Riding the Roller Coaster, What a Show! Birthday Ladies

The Ridge

On Saturday, May 11^th it was nice for both of us, but Bill especially, to not have to get ready to go anywhere. 😊 His first week of work went well but it is hard for anyone to get back into a routine of 9 to 5 (in his case, 7:30 to 4). The weekend or evenings mean running around doing things for the property and our Suite so a dull day is an opportunity to take a break.

A view to the southeast last night
Good morning!

First, I have to show you our beautiful sky show from last evening. Bill was in the Hangar and I was watching tv up here. At 10:45 Gibbs came down to go out and as I reached to close the blinds, I noticed a brilliant crescent moon in the dark sky. I put him on his leash and grabbed my phone to try for a picture. Everything changed.

I thought this beautiful sunset would be the high light of my evening.
I was wrong about that.

There was first a pink shadow-like glow all around the moon that continuously expanded and all of a sudden the sky was gorgeous with my first Northern Lights sighting! It wasn’t as brilliant as my brother in Alberta sees but I was stunned! 

My photography skills aren't great 
but I did the best I could with the amazing show.

I turned our outdoor light off and snapped photos as best I could but nothing will duplicate what I saw. Stunning, incredible, gorgeous were the adjectives that popped into mind as we went up to bed. ♥

I felt elated, fulfilled and just warm all over after this. 💕
I didn't miss it.

This morning, as I mentioned above, we moved slowly. I was up at 7 and after my tea, dressed for a walk. Rain was expected around noon so Bill had his cereal and also went out to finish cutting the grass in the front field. 

I got out for my walk this morning.
Good Mooo-ing cows!

I had a nice walk and ventured into the wooded area for Trilliums in the hopes of finding a gathering of morels. I don’t know if they are around but I sure didn’t see any. I did manage to use a stubby stick to dig up 3 plants and carry them home.

It's quiet in the woods
and Baptist Church Road was too.

Bill was at the road cutting grass
Then we drove over to the Acreage for water
Donna and Gerry's pretty Landmark 5th wheel
waits for their next visit.

As I got to the Suite, I called my daughter. Bridgette is 21 years my junior, you do the math, and I wanted to catch her as early as possible. She and Chris were at one of his dances and didn’t get home until 2 am so I delayed it longer than I usually do. Perfect timing, she said when I called, as they’d just gotten up. 😊 We had a nice chat with a few laughs as well. The temperature was hovering around 8C/48F but I was comfortable after my walk.

This is the well that our water comes from
Bottom left: looking to their 'back 40'
Bottom right: the birdhouse Bill and I made for one of
their August campouts. There is a nest in it too!

When Bill finished, we all went to the Acreage for water and Gibbs and I toured around the property while the bladder filled. Back home, I made us bacon and eggs for lunch, filled the hummingbird feeder and put some oranges out for the Oriole. Bill and Gibbs snoozed and I posted an ad on Marketplace and Kijiji planning my next thing to do. Bill called his daughter, Jess, who is also celebrating a birthday today, 14 years younger than Bridgette.

Gibbs and I walked around while
waiting for the bladder to fill up.
New sniffs, Mom, yay!

I walked up to the front
where their other cabins are and the pond.

When Bill went down to the Hangar, he just missed the rain which started at 2:30. I started going through a few recipes to make some snack foods. I’m finding I’m hungry mid afternoon and mid evening so keto snacks coming up! The rain didn’t last more than 10 minutes so that was nice. I made a batch of 3 ingredient pb keto cookies and a batch of a low carb fudge. That should do the trick.

Mrs. B. Oriole doesn't mind that the
feeder is caught on a twig.
She loves the oranges.

Bill came up at 6 for supper, which was sausages, a potato and corn for him and broccoli for me. It was delicious. Everything was done at the same time and my vegetable was perfectly cooked. It isn’t always, things don’t always work out quite so well. 😊 I’ll watch the latest episode of Fire Country after my blog is done and just relax with my book for the remainder of the evening.

Until I cut my sausage up, my meal looks small.
It wasn't, I'm full!

I did touch base with my oldest grandson, Taylor, this afternoon. I don’t ask much of him but he always seems genuinely happy to hear from me (us). ♥ He’s living in the big city of London now and he says it has its pros and cons (don’t I know it, after living there for 31 years!) but he is enjoying it. I just want him happy. I wonder if he talked to his mom today on her birthday?

The day ended much as it began
and we didn't reach anything warmer than 12C/55F

This was a quiet day and I didn’t mind spending the bulk of it indoors. Tomorrow it will be nicer out and I’ll clean up the piles of weeds I left at the garden edges. I’ll also check out how my newly planted Trilliums are doing.

Happy Birthday, Bridgette!💗

Happy Birthday, Jess! 💗
Good night everyone else!

Thank you for the visit on this fine Saturday afternoon.

A Chilly Arizona Day, Finishing Things, Birthdays

Park Place RV Park

On Saturday, Dec. 9^th we slept in. Gibbs didn’t wake his Daddy up until almost 7. I didn’t hear them at all and woke up around 7:20 feeling good. 😉 Bill had the furnace running as it was a chilly 55F/13C inside the Suite. We like it warmer than that, especially first thing in the morning while we wait for the sun to pop up over the neighbouring rvs.

Look at that clear sky!
Even when it is below 50F/10C, when
this sun shines, it is gorgeous no matter where you are!

I made my tea and played my games while Bill debated about flying. The winds looked to be a bit high for the planes but he soon decided and was on his way. Gibbs and I bundled up and went for our normal walk. I dropped him at home and went back to the neighbourhood. I didn’t venture into the desert but enjoyed the walk while listening to a few of my favourite tunes on my phone.

Heading (& groovin') back to the neighbourhood
again today

When I returned, I gave him a ‘look after the house’ treat, grabbed the last of our Christmas cards for mailing and went to the clubhouse. Susan and I worked on the puzzle this morning and while others bustled around us, Sheila making popcorn and moving chairs, Barb baking cookies and Patti manning the office and decorating, we finished at 12 noon, almost on the dot! It was a fun, easy one this time. We deserved that!

All done!

Bill and I had lunch and because I knew the Music Jam was on from 2 – 4, did some cleaning. Not much, let’s not get carried away! I dusted and Bill was going to vacuum this time. He got a bit distracted with his part of the chores as he had a delivery that kept him fully occupied for the remainder of the afternoon. 😊 He did ask a favour of me. “Don’t let me buy any more planes…………until I get rid of some!” Now you know what his delivery was.

I went to the gazebo, closed the zipper and that prevented that chilly wind from getting into my bones. I made a wise investment when I bought that shelter! I had some great ideas for rock painting from Nancy K so took advantage with the suitable sized rocks I’ve found. I loved the challenge and was pleased with the results. There wasn’t much else I wanted to paint so base coated a few more ‘soon to be’ ladybugs and came indoors.

A new idea and it was fun!
Thank you Nancy!

A cup of tea and then a really quick walk with Gibbs. I should have put a jacket on over my sweater. The temperature only reached 62F/15C today (which sounds ridiculous to you back home) but with the winds from the north, it felt colder than that. Brrr. Funny what your body gets used to. That’s what our friends here tell us after their Arizona summer heat. An update on my glasses order. I have contacted Zenni and received immediate response and they will be returned to me asap. 😊 

It was a delicious supper tonight!

I started my blog and played my afternoon word games before starting supper. Bill turned our power back on at 4:30 as I’ll be using appliances for supper. We had air fried crispy (yum) chicken legs, potatoes and creamy green beans. It was like a Sunday supper on a Saturday for us! We cleaned up the pots, turned the dishwasher on and settled in for the evening. It has been a nice day. We’ll be dropping down to 39F/3C so the Blue Flame heater will be set on low.

'Our' daughter out in Alberta
shared these posts with us today. 💖💖💖

Today is a special day. If my dad were still with us, he would turn 100 years old on this birthday. I'm sure he is celebrating up there with Mom. Cheers Daddy! 💘 Also, a very dear friend of mine (ours) is celebrating her birthday today. Happy Birthday, Brenda! 💖

Our youngest granddaughter,
Hadley, almost 3 years old!
She steals our heart with that little face.
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by today.

From Morning to Late Afternoon – Outside, Special Birthdays

The Ridge

On Thursday, May 11^th, we were blessed with an even better day than the previous ones. I figured I complained enough about the cool and damp weather that now I have to do justice to what we are experiencing now. It is gorgeous, a perfect day! It was 13C/55F when Bill and Gibbs went out this morning around 6. It was also nice that Bill didn’t have to set an alarm this morning, he had the day off – in between work sites. 😊

No sunrise photo but instead a surprise
We thought it was early for this but here is Ma and Pa Goose
with their 6 wee babies 💓

The little fuzzy balls are adorable
with their little legs running to keep up 
with Mama

First things first was to wish our daughters, Bridgette and Jess, a wonderful Happy Birthday. We are so proud of the two of them, from different walks of life, come together as step-sisters, making beautiful lives for themselves. Bridgette was my Mother’s Day gift, born on ‘the’ day many moons ago. I love you both very much! 

Happy Birthday, Bridgette

Happy Birthday, Jess!

Secondly, we went to town to run errands. The drug store, the bank, the hardware, the water store and lastly our accountants to pick up our completed Income tax forms. We were both pleasantly surprised with the outcome, although no $$ back, much less to pay out.

Just puttering around taking
care of things

I hadn’t heard from M so we had the whole day together. ♥ I received the best news last night, that my ‘kids’ are coming to see me on Sunday! Being up here in the sticks, I know it is a long way for my youngest, especially, to come so I never expect more than a phone call. Which I do get with heartfelt Mother’s Day wishes. This year, I put the invite out instead of just waiting and wondering if anyone will make the drive. They are both coming and my daughter’s spouse too! I’m so happy!

So, Bill and I had our coffee, tea and individual breakfasts before the 3 of us went outside. It was already warm enough for me to be comfortable in a hoody. I got down the lane with the wheelbarrow and cleaned up all but 2 piles closest to us of my raking. Just that 45 minutes had me swearing at the black flies that have begun to make an appearance. I’ll have to locate my screen hat if I’m going to be working outside.

As long as he could find shade, he was happy

Light winds today and lots of sun and heat 

Gibbs came down the lane with me and stuck pretty close to me, testing his luck going down the inclines to the pond’s edge. I heard a splash and sure enough, he was in the water! I called his name but he was already turned around scrambling for shore. What a dirty little mutt! (still, I had to laugh). Of course, then he rolls around in the lane, the grass and anything else he could stretch out on. We had to stay outside until he was mostly dry.

We bought this light cover in Mexico
and Bill installed it today
Can't wait to see it at night!

He bought a wind balloon for his Hangar
Hard to see but it is perfect in 
that space

Bill had a few small jobs that he has wanted to do so took care of those before he hopped on the rider and cut the berm grass. Already, it needs a second cutting. I pulled my battery mower out of the shed and cut the front area, which is easier for me to do than Bill on the big machine. I say ‘easier’ but he gets to ride while I walk, push/pull. I think you know what I mean though. 😊

My 'annoying' garden, is coming along
It would be so much nicer without all the small stones
throughout.

The purple is coming
These phlox flowers popped this afternoon

Again, the black flies were all around my face so I put my hood up while I finished. It’s big enough that not only did I look like a 20 year old, it covered a lot of my face. I’ll know tomorrow if they got a piece of me. ☹ That’s the one thing about spring we don’t like, thankfully they don’t last for more than a week. I was very tired when I finished and I sat with Gibbs in the shade of our awning. My right arm and that stupid trapezius muscle was giving me grief by the time I finished.

Another source of grief,
I'll be glad to have this fire pit 
settled on a permanent base

Bill puttered with a few more small things and then we had our scrambled eggs and bacon for lunch. We were out again right away and he finished the back and front fields before 3:30. Gibbs is the first out the door when we start to move in that direction. He loves it outside, especially if Mom and Dad are with him. Otherwise, he’ll wait at the door like a lost child. “Can Mommy come out to play?”

We have a number of these solar lights
so Bill placed them in my gardens

Inside, I did get the floors swept and then took the Norwex mop handle out to wash the back windows of the Suite. They are dirty enough but it was mostly the streaks from rain that made it hard to see out. The last thing I did was to move the stones away from the fire pit. I’ve mentioned a desire to make a cement pad for it to sit on for a few months – since last spring – and this summer, we’ll do it.

If you see this feeder, do you know
what I saw today?
There were 3 Orioles flying around today
so I'm prepared!
Unfortunately, they are too fast for a picture right now.

Keeping the stones in place and the weeds from growing up between them is a major headache and looks terrible. We’ll set the pit on 4 bricks (under the feet) after it is cemented. I’m looking forward to that! Bill is konked out in his recliner and Gibbs is in a similar position on the cooler laminate floor. I’m having my cup of tea and writing before starting supper. Bill’s request, grilled cheese sandwiches. 😊

Simple supper - again - but it was delicious!

We’ve had a wonderful day together and got a lot of things taken care of. The evening will be watching some tv and/or reading. I finished my book yesterday afternoon so need to choose my next one. I have a cupboard full and really prefer the hard copy to my Kobo. We’ve reached 24C/75F today, now that’s more like it!

The fresh air is so good for all of us
It helps us sleep too!
Good night!

Thank you for the visit!

Counting Steps, Book List, A Birthday on Earth and One in Heaven ♥

Park Place RV Park

On Friday, Dec. 9^th, Bill stayed home. He had a plane engine he was sending out for repair (fingers crossed) and he wanted to get it packaged up and sent away this morning. Gibbs and I walked but because it was feeling quite chilly, 37F/3C, I made my tea back home before heading out for my longer walk. 😊 Brrr!

Gibbs wore his sweater on this morning

Our shadows are kind of cool!

I was dressed warm enough, even with my bare feet and loafers, but my ears, chin and face were cold. It was closer to 9:30 when I tried it again and found it to be quite a bit nicer with the heat of the sun warming those ‘parts’. 

there's the moon, not quite as pretty this morning, huh?

Trailer for 'sale or rent'
Ha ha, this has been dropped across from the truck stop

It started out to be a calm morning
with clear blue skies

I walked in a different direction and followed the sidewalk towards Main St. I was surprised that it was closer than I thought! At Discount Solar, I looked both ways and when I saw Dollar General also on the corner, turned around the same way I came.

At the corner of Main St. I turned
back towards home

That will be a nice walk one day when I’m looking for something different to do. I love poking in the $ stores when I’m not on a time limit. Back home, I decided to re-type my Book List in One-Note on my laptop. Bill got me set up with a table in the program and I was off! This past summer, I tried to sync my list from a Word document and as much as it worked, I wasn’t able to make any changes. That meant starting over.

What a funny looking car/van/truck?

I had a lot of pages so with over half of the books typed, we had lunch before I went back at it to get ‘er done. When I’d finished that, I walked over to the clubhouse. I was finally getting somewhere with the puzzle so hated to leave at 4 when the office was closing. However, as much as I could have stayed, Suz turned the light off and it was connected to the light over my table. LOL They added a new wall and made changes in there so I guess they never thought of that.

Yes, I'm a bit embarassed to see what crud collects
in the bottom of our trays
so this was a good move
Notice the different lengths?

Yesterday, I bought to 11.5" w silverware trays
and they fit perfectly!
Both the same length leaving more room at the back
for longer utensils

I had a cup of tea back home and then Gibbs and I went for our afternoon walk. I’ve reached over 7700 steps today, which is better than my last 11 days. I’m proud of myself for pushing it. 😊 

Yes, I'm going to show you my daily updates
They're starting to look like crayons. 😂

For supper, Bill started grilling pork chops at 5:30. We have Fire Country to watch tonight at 7, AZ time, so wanted to be ready to watch it. I’ll still be working on my blog but I can see the tv from my spot.

This has been a great day. This morning, I extended a wish to my girlfriend in London for a Happy Birthday. I hope she received her card on time. She has been a dear friend for many years, meeting at the School Board where we both worked.♥

Our afternoon walk, no sweater
although it didn't get any warmer than 63F/17C

Also, today is my Dad’s heavenly birthday. He wouldn’t want to be here at 99 years old but he was still taken too soon. Happy Birthday, Daddy.

Thank you for the visit.