Sunday, August 21, 2016

WITH COOLER AIR UPON US I FINALLY HAD MYSELF AN ENJOYABLY PRODUCTIVE MORNING

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SEEING MORE AND MORE FROGS AROUND OUR POND THESE PAST FEW DAYS My recliner sits about 2 feet from our back porch's sliding patio door and I often sleep with that screened door open about a foot.  Although sound asleep I'm sure my face had a big happy smile on it as overnight temps fell following a brief but heavy wind and rain storm moving through our area late Saturday night.  That storm front brought in the most welcome and much appreciated cooler air front that most of us have been waiting so long for.  Can't even begin to tell you how nice it felt waking up surrounded by that cool invigorating air coming in through our opened windows and doors:))  DSC_0021
HAPPY TO SEE OUR RECENTLY PLANTED CONE FLOWERS DOING WELL
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I was so energized this morning I didn't know where to start or what to get done first so I just kinda bounced around doing a little bit of everything.  Finished my small rocky flower bed edge, dug a hole next to our bird feeder and placed a small plastic pond liner in it.  Filled it with water and dirt and hope to later plant Marsh Marigolds and Purple Loosestrife plus a few other swampy goodies.  DSC_0001
DIGGING THE HOLE
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AND HERE IT IS IN THE GROUND WITH SOME WATER AND DIRT IN IT
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I’M NEVER ALONE OUTSIDE
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Slipped out of the Park and down the road a bit to dig up a few plants I saw growing in a ditch and also picked up a couple tub loads of sand for a new but small front yard cactus area.  A corkscrew shrub had overgrown one end of our frog pond so trimmed that way back and 'walla' it was like our pond doubled in size.  I had actually forgotten our pond was as big as it is.  Anyway I had myself a great 5 hours of garden puttering this morning doing something I have always so much enjoyed doing.DSC_0009
THAT LITTLE SANDY PART IN THE FOREGROUND IS WHERE WE’LL PLANT SOME OF OUR BACKYARD PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS…NEXT SUMMER THOSE HOSTA PLANTS WILL DRAPE THEIR BIG GREEN LEAVES OVER THAT ROCKY BORDER
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I NOTICED WHEN EDITING PICTURES TONIGHT SOMEBODY HAD GOT HOLD OF MY CAMERA AGAIN…..AND I CAN SEE IT WASN’T THE PHEEBS
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I’M HAVING TO BE CAREFUL AROUND OUR FRONT YARD POND THESE PAST FEW DAYS NOT TO STEP ON ANY FROGS
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THE WHOLE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE POND HAD BEEN OVERGROWN
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I CAN BE JUST A FOOT OR TWO AWAY FROM THESE FELLAS AND THEY JUST SIT THERE WATCHING ME
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Sitting in our living room this afternoon I noticed it getting progressively darker out, wind came up a bit and a light rain began falling.  To a much lesser extent our Sunday afternoon today was slightly reminiscent of a Sunday afternoon exactly 5 years ago today that turned out much worse.  On that day it suddenly became very dark and a big wind blew through our park bending trees and branches.  The storm had come in off Lake Huron fast, rolled over us and headed inland.  Little did we know that just a few miles away Goderich Ontario was in total chaos having just been struck by a Catagory F3 Tornado.  Five days later I was finally able to get into Goderich and took myself and my camera for a walk around.  The town was still in quite a mess.  You can see my photos here….Goderich Tornado Damage  If link doesn't work try second link.  Goderich Tornado Damage 2
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Rain cells have been forming up out over the lake and coming ashore so everything is staying very moist which after the dry hot summer we’ve had is a good thing.   We are now definitely into the early changing of Seasons.  As I type this tonight we are at 66F and that is very much within my comfort range.  Almost makes me want to rush out the door and run around the house 10 times with a great big happy face on:))))))  
DSC_0076 IN A FEW WEEKS I WILL BEGIN ROUNDING THESE GUYS UP FOR TRANSPORTATION TO THE PARK’S MUCH BIGGER NATURAL POND ACROSS THE ROAD…OUR FROG POND IS TOO SHALLOW FOR THEM TO SURVIVE THE WINTER GROANER'S CORNER:((   An agitated patient was stomping around the psychiatrist's office, running his hands through his hair, almost in tears.  "Doctor, my memory's gone. Gone! I can't remember my wife's name. Can't remember my children's names. Can't remember what kind of car I drive. Can't remember where I work. It was all I could do to find my way here."  "Calm down. How long have you been like this?"  "Like what?" ------------------------- Teacher: Give me a sentence with the word "INDISPOSITION" in it.
Pupil : I always play center in baseball because I like playing
"in dis position!" ------------------------- Dave: I got this great new hearing aid the other day.
Mary: Are you wearing it now?
Dave: Yup. Cost me four thousand dollars, but it's top of the line.
Mary: Wow! What kind is it?
Dave: Twelve-thirty








Saturday, August 20, 2016

UP IN MENNONITE COUNTRY THIS MORNING WE SPOTTED OURSELVES AN AMISH ‘TURBO HORSE’

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With a couple sets of company coming in the next week I was hoping to have a bunch of loose end gardening projects tidied up.  I was out early this morning but again underestimated the humidity and with-in half an hour of moving some rocks around I was done.  Back into the house with a clean shirt I had just put on less than an hour before going right into the laundry basket and Al going straight away into the shower.

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AIR WAS DEAD CALM AND THE WIND TURBINE BLADES WERE NOT TURBINING EARLIER THIS MORNING

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GUESS THIS IS THE ONLY THING LEFT TO COMMERATE THE SITE OF A MID 1800’S PIONEER CEMETERY SITE ALONGSIDE A LOCAL HURON COUNTY COUNTRY ROAD

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Again not wanting to start my day off just sitting around in the house Pheebs and I took off out into the countryside in search of a few Saturday night photos.

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FROM A LONG DISTANCE I ONLY SAW 2 DEER HERE AT THE EDGE OF A FIELD BUT WHEN I LATER CROPPED IN ON A SECOND PHOTO I SAW THERE WERE ACTUALLY 3 DEER

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Not especially wanting to do a short drive and be home in an hour or so to just sit around I asked Pheebs if she had any ideas as to where we could go.  Said she hadn't seen her Alpaca pals for awhile so with a McDonald's burrito, carrot muffin and coffee in hand we headed north out of Goderich in the direction of Dungannon Ontario.

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We rolled through Huron Counties countryside with all windows down and how nice to be serenaded along the way by hosts of Crickets along roadside ditches and fields.  Reaching the rural intersection of Mill Line and Hawkins Road we pulled up alongside the Alpaca corral and within seconds of knowing Pheebs was there the gang came wandering out of the barn to see her.  Sniffs all way round and we were soon on our way again.DSC_0015

ZEKE, ZELDA AND ZOWIE

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THAT ZEKE IS A REAL HAM

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‘YA COOL MAN’

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YELLOW PIN SHOWS THE ALPACA GANG’S LOCATION IN RELATION TO DUNGANNON UPPER RIGHT

Figured since we had come as far as Dungannon we  might as well head Northeast a few more miles and take us for a drive through Amish/Mennonite country.  Must have had some substantial rains overnight because roads in places were downright muddy and I could see where narrow buggy wheels and horses hooves had dug in and rutted the gravel.  All fields were green and I realized I had totally missed the wheat harvest by a week or two.

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WE WERE’NT LONG IN COMING UP ON A HORSE AND BUGGY

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AMISH FOLKS GENERALLY HAVE WHITE HOUSES WITH GREEN TRIM, RED BARNS AND WHITE SCHOOL HOUSES

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IN THE TINY HAMLET OF ST HELENS ONTARIO

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WISHED I COULD HAVE GOT A LOWER ANGLE ON THIS PHOTO….NOTICE A SECOND GUY ON THE RIGHT WHICH I DIDN’T SEE UNTIL I LATER EDITED THE PICTURE

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DON’T KNOW WHAT WAS IN THE HEAVY SACKS BUT THESE YOUNG FELLERS WERE HAVING QUITE A TIME GETTING THAT LOAD UPHILL TO THE BARN…NOTICE THE BARE FEET ON THE WAGON CREW

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A drive through Amish country over that way is not complete without a stop at Lake Wawanosh and how nice to find nobody there when we rolled in around 11 a.m.  Lake level was down a bit but not bad.  Pheebs even puddled around at the water's edge getting her paws wet.

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LAKE WAWANOSH’S BLUE WATERS WERE SPARKLING

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EVEN PHEEBS GOT HER PAWS INTO THE COOL WATER

From Lake Wawanosh we made the turn for home buttoning up the windows and hitting the snow flurries button to cool ourselves down.  It was shortly past noon when we rolled into the driveway and quickly retreated inside the comfortable cool house.  DSC_0056

A COOL SHADY SPOT ON A HOT SUMMER DAY

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EITHER THIS IS A VERY LONG NECKED SHEEP OR THOSE ARE VERY SHORT NECKED ALPACAS:))

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AMISH WORK HORSES ALWAYS LOOK SO HEALTHY, WELL FED AND POWERFUL

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AND THEIR COWS LOOK PRETTY DARN GOOD TOO

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SOMETHING A LITTLE DIFFERENT HERE

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EVEN CAME ACROSS ONE OF THOSE RARE AMISH TURBO HORSES….YOU KNOW THE KIND WITH 8 LEGS FOR MAXIMUM HORSE POWER TOWING

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OOOPS GUESS I HAD THAT WRONG…..IT’S ONE OF THEIR NEWER MODELS, A TWO HEADED 6 LEG VERSION BUILT FOR GOOD ‘HORSE SMARTS’ FIGURING ‘TWO HEADS ARE BETTER THAN ONE

I am heartened to see much cooler temperatures slated for Sunday with overnight Monday temps due to maybe drop down into the high 50's.  Long range forecast is for a consecutive stretch of more civilized temperature and that for sure is going to make a whole lot of folks very, very happy and especially ME:))

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SPOTTED THIS AMISH HOLSTEIN COW COOLING OFF IN A POND

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I KNEW IT WAS AN AMISH COW BECAUSE THERE IS THE AMISH HOUSE

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SHE SURE WAS ENJOYING HERSELF SWISHING HER TAIL AROUND IN THE WATER

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COOLING OFF THE UNDERCARRIAGE

My goal for tomorrow is to try hard at making it through one single day without complaining about the weather.  Say, was that a big cheer I just heard go up out there……………….:))

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A LITTLE AMISH GIRL MAKES HER WAY FROM THE BARN TO THE HOUSE….I DIDN’T STOP TO TAKE THIS PHOTO INSTEAD TAKING IT OUT THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW ON THE WAY BY

GROANER'S CORNER:(( At one point during a game, the coach said to one of his young players, "Do you understand what cooperation is? What a team is?"  The little boy nodded in the affirmative.  "Do you understand that what matters is whether we win together as a team?"  The little boy nodded yes.  "So," the coach continued, "when a strike is called, or you're out at first, you don't argue or curse or attack the umpire. Do you understand all that?"  Again the little boy nodded.  "Good," said the coach.  "Now go over there and explain it to your mother."

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A grandmother was surprised by her seven-year-old helper early one morning. He had made her coffee! She drank what was probably the worst cup of coffee in her entire life. And when she got to the bottom, to her utter amazement, there were three little green, army men in her cup.  Puzzled, she asked, "Honey, what are these army men doing in my coffee?"  Her grandson answered, "Grandma, you know how it says on TV, 'The best part of waking up is soldiers in your cup.'"

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Did you hear about the Hindu yogi who was having a filling put in a tooth? When the dentist asked him if he wanted novocaine, the yogi said, "No. I can transcend dental medication."