Glorious….Close to Perfect! Planting Time.

 

The Ridge

On Monday, May 26^th things got moving in the Richards household by 5:30 for some and 6:30 for others. 😊 You can guess which. When I came downstairs after getting washed and dressed, Bill was all ready to head out the door.

Good morning!
This was last night's picture.
The clouds moved off before the sunset
so nothing special there.

He would be working outdoors today on a deck in Molesworth. I would be working indoors part of this morning in Durham. Heh heh. However, we both left in another pea-soup fog, 30 minutes apart, which didn’t clear up completely until I was on my way home. The good news is that from 4C/39F this morning, we rose to a lovely (glorious!) 22C/69F.

The fog was ridiculous!
I made sure my fog lights were on
before I left the Ridge.

It was like an eerie Hallowe'en
night on a May morning.

You don't see this too often.
I thought it was a downed machine,
but instead it was an act
of generosity.
Lovely! Made my day.

I stopped at the hardware store and picked up some Miracle-Gro and plant feed before returning home. I was excited about getting my hands in the dirt again, even if it was dirt in grow bags. 😊 I had 3 Brussel sprout plants, 6 tomato plants, 2 eggplants, 1 Swiss chard and 1 pepper plant.

This is it, with the exceptions of 
onions and rhubarb,
Patsy's garden. 

It was almost lunch time so I started working on my magnetic door screen for my She-shed. I removed the old one, which has been ‘remodelled’ a few times in order to fit the doorway. It has been nailed and Velcro-ed and still the bottom 3 magnets weren’t always closing without help.

The gray is not smoke but
the fog still trying to lift.
It was 9 am by now.

I’m not in any way an example of perfection but I do manage and I didn’t want to have Bill do this for me. He doesn’t like these screens so it was only fitting that I do it myself. 😊 I know he would’ve helped if I needed him to.

No swear words at all!
It worked perfectly!

The screen was too long, even though I measured, it was the shortest in length and would have to do. With a nip and tuck at the top, I made it work using the Velcro that came with the package. It closes perfectly without me having to touch it! Yay!

How on earth, this little trickster got up on
these King chairs with no help is beyond me.
When inside, on the low recliner, he feigns to need help.
Good thing we love him so much!

 

I know the wind can sometimes cause it to open but this is the only way I can have the outer doors open. Gibbs was his usual helpful self, following me around, back and forth except when he was busy chasing that 4-legged critter! Boy, did I laugh about him spending 15 minutes, at least, trying to see where he went under Ptooties. 😊

I know he came under here, Mom

I had to bang on her hood when Gibbs was looking the other way so he could run to safety. LOL Boy, that pooch of ours can move, all 32 lbs. of him! I phoned his groomer today to make an appointment for the first week of June and will feel that we’ll get our money’s worth this time. He has a lot of woolly hair to shed! We pay enough for the groom etc. so this makes it feel better.

I checked on my plants before supper and they are looking good, in partial shade. That’s the perfect spot, they do not need full sun the whole day. When the black flies returned (Yes! The rotten things wouldn’t leave me alone) I donned my netted hat and covered up.

Gibbs and I walked to get the mail
but she hadn't been yet.
He chose to drop and roll.
You're not seeing double,
he stayed here in the same position, wagging his tail
until I rubbed his belly.
Not spoiled at all!💘

It was too warm to be dressed like that but I didn’t want to be bitten and they were sure trying. I came inside, because of them, and Gibbs and I stayed in until Bill got home around 4:30. I’d got my quilling out, since I finished my book last night, and carried on with a few new designs I wanted to try.

For supper, we agreed on fish and chips for Bill and fish and squash for me. We finished the strawberries for dessert and were both filled appropriately. 😊 Bill went out to clean the chainsaw before taking it to get the chain sharpened tomorrow so he doesn’t get charged for that too. Clever man he is.

This was lunch today.
Healthy and filling.

The sky is clear of clouds and it sounds like another great one tomorrow. I’m happy about that but will just keep covered when I’m out. Maybe it will be time to start a puzzle in the She-shed, they can’t get me in there! This has really been a good day. Madame Hummingbird has been frequenting my feeder for the last 2 days and it is wonderful to see her little self just outside the window. ♥

Supper

I hope your days are warming up and your fingers are also dirty from the earth! What more can we ask for? I apologize for the font. It never displays the same for me. Frustrating to say the least. Oh well. 

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY TO ALL OF OUR AMERICAN FRIENDS!

It is a day of remembrance for everyone. 

 Thank you for your visit today.

Easier Day, Hardy Mums, Car Storage, Mom

On Friday, Oct. 20^th we woke up together. I was awake at 6 and over the next hour was the first I heard Bill coughing all night. Before I went to bed, I pampered him by rubbing Vick’s on his chest (yes, he could do this himself but……he’s a guy) and then on the bottom of his feet. He put socks on, which is unusual, but it seems to work in preventing coughing while sleeping.

We had our tea and coffee at our laptops before I had my shower. We’re coddling our fresh water more these days as the wells at Gerry’s Acreage are closed off for the winter. We agreed that he do this on Thanksgiving weekend after filling our tank and a spare bladder. If we were desperate we could probably beg, borrow or steal from Pat and Rob. So, a shower today and Sunday before we pull out will leave us with about 25 gallons for travelling.

15 minutes before I hopped in the shower, Bill sprayed the bathroom with Black Flag

 Bill cleaned up and nipped into Durham to get gas for his mower, just enough to cut the rest of the grass and then we’re done for this season. Yay! I’m done cutting grass for a while. We both got our exercise yesterday, our Fitbits were so proud!

Clemson in his morning spot

My first challenge this morning was to put our clean duvet into the cover I had. I wish someone had told me before I bought the cover that I should go smaller than the duvet. We have a king size bed; therefore, sheets and duvet are the same size. The duvet does not completely fill the cover and that makes it slide all over the place. Grrr. Because of that I haven’t had the cover on since the last time I washed the duvet.

Maybe it isn’t a common rule but my sister, Gayle, suggested ‘after’ I bought one, that I should buy a Queen size duvet cover and pin the corners like I am doing now. That way, it doesn’t have sliding room. It just seems one side is always puffier (bunched) than the other. Such a simple thing but it frustrates me. We don’t want a heavy bedspread or multiple blankets; the weight is ridiculous. Been there, done that. The duvet (other than stuffing it) is perfect for us in all weather.

And the duvet is back on the bed with Sergei, Clemson's stuffed friend

I made myself another tea while Bill finished up the back field. We have our leftover omelette for brunch or lunch, whatever, when he is done. I am going in to see Mom this morning before her lunch so can eat when I come back. I don’t feel too hungry yet this morning. I brushed my teeth after having a couple of spoonfuls of yogourt and headed into town.

Once more when I arrived, her door was closed tight and lights off in her room when I peeked. There she was under her blanket on her bed. She was dressed and not in as sound a sleep as the other day because when I said hello, she smiled and started to sit up. I turned her light on and opened the curtains. She said she was so lazy, sleeping so much!

Last time this year

It was a lovely visit and a very nice passerby stopped in and offered to take a picture of us when he saw me trying to do a selfie. Sweet! 

Much nicer than any I take on a self-timer. Another visitor stopped in to see Mom. Bradeep was his name and he is the resident physio-therapist. He wanted to walk with Mom and talk to her about her troubling back.

 This is where it gets awkward with a dementia person, she fluffed her back issues off with a wave of her hand. He asked her questions and I felt for him simply because I don’t know if he realized that she honestly couldn’t remember. It puts Mom on the defensive if you mention dementia in front of her, so I walked quietly behind them. If he caught my eye at one of her replies, I nodded or shook my head.

A very pleasant young man he was and when he offered the simple solution of a hot pack on her lower back for 20 minutes during a day, she flatly refused. Oh my. She said it wasn’t that bad and she would never be able to sit for that long. I tried to encourage her to try it when she is resting on the bed or sitting for her meals but she said she was fine. He said he would come back on Tuesday and see if it is any better. The good news is that the results of the x-rays were negative. None of us know how bad her pain is.

I walked her down to lunch and she was one of the last to arrive. She was in no hurry today. I spoke to Aunt Mary before leaving and said hello to Freida who sits with her. From Rockwood I drove downtown and chatted with Stephanie at IDA about my shingles prescriptions. She wished me luck in Mexico getting what I need at a better price. I picked up some Vitamin D for Bill and got home at 12:30 for my lunch. 

Bill was a busy beaver again today. He finished the grass cutting and cleaned the mower off before putting it and the little wagon away. He was washing the Weber Q and we figured one more use, and it can be stowed in the ‘garage’ of our Suite. 

Clemson gets to go along for a ride

I changed into work clothes and took the Hardy Mum, that Rob and Pat gave me, up the hill. It doesn’t have a lot of healthy blooms left so I hope it isn’t too late to plant. I dug the hole and plopped it in. Fingers crossed it will survive and live up to its name! I forgot to take a picture, maybe tomorrow. The next thing was to compost the tomato and pepper plants. I have 4 little peppers I’ll pick on Sunday to eat up as well.

I had my omelette with fresh little tomatoes and now have to decide what to do with the remaining ones in the fridge. I’ll probably make more soup, something I can freeze rather than give them all away or throw them out. That decision ‘to be continued’. I cleaned up dishes and Bill came in for a snooze. He hasn’t stopped with the physical labour since he got up. My activity has been on a much easier level.

After cleaning up the dishes, we were feeling that there wasn’t much left to do. At 3 o’clock we drove both vehicles to Murray Flemings to store the car for the winter. We called last night to let him know what time we were coming. From there, since we were close to Hanover, I popped into The Independent. They have the Kombucha where the Foodland in Durham does not. I like having it on hand because I’m not sure yet where I can get it once we cross the border. 3 bottles for $10.98 so I got 6. Yay!

On the way home, we discussed supper tonight and also supper tomorrow night in London. Tonight, it is all about simple. Bill requested grilled cheese sandwiches and that sounded good to me. I could include sliced tomatoes in mine and maybe even onion. Hmmm, sounds good. Dinner for us has never really been a big deal, we are easy to please. After eating out so much lately, in Toronto, we can take a night off from a big meal.

We have made arrangements to have dinner in London with our kids tomorrow. I think I have told you this. The day has arrived, holy cow, really quickly too! We wanted to make sure that we could stop and see Dad and Marilynne one last time too in Stratford. Without extending our day too much either before or after dinner, we decided to invite them along. They will enjoy seeing all of the kids too and we’ll get a visit in at the same time.

Following Bill down the lane to drop the car off

Back home again, Clemson got his supper and then we relaxed for an hour before starting our own. Not only are the flies still regular visitors in our Suite but now we are starting to notice lady bugs on the outside of the windows. Enough already! Two days and counting!

Crazy busy grocery store today

After supper, we did the dishes up and I sent an email to my siblings about my visit with Mom today. They would be interested in the xray results, especially. At 7 pm it is dark outside but still quite mild at 16C/60.8F. I can’t hear the wind so that has died down as well. I can honestly say that these accomplishing days have been good ones. 

The pressure to get things done was not pushing us at an uncomfortable rate, we spread it over many days. With just two things left to tuck away, one in the Suite and one in the outhouse, we are in a really good position to leave on Monday as scheduled.

This one speaks for itself

I hope this has been a good day for you too. Thank you for stopping in. All comments are welcome!