I SURE AM A LUCKY FELLOW WHEN IT’S SUPPER TIME EVERY NIGHT

 

Aside from Kelly, Pheebs, & I taking ourselves for a drive late this morning looking at some ridiculously high priced houses & properties for sale in our area it ended up being kind of an inside overcast day.  Sun did finally come out mid afternoon but the humidity & mosquitos were was so bad today there was no going outside to do anything.  Well at least not for me there wasn’t.

 

OUR PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS IS STILL BLOOMING

RETIRED ROD in a comment said, " Man with all that grass your going to have to fire up one of those fire breathin gas belchin lawnmowers and shake the heck out of the neighborhood.... You'll need ear plugs for sure".............. No more noisy fume belchin lawn mowers for this guy.  We have a simple elbow grease push mower here which will be fine for doing our small amount of grass:))

THIS HERE’S MY GOOD OLD ELBOW GREASE MOWER

A few folks in Arizona have commented on the heavy rains occurring in & around the Wickenburg area.  Wickenburg seems to be particularly hard hit with a lot of flooding but then again they have the Hassayampa River running right through it’s southern end & that river is notorious for it’s flooding.  We haven’t heard anything from our neighbors around the corner looking after our Congress place so I guess maybe ‘no news is good news’.  Water does flow through our back yard during heavy rains but not near the house.  The house actually sits atop a cement foundation & there is no basement.  And of course we have our fingers crossed that the roof has not leaked. 

OUR ANNUAL MUSHROOM CROP IS AGAIN DOING WELL THIS SUMMER

I sure am a lucky fellow in many ways & I was reminded of that fact again while eating another delicious supper tonight.  When Pheebs calls me for supper all I have to do is come to the table, sit down, & there is my supper on the table in front of me.  And I didn’t have to lift a finger to get it there.  Unlike a number of men I have never had even the slightest or remotest interest in cooking.  I wouldn't even know how to turn on our BBQ.  It's not that I don't know how or haven’t cooked a number of simple things before but fortunately for me I don't have to do it now.  Kelly enjoys cooking plus she likes to make her own salad things along with rices & stir fry stuff.  I don’t care much for any of that except for maybe some minimal salads once & a long while.  Best part is I don’t have to be a part of all the cooking & preparation fuss.  And for that I consider myself to be a very lucky fellow indeed.  Besides when a great job needs to be done I think it is always a good thing to have the person who is best at that particular job do that particular job.  Well, that’s how it works in my mind anyway:))

On my sidebar under 'Fellow Bloggers' are many RV travelers.  Wished I could honestly say I read & keep up with each & everyone's daily life, their travels, their plans, & their destinations but I can't honestly say that I do.  It’s not that they are not all great blogs it’s just I am unfortunately not a great reader.  As I scroll down my fellow Blogger's list it is often the title of a post which will catch my interest & attention.  I remember coming across a blog called Goza's Wanderings & Wonderings last winter while in Arizona.  Liked this fella's photos & writing & especially liked that he was/is a fellow constantly on the move traveling across the country in his truck & fifth wheel never staying in one place very long.  My kinda guy.  I followed Darrell's blog for awhile but as so often happens with me I got behind & didn't keep up.  However Darrell's July 19th blog title did catch my attention, 'Family Emergency Update 1'.  He has had to suddenly rush from South Dakota to Louisiana.......................

And a correction to something I mentioned in Saturday’s post.  The ‘American Hustle’ movie we watched did not win 10 Academy Awards but was nominated for 10 academy awards.  Why that movie would be nominated for anything is way beyond me but I did like the soundtrack.

GROANER’S CORNER:((   On her 15th birthday, my daughter opened a package from her mom and her sisters. Out came a beauty case containing many samples of makeup.
"Neat!" I exclaimed. "Your own tackle box!"  My wife calmly explained that it was NOT a tackle box; it was a beauty kit. My daughter proceeded to open it up and show us all the mascara, eye shadow, rouge, and other cosmetics.  At this point I leaned over to my wife and whispered, "I told you it was a tackle box. Just look at all those lures."

COULDN’T THINK OF A TITLE SO THIS IS IT

GODERICH’S SIFTO SALT MINE SLOWLY EMERGES FROM AN EARLY MORNING MIST

Pheebs & I did make it over to the shores of Lake Huron Friday night hoping for a sunset.  A few rain drops on the windshield as we took ourselves for a cruise around Bayfield finally stopping at Pioneer Park overlooking the lake.  Clouds were right on the deck out over the water & we heard rumbles of distant thunder.  With a bit of clearing overhead I was optimistic but alas it was not to be.  Cloud cover intensified & came ashore packing heavy rains.  We skee-daddled for home & that was it for our night.  Checked our computer's weather radar & saw several small power packed storm cells had targeted Bayfield with thunder, lightning, & rain.  This morning started out foggy with excessive heat warnings for the afternoon.

THIS SINGLE HOLE IN THE CLOUDS WAS ALL WE COULD FIND FOR A FRIDAY NIGHT SUNSET IN BAYFIELD

JUST A BIT OF MIST WHEN WE ROLLED OUT OF OUR FORESTED PARK THIS MORNING

ROADS DRYING AS WE HEAD FOR GODERICH

FLOWERS IN A WHEAT FIELD ALONG OUR WAY

Had a few things to pick up in Goderich so Pheebs & I were off again in the morning with our first stop a McDonalds.   Saw in a Home Hardware flyer a good deal on a set of open ended & sock wrenches so with flyer in hand I headed into the TSC store to ask the clerk if they had any left.  Well you noticed my mistake there right.  I embarrassedly left the TSC store after the clerk told me it was a Home Hardware flyer I had in my hand & chased me out of the store.  I just have to shake my head at myself sometimes.

With coffee & muffin in hand we headed ourselves on down to the beach for a walk at the dog walking area along the water's edge.  A few photos along the boardwalk as the last vestiges of this mornings mist slowly burnt off.  As the sun climbed into the eastern sky I could feel the day's humidity already building & it was only 10 a.m.  Figured we had better head ourselves on home before I turned into a big ball of paste.  Ambled our way through Goderich heading south until we picked up a few back roads heading for Bayfield.  I was looking forward to getting home & relaxing in some refreshing A/C but it was not to be.

THIS BOARDWALK RUNS THE ENTIRE LENGTH OF GODERICH’S BEACH WHICH I’M GUESSING IS A MILE OR MORE

AN EARLY MORNING TALK BY THE LAKE

STILL TALKIN……………..

Kelly was away at the Bayfield Library but had left a note on the counter saying Art's Landscape had called saying someone had not picked up all their sod, they had 12 rolls left over, did we want them.  Well sure, so back outside I went, hooked the utility trailer up & it was back to Goderich I went.  The sod had been sitting on a pallet since Thursday morning & in this heat I knew it had to be laid soon as possible.  Wasn't looking forward to doing that but the sod needed to be unrolled & watered before it dried out.  Luckily I've had experience laying sod years ago so it didn't take me long to get it all down & soaked.  An hour later I had some additional help from Mother Nature when another fast moving storm cell rolled in off Lake Huron packing more rain.  Bonus.

 

Well I've been doing much better this summer than I have for the past 8 summers.  We’ve been home from the South-West now for over three & a half months & I still have not been bothered by my old nagging ‘hitch-itch’ problem.  Other years we would be home less than a month & I’d be chomping at the bit to be back on the road going somewhere.  I would be complaining & counting the days until we could head for the deserts & mountains of the South-west again.  Oh I know that will all begin to stir again come September I’m sure but for now I’m still Okay & I figure part of the reason for that is my many country road day trips with the Pheebs.  I’m sure that has gone a long way in staving off the ‘itch’.  A few of the fun photo projects I currently have on the go have helped as well giving me some focus & purpose to my days.  Even some of the after supper drives Pheebs & I take around Bayfield have helped.  Add it all up & it goes a long way to appeasing my very restless nature.  Say, you don’t suppose I’m finally getting a wee bit domesticated do you.  Oh perish the thought……………………………..

CAN YOU FIND PHEEBS MAKING HER WAY DOWN A HILLSIDE OF FLOWERS

 

Well it’s movie night for us.  Kelly picked up a DVD at the Library today so as soon as I publish this post we’ll settle down to watch, ‘American Hustle’.  Apparently it won 10 Academy Awards.  Only award I ever won was for eating a Fudgesicle backwards once.

YEP THAT THERE’S MY MOST BESTEST GIRL ALRIGHT:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Irving was just coming out of anaesthesia after a series of tests in the hospital, and his wife, Sarah, was sitting at his bedside. His eyes fluttered open, and he murmured, "You're beautiful."  Flattered, Sarah continued her vigil while he drifted back to sleep. Later he woke up and said, "You're cute."  "What happened to 'beautiful'?" Sarah asked.  "I guess the drugs must be wearing off," he replied. Last we heard Irving is still in the hospital recovering from two black eyes.

BEAUTY IS ALL AROUND US, WE JUST HAVE TO BE PATIENT ENOUGH TO SEE IT

Dodging early Friday morning rain showers I was able to lay down 14 rolls of sod before heavier rains were upon us.  Just a little backyard project I have been working on.  Had ordered enough sod to do a stretch 5’x24’ but after picking up the rolls in Goderich with the utility trailer Friday afternoon & returning home I changed my plans.  Decided at the last minute to include a larger area so will have to return next week to Art's Landscaping & pick up another dozen rolls to complete the job.

I HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED ON ONLY DOING THAT LONG NARROW PART ON THE LEFT BUT ADDED THE SECTION ON THE RIGHT AT THE LAST MINUTE

ROLLS OF SOD AT THE LEFT

<<< NEXT WEEK I WILL FINISH THAT DIRT PART AT THE TOP

Thanks to readers for your kind words on my Thursday post.  When I did my nature slide presentations years ago at the Stratford Art Gallery & various Seniors homes I would always impress on people you do not have to travel to exotic lands & locations to find our world’s beautiful wonders.  They are right outside your own door in the flowerbeds, the trees, & your neighborhood.  One just has to take the time to understand & appreciate the beauty which abounds around us.  It is one of the greatest joys in having a photography hobby.  If you have a genuine interest in photography & if you carry a camera around everywhere you go like I do you will soon find a whole new world of color, shadows, & shapes opening up for you.  The more time you spend with your camera the more you are going to see.  After awhile when your mind becomes attuned you will begin noticing things you never saw before, were ever aware of, or were even looking for.   Your subconscious will become instinctively aware of those shapes, colors, & shadows everywhere you go & in everything you do.  You will not have to go searching for photos because photos will simply show up & tap you on the shoulder saying ‘here I am’.  A solitary shaft of sunlight through a forest canopy alighting on a single leaf will catch your attention, a shadow cast across a room, fiery colors sweeping an overhead sky at sunrise or the soft glow of sunset on someone’s cheek.  This can all be part of a new world for you, a new beginning perhaps.  The challenge of a flittering Butterfly & the busyness of a Honey Bee.  Beauty is all around us & all’s we have to do is take the time to see it.  And if you have a camera with you, you can share what you see with others……………………………..

THIS FEMALE CARDINAL IS SITTING ON THE SAME BRANCH THE SOGGY BLUE JAY SAT IN THURSDAY’S POST

 

MALE CARDINAL FLEW IN BRINGING THE FEMALE CARDINAL A FEW TASTY SEEDS FROM OUR BIRDFEEDER NEARBY

Sky’s are clearing as I type this so will publish my post early & maybe Pheebs & I will slip out & see if we can catch us a Lake Huron sunset………….:))

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A marketing type managed to corner me at the mall and was asking a series of survey questions: 
"Which shaving cream do you use?"
"Baba's." The interviewer dutifully recorded my answer and proceeded with the next question.
"Which aftershave do you use?"
"Baba's."
"Which deodorant do you use?"
"Baba's."
"Which toothpaste do you use?"
"Baba's."
"Which shampoo do you use?"
"Baba's."
"Which soap do you use?"
"Baba's."
"Thank you. I have one final question: tell me please, What is Baba's? Is it a foreign company?"
"No, Baba is my roommate."

SOMETIMES IT’S JUST MORE ABOUT WHAT YOU SEE THAN WHAT YOU SAY

  

A VERY SOGGY RAIN SOAKED BLUE JAY THIS PAST TUESDAY

 

WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SOGGY BLUE JAY ALL OF TONIGHT’S PHOTOS WERE TAKEN WEDNESDAY MORNING

 

 

 

 

GROANER’S CORNER:(( Every morning during our coffee break, my co-workers and I listened to the culinary disasters of a newlywed colleague. We then tried to share some helpful hints and recipes.  One day she asked us for step by step instructions on cooking sweet potatoes - one of her husband's favorites. "I've finally been able to make them sweet," she said, "but how do you make them orange?"