TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Thursday, January 06, 2022

I THINK OLD MAN WINTER IS HERE TO STAY

A few posts ago I mentioned about gaining 4 pounds over Christmas and the drastic cutbacks I have made since then. 'Drastic' is maybe a little over the top but I did have to make cutbacks. I think I mentioned something about eliminating bananas from my morning shakes and that is still in effect. I've cut my orange juice intake by over two-thirds and I have eliminated honey completely from my numerous gobs of little peanut butter snacks throughout the day. I had bought myself some 'weight watchers' bread but then fell into the habit of a slice of toast smeared with honey in the morning. I have stopped my morning toast habit. I have one brown sugar cube in my main coffee each morning but had got into the habit of putting brown sugar cubes into my mid-morning and after supper decaffeinated coffees as well. I have eliminated those sugar cubes in both decaffeinated coffees. A bag of salt and vinegar potatoes chips had been left on a kitchen cupboard and I found myself snaggling them every time I walked by. And I stumbled and fell over a chocolate cupcake with about a three-foot-tall head of vanilla icing on it. I have also stopped sneaking a coconut cookie after supper!! And of course, with this colder weather, I have not been getting the same walking exercise I had been doing a couple weeks ago. My diabetic person suggested walking on the indoor track at Goderich's Fitness Complex but the thought of walking around a big oval with a bunch of other people does not appeal to me at all. And having to do it with a mask on appeals to me even less. I'm not against wearing a mask but I do have my limits. Several times I've seen people alone in their vehicles driving along with a mask on. What the heck is that all about!! Oops, I'm off topic again.

LOOKING OUT OUR LIVING ROOM WINDOW THIS MORNING I THOUGHT TO MYSELF IT LOOKS LIKE OLD MAN WINTER IS HERE TO STAY

A COUPLE PICTURES IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING

BY GOLLY THAT'S OUR PLACE

On the Sirius Satellite radio in the Jeep I have several favorite music channels I listen to and one of them is 'Chill' on channel 053. I like the heavy bass instrumentals they play. Unfortunately, they have a lot of really sappy vocals on here as well and I always have to tune them out. I don't want to go as far as saying 'music isn't what it used to be' but.......It seems trendy nowadays for singers to annoyingly repeat over and over and over a single word or a line. There is one song played on Chill that keeps repeating a line that I couldn't understand (nothing new there) so when I got home this morning I looked up the lyrics. Here is the lyrics. And they call this music!!!! &##!!*% The unintelligible line 'Wrong this time' is repeated 38 times. Even I could write a better song than this. The name of this piece of @%*! is 'Because You Move Me' by Tinlicker and Helsloot. I do like the heavy beat instrumental part though. Because You Move Me

Move me

Baby, don't you prove me

Wrong this time

Because you move me

Baby, don't you prove me

Wrong this time

Because you move me

Baby, don't you prove me

Wrong this time

Because you move me

Baby, don't you prove me

Wrong this time

Because you move me

Baby, don't you prove me

Wrong this time

Because you

Baby, don't you prove me

Wrong this time

Because you move me

Baby, don't you prove me

Wrong this time

(Because you move me)

(Move me)

(Baby don't you)

I rest my case!!!!!!

SNOWPLOWS AND BLOWERS WERE OUT THIS MORNING

LOOKS LIKE SOMEONE THOUGHT OH TO HECK WITH IT, HUNG THEIR COAT ON A TREE ,AND JUST WALKED OFF INTO THE FOREST

It snowed more in the night so this morning we woke up with about 3 inches of the white stuff on the ground. Pheebs and I slipped into and around Bayfield looking for some photos. Winds were whipping the snow around so I had no interest in even getting out of the Jeep. We never got above the freezing mark all day.

ICE IS BEGINNING TO BUILD UP AND COAT BAYFIELD'S PIERS

ICE IS ALSO THICKENING UP EACH DAY IN THE BAYFIELD RIVER

MOVING SNOW AROUND ON BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

Spent some time on the end of my shovel late this morning clearing out the pathways I have all over the place. The snow was light and fluffy and not deep so it hardly even constituted a work-out. Might be a different story Friday morning because when I last looked out it was still snowing tonight.

WE SLIPPED OUT FOR A SHORT COUNTRY ROAD DRIVE NEAR BAYFIELD

FINALLY, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS IGOT LUCKY ENOUGH THIS MORNING TO GET A FEW PHOTOS OF THESE ELUSIVE AND FLIGHTY SNOW BUNTINGS

Both Kelly and Pheebs fell on our icy Park road this morning while out for a walk. Pheebs fell again getting into the Jeep and yet again when she jumped out of the Jeep. I've noticed lately that she has been slowing down and having difficulty getting in and out of the Jeep. I am going to start using our steel fold-out mobile RV step to help her in and out of the Jeep. She's not totally deaf but her hearing is going and I can see her aging. She sleeps a lot now and that may have to do with her poor hearing and not hearing things around her. In human years she is about 85. It makes me so sad to see her changing now in her senior years and especially lately.

DRIVING SLOWLY ALONG THIS MORNING A BIG BARKING FARM DOG CAME RACING OUT THE LANE RIGHT UP TO PHEEBS OPEN WINDOW CAUSING PHEEBS TO QUICKLY JUMP INTO THE BACK SEAT

AN OLD STUMP WAVES TO US GOING BY

BEECH TREE LEAVES

Of course, much of my afternoon was spent reading again, and every once and awhile I will look up and think how fortunate I really am despite all my cold weather complaining and bemoaning the fact we had to stay home for another winter. I should be so lucky that I am in such a nice warm place with pleasant surroundings and no worries of having to be at work someplace. Or having to be somewhere for some kind of medical appointment somewhere. I must learn to appreciate these days more while they are here and while they last because someday they will be gone and I will look back at this era of my life as 'the good old days'. My own saying of, 'The Only Thing Better Than Right Now Will Someday Be The Memories Of Right Now' will have come full circle.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A clergyman walking down a country lane and sees a young farmer struggling to load hay back onto a cart after it had fallen off. "You look hot, my son," said the cleric. "why don't you rest a moment, and I'll give you a hand." "No thanks," said the young man. "My father wouldn't like it." "Don't be silly," the minister said. "Everyone is entitled to a break. Come and have a drink of water." Again the young man protested that his father would be upset. Losing his patience, the clergyman said, "Your father must be a real slave driver. Tell me where I can find him and I'll give him a piece of my mind!" "Well," replied the young farmer, "he's under the load of hay."

------------------------------

====================

Wednesday, January 05, 2022

WHICH OF COURSE IS THE HOMESTRETCH TO CROCUS FLOWERS IN EARLY APRIL

'HEY CLIVE' DON'T FENCE ME IN

Pheebs and I didn't have any real reason to head for Goderich this morning so off to Goderich we went. With a weather warning in place, we started off in a light drizzle. By the time we got to Goderich, there were a few flakes of snow in the air being whisked about by a strong southerly wind. Grabbed a McDonalds coffee and headed on down to the harbor.

KELLY PUT OUT A COUPLE ORANGE SLICES ON OUR CORKSCREW TREE THIS MORNING

JUNCO

THESE RASCALLY FRONT YARD SQUIRRELS SURE DO KEEP AN ON ME

I was surprised to see two large lake freighters at anchor on the north side of the harbor. We slipped out to the Cove's dog walking area but with the wind and blowing wet snow there were no thoughts of a walk.

HEADING FOR THE COVE'S DOG WALKING AREA WAY OVER THERE AT THE TOP RIGHT

THE ICE AND SNOW ALONG THE SHORELINE IS BUILDING

FIRST TIME I'VE SEEN TWO LARGE SHIPS DOCKED ON THAT SIDE OF THE HARBOR...USUALLY ONLY ONE

THE ONE ON THE RIGHT IS THE ALGOMA SAULT

AND THIS ONE ON THE LEFT IS THE ALGOMA BUFFALO

GODERICH'S FISHING FLEET IS SAFELY IN HARBOR

From the south harbor area, we slipped through town over to the north side to have a closer look at the two large ships. I could tell right away from their high waterlines neither one was carrying any cargo so I assume they are docked there to ride out of the winter.

THS SNOW IS PICKING UP

PUTTING THE PASSENGER WINDOW DOWN TO TAKE A PICTURE A BIG WALLUP OF SNOW QUICKLY BLEW RIGHT IN ON US GUYS
With the storm picking up I figured we had better head for home in case it really gets bad with road closures, etc.

I THINK IT'S ABOUT TIME WE GET OUT OF HERE AND HEAD FOR HOME
IT WAS SNOWING HEAVILY AS WE MADE OUR WAY THROUGH GODERICH
HEADING EAST OUT OF GODERICH ON HIGHWAY 8
TURNED RIGHT ON PORTERS HILL LINE HEADING SOUTH
Luckily, the further south we went the more the weather improved. and by the time we got home, there were only a few flurries in the air. But, that was soon to change and by early afternoon we had growing bands of snow blowing through our front yard.

A COUPLE PARK RESIDENTS TRUCKING ON BY IN THE BLOWING COLD SNOW THIS AFTERNOON
Just think, a month from now the first week of February will almost be over with only 3 short weeks to go to the beginning of March which of course is the homestretch to crocus flowers in early April:))

A COUPLE OF OUR FRONT YARD'S BLUE NIGHT LIGHTS
GROANER'S CORNER:)) A magician was working on a cruise ship in the Caribbean. The audience would be different each week, so the magician allowed himself to do the same tricks over and over again. There was only one problem: The captain's parrot saw the shows every week and began to understand what the magician does in every trick. Once he understood that, he started shouting in the middle of the show: Look, it's not the same hat. Look, he is hiding the flowers under the table! Hey, why are all the cards the Ace of Spades? The magician was furious but couldn't do anything, it was the captain's parrot after all. One day the ship had an accident and sunk. The magician found himself on a piece of wood, in the middle of the ocean, with the parrot of course. They stared at each other with hate, but did not utter a word. This went on for a day, and another, and another. After a week the parrot finally said: OK. I give up. What'd you do with the boat ?

---------------------------

This is my step ladder...I never knew my real ladder.

----------------------------

Dear God, so far today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, and I haven't lost my temper. I haven't been grumpy, nasty, or selfish, and I'm really glad of that! But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot of help. Thank you! Amen.

-------------------------------