Spring Has Returned! Or Fall is Very Confused.

Paisley, On

In reference to my title, either way, when we woke up on Wednesday, Nov. 4^th to 9C/48F with an expected high of 20C/68F, I felt rewarded. Big time. Bill was up and on his way by 6:30. He had a mixed up, muddled up start though. LOL, maybe he needs a break from working!! 😊 He was downstairs, dressed for work, work boots and all and realized he forgot his keys. Double LOL.

A much nicer drive this morning!

He walked back upstairs in his boots with hard caked mud in the soles and then asked me to have a look once it was light enough to check if any dropped on the hardwood floors. Well, I was getting ready for work myself so I retraced his steps from our bedroom down the stairs to the back door. Yup, a mouse could have found his path had it been food! So, I got a broom downstairs and swept the hall, down the stairs, the hall down there.

Wes came out of the office wondering what I was doing. Caught! Ha ha. He helped me finish up and I got myself out the door in lots of time. I should have dawdled because I was down the road a few miles when Bill texted. Had I left yet? He forgot his wallet. My goodness! He doesn't drive more than 10 minutes morning and afternoon so said not to worry. 

These bottles are empty
I found them at the laundromat, behind the toilet
Good grief!
If they'd been full and unopened, I'd have been quite happy
I did find a dime on the floor 'from Daddy'

For me, this was a much better drive than the last one and I actually arrived in Durham too soon. When I got to Mitch’s, it was 15 minutes early so I left at 11:45. It was a good morning there, still sanding where he putties and some of the same spots over and over. Old vehicle, lots of work needed.

On the way home from Durham, I stopped at Murray's
where we store our things
Rob's trailer on the left, Murray's plane (soon to be playhouse for the grands)

At 10:30, we went back to the gravel pit and picked up another load of wooden pallets that Mitch uses for firewood. Alex saves them for him. We’ve done this before and now have it down to a science. Me up in the truck and he hands them up to me. When we get back, he doesn’t need me to help unload so I set back to work on Tommy. He thinks we’ll be able to start painting next week, unless ‘his worker keeps taking time off’. Ha ha

This is where the Saugeen flows behind Murray's
(the bridge you see is awesome but closed to traffic now)

The sun's reflection on water can never be downplayed

Approaching, you can hardly see the building back in the trees

My hubby works

The laundromat wasn’t too bad but I gave it a good cleaning while chatting with a nice lady about my age. Weather, the election and she was very complimentary about how clean the Mat is and what Jamie has done to spruce it up. That’s always nice to hear on both counts. I left there and headed to the Esso station to fill Ptooties and then next door to the Water Store to fill my bottle of RO water.

Murray's barn for stored vehicles, his and other customers
Rob's red truck catches your eye and Bill's traler on the far side of it
Tucked away safe and sound

As I was approaching the road where we store our vehicles (Rob's and ours), I turned onto it and went to visit. Why, you ask? Well, Bill and Mike’s crew are building an insulated Bunky down in the trees, along the Saugeen River. Too bad they didn’t do this a month ago, we’d pay Murray to stay there!

Through the trees, you can see the Bunky frame

😊 No worries, we are happy. Bill was surprised in a good way to see me drive in and I got a first hand look at the 3 of them working. What a nice spot in the back corner of Murray’s property. I stayed for a few minutes, nabbed one of Barb’s (Murray’s wife) oatmeal cookies and scooted home.

I didn't venture too close but look at the white belly on this little gray squirrel
He was happily eating the nuts

It was such a gorgeous day that I wanted to go for a walk this afternoon in town. After unloading my stuff, I told Susan I was going out and would pick up the mail on my way back. I think I was gone close to an hour. I found the old train bridge but not sure if it is accessible to walk on as I was on ground level. 

FYI - purple arrow = Wes and Susan's rental building attached to the house,
the front two windows are to their son's rental apartment
orange arrow = our bedroom, beside the ladder
green arrow = Ptooties is parked, Black Beauty parks in front
Wes parks his van beside Ptooties and Susan's Mini (MaryJane) beside the rv
Their son and his girlfriend park in front of the rv

Looking face on at Wes and Susan's home
I promised you a picture of the former Porteous Bank
Previous to their 15 yrs ownership, it was the former bank,
watch maker and lastly, Susan rented it out as an Ice Cream shop

I. Shoemaker was the owner's name
and he was a watch maker
Seems to me he missed his calling?

Peeking in the window of the rental bulding
You can see the original bank vault on the back wall

Also, the Mill which you can bet will be investigated. It was open but I didn't have a mask or scarf on me. What a cool building! I came home to find Wes sneaking in on Susan He usually lets her know he’s on his way, as Bill does, but wanted to surprise her. He definitely did! Most of the mail was for us which was funny.

The Cenotaph again, as we approach Remembrance Day

A lilttle more history on this plaque
Have any of you read her poetry? She died so young!

In the Legion garden

On the Legion wall
There is no shortage of these plaques all over the town

I made myself a coffee this afternoon since I’d had 2 tea already today. Upstairs, I started this post, checked on the registered letters I sent last Thursday to a couple of sibs and then relaxed with a new book. I finished The Secret Daughter last night in bed and I really enjoyed the story. It was a lovely book to read. If you ladies are looking for a good book, give it a try.

I sauntered along Mill Road, taking me out of Paisley in a different direction
West, I think

Care for a seat anyone?

Now, I’m going to work on one called Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. The reviews are mixed as it is supposed to be ‘real-life’ of which there is dispute. Never-the-less, other reviews give it a thumbs up for a very good, well-written story with experiences of yet more cultural lessons. I’m keen for that, whether it is non-fiction or not. I will keep you informed as I go along!

Walking out Mill Street/Road I walked under the infamous
train/trestle bridge

I have to say my jaw dropped at this monstrosity!

Now, I have to figure out how to get up there

Bill was home by 5:30 and rested upstairs beside me while I read through the flyers. At 6, I went down and Madame IP prepared Honey Garlic sausages and I warmed up some of the leftover rice and chow mein. There is so much rice left that I think it will go into the freezer for another time, when we need a change again. Supper was good and we each had a custard cup. Yum, it is always so good.

Then my interest was peaked even more when I saw the Mill

You can bet I'll be back to enter this bit of history

And from the west end of the Mill, it looks a tad spooky through the trees

We did dishes, Bill made his lunch and we came upstairs to do some banking. Things have improved for us now, thanks to Mom and we were able to get a jump on our finances. It is sad though that she never really had an opportunity to benefit herself from her investments and never really understood that she was doing so well. 😊 Bless her heart, still looking after us all.

Of course there is another bridge here, over the Teeswater River
which runs behind the Mill

There is a path down to the water and this delapitated shack
but it looked too steep without a walking stick

I returned to main street, to the post office and home
What an exciting walk!

The rest of the evening was quiet. We may go down and watch some television or we may stay upstairs with our books. I’m feeling tired from the day so probably won’t be up too late. This was a good day and the fall weather under the guise of spring was absolutely welcome and wonderful!!

Supper was delicious and that cleans up the chow mein
We enjoyed the different taste of the honey garlic sausage
for a change but still prefer the mild Italian

Good thing the custard comes in small dishes
as I could eat and eat and eat it
Good night!

Thank you for stopping by!

A Real Day Off, Some Paisley History – Part One

Paisley, On

After Bill left for work on Tuesday, Nov. 3^rd, I relaxed until 7:15 when I got up and got washed and dressed. I’d already decided that not only did I get a break today but so does Ptootie. I went for a great walk, bundled up quite nicely. With no wind again and the peace and quiet of a sleepy Paisley, it was very enjoyable. I never know which direction I’m going until I get there.

Eventually, I ended up along the Saugeen River
And it was very slow moving this morning

This grouping of pictures were from this morning's walk

There should be a bench under this tree in the summer
Maybe there is!

a big old dead tree holding onto its parking spot

A seasonal camper left a nice plant at their site post

It's been a while, so I had to do a selfie by the river

Because I don’t plan on leaving the house again to get more pictures, I thought it was a good time to take you on that history tour, if you’re at all interested. First tidbit: “Mud River” was the original name of this town, discovered in 1851. Villagers in 1856 did not approve although loosely many still refer to the newly named ‘Paisley’ as River Town or Bridge Town. For obvious reasons. 😊

For the last 2 weeks, they've been fixing this bridge
and this is my first time to walk across it

April 1851, Simon Orchard arrived on a raft, floating down the Saugeen River. He pulled up near the Hose Tower/Pump House and erected a tent for the night. Within weeks, his b-i-l, Samuel Rowe arrived on another raft with barrels of whiskey and they proceeded to clear space for themselves in the then heavily wooded lot. Btw, the barrels were buried in a gulch, where the Cenotaph now stands, to keep them cool for the summer.

I wonder if they left any barrels under here?

So, let’s talk about the Pump House/Hose Tower because a commenter mentioned it in a previous posting with a picture showing it out a window view. The Hose Tower, replicating a lighthouse design, was built in 1891 with a fire protection system being the main part of a steam-powered pump. This pump forced water from the Saugeen river into mains and hydrants along the main street, Queen St. This house/tower is in the now bricked Square where the Cenotaph is and where Orchard and Rowe stopped.

The Pump House/Hose Tower

I'm not sure if it is open to the public though it would be interesting

They wasted no time and erected a log tavern across the street and it has been in business as the Grand Central Hotel and more recently, the Paisley Inn. This building held the first church services, Methodists and Presbyterians in 1853 and 55 respectively. The congregation sat on whiskey barrels and beer kegs. We are an industrious group! The same tavern was a polling booth for the first township election. It took a few years but in 1863 the log tavern was replaced by a 2-storey brick building. Soon after, the town prospered and a 3^rd storey and tower were added.

Isn't it beautiful? 

The sad thing is that the ‘log tavern’, ‘Grand Central Hotel’ and ‘Paisley Inn’ which prospered for many years, has been slated for destruction. Because it is a heritage property, a rescind notice has been applied for to remove that status. The building is long past its prime, missing the opportunity of ever being restored. It is the one you’ve seen in my pictures, the perfect Hallowe’en building but from a distance only. It is totally unsafe.

This is a picture of the same building back in the day
as the Grand Central Hotel

Lastly today, the building that Bill and I are wintering in. Even though our ‘bedroom’ is in the red brick building attached to Wes and Susan’s house, we still use their address. They own the section that once housed Porteous Bank from 1879-97. The original elaborate vault door is still inside, unlocked, and although the space has been rented as Shoemaker’s Jewelers and more recently, an ice cream shop, it currently remains empty.

I don't have a picture of the Porteous Bank but will get one
since it is right out front
This picture was taken from standing on the repaired bridge looking back
to where the Teeswater and Saugeen Rivers meet under the main st. bridge

That’s a lot of information for one day so I’ll take a break from it. From the Paths of Paisley booklet, there is so much information that I’m getting a kick out of. I’ve had a bowl of soup for lunch and my coffee. It is 12:30 and time to wash up the dishes. It is lovely to see the sunshine making appearances outside my window upstairs. I do believe we reached our high for the day. 7C/45F. Better news tomorrow on that front.

This is from the east side of the Legion
You should recognize that steeple from previous pictures

I read and did some laptop playing up in our room for about an hour and then rolled over for a half hour snooze. When I went downstairs at 3, it was to make some of our keto custard. Once I got that finished, I started making a new dish with chicken thighs. I never know how these new dishes will turn out and whether Bill will like them. However, I don’t know if I don’t try!

I made some custard today for those nights when we want something
after supper

I asked Susan if Wes had picked up the mail and when she said no, I slipped down the street to the post office. Good thing I did, there was a package that they were expecting. Maybe not today but still. Back home, Susan and I chatted a bit while I put things together for this recipe. It only takes about half hour so I’ll wait until Bill gets home to turn it on. At 5, he texted so I started cooking.

It is a Rice and Chicken Thigh Casserole and it was finished around 5:30 but Bill wasn’t ready to eat yet. Not surprising, neither was I. By the time we sat down around 6, Wes and Susan were in the middle of their supper so we sat together. I’m happy with the way the meal turned out and we had salad on the side. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my phone downstairs so I can’t even show you how well it looked! Trust me, it was cooked perfectly but I made way too much of the rice and peas mixture. 😊 Leftovers!

The thighs have been sauteed and it just needs to cook
It really thickened up with the rice and peas underneath
Good night!

We cleaned up the dishes right away and came upstairs to our room. I was able to finish my post and decide about Jeopardy at 7:30. The Voice is on at 8 so Bill and I will go down for that program. I don’t think I’ll be staying up to watch This is Us, there was so much of the last episode based around Black Lives Matter that it turned me off. There is enough of that in real life, I just want to get lost in a program without all the ‘stuff’. My show, my opinion. I’m sad because I loved it over the last seasons.

I hope you’ve enjoyed your day; I know I enjoyed my leisurely Tuesday. Thank you for your visit!