MORNING COFFEE TOUR AND CHECKING OUT A 2003 KODIAK CLASS B+

Thankyou to readers for your continuing support and positive comments.  Thanks to you folks my blog pageviews passed the eight million mark yesterday. (Wednesday) Can't say enough thankyous to you all for keeping my blog going. 

I picked up my good buddy Richard at 8:30 this morning and we were off on another country road coffee tour.  In the next two and a half hours there was not more than a ten second pause between us in our fast flowing conversation.  And by golly we even stopped and took ourselves for a walk in a gravel pit.

HEY WE EVEN SPOTTED THE 'FREEDO VANDITO' NORTH OF GODERICH THIS MORNING

Kelly had spotted a small Class C Motorhome in Brantford Ontario Wednesday and we had planned to go have a look at it this afternoon.  This morning she found out about a Class B+ Kodiak in Listowel Ontario.  Listowel was much closer than Brantford so we headed off to Listowel.  It was a 2003 Kodiak (made in Canada) and although it had some really good points it needed work, especially a couple large coach windows needing to be replaced.  A great van for a handyman but not us.  Price was doable at $14,900 though.  Oh well it was nice drive to Listowel and back on a truly beautiful Autumn day.  Whether we'll head off to Brantford to look at the Four Winds Class C remains to be seen.  Our preference is still a Class B+ if only we could find the right one for the right price.

NICE LITTLE RIG BUT WE SENSED THERE WAS JUST TOO MUCH FIXING UP FOR US TO CONTEND WITH....GREAT FOR A HANDYMAN

BEAUTIFUL SKIES TO AND FROM LISTOWEL TODAY AND WE DID RUN INTO ABOUT FIVE MINUTES OF RAIN

Okay, it's been nearly three months since I received that phone call from my urologists office informing me I had tested positive for prostate cancer.  So how do I feel about that now three months later.  Aside from the annoying problems I'm having with my bladder and bowel at the moment since radiation treatment I'm actually feeling pretty physically good.  On the mental side of things and aside from a few semi-deep thoughts the following two mornings after the call I haven't let it worry me.  Yes it's in the back of my mind but I don't dwell on it.  Knowing full well I have cancer has not impacted me in a bad way like I thought it might.  I still don't think of myself as having cancer I guess but yet I know I do.  We'll see how I feel in another three months and by that time I am hoping this bladder and bowel problem will have corrected itself.  

GROANER'S CORNER:((   Three animals were having a huge argument over who was the best.  The first, a Hawk, claimed that because of his ability to fly, he could attack anything repeatedly from above, and his prey had nary a chance.  The second, a Lion, based his claim on his strength … None in the forest dared to challenge him.  The third, a Skunk, insisted he needed neither flight nor strength to frighten off any creature.  As the trio debated the issue, an Alligator came along and swallowed them all... Hawk, Lion and Stinker.
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The wise old Mother Superior from county Tipperary was dying. The nuns gathered around her bed trying to make her comfortable. They gave her some warm milk to drink, but she refused it. Then one nun took the glass back to the kitchen. Remembering a bottle of Irish whiskey received as a gift the previous Christmas, she opened and poured a generous amount into the warm milk. Back at Mother Superior's bed, she held the glass to her lips. Mother Superior drank a little, then a little more. Before they knew it, she had drunk the whole glass down to the last drop.  "Mother", the nuns pleaded, "Please give us some wisdom before you die". She raised herself up in bed with a pious look on her face and said, "Don't sell that cow".
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A FEW THOUGHTS TONIGHT ON MY BLOG STANDARDS

MORNING SUNRISE

How lucky we are to have yet again another beautiful September morning.  With a cooling southerly breeze pushing us along Pheebs and I headed up to Goderich for a few groceries and a swing down around the harbor and beach areas.

I DON'T AGREE WITH THE FIRST FOUR LINES OF THIS SIGN WHATSOEVER....'RIDICULOUS'  THE SIGN IS POSTED AT THE ENTRANCE TO GODERICH'S HARBOR AND BEACH AREAS

I WAS GLAD TO SEE THIS RV'ER DISREGARDED THE SIGN AND IS ENJOYING HIS MORNING

With such a gorgeous sunny morning going on we headed south of Goderich to Naftel's Creek Conservation Area and took ourselves for a fine walk in the bug free forest.  It's that time of year when natures magic is at work transforming the land from Summer to Autumn.  Dapples of color as if dropped from an artist's paint brush are splattered randomly along the forest floor.  A prelude to the blaze of colors to come on the grand sweeping canvas Mother Nature is setting up for us all to soon enjoy.  

THIS IS WHAT A TREE'S ROOT SYSTEM LOOKS LIKE AFTER THE WIND BLOWS IT OVER

IT WAS SO DARK IN HERE I HAD TO LIGHTEN THE PHOTO

A year ago at this time we were in our Motorhome touring around Canada's east coast and on this day we crossed the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island.  On the 23rd of September we were in Pointe-Au-Pere Quebec and I toured the Canadian submarine Onondaga so if you have ever wondered what the inside of a submarine looks like be sure to click on my post for that day...… Onondaga.

It is that time of year our golden pine needles begin to fall and soon our streets in the Park will look like the Wizard of Oz's yellow brick road.   With today's wind I sit at my computer looking out our sunroom window watching the needles come down.  I will soon be busy outside raking.

MY HAT IS ALWAYS OFF TO THE VOLUNTEERS WHO MAINTAIN THESE TRAILS AND BUILD THESE BRIDGES MAKING THE AREA ACCESSIBLE FOR EVERYONE

Spurred by a recent comment regarding a joke in my Groaner's Corner I felt compelled to write my thoughts and feelings regarding the standards of my blog.  Standards that evolved with my blog over the years having first started at the very beginning of my writings.

Ever since I wrote my very first post back in 2004 on a site called Plus 50 I have adhered to a writing style that still remains with me today.  I didn't set any hard and fast rules for myself and it wasn't until years later that I noticed a few tendencies about my writings.  I wrote about things that came from a natural side of me.  Growing up with an eagerness to please I tried not to be antagonistic, egotistical or hurtful to others.  I failed miserably of course but some of those values stuck with me through the thick and thin of it all.  My blog writings all these years later are a part of those earlier years.  And I've learned a few things along the way.  Although a fiercely opinionated person at times I have for the most part learned how to harness that side of myself and keep those opinions out of my blog postings.  Yes, some things do squeak through from time to time but I never let them be front and center in my writings.  I much prefer writing to entertain and not antagonize.  To keep my blog up to the standard I have set for myself I have a few simple rules.  A few lines I do not cross.  Other than the words hell or damn I do not use attention getting swear words in my posts.  It's never felt right to me so I don't do it and I am turned off with any writings that do.  I try to keep my 'Groaner's Corner' on a level of decency as well and that's why you don't ever find any crude jokes.  Now I don't always get it right and occasionally I will unintentionally put a joke in that may slightly offend someone.  It's a risk one takes when dealing with humor and it's easy to slip up from time to time.  And yes I have made the occasional slip.  Politics and religion to me are liking dropping atomic bombs into one's writings.  If I wanted to destroy my blog and hence my enjoyable three hobbies of writing, photography, and traveling all I would have to do is go hardnosed into the subject of politics or religion.  Oh yes I would get a lot of attention and feedback for sure but it's not the kind of attention or feedback I could handle or would ever desire.  As I've said I am not an antagonistic person and I will walk across the street to avoid a confrontation.  Same thing with my blog so I leave that kind of rough and tumble attitude for those who seem to enjoy that kind of stuff.  My blog over the years has been referred to by several people as being like a fireside chat and I like that.  That's who I am and that's how each day I like to write my posts.  If when reading my posts each day you feel relaxed, comfortable, entertained, or humored then I have done something right.  Not only for you but for me as well.  If I can put a smile on our face, a giggle in your pocket, or give you something to think about I have done something right.  If a photo of mine brings you enjoyment I again have done something right.  I didn't seem to do a lot of things right years ago even in my childhood so I guess I'm trying to make up for a lot of those things now and the only way I can do it best at this stage in life is with my blog.  It is not my nature to offend nor my nature to write to offend.  So if at the end of each day I can sit down here at my keyboard with my thoughts and photos and have that little fireside chat then I know you and I will end the day feeling comfortable with each other.  And I thank you all for that.  And I thank you all for being tolerant of my little slips from time to time.

SOME DAYS WE JUST GET TO THE END OF THE ROAD AND CAN'T GO ANY FARTHER

Managed to gather together enough extra energy units this afternoon and clean the Jeep's interior.  Figured I'd better do that while I could still get into it.  I vacuumed out enough sand and gravel to open up my own gravel pit.  And enough doggy fur to build an eight foot Gorilla to guard my new gravel pit too.  Well, at least the last one was true......I did burn out my shop-vac motor:((

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Do you need a new car? Here's a little help for you if you can't figure out the answer yourself.
1. Your passenger seat is on the National Register of Historic Places.
2. Instead of an air bag, there is a whoopee cushion taped to your steering wheel.
3. You lose the stoplight challenge to a 14 year old on a moped.
4. 15 minute Jiffy Lube needs to keep your car for 3 days.
5. When you gas up, the attendant asks, "Can I re-duct tape that windshield for you?"
6. Thieves repeatedly break in your car just to steal the "Club."
7. While sitting at a stop light, people keep running up to you and asking if anyone was hurt.
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A six year old comes crying to his Mother because his little sister pulled his hair. "Don't be angry," the Mother says, "Your little sister doesn't realize that pulling hair hurts."  A short while later, there's more crying, and the Mother goes to investigate.  This time the sister is bawling and her brother says..."Now she knows."
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PHEEBS AND I SURE DO LOVE OUR MORNING JEEP RIDES

Here we are officially into the second day of Autumn already and more overnight rains have signaled the changing of seasons.  I have already twice reset the settings on our hourly light timers to adjust for the earlier darkness.  I will soon have to reset them yet again.

HOLY SMOKES THERE'S SOME ACTION HAPPENING AT THE TIM HORTON COFFEE SHOP SITE AND IT APPEARS TO BE GROUND WORK IN THE GAS BAR AREA

'YOU WANT A HORTONS COFFEE WHEN??  WELL GOOD LUCK WITH THAT'

MOST OF THE WORK I SAW GOING ON SEEMED TO HAVE TO DO WITH THE GAS BAR WHICH WILL BE ON THE SITE ALSO

Our cooler day dawned under clearing skies and after our temporary increase in heat and miserable humidity lately I am sure appreciating this cooler weather once again.

BEAUTIFUL BLUE SKIES AND BIG WHITE PUFFY CLOUDS TODAY

ROGUE CORNSTALKS IN A BEAN FIELD

Another rather routine morning Jeep ride for Pheebs and I again as I gathered together a few more rural photos for tonight's blog.  Only thing of substance I did this afternoon was cut the grass which I think will probably be the last cutting for the season.  The dregs of winter are fast approaching.

 

My London oncologist's office phoned this morning and I have a follow up appointment with Doctor Mendez on November 12th.  Guess that's when we'll find out more info about my recent radiation treatments.  I imagine I will have to go for more tests at some point to see if the treatment worked or not.

PHEEBS AND I SURE ENJOY OUR MORNING COUNTRY ROAD JEEP RIDES

My good friend Jim Hagarty (Seaforth coffee) from Lifetime Sentences has decided to re-start his blog.  On Facebook Kelly noticed Jim had posted the following...............
A Lifetime of Sentences
2019
{Hi Everyone. You might wonder what I am doing bombarding FB with old stories. I am attempting to revive my blog, lifetimesentences.com, and am trying out new things such as posting stories to Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest, etc. My original intent in April 2016 when I started this was to generate some income from it. Aside from some donations (thank you!) there has been little progress on making my fortune. I was considering giving up the blog but have decided instead to dedicate myself to it and force myself to learn the ins and outs of hosting ads and other ways of generating money. If any of you have experience with this that might be of help to me, I would be grateful to you if you wouldn't mind sharing your knowhow. This has been brought on by the realization that the mason jar in which I keep my chocolate bar money has only 15 cents left in it. That would have bought me three chocolate bars when I was a kid but I can't even get one jelly bean for that amount now. And my doctor says I am suffering from a severe chocolate deficiency, worst he has ever seen. So, it's urgent. This year marks 52 years since I first had anything I wrote published (I think it was a poem about Remembrance Day) so I am hoping to transform those hundreds of thousand of clever words into maybe a few dozen Mr. Bigs and a Joe Louis or two. Thanks a lot.}

A GNARLY MAPLE WITH MANY FACES

A beautiful September day as Pheebs and I took a leisurely stroll through the Park's pine forest this afternoon.  We are so fortunate to live in the best mobile home Park we have ever seen anywhere.  Located on about a hundred acres we have lots of room to roam both the hardwood and pine forests.  Although we have thought of moving many times over the years we're still here...……………:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Did you hear about the guy who tried to date a nun? He wanted to take her to the county fair, but she declined on account of she had taken a vow abstaining from Carnival pleasures.
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Teacher: "If I divided a piece of beef into four pieces, what would I get?"  
Student: "Quarters."  
Teacher: "Right. Now if I divided the quarters again into halves what would I get?"  
Student: "Eighths." 
Teacher: "Right. Now if I divided those 8 pieces each into 8 more pieces what would I have?"  
Student: "A hamburger."
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Wife: We just ate, why are you making pancakes? 
Me: They’re for the dogs 
Wife: Why are you making pancakes for the dogs? 
Me: They don’t know how.
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After a mathematician gets divorced the ex is no longer part of the equation.
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