Sunday, December 14, 2025

WHEN THE SNOW GETS TOO DEEP FOR MY SHOVEL

A SNOWY SUNDAY MORNING AND YES THAT IS A SQUIRREL BOUNDING THROUGH THE SNOW TO THE RIGHT
Another snowfall overnight, and it just kept on coming throughout the day.  Needless to say, I spent time on the end of my snow shovel trying to keep ahead of the falling snow.  And, to go along with that snow, the temperature was at 16°F with high winds taking the wind chill factor down to -4°F.  Not nice, and I had to dress extra warm.  My snow shovelling priority is always the bird feeder paths so that I can keep the feeders stocked up for the little guys.  I also sprinkle generous amounts of corn around as well, much to the satisfaction of the Blue Jays, Squirrels, and Bunnies.  It's quite a little hobby farmer I are.  With the pathways to feeders and two sheds shoveled, and with snow coming steadily straight down, I decided not to shovel the driveway yet.  Besides, despite being dressed warmly, my fingers inside my gloves were getting very cold.  Time to slip inside where it's warm and cozy, and brew myself up a cup of hot coffee.  By late morning, there was a break in the snowfall, and I figured it was a good time to get out and get at the driveway.  But Frank beat me to it.  Frank is a neighbor with a snowblower who, last year, took it upon himself to keep my driveway and several other neighbors' driveways clear.  I was about to climb out of my recliner when I heard a rumbling outside, and there was Frank coming up the driveway with his snow blower going full tilt.  Twenty minutes later, my driveway was clear, and Frank was off to do another driveway around the corner.  Frank's wife, Janey, told me last summer that Frank doesn't like sitting around the house and that he loves to be outside doing things, even in the winter.  I am so grateful to Frank for helping me with the driveway when the snow gets too deep for my shovel.  I sure hope it doesn't snow again overnight.

 IT'S FRANK AND HIS SNOWBLOWER
 THIS IS WHAT A FINE AND KINDLY NEIGHBOR LOOKS LIKE

 AND OUR SNOW LOAD CONTINUES TO BUILD
Al's Music Box:: Ferry Cross The Mersey by Jerry And The Pacemakers.  Needless to say, I was again on the end of my snow shovel trying to keep ahead of it.

 JUST IN FROM SHOVELING THIS MORNING
GROANER'S CORNER:(( A group of Canadians were traveling by tour bus through Holland.  As they stopped at a cheese farm, a young guide led them through the process of cheese making, explaining that goat’s milk was used.  She showed the group a lively hillside where many goats were grazing.  "These," she explained, "are the older goats put out to pasture when they no longer produce." She then asked, "What do you do in Canada with your old goats?"  A spry old gentleman answered, "We get sent on bus tours!"

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Police Quotes::

- “The handcuffs are tight because they're new. They'll stretch out after you wear them awhile.”
- “If you run, you'll only go to jail tired.”

- “The answer to this last question will determine whether you are drunk or not. Was Mickey Mouse a cat or dog?”

- “Yeah, we have a quota. Two more tickets and my wife gets a toaster oven.”

- “Life's tough, it's tougher if you're stupid.”

- “Just how big were those two beers?

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If I had a dollar every time a customer complained about the price of cinema food.
I could almost afford a small popcorn.

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A father is explaining ethics to his son, who is about to go into business...
"Suppose a woman comes in and orders a hundred dollars' worth of material. You wrap it up, and you give it to her. She pays you with a $100 bill. But as she goes out the door, you realize she's given you two $100 bills. Now, here's where the ethics come in: should you or should you not tell your partner?

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery









Saturday, December 13, 2025

BY THE WAY, SHE WILL BE TURNING 99 NEXT JULY

 ON THIS GRAY, DRAB DAY, I FOUND SOME COLOR ALONG  GODERICH'S SHORELINE
With another couple inches of snow overnight, I was again on the end of my snow shovel first thing this morning for an hour and a half.  That's the driveway, two decks, the pathways to my bird feeders, and around the back of the house, with paths shoveled to both sheds and the back deck.  It felt good to get the exercise.  Slipped into Bayfield and filled Subie's gas tank at the Bayfield Garage, and then headed down to the beach area to check on the progress of the ice forming along the shoreline.  I was surprised to see ice fishermen already on the recently frozen Bayfield River.

 ICE FORMATIONS CONTINUE TO ADVANCE OUT INTO LAKE HURON AT BAYFIELD'S BEACH
FISHEERMEN ON THE BAYFIELD RIVER THIS MORNING
 BAYFIELD'S BEACH IN THE FOREGROUND IS UNDER THAT ICE AND SNOW
Friday, I slipped up to Goderich in the morning to drop a prescription off at the Walmart Pharmacy.  I had intended to pick up a few things, but with the crowd of people in there, I turned around and walked out.  I have no patience for crowds of people, regardless of what they are doing or where they are going.  I did manage to slip down around the harbor and take a few photos out at Rotary Cove before heading home.  And hey, I didn't even stop at A&W for a Buddy Burger...... Phoned Aunt Jean Friday night, and she was doing okay except for some painful swelling in her neck when she puts her head down.  Monday afternoon, she is heading into the hospital for bloodwork and a scan of her neck.  No, she's not driving there herself; she has a personal chauffeur.  Aunt Jean was a registered Nurse for years in Sarasota, Florida, (she headed up an IV team there) and after that, worked quite a while for a Doctor Wiseman in his office.  Doctor Wiseman has been Aunt Jean's doctor ever since, and they have remained good friends.  Doctor Wiseman is retired now, and although recovering from a serious heart attack about three months ago, it is he who insisted on driving Aunt Jean to her medical appointment early Monday afternoon.  Incidentally, Aunt Jean thinks it was Dr. Wiseman who, despite a long waiting list, 'fast-tracked' her acceptance to the Sunnyside Village assisted living facility a couple of years ago.  He was Sunnyside Village's resident Doctor at that time.  When I call Aunt Jean next Friday night, she may have the results of those hospital tests.  By the way, she will be turning 99 next July.

 LAKE HURON'S WATRLINELINE IS NORMALLY AT THE FOOT OF THOSE FOREGROUND ROCKS AT GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE
 WITH THESE COLD TEMPERATURES UPON US NOW, ICE KEEPS FORMING OUT INTO THE LAKE
Al's Music Box:: Warmth Of The Sun by The Beach Boys.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A Few Pearls of Wisdom::

- In the old west, Cowboys hung lanterns from their saddles at night. It's the first example of Saddle Light Navigation...

- Prison may be just one word to you. But to others, it’s a whole sentence

- Why did the kids think a blanket was the perfect Father's Day gift?  They thought Dad was the coolest.

- What did one toilet say to the other?  You look flushed.

- Why do seagulls fly over the ocean?  If they flew over the bay, they’d be bagels.

- What has four wheels and flies?  A garbage truck.

- Why did the Oreo go to the dentist?  It lost its filling.

- What do you call a boomerang that doesn’t come back?  A stick.

- Did I tell you I ordered both a chicken and an egg from Amazon?  I'll let you know.

- You know why you should avoid the new Lego store when it opens tomorrow? People will be lined up for blocks.

- There's something about those trees I just don't trust.  They seem kind of shady.

- I used to play piano by ear, but now I use my hands.

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery