Saturday, March 07, 2026

SHE HAS FINALLY MADE THE TOUGH DECISION TO HANG UP THE KEYS

 A RAINY MORNING IN BAYFIELD THIS MORNING
Friday evening's thunder and lightning brought deluges of rain that continued through the night and did a big number on the existing snowload.  It was obvious this morning that a lot of yesterday's snow had become history overnight.  And, oh my, how wonderful this morning to step outside into 53 temperatures even if this morning's sunny sunrise had turned into gray skies.  Our driveway is finally free of ice and later this afternoon, we bounced off the 60F mark.  'Wonderful' was my word for today:))  Through thick fog in spots and bursts of heavy rain, I took myself for a short drive into Bayfield and back.  With all the rain happening, the Bayfield River is high and flowing fast.  I am so happy this is March and not November.

 BAYFIELD'S FOG SHROUDED SHORELINE 
 THIS BAYFIELD JOGGER GOT CAUGHT OUT IN THE RAIN
 FOG PATCHES ON THE WAY HOME
 SOMEWHERE UP THERE IN THE FOG TO THE RIGHT IS OUR PARK'S ENTRANCE
As readers know, I call my Aunt Jean in Sarasota Florida every Friday night and I've been doing this for a bunch of years now.  My call tonight found her in her once again in good spirits.   She had been out to get her hair done this week and mentioned again how bad the traffic congestion was.  Aunt Jean is 98 pushing 99 in July, and yes, she still drives her own car.  But, her driving days are finally coming to an end.  It took a while but she has made the tough decision to hang up the keys and sell her car.  In fact, it may be sold this coming week.  Her 2006 Toyta Camrie with only a 115,000 miles on it has been a great car for her.  She loves to drive and it has always enjoyed it as much as a teenager with a new driver's license.  I can vouch for Aunt Jean's superb driving skills, having ridden with her back in 2016 and 2018 when Kelly, Pheebs, and I visited her at her own place at the time, in Sarasota.  I referred to her at the time as 'Speedy Gonzales' from a Pat Boone song years ago.  Aunt Jean said selling her car will be like saying goodbye to a family member.  I've always kind of felt that away about my many vehicles as well.  Aunt Jean currently resides at Sarasota's Sunnyside Village in Florida.

 AUNT JEAN WINGING HER WAY THROUGH SARASOTA'S MANIC TRAFFIC BACK IN 2016

 AUNT JEAN AND HER BEST FRIEND PAT IN 2018
 AT APPLEBYS, JEAN AND PAT STEP OUT OF JEANS TOYOTA CAMRIE, AND THAT IS KELLY ON THE RIGHT
Al's Music Box:: Come Saturday Morning by The Sandpipers. (One of my all time favorite songs) 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A young man called his mother and announced excitedly that he had just met the woman of his dreams. Now what should he do?His mother had an idea: "Why don't you send her flowers, and on the card invite her to your apartment for a home-cooked meal?" He thought this was a great strategy, and a week later, the woman came to dinner. His mother called the next day to see how things had gone. "I was totally humiliated," he moaned. "She insist ed on washing the dishes.""What's wrong with that?" asked his mother. "We hadn't started eating yet."

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I had a joke about bowling...
But I'll Spare you.

Did you know there are no smiles in Canada?
Only skilometers.

I was kicked out of music school accused of theft, I was only taking notes.

I have successfully managed to weigh a rainbow,
turns out it was pretty light.

How did you find grandma’s turkey this year?
I just looked next to the gravy.

Why did the policeman stop you on your way home last Thanksgiving? Because I far exceeded the feed limit.

I spent a lot of time, money, and effort childproofing my house...But the kids still get in!

Did you hear about the little boy who swallowed some coins and was admitted to hospital.
When the doctor did his rounds, he asked the nurse how he was doing. The nurse said there was 'no change'.

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Friday, March 06, 2026

IT WAS QUITE A SPURT OF EARLY SPRING CLEANING WE HAD GOING ON

 BAYFIELD'S HARBOR MOUTH
In our sunroom, the area above and behind the computer desk is a difficult area to clean, and it is always a task to get the three windows there cleaned.  To access those windows, (1 large - 2 small) the heavy computer desk has to be moved out.  It's cumbersome, sits on a carpeted floor, and requires a series of 'oomphs and grunts' on my part to move it.  So, today I 'oomphed and grunted' and moved that desk about three feet out from the wall and windows.  With my tall ladder, Woodsy's help, the Dyson vacuum, and some window cleaner, we were able to get the area behind and above the computer desk cleaned up.  It was quite a spurt of early Spring cleaning we had going on.  But oh my, the spaghetti mosh of wires behind the computer desk turned out to be quite an entangled challenge.  It always does.  When all the cleaning was done, I hooked everything back up again, and of course, when I was finished, we didn't have any internet.  This was not unexpected.  Long story short, I had to call our internet provider (Eastlink) and do some troubleshooting.  A nice chap on the other end was able to get my head unscrambled and soon had us up and running.  And all was right with the world again.

 WOODSY WAS THE DRVING FORCE BEHIND OUR EARLY SPRING CLEANING PROJECT TODAY
 
WORKING AT UNSCRAMBLING WIRES
 GLAD TO SEE THE SNOW MELTING OFF OUR SHED ROOF
 HOLY SMACKERS,.....GRASS:)))))
A drive into Bayfield and back under cloudy skies this morning.  Melting continued under 45F temps today, and tomorrow we are predicted to hit 58F.  Can you all see me sitting here with a big Cheshire Cat smile on my face:))

 SNOW IS DISAPPEARING AT BAYFIELD'S PIONEER PARK ON THE BLUFFS ABOVE LAKE HURON
 NICE TO SEE THE BAYFIELD RIVER FLOWING AGAIN
 A LONE FISHERMAN ON BAYFIELD'S SOUTH PIER
Al's Music Box:: If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lightfoot.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The workers in a large office were making secret plans to stage a big office party for the 70-year old cleaning woman who had spent the better part of her life with the company. Somehow the secret leaked out and the woman got wind of it. Much perturbed, she rushed to the office manager. "Please sir," she cried, "Do not let them do it! Do not let them do it!" "Oh, come now, Mrs. Smith, you must not be so modest. After all, they simply want to show how much you are appreciated." "Appreciated, my foot," exclaimed the woman. "I do not want to have to clean up after a big mess like that!"

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- Did you hear about the psychic amnesiac? He knew in advance what he was going to forget.

-Did you hear about the new restaurant that just opened up on the moon? Great food, but no atmosphere.

- A British man is visiting Australia. The customs agent asks him, “Do you have a criminal record?” The British man replies, “I didn’t think you needed one to get into Australia anymore.”

- An Aussie said, “Take away your snow capped mountains, culture, and good food, and what would New Zealand be?” The kiwi answered, “Australia”.

Q: Why is Australia such a dry country?
A: We don't have a king or queen to reign on it.

Q: Want to hear a joke about the construction industry in Australia?
A: Too bad, they're still working on it!

Q: Why did the snail paint an S on the top of his car?
A: So people would say “Look at that S car go!”

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