A Wonderful Long Weekend Day, Early Walkabout, More Shed Building, Cookout at the Ridge, Visit to the Acreage

On Saturday, Aug. 4^th I was awakened by the sound of my phone chirping that I had received a text. It was 6:45 and I wouldn’t have heard it if I had been still asleep. So, it really didn’t wake me. It was my daughter informing me of their imminent late afternoon arrival at the Acreage today. I would definitely get over to see her and Chris this evening.

All is quiet this morning on the pond

And the sun pops through the trees

I headed out the door before 7 and enjoyed a really nice walk before the heat started to set in. I returned at 7:30 to find Bill was still sleeping. I made my tea and took my laptop outside to enjoy some ‘free’ neighbourhood wifi. No, not from our friends, but instead someone down the road who has theirs open. I will gladly use it for reading blog posts and playing on Facebook games. If they don’t mind, I don’t mind!

Interesting cloud formations low in the sky

Bill got up before 8 and came out to sit with me for a while. Clemson was still in bed after an earlier 5 am piddle. A couple of minutes before 9, Donna texted from the Acreage to let Bill know that Mike and Gerry were on their way with the construction trailer. Let the fun begin! Bill is anxious to get back at the job, in the hopes of it soon being completed. They arrived minutes later and set to work immediately.

Clemson finally got up around 8:30 maybe to check out what all the noise was about. I’m sure he could hear some of it so he trotted down the hill to begin his supervisory duties. Typical supervisor, late on the job site. LOL  I sat in the shade and caught up on blog posts and emails before playing Scrabble and Words with Friends on FB. 

There is a song about Little Green Apples
These are crabby and never good to eat

I’m losing in all 5 games but that can change with a good letter swap at any time.

As I knew they would, the beautiful sunflowers from Pat and Rob have bounced right back. No flower is better, in my eyes, to greet me each morning. 

Beautiful!

My Dad’s sunflowers always win the prize for me. The day was warming up and I went inside and boiled some eggs up for egg salad sandwiches for lunch. These guys will need something hearty to keep them going. Bill is working too but on ‘liquid duty’ if they need water etc.

and the boys are hard at it by 9:15

With the sandwiches done, I knew I had to do something with the fresh peaches that I’d cut up the previous day. They are a fruit that needs to be eaten or at least ‘dealt’ with pretty quickly as they soften and brown really quickly. So, I plugged into power for half hour and blended them up with yogourt and milk or cream, making myself some smoothies. They won’t be sweet so Bill might or might not like them.

Supervisor Clemson, he can oversee the workers from here

Egg salad with a green onion from my garden

Clemson and I periodically did a walk down to the work site to make sure things were going well and the boys were keeping their fluid levels up. At noon hour, Mike had to drive back to Mildmay, a 45-minute drive from here to get another charger for one of his nailers. The work was slowing down because one had died. He wouldn’t stop for lunch first so Gerry, Rob and Bill came up to our patio and had a beer and a sandwich or two. That is the very least we can do for the work they are doing.

Peach smoothie

My breakfast, egg, zucchini, sausage, tomatoes and cheese

They were back at it in less than an hour and George and Rose pulled out with their motor home. It was very nice to spend time with them for a few days. 

See you guys later! If not in Ontario, in Lake Havasu for sure!

I settled into the hammock with my book. Why do I feel so tired, I’m not doing anything? I knew my eyes were drooping when I heard Bill call my name, “Patritia! Mike is back”. That was my cue to take him his sandwich and drink. I returned to my station to stay out of the way. At 2:30 I took them down a cooler of ice cold water and saw what progress was being made. Awesome! One side wall was completed.

One wall boarded and battened

And the back window in place

The boys packed it up for the day at 3, the heat of the sun was draining them. They enjoyed a cool down period here with a beer before Gerry and Mike left for the acreage. One more day of a few morning hours should leave the shed in a state where Bill can finish it on his own. Should, maybe, perhaps, possibly. 😊 I know Bill is very happy that Mike was able to accommodate his shed-building plans and he tries not to be impatient.

Rob setting up his cooker

First batch of wings 

Up at ‘camp’, Rob, Pat and George are beginning the preparations for the Ridge Cookout. Rob had his outdoor propane cooker all set up and the oil in the pot heating for the wings and fries while George had his Weber ready to fry up some trout or bass (?) for Bill and I. What’s wrong with us that wings aren’t our thing? Anyway, we all like different things and chicken isn’t Bills. I love chicken but when given a choice of wings or fish, I prefer the fish.

Wings done and we kept them warm on our Weber

Now the fries go down

Since I wasn’t contributing anything towards this great supper, I offered up my Cherry Cheesecake that I’d made up last week for dessert. I even remembered to take it out of the freezer on time for it to be thawed! The homemade cherry sauce was quite good, me having never made it from fresh cherries before. The whole meal was a hit and we sat on the south side of the Suite in the shade enjoying even more comradery of good friends.

And supper was good

Main course

Cherry cheesecake for dessert

I slipped inside and did the dishes up while the others relaxed for a bit more. At 7:30 Bill and I changed into long pants, took our jackets, drinks and chairs over to the Acreage to join the small family gathering over there for a campfire. We caught my daughter, Bridgette, and her sweetie, Chris, still eating and Gayle, John, Wendy, Joanne, Ted, Donna and Gerry just finished.

Rob and Clemson played their tag and then Clem jumped on his buddies lap to make up

His water dish wasn't handy so his buddy Pat gave him water in her hand
He's not treated well at all around here!

We enjoyed the campfire which John got going easily with, of course, my fire starters, and the talk flowed easily. Mostly, Bill and I listened not having much to add to the conversation this evening. Mike joined us too around the warmth of the fire. 

Bridgette, Donna and Gerry at the fire

 We watched the ISS (International Space Station) zip across the sky from NNW to SE at 10:15 and by 11, we packed up our chairs and returned home to our own settlement.

John and Donna looked after the fire tonight

It was another great day, smack dab in the middle of the long civic weekend. I hope you are enjoying yours too.

Thank you for stopping by. I love it when you have time to leave a comment.

Slept In, Acreage Visit with Friends, Drizzly Afternoon, Inside Stuff

On Sunday, June 3^rd, we’re glad it is an official ‘day of rest’ because we slept in until 8:30. It was much nicer for sleeping last night, with a bedspread and our Arizona blanket thrown over top. It only got down to 63F/17C overnight and although we didn’t get into bed until midnight, we slept well. We had our hot brews and I worked on my post from yesterday. It’s true, life does go on whether I finish a daily post on time or not!

Driving into the Acreage

Rob and Pat followed us in the GMC

We contacted Rob and Pat and asked if they’d like to come out for a tour of my sister and her husband’s Acreage, 6 km away. Rob wanted to take his beautiful GMC out for a spin so readily agreed. We had breakfast and cleaned up dishes before they arrived around 11. We led them over and Donna, Gerry and Mike were outside to greet us. As they showed them the bunkys/cabins and their ‘new’ fifth wheel, we had no doubt they would like what they were seeing. After a short visit, we said our goodbyes and Rob drove west and we drove east towards home.

Clemson was thanking Pat for a ride in the pretty red truck
Even his Mom and Dad haven't done that!

By the time we got out of Ptooties, the drizzle started. Hmm, that truly puts a ‘damp’er on the day. Inside stuff will get tended to. Bill received a few things as I’d mentioned on Friday but one of the most important was his Dad’s replica model of a sail boat. We believe it was to be the Blue Nose II, a fishing and racing schooner built in 1921 in Nova Scotia. We’ve know it would be Bill’s one day but still haven’t decided the best placing to put her. We need to think about movement etc.

Because of the late night and I’m sure the weather was a factor as well, Bill and I felt draggy and took Clemson up for an afternoon siesta. Surprisingly, to me, I dropped off alongside my guys and we all slept for an hour. The rain seemed to have stopped, and although it was a gentle shower it seemed we got enough to water my plants and flowers. Maybe we’ll get more before the day is over.

Another garden picture, when one things fades out, more plants come to life

And my purple petunia has come to life as I'd hoped it would

Bill had also received many clothes from his Dad’s closets and so we went out to the bunky where he could try them on and make decisions. Keep or let go. Most of the shirts and pants fit like a charm, some were a bit snug but wearable around here. A few were too tight or didn’t suit Bill and went into a giveaway pile while about 5 shirts were kept for a few months to see if Bill drops a few pounds. There were also some pieces of jewellery, namely watches, that Bill was very happy to have.

In between the rains, my garden was proving to be very happy

We came inside as the spatters of rain returned and turned the tv on. An interesting program, Pearl Harbor: Survivors Remember, was on so we sat down to watch it. In the meantime, I was able to stitch a tiny dome fastener on one of my own shirts that I have been meaning to do for a couple of weeks. It’s a lazy afternoon and although I don’t know yet what I’ll make, I have a pound of ground beef out for thawing.

The west sky horizon shows some brightening at 8 pm

I love our cedar rail fencing but even more when it is wet
Everything is so green after a rainfall

Before we knew it Clem was bugging us for his supper and Bill finally gave in and fed him at 4:40. Bill: 0, Clemson: 1 Before I knew it, the show ended and it was 5:30 so I started peeling potatoes and browning the beef. Making things for supper out of your head is always interesting, but I went back in my memory to one of my favourite “Mom” meals. Mashed potatoes, hamburger and onion gravy, steamed cauliflower, corn and Pillsbury crescent rolls.

Love the easy meal but it means a bunch of dirty dishes

Once things were underway, the sky opened up and with some grumbling, we had a brief thunderstorm. No lightning just rain mostly. The good thing is that it was a steady rain which was enough to give everything a good soaking before it settled off. The bad thing is that Clemson chose that exact time to need to go out. Bill opened the door and once the rain blew in on him, he changed his mind quick. Five minutes later, with the awning now out, he definitely needed to go. Smart pup, he went under the Suite to do his business.

I was hungry for supper tonight
To add colour and even more flavour, I cut up little cherry tomatoes on my plate

Supper was ready and we enjoyed a lovely Sunday night meal at 7. Bill was talking back and forth with my little brother, Michael, on text and finally called him. With a new to them 30’ Wildcat trailer, he has some small issues he is trying to figure out. We are so looking forward to see him and Crystal this July for a visit. We cleaned up the dishes and finished watching American Pickers. From this picture, maybe you can guess what town they were in, in New Mexico.

If you guessed Roswell, you 

The rain has stopped maybe for the night but it doesn’t really matter. I took a walk down the lane to add a few steps to my day and came back in and sat with my boys. I was given a picture from a staff member at Rockwood on Friday and I wanted to share it with you. This was taken on the day I took Mom down for her Mother’s Day nail treatment. Aren’t we gorgeous!?

Mom loves to dress up as much as I do!

Another great day, they are adding up for sure. Life is great! 

And a lovely sunset at the Ridge after a cloudy day

Thank you for taking the time to catch up with us. I love it when you leave a comment.

Relaxing Day, Unpredictable Weather Again, Walkabouts, Acreage Stop

On Sunday, Sept. 3^rd I woke up before 7 but just lie in bed thinking about the past few days and a dream that seemed to be hovering in my head. I didn’t care for the dream though because in it Bill was still working and I was an outsider. Weird, not worth analyzing! The sky was cloudy although the rain I’d heard earlier had stopped by 7:15 when we got up.

Unpredictable day

  It had been a warmer night than the past two so that was positive. We made our coffee and tea and Bill plugged into power for a while this morning. I published my blog post from yesterday, knowing too that a lot of family would be anxious to see the family photos. They all turned out great of which I was pleased. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone. My only regret was that there were no individual family photos taken although I had put the offer out there. I think the rain put a damper on that.

I don’t think there is anything pressing going on today but I will strip the bunky bed so I can wash the sheets up this week. Bill is home until Thursday this week so we have a few quiet days to spend together before then. 

A couple of milkweed photos for Randy

September is a month with a few more visitors planned so that is something to look forward to. Each one is special in its own way so all we can do is hope for good weather days.

Church is in

 The rain overnight and yesterday gave my ‘garden frost’ sheets a good washing as they were still on the line. Woops! Oh well, they will dry eventually. Something about clothes on the line gives the place a homey appearance. When the sky let the sun through briefly around 10:30 I decided it was time to take a quick walk down the lane. Working up an appetite.

I walked further because it was quite a nice morning out there. I noticed that the Baptist Church lot was getting full so thought I would walk that far and on to the first house and turn around. That gave me an opportunity to get the photo of the parishioner’s vehicles. I don’t need a church to speak and pray to the powers that be, that is what my walks are for.

Walking with the wildflowers

I warmed up some of the breakfast casserole that was left over from Friday but found it was too much for one and Bill wasn’t keen on it. I don’t blame him, it is one thing that didn’t taste as good the second day. So, after eating I cut up the apples that I picked off my tree down at the road. The bigger ones were edible with no bugs but they needed to be spot checked for sure. Usually I don’t peel my apples for baking but these needed it.

Looking ahead down North Line

Breakfast tasted better than it looks!

I put them on the stove to blanch and then forgot and went for a walk with Bill and Clemson. The walk was longer than I expected and we came back to a very warm Suite. I’d forgotten the apples! This memory thing is a real bummer, I’m lucky that they were turned fairly low. I won’t be freezing them, they are cooked completely so will be making apple sauce instead.

We watched the sun and the clouds play battle in the sky but not a drop of rain fell all afternoon. After our walk, we got a text that Donna and Gerry were out at the acreage. He was feeling a bit of cabin fever and wanted to get out for a drive, his first ‘break-out’ in two weeks so they took advantage of the sun and went out to sit for a couple of hours.

Walking with my guys

We took the drive over to say hello and were not surprised to see Mike there enjoying his trailer for part of the weekend. We hung around long enough for some chit chat and Bill had a beer with Mike but the mosquitoes were out in droves. After maybe an hour and a half we headed home to our bug free sanctuary. We all figured it was because of the sheltered area and the imminent rain. We drove to Durham the back way so I could pick something up at Smart Buys and then back to The Ridge.

Bill was checking out the landing strip here through the trees
see the white area pointing out the green grass

A closer view

At home, the sleepy eyes hit and we curled up in the bedroom for an afternoon nap. We are ‘those’ type of retirees and enjoy a snooze whenever we feel like it. This time all 3 of us laid down for an hour. When we got up it was almost 6 so Bill lit the barbecue and put the sausage on for grilling. I didn’t really feel like them tonight so I wrapped my baked potato and ribs left over from Montana’s in tin foil and put them on as well.

White fluffy clouds

and then white Poufy ones

 It was a good supper and filled us up. With 1/3 of a bottle of white wine left in the fridge, the other day I knew we wouldn’t drink it anytime soon. So, I poured it into my mixing jug and added some orange and cranberry juice. I might have told you this already. It turned out kind of like a sangria and was quite tasty! There was one glass left so that went nicely with my supper tonight. After dishes, I thought it the perfect time to go for one more walk down the lane.

And Clemson is free and runs

Earlier this afternoon I went out to the bunky and stripped the sheets. One day this week when Bill is working, I will nip into the laundromat and do all the bedding. I replaced the cotton sheets with some warmer flannelette ones for this weekend’s company. That will certainly help for a warmer sleep.

My supper

Visiting at the Acreage

It has been a really great lazy kind of day and we’ve loved the quiet. It was time to slow down for a bit. I hope your day has been top notch as well.

Start of an evening sky

And goodnight sun, wish we'd shared more time with you!

Thank you for your visit today. It is fun reading your comments.