WRITING WITH A PASSIVE PERSONALITY

PUTTING SOME SQUIGGLES ON THE LITTLE MOUSE:)) 

It's Saturday night, it's after supper & it's going to be a challenge to write something.  Not that there isn't any to write about.  The problem sometimes is in getting myself motivated.  Can't seem to write anything humorous if that is not the way I'm feeling & the same principle applies about writing something serious if my mind is not into it.

I would love to tell you about all the interesting things I did today except I didn't really do any interesting things.  Aside from cleaning the cab area in the Motor Home I did not accomplish much. 

While in the Motor Home I thought I would try out our hydraulic jack system again.  Been awhile since I had them down.  Put the slides in, parking brake on, transmission in park & fired up the engine.  Reached down & hit the switch for the jacks &...........nothing!!  The control panel was stone dead again just like last summer.  Ron put in a new solenoid switch back then & we even stopped at HWH in Moscow Iowa on our way west last fall to have the system checked out.  Jacks were working fine then but now they are ka-put again.  Have I ever told you how much I hate hydraulic jacks!!!!  They have been our number 1 source of irritation with our Motor Home.

Big raccoon on our deck last night trying his darnedest to get into a big jar of peanuts left out there & I don't know how they did it this time but there were two Squirrels on the bird station this morning again!!  I don't know why I just don't give up & throw in the towel on this whole Squirrel nonsense.

In Friday night's post I mentioned about all the Goldfinches in the front yard again.  Just sitting here now I counted 18 around the feeders & managed to get a few photos of their antics.  If you look closely at some of the pics you can see some of them them interacting with one another. 

NOTICE THE TWO FINCHES COMING IN FOR A LANDING AT TOP RIGHT

      

And, another bird observation.  I have always thought Mourning Doves to be timid & passive but have been surprised by their aggressive nature to other birds coming into the bird station.  If a large Grackle lands on the platform the Dove will run right round from the other side & kick him off.  I watched this over & over.  The Mourning Dove even scares off the Blue Jays & Red Wing Blackbirds.  Nothing timid about those Doves when it comes to food!!

Little Cora & I Jeeped ourselves up to Goderich this morning for some groceries.  On the way I noticed how black the sky had become to the north east & snapped a picture through the windshield.  Heard on tonight's news that a severe storm went through that area bringing down trees & power lines.  Thousands of homes without electricity but nobody injured.

 

Resisted the urge to grab a coffee at Tim Hortons while in Goderich.  I'm still ticked off at them for their 'incredible shrinking cup' consumer rip off!!

We blogger folks sure leave ourselves open to the public with our posts sometimes.  And a few of us a little more than others.  On occasion some of the things we write comes back to bite us, which begs the question, why do we blog in the first place & why do we reveal things about ourselves that don't really need any revealing in the first place.  Some folks may seek attention, others like to share their travels with others.  For lonely people it's comforting to be in touch with friends & family.  For some it's a way of getting their own opinions, thoughts & feelings across. 

My reasons for blogging are a smattering of the above.  Not for the attention but I do like to share our travels & travel information.  I am rarely ever a lonely person so that one doesn't  really apply but it is the last one dealing with thoughts & feelings where I quite often find myself.  Writing is my favorite form of communication whether it be creative or straight forward.  I am very comfortable sitting here at my computer surrounded by ambient music, croaking frogs & herds of birds.   I am in my element & in effect, talking to people on my own terms in an environment of contented relaxation.  I find it much easier to express myself through written words than in person.  I can say what I want & carry a thought through to it's conclusion without being interrupted.  For a passive personality like mine that is important.  Some will understand what I am talking about & of course some will not.  And sometimes of course, I am not too sure about all this myself either.  But, I sure do love the music:))

Anyway, just want to say thanks again to all you folks out there for your kind words & support these past 5 years or so.  I may not always get things right, but I do try & give you an honest feeling of what I am thinking....................10-4

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Politicians and diapers have one thing in common. They should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.

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EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
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OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

IF IT GETS ANY GREENER AROUND HERE I'LL BE FINDING ME SOME LEPRECHAUNS IN THE GARDEN

Woke up to a warmer morning so it didn’t take me long to get myself back on the end of my shovel for most of the morning. For a small piece of property I sure have created myself a full time gardening job over the years!!

MUCH TO MY SURPRISE I FOUND THIS BABY 'PAINTED TURTLE'  IN OUR FRONT YARD FROG POND TODAY....IT IS THE SIZE OF A SMALL JAR LID
We are fortunate here in Bayfield to have a first rate local garage & we never hesitate to take our vehicles there for maintenance & repairs. Picked up the Motorhome today & we now have a new coach battery along with an oil change.  With 6 new tires this past year the RVing side of life has been a costly one for us but it is the price we must to pay to escape our horribly miserable winter weather here in Southern Ontario.  Fulltiming has been pretty much ruled out for us now & moving lock stock & barrel to the Southwest is not likely to happen any time soon either.  Too bad about the darn border between our two countries.  If it wasn't for that I would probably be typing tonight's blog from some quiet little out of the way canyon half way up a cooling mountainside somewhere in Arizona or New Mexico.

FORGOT TO INCLUDE THIS PHOTO IN THURSDAY NIGHT'S BLOG OF THE RHODODENDRON TREE WHERE I TOOK ALL THE BLOOM PHOTOS 

I spoke a little too soon about all the Goldfinches leaving a few days ago.  They may have been at a local Goldfinch Convention or something but they sure are all back now.  And, it looks like they have moved the convention right here to our front yard.  Lots of birds again:))

I am still doing daily battle with the Squirrels.  Despite the efforts I went to making my Squirrel proof bird station about three weeks ago it only took them about 3 days to breach my security, & they did that by becoming....flying Squirrels!!  My bird station sits a full 8 feet away from a tall Pine tree & what the Squirrels have been doing is scooting up the Pine tree to a height about 3 feet higher that the birdseed platform.  They then gauge their distance & launch themselves off the tree through the air & down upon the bird station.  I have watched them do this several times so today I found an old rubber boot mat in the shed & stapled it on the bird station side that faces the Pine tree.  Put some peanuts on the platform & watched with a big smiling face as two Squirrels clung to that side of the Pine tree for about 5 minutes in launch mode trying to figure out their next move.  So that now puts me ahead in the score with me winning 10 rounds & the Squirrels winning 9.  Probably by morning the little buggers will have tied the game again!!

THE SQUIRRELS WOULD LEAP FROM THAT PINE TREE ON THE RIGHT ONTO THE BIRD STATION & THAT IS A DISTANCE OF 8 FEET!!

 

AT LEFT IS MY LATEST DEFENSE...THE 'BOOT TRAY!!'  AT RIGHT YOU CAN SEE THE 2 SQUIRRELS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO GET AROUND MY 'BOOT TRAY' DEFENSE

AND THIS IS HOW I PREFER MY SQUIRRELS......PASSIVELY PLASTIC:))   

Many people dream of someday going to Paradise.  No big deal because Kelly & I have already been there.....twice.  Paradise Arizona that is.  Located in the Chiricahua Mountains, Paradise was one of those old logging towns from the wild west days.  Not a whole lot there anymore but it does have a few homes & a few folks living in them.  The sign over the gates of the cemetery says 'Paradise' so we know for sure all the residents in that plot of ground have truly gone to Paradise alright.  Winds shifted a few days ago in that still blazing Chiricahua Mountain fire & about a dozen homes had to be evacuated in Paradise.  CHIRICAHUA MOUNTAIN FIRE THREATENS PARADISE. 

HARD TO READ THE FADED SIGN BUT IT DOES SAY, 'PARADISE CEMETERY' 

Looks like another short post tonight.  I had better get off my can & get out there & look for something interesting to blog about pretty soon while I still have a couple of readers left.  Ohhhhh, this sitting around for long summer months waiting to get back on the road again is definitely not for a poor old restless soul like mine.........:((

AND YES, THIS IS THE ROAD THAT TRULY DOES LEAD TO PARADISE ALRIGHT 

             

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A lawyer went into a doctor's office with a frog on his head.
'That's a nasty looking growth' said the doctor.
'I'll say', said the frog. 'It started out with a small pimple on my ass'

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

THE MOTORHOME GOES IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE & NEW BATTERY

OUR FLOWERING RHODODENDRON IS NOW IN FULL BLOOM 

Brrrrr!! I quickly closed the patio door after dipping my toe into the frosty air first time this morning. A quick glance at the outside thermometer told me we had dropped into the 40’s overnight. Not fair!!

The battery in our Motor Home has not been holding a charge this past month so this morning it was time to rectify that situation. The rig was overdue for an oil change anyway so figured it was a good time to get a few things done. There was absolutely nothing I found interesting or stimulating in trying to change the rig's oil myself or cramming my body into the front wheel well of the rig to wrestle an old battery out of a difficult position. Had an appointment at the Bayfield Garage for 9:30 & like I have mentioned many times before, when it comes to mechanical things like nuts, bolts & wrenches I am far better off in the long run to let the professionals do that kind of work if I want it done right!!  I will pick up the Motor Home Friday.
Jumpstarted the rig with the Jeep & headed the 2 miles into town. Kelly was already there to meet me & drive me home again. An hour later we both jumped into the Jeep & headed on down to Mitchell for a visit with My Uncle Harry. He’s doing fine & I wouldn't be surprised to see him blow the lid off the hundred year mark in a few years.

We were home early afternoon & Kelly headed back to Deer Park Lodge. Couldn’t seem to get myself energized enough to get interested in anything & ended up dozing in my chair. Maybe I was just due for a few daylight hours of down time.

Utah quickly became my favorite scenic State right from the first time I saw it back in the Spring of 1993. Having now traveled in many neighboring States over the last 5 years, Utah still remains at the top of my list for out & out scenic ooohs & awes. Fellow RV’ers & Bloggers MARTHA & TERRY just wrapped up an enjoyable time around Moab & it was obvious from their posts they loved the scenery as well. JIM & SANDIE recently spent some time in the Moab area too enjoying all the beauty it had to offer. JO & FRED WISHNIE are currently camp hosting at KODACHROME BASIN STATE PARK near Cannonville & are also finding Utah a beautiful place to be. In fact, I noticed awhile back that Jo posted the following remark on her Facebook page……"Took two scenic drives today: 20 miles of Burr Trail and 15 miles of Hole in the Rock Road to Devil's Garden. I now officially declare that Utah has the most beautiful awe inspiring landscapes in the country!”  Kelly & I have been in the Moab & Cannonville areas & can attest to the spectacular scenery found there. Just a beautiful State & I sure hope we can return to Utah sometime in the near future.
 

ON A MORNING ROCK SCRAMBLE JUST OUTSIDE OF MOAB UTAH IN 07, MAX & CHECKERS WAIT FOR KELLY & CORA COMING UP THE STEEP ROCKY INCLINE...THAT'S THE COLORADO RIVER ON THE RIGHT & YOU CAN SEE KELLY  AT THE BASE OF THOSE POWER POLES

AND HERE WE ARE IN UTAH'S KODACHROME BASIN STATE PARK

I spotted a familiar Southwest character on our living room wall this morning, cast there by our morning sun.  Maybe not familiar to a lot of folks but to me it was the shadow of KOKOPELLI.  A bit bedraggled perhaps & no doubt taking a quick break from his romantic flute playing, but Kokopelli nonetheless.  And, how interesting that the two objects forming Kokopelli are also from the Southwest.  The wine bottle shaped Vase we bought in Quartzsite a few years ago & the Agave seed pods in the vase were once a part of a long dead Agave stock that Kelly carried all the way down from the top of Ghost Mountain about 3 years ago.  As you can see, the Southwest is never far from my mind:))

AND, BY GOLLY, HERE IS THE KELLY GIRL HERSELF CARRYING THOSE VERY STOCKS & SEED PODS DOWN GHOST MOUNTAIN IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA'S BLAIR VALLEY.....AT THIS POINT WE ARE LESS THAN A 2 HOUR DRIVE FROM SAN DIEGO  

Two days ago we had our A/C running full tilt & tonight Kelly just turned the furnace on. Doesn’t look like our crazy weather is going to normalize itself any time soon.

 
Some of my posts of late have been a bit on the long side so thought tonight I would keep it shorter for a change…..including the Groaner.  So, without further ado............:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  One difference between man and beast is the jungle doesn't have a group called Predators for the Ethical Treatment of Prey.

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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.

A TRIP TO LONDON & OUR KITCHEN COUNTER TOP IS DONE

Before shutting down the computer Tuesday night I had a weather warning flash up on the screen predicating severe thunderstorms for the Bayfield area. Slipped outside to make sure all vehicle windows were up & shed doors closed. Radar showed a storm front heading our way from Michigan & would roll through sometime in the night…...but it never happened. The storm split up going north & south of us sparing our little Cora from a traumatic night. She is sooooooo frightened of thunder.

We were finally able to get all our ducks in a row this morning & it was off to London’s Home Depot we went in search of a new indoor/outdoor carpet for our front porch. And, the little Mouse came with us too. We have been taking her more places now since the big guys are gone.

Whenever I have to head into a large city I treat it as a military action. Get in, get the job done & get out!! I was familiar with the area where Home Depot was located so we didn’t have any problems finding it. It’s been a long time since I have been in a big box store like that so I felt like Henry Hayseed as I walked along between the towering orange shelving units of endless merchandise. I’m sure people noticed the wide eyed gawking guy in aisle 36.

THE HOME DEPOT GUY IS WORKING THE BUTTONS TO GET THE FERRIS WHEEL OF CARPETS GOING 
A quick question to a red vested employee with a big smiling face quickly led us to the carpet department. Another fellow with a big smiling face was only to happy to show us the huge rolls of carpet on a revolving ferris wheel type contraption. He reminded me a of a midway Carney as he excitedly punched some buttons activating the big carpet rotisserie. Around & around they went, stopping long enough at our level for us to look at & feel the texture of any particular carpet. A bit of humming & hawing & finally a decision was made. Found it interesting to watch how easily the carpet was cut to the length we needed. My oh my how things have changed from the days I worked at both Simpson Sears & Eatons many, many years ago.
 

THIS IS THE BIG CARPET CUTTING MACHINE CUTTING OUR CARPET

IT'S ME,  HENRY HAYSEED GAZING & GAWKING AT ALL THE REALLY NEAT-O STUFF ON THE TOWERING SHELVES WHILE PUSHING THE NEW CARPET IN THE GENERAL DIRECTION OF THE SMILING CASHIER

Within minutes we were out of the store & had the carpet in the car. A quick stop at McDonald’s next door & we were making some fast burgs & fries tracks for the quiet countryside. Henry Hayseed was back in his element again:))
 

LITTLE CORA IS ANXIOUSLY AWAITING FOR MOM TO RETURN WITH THE SNACKS 
June is one of the best months of the entire year in this climate. The burnt looking heat ravaged dog days of summer have not yet begun & the long bland transition from leafless Winter through budding Spring is over.  All the trees are fully leafed out in their finest & freshest styles of the year.  Seemingly endless seas of waving emerald grass spreads along the roadsides out into fields & over the hills.  Shades of green everywhere as corn begins to sprout in a field here & soy beans in another field there.  Flowering Dogwoods & Sumac trees along the bush lines.  Dark greens, light greens, lime greens, we got em all here in Ontario.    June is the greenest month of the entire year & today had to have been one of the best weather days of all so far.  The humidity was gone & we had a nice breeze coming in off the lake.  El Perfecto:))

  
By the time we reached home, Wade, our plumber guy was busy installing our new kitchen counter top, sink & taps.   He also put a new set of taps on our bathroom sink as well.  Nice to finally have that job done & out of the way.

WADE THE PLUMBER GUY HAS THE NEW COUNTER TOP ON & WILL SOON CUT THE HOLE FOR A DOUBLE SINK 

Power washed the rig today including the roof.  I remember last year I never checked the roof until late summer & by then there was enough green stuff growing up there to give our Motorhome the appearance of a Chia Pet coming down the road.  I even insulted the Jeep by washing some mud off the tires.  Fancy that!!

 

POWER WASHING THE RIG'S DIRTY ROOF   

One Thanksgiving years ago when we lived in the old tumble down farm near Fullarton Ontario, 3 of Kelly’s kids came out for the day. Her oldest daughter Sabra brought along a small energized brown whirlygig of a dog that sort of had a cute bat face & liked chasing the barn cats. Max, our part Border Collie was about 6 years old at the time & got a kick out of this little dickens running around all over the place. A friend of Sabra’s had bought the dog as a pup but had soon tired of it & gave it to Sabra. This little dog’s name was Cora & over the next couple years Sabra tried to make a home for her, but with heavy work schedules & some house moves, things just weren’t working out. I always got a kick out of this little brown ball of fur whenever she came for a visit but never dreamed she would one day play such an important role in our lives.
   
One warm summer day about 7 years ago Sabra & Cora dropped in for a visit. When Sabra headed home later that day, she headed home alone. It was explained to me at the time that little Cora was going to stay with us for a week or so to give Sabra a break. It soon became apparent that Cora, who I quickly nicknamed Motormouse, was here to stay.

Technically, we are only supposed to have one dog here in the Park so felt we had to find a home for her because we already had Max. Well, as many of you know, animals have a way of warmly working their way into our hearts.  And so it was the case with us & thoughts of giving away this little Muffin Face quickly vanished. I bond very deeply with animals & this little dog with it’s pug face, slight overbite & big personality has become one of the best friends I have ever had.
   
Cora soon became the Big Boss around the house but little did she know that ‘Big Boss’ status would soon be challenged a short year later by a big black & white Border Collie dog by the name of……Checkers:))

Our little Motormouse is 13 now with no signs of slowing down & both Kelly & I feel our lives have been so enriched by having her here. She is such a little Sweety Pie & right now as I am writing this she is perched on my recliner right beside the laptop & ready at a moment’s notice for a big Motormouse snuggle:))

KELLY SNAPPED THIS PHOTO OF ME WRITING TONIGHT'S POST

GROANER'S CORNER:((  On the first day, God created the dog and said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."  The dog said, "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years and I'll give you back the other ten?"
So God saw it was good.

On the second day, God created the monkey and said, "Entertain people, do tricks, and make them laugh. For this, I'll give you a twenty-year life span."  The monkey said, "Monkey tricks for twenty years? That's a pretty long time to perform. How about I give you back ten like the dog did?"
And God, again saw it was good.

On the third day, God created the cow and said, "You must go into the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves and give milk to support the farmer's family. For this, I will give you a life span of sixty years."  The cow said, "That's kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. How about twenty and I'll give back the other forty?"
And God agreed it was good.

On the fourth day, God created humans and said, "Eat, sleep, play, marry and enjoy your life. For this, I'll give you twenty years."
But the human said, "Only twenty years? Could you possibly give me my twenty, the forty the cow gave back, the ten the monkey gave back, and the ten the dog gave back; that makes eighty, okay?"
"Okay," said God, "You asked for it."
So that is why for our first twenty years, we eat, sleep, play and enjoy ourselves. For the next forty years, we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years, we do monkey tricks to entertain the grandchildren. And for the last ten years, we sit on the front porch and bark at everyone.
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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.