GOTTA REMEMBER TO PUT BUG REPELLANT IN THE JEEP

HANGING OUT IN A COW CLUSTER

Our outside day didn't last long.  Had a few things to pick up in Goderich so Pheebs and I did that.  On the way home, we stopped at a nature area on Kitchigami Road in hopes of a cool forest walk.  We made it about 50 feet in and were set upon by Mosquitos.  Back to the Jeep, cranked up the A/C and headed for home.  I gotta remember to put bug repellant in the car.  There was no point in me trying to do anything outside in the uncomfortable heat and humidity today so I spent most of my day inside with the exception of a short walk with the Pheebs.  Noticed a westerly breeze had sprung up in the early afternoon so with that cooling us off we headed out keeping to the cool shadows of the forest.  Luckily, no bugs and no rumbling machinery mashing around in the woods.

SO FAR OUR SQUIRRELS HAVE BEEN BEHAVING THEMSELVES

NICE TO SEE A BOARD AND BATTEN REFURBISHING JOB DONE ON THIS BARN

SPOTTED THIS SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO GRAY WOOD VIPER THIS MORNING

LAZY DAYS

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The Redneck Oil Change Checklist::

1. Go to O'Reilly auto parts and write a check for $50 dollars for oil, filter, kitty litter, hand cleaner and scented tree.

2. Discover that the used oil container is full. Instead of taking it back to O'Reilly to recycle, dump in hole in back yard.

3. Open a beer and drink it.

4. Jack car up. Spend 30 minutes looking for jack stands.

5. Find jack stands under kid's pedal car.

6. In frustration, open another beer and drink it.

7. Place drain pan under engine.

8. Look for 9/16 box end wrench.

9. Give up and use crescent wrench.

10. Unscrew drain plug.

11. Drop drain plug in pan of hot oil; get hot oil on you in process.

12. Clean up.

13. Have another beer while oil is draining.

14. Look for oil filter wrench.

15. Give up; poke oil filter with screwdriver and twist it off.

16. Beer.

17. Buddy shows up; finish case with him. Finish oil change tomorrow.

18. Next day, drag pan full of old oil out from underneath car.  

19. Throw kitty litter on oil spilled during step 18.

20. Beer. No, drank it all yesterday.

21. Walk to 7-11; buy beer.

22. Install new oil filter making sure to apply a thin coat of clean oil to gasket first.

23. Dump first quart of fresh oil into engine.24. Remember drain plug from step 11.

25. Hurry to find drain plug in drain pan.

26. Hurry to replace drain plug before the whole quart of fresh oil drains onto floor.

27. Slip with wrench and bang knuckles on frame.

28. Bang head on floor board in reaction.

29. Begin cussing fit.

30. Throw wrench.

31. Cuss and complain.

32. Clean up; apply Band-Aid to knuckle.

33. Beer.

34. Beer.

35. Dump in additional 4 quarts of oil.

36. Beer.

37. Lower car from jack stands

38. Accidentally crush one of the jack stands

39. Move car back to apply more kitty litter to fresh oil spilled during step 23.

40. Test drive car

41. Get pulled over and arrested for driving under the influence.

42. Bail $200

43. Car gets impounded, go get car from impound yard.  Pay impound and towing fee $350.00

Money Spent: $50 parts $12 beer $75 replacement set of jack stands 

Total cost of oil chang $687 and only 150,000 miles to the next oil change.

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CAME ACROSS A 'TOUCHY ARTICLE' TODAY I PRETTY MUCH AGREE WITH

We are certainly having ourselves some bonus weather days and especially so with the cooler mornings, evenings, and nights.  A big bright sunny one again today had Pheebs and I out the door shortly after 8 a.m.  Slipped through Bayfield on our way out to the countryside.

PLACID LAKE HURON WATERS THIS MORNING AND NOTICE THE CLARITY IN THE WATER

NICE MORNING FOR A STROLL ON THE SOUTH PIER AS WELL AS SOME FISHING

MORE BOATS IN THE WATER EVERY DAY

THAT'S QUITE THE CATARMARAN

With a gentle cooling breeze, we were able to walk along a treed lane dividing a couple young cornfields.  A few bugs in the air but they were not a problem.  So nice to hear the twitters and chortles of our many songbirds along the way as they twitted from tree to tree alongside us.  It was like we were being serenaded by a traveling feathery minstrel band.  Couldn't help but think how some days are just so much nicer than other days.

FOUND A NUMBER OF THESE FLOWERING SHRUBS ON OUR WALK THIS MORNING

Home again shortly after 10 I surprised myself by parking the Jeep near our water hose.  That could only mean one thing.  Yes, I was going to wash the Jeep.  And wash the Jeep I did despite the rising temperature.  I'll have to save the interior clean-up for another day when I am able to sneak up and surprise myself again.

THESE GROUND HUGGING FLOWERS WERE IN A NEW CORNFIELD

YOU CAN SEE CORNSTALKS HERE AND BELOW ARE BABY APPLES

A few hours after the Jeep wash I suddenly found myself back outside almost in a state of shock cleaning the sunroom windows.  Now, where did that come from?  I hate cleaning windows!!  Is it all the Vitamins I'm taking, my big change in eating habits, my 3-pound weight drop, or what??  Why be out in the heat doing a job I don't like such as cleaning windows.  Well, a few days ago we had our annual pine pollen dump and our windows were coated with a fine yellowish talcum like powder.  Figured if I wanted to continue taking a few bird photos now and again I had better wash that pollen off the windows so I could see the birds.  So, that's what I did and that's my excuse:))

A BUSY BEE ON A DANDELION

Although it took me three attempts at Bloggers new format I must say I have finally got onto it and yes, they have made some welcome improvements and got rid of some annoying bugs.  A slightly different way of loading photos seems to be an improvement and I'm not having as many 'spacing problems' as before. (well until tonight that is)  Blogger is still not up to 'Live Writer's' standards but it is an improvement.

WE SURE HAVE SOME NICE WALKING ARREAS AROUND THE COUNTRYSIDE

Being a very opinionated person it is not always easy for me to navigate my daily blog along the narrow path of neutrality through a minefield of radical and controversial issues.  It is not my intention to inflame readers but every once and a while something comes along that I feel needs to be said.  Something I believe and know to be right.  I, like many others, have had a few brushes with the law over the years.  For me it was a long time ago, nothing serious and amounted to half a dozen speeding tickets with another half dozen things alcohol-related including two DWI charges.  My interactions with the police were always positive.  I knew I was in the wrong and they were only doing their job.  And rightfully so.  It's a job by the way that I know I could never have done.  I was never belligerent and always cooperative with the police.  I was brought up in an age when the word 'respect' still meant something.  Below is an article I came across today that pretty much echos how I feel.  I don't totally agree with the opening lines of the article where the writer overly lumps 'all of our younger society' into one bad bundle but I understand clearly what the writer is getting at.  Aside from that the article pretty much hits the nail on the head.  I do agree police also need to be retrained in certain areas as well........... {Quote} It's not the police who need to be retrained, it's the public. We have grown into a mouthy, cell phone wielding, vulgar, uncivil society with no personal responsibility and the attitude of 'it's the other person's fault', 'you owe me'. A society where children grow up with no boundaries or knowledge or concern for civil society and personal responsibility. 

When an officer says "Put your hands up," then put your hands up! Don't reach for something in your pocket, your lap, your seat. There's plenty of reason for a police officer to feel threatened, there have been multiple assaults and ambushes on police officers lately. Comply with requests from the officer, have your day in court. Don't mouth off, or fight, or refuse to comply... that escalates the situation. 

Police officers are our sons and daughters, fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters. They're black, white, brown, all colors, all ethnicities, all faiths, male and female, they are us. They see the worst side of humanity... the raped children, the bloody mangled bodies of traffic victims, the bruised and battered victims of domestic violence, homicide victims, body parts... day after day.

They work holidays while we have festive meals with our families. They miss school events with their kids, birthdays, anniversaries, all those special occasions that we take for granted. They work in all types of weather, under dangerous conditions, for relatively low pay. 

They have extensive training, but they are human. When there are numerous attacks on them, they become hyper-vigilant for a reason, they have become targets. When a police officer encounters any person... any person, whether at a traffic stop, a street confrontation, an arrest, whatever... that situation has the potential to become life-threatening. You, Mr & Mrs/Miss Civilian, also have the responsibility of keeping the situation from getting out of control. 

Many law enforcement officers are Veterans. They've been in service to this nation most of their lives, whether on the battlefield or protecting us here at home. They are the only thing that stands between us and anarchy in the streets.  If you want to protect your child, teach them respect.  {Unquote)

Now, on a much lighter note, I suggest you click on this link, And God Made A Dog.  A lot of honest and sincere wisdom here.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A guy burned both of his ears... so they were asking him at the hospital how it happened. He said, ''I was ironing my clothing and the phone rang... So, instead of the phone I picked up the iron and burned my ear...'' ''But how the heck did you burn the other ear?'' The doctor asked. ''They called back.''

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I went to the pet shop and asked for 12 bees. The clerk counted out 13 bees and handed them over. “You’ve given me one too many” I said.  The clerk said, “That one is a freebie”.

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THE DREADED DEER FLIES WERE WAITING FOR US:((

I SEE A COLORFUL ROOSTER ON THE RIGHT PREACHING TO HIS EQUALLY COLORFUL FLOCK ON THE LEFT

Thought Pheebs and I would get an earlier start this morning but it wasn't early enough to beat the heat.  No Mosquitos but the dreaded Deer Flies were airborne and waiting for us at the Hullett-Marsh.  Had hoped to walk along atop one of the berms and maybe get a few long-range Blue Heron photos with my Nikon CP900 but Deer Flies ruled the day and we had to beat a hasty retreat back to the Jeep.  Didn't figure there was any point in going anywhere else so we headed home.  Finished up a few things outside then retreated into the house and cranked up my cooling fans.  And that was it for my day with the exception of an afternoon doggy walk paying particular attention to staying in the cool shade out of the hot Sun.

NOT MUCH GOING ON AT THE MARSH THIS MORNING AND ONLY TOOK THESE FEW PHOTOS....RED WING BLACKBIRD BELOW

ACTUALLY, THIS WAS A SHRUB ALONGSIDE THE ROAD BACK-LIT BY THE MORNING SUN

GROANER'S CORNER:((  If the refrigerator and TV weren't so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all.
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- Never, under any circumstances take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

- Did you hear about the paper cowboy? 

He was caught rustling.

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The owner of a drug store walks in to find a guy leaning heavily against a wall. The owner asks the clerk, "What's with that guy over there by the wall?" The clerk says, "Well, he came in here this morning to get something for his cough. I couldn't find the cough syrup, so I gave him an entire bottle of laxative." The owner says, "You idiot! You can't treat a cough with laxatives!"  The clerk says, "Oh yeah? Look at him, he's afraid to cough!"

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