AND UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, I ALMOST BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER

Well, so much for the predicted six days of rain. A fiery sunrise and blue sunny skies ramped up the day right from the get-go.  And, to add to that fine start to the day, was the thermometer sitting at nearly 50F.  And, would you believe we actually reached 70F this afternoon??  Well, yup we did:))

Busied myself in the front yard again this morning, cleaning up the area close to the road.  The plumber guy came at 12:45, and in less than fifteen minutes, he had the washing machine's water line problem solved and the washer up and running.  With a pile of laundry to do, I wasn't long in getting at it, but 'OH-OH', I saw right away where I had made a miscalculation when choosing this top-load washer.  I had previously measured the width of the washer and dryer, and I had plenty of room to spare.  But I hadn't measured the height because, eyeballing it, I figured it would fit in fine.  And it did, no problem.  But here's where I made my mistake.  I hadn't thought about the washer's lid, and yup, I can't open the lid all the way.  No problem putting clothes in, but the lid won't stay up unless I hold it up.  Oh dear, what to do.  Well, my first thought involved a bungee cord, and until I can come up with a better way to keep the lid up, a bungee cord it will have to be.  Okay, so I loaded up the washer, set the dials, and pushed the start button.  Everything seemed normal as it began to fill with water.  When the wash cycle started, something didn't sound right.  I'm used to the 'swish-swish' sound of the agitating wash cycle, but this one was different, and I don't know if it's the new way for swishing the clothes, or if something is malfunctioning.  It's like it makes a short swish, then stops, then makes a short swish, then stops, etc.  The mechanical sound it makes with each swish doesn't sound healthy to me.  Glancing at my watch, it was nearly 3:30, so with my phone, I took a quick sound video of the wash cycle thingy in motion and decided to quickly head over to Vanastra's Good Choice, where I bought the appliances, show them the video, and ask if that is normal.  I figured they might close at 4 p.m., so I zipped out to the car, and uncharacteristically, I almost broke the sound barrier getting to Vanastra, twenty miles away.  I was about two-thirds of the way there when it occurred to me that because it was Monday, they might not be open.  They weren't!!  Oh well, at least I didn't have to worry about breaking the sound barrier all the way back home again.  I have to have the Subaru at Goderich's Napa garage at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning for an oil change, and after that, I have a few errands in Goderich before heading back to Good Choice in Vanastra.  Like I said, maybe that's the new normal for washing machines. One never knows anymore with all the new and crazy fangled ways of doing stuff these days.  So many things that once seemed normal years ago have already long gone the way of the Dinosaur. 

 YES, I MADE A LITTLE MISCALCULATION HERE

 HEY, AT LEAST IT WORKS

Al's Music Box:: A White Sport Coat And A Pink Carnation by Marty Robbins.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Once there was a golfer whose drive landed on an anthill. Rather than move the ball, he decided to hit it where it lay. He gave a mighty swing. Clouds of dirt and sand and ants exploded from the spot. Everything but the golf ball. It sat in the same spot. So he lined up and tried another shot.  Clouds of dirt and sand and ants went flying again. The golf ball didn't even wiggle. Two ants survived.  One dazed ant said to the other, "What are we going to do?"  Said the other ant, "I don't know about you, but I think the safest place to be is on that ball!"

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Little Moron: "Excuse me, what time is it right now?"
WOMAN: "It's 11:25PM."
Little Moron: "You know, it's the weirdest thing, I've asked that question thirty times today, and every time someone gives me a different answer."

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After weeks of getting the cold shoulder from his wife, the unhappy husband finally confronted her. 'Admit it, Linda. The only reason you married me is because my grandfather left me $10 million.' 'Don't be ridiculous,' she replied. 'I don't care who left it to you.'

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The new associate pastor, nervous about hearing confessions asks an older priest to listen in. Several penitents later, his mentor offers a few suggestions.“Cross your arms over your chest and rub your chin with one hand,” he says. “Try saying things like, ‘I see, yes, go on. I understand. How did you feel about that?”The new priest tries out the words and gestures. The old priest says, “Good, now, don’t you think that's a little better than slapping your knee and saying, ‘No way! You did what?'"

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 KEITH RICHARDS GIVING ABRAHAN LINCOLN GUITAR LESSONS

Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery

AND CHASED ME RIGHT INTO THE HOUSE

 A PAIR OF CANADA GEESE ON THE MAITLAND RIVER SATURDAY AT BALLS BRIDGE

Saturday afternoon, clear sunny skies fortunately stretched into evening, but they were a little too clear for an awesome sunset.  It is the abundance of clouds that makes sunsets so spectacular, and Saturday night it was simply one narrow strip as the big orange ball dipped into the cold waters of Lake Huron.  But, there was an upside to last night's clear sky, and I was able to clearly, from my night sky spot in the countryside, at 10:05, watch an orange Moonrise. A nice way to wind up another day in this little world of mine.  

 THE SUNSET AT BAYFIELD'S BEACH WAS OKAY BUT WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE OKAYER IF THERE HAD BEEN MORE CLOUDS

I WISHED I HAD PUT MY CAMERA ON A TRIPOD FOR THESE LONG DISANCE TELEPHOTO SHOTS OF THE MOON RISING BEHIND A FOREST OF TREES A FEW MILES AWAY

THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IN BLACK AND WHITE

 I TOOK THESE HANDHELD PHOTOS AT 600MM AT F4 WITH A SHUTTER SPEED OF 1/125TH OF A SECOND AND THE PHOTOS ARE GREATLY CROPPED

 AS THE MOON CLIMBS HIGHER OUT OF THE EARTH'S DENSE ORANGY ATMOSPHERE INTO CLEARER AIR, IT BEGINS TO TAKE ON ITS NATURAL COLOR

I decided this morning's wind chill factor was not conducive to me heading out for a walk, so I turned my attention to relocating some more Hosta plants.  I still wore my winter jacket until mid-morning when temps finally began climbing into the low 50's.  No sign of the predicted rain this morning, so I decided to give my grass seed a little sprinkle until at some point Mother Nature arrives with her giant watering can.  And, wouldn't you know it, she rolled in at precisely 1:43 this afternoon, and chased me right into the house.

 LLAMAS ARE PROTECTORS OF SHEEP AND WHEN THIS FELLOW HEARD MY CAR STOP HE RIGHT AWAY GAVE ME A SECURITY LOOK

 REALIZING IT WAS JUST ME AND MY CAMERA IN AGAIN, HE FLOPPED OVER AND RESUMED HIS AFTERNOON SIESTA

 "HEY, WHO SAID I WAS HAVING A SIESTA!!

Al's Music Box::  Traces by The Classics IV.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Bumper Stickers::

- "It's as BAD as you think, and they ARE out to get you."
- "If you don't like the news, go out and make some."
- "I Brake For No Apparent Reason."
- "When you do a good deed, get a receipt, in case heaven is like the IRS."
- "Sorry, I don't date outside my species."
- "I may be fat, but you're ugly - I can lose weight!"
- "No Radio - Already Stolen"
- "Few women admit their age, Few men act it! "
- "I don't suffer from insanity, I enjoy every minute of it!"

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What is the difference between a salon and a saloon? A salon is where you go to make yourself look better. A saloon is where you go to make everyone else look better.

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Years ago someone in California hollered “Gold,” and people drove from all directions. That’s the way they still drive in California.

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- My wife still hasn't told me what my New Year's resolutions are.

- I hate it when people get simple sayings wrong. I mean it's not rocket surgery!
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The Pope met with the College of Cardinals to discuss a proposal from Shimon Peres, the former leader of Israel. "Your holiness," said one of the Cardinals, "Mr. Peres wants to determine whether Jews or Catholics are superior, by challenging you to a golf match." The Pope was greatly disturbed, as he had never held a golf club in his life. "Not to worry," said the Cardinal, "we'll call America and talk to Jack Nicklaus. We'll make him a Cardinal, he can play Shimon Peres... We can't lose!" Everyone agreed it was a good idea. The call was made and, of course, Jack was honored and agreed to play. The day after the match, Nicklaus reported to the Vatican to inform the Pope of his success in the match. "I came in second, your Holiness," said Nicklaus. "Second?!!" exclaimed the surprised Pope. "You came in second to Shimon Peres?!!"
"No," said Nicklaus, "second to Rabbi Woods."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery