Getting Better all the Time

The Ridge

On Tuesday, Apr. 27^th, it was a cloudy morning up until about 10:30 when the sun started to poke through the clouds. It was slow coming and, in any direction I looked, the sky still showed light filmy whiteness. After Bill was off to work, I had my tea. The winds were ridiculous first thing but had calmed considerably by noon.

A light ripple on the pond

I had an appointment with Black Beauty to take her for some regular truck stuff so didn’t want to get too involved in anything and forget. It was weird seeing Bill leave with Ptooties at 7. 😊 This will be our first service call with the new owners at the shop that used to be Pletsch’s. I need to start calling them by their name. Grey-Bruce Fleet. So far, in dealings with Kate in the office, we are quite impressed, now to see how well they do.

Gerry had to stop for a turtle crossing the lane on the weekend
It was the day after I hung the sign. I guess they can read!

The air temp was nearing 10C/50F so I took the ladder around to the back of the Suite and washed the window. It was really dirty. I should have waited as I’m attending a virtual online Norwex party that my sister is hosting on Friday. I’ve heard great reviews about the window cloths where no solution is needed, just water, but I can’t stand looking out at all the fly specs from inside and out. I will still order some cloths for next time. Apparently, they guarantee no streaks and that would be great in the vehicles too.

Taking a walk around the property
Bill's Hangar

I didn’t stop with one window, moving the ladder around to the reachable ones and then did inside too. Much better and that sun shining through them will soon warm our home up. We should reach a high of 18C/67F; that will depend on the sun. With the windows done, I had a nibble and oh-oh, my hand found the bathroom scissors – again. My hair is really beginning to bug me; this half blonde, half silvery mess so the trick is to trim it as well as spend time outside in the sun. 😊

I'm still hopeful for the rhubarb

It took me a while to get it straight and who knows if it is? Hard to do when you’re alone but after wetting it, I was pretty satisfied with today’s attempt. It feels funny, off my neck and I find it quite noticeable. Bill, on the other hand, may not see a difference. He’s not good at those things until I point them out but I do believe he is not alone in that. Many men are the same, aren’t they? With that done, I got changed so I would be ready to leave at 12:30.

The area below where the bird feeder hangs
The birds are killing the 3 primrose plants in this corner
as they root for seeds so I moved Terry the Turtle to sit in 
this corner

I’m always early, I think I’ve mentioned that (bad? good? habit) before. I never mean for it to put pressure on the hosts or the appointment-ee (?) but there I was sitting at GBF at 12:45. And I drove the speed limit or slightly under. I knew I’d be early. At 10 minutes before my appointment, I walked in, masked. There was room for 2 (3 chairs) in the waiting room so Kate and I greeted each other and I made myself comfortable.

This is a better picture of my dianthus

Of course, I’d taken my book so I was easily entertained while Kate and Jeff went about their service business. Once B.B. was in and an hour had passed, I got up to peek at their dogs, sleeping in her office. Beautiful 8 & 9 yr. old lab and lab cross. Not a peep out of either of them. She said they had a rambunctious day yesterday so were sleeping it off. 😊

sitting in the waiting room

We had a nice chat for about 15 minutes and I went back to my book. I saw B.B. being driven out at 2:20 and I paid the bill and left. It wasn’t as pricey as expected so that is always a nice surprise. We’ll definitely continue to give this new business OUR business. I stopped in Durham to fill our RO water bottle and drove home. I hadn’t really eaten other than nibbling on a nut bar in the waiting room so I was ready for a cup of creamy tea.

There was no mail today, odd, since Bill expected a parcel yesterday. We have a few things on order (me, mostly) but when things don’t show up on time, it makes you wonder why the delay. As long as they don’t need signatures upon arrival, no need to worry. It is hard to guarantee that we will be here when they come without an exact date. Tomorrow, we will not be around so she will hopefully leave the small parcel in the mailbox if she has it.

If it works, I'll pass it along

I didn’t get around to making any desserts so at 3:30, I boiled the kettle and at least began making some creamy Jell-o and got that in the fridge. A new Keto recipe was worth trying as well but I won’t report on that until I know if it is any good or not. Then, I can pass the recipe along, or not. Fingers crossed! 👌 I caught up on my blog while waiting for Bill to come home. We had planned on moving some gravel from the shelter (still haven’t got to that!) but it depends on what he feels like when he gets home.

The possibility of rain could also make that decision for us if he doesn’t. We are in for a few wet, warm days by the sounds of it. I unplugged from power earlier, when the sun came out, but will soon be plugging in. The sun is gone and not likely to return on this day. ☹ Bill showed up at 4:30 and we relaxed together a bit before supper.

Gosh, I enjoyed these chops too!

Fried pork chops with broccoli and brown beans for supper. That was pretty easy and it filled us up. After dishes we went out to move some gravel but almost as soon as we got outside, the rain started. No more will be happening tonight, I guess. The sky to the south looked quite dark and threatening and thunder storms are predicted all around us. If you live in Ontario, you probably are under similar warnings or watches.

And the sun prepares to depart for the night
The few spatters of rain didn't last long

Tonight, we’ll be watching a new episode of NCIS and who knows what after that. I have a good book to read so I will be entertained for as long as my eyes stay open. This was a good day with a little of this and a little of that. I hope you can say the same.

Good night!

Thank you for your visit.

An Improvement in Weather

The Ridge - Home

Today, Thursday, Apr. 23^rd, it was just after 7 when I joined Bill downstairs. He was up before me and was in the shower when I woke. It was a cool -1C/29F outside but we knew it was warming up to 8C/47F today. We’ll take it! It’s only 9 degrees but it will be a big improvement. The winds are not as strong either which does make a difference, especially up here. Okay, enough about the weather.

Morning pictures
The pond and driving out the north end of Durham

I didn’t go for a walk but instead we made our coffee and tea and caught up on things. We’d been tossing around who we were going to go with to get our Suite fixed. Either CarStar in Mount Forest or Heinz in Hanover, where Black Beauty is going. Since the cold weather has added insult to injury on the cap damage, we need to make a decision soon.

Driving through small towns is refreshing and we took
a route we haven't travelled in a while

To move it along, after our drinks, we drove to Hanover to Heinz Auto Body and talked to Trevor. His shop is very nice but it just isn’t big enough to handle our unit. Not in length. My preference was to have the Suite completely inside a shop and Trevor can’t offer that. Bill was hoping to give him an opportunity as he is a nice guy. He does good work, we’ve seen that before with the truck, but after Bill looked inside the shop window, he confirmed that it just wasn’t going to work.

Isn't it interesting that with all of the strong winds we've had lately,
barns like this are 'still standing' proud
The wind blows right through them

We next drove to Mount Forest and met Dave from CarStar. They’d already given us a quote on the cost to repair the cap and we’d heard high recommendations regarding their work. Bill looked in their shop and we came away quite convinced that we will be pleased with the finished job. Now, we just need to wait until Trevor gets the tailgate shipped in. We’re hoping that we don’t have to wait too much longer. Once the truck is done, could be 2 weeks, the Suite can go in.

Bill pointed out this machine cutting and splitting logs
What a neat process

It was a nice drive and we feel that we have accomplished something today. We drove back through Durham and stopped to fill my 5-gallon water jug on the way through. I also asked Bill to stop at the Mat. Somewhere, I lost a sock in our last washing so I wanted to check the lost and found. I didn’t have any luck but realized when I stopped that I actually missed working there. I don’t know why, as I certainly don’t miss the early hours. It was just nice to have that outlet. On the way back, we stopped at the Acreage so Bill could turn the tap off for the day.

And don't think that Arizona is the only place to see burros
These adorable guys saw us slow down for the pictures

Back home, Bill advised Aviva of our choice for the trailer. I mixed up a batch of cherry Jell-o to set and then made a couple of packages of Instant sugar-free Jell-o pudding. I wanted us to have some choices for dessert this week. These are healthy choices and that makes me feel better too. When they were done, I fried bacon and eggs for lunch. That hit the spot and I was hungry for it.

Water is $3.00/5 gallons here
$1.25 in Arizona

I could tell that Bill was anxious to go down to the Hangar and that is a result of the weather making a change for the better. Inside, I started pulling Mom’s paperwork together for her Income Tax assessment. I needed to dig a bit to gather her medical receipts as they were all in emails and then I had to print them off. You never know if they’ll make a difference but since she had foot care and dental care added last year, it was worth a try.

another group of pictures from the Acreage
I walked from the front gate to the back today

Once the package was ready, I basically messed around online in Facebook and emails. Sometimes emails come through with videos, a lot, actually, and I don’t open them right away. Sometimes, I just delete them if they are too big but mostly, I try to see what they entail. I had 3 or 4 unopened that our friends, Jim or Pat, sent through and that usually means they are worth looking at. I trust their judgement for which ones I would enjoy. 

No birds made an appearance in my pictures today
but their food is waiting for them

I couldn’t believe that the day was slipping by so quickly so at 2 I took a walk down the lane and to the corner. It was quite pleasant when I stepped down to the patio but once I got around the corner of the Suite, the wind had me zipping my coat up to my neck. The walk was nice and I went beyond the corner before I noticed something in the ditch. I first thought it was glass but then realized that it was slate from a roof or something. Nice to paint on so I found a nice piece and carried it home.

I never really noticed the shape of this tree before but
it is on our road and I pass it often
The second picture is after playing with the Zeke effect

There were a few flyers in the mailbox so I brought those up at the same time. Bill was just closing up the Hangar and came in for a hot chocolate. He said his feet were getting cold. Soon, he can work down there and be warm and I can get back out in the Bunky. I had a tea and started today’s post and my sweetie caught up on his sleep beside me. 😊 When he woke up, I was able to blend the cream cheese and heavy cream for the Jell-o. I also blended some whipping cream for the pudding.

Remember the plants along the fence down by the gate?
The bright green lilies are growing well

On my way up the lane, the road grader went by
He wasn't grading the roads today, just passing through

For supper, we had pork chops with a coating fried in olive oil. One was quite a bit thinner than the other so didn’t want them to cook for the same time in Madame IP. One would end up either over or under done. As the chops cooked, I heated some corn on the stove. It was a good meal and I actually enjoyed the pork chops with the crispy coating. We did the dishes and then had some of the vanilla pudding and whipped cream for dessert. With a macaroon, it was yummy and filling.

One of the first years in our sticks and bricks home
my daughter, Bridgette, made this sign for Bill's work room
He was teaching young r.c. pilots how to fly at the time
It has found a home here on his Hangar

We had a couple of programs on our PVR so starting with FBI:Most Wanted. The night had started to cool down and we’ll be hitting below freezing tonight again. Hopefully, just one more night. Donna and Gerry were at the Acreage and left the water running before they left.

No sun for a sunset tonight
so instead
you get a food collage
Good night!

This was a better day and we enjoyed it. Thank you for your visit.