Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween, folks. The little strawberry and her banana dad headed off to daycare early for a fun-filled party day, but I'll see her later tonight. We began the day as usual with a switch from porridge to cereal for the skater.

look at these leaves grow

Shaina getting Lexi back into her walks

S packed his freezing gear into his hockey bag, threw it into the back seat of the truck, and was off to town by 10:30. He's also dropping off a test at the lab for me before his 11 am ice time—hurry! I completed my morning marketing, uploaded the photos for yesterday's post, and published it just as a strange freezing fog rolled in before 11.

For lunch, I whipped up a smoothie and sipped it while doing my Spanish lessons and letting the gel nail polish remover do its job. It takes a lot of time but doesn't require making an appointment in town.

I bet the class picture was a challenge LOL

I headed to the workshop to progress on my projects. The cabinet was strategically relocated to the work area, and I applied wood filler. I then uncovered the top and removed the door clasps and shelves. After a final sanding and wiping, I applied a coat of black stain oil to both tops. I continued tidying up, sweeping, cleaning, and reorganizing the garage. 

With the stained pieces left to dry, I went inside to finish my nails. S got home after 2:30 while I was tidying up the paint supplies. He brought in the groceries and enjoyed the burger he had grabbed on his way home. Meanwhile, Dave was out to fed Bird before their date night in the city. He stayed to chat as she ate, then left to take Lindy to her new place at Olds College. Cooper remained with us.

In Ottawa at a friends house giving out candy

S left shortly after Dave took the skid steer at 4 PM, aiming to complete the chicken coop work. Concurrently, I was engrossed in accounting and blogging. After feeding the dogs, I managed to get the coffee table I had acquired recently out but it was a challenge. I put a cooler into the car for Kaylin and Nathan's food from the Catholic Women's group as they forgot one and are on route. S came back around 4:45 PM and started working on his laptop. I departed at 5 PM. The Paetz children were thrilled about Halloween. Aislyn demonstrated one of her cheerleading routines to me.

Archie was a skeleton, Ada became part of the Winnie the Pooh group as Tigger, and Asher once again opted for his baseball player outfit. He doesn't seem too enthusiastic about devising new costume ideas. 

Little Strawberry Renn arrived with her parents, costumed as a banana and an orange. Initially daunted, she quickly embraced the festivities, got dressed, and joined Aislyn and Archie for trick-or-treating in their neighborhood. The expansive houses and lots required considerable walking in the -2°C chill, but the journey became less daunting as we approached the more compact blocks. Amanda joined us for this part of the evening. Sharon and Darren's home was a highlight on our circuit.

This dog Tony was a great spider

At the Stout's

This house was really spooky, look at Kaylin's face after this little creepy clown popped up!

After an hour outdoors, we concluded our excursion. Craig, adorned with his toque, escorted the two youngsters for a second round, while Renn savored her inaugural KitKat. She also relished the go-go squeeze I had brought as her special treat. After a brief stretch, they made their way home before 7:30. Britt texted to say she was back, foregoing her date night, but she just missed them by ten minutes.

I went home to enjoy a roast beef sandwich. S was watching hockey, having prepared KD and roast beef earlier. He briefly popped upstairs to greet me before heading back down. After quickly attending to some marketing tasks, I managed to send out the final chicken coop invoice. Then, S joined me, and we completed the season of 'Territory.' We're left hoping for a second season since the finale left us in suspense.

Demi lune table done

We awoke to everything blanketed in hoar frost, with the temperature at a brisk -6°C. I started the day with coffee, then made porridge for the worker after his third cup. After completing my morning marketing, I began vacuuming and gave Harley her fall dewormer - again opps. Pricey at $44 a dose. S left for work at the coop at 10:30, while I went to paint the little demi-lune table, now much sturdier after the glue set. Joeleen called, and we spent an hour catching up on each other's lives. I applied the first coat of paint to the table, improving its appearance significantly. Then, I began sanding the magazine rack table.

B went out after 12 to ride and feed her horses. S returned at 12:30 for lunch - he had planned to work through but it seems his appetite got the better of him. We prepared chicken sandwiches, with S also finishing up the leftover salad. He went back to work at 1:30, while I resumed sanding in the garage. Britt dropped by to say goodbye as she and Cooper were leaving after 2.

Baby Picasso is at it again

pompoms frozen in ice fun

The half-moon table was sponge-sanded, distressed, then finished with a coat of dark wax - it was now complete! I then turned my attention back to the other table, which required endless scraping and sanding.

Dad's table has lots of damage so will redo

S came home for a beer at 5. I was cleaning Dad's table, the fridge, the freezer, and sanding the cabinet drawer while he enjoyed his beer. He left again before 5:30 to finish the water pipe, with Matt assisting by holding something. Afterwards, I sanded the cabinet top, wrapped up work in the garage, and came inside before 6. I attempted to stage the small table for a photo, but the arrangement didn't look quite right, and the lighting was peculiar.

not bad picture but will try in better light

I placed the roast in the instant pot with potatoes after 6 pm and prepared the cauliflower. S returned from his day working at the chicken coop at 6:30 pm, ready for a cold beer. I completed my Spanish lesson while everything cooked. We enjoyed supper while watching the intense World Series Game 5. For the final inning and the Dodgers' victory, we switched to the large TV in our room. Afterwards, we watched two more episodes of 'Territory' with a bowl of yogurt.

S went out to check the hydrant and said the Starlight satellites were out again. I was trying to get a picture then all of a sudden the lights went out one by one, spooky!

Stripper day

Following our usual morning routine, I finished my marketing tasks and then checked on Roo's injection site. Meanwhile, S ate his porridge before leaving for work at the chicken coop after 10 am. I headed to the garage to start on my projects. 

Cheese face while wrestling poor Beans

I started with two small tables; both were thoroughly scrubbed. One had already been stripped but was quite wobbly, so I applied glue to the legs and left it to dry. The other table had stripper applied to its top. S returned for lunch after 12 and assisted me in moving a cabinet base to the wash area, where I also applied stripper to the top. I left the stripper to do its job and joined S for lunch.

S brought a swap parcel from the gate, yeah more stripper.

He had prepared a pizza with fresh tomatoes for lunch. Meanwhile, I needed to submit my payroll invoices for my painting work. S left at 1:30 to return to the chicken coop, just as the sun emerged, brightening the day significantly. I went back to the garage to remove the stripper from the small table after my doctor phone appointment. Ideally, I should have waited longer, but my patience ran thin. After scraping, the table was scrubbed again and left to dry, although I soon found myself reaching for the carbide scraper.

The cabinet base was scraped clean, and then the entire piece was thoroughly scrubbed. It was grimy, with a warped shelf inside that had a paint can placed on it to press it flat while drying. Afterward, attention was turned back to scraping the magazine rack table.

All the dog bowls were washed, and the garage was tidied up before concluding the work at 4 pm, just in time for my Spanish lessons accompanied by a cold drink. Dinner preparations began, and when S returned home after 5 pm from his workday, I started cooking. We enjoyed a hearty meal of ribs, beets, beet greens, kale salad, and a mix of potatoes and carrots.

He left for another rodeo meeting at 6:30. While I was cleaning the kitchen, J started growling. Harley attempted to assist me in scaring Tony away, but ultimately, I had to crawl under the deck, swat him on the butt with the flashlight, and shoo him off. I wasn't certain which way he went because, by the time I emerged from under the deck, J was hurrying toward the shop, and Harley was just gazing at me—so much for help.

It was then on to writing today's blog as well as a Hometalk post for the fall floral box. B and C, accompanied by D, were out before 8 to feed and check on Roo. While Bird was eating, Dave stopped by for a visit. Afterwards, they all went to Dave's barn to check on the babies that were weaned today.

After wrapping up my computer work for the day, I went to bed and began watching a new series on Netflix. Later, when S returned from his meeting and after some beers at OJ's, we started another series called 'Territory.' He didn't stay awake until the end, so we might need to rewind it before watching the next episode. I ended the night watching more cooking shows before turning off the lights.