KELLY'S HOME AND AUNT JEAN IS RALLYING BACK

 A PESKY SQUIRREL KEEPS AN EYE ON ME FROM ITS PERCH OUTSIDE OUR SUNROOM

When I hadn't heard from Kelly by 1:45 this afternoon I picked up the phone and dialed her iPhone.  She answered right away by saying "I was just picking up my phone to call and tell you to come pick me, I'm coming home."  Deciding to leave Pheebs snoozing comfortably on our couch, I rolled out of our driveway at 2:05 heading for London.  Would you believe I forgot my main camera but luckily I always carry a smaller point and shoot camera in the car.  An hour later I was at University Hospital's front door.  Forty-five minutes after that Kelly came walking out.  I had expected a porter to bring her out in a wheelchair but for anyone knowing Kelly as well as I do, she wasn't waiting around for someone to wheel her down in a wheelchair.  On the 8th floor she headed down the hall for the elevator by herself but one of her IV spots began bleeding and she had to go back for more bandages.  Undeterred and carrying two bags plus her purse, she set off down the hall again, climbed aboard the elevator and made her way down to the lobby and out the door to where I was waiting.  She said people were looking at her strangely on the elevator.  Imagine my surprise to see her coming out the door in hospital scrubs, bandages, and walking.  I got her in the Subaru okay and we set off for home with a quick jaunt through the Lucan Tim Hortons drive-thru for a couple of coffees.  We were home at about 4:20 and Kelly went straight into her bedroom to lie down.  She was totally drained, but happy to be home.  And, Pheebs an I were happy to have her home too.  She was up later but feeling weak with pains in her stomach.  I was able to heat up a beef pot pie for her.......The Push Enteroscopy procedure she underwent this morning didn't show anything.  We're both disappointed nothing was found because Kelly will likely have to go through all this again the next time she starts bleeding.  For now, the bleeding has stopped, her hemoglobin number has gone back up and they said she might as well go home.  In the last few days, she had 3 blood transfusions and three iron infusions with the last one being this afternoon just before I got to the hospital.  And who knows how many other things were in all those IV bags........I called Aunt Jean tonight and as soon as she said 'Hello' I could tell her voice was stronger.  She's not out of the woods yet but her lost spark is returning and she is slowly rallying back to her former self.  We didn't talk as long as we usually do because I could tell she was very tired.  Aunt Jean wanted me to convey her special appreciation to the all the caring and concerned people who have been praying for her and wishing her well during these difficult times that she is enduring right now.  Like she said, "and I don't even know all these wonderful people who are thinking of me".   

 WHEN I TURNED AROUND HERE CAME KELLY WALKING OUT OF THE HOSPITAL UNDER HER OWN STEAM

 KELLY'S DAD WAS A U.S. MARINE WOUNDED ON THE ISLAND OF IWO JIMA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR AND KELLY HAS HER DAD'S TOUGHNESS, COURAGE, RESILIENCE, RESOLVE AND DETERMINATION

WHEN I WAS LOADING THE STUFF IN THE CAR KELLY UNBEKNOWNST TO ME WENT BACK INTO THE LOBBY TO GET A COUPLE TIM HORTONS COFFEES BUT THEY WERE CLOSED

 OKAY LET'S GET THE HECK OUT OF HERE!!!!

Previously In The Day::  Needing a few things at Walmart this morning, the furry Little Miss Most Best and I headed off to Goderich under sunny blue skies and warm temperatures.  McD's, the harbor, Walmart, and home with a stop at Richard and Gayles.    

 A HERD OF CATTLE ON THE WAY TO GODERICH

 A FLOTILLA OF CANADA GEESE UPON THE CALM WATERS OF LAKE HURON

BEACH GOERS SETTING UP FOR A FAMILY DAY AT THE BEACH

 THIS FELLOW IS CHECKING HIS GPS TO SEE WHERE THE HECK LAKE HURON IS

 TWO OLDER FOLKS ON THE TRAIL OF A COUPLE YOUNGER FOLKS

Al's Music Box:)) In My Life  is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, released on their 1965 studio album, 'Rubber Soul'. Credited to the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership, the song is one of only a few in which there is dispute over the primary author; John Lennon wrote the lyrics, but he and Paul McCartney later disagreed over who wrote the melody. Lennon said that McCartney's "contribution melodically was the harmony and the middle-eight." In 1977, when shown a list of songs Lennon claimed writing on for the magazine Hit Parader, "In My Life" was the only entry McCartney disputed. McCartney said he set Lennon's lyrics to music from beginning to end, taking inspiration from songs by Smokey Robinson & the Miracles. In 1976, he commented: "I liked 'In My Life'. Those were words that John wrote, and I wrote the tune to it. That was a great one." According to Lennon, "In My Life" was his "first real major piece of work" because it was the first time he wrote about his own life. According to Lennon, the song's origins can be traced to English journalist Kenneth Allsop's remark that Lennon should write songs about his childhood. Afterwards, Lennon wrote a song in the form of a long poem reminiscing on those years. The original lyrics were based on a bus route he used to take in Liverpool, naming various sites seen along the way, including Penny Lane and Strawberry Field. Lennon later thought the original lyrics were "ridiculous", calling it "the most boring sort of 'What I Did on My Holidays Bus Trip' song". He reworked the words and replaced the specific memories with a generalized meditation on his past. Few lines of the original version remained in the finished song. According to Lennon's friend and biographer Peter Peter Shotton, the lines "Some [friends] are dead and some are living/In my life I've loved them all" referred to himself and Stuart Sutcliffe (who died in 1962). The song was recorded on the 18th October 1965, and was complete except for the instrumental bridge. At that time, Lennon had not decided what instrument to use, but he subsequently asked George Martin to play a pian solo, suggesting "something Baroque-sounding". Martin wrote a Bach-influenced piece that he found he could not play at the song's tempo. On 22 October, the solo was recorded with the tape running at half speed, so when played back at normal pace the piano was twice as fast and an octave higher, solving the performance challenge and also giving the solo a unique timbre, reminiscent of a harpsichord. "In My Life" inspired pop music producers to use harpsichords in their arrangements. In 2000, Mojo named "In My Life" the best song of all time. Rolling Stone ranked it number 23 on its 2004 list of " The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", and number 98 on the 2021 revised list, as well as fifth on its list of the Beatles' "100 Greatest Songs".

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A pregnant woman gets into a car accident and falls into a deep coma.  Asleep for nearly six months, she wakes up and sees that she is no longer pregnant. Frantically, she asks the doctor about her baby.   The doctor replies, "Ma'am, you had twins! A boy and a girl. The babies are fine. Your brother came in and named them."  The woman thinks to herself, "Oh no, not my brother -- he's an idiot!" Expecting the worst, she asks the doctor, "Well, what's the girl's name?"  "Denise," the doctor says.  The new mother thinks, "Wow, that's not a bad name! Guess I was wrong about my brother. I like Denise!" Then she asks the doctor, "What's the boy's name?"  The doctor replies, DeNephew. 

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- My girlfriend got a really bad haircut and she’s crying.  I don’t know what she’s crying about, I’m the one that has to get a new girlfriend.

- Some people remind me of old TV sets. You have to hit them a few times until they get the picture.

- A photon walks into a hotel. The desk clerk says, "Welcome to our hotel. Can we help you with your luggage?" The photon says, "No thanks, I'm traveling light."

- Instructor: You would be a good dancer except for two things.
Student: What are the two things?
Instructor: Your feet.

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KELLY WANTS TO COME HOME BUT THE DOCTOR SAYS 'NOT YET!!'

Kelly called shortly after 11 this morning.  She was sounding better and I was able to get a few chuckles out of her.  She is chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital but the Doctor told her that until her hemoglobin levels stabilize....she wasn't going anywhere.  They have taken out some of the IV lines.  Friday morning she is going to undergo another more intensive endoscopy as the Doctors probe deeper for the cause of her bleeding.  She also found out that last Monday night when she reached London's University Hospital by ambulance that it was a very close call for her.  With both her blood pressure and hemoglobin levels so low she nearly didn't make it.  I asked her again if I could bring her anything from home and she said no.  She has convinced herself that she is coming home tomorrow and knowing Kelly as well as I do....she just might:))

Another fine Summer's morning with a warmth in the Sun and a touch of coolness in the air.  Unlike the previous morning with all its noise and outside activity with Hydro One trucks and others coming and going I could actually hear the birds tweeting outside our open backyard patio door.  I felt a sadness when I awakened and it stayed with me for the day.  Decided we needed some newer scenery so Pheebs and I went a little further afield this morning.  But, only a little in case my cell phone should ring. 

A Tim Hortons coffee to go in Clinton and it was northward we headed, skipping off the west side of the Hullet Marsh before turning left on Conservation Road across Highway 4 and then north again on Base Line.  All the time my mind was on my Aunt Jean, Kelly, and Pheebs.

There is a scenic little road running east/west between Base Line  and River Line called Little Lakes Road and it is one of my favorite drives.  An old iron bridge crosses the Maitland River near the east end of Little Lakes Road and there is an old gravel pit at the halfway point.  At the west end this sleepy and slightly hilly little road crosses between two small lakes.  Many of my photos over the years have come from here.  The bridge at the east end of the road is called Ball's Bridge and the two ponds at the west end are referred to as the Little Lakes.  I stopped briefly at the west end of Balls Bridge and took a few photos.

A NARROW FISHERMAN'S PATH LEADS DOWN TO THE RIVER

Continuing on we soon came to the old gravel pit where I curiously found the gate open.  I decided to drive into the gravel pit instead of parking and then walking in.  My good buddy Richard and I sometimes stop here and for a walk around the shallow pit but it was Pheebs and who I drove in this time, parked the car, and got our legs out for a walk.  We had only been there for maybe 10 minutes when I heard the rumbling of a big truck slowing down out on the road and sure enough, here it came into the gravel pit with a big load of branches and debris on board.  It was a big yellow County dump truck and I thought 'Oh-Oh' I'm in for it now but the truck drove slowly by us with a big wave from the driver.  Deciding not to push our luck we quickly made our way to the car and got the heck out of there.

 HEADING DOWN INTO THE GRAVEL PIT

 PHEEBS CHECKS OUT THE OPEN JAWS OF A HURON COUNTY STUMP GATOR

 PEERING THROUGH AN OLD BURNT-OUT FALLEN TREE

 WITH THE ARRIVAL OF THIS BRUSH LADEN DUMP TRUCK WE SOON EXITED THE OLD GRAVEL PIT

Our next stop a few minutes later was at the side of the road where the two tiny lakes border the road crossing between them.  Originally years ago this was probably one single lake that this road was built across.  A steel culvert under the road joins the two bodies of water.  This is a scenic spot in all seasons and this morning it was all the lily pads in the water that garnered my attention.   It is when I am surrounded by Mother Nature's beauty with a camera in my hand, that my mind finally takes attention off itself.

 THE LAKE ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE ROAD

 SMART PHONE USERS WILL KNOW WHAT THESE ARE

 A LITTLE LAKES LOG GATOR LURKS NEAR THE ROAD

 THE LAKE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE ROAD

SO MANY LILY PADS HERE EVERY YEAR

Twenty minutes later, we set a course for home and I promised Pheebs some weenie snacks when we get there.  Her always smile widened and away we went.  How fortunate I am I thought to myself to still have my best Pal beside me for all these years as most every morning we travel freely around the countryside with no particular place to go.  Home again, I fixed up my usual hot dog and sliced up some weenie snacks for Pheebs.  It was time to edit 73 new photos down into something that I could reasonably fit in today's blog post before settling into some reading.  I really didn't have any interest or matching energy to do anything outside.  Besides, it was humid enough outside to stick my lower lip to my forehead.  Our sunroom is the next best thing to being outside so that is where I spend the bulk of my time whenever I am inside.    

 A FEW PHOTOS FROM A DRIVE AROUND OUR PARK THIS MORNING

 ONE OF THE BIG MACHINE HAULING AROUND LOGS

 A TALL PILE OF PINE TREE BRANCHES

LOG PILES IN THE PARK ARE GROWING

I have forgotten where I am on my book journey and I may have told you I recently finished both Lucy Maude Montgomery's books in the Pat of Silverbush series.  Since then I have also finished After Anne by author, Logan Steiner.  This is not a work of fiction and sadly tells the story of how Lucy Maude Montgomery's later life brought her so much sadness and sorrow.  {On March 23rd 1942 L. M. Montgomery wrote. "My life has been hell, hell, hell.  My mind is gone --- everything in the world I lived for has gone --- the world has gone mad.  I shall be driven to end my life.  Oh God, forgive me.  Nobody dreams what my awful position is."  Thirty-two days later on April 24, 1942, Lucy Maude Montgomery was found dead in her bed in her Toronto home. The primary cause of death recorded on her death certificate was coronary thrombosis. However, in September 2008, her granddaughter, Kate Macdonald Butler, revealed that Montgomery suffered from depression—possibly as a result of caring for her mentally ill husband for decades—and may have ended her life through a drug overdose}  I look at a picture of her as a young girl and wonder how that little mind of hers behind those staring eyes would eventually bring and continue to bring so much joy to so many people around the world.

 

LUCY MAUDE MONTGOMERY AS A YOUNG GIRL

In these times of difficulty now I find solace in her imaginative and soothing way of words and phrases.  I love how she paints wondrous pictures in my mind.  And to think, just a few short years ago I was only a few hundred feet away from her final resting place on Prince Edward Island and didn't even know it.  I am currently reading another book of hers called, Kilmeny of the Orchard.  Maybe one day we can make a pilgrimage back to her beautiful Island of wondrous childhood memories, rich red soil, windy poplars, and sparkling waters.

 DRIVING ALONG SLOWLY IN AN ACCOMPANYING CLOUD OF FINE DUST

'SSHHH, SHE''S COUNTING LOGS'

Al's Music Box:)) Glamour Boy is a song written by Burton Cummings and performed by The Guess Who, and was featured on their 1973 album. The song was produced by Jack Richardson.  Burton Cummings on "Glamour Boy" in 2016.  "One of my all-time favorites. It was originally inspired by David Bowie, and now that he's gone I can kinda do it as a tribute to his amazing career. I was very threatened ... I felt very threatened when David Bowie came along, because it all changed. Music took second or third place to the appearance, and then theatrics came into Rock n Roll."

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A mother was anxiously awaiting her daughter's plane. She had just come back from a far away land trying to find adventure.  As the daughter was exiting the plane, the mother noticed a man directly behind her daughter dressed in feathers with exotic markings all over his body and carrying a shrunken head. The daughter introduced this man as her new husband.  The mother gasped in disbelief and disappointment and screamed, "I said for you to marry a RICH Doctor! A RICH Doctor, not a WITCH Doctor!!!!"

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Why God Created Eve::

10. God was worried that Adam would frequently become lost in the Garden.

9. God knew that one day Adam would require someone to locate and hand him the remote.

8. God knew Adam would never go out and buy himself a new fig leaf when his wore out and would therefore need Eve to buy one for him.

7. God knew Adam would never be able to make a doctor's, dentist, or haircut appointment for himself.

6. God knew Adam would never remember which night to put the garbage on the curb.

5. God knew if the world was to be populated, men would never be able to
 handle the pain and discomfort of childbearing.

4. As the Keeper of the Garden, Adam would never remember where he left his tools.

3. Apparently, Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.

2. As the Bible says, It is not good for man to be alone!

And finally, the Number 1 reason why God created Eve...

1. When God finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched his head, and said, "I can do better than that."

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Every Wednesday night at St. Rocco’s Catholic Church is a marriage seminar for husbands.  One night Father Gill asked Fabio to share his secrets for staying happily married for almost 50 years.  Fabio explained that he’d tried to treat his wife nice, buy her a few things, and best of all, he took her to Rome for their 25th anniversary.  Father Gill asked, “So what are you going to do for your 50th?”  Fabio proudly answered, “I’m gonna go pick her up!”

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