Monday, November 14, 2022

A NICE SHORT STORY TO START MY POST TONIGHT

 RED BELLIED WOODPECKER AND A BLACK CAP CHICKADEE
For all the angst and controversy over Facebook at times, it can be a helping platform as well.  Case in point....Our Bayfield Pines community has two Facebook sites one of which was started by Kelly a while back.  Last night (Sunday) one of our residents (Sinnan) had a local 'lost dog' ad pop up on her Facebook so in turn, she posted it on Kelly's Bayfield Pines site.  That notice then popped up on my computer's Bayfield Pines Facebook late Sunday night.  This morning our phone rang early and it was another friend of ours (Carin) here in the Park wondering if Pheebs was missing because they had a dog on the porch that looked like Pheebs.  I overheard Kelly talking on the phone to someone about a lost dog and I right away remembered Sunday night's Facebook notice.  'Bingo' From the original Facebook notice, Kelly wasn't long in tracking down the dog's owner and was able to phone her with the good news.  Kelly said the lady was so happy she was crying on the phone.  Within twenty minutes the owner and 'Danny the lost dog' were joyfully reunited.  Happy smiles all around.  Isn't it nice in this day and age of so much dissent and turmoil to have a story with a happy ending.  And it shows how internet sites like Facebook can indeed be used for good things.  And how nice to be able to start my post off this morning with something uplifting other than my usual nattering about the weather:))

 THIS IS DANNY THE LOST DOG AND HE SURE LOOKS LIKE PHEEBS

 A COUPLE OF PICS BEFORE WE LEFT OUR PARK THIS MORNING
With a prescription to drop off at the Wallyworld Pharmacy, it was a Goderich run for Pheebs and I earlier today.  We stopped for gas, grabbed a coffee to go at McD's, and headed on down to the harbor.  There were three large ships there and another one standing a mile or two offshore probably waiting to get into the harbor.  Only saw one person out walking on the boardwalk.
 PHEEBS ALWAYS GETS A TREAT AT THE SOLO GAS BAR AND HERE SHE IS LEANING OUT THE BACK WINDOW PATIENTLY WAITING FOR THE LADY  GAS ATTENDANT TO BRING HER ONE

 THE ALGOMA COMPASS TAKING ON A LOAD OF ROCK SALT
 THE ZELADA DESGAGNES TAKING ON A LOAD OF GRAIN
 DECK HANDS KEEPING A CLOSE EYE ON THE GRAIN LOADING PROCEDURE

ANOTHER ALGOMA SHIP LOADING SALT AS WELL
 AND A 300mm TELEPHOTO SHOT OF ANOTHER SHIP A COUPLE MILES OFFSHORE AWAITING ITS TURN
THIS LADY WAS THE ONLY BOARDWALKER WE SAW THIS MORNING
Later, with a stop at Walmart followed by a second stop at the Canadian Tire Store, we were soon on our way home.  Roads were wet but free of snow.  

 HEADING HOME
 AND IT'S NOT ONLY TRAINS THAT CAN RUN ON TRACKS
 AND BY GOLLY WE EVEN SPOTTED 'OLD LONESOME' ON THE WAY HOME
The day remained cloudy, cold, and damp.  In a last-ditch stand to keep the squirrels off the bird station, I put an old lamp post globe on the top of the feeder along with a couple other containers.  So far, so good and I did not see any skydiving squirrels today.  Fingers crossed.

 I'M  HOPING THAT SMOOTH ROUND GLOBE WILL ACT AS A DETERRENT TO THE SKY-DIVING SQUIRREL LANDING ON THE BIRD STATION
 MALE CARDINAL
 I BELIEVE THIS MIGHT BE A HAIRY WOODPECKER BECAUSE IT LOOKED BIGGER THAN A DOWNIE WOODPECKER
 I DON'T KNOW WHAT THIS LITTLE CHAP WAS
 BLUE JAY

 BLACK CAP CHICKADEE
 RED BELLIED WOODPECKER
I'm glad we decided not to sell our 2007 Jeep Liberty a couple months ago.  That aging little Jeep seems to fit Pheebs and I like a glove.  Its rusty parts are advancing with age, it has a slow oil leak, a cracked windshield, a broken hatch latch, and overall, it's a little tired around the edges.  But then again, so are Pheebs and I. It seems the three of us were meant to stay together through our Senior years.  Like Pheebs and I, Libby doesn't mind the dusty gravel roads with their potholes, washboards, and mud.  She has a dynamite heater and a great A/C unit as well as a darn good sound system.  All three of us have some dents, bangs, scratches, and scrapes on us but that's okay because all three of us have traveled a lot of miles together since first finding Libby the Jeep back in April of 2015.  << Click the link to see the emotional rollercoaster we rode on the day we met Libby:)) 

THE FELLOW IN THE CAR WITH THE 'V' SIGN WAS OUR SALESMAN THAT DAY
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Bubba decided it was time to purchase a new saw to help clear his heavily timbered property. A salesman showed him the latest model chain saw and assured him that he could easily cut three or four cords of wood per day with it. But the first day, Bubba barely cut one cord of wood. The second morning he arose an hour earlier and managed to cut a little over one cord. The third day he got up even earlier but only managed to achieve a total of 1 ½ cords of wood.  Bubba returned the saw to the store the next day and explained the situation.  "Well", said the salesman, "let’s see what’s the matter." He then pulled the cable and the chain saw sprang into action.  Leaping back, Bubba shouted, "What the heck is that noise?"

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An American tourist was visiting a small village in Newfoundland. He approached a local person and asked, "What's the quickest way to Marystown?"  The local, scratched his head, "Are ya walkin' er drivin'?" he asked the stranger.  "I'm driving," said the stranger.  "Well, that's the quickest way then."

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Sunday, November 13, 2022

WELL IT'S HERE......AND IT'S COLD AND ITS WHITE!!

I had a feeling we would wake up to a white landscape this morning and that feeling bore true.  In fact, snow fell right on through most of the day.

 QUITE AN OVERNIGHT TRANSFORMATION IN OUR FRONT YARD

 NOT THE BEST BIRD PHOTOS BUT I DIDN'T HAVE MUCH LIGHT TO WORK WITH EARLIER THIS MORNING
Before hitting the road, Pheebs and I took a slow drive around a few streets in our Park to see if we could find a few winterscape photos.

 A SHORT DRIVE AROUND OUR PARK ON A SNOWY MORNING

Heading out of the Park it was snowing heavily for a short time as we headed east down Bayfield River Road.  Not many tire tracks in the snow but of course, Sunday is always a quiet day out and about on our area roads.  We didn't go too far this morning before turning around and heading home again.  It was time to fire up my snow shovel.

 HEADING OUT OF THE PARK
 SNOW SQUALLS COMING IN OFF THE LAKE AS WE HEAD EAST

 A SPLASH OF COLOR ON A DULL-LOOKING MORNING
 THERE HAVE BEEN A FEW CARS OUT BUT NOT A LOT
With only an inch or two of wet snow on the ground, it didn't take me long to do a little shoveling.  It was kind of a practice run for what is to come over the next four months or so.

 HEADING BACK HOME
 THIS MAPLE TREE STILL TENACIOUSLY CLINGS TO ITS LEAVES
 WE ARE BACK IN OUR FOREST
The bird feeders have been working overtime as Cardinals, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, Black Cap Chickadees, and Juncos dominate the feeders in our snowy front yard.  Also dominating are the black squirrels which I am currently engaged with in a running battle.  One in particular absolutely flings himself off a nearby tall cedar tree and sky-dives itself right down onto the top of the bird station.  I've put up various defenses but he has knocked them all down.  The basic problem has now reached a stage that may be unsolvable.  A nearby cedar tree has grown to a point where its branches extend outward towards the flat platformed bird feeding station.  The branch the Squirrel is flinging itself from is too high for me to reach with a ladder to cut the branch back.  So, I am finally all out of defenses.  Once a squirrel gains access to a feeder there is no point in putting any more birdseed in it or on it:((  

THESE GUYS ARE DRIVING ME NUTS AGAIN!!
 DID YOU SEE THE LITTLE YELLOW PORCELAIN BIRD  PEEKING AT YOU?
 US GUYS:))
Today I finished the second book of Lucy Maude Montgomery's Anne Of Green Gables.  I liked 'Anne Of Avonlea' every bit as much as the first book and am now onto book three entitled, 'Anne Of The Island'.  Here are the eight books in the collection with the ages of Anne each book covers.

- Anne of Green Gables: Anne ages 11-16.
- Anne of Avonlea: Anne ages 16-18.
- Anne of the Island: Anne ages 18-22.
- Anne of Windy Poplars: Anne ages 22-25
- Anne's House of Dreams: Anne ages 25-27.
- Anne of Ingleside: Anne ages 34-40.
- Rainbow Valley: Anne age 41.
- Rilla of Ingleside: Anne age 49-53.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A father spoke to his son, "It's time we had a little talk, my son. Soon, you will have urges and feelings you've never had before. Your heart will pound & your hands will sweat. You'll be preoccupied and won't be able to think of anything else."  He added, "But don't worry, it's perfectly normal... it's called golf."

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I signed up for an exercise class and was told to wear loose-fitting clothing...If I HAD any loose-fitting clothing, I wouldn't have signed up in the first place!

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