Tuesday, November 12, 2024

KELLY WAS RUSHED BY AMBULANCE TO THE HOSPITAL LAST NIGHT

RAINDROPS ON A BASSWOOD LEAF IN OUR DRIVEWAY
It was about 9:45 Monday night and I was in the sunroom reading when I thought I heard Kelly's faint voice somewhere.  I instantly knew something was wrong.  She was in the bathroom and when I opened the door I was shocked at the amount of blood on the floor with Kelly looking very pale and week.  I had never seen that much blood in one place before and she was still throwing up.  She hadn't felt well all day and while watching TV she suddenly became very nauseated and made a dash for the bathroom.  I'll spare you the photo of all the blood on the floor.  I called an ambulance and they were here about 15 minutes later.  They also took a picture of the blood and then weren't long getting her into the ambulance and were soon on their way to the Goderich hospital with their lights going........... I called the Goderich hospital first thing this morning and she had already been transferred to London's University Hospital around 2 a.m.  I called London and they said Kelly would call me back, and she did.  Under the circumstances, she was in reasonably good spirits despite undergoing a blood transfusion in Goderich and being all hooked up to intravenous things again now in London's emergency ward.  Said she was awaiting an Endoscopy and feeling sick.  I  again talked to her an hour later and I could tell she was discouraged. 

 I FOUND SOME MORE COLOR IN OUR PARK THIS MORNING
 THE PARK'S ROAD LEADING UP INTO THE HARDWOOD FOREST
Under sunny blue skies, Pheebs and I did get out for a short morning car ride  Too cold for windows down though.  Figured I had maybe better stay close to our house phone today, so that is what I did. 

 IT WAS GREAT TO SEE BIG BLUE SKIES TODAY
 CANADA GEESE
 A GROUP OF MALLARD DUCKS
 KIND OF REMINDS ME OF PUBLIC SCHOOL WHEN WE WOULD BOB FOR APPLES IN A BIG GALVANIZED TUB
 CANADA GEESE TAKING OFF
With the weatherman now predicting well below freezing temperatures for Wednesday morning I figured I had better get our outside water turned off and garden hoses drained.  So, I did that.  Squiggling myself into a pretzel I dropped down through the trap door in our front deck and scrunched and wedged myself partway under our unit just far enough to reach the water taps to be closed.  I'm already looking forward to again doing this scrunchy pretzel move next April sometime when I'll turn the outside water back on.  That will be a big happy 'Yaaay Team' day:))

THE TRAPDOOR IN OUR FRONT DECK
 THERE IS A RED VALVE TOP CENTER THAT I TURN TO SHUT OUR OUTSIDE WATER OFF
 ONE OF TWO DRAIN TAPS I OPEN TO DRAIN WATER OUT OF THE LINES
 NOT MUCH ROOM UNDER HERE
 NOW, IF I CAN JUST GET MYSELF BACK OUT OF HERE WITHOUT HAVING TO CALL THE FIRE DEPARTMENT'S RESCUE TEAM
Kelly called shortly after noon and sounded better.  She was still awaiting her endoscopy.  We sent a couple emails back and forth.  She called again at 2 still waiting.........  When I didn't hear from her later I figured she was undergoing the Endoscopy.  Nope!!  She called at 5:30 this afternoon saying she was about to be moved from the Emergency ward to the GI unit on the eighth floor.  After being told this morning she would have the Endoscopy today she figures they must have forgotten.  In the meatime, she will probably continue to bleed!!  Looks like the Endoscopy will be tomorrow now.  She's been on the eighth floor twice before and both times she was stuck in a room with 3 other people.  The first time it was with 3 other annoying men.  Kelly called again at 6:30 tonight saying she was now on the eighth floor in a room with one woman, one man, and an empty bed.  She's worried they might bring in a 600-pound Sumo Wrestler with an impacted wisdom tooth, an attitude, and refusing pain meds:((((  We'll see what tomorrow brings..................   

 SOME EARLY CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS GOING UP IN THE PARK
 DESPITE A FEW COLD SNAPS THAT FERN IS STILL DOING WELL
 YES, WE DO HAVE DEER WANDER INTO THE PARK ON OCCASION
 THE PORCH AND DECK HAVE BEEN ADDED TO THE NEW HOUSE IN THE PARK
Al's Music Box:)) Silly Love Songs is a song by the British–American rock band Wings that was written by Paul and Linda McCartney. The song first appeared in March 1976 on the album Wings at the Speed of Sound, then it was released as a single on 1 April in the US, and 30 April in the UK. The song, which features disco overtones, was seen as being written in response to music critics accusing McCartney of predominantly writing "silly love songs" and "sentimental slush".  However, McCartney has since clarified that the song was actually directed to John Lennon who accused him of writing such songs.  The song was McCartney's 27th American number one as a songwriter; the all-time record for the most number one hits achieved there by a songwriter.  With this song, McCartney became the first person to have a year-end No. 1 song as a member of two distinct acts. McCartney previously hit No. 1 in the year-end /Billboard chart as a member of the Beatles with "I Wand to Hold Your Hand." in 1964 and "Hey Jude" in 1968.  Despite its popularity, McCartney has not performed the song live since the dissolution of Wings.  "Silly Love Songs" was written as a rebuttal to music critics (and his former Beatles bandmate, John Lennon) who had criticized McCartney for writing lightweight love songs.  Author Tim Riley suggests that in the song, McCartney is inviting "his audience to have a laugh on him," as Elvis Presley had sometimes done.  But over the years people have said, "Aw, he sings love songs, he writes love songs, he's so soppy at times." I thought, Well, I know what they mean, but, people have been doing love songs forever. I like 'em, other people like 'em, and there's a lot of people I love -- I'm lucky enough to have that in my life. So the idea was that "you" may call them silly, but what's wrong with that?  The song was, in a way, to answer people who just accuse me of being soppy. The nice payoff now is that a lot of the people I meet who are at the age where they've just got a couple of kids and have grown up a bit, settling down, they'll say to me, "I thought you were really soppy for years, but I get it now! I see what you were doing!"  By the way, "Silly Love Songs" also had a good bass line and worked well live — Paul McCartney, Billboard.  The song includes a build-up of multiple vocal parts sung in counterpoint, similar to the Beach Boys,  "God Only Knows", a song that McCartney cited as his favorite of all time.  McCartney allowed the horn section to create their own parts for the song.

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Being a “little older,” I am very fortunate to have someone call and check on me every day. He is from India, and he is very concerned about someone scamming me and hacking into my Computer/Banking details. He is always helpful and asks for my Password to fix my problem.

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- Don't worry about “getting old.” Worry about “thinking old.”

- After that “Covid thing” a few years ago, my “going out” clothes have missed me so much. I put them on and they hugged me so tightly, I could barely breathe.
- A Genie granted me one wish, so I said, “I just want to be happy.” So now I'm living in a little cottage with 6 dwarfes and working in a mine. 

- Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

 - Why is the time of day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

 - Why isn't there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

 - Why didn't Noah swat those two mosquitoes?

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Al's Doggy World:))

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Monday, November 11, 2024

DAY AFTER DAY, HOUR AFTER HOUR, AND MINUTE BY MINUTE

Another gray November day but at least it wasn't raining hard or snowing and the 49F temperature was at least doable.  I can almost count the number of leaves left on our Redbud tree outside the east-facing livingroom window.  Winter is right around the corner and steadily bearing down on us.  I think I will just tip back in my recliner, pull a blanket over my head, wait for Spring, and in the words of Eddie Arnold, Make The World Go Away  Well, after I finish the blog that is.......
It was off to Goderich Pheebs and I went this morning.  Kind of an intermittent drizzle but not enough to keep Pheebs window up.  She was a happy little camper with her nose out the window and the wind rushing by flapping her ears around.  I can tell she likes when that happens.  Nothing new in our usual coffee-harbor-gas-Walmart routine and it wasn't long before we were on our way home again.

 FLYING HER EARS IN THE WIND
 A LARGE SHIP IN THE PORT OF GODERICH THIS MORNING
 THE SHIP'S NAME IS MUSALA AND HAVING BEEN BUILT JUST LAST YEAR THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE SEEN IT
 THE DECK BOSS IN THE WHITE HELMET IS SAYING TO THE CREW, 'HEY GUYS I CAUGHT A FISH THIS BIG IN THE HARBOR AN HOUR AGO, DOES ANYBODY WANT TO MAKE A PET OUT OF IT'??
 THEY ALL TURNED THEIR BACKS ON THE DECK BOSS SO I GUESS NOBODY'S INTERESTED EXCEPT THAT HELMETLESS GUY DRIVING A LOADER WHO HOLLERED OVER, 'HEY WAIT A MINUTE I'LL TAKE IT' 
Looking ahead at the 14-day weather forecast I see no reason for panic yet when it comes to turning off our outside water and draining the hoses, etc.  When that time does come it won't take me long to do it.
 HEADING OUT TO ROTARY COVE IN A BIT OF A DRIZZLE
 A FEW GULLS WERE HAVING A GREAT TIME PLAYING IN THE WIND
 ABOUT TO TAKE OFF
 THERE HE GOES
Last night (Sunday) I hauled the TV out of our spare room and set it up in the sunroom again.  I watched my one-hour show, 'Skinwalker Ranch', then unplugged the TV and carried it back to the spare room.  This is my 6th day without checking news channels and I must say that I am way better off for it.  Partially, because of news channels, I'm still irritable but I'm hoping with time that irritation will dwindle and greatly diminish.  I don't know what's going on in the world right now and I'm trying not to care anymore.  As I've said before, I've had enough of the madness.  It's difficult for a sort of news junkie like myself but I'm at a point now where for my own peace of mind I cannot and will not ingest the daily chaos any longer.  I have done this before and 'slipped' back but I am working hard with myself right now to put this 'news junkie' side of me to rest once and for all.  I may wear out my eyes reading books but I figure it's better than wearing out my brain by subjecting it to seeing people and countries tear each other apart day after day, hour after hour, and minute by minute................... 
 SEEN IN GODERICH....THIS LITTLE FELLOW OBLIVIOUSLY TALKED HIS MOM AND DAD INTO TAKING HIM FOR A SPIN IN HIS LITTLE BLUE ROADSTER
 HEADING HOME WITH HER WINDOW DOWN

Al's Music Box:(( Everything I Own by David Gates and Bread.  After the first song, this video will go on to play more David Gates songs.  'Aubrey Was Her Name', etc. including 'If'.  I like all the songs except for 'Friends and Lovers' not so much.  All songs show lyrics. Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Gates was surrounded by music from infancy, as the son of Clarence Gates, a band director, and Wanda Rollins, a piano teacher. He became proficient in piano, violin, bass and guitar by the time he enrolled in Tulsa's Will Rogers High School. Gates formed his first band, The Accents, with other high school musicians which included a piano player, Claude Russell Bridges, who later in life changed his name to Leon Russell.  During a concert in 1957, the Accents backed Chuck Berry.  In 1957, David Gates and the Accents released the 45 "Jo-Baby" / "Lovin' at Night" on Robbins record label. The A-side was written for his sweetheart, Jo Rita, whom he married in 1959 while enrolled at the University of Oklahoma studying law and pre-med.  In 1961, he and his family moved to Los Angeles, where Gates continued writing songs, and he worked as a music copyist, as a studio musician, and as a producer for many artists including Pat Boone.  Success soon followed. His composition "Popsicles and Icicles" hit No. 3 on the US Hot 100 for The Murmaids in January 1964.  The Monkees recorded another of his songs, "Saturday's Child". By the end of the 1960s, he had worked with many leading artists, including Elvis Presley, Bobby Darin, Merle Haggard, The Ventures, Duane Eddy and Brian Wilson.  In 1965, Gates arranged the Glenn Yarbrough hit, "Baby the Rain Must Fall". In 1966, he produced two singles on A&M Records for Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band.  According to a 1996 article in People, Gates has remained married to high school sweetheart Jo Rita since 1959. Together they raised four children: three lawyers and a cardiothoracic surgeon.  Gates, who studied the cattle ranching business while touring with Bread, purchased a 1,400-acre cattle ranch financed by royalties he earned during his time with the band. He lives happily with his wife in Mount Vernon, Washington, enjoying his retirement.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( I once dated a girl with a twin and people always asked me how I could tell them apart.....It was simple - Alison painted her nails red, and Bob had a beard.

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I went to the doctor with hearing problems.
He said, "Can you describe the symptoms?"
I said, "Homer's a fat bloke and Marge has big blue hair!"

- I just asked myself if I'm crazy, and We all said No.

People who wonder if the glass is half empty or half full miss the point.  The glass is refillable.

- I told my wife she should “embrace her mistakes.”...............She gave me a hug.

My father is a skilled CPA, but is not great at self-promotion. So when an advertising company offered to put my father's business placard in the shopping carts of a supermarket, my dad jumped at the chance. Fully a year went by before we got a call that could be traced to those placards.  “Richard Larson, CPA?” the caller asked.  “That's right,” my father answered. “May I help you?”  “Yes,” the voice said. “One of your shopping carts is in my yard and I want you to come and get it.”

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Al's Doggy World:))

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Common sense is not a gift. It's a punishment because you must deal with everyone else who doesn't have it.

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