I'M STILL NOT IN PEOPLE MODE AND KELLY'S FAMILY WRITES A NICE OBITUARY

 OH GEEZZZ WHERE HAVE I GONE AND FALLEN ASLEEP AT THIS TIME

I managed to wrangle a kind of last-minute appointment at the Subaru dealership in Stratford Ontario for an oil change and 140,000 km inspection this morning.  I had thought of getting in touch with a couple Stratford folks to say hello, but I'm still not feeling in much of a 'people mode' yet.  I just wanted to sit quietly in the Subaru waiting room with my Kindle, mini iPad, and headphones.  As I've said before, in times of emotional stress, I prefer to be alone with my thoughts.  I can see those Stratford folks another time when I'm feeling more on top of things.

HAD MY FINGERS CROSSED HEADING TO STRATFORD THAT THIS LIGHT SNOW WOULDN'T TURN INTO ANYTHING WORSE.....IT DIDN'T

I rolled out of our driveway shortly after eight, picked up a small decaf coffee to go at Clinton's Tim Hortons then to took some traffic-free uncongested secondary roads all the way to Stratford.  Luckily the thin snow in the air didn't fatten itself up into anything else.  I was early for my 9:30 appointment and they took me right in.  The oil change and 140,000 km 'B' Service is a more in-depth inspection and servicing of the car.  It sure tore the heck out of a six hundred dollar bill but this is a nice smooth smooth-running trouble-free car and I don't mind spending an extra few dollars to keep it that way.  They had me out of there in an hour and I made fast tracks for home with two short stops in Clinton for gas and to pick up some copies of our wills for the banks.  

THAT'S SUBIE OVER THERE BEING ATTENDED TO

 THIS WAS MY QUIETLY CONTENTED SPOT FOR AN HOUR THIS MORNING

 HEY, HE'S NOT ASLEEP AFTER ALL

It was a happy little doggy waiting for me when I came through the door shortly before noon.  Didn't take me long to whoop myself up a big bowl of Jerry Rader's homemade turkey noodle soup with two pieces of Weight Watchers toast.  For supper tonight....you guessed it.  A Jerry Rader's chicken pot pie:))

 COMING HOME THE SUN WAS MAKING A GALLANT EFFORT TO PUNCH THROUGH THE HEAVY CLOUD COVER

It took a lot of lookin' today but I found it at last.  Our 'Marriage Certificate' that is.  I'll call the McCallum Funeral Home and make another appointment to have them help me with the rest of the forms now that I have the marriage certificate.......Kelly's daughter Sabra sent me a copy of Kelly's Obituary they put in the Cambridge Times newspaper today. It reads.....Kelly/Gail [Knapp/Florence], a vibrant and adventurous spirit who left an indelible and lasting mark on anyone who knew her, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, at Huron Hospice, surrounded by members of her loving family and her devoted husband, Al Bossence.

Born in Spencerport, New York, on March 30, 1948, she was a remarkable woman who embraced life with unparalleled passion and grace. A loving mother of five children, Gail was known for her creative spirit, colorful sense of style, and boundless kindness.

Together with Al, she spent winters exploring the Southwest and summers in the charming town of Bayfield, Ontario. Their zest for life and travels with their beloved dogs captivated and inspired many in the blogging community, where they are affectionately known as the "Bayfield Bunch."
Though she battled liver disease with remarkable courage, her spirit remained undiminished - a beacon of strength and resilience to all who knew her.
The family suggests //Gail wished that// in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Bayfield Library, allowing her love of reading to continue inspiring others.
She is survived by her husband Al, siblings Peter,Becky,Kathy, her five children Jason, Sabra, Sarah, Rebecca, and Ben, and eight grandchildren, leaving behind a profound legacy of love, adventure, and compassion

Published online December 18, 2024 in the Cambridge Times......I thought the family did a  great job with this Obituary:))

THE FLOWER ARRANGEMENT ON THE LEFT IS FROM KELLY'S MOMS FUNERAL AND THE BLACK BOX CONTAINS KELLY'S ASHES

Al's Music Box:)) Groovin' is a song written by the American singer-songwriters Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati, initially recorded by their group the Young Rascals in 1967. Cavaliere was inspired to compose the song by his girlfriend Adrienne Buccheri, whom he only got to meet on Sundays amidst heavy touring and recording. Musically, the song differs from most of the band's previous output. Lyrically, "Groovin'" tells the tale of a narrator spending time with his partner on a Sunday afternoon. The song was arranged and recorded at the Talentmasters Studios, New York City in March of 1967.  Initially, Atlantic Records were skeptical of releasing "Groovin'" as a single, given that it deviated from their previous output. After hearing it, the disc jockey Murry the K convinced Jerry Wexler to release it. "Groovin'" was released as a single on April 10, 1967 backed by the group "Sueño". It became a commercial hit, reaching number-one on the Billboard Hot 100 in May 1967. It peaked at number eight in the UK as the Young Rascals' only hit there.  Upon initial release, "Groovin'" received widespread critical acclaim by critics, who noted the new direction the Young Rascals took with the single. Owing to the success, it became the title track of the band's third studio album. Retrospective appraisal of the single have often noted the experimental nature of the single. The Young Rascals original version is on the 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll list and has been awarded a Grammy Hall of Fame Award.

 A DRIVE BY PHOTO GOING THROUGH CLINTON THIS MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( My doctor was giving me a hard time about my health. To get back on his good side I bought a puppy and named him 'Five Miles'.  That way, when I went to see my doctor I could tell him, "I walk five miles every morning!"  

Here's a few things about asteroids you may not have known::

- Why did the astronaut break up with her boyfriend?  Because she said he needed space!

- What's the difference between a spacecraft and an asteroid?  A spacecraft is really light, and an asteroid is a little meteor.

Why did the female asteroid deny her boyfriend's marriage proposal?  Because she was scared of comet-ment

- They say the asteroid killed all the dinosaurs.  You could say it killed many birds with one stone.

An Asteroid Measuring 1,600 Meters Is Headed Straight Towards Earth.  That's quite the milestone! 

Why was Jupiter banned from competing in the planetary boxing match?  He took asteroids.

One day in Contract Law class, Professor Jepson asked one of his better students, "Now if you were to give someone an orange, how would you go about it?"
The student replied, "Here's an orange."
The professor was livid. "No! No! Think like a lawyer!" The student then recited, "Okay, I'd tell him, 'I hereby give and convey to you all and singular, my estate and interests, rights, claim, title, calim and advantages of and in, said orange, together with all its rind, juice, pulp, and seeds, and all rights and advantages with full power to bite, cut, freeze and otherwise eat, the same, or give the same away with and without the pulp, juice, rind and seeds, anything herein before or hereinafter or in any deed, or deeds, instruments of whatever nature or kind whatsoever to the contrary in anywise notwithstanding..."
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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kelly's Corner

KELLY AND HER DAUGHTER SARAH

 WE LOVED OUR MORNING DESERT WALKS

 ON THE ROAD AGAIN IN OUR BIG 'TRIPLE E' MOTORHOME

Al's Art Gallery

I KNEW SHE WOULD

 SO NICE TO SEE GREEN FIELDS POKING THROUGH THE MELTING SNOW

Opening the patio door beside my living room recliner this morning at 6 a.m. to let Pheebs out I could hear 'drip-drip-drip' which told me the temperature was above freezing and the snowpack was still melting.  It was 40F.  Maybe it was a Spring like feeling, I don't know...but, something energized me, and before I could say 'Honky Dorry' I was up in my PJ's changing our living room around.  I've always liked changing things around and I figured our living room was certainly due for a change.

It turned out to be a busy morning and with a few drops of rain on the windshield I headed off to Goderich.  I didn't know how long I would be gone so Pheebs opted to stay home.  My first stop was the McCallum and Palla Funderal Home where I got buried in paperwork.  Forms to fill out for Government pension, etc. etc. and etc.  And I don't know how I'm going to get out from under it.  The funeral director was very helpful but by the time I walked out of there, I was lucky to remember where I had parked the car.  I took Kelly's health card and driver's license in to be sent away away to Ottawa for official cancellation.  The document I really need right now is our marriage certificate and I have no idea where that is so I will have to start going through Kelly's stacks of files and papers trying to locate it.  While at the funeral home I also picked up Kelly's ashes to bring home so with her in the front passenger seat beside me I headed off to my next two stops.  The Scotia Bank and the CIBC bank.  At both places they made appointments for me to come back and talk to someone regarding our financial affairs.  One appointment is this Thursday morning and the other one is Monday Morning.  The CIBC bank said they needed a copy of our wills so with that I grabbed a Tim Hortons coffee to go and headed for Clinton Ontario with a quick stop at Walmart to pick up a prescription.  With Kelly's ashes on the seat beside me it was so sad driving past the Huron Hospice location where just a week ago today, Kelly sadly passed away.  Just know that I was talking to her all the while we were driving.  I was able to find the recently relocated law office of Frank Cameron so I slipped in and told them what I needed.  The lady said to pick up the copies tomorrow (no charge) so that is what I will do.  I was glad to get home and bring Kelly into the house.  She is now on a small decorative table near her chair where I can glance over from my recliner and sense her presence there.  And yes, she has made her presence known here in more ways than one.  I knew she would:))

 I FELT SAD DRIVING BY THE HURON HOSPICE HOUSE ON MY WAY TO CLINTON THIS MORNING

 IT WAS A WEEK AGO TODAY ALMOST TO THE HOUR THAT KELLY PASSED AWAY HERE

The rest of the day was spent on my living room project and by late afternoon it was complete.  Looking around I thought, 'ya know what, I just might paint the living room'.  What color you might ask, and I would say the same color I painted the interior of our first motorhome and the same color I painted a large room in our Congress house.  North of Tucson years ago while we were at an RV Park in Casa Grande and while at a Walmart, I walked into the garden center and picked up a clay flower pot.  From there I went to the paint department and had them read the color of that flowerpot with their paint reader.  I said give me a gallon of that color and an hour later with a paint brush and roller in hand I was busy painting the interior of our motorhome.  I love southwest colors so if I decide to do it, that is the color our living room will be:))

GLAD TO FINALLY BE HEADING HOME AFTER AN EMOTIONAL MORNING

Al's Music Box:)) All I Have To Do Is Dream is a song made famous by the Everly Brothers, written by Boudleaux Bryant of the husband-and-wife songwriting team Felice and Boudleaux Bryant, and published in 1958. The song is ranked No. 141 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The best-known version was recorded by the Everly Brothers at RCA Studios Nashville and released as a single in April 1958. It had been recorded by the Everly Brothers live in just two takes on March 6, 1958, and features Chet Atkins on guitar. It was the only single ever to be at No. 1 on all of the Billboard singles charts simultaneously. On May 12, 1958, it became No. 1 on the "Best Sellers in Stores" chart, then it reached No. 1 on the "Most Played by Jockeys" and "Top 100" charts on May 19, 1958, and remained No. 1 on each chart for four, five, and three weeks, respectively. With the August 1958 introduction of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, the song ended the year at No. 2. "All I Have to Do Is Dream" also hit No. 1 on the R&B chart as well as becoming the Everly Brothers' third chart-topper on the country chart. The Everly Brothers briefly returned to the Hot 100 in 1961 with this song.  Outside the United States, "All I Have to Do Is Dream" saw massive success in various countries, most notably the United Kingdom, where it topped the UK's New Musical Express chart in June 1958 and remained there for seven weeks (including one week as a joint number one with Vic Damone's "On the Street Where You Live", spending 21 weeks on the chart in Britain.  The song has also featured on several notable lists of the best songs or singles of all time, including British music magazine Q's 1001 best songs ever in 2003.  It was named one of the "500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll" by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and received the Grammy Hall of Fame Award in 2004.  The B-side, "Claudette", was the first major songwriting success for Roy Orbison (who also recorded his own version of the song) and was named after his first wife.  As a result of this success, Orbison terminated his contract with Sun Records and affiliated himself with the Everly's publisher, Acuff-Rose Music.

 ALMOST HOME

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Once there was a golfer whose drive landed on an anthill. Rather than move the ball, he decided to hit it where it lay. He gave a mighty swing. Clouds of dirt and sand and ants exploded from the spot. Everything but the golfball. It sat in the same spot.  So he lined up and tried another shot. Clouds of dirt and sand and ants went flying again. The golf ball didn't even wiggle.  Two ants survived. One dazed ant said to the other, "Whoa! What are we going to do?"  Said the other ant: "I don't know about you, but I'm going to get on the ball."

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- What would Wonder Woman and Spider-Man name their business?  Amazon Web Services.

- Being blocked and unfriended by some people is like the trash taking itself out.

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Me: "I just burned 2000 calories in 20 minutes."
Friend: "How?"
Me: "I forgot to take my brownies out of the oven."

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Two buddies are fishing, but they haven’t caught anything all day. Then, another fisherman walks by with a huge load of fish. They ask him "excuse me, but where did you get all those fish?"  The other fisherman replies,” If you just go down the stream until the water isn't salty, there are a ton of hungry fish."  They thank him and go on their way. 15 minutes later, one fisherman says to the other "fill the bucket up with water and see if the water is salty."
He dips the bucket in the stream and drinks some. "Nope. Still salty." 30 minutes later, he asks him to check again.  "Nope, still salty." One our later they check again. "Nope. Still salty."  "This isn't good," the fisherman finally says. "We have been walking for almost two hours and the water is still salty!"  "I know," says the other. "And the bucket is almost empty!"

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kelly's Corner

 SOMEWHERE IN SARASOTA FLORIDA

Al's Art Gallery