It is a bit dreary outside this morning and rain is once again threatening to fall. Wow, enough already with the rain!!
I have to get more stuff packed into the camper today and then John will have to help me get that fifth wheel hitch out of there. It was in the truck when we bought it and we ended up bringing it home with us from Arizona. One never knows when one will need a hitch like this so we will keep it until someone gets tired of moving the damn thing around. Then it can be sold!!
With the hitch out of the camper, I was able to move around inside much easier. I got the bed made and the pillows inside. Now, at least we can sleep in there.
I also added a few canned goods and other, everyday stuff that we will be needing. It is a good thing I have been making a list because it sure helps. Everytime I thought of something, I added it to the list so hopefully I will not find myself out in the forest without a can opener!!
With the camper almost ready, John decided to build the other gate today. With rain threatening, we moved the work area under the awning and started. Before too long the gate that will be called "Sheldon's Gate" was built and ready for the hinges. Sheldon is the fellow we get to rototill the garden every Spring and Fall. We had to make it wide enough for him to get his tractor and tiller through so that is why it will be called Sheldon's gate.
There was only one "incident" while we were building today and that occurred while John was using the Skil saw to cut the 4x4 posts down to size. I was supposed to be watching the cord and I was doing a good job of that up until the time it got too close to the blade and once again, was cut in half!! Shit, Oh Dear!! Needless to say, John was not impressed and he said to me "I give you one "effin" job to do and you can't even do that. How hard can it be to watch the damn cord?" Well, I said, "obviously too hard" and I try to hide the grin on my face. This is just too much de ja vous for me. Why, didn't this exact same thing happen a few weeks ago? LOL With the most disgusted look on his face, John sits in the chair and begins the repairs saying something along the lines of "this cord is going to weigh three pounds more that it should". Not likely but I did ask him if I was rather "trying" to work with some days and he just shook his head!! I must say, it is certainly a gong show around here some days!! Never a dull moment, that is for sure!!
With today's jobs done, John builds a fire and we sat around it again tonight enjoying the evening and a few refreshments.
It is soon time to think of supper and I think it is time to deal with a few leftovers. With supper done, I jumped into the shower and then into bed. I am tired tonight. Hell, I worked hard again today!!
Tomorrow I am going into Spiritwood to do a bit of shopping for the weekend and John has asked me to pick up a few electrical items for him like breakers and sockets and stuff. Could it mean that we are to be doing a few more renos......Oh, I can hardly wait to see what another project will bring. Could there be another gong show in my future.......Shit, Oh Dear!! Good night!!
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 23/2013
I awoke to awesome sunshine this morning. Already it is hot out although, I can hear thunder in the distance. We are scheduled for rain today and it sure sounds like we are going to get some.
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While I was checking out Facebook, the thunder got louder and the skies became grey. Wow, it looks like we are going to have a wicked storm. Hogan had already headed for the safety of the bedroom!! It rained like crazy and was over in about 30 minutes. The wind blew and now there is nothing but an eerie calm. Not a breath of wind ...... an ominous feeling prevails. Eventually, the rain returned and then the skies cleared. It is now cloudy with sunny periods.
Today was the day that the wood we gathered yesterday was to be split. John got the truck into position and the log splitter was lifted into the back of it and we started splitting and throwing it in to the wood bin. It is not a hard job really but my hands and fingers were tired and sore from the gathering part yesterday and I found that I could not grasp the wood all the well. Damned arthritis!! Eventually all the wood was split and that nasty job was done. Time to relax.
As the day progressed the sun stayed out and it actually turned out to be a pretty nice evening.
John started a fire to fend off the chill and the damp and we sat and enjoyed that while he cooked our supper on the firepit. The baked potatoes were first, then came the corn on the cob and the sausage. It actually turned out great and although I was worried that he would burn it with the uneven temperature, it turned out great.
I had taken a walk through the garden earlier and discovered 3 zucchini that were ready to pick and a good sized cucumber. We will have the cucumber with tonight's supper and I will stir fry the zucchini with some onion and some dill tomorrow. The garden is coming along nicely and I keep eyeing up that one orange tomato and hope it will ripen in the next day or two. Mmmm, can hardly wait to sink my teeth into it!!
Tomorrow will be another busy day, as I have to work on getting the camper ready to go for the weekend. The kids are supposed to be here on Friday and I am scheduled to work on Thursday night so I had better get into gear.
With these thoughts in mind, I head towards the bed for a good night's sleep.
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| Baked potatoes on the fire pit |
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| Marie's garden looking good |
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| Marie and hogan relaxing |
While I was checking out Facebook, the thunder got louder and the skies became grey. Wow, it looks like we are going to have a wicked storm. Hogan had already headed for the safety of the bedroom!! It rained like crazy and was over in about 30 minutes. The wind blew and now there is nothing but an eerie calm. Not a breath of wind ...... an ominous feeling prevails. Eventually, the rain returned and then the skies cleared. It is now cloudy with sunny periods.
Today was the day that the wood we gathered yesterday was to be split. John got the truck into position and the log splitter was lifted into the back of it and we started splitting and throwing it in to the wood bin. It is not a hard job really but my hands and fingers were tired and sore from the gathering part yesterday and I found that I could not grasp the wood all the well. Damned arthritis!! Eventually all the wood was split and that nasty job was done. Time to relax.
As the day progressed the sun stayed out and it actually turned out to be a pretty nice evening.
John started a fire to fend off the chill and the damp and we sat and enjoyed that while he cooked our supper on the firepit. The baked potatoes were first, then came the corn on the cob and the sausage. It actually turned out great and although I was worried that he would burn it with the uneven temperature, it turned out great.
I had taken a walk through the garden earlier and discovered 3 zucchini that were ready to pick and a good sized cucumber. We will have the cucumber with tonight's supper and I will stir fry the zucchini with some onion and some dill tomorrow. The garden is coming along nicely and I keep eyeing up that one orange tomato and hope it will ripen in the next day or two. Mmmm, can hardly wait to sink my teeth into it!!
Tomorrow will be another busy day, as I have to work on getting the camper ready to go for the weekend. The kids are supposed to be here on Friday and I am scheduled to work on Thursday night so I had better get into gear.
With these thoughts in mind, I head towards the bed for a good night's sleep.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Monday, July 22/2013
The sun is shining this morning and it looks like it is going to be a rather nice day. If we are lucky, we will not see any rain today.
I have to tidy up the big white trailer today as John wants to get pictures of it so that we can put it on kijiji to sell. We no longer need it as we will now be travelling with the truck and camper and it is far too heavy to tow behind it. So, it needs to be sold so that we can get a much smaller one to tow.
I should also start cleaning the little storage trailer out as well and I would like to take a trip over to Big River to see about a camping spot for the kids for this up coming weekend. I guess that will depend on John though and what he feels like doing. Hell, he might decide to finish the fence!!
I guess time will tell!!
Once I got the required amount of coffee into myself, I headed out to the big trailer and started with the cleaning. Actually, it was more tidying up than cleaning. It took about an hour to get things back into order and now it is ready for pictures. I took them and now there is no excuse for not getting it up for sale. The sooner the better, I say. Once it sells, we can start looking for another one to haul behind the truck and camper.
Once that was done, I took a swipe at the shop and rearranged some stuff in there as well. Now it too is tidier. I also found another bag of cans that should have been taken into Sarcan the other day but now I guess I will wait until after the weekend with the kids as I suspect there will be a few more after that!!
With the white trailer done and the shop cleaned up, I got into the storage trailer and cleaned that thing out as well. Man.....I was on a roll. John joined in the efforts of the storage trailer and now there is even more room in there to store even more junk!! At least now, one will not have to crawl over anything to actually get something out of it.
John then decided that today would be a good day to take a trip over to the Big River Trails to see if we could find a decent parking spot for the kids this weekend. With the refreshments in the cooler, we headed out and were soon accessing the forest trails. It wasn't too long before the trail deteriorated and we were met with a rather nasty mud hole. Being that we were only in Old Blue and it has no four wheel drive or a winch, we chose to end our journey there. I had no desire to get stuck and have to walk 10 miles out of the bush
to get help!! Wisely....John agreed.
On the way back, we headed into Utah Lake and found that this too would not be suitable for the kids as it was too small an area for their campers.
Back onto the grid, and we decided that since we were in the area, we would stop and get a load of wood. Not my favourite thing to do but it would really be silly not to. Especially, since we were in the area.
With the wood loaded, it was time to head back home where we arrived just as Gary was returning home. He wandered over and John started a campfire.
We sat around the fire for a few hours while supper cooked on the bbq. I halved a chicken and put fresh rosemary and sage under the skin and john cooked it slowly. Man, the smell of that was incredible and my stomach was growling!!
Gary eventually headed home and our supper was ready to eat. Inside we went, ate and called it a day.
All in all, it was a very productive day with both trailers getting a good tidying up, the shop too, the road trip to the trails getting done and a load of wood gathered. Geez.......No wonder I am tired!!
I have to tidy up the big white trailer today as John wants to get pictures of it so that we can put it on kijiji to sell. We no longer need it as we will now be travelling with the truck and camper and it is far too heavy to tow behind it. So, it needs to be sold so that we can get a much smaller one to tow.
I should also start cleaning the little storage trailer out as well and I would like to take a trip over to Big River to see about a camping spot for the kids for this up coming weekend. I guess that will depend on John though and what he feels like doing. Hell, he might decide to finish the fence!!
I guess time will tell!!
Once I got the required amount of coffee into myself, I headed out to the big trailer and started with the cleaning. Actually, it was more tidying up than cleaning. It took about an hour to get things back into order and now it is ready for pictures. I took them and now there is no excuse for not getting it up for sale. The sooner the better, I say. Once it sells, we can start looking for another one to haul behind the truck and camper.
Once that was done, I took a swipe at the shop and rearranged some stuff in there as well. Now it too is tidier. I also found another bag of cans that should have been taken into Sarcan the other day but now I guess I will wait until after the weekend with the kids as I suspect there will be a few more after that!!
With the white trailer done and the shop cleaned up, I got into the storage trailer and cleaned that thing out as well. Man.....I was on a roll. John joined in the efforts of the storage trailer and now there is even more room in there to store even more junk!! At least now, one will not have to crawl over anything to actually get something out of it.
John then decided that today would be a good day to take a trip over to the Big River Trails to see if we could find a decent parking spot for the kids this weekend. With the refreshments in the cooler, we headed out and were soon accessing the forest trails. It wasn't too long before the trail deteriorated and we were met with a rather nasty mud hole. Being that we were only in Old Blue and it has no four wheel drive or a winch, we chose to end our journey there. I had no desire to get stuck and have to walk 10 miles out of the bush
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| Heading into the forest to see if we can find a campsite for the kids |
On the way back, we headed into Utah Lake and found that this too would not be suitable for the kids as it was too small an area for their campers.
Back onto the grid, and we decided that since we were in the area, we would stop and get a load of wood. Not my favourite thing to do but it would really be silly not to. Especially, since we were in the area.
With the wood loaded, it was time to head back home where we arrived just as Gary was returning home. He wandered over and John started a campfire.
We sat around the fire for a few hours while supper cooked on the bbq. I halved a chicken and put fresh rosemary and sage under the skin and john cooked it slowly. Man, the smell of that was incredible and my stomach was growling!!
Gary eventually headed home and our supper was ready to eat. Inside we went, ate and called it a day.
All in all, it was a very productive day with both trailers getting a good tidying up, the shop too, the road trip to the trails getting done and a load of wood gathered. Geez.......No wonder I am tired!!
Sunday, July 21/2013
It rained very steadily all night long. Gee, just when I was wondering if it was time to water the garden, God did it for me!! Man, did it ever rain though. It was raining before I went to bed last night and every time I woke up, it was still raining. Once again, the trails in the forest are going to be wet!!
I was hoping to go and check out the Big River trail that Jace is hoping to use to get to a camping spot in Timberlost for next weekend but I fear all this rain from last night will have made the trail just a bit more unfriendly. So, perhaps it would be better to wait until tomorrow to tackle it.
The Riders are playing football at 5:00 o'clock this afternoon so we will be busy watching and cheering them on. Gosh I hope they can maintain their winning streak.
We headed into the man cave for the big game and the Riders were playing excellent football. They were ahead in no time and by half time, were still ahead, In fact, the Hamilton Tigercats had yet to post any score on the board.
Gary arrived to watch the second half and at the end on the game the score was 37-0 for the Riders. Woo Hoo!! Go Riders Go!!
Dave and Shirley joined us when there was only 5 minutes left in the game so we had a quick chat with them before they headed home. They had been out on the trails with their Samurai and Dave mentioned to John that he should think about getting ours into running order. It needs the driveshaft put on and the rear disc brakes installed
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Once the game was over, we went outside and John started a fire. Gary was pretty tired and mentioned that he had partied too much yesterday and was still feeling the effects of that so he decided to call it an early night.
John and I sat around the fire until it was time for supper. He wanted bush pies tonight so I got all the stuff ready and that is what we had. Once that was done, I was ready to go inside and just relax. I started watching a movie on TV and ended up watching two. I finally shut the TV off at 3:00 o'clock in the morning!! Now that is certainly unusual for me!! I even outlasted John!!
I was hoping to go and check out the Big River trail that Jace is hoping to use to get to a camping spot in Timberlost for next weekend but I fear all this rain from last night will have made the trail just a bit more unfriendly. So, perhaps it would be better to wait until tomorrow to tackle it.
The Riders are playing football at 5:00 o'clock this afternoon so we will be busy watching and cheering them on. Gosh I hope they can maintain their winning streak.
We headed into the man cave for the big game and the Riders were playing excellent football. They were ahead in no time and by half time, were still ahead, In fact, the Hamilton Tigercats had yet to post any score on the board.
Gary arrived to watch the second half and at the end on the game the score was 37-0 for the Riders. Woo Hoo!! Go Riders Go!!
Dave and Shirley joined us when there was only 5 minutes left in the game so we had a quick chat with them before they headed home. They had been out on the trails with their Samurai and Dave mentioned to John that he should think about getting ours into running order. It needs the driveshaft put on and the rear disc brakes installed
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| Rider is ready for the game! |
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| Cooking the bush pies on the fire pit |
Once the game was over, we went outside and John started a fire. Gary was pretty tired and mentioned that he had partied too much yesterday and was still feeling the effects of that so he decided to call it an early night.
John and I sat around the fire until it was time for supper. He wanted bush pies tonight so I got all the stuff ready and that is what we had. Once that was done, I was ready to go inside and just relax. I started watching a movie on TV and ended up watching two. I finally shut the TV off at 3:00 o'clock in the morning!! Now that is certainly unusual for me!! I even outlasted John!!
Saturday, July 20/2013
I slept in this morning and now I know what that feels like. It is not very often that I do that and that is a good thing because now half the morning is gone and I have yet to accomplish anything!!
Today, there is a double header in the CFL so it will be football for six hours. Woo Hoo!!
We will spend some more time in the man cave watching the fancy ass new TV. It is awesome!!
Since the kids are headed up here camping next weekend, I thought I had better make some more bush pie filling. I had all the stuff here so that is what I did. Now, it smells awesome in the bus. I guess I will have some for brunch!!
The games do not start till 5:00 o'clock so that means another late night is on the agenda. The games will not be over until 11:00 so that is when John will cook supper. Man, we are so going to have to change our eating habits since eating a big meal just before we head to bed is not a very good thing.
We spent the afternoon relaxing then headed into the man cave for kickoff. Gary wandered over during halftime of the first game. He was well into his cups when he arrived and only stayed until the end of the first game then wandered home where I am sure he fell asleep in his chair. He did mention before he left to take a look to see if he was lying in the garden the next time I headed into the bus to go to the bathroom so he knew he was pretty polluted!! I did and he was not there so I assume he made it home safe and sound.
John got the potatoes going during half time of the second game so they were done by the end of it. The steaks went on right after the game and it was soon time to eat. Yummy!!
We then started watching a movie so had to finish it before finally heading to bed.
All in all, it was another good day. Tomorrow the Riders play so we will be sending good karma to them and hoping for yet another win.......it could happen!
Today, there is a double header in the CFL so it will be football for six hours. Woo Hoo!!
We will spend some more time in the man cave watching the fancy ass new TV. It is awesome!!
Since the kids are headed up here camping next weekend, I thought I had better make some more bush pie filling. I had all the stuff here so that is what I did. Now, it smells awesome in the bus. I guess I will have some for brunch!!
The games do not start till 5:00 o'clock so that means another late night is on the agenda. The games will not be over until 11:00 so that is when John will cook supper. Man, we are so going to have to change our eating habits since eating a big meal just before we head to bed is not a very good thing.
We spent the afternoon relaxing then headed into the man cave for kickoff. Gary wandered over during halftime of the first game. He was well into his cups when he arrived and only stayed until the end of the first game then wandered home where I am sure he fell asleep in his chair. He did mention before he left to take a look to see if he was lying in the garden the next time I headed into the bus to go to the bathroom so he knew he was pretty polluted!! I did and he was not there so I assume he made it home safe and sound.
John got the potatoes going during half time of the second game so they were done by the end of it. The steaks went on right after the game and it was soon time to eat. Yummy!!
We then started watching a movie so had to finish it before finally heading to bed.
All in all, it was another good day. Tomorrow the Riders play so we will be sending good karma to them and hoping for yet another win.......it could happen!
Friday, July 19/2013
It was a good shift last night but I am glad to be home. The sun is shining and another warm day is in the making. The new TV is supposed to arrive today so I stayed up until 10:00 waiting then I got too tired so got John up to do the waiting. He exited the bed and I entered it!!
I vaguely remember hearing it arrive but only registered it somewhere in my brain and then fell into a deeper sleep. When I finally did wake, it was 2:45 and I had slept too long. I had a bit of a headache so crawled out of the bed towards the tylenol bottle!!
Once I got a couple of those on board and a cup of coffee in my hand, I headed out to the man cave to see what all the crashing and banging was all about.
Gary had come over to install the satellite dish and John had got the TV mounted on the wall,
so by the time I got out there, he was adjusting the dish to receive the signal. In no time at all, he had the dish pointed to where it needed to be and I was phoning to get the receiver activated. Once that was done, we had an awesome picture on the screen and now are ready to sit and watch the Friday night football game. Woo Hoo.
It was awesome but I wished we had the couch to sit on. The lawn chairs were good but we so need proper seating in there. Of course the lawn chairs felt better the more beer we had!!
Once the game was over, it was time to call it a day. I had put a lasagna into the oven earlier so that was a good thing. Now, we just had to eat it. And, it was awesome by the way, accompanied by a caesar salad and garlic toast. Then.....the bed was calling to me!!!
I vaguely remember hearing it arrive but only registered it somewhere in my brain and then fell into a deeper sleep. When I finally did wake, it was 2:45 and I had slept too long. I had a bit of a headache so crawled out of the bed towards the tylenol bottle!!
Once I got a couple of those on board and a cup of coffee in my hand, I headed out to the man cave to see what all the crashing and banging was all about.
Gary had come over to install the satellite dish and John had got the TV mounted on the wall,
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| TV installed |
It was awesome but I wished we had the couch to sit on. The lawn chairs were good but we so need proper seating in there. Of course the lawn chairs felt better the more beer we had!!
Once the game was over, it was time to call it a day. I had put a lasagna into the oven earlier so that was a good thing. Now, we just had to eat it. And, it was awesome by the way, accompanied by a caesar salad and garlic toast. Then.....the bed was calling to me!!!
Sunday, July 21, 2013
Thursday, July 18/2013
The sun is shining like crazy today and once again it is going to be another warm day. I work the night shift tonight so am not too ambitious today. I really need to save my energy for then!!
John wants to make the other gate today but that is mostly his job. I will sit and watch him work!!
As it turned out, the gate did not get done today, instead John put the TV wall mount up in the man cave. The fancy new TV will be delivered tomorrow so it will be nice to have things ready for it.
It was soon time for me to head over to the home for the start of my shift and I left John and Gary sitting out by the fireplace having a beverage.
John wants to make the other gate today but that is mostly his job. I will sit and watch him work!!
As it turned out, the gate did not get done today, instead John put the TV wall mount up in the man cave. The fancy new TV will be delivered tomorrow so it will be nice to have things ready for it.
It was soon time for me to head over to the home for the start of my shift and I left John and Gary sitting out by the fireplace having a beverage.
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| the evening sky |
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| This crow sat up on the light talking like crazy tonight. I managed to get right under him and he wasn't too worried about it at all. |
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Wednesday, July 17/2013
The sun is shining this morning and it looks like it is going to be another really nice day. The garden is loving all this sun and is responding in kind. I ate the first zucchini out of it a few days ago and it was delicious. There are a few tomatoes on the vines and there are also baby cucumbers starting. Life is good in the garden!!
Today I will head into Spiritwood for a few more 2x4s for the fence and will stop and pick up the TV from the furniture place. I should also take in the rest of the cans (the ones we could not cash in the last time) and maybe pick up a few groceries while I am there.
I am not too inclined as yet, but I had better start thinking about getting into gear.
Back from town and I managed to get everything I needed. I chose not to bring the TV home as they were planning on delivering it on Friday so thought that would be soon enough. That way, I had no chance to inflict any damage if I brought it home in the truck with the 12 -2x4s I was also bringing home. I think it is safer this way!!
When I arrived at home, John was busy building the man gate (soon to be referred to as "Gary's gate"). He had it framed and was putting the finishing touches on it. I wanted it to match the rest of the fence so it too has wire on it. I think it looks awesome and once the hinges were on it, we tried it out and it worked great. Tomorrow, we have to tackle the much bigger gate. The one that Sheldon will use for rototilling the garden. It has to be wide enough for his tractor and tiller. This one could prove a bit more challenging!!
One Gary's gate was done, John fired up the BBQ and got some ribs going. ......they are going to taste so good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Mmmmm
I made rice and an oriental salad to go with the ribs. It all was delicious. We spent a quiet evening watching TV then it was time for me to head to bed. I still am not fully recovered from yesterday and the wood gathering!!
Today I will head into Spiritwood for a few more 2x4s for the fence and will stop and pick up the TV from the furniture place. I should also take in the rest of the cans (the ones we could not cash in the last time) and maybe pick up a few groceries while I am there.
I am not too inclined as yet, but I had better start thinking about getting into gear.
Back from town and I managed to get everything I needed. I chose not to bring the TV home as they were planning on delivering it on Friday so thought that would be soon enough. That way, I had no chance to inflict any damage if I brought it home in the truck with the 12 -2x4s I was also bringing home. I think it is safer this way!!
When I arrived at home, John was busy building the man gate (soon to be referred to as "Gary's gate"). He had it framed and was putting the finishing touches on it. I wanted it to match the rest of the fence so it too has wire on it. I think it looks awesome and once the hinges were on it, we tried it out and it worked great. Tomorrow, we have to tackle the much bigger gate. The one that Sheldon will use for rototilling the garden. It has to be wide enough for his tractor and tiller. This one could prove a bit more challenging!!
One Gary's gate was done, John fired up the BBQ and got some ribs going. ......they are going to taste so good. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
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| The "man" gate |
I made rice and an oriental salad to go with the ribs. It all was delicious. We spent a quiet evening watching TV then it was time for me to head to bed. I still am not fully recovered from yesterday and the wood gathering!!
Tuesday, July 16/2013
There is lots to do today and it looks like the weather is going to cooperate. It is sunny out but apparently it will not be too terribly hot so that is a very good thing as I hate working in the sun and if the fence is on the agenda today, well, cool is better for me than hot!!
First things first though, I have been putting off doing the laundry for a few days now so I gathered up the dirty clothes and headed over to the laundromat. Four loads washed and dried and I was home in just over an hour. Woo Hoo!!
By the time I got home, John was ready to start on the section of fence that will stand along the garden. No more dogs in the garden!! Once we started, we did not stop until it was finished. Now all that remains is the little piece that John wants to do at the end of the garden and he wants to use the left over fence boards for that. Perhaps tomorrow will see that done but it involves digging three post holes and I am not looking forward to that!!
Once we were done with this section of the fence, Gary arrived home and asked if we were ready for a beer. Now what kind of a silly question is that??!!! LOL!!! I of course, yelled through the trees that we were just about to head to Church!! I won't even write down what Gary's response to that was as he came around the evergreens with his little cooler in hand.
While we sat in the shade, enjoying a cool one and looking at the latest expanse of fence, John reminded Gary about putting some sort of end on the cable for the TV so, Gary went and got his tools and had the end on in about 5 minutes. He also brought us a cable that is to go from the TV to the receiver. Now that little job is done!!
Gary left soon after that and John decided that we should make a wood run. Oh ya, make me walk into the clear cut after I have had 3 beer!! Jeez Louise.....I think he is trying to kill me!!
We headed off down the road and were soon chucking logs into the back of the truck. It doesn't take long to get a truck full and once that was achieved, we headed for home.
Back at the bus, John backed the truck up to the wood splitter and while he started splitting and firing the logs into his newly constructed wood bin, I got some potatoes ready for the BBQ. It was potatoes, onions and carrots cut up with onion soup mix tonight. That, and BBQ chicken legs. Mmmm
While the potatoes cooked John and I got the rest of the wood split and into the wood bin. Man, was tired after that. I felt so awful that I said to John, "just kill me now"!!
I headed in for a shower while John started a fire. I popped some Tylenol and poured myself a vodka. If I was going to croak, I was going to go clean and with a refreshment in my hand!!
An hour later, the Tylenol had kicked in and I thought there was a good possibility that I just may actually live!! A few more vodkas and supper was cooked and ready.
It was awesome and both John and I pigged out.
All in all, it was a very productive day with the laundry getting done (although it is not put away yet), another good section of fence done and a load of wood gathered and split. I think I heard John mention something about going for another load tomorrow but I am choosing not to hear him tonight!!
It is off to bed for me and Hogan so Good Night for now.
First things first though, I have been putting off doing the laundry for a few days now so I gathered up the dirty clothes and headed over to the laundromat. Four loads washed and dried and I was home in just over an hour. Woo Hoo!!
By the time I got home, John was ready to start on the section of fence that will stand along the garden. No more dogs in the garden!! Once we started, we did not stop until it was finished. Now all that remains is the little piece that John wants to do at the end of the garden and he wants to use the left over fence boards for that. Perhaps tomorrow will see that done but it involves digging three post holes and I am not looking forward to that!!
Once we were done with this section of the fence, Gary arrived home and asked if we were ready for a beer. Now what kind of a silly question is that??!!! LOL!!! I of course, yelled through the trees that we were just about to head to Church!! I won't even write down what Gary's response to that was as he came around the evergreens with his little cooler in hand.
While we sat in the shade, enjoying a cool one and looking at the latest expanse of fence, John reminded Gary about putting some sort of end on the cable for the TV so, Gary went and got his tools and had the end on in about 5 minutes. He also brought us a cable that is to go from the TV to the receiver. Now that little job is done!!
Gary left soon after that and John decided that we should make a wood run. Oh ya, make me walk into the clear cut after I have had 3 beer!! Jeez Louise.....I think he is trying to kill me!!
We headed off down the road and were soon chucking logs into the back of the truck. It doesn't take long to get a truck full and once that was achieved, we headed for home.
Back at the bus, John backed the truck up to the wood splitter and while he started splitting and firing the logs into his newly constructed wood bin, I got some potatoes ready for the BBQ. It was potatoes, onions and carrots cut up with onion soup mix tonight. That, and BBQ chicken legs. Mmmm
While the potatoes cooked John and I got the rest of the wood split and into the wood bin. Man, was tired after that. I felt so awful that I said to John, "just kill me now"!!
I headed in for a shower while John started a fire. I popped some Tylenol and poured myself a vodka. If I was going to croak, I was going to go clean and with a refreshment in my hand!!
An hour later, the Tylenol had kicked in and I thought there was a good possibility that I just may actually live!! A few more vodkas and supper was cooked and ready.
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| The section across the front of the garden |
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| Load of wood. This stuff is just laying in the forest from the logging crews |
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| Splitting the wood |
It was awesome and both John and I pigged out.
All in all, it was a very productive day with the laundry getting done (although it is not put away yet), another good section of fence done and a load of wood gathered and split. I think I heard John mention something about going for another load tomorrow but I am choosing not to hear him tonight!!
It is off to bed for me and Hogan so Good Night for now.
Monday, July 15/2013
The sun is shining this morning but there are plenty of clouds in the sky so it looks like we will have clouds with sunny periods. That is good if I have to go and get a load of wood today. That is what is on the agenda for today but first we must hang around the bus until Ed and Deb arrive. They are headed back to Alberta today. Their "too short" holiday is over. Man......time flies!!
The Alberta Crew arrived and were running late. It is a long haul home for them so they stayed for just a short time then were once again, headed down the road. Ed has to work tomorrow so he will be more than tired for that first day back.
Once they left, it was time to get started on finishing the fence. I really was not in the mood to go get a load of wood so it turned out to be a fence day.
Before we were done, we had another section up so now the part between our neighbour Gary in now complete.
Gary arrived home and joined us for a refreshment and we chatted for a while before he headed home for supper. Just as he left, Dave and Shirley arrived back from Saskatoon. She had gone into the city to see the specialist about the "lump" near her eye. The doc decided to excise it and send it off to pathology to see if was a skin cancer. Shirley is now supporting about 4 sutures and will likely end up with an awesome black eye!!
It wasn't too long before they headed home but not before Dave left the TV wall mount he had bought for us. We now can attach the fancy new TV to the wall in the man cave.
It was starting to get chilly out and it was supper time so we headed into the bus. It was spaghetti and meatballs on the menu tonight and once that was done, we spent a quiet evening watching TV and relaxing. Tomorrow, hopefully we get another section of fence done and of course there is that wood gathering that needs to be done!! I had better rest up!!
The Alberta Crew arrived and were running late. It is a long haul home for them so they stayed for just a short time then were once again, headed down the road. Ed has to work tomorrow so he will be more than tired for that first day back.
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| The fence along the main driveway |
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| The section between Gary and us. The bird feeder was made by my brother in law, Ron |
Before we were done, we had another section up so now the part between our neighbour Gary in now complete.
Gary arrived home and joined us for a refreshment and we chatted for a while before he headed home for supper. Just as he left, Dave and Shirley arrived back from Saskatoon. She had gone into the city to see the specialist about the "lump" near her eye. The doc decided to excise it and send it off to pathology to see if was a skin cancer. Shirley is now supporting about 4 sutures and will likely end up with an awesome black eye!!
It wasn't too long before they headed home but not before Dave left the TV wall mount he had bought for us. We now can attach the fancy new TV to the wall in the man cave.
It was starting to get chilly out and it was supper time so we headed into the bus. It was spaghetti and meatballs on the menu tonight and once that was done, we spent a quiet evening watching TV and relaxing. Tomorrow, hopefully we get another section of fence done and of course there is that wood gathering that needs to be done!! I had better rest up!!
Monday, July 15, 2013
Sunday, July 14/2013
I am off to work again and it looks like it is going to be another nice day weather wise. I think it is a good "fishing" day so hopefully Edward takes my advise and takes the boat to Shell Lake. I know he will catch fish!!
Work was good today and with the clouds and the breeze, it was not too terribly hot in the building.
As I walked home after my shift, I smelled campfire and wondered if John had one started and a beer waiting for me!!
I was not disappointed. John had been busy today building his "wood bin" in the storage trailer and it actually turned out pretty darn good. It now needs wood so I guess that is on the agenda for tomorrow. He mentioned that Dave and Shirley had been over for a visit so I was able to catch up on all their news. He told me that Dave was heading into Saskatoon tomorrow with Shirley so I did not have to go in with her. She has an appointment with an eye specialist and I was going with her in case she was unable to drive home. Dave says he is still having some symptoms from when he whacked his head with the jack all so I hope he stops at his doctor's office while he is in the city.
They are going to stop and pick us up a wall mount for the fancy new TV we bought the other day so that it can be set up in the man cave. Slowly, things are coming together in there.
We got a call the other day saying the couch we purchased could not be sold separately from the love seat so I guess that didn't turn out quite like we planned. I will have to think about that one as we really do not need a love seat and a couch in the man cave.
We relaxed around the campfire, enjoyed a few (maybe too many) refreshment while John got the bbq going to cook supper. We would have eaten a lot sooner than we did but John did not realize the propane tank had emptied and the bbq had gone out!!! Oh well, I guess we are just going to have to have another beer and wait!!
The Northern Lights were dancing in the sky tonight and although they were not as spectacular as the first ones we saw, they were still nice. Both John and I sat around the fire with our jackets on as it was getting down right chilly out. Wow jackets, and only the middle of July.......something is not quite right about that!!
Supper was soon ready then it was into the bus to eat and then off to bed for me. I am tired after my 12 hour shift and for some reason my back is aching. I hate that!! Anyway, I headed to bed and John was going to upload some pics so that this blog could finally get up to date!! It is a wonder that Kimmy has not been crabbing at me about that!
Work was good today and with the clouds and the breeze, it was not too terribly hot in the building.
As I walked home after my shift, I smelled campfire and wondered if John had one started and a beer waiting for me!!
I was not disappointed. John had been busy today building his "wood bin" in the storage trailer and it actually turned out pretty darn good. It now needs wood so I guess that is on the agenda for tomorrow. He mentioned that Dave and Shirley had been over for a visit so I was able to catch up on all their news. He told me that Dave was heading into Saskatoon tomorrow with Shirley so I did not have to go in with her. She has an appointment with an eye specialist and I was going with her in case she was unable to drive home. Dave says he is still having some symptoms from when he whacked his head with the jack all so I hope he stops at his doctor's office while he is in the city.
They are going to stop and pick us up a wall mount for the fancy new TV we bought the other day so that it can be set up in the man cave. Slowly, things are coming together in there.
We got a call the other day saying the couch we purchased could not be sold separately from the love seat so I guess that didn't turn out quite like we planned. I will have to think about that one as we really do not need a love seat and a couch in the man cave.
We relaxed around the campfire, enjoyed a few (maybe too many) refreshment while John got the bbq going to cook supper. We would have eaten a lot sooner than we did but John did not realize the propane tank had emptied and the bbq had gone out!!! Oh well, I guess we are just going to have to have another beer and wait!!
The Northern Lights were dancing in the sky tonight and although they were not as spectacular as the first ones we saw, they were still nice. Both John and I sat around the fire with our jackets on as it was getting down right chilly out. Wow jackets, and only the middle of July.......something is not quite right about that!!
Supper was soon ready then it was into the bus to eat and then off to bed for me. I am tired after my 12 hour shift and for some reason my back is aching. I hate that!! Anyway, I headed to bed and John was going to upload some pics so that this blog could finally get up to date!! It is a wonder that Kimmy has not been crabbing at me about that!
Saturday, July 13/2013
I had a good night shift and am now headed to bed. John and I are going over to the lake today to spend some time with his cousins. It should be fun and I am looking forward to it. First things first though....time for me to get some shut eye.
I woke up at 2:00 o'clock and get things ready for the lake. I made bush pie filling the other day to take so I must remember to actually take it!! I had text Edward earlier to see if they needed anything and was told ice and bread.
Once we had all "the stuff" gathered, the truck gassed up and Hogan in the back, we headed over. John decided to take the back way over to the lake as it was Saturday and the traffic on the highway would probably be nasty.
It didn't matter to me which way we went, as long as we went!! This way, we could both check out the condition of the North Grid. It had some nasty soft spots in it a while back from all the bloody rain so hopefully, they have been repaired.
As it turned out, there were still plenty of soft spots but we made it to Clearwater in good time.
We spent an enjoyable evening with Deb, Ed, Kristie, Barrie and their two kids Brooke and Tanton.
Hogan got to swim to his heart's content and the kids were busy being kids!!
The bush pie makings came out and before too long we were all chowing down on them. Brooke absolutely loved them and it reminded me of when her Mom was a little girl as she too loved them. Kristie said that was one of her favourite memories about coming to the lake......eating Auntie M's bush pies!! I had even forgot that she called me that!! We shared lots of memories tonight and sometimes it is nothing but a pleasure remembering times gone by. We did make a resolution to get together at least once a year. That would be so nice so hopefully we are able to do just that.
It was soon time to pack up and head for home as once again......I have to work in the morning!!
Edward has been trying to catch fish in Clearwater and has been unsuccessful so I advised him to go a few miles down the road to Shell Lake. He will definitely catch some northern pike there and hopefully have a fish fry tomorrow night. I would hate to see that they each spent $60.00 on a fishing license and not catch any fish!! That would be a total bummer.
We took the back roads home again and were soon at the bus. Soon after this, I was in bed as the alarm is set of 6:00 A.M. Now that sucks!! Good Night!!
I woke up at 2:00 o'clock and get things ready for the lake. I made bush pie filling the other day to take so I must remember to actually take it!! I had text Edward earlier to see if they needed anything and was told ice and bread.
Once we had all "the stuff" gathered, the truck gassed up and Hogan in the back, we headed over. John decided to take the back way over to the lake as it was Saturday and the traffic on the highway would probably be nasty.
It didn't matter to me which way we went, as long as we went!! This way, we could both check out the condition of the North Grid. It had some nasty soft spots in it a while back from all the bloody rain so hopefully, they have been repaired.
As it turned out, there were still plenty of soft spots but we made it to Clearwater in good time.
We spent an enjoyable evening with Deb, Ed, Kristie, Barrie and their two kids Brooke and Tanton.
Hogan got to swim to his heart's content and the kids were busy being kids!!
The bush pie makings came out and before too long we were all chowing down on them. Brooke absolutely loved them and it reminded me of when her Mom was a little girl as she too loved them. Kristie said that was one of her favourite memories about coming to the lake......eating Auntie M's bush pies!! I had even forgot that she called me that!! We shared lots of memories tonight and sometimes it is nothing but a pleasure remembering times gone by. We did make a resolution to get together at least once a year. That would be so nice so hopefully we are able to do just that.
It was soon time to pack up and head for home as once again......I have to work in the morning!!
Edward has been trying to catch fish in Clearwater and has been unsuccessful so I advised him to go a few miles down the road to Shell Lake. He will definitely catch some northern pike there and hopefully have a fish fry tomorrow night. I would hate to see that they each spent $60.00 on a fishing license and not catch any fish!! That would be a total bummer.
We took the back roads home again and were soon at the bus. Soon after this, I was in bed as the alarm is set of 6:00 A.M. Now that sucks!! Good Night!!
Friday, July 12/2013
I awoke early this morning and am feeling a bit tired. Too many days of party, party, party and "the old grey mare" syndrome is starting to affect me. I really do have to start looking after myself better!!
One can not live life going from one party to the next....can one???
The weather is cloudy and it looks like it could most definitely rain. It is even chilly here in the bus and if I do not go and find some socks, I may have to just turn on the heater!! As it turned out, I did turn on the heater to take the chill out of the hair. Man, we go from 33C down to 10C just over night. Craziness!!
I had to make a call to the USA census bureau this morning as I had a letter in the mail saying they were doing their census this year and it was a crime for me to not fill out the form. With that done, I felt much better as now I am "counted in" in the United States of America!! It is so nice to feel wanted!!
I have those 3 rows of cucumbers to weed yet but for some reason, do not feel so inclined so just may procrastinate a bit longer on that!!
I did make some bush pie filling as I promised Kristie that I would bring some over to the lake for her. I did give her the "family" recipe but she somehow managed to lose it so now our secret family recipe is out blowing in the wind somewhere for whomever's eyes to see!! Some people just can not keep a secret!! LOL
It is now noon and the sun is shining and the rain clouds seem to have moved on. There is a bit of a wind though and it is doing its best to blow the awning around. It still looks like an awesome lake day and I am so glad that the weather is cooperating for the lake dwellers.
I have procrastinated long enough and now there is no time to go weed the cucumbers before I have to head to work. I knew I could wait long enough!!
It was soon time for me to get ready for work and then head on over for my one night shift. I don't enjoy working the night shifts but I did tell the other RNs to take as many days as they wanted throughout the summer and I would cover their shifts. It works out well. They get their summer holidays and I get some hours towards maintaing my registration. Life is Good!!
One can not live life going from one party to the next....can one???
The weather is cloudy and it looks like it could most definitely rain. It is even chilly here in the bus and if I do not go and find some socks, I may have to just turn on the heater!! As it turned out, I did turn on the heater to take the chill out of the hair. Man, we go from 33C down to 10C just over night. Craziness!!
I had to make a call to the USA census bureau this morning as I had a letter in the mail saying they were doing their census this year and it was a crime for me to not fill out the form. With that done, I felt much better as now I am "counted in" in the United States of America!! It is so nice to feel wanted!!
I have those 3 rows of cucumbers to weed yet but for some reason, do not feel so inclined so just may procrastinate a bit longer on that!!
I did make some bush pie filling as I promised Kristie that I would bring some over to the lake for her. I did give her the "family" recipe but she somehow managed to lose it so now our secret family recipe is out blowing in the wind somewhere for whomever's eyes to see!! Some people just can not keep a secret!! LOL
It is now noon and the sun is shining and the rain clouds seem to have moved on. There is a bit of a wind though and it is doing its best to blow the awning around. It still looks like an awesome lake day and I am so glad that the weather is cooperating for the lake dwellers.
I have procrastinated long enough and now there is no time to go weed the cucumbers before I have to head to work. I knew I could wait long enough!!
It was soon time for me to get ready for work and then head on over for my one night shift. I don't enjoy working the night shifts but I did tell the other RNs to take as many days as they wanted throughout the summer and I would cover their shifts. It works out well. They get their summer holidays and I get some hours towards maintaing my registration. Life is Good!!
Thursday, July 11/2013
I am up early and in Gale's garden by 7:30. The sun is already shining but it is not too bad yet for heat so hopefully, we can get a lot of it done before it does.
I was soon joined by Gale and her teenage Grandson Charley. We asked Charley to hill the 8 rows of potatoes while we started on the weeding.
Two and a half hours later, all but the 3 rows of cucumbers are weeded but we had to stop as we were all tired and it was getting too hot to stay in the sun any longer. The pea fence was up and Gale was happy. She hates picking her peas off the ground so, now she doesn't have to worry about that.
We sat for a bit in the shade and I checked out all her flowers that I had helped her plant earlier this Spring. They sure looked nice.
It was soon time for me to head back to the bus as the Spiritwood trip was a go today. All the cans and bottles have been loaded into the truck for the recycler.
Once back at the bus, I jumped into the shower to get all the garden soil off me. With both John and I sparkling clean, we headed into Spiritwood where we were told we had too many cans to recycle. We are only each allowed to return 75.00 worth so John loaded three bags back up into the truck. We will bring them the next time we come into Spiritwood. We then headed to the bank then, over to the furniture place where we saw a really nice 50 inch Samsung LED TV. While there, John saw a nice couch that had a recliner at either end of it and we bought that too!! I think he is over the budget!!! LOL. (I just stole his line!!)
Back at home, it was so stinking hot, we headed into the cool comfort of the man cave and wished that we had that fancy new TV all set up to watch tonight's Roughrider football game on. Oh well, it will hopefully be all set up for next week's game.
The game was televised at 5:30 and for the next three hours we cheered the Riders on to victory over the Toronto Argonauts. We are now sitting at 3 and 0. The only undefeated team in the league so I hope our winning streak continues!!
Once the game was over, John went out and started a fire and soon Gary and Arlene wandered over and we sat around chatting and enjoying each other's company. They had been out fishing today and had once again caught their limit. Sounds like a fish fry could be on the agenda in the near future!!
Once they departed for the evening, John got the steaks cooked and we ate supper shortly there after. Mmmm. Nothing like a good steak after a victory in football!!
It was soon time for me to head to bed as tomorrow comes early and I have a few things to do before heading over to the nursing home to work a night shift. Gosh, I hate working nights so it is a good thing it is only one!! Good night!!
I was soon joined by Gale and her teenage Grandson Charley. We asked Charley to hill the 8 rows of potatoes while we started on the weeding.
Two and a half hours later, all but the 3 rows of cucumbers are weeded but we had to stop as we were all tired and it was getting too hot to stay in the sun any longer. The pea fence was up and Gale was happy. She hates picking her peas off the ground so, now she doesn't have to worry about that.
We sat for a bit in the shade and I checked out all her flowers that I had helped her plant earlier this Spring. They sure looked nice.
It was soon time for me to head back to the bus as the Spiritwood trip was a go today. All the cans and bottles have been loaded into the truck for the recycler.
Once back at the bus, I jumped into the shower to get all the garden soil off me. With both John and I sparkling clean, we headed into Spiritwood where we were told we had too many cans to recycle. We are only each allowed to return 75.00 worth so John loaded three bags back up into the truck. We will bring them the next time we come into Spiritwood. We then headed to the bank then, over to the furniture place where we saw a really nice 50 inch Samsung LED TV. While there, John saw a nice couch that had a recliner at either end of it and we bought that too!! I think he is over the budget!!! LOL. (I just stole his line!!)
Back at home, it was so stinking hot, we headed into the cool comfort of the man cave and wished that we had that fancy new TV all set up to watch tonight's Roughrider football game on. Oh well, it will hopefully be all set up for next week's game.
The game was televised at 5:30 and for the next three hours we cheered the Riders on to victory over the Toronto Argonauts. We are now sitting at 3 and 0. The only undefeated team in the league so I hope our winning streak continues!!
Once the game was over, John went out and started a fire and soon Gary and Arlene wandered over and we sat around chatting and enjoying each other's company. They had been out fishing today and had once again caught their limit. Sounds like a fish fry could be on the agenda in the near future!!
Once they departed for the evening, John got the steaks cooked and we ate supper shortly there after. Mmmm. Nothing like a good steak after a victory in football!!
It was soon time for me to head to bed as tomorrow comes early and I have a few things to do before heading over to the nursing home to work a night shift. Gosh, I hate working nights so it is a good thing it is only one!! Good night!!
Wednesday, July 10/2013
I am up early and ready for work. The sun is once again shining and I think it will be an awesome day for the lake.
Barrie was the only one up and about this early (he must have gone to bed shortly after I left) so we sat in the lawnchairs and had coffee.
No one has Saskatchewan Fishing Licenses yet so I found the web site for Barrie so that they could do all the necessary stuff before they left.
I only have a four hour shift today so hopefully the folks will not be gone before I get back home.
I headed over to the home and much to my surprise the whole medication review process was over in two and a half hours so I was home by 11:00 o'clock. Awesome!! No one had left yet, in fact many of them were just getting into gear. Oh Dear....is that a beer I see in Debbie's hand!!!!
By noon, the troops had loaded up and headed to the lake. It is blistering hot out and such a good lake day. I hope they get a good site and are close to the lake. Being the middle of the week, the chances are good that they will. We later found out that they got site 2 and that is right beside the lake so Ed will be able to dock his boat right beside the camper!!
It was too hot to do anything so I decided to lay down and have a rest. John and I are supposed to be going into Sprirtwood to recycle all the cans and bottles we have and to check on prices for the TV we want to purchase for the man cave. When I woke up 2 hours later, the heat was still oppressive so John decided to go have a little snooze as well. Looks like there will be no trip to town today and that is totally ok with me.
Gale text me tonight to ask when I would like to come over and help weed her garden. Well.....let me think about that.......NEVER!! I told her I would be over there tomorrow morning bright and early before the sun was too hot to work in.
We spent a quiet evening and I headed to bed early for, tomorrow morning comes too fast. Good Night!!
Barrie was the only one up and about this early (he must have gone to bed shortly after I left) so we sat in the lawnchairs and had coffee.
No one has Saskatchewan Fishing Licenses yet so I found the web site for Barrie so that they could do all the necessary stuff before they left.
I only have a four hour shift today so hopefully the folks will not be gone before I get back home.
I headed over to the home and much to my surprise the whole medication review process was over in two and a half hours so I was home by 11:00 o'clock. Awesome!! No one had left yet, in fact many of them were just getting into gear. Oh Dear....is that a beer I see in Debbie's hand!!!!
By noon, the troops had loaded up and headed to the lake. It is blistering hot out and such a good lake day. I hope they get a good site and are close to the lake. Being the middle of the week, the chances are good that they will. We later found out that they got site 2 and that is right beside the lake so Ed will be able to dock his boat right beside the camper!!
It was too hot to do anything so I decided to lay down and have a rest. John and I are supposed to be going into Sprirtwood to recycle all the cans and bottles we have and to check on prices for the TV we want to purchase for the man cave. When I woke up 2 hours later, the heat was still oppressive so John decided to go have a little snooze as well. Looks like there will be no trip to town today and that is totally ok with me.
Gale text me tonight to ask when I would like to come over and help weed her garden. Well.....let me think about that.......NEVER!! I told her I would be over there tomorrow morning bright and early before the sun was too hot to work in.
We spent a quiet evening and I headed to bed early for, tomorrow morning comes too fast. Good Night!!
Tuesday, July 9/2013
Oh Man, the sun is shining and it is already hot out. I think I heard someone say that it is supposed to hit 30 C today so I am sure I will be sweating my arse off later today.
Deb and Ed are scheduled to arrive today and indeed they did. A bit later than what they had planned so, are going to be staying here in town tonight then heading to Clearwater Lake tomorrow.
Kristie (their daughter) and her husband Barrie have joined Deb and Ed on vacation this year and it was good to finally meet Barrie and see Kristie, who, we have not seen since she was a little girl when we used to spend 3 weeks at the lake with them. Kristie now has two kids and she is so excited to show her kids where she used to spend a good many summers. Brooke and Tanton spent the evening throwing the ball for Hogan then discovered the wonder of Gary's evergreens so decided that they needed to build a "fort". They took the hoe and the rake and were busy for the next few hours. Oh, to have the energy of these kids. Man, I could be super woman!!
I have to work in the morning so had to call an end to the evening and headed into bed but I hear the party in the man cave lasted until the wee hours of the morning. I imagine fun was had by all.
Deb and Ed are scheduled to arrive today and indeed they did. A bit later than what they had planned so, are going to be staying here in town tonight then heading to Clearwater Lake tomorrow.
Kristie (their daughter) and her husband Barrie have joined Deb and Ed on vacation this year and it was good to finally meet Barrie and see Kristie, who, we have not seen since she was a little girl when we used to spend 3 weeks at the lake with them. Kristie now has two kids and she is so excited to show her kids where she used to spend a good many summers. Brooke and Tanton spent the evening throwing the ball for Hogan then discovered the wonder of Gary's evergreens so decided that they needed to build a "fort". They took the hoe and the rake and were busy for the next few hours. Oh, to have the energy of these kids. Man, I could be super woman!!
I have to work in the morning so had to call an end to the evening and headed into bed but I hear the party in the man cave lasted until the wee hours of the morning. I imagine fun was had by all.
Friday, July 12, 2013
Monday, July 8/2013
The weather looks like it will cooperate for the quad ride today but we had better take our rain jackets just in case. Although the sun is shining now, there are a few nasty looking clouds hanging around as well.
Before we left, Gary came over and told me that Dave had somehow managed to whack himself on the head with the Jack All when he was putting the camper on his truck yesterday and probably would not be going on today's ride, but he wanted to talk to me first.
When I went over to the house, Dave showed me a pretty good sized bruise on the side of his head near his temple where the jack handle had hit him. He told me all the symptoms he had yesterday and what still plagued him today. After listening to him, I advised him to definitely NOT go on today's ride and to just take it easy for the next few days. I also told him that he probably should have gone to the hospital yesterday but Dave, being Dave, was not going to do anything like that!! Instead, he finished putting the camper on the truck!! YIKES!!!! I also told him that if the symptoms persist then he had better at least phone his doctor and get some advise from him.
With Dave's latest adventure dealt with, John, Gary, Arlene and I headed down the road towards "the block". We met one of the local farmers along the way and he sat and had a refreshment with us and we chatted about all the rain and how his crops were faring. It is pretty bleak for some of the fields.
We eventually made it to the start of the "block" trails and headed down the hill and into the unknown. Because of all the recent rains, we were expecting the trails to be quite wet and we definitely were not disappointed. There was water and mud in all the known spots but it was a little higher and a little stickier. It was easily traversed in four wheel drive and we all arrived at the designated Deer Lake beer stop (or should I say refreshment stop) without a hitch.
The trail that lies along the lake was certainly muddy and wet but once again, there were no issues in getting through.
We then accessed Lilac Trail and it too had a few nasty spots but nothing that proved to be too hard. At the end of Lilac, we headed over to the old truck for some photos then, on to Hooker Lake. Arlene took Gary's quad out onto the trails for a bit while we stayed at the lake enjoying a beer and the totally awesome view. There were a pair of loons on the lake and they had their two little babies with them so that was a pleasure to see. Of course, as soon as we arrived, the Mom took them off to the middle of the lake, away from us.
From Hooker Lake, we headed over to Harry Piche's Cabin and burial site then had some adventure crossing the little creek that lies between the cabin and the snowmobile warm up shelter. The rains had turned this usually calm little crossing into a nasty little crossing with the water flowing pretty good. John was the first to try it and ended up taking a wrong turn, got stuck and needed Gary's winch to extricate himself from the weeds. While they were busy doing that, I found the easiest and safest way across and although it was a bit deeper than what it usually is, the bottom was good and the crossing was easy. Sometimes, it pays to be the one in the rear!!
At the warm up shelter I found the mother lode of empty pop and beer cans (who said there was no drinking and riding on these trails?). I always carry a big garbage bag with me and I started crushing the cans and got the bag full before we left to head home. I strapped the bag on the back of John's seat and he had a fairly decent backrest for the ride home.
With one final stop at Heart Lake, to check out the house boat, we finally travelled back the same trail we started on. Soon, we were out of "the block" and riding the Grid road home.
It was a great ride today with John needing the power of the winch once and me getting stuck not once but twice (no surprise there!!) trying to get over trees that had fallen across the trails. Both times I got high centred and once John and Gary had to come save me. The second time I had myself mostly winched over the tree by the time John came back to save me. He did mention that, had I been in four wheel drive, I probably would have made it over!! Oh Ya, I forgot about that!!
Once home, John started a fire and we sat around it until it was time to head to bed. All in all, it was a great day. Fun was had by all and I got some nice pics.
Tomorrow, John's cousin Edward is supposed to arrive with his family to spend a week at the lake so it will be nice to see them again. Tonight though......it is time to sleep.
Before we left, Gary came over and told me that Dave had somehow managed to whack himself on the head with the Jack All when he was putting the camper on his truck yesterday and probably would not be going on today's ride, but he wanted to talk to me first.
When I went over to the house, Dave showed me a pretty good sized bruise on the side of his head near his temple where the jack handle had hit him. He told me all the symptoms he had yesterday and what still plagued him today. After listening to him, I advised him to definitely NOT go on today's ride and to just take it easy for the next few days. I also told him that he probably should have gone to the hospital yesterday but Dave, being Dave, was not going to do anything like that!! Instead, he finished putting the camper on the truck!! YIKES!!!! I also told him that if the symptoms persist then he had better at least phone his doctor and get some advise from him.
With Dave's latest adventure dealt with, John, Gary, Arlene and I headed down the road towards "the block". We met one of the local farmers along the way and he sat and had a refreshment with us and we chatted about all the rain and how his crops were faring. It is pretty bleak for some of the fields.
We eventually made it to the start of the "block" trails and headed down the hill and into the unknown. Because of all the recent rains, we were expecting the trails to be quite wet and we definitely were not disappointed. There was water and mud in all the known spots but it was a little higher and a little stickier. It was easily traversed in four wheel drive and we all arrived at the designated Deer Lake beer stop (or should I say refreshment stop) without a hitch.
The trail that lies along the lake was certainly muddy and wet but once again, there were no issues in getting through.
We then accessed Lilac Trail and it too had a few nasty spots but nothing that proved to be too hard. At the end of Lilac, we headed over to the old truck for some photos then, on to Hooker Lake. Arlene took Gary's quad out onto the trails for a bit while we stayed at the lake enjoying a beer and the totally awesome view. There were a pair of loons on the lake and they had their two little babies with them so that was a pleasure to see. Of course, as soon as we arrived, the Mom took them off to the middle of the lake, away from us.
From Hooker Lake, we headed over to Harry Piche's Cabin and burial site then had some adventure crossing the little creek that lies between the cabin and the snowmobile warm up shelter. The rains had turned this usually calm little crossing into a nasty little crossing with the water flowing pretty good. John was the first to try it and ended up taking a wrong turn, got stuck and needed Gary's winch to extricate himself from the weeds. While they were busy doing that, I found the easiest and safest way across and although it was a bit deeper than what it usually is, the bottom was good and the crossing was easy. Sometimes, it pays to be the one in the rear!!
At the warm up shelter I found the mother lode of empty pop and beer cans (who said there was no drinking and riding on these trails?). I always carry a big garbage bag with me and I started crushing the cans and got the bag full before we left to head home. I strapped the bag on the back of John's seat and he had a fairly decent backrest for the ride home.
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| heading towards "the block" |
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| Deer Lake beer stop |
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| These two butterflies greeted us at Deer Lake |
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| The start of Lilac Trail |
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| The floral emblem of our Province - the Prairie Lily |
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| No trip to the block is complete unless you stop at the old truck for some pics!! |
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| One stem....Two flowers |
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| Loons and their babies on Hooker Lake |
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| Blue Bells |
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| Hooker Lake |
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| Hooker Lake shoreline |
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| Harry Piche's Cabin and Buriel Site |
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| Love this wind chime!! |
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| Inside the cabin |
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| Remarkably, nothing is ever stolen from inside the cabin |
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| Love the TV sitting on the carved out tree |
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| The creek crossing near the cabin |
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| The Motherlode for cans at the snowmobile shelter |
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| One of the many woodland creatures we see while on the trails. This one came to visit while we were at the Timberlost Snowmobile Shelter |
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| Two deer came to check us out while we were at the shelter. This one was in no hurry what so ever to leave. |
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| Peek-a-boo......I can see you!! |
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| He was quite interested in us and rather nosy too!! |
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| Every now and again, I get a fluke while I am taking the pics. This one actually looks like I planned it.... Some days I even surprise myself. It has to be the best pic of the day!! |
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| Heart Lake |
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| "The Bedroom" part of the Houseboat that sits at Heart Lake. I had to use full zoom to take this pic as the owner has it docked on the other side of the lake. |
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| Another little woodland creature coming to see what we were all about while having a refreshment on the houseboat. |
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| Back at Deer Lake - heading home |
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| Love the reflection - Gosh, another great pic!! Two in one day!! |
It was a great ride today with John needing the power of the winch once and me getting stuck not once but twice (no surprise there!!) trying to get over trees that had fallen across the trails. Both times I got high centred and once John and Gary had to come save me. The second time I had myself mostly winched over the tree by the time John came back to save me. He did mention that, had I been in four wheel drive, I probably would have made it over!! Oh Ya, I forgot about that!!
Once home, John started a fire and we sat around it until it was time to head to bed. All in all, it was a great day. Fun was had by all and I got some nice pics.
Tomorrow, John's cousin Edward is supposed to arrive with his family to spend a week at the lake so it will be nice to see them again. Tonight though......it is time to sleep.
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