Back to Normal – Kind of, Weather Pictures (what else?)

 

Paisley, On

On Monday, Dec. 28^th we slept in again. No excuse, really, we were just tired and lazy apparently. We were going to drive to Durham to clean the Mat today and instead of leaving at 8:30, we left at 9. No big deal since we have no punch clock for check in. Plus, we have a very flexible boss.😊 

The vehicles are out of the lane
You can see Wes's van. Ours are in front of our building

   

Jim arrives almost immediately

After our tea and Bill’s toast, we knew that Wes had called Jim to come and clear the last bit of snow that fell on Boxing Day afternoon.  Knowing that, Bill moved our vehicles to the road and Wes moved his.  Jim arrived with his tractor and had the lane cleared in no time so Black Beauty came back in first, instead of Ptooties. We won’t be driving the truck for a few days.

And cleans the laneway, lickety-split

Then, we were on the road. The day was clear, cloudy but no rain or snow, and the roads were mainly dry. Some icy sections but we took Ptooties and Bill drove, watchful. He took Concession 8 to Hwy 19, into Walkerton’s TSC, oops, Peavy. Still no sand tubes here but he has a lead on some from Billy. Durham seemed busy with the stores closed (a usual thing on Mondays) and the laundromat was a-hoppin’! 

Just getting out on the highway

There were a few customers and it seemed most of them used more than 2 or 3 washers.  Loads and loads of dirty laundry! Some dryers were being temperamental and needed a nudge tap to get them to accept the quarters, a couple of others just plain didn't work. The back door seemed to lock each time it closed, which isn't good at all! I texted Jamie about all the things needing attention and we left an hour later. Bill cleaned the lint in the big dryers then dry and damp mopped the floors for me while I did the other stuff.

Note the time the snow hit us

We drove down to the Water Depot store and refilled our 5-gallon RO jug before heading for home. It was funny because we had just minor brushings of rain on the windshield until we turned north onto Bruce County Rd 3. At one point, it was like a mini blizzard and then within the next minute, it was clear again. LOL strange weather. That isn't just because we are up here, that happens all over south and mid-western Ontario.

Within the same minute

We had lunch when we got back home, as it was noon, poached eggs on rye toast. Yum, that was quite good. Then we came upstairs where I finished the last chapters of A Handmaid’s Tale. I wasn’t expecting that ending but don’t worry, no spoiler’s alert here. I’ll have to drop it off at the library this week one day. The wind felt really cold but I walked down as far as the post office around 2ish. Online they said they were open today, Boxing Day hours, but they weren’t. ☹

Note the time again
Night and day  😅

I could have walked further to get some exercise and fresh air but decided to sit this day out. Literally.  I took my water into the garage and worked another couple of hours on my jigsaw. It is coming along nicely and I’m enjoying it a lot. Too bad the sun didn’t come out to help extend my stay but when it became difficult to focus on pieces, I made my tea and came upstairs. Bill had just finished reading so went down and made himself a tea as well.

The puzzle is entertaining and I got a lot of the grassy area done

Upstairs, I started a new book. This one is back to the mysteries of James Patterson. I know I will whip through it. They are short chapters, page turners and a good distraction from everything going on around us. We went downstairs around 6 and I began frying some mini sausages. I reheated the green bean casserole for me and the leftover mashed potatoes and gravy for Bill. He isn’t fond of the beans so I spoiled him by cooking some corn.

I didn't need potatoes with my Keto green bean casserole

Our non-Keto Christmas pudding was delish!

It was well-timed and everything was hot together. For dessert, we finished the last of my Christmas pudding with sauce, also reheated in the microwave. Yum! Bill reminded me that next year I will need to make my cake again. 😊  I usually make 2, one to eat and one in the freezer for the following year. I made my first one 10 years ago! After dishes, I came upstairs to work on my blog and then read. Bill decided to head down to the basement and see about doing some minor repair on an airplane. Wes had earlier offered him a bench to work on.

Bill was able to work a bit on his model

This was a good day and I’ve dappled with some work, getting back into the groove after just a short absence. Looking outside at 7 pm, the plow just went through and we see that it has started to snow again. Blimey! Have a good night!

Dec. 28, 2018
A group of us enjoying drinks at Los Algodones, Mexico
L to R
Bill, Ron, Suzie, George, Loree, Rob, Pat

Fun times!
Buenos Noches, Amigos!

Thank you for stopping in.

Sunday Chores, Sunday Fun

Paisley, On

So, every day has been feeling like Sunday but this is actually the real deal. It’s Sunday, Dec. 27^th. Aren’t we all just a little bit anxious to have this year over with? To be able to say Goodbye 2020! It’s been a slice………..well, no it’s been more than that. I, for one, Bill, for two, are definitely looking forward to a new beginning even though we will still be wallowing in the bowels of Covid-19 restrictions for more weeks/days than we would like.

there were no morning pictures taken today
so here is the first one
Working on a jigsaw puzzle - finally

Only 500 pieces because I don't have much more space than that
Try to ignore the beautiful Viper on the far side of the table, ok?

It was around 11:30 when our lights went off last night and so we slept in this morning until 8 o’clock. I enjoyed my movie last night very much and Bill says he enjoyed the Christmas one they watched. I skipped over Dances with Wolves, even though I love, love, love Kevin Costner, because I’ve watched it recently. My next one is another ‘D’ one but I can’t recall what it is.

Sitting at my laptop late afternoon, it was Mom and the sunshine
reflection on the wall that encouraged me to walk 😃

We had our morning hot drinks and while downstairs, I put a load of dirty laundry in the washer. Bill came down and made some toast and he and Wes went out to clear the walkway. Turns out, there wasn’t much had fallen since the last time it was done, but Bill cleaned the vehicles off at the same time. It was a cold morning again, -4C/25F, so I’m glad he wasn’t out long. Upstairs, we did some online stuff.

At 4, I went out for my walk
The vehicles look a whole lot different today, don't they?

Still snow in the driveway but the plow guy will come tomorrow

For me, it was perusing old pictures. I enjoy flipping through the folders with our London property. We made a lot of changes to that bungalow since we bought it in 2002. It was our home for 14 years but the longest Bill and I have been together in one place so far in our life together. I won’t say that I wish we’d kept it because it was out of the question at the time but I look at the rooms and sometimes miss them with the renovations we made.

Daddy used to say that icicles on a roof like this meant
bad insulation
as kids, we tried to score the biggest one without breaking it

I got the dust mop out and did the rooms we reside in thoroughly again and that was it for my work, for the day. 😉  The laundry was ongoing until noon when we went down and I opened a can of Clam Chowder. Bill brought the last load upstairs while it heated up. I quietly tell myself that I should go for a walk but it take some inner encouragement and sometimes I can’t seem to sell the idea to my outer self. It’s 3:45 and I haven’t made it out yet.

The sun is over there between the trees

After we did dishes, Bill stretched out on the bed with his book. He figured a snooze was in order. I left him and went down to the garage, clearing off our table of my paints and rocks. Time for a jigsaw puzzle! I’ve missed working on one and I get the same feeling no matter where I am. If we’re south, I have to do them on the coffee table or kitchen table, the latter requires using my puzzle mat.

Strange but pretty sky clouds

Here, the table is already set up and perfect for a 500 pc. puzzle. How long I work on it will depend on my own patience blended with the perfect amount of light. Once it gets too challenging and my eyes are straining, I’ll stop. Mom taught me that, ‘turn a light on! You’ll ruin your eyes!’ I can’t remember where I got this puzzle but it is called Man’s Best Friend and I’m in the perfect frame of mind to do a dog picture. 😊

The sidewalks were mostly clear but I didn't trust them
without my poles

Something has happened to my settings in Word. The spacing is off kilter and my happy faces are clear, no more yellow smiles. I can’t figure it out and won’t mess with it now in the middle of typing. If I lost everything, I’d be frustrated (to put it mildly). It looks okay in blogspot though. I worked down there in the peace and quiet for 2 hours before taking a picture of today’s progress and coming upstairs. It is tea time or walk time, still deciding.

These trails had been tramped with snow machines
so I walked them - still a challenge

At 4 o’clock, within half hour of my above rambling, I did the right thing. For me. I bundled and went for a walk. I’m glad I took my poles along as it was quite icy in spots. The wind in my face was refreshing but it was cold on my fingers as I held the poles. That’s with 2 layers of wool gloves. I walked down Queen St. towards the south to the end of downtown and crossed to catch a trail.

The trails were at least tamped down some from snowmobiles making it easier than yesterday. I was still quite grateful to get off them and get onto the street. It was only a couple of miles today so about 3 ½ km but it was good enough and a lot better than nothing. I walk for 30 minutes and it takes me 5 minutes to get bundled and unbundled at beginning and end. 😊 Inside, I crawled up on the bed beside Bill and read more of my book. I’m enjoying it but would be I’d like the tv version better.

After walking two blocks in this, my legs were ready to head
home on harder surfaces so I took to the pavement instead

A dead tree takes on a new beauty covered in snow

I didn't walk the trail here nor did I venture over to check out the books

Mill and Rowe Streets run to the west from Queen St.
They meet at Victoria St. at the point of a 'V'
This pretty house sits right at the corners, in the point
I don't think I noticed that before

this is looking down towards main (Queen St.) st. on Rowe
and the fenced area on the left is the lot behind the Grand Central Hotel

I looked back at the house
I'll try to get a picture from the top end of the V point
it's kind of cool, that this is the only house on the 'block'

The last picture on my walk is of the Legion (the old Town Hall)
I can imagine it standing all alone in the town
It's so pretty

At 6, I went down and started supper. The ‘not-so-great’ meatballs the I’d made and popped in the freezer a couple of weeks ago went into Madame IP with spaghetti noodles and sauce for supper. I also had a pack of Pillsbury crescent rolls so turned the oven on to cook those at the same time. The meatballs still weren’t great, but when I cut them up in my sauce, I didn’t mind them at all. Bill didn’t like them but I won't hold it against him. ☹

After the dishes, we came upstairs and spent an hour together before he went to watch a movie. That was at 8. Within 5 minutes he was back. They'd seen that one before. 😀 He finished a book earlier so started on a new Jack Reacher story. I’ll read and/or work on a crossword. It will be an earlier night for us tonight, we have to get back to routine tomorrow. Bill will go with me to Durham to clean the Mat. 

This was a good day made even better by no new snow. I hope that you got what you wanted in the way of weather today, well, as much as can be expected.

A pretty collage
from Pilot Knob RV Resort, Winterhaven, CA
Dec. 27, 2017

Thank you for your visit!