HURRICANE HELENE HAS CAUSED A BIG PROBLEM AT AUNT JEAN'S SUNNYSIDE VILLAGE

 SEEN IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING

I heard the first burst of gunfire at 7:28 this morning followed by a second volley 14 minutes later.  Another volley of shotguns at 7:52 and more after that.  All those volleys of gunfire lasted about two or three seconds apiece so I knew there had to be close to half a dozen shooters.  And then, with the patio door open, I heard the distant distressful sounds of terrified Canada Geese:((  I will say no more!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AT LEAST THESE TWO CANADA GEESE ALONG THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON ESCAPED THE SHOOT-OUT THIS MORNING

After a short drive around the south end of our Park, Pheebs and I headed off to Goderich under cloudy skies.  We hadn't gone far before we had the windshield wipers going.  Fifteen minutes later we were in Goderich under big bright sunshiny skies.  Coffee to go at McD's and down to the harbor we went for a look see.  Following that, it was off to Walmart to drop off one prescription and pick up one.  Half an hour later we were home under cloudy skies again.  By the end of the day the sun was shining in a big blue sky.   

THE CARGO VESSEL PUNA AT GODERICH'S GRAIN TERMINAL

 THERE'S A LOT OF GIZMOS UP THERE

 A RELAXING SUNDAY MORNING OUT AT ROTARY COVE

 A BICYCLING BEACHCOMBER

 OKAY, THREE APPLES FOR YOU AND ONE FOR ME, RIGHT??

Talking to Aunt Jean last night she said the hurricane didn't have much effect where she was as it passed by quickly.  Wind and rain and that was about it.  But, she said it was the storm surge that did most of the damage to Sarasota.  And, it was that storm surge that has in a roundabout way caused an unexpected problem at Aunt Jean's Sunnyside Village.   West of downtown Sarasota north of Lido Key near St. Armands Circle stands an 18-story building on the causeway overlooking Sarasota Bay called the Plymouth Harbor Retirement Community  The first floor of this facility houses many Alzheimer's and Dementia patients.  Plymouth Harbor has an understanding with Jean's Sunnyside Village that whenever a hurricane threatens, the first-floor patients and staff at Plymouth Harbor, as a safety precaution, are bussed to Sunnyside.  When the hurricane has passed they are bussed back.  However, hurricane Helene's storm surge was so high it flooded out the whole first floor at Plymouth Harber.  So now, all those patients from there who are now at Sunnyside cannot go back.  To say it has created a HUGE problem at Sunnyside Village would be putting it mildly.  Jean didn't know how many people were there but a lot of changes have had to be made to accommodate everyone.  Hallways closed off. etc.  There's a lotta extra staff working a lot of overtime, a lot of inconveniences and crowding, and a lot of stress for everyone.  And, Jean hasn't heard of any solutions to the problem so far.  I'll be talking to Aunt Jean on our regular Friday night time so maybe some things will have been resolved by then.

Al's Music Box::)) Mr. Lonely is a song co-written and recorded by American singer Bobby Vinton, backed by Robert Mersey and his Orchestra.  Vinton began writing the song in the late 1950s, while serving in the Army.  The lyrics describe a soldier who is sent overseas and has no communication with his home. The singer laments his condition and wishes for someone to talk with.  The single of Vinton's recording was released just as the Vietnam War was escalating and many soldiers were experiencing a similar situation.  Vinton's version was noted for his emotional sobbing during the second verse.  Although he turned out to be Epic Records' best-selling artist of the 1960s, the record company initially did not display confidence in Vinton. This 1962 song was included on his first vocal album, Roses Are Red, but it was not released as a single at that time. Vinton wanted it to be the followup to his first hit, "Roses Are Red," but Epic's executives chose the very similar "Rain Rain Go Away" instead, giving "Mr. Lonely" to Buddy Greco, whom they were grooming as their next big superstar.  After Vinton heard Greco's version on the radio, the executives confessed to him that they felt he was more of a musician and songwriter than a singer. However, in the following months, Vinton's continued success as a vocalist made them reconsider their position.  Many months later, when Epic gave Vinton the choice of which song should be the twelfth and final selection for his greatest-hits album, he chose "Mr. Lonely".  Following its inclusion on the album, many radio disc jockeys started to play the track—particularly those who remembered Buddy Greco's version and how Vinton had been prevented from releasing it as a single.  With the song's newfound popularity came a rise in demand for Vinton's version to be released as a single. "Mr. Lonely" became one of Vinton's signature songs and a favorite with servicemen around the world. Epic subsequently built an entire album release around "Mr. Lonely" when it became a hit as a single.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man, his wife, and his son from waaaay out in the mountains go to the "big city" to a major hotel. When they get into the lobby, they are directed to the front desk to check in. While the wife is takin' care of "the paper work," the man is looking all around at the amazing things they have. One that catches his eyes is a recess in the wall with a crack down the middle. Just then, an elderly woman walks up, pushes a button next to the recess, and the wall opens up to a small room! She walks in and the wall closes, while lights above the secret doors flash along the top. They begin flashing in the other direction, and moments later the wall opens up and a shapely young lady, vougly dressed, sachays out, walking by the man and his son whos eyes and dropped jaws follow her by.  The man looks back at the doors in the wall. "Boooyyy", says the man to his son... "Go get your mother!"

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- Buckwheat of the Little Rascals fame grew up, became a Muslim, and changed his name. He now goes by Kareem of Wheat.

- “The other day I held the door open for a clown. I thought it was a nice jester.”

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- Men are like fine wine...
They all start out like grapes, and it's our job to stomp on them and keep them in the dark until they mature into something you'd like to have dinner with.

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A little girl was watching her parents dress for a party. As her dad donned his tuxedo she warned, "Daddy, you shouldn’t wear that suit.”  “And why not, darling?” he asked.  “You know that it always gives you a headache the next morning.”

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