'Black' Fog Covers the Land, A Bit of Work, Clemson Sees the Vet, Birthday

The Ridge

I had my alarm set for 6 on Friday, May 24^th and typically so, woke up about 30 minutes earlier. That’s okay. If I don’t set it, sure enough I’d sleep in. It is really REALLY nice that I’m not on anyone’s work schedule but my own. It wouldn’t matter if I slept in and didn’t get to my job until 10. I’m on my own clock and that was something that was an important element in me working again.

Thick fog to the east as i turned right on #4 highway

And dead ahead to the south

Bill was still sleeping, after he and Clemson were up at 4 for a piddle. I tiptoed out after getting dressed and washed. My plan was to slip out around 6:15 and get done cleaning early. Daddy’s ‘black’ fog jiggled that Jello. It was thick as pea soup so I bided my time reading blogs from yesterday. Bill came down soon after and made his coffee. He’s the one who should be sleeping in after a full work day and long drive yesterday!

The air is calm out there, not a titch of a breeze this morning as is evident in our flag. By 6:40 the fog wasn’t much better but Bill said to take my time and I would be fine once I reached the highway. I put the fog lights on (or so I thought!) and headed into town. The place was quiet the whole time I was there so I was able to zip through without any slowdowns. Next time, I might try and do the front big windows, they are pretty dirty. There was one washer that had a note in the door so I took a picture to text it to Jamie.

I'm sure we've all seen this type of note in campground
laundromats
Never before have I been concerned with them, until now
(To Jamie and I, this should happen.......door open, water leaks?)

Back home, I made my tea and sat and relaxed until I cooled down. Even with a fan running in the Mat and the door propped, it is warm in there when you are cleaning steady. Bill was on his rider in the front field as the grass is growing like crazy. Clemson just got up again around 9 so when I took him out, I pulled my battery mower out of the shed. I need to cut my area of grass today too. I'm hoping to get it all cut today.

I followed a couple of gravel trucks home
and at 8:45 the fog was just starting to lift

At 9:30, I made breakfast as I saw Bill coming up the lane. Bacon and eggs on toast for him and a zucchini bagel with mine. These are pretty good! Not crunchy like a bagel even after toasting it but I’ll try toasting the next one longer. I had a call from Jamie and we discussed the washer and the client who seems to be making a habit of this same complaint. After dishes, we went out to get to work. Well, first I swept the floors inside, they needed it badly. Then I joined Bill.

Bill hopped on the rider again and did around our parking area, up on the berm and in the corral. There are some places he can’t get to up on the berm that need to be whipper-snipped or done with my mower – or both, actually. I put the battery in the mower and thankfully, it was fully charged from the last time Bill charged it. We carry it south with us so it doesn’t lose its charge completely. We were both covered from head to toe in clothing and our hats. A necessary evil with the black flies. They were on our screened faces, on our dark clothing and never relented.

Oscar, the greeter at the vets

I was exhausted by the time I finished and extremely hot (and bothered by the persistent flies). Being fully clothed and exerting the energy required to cut grass (walking) is not a comfortable feeling. When I put the mower away, I retreated to the Bunky to do a certain amount of disrobing. The gloves, screened tilly style hat, the windbreaker and shoes. It was nice and cool in there so I laid down on the futon until my body cooled considerably.

Back inside the Suite, I hopped in the shower and enjoyed both cool water and then hot. As I was finishing Bill came in and had his. We had 20 minutes or so to be ready for Clemson’s vet appointment in town. We arrived on time and then had to wait about 20 minutes before we were called in. I recognized the doctor as I’d just seen him at Rockwood, on their weekly Pet Day. He’d brought a beautiful collie in to see the residents, Mom and I included.

Why are we here again, Daddy?
Clemson seems to be watching Oscar

Clemson went through the regular checkup, weight, temperature, heart and liver checks. All checking out as very good. His ears were clear, his eyes clouded and his teeth deteriorating in the manner we already were aware of. Then came the tough part. Drawing the vet’s attention to the two lumps on Clemson’s underbelly and front leg. One was soft which turned out to be just fatty tissue. Bill and I saw it through a microscope and that was interesting.

The second one was double in size from last summer and it had formed a hard core. This sample was harder to retrieve and our little boy didn’t like it at all. We all agreed to have this one sent away to Guelph for a determination. The last thing we drew his attention to was a small pea size mass. Just a poke with a sterile needle burst the ‘bubble’ and it disappeared – for now. Just a cyst. So, a couple of things cleared up and the third we’ll hear about next week.

Clemson looks to me for help?
He looks a tad freaked out, no?

We left a sizable donation which also included his heart worm and flea medication to begin June 1^st for the next 6 months. Back home, Bill and I felt worn out and Clemson never refuses a snooze with the family. I went up to bed with the little guy and Bill soon followed. We were obviously in need of a sleep as it was an hour and a half later when we got up. Time for a tea and some cheddar. Clemson didn’t get up until a few minutes after his supper hour of 5 o’clock. Today's ordeal tired him out too.

The flag isn't blowing - It is wrapped around the pole from
yesterday's winds

We sat and read some. Yes, it would be nice to be outside but I didn’t want to cover up on such a warm day. That would be necessary with the black flies that are temporarily invading our space. So, we stayed inside and were quite fine with that. Just after 6, I warmed up the beef stew I made yesterday and we had a quick and easy supper together. For dessert, we had a dish of yummy custard. Gosh, I love that stuff!

With dishes done, the sun was brilliant out there where all day it was playing tag with the clouds. At least we had no rain and we had beautiful temperatures in the mid 60F/18C range. This is great for the veggies I’ve planted. It was a quiet evening with some tv and more reading. My book is very good.

I hope you have enjoyed this warm day in your neighbourhood too.

Happy Birthday to a beautiful young lady!
Bill's first daughter, Yvonne.

My section of the lawn responsibility is looking good again
No turtle pictures today, I didn't need a walk with over 5 miles walked already
Good night y'all!

Thank you for stopping in!

Foggy Morning, Laundry Day, Gorgeous Afternoon, Socializing

The Ridge

I slept well, having gone to bed at 10 about 40 minutes after Bill. I knew he was tired as he kept dropping his book. You can’t read through your eyelids! So, he was up early, 2 hours before me and I got up at, what seems to be my new normal, 7 am on Sunday, May 5^th. It doesn’t seem like a Sunday. Maybe that is because he has been away for part of the weekend. I was anxious to get out for a walk and that anxiety lasted all of about 5 minutes while I was getting dressed.

It was a tad foggy looking down the laneway

And over the pond

Yup, nope. The fog was thick as pea soup (Daddy’s favourite fog theory) and you truly couldn’t see through it. Hence, his second favourite, fog is black. He always made us laugh and I love the memories of his silliness. Bill was standing at the Keurig with his finger on the button “Are you ready for your tea?” Ha ha, that would be a yes. 😊 He knew I would be disappointed not to get out right away but the bonus was to sit with my hubby over our morning java for the first time in 4 days.

And behind us to the east

He had pretty much caught up on blogs, answered an email and done some banking before I got up so as I read what our friends are up to, he went out to the Hangar. Today, being the better of the available two (Sunday and Monday) to do our clothes, is laundry day. The fog is discouraging and delayed my drive to Durham to start the wash. I can’t hang them until the promised sun makes an appearance and pushes the fog out.  I’m being positive in saying ‘when’ not ‘if’.

And there it comes

I sorted the clothes on the bed covers under which Clemson is still dreaming in peaceful blissfulness. He doesn’t move. I loaded the basket into Ptooties and took care of doing the wash in 2 machines. I’m not happy with the new owners’ idea of ‘looking after a laundromat’ and I’ll be making a call either later today or tomorrow. What laundromat that you know of doesn’t have Contact information in case something goes wrong? This one.

Look at that sky now and those shadows!

Back home, Bill carried the basket up the hill to my clothesline and I hung clothes in full sunshine. It was wonderful!! It won’t take them long to dry, I’m sure. I came in long enough to make a coffee and took it outside where I could sit and enjoy the day. 

While sitting there I added some twine to the bird feeders
we made at Tres Rios

It was already warming up nicely at 55F/12C and it wasn’t 11 o’clock yet.  I had texted Rob and Pat just before leaving Durham and invited them out to Happy Hour today. They accepted.

Remember these?

Bill worked away in his Hangar while I was gone and the next thing he wanted to do turned out not to be as easy as he first thought. When he gets to it, it is something he can write about in a post. I won’t steal the thunder. 

Apparently, someone else wanted to socialize with us
but then, maybe not

At 2:15, I brought the clothes in from the line and Bill put his clothes away first. I was sitting outside trying to get into King Arthur (and it wasn’t happening, btw) when I saw Rob drive in the lane in their Ford Edge.

Well, hello Mr. Snapper

Yay! Our first Happy Hour on the Ridge this year. At least our first ones with anyone other than just the two of us. It was so nice outside that we sat outside with our drinks. Even Clemson joined us on his new bed for a while. We did our thing, caught up on what we’ve been up to over the last week and they left a couple of hours later. We really enjoyed the visit; it has been a long time.

And our little trees are budding

Within 15 minutes of them leaving, my sister, Donna and her hubby, Gerry pulled in. They’d been out at the Acreage getting a few things organized for the summer. They didn’t stay long, they were kapooped, but we chatted for a while and they picked up some paint Bill had for a nephew-in-law. (?) After they left, Bill lit the Weber to burn off some ground beef from our last meal and then puttered away for 20 minutes.

I enjoyed the finches today

My favourite picture of the day

When a redwinged blackbird swooped in to the feeder
she dropped and clung to another pole, waiting

And then returned, waiting for her friends to have their turn

And they shared

Inside I made up a salad for our side and he cooked Italian sausages. They had a bit of a bite (spicy) but we enjoyed them. 

Supper was great

We cleaned up dishes and Bill closed up the sheds. We have American Idol to watch tonight and that is about it since Madame Secretary is over until the next season. I can’t keep track of when things start and when they end anymore but Bill is good at that. This has been a good day and we’ve enjoyed one of the first great weather days we’ve had.

I did some spring cleaning in our cupboards
and feel good about getting rid of some unnecessary
plasticware

And over the fridge, it is obvious I need more wine
but it is clean and ready for it now

And another  beautiful sunset

Good night from the Ridge

I hope you enjoyed it as well. Thank you for stopping in to see what we’re up to and for any comments you wish to leave.