NO SICKNESS OR HEADACHES BUT KELLY IS EXTREMELY TIRED

 A MORNING'S CEMETERY WALK

Thunder boomers came rolling through our neighborhood in the night and this morning leaving water puddles in our driveway and dripping tree branches.  By 10 o'clock the rain had stopped and skies began clearing as Pheebs and I took a drive into and around Bayfield.  Feeling like a walk, we had three options.  Head to the Bayfield Cemetery and walk the roads, or the large grass field beside it, or the forest beside the grass field.  Well, knowing both the grass field and forest would still be wet, we opted for the roads.  However, it turned out to be a short walk because cars were coming in for a morning burial service and I didn't want Pheebs running up to people with her wagging tail and her 'hey, how's it going eh' happy look on her face.  

 NOT ALL BOATS MADE IT INTO THE WATER THIS SUMMER

 SOME BOATERS MAY TRAVEL WITH HANDY BICYCLES

 ALWAYS NICE TO SEE BOATS WITH SOME COLOR TO THEM

Home again and with the humidity ramping up after the rain I hooked up the utility trailer to the Jeep and took a large accumulated load of yard waste to our Park's recycle area.  With that task out of the way, I quickly headed inside to bask in the coolness of our A/C and my big pedestal fan.  Wished we could fast forward to the middle of September and then slowly meander our way to mid-October and then fast forward again to the beginning of next May.  I sure do got a big wish and some fast forwards in there eh:))        

 WATER PUDDLES IN THE CEMETERY

Our new weather forecasting machine this afternoon said it was raining when it wasn't so I took it outside, pointed it to the sky, and told it to 'smarten up'!!  It quickly fixed itself with a little beep that sounded like 'sorry' and correctly showed a sunny sky.  I like it when things get smartened up.  I'm going to go into the washroom now, look in the mirror, and utter those two words to the image I see there.  Why am I not convinced it will work?? 

Kelly's doing sort of okay since arriving home a couple days ago.  No sickness or headaches, but she is extremely tired and is frustrated because she can hardly do anything without having to sit down and rest.  It probably has something to do with all the blood she lost last week.  Pheebs and I aren't venturing any further than a few minutes from home for a while just in case we have to make another fast trip to either the Goderich or London hospitals again.  

 'HEY, HOW'S IT GOING EH'

Al's Music Box:)) All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix.  This is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, John Wesley Harding (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original version contain twelve lines, feature a conversation between a joker and a thief. The song has been subject to various interpretations; some reviewers have noted that it echoes lines in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, verses 5–9. Dylan has released several different live performances, and versions of the song are included on some of his subsequent greatest hits compilations.  Covered by numerous artists, "All Along the Watchtower" is strongly identified with the interpretation Jimi Hendrix recorded with the Experience for their third studio album, Electric Ladyland (1968). The Hendrix version, released six months after Dylan's original recording, became a Top 20 single in 1968, received a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 2001, and was ranked 48th in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004 (40th in the 2021 version). Dylan first played the song live in concert on the 'Bob Dylan and the Band' 1974 Tour, his first tour since 1966. His live performances have been influenced by Hendrix's cover, to the extent that they have been called covers of a cover. The singer has performed the song live more than any of his other ones, with over 2,250 recitals.  

GROANER'S CORNER:(( President Lincoln was approached by a woman after a political speech… If you were my husband I would poison your tea. Lincoln replied...if you were my wife I’d gladly drink it.

- Patient: Well, doc, what does the X-ray of my head show?
Doctor: Nothing.

- Two golden-agers were discussing their husbands over tea. "I do wish that my Elmer would stop biting his nails. He makes me terribly nervous."  My Billy used to do the same things," the older woman replied, "but I broke him of that pesky habit."  "How?"  "I hid his teeth!"

- A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter. So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES."  When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION."

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THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO ALL YOU KIND AND CARING FOLKS

 DID YOU NOTICE THE FARMER ON HIS TRACTOR CUTTING HIS FIELD OF GRASS?

A thunderstorm rolled over us around 8 a.m. this morning but it was not as bad as it had looked on our live radar weather site and it wasn't a deterrent for Pheebs and I to stay home.  We were soon on our way to Goderich.  

 THIS MORNING'S RAIN BROUGHT AN ABRUPT HALT TO THE WHEAT HARVEST

 IF YOU CAN PUT ONE BUMPER STICKER ON YOUR CAR, WHY NOT PUT A WHOLE BUNCH ON EH

 I DIDN'T ENVY THESE TWO BICYCLISTS IN THIS MORNING'S RAIN

 A QUIETLY SUBDUED MORNING AT THE BEACH

 BEACH MAINTENANCE AT ROTARY COVE

 A RAINY MORNINGS STROLL ON THE BOARDWALK

 BEACHCOMBEERS

I was on a mission to buy something I've been thinking about buying for the past decade or so.  Being the big weather blabberator that I am it's a wonder I didn't have one of these things decades before this.  A few days ago while at Richard and Gayles I noticed they had this really neat 'weather station' sitting on a table by a window.  It was the vibrant color display that bowled me over and looking at it I knew, with all its functions, the time had finally come after all these years to get one.  And, especially one that would operate during the frequent power outages we constantly experience.  We even had the power company here a couple weeks ago to check out our power box for loose wires and stuff.  The power guy told me the only loose wire around here was me.  Ya ya, I know:((  This is the weather station I picked up at Canadian Tire in Goderich this morning......La Crosse Wireless Weather Forecasting Station.  It boldly displays the current time, day, month, and year, humidity trends, phases of the Moon, air pressure trends, inside and outside temperatures, and temperature alerts.  It can also be used as an alarm clock.  It can make your morning coffee, start your car on cold mornings, and scrub your back in the shower.  Well okay, maybe not so much the last three.  It's the next model up that does all that:))       

Talked to Aunt Jean in Sarasota, Florida and she is on the mend from her bout of Covid.  Still quarantined to her room but she is hoping to be out and about shortly.  Unfortunately, Jean's best long-time friend Pat has now come down with Covid as well.  It's her second bout with Covid but she is expected to recover.

 I'VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THIS FARMER'S STONE WALL AND DID YOU NOTICE SOMETHING ODD ABOUT IT

 'AHA' THERE IT IS

 

A small correction to something I said a couple of days ago.  When I wrote that Kelly said that a lot of the hospital's medical staff were Oriental, that was incorrect.  She said a lot of them were of East Indian or Pakistani origin.   I noticed that as well the last couple times I accompanied Kelly to London's University Hospital.  Of course, University Hospital is a 'teaching' hospital and many come here from near and far for their medical training.

 A RURAL MAIL BOX

 WILDFLOWERS ALONGSIDE A WHEAT FIELD

I finished reading both Lucy Maude Montgomery's books in the Pat of Silverbush series.  Once again, I enjoyed both books immensely.  I am currently reading a book by Logan Steiner entitled After Anne. This novel is based on the story of Lucy Maude Montgomery's life and how she came about to write the 'Anne of Green Gables series of books plus the many other Prince Edward Island related books in her lifetime.  

Our day remained cloudy for a while but when the Sun came out this afternoon it really ramped up the miserable humidity so there was no afternoon walk for Pheebs and I.   

HER NAME IS STEPHANIE

Thanks once again to all of you kind and caring folks for your concern regarding Kelly's recent hospitalization.  These are difficult times not knowing what growing medical challenges await her around every corner.

MALE AND FEMALE CARDINALS AT OUR BIRD STATION TODAY

 MOURNING DOVE

 A YOUNG GRACKLE WHO HASN'T GROWN IN IT'S ADULT COLORS YET

Al's Music Box:)) Lovesick Blues by Hank Williams is a Tin Pan Alley song, composed by Cliff Friend, with lyrics by Irving Mills.  Emmett Miller recorded it in 1925 and 1928, followed by country music singer Rex Griffin in 1939. The recordings by Griffin and Miller inspired Hank Williams to perform the song during his first appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in 1948. Receiving an enthusiastic reception from the audience, Williams decided to record his own version despite initial push back from his producer Fred Rose (a former 1920s Tin Pan Alley songwriter) and his band.  Cashbox named the song "Best Hillbilly Record of the Year". It was the biggest hit of Hank Williams' career.  Hank Williams, who heard both the Miller and Griffin versions, started performing the song on the Louisiana Hayride shortly after joining the Hayride in August 1948.  Horace Logan, the show's producer and programming director for KWKH, reported that the audience "went crazy" the first time Williams performed the song on the show.  In light of the live audience's strong positive reaction, Williams decided to record the song. His decision was questioned by his musicians, who felt that the song did not merit a recording.  Williams, mindful of the reaction he received live, persisted, and the recording took place during the final half-hour of a session recorded at Herzog Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 22, 1948.  For this recording, Williams replaced the jazz musicians with a modern country music band, using a rhythm guitar, mandolin, string bass, drums and a steel guitar.  Williams' session band was composed of Clyde Baum (mandolin), Zeke Turner (electric guitar), Jerry Byred (steel guitar), Louis Innis (rhythm guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle) and Willie Thawl (bass).   In the episode of American Masters about Williams, Drifting Cowboy Don Helms recalls, "When they recorded 'Lovesick Blues,' Fred told Hank, 'That song's out of meter!  Got too many bars in it. And you hold that note too long.' And Hank said, 'Well, when I find a note I like, I wanna hold on to it as long as I can,' you know, just tryin' to be funny. And Fred said, 'Well, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. That thing is so much out of meter, I'm gonna get me a cup of coffee and when I get back maybe ya'll have that thing cut.' And they did, but it was still out of meter. So Fred lived with that the rest of his life." Williams combined Griffin's lyrical arrangement with a two-beat honky-tonk track, borrowing the yodeling and beat drops from Miller's recording.  "Lovesick Blues" was recorded in two takes.  Following the success of the song, Williams was invited to appear as a guest on the Grand Ole Opry, on June 11, 1949.  After the performance, Williams received a standing ovation.  "Lovesick Blues" became his signature song, which he used to close his shows.  It was also his first number-one hit, and garnered Williams the stage nicknames of "The Lovesick Blues Boy" and "Mr. Lovesick Blues".  In 1949, the singer received second billing behind Eddy Arnold on the list of the "Year's Top Selling Folk Artists".  Williams' version of the song was featured in the films The Last Picture Show (1971), Forrest Gump (1994) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). In 2004, "Lovesick Blues" was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Information for Northerners Visiting the Southern States::

1. If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in a four-wheel-drive pickup truck with a 12-pack of beer and a towchain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

2. Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store. Do not buy food at this store.

3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular, "All y'all" is plural, and "All y'alls'" is plural possessive.

4. Get used to hearing "You ain't from around here, are ya?"

5. You may hear a Southerner say "Oughta!" to a dog or child. This is short for "Y'all oughta not do that!" and is the equivalent of saying "No!"

6. Don't be worried about not understanding what people are saying; they can't understand you, either.

7. The first Southern expression to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big ol'," as in "big ol' truck " or "big ol' boy." Most Northerners begin their new Southern-influenced dialect this way. All of them are in denial about it.

8. The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.

9. Be advised that "He needed killin'" is a valid defense here.

10. If you hear a Southerner exclaim "Hey, y'all, watch this," stay out of the way. These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.

11. If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store. It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not. You just have to go there.

12. When you come upon a person driving 15 mph down the middle of the road, remember that most folks here learn to drive on a John Deere, and that this is the proper speed and position for that vehicle.

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- I just had a call from a Charity asking me to donate some of my clothes to the starving people throughout the world.  I told them to buzz off!!!!!  Anybody who fits into my  clothes isn't starving!!

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KELLY'S HOME:))))))

 EMPTY GRAIN BINS IN SATURDAY'S EVENING TWILIGHT AWAIT THEIR LOADS OF WHEAT

With the weather being so nice again Saturday night, Pheebs and set out for an evening spin around the countryside.  We came across a farmer combining wheat so I was able to get a few pics of that operation. 

 OUR AREA'S WHEAT HARVEST IS IN FULL SWING AS THIS COMBINES ROLLS INTO VIEW

 A TRACTOR WITH A GRAIN BIN ON BEHIND WAITS FOR THE APPROACHING COMBINE

THE COMBINE APPROACHES THE WAITING TRACTOR AND BIN

 THE TRACTOR IS NOW MOVING AS THE COMBINE PULLS UP ALONGSIDE

 WITHOUT STOPPING, THE COBINE TRANSFERS ITS LOAD OF WHEAT INTO THE TRACTOR;S GRAIN BIN

 YOU CAN SEE THE COMBINE'S OPERATOR HERE

 BOTH THESE VEHICLES ARE IN MOTION

 MOVING IN UNISON

 AT THIS POINT I SPOTTED A SECOND COMBINE 

 THE TRACTOR WITH ITS GRAIN BIN FULL NOW HEADS OUT TO THE ROAD WHERE THREE 18-WHEEL TRUCKS AWAIT TO TRANSPORT THE WHEAT TO AREA GRAIN TERMINALS

 IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS THOSE ROWS OF STRAW WILL BE BALED

We had a sultry mid-July summer's morn going on when Pheebs and I slipped out for a wee drive earlier today.  We didn't go too far because there was a chance Kelly might call to tell us we could come pick her up at the hospital.  She did call later to say that if the next round of blood tests late this morning were okay we could pick her up later this afternoon............She later called about 2:15 to say "come and get me".  Five minutes after that Pheebs and were in the Subaru heading for London.  We were at the hospital's front door one hour later.  A porter brought Kelly out in a wheelchair and we soon had her loaded up and headed for home with the exception of a stop at Bayfield's Woodland Drive-In for a bite to eat.  Kelly's feeling better but she is definitely not out of the woods yet.  We'll see how the next few days go...............

 LONDON UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL DEAD AHEAD

 AT THE HOSPITAL'S FRONT DOOR

KELLY'S ALL SMILES TO BE GOING HOME

 SUNDAY FARMERS WERE BUSY

PULLING INTO BAYFIELD'S WOODLAND DRIVE-IN

 HERE COME THE GOODIES

 I HAD A FOOTLONG HOT DOG AND KELLY HAD THIS WHICH IS EXPLAINED IN THE PHOTO BELOW

 'AND DON'T FORGET THE DOGGIES TREATS DAD'

Al's Music Box:)) Where Have All The Flowers Gone by the Kingston Trio.  This is a folk song written by American singer-songwriter Pete Seeger in 1955. Inspired lyrically by the traditional Cossack folk song "Koloda-Duda", Seeger borrowed an Irish melody for the music, and published the first three verses in 'Sing Out' magazine.  Additional verses were added in May 1960 by Joe Hickerson, who turned it into a circular song.  In 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the "Top 20 Political Songs".  The 1964 release of the song by Pete Seeger was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Famein 2002 in the Folk category.  Seeger found inspiration for the song in October 1955 while he was on a plane bound for a concert at Oberlin College, one of the few venues which would hire him during the McCarthy era.  Leafing through his notebook he saw the passage, "Where are the flowers, the girls have plucked them. Where are the girls, they've all taken husbands. Where are the men, they're all in the army."  In a 2013 interview, Seeger explained that he borrowed the melody from an Irish lumberjack song with the words 'Johnson says he'll load more hay.' He simply slowed the tune and incorporated the lines into it.  ^{The Kingston Trio} recorded the song in 1961.  Believing it to be a traditional song, they claimed authorship, although upon notice from Seeger they had their name removed and credited Seeger and Hickerson.  Seeger acknowledged their success with this song.  Their single, with "O Ken Karanga" as the A-side and the hit "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" the B-side, reached No. 21 in the 1962 Billboard Hot 100 chart and No. 4 on the Easy Listening chart.

EMPTY HAY WAGONS SATURDA EVENING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( While taxiing at London's Gatwick Airport, the crew of a U.S. Air flight departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose-to-nose with a United 727. An irate female ground controller lashed out at the U.S. Air crew, screaming: "U.S. Air 2771, where the hell are you going?  I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!"  Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, U.S. Air 2771?"  "Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.  Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of U.S. Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit around Gatwick was definitely running high. Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone, asking: "Wasn't I married to you once?"

- An exhausted hunter out in the wilds stumbled into a camp. "Am I glad to see you!" he said. "I've been lost for three days."  "Don't get too excited, friend," the other hunter replied. "I've been lost for three weeks."

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An engineer, a mathematician, and a physicist were standing around the university flagpole when an English professor wandered by. “What are you doing?” he asked. “We need to know the height of the flagpole,” said one, “and we’re discussing the formulas we might use to calculate it.” “Watch!” said the English professor. He pulled the pole from its fitting, laid it on the grass, borrowed a tape measure and said, “Exactly 24 feet.” Then he replaced the pole and walked away. “English professor!” sneered the mathematician, “We ask him for the height, and he gives us the length.”

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