HAPPY TO SAY WE NOW HAVE A SUBARU IN OUR DRIVEWAY:)))))

A cool sunny morning so Pheebs and I took a cruise in around Bayfield.  The new bridge was down to one lane and I think they might be doing some paving.  And I reckon the pedestrian walkway may be nearing completion.  Work on Bayfield's Main street resumed Monday and I think it is destined to be completed later in the Fall.

 BAYFIELD'S  MAIN STREET WILL SOON LOOK MUCH NICER THAN IT DOES NOW

 WORKERS ARE BUSY

Home again I hauled out our shop-vac and went at the Jeep's interior.  I also washed the Jeep and then parked it in its new spot for now until we decide what we are going to do with it.

 IT TOOK ME AWHILE TO GET ALL THE VACUUMING DONE IN THERE

LIBBY IN HER SECONDARY PARKING SPOT

With Pheebs staying home to hold the fort, Kelly and I in her Pontiac Sunfire rolled out the driveway just about high noon.  Our first stop was in Goderich where we picked up an insurance slip for the Subaru at MacEwan & Feagan Insurance.  Minutes later we were headed northeast out of Goderich heading to Wingham Ontario where we met the Subaru owner (Mike) at his house.  We sat on his rear patio where Kelly went through and handled all the paperwork.  From there, Mike the Subaru owner led the way downtown where our first stop was the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.  Once our business was completed there we all walked over to the Vehicle Licensing Bureau where the Subaru ownership was transferred into our names and the deal was done.  Mike handed me the keys.  We walked back to the CIBC parking lot where Mike took off his license plates and we put our new plates on the car.  Had a problem with one of the license plate screws so it was back to Mike's place for a pliers.  We did finally get our rear license plate on and that was it.  Thanked Mike for being an honest and friendly person and off Kelly and I went with me in the lead driving Subie and Kelly following in the Sunfire.  Our first stop was in Wingham's south end for a couple of Tim Horton coffees to go.  A beautiful day to be outside and we had a great drive all the way back home.

DOING THE PAPERWORK ON THE SUBARU OWNER'S BACK DECK THIS MORNING

BY DOING ALL THE PAPERWORK BEFOREHAND IT SAVED TIME AT THE LICENSING BUREAU LATER ON

 WOULDN'T YA KNOW IT!!  ONE OF THE LICENSE PLATE SCREWS WOULD NOT COME OUT

 NO MATTER, WE GOT THE PLATE FASTENED ON SECURELY ANYWAY

 OH WHAT A SWEET DRIVE ALL THE HOME IT WAS:))))

Well, what can I say about driving a Subaru for the first time. (aside from the test drive)  The first couple of words that come to mind is smooth and quiet.  So smooth and so quiet that I had trouble holding the speed down.  I didn't have a clue where the cruise control was.  I would periodically look in the rear-view mirror and see Kelly about 10 car lengths behind me and the next time I looked a couple minutes later she was almost a speck at 30 or 40 car lengths behind.  A quick look at the Subes speedometer told the tale and I had to quickly slow down and let her catch up.  And I am not what you would call a speedy driver anymore.  It was like that all the way home.  I had better get that cruise control thingy figured out right quick before I break some kind of sound barrier with that quietly smooth car.

SUBIE IS FINALLY IN OUR DRIVEWAY:))

Once home we were like a couple kids in a candy store trying to figure everything out.   We were opening and closing doors, the hatch, the engine hood, and the moonroof.  Pressing buttons, moving levers, turning dials, flicking switches, and tap-tap-tapping the computer screen.  I'm probably going to have to enroll in a Subaru course just to figure out how the heater and A/C dials all work.  And then there is the CD player, radio, XM Sirius satellite radio, just to mention a few other learning curves.  Bluetooth, greentooth, sore tooth, etc. etc. and etc.  Oh my, methinks I be all bedazzled.  Don't even mention the smartphone capabilities and a whole lotta other stuff.  I guess I was hoping to find out it had rotary phone capabilities.              

KELLY HELPS ME FIGURE OUT THE SOUND SYSTEM

Ellen's Groove:)) A 10-second clip of Ellen's mother and Ellen singing in the car.  They are having a blast.  Ellen's mom is the one who does Ellen's hair and comes up with her funky clothes and looks.  They are a very musical and close-knit family.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( "Kulua Airlines is pleased to announce that we have some of the best flight attendants in the industry...... Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"

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Classmates at college were lamenting the cost of long-distance phone service and debating the relative advantages of AT&T, MCI, and Sprint.  "I've found CTC to be the cheapest plan around," offered one.  "CTC? Who are they?"  "You know," he responded. "Call Them Collect." 

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TUESDAY WILL BE A SUBARU DAY FOR US

I didn't mind the cloudy morning for a change.  It was a nice break from all of our recent sunny days.  For me, it's change that keeps things interesting.  Clouds every day would be boring and depressing.  Sun every day would just be too boring after a while.

 BEAN FIELDS ARE RIPENING FAST

Coffee to go at McDonalds this morning followed by a cruise down around Goderich's harbor.  Our usual stop at Walmart and we were home again.  Mowed some grass, trimmed some branches, and cut some vines.  Nothing too exciting.

 ONE SHIP IN THE GODERICH HARBOR THIS MORNING

We periodically receive comments or emails from readers who for some unknown reason can't access my blog anymore.  It may have to do with a subscription problem or a faulty email notification or something else.  I never know how to help these people because it is nothing we have done at our end.  Aside from goofing up and temporarily wiping out my sidebar about a month ago I never change any settings here.  The problem must lie within either Blogger, Google, the subscription app or the user's email program.  Or maybe it is because the Planets are not properly aligned or the earth has shifted on its axis.  I wished I had a logical answer and solution to the problem, but unfortunately, I don't.  Some readers with these problems occasionally say that their problem somehow fixed itself.  All I can say to you folks is thank you for being a reader and persevering through these occasional problems.    

In the morning we head to Wingham Ontario to bring the Subaru home.  Pheebs will be staying home this time because we don't know how long we will be.  I'm hoping with the Subes better gas mileage Pheebs and I will venture out a little farther on our morning travels again like we used to do.  I am certainly way overdue for some new scenery, some different photos, and writing ideas for a change.  Maybe we can get up through Amish/Mennonite country again.  Maybe hit a few area conservation trails and grab some snacks on the way home for old times' sake.  I've got to pull up my socks and get myself out of this repetitive rut I have allowed myself to stumble into.  I know I've said this before but maybe if I say it enough times I can jolt myself into doing something about it!!       

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two priests were going to Hawaii on vacation and decided that they would make this a real vacation by not wearing anything that would identify them as clergy.  As soon as the plane landed, they headed for a store and bought some really outrageous shorts, shirts, sandals, sunglasses, etc.  The next morning they went to the beach, dressed in their “tourist” garb, and were sitting on beach chairs, enjoying a drink, the sunshine, and the scenery when a “drop dead gorgeous” blonde in a tiny bikini came walking straight towards them. They couldn't help but stare and when she passed them, she smiled and said, “Good morning, Father” – “Good morning, Father,” nodding and addressing each of them individually, then passed on by.  They were both stunned. How in the world did she recognize them as priests?  The next day they went back to the store and bought even more outrageous outfits-these were so loud, you could hear them before you even saw them-and again settled on the beach in their chairs to enjoy the sunshine, etc.  After a while, the same gorgeous blonde, wearing a string bikini this time, came walking toward them again. (They were glad they had sunglasses because their eyes were about to pop out of their heads.)  Again, she approached them and greeted them individually: “Good morning, Father,” “Good morning Father,” and started to walk away.  One of the priests couldn't stand it and said. “Just a minute, young lady. Yes, we are priests, and proud of it, but I have to know, how in the world did YOU know?”  “Oh, Father, don't you recognize me? I'm Sister Angela!”

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HOLY SMOKES I ALMOST HAD TO PUT MY WOOLIES ON THIS MORNING

Well, I sure had my weather prediction for today wrong.  Didn't have to lash myself to the A/C unit after all but nearly had to stand close to the furnace instead and almost had to put my woollies on.  Okay, not that drastic but it was cool enough for me on our cloudy morning walk to wear a long sleeve flannel shirt over my short sleeve shirt.  Rains came in the afternoon and our sunroom took on a cold dampish feel so I clicked on our little gas stove and all was toasty warm again.  Oh tis quite a life I lead with all these ongoing weather temperature woes of mine.

 CHECKING THE CORN FIELDS

I don't know who wrote the piece below but bravo to the person who did.  I spotted it on the internet. 

Barely the day started and... it's already six in the evening.

Barely arrived on Monday and it's already Friday.

... and the month is already over.

... and the year is almost over.

... and already 40, 50 or 60 years of our lives have passed.

... and we realize that we lost our parents, friends.

and we realize it's too late to go back...

So... Let's try, despite everything, to enjoy the remaining time...

Let's keep looking for activities that we like...

Let's put some color in our grey...

Let's smile at the little things in life that put balm in our hearts.

And despite everything, we must continue to enjoy with serenity this time we have left. Let's try to eliminate the afters...

I'm doing it after...

I'll say after...

I'll think about it after...

We leave everything for later like ′′ after ′′ is ours.

Because what we don't understand is that:

Afterwards, the coffee gets cold...

afterwards, priorities change...

Afterwards, the charm is broken...

afterwards, health passes...

Afterwards, the kids grow up...

Afterwards parents get old...

Afterwards, promises are forgotten...

afterwards, the day becomes the night...

afterwards life ends...

And then it's often too late....

So... Let's leave nothing for later...

Because still waiting see you later, we can lose the best moments,

the best experiences,

best friends,

the best family...

The day is today... The moment is now...

We are no longer at the age where we can afford to postpone what needs to be done right away.

Well, par for Sunday it pretty much turned out to be a do-nothing day.  Grass needs cutting and the Jeep needs vacuuming but I don't like to fire up the lawnmower, the vacuum cleaner, or any other noisy outside power things on a Sunday.  I do that out of respect for our neighbors.  I'm from the old school that believes Sunday should be a day of rest, peace, and quiet........if that is even remotely possible anymore in the minds of many these days!!  

 THIS THISTLE HAS GONE TO SEED

Ellen's Groove:))  She just keeps on getting better.  Here is Ellen with her new Gibson bass guitar playing, Wrath Of The Rising King

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Letters from Little Girls to God::

Dear God, Thank you for the baby brother, but I prayed for a puppy.  Joyce 

Dear God, Did you mean for the giraffe to look like that or was it an accident?  Norma

Dear God, Did you really mean, "Do unto others as they do unto you?" Because if you did, then I'm going to really fix my brother!  Darla

Dear God, We read Thomas Edison made light. But in Sunday School they said you did it. So I bet he stole your idea.  Sincerely, Donna

Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of the people in the whole world. There are only four people in our whole family and I can never do it.  Nan

Dear God, If we come back as something else, please don't let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her.  Love, Denise

Dear God, In Bible times, did they really talk that fancy?  Jennifer

Dear God, What does it mean you are a jealous God? I thought you had everything.  Jane

Dear God, It rained for our whole vacation and my father was mad! He said some things about you that people are not supposed to say, but I hope you won't hurt him anyway. Your friend (I'm not going to tell You my name.

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lI THINK I WILL JUST LASH MYSELF TO OUR AIR CONDITIONER

 SATURDAY MORNING IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Another muggy day so most of my time was spent inside reading.  Pheebs and I did manage our walk in the morning's cooler air before the heat built up so at least we had ourselves a bit of exercise.  Sunday is predicted to be even hotter than today so I just may lash myself to our A/C unit and call it a day...........

 A RELAXING EARLY SEPTEMBER MORN

 THERE ARE A LOT OF ROOF TRUSSES IN THAT NEW BARN 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  In the courtroom, the judge is asking the little boy, "Do you want to live with your mother?" The little boy says, "No, she beats me." The judge says, "Do you want to live with your father?" "No, he beats me too," says the little boy. The judge scratches his head and says, "Ok, son, then who do you want to live with?" Without a moment's hesitation, the boy says loudly, "The Toronto Blue Jays, because they don't beat anybody."

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My wife isn’t very good in the kitchen. The last time she cooked she burned the salad.

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A tom cat and a tabby cat were courting on a back fence at night. The tom leaned over to the tabby with pent-up passion and purred... "I'll die for you"  The tabby gazed at him from under lowered eyelids and asked, "How many times?".

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THE WAWA FOLKS DROPPED IN THIS MORNING AND PLANS ARE AFOOT:))))

We had ourselves a different kind of morning today.  What a pleasure it was to have the Wawa folks drop in.  Our good friends Richard and Gayle rolled in about 9:30 for coffee, delicious homemade peach pie, and ice cream.  Plans are afoot for them to move back to southwest Ontario and that move will likely take place over the next couple of weeks.  They will be relocating to St. Marys (my favorite small Ontario town) about an hour's drive southeast of us.  St Mary's was our go-to town when we lived at the Weenie Roast Ranch near Fullarton Ontario years ago.  I drove the St Mary's mobility bus part-time for a few years in the late 90's.   St Marys is also the site of the Canadian Baseball Hall Of Fame .  Three rivers meet in downtown St Marys and the town is like something out of old England with its many century-old stone buildings.  St Marys is often referred to as Stone Town.  I'm looking forward to once again going out for a few coffees with Richard and getting ourselves back on track to solving many of life's little trials and tribulations:))  Needless to say we are very happy to see both Richard and Gayle returning to the area:)))))

Subie passed her safety inspection with flying colors in Wingham Ontario today.  Subie?? The soon-to-be ours 2018 Subaru Forester.  Being the long Labor Day holiday weekend here the licensing bureau, etc. will not be open until Tuesday so we plan to head to Wingham late Tuesday morning, meet the Subaru owner, and finalize arrangements for purchasing the car.  If everything goes according to plan we hope to have Subie in our driveway sometime Tuesday afternoon.  And it looks like a good weather day too:))  

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A plane hit a patch of severe turbulence and the passengers were holding on tight as it rocked and reeled through the night. A little old lady turned to a minister who was sitting behind her and said, "You're a man of God. Can't you do something about this?"  He replied, "Sorry, I can't. I'm in sales, not management."

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- I saw a lad standing on one leg at an ATM.  Confused, I asked him what he was doing?  He said he was just checking his balance.

- We all get heavier as we get older because there is simply a lot more information in our heads.

- I went to a horticultural conference and they said ‘Please be seeded.'

- Did you know that walking can add minutes to your life.  This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing home at $5,000 per month.

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IT JUST DON'T FIGURE EH!!

With gas prices taking a temporary wee tumble overnight I figured it was a good time to top up Scooter's gas tank just in case we do head off up to the Bruce Peninsula in a couple weeks.  If not, we'll probably have enough gas in the tank to last through the whole winter.

 A SLIGHT TOUCH OF EARLY AUTUMN

 ON OUR WAY TO GODERICH

 LOOKS LIKE THE GOVERNMENT IS MOVING ITS BOAT

TRAFFIC WAS LIGHT THIS MORNING

 PHEEBS KEEPS A CLOSE EYE ON THE GOOSE TRAFFIC GOING BY

Same old routine after gassing up in Goderich this morning except I didn't take Scooter through Mcdonalds Drive-Thru:))  Too many cars in the line-up so I parked in the lot and walked in.  Seeing the interior I was reminded that I hadn't been inside Goderich's McDonalds for probably 4 or 5 years.

 HEADING OUT TO ROTARY COVE

 SCOOTER AT THE BEACH

 HOME AGAIN

A second reason for going to Goderich was to pop into Walmart and get myself a pair of drugstore glasses.  I had picked up a pair last winter and found I could see better with them than my prescription glasses, especially for distance.  Problem was, I misplaced those drugstore glasses last week and despite an exhaustive search for days, they remained misplaced.  I figured the quickest way to find them was to get another pair so that's what I did this morning.  I've been home 9 hours now and my missing pair of glasses are still missing.  It just don't figure eh!! 

 AN AFTERNOON WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND

 ON THE PINE TREE TRAIL WE CAME ACROSS THIS VERY RARE MUSHROOM WRENCH:))

 PHEEBS ON THE TRAIL OF A GRASSHOPPER

With a welcome drop in humidity, Pheebs and I were able to get out for an afternoon walk.  A few photos around the Park's pond and a stroll around what is left of the old Pine Tree Trail.  

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The doctor entered the room and advised his patient that a brain transplant was the only remedy.  "Fortunately" he continued, "this hospital has perfected the procedure however, it is not yet available on the National Health and you will therefore have to pay.  We have two brains in stock at the moment, a female brain costing £30,000 and a male brain at £100,000"  "Why is the male brain so expensive?" asked the patient.  "Oh, that's easy, male brains are hardly used."

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When I was married, my wife used to call me handsome. As a matter of fact, we are now divorced but she STILL calls me handsome.  Every time I have some money, she says, HANDSOME OVER.

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Did you hear about the guy who tried to date a nun? He wanted to take her to the county fair, but she declined on account of she had taken a vow to abstain from Carnival pleasures.

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