SOMETHING TO DO, SOMEWHERE TO GO

Starting my day with nothing to do or nowhere to go is not my idea of how to start my day.  Heading for my recliner, the computer, or my Kindle is an early sign of depression for me so nine and a half times out of ten I make it out the door to either go somewhere or do something hopefully useful.  Due to be trapped inside by cold wintery weather soon those numbers may shift a bit.

SOMETIMES WALKING TO THE JEEP IN THE MORNING I FIRE A SHOT OFF DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY TO CHECK THE EXPOSURE ON ONE OF MY NIKON’S PROGRAM SETTINGS….NO THE DALMATION IS NOT REAL

At least it wasn’t raining this morning and we didn’t have any nasty cold winds trying to dump us upside down.  With temps sitting at at a damp 39F I was already into my winter gear and felt warm in my lined pants.  At least I wasn’t in the cold waters of Lake Huron like the fellas below.

I SPOTTED HEADS BOBBING IN THE WATER…..GEEEEZZZZ, DID A SHIP SINK??

NOPE, JUST A FEW HARDY CANADIAN SURFBOARDERS

BETTER THEM OUT THERE THAN ME

ONE LONE SAILBOAT REMAINS DOCKED ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BAYFIELD RIVER

HADN’T NOTICED THE LONE FISHERMAN UNTIL I LATER EDITED THE PHOTO

STILL A FEW BOATS DOCKED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE RIVER

LOOKS LIKE BAYFIELD’S FISHING BOATS HAD THE MORNING OFF

ALL SAILBOATS COME OUT OF THE WATER WITH MANY SPENDING THE WINTER IN THEIR WOODEN CRADLES AROUND THE BAYFIELD MARINA

Pheebs and I wandered into Bayfield picking up a coffee to go along the way.  Really disappointed at the progress of the new Tim Horton’s coffee shop at Bayfield’s south end.  They sure do not seem to be in any kind of hurry to get it built.  A cement foundation with some pipes sticking up and it’s been like that since before we headed for the Maritimes over a month ago.

‘THIS SURE BEATS THAT CHICAGO TRAFFIC DAD

HOW’S ABOUT A NICE BREAKFAST OF COLD TURNIPS TO START OFF THE DAY EH

‘MMMMMMM, LOVE MY TURNIPS’

‘ARE YOU SAYING TURNIPS ARE NOT GOOD FOR BREAKFAST MISTER’

I THINK THEY CALL THESE LITTLE FELLERS ‘PEEK-A-BOO’ CALVES

 

We followed our usual route southeast of Bayfield stopping along the way at a couple of our favorite leg stretch places.  The countryside is always extra quiet Sunday mornings and this morning was certainly no exception.  Glancing at my watch a thought occurred to me.  Had we headed south with the Motorhome this year we would have been making our way through Chicago about this time.  I was quite happily content to be right where I was.  Pheebs too.

WHEN THE SIGN NORMALLY HERE WENT MISSING LAST MONTH I FIGURED THAT GRAVEL PARKING LOT WAS GOING TO BE PLOWED UNDER SO WAS HAPPY TO SEE A NEW FRESHLY MADE AND PAINTED SIGN BACK IN PLACE……PHEEBS AND I OFTEN STOP HERE FOR A LEG STRETCH AND WALK

FARMERS BETTER GET THEIR CORN CROPS IN SOON OR THEY MIGHT NEED A SNOWPLOW RUNNING ALONG IN FRONT OF THE COMBINE

MANY FIELDS NEED IRRIGATING AND THIS IS SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT THEY DO IT WITH

STILL SOME PICKABLE APPLES LEFT OUT ON THE BACKROADS

Our second stop was on a dead end road running along the east side of Kerr’s Campground.  Always a nice walking spot with a swampy forest on one side of the road and farmer’s fields on the other.  Parked the Jeep and off we went up the road but we didn’t get too far.  With so much wet weather lately and overnight rains again the road was very soft and we soon had ourselves mired in mud.  Good thing I hadn’t driven the Jeep any further down the road or we would have been doing some slipping and sliding. 

‘OH-OH’

Back home by 10:30 we had at least had ourselves an outing and managed a few photos along the way.  Pleased to see some traffic at the extra bird feeders I put up Saturday.  Mainly Black Capped Chickadees and Nuthatches.  Cardinals, Blue Jays, and Mourning Doves still coming and going at the main bird station.  Just love to see birds at the feeders.  Traffic will pick up substantially as soon as snow arrives and covers the ground.  Could be a couple months or could be tomorrow.  There has been talk of a mild El Nino winter here in these parts but I doubt it because I’ve been telling Kelly for years that the first winter we have to stay home in Canada again it will be the coldest and harshest winter in a Century.  Has to be, right!!

RED BREASTED NUTHATCH

 

MALE CARDINAL

 

After taking and editing these bird photos I figured I had better wash our sunroom windows again so out I went into the cold day and did that.  Cleaned the inside too but it wasn’t until I was all done that I noticed there still seemed to be a cloudy film on the glass.  Checked the windows on either side of the window in front of my computer and noticed they were clearer.  Could only mean one thing:((  These thermal windows are old and air has gotten in between the panes of glass and soured the window.  It’s hardly noticeable but I could tell the colorful sharpness was not in the bird photos.  Instead of sitting comfortably in my computer chair I guess I’ll have to get off my can and shoot through a clearer window.  Ohhhhhh, life is certainly tough sometimes……………….:))

‘YA TOUGH ALRIGHT, I EVEN GOT A DRIP ON THE END OF MY BEAK’

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A local United Way office realized that the organization had never received a donation from the town's most successful lawyer. The person in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute."Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least $500,000, you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn't you like to give back to the community in some way?"The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied, "First, did your research also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills that are several times her annual Income?  "Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbled, "Um ... no."The lawyer interrupts, "or that my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair?"The stricken United Way rep began to stammer out an apology, but was interrupted again."Or that my sister's husband died in a traffic accident," the lawyer's voice rising in indignation, "leaving her penniless with three children?!"The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, said simply, "I had no idea..."On a roll, the lawyer cut him off once again, "So if I don't give any money to them, why should I give any to you?"

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A lawyer walks into a bar and sits down next to a drunk who is closely examining something held in his fingers. The lawyer watches the drunk for a while till he finally gets curious enough to ask what it is. "Well," said the drunk, "it looks like plastic and feels like rubber." "Let me have it," said the lawyer. Taking it, he began to roll it between his thumb and forefinger, examining it closely. "Yes," he finally said, "it does look like plastic and feel like rubber, but i don't know what it is. Where did you get it?" "From my nose," the drunk replied.

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‘JUST ONE MORE TIME’

FIVE MINUTES LATER AND THE SUN WAS ALL GONE

It was a beautiful morning, for about 10 minutes then 'zap' we were under clouds again.  Pheebs and I persevered and got us a Jeep ride in despite the impending rain.  

Working away between periods of afternoon thundershowers I was able to set up a few extra birdfeeders for the coming winter.

DUSTING DOWN A FEW COBWEBS IN OUR SUNROOM

Often it was the third Saturday in October when we would leave our cozy little place just outside Bayfield, load ourselves into the Motorhome and head off down the road in the direction of America's Great Southwest.  Not so this year but I couldn't help but think late this afternoon which 'Cracker Barrel’ we would have pulled into for supper and an overnighter in their parking lot.  ‘Cracker Barrel’ was always our fav.  We would look for one either somewhere north of Indianapolis or east of Chicago.  Always liked to leave Bayfield early on a Saturday morning to position ourselves for doing either of the big cities on a quieter Sunday morning. 

‘WELL LET ME SEE WHAT’S FOR LUNCH HERE AT AL’S SMORGASBORD OF SEEDS’

I have travelled through many of the States south of the border and hands down it was, still is, and always will be the Southwest I love best.  Yes the other States all have their good points I suppose but they don’t have the magic or mystique of the deserts and mountains, , nor the same flora or fauna the Southwest has.  And oh those crystal clear winter night skies.  New Mexico, Arizona, California, and Utah.  Love the wide open spaces, the loneliness and longing, the old west’s fascinating history.  Ghost towns, cattle herds, cowboys, Indian lands, mountains and desert roads and trails and oh how many times we have camped out in the Sonoran desert among the tall and stately Saguaro Cactus.  Funny to think we once had 3 of our own very old Saguaros right beside our little Adobe house in Congress Arizona.  Seems so long ago already and yet it has only been a few years.  Oh how I would love to drive by and see how all my planted cactus Pals are doing.

CHILDREN’S SCHOOL BUS SHELTER AT THE END OF A FARM LANE

I sit here tonight wishing we were once again on our way and yet there is a calm feeling inside knowing I do not have to endure those stressful highways anymore, the cities, the traffic, the unexpected RV problems and a plethora of other worrisome things that go along with the traveling lifestyle.  I won’t miss them, yet I already miss them.  There is a comfort being away from that stress but I know in my mind just around the corner I will always be longing to climb aboard another RV and adventurously head once again for the great American Southwest to gaze upon distant mountains and hear the whispering of those cactus winds across the desert floor…………. just one more time. 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Boudreaux was feeling guilty, so he went to confession. "Father, I kinda took a little lumber from that new construction site." Priest: "What did you do with the lumber, my son?"Boudreaux: "Well, Father, my porch, she's had a hole for a long time. I'm 'fraid someone will break their leg, so I fix the hole."Priest: "Well, that's not so bad."Boudreaux: "Well, Father, I had a little lumber left."Priest: "What did you do with it?"Boudreaux: "Well, my poor dog, Phideaux, he ain't never had no place to get outta the weather, so I make him his own little doghouse."Priest: "OK, anything else?"Boudreaux: "Well, Father, I had a little lumber left. So you know, my truck, she ain't never had no place to get outta de weather either, so I make her a two car garage."Priest: "Now, this is getting a little out of hand."Boudreaux: "Well, Father, I still had a little lumber left."Priest: "Yes?"Boudreaux: "Well, my wife, she always want a bigger house. So I add two bedrooms and a new bathroom."Priest: "OK! That's definitely too much. For your penance, you are going to have to make a Novena. You do know how to make a Novena, don't you?"Boudreaux: "No, Father... But, if you got the plans, I got the lumber."

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A little kid's in school, taking a true-false test and he's flipping a coin. At the end of the test he's flipping the coin again. The teacher says, "What are you doing?" He says, "Checking my answers."

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‘FINALLY’

SUNSHINE HAS BEEN IN SHORT SUPPLY THIS OCTOBER SO PHEEBS AND I QUICKLY SLIPPED OUT THIS MORNING AND SOAKED US UP SOME FOR THE SHORT TIME  IT LASTED

Been 10 days since I had my first dizzy spell while cleaning the Motorhome and with those dizzy spells (Vertigo) continuing right up until Thursday night alternating between mild and severe I have been in the dumpster both mentally and physically.  No interest in my computer these past four days so spent most of my time sitting quietly in the corner of our sunroom reading.  Had to move around slow, couldn’t look up or down without getting dizzy.  A constant mild sick feeling in my stomach and no energy or interest in pretty much anything except reading my Kindle.  Found myself in a depressive state and unable to get myself out of it.

WITH ALL THE TALK ABOUT PEOPLE SMOKING LEGALIZED GRASS IN CANADA NOW I THOUGHT I’D SHOW SOME ‘REAL GRASS’, THE KIND COWS AND PHEEBS GRAZE ON:))

Most common way to stop  dizziness is to successfully perform the  Epley Maneuver but it wasn’t successful at the hospital last week and I had been unsuccessful at doing it myself.  Every time I tried I just made myself worse.  Until Thursday night that is when after remembering something I tried it again.  Three years ago when I had this my nurse practitioner at the time (Sue Leddy) did that Epley Maneuver on me and my dizziness was instantly gone.  The Emerge doctor last week did it differently and it didn’t work.  I kept trying to do it the way Sue did it but it wasn’t working.  Then last night sitting in the corner reading I remembered something Sue had done that I had not been doing.  When lying flat on my back with my head draped over the edge of the bed turned to the extreme right I counted out 40 seconds then shifted my head to the left as far as I could and counted out another 40 seconds and it was in the turning of my head where I remembered something.  I had been turning my head from right to left slowly.  Sue had snapped my head over quickly and last night when I snapped my head over just as quickly then rolled over onto my left side, counted out another 40 seconds, I sat up without the room spinning a hundred miles and hour and knew it had worked.  By the time I stood up steadily on my feet I was already feeling better.  Just like that.  I knew better than to try any headstands or cartwheels across the floor and although tired today I definitely was physically feeling better although I was careful to not bend down too much and push my luck.  Even took Pheebs out for a Jeep ride in the morning sunshine.  I don’t seem to be back in photo mode yet  but seeing my words popping up on the screen in front of me tonight I know at least for today I’m back into my writing mode.  Might even go and see if I can rustle up a few jokes for Groaner’s Corner.

LOOKS LIKE THESE RURAL FARM FOLKS ARE ALL SET FOR A LONG COLD WINTER

Met a nice RV couple this afternoon when Dee and Mike dropped in to have a look at our Motorhome.  We have it for sale and they are definitely interested.  A recent unexpected medical issue has cropped up on their side and they will get back to us soon as they get some test results back.

MIKE CHECKS OUT A FEW THINGS ON THE RIG’S ROOF THIS AFTERNOON

If you don’t see a post from me every day from here on in, not to worry.  I will try to come up with something most every day but with no travel adventures planned for the coming months and a long winter at home ahead of us I know I will run into difficulties.  If there is something drastically wrong I will let folks know, otherwise if you don’t see a post just know I had nothing of interest to write about or take photos of that particular day.  Thanks to folks for their concerns and hanging in there…………………..

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A little boy was afraid of the dark. One night his mother told him to go out to the back porch and bring her the broom. The little boy turned to his mother and said, "Mama, I don't want to go out there. It's dark." The mother smiled reassuringly at her son. "You don't have to be afraid of the dark," she explained. "Jesus is out there. He'll look after you and protect you." The little boy looked at his mother real hard and asked, "Are you sure he's out there?" "Yes, I'm sure. He is everywhere, and he is always ready to help you when you need him," she said. The little boy thought about that for a minute and then went to the back door and cracked it a little. Peering out into the darkness, he called, "Jesus? If you're out there, would you please hand me the broom?"

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- You ever talk about a movie with someone that read the book? They’re always so condescending. Ah, the book was much better than the movie. Oh really?  What I enjoyed about the movie: ‘no reading’!!

- “The man working in a dowel factory has his job pegged.”

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A man goes to the eye doctor. The receptionist asks him why he is there. The man complains, "I keep seeing spots in front of my eyes."The receptionist asks, "Have you ever seen a doctor?" The man replies, "No, just spots."

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BASICALLY AN INSIDE DAY

Gray skies but not as cold as previous mornings.  It was 8 a.m. when I dropped the Motorhome off at the Bayfield Garage.  Kelly and Pheebs picked me up and I in turn dropped them off back home.  Headed off to Goderich’s Maitland Valley Medical Clinic and not knowing how long I’d be there I didn’t take the Pheebs.  Turns out I wasn’t long there at all.  Picked up myself a coffee, slid down around the harbor, snapped a few pics, and under rainy skies headed back home. 

It was late morning when we picked up the Motorhome.  (in the pouring rain of course) Had been concerned about a ‘shimmy’ around 40 mph.  The rig needs two new front tires.  Had noticed a sound in the steering so that little problem was tracked down and repaired as well.  Passenger side windshield which was newly installed two summer’s ago has to be replaced because of a 14 inch crack from a stone chip received the first day of our Maritime trip last month.  Some folks are coming to look at the rig this Friday.

Not very nice out today so we both stayed in.  Spent most of my time in our sunroom reading.  And that’s about it for another day…………

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Murphy's Laws::

Murphy's First Law: Nothing is as easy as it looks.

Murphy's Second Law: Everything takes longer than you think.

Murphy's Third Law: In any field of scientific endeavor, anything that can go wrong will go wrong.

Murphy's Fourth Law: If there is a possibility of several things going wrong, the one that will cause the most damage will be the one to go wrong.

Murphy's Fifth Law: If anything just cannot go wrong, it will anyway.

Murphy's Sixth Law: If you perceive that there are four possible ways in which a procedure can go wrong and circumvent these, then a fifth way, unprepared for, will promptly develop.

Murphy's Seventh Law: Left to themselves, things tend to go from bad to worse.

Murphy's Eighth Law: If everything seems to be going well, you have obviously overlooked something.

Murphy's Ninth Law: Nature always sides with the hidden flaw.

Murphy's Tenth Law: It is impossible to make anything foolproof, because fools are so ingenious.

O'Toole's Commentary on Murphy's Laws: Murphy was an optimist.

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There was a young Scottish boy called Angus who decided to try life in Australia. He found an apartment in a small block and settled in. After a week or two, his mother called from Aberdeen to see how her son was doing in his new life. 'I'm fine, ' Angus said. 'But there are some really strange people living in these apartments. One woman cried all day long, another lies on her floor moaning, and there is a guy next door to me who bangs his head on the wall all the time.' 'Well, ma laddie,' says his mother, 'I suggest you don't associate with people like that.' 'Oh,' says Angus, 'I don't, Mam, I don't. No, I just stay inside my apartment all day and night, playing my bagpipes.'

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