AND I WAS ON MY WAY AGAIN

Cool enough for a light jacket this morning but not for long as the morning quickly warmed up.  The jeep started fine so Pheebs and I were off out into the countryside.  Although my hip felt okay, it was a shorter walk for us.  Pheebs was lagging behind and I didn't want to push her.  In human years she's nearly 99 years old now.  Other than feeling a little tired on her second walk of the morning she's doing great.

 I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THIS IS GROWING HERE

Taking advantage of the cooler morning I backed into our driveway and hooked up the utility trailer.  Loaded it up with Monday's branches, vines, shrub clippings, and pine needles and hauled the load off to the Park's recycle area.  The morning high thin cloud cover dispersed and we were soon under clear blue skies.

 MY TRUSTY HELPER IS NEVER FAR FROM MY SIDE

On our drive through the countryside this morning I was aware of an overall feeling of sadness and I couldn't seem to shake it. Sometimes, things just kind of sneak up out of nowhere and cast a pall over one's thoughts and remind a person just exactly where they are in the reality of things.  Sadness can, in its own way, reach deep into a person's soul and re-ground them in the present.  By late morning the sadness had served its purpose and left me feeling stronger.  And with that, I was on my way again.  

 A TRIO OF PLUMP WILD TURKEYS IN A FAR AWAY FIELD

Al's Music Box;)) Beautiful by Gordon Lightfoot from the album, 'Don Quixote'.  1972  

GROANER'S CORNER:((  While Bill waited at the airport to board his plane, he noticed a computer scale that would give your weight and a fortune.  He dropped a quarter in the slot, and the computer screen displayed: You weigh 195 pounds, you are married, and you'`re on your way to San Diego.  Bill stood there dumbfounded.  Another man put in a quarter and the computer read:  You weigh 184 pounds, you're divorced, and you're on your way to Chicago.  Bill said to the man, are you divorced and on our way to Chicago?  Yes," replied the man.  Bill was amazed. Then he rushed to the men's room, changed his clothes, and put on dark glasses. He went to the machine again.  The computer read:  You still weigh 195 pounds, you're still married, and you just missed your plane to San Diego."

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A friend of mine is a deputy with the sheriff's department canine unit. One evening, the deputy was dispatched to the scene of a possible burglary, where he discovered the back door of a building ajar. He let the dog out his patrol car and commanded it to enter and seek.  Jumping from the back seat, the dog headed for the building. After lunging through the doorway, the dog froze and backed out. My friend was puzzled until he investigated further and saw the sign on the building: “Veterinarian Clinic.”

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OUR JEEP IS HOME, BUT........

The thing to do this morning was to get out and about before the humidity ramped up so Pheebs and I headed off for a wee walk in the Bayfield Cemetery.  On the way home we stopped into Richard and Gayle's place where Richard toured me around a few flat bush trails on their new electric cart which is very similar to a golf cart only a touch smaller.  He tells me it will do the quarter mile in 1.6 seconds:))  I think if he decides on a name for the cart, and based on that fast quarter mile time, he might call it 'Slingshot'.

 CONE FLOWERS ARE NEARING THEIR END OF DAYS

I think there must have been a little hanky-panky going on in our frog pond over these past few months.  From only two frogs in late April we now have somewhere near a dozen smaller so I can see I will be busy catching frogs again this Fall.  I take them over to the much deeper Park's pond where they can burrow deep into the mud and survive the winter.  

Our outside jungle around the house has been slowly but steadily encroaching on us.  I don't seem to be as active or as enthusiastic about keeping it all trimmed back as I once was.  However, Kelly mentioned it to me Saturday and yesterday afternoon, despite the humidity I hauled out a couple aluminum step-ladders, my trusty swede saw, and a pair of clippers.  I wasn't long in having our small front yard lawn littered with tree branches as well as shrubs and vine clippings.  Our yard is way overdo for a make over and while sawing away at a branch today I thought to myself, 'well, at least I'm making a start.   

THIS AREA ON THE WEST SIDE OF OUR PLACE WILL REMAIN AS IS

When Bayfield Garage owner Don went out to pick up our non-starting Jeep with his flatbed truck last Thursday he double checked to see if the Jeep would start and of course it didn't.  He loaded it up on the flatbed and brought it into the garage.  Over the course of the next few days he said every time they tried to start it....it started!!  They checked out all the usual suspects like the battery and alternator, etc., but could find nothing wrong.  So, it's a mystery.  The disconcerting fact is that it will probably happen again at some point.  Could be tomorrow or it could be a year from tomorrow.  It doesn't leave me with a lot of confidence in the Jeep now.  And what if it doesn't start in the middle of winter on a freezing cold day and Pheebs and I are out wandering aroud some back courntry roads or I'm at a gas pump.  I had been hoping to get the Jeep through one more winter but now I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that.

Al's Music Box:)) Lady In Red by Chris de Burgh from the album, 'Into The Night'.  1986.....The song was written in reference to his wife Diane, who used to come and watch him perform at his parents' hotel. It was released on the album Into the Light. de Burgh said that the song was inspired by the memory of when he first saw Diane, and how men so often cannot even remember what their wives were wearing when they first met.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Walking through Chinatown, a tourist is fascinated with all the Chinese restaurants, shops, signs and banners. He turns a corner and sees a building with the sign, "Hans Olaffsen's Laundry."  So he walks into the shop and sees an old Chinese gentleman behind the counter.  The tourist asks, "How did this place get a name like "Hans Olaffsen's Laundry?"  The old man answers, "Is name of owner."  The tourist asks, "Well, who and where is the owner?"  "Me, is right here," replies the old man.  "You? How did you ever get a name like Hans Olaffsen?"  "Is simple," says the old man. "Many, many year ago when come to this country, was stand in line at Documentation Center. Man in front was big blonde Swede. Lady look at him and go, "What your name?" He say, "Hans Olaffsen." Then she look at me and go, 'What your name?'"  "I say, Sem Ting."

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The man was in no shape to drive, so he wisely left his car parked and walked home. As he was walking unsteadily along, he was stopped by a policeman. "What are you doing out here at 2 A.M.?" asked the officer.
"I'm going to a lecture." The man said.
"And who is going to give a lecture at this hour?" the cop asked.  "My wife," said the man.

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IT'S THE ONLY LOGICAL EXPLANATION I CAN COME UP WITH

A QUIET SUNDAY MORNING DRIVE THROUGH OUR PICTURESQUE RURAL COUNTRYSIDE

I figure I must have been a part of a rugged Mount Everest climbing expedition sometime during the night because when I woke up this morning my ailing hip was very sore.  It's the only logical explanation I can come up with.  And it was sore enough for Pheebs and I to skip our morning walk.  No point in grinding along and making it worse.

 PHEEBS GETS A TREAT AT THE SHELL GAS BAR NEAR WALMART

A RELAXING SUNDAY MORNING AT GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE

Nice warm sunny morning so I didn't have to kinda winter dress myself like yesterday.  With yet another prescription to pick up at Walmart, Pheebs and I headed up there and back taking in our routine Goderich harbor and beach drive-about along the way.  And so went another day.

 WHEN THESE BEAN LEAVES TURN YELLOW IT WILL BE HARVEST TIME

Al's Music Box:)) California Dreaming by The Mamas and the Papas from the album, 'If You Can Believe Your Eyes and Ears'.  1965  The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and Michelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and the latter was missing sunny California.  

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A golfer was having a tough day and in his frustration he blurted out, "I would give anything for a birdie on this hole." A nearby stranger walked out of the woods beside the hole and whispered, "If you give up one quarter of your promiscuous lifestyle, I guarantee you will make this shot."The golfer said "OK." He made the shot for birdie.  A few holes later, he was having trouble on another hole. "Please, let me make this for eagle" he said.  Again, the stranger stepped up to him and said, "If you give up another quarter of your promiscuos lifesyle, you will make eagle.""You're on," the golfer said, and made the shot for eagle.  On the eighteenth hole, the golfer needed an eagle to win. The stranger again stepped up and said "If you give up the last half of your promiscuous lifestyle, you will make eagle to win."  "OK," the golfer said, and made his shot for eagle, winning the round.  As he was walking back to the clubhouse, the stranger walked up beside him and said, "I think I should inform you that I am the Devil, and from now on you will not have a promiscuous lifestyle."The golfer turned to him, smiled, and said, "Nice to meet you, my name is Father O'Malley!"

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My wife asked me why I call her 12?  Dozen cook, dozen clean, dozen do anything...

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FLOWERS AND COWS AND COWS AND FLOWERS

 CHICORY FLOWERS

With our temps dropping into the 50s overnight I panicked and overdressed myself this morning.  T-shirt, long sleeve shirt, and a jacket.  Geeezzzz, was I thinking it was late October already.  Out for our walk it didn't take me long to at least shed my jacket.  I don't have much to write about today so I'll just leave you with a few sunny Saturday morning pics from our country road walking area.    

 GOLDENROD

Al's Music Box:)) Honky Tonk Man by Johnny Horton from the album, 'Honky Tonk Man'.  1956 

Country music singer Dwight Yoakam released his version of the song as his debut single in 1986. Yoakam's version peaked at number 3 on the Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart; it appears on his debut album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc..

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A kindergarten teacher gave her class a "show and tell" assignment. Each student was instructed to bring in an object to share with the class that represented their religion.  The first student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Benjamin and I am Jewish and this is a Star of David."The second student got up in front of the class and said, "My name is Mary. I'm a Catholic and this is the Crucifix."  The third student got in up front of the class and said, " My name is Tommy and I am Baptist and this is a casserole."

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When I was at the gym yesterday, everyone kept asking me why I was always sitting still on the stationary bike.  I’m going downhill, dude, mind your own business.

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