STANDING ON A COUNTRY ROAD IN MY PAJAMAS AND HOUSECOAT UNDER A COLD NIGHT SKY

So it was 10:45 last night and there I was in my pajamas and house coat about a mile from home standing on a country road under a cold night sky.  Kelly and Pheebs didn't even know I had left the house.  Oh geezzz, was I running away from home??  Nope, a friend had just sent me a picture of the Aurora Borealis solar storm and I suddenly remembered hearing something about a serious solar flare happening this weekend.  Not being able to see much here in the pine forest and despite being dressed for bed I quickly slipped out the door, hopped into the Subaru, and headed out into the countryside east of our Park to have a look.  I could see the green and burgundy Northern Lights stretching up out of the north and flaring right up over my head and a touch southward.  Not the most spectacular Northern Lights I have ever seen but still very impressive. I thought to myself, 'I hope a police car doesn't come along, pull over, and ask me what I'm doing standing on the road in my pajamas and housecoat with untied shoes, and no socks'!! I took a few shakey pics (I forgot to take my tripod) which aren't the best but I've included them anyway to demonstrate something. 

 THIS IS CLOSE TO HOW MY EYES SAW THE BRIGHTNESS AND COLOR OF THE SOLAR STORM....THE ORANGE COLOR BLOB AT BOTTOM LEFT IS A FARM ABOUT HALF A MILE AWAY AND THE WHITE DOT IN THE SKY IS THE MOON

 THIS IS WHAT THE SKY LOOKED LIKE AFTER USING MY PHOTO EDITING PROGRAM TO LIGHTEN THE SKY A TOUCH AND ADD SOME 'CONTRAST' TO BRING OUT THE COLORS

 HERE'S SOMETHING FROM MICHIGAN WEATHER TO EXPLAIN THE SOLAR COLORS

For me, it was all systems go this morning with no disturbing or distracting aches and pains.  A true but temporary bonus now for so many of us at this stage in these aging days.

A RAINY MORNING ALONG BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

A cloudy wet and rainy Saturday morning but at least the temperature was at 52F instead of Friday morning when it was 43F.  However, with all the moisture in the air, it felt cold and damp all day.  Regardless, Pheebs and I followed the Jeep's windshield wipers into Bayfield and back for a short Jeep ride.  Home again, I fired up our little gas stove in the sunroom and mainly spent the rest of the day tipped back in my recliner reading.  Thank heavens for my reading hobby or I would have been climbing the walls because it pretty much rained for the rest of the day.  And, at publishing time tonight....it's still raining.  Needless to say, with the thick cloud cover over us there will be no seeing the solar storm phenomenon tonight:((

DESPITE THE POURING RAIN, THIS HARDY FISHERMAN ON BAYFIELD'S SOUTH PIER WASN'T GIVING UP

BOATS ARE BEGINNING TO FILL UP THE BOAT DOCKING AREA ALONG THE BAYFIELD RIVER

Al's Music Box:)) Born Free was written for the 1966 film of the same name and won an Academy Award for the Best Original Song.  The song's composers, John Barry and Don Black, asked British singer Matt Monro, who was managed by Black at the time, to record the song for the film's soundtrack. The producers of the film considered the song uncommercial, however, and deleted it from the print shown at its Royal Command premiere in London. When Monro, who attended the event, made Black aware of the edit, they successfully lobbied the producers to restore it. Monro's interpretation appeared over the closing credits in a shortened version recorded especially for the film, which enabled it to qualify for the Academy Award. Monro's complete commercial recording was released on the film's soundtrack album and became the singer's signature tune for the remainder of his career.

 I NEONIZED THIS LOWER ARM AND HAND REACHING DOWN OUT OF LAST NIGHT'S SKY..... IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY SHAKEY THROW AWAY SHOT I TOOK OF THE HALF MOON

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Throughout the centuries, mothers have been given their children plenty of good advice and notable quotes. Here's just a small sampling:

PAUL REVERE'S MOTHER: "I don't care where you think you have to go, young man. Midnight is past your curfew!"

MARY, MARY, QUITE CONTRARY'S MOTHER: "I don't mind you having a garden, Mary, but does it have to be growing under your bed?"

MONA LISA'S MOTHER: "After all that money your father and I spent on braces, Mona, that's the biggest smile you can give us?"

HUMPTY DUMPTY'S MOTHER: "Humpty, If I've told you once, I've told you a hundred times not to sit on that wall. But would you listen to me? Noooo!"

COLUMBUS' MOTHER: "I don't care what you've discovered, Christopher. You still could have written!"

BABE RUTH'S MOTHER: "Babe, how many times have I told you -- quit playing ball in the house! That's the third broken window this week!"

MICHELANGELO'S MOTHER: "Mike, can't you paint on walls like other children? Do you have any idea how hard it is to get that stuff off the ceiling?"

NAPOLEON'S MOTHER: "All right, Napoleon. If you aren't hiding your report card inside your jacket, then take your hand out of there and prove it!"

CUSTER'S MOTHER: "Now, George, remember what I told you -- don't go biting off more than you can chew!"

ABRAHAM LINCOLN'S MOTHER: "Again with the stovepipe hat, Abe? Can't you just wear a baseball cap like the other kids?"

BARNEY'S MOTHER: "I realize strained plums are your favorite, Barney, but you're starting to look a little purple."

MARY'S MOTHER: "I'm not upset that your lamb followed you to school, Mary, but I would like to know how he got a better grade than you."

BATMAN'S MOTHER: "It's a nice car, Bruce, but do you realize how much the insurance is going to be?"

GOLDILOCKS' MOTHER: "I've got a bill here for a busted chair from the Bear family. You know anything about this, Goldie?"

LITTLE MISS MUFFET'S MOTHER: "Well, all I've got to say is if you don't get off your tuffet and start cleaning your room, there'll be a lot more spiders around here!"

ALBERT EINSTEIN'S MOTHER: "But, Albert, it's your senior picture. Can't you do something about your hair? Styling gel, mousse, something...?"

GEORGE WASHINGTON'S MOTHER: "The next time I catch you throwing money across the Potomac, you can kiss your allowance good-bye!"

JONAH'S MOTHER: "That's a nice story, but now tell me where you've really been for the last three days."

SUPERMAN'S MOTHER: "Clark, your father and I have discussed it, and we've decided you can have your own telephone line. Now will you quit spending so much time in all those phone booths?"

THOMAS EDISON'S MOTHER: "Of course I'm proud that you invented the electric light bulb, Thomas. Now turn off that light and get to bed!"

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PHEEBS TOOK ME FOR A WALK AROUND THE PARK'S POND

As hoped for, the pain in my lower back was gone when I woke up this morning.  Some days are just luckier than others I guess.  At 43F I was into my winter duds again before Pheebs and I headed out to slip around a few sunny country roads with Pheebs window down and the heater on.

 SPRING IS A BUSY TIME FOR FARMERS

 I'M NOT SURE WHAT EYE-POPPING CROP  THIS IS BUT CANOLA COMES TO MIND

 WE WANDERED AROUND SOME NICE SPRING TIME COUNTRY ROADS THIS MORNING

 APPLE BLOSSOMS

 A YOUNG MAPLE TREE MAKING IT'S WAY SKYWARD FROM A FOREST FLOOR

It was alongside Kerr's Campground at the southernmost end of the Bannockburn Line where the road leads into a dead-end service road for Kerr's Campground.  The road goes past the campground and peters out in a swampy forest and that's where Pheebs and I parked the Jeep and headed south along a dirt farm lane between a forest and open fields.  It's a nice walking spot and we haven't been there since last year.  It's not a good walking spot in the summer because of mosquitoes.  Pheebs was fine on her walk because she had a whole host of new smells to check out.  Like me, I think she gets bored sometimes at our usual country road morning spot when all we do is walk up the road and back again.  I get bored with that too sometimes because I'm not one much for walking just for the sake of walking.  Like Pheebs, I like to mosey along stopping to look at this and that, hear the sounds of nature around me, and get off the beaten path to see what's around the next clump of trees or cluster of boulders.  I joined a hiking club one time back in the late eighties, went on one 'speedball hike,' and never went back.  The problem was, I kept wanting to stop and look at stuff.  I later joined The Stratford Field Naturalist Club and fit right in with those folks and their much slower and very informative nature walks.  I actually led one of those walks at the Bannockburn Conservation Area in 1989 I think it was.

I LIKE THIS PEACEFUL DEAD-END ROAD WITH NO TRAFFIC OR PEOPLE NOISE

 A BERGUNDY COLORED TRILLIUM

 A  BUSY BUMBLE BEE

 A DANDELION TRIO WITH A FLY

 PHEEBS DID GREAT ON HER WALK THIS MORNING AND AGAIN THIS AFTERNOON

A WATER PUDDLE ARROW POINTS AT THE PHEEBS

Home again, it was puttering I was restricted to.  I'm beginning to suspect I may have a problem with my right knee and like my hip, it probably has to do with arthritis.  After about forty minutes outside today I had to come in and rest that leg.  I've had trouble on and off with that knee before and I think X-rays about six years ago showed that I had some minor arthritis in it at the time.  Discouraging.

Luckily, after staying off my feet for a few hours, Pheebs took me for a walk around the Park's pond and my leg was okay although I did stop for a rest at a newly placed bench on the west side of the pond.  We saw five Painted Turtles, one Muskrat, Two Canada Geese, and a Crow.

 A FEW MORE PHOTOS FROM THE DRIVER'S SEAT THIS MORNING

Al's Music Box:)) When Will I Be Loved is a popular song written by Phil Everly of the Everly Brothers, who had a US top-ten hit with it in 1960.  The track had been recorded while the duo were contracted to Cadence Records; they moved to Warner Brothers and rerecorded it in a more mainstream pop/rock style. The belated release by Cadence of "When Will I Be Loved" provided the Everly Brothers with a final rockabilly-style hit.  The session, produced by Archie Bleyer, took place on February 18, 1960, at the RCA Studio in Nashville. Those present at the session included:

• Don Everly – guitar, vocals
• Phil Everly – guitar, vocals
• Chet Atkins, guitar
• Hank Garland, guitar
• Luther Brandon, guitar
• Lightnin Chance, bass
• Buddy Harman, drums
• Floyd Cramer, piano

 TRILLIUM FLOWER

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Golf Meditations::

- If you really want to get better at golf, go back and take it up at a much earlier age.
- Since bad shots come in groups of three, a fourth bad shot is actually the beginning of the next group of three.
- No matter how bad you are playing, it is always possible to play worse.

- When your shot has to carry over a water hazard, you can either hit one more club or two more balls.

- A golf match is a test of your skill against your opponent's luck.
- Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe.
- You can put “draw” on the ball, you can put “fade” on the ball, but no golfer can put “straight” on the ball.
- Don't buy a putter until you've had a chance to throw it.

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Q: Why did the chicken cross the playground?

A: To get to the other slide.

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Catholic Definitions::
- Choir: A group of people whose singing allows the rest of the congregation to lip-sync.
- Holy Water: A liquid whose chemical formula is H2OLY.
- Hymn: A song of praise, usually sung in a key three octaves higher than that of the congregation’s range.
- Incense: Holy Smoke!
- Jesuits: An order of priests known for their ability to found colleges with good basketball teams.
- Jonah: The original “Jaws” story.
- Justice: When your children have kids of their own.
- Kyrie Eleison: The only Greek words that most Catholics an recognize besides gyros and baklava.
- Magi: The most famous trio to attend a baby shower.
- Manger:
1- Where Mary gave birth to Jesus because Joseph wasn’t covered by an HMO.
2- The Bible’s way of showing us that holiday travel has always been rough.
- Pew: A medieval torture device still found in Catholic Churches.
- Procession: The ceremonial formation at the beginning of Mass, consisting of altar servers, the celebrant, and late parishioners looking for seats.
- Recessional: The ceremonial procession at the conclusion of Mass—lead by parishioners trying to beat the crowd to the parking lot.
- Relics: People who have been going to Mass for so long that they actually know when to sit, kneel, and stand.
- Ten Commandments: The most important Top Ten list not produced by David Letterman.
- Ushers: The only people in the parish who don’t know the seating capacity of a pew.

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