AND THAT IS ABOUT ALL I HAVE TODAY

 AN iPHONE PIC OF CHICORY FLOWERS ALONGSIDE MY WALKING ROAD THIS MORNING

With a loud clap of thunder followed by a deluge of falling water upon the roof, my day started at 5:35 this morning.  I had a feeling it might be a long day, and that is about all I have today.  

 HAY BALES HANGING OUT IN A FIELD

 MY LITTLE PAL WAS BACK AT THE SUNROOM WINDOW THIS AFTERNOON

 TWILIGHT'S WARM GLOW THURSDAY EVENING

 LOOKING LIKE A GIANT DELTA-WING AIRLINER CLOUD OR A UFO

Al's Music Box:: I Believe In You by Don Williams.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A brilliant young boy was applying for a job with the railways. The interviewer asked him: "Do you know how to use the equipment?" "Yes", the boy replied. "Then what would you do if you realized that 2 trains, one from this station and one from the next were going to crash because they were on the same track?" The young applicant thought and replied "I'd press the button to change the points without hesitation." "What if the button was frozen and wouldn't work?" "I'd run outside and pull the lever to change the points manually" "And if the lever was broken?" "I'd get on the phone to the next station and tell them to change the points," he replied. "And if the phone was broken and needed an electrician to fix it?" The boy thought about that one. "I'd run into town and get my uncle" "Is your uncle an electrician?" "No, but he's never seen a train crash before!"

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The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan last Sunday: "I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours." Our next song is "Angels We Have Heard Get High." Don't let worry kill you, let the church help. For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs. This being Easter Sunday, we will ask Mrs. Lewis to come forward and lay an egg on the altar.

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A man is at work one day when he notices that his co-worker is wearing an earring.
This man knows his co-worker to be a normally conservative fellow, and is curious about his sudden change in "fashion sense."
The man walks up to him and says, "I didn't know you were into earrings." "Don't make such a big deal out of this, it's only an earring," he replies sheepishly. His friend falls silent for a few minutes, but then his curiosity prods him to say, "So, how long have you been wearing one?" "Ever since my wife found it in my truck..."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery

KEEPING MY FINGERS CROSSED THAT BOTH DECISIONS I MADE THIS MORNING WERE GOOD DECISIONS

An hour or so after Wednesday's afternoon storm knocked the power out, a knock came to my door.  It was our good neighbor, Andrew, inviting me over later because they have a generator, which meant they of course, still had air conditioning.  Well, with it getting a little warm in the house, I couldn't refuse the offer, so over I went with a plate of four butter tarts that Lorraine had made for them.   I stayed about an hour visiting with Sheila and Andrew.  Andrew asked my how things were working with the TV, Apple box, Sirius Satellite Radio, Eastlink, etc. him I  told had been having a little trouble with my iPhone not making a Bluetooth connection to the SiriusXM radio in the car for the last couple of days, so Andrew walked back home with me and in no time had that little problem all straightened out.  So, I once again have my favorite XM music channel in the car going again.  With the power still being out, and my iPhone desperately needing a charge, and me needing a coffee, I then plugged the phone charger cord into Subie's AC adapter and headed for Tim Hortons in Clinton.  With a little drive through the countryside, it didn't take long for my phone to charge up, and it didn't take long for me to enjoy my daily evening cup of decaf coffee.  Stopped at my night sky spot for half an hour before heading home, fingers crossed that the power would be on.  What a relief it was to pull into the Park and see the street lights brightly on.  So, with the power restored, my first order of business was to get my blog finished up and published.  With that done, I then quickly started on my next day's blog.  Oh, tis quite a life I live here:))

 SPOTTED THIS LITTLE CHAP ON MY SUNROOM WINDOW TODAY

NOT THE BEST PICS OF A PILATED WOODPECKER THAT i SAW T HROUGH THE LIVING ROOM WINDOW IN A DEEPLY SHADED AREA BUT I'VE DECIDED TO INCLUDE THEM ANYWAY BECAUSE IT'S RARE TO SEE THESE BIG FELLOWS

THIS LITTLE RED SQUIRREL DIDN'T HAVE ANY PROBLEM BREACHING THIS SQUIRREL PROOF BIRDFEEDER'S SECURITY FEATURES

Determined this morning NOT to start my post off in the usual habitual manner (morning walk and weather) I sat blank-faced for the longest time combing through the cobwebs of my mind searching for a DIFFERENT way to start my post.  So, here/s what I came up with which I'm sure long time readers have read before a few times......Years ago, after moving here to the Bayfield Pines, I picked myself up a part-time job driving a mobility van for a company in Clinton called, 'Town and Country'.  It is now called 'One Care'.  It was while driving for this company that I wrote the following......I have had many varied jobs over the years & I attribute that to my high susceptibility to boredom. Always found new jobs challenging with an element of excitement & for me that was always the attraction. My type of personality needs new challenges to keep itself from slumping into the dregs of boredom.  There is a type of job though that has always held more of an attraction for me than any of the others & I was reminded of that again to-day as I leisurely cruised through our rural countryside in my mobility van. Driving jobs have never been boring for me & I took to driving like a duck takes to water right from the first time I snuck my stepfather's car out of the garage & picked up a couple pals for a cruise around some local country roads near the small town where we lived. No drivers license, underage, & scared like nuts as I manuevered that big huge black & nearly new 1961 Ford Galaxy around the corners & curves of those dusty gravel roads. Mixed with that fear was joy & excitement & it is the excitement I have retained after all these years. But it was the joy I felt to-day cruising through the countryside taking in Mother Natures wondrous wonders.  Here I was.... being paid to sit in a controlled environment on a comfortible soft cushy seat while listening to music of my choice watching beautiful scenery unfold before my very eyes. Lush emerald green fields of grasses waving in the wind & carpets of bright yellow dandelions under white flowering apple trees. Sparkling little streams alongside the road bubbling over water weathered stones with fresh colors of lime colored leaves unwrapping themselves in the trees overhead & hews of purple lilacs emerging out of the fairytale landscape. Farmers busy on their patch work quilt fields to-day disking, fertilizing & planting. Small distant plumes of dust were tell tale signs of tractor activity below. With the deep robins egg blue sky above & the greening of the junglelike landscape below it made for a beautiful afternoon drive in the country & reminded me of why I have always liked driving jobs.  If you have a love of nature, an eye for beauty, & a hankering for driving, you just might enjoy these kinds of jobs just as much as I have over the years. And if your like me this is one kind of job that isn't going to bore you. 

 BEACHGOERS AT GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE THIS MORNING

Down to my last quart of milk this morning, I hopped into Subie, cranked up the A/C, pointed her nose in the direction of Goderich, and off we went on our way.  It was my usual routine of coffee, harbor, and Walmart.  Pondering a couple of things that have been on my mind for a while, I made a couple of decisions on the way home.  After dropping off my few groceries, I headed into Bayfield to make two stops, with the first one being Michaels Pharmacy. I had decided to move my Pharmacy Account from Walmart to Michaels.  I set that change in motion.  Then, in the same mini-mall I walked over to Tuckersmith Communications and gave them the go-ahead to install their Internet and TV equipment next Thursday.  After that is done and successfully installed, I will cancel my long time Eastlink Internet and TV account and keep my fingers crossed that both decisions this morning were good decisions.  I'm always leery of decisions like that because my track record shows me that I sure have made some big bad whoppers on the down side over the years.....Another hot and humid one today with thermometers hitting another 90F again:((  But hey, no nasty damaging late afternoon storms:))

TOOK THESE PICS OF A COUPLE SEADOS THIS AFTERNOON FROM BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK

Al's Music Box:: Shadowland by k.d. Lang.

THIS IS MY HOT SUMMER'S GO TO DRINK WHERE I MIX HALF A GALSS OF APPLE JUICE WITH HALF A GLASS OF DIET CRANBERRY JUICE WHICH I HAVE ALREADY DILUTED WITH WATER BY 50%

GROANER'S CORNER:(( An old man lived alone in Idaho. He wanted to spade his potato garden, but it was very hard work. His only son, Bubba, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament. Dear Bubba:  I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my potato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here, all my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.  Love, Dad. A few days later, he received a letter from his son. Dear Dad:  For heaven's sake, Dad, don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES. Love, Bubba.  At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local Police showed up and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day, the old man received another letter from his son. Dear Dad:  Go ahead and plant the potatoes now. It's the best I could do under the circumstances.  Love, Bubba.

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"Madam, your husband must have absolute rest."  "Well, Doctor, he won't listen to me."

"A very good beginning, madam, a very good beginning."

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A Russian couple was walking down the street in St. Petersburg the other night, when the man felt a drop hit his nose. "I think it's raining," he said to his wife.
"No, that felt more like snow to me," she replied. "No, I'm sure it was just rain, he said." Well, as these things go, they were about to have a major argument about whether it was raining or snowing. Just then they saw a minor communist party official walking toward them. "Let's not fight about it," the man said, "let's ask Comrade Rudolph whether it's officially raining or snowing."  As the official approached, the man said, "Tell us, Comrade Rudolph, is it officially raining or snowing?"  "It's raining, of course," he answered and walked on. But the woman insisted: "I know that felt like snow!" To which the man quietly replied: "Rudolph the Red knows rain, dear!"
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Al's Doggy World

'HEY, WHAT AM I DOING HERE WITH ALL THESE DOGS'

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery