Wednesday, November 29, 2023

OF COURSE I WAS CAREFUL NOT TO SAY THAT OUT LOUD OR TELL HER THAT

 JUST BACK FROM HER MORNING WALK WITH KELLY
A cold, dull, drearily dismal drab day almost left me with nothing to say.  But, I persevered through the icy wind and snow because we always have somewhere to go.  And, as long as we have somewhere to go, in my mind I'll always know, that my readers inspire me to make it so:))

With a prescription to drop off at the Walmart Pharmacy for me and a new one to pick up for Kelly, the furry Kid and I braved the elements and headed north through swirling bands of blustery lake-effect snow.  The Jeep's 4-wheel drive and aggressively treaded tires came in very useful this morning as we made our way through the blowing snow to Goderich on Porter's Hill Line.  In bad weather I prefer to stay off the highways where everybody else is slipping, sliding, and usually driving way too fast for the road conditions.  With the exception of one snowplow, we did not encounter one single vehicle either going to or coming home from Goderich.  I like when that happens.

TURNING LEFT ON PORTER'S HILL LINE AND HEADING NORTH

 WHENEVER I SEE A SNOWPLOW APPROACHING I ALWAYS PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND STOP UNTIL IT HAS PASSED....THESE PLOW OPERATORS HAVE A HARD ENOUGH JOB AS IT IS WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT ONCOMING TRAFFIC
 A FLOCK OF CROWS OVER A SNOW-COVERED RECENTLY HARVESTED CORNFIELD
 'WHAT THE HECK!!  I CAME UPON TWO PEOPLE ON E-BIKES WOBBLING ALONG ON THE SNOW-COVERED SLIPPERY ROAD
Coffee to go at Mcdonalds' and down to the harbor and out to Rotary Cove we went.  Again, we were the only ones on the road.  Not even one hardy soul out braving the elements and jogging along the boardwalk.

 HEADING DOWNHILL TO THE GODERICH HARBOR

 ONE LARGE SHIP AT THE GRAIN TERMINAL  
 THE TALL BUILDING AT THE RIGHT IS NOT TIPPING OVER....IT'S DISTORTION FROM THE WIDER ANGLE LENS I AM USING
 A SNOWY DAY FOR THE BEACH STREET STATION
 TOUCHES OF COLOR ON A GRAY DAY
 ALL'S QUIET ON GODERICH'S WATERFRONT
 PHEEBS CHECKS OUT LAKE HURONS COLD CHOPPY WATERS
 IT WAS SO WINDY THAT THE SNOW WAS GOING SIDEWAYS
 WITH SO MUCH SNOW IN THE AIR IT HAS ABSTRACTED THE PHOTO
From the harbor, it was next to the Walmart Pharmacy to drop off one prescription and pick up another one.  Minutes later we were back out into the swirling snow and heading home with our heater going full tilt and Pheebs window down.

 HEADING HOME ON PORTER'S HILL LINE
 I DID BRUSH OFF THE SNOW FROM THE TAILLIGHTS BEFORE HEADING TO CLINTON
YES, WE DID PICK UP A LOAD OF ICE AND SNOW MADE SLUSHY BY ROAD SALT
I was home long enough to shovel some snow and then all three of us piled into the Jeep and headed to Clinton for Pheebs Spa appointment at 11:30.  It wasn't until she got to the doorway of the Head To Tail Grooming Salon that she knew where she was going and put the brakes on.  But, we got her in and the lady said to come back in an hour and a half.  So, as per our usual Pheebs Spa routine, we headed out south of Clinton to a place called Kate's Station.  They serve up a good helping of bacon and eggs there, but OMG, the price.  I'm too embarrassed to even tell you how much a simple plate of bacon and eggs costs now.  Bizarre!!!!  But hey, it is rare for Kelly and I to ever go out to eat anymore so this morning was it.

 PHEEBS HASN'T CLUED IN YET THAT SHE IS AT THE HEAD TO TAIL GROOMERS.....THEY DO A GREAT JOB HERE AND KELLY IS THINKING OF GETTING ME AN APPOINTMENT TOO
 I SEE A SLIGHTLY DISTORTED HAPPY FACE IN MY EGGS AND YOU CAN SEE I TOOK A BITE OUT OF MY TOAST BEFORE 'GEORGE' TELEPATHICALLY REMINDED ME TO TAKE A FOODY PIC:))
 KATE'S STATION
We picked up Pheebs shortly after 1 o'clock and headed for home.  The snow and wind had stopped and for the most part, the roads were clear and dry.  Pheebs was so soft and fluffy that her fur felt like a pussy cat.  Of course, I was careful not to say that out loud or tell her that.  It's like we have a new doggy in the house.  Once home, I shoveled some more snow, topped up the birdfeeders, and quickly got myself inside where I remained for the rest of the day..........In the morning, we will be on the road again heading to Kelly's second dental appointment in Exeter Ontario.  Our weather advisory has finally been lifted and for one day we are looking at milder 43F temps with a combination of sun and cloud:)))))  And then comes a smasher of a weekend:(((((     

 AND HERE COMES OUR FURRY LITTLE PRINCESS:))
Al's Music Box:)) Rock Around The Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets was the first rock and roll record to top the pop charts in both the US and the United Kingdom.   Haley's recording became an anthem for rebellious 1950s youth, particularly after it was included in the 1955 film Blackboard Jungle.  The recording is widely considered to be the song that, more than any other, brought Rock and Roll into mainstream culture around the world. The song is ranked No. 159 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  In 2018, it was selected for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, and artistically significant."

 THE GATEWAY TO ROTARY COVE ON A COLD AND WINDY LATE NOVEMBER DAY
GROANER'S CORNER:(( A teacher was taking her first golf lesson.  "Is the word spelled 'put' or 'putt'?" she asked the instructor."Putt' is correct," he replied.  "'Put' means to place a thing where you want it. 'Putt' means a klutzy but unsuccessful attempt to do the same thing."

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- Sometimes I wake up grumpy…But other times I let her sleep in!

- Bruce Lee had a vegan brother.  Broco Lee.

I used to think drinking was bad for me.
So I gave up thinking.

- I have been teaching my dog to fetch tools from my workshop…..He's not perfect, but he knows the drill!

- After Friday prayers a Preacher announced to the people: "I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we have enough money to pay for our new building program. The bad news is, it's still out there in your pockets."-
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 YOU CAN'T LIFT HIM DAD BECAUSE YOU ARE STANDING ON HIS SKIS





Tuesday, November 28, 2023

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE WE RAN INTO SOME KA-FLOOFY WEATHER

 A COLD BRIEF WALK ON THEMACNAUGHTON-MORRISON TRAIL IN EXETER ONTARIO TODAY
Looking out the window this morning we could see it was not looking like a good day.  It was snowing and the winds were whipping the snow around.  Kelly's dental appointment in Exeter Ontario was for 11:30 a.m. and knowing Winter's antics as well as we do I knew by 11:30 everything could very well be fine.  So, with Johnny Mathis in my head singing Sleigh Ride, Pheebs and I set off in the Jeep first thing to check out the road conditions.  I quickly determined the weather was not bad enough to cancel Kelly's dental appointment.

 WE WOKE UP TO 'WHITE' THIS MORNING
 HEADING OUT OF OUR PARK THIS MORNING TO CHECK THE ROADS
 ASIDE FROM SOME GROUND DRIFTING THE ROADS WERE IN GOOD SHAPE
BACK TO OUR PARK
 NEIGHBORS ARE DECORATING FOR CHRISTMAS
Decided to take the Jeep instead of the Subaru to keep the Sube free from salt-infested roads for another day.  After stopping at the Bayfield Garage for gas we were on our way to Exeter.  Winds had backed off a bit so there wasn't as much blowing snow about and the closer we traveled to Exeter the more small patches of blue sky we saw.

 A BIT OF SNOW IN THE AIR AS KELLY HEADS FOR THE CAR
 THE FURTHER FROM HOME WE TRAVELED THE BETTER THE WEATHER BECAME
After dropping Kelly off at the dentist, Pheebs and I headed the short distance to a nearby Park and Conservation area.  I never thought to wear a warmer hat so we were unable to go too far in the icy West wind blowing straight in from Lake Huron.  However, we did get out and on the boardwalk trail for about 15 minutes before heading back to the Jeep to thaw out.  Read my Kindle for a while and then headed back to the Dentist's parking lot.  Didn't even get to turn the Jeep off before my cell phone rang and it was Kelly ready to go.  The Dentist did two fillings today in preparation for Thursday's appointment when Kelly will have three lower front teeth extracted to make way for a bridge placement in about three weeks.  After that, even more dental work is planned.  Poor Kelly, as if she doesn't have enough on her plate with all this stressful liver transplant stuff:((  
 YAY, JUST PHEEBS AND I HEAR AT THE TRAILHEAD

 A QUICK STOP AT EXETER'S HOME HARDWARE STORE TO PICK UP A NEW  MOEN SHOWERHEAD ASSEMBLY
 AND HERE IS OUR NEW SHOWER HEAD SUCCESSFULLY INSTALLED AND READY TO SHOWER COPIOUS AMOUNTS OF WATER UPON US...I TOLD KELLY IT LOOKED MORE LIKE A FLYING SAUCER TO  ME
We left Exeter heading home with sunny breaks overhead but it wasn't long before we ran into some Ka-Floofy weather.  Bands of lake effect snow feathering in off the lake blew across our path for a while but we finally drove out of it before reaching home. A few sunsplashes welcomed us back to our Park.  Topped up the bird feeders, headed into our warm cozy house, and stayed there for the rest of the day.  Tomorrow we take Pheebs to the Spa:))     

WE TOOK A SWING THROUGH HENSALL ONTARIO ON THE WAY HOME AND SPOTTED THESE CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS

 THIS WAS THE SNOWY BLOWY PART BETWEEN HENSALL AND VARNA ONTARIO
 COMING INTO THE SOUTH END OF VARNA
 THE CLOSER WE GOT TO HOME THE BETTER THE WEATHER BECAME
 HOME FOR US IS IN THE BUSH AHEAD ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ROAD
Thirteen years ago at this time, we were always out and about exploring around Arizona's Cochise County.  Here is just one of those many days.  A Return To The Chiricahua Monument.  And here is a photo album to go along with that day.  Chiricahua Mountains Hike    

Al's Music Box:)) Wolverton Mountain by Claude King.  "Wolverton Mountain" is a country music song and 1962 crossover hit that established Claude's career as an American country singer-songwriter. The song was a rewrite of the original version by Merle Kilgore, which was based on a real person named Clifton Clowers (Kilgore's own uncle). Clowers lived on Woolverton Mountain located 4 miles north of Center Ridge, Arkansas, some 50 miles (80 km) north of Little RockClifton T. Clowers was born on October 30, 1891, at Center Ridge, Arkansas, son of Thomas Jefferson Clowers and Mary Prince Clowers. In July 1919, he married Esther Bell. He was a veteran of World War I and a deacon in the Mountain View Baptist Church. He was immortalized by the success of "Wolverton Mountain".  He lived most of his life on a small farm located on the northern edge of Woolverton Mountain. According to one of his grandchildren, Clowers wished that Kilgore had not suggested in the song that he threatened his daughter's suitors with a gun and a knife, saying, "I never used those tools for that purpose, I just used them to hunt and whittle.”  On his 100th birthday Clowers was visited by both writers of the song, King and Kilgore.  He died at the age of 102 on August 15, 1994, at his home in Clinton, Arkansas, and was buried at the Woolverton Mountain Cemetery.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Kirk was telling his colleagues about a strange dream he had the previous night. He dreamt he was in the middle of the action in the old west riding a stagecoach. All of a sudden, a cowboy riding a horse appears on the right side of the stagecoach, and a horse without a rider pulls up on the left.  In a swift move, the cowboy bends down, pulls open the door of the stagecoach and jumps off his horse into the stagecoach. Then he opens the door on the other side and jumps out onto the other horse. Kirk, confused by the events that were happening so swiftly, yelled out to the cowboy, "What do you think you are doing?"  The cowboy hollered back, "Nothing. It's just a stage I'm going through."

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- I had an appointment with my cardiologist yesterday and on his door it read 8 to 5.  I left immediately.  Why?  I have to have better odds than that.

Q: What do you get if you cross the Atlantic with the Titanic?
A: About halfway.

- The people of Dubai don't get to watch the Flintstones  But the people of Abu Dhabi Do

- Ever since I needed a wheelchair, my wife has been so rude to me.  She's been pushing me around and talking behind my back

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