MY SLOW MOTION DAY IS STILL WITH ME

 IT'S QUITE A LITTLE ANIMAL FARM AROUND HERE SOMETIMES

With these summer evenings being so nice, it is hard to sit in the house and not be out there being a part of it.  So, with that thought in mind, I slipped out to my walking spot and followed that up with a drive back into Bayfield to catch the sunset.

Not one of my better days.  Waking up shortly after 5 a.m. with a sore neck and a headache, I found myself dealing with a few bouts of dizziness for an hour or so.  From there, the day slowed down, and I didn't do much of anything except sit for a while on the front porch taking a few photos.  When I checked the thermometer, it was 91F.  Needless to say, I didn't stay outside for very long.  At the time of posting this tonight, my sore neck and headache are long gone, but my slow-motion day is still with me.............  

 A GRACKLE

 EVERY TIME I STEP OUT OF THE HOUSE I AM BEING WATCHED

 HOSTA FLOWERS

 I THINK THIS LITTLE FELLOW IS CALLED A 'SMARTY PANTS' BIRD

 GRACKLE

Tomorrow morning, Tuckersmith Communications will be here to switch out my Eastlink Communications system for their internet and television setup.  No doubt this will result in another techno nightmare to some degree, but I'm optimistic that once I get through yet another challenging learning curve, I'll be alright.  Now, if you don't hear from me tomorrow night, just know that maybe something went sideways with the new installation and technicians are working on it.

 I SKIPPED MY WALK THIS MORNING AND TOOK A SHORT DRIVE AROUND OUR PARK INSTEAD KEEPING MY EYE OUT FOR SOME COLOR

And, a correction to mention.  In Monday's post, I misnamed a piece of farm machinery. (I have since corrected it)  Instead of that one machine being a Combine, it was actually a 'Forage Harvester'.  I did think it a bit small when I saw it.  Thanks to commenter Gerrit in Brussels, Ontario, for pointing that out.  In his comment, he said, "Hi Al. Being a long-time retired farmer, I have to correct you. That machine sucking up those rows of alfalfa is a Forage Harvester or a forage chopper, not a Combine. A Combine only harvests grain crops".  Having grown up in and now living in a rural community, I know I should know more about rural things, and I am always aware that I do not always get things right, and especially when it comes to farming things.  I'm sure I often misname crops, but I do know a horse from a corn cob.  I always like it when somebody corrects me over something I have gotten wrong in my blog.  It bothers me to unknowingly pass on incorrect information to people.  Thanks, Gerrit, and I think I remember you.......and, speaking of thanks, I'd like to thank all the readers for wishing my Aunt Jean a 'Happy Birthday' a couple of days ago:))   

 BROWN EYED SUSANS AT THE SOUTH END OF OUR PARK

Al's Music Box:: It's Not For Me To Say by Johnny Mathis.

 OUR PARK'S POND THIS MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Sam had proposed to young Lisa and was being interviewed by his prospective father-in-law. "Do you think you are earning enough to support a family?" the older man asked the suitor. "Yes, sir," replied Sam, "I am." "Well," said Lisa's father, "think carefully now. There are six of us."

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A bar owner locked up his place at 2 AM and went home to sleep. He had been in bed only a few minutes when the phone rang. “What time do you open up in the morning?” he heard an obviously inebriated man inquire. The owner was so furious, he slammed down the receiver and went back to bed. A few minutes later, there was another call, and he heard the same voice ask the same question. “Listen, the owner shouted, “there’s no sense in asking me what time I open because I wouldn’t let a person in your condition in anyway—“ “I don’t want to get in,” the caller interjected. “I want to get out.”

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A so-called genius makes a bet with a man he considers to be much inferior to himself. The genius says, "Hey dummy, every question I ask you that you don't know the answer to, you have to give me $5. And if you ask me a question and I can't answer yours I will give you $5,000." The man says, "Okay." The genius then asks, "How many continents are there in the world?" The supposed dummy doesn't know and hands over the $5. He then asks the Genius a question: What animal stands on two legs but sleeps with three?" The genius tries and searches very hard for the answer but gives up and hands over the $5,000. The genius says, "Dang it, I lost. By the way, what was the answer to your question?" The dumb guy hands over $5.  Game over. 

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery

LUCKILY, I FIGURED OUT THE E- BIKE'S POWER LOSS PROBLEM THIS MORNING

A wispy Sunday night cloud cover didn't make for the best sky watching, but I headed out anyway to partake in the evening's twilight glow.  So quietly peaceful in the countryside at that time of day........ Before loading my bike onto Subie's bike carrier this morning to take to 360 Bikes n Boards with a 'no power' problem, I decided to take the bike's battery off and put it back on again, just to see if maybe.........what the heck, it worked.  My bike once again had full power.  I'm guessing a bit of dirt or dust may have got onto one of the power connecting points on the battery.  Riding on the bike carrier on the back of the car does make them very susceptible to dust and stuff swirling up behind the car when going down the road.  A key is needed to get that battery off the bike, so I'll be riding with the battery key in my pocket at all times after this.  I did do a quick whiz-bang around the Park late this afternoon, and everything worked perfectly....even me.  And, by the way, Woodsy did offer to bike home, get the car with the bike carrier already on it, and come back and pick me up.  We weren't that far from home, and after all, it is a bicycle, so my decision was to simply ride it home....Which I did.  Maybe not so simply though, but at least I got it home:))

Heading down Bayfield River Road this morning to my walking spot, I noticed something odd.  On the south side of the road just west of Stirling Line (my walking road) there were seven black SUV type vehicles all parked single file where a long laneway leads south through a field, then into some trees.  I didn't see anyone around.  None of those cars were marked police cars, but still, I think something serious was going on somewhere!!  Arriving at my walking spot, I could see yesterday's farmer was back in his alfalfa field again after cutting the field Sunday morning.  This time, what looked to be the same tractor was pulling a different device that was raking the newly mown alfalfa into rows.  Then, after a bit, I saw a combine enter the field and begin to swoop up those rows.  Two more tractors towing wagons came into the field and began working with the combine.  So altogether at the same time in the same field, there were three tractors, two large wagons, and a combine working in unison.  Quite an operation. 

 THIS RED PIECE OF EQUIPMENT BEHIND THE TRACTOR RAKES UP NUMEROUS SMALL ALFALFA ROWS INTO ONE LARGE ROW MAKING IT EASIER FOR A FORAGE HARVESTER TO SCOOP IT UP NEXT

YOU CAN SEE HERE HOW CLOSE MY CAR WAS TO THE ALFALFA FIELD

Needing a few things, I slipped up to Goderich's Walmart and Canadian Tire Stores after my walk.  Nothing exciting going on, and I didn't even make it down to the harbor.  It wasn't long and I was on my way home.  Some usual outside putterings this afternoon until the heat and humidity finally drove me inside.

SOON, ABOUT HALF A MILE AWAY, I SAW MORE FARM EQUIPMENT IN THE SAME FIELD

 THERE IS A FORAGE HARVESTER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT WAGON, FUNNELING ALFALFA INTO THAT GREEN FARM WAGON

 HERE'S THE WHOLE FARM TEAM WORKING TOGETHER....WHEN THAT FIRST GREEN WAGON ON THE LEFT IS FULL, IT PULLS AWAY AND THAT EMPTY SECOND GREEN WAGON ON THE RIGHT  DRIVES UP AND TAKES ITS PLACE

 THE UNSEEN COMBINE IS TOWING SOMETHING BEHIND IT, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT IT IS

 AND HERE COMES THAT FORAGE HARVESTER NOW

THE TRACTOR AND WAGON PULL AWAY AND HEAD BACK TO THE FARM

 THE SECOND TRACTOR AND WAGON TAKE THE PLACE OF THE FIRST TRACTOR AND WAGON

Al's Music Box:: After I Pass Away  I find the words to this song to be so true.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The Wednesday night church service coincided with the last day of hunting season. During the service, our pastor asked who had bagged a deer. No one raised a hand.Puzzled, the pastor said, “ I don't get it. Last week many of you said you wouldn't be at church Sunday because of hunting season. I had the whole congregation pray for your deer.” One hunter said, "Well, preacher, it worked. They're all safe.”

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- Dad, will you help me with my homework?" "I'm sorry," replied the father. "It wouldn't be right." "Well, " said the boy, "at least you could try."

- A schoolteacher asked her primary six class to construct sentences with the words: defeat, detail, defense. There was a pause before a pupil raised his hand and said he could make a sentence with them; "The cow jumped over defense and detail went over defeat."

- Why did the cows keep returning to the field of marijuana? It was the pot calling the cattle back.

- A man sees his buddy carrying a box.
"What's that?" he ask. "Oh, I got a case of beer for my wife." Man nods sagely, "Good trade."

- Interviewer: Would you mind explaining this 4-year gap on your resume?
Me: I went to Yale during this time period.
Interviewer: Wow, excellent! You’re hired!
Me: Thank you! I really needed this yob!

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A guy went to the cinema one day and noticed an old man with a dog in the front row. It was a sad, funny kind of film and the guy noticed that during the sad parts the dog cried his eyes out, and during the funny parts, the dog laughed its head off. This happened throughout the film. After the film ended, the guy decided to go and speak to the old man. "That's the most amazing thing I've ever seen," he said. "That dog really seemed to enjoy the film." The old man turned to him and said: "Yeah, it is amazing. He hated the book."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery