My Day Off, Campfire to End the Day

The Ridge

On Friday, June 10^th Bill was up and getting ready for his work day when Gibbs and I got up at 7. Instead of going for a walk right away, we were waiting until Bill was ready to walk down to the corner to meet Billy. We’d go with him. 😉 We sat until 7:40, and then got shoes on and Gibbs’ harness. Woops! There comes Billy up the lane! He’s early today, wouldn’t you know?

Gibbs found this plant quite smelly
I had to tug at the leash to get him to move on

So, after they left, Gibbs and I went for our walk down to the corner. It was a beautiful morning. The sun was in charge of the sky today and although it was only 10C/51F it felt good. Back home, I made my tea and relaxed working on the last couple of Wordles. Gibbs was a big help. This felt nice, not having to rush off anywhere today. At 9, we went out and I got my lawn mower out to cut some more grass.

It was a lovely morning

There were a few spots that I didn’t get to yet, the grass was too wet up on the berm but the corral hilltop got finished as much as I could do safely. Bill will use the weed eater to get the stuff on the hill. It was warming up nicely by the time I finished so I put the little runner on his leash and went into the Bunky to work on the puzzle. Well, that just meant no more lawn was getting cut today. 😉

I thought this would be an easy one but with all the odd
shaped pieces, it is a good challenge. 😀

I made a coffee in the Bunky today and it was quite convenient having Gayle’s Keurig out there. She doesn’t want it back so that’s handy! I had some lunch at noon and then drove into Durham to get 7 more garden stakes at FS Co-op. 

While I was cutting grass, I let Gibbs run
free
He was entertained for a good half hour chasing
Chippy around these sewer hoses behind
the outhouse
Chippy could go in them but L.J. couldn't. 

Then I went across to Foodland and picked up a few sales items. Yogourt, potato chips and Chapman’s Ice Cream. All good prices. One last stop at I.D.A. drug store to get my B12 vitamins, also on sale. Happy camper, I am!

Gibbs knew I was going somewhere after lunch
but waited patiently for his milk bone

While in there, I heard a couple of sales girls talking about the Library’s book sale around the corner. I knew about it but had forgotten! Of course, I went. What a ton of books and I was elated when it was all by donation. People were walking out with grocery bags and boxes full of books. I found quite a bundle myself and one book that I’ve read and wanted a copy of my own. Man Called Ove has been on my watch list for a couple of years.

Quite a haul!

Back home, Bill had just arrived home himself. It was 3pm so I’m glad he was done for the day too. He dozed, Gibbs dozed and I rested. We’ve been invited to the Acreage for a campfire tonight so after we had toasted Westerns for supper, we got dressed for the evening. 

this was a delicious supper!

A strawberry treat for dessert 💓

The fire was going when we arrived at 8
We all marvelled at how nice it is to be so light out
at 8, 9, 9:30. 

Donna and Gerry had us all fooled by this turtle.
Gibbs barked his head off at it and it wasn't until I got close
enough, noticing that his head wasn't going in his shell
that I clued in. Silly us!

Gibbs was on his rope for a while
Then off for a while when he went wandering 
Back on his leash after not coming when called

I always take too many clothes but erring on the side of caution is the best thing for me. Not much is worse than feeling cold while sitting outside.

Nice fire, Donna!

What a great day! From beginning to end, things were pretty darn good. 😊 As it turned out, Bill used the blanket on his legs and I used my big sweater. The winds had died down so it wasn't as bad as it could have been. 

We all laughed as Gibbs got upon Bill's shoulder  for a better look
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in. ♥

Love my Days Off, Testing the Oven

The Ridge

Thursday, July 22^nd the day started as per normal. Gibbs and I went out to see Daddy off to work at 7. Soon after, he was in his crate and I took my walk. My legs were feeling crampy part way and I remembered that I neglected to do my stretches before getting up. That proves to me that it does make a difference to do them. 😊

The sun over the corral gate
in just the right position

It was another great walk and although it felt cool, at only 11C/54F, I had the right amount of outerwear on with a hoody and my yellow wind breaker. I wear the bright colour rather than my safety vest these days. It does dual duty without having to layer up too much. Back home, I had my tea inside with Gibbs and the morning went along pretty well.

The pond is bright yet spooky
with mist

I had a few irritating moments with the weed trimmer but eventually got it going so I could get a fair bit done. Not enough though. The string got caught, twisted or something and I had to shut it down to fix it. Then it wouldn’t start. By this time, I’d been out for almost an hour and I was hot. Frustration took over and I put all my gear away.

In no time, the sky was clearing out nicely
It was a beautiful morning
I like the church steeple in the distance

Speaking of layering, it is quite a process there, with first the long pants and shoes. Then the gloves, the hat, the face shield and the head phones/ear protection. I have a lot of patience, I think, but that was just too much to bear when it wouldn’t start. I quit before the job was done. Maybe tonight if Bill gets it going for me, I can help him to finish cleaning things up.

The little girl at the corner, has a goat in this shed
She ran out as I approached to greet him
But she didn't come back out while I waited

Gibbs was patiently waiting for my return

Gibbs sat outside at the step on his rope the whole time and either watched, played or slept. 😉 Good puppy! It was an odd day for weather, cloudy, then sunny and the temperature varied greatly depending on which was overhead. At one point, the clouds were very heavy and dark and the temperature had to drop about 3 degrees so I went and closed the shed and Bunky doors, just in case. We didn’t get any rain, and weren’t supposed to but it sure felt like it could.

The clouds looked heavy

I had my shower while Gibbs hovered around the bathroom. He is very curious about the water hitting the shower doors and thinks he can lick it from the outside. Yup, I sure laugh a lot at the little bum. I’ve stopped putting lotion on my legs and arms right after a shower because he just wants to lick it off. I haven’t been sunbathing enough yet so my skin isn’t as dry as it can be.

At 3:30, I made a cup of tea and Gibbs moved to the stairs to have his nap. There is no carpet down here for him to lay on so it makes perfect sense. Donna texted at 3:40 that she and Gerry were on their way with Morry’s and their new trailer. They would be going by on Baptist Church Road so I woke Gibbs, put his leash on and we ran most of the way down the lane. I wasn’t even to our field gate when I saw them go by. LOL That was at 3:43.

Gibbs and I sat on the step
His favourite place is on the step below us
under our legs
(that is when he isn't on our lap)

They were sure moving! Anyway, we turned around and I tried to get back before my tea cooled down and Gibbs wasn’t having it. I’d woke him up after all now it was payback! Ha ha, so I picked him up and inside, he crashed once more. 😉 A bit more notice would have been good but she realized that as soon as she saw me down the road. We got a walk in and Gibbs will get more used to walking down the road with me each time.

Inside he proceeded to fall asleep
on the stairs
Look at those eyes, watching me take the picture

Tomorrow, we’ll go see their new Landmark after they are all set up and unpacked. I’m excited for them, I love the RV world! It doesn’t matter whose it is, I love seeing them and all the changes. I worked on my blog post and cleaned up the dishes from earlier today. For my lunch, I heated the Weber Q and tried to crispen up the crust but it didn’t work too well. For the last piece, I’ll try the fry pan the way George used to. It still tasted okay and the carbs were minimal.

And then he's gone

This morning, I decided not to finish the book Boys in the Trees. I was getting so confused about who was who, who died, what happened and blah blah blah that I closed it at page 75. Bad rating from me but there are others who may be able to follow it easier and enjoy it. Good luck! I found a James Patterson book instead as I am never disappointed in his books. Fifty Fifty with a new detective sounds good.

When we ran down the lane,
these geese flew overhead but I'm not
sure if there were some teens here or not

Bill got home around 4:15 and I hadn’t heard from Donna that they were settled yet, so I hope things went well. Bill and Gibbs had a snooze, in and under the chair, and I got the thawed chicken thighs ready for a treat. 😊 I know that sounds weird but what I didn’t realize was that I was also in for a treat. Just as they were spiced and in the glass pan, Gerry called and invited us over to see the trailer set up. Bill had seen it but I had not so we put supper on hold and drove over.

Always the character, crawling UNDER his bed
UNDER Daddy's chair

Gayle and John were also there and we arrived at a good time so we (Bill) could help them place the composite board steps up to the door. This took some muscle and some gravel shifting. My job was to hold Gibbs out of the way or he’d be in there like a dirty shirt. They got it almost perfectly levelled, enough that they were content and then I went in for my personal tour of the 2017 Landmark Orlando. As I expected it is very nice.

Hard at work, Gayle lifting with the two wheel dolly
Bill lifting out of the deck blocks
Gerry and John moving the blocks and spreading the gravel
Donna adding more gravel from under the rv

We chatted for a while and then said goodbye around 6:30. Supper would be late but I’d decided to try, for the first time, Combination cooking in our new oven. So, if you’re not familiar with this, it cooks fast like a microwave but it browns like an oven. It took 20 minutes start to finish. No preheating necessary and with the potato salad and mixed vegetables as a side, supper was quick and easy. Not to mention delicious.

Their new 5th wheel is a beauty
and it was time to upgrade

We cleaned up dishes and instead of cutting the front field of grass, Bill decided to just pack his lunch and stay put for the evening. I was happy for that. I fed Gibbs and took him out for a piddle and a roll around in the grass. What a goofball! Bill and I were watching a Christmas in July movie and it was one of the better ones. We were slightly distracted when Gibbs got a bee in his bonnet and ran his relay for about 10 minutes. He had us laughing our fool heads off.

I was so impressed with the oven tonight
cooked and browned nicely

This was a good day off for me and I think Bill had a pretty good one at work too. I hope yours was the same.

Not much sun left. It will be another cool night
at 11C/52F so Bill set the furnace for the mid 60's
Last night without it, we were cool.
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in.

A Day Off, Kind of, Gibbs’ Booster

The Ridge

I heard Bill say “oh-oh” when he looked at the clock on Wednesday, June 16^th. It was only 4:30 and we heard a whimper from downstairs. That usually means Gibbs has to go out ‘stat’. So, Bill slipped into the bathroom, got dressed and took him out. Needless to say, we have agreed that he can come up into bed with us after he has his morning business taken care of.

Trying to get Gibbs used to walking better,
I tried the harness again

I think he is getting better with the whole ‘a bed is for resting’ thing but it takes him longer to settle when we are both up there than if it was just one of us. We all dozed until Bill had to get up just after 5:30 for his shower. I stayed in bed with Gibbs until 6:30 and I know he slept for sure. 😊 We came down in time to see Bill finish getting ready. Bill had turned the furnace on at 4:30 but when we realized that the new stoop was right in front of the vent, Bill got his jigsaw and cut out an area. Woops!

He has a habit of grabbing the leash so this helped

I wanted to go for my usual 2 mile walk and I know I could have, but instead, put the little red harness on Gibbs and took him for a walk down the lane and down North Line to the neighbours to our west. He isn’t good at walking, not for very long anyway. He likes to grab the leash and pull and walk with it in his mouth. I figure I need to get on that better and the harness, although still somewhat big on him, gives me a little more control with the leash connecting up on his back.

No single shadow here, Now we are two

There was a harness in a ‘doggie’ bag at Value Village that came with a little water dish I wanted. It is challenging to get them on, especially for my pea-sized brain! (trust me, some days it feels like that!) He sits pretty good while Mom tries this way and that way before figuring it out or giving up. We didn’t make it to their laneway because he kept stopping and sitting down. The look he gave me was ‘are we lost? We’ve never been here before’. When we turned back, he sure knew the way and turned into our lane.

Remember how the lamp looked when it was turned on?
Here it is in the daylight

When we came inside, I had my tea and he ran around until it was breakfast time for him. I needed to fill our inside container of his food from the big bag and also our fridge water container so did both of those while he inhaled his food. 😊 As always, within 10 minutes, he had to go out and at least piddle. We walked the corral route before coming back in. He isn’t always keen on coming up the steps and into the Suite so I put him on his rope leash for a few minutes until he’s ready.

So, who is this?
Surprise! It is Oakley, 14 week old
Labradoodle

I sat at my laptop and then checked my Norwex app on my phone. Wow! The purchases from my party had improved over night by 1/3! That is awesome and my sister, Donna, was gracious enough to offer to host a party. That gave me the hostess gift of a new small mop system – free! Soon enough, it was time to leave for the Durham Vet Clinic. Gibbs had his 14-week booster and rabies vaccine today and that was a fun experience. Well, the pre-visit was at least.

Kissin' cousins?
Their colouring is identical

As I pulled up, I noticed a young lady with a dog who looked EXACTLY like Gibbs but about 3” taller. I got out and put Gibbs down. Her dog, Oakley, was shy but not my guy, oh no. He ran over and eventually, she came to life and ran circles around him. They were both the same age; Oakley is a labradoodle. While they played a bit and acted up, another vehicle pulled up with a 6 yr. old Goldendoodle, so they were all a poodle mix. What a neat little group!

And then Gibbs met Louie
It was a poodle mix reunion!

Oakley and Gibbs, if not for size, could have been siblings. The vet was running late so the ‘kids’ had about 15 minutes together before they staggered in for their shots. Not sure what Louie was there for but they were all friendly and so were their owners. Dog owners, we love to tell our stories. 😊 They sure love Gibbs and she hates to give him up when she brings him out. I’m sure they’re like that will all of the little ones especially. Easier to cuddle.

They were so cute together

With Gibbs strapped in and windows half rolled down, I stopped at the post office for Bill to return a postage paid parcel. I knew I wouldn’t be long but of course there were 4 people ahead of me. Nothing is quick these days, these times but Gibbs settled down as he waited for Mama. Back home, he piddled but then we came in and he slept. The shot could make them lethargic and he sure was. He slept, deeply, for a couple of hours as if he’d run a marathon. It gave me some quiet time too.

I filled both watering cans from the hand pump
and watered the vegetables

Madame IP boiled some eggs for egg salad and for my lunches. Today, I had a wrap and yogourt, the tortilla being the only real no-no but it isn’t too bad in carbs. When Gibbs woke up before 4, we went for a walk around the corral so he could stretch his legs and he seemed to be quite boisterous, in no discomfort but he laid down a lot and wanted tummy rubs. That’s easy! I love his little tummy and total compliance when he’s like that.

Gibbs wanted to be outside but was just not himself on our first walk

He just wanted his tummy rubbed

I made a tea inside and he crashed under my chair again. After cleaning up dishes, I worked on today’s post. I’m finally caught up again but you know me, I like a single day’s post at a time. 😊 

Then he conked inside under my chair

In the mail today, I got a parcel that I believe was just sent from Hamilton yesterday. My girlfriend sells Pest Away, a natural homemade bug spray and it smells nice, is not sticky and works! Thank you, Brenda G!

Another look at the Evening Primrose today

This Yertle seemed to be shy

The corral garden isn't looking too bad once the
blooms appear

Bill got home around 4:45 and had our bladder filled with water from the Acreage. We weren’t as low as previous times but down to about 29 gallons, however accurate the gauge is. It was like Gibbs started to come to life and rang the bell often. I felt like a yo-yo, keeping up with him. He’d piddle each time so I couldn’t say he was just playing. At 6 or shortly after, we had coconut shrimp in Rosy and I’d made a garden salad as a side.

This one was making her way up the hill

It was good, we haven’t had the shrimp for a long time. Bill had ice cream for dessert but I didn’t need it. Being better at eating has to start somewhere! We did the dishes and I went online to view the BizyBee auction that closes tonight. I had a few things that I was bidding on and wanted to keep an eye. This was a good day. My Alta Fitbit seemed to have died on Tuesday morning and I thought it was a goner but today, it was obvious that the battery was completely dead. Yay!

Supper was good and a nice change of our normal meals
Good night!

Thank you for popping in! Your comments and your patience with my delays are always appreciated.

Weather Change, Bill’s Day Off, Nature’s Watering – Yay!

The Ridge

On Monday, June 14^th Bill was up with the alarm at 6 and took our quiet little pooch out for his morning constitution. I know what a handful he can be when Bill is trying to get ready for work so I suggested he bring him up to bed with me. Gibbs was surprisingly well behaved and settled down within 5 minutes, trying to keep an eye on Bill downstairs.

Today, we attempted to trim some hair from his paws
but he didn't like us touching his front feet too much

Help me!
He didn't mind the back feet being trimmed

Bill hadn’t heard where they were working today so texted Billy for the word. As it turned out, over the next 30 minutes, it started raining. Not too heavy and it didn’t last long but Billy said it was doing the same where he was. Hard to work on an outdoor job when it is raining one minute and not the next. So, between them, they decided to stay home. 😊 That was perfect for Gibbs since he was going to have to be in the crate for 3 hours while I worked around the corner.

He isn't too fond of anything with a motor, no matter how small

We tried to trim a bit of the very long furry hair around Gibbs’ front paws and that took both of us to hold him. He didn’t mind the back feet as much and sat really well for that but the front and his face was a different matter. Boy, do I give Kate, our groomer, a lot of credit! There were many bribery treats involved and at least we gave him a taste of a quiet shaver and maybe he’ll get better at it and maybe so will we!

I laughed when he went in to his crate and brought his blanket out

I had some cereal at 9 and left for work a few minutes before 10. I’m ‘seeing’ Tommy again. 😊 It’s like a ‘thing’ with us now that he is back in the workshop. I worked on sanding the panels under the doors, just above where the running boards will sit, for an hour and then we drove to pick up a truck load of skids for burning across Grey Rd. 4. We have a workable method with me up in the back and M handing them up to me to stack. We managed 24 skids!

Who knows what gets in their heads

Back at the shop, I carried on sanding both sides and then above the back window. I used the bigger power sander and the small sander as well as had sanding where the areas needed it. It wasn’t too long after I got back at it, M asked if I would help him unload the skids. Usually he does that gradually after I leave but it made sense to ‘get ‘er done’. Four hands are better than two. We were both worn out when we finished but went back inside and got to work until 1.

We were watching NCIS reruns, as usual, and apparently
I got called two times from the victim before he perished!

Bill and Gibbs were sitting on the patio when I pulled up. He said Gibbs heard the car coming down the road and slow down for the turn into the lane. He has the sharpest hearing ever! So, needless to say he was excited to see Mom come home this time, the tables being turned. We had some lunch and I made a coffee to sit and drink while perusing my Norwex party page. There are a lot of things about the products that I’m liking the sound of so hope for another party so I can spread my spending out! 😊

It is nice when he settles down for a while to play with his toys

Bill went to the Hangar and I stayed indoors with my little buddy for a few hours. We went out when the bell rang and someone was rewarded with a treat each time he did his business. The weather has certainly changed today. I’ve gone from shorts and tank yesterday to socks, long pants and a long sleeve shirt today. It was only 20C/68F this morning and with a few rain showers throughout the day, it dropped to 18C/64F by mid-afternoon. I closed windows and the outside door.

We had rain a few times, off and on, today

Later, when Gibbs and I went out, the rain had just stopped and the sun was very hot again but in the shadows of the clouds, I needed a hoody. Weird day. Gibbs was very good this afternoon and wanted up to cuddle with me in my chair. Both Bill and I take these moments each and every time they come because they don’t happen often. He hasn’t been much of a cuddler – yet, but he is getting better each day. 😊

All ready to cook for 19 minutes

At 5:30, I started supper. Madame IP made us a tasty Hamburger Stew and we were eating shortly after 6. Bill had come up just as I was turning it on. There were enough vegetables in it that we needed nothing else although I like to add tomatoes and olives to my plate. We each had a piece of lemon meringue pie for dessert and cleaned up the dishes right away. I worked on my blog post at the same time as I kept an eye on my FB party site.

I love stew

The rain today made me very happy. You all know what that means to me, someone who doesn’t have a direct connection to water, and has to pump it to water my plants. My plants are also very happy. I used a lot of muscles today in my work at M’s and I came home with $ in my pocket so it was a pretty good morning. At 7:15, I finally caught up with Marie, Norwex consultant so I could watch her live video. It was longer than I’d expected and I’m sure ate up a lot of my data but it is just one time. 😊

Rewarded with a beautiful sunset

We were both tired and dragged ourselves up to bed at 10. Sleep came quickly, even for Gibbs, not a peep from him. Good boy!

Thank you for stopping around. I'm still a day behind but I'll catch up tomorrow. 😌