Another Went Down The Road

I never got going for a morning walk, however did just get home from a 5 km one this evening.  I never get tired of the view walking out and about Wiarton, down by Colpoy's Bay.  Wiarton Willie was even out of his house eating away in full view this evening.  It is always nice to see him out and about.

I had errands to run about this morning.  I also stopped into Gilbert's Shoe Store to buy myself a much needed pair of Running Shoes, as my other ones actually bite the dust last night.  The whole ends of them had worn out.  The new ones are Avias.  They are a nice walking shoe and very light.  Hopefully for the $83.00 price tag they will last me two years as the others one had.

Rob had a full day of work today, while I got a wee bit of cleaning done around here, heavy on the "wee" part.  Some burnables burned and the Oven cleaned was pretty much it.  Bandit watched on as he kept his ball not too far away from himself, as you will notice..

Rob and I did get to meet up about lunch time out at the Wiarton Home Building Centre where we were checking out a new window for our bedroom.  We needed a 46 x 46 window.  It just happens they had a window not picked up by a Contractor, as it was not required after being ordered, and we got it for a song !  A $500.00 window for the price of $313.00 made me very very happy.  We now have purchased new windows for our Kitchen and Bedroom for less then $500.00.  Two more things off my "check list" of much needed.

Next thing on our list is to replace the deck at the side of our house.  I am actually getting excited we are seeing a few things get done, slowly but surely.  It is difficult for Rob to get at some things when his schedule is so up in the air 98% of the time.  And really to hire someone is pretty much out of the question at this point.

I had an amazing surprise by way of a late, very late, Christmas Gift from my husband.

Was I ever surprised when he opened the hatch on his van to see this guy.  He had ordered it before Christmas and just received it today.  This Chainsaw sculptured Bear was made by our friend, Chainsaw Artist, Bobbi Switzer.  He sure has added some character to our new deck.  Wait until I add the Geese underneath where he is perched.  

We are hoping to get the Gazebo up tomorrow sometime.  We also have to look for an outdoor area carpet to put down so the mosquitoes do not come up through the decking.  Darn those pesky little bugs.  I also still have to Water Proof all the railings.

Another went down the road this afternoon.  Another as in 6 out of 8 puppies.  

Ace has gone home with his new Forever Home Family in Caledon this afternoon.  They were very excited to be coming to get him today, as I am certain anyone could tell from these photos.

Reports have been coming in all day about how well Ruby, Sully and Buddy are all doing in their new homes. I am proud to report they all slept fitfully their very first night on their own.  Good puppies they all were.

Tomorrow the last two puppies will be going to their new homes.  Stay tuned for more on that tomorrow, Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard.

Where Were We Today ???

It was a beautiful Sunny morning when I first stepped outside first thing with Lexus at 7 am.  The ground was frosted and the skies clear.  There was no wind which made the morning, despite the frozen ground, feel warm.

While I tried to keep quiet while Rob slept, keeping myself busy with catch-up on updates The "Checkerboard Aussies" and The "Crabby Cabbie" Facebook pages.  I also caught up on a few emails.  One in particular I was very happy to receive was one from our Fab 4 litter, Sprite's Forever Owner, Sara.  Sara has send me some wonderful photos, which hopefully I will get their blog updated tomorrow sometime, as right now I am completely exhausted.  I can barely keep my eyes open at the moment.  Sleep will come easy tonight I am certain..

Once Rob did get up I got going on stripping the bedding, and started the laundry.  Really one must take advantage of the weather at hand, especially with low hydro rates and it being a Sunshiny Sunday.

We headed on down the road by lunchtime.  As anyone can well imagine, my dear Rob, aka The "Crabby Cabbie" most of the time no longer has much of a home life.  There are some days where he finds the day long between Taxi calls.  He also misses out most of the time on keeping up with our updates on our Aussies Facebook page, as well as his page, and my blog posts. 

Last night there just happened to be a Blackberry Playbook pop up for sale on the Swap site.  Brand new at an extremely low price, that fit in with my frugal lifestyle.  I also called my BFF, Vicki, as she has had one herself for awhile, to check out what she thought about it, as well as the price.  She encouraged me that it would be perfect for Rob on the road, and the price was AWESOME.  I checked out the reviews on it, and today was the day, unbeknownst to my Rob, we headed out to see if it was the deal we thought it to be.

"Brand new condition it most certainly was and is.  Much to Rob's surprise when we arrived, we made the purchase.  Now when he is sitting waiting for the taxi phone to ring, he can take advantage of the free Tim Horton Wifi and browse the web.  It will hopefully break things up for him some days.  An early "Father's Day" gift so to speak from myself and our "Checkerboard Aussies".  Really I think he is pretty happy with it already, and probably will be more so when we figure out what we are doing ... ha !"

"On our way over toward Sauble we seen 4 OPP vehicles, with one on the side of the road just outside of Hepworth with a vehicle pulled over.  It must have been a serious traffic offense, as on our way back the pulled over vehicle was being towed away .... yikes !!!  glad it wasn't me or someone I knew."

On our way back home we had one more stop to make.

"Look at all these cool things.  Lots of nooks and crannies to explore with maybe that one "special or unique" item to be found?"

"Lots of bodies just standing around.  Some stationary, and some not.  Do I have your interest yet?"

"I was back at Edwards Outpost in Clavering, located on Hwy 6 coming from Hepworth towards Wiarton.  This is where I had stopped in to see Bobbi Switzer, Bruce County's very own reowned female Chainsaw Artist,  yesterday.  I had forgotten to ask her about some signage I would like made for our "Checkerboard Aussies", but was able to talk over some possibilities with Eddie in her absence, as he also does signage."

Out and about for a drive up the Bruce Peninsula some weekend?  do a quick drop in at Edwards Outpost, as you never know what treasure you might find there for yourself.

We headed back home.  There was lots to be done, with Mercedes puppies due this week the whelping pen needs re-hauled with the new flooring we had donated to the cause.  Plans made, can always be broken.  My poor dear Rob fell asleep in his chair for the afternoon.  I left him as I carried on with the laundry and making  our bed up fresh.  I also spent time figuring out how the Blackberry Playbook operated, and got it hooked up to our Wifi.

Hopefully the Whelping pen does get re-hauled before the puppies arrive! if not, no worries, we will survive.

Rob did finally wake up before 5:00 pm.  I had not even planned on anything for our Dinner.  To be honest I was so tired I didn't even feel like cooking.  All was good as we treated ourselves to a Chicken Breast Sub sandwich down at Wiarton's Subway.  It really was yummy.  I even went out of my "comfort" zone by trying the Sweet Onion (fat free) dressing on mine.  It was really really good.

Pssst .... I know I am a pain, but until the 6th of May I hope I am a lovable "pain".  Because of YOUR support and daily votes we are now at 270 Votes, 30 more then yesterday.

Hardly enough when I look at some people's Small Businesses with Votes already in the high hundreds, however I still need to try my best.   Once again, please Vote daily for MY "Crabby Cabbie", until the 6th of May, here is the link:

https://www.loveourlocalbusiness.com/base/lolb2desktop?region_id=ca-en&content_id=20580

As always, and forever, Thank YOU !!!  from me and my ....

Serving Saugeen Shores & Area.  

Southampton:  519-373-7700 or Port Elgin:  519-379-7700

Did I mention how tired I am? of course I did, what else is new.  Almost time to go out and about for the last time this evening with the Aussies and call it a night myself, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".

What's Wrong With These Pictures ???

I was dreading going out and about the last time with our Aussies last night.  The winds were high with temperatures that had dropped.  It was a cold that went right through a person's body.

"The skies last night did not hold much promise in the way of nice weather ahead."

"True to what the skies had predicated the skies were filled with blowing snow."

"What is "wrong" with these two pictures?  The first one is that my dearest Rob left me with no wood brought in from the shed.  The second one is it is the 20th of April, a date where we should well be into expecting only April showers & May flowers, not bundling up in Winter coats still.  This is a sad joke something has been playing on Mother Nature, is it not? and what about the hubby who leaves his wife in the "cold" ?  Dinner is in the freezer dear ... *smile*."

I headed out the door just before the lunch hour, as I was meeting my friend, Toni with an "i", who had invited me to go to the Home and Cottage Show in Owen Sound.  On my way I had wanted to stop to see a girl who I am very fond of and always in "awe" of her talents.

"Not only did I find this gal at home, I also found her hard at working doing what she does best in her World of Chainsaw Art.  For those who have no knowledge of who I am referring to, please meet Bruce County's Chainsaw Artist, Bobbi Switzer."

"Bobbi is taking advantage of the "off season" in preparation of her "on season" which really isn't too far off if the weather decides to cooperate.."

It was a short visit with Bobbi, but I am certain I will be dropping in to see her again soon, as I really forgot to ask her the other thing I had on my mind to have done so.  Oh well one thing out of two wasn't too bad I suppose.

Toni with an "i" and I met up in perfect sync at the designated meeting place.  I loaded myself into her vehicle and we headed on over to the Home & Cottage Show.  After gong through the whole Show, there were only 4 attractions that really caught my attention, they being ...

"Meeting up with Greg Wilhelm of Inside Out Restorations of Hanover (don't let that hold you back from a Quote, as they do travel), who I might add is also an awesome supporter on Shouting Out for the Small Business owners.  Of course I loved seeing a booth there belonging to Frontier Log Homes, who are located here in Wiarton, along with Brough & Whicher Limited, who engineer Roof Trusses, also of Wiarton.  The third "pop out" for me was our very own, Bruce County Explore the Bruce, with two of their team members representing the County.  Lastly was Country Charm Mennonite Made Furniture.  Toni with an "i" was testing the comfort of one of the dining room table chairs that had been on display.  Truly the furniture is built to last generations with the "look" to be timeless."

Once we had left the Home Show, Toni and I had plans to do a couple of shopping stops.  Sales at the Rexall Drug Store and the Food Basics Store.

"I am sure anyone in the store heard the two of us laughing.  How can you spot two "redneck" women? by the amount of pop and toilet paper in their shopping cart, along with packages of pasta."

Once we had done our shopping together,which for me was way more "fun" then the Home Show, we headed our separate ways back to our respective homes.

By the time I got home around 4 pm, unloaded my Van, took 4 Aussies out, about and back in, made dinner, spoke to my girlfriend, Vicki, on the phone it was after 7 pm.  Jeez time flies .... oh yes, I also had to go fetch myself some wood so I could keep warm tonight dear husband (he does read my blogs more then naught).

Pssst .... I know I am a pain, but until the 6th of May I hope I am a lovable "pain".  Because of YOUR support and daily votes we are now at 240 Votes.  

Hardly enough when I look at some people's Small Businesses with Votes already in the high hundreds, however I still need to try my best.   Once again, please Vote daily for MY "Crabby Cabbie", until the 6th of May, here is the link:

https://www.loveourlocalbusiness.com/base/lolb2desktop?region_id=ca-en&content_id=20580

As always, and forever, Thank YOU !!!  from me and my ....

Serving Saugeen Shores & Area.  

Southampton:  519-373-7700 or Port Elgin:  519-379-7700

Here it is 8 pm, with one more time out, about and in, in the freezing cold with my Aussies, before I can call it a night and relax myself, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard."

Another Whirlwind Of A Day

I just got home an hour ago, so that would have made it around 6:00 pm, and I had been gone since just before the Noon hour !!!  Let me tell you it sure was "Another Whirlwind of a Day" !

It all began around the hour of 5:00 am or so .... I really get concerned with all the hours my "Crabby Cabbie" puts in some days.  If nothing else I want to try and ensure he at least has a good lunch.

"At 5:30 am or so on went some Big Batch Chicken Soup I had taken out of our supply in the freezer.  While that heated up to a nice "hot" temp, I put boiled water from the kettle into the Thermos to get it pre-heated while I made two Ham & Cheddar Cheese Sandwiches on Whole Wheat, and found a fruit cup, pudding and an apple.  I was happy with this lunch to send along with him as he headed out the door just after 6:00 am."

I did a bite of puttering around in the way of making the bed, doing up the dishes ... the usual "hum drum" daily stuff that HAS TO BE DONE !  Then I put together the rest of my packages, and another card, all ready to go down to the Post Office to be weighed up, postage applied and then mailed off to their respective destinations.

Our "Checkerboard Aussies" were down to almost their last morsels of doggie food.  I needed to make a trip over Saugeen Shores way to where the Big Box store of Walmart is located, along with a couple of other places I wanted to stop into.  I sent off an email fairly early to my friend BJ to see if she wanted to "tag" along with me.  Yeppers she was right on for that, and I was to pick her up after she was done teaching her Zumba Class over at the Sauble Beach Community Centre this morning after 11:30 am..

I first got all my "Checkerboard Aussies" settled in then headed out to the Wiarton Post Office, where I might add I am quite the regular customer since I have begun Post Crossing.  Oops this just reminded me I had forgot to post the Post Card I received from Romania yesterday !!!

"Another interesting Post Card I have added to my ever growing collection."

I also forgot about the "gift" I had found hanging on our outside door when I had returned home Yesterday ..

"Three packages of Venison Meat !!!  My brother's Hunting group had gotten three deer last week and he "shared" a bit of his portion with us.  *Sigh* brothers can be a real "bonus" can they not (most days) ?  I was pretty happy he did "share" with us, as we do LOVE us some Venison."

Oh yes, back to this day .... off to the Post Office I went.  I do love all the gals down there, as they are all helpful and pretty dang nice.  One of the gals even told me they love when they see me coming in ... now how nice was that of her to say such a wonderful thing?

I picked up BJ from the Community Centre and off we went .... first we stopped on into the Saugeen First Nation Gas Bar for Rob to fill up our tank with fuel, then we headed out through Southampton and over to Port Elgin to get us some lunch to a place where BJ had suggested we go.  This place had just recently opened up.  BJ had been before as they are friends and acquaintances of hers, but she had wanted to "treat" me and take me there.  What a "doll" that gal is "Let me tell the World" !

The restaurant was very busy, which is a very good sign at a lunch hour.  We were told a table would be ready in only about 10 minutes or so for us, so we headed up the street to check out some shops.

Not too far along in our travels, one shop's store front caught our interest right away ... so in we went, where we met owner, Ms. Bobbie Pahl "Funky Girl All Grown up", who was really a most delightful and interesting person.

Bobbie explained to us a bit of background on her store, along with some very strong and interesting passions she has.  This store provides only "one of a kind" items", almost guaranteeing should you buy something within its walls, you will not see on another outside of its walls.  How more "one of a kind" can you get then that ????  Let me show you a bit of what BJ and I got to see ...

"These photos really do not do justice to the store, as there is so many more interesting and intriguing items to draw you in though its doors."

"Well worth your time to "drop in" to take it all in yourself when you are in Port Elgin next time.  Since we had been short on time, I am going to make a point of dropping in again myself."

Ahhhh where would such a unique little store be tucked away at you might ask?  Right on Port Elgin's very own "main street" at 556 A Goderich Street, Port Elgin Ontario.  What is the name of this store you might also wonder? well that would be "Maughters Like Minded Boutique" Where woman go to play!  Where else could you go check "Maughter's Like Minded Boutique" out? have a Facebook account? then *click* right HERE.  Nice to meet you Bobbie; I am certain we will see each other again hopefully in the near future.

Lunch was next on my and BJ's agenda.  I was so excited to be going to ....

"Saffron, who has brought the Flavors of the World to Port Elgin and area.  Pictured below is Jen McLaughlin, who is one of Saffron's Creators and Partners.  Her *smile* alone would draw you into Saffron's doors ...."

"My lunch was the West African Peanut Stew ... oh my goodness how can I explain "beyond good"???  BJ had the "Lebanese Falafel Wrap" ... I got to taste BJ's side salad which was also "out of this World".  Size of proportions?  half of our Lunch went home with each of us for our Dinners this evening.  Prices? very reasonable when you consider taste, proportions and service."

"The decor is bright and cheerful, as was the service.  Original framed photos of Jenn's own travels can be viewed on every wall.  Menus include both "eat in" and "take out".

Tell you more?  to find out  more, just *click* HERE.  You won't be disappointed.

How could our day possibly be topped by anything else after such an amazing lunch experience?  It couldn't but we sure had a good afternoon together, BJ and I did, by heading out to shop at Walmart, then to the Dollar Store, and then to another of our favourite stores, fairly "new" to Port Elgin and area ...

"Here we are at the Bulk Barn.  Who would that be in the photo? that would be my Cousin, Melissa, who is so very informative and helpful.  I can NOT believe how she remembers all and where everything is about the store.  Thanks Melissa you are a God send in knowledge when I need it when shopping at the Bulk Barn."

"Here's BJ checking it "all out".   Oops "caught again" taking photos but she had a bit of fun playing right into my camera!"

Holy Moly it was getting to be late afternoon, so we had to get the "heck out of Dodge", as we still had to stop around to drop a jar of my Black Bean & Corn Salsa to Bobbi Switzer .... really, you don't know who Bobbi Switzer is????  well she is none other then the best renowned female "Chainsaw Artist" off the Bruce Peninsula and in the whole of Bruce County, you know?

You will definitely want to know more about Bobbi Switzer, so drop on over to Switzer Studios by *clicking* HERE.

Yikes !!! by the time I had dropped off BJ, gone in to say a quick (or maybe not so quick) "hello" to Paul, it was dark, dark, dark and almost 6 pm when I got back home !!!  Guaranteed there was some pretty happy "Checkerboard Aussies" waiting for me.

Spelling, Grammar or errors as such... sorry I am too dang, dang, tripled dang tired to worry about it, such as I am being "me".

One would think I would be pretty darn tired after "another whirlwind of a day", and that statement could not be any truer.  Did I have another great day of living my life? absolutely I did so.  I am one tired, happy and content woman not too far away from her bed very shortly here, "Just North of Wiarton & South of the Checkerboard".