LOOKING FORWARD TO 'BETTER DAYS AHEAD'

MALE AMERICAN GOLDFINCH...ALL PHOTOS TAKEN IN OUR FRONT YARD TODAY
Despite sunny sky's & slightly warmer temperatures I failed to find the right mixture of motivation, interest & enthusiasm for the day.  Aside from a motorcycle ride up to Goderich's A&W for an 'Uncle Burger' I just kind of hung around my recliner a lot.  Looking forward to better days ahead........

Noticed we have 4 new blog supporters so want to welcome JAMMIN' ALONG, LYNNE & MILLIE'S WINNIE VIEWS, Doyle & Terri Johnson's FULL TIME RV ROAD WARRIORS, & Lynn-Country Heart & Roses.  Thanks for climbing aboard folks.  Always nice to have new people along.  My blog is plowing through a little rough water right now so hope you will stick around until we are once again into calmer seas under full sails.

MALE ROSE BREASTED GROSBEAK
Some readers may recall me mentioning about the heavy tax duty we got hit with (over $90) when our 6 free copies of Microsoft's Streets & Trips crossed the border into Canada about 3 weeks ago.  Joani Jones representing Microsoft's promotional agency for that free give-away promotion contacted us recently & is working on having those C.O.D. charges reversed.  Thought that was mighty nice of her to do that for us.  Four copies of Microsoft's Streets & Trips are right now in the mail to RV friends both here in Canada & the U.S.  The 5th copy we will deliver to another RV couple living near Bayfield shortly.

MALE CARDINAL
It's Saturday night & while thinking of my hometown of Tavistock Ontario today I remembered a post I wrote nearly 2 years ago called, Tavistock... Small Town Saturday Night.   http://thebayfieldbunch.com/2009/06/small-town-saturday-night50-years-ago.html
MALE ROBIN
-----------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
https://mail.google.com/?v=b&cs=wh&to=stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

JUST HANGING OUT WITH THE MOTORMOUSE

The days have been difficult & there has been many tears.  Little Cora & I have spent most of our time since Wednesday snuggling in my big chair with curtains drawn against the dreary gray rain soaked days outside.  It has been the television which has been a welcome distraction for me.  I sat for many hours endlessly flipping through channels watching snippets of the history channel, comedy shows, biographies, news, pieces of movies here & there & yes, I even watched all that wedding pomp & pageantry over there across the ocean in that big London town this morning....right from the beginning too.  As much as I rant about television programming sometimes, it sure came through these past few days for me & helped to keep my mind off of Checkers & Max being gone.

    

THIS BLUE JAY KEPT A WARY EYE ON ME THIS AFTERNOON 

Kelly headed for Spencerport Wednesday to help her Mother who was being released from the hospital that afternoon.  Things seem to be going reasonably well there so far but I think it's going to be a long road for her Mother recovering from that knee replacement.

MOTORMOUSE ASLEEP ON THE BACK OF CHECKER'S COUCH

The Zurich Veterinary Clinic phoned this morning to say Checkers ashes had arrived.  It was pouring rain as I loaded little Cora (Motormouse) in the Jeep & we headed out on the 20 minute drive to Zurich.  It was a sad tearful drive but once we had picked up Checkers I felt comforted in knowing we were bringing her home.  Cora & I talked to Checkers all the way back & that was a big help for me.  Next week we will bring Max's ashes home.  I know it isn't the same but somehow I just feel like the Bayfield Bunch will kind of all be together again.  When we travel south this year the guys will come with us.  I know it will be just ashes in the boxes but we just somehow feel closer to them by having them closer to us.

   

IT WAS A TEAR FILLED DRIVE ON THE WAY TO PICK UP CHECKERS BUT WE FELT BETTER ON THE WAY HOME WHEN SHE WAS WITH US AGAIN

 

I have gone through a lot of emotions this past week & a half & I will write about those feelings at some point in the future.  I will also write about why we had to make the decisions we had to make because of both Max & Checkers health problems.  I'm just not up to writing about all that yet, but I will.  Motormouse is doing fine & we even managed a zany game of toys yesterday.  She is sticking pretty close to me, & me to her.

 

THIS LITTLE RED SQUIRREL NEVER BOTHERS OUR BIRD FEEDERS 

The rains finally subsided today around noon & by 1 o'clock we were beginning to get some sun splashes through the trees.  That was like a pure shot of energy for me after spending the last few long dismal days in the house.  Out came the garden hose along with a warm sudsy bucket of water.  Pulled the Motorcycle into the driveway & got myself to work on a big 2 hour Spring motorcycle clean up complete with a good waxing.  Had the day been warmer I would have taken the bike for a ride.....maybe tomorrow:))

  

All in all, I am feeling a bit better & will soon have things back into perspective but I also know there will always remain a sadness...............deep within.

RED WING BLACKBIRD 

A heartfelt & sincere thank you to everyone for all your comments, shouts, emails & Facebook messages once again.  So very, very much appreciated by Kelly & I.  And, the little Motormouse too:))

  

FEMALE EASTERN TOWHEE & A WHITE THROATED SPARROW...(THANKS JUDY) 

I will have Groaner's Corner up & running again in a few days.  Just not quite there yet.........

 

THE BIRDFEEDER BULLY'S ARE BACK......GRACKLES!!!! 

-----------------------------------------------------------------
EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

TODAY WE LOST ANOTHER BELOVED MEMBER OF THE BAYFIELD BUNCH

Our dearly beloved number one boy Max died peacefully this morning at 11:25.  He quietly slipped away in our arms at the same Veterinary Clinic in Zurich Ontario where Checkers passed on just one week ago to the day. 

Our love & attention is now solely focused on our dear little Cora who many know as,  Motormouse.

Once we were five & now we are three.......

KINDA RAINY, KINDA WARM, KINDA NICE......

A CHARMING LITTLE VISITOR IN THE GARDEN THIS MORNING

We had ourselves a series of on & off light rain showers today, the temperatures were up & we finished the day under sunny skies & 70+ temperatures.   Warm rainy days are fine with me & I was able to get a lot of yard work done again.  For a small piece of property I always seem to have lots to keep me busy.  If I want to be busy that is.  We have sandy loam soil in this area & a bit of rain really makes it easy to work with. 
   

NICE TO SEE PURPLE FINCHES BACK FOR ANOTHER SEASON....ALL BIRD PICS WERE TAKEN FROM MY COMPUTER CHAIR THROUGH THE WINDOW TODAY 
Transplanted have a dozen ferns & relocated some bamboo grass.  Did battle with my first mosquito of the season & won.   The annual Spring squirrel wars are well underway as I try to locate & re-locate our many birdfeeders to spots where the squirrels cannot get at them.  Right now it is 5 to 4 for the Squirrels.  I’m sure I saw one Squirrel actually run across the yard on his back feet holding a long stick in his front paws & I am sure I saw that Squirrel pole vault himself 12 feet into the air & land square on one of the feeders.  I’m almost sure I saw that!!  

BLACK CAPPED CHICKADEE'S ALWAYS REMIND ME OF MINIATURE FLYING CLOWNS THE WAY THEY FLIT & TWIT ABOUT 
TERI just spent the first night in her recently acquired RV after taking delivery at the Lazy Daze RV Center  down there in Seffner, Florida.   The RV Center offers RV related courses for first time buyers which Teri will be taking advantage of over the next few days.  I think that is a great idea on her part.  I wonder how many men would stick around for a,  "free driver confidence class". 

OUR GARDEN'S EVER VIGILANT STONE BIRD 
Especially liked Sue’s thought provoking post over at BIG DAWG & FREEWAY this morning.  Just like the GYPSY G-MA'S post on Monday, Sue asks herself some questions in real time.  I enjoy these types of posts because they stir our thought processes & make us stop & think about who & where we are in life, where we’re going & where we hope to be someday.  It is all relevant to the RV Lifestyle & people’s hopes & dreams.  I feel it is important to talk about the cloudy days as well as the sunny days.  It is the cloudy days which many do not talk about & yet it is the cloudy days all of us can learn so much from.  Do not be afraid to share your thoughts because no matter how old we are, it is still a never ending learning process for all of us. 
 

AN AMERICAN GOLDFINCH & A PURPLE FINCH BANTER ABOUT ON THE FEEDER
IVAN & HAILEY nearly ended up with a bad case of tunnel vision making their way northwards through Oregon recently.  Good thing Hailey was driving:))

Kelly heads for Spencerport NY first thing in the morning to help her Mother who will be home from the hospital tomorrow following knee surgery on April 12th.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( APHORISMS

The nicest thing about the future is that it always starts tomorrow.
- If you don't have a sense of humor, you probably don't have any sense at all.
- A good time to keep your mouth shut is when you're in deep water.
- How come it takes so little time for a child who is afraid of the dark to become a teenager who wants to stay out all night?
- Why is it that at class reunions you feel younger than everyone else looks?
- I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
- The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.
- Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have thousands of old ladies running around with tattoos.
- Money can't buy happiness -- but somehow it's more comfortable to cry in a Corvette than in a Yugo.
- After 60, if you don't wake up aching in every joint, you are probably dead!
- Always be yourself because the people that matter, don't mind and the one's that mind, don't matter.

---------------------------------------------------------------- EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
 stargeezerguy@gmail.com
OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/
The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right
now...... AL.

FLASH GORDON AT 4 A.M.

Max usually has to go out twice in the night, once around midnight & again around 4 a.m.  This morning was no exception.  Sometimes I am able to go back to sleep after his second outing but often times it marks the beginning of my day.  This is generally the time I read blogs but these past few days I just haven’t been able to get myself into any kind of reading mode so I snapped on the television.

CUTTING DOWN THE PREVIOUS SUMMER'S BAMBOO GRASS & BURNING UP PINE NEEDLES & BRANCHES

I was instantly transported back to my early days growing up in Tavistock Ontario.  There on the television screen this morning was an old black & white episode of Flash Gordon still still doing battle with Ming & his Evil Empire.  How many of us remember those old spaceships spitting fire & smoke, wobbling across our television screens as they magically took our impressionable young minds to soaring heights & places of dark mystery.  Those memories are from a time long ago & a youthful imagination that still occasionally swirls briefly out from the mists of time for a few sweet moments to once again take center stage in a young boy's mind.

THESE EARLY SPRING FLOWERS ARE COLT'S FOOT 
Rain hadn’t started yet this morning so busied myself with more yard puttering before heading off to Goderich around noon to stock up on wild birdseed & a few groceries.  Dropped around to the license bureau to pick up my motorcycle sticker for another year but of course with it being Easter the license place was closed!!  Oh well, no rush, not crazy about driving around in the rain anyway.

 

EXPERIMENTING WITH A LITTLE ROPE LIGHTING AROUND THE FROG POND
Noticed today we have a new Blog Follower, so we welcome HOUSE TRUCKIN'.  Check out these younger folks as they ready themselves for life on the open road.

JUST KEEPING AN EYE ON YA DAD:))
Kelly brought my attention back to a blog this morning that I hadn’t read for awhile.  This will be of particular interest to RV Full Timers & those who are contemplating the Full Time lifestyle.  Good for you folks at the GYPSY G-MAS for expressing your honest feelings & having the courage to express some of your doubts & fears.   It is posts like yours which give us all food for thought & a chance to stop & re-check our own plans, goals & dreams.  And yes, I do agree about the reality of Seasonal Affective Disorder.”  Got a bit of that myself this year with our cold, wet & cloudy Spring here in Southern Ontario.

I’m feeling a bit better today than I have been for the past 5 days or so but I know this is going to be a slow process for awhile.  I can share one thing with you about those first few days after losing Checkers though.  I have never cried about anything in my entire life as much as I cried before & after losing our deer sweet Checkers girl.   Thanks again to everyone for keeping the Bayfield Bunch in your thoughts. 

Kelly’s Mother in Spencerport New York underwent full blown knee surgery a week ago & is having difficulty with the recovery process.  She is 87 years old & will be in need of help when she reluctantly has to leave the hospital later this week.  Kelly heads to Spencerport Wednesday morning to help her Mother through the difficult transition period to home life again.

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Family Tree of Vincent Van Gogh:
His dizzy aunt ----------------------- Verti Gogh
The brother who ate prunes---- Gotta Gogh
The brother who worked at a convenience store ------ Stop N Gogh
The grandfather from Yugoslavia --- U Gogh
His magician uncle --------- Where-diddy Gogh
His Mexican cousin --------- A Mee Gogh
The Mexican cousin's American half-brother ---------- Gring Gogh
The nephew who drove a stage coach ---------------Wells-far Gogh
The constipated uncle ----------- Can't Gogh
The ballroom dancing aunt -----Tang Gogh
The bird lover uncle --------------- Flamin Gogh
The fruit-loving cousin ----------- Man Gogh
An aunt who taught positive thinking ------------------ Way-to-Gogh
The little bouncy nephew -------- Poe Gogh
A sister who loved disco ----------Go Gogh
And his niece who travels the country in an RV --- Winnie Bay Gogh
I saw you smiling . . . .. There ya Gogh!

-----------------------------------------------------------------

EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
 stargeezerguy@gmail.com

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

KIND OF A SLOW SUNDAY

We started out with a cold gray April day.  Had hoped for a repeat of Saturday's warm air to spend a few hours washing & waxing the motorcycle.   Washing anything on a cold cloudy day has never been to my liking so I turned to my rakes, shovel & wheelbarrow.

  

MAX CAN'T WALK FAR ANYMORE BUT HE DID MAKE IT A COUPLE HUNDRED YARDS THIS MORNING BEFORE STOPPING & HEADING BACK 

Again, it was important for me to try & keep myself focused on something but the sadness again today felt like a heavy weight around my shoulders.  The sun finally did prevail in late morning & that helped a bit as I was able to put a new edge on some old tired flower beds in the back yard.  I am fortunate in that another one of my hobbies is landscape gardening so I was able to stir up a few creative thoughts & begin anew a project I had started last summer but never finished.

     

Looks like we have about 6 days of rain ahead of us starting Monday afternoon.  I have a feeling it is going to be a very long week.

------------------------------------------------------------

EMAIL THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.