I KNOW IT'S RARE BUT WE DID HAVE COMPANY TODAY

 A MOODY MORNING AT GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE LOOKING OUT OVER A CALM LAKE HURON

I've heard this winter has been the cloudiest winter in over seventy years.  With that thought in mind, Pheebs and I slipped out under grey cloudy skies and headed for Goderich to pick up a few things.  Our usual harbor run and then it was off for home whereupon we arrived at our driveway at the same time our company did.

Little Ella and her Mom and Dad were here from Kitchener Ontario.  I hadn't seen Ella for quite a while and it's gonna be kinda hard to call her 'little' Ella anymore.  She's growing quickly.

KELLY HAD A GIFT FOR ELLA

 THIS IS CALLED A SASH AND HAS A NUMBER OF POCKETS IN IT MAKING IT VERY CONVENIENT FOR CARRYING A SMARTPHONE AND A NUMBER OF OTHER THINGS....I GUESS MAYBE IT COULD BE CALLED A SASH PURSE

 I WOULD HAVE CROPPED MY MUG OUT OF THIS PHOTO BUT THE RESULTING PICTURE OF ELLA WOULD HAVE LOOKED WEIRD WITH A BIG HAND SITTING ON HER SHOULDER

 ELLA AND HER DAD RICARDO IN OUR SUNROOM THIS AFTERNOON....RICARDO IS OVER SIX FEET TALL AND I THINK ELLA IS GOING TO FOLLOW IN HER DAD'S FOOTSTEPS

Kelly had whooped up a big pot of yummy chile along with some home-baked bread so it wasn't long before we were all around the table chowing down.  Ella and Pheebs always have a great time whenever they come and it's always good to see Ella, Rebecca, and Ricardo.

ELLA MADE HERSELF A STUFFED ANIMAL FORT AND YES THAT'S SPENCER THE WHITE TIGER BEHIND HER AND I HAVE ADDED A LINK NEAR THE END OF MY POST ABOUT THE DAY WE MET SPENCER AND HOW KELLY RESCUED HIM FROM A FATEFUL END

 GETTING READY TO HEAD FOR HOME

 ELLA HEADS TO THE CAR WITH HER CARE BEAR UNDER HER ARM

 THIS WAS PHEEBS FIVE MINUTES AFTER THEY LEFT

As a last-minute add-on tonight I have included a link to a post I wrote on October 23rd, 2012.  We were at Kelly's mother's place in Spencerport New York for a few days in our Motorhome before heading south to Florida and then on to Arizona..  Kelly Rescues Spencer  We named the white tiger Spencer after Spencerport NY, Kelly's home town:)) 

Al's Music Box:)) Night Fever by the Bee Gees from the album 'Saturday Night Fever'  1977

 AND HERE'S KELLY WITH  HER MOUTH WATERING HOMEMADE BREAD

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A Father is asked by his friend, "Has your son decided what he wants to be when he grows up?"  "Yes, he wants to be a garbage collector," he replies.  To this his friend responds "Strange ambition to have for a career."
"Well, he thinks that garbage collectors only work on Tuesdays!"

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Beauty comes in all shapes and sizes...Small, large, circle, square, thin crust, thick crust, stuffed crust, extra toppings.

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Father: How do you like going to school?

Son: The going bit is fine, as is the coming home bit too, but I'm not too keen on the time in between!

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HERE'S CALIFORNIA'S ARROWHEAD GRAMMA'S COMMENT

 A WINTER'S MORN

I may have unintentionally made a little 'ooopsy' in my Friday post.  Leading my first paragraph off talking about exaggerations I began my post with a photo of what I winkingly called a Ruby Throated Green-Winged Southern Semi-Siberian Hummingbird.  I put a little smiley face behind the caption to show I was humorously 'pulling your leg'.  That little green Hummer isn't real.....I think it's plastic.  Okay, I just wanted to clear that up in case............well you know.

 A NICE WINTER'S DAY WITH A COMBINATION OF SUN AND CLOUDS OVERHEAD

 LONG FARM LANES CAN BE A CHALLENGE DURING WINTER MONTHS

There's not much I can say about today that I haven't said in countless other posts so I guess I will just say it again by starting off in my usual manner.  Under a changing sky of sun and cloud, Pheebs and I cruised around half a dozen country roads taking a few photos along the way.  Our day didn't get much above 28F but at least there wasn't any wind to make the temperature feel worse.  For me, it was basically another day tipped back in my sunroom recliner reading.  Oh ya, and there is more snow on the way Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday:(((((((

 SNOW DRIFTS ALONG THE ROADSIDE

A long-time reader and commenter on my blog left a comment on my Friday post which reminded me of an old saying that I have used over the years.  The comment goes something like this, 'I complained I had no shoes until I met the man who had no feet'.  Arrowhead Gramma's comment on my Friday post is a good example of that saying.  Here's me all the time complaining about the snow we have and the inconveniences it brings.  And here's California's Arrowhead Gramma's side of that saying...... Al, been AWOL for a few days while dealing with the white stuff. The Governor has declared San Bernardino County/our mountain communities in a State of Emergency and today the President made a Federal declaration for our area which will allow FEMA to assist our area. Wednesday/Thursday our rural lane was plowed using a backhoe and it took 10 hours (around the length of a football field) to move the 109" inches of snow that had accumulated. Biggest problem was where to put it all. The expense is shared with four other neighbors. Fortunately my fellow that does the shoveling was able to come yesterday and shovel off two very long decks that had 4/5 feet of snow. He wanted to get it off before today's rain. We have lost two three generation grocery stores and now have one grocery store for most of the villages near me. Our roads are all down to one lane and there are  banks 12/15 feet high. I have not left my house since February 21st and had not seen another human since February 24th until the plow came through on Wednesday night. I am so grateful that all seems well with the house, the electricity only flickered in my area and we had heating, etc. I am blessed. Never thought that Snowmageddon would be a part of my bucket list.  

 LOOKS LIKE A FELLOW RV'R WHO DIDN'T MAKE IT DOWN SOUTH THIS WINTER

Ellen's Groove:)) Ellen And Her Mom & Dad share a few photos and Ellen practices a new bass line.

Al's Music Box:)) Ode To Billy Joe by Bobby Gentry from the album 'Ode To Billy Joe'.  1967

A HIDDEN CREEK MEANDERS IT'S WAY THROUGH A SNOWY FOREST

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A Briton, a Frenchman and a Russian are viewing a painting of Adam and Eve frolicking in the Garden of Eden. "Look at their reserve, their calm," muses the Brit. "They must be British." "Nonsense," the Frenchman disagrees. "They're naked, and so beautiful. Clearly, they are French." "No clothes, no shelter," the Russian points out, "they have only an apple to eat, and they're being told this is paradise. They are Russian."

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One morning the phone rang at 3:00 a.m. in Jeff's house. He picked up the phone and a woman asked, "Is this 555-1111?"  "No, this is 555-1112." Jeff replied.  "Oh, I'm so sorry for disturbing you." The woman said.  "That's alright," Jeff said. "I had to get up to answer the phone anyway."

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ENOUGH IS ENOUGH IS ENOUGH ALREADY!!!!

  IN OUR PARK JUST UP THE STREET FROM US THIS MORNING I SAW THIS RARE AND ELUSIVE RUBY TROATED GREEN-WINGED SOUTHERN SEMI- SIBERIAN HUMMINGBIRD:)) 

If I were prone to exaggerations which in some cases I intentionally am, I would tell you that all the snowflakes coming down this morning were as big as baseballs. But, that would be an exaggeration of course because not all of them were that big:))  Today's snow came in the night and stayed around for most of the day.  Very discouraging at this time of year when we are all patiently standing on our tippy toes peering over the snowbanks trying to catch the first glimpse of Spring coming over the horizon and sliding in around the corner.

 A LOT OF SNOW CAME DOWN AGAIN OVERNIGHT

 HERE'S KELLY JUST BACK FROM TAKING PHEEBS FOR HER MORNING WALK

 HEADING DOWN OUR DRIVEWAY

 WE ARE SO FORTUNATE TO LIVE ON SUCH A PRETTY STREET NO MATTER WHAT SEASON OF THE YEAR IT IS

Slipping the Jeep into 4-wheel drive Pheebs and I rolled out of our snowy driveway and took a short cruise around the Park before venturing off down the snowy unplowed roads to Bayfield.

 DRIVING AROUND OUR PARK TAKING A FEW PHOTOS

IT WAS IN THE FRONT YARD OF THIS HOUSE WHERE I SPOTTED THAT RARE HUMMINGBIRD 

THESE PARK RACCOONS ARE COMFORTABLY WEARING THEIR WINTER OUTFITS

There is a short fairly steep hill leading down to Bayfield's harbor and coming back up that hill to make a hairpin turn to the right this morning even the Jeep's 4-wheel drive was in trouble for about 10 seconds as we slid a good 10 feet backwards on the ice under the snow.  Both the Jeep and I quickly regrouped and agreed on a plan that required the straightening of the front wheels plus the application of some major power.  We rocketed our way around that hairpin in a rather sideways motion and firmly gripped our way up the remainder of the grade.  Exciting.....just like the old days:))

 TURNED LEFT OUT OF OUR PARK AND HEADED DOWN THIS SNOWY ROAD IN THE DIRECTION OF BAYFIELD

Noticed a few people digging out in downtown Bayfield this morning but I was surprised at the lack of traffic on the roads for a Friday morning.  We slip-slided our way to the south end of town and popped into the local Foodland Supermarket for some milk.

 DIGGING OUT IN DOWNTOWN BAYFIELD

THIS FELLOW WAS BUSY KEEPING FOODLAND'S PARKING LOT CLEAR

 ANOTHER SNOW REMOVAL MACHINE WARMS UP IN THE BULLPEN

THIS WAS THE ONLY SNOWPLOW I SAW

Following our snowy milk run we headed home where I busied myself topping up the birdfeeders and following my snow shovel around all over the place again.  This is not fun anymore!!!! And to add insult to injury, I was hoping the 40 pounds of birdseed I bought last week would last me until Christmas but at the rate of seed consumption in this wintery weather, I won't even have enough to last me to St. Patrick's Day.  I hope I'm not forced into the tough decision of deciding what's more important.....gas for the car or seeds for the birds!!

 A FEW MORE PHOTOS IN BAYFIELD THIS MORNING

 BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK QUIETLY AWAITS SUMMER'S TOURISTS

I am beginning to think this recurring pain in my right leg may be directly related to my snow shoveling.  I won't know for sure until all this !!@#%%&* snow is finally gone so it's just another reason to look forward to an early Spring.  By the looks of things outside today, it looks more like this is an early start to this year's already approaching winter in November.  Checking the 14-day weather forecast I see that 7 of those days are predicted snow days.  Enough is enough is enough of all this snow already!!  However, I do see temperatures trending steadily into the upper thirties in the third week of the month.  What would we northerners do if we didn't have the hopes of nicer weather to look forward to eh.  It seems like we sometimes only really appreciate the good stuff after we've had a good bunch of bad stuff. 

 HEADING HOME THIS MORNING

Al's Music Box:)) Black Magic Woman by Santana from the album Abraxas.  1970 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Doctor: "I see you're over a month late for your appointment. Don't you know that nervous disorders require prompt and regular attention? What's your excuse?" 

Patient: "I was just following your orders, Doc."

Doctor: "Following my orders? What are you talking about? I gave you no such order."

Patient: "You told me to avoid people who irritate me."

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'Nice Caboose':  I took the train to NYC today and the conductor paid me the nicest compliment as I was boarding...He said, “First class rear..."

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