THESE WERE VERY SAD DAYS A YEAR AGO

 NICE TO SEE THIS FOREST FLOOR GREENING UP

A bright sunny morning, so I was off to my walking spot.  A large road grader was in the process of grading the road, but I didn't let the 'swift-moving' machine deter me from my walk.  Ya right....have you ever seen a swift-moving road grader!?!?  Oh, really.

 A LONG TELEPHOTO SHOT OF THE APPROACHING ROAD GRADER

 THE GRADER HAS ALREADY MADE ONE PASS UP THE ROAD

THAT RED FARM TRACTOR IS ABOUT TO GET STUCK FOLLOWING THE GRADER

 I BET THAT BUSY SPRING FARMER IS CHOMPING AT THE BIT TO GET AROUND THE GRADER

My project this morning was to remove some rust off the clamps that hold the rails for Subie's front seats.  Road salt over the years has bubbled the paint on those black clamps and rust has settled in.  Having ground the rust off, I then set to work carefully repainting those floor clamps.  Now, it was unlikely this should have happened, but......everything turned out exceptionally well.  I didn't even get any paint on the carpet, the steering wheel, the muffler, or the rear window.  And, by golly, I didn't even find any paint spatters on myself.  Yessireee, I did good, even if I have to say so myself.

 AREA FORESTS ARE GREENING UP WITH EACH PASSING DAY

 I TOOK MY E-BIKE FOR A SPIN TO THE SOUTH END OF THE PARK LATE THIS AFTERNOON

 AND YES, BY GOLLY, I EVEN GOT MYSELF A REGULATION BIKE HELMET

And, with the greatest sadness in my heart, it was one year ago on April 28th that Pheebs, with me close at her side, crossed the Rainbow Bridge.  The best Pal I ever had in my entire life was gone.  This was my post from that day....My Heart Is Again In A Million Pieces

 ONE YEAR AGO TODAY I TOOK PHEEBS TO THE WOODLAND DRIVE-IN FOR ICE CREAM

 MY TRUSTY NAVIGATOR OF 14 YEARS MANAGED TO SIT UP FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES TO CHECK AND MAKE SURE DAD WASN'T LOST

SHE LOVED HER DISH OF ICE CREAM

 HEADING HOME FOR THE LAST TIME

ALMOST HOME, SHE SITS UP ONE LAST TIME TO MAKE SURE WE WERE HOME

Al's Music Box:: Yesterday When I Was Young by Glen Campbell.

GROANER'S CORNER I stopped at a fast-food restaurant recently. I was fascinated by a sign which offered Fat-Free French Fries. I decided to give them a try. I was dismayed when the clerk pulled a basket of fries from the fryer, which was dripping with fat. He filled a bag with these fries and put them in my order. "Just a minute!" I said. "Those aren't fat-free." "Yes, they are. We only charge for the potatoes . . . the fat is free!"

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- Do you know why potatoes are never single in a bag? Because they have a lot of buds.

- Did you hear about the guy who made a fortune investing in apples? Turns out he was in cider trading.

- Scientists have been studying the effect of cannabis on sea birds. They’ve left no tern unstoned.

A blind man walks into a store. He grabs his guide dog by the tail and lifts it into the air then spins it around his head. The store clerk, alarmed by this strange behavior said, "can I help you?" "Nope, I'm just looking around."

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After a two-week criminal trial in a very high profile bank robbery case, the judge turns to the jury foreman and asks, "Has the jury reached a verdict in this case?" "Yes, we have, your honor," The foreman responded. "Would you please pass it to me," The judge declared, as he motioned for the bailiff to retrieve the verdict slip from the foreman and deliver it to him.  After the judge reads the verdict himself, he delivers the verdict slip back to his bailiff to be returned to the foreman and instructs the foreman, "Please read your verdict to the court." "We find the defendant Not Guilty of all four counts of bank robbery." stated the foreman. The family and friends of the defendant jump for joy at the verdict and hug each other as they shout expressions of divine gratitude.
The man's attorney turns to his client and asks, "So, what do you think about that?"
The defendant, with a bewildered look on his face turns to his attorney and says, "I'm real confused here. Does this mean that I have to give all the money back?"

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery

AND SO BEGAN MY DAY

Why my brain some days has to wake me up at 6 o'clock in the morning, I have no idea, but if I ever find out why it does that, my brain and I are going to have to sit down and have ourselves a serious talk.  And so began my day....at 6 o'clock!!

Despite a slightly cool northeasterly breeze, I headed out to my country road walking spot and took my legs for a stroll up the road and back.  So nice to see farmers' fields greening up as well as the roadside grass in the ditches.  Hardly a cloud in the sky, and it was easy to feel the warmth of the Sun.  I sure miss my Pheebs on these walks.

 THIS FIELD OF WINTER WHEAT IS GROWING LIKE GANGBUSTERS

 TOUCHES OF GREEN ALONG THE WATER'S EDGE OF A LAKE NEARBY

WE HAVE TRILLIUMS BLOOMING IN OUR FLOWER BED

Home from my walk, I decided to continue thinning out ferns on the property, and with that, I dug up and relocated nine more plants.  I also watered some of my newly planted grass seed just in case it doesn't rain on Monday.  And, of course, the bird feeders always seem to need topping up.  It's not only enjoying the birds constantly flying around, but it's also hearing all the joyful birds singing in the trees.  Right now, it is mainly the Red-winged Blackbirds that I am hearing.  True harbingers of Spring, those fellows.  Every day outside working away at things, I am accompanied by songbirds.  Now of course, if I didn't have my limitless bird seed smorgasbord laid out every day, I would likely not have my singing chorus in the trees.  Yes, it's expensive to lay out that borgasmord daily, but for me, it's worth it, just to hear all the little fellas chirping and chortling away.  Call it Smorgasbord therapy if you will.  As a matter of fact, right now I am sitting on our front porch typing this while being entertained by all my feathered friends.

 SITTING ON OUR FRONT PORCH THIS AFTERNOON, I LAZILY TOOK A FEW PHOTOS AROUND THE FRONT YARD RIGHT FROM MY CHAIR

 OUR ORIENTAL CHERRY TREE

 OUR WHITE MAGNOLIA TREE IS IN BLOOM

Lorraine (Woodsy) rolled in about 3:30 this afternoon, and we weren't long in taking a drive in and around Bayfield.  With a shopping list in her hand we were soon on our way to Goderich to pick up a few groceries and things.  With a few bags of goodies loaded into the car, we were soon back to Bayfield.  Not sure if we'll catch a sunset tonight or not.  We'll see..................

Al's Music Box:: Homeward Bound by Simon and Garfunkel.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A father of six children had been out of work for six months. In desperation, he was reading through the want ads in the paper and came across an ad for someone to work at the zoo. The man called the zoo and asked if he could have the job, but was told that he would need to come in for an interview. The next day he went to the interview, but before beginning, he was told by his potential employer that he would need to raise his hand to the square and promise that the proceedings of the interview would be kept confidential, whether he got the job or not. The man reluctantly took the oath, then asked what this job and oath were all about. The zoo owner asked the man what he thought the zoo's main attraction was. Without hesitation the man replied, 'Everyone knows that. It's the big ape!' 'Well,' said the zoo owner, 'this is the part you cannot divulge, because we would lose our business. The big ape died, and we need to keep it a secret by putting the ape skin on someone who can imitate the ape--at least until the new ape arrives in three months.' 'That's me!' said the man. 'I can do that! I was a gymnast in high school and college.' The zoo owner then challenged the man to audition by acting like an ape. The man assumed crouched position and began running, jumping, and swinging around the room, imitating the actions and sounds of an ape. 'Wow! You're really good!' said the owner, and immediately gave the man the job. The next day the man, dressed as the ape, went into the cage and was an instant hit. Everyone heard how the ape was preforming and came to the zoo to see him. The crowds got bigger and bigger as time went by, and the front page of the paper proclaimed, 'The ape has gone ape!' About two months before the new ape was to arrive, the man had about five hundred people in front of his cage, and he was waxing eloquent. He was flipping and jumping and swinging everywhere, when all of a sudden, at the top of a swing, his rope broke and threw him into the lion's cage. He rolled a few times, coming to rest against the bars, and turned to find himself across the cage from the king of beasts, who lay across the cage with his head down on one paw. He knew right way that he was in trouble, so he began screaming like an ape and running back and forth along the bars in hopes that someone would rescue him from this situation. No one moved. As he looked again, the lion began to move slowly and stalk him. The lion then growled, curled his upper lip over his teeth, and assumed a position to leap. Just at this moment, the man decided that his family was more important to him than his promise to the owner of the zoo. He looked up and started screaming, 'Help! Help! I'm not really an ape, I'm a man. Get me out of here!' The lion looked at him and said in a loud whisper, 'Hush up, you fool! You'll get us both fired!'

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An exhausted hunter out in the wilds stumbled into a camp. "Am I glad to see you!" he said. "I've been lost for three days.' "Don't get too excited, friend," the other hunter replied. "I've been lost for three weeks."

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My boss texted me, "Send me one of your funny jokes, Pete." I replied, "I'm working at the moment, Sir, I will send you one later."  He replied, "That was fantastic, send me another one."

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- What animal jumps when it walks and sits when it stands? A kangaroo

- What do you get if you cross a kangaroo and a sheep? A woolly good jumper

- What kind of music do kangaroos listen to? Hip-hop

- What kind of music do sophisticated kangaroos listen to? Hopera.

- Why do mother kangaroos hate rainy days? Because then the kids have to play indoors

- In Antarctica, a little kangaroo is sitting with some penguins, sneezing and grumbling, “Stupid student exchange program!!

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery