DON’T CLICK THE ‘BISMARK’ LINK OR IT’S GONNA GET IN YOUR HEAD

TRILLIUM

Pheebs & I have a tendency to walk the same trails in the Hullett Marsh so this morning we decided to change that up & head off down a trail I haven’t hiked for over 20 years.  It was always one of my favs way back when.  Trailhead is at the South-East end of the Marsh on Wildlife Line & the trail leads in & winds through a hardwood forest with a healthy mixture of swampy areas along the way. 

SKUNK CABBAGE

Came across an old structure I had forgotten about & looking at it this morning I’m guessing it may very well have been sugar shanty years ago.  I base that guess on something I saw along the peak of the roof.  Running the length of the shack was a long open gap where sky is visible.  There would have been a small narrow roof over that gap to keep rain out but also to vent out steam created by boiling the maple syrup.  I remember seeing several roof structures like that before in regards to maple syrup shacks.

SPOTTED A SHACK IN THE WOODS

THIS OPEN GAP IN THE ROOF COULD HAVE BEEN FOR VENTING STEAM FROM BOING THE MAPLE SYRUP

With a cold wind blowing I was glad we were walking in a protected forest.  Due to the mornings cloud cover there wasn’t much in the way of warming sunshine.  So nice to see all the Trilliums & colorful Marsh Marigolds.  I did remember a few sections of the trail but after 20 years I was hard pressed to remember most of it.  No matter, we had ourselves a good lengthy walk & Pheebs just loved running around all over the place with a thousand new smells a second everywhere.

MARSH MARIGOLDS

TRILLIUMS

 

  

We were home before noon & that was basically it for the day but not before I managed to snag a few more farm houses & couple small churches along the way.    

THIS OLDER CHURCH BETWEEN GODERICH & CLINTON ALONG HIGHWAY 8 DID NOT APPEAR TO BE ACTIVE

THIS CHURCH JUST A COUPLE MILES FROM US IS UP & RUNNING BECAUSE i HAVE SEEN CARS HERE ON SUNDAY MORNINGS

Well I guess I don’t have as good a handle on that Google Photos thing as I thought I had.  I’m running into some kind of a problem getting my Bisbee album link to work.  All that Google stuff just seems to be such a schmozzle.  Frustrating to say the least!!

LOTS OF FRESH GREEN GRASS FOR BREAKFAST

Do you think I could get Johnny Horton’s song Sink The Bismarkout of my head this morning.  No way!!  Haven’t heard that song since the last time i heard that song whenever that was & I have no idea where it came from or why it popped into my head.  There I am walking along a quiet forest trail with songbirds overhead singing in the tree tops & what am I marching to & hearing in my head, “ We'll find that German battleship that's makin' such a fuss  We gotta sink the Bismark 'cause the world depends on us  Hit the decks a-runnin' boys and spin those guns around  When we find the Bismark we gotta cut her down”.  I’m a tellin ya…..don’t click on the above link or else your gonna have that darn Bismark sailing around & around in your noggin for the next 6 hours……'Cause somewhere on that ocean I know she's gotta be  We gotta sink the Bismark to the bottom of the sea’……..Damn-it anyhow I just did it again!!

A ROSE COLORED TRILLIUM

GROANER’S CORNER:((  "If a tree falls in a forest and lands on a politician, even if you can't hear the tree or the screams, I'll bet you'd at least hear the applause."

"If a man is talking in the forest, and there is no woman there to hear him, is he still wrong?"

"I looked up my family tree and found out I was the sap."

"Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them."

How do crazy people go through the forest?
They take the psycho path.

GETTING A BIT OF A HANDLE ON ‘GOOGLE PHOTOS’

It was a sad little doggy face looking out the window this morning as Kelly & I hopped into the Jeep & headed off to Goderich to have us a look at some wallpaper & run a few errands.  But I must say how happy that little face turned out to be when those sad eyes turned into glad eyes at our return a couple hours later. 

I KNOW THE BEES ARE LOOKING A LITTLE BLURRY IN SOME OF THE PHOTOS BUT LIKE I SAID A FEW MONTHS AGO IN A POST……I’M NOT A PERFECTIONIST:))

After pricing wallpaper costs we have again changed our minds & have now decided to paint the reno room instead & that is something I myself can do.  The carpet guy came this afternoon & measured our reno room plus Kelly's bedroom & the Sunroom & I'm thinking when he gets back to us with the price of carpeting those 3 rooms I'll probably just end up splashing some paint on those floors too.

Despite bright sunny skies we are still surrounded by cold air & the only good thing about that is no pesky biting & stinging bugs.  Because of the colder air this year Spring is just not busting out all over yet like it usually does about this time.

Now that I am beginning to get a handle on this Google Photos thing I may once again try putting a few photo albums together.  To my side bar under ‘Photo Albums’ I did just add ‘Bisbee…A Few Fine Memories’.  I created this album a few years ago as a colorful look back on our many times visiting Bisbee Arizona while ranch sitting in nearby McNeal.  Bisbee is a colorful place with many ‘characters’ & many of my candid photos reflect that. 

I may start putting some albums together of places like Utah’s Bryce & Zion Canyons, Arizona’s Canyon de Chelly, some State Parks like Capital Reef & the Arches.  Some off road Jeep trips, various adventures in & around Borrego Springs California, our days at ‘The Ranch’, & the list goes on & on.  Maybe an album on our New Mexico travels.  I do have some nice stuff from ‘City Of Rocks State Park’'.’  Would like to tackle a ‘Birds’ album as well at some point.  I have so many bird photos I’m not sure where I would even start.  Looking back over these past 10 years with my thousands upon thousands of photos the possibilities are endless.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( 1960 Hits Renamed::

Some of the artists of the 60's are revising their hits with new lyrics to accommodate aging baby boomers who can remember doing the "Limbo" as if it were yesterday  They include:

Bobby Darin ---
Splish, Splash, I Was Havin' A Flash

Herman's Hermits ---
Mrs. Brown, You've Got a Lovely Walker

Ringo Starr ---
I Get By With A Little Help From Depends

The Bee Gees ---
How Can You Mend A Broken Hip?

Roberta Flack---
The First Time Ever I Forgot Your Face 

Johnny Nash ---
I Can't See Clearly Now

Paul Simon---
Fifty Ways To Lose Your Liver

The Commodores ---
Once, Twice, Three Times To The Bathroom

Procol Harum---
A Whiter Shade Of Hair

Leo Sayer ---
You Make Me Feel Like Napping

The Temptations ---
Papa's Got A Kidney Stone

Abba---
Denture Queen

Tony Orlando ---
Knock 3 Times On The Ceiling If You Hear Me Fall

Helen Reddy ---
I Am Woman; Hear Me Snore

Leslie Gore ---
It's My Procedure, and I'll Cry If I Want To

And Last, but NOT least:

Willie Nelson ---
On the Commode Again

GOT COLD ENOUGH TO SNOW LAST NIGHT BUT DIDN’T

FIRST FROG IN OUR FRONT YARD FROG POND THIS YEAR

Kelly had an early morning appointment for an abdominal ultra sound at the Goderich Hospital so she was out the door by 7:15 on a cold but sunny Sunday morning.  From Goderich she headed directly to Cambridge Ontario to visit her Kids for Mother’s Day.

NICE TO SEE DANDELIONS

NUTHATCH

With our thermometer sitting right on the freezing mark Pheebs & I also got an early start to our day & headed off down the road in search of whatever.  Again with no direction in mind we wandered off to the Southeast swinging North half an hour later & heading for the Hullett Marsh.  Kinda felt more like walking than driving so that’s what we did.  Temps came up a bit to make things comfortable.  Still no sign of any frogs in the Marsh.  We were home by 10:30.

ALREADY IN THE MARSH WE PARKED AT THE END OF THAT ROAD & WALKED FROM THERE

HOW NICE TO FINALLY SEE EVERYTHING TURNING SO GREEN

 

RED WING BLACK BIRD

I did upload another batch of farm houses & homes to my ‘Old Farm Houses’ album on the side bar.  I’ve  also added a second barns album  entitled simply ‘2016 Barns’.  I will be adding to both these albums from now till October.

CANADA GEESE

MOM, DAD & JUNIOR

THOUGHT THIS 3 LEGGED GOOSE HAD AN ODD SHAPE TO IT

OK FOILED AGAIN I WAS

Kelly made it home shortly after 3.  Her ultra-sound went fine earlier this morning & she had a great day visiting with her Kids in Cambridge for Mother’s Day. 

SAW US ANOTHER LITTLE MUSKRAT FELLER

"A writer is a writer not because they write well & easily, because they have amazing talent, or because everything they do is golden.  A writer is a writer because, even when there is no hope, even when nothing they do shows any sign of promise, they keep on writing anyway"...... Author Unknown

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Kids Say the Darndest Things::

STEVEN (age 3) hugged and kissed his Mom good night. 'I love you so much that when you die I'm going to bury you outside my bedroom window.'

BRITTANY (age 4) had an ear ache and wanted a pain killer. She tried in vain to take the lid off the bottle. Seeing her frustration, her Mom explained it was a child-proof cap and she'd have to open it for her. Eyes wide with wonder, the little girl asked: 'How does it know it's me?'

SUSAN (age 4) was drinking juice when she got the hiccups. 'Please don't give me this juice again,' she said, 'It makes my teeth cough! .'

DJ (age 4) stepped onto the bathroom scale and asked: 'How much do I cost?'

MARC (age 4) was engrossed in a young couple that were hugging and kissing in a restaurant. Without taking his eyes off them, he asked his dad: 'Why is he whispering in her mouth?'

TAMMY (age 4) was with her mother when they met an elderly, rather wrinkled woman her Mom knew. Tammy looked at her for a while and then asked, 'Why doesn't your skin fit your face?'

JAMES (age 4) was listening to a Bible story. His dad read: 'The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city but his wife looked back and was turned to salt.' Concerned, James asked: 'What happened to the flea?'

'Dear Lord,' the minister began, with arms extended toward heaven and a rapturous look on his upturned face. 'Without you, we are but dust....' He would have continued but at that moment my very obedient daughter who was listening leaned over to me and asked quite audibly in her shrill little four year old girl voice, 'Mom, what is butt dust?'

IT NEARLY BURNT A HOLE IN MY LEG

IT IS RARE WE GET TO SEE A SUNRISE HERE IN THE PARK BUT THIS MORNING WHEN I STEPPED OUTSIDE WITH PHEEBS THERE IT WAS

A high overhead cloud cover dampened my Spirits but Pheebs & I did take a short drive to pick up some gas & a McDonald’s Burrito.  They must have micro-waved that sucker to near the incineration point.  Set it on my lap & it nearly burnt a hole in my leg.  Of course Pheebs was racing around inside the Jeep like a Kentucky Derby race course in anticipation of sharing that burrito so it was imperative I get it cooled down fast.  With both main dash vents concentrating their cool morning air directly on the smoking Burrito I switched the fan from high to overdrive & a minute later Pheebs & I began wolfing down our cooled Burrito:))

TULIPS ALONG THE ROADSIDE

A few sprinkles of rain on the windshield sent us scurrying for home & that was the end of our travels for the day.  Busied myself in the afternoon prepping the reno bedroom & finishing my ceiling paint project.  We’re thinking now we’ll just have the whole room wallpapered instead of doing a paint & wallpaper combination.  That’s fine with me & will save patching all the nail holes from people hanging pictures on those wall since the unit was built back in 1982.  So many holes in fact it looked like Al Capone had stepped into the room & let fly with his Thompson submachine gun!!

SPOTTED A TWO HEADED TURKEY VULTURE

OOOPS ONE OF THE HEADS JUST FLEW AWAY

Kelly’s heading off to Cambridge in the morning to see her Kids for Mother’s Day while Pheebs & I stay home being our usual good little selves.  Depending on the weather we might head out for a drive & walk somewhere. 

Last week I mentioned about some possible travel plans for the middle of June.  My Aunt Jeans health had been slipping so Kelly, Pheebs & I began laying out some Motorhome plans for a trip to Florida.  Since then Aunt Jeans health has improved so we decided to go back to our original plan of going to Florida on our way West in October.  I have been to Florida in June before & know how hot & brutally humid it is so for sure I am looking forward to going in October’s much nicer cool weather.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Lost Words from our Childhood::  For those of you that remember, enjoy the memories.
Heavens to Murgatroyd! Would you believe the email spell checker did not recognize the word murgatroyd?
Words gone as fast as the buggy whip! Sad, really! The other day a not so elderly (65) lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy and he looked at her quizzically and said what the heck is a Jalopy? OMG (new phrase!) he never heard of the word jalopy!!  She knew she was old but not that old...  Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory after you read this piece by Richard Lederer
About a month ago, I illuminated some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology. These phrases included: "Don't touch that dial”, "Carbon copy", "You sound like a broken record" and "Hung out to dry." Back in the olden days we had a lot of moxie. We'd put on our best bib and tucker to straighten up and fly right! Heavens to Betsy! Gee whillikers! Jumping Jehoshaphat! Holy moley!

We were in like Flynn and living the life of Riley, and even a regular guy couldn't accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!  Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when's the last time anything was swell?  Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A.; of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes and pedal pushers.

Oh, my aching back. Kilroy was here, but he isn't anymore.  We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, “well I'll be a monkey's uncle!” or “This is a fine kettle of fish!” We discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed omnipresent as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.  Poof, go the words of our youth, the words we've left behind. We blink, and they're gone. Where have all those phrases gone?
Long gone: Pshaw, The milkman did it.  Hey! It's your nickel.  Don't forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper.  Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I'll see you in the funny papers.  Don't take any wooden nickels.   Heavens to Murgatroyd! 

It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than ‘Carter has liver pills’.  This can be disturbing stuff!  We of a certain age have been blessed to live in changeful times. For a child each new word is like a shiny toy, a toy that has no age. We at the other end of the chronological arc have the advantage of remembering there are words that once did not exist and there were words that once strutted their hour upon the earthly stage and now are heard no more, except in our collective memories.  It's one of the greatest advantages of aging.  See ya later,
Alligator, after awhile Crocodile………………