I HOPE THAT WAS MY LAST LOAD FOR THE SEASON

It was a rather lackluster Sunday with gray skies dominating.  I had a prescription to pick up at Walmart so it was off to Goderich Pheebs and I went.  A few pics down along the Lake Huron shoreline and we were soon home again.  

 I THINK THIS LITTLE GIRL IN HER PUMPKIN-COLORED HOODIE IS PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THOSE BIG ROCKS

ELVIS PRESLEY'S SONG MEMORIES COMES TO MIND HERE

 LATELY, IT SEEMS EVERY TIME I DRIVE DOWN AROUND ROTARY COVE I SEE THIS FELLOW AT THIS MACHINE....I BET THERE IS A STORY BEHIND HIM COMING HERE SO OFTEN

 TAKING A PICTURE OF THE COVE ON A QUIET SUNDAY MORNING

Hitched up the utility trailer, picked up my leaf piles, cut down and loaded up some more bamboo grass, and along with a few old tree branches, I headed to the Park's recycle area and unloaded everything.  I hope that was my last load for the season.  Home again with my hip howling, I headed inside and carefully put my feet up for the rest of the day.  And, try as she did, Pheebs just couldn't seem to drag me outside for an afternoon walk later.  Hopefully, better days ahead.

 ALL LOADED UP AND READY TO RUMBLE

 NOTICE THAT BLUE HANDLE SHOVEL??  THE SAME DAY I PAINTED THE HANDLE I PAINTED THE FRONT DOOR OF OUR LITTLE ADOBE CONGRESS ARIZONA  HOUSE THE SAME COLOR 

Al's Music Box:)) Strangers In The Night by Frank Sinatra from his 1966 album, 'Strangers In The Night'.  Composed by band leader Bert Kaempfert the song was made famous in 1966 by Frank Sinatra, although it was initially given to Melina Mercouri, who thought that a man's vocals would better suit the melody.

 I SPOTTED THIS CROW AND GULL FIGHTING OVER WHAT WAS PROBABLY A DEAD FISH ON THE BEACH

GROANER'S CORNER:(( While Mark was shopping for pet supplies, one of the salespeople came running up to him.  Mark! Mark! I just saw someone driving off with your BMW!  Dear God! Did you try to stop him?  No, said the clerk, but don't worry. I got the license plate number!

A spouse is someone who'll stand by you through all the trouble you wouldn't have had if you'd stayed single.

Dad: Bill, wash your face! I can see what you had for breakfast this morning.

Bill: What did I have?
Dad: Eggs.
Bill: Wrong. That was yesterday!

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PHEEBS TOOK ME FOR A WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND

 RAKING MORE LEAVES TODAY

A short drive into Bayfield and back for Pheebs and I this morning.  A light cloud cover on this windless 51F day gave way to sunshine shortly before noon.

SATURDAY MORNING FISHERMEN ON BAYFIELD'S SOUTH PIER

LOOKING WEST TOWARDS LAKE HURON ALL THE BOAT DOCKS ARE OUT OF THE BAYFIELD RIVER

 LOOKING EAST UPRIVER THERE ARE MAYBE A DOZEN DOCKS LEFT TO BE REMOVED

SAW THIS FELLOW MOTORING ALONG BY THOSE DOCKS

 I THEN SPOTTED THESE TWO FELLERS DISMANTLING THE DOCKS

 THE FELLOW IN THE BOAT PULLS UP TO THE END OF A DOCK

AND THERE HE GOES TOWING THE DOCK DOWNRIVER TO THE OTHER SIDE WHERE THIS SECTION OF DOCK WILL BE LIFTED OUT OF THE WATER AND STORED ASHORE FOR THE WINTER

After lunch, there was still sunshine in our yard and that was enough to haul me outside for a couple of pleasurable hours doing.....well you know about the leaves and stuff eh.  With a sunny day forecast for Sunday, I will likely hook up my utility trailer and haul another load of yard waste off to the Park's recycle area.  I would have done that today except for two things.  I ran out of energy and after last evening's rain, the recycle area would be too muddy.  However, I did have enough energy later for Pheebs to take me for an afternoon walk around the Park's pond.  

 IT WAS A NICE DAY TO BE OUTSIDE WORKING AROUND THE YARD

 THAT RAKED-OUT PATH I KEEP SHOVELLED IN THE WINTER FOR PHEEBS

 TWO OF SIX  SMALL LEAF PILES TO BE PICKED UP SUNDAY

 SINCE MOVING HERE OVER 21 YEARS AGO I HAVE ALWAYS KEPT THIS NEIGHBORHOOD CABLE TV BOX ON THE CORNER ACCESSIBLE AND FREE OF  GRASS, WEEDS, AND TREES

 ON THIS FLOWERBED I PUT A LAYER OF LEAVES ON TOP OF MY LAYER OF PINE NEEDLES

Kelly is having an increasingly hard time with the Pruritus. (itching)  It's not just later in the day and overnight now, it is non-stop 24 hours a day.  The half dozen or so over-the-counter and prescription pills are no longer working.  Creams have no effect and even the frozen water bottles wrapped in towels for her arms as a last defense are failing.  Fortunately, with a sleeping pill and some other stuff she was able to have a full night's sleep last night.  Contrary to the bad night before.  Her next appointment at London's University Hospital is November 21st.   

 I HAVEN'T DECIDED IF I WILL RAKE THE LEAVES OF THIS PATHWAY OR NOT

 WITH THE LEAVES STILL WET FROM FRIDAY EVENING'S RAIN THEY ARE MUCH MORE MANAGEABLE THAN WHEN THEY ARE DRY 

Al's Music Box:)) Talking In Your Sleep by The Romantics was a 1983 single released on their album, 'In Heat'.  I liked a lot of the music that came out of the 80s and this is one of my many favs.  You can crank up your bass and rattle the windows with this one.  I always do:))  

 CANADA GEESE ON THE BAYFIELD RIVER THIS MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( NASA was interviewing professionals they were planning on sending to Mars. The touchy part was that only one guy could go and it would be a one-way trip, and the guy would never return to Earth.  The interviewer asked the first applicant, an engineer, how much he wanted to be paid for going.  "One million dollars," the engineer answered. "And I want to donate it all to my alma mater -- Rice University."  The next applicant was a doctor, and the interviewer asked him the same question.  "Two million dollars," the doctor said. "I want to give a million to my family and leave the other million for the advancement of medical research."  The last applicant was a lawyer. When asked how much money he wanted, he whispered in the interviewer's ear, "Three million dollars."  "Why so much more than the others?" the interviewer asked.  The lawyer replied, "You give me three million, I'll give you one million, I'll keep a million, and we'll send the engineer."

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“Did you hear about the submarine industry? It really took a dive.”

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One night a teenage girl brought her new boyfriend home to meet her parents, and they were appalled by his appearance: leather jacket, motorcycle boots, tattoos and pierced nose.  Later, the parents pulled their daughter aside and confessed their concerns. "Dear," said the mother diplomatically, "he doesn't seem very nice."  "Oh please, Mom," replied the daughter, "if he wasn't nice, why would he be doing 500 hours of community service?"

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Clocks go back this week-end, hopefully to the time when we could afford groceries.

I KNOW I SOUND LIKE A BROKEN RECORD

A pinky sunrise through the pine trees started the day off on the right foot and it just carried on from there.  Well, until it clouded over later that is.  Kelly headed off to Goderich for blood work and to do some browsing in her favorite stores.  Pheebs and I headed off around our usual country roads listening to music, enjoying the scenery, and looking for a few photos.

 THIS FARMER WAS OUT COMBINING HIS CORN BUT HE WAS THE ONLY ONE I SAW DOING ANY  HARVESTING

 IT LOOKS LIKE HE FINISHED HIS WHOLE FIELD

 NOT LIVING ON A FARM I DON'T GET TO SEE MANY PIGEONS BUT HERE'S A GROUP OUT AND ABOUT IN A HARVESTED BEAN FIELD

I know I sound like a broken record here again when I say I raked up another batch of leaves this afternoon.  But, that's what I did.  Had it not been for it being very windy our 51F day would have been okay but I'm sure that wind dragged the wind chill factor down into the low 40s somewhere so I almost had to put my woolies on.  And, I noticed an obituary in the Stratford Beacon Herald late this afternoon that will be of interest to long-time residents in our Park here.  Former Park resident, Delores Kastner has passed away.  

Al's Music Box:((  The Warmth Of The Sun by The Beach Boys from their 1964 album, 'Shut Down Volume 2'.  This song was written by Beach Boy members Brian Wilson and Mike Love.  Wilson and Love began composing the song on November 22, 1963, the day of the assassination of John f. Kennedy, although the two co-authors give different accounts of the timing and whether it was begun before or after the killing. The subsequent recording of the song was informed by the emotional shock felt by its authors in the wake of Kennedy's death.  , Wilson recalled that the song was written the day of the assassination, in response to it:  When the shooting happened, everyone knew instantly. It was all over the TV and on every kind of news. I called Mike and he asked me if I wanted to write a song about it. I said sure. It seemed like something we had to think about, and songs were the way I thought about things. We drove over to my office and in a half hour we had "The Warmth of the Sun." We didn't think of it as a big song. It was a personal response. But it got bigger over time because of the history linked to it.

 NOT ALL TREES HAVE DROPPED THEIR LEAVES YET

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Bubba and Bobby Joe rented a boat and fished in a lake every day. One day they caught 30 fish. Bubba said to Bobby Joe,  “Mark this here spot so that we can come back right here again tomorrow.”  The next day, when they were driving to rent the boat, Bubba asked Bobby Joe, “Bobby Joe, did you mark that there spot like ah told ya?”  His friend replied, “Shore nuff, I put a big ole ‘X' on the bottom of the boat.”  “You stupid fool! Now, what we gonna do if we don't get that same boat today?!”

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The patient was lying in bed, still groggy from the effects of the recent operation. His doctor came in, looking very glum.  "I can't be sure what's wrong with you," the doctor said. "I think it's the drinking."  "Okay," the patient said. "Can we get an opinion from a doctor who's sober?"

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SNOW ALL GONE....'GOODY GOODY GUMDROPS'

It was my turn to drive this morning so I picked up my buddy Richard at 9:30 and we headed off to McDonalds in Goderich for two coffees and two carrot muffins to go.  Our meandering travels took us northeast of Goderich under semi-sunny skies and slightly warmer temps.  Definitely more snow lying around north of Goderich than the Bayfield area.  No signs of Huron County's bean or corn harvest resuming.  The land is still too wet and muddy.  Looking ahead at the 14-day weather forecast it isn't looking too bad at all for this time of year.  I'm seeing some 50F days with sunshine.  That oughta keep me going and stop me from complaining for a while longer eh:))

NORTH OF CLINTON, WE CROSS THE MAITLAND RIVER ON A SNOWY BALLS BRIDGE HEADING WEST

 A LONE INUKSHUK SENTINAL STANDS FIRM AGAINST THE RUSHING CURRENTS OF THE RIVER

 HEAVY MACHINERY SITS IDLE WAITING FOR THE GROUND TO DRY UP ENOUGH TO GET ON WITH THE BEAN AND CORN HARVESTS

A partial sunshiny afternoon had me out raking up Red Bud and Basswood leaves for surface mulch on Winter's flowerbeds.  A brisk walk around the Park's pond for Pheebs and I gave my legs a bit of much-needed exercise.  Pheebs legs too.

 THERE ARE FOUR CANADA GEESE IN THIS PHOTO

 WHEN WE SPOTTED THESE GEESE, RICHARD SAID SOME OF THEM WERE STANDING ON A LOG AND I SAID NO I DIDN'T THINK SO.  I THOUGHT THEY WERE ALL FLOATING IN THE WATER.  EDITING THIS PHOTO LATER I SAW RICHARD WAS RIGHT

Al's Music Box:)) What A Difference A Day Makes by Dinah Washington, won a Grammy Award for her in 1959 Best Rhythm and Blues Performance with this song. Her version was also inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.   (Thanks for the reminder of this song JudithK:))

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I live in a semi-rural area. We recently had a new neighbor call the local township administrative office to request the removal of the Deer Crossing sign on our road.  The reason: many deer were being hit by cars and he no longer wanted them to cross there.

- Just remember: when you go to court, you are trusting your fate to twelve people who weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty!

- Did you hear about the actor who fell through the floorboards?  He was just going through a stage.

- What did the left eye say to the right eye?
Between you and me, something smells.

- My wife told me I had to stop acting like a flamingo.  So I had to put my foot down.

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