QUALITY TIME WITH HER CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN

 A QUIET FOREST STREAM

With sunshine filtering through the tall pine trees and spilling shadows across our living room floor, it was another pleasant-looking Wednesday morning that befell our quiet household.  Another day, another challenge.

Pheebs and I slowly headed east out of our Park and made our way to the north end of Bannockburn Line where we turned south onto a gravel road.  This is one of my favorite close-to-home drives because it leads through several hardwood forests with a few creek crossings, some swampiness, and the Bannockburn Conservation Area.  It continues south as far as Centennial Road.

 IN THE BANNOCKBURN CONSERVATION AREA PARKING LOT

 BECAUSE OF THE DEER FLIES AND MOSQUITOS, WE DIDN'T VENTURE FAR

 WE QUICKLY HEADED BACK TO THE CAR

We did stop and get out at the Bannockburn Conservation Area but we didn't venture too far into the area itself along the boardwalk because I knew the Deer Flies and Mosquitos in this swampy area would be thick, and they were.

 OUR SUMMER FORESTS CAN SOMETIMES LOOK LIKE A JUNGLE

 SOON BEAUTIFUL PURPLE FLOWERS WILL EMERGE FROM THESE THISTLE PODS

 APPLES ARE RIPENING

 THIS IS WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE TO DRIVE THROUGH A FOREST

Another favorite scenic but short road heads west from the Bannockburn Line to Parr Line and this road is at the extreme east end of Pavillion Road.  This short stretch of road is hilly and not as wide as normal country roads, but it's a nice quiet drive.

I SAW A LITTLE GOLDFINCH FLUTTER DOWN AND ALIGHT ON THE ROAD AHEAD BESIDE A WATER PUDDLE SO I QUICKLY STOPPED AND WAITED UNTIL IT WADED IN, HAD A DRINK OF WATER, AND FLEW MERRILY AWAY

Home shortly before noon I hauled out the lawn mower, cut some grass, used our leafblower to blow debris off the carport pad and front porch, plus I pulled a few weeds and then quickly retreated into the coolness of the house for the rest of the day.

SUMAC ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE TREES

A STAGHORN SUMAC 

Kelly's son Ben and his two boys are at Bayfield's Deerpark Lodge for a week and today, Kelly's daughter Sabra drove over from Cambridge.  They all went out for lunch at Bayfield's Renegades Diner.  Tomorrow, Kelly's other son Jason is coming up to Deerpark with his son for a couple days so Kelly is getting to spend some nice quality time with her children and grandchildren.  

 SABRA, KELLY, BEN, AND HIS TWO BOYS DARION AND KAI

 BEN'S FRIEND LELIA

Al's Music Box:))  Our Day Will Come is a popular song composed by Mort Garson with lyrics by Bob Hilliard. It was recorded by American R&B group Ruby & the Romantics in early December 1962.  The song's composers were hoping to place "Our Day Will Come" with an established easy-listening act and only agreed to let the new R&B group Ruby & the Romantics record the song after Kapp Records' A&R director Al Stanton promised that, if the Ruby & the Romantics' single failed, Kapp would record the song with Jack Jones. Stanton cut two versions of "Our Day Will Come", one with a mid-tempo arrangement and the other in a bossa nova style; the latter version, featuring a Hammond organ solo, was selected for release as a single in December 1962 and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of March 23, 1963. The personnel on the original recording were: Leroy Glover on organ; Vinnie Bell, Al Gorgoni, and Kenny Burrell on guitars, Russ and George Devens on percussion.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Mr. Jones, the elementary school principal, made it a practice to visit the classes from time to time. One day he walked into Miss Sandy Smith's 4th grade class, where the children were studying American History. Mr. Jones asked the class how many states they could name.  They came up with about 40 names. Miss Sandy Smith came up with four more.  Not impressed, Mr Jones told them that in his day students knew the names of all the states.  From the back of the room Little Johnny yelled, "Yeah, but in those days there were only 13.

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- I feel bad for lions at zoos. How would you feel if a bunch of pizzas came to your house, took your picture, and you couldn’t even eat them?

 

- Who built King Arthur’s round table? Sir Cumference. 

- It was David’s first day as a pilot. Control tower asked, “What are your coordinates?” So David said, “I’m by a cloud that looks like a lion.” So control tower says, “Can you be more specific?” So David says, “Simba.”

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A little boy went to the store with his grandmother and on the way home, he was looking at the things she had purchased. He found a package of panty hose and began to sound out the words "QUEEN SIZE".
He then turned to his grandmother and exclaimed, "Look Granny, YOU wear the same size as our bed!"

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NO SICKNESS OR HEADACHES BUT KELLY IS EXTREMELY TIRED

 A MORNING'S CEMETERY WALK

Thunder boomers came rolling through our neighborhood in the night and this morning leaving water puddles in our driveway and dripping tree branches.  By 10 o'clock the rain had stopped and skies began clearing as Pheebs and I took a drive into and around Bayfield.  Feeling like a walk, we had three options.  Head to the Bayfield Cemetery and walk the roads, or the large grass field beside it, or the forest beside the grass field.  Well, knowing both the grass field and forest would still be wet, we opted for the roads.  However, it turned out to be a short walk because cars were coming in for a morning burial service and I didn't want Pheebs running up to people with her wagging tail and her 'hey, how's it going eh' happy look on her face.  

 NOT ALL BOATS MADE IT INTO THE WATER THIS SUMMER

 SOME BOATERS MAY TRAVEL WITH HANDY BICYCLES

 ALWAYS NICE TO SEE BOATS WITH SOME COLOR TO THEM

Home again and with the humidity ramping up after the rain I hooked up the utility trailer to the Jeep and took a large accumulated load of yard waste to our Park's recycle area.  With that task out of the way, I quickly headed inside to bask in the coolness of our A/C and my big pedestal fan.  Wished we could fast forward to the middle of September and then slowly meander our way to mid-October and then fast forward again to the beginning of next May.  I sure do got a big wish and some fast forwards in there eh:))        

 WATER PUDDLES IN THE CEMETERY

Our new weather forecasting machine this afternoon said it was raining when it wasn't so I took it outside, pointed it to the sky, and told it to 'smarten up'!!  It quickly fixed itself with a little beep that sounded like 'sorry' and correctly showed a sunny sky.  I like it when things get smartened up.  I'm going to go into the washroom now, look in the mirror, and utter those two words to the image I see there.  Why am I not convinced it will work?? 

Kelly's doing sort of okay since arriving home a couple days ago.  No sickness or headaches, but she is extremely tired and is frustrated because she can hardly do anything without having to sit down and rest.  It probably has something to do with all the blood she lost last week.  Pheebs and I aren't venturing any further than a few minutes from home for a while just in case we have to make another fast trip to either the Goderich or London hospitals again.  

 'HEY, HOW'S IT GOING EH'

Al's Music Box:)) All Along The Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix.  This is a song by American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan from his eighth studio album, John Wesley Harding (1967). The song was written by Dylan and produced by Bob Johnston. The song's lyrics, which in its original version contain twelve lines, feature a conversation between a joker and a thief. The song has been subject to various interpretations; some reviewers have noted that it echoes lines in the Book of Isaiah, Chapter 21, verses 5–9. Dylan has released several different live performances, and versions of the song are included on some of his subsequent greatest hits compilations.  Covered by numerous artists, "All Along the Watchtower" is strongly identified with the interpretation Jimi Hendrix recorded with the Experience for their third studio album, Electric Ladyland (1968). The Hendrix version, released six months after Dylan's original recording, became a Top 20 single in 1968, received a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 2001, and was ranked 48th in Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2004 (40th in the 2021 version). Dylan first played the song live in concert on the 'Bob Dylan and the Band' 1974 Tour, his first tour since 1966. His live performances have been influenced by Hendrix's cover, to the extent that they have been called covers of a cover. The singer has performed the song live more than any of his other ones, with over 2,250 recitals.  

GROANER'S CORNER:(( President Lincoln was approached by a woman after a political speech… If you were my husband I would poison your tea. Lincoln replied...if you were my wife I’d gladly drink it.

- Patient: Well, doc, what does the X-ray of my head show?
Doctor: Nothing.

- Two golden-agers were discussing their husbands over tea. "I do wish that my Elmer would stop biting his nails. He makes me terribly nervous."  My Billy used to do the same things," the older woman replied, "but I broke him of that pesky habit."  "How?"  "I hid his teeth!"

- A minister parked his car in a no-parking zone in a large city because he was short of time and couldn't find a space with a meter. So he put a note under the windshield wiper that read: "I have circled the block 10 times. If I don't park here, I'll miss my appointment. FORGIVE US OUR TRESPASSES."  When he returned, he found a citation from a police officer along with this note: "I've circled this block for 10 years. If I don't give you a ticket, I'll lose my job. LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION."

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THANKS ONCE AGAIN TO ALL YOU KIND AND CARING FOLKS

 DID YOU NOTICE THE FARMER ON HIS TRACTOR CUTTING HIS FIELD OF GRASS?

A thunderstorm rolled over us around 8 a.m. this morning but it was not as bad as it had looked on our live radar weather site and it wasn't a deterrent for Pheebs and I to stay home.  We were soon on our way to Goderich.  

 THIS MORNING'S RAIN BROUGHT AN ABRUPT HALT TO THE WHEAT HARVEST

 IF YOU CAN PUT ONE BUMPER STICKER ON YOUR CAR, WHY NOT PUT A WHOLE BUNCH ON EH

 I DIDN'T ENVY THESE TWO BICYCLISTS IN THIS MORNING'S RAIN

 A QUIETLY SUBDUED MORNING AT THE BEACH

 BEACH MAINTENANCE AT ROTARY COVE

 A RAINY MORNINGS STROLL ON THE BOARDWALK

 BEACHCOMBEERS

I was on a mission to buy something I've been thinking about buying for the past decade or so.  Being the big weather blabberator that I am it's a wonder I didn't have one of these things decades before this.  A few days ago while at Richard and Gayles I noticed they had this really neat 'weather station' sitting on a table by a window.  It was the vibrant color display that bowled me over and looking at it I knew, with all its functions, the time had finally come after all these years to get one.  And, especially one that would operate during the frequent power outages we constantly experience.  We even had the power company here a couple weeks ago to check out our power box for loose wires and stuff.  The power guy told me the only loose wire around here was me.  Ya ya, I know:((  This is the weather station I picked up at Canadian Tire in Goderich this morning......La Crosse Wireless Weather Forecasting Station.  It boldly displays the current time, day, month, and year, humidity trends, phases of the Moon, air pressure trends, inside and outside temperatures, and temperature alerts.  It can also be used as an alarm clock.  It can make your morning coffee, start your car on cold mornings, and scrub your back in the shower.  Well okay, maybe not so much the last three.  It's the next model up that does all that:))       

Talked to Aunt Jean in Sarasota, Florida and she is on the mend from her bout of Covid.  Still quarantined to her room but she is hoping to be out and about shortly.  Unfortunately, Jean's best long-time friend Pat has now come down with Covid as well.  It's her second bout with Covid but she is expected to recover.

 I'VE ALWAYS ADMIRED THIS FARMER'S STONE WALL AND DID YOU NOTICE SOMETHING ODD ABOUT IT

 'AHA' THERE IT IS

 

A small correction to something I said a couple of days ago.  When I wrote that Kelly said that a lot of the hospital's medical staff were Oriental, that was incorrect.  She said a lot of them were of East Indian or Pakistani origin.   I noticed that as well the last couple times I accompanied Kelly to London's University Hospital.  Of course, University Hospital is a 'teaching' hospital and many come here from near and far for their medical training.

 A RURAL MAIL BOX

 WILDFLOWERS ALONGSIDE A WHEAT FIELD

I finished reading both Lucy Maude Montgomery's books in the Pat of Silverbush series.  Once again, I enjoyed both books immensely.  I am currently reading a book by Logan Steiner entitled After Anne. This novel is based on the story of Lucy Maude Montgomery's life and how she came about to write the 'Anne of Green Gables series of books plus the many other Prince Edward Island related books in her lifetime.  

Our day remained cloudy for a while but when the Sun came out this afternoon it really ramped up the miserable humidity so there was no afternoon walk for Pheebs and I.   

HER NAME IS STEPHANIE

Thanks once again to all of you kind and caring folks for your concern regarding Kelly's recent hospitalization.  These are difficult times not knowing what growing medical challenges await her around every corner.

MALE AND FEMALE CARDINALS AT OUR BIRD STATION TODAY

 MOURNING DOVE

 A YOUNG GRACKLE WHO HASN'T GROWN IN IT'S ADULT COLORS YET

Al's Music Box:)) Lovesick Blues by Hank Williams is a Tin Pan Alley song, composed by Cliff Friend, with lyrics by Irving Mills.  Emmett Miller recorded it in 1925 and 1928, followed by country music singer Rex Griffin in 1939. The recordings by Griffin and Miller inspired Hank Williams to perform the song during his first appearances on the Louisiana Hayride radio show in 1948. Receiving an enthusiastic reception from the audience, Williams decided to record his own version despite initial push back from his producer Fred Rose (a former 1920s Tin Pan Alley songwriter) and his band.  Cashbox named the song "Best Hillbilly Record of the Year". It was the biggest hit of Hank Williams' career.  Hank Williams, who heard both the Miller and Griffin versions, started performing the song on the Louisiana Hayride shortly after joining the Hayride in August 1948.  Horace Logan, the show's producer and programming director for KWKH, reported that the audience "went crazy" the first time Williams performed the song on the show.  In light of the live audience's strong positive reaction, Williams decided to record the song. His decision was questioned by his musicians, who felt that the song did not merit a recording.  Williams, mindful of the reaction he received live, persisted, and the recording took place during the final half-hour of a session recorded at Herzog Studio in Cincinnati, Ohio on December 22, 1948.  For this recording, Williams replaced the jazz musicians with a modern country music band, using a rhythm guitar, mandolin, string bass, drums and a steel guitar.  Williams' session band was composed of Clyde Baum (mandolin), Zeke Turner (electric guitar), Jerry Byred (steel guitar), Louis Innis (rhythm guitar), Tommy Jackson (fiddle) and Willie Thawl (bass).   In the episode of American Masters about Williams, Drifting Cowboy Don Helms recalls, "When they recorded 'Lovesick Blues,' Fred told Hank, 'That song's out of meter!  Got too many bars in it. And you hold that note too long.' And Hank said, 'Well, when I find a note I like, I wanna hold on to it as long as I can,' you know, just tryin' to be funny. And Fred said, 'Well, I'll tell you what I'm gonna do. That thing is so much out of meter, I'm gonna get me a cup of coffee and when I get back maybe ya'll have that thing cut.' And they did, but it was still out of meter. So Fred lived with that the rest of his life." Williams combined Griffin's lyrical arrangement with a two-beat honky-tonk track, borrowing the yodeling and beat drops from Miller's recording.  "Lovesick Blues" was recorded in two takes.  Following the success of the song, Williams was invited to appear as a guest on the Grand Ole Opry, on June 11, 1949.  After the performance, Williams received a standing ovation.  "Lovesick Blues" became his signature song, which he used to close his shows.  It was also his first number-one hit, and garnered Williams the stage nicknames of "The Lovesick Blues Boy" and "Mr. Lovesick Blues".  In 1949, the singer received second billing behind Eddy Arnold on the list of the "Year's Top Selling Folk Artists".  Williams' version of the song was featured in the films The Last Picture Show (1971), Forrest Gump (1994) and The Shawshank Redemption (1994). In 2004, "Lovesick Blues" was added to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Information for Northerners Visiting the Southern States::

1. If you run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in a four-wheel-drive pickup truck with a 12-pack of beer and a towchain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them, just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

2. Don't be surprised to find movie rentals and bait in the same store. Do not buy food at this store.

3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular, "All y'all" is plural, and "All y'alls'" is plural possessive.

4. Get used to hearing "You ain't from around here, are ya?"

5. You may hear a Southerner say "Oughta!" to a dog or child. This is short for "Y'all oughta not do that!" and is the equivalent of saying "No!"

6. Don't be worried about not understanding what people are saying; they can't understand you, either.

7. The first Southern expression to creep into a transplanted Northerner's vocabulary is the adjective "big ol'," as in "big ol' truck " or "big ol' boy." Most Northerners begin their new Southern-influenced dialect this way. All of them are in denial about it.

8. The proper pronunciation you learned in school is no longer proper.

9. Be advised that "He needed killin'" is a valid defense here.

10. If you hear a Southerner exclaim "Hey, y'all, watch this," stay out of the way. These are likely to be the last words he'll ever say.

11. If there is the prediction of the slightest chance of even the smallest accumulation of snow, your presence is required at the local grocery store. It doesn't matter whether you need anything or not. You just have to go there.

12. When you come upon a person driving 15 mph down the middle of the road, remember that most folks here learn to drive on a John Deere, and that this is the proper speed and position for that vehicle.

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- I just had a call from a Charity asking me to donate some of my clothes to the starving people throughout the world.  I told them to buzz off!!!!!  Anybody who fits into my  clothes isn't starving!!

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