WE JUST LOVE HAVING OUR PHEEBS HERE

There is not a day goes by the Pheebs doesn't put a multitude of smiles on my face & warm feelings in my heart.  Kelly & I often remark how truly fortunate we are to have found such a wonderful little Pal.  She just bubbles over with happiness & love 24 hours a day.  Not a mean bone in her body.  And what a smoochy little snuggler she is too.  Loves her tummy rubs.  And, every night she sleeps on my bed right beside me.  Now, how special is that.  While away at the hospital last Monday she was a good girl again & never disturbed a thing in the house.  Not even a sock dragged out on the living room floor.  I was a little frustrated at our doggy training classes last fall but I understand that now as simply too many other doggy distractions.  On her own she learns fast & well.  Except for jumping up on people.  She's always so happy to see someone she just can't help herself & try's to jump up & give everybody a big smooch when she meets them.  I think she is a combination of Max, Checkers, & the Motormouse all rolled up in one & that just makes her, her very own sweet little self .  She is just the greatest & we are sooooo very fortunate to have her in our lives:))

Had really been hoping my sore throat was going to be cleared up this morning, but unfortunately, it has gone the other way & is very, very, sore today.   Kelly to the rescue with some Vick's Chloraseptic.  On the good side, my short severe infrequent Kidney Stone pains have eased back quite a bit.  Not as many & not as intense so maybe those little burgy bits are slowly clearing themselves out of my Kidneys.  I sure am hoping I do not have have to go through all of this again & have a possible second stone lazered.  But, if I do, then that is just the way it will have to be.  For right now, it is just nice to be free & clear of medical appointments for a few weeks.  And, while on topic, I’m happy to report, the leg pains which plagued me for so very, very, long have not returned since suddenly & mysteriously vanishing literally overnight, about a month ago.

OUR FRONT YARD WITH ALL IT’S GREENERY IS AN ATTRACTIVE HABITAT FOR BIRDS
Took Pheebs for a couple additional walks around our Park’s pond this afternoon.  And, while trying to take a photo of a young turtle family sunning themselves on the bank I was reminded of why Kelly & I like our Park so much here at the 5 Seasons Estates.  But, not for the obvious reasons a lot of folks like Parks.  All of the following things make our Park the thankfully quiet piece of nature we love so well.  We do not have a swimming pool or hot tub.  We do have a nice Clubhouse that a few folks meet in a couple times a week to play cards but other than that, there are no social activities.  No social activities equals no noise:))   Our street, or road as we call it, is not paved & we have no STOP signs except for the one leaving the Park.  There are no children’s playgrounds here.  In fact, there are no children, therefore no teen-agers so therefore again, no noise.  About 62 units spaced out over a wide area in a Pine forest means very little traffic.  Probably 90% of all residents are over 65 & a percentage of them do not drive.  Our Park is bordered by hardwood forests & farmland so no busy highways bustling by.  Not even so much as a distant train whistle anywhere.  We are quite simply, a small peaceful community in the countryside.  And, imagine if you can, not even having to lock your door.  Safe to walk anytime day or night.  Miles of quiet forest trails at our doorstep.   Yep, just a few thoughts I had while walking Pheebs around the pond this afternoon:))     

OUR MORNING WALKS TAKE US ALONG THE LEFT SIDE OF THIS POND & THAT’S WHERE THE BABY GEESE WERE BORN
 
IT IS EASY TO SEE WHY WE CONSIDER OUR PARK HERE AT THE 5 SEASONS ESTATES THE NICEST PARK WE HAVE EVER SEEN…AND, BY THE WAY, BOTH PLACES VISIBLE IN THE BOTTOM 2 PHOTOS ARE FOR SALE…NO, NOT OURS
Had us a cold cloudy day & with Friday's incoming rain I wanted to make sure I finished up my bin cleaning job on the Motorhome.  I did that.  All bins complete:))  Re-tackled the carport's storage area & made more headway.  With current medical things being the way they are, I want to take advantage of this energy boost & make hay while the sun shines.  Just a happy guy invigorated enough to finally get some things done that I have been schluffing off for sooooooo long.  I think schluffing might be an old German word.  Seem to remember it from when I was a small boy.  Don't know a lot about my ancestory but I think I have a Mennonite connection on my Mother's side & for sure I remember some German words spoken in the home.  I will have to ask my Aunt Jean in Florida about some of this.
 
LOTS OF REORGANIZING HERE IN OUR CARPORT STORAGE AREA & NOTE THE FINE ‘PITA’PINE TREE POLLEN ON MY MOTORCYCLE
 
SOMEONE REQUESTED A CLOSER LOOK AT THE KIDNEY STONE I WAS HOLDING A COUPLE BLOGS AGO… AND, IF THE TRUTH BE KNOWN, I GUESS YOU COULD CALL THAT A QUARTZSITE ARIZONA KIDNEY STONE………..:))
A commenter asked if the new Hummingbird header photo was taken in our yard & the answer to that question is yes.  Front yard to be exact.  I have since added a caption to the photo.  Taken with my Nikon D40 & Nikkor 200mm lens.  Many of my bird photos are taken right here at home through our sun room windows sitting in my computer chair:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Ok folks, who do you think is really your best friend.  Try this experiment to find out.  Put your dog & your spouse in the trunk of the car for an hour.  When you open the trunk…..which one is really happy to see you:))
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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

AN ENJOYABLY ENERGIZED PRODUCTIVE MORNING

 

GOING TO NEED AN AIR TRAFFIC CONTROLLER IN OUR FRONT YARD SOON

Had myself a thoroughly enjoyable energy driven morning, just like years ago.   Could that Kidney Stone have been the culprit these last few years in draining my energy so badly?  Both mentally & physically.  I could sure feel a welcome difference as I began to rev up my day starting with the cleaning of our Motorhome’s basement storage bins.  A commenter once asked, 'why would I clean out storage bins every year.'  In our boondocking travels we sometimes get ourselves up & down some mighty dusty Southwestern roads & that fine sandy desert dust has a way of making it's way into our storage areas.  I like to start each trip in the fall with clean bins.

Not only did I get all the bins on the passenger side emptied but I vacuumed & hosed out each one as well.  Even cleaned up the big propane tank bin, & that was a first.  Also got a bunch of weeds whacked, cleaned the Jeep’s motor & re-arranged part of the storage space in our carport.  Somewhere in there I also managed to get some watering done, painted a wood base which two of our 4 coach solar batteries sit on, hosed all the pine pollen off the Jeep & watered some flowers.  What a great feeling it was to once again be doing things the way I used to do them years ago.  Get half a dozen projects on the go & totally enjoy working away at getting them all done.  Nowadays I guess they call that multi-tasking.  Thursday I hope to get the bins done on the rig’s driver side plus clean some windows.  Just love this energy boost I am experiencing:))  We also have a spate of cooler weather going on right now so that lends itself to higher sustained energy levels as well.  However, I did seem to start running out of gas around 2 p.m.

 

EVEN GOT THE PROPANE TANK SCRUBBED UP 
Wished I could say it was another pain free day, but…….. Have had about half a dozen short severe pain spasms in my lower left back.  It is the exact same pain as a Kidney Stone moving, but luckily the spasms have only lasted about 10 seconds then quickly backed off.  It is that left Kidney where all the laser action took place a couple days ago.  Seems to happen if I have been sitting, then get up & start walking.  Maybe it’s the angle of my recliner putting pressure on the Kidney area.  Because it is infrequent & of short duration, I have not felt it necessary to take any pain meds.

 

WHEN DESERT BOONDOCKING IT IS ALWAYS A GOOD IDEA TO CARRY SOME LUMBER ALONG IN CASE OF SOFT SAND

And, here’s a bit of a curious thing.  Couldn’t help but notice how sore my throat has been since Monday’s procedure.  Not as bad today as yesterday.   It’s not the kind of sore throat that comes with a cold.  My throat has been…………. just plain sore.

BEGAN MY CARPORT CLEANING & STORAGE RE-ORGANIZING THIS MORNING…ABOUT TIME!!

Had a couple commenter questions about where Pheebs has been meeting her new Pals lately.  First, it is very rare for us to meet fellow walkers on our Pine forest trails.  Most folks in our Park are elderly & are not into walking anymore.  (it's also why our Park is so pleasantly quiet) This week however, we met two separate residents out walking their dogs & that is how Pheebs got to make a couple new friends.  In fact, when I took Pheebs for a second walk Tuesday afternoon she once again met her new Pal from Tuesday morning, Dexter, & his Dad Gerald coming the other way.  Took Pheebs & Dexter about 5 minutes of intense playing together to wear each other out.

EVEN MANAGED TO CLEAN ALL THE ARIZONA DESERT DUST OFF THE JEEP’S ENGINE TODAY

A big welcome to JOHN ABERT for becoming our latest Blog Follower.  I was beginning to think our Follower's list might have been busted but with John's arrival I am assured it is still up & running.  Welcome to our Blog John & I particularly liked the 'Etiquette' info you brought with you.  Also, in your 'About This Blog' section I was especially interested in what you had to say.  Liked your words in the last paragraph, "If you can play nice, I will, too. But if you throw stones, be aware that I am very adept at catching them and throwing them right back."  
KELLY & I  CARRY A PAIR OF CRUTCHES & A CANE WITH US ON OUR SOUTHWEST TRAVELS BECAUSE SOME OF THE ROCKY UNEVEN TRAILS WE SOMETIMES HIKE CAN EASILY CAUSE A SPRAINED ANKLE…………… OR WORSE

How delightfully refreshing I found this following short video on Penguins.  And how nice to step out of this madly manic world we live in for a few moments to see another side of our beautiful Planet few of us will ever see in person.  I especially loved the soundtrack to this.  Take a minute, cast away your troubles, & lose yourself in, PENGUINS:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A Sunday school teacher was giving her class an assignment for the following week.  "Next Sunday," she said, "we are going to talk about liars, and in preparation for our lesson I want you all to read the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark."
The following week, at the beginning of the class meeting, the teacher said, "Now then, all of you who have prepared for the lesson by reading the Seventeenth Chapter of Mark, please step to the front of the room."
About half the class rose and came forward.
"The rest of you may leave," said the teacher, "these students are the ones I want to talk to. There is no Seventeenth Chapter in the Book of Mark."

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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

FEELING BETTER THAN EXPECTED:))

Woke up feeling pretty good this morning & managed to stay that way for the rest of the day. No pain so did not have to take any further medication since the one pill after returning home Monday afternoon. Doc Robot’s office did call this morning & has already scheduled me for an appointment on June 21tst at the Stratford Hospital to have the stent removed. Only a 15 minute procedure & I’ll be out the door. But Yeouchers, not looking forward to that one by the sounds of it!!  Oh, & he did send me the troublesome Kidney Stone today via UPS:))  
ME & MY KIDNEY STONE:)) >>>
Nice to be out on the morning trail with Kelly & the Pheebs.  No sign of the new Goose family since the first day they were all on the pond last week.  They just vanished.  Geese have a habit of moving the young family soon after they are hatched & we suspect they all trooped off through the pine forest to a larger pond about a quarter mile east of us.  It's a popular place for Geese & in previous years we have seen Goose families making that journey.

 
PHEEBS MEETS NEW PAL DEXTER ON THE TRAIL THIS MORNING & THE TWO OF THEM HAD A BLAST
Had a few things on my agenda this morning & yep, another medical appointment was third on my list.  But first it was off to Clinton to get a pair of clip-on sunglasses for my glasses.  My big Walmart sun shades didn't fit my new glasses very well & kept falling down on my nose.  From Clinton I drove to Walmart in Goderich to fill a prescription for Tylenol 3's which I actually didn't need but figured they are good to have on hand for emergencies.  Besides, they were free. 

 
AND ANOTHER NEW PAL ON THE TRAIL…THIS IS KOAH & KOAH IS PART WOLF…THEY WERE BOTH PRETTY EXHAUSTED FROM PLAYING
My third stop had me sitting in the Goderich Medical Clinic for 40 minutes waiting for my turn to lose some more blood.  This was my first blood work check-up to see how the newly prescribed cholesterol drug, Crestor is affecting my liver.  So far, no side effects from Crestor.   Next blood check-up will be in 6 weeks. 

IT’S THAT MESSY PINE POLLEN TIME OF YEAR AGAIN
Kelly found a Government 1-800 number for Passport Canada this morning & we were able to find out my new Passport is destined to arrive here the week of June 11.  That clears up another worry:))

THIS IS WHERE OUR PINE FOREST TRAIL SPLITS & WE BEGIN OUR LOOP

I liked Mike's post over at Phannie & Mae this morning entitled, IT'S OFFICIAL: I'M A GEEZER.   If you don't think you are a Geezer yet, you had better check out Mike's post.  And, like I said in my comment to Mike....."I was able to identify with every Geezerism he felt, right from start to finish.  How in the heck did all this Geezeritus stuff happen to us guys anyway.  Sneaked right up it did"!!


GROANER'S CORNER:((  A teacher was having trouble teaching arithmetic to one little boy. So she said, "If you reached in your right pocket and found a nickel, and you reached in your left pocket and found another one, what would you have?"
The little boy answered, "Somebody else's pants."
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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

MIGHTY GLAD TODAY IS BEHIND ME:))

SNAPPED A QUICK PHOTO ON THE HOSPITAL GROUNDS ON OUR WAY IN THIS MORNING

Well, I’m glad today is behind me.  I will deal with the medical day’s ahead as I get to each one, but for now I can cross today’s event’s off the list.  Aside from seeing Doc Robot in the operating for a few seconds before they sent me off to LaLa Land I never saw him again.  But, Kelly did.  Following the surgery or procedure (not sure which is the correct term) he did talk to Kelly in the waiting room.  Kelly sent my Aunt Jean an email this afternoon & in it she said…..“ Hi Jean.... it's 4:00 and we are home !
All went well,  Al is sleeping. ( ya darn tootin I was)
The urologist came out to talk to me... he said the stone was very large and imbedded , that he had a difficult time getting it broken up....and hopefully the tube has not been narrowed by it.   Said it must have been in there for a long time to be so imbedded.  Tried getting the other large one out of the same kidney.. but was not sure how successful as it was around a curve (corner ) and seemed to be imbedded in a cyst”.

OH NO, NOT ANOTHER WAITING ROOM PHOTO AGAIN

Rather than drag you through my whole day from start to finish, let me just give you some of the more colorful ‘pain’ parts.  For sure, I was expecting the intravenous to hurt because people have always had a problem getting that started in my hand.  Now, fully knowing that problem, you wouldn’t have thought I would make the following dumb mistake.  But, I did.  Nice Nurse person leaned over to me & said, “ would you mind if we have one of our paramedics do the IV because she is in training & part of her training program is doing IV’s.  I did remember seeing 2 Paramedic’s in the hall when I was being wheeled into a large room.  Because of my always, ‘eager to please personality’, I chirped out a meek, “Ok, that would be fine.”  What a mistake!!

WAITING FOR MY NUMBER TO BE CALLED

I didn’t feel the young blonde trainee was exactly exuding a lot of confidence, or was that just my foreboding misgivings taking over.  The Senior Paramedic was a hulking chrome domed guy who I felt for sure was there for the express purpose of keeping me pinned to the bed…..or the floor!!  I knew I was in trouble when neither one of them could find a vein. They kept me making a fist & tapped & thumped the back of my hand to make the vein ‘pop’ as they called it.  This probably went on for a full minute.  Oh dear, where did that nice Nurse go.  Couldn’t find a vein & the big guy appeared to be sweating a bit as they both worked at & discussed back & forth what to do.  Finally, the young trainee decided to go for it…… & my right arm went for the side bed rail.  The ordeal was on & I was on the losing end!!   She probed & twisted, pushed & pulled, with the Incredible Hulk beside her trying his best to help.  I swear I nearly tore the right side bed rail off.  The nice Nurse suddenly appeared out of nowhere & got right in on the action, but to no avail.  It was too late & the damage was done.  I heard these words exchanged, which medical people may understand….. “bubble”, “I think she hit a valve", & “at least it didn’t blow.”  That last one sure unleashed a whole heard of nasty fear Monsters in my head!!  After about a minute the very apologetic nice Nurse thankfully pulled the IV needle out of my hand.  IV mission aborted.  I was about ready to abort myself right out of the Hospital!!  The young blonde trainee & her Sumo Wrestler counterpart immediately turned & walked away.  No goodbye, no explanation, no ‘apology’ no acknowledgement that I had even been there.  Guess they just figured they were working on another rubber training Dummy.  Well, they probably had the Dummy part right.  The nice Nurse made up for all that & quietly leaned over, speaking softly, & told me what she thought about what had just happened.  And, I will keep that thought to myself.

TAKE OFF ALL YOUR CLOTHES THE NICE NURSE SAID >>>

But, I still had a problem.  An IV still had to be inserted & I was in no frame of mind to have to go through all that again!!  Nice Nurse to the rescue once more & reassured me the Anaesthesiologist himself, in the operating room, would do it.  I expressed concern & her words to me were, ‘not to worry, the 'big bucks guys’ in the operating room know what they were doing.  And, I was about to find out she was right.

I think the worse thing about an impending operation or procedure or whatever someone is having done, is laying in a pre-op room waiting!!  Just laying there totally helpless, waiting & waiting & waiting.  Staring at the brightly lit ceiling with hospital sounds going on around you & all kinds of gruesome thoughts about what was coming next.  For sure I was dreading the next IV attempt amongst other things.  And then a young operating room nurse appeared at the end of the bed with a big smile & cheery attitude.  I use the word ‘young’ a lot these days because I seem to be at that stage now where more people are appearing to be younger than me all the time.  Now, how in the hell did that happen.

My operating room Nurse was just a wisp of a thing who I would have thought would have had trouble manoeuvring a an empty grocery cart down a wide shopping aisle.  But there we went, lickety split, smokin right out of the room, cranked a left hand turn & down the hall we roared.  She deftly made a couple of right turns & at one point had to throw on the bed brakes for a wide closed door ahead.  Ya, I know, beds don’t have brakes but I think I heard her running shoes on the floor screeching us to a full stop.  For sure I smelled rubber burning.  Once through the doors we were in a long hall with big windows on the left & 4 or 5 operating rooms on the right.  We were now getting down to the nitty gritty.  She brought me a netted cap to put on then got me off the bed in my open backed hospital gown to walk into the operating room.  Wow, what a Neat-O place.

My photographic eye was immediately filled with colors & compositions.  This was a very new operating room with what I suspect was state of the art equipment.  And, what a great looking bunch of equipment it was too.  I was instantly drawn to two large light pods with multicolour bulbs.  Groovy.  Stepped up onto a stool & laid myself down on the operating table with those really cool futuristic space ship light pods arrayed over top me.  Remember, I once worked at the Stratford Art Gallery & lighting art exhibits was one of the things I enjoyed doing, so I am attracted to lighting.  Things happened very quickly now as I noticed what appeared to be a frenzied pace with operating room staff busily attending to various duties all around the room.  People definitely seemed to hustling.  Something placed under my head, something rolled up onto my upper left arm, heart monitors on my chest, the wispy OR Nurse checks to see if my bum is far enough down the table.  It isn’t, so I had to do a bit of squiggling.  My right arm is stretched out on a table or something & strapped down.  The Anaesthesiologist & a male nurse are hovering over my right hand & talking in muffled tones.  There goes that tapping & thumping on the back of my hand again.  Oh no!!  But, just a short prick, a slight grundge & the deed was done.  Yep, nice Nurse was right….those ‘big bucks guys’ know what they are doing.  Doc Robot’s face appears out of nowhere & hovers over me for a few seconds & mumbles something.  He looks all green in his get-up.  Aha, I knew it…..Doc Robot is a Martian!!  More faces seem to come & quickly go as I am transfixed by those beautiful multi-colored light pods over me.  And then………I am looking at the numbers 12:34 in bright red fuzzy letters.

It is a clock on the wall across from my bed…….I’m in the recovery room.  Voices & hospital sounds again.  Unhurried people going by.  Someone beside my bed asks if I would like something to drink.  Darn right I would.  Probably the best gulp of Ginger Ale I ever had.  Kelly appears at the side of the bed & within maybe 40 minutes I am dressed, on my feet & rarin to get out of there.  Not so fast Mister!!  They place me in a wheel chair while Kelly heads off to bring the car around.  I am wheeled down the hall & onto an elevator.  Short trip down one floor to the main level & out to the main entrance waiting area.  Kelly rolls up a minute later, I thank the Nurse for not crashing the wheelchair & make my way to the car.  Wow, was it ever hot & humid outside.  A record breaking weather day.  I no sooner closed the car door when I suddenly realized I was hungry.  Kelly whips back into the Hospital & grabs me an egg salad sandwich from the snack bar in the lobby.  We were home an hour later.

 

VIEW FROM MY WHEELCHAIR AS WE HEAD FOR THE HOSPITAL’S MAIN LOBBY

Aside from being dreadfully tired with a slightly heavy ache in my abdomen I didn’t feel too bad.  That ache soon began to worsen though so I popped a prescribed pain pill & twenty minutes later all was well, I was stretched out in my recliner & off to LaLa Land again.  No groovy lights this time though, just some wonderfully soothing ambient music.

MAIN ENTRANCE WAITING FOR KELLY…TODAY’S LAST PHOTO WAS TAKEN FROM HERE AS WELL

As I type this tonight about 8 o’clock I am feeling not too bad except of course for being tired.  Not much pain urinating yet (just some burning) but I am well aware there could be so we’ll just see how it goes.  As if I had a choice eh…………Oh, & for you medical folks, they did put a stent in me somewhere.  Don’t know where it is & I’m thinking I don’t really want to know anyway.    Thanks to everyone for all your well wishes.  Much appreciated:)))))))))))))))))))

KELLY ROLLS UP TO THE DOOR WITH THE BIG SANTA FE……….

Because this turned out to be a much longer post than I anticipated, I have foregone Groaners Corner………..

 

AND I EVEN MANAGED TO SNAP A PICTURE OF WHERE MY EGG SALAD SANDWICH CAME FROM:))

LET’S JUST GET IN THERE & GET ER DONE

Definition of land lease.....'A land lease--also called a ground lease--is a lease agreement that permits the tenant to use a piece of land owned by the landlord in exchange for rent'.
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In Saturday's post I should have explained, 'we own our house/mobile home unit, but not the land it sit's on'.  We pay a monthly fee for our lot at the 5 Seasons Estates & have been doing so for nearly 10 years. 
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Full time RV folks Laurie & Odel over at SEMI - TRUE TALES are in the process of some exciting changes to their traveling lifestyle, but I'll let Laurie tell you all about it.  Just click the above link:))

A cool rainy overcast day kept Pheebs & I grounded except for a short Jeep run to Goderich to pick up a few groceries.  And nope, no McDonald's.

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Kidney Stone surgery Monday morning at 11 so Kelly & I will be on the road early for the Stratford Hospital.  No idea how I will feel Monday night about putting a post together.  Been waiting five & a half months for this day & I’m just glad, in all that time, the large stone did not attempt to move again.  Now, let's just get in there & get er done.....10-4:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  When I see the type of new television programing coming out lately I'm thinking the Gene pool could sure use a whole lot of extra chlorine these days….AL.
  ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.
stargeezerguy@gmail.com

‘JUST THE FACTS MA’AM, JUST THE FACTS’

AT THE FOOT OF GHOST MOUNTAIN LOOKING TOWARDS JULIAN CALIFORNIA…… FEBRUARY 2012

Ok, yes.....Kelly & I are seriously considering selling our place here in Bayfield.  We own our house but not the land it sit's on.  Among other reasons, we think the time may be right for us to make some changes.

HIKING THE GHOST MOUNTAIN TRAIL

Alright, moving right along.  Got up about 5:30 this morning & had a coffee with my socks on.  Opened the patio door beside my chair & began the day with a relaxing chorus of Spring songbirds.   Kelly was off to work while Pheebs & I stayed home doing yard work.

My main intention tonight is to keep today's post short & to the point for a change.  As Sargent Joe Friday used to say years ago in the TV series, 'Dragnet,' "just the facts Ma'am, just the facts!!" 
That's it from the Bayfield Bunch......sweet:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A guy had been feeling down for so long that he finally decided to seek the aid of a psychiatrist.
He went there, lay on the couch, spilled his guts then waited for the profound wisdom of the psychiatrist to make him feel better.
The psychiatrist asked him a few questions, took some notes then sat thinking in silence for a few minutes with a puzzled look on his face.  Suddenly, he looked up with an expression of delight and said, "Um, I think your problem is low self-esteem. It is very common among losers."
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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com

A GOOD DAY FOR SWIRLING OUT THE RIG’S BLACK TANK

MOM, POP, & ALL THE KIDS ON THE POND TODAY

Figured the weather was looking good enough to haul the Motorhome out for a spin over to Exeter this morning.  I figured wrong.  Pheebs & were only a few miles down the road when a fast moving storm coming in off the lake rolled over us.  Not severe, but just enough rain for half an hour to have the windshield wipers on & turn all my big shiny wheels to dull gray again.  It’s a 40 minute drive to the town of Exeter & I make this run every year about this time. 

In the north end of Exeter is a small park where RV folks can camp for a night free.  There is also a dump station & potable water here.  This is the place I like to give my tanks a good swirling out in the Spring.  Especially the black one.  Some may remember a year ago when my old sewer host bust as soon as I pulled the black tank handle.  I really don’t need to tell you what happened after that but luckily I knew there was a Canadian Tire Store about 3 blocks away with an RV section.  Cleaned up the mess & myself & headed for the store.  Bought myself a new fold up accordion flexible Rhino sewer hose.  Been using it ever since & it works great.  One small mishap in Hazen Arkansas last fall but it was my fault & not the hose.  Anyway, got the job done (in the rain) this morning & Pheebs & I were back home before 11 a.m.

  

LAST YEAR IT WAS ME & THE LITTLE MOTORMOUSE MAKING THE EXETER TRIP ALONE & THIS YEAR IT WAS PHEEBS & I

About noon I hopped on the bike & headed off to Goderich to buy myself a six pack of Boost.  I am determined to loose some weight ‘again’ & I plan to use that food supplement Boost to help me along with that.  I’m not going to say anything more about my weight loss plan because I have done that half a dozen times before & blogged about it only to gain all the weight back & fall right on on my big fat face.  If I am successful for any length of time I will be sure to tell you.

 MY LITTLE ORANGE ORANGUTAN BUDDY RIDES WITH ME ON THE BIKE EVERYWHERE I GO >>> 

As you all know, I sometimes refer to myself as Mr. Blabberfingers & I do that with very good reason.  This gets me into trouble sometimes around the house here.  I am one of those people who has a tendency to write about whatever is on my mind at the moment.  Sometimes I do not think things through too well & dribble those thoughts out onto my keyboard.  It seems I do this because as I sit here putting my blog together, I feel like I am actually having a casual one on one chat with a good friend.  However, this is where the Blabber part comes in & as Kelly sometimes tells me, some things are better left unsaid.  You would think I would learn that wouldn't you.  But no, when I get keyed up about something, my arms get to shaking, my hands get to trembling, & my fingers get to tapping.  No, it's not a game I play, as a commenter suggested….. it's just me trying to keep an impossibly tight lid on my Blabber!!

Now, blabbering right along…………..let me just give you the following scenario.  I know many people & especially fulltime RV folks who have been down this road.  You make a decision to change up your lifestyle a bit.  Maybe it’s to hit the road fulltime or maybe it’s just time to sell your house & move on to a new area with a different house & some new surroundings.  Here’s where the problem comes in.  You may be out pricing new or used rigs or properties or houses & you come across the dream vehicle or house you have been looking for.  For example purposes let’s use a house & property.  Everything lines up perfectly & it is exactly what you have been looking for.  You reach in your pocket to pull out some money for the new digs but you come up way short of course.  Well, most of us do anyway.  Fact is, you have to sell the house your in before you have enough to buy the new place.  Well, how useless is that.  You make an offer to buy something you like & your offer is accepted, but what good is it.  While your sitting on your can waiting for your own house to sell, your dream property probably get’s sold out right from under you.  The next guy walking on to that property simply had more money in his pocket than you did.  So, there you sit, still ‘wishin & a hopin’.  I think Dusty Springfield had a song by that name years ago.

TOOK THIS SPIDER PHOTO BESIDE THE HOUSE WITH A 300mm LENS THIS MORNING & DID NOT SEE THE DRAGONFLY UNTIL I ENLARGED THE PHOTO >>>

Ok, scenario number two.  You find a small acceptable place to rent for a bit & then put your house up for sale.  As soon as your house is sold you bank that money & move into your small rental place, all the while still keeping your fingers on the Real Estate market looking for whatever it is you are looking for.  When found, you walk up the driveway & make the seller an offer.  Only this time you have enough money in your pocket to seal the deal right there & then before the guy behind you does.  Now, am I missing something here or does scenario number 2 just make a whole lot more darn good practical sense.  It’s a little something Kelly & I have been doing some thinking about lately……….. 

 

TWO MALE BALTIMORE ORIOLE’S HAVING A SPAT IN OUR DRIVEWAY…HAPPY TO REPORT THEY BOTH WERE FINE & FLEW AWAY UNHARMED 
Thanks to DONNA (FROGGI DONNA as we all fondly know her) for her suggestions on getting our comment section settings ironed out.  I can certainly well understand people not wanting to have to get all involved in that Google + social network stuff.  Here is Donna's suggestions as what to do for folks having difficulty signing in to our, or anyone else’s comment section.....And, as you will notice, our comment section is looking different today after Kelly, following some of Donna's suggestions below made the necessary changes this morning.  Hopefully we now have this comment fiasco thing under control finally.  Donna says............
1) Enter a comment
2) Your friend will be prompted to log in to his Google account
3) Enter Google information
4) Enter the word verification if asked
5) Click the link for LIMITED PROFILE
6) Enter name they want displayed
7) Click OK
This way you are not creating a Google+ ID, just a link between the Google Gmail account and Blogger. It has nothing to do with a blog.
I did get an error message in the popup window but when I closed it and clicked ENTER COMMENT again, it showed me as logged in.
Hope this helps your friend and anyone else who wants to use Google but not create a G+ account.

RED BREASTED GROSBEAK

Oh, and they need to expand the comment window to see the login box. All they are seeing is the CREATE a BLOG part, they need to ignore that.
You might want to consider switching to either embedded or full page comment forms rather than the pop-up......THANKS DONNA, MUCH APPRECIATED:))

And, thanks to commenter RunNRose for reminding me about a Passport Canada call we had last month.  I may have forgot to update what is happening about that.  We couldn't figure out why Passport Canada had phoned & they never did call back.  Couple weeks later we received a form saying we had failed to check off one of the employment boxes.  Kelly did that & sent it back.  Haven't heard anything since & this is a good reminder to maybe call them & see if everything is still moving along OK.

WE HAVE MANY FINE OLD STONE HOUSES IN THE COUNTRYSIDE
And, talking about poor short term memory.....yesterday I had a question from some folks about the deck stain I used last year on our deck.  Instead of getting up from the computer & slipping out to the shed & writing down the name on the can I promptly forgot the question within seconds of reading it.  I was not reminded of the question until Thursday night while sitting in the waiting room at the Clinton Hospital.  They had a small television in there & a commercial came on about paints & stains for people's decks.  'BINGO' I quickly pulled out my little book & made a note to myself to answer that question when I got home.  Next problem was, where had I seen that question.  Poured through all of yesterday's Hotmail, Yahoo, & Gmail programs trying to find it.  No luck.  And then, out of the blue I remembered Facebook Messages.  Yep, there it was.  It bothers me to no end all the time because I know I have misplaced or forgotten to answer people's questions whether they come in my email, Facebook, Shoutbox, Gmail or Hotmail.  Seems if I don't answer a question within seconds of reading it, chances are good my mind is going to forget it.

WE HAVE LOTS OF PERIWINKLE AROUND OUR HOUSE

Mark, from BOX CANYON BLOG.COM has joined the Bayfield Bunch on our travels afar & our travels around the house now that we are home for the summer.  Welcome aboard and we always enjoy having new Blog Followers dropping in:))

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A man from the city is out plowing his field and gets his tractor stuck in the wet ground.  A farmer driving by stops his truck and walks to the fence to call over the city feller. You need a mule to plow such wet ground he says.
"Where can I buy one?" he is asked.
Well, I just happened to have one for 100 dollars he says.
"I'll take him," says the other man as he counts out the money.
I can't bring him over today. I don't work on Sunday morrow OK?
"Sure."
The next day the truck pulls up and the old farmer gets out. He says, "sorry, bad news."
I went out after breakfast and the mule was dead.
The city feller says just give me my money back then.
"Can't, spent it already!"
"Well... unload the mule then."
"What ya gonna do with him?"
"Raffle him off!"
"Naw, ya cant raffle off a dead mule!"
"Just watch me, us City fellers know a few tricks too ya know."
One month goes by and the city feller and farmer run into each other at the barber shop.
"What did ya do with that dead mule?"
"Raffled him off, sold 100 tickets at two dollars each and made 98 dollars profit."
"Didn't anyone complain?"
"Just one guy………………….. so I gave him his two dollars back!"

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- Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
- Home is where your pet is:))
- The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right  now...AL.

stargeezerguy@gmail.com