IT'S BEEN ONE YEAR SINCE OUR PARK CHANGED OWNERSHIP

 IRIS FLOWERS

Another in a surprisingly long stretch of bright sunny days.  A slight breeze from the East on this pleasantly cooler early June morning.  The dry land could sure use a good rain though.  Out to our walking spot, Pheebs and I carefully strolled the half-mile stretch of recently graveled dusty country road.  My hip did reasonably well for the short half-mile distance we traveled.  Although I walked slowly, Pheebs had a couple short bursts of happy energy and raced around like a little puppy dog racehorse.

 WE STARTED OUR JEEP RIDE OFF THIS MORNING BY DRIVING AROUND THE SOUTH END OF OUR PARK THROUGH THE FOREST

 A PASTORAL SCENE ON A QUIET SUNDAY MORNING

Thanks to everyone for your comments and concerns regarding my Aunt Jean's move and my son Sean's accident.  His wife Kim, sent a Facebook message today saying, "He is doing great work, he can lift his right hand up to his mouth.  It's slow and laborious, but he can still do it which is awesome." Speaking with him yesterday he said he would like to see me after he gets home rather than in the hospital.  I totally understand that.  Checking my Google Maps yesterday I have already figured out a quiet scenic back roads route to Jordan Station from Bayfield.

 IT WAS THE LAST WEEK OF OCTOBER  LAST YEAR THAT SEAN DROPPED IN TO SEE US

It was a year ago now that our Park officially changed ownership and I think I speak for everyone here when I say it has been for the betterment of the Park itself and of course all the residents.  We have all-new street lighting, a newly landscaped nice front entrance, the mail room has been cleaned up and the clubhouse refurbished with new paint, flooring, and ceiling I think.  Also, the Park now has a generator that will supply water to residents in times of power failures.  A new water pump has also been installed.  Roads are better maintained and the wanton destruction of our forest stopped immediately upon ownership change.  The new owner has worked hard to repair some of the damage caused to the land by the previous owner as well.  All old junk machinery scattered around has also been removed.  I'm sure there are other improvements I am forgetting but overall, the Park is a much better place to be now.  The new owners are pleasant, cordial, and communicative.  They tend to the Park in a sensible and responsible manner and have put on and joined in social functions.  Projects are well thought out beforehand and carried out and completed in an efficient way.  The rudderless ship being tossed about in stormy seas that we were all so desperately clinging to before the ownership change has stabilized. With a new rudder and experienced Captain and crew at the wheel now we are finally sailing in calm seas with light westerly winds and clear skies ahead.  The only dark cloud above is that the previous owner still lives in the Park and continues to be an annoying and interfering thorn in the side of the new owner.

 WILD PHLOX

With much cooler temps this morning I was able to get outside for a couple hours and do a lot of weeding and trimming.  It is the fastest-growing time of the year right now and I have to keep clipping back the foliage along my pathways.  However, by 1 o'clock I had to beat a hasty retreat into the house before the increasing heat and humidity turned me into a big ball of sticky paste.  Fortunately, temps dropped off to comfortable levels again by late afternoon.    

 THIS TIME OF YEAR KEEPS ME BUSY KEEPING MY PATHS CLIPPED BACK

Al's Music Box:))  C'Mon Everybody by Eddie Cochran was released as a single track on Liberty Records.  1958

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Stock market report...

Helium was up, feathers were down.

Paper was stationary.

Fluorescent tubing was dimmed in light trading.

Knives were up sharply.

Cows steered into a bull market.

Pencils lost a few points.

Hiking equipment was trailing.

Elevators rose, while escalators continued their slow decline.

Weights were up in heavy trading.

Light switches were off.

Mining equipment hit rock bottom.

Diapers remained unchanged.

Shipping lines stayed at an even keel.

The market for raisins dried up.

Coca-Cola fizzled.

Caterpillar stock inched up a bit.

Sun peaked at midday.

Balloon prices were inflated.

Scott Tissue touched a new bottom.

And batteries exploded in an attempt to recharge the market

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AUNT JEAN HAS MOVED:)) AND A MOTORCYLE ACCIDENT SERIOUSLY INJURES MY SON SEAN:((

 IRIS FLOWERS SEEN IN GODERICH THIS MORNING

Being concerned about my hip I hadn't taken myself for a walk since last Tuesday afternoon at London's Westminster Ponds area.  This morning Pheebs and walked our country road and I was okay for the first quarter mile walking away from the Jeep but increasingly sore on the quarter-mile walk back to the Jeep.  From our walk, we headed to Goderich for a routine McDonalds, harbor, beach, and Walmart excursion before heading home.  With another hot day upon us, I stayed inside and enjoyed our now-working A/C.  Did a lot of reading and caught a few zzzzz's.  And then I got a Facebook message that shook my day.  But more about that at the end of my post. 

 A FEW PHOTOS FROM OUR JEEP RIDE EARLIER TODAY

 MOM AND THE KIDS AT GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE BEACH

 ONLY ONE SHIP IN PORT TODAY

 I'VE HEARD ABOUT GETTING ALL YOUR DUCKS IN A ROW BUT HOW ABOUT YOUR GEESE

This past Monday turned out to be a big day for my 96-year-old Aunt Jean in Sarasota Florida.  It was a moving day for her.  Aunt Jean's health has been slowly slipping these past few years and even more so this past year and even six months.  Her mind is still as sharp as a tack but physically her body has been wearing down and tiring her.  Finding it harder and harder to do ordinary simple things Jean found herself face-to-face with a big decision.  About seven weeks ago she finally realized she couldn't deny the inevitable any longer.  She had to make a decision before it was too late.  Although a daunting task she made the decision to sell her Condo in Lake Tippecanoe Sarasota and move to an assisted living facility.  Luckily, her place sold right away and she was able to stroke that worry off her list right up front and concentrate on the challenging task ahead of her.  What was she going to do with all her furniture and personal mementos going back to the days of her early childhood?  As daunting and difficult as that task was she worked steadily at what needed to be done as best she could right up to the day and these following days since her official moving day.  She is and has always been an extraordinary person all her life and she wasn't about to let her age get in the way of getting things done.  This past Monday was the big moving day and you may be wondering at this point just where it is she has moved to.  Well, right from the start, Aunt Jean knew exactly where it was she wanted to go.  The Sunnyside Village Senior Assisted Living facility has a reputation of being one of the best care facilities in all of Sarasota and there is a reason for that.  Mennonite-operated, it is a Christian  Senior Living Community and when you are talking Mennonite, you are talking great food as well as the finest care.  Despite a long six-month waiting period to get into Sunnyside, Jean was fortunate enough to have an unexpected piece of luck fall into her lap just at the right time.  She had been a Registered Nurse and was the head supervisor of an IV team for a number of years.  She first worked at Bradenton's Memorial Hospital, then at Sarasota's Doctors Hospital and finally the Sarasota Memorial Hospital.  Following those hospital years, she worked for a well-respected Sarasota Doctor.  Aunt Jean was Doctor Wiseman's office Nurse.  She has remained friends with and in contact with Dr. Wiseman over the years and as it turns out, he is the Medical Director for Sunnyside Village.  Hmmmmmm:))  One of the changes this move has made for Jean and I regards our weekly Friday night 8:15 phone calls which we have been doing for years.  On our second to last Friday night phone call May 26th with an old weathered piece of paper in my hand and Aunt Jean's phone number barely readable anymore, I dialed her old phone number for the last time ever.  A number I had been dialing every Friday night for years yet I still needed that piece of crumbling paper with its faded numbers on it for me to punch into my phone each time I called her.  This past Friday night June 2nd at 8:15 I had a new piece of paper in hand with Jean's new phone number and extension boldly written down on it.  I dialed the number, listened for a half dozen seconds as a recorded Sunnyside voice answered, then punched in Jean's extension number  Normally, Jean picks up on the second ring but it was the very end of the third ring before I heard a scratchy little voice very far away say 'hello'.  Jean had been sound asleep and the phone had woke her up.  It took her a few moments to get oriented but then we were happily up and running again.  The phone connection transition was complete and I was very relieved our communication line hadn't been broken.  At the time of writing this tonight, Jean has been at her new Sunnyside residence for nearly a week and despite being very tired when I called her I could tell she is very very happy with her move.  She is so pleased with the food and the caring staff and she is handling these recent changes in her life exceptionally well. I will keep readers updated on how she is doing........

 THIS IS MY FAVORITE AUNT JEAN PICTURE THAT I TOOK OF JEAN WHILE WE WERE BOMBING AROUND IN SARASOTA FLORIDA'S CHAOTIC TRAFFIC

 JEAN'S CONDO WHICH SHE JUST SOLD.....SHE HAD BEEN HERE 8 YEARS I THINK

 AUNT JEAN IS VERY FOND OF LILAC TREES SO WITH HER IN MIND THIS MORNING I TOOK THIS PHOTO

I received word this afternoon from my son's wife Kim that Sean has been in a bad motorcycle accident.  I don't have a lot of details yet but Kim's Facebook message said his injuries are "9 broken/fractured ribs on one side, and 7 on the other. A broken shoulder, broken clavicles, Tons of road rash, but what we need to pay attention to is his broken neck- in two places, and a fractured disc on his spine". Kim called me later this afternoon and I was able to talk to Sean for a couple minutes in the Hamilton General Hospital.  He's out of pain (pain meds) but is immobilized due to the neck and spinal injuries.  He is not paralyzed thank heavens.  He is still in the trauma unit and it sounds like he is going to have a long recovery period ahead of him.  Sean and Kim live in a little place called Jordan Station north of St. Catherines Ontario.  I have already checked Google Maps for the easiest way to get there once Sean is released from the hospital.  Knowing Sean and his love for music, he will be wanting to get himself back into his music studio as soon as possible.   

 THIS IS SEAN IN HIS MUSIC STUDIO

 AND THIS IS HIS STUDIO WITH ALL THE AMAZING COLORS

Al's Music Box:)) Stranger On The Shore by Acker Bilk from the album 'Stranger On The Shore'.  1961  Lots of pleasant memories here of a Port Franks cottage in the wintertime on the shores of Lake Huron in the early sixties.  A shout-out to my long-time Tavistock buddies who were there and shared in the memories.....Gary Burton (his Mom and Dad's cottage) brothers Jim and John Eifert, and Craig Wilker.  It was here at this cottage on a Sunday night we all watched the Beatles first appearance on the Ed Sullivan show.  Great memories guys.  Stranger On The Shore indeed:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Two elderly, excited Southern women were sitting together in the front pew of a church listening to a fiery preacher.  When this preacher condemned the sin of stealing, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs, "AMEN, BROTHER!" When the preacher condemned the sin of lust, they yelled again, "PREACH IT, REVEREND!"  And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying, they jumped to their feet and screamed, "RIGHT ON, BROTHER! TELL IT LIKE IT IS... AMEN!"  But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet. One turned to the other and said, "He's quit preaching and now he's meddlin'."

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Judge: Haven’t I seen you before?  Man: Yes, Your Honor. I taught your daughter how to play the drums.  Judge: Twenty years!!!!

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I'LL SHOW YOU MY HAIRCUT BUT I WILL SPARE YOU MY FACE

 CURVY CROP ROWS

With a 10:30 physio appointment in Exeter this morning it wasn't a long Jeep ride for Pheebs and I.  A couple country concessions, a couple photos, and that was about it and we were home again.  

CORN'S UP ABOUT SIX INCHES ALREADY

Switched the Jeep for the Subaru and I was off to Exeter.  The folks at Russet Rehab and Wellness put me on a nice state-of-the-art warp drive tri-Millenium Falcon bicycle machine for 5 minutes.  I liked that machine so much I asked them if I could take it home with me.  It not only tells you your pulse rate, calorie burn, altitude, and speed, but it can tell you what you had for breakfast, what your future looks like for the next ten years, what the color of your house is, and what color your underwear is today.  On a nearby bed/table a lady put me through some mild leg exercises and I was thankful she didn't try to twist my problematic right leg back up around behind my head.  I'll be back there again next week.  From physio, I drove south a couple blocks to First Choice Haircutters for a haircut.  The power went out just as I walked in the door but they were able to give me a scissors haircut in the dark anyway.  I didn't even get my eye poked out.  From there I headed to Mcdonalds for a coffee to go but they had all their entrances blocked off because of the power outage.  Nobody wants cold coffee, burgs, and fries.  Well, maybe somedays........  

 FORCED TO WEAR SHORTS TODAY I DECIDED TO WEAR MY SNAPPIEST SOCKS TO PHYSIO

 WELL HEY, AT LEAST IT'S NOT MY WHOLE FACE

Half an hour later I was home where of course the power was out as well so I figure it must have been a large area blackout. (and it was)  Luckily it came back on twenty minutes after I walked in the door.  With heat and humidity building toward 90F today we still had no A/C.  And then the phone rang.  It was Jeff Wise from Wise Energy saying he would be at our place in ten minutes to have a look at our A/C unit.  'Ya-hooie Louie' I thought.  We had already tried new batteries in the thermostat, a new air filter, and had checked the circuit panel for a blown breaker.  No luck, and as it turns out.......no wonder.  It took Jeff a while to finally track down the problem which turned out to be somewhere between our inside furnace and our outside A/C unit.  And, as it soon was soon discovered, the problem was caused by a Critter!!  In a bedroom closet, a copper water line runs down through the floor.  Over time, critters have gnawed a hole through the floor at this water line inlet and it was here that Jeff found electrical wires chewed up.  He had to then crawl under our unit to re-feed the broken wires back up through the hole where he could get into the closet, get a hold of the wires, and splice in a new section.  'Walla' our A/C was up and running again.  It was 3 p.m. and Jeff had been here nearly an hour.  I will now get some expansion foam and with some steel wool, I will plug that hole!!  Luckily, these hot temps are due to drop into the low 70's and mid to low 60's soon.  And, for me, that will be a mighty darn nice 'Yabba-dabba-do' moment:))

 JEFF CHECKS OUT OUR A/C UNIT

 IT LOOKS A LITTLE COMPLICATED IN THERE

JEFF HEADS UNDERNEATH OUR UNIT TO TRACK DOWN THE PROBLEM

 THE POOR GUY SURE DIDN'T HAVE MUCH ROOM UNDER THERE

 THIS IS THE HOLE IN THE CLOSET FLOOR

I will have to use a different phone number to call my Aunt Jean in Sarasota Florida tonight.  I will let you know why in tomorrow's post after I talk to her later this evening.  She will be very tired, but in a good way.

Ellen's Groove:)) Not sure if I posted this short clip before but here's Ellen, her dad, and a few friends.  Ellen's dad is the fella who starts off with an acoustic guitar and then switches to a blue electric guitar.  My Angel  By the way, Ellen celebrates her 11th birthday today, June 2nd:)) 

 A COUPLE OF BLOKES HANGING OUT IN OUR SUNROOM

Al's Music Box:)) I Believe In You by Don Williams from the album 'I Believe In You'.  1980  This song is a nice throwback to a seemingly easier era when things didn't seem to be so totally bizarre, disrespectful, rude, and crude like a number of things appear to be now.  I miss that age of decency, consideration, niceness, moral standards, common sense, truth, and honesty.  You'll know what I mean when you hear the song and follow along with the lyrics.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( An attorney telephoned the governor just after midnight, insisting that he talk to him regarding a matter of utmost urgency.An aide eventually agreed to wake up the governor.  "So, what is it?" grumbled the governor.  "Judge Garber has just died" said the attorney, "and I want to take his place."  The governor replied: "Well, it's OK with me if it's OK with the undertaker."

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- A guy tried to tell me about a tool that makes holes in hard materials, but I stopped him.  I know the drill.

- Why did the cows keep returning to the field of marijuana?  It was the pot calling the cattle back.

- A man sees his buddy carrying a box.
"What's that?" he ask.  "Oh, I got a case of beer for my wife."  Man nods sagely, "Good trade."

- My first apartment was so close to the Airport that every time I went to the kitchen to make a coffee and get a sandwich, the stewardess told me to get back to my seat.

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