A Very Full Day and a Very Full Pantry/Fridge/Freezer!

The Ridge

On Wednesday, June 28^th I was up and in the shower at 6:30. After making my tea-to-go and having some yogourt, I headed in to town. I was alone at the Mat until I was ready to wash the floors and a regular customer came in. She complimented me on how clean everything looked so that brightened up my day.

Good morning

Speaking of brightening, the sun was out when I left the Ridge but it was a hazy, smoky sun again. This was the worst I’ve smelled the smoke, very strong as soon as I stepped out of the Suite. Looking like billowing fog across the fields, we’ve never experienced anything like this before. Once more, friends in the areas closer to the fires come to mind and I have empathy for them.

It isn't the sun we're used to seeing.
The bright clear golden ball is now rimmed in red
from the smoke drifting across from the fires.😔

I scooted home at 8:30 with no other stops and after a brief rest with Bill and Gibbs, I made my thermos of coffee and drove over to M’s for 9:30. We did a town run for him and then I worked until 12:30. Today, I taped and hand sanded a VW Jetta. It gets a full paint job so I put my best efforts into it while M did his own thing in the other bay and his ‘office’. 😊 It’s his sitting/office kind of room and wouldn’t win any awards! Sssh. He's a single senior, he's quite happy with his home.

I didn't notice my Moonflower first thing
By noon hour, it was starting to fade.
Good thing I have 6 more buds!

Bill had the back field grass cut and was working on the front when I drove in. He came up a few minutes later reporting that the blade belt keeps coming off so he would have to work at that later. ☹ If it isn’t one thing, it’s another and it is very frustrating. Pickings in the fridge for lunch were pretty pathetic, so we each had toasted sandwiches, changed and drove to Hanover. Our government pensions were in, so were everyone elses, so Walmart was busy with shoppers.

My tomato plants seem happy.
Blossoms and then a teeny little tomato!

Bill dropped me off and drove to my cousins to drop off an old laptop and visit Canadian Tire before returning to help out with the grocery list. It was a full cart so I’m glad he was back on time to help pack and load the car. I forgot a few things and had to run back in for eggs, which are very important. Not sure how my fuddled brain missed seeing them on the list. LOL

I have a guard at my Bunky door
Oh, okay, he's just enjoying the shade. 💘

We made one stop on the way home and then it was time to put things away. We have a full ‘larder’ (does that mean fridge, pantry and freezer?) now and should do us for a while. 😊 Feels good to have things stocked up again. I’ll get the few things I missed at Foodland in town. Bill went to work on the mower and after I finished separating the sausages, chicken thighs and cutting the pork loin into roasts, I finally was able to relax.

The puzzle is coming along.
The pieces for the lower picture are very similar
colours.
I have the sky pieces separated on a side table, that helps.

I went out to the Bunky to work on the puzzle that I’ve been neglecting for a few days. Bill had no luck getting the belt to stay on so put the mower away. More $$ to have that taken care of, isn’t it all fun? I lost track of time so supper of pork chops, spuds and vegetables was quite late. Bill was okay with it as he needed to close his eyes for a bit anyway. Gibbs has had fun today, running around outside in between cuddles with Mom and Dad.

Our London rose bush is very happy this year
which makes me very happy.

The birds are happy, so many grackles, and there is still a fair bit of food in the feeders. The smoky air cleared out around 11:30 this morning and it has been a beautiful afternoon. 

As I sat here writing, I admired
our hutch display.
I haven't killed the cacti yet, Deb D!

We reached a pleasant high of 22C/71F today and it is warming up even more tomorrow after a cool 9C/48F night. I’m done work at M’s until after holiday Monday and that makes me happy for the break. This has been a good day and will be a quiet evening with my book. Yes, I'm finally enjoying the story. It's a mystery so what's not to like?

Supper was very good. The chops could have
been in for about 5 minutes less but still tasty and edible!
Jello and yogourt for dessert.

Today, I reflect on Daddy. It has been 28 years since he passed at the tender age of 70. That is just around the corner for me so he has missed a lot of our life. Never forgotten, always loved. Some times the feeling of his absence is so profound, I miss him a lot.💔

Daddy, a young man of 37.

An old family photo mid 60's
A family that misses him very much.
Good night!

Thank you for the visit. Your comments are always welcome!

Stocking Up Because We Have Room, Sunny Cooler Day, My Buddy is Better

I stirred around 5:30 on Wed. Feb. 6^th but rolled over to my other side in the hopes that I’d drop back off. I must have because it was 6:30 when next I moved. I slipped out of bed and Bill followed. I skipped my walk today because we wanted to head into town as early as possible to get our grocery shopping done. The fridge is looking bare so it means a thorough stock up.

Our route into Fry's

Nice and close, just a hop, skip and a jump

And then on our way to Sam's Club
I had to be quick to capture a picture of this field of
fresh cauliflower

After our coffee and tea, we left shortly after 8 and drove the short distance to Fry’s. Bill surprised me by putting an Instant Pot in the cart when I was off in another direction. Happy Valentine’s Day, dear, he said. 😊 It was already in our head to pick one up and why not get it now, while we are on the road and in the position to enjoy quick meals? I was tickled that he had calculated it into our February budget. The price was great at Fry’s and we got an extra $8 Sr. discount too!

Yay! Let's get cooking!

We had already decided to return home to unload those groceries so we did that. Clemson hadn’t moved from his warm snuggle spot on the bed with my sweater. Without creating a disturbance, I put groceries away and then we crept out again and went to Sam’s and Pet Smart. With all things crossed off our list, we headed home for the day. We knew Rob and Pat had errands to run of their own, not all in the same places so we’d decided to each drive.

Ain't she pretty?
Well, minus the blurred focus
Sorry, I was excited!

We were back from both runs by 11 and I found room for everything in our spacious Maytag and cupboards. With the exception of some dairy products and salad greens, we should (‘should’) be good for most of the month. Back home, I made us each a coffee and bacon and eggs. Because our back window was such a mess with dirt and dust, Bill took Rob’s example from yesterday and did a quick wipe down. The water here is not good but until he’s in the mood for a good Windex clean, that will do.

Just a quick job this morning
The window was steaming from the sun's heat 

But it is an improvement and we can see out of it again

Time to relax! The air is cool today, only 60F at noon hour but the sky has no visible clouds. It is not a pool day but I’m sure I can squeeze a bike ride in and maybe some puzzle works. It will be interesting to see if there are any other ones started. I needed to stop at the Office to pick up that events booklet that I mentioned yesterday. Bill sat to relax with his book and I slipped on a jacket and went for a ride.

Our little fur ball sleeps much of the day

When I arrived at the office, it was 12:15 and they close over the lunch hour(good grief!) so I rode back to the Clubhouse. Robin, the lady I met a couple of days ago, was there and I love the challenging puzzles she chooses. The one on the other table was of the U.S. states in a cartoon and looked too easy. Maybe it wasn’t, but she and I were of the same mind and worked away together on this one. When she left an hour later to go to the workout room, Irene joined me and we steadily plugged in pieces.

Nice to see we are supporting local economy
by buying the salad kits too

I was surprised shortly after 2 when Pat walked in! That is the first she has been up to the Clubhouse, or anywhere in the park, really. She just hasn’t been well since we all arrived on Friday. Finally, she is on the mend and should soon be 100%. Yay! She sat with us for maybe half hour and then we returned together. We all know what the 5 days of sitting around while sick can do to our energy and hers was zapped. I walked my bike back beside her so she had some support of she needed it.

And while I sit on the couch crocheting
the sun says Good bye

Bill was reading and after walking the cardboard over to the bins, I joined him in my recliner. My reading material was all about my new Instant Pot. I hope to learn quickly and Kim’s help at Q. was valuable. The booklet that came with it had a lot of good tips and warnings but the recipe booklet is like any other of its kind. Not a lot of things in there that I would ever make. Why can’t they be simple? Just tell me how to cook chicken thighs! Or a roast without all the fancy directions.

Anyway, I’ll figure it all out with the help of Mr. Google (and my friends). Pat was excited for me when I told her of my gift and came over to check it out. I’m hoping that eventually, she also buys one either here or at home so we can bounce recipe ideas off each other. When she left, I made us each a cup of tea. I have the inklings of a scratchy throat and a wee headache so this morning I gargled salt water and now just took a couple of XS Advil. My turn for a Vick’s foot rub!

When Bill cooks outside, Clemson stands
at the door and waits
What a quiet world it has to be for him
he used to listen to the sounds outside
now, he listens with patience for Daddy to walk up the stairs

So, I sat and did some crocheting for a while. Bill continued to read and after a couple of ‘outs’ for Clemson in the chilly wind, we started supper. Bill lit Weber and I prepared the salad which was very difficult. It meant opening a bag and then opening small packets of cheese, croutons, spice and dressing. I really needed my wits about me! 😊 Of course, I’m kidding but these pre-made salad kits sure make life easy. I also find we waste much less food.

Supper was delicious and good for us too!

It was a good meal and after dishes, I Googled Italian sausage in the Instant Pot. Hmm, next time, I’ll try that! There are a lot of recipes on line that are much more sensible than in the booklet. I caught up on my blog as I finished the bottle of wine that has been open in the fridge for a while. Only one glass, sorry dear. The rest of this evening was spent relaxing with our own hobbies. The air outside has cooled off to 55F which now that our bodies have become accustomed to Yuma’s weather, feels quite chilly. Silly, huh?

I polished off this wine today so we'll need
to visit the drive through Discount Liquor store soon

I hope you have enjoyed your day. We did and are now outfitted for a few weeks of proper meals. Thank you for stopping by!