Sunday Walk, Sunday Laundry, Sunday Crafts, Sunday with Sweetie

Paisley, On

Bill and I took full advantage of it being Sunday, Nov. 29^th and slept in. It was wonderful just lolly-gagging around for the morning. It was a frosty 3C/36F outside and the sun was shining. I sorted our laundry into 2 loads and then bundled up around 8:30 and headed out for my walk. It was a great walk!

I call it a sleepy little town but this morning, I believe
everyone was still sleepING!

I had my peaked winter cap on and there was no need to cover my ears. My direction took me down main street where I mailed some cards and then down the back way to the west to find the train bridge again. Sometimes my feet know where I want to go before my mind does. The bridge boards were a bit frosty and I walked carefully. They seemed to creak a bit more today, freaking me out!

Before I got to the trails, this pretty house caught my eye
I don't know of any history

But with barn and buggy, I want to believe there is some

It's amazing what the sun does to our view

I could have carried on the trail on the other side but it was muddy and had large puddles in the walk way. I also wasn’t sure where it would take me so I turned around and headed back. 

I walked slowly, you can see the frosty surface

The trail beyond the bridge wasn't appealing

So, I turned back towards the way I came

Following the trail in the opposite direction from the other day, I was walking into the sun this time. At the middle of the stretch, was a barn-like box on a post that I’d noticed the other day. I thought it was cute.

This is the back side of a HUGE home
Beautiful!

I was curious the other day but it felt like forbidden fruit

Today, I noticed it had 2 little doors with a hook to latch them shut. Of course, I opened them and smiled at another free book exchange. 😊 I checked out the books but didn’t see anything to my liking. No worries, I’m just glad to know it is here and I don’t have to take my completed books to Durham anymore. I followed the path back down Queen St. from the south and remembered to retrieve Bill’s jacket and overalls from the truck for him.

What the heck, today I took the bite

Inside, I made a tea and joined Bill upstairs. Oh, first the laundry. Susan did hers yesterday so I knew we wouldn’t be in the way today with ours. 

The trails are clearly marked, some for walking only
but most for bikes and 4-wheelers too

You could walk a long way without leaving the town limits
and I like that

I've gone straight through before but not today
I turned back towards main street (left)

We had bacon egg and mushroom toasted Westerns for brunch and they hit the spot. 

I decided that this was the day to decorate our little tree so did that and then in the creative mood, took my paints and a puzzle downstairs to the garage where Bill’s table is set up for me.

The foyer outside our room is ready for Christmas
even the soldiers on the step and around the tree base

One of our favourite decorations is
Santa (Avon) He actually reads a story from 3 books
when you put them in his hand
Nathan loved him when he was younger

Our favourite/special ornaments all fit
on our little tree

The little glass ornaments that I bought at the Mill were in my plans today. I never really know for sure what I’m going to do sometimes but an idea came to me and I was pleased with that. 

So, in between the cars, our craft table is set up

There is one for every child and grandchild so I began painting. I went as far as I could and just left things on the table for another day. It was very warm in the garage, today, from solar heat, and very bright with the large upper windows.

It worked perfectly sitting beside Clementine, the Model A

Back upstairs, Bill and I called our friends, Dave and Cheryl, from Alberta to see what they ended up doing for the winter. They are also full-time rv’ers. How great it was to talk to them and we had a lot of laughs and caught up on each other’s lives. We’ll miss them this winter as well. *sigh* Life is too short for this pandemic nonsense; we all just want to get on with it!

Each ornament had a hooked wire for hanging
I painted one side and got creative on the opposite side
It's a work in progress

Supper tonight, at Bill’s request, was simple. “Let’s just have soup”, he said. I’m here to oblige and when an easy meal is suggested, (once in a while) I’m all for it. I read some of my book between 5 and 6 until it was time to get started. Nothing challenging about opening a can of beef stew so no prep time was necessary. At 6, we went down and warmed it up and made some toast.

One special part about decorations at Christmas
The soft glow of the lights

After dishes, we came upstairs. Bill went in to watch Angel Tree, another movie, and I moved into my chair at my laptop. With leaving our bedroom door open, I had a good view of our pretty little tree. The soft lighting in an otherwise dark hallway gives everything a very special glow. The only thing that would make it better would be if it was sitting in the Suite. 😊

This was a good day and for the evening I read my book. Ove is quite the character and I’ve laughed, shuddered and shed a tear or two while getting to know him. We are hearing about weather patterns coming tomorrow and Tuesday so we will just have to wait and see what the morning brings. It could be another ‘indecisive’ day, but I hope it isn’t. I hope you’ve had a good day.

The stew was 'so-so' but it filled us up with a butter tart
for dessert
Good night all!

Thank you for your visit!

A Mostly Lazy Sunday

Paisley, On

On Sunday, Oct. 25^th we were up by 7ish. Bill showered and once it lightened up outside, around 7:45, I decided to go for a walk. It was a cold 1C/34F but no frost that I could see. I bundled up and, on my way, out the door, said Good Morning to Wes and nodded to George and Luiji. I got 2 miles in, walking along the Saugeen River again and was surprised that within a couple of days the trailers were gone from the campground. All except one.

On my walk I found your shoes! If you need them, sorry, I can't reach them

Across the river, cool stairs up to the house

There was no wind so I experienced another nice walk before returning and coming back for my morning tea. I texted Bill since he hadn’t been down yet for his coffee and told him I was home, making tea. I felt hungry, odd, so had some Shreddies and cream while he had toast and jam. Upstairs, I had my shower and blew dry my hair. I don’t do that often either but because we wanted to drive to Port Elgin, 15 minutes north, I wanted my hair completely dried before going out in the cold .

It was a walk full of interesting things today
This small nest built through and around the branches

This fungus on a log caught my eye
A quick glance looks like an island being invaded

Wes and Susan went to a service at the United Church this morning for 10 and Bill and I slipped out around 10:15. Years ago, we think we’ve both been through Port Elgin but don’t remember it much. It is a small place with just over 7,800 for population. I was happy to see it has Canadian Tire, Walmart, Giant Tiger, Dollarama and Pizza Hut for starters so on days that I don’t work, it would be quicker to drive there instead of back to Hanover, 30 minutes the other way.

In the campground, all but one fifth wheel have been towed out

Yours truly
and boy she was 'chillin'!'

With a stop at Shopper’s Drug Mart, I made copies of some paperwork, all in the call of duty of an executor, purchased large envelopes and then we drove to Canadian Tire for some Command sticky hooks for our keys. Bill was able to find some good winter gloves for work and for personal use. Back home, we had a coffee and I had some soup. Obviously, the Shreddies didn’t last, not enough good fat in that meal!

This church has been converted very nicely into a single family home

Oh, how I'd love to see inside!

I joined Bill upstairs and started putting the copies together for individual packages for family. This will be a process over a few days until the bank is ready for me to deal with the accounts. Searching for pension addresses online is painstaking, log in to this, log in to that, email this, phone for that (Monday) and snail mail for other things. Mom’s health card can be dropped at Service Ontario just down the street so that saves one mail out. I’m not complaining, just re-iterating how my day went.

Like all towns, there are many large old homes

At 3, Bill stretched out for his Sunday afternoon snooze and I went downstairs to make a cup of tea. Oh! I forgot to mention that before we went out this morning, I threw a load of dirty clothes in the washer. They were done and dried just after having lunch so put away nice and early. It is quite nice not having to pay to do laundry for a change. 😊 I read my book for a while in the front room again and was pleased that they were a few chapters that kept my interest.

It was a pretty gray day for the most part until mid afternoon

Outside, there was quite the bustle. Wes, their son Edward, his girlfriend, Michelle and Susan were visible out the window from my vantage point. It looked like the seasonal ‘rv covering’ event was taking place. Bill had asked Wes yesterday if he was ready to do it, offering to help but it was still too wet to get up there. Young Eddie was up on the roof of their motor home covering sharp edges of the a/c units etc. first before the major cover went on.

Sweet Pea (fitting name for this cutie) is Daddy's girl
but Daddy was too busy to pay her much attention

When Bill came down, he went out to lend a hand. That’s when I noticed that Michelle had their cock-a-chon puppy outside too. (Cocker spaniel crossed with Bichon frise). We hear her bark on the other side of our bedroom and closet wall. Good thing she’s cute as the incessant barking when they go away is annoying. Sweet Pea is quite adorable and was open to receiving hugs and kisses from Bill and I. Our doggie fix.

Eddie still took the time to pet her when she got too close

I stayed outside with them for maybe 30 minutes and it was quite nice on the porch in the sun but when the sun disappeared behind the clouds, my feet and arms got chilly. Time to come in. Bill came in with me and things were done for the day within minutes anyway. We were upstairs for about half hour and at 5:15, I went down to start supper. Fish and chips tonight, Bill didn’t have lunch when I did so he was hungry for it a bit earlier than our normal. 

We sat and chatted with our hosts while we ate, they had just finished. We enjoy their company and their stories are fun to listen to. They have done a lot of different things, businesses, hobbies, car stuff and vacationing so it’s interesting to hear new tales. Our supper was good and after dishes I came upstairs to write on my blog and Bill joined me after making his lunch. Yup, back to work tomorrow! For both of us.

When the sun disappeared, it was time to go inside

This was a good day. Wes asked if we played cards and tried talking (and then bribing for fun) Bill into playing Crazy 8’s for a couple of hours but it didn’t work. 😊 Later, we went downstairs to watch Why Women Kill at 9 and then to bed by 10. Each day brings more satisfaction with what I accomplish and with that comes more peace with it all. I miss Mom many times throughout my day and many of those are when I am alone. I know she is at peace and hopefully, if what I believe is true, pain free with a full memory again. I pray for that each day.

The other day, I mentioned a little water fall coming
from an open field
I wasn't kidding

On that note, Good night!

Thank you for stopping around today! Your comments are always appreciated.

Sunday Laziness, Sunday Swim, Sunday Goodbyes, Back to Normal, Yet Another 2-Day Post

With another burst of heat and humidity, Sunday, July 15^th arrived leaving us breathless………..almost. Bill and I woke around 7 and slowly made up way out of bed and downstairs around 7:30. There were no time restrictions on this day so we moved slowly. After making our tea and coffee, Jess and Matt made an appearance at our door. Bill and I sorted through their engagement pictures and chose 4 or 5 of which we’d like copies.

This was a picture from Saturday's gathering
of my little sister, Wendy and her daughter, my niece,
Morgan
Michael and Crystal on the right

Around 9:30 Bill grilled mini pork sausages and I scrambled up eggs inside for breakfast. That tasted pretty good and filled our tummies. For the second day, Jess had loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and we would fill it after supper tonight. It was about 11 when they began packing up their things from the Surveyor, loading them into their GMC Terrain. We chatted for another half hour before they were saying goodbye and driving off. That was a nice visit.

Bill got the mower out for a bit to trim the tall weeds
Note the feather in his cap?

They had a ball game to play at 4 if you can imagine playing ball in this heat! Bill and I had much more leisurely plans for the remainder of the day. First, he hopped on the riding mower and did a quick swoop just to cut the tall gangly weeds in our sitting area and down the corral hill. That looks better. He found a goose feather and stuck it in his hat. I love that!

Bill, Jess, Matt and Domy posing for me

Michael and Crystal took another trip into Durham at 11 to visit Mom (which was a great one, btw) and then drove over to the Ridge with Tango. Crystal and Tango had never been here and never seen our Suite. Michael slept in it in 2016 when he came home for Mom’s party. I think I mentioned that already in my previous post. We had a nice visit in the shade of our awning. The wind was almost non-existent, even up here on the Ridge, where it is almost ALWAYS windy.

See you guys!

After they drove back to the Acreage, Bill and I came inside and flaked out on our recliners while trying to read. LOL we caught up on the sleep we’ve been missing with the late night hours. For me, they were highly out of my ordinary bedtime, although they were always enjoyable with family. When we woke up, later afternoon, we took our swimsuits over to the Acreage as well.

Patrick had packed up and left already but the Drakes, Devalls, Snelgrove’s, Bain’s and Mike van Hatten were there sitting in the shade by the pond. It wasn’t long and us girls all got into the pond. With no breeze, the water surface looked dirtier than usual but it was very refreshing. Gayle, Crystal and I used pool noodles to float on and Donna and Audrey treaded water. No one touches bottom, yeuch!

Bill opted not to go in, instead spending time with Michael, Gerry, John and Mike on the sidelines. Us girls did our NOD (nitric oxide dump) together. Ha ha, sounds terrible, I choose to keep that to myself usually, calling it an exercise that is beneficial to our body health. Yes, something I learned from spending time with my sisters. For me, there is the added benefit of strengthening my upper body. We left for home at 5 as we’d left Clemmy there in the moderately cool a/c today.

John moved his chair onto the 'new' dock that the guys built 

We said our goodbyes to Aj and Tom as they were leaving in the morning and we made arrangements with Michael and Crystal to bring their WildCat to the Ridge for dumping and parking for the night. This way, they can pull out at 5 am without any complication or disturbing anyone close by. Our supper was up in the air, but we had half decided on burgers w/o buns (Bill’s idea) and salad. By the time 6 o’clock rolled around, we weren’t even hungry enough for that.

Waiting for Michael to bring his trailer over

I scrounged the fridge and came up with egg salad (needed to be disposed of) and potato salad (also garbage) so instead had cheddar cheese on a few crackers with yogourt. Surprisingly, that was enough and it sustained us throughout the evening. Outside, I started a fire and Michael pulled in just before 9 pm, dumped at our ‘station’ and parked for the night.

Tango was fun to watch, after first going into the Suite, up onto our bed and waking Clemson up. They touched noses and then both went outside. Too cute. She strutted around the property, no shyness here, and checked out the shed and bunky, I think. Approved! 

Tango is so well behaved and they have her trained really well
Michael points his finger and says 'Bang'
Tango plays dead for a treat.

We sat around the fire, again, not for the heat, and chatted until around 10:30 when we said our goodnights and goodbyes. I wasn’t positive that I would be awake enough in the early morning hours for a proper one.

This was a nice easy-going day and we were on our own again to settle down for a couple of days together. I hope yours was a good one too. I also hope you don’t mind that I’m bunching my days together, two at a time. It has been hectic and then now it has slowed down to an abrupt halt. I don’t want to lose you as a reader by boring you so I’m hoping you’ll stick around!

A nice fire tonight

On Monday, July 16^th we woke up to the sound of Bill’s phone alarm. He didn’t want to miss my brother and his wife pull out. Bill is a gracious host in that way, if you are here, he wants to be ever helpful. My little window was open all night, as were the downstairs windows, with a lovely breeze so I just crawled closer to see Michael closing things up. I was able to call out my goodbye and wish them a safe trip home to Alberta.

Michael and Crystal head out this morning at 5

When Bill and Clemson came back inside, we curled up and slept until 7:30 before rising for the day. We had our tea and coffee together and then drove to Hanover to First Choice Haircutters. Bill needed a haircut but there were 5 people ahead of him and we only saw one gal working. Hmm, no thanks, he wasn’t up to a 40-minute wait.

The morning sun 

We stopped at Rona to see about our bbq parts since we missed the email (thanks Spam folder), stopped at Stihl to pick up trimming string and checked out Ricks Barbershop on the main street. It was closed so no cut in Hanover today. I returned the black shoes to Wal-mart that didn’t fit Mom and got her refund and we headed back to Durham. One quick stop at RBC for some quick cash and rolls of quarters for the wash and we were back home.

We've had a couple of finches adorn out patio area today
Not sure what they're looking for

My hunger meter was saying that I was ready to eat, so at 10:30 I prepared bacon and eggs and while Bill cleaned the Weber Q and got information on the parts needed, I did the dishes up. With that done, we realized that the rain seemed to be done for the time being and it was quite humid again. Bill drove over to the Acreage, which was deserted by now, and filled the water bladder. We were down to 17 gallons and he has to leave for work in a couple of days.

The sky has teased all day, with some rain, heat
and humidity

When Bill returned, he filled our fresh water tank. We were in and out of the Suite all day. If it was too hot outside, we went in. If it was too hot inside, we went out into the fresh air. Yes, we know we can turn the a/c on but we were also waiting to see if the weather forecast was legit. If it rained, things would cool down. We’ve decided to wait it out for now and see what it is like at bedtime. The three of us took a walk down the lane to collect the mail and once more came back in for some relief.

Not too far in but the long chapters are catching me now

Yup, I'm enjoying my book

At 5, after I sat outside with my book for a while I came inside to get supper going. Bill lit the Weber and grilled the burgers and bacon. I prepared a nice garden salad of lettuce, spinach, zucchini, cucumber, onions and tomatoes sprinkled with grated cheese. 

Bill chose no bun tonight and the patty with the bacon and cheese melted on top was the perfect protein accent. We cleaned up the dishes and I went back outside in the breeze with my book. I didn’t seem to be getting hooked on it a couple of days ago and was debating moving on to another one. Today, I’m sinking into it.

A view from where I was reading today

At 8 the sky was clearing out and blue sky was visible to the west. I guess we’ll have another sunset tonight after all. This has been an even lazier day than Monday but it is the best way to come down from a busy week. Tomorrow starts up with laundry and maybe Bill can get his hair cut. We’ll see!

Tomatoes are starting to ripen

Good night everyone from the Ridge!

Hope your day was wonderful too. Thanks for stopping by. Comments are always welcome.