''YAHOUIE LOUIE' PHEEBS AND I ARE BACK 'ON THE ROAD AGAIN':)))))

 A COUPLE OF HAPPY GUYS TO FINALLY BE OUT AND ABOUT THIS MORNING

In a perfect world, it would have been a big bright, sunny morning with warm temperatures for our first day back on the road in 6 weeks.  However, it is what it was and with Willy Nelson's song, 'On The Road Again' rolling around in my head, we happily headed out into the countryside with Pheebs window down and the heater on despite a cold rainy drizzle and cloudy skies overhead.  It was 37F.  I had hoped to start our day off with a good old country road walk but it was not to be so we headed off to Goderich to follow our usual McDonald's coffee and harbor routine and to pick up some stuff at Walmart.  Peanut butter, coffee, etc.

 HOW GREAT TO TURN RIGHT OUT OF THE PARK AND HEAD FOR THE COUNTRYSIDE

 WE EVEN SAW 'OLD LONESOME'

 I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE TWO ALGOMA SHIPS ANCHORED ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE GODERICH HARBOR

 THE ALGOMA NIAGARA

 THE ALGOMA INTREPID

 BOTH SHIPS WERE RIDING HIGH OUT OF THE WATER SO THEY MUST NOT HAVE ANY CARGO ABOARD

Too cold and damp outside for me to be out there so it was another inside job.  A few bird pics and more reading.  Because I mistakenly had my camera's ISO setting waaaay too high (6400) today's photos are grainy and mottled looking but I've decided to include them anyway.  You know me....'perfection only' is not my game and they don't call me, 'One-Shot Charlie' for nothing.  

METHINKS IT'S A RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER

 GOLDFINCH

 MOURNING DOVE

 GRACKLE

 A RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD AND PROBABLY A MAIL WITH THAT BRIGHT RED WING BAR

Kelly talked to her daughter Rebecca in Spain today.  Rebecca thinks we should move there.  Hmmmmm.  I wouldn't mind going for a couple weeks or maybe a month just to see what it's like but under our present circumstances I don't see that happening any time soon.  

 THESE TWO APPEAR TO BE IGNORING EACH OTHER

 'GET OFF THE BIRD STATION BLACKIE!!!!'

 'I'M NOT LISTENING YOU REDHEADED DINGBAT'

 'ALRIGHT THEN I'LL JUST TAKE MY PEANUT AND GO HOME'

 THERE'S THAT DARTH VADER GRACKLEGATOR AGAIN TRYING TO SCARE A MOURNING DOVE BUT IF PUSH COMES TO SHOVE THE MOURNING  DOVE WILL PUT THE BOOTS TO THE GRACKLE

 HMMMM, LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY'S GOT THEIR BEAK IN THE AIR OVER SOMETHING AGAIN

 'I GOT A SEED' ....'WELL I GOT A SEED TOO!!'

 JUST LANDED WITH HIS TAIL STILL IN A FLAIR

A Blast From Our Past:)) It was a Sunday morning on December 20th, 2009 in Arizona's Cochise County when we set out to find a cowboy gunslinger's grave from the late 1800's.  We knew it was somewhere at the foot of the Chiricahua Mountains.  Today We Found The Final Resting Place Of Tombstone's Infamous.....Johnny Ringo

 A LANDING APPROACH FOR THIS RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD

 A GRACKLE TAKE OFF

 OVER AND UNDER

 A RED-WINGED BLACKBIRD COASTING IN HOPING TO MAKE A PERFECT TWO-POINT LANDING

 OOOOPS, HE DIDN'T QUITE STICK THE LANDING

Al's Music Box:)) On The Road Again is a song written and recorded by American country music singer and songwriter Willie Nelson.  In 1980 Nelson starred in his first leading role in the Jerry Schatzberg film Honeysuckle Rose, about an aging musician who fails to achieve national fame and his relationship with his family, who also are part of his band that travels throughout the United States while playing in different venues. Shortly after signing the contract, Nelson was approached during a flight by Schatzberg and the executive producer of the movie, who requested him to write a song about life on the road to use as the theme song. Nelson quickly wrote the song on a barf bag. The tune featured a "train beat".The song was released with Nelson's 1980 album Honeysuckle Rose, reaching the first position on Billboard's top country albums.  Nelson received a Grammy Award for Best Country Song, while he was nominated for Best Original Song during the 53rd Academy Awards.  (I thought this was a fitting song for Pheebs and I this morning:)) 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A proud and confident genius makes a bet with a local moron.  The genius says, "Hey moron, every question I ask you that you don't know the answer, you have to give me $5. And if you ask me a question and I can't answer yours I will give you $5,000."  The moron says, "Okay."  The genius then asks, "How many continents are there in the world?" The moron doesn't know and hands over the $5.  The moron says, "Now me ask: what animal stands with two legs but sleeps with three?"  The genius tries and searches very hard for the answer but gives up and hands over the $5,000.  The genius says, "Dang it, I lost. By the way, what was the answer to your question?"  The moron hands over $5.

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- My wife asked why I spoke so softly in the house.  I said I was afraid Mark Zuckerberg was listening!  She laughed.  I laughed.  Alexa laughed. Siri laughed.

- A kangaroo mom with seven babies in her pouch told another kangaroo mom, "These sleepovers are killing me."

- The key to looking amazing is looking like crap most of the time so that it is even more amazing.

- My body is just a filter.....coffee goes in sarcasm comes out.

- Marriage is a relationship in which one is always right and the other is the husband.

- I ordered a chicken and an egg from Amazon......I'll let you know.

- I haven't lost all my marbles yet but I know there is a hole in the bag somewhere.

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TUCKED AWAY IN MY RECLINER

A combination of heavy winds and rain made for a wet start to our day but luckily it quit before Pheebs and I headed out for an even shorter Jeep drive around the Park than usual.  With all the rain I knew the road down around our recycle area in the Parks's south end would be a muddy mess.  A few far-off pics of a Canada Goose on the pond and that was about it for photos.  Another reading day tucked away in my recliner.  Tomorrow morning, Pheebs and I will once again be traversing our area roadways:))

Al's Music Box:)) Twilight Time is a popular 1944 song best known for its 1958 version by The Platters.  

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man is walking from the lake carrying two fish in a bucket. He is approached by the game warden who asks him for his fishing license.  The fisherman says to the warden, "I did not catch these fish, they are my pets. Every day I come down to the water and whistle and these fish jump out and I take them around to see the sights only to return them at the end of the day."  The warden, not believing him, reminds him that it is illegal to fish without a license. The fisherman turns to the warden and says, "If you don't believe me then watch," as he throws the fish back into the water.The   warden says, "Now whistle to your fish and show me how they jump out the water."  The fisherman turns to the warden and says, "What fish?"

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A few signs you are getting old:
- You don't hold in your stomach when someone young and attractive enters the room.
-You are proud of your lawn mower.
- Your friend is dating someone half his age, but not breaking the law.
- You can sing along with elevator music.

- Someone calls your house at 9 pm, and asks, 'Did I wake you up?'

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- I made a lamb curry last night…Apparently they prefer grass!

- Someone stole all my lamps you'd think I'd be upset...but I'm actually delighted.

- I'm going to have to return the camouflage jacket I bought last week...I just can’t see myself wearing it!

- I went into the office early one morning and switched the M and N keys on everyone's keyboard. Some people will say I'm a monster.  The others will say I'm a nomster.

- I was dating a girl named Ruth but I broke up with her. I'm ruthless.
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LITTLE 'SMARTY PANTS' PHEEBS KNOWS WHEN IT'S TIME FOR OUR AFTERNOON WALK

DESPITE RECENT FREEZING TEMPERATURES AND BEING COVERED IN SNOW, I THINK THIS DAFFODIL PLANT MAY STILL FLOWER

Had it not been windy we would have had us an even nicer day than we had.  Appreciated the sunshine but not the wind chill factor.  Undeterred, Pheebs and headed off on our second-to-last-routine drive around the Park.  Noticed a concrete slab being poured for a new mobile home on an already existing empty lot.  Home again I wasn't long in getting out our leaf blower to blow out our carport, front deck, and porch as well as all the birdseed husks on the ground under the birdfeeders.  Followed that up by vacuuming both the Subaru and Jeep as well as cleaning some inside window glass on both vehicles.  With my hip finally telling me it was time to 'knock it off' I did just that and headed inside.  It was nice to be outside doing something useful today.  Looking forward to even nicer days ahead:))

 WELL, I THINK IT MIGHT BE EASTER BUNNY TIME SOON

 HMMMM, IT LOOKS LIKE SOME ACTION GOING ON HERE

 YUP, THEY ARE POURING A CONCRETE SLAB FOR A NEW MOBILE HOME

 ONE OF OUR FRONT YARD BLACK SQUIRRELS

 BY LATE THIS AFTERNOON THIS ICICLE ON OUR DOWNSPOUT HAD FALLEN OFF AND WAS ALMOST ALL MELTED

Little 'Smarty Pants' Pheebs knows when it's time for our afternoon walk so she made no bones about arousing me out of my afternoon sunroom slumber.  Minutes later with my cane in hand we walked over to the pond and made our all the way around.  Where yesterday there was snow on the ground, today there was none and where yesterday there had been ice on the pond, today there was only a tiny bit left at the shaded south end.  No sign of our resident Canada Geese couple but I'm sure they are not too far away.  Kelly said she saw two Muskrats swimming side by side when out for a morning walk with Pheebs.  I think we topped out around 50F today.  Rain is headed our way for Tuesday.

 WHERE YESTERDAY THERE WAS SNOW TODAY THERE WAS NONE AND THE POND IS ALMOST TOTALLY FREE OF ICE

 A BIT OF SURFACE ICE REMAINS IN ABOUT THE CENTER OF THE PHOTO

 NEIGHBOR'S CHAIRS

 WE HAVE ONE CROCUS FLOWER BLOOMING IN A BACKYARD FLOWER BED

Al's Music Box:)) Light My Fire by Jose' Feliciano" is a song by the American rock band the Doors.  Although it was principally written by the band's guitarist, Robby Krieger songwriting was credited to the entire band.  Puerto Rican vocalist and guitarist Jose' Feliciano enjoyed significant international success when he released his version of "Light My Fire" in 1968 as a single on the RCA Victor label. It is perhaps the best-known cover of this song,  Feliciano's remake blended Latin influences, including a mixture of classic Spanish guitar and soul, with American pop. It contains "proto-Latin rock" stylings, and a slower tempo than the Doors original version.  In a 1969 interview, Feliciano said that he liked the song when he first heard it, but felt that he should wait a year before releasing the song. He also said that "California Dreamin' " was the original A-sid of the single. The single helped to spur the worldwide success of its album, Feliciano!, which was nominated for multiple Grammy Awards in 1969.  Songwriter Robby Krieger said in an interview about the cover: "It's really a great feeling to have written a classic. I think I owe a big debt to Jose Feliciano because he is actually the one that when he did it, everybody started doing it. He did a whole different arrangement on it."

 A SMALL PILE OF SHOVELLED SNOW REMAINS BESIDE A DAFFODIL PLANT IN OUR FRONT YARD

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Sadie walked into a print lab to have a photo of her deceased husband Moshe copied and retouched.  She said to the technician, "I have always hated the hat that my husband Moshe is wearing in the photo. Could you please retouch the hat out?"  "Of course," said the technician, "What color hair did your husband have?"  "When you take the hat off, you'll see," she said.

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Our 15-year-old daughter, Melanie, had to write a report for school about World War II, specifically D-Day and the invasion of Normandy. “Isn't there a movie about that?” she asked.  I told her there was, but I couldn't think of the name.Then it came to her, “Oh, I remember! Isn't it something like ‘Finding Private Nemo'?”

I was on vacation in Texas, and was appalled by Dallas' chaotic traffic.  I asked the bellhop at the hotel why it was so disorderly.  "In some countries, they drive on the right, in others on the left. Here, we drive in the shade."

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