SOMETIMES, I JUST NEED TIME AWAY FROM THINGS

 IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS IS EARLY FEBRUARY

Thanks to readers for once again being patient as I stumbled through the past three days.  Long-time readers will have recognized my predictable pattern knowing I would soon get myself sorted out and re-started.  But, it wasn't an easy re-start this time and I had to push myself this morning to begin today's post which I started as I often do with 'Al's Music Box'.  No matter what, I never lose my interest in music.  It's my magic elixir and fixer of many things.

 FOREST SUNSHINE EVERYWHERE

Okay, let's start with a quick recap of the last three days.  Many of this posts photos were taken this past Monday when Pheebs and I, on a glorious sunny morning cruised through the countryside southeast of Bayfield.  With clear blue skies overhead and our front windows down it was like a dark veil had been lifted from around me as I marveled at the rejuvenating Springlike day going on all around us. I just couldn't believe how much better I felt.  At the Lindner Conservation area on Pavilion Road, we stopped for a refreshing walk.  It felt great to get my legs moving again.  On our way home we even stopped in Bayfield and I washed the Jeep. 

 MONDAY MORNING IT WAS ALL ABOUT BIG BLUE SKIES AND QUIET COUNTRY ROADS

 IT WAS A GREAT MORNING FOR HAVING OUR WINDOWS DOWN AND SOAKING UP THE SUNSHINE AND FRESH AIR

 THESE PAST FEW DAYS HAVE BEEN A WONDERFUL PRELUDE TO REAL SPRING DAYS  IN ANOTHER COUPLE MONTHS

 WALKING IN THE SHADOWS OF MORNINGS SUNLIGHT

 STILL SNOW ALONG THIS WOODLAND TRAIL

 SO NICE TO BE WALKING ON FIRM GROUND AGAIN

 MORNING'S VAPOR TRAILS FROM HIGH FLYING JET AIRLINERS

 I STOOD HERE FOR THE LONGEST TIME LOOKING ACROSS THIS FIELD AT THE BIG BLUE SKY AND THE DISTANT OUTLINE OF LAKE HURON'S SHORELINE ON THE HORIZON TO THE LEFT

Home again I was able to spend some enjoyable and much needed time outside puttering around doing some early yard work.  Wednesday was a partially overcast slow day and I had little enthusiasm for doing much of anything except reading.  And then, before I knew it, today was here, and by golly I knew I had a good morning coming up.

 OUR MUSHROOM CROP SEEMS TO BE GROWING WELL ALONG MY LITTLE FAIRY'S PATH BY OUR HOUSE

 WE EVEN SAW THE SHADOW COWBOY THIS AFTERNOON

 AND, IT WAS AMAZING HOW FAST HE TURNED HIMSELF INTO A MARTIAN

It was Richard's turn to drive on this mostly sunny Thursday morning and I had been looking forward to our travels.  On bare and dry roads Richard headed for Goderich where we snagged our coffee and muffins.  From there we were northbound out of Goderich on highway #21 following the coastline to Port Albert a mere 10 miles away  Nice to see some different scenery for a change.  I do have a bit of a bad habit of traveling the same old roads and seeing the same old stuff these days.  Back through Goderich we came and Richard dropped me off at home around 11:45..  I always feel better after any one of our semi-monthly Thursday morning country excursions and today was no exception.  Thanks to Richard my interest in my blog was again re-ignited and here I am.

 AN ORANGE SUNRISE THROUGH OUR PINE TREES THIS MORNING

 MY CHAUFFEUR HAS ARRIVED

 CANADA GEESE AND FISHERMEN AT PORT ALBERT THIS MORNING

It was so nice outside for the first half of this afternoon that I had my leaf blower going as well as my lawn rake cleaning up Winter's debris in our driveway.  How great it felt to be outside in the sunshine doing something.  Pheebs and I did manage a walk around the Park's pond and beyond.  Had my hip not started barking at me we would have gone farther.  But, it is what it is right now and hopefully soon to change.

 A NICE AFTERNOON FOR A WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND WHICH STILL HAS ICE ON IT

 IF YOU LOOK CLOSE YOU CAN SEE THE SHADOW COWBOY

 A DOGWOOD TREE AT THE POND'S EDGE

 ICE BUBBLES

 I SEE AN OLD LOBSTER TOAD CRAWLING UP OUT OF THE ICE ON THE RIGHT

 AT THE POND'S SOUTH END IS A BABBLING BROOK

 PHEEBS LOVES HER WALKS

Last Tuesday, I had actually made a start on a blog but never finished it.  Here then is what I had started........In Saturday's comment section blog reader Suzi said, "I love your 'blast from the past posts'.  Thanks for taking us back to fun days in the desert".  Encouraged by Suzi's words and knowing I have a few readers who enjoy those desert jaunts of ours I have decided to try and include more of them.  I've taken Suzi's words and will at times include a new blog feature called, 'Blast From The Past'.  So, here goes.....Blast From The Past...February 5th, 2010 found us still boondocked in the shadows of the Kofa Mountains in Arizona.  On this day we made our first hike into Palm Canyon.  The beauty of this land just never stops and there are new adventures around every corner sometimes it seems.  A Little Magic In The Kofa Mountains.  The day after this we set out on a bit of a different quest.  We went 'people hunting'.  Now that was a definite change for us and it was the first time we met Mike and Jim.  Today We Met Mike And Jim But Not Janna And Ellie  (remember to click on the smaller photos to enlarge them) We are still in touch with Janna and Mike and have visited back and forth with them a number of times over the years.  You can find Janna and Mike here at Restoration Cowboy Style.  I think easy-going Mike has got to be one of my favorite guys.

 IN THIS PHOTO OF KELLY AT THE BOTTOM RIGHT IS DWARFED BY THE JAGGED KOFA MOUNTAIN RANGE

Thanks again to readers for being patient with me.  If something drastic had (or would ever happen) I would for sure let you know, but sometimes I just have to push myself away from things, be by myself, and go for a long walk in a quiet forest.  Sometimes that is a physical walk and sometimes it is a mental walk and when they both come together, that is the healing time.  And too, it depends on the availability of the imaginary or real forest and where and when I find it and choose to walk there.                 

 THESE HAVE BEEN GREAT DAYS FOR WANDERING ALONG THE GRAVELY BACKROADS

 PHEEBS AND SOAKING UP MONDAY MORNING'S SUNSHINE AT THE LINDNER CONSERVATION AREA

Al's Music Box:)) The Long And Winding Road is a song by the English rock band the Beatles from their 1970 album Let It Be. It was written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney. Paul McCartney said he came up with the title "The Long and Winding Road" during one of his first visits to his property High Park Farm, near Campbeltown in Scotland, which he purchased in June 1966. The phrase was inspired by the sight of a road "stretching up into the hills" in the remote Highlands surroundings of lochs and distant mountains. He wrote the song at his farm in 1968, inspired by the growing tension among the Beatles. Based on other comments McCartney has made, author Howard Sounes writes, the lyrics can be seen as McCartney expressing his anguish at the direction of his personal life, as well as a nostalgic look back at the Beatles' history. McCartney recalled: "I just sat down at my piano in Scotland, started playing, and came up with that song, imagining it was going to be done by someone like Ray Charles. I have always found inspiration in the calm beauty of Scotland and again it proved the place where I found inspiration.  "In an interview in 1994, McCartney said of "The Long and Winding Road": "It's rather a sad song. I like writing sad songs, it's a good bag to get into because you can actually acknowledge some deeper feelings of your own and put them in it. It's a good vehicle, it saves having to go to a psychiatrist." He also told his biographer Barry Miles in the 1990s that the song was "all about the unattainable; the door you never quite reach ... the road that you never get to the end of".

 I LOVE SEEING THE COLOREEN AT THIS TIME OF YEAR

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man was on the very top diving board of a swimming pool.  He was poised, he lifted his arms, and was about to dive in when the attendant came running up, shouting, “Don’t dive, there’s no water in that pool!”  “That’s all right!” said the man. “I can’t swim anyway!!”

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Gladys was the preacher's wife and accompanied her husband each Sunday to church. One particular Sunday when the sermon seemed to go on forever, many in the congregation fell asleep. After the service, to be sociable, she walked up to a very sleepy-looking gentleman. In an attempt to revive him from his stupor, she extended her hand in greeting, and said, "Hello, I'm Gladys Dunn." To which the gentleman replied, "You're not the only one!"

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A wealthy man died and went to heaven. He was met at the Pearly Gates by Saint Peter who led him down the streets of gold. They passed mansion after mansion until they came to the very end of the street. Saint Peter stopped the rich man in front of a little shack.“This belongs to you,” said Saint Peter.“Why do I get this ugly thing when there are so many mansions I could live in?” the man demanded.“We did the best we could with the money you sent us!” Saint Peter replied.

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SOMETIMES

Sometimes when I have nothing to say, it is better that I say nothing.

I KNOW, BECAUSE I'M HERE, AND I SEE IT

After Saturday's late afternoon sunshine, it was so disappointing to once again wake up under cloudy skies with cold and damp temperatures.  And fog.  The only good thing about all that was the Hoarfrost the damp air left on the trees.  Pretty as it was, it would have been a magical fairyland if a morning's sunshine had turned all that icy hoarfrost into glittering diamonds.

 DID WE TURN LEFT HERE AND HEAD WEST TO BAYFIELD

 OR DID WE TURN EAST AND HEAD OUT INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE

 IT WAS OUT INTO THE COUNTRYSIDE WE WENT BEFORE HEADING TO GODERICH

As disappointed as I felt about this morning's gray skies, Pheebs and I piled into the Jeep and headed off to Goderich.  With gas, coffee, the harbor and beach areas, Pet Value and Walmart checked off my list we were later homeward bound and rolled into our driveway shortly before noon.

 ENJOYING MORNING'S SCENERY 

 A FEW TOUCHES OF COLOR ALONG THE WAY

 NO PROBLEM STAYING WARM WITH A WOOLY SWEATER LIKE THIS

 THE NARROW CHANNEL BETWEEN LAKE HURON AND GODERICH'S INNER HARBOR IS NOW FREE AND CLEAR OF ICE

 STILL SOME ICE ALONG THE NORTH SIDE OF THE HARBOR AND NOTICE A BLACK DOT TO THE TOP RIGHT OF CENTER ALONG THE ICE EDGE....THAT BLACK DOT IS THE CANADA GOOSE BELOW

Aside from topping up the bird feeders, I accomplished about the square root of nothing this afternoon.  Most of my time was again spent reading.  Some days my hip bothers me a lot and other days hardly at all.  Today was a bad hip day so Pheebs and I didn't get out for an afternoon walk.

Kelly hasn't been able to get in touch with her volunteer live liver donor for a while now and our hopes of a live liver transplant for Kelly are now fading.  Kelly has an appointment in London on February 21st for another stress test so maybe they will have some answers for her.  She is still on the liver transplant list but it could be a long time before a suitable cadaver liver is found.  In the meantime, her condition steadily worsens.  I know, because I'm here, and I see it.  

Al's Music Box:)) The Good, The Bad And The Ugly is the theme to the 1966 film by the same name, which was directed by Sergio Leone. Included on the film soundtrack as "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (main title)", the instrumental piece was composed by Ennio Morricone. A cover version by Hugo Montenegro in 1967 was a pop hit in both the US and the UK.  It has since become one of the most iconic scores in film history.  Hugo Montenegro was an American composer and orchestra leader who began scoring films in the 1960s. After hearing the music from The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, he decided to create a cover version of the theme. Musician Tommy Morgan is quoted in Wesley Hyatt's The Billboard Book of #1 Adult Contemporary Hits as saying that Montenegro's version "was done in one day. I think it was all day one Saturday at RCA."  Similar to Morricone's original composition, Montenegro and a few session musicians sought to recreate this record using their own instrumentation. The opening two-note segment was played on an ocarina by Art Smith; Morgan provided the sounds that followed on a harmonica. He was quoted as saying: "I knew it was live, so I had to do this hand thing, the 'wah-wah-wah' sound."  Hyatt's book states that Montenegro himself "grunted something which came out like 'rep, rup, rep, rup, rep'" between the chorus segments.  Other musicians heard on the record include Elliot Fisher (electric violin), Mannie Klein (piccolo trumpet) and Muzzy Marcellino, whose whistling is heard during the recording.  Much to the surprise of Montenegro and the musicians who worked with him, this cover of the film theme became a hit single in 1968.  

GROANER'S CORNER:((  One night a husband and wife were sleeping and suddenly the wife woke up.  "Honey, wake up! I think there are burglars downstairs, and it sounds like they're eating the chocolate cake I made!”.  Half asleep, the husband answers, "So should I call the police or an ambulance?”

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- “By the time someone says, ‘To make a long story short,’ it’s too late.” 

- “The nice thing about egotists is that they don’t talk about other people.”

- “People who think they know everything are a great annoyance to those of us who do.” 

- “An optimist is someone who falls off the Empire State Building, and after 50 floors says, ‘So far so good!'” 

- “My definition of an intellectual is someone who can listen to the William Tell Overture without thinking of the Lone Ranger.”

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THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN

Well, I guess my first mistake of the day was believing the weatherman when he said we would have sunny periods beginning Friday afternoon.  That didn't happen.  My second mistake was in believing the same weatherman when he said skies would clear overnight.  That didn't happen.  Then he said skies would begin to clear late Saturday morning.  That didn't happen either.  I think we need a new weatherman!!!!  But wait......what is that I see in the sky to the southwest late this afternoon.  Something bright beginning to peer through the thinning cloud cover.  Could it be a UFO, a UAP, is it a bird, is it a plane????  Noooooo, it's 'SUPERSUN':)))))

Five years ago today we were boondocked on Yellowbird Road near Bouse, Arizona.  On our morning Jeep ride, Pheebs and I found some Army Tanks And A Mine Shaft.

 THERE IS A MY OF JEEP ROADS  IN THE BOUSE AREA

Al's Music Box:)) Fools Rush In is a popular song with lyrics written by Johnny Mercer and the music by Rube Bloom.  In 1963, Rick Nelson recorded his version, which was included in his Rick Nelson Sings "For You" LP and was an enormous hit, reaching #12 on the Billboard pop chart and #24 on the Hot R&B Singles chart. This recording became the most well liked version of this song.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A student at a management school came up to a pretty girl and hugged her without any warning.  The surprised girl said, “What was that?”  The guy smiled at her, “Direct marketing!”  The girl slapped him soundly.  “What was that?!” said the boy, holding his cheek.  “Customer feedback.”

I made a beginner’s mistake and went shopping on an empty stomach. I am now the happy owner of aisle 7.

When I drink coffee I can’t sleep.  Really? I have the exact opposite.  Wow, seriously?  Yes, when I sleep I can’t drink coffee.

The doctor says to his patient at the end of a checkup, “OK, let’s do a stress tolerance test. Nurse, the bill please.”

Two company owners are chatting, “You know John, I’m really impressed with your staff’s work morale. How on Earth do you do it that they’re always on time in the mornings, many even early?”  John says, “It’s simple really. I have 25 employees – so I built a parking lot with 20 spaces.”

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