Get up and Go, Some Meal Prep, Company

 The Ridge

On Monday, Oct. 5th it might have felt a bit odd for Bill not to be getting up for work. Maybe not, he's had enough days off this summer, it seems. We were both still up early, before 7. I didn't have to clean the Mat today but we did have appointments in Hanover (20 minutes away) to have bloodwork done. 

Good morning!
A great way to start.

It was a slow start and we left in good time to be 10 minutes early. However, as often can happen, they were running behind so our call ins were about 10 - 15 minutes after our slotted time. No worries, we had no where to be and others had to wait an hour to be called in order. 🤷‍♀️

A couple of pretty fall pictures on
our drive to Hanover.

We have doctor's appointments (standard procedure before travel) in London next week so want this done ahead of time. From there, we drove to the Walmart mall and I dropped Bill off at First Choice Haircutters for a haircut. His curls were showing!! 🤭 I went over to start on some grocery shopping.

For lunch, I made us egg omelettes
on English Muffins.
Yummy.

When Bill came to meet me, I was almost done and we checked out together. A stop at the Independent Grocers for Gibbs' and my yogourt and then the Dollar General for a few things we found to bring home. We really wanted some 'formed' paper coin rollers but having a hard time finding them.

My Dahlias aren't ready to give
up yet. Soon, I'll have to dig them up,
ready or not.

We scooted home for lunch and Bill and Gibbs snoozed upstairs and I began making a Bread Pudding for dessert. I'd promised him one for his birthday and we had some bread we don't like......perfect way to use it up. I had to dry the cubes in the oven.

The bread pudding looks good
before baking.

It looked pretty good by the time I finished and since I'd taken a 2 lb. pork tenderloin out of the freezer last night, began searching a way to cook it in the oven. Remember, I'm relearning that whole process again! I found a recipe for pinwheels, stuffed rolled loin so that's what I went with!

When I started pounding and rolling, I realized just how much meat there was!! Holy cow! Bill was outside, after getting us water at the Acreage, now cutting grass for the last time. I ran out to see if he minded having company for supper. 

Before cooking, I seared
each pinwheel in oil for 3 minutes
each side.
They only needed 20 minutes in
the oven after that.

It was 3 pm and short notice for anyone but I called my sister, Donna. She was out until 4 but called back and they happily accepted the free meal offer. Not having to think about supper is a bonus for any of us! I'm glad so prepared potatoes, cauliflower and corn. 

Donna and Gerry enjoyed
the meal.
We enjoyed their company

Our company arrived shortly after 5 and I had the food on the table 15 minutes later. Everything was done on time but I forgot to get a picture. The pinwheels were excellent and the bread pudding, oh my, with that rum sauce? Dee-lish-us!!

I forgot a picture before
we'd all had a piece!

When Donna and Gerry left shortly after 7, we'd had a nice meal and conversation together. Bill washed the pots and I dried with the dishwasher doing its job on the rest of our dirty dishes. This was a good day even though we had bloodwork done. It wasn't a dentist! 😉🤣

Nor a picture of these
when they came out of
the oven.
I'll make them again.

Today was a truly bitter cold day. The wind was gusty all day, strong enough to mess any head of hair and send hats fluttering through the leaves. We only reached a high of 11.11C/52F and looking at a low of .55C/33F. Brrr.

A pretty sky again tonight.
Good night!

Thank you for your visit.

A One Job Day.........or Two! Sky Pictures

The Ridge

It was 6:30 when I dragged myself out of bed this morning, Sunday, Oct. 4th. I slept like a log last night, finished a couple of episodes of my show and went to bed. I think the early nerves of the last couple of days over the harvest show tired me out!

Good morning!

I really did enjoy the flutter and flurry of the day, once it arrived and the pre-jitters were done and overwith. Thank you to all my commenters, your support is like a warm blanket. 💝 I feel encouraged.

The sky was beautiful 
this morning - the
whole way to town.

I'll be going through my bookmarks and coasters for the owner of Chicory Common this week and see if she is still interested in selling them over the winter. 🤷‍♀️ She offered when I last set up behind their store. I need to get my head wrapped around that option.

Before I left the Ridge

Bill took his cargo trailer to the field to meet up with the guys although the day wasn't looking too promising for flying. Turned out, he and Dave (whom I've nicknamed Gibbs) were the only two who showed up, stayed in their trucks beside each other and shared a muffin or two. 😉 Sometimes, that's what friends do.

Doesn't the Suite look pretty?

I drove to the Mat, a few minutes after Bill and took our laundry for the week. Dollar Store Dave was waiting for his to dry and another customer was doing their laundry as well. They both left before I did and I did a final look back to make sure all was cleaned.

This one takes the best 
picture of the day prize though

It had rained a wee bit while I drove but the sunrise and partial rainbow had me snapping photos! Gorgeous! On the way home, it had stopped and was done for the day. Bill was home about 20 minutes after me and I had managed to unload my crafts from Ptooties.

Down Northline, do you
remember this tree from previous
years?

This morning, I started a Messenger conversation with my 2 children to try and pick a day for a meet up before we leave. The summer has flown by and we're down to the wire. Thankfully, we have a date! Thanksgiving Sunday it is, yay!

And headed into Durham,
this partial rainbow.
Bill was in Hanover and saw the
other end too.

We had lunch together and that's when Robin asked if I could clean today. Hmm, it was already 12:30 but she had a last minute booking for tonight and wanted to check before she answered them. Of course! She delayed their check-in until 3:30 giving me enough time to clean and leave with half hour to spare.

Sitting behind Mom,
a daily ritual. 
Just checking the property.

Bill had put a few things away at home and was inside with Gibbs. Earlier, I placed an order on Amazon for a couple of items to be delivered Thursday. I'll tell you later what they are. It was 3:30 when I got home and went up for a snooze within minutes of walking in the door. I felt zonked! 

Some blue sky later, on
my way to Williamsford.

It wasn't a cold day but not warm either. We talked to Marilynne this morning, who has been in and now out of hospital for a respiratory infection and congestive heart failure. She sounds so much better, definitely on the mend. She turns 91 in November so is doing well. We'll go see her on Monday.

Then sitting  beside Daddy.
I think he's half asleep.

Supper is simple. Chicken pot pies, store bought, maybe one day I'll make my own! Maybe.🤭 Our meat pies were good, should've cooked them another 5 minutes, maybe they would have come out of the container easier! 

Supper filled our tummies.

We cleaned up the dishes by hand, there weren't enough to use the dishwasher. We reached 17C/63F this afternoon and saw the sun quite a bit. It was a good day. 

Good night!

Thank you for stopping by. 

Lion's Harvest Fair, Long Day

The Ridge

It was 6:30 when Bill called up to me this morning, Saturday, Oct. 3rd. I'd asked him last night 'don't let me sleep past 6:30'. He left for the flying field at 6:45 and I moved into action. 

Good morning!

My favourite picture today

I'd showered yesterday so just had to wash, nibble on some yogourt, make a lunch, get dressed and go. I was in the car, after disconnecting from power, at 7:40. When I arrived at the Community Centre, it wasn't quite 8 am but the doors were open for vendors to enter. 

Nerves? Excitement?
both!

I didn't see Trudy yet, but first found my table, (made sure Trudy's was next to me) and then proceeded to bring my things in and get set up. My friend arrived soon after that, arriving with her son, Dan, and they set up quickly.

I'm all set up so took time
to snap a picture of the whole room

The tables were 8' long, which gave us plenty of room to spread out our wares. I was feeling the worries roll off my shoulders and began to relax, in control of what I was doing. I wasn't expecting much from today other than more experience. 

Trudy makes weighted
theraputic crochet 'stuffies'
and the kids and the adults love
to hold them.

For 7 hours, from beginning to end, we just enjoyed ourselves. We had some laughs, learned more about each other, met new acquaintances and even sold a few of our items. Trudy did better than I did but I was happy, by the end of the day, to sell enough to pay for my table and walk away with $4! 🤭I don't consider that a loss. 

Trudy and I met at the
Mat over a year ago and hit it off.
Today, she helped calm my nerves
a whole lot.

Bill stopped by on Jazz when he was done after a good morning at the field and he was able to meet Trudy and Dan. When we packed things up at 3, we exchanged hugs with hopes to see each other before we head south. Bill was at the Legion and asked me to join him.

It was a pretty sky when I drove home

With a few Legion/Lion's members, we had a drink, bought (& lost) a few meat, 50/50 tickets, I danced one dance to Boot, Scoot & Boogie and we came home - separately. 🏍️🚗 Gibbs was happy to see us both and after bringing my cooler in, I was too tired to unload.

Gibbs was happy to see us
return home.
He hadn't been outside much
all day.

For supper, we had fish, chips and onion rings and everything was very good. I wanted to finish my post so put Murder in a Small Town on while I worked. Hoping this would keep me awake. 😂 It has been a good day. 

I went overboard on my onion rings
but they were delicious!

It was a chilly start, 5.5C/42F, but warmed up quite nicely. Bill told me it was a great morning for flying and obviously a lovely afternoon for a bike ride to town. 

I looked out my window and saw
these two cleaning up the yard.

Thank you for all the support on my sale day. It was a great day.

A pretty sky tonight.
Good night!

Thank you for your visit.

Preparing, Someone's Last Day, Lucky Winner! (not us)

 The Ridge

On Friday, Oct. 2nd we were both up for work by 6:30. Bill left in the dark, at least from inside, it looked dark outside at 7. It wasn't long after his departure, that I gave Gibbs his treat, took my tea and headed to town.

Good morning!

I drove straight to Battery Pro and filled our water bottle. Only the outside dispenser is working now. No one was at the Mat when I arrived and I was wiping down the last few washers when a regular customer came in. He's one of the friendlies 🤭 and after loading his machine, he slipped out to go get his Timmy's breakfast.

Why does a camera seldom capture
what you see?

I went directly home, my head was focused on one thing and I wanted to get things sorted for the Harvest show. It was a damp start to the day but it did stop raining by the time I returned home and it was mild enough by 10 for me to open our outside door. 

Depending on which way you looked,
you could see clouds or blue sky

I began arranging, packing, labelling and planning my table display and finally, after a few touchups on my main sign, I loaded the back of Ptooties. My roll up table, table cloths and a chair filled the area. With that done and my mind much calmer, I asked Gibbs to get the mail with me.

Driving towards that blue

The little bum sat on the hill and watched as I disappeared. When I sat Bill drive up and stop at the mailbox, I turned back to encourage Gibbs to come down to me. He didn't hear Black Beauty and didn't move until Bill became quite visible. I was taking some garbage down so carried on.

Hello Madame Monarch

Bill immediately hooked up to the dump trailer and we all hopped in to go along for the ride to the Durham Landfill. I popped into Dave's Crazy Dollar store for some small shopping bags. He gave me a nice deal on the bags and didn't charge me tax......sometimes getting friendly with people at the Mat pays off. 😉

Driving into Durham at 5 pm
The sky was pretty but we needed
warm coverups against the wind.

On the way home, we dropped the trailer back at Robin's and when I got home, I vacuumed while Bill did a few things outside. No, he wasn't burning his work clothes! Yes, my sweetie has 'retired' for the second time, 10 years later.🤭 Now he can focus on what we have left to do over the next 2 weeks. Cheers! 🍾

This tree is almost at
its brightest and already dropping leaves.

I had my shower while he and Gibbs snoozed and we went to the 5 o'clock Catch the Ace draw. Well, it happened tonight. Someone's ticket was drawn, they chose #1 and that envelope had the Ace of Spades. Someone none of us knew, won just over $19,000 tonight on a $5 ticket. Congratulations!

Just a few clouds tonight
but they were pretty.

We returned home, had weiners and beans for supper, finished the pineapple dessert and relaxed for the remainder of the short evening. 

I walked up on the berm at home
to catch some of this pink sky.

This was a good day and although that wind was strong and very cool, we reached 15C/60F and going down to 3.3C/38F overnight. Brrr! Blue flame heater tonight.

Our Friday night meals are usually
simple......now that we won't be going
to C the A meetings, they will be
improving. 🤭
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by.

A New Month Begins on a Low Key

The Ridge

On Thursday, Oct. 1st we woke up in our own bed. I can't honestly say that we slept any better but I did sleep well and woke with a little snuggle bum right next to me. It was early, only 5:15 so we went back to sleep.

Good morning!
I can count on 1 or 2 fingers
the number of times I've seen a
cardinal this year.

Bill heard yesterday that he would be working today in Port Elgin so he left the Suite around 7. I was happy that, although yesterday was busy, it meant that I didn't have to clean the Mat. Thank you all for the birthday wishes for my hubby and I totally agree that Gibbs is a character.🤭

When I saw what he was doing,
I was fascinated.
Picking up seeds and feeding them
to his mate.

The weather today is such that I'm happy to be indoors. The forecast for the day is wet, warm, wet, warm and more wet. The rain isn't to be heavy just steady. Bill put the windows in the door on Tuesday since the nights are getting cooler and we don't need the screens now for a while. 

I've included a few short videos for you today. I'm not sure which one is the best so you get them all!

So, with today's warmth, Gibbs and I opened the outside door to let more light in. I was feeling anxious about Saturday so decided to focus on gathering things together and make notes of what I had. I sorted earrings, added any missing labels (made by Patritia) and bagged them in the same size baggies.

It was a tasty lunch!

Then, I counted my greeting cards and put them aside as well. It was almost noon so I cooked some bacon, eggs and fried zucchini with a roll. That was quite good, just ask Gibbs who had a bit of egg too. 

After cleaning up, I wanted to make something with an autumn theme so settled on a canvas board for the backing. 

It came together better than
I expected.

Gibbs and I walked through the misty day to get the mail and then rushed back when the spatters became a little more threatening. It still didn't pour at all today but the forecast is possible for it tonight around 9ish. Bill was home at 3:30 and informed me that he will have his last (LAST!) workday with Billy tomorrow. 🥰 Sorry, Billy.

                     Even when she was on the ground,

                                          he fed her. Amazing!

We had baked chicken thighs, corn on the cob, potatoes and rolls for supper. This oven (except for the turning on process) is doing me proud! The thighs were done perfectly in exactly the right time! Yes! (fist pump here) It was all delicious and we waited 30 minutes for a piece of Robin's dessert.

Supper was perfect!

There's a movie coming up on the screen that I haven't seen so I'll be watching that when I'm finished. We had word during supper that Jess made it back home to Alberta safely and that was good to hear. Easton and Hadley, who were staying with and aunt and uncle, would be happy to have Mom back. ♥️

We reached a high of 18C/65F this afternoon but with no wind, it was pleasant. I hope you enjoyed your first day of this autumn month.

Things are a'changin' here too.
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by.