FEELING BETTER, BUT NOT TO WORRY....I WON'T BE LOSING MY GRUMPINESS!!

PIONEER PARK'S STAIRWAY TO THE BEACH

What a welcome bonus it was to wake up this morning in the exact same place I had gone to bed last night.  That could only mean one thing.....I had finally had myself a decent night's sleep thanks to the codeine in the Dimetapp medicine I took last night.  Am definitely feeling a bit better today & will hopefully be totally out of this thing by the time my anti-biotic program ends in another 9 days. 

Sleep has been a problem for me this past 7 or 8 years & it was one of the things discussed with my NP yesterday.  She has already scheduled me back to the Medical Center next week for blood tests regarding cholesterol etc, followed by another consultation on Sept 13th to work on my sleep disorder problem amongst other things........ Now, I think that's just about enough about all this medical stuff for awhile.  It seems my posts have become focused on this health issue over the past week & a half & I think it's time I moved myself forward.

Had the doggy guys on the trail this morning by 7:15 & when we got back I decided it was time I spent a little extra effort & fixed myself up a fine breakfast for a change.  Right from scratch I toasted myself up a nice stack of Eggo Waffles.  It sure pays off to go the extra mile for oneself once & awhile.  I can be quite a little creative food connoisseur when I want to be you know.

BAYFIELD'S MAIN BEACH CAN BE SEEN AT TOP CENTER

For lunch I squeaked myself into town & picked up a 6" Tuna sub (turning out to be quite a foody blog eh) to go & headed for Bayfield's quiet Pioneer Park which overlooks Lake Huron.  Ate two thirds of the sub & saved the rest for my furry Pals back home.  Took a few pics, drove down to the harbor, took a few more & headed back home.  It was sooooo nice to get out of the house for an hour & do something different for a change.  Am looking forward to getting the bike out for a spin again soon too.  Also realized today that I had better get scrambling on the Motor Home's preparation for this coming winter's travels.  A long list of things to be attended to & I don't want to get myself caught in a last minute crunch thing. 

A TRIO OF GUYS IN PERPETUAL MOTION:))

Noticed we have a couple new Bayfield Bunch followers on our list so would like to welcome heyduke50 aboard along with MARGIE & ROGER down there in Florida.  I do try & keep a variety of interesting posts going folks so hopefully you will find something from time to time that may perk your interest.

A CALM DAY ANCHORED JUST OFF BAYFIELD'S BEACH

And RETIRED ROD left a comment on yesterday's post that left me a bit concerned for a few seconds.  In it he say's, "And lets hope the pills get your wits back about you, and you finally get over the stuff. We need you railing on something soon. Can't have all these yes mam posts, they are not the Al we know.".......... Well, if a solution is found to my nearly decade long lack of sleep problem in the coming weeks, will this mean I may run the risk of losing my......grumpiness!! Could more sleep possibly be the end of my realistic thinking & maybe push me over the edge into that unrealistic group of positive thinkers I am always so careful to avoid.  Could it put my Cursmudgeon status into question.  Would it mean one less person in the world to objectively look at the negative side of things hoping to maintain some kind of balance with the smiley face gang on the other end of the teeter totter.  Well Rod, I can tell you this, sick or not, sleep or no sleep, I yam who I yam & that probably isn't going to change.   I will always see things as they realistically are & not as the world's do gooder's & scam artists would have us think & believe they are.  Not to worry my friend:))

THE 'BOYS' HEADING BACK FROM THE BEACH

GROANER'S CORNER:((  And remember, Never explain yourself to anyone  because the person who likes you doesn't need to hear it and the person who dislikes you won't believe you anyway.....And for sure you know your getting older when you & your teeth don't sleep together anymore!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

A CALL TO THE MEDICAL CLINIC TODAY RESULTS IN.....ANTI-BIOTICS!!

AN 09 SUNRISE AT THE RANCH LAST DECEMBER (no current pics so these are from the Ranch we stay at near Douglas Az.)

By 8 o'clock this morning my fingers were busy on our desktop telephone dialing the number of the Goderich Medical Center.  Enough was enough!!  Had been optimistic yesterday about feeling a bit better but by 10 last night the coughing fits had started again & I had another miserable night.  Tuesday will mark the 11th day I have been dealing with this!!

DAILY SAND HILL CRANES

They fitted me into an early afternoon appointment with my Nurse Practitioner.  I have actually had a Doctor for the past 3 years but have never met him.  As I said before I haven't had any medical issues serious enough to see my real Doctor about. The way it is done here is a different way of doing things in the medical world.  Everyone is assigned a Nurse Practitioner (NP) who is a fully qualified registered Nurse.  It is the NP that you see when making an appointment.  She determines if your case is serious enough to require an actual Doctor.  I think it's a great idea because it saves our Doctors having to spend precious hours of their days dealing with things like sniffles, colds, bumps, scratches, sprained ankles, bee stings, prescription renewals & people overdosing on peanut butter sandwiches.  I have a great NP lady & she did consult with the Doctor this afternoon on one of the prescriptions I was prescribed.  I have now started on anti-biotics & am looking forward to a better night with a second codeine based prescription.  We'll see what the next few days bring.

OUR SPOT AT THE ARIZONA RANCH FOR THE PAST COUPLE OF YEARS

Needless to say I do not have a lot to blog about tonight & the highlight of my whole day was Jeeping myself to & from Goderich this afternoon.  What a greatly simple little vehicle this Jeep is & it is precisely that which I find attractive about it.  A whole lot less stuff to go wrong with it.  No computer this & that.  The Jeep is a very easy vehicle to keep clean because there simply isn't any massive surfaces & the whole outside of the vehicle is easily reachable by hand.  The engine compartment is as I remember them years ago.  Lots of room & everything is readily accessible & easily worked on.  You would be lucky to land a fly in today's SUV engine compartments.  And, I am beginning to understand why Jeep Wranglers are referred to as toys.  What a nice piece of luck to end up at this stage of the game with something that is not only sort of practical & useful, but a fun thing to play with every time I get behind the wheel.  Almost like being a kid again.  And y'know, at nearly 66 what's so gol darn bad about that!!  There will be readers who will shake their heads & not understand...........but I do:))

GROANER'S CORNER:((  Did you know......

-A bartender is just a pharmacist with a limited inventory. 

-A clean desk is a sign of a cluttered desk drawer.

-A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory.

-A closed mouth gathers no foot.

-A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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

KELLY MAKES IT TO SPENCERPORT

FRONT YARD FLOWERS

It was 8:10 a.m. with heavy overcast sky's this morning when Kelly backed the Santa Fe out the driveway & began her 5 (turned out out be 6) hour trek east on her saddened sojourn to Spencerport, NY.  Depending on her Dad's condition she hopes to remain until Friday.

THREE BOTTLES OF WATER, CARS LOADED & SHE'S OFF..........

I'll be chief cook & bottle washer for the week & we will all be fine here despite the usual worried looks I am getting from some furry little faces.

NICE TO SEE PEOPLE'S CREATIVITY WITH NATURE

After 8 basically sleepness nights I was able to stitch together, in three different segments, a total of 5 hours sleeping time last night.  The line has been blurred all week as to just what has been causing what in regards to my condition.  The 'bug' I have or the deprivation l of sleep I have experienced.  I do feel better today & the eye problems, headaches, & lethargy that have been dogging me have lifted.  If I can get a few more hours sleep tonight & just might finally be on the road to recovery.....again.

I took the 2 big furry guys for a walk this morning around 11 & we were able to do the complete Pine Forest trail.  Took us an hour but we moved along slowly because I had my clippers with me & worked a bit at clearing back overhanging branches & wild raspberry plants.  Max & Checkers love moving along slower because it gives them lots of time to explore all the wondrous smells along the trail.  And now that Checkers just came home all spiffed up from the Groomers a few days ago she was able to get herself into a patch of burrs this morning & get looking like her old self again!!

MY TRAIL GROOMING HELPERS THIS MORNING

All RV folks at one time or another have to make the transition from driving an ordinary sized car to something much bigger.  Some of those transitions were probably done slowly & calmly.  My transition from a small vehicle to a larger vehicle came rather suddenly.  FROM A VW BEETLE TO A BIG SQUARE GREEN DINOSAUR.

ALONG THE MORNING TRAIL           >>>

GROANER'S CORNER:((  When the doctors were told to contribute to the construction of a new wing at a hospital:

The allergists voted to scratch it.
The dermatologists preferred no rash moves.
The gastroenterologists had a gut feeling about it.
The micro-surgeons were thinking along the same vein.
The neurologists thought the administration had a lot of nerve.
The obstetricians stated they were laboring under a misconception.
The ophthalmologists considered the idea short-sighted.
The orthopedists issued a joint resolution.
The parasitologists said, "Well, if you encyst".
The pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!"
The pediatricians said, "Grow up".
The proctologists said, "We are in arrears".
The psychiatrists thought it was madness.
The surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing.
The radiologists could see right through it.
The internists thought it was a hard pill to swallow.
The plastic surgeons said, "This puts a whole new face on the matter".
The podiatrists thought it was a big step forward.
The D.O.s thought they were being manipulated.
The urologists felt the scheme wouldn't hold water.
The anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas.
The cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.
And the otologists were deaf to the idea.

Obviously the hospital's new wing never got built!!

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Tourists see the world, travelers experience it.

"UNTIL ONE HAS LOVED AN ANIMAL, PART OF THEIR SOUL REMAINS UN-AWAKENED"

OUR BLOGGER WEBSITE http://thebayfieldbunch.com/

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

AL'S SMUG MUG PHOTO GALLERY http://stargeezer.smugmug.com/ (a work in progress)

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