WELL WELL....A BREAKTHROUGH IN THE TEA DEPARTMENT AND WHO WOULD HAVE EVER THUNK IT

Amazingly enough our day's temperature actually lived up to and exceeded the weather people's prediction and I think we topped out over 40F by early afternoon.  Warmest day of the year so far and almost cause for many mass celebrations.

EVEN CANADA GEESE WERE ENJOYING THE SPRING LIKE WEATHER TODAY

Our Jeep wanderings this morning took us to Goderich and down around the harbor.  Being it was Sunday I knew the bank restoration gang wouldn't be working.  Made it all the way out to the dog walking area at the far end of Rotary Cove and did not see one sign of where work had been going on.  Machines are all parked near the water treatment plant.  

I'M THINKING MAYBE THESE MACHINES ARE ON HOLD UNTIL HEAVY SHORELINE ICE BREAKS UP

THE ALGOMA INNOVATOR LEAVING THE PORT OF GODERICH WITH A LOAD OF SALT ABOARD

THIS MACHINE WAITS TO UNLOAD ANOTHER SHIPMENT OF LARGE BOULDERS

The whole shoreline is coated in rock hard ice and maybe they are waiting until all that ice thaws before continuing work on the eroded banks.  With an icy cold wind coming in off the lake I took a few pics and quickly hopped back into the warm Jeep.  The offshore ice field stretches out into Lake Huron maybe half a mile or more in some spots.

CRUISING ALONG ROTARY COVE DRIVE

DOGGY WALKING AREA AND YOU CAN STILL SEE THE ALGOMA INNOVATOR ON THE HORIZON

THERE IS A HEAVILY ERODED SHORELINE AREA DOWN THERE UNDER ALL THAT ICE

AT BOTTOM RIGHT CAN BE SEEN ANOTHER CHUNK OF SHORE SEPARATING

STILL A LOT OF WORK TO BE DONE HERE WHERE THE BOARDWALK ONCE STOOD

NOT WHAT I WOULD CALL A USUAL SUMMER'S DAY AT THE BEACH

THE STONEWORK IN FRONT OF THE BEACH STREET STATION LOOKS TO BE COMPLETE

THE ALGOMA INNOVATOR STILL VISIBLE ON THE HORIZON HAD LEFT THIS PIER ALONGSIDE THE GODERICH SALT MINE

Home again shortly after ten with temperatures rising it wasn't long before I found myself comfortably puttering around in the carport straightening things up.  Did the same thing in one of our sheds then cleaned the Jeeps interior windows.  Had it not been Sunday I would have vacuumed out the Jeep as well.  Maybe do that Monday.  Noticed patches of ground showing up along some of my snowy winter pathways and what a nice feeling just to be outside seeing and hearing a whole lot of melting going on.  'Spring Tonic' is not just a saying, it's real:))))

SO NICE TO SEE THE SNOW MELTING OFF MY BACKYARD PATHWAYS

OUR RV PARKING AREA IS STILL AWAITING AN RV

<<< HOW NICE TO BE WALKING ON A PATCH OF GREEN GRASS AGAIN
Our good neighbor Pat just up the street from us after reading my Saturday night post came to our door today with some varied types tea for me to try.  First one I gave a whirl was called Earl Grey and I'll be darned if I didn't mind it at all.  I drank it straight up without cream or sweetner of any kind.  Doesn't have the horsepower a good cup of coffee has but I think I will buy me a small box anyway and see how I make out.  And I do think the other 3 teas I had tried this past week were made by Black & Decker.

I'M THINKING THIS LITTLE FELLOW MIGHT BE A HAIRY WOODPECKER

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Waking Up Is Hard To Do by a group of singing Anesthesiologists from Minnesota.
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Air Force One crashed in the middle of rural America. Panic stricken the Secret Service mobilized and descended on the farm in force. When they got there, the wreckage was clear. The aircraft was totally destroyed with only a burned hulk left smoldering in a tree line that bordered a farm. Secret Service descended upon the smoking hulk but could find no remains of the crew or the President's staff. To their amazement, a lone farmer was plowing a field not too far away as if nothing at all happened. They hurried over to surround the man's tractor."Sir," the senior Secret Service agent asked, panting and out of breath.  "Did you see this terrible accident happen?"  "Yep sure did." The man muttered unconcernedly.  "Do you realize that is the President of the United States airplane?"  "Yep."  "Were there any survivors?" the agent gasped.  "Nope. They's all kilt straight out." The farmer sighed cutting off his tractor motor. "I done buried them all myself. Took most of the morning."  "The President of the United States is dead?" The agent gulped in disbelief.  "Well," the farmer sighed, obviously wanting to get back to his work. "He kept a-saying he wasn't ... but you know what a liar he is." 
(Now before anyone gets all busted up about this joke let me just point out the joke doesn't single out any one President so I'll let you be the judge.....Al:))
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'YA RIGHT' THEY SAY THE SAME THING ABOUT BUCKLEY'S COUGH SYRUP TOO!!

Hadn't had ourselves over around the Hullett Marsh area for a week or two so our morning Jeep ride headed us in that direction.  All roads leading into the Marsh itself are closed for the Winter but a few parking areas are accesible.  Pulled into one and found the snow deeper than I had figured on and bogged down for a few seconds.  Threw the Jeep into four wheel drive slowly unbogging myself and carefully reversed out of there using the same tracks I had made coming in.  Had we not had four wheel drive Pheebs and I would have been stuck in there till the June thaw.  Paved roads this morning were bare and dry while country roads were mostly hard packed snow and ice.

SAW THIS CHIPPER LITTLE PLEASANT PHEASANT CHAP OUT FOR A STROLL NEAR THE MARSH

A SCHOOL BUS SHELTER FOR THE KIDS AT THE END OF THIS FARM LANE

For the second day in a row we had a real nice looking day under big blue sunny skies but we were nowhere near the predicted high of 40F.  Barely crawled our way to the freezing mark and with today's wind again the wind chill factor was probably down around 20F.  Not nice.  

Another afternoon walk but again we were limited on how far we go because of the 'trudging through the snow' factor.  It will be nice again at some point to walk normally on firm ground with summer shoes instead of clunky winter boots.  Snow doesn't bother Pheebs though and she just bounds through the cold white stuff like a little puppy dog.

CAN YOU SEE THE SNOWMAN

PHEEBS THE SNOW DOG JUST CLIPPING RIGHT ALONG

LATE AFTERNOON SHADOWS ON OUR PARK'S POND

SO GREAT TO SEE SOME PATCHES OF EARTH FINALLY SHOWING THROUGH

OUR PATHWAY THROUGH THE TALL PINES LEADNG HOME

Only a week to go and it will be March and that is a big psychological lift no matter which way one looks at it.  We can get some of our worst winter storms in March and we can also get some very nice early Spring days too.  It's like after a long hard race one enters turn four on the track and is in the home stretch.  The finish line can finally be seen and a sense of winning again grips the tired runner empowering her/him to sprint that last leg despite the tracks final few hurdles along the way.  

A FEW PHOTOS ALONG THE WAY TODAY

A year ago right now we were hanging out in Borrego Springs California biding our time before beginning the long trek home at some point.  Our base of operations was the Legion parking lot just outside of town.  We had taken a liking to that spot the year before.  However last year while there a whole gang of really noisy people moved in on us.  We tried to tough it out but alas we were overwhelmed and my post title for one year ago today was....A Great Feeling Good Day.....Then It All Fell Apart 

IF WE WAS RICH FOLKS WE'D LOVE TO HAVE A LITTLE WINTER RETREAT PLACE IN BORREGO SPRINGS

My first week of dietary changes has gone well.  Stopped my honey intake completely and have lived to type about it.  Also only half a carrot muffin in the past 30+ days.  Have completely stayed away from any and all sweets.  Traded in my 37% less sugar apple juice for 'no sugar added' orange juice and I find myself now at the grocery store reading labels on whatever I am thinking of buying.  One thing I have been unsuccessful at though is trying to like tea.  Tried 3 different types this past week and there is just no way I am ever going to like tea.  I've tried different times over the years trying to understand what people can like about tea but it still remains a mystery to me.  And my sweet English Grandmother right from the shores of England on my Dad's side was a true tea Granny too.  Plus my Grandfather on my Mothers side although not from England was the same.  At every meal out came the big brown porcelain tea pot I still remember so well.  So why was I trying to like tea??  Well everybody and their brother tells me how good tea is for the body and they like the taste.  Ya right, they say the same thing about Buckley's Cough Syrup too!!  (go ahead click the link to see what I mean:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A woman goes to her doctor who verifies that she is pregnant. This is her first pregnancy. The doctor asks her if she has any questions. She replies, "Well, I'm a little worried about the pain. How much will childbirth hurt?"The doctor answered, "Well, that varies from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy and besides, it's difficult to describe pain."  "I know, but can't you give me some idea?," she asks.  "Grab your upper lip and pull it out a little..." "Like this?" "A little more...""Like this?" "No.  A little more...""Like this?" "Yes. Does that hurt?"  "A little bit."  "Now stretch it over your head!"
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HUSBAND: When I get mad at you, you never fight back. How do you control your anger?
WIFE: I clean the toilet.
HUSBAND: How does that help?
WIFE: I use your toothbrush.
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