BEING THE SIDEWALK SUPERINTENDENT TYPES THAT WE ARE

 A BUMBLE BEE IN OUR RHODODENDRON

A big bright sunny morning, but once again we woke up to two degrees below the freezing mark.  This persistent cold air every day is really getting annoying!!!!  And, here we are, less than a week away from May.

 CEDAR BRANCHES AT THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY

 PRIMROSE IN OUR FRONT FLOWERBED

OUR FRONT YARD WHITE MAGNOLIA IS IN BLOOM

It was Richard's turn to drive so he picked me up at 9:30 and we headed off on our semi-monthly Thursday morning country road coffee run.  Our travels this morning took us up around and north of Goderich.  Despite the morning's cold air, it was a nice day for a drive and we easily put in a couple of enjoyable hours cruising around and being the sidewalk superintendent types that we are.  

 OUR HOSTAS ARE GROWING QUICKLY

 FRONT YARD FROGS

My project for this afternoon was to hook up my utility trailer and slip over to a neighbor's place and cut down a couple thick patches of last year's dead bamboo grass growing alongside her garage.  With that done and the grass loaded into the trailer and hauled off to the Park's yard waste area I was home again inside of an hour.  Nice feeling to have accomplished something today.

A late afternoon walk around the Park's pond for Pheebs and I but we didn't see the two baby Goslings.  Only one adult Canada Goose on the pond.  What sometimes happens is that shortly after Goslings are hatched and spend a day or two on the Park's pond, the parents will then walk them to a small lake a short mile east of our Park.  I think the parents know it is much safer for the little ones over there with the bigger expanse of water and no humans nearby.   

 ONLY ONE CANADA GOOSE ON THE POND TODAY

 A YOUNG PAINTED TURTLE

Al's Music Box:)) Summer Wind  The song is best known for a 1966 recording by Frank Sinatra.  The Sinatra version originally appeared on his album, Strangers in the Night.  Der Sommerwind" was a song composed in 1965 by Heinz Meier, with German language lyrics written by Hans Bradtke. The song was rewritten into English by Johnny Mercer, who had heard the song being sung by Danish singer Grethe Ingmann who had also recorded the song in her native language as "Sommervind". He wrote replacement lyrics along the same theme.  The song talks of the Sirocco wind which passes from North Africa into Southern Europe at the end of summer, and uses this as a metaphor for the changing of the seasons and the passing of time.  The best-known version of the song is by Frank Sinatra.  He had previously worked with Mercer on a number of songs, including "One for My Baby (and One More for the Road)" and Nancy Sinatra would later recall Mercer being Sinatra's favorite lyricist.  It was recorded for the singer's album Strangers in the Night, which was the final album he worked on with arranger and conductor Nelson Riddle.  The composition of Sinatra's version used both an electronic organ and a big band, and the lyrics were modified to drop the second chorus.  This was Mercer's final work to reach the top forty within the United States.  Sinatra would later re-record the song with Julio Iglesias for the 1993 album Duets.  During an appearance on The Late Show With Stephen Colbert, Bruce Springsteen said he would choose Sinatra's version of the track when asked to hypothetically pick only one song to listen to for the rest of his life. 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( My nephew was getting married to a doctor's daughter.  At the wedding reception, the father of the bride stood to read his toast, which he had scribbled on a piece of scrap paper. Several times during his speech, he halted, overcome with what I assumed was a moment of deep emotion.  But after a particularly long pause, he explained, “I'm sorry. I can't seem to make out what I've written down.”  Looking out into the audience, he asked, “Is there a pharmacist in the house?”

------------------------------------

- A man consults a therapist and states, “Doc, I’m suicidal. What should I do?”

The doctor replies, “Pay in advance.”

- “Did you hear the one about the woman who threw her toaster away because it kept burning the bread? She was black toast intolerant.”

- Little Johnny wasn't very good at spelling. During an oral spelling exam, the teacher wrote the word "new" on the blackboard.

"Now," she asked Johnny, "what word would we have if we placed a 'K' in the front?"  After a moment's reflection, Johnny said, "Canoe?"

---------------------------------

================================

THERE BETWEEN MAMA AND PAPA GOOSE WERE SWIMMING TWO LITTLE PUFFS OF YELLOW

 TWO GOSLINGS ON OUR PARK'S POND

It was an early start for just me in the Jeep this morning.  With an oil change booked for 8 a.m. at Napa True-Center AutoPro I was on the road shortly after 7:30 making my way to Goderich in a wind-driven freezing cold drizzle.  Why that miserable drizzle didn't turn to snow I don't know.  I was glad to get home later to a warm toasty house and I had no intentions of venturing outside.  However......

 LOCAL FARMERS ARE BEGINNING TO GET ON THE LAND

Skies began clearing early this afternoon so despite an icy north wind Pheebs and I set off on a walk over to the Park's pond.  

IT WAS ONLY ONE PAINTED TURTLE WE SAW ON THE PARK'S POND THIS AFTERNOON

 I ALSO SAW FOUR DUCKS BUT THEY WERE TWO DIFFERENT KINDS OF DUCKS

 A MALLARD DUCK COUPLE WITH THE FEMALE IN THE FOREGROUND

 I AM GUESSING THIS COUPLE AS BLUE-WINGED TEALS WITH THE MALE IN THE FOREGROUND

Two Canada Geese had been frequenting the area for the past month or so and in the last couple of weeks, there was only one Canada Goose by the pond which I felt sorry for.  I was sure something had happened to its partner and it was alone.  Today, I happily spotted two Canada Geese along the shoreline and figured maybe the lone Goose's mate had come back.  Not wanting to bother them, Pheebs and I began to detour around them but they quickly slipped into the water anyway.  And, that's when I saw something else and the whole mystery of the missing mate suddenly dawned on me.  It was the lone male Canada Goose I had been seeing the last couple of weeks because there between Mama and Papa Goose were swimming two little puffs of yellow.  Two baby Geese/Goslings.  Mama had been sitting on a well-hidden nest for the past few weeks.  Usually every Spring a pair of Geese will build a nest beside the pond and lay maybe half a dozen eggs but something always comes along and grabs the eggs.  I hope the two tiny babies will make it.  You can be sure Pheebs and I will be checking on the little family in the coming days.

MAMA AND PAPA GOOSE AND I THINK THAT IS MAMA SITTING IN THE GRASS BECAUSE LOOK CAREFULLY RIGHT BEHIND HER FOR A LITTLE PUFF OF YELLOW

 BY GOLLY I BELIEVE I SEE SOME BABIES

 YEP, THERE THEY ARE AND THERE'S TWO OF THEM

 LOOK CLOSELY AT THIS PHOTO AND FIND THE GOSLING

 THE BLUE-WINGED TEAL PADDLE PAST PAPA GOOSE

 THE MALLARD COUPLE PADDLE BY AS WELL

Al's Music Box:)) Do You Want To Know A Secret is a song by English rock band the Beatles from their 1963 album Please Please Me and sung by George Harrison. In the United States, it was the first top ten song to feature Harrison as lead singer.  "Do You Want to Know a Secret", written in autumn 1962, was primarily composed by John Lennon but credited to Lennon-McCartney.   The song was inspired by "I'm Wishing", a tune from Walt Disney’s 1937 animated film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs which Lennon's mother, Julia, would sing to him as a child. The first two lines of the song in Disney's movie ("Want to know a secret? Promise not to tell?") come right after the opening lyrics ("You'll never know how much I really love you... You'll never know how much I really care..."). McCartney has said it was a "50–50 collaboration written to order", i.e., for Harrison to sing, but Lennon, who always claimed the song as his own, explained in a 1980 interview that he had realized as soon as he had finished writing the song that it best suited Harrison.  In 1980, Lennon said that he gave "Do You Want to Know a Secret" to Harrison to sing because "it only had three notes and he wasn't the best singer in the world", but added "he has improved a lot since then."  The song was recorded as part of their marathon ten-hour recording session on 11 February 1963 along with nine other songs for Please Please Me.  Harrison sang two songs on Please Please Me—this song by Lennon–McCartney and "Chains" by Goffin/King. "Don't Bother Me" would be Harrison's debut composition and appeared on the Beatles' next UK album With the Beatles.  Harrison and Lennon both played acoustic guitars on the recording in different channels – on the stereo mix, Harrison's guitar was panned to the right channel while Lennon's was panned to the left.

 LOOK CLOSELY AGAIN FOR THE GOSLING

GROANER'S CORNER:((  My wife and I were dining out at a nice restaurant. I overheard the couple at the next table discussing their bill.  "Well Mary," said the man, "Near as I can figure, based of the price of the ham dinner you just ate, we got a hog back on the farm that's worth at least $137,000."

--------------------------------

- McDonald killed Burger King in front of Popeye's over that girl Wendy.  The funeral is at K.F.C.  You going??  I'm taking the Subway.

- We didn't order anything from Amazon yesterday, so the delivery guy knocked on the door to see if we were alright.

- Waiter: "I just wanted to let you know that kids eat for free".

Me: "Good, so I will have a water, and my daughter will have the steak and a kid's Bud Light.

- Got up at 5 a.m. and completed a 5 mile run.  Came home and completed a vegetable smoothie for breakfast.  Problem is, I don't remember the rest of the dream.

---------------------------------

==============================

A GREAT WAY TO INCREASE ONES GEOGRAPHICAL KNOWLEDGE

With raindrops on the windshield, I knew we wouldn't be doing a country road walk so Pheebs and I slipped into and around Bayfield this morning.  Not much going on and with rain increasing on the windshield we headed for home and stayed in for the rest of the day.  

 I THINK ROBINSON CRUSOE HIMSELF MUST HAVE WASHED ASHORE ON BAYFIELD'S BEACH OVERNIGHT

 I'M GUESSING THE RIVER BARGE AND IT'S ORANGE MACHINE HAVE FINISHED INSTALLING ALL THE BOAT DOCK POSTS INTO THE RIVER BED

 WORK CONTINUES INSTALLING THE WOODEN BOAT DOCKS

IT WON'T BE LONG BEFORE ALL THESE BOAT SLIPS WILL BE OCCUPIED

 THE FIRST BOAT OF THE SEASON

Finished my latest book by Deborah Carr entitled, Island At War.  It is described as a gripping and emotional World War Two historical novel about the hardships and difficult times of people under German occupation on the Isle of Jersey in the English Channel.  'Gripping and emotional' describes it well and I of course enjoyed the twists and unpredictable turns of the book's main characters.  This book, based on historical fact, was another example of how I enjoy using Google Maps when I'm reading.  With this book and Google Maps, I learned a lot about England's Channel Islands in the southwest area of the English Channel just off the coast of France.  With Google I can journey to the Island of Jersey and fly around the Island over the towns and villages mentioned in the book.  With 'Street View'I can land right on the streets, roads, or places the author writes about in the book.  I find this an enjoyable way to get a genuine feel for the stories I read.  I've been doing this for a while now and it's also a great way to increase one's geographical knowledge.....For a change of pace, I have next selected a book by TB Riggs entitled, Forgotten Fairey Tales. Not likely I will be using Google Maps with this one but who knows.  Reality lurks where we sometimes least expect it:))

 'ARE WE GOING FOR A WALK THIS AFTERNOON DAD'

Al's Music Box:)) My Cherie Amour is a1969 song by Motown singer-songwriter Stevie Wonder. The song was co-written by Wonder, Sylvia Moy, and Henry Cosby.  Cosby also served as producer of the song. At the end of 1969, the song was ranked number 32 for the year.  The kernel of the song, originally titled "Oh, My Marsha" (or Marcia), was written in one hour in 1966 about a girlfriend of Wonder's at the Michigan School for the Blind in Lansing, Michigan.  Tamla Records founder Berry Gordy listened to the song, and he thought it could be improved with more development.  Collaborating with Motown songwriters Cosby and Moy on the song with Wonder, Moy came up with the intriguing title, a combination of English and French in a manner reminiscent of the Beatles "Michelle" which was a massive hit in 1966.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A spiritualist who'd recently been widowed met a colleague and reported excitedly that she'd just received a message from her dead husband - asking her to send him a pack of cigarettes.  "The only thing is," she mused, "that I don't know where to send them."  "Why not?" asked her friend.  "Well, he didn't actually say that he was in Heaven - but I can't imagine he'd be in Hell."  "Hm," responded the friend. "Well, maybe I shouldn't bring this up, but. . . he didn't mention anything about including matches in the package, did he?"

---------------------------------------

As I shopped, the following announcement came over the department store's PA system... "If someone here has a convertible with the top down, it just started raining... Towels are located in aisle five."

----------------------------------

- Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.
- I drive way too fast to worry about cholesterol.
- Support bacteria. They're the only culture some people have.
- Monday is an awful way to spend 1/7 of your week.
- A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.
- Change is inevitable, except from vending machines.
- Get a new car for your spouse. It'll be a great trade!
- Plan to be spontaneous tomorrow.
----------------------------

People don't always post on my Facebook wall but when they do, they wish me happy birthday and then ignore me for another year.

----------------------------------

==============================

AN UPDATE ON THE LITTLE BLACK SQUIRREL

 A COLD MONDAY MORNING AT THE SOUTH END OF OUR PARK

Sunshine, blue skies, cold air, and icy winds.  It's always colder here than further inland at this time of year along the frigid shores of Lake Huron.  We started our morning off 2 degrees below freezing.  

 SOMETHING GOING ON IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING

 SOME KIND OF MACHINE HAS RECENTLY CHURNED UP OUR COUNTRY WALKING ROAD

 PHEEBS AND I SOON HAD TO DODGE A ROAD GRADER ON OUR WALK

DUE TO A NAVIGATIONAL ERROR, THIS RUSSIAN SUBMARINE HAS MISTAKENLY SURFACED IN A HURON COUNTY FARMER'S FIELD ON THE WEST SIDE OF TIPPERARY LINE NORTHEAST OF BAYFIELD:))

A late-breaking story on the little black squirrel turned my day around this afternoon.  After Kelly saw a neighbor's cat near our carport last evening I was pretty much convinced that it had probably caught and killed the little squirrel.  Needless to say, I felt saddened today.  Then about mid-afternoon, a knock came to our door.  It was two neighbor ladies from around the corner and down the street.  They had heard about my squirrel story yesterday and they had a story of their own for me and it explains why I couldn't find the little black squirrel late yesterday afternoon and evening.  Now, here's where my memory of what they said gets a little wobbly.  I'm not sure if it was Nancy and Scott driving down our street on the way home or if it was Nancy and Janie out for their daily walk but just about in front of our house, they saw two tiny squirrels on the road Sunday afternoon.  Not one, but two.  They stopped and the little squirrels came right to them.  One was all black and the other had some brown on it.  I think the black one for sure was my little buddy and the other one which I had not seen was probably his brother or sister.  Anyway, Nancy and Scott now have the two little fellas in a roomy enclosure in their garage and Nancy said Scott had been up several times in the night to check on the furry little guys.  They plan to keep the two young squirrels safe for a few weeks until they are bigger and able to fend for themselves before releasing them back out into the woodsy area behind their house.  After talking to Nancy and Janie this afternoon I sure felt a whole lot better.  They made my day.  Thank you ladies for dropping by with the great news and thank you Nancy and Scott for taking the small squirrels in and being kind and caring animal lovers:))))

 LATE SUNDAY MORNING AS THE LITTLE GUY HOLDS HIS GROUND AND DOESN'T TAKE ANY GUFF FROM THE ADULT SQUIRRELS

Al's Music Box:)) Fools Rush In by Rick Nelson is a popular 1940 song. The lyrics were written by Johnny Mercer with 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 highest charting single version of this song.

THE BLUE WATERS OF LAKE HURON BACKGROUND THE FORESTS AND FIELDS NORTH OF BAYFIELD

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A Canadian preacher was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute.  The substitute wanted to know what to play.  ‘Here's a copy of the service,' he said impatiently. ‘But, you'll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances.' During the service, the minister paused and said, ‘Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more. Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up.'  At that moment, the substitute organist played, *'O Canada.' 

------------------------------------

- I hate it when people act all intellectual and talk about Mozart, when they've never even seen one of his paintings.

- So my neighbor knocked on my front door at 3 am. 3AM!!! Luckily I was already up playing the bagpipes.

- Instead of cleaning my house, I just watch an episode of "The Hoarders," and think, "Wow! My house looks great."

----------------------------------

==================================