IT WAS A DAY OF 'FIRSTS'

OUR TIGER LILIES ARE IN BLOOM  (NIKON D90) 

We had ourselves a great first night with Eve.  I can tell she is feeling very comfortable here with us & she slept at the foot of my bed on one of our cushy doggy beds.  She is undoubtedly the most affectionate dog we have ever had.  She just bubbles over with smooches & I am convinced she thinks she is a lap dog because she loves sitting on my lap in the recliner.  I don't mind a big old smoochy dog sitting on my lap.  That's what having a dog is all about:)) 

We are also so pleased at how Cora & Eve are getting along.  Cora has totally accepted Eve into our tightly knit little Bayfield Bunch family.  It was so important for us to find a suitable & loving companion for, 'the Motormouse'.  Oh, & by the way, it's Motormouse, not Motormouth. 

We were very surprised to receive a phone call from our Vet early this morning saying Eve's previous owner, Matt ,had dropped in to see him yesterday afternoon.  Kelly, on the phone, immediately thought....oh oh!!  We had mentioned to Matt & Crystal that we thought it a good idea to have Eve spayed & would be doing that before leaving for the Southwest.  It was one of the things we had talked about with the Vet Tuesday afternoon as well.

SHARING HER BED 

Unbeknownst to us, Matt had slipped into the Vet's office late Tuesday afternoon & prepaid for Eve's spaying procedure.  Not only was Dr. Ross pleased with that kind gesture but so were we.  What a fine & caring thing for Matt & Crystal to do.  Crystal phoned this morning to see how Eve's first night went so we were able to thank them first hand.  So nice when unexpected good things happen like that.  Eve's spaying procedure will take place August 19th.  By the way, Eve is 2 years old. 

Today was a series of firsts, starting with our good old morning walks again which we hadn't been doing since Max & Checkers died back in April.  How nice to have a fun & furry purpose for being back in the forest again.  We have a large grassy area just before the Pine forest trail begins & I don't think I have ever seen a dog run so fast & be so happy all at the same time.  Eve would have made the energizer bunny look like it was going backwards.  She was great on the trail & would come when called.  It was nice to see her & Cora side by side as they stopped to smell things along the way.  Just like Cora used to do with Max & Checkers.

THE GRASSY PARK BEFORE THE FOREST & LITTLE CORA DOESN'T LIKE WALKING ON THIS WET MORNING GRASS  (CANON SX210IS)

  

EVE'S A SUPER FAST RUNNER            EXPLORING SOME NEW SMELLS TOGETHER 

Another first occurred when we took Eve in the Motor Home & showed her around.  She was racing around everywhere all excited by that big new place as well. 

Our third first occurred when I loaded both the Motormouse & Eve  into  the Jeep & off we went to Subway.  Figured for our first Jeep trip together I would just keep it local.  Motor in the front seat & Eve in the back.  I wasn't out of the Jeep 2 seconds at Subway & Eve was in the driver's seat so we have a little work to do there.  Of course I was mobbed getting back into the Jeep with a 6"  toastedTurkey sub in hand.  (Motor insists they be toasted) Managed to get Eve into the back again before unwrapping the sub.  The guys actually did pretty good in patiently waiting for their little Turkey snacks.  There were no squabbles, not even from me.  A short drive down around the beach area & we were home again with another successful first mission under our belts.

MOTOR'S ON THE PASSENGER SIDE & EVE IS ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE....WAITING TO 'SHARE' MY TURKEY SUB  (CANON SX210IS)

 

IN BOTTOM RIGHT PHOTO YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE 'MOUSE' EAR BOTTOM LEFT SNEAKING UP ON MY TURKEY SUB FROM BELOW (CANON AF 720IS) 

I took Eve for a second walk around the forest trail this afternoon as well.  I always carry a pair of clippers with me & noticed this morning that after 4 months of not maintaining the trail there was forest growth encroaching on the path.  Eve was great as I clipped back a lot of vegetation & we eventually worked our way all around the trail & home again.  She just loves the freedom of running as fast as she can & she just loves the outdoors.  I can't share the first of her two loves anymore but I sure can share the second one.

Having experienced the positive benefits of dog obedience classes 13 years ago with Max I am a firm believer of training a dog properly.  This afternoon we signed Eve up for a 6 week Saturday morning dog obedience class that will begin on September 10th.  Both Kelly & I will attend & do the course with Eve just as I did with Max years ago.  Incidentally, Max came home with a first place red ribbon that time:))

Note to hobopal.....no, I did not see that missing comment.  It is very easy for a finished comment to be accidentally deleted after you write it.  Always double check to see if your comment has landed in the person's comment box or look for the word 'approved.'

Note to the State of Texas....if you noticed your temperatures cooling a bit today, it was caused by wind generated by a little dog in Bayfield Ontario wagging it's tail so fast all day it blew most of the trees down in all the States between Michigan & New Mexico.

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Can't begin to tell you how much better I feel now that I have another best Pal at my side again.  To see that constantly wagging tail & those big brown happy eyes.  To feel the exuberance, the excitement, the energy & the curiosity abounding in her brings tears to my eyes.  They are not tears of sorrow.  They are tears of love, happiness & understanding that all animal lovers know so very well & feel so very deeply inside.

CANON (SX210IS) 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And, did you know that when it rains cats and dogs you can actually step in a poodle.  Did you hear about the cowboy who wanted to buy a dachshund?  Ya, he wanted to get a long little doggie.   And did you ever wonder about the difference between a new husband and a new dog? After a year, the dog is still excited to see you.

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now...... AL.

HI EVERYBODY....MY NAME IS EVE:))

 
MY NAME IS EVE & I AM NOW THE NEWEST MEMBER OF THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
Well, this has been a very busy, exciting & eventful day, but let me just back up for a minute.  After receiving the email Monday afternoon about Lexi I just didn't feel like putting together a whole blog Monday night.  It was time to just break with routine for a change & watch some mindless night time television.  But, one thing was crystal clear by the time we went to bed last night.  We both agreed that 'we will find our own dog next time!!'  And, that is just what we did today.

AT EVE'S HOUSE THIS AFTERNOON
For the past few weeks we had been looking on Kijiji, animal rescue, the S.P.C.A. and local dog pound sites.  Some friends emailed us who knew of some dogs but it was a phone call a few days ago that would eventually turn the tide.
Even while waiting for the decision on Lexi we had a few other irons in the fire and one of those irons was our Vet in Zurich, Ontario.  He had called us with a phone number to call regarding a dog needing a good home.  Kelly called that number first thing this morning to gather some info.  Sounded promising.  But, we also had another lead on a dog near the town of Mitchell.

EVE CAME RIGHT OVER & LAID BESIDE THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE
Mitchell is where my Uncle Harry is so on our way to see him this morning we stopped at a farm north of Mitchell to meet Sadie, an Australian Shepherd/Rottweiler mix.  She was a year old, beautiful dog and just full of fire and energy.  Liked her a lot but she was just too much dog for us to handle and when we brought the Motorhmouse into the barn Sadie went right after her bowling her over.  It was plain to see that was not going to be a workable solution.

Leaving Sadie behind we headed into Mitchell to visit with Harry.  He is in constant pain now with his back and says the best part of his day is at night when he is sleeping.  No results back yet from his X-Rays and Cat Scan last week.  He is keeping up a brave front but spends most of his days stretched out in his recliner hardly able to move. 
From Mitchell we headed straight for the little town of Zurich to meet Eve, a Burmese Mountain and Australian Shepherd Collie mix.  In other words, a Heinz 57.  It was love at first sight and an instant bond for me.  Eve was every bit as friendly and warm as Lexi had been last week and the clincher was Eve's gentle nature towards little Cora when we brought the little Beans in the house.  It was obvious right from their introduction they were compatible and would fast become great Pals.  Eve is not an aggressive dog.  At one point Motor laid down on the floor and Eve walked over and laid down beside her.  A very caring and gentle dog. 
OUR FIRST MEETING WITH  EVE THIS AFTERNOON
We talked a bit with the owners and then drove down the street to the Vets with a few questions about spaying, etc.  It also gave Kelly and I a chance to see how each other felt about Eve.  The decision was unanimous, so back to Eve's house we went to talk with her owners.  Some tears were shed but they agreed to bring Eve to our house later this afternoon.  They wanted a chance to say goodbye to her.  With a younger couple's growing family, decisions about pets sometimes have to be reluctantly made.
We were home about 3 and Eve arrived about an hour later with her young family.  We all spent some time together showing the younger couple and their wee daughter around our place where Eve would be living.  Eve was flying around a hundred miles an hour and wouldn't you know it.....she landed ker-splash right in our frog pond.  No matter, she was just too excited to worry about getting wet.  And, we were just too excited to care about her getting wet anyway:)) 

UNFORTUNATELY,  I HADN'T LEFT THE CAMERA ON AUTO FOCUS WHEN KELLY TOOK THIS PICK:((
Soon it was time for final good-byes.  A few tears, a few waves and the young folks were off.  Eve was now at home with the Bayfield Bunch:))  And, everything just seemed sooooo right.
She is just a darling and as I am typing this right now in our sun room she is sound asleep right beside me on the carpet.  She is just too pooped out from all the excitement and so are we.  From Monday's mental low we were rocketed in no short order into the highs of today.  It just all came together and we are sooooo happy to have her and we can tell she is sooooo happy to be here.  Of course I will have more to say about her tomorrow:))  
We thank everyone for all the kind comments on yesterday's post and agree that when one door closes, others are opened and today was a big door opening for us:))  Now, where was I before all this excitement started.

I made double sure I rolled up my Jeep windows Sunday night so Mother Nature made double sure it did not rain. Figures!!  Monday night I rolled up and Mother Nature rained down.  I consider us temporarily even now:))

Took advantage of Monday's cooler morning temps to do more grass and shrub trimming.  An elderly fellow going by on his scooter stopped to say how much he enjoyed seeing our garden lights at night so that inspired me to carry through with a few more lighting ideas I had kicking around.  Tuesday morning we woke up to pouring rain.

 
If the heat is getting you down I suggest you cool off with some fine snowy glacier photos, cooling lakes and cascading waterfalls in the North Cascades National Park, Washington.  The  GYPSY LIFE JOURNAL folks were enjoying their beautiful cooling days while the rest of us are sweltering in the heat and humidity of a long hot summer.  Also, check out what happened when they were just pulling into a campground and a man yelled at them......."YOUR CAR IS LOOSE!!"


MOM'S NEW KITCHEN HELPER
Catching up on a few blogs this morning I noticed one of our fellow RV Bloggers in North Virginia is fast approaching a well deserved retirement.  His post a few days ago titled, I FEEL NAKED caught my attention.  You may find this man's career rather interesting, just as I did.  Paul and Marti Dahl from  R SANITY RV ADVENTURES are an RV couple planning to travel full time shortly in their Class A Motor Home.  Just a little matter of selling a house first. 

If you happen to be traveling in Canada you might want to stay off Saskatchewan's secondary roads and IVAN will tell you why!!
 
LITTLE CORA IS TRYING TO TEACH EVE HOW TO PLAY 'TOYS:))'
THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  I had said to Kelly a couple weeks ago that no matter which dog we eventually end up choosing....it will be the right dog for us.  Whether big or small, green or blue, it didn't matter because we would shower the dog with love, affection and attention and make it feel welcome, needed and wanted.  It is just the way we are with our very much most bestest Pals of ever.................10-4:))
Tomorrow I will let you know how our first night went.....................
GROANER'S CORNER:((  And remember, 'Don't believe everything you think!!'
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LEXI....A DECISION WAS MADE TODAY

We received the following email late this afternoon which in part says........

Hello,   After meeting both families, the board took both families /situations into consideration. You offer some wonderful things for Lexi and no doubt would enrich any dogs life, however, the board decided to go with the other family.

Lexi absolutely fell in love with the dog the other family had. The two of them bonded right away. She took to him immediately. He submitted to her allowed her to heard him and anywhere she went he followed. If he went another direction she would go get him he would come right back with her. He played nicely with her they romped together and rolled on the ground acting all silly having a good time. Lots of tail wagging and doggie grins.

After seeing this it only makes sense to let her to to this family. It was almost like she chose them. She chose her friend and new pal. Animal Love strongly believes in also taking what the dog wants into consideration as well as what the homes have to offer. In this situation Lexi and the other dog spoke volumes with their instant like towards one another.It was an amazing thing to see so much love between them.

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It is very quiet at our house tonight.

NICE BIKE CRUISE THROUGH MENNONITE/AMISH COUNTRY

ALL OF TONIGHT'S PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WITH MY CANON SX210IS 

I heard the first rumble of thunder about 3 a.m. & sure enough there I was for the second night in a row outside rolling Jeep windows up.  I usually check the weather radar before going to bed each night but of course I forgot to do that again.  No point in going back to bed so slumped into my recliner.  Five minutes later it was pouring rain & kept it up to about 7 a.m.

With the overnight rains I knew all country roads would be too wet & muddy for a Sunday morning motorcycle run.   But, by early afternoon the roads had dried up enough & I was on the bike & off out into the countryside.  It was hot & humid again with large ominous dark clouds moiling about overhead so I had to keep a wary eye on the sky all afternoon.  Didn't have any rain gear with so I didn't venture much farther from home than about 25 miles. 

Had my Canon SX210IS along but was wishing I had thrown my more versatile Nikon D90 around my neck because today's travels took me through some beautiful Mennonite/Amish countryside northeast of Bayfield.  Field upon field of stooks piled the old fashioned way by pitchfork & hand.  No large fancy air conditioned tractors pulling baler machines for these hard working simple folks.

I was on back country gravel roads today that I had never been on before & I totally love when that happens.  Horses running free in grassy green fields, herds of cows browsing lazily in pastures & flocks of sheep dotting the landscapes hillsides.  Miles of neat & clean looking Mennonite farms with their white houses & no electrical lines.  Horse & buggy tracks on the roads & no farm machinery noise anywhere for as far as my ear could hear.  Total peace with a warm gentle wind in the trees & no traffic on the roads.   Now, how nice is that.  Well, maybe not so peaceful for the Mennonite folks when a rumbling motorcycle ambled on by with some yodeling wanna be cowboy aboard belting out 'Honky Tonk Man' again!!  However, despite that passing noise, I was reminded once again this afternoon how truly fortunate the Bayfield Bunch is to live in such a scenic rural area of Southwestern Ontario:))

   

Some folks have asked if we have heard anything about Lexi yet & the answer is 'No'.  We were told last Wednesday that it would be Monday or Tuesday before a decision would be made as to where Lexi's new home will be.  Bayfield or Toronto.  We are trying our best to remain optimistic.

Elaine & Rick from E & R'S TRAVELS just retired in June of this year, traded in their Gulfstream Sun Voyager gas MH for a tropical diesel pusher & are right now out practicing some good old RVing in Eastern Canada before heading south this winter.  And, you just gotta check out the cutesy guys, Lilly & Tucker too:))

We here at the 'Bunch' welcome bobm as our latest Blog Follower.  Nice to have you aboard Sir:))

Awwwww nuts, here we are at that 'irritating' LAST PARAGRAPH thing again!!  I'm really not sure what it is that's so irritating about my last paragraph to someone.  Just me being me in the last paragraph.  No different than me being me in any preceding paragraph except that I am alerting & saying to tired & winded readers of my sometimes long posts......."hang in there, your coming down the home stretch & the finish line is finally in sight".  Geeeeezzzz:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Howard County Police officers still write their reports by hand, and the data is entered later by a computer tech into their database. One theft report stated that a farmer had lost 2,025 pigs. Thinking that to be an error, the tech called the farmer directly.
"Is it true Mr. (Smith) that you lost 2,025 pigs?" she asked.
"Yeth." lisped the farmer.
Being a Howard County girl herself, the tech entered: "Subject lost 2 sows and 25 pigs."

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now...... AL.

FROM FOOT LONGS TO BURRITOS....THE BAYFIELD BUMS STRIKE AGAIN:))

NOT ALL OUR FRONT YARD BIRDS HAVE FEATHERS:)) 

An unexpected light rain shower had me outside in my jammies about 5:30 this morning rolling up Jeep windows & closing RV & shed doors.  Whenever little Cora hears rain she nervously anticipates the coming of Mr. Big Bad Thunder Monster but she needn't have worried this morning.  It was just a nice pleasant early morning gentle shower that soon passed.

How nice modern technology has made some things more convenient.  Yesterday, Kelly was able to add 80 more songs to her 1000 song capacity thumb drive.  She then simply took the thumb drive out & plugged it into the USB port of the newer radio in our Santa Fe & Walla, music galore.  No more having to burn CD's & how convenient to have so much music on a small device like a Thumb Drive.  Of course your vehicle's radio has to have that USB port capability.  Our 2006 Jeep's older radio doesn't have that feature but I'm just glad I can easily use my IPod to play through the Jeeps sound system with the simple addition of a cigarette lighter adapter.

Forgot to mention that me & the Kid wrestled over a foot long hot dog on Friday.  As has been the tradition ever since we moved to Bayfield nearly 9 years ago I generally have myself a foot long hot dog once a year at our local summer Woodlands drive-in ice cream & hamburger place.  I missed my hot dog this past Spring but yesterday I had a hankering for a foot long so off me & the Kid went in the Jeep.  Of course Cora always thinks she should get the Lions share of whatever we get & of course I always think I should get the Lions' share so it is quite a tussle we two have sometimes in the front seat of the Jeep:))  Kinda like two Seagulls fighting over a French Fry in a parking lot!!

WHY IS THAT FOOT LONG TAKING SO LONG DAD?? 

Today we welcome Jerry as our latest Blog Follower.  I'm assuming it was you Jerry who sent us the nice email this morning.  Thank you, & welcome to our Bayfield Bunch blog & travels.  Am wondering if that is a picture of Widget:))

Kelly came across another fellow RV'ers blog this morning that is so sad.  A full timing couple's ongoing dream was shattered a month ago when one of them was lost on a tragic white water rafting trip.  HOWETH'S TRAVELS

Saturday's are always Kelly's busiest days at DEERPARK LODGE so me & the Kid Jeeped ourselves up to Goderich this morning for a few groceries.  Our local Bayfield Supermarket is generally swamped on summer weekends.  I don't mind grocery shopping at all....if I am by myself.  When Kelly & are traveling I generally go in with her & push the cart around, but it's a stretch!!  I like the 'cash back' feature some of our grocery stores have & if I'm a little short on cash I generally try to combine some grocery shopping with 'cash back.'  Saves me the extra stop of having to run into downtown Goderich & go directly to our bank.  Anytime I can avoid any extra traffic is fine with me.

Of course Motor wasn't going to let me get away without making a Burrito stop so as we headed south out of town I was unceremoniously barked right into the McDonald's Drive-Thru lineup.  Every trip through here is the same.  Soon as I pull up to the microphone to order, the barking starts, so as usual I just let her do the ordering again this morning.  It's just easier & less stressful for me that way.  We were soon up to the wicket, Motor grabbed our stuff & we were on our way with just one remaining stop for gas.  Of course Motor likes this stop as well because she knows the attendants hand out doggy treats & for sure she saw to it that she got her treat!!  We were soon on the road again rolling through our beautiful rural countryside.

 

ANTICIPATION

 

PLACING THE ORDER

APPROACHING THE WINDOW & ......... 'THE GRAB!!' (CANON POWERSHOT A730)

Half a dozen or so blogs ago I posted about the first digital camera I ever had.  Found a photo of that camera in my 2002 files & as I had thought, it was a Hewlitt-Packard.  This 1 megapixel camera is the only one I had until buying a Fuji 535 in 2006. 

FIRST DIGITAL CAMERA...2002

My second digital camera, a Fuji was the best point & shoot I have had to date.  Liked it better than either of the two Canon Point & Shoots I now have.  There was no shutter lag with the Fuji & it had a viewfinder.  It was not overloaded with a lot of fancy bells & whistles & I remember the image as being sharper.  Although my Canon SX210 is easy to carry around I am not impressed with the image quality or the annoying shutter lag.  I figure that shutter lag is caused by having to gather way too much unnecessary electronic information about the photo it is taking.

The rest of the day was uneventful because the humidity had built up again & I wasn't going outside in that miserable stuff.  Watched some 'Tank Battles' on the History channel but after 3 hours I was definitely suffering battle fatigue & had to beat a strategic retreat out to my workshop for a short while to do some meaningful puttering. Wasn't long & the humidity drove me back inside again.   Interspersed between Tank Battles & puttering I had me some Motor snuggles & a few light dozes in my chair.

And, that was it was for another summer Saturday here in our quiet little Pine forested 5 Seasons Estates Park in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.

BLUE JAY  (NIKON D40 AT 300mm) 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A bus load of politicians were driving down a country road one afternoon, when all of a sudden, the bus ran off the road and crashed into a tree in an old farmer's field.
Seeing what happened, the old farmer went over to investigate. He then proceeded to dig a hole and bury the politicians.
A few days later, the local sheriff came out, saw the crashed bus, and asked the old farmer, "Were they all dead?"
The old farmer replied, "Well, some of them said they weren't, but you know how them politicians lie."

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

FELLOW RV BLOGGER DOUG DUBROUILLET PASSED AWAY TODAY‏

 

It was with sadness this afternoon we read about the death of fellow RV Blogger, Doug Dubrouillet.  LIVING OUR DREAM  Kelly & I first met Doug & JoAnn in December of 08 at a the  WAL-MART McDONALD'S IN YUMA ARIZONA.  They were the couple who were instrumental in Kelly & I ending up with the Ranch sitting job near McNeil Arizona the past 3 years.

JOANN & DOUG OUT FOR A DODDER IN THE DESERT WEST OF YUMA, CALIFORNIA

 

WAVING GOOD-BYE TO DOUG, JOANN & FILLMORE AS THEY HEAD BACK TO CIVILIZATION 

After meeting Doug & JoAnne in Yuma they came out to do some boon docking with Kelly & I on OGILBE ROAD west of Yuma.  We saw them again about a month later in Borrego Springs California where they happily continued familiarizing themselves with the boon docking lifestyle.

JOANN, FILLMORE, CHECKERS, DOUG & MAX....DECEMBER 2008 

Never saw Doug & JoAnn again until  DECEMBER 12TH 2010 when we met them, along with Fred & Jo Wishnie at Margie's Corner Cafe in Sunsites, Arizona.

DOUG & FILLMORE AT MARGIE'S CAFE IN SUN SITES, ARIZONA....DECEMBER 2010 

Our sympathies are extended not only to JoAnn, but Doug's family & friends as well.  ONLINE MEMORIAL SITE 

HAPPY HOUR IN THE DESERT NEAR BORREGO SPRINGS, CALIFORNIA...THAT'S DOUG ON THE EXTREME LEFT & JOANN ON THE EXTREME RIGHT...JANUARY 2009  

A few questions have come in about our waiting to hear about Lexi.  We are not exactly sure how a final decision is made at the Animal Love Foundation in London Ontario where Lexi is sponsored but we do think that the input from an animals Foster Home is likely an important part of the decision making.    I think that is a good thing for the Pet because it gives the Foster Folks a chance to assess if the prospective new owners will be a good match for the Pet.  The people who are coming to meet Lexi on Saturday will probably be assessed by Lexi's Foster Mom & then that assessment is forwarded to the agency.  It is Lexi's Foster Mom who after all, knows her best.  I think somebody or a board then makes the decision which home Lexi will be best suited for.  I think that is a right thing to do by putting a Pet's safety & security first.  We've got our finger's crossed that Lexi herself will put in a good word for us after meeting her this past Wednesday:))

Judy wondered in a comment on my Thursday post how long it took me to find my way back to the Jeep through the maze of Hospital twists, turns & hallways.  Fast answer to that question is about 5 minutes which included finding a Salmon sandwich & a Pecan Tart along the way:))

KELLY, JOANN & DOUG LOOKING FOR GOLD NEAR THE OLD TUMCO MINE SITE IN CALIFORNIA 

And, it cost me $5 to get out of the Hospital parking lot.  Every time I go through those lifting arm parking meters at the Stratford Hospital I am reminded of my Mother.  She sometimes had trouble figuring out the coin meter or didn't have the right change or patience & would actually drive her car right through those wooden arms breaking them off if they didn't lift for her.  The front bumper on her small burgundy Chrysler actually had yellow paint marks on it from the arms.

Red, in California wondered why I couldn't figure out the mobility van driver's cell phone.  Simple, I am not in the habit of carrying or using cell phones.  I think cell phones are a great idea but I just have never seen a practical application for me to carry one other than for emergency use.  We do have a cell phone here but I never seem to remember to take it with me anywhere.  Our Samsung Bell phone at least has words on the buttons like, Talk, End, Back, Menu & Ok.  The driver's Nokia only had some colored buttons & no words.  Anyway, I am going to try & remember to get in the habit of carrying our cell phone more often.  Just never know when AB might have to 'phone home':))

JOANN & DOUG, KELLY & AL ALONG WITH JO & FRED WISHNIE OUTSIDE OF MARGIE'S CAFE IN SUNSITES, ARIZONA...DECEMBER 12TH 2010
I sometimes forget to hit the 'Publish' button after reading a comment on my post & this morning on a routine check of my 'Overview' in Blogger Dashboard I saw 3 comments I had forgot to Publish.  I then 'Published' them right from the Dashboard.  Always a good idea to get in the habit of checking your Blogger Dashboard's 'Overview' to make sure you haven't forgot to publish a reader's comment:))

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  I never did get to know Doug Dubrouillet well.  A bit of kibitzing in Yuma, a few words around a morning desert campfire one day & a couple emails back & forth a few years ago.  Some friendships are instant & some take awhile to develop & grow.  Doug & I just never spent enough time together getting to know & understand each other.  I wish you well my friend, wherever you are. 

   

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen. 'Careful,' he said, 'CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Oh my gosh! You're cooking too many at once. TOO MANY! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! WHERE are we going to get MORE BUTTER? They're going to STICK! Careful. CAREFUL! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you're cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? Don't forget to salt them. You know you always forget to salt them. Use the Salt! USE THE SALT! THE SALT!' The wife stared at him. 'What in the world is wrong with you? You think I don't know how to fry a couple of eggs?' The husband calmly replied, 'I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I'm driving.'

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