WE HAVE A PRETTY TIRED & SORE LITTLE GIRL AT HOME TONIGHT

OUR LITTLE SUPER PHEEBS ISN’T FEELING SO SWELL TONIGHT………………….

I had the most pleasant experience this morning of waking up to a little Pheebe face on my pillow right next to me.  She is so considerate not to disturb me while I'm sleeping but as soon as I wake up & talk to her I am immediately pinned to the bed & smothered in big slurpy doggy smooches.  With her wildly wagging tail it is all I can do to keep from being knocked right out of my own bed.  Pheeber Fever indeed:)) 

 

MORNING PLAYTIME BEFORE PHEEBE HEADS OFF TO SEE THE VET 

No breakfast for the Pheebs this morning because of her spaying procedure.  We loaded our happy little dog into the Jeep about about 8:15 & headed for the Vet's in Zurich, Ontario.  While Kelly signed some papers Pheebe checked out all the bags of dog food in the office & then it was time for her to be led into the operating room with the Vet.  Her wagging tail was all a blur as she disappeared around the corner & that was it.  Kelly & I headed home.

 

MOTOR IS ALREADY MISSING HER NEWEST BEST PAL……………….

We had a few errands to run this morning so Kelly & I loaded up the Motormouse & Jeeped ourselves on up to Goderich.  A few items at the Canadian Tire Store, some groceries at the Supermarket & then it was off to downtown Goderich to pick up a couple more Dawgs.  Kelly had brought home a couple Dawgs Thursday & figured I should have my own Dawgs as well.  She didn't want me to get the wrong one’s so her sole purpose for coming along to Goderich was to make sure I didn't forget to pick up my Dawgs at the Shoe Barn.  Sooooo, now besides Pheebe, we have four more Dawgs in the house. 

           

THOSE ARE KELLY’S 2 DAWGS WITH THE BEIGE STRAPS & MINE ARE THE PLAIN ONES…NO MORE WET FEET FOR ME IN THE MORNING

Our final destination before leaving Goderich was Motor's favourite stop, McDonalds.  Kelly doesn't like the Drive-Thru so we parked the Jeep while she went in for the eats.  I broke from our traditional Burritos routine & shared a Sausage McMuffin with the Kid.  Kelly ate hers outside at a picnic table because she got Motor-mugged as soon as she got in the Jeep.  Did you know that no matter what size coffee you get at McDonald's it's all the same price.  I stuck with my small size but Kelly of course Kelly made sure she got her money’s worth & came out with a whole pale full for herself.  (which she later regretted)

         

We phoned the Vet at 1 to see how our little Pheebmonster was doing & they said everything had went well & we could pick her up around 3.  We had noticed Pheebe shaking her head this past week so we had suspected an ear infection & the Vet confirmed that.  We had also noticed Pheebs Dew claws on her back legs were very loose & the Vet agreed, so she also had those dew claws removed.  Add to all that a rabies shot & you know we picked up a very tired & groggy little girl.  We are so pleased since switching to the South Huron Veterinary Clinic a couple years ago.  Great staff & they go the extra mile to explain everything.  And, a big thanks to Pheebe’s previous owners Crystal & Mat for covering the cost of the Pheebster’s Spaying procedure…….. 

HERE SHE COMES UNDER HER OWN STEAM AT THE VET CLINIC THIS AFTERNOON

Pheebs was able to walk to the Jeep but I had to lift her in.  By the time we got her home she was totally beat & I had to carry her into the house.  She just laid on the floor & fell asleep.  She has a large plastic collar around her head & pink bandages on her legs.  Saturday morning we begin the anti-biotics for her ear infection plus some pain pills.  I think it is going to be a real challenge for us to keep that plastic collar on her but we can't risk the chance of her pulling out the stitches.  And, no walks other than leashed bathroom breaks in our back yard.  This is going to be like trying to contain an exploding stick of dynamite in a Kleenex!!  Monday afternoon she goes back to have the bandages on her legs changed.

 

LOADED UP & READY FOR HOME    

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  So hard to stand helplessly by when we know our beloved pets are under so much stress.  As human beings we are able to communicate with each other explaining difficult situations & predicaments.  Pheebe has no idea why she has a big plastic cone on her head.  No idea why here hind legs are bandaged & has no understanding as to why she is feeling so yukky right now.  Even my best efforts cannot get that furry little tail to wag.  As she claws away at trying to remove that awful thing around her head it is all I can do not to jump up & help her get it off.  But, we are humans, and we understand these things..........well, don’t we??

THE LITTLE PHEEBER WAS TOO POOPED TO WALK WHEN WE GOT HOME SO DAD HAD TO CARRY HER IN….NOTICE HER CUTE PINK SOCKS. (BANDAGES) 

GROANER'S CORNER:((    A woman brought a very limp duck in to a veterinary surgeon. As she lay her pet on the table, the vet pulled out his stethoscope and listened to the bird's chest.
After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, "I'm so sorry, your duck has passed away."
The distressed owner wailed, "Are you sure?"
"Yes, I am sure. The duck is dead," he replied.
"How can you be so sure," she protested. "I mean, you haven't done any testing on him or anything. He might just be in a coma or something."
The vet rolled his eyes, turned around and left the room, and returned a few moments later with a black Labrador retriever. As the duck's owner looked on in amazement, the dog stood on his hind legs, put his front paws on the examination table, and sniffed the duck from top to bottom. He then looked at the vet with sad eyes and shook his head.
The vet patted the dog and took it out, and returned a few moments later with a cat. The cat jumped up on the table and also sniffed delicately at the bird from head to foot. The cat sat back on it's haunches, shook its head, meowed softly, and strolled out of the room.
The vet looked at the woman and said, "I'm sorry, but as I said, this is most definitely, 100 percent certifiably, a dead duck." Then the vet turned to his computer terminal, hit a few keys and produced a bill, which he handed to the woman. The duck's owner, still in shock, took the bill.
"$150!", she cried, "$150 just to tell me my duck is dead!!"
The vet shrugged. "I'm sorry. If you'd taken my word for it, the bill would have been $20, but with the lab report and the cat scan, it's now $150.00."

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IF YOUR DECIDING ON BUYING AN RV….BEWARE OF THE ‘WOW’ FACTOR

Humidity levels were back this morning & that made for a 'buggy' morning walk with mosquitoes & biting flies.  The mugginess kept me inside for most of the day with the exception of loading up the guys about 1 & making a run to our local Subway.  Can you imagine trying to share a 'Cold Cut Combo' with 2 wild & crazy furry animal guys in the small confines of a tiny Jeep Wrangler.  No, I can't imagine that either, but that is what we do.

Deciding on an RV that suits a person's needs & desires is no small decision & is one that should be thought out very carefully.  Some folks are able to get it right the first time & then there are people like us who have to bang their heads half a dozen times before arriving at a right decision.  It took us 2 Class C's, a Travel Trailer, a 5th Wheel Trailer & 2 pick-up trucks before getting it right & ending up with a Motor Home.  But, "getting it right" is a very individual thing & every couple has different needs & circumstances.   But, there is one thing that I think is very common for everyone.  It's called the "WOW" factor.  The very first time I ever set foot in an RV I was immediately "WOWED" by the interior with all it's neat little trims & finishes.  Nice wood finished cabinets flanked by a perfectly color coordinated interior with curtains, valances, sofas & chairs all matching to perfection.  And how about all those big gold trimmed mirrors.  Big televisions & Swanky-do entertainment centers.  ‘Wow’, talk about Razzle-Dazzle!!

 

OUR VERY OWN CAMPSITE RIGHT AT THE OLD WEENIE ROAST RANCH 

Same thing used to happen to me years ago when it came to cars & that's why I ended up having over 40 of them through the years.  Every time I would see something different, I wanted it.  Didn't matter if it was 15 years old, rust in the fenders, torn seats, bad tires, whatever......it might have had a neat-o racing stripe on it or something & that ‘WOWED’ me.  I was never too darn smart when it came to buying cars & I sure ended up with a bunch of clunkers.  But ‘WOW’, did I ever like them at the time.

 

OUR 24’ PROWLER TRAVEL TRAILER

Same thing years later when it came to buying RV's.  Didn't look around, didn't compare prices, didn't take time to think about it, didn't use any common sense at all.  Saw a homemade conversion van onetime in a small town near us, liked the hand crafted cupboards inside & without so much as a test drive....bought it.  Bad move, the radiator rotted out about month later & that was just the start of mechanical problems with that thing!! 

Our first Class C was about 17 years old when we brought it home but there was just something about that well worn & tired little 17' Class C Dodge Centurion that ‘WOWED’ me off my feet again.  Bad move, it was just toooooo tired!!  Our next RV was a Prowler Travel Trailer which we saw parked at the end of a farmers lane one morning while out for a drive.  As we drove by we both went ‘WOW’ nice looking trailer.  Several days later we returned & bought it.  This was my first experience with towing anything larger than a utility trailer.  The 24 foot Prowler was a nice unit & clean as a whip.  But we only used it maybe a dozen times in the next couple years for week-end camping trips with the exception of a one week trip to the Muskoka Lakes region of Ontario.  The Prowler purchase turned out to be a bad move because we just hadn't taken the time to think about work schedules & travel plans.  But, we had taken enough time to be bowled over by the ‘WOW’ factor!! 

OUR FIRST CLASS C  ---  A 1979 17.5’ DODGE CENTURION --- THE ORIGINAL BAYFIELD BUNCH WITH MAX, KELLY & AL

Our next 'WOW' came in the form of another small Class C.  Saw it up in Goderich one day, took if for a drive and 'WOW' did it ever drive nice.  Did we take the time to look at other units at that time....no, of course not.  We were too 'WOWED' because we thought it drove nice & looked cozy inside.  Bought it a few days later & headed for Texas about a month after that.  We were only about half way there when we knew we had made another.....bad move!!  Too small & it had mechanical issues.

 

FORD CLASS C GULF STREAM 

A couple years after that we were in a financial position to finally get something bigger & better so we hastily bought a truck & fifth wheel from some folks we knew.  We had been going back & forth, back & forth, between buying a Motor Home or 5th wheel & finally talked ourselves into the 5'ver.  Both truck & trailer were in excellent condition & had a very large 'WOW' factor to both of them.  However, after a few short weekend jaunts we felt maybe the truck wasn't going to be able to handle the large mountains of the Southwest so we traded that Chevy Silverado 1500 in for a heavier 2004 GMC 2500 truck & headed off for New Mexico, Arizona & California.  That second truck had all the bells & whistles you could imagine so you can certainly understand the high 'WOW' factor on that one.   The truck & trailer worked well to-gether for the most part but somewhere in our journey that winter we realized we had made......another bad move!!  It just wasn't the right set up for 2 people with 3 dogs.  The truck was way too fancy for me & I couldn't figure out half the computer stuff anyway.  Plus, the Rockwood trailer was a lightweight so didn't have the insulation factor to keep us warm on cold desert nights either.

   

CHEVY SILVERADO 1500                                       GMC SIERRA LAREDO 2500

It only took us about a month after we arrived home that year to trade the truck & 5th wheel in on what we have now which is a gas powered 33’ Damon Motor Home.  And did the Motorhome have a 'WOW' factor to it as well......you betcha it did but this time it turned out to finally be a good move:)) That was in the Spring of 2007 & we've been to the American Southwest 4 times with it now & no complaints.  

OUR PRESENT RIG ON DARBY WELLS ROAD NEAR AJO ARIZONA    2007

When all is said & done, choosing the right type of RV comes down to an individuals preferences, needs, likes & dislikes.  There are so many factors & variables & that is why there are so many different types of RV's out there.  For us, it just boiled down to what we were personally comfortable with in the end.  Took us awhile to get there, cost us some money we needn’t have spent,  but in the end we did get to where we had originally set out for. 

 

NEAR JOPLIN MISSOURI   2004                                     LAKE TEXOMA IN OKLAHOMA   

For anyone out there in the throes of an RV purchase I suggest you check out 5 of Laurie & Odel's posts starting with,  ‘Buying An RV’ ---  WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED --- SIZE MATTERS ---THE OPTIONS --- MOTOR HOME OR FIFTH WHEEL --- GVWR & IT'S COUSINS.  You will notice how they mixed a lot of good judgment, common sense, & practical thinking into their ‘WOW’ factor & got things right, first time out.

Friday morning bright & early our little Pheebe heads for the Vet to be spayed.  Of course we are feeling very guilty for having to put her through this but we know that it is necessary.  Vet says we can pick her up in the late afternoon so Kelly, myself & the little Motor will be anxiously looking forward to getting her home again.  You should see the Motor & Pheebe playing toys together…..what a hoot.

COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND IN BIG BEND NATIONAL PARK JUST A FEW DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS 2004

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  It is a thin line one walks when talking about or comparing various modes of RV travel in the RV world.  Whether it be a Travel Trailer, Class C, Truck Camper, 5th Wheel, Class B, Tent Trailer or Motor Home, when all is said & done it simply boils down to one simple thing.  There is no right or wrong.  Whatever mode of travel suits an individuals or couple's needs is going to be the right choice for them in the end. 

WEEK-END CAMPING SOMEWHERE IN OUR VERY EARLY RV DAYS

GROANER'S CORNER:  You might be a Farmer if......

-Your dog rides in the truck more than your wife.

-You've never thrown away a 5 gallon bucket. 

-You have used a chainsaw to remodel your house.

-You have used baling wire to attach a license plate.

-You've been stopped by the deputy sheriff for a cluttered dashboard.

-You have used a tractor with a loader as scaffolding for painting or roof repairs.

-You've used the same knife to make bull calves into steers and peel apples.

-You know cow pies aren't made of beef.

-You can eat an ear of sweet corn with no teeth or utensils in under 20 seconds.

-When you were little, you "beat-up" another kid on the school bus arguing over the color of tractors.

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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

‘ELVIS HAS LEFT THE BUILDING’…..BUT, HE’S WAITING OUTSIDE:))

KELLY & THE MOTORMOUSE ARE HEADING FOR HOME THIS MORNING  NIKON D40 AT 300mm

We hadn't even reached the Park Pond this morning when Speedball Pheebs ran down & caught something in the trees.  I saw a fleeting glimpse of it before Pheebe caught it & I feared it was a small Bunny.  I immediately let out a yell & Pheebe instantly left it alone & came racing back to while I was hurrying forward to try & save what she had caught.  I was totally surprised to see a Grackle (bird) lying motionless on it's back.  No signs of trauma but I assumed it was dead & sadly made a mental note to bury it when we got back from our walk.  

BIRD…..WHAT BIRD??  ALL DOGGY SHOTS WERE WITH MY NIKON D40 AT VARYING FOCAL LENGTHS
Kelly & the Motormouse made it to the Pine forest but it was obvious the little Motor wasn't up to a long walk this morning so they turned around & headed back home.  Pheebe & I continued on the trail making our way back about 25 minutes later.  Stopped to check on the dead Grackle......& it was gone.  Apparently it had only been stunned by the big Pheebe dog knocking it to the ground.  I have a feeling the Pheebster had no intentions of killing the bird, only wanting to play with it.  That's her personality. 

I’M A HEADING HOME DAD…….
Sure is nice to have a fast computer again with everything opening, closing & downloading with the quicker speeds we were once used too.  Am still extremely frustrated with the Windows Live email program trying to figure out the complicated address book mess.  I am still nowhere near getting that organized.  A big thank you to all the folks for their suggestion about that 'insert' key being the cause of the problem I was having.  That's what it was & all is well in Al's little impatient blog world again.  I had swapped out our older Microsoft keyboard for the new Lenovo keyboard & must have inadvertently pressed the insert key.  Also, somewhere in Live Writer here there is a spot where I can switch off the Emoticons thingy & replace them with my usual  :)) thingy.  Did that with Live Writer on our laptop but can’t remember where that setting is now.

We had been trying to decide what to do with Pheebe when we knew we would be heading out this afternoon for a few hours to the Huron County Playhouse.  Caught ourselves a break when a few days ago Kelly had spotted what she thought was a large dog crate in the service area at Deer Park Lodge.  She brought the sizeable steel cage home this morning & we managed to get it set up in our living room.  For some reason, whenever anyone mentioned putting a dog in a crate I had always imagined something much smaller.  I was probably thinking of a Pet carrier.  We have never had to put a dog in a crate before but with Pheebe only being here a week & not being trained yet, we had no choice but to go the crate route.  With the Pheebe Gator sitting forlornly in the crate & Motor in charge, we headed off for the theater about 1:15.

WE HAD A PRETTY SAD LITTLE PUPPY DOG IN THE CRATE WHEN WE LEFT BUT THE MOTOR WAS IN CHARGE SO WE REALLY HAD NOTHING TO WORRY ABOUT
To say this afternoon's performance of 'Blue Suede Shoes' was totally excellent would be putting it mildly.  The theater has undergone a major renovation since our last time there a year ago & the once smaller Playhouse II is all new & about 3 times the size of the original.  We had seen both the Patsy Cline & Buddy Holly stories there about 5 years ago.  Last year we saw a tribute to the Beatles in the main theatre.  Today's tribute to Elvis Presley had the entire Playhouse just a rocking with a fellow by the name of Roy LeBlanc doing a superb job as Elvis.  As usual with this theatre, the musicians were excellent & top notch.  The play unfolded through the eyes of an actor playing Colonel Tom Parker, Elvis’s manager for his entire career. 

MANAGED TO GET ONE QUICK PHOTO OF THE STAGE BEFORE THE PERFORMANCE…ALL THOSE EMPTY SEATS WERE SOON FILLED

Kelly & I were probably two of the youngest people in the audience & it was really interesting to hear the reaction of all the Seniors....especially the ladies.  With a slim young Elvis gyrating on the stage the ladies were in a near frenzy.  I'm betting there were some surprised husbands in the audience giving their wide eyed wives a sideways glance or two.  The show finished up with a grand finale & Elvis (Roy) singing My Way.  Roy’s right on Elvis voice & gestures made for an excellent portrayal of the King.  A standing ovation brought him back for a rocking rendition of Blue Suede Shoes before exciting the stage up one of the main aisles near us.  Elvis 'had left the building.'

LOOKS LIKE KELLY IS SINGING CHRISTMAS CAROLS IN THE THEATRE LOBBY DURING INTERMISSION  

Well, imagine our surprise minutes later upon exciting the building ourselves when we saw Elvis (yes, I know it's Roy LeBlanc) on the front lawn of the theatre thronged by a bevy of admiring Senior Citizens clambering for autographs.  And, rest assured.....not one of those beaming autograph seekers was a man!!

 

  


Two extremely inconsiderate drivers had parked in the entranceway of a secondary theatre parking lot & trapped everyone in including us.  Well, almost everyone.    Seems a little brown Jeep with a Bayfield Bunch logo on the windshield was seen exiting the east end of the parking lot between 2 picnic tables through a ditch & up onto the road.  And, I think a few other cars were seen to follow.  The rude driver’s cars obviously belonged to people in the second theater watching ‘Guys and Doll’s’ which of course was not yet out. 

THESE ARE THE 2 CARS BLOCKING EVERYBODY IN THE PARKING LOT….NO PROBLEM FOR THAT LITTLE JEEP WRANGLER BACK THERE TO GET OUT A MINUTE LATER THOUGH   CANON SX210IS
We sure didn't waste anytime getting home.  I don't know how many times during the Elvis show I thought about our little Pheebe in the steel crate in the middle of our living room floor.  What if this, what if that:((  But, we needn't have worried.  She was just fine & her furry little tail was wagging a million miles a second as we came through the door.  When I opened the crate door it was as if we had unleashed a wildly spinning black Tornado.  She was just ecstatic to see us & of course we were just as ecstatic to see her.  Motor had done an excellent job Doggy sitting the Pheebs so she deserved a big bunch of snuggles as well.  Yep, we ended up a happy Bunch today……….10-4

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:   I am always in awe of professional musicians.  People who have spent endless hours & years of their life perfecting their craft & precisely honing their instruments.   And, I see a singer’s voice as a finely tuned instrument as well.   It is always a treat for me to watch a pianists hands flying over a keyboard in such effortless fashion.  The steady rocketing sounds a drummer pulls out of a drum solo is nothing short of amazing & to see & hear the sounds those guitar players bend out of their guitars is truly amazing.  I have always enjoyed watching musicians as much as listening to them & today was no exception.  The much misused word ‘Awesome’ is not a word I use often or flippantly but when it comes to superb professional musicians…….it is the ‘Awesome’ word that comes to mind more often or not.         

 

MORNING REFLECTION IN THE POND   NIKON D40 ABOUT 200mm

GROANER’S CORNER:  Three guys were fishing in a lake one day, when an angel appeared in the boat.
When the three astonished men had settled down enough to speak, the first guy asked the angel humbly, "I've suffered from back pain ever since I took shrapnel in the Vietnam War ... Could you help me?"
"Of course," the angel said, and when he touched the man's back, the man felt relief for the first time in years.
The second guy who wore very thick glasses and had a hard time reading and driving. He asked if the angel could do anything about his poor eyesight. The angel smiled, removed the man's glasses and tossed them into the lake. When they hit the water, the man's eyes cleared and he could see everything distinctly.
When the angel turned to the third guy, the guy put his hands out defensively -- "Don't touch me!" he cried, "I'm on a disability pension."

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The

only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.