AND WITH EACH PASSING YEAR SPRING BECOMES MORE PRECIOUS THAN EVER

 WE HAD A TOUCH OF FOG ROLL IN OFF LAKE HURON THIS MORNING

Woke up to an overcast dull and dreary-looking Sunday morning. (finished it in sunshine) The kind of morning that made me want to sink deeper into my recliner, close my eyes, and dream of better days gone by.  However, it was what it was and Pheebs and I were soon up and out the door.  After she and Kelly had had their daily morning walk of course.  Well, at least it wasn't raining and there wasn't six inches of snow on the ground.

 THE MORNING STARTED OUT CLEAR

 OLD LONESOME

 A WILD TURKEY MAKES IT'S WAY ACROSS A FARMER'S FIELD

 TWO VERY DISTANT HORSES

 A MISTY DRIZZLE SETTLES IN

With a slight misty drizzle in the air, we slowly made our way around a few country roads northeast of our Park.  The mist eventually turned into a rolling fog and I saw a few cars driving with headlights on.  When a large land mass sits right next to a large water mass like Lake Huron, and with temperature fluctuations in the Spring and Fall, fog can quickly materialize along the shoreline with the prevailing northwesterly winds moving it slowly inland.  Pheebs and I were in the clear and wandering southward when I could see the fog bank approaching across a field on our right hand side.  It tumbled closer, over the fence, up the ditch and gently engulfed us.  And then, it just as quickly dissipated.  I don't think I've ever physically seen a moving fog bank like that before.  How nice I thought, to experience something different for a change.   Now, if I could just spot one of those darned elusive UFOs and get some clear pictures of it!!

 'I THINK THERE'S FOG HEADING OUR WAY DAD'

Kelly had mentioned yesterday about driving a short 10 miles to the Farmers Dell in Brucefield.  She had a hankering for Fish Tacos but by the time we planned to go she wasn't feeling well so we put if off.  A better day today so away the three of us went.  I'm not big on Tacos or fish so it was a hamburger with the works and a small fries for me.  We followed our lunch up with two butter pecan ice cream cones.  Everything was good but it was the ice cream I liked the best.  I liked it enough that I didn't even drip any on my shirt or pants.  Very unusual indeed.   

 THAT'S OUR WHITE CAR AT THE FARMER'S DELL

 KELLY ORDERS US UP SOME GRUB

 AND HERE SHE COMES NOW

 'I SMELL FOOD DAD'

 'NOT FAIR DAD, MOM'S MOT SHARING'

 IT'S QUITE AND EXTENSIVE MENU THEY HAVE HERE AT THE FARMERS DELL

 AND LOOK AT THAT, THE FARMER'S DELL HAS BEEN HERE SINCE 1956

AND I ALMOST FORGOT TO INCLUDE THIS PHOTO OF MY BUTTER PECAN CONE WHICH WAS BIGGER THAN THIS UNTIL I GOT MY FACE INTO IT 

 HERE COMES THE ICE CREAM

Home again and feeling a tad tired, I climbed into my sunroom recliner with the intention of reading for a while.  It was 3 p.m. and I never even got the cover open.  Somehow the clock jumped ahead to shortly after 5 p.m. and Pheebs woke me up by bumping against my chair wanting to get me up and out for an afternoon walk.  And so, minutes later, away we went over to and around the Park's pond.  It turned out to be a five-turtle walk but I didn't take any photos.  Sometimes I  just like to go for a brisker walk-walk instead of my usual slower camera walk.  Sure is nice to be outside on these invigorating and slightly cooler Spring days.  I think we got up to 57 today.  A pleasant change from Saturday's heat and humidity.    

 THIS LOVELY FARM PROPERTY IS OUR PARK'S CLOSEST NEIGHBOR 

There is something else about Spring that makes it so special and that is the sounds of Spring.  A couple of days ago working in the front yard I was serenaded by a whole host of Red Winged Blackbirds.   I don't know if they were having some kind of a feathered convention or not, but there was a lot of them and how great it was to hear their calls.  Also, at night all we have to do is open our door to hear the chorus of Peeper Frogs as well as the rattling hockey whistle sounds of Tree Frogs.  And the Crows of course are always a sound of early Spring.  Add to the mix, Cardinals, Robins, Blue Jays, Woodpeckers, and the twittering and tweeting of so many other small birds.  The honking of Canada Geese overhead is almost a daily thing here in the Spring.  After the dead silence of winter months, it is electrifying to hear so many songbirds in the trees now.  It is the birds that bring back life and hope to so many of us who struggle through the dregs of the long winter months.  Yes indeed, Spring is truly in the air and with each passing year it becomes more precious than ever:)) 

 A TOUCH OUT OF FOCUS BUT I HAVE INCLUDED IT ANYWAY

 AND KUDOS TO OUR PARK'S HARD-WORKING  VOLUNTEER GROUP WHO GO OUT OF THEIR WAY TO KEEP OUR PARK LOOKING SO GREAT

A Blast From Our Past: You Are So Big And I Am So Small May 4th, 2009.  Facebook threw me this memory today. 

Al's Music Box:)) Yesterday Once More was written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by the Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & then. Thematically the song concerns reminiscing about songs of a generation gone by. It segues into a long medley, consisting of eight covers of 1960s tunes incorporated into a faux oldies radio program. The work takes up the entire B-side of the album.  The single version of the song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and was kept from the number 1 spot by "Bad, Bad, Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce. It was the duo's fifth number-two hit and makes them the act with the second-most number-two hits on the chart behind Madonna. The song also peaked at number 1 on the easy listening chart, becoming their eighth number 1 on that chart in four years.  It is the Carpenters' biggest-selling record worldwide and their best-selling single in the UK, peaking at number 2.  Richard Carpenter stated, in a Japanese documentary, that it was his favorite of all the songs that he had written. He has performed an instrumental version at concerts.  According to Cash Box, on June 2, 1973, "Yesterday Once More" was the highest-debuting single at No. 71. By August 4, it had reached No. 1.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A teacher was giving a lesson on the circulation of the blood. Trying to make the matter clearer, he said: “Now, students, if I stood on my head the blood, as you know, would run into it, and I should turn red in the face.”  “Yes, sir,” the boys said.  “Then why is it that while I am standing upright in the ordinary position the blood doesn't run into my feet?”  A little fellow shouted, “‘It's because yer feet ain't empty.”

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- Why are goldfish orange?  The water makes them rusty!

- Who held the baby octopus for ransom?
Squidnappers!

- What game do fish like playing the most?  Name that tuna!

- What is a dolphin's favorite TV show?  Whale of fortune!

- If electricity comes from electrons... does that mean that morality comes from morons?

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The young boy protested vigorously when his mother asked him to take his little sister along fishing. “The last time she came,” he objected, “I didn’t catch a single fish.” “I’ll talk to her,” his mother said, “and I promise this time she won’t make any noise.”  “It wasn’t the noise, Mom,” the boy replied. “She ate all my bait.”
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AND NO, WE DID NOT SEE A PARTRIDGE IN A PEAR TREE

 A PAIR OC CANADA GEESE KEEPING THEIR HEADS LOW HOPING PHEEBS AND I WON'T SEE THEM

A mighty fine morning for Pheebs and I on our country road walk.  She was trailing behind so we didn't do our full half-mile.  I think she was glad to get back to the Jeep.  Neither one of us is getting any younger and some days the advancing years make their presence known. 

 SPRINGS FOREST REFLECTIONS IN SWAMPY WATER

 TOUCHES OF COLOR ON THE FOREST FLOOR

 AND THERE'S OLD GATOR JAWS AGAIN

 FOREST FOLIAGE IS FILLING IN QUICKLY NOW

LOOKS LIKE THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF A SPRING CROP

 DANDELIONS IN A FIELD BUT NOT A FIELD OF DANDELIONS

 SO NICE TO SEE ALL THE TREES LEAFING OUT

A swing through our Park before rolling out netted me an additional couple of photos.

 I THINK THESE MIGHT BE CALLED BLEEDING HEARTS

A gloriously sunny day with big blue skies and a temperature cool enough earlier in the morning to allow me to comfortably work outside in the front yard again. My project goals were to move all the rocks I had removed from several flower beds last Fall back into place now that the stone-dust paths were done and to finish mulching the remaining flower beds.  Some of those rocks were big and heavy enough that I had to use a fridge cart to move and maneuver them into place.  All went well and I didn't mash any fingers.

By noon, the heat and humidity were bothering me and draining my energy levels.  But that was okay because I had accomplished most of what I had set out to do this morning.  And Kelly noticed this morning that our Redbud Tree is beginning to show some color.  Oh tis the season to rejoice in the great wonders of Spring:))

 WILD TRILLIUMS IN OUR FLOWER BED

 UP CLOSE WITH A TRILLIUM FLOWER

After a short snooze in my sunroom recliner with a fan blowing directly on me I was revitalized enough to take Pheebs for a walk over to our Park's pond.  Saw one Little Blue Heron, three Painted Turtles, one Frog, two Mourning Doves, and a pair of Canada Geese.  And no, we did not see a Partridge in a Pear Tree.

THE WOODS BESIDE THE PARK'S POND

 A ROBIN ON ALERT FOR WORMS

 MARSH MARIGOLDS AND PERIWINKLE AT THE POND'S EDGE

 PAINTED TURTLES

 I THINK THIS LITTLE CHAP IS DOING THE BREAST STROKE

 AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS LITTLE FELLA IS PUSHING AN AIR BUBBLE ALONG  IN FRONT OF HIM

THIS IS THE FIRST FROG I HAVE SEEN AT THE PARK'S POND THIS YEAR

 YOUNG MAPLE LEAVES

 AND BY GOLLY THERE IS A CAMERA SHY LITTLE BUG HIDING IN THIS DANDELION

Music Box:) Six Days On The Road is an American song written by Earl Green and Muscle Shoals Sound Studio songwriter Carl Montgomery, made famous by country music singer Dave Dudley.  In 1963, the song became a major hit leading to it being hailed as the definitive celebration of the American truck driver.  Six Days set off a vogue for such songs that continued for many years. The trucking songs coincided with country music's growing identification as working man's music in the 1960s for many country music artists and bands.  Dudley "strikingly captures the sense of boredom, danger, and swaggering masculinity that often accompanies long-distance truck driving. His macho interpretation, with its rock-and-roll overtones, is perfect for the song."  Allmusic writer Bill Dahl called "Six Days" the "ultimate overworked rig driver's lament;" indeed, the song's lyrics bemoan highway patrolmen, scale weigh-ins and loneliness for the narrator's girlfriend, and speak of using "little white pills" to keep him awake. Like Malone, Dahl also cited Dudley's voice as perfect for the song, as "his bottomless pipes were certainly the ultimate vehicle for its delivery, reeking of too much turbid coffee and too many non-filtered cigarettes."

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Heard On Noahs Ark::

- "Did anyone think about bringing a couple of umbrellas?"

- "Hey, there are more than two flies in here!"

- "Wasn't someone supposed to put two shovels on board?"

- "OK, who's the wise guy who brought the mosquitoes on board?"

- "Help! I need some Pepto for the elephants, QUICK!"

- "Don't Make Me Pull This Ark Over And Come Back There!"

- "And whatever you do, DO NOT pull this plug out."

AND THE NUMBER ONE THING OVERHEARD ON NOAH'S ARK.....

- "Are We There Yet?"

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- Boss (to the new employee): We are very keen on cleanliness. Did you wipe your feet on the mat as you came in?
New employee: Yes, sir.
Boss: We are also keen on truthfulness. There is no mat.

- My son Luke loves that we named our children after Star Wars characters.  My daughter Chewbacca not so much.

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You might be a Redneck if......
- You can't take a bath in the winter cause the creek is frozen.
- You think "Dueling Banjos" is classical music.
- You refer to the Surgeon General's Warning on a pack of cigarettes as your medical encyclopedia.
- You go to garage sales to shop for Christmas gifts.
- You're 42 and still have clowns come to your birthday party.
- Your husband uses a can of spray paint to paint the upholstery in your car to make it look new.

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