I CAN TELL SHE IS SO DISCOURAGED

 A PRELUDE TO AUTUMN'S COLORS SOON TO BE UPON US

It was a big moody cloud morning with touches of blue sky and sprinkling rain.  No boots and paws on the ground for Pheebs and I.  Our car ride was short.

 I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED BIG MOODY SKIES LIKE THIS

Kelly, feeling very weak this morning needed a few things at Zehrs Supermarket in Goderich.  I offered to get them for her but she insisted on coming along and at least getting some fresh air.  With Pheebs holding down the home front, Kelly and I slipped up to Goderich and the first place we went to was A&W for a bacon and egg toast and coffee breakfast.  Kelly didn't eat much of hers and didn't finish her coffee.  Not a good sign.  Following that our normal routine would be for me to drop her off at the Supermarket's main door and then find a parking spot facing that door, wait for her to come out, then slip by and scoop up her and the groceries.  Not so this morning.  I knew Kelly was too weak to be doing anything by herself so I dropped her at the front door, parked the car, and hustled right inside to help her.  Usually, I would push the cart but Kelly needed that cart to lean on.  We loaded up a few groceries and I checked them out through the cashier and led her back out to the car.  Our next stop was Pet Value but Kelly was too weak to even get out of the car so I slipped in and scooped up some doggy goodies.  Heading home she put the seat's backrest all the way back and never spoke a word all the home.  I helped her out of the car, and up the steps into the house.  She headed straight for her bedroom to lay down.  She was totally drained and even her voice sounded frail and weak today.  And, here's an odd thing.....even with over 9 pounds of fluid drained from her abdomen earlier in the week, her abdomen is still extended and swollen just like it was before.  So much so that it inhibits her from bending over to put socks on or tie her shoes.  This is only her third day home from the hospital but I can tell she is so discouraged by her weakened condition.  She did call the Maitland Valley Health Center in Goderich Friday to set up an appointment with her nurse practitioner for August 22nd.   Let's just hope between now and then she doesn't land back in the hospital again.

I did do a little low-energy puttering around outside today but hardly enough to even mention.  At least our temperatures are thankfully remaining steady in the low to mid-60s and for people like me, that is a big help.

I had forgotten to mention in my Saturday post that Aunt Jean is coming along much better.  Her voice was stronger on the phone Friday night, her appetite is picking up, and she's been talking about taking her car out for a spin because it hasn't been driven in well over a month.  I asked her about Hurricane Debby going through a week or so ago and she said where she is in Sarasota they got off pretty lucky.  Windy, but not as much rain as in downtown Sarasota.  Sunnyside Village where Jean lives did sandbag the bottoms of doors as a precaution though.  The biggest effect it had on Sunnyside was staff who couldn't report to work because of their flooded homes or roads.  Oh, and a couple of leaks in the dining room's ceiling.  And, there is a good chance Aunt Jean will be moving into her brand spanking new and bigger room this week.

It's been a while but Pheebs and I finally made it out for a cool sunny afternoon walk over to and around the Park's pond.  Good thing or else I would hardly have had any photos for tonight's post.

 THE BACK END OF OUR PARK'S CLUBHOUSE

 TIS NOW THE SEASON FOR GOLDENROD

Al's Music Box:)) Too Young is a popular song, with music written by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee A recording of the song was released by Nat King Cole in 1951, which reached No. 1 in the United States and became the best-selling song of the year. The song was an early attempt by music labels to appeal to the younger demographics and its success later led to a boom in music that catered to the young.   The song was recorded on February 6, 1951, and released by Capitol Records in March.  It was a million-selling record and Billboard ranked this version as the number one best-selling song of 1951. Cole described this song as one of his three favorites among his own songs. The success of the song may have convinced record executives that young people had the buying power, which would lead to the boom of rock and roll music that catered to a young audience in the mid-'50s.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The father of three called a motel and asked how much they charged for a room. The clerk told him that the rates depended on room size and number of people.  "Do you take children?" the father asked.  "No, sir," replied the clerk. "We only take cash and credit cards."

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Why was the United Nations concerned when the waitress dropped the platter on Thanksgiving?  It meant the fall of Turkey, the ruin of Greece, and the breakup of China.

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The United Nations sent out a survey to every country, asking "Would you please share your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"  The survey flopped pretty much everywhere.
In Africa, families were confused about what "food" was.
Eastern Europeans watching State TV didn't know what "honest" meant.
In Western Europe, they didn't know what "shortage" meant.
People watching in China didn't know what an "opinion" was.
In the war-torn areas of Afghanistan and the Middle East, they didn't know what "solution" meant.
People in South America didn't know what "please" meant.
People in Russia reading the survey knew what "share" meant.
Finally, some Americans didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

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