ON BOARD A 295 FOOT, 1,610 TON SUBMARINE ALL BY MYSELF

 WITH A JOB TO DO, THESE GOATS ARE ACTUALLY AT WORK

A cloudy one and a touch cool.  It is that time of the season when the clothing transition begins between short-sleeved shirts and shorts, and long-sleeved shirts and pants.  I even slipped on a light nylon jacket over my long sleeves this morning. 

 A SATURDAY MORNING FARMER FERTILIZING HIS FIELD WITH A WELL KNOWN LOCALLY MANUFACTURED MANURE SPREADER

Sometimes, when I slip up to Goderich for a few things, it is not always the sole reason for my journey.  As often as not, I just like to go somewhere different, and maybe see something differnt along the way.  This morning, it had to do with goats.  Lots of them, and hard at work they were too.  And they were all working for the town of Goderich.  There are areas along the steep shoreline embankment that are hard for maintenance crews to get to and keep cleaned out.  So, somebody came up with the idea of sending in a herd of goats to do the job and take care of all the overgrown grass, shrubs, and trees, and from what I saw, the plan seems to be working like a charm.  The area the goats are in is just across the road from Goderich's water treatment plant on the road between St. Christopher's Beach and Rotary Cove.

 I WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE TOUCH THIS FENCE JUST TO SEE IF IT'S 'LIVE'

A Blast From Our Past:: With Facebook yesterday throwing me a memory from our September East Coast Travels in 2018, I remembered the day I got to tour a submarine all by myself.  The Canadian sub Onondaga was permanently on dry land and displayed in Pointe-au-Père, Quebec. (near Rimouski) I took a lot of photos inside this submarine, and guys might find it interesting.  I sure did.  My Onondaga Submarine Tour

Al's Music Box:(( Brothers In Arms by Mark Knopfler and Dire Straits.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( If you are on Facebook, You might find this humorously interesting. ... A 76-year-old woman walked down the hallway of  the Clearview Addictions Clinic, searching for the right department. She passed signs for the "Heroin Addiction Department (HAD)," the "Smoking Addiction Department (SAD)" and the "Bingo Addiction Department (BAD)." Then she spotted the department she was looking for: "Facebook Addiction Department (FAD)." It was the busiest department in the clinic, with about three dozen people filling the waiting room, most of them staring blankly into their Blackberries and iPhones. A middle-aged man with unkempt hair was pacing the room, muttering,"I need to milk my cows. I need to milk my cows." A twenty-something man was prone on the floor, his face buried in his hands, while a curly-haired woman comforted him. "Don't worry. It'll be all right." "I just don't understand it. I thought my update was LOL-worthy, but none of my friends even clicked the 'like' button." "How long has it been?" "Almost five minutes. That's like five months in the real world." The 76-year-old woman waited until her name was called, then followed the receptionist into the office of Alfred Zulu, Facebook Addiction Counselor. "Please have a seat, Edna," he said with a warm smile. "And tell me how it all started." "Well, it's all my grandson's fault. He sent me an invitation to join Facebook. I had never heard of Facebook before, but I thought it was something for me, because I usually have my face in a book." "How soon were you hooked?" "Faster than you can say 'create a profile.' I found myself on Facebook at least eight times each day -- and more times at night. Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night to check it, just in case there was an update from one of my new friends in India . My husband didn't like that. He said that friendship is a precious thing and should never be outsourced." "What do you like most about Facebook?" "It makes me feel like I have a life. In the real world, I have only five or six friends, but on Facebook, I have 674. I'm even friends with Juan Carlos Montoya." "Who's he?" "I don't know, but he's got 4,000 friends, so he must be famous." "Facebook has helped you make some connections, I see." "Oh yes. I've even connected with some of the gals from high school -- I still call them 'gals.' I hadn't heard from some of them in ages, so it was exciting to look at their profiles and figure out who's retired, who's still working, and who's had some work done. I love browsing their photos and reading their updates. I know where they've been on vacation, which movies they've watched, and whether they hang their toilet paper over or under. I've also been playing a game with some of them." "Let me guess. Farmville?" "No, Mafia Wars. I'm a Hitman. No one messes with Edna." "Wouldn't you rather meet some of your friends in person?" "No, not really. It's so much easier on Facebook. We don't need to gussy ourselves up. We don't need to take baths or wear perfume or use mouthwash. That's the best thing about Facebook -- you can't smell anyone. Everyone is attractive, because everyone has picked a good profile pic. One of the gals is using a profile pic that was taken, I'm pretty certain, during the Eisenhower Administration. " "What pic are you using?" "Well, I spent five hours searching for a profile pic, but couldn't find one I really liked. So I decided to visit the local beauty salon." "To make yourself look prettier?" "No, to take a pic of one of the young ladies there. That's what I'm using." "Didn't your friends notice that you look different?" "Some of them did, but I just told them I've been doing lots of yoga." "When did you realize that your Facebooking might be a problem?" "I realized it last Sunday night, when I was on Facebook and saw a message on my wall from my husband: 'I moved out of the house five days ago. Just thought you should know.'" "What did you do?" "What else? I unfriended him, of course!"

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Al's Doggy World

 THIS IS PHEEBS REACTION TO ME IN THE KITCHEN TRYING TO FRY UP A BOWL OF PORRIDGE

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery

ANOTHER RELAXING HAPPY CAMPER NIGHT

 A FEW PHOTOS FROM AROUND OUR PARK TODAY

First off, regarding my Thursday post about 'how much does a piece of toast weigh', I had seriously thought I might have had a chance of actually figuring the mathematics of that out.  Little did I remember that I once got eight out of a hundred on a high school math exam.  Writing that paragraph went smoothly, but when I came to the mathematical part, I was immediately stymied, and try as I did to figure it out, this molasses-thick mind of mine just couldn't do it.  Luckily, the first reader in my comment section did it for me, and here is what she/he says,  (The toast thingy: 200 slices = 2 lbs., so 100 slices = 16 oz., so 10 slices = 1/10 of 16 oz = 1.6 oz, so 1 slice of toast weighs .16 oz (just about 2 ounces). A big thank you to my Einstein reader. Can you just imagine now, my total and instant relief, knowing how much a piece of toast actually weighs.  Oh mercy, thank you, Lord.  But wait a minute.....I forgot to add the butter and thin spread of honey to the equation.  Hmmm, weight numbers could be altered, but....I'm not going to worry about it:))

 LIGHT AND SHADOW

 MY iPHONE TELLS ME THIS IS A YELLOW DAISY FLOWER

 PERHAPS A RED-OSIER DOGWOOD

 GOLDEN ROD

 ASTERS AND GOLDEN ROD

Sunshine through the pine trees is always a positive way to start the day each morning.  What isn't so swell is having to prick my finger to draw a drop of blood with a sharp little needle-like thing.  With my semi-annual medical appointment with my diabetic lady and nurse practitioner coming up next week, the diabetic lady likes to see what my blood sugar levels are running at before I get there, so that means I do this finger-pricking thing for about a week, four or five times during the day at different times.  My last appointment about six months ago showed that my blood test numbers were right on the line between diabetic and pre-diabetic.  I, of course, am hoping for better numbers this time, and by golly, I just might get them.  

 I FOUND IT ODD THAT WHEN I SLOWLY DROVE BY THIS CROW, IT DIDN'T FLY AWAY

HOPE IT WASN'T INJURED

After my enjoyable sunny September morning walk, and after having woken up with a few extra energy units at my disposal, I headed right back home and got myself busy.  The backyard needed mowing, done.  Flower beds around my metal shed needed weeding, done.  The firepit needed cleaning out, done. The utility trailer needed to be emptied and relocated, done.  Both the carport and front porch needed a good blowing off, done.  Al needed a mid-morning coffee, done.  The cedar trees on the east side of the driveway needed to be trimmed, done. Rounded up two front yard frog pond frogs, put them in a bucket, then wheeled them over to the larger pond in my wheelbarrow, done. A load of laundry needed doing, done. A few dishes needed washing, done. Al finally needed a rest and an afternoon coffee break, done.  With a cloud cover hanging in the late afternoon sky, it looks like I won't be headed out this evening.  No problem, I'll hop aboard my exercise bike, snap on my YouTube channel with all its excellent music and educational videos, and have myself another relaxing happy camper night:))

 ALTHOUGH MY UTILITY TRAILER WASN'T OVERFLOWING WITH YARD WASTE, I HAULED IT DOWN TO THE PARK'S RECYCLE AREA AND DUMPED IT ANYWAY

And Facebook tossed me a memory with a photo saying that eight years ago, Kelly and I were on a boat in the St. Lawrence River on a Thousand Islands cruise.  With our RV, we had stopped into the town of Gananoque, Ontario, for this cruise while on our way to the East Coast and eventually on to Spencerport, New York, where we stopped in to visit Kelly's Mom on the way home.

 MY TWO BEST PALS OF EVER

Al's Music Box:: All Night Long by Lionel Richie.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A sweet grandmother telephoned St. Joseph's Hospital. She timidly asked, 'Is it possible to speak to someone who can tell me how a patient is doing?' The operator said, 'I'll be glad to help, dear. What's the name and room number?' The grandmother, in her weak, tremulous voice, said, ''Norma Findlay, Room 302.' The operator replied, 'Let me place you on hold while I check with her nurse.' After a few minutes, the operator returned to the phone and said, 'Oh, I have good news. Her nurse told me that Norma is doing very well.. Her blood pressure is fine; her blood work is normal and her physician, Dr. Cohen, has scheduled her to be discharged on Tuesday.' The grandmother said, 'Thank you. That's wonderful! I was so worried! God bless you for the good news.' The operator replied, 'You're more than welcome. Is Norma your daughter?' The grandmother said, 'No, I'm Norma Findlay in 302. No one has told me anything!!

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Grocery Store Cashier:

- Would you like that in a paper or plastic bag?  Me: Either, I'm bisacktual.

- Why did the plastic bag go to therapy?
It couldn't handle the pressure and felt all crumpled up inside.

- A man buys bread, and the baker asks if he'd like his bread bagged in paper or plastic. The guy replies, "Baguette, however you want".
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Yesterday I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight,and I didn't feel so hot. My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems. He said just think in colors; Fill your plate with bright colors; greens, yellows, reds, etc.  I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's, and sure enough, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy.

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One night at a local bar frequented by a bunch of deer hunters who were waiting for the opening day of deer season, the local sheriff scoped out the joint for possible drunk drivers. As he waited, eventually a patron stumbled out of the bar, fumbled for his keys, tried them in three different cars until he finally found his, got inside and rested his head on the steering wheel. The deputy knew he had his drunk driver, so now all he had to do was wait for him to start his engine and pull out of the lot.
A few hours passed by and most of the other deer hunters had left by then, when the patron abruptly lifted his head, cranked the car up, and drove out of the lot like a bat out of hell. The deputy followed him and stopped him promptly. He administered the breath-o-lizer test, and it read 0.00.  Confused, the deputy asked the driver what the hell was going on. The driver looked at him innocently and said, "Well, tonight I'm the designated decoy."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery