Spiffing Things Up, Garage Sale Finds, Finishing Touches on an Outfit

The Ridge

On Friday, Sept. 3^rd, our long weekend began. Early for Bill, with another day off. That’s wonderful! The pay cheque won’t be so wonderful this week but his body is that much better for it and so is his peace of mind with the things he’s accomplished in two days. 😊 The bonus is that now, it won’t cut into his weekend of which I know he has plans for part of it.

Leaving a clean Mat

I drove into Durham for 7:30 and cleaned that ‘filthy’ laundromat. Ha ha, not! Again, just the floor, the garbage and the toilet (gee, I wonder who left that mess?). Don’t worry folks, I’ll soon be done with the sarcasm, it still irks me a bit. I was out of there within 45 minutes, again, leaving it pretty darn spotless – again. I could tell Jamie had been in as the machines were empty when I wanted to change one of the new $10 bills. The change machine doesn’t recognize them.

Until the first customer arrives? 😂

On my way home, a Garage Sale sign attracted me enough to stop in. A nice ‘new’ to each other couple had set up quite a pile of STUFF!. Two people combined their households and need to purge. I immediately found a sprinkler for $1, two stepping stones for $1 and what I thought was a water dispenser for Gibbs. I thought it would be great for outside for .75¢. Sadly, realizing later that it was a food dispenser instead. Darn! I’ll use it anyway outside for him.

a table full of material
on quilting

Lots of cool quilting stuff

I couldn’t help but think of our blogger friend, Nancy, in Arizona/California who is an avid quilter when I saw the tables of materials and a fabric cutter. Wow! Too bad it wasn’t a hobby I was into. I texted her with pictures – “how soon can you get here?” 😊 Bill was cutting the lawn on our ‘patio’ area when I got home so I hopped out of the car and helped him move the King chairs and picnic table out of the way.

Once I’d finished my tea, I first dusted the Suite. Our hutch, beside the table was looking pretty dusty. Then, inspired, I took my Norwex car wash mitt and a dry window cloth out to wash Black Beauty. Both vehicles were dirty but Bill was planning to go to London tomorrow so I thought it would be nice if he had a clean truck. I used the hose after some coaching from Bill but originally just used a pail of pumped water and the mitt. I was impressed already with the finished shine, and no streaks! Yay! Another great purchase.

While I cleaned Black Beauty
I was surprised to see that Gibbs had hopped up
on the chair to watch

We had some lunch indoors when he finished cutting this area, the berm and the back field. He dozed while Gibbs and I went out to spend time in the hammock. I relaxed out there, feeling tired already! Gibbs hopped up onto the hammock for a bit and then jumped down to lay down under it, in the shade. It isn’t too hot today, 21C/69F and it felt wonderful when the sun was out full. Bring it on! The clouds moved over too often nearer 1:00 so we came inside. I’m sure the temperature dropped at least 3 degrees each time.

Bill got cleaned up and went to Owen Sound. I was invited along but wasn’t keen on going. It would give him more freedom to poke through the hardware stores and then to pick up the plans he’d left at Qwik Print as well. He was anxious about how they turned out but glad they were ready today for him. 😊

A couple more pictures of Baby River
Billy sent them to me
In case there is confusion, Billy works with Bill
at the home improvement jobs
He is Mike's (the owner) nephew

I took a drive into Durham once more for some burgers, that we forgot on Monday. Town was crazy busy with traffic today so I made an impulsive decision when I pulled out of Foodland. Easier to turn right, south towards Varney, than left so let’s go to MacGregors Fashion Store (Stop the Car!) and see what they have in their 50 to 70% off summer sale. I really wanted to see if they had any fascinators in a colour I wanted. They did, and at 50% off, I left with a smile on my face. I bought two and one of them will be perfect for the November wedding. That is the last accessory I need, having found a jacket, shoes and purse previously to match my dress. How many can actually boast a complete outfit for under $55? 😊 Well, I can.

Gibbs was at the door to greet me when I walked in and since it was only 2:30, it was too early for tea so I sat and started my blog post. I know the little bum likes to sit with me for a while in the afternoon so I sat with him in my recliner while I read more of my book. It would have been a quick read if other stuff didn’t keep getting in the way but I do like it when a good story lasts a few days.

A loaded burger

We waited inside until Bill got back and then relaxed watching some afternoon tv. For supper, it was bbq’d prime rib burgers from Foodland and with all the fixin’s, they were pretty tasty. Mine was messy because I like the tomatoes and lettuce in mine. Nice and sloppy. 😊 We did the few dishes and Bill went down to the Hangar. 

Gibbs and I walked down the lane after his supper and it took some coaxing to get him back inside with me once he saw where his Daddy was. He saw the truck and knew something was up. He hates missing out on anything. Inside, he laid at the door until I sat in my chair, where he joined me. This was a good day, a busy morning but more things taken care of.

Funny, but the sky tonight looks almost identical
to this one taken last year
Good night!

Thank you for your visit.

Garage Sale Day – No Sale? Bill Putters Around

Pilot Knov RV Resort, Winterhaven, CA

On Wednesday, Jan. 8^th it was a day for ‘park residents’ to place items out on their site if you wanted to sell things. I’d been gathering a few things that we have in the Suite that we don’t need or use any more so decided to put them out. We weren’t going anywhere anyway. It doesn’t much matter what, if anything sells, it is a step in the right direction to purging. If no sale, with the exception of 4 things, they will all go in a load to Goodwill.

All set up for the sale that didn't happen

 The day was sunny and bright again with a slight wind varying between 2 and 7 mph. We’d slept in until 7:30 so rather than head out for a walk, I started pulling things together. Bill had some caulking to do on the Suite so set about doing that until he couldn’t find his caulking gun. Drat! He has two and was sure he’d brought one along. Bummer. He’ll pick one up tomorrow in Yuma. He moved on to something else today. Around 10:30, I made myself a bullet proof coffee and got things out for breakfast.

Bill worked outside on the Suite for the morning

Today, we had omelettes for a change and they were quite fat and filling. Again, it must have been too soon for me to eat at 11 as I wasn’t hungry. Bill came in off the roof and I cleaned up afterwards since he was working and I wasn’t. I saw 1 or 2 people stop and check out our table, but very briefly so at 11:30 I went out and packed things up. No sale. The items were coming back inside only temporary until we head into Yuma next. Hey, it was worth a shot!

My little book

Oh-oh, this is not good

 I changed into more suitable attire for this warm day, going from long pants to capris at least. Maybe I’ll work on the puzzle a bit, maybe I’ll visit the pool again. We’ll see, the whole afternoon awaits! Maybe I won't do anything other than read. 

The pool was nice today
Surprise!

We chatted a bit with Jo-Anne and Bob when they returned from town (?) and made plans to meet for the pool at 1:30. Three of us walked up and since Bill wasn’t interested today, he minded the forts and had a snooze. He’d worked most of the morning up on the roof of the Suite, cleaning the taped edges, prepping for the next step. There were only a couple of people at the pool but a very chatty lady whom Bill and I had met a couple of days ago.

Sitting outside after the pool
Cooling down with my book

She took up conversation mostly with Bob as they were both in the pool so Jo and I were happy about that. Sometimes, it is just too much and you have to be your own control ‘board’ on how much you want to listen to.  After the very knowing lady and her husband filled us in on more than we needed to know, they left. We enjoyed the sun and I'd had just one quick dip in the pool. Remember, we don’t have humidity so that sun is just the ticket for me. Otherwise, I’d be in and out like a yo-yo to keep cool.

Bob showered and returned home around 3 and Jo-Anne and I hung around until closer to 4. Back home, I changed and sat with Bill who was pages away from finishing his book, Swimsuit. I remember the last half as being very addicting too. It was warm inside so I opted to sit outside with my own book, The Reversal, by Michael Connelly. It is one of the Lincoln Lawyer stories with Mickey Haller and Harry Bosch so I’m already hooked after only 3 chapters. LOL

I mixed up the meatloaf and put the pot in the sling

Cooked for 25 minutes, 10 min. NR

It was when I was outside that I got a phone call. An 800# which for us can mean a number of things. Namely a call we don’t take, but rather let it go into voice mail if it is legit. They left a message and it was RBC Visa wanting us to call regarding our American Visa. Bill called right away and we discovered that our card had been hacked. The charge for over $1,000 was not made by us. It had not gone through, RBC Visa caught it so they were able to cancel it.

While supper was cooking, I ran out a couple of times watching
the sun set

Unfortunately, that also meant cancelling our cards and issuing us new ones. Darn! We are so grateful that they are on the ball and took care of it. Our new cards will be shipped here via UPS over the next 3 business days. While I contemplated supper, the original plan scrapped, Bill walked up to say hello to Keith and Dave and make sure they were still on board to go to the Arizona Market tomorrow with us.

I zoomed in for this one

To the east, the moon hangs in a still blue sky

I started meatloaf and got it going in Madame IP. What to have with it? We need to go shopping and get more salad and veggies but for tonight, I’ll have broccoli and Bill will have corn. Not the best for keto but better than rice or potato. We were eating by 6 and the evening was a quiet one. There is a new program starting tonight that I might record or watch to see if it is something worth following.

And the sun dips below the horizon

Supper turned out really good as meatloaf nights usually do. Bill enjoys it and never has a complaint. This time, for some reason, there was more liquid than normal so I may adjust a quantity or cook time in the future. For dessert, we each had one last dish of custard before clearing the dishes up. While I finished working on my post, Bill turned on an old movie that we both enjoy. You’ve Got Mail is a fun one to watch with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. It was a quiet evening and a wonderful day.

Successful meatloaf dinner again

Tonights meal was finished off with custard - Yum
good night!

Thank you for dropping in!

SALE DAY, THE HEAT ARRIVES, QUIET AFTERNOON

On Saturday, June 10^th Bill and I got up to the sound of the alarm once more. This time it was 5:45 am that his phoned chimed and I’m surprised it didn’t get thrown across the room! Sometimes his phone has a mind of its own and refuses to obey commands. Anyway, it worked, we were up and at ‘em. 

Items priced to sell

So, we each washed and ate some cereal. Bananas on mine and cream. Yum. We arrived at Mary’s house in Durham promptly at 7 and set to work moving stuff outside to the open areas. It was a beautiful day for a garage sale. The temperature was 14C early and rose from there to an awesome 28C by 2 pm.

There were a lot of sales around town including the Durham Herb Sale at the town hall so many prospective buyers with money in the pockets. There were moments of real busy-ness and moments of quiet but by noon hour things started to quiet down.

Bill C. and his son, Justin, went to Godfather’s to get pizza while Pat and Sandra put out veggies, fruit and potato salad for lunch. Once people left for their own lunch, we dug in. It was very good, amazing how parading around, socializing and selling makes you hungry.

The men had a lot of interest outside and sold lots

By 1 or 1:30, can’t remember, things had quieted down and we enjoyed some friendly comradery among the 7 of us before Rob and Pat suggested we take the rest of the day and do our own thing. You didn’t have to tell us twice, once we sure they didn’t need us. We arrived home and surprisingly, or not, both crashed for half an hour.

June Christmas

I went outside in my lounge chair in the sun and Bill and Clemson opened windows in the bedroom to welcome the breeze on the bed. It was a gorgeous afternoon and we were happy to do next to nothing for the rest of the day. Man, we must be getting old!

Bill modelling the Ab Chair

I read a bit more of my book and decided to load my watering can and a pail of rain water onto my new wagon and give my newly transplantees a healthy drink.  The hostas and my geranium at the end of the lane way were looking a bit parched. Rob suggested I add some bleach to the pails and rain barrel when we empty it to keep it bacteria free and fresh. So, I did that when my pails were emptied.

Wait a minute! The rest of us are working and is he asleep??
No, just goofing around.
Always tons of laughs with these Aljoes

I even gave my vegetable garden some water hoping it holds over until the next rain. The forecast looks hot, humid and dry for another couple of days before any rain is expected. This is the weather we were looking for.

It was nice to see my sister, Donna, her husband, Gerry and our friend, Mike at the sale today spending a bit of pocket money. Every little bit helps. Also, our neighbor, Cheryl, up here on the Ridge stopped in and found a few things. There were lots of comments on how solid the house is and questions of the auction and the house sale. Real estate in Durham still seems to be a going concern.

Rob and Sandra

I walked down to the lane way around 5 and could only see holes all over the place. Some quite deep but in unsuitable places for laying eggs. Like right in the middle of the lane. I didn’t see one single turtle today so I was feeling a bit sad about that.

Interesting article

It is funny, after typing that, I walked out to snap some pictures and there was one right beside the car. When I picked him up to look at him and talk to him, his little head went into hiding. There is a front-page article in the Grey-Bruce This Week. Interesting! We seriously need to be looking for a Turtle Crossing sign of our own.

Taking a much needed break

Not being traditionalists, Bill and I often decide in the middle of an afternoon how we feel about a supper plan. How hungry are you? What do you feel like? Once we gauge these feelings, a decision is made. Because we had a filling breakfast and a wonderful pizza lunch, it will be chicken hearts, toast and cottage cheese for me and a peanut butter cheese sandwich with salt and vinegar chips for Bill. Yes, gourmet night!

Great looking sales people ready for business

Thank heavens for the breeze today although a few km’s less would be nicer. It sounds like we are never happy but that is not the case. We are happy, just could be happier with our awnings out to sit under occasionally. The winds were probably hovering around 35 km and gusts in the 50’s. A little much.

Strong winds

Great sky

 So, after cleaning up from supper and relaxing a bit, we drove over to The Acreage. Mike had picked out items from the sale and we had our green patio mat to give him since we weren’t using it anymore. They were all in our car so thought we'd go for some chuckles and a drink or two.

After a drink of water, I hope they perk up now

Donna likes to start a fire even when it isn’t for warmth and with the winds, the bugs I experienced from the previous night were non-existent. Sitting around the campfire in shorts is my kind of relaxing. Bill and I had sprayed ourselves well with bug spray so were not bothered by mosquitoes. We were all able to witness the ISS (International Space Station) at 10 minutes before 10 and that is always a topic of discussion. The sky was clear and the stars soon displayed their constellations.

On the right is the Space Station
On the left is Venus
They didn't collide by the way

Donna prepping the fire
Mike, Gerry, Bill and Clemson supervising?

We headed for home around 10:30 and we went straight up to bed. Hence this post was delayed until morning. What a beautiful moon again tonight again. Pictures don’t do it justice.

Sunset through Donna's trees

I hope your day was a great one too. 

Good night
No justice done here to the moon
It was gorgeous!

Thank you for reading my ‘journal’. I’m always happy to see your comments.