and fries. All was very good and we ate it there at the picnic table. We'll be back. 

And this smaller garden.
It's easier for me to weed
and maintain.

We'd planned to have supper at home so before I left I made sure to have a cup of tea. That filled me, especially with having an alcoholic drink at the club. Otherwise, it hits me too hard! 🤣 Such a cheap date, I am!

The view out 'my' crafting window.

At home, Bill hit the bed for half hour. It's been a while since he's been hit this hard with rum. He wanted to fly in the morning which meant charging planes overnight so set those up. Our Amazon order was delivered while we were out, quilling strips, card sleeves and buckle-less belts for me. ☺️

Gibbs slept in my chair 
while I worked on my hobby.
Waiting for Daddy to come home.

This was a nice day, I enjoyed the peacefulness and ease of not having work today, although I would have jumped on a cleaning job for Robin if she needed me! 

I finished 3 cards today.
I'm trying to cover the bases for
a variety of occasions.
Good night!

The weekend is here and so is some nice weather reaching 21.667 /71F again today. Nights are still cool (4.44C/40F tonight) for 3 or 4 more nights but the days are beautiful.

Thank you for the visit and all your congrats with our news. 

 

Exciting News!

The Ridge

Yes, exciting news to share but .... first. Thursday, May 28th we were both up for work. Bill and I left the Ridge almost at the same time. In fact, I was out the lane soon enough after him that I could see Black Beauty right up to the traffic lights in Durham.

Good morning!
A couple of pictures along
Baptist Church Road.

I turned left and he went through towards Hanover. I carried on first to Battery Pro and filled our water bottle, leaving $3 in the door slot. At the Mat, it was one of those days. Some very insensitive customers (I've heard stories about this younger couple) left quite a mess.

If and when we move from this
area, I'll miss this drive.
We could do it blindfolded.
Don't worry, I won't!!
Besides, then I'd miss all the things I
love about it. 🤭

One other customer came in and was in and out while he did his laundry. I decided with such a quiet morning, it was a good time to empty the big dryer lint. I had a real messy washer so once I got it wiped out (soggy dog food), 😟 I ran the machine to clean it out good.

This is why we have
goose crossing signs.
They crossed the lane as Bill left,
and then when I left later.
Not understanding why this couple
have all 13 geese.
Things I don't know about geese relations,
siblings, uncles etc. 🤔

Back home, the winds had picked up and Gibbs and I spent the next couple of hours together. I packed a bit of a snack-type lunch, made a coffee and headed out at 10:45 to Williamsford. Robin asked me to clean today for guests coming tomorrow. They will be there for 5 nights, which is good for her!

Some construction along
Hwy #6 towards Williamsford.

I stopped at her house to drop the bag of garbage in her garage and Bill was there, just getting ready to start cutting her grass for her. He was done work at 1 and went straight there. I left him and drove home to Gibbs. We went outside for a while and I noticed something.

Robin asked me to pick up
some spring-ish flowers.
There were no tulips so
these will fit the bill at
her bnb.

No blackflies! I got my mower out and cut the grass in areas Bill couldn't get to. Then I lit a fire and burned the old file papers he purged the other day. It is a beautiful day and I enjoyed sitting outside - very much. I think we can relax a bit now as we don't usually get mosquitoes until evening hours.

Sitting with Gibbs, tending
the fire.
I just looked up and liked how
it fit in my camera lens.

Okay, my news. Bridgette's second oldest son, Jacob, and his girlfriend are expecting! She got the news on Mother's Day. I got the first part a bit later. Isn't that cool? I will be a great-grandma in December!! But, wait.............they had an ultrasound yesterday and there are identical twins in the picture! 

This is so special!
I'll have to search for a picture
of Jacob and Carmen together
for tomorrow's blog.
What beautiful babies they will be!

We are just thrilled for them, both working and responsible young people. Jake said they were just getting used to the idea of ONE wee person and now this news. 😉💕 How special. Anyway, that is our news today!

Lilacs from Robin's tree.

I walked down the lane,
just because.

Interesting tree stump.
It is the first tree we had cut down
because it was leaning over the laneway
at the bottom of the hill.
Taken out in 2017 or 2018.

Back to today. Bill grilled a pork chop for himself and 2 chicken burgers for me. The chops are too big for me to eat one (not being a big fan) and I don't want Bill to have to share one. I didn't need 2 burgers, and they aren't a favourite but it is something for me to have as a substitute. 

Also interesting.
Mrs. Kildeer has laid another egg.

He had fried potatoes and corn and I had corn and olives. We had fresh strawberries and homemade whipping cream for dessert. Yummy. 

Supper.
The chicken burgers, for me,
are just an okay substitute.
Undecided.

Today, I picked some of our rhubarb so need to wash it and cut it up for stewing. Another tasty fruit dessert in our future. 

A nice little first batch of rhubarb.
I'm getting there! I've been trying
to grow it up here for years!

We cleaned up dishes, Bill made his lunch and went to the Hangar for an hour. We made a 'date' for 8 pm to watch more Bosch Legacy. 💘This was a great day, 17.7C/64F and dropping below 6C/42F overnight. It will straighten out eventually, I know it will. 🤭

Gibbs and I were both enjoying
the no flies this afternoon.
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by!

A Good Day - Gibbs Would Disagree

The Ridge

On Wednesday, May 27th, Gibbs and I stayed in bed while Bill got ready for work. Billy was good to go, well, kind of, enough to 'supervise' and lend a hand where necessary. They were ready to prime and maybe paint the drywalled walls in the room they're working in.

Good morning!
Starting again with pictures of 
last night's sunset.

So, Bill came up and kissed us goodbye at 7:15. After he left, I did my bed exercises which have increased and seem to help with my daily mobility. When I came downstairs, my tea was the first thing I did and then had oatmeal with  a half of a banana and cream. 

By the time I was in my recliner
with a little lovebug asleep on my lap,
this was happening out the window.
I did my best to reach up and take
a picture.
I guess I'm a Mom first, photographer second.
I couldn't disturb him.

Gibbs went back up to bed when I sat at the table and played my games. Yesterday, Bill and I placed an Amazon order for a few things, most importantly for me was more 3mm paper strips. These are what I use most often for greeting cards and I needed to restock.

Some entertainment out my window
this morning.
Chippy climbed the iron pole.

I had to laugh out loud when he slipped through the loop in the feeder. Thought I was going to have to rescue him. LOL

That stuff will be here probably Friday. Crazy, isn't it? I got washed and dressed for outside, pulling out the capris that I haven't worn since we've come home. That is also crazy! It is almost the end of May. I took my kitchen compost bin outside to the garden one and Gibbs indicated he wanted to walk.

He loves to be free but for some
reason, still likes to walk with Mom
on a leash.
That's a good thing.

So, off down the lane we went. With his leash. I guess he misses that in a way that I don't quite understand. He sees me reach into the cupboard and sticks by my side until I click it on. Off we went, almost to the corner where Northline meets Baptist Church Road.

He stops and is intent on finding something in the ditches. I figured he had to do his business but no, he was just snooping and soon turned for home. The black flies found me as we got closer to the corral so I hurried him along into the Suite. 

Such a lovely day and a
beautiful sky.

He got a drink and I put coconut oil on my finger 'brush' and cleaned his teeth. He is unaware at this point, 11:00, but I'm taking him to the vet for his heartworm test, meds and flea and tick meds for the summer. 😟 

He doesn't like the vet (although the assistants he does) and I'm not too fond of the 'bedside manner' the vet has either. At least with Gibbs. Oh well, it has to be done and they are right in town. 

A bit different than the previous
ones I made but still tasty.

In the meantime, I made some keto-ish chocolate macaroons for snacking. They include oatmeal, which I want to include in my diet right now, so we will enjoy them. His appointment was for 12:30, but I wasn't hungry enough to eat lunch before we went so I skipped that and had a coffee to tie me over.

We're back home at 1:30 and as we pull in, I see that Bill is home. He arrived about 10 minutes before us. Darn, I sure wish he'd been earlier and could have taken my place at the appointment. Gibbs does not behave very well with the doc and squirms and growls at the doc. 

I recognize the
'can we go now?' look.
Poor little bum. He's as far from
the table as possible.

I'm tired just trying to hold him still for the rectal temperature, ear check, heart monitor and blood draw. I'm not alone either! He is a 33 lb. wild boy. 🤭There are 3 other girls assisting, 2 holding and one serenading Gibbs. Quite sweet, actually, but it was stressing for me and Gibbs.

No real booboos.
Just a wee needle prick to draw blood
at which he was very good.
She was so gentle.

I had such a headache when I come home, my own fault, for not eating but the 30 minutes in there was just as much to blame. Poor me. 😢🤣 So, I informed Bill that he will be doing this from now on. Even a day off work for the short appt. is worth it to me!

The tanker went down Northline
today and put calcium on our road.
This will help keep the dust down
after being recently graded.

I had some toast with pb, some cheese and meat for a late lunch and we all stretched out for half hour. Bill had brought the clothes (t-shirts etc.) from the club field yesterday so we went through them on the picnic table. So many items, all with the club crest on them. I hope they can sell some of them, they were a form of donation.

My irises are kind of
helter skelter around the Ridge
but I love their colour
and pleased that they came from
our sticks and brick home in
London in 2016.

Bill decided to cut the grass up here, I didn't think it was too bad but he did. Tomorrow, he needs to cut Robin's grass for her, it is covered in flowering daisies and dandelions and looks quite a mess. The day is lovely, quite windy which is keeping the flies at bay. A high of 21.667C/71F and clear skies is perfect.

Supper was filling.

For supper, we cleaned up the last of the ham with a potato and veggies. I skipped my afternoon tea so was hungry. By 4:30 my headache was a memory, yay! Bill made his lunch and went to the Hangar tonight. Last night, his tv wouldn't come in so ended up with us, watching Bosch Legacy.

On this day in 2019, I found
one lonely morrel on the corral
hill. I was so excited but they
never reappeared.
I love morrels!

We have 5 days in the mid teens C/mid 60's F and nights dropping to single digits again. LOL Then it looks like we might be home free.

This was a pretty good day with 40 minutes that I'd rather forget. Ha! I hope you had a great hump day too!

Same day in 2019
we were digging up periwinkle from
Gayle and John's yard to replant
on the Ridge.
And it still lives!

Good night!

Thank you for your visit.