Wednesday, August 17, 2011

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

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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.  
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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. 
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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 Smile & replace them with my usual  :)) thingy.  Did that with Live Writer on our laptop but can’t remember where that setting is now.

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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.
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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. 
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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.'
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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!!

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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. 

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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

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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.         

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

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

PHEEBE, PHEEBER, THE PHEEBS, PHEEBILICIOUS, PHEEBER FEVER, THE PHEEBSTERSON & PHEEBER GATOR….:))

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ALONG THIS MORNINGS TRAIL……. (NIKON D40 -  300MM)

A refreshingly cool 54F start to the day had me putting on a long sleeve flannel shirt for our morning walk.  The Season change is well underway and it is two months from yesterday that we hope to have the big wheels rolling once again for another fine winter season somewhere in the Southwest. 

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THERE WERE SIGNS OF THE EARLY SEASON CHANGE ALONG THE TRAIL

On our way to Mitchell yesterday Kelly pulled out a piece of paper with some more Doggy names written on it.  Eve is a fine name but we were wanting to change it up a bit and make it our own.  We were trying to think of a name sounding similar to Evie but a name we can stretch around into some nicknames as well.  Kelly suggested Phoebe & I liked that right away.  So, as of today we exchanged the human O for a doggy E making it Pheebe.   From Pheebe, her nicknames will take on sounds like, Pheeber, The Pheebs, Pheebiliscious, Pheeber Fever, The Pheebsterson, Pheeber Gator & on & on as we get to know her better.  So, I guess it is official.....our biggest Girl’s name has now been changed from Evie to Pheebe. Smile  (pronounced Fee-bee)

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A commenter had recently mentioned how good it was of Pheebe to come when we called her. Luckily, Matt her former owner worked with the Pheebs & taught her to come on a whistle or whenever her name was called. I noticed right away that she also understood the ‘Stay’ command so that has been a big help for us as well. Biggest problem we are working on is to keep her from jumping up. We never had this problem with the other guys so it is new for us. She is such a happy and excited dog that she is always trying to jump up & put smooches on our faces.

Nice walk with the Pheebs in the forest again this morning and I must say I have never seen a dog so full of energy or run so fast. I swear she hit 300 mph at one point racing around the Park’s Pond. She scared the Ba-Jeebers out of a couple rabbits & even took after a low flying Robin. I’m always worried she will run so fast she will rocket right out of her own fur.  With the way she races around our 2 back yard sheds we have renamed our backyard, the Pheebe 500.   She is such a sweetheart.

I really must get my Nikons dusted off & get myself out on some more photo shoots shortly.  As the landscape now begins to slowly change there will be lots of new shooting opportunities again.  As mentioned before, photography is a lone hobby for me.  By that I mean, it’s a hobby I enjoy doing alone.  Whether it’s cruising a country road, walking a forest path, chasing down a butterfly or photographing a street lamp in the middle of town. It’s something I enjoy doing now in the stress free peace & quiet of my own mind.  Years ago I belonged to the Stratford Camera Club and I enjoyed it then.  But that was then.  Learned a lot, met a bunch of great people & enjoyed my time while I was a member.  But, going out with a group of people holds no interest anymore.  For me personally, I find it just too distracting.  It is the same reason hiking clubs hold no interest for me.  Too many people, too much noise, too many distractions.  The last thing I want to hear in a still forest or along a solitary mountain trail is the sound of people talking.  

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I am at a comfortable place with my photography now.  As stated before, I have no interest in trying to sell any of my stuff.  That just creates unneeded pressure.  Not being a competitive person I do not care for entering photo contests.  Printing my photos & hanging them on walls holds no interest for me just as any kind of commercial work is not up my alley either.  To keep my hobby fun & interesting I have to do it my way.  So, when I head out with my cameras, I head out alone & just enjoy the quiet beauty of my surroundings.  If I mess up a photo, it doesn’t matter because much of the enjoyment just comes from the fact of being out & about in Nature whether a picture is taken or not.  Awhile back I had a post entitled,  SEEING WITH A PHOTOGRAPHERS EYE  which kind of explains why I enjoy photography.  And of course, it explains why photography is such a great hobby.

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Here’s a little photo tip for this time of year & I was reminded of it this morning on the trail.  Two things come into play which have to do with the position of the sun & the cooler night air.  With the earth still warm from summer & the night air becoming cooler due to the earth beginning it’s tilt away from the sun it creates a lot of condensation in the night air which shows up these mornings as a heavy dew on the grass.  That heavy dew also settles on Spider Webs.  If you can get out early while the rising morning sun is low in the East & face East you have a good chance of finding many beautiful back lit spider webs.  Fences are good places to look as well as old iron bridges.  Tall grass in ditches or fields will have all kinds of spider webs.  You will wonder why you had never seen them before.  It’s the combination of water droplets on the webs plus the low angle of the sun shining through the droplets that make the webs stand out like pages in a book of Fairy Tales.  The webs have basically always been there but you just couldn’t see them before. Oh, and if you do decide to head out in search of early morning Spider webs you had better wear rubber boots because it’s going to be wet out there for the next couple months.

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MAYBE NOT THE GREATEST SPIDER WEB SHOT BUT IT IS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN  NIKON D40 - 300MM

We are steadily adjusting to our new computer and despite all my usual blusterings, things are falling into place.  Just going to take a little time getting used to the changes.  Again, our biggest stumbling block is getting our address books successfully imported into our new email system.  All the emails are there but they are jumbled and we haven’t figured out a way to easily organize them once again into their respective address books.  So, my email correspondence which has been really suffering these past few years is really upside down right now.  One of the Windows Live mail features I like is that it uses basically the same format and icons that Windows Live Writer uses and for an aging Mouse like myself it is easier and better for me to stay on the same old familiar and well worn path.  Really like how small our tower is now and here is the skinny on what we have……Lenova  M75e, Athlon-B22 – RAM: 4GB – (with room for an additional 12GB) – 320GB – DVDRW – Microsoft Windows 7 Professional 32 – bit – ATI Radeon 3000.  Nope, none of that makes any sense to me either.

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OUR SUN ROOM COMPUTER STATION WITH THE NEW MUCH SMALLER LENOVO AT THE LEFT..FORGOT TO REMOVE THE WHITE CAMERA CORD & THAT IS CALLED ‘NOT SEEING WITH THE PHOTOGRAPHER’S EYE’!!    (NIKON D90)

And, I have a glitch in our newly downloaded Live Writer.  If I go back in the text to correct a spelling mistake, add or rewrite something, the curser seems to gobble up the letters to the right when I begin typing again.  Some kind of letter formatting problem I think.  I remember having the same problem one time years ago in one of our email writing programs but haven’t a clue how I fixed it.  Very irritating.

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Some folks wondered why I don’t care for Hotmail or Gmail.  It’s the annoying advertising I don’t like in Hotmail.  Gmail has lost emails on us & just recently, while typing an email had the whole email just up & vanish on me.  Just like that & it was gone & I was unable to find it anywhere.  No idea what happened or what I did.  Kelly has never cared much for Gmail either because of glitches.  We do have Yahoo email as well but it wasn’t until an email from Red in California rolled in this morning that I even remembered we had Yahoo.  I will have another look at that.

 

By the way, you can see a live web cam view of the sparkling sandy beach at Deer Park Lodge where Kelly works any time you wish, as long as the sun is up in our part of the world. I’ll have to pick a time one of these days & take Pheebe for a walk on the beach there & sync a time for us to step in front of the camera & say Hello to y’all........Smile  DEER PARK LODGE WEB CAM

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Keep in mind that any opinions expressed in my posts are just that.....my opinions.   Oh, and nearly forgot…..Wednesday afternoon Kelly & I are off to the Huron County Playhouse near Grand Bend Ontario to see, ‘Blue Suede Shoes: Memories of the King.’  These musicals are always sooooo well done & sooooo excellent.

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GROANER’S CORNER:  The aspiring psychiatrists were attending their first class on emotional extremes. "Just to establish some parameters," said the professor to the student from Arkansas, "What is the opposite of joy?"
"Sadness," said the student.
And the opposite of depression?" he asked of the young lady from Oklahoma.
"Elation," said she.
"And you sir," he said to the young man from Texas, "how about the opposite of woe?"
The Texan replied, "Sir, I believe that would be giddy-up."

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

Monday, August 15, 2011

EVIE MEETS UNCLE HARRY & AL BLUSTERS ALONG WITH THE NEW COMPUTER

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HEAVY MORNING DUE ON A HOSTA LEAF

This will be my first post using the newly downloaded Live Writer on our new Win 7 Lenovo desktop.  I will probably have some tweaking to do with LW so if anyone notices anything amiss, just let me know.  The print is looking on the small side to me compared to before but if y’all think this print size is fine I will leave it.  More about the computer progress further on.

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OUR NEW LENOVO ‘THINK CENTER’ M75

We loaded Evie, (or is it Reevie, maybe Keevie & there might be a Pheebe in that mix as well coming up) into the Jeep & headed off for the meeting in Mitchell with my Uncle Harry’s care giving staff.  Beautiful sunny morning with temps in the mid 60’s & fields of corn, beans & wheat waving in the morning breeze.  The meeting consisted of 6 staff members all giving a report on Harry’s condition & progress.  No serious concerns other than the pain in his lower back which they think is being caused by a disc protrusion.  They all commented on how polite & cooperative Harry has been & what a nice man he is.  Meeting lasted about 20 minutes with another 10 minute follow up talk with a Registered Nurse.  Evie was present & well behaved for the last part of the meeting.   After that, Kelly, Evie & myself headed off to Harry’s room for a visit.

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Harry is a dog person so he was really happy to meet Evie and it was obvious Evie was happy to meet Harry.  Had ourselves a nice visit & Harry said his back was feeling a bit better.  We thought he looked better too. 

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 A VISIT WITH UNCLE HARRY THIS MORNING

It was nearly lunch time for him so we headed ourselves back home to Bayfield with a couple stops along the way so Kelly could pick up some sweet corn.  She eats cobs & cobs of that stuff but I have never cared for corn unless it’s creamed & comes in a can.   Weird eh.

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KELLY SURE LIKES HER CORN ON THE COB

Between me slamming my head on the floor & Kelly’s patience with the new computer set-up stuff we were able to make some progress today in working our way through all the hurdles, twists & turns. The Picasa reload went well but my Winamp music program failed to load my music library so I still have to figure that one out.  At least I was able to fire up my favourite online  SOMA FM AMBIENT 'GROOVE SALAD' site & that of course went a long way into keeping me settled down.

Figured we would try out Firefox’s Thunderbird email program but it didn’t take me long to realize that was not a good decision. After much angst I decided to have another go at Microsoft’s Live Email program. Been down that road before & never cared for it but after looking at it again I figured it was definitely better & offered far more options than Thunderbird. I have never been a fan of Hotmail or Gmail so we will go with Microsoft’s Live Email as our default email program & be done with it. I’m sure I will be able to tweak it to where I can live with it……..

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OUR MORNING PATH REACHES A FORK IN THE PATH WHICH IS ACTUALLY A LOOP TRAIL…SOMETIMES WE GO LEFT & SOMETIMES RIGHT…WE HAVE BEEN WALKING THIS SAME TRAIL FOR NEARLY 9 YEARS NOW

Noticed tonight we have a couple new Blog Followers so the Bayfield Bunch welcomes Jeff Simmons and,  ON THE ROAD WITH BLOOMERS & DRAWERS.  I think these folks might have a little something to do with ‘Scooterin’.  MICHAEL ULTRA joins us as our second Blog Follower today.  Michael describes himself as, “a simple man, learning to live a simpler life, in an increasingly complicated world.”

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I THINK THERE IS A LITTLE EVIE DOG UP AHEAD ALONG OUR MORNING PATH

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  I am not a patient person when it comes to mechanical or technical things.  However, my patience serves me well in other facets of life.  I am one  who enjoys change in many areas but it is also in repetition that I comfortably dwell.  With computers I am like a mouse in a maze.  As long as I travel the same route to accomplish a task I am fine, but change my route & I am toast!!  Change my email program or change to a different operating system & this Mouse is in trouble.   Kelly has the patience & ability to easily reroute herself & without her this Mouse would probably be back to reading Dick & Jane readers!!

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A VIEW FROM DEER PARK LODGE WHERE KELLY WORKS FOR THE SUMMER

GROANER’S CORNER :  A blind man with a seeing eye dog at his side walks into a grocery store. The man walks to the middle of the store, picks up the dog by the tail, and starts swinging the dog around in circles over his head.
The store manager, who has seen all this, thinks this is quite strange. So, he decides to find out what's going on. The store manager approaches the blind man swinging the dog and says, "Pardon me. May I help you with something."  The blind man replies, “no thanks, I’m just looking around.”

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The

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

Sunday, August 14, 2011

COMPUTER FRUSTRATIONS….I’M TAKING A BREAK!!

Well, there isn't much point in me telling you about my frustrating computer day because most of you have been through those 'new computer'
woes yourselves. Let's just say I’ve had enough of computers for awhile so this post will be photoless & short.

Morning & afternoon trail walks again today with a close eye on the heavy dark clouds. Rain finally started about 4 but Evie & I were back home in time.

Couple things.....no, we have not been paying less attention to our little Motormouse since Evie has arrived, as has been suggested. Motor is 13 now & doesn't enjoy the walks as she once did. Most mornings it takes a lot of urging to get her out & she is mainly content with just a little walk around in the driveway. Evie is full of young energy so it's generally her & I out on the trail.

Couldn't leave Evie home alone Saturday morning because we are still working on her anxiety separation. Didn't take Motor along to Goderich because I had the computer in the front seat & there isn't much room in a Jeep Wrangler. Besides, I figured Motor was needing a break from a certain high energy 2 year old. And, I did save a snack for both Motor & Evie from my Saturday bacon & egg breakfast. Hope that clears up some concerns.

Monday morning we are off to Mitchell Ontario to meet with Uncle Harry's care givers at the Ritz Villa Nursing Home. It's been a year since we met to discuss the level of his care & I'm sure a few things have changed between then & now.

Well, I've had about all I can take of this computer stuff today or maybe the next couple of days so think I'll just pull the plug right now & say the hell with it……….10-4!!

Saturday, August 13, 2011

SATURDAY NIGHT….STILL WAITING TO PICK UP THE NEW COMPUTER…………

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PLEASE DAD…..CAN I DRIVE THE JEEP

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MAYBE WHEN YOU ARE A LITTLE OLDER OK

Not always easy saying goodbye to an old friend. We first met OE back in about 97 & have remained in almost daily contact since that time. OE's departure & sad farewell this morning marks the end of an era for us. I'm talking about Microsoft's older email program, Outlook Express of course. Easy to use, reliable, clean & simple with no advertising. Only disadvantage of course is that it wasn't web based. Other than that we liked the ease of it's filing system & address book. 

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DOGGY DAYS AT OUR HOUSE

A few last minute things this morning before shutting down our old computer for the last time. Wires & cables were disconnected & soon the computer was sitting in the front seat of the Jeep. A quick walk around the Park Pond with Evie & Kelly headed off to work. Closed the living room curtains so the Motor wouldn't see Evie & leaving in the Jeep & off we went to the computer place in Goderich. Kelly had preloaded a couple of Kongs with cheese & peanut butter to keep Evie busy in the Jeep while I took our old computer into the Continuit Business Computer place. Evie did climb into the front seat but when she saw me coming she quickly hopped in the back & put a big innocent doggy smile on her face. I didn't say anything & just simply told her what a mighty fine girl she was. Same thing when I made a Bank machine stop. Good girl:))
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LOTS OF ROOM FOR EVIE IN THE BACK OF THE JEEP

Remembered the Hamburger Grill place where a great bacon & egg breakfast including coffee can be had for under $5. So, that's where we headed. Found a parking place right in front where I knew I could sit inside & see how Evie did being by herself in the Jeep for awhile. Enjoyed my breakfast & was pleased to see Evie taking everything in stride. As expected, she quietly sat in the front seat watching people walking by. No ripping up the Jeep interior & no frantic behavior. It was probably 25 minutes before I left the Hamburger Grill & the instant Evie saw me she scampered into the back of the Jeep with that big innocent doggy smile on her face again. What a Sweety Pie she is. Because she had been so good, I let her ride in the front seat with the window half way down all the way home. I could tell she thought that was pretty swell:))

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MY BREAKFAST VANTAGE POINT FOR WATCHING HOW EVIE GETS ALONG IN THE JEEP

Chris at Continuit figured he would have the computer transfer done sometime in the early afternoon so I stayed close to home waiting for a phone call…...for the rest of the day.  As expected, there was a problem with the transfer so I didn’t pick up the new computer until about 7:30 Saturday night.  I put together tonight’s post on our Win 7 laptop earlier.   So, now I will ‘Publish’ this & go wear myself out trying to get the new computer fired up ready to whir, whine, whiz & blink.

THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Only reason there was no Last Paragraph Friday night is because I forgot to write it. 

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Life is like a dogsled team. If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes.

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only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
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Friday, August 12, 2011

IT WAS A DOUBLE DOGGY DOUBLE BURRITO KIND OF DAY

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NIKON D90

Hmmmm, seems like a big furry dog squeaked it's way up onto my bed in the night.  That's OK because I don't mind at all.  I have a big bed and there's always lots of room for a big old slurpy dog or two:))

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CANON POWERSHOT SX210IS)

Not even a leaf stirring in our quiet forest this morning as I caught glimpses of another fiery sunrise through the Pine trees.  Thermometer at 6 a.m. stood at 67F and how nice is that for beginning another beautiful day here in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.  When I read other RV blogs about the summer heat and traffic congestion along with crowded campsites and scenic areas it just reminds me how fortunate we are to be where we are, when we are.  Boy, have I changed my tune eh:))

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OH OH, HOW DID THIS BUZZARD IN OUR SIDE YARD KNOW THAT I AM A SENIOR NOW!!  (NIKON D40 AT 200mm)

Another nice morning walk & Evie helped me with some more trail maintenance.  We're coming together as a good team.  I later needed to check out a couple things at Home Hardware so loaded the Girls in the Jeep & off to Goderich we went.

Just so happens McDonald's is a couple doors down from the Hardware store so figured I might as well slip through the Burrito drive-thru and see how we make out.  Motor was in the front seat and Evie was in the back of the Jeep.

IMG_2808I did manage to get one shot off when we got up to the window but I was kinda getting doggy mobbed at the time and missed everybody.  A bit hectic there for a few minutes.  We didn't do too bad though and we did manage to work out a reasonably responsible 3 way Burrito split on the way home.   Both Evie and Motor were really good about sharing with each other & nobody got hurt....not even the driver.  Jeeps a mess though!!

Our AMD Sempron desktop computer is about 5 years old and has been slowing down for quite awhile now.  We upgraded it with additional memory, etc. last summer but it is barely keeping up anymore.  Very frustrating putting the blog together each night as I have to keep stopping and waiting for my keystrokes to catch up.  Very, very slow and when we check the properties we can see our aging desktop has run it's course. The old girl has served us well over the years.  Because we are down to the bare bones of power and memory we decided we had better make a change before the computer sputters and fumbles any further leading to a crash.

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OUR OLD COMPUTER SOMEHOW REMINDS ME OF THE FRANKENSTEIN MONSTER...I SEE SIMILARITIES

Saturday morning our old puter goes in to have everything transferred to a new Lenovo business grade desktop unit with Windows 7.  We are familiar with Win 7 because we have had that in our newer Toshiba laptop for the past year & a half.  Our older Toshiba laptop will remain with XP.  Why a Lenovo?  Because the Boss said so:))   No matter to me what make it is, as long as it works well, guarantee is good and we have local tech support.  No point in me telling you how many horsepower it has or how many turbo charged ports and cylinders it has either.  If it does the quarter mile in 4.7 seconds then so be it.  No matter, as long as it gets the job done fast & efficiently......10-4!!

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CHOPPY WATERS OFF THE BAYFIELD BEACH  (CANON SX210IS)

Kelly is working and Evie is not ready to be left home alone yet so I will load our old computer into the front seat of the Jeep & Evie in the back first thing Saturday morning.  Motor will have to miss this trip but Evie & I might bring her back a wee snack to smooth the troubled waters:))  We plan to be at CONTINUIT BUSINESS CORP in Goderich early & then return in the afternoon to pick up the new and ready to rumble computer.  Well, it all sounds good in theory anyway, but you know how things go.  Saturday night's blog may be very short as I struggle with Frazzleization from trying to get things all hooked up again.  I'll know where the power cord goes but after that it's just a tangled Spaghetti Factory for me.  And, then there is all the software to install again.  Ohhhhh woe is gonna be me:((

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(NIKON D90) 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Seniors take heed!!  There is a point where younger folks fashions just don't cut it for us any more.  For example......
1. A nose ring and bifocals
2. Spiked hair and bald spots
3. A pierced tongue and dentures

4. Miniskirts and support hose
5. Ankle bracelets and corn pads
6. Speedo's and cellulite
7. A belly button ring and a gall bladder surgery scar
8. Unbuttoned disco shirts and a heart monitor
9. Midriff shirts and a midriff bulge
10. Bikinis and liver spots

11. Mini skirts and varicose veins

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

OUR

PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The

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

Thursday, August 11, 2011

EVE 'SNAGS 3 OUT OF 10 DINNER ROLLS!!

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I sensed Autumn's early stirrings this morning as cooler night air left a heavy dew on the morning grass.  My favorite time of year is just beginning and soon I will be hearing one of my favorite nature sounds..... Crickets.
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WE LOVE THE BEAUTY AND PEACEFUL AMBIENCE  OF OUR 5 SEASONS MOBILE HOME PARK NEAR BAYFIELD ONTARIO:))
Another good night with Eve as she continues to comfortably fit right in with the Bunch.  It's like she has always been here.  We were soon out on the morning trail for another great start to the day.  There must be a little Hound in her because she likes running with her nose to the ground tracking dozens of new scents, seemingly all at the same time and all in different directions.  Resuming these morning walks has been good for all of us including little Cora.  She doesn't like getting her paws wet in the dew laden grass but once we're on the forest path she is good to go and ready to rumble.  
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DOGGY RUNNING REALLY FAST:))
Eve has been crate trained but that is not our way of training so today began some changes.  Eve has quickly become very affectionately focused on Kelly and I which told me we may have some problems with leaving her alone.  Noticed that if one of us goes outside she will frantically run from window to window.  To confirm my suspicions, Kelly and I climbed into the Jeep this morning and with Eve watching intently out the window we drove away.  Of course we didn't go far and seconds later I dropped Kelly off at the corner.   She walked back to the house tippy toeing up on the front porch to peek in the window to see what was going on.  Just as I suspected.......there was something going on alright!!
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It had only taken Kelly 2 minutes at the most to walk home and in that time Eve had pulled my laptop computer cushion off the top of a counter, snatched a bag of dinner rolls off the kitchen table plus devoured 3 out of 10 before Kelly could get in the door.  A scolding was in order and I knew it was a situation we were going to be spending some time on, right quick.  Kelly had some errands to do in Goderich so while she was gone Eve and I began working on her problem.  We want her to have full run of the house or Motor Home just as Max and Checkers did when we are away for any length of time.  With a bit of of positive effort and retraining she will be just fine.  I remember Max was the same way as a pup. 
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I THINK WE HAVE A HOUSE SOMEWHERE IN THAT JUNGLE 
This afternoon was basically a repeat of the day before as Eve and I headed out on the forest path again for more trail maintenance.  Not as many bugs in the forest with the slightly cooler weather.   Soon there will be no pesky bugs at all.  Eve stays close and we keep a close eye on each other at all times.  I did find out that she does not like water.  There is a stream in the forest so I figured Eve might want a drink.  Within about 6 feet of the shallow creek she stopped and would not go any further.  It was obvious she was very fearful of the water.  Good thing we own an RV and not a sailboat.  She is such a sweet girl.  I have been doing some leash training with her as well and she is doing great with that.
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THE LAST PARAGRAPH:  Eve is the main focus of our lives and attention right now so my posts photos over the next little while may be a bit doggy oriented.  And, in case anyone was wondering, Eve came to us with the name, Eve.  But, you all know what I am like with nicknames:))
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CANADA GEESE ON THE MORNING POND
GROANER'S CORNER:((  Doggy Dictionary
LEASH: A strap which attaches to your collar, enabling you to lead your person where you want him/her to go.
DOG BED: Any soft, clean surface, such as the white bedspread in the guest room or the newly upholstered couch in the living room.
DROOL: A liquid which, when combined with sad eyes, forces humans to give you their food. To do this properly you must sit as close as you can and get the drool on the human.
SNIFF: A social custom used to greet other dogs, similar to the human exchange of business cards.
GARBAGE CAN: A container which your neighbors put out once a week to test your ingenuity. You must stand on your hind legs and try to push the lid off with your nose. If you do it right you are rewarded with margarine wrappers to shred, beef bones to consume and moldy crusts of bread.
BICYCLES: Two-wheeled exercise machines, invented for dogs to control body fat. To get maximum aerobic benefit, you must hide behind a bush and dash out, bark loudly and run alongside for a few yards. The person then swerves and falls into the bushes, and you prance away.
DEAFNESS: This is a malady which affects dogs when their person wants them in and they want to stay out. Symptoms include staring blankly at the person, then running in the opposite direction, or lying down.
THUNDER: This is a signal that the world is coming to an end. Humans remain amazingly calm during thunderstorms, so it is necessary to warn them of the danger by trembling uncontrollably, panting, rolling your eyes wildly, and following at their heels.
WASTEBASKET: This is a dog toy filled with paper, envelopes, and old candy wrappers. It is important to evenly distribute its contents throughout the house before your person comes home.
BATH : If you find something especially good to roll in, humans get jealous, and they use this degrading form of torture to get even. Be sure to shake only when next to a person or a piece of furniture.
LEAN: Every good dog's response to the command "sit!," especially if your person is dressed for an evening out. Incredibly effective before black-tie events.
BUMP: The best way to get your human's attention when they are drinking a fresh cup of coffee or tea.
GOOSE BUMP: A maneuver to use as a last resort when the regular bump doesn't get the attention you require ... especially effective when combined with the sniff. See above.
CHILDREN: Short humans of optimal petting height. Standing close to one assures some good petting. When running, they are good to chase. If they fall down, they are comfortable to sit on.
LOVE: A feeling of intense affection, given freely and without restriction. The best way you can show your love is to wag your tail. If you're lucky, a human will love you in return.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

OUR
PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

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