LOW ENERGY DAYS

Our cool sunny morning turned into a much cooler rainy afternoon and evening.  I moved ahead on my stone border project in the front yard before the rain came.  

 A FEW PICS FROM AROUND OUR PARK THIS MORNING

Al's Music Box:)) A White Sport Coat is a 1957 country and western song with words and music both written by Marty Robbins. It was recorded at the Bradley Studios in Nashville, Tennessee on January 25, 1957, and released on the Columbia Records label on March 4. The arranger and recording session conductor was Ray Conniff, an in-house conductor/arranger at Columbia. Robbins had demanded to have Conniff oversee the recording after his earlier hit, "Singing the Blues", had been quickly eclipsed on the charts by Guy Mitchell's cover version, which was scored and conducted by Conniff in October 1956.  Robbins recalled writing "A White Sport Coat" in approximately twenty minutes while being transported in a standard automobile. He is said to have had the inspiration for the song while driving from a motel to a venue in Ohio, where he was due to perform that evening. During the course of the journey, he passed a local high school, where its students were dressed ready for their prom.  In the song, the narrator was hoping to go to the prom with a certain girl, wearing a white sport coat and a pink carnation. However, the girl decided to go to the prom with another guy, putting the narrator in a blue mood.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Twenty-one reasons why English is hard to learn

1. The bandage was wound around the wound.
2. The farm was used to produce produce.
3. The dump was so full it had to refuse more refuse.
4. We must polish the Polish furniture.
5. He could lead if he would get the lead out.
6. The soldier decided to desert his dessert in the desert.
7. Since there was no time like the present, he thought it was time to present the present.
Read more on page:

8. A bass was painted on the head of the bass drum.
9. When shot at, the dove dove into the bushes.
10. I did not object to the object.
11. The insurance was invalid for the invalid.
12. There was a row among the oarsmen on how to row.
13. They were too close to the door to close it.
14. The buck does funny things when does are present.
15. A seamstress and a sewer fell down into a sewer line.
16. To help with planting, the farmer taught his sow to sow.
17. The wind was too strong to wind the sail.
18. After a number of injections my jaw got number.
19. Upon seeing the tear in the painting I shed a tear.
20. I had to subject the subject to a series of tests.
21. How can I intimate this to my most intimate friend?

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

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

TODAY, I SUSPECT IT WAS A BIT OF BOTH

 ROADSIDE PEONIES

Under cool, bordering on cold moody skies, Pheebs and I followed a smattering of rain to Goderich.  And yes, I had a scratch of heat on in the Jeep.  

 IT WAS A BIG SKY MOODY MORNING

Grabbed a coffee to go at McD's and took a spin down around the harbor.  It was a cold wind coming in off Lake Huron.  On the lake's horizon, skies looked stormy over the State of Michigan to the west.  A quick stop at Goderich's 'Zehrs Supermarket' and we headed home.

 IT LOOKS LIKE MICHIGAN MAY BE HAVING STORMY WEATHER WAY OVER THERE ACROSS LAKE HURON

It was perfect weather for working outside today but alas, I couldn't seem to drag myself out of my tiredness.  Sometimes it is hard to tell if it's a tiredness of mind or tiredness of body.  Today, I suspect it was a bit of both.

Finished the last book in the Emily Of Blue Moon trilogy a couple days ago.  It was another one of those books that I wished would never end.  Readers already know how much I like author Lucy Maude Montgomery's writing so there is no need for me to say more here.   I'm well into my next book entitled, The Oceanography Of The Moon by author, Glendy Vanderah  I'm not quite sure what to think of this book yet.  

Al's Music Box:)) You Were On My Mind is a popular song by the We Five written by Sylvia Fricker in 1961.  It was originally recorded by Ian & Sylvia, but better-known versions were recorded by the We Five and Crispian St. Peters.  The song was written in a bathtub in a suite at the Hotel Earle in Greenwich Village. Fricker wrote it, her first composition, in the bathroom because "it was the only place the cockroaches would not go".  In 1965, the song was covered by an up-tempo version, with slightly altered lyrics and melody, by the California pop quintet We Five. The performance by We Five is noteworthy for the gradual buildup in intensity, starting off somewhat flowing and gentle, increasing in intensity in the third stanza and remaining so through the fourth stanza. The fifth and final stanza starts off gently and concludes very intensely, ending with a series of guitar chords.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  An elderly, but hardy cattleman from Texas once told a young female neighbor that if she wanted to live a long life, the secret was to sprinkle a pinch of gunpowder on her oatmeal each morning. She did this religiously and lived to the ripe old age of 103. She left behind 14 children, 30 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren and a 40-foot hole in the ground where the crematorium used to be.

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

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

WE ARE BOTH AVID 'FRESH AIR INSPECTORS'

 A GREEN BACKED HERON AT OUR PARK'S POND THIS AFTERNOON

A rainy start to the day which began clearing up shortly after 9 a.m.  My turn to drive this morning so Richard and I headed off under blue skies south on Highway 21 through Bayfield where we picked up our Hortons coffee and muffins to go.  Continuing south we popped into all the short sideroads between the Highway and the lake.  It's always interesting to see all the cottages, properties, landscaping, and million-dollar homes nestled into the forested woodlots along the shoreline of Lake Huron.  By the way, both Richard and I are avid 'Fresh Air Inspectors' also sometimes known as 'Sidewalk Superintendents' or 'Strawbosses'.  Our combined expertise in this field lends itself well to our thoughts and opinions about everything that we see along the way:))

With cooler air and a nice breeze upon us this afternoon I was able to finish up the grass cutting and weed whacking.  Even had enough energy left over to do a Park pond walk with Pheebs.  I had started a small front yard flower bed edging project early last week and if I keep up my current lackadaisical pace I might even be able to finish it by Christmas.   

 PHEEBS AND I STOPPED AT THE 'REST-A-BIT BENCH AGAIN TODAY

 LASER FOCUSED ON A FISH OR A FROG

Ellen's Groove:)) Summer Jam with Ellen and friends including her Dad on lead guitar. 

Al's Music Box:))  So Much In Love is a song written by George Williams, Billy Jackson, and Roy Straigis (initially under the name John Joseph). It was originally performed by Williams's American soul vocal group the Tymes and was released in the summer of 1963 on Cameo Parkway Records, which produced many pre-Beatles hits of the 60s. It quickly became The Tymes' first hit single.

 IT LOOKS LIKE THIS GREEN BACKED HERON HAS SPAGHATTI TOES

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Prison vs. Work::

- IN PRISON...you spend the majority of your time in an 8x10 cell.  

AT WORK...you spend most of your time in a 6x8 cubicle.

- IN PRISON...you get three meals a day.

AT WORK...you only get a break for one meal and you have to pay for it.

- IN PRISON...you get time off for good behavior. AT WORK...you get rewarded for good behavior with more work.  

IN PRISON...a guard locks and unlocks all the doors for you.

AT WORK...you must carry around a security card and unlock and open all the doors yourself.

- IN PRISON...you can watch TV and play games.  

AT WORK...you get fired for watching TV and playing games.

- IN PRISON...they allow your family and friends to visit.  

AT WORK...you cannot even speak to your family and friends.

- IN PRISON...you spend most of your life looking through bars from the inside wanting to get out.  

AT WORK...you spend most of your time wanting to get out and go inside bars.

- IN PRISON...there are wardens who are often sadistic.  

AT WORK...they are called managers.

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

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

I WAS QUITE ALRIGHT WITH THAT

OUR COUNTRY ROAD WALKING SPOT

It was Subie on the road again this morning but this time it was Kelly herself at the wheel.  She had a minor dentist appointment in Exeter and felt quite confident that she could drive there and back herself.  And, she did.  Under 70F cloudy morning skies, Pheebs and I headed to our country road walking spot and almost got our half-mile walk in before raindrops turned us around.  Heading home, the raindrops dried up and a few hours later the sun was out for a brief period.  Before the temps climbed any higher, I cut some grass, whacked some weeds, and blew all the pine pollen out of our carport and off our front porch and deck.  Even that little bit of outside activity on this humid morning drained my energy.  Today's afternoon was a repeat of Tuesday's afternoon.  And, I was quite alright with that.

Al's Music Box:)) Reminiscing is a song by Australian soft rock music group Little River Band, released in June 1978 as the second single from their fourth studio album Sleeper Catcher. The song was written by the band's rhythm guitarist Graeham Goble, and sung by their lead singer Glenn Shorrock.   In 2005, Goble spoke of his inspiration and recording of the song, saying "I loved watching old black and white movies, and I always also loved the music of Glenn Miller and Cole Porter, that whole era of writing, and it was my attempt to write a song to depict the romantic era. It came out very quickly, I wrote it in about half an hour. Even though a lot of people think it sounds complicated, on the guitar it's very simple to play. It nearly never got recorded – when the time came to record it, the keyboard player I wanted to use, Peter Jones, was out of town, so we cut the band track with a different keyboard player. It didn't work. A few days later when we tried it again with a different keyboard player, again it didn't work, and the band was losing interest in the song. Just before the album was finished, Peter Jones came back into town, the band and I had an argument because I wanted to give Reminiscing a third chance. Peter played on it, we cut it and finished it, and sent the album to Capitol. Capitol said that they couldn't hear any singles on the album, and didn't know what to release. Five weeks later, someone at Capitol's New York office said 'You're all crazy, Reminiscing is a smash.' Capitol put it out, and it immediately caught fire, and became our highest chart hit." Goble added, "It's quite staggering; you don't realize you've written something like that until it happens, until it's history."

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A Sunday school teacher asked her students to draw a picture of their favorite Old Testament story. As she moved around the class, she saw there were many wonderful drawings being done. Then she came across the drawing of one little boy. He was busy drawing a man driving an old car. In the backseat were two passengers—both scantily dressed.”  "It's a lovely picture,” prompted the teacher, “but which story does it tell?”  The little boy seemed surprised at the question. “Well,” he exclaimed, “doesn't it say in the Bible that God drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden?”

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

Teacher: "Johnny, if you have $20 in one pant pocket, and $35 in the other pant pocket, what do you have?"
Johnny: "That's easy, I have someone else's pants!"

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

A priest and an astronomer find themselves sitting together on a night flight. After introductions and a long gaze out the window, the astronomer asks the priest, "Can't all religions be summed up by stating the Golden Rule?" The priest pauses a bit and asks the astronomer, "Can't all astronomy be summed up by singing ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’?”

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

"I hope you didn't take it personally, Reverend," an embarrassed woman said after a church service, "when my husband walked out during your sermon."  "I did find it rather disconcerting," the preacher replied.  "It's not a reflection on you," insisted the church goer. "Ralph has been been walking in his sleep since childhood."
---------------------------------

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

WELL, SOME OF THEM ANYWAY

 KELLY BROUGHT THIS HOME FROM THE MENNONITE MARKET TODAY

No need for a touch of heat in the Jeep this morning and being the first week of June I'd say it's about time.  In fact, weather forecasters called for a humid day, and so it was.  Pheebs and I ambled ourselves around a few country roads without taking any photos.  That's not always a good sign when my mind is not automatically scanning my surroundings for photos.  Home again, it was Subie and I off and running again.  I had an eye exam appointment at Clinton's Huron Optimetric with Dr. Weaver who seems to me to be a genuinely nice fellow.  I aced the eye exam and he had only good things to say about my eyes and their condition.  No need to update my glasses prescription.  I guess at nearly 80 I should once again be counting my lucky stars.  I'm almost willing to believe that I am in better shape than what I think I am.  But, if it wasn't for my complaining some days, I wouldn't have much to write about.  Coming home I took the quiet backroads crawling along with the windows down and the Moonroof open.  No A/C for this turkey and no chance of blowing myself out of the car at 10 mph either.  We got up to 81F today.

 A FEW PHOTOS LEFT OVER FROM MONDAY'S POND AND BEYOND WALK

Waaaay too hot for me to be outside this afternoon so I didn't feel guilty about staying inside tipped back in my sunroom recliner reading with a fan blowing cool air on me.  I'm almost kinda getting to like these Senior days.  Well, some of them anyway.    

Al's Music Box:)) The Tracks Of My Tears is a song written by Smokey Robinson, Pete Moore, and Marv Tarplin. It is a multiple award-winning 1965 hit R&B song originally recorded by their group, The Miracles, on Motown's Tamla label. The Miracles' million-selling original version has been inducted into The Grammy Hall of Fame, has been ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America and The National Endowment for the Arts at No. 127 in its list of the "Songs of the Century" – the 365 Greatest Songs of the 20th Century, and has been selected by Rolling Stone as No. 50 on its list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", among many other awards.  In 2021, Rolling Stone ranked the Miracles' original recording of "The Tracks of My Tears" as "The Greatest Motown Song of All Time".  In the five-LP publication The Motown Story, by Motown Records, Robinson explained the origin of this song in these words: "'Tracks of My Tears' was actually started by Marv Tarplin, who is a young cat who plays guitar for our act. So he had this musical thing [sings melody], you know, and we worked around with it, and worked around, and it became 'Tracks of My Tears'." Tarplin's guitar licks at the song's intro are among the most famous in pop music history.

 A STRAWBERRY PIE

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Two children went into their parent's bathroom and noticed the scale in the corner.  "Whatever you do," cautioned one child to the younger one, "don't step on it!"  "Why not?" asked the sibling.  "Because every time mom does, she lets out an awful scream!"

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

She: "Sweetheart, what's your gift for our 25th anniversary?"
He: "A trip to Thailand."
She: "That's amazing! And what about when we hit our 50th anniversary?" she asked.
He: "That's when I come back to get you."

- If you can show me a man with a comb-over, I can show you a man who thinks that by crushing a bag of chips, you make more chips.

- Did you hear about the old man whose birthday one year lasted only one minute?  It was his sixty-second birthday.

- I am looking for someone to brush their teeth with me.  I am really concerned after I found out that 9 out of 10 dentists say brushing alone won't reduce cavities.

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

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