Laundry, Lawn Care, A Turnaround and Company for Supper

The Ridge

Wednesday, May 20^th, a day we have been waiting for. The turnaround. We’ve had mild days but other than one or two, they have been accompanied by clouds, rain and monster winds. 

After I posted my blog on Tuesday night, we had
a taste of Arizona out our windows

We’ve come to learn that we can’t have everything so have learned to be satisfied with the things presented to us. Today was to be the first of the days when we would reach temperatures in the upper teens and lower 20’s. That means 65 to 72 to our American friends.

I just had to share them with you today

This was the day we woke up to on Wednesday
woops! without the reflection of the window

We had planned on doing laundry this morning as the sky would be blue and the sun glorious. I knew it would also be windy but that is good when drying clothes. After showers and our drinks, Bill had a project of his own to do so I headed into town before 9. Arriving at the Mat, I was the only one again and was happy to see such a clean place! But then, hmmm, I’m apparently not missed at all. ☹ I’m glad that Jamie is managing all the same.

Jamie is working on a new sign to replace
this ho-hum one
Wait until you see it!

The Mat was spic and span

I still love the checkerboard wall

After loading 3 washers, 1 of which had my hoodies, long winter coat and puffy vest I went for a walk to Foodland. Town was busy so I’m assuming more and more businesses in the downtown area are opening. I’m hoping so, I’m anxious to get back to the relaxed feeling of walking into the little stores. 

Walking towards Foodland

At Foodland, I didn’t go in but instead perused their outside garden area. Just getting ideas and prices as I do like to support local unless their prices are too out of whack. We’ll be back in later.

I liked the looks of the geraniums

I walked back to the Mat just on time. The clothes were done. Back home, Bill carried the basket up the hill for me and then I realized just how windy it was. Goodness, it is a fight to get the clothes on the line when the gusts are over 20 mph but I managed and still enjoy the smell of fresh clean clothes off the line. While I did that, Bill took the mower out to the front field. The grass is getting long and soon I’ll have to cut the ‘lawn’ in front of the Suite too.

It was a wrestling match getting the clothes hung 

I made myself a coffee and was going to sit outside but the southeast winds made that very uncomfortable. Bill finished cutting the front grass and when I saw him coming up the lane at 11:45 I started frying his bacon and eggs. He wasn’t stopping so I went out and flagged him down when the eggs were on. I had my quesadilla omelette from yesterday and fried that up to delicious perfection.

Inside, we were both sad to see these cacti had broken off our
southwest planter

There is one tall one left but how long before it drops off is anyone's guess

Sending him back out to do his thing, I did the dishes. That took all of 5 minutes. When he put the mower away we drove into Durham. Because he had some Home Hardware shopping to do, I suggested he drop me at Foodland for a few food stuffs and then my plants. He wasn’t able to get inside the hardware store to wander yet, but the store owner, Josh, ran around and got most of what Bill needed so my ride was waiting when I finished in the garden centre.

Mr. Blue Jay is picking at seed droppings

Don't get cheeky with me!
I'll fill the feeders when I'm ready!

I didn’t get a lot but did get tomato and green pepper plants at least. In the flower department, I found some healthy-looking geraniums in red and white but their last few marigolds looked a little worse for wear. They can keep those. 

This is the planter but not a good picture
There are little white flowers on viney stems

Their hanging baskets were on sale for $10 so I picked one of those as well. Maybe I will stay low key this year, we’ll see. It’s a good price for the hangers so I might get a couple more later.

A walk down the lane
and only the brave turtles remained on the logs

I try so hard not to spook them
and a few don't bother moving
They're my favourites. :)

Back home, I put the groceries away and around 2, the clothes were dry. That was fun too, holding the folded clothes in the basket at the same time as holding the line from twirling. LOL Hopefully soon, that won’t be an issue – the twirling, I mean. We need to get some cement for the base. 

Flipping them over and removing
the membrane is the hardest part

And 'there's the rub'

They fit perfectly all spiced up

Bill and I'd decided over lunch to invite Donna and Gerry out for supper, we knew they were going to be at the Acreage this afternoon.When they accepted the invite, I pulled out 2 racks of pork ribs.

I wanted to be out in the sun but the black flies were making an appearance. They weren't as bad up here as they were at the Acreage the other day. I’m sure that is one reason to be grateful for the strong winds. I put on some tea tree oil, around my face and neck as a precaution and went outside. 

Remember this tree?
The 2 branches on the far side had broken in early April
Bill cabled wrapped together to try and help it

The front branch is the healthy one
The back top one is the repaired one
Slower to bud but still coming! Yay!

 At 4:30, I removed the membrane from the ribs and rubbed the spices into them. They would take 45 minutes to cook and 20 minutes on NR so I set it to start at 5. Donna and Gerry arrived and she brought a cabbage salad (cole slaw) to add to the meal. We wouldn’t need anything else with all of these ribs. 

We dug the chairs out from under the bed so we could eat together at the table

 I forgot to take a picture of the table setting with food but you get the picture. Everything tasted great, Madame IP has not let us down yet.

Saying goodbye to our guests

Goodbye!

I loaded the dishwasher to give it a run through and after D & G left at 8, we sat together to watch some tv. This was a perfect day in all ways. We got the laundry done, some plants purchased, some grass cut, a nice meal with family and a few other things taken care of. What more can we ask for? I hope you are able to same about your day.

An important picture here
If you look closely to the left side of the feeder
Our first hummingbird and he was thirsty!
Spring has officially arrived.
Good night!

Thank you for popping by!

Laundry, Lawn Maintenance, Shopping with Mom, Cooling Off

I know I slept well as I woke up later on Tuesday, June 19^th at 7:15. Hmm, I remembered being semi-awake when Bill let Clemson out for a piddle at 6:45 or so but it was a very restful slumber. I had gone up to the bedroom last night at 10 and watched a new program until 11 when Bill retired. Staying up that late is not my norm, for sure. I wasn't surprised that I'd slept so late.

Nice looking sky today

We both got up and made a coffee and tea in our to-go mugs. The laundry just needed to be loaded into the Rav and we drove to town together. Bill helped load the 4 machines (lots of dirty clothes this week!) and then left to run some errands around Durham. I read the flyers on the bulletin board, as per usual, and read a few chapters in my book. The 4^th of July by James Patterson, in case I hadn’t told you. It is a good one.

Bill returned with only 10 minutes left on the washers and with the basket full of damp clothes now, we stopped briefly at Rob and Pat’s. After waking with them next door to us for 8 mornings, we felt the need to say “good morning” in person. Ha ha, there was also another purpose for our stop. Back home, I hung the laundry and Bill hopped on the mower to finish the grass cutting.

I used the picture from yesterday, since I didn't take many today at all

It was only 10 so I got my mower out and cut as much as I could in half hour before the battery sounded fatigued. It didn’t get charged after I cut the last time, over a week ago so I wasn’t surprised. I cleaned up and changed to go and visit Mom. There is a vendor, Geri Fashions, who brings clothing into Rockwood for the residents and I’d never taken Mom down before. She was asleep on the bed when I arrived but was delighted to be woken up.

Mother Goose and a couple of babies rush down the laneway ahead of me

We went down to the auditorium and there was a very nice selection of everything they would want. I told Mom just to look and see if anything appealed to her. She surprised me by choosing some pants, some tops and a comfortable looking lounge set. By the time I needed to take her to lunch, she had switched to asking the prices but I kept her mind off that as much as possible. It will be nice to make a switcharoo in her closet, out with the old and in with the new. Except for her favourites. 😉

There was no hesitation, even though I was driving really slow

I left her at her dining table and went back to take care of the bill. The ladies put the items into a bag with Mom’s name and they will be labelled accordingly before placing them in her closet. It was easy to tell by the look on Mom’s face, which ones she would wear and which ones would be a waste of money. We saw Rob and Pat down there as well with Aunt Mary who enjoys choosing her outfits as well.

I stopped at the Rethreads store in town and dropped off the box of donations I had leftover from the yard sale. Then it was homeward bound where Bill had finished the lawn cutting and was into list-making for another project on his agenda. This is a beautiful day, a lovely 70F/21C. Perfect for whatever you wanted to get into. I can’t finish the lawn until tomorrow when the battery is fully recharged.

Before I trimmed, I couldn't see the laneway from this vantage point

Since we hadn’t eaten, Bill made himself a toasted tomato sandwich and I toasted up 2 crusts left in the loaf. Yes, it is bread but I spread butter and sugarless homemade jam from a local on the pieces. That is my justification for toast and jam. We have unplugged from power as the sun is prominent enough today to keep our batteries charged. I made a quick phone call to Old Joe’s Cabin in Walkerton making a reservation for dinner tomorrow night. More on that tomorrow.

Bill and Clem were ready for a snooze. They walked to the mailbox together and Bill said Clemmy was quite playful outside for half hour. Probably wore his little 13 yr. old body out. The rest of the afternoon went smoothly, I concentrated on my book and Bill puttered around on his planes and other small projects. At 4 I brought the clothes in off the line and we took turns putting them away.

And I was getting close to the end of my book
and not budging from this comfy spot

I finished the mystery and filled Bill’s empty hangers (he’d purged his clothing a week or so ago) with the shirts that he’d selected of his Dad’s. I’ve jokingly told him that I shouldn’t be seeing him in the same shirt day after day after day. Men, I’m thinking they’re all the same, tend to wear the same thing over and over which just makes a ‘dirty’ shirt that much more difficult to get clean in the wash. Anyway, he doesn’t need to do that now.

This blue sky on the horizon never changed from mid afternoon to early evening

The clouds weren't moving either

At 5:30 my hunger bells were going off so I asked Bill to light the Weber and I prepared some potatoes in butter and foil for grilling. We have a 3-pack of small pork loin chops that are thawed and we can share. A bit of mixed veggies on the side will make for a good supper. The clouds have moved in but it is still a very comfortable 70F, so not much change in the day at all.

These clips are fun to watch
If it were a movie, you'd get the full action of their playtime

He circles Bill and barks at him
with his hearing loss, we wonder if he hears himself :)

I think it is safe to say that Clemson won this one
When they were done, he gave his Daddy a kiss

This has been an enjoyable day. I had fun shopping with Mom, actually helping her to spend some cash. Mom is forever under the illusion that she is outside the door to the ‘poorhouse’ with one foot about to step in. For most of her life, with Daddy, they struggled to make ends meet. That is what she remembers and is always concerned with cost. Today, we stepped away from the door and added to her wardrobe.

Supper was good

After supper and dishes, we watched some tv together and I chose my next murder mystery to read. I’m going to try Bad Guys written by Linwood Barclay, it looks like a good one. Bill put the riding mower away in the shed and we decided that the bunky doors and windows could remain open. There was no rain in the immediate forecast. I finished my post and relaxed with my sweetie.

A picture perfect evening

I hope yours was a fun day too. The humidity is gone and the air has cooled down considerably. We are still enjoying these very beautiful days. Thank you for reading and for any comments you wish to leave.