Tuesday, January 02, 2024

HOPEFULLY HE WILL HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS FOR KELLY

 A PLUMP LITTLE DARK-EYED JUNCO
With a destination this morning it was just me in the Jeep heading for Goderich's Maitland Valley Medical Centre.  I  had a 9:30 appointment for blood work in preparation for a meeting next week with my Diabetes Educator person.  
Today I began monitoring my blood sugar with my OneTouch Verio Reflect Monitor and blood pressure with my Omron Blood Pressure MonitorI check in with her twice a year, once by phone and once in person.  I hope I am still in the pre-diabetic stage where I was six months ago.

 ON MY WAY TO GODERICH
Following my Maitland stop I grabbed a Tim Hortons coffee to go and swung down around the harbor and beach areas.  Up the hill and back into town I headed straightaway for home with a few brief sunsplashes along the way................ 

 GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE

 THE SAGINAW WAS DOCKED A THE GODERICH GRAIN ELEVATOR THIS MORNING
 ALSO IN PORT THIS MORNING WAS THE ALGOMA INTREPID DOCKED AT THE GODERICH SALT MINE
Wednesday we head for London's University Hospital again where Kelly has a mid-afternoon appointment with a Doctor Hudson.  Hopefully, he will have some good news for her regarding her liver transplant status.
 'HI, MY NAME'S WOODY AND IT'S A PLEASURE TO MEET YOU MISS DOVEY'
 'AWWW SHUCKS WOODY YOU SURE KNOW HOW TO MAKE A GAL BLUSH'

 'NO I AM NOT A PENGUIN'
Al's Music Box:)) Rise Up Rise Up  is another song from the mid-80s I remember.  "Rise Up" is a pop song recorded by the Canadian group the Parachute Club on their self-titled 1983 album.  An upbeat call for peace, celebration, and "freedom to love who we please," The song was a national hit in Canada, and was hailed as a unique achievement in Canadian pop music.  Rarely does one experience a piece of music in white North America where the barrier between participant and observer breaks down. Rise Up rises right up and breaks down the wall.  the song was not written with any one individual group in mind but as a universal anthem of freedom and equality.  Band member Lorraine Fernie described the song's lyrics as having been inspired in part by West Coast First Nations rituals in which young girls would "rise up" at dawn to adopt their adult names as a rite of passage.

GROANER'S CORNER:((   If you want someone who will listen to you every time, do everything you tell them to do, and always be there for you for better or for worse, get a dog.

- If you’re not supposed to eat at night, why is there a light bulb in the refrigerator?

- If you’re using the phrase “easy as taking candy from a baby,” try taking candy from a baby.

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Monday, January 01, 2024

AND SO IT GOES EACH NEW YEAR'S MORNING

'Wowsers,' a pinky sunrise kicked off a blue sunshiny morning.  Now, how's that for starting the first day of the first week of a New Year off eh:)))))

JUST GOTTA LOVE THESE BLUE SUNSHINY DAYS

 YOU CAN MY EYES WERE DRAWN TO THE BIG BLUE SKY THIS MORNING
With temps sitting at 27F I knew the muddy road at our country road walking spot would be still frozen so Pheebs and I headed out there straight away to get a walk in.  Due to an icy north wind and slippery conditions underfoot we had to limit our walk to a quarter mile.  I knew the slightest slip could cause me a mountain of pain in my right hip even if I didn't fall.

 A FEW PHOTOS ON MY WAY OUT OF THE PARK EARLIER TODAY

 OFF WE GO UP THE ROAD HEADFIRST INTO AN ICY NORTH WIND
 FROZEN WATER PUDDLES ALONG THE WAY
LONG GRASS WITH A DUSTING OF CRISPY FROZEN SNOW
 THE FROZEN MUD IN THE FOREGROUND MADE FOR TRICKY WALKING
Continuing on, we jeeped ourselves around half a dozen country roads soaking up the rural scenery as we went.  A great way to start the new year off unlike a week ago on Christmas day when it was a miserably rainy cold day.  In all our travels this morning we only encountered two other cars. I like when that happens:))  

 WE DROVE ALONG SLOWLY FOLLOWING THE BIG BLUE SKY
 A LONG BUNDLE OF HAY BALES WRAPPED IN PROTECTIVE PLASTIC
It wasn't long after we got home that we lost the Sun to a thin cloud cover.  But, that was alright because we were able to be out earlier and get a few steps in while being a part of the morning's sunshine.  

 I WASN'T ABLE TO GET A CLEAR SHOT OF THIS LITTLE FELLOW'S HOOVES AGAIN
At midnight last night, lots of Seniors were driving wildly around our Park blaring their horns, flashing their lights, and yelling out the windows.  Some of them even had hats and horns and appeared to be quite tipsy.  Okay, okay, so that didn't really happen, but it could have.  You know what we Seniors can be like sometimes eh:)) 

 I THINK THAT LITTLE CLASS C RV LEANING AGAINST THE DRIVING SHED IS HOPING THAT SOME KIND SOUL WILL DRIVE HIM DOWN SOUTH FOR THE WINTER
WITH THOSE LARGE EXHAUST FAN TUBES I AM GUESSING THIS IS A PIG BARN
 WE'RE STILL CRUISING ALONG UNDER THE BIG BLUE SKY
It was nice to wake up this morning and see 2023 in the rearview mirror.  Looking ahead to 2024 and although it's a foggy outlook I'm mildly excited to get the year underway and deal with the challenges ahead whatever they may be.  And, next year I will probably wake up on this very same first day of the year and see 2024 In the same rearview mirror thinking to myself, well I'm sure glad that year is over!!  And so it goes each New Year's morning.

 THE SWEEPING SHORELINE OF LAKE HURON IS LESS THAT THREE MILES STRAIGHT AHEAD
 CANADA GEESE HANGING OUT ON A FARM POND

I finished my latest book called, Stories From The Messengers: Accounts of Owls, UFOs and a Deeper Reality by author Mike Clelland.  He is the author of the previous book I liked so well called, Unseen.  There is always a lot to think about in Mike Clellend's books and his non-fiction book 'Stories From The Messengers' was no exception.  I certainly will be more attentive to any Owls I encounter from now on.  Kelly and I did try to save several young Great Horned Owls right here in our own Park a number of years ago over near the Park's pond.  The first one was on June 14th, 2010.  Our Monday Morning Mission of Mercy and the second one was on June 12th, 2012.  An Unsuccessful Ending to a Rescue Attempt.  From around the house, I have today gathered together a collection of four little gray unassuming stone Owls and have them now sitting together ahead of me on our sunroom's computer desk.  It is those four little Owls that you see at the top of today's post.  With one of my Picasa photo-editing tools, I have given them a deservedly mysterious Neon look........... For my next book I have chosen Two Years Before The Mast by author, Richard Henry Dana Jr.  It is a thirteen-and-half hour read and that I should think will keep me quite entertained while I wile away these cold and gray Winter days..................

Al's Music Box:)) Up Up And Away  I thought we'd start the New Year off on an upbeat note:))  "Up, Up and Away" is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded (as "Up–Up and Away") by US soul-pop act the 5th Dimension with backing from members of The Wrecking Crew.] A canonical example of sunshine pop themed around images of hot air ballooning, it cleaned up at the 10th annual Grammy Awards in 1968, winning for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals, Best Performance by a Vocal Group, Best Performance by a Chorus and Best Contemporary Song.  

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A doctor of psychology was doing his normal morning rounds, and he entered a patient's room to find his patient sitting on the floor, sawing at a piece of wood with the side of his hand. Meanwhile, another patient was in the room, hanging from the ceiling by his feet.The doctor asked his patient what he was doing, sitting on the floor.  The patient replied in an irritated fashion, "Can't you see I'm sawing this piece of wood in half?"  The doctor inquired, "And what is the fellow hanging from the ceiling doing?"  "Oh. He's my friend, but he's a little crazy. He thinks he's a light bulb."  The doctor asks, "If he's your friend, don't you think you should get him down from there before he hurts himself?"  "What? And work in the dark?"

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Son: “Dad, did you get the results of the DNA test back?”
Dad: “Ya, call me George.”

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"Mr. Clark, I'm afraid I have bad news," the doctor told his anxious patient. "You only have six months to live."  The man sat in stunned silence for the next several minutes. Regaining his composure, he apologetically told his physician that he had no medical insurance. "I can't possibly pay you in that time."  "Okay," the doctor said, "let's make it nine months."
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Sunday, December 31, 2023

HAPPY NEW YEAR AND WE'LL SEE Y'ALL ON THE FLIP SIDE:))

THIS IS THE STERN OF MY FAVORITE BAYIELD SAILBOAT
I am again thinking of upping my photo game a notch by switching to a different photo editing program.   Picasa, the free editing program I have been using for the past 17 years is not supported anymore and if it were to suddenly go ker-ploop one of these days I would be the proverbial fish out of water.  I don't consider Microsoft's photo editing tools to be a viable option.  I'm looking at Adobe's Photoshop Elements again because it appears that it would be the easiest one for me to learn.  'Easy' is the operative word here.  If I'm going to get into another photo editing program I have to get in at the entry level or I will become quickly discouraged.  Entry level will be challenging enough for me without thinking I could try an advanced version.  I'm wondering if any readers out here are using this or another comparable easy-to-understand photo editing program.

 PHEEBS AND I TOOK OURSELVES FOR A WALK IN THE BAYFIELD CEMETERY THIS MORNING
 A COLD FISHING MORNING ON BAYFIELD'S SOUTH PIER
 NOW THERE IS SOMETHING I COULD USE MORE OF ON THESE COLD GRAY DAYS
 IT JUST DON'T SEEM RIGHT TO SEE SANTA STANDING ON GREEN GRASS INSTEAD OF SNOW
For the last year of the day, it was a cold wet mixture of drizzly rain and snow.  Pheebs and I did take a walk in the field next to the Bayfield Cemetery before the yukky weather set in.  For something to do today, I dragged out all my camera gear, cleaned and dusted it off, and then put most of the stuff away again.  Hey, at least it gave me something constructive to do for an hour on this cold and damp yukky last day of the year.  I'm already dreading the 6 weeks following my hip replacement when I will be prohibited from driving as well as being confined to the house until my hip is well enough for me to get out and about again.  I haven't told Pheebs yet that we won't be able to get out for our morning Jeep rides for a while.  No sense in both of us feeling depressed about it.

So, here we are at the end of another year balancing on the cusp of another new year.  No point in me trying to sum up 2023.  We met all the challenges we faced and we're still here.  We'll continue to do the same in 2024.  So, with that, I say Happy New Year to everyone and I wish you all the best in 2024.  And thank you to all my blog readers who have stuck with me for another grinding year.  You people are truly made of tough stuff!!  Okay, see y'all on the flip side:))       

 MORE DREDGED-UP STEEL ON BAYFIELD'S NORTH PIER

Al's Music Box:)) Auld Lang Syne by Canadian-born Guy Lombardo and his Orchestra is a popular song, particularly in the English-speaking world. Traditionally, it is sung to bid farewell to the old year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve. The poem's Scots title may be translated into standard English as "old long since" or, less literally, "long long ago", "days gone by", "times long past" or "old times". Consequently, "For auld lang syne", as it appears in the first line of the chorus, might be loosely translated as "for the sake of old times".

GROANER'S CORNER:((  The teacher noticed that Johnny had been daydreaming for a long time. She decided to get his attention."Johnny," she said, "If the world is 25,000 miles around and eggs are sixty cents a dozen, how old am I? "Thirty-four," Johnny answered unhesitatingly.  The teacher replied "Well, that's not far from my actual age. Tell me...how did you guess?"  Oh, there's nothing to it," Johnny said. "My big sister is seventeen and she's only half-crazy."

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Guy: Haven’t I seen you someplace before?

Girl: Yes, that’s why I don’t go there anymore.

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A doctor, an engineer, and a politician were arguing as to which profession was older.
"Well," argued the doctor, "without a physician mankind could not have survived, so I am sure that mine is the oldest profession."  "No," said the engineer, "before life began there was complete chaos, and it took an engineer to create some semblance of order from this chaos. So engineering is older."  "But," chirped the triumphant politician, "who created the chaos?"

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