SUNSHINE AND BLUE SKIES ALMOST BROUGHT TEARS TO MY EYES

FROZEN WATER PUDDLE EARLIER THIS MORNING

Without a hint of wind I felt Old Sol’s warmth on my left cheek as I walked south along a marsh trail on this cold December morn.  Pheebs and I were again at one of our favorite Hullett Marsh spots and morning’s sunrise still low on the horizon sparkled off Whistler Pond’s ice covered waters.  Not a sound in the air not a movement anywhere.  We were alone and it was my kind of a quiet early morning walk. 

ON THE WAY TO THE MARSH I BEGAN TO SEE A FEW DABBLES OF SUNLIGHT AS SKIES BEGAN TO CLEAR

HEADING INTO THE HULLETT MARSH ON A SERVICE ROAD

WE HEAD OFF ATOP THAT DYKE TO THE RIGHT AND WALKED UNTIL WE WERE OUT OF SIGHT OF THE JEEP

FROZEN PUDDLE

WHISTLER POOL WAS COMPLETELY COVERED IN ICE

THE SHADOW COWBOY EVEN MADE IT INTO THIS PHOTO

I DIDN’T SEE THE TWO BALD EAGLES UNTIL LATER WHEN I EDITED THE PHOTO

Our sunroom faces more south than west and how nice it was to feel this afternoon’s warm Sun pouring through the windows.  And how nice to look out those big windows and see our front yard free of snow again and looking so green.  Looked and felt very much like one of those early Spring days we Northerners all look forward to.

PHEEBS SOAKS UP SOME AFTERNOON SUN

NICE TO SEE SUNLIGHT SPLASHING ACROSS MY CAMERA BESIDE ME ON OUR COMPUTER DESK

YESIREEEEEE IT’S A BLUE BLUE SKY OVERHEAD TODAY:))))))))))))))

LOOKING MORE LIKE APRIL THAN DECEMBER

WINTER’S GREEN

Being so nice out Pheebs and I once again had ourselves another afternoon walk around our Park's pine tree trail.  Aside from a few scurrying Squirrels there wasn't too much movement anywhere.  So nice to see sunlight slanting down through our tall pine trees casting shadows across the forests golden pine needle floor.  Knowing these sunny days will not last I'm trying to appreciate and enjoy their true beauty for the short time they are with us.

HI-HO HI-HO IT’S OFF TO THE FOREST WE GO

LONG AFTERNOON SHADOWS

WATCH YOUR STEP NOW AND DON’T TRIP OVER THE SHADOWS

SO HAPPY TO SEE BLUE SKIES HANGING AROUND FOR THE REST OF THE DAY

Weather people are calling for a mixture of sun and cloud over the next 3 days so we’ll see if that really happens.  As I post this tonight temperatures are at 34F and I can clearly see a half Moon peeking down through our tall pine trees.

GROANERS CORNER:(( A Few Old Words and Phrases from our Past::

Mergatroyd!... Do you remember that word? Would you believe the email spell checker did not recognize the word Mergatroyd?
Heavens to Mergatroyd!  The other day a not so elderly lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy and he looked at her quizzically and said "What the heck is a Jalopy?"  She knew she was old but not that old. 

Back in the olden days we had a lot of 'moxie.' We'd put on our best 'bib and tucker' to' straighten up and fly right'.  Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy moley!  We were 'in like Flynn' and 'living the life of Riley'', and even a regular guy couldn't accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!

Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when's the last time anything was swell?
Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys, spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes and pedal pushers...AND DON'T FORGET.... Saddle Stitched Pants.
Oh, my aching back! Kilroy was here, but he isn't anymore.  We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, Well, I'll be 'a monkey's uncle!' Or,  This is a 'fine kettle of fish' we suddenly realize everything is Hunky Dory.

We discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed omnipresent, as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.
Poof, go the words of our youth, the words we've left behind. We blink, and they’ve vanished.
Where have all those great phrases gone?
Pshaw, The milkman did it. Hey! It's your nickel. Don't forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper.  Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I'll see you in the funny papers. Don't take any wooden nickels. Wake up and smell the roses.

It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills. This can be disturbing stuff! ("Carter's Little Liver Pills" are gone too!)  We of a certain age have been blessed to live in changeable times. For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a
toy that has no age. We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once did not exist and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memory. It's one of the greatest advantages of aging.
Leaves us to wonder where Superman will find a phone booth...See ya later, alligator!
Okidoki….After awhile Crocodile……………..

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A Pet’s Christmas Card::

We, your cats,
at Christmas say,
Thanks for caring
for us each day.
We love this season,
all green and red,
And by the way,
the hamster’s dead.

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A RETURN TO PAVILLION BEACH TO LOOK FOR SOMETHING WE DIDN’T FIND

HOW MOTHER NATURE DECORATES HER FORESTS

A week or so ago I took a photo of something on Pavillion Beach which Kelly saw and said to me later, ‘why didn’t you pick that up and bring it home’??  She was right of course so why the heck didn’t I pick it up and bring it home for our outside garden?  With area snows rapidly melting Pheebs and I went back to Pavillion Beach this morning to get it but I hadn’t counted on the beach still being under a couple feet of ice and snow built up by Lake Huron’s waves.  Needless to say we didn’t find what we were looking for but we did pick up a couple additional pieces of driftwood while there.  Maybe we’ll have us another look sometime in April when all the lakeside ice and snow is finally gone.

‘I DON’T THINK WE’RE GONNA FIND WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR DAD’

A LONE BENCH SITS ATOP THE BLUFFS OVERLOOKING LAKE HURON

ALRIGHT GUESS WE’LL COME BACK ON A WARM AND SUNNY DAY IN APRIL

Country roads were too soupy this morning so Pheebs and I kept Libby on pavement.  After Pavillion Beach we wandered down around to and through the little Hamlet of Zurich before heading back on home again.  Gray skies all the way and not a hint of forecasted sunshine.

WE HAVE A FAIR NUMBER OF NICE STONE HOUSES SCATTERED THOUGHOUT HURON COUNTIES COUNTRYSIDE HERE IN SOUTH WESTERN ONTARIO

Now that most of our snow has melted and it's actually possible to walk again Pheebs and I for the second afternoon in a row took ourselves for another hike around our Park's pine tree trail and beyond.  There are about a hundred acres here with much of it in forest.  Usually we stick to the trails but once and awhile venture off into some of the darker places where the deer and coyotes hang out.  Years ago I used to hike through these areas but not so much anymore.  Rarely see any deer and have never seen a Coyote but we know they are there because we sure can hear them yipping at night sometimes.  Been walking these trails and woods for over 16 years now.

FOLLOWING A DEER PATH

SEEING A LOT OF ‘LAMBS EAR’ PLANTS IN THE FOREST

MUSHROOMS

Starting to keep an eye on the long range weather forecast for the end of the month.  Am hoping for a warm clearing trend but so far it isn’t looking that way.  With any luck we may get away two weeks from today hopefully.

SOOOOO GLAD TO SEE ALL THAT ICE AND SNOW MELTING AWAY

BAYFIELD’S TIM HORTON COFFEE SHOP SITE AND I’M GUESSING THAT BIG HOLE IN THE GROUND ‘MIGHT BE’ FOR THE UNDERGROUND GASOLINE TANK  ACCOMPANYING THE GAS BAR

DON’T KNOW IF THIS IS THE COFFEE SHOP OR ACCOMPANYING CONVIENCE STORE BUT BECAUSE OF ALL THE PIPING IN THE CORNER I’M GUESSING COFFEE SHOP

Although sunshine and slightly warmer temperatures were called for today we neither felt nor saw any of either one.  Spent the day once again under cold gray skies.  At least it wasn’t raining or snowing and for this time of year that is a definite plus.

SURE IS MUDDY JUST AROUND THE CORNER FROM OUR PLACE WHERE THE LATEST NEW UNIT HAS GONE IN

ANOTHER BIG LOAD  OF PINE LOGS ROLL BY OUR DRIVEWAY

AND JUST SO YOU KNOW……JOHN DEERE MAKES YELLOW AND BLACK MACHINES TOO

PHEEBS HELPS ME SORT OUT WHICH RV STUFF TO RELOAD BACK INTO THE MOTORHOME….THAT’S MY BED BY THE WAY AND WOULD YOU BELIEVE I HAVEN’T SLEPT IN IT FOR OVER 3 YEARS…..OH, AND THAT’S SPENCER AND FROGGY BEHIND PHEEBS

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Santa Claus is a woman because::

• The vast majorities of men don’t even think about selecting gifts until Christmas Eve and only go for a last-minute shopping spree.
• A man would inevitably get lost up there in the snow and clouds and then refuse to stop and ask for directions.
• Men can’t pack a bag.
• Men would rather be dead than be caught wearing red velvet.
• Men would feel their masculinity is threatened…having to be seen with all those elves.
• Men don’t answer their mail.
• Men aren’t interested in stockings unless somebody’s wearing them.
• Finally, being responsible for Christmas would require a commitment.

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Q: Why weren’t there any nativity scenes in Washington D.C.?
A: They couldn’t find three wise men.

- Mason says to his mother: You can delete the train set from my Christmas wish list. Mother: Why is that? Mason: Yesterday, I found one in the closet.

- Husband: "What do you want for Christmas?" Wife: "A divorce!" Husband: "Can you think of anything cheaper?"

- As a little girl climbed onto Santa's lap, Santa asked the usual, "And what would you like for Christmas?" The child stared at him open mouthed and horrified for a minute, then gasped, "Didn't you get my E-mail?"

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TOP 10 USES FOR HOLIDAY FRUITCAKES::

10. Use slices to balance that wobbly kitchen table.

9. Use instead of sand bags during El Nino.

8. Send to U.S. Air Force, let troops drop them.

7. Use as railroad ties.

6. Use as speed bumps to foil the neighborhood drag racers.

5. Collect ten and use them as bowling pins.

4. Use instead of cement shoes.

3. Save for next summer's garage sale.

2. Use slices in next skeet-shooting competition.

1. Two words…… ‘pin cushion’.

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