MADE A SUBARU TIRE DECISION AND KELLY HOLDS HER OWN FOR THE DAY

Try as I did, I could not push myself out the door last night.  The Northern Lights had been in the sky Sunday night and the Perseid Meteor shower was at its peak Monday night but I was just too darn tired to get myself out the door, down the road, and out under the starry night sky.  I hope this tiredness goes away soon!!

 A SINGLE SHAFT OF  MONDAY EVENING SUNLIGHT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH OUR PINE TREES AND LIGHTLY TOUCHES UPON A FEW OLD COLORED BOTTLES IN OUR FRONT YARD

We sure have had a series of beautiful sunny mornings this summer and this morning was no exception.  Kelly made it around the block with Pheebs again but it really tired her out.

 AN EARLY TOUCH OF AUTUMN

Pheebs and I headed straightaway to Clinton's Huron Tirecraft to get a quote on four new tires for the Subaru.  Luckily a friend of ours and a former Subaru owner had sent us an email suggesting the Michelin Cross Climate 2 tires which he installed on his Subaru when he had it.  I did a lot of reading about tires and checked the reviews on the Cross Climate 2 Michelin tires. The reviews were good.  They are not summer, seasonal, or winter tires.  They are classed as 'weather' tires and are designed for year-round performance.  At Huron Tirecraft I didn't pull the trigger on my tire decision just yet.  I had a second place to go and a second quote to get.  

 TENT CATERPILLARS SEEN ON OUR DRIVE THIS MORNING

From Huron Tirecraft, Pheebs and I slipped through Tim Hortons for a coffee to go, topped up the gas tank in Clinton's north end, and set a scenic roundabout course for Goderich.  Traveling in a northerly direction on Bass Line road, we soon turned west onto Little Lakes Road and ambled our way over Ball's Bridge.  How great I thought to myself to be out and about in the countryside taking in all of the morning's beautiful scenery.  It was while making our way slowly along this gravel road that I took most of today's photos.  

 ABOUT TO VENTURE ACROSS BALLS BRIDGE

 A LONE INUKSHUK SENTINAL STANDS STRONG IN THE MAITLAND RIVER

 A COUPLE FISHERMEN ON THE BANKS OF THE RIVER

 REGARDLESS OF WHETHER HE CATCHES ANY FISH, AT LEAST THIS FELLA HAS GOT HIMSELF A COUPLE OF SOAKERS TO TAKE  HOME

 BALLS BRIDGE HAS ONE OF THESE PLANTERS AT  EACH OF ITS FOUR CORNERS

Our second tire destination after traveling through the picturesque hamlet of Ben Mill was Goderich's Canadian Tire Store.  I had a feeling Canadian Tire might have a better price on the tires I was looking for.  And they did.  So, I have an appointment this Friday to have the new tires installed at Canadian Tire and as part of the deal, they have a reduced price on the undercoating of the Subaru as well.  That's a bonus because I had planned to have the Subie undercoated at Canadian Tire this Fall anyway.  Undercoating goes a long way in helping to prevent and slow down rust from all the salt they use on the roads here during the Winter.  Pheebs and I were home before noon.

 BUSH LANE LEADING TO A PASTURE

 LILY PADS AT THE LITTLE LAKES

This afternoon, Kelly had a short dental appointment in Exeter so I drove her there for that.  She was in and out of that dentist chair in well less than half an hour.  On the way home we stopped at Zurich's Jerry Rader's Homestyle Catering and Market and stocked up on a number of food items.  We had so much stuff that I think we broke the bank.  Following our stop in Zurich we made a quick stop at Bayfield's Farm Little for a dozen eggs.  We rolled into our driveway minutes later and Kelly was glad to be home.  She needed to lay down for a rest..............      

 PHEEBS AND I STOPPED TO HAVE A LOOK AT THIS OLD BUILDING WHICH MIGHT HAVE ONCE BEEN A LONG AGO SCHOOLHOUSE

 IF ONLY THESE OLD WALLS COULD TALK

 I WONDER IF BATS ROOST IN THOSE RAFTERS 

Al's Music Box:)) Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow is a song with words by Gerry Goffin and music composed by Carole King. It was recorded in 1960 by the Shirelles at Bell Sound Studios in New York City, and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was the first by an African-American all-girl group to reach number one in the United States.  In 1960, the American girl group released the first version of the song with "Boys" on the B-side. The single's first pressing was labeled simply "Tomorrow", then lengthened later. When first presented with the song, lead singer Shirley Owens (later known as Shirley Alston-Reeves) did not want to record it, because she thought it was "too country". She relented after a string arrangement was added. However, Owens recalled on Jim Parsons's syndicated classic radio program, Shake Rattle Showtime, that some radio stations had banned the record because they had felt the lyrics were too sexually charged.  This version of the song, with session musicians Paul Griffin on piano and Gary Chester on drums, was ranked at No. 126 among Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Billboard named the song No. 3 on its list of 100 Greatest Girl Group Songs of All Time.

GROANER'S CORNER:((A police officer pulls over a speeding car. The officer says, "I clocked you at 120 kilometres per hour, sir."  The driver says, "Gee, officer, I had it on cruise control at 100 kilometres, perhaps your radar needs calibrating."  Not looking up from her knitting the wife says sweetly from the passenger seat, "Now don't be silly, dear, you know that this car doesn't have cruise control."  As the officer writes out the ticket, the driver looks over at his wife and growls, "Can't you keep your mouth shut for once?"  The wife smiles demurely and says, " You should be thankful your radar detector went off when it did."  As the officer makes out the second ticket for the illegal radar detector unit, the man glowers at his wife and says through clenched teeth, Darn it, woman, can't you keep your mouth shut?"  The officer frowns and says, "And I notice that you're not wearing your seat belt, sir. That's an automatic $75 fine."  The driver says, "Yeah, well, you see officer, I had it on, but took it off when you pulled me over so that I could get my license out of my back pocket"  The wife says, "Now, dear, you know very well that you didn't have your seat belt on. You never wear your seat belt when you're driving."And as the police officer is writing out the third ticket the driver turns to his   wife and barks, "WHY DON'T YOU SHUT UP??"  The officer looks over at the woman and asks, "Does your husband always talk to you this way, Ma'am?" "Oh, heavens no, officer! Only when he's been drinking."

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A teacher was taking her first golf lesson.
"Is the word spelled 'put' or 'putt'?" she asked the instructor.
"'Putt' is correct," he replied.
"'Put' means to place a thing where you want it. ' Putt' means a klutzy but unsuccessful attempt to do the same thing."

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Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To show the armadillo that it was possible.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road?
A: To get away from Colonel Sanders!

Q: Why did the chicken cross the road twice?
A: Because it was a double-crosser.

Q: Why did the Iraqi chicken cross the road?
A: To take over the other side.

Q: Why did the chicken cross the playground?
A: To get to the other slide.

Q: Why did the dinosaur cross the road?
A: Chickens hadn't evolved yet.
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A SLIGHTLY BETTER DAY FOR KELLY:))

 ANOTHER BIG BRIGHT SUNNY BLUE SKY DAY WITH WHITE BILLOWING CLOUDS

A  slightly better day for Kelly but she is still dealing with a lot of tiredness.  With Pheebs walking with her this morning she was able to walk around the block here in the Park.  A restful morning and a big afternoon snooze also helped.

Pheebs and I headed for Clinton's Huron Tirecraft this morning but they were closed.  I'm thinking maybe it's time to replace all of the Subaru's aging tires and if so, I'd like to get it done before winter.  Three of the four tires have slow leaks.  We'll slip back to Huron Tirecraft in the morning and get a quote.  I have several other places to stop into for tire quotes as well so we'll see.  From Huron Tire, Pheebs and I took the slow scenic road home along the Bannockburn Line and snapped a few pics along the way.

The air still had a nice touch of coolness by the time we got home so I figured it would be a good time to get a few outside things done.  All four tires on the Jeep were flat from sitting idle these past couple of months, so out came my small air compressor.  Needless to say, it took a while.  In the meantime, I hauled out the lawnmower and cut some grass, whacked some weeds, burnt up some garbage, and loaded 4 wheelbarrow loads of pine tree needles into an already full utility trailer.  When I finally had enough air in the Jeep's tires I hitched it up to the utility trailer and hauled the load down to our Park's recycle area.  Picked up a few more branches along the way.  By the time I got this all done, and due to the increasing humidity, I had to throw my old sack of bones into the shower when I got home.  It was my second shower of the day.  I don't know how people got through hot humid days years ago without A/C, fans, and showers.

 CHICORY FLOWER ALONG THE ROADSIDE

 ON THE EDGE OF A FOREST

It was too hot for an afternoon doggy walk and I was tired from my earlier outside activities so I spent my afternoon inside staying cool.  Besides, I had already used up 15 of the 10 energy units my body had allotted me today.   

 GOLDENROD

Al's Music Box:)) Running Gun is a country ballad song written and performed by Marty Robbins. Originally released as an album track on Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs in September 1959.  It is the story of a young gunslinger for hire who flees his home after he can't take the guilt of his profession anymore. Heading for Mexico, he is gunned down by a bounty hunter in Amarillo, Texas.

 LOG PILES AT OUR PARK'S RECYCLE AREA ARE GROWING

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Bubba decided it was time to purchase a new saw to help clear his heavily timbered property. A salesman showed him the latest model chain saw and assured him that he could easily cut three or four cords of wood per day with it. But the first day, Bubba barely cut one cord of wood. The second morning he arose an hour earlier and managed to cut a little over one cord. The third day he got up even earlier but only managed to achieve a total of 1 ½ cords of wood.  Bubba returned the saw to the store the next day and explained the situation.  "Well", said the salesman, "let's see what's the matter." He then pulled the cable and the chain saw sprang into action.  Leaping back, Bubba shouted, "What the heck is that noise?"

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- My mirror: You look great.  My camera: What's up Shrek

- We do not throw away perfectly good food in this household.  We put it into a tupperware dish until it goes bad.  THEN we throw it out.

- Getting old is a terrible thing.  I blacked out for twenty minutes this morning.  Then I realized I had put on my hoodie back to front.

- If money is the root of all evil, why do they ask for it at church.

- My wife called to tell me she had seen a fox on the way to work.  I asked her how she knew it was on its way to work.  She hung up on me.

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A preacher was completing a temperance sermon: with great expression, he said, "If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river."  With even greater emphasis he said, "And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river."  And then finally, he said, "And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and throw it into the river." He sat down.  The song leader then stood very cautiously and announced with a smile, "For our closing song, let us sing Hymn # 365: "Shall We Gather at the River."

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I CAN TELL SHE IS SO DISCOURAGED

 A PRELUDE TO AUTUMN'S COLORS SOON TO BE UPON US

It was a big moody cloud morning with touches of blue sky and sprinkling rain.  No boots and paws on the ground for Pheebs and I.  Our car ride was short.

 I HAVE ALWAYS LOVED BIG MOODY SKIES LIKE THIS

Kelly, feeling very weak this morning needed a few things at Zehrs Supermarket in Goderich.  I offered to get them for her but she insisted on coming along and at least getting some fresh air.  With Pheebs holding down the home front, Kelly and I slipped up to Goderich and the first place we went to was A&W for a bacon and egg toast and coffee breakfast.  Kelly didn't eat much of hers and didn't finish her coffee.  Not a good sign.  Following that our normal routine would be for me to drop her off at the Supermarket's main door and then find a parking spot facing that door, wait for her to come out, then slip by and scoop up her and the groceries.  Not so this morning.  I knew Kelly was too weak to be doing anything by herself so I dropped her at the front door, parked the car, and hustled right inside to help her.  Usually, I would push the cart but Kelly needed that cart to lean on.  We loaded up a few groceries and I checked them out through the cashier and led her back out to the car.  Our next stop was Pet Value but Kelly was too weak to even get out of the car so I slipped in and scooped up some doggy goodies.  Heading home she put the seat's backrest all the way back and never spoke a word all the home.  I helped her out of the car, and up the steps into the house.  She headed straight for her bedroom to lay down.  She was totally drained and even her voice sounded frail and weak today.  And, here's an odd thing.....even with over 9 pounds of fluid drained from her abdomen earlier in the week, her abdomen is still extended and swollen just like it was before.  So much so that it inhibits her from bending over to put socks on or tie her shoes.  This is only her third day home from the hospital but I can tell she is so discouraged by her weakened condition.  She did call the Maitland Valley Health Center in Goderich Friday to set up an appointment with her nurse practitioner for August 22nd.   Let's just hope between now and then she doesn't land back in the hospital again.

I did do a little low-energy puttering around outside today but hardly enough to even mention.  At least our temperatures are thankfully remaining steady in the low to mid-60s and for people like me, that is a big help.

I had forgotten to mention in my Saturday post that Aunt Jean is coming along much better.  Her voice was stronger on the phone Friday night, her appetite is picking up, and she's been talking about taking her car out for a spin because it hasn't been driven in well over a month.  I asked her about Hurricane Debby going through a week or so ago and she said where she is in Sarasota they got off pretty lucky.  Windy, but not as much rain as in downtown Sarasota.  Sunnyside Village where Jean lives did sandbag the bottoms of doors as a precaution though.  The biggest effect it had on Sunnyside was staff who couldn't report to work because of their flooded homes or roads.  Oh, and a couple of leaks in the dining room's ceiling.  And, there is a good chance Aunt Jean will be moving into her brand spanking new and bigger room this week.

It's been a while but Pheebs and I finally made it out for a cool sunny afternoon walk over to and around the Park's pond.  Good thing or else I would hardly have had any photos for tonight's post.

 THE BACK END OF OUR PARK'S CLUBHOUSE

 TIS NOW THE SEASON FOR GOLDENROD

Al's Music Box:)) Too Young is a popular song, with music written by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Sylvia Dee A recording of the song was released by Nat King Cole in 1951, which reached No. 1 in the United States and became the best-selling song of the year. The song was an early attempt by music labels to appeal to the younger demographics and its success later led to a boom in music that catered to the young.   The song was recorded on February 6, 1951, and released by Capitol Records in March.  It was a million-selling record and Billboard ranked this version as the number one best-selling song of 1951. Cole described this song as one of his three favorites among his own songs. The success of the song may have convinced record executives that young people had the buying power, which would lead to the boom of rock and roll music that catered to a young audience in the mid-'50s.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The father of three called a motel and asked how much they charged for a room. The clerk told him that the rates depended on room size and number of people.  "Do you take children?" the father asked.  "No, sir," replied the clerk. "We only take cash and credit cards."

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Why was the United Nations concerned when the waitress dropped the platter on Thanksgiving?  It meant the fall of Turkey, the ruin of Greece, and the breakup of China.

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The United Nations sent out a survey to every country, asking "Would you please share your honest opinion about solutions to the food shortage in the rest of the world?"  The survey flopped pretty much everywhere.
In Africa, families were confused about what "food" was.
Eastern Europeans watching State TV didn't know what "honest" meant.
In Western Europe, they didn't know what "shortage" meant.
People watching in China didn't know what an "opinion" was.
In the war-torn areas of Afghanistan and the Middle East, they didn't know what "solution" meant.
People in South America didn't know what "please" meant.
People in Russia reading the survey knew what "share" meant.
Finally, some Americans didn't know what "the rest of the world" meant.

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