ANOTHER FINE AUTUMN DAY IN SOUTHWESTERN ONTARIO

ALL TONIGHT’S PHOTOS ARE OF A BEAUTIFUL AUTUMN DAY AROUND OUR HOUSE
We reached 75F today under a warm clear blue Autumn sky.   It just does not get any better than that.  I sit here in our sunroom in late afternoon with a low western sun backlighting a clump of cedar trees and yellowing Tiger's Eye Sumacs.   The ever changing beauty before me is ethereal.
 

 

Kelly busied herself today loading the Motor Home.  I wonder why it is that women seem to have 9 things to load up to a man's one thing.  I saw basket loads of clothing going out there that would make a Thrift store envious.  I've got my blue jeans and 2 shirts I think.  Wonder if I should take some laces for my shoes.

I don't know what it is about wood that I like so much but whenever I see a nice piece of wood I have to drag it home.  No matter that I do not have any carpentry or wood carving skills.  No matter that we don't have a wood burning stove or fireplace and no matter that joining two pieces of wood together by whatever means is not an easy task for me.  I just bring pieces of wood home.  On our morning walk today I spotted a piece of wood in our Park's environmental recycling area.  It was about a foot and half long and maybe 6 inches wide.  Looked like a discarded piece of pressure treated lumber used in making a deck.  Someone had obviously thrown out some scraps.  Scraps to them maybe, but it was a great piece of wood to me.  And in good shape too except for a bit of mud.

Maybe it is patterns I see in the wood grain.  Maybe it's the smoothness or it's very shape itself.  No matter, it was a handsome piece of wood and I lovingly carried it home.  A neighbour brought over a bag of wood scraps left over from a renovation project a few years ago.  She figured the scraps would make for a nice campfire.  She was right of course but oh my, it was a very handsome bag of wood scraps indeed.   The bag is still in my workshop and every once and awhile I open the bag, peer in and think to myself, 'no, those wood scraps are too beautiful to burn.  Just look at those fine wood grains, those shapes, those textures.....Say, anybody need a nice piece of wood………I got lots:))  


Think I will take commenter Ed's suggestion and keep our 'Four Corner's travel plan open.....Ed said, "Don't give up on 4 Corners completely. The weather may not be so bad that you can not see some of the area.  I would have a Plan 'A' that would include 4 Corners and Plan 'B' that did not. Would make my final decision based on the weather after I got on the road and reached the 'Separation Point'."  I think Ed has a good point there.   Sometimes I get a little too darned discouraged for my own good!! 

Had myself a good start to the day but by noon it was like someone had opened a valve and all my energy drained out.  Ended up looking at the backside of my eyelids again for a few hours this afternoon.  Set out to take Pheebs for a spin around the trail but turned back after my legs felt like a couple of lead weights.

Having lost our two beloved Pals, Max and Checkers this past Spring my heart goes out to Grant and Kathy over at BIRDING RVERS.  Their Golden Retriever, 'Raider', suddenly passed away just a few days ago while on his morning walk.  I understand only too well the heavy hearts these folks are feeling right now and also know it is only the passage of time which will ease their grieving hearts.

I never did write a tribute to Max and Checkers and I never did write about their final days simply because I could not bring myself to do that.  The pain of their passing is still heavy in my heart even after these long 6 months.  One day I hope to write about two of the best Pals I ever had.  Just this short simple paragraph brought tears to my eyes again.

Goderich held it's OUT OF THE STORM CONCERT today in the very Square that had been devastated so badly by a recent tornado.  Noticed, The Downchild Blues Band was playing.  Anyone remember their big song years ago,  FLIP FLOP AND FLY ??  Always thought they did a great job with that bouncy tune.

I made a rather disparaging remark about China in last night's post which I edited out this morning.  An Anonymous Commenter rather bluntly pointed out my insensitivity and after going back and re-reading what I had written I had to agree with the commenter.  I hope I am never to proud to admit to my mistakes.  And my apologies to China of course……………


And this correction from KEVIN AND RUTH in regards to my statement in Saturday's post about out of country medical health coverage for Canadians....{Quote}" This is actually a misleading statement, Al. If you are covered under OHIP, and need out of country care, they will reimburse you for emergency medical up to whatever the same procedure would have cost had you had to have it done in Ontario. In Mexico, costs are cheaper than in Canada so we don't require unnecessary medical insurance. In the USA, we would end up being out of pocket for the difference."{Unquote}

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A few thoughts on Autumn.......
-Autumn is a season for big decisions -- like whether or not it's too late to start spring cleaning.
-Autumn -- time to drag out your winter clothes and see what kind of summer fun the moths had.
-This autumn we can look forward to falling leaves and rising gas prices. We'll be raking it up while the oil companies are raking it in.
-The Autumn leaves are a lot like raising kids. First they turn on you, and then they fly away. And next thing you know, you look out the window and they're back!
-I got tired of looking at all those leaves in my yard, so I got up off the couch and went into action……………..I closed the curtains!!
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-Tourists see the world, travelers  experience it.
-Until one has loved an Animal, their  soul remains un-awakened.
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The only thing better than right now  will someday be the memories of right  now...AL