Day 13 and Mixed Feelings, Raking and Baking

The Ridge - Home Sweet Home

I can only assume it is because I was in bed at 10 pm last night, instead of 10:30 or later, that I was wide awake at 6:30 on Thursday, Apr. 2^nd. Bill was still sleeping so I rolled over on to my back and waited until he stirred. Our feet hit the floor at 7 and that felt a little better. The good news is that when I went downstairs and looked out the back window – we beat the sun up this morning! It was a treat to watch it pop its sunny head up above the horizon.

Good morning sunshine!

We had our tea and coffee together, reading our friend’s blog posts. Nice to see that everyone in those circles are healthy and for the most part practicing the appropriate social/physical distancing. We have to be in control of our own lives, it is up to us now and only us. Just staying safe and healthy is our goal. Bill and I are still restricted to home base for a couple more days. Today and tomorrow.

Frost on Black Beauty at 7:10

All gone!
what do you think of our Route 66 license plate?

I think we’re anxious to get out, off the property, and do a few normal things. As normal as possible. Shopping for ourselves, getting what we can on our grocery list is one key thing. Another one is doing our laundry, another getting Ptooties out of storage. We should be able to do all of these things carefully and safely. We’ve read all the information about bringing groceries into our home. A video was helpful and as sad as it is to be told ‘how to do that’, it is necessary and we will follow directions.

a better shot of some little
rhubarb sprouts

After being in quarantine for 14 days, because we came home from another country, the last thing we want is to step into an unsafe situation or encounter that ‘one’ person who didn’t self-isolate themselves to the nth degree. We just want to get through this unscathed like everyone else does. Before Bill went outside, I made him a couple of pieces of toast and I made myself a coffee.

from start to finish

The other day, I’d taken a bag of frozen Ridge apples out of the freezer with the plan to make something. So, I debated a few things and decided on using the last store-bought pie crust and make a crumble topped pie. It would take about an hour to bake so rather than pop it in right then, I got ready to finish an outside job this afternoon.

I dressed against the wind again, the sun was doing its best to warm the day up, but before too long, I had to cover my ears well from the cold. After gathering the piles of brush and leaves in the corral, I raked up around the Bunky and firepit. This doesn’t get raked each year but it should. It will help the grass by removing the old dead stuff. Bill will fertilize it before one of the next rainfalls. A warm rainfall.

Getting the yard cleaned up felt great

The wind was giving me grief in another way too. The leaves are light so I was forced to rake quickly and stop when the gusts increased in strength. When it abated for a while, I’d rush to gather the pile up into the wheelbarrow. It felt like a game but I still won with some patience on my side. Midway through my job, we came inside for a hot lunch of bacon and eggs.

The yard looks so much better now, what I didn’t gather was blown across the gravel and disappeared. I didn’t dump the load, instead stored it at the south side of the Bunky, out of the wind. I’d lose half of it trying to unload it in the brush pile.

I'll never remember the names of these birds

but I still appreciate them

After a couple of hours, I was done in. I walked down to tell Bill that I was moving inside. The sun was so warm but l resisted sitting out there anyway. It would have meant sitting in a sheltered spot and I had no desire to hunt for one.

I was happy to finish it
thanks to a few commenters who helped me from afar

Inside, I slipped my newly finished sweater on and took my tripod and camera outside for a (drum roll, please) ‘photo shoot’. Ha ha, humour me as I play the part and model my new creation for you.

and here it is modelled for you
sorry, I was being a bit silly
I wanted you to see the front and longer 'behind covering' back

Bill wouldn’t be up to the Suite for a couple of hours so that meant no tv. First, I popped the pie in the convection oven and then sat with my book. It was a good time to get into it without other things going on. I managed a few chapters, I like that they’re short ones, I chatted with my sister and then sat at my laptop to work on this post. Bill came in just before 5 and we sat to watch NCIS. The pie was sitting on the counter and boy, did it look yummy!

the winds were gusty all day today
keeping those temperatures at bay around 10C/50F

I took a couple of pictures of the pond
and it appears upset with the ripples

At 6, I got Madame IP out once more and sautéed a chicken breast and a pork chop for supper. Tonight, we had a salad as our side dish since we had many choices for dessert. Good choices too! We were eating by 6:30 and finished up with apple pie and cheddar. The pie was delicious and different with some raisins and walnuts added in the mix. It was an option in the cookbook (good ole Betty Crocker) but one I’ve never considered. I'm not a raisin fan – but Bill is.

And then I saw this!!!

sitting on the log
"They're ba-a-a-ck"

The walnuts were added for me and we both loved it. We cleaned up dishes and over my shoulder, as I sat at the table, I could see the sun dropping lower and lower. This was a wonderful day. I wanted to tell you that something else has returned. We have our singing frogs again! They started up last night much to Bill's chagrin. However, I love them!

I got a lot done outside today and finished my sweater inside. I’ll take another day like it tomorrow, please!

Supper pictures
Bill's chop on the bottom, my chicken on the top

My view from the window, hides the sun behind the pole
Good night and stay healthy!

Thank you for stopping by!

Sunshine Covers the Land, Winds Vamp Up, Work and Play

Home on the Ridge

On Wednesday, May 8^th I woke up feeling quite chilly. Well, not under the covers but when I stuck my hand out it was very cool air. We are comfortable with an overnight sleeping temperature of 62F, as a rule, not being cold sleepers like some of you. When I went to bed last night, I turned the Ultraviolet heater to ‘2’ and thought that would keep the temperature moderated for that 60 – 64F area.

Because there won't be a sunset tonight,
I'll share this one from last night after I'd posted

We both slept through, although mine again restless with Clemson shifting under the covers a few times (is he getting up? Nope), and I woke around 6:30 and got up to turn some heat up. It was only 58F/14C inside and 37F/2.7C outside. The winds were up though which would make it feel cooler still. We can’t seem to have one without the other some days. It sure is great to see a clear blue sky and the sun will warm things up by this afternoon.

A get up and go tea with coconut oil and cream

I made my tea and read blogs. Clemson slept until 8:30 and by then, I was too far into my book to go for a walk. Later, perhaps. I’ve been doing well at 4 miles/day so don’t want to slide now. When Bill is working, he easily does 6 miles without any effort at all. That is all to his benefit and with the keto lifestyle, it is showing in his weight loss. I’m so proud of him. My back feels much better today so I’m hopeful for some outdoor stuff later.

Yay! I got the point of the corral done finally
so many leaves and twigs in such a small area

I finished my book and the temperature in here has increased to 69F so I unplugged from power and turned the inverter on. We received our hydro bill the other day from Donna and we were both very pleased with our new electric heater. It is definitely cheaper than propane. I made a coffee at 10 and then got washed up. I chatted with Pat (and Rob got his 2¢in, haha) about Mom, Aunt Mary and then about keto and meal ideas.

I crept very quietly and these guys didn't see me
I count 6 on the nearest log and 1 anti-social on the distant one

I’m not feeling hungry yet so sat and made up a chart for Bill. He wants to keep track of water and propane fills. It is a pretty basic chart and one he can keep beside him at the table. I went outside with Clemson at 11:55, realizing that I had a letter to mail for one of Mom’s insurance policies and the mail gets picked up shortly after 12 noon. Clemson decided to wait for me on the patio mat, lazy bum, so I went down myself. By the time I returned, he gave me a look as if “why didn’t you wait for me?”

This little guy was further up and didn't mind me at all

Good thing I moved when I did as no sooner did we get inside the Suite again but the mail lady had just stopped to retrieve the letter. It was 12:05. Phew! Inside, I got a notice that Mom’s pharmacy bill was also due so I took care of that. How wonderful it is to have online banking! How did we ever manage paying bills before? I appreciate it even more being Mom’s power of attorney since she banks at a different bank than we do and some dealings would mean driving to Hanover or Owen Sound.

I made a phone call to Mom’s financial advisor to book an appointment so we can discuss investments and how best to handle a sizeable inheritance she received. I had to leave a message so will wait to hear back from Shannon for that. With the business taken care of AND the realization that the strong 10 – 18 mph winds were c-c-c-cold, I was in no hurry to go out and do some work.

This rock goes on our King chairs

First, I needed to eat anyway. I warmed up a nice piece of quiche and had some olives for additional fat consumption. Since I wasn’t hungry in the first place, that’ll fill me for the day. Bill reminded me this morning that we forgot to include a second sandwich for his lunch today so I felt bad about that. They have a food truck come in to Can-Am so at least he can buy something there. I’m going to blame the bread situation here since we only had 2 slices left, enough for one sandwich!

And the 'Ma Belle' rock has a place too

So, by 2ish I was ready to go out. When I’m going to work in the yard, I don’t want to be bogged down with too many clothes so I just layered a couple of hoodies, put on runners and work gloves. I managed to finish raking the corral and pick up the twigs and then the lane under the same tree. So many little branches fell this winter and made a mess! I took care of those two areas in about an hour and then decided to do something more enjoyable. Although, I don’t mind yard work generally.

I don't know if anyone remembers my wind vane from last year
when I spray painted it black after Rob spot welded it for me

I got out my paints, tablecloth and two big rocks that I wanted to paint. There are a few things and rocks around the property that I want to add a personal touch to. The wind was still strong but it wasn’t getting the better of me. I used wood and my paint kits to hold the tablecloth in place and just set to work. The sun was so warm that soon I wasn’t noticing the cool wind. When I finished those two, I gave them a clear coat finish. I like them!

Now they, too have a bit of colour

Now they truly look blind!

It was only about 4 pm and I really didn’t want to go inside yet.  I didn’t have my book outside so just sat and relaxed against the Suite where the wind wasn’t as bad but still there. It was coming from the northeast today. After a while, I decided to start burning some of the old wood pile so we could make room to bring the newer stuff up. We’d cut it up last summer and stacked it down by the Hangar. Before the Hangar was erected.

The old wood is on the right
and Bill started piling the new wood on the left last week
You can see the rest through the fence posts

I didn’t know how the fire would work out but because it is screened in, with one of my fire starters, it began instantly. Yay! I kept it going without any difficulty at all and moved the King chairs around to the east side of the pit out of the direction of the smoke. It was quite toasty and I just kept loading wood in on top of the bigger log to keep it ‘cooking’. I texted back and forth with Pat and talked with Bill at one point.

He was going to have a very late day after all. ☹ 

I saw this ugly little prince on the lane way
Not kissing him!

We were both hoping that he’d finish both trailer orientations at a decent time, like 5 ish, but that isn’t the case. Not much he can do but stick around until he finishes with the clients and see what time it is. He won’t have eaten either so will need to take care of that on his way home. I’ve asked him to use his judgement about coming home at all tonight. If it is late and he’s tired, I’d rather he stay one more night and take off early in the morning. We’ll see.

The pond water looked cold today

And our beautiful flag was doing a steady dance too

I had a beaut of a fire going for a couple of hours

Inside at 5, Clemson got fed and then when the air cooled even more at 5:30, I let the fire begin its die-down and closed up the bunky. It was time to start my own supper. Tonight, is Hamburger Stew in Madame IP. She’s excited, having been tucked away in the cupboard for a week. 😊

Ready

I added the rice pot lid
Set!

Cook

I heated the pot, sautéed onions and ground beef. Next, I added the list of tasty ingredients before placing the trivet on top and ignoring the carb/keto deal tonight, I put Instant Rice in the pot on top of the stew. Set it for 25 minutes because of the potatoes and walked away.

Done to perfection

 I caught up on my post while it cooked and Madame IP indicated completion at 10 to 7. I let it Natural Release for about 10 minutes before digging in.  Just before 7:30 I got the call that Bill was on his way home. I’m relieved and can figure out his arrival time. That’s all I need; he’ll be here before bedtime. I dished up my bowl of stew and added some rice to it. I’ve avoided carbs like the plague for the last couple of weeks, at least for the most part, so wasn’t too concerned about a tablespoon of rice.

And eaten with relish! (not real relish, you know what I mean)

It was delicious! I’d added sweet potatoes/yams instead of regular potatoes simply because I had some to use up. That added to the flavor and we have enough leftover for a couple of these rainy nights that are on the horizon. Yup, the clouds have moved in so we’ll get some rain, finally! I’m being sarcastic. More rain, just what we all need. Rumour has it in the Farmer’s Almanac (?) that May is going to just like this. Up and down, rain and more rain.

And here are the rocks placed
Obviously part of the king chairs need staining again

I cleaned up dishes and finished my post. The highest we reached today was 12C/55/F so not a bad day at all. This was a fun day for me. I did exactly what I wanted, when I wanted and some of it was work and some was play. Just the way I like a day to be. The turtles were out and I was able to sneak up on a bunch, even if the picture isn’t my best. The drakes were loud most of the day for some reason, in the pond and the frogs took longer to start singing. I hope you’ve enjoyed your day.

and the sun says goodbye before its normal time
And I say good night too

Thank you for your visit.

Day One Alone, Bill's Routine Starts, Raking, Purging

When I woke up first on Tuesday, May 1^st, it was 2:30 and Bill was letting Clemson out for a piddle. He didn’t go out before we came to bed so that is something I have to do tonight, especially when I’m alone. I don’t want an early morning wake up like that! The second wake up was to Bill’s alarm at 5 and then I must have dropped off because it was 5:45 when he was crawling across the bed to kiss me goodbye.

Bill is driving into the blue sky yonder
How poetic!

Today, he was making the familiar drive to London to work a couple of days. Getting back into the routine of packing his food and drinks in the cooler and his blankets and pillow took some getting used to again. I hope he remembered to take a book, but I’ll bet since he hasn’t got one on the go, he didn’t grab one. Could be a boring evening for him if he doesn’t have tv access.

the blue sky is coming and so is the wind

When I went to bed last night at 9:30, Bill was still up watching the Voice but it just isn’t grabbing me this season. I didn’t feel I was missing much by going to bed before it was over, especially when I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I much prefer American Idol. After getting in bed, my normal sleeping position wasn’t comfortable. Seems like I’d pulled a muscle in my upper back yesterday without realizing it and it was throbbing.

I think that is Fred and Ethel out there in the middle

I fought it and tossed and turned instead of getting up for a Tylenol. By the time Bill came up at 11, I was still awake so I got up and took a couple. Soon enough, I must have dropped off and slept well through most of the night and it doesn’t seem to be bothering me this morning. Clemson remained in bed when I eventually got up at 6:45 and didn’t get up himself until 8:45, the lazy bones.

Our turn for the grader

Bill texted at 8:05, to tell me he arrived at the far side of London, so he made good time, having left here at a few minutes before 6. The sky was filled with clouds so that wasn’t what I was expecting but I did see some blue sky coming from the west so I was encouraged. I had my tea first and wrote yesterday’s blog post before reading a few updates on what our friends have been up to. It is a new month and that means another 19 gb for our wifi usage. We managed to stretch it out for April although I was getting concerned 5 days ago if we would make it!

Much nicer road now

Bill had slipped Clemson’s sweater off through the night at some point so I don’t have to wrestle with that. He might feel chilly for a while outside until it warms up a bit, but it got him through the cold days at least. He loves his fleece sweater and fights against us disrobing him. What a nut! He sure won’t need it over the next few days if at all. Such a personality they have.

First thing on the agenda, I set about stripping the bed. Donna and I were discussing our king size beds in our trailers. Well, their ‘new’ one has a king and she was wondering if she’d need to buy regular king or deep pocket king sheets. I’ve always bought the only ones I’ve found and they tend to all be deep pockets. As you know, a mattress in an rv is different so our fitted sheet is always very sloppy and it drives me nuts. I wondered if a queen with deep pockets would fit since the mattress is not deep. 

No, Clemson you are supposed to be helping me make decisions over here!
He's bored already
Point of note - he stayed on the bed the whole 2 hours we were upstairs

That is what prompted this task today and the answer is no. My queen sheets w/deep pockets do not fit so I texted Donna. We can buy some really nice Egyptian Bamboo sheets here in Ontario at the Keady market, in Quartzsite and in Yuma but they are all deep pockets. My next discovery was that other than our fleece fitted sheet, which I obviously won’t put on now, I don’t have any more king fitted. Hmm. Guess I’ll need to go shopping. 

I did have an extra flat king size sheet and it was large enough for me to tuck it in around all edges. Depending on how well it stays tucked will determine how soon I do the laundry OR go shopping. It was time for a second tea and I had a bit of yogourt. I wasn’t hungry enough to cook anything, yet. 

The little guy moves pretty quick for an old fellow

While I was upstairs, I started at one end of the closet and began pulling things out. I was on a mission called “Ruthless Purge”. I figure if it didn’t get worn last winter or during our last summer here at home, it went in the bag. That is with the exception of dresses, skirts and fancier things for special occasions. I would be more careful with those but still not keep more than I need. Says who? Says me!

Clemson was my supervisor yet he sure didn’t seem too interested and certainly was no help at all. Hanger after hanger were being emptied and tossed on the bed and my huge Ikea bag was getting full to overflowing. I only parted with one pair of boots because I’d already thinned those out really well last fall. Purses, jewellery and belts, oh my!

A very full bag for the exchange

On Saturday, Donna and I are hosting our spring clothing exchange in Hanover. It sounds like a pretty good turnout and I’m not pretending that some things will not follow me home. That is the general idea and the purge/downsize is the bonus. Without spending a dime, we can bring home ‘new to us’ things. When we had our sticks and bricks home, there were almost as many things came back as went out but now I have to really really be sold on something to bring it home to the Suite.

Bill knows we ladies have a fun day and notices that I bring home less and less. Often, he gets together with Gerry at either the Ridge or the Acreage. Gerry needs to vacate his home for the afternoon. The boys are getting together this Saturday as well to cut some small trees down at the Acreage to make room for the rv’s to go in and out. I went out and moved everything in the bunky to do a really good sweep of the flies They keep appearing, dead, each time something is moved. I also wanted to look at what we all stored in there last fall.

I found a few things that can go to Goodwill and I pulled my Braun food processor out to try and sell. You never know, I might get something for in my pocket and if not, it will also get donated. I have my blender in the Suite and that does the job for any of our needs. Also, I took a picture of our large tv, we’ve decided to sell that as well to make more room in the bunky. We’ll put our small 20” tv on the wall in the hopes that will give me room to make puzzles in there. Yay!

My irises coming to life

 After that was cleaned out, I got our leaf rake out and began raking a few of the sheltered areas. My flower garden being one and with that little bit of attention, it looks so much better already and I can see new growth with that dead foliage removed. The wind is so strong today that raking the grass anywhere else is just a battle. Maybe tomorrow I’ll get our site cleaned up and down the hill beside the corral. What an absolutely gorgeous day! The temperature rose to 25C as expected and that was despite the winds.

I'll be eating chives from my garden soon

While raking, Rob made a distress call to me. They were test driving his GMC and had a problem. When they contacted Bill, he told them where he was and that I had the truck and could help with a pull. Time to pay back for their kindness to us over a week ago. Geesh! Was that only 10 days ago? I put Clemson in the back, strapped his seatbelt on him and we headed off to find where they were stranded.

Before I met up with them, he managed to get the truck running and were headed home to Durham. I kept going just in case until Rob called and said they were home. Well, it was an adventure aborted and that was a good thing, but I wasn’t able to return the favour after all. I drove back to the Ridge and carried on with my raking. Around 3:30 I called it quits and just sat in the shade until my body temperature cooled down, then moved to the sun to sit.

He ran up the hill before I even got off the gravel

Clemson and I walked down the lane, on his leash this time, and we walked to the neighbours so I could place an invite to the clothing exchange in their mailbox for Cheryl. I’d meant to do that sooner but kept forgetting. When we got back to our property line, I let Clem off his leash in the front field. He didn’t run but he did bee-line to the laneway, glancing back to make sure I was following. I gathered our own mail and was surprised to receive an anniversary card from Rob and Pat. Thanks buddies!

I’d like to say it was peaceful sitting out there for about 45 minutes but with the spring peepers, it wasn’t what Bill would call ‘peaceful’ at all. I rather enjoy listening to them and it isn’t ‘noise’ to me in any way shape or form. Their loud, incessant chirping just blends in with my music or my thoughts, inside or out and I carry on as if there was silence. If the window was open and we were watching tv, that is when I don’t appreciate their song.

another look at my garden, cleaned up a bit

Back inside at 4:30, I prepared Clemson’s supper and did my best not to sit in my chair or I would be asleep. I want to sleep well tonight so tomorrow comes sooner. I’m just a big suck at night when Bill is away. I miss him and the secure feeling of his presence. My imagination runs rabid sometimes and this being my first night back up here alone will be no exception. At least it is our good tv night so I won’t be idle, listening to sounds. I know, as I said, I’m a suck!

and from a different angle
I'll need to buy more mulch for sure

For supper, I sure wasn’t thinking and planned a big fat nothing. I have a package of liver frozen, still in the freezer and these days are when I'd planned on eating it while Bill is away. He doesn't like liver at all. I’ll fry up some bacon (I missed having it this morning), make a salad and warm up my leftover jewels in the fry pan. It is almost 6 and I’m getting hungry so time to start the process.

this turned out quite good!

I’ve been long winded today so I better finish this post. Are you still awake? I talked to my sweetie a couple of times today and will once more when he finishes work and then at bedtime. I have enjoyed this day, managed to get a few things done and will do my relaxing this evening. I hope you’ve enjoyed this wonderful spring/

summer-like day!

Clemson and I say goodnight to Bill from the Ridge

I love knowing that you are following my blog and it is a thrill to hear from you. Please feel free to leave a comment, it will be read and responded to in time.