Getting Creative, Working Between Showers, Another Birthday

The Ridge

On Saturday, May 2^nd Bill and I were lazy again and stayed in bed until just before 8. It was cloudy outside my window and that is what we expected for the bulk of the day. There could be rain today too, a 50% chance which is pretty likely. 40%? We don’t always get it but 50 is a given. Bill made his coffee and when he told me it was 9C/48f I headed out the door for my walk.

A walk down North Line

There wasn’t much wind at all so needless to say it was very pleasant. I had two experiences. One, out of the corner of my eye I spotted a Mama robin flying into her nest just at the fence line. I zoomed in as best I could from my distance and hoped she hadn’t built it too low. There are cats in the neighbourhood. On my way back after reaching a mile, I noticed a truck coming towards me slowly. Stopping periodically. My heart gave a wee lurch but I really wasn’t worried.

I was hoping for some sun but wasn't expecting it

When they pulled up beside me, two men in the cab, they asked if I knew who the adjoining field belonged to. They were looking for large rocks and although there were plenty in the field, didn’t want to help themselves without permission. Unfortunately, I couldn’t answer that for them and they were on their merry way. I noticed they turned west on North Line and found a cache in the ditch down there.

robin red breast sits on her nest

Back home, Bill said I should have told them to come to our place, there are rocks up over the berm/fence they were welcome to. I don’t know how much effort they were willing to put into it but that would have been nice to offer. I didn’t think of that! We both went outside and I bundled against the still cool air and dumped my last 2 bags of mulch into the wheelbarrow. I was able to spread that around the small gardens so all that is left is the big garden when we buy more.

The work around the garden's edge was long past due
It neatens it up and now I just have to keep at it

It was almost 12 noon so I came in and made us an omelette sandwich. Bill’s on toast and mine in a tortilla. Yummers! Then after dishes, we headed back out. The first thing I did may be a useless endeavor but you can’t blame a gal for trying new things! I was curious about a friend’s post regarding oriole feeders so when she emailed me with what was used, it got me thinking. What do I have that I can use? It’s definitely rinky dink but worth a shot.

Well, they look pretty even if they don't work!

With our last two oranges that were going soft, I cut them in half and skewered through the centre. I had my empty suet feeder so did my best to rig it up as a feeder. With a couple of outer lettuce leaves, it made a nice little meal. I Googled if birds ate lettuce and the answer was yes and it is good for them with the nutrients it provides. So don’t be laughing! Ha ha. We’ll see if we have any visitors. I would be overjoyed!

I do love my egg tortillas for lunch

Then I decided to dig some rocks out of a section of grass that is always difficult to cut with my mower. I’m always hitting rocks and not only does it make me cringe but it hurts the blades. Bill needs to fill an area with rocks so I worked away there and at the edge of the flower garden. I grumble each summer about the grass that tends to grow up in between the rocks. I wonder ‘why?’ do I have rocks there anyway? So, I started raking and pulling and piling rocks.

As I was sitting under the awning, I noticed the cows
across the road hitailing it for the barn

In doing so, I searched for the hostas I couldn’t find yesterday and they had indeed started growing but just got covered in last years mulch. Bill worked in his Hangar and started a fire down there so we were in close proximity of each other. I had de-layered a bit, not needing so many jackets in the afternoon. It was a pleasant 13C/55F by now and that is pretty good for not having sunshine!

I thought it was cute, later on the calves were running to catch up
with Mom and Dad as if it were a game

However, around 2 there were 3 or 4 little rain showers. I kept working until it finally drove me to the patio where I opened an awning. I didn’t want to come in yet, thinking it would stop again soon. It didn’t for about 15 minutes so I sat under the awning until 2:45 when I decided to come inside. I was feeling chilled and that is never a nice feeling. I changed out of my work jeans into some comfy stretch pants and my slippers.

It is unusual to see an rv go down our road
unusual, but nice

Donna and Gerry arrived at the Acreage around 2 to do some more cleanup and they are planning to spend their first night out there. 😊 Tomorrow is supposed to be the best day of the weekend. I hadn’t started today’s posting yet so worked on that. You talk about entertainment! The birds are going crazy out there in the rain! I’m so distracted, up and down with my camera, from window to window but still not getting very good shots. No orioles though. LOL

Of course, pictures of Chippy
and Chippy 2

I placed an Avon order on Tuesday and it said delivery would be yesterday. That is never 100% accurate (almost like a weather forecast) but usually a day or two later it arrives. I don’t remember if UPS delivers on Saturday so I’m thinking it will arrive on Monday. I need to keep my account active so thought it a good time to stock up on some basics. I then worked on my cross stitch while I had my afternoon tea.

I saw more goldfinches today than I've ever seen at one time

The time flew by and I thought I’d better get up and go for a walk. The rain had stopped around 4:30 so it was a good time to go. As I rounded the garden, Bill was just coming up. He’d lost track of time, neither of us could believe it was already 5! We walked down the lane together just to stretch our legs and when I told him that supper would be at least an hour (I wasn’t sure what I was making yet!), he went back into the Hangar.

The birds were non-stop, taking turns at the feeders

I love how the rain drops rest on the leaves
of my Lady's Mantle

Inside, I started frying the ground beef with onions in Madame IP. I added mushrooms and frozen corn and then placed a pot on top of the trivet with potatoes in it. I should have cut them smaller; they took longer than I’d planned. 

Chippy in one more performance

Supper was truly late! A simple meal that I’ve made often in a pinch but this time I made a batch of Cheri’s no yeast dinner rolls. I turned on the tv and found a Jack Reacher movie. We’ve read books about him as a character in Lee Child’s stories.

I was happy to see the Northern Flicker return today
to get in on the action

We were eating around 6:45 and dishes were cleaned up right away. We had some Jell-o and whipped cream for dessert later than we should be eating but oh well, what’s done is done! Bill put a movie on and after my blog was posted, I sat with my cross stitch again. 

As evening draws near, the sun came out

The best part of the day seems to be arriving later than usual but we enjoyed seeing some sun and warmth at the end of the day. We reached 15C/58F at 6:30. I’m looking forward to what tomorrow brings.

Yum, it was good

It was a great day. I got some gardening done, some rocks moved and mulch laid. I tried not to overdo it but these ole bones will let me know in the morning. 😊 I hope you enjoyed your Saturday too!

Another brother-in-law is celebrating a birthday today. 

Happy Birthday, John!

Thank you for popping in!

Tired of Weather, Tired of Covid, Just Want to Act Normal - So We Did

The Ridge

On Friday, May 1^st I woke up around 7 and we got up together at 7:30. There was no sun, instead a cover of fog and cloud across the land. Good grief! I’m getting tired of this weather, up, down, back and forth and I know we’re not done yet. I hate to be the one always complaining about the weather but here I am, doing just that. I am just looking forward to getting out for an early walk again.

another interesting bird
I'm sure you know what it is

If we were heading into the winter months these dull, wet days would be expected and I would appreciate any reprieve. We’re not. This is spring and it is natural to expect improvements day by day, week by week. I’m thinking that I am not alone here in Ontario, at least, and we are all anxious to get outside to prep gardens and to empty our storage sheds of the ‘summer’ stuff. This weather isn't encouraging with one good day here and there.

In the local paper, I always do the Word Search and 'try'
to work on the Crossword
They screwed up this time and there were about 5 words not included
Bill tried to help find them too

I’m also tired of the Covid-19 controlling our lives. Nothing much we can do about that and I respect it to a certain degree, but we are ready to branch out bit by bit, carefully, and move on with life. Our few visits over the past couple of weeks have been almost breath-taking yet we still feel like we are taking part in criminal activity. We’re not and we refuse to let the fears rule us completely. We are careful when we go out and protect ourselves and others in our midst. There is my rant.

Views like this out our window makes things a lot nicer
See the two male goldfinch in the tree?

Here is a close-up

Last night, I went to bed around 10 and soon after I was in bed I noticed that I had a large twoony size patch of shingles on the back of my upper thigh. The second batch in a week and a half with the first one being tiny and insignificant. It was gone in two days. I should have gotten up and taken a couple of Famciclovir pills but didn't. This morning, I showed Bill and he agreed that it was a large dose and we wondered if it was excitement and concern over yesterday’s visit. That’s all it takes.

Same daffodil plant, still blooming

One of the first things out of my bins was this 'picture'
It was a gift last summer from our friends, Ron and Loree

Because of the fog, once more I couldn’t get out for a walk and it was chilly again anyway. We had our tea and coffee together and read blogs. Our work pensions had gone in the bank so Bill caught up on our banking. It was nice to see that my Income Tax refund had been deposited too. The nice thing about doing our taxes online, the refunds are very quick.

I did get my 'hear no evil, see no evil' frogs out in the garden
Oh, and also ElScott my gnome came out

On with the day! Bill called Home Hdwe. in town and ordered a gallon of the paint he needed to finish his cargo trailer as what he had left had frozen over the winter. Crap! That was $ out the window, I guess we weren’t thinking of having to store it elsewhere when we packed up last fall. Live and learn. He left to pick it up and also planned on returning by way of the Acreage to fill our water bladder. Shoot! I meant to send a couple of things over with him for Donna and Gerry. They will be out tomorrow so we'll deliver them later.

I rehung our Turtle Crossing signs
this one is at the entrance

 With the wet weather and sandy gravel up here, our floors get dirty really quickly so after he left, I swept the downstairs and shook the mats. The upstairs doesn’t get the grit so I didn't do that today. When Bill came in from hooking the bladder up to the fresh water tank, I made us lunch of bacon and eggs. After dishes, the day had cleared and the sun was coming out in between the fluffy clouds. So, we went outside.

One facing down the lane as well

Bill backed the lawn tractor out of the storage shed so I could get at my two bins of yard ‘things’. He questioned whether I really wanted to do that yet, wasn’t it too soon? I told him ‘NO! it’s time and I’m tired of waiting'. I thought I would open another bag of mulch and spread it in the flower garden first. I raked and pulled grass from the phlox, geraniums and corabelle.

Our Welcome and Steep Hill sign at the corral

I realized that I couldn’t see the hostas yet and sure didn’t want to cover them up with mulch. That meant I wouldn’t be laying any today. Instead I spread some little ornamental things around. 

The pond is reflecting the brilliant blue sky

We’d talked last summer about taking down my knick knack shelf because it was looking pretty rough. However, looking at it now we agree that the wood is still solid and all I need to do is sand it a bit and paint it. I put my stuff on it and will remove them when I’m ready to paint.

The white shelf is what needs painting
This is on the east side of the Bunky

The back of the Bunky

I took the puzzle apart and boxed it up. I may loan it out but I won’t get rid of it as I enjoyed working on it. I wouldn’t mind doing it again another time. After filling the bird feeders, even the one I’d had tucked away, I filled the hummer feeder as well. I’m not sure if they are around but maybe they were just waiting! The sky was pure blue now and the sun warm but that wind was still chilly if you were out in it. I was done working around 2:30 and offered Bill a drink.

I mentioned how we had no residents in this bird house a few posts ago
As you can see, there are a lot of choices for entry but not
enough pegs to stand on

Oh, I remembered that I wanted to hang our 3 signs so did that before I sat. We both were ready to come inside around 3:30 as we were expecting a video chat with Jess, Matt and Easton at 4pm. 

Around here, Chippy provides a lot of entertainment

When she called and we saw that little boy’s face on the screen, we had to ooh and aah. At one point he was chattering and then near the end he walked across the room for Grandma and Grandpa to show us how well he is walking. It was great to see them all and that they are all healthy.

We just want to hug this little gapher!

Jess's little family

We're looking forward to the day we can see these guys in person

Both Jess and Matt are able to work, she is an essential worker in a nursing home so we are happy that they are doing okay. I caught up on our blog after the chat and around 5:30, we started heating the oil in our Fry Daddy for French fries. We’ll have Haddock fillets with them for supper. We were eating by 6:30 and had dishes done soon after. 

The temperature rose in the last 2 hours higher than it has been all day. Usually that means it is the sun hitting on the area of our outside thermometer but it can’t reach it so we believe it is because of the winds. They have died considerably. I took a walk down to the end of the lane, across North Line and entered in our front field gate. It was gorgeous out and I took a little video with the sound of the chorus frogs in the background.

Cirque de soleil featuring Chippy

What a little imp
I just love watching his antics!

A pond reflection from the west

This actually turned into a wonderful day with a high temperature of 14C/57F. That allowed us to get some things done around the property. I hope your weather was also good and you enjoyed the day too.

It did get prettier but I didn't capture it
Good night all!

Thank you for stopping in.