DAYS AND NIGHTS WILL SOON BE COOLER AND I WILL HEAR THE CHIRPING OF CRICKETS

RURAL SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

Pheebs and I followed the Jeeps windshield wipers out the driveway, down the road, and into Bayfield for a little drive around the village.  Not much going on but did notice progress on the gas bar canopy at the Tim Horton coffee shop site.  

Kind of a gloomy morning so we turned around planning to head home until I noticed a small patch of blue sky out over the lake.  Soon more patches of blue appeared and the rain stopped. We quickly switched course and set sail for the Hullett Marsh.  No sooner there when morning's Sun really began heating up the already moisture-laden air making it too hot and sticky for me.  Wasn't long before we turned around for the second time this morning and made tracks for home.

ONE OF MANY BEAN FIELDS IN THE AREA

A QUIET MORNING IN THE MARSH

I BELIEVE THAT TO BE A WHITE EGRET ON THE LEFT AND A BLUE HERON ON THE RIGHT

No sooner back when I noticed the sky clouding over again so that allowed me, with less humidity in the air, to head outside and resume my cleaning and waxing project on the Winnie.  Got an hour in before having to retreat inside and throw my old soggy sack of bones into the shower.  The passenger side is now done with the back cap nearly being done as well.  Next, I will tackle the driver's side but not until this miserable humidity backs off some more.

A LARGE FLOCK OF CANADA GEESE GLEANING A HARVESTED WHEAT FIELD

It was early afternoon when all three of us piled into our Winnie Spirit and took her for a needed run around our big country block.  It's important to keep that engine battery charged up.

OUT FOR A SHORT TOOT AROUND THE BLOCK

Sometimes after supper, we all pile into the Jeep and take a short drive around on the Park's newer roads to see how they are progressing.  Monday night we noticed how much one new section of road had almost been washed out where it crosses a creek.  This torrent of rain happened Friday night and Saturday morning.

FAST FLOWING RUN-OFF WATER HAS ERODED A PART OF THE NEW ROAD AND DID YOU SEE KELLY TOP LEFT??

HAD IT KEPT RAINING THIS MIGHT HAVE BEEN THE START OF CANADA'S OWN GRAND CANYON

A BEND IN THE ROAD

I am so much looking forward to the change of seasons this year and with any luck, the very first signs of that change should begin very shortly.  For years I would first notice those signs around the middle of August with the exception of the last couple years and especially last year when it stayed hot right through September.  With global warming, it's possible the weather patterns have now changed but I'm hoping not.  With luck, I will shortly notice a change in the air.  Hopefully, the humidity will soon be gone as daytime temperatures slowly drop.  Nights will be cooler and I will soon begin to hear the chirping of Crickets.  And oh how I love that sound.  As days become noticeably shorter and forests quieter flying insects are no longer an annoyance.  There will come an early touch of Fall in the air.  A feeling of calmness, a feeling of slowing down. I like this time as we edge toward September knowing we are about to slip into my favorite season of the year.  The sheer magic of Autumn.....I am counting the days:))))

GROANER'S CORNER:((   While sports fishing off the Florida coast, a tourist capsized his boat. He could swim, but his fear of alligators kept him clinging to the overturned craft.  Spotting an old beachcomber standing on the shore, the tourist shouted, "are there any gators around here?!"  "Naw," the man hollered back, "Ain't been any for years!"  Feeling safe, the tourist started swimming toward the shore. About halfway there he asked the guy, "How'd you get rid of the gators?"  "We didn't do nothin'," the beachcomber said. "The sharks got 'em."

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“When the hockey season was suspended our Zamboni driver went missing. We weren't worried as we knew he would resurface.”

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So a burglar broke into my house...
I put the red dot on his chest and my cat did the rest!

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I DO WELL UNDERSTAND AND ACCEPT THE SERIOUSNESS OF IT

 

Our heat and humidity have returned again and that, of course, has me grumbling but I'll try not to burden you with too much of my grumble so let's move on shall we.

Okaaaaaay, alrighty then, where do I go from here??  Oh Dear......well it was up to Goderich for Pheebs and I 'again'.  Quick stop at Walmart and another one at the Canadian Tire Store.  Say, didn't we just do that same thing a couple days ago?  Down to the harbor and Cove beach area we went to savor a few shady minutes in the cool breeze coming off Lake Huron's placid waters.  Homeward bound there were no windows down to enjoy cool air swooshing through the Jeep.  Just didn't have any cool air to swoosh.  We rolled along with windows rolled up tight and the A/C maxed out.  Pulled into our carport and quickly transitioned from cool Jeep air to cool house air.  And that was it for the day as far as getting anything outside done.  

WE DO HAVE A LOT OF PINE TREES AROUND OUR HOUSE

OUR SUNBURST LOCUST TREE STANDS GREEN AGAINST OUR DAY'S BLUE SKY

The house beside us has been sold with new owners taking possession at the end of this month.  We now wait with fingers tightly crossed that the owners will be older, mature, and quiet respectful people.  It is the way our Park is supposed to be and for the most part, almost always has been.  'PLEASE'.......no noisy neighbors with loud music, slamming car doors, and late Saturday night parties.  Come October 31rst we will have been living here in our little Park for 18 years and we'd kinda like to stay for a few more years if we can.  And mentioning our Park.....as far as we can figure it is no longer for sale.  There was a deal on the table a year ago but it fell through.  A marriage split up between our Park's owners blew everything sky high and when the dust settled it seems the male side of the marriage split has taken over sole ownership of the Park.  Work continues on the new Park roads back through the forest with the proposed intention of 'someday' adding new units to the Park.  Keyword there of course is 'someday'.  As far as we are concerned......the longer the better.

So I go into the Canadian Tire Store this morning with my little notebook in hand to look for a few items.  I have one of those items in my hand when I notice a store customer walk by me with a mask on.  Then I see another customer down the aisle with a mask on as well.  But it wasn't until I saw the third masked person that my mind clued in.  I put my hand up to my face and sure enough, I didn't have a mask on.  I had totally forgotten to do that.  Well, I felt like I might just as well have been standing there without my pants on.  I quickly returned the item I had in my hand to the shelf and hustled myself back out the door before I became the rather obvious center of unwanted attention.  Retrieving my mask from the Jeep I re-entered the store, resumed my shopping, and quickly got the heck out of there so I could once again resume my normal breathing.  Just two short days ago Kelly did the same thing when she accidentally entered two stores without her mask on too.  This mask-wearing is taking a bit of getting used to but I do well understand and accept the seriousness of it.

A LONE SUNBURST LOCUST LEAF HANGS MOTIONLESS IN THE SULTRY AFTERNOON AIR

GROANER'S CORNER:((   10 Reasons Why God Created Eve::
10. God worried that Adam would always be lost in the garden because he knew men would never ask directions.
9. God knew that Adam would one day need someone to hand him the TV remote because men don't want to see what's on television, they want to see WHAT ELSE is on television. 

8. God knew that Adam would never buy a new fig leaf when the seat wore out and therefore would need Eve to get one for him.
7. God knew that Adam would never make a doctor's appointment for himself.
6. God knew that Adam would never remember which night was garbage night.
5. God knew that if the world was to be populated there would have to be someone to bear children because men would never be able to handle it.  

4. As 'Keeper of the Garden' Adam would never remember where he put his tools.
3. The scripture account of creation indicates that Adam needed someone to blame his troubles on when God caught him hiding in the garden.
2. As the Bible says, 'It is not good for man to be alone.' He only ends up getting himself in trouble.
AND the #1 REASON WHY GOD CREATED EVE is ...
When God had finished the creation of Adam, He stepped back, scratched his head and said, 'I KNOW I can do better than THIS!!'

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“The butcher asked if I wanted my meat measured in pounds or kilograms. I said either weigh would do.”

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OF COURSE MY PUTTER POWER IS LIMITED BUT I DO LIKE TO DO WHAT I ENJOYABLY CAN

 

OUR PASTORAL NEIGHBORHOOD

Thunder boomers packing lightning and bouts of heavy rain came in the night drumming on our roof and waking up the inhabitants.  Naturally, and of course, our power went off again just long enough to screw up three indoor digital clocks and all five outside light timers.  By morning light puddles in the driveway told us a fair bit of water had fallen from the sky.  According to Rick Kaptein at Tulip Lane Farms less than a mile down the road from us, we had 5.5 inches of rain in under 4 hours.  (Rick's the guy with the Highland furry face cows) Some flooding here in our Park I hear.  And for a while after daybreak, it just kept coming and coming even as Pheebs and I took ourselves for a sloshing drive around a big country block and back home again.

LAKE HURON WATERS CONTINUE TO CHIP AWAY AT WHAT'S LEFT OF BAYFIELD'S BEACH

Rains finally let up about 9:30 and not wanting to waste our cooler morning air I got myself right back outside to continue with the Winniegator's waxing.   Well 'Duhhhhh', the rig was all wet from the rain so there was no waxing anything.  Now as odd as it may sound I got the water hose and dish soap out, mixed me up a pail of suds and washed and scrubbed down the whole driver's side in preparation for applying some wax later when it finally dried.  Or at least I seem to recall doing something like that anyway.  Although a lot of elbow grease goes into all this shining and polishing stuff I'm glad I have a project to work on and constructively focus my too often idle attention on.  I'm also relieved by the fact I can still physically do the work and look at the multiple trips up and down my ladder as good exercise.  Plus, for a guy, how great to have a nice vehicle to putter around with.  Of course, my putter power is limited but I do like to do what I enjoyably can.  

And, regarding my Saturday post.....I totally forgot to put a link in for my good buddy Jim's blog.  You can find him at Lifetime Sentences.  He's most always got himself some clever humor going on over there.  He might have you chuckling before you even knew you were mad at yourself:))

OUR PARK'S POND IS FULL

PATHWAY FROM THE POND TO OUR HOUSE

Waiting for the rig to dry I dozed off in my sunroom recliner and when I woke up an hour later around 1 p.m. the Sun was shining.  So, it was back outside again I went.  The rig was already drying off nicely and parts that weren't I squeegeed.  Kelly worked away at getting some sticky plastic privacy stuff of the side door's window.  The passenger side clean-up is 90% done, the back is about 60% done and the driver's side is about 20% done, so I've got a ways to go yet.  And I am finally seeing shiny results beginning to appear:))))

GROANER'S CORNER:((    The European Union commissioners have announced that an agreement has been reached to adopt English as the preferred language for European communications, rather than German, which was the other possibility. As part of the negotiations, the British government conceded that English spelling had some room for improvement and has accepted a five year phased plan for what will be known as EuroEnglish (Euro for short).  In the first year, "s" will be used instead of the soft "c". Sertainly, sivil servants will reseive this news with joy.  Also, the hard "c" will be replaced with "k". Not only will this klear up konfusion, but typewriters kan have one less letter.  There will be growing public enthusiasm in the sekond year, when the troublesome "ph" will be replased by "f". This will make words like "fotograf" 20 persent shorter.  In the third year, publik akseptanse of the new spelling kan be expekted to reach the stage where more komplikated changes are possible. Governments will enkorage the removal of double letters, which have always ben a deterent to akurate speling. Also, al wil agre that the horible mes of silent "e"s in the language is disgrasful, and they would go.  By the fourth year, peopl wil be reseptiv to steps such as replasing "th" by "z" and "w" by "v".  During ze fifz year, ze unesesary "o" kan be dropd from vords kontaining "ou", and similar changes vud, of kors, be aplid to ozer kombinations of leters.  Und efter ze fifz yer, ve vil al be speking German lik zey vunted in ze forst plas.

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