AND I WILL LEAVE IT THERE

Overnight rains extended into morning so Pheebs and I didn't go far.  I don't find gray overcast days too inspirational.  We went down Bayfield River Road to the end, turned around, and came back.  With temps at 51F Kelly had the furnace on when we came in the door and the house was roasty toasty.  I like that.  By late morning the Sun's rays were trying to find their way through the heavy overcast clouds without a lot of success.  In fact, today's outside cold and wet dampness felt like an early November day.

 A COLD RAINY START TO OUR MORNING DRIVE

 A WET SILVERY ROAD IN MY OUTSIDE REARVIEW MIRROR

Too wet and cold to do anything outside so I turned my attention to reading......and I will leave it there.  

Al's Music Box:)) Runaround Sue is a rock and roll song (in a modified doo-wop style), originally a US No. 1 Hot 100 hit for the singer Dion during 1961, after he split with the Belmonts. It was written by Dion with Ernie Maresca, and tells the story of a disloyal lover. The song ranked No. 351 on the Rolling Stone list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.  In 2002, Dion was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for "Runaround Sue".  According to Dion, he started to put the song together at an informal party for a friend's birthday, where he started improvising lyrics and encouraged his friends to add doo-wop background harmonies to a clapping rhythm. He then took the idea to his friend, budding songwriter Ernie Maresca, and they developed the tune and lyrics together. Having recently split with the Belmonts, Dion then discovered another vocal group, the Del-Satins, and they rehearsed the song. The co-owner of Laurie Records (Gene Schwartz) liked the song, and it was recorded in the summer of 1961 at Bell Sound Studios in New York City.  The lyrics are sung from the point of view of a man whose former girlfriend, named Sue, was extremely unfaithful. He warns all potential lovers to avoid her at all costs, as Sue "runs around" with every guy she meets and never settles down with any man in particular. He advises: "now people let me put you wise, Sue goes out with other guys" and suggests that potential suitors should "keep away from Runaround Sue".  Dion stated in his autobiography The Wanderer, that although his wife's name was Susan, "Runaround Sue" had nothing to do with her. Elsewhere he stated that the name Sue was of a girl he had admired from a distance, and that "her name fit the lyric line perfectly."  However, during a 1990 interview with his wife on The Oprah Winfrey Show, they presented the story that the song was indeed about her. 

A YELLOWING BEAN FIELD

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A man is going skydiving for the first time. After listening to the instructor for what seems like days, he is ready to go.  The man goes up in the airplane and waits to get to the proper altitude. Excited, he jumps out of the airplane. After a bit, he pulls the ripcord. Nothing happens. He tries again. Still nothing. He starts to panic, but remembers his back-up chute. He pulls that cord. Nothing happens. He frantically begins pulling both cords, but to no avail.  Suddenly, he looks down and he can't believe his eyes. Another man is in the air with him, but this guy is going up! Just as the other guy passes by, the skydiver, by this time scared out of his wits, yells, "Hey, do you know anything about skydiving?" The other guy yells back, "No! Do you know anything about lighting gas stoves?"

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Q: How does an archeologist tell a male skeleton from a female skeleton?
A: He knows it’s a female skeleton if the jawbone is worn down.

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Points to Ponder::

- The light went out, but where did it go?
- Why do banks charge you a "non-sufficient funds fee" on money they already know you don't have?
- How come when I call Information they can't tell me where my keys are?
- Why do people go to Burger King and Order a Double Whopper with a Large French Fry and insist on getting a Diet Coke?
- Does the reverse side also have a reverse side?
- Why is the alphabet in that order?
- If you got into a taxi and he started driving backwards, would the taxi driver end up owing you money?
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OFF TO LONDON'S UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL IN THE RAIN

 A RAINY MORNING IN BAYFIELD

Rains came in the night bringing with them cooler temperatures.  Before I heard the drip-drip of the gentle rain, I knew it was lightly raining because I could smell it.  I had left the patio door open beside my sleeping recliner and I was awoken in the night by a slightly familiar but different smell in the air.  It was similar, but milder to the scent in the air after a desert rainfall which many American south-westerners will be very familiar with.  I always loved that distinct slightly pungent smell in the air after rain had fallen on the desert floor.

 SOME BOATS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THE WATER FOR THE SEASON

Needless to say, Pheebs and I didn't go too far this morning in the drizzling rain.  Not wanting to muddy up the Subaru we stayed off the country roads and simply drove into Bayfield, cruised around for twenty minutes marveling at some of the nice homes, and came back.  

 HAD TO KEEP THE WINDOWS UP TO KEEP THE RAIN OUT

It was 12:15 early this afternoon when Kelly and I rolled out of our driveway in the Subaru heading for London's University Hospital.  Kelly had a 2 p.m. appointment for an endoscopy.  It was a wet drive.  Parking the car in the parking garage we walked over to the hospital and headed for the basement's Endoscopy place.  Kelly checked in at 1:30 and in full 'people avoidance' mode I headed off to hopefully find a people -free quiet lounge somewhere.  And I found that spot on the 4th floor across from the elevators.  Nobody there:))  Sat down, opened my Kindle, and read for the next hour and a half or so.  Hopped the elevator again and headed back down to the basement at 3:15.  Kelly was finished at 4 and we headed for the parking garage and what a zoo once we got out of there.  Bumper to bumper and everybody going like 'Jack the Bear'.  We launched right out into the Friday afternoon rush and fought our way north.  A quick stop at Best Buy to look at something and then out of town we went.  Quick stop at Lucan's Tim Hortons for a couple crispy chicken raps to go and off we went.  A slight detour east of Bayfield to head into the Village and stop at the Woodland Drive-In where Kelly snagged a chocolate milk shake.  We were home minutes later and the clock said it was 6:50 p.m.  Kelly's endoscopy went okay and nothing serious was found.  We'll be back to University again next week.

 ON OUR WAY TO THE HOSPITAL THROUGH THE PARKING GARAGE

 KELLY CHECKS INTO THE ENDOSCOPY SECTION

 AND OVER THERE IN THAT COZY LITTLE CORNER WAS MY WHOLE WORLD FOR THE NEXT HOUR AND A HALF

It's just about time for my annual frog round-up and some decisions again about our front yard frog pond.  Will I drain the pond and clean it this year?  Will I try to fix a leak in it?  Or is it time to dispense with the pond altogether, fill in the hole, and simply plant some flowers there or something??  A lot of work in the short run but it might save me a lot of work in the long run.  I'm finding that I don't have the sustained energy levels I once had and with the volume of yard maintenance here with this property, am I going to be able to keep it up in the next few years??  Do I really want to keep it up anymore??  All are valid questions for an aging mind and body.  And all are things I have to think about now. 

 SNAPPED A FEW DRIVE-BY PICS ON THE WAY HOME AND NICE TO SEE SOME PATCHES OF BLUE SKY AFTER THIS MORNING'S RAIN

OH-OH IT LOOKS LIKE RAIN HEADING OUR WAY

 IT WAS RAINING HERE SO I HAD THE WINDOWS UP WHICH UNFORTUNATELY CAUSED REFLECTIONS IN THIS PHOTO

 AND THEN 'WALLA' WE WERE BACK UNDER CLEARING SKIES

Al's Music Box:)) Lost In The Fifties Tonight is a single released by country music singer Ronnie Milsap. It is a medley of "Lost in the Fifties Tonight" written by Mike Reid and Troy Seals and a cover of The Five Satins 1956 hit "In the Still of the Night", earning a songwriting credit for Five Satins lead singer Fred Parris.  Released in July 1985, the song was Milsap's 42nd single to be released. At the same time, it was also his 27th number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Country Singles and Tracks chart.  Like many of his other singles, the song also fared well as a crossover hit on the Billboard Adult Contemporary charts as it entered the top 10, peaking at number eight. This is his last top-10 single to appear on this chart.  The song was praised by critics and fans alike and remains one of Milsap's most popular recordings. In a year when 51 songs rotated out of the Hot Country Singles' number-one position, "Lost in the Fifties Tonight" was one of just two songs of the group to spend more than one week at number one, and Milsap's song was the number-one country song of 1985.  That same year, it won Milsap his fourth Grammy Award for "Best Country Vocal Performance" for a male artist. It was also named Song of the Year.

 I SEE AN ICE CREAM CONE HEADED MY WAY

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A little boy asked the parish priest a question.  Little Boy: “Father I heard you once say that we all came from dust.”  Parish priest, “That's right I did say that”.  Little boy: “And Father I heard you say that when we die we go back to dust.”  Parish Priest: “That's right, I did say that. I am glad you were listening so very well”.  Little Boy: “Well Father I think you should come to my place and look under my bed because someone is either coming or going”!

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Driving down a remote road, a motorist sees a sign that says: "Watch For Fallen Rocks."  A couple of miles of careful driving later, he spots some pebbles and stops to pick a few up. Arriving in the next town, the motorist carries the stones into the highway maintenance office.  Placing them on the counter, he says to an official: "Here are your fallen rocks. Now where's my watch?"

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Patient: I'm in a hospital! Why am I in here?

Doctor: You've had an accident involving a bus.  Patient: What happened?  Doctor: Well, I've got some good news and some bad news. Which would you like to hear first?  Patient: Give me the bad news first.
Doctor: Your legs were injured so badly that we had to amputate both of them.
Patient: That's terrible! What's the good news?  Doctor: There's a guy in the next ward who made a very good offer on your slippers.

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IT WAS THE END OF AN ERA FOR ANOTHER BAYFIELD BUNCH VEHICLE TODAY

With rain headed our way for the weekend, we are reveling in this fine sunny and warmly cool weather still upon us.  Pheebs and I slipped into Bayfield for a drive down around the harbor and back this morning.

A FAR DISTANT LONE SAILBOAT MAKES ITS WAY THROUGH THE CALM WATERS OF LAKE HURON

 BOAT BUTTS IN THE BAYFIELD RIVER

We sat on the decision as to what to do about our 2007 Jeep Liberty for the past 3 months or so.  With a number of issues that would have cost around $2000.00 plus to repair and with rust increasingly eating away at it, we finally decided it was time to take Libby for her last ride.  After airing up the leaking tires this morning, I drove her to the Jenkins Auto Recycling Yard north of Goderich with Kelly following in the Subaru.  As I said before in my blog, I get attached to things and especially vehicles with all their great memories.  Needless to say it was a sad last drive this morning as Libby and I headed for the recycling place.  The words in my mind all the way were, 'Thank you', 'thank you', thank you', Libby for all the memories and for being such a great vehicle for all the years you were with us.  All those desert and mountain roads of the American Southwest and all the wonderful morning Jeep rides for Pheebs I over the years.  Yes, I know it's just a vehicle, but for me, Libby will be remembered as an old faithful, and treasured friend of mine for the past nearly 10 years.

AIRING UP LIBBY'S TIRES FOR THE LAST TIME THIS MORNING

 LIBBY'S LAST MILE

 THIS IS IT

 MY LAST PHOTO OF LIBBY AS WE DROVE AWAY

We bought the 'new to us' Jeep Liberty on April 14th 2015, and here is a link to the 'exciting' drama-filled day when we finally signed on the dotted line for it at Voison Motors in Elmira, Ontario.  Undecided Anticipation, Bitter Disappointment, And Then......            

LIBBY'S LAST TIME AT OUR FAVORITE COUNTRY ROAD WALKING SPOT 3 MONTHS AGO

 LIBBY'S LAST TIME AT THE LINWOOD WILDLIFE AREA 3 MONTHS AGO AND UNBEKNOWST TO PHEEBS AND I IT WAS THE LAST MORNING DRIVE IN OUR BELOVED JEEP LIBERTY 

Al's Music Box:)) Bad Moon Rising is a song written by John Fogerty and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival. It was the lead single from their album Green River and was released on April 16, 1969 four months before the album. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart on 28 June 1969 and reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart for three weeks in September of that year. It was CCR's second gold single.  In 2010, Rolling Stone ranked it No. 364 on its "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list'.  Fogerty reportedly wrote the song after watching the 1941 film The Devil and Daniel Webster. It was inspired by a scene in the film in which a hurricane destroys the crops of several farms, but spares those of Jabez Stone, the character in the film who makes a deal with the devil in exchange for wealth. Fogerty claims the song is about "the apocalypse that was going to be visited upon us".  He also said that when the band was learning the song he recognized the contrast between the apocalyptic words and the happy melody.  He said "It wasn't until the band was learning the song that I realized the dichotomy. Here you've got this song with all these hurricanes and blowing and raging ruin and all that, but it's 'I see a bad moon rising.' It's a happy-sounding tune, right? It didn't bother me at the time."  In 1969, the American music and entertainment magazine Billboard described the single as being "loaded with rhythm and drive" and predicted it "[couldn't] miss going right to the top."  Cash Box, another contemporary music trade magazine, described it as a "blazing bayou-rock outing" that is "louder and bolder" than the group's previous single "Proud Mary."  Cash Box ranked it as the No. 51 single of 1969.  Ultimate Classic Rock critic Cliff M. Junior rated "Bad Moon Rising" as Creedence Clearwater Revival's 5th greatest song, saying that "in a little more than two minutes, [Fogerty] unloads his mind and prompts you to think about what's troubling you in your life."  "Bad Moon Rising" plays as David nears the moment of changing into the werewolf, in the 1981 film An Amerian Werewold in London.

 THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES OLD PAL

GROANER'S CORNER:(( As in many homes on New Year's Day, Lesley and Mark, a happily married couple, faced the annual conflict of which was more important: the football match on television, or the New Year's lunch.  Hoping to keep the peace Mark ate lunch with the rest of the family, and even lingered for some pleasant after-lunch chat before retiring to the lounge to turn on the television.  Some minutes later, Lesley looked in to see how he was and graciously even brought him a cold beer.  She smiled, kissed him on the cheek, and asked what the score was.  Mark told her it was half-time and that the score was still 0-0  'See?' Lesley said happily, 'You didn't miss a thing.

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A man is at the airport counter checking in his luggage.  The man said to the agent, "I'm flying to Los Angeles but I would like this bag to go to Portland, this one to Albuquerque, and this one to Sioux Falls."  The agent looked suitably shocked and said, "Sir, there is no way we can do that."  "Why not?", replied the man, "You did it last time".

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An insurance agent's wife was learning to drive when the brakes failed. "What should I do?" she cried. "Brace yourself, and try to hit something cheap."

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A man asked his doctor if he thought he'd live to be a hundred. The doctor asked the man, "Do you smoke or drink?"  "No," he replied, "I've never done either."  "Do you gamble, drive fast cars, and fool around with women?" inquired the doctor.  "No, I've never done any of those things either."

"Well then," said the doctor, "what do you want to live to be a hundred for?"

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HAD TO DO SOMETHING AGE RELATED TODAY I'D NEVER HAD TO DO BEFORE

 LEAFY SHADOWS

So many fine sunny mornings all in a row and this morning was no exception.  Out to our walking spot Pheebs and I went but we didn't walk very far again.  Pheebs just kinda walked about 10 feet and then stood there looking around.  I know she wants to go for a walk, but like so many of us now, her age is rapidly catching up to her and she, like we, increasingly become limited as to what we would like to do and what we can do.  After a short drive, we sadly headed home.

 AFTER A SHORT WALK WE WERE BACK IN THE CAR AGAIN

 OH MY, THE AROMATIC SCENT OF THIS NEWLY MOWN HAYFIELD ALONGSIDE OUR WALKING ROAD WAS HEAVENLY THIS MORNING

 NOT A SINGLE CLOUD IN THIS MORNING'S DEEP BLUE SKY

A month or so ago I received something in the mail from a branch of the MTO (Ministry of Transportation) telling me that as I will soon be turning 80 (as if I needed reminding) my presence was requested today at 100 Don Street Clinton Ontario at 12:30 p.m.  Oh Geezzzz, now what I thought to myself!!  As it turns out it was time for my driver's license renewal.  But, this time there was a difference.  Here in Ontario Canada when one turns 80 it is mandatory every two years thereafter that one reports to one of these sessions for one's driver's license renewal.  To say things like this make me nervous is an understatement.  If it was a physical test, okay.  But with any kind of mental test or anything, I have good reason to be nervous.  I do not have a good track record when it comes to even the simplest tests and exams and that dates back to public school for me.  It all has to do with this faulty short-term memory of mine which I've had since I was kid.  Anyway.....here's how it went today..... From the time I walked into the building to the time I walked out of the building was 15 minutes.  Only thing I had to do was a simple 10-second vision test and then draw a big circle on a piece of paper and enter the numbers of a clock with the hands pointing to 10 after ll.  That done, I was informed I had successfully passed the test (whew) and out the door I went.  By the way, there were 6 other people there and I felt I was the youngest one of the bunch.  I did feel sorry for a couple of people who seemed to be having a little trouble with confusion.  I will have to do this again in two years and I figure if they don't change the time on the clock I should be good to go:))

I CAME ACROSS SOME COWS ON MY WAY TO CLINTON

I have received a few more Facebook requests with some of them already being on my friends list.  This is exactly how I got hacked twice a bunch of years ago when I accepted a couple re-requests.  Because of this, I do not normally accept friend requests anymore.  If you legitimately sent me a friend request and I did not respond or accept it, don't feel I'm ignoring you, I just don't want to take the chance of being hacked again.

 ON THE WAY HOME FROM CLINTON I CAME ACROSS A DIFFERENT BUNCH OF COWS CROWDED UNDER A SHADE TREE

 A FEW OF THE YOUNGER FRISKIER ONES WERE OUT PLAYING IN THE SUN

A Blast From Our Past:)) Facebook tossed me an old memory today from this September 4th day in 2009....Today I Had To Eat Crow And Email An Apology 

I finished my latest book, The Last Escaper by author Peter Tunstall.  I thought this a good read and it casts light into the dark difficulties and sometimes humorous lives of what Prisoners of War experienced in the hands of their captors.  I felt it was an honest portrayal of the prisoner's interaction with their guards and does not paint all German people with a negative brush.  Bomber pilot and prisoner Peter Tunstall was a genuine rascal and a never-ending pain in the butt of his captors.  And yes, that includes water balloons, and a whole host of other tricks he always had up his sleeve.  There is a serious side to this book (how could there not be) as expected, but there is also a lighter human side to it as well.............. For my next read, I have gone back to my ever-growing interest in a deeper subject that first caught my attention a few years ago.  Beyond NDE's: The Next Step in Near Death Research.  I've only just started the book and already I am enthralled by what I am reading.

Al's Music Box:)) Superstar is a 1969 song written by Bonnie Bramlett and Leon Russell, that has been a hit for many artists in different genres in the years since. The best-known versions are by the Carpenters in 1971, Luther Vandross in 1983, and Sonic Youth in 1994.  Richard Carpenter became aware of the song after watching Bette Midler sing it on the February 15, 1971 edition of The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.  Produced by Richard Carpenter with Jack Daugherty, it was recorded using members of the Wrecking Crew, a famed collection of Los /angeles area session muscians. Because the original subject matter of the song was more risqué than was typical for the Carpenters, Richard changed a lyric in the second verse from "And I can hardly wait/To sleep with you again" to the less suggestive "And I can hardly wait/To be with you again." The track was finished in one take.  Karen Carpenter's vocal was praised for its intensity and emotional nature. David Hepworth commented: "Even with only half her mind on the job, she delivered a perfect performance. The guide vocal never needed to be replaced."  The duo's rendition was included on the May 1971 album Carpenters, and then released as a single in August 1971, rising to number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart, held out of the top spot by Rod Stewart's 'Maggie May'.  Richard was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist for the song. "Superstar" would go on to appear on two mid-1970s Carpenters live albums as well as on many compilation albums. 

GROANER'S CORNER:(( Things You Learn in Texas::

- Armadillos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
- There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in Texas.
- There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in Texas plus a couple that have not been identified yet.
- Onced and Twiced are words.
- It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
- People actually grow and eat okra.
- "Fixinto" is one word.
- There is no such thing as "lunch." There is only dinner and then there is supper.
- Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!
- DJeet? means "Did you eat?"
- You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
- You measure distance in minutes.
- You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.
- All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
- You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
- The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
- The first day of deer season is a national holiday.
- 100 degrees Fahrenheit is "a little warm." - We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.
- A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.
- We don't need no stinking driver's Ed . . . If our mama says we can drive, we can drive.
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When a new child visited our Sunday school, the teacher greeted him and asked his age. The little boy held up four fingers.
"Oh, you're four," said the teacher. "And when will you be 5?"  The child stared at her and after a few seconds replied, "When I hold up the other finger."

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"Give me a sentence about a public servant," said the teacher.The small boy wrote: "The fireman came down the ladder   pregnant."  The teacher took the lad aside to correct him. "Don't you know what pregnant means?" she asked.  "Sure," said the young boy, confidently. "Means carrying a child."

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