AND TWO PLEASANT SURPRISES TODAY

Despite a few wiffy-piffy cool cloudy and sometimes wet days, September has been a beautiful weather month and today was no exception.  Sunny with perfect 70F temperatures.

 A LOCAL FARMER DOING SOME SATURDAY MORNING PLOWING

With a few things to pick up in Goderich, Pheebs and I headed there straightaway this morning.  We took the Subaru because I am still playing it safe with the Jeep.  It was our usual route again with stops at the south end Esso gas bar, Food Basics for milk, and McDonalds for a coffee to go.  Down to the harbor we went and drove out to Rotary Cove.  

 THE SAGINAW IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE OLD LAKE FREIGHTER

 I THINK THERE IS SOMETHING GOING ON THERE DOCKSIDE WITH THOSE TWO RED TRUCKS

 I'M GUESSING THAT CRANE IS WAITING TO LIFT THAT GRAY PIECE OF MACHINERY ON THE FLATBED TRUCK UP AND ONTO THE DECK OF THE SHIP 

 THREE SHIPS IN HARBOR THIS MORNING AND THE ALGOMA COMPASS IS ONE OF THEM

 THE BOW OF THE ALGOMA COMPASS ON THE RIGHT AND THE BOW OF THE ALGOMA NIAGARA ON THE LEFT

Heading back up the hill from the harbor and into town our next stop was on the Square.  Three of Kelly's children had put their heads together and decided to give their Mom a break from cooking so they ordered and paid for some frozen dinners from a restaurant in Goderich called Steve and Mary's On The Square.  Pheebs and I picked up those dinners this morning and with one last stop at the Rexall drugstore, we were on our way home.

 LADIES DAY AT THE LAKESHORE

 STOPPING ALONG THE BOARDWALK FOR A CHAT

Taking advantage of the nice weather I spent a couple hours puttering around outside.  Nothing earth shattering but I did catch six more frogs and transported them to the Park's pond.

 PADDLING ON THE PLACID CALM WATERS OF LAKE HURON THIS MORNING

 'SO BILL, HOW FAR DID YOU SAY IT WAS TO MICHIGAN'??

 IT LOOKS MORE LIKE A SPEEDBALL THAN A SPEEDBOAT TO ME

I let the Jeep sit for 48 hours before trying to start it a couple days ago and by golly it started right up.  Tomorrow morning with it being another 48 hour time span I will try it again.  If it starts right up I will begin driving it more.  I have the new mobile battery booster charged up as a back-up so I think Pheebs and I will be back in the Jeep again full-time as of tomorrow for hopefully many more morning Jeep rides:)))  

 I WONDER WHERE THE BIKE RIDERS ARE??

 OH THERE THEY ARE ENJOYING THEIR TIME AT THE BEACH

Kelly had her third good night's sleep in a row and despite the constant itching she is feeling a little chipper.  I just hope these few better days for her will last until Wednesday when we head to London.  She is going to need everything to go positive for her.......And two pleasant surprises today.  A neighbor lady came to the door with some piping hot butternut squash soup for Kelly earlier today.  And, late this afternoon the same lady brought us two turkey dinners from a Thanksgiving Dinner held at our Park's clubhouse today.  And those dinners came with the kind words pertaining to Kelly's upcoming liver assessment, "we're going to fatten Kelly up':))))  

 THERE'S A GULL HITCHING A RIDE ON A KIA

Al's Music Box:)) Deep Purple by Nino Tempo and April Stevens was a single released in 1963.  "Deep Purple" is notable for April Stevens speaking the lyrics in a low, sweet voice during the second half of the song while her brother sings. When the duo first recorded the song as a demo, Tempo forgot the words, and Stevens spoke the lyrics to remind him  The producers thought the spoken interlude was "cute" and wanted to include it but, according to Stevens, her brother was not as easily convinced: "He didn't want anyone talking while he was singing!" However, Nino must have come around and the song was recorded with April speaking the words......This song reminds me of high school days in the Autumn of '63'.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A fourth-grade teacher was giving her pupils a lesson in logic.  "Here is the situation," she said. "A man is standing up in a boat in the middle of a river, fishing. He loses his balance, falls in, and begins splashing and yelling for help. His wife hears the commotion, knows he can't swim, and runs down to the bank. Why do you think she ran to the bank?"  A girl raised her hand and asked, "To withdraw all his money from his savings account?"

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A six year old comes crying to his Mother because his little sister pulled his hair.  "Don't be angry," the Mother says, "Your little sister doesn't realize that pulling hair hurts."  A short while later, there's more crying, and the Mother goes to investigate.  This time the sister is bawling and her brother says..."Now she knows."

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A doctor answers his phone and hears the familiar voice of a colleague on the other end of the line.  ‘We need a fourth for poker,’ said the friend.  ‘I’ll be right over,’ whispered the doctor.  As he was putting on his coat, his wife asked, ‘Is it serious?’  ‘Oh yes, quite serious,’ said the doctor gravely. ‘In fact, there are three doctors there already!’

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GEEEZZZ CAN YOU BELIEVE ALL THESE OLD PEOPLE THESE DAYS!!

 THE BAYFIELD FISHING BOAT MIKE-J HEADS FOR HARBOR WITH IT'S AFTERNOON CATCH ON BOARD

Sunshine beaming through our living room window this morning was certainly a nice way to start our day.  Later, with that same warm sunshine upon us, Pheebs and I did our half-mile gravel road walk.  No Crickets to serenade us as I noticed Autumn's early stillness in the air.  Songbirds have already flown south and Summer's buzzing bugs are fewer in the air.  Soon, Winter's pre-cold will cast a dark sodden silence across the land.  

 WHILE COMBINING HIS CORN THIS FARMER MUST HAVE BEEN TEXTING AND MISSED A FEW STALKS OF CORN

 NO, THIS ISN'T OLD LONESOME

This coming Wednesday when we go to London's University for Kelly's second liver transplant assessment I will be going into the hospital with her.  Not wanting to look like the wild man from Borneo I figured I had better hurry up and get my haircut.  Up until yesterday, I didn't know Bayfield had a haircutting place, which is not surprising because I don't seem to take notice of things like that.  Kelly phoned the Bayfield Clippers and set me up with an appointment today just past high noon.  So, I hippity-hopped to the barber shop today.  Well okay, so I took the car.  Two nice ladies there, Jan and Courtney.  Not likely I got the names right but just maybe.  For sure I know their names are not Bert and Ernie.  I was impressed as soon as I stepped through the door into their shop.  It had a cozy ambient feeling with all its colors and a smattering of antiques.  Nice lighting throughout and the only thing I missed was a nice Autumn pot pourii scent wafting gently in the air and some quietly soft instrumental music in the background.  Courtney cut my hair and did a perfect job.  From here on in I will make the Bayfield Clippers my new home for haircuts:))

 STRAIGHT AHEAD IS 'BAYFIELD CLIPPERS'

 YEP, AND THERE'S YE OLD BARBER POLE

 AND THAT'S THE VERY CHAIR I GOT MY HAIR CUT IN

Following my haircut I did take a wee teetering doddle along Bayfield's Main Street looking for a few photos.  And a shaky teetering doddle it was too. Because of my deteriorating hip problem causing a lack of walking, both my legs have become weak and it was particularly noticeable today as I kind of floundered my way around.  I felt very self-conscious of my doddling manner and was glad to get back to the car and plunk myself down inside.          

 LOOKING NORTH ALONG THE WEST SIDE OF BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

 IT'S STILL WARM ENOUGH OUTSIDE FOR THE OUTDOOR PATIOS

 FRIDAY AFTERNOON SHOPPERS

A MAN PATIENTLY WAITS WHILE HIS WIFE LEISURELY BROWSES THROUGH THE SHOPS

So Wednesday before I went to the Canadian Tire Store in Goderich, Kelly gave me a card to use for the purchase of our battery booster.  I asked her if I just put that card in the machine but she said no, hand it to the cashier and she will scan it.  So off Pheebs and I go to Goderich.  Now I'm at the check-out with a much younger cashier so I pull this points card thing out of my wallet and hand it to her.  She takes some kind of hand-held fangled device and makes a flash at the card.  She looks at me, I look at her.  Then, she keeps looking at me and I keep looking at her.  It's the gunfight at the OK Corral all over again as tension now begins filling the air.  The word, 'uncomfortable' suddenly takes on big meaning for me.  We are still looking at each other until she blinks and breaks the silence with, 'and how would you like to pay for this Sir...debit or credit card'.  Well I just did didn't I, I gave you the card.  That's just a points card Sir!! Well, with my face about as red as an embarrassed tomato, I fumbled in my wallet for my debit card making a point to keep my head down and not make any more eye contact with the much younger cashier.  Picking up my battery booster I felt like Tombstone's Ike Clanton skulking away from the gunfight.  I hazarded a glance back and sure enough, there was the cashier with another cashier looking in my departing direction and I knew what she was saying, "Geeezzzz, can you believe all these old people these days"!!  I knew that was what she was saying because I have said that very same thing many times myself years ago:((

 ROADSIDE WILDFLOWERS

 AUTUMN CROCUS FLOWERS

I finished another NDE (Near Death Experience) book yesterday and it again is a book I would recommend for anyone interested in this subject because this book takes a practical look at the subject from all sides.  This is not so much a book about near-death experiences themselves as it is a book about the hows, whys, wheres, and whens surrounding NDE's.  The book is, Near Death Experiences by Steve Miller.  It's a reasonably easy read but I bogged down a bit towards the end of the book. Previous to that it was another very no-nonsense educational read. I emphasize again, all these books I read are based on common sense, fact, and practical scientific studies with a definite spiritual connection.  I like this saying I have come across several times, 'We are not humans having a Spiritual experience, we are Spiritual beings having a human experience'.  A lot of food for thought in that.  Although religion is discussed in every book, it is done so in an unbiased way with no favoritism toward any one religion in the world........... Deciding to take a break from my NDE interests and lighten up my reading fare for a while I next downloaded a book I had previously read over sixty years ago.  I recall it was a book we read in school.  Some may remember my last reading break when I switched subject matter to enjoyably read, The Wind In The Willows, and all the books in the Anne Of Green Gables series.  Today, after six decades, I began re-reading Moonfleet by John Meade Falkner.

 THE MIKE J MANUEVERS INTO ITS DOCKSIDE SPOT

 AT THE BEACH WITH MOM TODAY

HEADING INTO BAYFIELD

Al's Music Box:))   A Summer Song by The Letterman from their 1965 album, 'The Hit Sounds Of The Letterman'.  I also like the original song by Chad and Jeremy as well.  Either version brings back pleasant memories of a great musical era gone by.

 DID YOU NOTICE THE FREELOADER HITCHING A RIDE ATOP THE MAIN MAST

GROANER'S CORNER:(( When my 14-year-old son, Patrick, stepped up to the plate during a Colt League baseball game, the young announcer declared, "Now batting is the right fielder, number 12, Pathogen!"  After some confusion in the stands, the announcer came back on over the loudspeaker. "Sorry folks, that's PAT Hogan!"

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- I am looking for someone to brush their teeth with me...I just found out that 9 out of 10 dentists say brushing alone won't reduce cavities

- My son asked if I was named after my dad.
I said, "of course I was, he was born many years before me."

- When your girlfriend comes home in a white suit covered in bee stings and smelling like honey...You know she's a keeper.

People always ask where is Bigfoot? But never ask How is Bigfoot?  Yeti never complains

- My friend asked me if I had ever tried blindfolded archery. I replied that I hadn't.
He said, "It's great. You don't know what you're missing!

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