CAN'T IMAGINE IT BEING ANY WAY ELSE

It was an earlier than normal start to our day with only one of us leaving the house before dawn.  Kelly had an appointment at the Goderich Hospital for a 7:45 a.m. Ultra-Sound.  Had the weather or roads been bad I would have driven her up but with clear visibility and bare roads she hustled off on her own.  Already up and on our feet Pheebs and I rolled out earlier than usual also.  Gray skies prevailed and finding any photos was a challenge.  Had to use a few photos that never made the cut a week or two ago.  It was just another one of those cold damp uninspiring mornings again.  Aside from picking up some bird seed at Sun Country in Clinton our day didn't amount to much.

ONE OF ONTARIO'S FIRST STATE OF THE ART DIRECT ELECTRIC WIND TURBINES

OH WAIT A MINUTE....A DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE SHOWS THAT JUST ISN'T SO

In a blog comment Judi asked about the dog food our Vet prescribed for Pheebs these next 30 days. Suspecting a possible food allergy they have put her on Royal Canin's Canine Vegetarian Dry and Caned Dog Food.  We have not seen any head shaking since returning from the Vet a few days ago after they swabbed and medicated both her ears.   

I WONDER IF THEY HAVE A WARM HERALAYAN SALT SCRUB AS WELL

Although I so enjoy traveling around the scenic countryside most every day I came to the conclusion many years ago I would have not made a good farmer or rancher.  I just simply don't have what it takes to handle that kind of stress and continuous workload.  I like being a country tourist but I would probably not enjoy the tedious work involved with owning a farm.  In my opinion a farmer/rancher has to be a jack of all trades to be successful and that is definitely not me.  A farmer also has be some kind of a financial wizard and that sure leaves me out too.  Working from dawn to dusk would not have been my idea of a having a great day.  Sitting on a tractor plowing or harvesting fields for hours at a time might be great for the short term but I know I would have soon tired of that.  Having to make difficulty life and death decisions regarding animals would have torn me apart.  I'd probably have all the chickens in the house comfortably nesting in cupboards, horses in the dining room and cows in the kitchen with pigs resting comfortably in the den.  Probably a hundred stray cats and dogs in the house out of the cold as well.  The financial stress of running a farm in adverse weather conditions with constantly threatening crop failures would end any sleep I could ever have imagined.  Having to buy any piece of farm machinery over five dollars could easily have crossed my eyes permanently.  With cows to milk seven days a week fifty two weeks of the year, sheep to shear, chickens to feed, pigs to cuddle, and horses to hug it doesn't leave much time for any of that pleasant going away vacation stuff.  Thoughts of cold days spent in the bush cutting firewood would leave me frazzled in my pyjamas.  Or having to get up at 3 a.m. to shovel a winter's path to the barn.  Yikes!!  Nope, I'm quite happy toodling through the countryside without any of the above worries or heavy responsibilities.  Don't call me city slicker though but I will accept 'small town boy.'

With a thin snow fall in the late afternoon air Pheebs and I did make it out for a walk through our pine forest.  Snow is only about an inch deep and with no wind it was Okay to be outside for a short while. 

THE UNFINISHED NEW ROAD AROUND THE CORNER FROM OUR PLACE OFFERS ANOTHER NEW PLACE TO WALK NOW......IF YOU DON'T MIND MUDDY BOOTS

Thanks to everyone for your positive encouragement again and I do apologize for these up and down mood swings of mine.  It seems I am up or I am down with not as many shades of gray in between any more.  To no avail I have told myself many times not to dump my 'frumpy' feelings into the blog but it just seems to fall on deaf ears each time and my feelings have a habit of running right out of me to my keyboard.  I do have the option not to publish what I write but I seem to ignore that option too often and hit the publish button anyway.  I sometimes feel better about what I have said and sometimes not.  Sometimes I embarrass myself.  Sometimes I want to quit blogging altogether and sometimes I think I'd like to keep my blog going forever.  Tis a very mixed up fellow I am and it's been that way always.  Can't imagine it being any way else.  Just think how boring it must be having a perfect day every day.

::An Archive Memory::  You wouldn't think we would be looking for pumpkins and palm trees in the rock strewn desert sands and Badlands of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park but on February 12th of 2012 that is just what we were doing near Borrego Springs, California.  Our Mission Today....Find An Oasis Or Two Plus A Pumpkin Patch

::Al's Musical Favs:: Waters Of Assiya by Richard Bone

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Hollywood Squares:: These great questions and answers are from the days when ' Hollywood Squares' game show responses were spontaneous, not scripted, as they are now. Peter Marshall was the host asking the questions, of course..
Q. Do female frogs croak? 
A. Paul Lynde: If you hold their little heads under water long enough. 
Q. If you're going to make a parachute jump, at least how high should you be.
A. Charley Weaver: Three days of steady drinking should do it.. 
Q. You've been having trouble going to sleep. Are you probably a man or a woman? 
A. Don Knotts: That's what's been keeping me awake.
Q. As you grow older, do you tend to gesture more or less with your hands while talking?

A. Rose Marie: You ask me one more growing old question Peter, and I'll give you a gesture you'll never forget!!

Q. Jackie Gleason recently revealed that he firmly believes in them and has actually seen them on at least two occasions. What are they? 

A. Charley Weaver: His feet.

Q. Back in the old days, when Great Grandpa put horseradish on his head, what was he trying to do? 

A. George Gobel: Get it in his mouth.

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A gang of Beavers roamed main street last night and cut down all the trees along the way.  Police are stumped.

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STUMBLING ALONG

My blog is beginning to feel like an old Volkswagen Beetle almost out of gas and I have already switched the reserve tank lever to on.  I scan the road ahead and see no gas station, only a curve in the road.  My tires are worn and my engine is tired.  My exterior is rusted my insides faded.  Worn wipers barely keep a pitted windshield clear anymore as headlights become dimmer with age.   Each day when I turn the key my little VW blog engine starts yet one more time and I make it a little further down the road.  It's been quite a journey so far and maybe if I can just make it around that next little bend in the road I'll find another gas station waiting to once again fill my empty tank.  A few more miles, a few more photos, a few more words.

::Al's Musical Favs::  Vesperia Part Three by Richard Bone

GROANER'S CORNER:(( On a rural road a state trooper pulled this farmer over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?" To which the farmer replied: "Thank God, I thought I had gone deaf!"
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UNCONSCIOUS TIME TRAVELING IN MY RECLINER

'COME ON DAD RUB MY TUMMY SOME MORE'

An encouraging thought occurred to me today that in less than a month we will already be into the beginning of March.  I know it's grasping at straws but it's what many of us have to do in this cold winter weather up here at this time of year.  I remember our last half dozen traveling years it would be about this time of year when I first became aware of an inkling regarding March travel plans for home.  The first five years or so of our southwest travels I didn't want to come home at all.  Oh my how things gradually changed over the years and it wasn't the great southwest that lost it's winter appeal, it was my positive reaction to the appeal of being home again for the summer.

MOON SHOT??  NOPE, SUN SHOT THIS MORNING

A cloudy start to our day but with temps at 25F and no wind it was marginally acceptable.  Noticed right away soon as I stepped out the door morning's air was noticeable colder around my head.  Could have had something to do with the long overdue haircut Kelly gave me this morning.  I actually even look slightly hospitable now.  

BAYFIELD'S SHORELINE ICE AND SNOW ARE GONE WITH FISHERMEN BACK ON THE PIER AGAIN

BAYFIELD RIVER ICE HAS ALSO MELTED

WORK IS STILL GOING STRONG ON BAYFIELD'S HIGHWAY 21 BRIDGE

Short Jeep ride again then right home to spend the rest of my day in our sunroom reading. It was about high noon when our cloud cover began to break up filling our sunroom with warming rays of sunshine and it was those very warming rays later that put me to sleep in my recliner for a couple hours.  I'm getting to like those lite afternoon siestas and all the exciting adventuress memories my mind sometimes retains from them.  Some pretty wild stuff at times as it seems I am always traveling somewhere looking for something or someone.  Already I can hardly wait to climb aboard my time traveling recliner tomorrow and see what exciting and bizarre adventures may befall me. 

IT IS HERE I TOOK THIS MORNINGS IMPROMPTU SUN SHOTS

In my Wednesday post I included an incorrect link for my photo album of the old Charleston Ghost Town.  Here is the correct link and it starts out with our boondocking site between Sierra Vista and Tombstone Arizona.  The far off city you see is Sierra Vista with the Huachuca Mountains in the background.  You will also notice we are encamped also with a bunch of cattle.  Next you will see the old ruins of Millville, another Ghost Town in the area.  In a 40 mile radius along with Tombstone are the Ghost Towns of Fairbank, Gleeson, Pearce, and Courtland.  After you see Kelly wading across the San Pedro River you will see the ruins of Charleston.  Upon leaving Charleston this day we drove the short distance to Tombstone and my photos there wrap up the album.  The Old Charleston Arizona Ghost Town Ruins. (Remember to click on a picture to enlarge it then follow the left or right white arrows and look for captions at pictures bottom left....if no caption roll your mouse around under the white arrow)
Thanks to Barb from Florida in letting me know about the incorrect link.  And I've noticed a few readers over the past few days have not been automatically receiving my posts.  I have no idea what the problem could be.  I have not made any changes at this end.

A FEW SPLASHES OF ORANGE ON THE GROUND WITH A STREAK OF BLUE OVERHEAD

::An Archive Post::  Finding Charleston the previous day and hanging out for a bit in Tombstone January 30th, 2009 turned out to be a relaxing day for me sitting around a campfire Listening To Roy Rogers And The Son's Of The Pioneers

::Al's Musical Favs:: Songbirds At Sunrise by Dan Gibson and John Herberman.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A businessman boarded a plane to find, sitting next to him, an elegant woman wearing the largest, most stunning diamond ring he had ever seen. He asked her about it.  "This is the Bexfield diamond," she said. "It is beautiful, but there is a terrible curse that goes with it."  "What's the curse?" the man asked.  "Mr. Bexfield."
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Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft...Today, it's called golf.
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A FEW WORDS-A FEW PHOTOS-AND WE TAKE PHEEBS TO THE VET

I am finding myself short on words again so I will leave you with a few photos from a short winter's morning walk with Pheebs.

FOUND US A NICE LITTLE SPOT SO PULLED OVER FOR A MORNING WALK

FACING INTO A COLD WEST WIND I WAS ENCOURAGED BY A PATCH OF BLUE SKY...AND DID YOU SEE THE LITTLE DOGGY FACE

DARK CLOUD PATCHES ON THE HORIZON

I WAS SUDDENLY STRUCK FROM BEHIND BY A GLORIOUS SUNSPLASH....AND BY GOLLY OUT POPPED THE SHADOW COWBOY

EVEN PHEEBS SAW HER SHADOW

SNOW GLISTENED IN THE SUN

A HAPPY LITTLE PHEEBS WENT RACING OFF ACROSS THE SNOW

Pheebs had an appointment with the Vet this afternoon and had her ears cleaned and medicated for a yeast infection.  At the Vets suggestion we are now starting her on a completely new dog food.  Good people there at the South Huron Veterinary Clinic. 

PHEEB'S WEIGH-IN

::An Archive Post::  It was 11 years ago today January 28th 2009 we were boondocked a few miles east of the San Pedro river just south of Charleston Road between Sierra Vista and Tombstone, Arizona.  We had stopped here for a couple nights on our way to a ranch sitting job near McNeal Az.  Had heard of an old hard to find Ghost Town nearby and we were determined to find it.  We had searched for it the previous day but didn't locate it.  However this day was to be different and you can read about it here at......Today We Found The Ruins Of Charleston Arizona.  My photos for the day are here at..... The Old Charleston Ghost Town.

KELLY CROSSES ARIZONA'S SAN PEDRO RIVER 

::Al's Musical Favs:: Sunflowers by Kevin Kendle.

THIS MORNINGS BRIEF SUNSHINE TURNED PUDDLES OF ICE TO GOLD

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A very thirsty man goes into a bar.  As he waits to get the bartender's attention, a regular sitting next to him calls out, "I'll have another waterloo."  The bartender gives the regular a tall ice cold drink and asks the newcomer what he would like. The thirsty man points to the man next to him and says, "I guess I'll have what he's having, a waterloo."  So the bartender brings the newcomer a tall ice cold drink. The man takes a long deep drink and calls out, "HEY! This isn't any good. It tastes just like water!"  The regular bar patron sitting next to him says, "It is water. That's all I drink," He turns to the bartender and says, "Right Lou?" 
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How do you get the farmer’s daughter to fall in love with you? A tractor.
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