PHEEBS AND I TOOK A DRIVE UP THROUGH AMISH-MENNONITE COUNTRY THIS MORNING

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT THIS FELLOW AND HIS TEAM OF HORSES ARE DOING??

I figured with these below freezing nights and above freezing days the maple syrup harvest would be in full swing so Pheebs and I slipped ourselves up through Amish country this morning to see if we could find ourselves some sap pails hanging on maple trees. 

THIS LADY AND HER DOG ARE HEADING BACK TO THE HOUSE FROM THE BARN….I’M WONDERING IF SHE MIGHT BE CARRYING SOME FRESH EGGS IN HER WHITE BUCKET

PHOTO ABOVE AND BELOW WERE TAKEN IN SAINT HELENS

IT WAS IN THIS COUNTRY CEMETERY WHERE ONE SUNDAY MORNING A FEW YEARS AGO I FIRST HEARD THE ANGEL LIKE SINGING VOICES OF AMISH FOLKS COMING FROM A  NEARBY FARM

Well I guess I figured wrong because not one tapped maple tree did we see.  Not one, and that came as a surprise.  But no matter, we had ourselves a nice relaxing drive anyway and managed a few photos along the way.

SPOTTED THESE HORSES ON AN AMISH FARM EAST OF SAINT HELENS

THE HORSES WERE SO HAPPY TO BE OUTSIDE THEY WERE RUNNING AROUND KICKING UP THEIR HEELS AND ROLLING IN THE SNOW

YABBA-DABBA-DOO I CAN ROLL OVER TOO

‘HEY MOM WHATCH ME SLIDE’

‘HOLY GEEEEEZZZZZ THIS SNOW IS SLIPPERY STUFF’

OOOOOOOHHH AAAHHHHHHH

‘THINK I’LL JUST CONTENTEDLY EAT ME SOME BREAKFAST AND LET THOSE CRAZY KIDS OF MINE HAVE THEIR SILLY FUN IN THE SNOW’

Some readers may have noticed the absence of a fellow Blogger on our sidebar this last while.  Anyone reading Stew’s posts at ‘The Furry Gnome' may be wondering where he has disappeared to.  I can tell you that he is in serious condition at the moment and here is the last post he wrote on February f4th entitled, Yet Another Walk In The Woods.  Notice his last paragraph in this post.  The next post dated March 5th was written by Stew’s wife, Maria.  Furry Gnome Update.  Today we received the following update written by Maria and forwarded to us by one of Stew’s friends.   “Good Morning.  Many of you have emailed me to see how Stew is doing.  I wish I could say that he is making rapid progress, but he is still only taking baby steps forward.  He is now off the ventilator up to 5 hour periods, several times a day.   While off the ventilator he is able to speak, in a deep but very weak voice.  Dialysis is now 3 times a week (Mon, Wed and Fri) and it is a very tiring procedure for him.   As he said, it is exhausting!Physio has him up in a wheelchair for brief periods, but Stew finds it very uncomfortable. However it is necessary to strengthen his upper body strength and improve his lung function.  As we enter the rehabilitation stage, any progress in his condition will be slow. The complications he experienced during surgery, in effect, have left him with stroke like symptoms from the chest down.   We were made aware of the risks involved with this surgery, but at not time did we think that all this would actually happen and to this extent.  I went home briefly to pick up a few things and run some errands.  I brought down a number of Stew’s photos and a few personal items.  If you feel so inclined, send photos by email or send cards. He would enjoy seeing them.   London Health Sciences Centre…Cardiac Surgery Recovery Unit, ICU 339 Windermere RD London Ont. N6A 5A5  Thank you for your kind thoughts, prayers and support.  Hugs.  Maria”.

ALTHOUGH I SAW THIS SIGN AT AN AMISH FARM I SAW NO EVIDENCE OF THE FOLKS GATHERING SAP YET

A LOGGING TRUCK UNLOADS LOGS AT AN AMISH-MENNONITE SAW MILL

I COULD HEAR SAWING SOUNDS AND SEE SAWDUST IN THE AIR AT THAT BIG OPEN DOOR

LOOKS LIKE FRESHLY CUT LUMBER

I have never met Stew but we have become friends through our blog comments to each other over these last number of years.  With things in common like photography, local history, and the great outdoors I always checked on Stew’s posts to see where he was hiking, what he was researching about the area and what he was photographing.  When in the south each winter I particularly liked all his great winter photos.  I’m taking a liberty here going public with Stew’s medical difficulties but i felt he may be needing all the support he can get at the moment.

NOTICE THE HORSES BREATH ON THIS FROSTY EARLY SPRING MORN

AWWWWW, SO THAT’S WHAT HE IS DOING

Although our day started out kinda dreary looking it wasn’t long before Old Sol managed to find a few holes in the thin cloud layer and once again began spreading warm sunshine over the land.  How nice to hear those dripping sounds as snow continues to slowly melt off our roof each day.

I’M WONDERING IF THERE COULD BE 2 TEACHERS IN THIS SCOOL HOUSE

NICE TO SEE THE KID’S HAVE SOME BIG WINDOWS TO LOOK OUT

I CAREFULLY SLIPPED AROUND THESE LADIES ON PROPERITY LINE ABOUT HALF A MILE NORTH OF SAINT AUGUSTINE

NOTICE HOW THEY HAVE A  BLACK TARPAULIN ‘WIND BREAK’ IN FRONT OF THEM

Over these past blogging years of mine I have firmly come to the conclusion that some of my best friends are people I have never met and quite probably never will meet.  I’m Okay with that, I’m comfortable with that, and I understand that.  A big thank you to all my best friends for your thoughts:))

A RIVERBANK REFLECTION

GROANER’S CORNER:((  An English man, French, Italian and German are standing at the side of a street watching a street performer.  The street performer noticed that they all have poor eye sight so he asked them whether they can see him and they responded: "Yes" "Oui" "Sì" "Ja"

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A guy walked into his friend's office, he found him sitting at his desk, looking very depressed.  "Hey, what's up with you?", he asks.  "Oh, its my wife," replied the man sadly. "She's hired a new secretary for me."  "Well, nothing wrong in that.  Is she blonde or brunette?"  "Neither, He's bald."

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‘Second Day of Spring’

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IT WAS A STRETCH TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING TO WRITE ABOUT TODAY

ONE OF OUR FRONT YARD BLACK SQUIRRELS

It was just before noon when I tipped myself back in my recliner and blissfully became unconscious for about half an hour.  By doing that I unintentionally missed something.  What I missed only happens four times a year and has something to do with the Equinox.  I missed the coming of Spring of course which occured about 12:15.  Well no matter, the important thing is that Spring has officially arrived.  Now just as soon as old man Winter relinquishes his hold on our area I’m sure a collective ‘YAAAAY' will be heard throughout the land.

SOME ROADS ARE BEST AVOIDED DURNING WINTER MONTHS

MAPLE SYRUP TIME WILL SOON BE UPON US

Starting off any day in a slow poke mode like watching TV or reading doesn’t work for me.  It has a tendency for setting the day’s pace and I’ve been known to go from slow to slower.  Have to at least get outside and go somewhere, anywhere, so with that thought in mind again Pheebs and I headed east this time wandering some local gravel roads east and south of Clinton.   Even managed a nice walk in the Bannockburn Conservation Area on our way back to Bayfield.  It was kinda breezily cold but at least old Sol’s warming rays were reaching us when not in the shade.  I think we even made it above the freezing mark by a couple degrees today too.  I’ve had to wear my lined winter pants ever since we got home from the South.  Our snow pack is slowly melting but the key word there is ‘slowly’.

MORNING WALK IN THE BANNOCKBURN CONSERVATION AREA

FOLLOWING A PARTIALLY SNOW COVERED BOARD WALK

SOME BOARDWALK SECTIONS ARE SNOWIER THAN OTHERS

Sometimes I sit here at the computer for the longest time trying to think of something to write about.  Can’t seem to get it through my head when that occurs I should simply not write anything.  Sounds simple enough.  Don’t know why I have to complicate it so much………

SOAKING UP SOME WARM EARLY SPRING SUNSHINE ON OUR SUNROOM FLOOR THIS AFTERNOON

GROANER’S CORNER:(( A Few New Words For You::

AQUADEXTROUS (ak wa deks' trus) adj. Possessing the ability to turn the bathtub faucet on and off with your toes.

CARPERPETUATION (kar' pur pet u a shun) n. The act, when vacuuming, of running over a string or a piece of lint at least a dozen times, reaching over and picking it up, examining it, then putting it back down to give the vacuum one more chance.

DISCONFECT (dis kon fekt') v. To sterilize the piece of candy you dropped on the floor by blowing on it, assuming this will somehow `remove' all the germs.

ELBONICS (el bon' iks) n. The actions of two people maneuvering for one armrest in a movie theater.

5. FRUST (frust) n. The small line of debris that refuses to be swept onto the dust pan and keeps backing a person across the room until he finally decides to give up and sweep it under the rug.

PEPPIER (pehp ee ay') n. The waiter at a fancy restaurant whose sole purpose seems to be walking around asking diners if they want ground pepper.

PHONESIA (fo nee' zhuh) n. The affliction of dialing a phone number and forgetting whom you were calling just as they answer.

PUPKUS (pup' kus) n. The moist residue left on a window after a dog presses its nose to it.

TELECRASTINATION (tel e kras tin ay' shun) n. The act of always letting the phone ring at least twice before you pick it up, even when you're only six inches away.

Arachnoleptic fit, noun:
The frantic dance performed just after you've accidentally walked through a spider web.

Beelzebug, noun:
Satan in the form of a mosquito that gets into your bedroom at 3 in the morning and cannot be cast out.

Bozone, noun:
The substance surrounding stupid people that stops bright ideas penetrating. The bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little sign of breaking down at any time in the future.

Caterpallor, noun:
The color you turn after finding half a grub in the fruit you're eating.

Dopelar effect, noun:
(1) The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when you come at them rapidly.
(2) The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Extraterrestaurant, noun:
An eating place where you feel you've been abducted and experimented on.

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- What do you call a bee that lives in America?  A USB.

- A cowboy rides into town on Friday, stays three days and leaves on Friday how does he do it?
The horses name is Friday

- A 5 foot tall Psychic was arrested one day. He escaped from jail and the newspaper headline read, "SMALL MEDIUM AT- LARGE."

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A fellow nurse at my hospital received a call from an anxious patient.   "I'm diabetic and I'm afraid I've had too much sugar today." the caller said.
"Are you light-headed?" my colleague asked.
"No," the caller answered, "I'm a brunette."

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