Clearing Skies, Laundry, Weed Trimming, Quiet Afternoon, Name That Shed!

On Sunday, Aug. 26^th I was up at 7 and out the door for my walk. The sky was filled with gray clouds, some darker than others, but I felt positive that they would pass. I was determined to get a walk in this morning. It was so peaceful at this time of the morning and my walk took me down the lane, west on North Line and south on Baptist Church Road to the turbine entrance. Then, back again. It was more leisurely than usual and I did my arm exercises as I walked.

A cloudy view of the turbines

Cloudy sky

Everyday I walk over this pretty rock, imbedded in the
asphalt

When I returned at 7:35, Bill was getting up. I’d already let Clemson out before I left so he remained snuggled up in bed. When Bill came down, we had our morning brew and read blog posts to see what our friends did the previous day. Most of us experienced rain, even as far west as Tuscon, Az. Nancy was getting some pretty outstanding thunder storms and was right outside snapping pictures for us. You can check them out on her blog at Kissack Adventures.

this looks promising

There was promise in the sky, as I’d hoped, as the clouds at least lightened up. Bill had a couple of pieces of toast for energy and went out and began trimming the weeds around the buildings and fences on the property. I sorted and loaded 2 loads of laundry and 2 loads of sheets, bedspread and linens into the Rav. By the time I left for Durham, I had Plan A in my head, that I would be drying them all at the laundromat rather than bring them home to hang. The sky looked 'iffy' again.

Our Suite peeks through the trees

The marshy pond is still

I loaded the 4 machines and sat outside on the bench with my Kobo and phone, texting back and forth with Donna and our friend, Pat. Before the wash loads were done, the clouds had pretty much moved out of the way and I decided to go to Plan B. So, thinking of the amount of space on my umbrella dryer, I tossed the sheets and heavy chenille bedspread into the dryer. The clothes were folded wet to avoid wrinkles, and I brought them home to hang.

It was just after 10:30 when I nipped into Foodland, they are never closed! I wanted to get more Zero Coke for Bill and also found a sampler pack of Flavoured Soda Water. Dr. Persaud suggested that Bill give it a shot since he isn’t fond of water. The cost is not a big deal for us, not that we have a money tree or anything, but we were buying Cranberry Juice by the gallon and always had Coke in the fridge anyway. One just replaces the other. I hope he likes the Soda Water.

He was hungry today

After hanging the clothes, Bill had finished the back half of the Ridge trimming. We discussed having lunch after he finished the front property. I gave him 30 minutes and when I saw him walking up the drive, that was my cue to start the bacon and eggs. At least today offers a good day for barbecuing supper, I just have to see what is in the freezer. I cleaned up dishes and made the bed up while Bill relaxed in his recliner. He’s been on the go since 9 so deserves a catnap.

Sitting here, catching up on my post, I was surprised to see Clemson cleaning out his dish. The little guy must be hungry! He never, may I repeat NEVER eats all of his hard food. There is always some left in the dish that he might peck away at a couple of times a day. I guess he’s totally feeling better. He still isn’t comfortable jumping up onto the bed and I’m nervous for him, so have been lifting him up each night. He has done it twice but it must have been too scary. He used to enjoy going up there often throughout the day but now is missing out on that.

I don't know if you can see Bill in the storage shed working
on his table, but he's in there
this is the only picture I will share
Check his post out at On Our Way

The rest of the day was free. I was going to cut the sitting area of the lawn (my responsibility) with the small mower, but by the time I’d finished hanging clothes I was lovingly informed that I wasn’t going to be doing that. The day was already hot and even though Bill was still working, he wanted me to wait until the cool of tomorrow morning to take care of it. No problem! I didn’t have plans for early Monday other than a walk. I pulled some meat out of the freezer and took my Kobo outside to sit and relax.

Bill was happy, working on the rolling table that he wants in his shed. Hmm, taking Shirley’s advice, we need to come up with a better name. I’ll keep you informed! We’ve got a Ridge Roost, a Ridge Restroom, Black Beauty, Ridge Rav and a Suite so maybe by the end of the day, we’ll have a new name. 😊 I wasn’t outside long and Donna texted asking if we were around and that they were going to pop over on their way home from the Acreage.

Donna and I sat and chatted in the king chairs and compared ‘Mom’ stories while Bill and Gerry wandered down to the new shed and discussed Bill’s plans for a table et al. It was maybe 45 minutes later that they said goodbye and headed on home to Hanover. I went up the hill and began folding the clothes off the line. Everything was dry long ago and they were flapping in the fresh air. When I brought the clothes in, I took the chenille bedspread back out to complete the drying on it. It was just a tinge damp.

Supper was healthy and delicious!

Then Bill went back to work on the table and I sat under the awning and read more of my book. It was 5:45 when I lit the Weber. I’d seen Bill packing up his tools. We grilled 2 chicken thighs and 2 loin chops and inside I cooked a cob of corn and steamed some broccoli for supper. One each and the remaining pieces will be Tuesday night’s meal. We had the last dish of rhubarb crisp to finish it off and did dishes up.

A pretty hazy sun tonight before it sets

Bill reminded me to bring the bedspread in off the line before it got damp all over again and then Clemson and I went for a walk down the laneway. It is a very calm evening and still sitting around 75F/24C. I checked out Bill’s handiwork for the day and wow! That is a big table but it is what Bill wanted and it is finished. Now he can work on the landing gear on his Stinson that was damaged a couple of weeks ago.

Inspector checks things out

Well? What do you think, Clem?

We closed up sheds and I’m happy to report the new name for his ‘doghouse’. It will from now on be referred to as ……… get ready for it……The Hangar. I can’t take credit for that one, Bill aptly named it and it's perfect! 😊 The evening went by with us watching some tv and reading. We are sitting pretty with our WiFi usage this month so even a little more web surfing filled the night. It has been a really nice day and I hope yours was too.

And this is where the name was born
"Dear, I think we should name it The Hangar"

I’ve done well today with my walks, managing 4.69 miles/7.5km. But I’m bummed that I can’t sync to my laptop or Android phone. A reader yesterday suggested I call Fitbit about my ‘syncing’ problem so will take care of that tomorrow. Thanks Contessa! My last resort would be to remove my tracker and re-install it.

Good night from The Ridge

Thank you for taking a peek in today. Your comments are always appreciated.

Early Rising on Saturday, Lawn, Shed, Clean & Packup, Great Supper

I was awake at 5:30 on Saturday, Aug. 18^th and I sensed that Bill was too. We stretch and touch feet and if the other one responds, we know. Bed Footsies, you’ve all played that game. 😊 I couldn’t seem to drop back off and after a few restless roll overs, I did my regular leg stretches and began to rise. By the time I’d walked around the bed and got dressed, Clemson was also waking. The whole family was up and it was only 6:30!

I like how this picture turned out
The sunrises and so does the fog

The fog across the pond and fields was pretty thick but quite pretty as it hovered. I looked out the back window to the east and caught the suns first appearance again. That is twice this week! I slipped outside with my phone camera and snapped a few pictures. 

Looking north across the pond

Eastern view of the pond and horizon

The sky was clear and once the fog moved off, I finished my tea and went for my walk. It was a comfortable 66F. Bill had a shower before heading out to cut the grass in the back field. That would clean things up for the time we are away.

To the south behind us, the sun reflects on these clouds

We had rain overnight, I think, as everything was quite wet and there were a few puddles on the road. As I walked, I noticed this little fellow on the tread lane. Sadly, his life was over but he reminded me of the desert geckos. I think we call them salamanders here, correct me if I’m wrong. He sure was a cutie. I hate to think of dead creatures being squished, if they aren’t already, so moved him off to the side of the road.

This little guy didn't have a chance but I don't know what
killed him

By the tail, I placed him unceremoniously on a stone

Someone left their mark on the pavement

When I returned from my walk, Bill was out in the field cutting. I came inside and began making breakfast. I wasn’t particularly hungry at 9 but figured I could eat an egg omelette anyway. I also wasn’t sure if Mike was going to show up soon and would he have eaten, so kept an omelette for a sandwich for him too. We ate and I told Bill I’d clean up the dishes since I had to strain my tomato soup and that would dirty more. It still had seeds and some thin pieces of skin that I wanted to get rid of.

I remember this ragweed from my childhood
My brother, Bruce, and I used to strip the stalks and throw
the kernels at each other

Dewy webs

With that finished, I labelled the 3 filled jars, still about 5 or 6 cups for the freezer. I also labelled the jar of mayo that I made. I tried it on my cheeseburger last night and it tasted okay with a touch of regular mayo. At least I controlled the ingredients and know what is in it. 

Bill cleaned up his mess from working down at the shed and then re-hooked up the satellite connection to our ‘basement’ tv. It has been disconnected since we arrived home. That meant he had to call for the set-up so now it is working again.

I watched a movie outside before starting supper
Fault in Our Stars is an real good one

The was how Bill left the shed last night
Needing doors

Mike arrived around 10:30 so Bill and he looked at what needed to be done. With a trip for Bill to Welbeck’s (a lumber et al store), they should be able to finish the doors today. I put my knick-knacks away in the living area and up in the bedroom and then gave all the wood a good wipe down. We didn’t catch our varmint last night but he visited again and turned the mouse trap upside down. Maybe tonight with your tips about the peanut butter!

3 jars of tomato soup and 1 jar of mayo

I’m happy that at least this weekend, we should be in our own home while work is being done. Well, in the evenings at least. If that isn’t possible, we’ll sleep in another unit. I’m not looking forward to spending the days in the waiting room at Can-Am simply because of Clemson. I’ll need to be with him and entertain him while Bill is off doing whatever. When he’s not working maybe we’ll drive to a park or something just for a break.

The boys were working well together

The boys worked away down there on the shed and I wandered down a couple of times to see how they were doing. I needed to mail another card so walked down to the mailbox so I don’t forget tomorrow morning before we leave. I think the recipients will be receiving these late but better late than never! 

installing the window in the door

On the way back up the lane, I looked at my messy flower garden. Yeuch! It has simply been too hot to do any weeding but today is much nicer for that kind of chore.

And this pretty guy crossed my path in the lane

I neglected to take the time to put my work gloves on, afraid if I did that I’d change my mind about weeding at all. It probably doesn’t look much different to anyone else but me, but I pulled a lot of grass that was growing up through the plants and especially the phlox. I love that one but I deplore that grass gets up in the middle and spoils the effect. I went through the whole garden and tossed the weeds over the hillside.

One single and half a double door in place

Back inside, realizing that it was 1:30 and the boys had been working for 3 hours, I fried them up a cheeseburger each. It is messy inside but much quicker than lighting the bbq and doing them outside. Clean up is easy. Many rv’ers do not and will not cook inside. Maybe that is something that works for them, but for us, it is the way Bill and I share the cooking. If the weather is not conducive to outdoor cooking OR if he has been working all day, I don’t mind coming up with an indoor meal.

The Inspector hasn't lost his touch

As soon as I put the burgers on the plates and started for the door, I heard Bill calling “Patritia! How would you like to cook a couple of hungry guys a burger?” Am I good or what? I appeared at the door with their lunch in hand. Yes, I’m good. It wasn’t much but it would hit the spot and hopefully tie them over until supper. They seemed to enjoy them and that is all I’d hoped. They are almost done working today and will soon have a happy hour/beer break.

Two recipes from the binder

I’ve been debating whether to use up the last of the tomatoes that I have picked for spaghetti sauce. If I do that, there aren’t any others ready if Bill wants toasted tomato. Hmmm. However, looking at them, they aren’t going to be good for much longer. Decision made. Now to find the recipe that I saved on Word last week. Clemson had walked down with me to inspect the shed and the workers so Mike was happy to see the little guy. He’d been asking about him.

And the front door has a window

 At 3 o’clock, the boys finished the shed. Doors on, window installed and Mike was adding up the material cost. Bill is one happy camper. That seems to be happening a lot! I have no complaints even though the saying goes “Happy Wife, Happy Life!”, I’ll have to create my own. “Happy William, Like Winning a Million!” Yah, I like that.  They sat out under the flapping awnings, which I’d brought in a bit because of the wonderful breeze, and had a beer.


A job well done, both of you, and Mike left around 3:30. We are very pleased. I boiled some water and dunked the 6 or 8 tomatoes into the pot. After 45 seconds or so, I removed them and dunked them in an ice bath. Because there were stem parts to remove and a couple of splits in the tomatoes, it wasn’t as easy to peel them as I’d hoped. I followed the recipe I found for Easy Spaghetti/Marinara Sauce and that part was easy peasy. I wish that I’d had more tomatoes but this would be enough for a couple of meals at least.

pork loin and scalloped potatoes

I cleaned up dishes after pouring the sauce into a jar and placing it in the fridge. Maybe Wednesday night for supper, we’d try this with spaghetti. While Bill was busy cleaning up the wood and sweeping out the shed, I took it upon myself to cook supper without even asking him what he wanted. The guys had burgers mid-afternoon but I hadn’t eaten anything since an egg omelette at 9. I was hungry.

Just enough pork for 2 meals

 Earlier today, I had taken a 2-lb pork loin roast out of the freezer so I searched in my ‘George’s Recipes’ binder for help. I found the one I was looking for on how to cook it on Weber. At the same time, I found a Scalloped Potato recipe too. They were easy instructions to follow and within an hour and 15 minutes, we were eating. I steamed some broccoli for me and some corn for Bill. It was a great meal. Thanks, George! I would certainly make them again and now wish I had more roasts than chops. 😊

And the scalloped potatoes were perfect with leftovers too

We cleaned up dishes and then drove over to the Acreage to see Donna and Gerry for a bit. Bill wanted to talk about the water filter that he installed on their drilled well. Mike, Gerry and Donna couldn’t say enough about how clean the water was and how good it tasted. Yay! That means it was a totally wise thing to do and worth the money spent. We hung around for about an hour and headed home. The night is cooling off, with the temperature sitting at 68F at 8:30. Should be a great night for sleeping again.

This has been a good day. Bill is happier than a pig…………you know. I’m happy that he’s happy and most of the Suite is packed up for the jaunt to London tomorrow. I hope yours has been a good day too.

and the shed is done
thanks Mike!

Thank you for popping in to check on us. All comments are appreciated.

Ontario Humidity, Shed Work Continues, Recipes, Reading in the Rain, Winter Planning

This time, I was the one who had a more restless night’s sleep. I think I dropped off rather quickly but woke up at 2:30 with the need to use the facilities. Odd for me, but then I remembered that I hadn’t done so at 10 when I went to bed. My own worst enemy sometimes. Anyway, it was quite warm in the bedroom so I opened the window by my head and a lovely breeze refreshed us both.

The overnight rain weighed heavy on this
purple grass

I woke up at 6 on Friday, Aug. 17^th and knew I was up for the count. The water was dripping off the roof into our rain pails so I listened to that for a while. Sure enough, at 6:45 when I thought I’d get up and go for a walk, an overhead cloud decided to rain on my parade. Oh well, I got up anyway and Bill followed soon after. We sat with our first morning brew and read some blog posts and eventually, the rain stopped. Bill went out to work on the shed and I headed out for my walk.

The work is going on down the road from us

There is an orange working zone sign at the front of the property and to the east of us, on North Line, the county is trimming trees. These machines make a real mess but the concept behind it is a necessary one. We’d complain if the trees hung over the roads now, wouldn’t we? I snapped a picture from a distance and then went the other way for my morning walk. The breeze in my face going west and south was quite nice but when I turned to return home, the humidity had closed in.

and my little Monarch companion was back again when I walked

This summer has been the worst I’ve felt with the humidity. Usually, it doesn’t get to me but this year has been horrible. I’m just not able to get moving out-of-doors as much as I’d like. Getting old, I guess, and I will not say that I enjoy the humid Ontario days. I’m looking forward to the hot days of the south and southwest without the annoying bugs and the unbearable humidity. When I returned, I stopped to see Bill’s progress and told him that I would holler when breakfast was ready.

And the oriole was also back

My sister, Aj, was right

Without the little plastic yellow flowers, an oriole will drink
from a hummingbird feeder

I came inside and with windows open, the breeze seemed to be coming in the Suite nicely. It was 73F outside but rising rapidly to 78F indoors. I made us each a toasted western, Bill’s on whole wheat and mine on rye bread. Yum, it was good. We cleaned up dishes and we turned the fans on to see if we’d need the a/c or not. The humidex is 90% so the chances are high that we’ll be turning it on soon.

this is the fat rugged organizer I've been stuffing recipes in

Since 1997 when it was given to me from a school secretary

this is the new $4 replacement

We gave Clemson another dose of his liquid medicine and are getting much better at it. I hold his head and Bill squirts it in. Clemson does the face screwed up ‘head shake’ and I offer him a treat. Maybe tomorrow will be the last day for it, we’ll see. There is no issue now going down the outside steps or jumping on or off the furniture with the exception of our bed. He can jump down but not up….yet. There is still a slight falter in his hind right side but he’s about 90% cured. Thank you all for you past wishes for his recovery.

Mom, you made a mess!

Everything in piles so I can make the appropriate tabs

 Bill went back out to work and I brushed my teeth and set about the project that I touched on yesterday. I have a very messy Recipe Organizer and it is the only thing that I grumble about getting out. I have some special recipes that I’ve kept over the years but I have also accumulated many that ‘hmm, this sounds good’. You know the ones. It has been a process of purge after purge since we put the house up for sale. I’ve down-sized my recipe books and this file a few times and now I need to do it again.

The old empty one on the left is even thicker than the new filled one
that = progress!

I find that my recent practice is to Google whatever recipe I want and save it on Word. Always accessible, even without internet I can open my Document and begin cooking. So, I made a royal mess on the floor and Clemson wondered what the heck Mom was doing. I was ruthless, let me tell you and have kept ONLY the very best, tried and true or at least WILL try recipes. I have 13 pockets and have labelled them to fit our meal choices.

Everything in its place and a whole lot less of it

When the rain brought Bill inside, we sat down and made some firm plans for our winter travels. Once I know the reservation is accepted, we will be able to relax and move forward. I poured myself a Soda Water with a couple or three dashes of lemon and caught up on my post. I offered Bill a taste, hoping he would learn to like it. Ha ha, he made the same face and almost performed the same head shake that Clemson does with his medicine. I guess he doesn’t like it. I find it refreshing though.

The cloudy sky during the rain

So, we relaxed inside while it rained outside. We had 2 episodes recorded on our PVR of America’s Got Talent so we watched those and Bill lit the Weber Q at 6. I’d pulled hamburger patties out of the freezer earlier for supper and a Strawberry Rhubarb Pie. No point in it sitting in the freezer when we could be eating it. I have many bags of frozen rhubarb to make another pie or crumble when I need to. We were eating our loaded bacon cheeseburgers by 6:30 and dishes cleaned up soon after.

Bill set the mousetrap with cheddar and before putting it in place, he vacuumed up the dirty little mouse turds. There were quite a few back behind the drawer with the garbage pail and a few in the actual drawer. I hope the little varmint is hungry tonight and we hear a **SnAp!** tonight! It can even wake me up and I won’t mind as long as we get him.

Bacon cheeseburgers for supper

We sat together and watched some television and I read my book. Friday night is not a great night for programs so I’ll get a few more chapters read. I got my recipes sorted and I’m very pleased with that $4 purchase. Bill managed to get some work done on his shed today, once more at a standstill until Mike comes in the morning to make the doors. I forgot to get a picture today.

We only have one more day at home before we have to pack up and take the Suite to CanAm for some scheduled repairs and checks. This has been a good day, even with the repeating bouts of rainfall. We were finally able to leave the a/c off for a whole day as the temperature never got above 74F. The humidity, however, still made it feel 8 degrees warmer. I hope your day has been a good one too.

And guess who made it up onto the bed, all by himself!?
"How did I do that, Mom and Dad?"

Thank you for stopping by. I love reading your comments if you wish to leave one.