ONE OF THE LAST THINGS KELLY SAW BEFORE SHE PASSED AWAY

 DARK SKIES LOOM OVER A PLACID LAKE HURON THIS MORNING

Monday evening it looked like it was shaping up to be a nice sunset so I grabbed my camera and headed out the door.  At the Park's entrance, I decided at the last minute, instead of heading into Bayfield, I'd head out to my walking road and take my legs for walk.  Glad I did, because my legs were definitely needing some exercise, and I got a sunset picture to boot.  It was such a nice, reasonably mild evening that I decided not to go home and instead, I took myself for a country road drive.  Well, why wouldn't I?  After all, I had just spent over an hour this afternoon washing and cleaning the car.  What's a little dust eh.  From my walking road, I headed into Clinton and slipped through Tim Hortons Drive-Thru snagging myself a small decaf coffee and a double chocolate donut.  I call them 'dubba bubbas.  My travels then took me northwest of Clinton, with my destination eventually being my night sky spot.  Meandering west, I could see a major thunder and lightning storm going on to the south.  Big lightning flashes high in the clouds.  I estimated the storm was traveling east somewhere between Sarnia and London.  Finally, at my viewing spot, I then began seeing lightning bolts on the horizon and worried that the storm might be getting closer, I headed for home to close my shed doors just in case.  Turns out the storm missed us and continued its way eastward.

 MONDAY NIGHT'S SUNSET SEEN FROM MY COUNTRY WALKING ROAD

 IT'S NOT OFTEN I EAT A DONUT ANYMORE, BUT WHEN I DO, I LIKE THESE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE ONES THAT I HAVE ALWAYS CALLED 'DUBBA -BUBBAS'

Six a.m. was an early start to my day with an 8 a.m. appointment for an oil change at Goderich's Napa garage.  I had my fingers crossed that it wouldn't be raining, and it wasn't.  The Napa garage is only a block from McDonalds so I always like to walk down there for breakfast while the oil is being changed in the Subaru.  So, that's what I did.

 THIS WAS THE FIRST I'D BEEN IN McDONALDS SINCE THEIR RENOVATION LAST YEAR

 JUST ACROSS THE INTERSECTION TO THE NORTH OF McDONALDS, THEY ARE BUILDING WHAT I THINK IS THE TALLEST STRUCTURE WITHIN THE TOWN'S LIMITS

 ALSO ON THE SAME SITE WILL BE SEVERAL POSSIBLE FOOD EATERIES I THINK

 BY THE TIME I WALKED BACK TO THE NAPA GARAGE, SUBIE WAS JUST ABOUT DONE

HERE ARE A FEW THINGS I PICKED UP  IN GODERICH THIS MORNING

While in Goderich this morning, I slipped into Home Hardware, Walmart, Zehr's Garden Center, and the Bank.  The Bank was a necessary stop to see if they would give a loan to buy a bag of Jube Jubes.  In between those stops, I managed to swing down around the harbor as well.

 THE ALGOMA COMPASS TAKING ON A LOAD OF SALT AT THE GODERICH SALT MINE

 I THINK THEY NEED TO GET A COUPLE DECK HANDS OVER THE SIDE TO CLEAN UP THIS MESS FROM THE SHIP'S REAR ANCHOR....OR, AT LEAST I THINK THAT'S AN ANCHOR

 A LOT OF TULIPS IN THIS GODERICH LAWN...MAYBE THE RESIDENTS ARE DUTCH FOLKS

From Goderich, I headed directly to Vanastra's Good Choice where I had bought the appliances.  I showed the fella there video (with sound) of the washing machine's 'wash' cycle and he  said he's heard that sound before and it is the newer-energy-saving way washers work nowadays.  Well, I did do two loads of laundry with it yesterday, and everthing seemed to turn out okay.  So, I guess I will just go with the flow, so to speak.  On my way from Goderich to Vanastra, I passed by Huron Hospice, and that is where Kelly passed away in December of 2024.  I snapped a quick photo going by, and in that photo, you will notice a red car at the right-hand side of the building.  Just around the corner behind that car, and down to the last room on that side, Kelly's room was located.  Her bed faced the outside window, and one of the last things Kelly saw before she passed away was those pine trees on the right side of the photo.  She loved the outdoors.......

From Vanastra, and after my busy morning, I decided to slowly lollygag my way home along the back roads, enjoying Spring's scenery under cloudy skies and a few wandering raindrops. Even managed to take a few pictures along the way.  

ROADSIDE FORESTS ARE BEGINNING TO TAKE ON SOME NICE SPRING COLORS

 TRILLIUMS ON A FOREST FLOOR, AND TRY AS I DID TO MAKE THIS PHOTO DARKER, MY PHOTO EDITING PROGRAM WOULDN'T DO IT.....IN FACT, I AM HAVING SOME PROBLEMS WITH THE PROGRAM WHICH IS EVIDENT IN SOME OF MY PHOTOS

AND, IT'S ONLY FITTING THAT IN THE MONTH OF MAY, WE HAVE MAYFLOWERS

 A PROFUSION OF MARSH MERRIGOLDS

 FARMERS WERE BUSY IN THEIR FIELDS THIS MORNING, AND MONDAY NIGHT I NOTICED BRIGHT LIGHTS IN SOME FIELDS MEANING THE FARMERS WERE BUSY BURNING THE MIDNIGHT OIL

 I THOUGHT THIS BIG GREEN TERRA-GATOR COMING OUT OF A LANE WAS GOING TO BOBBLE ME UP

AFTER MAKING A FEW ADJUSTMENTS TO HIS SEED PLANTER, THIS FARMER SPRINTS BACK TO HIS TRACTOR

Al's Music Box:: Two back-to-back songs from Johnny Mathis...Chances Are and It's Not For Me To Say

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Hospital regulations require a wheel chair for patients being discharged. However, while working as a student nurse, I found one elderly gentleman already dressed and sitting on the bed with a suitcase at his feet, who insisted he didn't need my help to leave the hospital. After a chat about rules being rules, he reluctantly let me wheel

him to the lift. On the way down I asked him if his wife was meeting him. 'I don't know,' he said. 'She's still upstairs in the bathroom changing out of her hospital gown.'
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- I don't worry about Friday the 13th.
It's bad luck to be superstitious. On Friday the 13th, I dreamt that a horse in armor was chasing me. It was a Knightmare.

- What’s the scariest thing to do on Friday the 13th? Check your bank account.

- Whats a good pasta to make on Friday the 13th? Fettuccine Afraid-O.

- Monday the 13th sounds much worse than Friday the 13th.
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There are two kinds of people. Those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good morning, Lord," and those who wake up in the morning and say, "Good Lord, it's morning."

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery

AND UNCHARACTERISTICALLY, I ALMOST BROKE THE SOUND BARRIER

Well, so much for the predicted six days of rain. A fiery sunrise and blue sunny skies ramped up the day right from the get-go.  And, to add to that fine start to the day, was the thermometer sitting at nearly 50F.  And, would you believe we actually reached 70F this afternoon??  Well, yup we did:))

Busied myself in the front yard again this morning, cleaning up the area close to the road.  The plumber guy came at 12:45, and in less than fifteen minutes, he had the washing machine's water line problem solved and the washer up and running.  With a pile of laundry to do, I wasn't long in getting at it, but 'OH-OH', I saw right away where I had made a miscalculation when choosing this top-load washer.  I had previously measured the width of the washer and dryer, and I had plenty of room to spare.  But I hadn't measured the height because, eyeballing it, I figured it would fit in fine.  And it did, no problem.  But here's where I made my mistake.  I hadn't thought about the washer's lid, and yup, I can't open the lid all the way.  No problem putting clothes in, but the lid won't stay up unless I hold it up.  Oh dear, what to do.  Well, my first thought involved a bungee cord, and until I can come up with a better way to keep the lid up, a bungee cord it will have to be.  Okay, so I loaded up the washer, set the dials, and pushed the start button.  Everything seemed normal as it began to fill with water.  When the wash cycle started, something didn't sound right.  I'm used to the 'swish-swish' sound of the agitating wash cycle, but this one was different, and I don't know if it's the new way for swishing the clothes, or if something is malfunctioning.  It's like it makes a short swish, then stops, then makes a short swish, then stops, etc.  The mechanical sound it makes with each swish doesn't sound healthy to me.  Glancing at my watch, it was nearly 3:30, so with my phone, I took a quick sound video of the wash cycle thingy in motion and decided to quickly head over to Vanastra's Good Choice, where I bought the appliances, show them the video, and ask if that is normal.  I figured they might close at 4 p.m., so I zipped out to the car, and uncharacteristically, I almost broke the sound barrier getting to Vanastra, twenty miles away.  I was about two-thirds of the way there when it occurred to me that because it was Monday, they might not be open.  They weren't!!  Oh well, at least I didn't have to worry about breaking the sound barrier all the way back home again.  I have to have the Subaru at Goderich's Napa garage at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning for an oil change, and after that, I have a few errands in Goderich before heading back to Good Choice in Vanastra.  Like I said, maybe that's the new normal for washing machines. One never knows anymore with all the new and crazy fangled ways of doing stuff these days.  So many things that once seemed normal years ago have already long gone the way of the Dinosaur. 

 YES, I MADE A LITTLE MISCALCULATION HERE

 HEY, AT LEAST IT WORKS

Al's Music Box:: A White Sport Coat And A Pink Carnation by Marty Robbins.

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 golf ball. 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, "What are we going to do?"  Said the other ant, "I don't know about you, but I think the safest place to be is on that ball!"

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Little Moron: "Excuse me, what time is it right now?"
WOMAN: "It's 11:25PM."
Little Moron: "You know, it's the weirdest thing, I've asked that question thirty times today, and every time someone gives me a different answer."

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After weeks of getting the cold shoulder from his wife, the unhappy husband finally confronted her. 'Admit it, Linda. The only reason you married me is because my grandfather left me $10 million.' 'Don't be ridiculous,' she replied. 'I don't care who left it to you.'

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The new associate pastor, nervous about hearing confessions asks an older priest to listen in. Several penitents later, his mentor offers a few suggestions.“Cross your arms over your chest and rub your chin with one hand,” he says. “Try saying things like, ‘I see, yes, go on. I understand. How did you feel about that?”The new priest tries out the words and gestures. The old priest says, “Good, now, don’t you think that's a little better than slapping your knee and saying, ‘No way! You did what?'"

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 KEITH RICHARDS GIVING ABRAHAN LINCOLN GUITAR LESSONS

Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery