Busy Saturday, Sister Time

The Ridge

It was early, like really early, 1:25 am, when I woke up, hearing a buzzing around my head. Was I dreaming? Nope, darn mosquito! Wildly, like a fool, in the dark, I swung my hands around my face and head. Then I heard a voice beside me say 'did you get him?' 😂

Good morning!
On my way down the lane
this scene drew me to stop for a picture

Obviously, Bill had been bothered by the little bugger too. Funny thing is, I'm a pretty good aim as there was no more buzzing. Had he already bitten me, I don't know, but he was gone. Next thing I knew, I could hear Gibbs snoring off and on, right beside my head. So cute when your dog snores. 😍

The clothes hung
under a clear blue sky.

It was 6:15 when Bill moved, waking Gibbs from his sound sleep. We all got up. They were outside when I did my bed exercises and while I washed, Bill sorted laundry. He is getting good at that! He loaded Ptooties and I left the Suite with my tea around 7.

Gibbs was on duty, 
watching me up on the berm.
Thank goodness!

He was happy to be going to the field this morning and had taken a lunch, his work lunch from yesterday that he didn't need. I cleaned, with a couple of customers, at the same time our 2 loads were washing. The sky was clear and it was windy so they will dry on the line.

There could be some rain later but the clothes won't take long. Back home, clothes were hung and I drove to the Acreage to pick Donna up. The Durham Library Book Sale was on today from 9 to 4. We always go to the spring one even though we don't NEED books. 🤭

I restrained myself but these had to come
home with me.

I took a list of the 5 Janet Evanovich books that I still need. Stephanie Plum stories, I mean. They didn't have only one, Two for the Dough, and I've read it. I don't need to read them in order, she is very good at filling everyone in at the beginning chapters without being boring. 

Jumping ahead here, Donna and I
stopped at this church yard sale.
Donations went to the United church.
I also bought a small plate with 4 goodies
for Bill and I to share.

But, as usual, I came out with a bag. A couple of Ballard and Bosch stories by Michael Connelly and 3 Reacher stories by Lee Child that we haven't read. It's a win win for me! Donna goes for the non-fiction, not into novels like I am but she was successful and found 3. No price, just a donation of our choice.

Today, Gibbs got some goodies too.
3 new scarves, isn't he handsome?

From there, we went up the hill on #6 to the United Church. They were having their yearly yard sale, more like a 'trunk' sale in their parking lot. I've been before but this time was a bonus! All vans and suv's were open and offering items by donation only. Donna and I found quite a bunch of things and had fun with the individual vendors.

This cute bone shaped tin
filled with the scarves, 2 cookies,
a rawhide bone and dried salmon fillets.
He got lucky today!

Plus!! I got an idea! Why not sell my crafts out of the back of Ptooties? First nice Sunday, I'm going to try it at the Chicory Common. Now, I'm excited and at peace. I could take my table along as well and see how I fare. Worth a try! 

Renee!! Where's Renee??
Private joke, this game will be going
south with me. Ladies game night will
never be the same!! 😂😂😂

One of the best things I found (I found a few!) was the game of......wait for it. Balderdash! I've had my eyes out for one since Ladies game night in Park Place. Renee and I are the only two who have played it and I know she has one to bring this winter but this is an extra. Yay! Made my day. 💕🤭

After I had lunch and Bill had his snooze,
we went to the Acreage and helped
with their shelter cover.

Donna and I went to Foodland so she could purchase some flowering annuals for the Acreage. She made some nice choices. I didn't buy any, I'm still undecided and may just end up getting a large fern again. Easy to tend to and they withstand the heat and drought well.

We did the work while Gibbs
stayed in the shade, keeping watch.

Two more garage sales before I took her home to Gerry. It is a nice day. I took the clothes in off the line while Bill and Gibbs had a snooze. We all went to the Acreage for water and to help D & G put the cover on their canopy. The wind didn't make it too easy but we succeeded.

Donna, Gibbs and I walked from 
the back to the front. She is pleased with
her walking distances. A few weeks ago,
she would get tired easily.
Not so much today.
💗

We visited for a while and drove home. When I saw Bill pouring himself a drink while waiting for the water to transfer, I thought it was a good idea. So, I joined him with a Crown Royal and soda. Time to relax, almost. He finished with the water transfer and placed an order online for rc parts etc.

Gibbs likes this walk too.

Supper wasn't for another 2 hours so I went to the Bunky to work on the Elvis puzzle. In the meantime, I also boiled some hummingbird food, since I found another feeder at the church 'sale'. I was very pleased there so gave them a decent donation for my finds. 

The puzzle is challenging
but it's coming along!

The puzzle is tricky, seems easy but then stumps me. I guess, a perfect puzzle, right? Bill barbecued our sausages for supper and we had them in a bun. I'm preferring the smoked sausages and he likes the regular farm sausages best. We finished the strawberry shortcakes for dessert. Yum.

The sausages on a bun were very good.

We enjoyed this change
of pace - having dessert again.

The winds have been whipping around like crazy up here, another large branch broke off one of the corral trees. They are a concern, so tall and close to the hydro/power lines. Storms are circling the area but so far, looking more to the north of us. We're hoping that we get missed for the most part.

The winds are whipping
from the west.
Still warm, although that is soon to 
change (again).

This was a great day, time with my sis is always a treat. We don't do it often. I hope your day was a good one too. 26.667C/80F here for our high/dropping to 14.44C/58F overnight. Nice sleeping temperature.

                               Good night!

Thank you for stopping in.

Busy Morning, Uber Afternoon, Don’t Lift Cement Bags!

The Ridge

On Monday, June 5^th Bill was up, showered and off to work shortly after 6:30. He took Black Beauty this morning to Mildmay to pick up the work trailer to take to their work site in Hanover. I had no where to go today so relaxed with Gibbs, drinking my tea and reading my book. It was a cool morning compared to the last few, 9C/49F, and we were under mostly cloudy skies. A different morning for sure.

It looks bright, but it was only the
sun trying hard to break through the clouds

We’ve put the Blue Flame heater away and have flipped the board on the stoop – telling ourselves not to turn the furnace on – so Gibbs and I put a blanket over ‘our’ legs in the chair. When my tea was done, we went for a walk. 😊 At the end of the lane, Gibbs started barking at a small white Hydro One car parked just a few feet away. When the lady saw us, she came over to explain why she was there.

Bird's foot trefoil

They are marking trees that either need to be trimmed or cut down to maintain clearance for the wires. We carried on for our walk and back home, I let him off leash to run around while I worked. It was time to fill my planters with the 5 petunias I’d purchased on Sunday. When that was done, because little Mr. “I don’t want to come when you call” was being an imp, I put him on his rope leash. My next job needed my full attention.

All spiffed up

I moved Ptooties over to the water pump and proceeded to give her a bath. She was pretty dirty, especially her back end. 😊 It began warming up so I unplugged from power and went about the chore. She sure looked ‘purty’ when I was done! M had called and asked if I could be his Uber at 2 and run him into town for a few errands. I knew he would be asking, I’d talked to him Saturday morning.

Gibbs was happy enough in his 
bed and the shade

While at the Beer Store, Bill pulled up beside us in B.B. Off work early, he’d gone to the Home Hardware for the bags of cement needed for his flag pole. Unfortunately, those 50-lb bags should not be hefted into a pick up truck by someone his age. ☹ He pulled a muscle in his right deltoid/bicep. That doesn’t sound good so as soon as we made one more stop at Foodland, I drove home, dropped M at his place and scooted home to my working man.

Finished! One piece missing though.

My potted flowers
and
the old garden all packed up

He won’t be going anywhere tomorrow, that’s a given – well, unless a miracle happens overnight. We iced it and he dozed before supper. Steak, potatoes and corn on the cob was our meal and it was pretty good. The steak is so thin and it cooked pretty fast so next time, it will be a much shorter grilling. We’ll play it by ear in the morning as to whether we need to get x-rays or not.

Supper was pretty good

Other than that, it was a good day. I worked on the puzzle after Bill was home and was dozing and managed to finish it. There is a piece missing though, so I’ll have to sweep the Bunky in case I’ve dropped it. Here’s hoping Bill has a good night and a better day tomorrow. He went to the Hangar to see if there was something minimal he could do for a while but returned within 15 minutes. He couldn't lift his arm enough to be comfortable. Even eating was a challenge for him. 

Goose the Spruce on the right
My goodness, he has grown!
Good night!

Thank you for popping by.

A Push, A Ride, Storm Chasing (or Running?) Collages

The Ridge

On Sunday, Sept. 5^th we were up around 7 and Bill and I sorted the dirty clothes. I was at the Mat by 7:45 and had 2 loads in the washers when I started cleaning.  Bill called at one point and asked me to pick up a loaf of bread before coming home and M called to ask if I would throw his comforters in the big machines if he brought them into town.

The morning weather, could have hung the clothes after all

The debate, I was having in my mind, over the sky and whether I could hang the clothes out was soon moot. Since I offered to help with the bedding, I knew I’d be at the Mat long enough that I may as well dry ours too. Of course, once I put the dryer on with our clothes, the sky seemed to clear up. Figures. 😊 I left the laundromat with our folded clothes and M's comforters around 9:30, picked up bread and filled Gibbs’ outdoor water job before driving home.

we wasted no time and after lunch headed out

M had called last night and asked if we could give him a hand at the shop this morning and he had a couple of things for us. Bill and I drove over and gave him a hand, pushing Tommy further up into the shop so he could fit another small car inside. It didn’t take long and we chatted a bit before he gave us some $$ from a sale of a few of Bill’s tools. He also had some green beans and potatoes for us from a friend’s garden. I got them washed and put away and waited for a decision from Bill about our plans for the afternoon.

There were a few overhead dark clouds that
created a cool ride for about 5 minutes

Sticking to the highways, we toured a few small towns
Pinkerton

and avoided the cities
Glammis, Eden Grove, Tiverton

It was an unusual sky from the time we got up, we couldn’t tell what was going to happen in the weather department. After Bill and Gibbs had a rest, we got dressed in our bike leathers. It wasn’t cold enough to wear our chaps but we’d planned on a ride to the lake so put them in the saddle bags just in case. It is always cooler near the water. This was a great decision and the weather was perfect for a ride. We reached Kelly and Richard’s cottage around 2:15, an hour and 10 minutes after driving out the lane. 😊

Arriving at Inverhuron
The lake ahead is gorgeous!

No one home, so we relaxed at their beautiful cottage
area and decided what to do
Bill tried texting Kelly to see where they were

No one was home but the door was ajar and the windows were open so we knew they couldn’t be far. I had to use the powder room so Bill encouraged me to go in and use their facilities since the door was open. 😏 We drove to the beach area in the hopes that we could spot them. After about 10 minutes of searching the sandy terrain, just as we were about to give up, (there were a lot of sunbathers!) we spotted Richard walking our way. How lucky was that? He pointed Kelly out so we were greeted with an enthusiastic hug. It was a treat to see Jessica, their daughter, and meet Nick as well.

Kelly! Where are you?
Turns out - they weren't far, top right picture
in that grouping somewhere 😀

Found them!

We met back at the cottage, they were ready to call it a day, and shared a cold drink and some snacks on their deck while catching up. Their dogs were happy to greet us all and it was neat to see J & N’s 2-year-old Cocker Spaniel as he looked like a grownup Gibbs in many ways. 🐕 It sounds like Gibbs is already doing great in comparison, McKinnon sounds like a little terror. Also Kelly and Richard's Sadie (?) was her beautiful self although much calmer than I remember from the last time we saw them. That might have been 3 years ago? 😕

Jazz parked back at the cottage

McKinnon and Sadie
Now, I can see Gibbs looks more like a Cocker spaniel 
than a poodle

At 4:20, Jessica pointed out what she called 'a rain cloud'. Indeed, a huge strange looking black cloud was coming in across Lake Huron. Woops! We’d better get moving. We said our goodbyes, geared up and ‘Jazzed’ (heh heh) it for home. 

It sure seemed to be following us
until eventually we felt we'd won the race
The temperature on the ride never really changed much
We didn't need our chaps but I did zip my jacket up

It seemed to be around us but so was the clearer sky

Bill did well keeping us a few hundred feet ahead of it and we made it home without getting wet. Gibbs was happy to see us, he’d been alone for 4 ½ hours. We’ve got such a good little dog. It was wonderful to see Kelly and the family and Bill took the time to text her that we arrived back at the Ridge.

Top left picture, you should remember the grain elevators
I passed often while living in Paisley
We were on Bruce Rd. #3
Bottom left picture looks scary but it was just
an interesting cloud formation

We agreed on toast bacon, cheese and tomato sandwiches for supper and started to prep them together around 6:30. First, I had a cup of tea. After we ate, we finished it off with an ice cream cone. If we hadn't been able to visit, the cone was on my mind from the area. It was the perfect ending to a great day. We both felt whipped, I guess it has been a pretty busy day, and Gibbs was just getting started. 😊 He’d probably been sleeping all day! He ran around the island with his sock toy and had us laughing at his energy. After we were settled, I wondered why the little guy got so quiet.

Home arrival at 5:30
My handsome Biker Babe texting Kelly

Outside, the rain started around 6:30 but nothing heavy, just tricklings. We believe tomorrow will produce more precipitation with a 77% chance of it.

Home sky, the pool got blown around a bit
Supper and Gibbs mark on Bill's comb
It was an absolutely wonderful afternoon!!
Thank you Kelly and Richard for the snacks! 💕
Good night!

Thank you for your visit.

Runaround Patsy, Testing the A/C

The Ridge

On Friday, May 21^st I don’t know where the morning went. We were awake at 5:15 to Gibbs’s whimpering. Figuring he had to go out, Bill woke up from what he feels was a deep sleep. A sucker for punishment, when he brought Gibbs in from outside, he brought him up to our bed. We both want him to get used to settling down with us up there AFTER sleeping the whole night in his crate. We have a king size bed which welcomes a little fur baby.

Home sweet Home at 7 am

He played and chewed and tried to rough-house so Bill took him downstairs. No one was more surprised than he was when he came right up those two steps as if he’d been doing it the whole time! After picking him up a second time, I was able to hold him down long enough to rub his tummy. That works like a charm and he became more still. He wandered the edges of the high bed and whined at his reflection in the mirror from my side.

Looking back to the east as I'm walking west

When Bill got up and left us alone, Gibbs finally stretched out to sleep. “Figures, now you sleep” Bill remarked. 😊 We stayed there for 20 minutes before I got up and lifted him off the bed. I took him out again and he managed another squirt or two. Bill left at 6:45 and at 7, I left Gibbs in his crate and went for my walk. At 1.40 miles, I turned back and headed for home. It was beautiful out with a lovely breeze.

At the corner, I noticed these two vehicles had stopped

Walking around the West Grey truck, I noticed this
was the calcium truck to spray North Line 😃

On the return trip, I met Rob and Bethany, the Pastor and his wife. We stopped on our respective sides of the road and caught up with things for about 20 minutes. I like them and although I’ve been informed from a couple of sources that they are ‘different’, I will reserve my opinion until I get to know them better. We left it that we’ll see each other on the road and try to get together for a campfire when things open up.

Lots of trilliums in this forest
but you can't see them as well in a picture as I could in person

This one was a light pink

Speaking of things opening up, apparently starting tomorrow, outdoor activities are allowed to open with the usual Covid restrictions. Masks and distancing. But at least golfers, tennis players and rc fliers can get out again. I never understood why those things were closed in the first place. So, eventually we hope for more openness to the events we want to partake in. For us, one big one is to be able to gather with some family and friends in larger groupings and to eat in a restaurant!

I walked past Turbine lane 

I drove to BizyBee after a bit of ‘no success’ shopping in Durham and picked up my 4 items. I am very pleased with the ladies’ moccasins, beauty case of brand-new lipsticks (all colours I’ll wear) and the two ponchos. The bag of cleaning supplies, some full, some half full, will be used accordingly with a couple of the items not useful to us at all. Oven cleaner and concrete filler. Maybe the oven cleaner would work on the Weber Q, now that I think of it. Any ideas? Still a good deal for the $7 I paid for the lot. I made a stop at Walmart for a few grocery items. It was nice to see a couple of rv’s pull in to shop. 😊

I had to zoom in to see what this was
Just a wild turkey, turkey vulture? Can't tell

Back home, I made one last stop at M’s to help him set notifications on his phone (he’s hopeless with this stuff) and helped him put the driver’s side fender on the next project. We had to take the old one off as it was in bad shape. Like the tonneau cover on the Ford, this was easier putting on than taking off. Within 20 minutes I was headed home with the groceries. When I opened the door, I was stunned to see 2 little black eyes greeting me. Wha?? How did he get out of his crate? Obviously, even though I made sure to latch it, there was something I did wrong.

The road was finished and that will keep the dust down

I walked through the Suite and he had been upstairs and dragged our bathroom mat into the bedroom. We have a 4’ x 2’ soft mat at the foot of the bed and it was all bunched up in a ball. However, I also found a wet spot on the carpet. He was probably so excited that he got up there again! Ha ha. I put him out and he finished his business before coming back inside. I didn't get mad at him since he wouldn't know what he did wrong. 

A kit full of lipsticks that I will definitely use
some foundation sticks maybe not so much but
Even 3 or 4 Avon products
All new, of course!

new slippers

2 new ponchos
Price tag on one says $15 I paid $3 for two

I made some lunch and then closed things up, shutting all windows. It was time to test our a/c since it was fixed over the winter. How wonderful to hear it kick on so I set it a few degrees lower than the inside temperature and let it do its thing. When Bill got home around 2:30, it was nice and cool inside. He had gone by way of the Acreage and filled the water bladder. We were down to about 8 gallons here at home. Gibbs was happy to see him so I took him out for a piddle first. He tends to get excited and might dribble. 😊

Lunch was different and delicious

Some Gibbs sleeping positions

Gibbs got a new ball today

Gosh, I'm so cute!!

Bill finished emptying the bladder and doing the banking before we all went upstairs to have a snooze. It wasn’t as cool up there as I didn’t turn that a/c unit on, but it was okay. Gibbs wouldn’t settle down again so Bill put him downstairs and closed the sliding door at the top of the stairs. After about a minute of whining, Gibbs quieted right down. When we came down an hour later, he’d been sleeping at the end of the island, being a good boy.

Supper, yummy

For supper we had Basa filets and fries. It is Friday night after all but I still miss the fish and chips from The Paisley Common. Hopefully soon, we can get over there for a meal. This was a nice day, a bit of a hectic morning but a lazy afternoon here at home. Still no rain so I watered my plants with the two watering cans after supper. 

And Jack has grown in 2 days!

My hibiscus doesn't seem to be
coming back this year

The raspberry bushes look healthy though

The cornflower and primrose look happy

First irises to start blooming

When I came back in, I finished drying the dishes that Bill had started. I poured us each a rum and Zero Coke and when I went out to take some plant pictures, Gibbs came out with me. 

Any help on what this is called?

I was told poppy but it doesn't look like
any poppy I've seen before

The dreaded hill garden is
also coming along
(you can't see the weeds from here)

My Super Star Spirea is performing well
so I believe it is happy

Gibbs romps in the front garden

And follows me across the parking area

our London Peony bush is happy too

Quite a few buds on it

A refreshing rum and Coke was wonderful!

That was just plain fun, walking with the fur ball running around my feet. 😂 He was having a blast. He ate all his supper again tonight so we're happy about that.

A beautiful sky to end the night
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in.