WILL SOON BE BEHIND US FOR ANOTHER YEAR

 TOWARDS THE SOUTH END OF OUR PARK SITS THIS OLD ABANDONED WOOD UTILITY TRAILER

With my early rising again this morning I had to jump-start my day with a few gobs of crunchy peanut butter flavored with a few dabs of drippy honey.  A nice way to start the day I'd say.  Well, for me it is.  Had some new London prescriptions to drop off for Kelly at the Walmart Pharmacy so it was off to Goderich Pheebs and I went on another cloudy gray November day.  A couple big ships in the Port of Goderich with one probably being the biggest one I've seen yet in the harbor.  We were back home before Noon.

 THE LARGE BULK CARRIER ISABELLE G DOCKED AT GODERICH'S GRAIN TERMINAL THIS MORNING

 FOUR LARGE CRANES CAN LOAD AND OFFLOAD CARGO AND ALSO LIFT AND OPEN THE HUGE HATCH COVERS

THE ALGOMA INTREPID ON THE LEFT IS DOCKED AT THE SALT MINE

Kelly went to bed last night not feeling well but after a decent night's sleep (unlike the hospital) she felt better this morning except for an overall tiredness.  They say for every day a person spends in the hospital, they need 4 days of recovery.

 NOT MUCH OF AUTUMN'S COLORS LEFT IN THE FOREST

 THE NEWEST 'WOODLAND' BENCH IS IN THAT COPSE OF TREES ACROSS THE RAVINE

 AH YES, THERE IT IS

A lot of reading on this dull gray November day but Pheebs and I did get out for a mid-afternoon walk down towards the southern end of the Park.  There's not much in the way of color left anywhere.  Autumn's vibrant magical splendor is over.  No flowers or flowering shrubs anywhere.  No colorful songbirds in the air, no fluttering butterflies, and no darting neon blue dragonflies around the pond.  The green frogs and turtles will all be burrowed into the mud at the bottom of the Park's pond by now.  It's no wonder this is my least favorite month of the year.  But, in 13 days, this month of November will be behind us for another year.

 PHEEBS LIKES HER AFTERNOON WALKS

Al's Music Box:)) Honey by Bobby Goldsboro is a song written by Bobby Russell. He first produced it with former Kingston Trio member Bob Shane who was the first to release the song. It was then given to American singer Bobby Goldsboro, who recorded it for his 1968 album of the same name, originally titled Pledge of Love. Goldsboro's version was a hit, reaching No. 1 in several countries.  In the song, the narrator mourns his absent wife, and the song begins with him looking at a tree in their garden, remembering how "it was just a twig" on the day she planted it. Only in the third verse is it finally revealed that "one day...the angels came," and that his wife had died.  Bobby Russell took inspiration from a tree in his front yard when he noticed how big it had grown while he was writing the song one night. From this came the first line of the song, "See the tree, how big it's grown ...".  Before Shane's recording was released, Goldsboro was recommended the song by Larry Henley of the Newbeats. However, Goldsboro thought the recording by Shane was over-produced with excessive drumming, and the lyrics overpowered by the production.  Goldsboro at that time was in need of songs to record, he and his producer Bob Montgomery invited Russell over to play a few of his songs, which included "Honey". After listening to Russell's simpler rendition accompanied by just a guitar, Goldsboro became interested and asked if he could cover the song.  Russell was initially reluctant as Shane's version was due to be released but eventually agreed that Goldsboro could record it as long as his single did not compete with Shane's record. They agreed to delay the release of Goldsboro's recording by four weeks. The song was recorded on January 30, 1968, with an arrangement by Don Tweedy. Goldsboro later attributed the success of the song to Tweedy's arrangement and believed that Shane could have the same success with Tweedy's arrangement.  According to Goldsboro, the recording session for the song went so well that they got it right in one go. They then recorded it again just to see if anything was wrong, and it came out just as well, so they went with the first take.  "Honey" was immediately and immensely popular. It sold a million copies in its first three weeks, the fastest-selling record in the history of United Artists.  It was certified gold on April 4, 1968, the same day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, an event that may have helped the sales of the single.  It was the best-selling record worldwide for 1968, even more popular than "Hey Jude". It was a crossover hit, topping both the pop and country singles charts, one of only three songs to do so in the 1960s.  The recording was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1968: Record of the Year and Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance, Male.  It was awarded Song of the Year in 1968 by the Country Music Association.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Late one Friday in Dublin, a policeman spotted a man driving very erratically. He pulled the man over and asked him if he had been drinking that evening.  ''Aye, so I have. 'Tis Friday, you know, so me and the lads stopped by the pub where I had six or seven pints. And then there was something called 'Happy Hour' and they served these mar-gar-itos which are quite good. I had four or five o' those. Then I had to drive me friend Mike home and o' course I had to go in for a couple of Guinness -- couldn't be rude, ye know. Then I stopped on the way home to get another bottle for later...'' And the man fumbled around in his coat until he located his bottle of whiskey, which he held up for inspection. The officer sighed, and said, ''Sir, I'm afraid I'll need you to step out of the car and take a breathalyzer test.''  ''Why? Don't ye believe me?''

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- Two tons of human hair was stolen from a wig factory.  The police said they were combing the area.

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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