SOMETIMES, I JUST NEED TIME AWAY FROM THINGS

 IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS EARLY FEBRUARY

Thanks to readers for once again being patient as I stumbled through the past three days.  Long-time readers will have recognized my predictable pattern knowing I would soon get myself sorted out and re-started.  But, it wasn't an easy re-start this time and I had to push myself this morning to begin today's post which I started as I often do with 'Al's Music Box'.  No matter what, I never lose my interest in music.  It's my magic elixir and fixer of many things.

 FOREST SUNSHINE EVERYWHERE

Okay, let's start with a quick recap of the last three days.  Many of this posts photos were taken this past Monday when Pheebs and I, on a glorious sunny morning cruised through the countryside southeast of Bayfield.  With clear blue skies overhead and our front windows down it was like a dark veil had been lifted from around me as I marveled at the rejuvenating Springlike day going on all around us. I just couldn't believe how much better I felt.  At the Lindner Conservation area on Pavilion Road, we stopped for a refreshing walk.  It felt great to get my legs moving again.  On our way home we even stopped in Bayfield and I washed the Jeep. 

 MONDAY MORNING IT WAS ALL ABOUT BIG BLUE SKIES AND QUIET COUNTRY ROADS

 IT WAS A GREAT MORNING FOR HAVING OUR WINDOWS DOWN AND SOAKING UP THE SUNSHINE AND FRESH AIR

 THESE PAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN A WONDERFUL PRELUDE TO REAL SPRING DAYS  IN ANOTHER COUPLE MONTHS

 WALKING IN THE SHADOWS OF MORNINGS SUNLIGHT

 STILL SNOW ALONG THIS WOODLAND TRAIL

 SO NICE TO BE WALKING ON FIRM GROUND AGAIN

 MORNING'S VAPOR TRAILS FROM HIGH FLYING JET AIRLINERS

 I STOOD HERE FOR THE LONGEST TIME LOOKING ACROSS THIS FIELD AT THE BIG BLUE SKY AND THE DISTANT OUTLINE OF LAKE HURON'S SHORELINE ON THE HORIZON TO THE LEFT

Home again I was able to spend some enjoyable and much needed time outside puttering around doing some early yard work.  Wednesday was a partially overcast slow day and I had little enthusiasm for doing much of anything except reading.  And then, before I knew it, today was here, and by golly I knew I had a good morning coming up.

 OUR MUSHROOM CROP SEEMS TO BE GROWING WELL ALONG MY LITTLE FAIRY'S PATH BY OUR HOUSE

 WE EVEN SAW THE SHADOW COWBOY THIS AFTERNOON

 AND, IT WAS AMAZING HOW FAST HE TURNED HIMSELF INTO A MARTIAN

It was Richard's turn to drive on this mostly sunny Thursday morning and I had been looking forward to our travels.  On bare and dry roads Richard headed for Goderich where we snagged our coffee and muffins.  From there we were northbound out of Goderich on highway #21 following the coastline to Port Albert a mere 10 miles away  Nice to see some different scenery for a change.  I do have a bit of a bad habit of traveling the same old roads and seeing the same old stuff these days.  Back through Goderich we came and Richard dropped me off at home around 11:45..  I always feel better after any one of our semi-monthly Thursday morning country excursions and today was no exception.  Thanks to Richard my interest in my blog was again re-ignited and here I am.

 AN ORANGE SUNRISE THROUGH OUR PINE TREES THIS MORNING

 MY CHAUFFEUR HAS ARRIVED

 CANADA GEESE AND FISHERMEN AT PORT ALBERT THIS MORNING

It was so nice outside for the first half of this afternoon that I had my leaf blower going as well as my lawn rake cleaning up Winter's debris in our driveway.  How great it felt to be outside in the sunshine doing something.  Pheebs and I did manage a walk around the Park's pond and beyond.  Had my hip not started barking at me we would have gone farther.  But, it is what it is right now and hopefully soon to change.

 A NICE AFTERNOON FOR A WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND WHICH STILL HAS ICE ON IT

 IF YOU LOOK CLOSE YOU CAN SEE THE SHADOW COWBOY

 A DOGWOOD TREE AT THE POND'S EDGE

 ICE BUBBLES

 I SEE AN OLD LOBSTER TOAD CRAWLING UP OUT OF THE ICE ON THE RIGHT

 AT THE POND'S SOUTH END IS A BABBLING BROOK

 PHEEBS LOVES HER WALKS

Last Tuesday, I had actually made a start on a blog but never finished it.  Here then is what I had started........In Saturday's comment section blog reader Suzi said, "I love your 'blast from the past posts'.  Thanks for taking us back to fun days in the desert".  Encouraged by Suzi's words and knowing I have a few readers who enjoy those desert jaunts of ours I have decided to try and include more of them.  I've taken Suzi's words and will at times include a new blog feature called, 'Blast From The Past'.  So, here goes.....Blast From The Past...February 5th, 2010 found us still boondocked in the shadows of the Kofa Mountains in Arizona.  On this day we made our first hike into Palm Canyon.  The beauty of this land just never stops and there are new adventures around every corner sometimes it seems.  A Little Magic In The Kofa Mountains.  The day after this we set out on a bit of a different quest.  We went 'people hunting'.  Now that was a definite change for us and it was the first time we met Mike and Jim.  Today We Met Mike And Jim But Not Janna And Ellie  (remember to click on the smaller photos to enlarge them) We are still in touch with Janna and Mike and have visited back and forth with them a number of times over the years.  You can find Janna and Mike here at Restoration Cowboy Style.  I think easy-going Mike has got to be one of my favorite guys.

 IN THIS PHOTO OF KELLY AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS DWARFED BY THE JAGGED KOFA MOUNTAIN RANGE

Thanks again to readers for being patient with me.  If something drastic had (or would ever happen) I would for sure let you know, but sometimes I just have to push myself away from things, be by myself, and go for a long walk in a quiet forest.  Sometimes that is a physical walk and sometimes it is a mental walk and when they both come together, that is the healing time.  And too, it depends on the availability of the imaginary or real forest and where and when I find it and choose to walk there.                 

 THESE HAVE BEEN GREAT DAYS FOR WANDERING ALONG THE GRAVELY BACKROADS

 PHEEBS AND SOAKING UP MONDAY MORNING'S SUNSHINE AT THE LINDNER CONSERVATION AREA

Al's Music Box:)) The Long And Winding Road is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney. Paul McCartney said he came up with the title "The Long and Winding Road" during one of his first visits to his property High Park Farm, near Campbeltown in Scotland, which he purchased in June 1966. The phrase was inspired by the sight of a road "stretching up into the hills" in the remote Highlands surroundings of lochs and distant mountains. He wrote the song at his farm in 1968, inspired by the growing tension among the Beatles. Based on other comments McCartney has made, author Howard Sounes writes, the lyrics can be seen as McCartney expressing his anguish at the direction of his personal life, as well as a nostalgic look back at the Beatles' history. McCartney recalled: "I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing, and came up with that song, imagining it was going to be done by someone like Ray Charles. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration.  "In an interview in 1994, McCartney said of "The Long and Winding Road": "It's rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it's a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It's a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist." He also told his biographer Barry Miles in the 1990s that the song was "all about the unattainable; the door you never quite reach ... the road that you never get to the end of".

 I LOVE SEEING THE COLOREEN AT THIS TIME OF YEAR

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man was on the very top diving board of a swimming pool.  He was poised, he lifted his arms, and was about to dive in when the attendant came running up, shouting, “Don’t dive, there’s no water in that pool!”  “That’s all right!” said the man. “I can’t swim anyway!!”

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Gladys was the preacher's wife and accompanied her husband each Sunday to church. One particular Sunday when the sermon seemed to go on forever, many in the congregation fell asleep. After the service, to be sociable, she walked up to a very sleepy-looking gentleman. In an attempt to revive him from his stupor, she extended her hand in greeting, and said, "Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn." To which the gentleman replied, "You're not the only one!"

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A wealthy man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter who led him down the streets of gold. They passed mansion after mansion until they came to the very end of the street. Saint Peter stopped the rich man in front of a little shack.“This belongs to you,” said Saint Peter.“Why do I get this ugly thing when there are so many mansions I could live in?” the man demanded.“We did the best we could with the money you sent us!” Saint Peter replied.

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LOOKING FORWARD TO BLUE SKIES IN COMING DAYS

 FOGGY MORNING

With temps slowly on the rise, it was a foggy morning here along the shores of Lake Huron.  Despite that, Pheebs and I made our way to Goderich and back.  While there we hit all the usual places plus a stop at the Canadian Tire Store Auto Department to get a burnt-out rear tail light replaced.  Not much else going on today but I'm bolstered by this thought....one short month from now we will already be into the first week of March.  And, looking ahead at our long-range forecast it tells us we have 10 mostly sunny days coming up beginning tomorrow. (Friday)  Well, I guess we'll believe that when we see it.................  

 GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE

 DESPITE ALL THE REFLECTIONS YOU CAN SEE A FELLA FIXING THE LIGHT AT THE REAR OF THE JEEP

 PHEEBS IN THE CANADIAN TIRE STORE

 HEADING HOME IN THE FOG

Back we go with our time machine once again to ten years ago on this February 2nd day in 2014 for another adventuress day in the Kofa National Wildlife Refuge.  It was days like this that always made our travels memorable for us. Remember to click on the smaller photos to enlarge them.  We Found Sleeping Man Cave, Grinding Stone Cave, and More 

Al's Music Box:)) Bye Bye Love is a popular song written by Felice and Boudleaux Bryant and published in 1957. It is best known in a debut recording by the Everly Brothers,  The Everlys' "Bye Bye Love" is ranked 210th on Rolling Stone magazine's list of "The 500 Greatest Sons of All Time.  In 1998, The Everly Brothers version of "Bye Bye Love" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  The guitar intro was not originally part of the song, but was something that Don Everly had come up with and was tacked on to the beginning.  Chet Atkins was the lead guitar player on the session.  Floyd Chance was the upright bassist and Buddy Haran was the drummer.

 OUR SNOW IS SLOWLY DWINDLING AWAY.....AGAIN

GROANER'S CORNER:(( In the men's room at work, the boss placed a sign directly above the sink. It had a single word on it: "Think!"  The next day, when he went to the men's room, he looked at the sign, and right below it, immediately above the soap dispenser, someone had carefully lettered another sign which read, "Thoap!"

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“You are only young once. After that you have to think up some other excuse.” 

 “By the time you’re 80 years old you’ve learned everything but now you can't remember it.” 

 “You can’t believe everything you hear—but you can repeat it.” 

For her birthday present, I took my wife to an apple orchard, and we stood there looking at the trees for half an hour.  Not the Apple Watch she was expecting apparently.

“A gossip is a person who creates the smoke in which other people assume there’s fire.” 

“It’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem.” 

“People can’t drive you crazy if you don’t give them the keys.”

 “Never eat more than you can lift.” 

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SHE WANTED ME HALF NAKED AND THEN TOLD ME TO LAY ON THE BED

 SARNIA HOSPITAL'S FOOD COURT AS VIEWED FROM AN OVERHEAD WALKWAY AND KELLY CAN BE SEEN IN THIS PHOTO TOP RIGHT OF CENTER AT THE MO'CHA CAFE CHECKING OUT THE FOOD MENU  

Luckily, the weather did not throw us a curve this morning,  Under cloudy skies we rolled out of our driveway at 9:10 a.m. heading for Sarnia Ontario on bare and dry snow-free roads.  A bonus for this time of year.  It was an easy country drive all the way there with very light traffic, even in Sarnia.  We did make a quick stop at Tim Hortons in Forest Ontario for a couple coffees to go.  No problem finding the Sarnia Blue Water hospital and I was at the registration desk at 10:55.  My appointment was at 11.

 HOW LUCKY WE WERE TO HAVE DRY AND BARE ROADS ALL THE WAY TO SARNIA AND BACK....HEADING WEST ON THE 402

 WALKING PAST THE MO'CHA CAFE ON OUR WAY TO REGISTRATION

 PASSED THROUGH THE FOOD COURT

Everything went smoothly today as we first made our way to the third floor for a meeting with a nurse to go over my meds and do some extra instructional paperwork.  Next was a meeting with an anesthesiologist person to go over more stuff.  Nice lady.  Next, it was down to the 2nd floor for blood work.  I don't think the lady there left me with a whole lot of blood.  Now down to the hospital's main floor for an EKG where a lady there told me I needed to be bare-chested and lying on the bed.  I took it to mean, 'get yourself half naked and lay on your back on the bed and don't move or else'!!  From there, it was off to the X-ray department for X-rays of my right hip.  At least that lady didn't make me take half my clothes off but I forgot to tell her I had a metal jackknife in my pocket and when she turned on her X-ray machine, it nearly blew her out of the little lead-lined control booth.  And that was it, I was done.  And, at no time today did anyone have to give me a slap upside the head except for maybe the X-ray lady.  I found all the medical staff I encountered were very friendly.  Before leaving the hospital, Kelly ordered us up a couple of sandwiches to go from the Mo'Cha Cafe.  It was 1:15 when we left the hospital, walked to the car, and wolfed down our sandwiches.  From there we drove half a dozen blocks to an Orthopedic Store where we picked up a special pillow and one pair of pressure stockings.  The stockings are to prevent blood clots following surgery.  Two minutes after leaving the Orthopedic Store we were eastbound on the 402 making fast tracks out of Sarnia.  We never made any stops on the way home and rolled into our driveway shortly before 3 p.m.  Although we hadn't gone far like in our RVing days, we were both sure tired and glad to be home.  With today's medical tests behind me, the only thing that could sink my hip surgery now is if my diabetes number from today's blood test comes in too high.  We'll know in a couple days.  

 KELLY PATIENTLY WAITS WHILE A NURSE GOES OVER MY MEDS WITH ME

 I'M BACK

ANOTHER WAITING ROOM FOR THE BLOODWORK

 WAITING FOR MY EKG

 SHE WANTS TO WHAT!! AND THEN LAY ON MY BACK THERE

 HIP X-RAYS WERE LAST ON THE LIST

 BEFORE LEAVING THE HOSPITAL KELLY ORDERED US UP A COUPLE TOASTED SANDWICHES

I don't know how it crept up on me so quickly but it did.   It seems that only a short while ago it was Christmas and 'poof' here it is only a few days before Groundhog Day already.  How the heck did that happen so fast.  Had it not popped up on the news, the big day might have blown right past me.  Ground Hog day this Friday is going to be a real nail-biter because the weather forecast is for Sun and clouds.  I hope those folks in Wiarton Ontario will know enough not to bring Willy out during a sunny stretch because that will mean 6 more weeks of Winter when he sees his shadow.  Not good!!!!  And, just think, in two short weeks it will be Valentine's Day.  Can St. Patrick's Day be in the not-too-distant future following this, the shortest month of the year??  I think not:))  

In our RVing days not long ago, one of our favorite things to do was to get out and explore whatever area we happened to be in.  Ten years ago today is a good example of that.  Boondocked on the west side of the Kofa Mountains south of Quartzsite, Arizona for a few days we set off in the morning to find something called, Ladder Tank.  We Found What We Set Out To Find Today  We had many days like this over the years and those great days live forever in my memory now thanks to my blog.  Kofa National Wildlife Refuge

Al's Music Box:)) Uncle Albert  is a song by Paul and Linda McCartney from the album Ram and was released in the United States as a single on 2 August 1971.   It became McCartney's first gold record after the breakup of the Beatles.  "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" is composed of several unfinished song fragments that Norwegian engineer Eirik Wangberg stitched together in a similar manner to the medleys from the 'Beatles' 1969 album Abbey Road. The orchestral arrangements by George Martin were recorded in New York at A & R Recording, along with other instruments by McCartney and his new band. The project was moved to Los Angeles where vocals were added by Paul and Linda McCartney—her first experience of recording in a professional studio. The song is notable for its thunderstorm and environmental sound effects added by Wangberg in Los Angeles; he had been invited by McCartney to mix and sequence the Ram album in any way he saw fit, and he copied the thunder from a monaural film soundtrack, then fashioned an artificial stereo version of it for the song.  McCartney stated that "Uncle Albert" was based on his uncle: "He's someone I recall fondly, and when the song was coming it was like a nostalgia thing." He also stated: "I had an uncle – Albert Kendall – who was a lot of fun, and when I came to write 'Uncle Albert'/'Admiral Halsey' it was loosely about addressing that older generation, half thinking, what would they think of the way my generation does things? That's why I wrote the line 'We're so sorry, Uncle Albert.'  McCartney also told an American journalist, "As for Admiral Halsey, he's one of yours, an American admiral", referring to Fleet Admiral William 'Bull' Halsey (1882–1959).  McCartney has described the "Uncle Albert" section of the song as an apology from his generation to the older generation, and Admiral Halsey as an authoritarian figure who ought to be ignored.  McCartney additionally explained: "'Hands across the water/Heads across the sky' refers to Linda and me being American and British."

 SORRY.....I DIDN'T MEAN TO SCARE YOU

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver's license.  First, of course, he had to take an eyesight test. The optician showed him a card with the letters: 'C Z W I X N O S T A C Z.'  "Can you read this?" the optician asked.  "Read it?" the Polish guy replied, "I know the guy."

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She: "Sweetheart, what's your gift for our 25th anniversary?"
He: "A trip to Thailand."
She: "That's amazing! And what about when we hit our 50th anniversary?" she asked.
He: "That's when I come back to get you."

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A customer walks into a coffee shop. She asks the barista, “How much for a cup of coffee?”  The barista points to the menu and says, “Five dollars for a cup of coffee and refills are free.”  The customer responds, “Thanks. I’ll have a refill.”

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Q: What do you call a sad cup of coffee?
A: A depresso.

- If you replace your morning coffee with green tea ….You can lose up to 87% of what little joy you feel in the morning.

- Don’t ever let anyone tell you fairy tales aren’t real. I wake up every morning to drink a potion made from magic beans that brings me back to life.
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