OFF TO LONDON'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN THE RAIN

 A RAINY MORNING IN BAYFIELD

Rains came in the night bringing with them cooler temperatures.  Before I heard the drip-drip of the gentle rain, I knew it was lightly raining because I could smell it.  I had left the patio door open beside my sleeping recliner and I was awoken in the night by a slightly familiar but different smell in the air.  It was similar, but milder to the scent in the air after a desert rainfall which many American south-westerners will be very familiar with.  I always loved that distinct slightly pungent smell in the air after rain had fallen on the desert floor.

 SOME BOATS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THE WATER FOR THE SEASON

Needless to say, Pheebs and I didn't go too far this morning in the drizzling rain.  Not wanting to muddy up the Subaru we stayed off the country roads and simply drove into Bayfield, cruised around for twenty minutes marveling at some of the nice homes, and came back.  

 HAD TO KEEP THE WINDOWS UP TO KEEP THE RAIN OUT

It was 12:15 early this afternoon when Kelly and I rolled out of our driveway in the Subaru heading for London's University Hospital.  Kelly had a 2 p.m. appointment for an endoscopy.  It was a wet drive.  Parking the car in the parking garage we walked over to the hospital and headed for the basement's Endoscopy place.  Kelly checked in at 1:30 and in full 'people avoidance' mode I headed off to hopefully find a people -free quiet lounge somewhere.  And I found that spot on the 4th floor across from the elevators.  Nobody there:))  Sat down, opened my Kindle, and read for the next hour and a half or so.  Hopped the elevator again and headed back down to the basement at 3:15.  Kelly was finished at 4 and we headed for the parking garage and what a zoo once we got out of there.  Bumper to bumper and everybody going like 'Jack the Bear'.  We launched right out into the Friday afternoon rush and fought our way north.  A quick stop at Best Buy to look at something and then out of town we went.  Quick stop at Lucan's Tim Hortons for a couple crispy chicken raps to go and off we went.  A slight detour east of Bayfield to head into the Village and stop at the Woodland Drive-In where Kelly snagged a chocolate milk shake.  We were home minutes later and the clock said it was 6:50 p.m.  Kelly's endoscopy went okay and nothing serious was found.  We'll be back to University again next week.

 ON OUR WAY TO THE HOSPITAL THROUGH THE PARKING GARAGE

 KELLY CHECKS INTO THE ENDOSCOPY SECTION

 AND OVER THERE IN THAT COZY LITTLE CORNER WAS MY WHOLE WORLD FOR THE NEXT HOUR AND A HALF

It's just about time for my annual frog round-up and some decisions again about our front yard frog pond.  Will I drain the pond and clean it this year?  Will I try to fix a leak in it?  Or is it time to dispense with the pond altogether, fill in the hole, and simply plant some flowers there or something??  A lot of work in the short run but it might save me a lot of work in the long run.  I'm finding that I don't have the sustained energy levels I once had and with the volume of yard maintenance here with this property, am I going to be able to keep it up in the next few years??  Do I really want to keep it up anymore??  All are valid questions for an aging mind and body.  And all are things I have to think about now. 

 SNAPPED A FEW DRIVE-BY PICS ON THE WAY HOME AND NICE TO SEE SOME PATCHES OF BLUE SKY AFTER THIS MORNING'S RAIN

OH-OH IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN HEADING OUR WAY

 IT WAS RAINING HERE SO I HAD THE WINDOWS UP WHICH UNFORTUNATELY CAUSED REFLECTIONS IN THIS PHOTO

 AND THEN 'WALLA' WE WERE BACK UNDER CLEARING SKIES

Al's Music Box:)) Lost In The Fifties Tonight is a single released by country music singer Ronnie Milsap. It is a medley of "Lost in the Fifties Tonight" written by Mike Reid and Troy Seals and a cover of The Five Satins 1956 hit "In the Still of the Night", earning a songwriting credit for Five Satins lead singer Fred Parris.  Released in July 1985, the song was Milsap's 42nd single to be released. At the same time, it was also his 27th number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart.  Like many of his other singles, the song also fared well as a crossover hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts as it entered the top 10, peaking at number eight. This is his last top-10 single to appear on this chart.  The song was praised by critics and fans alike and remains one of Milsap's most popular recordings. In a year when 51 songs rotated out of the Hot Country Singles' number-one position, "Lost in the Fifties Tonight" was one of just two songs of the group to spend more than one week at number one, and Milsap's song was the number-one country song of 1985.  That same year, it won Milsap his fourth Grammy Award for "Best Country Vocal Performance" for a male artist. It was also named Song of the Year.

 I SEE AN ICE CREAM CONE HEADED MY WAY

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A little boy asked the parish priest a question.  Little Boy: “Father I heard you once say that we all came from dust.”  Parish priest, “That's right I did say that”.  Little boy: “And Father I heard you say that when we die we go back to dust.”  Parish Priest: “That's right, I did say that. I am glad you were listening so very well”.  Little Boy: “Well Father I think you should come to my place and look under my bed because someone is either coming or going”!

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Driving down a remote road, a motorist sees a sign that says: "Watch For Fallen Rocks."  A couple of miles of careful driving later, he spots some pebbles and stops to pick a few up. Arriving in the next town, the motorist carries the stones into the highway maintenance office.  Placing them on the counter, he says to an official: "Here are your fallen rocks. Now where's my watch?"

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Patient: I'm in a hospital! Why am I in here?

Doctor: You've had an accident involving a bus.  Patient: What happened?  Doctor: Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?  Patient: Give me the bad news first.
Doctor: Your legs were injured so badly that we had to amputate both of them.
Patient: That's terrible! What's the good news?  Doctor: There's a guy in the next ward who made a very good offer on your slippers.

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