TRAVEL WITH THE BAYFIELD BUNCH:))

Thursday, December 05, 2024

KELLY HAS BEEN ACCEPTED BY THE HURON HOSPICE HOME

We had another snow dump overnight and this morning's high winds whipped all that snow up into a full-blown snowstorm today. I left the house around 9:30 heading for the Goderich hospital but didn't get far before turning back. I could see zero visibility 'white-out's ahead and knew enough not to drive into them. I was also worried that had I made it to Goderich, the storm could have intensified and I might not have been able to get home and look after the Pheebs. This bad weather has come at about the worst possible time. The one bright spot is that Sabra is still in Goderich and has been able to make it to the hospital okay each day to see her Mother. I'm so thankful Sabra is with her. Of course, Kelly and I talk on the phone every day but it's not the same as being there.

THIS IS NEITHER SNOW OR ICE...IT'S GRAUPEL

LOOKING TOWARDS OUR CARPORT FROM THE END OF OUR DRIVEWAY

I'M SURE GLAD WE PUT NEW TIRES ON SUBIE LAST FALL

I see above-freezing temperatures coming up in a few days with the possibility of rain. That is going to add a lot of weight to roofs. Many tree branches have come down already and as the snow becomes even heavier, there will be considerably more branches and trees down. And collapsed roofs as well......My first order of business this morning was to get myself on the end of my snow shovel and try to make some sense of the big snow mess outside. It's overwhelming because the snow just keeps on coming and coming.

THE SNOW ON OUR BACK DECK JUST GETS DEEPER AND DEEPER

THAT'S A LOT OF SNOW ON OUR SHED ROOF

My Wednesday's over-the-top giddy exuberance was somewhat diminished today but I did manage to keep myself busy. I shoveled two pathways for Pheebs and one pathway to our closest birdfeeder. In over 22 years here I have never seen anything near as much snow as we have now. I think it's going to be July before all this snow melts.

Kelly called about 3:45 this afternoon to say that she has been accepted by the Huron Hospice Home west of Clinton Ontario near Holmesville. There is a chance she may be moved there tomorrow or possibly Saturday. Weather permitting of course. Her voice was still fairly strong today but that is because she was on her iPhone. In her room with a noisy exhaust fan going overhead, she is hard to hear when she speaks barely above a whisper at times. In her phone call with Dr Teriaky yesterday, Kelly asked him how much time he thought she might have left and he said,,,,,,a couple weeks.

IF THE SNOW KEEPS UP IT WILL SOON BURY THIS FENCE LINE

Al's Music Box:)) Blue Bayou is a song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. It was originally sung and recorded by Orbison, who had an international hit with his version in 1963. It later became Linda Ronstadt's signature song, with which she scored a Top 5 hit with her cover in 1977. Many others have since recorded the song. "Blue Bayou" was originally recorded by Roy Orbison at the end of 1961. In the UK, it was released by London Monument as the double A-side track with "Mean Woman Blues" on a Monument Records single, where both sides peaked at number 3. It was issued as a B-side single in the US, peaking at number 29; the A-side, "Mean Woman Blues", peaked at number 5. The song also appeared on Orbison's 1963 full-length album In Dreams. "Blue Bayou" reappeared on his 1989 posthumous album A Black & White Night Live, from the 1988 television special on Cinemax.

A PARK RESIDENT WORKING WITH HIS SNOW BLOWER

GROANER'S CORNER:(( While attending a marriage seminar dealing with communication, Jack and his wife, Barb, listened to the instructor. It is essential that husbands and wives know the things that are important to each other. He addressed the man, can you describe your wife's favorite flower? Jack leaned over, touched his wife's arm gently, and whispered, It's Pillsbury isn't it?

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A man walks into a restaurant and is shown to his seat by the hostess. The waiter approaches and asks, "Would you like to try our house special? The man replies, "No, just bring me a steak, and make it lean". The waiter, somewhat puzzled, looks at him and replies, "Which way?"

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Dad: Bill, wash your face! I can see what you had for breakfast this morning.
Bill: What did I have?
Dad: Eggs.
Bill: Wrong. That was yesterday!

Nutella: Noun:: God's favorite spreadable condiment, typically manufactured by pixies in the magical Land of Yum.

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My sister-in-law, a truck driver, had decided to get a dog for protection. As she inspected a likely candidate, the trainer told her, “He doesn't like men.” “Perfect,” my sister-in-law thought and took the dog.
Then one day she was approached by two men in a parking lot, and she watched to see how her canine bodyguard would react. It soon became clear that the the trainer wasn't kidding. As the men got closer, the dog ran and hid under the nearest car.
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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Al's Art Gallery

Wednesday, December 04, 2024

A CHANGE OF PLANS TODAY AND WE'RE WORKING ON HOSPICE CARE

Oh My, what a difference a good night's sleep can make. I'm feeling so much better compared to the past four or five days. I was almost afraid to part the curtains this morning expecting to see another foot of snow out there. Luckily, we got off with a light dusting. At this time and under the circumstances, every little bit helps. I still had a craving for orange juice and despite a snow squall warning in our area, I headed into Bayfield in hopes of finding the Foodland grocery store open. It was and I grabbed a jug of juice, slipped back out to the car, open it, and swamped down nearly a third of the jug. I thought of Richard and Gayle and called there place to see if they needed anything from Foodland. Gayle said two loaves of cheese bread would make her day. Richard wasn't home because he was in the hospital so I drove the two loaves of Cheesebread over to their place. Their long lane hadn't been plowed yet this morning but with the all-wheel drive Subaru, I didn't have any problem getting those loaves of Cheesebread delivered. Desperately needing something to feel good about, this little deed was a lifesaver. But then it got even better. Richard was released from the Clinton hospital and I was able to slip over to Clinton later, scoop him up, and take him home. Now my 'feeling good' was over the Moon. From Richard and Gayles I immediately made fast tracks for the Goderich Hospital with a much neede stop at Walmart first. From there it was on to the hospital. It had probably been nearly a week since I last saw Kelly and with this head and chest cold finally out of my system, I felt comfortable enough that I wouldn't infect her or the hospital staff. As a precaution, I wore a face mask.

A COUPLE SNOWY MAIL BOXES ALONG THE WAY TODAY

WE'VE NEVER HAD THIS MUCH SNOW ON OUR REAR DECK BEFORE

OUR SNOWY STREET THIS MORNING

THE GARBAGE RECYCLING TRUCK HAS NOT MADE IT INTO OUR PARK YET

So, there has been a change in thinking that has led to a change of plans today regarding Kelly's health care. Paperwork has been submitted to a hospice center near Clinton. It's in the countryside and only a short 15-minute drive from our house. We're hoping to know tomorrow if we can get her in there.......Kelly's condition is slowly deteriorating and both Sabra and I could see that today. But, despite that, Kelly's spirit is still there. It may not be in fighting mode any longer but it is in 'acceptance' mode and we can comfortably talk about things. Sabra is staying in Goderich an extra night and will be back with her Mom tomorrow as well as myself. Sabra, like her Mother, is good at organizing things and getting things done and that is a big help for me as well.

AT THE HOSPITAL THIS AFTERNOON

KELLY'S TALKING TO HER LONDON LIVER DOCTOR AND THANKING HIM FOR ALL THE HELP HE HAS BEEN TO HER FOR THESE PAST NUMBER OF YEARS

SABRA AND I LISTENED TO THEIR CONVERSATION

The weather wasn't the best for driving today but luckily, snowplows had been out in force. Just some blowing snow and a couple small snow drifts to plow through. I have a lot of experience of punching my way through snowstorms over the years. Plus, I'm 'supposedly' at an old and wiser state of my life now where I don't listen to that foolishly rambunctious teenager inside of me saying, 'So what if the road ain't plowed, I can make it through' 'Watch this boys'!! Oh Dear, I was such a 'show-off' in those teenage years:(( But then again, what male teenager isn't.

TODAY'S DRIVING CONDITIONS

Al's Music Box:)) Close To You is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David with sections of the early version written by Cathy Steeves. The best-known version is that recorded by the American duo the Carpenters for their second studio album Close to You (1970) and produced by Jack Daugherty. It was released on May 14, 1970. The record was certified gold and became their breakthrough hit. Believing the original title to be too long, Richard Carpenter added parentheses around In 2018, Billboard ranked "Close to You" the top single of the summer of 1970. Bacharach and David gave Herb Alpert the song after he scored a number one hit in 1968 with "This Guy's in Love with You", which the duo had also written. Alpert recorded the song, but he was displeased with the recording and did not release it. After the Carpenters achieved their first chart success with "Ticket to Ride" in 1969, Alpert approached them to record their version of the song, believing it was well-suited for them.With some reluctance, Richard Carpenter worked up an arrangement but wasn't keen on it. He expected the matter to pass without further word. A short time later, word circulated back to Richard and Karen that Herb "really wanted them" to record the song. Knowing he and Karen were in a vulnerable position with the label after the dismal chart performance of "Ticket to Ride", Richard went back to work. Carpenter and Alpert collaborated on the song, and the finished product for the album was 4 minutes and 36 seconds. When A&M Records decided to remove the extended coda and release it as a 3-minute, 40-second long single in May 1970, it became A&M's biggest hit since Alpert's "This Guy's in Love with You." "(They Long to Be) Close to You" earned the Carpenters a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Performance by a Duo, Group, or Chorus in 1971. It became the first of three Grammy Awards they would win during their careers. The song was certified gold by the recording Richard had originally written with the flugelhorn solo part for Herb Alpert but when he was unavailable at the time of recording, Chuck Findley was hired in his stead. Richard later commented: "Chuck didn't play it that way at first, but I worked with him and he nailed it. A lot of people thought it was Herb Alpert playing it. Bacharach thought so, too. But it's the way Findley is playing it." The arrangement was completely different from the version Bacharach cut with Richard Chamberlain, with one exception. When Richard Carpenter asked Bacharach for permission (as a courtesy) to redo the song, Bacharach requested that he keep the two "quintuplets" (five-note groupings" (piano ornaments) at the end of the first bridge. Bacharach recalled his initial reaction on hearing the finished product: "Man, this is just great! I completely blew it with Richard Chamberlain but now someone else has come along and made a record so much better than mine."