A LITTLE GNOME PASSING THROUGH IN THE NIGHT

BAYFIELD'S PIERS ARE BEGINNING TO ICE OVER

With our thermometer registering only 16F it was so tempting to just stay in our warm and cozy house.  Why go out in that cold if one does not need to do so.  Good question I thought, so of course out the door Pheebs and I went and headed off into Bayfield.  I was surprised to see patches of blue sky overhead.  It was a routine drive down around the beach and harbor area then up through the village back to the highway, made a left turn, and headed north out of town.  Hadn't seen Richard and Gayle for a bit so I popped into their place for nearly an hour for a little chin wag.  Pheebs too but her's was more of a tail wag.  They're hanging in there like the rest of us at this age and stage of life.  We were back home before noon and if yesterday was a productive day, today was the opposite. Yesterday's enthusiastic motivation had got up and left.  Probably a little Gnome passing through in the night snatched it away from me.  Since Kelly's passing nearly a month ago I have not opened my Kindle book once and read anything.  Until today, that is as I snuggled deep into my sunroom recliner.  The last time I had opened my Kindle was sitting at Kelly's bedside two days before she passed away.  I sat quietly reading that morning as she slept.  Today, I sat quietly reading until I slept.

DID YOU NOTICE THE LADY IN WHITE?

 THE LADY IN WHITE WALKS OUT ALONG THE SOUTH PIER

 ICE FORMATIONS ALONG THE SIDE OF THE SOUTH PIER

 THE DEEP  ICY BLUE COLD WATERS OF LAKE HURON MAY SOON BE COVERED IN ICE AND SNOW FOR AS FAR AS THE EYE CAN SEE

Based on the 'Alcoholics Anonymous 12-step program, I haven't posted my 'Blogger's Anonymous' 12-step program for a while.  I wrote this back on January 15th of 2011.  ‘Bloggers Anonymous’

Step One:  "We admitted we were powerless over Blogging - that our free time has become unmanageable."

Step Two:  "Came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to a simpler time before computers."

Step Three:  "Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of our Spouses as we understand them."

Step Four:  "Made a searching and fearless moral inventory of our Blogger thoughts & Blog archives."

Step Five:   "Admitted to our Spouses, to ourselves, & to another Blogger person the exact nature of our blogging woes."

Step Six:  "Were entirely ready to have our Spouse remove all nasty posts from our Blogs."

Step Seven:  "Humbly asked Her/Him to remove our shortcomings, our spell checkers, & our publish buttons"

Step Eight:  "Made a list of all fellow Bloggers we had commented to, and became willing to make amends to them all."

Step Nine:  "Made direct amends to such Bloggers wherever possible, except when to do so would injure them, their Blogs, or their Blog followers ."

Step Ten:  "Continued to take personal written inventory and when we were wrong promptly didn't blog about it."

Step Eleven:  "Sought through humbleness and fear to improve our conscious contact with our Spouse as we understood Her/Him, begging only for knowledge of Her/His will for us and maybe our keyboards back to carry that out."

Step Twelve:  "Having had a Blogger's awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to all fellow Bloggers, and to practice these principles in all our restructured Blogging affairs."    10-4!!

Hi, my names AL & I am a Blogger:))

 THE BAYFIELD RIVER IS RE-FREEZING AGAIN

A Blast From Our Past:)) I stumbled across a post I had written back on March 5th, 2016.  We were in the midst of trying to sell our Congress Arizona house at the time.  When we found this property and house, everything was a wreck and nobody had lived there for a while.  Over the next four years, we worked hard at transforming both the inside and outside of that house.  Right off the bat, I  busied myself outside cleaning up the big mess.  All around the house were weeds, long grass, and large patches of hard-packed sandy gravel.  It didn't take me long to do battle with that grass and gravel and get my shovel into the ground.   In this Blast From the Past post, photos show a small section of our big front yard.  What you see in these photos was not what we saw when we decided to buy the house.  Everything you see in the photos with the exception of a couple patches of Prickly Pear Cactus, the Mesquite trees, and two Agaves, I planted myself.  Some of the cactus plants we bought, others were donated by friends and neighbors, and others we dragged home by Kelly and I from the desert.  Being a 'pathway' guy you can see the curvy pathways I laid out.  You will see one photo with a lot of stones edging a cactus bed and every one of those stones Kelly and I carried home from our morning walks in the open desert only a block from our house.  Many mornings we'd have our pockets loaded with stones.  Here's that post...... I Planted Most All The Cactus Myself.  And, when dealing with cactus plants, one always carries a tweezer in one's pocket to pull out the unavoidable cactus thorns embedded in one's hands and fingers.  Many prickly ouchies.

 A COUPLE OF ROADSIDE CHAIRS FOR WEARY WINTER WALKERS TO SIT DOWN UPON FOR A REST

Al's Music Box:)) Diamond Life is the debut studio album by the English band Sade, released in the United Kingdom on 16 July 1984 by Epic Records and in the United States on 27 February 1985 by Portrait Records. After studying fashion design, and later modelling, Sade Adu began backup-singing with British band Pride. During this time Adu and three of the original members of "Pride"—Paul Anthony Cook, Paul Denman and Stuart Matthewman—left the group to form their own band called Sade. After various demos and performances, Sade received interest from record labels and signed to Epic.  Recording for the album began in 1983 at Power Plant Studios in London and took six weeks to complete. The album's content was written by the group Sade and the production was handled by Robin Millar. Fifteen songs were recorded. The album contained a variety of musical elements including soul, jazz and sophisti-pop, mostly with love lyrics. The album spawned four singles, including "Your Love is King and " and "Smooth Operator".  Diamond Life received widespread acclaim from music critics and it was also a commercial success, winning the 1985 Brit Award for Best British Album. The album has been certified multi-platinum in both the UK and America. Diamond Life sold over 10 million copies worldwide, becoming one of the top-selling debut recordings of the era and the best-selling debut album by a British female vocalist, a record that stood for 24 years.  Producer Robin Millar met the band in 1983, and the band members had never worked in a professional studio and only had demos and recordings from the BBC studios and EMI publishing studios. Millar booked a week's worth of studio time and noted that the limitations of recording before computers had an impact upon the sound. "We used a real piano and a Fender Rhodes piano, painstakingly synching them up." They recorded 15 songs, all written by Adu and members of the group, except "Smooth Operator" written exclusively by Adu and Ray St. John.  In a contemporary review, Stephen Holden of The New York Times said Diamond Life "eschews the synthesizers that dominate British pop to make music that resembles a cross between the rock-jazz of Steely Dan and the West Indian-flavored folk-pop of Joan Armatrading. Smoldering Brazilian rhythms blend with terse pop-soul melodies and jazzy harmonies to create a sultry, timeless nightclub ambiance." Rolling Stone called it soul music with "self-possessed sophistication", and described Sade's vocal as "thick and rich".

GROANER'S CORNER:(( The 76-year-old woman walked down the hallway of Clearview Addictions Clinic, searching for the right department. She passed signs for the "Heroin Addiction Department (HAD)," the "Smoking Addiction Department (SAD)" and the "Bingo Addiction Department (BAD)." Then she spotted the department she was looking for: "Facebook Addiction Department (FAD)."  It was the busiest department in the clinic, with about three dozen people filling the waiting room, most of them staring blankly into their Blackberries and iPhones. A middle-aged man with unkempt hair was pacing the room, muttering,"I need to milk my cows. I need to milk my cows."  A twenty-something man was prone on the floor, his face buried in his hands, while a curly-haired woman comforted him.  "Don't worry. It'll be all right."  "I just don't understand it. I thought my update was LOL-worthy, but none of my friends even clicked the 'like' button."  "How long has it been?"  "Almost five minutes. That's like five months in the real world."  The 76-year-old woman waited until her name was called, then followed the receptionist into the office of Alfred Zulu, Facebook Addiction Counselor.  "Please have a seat, Edna," he said with a warm smile. "And tell me how it all started."  "Well, it's all my grandson's fault. He sent me an invitation to join Facebook. I had never heard of Facebook before, but I thought it was something for me, because I usually have my face in a book."  "How soon were you hooked?"  "Faster than you can say 'create a profile.' I found myself on Facebook at least eight times each day -- and more times at night. Sometimes I'd wake up in the middle of the night to check it, just in case there was an update from one of my new friends in India . My husband didn't like that. He said that friendship is a precious thing and should never be outsourced."  "What do you like most about Facebook?"  "It makes me feel like I have a life. In the real world, I have only five or six friends, but on Facebook, I have 674. I'm even friends with Juan Carlos Montoya."  "Who's he?"  "I don't know, but he's got 4,000 friends, so he must be famous."  "Facebook has helped you make some connections, I see."  "Oh yes. I've even connected with some of the gals from high school -- I still call them 'gals.' I hadn't heard from some of them in ages, so it was exciting to look at their profiles and figure out who's retired, who's still working, and who's had some work done. I love browsing their photos and reading their updates. I know where they've been on vacation, which movies they've watched, and whether they hang their toilet paper over or under. I've also been playing a game with some of them."  "Let me guess. Farmville?"  "No, Mafia Wars. I'm a Hitman. No one messes with Edna."  "Wouldn't you rather meet some of your friends in person?"  "No, not really. It's so much easier on Facebook. We don't need to gussy ourselves up. We don't need to take baths or wear perfume or use mouthwash. That's the best thing about Facebook -- you can't smell anyone. Everyone is attractive, because everyone has picked a good profile pic. One of the gals is using a profile pic that was taken, I'm pretty certain, during the Eisenhower Administration. "  "What pic are you using?"  "Well, I spent five hours searching for a profile pic, but couldn't find one I really liked. So I decided to visit the local beauty salon."  To make yourself look prettier?"  "No, to take a pic of one of the young ladies there. That's what I'm using."  "Didn't your friends notice that you look different?"  "Some of them did, but I just told them I've been doing lots of yoga."  "When did you realize that your Facebooking might be a problem?"  "I realized it last Sunday night, when I was on Facebook and saw a message on my wall from my husband: He said,'I moved out of the house five days ago. Just thought you should know.'"  "What did you do?"  "What else? I unfriended him of course!"

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kellys Corner

 IN HER MOM'S KITCHEN IN SPENCERPORT, NEW YORK

 STARGAZING ON A COLD DESERT NIGHT AT THE HICKIWAN TRAILS RV PARK IN WHY, ARIZONA

 MORNING WALK WITH PHEEBS AND CORA ON DARBY WELL ROAD WEST OF AJO ARIZONA

Al's Art Gallery

MY SUNROOM PROJECT TODAY

Standing and looking out our living room window upon another grey wintery day I made two small decisions.  One, I was not going to go back into that spare room and continue with the clean-up project, and Two....I was not going to stay in the house and not take Pheebs out for her morning car ride.  And, with that, we were out the door and on our way.  Tim Hortons for a coffee to go in Clinton was our first stop with a second stop at the Shell Gas Station to top off Subie's tank.  From there, it was northwest out of Clinton into the snow-covered countryside we went to see if we could snap a few pics along the way.

 WINTER'S FENCED IN MOONSCAPE

WHAT CAUGHT MY ATTENTION HERE WAS THE LITTLE BLACK DOG RUNNING DOWN THE FARM LANE BARKING LIKE A HORSE

Home again, I had decided while we were out for our Sunday morning drive that I was going to put my 'spare room' project on hold for a while.  Two days of going through old memories was a bit much so I decided on another project.  I had given the Sunroom a good cleaning several months ago except for under and behind the computer desk.  Today was the day to do that so with a few grunts and groans I moved the desk just far enough ahead that I could squeeze myself in behind it to not only clean the window but to vacum out all the cobwebs that had gathered back there this past year.  A good dusting and a wiping with a damp cloth went a long way to spiffing up the whole area.  Cleaned off the desk top as well and rearranged some things after bringing in a couple bricks and a piece of wood from the shed.

 MY SUNROOM PROJECT BEGINS

 PULLED THE DESK OUT SO I COULD CLEAN AROUND THAT MOSH OF WIRES

I ALWAYS KEEP A DOZEN BRICKS AROUND BECAUSE THEY OFTEN COME IN HANDY FOR SOMETHING

MY NEW TEMPORARY COMPUTER DESK SET UP...TEMPORARY??  YA, BECAUSE I OFTEN GET BORED WITH STUFF AND CHANGE THINGS AROUND

Somewhere between the computer desk project and thellate afternoon sun going down, I did manage to shovel all my outside pathways clear.  Luckily there was only about three inches of fluffy light fallen snow.  It was still a cold day though with a temperature of 23F and a wind chill factor of 14F.  Not nice!!  Scotty, I hope you are up there tracking my coordinates in case I hurriedly need you to beam me up:))

WHAT'S NICER THAN A BUNNY IN THE FRONT YARD

 TWO BUNNIES AND A FLYING BIRD THAT'S WHAT:))

A Blast From Our Past:)) On this day in 2009 we were boondocked near Borrego Springs, California.  In the morning we decided to take ourselves for A Hike Into Hell Hole Canyon.

THESE ARE TEDDY BEAR CHOLLA CACTI AND YOU NEVER EVER WANT TO GET TOO CLOSE TO THESE GUYS OR YOU COULD BE IN FOR A WORLD OF PAIN...AND I TELL YOU THAT FROM EXPERIENCE

Al's Music Box:)) Moonlight Serenade is an American swing ballad composed by Glenn Miller with subsequent lyrics by Mitchell Parish. It was an immediate phenomenon when released in May 1939 as an instrumental arrangement, though it had been adopted and performed as Miller's signature tune as early as 1938, even before it had been given the name "Moonlight Serenade". In 1991, Miller's recording of "Moonlight Serenade" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.  Miller studied the Schillinger technique with Joseph Schilling, who is credited with helping Miller create the "Miller sound", and under whose tutelage he composed "Moonlight Serenade".  The song evolved from a 1935 version entitled "Now I Lay Me Down to Weep", with music by Glenn Miller and lyrics by Eddie Heyman to a version called "Gone with the Dawn" with lyrics by George Simon, and "The Wind in the Trees" with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. In his biography of Glenn Miller, George T. Simon recounted how vocalist Al Bowlly of the Ray Noble Orchestra sang him the Eddie Heyman lyrics to the Glenn Miller music of "Now I Lay Me Down to Weep" in 1935. The Noble Orchestra never recorded the song. Finally it ended up as "Moonlight Serenade" because Robbins Music bought the music and learned that Miller was recording a cover of "Sunrise Serenade", a Frankie Carle associated song for RCA Victor. They thought "Moonlight" would be a natural association for "Sunrise".  Jazz critic Gary Giddins wrote about the song's impact and legacy; "Miller exuded little warmth on or off the bandstand, but once the band struck up its theme, audiences were done for: throats clutched, eyes softened. Can any other record match 'Moonlight Serenade' for its ability to induce a Pavlovian slobber in so many for so long?" (The New Yorker, May 24, 2004).  The 1939 RCA Victor studio recording of "Moonlight Serenade" was released by the U.S. War Department as Army V-Disc 39A, VP 75, Theme Song, in November 1943. The recording was also released as the Navy V-Disc No. 160A and the Marine Corps V-Disc No. 160A. A V-Disc test pressing of a recording of the song from November 17, 1945 by the AAF Band was made but the disc was not issued. A new recording by Glenn Miller with the American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces (AEF) was broadcast to Germany in 1944 on the radio program The Wehrmacht Hour.  The song was recorded on April 4, 1939 at the RCA Victor Studios in New York City and released on the RCA Bluebird label. It was a Top Ten hit on the U.S. pop charts in 1939, reaching number three on the Billboard charts, where it stayed for a total of fifteen weeks. It was the fifth most popular hit of 1939 in the Billboard year-end tally, where Miller had five records in the top 20.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Adam was walking around the Garden of Eden feeling very lonely, so God asked Adam, "What is wrong with you?" Adam said he didn't have anyone to talk to. God said he was going to give him a companion and it would be a woman.  He said, "This person will cook for you and wash your clothes, she will always agree with every decision you make. She will bear you children and never ask you to get up in the middle of the night to take care of them. She will not nag you and will always be the first to admit she was wrong when you've had a disagreement. She will never have a headache and will freely give you love and passion whenever needed."  Adam asked God, "What will a woman like this cost?"  God said, "An arm and a leg."  Adam said "What can I get for just a rib?"....The rest is history

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"Darling, I just called to tell you how awesome you are. You really are the love of my life…"  "Sir, I’m sorry, this is a brewery!"

"Oh, I know…"

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At the doctor's office, Tom was getting a check up. "I have good news and bad news," says the doctor. "The good news is you have 24 hours left to live." Tom replies, "That's the good news?!" Then the doctor says, "The bad news is I should have told you that yesterday."

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Dear God, so far today, I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, and I haven't lost my temper.  I haven't been grumpy, nasty or selfish, and I'm really glad of that!
But in a few minutes, God, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot of help.  Thank you! Amen.

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A blonde gyt is going to London on a plane; how can you steal his window seat?  Tell him all seats going to London are in the middle row.

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Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kellys Corner

CHECKERS, CORA, AND KELLY ON A MORNING HIKE IN WILLIS SLOT CANYON NEAR CANNONVILLE, ,UTAH

 SITTING ON THE RIM OF THE GRAND CANYON

 CROSSING THE SAN PEDRO RIVER NEAR THE GHOST TOWN OF CHARLESTON, ARIZONA (NEAR TOMBSTONE)

Al's Art Gallery