MOODY SKIES AND COUNTRY ROADS

With a Tim Hortons coffee and carrot muffin in hand Pheebs and I this morning wandered north of Goderich along country roads south of Dungannon.  We had our eyes out for a lost dog in the area but never did see it.  Knew chances were slim but we cruised through the area watching for it anyway.

TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE A SMATTERING OF OUR AREA’S COUNTRYSIDE

HOPE THESE HONEY BEES ARE TUCKED IN NICE AND WARM FOR THE WINTER

IT WAS ALL ABOUT THE MAGESTICALLY TURBULENT SKIES TODAY

HURON COUNTY HOODOOS

AUTUMN LEAVES ARE FALLING AND TREES WILL SOON BE BARE

 

YES THERE IS A FACE IN THAT OLD GNARLED TREE TRUNK

Being in the vicinity of Pheebs Alpaca Pals we stopped by to say hello.  Not as many as there used to be but we did see 3 at least. 

 

OSTRICH OR EMU??  NOT SURE

Not much going on in the countryside but did notice evidence of the corn harvest beginning.  Best part of the day was the sky and I do love moody skies for the most part.  Made for some interesting lighting so I took advantage of that and took way too many photos again.  Way over a hundred so I had quite a time whittling them down after we got home.  Luckily I enjoy editing photos and have the time to do so.  For me, editing photos is as enjoyable as taking them.  I rarely take a photo that does not have to be edited in some way.  Many of my photos I take from a moving vehicle so horizons have to be straightened and cropping is always necessary of course.  Exposure is often tricky with some parts of the photo being too light or too dark.  Editing is again essential here.  And then there is the color.  On dull days like today it is difficult to bring color out of the leaves so this is where editing comes in.  I don’t have what you might call a great editing program but I do have one that is good enough for me and my blog and I’ve had it for years.  It was free and in fact I don’t think it’s even around anymore.  It’s Google’s older Picasa 3.9. which by the way is far superior to the newer editing program they use now.  Would I like a better editing program like Adobe Photoshop - Lightroom??  Sure I would but I’m afraid of the learning curve.  I discourage myself too easily these days and I don’t need the extra stress.  I’ll hang onto my simple little bare bones Picasa 3.9 for as long as I can.

Some may ask why I take so many photos every day and I guess my simple answer to that would be to say, 'I see so many beautiful things'.  No matter where I go my mind just automatically notices color, shapes and shadows.  I see faces in rocks, old trees, and clouds.  I see light against dark and dark against light.  Animals and birds catch my attention as well as people doing things or doing nothing at all.  I see a lot that I notice others don’t see.  And it is those things I see that bring me such enjoyment and peace of mind every day even if it is sometimes only fleeting.  In a world seemingly gone mad I'm fortunate to have my hobbies of photography, writing, music, and local travels because it gives me the opportunity to each day briefly skirt the world’s encompassing madness my own way.  There is beauty out there everywhere if you just let your creative mind find it for you.

SOME BUSH LINES STILL HAVE THEIR LEAVES AND THIS ONE DOESN’T

Kelly’s off to the dentist for an 8 a.m. Wednesday appointment so Pheebs and I will be off for our daily appointment as well with destinations as yet unknown……………….

I DON’T KNOW…….IT WAS JUST SITTING THERE AT THE END OF A FARM LANE

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Dictionary For Women::
Argument (ar*gyou*ment) n. A discussion that occurs when you're right, but he just hasn't realized it yet.

Airhead (er*hed) n. What a woman intentionally becomes when pulled over by a policeman.

Bar-be-que (bar*bi*q) n. You bought the groceries, washed the lettuce, chopped the tomatoes, diced the onions, marinated the meat and cleaned everything up, but, he, "made the dinner."

Blonde jokes (blond joks) n. Jokes that are short so men can understand them.

Cantaloupe (kant*e*lope) n. Gotta get married in a church.

Clothes dryer (kloze dri*yer) n. An appliance designed to eat socks.

Diet Soda (dy*it so*da) n. A drink you buy at a convenience store to go with a half pound bag of peanut M&Ms.

Eternity (e*ter*ni*tee) n. The last two minutes of a football game.

Exercise (ex*er*siz) v. To walk up and down a mall, occasionally resting to make a purchase.

Grocery List (grow*ser*ee list) n. What you spend half an hour writing, then forget to take with you to the store.

Hair Dresser (hare dres*er) n. Someone who is able to create a style you will never be able to duplicate again. See "Magician."

Hardware Store (hard*war stor) n. Similar to a black hole in space-if he goes in, he isn't coming out anytime soon.

Childbirth (child*brth) n. You get to go through 36 hours of contractions; he gets to hold your hand and say "focus,...breath...push..."

Lipstick (lip*stik) n. On your lips, coloring to enhance the beauty of your mouth. On his collar, coloring only a tramp would wear...!

Park (park) v./n. Before children, a verb meaning, "to go somewhere and neck." After children, a noun meaning a place with a swing set and slide.

Patience (pa*shens) n. The most important ingredient for dating, marriage and children. See also "tranquilizers."

Waterproof Mascara (wah*tr*pruf mas*kar*ah) n. Comes off if you cry, shower, or swim, but will not come off if you try to remove it.

Valentine's Day (val*en*tinez dae) n. A day when you have dreams of a candlelight dinner, diamonds, and romance, but consider yourself lucky to get a card.

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NICE MORNING FOR A WALK IN THE FOREST

Jeep’s been getting a wee bit noisier so figured Pheebs and I would stop into a muffler shop in Goderich and have it checked out.  Even before we reached Goderich I felt a Grinch pinch in my wallet and decided to put it off until the Jeep reaches about the same decibel level as a Harley.  I did however make an appointment at ‘Canadian Tire’ to have it undercoated later this week.  Checked on-line to see which rust proofing company has the best reviews and decided on Corrosion Free Zone which happens to be at Canadian Tire.  With the heavy salting of winter roads here in snow country vehicles need all the protection from the metal eating salt they can get.  Road salt just absolutely reeks havoc on vehicles where roads are heavily salted.  Jeep goes in Wednesday afternoon. 

WE SLIPPED THROUGH THE PICTURESQUE MAITLAND VALLEY CEMETERY ON OUR WAY TO A TRAIL HEAD

Been awhile since Pheebs and I have walked a forest trail in the area so we didn’t waste any time driving ourselves out to the far end of Goderich’s Maitland Valley Cemetery where a trailhead begins near the Maitland River.  My legs have basically turned to mush this past month so it felt good to get them out walking again this morning.

 

THAT’S QUITE THE LITTLE BRIDGE DOWN THERE

WE HAD A CLOSE CALL WHEN THIS BLACK FIREWOOD LIZARD SUDDENLY LEAPED OUT AT US:))

So nice to see sunshine and blue skies today.  With weather being as it has been lately it is a real treat indeed to see open blue skies overhead. 

 

Despite the beautiful Autumn day I couldn’t seem to rustle up the energy to get myself outside and tackle a number of things on my ‘to-do’ list.  Must have worn myself out on our walk this morning.  Oh well there is still time left with a few nice days ahead before winter sets in.  I remember last November as being absolutely beautiful which was so unnatural for the usually cold, sullen, and gray wet days November is so well known for.

A CLUSTER OF MUSHROOMS ALONGSIDE THE TRAIL

Ever wonder why things go wrong at the most inopportune times!!  Well I was wondering about that last Friday afternoon when Dee and Mike were here to look at our Motorhome.  I wanted to show Mike how easily the top part of our rig’s dash lifts up making all the instruments like speedometer, radio, and back-up camera etc. conveniently accessible.  Nope, nosireeee would that dash lift up for me!!  Later after coffee and apple fritters we decided to take the rig for a drive.  Never since we’ve had the Motorhome has either of the two slides ever failed to come in or go out.  Yup, the living room slide stopped halfway in and we had no power to bring it any further.  Well, this one was explainable because it was my fault.  With a number of cloudy days behind us I should have fired up the generator to charge up the solar batteries but of course my mind was not smart enough to remind me of that Friday morning.  Add to that the fact I had left all the bin lights on for about 4 hours plus a table lamp inside.  Even the engine battery was down.  Had to fire up the generator for a few minutes to charge the batteries enough to start the coach and also bring the slide all the way in.  Embarrassing.   So then we go for a drive and after a few minutes Dee says, ‘what’s that red light on the dash’??  I look down and sure enough the engine light is on.  ‘WHAT!!  I couldn’t believe it.  I was about ready to throw myself out the window.  The engine icon light wasn’t flashing so I knew it wasn’t serious.  But still!!  Mike drove back and the light stayed on so I’ll have to run it into the Bayfield Garage and see what that is all about.  Maybe they can explain why the ‘ABS’ light is sometimes on as well.  But talk about frustrating!!  Just when one is trying to put their best foot forward their shoe falls off.  Despite those embarrassing flukes Dee and Mike were still interested in the coach.

A LOCAL READER SENT THIS IN VIA EMAIL TODAY SO MAYBE PHEEBS AND I WILL DRIVE UP AROUND THAT WAY IN THE MORNING AND HAVE US A LOOK FOR THIS FELLER

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man decided to paint the toilet while his wife was away. His wife came home sooner than he expected, used the toilet, and got the seat stuck to her rear. She was understandably distraught about this and asked her husband to drive her to the doctor. She put a large overcoat on to cover the seat before they went. When they got to the doctor's office, the man lifted his wife's coat to show him their predicament.The man asked, "Doctor, have you ever seen anything like this before?"  "Well, yes," the doctor replied, "but never framed."

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A man awoke one evening to discover prowlers in his storage shed. He immediately called 911, gave his address, to report the prowlers and possible burglary. The operator at the other end said "Are they in your house?" He said they were not, only in his storage shed in back of the house. The operator said there were no cars available at that time. He thanked the operator, hung up the phone and counted to 30 and called again. "I just called you about prowlers in my storage shed. Well you do not have to worry, as I just shot them all dead!" Within seconds there were 3 police cars, an ambulance and fire engine at the scene. After capturing the prowlers red-handed, the policeman asked the caller, "I thought you said you had shot them all!" The man answered, "I thought you said there were no police available!"

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