RAINY DAY WITH A TOUCH OF SADNESS

DESPITE FAILING HEALTH, MY UNCLE HARRY HAS NOT LOST HIS TOUCH ON THE POOL TABLE

I had put all the bird feeders out a couple days ago & it has been nice to see & hear some early spring visitors.  This morning we had Blue Jays, Cardinals, Junco's, House Finches, Nuthatches, Morning Doves, Red Wing Blackbirds, Chipmunks, Squirrels, & Grackles.  No bird photos yet, but soon:))

UNCLE HARRY RACKS THEM UP FOR OUR FIRST OF 5 GAMES

It's a cool, gray, & very rainy day here in southwestern Ontario but that's OK because it will bring the colorful spring flowers out sooner.

HARRY HAS HIS OWN CHEERING SECTION:))

Earlier in the month I had blogged about Kelly's Dad & my Uncle both being taken to hospital by ambulance around the same time.  Kelly's Dad did a stint at re-hab after that & is back home.....but struggling.  My Uncle Harry is back at his assisted living facility in Woodstock Ontario & is also struggling.  Today we went to visit my soon to be 94 year old Uncle.  His health has deteriorated considerably since we saw him last October & he can't go far without his walker now.  But, today he pulled enough strength together & insisted we fire up the pool cues for a few games on the big quality pool table down the hall from his room.  It was a struggle for him but we played 5 games of pool & just about every game came down to the black ball so he hasn't lost his pool shark touch.  We played for about an hour with Harry resting on his walker every once & awhile between shots.  He did really well & I couldn't help but think later as I was putting the balls & cues away today that we just may have played our last games of pool.  Those 5 games left Harry very drained.  Kelly & I will be heading over again in about a week & half so we'll see how he is feeling at that time & hopefully.........we'll be racking em up again:))

       

Woodstock is an hour & twenty minutes from Bayfield & it rained all the way back adding to the sadness of the day, but I think we are in for some milder temps & some sunshine tomorrow. 

HARRY & HIS GOOD FRIEND, & OURS, HELEN

HARRY'S HEADING BACK TO HIS ROOM FOR A WELL DESERVED REST

GROANER'S CORNER:((   My first job was working in an orange juice factory, but I got canned...couldn't concentrate.

After that I tried to be a tailor, but I just wasn't suited for it...mainly because it was a so-so job.

Then I tried to be a chef -- figured it would add a little spice to my life, but I just didn't have the thyme.

I managed to get a good job working for a pool maintenance company, but the work was just too draining.

Then I worked in the woods as a lumberjack, but I just couldn't hack it, so they gave me the ax.

After that I worked in a blanket factory, but it folded.

Next was a job in a shoe factory; I tried but I just didn't fit in.

After many years of trying to find steady work I finally got a job as a historian until I realized there was no future in it.

My best job was being a musician, but eventually I found I wasn't noteworthy.

I became a professional fisherman, but discovered that I couldn't live on my net income.

My last job was working at Starbucks, but I quit because it was always the same old grind.................:))

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...... AL.

AWWW, THE COMFORTS OF OUR BAYFIELD HOME.....FOR AWHILE

EARLY SPRING CROCUS

Our night temperatures dropped to about 25F again last night but the morning dawned clear with a big orange sun on the eastern horizon.  Well, I assume that's the way the day dawned because it's a little difficult for us to see the horizon now with all the trees.

OH OH..........SNOW!!!!

Before forgetting again I just wanted to answer a reader's question about 'if permission is needed when staying in Wal-Mart lots,' etc for overnighter's while traveling.  Common courtesy says it is advisable to slip into the store & ask the management what their policy is regarding RV'ers spending the night in the lot.  We have a list of Wal-Mart stores who do not allow overnighter's so that is a help.  Two years ago in Bonham, Texas we asked before overnighting in a Wally World there & they said it was fine to do so.  Last week in the same Wally World we just assumed it was still fine, & it was.  We generally buy some groceries while there & that is only fair.  Kelly had read that Lowe's & Cracker Barrel welcome RV overnighter's so we didn't ask in either one of those stays.  But, if in doubt.....ask:))

OUR ANNUAL PAIR OF GEESE ARE BACK ON THE POND

The dust is settling nicely from our 6 day return journey & we are slowly slipping back into our old comfy sticks & bricks routines.  When I say that we are sooooo glad to be home it is mainly the long grueling drive that we are so glad to be home from.  We sure wish the southwest was as close as Florida but the only way for us to make it that close would be to move to southern British Columbia.  Anybody got a nice quiet little piece of rural property out there for the Bayfield Bunch:))  Hmmmmmmm.

ALONG THE EARLY MORNING TRAIL

As you all know, Kelly & I prefer the boondocking lifestyle when we are in the southwest for the winter & that means doing without or doing with less than we are normally accustomed to here in our home in Bayfield.  We always adjust to that very well & make do with the way things are & after awhile we don't really think about it too much.  Not until we get home that is!!  The first few days & weeks of arriving home are like being in a luxury hotel.  An endless water supply complete with hot showers that can go on forever.  And what a treat it is having a full size tub shower to move around in instead of banging elbows in tiny broom closet sized RV showers.  And a tub big enough to lay completely submerged in for hours.  No holding tanks to empty or banks of batteries to check.  Unlimited electricity with no wall monitors to keep checking on to see how many watts or minutes are left before the shrill alarm sounds saying you are about to run out of power!!  Gotta love the washer/dryer in the house instead of having to drive to some people clustered Laundromat somewhere.  Big 42" TV hooked up to a stereo system for those big bass sounds I love.   Our big cushy home recliners speak for themselves & my bigger bed is always a welcome change.  Larger computer desk in a bright pine walled sun room complete with a stereo computer sound system is pretty easy to get used to all over again too.  From my recliner & can just reach over with a hooked wooden stick & open or close the patio door letting the doggy guys in or out into a safe fenced in yard.  No coyote or snake worries.  Love the high speed internet at home with no silly 5 Gigabyte monthly limit. Bigger refrigerator & freezer & enough room in our place for Kelly to get away from me for awhile.  Pretty darn nice being home I'd say.  But, unfortunately for me, it won't last. 

     

TINY VIOLETS, DAFFODILS READY TO BLOOM & CROCUS'S......BEEN WALKING THIS SAME MORNING TRAIL FOR OVER 7 YEARS NOW.

Probably within a month all these comforts of home will get to be a little routine & taken for granted.  For me the newness of change will begin to wear off & I will become aware of myself complaining again about being 'stuck in the house!!'  Same thing happens to me when we are on the road & we're in one spot for more than a few weeks.  Remember my post a few weeks ago about 'contented!!'  Actually, for us at the moment, I think we probably have the best of both worlds & if I could just content myself with wherever I am at the moment I'm sure I could make things much easier for myself.

THIS TINY CREEK FLOWS INTO THE BAYFIELD RIVER WHICH IN TURN FLOWS INTO LAKE HURON ABOUT A MILE TO THE WEST

And regarding all the comforts of home here compared to boondocking in the deserts of the Southwest some folks might suggest we stay in RV Park's along the way with electricity, plumbing, water, big washroom showers, Wifi, clubhouse social events, etc.   Our standard answer to that simply is...........not a chance!!

 

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you hear about the careless pyromaniac who made an ash of himself & how about that frustrated cannibal who threw up his hands..

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now....AL.

BEEN SO BUSY WE'RE READY FOR ANOTHER HOLIDAY ALREADY!!

THE BIG SPRING CLEAN UP BEGINS

Well, I had better start this post off with another geography lesson for Al:((  Thanks to my good friend Jim G in Stratford, Ontario I found out the Blue Water Bridge between Port Huron Michigan & Sarnia Ontario crosses over the St. Clair River & not the Detroit River.  This is how it works....Lake Huron flows into the St Clair river which flows into Lake St. Clair which in turn flows into the Detroit River which then flows into Lake Erie.  The Blue Water bridge spans the St. Claire River portion.....Thanks Mr. G:)) 

Now, for another mistake I made which resulted in confusion for our good friend Dianne from Stormrunner here in Bayfield.  I had the sequence of events at our border crossing mixed up at the Blue Water Bridge on Wednesday.  The first line of booths we encountered is where you pay the toll for crossing the bridge.  We then crossed up & over the bridge & approached the second line of booths which is the Canadian checkpoint for entering into Canada.  It was at the Canadian checkpoint where we encountered the young fellow with all the questions.  In the blog I had said that after clearing the customs area we then crossed over the bridge.  I had my bridge in the wrong place.....we had already crossed it.  I will use the 'tired' defense in that case.  I really do think I should send a job application form to the The National Enquirer in the States though because with all the mistakes I have been making I'm sure they would just love to have somebody like me over there writing for them!!

It has been a really busy couple of days since we have been home.  Kelly's been on the phone for hours dealing with work related issues & family matters.  We don't even have the coach a quarter emptied yet.  I was out before 8 a.m. Thursday morning beginning the huge spring clean up & spent the majority of today with my nose to the grindstone as well.  It's always a big job because we have many trees around our place & with all the various flower gardens I have put in over the years it takes many days to get things ship shape again.  But, I'm not complaining.  I always enjoy the spring clean up because it's always so great just to be outside & doing something physical.  Temperature's were barely above freezing all day but the sun was out, early spring birds were in the trees, had the campfire going burning piles of leaves, tons of pine needles, & it just felt good to be getting back into the swing  of things again. But, getting into that swing is not as easy as it used to be!!

There is a downside to living two lifestyles like we do & it involves having to re-learn things upon either leaving or returning home.  Upon arriving Wednesday we had a list of things to do to get everything up & running at home again & after being away for 5 months I was totally out of the loop.  Throw in a big pile of 'tired' & the Gremlins were just waiting for me.  Couldn't get to first base on figuring out the 3 TV remotes & if it wasn't for Kelly I would probably still be sitting here in front of a blank television screen.  The music channels wouldn't work & that sent me into a tail spin until Kelly phoned the cable company & found out they were having problems with the feed.  Couldn't remember how to get the desk top on line & after Kelly did that I couldn't remember how to activate my favorite music channel.  I should have gone right to bed for a good night's sleep but I was being stubborn.  The Gremlins knew if I was dumb enough to stay up they would be smart enough to continually trip me up.  And so they did!!

They hid the leaf blower in the back of my van for 2 days knowing I wouldn't think to look there, & I didn't!!  Kelly found it.  They put a new lock on our carport storage door last fall & then hid the key on me.   They also hid the key to our neighbor's garage until Kelly found it in a 'Sucrets' box on the neighbor's sun porch.  Turned off most of the switches in our fuse box & got a big kick out of watching me try to figure out why the boombox in the washroom wouldn't work.  Kelly turned on the switches in the fuse panel to solve that problem.  You can see she's a darn good little problem solver you know.    They took one of the cables off my van's battery & howled as they watched me try to start the van!!  At this point I have no idea whatsoever where they have hidden all my outside light timers that I so carefully put away last fall in a safe place I would remember this spring.  Took Kelly nearly 40 minutes on the phone with some tekky kid in Halifax to finally determine our internet company had forgot to reactivate our internet.  My questions was......what's an internet??  And so it goes, & so it goes:((

Tomorrow I will put together some thoughts on why it's good to be back in the 'sticks & bricks' again.  Maybe got something to do with an endless hot water supply, large living spaces, speedy internet, & a real kitchen table.....D'ya think!!

Question about our house plants while away.  The one you saw in yesterday's blog picture background is plastic but we do winter a bunch of plants in our sunroom which a kind neighbor looks after during the winter months.  And a big welcome to new blog follower Robert Nilsen.  Keep your Geography books handy Robert because I'm sure you will have to be doing some checking up on me!!

And lastly.....with 3 computers I am dealing with 3 separate Live Writer programs so I may not have each one set up exactly the same as the others so there may be some little differences to the blogs appearance now & again until I can get them all looking the same..........hmmmm, what's a Live Writer anyway:((

KELLY'S SON BEN JUST SENT THIS PICTURE OF HIS 2 NEPHEWS LANGDON & KEENAN.....TWO OF KELLY'S 4 GRANDS:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  I was walking home last night when I noticed an old drunk staggering along the road. He passed a woman who was walking a young child. "Lady", said the drunk, "that's the ugliest kid I've ever seen. Damn, that is one ugly child!." As the drunk wandered off, the lady burst into tears. Just then, a mailman came to her rescue. "What's the matter, madam?" he asked. "I've just been horribly insulted" she sobbed. "There there," said the mailman, reaching into his pocket. "Dry your eyes with this tissue, and here's a banana for the chimp."

BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

OUR PHOTO ALBUMS  http://picasaweb.google.com/stargeezerguy/

The only thing better than right now will someday be the memories of right now...AL.