HEARING CRICKETS ALONGSIDE OUR MORNING WALKING ROAD

Another weather-perfect mid-August morning as Pheebs and I again were escorted on our country road walk by dozens of pretty little yellow Cloudless Sulphur Butterflies.  It was a fairylike scene to have all these tiny butterflies flittering around us and moving with us as we walked along the road.  And I noticed a curious thing about them.  Here and there along the gravel road, I saw a few butterflies that had been struck down by passing vehicles.  I saw groups of fellow butterflies gathered around their unfortunate brother and as I passed they would flutter up into the air and then return to the unfortunate one on the road.   I felt it was yet another sign of the great power in this Universe that despite what people think they know, we really know so little.  

 A BUTTERFLY ALIGHTS ON THE ROAD BESIDE ITS FALLEN  BROTHER

It's this mid-August time of year I generally always blog about the early change of the season with its cooler nights and shortening days.  There is a stillness in the air as Mother Nature begins her slow but steady transition from summer's heat and humidity to Autumn's pleasantly cooler days and nights.  Hearing Crickets alongside our walking road this morning really brought the coming change into focus for me.  It is the early beginnings of my favorite time of year.  It is the coming Autumn which gently flavors the cooling air with a potpourri of magical moments and feelings of cozy well-being.

 ALTHOUGH NOT VISIBLE...THERE WERE CRICKETS IN THERE:))

A GROWN-OVER FORGOTTEN FARM LANE LEADS TO AN OLD FORGOTTEN FARMHOUSE

 WE LIVE IN A RURAL COUNTRYSIDE OF ROLLING FARM LANDS

The Huron County Plowmen's Association is having their 96th annual plowing match just around the corner from our Park over the next few days.  I noticed some activity in the large previously harvested wheat field this morning.  The only fly in the ointment for the plowing match is the weather.  It looks like rainy days are headed our way which could dampen the planned activities.  I wish them well.

Not much going on today.  To hot and humid for me to be outside so I stayed inside.  Kelly also had a slow day just kinda resting up.  And Pheebs was quite content to get caught up on a few old forgotten snoozes.     

 KELLY WORKS ON HER GRIP STRENGTH WITH A HAND STRENGHENER

A Blast From Our Past:))  The American Southwest is notorious for its big winds & we have surely found that out firsthand over these past few years. We were boondocking in the desert about 6 miles south of Quartzite, Arizona back in January of 2008 with continuous winds sweeping in from the north each night. It was really reeking havoc on our sleeping & making me extra irritible.....if that's possible!! I blogged about that big wind & my coyote theory the following night & mentioned that in the morning I had gone outside & totally 'Moose Saluted' that old north wind just to let him know what I thought of his nightly antics. Wasn't long & I had some emails asking what a moose salute was so rather than trying to explain it I took a picture of myself demonstrating the moose salute & put it in next days blog. Here is that blog about the wind and...............the Moose Salute!!  ......  From January 14th, 2008  The big wind gusts finally let up last night around 9:30 only to return around midnight with reinforcements. I don't know if that is what woke me up or if it was our border collie Checkers growling like crazy. Next thing I heard were the coyotes & it sounded like there was a herd of them right outside the door somewhere having some kind of a convention. Yips, hoots, yelps, whines, cries, & barks.......they had it all. I think there is probably an old Indian legend around somewhere that says it is the panting breaths of many howling coyotes that cause the mighty winds to come sweeping across the sleeping desert floor in the dead of night.  When I first went outside this morning I noticed the wind had finally abated so without further ado I proceeded to put our awning down & clipped on the camouflage netting. Then, just to be a smart ass I poked my head around the end of the coach, stuck my thumbs in my ears & gave that big old north wind a good old fashioned Canadian Moose salute. Well, you know what happened!! Within half an hour I was scrambling like nuts to get the awning retracted & ended up chasing our Canadian flag across the desert floor after having it being blown right off the flag pole. That wily old wind had returned my Moose Salute with a vengence & he's been chasing my butt all over the southwest ever since........!!

 HERE I AM NEARLY 17 YEARS AGO MOOSE SALUTING THE OLD NORTH WIND

Al's Music Box:(( Little Darlin'  was written by a 16-year-old Maurice Williams with both melody and doo-wop accompaniment strongly emphasizing a Calypso rhythm. First recorded in January 1957 by Williams' group the Gladiolas.  The Diamonds' successful cover version followed a month later.  The Diamonds were a Canadian pop group that evolved into a doo-wop group. The Diamonds' version reached number two in sales for eight weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Billboard ranked this version as the No. 3 song of 1957.  The Diamonds' version is generally considered superior. Allmusic critic Stephen Thomas Erlewine argues that the Diamonds "Little Darlin'" is an unusual example of a cover being better than the original.  The Diamonds' take remained the bigger hit, and over the years, the better-known version. Normally, this would have been an outrage, but there's a reason why the Diamonds' version has sustained its popularity over the years: it's a better, fiercer recording. Both versions are good, even if they're a little silly, because it's a good doo-wop song, giving each member of the quartet a lot to do. At times, the vocal phrases verge on self-parody -- the "ai-ya-yi-yai-yai-ya"'s or the "wella-wella"'s -- which may be why The Diamonds' version is superior.  On the Pop Chronicles, host John Gilliland claimed that their version was in fact a parody of the genre.  Nonetheless, "Little Darlin'" (primarily the Diamonds' version, but to some extent the Gladiolas' version) remains an all-time rock 'n roll R&B classic.

OUR PARK'S LOG PILES CONTINUE TO GROW

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I want to be 18 again and ruin my life differently. I have new ideas.

- I'm on two diets. I wasn't getting enough food on one.

-  It's not how you win or lose, it's how you place the blame!!

- I put my scale in the bathroom corner and that's where the little liar will stay until it apologizes.

- My mind is like an internet browser. At least 19 open tabs, 3 of them are frozen, and I have no clue where the music is coming from.

- Hard to believe I once had a phone attached to a wall, and when it rang, I picked it up without knowing who was calling.

- Apparently RSVPing to a wedding invitation "Maybe next time" isn't the correct response.

- She says I keep pushing her buttons.  If that were true, I would have found mute by now.
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A BIG IMPROVEMENT IN KELLY'S CONDITION TODAY:))

 WITH A HAZE IN THE AIR IT WAS HARD TO TELL WHERE THE LAKE MET THE SKY ALONG GODERICH'S ROTARY COVE SHORELINE

Just the Subaru and I heading to the Napa Autopro garage in Goderich this morning.  One of the wheels has occasionally been making some screechy, squealy, noises lately so I figured I had better get that looked at. 

 A FEW SUNFLOWERS ON MY WAY TO GODERICH THIS MORNING

McDonalds' is only a block south of the Napa dealer so after dropping the car off I walked to McDs' for a coffee.  It's been years since I've been inside that McDonalds and it will be years, if ever, that I go in there again.  I was 15 minutes in a 7 people line-up just to get a coffee.  Three of those 7 walked out in disgust.  Two others had 'angry words' with the lone girl behind the counter that I actually felt sorry for.  What a poorly run place that is!!  Back to Napa, I read my Kindle for awhile and finally the Subaru was done.  They couldn't find anything wrong with it, despite pulling the wheels and checking brakes, etc.  It still cost me $71.53 with the diagnosis saying........'Inspected for noise.  Could hear noise from brakes.  Removed wheels and inspected brakes.  Brakes have good life left on them.  Suspect brakes are of cheaper quality is why they are making noise.'   

 I FELT SORRY FOR THAT WORKER ON THE RIGHT BECAUSE SHE WAS DOING HER BEST IN AN OVERWHELMING POORLY MANAGED SITUATION

 SPOTTED THIS IN MCDONALDS PARKING LOT......DIFFERENT STROKES FOR DIFFERENT FOLKS I GUESS

 THERE'S SUBIE (WHITE CAR) UP ON A RAMP AT NAPA

SITTING IN A CORNER QUIETLY READING MY KINDLE

After NAPA, I took a quick spin down around the harbor and beach areas before heading home.  Amazingly enough, I never heard any noise coming from the wheels.  Maybe when they took the wheels off a small stone or something fell out from somewhere. 

 THERE WERE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT ENJOYING THEMSELVES ALONG GODERICH'S SHORELINE BOARDWALK TODAY

 I ALWAYS SEE A LOT DOG WALKERS ON THE BOARDWALK

 THIS GROUP OF BEACHGOERS MUST BE IN FOR A SWIM....I SHOULD HAVE STOPPED, PUT ON MY YOKI BEAR SUIT AND SNITCHED SOME PICINIC SNACKS

 THE CALM WATERS OF LAKE HURON WERE ALMOST AS SMOOTH AS GLASS BUT THESE WERE THE ONLY TWO I SAW IN OR ON THE WATER

BEACHES ARE FOR BOTH THE YOUNG AND OLD

 THERE IS NO HORIZON OUT THERE AND I SUSPECT THE HAZE MIGHT BE FROM FOREST FIRES OUT ON THE PRAIRIES....TWICE THIS MORNING I DETECTED A SLIGHT WIFF OF WOODSMOKE IN THE AIR

 WILDFLOWERS AMONG THE BOULDERS ALONG THE LAKE HURON SHORELINE

 THE BEACH STREET STATION IN THE HARBOR ON THE SHORES OF LAKE HURON WAS A BUSY PLACE LATE THIS MORNING

 PEOPLE WAITING IN LINE FOR A TABLE

With the humidity rising, my time outside was limited.  Hauled out my tall 10' step ladder and rehung a suet feeder that I think a squirrel probably pulled down.  Also repaired a set of windchimes that had fallen from a tree branch as well.

 TUCKERSMITH COMMUNICATIONS WORKERS WERE BUSY IN FRONT OF OUR HOUSE THIS AFTERNOON LAYING CABLE FOR FIBER OPTICS

 OUR HOUSE IS BEHIND THOSE TREES ON THE LEFT

 OH GEEZZZZ, I HOPE THEY HAVE ENOUGH SAFETY CONES TO WARN OF A COVERED HOLE IN THE GROUND 

I saw a big improvement in Kelly's condition today.  Not as tired as the previous 3 days and her walk with Pheebs this morning was longer.  She was also busy doing things around the house as well as on the phone setting up appointments and stuff.   She's a long way from being out of the woods but at least today was a better day for her. 

Al's Music Box:)) Midnight In Moscow by Kenny Ball and The Jazzmen UK originally titled "Leningrad Nights", is a Soviet Russian patriotic song written by Mikhail Matusovsky and composed by Vasily Solovyov-Sedoy. It was later covered as "Midnight in Moscow" by Kenny Ball.  This version peaked at number two on the UK Singles Chart in January 1962. "Midnight in Moscow" also reached number two on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart in March that year, kept out of the number one spot by "Hey Baby" by Bruce Channel, and it spent three weeks at number one on the American Easy Listening chart.

ONE OF OUR FRONT YARD FROGS

GROANER'S CORNER:((  It’s not my age that bothers me, it’s the side effects.

I’m not saying I’m old and worn out, but I make sure I’m nowhere near the curb on trash day.

As I watch this generation try to rewrite our history, one thing I'm sure of .. it will be misspelled and have no punctuation.

As I’ve gotten older, people think I’ve become lazy.  The truth is I’m just being more energy efficient.

I haven't gotten anything done today. I've been in the Produce Department trying to open this stupid plastic bag.

Turns out that being a "senior" is mostly just googling how to do stuff.

There is no such thing as a grouchy old person.  The truth is, once you get old you stop being polite and start being honest

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I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change.  I am changing the things I cannot accept.