GLANCING BEHIND ME I SAW RIGHT AWAY THAT I WAS BEING FOLLOWED

 A FEW TREES AND SHRUBS ARE TAKING ON THEIR AUTUMN COLOR, BUT ONLY A FEW

With days becoming shorter now it certainly is not everyone's favorite thing, including me.  However, there are a few pluses to darkness arriving sooner and I took advantage of three of those pluses Saturday night.  This is a great time of the year for stargazing.  With darkness arriving much earlier in the evening combined with Autumn's cooler night air free of mosquitos, it's a winning triple combination.  In the summer months, the sky is not dark enough until nearly 11 p.m. and the heavier, dense mosquito-infested warm summer air is unstable and not the best for viewing.  It was 8:40 when I donned my winter jacket and headed out the door with my Nikon CP900 camera and tripod.  With Subie's Moonroof open I cruised out into the dark countryside glancing up to the right through the open hole in the roof and seeing a big bright half-Moon in the southern sky.  Less than ten minutes after leaving the house I was at the same spot where Pheebs and I walk in the morning.  I stepped out of the car onto the country road into a beautifully lit Moonscape.  How nice to be out under the shimmering stars of the night sky again.  I proceeded to set up my tripod and camera and took maybe a dozen Moon shots.  I noticed my legs stiffening up from standing in one spot so I took them for a short walk down the country road facing the Moon.  Glancing behind me I saw right away that I was being followed.........by a shadow, and that shadow was........me:))  Thus, my song tonight in Al's Music Box.  Following the photos, I took the camera off the tripod, locked my 7x50  binoculars on, and stood observing the Moon and its ridges and craters for a while.  I also focused on a twinkling red, green, and white star.  And I think I might have seen the International Space Station traveling Northwest to Southeast through the bottom of the Big Dipper.  It seemed just a little too bright to be a satellite.  Also saw two jet aircraft with their blinking lights heading west to east with their destinations probably being Pearson International Airport in Toronto, Ontario.  Following that, I had my usual customary chat with the stars and then it was off for home I went.  It was 9:30.

Another nice late September morning found Pheebs and on a slow meandering drive around Bayfield.  Blustery winds had cranked our cool morning temps up into the cold zone so we skipped our morning country walk.  I was dressed on the wintery side but yet I saw folks out walking in the summer shorts and sandals.  I heard tell that when old folks get really old they feel the cold more and some even wear their long underwear in the summertime.  I ain't nowhere near there yet I keep telling myself.

 A FEW SAILBOATS OUT THIS MORNING TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE LAST FEW WEEKS OF NICE SAILING WEATHER

THIS BOAT IS  HEADING OUT AS A FELLOW BEGINS TO UNFASTEN THE SAIL

 ANOTHER SAILBOAT COMING DOWN THE BAYFIELD RIVER HEADING FOR THE OPEN WATERS OF LAKE HURON

 TO ME, SAILBOATS LOOK LIKE A COMPLICATED BIT OF BUSINESS WITH ALL THEIR ROPES AND LANYARDS AND STUFF

 THESE TWO CHAPS ARE PROBABLY HEADING OUT FOR THE LAST CRUISE OF THE SEASON AND THE FELLA ON THE RIGHT IS FEELING A LITTLE WEEPY ABOUT IT

BLOGGER IS THROWING ME A PROBLEM TONIGHT AND WON'T LET ME DELETE ONE OF THESE TWO IDENTICAL SAILBOAT PICTURES

 AT THE NORTH END OF BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET IS THIS WALKWAY DOWN TO THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE BAYFIELD RIVER WHERE MANY OF THE SAILBOATS ARE DOCKED

I had forgotten it was Volksfest in Bayfield today but I did manage a few photos driving by Clan Gregor Square where all the Volkswagon folks were gathered.  I saw a few orange campers that looked just like the VW Camper van I had back in the mid-eighties.  I took that camper van all the way to Canada's east coast and back one time.

 THAT ORANGE VW CAMPER VAN ON THE RIGHT IS LIKE THE ONE I HAD.....WHO KNOWS, MAYBE THAT'S MY OLD ONE

 OR MAYBE THIS ONE OF THE LEFT WAS MINE

 OR MAYBE THIS ONE

 THAT VW BEETLE ON THE LEFT  IS IDENTICAL TO MY FIRST BEETLE ONLY MINE WAS BLUE.....I THINK I HAD BEETLES ALTOGETHER BACK IN THE LATE 60'S AND EARLY 70'S

 LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY'S GETTING SOME DIRECTIONS AS TO WHERE TO PARK

 THIS OLD DUNE BUGGY PROBABLY HAS A VW ENGINE IN IT

 AND I THINK THIS IS THE NEW VOLKSWAGON MUSTANG:))

 IT WAS THE COLORS ON THIS VAN THAT CAUGHT MY EYE

Rounded up four more frogs today and transported them to the Park's pond.  The reason I do this is because our front yard pond freezes over and is not deep enough for the frogs to hibernate through the winter.  Those little amphibious critters need at least three feet of water over them to keep from freezing up before they burrow into the soft muddy pond bottom.

 A FEW PICS FROM AROUND BAYFIELD

 I KNOW WHERE I'VE BEEN AND I KNOW WHERE I'M GOING, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHERE I AM RIGHT NOW

Had myself a backyard campfire this afternoon and burnt up a bunch of twigs and small branches.  Always nice to smell a campfire, especially during these cooler early Autumn days.  Despite my rather lethargic state this past week I seem to be on track for getting outside things done before the coming winter.  In another few weeks, I will gather up all of my freezable car care stuff, put it in a couple plastic crates, and bring them inside until Spring.  I have already got my snow shovel out and ready to go.  Guess I'm kinda rushing things huh.  Well, I sorta kinda like to be prepared for things.

 SEEN IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING

Kelly is still having difficulties with fatigue and woke up in the night feeling nauseous.  The itching also kept her awake for a while.  We're hoping to hear some word from the liver transplant committee this coming week but we're not holding our breath.  It seems the more important something is, the longer it takes to get done.         

 MY BACKYARD EARLY AFTERNOON CAMPFIRE

Al's Music Box:)) Moonshadow by Cat Stevens from his 1971 album, 'Greatest Hits'.  Cat Stevens is an English singer-songwriter who later changed his name to Yusuf Islam and converted to Islam in 1977.  He auctioned off all his guitars for charity but in 2006 he resumed his musical career.  Dropping the second name 'Islam' he now goes by the name of Yusuf/Cat Stevens.  He has released several new albums, continues to record, and tours North America with his music.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( On the Listening Tour, a prominent politician was pleased and proud that the local sandwich shop in a town he was visiting had named a sandwich after him.  He was somewhat less pleased after he found out what was in it.  "Mostly baloney," said the proprietor.

- A man rushed into the doctor's office and shouted, "Doctor! I think I'm shrinking!"  The doctor calmly responded, "Now, settle down. You'll just have to be a little patient."

- Frank was madly in love with Susan, but couldn’t get up enough courage to pop the question face to face. Finally, he decided to ask her on the telephone. “Darling! He blurted out, “Will you marry me?”  “Of course, I will, you silly boy,” she replied, “Who’s speaking?”

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I JUST WISH I COULD REMEMBER MORE OF IT

 ONE OF MY FAIRY PATHS NEAR OUR HOUSE

It was country road coffee and muffins time again this morning so my good buddy Richard picked me up at 9:30 and we were off for another enjoyable two hours of chit and chatter.  And what a nice September morning and first day of Autumn it was too.

 JUST ANOTHER BEAUTIFUL SEPTEMBER MORN

 A  SATURDAY MORNING FISHERMAN IN THE BAYFIELD RIVER

 AN RV PARK?? NOPE, AN OLD ABANDONED TRAILER IN THE BUSH

Finally, I was able to get myself into some semblance of a work mode today so I grabbed my big pail and fishnet.  It was time for my annual Frog round-up.  Amazingly, I caught eight frogs in less than five minutes.  That, was the easy part because the remaining half dozen or more frogs left are wary and will be harder to catch.  With the eight frogs in my big pail, I hoisted it into the wheelbarrow and took the scrambling froggy gang a short distance to the Park's large pond, carefully descended to the water's edge, and eased the little fellers into their digs.    

 THESE ARE THE FIRST TWO FROGS I CAUGHT

MY BIG FROG PAIL IS FILLING UP FAST

 IT TOOK ME LESS THAN A MINUTE TO WHEELBARROW THE GUYS OVER TO THE BIG POND

 HERE I GO DUMPING THEM IN

 YOU CAN SEE TWO OF THE EIGHT IN THIS PHOTO

After dragging my heels on the Jeep decision for over a month now I finally hauled out my cleaning supplies early this afternoon and got at the job of cleaning the Jeep up.  Just as I would never go to a medical appointment without having a shower first I didn't want Libby going to a garage appointment without first getting a good clean-up either.  I haven't made that appointment yet but I intend to call the garage Monday and get the Jeep booked in to fix that starting problem, whatever it is once and for all.  Enough is enough is enough already!!!!

 ALL SPIFFED UP AND READY TO GET FIXED

Although Kelly is doing better than earlier in the week she is still having problems with weakness.  She couldn't walk too far with Pheebs this morning before having to turn around and come back.  Some of that weakness may be from the hospital stay and the rest being anemia. 

 SEDUM FLOWERS

Al's Music Box:))  Stayin' Alive by The Bee Gees from their 1977 album, 'Saturday Night Fever'.  Some people don't like disco music, but I am not one of them.  To me, disco music was feeling-good music both vocally and instrumentally.  I loved those disco beats and the 'Saturday Night Fever' album is a great example of those beats.  That era was back in my drinking days when I loved the lighted dance floors, disco balls, and all the glitzy lighting effects.  Mesmerizing. Musically, it was a visual era to behold and remember.  I just wish I could remember more of it:((

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The beguiling ideas about science quoted here were gleaned from essays, exams, and classroom discussions. Most were from 5th and 6th graders. They illustrate Mark Twain's contention that the 'most interesting information comes from children, for they tell all they know and then stop.

- You can listen to thunder after lightning and tell how close you came to getting hit. If you don't hear it, you got hit, so never mind.
- The law of gravity says no fair jumping up without coming back down.
- When they broke open molecules, they found they were only stuffed with atoms. But when they broke open atoms, they found them stuffed with explosions.
- When people run around and around in circles we say they are crazy. When planets do it we say they are orbiting.
- Rainbows are just to look at, not to really understand.
- Someday we may discover how to make magnets that can point in any direction.
- Most books now say our sun is a star. But it still knows how to change back into a Sun in the daytime.
- A vibration is a motion that cannot make up its mind which way it wants to go.
- Many dead animals in the past changed to fossils while others preferred to be oil.
-Genetics explain why you look like your father and if you don't why you should.
- Vacuums are nothings. We only mention them to let them know we know they're there.
- Some people can tell what time it is by looking at the sun. But I have never been able to make out the numbers.
- We say the cause of perfume disappearing is evaporation. Evaporation gets blamed for a lot of things people forget to put the top on.
-To most people, solutions mean finding the answers. But to chemists, solutions are things that are still all mixed up.
- Clouds are high flying fogs.
-Water vapor gets together in a cloud. When it is big enough to be called a drop, it does.
- Humidity is the experience of looking for air and finding water.
- We keep track of the humidity in the air so we won't drown when we breathe.
- Rain is saved up in cloud banks.
- A blizzard is when it snows sideways.
- A hurricane is a breeze of a bigly size.
- A monsoon is a French gentleman.
- Thunder is a rich source of loudness.
- It is so hot in some places that the people there have to live in other places.
- The wind is like the air, only pushier.

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I WAS MERRILY DOING PRETTY GOOD:))

From her short dog walk this morning, Kelly was feeling a little on the weak side so under a light cloud cover with warm sunny breaks it was all three of us in the white car heading for Goderich to do a little shopping.  Imagine that, me going shopping.

 A FEW DRIVE-BY PHOTOS OF THIS FARMER HARVESTING HIS BEANS

Our first stop was at the Walmart Pharmacy to pick up a new prescription for Kelly.  I went in with her and zoomed around picking up a few other things.  And yes, 'zoom' was the correct word to use here.  My legs weren't bothering me and my hip didn't hurt one tiny bit so I was just a blur up and down those Walmart aisles.  I was moving so fast stuff was being sucked off the shelves behind me,  Well okay, okay, not quite that fast but compared to my walking speed over these past 6 months, I was merrily doing pretty good:)) 

 IN THE WALMART PARKING LOT I SPOTTED WHAT I THOUGHT MIGHT BE THE NEW 2023 BATMOBLE BECAUSE IT LOOKED LIKE A PAIR OF BAT EARS INSIDE

 I VENTURED A LITTLE CLOSER FOR A LOOK....GEEEZZZ, IS THAT A BEAR IN THERE

 AND HERE'S THE HANDSOME CHAP INSIDE

 FOR YOU CAR ENGINE GURUS

 WHEN I SAW THIS ON THE WINDSHIELD I KNEW WHO THE VEHICLE BELONGED TO AND IT WAS HERE WHERE I SOLD MY 2002 HONDA SHADOW 1100CC MOTORCYCLE....GODERICH POWER CENTRE

Our next three stops were in downtown Goderich on what they call the Square.  On one of the first stops I went in with Kelly but with her strength returning she said she could handle it and I was just to get out of her way before she ran over me.

 KELLY RETURNING TO THE CAR AFTER ONE OF OUR DOWNTOWN GODERICH STOPS

From downtown Goderich, we headed off to Wendys.  We had coupons so we shared one of their specials.  With that special came a root beer and as soon as it touched my lips I was right away transported to Ilbertos in Borrego Springs, California.  For the last bunch of our RVing years, I would look forward to once a year having a root beer with my burg and fries at my favorite little eatery there.  Yaaay Ilbertos:)))

 HEY, I EVEN BACKED IT UP BETWEEN THE YELLOW LINES

 LETTUCE, TOMATO, ONIONS AND PICKELS....YUP, SOUNDS PRETTY HEALTHY TO ME

 SEEN IN  WENDY'S PARKING LOT:))

With other things on my mind lately, I haven't been thinking too much about our Jeep's starting problems lately.  But, here's something I have noticed.  Most times when I try to start it, it makes various types of clicking and clacking sounds and won't start.  All the dash lights do light up though.  Now, if I put the jumper cables on it and boost it with the Subaru, it starts every time.  I'm beginning to shy away from thinking it's the starter and am beginning to suspect the battery or a faulty battery connection or cables.  I checked, and the positive and negative cables are securely fastened to the battery posts.  There was a small bit of corrosion on the positive post but I cleaned that up.  I am toying with the idea of taking it back to the garage again and having them take a closer look at the problem.    

 THE TREE OF TWO DIRECTIONS

Kelly had a good night's sleep for a change which was a big help.  She is definitely feeling better now than she did earlier in the week and we're hoping this will last for a bit before the toxins begin building up again.  Her new medication is called, Lactulose-Pharma, and one of it's uses is for the complications of liver disease.  (hepatic encephalopathy)

 KELLY'S NEWEST PRESCRIPTION

 WE STOPPED AT A SMALL FARM STAND ON THE WAY HOME

Ellen's Groove:)) After a bit of a repetitive start in this practice run, Ellen gets the strings a buzzin in this short video. Jaco

 A DROOPILY SAD SUNFLOWER ON A CLOUDY FRIDAY MORNING

Al's Music Box:)) Take Me Home Country Roads by John Denver from his 1971 album, 'Poems, Prayers & Promises.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( My colleague Jordan is overweight and all of us in the office have been pushing him for a very long time to shed his excess weight. So one day, Jordan decided to start dieting and he took his new resolution seriously. He even changed his driving route to avoid his favorite bakery.  One morning, however, he arrived at work with a box of doughnuts from the Peter Pan Bakery. Everybody scolded him, even the boss reprimanded him but Jordan was ready with his justification.  "These are very special doughnuts," declared Jordan. "I accidentally drove by the Peter Pan bakery this morning and could see a lot of goodies in the window. I thought this was no coincidence, there was certainly some divine intervention, so I prayed, 'Oh God, if you want me to have one of those yummy doughnuts, let me have a parking place right in front of the bakery.' And sure enough," he continued, "the seventh time around the block, there it was!"

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Jeff Dunham: Did you get the tattoo?
Walter: Hell no.
Jeff Dunham: Well if you had, what would you have gotten?
Walter: I would have gotten a beautiful woman's face.
Jeff Dunham: Ah, and where would you have put it?
Walter: On my wife's face.

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"Do you believe in life after death?" the boss asked one of his employees.  "Yes, Sir." the new recruit replied.  "Well, then, that makes everything just fine," the boss went on. "After you left early yesterday to go to your grandmother's funeral, she stopped in to see you."

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