A Bit of Secretarial Work, Bill Off Early, Costco Shares

The Ridge

On Friday, May 27^th the day ended differently than we thought it would when it started out. Bill didn’t need to rise early, although Gibbs didn’t know that and had him up before 6, so it was around 6:30 when he started to get ready for work. I was up around 7 and made sure Gibbs ate his breakfast after our walk down the lane.

When we walked down the lane this morning,
this county truck was spraying calcium.
Gibbs barked at him and his 2 little terriers returned the favour
from the front passenger window. Cute!

Now it was too wet to walk on
As good an excuse as any!

I had my tea and sat playing my games and reading. It was a rainy day and although it felt warm enough, we had no reason to be outside. Bill was working just down the road today so took Black Beauty rather than the SUV. It made no difference to me; I can get anywhere with either vehicle but I had nowhere to be. 😊 This morning, I made another batch of Baked Keto Oatmeal as I’ve been eating Bill’s cereal many mornings. There's still one recipe that I made for 'oatmeal' granola that I liked but can't find now.

Gibbs and I watched Daddy leave for work

The corral looks nice all cut and trimmed
My garden has a lot of weeds, but I hope to get at those soon

At noon, I had a wrap with mayo, avocado, cheese, lettuce and cucumbers. Oh, plus a hard-boiled egg. It was filling. Then I drove over to M’s to play secretary for an hour. 😊 He needed a letter written and that kind of thing is right up my ally so I was happy to help him out. When I left there, the remainder of the day was free so I was happily surprised when Bill drove in about 10 minutes after I got home. He was done work for the day. Yay! A short Friday!

My keto 'oatmeal' all ready for the oven

He was quite dirty from sanding drywall today so hopped in the shower and suggested we go to Guelph today to get our Costco shopping done instead of going in the morning. It meant that I could sleep in a bit tomorrow and do the laundry while cleaning the Mat. Otherwise, the laundry would wait until Monday. The sky was everchanging and it went from cool to warm and back again, depending on whether we were under rainy or sunny skies.

Mama Oriole gets her fill
Sorry for the blurry picture

They are both really enjoying the oranges this year

Costco was crazy busy, not surprising for a Friday afternoon, and we felt like we’d bought a share in the business when we left a hefty $300+ deposit. LOL Oh well, we needed to stock up on a few non-food items and won’t need to buy them for quite a while again. 

We saw skies like this often on today's ride

I can't even imagine what they bring in during
any given day

Toilet paper, Kleenex, paper towels, and a host of other items. We fueled up at their station and that was another busy spot. Lineups at every pump. Gas prices were $1.89/litre, 6¢ cheaper than here in Durham so it was worth the wait and Ptooties was almost dry.

It's crazy that we line up for such expensive fuel
Used to be the day when we'd line up for the deals

We'd left home at 3 and it’s 75 minutes each way. It was probably an hour plus in the store and fuel station.  Bill must have read my mind (or did he hear my tummy grumbling?) and at 5:45 just pulled in to A & W in Fergus without asking. This would be supper and we each had a Cheddar Bacon Uncle Burger combo.He got a big ‘thank you!’ from me. It was after 7 when we arrived home and I’m glad I didn’t have to start cooking something to eat. ♥

When the staff at the exit who checks our
receipts drew a happy face for the little girl
in front of us..........
You know I had to have one. 😂
I said 'don't I get a happy face too?'
He happily obliged and it got a laugh. 
I heard him ask the person behind us if they wanted one too. 😍

Gibbs was happy to see us after just over 4 hours alone and ran in and out as we unloaded the car. He was so good and when I filled his dish with the old food, he waited to see that we weren’t going anywhere and gobbled it up. 😊 Worrying and over thinking too much about his eating habits? Us? Ha ha, yah, maybe. The weekend will give us a chance to figure him out. As long as my 'Mom' genes can be kept at bay. I can't help worrying about him. 💕

Water tower in Guelph
I love the lower case letters

We seem to have a dark blanket over us tonight and yet the forecast for the next 4 days shows very little rain. We’ve had enough here and I’m believingthe forecast that the clouds will not produce precipitation overnight. 

Fast food but it was tasty
and saved me cooking!

I worked on my blog while Gibbs did everything he could to get Daddy’s attention in his chair. He did a good job looking after the house and now just wants to play. Bill put an old black and white guys movie on and I soon tired of my blog. That meant it went on hold until Saturday. I went upstairs and watched Magnum P.I. with Gibbs until I fell asleep. 

Someone, not mentioning any names, was
hungry and ate all his supper 💓
Good night!

This was a good day and it ended very well! Thank you for stopping around. Happy weekend!

Costco Run, Rainy Day Forecast, Winter Preparations

Stratford, Ontario

Bill was up at 5:30 this morning, Wednesday, Oct. 30^th, and I followed about an hour later. We had our showers and morning hot drinks. It wasn’t raining yet but the sky looked like it could at any time. It doesn’t look like a washout day by the predictions, only 52% chance but it is just as well we have no outdoor things to take care of. The temperature at 8:30 is 6C/43F so not too bad.

We were under clouds but the sky off to the southeast the sky
looked brighter

Our 2 gps's are set up and ready to go
along with our back up camera for the Suite

Once ready, Bill and I had toast and/or cereal. We left to pick the kids (Bob and Jo-Anne) up at 9 in Tavistock and drove to Kitchener for a Costco spree. 

Driving to Kitchener, this bird went right overhead
He seemed really low, we all ducked our heads

A spree it was as we stocked up on a lot of things, some that aren’t available in the U.S. and others that are just good prices and needed before we travel. Back at the Francis’s we had a coffee and snack with them, further discussing some of our travel plans together.

Bill and I made a pretty fair donation here today

There is an issue that has come up regarding Bob’s trailer that they are dealing with and we’ve just discovered from today’s rain that our laundry closet (where we keep our overstock) is leaking down the inside wall to the floor. The wall is not visibly damaged but the floor is. I guess that will be a spring replacement so Bill contacted Peggy at CanAm right away to get it on file. We’ll just watch it over the winter and pray for little rain.

Higgins chewed on his new toy before he discovered my purse on the floor
When he was too quiet, Jo-Anne went to check
He had managed to pull my camera out, sunglasses and I don't know what else
Too cute - it was my fault for having it on the floor

Back home, we finished putting stuff away and were sad to hear from Bridgette. She had to cancel tonight’s dinner at their place because of a serious illness in Chris’ family. We were looking forward to seeing them before heading out but some things just can’t be helped and she shouldn’t be feeling bad about the change. ☹ The rest of the week is busy for them so we’ll just text more often when we are in the sunny southwest.

Madame IP sautes the ground beef, onion and spices first

 I made a batch of chili in Madame IP for taking on the road. It will be divided into meal size portions and frozen. Then the trick will be to remember to take it out of the freezer the morning of a travel day so it will be thawed and I can heat it up on the stove for supper. When the chili was done and packaged, I boiled eggs as well in Madame IP. She is earning her keep! 7 meals of chili will help us out a lot for the occasional home cooked meal.

7 good meals

Tomorrow, I’ll make egg salad and on Friday put together some sandwiches for a couple of lunches on the road. While the eggs were cooking for 5 minutes, I caught up on my blog post. While they were cooling in ice water, I sat with my book. Bill needed a snooze and so I sat beside him in my recliner. Life is good and the little hiccups we experience just make us stronger. It is always good to work on our stress level, looking at the big picture of what to get upset about and what to just deal with.

This was the type of day we had so good to be indoors

I finished the silly book and now look forward to getting onto something good again. I don’t think it was so much the story line as the way it was written. I need to make a note that she is not an author I care to read again. 

Since we bought 2 dozen, I wanted it to be clear which ones were
hard boiled - half of these will be used for egg salad

At 6 pm, I cooked a piece of pepper squash, the last 2 potatoes in my tortilla oven (in the microwave), Bill’s vegetables and warmed up the ham slices. Everything was very good and what is left of the ham we will use for sandwiches while travelling.

Another tasty ham dinner
Good night from the parking lot of Bob's Shop

We took care of the dishes together and then sat to watch a few of our pre-recorded programs. We had a lot on the pvr. This was a wet day but it was good to get things prepared for the start of our travel. I hope you enjoyed your Wednesday as well. I was pleased to see that Bill sat and put out a new short and sweet post. You can check it out here.

Thank you for stopping in.

Another Busy Day and Late Posting - Baby Easton Pics

The Ridge

On Saturday, Aug. 3^rd we slept until 7, again indicating how we needed to catch up on sleep. We got up and had our morning brew together before I hopped in the shower. Bill had some yogourt and then he did the same while I had some of my own. I packed a swim bag, a cooler bag and found something cool to wear. It was going to be a hot day.

On our drive to London, we followed this
sewage truck into Teviotdale

From home at 9, we drove to London to pick up a few item’s that Bill had ordered from AVF (the hobby store) for his Telemaster. We were hoping that my new camera would have arrived as well (2 birds, 2 stone) but no, it wasn’t in yet. After seeing Derrick, Jeff and Bobby at AVF, we drove across the city to Costco and picked up the few dairy items that we needed. Not too many today but we did need to get something to take to a barbecue this afternoon.

We haven't driven through Millbank for a very long time
(Bill's daughters grew up in this small town)

By the time we left Costco and checked at Henry’s Camera Store, we were ready to eat. Our favourite family-type ‘haunt’ for eating is Southside Family Restaurant on Exeter Road so we went there and had breakfast. My Denver omelette was yummy and so were the home fries. Bill had the egg and sausage meal with home fries too. It was the perfect meal and a very reasonable cost rather than going to a fast food place.

These young lads were scooting somewhere
Their suspenders and hats are my favourite thing

Bill’s sister, Carol, and her husband, Brian, invited the family to a reunion of sorts to celebrate Dad’s Aug. 6^th birthday. He would appreciate that we are all getting together even though he is no longer with us. The day was perfect! So once out of London and off the 401, Bill pulled over so I could drive and he could have a bit of shut-eye. I almost made it to Sebringville before he woke up and we arrived at 2:30.

A wonderful breakfast even though I left some rye toast and fries on my plate

I usually make something for this kind of gathering but really didn’t have the product or the time so a large veggie tray and dip fit the bill nicely. The above ground pool looked so inviting. Family arrived and it was nice to see that all of Bill’s daughters, spouses and most of our grandchildren were able to make it. We all missed Braeden, Yvonne’s oldest, who had to work. There was some imbibing, some munching and some swimming. It was a very nice time.

There's my handsome sweetie pie

A couple of Bill's daughters etc.
Yvonne, Dennis, Connor (grandson #2) Charlotte, Cory, Chelsea (gdaughter #1)

A lovely picture of Jess as Easton enjoys the pool

After burgers and dogs and salads, it was around 7 when Bill and I packed up and said our goodbyes. We also had my family gathering at Donna and Gerry’s this weekend so we scooted home to change, unload groceries and head over on time for some campfire time. It is a smaller group each year, too much going on for everyone in other parts of Ontario. 

The pictures that warm my heart are the ones of Easton
and his Grandpa

The eyes are getting droopy

The head rubbing against Grandpa's shoulder

Fighting it every step of the way

And within minutes, he was gone

He was so good today
Look at those kissable little cheeks

There were only 13 of us around the front fire at any given time. Wendy and Morgan were roasting marshmallows so I had a couple with them for a treat. A sweet gooey treat, it has been forever!

Some sky performance on the drive home

You car guys will know what this is even through the blur

And the sun sets as we reach the Ridge

Bill and I were feeling the effects of the long drive so by 10:30 we took our chairs and headed home. It wasn’t long after that we were both sound asleep. These have been some awesome days for sure and even more on the horizon. I hope our fellow Canadians (who get this holiday) are enjoying your Civic long weekend too.

And one last performance as we drive to the Acreage for a campfire
Good night y'all!

Thank you for your visit today!

Wrapping Things Up, London, Costco, Friends, CanAm, Fuel

Bill and I were awake and playing footsies under the covers at 6:30 on Friday, Oct. 26^th. Bill was the first to rise, Clemson was second and I was last to exit the bed. It must have been a mild night because both heaters were on low and we were toasty warm. We both slept really well, so we found out after comparing notes. That might just mean that this throat and cough thing is moving on. Good riddance!

While Bill was in the shower, I walked the recyclables up to the bin
Sorry for the blurred picture

We had our tea and coffee together while catching up on our friends’ news. Bill had his shower this morning and we took our Costco grocery list off the fridge and headed to London at 8:45. As usual, Costco opens their doors a bit earlier than their scheduled opening time of 10 am. Who does that? Not too many venues open their doors a minute too soon, so we like that about them.

Looking back past the clubhouse to the entrance
The sky looks blue but it wasn't, it was gray all day long

Checking things off the list as we went, we scooted through pretty quickly. It is hard to move quick in such a busy store but we found everything with the exception of the sauce Pat asked us to look for. 

Doors opened at 9:50

Near the end rows, we saw Randy and Brenda close to the finish as well. We both had pretty full carts. We agreed to meet across the street at Tim Horton’s for coffee. This was all planned in advance, not a ‘by chance’ meeting.

We found a cute little table set up in the corner and enjoyed our breakfast meals while catching up on their Ireland trip and our winter plans. None of us could get over the fact that it had been 10 months since they came to Quartzsite to join us. Where does the time go? I guess we’re all having fun, eh? When we said goodbye with hugs, Brenda handed me a gift bag for our birthdays. She’s so thoughtful. The card was beautiful and the gifts perfect and practical!

I set up my funky tripod for this  group photo
The little 3D star hides a nosy onlooker
(if he'd been smiling, I wouldn't have minded)

Since we were early arriving in London, Bill drove first to Pet Smart to pick up Clemson’s dry dog food. He was almost out. Our back seat was full of groceries when we drove to Flying ‘M’ for diesel and over $100 later, so was our fuel tank. The bank account dipped after these two stops but it is a necessary evil. We got what we needed.

Youch!
Ours is the one on the left, 96.8 litres
but the price was great at $1.21.9/gal

Our last stop was to CanAm to pop in and say goodbye to our friends for the winter. They are so good to us whenever we need something and since it was lunch time, offered us some pizza that was brought in by a customer. 

We didn’t stick around too long and we were on our way back to Arkona to the park. As we emptied bags and put things in the fridge, freezer and cupboards we commented that it felt good to be stocked up. Especially on those things we can’t get in the southwest.

Do you think he  brought in enough pizza?
It was very good!

We sat and read and dozed a bit before Bill gave Clemson his supper. Time is of no essence anymore. As he has aged, he is becoming more and more of a pest about when he gets his food. The bottom line is that we can’t relax while he is hinting that he wants his food. We’ve decided that any time after 3, if he is sitting there looking (glaring with those cute beady eyes) at us, he’ll get fed and really what does it matter. Otherwise, we get too frustrated trying to put him off. His time is going to be even more messed up in a couple of weeks so we may as well get ready for it. LOL

At 4, we had a snack of peanuts and walnuts and I poured myself a beer margarita for our own happy hour. This day so far has been very accomplishing and leaves us only a couple of things to take care of tomorrow. Supper for us will be leftovers. Sausage from last night and macaroni and cheese casserole from the freezer. Our freezer is full again with pork, beef, soups, sauces, and now packages of ground beef and mini sausages. That feels great! Once across the border, we will stock up on fresh vegetables, chicken, eggs etc.

This is the gift bag from Brenda and Randy
Tea towels and a tiny 100 pc. puzzle for me
in the Suite
Yay!

After supper, which was so-so, we cleaned the dishes up and relaxed. I must have tweaked my back the other day somehow as for the last couple of days, late afternoon, it is painful in certain movements. I took a couple of Advil and I could almost feel relief immediately. Probably a dip in the hot tub would be good but I can’t get into the ‘dressing and undressing’ thing at the clubhouse. If I can dry outside, that is a different story, I’m in. Same goes with the pool, just not something I'll do this visit.

I packaged these up into 1 lb. packs for the freezer

We had a good day today and look forward to our friends arriving tomorrow for our last day in Ontario. It has been a mild day, really, with no wind for the most part but surprising that it rose to 48F with no sunshine. We didn’t have to wear winter coats all day and that was really nice. I hope you’ve had a nice day in your neck of the woods.

Once more, this is what I refer to as the
'Clemson stare'
Good night all!

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments are appreciated.