The Morning After, Summer Returns, Some Garden Cleanup and Projects off the List

On Sunday, Oct. 1^st I woke up around my normal time and Bill was just getting dressed. When I came downstairs Bill said that we’d had some light frost overnight so without hesitating I went out, filled my watering can and did the Mary Mary Quite Contrary thing and watered my tomato and pepper plants before the sun hit them. It wouldn’t be terrible at this stage if I lost the many little green tomatoes but I have 3 or 4 peppers soon ready to be picked.

The morning after

 We had tea and coffee together and I finished adding pictures to my post so I could publish it shortly after 8. Then I washed the dishes and Bill dried. We used plastic forks and real knives as well as our plastic plates so really not much clean up at all. With the thermometer reading only 5C I wasn’t in a hurry to take a walk yet, later for sure.

Ptooties was cold this morning

It was the first day of the month so Bill gave Clemson his Revolution treatment for heartworm and fleas. Clemson sits patiently as he knows there is a treat at the end of it all. Thinking on yesterday, I feel so happy that it went so well. The weather turned out perfectly and it was quite warm sitting in the heat of the sun. The friends that joined us are as my brother-in-law said “the family we choose”. It was a successful party.

Nice day for a later walk

  

Nice attendance at church this morning

I was so tired that I was in bed just before the clock struck 10 pm and asleep within a couple of minutes. Bridgette got home to Cambridge safely but forgot to text us so Bill stayed up for a while waiting. We’ve both forgotten to do this before so weren’t overly concerned but it was still nice this morning to get her response.

I like the way the trees line this driveway
Not to bring a 5th wheel in though

With no cooking required in the convection/microwave oven, we unplugged and turned on the inverter. Putting the solar panels to work today, they’ve had enough of a holiday! I was talking about doing laundry today but since tomorrow will be even nicer, I’m going to put it off. It has been well over a week so someone in the household is running out of clothes and it is too chilly to ‘bare’ it!

My usually full shelf is ready for winter

Two buckets full and no black sheep

The projects are never-ending but now that I have Bill home from now until we leave, he is able to complete them instead of just listing them off. I’ve started to prep my Winter book of expenses carrying on from last year. I finalized in April from last year and have it documented on an Excel spreadsheet. My daily hand-written recordings made it so easy.

the garden tidied up

I have garden work to do so put on my work duds and headed out after we had a bit to eat for lunch. Bill worked on connecting the satellite box in our underbelly for the new tv he has installed. I had my little Avon stool and 2 empty buckets from the storage shed pulled out and set to work in my flower garden. The sun felt so good on my back and I soon removed my long sleeves.

side view

The buckets were what I used to put my garden ornaments in for the winter. No, I don’t have any garden gnomes but many other things in the garden and on my shelf units on the outside of the bunky. I don’t need to put things away from the Restroom, other than the toilet paper, nor from the bunky. The bunky is insulated and well protected from critters but if they should find a way, all of my blankets etc. will be vacuum-sealed in bags.

Bill cleaned up the storage shed and made racking for the kayaks
I didn't get pictures of the tv/satellite hookup
nor the grass cutting

 I cut off all of the hostas in that area, as well as tiger and day lilies. At the same time I weeded the few grasses and still a few gout weed plants that I found throughout the garden. It looks better and it feels much better having it cleaned up in its winter attire. 

There are a few more hostas around the property to clip so tomorrow or Wednesday I can take care of those. My back told me when it was time to quit so I put things away and sat with my book for awhile.

If you look close you can see the flies in between the screen and window of the bunky

Bill didn’t stop. From that first job, he moved to the storage shed and made shelves for our kayaks. We put the gravity chairs away and the hammock as we won’t be using those anymore this year. I filled my two tubs and Bill tucked those in their respective spots as well. I’m waiting to hear from my son, Patrick, as to whether they will be using the bunky on Thanksgiving Sunday. Last year they stayed overnight rather than drive the 2 ½ hours home.

If they decide not to do that this year, we can fold up the futon and start packing things away in there. I won’t pressure them in any way, just waiting to get his response tomorrow. When Bill finished what he could in the shed he hopped on the riding mower and cut the grass on our hill behind us and the front field. He was in the mood to work and I was in the mood to sit and read. I managed to finish my James Patterson, wow!

As promised, the finished shelf unit installed under the bedroom tv

I fed Clemson at 5 and when Bill finished at 6 we plugged into electric again and I used the oven to warm up our roast beef, potatoes, carrots and gravy. It didn’t take long and was a very satisfying meal. We each had a glass of wine with our meal, cleaning up a couple of open bottles left from yesterday. After supper, I went upstairs and watched one of my favourite movies, Déjà vu with Denzel Washington and Val Kilmer. I couldn’t talk Bill into watching it with me but that’s okay, Clemson joined me. I wanted to check out how well the new location worked with the remotes. 

Hubba hubba, I love this guy!

There sure isn’t much on tv on Sunday night yet although Madame Secretary starts next week. That will help. I sat at my laptop and finished my post, basically putting in time as I tried to keep my eyes open. I feel that I tweaked my back today in not a good way so will be in bed soon. I hope it wasn’t my stool that caused that discomfort.

And because I was so engrossed with Denzel, this is all I saw of the sunset

 This has been both a productive and a relaxing day for me and it has been good. I hope that you got what you wanted to out of your day.

Good night all

Thank you for stopping by. If you wish to leave a comment, it would be great to read it!

Positive Weather Vibes, Party Day Means Another Year Older, Perfect, Full House

We woke up on Saturday, Sept. 30^th basically at the same time. It was before 6 when Bill reached across and rubbed my arm. I think there was a little excitement in the air and in our minds for the upcoming day. I’ve been praying for a sunny day all week and even if that only partially comes true, a good day it will be!

Today, Bill turns 65. A great number! No one should grumble about getting older, I don’t think I have, ever. 60 gave me a bit of a start but when you think each year older means you’ve beat the alternative, what is to grumble about? I gave Bill a card and some jubes, one of his favourite treats. He gave me a look of “I told you not to get me anything” and quick on my feet I said “They are from Clemson”. Mom didn’t raise any dummies!

Happy Birthday Bill!

After my first tea, I drove into the Foodland to pick up my Romaine lettuce hearts and a couple of other things needed for our everyday living. Bill was on the move too but went the other direction to fill the water bladder at the Acreage. The sun is making an appearance and that is so encouraging! Back at the ranch, I mean, the Ridge, I cooked the hamburger and sauce for lasagna. How much will 10 people eat? We’ll find out!

Bill worked away at installing the equipment shelf in the bedroom and only needed my help to hold the tv once. The tv needed to be removed so he could screw into the bottom of the cabinet and it gave me an opportunity to dust back there. Oooh! That is disgusting, I’m glad no one else saw that!

It is a different colour but with the black tv and window shade it seems to blend in just fine
It looks great! and I have my cupboard back

While he was doing this, I got out my ‘newly-discovered’ waffle maker and finished off the remaining batter for breakfast. Bill loved them and I loved the quick, easy prep and cleanup. After eating, he vacuumed up his mess and put things away and I finished putting the lasagna together into two foil pans. My daughter interrupted our prepping with a phone call to her step Dad to wish him Happy Birthday. She is a keeper for sure! A phone call is so much nicer than a FB or text message, let’s face it.

And the sky is co-operating

 The good news for us is that her weekend plans all fell apart so I thought I’d invite her to come for dinner. One more mouth to feed meant nothing and Bill was very pleased when she said yes! If we’d had more room and if more family lived closer, I could have invited more but geographically it didn’t make sense for them to drive so far for such a short stay. The indoor space for a larger crowd is one thing we have sacrificed but we entertain however we can. One of his daughters would have come being only an hour away but she is in Myrtle Beach until tomorrow.

Turtles still gather on the log to get their suntans

With most things started, I took a walk down to the corner of Baptist Church Road. I wanted to see how cold 8C really was and was it feasible if we wanted to hang around outside at all. The winds are the kicker even though that sun is very warm. We might be sitting inside all afternoon which would be unfortunate but still entertaining!

Delicious!

I had my shower around 1 and Bill finished vacuuming the Suite and decided to lie down for his nap. He has been going steady since he got up too. The geese were in the pond again this morning, I’m sure also planning their journey south. I love how they follow each other through the channels in our ponds. Woops! I spooked them again!

Follow the leader

Spooked!

I walked up to my garden and gathered today’s bounty and as I walked down on the south side of the Suite I noticed that there was hardly any wind back there. Hmmm. I really wanted us to sit outside in the beautiful sun and this seemed possible since the wind was coming from the north. I began setting up our chairs in the sun in a circle and Bill joined me. 

A nice warm spot and Bill and Clemson relax for a bit

It wasn’t too long when our guests began to arrive around 3.

Our 'family' friends, Pat and Rob

My sister, Donna and Gerry

My sister, Cathy and Bill

My sister, Gayle and John

Our friend, Mike (also 'family')

My daughter, Bridgette with Clemson and Rob

At 4 I popped one pan of lasagna into the convection oven for an hour. Once it finished, we placed it on the grill mat in the Weber at a low temperature to keep it warm. The second pan went in the oven and by the time it was cooked we served dinner up. I’d planned this process out in my head many times over the last couple of days. How are we going to cook both pans to be able to serve them hot? Hmmm.

Supper was ready just after 6 and by the time we ‘herded’ everyone inside and got them seated it was close to 6:30. I dished up lasagna and they helped themselves in buffet style to the Caesar salad and rolls. We indeed had a full house but everyone was seated comfortably and enjoyed the meal. I heard many times ‘this is really good, Pat’ so that made everything worthwhile. Bill enjoyed himself and I do believe everyone else did as well.

We've moved inside and our addition of  the hi-lo coffee table was an asset

Couldn't get a smile out of Bill no how!

Mike declined a seat at the table so I could sit
and found it 'just fine' on the stairs

This one includes Gayle eating off our keyboard tray

When I brought in the carrot cake from the bunky, I lit the tea light candle I’d put in the centre and we started singing Happy Birthday. 

We had many choices for dessert as I had a Black Forest Cake and Rob and Pat brought a variety box of cheesecake. Yum! 

Forgot to capture desserts before we dug in

When the evening rolled on with laughter and stories, I felt very content and relaxed. Saying goodbye to our friends and family we all noticed how cold it was, already dropped to 8C.

The dishes will wait for morning, I’m only keeping the plastic plates and tossing the plastic ware. We have lots in a large box from Costco from years ago. Bridgette has the farthest to drive so I will be anxious to hear that she got home in her little Mini Cooper. I love her new look with at least 10” of her hair cut off. It was so great that she came for the afternoon/evening.

I'll pat myself on the back for putting a successful party together
Bill was very thankful
Just enough lasagna left for two - perfect!

Bill and I had another sliver of cheesecake and I poured myself some more Colio Blush wine. Time to really relax. We watched some tv and settled in for the evening.  I wouldn’t change a thing! The sun was hot and we sat outside out of the wind for at least 3 hours. I hope your day was at least half as good as ours.

Thank you for stopping in today. I love reading your comments.