THIS MORNING, I TOOK MY COWBOY HAT FOR A WALK

 THERE ARE A LOT OF NICE OLD COUNTRY HOMES IN OUR AREA AND I'VE ALWAYS LIKED THE BIG VERANDA ON THE FRONT OF THIS ONE

Sunshine, sunshine, sunshine.  Need I say more.  I tried a walk this morning, but the cold wind chill factor turned me around at about the halfway point.  No matter, I was able to do something I hadn't done for awhile....I took my cowboy hat for a walk for the first time in a few years.  It's one of my two favorite hats, with the other one being my 'Breezer' hat.  I always wore both hats in the southwest during our RVing years.  Both hats have wide brims and are great for keeping the sun out of my eyes. (especially the cowboy hat) The sun bothers my eyes more these days, and I think that may be related to the eye cataracts I have now.  I am hoping to get the go-ahead for cataract surgery in August, where in Canada here, the waiting list could take up to a year to get it done, so I was told.  But, back to the subject of hats.  Until we started RVing in 2006, I was never a hat person.  Didn't like em, so didn't wear em.  However, with our preference for boondocking while on the road, it wasn't always possible to shower 'every day,' and I was used to doing that because of my oily skin made for oily hair so washing my hair every day kept it manageable.  So, after a couple of days not washing my hair, you can imagine what a mess the top of my head was in and there was no combing or brushing it into something looking halfway presentable.  What to do, what to do!!  And then, I had a lightbulb moment.  Cover it all up with a hat, and what better than a hat with a wide brim all the way around.  Enter not only my cowboy hats, (I have 3 of them) but also my 'Breezer' hat, of which I have one and wore it extensively not only in the southwest, but here at home as well.  And, I still do.  My Breezer hat is the oldest one I have.  When Kelly would visit her Mom and Dad in Spencerport New York, she twice took that Breezer hat with her and washed it in her Mom's dishwasher.  However, that took the stiffness out of the hat, giving it a collapsed look.  I now have a couple pieces of cardboard I cut out of a cereal box to fit inside the brim liner to stiffen it up again.  I have to be careful not to get my cowboy hat wet because boy oh boy, do those hats made from hides ever give off a nasty smell if they get wet.  Oh, and before I forget, I now have a third reason for wearing a hat.  It covers up the bald spot on the back of my head. 

 TOOK MY 'COWBOY HAT' FOR A WALK THIS MORNING

 MY BREEZER HAT ON THE FRONT DECK THIS AFTERNOON

After my 'half' walk this morning, I took a slow drive around a few country roads, taking in the Spring scenery and marvelling at how everything is turning so green.  Of course, it does every year at this time, but I am always surprised and amazed at how it all can happen after so many months of cold, bleak, and colorless days.  After spending so many great and healthy winters in the southwest, I now absolutely deplore winter.

 SPRING'S FOREST COLORS ARE FINALLY COMING TO FRUITION

 YESTERDAY'S BIG RAIN HAS LEFT THIS FOREST FLOOR UNDER WATER

 THIS MORNING'S BIG BLUE SKY REFLECTS IN A FARM POND

AN OLD ABANDOED HOMESTEAD IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

 TULIPS AT THE FAR NORTH END OF MY WALKING ROAD

I SAW FARMERS BUSY IN THEIR FIELDS EARLIER TODAY AND THAT IS A BEAUTIFULLY BLUE LAKE HURON IN THE BACKGROUND

 BIG TIRES FOR A BIG JOB

Home again, I got right at my front yard flower bed project.  Planted my three latest plants and spread mulch in the flower bed.  I have only one small section left to finish now in that front flower bed, and then it will be on to my next project, whatever it might turn out to be.  And, do you know....I typed this whole blog late this afternoon with my cowboy hat still down.  Well, shucks:))

 ON GUARD AT THIS LLAMA WATCHES OVER ITS FLOCK OF SHEEP

 AND AS THEY OFTEN SAY, 'THE GRASS IS ALWAYS GREENER ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE'

 "HEY, ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT ME, MISTER"

Al's Music Box:: Shangr-La by The Lettermen.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two elderly, excited women were sitting together in the front pew of the church listening to a fiery preacher. When this preacher condemned the sin of lust, these two ladies cried out at the tops of their lungs..."AMEN, BROTHER!" When the preacher condemned the sin of stealing, they yelled again..."PREACH IT, REVEREND!"  
And when the preacher condemned the sin of lying...they jumped to their feet and screamed, "RIGHT ON, BROTHER...TELL IT LIKE IT IS...AMEN!" But when the preacher condemned the sin of gossip, the two got very quiet, and one turned to the other and said, "He's done quit preaching, and now he's meddlin'."

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- I was arrested the other day for stealing people’s electrons.  I was heavily charged, despite my victims saying it was an overall positive experience.

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Getting away from their high-stress jobs, a couple spends relaxing weekends in their motor home. When they found their peace and quiet disturbed by well-meaning, but unwelcome, visits from other campers, they devised a plan to assure themselves some privacy.  Now, when they set up camp, they place this sign on the door of their RV: "Insurance agent. Ask about our term-life package."

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On a recent flight I was on, this elderly woman kept peering out the window.
Since it was totally dark, all she could see was the blinking wing tip light. Finally, she rang for the flight attendant.  "I'm sorry to bother you," she said, "but I think you should inform the pilot that his left-turn indicator is on and has been for some time."

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AND ALL WAS WELL AGAIN HERE IN LA LA LAND

GREENERY IS FINALLY FILLING IN THE BACK YARD

I don't know about this memory of mine.  Last night (Friday) I had finished my blog by 7:30 and then promptly forgot I had finished it.  Over three hours later at 10:45, the thought finally occurred to me that I had not posted my blog.  This is not a first time for this; it's scarily almost becoming the norm.  When one day I forget to post my blog and my mind reminds me later about it, and then answers itself saying, 'what's a blog,' it will then be time to set my camera down, unplug the computer, and call it a day.  

 A FEW PHOTOS AROUND OUTSIDE AFTER THE RAIN STORM FRESHENED EVERYTHING UP A BIT

 REMEMBER THAT DECADES-OLD ARBOR THING I TORE DOWN IN THE BACH YARD A MONTH OR MORE AGO??  WELL, I'VE USED SOME OF THE PRESSURE-TREATED 2X4 LUMBER FROM THAT TO CREATE A FLOWER BED BORDER FOR MY FRONT YARD FLOWER BED

 ALL OF OUR HOSTAS ARE DOING WELL

FROG POND LILIES ARE GROWING

 SOME OF THE SMALLER FLOWER BEDS ARE FILLING IN

 THIS FRONT YARD WHITE MAGNOLIA TREE TOOK A BIT OF A BEATING FROM THE HAIL THIS AFTERNOON

With a $4 off an A&W bacon & egg breakfast coupon in hand this morning, I headed straightaway for Goderich.  A&W was my first stop, followed by Zehr's Supermarket Garden Center for 6 bags of cedar mulch.  From there, it was over to the Canadian Tire store garden center, where I picked up three more perennial plants for the front flower bed.

 ON MY WAY TO GODERICH THIS MORNING, I SAW THIS WHAT I THINK TO BE A CANOLA FIELD

 A SIMPLE PLATE OF BACON AND EGGS.....MY FAV:))

 

THESE ARE THE PLANTS I BOUGHT TODAY...2 ICE DANCE JAPANESE SEDGE AND 1 GOLD STRIKE LADIES MANTLE

From the Canadian Tire store, I headed home and battened down the hatches.  I could see the skies were darkening out over the lake, and checking our live Exeter radar feed, I saw a large storm front bearing down on us.  First came the big wind gusts that flopped our tall pine trees around.  Then came the sounds of thunder approaching.  Then, down came a deluge of rain that set up a real clatter on our steel roof because that rain was mixed heavily with hail.  At one point, I could hardly see our neighbor's house.  And, a big crack of thunder that sounded like it was on the roof.  Then, it was as if somebody flicked a switch and turned the storm off.  Minutes later, the sun was shining, and all was well again here in La La Land.  I thought for sure we would have lost our power, but it never happened.  However, areas southeast of us really got slammed with tornado warnings and alerts being issued.  There was 'rotation' in our area, but it didn't develop into anything.

THERE IS ACTUALLY A FINE HAIL BOUNCHING OFF THE CAR

 LESS THAN 10 MINUTES LATER, THE SUN WAS SHINING AND REMAINED SHINING FOR THE REST OF THE AFTERNOON

I DON'T THINK I'VE SEEN THIS MUCH WATER IN OUR DRIVEWAY BEFORE

 WATER ON THE ROAD OUT FRONT

After my Friday night weekly phone call with Aunt Jean in Sarasota, Florida, I donned my coat, fired up the Subaru, and off I went out into the countryside to my night sky viewing spot.  Opening the Moonroof, I tipped my seat back and gazed up once again at the stars.  I saw three satellites, two aircraft, and an Iridium flare, out of the corner of my eye.  The Planets Jupiter and Venus were in the sky, with Venus to the west being the brighter of the two.  I was home again by 10:30.  The days are becoming noticeably longer.

 OOOPS

Saturday morning, when my eyes popped open at 6:30, the living room was once again already flooding with sunshine.  With a rare smile stretching across my face, I thought it was a positive way to start the day.  

 THAT IS OUR POINSETTIA FROM CHRISTMAS 

Ellen's Groove:)) Here's a nice video of Ellen and her Dad together playing Always With You.

NEIGHBOR MONICA'S TULIP MAGNOLIA TREE SURVIVED THE RAIN AND SLEET JUST FINE

Al's Music Box::  Mr. Blue by The Fleetwoods.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A family was visiting an Indian reservation when they happened upon an old tribesman lying face down in the middle of the road with his ear pressed firmly against the blacktop. The father of the family asked the old tribeman what he was doing. The tribesman began to speak..." woman, late thirties, three kids, one barking dog in late model, white, four-door station wagon, traveling at 65 m.p.h. "That's amazing!" exclaimed the father. "You can tell all that just by listening to the ground?" "No," said the old tribesman, weakly. "They just ran over me five minutes ago!"

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TEACHER: Why are you late, Frank?
FRANK: Because of the sign.
TEACHER: What sign?
FRANK: The one that says, "School Ahead, Go Slow."

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Q: What did the teddy bear say when it was offered some birthday cake?

A: No thanks, I'm stuffed.

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This guy arrives at the Pearly Gates. He has to wait to be admitted, while St. Peter leafs through his Big Book. He's checking to see if the guy is worthy of entry or not. Saint Peter goes through the books several times, furrows his brow, and says to the guy, "You know, I can't see that you did lots of good in your life but, you never did anything bad either. Tell you what, if you can tell me of one really good deed that you did in your life, you're in."  The guy thinks for a moment and says, "Well, there was this one time when I was drivin' down the highway and I saw a Biker Gang assaulting this poor girl. I slowed down my car to see what was going on, and sure enough, that's what they were doing. There were about 50 of 'em totally harassing this poor girl.  Infuriated, I got out my car, grabbed a tire iron from my trunk and walked straight up to the leader of the gang. He was a huge guy with a studded leather jacket and a chain running from his nose to his ear. As I walked up to the leader, the Gang formed a circle all around me. So, in a flash, I ripped the leader's chain off his face and smashed him over the head with the tire iron. Then I turned around and yelled to the rest of them, 'Leave this poor, innocent girl alone, you slime! You're all a bunch of sick, deranged animals! Go home before I teach you all a lesson in pain!'" St. Peter, extremely impressed, says, "Really? Wow, when did all this happen?" "Umm.. about two minutes ago."

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