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

YOUR MISSION, SHOULD YOU ACCEPT IT + THE INTERNET WAS DOWN FOR 9 HOURS TUESDAY

 WE SURE HAVE HAD A LOT OF NICE BIG SKY DAYS LATELY

TUESDAY::  As has been my usual routine on evenings of late, I slipped out to my walking road Sunday night around 8:30 and took my stroll up the road and back.  And then, I broke with routine.  Try as I did to talk myself into slipping into Clinton for a coffee to go, I just couldn't seem to drum up any interest.  So, I came home, but not before I had snagged a couple of photos of a few cloud formations.  Oh, and on my walk Sunday night, I remembered to take a couple of photos of the spot where I took a tumble Saturday night in the ditch.

 THE DARKER PATCH IN THE TALL GRASS IS WHERE I FELL

 SUNDAY NIGHT'S SUNSET AND I SEE A SLEEPING PUSSY CAT'S EARS

AND HERE, CAN YOU WALT DISNEY'S GOOFY BEING CHASED BY A LONG-NOSED WILY COYOTE

 AND HOW ABOUT THIS LONG STREAMLINED GRAY SUBMARINE WITH ITS WHITE SUPERSTRUCTURE

 BIG BEAUTIFUL SKIES INDEED

 ANOTHER HAYFIELD CUT AND RACKED

By 8 a.m. the temperature had already reached 78F and with the humidity factor at 90%, I knew my outside time today was going to be very limited.  So, with that foremost in my mind, I carried on with the day accordingly, washing dishes instead of going for my morning walk.  We did hit a high today of 92fF. Praise be to the inventor of air conditioning.  It did slip out briefly for a sit-down on the front porch.  Popped some peanuts to my Chipmunk Pals and took a few telephoto shots of light and shadow in the front yard.  

A VERIGATED HOSTA

 A SHADOWED BUSH FERN

It was garbage pick-up day this morning, and sometime this afternoon the theme from TV's Mission Impossible rumbled into my head, followed by the words, "Your Mission, should you accept it Mr. Bossence, is to walk to the end of your driveway and retrieve the two garbage cans you will find there".  Well, it's hard to argue with Mission Impossible when told what to do, so that is exactly what I did.  And, it turned out to be the highlight of my day on this hot, humid, and sultry late weekday in June of 2026......UNTIL the day hit a low point when suddenly, at 2:45 in the afternoon, the internet (Eastlink) went down, taking the TV with it.  And it stayed down until 11:45 Tuesday night.  No internet, and no TV for nine hours.  So, thanks to some quick thinking on my part, out of long ago storage came an old boombox and a handful of CDs.  At least I still had my music, so all was not lost. The upside of course, is that I got caught up on a lot of reading. Re-reading the Anne of Green Gable series, and I'm on Anne of Avonlea at the moment.  Took myself out for a wee drive Tuesday night to put in some time with the windows up, and the A/C going.  Snagged a Horton's coffee in Clinton, then made my way southeast of Bayfield finally coming through town on my way home.  Took a few pics along the way, but lost them today while carelessly transferring the pics from my camera to the computer.  I do do unthinking silly things sometimes.

 AT LEAST I DIDN'T HAVE TO GO WITHOUT MY MUSIC

WEDNESDAY:: Again, with temps already over 80F first thing this morning, I knew it was going to be another inside day, staying cool.  For me, going outside in this heat and humidity with my oily skin just turns me into a sticky ball of paste.  And, I absolutely hate that feeling!!!!  Thank heavens I have my inside exercise bike to keep my legs limbered up.  And, so far, the internet is back on for my computer and TV.  And, once again, waaaay too hot for a morning walk. So, today was basically a repeat of yesterday, and I remained inside, trapped by the heat and humidity.  I think we got over 90F again.  Not nice for this guy.  However, I did get out to the front porch to get warmed up a bit.  The A/C in the house has got everything so darn cold I have to wear a warm hat and mitts.  While on the porch with my long lens, I did manage to snap a few bird pics......And then, all of a sudden it became very dark out.  I quickly checked my live Exeter radar site and holy smokes, there was a big bad storm racing across Lake Huron and was almost upon us.  I barely got the outside shed door closed before I heard hail hitting the steel roof and deck.  The hail only lasted a few seconds, and then came the deluge of rain with the wind driving it sideways and bending the trees.  Minutes later at 3 p.m. our power went out.  Fifteen minutes after that, everything calmed right down, the rain stopped, and the storm moved inland.  And then the sun came out.  But, our power never came back on until sometime later Wednesday night.  I had gone out in the car for a drive to charge up my phone, plus grab a coffee, and when I got home about 10:30 the power was on.  So, here I am now typing the last few words of the blog before publishing it.  And that's why I am so late tonight...................................

 A PAIR OF COWBIRDS AT ONE OF THE BIRD FEEDER TODAY

 A RED WING BLACKBIRD AT THE BIRD STATION

Al's Music Box:: Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra. 

FROM A DISTANCE, I THOUGHT THIS SMALL PATCH OF ORANGE WAS BUTTERFLY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FROG POND

GROANER'S CORNER:(( 10 Commandments of Marriage::

Commandment 1. Marriages are made in heaven. But so again, are thunder and lightning.
Commandment 2.
If you want your spouse to listen and pay strict attention to every word you say, talk in your sleep.
Commandment 3. Marriage is grand — and divorce is at least 100 grand!
Commandment 4. Married life is very frustrating. In the first year of marriage, the man speaks and the woman listens. In the second year, the woman speaks and the man listens. In the third year, they both speak and the neighbors listen.
Commandment 5. When a man opens the door of his car for his wife, you can be sure of one thing: Either the car is new or the wife is.

Commandment 6. Marriage is when a man and woman become as one; the trouble starts when they try to decide which one.
Commandment 7. Before marriage, a man will lie awake all night thinking about something you said. After marriage, he will fall asleep before you finish talking.
Commandment 8. Every man wants a wife who is beautiful, understanding, economical, and a good cook. But the law allows only one wife.
Commandment 9. Every woman wants a man who is handsome, understanding, economical and a considerate lover, but again, the law allows only one husband.
Commandment 10. Man is incomplete until he marries. After that, he is finished.

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A man gets pulled over by the police for speeding. The cop walks up to the car and says to the driver, “Sir, did you know that you were going 60 miles an hour?" The driver says, "Officer, there is no way I could have been going 60 miles an hour!" The cop says, “Really! Why is that? The driver replies," I could not have been going 60 miles an hour because I've only been out driving for 25 minutes."

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Two elderly couples were enjoying a friendly conversation when one of the men asked the other, "Fred, how was the memory clinic you went to last month?"
"Outstanding," Fred replied. "They taught us all the latest psychological techniques: visualization, association, etc. It was great."
"That's good! And what was the name of the clinic?" Fred went blank. He thought and thought, but couldn't remember. Then a smile broke across his face and he asked, "What do you call that flower with the long stem and thorns?" "You mean a rose?" "Yes, that's it!" He turned to his wife, "Rose, what was the name of that memory clinic?"

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Q. Why did the pig cross the road
A. To prove that he wasn't a chicken

- If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes from morons?

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It was a sunny Saturday morning, and a perfect golfing day. Mike was beginning his pre-shot routine, visualizing his upcoming shot, when a voice came over the clubhouse speaker--"Would the gentleman on the Ladies Tee please back up to the Men's Tee!" Mike, still deep in his routine, seemed impervious to the interruption. Again the announcement--"Would the man on the Ladies Tee kindly back up to the Men's tee,  PLEASE!" Mike had had enough. He turned and shouted, "Would the announcer in the clubhouse kindly shut up and let me play my second shot!"

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery