Hot and Hotter, Helping Out a Bit

The Ridge

On Tuesday, June 30th we brought in the last day of month nice and slow. Last night, I set my alarm to run out and watch my Moonflowers bloom AND bloom they did! 13 of them again, one after the other as I fended off mosquitoes. 🤭 It was worth it!

Good morning!

                            

Hello Strawberry Moon
(& goodbye)

When I got up at 7, Bill was downstairs on his laptop checking out rv stoves online. Doing without one for so many months has not been as big a challenge as one would think. We've done alright.

Gibbs and I started our
morning outside with a cup
of tea.

Bill had decided to take a drive to Harriston to check out options at McPhail's RV. We measured the area and I'm beginning to get my hopes up. Maybe this month we'll be able to swing it. 😉 It's a hot day on the horizon so he opted to take the bike for the 40 minute ride.

I don't think he understood
why we were out and Daddy was
still inside at this time of day.
🤔

Yesterday, I suggested he start wearing his leather vest when he just wants to wear a t-shirt. So, agreeing, he went and put it on. Gibbs and I went outside with our (my) tea and sat in the shade of the patio. The sun was already too hot in the king's chairs.

My Sweetheart
Va-va-voom!

When he returned, neither of us had much going on - all day - so he went to the Hangar and I worked on the puzzle. Somehow, the day passed quickly. I finished the puzzle and Bill finished working on the roof of his cargo trailer. It needed some caulking in a corner.

I heard them coming from the pond
but almost missed them again!
2 Sandhill cranes flying over.

We lunched together, then for supper, he had the leftover burger with potato salad and I had cheese, crackers, some salad and a yogourt cup. It was enough, there isn't much of an appetite on these hot days. 

I was happy to see Mr. Oriole
back. I haven't seen him for
a couple of days.

At 6:15 we drove into the Community Centre to help Lions' members set up fences, flags, tables, a stage and prepared bottles of condiments and pop for the barbecue tomorrow. 

I agreed with Gibbs that in the shade
was the place to be.

It's a huge Durham Loves Canada celebration. I wasn't volunteering for the day's activities but could offer assistance tonight and in the morning.

Finished.

Even from 6:30 to 8 pm, it was almost too hot to be working outside but many hands make light work and as much as could be done tonight was taken care of. Activities start at 1 pm tomorrow. 

It was a good turnout for
help tonight. I think we'll go
back after 9am and see if they
need more help with the food and beer tents etc.

We've had the a/c running all day and into the evening. It is only dropping to 23.33C/74F overnight.

Good thing there were young men
that showed up too.
The 3 pc. stage looked incredibly heavy.

It was a quiet day which I enjoyed very much. I hope you've had one just as nice.

Good night!
Looking out my window, I see
that 4 more Moonflowers bloomed tonight.
💖💕💕

Thank you for stopping by!

A Quieter Day, Jazz Hits the Road

The Ridge

On Monday, June 29th, no work for Bill again. He was up at 6 though, his usual time and he and Gibbs went out for that routine constitution.  🤭I slept really well, maybe the alcohol had something to do with that or maybe it was my open window. I can't even remember if I dreamt.

Good morning!
I didn't take any pictures before
10 am, this is my first of the day.

I, unlike Bill, did have to work this morning so got up at 7, my usual time, and drove to the Mat with my to-go tea. One young lady was doing her laundry, she drives a nice Jeep so I know who it is before I walk inside. She told me the coin machine wasn't accepting bills so I messaged Sandy right away.

Destination - strip mall
Owen Sound.
It has everything we needed today.

That's important so he said he'd be in this morning. I also gave him my total hours for the month so he can pay me. I did the big dryer lint and earned an extra $1.10. Of course, the .10¢ was from Daddy. 💕 All was clean as I closed the door behind me.

The homeless gal, she's not a girl and lady doesn't sound right, came in again 3 or 4 times for water. Another hot day on the agenda, but this hour and a half was my work for the day. When I got home, Bill had Jazz out on the patio mat, waiting.

A perfect riding day for me
when I can wear my leather jacket,
but can unzip part way. 

We'd agreed to take her for our drive to Owen Sound this morning. I didn't need to go as Bill wanted to go to Princess Auto, but there is a Home Sense/Winners and Michael's all in the same strip mall. We parted ways for our own shopping.

Bill realized as he got to checkout in P.A. that his wallet was sitting at home, 😒so when I finished with a very few purchases at Michael's we went back and got what he needed. So now, I can rightfully nag at him with a checklist before we go anywhere! 😂 (he may not agree)

Driving past Robin's home

From there, we drove to the Bell store and handed in our old phones for recycling. If we'd known when we bought our new ones that we could possibly got a credit off our bill - we'd have done that, but she didn't offer and we didn't think to ask. Oh well, we just didn't feel right throwing them out.

Turning onto Baptist Church Road is
about where I say words of thanks to
the Good Lord for watching over
our ride. We are safe.

Then we drove home. It was a beauty of a day for a ride and we made it home on time for lunch at 12:30. Bill and Gibbs had their snooze and I put outside things away in case that dark sky meant rain was on the way. You never know what will hit and what will miss.

Showing our Patriotic side
right here.

I had yesterday's blog to write so that took a while before I settled in my chair with Bosch. I made a tea when my own eyes got droopy (that fresh air!) and Bill popped over to talk to Dot about their zero turn mower. He'll be cutting their grass when they go out east for a long deserved trip. 

Our love of nature side.
Teehee.
They really hustled butt today!
Not used to a motorcycle in
their rear view.

She needed a break from cutting so hopped on the quad and came for a short visit before supper. We had reheated pork loin from the freezer as hot pork sandwiches with gravy and finished the devilled eggs from yesterday. We were stuffed and I should have avoided my bun. Duh. 

Home sweet Home

We had trifle for dessert, cleaned up and called it a day. Bill did get to town for propaned after lunch so that is #6 refill, I think. not bad, they are lasting us a decent amount of time. It was another 28C/82.4F day and nary a complaint from me!

A good supper but I ate too much.
There is still some of the trifle left
for another meal and Bill can take
some for lunch.
Yes, he works tomorrow!
Good night.

Thank you for popping in for a visit.

A Late Post - (but it's a long one!)

 The Ridge

It was 7 when I got up on Sunday, June 28th. It's the anniversary of a very sad day, 31 years ago.  My siblings and I lost Daddy and my children lost Grandpa Sunflower at the tender age of 71. 

This was Daddy and I
around 1985.
Funny, I never noticed the similarities
in our looks until now.
💘

That's the age I am now so it makes me sad that he was taken so early since I still feel young in many ways.

Good morning!
These are a few pictures from
last evening.

Before I get into today, last night I mentioned surprise visitors after supper. We haven't seen our neighbours, Dot and Gord, for a while so when Dot texted about popping over for a visit, we were very happy! So was Gibbs. He misses Dot and visa versa. 

What a special picture this
is. Sometimes the camera is
there at the perfect time.
💕💖🐶

Despite the nibbling 'skitters' we had a nice catch up outside for about an hour. Just as the visit was coming to an end, Bill discussed the table that we would like in the Suite, where my folding table sits. Gord has offered to help us sometime through the summer. He is a very busy man!

As they left, I noticed 3
Moonflowers had popped.
Dot loves her new Bronco.
It's beautiful!

When they left, just after 9, I noticed my Moonflowers had bloomed! I forgot, duh, that they live up to their name and come out at night and remain out until early morn when I see them. I love that and I was so happy to see them. Okay, back to Sunday.

Potatoes ready for 4 minute
cooking.

I went up and used my rain barrel
to water the vegetables.
They're looking great!
I have to spray the pepper plants though,
one in particular has a lot of leaves eaten.
🤷‍♀️

Bill was up early and left for the flying field by 7:30. It was another beautiful, calm morning for it. For anything, actually, and it was going to be hot by midday. Bring it on! Because of a work conflict for our bil, Bruce, we switched our Canada Day dinner from Wednesday, July 1st, to today.

Our berm view and
Bill's flag, replaced now that
the pesty apple trees are gone.
Gosh, we'll miss this place when
we have to leave it one day.

We were all thrilled that everyone was flexible enough. So, we had done a lot of prep yesterday and yet I had a list of things I needed to take care. Dusting, vacuuming, wiping the outside chairs down, outfitting the two outdoor tables with cloths, preparing potato salad, pulling dishes etc. out of the cupboard and finding bowls for snacks etc. 

I worked on the puzzle for my
boys snoozed.

Lastly, I had to pack away my craft supplies just in case it was unbearable to eat outside in the heat. I tasked Bill with picking up a bottle of red and white wine on his way home, to have with our dinner. The potatoes cooked perfectly in Madame IP and by the time Bill got home at noon, my list was mostly done, including my shower.

Gracie and Gibbs are within
months of each other in age and
are of the same temperment.
They settled down quickly.

Guests don't usually arrive until 3ish so while he showered and napped, I went to the Bunky and put a few more pieces in the cat puzzle. I think Renee and Susan will like this one so I'll take it south with us. By 3:30, Liz, Bruce, Carol, Brian and Gracie arrived and we shuffled to the shade as much as we wanted. We have one lovely tree in the corner that provides. 😉

Inside, everything was ready
until Bill brought the meat in.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, it was time to just sit, relax and enjoy our company. Gibbs and Gracie really like each other and were both so well behaved. They took turns chasing Chippy(s) being called back by Brian or Bill. That would spoil the day if one was caught!

Gracie was in charge so he could sleep.

While we ate, the pooches
laid down at our end of the
table. They were on duty,
in case Chippy got too close.
At one point, Gibbs went one way
and Gracie went the other after
two Chippys. 🤭

We had snacks on our round table, beverages (it was byob) and Bill grilled burgers and sausages around 5. We were eating by 5:30, I think, filling our plates at the island inside and moving outside to a shaded picnic table. We did slide the table to the west to accomodate that. 😀

My extra job is to document 
the day and I love doing it.
Brian, Carol, Bill, Patsy, Liz, Bruce.
Gracie and Gibbs (posing like a champ!)
I mentioned above about the similarities I see
with me and Daddy.
When I see this photo of Bill and his sisters,
my goodness, they all look like their Mom,
whom sadly I never met. 

All turned out well, everyone had their fill and before they left shortly after 7, I got my tripod and Canon camera out for the traditional photo. It's fun looking back to the changes over the years. Liz and I talked about the many Moonflowers ready to bloom before they left.

The sun disappeared

And just after 9, I went out to capture
this beautiful Strawberry Moon.
My phone camera actually did it justice!

Bill and I finished a glass of red and white wine each, he loaded the dishwasher and went to the Hangar. I sat in my chair with Gibbs and was done for the night. 🤭No blog. A Caesar in the afternoon and 2 glasses of wine does me in quite nicely. 

That's when I noticed this!!
13 new blooms! Darn, missed it again.
I see more will be ready tonight so
going to set my alarm for 9:15
and get out there. I'm speechless!

I had a few brief moments of shut eye while trying to read my next book. Michael Connelly's Echo Park with Harry Bosch is another good one. But, I couldn't put it down so fought the urge to give in and stayed up until 11! Bill and Gibbs beat me to bed this time.

With our outside light off, I
saw the fireflies Liz mentioned
and our solar lights looked pretty.

To the west, our new neighbours
had company and were setting off fireworks.
I missed most of them on camera but
heard them all. They were having fun.
One quick video to end my LONG post,
but I'll say....
Good night!

We did get hot, but not as hot as expected. 28.33C/83F was pleasant, actually, with the slight breeze and occasional white fluffy clouds. The a/c ran inside the Suite which was nice to come into when necessary for filling our plates. Ps, the trifle was excellent too! It was a wonderful day. 

Thank you for stopping by!

On the Go Again

The Ridge

On Saturday, June 27th it was 7 when I got up. Bill and Gibbs had been up and out and Gibbs was curled up beside me. I did my exercises, got up and made the bed. Bill had pulled the bag of dirty clothes out of the closet and already had them sorted. Not many this week, with him not working.

Good morning!
A lovely sky from last night.
My favourite is bottom right.

He left for the field around 7:30. I left with my tea to-go and the basket of clothes. There were 3 customers this morning when I arrived, one couple and a single lady. She took her clothes to hang and I wasn't far behind her with a clean building to report.

Three lovelys today

As I was walking out, Renee, the homeless (?) gal, came in and plopped her stuff down. The couple said the radio was blaring when they arrived at 7 so she'd been there last night before closing. LOL It's easy enough to remove the radio but it's not up to me.

At the end of our lane, this
quilted sky greeted me.

At home, I hung our few clothes and because the grass was very dewy, Gibbs laid down on the gravel instead. He was in a good spot to keep an eye on Mom and our surroundings. 

My fussy protector.
(although I don't blame him not liking
the wet grass)

You may have laughed at my 'short and sweet' comment yesterday as I don't seem to know HOW to do that! 🤭🤭 I'll tell you that I was overwhelmed with your responses!😍💕 Thank you all for such kind words, you may be sorry! Ha ha. 

Shouldn't take long to dry.
Beautiful sun and heat galore.
Just a slight breeze.

Around 10, Donna messaged that they were at the Acreage so I drove over to pick her up. Today, there was an estate sale at the Anglican church. I've been 2 years in a row and it's by donation. Today was different but prices were ridiculously low. A daughter-in-law selling off the mom's belongings.

Our rose bush from London
has started blooming.

We each found a few goodies. A hammer, multi-head screwdriver and red round table cloth for tomorrow for me. From there we stopped at two more sales and again, found something small at each one. We're doing good! 

A family drive to the
Acreage for water.

A pair of striped jeans, a slate F*R*I*E*N*D*S sign, and a silicone baking pan. Lastly, I picked up a medium-size garbage can for the shed - for Bill. He mentioned wanting one a couple of days ago so perfect timing!

Not using his collar lately,
it is new and calming for him
when we do on rides.
👍

I drove home to the Ridge and offered Donna some of the paper that Kim and Nancy gave me. She chose a few sheets for her card-making and I sent home 2 puzzles with her for the winter. When I dropped her off, it was around 12:30 so I scooted back for lunch.

Bill put flags down at the fence
along the road today.
All patriotic for Canada's upcoming
159th birthday.

Madame IP cooked 8 eggs for deviled eggs tomorrow and while they were cooking, Bill got home. He wanted to get a bladder of water and then relax so we all drove to the Acreage. Donna was napping when we arrived so we sat with Gerry until she walked up front.

No one was more surprised than me
when I took the foil off the pan.
A cake! Mind you, it was still gooey
in the centre, like a lava cake,
but perfect for what I needed. Yay!

Back home, I used Madame IP again to bake a cake. Whaa??? This is from a French vanilla box mix and I followed a Youtube video so I didn't mess it up. Pretty basic instructions but the 25 minutes didn't cook the inside perfectly. Didn't matter, I was making a trifle for tomorrow's dessert and all I needed were chunks of cake. 👍

I just needed chunks of cake for
the trifle.

I finished the eggs, put them in the fridge and let the cake cool before layering the trifle. I'd never made it before, as simple as it is, but it looks pretty good to me! I took it to the Bunky fridge as ours is jam packed full! Bill didn't stop as he said, but emptied the bladder of water into the trailer and my rain barrel.

I've never made Trifle before
so I hope it tastes okay. 
🤞

Then, he cut my area of grass and got the weed trimmer out again to tidy up a few spots he missed the other day. 💕 For supper, he grilled a top sirloin grilling steak, a baked potato for himself and inside I steamed some broccoli for me. The steak was delicious, the broccoli was passable. 🤷‍♀️

We cleaned up the few dishes, ran the dishwasher and as I wrote my blog, Gibbs slept under my chair, and Bill cleaned the trap from our toilet. It seems to get a calcium build-up and needs a good cleaning in order for it to hold water. He also cleaned the sink and counter top for me. Time to stop, dear! 🤣

The steak was perfect!

Tomorrow, I have a list of things to do to finish getting ready for our company. That's when he'll do what he loves for the morning. It's a lot of work, it seems, but totally worth it to have a fun day with Bill's sisters and their husbands. We look forward to it every year.

We reached a heated 25.56C/78F at its peak today and only dropping to 15C/59F overnight. A hotter day tomorrow so windows will be closed and the a/c set to run. It's all better than cold and rain! This was a great day, getting out with my sister again is top notch! 💖

We had surprise visitors after supper.
Pictures tomorrow and of the pretty
moon and sky.
Gibbs is kapooped!
Good night!

Thank you so much for stopping by!