YOU-CAN-BE-ANYTHING-YOU-WANT-TO-BE…..BALONEY!!!!

STARTED OUR DAY OFF UNDER CLOUDY RAIN SOAKED SKIES

Despite the overcast gray day and falling rain my first thought stepping out the door this morning was ‘Thank-you’.  At least it wasn’t freezing cold with our temps up to 61F from 41F Sunday about the same time.  The warmer temperature spurred me on right away to plant a bunch of Morning Glory seeds in a number of pots and containers.  If all those seeds grow we will be nicely overwhelmed with Morning Glories this summer.

Rain let up and with a few things to pick up Pheebs and I headed on up to Goderich.  Down to Rotary Cove’s south end and off we went for trot in the dog walking area.  About the time we got as far from the Jeep as we could the rains were again upon us.  Carrying two cameras it was a quick trot back to the car.  Wind was behind us and because I am round shouldered and a tad stooped forward my cameras stayed dry in the protective lee of my upper torso.  These torsos do come in handy for things from time to time you know.

SECONDS AFTER TAKING THIS PHOTO WE HAD TO MAKE FAST TRACKS DOWN THAT PATH FOR THE JEEP

Quick stop at Walmart and then headed home in a deluge of rain.  Couple hours later skies began to brighten so I didn’t waste any time getting outside to resume my little back yard project.  I’m working on my 3rd revision in as many weeks and finally might be getting somewhere.  Exactly where I have no idea but I’m having fun getting there anyway.

ROUGHED OUT ANOTHER NEW PATTERN WITH A FEW CEMENT BLOCKS

RELOCATED A BUNCH OF HOSTAS AS WELL

<<< EVERY ONE OF THOSE CONTAINERS IS FILLED WITH MORNING GLORY SEEDS

Just finished a short book on my Kindle entitled ‘The Introvert Writer’.  Found the book interesting of course and especially something I came across.  I am not a fan of most cutsy patootsy phrases and slogans.   You know the ones found on the internet and Hallmark cards etc.  There is one particular saying that has always irked me to no end because of it’s totally illogical meaning and it’s this one…….  'You-can-be-anything-you-want-to-be’.   I won’t go into why I think this is a ridiculous phrase because it should be obvious.  Imagine my delight when reading ‘The Introvert Writer' and he mentioned this very phrase and then came back with what I consider the way it should have been written in the first place when he said, ‘You cannot be anything you want to be -- but you can be a lot more of who you already are'.  Wowie KaZowie I thought to myself now that makes a whole lot more good darn sense.  After all these years of being bugged by the ‘you can be anything’ saying somebody finally nailed it.  Now why didn’t I think of that!!

A TAD BLURRY BUT I LIKED THE COLORS

I call and talk to Aunt Jean every week and Tuesday she’ll be out with friends again making her way around another one of Sarasota Florida’s 18 hole golf courses.  Despite a few very worrisome health problems awhile back she has rallied amazingly well for her nearly 90 years.  Still gets out for her daily morning walk and whips around in that manic Sarasota traffic like it’s the Daytona 500.  Such a totally amazing person she is.  And she’s my Aunty:))

WELL BY GOLLY THERE’S AUNT JEAN NOW

GROANER’S CORNER:(( "I hope you didn't take it personally, Reverend," an embarrassed woman said after a church service, "when my husband walked out during your sermon."  "I did find it rather disconcerting," the preacher replied.  "It's not a reflection on you," insisted the church goer. "Ralph has been been walking in his sleep since childhood."

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On a recent flight, an elderly passenger kept peering out the window. Since it was totally dark, all she could see was the blinking wing-tip light.
Finally, she rang for the flight attendant.
"I'm sorry to bother you," she said, "but I think you should inform the pilot that his left-turn indicator is on and has been for some time."

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A tramp knocked on the door of the inn known as St. George and the Dragon. The landlady answered the door. The tramp said, “Could you give a poor man something to eat?” "No,” said the woman, slamming the door in his face. He knocked again and said, “Could I have a few words with George?”

WET DAYS FOR BLUE JAYS

EVEN THE SOGGY SUET WAS STICKING TO THE BLUE JAYS BILLS

Although a number of tasks awaited me outside, in the carport, the sheds, and the Motorhome I couldn’t seem to drag myself out of the house into the cold and clammy mornings air.  Our heavy rain advisory for Saturday night and Sunday petered out with a few errant showers here and there so it was inside we stayed all day.  Tucked myself away in the warm corner of our sunroom beside our cozy Vermont fireplace sitting in a recliner with my Kindle reading for much of the day.  An occasional sit down at the computer with a few good forages to the fridge thrown in for good measure pretty much rounded out my time.  Throw in a sprinkling of television and a DVD entitled ‘Beyond the Sea’ staring Kevin Spacey about the life and times of singer Bobby Darin and that was pretty much my day.  We’ll see what Monday brings, it’s supposed to be 20 degrees warmer with a slight chance of some sun between showers.  We along with the Blue Jays are hopeful for a nicer day…………….

GROANER’S CORNER:((  A rural couple living in the USA, had nine children. They went to the doctor to see about getting the husband "fixed".
The doctor asked them why, after 9 children, would they choose to do this.  The husband replied that they had read a recent article that 1 out of every 10 children being born in America was Mexican and they didn't want a Mexican baby because neither of them could speak Spanish.

I BLOWED MY HORN AT HER!!

I would not call cold, cloudy, and windy a particularly inspiring way to start the day but it’s all we had this morning and the choice was mine as what I wanted to do about it.  With a week long predicted spell of rainy cold weather ahead of us and a heavy rainfall advisory for Saturday night and Sunday Pheebs and I held a quick conference then it was off we went.  No sitting around the house for us guys this morning…..again.

IT WAS UNDER CLOUDY SKIES PHEEBS AND I HIT SOME BACK COUNTRY ROADS THIS MORNING

THIS IS THE FIRST FARMER I HAVE SEEN WORKING HIS LAND THIS YEAR

I BELIEVE IT WAS THIS JOHN DEERE EQUIPMENT WORKING THE FIELD BELOW

I LIKED THIS SIGN, NOTICE THE HORSES >>>>>>

Very rare for me to ever use a vehicle’s horn but I was forced to give a lady a short sharp blast this morning in one of McDonald’s 2 drive-thru lines in Goderich.  I waved her in ahead of me, she placed her order, moved forward about 6 feet and stopped with her head in a downward position.  I waited about 10 seconds hoping nobody behind me would lay on their horn.  Cars ahead of her moved up but she just sat there.  Not my nature to do it but finally I gave her a short ‘BLAT’ which popped her head up and she quickly moved forward.  Texting!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

TIS THE SEASON FOR MARSH MARIGOLDS

I wasn’t too optimistic about finding any photos this morning but as we made our way around down around Goderich’s north harbor then out into the countryside I did manage to spot a few things here and there.  With a cold icy wind blowing we didn’t make any stops and were home again less than a couple hours after we left.

SPOTTED THESE FELLERS IN THE GODERICH HARBOR

ACCORDING TO MY DUCK BOOK THESE GUYS JUST MIGHT BE’ RED BREASTED MERGANSERS’

Aside from mixing up some potting soil to plant ‘Morning Glory’ seeds my afternoon was mostly spent inside out of the wind.  I did manage to start on the Motorhome’s interior clean-up by moving some things around and doing a preliminary vacuuming.  Soon as the weather warms up again someday we’ll get right at the clean-up job proper.

Mike over at Phannie and Mae has a very informative post about electronic trip planning that many techno minded folks will find very interesting.  He’s pretty much done away with paper maps and road atlas’s so his post is a must read for newer modern ways of navigating yourself around the country…….Trip Planning: Ditching the Maps.  Mike is a retired airline pilot who still keeps himself in flying trim so for any aviation buffs out here you might want to keep an eye on him as he occasionally takes to the air for recreational purposes in smaller single engine aircraft.

GROANER’S CORNER:(( It was Passover and two Jewish attorneys, Saul and David, who worked downtown met at a food court to have lunch. Saul and David proceeded to produce matzah sandwiches from their briefcases and began to eat. One of the waiters in the food court marched over and told them, 'You can't eat your own food in here!' Saul and David looked at each other, shrugged their shoulders, and then exchanged matzah sandwiches.

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“The blacksmith wasn't making much money but he forged ahead anyway.”

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A teacher was asking her class: "What is the difference between 'unlawful' and 'illegal'?"
Only one hand shot up. "Ok, Joan what’s the answer” said the teacher. "'Unlawful' is when you do something the law doesn't allow. And 'illegal' is a sick eagle."

KELLY SURVIVED HER ENDOSCOPY THIS MORNING AND SAID IT WAS NO PROBLEM AT ALL:))

ALTHOUGH APPEARING VERY TALL THE NEXT PHOTO WILL SHOW YOU JUST HOW TALL THESE MAYAPPLES REALLY ARE

Unlike our drive to London a few days ago we made the journey there and back today in warm sunshine as opposed to cold rain.  Never took any photos but very much enjoyed the lush Spring scenery along the way.

MAYAPPLES ON THE FOREST FLOOR

We were on the road shortly after 8 a.m. and an hour or so later I dropped Kelly off at University Hospital’s main door.  We were plenty early and as luck would have it they took her in for her endoscopy procedure early as well.

REFUSING TO COOPERATE WITH ITSELF AGAIN MY MIND’S MEMORY WILL NOT TELL ME WHAT KIND OF BIRDS THESE ARE

I had a few stores over in and near Masonville Mall I wanted to bang around in for awhile so between that and relaxing under a shady tree in the Mall’s parking lot reading my Kindle I was quite content to wait for the cell phone to ring and ring it did about 11:30 much earlier than anticipated.  Zipped over to the hospital right away and luckily found a parking spot right outside the main door.  Minutes later I met Kelly in the lobby near the elevators and we were off.

She said there was nothing to the endoscopy and remembers none of it.  That’s a big change from when I had an endoscopy in the same hospital nearly 40 years ago.  I still remember to this day how unpleasant the choking was.  Some things were found in Kelly’s stomach, several biopsies were taken, and a new medicine has been prescribed.  They are also setting up an additional abdominal ultra-scan for her and will call with an appointment date.

QUEEN OF THE COUCH

HERE’S PHEEBS WASHING HER PAWS A COUPLE DAYS AGO

WITH PAWS ALL CLEANED UP SHE ROLLS OVER ON HER BACK FOR A SNOOZE

Missing out on her morning coffee at home this morning Kelly was in dire need of a brew so we headed straight away to McDonalds near Masonville Mall where she grabbed herself a large McCafe’.  From McD’s we popped over to one of her favorite stores nearby, ‘Winners’.  From there it was off for home where a very excitedly happy little dog was patiently waiting for us.  It was shortly after 2 p.m.  And that pretty well sums up our day.

GOT MY DAD’S HAT ON SO YA BETTER NOT MESS WITH ME!!

Here’s something I’m a little surprised about.  We’ve been home nearly 2 months already and not once have I felt that gnawing hitch-itch (urge to hitch up the Jeep and hit the road) of mine stirring.  It’s actually a pleasant relief for a change and as long as it stays away but returns sometime next September or October I’m thinking I will probably be alright with that.  In the first bunch of traveling RV years I’d only be home a few weeks before that darn hitch-itch would set in making for a restless summer.  I’ve been aware of changes going on in my mind this past year and that is just one of them…………….

ARRIVING BACK HOME IN OUR RURAL COURNTRY SETTING TODAY I COULDN’T HELP BUT THINK HOW FORTUNATE WE ARE NOT TO LIVE IN A CITY

GROANER’S CORNER:(( While driving down the road the motorist saw a roadside stand which had a fortune teller sitting under an umbrella. She was just sitting there smiling and laughing. The motorist passed on by and went a couple of miles on down the road. All of a sudden he spun his car around and sped back toward the fortune teller. As he got closer to the still laughing fortune teller he began to slow down. He pulled up next to the woman and jumped out of his car and suddenly began slapping and beating her.
A policeman passing by screeched to a stop and wrestled the man to the ground. After cuffing the man he stood him up and asked him, "What do you think you're doing?" After a moment the man replied, ... "Well, I've always wanted to strike a happy medium."

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A German tourist asks a Mexican if they have any Jews in Mexico. The Mexican says, “Sí, we have orange jews, apple jews, and grape jews!”

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Q: Did you know that they had automobiles in Jesus’ time?………..A: Yes, the Bible says that the disciples were all of one Accord.