Saturday Chores, A Visit and A Surprise Meetup

 The Ridge

On Saturday, July 19th I was up and mobile by 6:30. For Bill and Gibbs, it was earlier than that. I was pleasantly surprised when Bill already had the clothes sorted into two loads and had the basket downstairs.

Good morning!

All I had to do was wash, get dressed, make my tea and head out the door. 💖 He's a keeper! I was alone at the Mat, and had our clothes washed and the place cleaned within the hour. The forecast for the day was some early sunshine, later clouds and rain this evening.

When the sky is like this, 
I just have to take pictures.

That meant I could hang the clothes, which I did when I returned around 8:30. I sat with Gibbs for an hour or so and when Donna texted that she was on her way to Durham, I grabbed water and made my way into town again. I met her at the Credit Union and hopped in the Honda.

Do you see some colour?
I see some colour!

Today was another visit to Cathy in Owen Sound. With things looking favourable, it looked like she would be going home on Wednesday. 💕There would be a 'car-transference test' and a bit of training for her son and daughter-in-law on Monday. 

It runs in the family, this
thrift shop sleuthing!
It was great to see Myrtle Jean,

We found her in the rehabilitation wing behind the hospital and she had her own room, looking quite chipper. We had a nice visit and caught up on all the goings-on before walking down the hall with her to lunch. She is doing really well, determined!

Donna and I love this cafe for lunch.
Quiche and potato bacon soup.
Yummy!

Donna and I left her after hugs and drove to the Mission Store, just down the street. It has been a long time since I've been there and I found a few interesting things. A foam block for, what else?, blocking, 3 new dining chair covers, 2 J.E. books, a lovely soft, navy sweater, long stylish top and a Bubba mug. All for $32. 😀

I'm happy with my purchases

We bumped into one of our cousins, on Daddy's side, whom we haven't seen for a very long time.Funny how those chance meetings happen, it was on a whim that we all decided to stop in the store at all. We need to put something together to get those cousins in one place!

Here is where I found my hubby.
Playing with his planes. 😊

We went to the European Bakery & Cafe again for lunch at 1 pm and had the quiche and bacon, potato soup. Oh my. I shouldn't have had the cup of tea, it made me 'almost' feel too full! I won't need much for supper. 😉 Donna dropped me at Ptooties before 3 and I came home to my boys.

Let's play, run around the plane, Mom!

We drove over to the Acreage for a quick check on their trailer, a couple of issues to address and we chit-chatted with Gerry who was cutting the grass out there. It's a comfortable day, not hot, not cold and not wet (yet). Bill wasn't too hungry for much either so we munched on ice cream and fruit. LOL

No, Gibbs, I'd rather you pose nicely
for my pictures.

It was a good day, clean laundry, a double sister visit and even a surprise cousin meetup! I am grateful. We reached a 25C/77F today and by 7, still no rain.

Bill wastes no time climbing up
on the roof of Gerry's Landmark
to help locate a problem.
That's just Bill for ya.

Good night!

Thank you for stopping by, your comments are always welcome.

Busy-Ness, Ran Out of Time = Another Late Posting, Birthday Fun

On Sunday, July 29^th I woke up pumped for the day. I’d put a fair bit of thought over the past couple of weeks into this day. Rob’s birthday is on Wednesday and I wanted to see if we could celebrate a few days early, when more friends and family could attend. Pat was all for it and helped me put things together. Today, I think we were both up out of bed by 6:30 and had our tea and coffee while reading a few blog posts.

The geese families are having a reunion

Bill got cleaned up and by 8 o’clock he had gone out and asked Rob if he wanted to join him for a drive to Princess Auto in Owen Sound. When Pr. Auto has a sale on, it is often worth the 40-minute drive to take advantage of it. The savings are that good. While there, Bill had also planned a stop at Home Depot for a couple of sheets of plywood as well. All things for the inner workings of his new workshop.

I wasn't alone on my walk this morning

The Divine Love house on the corner is up for sale
Gerry says they are asking a lot of  $$ for it too

While they were gone, I first went for a walk down to the turbine entrance and back. What a beauty of a morning. When I returned after 2 1/2 miles, I cooked the ground beef and made up 2 pans of lasagna. I covered both with foil and set them aside for the day, until it was time to cook them for supper. That was my biggest obligation for the day other than making sure everyone was happy! That is never a challenge with this gang as they already have smiles on their faces. 😊

Across the bean fields, I spotted these deer grazing
but didn't have my zoom lens on   Darn!

We met for Happy Hour at Rob and Pat’s and the conversation flowed. Bill and Sandra arrived, as did Donna and Gerry. George and Suzie had earlier decided to try Deb's Beer Margaritas with strawberry punch instead of lime juice. Once we were all present, they served us each up a glass to try. It was good for a summer drink but I prefer the lime for more of a magarita taste. Thanks guys! 

A great Happy Hour today
So nice to have Sandra, Bill, Peter, Linda and Donna and Gerry join us all
for the day

And this is gentle Jenny

While sitting at H.H. we had a surprise visit from Bill’s cousin, Peter and his wife, Linda. They were on their way from Peterborough to visit friends in Kincardine for a few days. Unfortunately, Bill missed earlier Linda's text but fortunately they took the chance and came anyway. We didn't recognize the Subaru coming into our area until Peter stepped out of the vehicle. What a great surprise! Jenny, their beautiful poodle happily explored the surrounding area while we caught up.

Clemson sat out with me while I read my book
Mama's boy, I think

How nice to see them and even nicer that they feel they can just drop in. We both love that! Too soon they were on their way but promised that we’d see them again soon.

Throughout the afternoon, beginning at 3:30 I needed to bake one pan after another of the lasagna in my convection oven. That meant plugging us into electric. When the first one was done, Bill lit the Weber and turned it on low to keep that pan warm while the second one baked inside.

I had to take one more picture of Bill's shed from this angle
There will be a 4' porch on the front for me to sit on

At 5:45 I announced that the entrée was ready and Pat brought her Caesar salad over to the Suite. Rob warmed the loaves of garlic bread on the bbq and soon enough everyone was loading their plates inside and moving outside to the tables and chairs we had set up. Everything was very good and then we offered up Pat’s homemade carrot cake (YUM!) and the Chapman’s ice cream that Bill and Sandra brought for dessert. No one can say there wasn’t enough food. There were 10 of us sitting down to eat. Oh crap! We forgot to sing Happy Birthday!

Today's feast was perfect

The day turned out perfectly even though earlier the dark gray clouds gave me a bit of inner grief. In the late morning and earlier afternoon after prepping I was able to get a few more chapters of my book read. This Jonathan Kellerman book is good but it hasn't got me hooked quite yet, too many other pleasant distractions right now.

Told ya! Clemson loves his Mama
I wondered if I had lasagna drippings as he gave me a full chin wash

and then he posed for a picture

Rob was pleased and appreciative for all the cards he received. I cleaned up the dishes we had inside from the day and then joined the others for a fire. It wasn’t a late night at all with George and Suzie leaving first around 8:30 and Pat and Rob soon after around 9. We were all worn out and needed to relax.

Bill got a fire going

Bill and I moved inside after stirring the ashes and closing the shed doors. I hope you also had a great day. Thanks for joining us today! Your comments are always welcome.

Two Day Catchup, Cousins for Coffee, Clouds and Foggy Morning, RC Flying Friends Sleepover, Great Great Dane

On Thursday, Sept. 14^th we woke up to fog and clouds with the hope of clearing by noon hour. We were up around 7 and reading blogs and comments with our tea. At 8 I was cleaned up and scooted into Durham’s Foodland for a few groceries. My cousin, Bonnie and her hubby, Gary, were coming for coffee this morning.

A white sky this morning that took a while to clear out

Between both our busy-ness days, we managed to find a couple of hours where it worked for both of us. Bonnie and Gary live near Lobo and we haven’t had a nice opportunity to sit and visit with them for a long time.  They arrived around 9:45 and we caught up about trailers and other things while showing them the property. They had coffee and pastries with us before saying our goodbyes around 11:30. They are welcome to come anytime with their fifth wheel to stay.

Bonnie and Gary

My cousins were headed to Chatsworth for a late morning visit with my sister, Gayle and John. Since they were camping in the area they wanted to take advantage of the time and see all 3 of us sisters before heading home on Monday. We were also expecting more company for lunch. Jeff and Joan arrived around 12:30 as planned and this was the visit I was nervous about.

Aurora and Jeff

Within 5 minutes, I knew that my nervousness was all for naught. The difference in Aurora, their Great Dane, from the last time I saw her last year was amazing. Aurora is 3 years old and her impediment is deafness. Jeff has been working very hard at training her with hand signals and calming her down over the year.

Joan loves Clemson

When he let her out of their truck, she came to us slowly and we each offered her a treat in greeting. Slow and easy is way she knows since she can’t hear you coming up to her. She is so sweet and calm that even Clemson was fine with her around. On the leash or on the rope, Clemson was comfortable walking around his own territory without fear.

This just blows us away
Little scared-y cat Clemson totally fine with Aurora so close

We had a chicken salad on tomatoes and lettuce (thank you Nancy) for lunch and moved outside to enjoy the day. The sun and clouds played tag for the most part and the gentle breeze died down as we were preparing our dinner. 

Everything is cooked, just warming the buns

Bill barbecued up a mess of hamburgers and sausage with corn on the cob and we were inside eating by 7. I opened a bottle of Open, a VQA white wine from the Niagara Peninsula and we toasted the good times.

She settles down on her blanket

Their truck

 After dinner, Bill prepped the fire he’d started in our pit and we all sat around until 10 o’clock. The stars were spectacular, something Jeff and Joan don’t often get to see. We said goodnight and settled inside, the three of them in the bunky and us three in the Suite. It was a warm night so they slept with the outside shed doors and a window open.

Enjoying the fire in the King's chairs

Aurora settles down by the fire too

On Friday, Sept. 15^th we woke and got up around 7. Bill and I decided to take a walk and noticed all 3 of them at the bottom of the hill doing the same thing. We walked together down North Line across Baptist Church Road before turning around and returning home. It was a gorgeous morning and Aurora walks perfectly with Bill.

The guys set the pace

A nice morning for a walk

Back home I made us all a coffee and we sat outside on the patio mat for a while. At 9 Bill lit the Weber and we grilled up some bacon and eggs and I warmed the pastries and small croissant buns we had. 

Low lying fog/mist this morning
I love how it splits this little stone house

Jeff mentioned how they enjoy apple sauce so it was a good opportunity for me to share some of my homemade brew from Sept./16. I hadn’t had any for a while and was reminded how good it was.

Enjoying our morning java

Looking closely you can see the sun in the pond too

After cleanup, we said our goodbyes and they were pulling out of the driveway by 10:45. It was a good visit and I would welcome them back again for an overnight stay. Now I know what to expect with Aurora I would not worry at all. We have the afternoon to ourselves and at 11:15 it is already a balmy 19C with a slight, hardly noticeable breeze.  

Aurora says goodbye to Clemson

Bye guys!

The remainder of the day was slow and easy. Tidying up in the bunky, sheets, sweeping and such was really the only chore for the day. Other than harvesting the garden, I sat and read my book. Tick Tock has captured me, are you surprised? 

Bill emptied our black tank today

Easy as 1, 2, 3

 I went for a nice walk down to the corner and was surprised to meet the ambulance coming down our road soon after the maillady. It went to the house two doors down but didn’t seem to be in a rush so that is good.

The ambulance left without fanfare

With the big breakfast, we didn’t need lunch but at 4 I grabbed a yogourt from the fridge for each of us and that should tide us over until dinner. Clemson was having an even more relaxed day than I, curled up in my chair with my hoody. He had no real interest in hanging outside with us. Bill was busy working on a shelf unit for his cargo trailer. Perfect afternoon to putter away in the shade and the breeze.

Bill works on his cargo trailer improvements

As I sat in my chair reading, I had a beautiful picture
This tree looked like a Christmas tree with a star on top
My photo doesn't do it justice

At 5 o’clock I fed Clemson while Bill finished his project for today. We’d decided on Tilapia loins and homemade fries so I got things ready and heated up the oil for the fryer and the fish. Bill plugged us in for the short term of frying and unplugged after dinner again. With this beautiful sun, we like to take advantage of saving hydro/electric.

this is where Clemson spent most of his day since breakfast

Today's pickings

Bill preps the potatoes for me

Our supper was delicious and we had dishes done before 7 and could relax for the evening. Another busy day tomorrow for me, picking up 2 sisters and a friend to drive to Aylmer for a clothing exchange. The car is loaded, a large bundle to donate to the cause. I’m sure there will be less coming home and that is a good thing.

As I walked, there were no turtles in the lane so I snapped these flower photos. Picture overload here.

The stream from our pond to our neighbours to the west

A tall dandelion

Shasta Daisy - living

and dead

Clover, no 4-leaf that I could find

Yay! Our Rose of Sharon is going to bloom!!

Mint flowers

I hope your last couple of days have been good ones. Ours have been.

And last but not least, the turtles on the dead tree

Thank you for catching up with me! Your comments are appreciated.