IF ONE NEVER ASKS….ONE NEVER KNOWS

ANOTHER NICE SUNDAY MORNING DRIVE IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Just gotta love this cooler weather. About 62F this morning as Pheebs & I headed into the forest & that meant no bugs. I like that cool nip in the air but with the colder nights comes the heavier dew so by the time we get back I generally have soggy tootsies from a section of wet grass we walk through. Think our high today was somewhere around 70 & in my world, I'd call that EL Perfecto:))

 
STOPPED ALONG THE WAY TO CHAT IT UP WITH A COUPLE OF THE LOCALS

Another working Sunday for Kelly so I tossed the cameras in the Jeep & headed off out into the countryside. Could have taken the bike but wimped out because of the cooler morning air. Plus, it's easier with my camera gear on the seat beside me rather than tethered up in a saddle bag.

MAITLAND RIVER IN BEN MILLER…TWO ON THE LEFT ARE FISHING BUT NOT SURE WHAT THE FELLA ON THE RIGHT WAS DOING

I generally head off in the same direction most times simply because the rolling forested landscape north east of Goderich Ontario is more interesting that the flatter lands to the south & east. Can't go west because there is a great big darn lake right there about a mile away.

A TWO HEADED SHEEP PERHAPS

 

AND HERE’S ‘THE END’ FOR JUDY OVER AT TRAVELS WITH EMMA

First stop was at a construction site for a few pics that local readers may be interested in. Between Bayfield & Clinton the highway suddenly narrows under a very low overhead railway bridge. That bridge has claimed many a truck trailer & other high profiles vehicles over the years & work is well underway to substantially lower the road. Photos below show the construction process.

 

Later as I headed north out of Clinton my eyes were drawn to a band of big puffy cumulous clouds towering up along the eastern horizon. Reminded me of those days long ago as a kid when I would take a blanket outside on a warm sunny summer day & lay on my back watching big white fluffy clouds lazily drifting by overhead. In those billowing clouds were endless exciting shapes for a small child's imagination. Big scary faces, rumbling rhinosauceruses, elephants with long grayish wispy trunks & tails, dinosaurs with looooong bending necks, flying Porky pigs, rabbits with towering ears, cherubic babies with outstretched arms, & anything else a child's mind wanted to see. To-day was another one of those fabulous sky days. A circus like parade of big nosed clowns, portly ringmasters, & fairy tale animals marching across a canvas of big blue sky. Yep, the fabulous imagination of childhood is still very much alive & well in this little fella's mind:))

   
North of Goderich on highway 21 near the local airport stands a little restaurant that has been closed for a few years. I well remember the Sunday morning in the late 70's when I walked into that restaurant, sat down & ordered me up a big mess of bacon & eggs.....& then couldn't pay for it. Wasn't that I didn't have enough money, it was just that I didn't have any money. My wallet was not in my back pocket where it should have been. I very embarrassingly convinced the restaurant owner that I was not a crook & insisted he keep my watch until I drove the short 20 minutes to where I knew my wallet to be. Of course he said I didn't have to leave my watch, but I did anyway. He probably saw right away my watch was worth a lot less than the $2.49 breakfast. I was never known to buy anything of quality you know. My wallet was right where I had mistakenly left it & within the hour I was back at the restaurant paying for my breakfast & retrieving my cheesy cheap-o watch. So far, that is the only time I have ever done that. Well, at least I think it is................

On Friday mornings drive I had come across an interesting looking old abandoned farm grown up with long grass & littered with rusting farm equipment.  Both Kelly & I like these kinds of places in the country.  A great scenic location only 10 minutes northeast of Goderich & it was the photos from that spot I used in my posts the last couple days.  Saturday morning we drove out to the property for a closer look.  Thought there might have only been a couple acres to the place so drove off to the next farm down the road to inquire about why nobody was living there.  If one never asks, one never knows.  Turns out the old fella had died & the 200 acre property was tied up in the Estate.  But no matter, soon as they mentioned 200 acres we knew there was no point for us pursuing it any further.  With the price of Real Estate still remaining high in Canada & this 200 acre farm with it’s large shed full of antiques, the selling price will be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars.  And that’s a whole lot more than the $1.49 we have stuffed in an old sock under the mattress. (one of my socks by the way)

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Emily Sue passed away and Bubba called 911. The 911 operator told Bubba that she would send someone out right away.
"Where do you live?" asked the operator.
Bubba replied, "At the end of Eucalyptus Drive."
The operator asked, "Can you spell that for me?"
There was a long pause and finally Bubba said, "How 'bout if I drag her over to Oak Street and you pick her up there?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)

- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward

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

- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

THE ‘OOOOOPS’ FACTOR

With nothing better on my mind tonight I was thinking of the OOOOOPS factor. Stories I've heard about RV'ers backing into trees, catching roof air conditioners on low hanging branches, tires flattened on high curbs, awnings torn off in high winds, open bin doors spilling contents onto the highway, tow dollys & vehicles becoming detached from their tow vehicles, 5th wheels being dropped onto truck beds & just about anything else you can imagine. And, of course we have had our share of OOOOPES’S as well:((

Few years ago a pine tree jumped out & OOOOOPSED off an open rear bin door. The summer before that while, moving the rig forward, our carport must have swung round on it's cement post foundation & OOOOOPSED the rig's open screen door into a twisted pretzel. Pulling out of a campsite in Silver City New Mexico in November of 08 I nearly OOOOOPSED a whole electric post right out of the ground with the driver's side of the motorhome. The rig still carries that slight dent.  I have also pulled out & OOOOOPSED a couple of electrical cables. OOOOOPSED a rear hydraulic jack 2008 near Alamogordo New Mexico when I dropped the rig down too hard on it. OOOOOPSED our black hose a couple times:(( OOOOOPSED both sides of the rig with some nice desert pin striping while motoring through heavy Mesquite thickets near Why Arizona looking for boondocking sites .

Had our side awning pulled out by a big Kansas crosswind back in 07. Also in 07 we OOOOOPSED both dual wheels on the passenger side into a ditch in Lindsay Ontario while trying to make a tight right hand turn into a darkened parking lot late one night. Left the Motorhome running one day because I forgot I had turned it on one morning.  Did the same OOOOOPS thing with the rig’s generator a couple times too, but not as long.  Busted our CB radio antennae off on a tree branch at a KOA RV Park near Williams Arizona. OOOOOPSED our satellite dish in Quartzite Arizona by not anchoring it down properly & having a big desert whirly-gig wind slam dunk it into the desert floor breaking the LMB off. Had the same thing happen again this past winter near Bouse Arizona when I made the same OOOOOPS again.  More damage!!!!.

This past March, the first time I drove the rig onto our Ghost Town Road property in Congress Arizona I was carefully watching the fence & house & failed to notice a couple heavy duty electrical lines overhead. Unbeknownst to me they rode up the sloped front end of our forward air conditioner & rested there. Didn't know it until minutes later when Kelly drove in with the Jeep & asked, "why is that electrical cord sitting on top of the air conditioner"?? OOOOOOPSED a bin door latch when I got too impatient with it & closed it too hard. Had to get a new assembly. Drove over our year old steel step stool this summer. And, I OOOOOPSED my Arizona baseball cap a couple years ago when I dashed it on the ground because I couldn't get the Jeep's hood open:(( And OOOOOOPS......another ho-hum post:((

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Know how to prevent sagging?
Just eat till the wrinkles fill out……& isn't it scary when you start making the same noises as your coffee maker.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)

- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward

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

- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

A FINE MORNING FOR A JEEP PHOTO TOUR:))

OVERLOOKING GODERICH HARBOR WITH GRAIN SILOS ON LEFT, THE SIFTO SALT MINE (BLUE) CENTER & A DRY DOCKED LAKE FREIGHTER ON RIGHT

Soon as I spotted those big white fluffy cotton ball clouds high overhead early today I knew I had to get myself out for a photo tour.  With our cooler temperatures & light breeze it was just one of those picture perfect weather mornings.  Feeling the need for speed I made my first stop at McDonald’s for a small coffee & carrot muffin before heading on down to the harbor.  Wanted to have a look at some of the work progress on the large Sifto Salt mine there.  It’s nearly a year since the devastating tornado whipped in off the lake & tore up the town.

WORK CONTINUES NEARLY A YEAR LATER AT THE TORNADO RAVAGED SIFTO SALT MINE

Walking along the pier I saw a person standing alone up ahead.  Figured she was taking a few photos of a large lake freighter tied up alongside the salt mine.  As I said, it was a nice morning for photos.  As I drew closer I recognized the lady as Marie, one of the co-owners of our 5 Seasons Estates Park where we live.  She also had her cell phone in hand & as it turns out she had just been talking to her son Del, who happens to be an electrician.  Del is part of a crew doing much of the electrical re-wiring at the mine since the storm.  Marie said Del was just heading out for morning break & would keep an eye out for her across the harbor entrance.  A minute later we heard a distant whistle & sure enough, we could see Del in an orange work vest & hard hat moving along a fence line to-ward’s the water’s edge.  As I headed back to the Jeep I managed to grab a couple photos of Del & his Mother shouting back & forth across the harbor entrance over all the background construction noise.

 

“HEY DEL, CAN YA HEAR ME”

 

“WHADYA SAY MOM”    

If your vocal chords are in good tune, be sure to drop over to Karen & Steve's place today & belt out a few bars of the old western song favorite, 'Raw Hide'. But, there is a difference. Music is the same but some words have been changed. Check out, ODE TO THE FULLTIMER.

I LOVE SLOWLY WANDERING THE COUNTRY ROADS ON DAY’S LIKE THIS

A commenter questioned my 'new ink in the ink wells' description in Thursday night's post. Well, we sure did have ink in those ink wells.  As I recall, the ink wells were in the top right corner of the old wooden desks we sat at in the Tavistock Public School I attended.  Also the little one room school house way up in northwest Ontario near the tiny town of Oxdrift too.  And that ink had kind of a yukky metallic smell to it as well. I recall the thick half moon glass ink containers that fit into the hole in the desk. They could be taken out & cleaned although I don't remember doing that. I'm talking early to mid 50's here. One of our classes was 'Penmanship' & I recall the long wooden pens used one time. They had a sharp metal tip on them & you had to be careful not to shake or tip that pen & dribble ink all over the place. Dip the pen in the ink well and practice writing our exercise sentences in our scribblers. And, I seem to recall those ink wells had little metal hinged lids on them too. You could flick them & make a clinking noise on the glass container which always annoyed the teacher.   I think it was the teacher who filled those half moon inkwells from a large container. We probably poured the ink back in the container after the writing class but I don't recall that. But, it was the FOUNTAIN PENS with the little rubber bladders in them I remember best. You dipped the pen in the inkwell & with a small lever on the side somehow sucked the ink up into the pen. Seems to me one could also use that same lever to squirt ink back out of the pen onto the hair of the person sitting in front of them.  Oh, & here’s a little joke from that era.  Music buffs will get this one.  If you put some spots of ink on your hand & then held your hand up to your ear……… what would you be doing?  Listening to the ‘Ink Spots’ of course:)))))))

ROWS OF CORN STRETCH OVER A DISTANT HORIZON
And, when’s the last time you heard a good old humorous rant told in a good old American way. Stop by Mark’s latest post over at BOX CANYON BLOG & he will lay one on ya……maybe a couple. Well Okay, maybe more than a couple:))

 

OUR RURAL FARMLAND UNDER A BIG SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO SKY

Long time readers may want to skip over the next part because it is a topic I have referred to before on several occasions. It's the one about filling my motorcycle up with diesel fuel but I thought some of our newer readers might get a kick out of my folly that day a few years ago.

FILE PHOTO FROM A BIKE RIDE TO GRAND BEND ONTARIO

"Is that a diesel motorcycle sir" Thought it odd hearing those words coming from the young gas attendant fella at a Shell station in Goderich Ontario a few years ago. I had just rolled in on my motorcycle & topped up my gas tank. I generally run regular gas in the bike & about every 4th tank or so I fill it up with Premium. To-day I decided on premium, so by-passed the regular nozzle & without looking, reached for the premium nozzle on the other side of the pump & filled er up!! I said to the young fellow, "no, this is a gas motorcycle, to which he kindly replied, "well, you just filled up your motorcycle with diesel fuel......sir." ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!! There it was, right on the pump beside me....DIESEL. Well, to say I could feel my stomach sliding right out from under me would be putting it mildly. What a huge feeling of frustration & anger I had with myself. (not to mention embarrassment) Just taking things for granted & not paying attention to what I was doing again!!!!

A SPLASH OF EARLY AUTUMN COLOR

Wheeled the bike around the corner of the garage, slunk out of sight & got the owner's manual out of the saddle bag. Tried to find out if there was some kind of a gas tank drain mossmagator valve. Couldn't find anything. Even got down on the ground & had a close look up for some kinda something.  Finally dawned on me that if I had a hose I could probably siphon the diesel fuel right out of the tank. No hose at the gas bar so walked across the large parking lot to a Canadian Tire store at the far corner. Got me a siphon hose with a plunger thingy on it & headed back. The young fellow at the gas bar fetched me a big white 5 gallon plastic pail. The siphon didn't work well because the siphon part was a solid plastic tube so wouldn't bend well to get down into & around the bottom of the bikes tank. Back to Canadian Tire for a second time & got a 3' section of flexible gas rubber hose. Should have done that in the first place because this hose worked perfect except for one little thing. No suction plunger on this sucker so I had to use my mouth to suck the fuel up the tube to get the diesel fuel flowing. Needless to say I ended up with diesel fuel in my mouth, my nose, in my beard, on my pants & all over my shoes.  I clumsily tipped over the bucket I was using at one point so had quite a mess of diesel fuel on the pavement. Good thing I am not a smoker or I probably would have lit up the whole parking that day.  Moved the hose around in the tank making sure I got as much fuel out as possible & by the time I was done I had about 3 gallons of diesel fuel in the 5 gallon plastic pail. Probably another half gallon on the ground & another half gallon on me!!

Pushed the bike back out to the gas island, DOUBLE CHECKED THE GAS PUMP & re-filled my tank with V-Power Premium....GAS!! This whole ordeal lasted about 40 minutes but luckily ended well. If that young sharp eyed gas attendant hadn't noticed my mistake I would have rode out of there with a tank full of diesel fuel & quite possibly have ruined my motorcycle engine.  I thanked him & insisted he take $20. He didn't want to accept the $20 but I pulled rank on him using the Senior age factor. Truly a nice kid. Next stop was the car wash to hose down the diesel infested motorcycle & the last stop of the day was home to hose down the diesel infested & somewhat still embarrassed……….human!!!!

AN OLD CONCRETE GATE POST STANDS GUARD AT THE LANEWAY OF A LONG ABANDONED FARM

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I feel like my body has gotten totally out of shape, so I got my doctor's permission to join a fitness club and start exercising.
I decided to take an aerobics class for seniors.
I bent, twisted, gyrated, jumped up and down, and perspired for an hour.. But,
by the time I got my leotards on, the class was over.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)

- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward

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

- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

A BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK LANDS IN OUR LAP

THANKS TO OUR NEIGHBOR MAUREEN FOR THIS ‘FREE’ BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK

We have a cold front coming in bringing rain later today so figured I would get a bit of organizing done in the Motorhome while the slides are out.  Don’t like leaving them open in the rain if I don’t have to.  Cleaned out under the rig’s bathroom sink & either we got the cleanest bathroom in town or the most household cleaning products under one sink.

Commenter JC had the following question regarding my Wednesday night post. Question was: " if you are going to maintain your residence in Canada, and you have a very nice motorhome, why would you need another home in Congress? A very good question JC & a question that has more than one answer. Here were our thoughts & reasoning's back on April 1rst of 2011, nearly a year before we bought the house….FUTURE RVING THOUGHTS 

As much as we love traveling & boondocking we did notice in the last couple years that some of our days & weeks were beginning to become a little routine & repetitive. That is not a problem for the majority of people but for folks like ourselves & especially me, it leads to a restless state.  About 3 years ago we began thinking along the lines of how great it would be to have a small house or property centrally located somewhere between New Mexico & California. A centrally located home base somewhere in the middle of Arizona. Our plan was to spend our winters here & use this central location as a jumping off point for future travels. We can reach any point of interest in the southwest within just a few days or hours, stay a week or two or three & be back to our Congress house for some good old boots on the ground long hot showers, our own laundry & a long list of house & property projects to keep AL busy for awhile.  Here is a post with a paragraph I wrote that has to do with LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION. The paragraph begins under the 3 butterfly pics about half way down.

THAT IKEA CHAIR FOLDS OUT INTO MY BED WHEN WE ARE TRAVELING

In the end though, it was the following final factor that made up our minds about the Congress house. ‘We just happened to be in the right place at the right time & managed to get ourselves the right deal on a dusty little abandoned  & kinda ramshackle old house sitting on an acre of land on a dead end road………….. just about right in the middle of Arizona’:))

  

FOR PHOTO PURPOSES I HAVE A SMALL HEATER HOLDING THE MATTRESS UP TO SHOW THE BED’S WOODEN SLATS

The exciting freshness of spring is long gone & summer's steamy rush is rapidly winding down. Autumn is a time for quiet reflection. Everything seems to slow as we shift to a lower gear. In a month from now the kids will be back in school, the Labor Day week-end will be behind us & trees will be starting to show some nice color.

I’VE BEEN SLEEPING ON THIS BED WHILE TRAVELING FOR OVER 4 YEARS NOW WITH NO PROBLEMS

Autumn is also a time of anticipation & preparation for the long cold winter months ahead. It's a cozy time as we scurry about like little squirrels getting ourselves organized & hunkered down to await the chilling winter winds. It's also a time of new learning. I've always had a theory that I think is probably true. Ever since we were kids first starting school we have become programmed to begin an educational process every September. This continued for many years in our early life & became embedded in our very being.  I think it remains with us forever. Even though I've been basically out of the school system since the early 60's I still feel that learning process beginning to stir every year around mid August.

Over the years I have enrolled in various night classes starting in September. Half a dozen photography related courses, a couple beginners computer course, Tai Chi exercise classes & no doubt a few others I've forgotten about. It's always a nice feeling to be learning something new, & especially at a time of year when we have been programmed to do so. In 1968 I started a General Arts course at Conestoga College in September of that year but never finished.  In September of 1990 I started a Photography course at Fanshaw College in London & never finished that one either.  But, at least I got started.   I find the urge to learn is stronger at this time of year & It takes me back to my early public school days & the fresh smell of new books, erasers, new ink in the ink wells, blackboard chalk & stale farts hanging in the musty classroom air. Aw yes, Autumn. My favorite time of year:))

 

And, thanks to the generosity of Maureen our neighbor, we now have a neat-o Blackberry Playbook.  Maureen’s daughter is very computer land savvy, has all the latest techno hardware & doesn’t like to keep older versions around.  She gave the Blackberry to Maureen recently but it wasn’t something Maureen was too comfortable with, so she gave the Blackberry to us.  Maureen had called the other day wondering if Kelly could have a look at her super slow desktop computer.  Kelly checked the stats & found out right away Maureen’s computer was 12 years old.  There was just no hope of trying to turn an old Dinosaur like that into a a modern day hi tech laser fast computer.  Kelly made one phone call & Maureen’s new Lenova desk top will arrive Monday.   And, we will be helping her to get it all up & running:))   Kelly’s looking forward to figuring out the Blackberry which shouldn’t take her too long.  She will then give me the condensed updated ‘Reader’s Digest’ version on how to use it.  Come to think of it, I could use a little updating myself…………….

AND, THIS IS NEIGHBOR MAUREEN OUT FOR HER DAILY WALK ON THE VERY DAY WE ARRIVED HOME FROM THE SOUTHWEST THIS PAST APRIL…WE LIVE JUST UP AROUND THAT BEND IN THE ROAD ABOUT A QUARTER MILE TO THE RIGHT

 

SCREEN CAN BE VIEWED EITHER HORIZONTALLY OR VERTICALLY JUST BY TURNING THE PLAYBOOK   

Welcome to new Blog Followers 'THE UNGRENS.' Always encouraging to see new faces on our Follower’s list:))

AN OLD PHOTO FROM OUR TENT CAMPING DAYS IN THE PINERY PROVINCIAL PARK NEAR GRAND BEND ONTARIO…1994

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Reporters interviewing a 104-year-old woman:
'And what do you think is the best thing
about being 104?' the reporter asked.
She simply replied, 'No peer pressure.'

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.

- Home is where your pet is:))

- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)

-  The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward   

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

- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

MY ‘ONE TIME ONLY’ YOGA CLASS

THIS IS THE DESERT JUST ONE SHORT BLOCK BEHIND OUR HOUSE IN CONGRESS AZ.
Best way for Pheebs & I to ward off of our weekly bout of 'cabin fever' is to slip ourselves away in the Jeep & run a few routine errands. Groceries & gas but no McDonald's today. Nothing else to write about that little drive to & from Goderich & we were back home within an hour.
---

We are slowly organizing & pulling things together for our trip to Arizona in a couple months. This of course is bringing up a few questions, concerns, & decisions we have to make. Just what do we take to our house in Congress. We know that whatever goes will likely not be coming back. First, we have decided not to take anything of value or anything that cannot be replaced. We have to treat this house more as a cottage, simply because we do not know what the future holds for us. Here is the logic, & it has to do with things that have to be considered. This is the 'what if' factor that can turn into reality in a heartbeat. 'What if' at some point we are unable to return to Arizona again for medical, financial, or 'whatever' reasons, or what if we decide to sell the house at some point? Very real questions of course, with some as yet unknown answers.

THIS WILL BE OUR MAIN MORNING WALK AREA THIS WINTER
First, the logistics of travel & distance. It is nearly a week's drive of 2200 miles between our Bayfield House in Ontario & our house in Arizona. And, it's not an easy drive!! We can't just jump in the car & nip over to Arizona & bring a few things home now & again. It's not only the distance.....it's the whole border crossing thing as well!! Being first & foremost Canadians, our main home base will always be here in Canada, so this is where all important documents & personal family things will remain. But what, if for some reason we decided to sell our Congress house some day & it is full to the brim with furniture & personal belongings. (clothes etc) We can't just jump in the Jeep, throw a small U-haul on the back & bring everything back to Canada. No room for any more stuff here anyway. Can't just nip on down to Arizona to sell things at a Saturday morning garage sale either. So, we have to be careful what we take & what we buy while there. Certainly will not be buying any spanking 'new' furniture or appliances. (washer & dryer come to mind) Anything going into that house will probably come from Saturday morning garage sales & second hand stores. Again, I think the right way for us to look at this is to treat our Ghost Town Road house as a winter cottage, a travel base, our southwest get-a-way, our wild west outpost. Casa Del Pheebs:))
---
I have been resisting the urge to load anything in the coach for our trip so far. Have totally convinced myself that to do so would only result in me having to repack everything numerous times. Best to wait another month or so until we have everything gathered together in the carport. Nice touch of common sense there.  So, with those thoughts planted firmly in my mind, I went out this morning & started loading up stuff. Ya, I know.........:((
 
GETTING A FEW THINGS TOGETHER TODAY
I have never been one much for the disciplines of exercise classes but I did get myself involved with Taoist Tai Chi about 11 years ago. Enjoyed that but due to a move from Fullarton to Bayfield nearly 10 years ago & subsequent winters away in the Southwest I was not able to pursue Tai Chi beyond the 4 beginner's classes I was involved in. Three years ago while Ranch sitting near McNeal Arizona for a couple months Kelly convinced me to come out to one of her Yoga classes she was involved with at the time. And, it did take a lot of 'convincing' alright.
---
Looked to be about a dozen ladies gathered around in a large circle with chairs & mats when we walked in to the Elfrida Community Center that morning. David, an instructor from Bisbee welcomed us to the group & it wasn't long & I was seated in a white chair with a purple floor mat at my feet. I immediately knew I was going to be more comfortable here than a regular exercise class (oooops, that was about to change) when David dimmed the lights. I am not a bright lights kind of guy. The first minute was spent in a relaxation mode. Now, this was my kind of exercise. But, it was short lived. The instructor had a soft voice as we went through a series of stretches with closed eyes. The closed eyes part worked better for me than the stretching part. The stretches soon became embarrassing when I became painfully aware that parts of me were not stretching as well as others. A quick glance around at the ladies showed me my awareness was correct. A couple of the ladies, old enough to be my Mother, were twisted up like frozen pretzels on their purple mats. I was finding it hard to simply bend a knee joint to reach the floor or raise my legs to an even level while upside down on my mat. I was on the floor, first on my left side, then my right side. Didn't seem to matter what side I had on the floor, my body told me it was the wrong side. I had a lot more cushioning on my tummy side but that didn't seem to work well either. Mashed my face into the purple mat & even my moustache & beard let me know they were not happy!!. Every time I was on my back I knew what an upside down Turtle felt like. Kept thinking of that commercial years ago, "I've fallen & can't get up". Now there was a sobering thought....how WAS I going to get up??

AND TOMORROW I WILL TELL YOU ABOUT THAT BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK KELLY HAS ON HER LAP:))
Between aching contortions my mind took me back 44 years to my young 20 year old days in boot camp at a naval base in Nova Scotia Canada called H.M.C.S. Cornwallis. How different my body now as I sat there on the floor in this large dimmed room trying to do even the simplest of stretches. Where once I scrambled up & down 30 foot ropes, drilled for hours on parade grounds, ran for miles on cross country runs, & did a whole host of other improbable physical things, I now found it hard to simply even sit up. Had it not been for my supportive chair I may not have even managed to stand up at all. Oh, this was exercise alright. An exercise in humiliation. The only thing that finally worked for me was when after an hour of agonizingly thrashing about on the floor like a beached whale, I heard Yoga instructor David say, "and now for our final move. Yaaaaaaaay:)) Well, after we all did that final move, whatever it was, I still had one final move of my own left. I quickly moved myself right out of that building as fast as I could.  My flopping about on the floor of the Elfrida Arizona Community Center would never be seen again………10-4!!

A STRANGE CRITTER IN OUR FRONT YARD TODAY
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Just before the funeral services, the undertaker came up to the very elderly widow and asked, 'How old was your husband?' '98,' she replied: 'Two years older than me' 'So you're 96,' the undertaker commented.
She responded, 'Hardly worth going home, is it?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- "If having a soul means being able to feel
love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals
are better off than a lot of humans."
(James Herriot)
- The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails -William Arthur Ward
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.
- It is not so much having nothing to do as it is not having the interest to do something....AL.

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