The Day Changed for Me, Dreary and Wet. Critters!!

The Ridge

On Sunday, June 2^nd I woke up slowly around 6:30, knowing there was nothing on my plate. I assumed Bill would be downstairs getting ready to go flying, until I opened my blind and saw rain drops on my window. ☹ Ah, that’s too bad but it makes me happy he had a good flying day yesterday. It did mean that he could putter on his planes in the Hangar for the day, he had no commitments either.

A tired little guy this morning.
Good morning!

So, I relaxed in my pj’s and planned my day. First things first meant that I would take my tea upstairs and empty the bag off clothes I brought home yesterday. That also meant that I had to start choosing from what was in my closet and what was in the bag. I did better than I thought and managed to stuff a bag for the next exchange to make room for the new to me clothes. I love everything I got and it’s like having a new wardrobe for 0 dollars. 😊

I decided to make some rice pudding for my Sweetie. One of his favourite desserts but unfortunately, I don’t have raisins. Last time that was the case, I added dried cranberries and he was just as happy with that. So, I put Madame IP to work today and after it was made, I put it into 6 single serving dishes for him. Because I didn’t want to eat the rice, I planned to make keto custard for myself in 5 single serve dishes. Yay!

Robin added flowers to the basket outside
the bnb entry door.
Lovely!

During the cooking, I sat and tallied up our winter expenses. I have a book that keep all the money we spend from the time we leave home to the time we get back to The Ridge. It’s interesting to look back through the pages to see how costs have risen, not surprising at all. It’s good to know where the money goes. Our time in Arizona, after our long traveling is done, is relatively inexpensive (so to speak), it is the trip down and back that is way up there because of fuel.

The drive back on Baptist Church Road
at this time of year is gorgeous!
Talk about green!

It was around 11:20 that Robin texted about cleaning the bnb today. She knew it was short notice but was tied up helping Andrew and just asked if it was possible. Well! Since it is a wet day and I’m not into anything that I can’t walk away from, of course I said yes. I have no qualms working on the Lord’s Day as it is helping someone else and yes, I make a bit of cash in the meantime. Bill was okay with it, since he planned on spending the day working on his planes. 😊

Our laneway was pretty tore up from
the lady turtles, making nests.
Unfortunately, they must have been frightened
off as these holes would have been perfect! 

I had my lunch a bit early and left at 12:15. Bill had come up to the Suite, made a sandwich and was on his way back out again. The drive was about 25 minutes in the gentle rain and traffic was fairly light on a Sunday. I was done cleaning and on my way home by 2:15, which is pretty consistent with each time I go. They’ve added a single bed in the extra room upstairs, which now allows 5 guests instead of just 4. That will add even more possible guest visits.

Bill's rice pudding (not sure why it looks so brown)
and my custard.
Both were very good!

Back home, I had Madame IP make my custard and then while Bill and Gibbs had their snooze, I prepared a casserole dish of scalloped potatoes for supper. It was a good day for it. 

It's hard to see them here, but we watched
up to 7 Chippys at a time out there.

Then this house finch visited for the first time.
She was 'pretty in red'.

Then, as I worked on my blog, I laughed at the antics of the 4, 5, 6 no 7 chipmunks running around outside. It’s driving Gibbs a bit nuts watching them and every time he goes out, he takes off at a run chasing one or two. One came up on the stoop landing outside my window and Gibbs wanted to go through the window at him! 😊 Not really, but he was jumping around behind me. ♥

I was wearing one of the shirts I picked up
yesterday and when I rolled the sleeve up a bit
got this message. Cute! I am often lost so .........fitting.
😂😂

Supper was ready at 6:30 and boy was it a nice rainy-day meal! I did cheat and had some potatoes and corn but it was worth it. For dessert, we had our pudding cups and they tasted great too. We cleaned up dishes and relaxed for the evening together. The rain stopped around 4 pm today and the temperature climbed to a pleasant 17C/63F today before starting the drop to a mild 14C/57F overnight. 😊 There is a lot of rain in our forecast again, but at least the cold seems to be leaving.

Yummy Sunday supper

This was a really nice day, even with a bit of work in the midst. We had a nice chat with our dear friends, Rob and Pat, tonight so that perked us up too. 💗

Oh, and there was this critter.
Good thing Gibbs didn't see him up here!!
Good night folks!

Thank you for stopping by.

Let’s Get Dirty! Garden Time, Unwelcome and Welcome Critters

The Ridge

On Thursday, May 21^st we were awake around 6:30 before dropping off again until 7:30. We got up to greet this glorious day. If you got tired of hearing me complain about the cold, wet and windy stuff, now you’ll get the repetitive joyfulness over warm, sunny, calmness. Today just feels perfect. Inside the Suite it was a cool 14C/58F (which doesn’t sound cool, does it?) but outside it was 11C/52F and it felt warm. The sky was clear blue and the wind minimal so I took myself out for a walk.

Normally this is a good spot to work on my potting

The pond looked pretty this morning

 There is something about the solitude of a country road in the morning. I layered too much right off the bat and on my return trip had to remove my hoody and windbreaker. Duh, so overdressed today but it was a wonderful walk. I came in for a tea and Bill filled me in on his plans for the day. He has been waiting for a guaranteed warm day to empty his cargo trailer so he can work on it. I was going to take my tea outside but remembered I hadn’t posted my blog yet. Oops!

Some 8 year old lost his birthday balloon

It was getting late last night when I finished the write-up and although I’d downloaded the pictures, I was too tired to finish. We sat together and watched some tv together and soon after 10, I had to say goodnight. It felt warm in the bedroom but I must have been comfortable as I didn’t hear Bill come to bed, whenever that was. I slept well. So, this morning, I popped my pictures over and published. With that finished my work day would begin.

I saw a wild turkey across the fields

So, I waited until he opened his magnificent tail feathers

There were 3 geraniums to be potted as well as 12 tomato plants and 8 pepper plants that needed to be planted in the garden. Gosh, it feels good to be out there moving forward. The only downer is the peskiness of the black flies. The unwelcome critters. Wouldn’t it have been nice if the cool weather had killed them all off and we’d not see them this year? No such luck. Bill was trying to work and I could see them flying around his head. He was hoping the stinky OFF that he sprayed on last night would work but it wasn’t.

A female oriole found the other oranges

And these critters came up the hill to check out the bugs
Grass is always greener, don't you know?

Can you believe how big these babies are getting?
Still cute little fluff balls

I set up stuff in my ‘new’ potting area by the Bunky and they were crazy around me too. In the storage shed, I dug out my hat with the netting so I wouldn’t get bitten. Even though I could see them on the outside of the netting, they couldn’t get me. “Nya nya nya nya nya. I’m smarter than you flies”. I didn't have many flowers to pot yet so it didn't take me long. I placed one geranium in the new garden and 2 others in individual pots. 

Bill got it all levelled for me and it's easy to work beside
our hand pump (water comes from the rain barrel)

Tomatoes and peppers are planted leaving
space for some onions and pumpkins

 I obviously need more plants. I want to put together a bigger pot for Bill’s Hangar and one more for the corner of the property oh! Plus, one at the front corner of the corral. There is an old tree stump there that I plant in. Next, I carted my stuff up to the vegetable garden plot and spaced the tomatoes and peppers. Then 8 cages went over top in preparation for their height. I still need to get some Dutch set onions and at least 1 pumpkin plant for Bill. I might need to buy seeds?

then I relaxed

I’m hoping to get a Purolator delivery today with my Alzheimer’s t-shirt and package for the walk. Donna got hers the other day and Cathy just texted that she got hers this morning. I emptied the dishwasher and started my post while drinking a coffee. We had sausages and eggs for lunch and then the rest of my day was low key. My back has had enough for the day and I’ll have to remember to do my yoga stretches tonight before bed.

Forgive the pictures of our tiniest critter visit today
He doesn't even look real!

I sprayed myself liberally and went outside to sit at the patio table and read. The wind dropped off considerably and the flag went from flopping wildly to hanging limply and that is lovely! The sun was hot and I could feel it seeping into my skin so kept switching my position from one chair to the next. Chair hopping, I believe is what Bob calls it. 😊 I took a walk down to check for mail and brought up the flyers. They don’t amount to much these days, so I only read the 2 grocery ads.

He sits in the tree to show me that he is pretty from the back side too

It was after reading through those that I remembered I was going to wash the back and other windows. I’m not sure what I can reach and I know Bill is busy in his trailer so I wasn’t going to bother him for the ladder. The thing is that we won’t know how good a job I did until the sun beats through it tomorrow morning. That’s when the streaks show up but I do have an excuse. I was on a 3-step ladder and could only put so much effort into it while maintaining balance. I’ll let you know!

I was waiting for him to turn his head

I was ready to move inside around 4 and turned NCIS on. Outside I’d been reading this new book by Joan Clark. Gayle recommended it so I wanted to give it a chance. It is way different than any of the latest books I’ve read. It is called An Audience of Chairs and I’ve made it to Chapter 4. They are long chapters so let’s hope I make it to 5! When Bill came in, we sat together for a while as he went through the flyers. The Princess Auto booklet kept him busy for a few minutes. This is his Canadian 'Harbor Freight' fix.

finally, he did

He lit the Weber before 6 and grilled us supper. I didn’t feel like a salad so had 2 hot dogs and he had 2 burgers. They were g-ooo-ood! We did the few dishes and relaxed for the night. It was a busy day and a hot one. We actually have windows open again and both awnings out. What a change! The Suite would need to cool down some before bedtime, it was 28C/84F inside tonight. Shorts tomorrow? Bill has his shirt off and pant legs rolled up. Woohoo! 😊

The flag was just hanging mid afternoon

This was a fun day and we’re glad that Donna and Gerry spent their whole day over at the Acreage as well. It was a good Vitamin D day!

I enjoyed my hot dogs tonight!
One with relish and one with sauerkraut
Good night everyone!

Thank you for your visit.

Morning Walk Along the Beach, Critters Galore, Reading and Sunbathing

Elephant Butte Lake State Park

So, on Tuesday, Nov. 19^th I wasted no time. Up at 6:15, dressed with a hoody, wind breaker, my vest, runners and my crocheted scarf, I was ready for a walk. Bill began making his coffee so had understood that I didn’t want my tea made yet. With a good morning kiss, there’s a private little joke there, I was out the door.

this is the main road and it goes almost to the water before
it turns into sand

I could see what was coming as I walked down

It was still a bit dusky but I could see on the eastern horizon that we’d have more sun today than I expected. It was 44F/6C and I’m glad to have found a pair of mini gloves and to have my head scarf to cover my ears. 

I was in a snapping frenzy so it was tough to choose just a few pictures

There was no wind but the brisk air was cool all the same. I headed down the lane towards the lake. I could see a man and his dog along the beach and soon discovered that he was there not only to walk with his best friend but also to snap photos of that beautiful sky.

The pink sky reflections were stunning

Indulge me please, there is still some 'popping' to happen

Each picture had me curious for more so just kept walking across the sand, up hills and down through the shrubbery where bunnies and quails hide. It felt good to get out and get my Fitbit sated again. 

Pop!

At least start the motions of an early morning walk again. Back at the Suite, I was fully heated up and made my tea and sat to read the few blog posts I missed last night. Bill hadn’t opened the blinds yet so I did that to let the sun shine in.

And walking back up the hill, this is us up there on the hill

 By 8:30, Bill and I both were in shorts and he was outside emptying the basement to vacuum and spray for ants. There was another reason for doing this and without taking away from his post I will just say that he has a great idea for some work he wants to do under there. I sat outside in the sun with my book for an hour or so and then came inside for my shower. With that out of the way, I cooked us some bacon and eggs around 10:30. We’d not had them for a few days and they tasted good.

We are about half way down Loop B row

Bill was puttering around outside with various jobs after dishes and I moved out to my lazy, er, relaxing chair. My book was good and it was a good time to read it when I wasn’t tired. The sun was gorgeous and we got up to 72F today. At one point, Bill had moved the satellite dish and when I came inside, he was very happy to have retrieved a good connection. Not the best we’ve had and still in the yellow but good enough to get our programs tonight.

Bill had the basement emptied here

I moved back out even though I was now in the shade. It was still quite warm in my shorts. Clouds had moved in ahead of the showers that are forecast to start tonight. For some reason, we are in for a week of cold weather again. This is really strange. It seems we get a couple of warm and then hot days before it drops off again into abnormally cool temperatures. Fortunately, there is going to be a fair bit of sunshine throughout so that will help and it still isn’t anything like what they’ll be getting back home.

Around 3, I took my book indoors and watched some NCIS reruns with Bill. Now that we are 2 hours behind Ontario time, we have to catch our programs that much sooner. When it is on at 8, we have to watch it on our Shaw tv at 6. That means when Bill is barbecuing supper, like tonight, he needs to start earlier. Plus, it gets dark that much sooner so it is a win win all around.

Critter time!
This woodpecker was pecking at this pathetic branch right outside our window

This guy, can you see him? walked right behind my chair so I gave
Bill the camera and he ended up following him down 3 or 4 campsites

This looks like Mr. & Mrs. Gamble themselves
dressed for an evening out

 We went for a walk to take the garbage to the dumpsters and came back down row Loop A. Once we saw that there were 4 sites to reserve up there, we checked which one was closest to our site, just over the hill. 

They are nice large sites and park staff keep them
looking nice as soon as someone leaves

Jo-Anne, at her end in Brownfield, TX, is trying desperately to get one booked. They will be arriving tomorrow. Yay! Together again. The air has sure cooled off although it doesn’t reflect that on our indoor thermometer.

This is just on the other side of our Suite
Look at how chubby they are

The winds have picked up and we already know that we’ll have high gusts throughout the day tomorrow. Bill says the cool air I mentioned above is coming in from the Pacific coast, not that we feel any better knowing that. Good grief! I’ll stop whining now. 😉 I read another chapter of my book and then prepped the chicken breast and pork chop for the Weber. It has been a while since we’ve had these bbq’d.

And then I saw this guy

I guess I spoke too soon as while Bill lit the bbq and I washed the potatoes, the satellite dish lost its connection. Darn it! We were all set up to watch some programs and record others. Either the heavy clouds or the strong winds were enough to spoil that but never-the-less, no tv tonight unless we want to put a dvd in. Our supper, on the other hand, turned out great! Chicken/chop, baked potato and Caesar salad. Very nice.

Isn't he beautiful?

After dishes, we both sat at our laptops and turned the radio back on. May as well listen to some tunes. This was a great relaxing day. Bill accomplished things and I read quite a few chapters of The Gate House while catching some sun’s rays. This author has created a character in this book that I love. I've laughed out loud many times. 

No complaints about my view at all

I had a great view from where I was sitting and also enjoyed watching the critters running around. We’ve seen more road runners already this year than all of our previous 3 years put together. Now, I just need to find ‘Jack’ and I’ll be 100% content.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your day as well. Thank you for your visit today.