My Two Cents on the Penny

Today’s blog is brought to you by the extinct penny.  In February 2013, the Royal Canadian Mint stopped distributing pennies to financial institutions.  At that time I was working for a large credit union in Saskatchewan.  A few months later I resigned.  The two events had nothing to do with each other but the CEO acknowledged my resignation and tied the two together in his update to staff.

Like most, we still have a few of these coins but for the most part you don’t see the one cent around too much in Canada.

Yesterday we went out for lunch.  Stephen gave me a Mother’s Day gift that just keeps giving.  It was a gift card for downtown Kingston.  What a perfect gift!! Today’s choice was Copper Penny.  It felt like coming home. 😂

We enjoyed a good lunch and were not disappointed with our stop. 

We came home after our Kingston errands were completed and Penny, the neighborhood cat arrived at 8:30 for her evening meal.

Oh and one more Penny thing…a few months ago I asked my cuz if she made bubble bath.  Denise makes soaps, bath bombs, creams and so much more at her SOAP SHACK.  She said that she doesn’t anymore but a little while later she showed up with this!

The penny may be extinct but the name lives on.  I’m thankful that Ron kept this old coin around!

Biking Friends and Birthday Celebrations

Yesterday the day started with a coffee on the porch with cloudy skies.  Later in the morning, the skies opened up and we got a downpour and then the sun came out.  It wasn’t long and the roads were dry and the temperature was up.  We headed into Napanee on the motorcycle.  Our old friends had just purchased a  spyder motorcycle and we decided to go for a ride. Ron led the way.

There are so many nice motorcycle roads around here but nothing beats the road to Westport.  We had a break at the beach.  Ron even went for a swim.  The breeze off of the lake was so nice.

After feeling refreshed, we continued towards home.  We stopped at a butcher and picked up steaks for supper.  We had a simple dinner and enjoyed some visiting. 

One of the nice things about moving back to Ontario is reconnecting with old friends and feeling like we haven’t been gone.

It was a beautiful way to spend the day.

Today, we are off to church but even before I get out of bed I need to say Happy Birthday to Denise!  

Happy birthday girl.  I hope you get spoiled!!

Our Thankful Thursday

Denise, the owner of the Soap Shack always calls today Thankful Thursday.  Denise is married to my cousin; so, she is a cousin by marriage and has become a special friend. We stopped by the shack today for a little visit.  We didn’t get past the little pond before I had to stop and take a picture of their falls and spring flowers.  

They have been adding to the pond and we noticed the little turtle hanging out on his own little island.

The fish were very interested in us standing close to the edge and were hoping for a handful of food to be flung their way.  

We moved in from the picturesque pond to the wonderful aroma of the soap shack.  Denise was busy making up packages for Mother’s Day.  What a perfect blend of handmade products made with care and packaged nicely to make for a perfect gift.  

I enjoyed a herbal tea before we asked to continue the tour to see the sheep.  Three new lambs were waiting for us.  

Cousin, Gary made his way into the enclosure and gently picked up one of the babies and handed him to me.  The little black face was so cute and he cuddled in for a while until mama started bleating for him.  The little lamb in my arms squirmed and cried back.  I wanted to hold him longer but my heart went out to the mama sheep who was worried about her little lamb.  I handed him back over the fence and immediately he was calm and mama was happy.

We left Gary and Denise’s with some chives, rhubarb and a couple of other plants for the garden.

When Sarah got home from school and found out that we had a little visit with the baby lambs, she wanted to go.  We left the house early for her to get to youth and stopped for a cuddle with one of the babies.  It was the same response as before but so worth those few minutes to enjoy the new little additions to the Frizzell farm.

So we were thankful on this Thursday for family close by that share their experiences and their perennials with us.

It’s Been A Minute

Life can be so busy even as a retiree.  It’s a different kind of busy these days.  The work schedule is replaced by more of a social schedule.  When you start to think there is nothing going on, that is when the calendar appears to have a conflict.

We are enjoying the times that we can meet for a coffee with someone or be able to attend special celebrations.  I have also been relearning some of the hobbies that I had put aside…like knitting, reading and discovering new recipes.  

Recently a cousin-in-law (is that an actual term?) and I decided one week to take a western trip the next week.  It was very spontaneous and proved to be a lot of fun.

While we were away, because this “cousin” chooses to be more private than I do about adventures, I wrote a little journal each day and sent it to our family chat room and to a special cousin.  She is an in-law too!  When I returned home and got to meet up with Denise, she told me how much they enjoyed our adventures through my writing.  

She told me that I should be writing a blog and so I resurrected my old one.

I’m hoping that I can find some interesting things to write in here.  

So here we go….another hobby resurrected.   This is for you, Denise!!