Laundromat Work, Shopping Spree with Sisters!

The Ridge

On Tuesday, June 15^th I had big plans. Now, with the lockdown loosened for some things, I made plans with Donna and Gayle to go to Value Village and the Mission Store in Owen Sound. 👩👩👩 So, I was on a bit of a schedule when I left at 7 for the Mat and did my cleaning. M had asked if I would take one of his comforters in to throw in a big machine so I did that while I cleaned.

as I pulled out the driveway, a family was moving
off to the front field

When I left there, I nipped down to Foodland to get Bill more milk, he goes through it pretty fast and that is a good source of calcium for him. I need to keep ahead of his supply. 😊 Back home, I let Gibbs out of his crate, fed him and took him for a couple of walks to be sure he’d exercised and piddled and pooped. He had to go back in again for a few hours. So, on the way to Durham at 9:30, I stopped at M’s to return the comforter and he was very pleased with how it cleaned up in a bigger machine than his.

The teens are really growing and changing colours

From there, I drove to town to meet Donna at the Credit Union parking lot. She parked and we added her bags of donations to mine in Ptooties' trunk. We were excited for another day away together. I worried about Gibbs, like any parent would for a child, but I knew he was as safe as could be in his crate with water and a comfortable environment. I still worried, ask Donna. We picked Gayle up on the way and arrived to a long line at Value Village, people waiting to get in. We were not surprised, first day for in-store shopping for a lot of us in many months PLUS senior’s day!

Worth the wait as usual
Funny, the shade is brown with deep purple swirls
but with the light on it looks completely purple

There was no one in front of us for dropping our donations so did that first and walked up to get in line. There is only a certain capacity of shoppers allowed in the store, so we patiently waited our turn while visiting with each other. 

Fits perfectly where we want it

Yes, we had our masks with us and put them on when we entered the store. The wind was cool though so we were glad to have our jackets with us. We waited almost an hour and then we just took our time inside. We always split up and often cross paths and share our findings with each other. It was around 1 when we all checked out. 😊

I found some interesting books
Unfortunately, we've read two of them. Duh!

Wow! Quite a savings with the 30% discount and I was happy to have my own spending $ to be free with what I purchased. One main thing that I found was a floor lamp. I’ve been watching and bidding on them in the auctions but I have a limit on what I want to spend. Since Bill and I furnished our Suite with 2 separate recliners, we thought a floor lamp in between us would alleviate the need for the two bright LED overhead lights being on. I like a light to read but it is quite bright if Bill wants to watch tv.

I love this 'drop anything in' purse
Sometimes I just don't want to be so organized

The lamp was (are you sitting down?) marked $9.99 and the shade was separate at $3.99. As if that wasn’t a deal in itself, take 30% off each of those. The base is heavy, brushed brass and it matches our ‘not so matching’ décor! Ha ha, Okay, so it doesn’t match the brushed silver door and cabinet handles but …..it fits and I love it. I do have to pick up a couple of led power saving light bulbs to replace the old one in it. Anyway, it worked last night like a charm.

Lots of lunch meals on the flip side
but I felt like the Comfort Breakfast today

I hit the jackpot with 3 pair of knee length shorts, a pair of jeans, 5 books, a watch, some new ankle socks, new bra, and undies. Then we went to the Mission Store where I found a few more books (at much nicer prices) and a metal silver caddy for holding my dish cloth and Norwex counter cloths (when I get them). I have to admit that it was  less expensive than buying their brand, too. We were quite famished when we left there around 2 so I drove down 16^th to the European Bakery Restaurant for lunch.

Oh! I could eat it again easily!

We knew we could take out but were thrilled that there was a table outside on the patio for us. That would save us time and since we had a table, we all ordered a breakfast meal off the menu rather than a sandwich or wrap. 😊 Perfect choice! I don’t make eggs much at home anymore but having someone prepare poached eggs on peameal bacon, with tomato and onions, for me was a real treat! The sunflower rye toast was good too and I brought 2 pieces home for Bill and I to share at home.

At home Gibbs and I took a walk around to check out my flowers
The coneflower is getting really big

My Evening Primrose are closer everyday

I'm calling these our 'London roses'

By the time I dropped Gayle and Donna off, it was about 4 when I got home. Gibbs was waiting and very happy to see me. That’s okay, I didn’t need that ear lobe! 😊 He got a lot of praise and I made sure to spend the next hour exclusively on him. We walked, played and then sat on the patio to wait for Daddy who arrived just before 5. We were all tired, except L J G, of course. He had us running in and out for part of the evening. We took turns taking him out for a piddle at his bell calls.

I'm so happy that my Hibiscus is coming
It seemed slow but it did say 'late spring' so I was just too impatient

With more blooms coming soon

For supper, it was easy and delicious. Leftover stew with the rye toast and the last of the pie for dessert. I’m not sure why I ate it all, I wasn’t overly hungry. I need to start back on serious keto – well ‘more’ serious keto than what I have been. I’m feeling quite blimpy and that isn’t a nice feeling. The night went by smoothly, Bill watched car shows and I dozed in my chair. At 10, we all went to bed. Gibbs uttered one yip and one protest whine but went quiet long enough for us to fall asleep.

This is the type of meal I could eat night after night
Sometimes with dumplings. :)
Good night! I should be caught up now!

Thank you for stopping in.

Laundromat Team, Sunny Glory, An ‘OMG’ Lunch, Puttering

The Ridge

It must have been around 5:30 when I first opened my peepers on Thursday, Sept. 5^th. Darkness befell the Ridge and no light creeped through the blind edges until closer to 6:30. I lay awake though, and curled up next to my sweetie. He was warm and I felt that I’d been chilled most of the night. Tonight, the duvet comes out from UNDER the bed. Neither of us wanted to pay any attention to my alarm at 6:15 so stayed put for another 15 minutes – half hour.

A pretty, clear sky and low lying fog across the fields

It was 6:45 when I decided we needed to get up and into town. Bill was going with me to clean the Mat today, big dryers and hanging fly sticky things being the two main reasons. It was 4C/45F outside and I said that I need to pay attention to any frost warnings so I can cover my plants in the garden. I don’t think this coolness is going to stick around for long. We’ll get some warm nights again BUT we may bring the Blue Flame heater in anyway.

Fly sticker thingys

We were both pleasingly surprised to see that Jamie had tackled cleaning the Lock Up room. It looks amazing!! I’m sure he is pleased with the outcome as well. It is one of those projects that you just need to jump in and commit to and he sure did! I need to compliment him on it when we get home. Bill cleaned the big dryers and I went about my normal routine. When he climbed on the step ladder to hang the 4 fly stickers, I got the mop and bucket out.

For some reason these 4 bikers struck me funny
They had been congregated at the gas station
and when they took off looked like the 'Brothers Von Trapp'
Further down the street they had stopped and consulted their binder

Rob popped in to say hi and asked if we could stop around at the house. When we left the Mat, we dropped my book off at the Library (unfinished, I might add). Then we filled Ptooties with fuel before driving to Rob and Pat’s. Bill was surprised to see the rack for carrying our generator sitting there beside the steps. Wow! “He finished it!” he said. Bill had just dropped the metal/steel parts off on Tuesday afternoon so Rob could weld us a carrier.

We seem to have 18 double yolked eggs

Neither of us were expecting that and were both thrilled. They invited us in for a coffee so we gratefully accepted, since we hadn’t had our morning brew yet. We had a nice visit and then headed home. With the sun shining and the temperature forecast to rise to 20C/74F today, Bill had outdoor plans, small jobs to complete. I had indoor plans to deal with the 20 lbs. of apples so we set about our own thing. I stopped at 10 to make Bill his bacon and eggs before carrying on for a total of 2 ½ hours.

This is the second half of the apples

Soaking in a brine of salt and water to keep them white

The good news is that I have 12 – 6 cup bags of these apples to freeze added to the 6 – 4 cup bags of the previous ones. Bill said, “Are we going to have room in the freezer for anything else?” Smart aleck that he is. 😊 Between now and then there will be desserts made so the stock pile will drop. I think Rob deserves an apple pie for his hard work on the rack, don’t you? I'll keep that in mind. When I finished, it was 12:30 and I was hungry now. So, I got creative.

There isn't even a name for this dish but oh my, it was wonderful

I fried some zucchini, green pepper, radishes and tomatoes first in lard. I added a double-yolk egg (not planned) and shredded mozzarella cheese before layering it all onto a white flour tortilla. Then I fried each side before cutting it in half. Let me tell you, it was VERY messy and gooey and sloppy BUT it turned out to be one of the best ‘me’ concoctions I have ever tasted! Wow, I only hope I can duplicate it again another day. Delicious!

Bill built a little 'hut' for the outlet and cords

Then, I cleaned up the few dishes and got the broom out to sweep the Suite. With that done, a shower was in order. I can’t remember when………ooh, that doesn’t sound good but I do know my hair is a disaster. After my shower, I decided that I wasn’t in the mood to bake a pie so everything went into the freezer. I was missing the sunshine so I changed into shorts and a summer top and went for a walk down to check the mail.

At the bunky

and down at the Hangar

When Bill went outside, he completed the little cubbies for the electrical cords that run between the Bunky (remember the trench dig?) and the Hangar. He wants to keep them dry from the elements and has had this plan in mind for a few weeks. After that, he was working on the wire leads for his Timber (little Styrofoam plane) and also on gluing the weights on his large Telemaster. I can’t remember what the needed weight is but it’s a lot. Something like 18 lbs. I think.

That is a lot of apples

After getting the mail, I decided to take advantage of the day and the early afternoon. I got out my paints and rocks. That sun felt so good sitting there on the patio. I chose 2 of the largest rocks and one that put me in mind of a fish head. Funny how some rocks just look like something. My painting skills are very amateurish so I wasn’t sure how well it would turn out. It was fun trying anyway! When Bill came up from the Hangar, it was 4 o’clock.

And look what I found!

I told Bill to be careful walking around it
what a rare find!

Quite a different day than yesterday

I worked away finishing the fish, an old gypsy’s face (?) on the flip side and a special one for Clemson. The rock called out to me, it needed to be painted. 😊 I finished a short time later, put the paints back in the Bunky and came inside. I’ll just need to spray them both with clear acrylic and they’ll be done. These won’t be hidden anywhere but instead placed on the Ridge. Inside, Bill was watching NCIS and I informed him that it was his turn to cook tonight.

Bullrushes/cattails along our lane

And Chippy caught in the act
but the birds are scarce right now so I won't object

My fish rock

And on the flip side, an old cronie gypsy?

Burgers were on the menu for supper and a homemade garden salad. I realized that I don’t have the heavy cream to finish my creamy Jell-o so dessert tonight may be custard again or maybe a butter tart. I made myself a tea as I sat at my laptop and then joined Bill in our chairs. I wasn’t having any more luck on the crossword today than yesterday so I turned the paper over and worked on the cryptogram as it was more up my alley.

I had a nice setup on the patio
but the temperature changed when the sun went behind the tree

At 6, I began making a garden salad. Only the lettuce, radishes and cheese were not from my garden. The tomato, green pepper and onions were so I’ll take some credit for how good it was. The burger, however, was awesome. These Leadbetters Cowboy burgers are the best and loaded to the hilt, making them messy too, went down really well. I didn’t even slop anything on my shirt! We took care of the few dishes and we sat at our laptops for a bit.

In memory of someone special

I’m very nervous about our mobile data usage and I wish I wasn’t. For months now, we’ve had no problems with our data usage turned on. Now, with it turned off, I seem to be so afraid to turn it on every once in a while. Frustrating! I enjoyed the day and have another day of laundromat cleaning taken care of. Bill accomplished a few things and with all the apples, I guess I did too. I hope you can say the same!

And the next few days show some cool nights
and possible wet weather

Our delicious messy burger
Good night y'all!

Thank you for your visit to the Ridge today.

Laundromat Gets Cleaned, Mom Gets a Visit, The Ridge Gets a Few Light Showers, Game Night

The Ridge

On Saturday, July 27^th we were both up around 6 and I got washed and ready to head into town early again. I left Bill making his coffee and arrived at the laundromat to find both doors propped open and someone inside with the dryer running. Good grief! I don't mind so much but overnight, flies and skitters get inside and I battle with them while cleaning. No one else arrived so I closed the doors until the inevitable automatic unlocking at 7.

Pop Goes the Sun

I think Jamie had been in since the garbage and recycling bags were removed and things looked fairly clean. I did a quick lint removal from the dryers, a wipe down of the washers, cleaned the bathroom, dust mopped and wet mopped. It seemed that I was making good time but it was still an hour. I guess that is my minimum for the job. Just before finishing with wet mopping, I texted Jamie to let him know I was in town and he would owe me for 9 hours.

Sparkling

After leaving there, I went to Foodland to pick up a couple of packs of cream cheese, on sale, and a bottle of Ketchup that I forgot yesterday. I hadn’t heard back from the boss so scooted home for my cuppa tea. Bill was in the Hangar and each time I walk in, there are new things finished. I love the propeller over the big doors. A nice touch. The sky was clouding over by this time which wasn’t surprising as we were forecast to get some.

Clouds moving in by 8 am

I read blogs from yesterday and since Jamie had responded, made arrangements to meet in town when I go in to visit Mom. Saves him a drive out here, which I know he doesn’t mind doing. Bill came up around 9 and I made him bacon and eggs for his breakfast. Too soon for me so instead I started today’s post. It was around 10:15 that I refried my quesadilla for my own breakfast and had a B.P. coffee with it.

Mom couldn't get over her 'old wrinkly hands' today
I told her that mine weren't much different for 30 years difference

I left for Durham at 10 to 11 and met Jamie at Rockwood before going inside. It was nice to see him and it just felt right that we gave each other a hug. Don’t tell the boss! Wait a minute, he IS the boss. They had a wonderful trip out to Manitoba and enjoyed some relaxing times even though it was a lot of driving. He asked about things back home here and we talked about plans for painting the Mat and some of his other ideas.

Mom and Me (No, it's Mom and I, she said)

He’s feeling that come August, he will be looking for some employment, already getting offers worth considering. I hope it all works out for him, anything to make life easier financially is good, we all know that. I went inside and found Mom down her usual hallway. Funny how when she doesn’t remember certain‘things’ that she knows that she walks at that time of day. I’m sure she didn’t know me but she was very complimentary of me in my dress and ‘white’ hair. 😊

We walked to the northeast hall and sat together, goofing around. I never know what she’ll come out with and don’t understand half of it but we just chatter away and enjoy each other. The time for special moments is dwindling, I can feel it, so I take pictures/selfies of us together. Looking back on them will give me peace when the time comes that I need it. Just this morning, I came across videos of Clemson running. I cried but they are worth millions to me.

The creek on Jamie and Cheryl's property

It was a good visit, and she accepted that I wasn’t staying for lunch. We said our multiple goodbyes and I slipped out of the dining area. I would have waved but another resident who lives down the hall from Mom stopped me and by the time I finished answering her questions, Mom wasn’t looking in the right direction to see me. I walked to Ptooties feeling a bit deflated, not realizing until then how much I love the ‘waves’.

It's an old trailer but provides a roof over their head

I scooted around town the back way, across Main St. to the bank and Liquor Store parking. I wanted to withdraw spending cash for Bill and I as well as my Ladyfest cash. Because I have to pay a few for any debit transactions out of my savings a/c, this is easier than first going through ‘our’ chequing and then transferring it.  I’m stepping back a decade to the time when I carried cash most often.

A deer blind on their property
yes, Jamie is a hunter

He's got some clean up to open up more of Bear Creek
but I love the old tree stumps

 Then I walked 3 doors down to the LCBO and picked up a bottle of Vodka and a couple of 0% sugar canned drinks to try. By the time I reached home, Bill was just finishing emptying the water bladder from a fill-up at the Acreage. We chatted a bit and I came inside and he went to the Hangar. Jamie had texted and invited us out to see his and Cheryl’s property just on the outskirts of Durham so we hopped in the SUV and went to find them. In the field.

Yes, they have a cute private spot off the beaten path, where they have a Terry trailer and a few ‘red neck’ amenities. The more I know of Jamie, the more I know he’d hit it off with my brother, Michael. Cheryl and their son, Aaron, arrived soon after and we had a great visit. Morgan was also present, Cheryl’s guide dog and what a beautiful dog he is. You know me with big dogs, but I know a kind one when I see it.

The deck goes right to the water
or you can put your chair right IN the water to cool off

It was 2 ½ hours later when we left for home. We really enjoyed the visit. The wind was strong, around 21 mph, and certainly welcome with this humidity. I’m surprised their little haven, where it was, got the winds too. Bill had closed windows first thing this morning and had the a/c set to come on at 75F so when we returned home, it had just come on to run through a cycle. It wasn’t enough to make it chilly, just enough to make it comfortable.

Okay, finally - you get to meet my boss, Jamie
Cheryl and her guide dog, Morgan

I made myself a creamy tea and Bill stretched out in his recliner. I knew that was coming and I even feel a little tired myself. Out the window, I noticed more of the pretty brown birds. I’ve tried capturing them a few times but I’m never fast enough. They really stand out against the greenery so I followed them from inside the Suite until I got a couple or three or four good pictures. Then I joined Bill in my recliner with my book.

This one is a James Patterson and it is called You’ve Been Warned. I’m pretty sure that Bill wasn’t the only one who dozed. Something about working early and visiting Mom tires me out. Oh, I think the heat from sitting outdoors had something to do with it too. 😊 That’s my excuse anyway. At 6 we hadn’t fully decided what to eat as we’d snacked on cheese and a fat bomb when we got home. Neither of us was too hungry.

Simple, filling and yummy supper tonight
woops, my wrap unwrapped

So, we agreed on a couple of things. I had leftover asparagus soup and I made myself a tomato, lettuce and cheese wrap. Bill opted for a toasted tomato sandwich. Works for me! We had dishes done by 6:30, that’s how easy it was for us. With a dish of custard each for dessert, we certainly weren’t going to starve! Bill went to the Hangar; a blog post is coming soon folks! Just watch for it in the next few days on On Our Way.

Mixed bag in the sky tonight

The sky blackened to the north

But we only got about 25 rain drops

I downloaded the day’s pictures and finished my post. At 6:45 Donna texted about playing a game tonight so we agreed on a time for them to come here. Yay! We haven’t done that for a while let alone with Donna and Gerry. It will be fun. They arrived before 8 and Bill and I had the game board all set up. Guys against the girls and I’m happy to say that us girls won the night. 6/9 games. We were going for best out of 11. We had a few drinks together and they left around 11.

We had fun playing Double Series on a night
when we couldn't be sure it wouldn't rain on a fire

The night was beautiful so we opened up windows and went out to show them the Hangar in the dark. Good thing we have motion sensor lights on the Suite, our Bunky and his Hangar. Gerry and Donna were impressed with Bill has done and especially with the brightness inside. He has lots of light for doing the miniscule plane stuff that is often required. We said goodnight and we were in bed by 11:30.

This was a great day ending with a wonderful evening with my sister and her husband. IWe sure didn't get the rain that we expected. A few light showers during the day but nothing to water the garden very much. I hope you enjoyed your day too.

There are a lot of Brown Birds around
I think this might be a baby

Then he found a hole in our rocky grass to have a sand bath treatment

Oh-oh, I think he spied me in the window

Oh, he definitely sees me

And this is what happens when you ogle someone having a bath
You get a tongue lashing
Good night!

Thanks for the visit!