MORE OF THIS SAME WEATHER THURSDAY

Our overnight rain finally turned into a light snowfall this morning and continued all day.  It's still snowing as I write this tonight. Temperatures remained above freezing throughout the day and with all that rainwater added to the snow plus today's melting there is going to be a lot of weight on people's roofs. The wet slushy snow I shoveled four times today was exceptionally heavy.  I even had to get our long 15' snow rake out to pull some of that heavy wet stuff down off our roof. 

 OUR SNOWY FRONT YARD WAS A VERY BUSY PLACE FOR BIRDS TODAY

 A CARDINAL COUPLE

Pheebs doesn't have any problem jumping up on our couch but for training purposes, we have put the doggy-step beside the couch for her to get used to.  Easier to do that inside right now as opposed to outside in this wet snow.  She's getting better at using the doggy-step but it's no slamdunk yet.  We have 3 sets of outside steps to get into and out of our place and Pheebs has no problems or hesitation coming up or going down them.  That's why we opted for the 'two-step stairs' figuring she would get onto it easier.

The Jeep stayed in the carport this morning.  I had no desire to go anywhere so the only photos I took were through our sunroom windows.  There was a lot of frantic bird activity going on.  Birds seem to know they have to eat and stockpile as much food as possible in snowy weather.  Many of them strap on the feedbag and eat so much I don't know how they can fly.  And it looks like we are in for more of this same weather Thursday.      

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A woman goes to a psychiatrist and says, ''Doctor, you've got to do something about my husband -- he thinks he's a refrigerator!''  ''I wouldn't worry too much about it,'' the doctor replies. 'Lots of people have harmless delusions. It will pass.''  ''But you don't understand,'' the woman insists. ''He sleeps with his mouth open, and the little light keeps me awake.''

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I've never understood why women love cats. Cats are independent, they don't listen, they don't come in when you call, they like to stay out all night, and when they're home they like to be left alone and sleep.  In other words, every quality that women hate in a man, they love in a cat.

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UPS DELIVERED PHEEBS DOGGY-STEP TODAY

 A BAYFIELD COUPLE'S MORNING STROLL ON THE SOUTH PIER

Despite our thermometer actually moving up to a few degrees above freezing it still felt cold outside with a wind chill factor of 19F.  Hey, at least it's finally February.  And, with a winter storm coming in overnight, Wiarton Willie in Wiarton Ontario is not going to see his groundhog shadow in the morning.  And that's gotta be one big 'Yabba Dabba Dooooo' for an early Spring:)) 

A short drive into Bayfield and back this morning netted me a few photos and a shaky video of Lake Huron's current winter condition.  Easterly winds have blown much of the ice out into the lake so there is a lot of water visible.  The next westerly wind will likely blow the large ice pack back into shore.  And so it goes.

UPS delivered Pheebs doggy-step this afternoon.  We had quite a time figuring out how to assemble it, but alas with a few taps from a rubber mallet we were able to fit the parts together.  It's well made and solid.  Using a slice of weiner, we were finally able to entice her up the steps.....but only once.  She would not go up the steps again despite even two slices of weiner and some scrambled eggs.  However, later on, we were able to make some progress.  

 UNPACKING THE DOGGY-STEP

 KELLY HAS MORE BETTER BRAINS THAN ME FOR FIGURING OUT THE INSTRUCTIONS

 SHE KEEPS JUMPING UP ALONG THE SIDE INSTEAD OF COMING UP THE STEPS

 WITH A WEE BIT OF INGENUITY ON OUR PART AND A FEW MORE WELL PLACED SNACKS WE WERE ABLE  TO GET PHEEBS TO USE THE STEPS 4 MORE TIMES

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Welcome to the Psychiatric Hotline::

If you are obsessive-compulsive, please press 1 repeatedly.

If you are co-dependent, please ask someone to press 2.  

If you have multiple personalities, please press 3, 4, 5, and 6.

If you are paranoid-delusional, we know who you are and what you want. Just stay on the line so we can trace the call.

If you are schizophrenic, listen carefully and a little voice will tell you which number to press.

If you are manic-depressive, it doesn't matter which number you press. No one will answer.  If you are anxious, just start pressing numbers at random.

If you are phobic, don't press anything.
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Two Iranians met in California. One started to greet the other in the language of their mother country.  The other Iranian motioned for him to stop and said, "We're in America now...... Speak Spanish!"

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A PHOTOLESS POST

 
It is very rare for me to publish a post without any photos but I didn't like either of the two photos I did take today so 'wallaaaa'......no photos.  

Sunshine today and how nice to see some melting and dripping going on outside our south-facing sunroom windows.  While outside I could feel a slight touch of warmth in the sun's rays.  Every little bit helps at this time of year here in the cold air, ice, and snow.

Pheebs was hesitant about climbing into the Jeep this morning so I didn't try to coax her.  Good thing we didn't cancel that stair-step thingy we ordered from Amazon.  It should be here in a couple days.

Needing a few things in Goderich I headed off by myself.  I was home again in about an hour and a half.  There wasn't any new snow to shovel so I shoveled some old snow off the driveway.  It was a good excuse to be outside soaking up a little sunshine.  The air was 25F.  Sure glad this month of January is only hours away from finally being over.  I don't know where we will be next year at this time but I sure hope it is somewhere warm!!

GROANER'S CORNER:((   Mike and Dan are in a mental institution that has an annual contest that picks two of the best patients and gives them two questions. If they answer correctly, they are released.  Mike is called into the doctor's office first. The doctor says, Mike, what would happen if I poked out one of your eyes?  Mike says I'd be half-blind.  That's correct. What would happen if I poked out both your eyes?  I'd be completely blind. The doctor tells him that he is free to go. On Mike's way out he tells Dan the questions and answers.  The doctor asks Dan, What would happen if I cut off one of your ears?  Dan says Id be half-blind.  The doctor, slightly puzzled, continues, What would happen if I cut off both your ears?  I'd be completely blind.  Dan, how can you explain that you would be blind? asks the doctor.  Well, replies Dan, without my ears my hat would fall down over my eyes and I wouldn't be able to see anything.  I'd be completely blind.

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Finding one of her students making faces at others on the playground, Ms. Smith stopped to gently reprove the child.  Smiling sweetly, the Sunday school teacher said, "Johnny, when I was a child, I was told if that I made ugly faces, it would freeze and I would stay like that."  Johnny looked up and replied, "Well, Ms Smith, you can't say you weren't warned."

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YET ANOTHER WINTER'S DAY

 ANTARCTICA??  NOPE, THAT'S BAYFIELD'S BEACH

Clouds returned but at least it wasn't as cold as Friday or Saturday morning.  Decided to save some gas today so I stayed in except for later on when I realized we were low on coffee cream.

 AND YES, THAT IS ACTUALLY BLUE ICE YOU SEE OUT THERE

 I'M ASSUMING THESE ARE ICE FISHERMEN ON BAYFIELD'S RIVER

Slipped into Bayfield's Foodland supermarket and grabbed the cream before heading to the carwash to hose all the corrosive road salt off the Jeep.  A few pics of Lake Huron's frozen water and I was soon home again.  A few photos of the front yard gang and that was about it for yet another cold winter's day.

DUE TO THE DAILY MOURNING DOVE SMORGASBOARD, THIS MALE CARDINAL COULD HARDLY FIND A SPOT AT THE TABLE

 WELL WASN'T THAT NICE, THEY CLEARED A SPOT FOR HIM

 THREE OF FOUR BUNNIES IN THE FRONT YARD

 JUNCOVILLE

 OH MY, SITTING SO PRETTY

Just think, a month from right now we will already be two days into March which means we'll only be twenty-nine days away from the first of April.  Grab your boots and hold on:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((   On a rural road, a state trooper pulled this farmer over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?"  To which the farmer replied: "Thank God, I thought I had gone deaf!"

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Doctor: "I've got some bad news and some really bad news. The bad news is you only have a week to live."  Patient: "What could be worse news than that?"  Doctor: "I've been trying to contact you for the last 6 days."

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GUESS WHO JUMPED INTO THE JEEP THIS MORNING:))

Surprisingly, we had another sunny morning but oh my was it cold at -3F.  Looking forward to this coming Tuesday's shorts and sandals heatwave at 36F.

EVEN THIS AIRPLANE LOOKS COLD

It had been a couple weeks since Pheebs last jumped up on my bed but by golly, this morning she did just that.  So, with that encouraging sign, I thought there would be a chance she might also jump into the Jeep.  She was chomping at the bit to get outside and get going so we hurried out to the Jeep.  I opened the back door and sure enough, she jumped right in.  How nice to have my best Pal sitting right beside me in the navigator's seat again:))  We immediately headed out into the countryside to dust up a few country roads.  And yes, where there were bare spots the gravel roads were definitely dusty.

 NICE TO HAVE LITTLE CHIEF SILLY BEANS BACK IN THE JEEP

 OVERNIGHT ICE CRYSTALS ON THE BRANCHES

Circling around a few country blocks snapping a few photos we slowly made our way over to Bubba's house.  Pheebs hadn't seen her best buddy Bubba for quite a while and luckily, Bubba and Richard were home.  Pheebs ate Bubba's food while Richard fixed us a coffee.  Chatting away for a couple hours it was a Saturday morning well spent.  Pheebs and I were home shortly after noon.

Of course, Pheebs jumped into the Jeep this morning because yesterday from Amazon we ordered a two-step doggy stair to help her get in and out of the Jeep.  After Pheebs surprised us this morning we thought of canceling the step-stair thingy but reconsidered.  We'll see how she does in the upcoming days. The doggy-step should arrive next Thursday so we will see how it goes.  Sure was nice looking over this morning and seeing my Pal sitting there again:)))))

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A man follows a woman out of a movie theatre. She has a dog on a leash.  He stops her and says, "I'm sorry to bother you, but I couldn't help but notice that your dog was really into the movie. He cried at the right spots, he moved nervously in his seat at the boring parts, but most of all, he laughed like crazy at the funny parts. Did you find that unusual??"  "Yes," she replied, "I found it very unusual ... because he hated the book!"

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A hillbilly was making his first visit to a hospital where his teenage son was about to have an operation.  Watching the doctor's every move, he asked, "What's that?"  The doctor explained, "This is an anesthetic. After he gets this he won't know a thing."  "Save your time, Doc," exclaimed the man. "He don't know nothing now."

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