Wednesday, February 25, 2026

HE WILL THEN RECOMMEND ME FOR CATARACT SURGERY

About four to five inches of fresh snow overnight had me on the end of my snowshov.....Well, y'all have heard this same old story way too many times this winter, so I won't bug you with another annoying repeat.  Say, was that the sound of cheering I detected out there!!  We decided to head off to Goderich early this afternoon to pick up a few groceries.  Woodsy always knows where all the bargains are.  She has a grocery store App or something on her phone that keeps her posted about all the current and upcoming sales.  There was a bit of snow and ground drifting on our way to Goderich, but nothing serious.  It was a slightly different story about an hour later when we left Goderich for home.  Both the snow and winds had picked up, and we soon found ourselves in whiteout conditions with very little visibility.  Luckily, that only lasted for a few miles, and the closer we came to Bayfield, the better the weather got.

 THIS IS WHAT WE WERE FACED WITH AFTER TURNING OFF HIGHWAY 8 ONTO PORTER'S HILL LINE

 AFTER A FEW MILES, VISIBILITY BEGAN TO IMPROVE
ONLY AN HOUR BEFORE, THISHARD TO SEE STRETCH OF ROAD HAD BEEN BARE PAVEMENT  
 FINALLY, CLEAR ROADS AHEAD
The only slight deviation from my usual morning routine occurred Monday morning when I drove to Clinton for an in-depth diabetic eye exam.  Although pre-diabetic at the moment, my Nurse Practitioner wanted me to have my eyes thoroughly checked before meeting with her and my diabetic care person in about three weeks.   What is different about a diabetic eye exam is that it is more thorough than a routine eye exam.  On a special new-fangled machine, I had each eye photographed, and the optometrist guy, on a computer screen, was able to show me all the blood vessels and things in my eyes.  Front view, side views, and upside-down views.  Looking closer at one of the photos, he asked, 'is that an apple in your eye?' to which I replied, 'Yes, that's Woodsy, and she's the apple of my eye.  Moving right along, he pointed out all the pictures, graphs, and scans and explained to me each step.  Bottom line is this....my eyes are in very good condition and show no signs of glaucoma or any other diabetic related issues.  However, there is one problem though, and he started his next sentence off with, 'I'm surprised you can see as well as you do.  The problem?? Cataracts!!  I've known for the past half dozen years that I had cataracts slowly forming, and especially on my left eye.  He wants to see me again in six months, at which time he suspects the cataract in my left eye will be worse, and he will then recommend me for cataract surgery.  

Al's Music Box:: I Only Have Eyes For You by Art Garfunkel. (Simon & Garfunkel)

 ALTHOUGH A POOR PHOTO, THIS SHOWS ONE OF THREE PAIRS OF CARDINALS IN OUR FRONT YARD TODAY
GROANER'S CORNER:(( Little Johnny's mother was trying hard to get the catsup to come out of the bottle. During her struggle, the phone rang, so she asked four-year-old Johnny to answer the phone.  Little Johnny ran out into the living room and answered the phone. "Mommy, it's the minister," he said to his mother. From the kitchen, Johnny's mom said, "Tell him I'll call him back." Little Johnny spoke into the phone, saying, "Mommy can't come to the phone to talk to you right now. She's hitting the bottle."  

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- Politicians and diapers have one thing in common: they should both be changed regularly and for the same reason.

- One of life's mysteries - How can a two-pound box of candy make a person gain five pounds?

- Time may be a great healer, but it's also a lousy beautician.

- Age doesn't always bring wisdom; sometimes age comes alone.

- Life not only begins at forty, but it also begins to show.

- I told my neighbours they could eat whatever they wanted when they house-sat for me. Damn, I miss that goldfish.

- What do clouds wear underneath their pants? Thunderwear.

- What’s the leading cause of dry skin?
Towels..

- I recently tried to write a book on plants
It was too difficult. I should have used paper.

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One bright, beautiful Sunday morning, everyone in the tiny town of Johnstown got up early and went to the local church. Before the services started, the townspeople were sitting in their pews and talking about their lives and their families. Suddenly, the Devil himself appeared at the front of the congregation. Everyone started screaming and running for the front entrance, trampling each other in a frantic effort to get away from evil incarnate.  Soon, everyone was evacuated from the Church, except for one elderly gentleman who sat calmly in his pew, not moving, seemingly oblivious to the fact that God's ultimate enemy was in his presence. Now this confused Satan a bit, so he walked up to the man and said, "Don't you know who I am?"The man replied, "Yep, sure do." Satan asked, "Aren't you afraid of me?" "Nope, sure ain't," said the man. Satan was a little perturbed at this and queried, "Why aren't you afraid of me?" The man calmly replied, "Been married to your sister for over 48 years."

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Monday, February 23, 2026

AWWWW SHUCKS, THE BIG STONE INUKSHUK ON BAYFIELD'S BEACH IS GONE

It is with interest that Woodsy and I have been watching the unfortunate news about all the turmoil in Mexico's Puerto Vallarta.  In the mid-eighties, we had traveled there two years in a row for a winter getaway.  The first year we stayed just south of town at the newly built Mismaloya Hotel right alongside the Mismaloya beach, where the movie Night Of The Iguana was filmed in 1964, starring Richard Burton and Ava Gardner.  The film was directed by John Huston and no, Elizabeth Taylor did not appear in this movie.  A very beautiful setting right on the warm shores of the Pacific Ocean.  We would ride a rickety old bus back and forth to Puerto Vallarta, driven by a laughing young teenage boy who seemed bent on keeping the bumpity old bus on two wheels, going around all the pot-holed cobblestone corners and dust-covered sharp curves.  I have photos of all this, but unfortunately, they are in a 35mm slide format, and I haven't seen them for nearly forty years.  The second year we went, we took Lorraine's (Woodsy) eight-year-old daughter, Laurissa, with us, and this time we stayed in an older, much smaller, and rustic hotel right in downtown Puerto Vallarta.  And, I use the word 'rustic' kindly, although I thought it was kind of a neat old place.  I never told Woodsy that, or I might have found myself on the first plane back to Canada!!  To put it mildly, Lorraine was not happy with our travel agent person who had suggested this hotel.  Anyway, fast forward to now, and it seems that is where a lot of the major trouble is going on in Puerto Vallarta at the moment.  We spent a lot of time walking everywhere in that whole downtown district.  This morning, as the news cameras panned around showing all the buildings, and burning cars, etc., I kept looking for that old courtyard hotel we stayed in.  Or anything else familiar.  It sure looked like Puerto Vallarta has grown a lot since we were last there forty years ago in the mid-eighties.

 i THINK THE BIG STONE BREAKWATER IS FINISHED AND THEY ARE CLEANING UP THE SITE HERE
THIS MACHINE SITS ON THE VERY SPOT WHERE THE BIG STONE INUKSHUK HAD PREVIOUSLY STOOD
 WITH THE BELOW FREEZING TEMPERATURES UPON US NOW, THE LAKEWATER IS AGAIN BEGINNING TO FREEZE
 SAW THIS SECOND DIGGER MACHINE FURTHER SOUTH ALONG THE SHORELINE BELOW PIONEER PARK AND HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IT IS UP TO
Al's Music Box:: Stranger In Paradise by Johnny Mathis.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man rushed into the doctor's office and shouted, "Doctor! I think I'm shrinking!" The doctor calmly responded, "Now, settle down. You'll just have to be a little patient."

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- Reversing the car: "Ahh, this takes me back."

- What's the reason you don't hear a lot of fondue jokes? Most of the time, they're excessively cheesy.

- Why did Van Gogh become a painter?
Because he didn’t have an ear for music.

- My best friend tried to hide his drug dealing through a fake tobacco company and glass manufacturer. It was all just smoke and mirrors.

- What’s another name for time off from work to have a smoke? Taking a coughy break​.

- Why do people in Beijing smoke so many cigarettes? To get a breath of filtered air​​.

- Which famous painting is always sad? The Moaning Lisa.

- What is Salvador Dali’s favorite thing to eat for breakfast? A bowl of surreal.

- What do you call someone hanging out by the wall? Art.

- I want to open a Christian tobacco store. I'm going to call it Holy Smokes.

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After she woke up, a woman told her husband, I just had a dream that you gave me the most beautiful diamond necklace. What do you think it means?” “You'll know tonight,” he said with a smile. The woman could hardly think of anything else all day, and she couldn't wait for her husband to return home. That evening, the man finally came home with a small package and gave it to his wife. Delighted, she opened it excitedly to find a book entitled…“The Meaning of Dreams.

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