WELL NOT YET ANYWAY BUT I’M WORKING ON IT

BESIDES THE 2 HORSES THERE IS ALSO A CAT & A DOG IN THIS PHOTO

Each morning after our morning walk I am followed by a doggy shadow.  When I stop it bumps into me & when I open a door it goes through it faster than I do.  If I sit down in my recliner it's on my lap looking at me & if I sit in our computer chair I have a paw on my leg with two big eyes staring at me.  I'm talking about the Pheebs of course.  She's such a little smarty pants & I'm afraid I have spoiled her real good.  She's waiting for me to say 2 words of course & as soon as she hears 'let's go' she just gets herself all bonkers until we are outside & into the Jeep.  And so it was again this morning as we headed out to have us a look at a piece of property for sale.

 
Although we have pretty much resigned ourselves to the fact we will probably not be moving any time soon from the place it is we are now very well at I still like to have a look at places for sale in our area.  Kelly had come across an on-line half acre property with a sizeable metal building on it north of Dungannon Ontario so for me & the Pheebster that was our destination this morning. 

We of course took a long scenic route in heading up that way.  It was 52F when we got up this morning so we had the Jeep's heater on with the windows down again.  Big fluffy white clouds in the sky.  Just another great morning to be out & about in the countryside.

Finally made our way to the property & of course it was a big bust.  Close to a noisy highway, another house right beside it, another one across the road etc. etc.  But one never knows unless one looks & I don't think we will ever close the door on the chance of stumbling across another great & affordable deal somewhere nearby some day.  Kelly & I both like our little abode here but we just wish it was on a piece of property we ourselves owned at a location we ourselves preferred to be.

Seeing how we were in the neighborhood of the areas recent flourish of mushrooming wind turbines we headed down a few gravel roads to see how the progressive construction was coming along.  Things are booming to say the least.  I think if they get all these turbines spinning at once it’s going to create enough wind power to lift Huron county right off the ground.  We could be airborne at any time & headed out across the lake.

  

Stopped at the animal farm again so Pheebs could get out & see some of her Pals.  She always manages to garner herself lots of attention as she races along the fence line.  She was nose to nose with an Ostrich but I missed the shot.   

ALL EYES ARE ON THE PHEEBS

  
We were home again shortly after noon & I noticed the temperature on our outside thermometer was 64F.  Makes for nice bug free forest walks & that is always much appreciated by this guy.

Sure is depressing watching or reading worldly news every day & I wonder why it is I am drawn to it.  A habit developed over the years I suppose, a curiosity, a feeling of wanting to be informed.  My news source is television.  I haven't read newspapers for years & reading or watching news on my computer holds no interest for me.  It's just too comfortable for me to flip back in my recliner & habitually snap on the news channels.  Too many times I come away angry at what I see going on the world.  It leaves me at times with a hopeless feeling about the future of the human race.  I suppose the easy solution is to not watch the news but Is ignorance truly bliss because if it is I have certainly not found it to be so.  Well not yet anyway but I’m working on it…………

ARCHIVE MEMORY::  From June 2009 & I call this one the OOOOOPS factor.  Last summer a pine tree jumped out from behind another pine tree & OOOOOPSED off an open rear bin door. Two summer's ago while moving the rig forward our carport must have swung on it's cement post foundation & OOOOOPSED an open screen door into a twisted pretzel. Pulling out of a campsite in Silver City New Mexico one time I nearly OOOOOPSED a whole electric post right out of the ground with the driver's side of the motorhome. I have also pulled out & OOOOOPSED a couple of electrical cables. OOOOOPSED a rear hydraulic jack in 2008 near Alamogordo New Mexico when I dropped the rig down too hard on an over extended jack. OOOOOPSED both sides of the rig with some nice desert pin striping while motoring through Cholla shrubs in the desert looking for boondocking sites near Why Arizona. Two years ago we OOOOOPSED both dual wheels on the passenger side into a ditch in Lindsay Ontario while trying to make a tight right hand turn into a darkened parking lot late one night. OOOOOPSED our satellite dish in Quartzite Arizona by not anchoring it down properly & having a big north wind slam dunk it into the desert floor.  Did that same OOOOOPS again near Bouse Arizona back in 2012.  Had a couple black tank OOOOOP'S as well.  I'm sure if I were to think about it for a bit more I could probably come up with another handful of OOOOOP's & many more near miss OOOOOP's but it's not something I like to spend a lot of thinking time on……………..if you know what I mean!! 
  

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A guy says to the bartender, "A glass of your finest Less, please."
"Less? Never heard of it."
"C'mon, sure you have."
"No, really, we don't stock it. What is it? Some kind of foreign beer?"
"I'm not sure. It was my doctor who mentioned it. He said I should drink Less."

OH HOW I MISS MY SUMMER NIGHT SKY

What a pleasant relief this morning to step outside into refreshingly cooler air.  I could immediately feel my batteries re-charging.  And cool enough to walk bug free as well. Bonus weather:))

SCHMOOZING ON THE COUCH TODAY

 

Pheebs & I actually had a destination this morning.  The Optical department in Zehrs Supermarket had a deal on for a second pair of glasses free.  Thought I'd take my recent eye test results in & get a quote on new glasses & frames.  No doubt it's a good deal but alas still too expensive for this guy.  Guess I was just in one of my penny pinching moods so figured I'd just put it off for awhile.  Maybe next summer.  It's not like my current glasses are totally wrecked or anything.  Picked up some of my favorite peanut butter while in the Supermarket & had me some bacon & eggs across the road & just up the street at A&W.  A Tim Hortons coffee & we were on our way.  Did you know Tim Hortons was once owned by Wendys as well.  Yep. it’s true. 

 

Pheebs & I decided to take the long way home so loped along just enjoying the scenery on our way back to Bayfield.  Feeling energized upon on our return I hauled out the garden hose & washed the bottom third of the Motorhome.  That included wheels.  Cleaned some windows & removed some more annoying black streaks on the rig.  Tried out some McGuire's wax for the first time on the coach & was pleased with the results.  And that was about it for my day.  Just so nice feeling Autumn’s early touch.

   

Today being the 27th it dawned on me while driving along this morning that it is exactly one month from today we will have the big wheels rolling for the South-West again.  As I type this tonight I project my thoughts ahead a month & imagine we may very well be in a Cracker Barrel or Walmart parking lot at this time 31 nights from now.  I like that projection:))

 

I really have to keep an eye on the sky each night now while putting my daily post together.  With days becoming rapidly shorter I have to be sure to get Pheebs out for a walk before it is too dark.  She doesn’t like the dark much & is even a little hesitant about twilight.  I am so looking forward to seeing the night sky again when we get ourselves back on down to the South-West.  To find myself a good view of the night sky here in summer I have to Jeep myself out of the Pine forest somewhere to a point where I have open skies.  Maybe I’m lazy but I have not had one unobstructed view of the starry night sky since the night before we left Arizona early last April.  I missed all the summer constellations again this year.  It is one of the reasons I had hoped we could someday have our own little place in the countryside where I would once again lay tipped back in my gravity chair on warm summer nights with my star chart Astronomy book open, binoculars & telescope beside me. Oh to wander through the wondrous Star fields again like I used to do at the old farmhouse years ago.  To meander with eyes wide agaze through heavenly constellations searching for our nearest Galaxy, Andromeda.  To see Antares the Scorpion's heart, Aquila the Eagle & Sagittarius the big tipped Teapot in summer’s southern sky.   And when was the last time I watched the Big Dipper’s slow & steady trek across the northern summer hemisphere.  Yes, when was that last time anyway…………………

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A very devout man who was very over weight decided to go on a diet. One of his main problems with eating was that he would stop for donuts every morning on the way to work. So to make things easier for himself, he changed his route to work to avoid the temptation of stopping. As the weeks went by he started losing a lot of weight and was receiving compliments from his friends and co-workers.  Then one morning without thinking, he accidently turned onto the road which would take him by the donut shop. At first he was going to turn around but then he thought to himself, "maybe the Lord is rewarding me for my efforts". So, he said a short prayer telling the Lord that if this was His true intention let there be an open parking place directly in front of the shop.  And sure enough, on the fifth time around the block there was an open spot right up front.

SAD DAYS AT THE RVSUE AND CANINE CREW CAMP

I JUST LOVE RIDING IN THE JEEP  DAD

Been sitting here so long scratching my head for something to write about that I have wood splinters under my fingernails now.  Aside from a spin on my Motorcycle this morning it's been a rather run of the mill day.  Kelly spent some time at Deer Park Lodge again & we picked up the Jeep at the Bayfield Garage this afternoon.  Jeep's shocks & brakes were good, air filter only needed blowing out & not replacing.  All fluid levels checked, oil changed & tires rotated.  She's a good to go:))

FOREST FLOOR

We did receive an email today from the folks keeping any eye on our house in Congress Arizona & they said with all the recent rains the desert is looking about as green as they have ever seen it.  Oh how I would love to see the Sonoran desert in it’s finest greenery.  They also said our house is doing fine with no leaks.  Needless to say that is a big relief for us.

ANOTHER COUPLE MONTHS & THIS IS WHERE WE’LL BE:))

 

KELLY IN HER PYJAMAS WATCHES ANOTHER MORNING SUN RISE OVER THE WEAVER MOUNTAINS FROM OUR FRONT PORCH

 

OH BOY, WONDER HOW I’M GONNA GET OUR 36’ CLASS A IN WHERE OUR 26’ CLASS C USED TO SIT

WHEN I LOOK AT THESE PHOTOS FROM JUST 8 MONTHS AGO I SEE THINGS I HAD ALREADY FORGOTTEN ABOUT

AND WE’LL SOON BE TAKING OUR MORNING WALKS RIGHT HERE IN THIS SCENIC DESERT JUST A BLOCK BEHIND OUR HOUSE

I talked to Aunt Jean in Sarasota Florida one night last week & she is still holding her own.  Still managing her morning walks & 18 hole Tuesdays on the golf course.  Said the humidity was so bad last Tuesday that by the 4th hole in the morning they were all soaking wet from sweating in the heat.  She has lived in Florida since the early 60's so I think it is something she has acclimatized to.  She sure handles humidity better than I do.

Not sure what is going on with my blog's side bar.  Readers have been saying things disappear & then reappear.  When I checked this morning my 'Fellow Bloggers' gadget was missing.  This afternoon it was back but soon gone again so I don't know what kind of shenanigans are going on there.  When I click on my tools icon I get a pop-up from Blogger saying, "Whoops that's an error.  We apologize for the inconvenience."  I don't know if other Bloggers are having similar problems with their blogs.

Pheebs & I spent most of the day in the house just staying cool in the A/C.  I went out a couple times, whacked some weeds & hastily retreated back into the house.  And I did take the Motorcycle for a run just to feel that that great blast of cooling warm air in my face.  Just gotta love that:))

 

I was saddened this morning to read of Spike's passing at RVSUE AND HER CANINE CREW.  We first met Sue & her two terriers Bridget & Spike at Darby Well road back on December 9th 2011.  The last time we saw Spike was in Arizona's Kofa Mountains when we hiked a trail near Palm Canyon on December 28th 2013.  Sad days at RV Sue's as Sue & Bridget begin their plans for continued travels without their best Pal & beloved fellow team member Spike.  Our thoughts are with Sue & Bridget as we remember hiking that Kofa Mountain trail with the intrepid little Spike. 

THE FIRST DAY WE MET SPIKE, RVSUE & BRIDGET BACK IN DECEMBER 2011

 

HIKING NEAR PALM CANYON IN DECEMBER 2013

  

RVSUE, BRIDGET, SPIKE, PHEEBE & HIKE LEADER ANN

MASTER OF EXPLORATORY HIKES & DREAMS…………..THE CANINE CREWS BRAVE & FEARLESS LOVER OF WATER…… SPIKE

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The doctors may have won the annual softball game between themselves and their lawyer opponents, but they lost the public relations war. Here's how the lawyers reported the game: "The lawyers powered their way to a second place finish, while the doctors managed to finish next to last."

AND YET ANOTHER FINE JEEP RIDE THIS MORNING……BUT TUESDAY I’M GROUNDED:((

‘Oh Dear’, 3 morning Jeep rides in 3 days.  This is getting to be too much of an enjoyable habit for Pheebs & I.  Despite my tightly crossed fingers the past few weeks our miserable humidity is back.  Between that & the humidity loving mosquitoes we never even made it half way around our morning trail.  By the time we got back my shirt was already sticking to me.  Kelly had errands to do in Goderich so off she went in her nice cool air conditioned Sunfire.  For me it was either sit in my recliner between the fans, fire up our central air or crank the windows down in the Jeep & take Pheebs for a cooling drive in the countryside.  Again it was a no brainer so off we went.

YEP, JUST HANGIN OUT WITH DAD TODAY:))
Our wanderings this morning took us the long way on down to the lakeside town of Grand Bend.  As long as we kept the morning breezes flowing through our open windows we were fine.  Grabbed a coffee to go at Tim Hortons & shared us a carrot muffin.  Not the best for a little doggy so that is why I am always forced to eat 98% of it.   I guess you could at least call 2% sharing eh:))  And speaking of Tim Hortons I did see the Burger King proposal on the morning news.  Looks like there is already some political opposition brewing about that.  Gee, I hope our two great countries don’t go to war over this………

  
DRIVING ALONG GRAND BEND’S SOUTH SIDE HARBOR
We made one pit stop on our return to Bayfield when I saw a narrow farm lane leading into a bush lot.  Had a 'For Sale' sign posted so thought we would walk in the lane & have us a look.   Within minutes an unrelenting swarm of Mosquitoes had us making fast tracks back to the Jeep & that was the quick end to that.  Made our way up through wind turbine alley south of Bayfield & we were back home in less than 2 hours.  Too hot for me outside so the best part of my day was already behind me.  And its supposed to be even hotter tomorrow with a humidex level of 40!!  But here’s the good news, a cold front is fast approaching from the west & should be here by mid afternoon.  I am going to be down on the Bayfield Beach with a big black & white checkered flag thankfully & very welcomingly waving that racing cold front across the finish line.  Yay cold front team:)))))))
 
HMMMMM, WONDER WHAT KELLY & I COULD DO WITH THIS FINE LOOKING OLD ABANDONED FARMHOUSE
 
AT THE MOMENT MERIKAY WAS TAKING THE PICTURE OF KELLY, PHEEBS & I ON THE RIGHT LAST WEEK I WAS TAKING THE PICTURE OF MERIKAY ON THE LEFT (Got your card Merikay:))

SOME WELCOMING EARLY SIGNS OF AUTUMN BEGINNING TO APPEAR IN OUR BACK YARD’S VIRGINIA CREEPER

HEY IS THIS OUR WINNIE WAGON BACK IN OUR DRIVEWAY??  NOPE NOT QUITE
Deer Park Lodge owner Kirsten & ‘Jack of all Trades’ Rob dropped by Sunday afternoon on their very first RV trip of ever.  They were headed up to the Bruce Peninsula & just needed a few pointers on how some of the systems on their 2012 Winnebago Access worked.  A couple quick lessons on a few things & they were off.  Good luck Guys.

ROB & KIRSTEN WITH THEIR 2 DOGS STELLA & GUINESS

Looks like I will be grounded Tuesday.  Jeep goes into the Bayfield Garage for it’s pre southward bound Snow Bird trip at the end of next month.  Oil change, air filter & general check-up.  I’ll have them check the shocks this time too.  Now, I gotta go find my checkered flag to welcome that cooler air in tomorrow……………………………..:))

ANOTHER MOON SHOT??  NOPE, JUST OUR GLOBE LIGHT AT THE END OF THE DRIVEWAY TONIGHT
And here’s a little something I just re-wrote based on an Archive Memory……Remember those days long ago as a kid when you would take a blanket outside on a sunny warm summer day & lay on your back watching big white fluffy clouds lazily drifting by. In those billowing clouds were endless exciting shapes for a small child's imagination. Big scary faces, rumbling Rhinosauceruses, Elephants with long grayish floppy trunks, dancing Dinosaurs, flying Hippopotamooses, Rabbits with towering ears, cherubic Babies with outstretched arms, Butterfly Crocomadiles, fluffy Allimogators, & anything else a child's mind is free to imagine. This morning was one of those magically marvellous sky days as Pheebs & I gravel roaded ourselves to Grand Bend & back. All the way there & home again we had us a circus like parade overhead marching across a deep blue bird sky with big nosed Clowns, portly Ringmasters, & a menagerie of fairy tale Animals kicking up wiffles of wispy cloud dust.  It made for a wide eyed pleasant drive on a fine summer morning & tells me the wondrous imagination of my childhood is still very much alive & creatively well:))

 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A shepherd was herding his flocks in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand new Jeep Cherokee advanced towards him out of a dust cloud. The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and a YSL tie, leans out of the window and asks: "If I can tell you exactly how many sheep you have in your flock, will you give me one?"   The shepherd looks at the yuppie, then at his peacefully grazing flock and answers, "Sure!"  The yuppie parks the car, whips out his notebook, connects it to a cell phone, surfs to a NASA page where he calls up a GPS navigation system, scans the area and opens a database and some 60 spreadsheets with complex formulas. Finally, he prints a 150-page report on a miniature printer, turns to our shepherd and says: "You have exactly 1586 sheep!"  "That's correct. As agreed, you can take one of the sheep," says the shepherd. He watches the young man make a selection and bundle it into his Cherokee.  As the car starts to pull away, he calls out: "If I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me my sheep back?"  "Okay, why not?" answers the young man, stopping the car.  "You are a consultant" says the shepherd.  "That's correct," says the yuppie. "How did you guess?"  "Easy," answers the shepherd. "You turn up here without being asked. You want to be paid for information I already have. And you don't know anything about my business because you just took my dog."