Sunday, November 17, 2024

WILL SOON BE BEHIND US FOR ANOTHER YEAR

 TOWARDS THE SOUTH END OF OUR PARK SITS THIS OLD ABANDONED WOOD UTILITY TRAILER
With my early rising again this morning I had to jump-start my day with a few gobs of crunchy peanut butter flavored with a few dabs of drippy honey.  A nice way to start the day I'd say.  Well, for me it is.  Had some new London prescriptions to drop off for Kelly at the Walmart Pharmacy so it was off to Goderich Pheebs and I went on another cloudy gray November day.  A couple big ships in the Port of Goderich with one probably being the biggest one I've seen yet in the harbor.  We were back home before Noon.

 THE LARGE BULK CARRIER ISABELLE G DOCKED AT GODERICH'S GRAIN TERMINAL THIS MORNING
 FOUR LARGE CRANES CAN LOAD AND OFFLOAD CARGO AND ALSO LIFT AND OPEN THE HUGE HATCH COVERS
THE ALGOMA INTREPID ON THE LEFT IS DOCKED AT THE SALT MINE
Kelly went to bed last night not feeling well but after a decent night's sleep (unlike the hospital) she felt better this morning except for an overall tiredness.  They say for every day a person spends in the hospital, they need 4 days of recovery.

 NOT MUCH OF AUTUMN'S COLORS LEFT IN THE FOREST
 THE NEWEST 'WOODLAND' BENCH IS IN THAT COPSE OF TREES ACROSS THE RAVINE
 AH YES, THERE IT IS
A lot of reading on this dull gray November day but Pheebs and I did get out for a mid-afternoon walk down towards the southern end of the Park.  There's not much in the way of color left anywhere.  Autumn's vibrant magical splendor is over.  No flowers or flowering shrubs anywhere.  No colorful songbirds in the air, no fluttering butterflies, and no darting neon blue dragonflies around the pond.  The green frogs and turtles will all be burrowed into the mud at the bottom of the Park's pond by now.  It's no wonder this is my least favorite month of the year.  But, in 13 days, this month of November will be behind us for another year.

 PHEEBS LIKES HER AFTERNOON WALKS
Al's Music Box:)) Honey by Bobby Goldsboro is a song written by Bobby Russell. He first produced it with former Kingston Trio member Bob Shane who was the first to release the song. It was then given to American singer Bobby Goldsboro, who recorded it for his 1968 album of the same name, originally titled Pledge of Love. Goldsboro's version was a hit, reaching No. 1 in several countries.  In the song, the narrator mourns his absent wife, and the song begins with him looking at a tree in their garden, remembering how "it was just a twig" on the day she planted it. Only in the third verse is it finally revealed that "one day...the angels came," and that his wife had died.  Bobby Russell took inspiration from a tree in his front yard when he noticed how big it had grown while he was writing the song one night. From this came the first line of the song, "See the tree, how big it's grown ...".  Before Shane's recording was released, Goldsboro was recommended the song by Larry Henley of the Newbeats. However, Goldsboro thought the recording by Shane was over-produced with excessive drumming, and the lyrics overpowered by the production.  Goldsboro at that time was in need of songs to record, he and his producer Bob Montgomery invited Russell over to play a few of his songs, which included "Honey". After listening to Russell's simpler rendition accompanied by just a guitar, Goldsboro became interested and asked if he could cover the song.  Russell was initially reluctant as Shane's version was due to be released but eventually agreed that Goldsboro could record it as long as his single did not compete with Shane's record. They agreed to delay the release of Goldsboro's recording by four weeks. The song was recorded on January 30, 1968, with an arrangement by Don Tweedy. Goldsboro later attributed the success of the song to Tweedy's arrangement and believed that Shane could have the same success with Tweedy's arrangement.  According to Goldsboro, the recording session for the song went so well that they got it right in one go. They then recorded it again just to see if anything was wrong, and it came out just as well, so they went with the first take.  "Honey" was immediately and immensely popular. It sold a million copies in its first three weeks, the fastest-selling record in the history of United Artists.  It was certified gold on April 4, 1968, the same day that Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, an event that may have helped the sales of the single.  It was the best-selling record worldwide for 1968, even more popular than "Hey Jude". It was a crossover hit, topping both the pop and country singles charts, one of only three songs to do so in the 1960s.  The recording was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1968: Record of the Year and Best Contemporary-Pop Vocal Performance, Male.  It was awarded Song of the Year in 1968 by the Country Music Association.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Late one Friday in Dublin, a policeman spotted a man driving very erratically. He pulled the man over and asked him if he had been drinking that evening.  ''Aye, so I have. 'Tis Friday, you know, so me and the lads stopped by the pub where I had six or seven pints. And then there was something called 'Happy Hour' and they served these mar-gar-itos which are quite good. I had four or five o' those. Then I had to drive me friend Mike home and o' course I had to go in for a couple of Guinness -- couldn't be rude, ye know. Then I stopped on the way home to get another bottle for later...'' And the man fumbled around in his coat until he located his bottle of whiskey, which he held up for inspection. The officer sighed, and said, ''Sir, I'm afraid I'll need you to step out of the car and take a breathalyzer test.''  ''Why? Don't ye believe me?''

--------------------------------------

Two tons of human hair was stolen from a wig factory.  The police said they were combing the area.

A woman was waiting in the checkout line at a shopping center. Her arms were heavily laden with a mop and broom and other cleaning supplies. By her actions and deep sighs, it was obvious she was in a hurry and not happy about the slowness of the line.  When the cashier called for a price check on a box of soap, the woman remarked indignantly, "Well, I'll be lucky to get out of here and home before Christmas!"  "Don't worry, ma'am," replied the clerk. "With that wind kicking up out there and that brand new broom you have here, you'll be home in no time."

---------------------------------------

                                Al's Doggy World

                                  Meanings

                              Al's Art Gallery














Saturday, November 16, 2024

'YAHOUIE LOUIE'...... KELLY'S HOME:))))

 WITH WINTER APPROACHING,  I NOTICED OUR FRONT YARD SQUIRRELS RAMPING UP THEIR PLANS FOR GETTING AT THE BIRDFEEDERS
Five o'clock in the morning comes early when one's mind still has not adjusted to the time change from a couple weeks ago.  It makes for a long day and last night I think I was sound asleep before I even made my way from the sunroom to the living room.  I woke up in the night with my lap humming away on top of me again.  Oh well, we're over halfway through November already and it's only 106 days of 5 a.m. awakenings before switching back to Standard Time on March 2nd, 2025.  'Senior Alert'.  Better mark that date on your calendar right now folks while you're thinking about it.  Well, that is if you remembered to pick up a new 2025 calendar that is.  Okay, so make a note to yourself to pick up a new calendar.  Whaddya mean ya can't remember where you left yer pencils!!

 THIS FRONT YARD BUNNY BLENDS IN WELL WITH THE BACKGROUND

Kelly sent this 'oh-oh' email last night....."They just posted signs by the elevators saying 'No Visitors', Covid outbreak on this floor" 😳I wondered if this will affect her coming home today or not..............Expecting Kelly's phone call at any time saying she was ready to be picked up, Pheebs and I didn't stray any farther than Bayfield on our drive this morning.  Changing things up a bit I decided to pick up a Tim Hortons coffee in Bayfield instead of making my usual second coffee of the day at home.  Pulling in I noticed a line-up at the Drive-Thru so thought what the heck, since being built 3 or 4 years ago I had never been inside this Tim Hortons coffee shop so I parked the Subes and slipped inside for a decaf coffee to go.  Not much seating in there.  Saw two tables with two chairs each and a coffee bar along the window with maybe half a dozen stools.  Well, at least I finally got inside the place to see what the heck it looked like after taking so many pictures and complaining about its slow building progress years ago.  From there, Pheebs and I slid out the south end of Bayfield, went around one small country block, and headed home to wait for the phone to ring.  It was 9:20 a.m.

 MY FIRST TIME INSIDE HERE THIS MORNING
AN OPEN HOUSE FOR OUR PARK'S NEW HOUSE WAS HELD TODAY 
At 10:05 Kelly phoned to say her hemoglobin level had dropped overnight again but it wasn't a drastic drop so they said she could go home today.  She didn't know a release time yet but would call as soon as she knew for sure.  The phone rang again at 12:05 and minutes later I was in the Subaru under a heavy cloud overcast heading for London.  Luckily, because it was Saturday, the usual traffic congestion around the University Hospital's main entrance was light and I found a parking place. I had my Kindle with me so I spent the next hour reading until Kelly was finally released and brought out in a wheelchair.  I couldn't have gone in to get her because of 3 people on her floor had Covid, and the ward was shut down with no visitors allowed.  

 IT WAS A DULL GRAY DRIVE TO LONDON AND BACK TODAY
 DESCENDING INTO LONDON TOWN
 VERY QUIET AT UNIVERSIT HOSPITAL'S MAIN ENTRANCE THIS AFTERNOON
 I WAS VERY GLAD I HAD BROUGHT MY KINDLE TO READ
We made fast tracks north out of London making a stop at a Foodland grocery store in Lucan for a couple sandwiches from the Delli.  We were home about 3:15.  I don't know who was more tired, Kelly or me.  It wasn't long before Kelly headed for her room to lie down and I think I fell asleep in my living room recliner.  I don't know, I remember looking at the clock and it said 4:15.  I opened my eyes a few minutes later and it was somehow 5:54.

LUCAN'S NEW FOODLAND STORE WAS LOOKING RATHER CHRISTMASY THIS AFTERNOON
We'll see how this week goes.  The doctor in London this morning told Kelly that this will happen again.  We already knew that.  He said for her to wait one week and then get another blood test in Goderich to see what's happening with her hemoglobin level.  For some reason, Kelly's ankles are very swollen.  Anyway, the main thing is that she is home safe and sound for the time being........... 

Al's Music Box I'm An Old Cow Hand by Roy Rogers and The Sons of the Pioneers is a song written by Johnny Mercer.  Members of the Western Writers of America chose it as one of the Top 100 Western songs of all time.  Mercer and his wife were driving across the US en route to his hometown, Savannah, Georgia, after having apparently failed to succeed in Hollywood. Mercer was amused by the sight of cowboys, with spurs and ten-gallon hats, driving cars and trucks instead of riding horses. Singing Cowboys were popular in films and on the radio then, and within 15 minutes, writing on the back of an envelope, Mercer transferred the image he was seeing into a song whose satirical lyrics vented some of his own bitter frustration with Hollywood.  The lyrics, about a 20th-century cowboy who has little in common with the cowpunchers of old, have been included in some anthologies of light verse.

 I HAD TO CROP KELLY OUT OF THIS PHOTO ON THE WAY HOME BECAUSE SHE HAD JUST TAKEN A BIG BITE OUT OF HER SANDWICH AND WAS LOOKING KIND OF GOOFY ABOUT IT
GROANER'S CORNER:(( The photographer for a national magazine was assigned to get photos of an enormous forest fire. Smoke at the scene was too thick to get any good shots, so he frantically called his home office to hire a plane. "It will be waiting for you at the airport!" he was assured by his editor.  As soon as he got to the small, rural airport, sure enough, a plane was warming up near the runway. He jumped in with his equipment and yelled, "Let's go! Let's go!" The pilot swung the plane into the wind and soon they were in the air.  "Fly over the north side of the fire," said the photographer, "and make three or four low-level passes."  "Why?" asked the pilot.  "Because I'm going to take pictures! I'm a photographer, and photographers take pictures!" said the photographer with great exasperation and impatience. After a long  pause, the pilot said, "You mean you're not the instructor?"

---------------------------------

-  What do you call a football kicker who comes through in the clutch? A big game punter.

Did you hear about the two trucks carrying copies of Roget's Thesaurus that collided yesterday? Witnesses were stunned, startled, aghast, taken aback, and stupefied.

------------------------------------

Mrs. Hunter was called to serve for jury duty, but asked to be excused because she didn't believe in capital punishment and didn't want her personal thoughts to prevent the trial from running its proper course.  But the public defender liked her thoughtfulness and quiet calm, and tried to convince her that she was appropriate to serve on the jury.  "Madam," he explained, "this is not a murder trial! It's a simple civil lawsuit. A wife is bringing this case against her husband because he gambled away the $12,000 he had promised to use to remodel the kitchen for her birthday."  "Well, okay," agreed Mrs. Hunter, "I'll serve. I guess I could be wrong about capital punishment after all."

----------------------------------------

                            Al's Doggy World


                                Meanings

{Quote} We are living in a day where people are proud of what they should be ashamed of.
       Al's Art Gallery
 VINCENT VAN GOGH
 A VAN GOGH PAINTING














KELLY AND I HAVE DRIVEN THIS STRETCH OF ROAD SEVERAL TIMES IN OUR RVING YEARS AND IT IS TRULY AS MAGNIFICENT AS IT LOOKS....AND WE TOOK OUR JEEP WRANGLER ON ROUGH INDIAN ROADS ONE DAY TO DRIVE RIGHT DOWN INTO MONUMENT VALLEY AROUND THOSE TOWERING ROCK SPIRES ON THE HORIZON....OH MY HOW ME HEART SKIPS A BEAT WHEN I THINK OF THOSE DAYS