IF YOU KEEP CALLING IT TO COME TO YOU AND HELP YOU IT WILL GET TO BE A PART OF YOU'

A big blue sky morning with a few white puffy clouds here and there.  Our daytime temps are in the mid-50's now.  The first order of business today was to head for the Bayfield Garage to pick up our repaired Libby-Gator. (Jeep) A bad connection at the terminal on the starter was found and a new connector has been installed.  I feel confident that this has been at the heart of the Jeep's starting problem all along so I am now looking forward to another hundred thousand miles of trouble-free starts:))  And, I'm quite fine with the new battery being installed a couple weeks ago as well.  With cold freezing winter weather just around the corner, and not knowing how old our Jeep battery was, a strong new battery is a comforting thought.

 WE STILL DO NOT HAVE A LOT OF AUTUMN COLOR IN OUR FORESTS YET

Home again with the Jeep, I wasn't long in loading Pheebs up, and off we went to our country road walking spot.  How nice to get my legs walking again.  From there, we jeeped around a few country roads enjoying the sunny mid-October scenery.  How great I thought it was to be back in our good old rumble buggy Jeep again for many more morning Jeep rides.

 ANOTHER NICE AUTUMN MORNING WALK AND HOW GREAT TO BE BACK IN THE JEEP AGAIN

 A TOUCH OF COLOR ALONG THE WAY THIS MORNING

Wanting to get a few more outside things done while the weather is agreeable, we were soon home again and I was on the end of my wheelbarrow raking up more pine needles and distributing them around the flowerbeds.  I did a number of other wee things as well.  I am a member in good standing of the Putterer's Club found round the world.  I like puttering as long as the puttering doesn't test my patience and cause me anxiety.  Then, it is not puttering anymore.  It is #!!%**!!!!

 IT REALLY ANNOYS ME WHEN NEIGHORHOOD CATS COME INTO OUR YARD AND KILL BIRDS AT OUR FEEDING STATION!!!!!

An afternoon walk with Pheebs around the Park's pond enabled me to scrabble together a few additional pics for tonight's post.   

 OUR STREET

 THIS IS THE STAND OF PINE TREES ACROSS THE ROAD THAT I MADE A PATH THROUGH YEARS AGO TO WALK TO THE PARK'S POND

 HARDLY A TOUCH OF AUTUMN AT THE POND'S EAST SIDE

 LOOKING SOUTHWEST

 A BIT OF COLOR AT THE POND'S SOUTH END

 LOOKING NORTH ACROSS THE POND'S REFLECTIONS

 THE WEST SIDE OF THE POND LOOKING SOUTH

 LOOKING NORTHEAST I SEE OUR NEIGHBOR MONICA'S WHITE GARAGE

 A SKY REFLECTION IN THE POND

 IT LOOKS LIKE THE SKY HAS FALLEN INTO THE WATER

 HEADING HOME THROUGH THE STAND OF TREES AND IF YOU LOOK  CLOSE YOU CAN SEE PHEEBS AHEAD OF AT THE FAR END OF THE PATH

Al's Music Box:)) Your So Vain was written and performed by American singer and songwriter Carly Simon in November 1972.  I'm not sure where I was in 1972.  Either in Kitchener Ontario or Vernon British Columbia.  The early 70s are but foggy memories for me now and it is just as well.  The late '60s and all of the '70s were definitely not the best times in my life.  I kind of think of them now as the lost years.  But, I did like the music of that era:))

 A FEW PHOTOS FROM AROUND THE POND'S EDGE

 IF YOU LOOK CLOSE AT THE ORANGE PART AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS LEAF YOU WILL SEE A LITTLE BEAR LOOKING BACK AT YOU

Oh my, how I am enjoying my latest book, The Secret Garden by Francis Hogdson Burnett.  A line spoken by one of the children named Colin, leaped off the page for me today when he said, "If you keep calling it to come to you and help you it will get to be part of you and it will stay and do things." That is exactly where I am in my life today and that line has a lot of meaning for me.......

GROANER'S CORNER:((  There was an engineer who had an exceptional gift for fixing all things mechanical. After serving his company loyally for over 30 years, he happily retired.  Several years later the company contacted him regarding a seemingly impossible problem they were having with one of their multi-million dollar machines. They had tried everything and everyone else to get the machine fixed, but to no avail. In desperation, they called on the retired engineer who had solved so many of their problems in the past.  The engineer reluctantly took the challenge. He spent a day studying the huge machine. At the end of the day, he marked a small "x" in chalk on a particular component of the machine and proudly stated, "This is where your problem is."  The part was replaced and the machine worked perfectly again.  The company received a bill for $50,000 from the engineer for his service. They demanded an itemized accounting of his charges. The engineer responded briefly:  Chalk mark: $1  Knowing where to put the chalk mark: $49,999

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-For every vision, there is an equal and opposite revision.

-Four-wheel-drive just means getting stuck in more inaccessible places.

-Free advice costs nothing until you act upon it.

-Friends come and go, but enemies accumulate.

-Frustration is not having anyone to blame but yourself.

- My grandfather invented the cold air balloon...It never really took off.

-  “I have kleptomania. But when it gets bad, I take something for it.”

- “Crime in multi-storey car parks. That is wrong on so many different levels.”

- “Uncle Ben has died. No more Mr Rice Guy.”

- “I went to buy a watch, and the man in the shop said ‘Analogue?’ I said ‘No, just a watch.'”

-“Exit signs? They’re on the way out!”

- “My next-door neighbour worships exhaust pipes. He’s a catholic converter.”

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ALL THREE OF US IN THE SUBARU FOR A QUICK TRIP TO LONDON'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND BACK PLUS A JEEP UPDATE

 FROM DARKENED SKIES A PATCH OF SUNLIGHT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH AND ALIGHTS ON A LOCAL FARM

When Kelly received the results from Tuesday's double blood tests via email this morning she right away noticed some discrepancies in the numbers.  She keeps meticulous medical notes and this has happened before where the Dynalab blood numbers differ from University Hospital blood numbers.  So, because this latest bile salts/acid blood work check is so crucial for Kelly's liver transplant committee's decision next Monday, we decided to forego Dynalabs numbers and go straight to London's University Hospital today and have them do the liver blood tests themselves.  We know they prefer their own lab to do blood tests as opposed to other area labs. So, all three of us piled into the Subaru at 11:20 and headed for London's University Hospital.

GULLS AND CANADA GEESE GLEAING A RECENTLY HARVESTED BEAN FIELD

It was a nice-looking sun and cloud morning when the day first started out but the clouds soon took over.  Despite that, it was still a scenic drive to London.  Dropped Kelly off at the hospital's main door at 1:25 p.m.  Knowing the hospital appointment wouldn't be too long, Pheebs and I didn't head back out into the countryside north of London.  Instead, we slipped over to the Masonville Parking lot only about four or five blocks from the hospital.  We weren't there twenty minutes when Kelly called and said she was ready to go. Ten minutes later she was in the car and we headed north out of London.  Stopped at Lucan's Tim Hortons for coffee and sandwiches to go and off we skidaddled for home.  We will not know the results of Kelly's blood test tomorrow but we might find out next week.   

 PICKING UP THE BOSS

THE BAYFIELD BUNCH HEADS HOME

In the comment section of Tuesday's post, this question was asked regarding me being a possible donor for Kelly's liver transplant.........."Al: Have you been tested as a possible match"?  No, I haven't, and here's why.....First, the cut-off age for donors is 55 years old, and second, we can't have both of us down in a major recovery situation at the same time.  One of us has to remain strong to help the other.  This second reason is why I might have to cancel my hip surgery if Kelly gets on the transplant list. Right now, everything is hanging on this second decision of the liver transplant committee which might be known sometime after next Monday.  Whichever way that decision swings, we will be faced with more decisions at that time.

I stopped at the Bayfield Garage this morning and told them the Jeep is not starting again.  They said they would come with a flatbed truck and pick it up.  And, that is just what they did about half an hour after I got home.......Update:: The Bayfield Garage phoned late this afternoon saying they found a loose/bad connection at the starter and repaired it.  We will pick the Jeep up in the morning and maybe I can find out a little more at that time what the problem has been all along. 

 PICKING UP THE JEEP

 A WINCH AND STEEL CABLE  PULL THE JEEP ONTO THE TRUCK BED WHICH THEN TIPS FORWARD

 ALL LOADED UP

 AND OFF IT GOES TO THE GARAGE AGAIN

Al's Music Box:)) Too Late To Turn Back Now by the Cornelius Brothers and Sister Rose was originally released as a single in 1970.  It later went on to gain traction and is ranked as the 34th biggest U.S. hit of 1972. 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An incompetent counterfeiter spent all day making his funny money. At the end of the day, he realizes he spent all his time making $15 bills.  He figures that the only way he's going to get anything from this batch of money is to find a place where the people aren't too bright and change his phony money for real cash.  He travels to a small town and walks into a small Mom and Pop grocery store. He goes up to the old man behind the counter and asks him, "Do you have change for a $15 bill?"  The old man replies, "I sure do...How would you like that? An eight and a seven or two sixes and a three?"

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Restaurant bathrooms are really, really dangerous...So many of my first dates have gone to use them and vanished.

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There was once a hillbilly who was extremely sad with life because people always made fun of him. He decided to do something about it. He sat back and thought about it.  Suddenly he thought - "I have never seen anyone making fun of Italians. So, if I start talking and behaving like them, no one will be able to make out that I am a hillbilly and make fun of me."
He went into isolation for three months and after a lot of practice, he walked confidently into a shop and said, "I am very hungry. Give me some pepperoni and zucchini."  Immediately, the man behind the counter said "Are you a hillbilly?" This guy was taken aback and he repeated his request. The man behind the counter said, "Are you a hillbilly or not?"  This man was finally very ashamed and amazed at the shop owner's discerning ability and so he admitted to the fact after which he asked, "But how did you know?"  The shopkeeper replied, "This is a hardware store!"

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SOME HOPEFUL NEWS AND SOME DISAPPOINTING NEWS FOR KELLY

Kelly had an appointment with her Nurse Practitioner in Goderich this morning so Pheebs and I took the Subaru for a short drive down to the end of Bayfield River Road and back to warm up the car for her.  Today was a dull, overcast, chilly, and damp weather day but I did spend a few hours outside anyway.  At the time of posting this tonight it is pouring rain.

 THE ONLY PICS I MANAGED TO TAKE TODAY WERE AROUND OUR YARD

RAKED UP PILES OF PINE NEEDLES

 SIX WHEELBARROW LOADS OF PINE NEEDLES DUMPED HERE

 THE BUNNY TRAIL

It turned out to be a busy morning for Kelly.  While meeting with her Nurse Practitioner, her liaison liver transplant person called her from London saying Kelly needed to get some additional blood work done before next Monday's liver transplant meeting.  She also told Kelly the reason for this round of bloodwork was to determine where she would be placed on the transplant list.  Keep in mind, Kelly has not been officially placed on the list yet but it was another encouraging good news hint from her liaison lady.  So that meant an additional blood requisition for Kelly.  One from London and one from her Nurse Practitioner.  She also had three more new prescriptions to pick up at the Walmart Pharmacy.  Plus, she also picked up some groceries.  Also this morning, while in Goderich she received a call from her son Ben saying that his type 'B' blood is not a match for Kelly.  Soooo disappointing because Kelly was really hoping Ben would be a match.  We now have to move to Plan B but at this moment we have no idea what Plan B is:((     

Not wanting to sit in the house later this morning, I slipped out to the carport and fired up our leaf blower.  Both the carport and front porch needed a good blowing off so that is what I did.  Following that, it was out with the wheelbarrow, leaf rake, and pitchfork and I proceeded to rake up eight more wheelbarrow loads of pine needles.  All of that went on to our flower beds to hopefully deter the pesky weeds from taking off again in the Spring.  Took a stroll around with my weed whacker as well. Pheebs and I were busy guys and luckily I got most everything done before the rains were hard upon us........again:((  

Al's Music Box:)) I Started A Joke  by the Bee Gees from their 1968 album, 'Idea'.  "I Started a Joke" was written by Robin mainly, with help from Barry and Maurice Gibb.  According to Robin Gibb, the melancholic melody of the song was inspired by the sounds on board an airplane.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A little guy gets on a plane and sits next to the window. A few minutes later, a big, heavy, mean-looking guy plops down in the seat next to him and immediately falls asleep.  The little guy starts to feel a little airsick, but he's afraid to wake the big guy up to ask if he can go to the bathroom. He knows he can't climb over him, and so the little guy sits there, looking at the big guy, trying to decide what to do.  Suddenly, the plane hits an air pocket and an uncontrollable wave of nausea passes over the little guy. He can't hold it in any longer and he pukes all over the big guy's chest. About five minutes later the big guy wakes up, looks down, and sees the vomit all over him.  "So," says the little guy: "are you feeling better now?"

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- Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?

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See if you can do this. Read each line aloud without making any mistakes. If you make a mistake you MUST start over or it won't work.

This is this cat
This is is cat
This is how cat
This is to cat
This is keep cat
This is a cat
This is moron cat
This is busy cat
This is for cat
This is forty cat
This is seconds cat

Now go back and read the THIRD word in each line from the top...

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