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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