IT WAS A COLD RAIN UPON US TODAY AS WE………

I THINK WE WERE BEING FOLLOWED

For the first time in a few weeks we are finally above the freezing mark.  Snow is slowly melting under a drizzly rain as a fine mist hung in the air all day.  Pheebs and I made our way to Goderich on wet slushy roads and picked up a few things at Walmart.  The harbor area was exceptionally dull and gray and I only ended up taking one photo all day which was on the way home.  And in Sunday’s post I had a pair of unidentified water birds which in a comment Sondra said, “Al you have red breasted mergansers in your photos, the male with his head hidden and the reddish colored one is the female”. …… I’m afraid my bird identification is not the best but I do know the difference now between a North American Cardinal and an East African Ostrich:))

A SLUSHY AND SLIGHTLY FOGGY DRIVE THIS MORNING

To-night’s photos are the last in a series of photos I took a couple weeks ago one Sunday morning when Pheebs and I walked the Maitland Woods John Hindmarsh trail.

THE EYES OF THE FOREST WERE UPON US

 

THE TRAIL MAINTENANCE CREW HAS SPREAD SOME GRAVEL ALONG THE TRAIL

HERE THE TRAIL PASSES BY A NEARBY FIELD

 

Arriving back home I shoveled some slush around and came into the house to see Kelly busy packing things up to be loaded into the Motorhome.  That was my first indication that 'yes' we just might be heading out Saturday morning.  Without questioning anything I immediately busied myself gathering things together and despite the cold rain we both worked away at getting the rig loaded for departure Friday morning.

WE WERE SURPRISED TO COME ACROSS THIS NICE LITTLE POND

 

Needless to say we are paying very close attention to weather reports at the moment.  Some weather sites have warnings while others are still predicting good weather.  It's a real crap shoot but now that Kelly and I are on the same page we may even be heading out as early as Friday morning.  Because of weather warnings I am pushing for an early Friday departure to get us as far south as we can before a big cold front sweeps in from the North possibly bringing some very unsettled weather.  If we don't get out of here by the end of the week we will be caught in another deep freeze which no doubt will be packing a lot of snow again.  I do not want to have to get up on a ladder and clean the top of the Motorhome off a second time.

I’M SURE THERE IS A NAME FOR THIS BRIGHT ORANGE FUNGI BUT I DON’T KNOW WHAT IT IS

NO THIS IS NOT A FOREST PYTHON, JUST A BIG BIRCH TREE ROOT

 

WE’RE STILL FOLLOWING THE WHITE TRAIL MARKERS SO I GUESS WE ARE NOT LOST YET

SURE ARE A LOT OF BOARDWALKS ON THIS TRAIL

ANOTHER BIG TREE TIPPED OVER

 

I DO SEE A KIND OF OWL FACE HERE SOMEHOW >>>>>

Many trips out to the Motorhome and back in a cold drizzly rain but no matter, at least we finally had a positive goal in mind and our weeks and weeks of waffling back and forth were finally and thankfully at an end.  Well, at least as of today they are.  Tomorrow??  Who knows.  And with multiple buckets of water I did manage to get the salty sides of the rig and all four wheels sloshed off.  Yes I know the coach will likely be all salted up again before we reach warmer temperatures but at least it gave me a psychological lift to get the majority of sand and salt off before we leave.

TREE FUNGUS OF SOME TYPE REMINDS ME OF A HORSE’S HOOF

THOSE GRAY FLUFFY THINGS ARE SOME KIND OF DEAD PLANT

LOTS OF INTERESTING TREE ROOTS ALONG THE WAY

KIND OF A BLUE-GREEN LICHEN ON THE THIS BIRCH TREE

 

As any couple knows, agreeably coming together on decisions is not always the smoothest of endeavors but Kelly and I have been lucky over the years in usually being on the same page at the same time and any decisions we make are always jointly made.  However with neither one of us being stubbornly dominate or unreasonable we sometimes waffle back and forth trying to accommodate the other's feelings.  And so it has been with our RV plans for heading south.  Because of some circumstances being out of our control it was definitely a challenge for us to both turn that page at the same time this year.

AND I STILL THINK WE WERE BEING FOLLOWED

GROANER'S CORNER:((  JOB DESCRIPTION POSITION :Mother, Mom, Mama, Mommy, Ma

JOB DESCRIPTION:  Long term, team players needed, for challenging permanent work in an, often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs Five Dollars. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat just in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face overly stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of several multiple homework projects.

Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices.

Must always hope for the best, but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.

Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and cleaner work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION:

Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:

Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that university will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS:

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

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- “What did the sock puppet say to the sock? Looks like you could use a hand.”

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