WORE MYSELF OUT AND MY ARMS FELL OFF

 I WAS REALLY HOPING THOSE CLEAR SKIES ON THE WESTERN HORIZON THIS MORNING WOULD COME OUR WAY BUT THEY DIDNT

A wee drive into Bayfield and a couple country roads on the other side was about it for our Jeep ride this morning. 

 THE RESTORATION OF THIS OLD BARN ARE COMING ALONG WELL

 NO NOT AN ALIEN PRESENCE, JUST AN OLD TREE WITH A WEARY FACE

 I BET THIS OLD CHOPPER HAS LOTS OF RV TRAVEL MEMORIES

 LAKE HURON WAS VERY PEACEFUL THIS MORNING

Spent a chunk of the afternoon trying to get some of the heavy snow off around the edges of our roof with my 15' aluminum snow rake.  Not easy on a metal roof with all its fastening down bolts sticking up and snagging the snow rake.  And much of the snow I pulled down I had to then remove from a couple walk-ways and our back deck.  Wore myself out and my arms fell off so that was it for the day.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Have you heard about the guys who drove their pickup truck into a lumberyard? One of them walked into the office and said, "We need some four-by-twos.  "You mean two-by-fours, don't you?" the clerk said.  "Let me go check," replied the man, and he went back to the truck.  "Yeah, I meant two-by-fours," he said, returning a few moments later.  "Alright. How long do you need them?"  The customer paused for a minute to think and then finally said, "I'd better go check."  After a while, he returned to the office and said, "A long time. We're building a house."

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My wife asked me to put ketchup on the shopping list... I did, and now I can't read anything on the list.

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The lifeguard told the mother to make her young son stop urinating in the pool.  "Everyone knows," the mother lectured him, "that from time to time, young children will urinate in a pool."  "Oh really?" said the lifeguard, "from the diving board?!"

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WE MAY HAVE TO TRADE OUR CLASS C IN FOR A SNOWPLOW

 LAKE ICE CONTINUES TO BUILD ALONG LAKE HURON'S SHORELINE

My anticipated and hoped for early sunny Sunday morning sunrise did not materialize.  Skies remained cloudy until noon when a few rays of diffused sunlight managed to squeak through the gray overhead cover.  Clouds eventually cleared even further and we actually saw sunlight and a few patches of blue sky later in the afternoon.  Had a few things to pick up in Goderich this morning so Pheebs and I headed up Porters Hill Line.  It was a strong cold east wind blowing snow across the north-bound lane.  No sign of any snow plows being out so Pheebs and I plowed our own tracks through the small foot high drifts.  Could have gone around them but what would be the fun in doing that eh.  I did make one silly mistake though.  Pheebs was pawing at the east-facing passenger side window wanting it down.  Without thinking I lowered the window.  So yep, the next little drift we plowed through we ended up with about half of the drift inside the Jeep.  Pheebs, with a bewildered wide-eyed look on her face, had turned into a little snow cone.  I was quick to get that window back up again and crank the heater up an extra notch.

 THESE KINDS OF SMALL DRIFTS ARE KINDA FUN TO DRIVE THROUGH

Coffee to go at McDonalds and it was down to the harbor with us.  The large bulk-carrier ship Algoma Intrepid was at the southern salt dock taking on a load of rock salt.  I saw one of the harbor tug boats busy ahead of the large freighter breaking up the ice around the harbor mouth. The road to the cove was not open all the way so we turned around and headed back noticing a second freighter (Algoma Niagara) at the salt dock on the north side of the salt mine.  A few photos and we were soon on our way home.  Came back heading south on Porter Hill's Line but it still hadn't been plowed.  The southbound lane was fine with only the northbound lane still continuing to drift in.  Our weather channel has issued a 'blowing snow advisory' for overnight and it looks like we have another load of snow coming around the end of the week.  If this keeps up we may have to trade our Class C in for a snowplow.

 THIS HARBOR TUG MOVED AROUND BACK AND FORTH BREAKING UP THE CHANNEL ICE AHEAD OF AND ALONGSIDE  THE LARGE FREIGHTER

 NOTICED A FELLOW SHUTTER-BUG OUT AND ABOUT IN THE COLD....I LIKE THAT CANON LENS 

 I NOTICED THE BOW OF A SECOND FREIGHTER ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE MINE COMPLEX

 THE BOWS OF BOTH SHIPS ARE VISIBLE IN THIS PHOTO

Despite the nice looking sunny afternoon, the bone-chilling wind from the east was still blowing hard and there was no way Pheebs and I were going for a walk in that.  No need for a frost-bitten face!!

 HERE'S SQUIRRELY GETTING ONTO OUR HANGING BIRD FEEDER

 AND HERE'S SQUIRRELY A FEW SECONDS LATER IN THE PROCESS OF LOSING HIS GRIP AND FALLING OFF THE FEEDER

GROANER'S CORNER:((    A Dutchman was explaining the red, white, and blue Netherlands flag to an American.  "Our flag is symbolic of our taxes. We get red when we talk about them, white when we get our tax bills, and blue after we pay them."  The American nodded. "It's the same in the USA only we see stars too!"

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My GPS just told me to turn around...
Now I can’t see where I’m driving.

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A Polish immigrant went to the DMV to apply for a driver's license.  First, of course, he had to take an eyesight test. The  optician showed  him a card with the letters:  'C Z W I X N O S T A C Z.'
"Can you read this?" the optician asked.
"Read it?" the Polish guy replied, "I know the guy."

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GOING TO HAVE TO RE-DOUBLE MY EFFORTS TO GET MYSELF BACK ON THE COMPLAINT LIST

 PHEEBS OUT PLOWING SNOW THIS MORNING

Well, at least our snowfall finally stopped and we were back to a normal grey January day.  No farmer's fields visible anywhere with everything being under a foot or more of snow.  It was a rather lackluster Jeep ride through the countryside south, east, and west, of Clinton Ontario but we did manage to find a few photos along the way. 

Finished shoveling the rest of the driveway so now Kelly can get her Pontiac Sunfire in and out.  If nothing else, at least shoveling snow is good upper body exercise, and at this time of year in this winter climate that is a plus.

 GOT A COLD PAW DAD

Both Pheebs and I snoozed the afternoon away so we didn't get out for a walk.  We'll try again tomorrow.

Thought I would have been as stiff as board this morning when I woke up after shoveling all that snow these past couple of days.  Amazingly enough, I didn't have a single 'ouchy' I could roundly complain about.  That not being normal at this age I am undoubtedly going to have to re-double my snow shoveling efforts in order to get myself back on that complaint list!!

 MAYBE THIS GUY WOULD GIVE A COUPLE BUCKS TO SHOVEL OFF HIS RUNWAY AND BRUSH THE SNOW OF HIS AIRPLANE

 THIS OLD FARM DOG MUST BE OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD AND I ALWAYS WATCH FOR HIM TO BE LAYING BESIDE THE ROAD IN WINTER, SUMMER, SPRING, OR FALL

 THIS SCOTTISH HIGHLAND CATTLE GANG LOVES THIS COLD WEATHER

 LOOKS LIKE THIS FARMER'S WINTER PROJECT IS TO LOG OUT HIS BUSH

 SEEN A NUMBER OF SNOWMOBILES ON THE BACKROADS TODAY

 SOME FOLKS ARE STILL DIGGING OUT FROM FRIDAY'S SNOWSTORM

Stepping out with Pheebs shortly before publishing the blog tonight I looked up through the tall pine trees and saw a whole host of stars overhead.  It's been a while since I last saw a clear starry sky and I'm hoping it will stay that way and let Old Sol flood us with cheery sunshine tomorrow:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Have you heard about 4-year-old Sammy who was asked to return thanks before Sunday dinner? The family members bowed their heads in expectation, and he began his prayer:  "Thank you God for all my friends: Joey, an' Susan, an' Billy, an' Tommy," and on and on he went, naming each friend one by one.  Next he thanked God for Mommy, Daddy, brother, sister, Grandma, Grandpa, and all his aunts and uncles.  Finally he got to the food.  "Thank you God for the turkey, an' the dressing, an' the fruit salad, an' the pies, an' the Cool Whip..."  And then he paused.  The pause was almost deafening, and all eyes were focused on young Sammy with his head still bowed in prayer.  Finally (almost when Father was about to interject an "Amen"), Sammy looked up at his mother and asked, "If I thank God for the broccoli, won't he know that I'm lying?"

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Sue: My uncle is an umpire in a restaurant.  Lou: In a restaurant?  Sue: Yes. When someone orders pancakes, he yells, “Batter up!”

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On a rural road, a state trooper pulled this farmer over and said: "Sir, do you realize your wife fell out of the car several miles back?"  To which the farmer replied: "Thank God, I thought I had gone deaf!"

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