Up and At ‘Em, Bill Trims the Fields and Lawn, Making Apple Butter, Maybe

The Ridge

On Saturday, July 18^th Bill and I were up at our usual 6:30-6:45 time. He didn’t have to go anywhere today which is nice for him but he helped me sort the dirty laundry. When I arrived, there was no visitor but she’d been there at some point as the washer showed her dirty footprints. I loaded our 2 loads of clothes and only one other customer was present the whole time.

Last night we were coming home when the sun set

I finished cleaning and laying the clothes in the basket before texting Pat. There was a bag of clothes in my trunk for her from a friend. At least someone is losing weight! Way to go, Michele! I drove home and Bill had finished trimming along the laneway so we sat together for a coffee and my tea. While sitting there, he called his girls and was successful in touching base with two out of four. Not bad odds. He’ll connect later this afternoon.

Our solar field at the corner of Baptist Church and Hwy 4

He went out then to cut the front field and I went up the hill to hang the clothes. There is a really nice breeze we feel when sitting on the patio but in the hot sun, it is hard to notice. When he returned to cut the lawn area, I was inside after remembering that I hadn’t posted yesterday’s blog yet. I like to get out and move the furniture and hammock so he doesn’t have to stop to do it. Once my post was published, I did some of my puzzle in the Bunky.

They are waiting for me

Then when he ran out of gas for the mower, he drove to Durham to get more. We had bacon and eggs, which I forced down. I was not hungry really and the bacon tasted a bit off so we didn’t end up eating it. Bill had enough from the eggs to fulfill him so off he went to work outside. He had made arrangements with a fellow from a tire place in Walkerton that he wanted to come and look at the tires/wheels on the Suite. There still trying to figure out why we’re having issues.

It always looks nice when the grass is cut, even if our grass in this area is very spotty

I sent him off to uncover the wheels before he came and I did the dishes. I still have 2 packs of apples in the freezer so brought those in to attempt making apple butter. The recipe I have calls for cooking it in the crock pot for 10 hours. I’m not doing that so got Madame IP out to help. I’ve decreased the time and will see what happens with it. There are still 4 packs at Rob and Pat’s that I need to relieve them of now that I have room.

Bill's Pumpkin is happy

It is a hot, humid day but we are happy regardless. Beats the cold and snow so we’ll deal with it. Bill managed to get in touch with his last two girls and everyone is doing great. The last one was his youngest, Jess, and she is doing awesome in her 3^rd (or 4^th) month of pregnancy. Little Easton is still a hit at the day care and it’s all she can do to get a hug and kiss from him before he’s off and running for play time. That is wonderful, just the way you want to leave your child for the day.

The garden is looking good

After 1 1/2 hours, of cooking the apples in Madame IP, I turned it off. When I stirred them, they were dark and thick and looked great. Now, seldom do I peel apples when I freeze them so I wasn't sure how it would turn out for a spread. Next step was to put the mixture in a blender and puree it. Voila! The skins disappeared and the apple butter tasted cinnamony and sweet. Yum! I poured it into 3 jars and put them in the fridge. I'll have to offer a jar to our buddies for holding the apples for us. 😁

Success with the apple butter

I reheated the meatloaf in the IP and fixed a salad on our plates. We were eating by 6 and cleaned up by 6:30. I texted Donna that we were finished as they were coming over for a campfire tonight. Not that we need the heat, but it is just nice to sit around on a lovely Saturday evening.   

And our leftover meatloaf was good

Before supper, I caught the last hour of Staying Alive. We don’t think we’ve ever seen the whole movie so it was fun. Then during supper, Bill put Rio Grande on with the Duke. Sometimes it is fun watching the old classics. 

At 7 Bill started the fire
First time for an evening fire this year

This was a good day and Donna, Gerry, Mike, his daughter and granddaughter arrived shortly after 7:30. Sophie kept us entertained and even though Ava, their poodle/jack russel didn't sit on my lap, she was quite the reminder of our little bum. 

Sophie enjoyed the hammock

Ava enjoyed the fire and Donna's lap

We didn't need the fire for heat, it was a beautiful 23C/75F

We had a great evening. Mike hadn't been over to see Bill's Hangar since he helped build it so was quite impressed with it and the planes. Everyone left after a viewing of the space station around 10:45. The breeze is wonderful tonight, I hope it keeps up through the night.

I liked the look of the Hangar with the lights on
Good night from the Ridge

Thank you for poking your noses in to see how our Saturday was.

Another Departure, A Bit of a Carousel of Friends, Home Puttering

The Ridge

On Monday, Aug. 12^th I woke ahead of the alarm at 6:10. I didn’t need to rush in to the Laundromat as I still wasn’t sure my key would work. Arriving at 6:50, I tried the lock but it was a no go, again. My key wouldn’t go in far enough to catch the mechanism. Front door was locked again so I just waited in our vehicle until 7 when things automatically unlocked. There were 3 customers today in the course of the hour and I left the place in good standing.

Red sky in the morning? We've all heard that
but I coudn't see the warning part

Jamie told us yesterday that the laundromat was getting its facelift starting today

So, I made sure to take pictures

I drove to Foodland and cashed in on their Chapman’s ice cream sale, then to Home Hardware to pick up some peat moss. 

While I was wiping the washing machines off, this 3-legged critter
landed on the machine
I know he's missing a leg but is his body also missing part of it?
Their wings are so beautiful!

Lastly, I drove to FS Co-op for wild finch seed. Duh! I didn’t remember to get regular bird seed. I forgot that I had emptied that bag as well and their feeder is almost empty again. Rob, Pat and their friend, Lynn (our friend now too!) left with both vehicles around 10:30 and Ron, Loree and Freddy were packed up and ready to go just after 11:30.

I walked down to get the mail today and these
Swamp Milkweeds drew my attention

I picked a few for our Mexico vase

It’s sad to see our friends leave but I am grateful that they don’t all leave at the same time, the same day even. We enjoyed their company and it is nice to know that even though we all have a wonderful relationship together; we can have just as great ones on a 2 by 2 basis. Bill wanted to drive to the outskirts of Mount Forest to Robertson’s to pick up a couple of mower blades. Our mower gets put through the wringer out here on the Ridge fields.

Freddy waits but keeps his beautiful brown eyes focused on Loree

Bye guys!

Following Bill out the lane

And down North Line

He led the way to the bypass so Ron didn’t have to drive through M.F. as he did on the way here.  And then there were three. It felt odd to be alone, not bad, just different. I went into the Bunky and finished my puzzle. 

We had a couple of pieces of Rob’s cake leftover from Friday night so although we had eaten a decent breakfast, it needed to be eaten. I had mine and Bill could have his when he returns.

When Bill came back through town, he took a picture of the
progress on the Mat for me

Then there were THREE

This morning, when I was making breakfast, Bill dug a deep hole for our Hibiscus plant and I know that wasn’t easy. Our place up here is very rocky and on a hot day, it was a challenge. I watched from inside as he persisted and after peat moss and black earth, dropped it in the hole. It is such a beautiful plant that I need to keep it watered and healthy. I’d hate to kill it!

I see some Supervisory business going on here!

Finishing touch

Yay! She looks very happy

Before Lynn left with R & P, she brought us over a lovely tray of fresh veggies and dip as a thank you. All totally unnecessary but it is very nice to know she really enjoyed it out here. She’s never camped before. Everyone is so nice and although we expect nothing for their stay up here, it warms our hearts to accept their kindness in return. 

Rob pulls out with their Silverback

When Bill returned from M.F. he came inside and had his piece of cake and then we both crashed in our recliners for 30 minutes. I read a couple of chapters first, this book is at the point that I just want it finished – but also want to know how it ends.

And down North Line to home

 Rob pulled in with his white truck to pick up their fiver around 1:45 or so. Bill and I both went out to say so long and then there were two. We all had a huge (no kidding!) zucchini given to me from Rob (from a friend) and I split mine with Donna yesterday. Loree and Kim split one as well. No word of a lie, it was 14” long and at least 4” diameter in the centre. So, I’m spurred on to make something. I would like to try some noodles or at least some muffins so went on a search for recipes.

And then TWO

Bill went out to work on the mower blades and by this time I thought the heat of the day would have abated as the clouds moved in. 

Bill replacing the blades and tire repair

However, as I sat reading my book outside in the shade, I found I was very uncomfortable and the flies were biting. We are expecting some rain, which I’m hoping comes overnight to water my garden for me. Ken and Kim returned home around 3:30 and Bill said “the kids are back” which I thought was cute.

Who knew that oregano and milkweed would make
such a pretty bouquet?

 When he finished doing the mower repair, he joined us for Happy Hour. A small group of four today and we listened to them relate their visit with Ken’s cousins. It sounds like they all had a good time and we got a few chuckles out of the telling. 

this little buzzer was loving it

Bill was slipping into a coma, er, I mean, getting dozy so wanted to get up and move around 5:30 when I suggested supper. We were just having burgers and corn on the cob so he went to cut some grass (and test the mower) and I lit the Weber. Successfully! That doesn’t always happen for me.

A cute picture of Kim while I was taking a picture of
this pretty yellow Monarch (swallotail?)

Kim and Ken went in to relax from their busy day. Visiting can be tiring plus there was some rowing, some water walking and some driving involved. They can tell those stories! 😊 I didn’t have a bun with my burger but did manage to eat a half cob of corn. The cake earlier did something to my appetite apparently. No worries, I saved the last one and a half for another day. I did them in Madame IP so it was perfect and filling.

Chippy came out of hiding today again and gathered the bird seed
in his puffy cheeks

I cleaned dishes up while Bill went out to finish cutting the back field. He wanted to get his plane out for Ken to try flying it. It was a calm night and with the grass cut, landings would be much easier on both the pilot and the little electric Timber. This happened but I didn't get pictures. Next time!

We had plans for company tomorrow afternoon but unfortunately, I got a text at supper time cancelling. Totally understandable and the next plan is to definitely make it work sometime before we leave in the fall. We are overdue catching up.

A small but wonderful Happy Hour
It looks like we were fighting but we were spread out to make it look fuller
haha

Catching up with today’s post and downloading pictures took up my next half hour before I brushed my teeth and went upstairs to sort laundry. Tomorrow is the day to take care of that – early. I might get a few more chapters done in my book tonight before bed so took it outside. I had a chat earlier with Kim about what went wrong with my pork chops last night so I think I’ve learned how to rectify that next time.

My supper tonight was simple and filling
I couldn't even eat both pieces of corn

At 7 pm, it was still 78F/26C so another beautiful evening. Whether we have a campfire tonight, come inside for a 4-person game or go our separate ways and relax on our own will be determined as the evening plays out. There is no pressure in this camping thing. We all understand each other and any choice is acceptable. I hope you have found a great way to spend the rest of your evening! We’ve had a wonderful day. Sad to see people leave but happy that they came in the first place.

And a non-descript evening sky tonight
Good night y'all!

With one rv here with us until Wednesday, we will enjoy our friends for another couple of days.

Thank you for stopping in!

Waking with My Sweeties, Overcast, Clem’s Haircut, Visit with Buddies

It was 6:30 when we woke up, together and Clemson needed out. Then we crawled back in bed for another hour and a half! It wasn’t a late night but with no afternoon snoozes for either of us yesterday, we obviously needed the rest. I could not believe the change in temperature when Bill arrived home last night and it was even cooler this morning at 55F/12C. Brrr but we slept well with just the sheet and bedspread.

Clemson is ready for a haircut

What’s with the weather going from one extreme to almost the next extreme. It would just be nice if it dropped 10 degrees, not 30! Anyway, many of you will be happy with the change and it does allow for more outdoor activity, if only the rain stays away too. It was drizzling when we did get up so no walk for me this morning. We made our coffee and tea and sat reading blogs etc.

Daddy's whispering "look at Mom"

I have been checking our daily WiFi usage all month and we are obviously too busy to be on-line much. The last couple of days seems like we’re giving back what we didn’t use so we’re Googling whatever we want and opening email attachments. It is too bad you can’t bounce the unused mb onto the next month but it doesn’t work that way. We finished our drinks and Bill went out to check on the mower for me. He agrees that the blade needs to be tightened with wrenches so he’ll take care of it.

Clem was a little chilly after his haircut today
but only for a little while

Clemson had a haircut scheduled for 1:30 but when Bill read the appointment card, he missed a “1” and at 11:30 we showed up at Bath and Biscuit. Kate was surprised to see us (no doubt!) but had a free hour and gladly took Clem right then and there. We informed her of his past episode with Vestibular disease, explained it and left him in her capable hands. We drove around to visit Rob and Pat after fueling up the Rav4 at the Esso.

No room in the driveway
spots are taken up by 3 beautiful vehicles

We picked the little skinny guy up at 12:30 and I’ve decided we need to bring Kate along with us to Arizona so she can keep up with his cuts. She does such an excellent job and I’m sorry but I’ve said that before. Back home, we each made ourselves a coffee and I treated Bill to the taste test of the cheesecake cupcakes. Well, of course, I had to try one too.

OMG! I’m making these again and the only thing I would change, besides doubling up the ingredients to the original recipe, is to make the crust thinner. I wasn’t sure how they’d stay together and now I know. If you want to try them, have patience with pressing the ‘dough’ into the silicone muffin cups, and I can email you the recipe. the link I tried adding didn't work. Send me your email address. I baked them for 25 minutes in a convection oven and they were perfect! 

As we were sitting here, the clouds began shifting and blue sky was visible. I’m facing the back of the Suite and on the fence post this bird decided to land. 

This is wonderful but it gets better

I don’t know why it caught my eye but I do think I have a perception for things and this was one of those times that I’m glad I do. Upon researching it afterwards, we believe it is a Cooper’s Hawk. How cool! He was so pretty and turned a few times as he must have sensed we were watching through the window. I missed his flight but maybe another time, that was exciting!

What a beautiful hawk!
Look at his gorgeous tail.

I sense someone is watching me

I sat for a while at my laptop and zipped through the route we took last winter by perusing my blog. It is interesting to go back and see the pictures and read some of the comments. Some of you have been with me since I started posting and some joined me last summer and even more through the winter. That is also exciting to me. I had notes that I hadn’t completed, hand written notes from our travels and wanted to update them.

Are you looking at me?

Then it was time to move. Bill had tightened and sharpened the blade on my mower so it was free for me to finally cut the lawn. It was a good day for it, not getting above 67F. Bill was exhibiting a headache earlier and although he wanted to do some things down at the Hangar, I could tell he wasn’t feeling up to it. He went upstairs and laid down and Clemson joined him, jumping up on his own. I moved the cushions yesterday because they seemed to confuse him.

Finally the grass gets cut

I changed into shorts and a tank top and went out to cut. I don’t know how long it took me but I do know that the mower cut great. It was quite hot in the sun, with all of the walking back and forth. That perception that someone was watching me caused me to look up when I was starting down the hill. I looked up and saw Bill at the door with my camera, snapping photos. That made me smile because I’m always saying there are no pictures of me anywhere unless I put the camera in his hands or I’m taking selfies.

I made the motion for a bottle of water and he brought me out one before hopping on the rider to cut some grass of his own. It sure grows fast when the rain is so plentiful. When I finished, I plugged the battery in, put the mower away and sat to cool down. It felt good to have the chore that I’ve been wanting to accomplish for a few days, done. As I sat there, I was entertained and a little scared at the same time watching Bill cut the berm with the mower. The way he goes up and down the steep hill is a little dare-devilish and I don’t even want to know what he did in the corral.

The hill doesn't look steep at all in pictures
but it is
He drives up and backs down

I decided to light a fire and burn some of the cardboard that has been building up since our friends left in early August. It has been too hot since then and now I found it to be too wet. A few pieces caught so I added some kindling and larger pieces of wood. Clemson was still up on the bed from his nap with Bill, stretched out real comfortable-like. We know he loves it up there so hope he gets confident about going up there soon.

Started off burning papers from our blue bin

When Bill finished cutting, he poured himself a drink and came and sat with me. He suggested once it got going really well that I should burn Daddy’s sunflower box. It is probably over 50 years old and he painted it a couple of times and I did as well after I took possession of it in 2010. It is so rotten and falling apart that it no longer would hold wood anyway. So, I did. It created a nice fire and I know I was forgiven. 😊 Daddy always liked a good campfire.

There goes the Sunflower box

When the air started cooling down, Bill closed up the Hangar and his cargo trailer. It was after 6 and time to start supper. I hadn’t even given it a thought but Bill had already decided. He wanted toasted tomato, bacon and cheese sandwiches and that sounded good to me. I fried up the bacon and he toasted the bread. We added lettuce and mayo and sliced my little garden tomatoes. What a great easy supper after what turned out to be a busy day!

While we were watching the fire, Bill saw Templeton's brother (?)
running along the fence
He still hasn't returned to eat the peanut butter so maybe I was wrong that he was in our house

We cleaned up dishes and settled in to watch some tv. I actually had to close the one window beside me tonight and not to turn the a/c on. The air had cooled off to 64F which wasn’t much of a drop but it made a difference without the sun. 

We all had some butterscotch ripple ice cream
I had bananas with mine
Bill had sugar free Butterscotch sauce with his

Clemson likes his right off the cardboard
or by licking out our dishes

I slipped out to take a couple of pictures of the pretty clouds tonight and ran back in with goosebumps. The rest of the pictures were taken from my window, inside the Suite.

Such a beautiful performance in the sky tonight
and it was a free show
Good night from The Ridge

I hope you have enjoyed your day today as much as we have. Thanks for stopping in. Your comments are always welcome.