NOT A WHOLE LOT ON MY MIND TONIGHT

A RURAL & VERY WELL TO DO PURPLE MARTIN BIRD HOUSE

Decided not to try & hook up the Big E's surround sound rear left & right speakers.  It's not that it can't be done it's just that I am not the guy with the patience & carpentry skills to run the speaker wires behind panels & drill holes through cupboards to feed those wires invisibly from the receiver to the speakers about 12 feet away.  Rolled the speaker wires up tonight & put the speakers back in the closet & that was that.

JUST TOO MANY BUGS, FLIES & MISERABLE MOSQUITOES OUT THERE FOR PHEEBS & I TODAY
Pheebs & I took a drive over to the Hullet-Marsh this afternoon in hopes of hiking around & taking some photos.  Of course the biting flies & miserable mosquitoes had other ideas & we had to abandon our walk & head on back home.  Other than that little outing for an hour the day was about as dead as a dead day can get.

Not a whole lot my mind can think to write about tonight so I will leave you with an archive memory.  It's one I have linked to half a dozen times before over the last 6 years but here it is again for any new readers that might be out here.

2002 HONDA SHADOW AERO 1100

ARCHIVE MEMORY::  August 26th, 2008............. "Is that a diesel motorcycle sir". Thought it odd hearing those words coming from the young gas attendant fella at a Shell station in Goderich Ontario a few days ago. I had just rolled in on my motorcycle & topped up my gas tank. I generally run regular gas in the bike & about every 4th tank or so I fill it up with Premium. To-day I decided on premium, so by-passed the regular nozzle & without looking, reached for the premium nozzle on the other side of the pump & filled er up!! I said to the young fellow, "no, this is a gas motorcycle, to which he kindly replied, "well, you just filled up your motorcycle with diesel fuel......sir." ARRRRGGGGHHHHHH!!!! There it was, right on the pump beside me....DIESEL. Well, to say I could feel my stomach sliding right out from under me would be putting it mildly. What a huge feeling of frustration & anger I had with myself. (not to mention embarrassment) Just taking things for granted & not paying attention to what I was doing again!!!!
Wheeled the bike around the corner of the garage, slunk out of sight & got the owner's manual out of the saddle bag. Tried to find out if there was some kind of a gas tank drain valve. Couldn't find anything. Even got down on the ground & had a close look for some kinda valve or something. Suddenly dawned on me that if I had a hose I could probably siphon the diesel fuel out right out of the tank. No hose at the gas bar so walked across the large parking lot to a Canadian Tire store at the far corner. Got me a siphon hose with a plunger thingy on it & headed back. The young fellow at the gas bar fetched me a big white 5 gallon plastic pail. The siphon didn't work well because the siphon part was a solid plastic tube so wouldn't bend well to get down into & around the bottom of the bikes tank. Back to Canadian Tire for a second time & got a 3' section of flexible gas rubber hose. Should have done that in the first place because this hose worked perfect except for one little thing. No suction plunger on this one so I had to use my mouth to start the diesel fuel flowing. Diesel fuel in my mouth, up my nose, in my beard down my chin, on my pants & of course I did not miss my shoes. The bucket I was draining it into tipped over at one point so I had quite a mess of diesel fuel going on all over the place. Moved the hose around in the tank making sure I got as much fuel out as possible & by the time I was done I had about 3 gallons of diesel fuel in the 5 gallon plastic pail. Probably another half gallon on the ground & another half gallon on me!! Pushed the bike back out to the gas island, DOUBLE CHECKED THE GAS PUMP & re-filled my tank with V-Power Premium....GAS!! This whole ordeal lasted about 40 minutes but luckily ended well. If that young sharp eyed gas attendant hadn't noticed my mistake I would have rode out of there with a tank full of diesel fuel & promptly ruined my motorcycle engine. That would have been a major repair!! I thanked him & insisted he take $20. Probably should have given him another ten for not laughing at me & calling me a dummy. He didn't want to accept the $20 but I pulled rank on him using my superior age factor. Truly a nice kid. Next stop was the car wash to hose down the diesel infested motorcycle & the last stop of the day was home to hose down the diesel infested & somewhat embarrassed human!!!!

A COUPLE GRAIN WAGONS & A TRACTOR READY FOR THE COMING WEEK’S WHEAT HARVEST….WEATHER PERMITTING

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A father took his five-year-old son to several baseball games where The Star-Spangled Banner was sung before the start of each game. Then the father and son attended church on a Sunday shortly before Independence Day. The congregation sang The Star-Spangled Banner, and after everyone sat down, the little boy suddenly yelled out, "PLAY BALL!!!"

---

The banquet was about to begin when the master of ceremonies was informed that the clergyman invited to give the blessing was unable to attend. He asked the main speaker if he would oblige, and the man agreed. He began, "There being no clergyman present, let us thank God."

A BETTER DAY………THANK YOU:))

Took us (mostly Kelly) the best part of half an hour using 3 remotes to finally get the DVD sound system working in the Big E.  Nothing wrong with the system it's just getting the right buttons all synched on the remotes.  Visually had Roy Orbison's 'Black & White Night' DVD in the player & on the TV screen but could not get any sound.  Finally found an 'audio' button on the Sony remote that solved the problem.  Up along the windshield we have a left, center & right speaker plus a sub-woofer on the floor.  We found 2 unused speakers for the system in a rear closet & I was able to hook them up to the RCA receiver.  We now have acceptable surround sound but there is a problem and the problem is the wires running from the receiver to the speakers.  Where & how am I going to run those wires seamlessly between the speakers & the receiver without having speaker wires draped over chairs, running across the floor or hanging down from the tops of cupboards.  But hey the speakers work & that's the main thing.

Question in tonight’s Shout Box asks, “Why are all expenses , gas mileage, lic/ins, campground fees, etc, considered in the decision analysis when purchasing an RV”?  Well maybe somebody’s just putting me on here but I’ll try an answer.  Gas mileage, licensing & insurance all have a direct bearing on what kind of RVing one wants to do & how much money one wants to spend.  Gas mileage varies greatly between gas & diesel & the size of the RV.  Insurance is going to be more costly on motorized rigs than trailers.  Same can be said for licensing fees.  Going to cost a lot more money to insure a new 40’ Class A diesel than a 10 year old Class B camper van.  I’m guessing campground fees are all the same price regardless of vehicle size but not exactly sure about that.    

Reading Steve’s recent HOUNDS & RVs post he talks about his restlessness within, the urge for change & the sometimes elusive contentment factor.  I well understand what Steve is talking about.  That restlessness within gnaws at many of us.  Not content for long periods of time with continuous same-same back to back days we constantly deal with the desire for change.  What if Christopher Columbus had been content to sit back & watch the world to go by.  Restlessness & a desire to see & do new things can be a positive motivating factor but if one is not in a position to initiate those changes that gnawing restlessness inside can be very aggravating indeed.  I deal with it on an almost daily basis. I look at folks living in low key everyday contentment & I wonder how they do it.  And I must say to a certain degree I am envious.  It's a mystery to me but then again a lot of simple things in life are a mystery to me.  Some of us just have to get out & walk down to the end of the road to see what's around the corner while others are just content to stay put knowing there is at least a road going by.     

Friday turned out to be one of those days where no matter what I tried I just could not lift my own spirits.  Tried to interest myself in some projects outside around the house but my mind just wasn't into it.  Finally in early afternoon I loaded up Pheebs & we headed off out into the country for a drive.  Took the cameras along but never took any photos.  Oh there were interesting things to photograph of course but when my mind is burdened by depression it is not always creatively attuned in the right frame of mind to it's surroundings.  And so it was with Friday.  Just one of those days that can sneak up behind someone & just lay them low for a period of time.  Feeling much better today.

A personal thank-you to the folks who responded to my Friday post & an appreciative thank-you to readers for their patience & understanding into my occasional slips & slides on the ever slippery slope of depression.  I don't always write about my bouts with it but occasionally it just comes out of me in the form of a post.  Writing about it does help & folks responding with patience & understanding are always a great help.  I don't write about my stumbles from time to time in hopes of garnering attention.  I just sometimes have to get things off my chest.  And often times some of those things center around me, my Blog & the folks who read my Blog.  So to you I again say thank-you.  And a thank-you as well to the few who did not seize the opportunity to again criticize & leave sarcastic & demeaning remarks.  I appreciate that:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  

NOT ONE OF MY BETTER DAYS

Determined as I was all day to not write a post tonight here I again sit at my keyboard drawn like a Moth to a flame.  A Moth which at times carelessly flies too close to that  very flame & other times frolics recklessly around it.  But drawn I am & I can't seem to help myself.  I do have an addictive personality & sometimes I do wonder if I have yet fallen into the grips of yet another obsession.  Years ago a cigarette addiction gripped me for years as well did alcohol.  I was an over the top coffee addict for a long time.  They all seemed to be an obsession.  On top of that I have this love/hate relationship with daily Blogging now & have had it for a number of years.  I enjoy it, I look forward to writing every day, love traveling about searching out new photos & yet I become so frustrated with myself over my Blog.  You have no doubt detected that love, hate, enjoyment & frustration in many if not all of my posts.  I am one of those restless souls/Bloggers who many a time questions himself over what he writes.  Can't help it, I'm just put together that way & my frustration & criticism with self is an ever present irritation which comes from within.  I think back to things I have written & shake my head in disappointment while other times something I have written will bring a smile knowing it has helped someone somewhere.  With each tap of that ‘Publish’ button every night goes out another piece of my inner self & maybe that is part & parcel of my overall problem.  When is too much too much & not enough still too much.  I probably take blogging way too seriously by putting too heavy a pressure on myself.  But I take a lot of things seriously.  I constantly worry about who I may have offended by my careless use of words at times.  Who have I left out, who have I stepped on unintentionally & in a few cases I have to admit.....intentionally.  I'm bothered by guilt at not reading or commenting on my fellow Blogger's posts like I did in my first 5 years of blogging.  I look at my own sidebar & see all the folks I have listed there & I am touched by guilt that I have not been keeping up with most everybody anymore like i once did.  I know this stuff probably doesn't bother most others but for me, like I said it's just the way I am put together.  It is what has been ingrained into me from childhood & I have never been able to shake that over sensitivity.  I do not travel with the every day luxury of confidence so many folks have.  And I do not possess the Ego to carry me through everything regardless of how badly I may have stepped on someone’s toes.  I guess that is noticeable when I am sometimes too quick to apologize & step back from something I have said that actually did not warrant an apology in the first place.  Anyway, where am I going with all this tonight.  I don't know.  Like I said, it was not one of my better days & that came out though my keyboard tonight.   Sometimes it's just best to dump all the cards on the table & let them fall where they may.  People will think what they will think & life will move forward regardless..................................    

COOLER FRESH AIR, MORE WIND TURBINE CONSTRUCTION BEGINS & AN RV QUESTION ARRIVES BY EMAIL

JUST ANOTHER SUPER FINE DAY IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Delightfully much cooler this morning so Pheebs & I weren't long in getting ourselves out to enjoy the great refreshing air.  Traveling a back road west of Dungannon Ontario I was surprised to see 2 tall cranes reaching high into the sky. A short distance away were a bunch of construction trailers & the whole rural area was a bee hive of activity.  Trucks coming & going, machines moving about & stockpiles of equipment.  Then I spotted the reason for all the hub-bub.  Wind Turbines.  I soon began seeing turbine sites in the early stages of construction dotting farmer's fields as we drove along the country road.  Our beautiful scenic pastoral rural farm lands are fast a-changing along Ontario's west coast Lake Huron shoreline.

SOON THESE GIANT MOBILE LIFTING CRANES WILL BE MOVED ONTO WIND TURBINE SITES TO DO THE HEAVY LIFTING ASSEMBLY…THIS OLD GRAVEL PIT IS THE STAGING AREA FOR THE K2 WIND PROJECT

 

MACHINES PREPPING A FUTURE WIND TURBINE SITE & SOME SITES ALREADY HAVE WINDMILL PARTS READY TO BE LIFTED & ASSEMBLED INTO PLACE

 

FROM THIS DISTANCE I COULD HERE THE FAINT ‘SWISHING’ OF THE BLADES FROM THAT TURBINE AT THE LEFT

A reader in our Shout Box asked, "Why is the Bayfield Bunch not RVing in Canada during the summer months"?  Well no doubt a good question & one that I ask myself occasionally.  It's not for a lack of desire to go somewhere I can assure you.  If we had the many free & remote BLM areas here like in the South-West you can bet we would be out boondocking.  Staying in RV Parks is not for us & especially not in the hot summer season when Parks will be packed with people.  Of course that limits our travel options.  Would be nice if we could travel out to Canada's East coast but we have to be practical about that.  We've talked about it several times but the fuel costs would quickly cut into our Winter plans for the South-West.  And not wanting to stay in RV Parks we are always at odds to find acceptable boondocking sites along the way.  If & when the time comes we can’t go South anymore we’ll maybe re-focus our ideas on Canadian travels.  Maybe winters in southern British Columbia.  Hmmmmm. 

Also in keeping with the question………We headed up to the Bruce Peninsula a month ago with the express purpose of checking out some real estate properties.  Had been hoping to maybe find a small quiet inexpensive get-away to use for boondocking in the summer months but of course most prices were beyond us & the one's that weren't were inaccessible rock, swamp & heavy bush.  However we haven't given up on our Bruce Peninsula boondocking property idea & we are still keeping an eye on real estate prices in that area.  The other problem we have is simply that we sometimes just get to darn comfortable here at home & especially in the hotter humid weather......………….

PHEEBS CHECKS OUT THE PASSING SCENERY…CAN YOU SEE HER SNOUT IN THE MIRROR:))

I'm still making my way through my latest book which I probably started a couple months ago. "UFOs: Myths, Conspiracies, and Realities" by John Alexander is a tough slog for me because it is very detailed & kinda complicated with a lot of cross referenced facts & that is very hard for my short term memory to keep up with.  I'm 75% through it though & determined to reach the end.  I read 5 or 6 pages on my Kindle every night just before falling asleep.  This factual & intriguing book simply verifies in so many detailed ways that yes there are Unidentified Flying Objects in our skies alright.  No doubt about that whatsoever.  Where they come from & why they are here is a mystery.  It's too bad the whole UFO phenomena has been treated with such ridicule, ignorance & unnecessary secrecy for so long.  Needs to be out in the open & treated with the seriousness warranted it.  It's too bad politics once again ends up standing in the way of intelligent thought.

ONE OF PHEEBS FAVORITE STOPS IS THIS ANIMAL SANCTUARY JUST SOUTH-WEST OF DUNGANNON ONTARIO

 

  

THEY ARE ALL WATCHING THE PHEEBS

I thought Nan from TRIPPIN WITH THE TALLEYS had a great post today.  I'm guessing she as well as I & many other RV Bloggers received the same email from RVSHARE saying, 'We are looking for experienced RV'ers to write a blog post about why everyone should go on an RV vacation at least once in their lifetime.  Nan not only answers that question of why but added photos to go along with her writing.  Great job.  RVShare also went on to say, 'Would you be interested in writing a post like this? If so we would be willing to compensate you for your time by sending you a $25 Amazon Gift Card or $25 in cash paid via Paypal.  If you are interested please let me know and I can send you more details'...............It would be interesting to see if any other Bloggers wrote their thoughts about this question which in fact is a great question.  I did write some thoughts loosely based on that question & have decided to include them here in tonight's post.  I think Nan should submit her very well done article to RVShare.

I entitled my thoughts, 'Are You Ready For A New Perspective'

Have you ever noticed how quickly your perspective on things can change if you just remove yourself from your present environment.  A few hours, a couple days, maybe a week or more.  What a nice feeling inside to experience new things, change some daily drudgerous routines, meet some new people & treat yourself to North America's wondrous scenic delights.  If the house is feeling a little old & the air has a staleness about it we open windows to let in fresh new air.  Let's do the same thing with our minds.  Let's open them to the freshness & new perspectives RV travels can bring us.  And let's try to keep those windows open for as long as we can.  For Kelly & I that fresh air comes in the form of a Recreational Vehicle or an RV as we RV'ers call them.  Easiest way for me to explain an RV is to call it a home on wheels.  All the amenities right at one's fingertips no matter where one travels.  From week-end getaways to living in an RV 365 days a year it is the perfect way for one to change their current environment whenever they choose to do so.  Want to comfortably enjoy warmer weather in the Winter?  Just throw some personal effects, your favorite foods, most comfortable clothes into an RV & away you go with just the turn of an ignition key.  You have your own washroom on board so no 'iffy' rest area washrooms along the way.  Cook your own food when you want & how you want.  No dicey Motel rooms or greasy spoon eateries.  You travel with your own bed, your own clean sheets & you travel comfortably in your own enclosed environment no matter the weather.  Your own shower & washroom facilities.  Now how nice is that.  Often times while I'm driving Kelly is on the Internet checking routes ahead, reading incoming emails or perusing the days latest news headlines.  Onboard satellite & antennae HDTV adds a nice touch at the end of each day whether driving or camped out for a few weeks.  And here's the part I like best.  We are completely independent to make our own decisions as to how far we want to travel in a single day, what roads & routes we want to take & where we want to spend the night or following days, weeks, & months.  I think everyone at some point in their busy lives should take the time to experience the freedom of RV travels in this big beautiful land we live in.   Don’t let it slip on by you.  For Kelly & I it was one of the best decisions we ever made back in the summer of 2006 when we decided to embrace the RV lifestyle as folks traveling south for the Winter.  We are commonly referred to as Snow Birds.  In the summer months we are free to just throw a few things in our rig & head off anywhere we care to go for a break, a few days away, an independent experience & best of all a refreshing & often times much needed different perspective on things..........................:)) 

 

IT WILL SOON BE TIME TO HARVEST SOUTHERN ONTARIO’S WHEAT FIELDS
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Wanting to borrow some money to make a six-month tour of Europe, a man went to the bank where he had done business for years. The bank refused the loan.  He went to another bank and obtained the loan without any difficulty. Then he bought a five pound fish, had it wrapped, and put it in his safety deposit box at the first bank.  He then joyfully left for his six-month vacation.

WEDNESDAY

I thought school teacher Cheryl Ann over at DEEP CANYON had an insightful post about her thoughts & feelings on returning to the classroom in another 4 weeks.  She brings up some interesting points about the differences in teaching today compared to years ago when we at this age were all in school.  I don't know a whole lot about kids & stuff but what she says makes sense to me & I can understand what she is saying & the frustrations she is facing.  I have often said, 'newer is not always better' & I think that saying may apply to what Cheryl Ann is referring to.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A band performing at an outdoor concert kept playing although the crowd had dwindled down to one man. Finally, the tired musicians told the man that if he left, they could all go home.  "It's up to you," he answered. "I'm just waiting to put away all those folding chairs your sitting on."

JUST POKING ALONG ENJOYING THE FRESH COUNTRY AIR

Knowing we had a sweltering day coming up Pheebs & I were out the door shortly after a.m. heading for Zurich Ontario & Grand Bend.  Our stop in Zurich was at our Vet Clinic to pick us some flea stuff.  Not that Pheebs has a lot of fleas but we do think we have detected some flea residue.  Next stop on our meandering route was SOUTHWEST MARINE SERVICES in Grand Bend to pick up one bottle of MEGUIAR'S Marine wax & one bottle of Meguiar's black streak remover.  I intend to use only Meguiar's products on the Motorhome from here on in.  I figure they are all designed to work together & I don't want to run the risk of messing up the rig's finish with something else that might interfere with Meguiar’s waxed finish.  From our place to Zurich, Grand Bend & home again could have been done in under an hour.  Took Pheebs & I nearly 3 hours to make the trip.  We poked along through the countryside enjoying the fresh morning air.  I would say about 95% of all the recently installed 2 dozen or so Wind Turbines south of Bayfield are now up & running with their big white blades turning slowly in the wind. 

After recent rains it has been frustrating to see the black streaks running down the sides of the Big EEE again but it's a thing all RV & boat owners have to deal with.  Upon arriving home today I applied the black streak remover I had just purchased & it worked like a charm.  Much better than the stuff I had bought at Canadian Tire a couple months ago. 

<<< PHEEBS IS A LAP DOG ALRIGHT & WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN THIS POSITION EVERY DAY:))

Had myself a bit of a chuckle when an email crossed my desk Monday night.  It might be legit or it might not be.  Here's what it said::…………'Just saw your blog - You two (or some of your readers) might be perfect for this: There is a new RV cable television show in the works, and they are looking for a host couple... anyone can apply at http://www.rvtalentsearch.com  Visit our new site at http://www.eyemg.com
Glenn Somodi Partner, Creative Director, Idea Hamster’
Now the part that made me chuckle was this line which said. "We don't want just anybody, we want a fun-loving RV couple that laughs, jokes and has a personality anyone would love to be around".  I really don't think this fellow ever did read my blog or he would have caught on pretty quick to our reclusive ways.  Social butterflies we are not.  And a personality anyone would love to be around??  Well Kelly yes, but me?  Ummm, I don't think I’m what one would call ideal TV material to say the least.  Anyway if this email is legit maybe some of you fun loving personable RV folks out there might be just a perfect fit for the job…………………….:))

THOUGHT THIS WAS AN INTERESTING PLANTING ARRANGEMENT…ROWS OF CORN MIXED WITH ROWS OF BEANS OR SOMETHING

Been a couple years since my last eye check up & today was the day.  I was very happy to make the journey to Goderich in an air conditioned vehicle & yet I drove all the way back with the A/C off & the windows down.  That was nice too.  No change in my eye glass prescription & the cataract in my left eye is still not at the point where anything needs to be done.  Said to come back in a year. 

SUN BURST LOCUST LEAF SHADOWS ON ONE OF OUR SUMMER PORCH ORNAMENTS

GROANER’S CORNER:(( The flight attendant watched a passenger try to stuff his hopelessly overloaded bags into the overhead bin. Finally she informed him that he would have to check the over-sized luggage.  "When I fly other airlines," he said irritably, "I never have this problem!"  She smiled and said, "Sir, when you fly other airlines, I don't have this problem either."

---

My cousin was behind the bakery's cash register one morning when a gunman burst in and demanded all the cash.  As she nervously handed over the money, she noticed the rolls of coins in the back of the register.  "Do you want the rolls too?" she asked.  "No," said the robber, waving his gun. "Just the money."

---

I finally figured out the difference between cupcakes, muffins and scones.  They're exactly the same except you have to suck the moisture out of the cupcakes to turn them into muffins.  Then you leave them sitting on the counter for about a month to turn them into scones.