Busy-Ness, Ran Out of Time = Another Late Posting, Birthday Fun

On Sunday, July 29^th I woke up pumped for the day. I’d put a fair bit of thought over the past couple of weeks into this day. Rob’s birthday is on Wednesday and I wanted to see if we could celebrate a few days early, when more friends and family could attend. Pat was all for it and helped me put things together. Today, I think we were both up out of bed by 6:30 and had our tea and coffee while reading a few blog posts.

The geese families are having a reunion

Bill got cleaned up and by 8 o’clock he had gone out and asked Rob if he wanted to join him for a drive to Princess Auto in Owen Sound. When Pr. Auto has a sale on, it is often worth the 40-minute drive to take advantage of it. The savings are that good. While there, Bill had also planned a stop at Home Depot for a couple of sheets of plywood as well. All things for the inner workings of his new workshop.

I wasn't alone on my walk this morning

The Divine Love house on the corner is up for sale
Gerry says they are asking a lot of  $$ for it too

While they were gone, I first went for a walk down to the turbine entrance and back. What a beauty of a morning. When I returned after 2 1/2 miles, I cooked the ground beef and made up 2 pans of lasagna. I covered both with foil and set them aside for the day, until it was time to cook them for supper. That was my biggest obligation for the day other than making sure everyone was happy! That is never a challenge with this gang as they already have smiles on their faces. 😊

Across the bean fields, I spotted these deer grazing
but didn't have my zoom lens on   Darn!

We met for Happy Hour at Rob and Pat’s and the conversation flowed. Bill and Sandra arrived, as did Donna and Gerry. George and Suzie had earlier decided to try Deb's Beer Margaritas with strawberry punch instead of lime juice. Once we were all present, they served us each up a glass to try. It was good for a summer drink but I prefer the lime for more of a magarita taste. Thanks guys! 

A great Happy Hour today
So nice to have Sandra, Bill, Peter, Linda and Donna and Gerry join us all
for the day

And this is gentle Jenny

While sitting at H.H. we had a surprise visit from Bill’s cousin, Peter and his wife, Linda. They were on their way from Peterborough to visit friends in Kincardine for a few days. Unfortunately, Bill missed earlier Linda's text but fortunately they took the chance and came anyway. We didn't recognize the Subaru coming into our area until Peter stepped out of the vehicle. What a great surprise! Jenny, their beautiful poodle happily explored the surrounding area while we caught up.

Clemson sat out with me while I read my book
Mama's boy, I think

How nice to see them and even nicer that they feel they can just drop in. We both love that! Too soon they were on their way but promised that we’d see them again soon.

Throughout the afternoon, beginning at 3:30 I needed to bake one pan after another of the lasagna in my convection oven. That meant plugging us into electric. When the first one was done, Bill lit the Weber and turned it on low to keep that pan warm while the second one baked inside.

I had to take one more picture of Bill's shed from this angle
There will be a 4' porch on the front for me to sit on

At 5:45 I announced that the entrée was ready and Pat brought her Caesar salad over to the Suite. Rob warmed the loaves of garlic bread on the bbq and soon enough everyone was loading their plates inside and moving outside to the tables and chairs we had set up. Everything was very good and then we offered up Pat’s homemade carrot cake (YUM!) and the Chapman’s ice cream that Bill and Sandra brought for dessert. No one can say there wasn’t enough food. There were 10 of us sitting down to eat. Oh crap! We forgot to sing Happy Birthday!

Today's feast was perfect

The day turned out perfectly even though earlier the dark gray clouds gave me a bit of inner grief. In the late morning and earlier afternoon after prepping I was able to get a few more chapters of my book read. This Jonathan Kellerman book is good but it hasn't got me hooked quite yet, too many other pleasant distractions right now.

Told ya! Clemson loves his Mama
I wondered if I had lasagna drippings as he gave me a full chin wash

and then he posed for a picture

Rob was pleased and appreciative for all the cards he received. I cleaned up the dishes we had inside from the day and then joined the others for a fire. It wasn’t a late night at all with George and Suzie leaving first around 8:30 and Pat and Rob soon after around 9. We were all worn out and needed to relax.

Bill got a fire going

Bill and I moved inside after stirring the ashes and closing the shed doors. I hope you also had a great day. Thanks for joining us today! Your comments are always welcome.

***S*C*A*M*M*E*D***, Clemson Settles Down, More Friends Arrive, Bill and Friends Build

So, we were both up by 7:30 on Friday, July 27^th. I was actually up just before 7 and went for a walk to the corner of North Line and Baptist Church Road. It was the first time in a long time that I’ve gone beyond the driveway’s end. 

I didn't venture onto the highway today

When I returned, Bill was up and we made our morning brew together. As we were sitting at our laptops, we read news from our blogger friends and I went into Facebook. I read a few of the latest posts on FB and then play Scrabble and Words with Friends.

Clemson moves from our bed to the sunny quilt on the couch

 Today, I shouldn’t have. Well, it could have happened anyway. My computer came up with a huge warning of threats and potential viruses etc. (I’m sure you have had the scare at some time or another) and it froze. I was unable to exit, close or turn my laptop off. It recommended we call a number at Microsoft for immediate help. “No!” you are saying. Well, where were you when we needed you? LOL Yes, we called and got hooked into a very convincing scam. SCAM!!

At 6 am, the fog was thick across the land

My laptop is only a couple of years old and I wasn’t about to take any chances………so I thought! Thirty minutes at least on the phone, later I was to leave my laptop alone for a possible 2 hours while they did their thing, freeing up the ‘so-called viruses’ and giving me back my laptop WITH a 2-year protection plan costing us upwards of $200. We were just sick at spending that money but felt it was necessary.

Without going further into more of this fiasco, we discovered we were scammed and Bill took my laptop to a 3^rd party, reputable computer store in Hanover. It felt like I was missing an arm all afternoon, without it. Anyway, the day went on and I cleaned up and drove into Durham to visit Mom at 11. We had a wonderful visit, an improvement of 99% over the last one. I left there and did some shopping in town before returning to the Suite.

He backed the big boom truck all the way up the long driveway

Bill had been waiting for his shed lumber to arrive from Rona and as we sat with Rob and Pat (they arrived just after lunch, much to Clemson’s delight – ‘finally!’ he thought) the huge load came. The driver impressed me as most tractor trailer drivers do, he backed the rig up the long drive and offloaded by a remote-control device strapped over his shoulder, like a lady’s purse. Impressive technology today. Both Bill and I took snapshots of this, it was pretty neat to watch.

Today's entertainment

Mr. Rona with his remote control toy LOL

Mike arrived from the Acreage a short time later and before we knew it, Bill and Rob joined him and they were building! 

The boss arrives to check out the delivery
'Mike's Home Improvement'

The frame for the floor went down within a matter of minutes. I daresay Mike knows what he’s doing! I’m sure Bill was just thrilled with how it was coming together so quickly.

Clemson, the Inspector, races down the corral hill
He's never gone down there before!

And Mike, Rob and Bill set to work immediately

The Safety Inspector checks out the ladder

When the rain put an end to the work, well that and the fact that Mike had already worked today, Mike left and Rob, Pat, Bill and I sat first with a tea and then a Happy Hour drink. The sky all day was not something you’d want to place a bet on. Nothing lasted more than a few minutes and it changed.

First Happy Hour of the weekend

a good start on the shed this afternoon

At 6:30 we all decided it was time to start the Weber. We invited Rob to grill his burgers with ours rather than set up his bbq last night. Bill and I have been having an issue with our water pump the day before and it carried on into today. What is it with water pumps? I’ve heard that no one is exempt from their occasional difficulties. Bill can explain the steps he took, if he wishes, if he ever slows down enough to write a post. 😊

We borrowed some water from Rob, who gave us a jug full to get us through the evening dishes and morning Keurig fill-up. Thanks guys. Rob also brought me a dish of his stewed rhubarb so for dessert, I had some in a bowl with a scoop of Chapman’s Black Cherry ice cream. Oh my! I’m sure I deserved that treat. When Bill came in later, he had some ice cream too, not wanting to ‘spoil’ (his words) the rhubarb by mixing.

Clemson and I were in bed around 10 or was it 10:30 and dropped right off. I knew I was tired with the running around and after walking a total of about 4 miles today. I also managed at some point in the afternoon to get out the weed trimmer and take the tops off the spindly weeds in the area off the patio. That makes it look much nicer. Next time, I’ll go further down the corral hill. So, that was last night.

We're hoping for a nice day tomorrow

Today, Saturday, July 28^th, I was up again before 7 and even though it was cloudy, took a walk to the corner. Arriving there, the rain spatters joined me. They weren’t heavy but wet enough for me to turn around and return home. Bill was getting up around 7:30 and headed directly over to the Acreage to fill the water bladder. He’s still working on the water pump problem. Rob and Pat had a party to go to so they left around 8 for Durham. They’ll be back later today.

This is our Camping area first thing this morning

I decided since it was a wet, cool day, I took the opportunity to do a thorough job of dusting the woodwork in the Suite. It needed it. By the time I finished that, the call came in that my laptop was ready so I scooted to Hanover to pick it up. If we’re lucky, we’ll get our money back by sending an email to the scammers. They tried to impress upon us that they were legit so let’s see them prove it!

Bill patiently waits for the rain to stop and Mike and Gerry to arrive

After leaving Healthy Computers, I drove to the Bread Store for a loaf of bread and while there, took a tour through Salvation Army. I was only looking for a few colourful pillow cases. I found some at .50 a pop. Perfect! I was stealing (?), no borrowing an idea from Pat on how to protect our wooden dining chair backs. I loved the idea when I saw it on her chairs and it will work on ours too.

And the work is well underway by the time I get home
The Inspector is pleased and leaves the guys to work

Clemson runs up the lane, looks like he's ready to take flight
with those ears flopping!

I stopped at Grant’s Independent grocery store and picked up a few more groceries, mainly lunch items for the workers at the Ridge. Back home, I noticed that our second reservation had arrived. George and Suzie’s coach was backed into Site #3. It was very nice to see them again too. There is still room for another camper in between but unlike last year, Gerry and Melinda will not be coming. The bunky is set up but it isn’t needed this weekend. That’s unfortunate but c’est la vie.

Site #3 is now filled
Welcome George and Suzie

I was very surprised and excited to see how much Bill, Mike and Gerry had done on the shed. I snapped some more pictures after unloading the Rav and Donna and I made up some buns for lunch. It is amazing how good a lettuce, ham, tomato and cheese sandwich tastes when you are hungry. I hadn’t eaten anything yet at all so felt ravenous.

Bill and Emily worked together on the rafters

Looks to me like Emily has a lot of male supervisors!

I cleaned up the few dishes while the guys went back at it. The rain returned, more than a light rain but they forged on until Mike’s daughter, and employee, stopped in to give them a hand. Surprisingly, after she arrived and donned her tool belt, the skies seemed to change. Sun appearances were more constant and the rain stopped for the remainder of the afternoon. 

Rob checks out today's accomplishments

At 4:30 they called it quits for the day and enjoyed a beer while they rested on lumber. Clemson was down a few times, checking out the process.

Done for the day

When they left, Rob, Pat, George, Suzie, Bill and I took our chairs to Site #2 for Happy Hour. Clemson got a couple of treats from Pat and tried his darnedest to beg for more. He knew where they were kept! At 6 or 6:30 we went our separate ways for supper. Holy! I hadn’t given supper much thought so it was a ‘look after ourself’ kind of meal. That worked for us today as it has oft in the past.

2nd Happy Hour of the weekend

Pat put my treats inside here

I know those treats are in there, Rob

Since I had some leftover lasagna from a meal early in the week, Bill was quite content to have a toasted tomato and cheese sandwich. We cleaned up dishes and Bill started the fire to see if anyone was interested in sitting around it for a while tonight. They were and we gathered for a couple of hours until the mosquitoes sent us back inside.

I took a walk with Clemson after supper

After the day's work, down the hill he goes again

Inspector Clemson makes a final check of the process

the farmer across the road gathers some fodder from the field

Gathered for an evening fire as Pat captures the sunset

We watched a bit of Live PD before calling it a night. This has been a great day. A lot was accomplished, new company arrived and we are enjoying the time with friends.

Good night!

Thank you for stopping in. Your comments are always appreciated.