Sunshine! Makes Me Want to Dance or is that the 50’s tunes?!

Saturday, Apr. 22^nd we were up before the birds, well before the sun anyway. The sun didn’t make a grand appearance as a sunrise, but it was so determined that it gradually pushed the clouds out of the way. By noon, it reigned over the blue sky and every one of us below. I dragged out of bed around 6:45 and Bill and Clemson were already up. That is what going to bed at 10:30 does for us.

I had my shower this morning and we drove to Hanover arriving just before 9 at the Bread Depot. It is nice to be able to buy the bread we love now that we are back in Canada. From there we dropped in on Donna and Gerry briefly. I had a few jacket/sweater options for her to choose from. She is going to a funeral tomorrow and it is tough to know what to wear.

Into  Hanover early

Our next stop was Rona to buy a couple pieces of lumber to make our mailbox post. We needed something easily transportable, but stable, as well as enough to hold our ‘Richards’ Way’ sign. I can’t see what is in Bill’s head but there are usually pretty good ideas up there. One last stop in Hanover was Walmart for our groceries. 

A few groceries to put away, Clemson watches

Their prices are pretty much the best around. I never thought years ago that today I would be buying groceries in a department store!

Donna and Gerry's home in Hanover

By this time, the sun was almost full blown as we drove back through Durham into the Home Hardware to pick up the mailbox. Just a basic metal one is all we need plus the numbers to stick on our fire #. Our name will obviously be on the sign overhead. This should work out great. Bill has a couple of good working outside days to put it together and we are in business!

Measuring the 2 x 4

I hadn’t eaten anything before we left so when we arrived back around 11 I was hungry and got out the stuff I needed for a breakfast quesadilla. Bacon, egg, grated cheese, tomato and lettuce. I cooked a couple extra pieces of bacon so Bill could have a toasted bacon, cheese, tomato lettuce sandwich for lunch. Yum, that was delicious!

And here come the buds and growth

Tummy full, I checked online to see the progress I’d made in donations for the Alzheimer’s walk. I sent off a thank you to a donor this morning, you know who you are so ‘thank you’. I’m halfway to my goal and that is great for the cause!

This little plant put me in mind of my youth when these were all over our fields

I wanted to share something that totally cracked me up yesterday and I believe it is worth a mention. One of our fellow bloggers, Lorne, wrote a post entitled Man Cold. I don’t recall laughing that hard at sarcasm in a long time so if you haven’t read, and are looking for a cackler check it out at A Place Called “Away”. Enjoy. I hope Lorne doesn’t mind the mention, I think he missed his calling.  :)

The wind was cold today and we were only hitting about 7C but we both bundled up and went outdoors. Bill started working on the post for the mailbox and I, um, what did I do? I walked down the lane, I laid on the dock, I took pictures and enjoyed my life.

When Bill needed my help, I was there to hold the post or the mail box while he cut the lumber or put screws in. Soon, he had it together, placed in the pail and ready for our fire number to be applied. We loaded it into the tractor wagon and took it to the end of the driveway with rocks in the pail for stability.

I walked along behind to hold the load straight

We have our mailbox. Next project, satellite. Because the dish fell over on Thursday night, we needed to find the satellite again. It didn’t take long and we had our service. Yay! Lastly, connecting the new head that Bill just bought to the dish that was installed on our Bunkie. Things were aligned perfectly and within 10 minutes we had that one set up too. Double yay!

Filled with rocks and ready to go to the road

Bill just needs to activate the new box and we’re good to go. We used the one from our bedroom so we knew things were working properly. Guess what time it is? Time for Clemson to get his dinner. He was patient and did some running around outside while we were working. Now he is a happy pooch with a full tummy. And it is our turn.

This was one of today's accomplishments

We picked up some mild Italian sausages today so it will be a simple supper cooked on the Weber Q. I think a salad on the side will fill the remainder of the plate. While the sausages were cooking, Bill was also watching the fire he started to burn some confidential paperwork. That is another bonus about living here, we have no need to shred, just burn it.

Just lazing in the sun by the pond

 I was disappointed not to find Chapman’s ice cream today. I need to find a grocery store that sells it. Sure wish I could find some Tillamook in Durham!

Recognize this?

After dinner and dishes, the fire had died down and so we closed up the sheds and called it a night. What a wonderful evening it is with the sun still very strong at 7 pm and finally the wind has died down too.

See the white spot on the far edge of the pond? Gabe

I can probably guess that you have had a wonderful day, how could we not? Sunshine makes so much difference in a day. Gabby is nesting, Gabe is protecting and the frogs are in rehearsal.

Playing with my software settings and our gorgeous sunset

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Wind and More Wind but a Productive Day

Wednesday, Apr. 19^th up on the hill started out really windy. Good thing it was a mild 11C at 7 or it could be quite nasty out there. At least it is looking to be a dry day even though the sky is covered in heavy clouds. It is a fine day to run some errands and pay a visit to Mom.

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary
How Does Your Garden Grow?

Neither of us felt like rushing around and actually that word ‘rushing’ isn’t in our vocabulary anymore anyway! I had my shower and we drove to Priceville, the opposite direction of Durham on Highway 4. We were happy to see the little post office building was still there as it was up for sale last fall.

Phil, the postmaster, greeted us warmly when we walked in. I re-introduced myself and Bill and we discussed the possibility and requirements of having rural mail delivery. He agreed that having a post office box in Durham was a costly endeavor and was very helpful. Decision made!

When we left there, we drove to Durham where Bill dropped me off for a visit with Mom. I couldn’t find her for a few minutes and by deductive reasoning a staff member helped me locate her in the hair salon. She was all done up in rollers with a new perm. We chatted in there until she was finished which turned out to be so close to lunch time that we walked out to the dining room.

When cows lay in a field, the farmers tale means it is going to rain
Pay attention, it is pretty bang on

Mom was confused when I was ready to leave “you’re just going to drop me here in a corner?” At least it was her humour asking since she could see her chair at the dining table. I believe it was just shy of 10 hugs that I got before she agreed to sit down. 

 Waving goodbye with an “I love you guys” it is nice to see her smiling when we leave.

We drove to Tim Summers Tax & Accounting office and dropped off Mom’s income tax information. Another very friendly business owner, this town is shaping up to impress me. We went to RBC to make an appointment to talk about our investments which are coming due.

There is that smile in a new 'do'

Our final stop was at the Men’s Clothing Store with the Service Ontario counter in the back. The first step in changing from a post office box to an end of the laneway mail delivery. Both our drivers licenses and health cards taken care of in a matter of minutes.

Home for lunch (breakfast for me) so we made up toasted tomato sandwiches. It was nice for a change and we have tomatoes to be eaten up. While munching away we were both on our laptops updating addresses with Service Canada, our pensions, magazines, friends and family.

Gabby nests

I realized yesterday that I need to pull my kitchen compost container out of the cupboard. That made me happy, because slowly things are falling into place. Since we pay for garbage tags here, this will keep it to a minimum.

I guess the running around tired us out and we, all three, crawled up for a snooze. Bill is headed off to London tomorrow morning so he ironed his shirt and packed his bag and the car with his ‘overnight’ bedding. In the morning, we’ll pack a cooler for him with lunch for a couple of days, supper and dessert. Yes, he has remembered to put in some reading material and his laptop this time.

Strange sky today

The sun has taken over the sky so Clemson and I did our walk to the end of the lane. Lots of turtles jumping off logs as we walked by and there was Gabe in the pond providing the security Gabby needs while nesting. It has been a productive day without a lot of exertion and before we know it dinner time arrives.

Gabe floats by, actually I think he sleeps

Steak, fried mushrooms and salad. Yummy. Once dishes were cleaned up, we settled in to watching our Tuesday night shows that we recorded last night. The coming days sound like storms are in the air. I guess it will be good for the gardens to get that rain.

I hope your day has been a good one and that you enjoy the calm before the storm.

Goodnight

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