SO YA, I'M DOING OKAY FOR A YOUNG FELLA AND I HAD BETTER NOT COME HOME WITH SKUNK CABBAGES

HMMMM, SEEMS TO BE SOMEHING GOING ON AT BAYFIELD'S HARBOR MOUTH

Woke up to the sound of rain on the roof and heard my sore overworked muscles heave a sigh of relief saying, "Yay, we get a break today.  Another part of my brain quickly retaliated with, "Hold on guys, we still have more bags of mulch to pick up this morning".  I heard a collective Booooo!!

 THIS GREEN FROG REALLY LIKES THE NEW BROWN MULCH AND HAS BEEN HANGING AROUND THIS SPOT FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS

With a slight drizzle in the air, Pheebs and I headed into Bayfield for a swing down around the harbor and a cruise along Main Street before heading on out to Gold Coast Landscaping.  Knowing right where to park near the pallets of mulch I went inside and ordered me up 7 more bags of brown mulch and a big bag of peat moss.  I'm not at the age and stage yet where I can't do a lot of physical stuff by myself and loading up the mulch and peat moss is one of those stages.  Every time a nearby employee asks, "need a hand with that" I always proudly reply, "no, I'm doing okay for a young fella."  Geeezzzz, just because I have white hair, am stooped over, and wobble a little bit on my feet, doesn't mean I still can't lift stuff!!  I've noticed most of the help offers come from female workers or young guys who probably look upon me as their Grandpa.  I'm from the last vestiges of the old school era where it was men's work to lift heavy stuff and to have a woman lifting heavy stuff for a man would be an embarrassment.  Besides, what would his buddies say if they ever saw him not lifting his own heavy stuff eh!!  So ya, I'm doing okay for a young fella:))

 SOME KIND OF WORK GOING ON ALONG THE SHORELINE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HARBOR 

 TURNS OUT THEY ARE DREDGING A SANDBAR WHERE THE BAYFIELD RIVER EMPTIES INTO LAKE HURON

 I'M ALL LOADED UP AT THE GOLD COAST GARDENING CENTER

On our way home from Goldcoast, Pheebs and I despite the slight drizzle slipped into the Bayfield Cemetery for a walk which we had to cut short when the drizzle suddenly turned to a steady rain.  Home again, I emptied the Jeep of its mulch and peat moss.  With the drizzle not too bad I was able to get a few other things done, and I noticed something while walking across the driveway.  I was moving and walking more fluidly than I had been for quite some time.  My 'ouchy' hardly used Spring start-up muscles were becoming attuned and not hollering at me.  Mind you, I wasn't out long enough or worked hard enough for them to holler, but I definitely did sense an improvement in my short-term aches and pains:))   

 NOW TO UNLOAD IT AND NO THANKS I DON'T NEED ANY HELP....I'M DOING OKAY FOR A YOUNG FELLA:))

A reader's comment in yesterday's post asked the question, "Can you explain what stone dust is? Does it grab onto your shoes to track into the house"?  Here's what I found on the internet....Stone Dust Gravel is also called “crusher run” and works well for the surface of both driveways and walkways. It's made from stone dust fines and crushed stone. The stone dust will settle and become compact to create a semisolid surface that is smooth.  Now, as far as tracking in I would have to say, yes it does but I'm hoping after a few good rainfalls or watering with a garden hose, a lot of the fine dust will settle down through the very fine gravel and not be a tracking-in problem.  We'll see how it goes and I'll let y'all know:)) 

So here's another fine example of how my mind works these days (or probably has always worked as I'm sure some would agree)  We have a spot in one of our flower beds near the front porch steps that would be ideal for a small flowering shrub or dwarf tree.  It's a very shaded area so a couple days ago I went online to see what kind of shrub or small tree would do well in low light.  Out of a half dozen suggestions, I saw a 'Smoke Tree' was one of them.  I've always liked those Smoke Trees so while in the Canadian Tire Store Thursday morning and on the spur of the moment, I took a walk through their garden center.  On the floor in one area sat six or seven potted shrubs so going by I stopped to glance at the labels.  'Bingo', just what I was looking for so I picked it up and proceeded to the check-out, and headed for home.  A couple hours later I got around to thinking about planting my Smoke Tree.  Before doing so I checked the label again to see if there were any extra planting tips and it was at this time that I noticed it said to plant in full Sun.  'What'!!  Back I go to the computer and type in the name of the plant, Dwarf Burning Bush.  Yep, full Sun!!  Well, now I was really confused and a little irate because I was sure it had said to plant it in the shade.  So I mentioned the confusion to Kelly and she kindly, in her normal and patient fashion, (patience is a must in dealing with me) pointed out that what I went to get was not what I came home with.  What!!  So, when she pointed that out, I finally saw my mistake.  At no time at the Canadian Tire store while standing there in the garden center looking at the label did my brain tell me that this Burning Bush I was holding was not a Smoke Tree.  My mind reading the label 'Burning Bush' was delighted it had so quickly found what it was looking for, a 'Smoke Tree'.  Later, the only flimsy excuse I could muster, is that I must have got Burning Smoke and Bush Tree somehow mixed up or something.  Oh my, this aging ordeal is definitely not for the faint of heart and if I plan to plant Marigolds sometime in the future, I had better not come home with Skunk Cabbages!!

OUR SMOKY BURNING BUSH TREE

Al's Music Box:)) Can't Do A Thing To Stop Me is a song by American singer Chris Isaak, released in 1993. It is the first single from his fourth studio album, San Francisco Days. Christopher Joseph Isaak (born June 26, 1956) is not only a singer but also a songwriter, guitarist, and occasional actor. Noted for his reverb-laden rockabilly revivalist style and wide vocal range, he is popularly known for his breakthrough hit and signature song "Wicked Game" as well as international hits such as "Blue Hotel", "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing", and "Somebody's Crying".  With a career spanning four decades, Isaak has released a total of 13 studio albums, toured extensively with his band Silvertone, and received numerous award nominations. His sound and image are often compared to those of Roy Orbison, Elvis Presley, Ricky Nelson and Duane Eddy.  Isaak is closely associated with film director David Lynch, who has used his music in numerous films. As an actor, he played supporting roles and bit parts in films such as Married to the Mob, The Silence of the Lambs, Little Buddha, That Thing You Do, and Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, and starred in two television series: the sitcom, The Chris Isaak Show and the talk show called The Chris Isaak Hour.

 I WONDER HOW THAT DREDGING OPERATION IS AFFECTING THAT LONE FISHERMAN

GROANER'S CORNER:((  There once was a rich man who was near death. He was very grieved because he had worked so hard for his money and he wanted to be able to take it with him to heaven. So he began to pray that he might be able to take some of his wealth with him.  An angel hears his plea and appears to him. "Sorry, but you can't take your wealth with you." The man implores the angel to speak to God to see if He might bend the rules.  The man continues to pray that his wealth could follow him. The angel reappears and informs the man that God has decided to allow him to take one suitcase with him. Overjoyed, the man gathers his largest suitcase, fills it with pure gold bars, and places it beside his bed.  Soon afterward the man dies and shows up at the Gates of   Heaven to greet St. Peter. St. Peter seeing the suitcase says, "Hold on, you can't bring that in here!"But the man explains to St. Peter that he has permission and asks him to verify his story with the Lord. Sure enough, St. Peter checks and comes back saying, "You're right. You are allowed one carry-on bag, but I'm supposed to check its contents before letting it through."  St. Peter opens the suitcase to inspect the worldly items that the man found too precious to leave behind and exclaims, "You brought pavement?!!!"

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Kid: Why is some of your hair white dad?
Dad: Every time you make me unhappy, one of my hairs turns white.
Kid: Now I understand why Grandpa’s hair is all white!

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Tourist: "The flies are awfully thick around here. Don’t you ever shoo them?"
Native: "Nope, we just let them go barefoot."

- What do you call a bee that lives in America?
A USB.
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Several weeks after a young man had been hired, he was called into the personnel manager's office.  “What is the meaning of this?” the manager asked. “When you applied for the job, you told us you had 5 years' experience. Now we discover this is the first job you've ever had.”  “Well,” the young man said, “in your ad you said you wanted somebody with imagination.”

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