MY BIG FRIDAY AFTERNOON DIG

Friday nights are my night to call Aunt Jean in Florida to see how she is doing.  Always in good spirits, she is finding her ninety-eight years physically closing in on her.  Her mind is still as sharp as a tack, and maybe even sharper.  No longer able to walk far, even with her walker, and losing strength, she has not let that stop her from slowly making her way outside, and across the parking lot to her car, where minutes later, she zooms out of the driveway into the heavy Sarasota traffic, either going to get her hair done, maybe a stop at Walmart, and then over to her friend Pat's place for a visit.  Aunt Jean adds clarity and meaning to the words resilience, perseverance, and stamina.  After our phone call ended about 9:30 and with the night sky already dark, I wasn't long in jumping into the car and heading off to my favorite stargazing spot atop Tower Hill, just a few miles northeast of where I live.  How mesmerizing, without the Moon in the sky, to see the Milky Way stretching across the sky and all the way down to the horizon in the southwest.  The night sky was filled with silent, shimmering stars in the cool, brisk late summer air.  Because of the clear, and colder air, I was also able to see farther into the distant horizon lines.  Many more flashing red lights from the wind turbines to the south and east were easily visible. However, I never saw the blinking lights of a single aircraft or the steady trajectory of a single satellite.  Although my iPhone alerted me to the presence of the International Space Station in the area, I never did see it.  So many thoughts on my mind again, and so many memories.

 HAPPY TO BE BACK AT MY STARGAZING SPOT

 LOOKING SOUTH, THAT GLOW TO THE LEFT IS VARNA, ONTARIO, AND THE OTHER LIGHTS TO THE RIGHT ALONG THE HORIZON ARE FLASHING RED LIGHTS ON THE WIND TURBINES....TOOK BOTH OF THESE PHOTOS WITH MY HANDHELD iPHONE

With this great September weather upon us, I have been trying to take advantage of every minute outside, getting as many things done as I possibly can before the nasty late October and November cold and wet weather sets in.  I'm still roto-tilling up ground wherever I can, and planting grass seed.  I'm sure my gardening and landscaping energy finally returned, but I knew it probably would once the heat and humidity of summer were gone.  As I've said countless times....this is my absolute, very much most favorite time of the entire year, with Spring coming in a close second.  

 A FEW TOUCHES OF AUTUMN COLOR IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING

 A GNARLY TREE NEXT TO THE PARK'S POND

 IN OUR PARK, THIS IS THE FIRST OF THREE NEW UNITS ON ITS CONCRETE PAD

I had no idea Friday morning when I woke up that by noon I would be digging several directional trenches about a foot and a half deep near our front porch steps, looking for the proverbial 'needle in a haystack'.  A notice from our Park's owners stated that, 'The MECP-?? has a septic tank requirement that is now being enforced. All septic systems need to be emptied a minimum of every five years. (ours hasn't been emptied since before we moved here nearly 23 years ago) Tanks must be emptied by October 31st. 2025'.  Well, with a vague memory of seeing a diagram somewhere of where our septic tank was located over two decades ago, I grabbed my shovel and started digging.  Of course, the location of our tank is right where I have been working on improving the area around our entranceway.  So, first I had to remove a bunch of pea stones before I could even start digging.  Then, standing in our driveway, I tried to imagine where the lid to the tank might be located, assuming the lid would be in the middle. (no it isn't!!) I started digging a hole where I was hoping the tank lid would be, and within minutes, I clunked onto something hard about a foot and a half down.  Yup, it was the top of the tank, alright, but not the lid.  Now, which direction to dig in hopes of finding the lid?  Digging to the east about three feet, I found an edge but no lid.  I then turned around to where I had started and headed west about four feet before finding another edge.  No lid.  Back to my starting point and headed south towards a big basswood tree.  Now I was into roots and had to go get an axe.  Frustrating? Yes!! But with inclement weather bringing colder temperatures and rain in the coming days, I wanted to get this job done as soon as possible while the weather is good because I had already phoned a septic tank company in Seaforth and they were coming on the 29th of the month.  They also said I was responsible for digging the hole to expose the tank lid.  So, continuing, I dug south (through the roots) for about four feet before finding the edge of the tank.  Still no lid, so I knew I had only one direction left to go, and that was north towards the house.  Dig, dig, dig, and finally, just before a newly grass-seeded area, a 'clank' at the end of my shovel as I struck a steel inverted U-shaped object embedded in a concrete square, Logic told me this was the tank lid.  Right beside it was another, but smaller steel ring, which I figure is the second smaller lid.  I'm assuming the septic tank truck will have some kind of heavy lifting device to lift the heavy concrete lid off.  Anyway, this whole septic tank endeavour took me the best part of two hours to complete, and by the time I was finished, I don't think there was hardly a muscle anywhere in my body that wasn't screaming at me, saying, "go sit down, you blithering idiot, we can't take any more!!"  Happy to say upon awakening this morning that all my muscles and bones are back in place in harmonious bliss, and all is okay between mind and body again.  Well, so far, anyway:)) ............... And, a note to Facebook readers....Woodsy informed me today that she couldn't find my last night's post entitled 'Another Change For A Change'.  I have since posted it to Facebook late this afternoon.  Also, I had a few glitches in the same post with the photo captions on a white background, making them hard to read.  I didn't do that intentionally, and I don't think it will be a problem in tonight's post.

I  DUG A HOLE IN THE CENTER AND THEN DUG A TRENCH TO THE FOREGROUND.  TURNED AROUND AND DUG A TRENCH TOWARDS THE PORCH, THEN A TRENCH TO THE LEFT AND FINALLY TO THE RIGHT, WHERE THE SHOVEL EVENTUALLY FOUND THE TANK'S LIDS

 KELLY BROUGHT THAT DOUBLE BLADED AXE HOME FROM HER DAD'S GARAGE IN SPENCERPORT NEW YORK YEARS AGO AND IT SURE CAME IN HANDY FOR CHOPPING TREE ROOTS FRIDAY

 IN CASE ANYONE WONDERED WHAT I DID WITH ALL THE DIRT I DUG OUT, IT'S OVER HERE, WHERE I WHEELBARROWED IT

Al's Music Box Deep Purple by Nino Tempo and April Stevens.

 GOLDENROD ALONGSIDE THE ROAD

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Ma & Pa were on the porch & Pa said, " You know, Ma, I'd sure like a big bowl of ice cream." "OK, Pa", she said, as she shuffled off toward the kitchen. "Write it down," he said, "...you'll forget" "Oh, Pa, don't be silly" "Write it down" he said, "cause I want some chocolate syrup on it.", he insisted. "Ice cream..with chocolate syrup" she said, as she walked into the kitchen. 10, 15, 20 minutes passed and finally Ma came out & handed Pa a big bowl of oatmeal. "See, Ma, what'd I tell you....you forgot the toast."

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A Californian said: I aint afraid of the cops around Santa Ana. You seen some of these guys? What, cops on bicycles? How intimidating is this: Alright buddy, pull it over. Ching-ching-ching? What do they do when they arrest somebody? Alright, get in the parcel carrier.

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After she woke up, a woman told her husband, "I just dreamed that you gave me a pearl necklace for Valentine's day. What do you think it means?" "You'll know tonight." he said. That evening, the man came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it to find a book entitled "The Meaning of Dreams"

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Little Emily was complaining to her mother that her stomach hurt. Her mother replied, “That’s because it's empty. Maybe you should try putting something in it." The next day, the pastor was over at Emily's family's house for lunch. He mentioned having his head hurt, to which Emily immediately replied, "That's because it's empty. Maybe you should try putting something in it."

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Al's Doggy World

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ANOTHER CHANGE FOR A CHANGE

SUBTLE SHADES AND COLORS OF EARLY AUTUMN ARE BEGINNING TO APPEAR

There is a question that resides permanently on my blogging doorstep.  I consciously or subconsciously deal with this issue each & every time I sit down at my keyboard to write my basically almost daily post.  Somewhere between projecting one’s inner thoughts & feelings to covering up one’s inner thoughts & feelings, there is a very thin & precarious line.  There are a few of us out here who blog right on that line. To my own chagrin, sometimes I am a frequent tumbler onto the honest side of the line & have a habit of writing about personal things occasionally that might be better left unwritten about.  But better I fee,l to be straightforward with readers as opposed to representing myself as someone I am not.  No perfect happy-happy everyday wondrously awesome life.  Right or wrong, this is a journal of my life & I lay it all out here on basically a daily basis for anyone interested enough to read it.  It’s all in print & changes daily.  Sad, glad, mad, bouncy-bouncy, happy-happy, it just routinely & unexpectedly changes daily.  And tonight………another change for a change:))

 TWO TREES SIDE BY SIDE PERHAPS

 NOPE, ONE TREE WITH TWO COLORS

Over the years, I have become increasingly aware of a slow, subtle change in myself.  It seems the less time I spend socializing with people, the more comfortable I have become with myself.  I have also noticed how my social skills have been affected.  As with any skill, practice is key to keeping it sharp.  For a carpenter, he must work at his trade in order to keep his skill level up.  Same for a mechanic, an artist, musician, surgeon, truck driver, actors, salespeople, etc.  To stay at the top of their game, they must constantly hone their skills & keep themselves up to date on the latest technologies, fashions, & any changes pertaining to their particular skills.  Interacting & socializing with people is a particular skill as well.  Some folks are very good at this & constantly work on their people skills.  And there are some people like myself who, through distancing themselves from the art of socializing, begin to lose their once keen people skills.  Does this bother me??  Yes, of course it bothers me.....sometimes. 

Feeling awkward in conversations is common for me now, and keeping a conversation flowing with people has become increasingly difficult.  My listening skills are just not often there sometimes and I find my mind drifting off & not paying attention to what is being said occasionally.  Of course, that begins the guilt merry-go-round when I feel uncomfortable at not keeping up my end of a conversation.  This then leads me right back to my comfort zone of not getting involved in conversations in the first place.  And the best way to do that?  Avoid people. 

I’m not a verbal storyteller; therefore, I do not have a lot of interest in listening to verbal stories.  And, keep in mind, that listening to a story and reading a story require different skill sets.  And, you know the kind of verbal story I am talking about, "well my brother’s best friend’s Uncle Clem knew a guy one time who lived in Goobville & had a bent paper clip collection that he kept in a green box under his double flaming orange mattress bed & only looked at it on rainy days & it doesn’t rain much in Goobville but my brother’s best friend’s Uncle Clem said this guy would turn the cold water tap on & hear the running water to remind him to get his bent paper stamp collection in the green box from out under his double mattress flaming orange bed and then he would look at his bent paper clip collection & it would remind him of the time he was a boy growing up in Blattsburg with his best friend Bubba who had a 9 foot fishing pole made of old bent & rusty car aerials & did I tell ya about the time Bubba & Clem"......... 'Awwww, knock it of, will ya'.......Aaaaaaack!!!! 

Over time & with the advent of computers & blogging, it has become increasingly comfortable for me and I’m sure many others to write about thoughts & feelings as opposed to talking about them.  I’m not an aggressive talker as a rule or one who dominates conversations anymore, but of course, there are those who may still remember me from my old ‘drinking days’ who would strongly dispute that.  However, those ‘Yakky Doodle’ days are thankfully long gone now and I far prefer the person I am today.  All be it a bit of a Cursmudgeon-like reclusive Hermit.  I am still bothered at times by my elusive ways but those bothersome times are becoming less as I gradually become increasingly comfortable in my aging understanding of self.

 A BAND OF WANDERING CORN STOCKS IN A RIPENING BEAN FIELD

 SOMETHING SURE TOOK A BIG BITE OUT OF THIS CORN FIELD

Reading this post, some may be turned off, thinking it is all about me.  Yes, it is about me, but it is as much about all the other folks like me who are out here as well.  And my life’s experience tells me there are far more people in various degrees of Invertedness than we think and know.  So when I write about these things from time to time, it is not only for me I write this, it is for all the other folks like myself who are maybe not in a position to write about their own thoughts and feelings themselves.  I know for a fact there are a lot of closet Invert personalities, some of which are forced to go to great lengths in keeping up appearances with a Rah-Rah Awesome-Awesome persona. 

 A QUIET MOMENT ALONG THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON IN GODERICH THIS MORNING

And of course, this all brings me around to the type of personality I am, neither of which is an Optimist or a Pessimist.  Yes, bits of both, of course, but I have always seen myself as a Realist and much prefer that as opposed to seeing life unrealistically as all happy-happy or gloomy-gloomy.  I have always felt I have been able to cut through much of the misleading false optimism many carry, as well as the heavily burdened pessimism many others share.  My realism does have a habit of sliding to the pessimistic side rather than the optimistic side at times and that is the depression I sometimes deal with.  Depression is a deep awareness of self & keeps one grounded in sensitivities.  Sensitivities that are sometimes not present in overly optimistic people.  

 FOR SOME AREA FARMERS, THE BEAN HARVEST HAS BEGUN

 FOR SOME OTHERS IT IS ALREADY OVER

So why am I writing all this?  Good question.  Why indeed.  I think it comes from an inner guilt feeling of trying to justify to myself why I am not on the social front lines out there.  Of course, there is a part of me inside that would like to step out of my hermit-like shell & do just that.   Or is there?  Well, there once was.  Oh, I don't know.  Even I confuse myself at times..............

Al's Music Box Bright Eyes by Art Garfunkel.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two elderly ladies meet at the launderette after not seeing one another for some time. After inquiring about each other's health, one asked how the other's husband was doing. "Oh! Ted died last week. He went out to the garden to dig up a cabbage for dinner, had a heart attack and dropped down dead right there in the middle of the vegetable patch!" "Oh dear! I'm so very sorry," replied her friend. "What did you do?" "Opened a can of peas instead."

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Just changed my Facebook name to 'No one', so when I see stupid posts, I can click like and it will say 'No one likes this'.

Years ago we had Johnny Cash, Bob Hope, and Steve Jobs. Now we have no cash, no hope, and no jobs.

I went a wise man the other day for advice and he said, "He who knows and knows he knows, knows not. He who knows not and knows he knows not, knows." I don't know who's going to do my taxes next year, but I know it won't be him again.

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