KELLY FINALLY PULLS THE TRIGGER ON A NEW SMART PHONE

 COLD AIR MOVES IN THIS MORNING

I am at the 'waddle stage' now.  Moving about the house Friday there were several times I forgot to take my cane with me.  Encouraged by this I intentionally walked around a bit more without it.  But, I hasten to add that it really wasn't walking, it's waddling.  I can't put full weight on my leg yet so it is a tottering dawdle waddle I do from side to side like a Penguin and it's not something I would consider doing in public unless I was Charlie Chaplin.  Pheebs finds it funny and so would I if it was somebody else and not me!!  Kelly told me to dawdle up and walk right.  Maybe tomorrow.

The gentle rain front rolled over us in the night hardly disturbing a whisper.  All was wet this morning but no puddles.  I'm thinking folks inland from us may have had more rain than we did.  With few route changes, Pheebs and I again took a slow drive around our Park keeping an eye out for any photos I hadn't noticed before.  We slipped down around the south end of the Park but it was way too muddy for a walk.  Home again I soon had my hot dog breakfast going on and Pheebs had some related weenie snacks.  Spent the majority of this colder drab day inside reading.

 FOG IN THE AIR AS WE TURNED RIGHT OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY

 MISTY

 YES, WE DO HAVE DEER IN THE PARK

I think maybe it's been nearly a couple months now since I began making smoothies/shakes with my free Magic Bullet Blender.  My smoothies are an evolving work of taste and here is where I am at now with my daily delight....half a cored apple including peelings, two big scoops of Oikos low fat vanilla yogurt, a mixture of frozen strawberries, mangos, and peaches, half a green banana, a healthy dash of cinnamon and a sizeable scoop of plant-based protein powder called All-In-One Organic.  To all this I add skim milk and 'whooooosh' I have myself a great-tasting smoothie.  I am in the habit of having one of these every day now.

 MY SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

I think we all have our favorite little times of the day and here is one of mine which I consider #1 on my list.  The place is our sunroom and my favorite moment generally occurs anywhere between about 1:30 and 4:30 in the afternoon.  In my recliner tipped back reading I eventually tire and at that point, I close my book and kinda shuffle myself around a little bit until I am in the most comfy-cozy position I can be in.  I close my eyes and relax.  I am now in my #1 'favorite moment' as I calmly drift off to la-la land.  I've been doing this on and off for years and my little afternoon siestas generally last anywhere from 20 minutes to maybe an hour and a half sometimes.  I just love when this happens:))

 FRIENDS OF OURS IN THE PARK HAVE A NICE COZY MORNING WOODFIRE GOING ON

 I THOUGHT THIS KIND OF LOOKED A LITTLE HALLOWEENY

She said the wheels were going 'clunkity-clunk'.  Years ago when my Uncle Harry lived at an assisted living facility in Woodstock Ontario he bought himself a new walker.  He used it for a number of years before sadly passing away in 2013.  We brought Uncle Harry's walker home and stored it in our carport.  Several years later my Aunt Jean in Florida expressed an interest in the walker so Kelly and I loaded it into our RV that Fall and on our way out to the Southwest we swung down around Sarasota Florida and dropped the walker off at Harry's sister's place, my Aunt Jean.  That walker has been in use ever since and especially so now that she moved to her new digs last May at Sarasota's (Sunnyside Village.  Last night while talking to Aunt Jean on our weekly Friday night phone call she mentioned that the walker is getting harder to push.  She said the wheels are clunky and make a noise.  Well, I figured with probably over a hundred thousand miles on those tires they are probably worn out and maybe even flat.  I assured her she did not have to walk to a tire store to have four new tires put on and suggested she get in touch with her facilities maintenance man to see if he, or someone he knows could see to it that she gets some new wheels.  So, that is Aunt Jean's project for the week.  We'll see what happens.  Oh, and it was just a few months ago that she put all-new tires on her Toyota car.  At her tire shop, they asked if she wanted the long-term extended warranty on the tires and she answered, "no, at 96 years old I don't think I will be needing that". Below is a picture of Aunt Jean with Santa Claus a few months ago at her facility's Christmas party.

A Blast From Our Past:: I don't know how many times over our RVing years I/we have made the rugged mile-long climb up Ghost Mountain in California's Blair Valley to visit the ruins of Marshal South's old homestead called Yaquitepec, but this day was my fourth climb.  My 4th Journey To Ghost Mountain

After months and months of deliberation and lengthy research, Kelly finally today pulled the trigger on a new smartphone decision and placed her order for an iPhone15 from Apple Canada.  It will be here Wednesday:))))

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Al's Music Box:)) At The Hop is a 1950s pop song written by Artie Singer, John Medora, and David White and originally released by Danny & the Juniors.  The song was released in the fall of 1957 and reached number one on the US charts on January 6, 1958, becoming one of the top-selling singles of 1958.  The song was written when Danny & the Juniors were still called The Juvenairs. Initially called "Do the Bop", the song was heard by Dick Clark, who expressed concern that the dance fad of doing The Bop was on its way out, so he suggested they change the band name to the Juniors and the chorus from "Let's all do the Bop" to "Let's go to the Hop".  After they performed the song on Clark's show American Bandstand, it gained popularity and went to the top of the US charts, remaining at number one for five weeks.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Three old ladies were sitting in a diner, discussing their health.  One lady says, You know, I'm getting really forgetful. This morning, I was standing at the top of the stairs, and I couldn't remember whether I had just come up or was about to go down.  The second lady says, You think that/s bad? The other day, I was sitting on the edge of my bed, and I couldn't remember whether I was going to sleep or had just woken up!  The third lady smiles smugly. Well, my memory is just as good as it's always been, 'knock on wood', she says as she raps on the table. Then with a startled look on her face, she asks, Who's there?

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- Did you hear about the red ship and the blue ship that collided?  The survivors were marooned.

Q: Why was the Egyptian boy confused?
A: Because his daddy was a mummy.

How do you get a Kleenex to dance?
Â… Put a little boogey in it.

I was out drinking with my buddies at a party last night when I suddenly looked at my phone and noticed 18 missed calls from my wife.  Is she insecure or what?  That's an average of 6 calls a day!

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NEITHER YOUR PATH OR MINE IS THE ONLY ONE

CRUISING AROUND IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING

I guess it's these dull, drab, and dreary-looking days that really make me appreciate the bright sunny days when they do come along.  At least this way we always have something to look forward to.  And, in the grand scheme of things that of course is important.  Here's our weather forecast for the next couple of days....'Heavy weekend rains may give way to bursts of snow as a tango of storms sweeps southern Ontario'.  If any or all of that happens we are going to be pretty happy campers............when those bad days are over and followed by warm air and big bright sunny blue skies:))

 A FEW PHOTOS FROM AROUND OUR PARK 

Okay, so with my almost daily weather report thankfully out of the way let's get on with it, shall we.  Knowing I couldn't take the Jeep out of the Park and photos would be limited on this colorless morning, I had to push myself out the door.  With the weather not meaning a hill of beans to Pheebs unless it's raining, she was her usual enthusiastic little self as she burst out the door with her tail wagging a mile a minute.  And, off we went like a herd of turtles in a cloud of heifer dust (an old high school saying) for a slower-than-slow Jeep ride around our Park.

 I LIKE HOW THESE FOLKS BUILT THEIR FRONT DECK AROUND THE TREES

 I REALLY LIKE THE GREEN EVERGREEN TREE LOGO ON THIS SIGN....DID YOU SEE THE PUSSYCAT PROFILE?

 I WILL SURE BE GLAD WHEN IN 19 DAYS PHEEBS AND I CAN DRIVE UP TO THAT ROAD, TURN RIGHT AND HEAD OFF OUT INTO THE MORNING COUNTRYSIDE ONCE AGAIN

Stepping out our door this morning I immediately could tell the direction of the wind although I couldn't see or feel it.  But, I could smell it!!  We have a chicken farm about half a mile east of us and the smell in the air not only told me we had an East wind blowing but those chickens were about ripe enough to be shipped out and the barn cleaned!!

I'M WONDERING IF THAT MIGHT BE A LAVENDER BUSH AND DID YOU SEE THE CROCUS FLOWERS?

 I THINK THESE FLOWERS MIGHT BE CALLED 'SNOWDROPS'

Not a good day for Kelly on Thursday which deteriorated Thursday evening.  She somehow made it through the night and rallied back this morning.  So much so that she headed off to Goderich to run some errands and pick up a few groceries.  I sure hope her name comes up soon on the liver transplant list.  It is difficult the way she has to suffer with this liver disease. 

I decided to look inward for something to write about today rather than looking outward.  Here's what I found.....although parts of my mind are changing and I'm losing ground due to this normal aging process, I find that other areas of my mind are becoming clearer than ever.  I have especially become aware of ongoing subtle changes over the past four or five years and I find myself welcoming these changes.  Although the confusing and dire concerns over things like man's religious beliefs, his alarming decline in political decency, his growing inhumanity to man and a whole host of other things still lurk in the muddy ooze of misunderstanding and ignorance, I continue to move forward at my own speed through my own little world trying to make some sense out of what is happening all around me.  There is a growing calmness inside as pieces of this elusive puzzle of life are beginning to rightly fall into place.  I know not where my mind is taking me at times but I feel more confident in knowing that I am on the right path and feel a growing confidence about my journey.  My path is likely not your path but keep in mind that there are many paths leading to the same destination.  And, one thing has become clear to me........neither your path nor mine is the only one.

 THERE ARE A LOT OF SMALL ORANGE INDICATOR FLAGS AROUND TO MARK OUT UNDERGROUND INFRASTRUCTURE

 THESE LOCATES ARE FOR THE TUCKERSMITH FIBER OPTIC CREW TO SHOW THEM WHERE BURIED PHONE AND POWER LINES, ETC. ARE

A Blast From Our Past:: It was on this day, December 2nd, 2010 in a 3 Jeep convoy that we rumbled and tumbled our way through rocky desert terrain in Arizona's Cochise County and ended up at the old remains of a Butterfield Stagecoach Station in Dragoon Springs.  It is here in four graves near the ruins that lay the remains of four Confederate soldiers killed by Apache Indians on May 5th, 1862.  Remember to click on the smaller photos to enlarge them......From The Cochise Stronghold To The Dragoon   Springs....Jeeping All The Way

Al's Music Box:)) At Last is the debut studio album by American blues and soul artist Etta James. Released on Argo Records in November 1960 the album was produced by Phil and Leonard Chess. The original release of At Last! was issued as a 12-inch Lp consisting of ten tracks, five songs on each side of the LP.  Phil and Leonard Chess believed that James's voice had crossover pop potential, so with this debut album, they backed her with orchestral arrangements on many of the tracks.  Since its release, At Last! has been praised by many music critics. Stephen Cook of AllMusic gave the album five out of five stars, and, about James, wrote, "one hears the singer at her peak in a swinging and varied program of blues, R&B and jazz standards." Cook also praised the material that was recorded for the album, saying that At Last! had "strong material throughout." He also went on to say that James's voice, "expertly handles jazz standards like "Stormy Weather" and "A Sunday Kind of Love," as well as Willie Dixon's blues classic "I Just Want to Make Love to You." James demonstrates her keen facility on the title track in particular, as she easily moves from powerful blues shouting to more subtle, airy phrasing; her Ruth Brown-inspired, bad-girl growl only adds to the intensity."

 I THINK THIS IS WHERE THE PIONEER BIRDS LIVE AND IF I WAS A BIRD I WOULD PREFER A HOUSE LIKE THIS AS WELL

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The first woman was elected U.S. president. She called her mom to make sure she was coming to the inauguration.  "I don’t know, dear. What would I wear?”  "Don’t worry, Mom. I’ll send a designer to help you.”  "But you know I need special foods for my diet.”  "Mom, I’m going to the president. I can get you the food you need.”  "But how will I get there?”  "I’ll send a limo, Mom. Just come!”  "OK, OK, if it makes you happy.”  The great day came, and Mama was seated with the future cabinet members. She nudged the man on her right. “See that girl, the one with her hand on the Bible? Her brother’s a doctor!”

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During a terrible storm, all the highway signs were covered with snow. The following spring, the state decided to raise all the signs twelve inches at a cost of six million dollars. “That’s an outrageous price!” said a local farmer, “but I guess we’re lucky the state handled it instead of the federal government.” “Why’s that?”  “Because knowing the federal government, they’d decided to lower the highways.”

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A little boy greeted his grandmother with a hug and said, "I'm so happy to see you, Grandma. Now maybe Daddy will do the trick he has been promising us."  The grandmother was curious. "What trick is that my dear?" she asked.  The little boy replied, "I heard Daddy tell Mommy that he would climb the walls if you came to visit us again."
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JUST ABOUT IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP MYSELF INSIDE

 IT'S A NICE WALKING AREA WE HAVE HERE IN THE PARK

A mighty fine sunny day here at 'The Bayfield Pines' so Pheebs and I jeeped ourselves down the bush road to the south end of our Park whereupon we got ourselves out for a delightfully quiet morning walk surrounded by Mother Nature her very self.  On the way there and back I took a few Park photos along the way.  

 WE PARKED THE JEEP AND HEADED OFF FOR A WALK

 A QUICK 600MM TELEPHOTO SHOT OF A HIGH FLYING JET

 THE JEEP IS AT BOTTOM RIGHT

Walking along I thought again how fortunate I was in having the hip surgery when I did and then the weather turning so nice to help me with the recovery.  It could easily have gone the other way with freezing cold temps, ice, and deep snow along with snowstorms and one cloudy gray depressing day after another.  As I sit here typing this Thursday afternoon I have our sunroom door open.  With sunshine and fresh air pouring in I can so plainly hear all the early Spring birds out in our front yard.  Yes indeed, I sure caught myself a lucky break. 

 DRIVING THROUGH THE PARK I CAME ACROSS THIS MORNING MEETING OF TRAFFIC CONES....'OKAY GUYS, LISTEN UP'

 PEOPLE WILL SOON BE SITTING HERE SWATTING AT MOSQUITOS 

 OOOOPS, THE NUMBER 5 FALL DOWN AND GO BOOM

 SOME RESIDENTS ALREADY HAVE THEIR SPRING CLEAN-UP DONE

 SOME ARE WORKING ON IT

Of course with sunshine and blue skies overhead it was just about impossible for me to keep myself inside so out I went and grabbed my leaf rake.  I knew this might turn out to be too much for my hip but how would I know if I didn't give it a try.  I took it easy, moved a little differently, and only raked around for 20 minutes. Following that I went up onto our front deck and basked myself in the early afternoon sunshine. for a while.  That warm Sun and cool 50F air felt wonderful.

PHEEBS LIKES TO HELP ME WITH YARD WORK

 I THINK THESE ARE DAFFODILS PUSHING THROUGH THE PINE NEEDLES BESIDE OUR HOUSE

 COLTSFOOT FLOWERS ARE ALSO PUSHING THROUGH

Pheebs and I didn't make it over to the Park's pond this afternoon because I fell asleep in my sunroom recliner for too long.  I'm hoping we can take a crack at that tomorrow before the rain rolls in for our 'not so nice' weather weekend. 

 HERE'S PANCHO CATCHING A FEW RAYS

 I LOVE THE AROMA OF CEDAR TREES

A Blast From Our Past:)) While staying at a property near Elfrida in Arizona's Cochise Country back in 2010 ranch owner friends of ours Jeannie and Ray called us one morning wondering if we would like to head out for a Jeep scramble.  Well of course we would.  It was a great rough and tumble dusty drive we had that day which involved a couple of mysterious-looking 'army tanks'.  What and Why??   Hi-Ho Hi-Ho It's A Jeeping We Did Go Remember to click the smaller photos to enlarge them.

Al's Music Box:)) Same song title but two different artists singing two different songs.  First is John Denver with This Old Guitar.  This song tells the story of the 1910 Gibson guitar that belonged to Denver's grandmother as a young girl.  After this guitar was lost for years Denver was overjoyed to be reunited with it some five years later and he wrote the hit song “This Old Guitar” both about it and on it. Many fans believe this guitar was laid to rest with Denver after the singer's untimely death in a plane crash in 1997. In fact, it has been safely in storage this whole time.  Second is Neil Young singing with Emmy Lou Harris, This Old Guitar. Old Black is the nickname given to Neil Young's primary electric guitar. Most of Young's electric guitar work has been recorded using this instrument. Though he has used a variety of different instruments, this Les Paul has remained ubiquitous and an obvious favorite. Young acquired Old Black in early 1968 in a trade with then Buffalo Springfield bassist, arranger, and engineer Jim Messina.  Old Black is notable for its dilapidated condition, black and gold paint worn to bare wood, corroded aluminum, brass, and nickel-plated hardware, caked fretboard, and a microphonic Firebird coil essential to its sound.  Old Black has seen considerable wear and tear over the last 50 years in Young's possession, with most of the black and original lacquer worn from the mahogany neck and generally about 40% from the body as well. An inlaid maple stripe, extending dead center on the back from the head-stock crown to the end bout, has not passed the test of time well. An additional round aluminum access plate is present on the back underneath the bridge coil, which allows access to the associated wiring. The head-stock still has the ebony fascia and inlays are still in place though worse for wear, but the creme binding has long since fallen off. The original neck P-90 is still in place with its custom-made cover that was broken on one corner in the process of attempting to fold aluminum to the proper shape.  

 PHEEBS BESIDE MY CHAIR ON THE DECK SOAKING UP THE WARM SUNSHINE

GROANER'S CORNER:(( So this reporter checks in at some old hotel smack in the middle of nowhere. Coming into the lobby, he is confronted with the strange sight of an old Indian, a whittling stick, long black hair, and reddish skin, sitting on one of the chairs as if he intends never to get up.  "That's Old Chief Forget-Me-Not," whispers the man behind the desk reverently, "he is allowed to stay here for free because he let me build my hotel on his reservation."  "Why the weird name?" whispers the reporter.  "Old Chief NEVER forgets anything that ever happened to him since he was two. Now he is 102. Fantastic memory."  Once the reporter has checked in, he decides to check out old Forget-Me-Not.  "Hey Chief!" he calls, "What'd you have for breakfast on the morning of your 21st birthday?"  "Eggs," replies the Chief without even looking up.  The reporter is so amazed, that he jumps in his car and drives at least two hours over to where his other reporter friend is staying. Once telling the story over, both reporters jump in the car and drive right back two hours to the hotel, smelling a big scoop.  On the way, the second reporter tells the first: "Why don't you address the Chief more respectfully, so he'll demonstrate to us more?"  Following his friend's advice, the first reporter greets the Chief with a resounding "HOW!!" "Scrambled," replies the Chief.

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- I went camping in the woods, but my tent smelled like feet. It was a big musky toe problem.

- Why were E.T.s eyes so big?  Because he saw the phone bill.

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The two partners in a law firm were having lunch when suddenly one of them jumped up and said, 'I have to go back to the office - I forgot to lock the safe!'  The other partner replied, 'What are you worried about? We're both here.'

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After reading the morning headlines about the recent stock market downturn, a high-powered executive trying to impress a client in his office flipped on his intercom switch and barked to his secretary, "Miss Hunter, get my broker!"  The client was impressed until he heard the secretary's clear voice saying, "Yes, Sir, stock or pawn?"

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