Sunday Coming Down or Going Up, Another Thing Settled

The Ridge

So, after a late Saturday night (late for us) at the campfire, Bill and I slept in until almost 7:30 on Sunday, Sept 13^th. I heard the heavy rain at 5 am so I must have been in half-wakefulness because I didn’t hear it at midnight nor at any other time through the night. Bill said those things happened, off and on all night. I felt rested when I joined Bill downstairs for my tea.

We noticed on our drive this morning that some leaves
are starting to get dressed for fall

After it was finished, I had a nice hot shower and we left the Suite around 10. Today, this morning, we were driving to Billy’s parent’s farm to see about a winter storage location for our home. It was offered so we wanted to check it out and get that settled, if we could. They are being generous and we appreciate it very much. Billy showed us the location behind a shed, so sheltered, and that suits us just fine and dandy. We would be 10 minutes away living in Paisley in case we wanted to check the roof or get something over the winter months.

Driving through small towns under blue skies

Before we left, Billy took us inside to meet his Mom and Dad (Mike’s sister and bil) and we confirmed directly about storage for the period of approximately 6 months. We left there and took a leisurely drive back through Cargill, Pinkerton, and Chepstow, all names from my younger memory bank. I guess they were towns we went through on the way to the farm. We drove around the outskirts of Hanover and Bill showed me the lake cottage that they had been working on these past few days.

The town name of Pinkerton brought back memories
but I wish I'd got the whole sign in the lens

We stopped in town and I ran into the Dollar Store and then Walmart for a few items. Neither had the complete list of spices I wanted but I didn’t want to go into Independent, where I’m sure I could have got them all. We were tired and I had a throbbing headache. That is rare and not from the absence of food, since I’ve gone longer without eating. I wondered if it was the atmosphere from inside the house. It has been a long time since I've been a smoker's home.

We expressed thanks again before we left the Sawyer farm

Back home, it was too late for lunch so we each had some cheese, a coffee and a rhubarb tart. After some banking in town, Bill updated our Quicken and I moved some $ around on line in our account and Mom’s. We’ve had some rain, sunshine, blue sky but mostly heavy white and gray clouds overhead. The day is pleasant enough, around 18C/65F, so no heat is necessary. I pulled boneless pork chops out of the freezer and hope Madame IP does her magic for me for supper. 😊

Then, we sat back in our chairs as I hoped to get rid of my pounding head. It was easing but taking its time. That worked and while Bill snoozed, I read my book. A true Jack Reacher story, had me turning pages, then chapters quickly. At 5:30, I sautéed the spiced chops in a frypan and then baked them in the convection oven for 20 minutes. I wasn’t expecting anything too great so was pleasantly surprised when they turned out juicy and delicious.

That clear sky from earlier soon disappeared

I’d fried up some hash browns as well and cooked frozen corn for our vegetable. It all tasted great and we were full enough not to need dessert. After dishes, we watched movies until our newest addiction came on. Last week was the premiere of Why Women Kill and we got a kick out of the characters in this hour-long comedy-drama. The night cooled off after this moderate temperature day and we turned the blue flame on low before going to bed.

The pork chops turned out better than I thought
Supper was good

This was a slow day but we were happy to have one more thing taken care of for the winter. Things are falling into place.

The rain returned for a while before supper
but it didn't last long
Have a Good Night!

Thank you for checking us out today. Your comments are always welcome.

Sunny Sunday, Mom, Great Day for a Drive

 The Ridge

We had no need to get up at any specific time on Sunday, Aug. 30^th so after last night’s late movie, we slept in and didn’t get up until almost 7:30. We had our morning brew together and then after reading a few blogs, I went for my walk. By then, it was warmer even though I still needed a light jacket under my safety vest. When I got back it was just after 9.

It is nice to see blue sky

I got washed and spruced up a bit for a reserved visit with Mom. Yes, Donna and I were meeting at Rockwood for a 10:30 half hour visit outside. We were both anxious to see her and yet trying not to expect too much. I haven’t seen her since October so knew this was something I had to do for my own peace of mind. It might sound selfish but because of Mom’s dementia, knew it was more for me than her.

When I returned from my walk, I took some photos
of the only potted plants that are still surviving here

A black caterpillar - hmm we all know what that is supposed to mean
A moon flower blooms, a rain spattered maple leaf and the verbena
comes back to life

We met outside at 10:15 and had our temperatures taken before sitting at the 6’ long table. Our chairs at one end, a single one at the other. When Mom came out, closely monitored by a nurse, I saw an older version of our sweet Mother. No dancing, no laughing, just confusion was displayed as she used her walker to come to the table. I won’t go into a lot of detail; I’ll just say it was very difficult for me, us. Donna tried to get her talking but it didn’t matter. Mom couldn’t respond in any intelligible way.

I wanted/needed to get a picture of Mom today so
although most of them were not to her credit, this one was cute
of her pulling her blanket up over her head
Gosh, I've missed her smile
even toothless!

There was a chilly breeze and we were in the shade under an awning so that didn’t help. She just couldn’t get warm, even with a blanket wrapped around her and over her head. We weren't allowed to approach her, touch her or help with the blanket when it shifted. I don’t think she really opened her eyes enough to know who we were. Unless we can sit close to her at an indoor visit, I won’t/can't do this again. There is no real benefit for me to see her this way and certainly none for her. A curiosity was satisfied and I got to see my Mom after many long months. It’s a tough situation.

A cute one with the nurse bundling her up
They are so good to her

Back home, I reiterated to Bill what the visit was like and then made bacon and eggs for our lunch. He got cleaned up and we headed out for a drive around the countryside. We’d decided to do some scouting in the area for motel prices. It was also a good way to focus on something else, and get my mind off the upsetting visit. We spent an afternoon driving from one small town in the vicinity of 40 miles ending up in Hanover. Once more, it was disappointing. Yet it was also enlightening and overall a worthwhile endeavour.

Lunch was tasty and filling

No results at this point but it is a start. We stopped at Donna and Gerry’s just before leaving Hanover. Ptooties went through a car wash and a fuel fill up then we did some shopping at Walmart. It was only going to be for a few items but I decided to get everything on our list that we could. It meant that we didn’t have to stop in Durham at Foodland on our way home. Once again, no diet pop other than Coke. ☹  Back home, we put our groceries away and I made myself a cup of tea. It was 5 o’clock, supper wouldn’t be for at least an hour.

And by afternoon, the sky was filled with clouds

With mayo in the fridge now, I made up a batch of egg salad for Bill’s lunches, updated today’s post and then sat with him to watch Castaway. We’d decided on a simple supper of toasted (garden) tomato, bacon and cheese sandwiches with corn on the cob. At 6, I started to get them ready and Bill helped make the sandwiches. They were good and the corn definitely had that fresh, local taste. Billy, who Bill works with, texted to say that they wouldn't be working tomorrow so Bill gets the day off. After a busy afternoon that will give him an opportunity to get some work done around here.

Our 'simple' supper was yummy
No dessert was necessary tonight
Good night!

After dishes, Bill went down to the Hangar for a while and I sat to work on my post. Tomorrow starts a busy week again so I wanted to get it done tonight. I downloaded pictures and put an old movie on in the background. We had a good day today, learned a few things and got a better feeling of peace than what we had yesterday. 😊

Thank you for your visit on this nice Sunday.