SOME THINGS DON'T CHANGE THOUGH

 I CAME ACROSS A FEW CREEKS ON MY RELAXING SUNDAY MORNING DRIVE

Yay, an orange sunrise, and that heralded another nice late November day.  Well almost.  The strong wind drove the 47°F temps down into the thirties, and that was too cold for me.  Stopping at my country walking spot, I stepped out of the car, stepped right back in, cranked up the heater, and continued on down the road.  My morning drive took me along the Bannockburn Line, and I was able to snap a few late-season photos along the way.

 BECAUSE OF THE BITING COLD WIND, I DIDN'T STOP HERE AT MY USUAL SPOT FOR A MORNING WALK

 SOMETINES IN HARVEST SEASON, THERE ISN'T ALWAYS A LOT OF ROOM ON THE COUNTRY ROADS

 A DISTANT FARM ABOUT A MILE AWAY

 THE BACK OF A FARM PROPERTY ALONG MY WALKING ROAD

ALTHOUGH OUR FORESTS ARE NOW BARE OF AUTUMN'S COLOR, FARMER'S FIELDS ARE STILL COLORFUL

 AREA CREEKS ARE STILL BABBLING BROOKS

My morning thoughts as I slowly ambled along through the countryside centered on a few changes in life as one grows older.  Many of which, I may add, are welcome changes.  Some, not so much, but regardless of which, all are meaningful and important in the progress of one's life.  I sometimes reflect on the many phases of change in my music interests over the past eight decades.  Although I still like all the old music I've listened to over the years, I rarely listen to it anymore. It's not that I don't like it, it's just that I much prefer a different type of music now in these latter years.  The same thing holds true for food.  Things I liked and preferred years ago have dropped by the wayside.  And, my eating habits and appetite have changed.  I no longer like eating big meals or sitting down at prescribed times to eat.  I'm a grazer.  If I'm hungry, I drum up something to eat, and if I'm not, I don't eat!!  My interest in vehicles has changed.  Gone are the shaky little sports cars and the old patched-up junkers.  Gone too are the fifty-dollar cars, bald tires, rusty sills, and oil-dripping engines.  It's been decades now since I tucked my shirts into my pants.  Comfort finally won out over style.  Never liked wearing hats of any kind until we started RVing.  Now, I hardly go anywhere without some kind of a hat on.  Politics never interested me, and still doesn't, but over the past ten years, I have taken a concerned interest in the nastiness and skull duggery of dishonest politicians.  Where once, as a child, I could run like a forest deer through the woods, I no longer have the interest, the ability, or the reason to do so.  Where once I loved the camaraderie and tomfoolery of hanging around with a bunch of guys,  the loud music and overall noise of bars and hotels, I now prefer to be alone, surrounded by the quietness of nature.  I enjoy a quiet walk in the countryside as opposed to the rock concerts I attended years ago and their throngs of shoulder-to-shoulder crowds.  Once a very sociable fellow, I now avoid social encounters and am quite alright with that.  Comfortable footwear long ago replaced leather shoes and cowboy boots.  My taste in humor has also changed.  As soon as a comedian starts throwing around foul language to get attention, I change the channel or I stop reading.  If you have to do that to spike the audience, then I'm just not interested in what you have to say.  No, I'm not a prude, I'm just someone who has been fortunate enough to get away from all that.  I may not quite know why that is, but I like to think it might have something to do with finally having a more mature outlook on life.  Strange how those things change within us as we age.  Some may not like those changes, but in my world, I welcome them with open arms.  I'm not anywhere near perfect, but I am much happier with the person I am today than the person I was years ago.  Some things don't change though.  I've always liked peanut butter, and I still do.  The natural kind that is:))

 SO NICE TO BE WANDERING ALONG UNDER BIG BRIGHT BLUE SKIES

 AS A KID PLAYING NEAR OUR HOUSE, I ALWAYS KNEW THAT IT WAS UNDER TREES LIKE THIS THAT THE WEE FOLKS OF THE FOREST LIVED

 I BELIEVE THIS TO BE AN OLD ELM TREE STANDING ALONE IN A FARMER'S FIELD

My activities today consisted of fixing a birdhouse and cleaning out some eavestroughs.  In other words, kind of a lazy Sunday.  I ended the day feeling a little guilty that I had not accomplished more outside things on such a nice, sunny late November day. I didn't include a few of Saturday night's sunset photos, so I will include them here.

 A QUIET MOMENT BY THE WATER'S EDGE

 LINING UP FOR A SUNSET SELFIE

LORRAINE TOOK THIS CANDID PHOTO OF ME OUT OF THE CAR TAKING A FEW SUNSET PICS

 I SLIGHT TOUCH OF SUNSET ALIGHTS ON THIS MARTIN BIRD HOUSE AT BAYFIELD'S BEACH

 I LIKE THE ALBION HOTEL'S NEW LIGHTING

 PERHAPS ONE OF THE ALBION'S GHOSTS ON THE SECOND FLOOR BALCONY

Al's Music Box:: We'll Sing In The Sunshine by Gale Garnett.

Groaner's Corner:(( When the gambler wakes up from dreaming about a huge glowing number 5 made of gold and diamonds, he knows it's an omen. So he grabs a racing form and looks up that day's fifth race. Sure enough, the number 5 horse in the fifth race is Fifth Element. So for the rest of the day, he does everything in fives: He eats five bowls of cereal for breakfast, goes for a five-mile run, takes a five-minute shower, and wears the fifth jacket he finds in his closet.  At the racetrack, he buys five programs, bets $555 on the fifth horse in the fifth race, and sits in the fifth seat of the fifth row of the bleachers in section five.  And when the gun goes off, he settles in and watches his horse come in....... fifth.

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"Hey Alexa, can you check my bank account and see what Apple productsI can afford to buy...."
Alexa: "Apple Juice."

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How was your blind dates?" a college student asked her roommate. "Terrible!" the room-mate answered. "He showed up in his 1932 Rolls Royce .""Wow! That's a very expensive car. What's so bad about that?" "He was the original owner."

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Al's Doggy World

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Al's Art Gallery

LITTLE DID WE KNOW

It was one year ago today, while Kelly was in London's University Hospital, that the head liver transplant surgeon came into Kelly's room to tell her that, because of her severely weakened overall condition, she was being removed from the liver transplant list.  Her last hope, the one she had fought so valiantly for the past ten years, was gone.   It was a very sad phone conversation we had that day.  I couldn't be there with her because the ward she was in had a covid lockdown, and visitors were not allowed on the floor.  Little did we know that her stay in University Hospital this time would be her last.

Al's Music Box:: Ebb Tide by Pat Boone

GROANER'S CORNER:(( In a certain suburban neighborhood, there were two brothers, 8 and 10 years old, who were exceedingly mischievous. Whatever went wrong in the neighborhood, it nearly always turned out they had had a hand in it. Their parents were at their wits' end trying to control them and after hearing about a priest nearby who worked with delinquent boys, the mother suggested to the father that they ask the priest to talk to them.  The mother went to the priest and made her request. He agreed, but said he wanted to see the younger boy first and alone. So the mother sent him to the priest.  The priest sat the boy down across from the huge, impressive desk he sat behind. For about five minutes, they just sat and stared at each other. Finally, the priest pointed his forefinger at the boy and asked, "Where is God?"  The boy looked under the desk, in the corners of the room, all around, but said nothing.  Again, louder, the priest pointed at the boy and asked, "Where is God?"  Again the boy looked all around but said nothing. A third time, in a louder, firmer voice, the priest leaned far across the desk and put his forefinger almost to the boy's nose, and asked, "Where is God?"  The boy panicked and ran all the way home. Finding his older brother, he dragged him upstairs to their room and into the closet, where they usually plotted their mischief and quickly said, "We are in big trouble!"  The older boy asked, "What do you mean, big trouble?"  His brother replied, "God is missing and they think we did it!"

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- How do you get down off an elephant?
You don't, you get down off a goose.

- Why are elephants always so broke?  They work for peanuts.

- What do you call an elephant that doesn't matter?  Irrelephant.

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Father: Son, today is your exam. If you fail, that's it, don't ever call me your father again. Got it?
Son: Okay dad! I'll do my best!
After the exam..
Father: So, how's the exam?
Son: Sorry Sir, do I know you?

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Researchers for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority found over 200 dead crows near Boston recently, and there was concern that they may have died from Avian Flu.  A Bird Pathologist examined the remains of all the crows, and, to everyone's relief, confirmed the problem was definitely NOT Avian Flu. The cause of death appeared to be vehicular impacts.  However, during the detailed analysis, it was noted that varying colors of paint appeared on the bird's beaks and claws.  By analyzing these paint residues, it was determined that 98% of the crows had been killed by impact with trucks, while only 2% were killed by an impact with a car.  MTA then hired an Ornithological Behaviorist to determine if there was a cause for the disproportionate percentages of truck kills versus car kills.  He very quickly concluded the cause: When crows eat road kill, they always have a look-out crow in a nearby tree to warn of impending danger.  They discovered that while all the lookout crows could shout “Cah”, not a single one could shout “Truck.”
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Al's Doggy World

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Al's Art Gallery

QUIET THOUGHT-PROVOKING NIGHTS

 I THINK THESE ARE BEECH TREE LEAVES AND THEY STILL HAVE SOME COLOR TO THEM

With blue skies overhead on Thursday, I had my fingers crossed that those skies would remain clear Thursday night.  But they didn't.  Nevertheless, I took myself out for a drive anyway and enjoyed seeing the reflections of Goderich, Varna, and Clinton's lights on the dark night's low-hanging clouds.  I drove to my usual spot on Tower Line Road and sat for a while listening to my soft ambient music.  How nice to see the twinkling lights of distant farms dotting the invisible horizon.  Oh, how I love quiet, thought-provoking nights. 

 ALL OF TONIGHT'S PICS ARE FROM IN OUR PARK

No fiery sunrise this morning, but at least it wasn't raining or snowing.  And no strong gusting winds to drop the 45°F temps down into the thirties somewhere.  I figured it was another great opportunity to work away outside.  Every single leaf and pine needle I can pick up now is one less leaf and pine needle I will have to pick up in the Spring.  When we travelled to the southwest years ago, we always left here around mid-October, so I was never able to get things all cleaned up before we left.  In the Spring, I always had a big, huge clean-up to do.  I am already in great shape for next Spring.  Bring it on:)) 

 IT WASN'T A FULL LOAD OF LEAVES TODAY, BUT I DIDN'T WANT THEM SITTING IN THE TRAILER

 THIS IS THE LAST DAY FOR THE PARK'S REFORESTATION PROJECT WITH THOUSANDS OF TREES BEING PLANTED

THIS NEWLY PLANTED AREA WAS ONCE A PART OF THE RECYCLING AREA

A QUIET FOREST PATH ONCE CAME THROUGH HERE BEFORE IT WAS MINDLESSLY BULLDOZED...IT HAS NOW BEEN REPLANTED AND WILL RETURN TO BEING A QUIET FOREST PATH

Al's Music Box::  How High The Moon by Les Paul and Mary Ford.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( It's fun to cook for Tom::

MONDAY: It's fun to cook for Tom. Today I made angel food cake. The recipe said to beat 12 eggs separately. The neighbors were nice enough to loan me some extra bowls.
TUESDAY: Tom wanted fruit salad for supper. The recipe said to serve without dressing. So I didn't dress. What a surprise when Tom brought a friend home for supper.
WEDNESDAY: A good day for rice. The recipe said wash thoroughly before steaming the rice. It seemed kind of silly, but I took a bath anyway. I can't say it improved the rice any.
THURSDAY: Today, Tom asked for salad again. I tried a new recipe. It said to prepare ingredients, lay on a bed of lettuce one hour before serving. Tom asked me why I was rolling around in the garden.
FRIDAY: I found an easy recipe for cookies. It said to put the ingredients in a bowl and beat them. There must have been something wrong with this recipe. When I got back, everything was the same as when I left.
SATURDAY: Tom did the shopping today and brought home a chicken. He asked me to dress it for Sunday (oh boy). For some reason, Tom keeps counting to ten.
SUNDAY: Tom's folks came to dinner. I wanted to serve roast, but all I had was hamburger. Suddenly, I had a flash of genius. I put the hamburger in the oven and set the controls for roast. It still came out hamburger, much to my disappointment.
GOOD NIGHT DEAR DIARY. This has been a very exciting week. I am eager for tomorrow to come so I can try out a new recipe on Tom. If I can talk him into buying a bigger oven, I would like to surprise him with chocolate moose.

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A man was driving to work when a truck ran a stop sign, hit his car broadside, and knocked him out cold. A passerby pulled him from the wreckage and revived him. He began a terrific struggle and had to be tranquilized by the medics. Later, when he had calmed down, they asked him why he had struggled so. He said, a bit sheepishly, "I remember the impact, then nothing. I woke up on a concrete slab in front of this huge, flashing sign. Turns out somebody was standing in front of the 'S' on the 'Shell' sign."

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