IT WAS THE END OF AN ERA FOR ANOTHER BAYFIELD BUNCH VEHICLE TODAY

With rain headed our way for the weekend, we are reveling in this fine sunny and warmly cool weather still upon us.  Pheebs and I slipped into Bayfield for a drive down around the harbor and back this morning.

A FAR DISTANT LONE SAILBOAT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE CALM WATERS OF LAKE HURON

 BOAT BUTTS IN THE BAYFIELD RIVER

We sat on the decision as to what to do about our 2007 Jeep Liberty for the past 3 months or so.  With a number of issues that would have cost around $2000.00 plus to repair and with rust increasingly eating away at it, we finally decided it was time to take Libby for her last ride.  After airing up the leaking tires this morning, I drove her to the Jenkins Auto Recycling Yard north of Goderich with Kelly following in the Subaru.  As I said before in my blog, I get attached to things and especially vehicles with all their great memories.  Needless to say it was a sad last drive this morning as Libby and I headed for the recycling place.  The words in my mind all the way were, 'Thank you', 'thank you', thank you', Libby for all the memories and for being such a great vehicle for all the years you were with us.  All those desert and mountain roads of the American Southwest and all the wonderful morning Jeep rides for Pheebs I over the years.  Yes, I know it's just a vehicle, but for me, Libby will be remembered as an old faithful, and treasured friend of mine for the past nearly 10 years.

AIRING UP LIBBY'S TIRES FOR THE LAST TIME THIS MORNING

 LIBBY'S LAST MILE

 THIS IS IT

 MY LAST PHOTO OF LIBBY AS WE DROVE AWAY

We bought the 'new to us' Jeep Liberty on April 14th 2015, and here is a link to the 'exciting' drama-filled day when we finally signed on the dotted line for it at Voison Motors in Elmira, Ontario.  Undecided Anticipation, Bitter Disappointment, And Then......            

LIBBY'S LAST TIME AT OUR FAVORITE COUNTRY ROAD WALKING SPOT 3 MONTHS AGO

 LIBBY'S LAST TIME AT THE LINWOOD WILDLIFE AREA 3 MONTHS AGO AND UNBEKNOWST TO PHEEBS AND I IT WAS THE LAST MORNING DRIVE IN OUR BELOVED JEEP LIBERTY 

Al's Music Box:)) Bad Moon Rising is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released on April 16, 1969 four months before the album. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 28 June 1969 and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September of that year. It was CCR's second gold single.  In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 364 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list'.  Fogerty reportedly wrote the song after watching the 1941 film The Devil and Daniel Webster. It was inspired by a scene in the film in which a hurricane destroys the crops of several farms, but spares those of Jabez Stone, the character in the film who makes a deal with the devil in exchange for wealth. Fogerty claims the song is about "the apocalypse that was going to be visited upon us".  He also said that when the band was learning the song he recognized the contrast between the apocalyptic words and the happy melody.  He said "It wasn't until the band was learning the song that I realized the dichotomy. Here you've got this song with all these hurricanes and blowing and raging ruin and all that, but it's 'I see a bad moon rising.' It's a happy-sounding tune, right? It didn't bother me at the time."  In 1969, the American music and entertainment magazine Billboard described the single as being "loaded with rhythm and drive" and predicted it "[couldn't] miss going right to the top."  Cash Box, another contemporary music trade magazine, described it as a "blazing bayou-rock outing" that is "louder and bolder" than the group's previous single "Proud Mary."  Cash Box ranked it as the No. 51 single of 1969.  Ultimate Classic Rock critic Cliff M. Junior rated "Bad Moon Rising" as Creedence Clearwater Revival's 5th greatest song, saying that "in a little more than two minutes, [Fogerty] unloads his mind and prompts you to think about what's troubling you in your life."  "Bad Moon Rising" plays as David nears the moment of changing into the werewolf, in the 1981 film An Amerian Werewold in London.

 THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES OLD PAL

GROANER'S CORNER:(( As in many homes on New Year's Day, Lesley and Mark, a happily married couple, faced the annual conflict of which was more important: the football match on television, or the New Year's lunch.  Hoping to keep the peace Mark ate lunch with the rest of the family, and even lingered for some pleasant after-lunch chat before retiring to the lounge to turn on the television.  Some minutes later, Lesley looked in to see how he was and graciously even brought him a cold beer.  She smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and asked what the score was.  Mark told her it was half-time and that the score was still 0-0  'See?' Lesley said happily, 'You didn't miss a thing.

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A man is at the airport counter checking in his luggage.  The man said to the agent, "I'm flying to Los Angeles but I would like this bag to go to Portland, this one to Albuquerque, and this one to Sioux Falls."  The agent looked suitably shocked and said, "Sir, there is no way we can do that."  "Why not?", replied the man, "You did it last time".

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An insurance agent's wife was learning to drive when the brakes failed. "What should I do?" she cried. "Brace yourself, and try to hit something cheap."

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A man asked his doctor if he thought he'd live to be a hundred. The doctor asked the man, "Do you smoke or drink?"  "No," he replied, "I've never done either."  "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, and fool around with women?" inquired the doctor.  "No, I've never done any of those things either."

"Well then," said the doctor, "what do you want to live to be a hundred for?"

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HAD TO DO SOMETHING AGE RELATED TODAY I'D NEVER HAD TO DO BEFORE

 LEAFY SHADOWS

So many fine sunny mornings all in a row and this morning was no exception.  Out to our walking spot Pheebs and I went but we didn't walk very far again.  Pheebs just kinda walked about 10 feet and then stood there looking around.  I know she wants to go for a walk, but like so many of us now, her age is rapidly catching up to her and she, like we, increasingly become limited as to what we would like to do and what we can do.  After a short drive, we sadly headed home.

 AFTER A SHORT WALK WE WERE BACK IN THE CAR AGAIN

 OH MY, THE AROMATIC SCENT OF THIS NEWLY MOWN HAYFIELD ALONGSIDE OUR WALKING ROAD WAS HEAVENLY THIS MORNING

 NOT A SINGLE CLOUD IN THIS MORNING'S DEEP BLUE SKY

A month or so ago I received something in the mail from a branch of the MTO (Ministry of Transportation) telling me that as I will soon be turning 80 (as if I needed reminding) my presence was requested today at 100 Don Street Clinton Ontario at 12:30 p.m.  Oh Geezzzz, now what I thought to myself!!  As it turns out it was time for my driver's license renewal.  But, this time there was a difference.  Here in Ontario Canada when one turns 80 it is mandatory every two years thereafter that one reports to one of these sessions for one's driver's license renewal.  To say things like this make me nervous is an understatement.  If it was a physical test, okay.  But with any kind of mental test or anything, I have good reason to be nervous.  I do not have a good track record when it comes to even the simplest tests and exams and that dates back to public school for me.  It all has to do with this faulty short-term memory of mine which I've had since I was kid.  Anyway.....here's how it went today..... From the time I walked into the building to the time I walked out of the building was 15 minutes.  Only thing I had to do was a simple 10-second vision test and then draw a big circle on a piece of paper and enter the numbers of a clock with the hands pointing to 10 after ll.  That done, I was informed I had successfully passed the test (whew) and out the door I went.  By the way, there were 6 other people there and I felt I was the youngest one of the bunch.  I did feel sorry for a couple of people who seemed to be having a little trouble with confusion.  I will have to do this again in two years and I figure if they don't change the time on the clock I should be good to go:))

I CAME ACROSS SOME COWS ON MY WAY TO CLINTON

I have received a few more Facebook requests with some of them already being on my friends list.  This is exactly how I got hacked twice a bunch of years ago when I accepted a couple re-requests.  Because of this, I do not normally accept friend requests anymore.  If you legitimately sent me a friend request and I did not respond or accept it, don't feel I'm ignoring you, I just don't want to take the chance of being hacked again.

 ON THE WAY HOME FROM CLINTON I CAME ACROSS A DIFFERENT BUNCH OF COWS CROWDED UNDER A SHADE TREE

 A FEW OF THE YOUNGER FRISKIER ONES WERE OUT PLAYING IN THE SUN

A Blast From Our Past:)) Facebook tossed me an old memory today from this September 4th day in 2009....Today I Had To Eat Crow And Email An Apology 

I finished my latest book, The Last Escaper by author Peter Tunstall.  I thought this a good read and it casts light into the dark difficulties and sometimes humorous lives of what Prisoners of War experienced in the hands of their captors.  I felt it was an honest portrayal of the prisoner's interaction with their guards and does not paint all German people with a negative brush.  Bomber pilot and prisoner Peter Tunstall was a genuine rascal and a never-ending pain in the butt of his captors.  And yes, that includes water balloons, and a whole host of other tricks he always had up his sleeve.  There is a serious side to this book (how could there not be) as expected, but there is also a lighter human side to it as well.............. For my next read, I have gone back to my ever-growing interest in a deeper subject that first caught my attention a few years ago.  Beyond NDE's: The Next Step in Near Death Research.  I've only just started the book and already I am enthralled by what I am reading.

Al's Music Box:)) Superstar is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell, that has been a hit for many artists in different genres in the years since. The best-known versions are by the Carpenters in 1971, Luther Vandross in 1983, and Sonic Youth in 1994.  Richard Carpenter became aware of the song after watching Bette Midler sing it on the February 15, 1971 edition of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.  Produced by Richard Carpenter with Jack Daugherty, it was recorded using members of the Wrecking Crew, a famed collection of Los /angeles area session muscians. Because the original subject matter of the song was more risqué than was typical for the Carpenters, Richard changed a lyric in the second verse from "And I can hardly wait/To sleep with you again" to the less suggestive "And I can hardly wait/To be with you again." The track was finished in one take.  Karen Carpenter's vocal was praised for its intensity and emotional nature. David Hepworth commented: "Even with only half her mind on the job, she delivered a perfect performance. The guide vocal never needed to be replaced."  The duo's rendition was included on the May 1971 album Carpenters, and then released as a single in August 1971, rising to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, held out of the top spot by Rod Stewart's 'Maggie May'.  Richard was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist for the song. "Superstar" would go on to appear on two mid-1970s Carpenters live albums as well as on many compilation albums. 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Things You Learn in Texas::

- Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
- There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Texas.
- There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Texas plus a couple that have not been identified yet.
- Onced and Twiced are words.
- It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
- People actually grow and eat okra.
- "Fixinto" is one word.
- There is no such thing as "lunch." There is only dinner and then there is supper.
- Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!
- DJeet? means "Did you eat?"
- You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
- You measure distance in minutes.
- You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
- All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
- You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
- The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
- The first day of deer season is a national holiday.
- 100 degrees Fahrenheit is "a little warm." - We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.
- A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.
- We don't need no stinking driver's Ed . . . If our mama says we can drive, we can drive.
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When a new child visited our Sunday school, the teacher greeted him and asked his age. The little boy held up four fingers.
"Oh, you're four," said the teacher. "And when will you be 5?"  The child stared at her and after a few seconds replied, "When I hold up the other finger."

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"Give me a sentence about a public servant," said the teacher.The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder   pregnant."  The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked.  "Sure," said the young boy, confidently. "Means carrying a child."

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'SQUEEZING ONE OFF'

 I THINK THAT GUY ON THE LEFT IS 'SQUEEZING ONE OFF':))

It was early evening last night when I had to pop myself into a warm T-shirt underneath my long-sleeve shirt.  Yes, it was that cool and that was quite alright with me.  We are slowly sliding into the cozy time of year and it won't be long before I slight touch of welcomed warmth in the house will be the way of the day.  It is a time of year when I appreciate the coolness of outside and the warmness of inside.  Yes, for me it is the time of cozy:))))

A routine run to Goderich and back.  Same old McD's, harbor, Walmart, etc.

And, to our American friends south of the border who may be needing a break from their  volatile political climate, here is some Fascinating and Intriguing Facts About Your Geography  Lots of surprises here.

Al's Music Box:)) Heartaches By The Number by Guy Mitchell is a popular country song written by Harlan Howard, and published in 1959. The sheet music was a best seller in both the US and Britain in January 1960. The biggest hit version was recorded by Guy Mitchell on August 24, 1959. The recording was released by Columbia Records on August 31,1959.  After "Singing the Blues", this was Mitchell's second pop chart topper; it was also his last top-40 single on the Billboard charts. 

AN EARLY SEPTEMBER MORNING STROLL ON THE BOARDWALK

GROANER'S CORNER:(( You might be a redneck if...

- You don't know what a redneck is.
- You're still upset that they canceled "The Dukes of Hazzard".
- You thought ER was ET's cousin.
- You think a strip joint is where they disassemble cars.
- You are in 6 grade and the only one in your family that can write your name.
- You've ever been stuck in your own driveway.
- You refer to your dog as the dishwasher.
- Your car is made out of 17 others and each part is a different color.
- You repair your car in the Autoparts store parking lot.
- You can name all the characters from the "Dukes of Hazzard".
- You recite lines from "The Dukes of Hazzard".
- You keep track of all the belt holders in all the wrestling leagues.
- You got married in the family car, in a drive-thru chapel.
- You search your computer monitor for the dial that changes channels.
-Your idea of a fancy dessert is "moon pie ala mode".
- You just bought your family their first Atari game system.
- You and your wife celebrate your anniversay at the K-mart cafeteria.
- You think the only tools "real men" need are duck tape and caulk, and you have successful repair projects to prove it.
- You've tried to quote Jeff Foxworthy and screwed it up.
- You name your car the General Lee.

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I’ve been prescribed anti-gloating cream...
I can’t wait to rub it in!

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The Scottish man asked for a pillow to be strapped to his back, but it had worn away after 50 lashes and he suffered for the remaining 50.  The Englishman being smart asked for 2 pillows, and he didn't feel any of the lashes on his back.  Before the Irishman was asked, the judge said "I love Ireland, it has given us the greatest music, poets, writers, and art - because of this you get 2 requests"  The Irishman thought and said "Firstly I'd like 200 lashes, and second of all strap the Englishman to my back"

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AND 'BANG-ZOOM' THERE WENT ANOTHER DAY

A MARVELOUS EARLY SEPTEMBER MORN COMPLETE WITH A TURKEY VULTURE FLYING LOW OVER A LARGE GATHERING OF GOLDENROD

Due to mainly medical appointments and procedures, etc. my good buddy Richard and I had not been out for one of our semi-monthly country road coffee tours for a while.  Luckily, we both had a free morning today and with it being my turn to drive I picked him up at 9:30 and we headed straightaway for Tim Horton's coffee shop in Clinton for two coffees and two carrot muffins to go.  Our travels then took us north of Clinton and from there we slowly mosied our way back in the direction of Bayfield.  A beautifully cool and sunny early September morning.

 EVERY TIME I GO OVER TO PICK RICHARD UP I FIRST HAVE TO FIND HIM HERE SOMEWHERE IN THE FOREST

Oh how nice it is to have this cooler weather upon us again.  It didn't take me long to dust off the lawn mower and cut some grass.  Wound up the leaf blower and blew out the carport, front deck, and porch.  Raked up some pine needles, and with my trusty orange little Swedesaw I cut down a Sumac tree hanging over our driveway, chopped it up, loaded it into our utility trailer, and with the Jeep, hauled it down to our Park's recycle area.  And 'bang-zoom' there went another day:))    

 CUTTING UP THE LAST OF THE SUMAC TREE IN OUR DRIVEWAY

 AND OFF I GO WITH ANOTHER LOAD TO OUR PARK'S RECYCLE AREA

Al's Music Box:)) I Just Wanna Stop is a song by Canadian singer/songwriter Gino Vannelli. Released as a single in August 1978, it remains his biggest hit single to date, reaching No. 1 in his native Canada and No. 4 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100.  It appears on his sixth album, Brother to Brother. The recording was produced by Gino and his brothers, Joe and Ross Vannelli; the song was written by Ross. It received a nomination for a Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.

 FOUR LOST CORNSTALKS WANDERING THEIR WAY THROUGH A YELLOWING BEANFIELD

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Once upon a time the government had a vast scrap yard in the middle of a desert. Congress said, "Someone may steal from it at night." So they created a night watchman position and hired a person for the job.  Then Congress said, "How does the watchman do his job without instruction?" So they created a planning department and hired two people, one person to write the instructions, and one person to do time studies.Then  Congress said, "How will we know the night watchman is doing the tasks correctly?" So they created a Quality Control department and hired two people. One to do the studies and one to write the reports.  Then Congress said, "How are these people going to get paid?" So they created the following positions, a time keeper, and a payroll officer,then hired two people.  Then Congress said, "Who will be accountable for all of these people?" So they created an administrative section and hired three people, an Administrative Officer, an Assistant Administrative Officer, and a Legal Secretary.  Then Congress said, "We have had this operating for one year and we are $18,000 over budget. We must cut back overall cost."  So they laid off the night watchman.

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If I eat healthy today, then I can have one piece of candy as a reward.  If I eat unhealthy, I can have the whole bag.

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April 1, 1957: The respected BBC news show Panorama announced that thanks to a very mild winter and the virtual elimination of the dreaded spaghetti weevil, Swiss farmers were enjoying a bumper spaghetti crop.

It accompanied this announcement with footage of Swiss peasants pulling strands of spaghetti down from trees. Huge numbers of viewers were taken in.  Many called the BBC wanting to know how they could grow their own spaghetti tree. To this, the BBC diplomatically replied, 'place a sprig of spaghetti in a tin of tomato sauce and hope for the best.'  Even the director-general of the BBC later admitted that after seeing the show he checked in an encyclopedia to find out if that was how spaghetti actually grew (but the encyclopedia had no information on the topic).  The broadcast remains, by far, the most popular and widely acclaimed April Fool's Day hoax ever.

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 YUP, THIS SAYING FITS ME TO A TEA ALRIGHT:))