WITH WINDS ROARING IN THE TREE TOPS PHEEBS AND I HAD OURSELVES A QUIET MORNING WALK IN THE FOREST

With a strong southerly wind blowing out of the south for a second day in a row we had an absolutely beautiful morning before the heat later rolled in.  Thank heavens for the gusting winds which were so strong they kept blowing my hat off.  When we were driving in a westerly direction with the windows down I had to hang onto Pheebs and the steering wheel or those southerly crosswinds would have blown us right out the passenger side window.

WILDFLOWERS ON THE FOREST FLOOR

 

WILDFLOWERS IN THE FIELDS AND ALONG THE ROADSIDE

Cold air and wind are not a good thing but warm air and wind can make a morning like this morning so perfect in every way.  Hot air and wind can be Okay but can also make one feel like one is inside a blast furnace.  Not so good.

A LOT OF SWEET SMELLING LILACS IN THE COUNTYSIDE

Pheebs and I headed on over to our favorite spot in the Hullett Marsh, parked the Jeep and headed off down a marked forest trail.  With winds roaring in the tree tops above we thoroughly enjoyed our morning walk along the twisting and sometimes swampy forest pathway.  There was just enough of a breeze through the trees to keep the bugs on their knees and we never once had to slap or swat at anything.  I saw flying insects but they stayed low to the ground.

A MARVELOUS MORNING FOR A WALK IN THE FOREST

THAT RED TRIANGLE ON THE TREE IS A TRAIL MARKER HELPING HIKERS TO FIND AND REMAIN ON THE TRAIL AHEAD

IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY YOU CAN SEE TWO MORE MARKERS AHEAD ON THE TRAIL

 

I’M CONFUSED DAD HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN TO TURN LEFT OR RIGHT ON THE TRAIL

WELL PHEEBS WHEN ONE SEES TWO MARKERS ON A TREE THE TOP ONE IS EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT OF THE BOTTOM MARKER AND POINTS IN THE DIRECTION OF THE TURN…IN THE PHOTO ABOVE THE TRAIL TAKES A TURN TO THE LEFT AND IN THE PHOTO BELOW THE TRAIL TURNS TO THE RIGHT

IN THIS PHOTO 3 MARKERS ARE VISIBLE ON 3 SEPARATE TREES

I THINK WE’RE GOING TO END UP WITH SOME MUDDY PAWS IN THE JEEP

MAYAPPLES ON THE FOREST FLOOR

THAT’S PHEEBS WAY UP AHEAD SCOUTING THE TRAIL

WITH WARMER WEATHER UPON US AND ALL THIS SWAMP WATER LYING AROUND IT IS AMAZING THAT WE WERE NEVER BOTHERED BY A SINGLE MOSQUITO

TURNED OUT TO BE A LOVELY SPRING MORNIING FOR A WALK IN THE HULLETT MARSH

THE HULLETT MARSH IS BORDERED ON ALL SIDES BY FARMLAND

PHEEBS SAW THIS TRAIL MARKER BEFORE I DID AND KNEW ENOUGH TO TURN LEFT

LEADING THE WAY ACROSS A  WOODEN BRIDGE OVER A SMALL CREEK

Spring is a time of many lovely smells with so many blossoms in the air and this morning was no exception as we wandered among sweet smelling lilacs, cherry, and apple blossom trees.  The aroma carried by the wind was everywhere and it felt like magic in the air as we made our way along.  No hurry to go or be anywhere so we poked along getting both paws and shoes muddy along the way.  By 10 o’clock though I was aware of the heat building so we moseyed ourselves on back to the Jeep.

THE AMAZING LY SWEET AROMA HERE BESIDE THE LILAC BUSH ON THE LEFT AND THE APPLE TREE ON THE RIGHT WAS A TOTAL DELIGHT

I BELIEVE THOSE TO BE CHERRY BLOSSOMS ABOVE AND APPLE BLOSSOMS BELOW

Took our time heading home and noticed more farmers out working their fields.  With these strong southerly winds upon us at the moment open fields are drying out quickly and even some of the gravel country roads are already very dusty. 

I TOOK THIS PHOTO AND THE ONE BELOW JUST OVER A WEEK AGO ON MAY 7TH SHOWING A FARMER’S FIELD LOOKING LIKE A SMALL LAKE

THIS IS THAT SAME FIELD TODAY AND BELOW IS THE FARMER PREPARING THIS VERY FIELD FOR PLANTING

THOSE ARE BIG ROLLERS HE IS PULLING AND HERE HE STOPS AND GETS OUT TO GO PICK UP A BIG ROCK LYING JUST AHEAD OF WHERE HE IS WALKING

All trees, plants and shrubs are now mostly leafed out as we close in one of the prettiest months of the year.  June is the month between the colds and cools of winter and Spring and the month before hot and dry July and August days begin.  In my opinion June is when flower beds, forests, the whole country side, and gardens are at their prime natural best here in our neck of the woods in southern Ontario.

FOR PHEEBS AND I THIS IS OUR FAVORITE ‘GO-TO’ SPOT IN THE HULLETT MARSH

WINDS WERE REALLY RIPPLING UP THE WATER AND I HAD TO HANG ONTO MY HAT WHILE TAKING THESE PHOTOS

THERE ARE MANY MANY BIRD BOXES IN THE MARSH AND BELOW I SEE THERE IS A SWALLOW LIVING IN BOX NUMBER 96

I did spend the afternoon inside enjoying our artificially produced cooler air but weather forecasters are calling for cooler air to roll back into our neighborhood so I’m very much looking forward to that and getting back outside in the afternoons again to continue with my yard projects.

OUR ‘RED BUD’ TREE IS DOING VERY WELL THIS YEAR AND HAS THE MOST BLOSSOMS WE HAVE EVER SEEN ON IT

GROANER’S CORNER:((

- Hello! Gordon's pizza?
- No sir it's Google's pizza.
- So it's a wrong number?" Sorry
- No sir, Google bought it.
- OK. Take my order please
- Well sir, you want the usual?"
- The usual? You know me?
- According to our caller ID data sheet, in the last 12 times, you ordered pizza with cheese, sausage and a thick crust.
- OK! This is it ...
- May I suggest to you this time ricotta, arugula with dry tomato.?
- What? I hate vegetables.
- Your cholesterol is not good, sir."
- How do you know?
- We crossed the number of your fixed phone line with your name, through the subscribers guide. We have the result of your blood tests for the last 7 years.
- Okay, but I do not want this pizza!,I already take medicine.
-"Excuse me, but you have not taken the medicine regularly, from our commercial database, 4 months ago, you only purchased a box with 30 cholesterol tablets at the Drugsale Network”.
- I bought more from another drugstore.
- It's not showing on your credit card statement
- I paid in cash
- But you did not withdraw that much cash according to your bank statement
- I have have other source of cash
- This is not showing as per you last Tax form unless you bought them from an undeclared income source.
-WHAT THE HELL?
"I'm sorry, sir, we use such information only with the intention of helping you”.
- Enough is enough! I'm sick of google, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp. I'm going to an Island without internet, cable TV, where there is no cell phone line and no one to watch me or spy on me
"I understand sir but you need to renew your passport first as it expired 5 weeks ago”…………..

HOT AND HUMID BUT DID MANAGE TO GET A FEW THINGS DONE DESPITE THE UNCOMFORTABLE HEAT

EVERYTIME I AM IN THE FRONT YARD I AM ALWAYS BEING CLOSELY WATCHED

Wow, outside this morning at 7:15 with a short sleeve shirt on can ya believe it.  Minutes later I was once again as one with our power washer.  Half an hour later our front porch was finally finished.  Tuesday morning Pheebs and went to Goderich with the idea of picking up a final 4 bags of Mulch but as luck would have it I spied a Goldflame Spirea shrub at a decent price and that of course distracted me and absorbed my attention.  We left the Canadian Tire store 10 minutes later with the Spirea plant.  This morning we were back in the Jeep again on our way to the Canadian Tire store to pick up 4 bags of mulch.  Aren’t you glad your not me!!

BY THE LOOKS OF THAT DUST I’D SAY FIELDS ARE NOW DRY ENOUGH FOR THE FARMERS TO GET BACK ON THE LAND

A swing down around the harbor and beach netted us a few photos and we weren’t long in heading on back home.  Planted the Spirea we had brought home the day before and spread a bit of mulch around.  Seeings how I had the power washer sitting in the driveway I gave the Jeep a good squirt.  After that I opened up a gallon of deck stain and got myself busy staining the older deck boards on the covered section of our back porch.  Although those planks are about 14 years old they are still in excellent shape from when I built that deck way back in 2003 I think it was.

MAMA AND PAPA GOOSE TAKING THE KIDS TO THE BEACH FOR THEIR FIRST SWIM

GREAT LAKES FREIGHTER ‘CAPTAIN HENRY JACKMAN’ IN FOR A LOAD OF SALT

A COMBINATION OF SAND AND CLAY ARE THE REASON FOR THE GRAY WATERS CLOSE TO SHORE

SPRING IS ALWAYS SUCH A PRETTY TIME OF YEAR

Turned out hot and humid today but thank heavens we had a blustery southwest wind blowing which made being outside tolerable.  I was Ok staining the shaded back deck on the north side of the house.  I plan to stain the front porch deck next but will have to do that in the early morning before the sun gets up to high.  Crawling around on my hands in knees in a baking sun is not my idea of a pleasant thing to do.

THE BACK DECK STAINING WENT WELL THIS MORNING AND I THINK THE STAIN COLOR MATCHES THE NEW DECK EXTENSION COLOR BEHIND ME PRETTY GOOD

I’m guessing today’s warm winds carried a lot of waiting songbirds across Lake Erie and Kelly thought she saw a Baltimore Oriole in our front yard.  I was hearing a lot joyous tweeting coming from our surrounding pine trees telling me some of the songbirds are already here.  It is so nice this time of year to throw open windows and doors to the lovely sounds of Spring songbirds flitting about in the trees.

PLANTED THE GOLDFLAME SPIREA

WITH ALL THE GREEN IN OUR GARDENS I WANTED SOMETHING OF DIFFERENT COLOR AND THE GOLDFLAME SPIREA FITS THE BILL

THAT’S MY RED HANDLE GARDEN RAKE IN THE BACKGROUND

NOTICE THE TRILLIUMS BETWEEN THE GREEN HOSTAS AND THE SPIREA PLANT

The day ended up way too hot and humid for us and we had to kick on the A/C around 3 this afternoon.  Had all our fans going as well and I think we made it up to about 85F today.  About 4 o’clock I had to drag myself in the house and throw my sorry old sack of bones into the shower.  Long showers are true lifesavers and one of my favorite things.  I think my biggest bug-a-boo about our winter RV boon-docking in the southwest is the limited water supply.  Yes I know about those short ‘scrub-scrub-rinse-rinse military showers but I hate those things.  I think this winter instead of towing the Jeep around we’ll just tow a big water tanker behind us.

A GROUP OF TULIPS ON THE WAY DOWN TO THE HARBOR

And ‘Pat Richards’ I just remembered your question in our Shout Box from a couple days ago.  For me to remember something from a couple days ago is an amazing feat in itself.  You asked about my ‘smoothie recipe.  Well here it is……Sounds Yukky-Tastes Yummy.  I wrote this post in 2009 so here’s a quick update.  I quite drinking those shakes around 2015 I think and I have no idea what my reason was.  Anyway I resumed them again about a month and half ago and I am right back into the routine.  Everything is the same except I haven’t been adding the flax seeds, sunflower seeds, hemp hearts, oat bran or wheat germ.  No reason really, just haven’t got around to picking up that stuff.  I still add oatmeal though as well as a good dash of cinnamon now too.  For my ‘You Tube’ version you can find me HERE.  Just scroll down the blog until you find the You Tube thingy where it says Sounds Yukky But Tastes Yummy:))

A DOWNY WOODPECKER IN THE YARD TODAY

‘DARN’ I am being sucked back into the TV news again.  Instead of having an occasional quick peak about all the drama going on in U.S. politics I am finding myself clicking on the TV at the top of the hour sometimes then sitting there for too long a period of time listening to all the latest foofaraw.  What a circus you guys got going on down there and I don’t know where or if it will ever end.  If you need a break from all that come on up to Canada where our politics are guaranteed to put you to sleep in 5 minutes or less.

‘HEY CUTEY WANNA MAKE SOME BABY FROGS’

‘STAY AWAY FROM ME YOU SLIPPERY SWAMP SLIME’!!

‘AWWW NUTS’!!

GROANER’S CORNER:((  More Pilot Errors
Actual exchanges between pilots and control towers:::
Tower: "Eastern 702, cleared for takeoff, contact Departure on frequency 124.7"
Eastern 702: "Tower, Eastern 702 switching to Departure. By the way,after we lifted off we saw some kind of dead animal on the far end of the runway."
Tower: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff behind Eastern 702, contact Departure on frequency 124.7. Did you copy that report from Eastern 702?"
BR Continental 635: "Continental 635, cleared for takeoff, roger; and yes, we copied Eastern... we've already notified our caterers."
******************
One day the pilot of a Cherokee 180 was told by the tower to hold short of the active runway while a DC-8 landed. The DC-8 landed, rolled out, turned around, and taxied back past the Cherokee.
Some quick-witted comedian in the DC-8 crew got on the radio and said, "What a cute little plane. Did you make it all by yourself?"
The Cherokee pilot, not about to let the insult go by, came back and said: "I made it out of DC-8 parts and pieces. Another landing like yours and I'll have enough parts for another whole plane."
******************
The German air controllers at Frankfurt Airport are renowned as a short-tempered lot. They not only expect one to know one's gate parking location, but how to get there without any assistance from them. So it was with some amusement that we (a Pan Am 747) listened to the following exchange between Frankfurt ground control and a British Airways 747... call sign Speedbird 206.
Speedbird 206: "Frankfurt, Speedbird 206! clear of active runway."
Ground: "Speedbird 206. Taxi to gate Alpha One-Seven."
The BA 747 pulled onto the main taxiway and slowed to a stop.
Ground: "Speedbird, do you not know where you are going?"
Speedbird 206: "Stand by, Ground, I'm looking up our gate location now."
Ground (with quite arrogant impatience): "Speedbird 206, have you not been to Frankfurt before?"
Speedbird 206 (coolly): "Yes, half a dozen times in 1944, but it was dark, and I didn't land."
******************
While taxiing at London 's Gatwick Airport , the crew of a US Air flight departing for Ft. Lauderdale made a wrong turn and came nose to nose with a United 727. An irate female ground controller lashed out at the US Air crew, screaming: "US Air 2771, where the hell are you going? I told you to turn right onto Charlie taxiway! You turned right on Delta! Stop right there. I know it's difficult for you to tell the difference between C and D, but get it right!"
Continuing her rage to the embarrassed crew, she was now shouting hysterically: "God! Now you've screwed everything up! It'll take forever to sort this out! You stay right there and don't move till I tell you to! You can expect progressive taxi instructions in about half an hour, and I want you to go exactly where I tell you, when I tell you, and how I tell you! You got that, US Air 2771?"
"Yes, ma'am," the humbled crew responded.
Naturally, the ground control communications frequency fell terribly silent after the verbal bashing of US Air 2771. Nobody wanted to chance engaging the irate ground controller in her current state of mind. Tension in every cockpit out around Gatwick was definitely running high. Just then an unknown pilot broke the silence and keyed his microphone, asking:
"Wasn't I married to you once?"
******************
A Pan Am 727 flight, waiting for start clearance in Munich , overheard the following:
Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"
Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak in English."
Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?"
Unknown voice from another plane (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"

WHEN THE SUN POPPED OUT OF THE CLOUDS I POPPED OUT OF THE HOUSE

A RAINY GRAY MORNING

With a gentle rain overhead Kelly headed off to London’s University Hospital for her Abdominal ultra-scan early this morning.  Not letting a few rain sprinkles keep us indoors Pheebs and I headed off to Goderich.  McDonalds, a sweep down around the harbor, a stop at Walmart for a few things then over to Canadian Tire to buy a potted Spirea plant for one of the back yard flower beds.  We were back home by 9:30.  Around11 the rain stopped and skies began to brighten.  I was in my chair reading around 1 o’clock when a sun splash came beaming down through our skylight and landed right on me.  Closed up my Kindle and out the door I went.  A couple hours later I had two thirds of our front porch power washed, a bunch of windows cleaned, and a small load of pine needles out of our eaves. Even managed to whack a few weeds at neighbor Monica’s house until my whacker’s battery ran out of juice.  It’s amazing what a little sunshine and warmer air can do for a feller.  Kelly finally made it home from London about 4:30 and we ended the day under sunny skies and warming temperatures.  Wednesday is forecast to hit 75F.  Think I’ll fly off to the Moon tonight and be back by morning:))

THERE WILL BE NO WORK IN THESE MUDDY FIELDS TODAY

A note in our Shout Box today from Jake and Anne in Winkler Manitoba had me scurrying back through my blog’s Archives to October 6th 2014.  That afternoon we had a tour of the Triple E manufacturing plant in Winkler Manitoba where our 2002 Triple E Motorhome was built.  This is my post for that day, Great Factory Tour.  Earlier in the morning of that day we met Jake and Anne who left the comment in our Shout Box today complete with a link to Triple E’s founding back in 1965.  Triple E Founder Phil Ens To Receive Order Of Manitoba.  Even tells how the company’s name ‘Triple E’ came about.  Jake worked for Triple E back in the early 70’s.

YEP WE SURE LOVE OUR 37’ TRIPLE E COMMANDER ALRIGHT:))

ABOVE 2 PHOTOS TAKEN AT OUR FORMER SOUTHWEST DIGS IN CONGRESS ARIZONA

A LEG STRETCH STOP SOMEWHERE IN SOUTHERN WYOMING OCTOBER 11TH 2014

AN OVERNIGHTER IN DRYDEN ONTARIO

A VERY FOGGY END TO OUR DAY IN TERRACE BAY ONTARIO ON OCTOBER 1RST 2014

GROANER’S CORNER:((  Two missionaries in Africa get apprehended by a tribe of very hostile cannibals who put them in a large pot of water. They build a huge fire under it, and leave them there. A few minutes later, one of the missionaries starts to laugh uncontrollably.
The other missionary can't believe it. He says, "What's wrong with you? We're being boiled alive! They're gonna eat us! What could possibly be funny at a time like this?"  The other missionary says, "I just peed in the soup!"

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Biblical Theme Songs

Noah: "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head"
Adam and Eve: "Strangers in Paradise"
Lazarus: "The Second Time Around"
Esther: "I Feel Pretty"
Job: "I've Got a Right to Sing the Blues"
Moses: "The Wanderer"
Jezebel: "The Lady is a Tramp"
Samson: "Hair"Salome: "I Could Have Danced All Night"
Daniel: "The Lion Sleeps Tonight"
Esau: "Born To Be Wild"
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: "Great Balls of Fire!"
The Three Kings: "When You Wish Upon a Star"
Jonah: "Got a Whale of a Tale"
Elijah: "Up, Up, and Away"
Methuselah: "Stayin' Alive"
Nebuchadnezzar: "Crazy"