AUNT JEAN IS IN GOOD SPIRITS AND FEELING CONFIDENT SHE WILL SURVIVE HURRICANE MILTON

How nice from my sleeping recliner to see nature's early morning golden sunlight making its way through the tall pine trees and green leaf canopy.  With temps at 50F and a strong wind blowing the windchill was down into the 40s.  Pheebs and I slipped into Bayfield for a drive down around the harbor and beach area and then up through the Village.  No point in heading to the cemetery for a walk.  It was simply too windy and cold, plus my back was still tweaking and twinging.  Not as bad as yesterday though.  And unfortunately this morning, Kelly hurt her back.  Due to a possible water problem in our Park we are currently not supposed to use any water for 12 hours as our water system undergoes a chlorine shock treatment.  The Park owners have offered free cases of water for the residents which is available at the clubhouse in the back of a pickup truck.  Kelly, on her way into Bayfield this morning decided to stop and pick up a heavy case of water.  Lifting it from the truck to the car, she turned and wrenched her back.  She has been in a lot of pain ever since then.  So that's two of us now with back pain but Kelly's is more serious and painful than mine.        

 THE WIND-BLOWN DARK WATERS OF LAKE HURON

WAVES BREAKING ON THE NORTH PIER

 NOT AS MANY BOATS IN THE WATER AS LAST WEEK

I THINK BECAUSE OF THE WIND AND ROUGH LAKE WATER SOME OF THE FISHING BOATS REMAINED IN PORT THIS MORNING

 KIND OF LIKE SITTIN ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY

 A CANADA GOOSE FLEXES ITS WINGS

 MAYBE SECURING AN EXTRA ROPE TO HIS BOAT ON THIS WINDY MORNING

 A CORMORANT RIDES THE CHOPPY WATERS OF THE BAYFIELD RIVER

Home again, I stayed inside following the developments of Hurricane Milton heading for Florida.  I called Aunt Jean about 2 this afternoon and she was in good spirits feeling confident that she would be safe through this hurricane.  She said she was told that the buildings there at Sunnyside Village were built using concrete blocks and steel.  She also said that every window and door is boarded up and nobody can see out.  Also, sandbags are at the bottom of all doors on the outside.  All necessary staff is in place and will remain there on duty throughout the storm.  All the special needs residents of the Plymouth Harbor Retirement Center are at Sunnyside now as well.  I told Jean I will call her again at 2 p.m. Thursday afternoon to see how she made out.     

 HEADING SOUTH ON BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

 ENJOYING A HOT CUP OF COFFEE ON A CHILLY BAYFIELD MORNING

 DRIVING NORTH ON BAYFIELD'S MAIN STREET

I've added the title 'Al's Art Gallery' to the new feature at the end of each post.  Also, because I have so many paintings, etc. saved up, I've also decided to include 3 pictures each day instead of one.

 THIS MODERN RENOVATION ON A CENTURY-OLD BAYFIELD HOUSE IS COMING ALONG WELL

I had just started my latest book, Little Men by Louisa May Alcott when a reader (Kawartha Girl) sent a note suggesting a book I might be interested in called The Smallest Lights In The Universe by author Sara Seager.  I read the reviews about the book and decided to give it a go.  I finished the book today and yes, I did enjoy it.  It's the true story of Canadian-born Sara Seager who grew up in Toronto Ontario and who has gone on to become Professor of Astrophysicist, Professor of Physics, Professor of Planetary Science, and Professor of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.  (MIT)  It is the story of her struggles through life, of not fitting in, her awkward social skills, uncanny intelligence, and dealing with the debilitating hardships surrounding the death of her husband.  It is the story of picking up the pieces and struggling forward with her two young boys.  The final few pages of the book reveal a surprising revelation that will leave you thinking.

 A BIG CLOUD SHADOW ON LAKE HURON

 A VIEW FROM PIONEER PARK

Al's Music Box:)) You'll Never Find is a song written by Kenny Gable and Leon Huff and performed by R&B singer Lou Rawls on his 1976 album 'All Things In Time'. The song proved to be Rawls' breakthrough hit, reaching number 1 on both the R&B and Easy Listening charts as well as number 4 on the dance chart and number 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100. This was the first and only time that one of Rawls' records reached Billboard's pop Top Ten.  The single went on to sell over a million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA.

 CRUSING BAYFIELD'S MAIN DRAG

GROANER'S CORNER:((  A guy gets set up on a blind date and he takes her out for dinner to a very expensive restaurant to make a good impression. The waiter approaches the table and asks to take their order.  The lady begins ordering practically everything on the menu, shrimp cocktail, pate, Caesar Salad, lobster, crepes Suzette, with no regard to the price. The guy is getting very upset, as he never thought she would order so much.  She then stops, and looks across at him, and asks, "What do you suggest I wash it down with?"  "Well my dear, how about the Mississippi river?"

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-"Hey, I like your personality".  "Thanks, it's a disorder".

- Give me a coffee to change the things I can.  And wine to accept those that I cannot.

- A shop assistant fought off an armed robber with his labeling gun.  Police are now looking for a man with a price on his head. 

- I choked on a carrot this afternoon and all I can think was, 'I bet a donut wouldn't have done that to me.

- Tired of sore thumbs from texting?  Get a skateboard and experience pain everywhere.

- Thought it was the dryer that was making my clothes shrink....turns out it was the refrigerator. 

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Al's Art Gallery:))

AN EMAIL FROM AUNT JEAN ABOUT THE APPROACHING HURRICANE

 DARK MOODY SKIES IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD THIS MORNING

Big moody skies overhead this morning as Pheebs and I headed out into the countryside.  We moved slowly along the gravel roads with our front windows down, the moonroof open, and the heater going.  Ya, we're quite a whacky-doodle pair:))  Okay, okay, so I had my winter jacket on.

 ESPECIALLY DARK TO THE NORTH

 EVEN PHEEBS KEPT A CLOSE EYE ON THE DARK SKY

I did something silly yesterday and have partially knocked myself out of action.  Picked up a heavy box in the house and stepped through our rear deck patio door to take it out to the carport.  Not holding the weight of the box close to my body I took a misstep going out the patio door and with the weight too far extended, wrenched my lower right back.  From a couple heavy lifting jobs years ago I had a lot trouble with my lower back from about 1975 to about 2005.  My back has been really good since then but I was reminded yesterday how quickly I can mess things up if I'm not careful.  Luckily I had some strong pain pills left over from my hip replacement.  But despite that, it's not likely Pheebs and I will be doing any walks for a few days.

We had a water-line break in the Park a few days ago and our water was off for an hour or so while the break was fixed.  When the water was turned back on, all our taps worked fine except the kitchen tap.  With only a trickle of water coming out I figured for sure some sediment had come through and clogged the water line to the kitchen.  Of course in my usual 'jump out of the canoe when it springs a leak with the anchor in my hand' way of thinking, I saw dollar signs flying away as a plumber's truck would soon come rolling into our driveway.  Luckily for us, Kelly of course doesn't think that way, and today after patiently watching a 'how-to' YouTube she disassembled the faucet and cleaned both filters in the line.  Needless to say, our kitchen faucet works better than ever now:))  

 THE WATER LEAK WAS ON OUR STREET

I'm glad a few folks like the extra feature I've added to my blog.  I sure do have a lot of nice artwork from the internet saved up here.  Several readers asked if there was any information with pictures such as who painted it, maybe a title or location.  Unfortunately, most of them do not have any info, just the picture.  Occasionally a painting or an abstract may have a signature.  The things you will see here have been created by very talented, extremely creative, and highly imaginative people.  

 AS THE MORNING WORE ON SKIES BEGAN TO CLEAR

Here's an excerpt of an email Aunt Jean sent me Tuesday night....'Sunnyside has been a very busy place today. They have boarded up the windows & doors, placed special stoppers along the bottom of the doors inside plus towels. Sandbags outside. Not sure what they did with all the chairs. Also, they announced that Plymouth Harbor "special" residents will be coming back tomorrow.  If this storm stays on the path they are predicting, we could be in for the worst hurricane to ever hit our coast. However, they are very unpredictable. We are all hoping the generators here will not fail us. Sure would miss my hot shower at bedtime. My biggest concern is the car. Even though it isn't under any trees,  the strong winds blow all kinds of debris through the air. I'm sure the TV news will keep you posted. Hope to talk to you on Friday night'.......... I will be phoning Jean sometime Wednesday to see how she is making out.

Also, Kelly's sister Becky, her husband Norm, and their daughter Sonia, who live in Largo Florida, near Clearwater, are now in the process of evacuating. Their daughter Sonia had just moved from near Rochester New York to her Mother and Dad's place last month. 

Al's Music Box:)) The Sweetest Taboo is a song by English band Sade from their second studio album, Promise (1985). It was released in October 1985 as the album's lead single. The song reached number five on America's Billboard Hot 100 in March 1986, remaining in the top 40 for 13 weeks. It also became the band's second consecutive number-one single on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart, following "Smooth Operator".  Tanya Rena Jefferson of AXS stated, "The group allows the song to shine with its mellow and uptempo flavor. Sade sings proudly and boldly about how she is given love which brings out the best in her. The quiet storm vibe allows one to stand and groove dance to the soulful peaceful sound of the song."

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Motherly Lessons::

- My Mother taught me LOGIC… “If you fall off that swing and break your neck, you can't go to the store with me.”
- My Mother taught me MEDICINE… “If you don't stop crossing your eyes, they're going to freeze that way.”
- My Mother taught me TO THINK AHEAD… “If you don't pass your spelling test, you'll never get a good job!”
- My Mother taught me ESP… “Put your sweater on; don't you think that I know when you're cold?”
- My Mother taught me TO MEET A CHALLENGE… “What were you thinking? Answer me when I talk to you…Don't talk back to me!”
- My Mother taught me HUMOR… “When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me.”
- My Mother taught me how to BECOME AN ADULT… “If you don't eat your vegetables, you'll never grow up.
- My mother taught me about GENETICS… “You are just like your father!”
- My mother taught me about my ROOTS… “Do you think you were born in a barn?”
- My mother taught me about the WISDOM of AGE… “When you get to be my age, you will understand.”
- My mother taught me about ANTICIPATION… “Just wait until your father gets home.”
- My mother taught me about RECEIVING… “You are going to get it when we get home.”
- And my all-time favorite thing- JUSTICE… “One day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU..then you'll see what it's like.”
- My mother taught me TO APPRECIATE A JOB WELL DONE… “If you're going to kill each other, do it outside – I just finished cleaning!”
- My mother taught me RELIGION… “You better pray that will come out of the carpet.”
- My mother taught me about TIME TRAVEL… “If you don't straighten up, I'm going to knock you into the middle of next week!”
- My mother taught me LOGIC… “Because I said so, that's why.”
- My mother taught me FORESIGHT… “Make sure you wear clean underwear, in case you're in an accident.
- My mother taught me IRONY… “Keep crying and I'll give you something to cry about.”
- My mother taught me about the science of OSMOSIS… “Shut your mouth and eat your supper!”
- My mother taught me about CONTORTIONISM… “Will you just look at the dirt on the back of your neck!”
- My mother taught me about STAMINA… “You'll sit there 'till all that spinach is finished.”
- My mother taught me about WEATHER… “It looks as if a tornado swept through your room.”
- My mother taught me about HYPOCRISY… “If I've told you once, I've told you a million times – Don't Exaggerate!!!”
- My mother taught me THE CIRCLE OF LIFE… “I brought you into this world, and I can take you out.”
- My mother taught me about BEHAVIOR MODIFICATION… “Stop acting like your father!”
- My mother taught me about ENVY… “There are millions of less fortunate children in this world who don't have wonderful parents like you do!

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ADDING A NEW FEATURE TO THE BLOG

LEAF SHADOWS

With overcast skies and a stiff breeze blowing the 55F temperatures around, it felt just a little bit Novemeberesque this morning.  Pheebs and I didn't stray too far and we were soon home again.

Sunday nights between 9 and 11 p.m. is television night for me when two of my favorite shows are on back to back.  'Beyond Skinwalker Ranch' at 9 and 'Skinwalker Ranch' at 10.  Of particular interest on Beyond Skinwalker last night was the segment they did on the Clark Dry Lake Bed just outside of Borrego Springs California.  One of our favorite places in the Southwest.  The Bayfield Bunch has spent many nights boondocking through our RVing years at the Clark Dry Lake Bed and it was one of our favorite boondocking sites.  We knew some of the past military history of the Dry Lakebed area back in the early 1940s but not all of it apparently.  It was and still is a hotbed for UFO/UAP phenomena.  The University of Maryland partnered with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) at the lake bed in 1959 and set up a large array of radio telescopes in search of extraterrestrial physics.  No wonder I have always been attracted to this area.  Watching the segment on the Clark Dry Lakebed last night and recognizing the Santa Rosa mountains along with Coyote Mountain made me just want to go out, hop into the Subaru, and drive right out there to Borrego Springs and the Clark Dry Lakebed again to stand mesmerized under the deep starry night sky:))   

I had just sat down at our sunroom's desktop computer when a couple minutes after 11 a.m. there was a 'POP' and our power went out.....and stayed out!!  Kelly quickly created some kind of a 'hot-spot' thingy with her iPhone and we were at least back on line again.  Later, and with a 'ping', our power was back on at 12:30 p.m.

I was asked how I felt about turning 80 today.  I replied, "It feels just like being 79 but only a day later and what already seems like so very long ago.  I remember being 6 and wanting to be 10 and then a teen-ager at 13.  Then hurry up to 16 and onto the 21 milestone.  From there is wasn't much of anything until the big 4-0 popped up.  The next big birthday number for me was 65 and then nothing until today when I reached 80. And I must say turning 80 has been a bit sobering.  How did this even happen??  So, what's the next big number??  There isn't another big number and I certainly do not want to be around when I'm 100!!  With the way things are going in this world now, my bags are packed and I'm about ready to check out of this Bates Motel any time.  A big thank you from Pheebs and I to everyone for all your kind words and thoughtful birthday wishes.  So nice to see so many names popping up that we haven't heard from for a long time.

Skies began to clear by early afternoon.  Switched my big white frog-catching pail to a big white corn-gathering pail and put it in the Subaru with a blue plastic shovel for scooping up corn spills.  I did notice on our morning drive, one farmer just down the road had begun his corn harvest.

On the internet, and especially on Facebook, my eye is constantly drawn to the colors and artful shapes of beautiful paintings, sculptures, and amazing artful imaginations.  As an added feature to my blog starting today, I intend to share those images daily with one of these artworks at the end of each post, I will add either an exceptional photo, a painting, or something artfully inspiring..........  

Al's Music Box:)) Please Help Me I'm Falling is a 1960 song written by Don Robertson and Hal Blair and first recorded by Hank Locklin.  The single was Locklin's most successful recording and was his second number-one on the country charts.  "Please Help Me, I'm Falling" spent 14 weeks at the top spot, spent nine months on the country chart and crossed over to the Hot 100 peaking at number eight.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Two statisticians were traveling in an airplane from LA to New York. About an hour into the flight, the pilot announced that they had lost an engine, but don't worry, there are three left.  However, instead of 5 hours it would take 7 hours to get to New York. A little later, he announced that a second engine failed, and they still had two left, but it would take 10 hours to get to New York.  Somewhat later, the pilot again came on the intercom and announced that a third engine had died. Never fear, he announced, because the plane could fly on a single engine.  However, it would now take 18 hours to get to new York. At this point, one statistician turned to the other and said, "Gee, I hope we don't lose that last engine, or we'll be up here forever!"

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- Husband: Do you think our son gets all his brains from me? Wife: Probably. I still have all of mine.

- Susie: My husband is a great handyman. He can repair almost anything.  Jane: My mother always taught me to beware of the man that can fix everything. You'll never get anything new.

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We went to breakfast at a restaurant where the "seniors' special" was two eggs, bacon, hash browns and toast for $1.99. "Sounds good," my wife said. "But I don't want the eggs."  "Then I'll have to charge you two dollars and forty-nine cents because you're ordering a la carte," the waitress warned her.  "You mean I'd have to pay for not taking the eggs?" My wife asked incredulously. "I'll take the special."  "How do you want your eggs?"  "Raw and in the shell," my wife replied.  She took the two eggs home.  The moral of the story ........... DON'T MESS WITH SENIORS

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