Summer Heats Up, A Purge Inside and Outside

The Ridge

On Monday, Aug. 26^th I woke up feeling refreshed. Gibbs was bouncing back and forth between the window on my side of the bed, and down to the door – and so on, a few times. I thought Bill was just gathering up garbage since it was pick up day. It was only 6:30. I wish it had been that simple. ☹

Good morning
Last night, a bright orange ball dropped below the horizon.

Not to be outdone by returning this morning
in a blaze of glory again!

No, he was trying different things to see why our batteries went dead overnight. That’s not good! We were plugged in to power over night and this morning when he got up, we had no 12-volt power – which except for appliances, 95% of our power comes from. I’m bad at understanding this kind of stuff and Bill has the patience of Jobe re-explaining it to me. ♥

All we can figure, is that our battery charger (which we bought when we got our lithium batteries) has given up the ghost. Nothing major would have been running over night but something went cuckoo. He spent a fair bit of time, back and forth, trying to get an answer but we both had to get to work this morning. I heated a pot of our drinking water (the water pump doesn’t work on 110) to wash with and we made our drinks and left.

A quick snapshot of the 2 Moonflowers this
morning but the second one was too far away.
I was a bit rushed.

Dropping the garbage at the mailbox,
this was the view east.

I loaded the 2 recycle bins and garbage bag in Ptooties to drop at the road when I pulled out. Bill wasn’t too far behind me, heading for his job site. When I returned home an hour and a half later, the sun had started doing its duty and charged the panels hence charged our batteries to 12.1 volts. They improved by the hour and we were fully charged by noon. 😊

This shouldn’t have happened but a battery charger replacement is a lot cheaper than buying a converter so we'll talk about which way to go. Things can’t go smoothly, right? That wouldn’t be the norm for most of us, so we deal with it and move on. 

purgings from my closet
Time to get rid of some jeans - it's hard when they
all still fit so well. It's a matter of choosing the BEST to keep!

It was a hot, humid day so I stayed inside with Gibbs where it was cooler and did some closet purging. I needed to get rid of some things and these clothing exchanges are the perfect push for me. If things didn't fit me, the choice to purge would be a lot easier. LOL

Today's pizza.

With just two drawers left to do, I stopped for today. Lunch time found me making one of my tortilla pizzas but I wasn’t as successful with this one. It was still very good but I browned my crust too much before adding the cheese, sauce and toppings. Oh well, it was still quite yummy. Gibbs and I went outside and did a walk-about. That found me down by the Hangar.

This is the dead tree area.
Bill has cleared most of it himself
so I moved all the recent cuttings from the left corner.

There was a lot of brush still in the area that Bill was cleaning out around the dead tree. (yes, it is still there). I wasn’t properly dressed but you know when you start doing something, since I was down there anyway, it’s hard to stop. I risked a few scratches as I dragged everything I could see that Bill had recently cut. This was my outside purge, helping Bill clean up what he'd already cut.

to a pile behind the cargo trailer.
I'll move it tomorrow to the brush pile.

With the huge pile up behind his cargo trailer, I decided to wait until I was better dressed to drag it to the brush pile. Short shorts, halter top and flip flops were just not appropriate! I was very hot and sweaty anyway, so came up to the shade with Gibbs and downed some water. Time for a shower, it was crazy itchy! 😊

Whatever will he do when he has no stoop to sit on?

Once I was all cleaned up, I didn’t want to go out too soon so I worked on my laptop for an hour or was it two? By 3 pm, we were at duplicate of yesterday’s temperature so the fans inside were helping to move the air. We should get a bit of relief with possible showers in the next day or two.

This afternoon was pleasant if you were in the shade as there was a lovely breeze. Bill pulled into the laneway as Gibbs and I were almost down to the end to check the mail and bring the bins up. That saved me some lugging as he put the bins up on the tonneau cover.

I laughed at this picture but
had to include it anyway.
I had my phone set up on the fence for a selfie
and this is me convincing Gibbs to come and pose.

Then we both missed it after all! 

This is his way of walking with Mom
to get the mail. About 3' behind sniffing everything odd.

Come on, Pokey!

The mail was for me, from the Ministry of Transportation telling me that I have been approved for NOT having to wear glasses when I drive. 😊 That was a determination at my eye check-up and I can remember way back when, with my first pair of glasses, indicating that I needed them. I’ve always been far-sighted so not sure why I thought that. My new license will arrive in a few days.

It was a lovely day. Did I say that?

Our brush has overgrown this year,
we should be able to see SOME of the pond
through here.

Bill moved the hammock into the shade and relaxed with Gibbs. I sat in my lounge chair not far from him with my book. That was the coolest place on the Ridge. 

They relaxed in the shade with a great breeze
beside me.

I laughed when I got to this sentence in my book.
Nancy K will get a kick out of it. 
It was actually one of our Phrazles a week ago. 😃

For supper, we had smoked sausages. Bill had his on a bun with fried potatoes on the side. I had mine w/o the bun and cauliflower on the side. It was a good meal with some sliced tomato from my plants. Yum.

I do enjoy the smoked sausage but those
tomatoes? Yummy!

It has been a great day and the evening will be a quiet one, either reading or watching a movie. Last night’s was so-so with Gerard Butler (who made up for it) called Last Seen Alive. He’s such a cutie in my eyes. ♥ 

I had a visitor just off our patio where I 
was sitting.
Pictures aren't perfect, it was hard to catch her
opening her wings. That's my excuse!

FYI: Bill placed an order for a new battery charger that will be here within a few days. It's the affordable route for us right now. He went to the Hangar after supper and watched his own movie while working on his new plane. He is scratch building a big one. 😊

Madame Monarch says
Good night!

Thank you for the visit!

Purging up a STORM

The Ridge

On Sunday, Apr. 11^th I was awake and up before Bill. That is rare but I know he was up late watching movies way past my bedtime.  Within 30 minutes, he was downstairs joining me for our morning brew. 

The sheds were looking pretty wet from the early
morning rain

The forecast was for a fair bit of rain today and it started around 7am. The nice thing is that it was a gentle rain, reminding me of the words ‘listen to the rhythm of the falling rain’. But I was/am no fool and looked forward to a quiet day with my sweetie. 😊

Bill requested an omelette sandwich
so I focused on what I learned in Cancun 

and it turned out great

Bill had his on toast

I had to sit and finish posting my blog because I was too tired and/or lazy to do it last night. Bill went out to the storage shed and in between rain showers, using my garden wagon, brought his tool box up the hill from his Hangar to the storage shed. He rearranged a lot of things and purged along the way. When I came out, I went into the Bunky. Where to begin?

The gardens were perking up 

and the grass was greening up

These irises have stretched up at least 2" since Friday

We have a ‘loft’ shelf where all the extra futon sheets, pillows and blankets go for storage. They are in vacuum bags so I’d forgotten exactly what we had. 

The loft after I removed things

Our futon doesn’t always get used; I don’t think we had overnight visitors last summer at all but I still like to keep queen sheets on hand. I dealt with those as well as the toys I’ve picked up for Easton, my painting equipment, and cleaned up the desk so I could prepare the table for the tv.

Value Village donations

Auction offerings

One minute, this sky

It took a couple of hours and I was back and forth to the storage shed, the Hangar and the Bunky, as was Bill. At certain points it didn’t seem like we were really getting anywhere but soon I could see a difference in his efforts and the Bunky was getting organized! There were about 3 sheets set to get rid of and a couple of pillows. I had my radio on FM so listening to rock tunes kept me moving. I had a request to model my poncho so here it is.😊 

It looks better on the hanger

I had piles of things to add to my donations pile and after chatting with Bill, a couple of our good comforters to take to the auction. We’ll never use them again, proven already over the last couple of years. Any garden tools that I’d dropped in the Bunky at the end of last season were put back in the storage shed on the shelf designated for them. Things were looking good!

And later, this sky

By now, the rain had stopped and the sun was making brief appearances. Around 3, we were done. I sat outside in my shorts with my book and the sky was blue with a few clouds and the sun was hot. Within minutes, I was covered in goosebumps and had to change back into my jeans when the big heavy clouds took over. The rest of the afternoon was exactly like that but I didn’t change my outfit anymore!

In between the rains and working, I squeezed a walk down to the road

We came inside around 4:30 and at 5 I began supper. I wanted to try and sell one of my new Volkswagens that I bought at the Rockford (?) auction so took pictures and put it on FB’s Marketplace. I know what it is worth as a collectible so thought I’d give it a try. I’m not out anything if it doesn’t sell but could be ahead of the game if it does. 😊

My Volkswagon

I made meatloaf for supper, as I promised Bill yesterday. He loves my meatloaf and it is always good for two meals. Today, I cooked it in the oven rather than Madame IP, but that meant an hour of convection baking vs 25 minutes. We like the crispiness that creates. I cooked Bill some white rice on the stove, some cauliflower rice for me (60 secs in the microwave) and mixed vegetables for both of us. It was delicious!

All ready for the oven

Perfect supper

We didn’t need dessert so did the dishes right away. The weather outside had dramatically changed before our meal was ready. Dark heavy clouds moved in and the rain and thunder lasted for about an hour before it moved on. Below the clouds, to the west, I wondered if we would get a pretty sunset since there was a pink ribbon on the horizon. Sure enough, as we were sitting at the table, Bill pointed out the window.

No where as good here as it really was

This was a great day; I feel so good with what we accomplished again today. Bill managed to get a post done today so everyone curious about our shelter, Jackie, can check it out at On Our Way. M called to confirm a few 3-hour day jobs starting tomorrow so the week will fly by for me. At this time of year, that isn’t always a good thing but at least I won’t be bored! 😊

at the end of the storm ........😃
Good night!

Thank you for stopping in!

Easy Going Day Off – Purging Like Crazy! Wild Winds Up Here

The Ridge

On Tuesday, Mar. 30^th we woke to a decent spring morning. Bill was off to work by 6:30 and I was up by 7. I had the inner debate with myself about whether to walk now or wait. Well, it was 4C/40F so not too bad out but it was windy, quite windy. Our meteorologist suggested walking early ‘if’ we were going to walk today (does she know me?) because the wind speed would increase to 70 km or higher by afternoon.

The moon was in a waning Gibbous phase 
Pictures from inside a trailer don't show the magnificence of it at all

The morning sunrise was beautiful as I sat at my laptop

But I decided that I would have my tea and then head out. The wind was biting for sure and walking south on Baptist Church Road put it right in my face. I’m glad I stopped at the Bunky for my scarf and hat. I walked fast and took a walking stick, easing along pretty good in my running shoes. Nice to have dry roads and I didn’t need my boots for warmth. It was a lovely walk and by the time I got to Turbine Lane, I was plenty warm.

Our friend from London, who gave us
Goose the Spruce contacted us yesterday
to see how we and Goose are doing. 😁
What a wonderful surprise to hear from Dave Gosset!

Almost to Turbine Lane

My turning around point today

Turning back, I actually had to loosen my scarf around my chin as the sun warmed and walked along with me. 😊 My coat was half undone as I came up the lane. I remembered that my little sister was celebrating a big birthday tomorrow so went online to find something to send to her. Our card should have reached her by now, but with the Royal Mail, who knows. She sent me a lovely home-made booklet on my 50^th, something I will treasure forever and wanted her to feel the same 💗.

These red-winged blackbirds are so hard to capture on camera
but I got him!

The pond is really high right now making we wish we had our kayaks

This is from farther up the lane, almost to the corral
Lots of little 'islands' in this section

I was feeling hungry and even though it was only 10:30, I set about making something to eat. I’m gearing for April 1^st to ‘really’ get back on track for eating right again. No fools joke, I need to smarten up with some of my choices. So, Madame IP boiled some eggs for me and I cut up peppers, cheese, tomatoes, the eggs and added pepperoni slices to my plate. Along with a coffee with creamer and coconut oil, I had a filling brunch.

5 - 5 - 5 always works well for me

If I ate like this every day, I'd be right on track with my keto/paleo
lifestyle but.............I don't.

With the few dishes out of the way and supper semi-planned in my head, I went upstairs to the closet. The dreaded, over-stuffed clothes closet. Slugging clothes back and forth from house to house sure makes you realize what you have and don’t need. Bill will say that I can still get rid of a lot but I’ve done well and have 2 garbage bags packed with all-seasonal clothing. Some were harder to put in the bags but other things went from hanger to bag with no shedding of tears. 😊

Last fall, I began the process but I wasn't very serious
today, I got right into it

In the middle of that process, I heard a door and then a knock. Crap! I was only half dressed as I usually try everything on – everything, to make my decisions. By the time I quickly threw a dress on and ran to the door, the postal lady was back in her vehicle and had left a box for Bill at the door. I waved at her to thank her. We weren’t expecting it until tomorrow but this is better with me home for sure. I texted him and carried on with the job at hand.

There it is, a favourite view and it looks
like our neighbours are having their trailer removed

An example of how windy is got
This heavy iron gate is hard to move but it had lifted off
the post by mid day

I lifted it back in place so it doesn't block the entrance for Bill

With that done, I lugged the two bags out to the Bunky. The winds are playing havoc up here so I’m glad we have everything battened down. When I hear a bang I wonder what it is and yet when I go out to check, things are still in place. The satellite dish is still standing and that is important. I have other things to purge, like the coats and jackets in the hall cupboard as well as things in the bathroom cupboards. All for another day.

I break up crusts for the birds
Finally, after tossing it out yesterday, the birds found it all

You're welcome!

As an Avon lady, I end up with all kinds of things stocked up. That isn’t a bad thing at all, as I’m still using a lot of it. However, there are plenty of other things, half bottles of non-Avon stuff, etc. that need to be sorted through. I gave myself a facial while up in the bathroom, as a reward for all the purging, and now my face feels like a million bucks! Ha ha, well, a few hundred thousand at least! I’m not sure if the mail lady had any other mail for us so I walked down around 3:30 to check.

It's too early to put things out in the yard yet but
I did put my bright yellow painted rocks in the little garden

Then it was time for a tea and a few chapters of my book. Bill came in around 5:30 and I started supper soon after. He removed one of our propane tanks and loaded it in Black Beauty so he can fill it tomorrow. Weekly, for a while, we may be doing that. The same for water from Rob and Pat’s for our tank and water from town for drinking. I’ll get that tomorrow. For supper, I wanted to do something different with sausage but the recipe I tried to follow didn’t end up working. Hmmm, I had to improvise.

Our hibiscus is safe from the weather but
that wind sure played havoc with the shelter today
Two winters ago, Goose was still small enough to fit under here
Now he is 5' tall! 🌲

Well, it turned into a kind of casserole with the sausage meat, mushroom soup, cheddar, bisquick and mixed vegetables. It was dry, too dry for my liking but it tasted good. We have leftovers so tomorrow night, I’ll have to add more soup or something to make it juicier. We had apple custard crisp for dessert, again, mine with cream. I forgot to make some whipped cream so tomorrow I’ll do that as well. 

Bill was a good sport again
He had a potato and I had cauliflower rice
He calls things like the sausage casserole 'pussy-muck' 😂
He isn't far wrong!

We took care of dishes and then passed the time until 8 when we put our recorded movie on. The Love Stories of Sunflower Valley one. 🌻 Mushy and far-fetched yes, but cute and I enjoyed watching it with my sweetie. The winds haven’t abated much and probably won’t until overnight. We’ve been lucky that the strong gusty winds have been coming head on from the southwest to the nose of the Suite, rather than broadside. I rocked a fair bit today but it could have been much worse.

Tonight's 'after the sunset' picture is gorgeous

The sun set around 7:35 and it was just as pretty as last night in its own way. This was a good day.

Mar. 30, 2019
We were on our way home with our buddies
Rob and Pat's set up
at Arrowhead Lakes Resort, Wapakoneta, OH

And ours
We'd had some snow overnight there so we knew we were close to home

Not sure how many more memory photos I'll do but I'm enjoying them

Good night!

Thank you for stopping by. Your comments are always welcome.