SOME OF THOSE OLD EARLY LEARNED HABITS JUST SEEM TO STAY WITH US FOREVER

THIS WAS THE ONLY PHOTO I TOOK THIS MORNING ON OUR SHORT DRIVE & THIS LOCATION IS ONLY ABOUT A QUARTER MILE FROM OUR HOUSE

Unless we’re traveling it is very rare for Kelly & I to go out for breakfast & even rarer still to go out with other people for breakfast.  So it was rare indeed this morning when neighbors Don & Barb picked us up for bacon & eggs at the Bayfield Berry Farm.  Last time we can remember being out with anybody was last summer when we took Don & Barb out in our Motorhome to let Don drive it to see what he thought.  They were debating full-timing at the time but have since bought a winter place in Zephyr Hills, Florida.  We all flapped our gums from 8 a.m. till nearly 10:30 this morning & yes indeed it was a very rare but enjoyable occurrence for us.

JUST BEFORE POSTING TONIGHT THIS ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK LANDED ON OUR FEEDER

  

ONLY 10 FEET AWAY HE SAT FOR THE LONGEST TIME JUST STARING THROUGH THE SUNROOM WINDOW AT ME

No snow on the ground this morning & after breakfast at the Bayfield Berry Farm I was encouraged by a few Sun splashes making their way through the heavy cloud cover.  With temps in the mid 30’s & a brisk wind blowing it was cold but Pheebs & I headed out for a short drive anyway.  Just not quite enough sun to lift my spirits & we were soon home again having only taken 1 photo & that was that.  Not even a coffee & a muffin & I was sure getting some dirty looks from my furry little passenger about that.

AT ONE POINT THIS MORNING WE HAD 4 BLUE JAYS ON OUR BIRD STATION

<<< KELLY TOOK A PHOTO OF THIS CHIPMUNK ON OUR BIRDFEEDER

Had myself a little burst of energy this afternoon so decided to re-arrange our living room.  I did get permission first of course.  Seeings how we're in the midst of making a few improvements to our house I just figured our living room was long overdue for a shake-up as well.  The reason for all the changes lately is a direct result of spending the last 4 years or so looking for a house on a nice little piece of country property in the area & not finding anything we liked that was affordable.   This is a very pricey area along the lake.  We do like our Park's country setting here in our pine forest just a few minutes drive outside of Bayfield Ontario so we'll just make a few improvements, do some upgrades & stay right where we are for now.  Heck of a lot of less hassle than having to up & move somewhere.  And cheaper too.

HERE’S KELLY & PHEEBS TRYING OUT THE NEW LIVING ROOM ARRANGEMENT

After publishing my Saturday night post & feeling a little homesick for the South-west I gassed up my Google Earth plane & flew myself on down to Congress Arizona for a look back on so many fond memories.  Flew out to House/Indian Rock & had a look from the air at Aunt Jean’s favorite cluster of rocks nearby as well.  Winged my way along some of the Jeep roads I have become so familiar with & buzzed over our little house just a mile away.  The satellite photo of our place was taken November 6th of last year & I noticed our Jeep Liberty was not in the driveway so checking my blogs archives I knew the Friday photo had to be taken late morning when we were in Wickenburg on our first grocery run of the season.  ‘Sarge’ pulled in behind us that morning when we got home.  That Google Earth is the next best thing to being anywhere & oh how I like to go places we have been before & fly over & actually in many cases land right on roads we have actually traveled.  What a truly amazing piece of modern technology that Google Earth is. You may tick me off in some of your other Google sites but I sure do like your Google Earth program.  Thank you Google:))

LIGHT WAS FAILING BUT I DID MANAGE THIS BLURRY IMAGE OF A BLUEBIRD ON OUR BIRDSTATION TONIGHT

Doing a load of laundry this morning I was instantly transported back in time in a mere fraction of a second when I took the cap off a bottle of Downy Fabric Softener.  The sweet aroma took me back to a time & era around 1964 when I briefly worked in a Kitchener Ontario Supermarket.  When I say briefly I think it might have only been 3 or 4 months & it was only the second real job in a long line of jobs I was to have over the coming years.  I was a stock boy & as such I had several sections in the supermarket I was responsible for keeping stocked & looking good.  One of those sections was Fabric Softeners & Detergents, etc.  Everything on the shelf in neat order, labels facing out, newer stock to the front & keep those holes filled to give the shelves a well stocked appearance.  Do you know I still do that today.  Just this morning in Walmart walking through the grocery section I saw a quart of chocolate milk on it’s side in the display case so as I passed by I set it up straight.  Walking through any store if I see something on the floor I cannot walk by without stopping to pick it up & put it back where it belongs.  If I see an item on a shelf with the label turned the wrong way I instinctively give it a turn to face the label out or if some products are mussed up a bit I have been known to stop & straighten them out.  Even shopping carts I have a tendency to take to their respective places & all this I figure comes from those few months working at a Kitchener Ontario Zehrs Supermarket in the Frederick Street Plaza over 50 years ago.  And those few basic organizational habits learned back then were to follow me through many many jobs in the years to come.  Yes indeed, some of those old early learned habits just seem to stay with us forever:))

THIS IS A SERIES OF PHOTOS I TOOK OF PHEEBS OVER THE PERIOD OF A MONTH IN HER VARIOUS SLEEP MODES

SNOOZING WITH HER TEDDY BEAR TEDLEY

WAKING UP JUST LONG ENOUGH FOR A BIG STRETCH

CRASHED OUT ON THE FLOOR WITH TEDLEY

SNOOZING WITH HER LITTLE PAL SHUSTER THE ROOSTER

UPSIDED DOWN & KNOCKED RIGHT OUT

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Husband’s Text Message:  Honey,  a car hit me when I was out of the office. Paula brought me to the hospital.  They have been taking tests and X-rays.  The blow to my head has been very strong, fortunately it seems that it did not cause any serious injury, but I have three broken ribs, a compound fracture in the left leg, and they may have to amputate my right foot.  Wife’s Response: Who’s Paula?

A BIT OF EXCITEMENT IS ALWAYS WELCOME AT THIS STAGE OF THE GAME

TRILLIUM

With our air temperature hovering in the mid 30’s & a cold rain upon us our morning’s wind chill factor drove temperatures even lower & it was definitely not an outside day for Pheebs & I.  Poor little Spoogers just doesn’t understand why we aren’t out the door with cameras in hand & headed for the Jeep.  She’s been lying around the house with the saddest look on her face & anytime I get near the front door she races right up behind me thinking, ‘Oh Boy Oh Boy Oh Boy me & my Dad are finally going out somewhere’.

My room painting is done & the next step will be having the berber carpet installed in a week or so.  Richard will do the room trim after that which will complete phase 1 of our project.  Next on the list will be to have or old money guzzling electric furnace replaced with a new more cost effective gas furnace.  After that we rip the old original carpet out of Kelly’s bedroom & replace it with new.  Somewhere in the mix I will help Richard put a second window in Kelly’s bedroom (we got the window free) & last but not least we will replace the old cheap carpet in our sunroom.  Busy times ahead but I enjoy having home improvements done & the upgrades we are doing now are long overdue.  It’s the kind of bee hive activity I usually don’t mind too much.  A lot of organizing to do & organizing can generate a bit of excitement & a bit of excitement is always welcome at this stage of the game:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( This is the story of a blonde flying in a two-seater airplane with just the pilot . He has a heart attack and dies . She, frantic, calls out a May Day .”May Day! May Day! Help me! Help me! My pilot had a heart attack and is dead . And I don’t know how to fly . Help me! Please help me!”  She hears a voice over the radio saying: “This is Air Traffic Control, and I heard you loud and clear . I will talk you through this and get you back on the ground . I’ve had a lot of experience with this kind of problem . Now just take a deep breath . Everything will be fine! Now give me your height and position”  She says, “I’m 5’4″ and I support Donald Trump . . ”  “O . K . ” says the voice on the radio . . . .  “Repeat after me: Our Father Who Art in Heaven”

IT WAS A DAY OF PAINTING & SORE MUSCLES

WE HAVE ONE TULIP IN OUR FRONT YARD & THIS IS IT

Had we had a nice sunny morning Pheebs & would have been off somewhere but with rain in the night & an overcast sky I decided to put my painting hat on & get at it.

WE’VE DECIDED TO DO THE WALLS IN A TAN COLOR WITH WHITE STRIPES

NOW YOU REALLY DIDN’T BELIEVE THAT DID YOU

Kelly had a Doctor ‘s appointment at the Goderich Hospital first thing so she was on the road early.  With cooler air moving in she said it was a foggy drive.

I’M READY FOR MY PROFILE MR. HITCHCOCK >>>

I spent 6 solid hours painting & by 1:30 this afternoon my legs & back were so sore I had to go ease into my recliner for an hour & give my aching muscles a much needed rest.  I did manage a short walk later with Pheebs under partially sunny skies & was able to grab a few photos for tonight’s post.  Always so nice this time of year watching all the Spring colors emerging.  We even have Trilliums growing right beside our house.

 

SO NICE TO SEE GREEN LEAVES AGAIN 

Here’s kind of a neat site that may be of interest to a few folks.  Called Flight Radar this site tracks aircraft all over the world at any given time.  Flight carriers are identified complete with each planes flight number.  It also tracks the planes & if you watch closely you can see the flights moving & follow them on their flight paths.  It is amazing to see the number of aircraft in the skies worldwide.  Thousands!!

Checking the rainy weather forecast for Saturday it looks like I will be up to my elbows in paint again which I guess is alright because I can finally complete the painting job & stroke it off my list. 

SPRING HAS MANY SHADES OF GREEN

Could be early next week before Pheebs & I have a sunny enough morning to head out again.  Possible snow flurries are still in the forecast for early Sunday morning.  Maybe we’ll just throw on the snow tires & head on out anyway.

WE DO HAVE PINE CONES IN OUR PINE FOREST BUT THIS IS NOT ONE OF THE THEM….WE PICKED THIS ONE UP ALONGSIDE THE ROAD NEAR THE MOUNT PALOMAR OBSERVATORY IN CALIFORNIA ONE DAY LAST WINTER

OUR SAND CHERRY IS BLOSSOMING

And to our good friend & neighbor Monica who underwent knee surgery this morning we send all our best wishes for a speedy trouble free recovery.  As I type this Monica I am looking over at your house where tall pine trees are basking in evenings twilight glow.  Not a creature is stirring, not even a mouse & I know you will be happy to return in due time to our quiet little 5 Seasons Park right here near the sunny serene shores of beautiful Lake Huron:))

SPOTTED THIS LITTLE PAINTED TURTLE IN THE PARK’S POND THIS AFTERNOON

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The Priest said, “Sister, this is a silent monastery. You are welcome here as long as you like, but you may not speak until directed to do so. ”  Sister Mary Katherine lived in the monastery for 5 years before the Priest said to her, “Sister Mary Katherine, you have been here for 5 years. You may speak two words.”Sister Mary Katherine said, “Hard bed.”“I’m sorry to hear that,” the Priest said, “We will get you a better bed.”  After another 5 years, Sister Mary Katherine was summoned by the Priest.  “You may say another two words, Sister Mary Katherine.”   “Cold food,” said Sister Mary Katherine, and the Priest assured her that the food would be better in the future.  On her 15th anniversary at the monastery, the Priest again called Sister Mary Katherine in to his office. “You may say two words today.”  “I quit,” said Sister Mary Katherine.  “It’s probably best,” said the Priest, “You’ve done nothing but complain since you got here.”

-----------

The difference between the Supreme Court and the Ku Klux Klan is that the members of the Supreme Court  dress in black robes and scare white people.

HE’S THE WISER OLD OWL BY DEFAULT

It’s a long drive from Richards house to our house but he made it right on time this morning after traveling 50 yards in about 8 seconds to pick me up for coffee.  Wasn’t long & we 2 chatterboxes were in Clinton loading up a couple coffees to go at Tim Hortons.  Beautiful Spring morning happening & how nice to be out cruising through the countryside.  Various aging problems talked about & of course we were even able to understand & accept a few.  After all are we not now a couple of wise old Owls at this stage.  Richard’s older than I am so he’s the wiser old Owl by default.  We were home before noon & headed for our separate perches.

Kelly spotted some things on sale in the Canadian Tire flyer today so off we went after lunch to have us a looky see at some storage type shelving units for the room we are currently renovating.  An hour later we were on our way home with a couple large boxes wedged in the back of the Jeep.  One of those boxes was so heavy it would have been better if Canadian Tire had just delivered it with a fork lift tractor.

KELLY’S IN THERE SOMEWHERE MAKING SOME KIND OF A HAND GESTURE

KELLY TAKES A CLOSE LOOK AT THE SALE PRICE AGAIN

Predicted rains never materialized in our area having gone north & south of us but looks like we're in for it Friday so I'll see if I can coax myself into some kind of a painting mode.   Humidity in the air today but not enough to knock the stuffings out of me yet & having said that would you believe the 'Weather Underground' weather site I just looked at is calling for 'SNOW' on Sunday.  Yup it is!!

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Paddy phones an ambulance because his mate's been hit by a car.Paddy: 'Get an ambulance here quick, he's bleeding from his nose and
ears and I tink both his legs are broken.'
Operator: 'What is your location sir?'Paddy: 'Outside number 28 Eucalyptus Street .'  Operator: 'How do you spell that sir?'
Silence.... (heavy breathing) and after a minute.
Operator: 'Are you there sir?'  More heavy breathing and another minute later.  Operator: 'Sir, can you hear me, I can hear someone screaming?'
This goes on for another few minutes until....
Operator: 'Sir, please answer me. Can you still hear me?'  Paddy: 'Yes, sorry bout dat... I couldn't spell eucalyptus, so I just
dragged him round to number 3 Oak Street .'

AND FROM HERE ON IN WE’LL CALL YOU MR. SPACKLE

OUR FRONT YARD IS SLOWLY BEGINNING TO FILL IN

To spackle or not to spackle this was the question.  To have lived one’s life & never spackled could very well have been an opportunity lost.  By 9 a.m. this morning I was spackling. 

TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE FROM OUR MONDAY MORNING WALK

LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO DETOUR AROUND THIS MUD HOLE

LOTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF BIRD BOXES IN THE HULLETT MARSH

 

DON’T KNOW WHAT KIND OF BIRDS THESE HANGING TIRE HOUSES ARE FOR…..MAYBE THUNDERBIRDS:))

EVEN A DOUBLE DECKER HOUSE

Having made the decision not to go ahead with the wallpapering idea in our renovation project I was faced with the prospect of painting & if painting it was to be then I had a lot of nail holes in the wall to fill.  Enter my good friend & neighbor Richard Monday afternoon with a small tub of something called spackle in his hand.  Here he said, ‘you can fill all those holes with spackle & from here on we’ll call you Mr. Spackle’.  And that was my introduction to the world of spackling.  To show me how it was done Richard stepped up to a couple nail holes & without further ado he up & spackled them.  It’s pink stuff & using a putty knife just apply it to any small hole then wipe smooth with a damp rag.  An hour later the pink has turned to white & the wall is ready to paint.  And by golly here’s the best part……even I can do that.  And do it I enjoyably did this morning before heading off to the Maitland Valley Medical Clinic in Goderich to drop off a bucket of my blood for an upcoming Doctor’s appointment Monday morning.

EITHER THE FIELDS ARE VERY DUSTY OR THIS FARMER’S DOING ABOUT 105 MPH

TOO MANY LUMPS IN YOUR DIRT??  NO PROBLEM JUST FLATTEN THE SUCKERS

A FRESHLY SEEDED FIELD AWAITING A NEW CROP OF WHATEVER

I THINK MAYBE THEY ‘MIGHT’ CALL THAT RED THINGY A DISKER

By the time I got back home it was time to get going again & I was off to Clinton & Tim Hortons coffee shop for a 1 p.m. coffee blow-out.  Yep you guessed it, my best buddy Jim & I were at it again for another one of our marathon 5 hour arse flattening manic magpie gab sessions.  We never run out of things to talk about & there is never a pause in our conversation & now that Jim has his foot in the Blogger door we were both in overdrive.  Some of you folks are already familiar with Jim’s blog but for those of you who aren’t & are looking for a few things on the lighter side of life you had better kick yourself on over to Lifetime Sentences.  Maybe one of these days I’ll write up a little story & take you back to the early 80’s when Jim was a singer (he still is) & I was his manager.  He knew what he was doing, I didn’t & that’s why Jim is still a singer today & the only thing I’m left managing is which feet my socks go on.  We still do laugh about those zany days though.  You can catch Jim singing here, Ain't It Funny.  If that link doesn’t work then check out his Monday post with the same name.  Ain’t it funny was the title of the album he recorded back in 1981.  I did all the photography for the album cover & still remember taking each & every one of those photos.  Ahhhh yes, them’s was crazy days for a couple small town wild & crazy guys:))

TENT CATERPILLARS ARE ALREADY STAKING OUT THEIR TERRITORY

While I was away this afternoon Kelly worked her magic & managed to get my ‘Bisbee’ album working on the sidebar.   I created this photo 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 & architecturally splendid Alpine like place set in the picturesque Mule Mountains of South-western Arizona.   It’s home to a multitude of ‘characters’ & many of my candid photos reflect that.   BISBEE ARIZONA....A FINE FEW MEMORIES 

REFLECTIONS

Not much in the way of new photos today but I did have a few pics left over from Monday morning when Pheebs & I were out cruising gravel roads & trekking through the Marsh.  Thursday morning Richard & I are off once again for our semi-monthly gravel road coffee run.  Yes indeed, Magpie Mania is upon me again……………….:))

WHEN THIS LITTLE BUTTERFLY FLEW IT WAS OF A LIGHT BLUE COLOR

GROANER’S CORNER:((    I met someone in the elevator who was drinking coffee and complaining about how coffee made him nervous. I said why don't you quit drinking coffee. He said, "because if I didn't have the shakes I wouldn't get any exercise at all."

Two woman are arguing in the supermarket. One quickly grabs a package of Folgers coffee and dumps it down the other woman's shirt. The lady asks why did she do that? Her response was, "There's nothin' more better than waking up with Folgers in your cup."

Customer: Waiter, is this supposed to be coffee or tea? Waiter: What does it taste like? Customer: It tastes like gasoline! Waiter: Well, sir, that would be the coffee. The tea tastes like turpentine.

The 23rd Cup
Caffeine is my shepherd; I shall not doze.
It maketh me to wake in green pastures;
It leadeth me beyond the sleeping masses.
It restoreth my buzz.
It leadeth me in the paths of consciousness for its name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of addiction,
I'll fear no Equal for thou art with me;
Thy cream and thy flavorings they comfort me.
Thou preparest a carafe before me in the presence of Juan Valdez.
Thou anointest my days with vigor; my mug runneth over.
Surely flavor and aroma shall follow me all the days of my life
and I will dwell in the House of Maxwell forever.
Amen!