Another Busy Day, Gorgeous Weather!

The Ridge

On Wednesday, Aug. 14^th I woke up to Bill’s alarm, in my head wondering if that meant he had work today. Turns out, no, another day of them waiting for something to happen at the job site before they can go any further. That is frustrating for all involved, and for Bill since he’s looking at another week of no income. He crawled back into bed and we slept until almost 7 when I got up.

Good morning!

They're ba-a-c-c-k
Haven't had moonflowers for a couple of days
so today, we had 3 to make up for it.
The dahlia beside it has bloomed in brilliant red too.

I did have a couple of jobs today so got ready and left the Suite at 7:15 for the Mat. One regular customer today and we chatted while I cleaned and she did her laundry. I was out of there an hour later and home to see what my boys were up to. Bill was doing some more trimming down by the big dead tree and cleaning up branches as he went. The path he has created will certainly a big help when the time comes to take it down. Gibbs and I helped carry a few. 😊

Bill took us back to the back side of the west pond
and although he sees the turtles on this log a fair bit,
today 'we' (Gibbs) frightened them before I got there.
I'll sneak back another time, I miss seeing them.
This might me favourite pix of the day.

Bill had promised Robin that he would look after cutting their grass at their house when they were away so that’s where he headed next, around 10:30. At 11 or soon after, I gave Gibbs his ‘look after the house’ treat and left for Williamsford. I met Robin’s tenants from the house in Wingham as he was there to cut the grass on that property. When Bill isn’t working, he could have done it, but when she first asked, he was  going to work everyday so has found someone else. Nice kid, probably mid 20’s.

In between my cleaning jobs, we sat outside together.
Notice how Gibbs is sitting in the hollow of Bill's crossed legs?
I heard Bill say "are you comfortable?" He wasn't talking
to me. Gibbs is answering him here, affirmatively. ♥

We couldn’t get the mower running so I drove Ptooties and tried the jumper cables. Finally, he realized the PTO was left on from the last time Andrew cut and he was off and running. I left them to it and went inside to clean. It put me about 20 minutes behind schedule but the guests weren’t due until 4 so I had lots of time to finish. This group of 3 will be staying for 4 nights so I made sure to stock them up on the regulars, tp, Kleenex, paper towels, water and snacks. She looks after her guests.

Her healthy Philodendron was 
looking worse for wear after last night's
guests. Booked for 2 but 6 slept there.

She keeps this large Monstera plant
sitting on the old stove for decor.
Today, the pot was tilted, the stove
moved and a couple of support stakes
were out with some broken leaves.
What the?? No children so we wonder
what they were doing?

I rehung a new shower curtain today while she cleans the
other one.
Isn't it pretty?

Coming home through Durham, I stopped for a few of the sale items at Foodland, as the sale ends today. Then a pop in at Robins to drop off the basket of a couple of bedding items. Bill did a great job, their property looks perfect, and they will be very pleased when they come home Friday night. Oh yes, their plans have changed again and I’m picking them up at the airport. Just a reverse of what we did on Monday. 😊

Then we hopped on Jazz.
Perfect way to cool down!

Gorgeous day for a ride.

Back home at 2:30, Bill had just finished showering and wondered if I was up for a Jazz ride. I was very tired and hot too so agreed as the ride would cool us both down. It was great! He headed for Shelburne, thinking an ice cream at Superburger would be the ticket. However, they don’t sell them so we ordered an early supper instead. Burgers again but with fries and onion rings tonight. They were very good and a few rings came home with me. Yummy!

The burger for me, was not as good as my
first one here but the onion rings are the very best!

There was some roadwork in both directions today
but we were in no hurry and they are making great improvements.

And 3 hours later, we were driving into
Priceville, nearing our home on the Ridge.

Just because, it is pretty.

Bill went to the Hangar and I sat with my book for a while. Time for my blog, so at 7:30, I finally sat to do that. It might not be finished until morning, a slack day for me. LOL This has been a good day. We each earned some cash and it was a perfect summer day. We reached a high of 27C/80F with full sun, all.....day.....long.  ♥

All is well in someone's world again.
The family is together. 
💘
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by!

Yay! Another Miserable Weekend Day😂 Another Birthday

The Ridge

Here we are on Sunday, June 9^th and surprise, surprise, it is cold and damp = dreary. Bill read somewhere that we should expect a drier, hotter summer than normal so maybe that is what we’re paying for now? Oh brother, just make up your mind, Mr. Weatherman! There is a song by Hank Williams Jr. that says it best: “Mr. weatherman, what is your forecast? I need a major change. I can’t stand no more rain” 😊

Good morning!
Looking east in the top photo.
Almost looks like sun dogs.
Driving west in the bottom picture.
It didn't look like this for very long.

So, we had laundry to get done today and after sorting it, Bill carried the basket out to Ptooties for me. ♥ It was a cool 11C/51F when I left. When I arrived at the Mat, my ‘biker hippie’ customer was in loading a washer. I need names for them, some I see every week and we don’t exchange names. He is reserved until you (I) speak to him and then he is quite pleasant even though we only discuss the machines. 😉

The cleaning was done.
I was just waiting for our clothes to dry.

Then, ‘Mrs. wash my blankets only’ came in to use the biggest machine. I assume she has a dryer at home since she never dries them before she leaves. She is also pleasant but also quiet. I finished cleaning, signed the office calendar and locked up, just biding my time for our 2 loads of clothing to dry. No point in taking them home to get re-rinsed in the rain. On the way home, I stopped in to see Robin. We had a nice chat for about 20 minutes before I booted on to The Ridge.

Now that my Bunky is all cleaned up,
I put the paints away and got out a 1000 pc. puzzle.

Bill was working in the Bunky, fixing the desk drawer for me. Yay! He’s my handyman and I very much appreciated it. That encouraged me to stay out there and clean things up in there. I sorted all my unread books on my little shelf unit, put a couple of things out for donation (a stool, life jacket and doggy cone) and then, because it was only 11, I painted more rocks. I still haven’t found a 500-piece puzzle that I can work on in there so I’m in no rush to put the paints away.

At Nancy's suggestion, a Mrs. Yertle
for the garden. The eyes aren't right...
but they'll do!

Bill had also brought up the cabinet heater from the Hangar that he doesn’t need now so that warmed it up in there and took the dampness away. I’m happy again with my little she-shed. ♥ We had bacon and eggs for lunch and then I emailed Donna with a couple of recipes for her to try. Eating keto creates a challenge for lunch, so I sent her the broccoli cheddar soup and the keto pancakes. I hope she enjoys them as much as I do.

After spending a couple of hours in the Bunky,
I came in to sit with this cuddle bum while
I read my book. I'm not sleeping, although it looks it.

Then I went back out to the Bunky and after a nap, Bill went to the Hangar. 😊 I had it all straightened up and with some heat on, it was quite nice out there. It was over 2 hours later that I realized it was 4:30 so I closed the Bunky up for the night, propping a board against the bottom of the door to discourage Chippy, and came in to sit with Gibbs. Great minds think alike as Bill was 5 minutes behind me. I tried the Phrazle again for the afternoon, with no luck (yet), and then read.

The sky changed many times today
and even let some scatters of rain fall.

Bill was on line ordering hobby stuff and a couple of things for the Ridge. We had supper around 6:30, simple grilled cheese sandwiches. I had mine on sour dough bread with onion – delicious! We each had one of our puddings for dessert.

We each had a cup of tea late afternoon,
so weren't hungry enough for a big meal.

A quiet Sunday evening meant Bill upstairs watching a movie and me downstairs with my book. It is so good! Gibbs spent time in both places, sharing the love. ♥ 

Preparing for the evening.

We only reached a high of 13C/56F today and dropping to a low 7C/45F overnight. Despite the weather, this was a good day for relaxing. We have another family birthday to celebrate. Bill's 2nd oldest daughter, Charlotte, is having her special day today. 💗

Happy Birthday, Charlotte!
Good night!

Thank you for the pop in.

Must Have Done Something Right

The Ridge

On Friday, May 10^th we followed our usual work morning routines. I was downstairs with Bill at 7. I know I did a lot of stretching throughout the night, when I felt my legs cramping, I moved. I did some yoga stretches before bed and then before getting up this morning. They seem to help me although my fingers and shoulders from digging weeds feel tired. I’m just happy to be able to get at it. 😊

Good morning!
A cloudy start to our Friday.

Bill left at 7:30 and it was within 5 minutes that I was on my way to Durham. The sky isn’t clear but the winds are non-existent and that made the 6C/49F feel just fine with a light hoody. The Mat is always warm so any jacket is off immediately. It was in normal condition, no intense cleaning today and my regular Friday customer was waiting on the dryer to finish up.

The sky began clearing but went back and forth a lot
This garden was a mess and here it is half weeded.

This is the other half and there are a lot of Irises
trying to breathe
I didn't know I had the stamina to finish

I emptied the Lost & Found box, with mostly baby items (?) and washed them in a machine I wanted to test. Is anyone missing a sock? There are 9 different ones in the box. Each day it seems I find one in the machines and they never get claimed. The dry items went into a bag and I’ll take them to our next clothing exchange with the few adult clothes that are now clean and in good condition. A pair of knee length joggers and black stretch pants went into my closet though. Perfect fit!

But I did! I'll clean up the weeds tomorrow.

I left there and stopped at Foodland for some of their weekly sale items. Cream cheese for $3.99, eggs for $3.99 and some head lettuce. I cashed in another lotto ticket but it was only for a Free Play. Better than nothing and the jackpot tonight is only 55 million. LOL I left there and went to the Water Store to fill our 5-gallon bottle and lastly stopped at the bank to deposit some of my earnings. Little by little my account is getting built up. Before I headed home, I stopped in at Rethreads, our second hand store, and found 2 pair of work pants for Bill and I pair of brand new Costco jeans. All for $18!😊 

I picked a small batch of rhubarb today

And I washed the dandelions and snipped the tails off some
that maybe Gibbs picked for me? haha

Gayle and I agreed to go halves on some Grow Bags for our plants so I placed that order yesterday. Thanks Ken for the tip, they should be better than the flower pots I used last spring/summer. Now, I just need to buy my vegetable plants. Back home, I had a yogourt cup for breakfast, I’m down to having 2 left and will be sad when they are gone but at least here at home, I can buy the 9% Liberte plain Greek kind and it is also good.

Mr. Rose-breasted Grosbeak visited again
but was too shy to show his breast.

It was 11 by the time I got outside with Gibbs and managed to get my 3 Gladiola bulbs planted in the back hoe shovel as well as 4 of my Dahlia bulbs in the berm garden. I’m not sure where I’ll put them all, they multiply each summer! Lunch was 2 eggs today, now that I have more in the fridge, I don’t need to skimp. They are tasting pretty good and helping me to stay on track with what I want to eat. 😊

You all must recognize this little fellow!
Gibbs watches him out the window and then runs to 
where he was as soon as he goes out. 😅

Bill called to chat at noon while he was having his lunch break and then I went back out. The black flies were crazy again but I was even more diligent with how I covered my neck and face. One of the little b***ers got in yesterday and bit the back of my neck. TG for Benadryl and my shingles cream, both work wonders for easing the itch. I told Bill they love me and he just laughed.

Looks minimal but it worked to fill me.
Bill had two sandwiches.

I worked on the corral gardens after lunch and swear they will be the death of me! I wish the rocks weren’t so bad up here, I’d be able to dig easier. Now that I’ve done the best I can, I’ll add some top soil where it will stay. Being on the hillside doesn’t make that too easy. It looks tons better, I’ll have to keep at it. I dug up some Evening Primrose to take down to the front gate garden, they will multiply but they can be moved easily. Still undecided about the final look I want.

They will dry overnight in the Bunky

I stopped work at 3 and came in for a cup of tea before a shower. It has been mostly cloudy all day with just peaks of sunshine here and there. A nice day for working outside again. I washed the bag of dandelion heads and spread them out in the Bunky to dry overnight. This should make a nice batch of oil for me and there will be lots more to do. I started late last fall and only got a small jar.

We drove to Robin's after supper.
look at that perfect bank of clouds

Bill surprised us by pulling up the lane at 3:45, a shorter day. He wasted no time and went out to cut more grass. For supper, another quick and easy meal. Grilled cheese sandwiches will do the trick. We wanted something fast tonight, we have a brief outing later.

We each had showers and boy, that feels good after working outside in the dirt with flies buzzing all around! 😊 I’m quite pleased with the calm air today, even though it brings more of them out. Soon they’ll be gone! Supper was very good, melted cheese and onion on keto bread browned to perfection. Yum. Pickles on the side seem to always go well with this kind of sandwich.

While Bill cut grass, Gibbs wanted to stay outside and wait for him. 💕

We went to Robin and Andrew’s for 6. She is my Air bnb boss and she has hopes for a busy summer, starting this May long weekend. I hope she’s right, they’ve put a lot of work into this home. They leave tomorrow for 3 weeks in Newfoundland to another rental property and she has bookings at the Williamsford home during some of that period. 

Bill got to meet Andrew and we both got to meet the new baby of the family. Mildred, Robin’s pup. She lost Phoebe over the winter. ☹ She is a Yorkshire Terrier and sooooo tiny.

I sat out on the step for a while.
until the sun dropped into the clouds
Gibbs came over to the step for a while too.

They asked if Bill and I would be interested in cutting their lawns at both properties. Of course! We had a fun 30 minutes, getting the drift of where everything is etc. Such a nice couple.

Bill decided to cut some lawn at 6:30 since the night was young, before going to the Hangar. I’ve had enough of the outdoors for today so mostly stayed inside to finish my blog and watch the latest Survivor and Sullivan's travel episodes. 😊 This has been a lovely day, from start to finish. We must have done something right to deserve two good days in a row! I hope you can say the same!

It was a beautiful night!
Good evening.

Thank you for stopping by.

Wonderful Weather, Setting up the Outdoor Stuff, Waste of Good Money

The Ridge

On Friday, May 14^th, we were up and at ‘em at 6 and 6:15. Bill was up at 5 and let Gibbs out and then put him back in his crate for the hour. Outside was looking to be pretty darn nice again with clear blue skies and a temperature of 6C/44F. We knew it was forecasted to reach 19C/70F. Woohoo! Hoping they’re right, we went about our day.

feature photo - we rejoice when he eats a good meal

Bill left Gibbs and I home and went to Hanover to work at Donna and Gerry’s with Billy and Mike. They were extending their back deck by a few feet. I left the house at 7:15 as well to clean the Mat and was back home again by 8:30 or so. It was in pretty good condition with no unwelcome or otherwise surprises. 😊 I let Gibbs out of his crate and he did his business outside and played a bit before returning indoors.

He likes outdoors but he also likes the shade under
our chairs

I noticed when we were out that although quite warm, the black flies were back. We’d all hoped the freezing, thawing, freezing, thawing had killed them all but no such luck. Silly to even hope that! I had two options for spray and after trying the Listerine yesterday (and it worked) leaving me sticky afterwards, I tried my girlfriend’s Pest Away which I purchased a year (or two?) ago. It seems to be working too, smells nice and no residue on my skin.

May as well look at it now because it changed in a hurry 😔

Gibbs ate his whole dish full of food and when we went outside an hour later, it was just playtime and the odd piddles. We can’t read their minds can we? I put his retractable leash on and he wouldn’t move, in fact chose to lay down and roll instead of joining me down the hill. What a goof! I picked him up and we walked to the mail box to post a birthday card. On the way back up the hill, I tried him again and he walked a bit as long as the leash is loose and it’s on his terms. 😊

Covered in bug spray, I was happy to spend some time 
in my chair while the little bum ran around me

I was deciding whether to keep the big lounge cushion
We only have one chair like this and the webbing is coming apart

I wanted to fill bird feeders and I have fears of him going under the Bunky at the doorway so put him on the long leash/rope. He didn’t seem to mind and I went about my business. We were out for a good hour before coming back inside for a coffee and he ran for the water dish. I’ll have to get one for outside for him. He was content to sleep in his bed or on the carpet under the table so I took a chance and left him to it, hoping not to return to an oh-oh.

Lots of stuff in the buckets to spread around the yard

Rolling around on his back in the shade
When I wasn't looking, he chew on the chair leg, little monster

I hung the Geese Crossing sign down at the head of the lane, then got my bucket of garden ornamentals and hummingbird feeders out. Wow! I didn’t realize there were so many. However, I found suitable places for each one with the exception of 2 or 3 that can be thrown out, they are so old. There are memories attached to a few that I will keep putting out, just because I can. Just around noon M called and asked if I would run an errand for him to Hanover.

We had one of Clem's seat belts on Gibbs but he didn't like it
Whined a lot on the truck ride but soon slipped out of it and fell asleep
It's too big for him right now so I removed the harness and just attached 
the clip to his collar ring

I had some of my soup for lunch and finished putting my stuff around the property. I didn’t have to head out until around 2 and only if M had stuff lined up for me. Just as I came inside, I heard $125 go out the window. Well, not literally but almost. A gust of wind came out of nowhere and blew the King chairs over with our new umbrella. Of course, one of the ribs snapped in 3 pieces! ☹ I felt the tears as I ran over to pick it up but it was no use.

"Yah, I'm happy now, Mom, stupid harness"

Now, we have a beautiful lopsided orange shade umbrella. Crap! It’s my fault. I should have waited until Bill drilled a hole in the picnic table for it but I was over-anxious and used what we had. I won’t buy another, at least not new. I hopped on my bike to see if things were working on it, and other than the brakes being stiff, I rode down and back without any issue. I actually made it up the steep hill for the first time. I guess anger gives me strength I didn’t know I had. LOL

The clouds started rolling in around 1:30 which sure made a change in temperature. The sun is our heat, no wonder when it returns, we all run out to savour it. Bill called at 1:35 and said he was on his way home. Then M called back and said that the paint product I was to pick up would not be ready until 4:30 and they closed at 5. Nope, it wasn’t going to happen today. I was just as glad since Bill and I had some running around to do.

Driving his new rig up onto the trailer

We drove to Murray’s, where we store our car for the winter, and picked up a new to us 2013 Cub Cadet riding mower on his trailer. Bill has a C.C. that is a 2011 that Murray will take as a trade in. He is very handy and his hobby is buying, fixing and selling machinery, cars etc. Bill was very happy to settle a deal and bring a more reliable mower home. It also has a 54” cut compared to 42” on his old one. Yup, happy hubby. 😊

Going to help Gerry with his toy

After dropping it off at home, Bill took the trailer to Gerry’s in Hanover and brought his scooter to the Acreage and then back here to pick up the trade-in for Murray. 

Backing our 2011 unit up onto the trailer

There they go down North Line

I hung the hummingbird feeders

And although they are blurred in the zoom, a hummer 
was quick to visit! Yay!!

He is starting to bring his toys out of his bed
So many new things!

He dropped Gerry at Murray’s where Donna picked him up and he was home for supper around 7ish. He’s had an incredibly busy day. I’d cut up the last 3 potatoes for homemade fries in the Fry Daddy and had Basa filets for supper. They were great!

Gibbs likes sleeping under the table on the cool carpet
The pillows are so he doesn't crawl under my recliner where he got stuck
once
The joys of a new baby 💗😂

For dessert, we had cookie cheesecake squares and saved the pie for tomorrow night. I sent Bill out to do what he needed to do, aka put the ‘new’ mower in the shelter and I did the dishes. It was no surprise that when he said “I might cut a wee bit to see how it is”, he meant “I’m going to cut the berm, see you in 15 min.” Ha ha. I was watching vet programs when he came home so just left them on while he cut. Something about the animals has me mesmerized.

Supper was delicious

It will be a slow, relaxing evening. At 8:15 I’m already feeling a tremendous slide into restfulness. 😊 This was a busy day for both of us in different ways but we have a weekend ahead of us to do whatever we want. Friday’s are still pretty special. However, the sun set in a cloudless sky so nothing special there. Then I looked again so snapped a couple of pictures. The great news is that we had SUN!!

And a close up brightens my blog

Good night!

Thank you for your visit!