MY COVID MASK AND WHAT I LEARNED ABOUT IT TODAY

NOTICED THIS ROW OF COLORFUL CHAIRS IN FRONT OF GODERICH'S HOME HARDWARE STORE

Don't know where all my energy came from this morning and early afternoon but come it did and I had my nose to the grindstone at just about anything I could think of needing done.  And it was hot and sticky too but not quite as bad as previous days.  Had a number of things on my list to pick up in Goderich earlier this morning and I'll be darned if I didn't get around to getting them all picked up too.  A colored plastic hair clip for the rig's steering wheel, a bin key cut so I had a spare, and a smaller than usual washer for my brass 'quick-disconnect' water hose thingy.  Took me three different hardware stores to find the washer and get a key cut and two stores to find a hair clip.  But here's the thing.......I noticed something odd at each store I went to and each store person I talked to.  They all seemed extra nice and willing to help me find what I was looking for.  Especially a lady clerk in the Rona Hardware store who simply wouldn't give up until she found me the right washer for my 'quick-disconnect' water hose mossmagator.  And she found it in a box of odds and sods under the counter.  Wished me good luck and gave me a thumbs up with an even bigger smile.  No charge:))  All this friendly niceness is not always usual for me and it wasn't until Pheebs and I were driving home that after thinking about it a while I finally figured out why these clerks were all so nice.  And it was truly an 'A-HA' light bulb moment when I finally clued into it.  And it was my Covid mask that held the secret.  No, it wasn't the color of it or any fanciful humorous graphics blazoned across it.  In fact, it wasn't what the mask showed......it was what the mask hid.  My face!!  I have written many times over the years about this grumpy, stern, and unsmiling face of mine.  Now I don't look this way on purpose, I look this way because I inherited my face from my Dad's side of the family where a sudden stare could freeze one to the very spot they were standing at.  My Dad, his Dad and, his brothers all had that stern unsmiling Bossence look.  So imagine being a store clerk and in walks 'the face'.  No wonder people and especially retail folks defensively back up when they see me coming.  The old saying, 'here comes trouble' sure must ring true for them.  But 'WALLA', wearing my Covid mask now people can't see this grumpy face of mine so of course they are nice to me.  They are comfortable, at ease, and not threatened or afraid.  They have a tendency to chat me up now instead of disappearing behind a shelf or under a counter.  I must say I am a little agog at all this attention and I'm not so sure it's a good thing.  For one who is shy of attention, I might be forced to go mask-less for people to keep their distance.  Or I might have to go masked for the rest of my life, change my ways, and become a friendly Dale Carnegie motivational speaker selling door to door vacuum cleaners part-time.  Either way, it is going to be quite a challenge indeed and I'm not just too darned sure I am up for it.  To mask or not to mask, this is the question.  Oh Dear, what is a fella to do....................

A FEW PICS FROM AROUND GODERICH THIS MORNING

NO IDEA WHAT'S ON THIS BARGE THE TUGBOAT IS PUSHING, WHERE IT'S GOING .OR WHY

FAMILY DAY AT THE BEACH

OCCASIONALLY I SEE PEOPLE USING THE EXERCISE EQUIPMENT ALONG THE BEACH 

Down around Goderich's south harbor area this morning I noticed a sign I hadn't seen before which said, 'RV And Trailer Parking' with an arrow pointing to a large graveled area where the old CPR train station once stood.  The area is large enough for big rigs towing vehicles to park or turn around.  It's a good location with the beach and shores of Lake Huron about a two-minute walk away.  Large lake and ocean-going freighters can be seen here as well if there any in Port.  Also from this location, uptown Goderich can be reached in a pleasant 10-minute walk.  I don't know about staying overnight but if you are here in an RV for the day I would definitely recommend this site.  By the way, the former CPR train station is only a few hundred yards away and is now a fine restaurant called, The Beach Street Station and it's complete with an outside patio with a scenic view of Lake Huron just across the road.  Great spot for an evening sunset meal.

I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THIS RV PARKING SIGN.....KUDOS TO GODERICH FOR DOING THIS

GREAT SPOT FOR RV PARKING AND THAT'S THE OLD TRAIN STATION IN THE BACKGROUND....NOW A RESTAURANT

LESS THAN A TWO MINUTE WALK TO THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON

IF ONE IS LUCKY THEY MAY EVEN SEE A SHIP IN PORT

LOTS OF ROOM HERE

JUST FOLLOW THE PAVEMENT UP THERE TO WEST STREET, TURN RIGHT AND IT TAKES YOU TWO BLOCKS TO UPTOWN GODERICH

Kelly had a dental consultation appointment in Exeter this morning to have a few cavities looked at.  She ended up with an appointment to see a dental surgeon.  For quite a while now Kelly has had a problem with her jaw and it has been difficult and sometimes painful for her to eat.  Kelly, never one to complain, kept waiting for it to go away.  This morning she mentioned this problem to her new dentist.  He listened to her seriously and then took a 'panoramic x-ray' of her jaw.  Moments later returning with the x-ray in hand his first question to her was, 'have you been in a car accident??'  Of course Kelly's answer was 'no'.  He asked if she had fallen or struck her head ??  Again the answer was no.  He showed Kelly the x-ray and her jaw is out of alignment looking slightly disjointed.  Her dentist said it needs the expertise of a dental surgeon to correct and he immediately made an appointment with one in Cambridge Ontario.  

THAT TALL LADDER AND I HAD US A LITTLE TUMBLE THIS AFTERNOON BUT I LANDED ON THOSE BLANKETS SO NOBODY GOT HURT....NOT EVEN THE LADDER OR THE ENGINE HOOD

THIS AREA ON ALL CLASS C'S IS A DIFFICULT AREA TO GET AT TO CLEAN OR WAX

CLIMBED UP ON THE ROOF TO MEASURE THE RIG'S HEIGHT AND IT LOOKS LIKE WE ARE AN EVEN ELEVEN FEET TALL (3.6 METERS) FROM THE ROAD TO THE TOP OF THE AIR CONDITIONER POD 

STARTED WAXING THE DRIVER'S SIDE TODAY

WE ALWAYS PUT A HAIR CLIP ON THE STEERING WHEEL WHENEVER THE TV ANTENNAE IS UP OR THE POWER CORD OR WATER HOSE ARE ATTACHED TO THE RIG....IT'S A REMINDER TO NOT DRIVE AWAY WITH ANY OF THOSE THINGS STILL UP OR ATTACHED AND YES I HAVE DONE THAT (POWER CORD)

GROANER'S CORNER:((     A young boy had just gotten his driver's permit and inquired of his father, an evangelist, if they could discuss his use of the car. His father took him into his study and said to the boy, "I'll make a deal with you, son. You bring your grades up from a C to a B, study your Bible a little, get your hair cut, then we'll talk about the car."  Well, the boy thought about that for a moment, and decided that he'd settle for the offer, and they agreed on it.  After about six weeks, the boy came back and again asked his father about using the car. Again, they went to the study, where his father said, "Son, I've been real proud of you. You've brought your grades up, and I've observed that you have been studying your Bible, and participating a lot m!ore in the Bible study class on Sunday morning. But, I'm real disappointed,since you haven't gotten your hair cut."  The young man paused a moment, and then said, "You know, Dad, I've been thinking about that, and I've noticed in my studies of the Bible that Samson had long hair, John the Baptist had long hair, Moses had long hair and there's even a strong argument that Jesus had long hair."  His father replied, "You're right, son. Did you also notice that they all walked everywhere they went?"

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