Taking Advantage of the Day

Ron and I had one of those rare days.  We had nothing on the calendar, household duties were semi caught up and Sarah was away for the day.  We decided that the weather was just right for a motorcycle ride.  I wasn’t feeling the best but I didn’t want to waste a good day.  We rode down towards Lake Ontario and then waited for the ferry to arrive.  

We drove on and enjoyed the calm ride over to the county.  A couple from Savannah, Georgia chatted with us and told us that they were planning on doing the same drive and were stopping at an outdoor restaurant that served fresh pickerel.  

The ride from the ferry was beautiful.  We got lots of views of the water and the temperature was perfect.  We stopped at a fruit stand and picked up a few apples to take home.  Just around the corner, we found the Cressy Mustard restaurant.  We found our way to a table in the shade and ordered.

 Ron and I split a fish and chips meal with a side of dill pickle macaroni salad.  It was all very tasty.  By the time we were done eating, I felt done.  Ron headed home.  When we got there, I crawled into bed and fell sound asleep.  

Meanwhile…Sarah had gone to the Fun Zone with friends from the church.  The two young moms have four children between them.  I am sure that they enjoyed Sarah running after their children almost as much as Sarah enjoyed getting her children fix.

In the evening, we went over to watch the start of the FireFit competitions.  Tonight there were just local businesses competing against each other.  The next two days will be when the competition heats up when the firefighters take over the course.

The Front Porch of Paradise

My front porch is our little haven.  I look forward to the mornings when the schedule is clear and the weather is nice.  I take my coffee and sometimes a blanket to enjoy the start of the day.  Usually Ron is with me and we chat and identify the bird songs.  This morning, he is off to a lake somewhere and I chose to have a slower morning and enjoy my front porch.

This is where I can slow my breathing and enjoy the quiet moments.  I can hear a few cars moving down on the main road.  People off to appointments or work but I just listen to them as the noise disappears.  The fountain in our garden gurgles and as the sun hits it waters sprays out into the bird bath.  

The birds are singing in their choir.  The Merlin Bird Ap has identified them as…

This morning I am treated to a new song.  The Bobolink has joined and added their sweet voice to the mix.

A buzz overhead causes me to stop and look up as a humming bird flew in to enjoy his breakfast on the porch.  

Yesterday, when we sat enjoying the morning sounds, a deer came up to grace us with her presence.  We have been treated to a turtle trying to get somewhere and even a fox trotting up the road all from our comfortable chair in front of our home.

There are very few vehicles that pass our house but when they do it usually is a neighbour who waves and smiles.  Sometimes there are morning walkers..the usual are the lady from the bake shop walking her dog and the United Church minister getting her legs moving before the day gets going.  Occasionally, others may pass and we wonder, are they local or just visiting the area?  Sometimes Penny, the cat comes for breakfast.  Oh…there goes the United Church minister…right on cue.

Last summer a friend had her porch lined with ferns.  They were beautiful but in the fall she was going to throw them away.  I took one and nursed it all year in the house.  It was constant labour of love….spraying, watering and cleaning up after it.  It made it through the winter but did not look healthy in the spring.  When the weather warmed up, I moved it to the front porch.  At first, I didn’t think it would make it and then the humidity came.  New sprouts shot up.  It became vibrant and full of life.

 I think I relate to my “Roxy” fern.  After I sit enjoying the gentle breeze, the warm air and beautiful sounds from my front porch I feel a little more refreshed and ready for my day.

Filling the Day and the Baskets

Sarah is gone camping for the week and we find our house very lonely when she isn’t here.  We have to try and keep busy.  Saturday morning we went to the berry patch.  

Paulridge Farms has been the place to go for years and they have decided that this is their last.  We didn’t want to miss having some fresh berries and be able to put some in the freezer.  

The raspberries were pretty easy picking and we came away with 4 boxes.  Since the beans were also ready, we picked some of them too.

Just down from the beans was a sunflower garden.  

They stood high and healthy.  They were most definitely enjoying the sun.  

Later in the day, we went to friends from the church for a steak dinner and a couple of games.  We got home around 9:00 and I was exhausted. I still needed to water our parched garden and there was also our little neighborhood cat that was waiting for her dinner.

It wasn’t a busy day but I thing the heat saps a lot of energy.  We have a lot more of those heat zapping says ahead.

Pampering Day

The car was looking for some attention.  I’m not sure if the Ram bragged about his oil change and good check up but the Honda wanted her day too.  For the past week, she would remind us that she was getting close to needing some fresh oil.  Each time we would start the car a reminder would flash up.  Vehicles are so smart these days.  We kept it our little secret that she was already booked for her special day.  We drove to Belleville which really threw her off because we had been going to Kingston for her check ups.  I think she got a little excited when we pulled into the Honda Dealer.  We dropped the keys off and were shuttled to the mall.

Twice the dealership called to give us updates on how she was doing.  Her brakes needed some servicing, the oil changed and a few other special treatments. She was loving her special day.

Meanwhile at the mall, Sarah and I thought we should be serviced too.  Sarah decided to get her hands looking  pretty while I decided to having sparkly toes.  We couldn’t talk Ron into it.  He did slip in and took a couple of pictures.  One of us was happy to see him, the other didn’t see a reason for a man to be there!

After our servicing, we got a call that the Honda was done with her special treatment too.  Sarah and I were a lot cheaper!  

Sarah shopped for some new books at Indigo.  That girl loves to read and learn.  She even likes the smell of a book store.

We had lunch at Montana’s…Sarah picked up the bill.  What a nice treat!

Now as long as the Honda and Ram keep quiet about their special days, we will be good.  If Kawi hears, he will be wanting his day too. 🏍️

Black Flies

Do you check the weather every day?  Does the forecast help you with your decision on what to wear?  In Pincher Creek, we always checked the wind speed.  A windbreaker was always close to the door.  I didn’t realize until recently that you can actually check the bug forecast.

I think the forecast was wrong because it said that black flies were low.  If this is low, yikes!!  

We had gone for a walk earlier and I’m not a runner but I ran.  The grass needed to be cut and so we dressed for the forecast!

We decided that the best way to beat them is to go faster than them.  

Denise told me that this was the black fly capital.  Thankfully the season is short but if the forecast is ever high for the nasty bugs, I’ll be locked inside.

Just What We Do

We went to church this morning and it was good to see everyone.  We were one of the last ones to leave.  We stopped at Wendy’s for lunch and ran into cousins Tam and Katy.  We received an invite for supper due to our encounter.

Tammy made a great dinner and Gary and Denise were there to help eat it.  

After we were well fed the gamers gamed.

The hillbillies moved to the front porch.  Ron is adopted into the fam due to his musical ability.

I was the one that just didn’t fit in and got to enjoy my own little porch watching the dogs.

Just a day in the life of people from Tamworth.

Bella Coola/Barcelona

It was a beautiful day in Bella Coola…well, actually we are in Hagensborg.  Hagensborg is where Stephen lives and it is about 19 km away from Bella Coola which is where Stephen and Kylie both work.  Bella Coola is at the end of the road!  You can take a ferry from there to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island or to three other smaller islands.  The ride is long and expensive.  Hagensborg, east of Bella Coola is at the bottom of “the hill.”

This is one of the most unique places that we have visited.  Kitimat was definitely remote but this feels like even more so.  You have “the hill” on one side and the ocean on the other.  It somehow feels very peaceful.  The mountains are all around you.  The air is fresh and the people are friendly.  

Our agenda was jam packed today…clean out the kitty litter and do a recycling and dump run and stop for a few things at the grocery store.  Okay, I may have exaggerated with it being jam packed!

View from the dump

View from the grocery store

Side note…look at the sale price of this Turkey!  We bought a small chicken for Easter!!

Sarah sat in Kylie’s office working on school work.  She has been doing amazing at trying to keep caught up.  We were so thankful that the school was willing and able to make this trip happen.  We all needed it.

In the afternoon, I sat on the deck again watching the hummingbirds fight for a sip of sugared water.

I have a couple of buddies on the deck with me and a great view.

We took the dogs for a W…thats a secret code for walk.

On the other side of the world, Stephen and Kylie stayed overnight in Barcelona.  They sent pictures of their breakfast.  

Ron reciprocated.

They boarded their cruise ship in Barcelona.  I’m able to somewhat see their location.

Just another day in paradise…Barcelona or Bella Coola!

Another Week

It’s amazing to me how quickly a week goes by even when you don’t have a work schedule. 

On Monday, we took our snow shoes and went to the pass.

 It was a beautiful day and it was really nice walking through the woods.

Tuesday was a bit or a recovery day but we did have a job that we needed to do.  Our local post office put in new boxes and everyone has to go and get their new key.  This means that the lineups have been pretty long.  It actually becomes a time for people to visit.  After an hour of inching forward, we were rewarded with our key and mail.  In the evening, ghosts and goblins knocked on our door and we ran out of candy after about 90 kids.

Yesterday, we went to Calgary to take my ring to have a new stone put in.  We enjoyed a dinner at The Keg.  Sooo good!  

We did a little shopping after lunch and Ron got new golf clubs.  He will be anxious to use them in the spring.

Today, we both had massages.  Ron went for a swim and I did a little housecleaning.

Tomorrow morning will be a full on cleaning spree because we have two showings in the afternoon. 🏠

Happy November!