THOUGHT I SAW SOMEBODY JUMP OFF THE BAYFIELD DOCK THIS MORNING.....AND YES THAT IS WHAT I SAW

Having folded up and put away my warmly lined winter pants a couple weeks ago I figured I wouldn't need them again until maybe late October or November.  Turns out I needed them this morning.  With temps only a few degrees above freezing and strong icy winds again blowing from the North I once more had to dress for Winter:((  

With the Jeep's heater on high Pheebs and I headed towards Bayfield to check out our favorite 'checking out spots'.  Bayfield's Beach is always one of those check points for us and I noticed right away high waves breaking over the piers on both sides of the Bayfield River.  Driving down into the harbor towards the beach I thought I saw someone jump off the end of the south pier into the churning lake waters.  Drove down to the end of the road by the pier quick as I could but no sooner had I parked the Jeep a fellow in a full body wetsuit walks by carrying a surfboard.  What!!  Despite the freezing cold air, blustery winds, and tumbling stormy waves it turns out there were five young guys surfing in those icy bone chilled Lake Huron waters.  And here I was dressed for winter sitting there with the Jeep's heater going full blast.  Some of my photos aren't the clearest but at least you will get the idea of what these young fellas were up to.  Watching them I thought to myself how foolish and dangerous that was and so typical of youth.  But then I had another thought.  All these books I have been reading these past bunch of years about pilots and air crew flying in the Battle of .Britain, the South Pacific, Africa, and Malta etc. have all involved the cream of youth.  Do you know those young fighter pilots flying those Spitfires, Mustangs, Corsairs, Hurricanes, Hellcats, and Thunderbolts were mostly all nineteen, twenty, and twenty one years old.  And the B-17 Flying Fortress's, Lancasters, B-25 Mitchel's, Halifax, and B-24 Liberator bombers were all of the same age as well.  Almost unimaginable and yet watching those young fellas out their in the stormy lake waters this morning I realized it was those very same types of courageous and dedicated young kids who won the Battle of Britain for England.  Yes, I do have to stop and check my thinking some days.

Because of the cloudy cold wind battered morning Pheebs and didn't venture too far again only stopping for one short wind blown leg stretch.  We were back home by ten.

Had intended to stay inside but soon as I saw another Squirrel on the bird station I knew I had no choice but to suit up, head back outside, and re-engage myself in the ongoing battle of just who is going to outwit who next in these ongoing Squirrel Wars.  I had watched the little Red Squirrel earlier and determined how it was gettin up on the feeder so here's what I did.  Ripping a twelve foot piece of plastic siding off the house I (okay okay so I had a spare piece in the shed) I cut a five foot section off and screwed it onto the bird station post where there was a gap exposing the wood post in the tin stove pipe I had wrapped around the post originally.  Now that was this morning and as of tonight I have not seen a Squirrel back up on that feeder.  Score one for me, one for the Squirrels and another one for me.  So far right now it is 2-1 for my side but of course I do realize that I won't remain ahead indefinitely.

While outside tending to my little Squirrel problem I noticed the skies first lighten, then brighten, then by golly there was Old Sol a peaking down through the dissipating clouds.  Our day was finally salvaged after all and oh how nice to feel that warmth in the Sun's rays. Our temps actually rocketed up to a dizzying height of 37 degrees.

HOSTA SPIKES PUSHING UP IN OUR FLOWER BEDS

Bruce came over about mid afternoon and it wasn't long before he had the gate pieces fitted together and our west entrance to the back yard once again began taking a shape.  Weather permitting he will be back Sunday to finish up.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Muldoon lived alone in the Irish countryside with only a pet dog for company. One day, the dog died, and Muldoon went to the parish priest and said, "Father, my dog is dead. Could ya' be sayin' a mass for the poor creature?" Father Patrick replied, "I'm afraid not. We cannot have services for an animal in the church. But there is a new denomination down the lane, and there's no tellin' what they believe. Maybe they'll do something for the creature."Muldoon said, "I'll go right away Father. Do ya' think $5,000 is enough to donate for the service?"Father Patrick exclaimed, "Sweet Mary, Mother of Jesus! Why didn't ya' tell me the dog was Catholic?"

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When is a car not a car? When it turns into a parking lot. 

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Murphy's Law of Toast :: The probability of the toast landing jelly side down is directly proportional to the cost of the carpet.

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IT WAS A MISERABLE WEATHER DAY SO I DECIDED TO GET RID OF SOME BLOOD

THEM'S IS SOME NICE TAIL FEATHERS YA GOT THERE BABES

Steady rains came in the night and stayed until late morning  There was very little incentive to even venture out the door but thoughts of sitting idle inside the house were not an appealing option.  No point of thinking about driving any country roads this morning unless I felt the Jeep needed a mud bath.  It didn't so off we went to Goderich keeping our wheels on pavement all the way.

CREEKS OVERFLOWING, PUDDLES ON THE ROADS, AND WATER GATHERING IN FARMER'S FIELDS

With a cold nasty morning going on I figured a lot of older folks wouldn't be out and about and that just might mean fewer people at the Maitland Valley Medical Center.  I like it when I occasionally figure something right and this morning was one of those times.  The small waiting room was empty and not chocked full of people (a first) and I was taken right in, jabbed with a needle, blood drained out, then kicked right back out the door.  I like when things happen fast like that.  The bloodwork is for my Stratford Urologist doctor.

AND YES THAT IS REALLY HOW GREEN MANY FIELDS AND LAWNS ARE LOOKING NOW

SOME OF OUR FRONT YARD  SHRUBS ARE BEGINNING TO BUD OUT

Pretty dreary looking down around the Goderich harbor but did see a large ship at the Goderich Elevators.  Don't think I'd ever seen the BBC California in port before.

NOTICE THE WORD 'TUG' PAINTED ON THE SIDE OF THE SHIP....I FIGURE THAT IS FOR TUG BOAT CAPTAINS TELLING THEM WHERE TO PUSH WITH THEIR TUGS

Aside from picking up a few things at Walmart on our way home our morning was not very adventuress.  Snow flurries are in the weather mix for the next couple days so not much to look forward to regarding outside activities.

MANAGED A FEW BIRD PHOTOS IN OUR FRONT YARD THIS AFTERNOON....MOURNING DOVE AND DID YOU NOTICE THE SIGNS OF SPRING

DOWNIE WOODPECKER AND I THINK IT'S A FEMALE

MALE CARDINAL ABOVE AND FEMALE CARDINAL BELOW

Despite the day's cold I again grabbed my paint brush and stirred me up some more paint.  Wasn't too bad in the carport out of the wind where I finished painting up the last pieces of a new gate.  Our good friend Bruce will be over next week to put that gate in for us.  You may remember handyman Bruce building a deck extension to our back porch a couple of summer's ago plus a bunch of other things over the years including a few RV projects.  No walk for Pheebs and I this afternoon.  Just too darn cold and miserable out:((

YOU MAY WONDER WHY THE JEEP IS BACKED IN SO CLOSE AND THE TAILGATE DOOR OPEN....THE ONLY ONE WHO MAY HAVE A CLUE TO THIS MIGHT BE BLOG READER GUMO...YEP, IT'S SO I CAN LISTEN TO MY SIRIUS SATELLITE RADIO AND BECAUSE IT WAS RAINING I HAD TO HAVE THE BACK END IN UNDER THE CARPORT ROOF

I think it was last Fall sometime when I last saw a Squirrel up on our bird station.  I was almost convinced I had finally won the Squirrel Wars.  Nope, today I spotted not only a Black Squirrel but a Red Squirrel as well up on my newly constructed feeder.  Chased the Red Squirrel off three times and each time I missed seeing how it was getting up there.  Sooooooo, it looks like the Squirrel Wars are back on for another season:((

With our tall pine trees whipping around in the wind like a bunch of tall green noodles and a short unexpected burst of late afternoon sunshine I was surprised to see a number of birds come in to the feeders.

A POOR QUALITY PHOTO BUT HAVE INCLUDED IT TO SHOW THE MOURNING DOVE LANDING AND INTERUPTING THE CARDINAL COUPLE

HMMMMM, MAYBE THERE IS MORE GOING ON HERE THAN MEETS THE EYE

HERE IS A SERIES OF PHOTOS SHOWING THE FEMALE CARDINAL FEEDING THE MALE CARDINAL

CARDINALS FEEDING EACH OTHER IS NOT AN UNCOMMON SIGHT AND I HAVE SEEN IT MANY TIMES

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Stuff Happens::  

- Tao: Stuff happens.

- Catholicism: If stuff happens, you deserved it.

- Protestantism: Let stuff happen to somebody else.

- Judasim: Why does stuff always happen to us?

- Islam: Stuff happens according to the will of Allah.

- Buddhism: The stuff is an illusion.

- Zen: What is the sound of stuff happening?

- Hinduism: This stuff happened before.

- Mormonism: This stuff should multiply.

- Baha'i Faith: Stuff happens in a progressive manner.

- Agnosticism: I'm not sure about this stuff.

- Atheism: That stuff about the stuff is all just made up stuff.

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- Mummy, can I wear a bra now that I'm sixteen?- No, David.
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“I couldn't find the car window ice scraper this morning, so I used a plastic store discount card to clean my windows. It didn't work very well. I only got 20% off.”
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