A PRODUCTIVE DAY WITH A FEW THOUGHTS ON DEPRESSION

DESPITE A LOT OF AUTUMN LEAVES BEING DOWN I DID MANAGE TO SCRAPE TOGETHER A FEW SHOTS FOR TONIGHT’S BLOG THIS MORNING   NIKON D40 AT 300mm LEAVES ARE BACKLIT AND THE SHADOWED AREA OF A DARK FOREST ABOUT 200 YARDS IN THE BACKGROUND GIVE THE PHOTO IT’S NATURAL BLACK BACKGROUND
Had a few errands to run in Goderich this morning so figured I would include those few stops with a back road Autumn leaves photo tour along the way.  Nice sunny morning so figured I could find myself some nice solid blocks of color along the bush lines.  But, it was not to be.  High gusting winds this past Saturday had stripped many trees of their beautiful Fall colors.   Still some nice photo ops in some areas though but the cold gray days of November are fast approaching.  Soon our once majestic palette of colors will be no more.
 
Spent a fair part of my day on the end of a lawn rake and wheelbarrow.  It is much easier to rake up pine needles now rather than Spring after they have been compacted into the ground by winter's snow.  Also cut down all our towering 12 foot high bamboo grass.  Normally do that in the Spring but figured it might be less messy if I take care of all that long grass now.   Also caught a few more front yard frog pond frogs and carefully transported them to the Park’s bigger pond across the road where they can now burrow in the mud bottom and survive the winter.  When the day comes we have to give up going south I am going to do the same:))
 
OUR WOODEN STORAGE SHED IS SLOWLY FILLING UP WITH SUMMER’S OUTSIDE ORNAMENTS AND ACTIVITIES
I have suspected for quite some time now I may have some kind of wheat allergy.  Kelly got on the computer last week and checked out the symptoms and I have every one of them on the checklist.  With that knowledge in hand Kelly headed off to the health food store and returned with a car load of wheat free products.  So, changes are underway once again here on the old food front. 

Some of the wheat free products are kind of yummy and some taste totally awful.  Some just taste like cardboard but I am finding my way through the tasting process and must say I am already feeling better.  But, here's the downside for the furry guys and the immediate ramifications of Dad's new 'no wheat' diet.  No more sharing Burritos at McDonalds.  In fact, if I have to stick to this 'no wheat' thing, it means no more Subs and no McDonalds Egg McMuffins or Burgs.   And, donuts are out as are probably Pizzas.  I see all this as a good thing in the long run but this morning as I drove by a McDonald's, an A&W, a Harvey’s, a Tim Horton’s and 2 Subways, I knew this is not going to be an easy row for me to hoe.

RETIRED ROD had a few questions regarding the town of Goderich and how they are doing two months after a tornado struck their in August.  The Provincial Government of Ontario is helping residents in several ways, one of which is to match all donations being received.  An all day musical benefit concert was held in the damaged towns center a week ago as well.  Some heritage buildings were damaged beyond repair and have been torn down but the town is rebuilding and people are coping, adjusting and getting on with their lives.  I'm sure the town will emerge strong in the end looking and living even better than before.
As for the damages to the town's large waterfront salt mine, it is going to be a long haul.  The mine is back in production but the repairs and changes there are predicted to take up to a couple years. DEER PARK LODGE where Kelly works has actually benefitted from the mine damages because many of the engineers and personnel brought in to rebuild the mines facilities have found lodging for the winter at Deer Park.  Many of the engineering families are also finding accommodation in the village of Bayfield with some folks renting houses long term until the all the work at the mine is finished.  Goderich is about a 15 to 20 minute drive north of Bayfield.

<<< NIKON D40 AT 300mm…..NARROW DEPTH OF FIELD IS FOCUSED ON THE LEAVES AND HAVE BLURRED THE SPARKLING WATERS OF A POND ABOUT 50 YARDS IN THE BACKGROUND…LEAVES ARE BACKLIT BY A LATE MORNING SUN
And, a personal thank you to readers and friends for your comments and concerns regarding my 4 day blogging absence.  A special thanks for the emails from folks who understand the ways of depression and shared their own personal experiences with me.  The subject of depression is one of those closet topics which is too often hastily swept under the nearest carpet.  In my opinion, no one is immune from depression in one form or another.  It’s human nature, and the many faces of depression are gathered together in varying degrees by each and every one of us.  The key is in recognizing it and knowing how to deal with it.  Talking about depression is a definite step forward for anyone, and catching the early symptoms of an oncoming depression can save one a lot of ‘down time’.    
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know it gets so hot in Arizona that Roadrunners have to use pot holders to pull Lizards out of the ground & ranchers have to feed their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying hard boiled eggs.  Yep, it’s true alright:))
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
BAYFIELD BUNCH PHOTO ALBUMS https://picasaweb.google.com/117858411710794543295
The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of
right  now...AL

TO DORGLE OR NOT TO DORGLE….THIS IS THE QUESTION:))

 
BAYFIELD’S LITTLE INN  (ALL BAYFIELD LITTLE INN PICS WERE TAKEN WITH MY POWERSHOT CANON SX210is)
First order of day was to drop off the Motor Home this morning at the Bayfield Garage & have a persistent ABS brake light checked out plus a brake check, fluid levels and belts, etc. 

KELLY’S LOBSTERGATOR EGGS BENEDICT
As many readers know, I am not a 'Foody' person nor do I care for fancy type restaurants regardless of how good the food is inside.  Imagine my surprise this morning when Kelly informed me we were headed for the well known and upper scale ‘Little Inn’ of Bayfield for breakfast.  Some guests at DEER PARK LODGE had told her how good the breakfasts were there and that the prices were reasonable.  Kelly assured me I didn't have to get dressed up and I could wear my old lumber jack shirt and ripped jeans so that was good enough for me.  We headed for the Little Inn after dropping off the Motor Home at the garage.

KELLY WITH HER LOBSTER BENEDICT AND THAT WAS OUR LITTLE TABLE FOR TWO IN THE FAR CORNER UNDER THE WINDOW
The Little Inn of Bayfield was built in 1875 as a Hotel which it still is with accommodations upstairs.  I was relieved to see the dining room was not busy so that meant I could have a comfortable bacon and eggs breakfast.  I like to dip my toast in my eggs and toss my bacon in the air, tip my head back and catch it:))  A nice $7.50 breakfast which included a pretty darn good cup of coffee.  Kelly had the Lobster Benedict.  Personally, I don’t eat anything that has been dredged out of an ocean.  Pet peeve....same as Crackle Barrel, they don't butter the toast!!!!  But, here's what I liked best...no grinding ram jam noise garbage coming out of the sound system.  Astrud Gilberto was singing, 'The Girl from Ipanema' when we walked in.  How nice it was to eat breakfast with the soft strains of soothing Latin music in the background.  Kudos to The Little Inn of Bayfield on their taste in music:))  And, also another plus for the Little Inn is the fact they use all locally grown products in their food preparation.  Ok, so the Lobster is an exception but I bet it’s still Canadian grown.

      
 
From there it was off to Mitchell Ontario to visit Uncle Harry.  All was well there and Harry's doing great compared to a month ago.  Pheebe was her usual good little self.  We were home by 11:30 and Kelly headed into work.  I took the 'Rocket Dog' for a spin around the trail and that was about if for the afternoon.

MOTORMOUSE CASTS A WARY GLANCE BACK AT PHEEBEE WHILE KELLY CATCHES UP ON SOME PAPER WORK ON OUR WAY TO MITCHELL THIS MORNING….I THINK THE PHEEBS WAS MAKING GOOFY FACES AT THE MOTOR
Bayfield Garage called around 4 and the coach was done.  Nothing serious with the brakes aside from some minor cleaning etc.  Codes were checked and some chassis ground's were cleaned.  The 8.1 Vortec engine's serpentine belt was replaced and all fluid levels checked.  The Motor Home goes back in again next Tuesday morning to be undercoated as well as the Jeep.  Jeep's tires will be rotated at that time as well.  We have been taking our vehicles to the Bayfield Garage ever since moving to this area nearly 9 years ago.  Sooooooo nice to have a trustworthy and well respected garage nearby.

FOUND AN AUTUMN CROCUS IN YOUR FLOWER BED THIS MORNING
Reading MERIKAY'S BLOG this morning about 'worries' I was reminded of a post where I touched upon the topic of 'worries and problems' back in March of 2010.  Scroll down half way through the post to pick up MY THOUGHTS about taking your current sack of worries and problems to the problem store and trading them in for a new sack of worries and problems:))

PALS
From time to time as I'm writing I occasionally make up my own words as I roll along.  Turns out one of my made up words in a recent blog has turned out to actually mean something and of course it's dictionary meaning had little to do with my meaning.  I used the word 'dorgling' in the following context...'More dorgling around with the Motor Home this afternoon in preparation for our blast off next month.'  (I felt the word dorgling was better than the word dinking)  Now, here's what ED found out and said about the word.....dorgling!!  "I didn't know exactly what you were doing with the Motor Home so I looked for a definition of the word. The only one I could find was in the Urban Dictionary".  Dorgle.....A verb which describes the action one would take to show affection to a small or cute animal or person. Dorgle is an action above cuddling or snuggling.  Ed goes on to say, "I knew that you loved your Motor Home just didn't understand how deeply"!  Thanks for the definition Ed.  Now, to Dorgle or not to Dorgle....this is the question:))

KELLY PAYS OUR BILL AT THE LITTLE INN THIS MORNING >>>>>>>>>>
GROANER’S CORNER:((  Did you know credit is a financial process that ensures you will be tired of most things before you actually own them!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their soul remains un-awakened.

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

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