Thankfully I awoke at eight o’clock this morning – fully three hours earlier than yesterday when I was recovering from a spate of early morning rendezvous. Manifestly I needed the rest; but it bothers me to relinquish so much of the day to what I mistakenly label a mindless sleep. By contrast today, after my ablutions and breakfast, and having brushed my teeth, I was fully prepared to launch into the day not long after nine o’clock. It was much more in keeping with my Protestant Work Ethic. This morning’s redeeming exercise was the usual jaunt about the neighbourhood. Rain is in the forecast for the entire day after 11:00 am.  I appear to have escaped the dampness.

During my casual outing I encountered three people; viz., Debbie O’Malley, Robbie Rump and Dr. Michelle Simmonds. These at least are the three people with whom I paused and shared more than a simple “Good morning!” There were a number of other people whom I passed – and to whom I signalled a greeting – who were engaged in a fundraising race for the Almonte General Hospital’s obstetric unit. I also chatted briefly with Wendy Shaw who was walking her two dogs.

Debbie was as usual involved in the community fund raising. She has already made a sizeable donation to the hospital on behalf of her late husband. She was adorned with a conspicuously bright shell to identify her leadership involvement. We quickly reviewed intelligence surrounding her, her husband Mike and their latest automotive collection. During our airy conversation Debbie was withdrawn from time to time to give instructions to the runners about where to proceed.

Further along my route and while returning on Spring Street I chanced to meet Robbie who was smoking a cigarette while attending to detail in his driveway.  He immediately embraced the opportunity to chat. His health is once again under acute examination by his physicians.  He imagines he is facing additional chemotherapy to tackle his cancer. Robbie confirmed that he sold his beloved antique mobile home.  A launch parked in the driveway was for sale together with a trailer. He confirmed that in addition to contemplating downsizing his residential property adjacent the river he is also thinking of transferring ownership of 600 acres of rural property to his younger brother.

Shortly nearby I encountered Michelle working in her lovely garden with the flourishing blue Irises. She plans to lunch this afternoon with her brother Stephen Harvey (and no doubt his wife Jannick) who will soon be returning to their country estate in northern Ontario after having completed a bout of renovations in their Almonte property.

Earlier this morning while lying in bed before I threw off the covers, I pondered the many reasons I enjoying driving a passenger automobile. It helps purify my automotive hobby to acknowledge that it enables me to ambulate without walking, to enjoy scenic tours without obstruction, and perhaps most importantly to celebrate the many accomplishments of the industry from SuperCruise to parking cameras (though my primary focus is always the fundamentals like wheel alignment and balance together with tightly fitting windows and hardware).