AND SOME WILL SAY, 'HEY'.......'THAT'S ME TOO'

BANNOCKBURN CONSERVATION AREA

Depression can manifest itself in many ways and in my case, it quite often makes itself known when it takes away my interest in things I generally enjoy doing.  It can happen at any time with a suddenness, or it may creep up slowly and overwhelm me before I even know it is near.  The shroud it casts can be short or lengthy, but always heavy and debilitating.  With each passing year now it seems to become harder to deal with.  My smiles and chuckles seem to have long since deserted the ship and my attempts at humor which were once a great second nature for me now clumsily stumble out, if at all, in a confused state of misfires.  Some will not understand any of this and some will say, 'hey'.....'that's me too'.

OUR RURAL COUNTRYSIDE LOOKED PARTICULARLY NICE THIS MORNING

AS MUCH AS I DISLIKE WINTER IT SURE CAN BE PRETTY AT TIMES

A FEW STRANGE CRITTERS ALONG THE WAY

PHEEBS ENJOYS THE WINTER SCENERY TOO

GRAY TREE LINES ARE THE NORM NOW

With overnight temps slowly pulling back up over the freezing mark it was a combination of wet snow and drizzle falling this morning when Pheebs and I headed out.  Country roads were very soupy but we rolled along them anyway.  Air was cold and damp under cloudy skies but with the Jeep's heater on and fine music on Sirius Satellite Radio we were not at all hampered in our travels.

COUNTRY ROADS WERE MUDDY TODAY

SO NICE TO STILL SEE SOME SPLASHES OF AUTUMN COLOR

IF YOU STRETCH YOUR IMAGINATION YOU MIGHT SEE A 'PICASSO LIKE' FEMALE OLYMPIC RUNNER EXITING THE FRAME ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE PHOTO

Coffee to go at Clinton's Tim Hortons then off to the Bannockburn Conservation Area.  Luckily there was nobody there so I parked the Jeep and off we went along the boardwalk with patches of wet snow crunching under my shoes.  Pine tree bows were heavily laden and hanging low with wet snow and all around I could hear the dripping sounds of melting.

HEADING OFF ON THE BANNOCKBURN BOARDWALK

WET SNOW ON THE PINE BOUGHS

PHEEBS HAS HER WINTER COAT ON

THESE PINE BOUGHS WERE HEAVY ENOUGH I HAD TO DUCK UNDER THEM

ONE OF SEVERAL CREEKS FLOWING THROUGH THE CONSERVATION AREA

All was quiet in the forest, not even a bird song anywhere.  Several small rivers flow through Bannockburn and occasionally while crossing a creek I could hear the sounds of rushing water babbling its way along and frothing up as they tumbled over and around riverbed stones and rocks.

Lots of interesting smells for Pheebs as she trotted from one smelly delight to another.  She did sense something under an old steel bridge we walked across but I didn't tell her it was just an old troll that has lived under that bridge for years.  By the time we got home shortly after 10 Kelly had already left for Goderich to undergo more blood tests and pick up some additional medication for her itching problem.

PHEEBS WENT UP THOSE STEPS AND BACK.....I DIDN'T

WE BEGIN OUR RETURN BACK TO THE JEEP

THIS ANGLED SECTION OF BOARDWALK WAS VERY SLIPPERY

I DIDN'T TELL PHEEBS A TROLL LIVES UNDER THIS BRIDGE

AN OUTHOUSE IN THE WOODS NEAR THE TRAILHEAD

By noon there was no visible snow left on the ground so I adjusted a few front yard Christmas lights we had put out a few days ago.  Well, I put out a few and Kelly put out most of them.  She always has a lot more Christmas spirit than I do.  Just think, in another month we'll only be a couple days short of Christmas.  That's a big happy milestone on our way to Spring.  Thanks to readers for your encouraging and uplifting comments.  They are always helpful.............

GROANER'S CORNER:((    A circus owner walked into a bar to see everyone crowded about a table watching a little show. On the table was an upside-down pot and a duck tap dancing on it. The circus owner was so impressed that he offered to buy the duck from its owner. After some wheeling and dealing, they settled for $10,000 for the duck and the pot.  Three days later the circus owner runs back to the bar in anger, "Your duck is a rip-off! I put him on the pot before a whole audience and he didn't dance a single step!"  "So?" asked the ducks former owner, "did you remember to light the candle under the pot?"

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HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET MY WRITING INTEREST INTO GEAR

DOWNY WOODPECKER

Sorry folks, I just haven't been able to get my writing interest into gear this last little while.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  

NED: I have a knocker on my house door.

ED: Really. You have a knocker.

NED: Does that impress you?

ED: Yes. You deserve the No Bell prize.

A FEW SATURDAY MORNING PHOTOS

THE FEDERAL COLUMBIA ARRIVING IN GODERICH'S HARBOR THIS MORNING

A VERITABLE TRAFFIC JAM OFFSHORE AS 3 LARGE FREIGHTERS WAIT TO ENTER THE PORT OF GODERICH...FIRST TIME EVER I HAVE SEEN 4 FREIGHTERS HERE ALL AT THE SAME TIME

GROANER'S CORNER:(( One day our physics professor was discussing a particularly complicated concept. A pre-med student rudely interrupted to ask "Why do we have to learn this stuff?"  "To save lives" the professor responded quickly and continued the lecture.  A few minutes later, the same student spoke up again. "So, how does physics save lives?" he persisted.  "It keeps the idiots out of medical school," replied the professor.

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A FEW FRIDAY MORNING PHOTOS

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A psychologist is selling a video that teaches you how to test your dogs IQ.   Heres how it works: if you spend $29.99 for the video, your dog is smarter than you.