Sunday, September 29th - Fall is definitely in the air

After a gorgeous weekend last week, and a pretty nice week, this weekend has turned quite chilly and very windy. Saturday wasn't bad but Sunday, not so nice. Although it's not really cold, the wind makes it feel much chillier than it really is.

In spite of, or maybe because of, the weather, it's been a pretty productive week and weekend. When we were between homes, we had a lot of stuff stored in a shelter that was put up last fall just for that purpose. It held most of the stuff from our old garage, Christmas decorations and all manner of stuff that has long since been forgotten about. But everything was packed in there and it was almost impossible to find anything if you did need it.

This weekend the final push was on to finish the roof on the new garage and get it tightened up before winter. I'm thrilled to report that it's now completely closed in and in use. The front will have a garage door next spring but for now it's just closed in. Our fancy door on the side allows access as well as some light. The lawn tractor, the motorcycle and all manner of large power tools are now housed in there  as well as two shelves full of stuff that was in one of the spare bedrooms. Now I can actually set them up to be used as bedrooms, not just storage spaces (although there may be a little bit of storage in one room). With those shelves out of the way, I was able to move the dollhouse and it's table to the bedroom, opening up space in front of the window in the dining room. Much brighter in there and now there's a place to put a Christmas Tree! Slowly, things are finally beginning to fall into place.

We really thought we would never see the shelter empty again, but indeed it is.

Just in time it's ready for my little car to go away for the winter. This will be the perfect place to house it till spring.

Hard to believe it's only been less than two weeks when we hosted our Pig Roast.  I think most of you saw the photos on Facebook. We were so busy running around we didn't get many pictures but fortunately we did get a couple.

The pig was great but the high-lite of the day had to be the bonfire after. It was a chilly day and the fire was a very welcome treat. Everyone who stuck around really enjoyed sitting around and chatting. Many thanks again to all those who helped make this great evening possible.

As we head into October, it's hard to  believe Meghan is half way through her two month trip to Italy. She had a bit of adjusting to do when she first got there but it seems like she's really enjoying exploring the country as well as the food.  She's attending school there and had Friday off to participate in the Climate Change Strikes that took place around the world.

Her sign reads "Strike today to save tomorrow".

I don't know how much Italian she's actually picked up but she's having a great time. She attends dance classes every week and from the video she posted she's fitting right in, dancing right along with all the other students. She really likes the family she's staying with and Patti will get a chance to meet them when she goes over to pick her up at the beginning of November. I'd love to join them,  but maybe next time!

September 10th - 3 days post Dorian

It's Tuesday, a full three days since we had our brush with Hurricane Dorian. We still don't have any power but there are lots in the same boat.

We were fortunate to not experience any damage to our house or property, some others not so lucky.

Note the plane on the left is upside down

Cornfield flattened

But there were no reported injuries that we know of so that's really all that counts. I suppose we are luckier than some as we have a generator to keep the fridge and freezer running (as well as our internet) and we have a propane stove for cooking so we can easily heat water for washing dishes, etc.

But I am looking forward to a nice hot bath which will hopefully be soon!
I took a drive into town on Sunday morning to see what the rest of the area looked like. Mostly downed trees, which in turn took power lines with them, of course. But the up side of this big storm is we didn't have to shovel any snow when it was over. In fact it's been lovely and warm so able to get some quality convertible usage in before time to put it away for the winter.

Meanwhile Lloyd is working on his garage and we hope to have the majority of it closed in before the 18th. Needless to say, it's considerably smaller than the one he built at our last place.

Braced ahead of the storm

Other than the weather not a lot is new. We've planned a Pig Roast for September 18th. It's a Wednesday because I have that day off.  I'm working part time at Sobey's in Stratford making pizza's. I think it's more my speed than just being a cashier, although I have done that in the past. So I'm working from 9 till 2 four days a week.  It's going to pay for a cruise I'm going on with a group of friends in September 2020.

Speaking of traveling, Meghan left on Monday to travel to Italy to spend 2 months going to school there. She was pretty brave, I think, to travel all by herself. Patti had gone to Rome a few weeks ago and picked up a sim card for her phone so she can use it over there. (one of the perks of having a mom who works for an airline).

So far we know this: she's made two new friends along the way - one from Thunder Bay and one from Nova Scotia.  She arrived safely and has seen the Trevi Fountain. I'm sure there will be more updates to come.

Arriving in Rome

Snap chat from Meg

James is still in Halifax (fortunately for me). He saw much more serious weather with Dorian than we did. He's on the 15th floor overlooking the water and it was pretty brutal at times. But he managed to survive without power or internet for a couple of days.

Tristen spent some time at Cadet camp this summer and he loved it. He's just started grade 9 - can't believe he's so grown up now. Cadets has been a really good experience for him.
James went up to Borden to pick him up when he was finished.

Our two forces guys

Okay, that's if for now. People have been very thoughtfully texting and messaging to make sure we're okay. Thank you for that - you know who you are! I'll update things soon.