Well, that was a different weekend
for sure! It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great but it was fine.
It wasn’t great simply because
Clemson and I were without our man around the house. Yes, we can all survive
quite nicely without our partners for short periods of time, but it doesn’t
mean we have to like it. Some couples, married or not, crave all the alone
time they can get after being together a number of years. This isn't us. Bill and I don’t spend every waking minute of every day together,
but we do like being together for the most part.
A day here and there to putter around
at our own thing and at our own pace is good for us and enjoyed but I personally like having my
husband home at night to curl up with. I don’t like the worry that comes along
with him travelling on Ontario’s busy highways without me.
Bill and I have volunteered many
times for the London and Toronto RV Shows, and some of you know this. We both
like the fellowship involved with Can Am staff as well as meeting new rv’ers
and talking about our own lifestyle. This year, no longer living in London
meant not having Bill’s daughter, Jess, to look after the pooch. Hmm, no regrets by the way about not living in the city!!
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| All this fuss about me? |
We tossed around the idea of leaving
him with my sister, here in Hanover, but he isn’t a young pup anymore and he
gets upset or nervous when he isn’t with us. They don’t have a pet and to have
one as a responsibility in their home is an upset for them too. I would feel
terrible if he was sick and had accidents throughout the weekend. Not just for
them, but for our little guy.
So, I offered to forgo the show and
stay home with him. You can all call me a ‘chicken-shit’ if you wish, I have
broad shoulders, but as much as during the daytime I can stay here on The Ridge
by myself, it is a whole different story after dark. When I say dark…………………. I
mean dark, pitch black, no street lights etc. My sister invited us to sleep
over at their place from Friday night to Sunday night, which I readily
accepted.
Bill left at 7 am on Fri. Oct. 14
with his suitcase in tow. Once I received his text that he arrived safely in
Toronto around 9 I spent the beautiful day here puttering around. I had my own
agenda of what I could do to help get ready for our trip south in less than 10
days. My garden needed to be attended to, snipping hostas and irises and
pulling the weeds for the last time. I have little ornaments that needed to be
packed away in the shed for the winter months.
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| Our spruce tree is covered |
I have a few ‘new-born’ Rose of Sharon’s
that may not survive the harsh winters up here on the hill, so they needed to
be protected with burlap as well as our baby spruce “Goose”. He was a gift from
a co-worker so we’d like to help him make it through.
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| Burlap protection up on the hill |
So I had many little
outdoorsy things to do during the daylight.
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| An ashy prospect |
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| All done! |
Our fire pit up here had been used
numerous times over the summer so I needed to clean it out and dump the 3 pails
of ashes in the composter.
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| Bonus about the drive back and forth |
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| Are the amazing fall colours |
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| I can't stop taking pictures of the breathtaking views |
Friday and Saturday, we had great
October weather and I took full advantage of each day. Clemson and I would
drive home each day have our supper meal here and then head in to Hanover for
the night. Being in Hanover gave us an opportunity to pick up some bread and
buns at the Bread Place as well as stop in and visit Mom on Saturday before
coming home.
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| A bit blurry but a cute shot |
She was very happy to see us,
especially Clemson. She remembers him because he was in our lives before her
memory loss began. He loves cuddling so was quite at home with her attentions
during our visit. Each time we visit, Donna or I, we broach the subject of her
upcoming move to a Long Term Care Home. Sometimes it is received with more
distaste than others but mostly she is agreeable that ‘I don’t need all this
space!”
Donna and Gerry were gracious hosts
and never once made us feel unwelcome even though I know that you are never
quite as comfortable when someone else is in your home. It is no different for
us as visitors, we are never as comfortable in someone else’s place as we are
in our own home. Human nature.
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| Clemson and I stopped at the Durham dam
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| Bright light looks like a flame in the distance |
Sunday promised to be a wet dull day
so even though it was warm, I stayed in Hanover all day and overnight. My work
was done at The Ridge and it wasn’t nice enough to sit outside.
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| My winter garden can hibernate until I return in the spring |
By this time, I
was missing Bill a lot so happy to have someone to eat dinner with and to talk
to. A phone call each night from my sweetie helped me to sleep better, knowing
he was also safe and sound for the evening.
By the time Monday morning rolled
around, Donna and I had managed two 2 ½ mile walks together in the early mornings and
discussed the situation with Mom many times. We are both feeling much better with
the whole decision and hope it won’t be too long before she can be moved. A
quick stop at Holst’s Office Pro for a printer cartridge and then I headed home to wait
for Bill.
Clemson was glad to be home and
wandered around the Suite making sure things were all exactly as he’d left
them. Funny little guy with his routines. I guess he could say the same about
me.
By 4 pm we were a family together
again and even though Bill was exhausted from all the driving from London to
Toronto and London again returning rv’s he was very pleased to be home. We tried our best to be a
perfect welcome committee!
That was our weekend and hopefully we
can work something else out for next year so I can participate in the show and
be with Clemson at the same time. We’re working on it!!
Thanks for stopping in. Feel free to
comment if you wish.
