ANOTHER MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR FOR PHEEBS & I

Figured I was going to be in for a 'stuck in the house' day when we woke up to overcast skies & light rain. Had ourselves a damp walk around the trail & I resigned myself to my recliner. Flipped on the TV, found an old boring black & white movie & dozed off. Wasn't long & my eyelids brightened up. I sneaked a peak & OMG the sun was splashing through the pine trees. It was 9:30. Grabbed my cameras, loaded up the little Rumble Buns, & off we went on another Magical Mystery Tour.

 
I WAS SEEING A LOT RED TODAY

Didn't bother with any 'eats' this morning & just headed straight North up along the shoreline of Lake Huron before turning East into a maze of rural crossroads. Managed to find ourselves some new scenery & spent another enjoyable 4 hours today criss-crossing the landscape soaking up the beautiful day going on around us. Worked our way back through Mennonite/Amish country, a quick stop at Lake Wawanosh, & we were home about 1:30. Kelly had another relaxing day reading. Meandering around country roads is not exactly her favorite thing. Besides, what a nice break for her to have me out of the house for 3 or 4 hours.  Wonder how many other husbands are so considerate:))

LAKE WAWANOSH

  
SOMETIMES WE JUST SIMPLY REACH THE END OF A ROAD & HAVE TO BACK UP

A FOREST TRAIL PIT STOP

I'm a little short on thought again tonight but can tell you I am in my 7th day of no hip pain. Nothing, not even a tweak. I was in & out of the Jeep about a dozen times today & my leg was fine. I am leaning more & more towards the theory of the pain having more to do with my back than my hip. It is a perplexing problem deciding what to do now.  I was so convinced it was my hip.  If the pain returns I will be forced to call my Nurse Practitioner again to discuss my next step. But if the pain doesn't return this time maybe the problem has corrected itself.  Dare I think I could be so lucky.  Pinched nerve, slipped disc, a vertebrae shift, just don’t know.  I have had crippling back pain in the past that did correct itself. We'll see.......................

 

WINDY CONDITIONS MADE IT A GREAT DAY FOR DOING LAUNDRY IN RURAL SOUTHWEST ONTARIO

Weather’s looking good here for Friday so maybe I’ll get the Winnie Wagon out for a run in the morning.  With the gas gauge on the 1/4 mark the on board generator won’t start so figure Pheebs & I will slip up to Goderich for a wee bit of fuel.  It’s good to fire up those generators a couple times a month.  Most if not all RV generators are designed not to start if the fuel level reaches a quarter tank.  It’s a built in safeguard to prevent a driver from accidentally using up all the fuel in the gas tank & ending up stranded with a vehicle that won’t start.

 

LOOKED AT MY WATCH & YEP, IT WAS LUNCH TIME ALRIGHT

Have you ever wondered if the people who actually design & build RV’s ever drive or live in them.  I bet there is not one RV’er out here who couldn’t point to something in their rig & say, why the hell did they or didn’t they do that!!  What were they thinking!!  That dinette thingy in our Sunseeker was a fine example of that.  On our Winnie Wagon we have little clasps that hold bin doors open.  Good idea & no problem, except……they are made of cheap chrome & are already pitted.  Our Sunseeker had the same clasps but were made of painted metal therefore no pitting.  Painted metal is the right way to go, so what Wisenheimer at Winnebago put the stamp of approval on cheap chromey looking clasps.  Wouldn’t ya just like to sit in on those round table designer meetings when they are drawing up floor plans for new rigs etc.  Wouldn’t ya just like to be there to point your finger & say, why are you doing that??  Have you thought about this??  Let’s consider a better design or placement of that!!  You want to put the TV where?????  Do you think people’s heads swivel a full 380 degrees!!  Do some of you people think at all when your designing this stuff!!  And you get paid how much to do this??  What!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THESE ARE ALL WORKING WINDMILLS ON THESE MENNONITE FARMS

 

I LIKE THESE LITTLE MENNONITE SCHOOL HOUSES ALONG THE WAY

Until we get some of this medical stuff under control it looks like our short 3-4 RV trips are probably not going to happen this summer.  Even if Kelly gets a clean bill of health in a couple weeks it’s not going to matter if she is still not feeling up to par.  No fun going anywhere when one is not feeling well.  It is times like these that we are glad we have the full facilities, privacy, quiet, & spaciousness of our house.  And we are close to familiar medical facilities & trusted medical help if needed.  Yes, part of me would love to be out there on the road full timing for sure but there is another part of me that is very thank-full we have the security & peace of mind of not only a home base here in Ontario but in Arizona as well.  And speaking of Arizona, we have both agreed we would like to do more traveling this coming winter.  About 98% of our time this past winter was spent at our house doing a lot of work.  We both totally enjoyed that & it was a nice break in our travels for a year.  One of the main reasons we put so much time & effort into it was because we physically could.  Now with a few health problems I’m glad we did make the effort to get as much done as we did.  Our original idea was to use the house as a home base for shorter travels around the South-West & that is still our plan…………………………

AGAIN, THE MAJORITY OF TODAY’S PHOTOS WERE TAKEN FROM THE DRIVER’S SEAT WHILE ROLLING THROUGH THE COUNTRYSIDE

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Points to Ponder

- I went to a bookstore and asked the sales woman,"Where's the self-help section?" She said if she told me, it would defeat the purpose.

- What if there were no hypothetical questions?

- If a deaf person swears, does his Mother wash his hands with soap?

- If someone with multiple personalities threatens to kill himself, is it considered a hostage situation?

- What do you do when you see an endangered animal eating an endangered plant?

- Would a fly without wings be called a walk?

- Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?

- If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?

- Can vegetarians eat animal crackers?

- If the police arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

PHEEBS FIRST TRIP TO THE GROOMERS

 

THIS LITTLE RED SQUIRREL WAS MAKING FACES AT PHEEBS THROUGH THE SUNROOM WINDOWS TODAY

Anyone with a steel roof on their house knows when it rains. Those hard driving rain drops sure set up quite a clatter overhead. And so it was in the night as a band of storms rolled through. All clear this morning with bright sunny skies but tonight as I post this we have quite a watery clatter on our rooftop again.

 

HE WAS ALSO CURIOUS ABOUT ONE OF OUR BIRD FEEDERS BUT HE ENDED UP FALLING OFF IT

Had Pheebs at the Groomers this morning at 8:30. First time since we've had her that we have turned her over to somebody else. Needless to say we thought she might be a little distraught, not to mention ourselves. She was in good hands of course & at the same place we had her for doggy training a year or so ago. Kelly at ON GOLDEN PAWS said Pheebs did just fine for an Angel not liking water.  ‘On Golden Paws’ is located in Varna Ontario & only about an 8 minute drive from our place.  We are lucky to have such a nice facility so close & I really like the way this Neat-O store is laid out.  Set in an old building the store has a warm artsy, crafty, feel to it & I especially like the original wood floors.  Everything here for your pet you could imagine & I like how the natural light flowing through the large windows highlights all the packaging colors. 

 

 

Picked Pheebs up at 10 & she sure was looking & smelling sweet alright. She was missing us & we was missing her too.  Photo at right shows Pheebe thanking ‘On Golden Paws’ owner Kelly for getting her all spiffed up.  First thing she did when she got home was have herself a good roll in our gravely driveway.  Second thing she did was lose her new bandana somewhere in the shrubbery.  Do you know that since bringing Pheebs home in early August of 2011 we have never ever heard her growl.  Never, not even once.  She is just 24/7 happy bubbly.  Only bad habit she has is jumping up on people wanting to give them a smooch.  We have never been able to break her of that jumping up habit.  She just gets so excited whenever she meets someone.   I kinda wish I was a little more outgoing like that but then again all that happy would just put a big dent in my grumpy……………………….

FOR BEING SUCH A GOOD GIRL AGAIN TODAY SHE GETS AN EXTRA TUMMY RUB

Spent part of the day getting myself caught up with a bunch of yard work. Hip was feeling fine again today so figured I had better take advantage of that & get things done while the gettin was good. June is the nicest time for foliage at it's best in these parts. Spring has fully bloomed & the heat of summer has not yet stressed the greenery. June is a lush fast growing month so one has to keep up with the shrubs & tree trimming, fast growing grass, & the explosion of weeds in the flower beds. A good month to stay busy outside & for me staying busy is a good thing both mentally & physically.  I don’t do ‘sitting around’ very well.

 

Well here we are almost half way through June already & I am bolstered by the fact our upcoming winter travel plans to the South-West will not be in jeopardy because of hip surgery or a lengthy rehabilitation program.  I was worrying more about that than anything else.  We just have to get to the bottom of Kelly’s problem now & hopefully the specialist in Stratford will have some answers for us when we meet with him on June 24th.  He will have all the results from Kelly’s tests in by then.  In the meantime Kelly continues to improve a bit with each day.  She has only been working a few hours on the week-ends & I feel that has been a big help.  She sure is getting a lot of relaxing reading done.  Reading is one of her favorite things.

GROANER’S CORNER:((

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

TODAY BABY ELLA GAIL MET GRAMMA KELLY GAIL:))

  
FIRST TIME KELLY GETS TO MEET HER NEWEST GRANDDAUGHTER
Had us a cool drizzly fog shrouded morning as Kelly & I rolled out the driveway about 8:30 heading for Waterloo Ontario.  It was time for Gramma Kelly Gail to meet new baby Ella Gail.  Smatterings of rain led our way through the countryside as we traveled the back roads to one of the largest cities in our area.  Kitchener-Waterloo.  It was the same route we followed to the same area of the city 3 years ago when we bought our Jeep.  How well I remember that sunny morning towards the end of June bringing our Jeep home.  That was a happy day:))
 
ELLA GAIL’S PROUD MOM & DAD RICARDO & REBECCA

NOT YET A WEEK OLD
Ella Gail hasn’t been in Waterloo too long.  In fact she just arrived into this world last week & already she is nearly 21 inches long.  Ella Gail is Kelly’s (aka Gail) newest Granddaughter & she has a head of dark hair to make a barber smile.  She’s just a wee itty bitty pretty little thing & she arrived on the very day she was predicted to do so.  A flawless home birth so she hasn’t even been outside yet.  Had ourselves a nice 3 hour visit.  I was asked if I would like to hold the baby but holding a baby kind of scares the ba-jeebers out of me & I’m not sure if I have ever held a baby.  If I have I was probably two nervous to remember.  Now holding a little itty bitty puppy dog  is something I would be totally comfortable with.          

THIS IS THE CLOSEST I HAVE EVER BEEN TO A DIAPER CHANGE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE…..YIKES
It was nice to get out & travel a few different roads today.  Figured it was about a 140 mile round trip.  Weather was much nicer coming home but as so often happens at this time of year along Ontario’s west coast we ran into a fog bank about 3 miles from home.  Cold lake air mixes with the sun warmed darker earth & forms a mist for a few miles inland.  We are always a few degrees cooler here by Lake Huron.

SABRA, ONE OF KELLY’S OTHER THREE DAUGHTERS DROPS IN FOR A VISIT…AND SHE BROUGHT DONUTS & HOME MADE COOKIES:))
 

Kelly didn’t have a lot of luck trimming Pheebs nails a few days ago so the Lil Darlin is off to the Spa bright & early Wednesday morning for a nail trim, bath, & general spiffing up.  Pheebs, like a cat does not like water so we haven’t told her where she’s going in the morning.  That would not be nice.
 

Thanks to readers & friends for all the suggestions about my problem hip.  Definitely things to be considered & thought about.  I do recall my Nurse Practitioner touching on a few of the same things mentioned.  I did have a lot of trouble with my lower back years ago in my working days.  It has been good now for about 5 years but it’s possible there is a connection with my hip area somewhere.  My X-rays are still in the review stage at St. Joseph’s hospital in London & I expect when I hear from them it will probably be the same conclusion the Stratford fellow came to.  I will probably have to make another appointment with my NP & see where we go from here.  At the moment I am pain free for the 4th straight day in a row.  Bad days sure make one appreciate the good days.

 
THIS LITTLE LADY ALREADY HAS MORE HAIR THAN HER DAD DOES
Our new Finch bird feeder was on the ground again this afternoon so I had myself a big bluster going about those #%**!!!:+ Squirrels again.  If I had a gun I was a goin to shoot em, if I had a Harpoon I was a gonna poon em, if I had a bow & arrow I was a gonna pick them off at 40 yards!!!!  I was a gonna smash em, I was gonna mash em, & I was a gonna stomp em into the ground.  Was even gonna get myself a 105mm Howitzer cannon & blow em all to Kingdomcome.  Only thing I didn’t have was a leg long enough to kick myself in the ass when I realized one of my fishing line knots holding the bird feeder up had come undone…………..Case closed!!

ONE PROUD POPPA
GROANER’S CORNER:((  One day a blonde was driving on the highway and got pulled over by a cop. The cop said "Why do you keep swerving?" The blonde replied "I turn one way and there's a tree, I turn again there's a tree, and then there's a whole bunch more trees popping out of nowhere." The cop replied "You Dummy that's your air freshener."
- A brunette was sick and tired of people making fun of her for being a brunette, so she decided to hang herself.  A couple minutes later two men walk by and see her hanging by her wrists.  "What are you doing." they ask her.  So she replies "Hanging myself."  The men are confused and said "If you are hanging yourself, you put the rope around your neck."  The blond says "Duh....I tried that, I couldn't breath."
- A young woman said to her doctor, "You have to help me, I hurt all over."  "What do you mean?" said the doctor.  The woman touched her right knee with her index finger and yelled, "Ow, that hurts." Then she touched her left cheek and again yelled, "Ouch! That hurts, too." Then she touched her right earlobe. "Ow, even THAT hurts."  The doctor asked the woman, "Are you a natural red head?"  "Why yes," she said.  "I thought so," said the doctor... "You have a sprained finger."
- A blonde a brunette and a red haired women are all stranded on a desert island.  They find a lamp and rub it. A genie pops out and offers them all one wish.   The brunette says "I miss my family so I want to go home", then she is zapped home.  The red haired women says "I miss my family so I want to go home too" so she is zapped home.  Finally the blonde says "I am so lonely……………….I wish my friends back"

CAME HOME WITH MIXED FEELINGS TODAY

STAIRWAY TO THE BAYFIELD BEACH             (BEACH IS ALSO ACCESSIBLE BY CAR)

Came home with mixed feelings after seeing the Orthopedic Surgeon about my hip problem this afternoon….if it even is a hip problem now.  He said my hip showed signs of moderate Arthritis but there was still enough fluid in the joint to keep the ‘bone on bone’ situation from occurring.  Apparently it is when bone begins to rub on bone that most hip replacements are done.  So on one hand I am glad I do not need hip surgery but discouraged there is no immediate solution to the pains & soreness in my hip area.  Have to be thankful for one thing though.  The pain & soreness are not constant.  On days that it is I have found that if I stop moving & sit down, the pain stops & if I sit long enough it eventually subsides.  He also suggested the pain may be caused by something other than my hip.  So that kind of puts me back to where I was last winter in not knowing the pain source.  I was actually glad last month when my hip X-ray showed ‘moderate to severe’ damage (those were words told to us, not my words) because I felt that finally pinpointed the pain & soreness I have had since late last summer & at last something could be done to correct the problem.  Guess that is not going to happen now but he did give me a requisition for another hip X-ray in about 4 months to see if there has been any change.  In a nutshell, I am no further ahead than I was last winter.   My cane will remain my close companion when needed, as well as extra strength Tylenol.  And I have resumed my daily Arthrotec arthritis pill plus added a second pill at supper time. 

And that’s about enough complaining out of me for today…………………………………………

SUNSET ON THE BAYFIELD PIER

GROANER’S CORNER:(( ‘Signs You Drink Too Much Coffee’       

- You answer the door before people knock.
- Juan Valdez named his donkey after you.
- You ski uphill.
- You grind your coffee beans in your mouth.
- You haven't blinked since the last lunar eclipse.
- You lick your coffeepot clean.
- You're the employee of the month at the local coffeehouse and you don't even work there.
- Your eyes stay open when you sneeze.
- You chew on other people's fingernails.
- Your T-shirt says, "Decaffeinated coffee is the devil's blend."
- You can type sixty words per minute ... with your feet.
- You can jump-start your car without cables.
- Cocaine is a downer.
- You don't need a hammer to pound nails.
- Your only source of nutrition comes from "Sweet & Low."
- You don't sweat, you percolate.
- You buy 1/2 & 1/2 by the barrel.
- You've worn out the handle on your favorite mug.
- You go to AA meetings just for the free coffee.
- You walk twenty miles on your treadmill before you realize it's not plugged in.
- You forget to unwrap candy bars before eating them.
- Charles Manson thinks you need to calm down.
- You've built a miniature city out of little plastic stirrers.
- People get dizzy just watching you.
- You've worn the finish off your coffee table.
- The Taster's Choice couple wants to adopt you.
- Starbucks owns the mortgage on your house.
- Your taste buds are so numb you could drink your lava lamp.
- Instant coffee takes too long.
- When someone says. "How are you?", you say, "Good to the last drop."
- You want to be cremated just so you can spend the rest of eternity in a coffee can.
- Your birthday is a national holiday in Brazil.
- You're offended when people use the word "brew" to mean beer.
- You have a picture of your coffee mug on your coffee mug.
- You can thread a sewing machine, while it's running.
- You can outlast the Energizer bunny.
- You short out motion detectors.
- You don't even wait for the water to boil anymore.
- Your nervous twitch registers on the Richter scale.
- You think being called a "drip" is a compliment.
- You don't tan, you roast.
- You can't even remember your second cup.
- You help your dog chase its tail.

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

A SHORT BIKE RIDE & THAT WAS ABOUT IT……………

IT WAS A YEAR AGO THIS WEEK i WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN TRYING TO SAVE THIS BABY GREAT HORNED OWL

Our annual pine pollen peril is upon us & everything is covered in a fine talcum like yellow powder.  Could actually see mini clouds of pollen moving slowly with the air through the Pine trees today.  Nothing escapes this stuff & it gets in everywhere.  I think some even got in my peanut butter jar!!

PHEEBS LIKES HER AFTERNOON SIESTAS

A rascally Squirrel pulled down our new Oriole & Finch feeders this morning.  Found them both on the ground when we came back from our walk.  First Squirrel problem we’ve had for quite awhile.  I did get some photos of him a couple days ago scouting out the feeders.

 

Temperatures came up enough today to haul the bike out for a run.  It’s a good way to blow the pine pollen off.  Swung south through the little town of Zurich & stopped for my traditional turkey salad sandwich at Raiders.  This is the place that has free coffee & pie on Saturday mornings.  I’m careful not to go there on a Saturday morning.

I WAS THE ONLY ONE HERE…LOVE WHEN THAT HAPPENS 

A CLOSE ENCOUNTER FOR PHEEBS & I SATURDAY

Kelly put in a few hours at Deer Park & that went Okay for her.  She’s careful not to do anything physical.  I have an appointment with an Orthopedic Surgeon early Monday afternoon regarding my hip.  We’ll see what happens……………………………….

GROANER’S CORNER:((    One day these three rats were standing outside of a food store and one of the rats got an idea.  He said "OK this is what we're gonna do, we'll run inside, get as much cheese as we can and we'll meet back here."  So they do it and when they get back the first rat asks the second rat "what kind of cheese did you get?" and he says "American" which makes the rats very pleased as it's one of their favorites.  Then the second rat asks the first rat "what kind of cheese did you get?" and he replies "Cheddar", which again pleases the rats.  So then the first two rats ask the third rat "what kind of cheese did you get?" to which he replies "Nacho Cheese"  "Nacho Cheese" said the other two rats. "There's no such thing as Nacho Cheese".  And the third rat says "Well, as I was running out of the store I head the shopkeeper shouting, Hey, that's not-cho cheese"

-------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.