On Guard While We Socialize

The adventures with our raccoon buddy have now subsided and we’re hoping to receive the Squirrel Guard we ordered tomorrow. If the little bugger returns before then, he’d better enjoy ’cause his leisure hours are now numbered!!

With all of the goings on around here, we were delighted to join Nat’s golfing buddy, Al, and his wife to dinner Saturday Night. Like us, they enjoy going out for a meal every now and again and usually like to try different restaurants. After a conversation between the two men while playing golf, the boys decided Green Acres Restaurant down the street from us, would be nice. Al and his wife have only been once years ago and decided to give it another try. We met up at the restaurant by 5:30 PM and had a really nice leisurely meal of fish ‘n chips. Al and his wife both have roots in Quebec with Al having largely lost his accent, his wife still retains that lilting French voice. Her English is pretty good, but I’m sure I missed a word or two amongst the clatter and chit chat of the restaurant. However, we drove back to our place after the meal and enjoyed tea and homemade cookies in the peace and quiet of our own living room, where the conversation continued on for a couple more hours. We enjoyed the evening immensely, as the two of us are not exactly known for our social life, so this was a wonderful change of pace from our usual boring Friday evening. Nat and Al have so much in common with their golf games and I’m sure we’ll get together again, only, this time, maybe meet up down their neck of the words – Port Dalhousie.

Saturday afternoon Nat and I decided to head down to WalMart for a few items. We’ve been so bored and quiet in-between the landscaper coming and going, we’ve been looking for excuses to get out and WalMart (as much as I dislike shopping there) always has something to check out. It’s still very disappointing that our little area of Fort Erie / Ridgeway doesn’t have any other fair size stores for competition and it can sometimes be disheartening to have to drive all the way to Welland, Niagara Falls or (God forbid) St. Catharines to shop. It’s not worth the trips to either one of those Cities unless you have some sort of a shopping list to at least make it worth the time and effort. For us to drive into St. Catharines now, we’ll take a good sized shopping list to justify the gas expense and the headache and frustration of trying to get through all the traffic in, out and around Fourth Avenue where the big box stores are. The two of us are usually exhausted by the time we arrive home.

We’ve now got a new driveway on order. Naturally, with contractors, landscapers, etc. all being behind because of the rainy Spring, we won’t see the paving until late June (we hope)!! Mike (our walkway guy) is now doing the finishing touches for the back walkway. He’ll have to return after the driveway is done in order to fix our pooling problem by the office window and exit door to the garage. It’s a shame he’ll have to dig a lot of that corner up, but it has become very apparent that the area has sunken. Nat thinks we’ll have to contact Simon, our contractor, again, to see what (if he’s remembered) he plans to do with diverting the downspout from that corner. Nat is getting very anxious now to have all of this work completed. It seems to be an ongoing project and, at times, seems like it will never end. Mother Nature has been throwing the whole world a huge curve ball and it’s wearing pretty thin on the patience of all mankind!!

With the past few gorgeous days, Nat and I have finally started having lunch on the back patio under the protection and shade of the new canopy tent. At times it gets a little too relaxing and I can feel the old eyelids beginning to droop and fall into La La Land. Rising out of bed for those early appointments at the Red Cross Care Clinic in Niagara Falls have taken its toll on me. Thankfully, this morning was my last visit – the wound has healed very nicely according to the nurses. Now it’s my time to get back to reality – catch up on my sleep (no more of this getting up at 7:30 crap) get back to the treadmill regularly and do whatever it is I want to – at least until my next Nephrologist’s appointment.