I WILL TRY TO HAVE MY SOCKS PULLED UP BY SUNDAY NIGHT'S POST

 BORREGO SPRINGS CALIFORNIA

I probably should not have started my day off by checking the 14-day weather forecast.  Not one day anywhere near above freezing for the next two weeks.  With grey skies overhead and more snow coming down, I resigned myself to an inside day.  The only time I went out was to restock the birdfeeders.  The Jeep never moved all day and I didn't do much better.  Oh how I miss our adventuress winter days in the Great American Southwest.....................

 WEST OF TOMBSTONE ARIZONA LOOKING WEST TOWARDS SIERRA VISTA AND THE HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS

 JUST A TYPICAL SUNNY DAY IN THE BEAUTIFULLY GREEN SONORAN DESERT

 ATOP BLAIR VALLEY'S GHOST MOUNTAIN WITH SAN DIEGO CALIFORNIA JUST ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THOSE LAGUNA MOUNTAINS

AT GRAPEVINE CANYON RANCH NEAR PEARCE ARIZONA

 PHEEBS DROPS IN FOR AN APPOINTMENT AT THE VETS IN WICKENBURG ARIZONA...SHE WAS GETTING HER ANTI-RATTLESNAKE SHOT THIS DAY

 IN THE YAQUI PASS SOMEWHERE WEST OF OCTOTILLA WELLS ARIZONA

OH HOW I LOVED WORKING ON MY CACTUS GARDENS AT OUR HOUSE ON GHOST TOWN ROAD IN CONGRESS ARIZONA

 LOVE THESE AGAVE CACTUS PLANTS

 SOMEWHERE IN THE CHIRICUHA MOUNTAINS OF ARIZONA

 I FOUND A GEOCACHE AT MARSHAL SOUTH'S OLD HOMESTEAD ATOP GHOST MOUNTAIN CALIFORNIA

 NOT SURE WHERE THIS WAS TAKEN BUT I'M GUESSING KELLY TOOK IT OUTSIDE OF A CRACKER-BARREL SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY

 EAST OF DEMING NEW MEXICO

 THESE WERE SOME OF OUR BEST DAYS...... THIS PHOTO WAS TAKEN THE DAY WE SOLD OUR JEEP WRANGLER

About the only thing I have in the way of photos tonight are a few bird shots and a short bird video. (no music) And sorry about all the selfies in this post but I was feeling a bit down and blue today thinking of our winters in the southwest when we were alive and excited about doing things, going places, and seeing things we had never seen before.......I will try and have my socks pulled up and be back on track by Sunday night's post.

 AMERICAN GOLDFINCH AND A FEMALE CARDINAL

 A PAIR OF DARK-EYED JUNCOS

GROANER'S CORNER:((   Once upon a time, there was a non-conforming sparrow who decided not to fly south for the winter. However, soon the weather turned so cold that he reluctantly decided to fly south. In a short time, ice began to form on his wings and he fell to Earth in a barnyard, nearly frozen solid. A cow passed by where he had fallen and crapped on the little sparrow. The sparrow thought it was the end, but the manure warmed him and defrosted his wings!  Warm and happy, able to breathe, he started to sing.  Just then a large cat came by, and hearing the chirping he investigated the sounds. The cat cleared away the manure, found the chirping bird, and promptly ate him.  The Moral of the Story:::  Everyone who craps on you is not necessarily your enemy.  Everyone who gets you out of crap is not necessarily your friend.  And if you're warm and happy in a pile of crap, you might just want to keep your mouth shut.

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Last night, my wife and I watched two movies back to back.  Fortunately for me, I was the one who was facing the television.

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The Only Thing Better Than Right Now Will Someday Be The Memories Of Right Now...Al:))

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HI-HO HI-HO IT WAS OFF TO 'CAMP-OUT RV' WE AGAIN WENT

Another cloudy morning walk after overnight rains.  From there we were off on Road Trip #2 heading to Camp Out RV east of Sebringville to hopefully exchange the wrong sized anode rod for the right sized one.  With a coffee to go at Clintons Tim Hortons I decided to skip the scenic drive and head straight-away east on highway 8 to our destination.  We were soon into rain as our travels took us through the little burgs of Seaforth, Dublin, Mitchell, and Sebringville before making a right-hand turn into Camp Out.  They had the correct anode rod for our Atwood water heater.  Well, at least I hoped it was the right size this time.  Minutes later we were back on the road and this time we took the scenic route south of highway 8 back to Bayfield.  Managed a few more pics from the driver's seat along the way.

 A FEW DRIVE-BY COUNTRY PHOTOS ON OUR WAY HOME THIS MORNING

 THAT'S A CURIOUS-LOOKING ROOF STRUCTURE ON THIS NEW FARM BUILDING

 FIELDS OF NEWLY PLANTED WINTER WHEAT

 WHEN I DROVE A MOBILITY VAN A FEW YEARS AGO I TRANSPORTED AN ELDERLY LADY IN A WHEELCHAIR FROM THIS HOUSE TO HER DOCTOR APPOINTMENTS IN HENSALL HALF A DOZEN TIMES...THE HOUSE WAS AS OLD INSIDE AS IT LOOKS OUTSIDE

Home again about 11:30 I was anxious to see if the anode rod was the correct size.  I'm happy to say it was.  I didn't mind so much having to drive to Camp-Out and back a couple of times but it's the gas used that bothers me because Jeep Liberties are not known for their wonderful gas mileage.  And then there's the price of gas these days.

 KIND OF A LAZY MORNING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

I have mentioned several times before in my posts how much I like the online magazine DesertUSA.  Been reading articles of interest in this magazine for years because so many of them are about places Kelly and I have been in the American Southwest.  The latest edition is a good example with one of its articles being Ghost Towns In Southern Arizona.  Out of the 12 places mentioned, Kelly and I have been to 8 of them.  The only 4 we didn't get to were Duquesne, Lochiel, Kofa, and the Yuma Territorial Prison.  We were close to Duquesne once and have driven near the Yuma Prison on I-8 probably a couple dozen times.  We boondocked in the Kofa Mountains half a dozen times but didn't make it the Kofa town ruins.  We have been to Fort Bowie, Courtland, Fairbank, Charleston, and the Superstition Mountain wilderness (Lost Dutchman State Park) once.  Been to and through Tombstone a dozen times or more, Pearce half a dozen times, and Gleeson 4 or 5 times.  On the right-hand side of my blog at the top of the column, you will find a 'Search' bar and if you type in the names of these ghost towns, there is a reasonable chance you can find the posts I have written about being to these places over the years.  And, below that Search bar, you will notice the words 'Blog Archive'.  Click on the down arrow and you will have access to the 4,886 posts I have written over our RVing years as well as all the posts I have written right here at home.  There are many, many miles of travels in those posts.  And of course lots of photos.  The few photos below were taken in March of 2016.  

VULTURE PEAK NEAR WICKENBURG ARIZONA

 YES TOTO, REAL LIFE COWBOYS ARE STILL ALIVE AND WELL IN ARIZONA

 KELLY, PHEEBS, AND I HAVE TRAVELED MANY BUMPY DESERT MILES ON ROADS JUST LIKE THIS

 OH NOW I MISS ARIZONA'S SONORAN DESERT

 STAGE COACH ROAD NEAR YARNELL ARIZONA WAS A FAVORITE FOR PHEEBS AND I ON OUR MORNING OUTINGS

IS IT ANY WONDER THAT I LOVE AND MISS THE AMERICAN SOUTHWEST SO MUCH

GROANER'S CORNER:((   A pastor, known for his lengthy sermons, noticed a man get up and leave during the middle of his message. The man returned just before the conclusion of the service. Afterwards, the pastor asked the man where he had gone.  "I went to get a haircut," was the reply.  "But," said the pastor, "why didn't you do that before the service?"  "Because," the gentleman said, "I didn't need one then."

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Where do you find lost silverware?  Answer: At the fork in the road.

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A psychiatrist's secretary walks into his study and says, "There's a gentleman in the waiting room asking to see you. Claims he's invisible."  The psychiatrist responds, "Tell him I can't see him."

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THIS SOMETIMES FALTERING MIND OF MINE

 COOL CLEAR NIGHTS BRING MORNING'S HEAVY DEW

Another nice relaxing evening country road walk Thursday night.  I think one of the reasons I like this area for walking so much is the 360-degree unobstructed view I have all around me and that includes the sky.   In the pine forest where we live we are surrounded by trees and shrubs and the farthest we can see in any one direction from our property is maybe fifty or sixty feet.  Looking up we can only see a few small patches of sky.  It is so refreshing to be able to look around and see for miles.  Reminds me of the American southwest where one can see for ten, twenty, and thirty miles across those wide valleys between the mountain ranges.  Oh now I miss seeing those wide-open spaces.

 HEADING WEST ACROSS NEW MEXICO WITH ARIZONA'S CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAINS DEAD AHEAD IN DECEMBER OF 2017....WE SURE HAVE SOME GREAT MEMORIES OF THOSE MOUNTAINS FROM BACK IN OUR RANCH SITTING DAYS SOUTHEAST OF TOMBSTONE IN COCHISE COUNTY NEAR MCNEAL

 THIS IS ABOUT AS FAR AS WE CAN SEE IN ANY DIRECTION FROM OUR HOUSE

 THIS FARMER IS OUT BURNING THE EVENING OIL

 ALTHOUGH I COULDN'T SEE THIS BEAN HARVESTER I KNEW WHERE HE WAS

 NO, THAT ISN'T A FIERCE SHADOW LION FOLLOWING THE SHADOW COWBOY....IT'S PHEEBS

 FARMERS ARE BUSY ONCE AGAIN IN THIS DRYER WEATHER

 LOOKS LIKE THIS FELLOW IS GOING TO FLATTEN OUT SOME OF THE HILLS ON HIS LAND EH:))

 FROM A DISTANCE THESE ROLLING HILLS REMINDED ME OF THE CUSTER BATTLEFIELD IN SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA WITH ALL THE WHITE TOMBSTONES WHERE THE TROOPERS FELL...I TOURED AROUND THAT BATTLEFIELD IN MAY OF 1992

No particular reason to go to Goderich this morning so we went there anyway and did manage to pick up a few groceries along the way.  Lake Huron was calm and there were lots of Seniors out enjoying themselves on the mile-long boardwalk.  Even met some folks who live in our Park at the end of our street.  I had never seen them before.  I guess it shows you how sociable I am.

 A LITTLE MOM AND DAUGHTER TIME

 THESE CANADA GEESE ARE HAVING A NICE FLOAT ON THE CALM WATERS OF LAKE HURON

 FAR FAR OUT ON LAKE HURON'S HORIZON TO THE SOUTHWEST I SPOTTED THIS....COULD IT BE THE GREAT LAKES 'FLYING DUTCHMAN' GHOST SHIP 

 ENJOYING A SUNNY MORNING AT THE BEACH

 ROCK SCRAMBLING AT GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE

LOOKING INLAND FROM THE BEACH AND SHORELINE....THE TOWN OF GODERICH IS UP THERE ATOP THAT BLUFF

Home again I busied myself cleaning more windows and raking up some pine needles.  A near-perfect day with lots of sunshine and low 60's temps.  No wind, and how wonderful not to have all that wretched humidity in the air.

 THIS OLD WILLOW TREE HAS SEEN BETTER DAYS

 MORNING'S HEAVY DEW

 VESTIGES OF LAST YEAR'S CORN CROP IN THIS YEAR'S BEAN FIELD

Stopped at Bayfield's Porter's Hill Wild Bird Seed place and picked up a couple 20-pound bags of Deluxe Mix birdseed Thursday morning.  We had good luck with this mixture last winter and I think it went a long way to attracting the five pairs of Cardinals we had at the feeders.  The Squirrels and Chipmunks really like it too!!

 I ALWAYS LOVE TO SEE ROLLING GREEN HILLS

 THE ONCE GREEN CORN FIELDS ARE NO LONGER GREEN

 THREE PIECES OF FARM MACHINERY IN THIS PHOTO WITH THE LARGEST MACHINE THE HARDEST TO SEE

 TULIP LANE FARMS CATTLE

And a few short words about 'Groaner's Corner'.  I know some of the jokes are sometimes repetitive as are a few of the cartoons.  With my mind not being a fail-safe computatron it doesn't always remember what jokes or toons I have posted over the years.  Occasionally things look or sound familiar and other times I have no memory of them at all.  So thanks to readers for being patient with this sometimes faltering mind of mine.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A Few Ponderings::

- Eat right. Stay fit. Die anyway.

- The things that come to those that wait may be the things left by those who got there first.

- Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will sit in a boat drinking beer all day.

- Flashlight: A case for holding dead batteries.

- Shin: A device for finding furniture in the dark.

- When single ladies near the age of 50, they tend to get lots of cats...This phenomenon is known as many-paws

- This nun was taking a bath, when there was a knock on the door.  "Who is it?," she cried.  "It's the blind man.," was the answer.
Says the nun, "Well, come on in and tell me your troubles."  In comes the man.  "Wow!" he says, "Where should I hang the blinds?"

- If the refrigerator and TV weren't so far apart, some of us wouldn't get any exercise at all.

- What's the difference between men and government bonds? Bonds mature.

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