EVERYTHING IS AS IT SHOULD BE

 RED WING BLACKB IRD

I was hoping the smoke would have dissipated this morning, but it didn't, and it was a smoky walk on my country road earlier today.

 SUMMER'S WHEAT HARVEST IS FINALLY UNDERWAY

THESE ARE YESTERDAY'S RECTANGULAR ALFALFA BALES ALL WRAPPED UP

THE NEWLY WRAPPED BALES ARE ON THE LEFT AND THE ROUND WRAPPED BALES ON THE RIGHT HAVE BEEN LYING IN THIS FIELD FOR THE PAST YEAR OR MORE

Following my walk, and with a few errands to run, I headed for Goderich.  The smoke hung heavy in the harbor.  

A SMOKY MORNING IN BAYFIELD'S HARBOR

 FARM MACHINERY SITTING IDLE IN A WHEAT FIELD THIS MORNING

After a quick stop at Walmart, I headed back to Bayfield, where I picked up a 'booster' device at the Tuckersmith office.  I noticed earlier Thursday afternoon that both my sunroom computer and TV were having difficulty picking up the Tuckersmith internet/TV signal being transmitted from a router in the living room.  I had called Tuckersmith about the problem and they suggested that, with the distance between the living room and the sunroom, I probably needed a signal booster, and that is what I picked up atTuckersmith.  Home again, and taking another look at the Tuckersmith hook-up in the sunroom, I noticed a couple of discrepancies, so I gave their service number a call.  Now, from here it gets complicated, so I'm not going to try and explain what the service tech had me do over the next half hour or so.  Just know that at the end of that time, everything worked perfectly.  What I feel is more important and worth mentioning is how nice it was to talk to someone local who spoke perfect English.  The tech guy, who I assume might have been in Seaforth, a mere 15 miles away, was so patient with me that not once did I even get close to one of my fluster-bluster meltdowns.  He explained things clearly, and his instructions were easy to follow.  For an impatient fellow like myself with all this techy stuff, I kept my cool, and I give credit for that to the pleasant clear speaking fellow on the other end of the phone.  And, I kinda had a few little chuckles (whoever heard of having a chuckle during a high stress techy call) when I noticed this fellow verbalizing his thoughts between instructions to me.  I think we all do it, and it's when you are maybe looking for something online, washing the car, or shining your shoes, and are subconsciously humming a favorite song.  You know those times when you're doing a 'dum-de-dum-de-didly dee', or maybe you're talking to yourself out loud while assembling a BBQ or verbalizing yourself through a new and confusing kitchen recipes.  I liked when this fellow was doing that because I knew I was talking to, and working along with a real live person.  A friend, a neighbor, the guy down the street, someone who might have on the same orange plaid green and purple shirt I did.  Yup, despite my trepadations about phoning tech support, I had a pleasant, and educational experience.  Two thumbs up for Tuckersmith Communications.  As I post this tonight, everything is as it should be:))        

I AM GUESSING THIS BIRD IN THE FRONT YARD AS A FEMALE BALTIMORE ORIOLE

 A MOURNING DOVE GIVING ME A CURIOUS LOOK

Al's Music Box:: Good Morning Starshine by Oliver.

 A MALE ROBIN

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The Laws Of Golf::

LAW 1: No matter how bad your last shot was, the worst is yet to come. This law does not expire on the 18th hole, since it has the supernatural tendency to extend over the course of a tournament, a summer and, eventually, a lifetime.
LAW 2: Your best round of golf will be followed almost immediately by your worst round ever. The probability of the latter increases with the number of people you tell about the former.
LAW 3: Brand new golf balls are water-magnetic. Though this cannot be proven in the lab, it is a known fact that the more expensive the golf ball, the greater its attraction to water.
LAW 4: Golf balls never bounce off of trees back into play. If one does, the tree is breaking a law of the universe and should be cut down.
LAW 5: No matter what causes a golfer to muff a shot, all his playing partners must solemnly chant "You looked up," or invoke the wrath of the universe.
LAW 6: The higher a golfer's handicap, the more qualified he deems himself as an instructor.
LAW 7: Every par-three hole in the world has a secret desire to humiliate golfers. The shorter the hole, the greater its desire.
LAW 8: Topping a 3-iron is the most painful torture known to man.
LAW 9: Palm trees eat golf balls.
LAW 10: Sand is alive. If it isn't, how do you explain the way it works against you?
LAW 11: Golf carts always run out of juice at the farthest point from the clubhouse.
LAW 12: A golfer hitting into your group will always be bigger than anyone in your group. Likewise, a group you accidentally hit into will consist of a football player, a professional wrestler, a convicted murderer and an IRS agent -- or some similar combination.
LAW 13: All 3-woods are demon-possessed.
LAW 14: Golf balls from the same "sleeve" tend to follow one another, particularly out of bounds or into the water (See Law three).
LAW 15: A severe slice is a thing of awesome power and beauty.
LAW 16: "Nice lag" can usually be translated to "lousy putt." Similarly, "tough break" can usually be translated "way to miss an easy one, sucker."
LAW 17: The person you would most hate to lose to will always be the one who beats you.
LAW 18: The last three holes of a round will automatically adjust your score to what it really should be.
LAW 19: Golf should be given up at least twice per month.
LAW 20: All vows taken on a golf course shall be valid only until the sunset.

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A very traditional elderly woman was enjoying a good game of bridge with her girlfriends one evening. "Oh, no! I have to rush home and fix dinner for my husband! He's going to really ticked if it's not ready on time!" she exclaimed suddenly. When she got home, she realized that she didn't have enough time to go to the supermarket, and all she had in the cupboard was a wilted lettuce leaf, an egg, and a can of cat  food. In a panic, she opened the can of cat food, stirred in the egg, and garnished it with the lettuce leaf just as her husband pulled up. She greeted her husband and then watched in horror as he sat down to his dinner. To her surprise, the husband really enjoyed his dinner. "Darling, this is the best dinner you have made for me in forty years of marriage. You can make this for me any old day." Needless to say, every bridge night from then on, the woman made her husband the same dish. She told her bridge cronies about it, and they were all horrified. "You're going to kill him!" they exclaimed. Two months later, her husband died. The women were sitting around the table playing bridge when one of the cronies said, "You killed him! We told you that feeding him that cat food every week would do him in! How can you just sit there so calmly and play bridge knowing you murdered your husband?" The wife stoically replied, "I didn't kill him. He fell off the mantel while he was cleaning himself."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery