My Plans Changed, Guests Arrive, Gibbs’ Makeover

The Ridge

On Tuesday, Aug. 2^nd we woke up to light drizzly rain. It actually felt cool when I woke up and reached down to pull the duvet up before 5 o’clock. That meant Gibbs got covered and he squirmed his way up and out. I was sure he was shivering but maybe not. 😊

At the Mat, this is the second
assault on the new sign post
Not me though! I use my mirrors. 😂

Bill got up at 6:00 and took him out. I rolled over and tried to return to slumber. I say tried because I knew I needed to get a move on within half hour or so to get to the Mat. It was actually 6:45 when I crawled out, made the bed and got ready for my day. Bill was working in Durham this week so was taking Black Beauty. I left first in Ptooties. The Mat was empty when I arrived and remained that way for the whole time.

Not a fun mess to clean up
but not terrible either
Did you think 'swan' when you first glanced at it?

My plan was to work for my hour, stop to fill our water jug and head home. I’d spend an hour with Gibbs and head over to M’s for 9:30. When I discovered two machines with new ‘do not use’ signs, I had to test them. One was clearly in need of repair but the other one was a matter of customer patience. They’d put their ‘large’ amount of soap in, plus their $4 but couldn’t figure how to close the door. ☹

Star of the day

Take a good look
Now you see him

So, since there was no one needing a washer within the first half hour, I started it rather than leave it. By the time I finished cleaning, dusting and washing the floors, the machine was done. Woops! Looking in through the window, it was white, filled with soap suds. Oh no! I knew someone would open it and not bother to clean it up. I phoned M and told him I would be busy there for a while and wouldn’t be in to work after all. He was fine with it.

A different little pooch
Can you pose for Mom?

Are you showing off your new do?

There he is, what a handsome little guy!!💗

By the time I got it all mopped up, I’d been there for over an hour and a half and didn’t get home until 9:20. I’m so glad for the decision I made. I hadn’t eaten earlier so had some cereal with my coffee. At 12:30, I drove Gibbs back into town and dropped him off at Kate’s Bath and Biscuit for his groom, er, his makeover. 😊 I was back home by 1:30 and Duncan pulled in with their Airstream before 2. He set it up, unhooked and went back in to pick Patty up from the laundromat.

Patty was truly a happy camper to be able
to hang her clothes on my linie

The day was going by quickly with back and forth trips to Durham and at 3, I repeated the process to pick up our handsome little guy. When I returned, our company wasn’t far behind. Patty was very excited to be able to hang their laundry on my clothes line. She loves the outdoor freshness of drying clothes on a line. 😉 I was happy to oblige when she asked. ♥

Happy Hour was on the gravel at their site
where we got more sun

The gin and tonic went down smoothly

The boys have lots to discuss

We had Happy Hour together, moving over to the sunny side of the lot while they cooked yet another supper for us. My, we are getting spoiled! We ate at our Suite and although I forgot pictures, the hot dogs, local corn on the cob, Cinnabons and ice cream were all delicious. We didn’t contribute much but the ice cream came from our freezer, just a wee scoop each. Boy, were we stuffed!

Duncan was grilling the dogs
They were sooo good!

This local corn (Windsor) was so sweet and tender
Thank you Duncan and Patty for spoiling us again!

Bill loaded the dishes in the dishwasher and we all enjoyed watching ‘home movies’ that weren’t exactly home movies. They were interested so Bill showed them some of our still pictures from a few trips to Arizona on our tv screen. That was fun to see them again and he went so far as to run through the remodeling of our London home. I haven’t seen those for a very long time and it is great to have them.

Gibbs being a good boy while we ate
Between snoozing, drinking and humping our pillow,
he kept himself out of trouble

D & P wandered next door around 9:30 and it was soon bed time. Bill and Gibbs went up first to watch tv while I tried valiantly to finish my blog. I was simply too tired so will finalize it in the morning. This has been a busy but awesome day. I do have to work at M’s tomorrow so will say goodbye early.

The evening ended watching Bill's pictures
on the tv
Notice Gibbs snuggled in beside Patty? 💓💓
Good night!

Thank you for your visit!

Walking for Exercise, Mixed Weather Bag, A Big Jell-o Jiggle

Silver View RV Resort

I heard Bill downstairs at 6:45 on Thursday, Mar. 12^th and was surprised I’d slept so well and so late. It looked like a lovely morning and after such a lazed-out day yesterday, I was anxious to get out for some fresh air and a nice walk. With my hoody being all I needed, it was 60F/16C, I headed down the east park road and out the gate.

I walked a different way today and enjoyed the pretty skies and scenery

Turning towards the south seemed to be my destination for a reason. There is a park next door with a similar name and a nice lady walking her dog. She was over the fence and we exchanged friendly greetings. 

I like the picture on the left, shot looking across the wash
into a neighbourhood of nice homes
Notice the moon up there in that pretty sky

Then I could hear them. Gambel quails! There they were, scurrying around just in time for my camera to get focused. I carried on walking and was rewarded once more when I saw a road runner getting ready to cross the road. Yay!

Not the best pictures at all as they were
taken in haste before I lost the little guys
that road runner is definitely running with a purpose,
a car was coming

A pretty sky but no real sunrise this morning for the camera

I carried on, following the sidewalk down another street that turned and met up with Goldrush Road at the bottom of the hill. If there had been sidewalk all the way, I might have been tempted but instead of walking on the dirt and gravel, I turned back for home. 

They were moving fast this morning

Five more quail chattered in the trees and I got a picture there too. I was happy, it’s a beautiful day in the neighbourhood. There wasn’t a real sunrise and slowly the clouds took over the sky.

These yellow wildflowers are everywhere, very pretty

This is the park just 100' down the road from ours

This is our park entrance

 A metal moose just outside our fence line

See what I mean about the flowers?

Back home, I had my tea and Bill said that the rain today was reversed from the previous two days, coming in the afternoon instead of the morning. Tomorrow we’re hoping for some dryness at least so we can pack the mat and bbq away without them being wet. At 9, Bill drove over to pick Keith up. They needed to get some propane in town. I needed to look after my wedding rings; I noticed the other day how dirty they are, so I took care of that while Bill was gone.

My rings are shining brilliantly again

When he returned, we had a coffee together and while I delved into my book again, Bill sat at his laptop checking out Google Maps for our journey home. Talk about changing plans, we all do it and sometimes often. Originally, this winter journey was going to end with us heading north up to Langley, B.C. to visit friends in the spring. It’s a long way up but we’ve planned it for a couple of years. Reality has set in and we now aren’t going to go home that way.

There is the sunrise

A decision had to be made so we called our friends and gave them the unfortunate news. There are just too many things this winter that have put the kibosh on that added journey. No point in pushing our luck with the tires and Suite issues. We’re going to head for home come Saturday. Taking a big rv up there, trying to find a suitable place to camp for a week, considering how much we’ll see of the two of them with their work schedules plus the extra 3,000 miles added on to our trip – it just makes sense NOT to go. They understood and certainly support our decision.

The work carries on when the rain stops
This is the 2nd row being dug with sewer pipes placed

Bottom line, we’ll have to hope that maybe we can afford to fly out for a weekend sometime during the summer months and forget trying to take our home that distance. We’re saddened about the decision but when Jell-o jiggles, we’ve learned to adjust accordingly. So, with that resolved, Bill and Ken have been discussing routes home. We all figure to reach Canada in the ballpark of April 4^th.

Bill called me to the window to see 2 quail in our back yard

Bill got a text from his 2^nd daughter, Charlotte, informing us that Ontario’s schools will be closed from Mar. 14^th until Apr. 5^th because of the Covid-19 virus. Wow! That can surely put some families in distress, dealing with day care issues. We are thankful that it has worked out for our 5 children that have offspring. One works in the school system so she will be home with her girls, one has children old enough to be home on their own, one has a child too young, one with children fully grown and one  grandson will have his Mom home part time and a Grandma around the corner. That is a relief for them all.

The sky wasn't looking to clear any time soon

Patrick called and we chatted about the goings on in the world and it was nice to hear his voice. He admits to being terrible with the 'keeping in touch' role. I laughed and told him that I agree! He doesn’t get it from me! I finished my 5* book and thought I’d go for a walk but the rain spatters chose to start on cue. Instead I mixed up a batch of Cherry Jell-o (speaking of Jell-o above) and checked cupboards to make sure that I have enough ingredients to make a nice batch of chili for travelling.

Then, I sat with my wool and attempted to get a start on my sweater. Wish me luck! It took me 4 times starting, tearing out in the traditional ‘rip-it’ fashion before I got it. Not each time because I didn’t understand but the pattern said to double the wool and that just made it way to thick for a sweater. I’ll change that on the written copy. Eventually, I got in the rhythm and crocheted along at a steady pace.

Bill was reading his book, The Fallen, by David Baldacci. He discovered that we’d already read The Winner so quickly moved on. He was feeling sleepy so we took advantage of the break in the rain and went for a walk around the park to stretch our legs. It was very mild out, 68F and without any wind, we enjoyed the air. Other than to the garbage and maybe to Keith’s, Bill hadn’t been around the park much. Back home, we carried on doing what we were doing and I blended the cream cheese and heavy cream for when the Jell-o is set.

this was supper

At 5:30, I was feeling hungry so got the pork chops cooking in Madame IP. Not my favourite but they’ve been in the freezer for awhile and we needed to eat them. I cooked some corn for each of us as a side dish and warmed up the remaining mushroom soup gravy from the other night. I had to douse the chops pretty good but they were tender and tasted pretty good. Fair, well, they were okay. 😊 For dessert, we had a piece of cheesecake again. I do recommend this crust, folks!

We finished eating before 7
Have a good night!

We did dishes and sat to enjoy the rest of the wet evening. When I closed our outside door at 7, the ground under our Suite was just a pool of water so that was a lot of rain. We’d also been experiencing thunder and lightning throughout the bulk of the afternoon, probably our second time this winter. We’ve had a pretty genteel day and it was all good. I hope you enjoyed yours too.

He is never far from our mind but when a neighbour behind us
sits with his small poodle sleeping in his arms
Our hearts break a little bit again
He sure loved the sunshine 💓

Thank you for your visit.

Successful Shopping, Gardening, and Jell-O Day, Family Birthdays

The Ridge

Early, around 4:30, on Wednesday, May 29^th I woke up when I heard Bill and Clemson. Clemmy was gagging, about to throw up and Bill was hustling around trying to get him outside. Once that episode was over and Clemson seemed fine again, we all settled down to go back to sleep. It was 20 after 7 when I woke next and it has been a while since I’ve slept that late. It felt nice to just relax.

2 hanging planters, marigolds, peppers and tomatoes

Bill was already up with his coffee made when I moved downstairs. I made a tea and as I did so, checked the weather. Our station said it was 52F/11C and it was cloudy again with little to no wind. Not too bad of a day and maybe we'd see some sun later. We finished our drinks; Bill had already checked our banking and was happy that our CPP pensions had gone in. Yay! Finally, we would be able to fill the fridge and cupboards again.

My stump planter still has bark on it
A couple of marigolds will brighten it up

By 9 we were on our way into Hanover. I drove Ptooties and Bill drove Black Beauty. We had so much to do and different stores to visit so this made the most sense. First, I went to Rockwood Terrace and signed the paperwork to get Mom on the Foot Care Schedule. That was easy. Bill had left after me, but was most likely ahead of me by now. He first went to First Choice Haircutters to get his ears lowered and then carried on with his other stops.

My handsome guy with a new haircut

I drove directly to Walmart and picked up a few groceries and also a couple of hanging planters that were marked $9.99. I was happy to pay that price. One is a pink geranium and the other a name that I can’t remember without looking at it. From there I drove back through Durham, stopping at Foodland for some 4-pack annuals. Marigolds were my choice this year. I got tomato plants but she didn’t have peppers so I wasn’t done yet.

Geraniums and marigolds in my new garden
I think Chippy approves

The truth? Chippy is hanging around for the dropped seeds only

Home Hardware was my next stop and I used our gift card from Scott and Ellen to buy a bag of mixed bird seed. Lastly, I stopped at the garden centre in North Wellington FS/Co-op. They had the green pepper plants that I was looking for. At 11:45, I texted Bill that I was on my way and he was already there ahead of me.

These marigolds found a home in the flower box Bill made
It is in our seating area so maybe will keep skitters away

By the time I arrived home and got the groceries put away, I was hungry and since Bill only had a yogourt at 8:30, he was as well. I made us each a toasted egg omelette sandwich. I wasn’t thinking about carbs at this point, just wanted to satisfy a hunger. We cleaned up dishes and went back outside. I first surveyed my purchases before making plans on where to plant. In each planter there are 3 rooted plants so I split the geranium for individual planting. I only have one hanging location so Bill got one in his pot by the Hangar along with a couple of marigolds.

The hanging planter in another sitting area

The rest of the 12 marigolds were spread out in different places. My new little flower garden got 4 along with the other 2 geraniums. I may purchase more annuals but time will tell. The price of $1.29 for 4 is almost too good to resist. Next, I filled the bird feeder so the bigger birds will be happy and spread some out for Chippy, our little piggie chipmunk. Note: by the end of 4 hours, one feeder was empty. LOL

And this is the flower that I can't name but it is very full and looks good here

 I went up to the garden with 16 tomato plants and 8 pepper plants. I’m quite pleased with the progress on my radishes, even though 5 had jumped ship into another row. I have sunflower seeds that are pushing up through the ground around my garden and that is also exciting. Now the rain expected tomorrow can do its magic. If nothing else, it will save me from watering my new plantings. I put everything away and found Bill closing up the Hangar.

To put the above picture in perspective, this is where it is

Returning inside, I mixed up my Creamy Jell-O and now we have an edible keto dessert again. 😊 8 of them, in fact! I caught up on my post, which I hadn’t started and sat with Bill and Clemson until he lit the Weber for grilling. Tonight, we are having sausages and Caesar salad for supper. It feels good to have choices again, rather than the same thing over and over. Supper was great! And because the sausages were so long, half of mine is in the fridge for another night.

Bill was sad that he only got one planter back when he gave me two

And lastly, in a movable pot, 2 more marigolds

Just before we finished eating the sun popped through the clouds. The temperature hit 60F/14C and we look forward to many more sun appearances in the days to come. We had our Jell-O later when watching Mash reruns. I sat with my crocheting, did a few rows and turned to my book until the new season of Private Eye began at 9. This was a terrific day!

My garden today looks a lot happier!

And an experience - this is a watermelon plant

The weather wasn’t warm but at least it is dry and the G-R-E-A-T news, (picture Tony the Tiger here if I had one) the black flies were no where to be seen the whole time I was outside working! Woohoo! Before posting, 2 very special birthday wishes go out to our son-in-laws. Dennis and Cory, the husbands of Bill's two oldest girls. What a coincidence that they share the same birthday. 

Happy Birthday, Dennis!

Happy Birthday, Cory!

I hope you enjoyed your day as well.

Supper tonight

And the sun breaks through on time for a sunset

Dessert was yummy

Good night everyone!

Thank you for popping in to see what Bill and I were up to today.