A Summer Day as the Weekend Arrives

The Ridge

On Friday, May 20^th Gibbs and I were up at 6:30 to see Bill off at 6:45. Once he left, we followed, out the lane and down to the corner. It’s a beautiful morning15C/60F for a walk. Our forecast of 27C/81F changed for some reason according to the local radio station. They’re saying only 20C/68F but after being outside for a while, it feels hotter than that. They're wrong again. The rains will soon descend upon us and change it anyway.

The Canola fields provide a bright yellow
all around our area

The sky started out like this
and at the end of the day, looked the same
Storm sky?

The standard morning pond photo

I had my tea inside with Gibbs and played my 3 Wordle games plus 1 Phrazle game on my phone. I love the challenges they all present but get a kick out of figuring out the popular phrases in the latter. 😉 Two sisters, my daughter and a couple of nieces play them too so we share our results. Some days the words come easier than others, maybe depending on whether we have finished our first brew. Oh! I also share results with friends and bloggers, Nancy and Doug. ♥

Woolly Gibbs slept while I read my book

I knew he'd look different at the end of the day
so snapped a close up

When Gibbs and I went outside, it was nice to see the clouds moving out of the way, thanks to the winds, which were quite strong. We walked up to the garden and he ran around like a fool while I picked my first stalks of rhubarb. 

The joy of spring, everything coming up
with the exception of the Rose of Sharon 
in the foreground
I need to either remove it or get some new
cuttings

The grass up here hasn't been cut yet,
so he hides well
This is where my mower will cut with the new blade
(which was delivered today)

They aren’t big nor plentiful but it’s a start. I also checked my vegetables and was pleased to see 2 rows of little spinach and chard leaves now above ground. Yay! Following instructions from Donna, I’ll thin them once they are about 2” tall.

You might need a magnifying glass
to see them

Our peony bush 

Gibbs checks out the trilliums

first crop of rhubarb

Then, we settled at my shed. Ptooties Place, Ptooties Palace or something simpler?? Help me make a decision with a name please! It doesn’t feel right not to have one. 😊 I worked on the puzzle and Gibbs did his scouting, then his resting ‘thing’ as only he can. At 11:15, we came inside so I could get ready for his grooming at 1 o’clock. I had something to eat and washed his tummy. One of our trees has sticky needles and he always gets them caught on his belly and feet. I wanted to get them out of his hair before he goes.

Keeping our road in good condition
two graders made another pass

Resting before his appointment 💓

It's good!! Really good!

The puzzle is coming along nicely

At 12:30, he was so excited to go along that he jumped up into the back seat of Black Beauty with no hesitation. 😊 He still does a lot of whining at the beginning of a ride but I’ve learned to ignore it – mostly. Since we were a bit early for his appointment, we walked down the street to the laundromat. I wanted to see if it needed cleaning while I was in town. Plus, I had a duvet cover and Bill’s jacket that needed washing so I made sure my favourite washer was available.

5 minutes after I left Gibbs with Kate,
I popped in to show her a picture
of his last cut
She had already removed a lot of hair!
She said he was so good!

If these don't end up in the neighbour's yard,
they'll dry fast 

When I took Gibbs in to the groomers, he was just as sweet as ever. Kate came out and pet him, commenting on his size and how cute he was. ♥ Of course, he loved her attention! With 2 hours to kill, I first put the laundry in a machine and then took the opportunity to sweep the floors. They weren’t too bad nor was the Mat, so it wasn’t worth doing any more today. I’ll either go back in the morning or better yet, wait until Sunday. Jamie had been in and emptied the coin from the machines. I was lucky that someone had recently done a wash so I retrieved their $4.😊

The apple tree trimmed up looks so much better

Then I drove home and did some things around here. I vacuumed the Suite, re-hung a bird feeder out of Chippy’s reach, trimmed the lower branches and saplings of the apple tree at the back of the Suite and then worked on the puzzle until it was close to the time to pick Gibbs up. Bill had mentioned probably having a short day so I texted him to see when he might be on his way home. Turns out, he was enroute so he was picking our baby up on his way. Saves me the trip and fuel.

And the puzzle will be done tomorrow

I worked on the puzzle until they came up the lane and there was our new little puppy again! I have to look twice because his coat always looks like velvet after a short groom. His actions are pure Gibbs though as he runs and experiences the air and freedom. He was konked out soon after and although he didn’t eat all of his supper, he ate some and that was good enough for now.

Here he is!! Our handsome little guy.

He was so good, he got a chew stick

Bill grilled burgers for supper and we had ice cream for dessert. It was a very filling meal. We loaded the dishwasher and Bill drove over to the Acreage to get water into Mike’s trailer which is parked their for the summer. When he returns, he’ll bring a bladder full for us to use in the Suite. 😊 This has been a muggy day and although no rain, the winds are proving to be an issue that is yet to present itself. Overnight, warnings of strong gusts. Oh crap!

ice cream for dessert
with strawberry sauce

I worked on my blog and then tried to get into a new book. I finished The Street Lawyer earlier and highly recommend it. Excellent! Now David Baldacci’s A Minute to Midnight is waiting for me to start it. I’ve enjoyed the day, accomplished a few things and we now have a smaller but still lovable pooch in our home. I’m sure he feels wonderful!

Someone had a big day!
Good night!

Thank you for popping by.

Our Last (?) Summer/Springlike Day, A Walk in the Rain

Paisley, On

After 3 semi-busy days, I’m grateful to wake up on Tuesday, Nov. 10^th to a day off. Bill left before 6:30 and I remained in bed until just after 7. I knew it would be a warm day today but wasn’t expecting rain. Shortly after Bill left, I could hear it hitting our window. Hmm, that made my decision easy about a walk so I slipped into my jammies and went down for my tea.

A view of the Saugeen on my first walk
By the way, in the background on the left, you can
actually see how close the Baptist Church is
Good thing for the dykes that I walked on or it would
still be flooding at peak times

Wes was just leaving for work when I returned upstairs. I read a few of our friends’ blogs while enjoying the creamy liquid and got my vitamins into me. We forgot to take them with us Sunday so I popped mine last night with supper. I’m not sure if they help to keep us on the healthy side but I at least believe they can’t hurt! Around 9:00, I got dressed and prepared for my walk. The rain had stopped and it was a lovely 18C/64F! We’re loving this weather!

I like this view, the mill building on the left is for sale and
the little Canoe and Kayak business on the right is as well
Not sure if it is a package deal

I headed north on Queen St. with my camera, some cash, my phone and a printout of the Paisley historical buildings. I thought I’d try and get a Part 2 in the works for those of you who are enjoying them. I didn’t get as far as the end of town, where I wanted to go, when light rain started again. The sky was gray with heavy clouds so I didn’t know what I was in for. I crossed the street and turned back towards downtown.

Maybe these are our Ridge geese! I've been looking for them

The FoodMart at that end of town has always interested me but I’ve never stopped in, not needing anything. Today I needed cooking onions so when it was raining, I popped in. It is a nice bright, clean store, about the size of Durham’s Foodland. Prices are up there, of course, it is a small town ‘emergency’ shop for us and that is always appreciated. By the time, I left, the rain was done and I paid attention to the house/store #’s, referring to my paperwork as I walked back.

I zoomed in for a closer look but didn't recognize any of them
Geesh, they all look the same! Ha ha

Just a block south of the beautiful Presbyterian Church (#260), past downtown, it started raining again. Fairly heavy this time. Oh-oh. My paper got wet, my glasses got wet and by the time I crossed the street to the east side, I was fully showered. Ha ha 😊 I had no hood to put up but at least I had a water-repellant jacket on!

The trees along the street are bare of leaves so standing under one for protection was fruitless. Of course, it stopped within 2 minutes but I carried on home anyway. It is supposed to be sunny after lunch so maybe I’ll try again with my ‘treasure hunt’. Back home, I made myself a coffee and came back upstairs. I’ve told you that we do have the run of the house, if we choose, but other than the front living room, I’m enjoying spending time upstairs in our room. We have everything we need up here for relaxing.

I'm still in awe of the doomed Grand Central Hotel 
I can imagine how staturesque it was
look at the intricate valance designs over the windows

For those who were curious, I’m not enjoying Ancestry.com as much as I thought. I really didn’t want to get into adding family and reviewing what hints and suggestions come up from other relative’s trees but thought I’d add a bit about Mom and Daddy to find where they lived. The census and voting pages that were recommended are no help, really. It lists a Concession/Road but I know that already.

And on an old building, the small red leaves cling to give it beauty

For me, I’m finding that it isn’t easy to edit and when it added my brother as a half-brother, duh, it wouldn’t let me correct it. I think I’ll cancel it sooner than later, since it is making me feel frustrated. I’m not cut out for that kind of ‘hunt’ apparently! 😊 I wasn’t going to pay for a subscription anyway but I’m at least I satisfied my curiosity! Others have good luck with it and really enjoy it so don’t let me discourage you. This is just my personal experience.

My afternoon walk showed more promise

I lost track of time but at some point, I went out for another walk and took the mail keys with me. This time, I didn’t get caught in any rain, it was gorgeous out. I took more pictures of the historical buildings on the Heritage Walk tour. People must know I’m new to the area the way I walk this way and that, checking my list, checking house numbers and taking photos. They can’t find fault; they bought the houses!

The Paisley water tower reigns bold against the afternoon sky

There are some peaches in the fridge, from frozen, that have thawed and are looking a bit gross, turning brown. I hate wasting anything, so when I got back, I searched for a recipe to use them up. You know me, I’m going to try and cook it in Madame IP. I went downstairs around noon and made a bowl of noodle soup for my lunch and while eating that, put the ingredients together for ‘Keto Peach Cobbler’ that I found online.

this was made in 3 steps, first the batter
then the spiced peaches

Then the spiced crumble topping

It wasn’t a recipe for the Instant Pot but I decided to try it anyway. I was in no hurry to start it so went into the front room and read more of Paper Kisses, Mom and Daddy’s book of love letters. 😊 Oh my, this is so sweet! Wes and Susan were doing something in the former Porteous Bank next door (which is their building) and asked if I wanted to see inside. I’d not been in so jumped at the chance. Those pictures and stories will come in another Paisley post, interesting stuff.

The front door of 'our' house

Before I went with them, my cobbler was ready to do a natural release and I removed it from the pot when we came back into the house. It didn’t seem to be cooked though, the batter was ooey gooey still so at 3:30, I turned on Susan’s oven and cooked it in there for 30 minutes. Now that smelled wonderful! I read until Bill came home around 5:15 and then started our supper. This time Madame IP would come through for me.

Supper may look bland, but it tasted pretty good
I'd never win for a Food magazine cover!

We had thick pork chops, potatoes, mushrooms, onions and corn. The chops are so thick that Bill thinks we could have shared one. I would whole heartedly agree with that so will know for next time. I hate to cut him back on the foods he likes but now I know. We had the cobbler for dessert and I added 18% cream to mine. It was wonderful! Tomorrow, I’ll make homemade whipping cream to go with it, as Bill thought that would be nice.

And a guilt free, sugar free, low carb dessert

We did dishes and came upstairs where he had his shower. I worked on my blog and read some more. There doesn’t seem to be much on tv tonight so we won’t worry about going downstairs. That could change, who knows? This was a good day off and the weather was utterly fantastic! Reaching 22C/72F is crazy for Nov. 10^th but we’ll take it. It will all change overnight and those warm temps will come crashing down over the next few days. Back to normality, I guess.☹ 

Leftovers for another couple of nights
Success!
Good night!

Thanks for stopping in today to see what we’re up to.

Easy Going Days, Summer is Here, Clemson's Haircut, Birthday for a Special Girl

It was the alarm that woke me up this morning but I knew it was a ‘wake-up’ call for Bill, not me or the pooch, so I lifted the covers and Clemson crawled under the sheets with me. He’s my second favourite cuddle mate. Sometimes, I’m his #2 as well. Bill had his breakfast downstairs and either he was very quiet or I still had my ear plugs in. I can’t recall. Bill had turned the furnace and fireplace for a quick boost of warm air since it was cool in the Suite. While he was eating, the bathroom warmed up for him to have his shower.

My morning walk didn't take me too far but it consisted of pretty views

I got up to use the facilities and to say goodbye to Bill. Maybe I’m better staying in bed until he is ready to say goodbye, it seems I’m a bit of a distraction as he’s gathering things up. He almost forgot his coffee. Although the one day I didn’t get up, he left without taking his sandwich and supper meal. It’s all about frame of mind, I think, what he’s thinking about at 6 in the morning. I know I was thinking about going back to sleep with my snuggle bum.

As I sat at Rob and Pat's, the school kids were on a field day

After Bill drove off, I slipped out of bed again and turned the furnace off. The temperature inside the Suite had risen from low 60’s to 72F. I wasn’t long in bed when at 6:30 I got up. I was fully awake and didn’t want to lay there. Our available wi-fi is down considerably, we kind of blew it this month, so I didn’t go on line to read any blog posts. Life goes on, whether I read them right away or not.

I got cleaned up and was ready to head out the door at 8:30. Clemson was getting the royal treatment today. “Shampoo and a Haircut, badum-dum”. Bill texted just as we were about to leave to let me know he’d arrived. I had my laptop already out there, grabbed a water, my phone and some flyers from our local grocery stores. I wasn’t about to drive home in the interim, it only usually takes an hour at Bath and Biscuit.

He still looks like he is half asleep! :)

 Remember earlier I said ‘it’s all about frame of mind and what ‘we’re’ thinking’? Well, I turned off Baptist Church Road onto Hwy 4 and realized I didn’t grab my purse. That meant no license and no money so I turned around and took care of that. It was pushing on 8:50 by now so I called Kate at the ‘salon’ and let her know I would be a few minutes late. I hate being late, the word just isn’t usually in my/our vocabulary but when I breezed in at 9:05 it was as if I was right on time.

Clem is modelling his new hair cut

I drove around the block and pulled up in front of the Aljoe’s homestead. I texted Pat to let her know that Black Beauty would be sitting in front of their house for a while, seeping their unlimited wi-fi. It was an offer she made if we ever needed to use it, so I decided today was a good time to take advantage. Thanks buddies! It allowed me to read our friend’s blog posts and make my own comments. I nipped back around the corner to pick Clemmy up at 10:10 and he was ready and waiting. Kate does a great job!

This pile of rails was stacked pretty high
We're glad Donna and Gerry can use them for their fence

I drove to Foodland and grabbed a few groceries, mostly sale items but especially the Chapman’s Premium ice cream. It was on sale for $3.99 a tub. Yes! We’ve not had any in the freezer for a few weeks. Back home, after putting things away, Donna texted to say they were coming over with Gerry’s truck to gather some more cedar rails. They are able to rebuild fences at the Acreage using the collection over here. Any broken, unusable pieces we can cut up for firewood.

After they left, I pushed my mower up the berm and cut the little bit of grass that got left a couple of days ago. I had lots of battery power today. Then I went at the area out front where I spread some grass seed. With my small hand rake, I was able to gather more of the small stones and level it out a wee bit. I spread the seeds around and watered it down. Hopefully, we’ll get some rain over the next couple of days. Some is the key word here. Not days and days of it.

Rhubarb was my excitement of the day

Inside, I warmed up a bowl of my pork, vegetable barley soup for lunch. I have a sink full of rhubarb to wash and cut up. Most of it will go in the freezer and some will get stewed for an evening dessert. I figure 4 cups of chopped fruit in a baggie will be perfect for pies or crisps. There is nothing like a rhubarb dessert when we are in the throes of winter………..in the desert. 😊

With it all chopped, 6 cups went into a pot with 2 tbsp water and 1 cup sugar. It simmers for 20 min. and voila! Stewed rhubarb. I will cool that and package it in baggies or containers. I don’t have a lot of small containers so I will play it by ear. I’ll definitely have to keep some out of the freezer for Bill tomorrow night. Rhubarb topping on ice cream. Yum! There are approximately 26 cups of chopped fruit so what I don’t stew will get divided and bagged for the freezer.

I'm proud of my petunias mainly because I've kept them alive
so far

I’ve had full blue sun filled sky for part of the day, then some scattered clouds but a nice temperature around 73F/23C all day. Now that I’ve turned the burner off, I can move outside with my book. I have been too busy to even start my new mystery! I took a walk around the property, checking out plants, deadheading petunias and watering those in need.

The situation with no rain is playing havoc with our rain barrel. It is only half full and unfortunately, currently, that means it is below the spigot from which I fill my watering can. There is another ‘tap’ about 2 or 3” from the bottom but I obviously can’t fit it under there. So, I’m holding the can and tipping the barrel towards me just to get water. We need rain. Bill is working on a solution, it is one of his projects and now I can’t wait for it to be underway!

Now that I've turned the first few pages............the first 7 chapters
went zzzip!

Then, I rested. I took full advantage of the lovely day and sat in a gravity chair up on the hill looking down over the lane and the corral. Some sun, sun shade and some breeze. It was really quite nice. I got good and well into my book and it is another page turner for sure. I took a walk down the laneway just to see if the mail lady dropped anything in our box. I’d missed seeing her today. Nope, no news is good news.

Bill will appreciate these pictures
I do believe his baby robins are still around
(He had to remove them from our a/c unit before we left for Rock Glen)

Since I had my camera, I wandered over to where the cedar rails are so I could show Bill how the pile has gone down since Gerry was here. As I walked back, in my flip-flops, I startled a little 12-15” garter snake and needless to say, he startled me. He looked at me briefly and curled his way back to the woodpile. I must have just missed stepping on him the first time. That would have got a squeal out of me!

And here is why we can't use the kayaks in our pond
Already, weeds are so overgrown

I closed up the door to the storage shed, all things put away for today. I don’t think we are expecting rain but I do like things closed up when it is my job…….just in case the sky opens up unexpectedly. The wind has been quite gusty today but it has kept the temperature around 78F. Without it, it would be quite hot. Back inside, I poured the 3 cups of stewed rhubarb into a sealer jar and put it in the fridge. There was about ½ cup left in the first pot so I will add to that one.

a nice cozy sitting area

With 18 cups left, I decided to make another batch since I found more jars in the bunky that I can use. Clemson sure sleeps a lot these days and we’re finding that it takes a loud noise to disturb him. I basically had to shut the door loudly so he would wake up for supper. Maybe his sense of time is faltering as well, or his sleepiness just wins out over his tummy.

Half in his bed and half out
sound asleep
Nancy K. that is my attempt at a quilt under his bed
The back side is denim

So, at 5:30, I pulled out the cooked liver that I had in the freezer and prepared to fry it up lightly for supper. Butter in the pan and just a couple of flips of each piece. I know there were a few pieces of potatoes left over from last night with some corn but decided instead to leave that for Bill tomorrow night. Today, in town, I picked up one of my favourites, spinach. I like it steamed and with some cherry tomatoes, that should do it for me. Of course, there will be dessert.

I wrote a bit more on this post and put it to rest while supper cooked slowly. I haven’t been on-line on our wi-fi today, trying to conserve the last few gigabytes. When I post, it will have to be a fast one. 😊 I was fooling around with Picassa today, after chatting with Pat last night. I found one of my favourite pictures of Bill and I from 2012. It was before the major decision in our life was made, when we were taking a week’s vacation in Mears, Michigan with Ken and Nancy.

Before I get to the bottom of this rambling post, I want to wish a very special Happy Birthday to our oldest granddaughter, Chelsea. She is 11 today and I’m sure very excited that school is almost done. What a great age! They are in London so it is perfect timing for Bill. Chelsea is his second daughter’s first child. Have I confused you yet?

this little cutie pie has grown up into a special little girl

Supper was good, there were 3 pcs of liver in the pack so just a tad too much for one meal. I did, however, give Clemson (our mooch) a few small pieces. I did up the dishes after pouring the rest of the stewed rhubarb into jars. 

Looking outside, I could see Mrs. Yertle on our front ‘lawn’ near the firepit. She has been there for at least 20 minutes already and from her movements, I would have thought she was laying eggs. Nope, she’s moved on and there is no change in the grass area.

I think she was just trying to dig a hole
What a waste of time for her

Bill called at 5:40, just touching base. He has finished work so having his supper before going around to see Chelsea. He reported that it has been pouring rain since 2 pm this afternoon. Oh, how we need it but by the looks of the weather on CTV News, it might not arrive until tomorrow. Our sky does not have the appearance of anything dropping from it tonight.

My last picture is a hint that maybe we need
Geese crossing signs too!

I’m going to settle in and post this before it turns into a book. It has been a nice quiet day. I hope you have had a similar one. Thank you for stopping by. I love it when you leave me a comment.