A FEW AUTUMN SCHOOL MEMORIES FROM DAYS GONE BY

It wasn't only the crickets in the cornfield I could hear this morning, it was also the cornfield itself.  A brisk westerly breeze played its way across the fields rustling the corn stalks as it passed.  These cooler sunny mornings in the countryside are so special.

 YES, IT'S GETTING TO BE THAT TIME OF YEAR ALREADY

 AREA BEAN FIELDS ARE RIPENING

Figuring I had better take advantage of the earlier morning's cool air, we headed home after our walk.  Hauled out my shop vac and went at our Winnebego's interior.  It wasn't really dirty but there were cobwebs and things in the corners that needed vacuuming out.  Because of not using the rig's gray water dump valve very much these past couple of years it was almost seized up, but with a little WD-40 and some good old elbow grease, I was able to get that valve freed up and functioning properly again.  The black tank valve is fine......and the toilet is still holding water:))

 SCOOTER'S CAB IS STILL IN THE SAME PRISTINE CONDITION IT WAS WHEN IT WAS NEW TWENTY YEARS AGO

I am always happy to see the end of July and August and the beginning of September.  It signals cooler temperatures and that is a biggy for me.  It also signals, in my opinion, the most beautiful time of the year.  A quiet time, a peaceful time.  There comes a breath of nostalgia in the air and it's a time for looking back and remembering.  My early school days come to mind.  The smell of erasers, inkwells, farts, pencils. and paper.  And yes, there always seemed to be the smell of little people's farts wafting through the classroom air.  I remember the laughter and games in the schoolyard, meeting new friends, recess, skipping ropes, games of marbles, and breaking in new teachers.  Hearing the school bell ring and the scrambling of hundreds of little feet on the steps leading to the classrooms.  Hearing the opening and closing of those old wooden desk tops as notebooks, pens, and paper are hauled out.  The sounds of old iron radiators banging away bringing warm welcome heat on those cold winter days.  Chalkboards and their brushes, the old map of the world that pulled down and singing God Save The Queen every morning while standing at attention beside our desks.  Wooden floors that my mother, aunts, and uncles had all walked on many years before I was ever even there to walk those very same floors.  I think my kindergarten teacher might have been my mother's kindergarten teacher.  And I remember the big maple trees in the schoolyard in their colorful Autumn glory.  'Fire drill' had us all scrambling in single file hurrying down long steel outside stairways from top floors to the ground below where we lined up for a head count.  I always liked fire drills because it was a chance to do something different and get outside for fifteen minutes.  Not so swell in the winter time though.  There were always things going on in the schoolyard too.  Most of them good and some not so much.  A new kid came to school one day and he was big and powerful.  It was decided amongst some of us bigger fellas that somebody had better challenge him and show him his place.  I was the one picked to do that.  Of course, the required fight ensued whereupon he hit me once and knocked me out.  We became good friends after that and he was truly a gentle and 'friendly giant.'  (that friendly giant was your brother Donald Snarey) Yes, I have a lot of treasured Autumn memories that swirl up every year at this time and these were but a few................         

GROANER'S CORNER:((  At the height of a political corruption trial, the prosecuting attorney attacked a witness. "Isn't it true," he bellowed, "that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?"  The witness stared out the window, as though he hadn't hear the question.  "Isn't it true that you accepted five thousand dollars to compromise this case?" the lawyer repeated. The witness still did not respond.  Finally, the judge leaned over and said, "Sir, please answer the question."  "Oh," the startled witness said, "I thought he was talking to you."

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"I'd like to order a pizza” the guy says at the bar. “Shall I ask them to cut it into six or twelve slices,” the barmaid asks.  “Six, please. I could never eat twelve pieces."

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CRICKETS IN THE CORNFIELDS

ORCHIDS IN OUR SUNROOM

Overnight rains ended just in time for Pheebs and I to get some paws and boots on the ground this morning.  Our country road location has cornfields on both sides of the road and one of the enjoyable things about walking this road at this time of year is the sounds coming out of those cornfields.  Crickets:))  Yes, walking along these mornings we have the pleasure of hearing Crickets in stereo.  Well, at least I do, Pheebs don't hear so well anymore.  'Crickets to the right of us crickets to the left of us', and for someone like myself who loves the sound of Crickets so much, it was well worth being there even on a cloudy Tuesday morning.

 THE ONLY PHOTO I TOOK THIS MORNING

 ONE OF OUR FRONT YARD SQUIRRELS THIS AFTERNOON

 SOME DAYS I JUST NEED TO LET A LITTLE COLOR INTO MY LIFE

Skies cleared by noon with the Sun soon hiking up the temperatures.  From our cool sunroom with my fan going I noticed a few of our front yard birds were active this afternoon so I grabbed my camera.

 BLUE JAY

 HMMMM, THIS COULD GET INTERESTING

I THINK THESE TWO GOT SOMETHING GOING ON

OH-OH I SEE SOME TROUBLE BREWING

 YESEREEEE, THERE'S SOMETHING A GONNA HAPPEN ALRIGHT

 OH NO THERE IT IS....A QUICK SMOOCH BETWEEN THESE TWO

 'IF I TOLD YOU ONCE I TOLD YOU A HUNDRED TIMES I DO NOT WANT YOU HANGING AROUND THE LIKES OF THAT RASCALLY BLACK GRACKLE GUY'!!!!!!!!!

Remember a few days ago when I mentioned about maybe trying to replace the dried-out rubber ring in Scooter's toilet?  Well, I decided to try spraying the ring with some silicone to see if that would solve the problem.  Amazingly enough, it did and the toilet is once again holding water.  Well, at least so far anyway.  I got that silicone spray tip off the internet.   

 I THINK THIS IS A  MALE HAIRY WOODPECKER

 AND I THINK THIS IS A FEMALE HAIRY WOODPECKER

 TUFTED TITMOUSE METHINKS

 FEMALE CARDINAL

 MALE GOLDFINCH

 FEMALE GOLDFINCH

 NUTHATCH

I recently finished a second book by Dr. Raymond Moody called, The Light Beyond  I find this subject matter fascinating.  I am currently reading Life at Death by Dr. Kenneth Ring.  Again, very thought provocative reading.  And I like that.

GROANER'S CORNER:)) Words and Phrases of Days Gone By:: 

Mergatroyd ? Do you remember that word?

Would you believe the spell-checker did not recognize the word, Mergatroyd.

Heavens to Mergatroyd!

The other day a not so elderly (I say 75) lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy; and he looked at her quizzically and said, "What the heck is a Jalopy?" He had never heard of the word jalopy! She knew she was old ...But not that old.

Well, I hope you are Hunky Dory when you read this and chuckle.

About a month ago, I illuminated some old expressions that have become obsolete because of the inexorable march of technology.

These phrases included: Don't touch that dial; Carbon copy; You sound like a broken record; and Hung out to dry.

Back in the olden days we had a lot of moxie . We'd put on our best bib and tucker, to straighten up and fly right.

Heavens to Betsy!

Gee whillikers!

Jumping Jehoshaphat!

Holy Moley!

We were in like Flynn and living the life of Riley ; and even a regular guy couldn't accuse us of being a knucklehead, a nincompoop or a pill. Not for all the tea in China!

Back in the olden days, life used to be swell, but when's the last time anything was swell? Swell has gone the way of beehives, pageboys and the D.A.; of spats, knickers, fedoras, poodle skirts, saddle shoes, and pedal pushers.

Oh, my aching back! Kilroy was here, but he isn't anymore.

We wake up from what surely has been just a short nap, and before we can say, "Well, I'll be a monkey's uncle!" Or, "This is a fine kettle of fish!" We discover that the words we grew up with, the words that seemed omnipresent, as oxygen, have vanished with scarcely a notice from our tongues and our pens and our keyboards.

Poof, go the words of our youth, the words we've left behind. We blink, and they're gone. Where have all those great phrases gone?

Long gone: Pshaw, The milkman did it. Hey! It's your nickel. Don't forget to pull the chain. Knee high to a grasshopper.

Well, Fiddlesticks! Going like sixty. I'll see you in the funny papers. Don't take any wooden nickels. Wake up and smell the roses.

It turns out there are more of these lost words and expressions than Carter has liver pills.

This can be disturbing stuff! (Carter's Little Liver Pills are gone too!)

Leaves us to wonder where Superman will find a phone booth.

See ya later, alligator! Okidoki .

You'll notice they left out "Monkey Business"!!!

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IT WAS A 'TWO SOAKERS' MORNING

When our A/C kicked in at 8 a.m. this morning I knew it was going to be yet another hot and sticky day.  Skipped our walk because I didn't want to start the day off with my shirt sticking to me.  Little did I know I would end up with exactly that happening later but for a different reason.  Despite a few morning sun splashes, the sky quickly clouded up and it began to rain while Pheebs and I were on our way to Goderich. 

 'LOOKS LIKE A RAINY MORNING OUT THERE DAD'

Our usual routine with a stop at the gas bar, McDonalds for a coffee to go, down to the harbor for a Pheeber pit stop then off to Walmart and the Canadian Tire store.  Walking into Walmart there was a drizzly rain in the air but when I came out it was pouring.  By the time I made it back to the Jeep I was pretty wet.  Yes, and my shirt was sticking to me.  Needing a key cut I had one more stop at the Canadian Tire store beside Walmart.  Raining heavier now I nearly froze when I walked into the CT store.  They must have had their A/C set to -35 below zero.  Being soaking wet I nearly froze to the spot.  Made my way over to the automotive counter and with a new key in hand plus a box of coffee filters, I soon exited the store.  If I thought it was raining heavy before, I was mistaken.  Now it was coming down in buckets.  No point in running to the Jeep because I was already soaked so with two soakers already, I sloshed my way across the parking lot to the Jeep with Gene Kelly's song Singing In The Rain bouncing around in my head.  The first thing I did upon reaching the Jeep was to turn on some heat plus the defroster to get rid of all the fog on the windows.  With my windshield wipers in turbo-charged overdrive, I carefully made my way out of the parking lot and headed for home.  That downpour never let up until I was about two-thirds of the way to our Park when all of a sudden I drove right out of the torrential waterfall.  From there it was clear sailing the rest of the way home and I didn't even have to use my wipers again.

 MY GPS SHOWS EXACTLY WHERE I WAS (BLUE TRIANGLE) AT 10:04 THIS MORNING AND THE BIG PATCH OF BLUE ON THE LEFT IS LAKE HURON

 SLOWLY MAKING MY WAY OUT OF A VERY WET CANADIAN TIRE PARKING LOT

 THIS FARMER WASN'T LETTING A SIMPLE DELUGE OF RAIN STOP HIM FROM HEADING OUT TO SPREAD MANURE ON HIS FIELD

 BRIGHTER SKIES AHEAD

IT TOOK ME A MINUTE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT KIND OF A BEDRAGGLED BIRD THIS WAS AT OUR FEEDER LATER THIS MORNING

I FINALLY FIGURED OUT IT WAS A VERY WET MALE CARDINAL

 ALL DRIED OFF, THE CARDINAL RETURNED THIS AFTERNOON 

EXIT STAGE RIGHT

Services were held at our burning barrel late last week for a pair of my well-used socks and one of my favorite old shirts.  The socks had holes in them the size of moon craters and the shirt was in tatters despite my trying to coax a few more miles out of it.  My shirt was at the stage where I was afraid some kind citizen might step up, gently tap me on the shoulder, and quietly say, "Sir, your armpits are showing."  That particular shirt is the very one I am wearing in a picture on our sidebar which was taken in Sarasota Florida a few years back.  It's a photo of Kelly, Pheebs, and I.  I do understand if you want to take a moment in remembrance of my old shirt and cratered socks.   

YES IT WAS QUITE A WATERY MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man died and arrived at the Pearly Gates. St. Peter greets him and says, "Welcome. Come walk with me and I'll show you where you'll be staying."As they're walking along the path he notices clocks on the Golden Fence of Heaven. He asks St. Peter, "What are all those clocks for?"St. Peter replies, "They’re clocks for every person in the world. They click once for each time you lie."By the time they reach where the man is staying, he asks out of curiosity, "I didn't see any politicians’ clocks. Where are they kept?"St. Peter calmly replies, "People here use them as fans."

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A good exercise for beginners::  Begin by standing on a comfortable surface, where you have plenty of room on each side. With a 5-lb potato sack in each hand, extend your arms straight out from your sides and hold them there as long as you can. Try to reach a full minute, and then relax. Each day you'll find that you can hold this position for just a bit longer.  After a couple of weeks, move up to 10-lb potato sacks. Then try 50-lb potato sacks and then eventually try to get to where you can lift a 100-lb potato sack in each hand and hold your arms straight for more than a full minute. (I'm at this level.)  After you feel confident at that level, put a potato in each of the sacks.

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THE WINDS OF AUTUMN TRAVELS ARE WAFTING THROUGH OUR HOUSE

 OUR MAPLE LEAVES ARE STILL GREEN

Pheebs and I saddled up Scooter this morning and headed off for a cruise around a couple big country blocks.  Southeast to Varna and then west to Bayfield and northeast to home.  The rig ran perfectly and as I always say, what a pleasure to drive. 

MY VERY MUCH MOST BESTEST PAL RIDING SHOTGUN IN SCOOTER THIS MORNING

 BLACK MULCH IN OUR PARK'S ENTRANCE FLOWER BEDS ADDS A NICE TOUCH AND IT'S NICE TO SEE GARDEN LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ADDED AS WELL

The winds of travel have been wafting through our house these past few days about all three of us piling into Scooter and heading up to the Bruce Peninsula for a mid-week getaway sometime in the early half of September after two eye appointments I have coming up.  And sometime after the Labor Day weekend when all the kiddies are back in school.  The base of the Peninsula is a nice leisurely low-traffic drive just a hundred miles north of us.  It's been nearly two years since we last went anywhere with the rig and that last time was up to the Bruce Peninsula as well.  It's a beautiful area we have always loved.  So much so that we scouted out some properties for sale in our Triple E Motorhome one time five or six years ago.  We were looking for a small property that we could park our motorhome on.  With real estate prices already into the stratosphere on the Peninsula, we never did find anything that made sense so we gave up.

 CLEMATIS BLOOMS IN OUR FRONT YARD

  LATE EVENING GREENERY

 A FEW OF OUR ECHINACEA FLOWERS ARE STILL IN BLOOM

With thoughts of heading off somewhere in our little Winnebago, I was finally inspired this morning to gather my cleaning stuff together and busy myself in the rig cleaning windows, the refrigerator, stove top, sinks, etc. and etc.  Fired up the hot water heater to make sure it still worked and it did.  The rubber seal in the toilet has dried out and I think my mention of maybe trying to install a new seal myself has made Kelly very nervous.  And, rightfully so I may add.

 SUNDOWN ON OUR STREET

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two attorneys went into a diner and ordered two drinks. Then they produced sandwiches from their briefcases and started to eat. The owner became quite concerned and marched over and told them, "You can't eat your own sandwiches in here!"  The attorneys looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and then exchanged sandwiches.

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"When I saw you driving down the road, I guessed 55 at least."  "You're wrong, officer, it's only my hat that makes me look that old."

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People who work at car factories are just out to make a quick Buick.

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A woman was waiting in the checkout line at a shopping center. Her arms were heavily laden with a mop and broom and other cleaning supplies. By her actions and deep sighs, it was obvious she was in a hurry and not happy about the slowness of the line.  When the cashier called for a price check on a box of soap, the woman remarked indignantly, "Well, I'll be lucky to get out of here and home before Christmas!"  "Don't worry, ma'am," replied the clerk. "With that wind kicking up out there and that brand new broom you have here, you'll be home in no time."

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