HOPE IS BACK IN HER HEART AGAIN

 CLEAR BLUE SKIES, BARE ROADS, AND NO SNOW IS ALWAYS A WINNING COMBINATION AT THIS TIME OF YEAR

When Kelly and I talked with the liver transplant surgeon in London a couple of months ago he told her she only had a 4% chance of a live liver donor's blood being compatible with her blood.  That has weighed heavy on Kelly's mind ever since and I could tell she was slowly losing hope.  We don't know when those blood type comparison tests were done but last night (Thursday) Kelly's anonymous liver donor contacted her saying she had received a call from London's University Hospital telling her that the blood tests had been done and that the donor's blood matched perfectly with Kelly's blood.  It is not often I see tears in Kelly's eyes but I saw them last night.  Hope is back in her heart again.  But, in the meantime, the liver-related itching is becoming so much worse.  She had a bad night and today wasn't any better.

OUR SINGLE WINTER GRACKLE STOPS FOR A DRINK FROM OUR FRONT YARD FROG POND

Needing to pick up a few things, the furry Kid and I under sunny blue skies and 45F temps piled into the Jeep, hoisted the sails, and set a northern course for Goderich.  Coffee, harbor, Walmart, and home again with nothing exciting in between.

 THE OCEAN-GOING SHIP WICKO IS AT THE GODERICH GRAIN TERMINAL

 TWO WORKERS MONITOR THE LOADING OF MAYBE GRAIN , SOYBEANS, CORN, OR WHEAT INTO THE SHIPS HOLD WITH THE TWO LARGE HATCH COVERS STANDING VERTICALLY ON EITHER SIDE

 THE WICKO HAS ITS COMMUNICATION GEAR IN A FOLDED-DOWN POSITION.....NO LOW BRIDGES AROUND HERE TO GO UNDER SO THE CAPTAIN MAY HAVE SEEN A WHOLE HERD OF SEAGULLS APPROACHING AND QUICKLY DROPPED HIS  ANTENNAE GEAR

Marilyn in our 'Shout Box' asked a question regarding my Thursday post.  A couple photos showed an area in our Park where future homes may soon be arriving next summer.  She asked, 'Do you mind that more homes are coming??  My short answer is 'Yes' but with an explanation.  First, we have been very fortunate over the past 21 years to have lived here so close to nature's forests with their quiet walking trails and wildlife.  For our particular kind of low-key lifestyle, we have been lucky that there hasn't been a large influx of new homes and people.  Of course, we knew the Park would eventually expand and that when new units came it would bring more people and traffic.  However, change is inevitable and we understand and have to accept that.  But, like I said, we have been so fortunate to have lived here for as long as we have in the quieter era we did and currently do.

 A FRIDAY MORNING FARMER OUT SPREADING A LOAD OF GOOD CHEER ON HIS FIELD

Getting used to her new recliner's remote control Kelly pressed one of the buttons today which tossed her out of the chair and backwards into the wall.  Picking herself up she said, 'I guess that E button stands for EJECT!!  Okay, okay, so that didn't really happen but can you imagine if it did:((  

 WAVES ROLLING IN ALONG GODERICH'S SHORELINE

Thirteen years ago today while in Arizona, I wrote this post entitled, The Old West Is Still Alive In This Little Boy's Memory   You can take the boy out of the Wild West but you can't take the Wild West out of the boy.

 WEST OF TOMBSTONE ARIZONA I STAND GAZING AT THE DISTANT HUACHUCA MOUNTAINS  

Al's Music Box:)) Sixteen Tons is a song written by Merle Travis about a coal miner, based on life in the mines of Muhlenberg County, Kentucky.  Tennessee Ernie Ford recorded "Sixteen Tons" in 1955.  With Ford's snapping fingers and a unique clarinet-driven pop arrangement, it quickly became a million-seller.  On March 25, 2015, Ford's version of the song was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.

 SEEN IN GODERICH EARLIER TODAY

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A buyer was considering purchasing an aging thoroughbred but wanted a veterinarian's opinion of the horse before finalizing the deal.  When the vet had completed his examination the potential buyer asked, "Will I be able to race him?"  The veterinarian looked at the buyer, then at the horse.  "Sure," he replied, "And you'll probably win!"

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- Thank you, student loan, for helping me through college...I don't think I can ever repay you.

 - I think the worst time to have a heart attack is during a game of charades.

- Experience is a wonderful thing. It enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.

- I'm sitting in a cafeteria next to a woman who was engrossed in her newspaper. One of the headlines blared: "12 Brazilian Soldiers Killed."  She shook her head at the sad news. Then, turning to me, she asked, "How many is a Brazilian?"

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NOW, HOW'S THAT FOR THE FACE OF 'HAPPY'

A SUNNY AFTERNOON WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND

Sunshine on the Eastern horizon was a good sign as we had a slightly different start to our day.  Kelly had a dental appointment for a 'bridge fitting' this morning so off she went to Exeter Ontario.  It was Richard's turn to drive for our country road coffee tour today so he picked me up and we headed straightaway back to his place and picked up a second vehicle.  Richard has been having starting problems with his van so after speaking with a garage in Stratford Ontario he decided that was the right place to take the van because of the difficulty in locating the transmission-related starting problem.  Leading the way in his van I followed in a spiffy little Hyundai rental car he has been using the past couple of days.  With a really nice weather morning going on for a drive through the countryside we were in Stratford in less than an hour.  After dropping the van off at B&D Transmission, our first stop in the Hyundai rental car was at Tim Hortons for two coffees and two muffins to go.  And, from there we slowly made our way back towards Bayfield chattering away like a couple manic Magpies all the way:))

HERE I AM DRIVING A SPIFFY LITTLE HYUNDAI....I KINDA LIKE THAT BIG DISPLAY SCREEN BECAUSE IT'S VERY HANDY AND IT'S EASY TO SEE WITH MY AGING EYES

 THAT'S RICHARD OUT FRONT LEADING THE WAY TO STRATFORD

It was about an hour after arriving home that a big yellow Watson's Home Hardware truck backed into our driveway.  Kelly's new recliner had arrived.  The recliner is brutally heavy but the two fellas delivering it managed to get it in and set it up unscathed.  After they left, both Kelly and I were not long in taking turns zooming ourselves up and down and back and forth in the new recliner.  I think we even did a couple barrel roles and an Immelman turn in it too.  It was the most fun we've had in years.  No more does Kelly have to struggle with her old broken recliner trying to get herself out of it.  For sure this is going to be so much better for her.  And, me too maybe if she lets me anywhere near it:))

KELLY SPENDS THE LAST MINUTES IN HER 20-YEAR-OLD RECLINER.....IT MIGHT LOOK LIKE IT'S IN GOOD SHAPE BUT IT'S NOT

HERE COMES THE TRUCK WITH THE NEW CHAIR

 YUP, THERE IT IS

STRUGGLING TO GET THE 10-TON CHAIR UP THE STEPS

 AND THROUGH THE DOOR

 IN HER NEW CHAIR FIGURING OUT THE REMOTE

 AND NO, THE BUTTON MARKED TV DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE OPERATION OF OUR TELEVISION

 I THINK SHE IS GETTING THE HANG OF IT

 NOW HOW'S THAT FOR THE FACE OF 'HAPPY'

 AND PHEEBS LIKES IT TOO

Under partially sunny skies and 45F temps, Pheebs and I made it out this afternoon for a walk around the Park's pond and beyond.  How nice at this time of year to be able to walk on solid ground instead of having to trudge through ankle or knee-deep snow.  And, looking at the 14-day long-range forecast it looks like it's going to stay this way for a while.  And to add an extra few 'goody-goody gum drops' we are fast approaching the shortest day of the year whereupon for the following 6 months our days will continually become longer and longer and longer:))))))))       

 A LATE AFTERNOON SUN REFLECTS OFF A THIN SHEEN OF ICE ON THE PARK'S POND

 AN ICY SKY REFLECTION

 WHEN OUR PARK'S NEW HOMES BEGIN ARRIVING IT WILL BE HERE ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS ROAD

A LOT OF WORK REMAINS TO GET ALL THE LOTS READY

Al's Music Box:)) From Me To You is a song by the English rock band The Beatles that was released in April 1963 as their third single. It was written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Lennon and McCartney began writing "From Me to You" while on a coach heading to Shrewsbury as part of the Beatles' tour with Helen Shapiro. The title was inspired by the name of the letters section of the New Musical Express, which they had been reading: "From You to Us". McCartney noted that their early songs tended to include the words "I", "me" or "you" in them, as a way of making them "very direct and personal" to the band's fans. 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The new priest is nervous about hearing confessions, so he asks an older priest to sit in on his sessions. The new priest hears a couple confessions, then the old priest asks him to step out of the confessional for a few suggestions.  The old priest suggests, "Cross you arms over your chest, and rub your chin with one hand." The new priest tries this.  The old priest suggests, "Try saying things like, 'I see, yes, go on, and I understand. How did you feel about that?'"  The new priest says those things.  The old priest says, "Now, don't you think that's a little better than slapping your knee and saying 'No kidding? So what happened next?'

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Doctor: “You’ll live to be 60!”
Patient: “I am 60!”
Doctor: “See! What did I tell you?”

Why is 6 afraid of 7?  Because 7,8,9.

Q: If an electric train is heading north, which way would the steam be coming out?
A: There wouldn't be any. It's an electric train.

 I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness.
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I FELT A SLIGHT WARMTH

If I thought Tuesday morning's high winds were icy cold, I hadn't met Wednesday morning's icy cold winds.  There was no getting out of the Jeep for Pheebs and I.  However, we did take a quick walk around the Park's pond this afternoon under sunny blue skies.  Sheltered from the wind, I could actually feel a slight warmth on my face from the Sun's rays:))  

Fourteen years ago this morning Kelly and I found ourselves exploring the Coronado Cave in southeastern Arizona just north of the Mexican border.  

Al's Music Box:)) Kokomo is a song by the American band the Beach Boys from the 1988 film Cocktail and album Still Crusin'.  The song was released as a single on July 18, 1988 by Elektra Records and became a number-one hit in the U.S. and Australia. It was the band's first original Top 20 single in 20 years and their first #1 hit in 22 years.  The verse of the song came from a demo by John Phillips (formerly of the Mamas & the Papas) and Scott McKenzie (best known for his 1967 song “San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair," which Phillips wrote). The Beach Boys' Mike Love added the chorus which lists the names of islands, and suggested that Phillips change the lyrics from past tense to present tense, transforming the tone of the song from melancholic to inviting.

GROANER'S CORNER:((   “It seems I have spent a lifetime of preaching to my family.  Say thank you. Sit up straight. Use your napkin. Close your mouth when you chew. Don’t lean back in your chair.’ Just when I finally got my husband squared away, the kids came along.” 

- Every time I get a headache I take 2 Ibuprofen and keep away from my children...Just like the bottle says.

Son: "Dad! Dad! There is a monster under my bed!"
Dad: "Enjoy it while you can son, when you get married the monster sleeps in your bed."

- I joined a white church because white people get out on time.

- Why Germans don't play Scrabble...  FUSSBODENSCHLEIFMASCHINENVERLEIH

- Life is a bowl of soup and I am a fork.

- A positive attitude won't solve all your problems but will annoy enough people to make it worth the effort.

The preacher's 5-year-old daughter noticed that her father always paused and bowed his head for a moment before starting his sermon. One day, she asked him why.  "Well, Honey," he began, proud that his daughter was so observant of his messages, "I'm asking the Lord to help me preach a good sermon."  "Well how come He doesn't answer your prayer Dad?" she asked.

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HERE I GO 'HIPPITY-HOP' TO THE BARBER SHOP

 PARTIALLY CLEAR SKIES OVER THE COLD WATERS OF LAKE HURON THIS AFTERNOON

Morning sunlight through the pine trees got me off on an even keel today.  No Elephants stomping around on a dense cloud cover for a change.  Had it not been for a strong icy cold wind it would have been an okay morning for a walk, but with a wind chill factor of 27F the Kid and I stayed in the warm Jeep with one window down.  Our sunrise didn't last long and by 9:30 a.m. we were again socked in under cold and gray cloudy skies.

 NOT MY IDEA OF STAYING WARM ON A COLD DAY

 EVEN THIS PLOWED FIELD LOOKED COLD THIS MORNING

 STILL A FEW SPLASHES OF COLOR CAN BE FOUND IN THE COUNTRYSIDE

Kelly, after much thought and additional research on recliners, stopped into Goderich's Home Hardware Watsons Furniture Center today and decided on a recliner she had taken a liking to late last week.  The medical grade recliner was built by Ultra Comfort in Barrie Ontario/Old Forge, Pennsyllvania.  Kelly's chair is from the Ultra Cozy line.  It's not a lift chair, we didn't want leather, and we decided it didn't need to rock and it didn't need to swivel.  We went the extra mile and bought this recliner with mainly Kelly's medical future in mind and especially so if she has the expected long recovery time from a possible liver transplant.  It may even come in handy for a while after my hip replacement.  The recliner will be delivered this Thursday and we are both anxious to take it for a relaxing 'laid back' spin:))

My main objective today was to get my 'ears lowered'.  That of course, is an old term for getting a haircut.  One thirty this afternoon found me comfortably seated in the chair at Bayfield's own Village Clippers.  Hopefully, this haircut will last me until Spring before my ears creep back up my head to my hairline again.

 HERE I GO 'HIPPITY-HOP TO THE BARBER SHOP'

 WELL AT LEAST MY HAIRCUT LOOKS BETTER THAN I DO

Al's Music Box:)) If.........If is a song written by American singer-songwriter David Gates in 1971 with his group Bread.   In the U.S., Bread's tune was the shortest song title to become a top ten hit until 1993, when Prince hit No. 7 with "7".  David Gates song is distinguished by its opening line "If a picture paints a thousand words.......

 THIS SWATCH OF BRIGHT SKY DIDN'T LAST LONG FIRST THING THIS MORNING

GROANER'S CORNER:((A minister had all of his remaining teeth pulled out. New dentures were being made. The first Sunday, he only preached 10 minutes. On the second Sunday, he preached or only 20 minutes. On the third Sunday, he preached for 1 hour 25 minutes.  When asked about this by some of the congregation, he responded this way: “The first Sunday, my gums were so sore it hurt to talk. The second Sunday, my new dentures were hurting me a lot. The third Sunday, I accidentally grabbed my wife's dentures...and I couldn't shut up.”-

I live my life with no regrets.  It's one of the benefits of not being able to remember things.

A woman walked up to a little old man rocking in a chair on his porch. "I couldn't help noticing how happy you look," she said. "What's your secret for a long happy life?"  "I smoke three packs of cigarettes a day," he said. "I also drink a case of whiskey a week, eat fatty foods, and never exercise."  "That's amazing," said the woman, "how old are you?"  "Twenty-six," he said.

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