I HAD BETTER GET TO WORK ON THIS 'ALWAYS ASSUMING THINGS' MIND OF MINE

 SO NICE TO SEE BLUE SKIES AT THIS TIME OF YEAR

With a cloudy overcast and temperatures somewhere down around 10F this morning it was quite a time I had trying to convince myself to go out and fire up the Jeep.  The farthest I got was the birdfeeder.  However, a couple hours later I saw a shaft of sunlight beam down through our skylight to land gently on the sunroom floor right beside the computer desk.  Minutes after that, Pheebs and I were out the door and headed off into the snowy countryside.

 NO, WE DIDN'T ATTEMPT TO GO DOWN THIS ROAD

Although it wasn't too far we went, we did travel slowly around a couple big country blocks.  Roads were snowy but it wasn't snowing and the winds weren't a problem as long as we stayed in the Jeep where we were nice and toasty warm.  And once again, all my photos today were taken from the driver's seat.

 SOME OF US TRAVEL ON THE ROAD AND SOME OF US DON'T

WHENEVER I SEE AN APPROACHING SNOW PLOW ON A NARROW ROAD I GENERALLY PULL OVER TO THE SIDE OR INTO A DRIVEWAY UNTIL IT'S GONE BY...SNOWPLOW DRIVER'S JOBS ARE HARD ENOUGH AS IT IS WITHOUT MAKING IT ANY HARDER FOR THEM

Home again it was the usual walk with my snow shovel, topping up bird feeders, clunking around on the computer, and reading with a few siesta zzzzzzz's thrown in for good measure

So I'm at the eye clinic on Friday and have been taken into an examining room and placed in a tilt-back chair.  It's a small clinic and I could hear the eye doc talking to a lady in the next room.  He said to her, "we have two options, you can go to London for surgery or we can wait 3 months and check your eye again at that time".  The lady opted to wait 3 months.  There was some more mumbled talk and then I heard the doctor's voice clearly say the words, "needle in the eye".  Well, that of course instantly exploded my undivided attention and put my overactive imagination into overdrive because at the time I wasn't really sure why I was undergoing this second eye appointment in one week.  Meanwhile, a staff member comes into the room I'm in and asks me some eye-related questions then says to tilt my head back so she could put some drops in my eyes.  No problem I thought because I've had that done before and it's a standard procedure for checking eyes.  So, she does that, then reaches for another bottle and turns around with the words, "now we'll put a little freezing in your eyes".  With those 9 terrifying words, my mind instantly went into triple overdrive panic mode.  I've been to enough dentists and through enough minor scrapes in my lifetime to know what those 9 words mean.  To 'DULL THE PAIN'!!  My now illogically compromised brain immediately connected the "needle in the eye" words with the "now we'll put a little freezing in your eyes," and went haywire.  With fear now the dominant factor I radically contemplated a mad dash for the door and out of the building.  Just about the time my muscles were geared up to launch me out of that chair the cheery doctor comes wheeling around the corner into the room, extends his elbow for an elbow bump and asks me why I wasn't in Arizona.  Well, between the friendly elbow bump greeting and the mention of Arizona he completely knocked my panicky thoughts right out of kilter and before I could say boo he had my nose, chin, and eyes pressed tightly into some sort of faceplant machine.  With his face up close on the opposite side of all the metal I see a bright light with his words in my ears saying, "with your left eye look at my right ear".  Same words repeated for the right eye and left ear.  Hey, what's eyes got to do with ears anyway. (without ears my glasses would fall off)  With a few hmmmms, haws, ums, ohs, ooooos and awes, he wheeled back in his chair telling me everything looked totally good and he'll see me again in 6 months.  So, can I spell RELIEF??  Oh yes I can:))  Of course I wondered to myself right away why the freezing was put into my eyes but I sure wasn't going to ask him just in case it had something to do with a needle in the eye that he had forgotten about.  Needless to say, I was out of that chair and out the building making a fast bee-line like Jumpin Jack Flash for the Jeep just in case he remembered something.  I later learned that the freezing on my eyeballs was there to prevent any discomfort when the doctor was looking at my eyes because he actually had something right on my eyeballs.  Gosh, I didn't feel a thing.  Well, fancy that eh. Yes, I can now understand why she put some freezing in my eyes.  It indeed would have been uncomfortable without it.  Now, I had better get to work on this 'always assuming things' mind of mine.......................           

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A Veterinarian was feeling ill and went to see her doctor. The doctor asked her all the usual questions, about symptoms, how long had they been occurring, etc., when she interrupted him: "Hey look, I'm a vet - I don't need to ask my patients these kinds of questions: I can tell what's wrong just by looking at them so why can't you?"  The doctor nodded, stood back, looked her up and down, quickly wrote out a prescription, handed it to her and said, "There you are. Of course, if that doesn't work, we'll have to have you put to sleep."

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It seems I have spent a lifetime of repeatedly saying, “Sit up straight.....Say thank you... Use your napkin... Close your mouth when you chew and Don’t lean back in your chair.”  And then just when I finally got my husband squared away, the kids came along:((!!

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KEEPING THE BIRD FEEDERS TOPPED UP AND SHOVELING SNOW

OUT AND ABOUT THIS MORNING

With another snow dump overnight I think the novelty of shoveling snow has finally worn off.  Especially since it snowed for most of the day.  Cleared two-thirds of my paths this morning before loading up Pheebs and heading out.  I could see it was snowing and blowing in the countryside so we turned the other way and took a short drive into Bayfield and back this morning.  Aside from keeping the bird feeders topped up and shoveling more snow that was it for another winter's day.

 A LONE ICE FISHERMAN OUT ON THE BAYFIELD RIVER

AT LEAST I  ASSUME HE IS ICE FISHING

 ALONG BAYFIELD'S BEACH IT LOOKS LIKE A MOONSCAPE 

 A COLD SATURDAY MORNING ALONG BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

 I SAW PEOPLE OUT MOVING SNOW AROUND

 THERE HAS BEEN VERY LITTLE ACTIVITY AT BAYFIELD'S NEW BRIDGE THE LAST FEW WEEKS

 HEADING HOME

GROANER'S CORNER:((    Many years ago, in the south pacific, there was a small island kingdom that was ruled by a kind and benevolent King. Each year, on the King's birthday, the residents of the island gave the King a new throne as a token of their love and respect for him.  And each year, the King would put last year's gift up in the attic of his small grass house. After many years of ruling the island, the weight of a large number of birthday presents stored up in the attic became too heavy and caused the house to collapse down on the King.  The moral to the story is: He who lives in grass house, shouldn't stow thrones.

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MY SECOND OF TWO EYE APPOINTMENTS WENT FINE

Richard and I had planned on slipping out for a coffee this morning but our weather deteriorated so much overnight we had to call it off.  Blowing snow and bad road conditions made for a blustery morning.  Pheebs and I did consider going for a Jeep ride into Bayfield and back but we both agreed to scrap that idea.  Spent the morning reading.  

 A FEW QUICK PHOTOS AT BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK

It was the second of two appointments this afternoon at the Anjema Eye Clinic which fortunately enough has a branch right here in Bayfield.   As it turns out it was just a 6-month check-up and everything was fine.  My next check-up is in 6 months.  I think it's every 6 months because I had Type 2 diabetes a year or so ago and I'm back to pre-diabetic now.  I was at the clinic on time for my appointment but they were so far behind they wanted people to wait in their cars so I was able to slip away and snap a few photos at Bayfield's Pioneer Park overlooking Lake Huron.

Home again and with a light drizzle in the late afternoon air, I zipped around my paths moving a build-up of heavy wet snow before it all freezes up overnight and over the next four days.  It will be mid-week before we are above freezing temperatures again.     

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Bubba & Earl were in the local bar enjoying a beer when they decided to get in on the weekly charity raffle. They bought five tickets each at a dollar a pop.  The following week, when the raffle was drawn, each had won a prize. Earl won 1st prize, a year's supply of gourmet spaghetti sauce and extra-long spaghetti. Bubba won 6th prize, a toilet brush. About a week or so had passed when the men met back in the neighborhood bar for a couple of beers. Bubba asked Earl how he liked his prize, to which Earl replied, "Great, I love spaghetti! How about you, how's that toilet brush?"  "Not so good," replied Bubba, "I reckon I'm gonna go back to paper."

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THE JEEP DIDN'T MOVE TODAY

Apart from taking my snow shovel for a walk around my paths there wasn't much going today.  Overnight snow dumped about an eighth to a quarter inch which could hardly be seen but I just felt like taking my snow shovel for a walk anyway.  It gave me something to do I guess.  Took a few photos around the yard.

 THAT'S PHEEBS DOGGY PATH

 A BIG SNOW OVERHANG ON OUR CARPORT ROOF

 THERE IS A DRIVEWAY OUT THERE SOMEWHERE UNDER THE SNOW

Checking ahead to the 14-day forecast I am beginning to see an upward trend in temperatures beginning about February 21rst.  We didn't quite make it to the freezing mark today.

Finished by short biography about Mark Twain.  He sure had his ups and downs throughout life.  He was quite a character.  I am now reading a book by Peter E. Conti entitled, Only When I Step On It: One Man's Inspiring Journey to Hike The Appalachian Trail Alone.  I am really enjoying this book.  This is a story of a man and his struggle to overcome daily pain after sustaining serious hip and leg injuries in a motorized trail bike crash prior to his attempt to hike the trail.  He amazingly retains a sense of humor as he struggles through pain each day in a determined effort to put a few more miles behind him on his slow and arduous journey along the beautiful 2,190 mile Appalachian Trail.   

The Jeep didn't move today.  I just couldn't seem to get myself out the door to go anywhere.  I tried to justify that with, 'well at least I saved some gas'.  I'm sometimes not too good at justifying things.  I'm even worse at making up excuses.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( It was the first time the Captain and his Chinese First Officer had flown together, and it was obvious by their silence that they didn't get along. After 30 minutes, the Captain finally spoke.  He said, "I don't like Chinese."  The First Officer replied, "Ooooh, no like Chinese? Why that?"  The Captain said, "You bombed Pearl Harbor. That's why I don't like Chinese." The First Officer said, "Nooooo, noooo ... Chinese not bomb Pearl Harbour. That Japanese, not Chinese."  And the Captain answered, "Chinese, Japanese, Vietnamese ... it doesn't matter. They're all alike."  Another 30 minutes of silence. Finally the First Officer said, "No like Jew."  The Captain replied, "Why not? Why don't you like Jews?"  "Jews sink Titanic."  The Captain tried to correct him, "No, no. The Jews didn't sink the Titanic, it was an iceberg."  "Iceberg, Goldberg, Rosenberg, Spielberg ... no mattah ... all same."

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