A DISTURBING PHONE CALL FROM AUNT JEAN'S BEST FRIEND

 MOURNING DOVE ON OUR FEEDER

A disturbing phone call from Aunt Jean's best friend Pat last night.  She said Jean woke up gasping for breath Wednesday morning and when Pat was over to see her she could hardly make out Jean's weak voice.  Aunt Jean's former employer and long-time friend Dr. Wiseman had been in to see her and ordered some tests.  I phoned Pat early this evening and she said she had been over to see Jean today and she was a bit better.  An electrocardiogram has shown a problem with her heart and I think Aunt Jean might be on oxygen now but I'm not sure.  I will call her at our usual time tomorrow night to see how she is doing.

Pheebs was eager for a car ride this morning so off we went into Bayield on another fine sunny morning.  Lots of people with cheery looks on their faces out and about walking.  Even saw some kids out playing.  Most unusual for this day and age.

 HOW NICE TO SEE THE BAYFIELD RIVER FINALLY FREE OF ICE AND DID YOU NOTICE THE FISHERMAN

 THE LAKE ICE IS BREAKING UP AND MORE WATER IS APPEARING

 BAYFIELD'S MORNING COFFEE KLATCH ALONG MAIN STREET

Home again, I dropped off Pheebs and picked up Woodsy for a drive to Goderich.  First stop was Food Basics and then Wendy's for a coffee.  McDonalds is closed for renovations.  Down to the harbor we went and I snapped a few pics.  Next stop was Giant Tiger where I was able to catch up my reading again while waiting in the parking lot.  From there it was north out of Goderich to show Woodsy around the neighborhood.  Being an avid walker and bicyclist I was anxious to show her the Maitland Valley Trail but snow prevented us from getting anywhere near it.  Maybe next week.  From there it was a swing around the Goderich Airport, a cruise through the Menneset Mobile Home park, and then east to the hamlet of Ben  Miller where we drove around the Ben Miller Inn before heading home via Porter's Hill Line.

 PASSED THESE HAPPY WALKERS THIS MORNING ON OUR WAY TO GODERICH

 ICE IS BEGINNING TO BREAK UP IN GODERICH'S INNER HARBOR

STANDING ON THE STIFF WATER

Feeling the need to be outside doing something in this early Springlike weather I headed outside and began gathering up more pine branches from winter's storms.  Some of the pine branches were big enough for me to use my swede saw to cut them up.  Hauled out my leaf rake and lightly raked up some debris on my melted winter paths.  What a great feeling to once again be outside accomplishing something useful and productive.  It has been a long winter waiting for these early days of Spring sunshine and warmer temperatures.

 THE BEN MILLER INN

 BEN MILLER ONTARIO

Al's Music Box:)) The Last Leaf and Rhythm Of The Fallen Rain were songs by an American vocal group called The Cascades.  They were best known for the single "Rhythm of the Rain", recorded in 1962, an international hit the following year.  In 1960, the Silver Strands were a group of United States Navy personnel serving on the USS Jason based in San Diego, California. They recruited John Gummoe, who originally acted as manager, then left the Navy to become The Thundernotes. The group's membership consisted of John Claude "John" Gummoe (born August 2, 1938) (lead vocals), Lenny Green (vocal and lead guitar), Dave Wilson (drums and vocal), Dave Stevens (bass), and Art Eastlick (rhythm guitar). Their first and only recording, "Thunder Rhythm" (and "Payday" on the reverse of the 45rpm) was with DelFi Records of Hollywood, owned and managed by Bob Keane. It was a surf-type instrumental. Lenny left soon after to pursue his own goals and the group acquired Eddie Snyder (guitar), David Szabo (keyboards), Dave Stevens (bass) and Dave Wilson (drums).  Influenced by the Beach Boys, the group became more interested in vocal harmony. They recorded demos and signed with Barry De Vorzon at Valiant Records, a subsidiary of Warner Bros., and changed their name to The Cascades – inspired by a nearby box of dishwasher detergent. Their first release, "There's a Reason", became a minor regional hit; in the summer of 1962, they went to Gold Star Stueios in Los Angeles to record a song Gummoe wrote in his Navy days on watch during a thunderstorm. The song was to become "Rhythm of the Rain" and the muscians on the recording included the " The Wrecking Crew" - including Hal Blaine on drums, Carol Kaye on bass, and Glen Campbell on guitar - arranged by Perry Botkin Jr. "Rhythm of the Rain" was issued in November 1962. It rose to No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in early 1963, becoming a major hit in over 80 countries. "Rhythm of the Rain" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc. The Cascades continued to record, produced an album and several additional singles, including the follow-up "The Last Leaf", but did not match the charm or success of their big hit.  Gummoe left the group in 1967 to pursue a solo career and later formed the band Kentucky Express. Keyboardist/vocalist Gabe Lapano took over the lead chores.  The group also added Tony Grasso, with Owens and Snyder the remaining original members. Finally, they split in 1975.  Guitarist Eddie Snyder (born 1941) died on January 28, 2023.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Joe had asked Bob to help him out with the deck after work, so Bob just went straight over to Joe's place. When they got to the door, Joe went straight to his wife, gave her a hug and told her how beautiful she was and how much he had missed her at work. When it was time for supper, he complimented his wife on her cooking, kissed her and told her how much he loved her.  Once they were working on the deck, Bob told Joe that he was surprised that he fussed so much over his wife. Joe said that he'd started this about six months ago, it had revived their marriage, and things couldn't be better. Bob thought he'd give it a go. When he got home, he gave his wife a massive hug, kissed her and told her that he loved her. His wife burst into tears.  Bob was confused and asked why she was crying. She said, "This is the worst day of my life. First, little Billy fell off his bike and twisted his ankle. Then, the washing machine broke and flooded the basement. And now, you come home drunk!"

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John: "My grandpa is 98 years old, and he doesn't even use glasses."
Jack: "Wow, that is incredible!"
John: "Yep, he drinks straight from the bottle."

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- Look, you can either agree with me or you can be wrong.- What state has the smallest drinks?  Mini-soda.

- Where do pencils spend their vacation  Pencil-Vania.

- How do billboards talk?  Sign language.

What do you call a female magician in the desert?  A sand witch.

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kelly's Corner

 AT THE COMPUTER DESK IN OUR FIRST MOTORHOME

 NOW THAT'S A BIG LEAF

 I DON'T THINK THE LITTLE MOTOMOUSE IS TOO HAPPY ABOUT KELLY NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO HER

Al's Art Gallery

JUST LIKE HER MOM WAS

With a cold (30F) and cloudy morning upon us I wasn't too inspired photo-wise, so Pheebs and I slipped down to the end of Bayfield River Road, turned around, and came home.  Pheebs mobility is beginning to slip, so I had to lift her into the car before we left.  Her bum slipped off the seat onto the floor and I had to relift her back up onto the seat.  She didn't have the strength to pull herself up and I had noticed earlier that she wasn't too keen on going for a car ride this morning.  I'm afraid all our wonderful days together are slowly slipping away:((

By late-morning Old Sol was making his way down through the cloud cover and we had some patches of blue sky.  Despite that, Woodsy and I did take a drive into Clinton this morning for gas and stopped at Elliot's Liquidation for a browse.  Now, as readers already know, I am not a browser and usually stay in the car while the browsee browses all the browsables inside. And such was the case this morning.  No way was I going in there with all those humanoids milling about all over the place.  Besides, it's a good opportunity to catch up on my Kindle reading.  From Elliots, it was a gas stop then Hortons for two coffees and a muffin to go.  We headed east toward Seaforth because I wanted to show Woodsy a shorter, faster, and easier way to come and go from her apartment location in Stratford's east end.  By this route she won't have to go through downtown Stratford and she can completely eliminate going through Sebringville, Mitchell, Dublin, and Seaforth.  I always used this little traveled express route when driving for the Stratford Airporter years ago.  Basically, it is Quinlin Road all the way west from Stratford's northwest corner to northwest of Seaforth. Then left to Highway 8 and straight on to Clinton.  A couple deeks in Clinton's southeast end and she's on the homestretch for the Bayfield Pines Park where Pheebs and I are:)) 

 READING MY KINDLE IN ELLIOTTS PARKING LOT

Kelly's daughter Sabra phoned me this afternoon to say how happy and supportive she was that Lorraine and I had renewed our friendship from over forty years ago.  Kelly's son Jason also left a positive comment on one of my posts a few days ago as well.  Both Sabra and Jason's understanding and acceptance is very much appreciated.  Sabra said, "with the way Mom thought I knew she would have encouraged you to move on."  Sabra and her husband Derek have a condo in Fort Myers Florida, and encouraged Lorraine and I to come down anytime.  It's always nice talking to Sabra because she is a positive thinking, caring, and warm, friendly person just like her Mom was.

 'AWWWWW NUTS' THE GRACKLES ARE BACK ALREADY AND WILL NOW DOMINATE THE FEEDERS FOR THE NEXT 7 MONTHS!!!!!

Al's Music Box:)) Do You Believe In Magic is a song by the American folk rock band the Lovin' Spoonful. Written by John Sebastian, it was issued as the band's debut single in July 1965. The single peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100. It later served as the title track of the band's debut album, issued that November.  John Sebastion composed "Do You Believe in Magic" in May 1965.  Sebastian drew inspiration from a teenage girl who attended one of the Lovin' Spoonful's performances at the Night Owl Cafe, a club in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City at which the band were then holding a residency. The younger girl stood in contrast to the older beatnik crowd who typically attended folk performances, and Sebastian recalled that "she was dancing like we danced – and not like the last generation danced".  He also remembered: "Zal Yanovsky and I just elbowed each other the entire night, because to us, that young girl symbolized the fact that our audience was changing, that maybe they had finally found us."  Sebastian composed the song the following night, and the rest of the band worked with him at the Hotel Albert to finish its arrangement.  In 1965, the Lovin' Spoonful originally recorded and released the song as the first single from their debut studio album Do You Believe in Magic. The single was well received by the public and became a top ten hit, peaking at number 9.  According to the lyrics, the magic referenced in the title is the power of music to supply happiness and freedom to both those who make it and those who listen to it. The Lovin' Spoonful's version was ranked number 216 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Billboard said of the original single release that the "pulsating folk-flavored rhythm number serves as a strong and exciting debut for new group in the Byrds vein." Cash Box described it as a "rollicking, teen-angled romancer with an infectious danceable riff." Record World said that it has "plenty of beat and plenty of contemporary grit sound."  Joe Butler in 2000 said, "We were in a rented Cadillac riding in from the Los Angeles airport toward Hollywood ... when we heard "Magic" on the radio for the first time. We were all jumping up and down, punching each other and screaming ... We had to pull the car over. We were hyperventilating with excitement and validation and joy."  In a 2007 DVD entitled The Lovin' Spoonful with John Sebastian - Do You Believe in Magic, author Sebastian illustrates how he sped up the three-chord intro from Martha and the Vandellas 'Heat Wave to come up with the intro to "Do You Believe in Magic."  In 2002, "Do You Believe in Magic" by The Lovin Spoonful was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

 THE CARDINALS ARE NOT HAPPY WITH THE GRACKLES BEING BACK EITHER

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man jumps the fence into a tiger enclosure, saying God would protect him.  He is quickly eaten and finds himself at the pearly gates before God.  "Why did you not protect me from the tigers?" the man asks. "I tried to," God replies. "What did you think the fence was for?"

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The pastor was greeting folks at the door after the service. A woman said, “Father, that was a good sermon.”  The priest replied, “Oh, I have to give the credit to the Holy Spirit.”  “It wasn’t THAT good!” she said.

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- They told me, "Follow your dreams..."So I went back to bed.

- Teacher: Now class, whatever I ask, I want you to all answer at once. How much is six plus 4?  Class: At once!

- What does the 1286BC inscribed on the mummy's tomb indicate?  The registration of the car that ran him over!

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A guy goes into a bar and orders a beer. As he takes a sip of his beer, he hears a tiny little voice say: "Nice tie." He looks around but sees no one. He take another sip of his beer and hears: "A nice shirt, too." Again he looks around and sees no one.  He signals the bartender over, and hesitantly explains that he's hearing voices talking to him... "Of course," smiles the bartender. "It's the peanuts -- they're complimentary."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kelly's Corner

 WE LOVED OUR DESERT WALKS EVERY MORNING

Al's Art Gallery