Good morning GH.  Well, it has been a day since I have been to the blog, but I was just too busy yesterday. However, I plan to make up for that today.  Had a good time at the Coast Guard car show on Sunday and of course, yesterday, Mary and I saw the ships come in.  Each was a sight to behold.  I think though, that I had best start with today's weather.  The view out the Weather Window shows a partly cloudy sky.  Current desktop temperature is 71 degrees.  It appears that the heavy storms we had last night have passed to the west.  Sugar the Weather Dog was beside the bed last night due to the heavy thunder and lightning.  By this AM, she was back in her own bed, so that is one sure sign that the front has moved through.   I'll let Mary include the pictures of the Coast Guard boats on her blog.   Me, I'll include some of interest to me personally.  Otherwise, today's plans call for a trip to the the library, more music, and little else.  Since it rained so much last night, no need for additional watering.  So you can bet that it is now...Tea time.

I chose this just because.

A blast from the past.

For Adam

BMW

Good morning GH.  Although you can't tell by looking out the Weather Window, the current desktop temperature is a brisk 60 degrees.  The skies are clear and the sun is shining brightly.  It should be a beautiful day for a car show.  Sugar the Weather Dog is currently resting atop her upstairs bed, so I am certain that there is no thunder in our immediate future.  As I noted yesterday in an email to Adam, as I was watching the GH channel, just sitting on the front porch can provide a car show of its own.  I say a Lamborghini go by, a very nice Vintage Mustang, and the other day I saw a Saleen Mustang convertible that was really sweet.  There are a lot of cars here in the GH environs.  Had a nice time walking in GH yesterday and because of the cooler temperatures, the walk was both relaxing and invigorating.  Today, Mary and I will be walking to the downtown area to see if we can spot the car in need of an intervention.  I looked at her photo files and saw the car, and Adam is right, it is an abomination, especially since it is an early eighties model I think.  I need to mention that I saw a 1960s era Dune Buggy yesterday as we were walking uptown.  I tried to explain to Mary all of the nuances that went into making one of those, but as she noted, I might just as well have been speaking a foreign language.  Potato chip, shift linkage, etc, none of that meant anything to her.  Oh well, you can't have it all.  On the other hand, she got to a quilt show in the AM that would probably have bored me, so fair is fair.  Otherwise, the annual festivities for the Coast Guard Fest are getting into full swing and the revenues should be great for all concerned.  As for me, it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Well, it is a visibly sunny day as I gaze out the Weather Window this AM.   Sugar the Weather Dog is still in her bed, so no thunder storms are on the horizon.  Yesterday, we had to scurry back after our afternoon walk, because she heard a clap of thunder or two, so she had to get home.  Currently the temperature on the desktop is 64 degrees, so the morning walk should be a pleasant one as we head to the bakery and then downtown.  I had a great experience yesterday that I just had to mention.  I decided that since I was out and about with the car that it was probably time to have the oil changed.  It had last been done in January, so the sticker on the windscreen recommended that the oil be changed in June.  Well, July is close, so I figured that I'd get the job done.  I took the old buggy into the oil change shop two blocks from the house, and told the man what I wanted.  Well, he asked the current mileage and when I said that it was recommended to be done at 69,000 miles and I was only at 66,000 miles, he said, "Well, the oil looks clean, and it is full, so I'd wait until the car has a few more miles."  Since we don't drive all that often, he said. "It would be a waste."   He did fill the windscreen washer fluid, at no charge and then said, "See you in a few months."  So, this guy was into doing the right thing for me and the environment.  I would suggest that if you need an oil change, this would be the place to go.  Otherwise, I was just settling in to play the guitar when Mary called.  Her plans to have something printed downtown had not gone as planned, as she had not saved the file to her traveling stick.  Therefore, I met her at one of the downtown restaurants.  So much for guitar playing.  Today, I plan to play, right after our morning walk to East town.  Until then it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Well. it is a little after 8:00 AM here in our fair city, and the view out the Weather Window is partly cloudy and the temperature on the desktop is a very comfortable 68 degrees.  Sugar the Weather Dog is still abed and so all is right with the world.  When I let her out last might, she and I were both surprised by the fact that it was raining at about 6:30.  In fact, it is wet out right now, so the rains must have continued most of the night.  No complaints here.  Unfortunately, when Mary and I drove over to GR yesterday, the crops we passed on the way looked in distress.  It is no wonder that many states have declared disaster areas in their farm lands.  Not to worry though, the head dude at one of the oil companies sees the drought conditions that seem to be part and parcel to global climate change as an engineering problem that can be solved/adapted to.  Maybe we can convince all the farmers in MI to move to our neighbor to the north.  LOL.  Any way, I have an appointment at the podiatrist today, and that is about the extent of my required activities.  Mary got a new book in for her business, and that is all good.  Me, I was planning to ride my bike to the doctor's office at the hospital, but the wet roads seem to preclude that, so I guess that I will walk instead.  Either way, I need to get a move on, so that means it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  As usual, my faith in the predictive capability of Sugar the Weather Dog was well placed.  I woke up in the middle of the night to find her sleeping next to the bed.  I realized later that the sound that woke me was a clap of thunder.  So, as I have often noted, Sugar was on the job and knew that a storm front was moving through.  Of course, the view out the Weather Window is partly cloudy and the current desktop temperature is showing 72 degrees.  The probability of further precipitation stays at 60% until 9:00 AM and then drops like a stone thereafter.  On the plus side, although limited, the rain event from last might mitigates against having to water today.  I like that part of the equation.  Today, I think, calls for more reading, more playing, and more of less.  I may dust, but that is not urgent, and so it may get put off for another day.  So, with all of that being said, until tomorrow, it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  I am currently sitting here at the keyboard at about 5:55 AM. Too early to look out the Weather Window, but that is my problem.  Sometimes I wake up and then have to do something to relax. For me, that is typing my blog, because I can't really play the guitar without disturbing the household, and that includes the "girls."  So, I am just going to wing it this morning.  It is currently 68 degrees on the desktop and the world famous Sugar the Weather Dog is still fast asleep.  I will be rejoining her and Mary soon, but the chance to get some blogging in was too tempting.  The current prediction for precipitation is nothing until 4:00 PM this afternoon, and that is only 30 - 40% if it even happens.  Not much in other words.  I managed to paint the pipe on the deck yesterday without painting the deck black also, and I feel good about that.  I got the scoreboard mounted in "right field", and that also feels as though I actually accomplished something.  Mary and I went to the accountant's office yesterday, and he is working up the taxes for our 2011 and 2012 years.  We also learned that the building that he uses for his office was once a theater here in GH, but that it closed as a theater in the late 1930s or early 1940s.  I like learning about those kinds of things.  Overall, an interesting trip.  Otherwise, not much on tap for the day.  I have a session with my tutoring student this evening, and I need to get some information together for that.  I also heave to find another lamp for the media room, because I changed what I have n my office and I added the old lamp to the media room, and now nothing matches.  Update, I found the lamp at a local big box store.  Sheesh.    So many needs, so little time.  Right now, it is time to return to bed, so...Tea time will have to wait.

Good morning GH.  Well, I can honestly say that the look out the Weather Window this AM has shown mixed results.  The skies are partly cloudy, and the desktop temperature is 75 degrees.  We are anticipating a high of 84 today, and tomorrow shows the promise of thunderstorms and a high temperature in the low 90s according to the folks at Weather.com,  I always wait for the forecast by Sugar the Weather Dog, because she is usually pretty reliable when it comes to thunder events.  Meanwhile, I will have to continue watering our vast gardens on our palatial estate.   I say that tongue in cheek, because our estate is small, and our gardens are manageable.  Still, it is a chance to enjoy being outdoors and communing with what the drought has left of our landscaping.  We are doing well in the garden, the lone cucumber we received from our plant was delicious, and the few tomatoes were likewise tasty.  We are still awaiting our first harvest from our green pepper plants, so I won't have anything to report until later in the summer.  I think our cucumbers would be more prolific if the daily temperatures weren't so high.  No amount of watering can compensate for that.  Of course, there is always the chance that the plants will start to produce at a greater frequency, once the weather improves.  Otherwise, it is now officially...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Well, it is currently 79 degrees on the desktop thermometer.  We are going for a high of 92 today.  It is supposed to cool off by tomorrow, so until then, I will have to continue my daily watering rounds.  Sugar the Weather Dog will be glad to know that no precipitation is due until Wednesday and of course, the prediction is for severe thunderstorms.  We will have to wait and see.  The view out the Weather Window confirms the 0% precipitation forecast for today.  Not a cloud in the sky and the shine shines bright on my old Grand Haven home.  Today we plan a short trip to the small box hardware store and possibly to the grocery store.  I want to also go to the big box hardware store, but I don't know if I can get Mary to agree.  I have to make sure to take the empty cans for return when we go to the grocery store.  Here in Michigan, they are worth 10 cents each, which may not seem like much, but when you add them up, it becomes a sizable sum.  Otherwise, a quiet day is planned.  I want to read some, and play some and hold hands when I go out into the world.  So, that being said, no politics for today, just...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  A quick view out the Weather Window shows that the skies are clear and the chance of precipitation is essentially 0%.  Current temperature on the desktop is 75 degrees.  I suspect that it is going to be another warm one here in GH.  Sugar the Weather Dog is still sleeping, showing no additional thunderstorms on the horizon.   Yesterday was fun, playing a bit of Irish music, walking to the bakery and the other things that we do on Saturday.  Most of the day was spent with Mary reading, and me watching the Cubs perform in their inimitable style.  There was a bright lining in baseball though.  The Tigers thumped the White Sox and dropped them out of first place.  So, I guess that every day can be bright if you know how to look at it.  A quick observation on the need to make money being so strong, that the ammo makers and tear gas purveyors and gun sellers were more than willing to sell the nut in CO everything he needed to ruin so many lives.  It is too late to take all the guns out of circulation, and I don't think we need to, but there must be a way to title the guns, stop the sale of thousands of rounds of ammunition, and stop the sale of parts to make some of them fully automatic, making anyone a killing machine.  Even the police officers were overwhelmed by the carnage.  I am all for hunting, but no one, and I do mean no one, needs an automatic rifle for hunting.   I bet if you ask the average hunter, he would agree.  Rifles with automatic capability and the capacity to load dozens of rounds, are simply not needed for the average person to do anything but kill people.  We have a registry that the insurance companies use to be sure that you haven't overbought your medications. However, you can buy as much ammunition on line as you desire, not to mention the number of guns you can buy in a week or a month or a year and that all adds up to crazy.  Just one man't opinion, but it is time we make it harder to buy a gun and ammunition than it is to buy drugs.  Oh well, I didn't mean to go so far off the reservation, bu that's how I feel.  Now, it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  It is now 9:00 AM and I am downstairs watching UP with Chris.  Sugar the Weather Dog is giving both Mary and me the the evil eye, because she has to wait for her morning walk until UP is over.   Current desktop temperature is 66 degrees, so through personal observation out the downstairs Weather Window, a bit of science supplied by the National Weather Service, and of course, Sugar the Weather Dog, I predict a great day.  Current plans, post UP, call for a walk to the bakery in East town, a 1 1/2 hour stop for Irish music at the library, and then not much else.  Oh, I forgot, I have to get back to watering, because the precipitation is over.  Otherwise, Tea time is done.

Good morning GH.  Well, I left the blind up in my office, and I can honestly say, that this is one time that it wasn't like opening the gates that Dante might have written about.  As I look out the Weather Window, the skies are clear, the sun is shining, and the desktop temperature is a comfortable 63 degrees.  This is a day that even Sugar the Weather Dog would find way cool.  Not much on tap for the day.  I vacuumed yesterday, since I didn't have to water, and I also found time to read some in the book about Walter Cronkite that I recently started.  He was/is a fascinating man.  Today, I promised that I would help Mary polish her kitchen cabinets, and that comes later, after we walk Sugar the Weather Dog.  Of course the damage to the lawns and crops won't really be ameliorated by the rain we had yesterday, but it was a start.   I was saddened to hear about the rampage in Aurora, CO overnight.  Too much senseless violence and too many crazies out there.  Otherwise, just a good day to enjoy...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Finally, it really is a good morning.  Why?  Because we actually appear to have received some precipitation last night, and according to the view out the Weather Window, we might get more.  I was uncertain after I awoke last night, because Sugar the Weather Dog was asleep in her bed, which meant that we hadn't had any thunder claps last night.  Of course, right now the streets are drying up and the skies are gray, so I don't know what to believe.  At least when I go outdoors today, I may find that I don't have to water.  Current temperature on the desktop is 73 cool degrees.  Quite a change from last evening when I walked back from the library.  I am enrolled int the Beach Blanket Bingo program at the Loutit Library.  I could have been done by now if I hadn't turned in some books that I had read before I signed up.  Oh well, I have until August 31, the day after my birthday, to finish reading all the books I need to satisfy the rules.  Somehow I think I'll make it.  I am now officially in the category of not being worthy.  Adam beat me to the punch and got the last U.S. quarter he needed to complete the 50 states series that we have both been working on.  I still plan to finish, but the next thing might be the new program that the mint has going.  Otherwise, the day is just some vacuuming, some walking, and that's about it.  As you can imagine, it is now...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  It is nearly 11:00 AM in our fair city.  Mary and I slept in this AM.  I am about to give you a sad weather report.  When we first arose this AM, the skies showed the promise of precipitation, but the reality was that nothing much was happening.  Of course, Sugar the Weather Dog was still asleep in her bed, so I knew that there were no storms last night or yet today.  But wait, there's more as they say in the infomercials.  Mary and I started out for the farmer's market with Sugar, and wouldn't you know it, there came a thunder clap about half way there, and Sugar was off to the races for home.   Unfortunately for she, me and GH, the rain event was very short-lived. Oh well, you can't win them all, but a close tie would be nice.  I had plans for not needing to water today, but that too has turned out to be a pipe dream.  I guess that sometimes you need to accept that the rain gods just aren't with you.  The best laid plans of mice and men and all that.  While there is a need for more rain, a huge need, you just can't make it so by wishing.  As they say, if wishes was fishes, we'd all have a net full.  So, until tomorrow, later.  Oh, the current temperature on the desktop is 77 degrees, and the chance for further precipitation is dropping fast.

Good morning GH.  Well, I looked out the Weather Window, and I wasn't really surprised.  It looks sunny and hot, and according to the desktop temperature thing, it is 80 degrees, so it is definitely hot at  7:00 AM.  Sugar the Weather Dog hasn't risen yet, but I bet if asked, she would tell you it isn't very pleasant, but no precipitation is in the offing.  For me, it means another day of wrestling with a recalcitrant hose, another day of avoiding bellicose spiders, and another day of staying inside.  The National Weather Service claims that we will have showers later today or early tomorrow, but I am going to have to enlist the aid of Sugar the Weather Dog for a confirmation of that forecast.  If she thinks a storm is coming, I'll believe it.  I plan to make a run to the big box hardware/lumber store in Muskegon today for a replacement hose and some paint samples.  If I don't, I will have to try watering with a hose that I have hacked into a thousand pieces.  That's how much I hate the hose I have.  Otherwise, it is time for a shower and of course...Tea time.

Good morning.  Well. it really is morning here in GH.  I gazed out the Weather Window this AM, and I can assure you that it will be both clear and unfortunately, dry.  Sugar the Weather Dog concurs, because she is showing no particular signs of distress, the kind that comes with impending storm activity.  The desktop temperature is currently showing 70 degrees.  In other words, I could be predicting the weather for San Diego, sunny and clear.   Yesterday was Mary's birthday, and Adam and Steph called to wish her a happy one.  I hope she enjoyed herself.  My card arrived just as I hoped it would on Saturday.  My thanks to the U.S.P.S. here in GH.  I have included a few photos of the requisite car show that goes with Mary's birthday each year.  I hope that you like them.  Most are cars, but one is of my flourishing horseradish plant.  This just proves that with the right equipment, I can do anything.

Good afternoon GH.  I was going to write tomorrow, but I decided that the best time for blogging was when you had the time and the inclination.  Currently, the desktop temperature is 87 degrees, and the view out the Weather Window is clear and sunny.  According to the Weather Channel, there was a 30% chance of rain starting this PM at about 1:00.  However, the Weather Channel was misguided.  I should have gone with Sugar the Weather Dog, because she was more than willing to go out, an indicator that the skies would remain clear today.  Oh well, you live and learn.  So by way of making a short story long, I was back at the end of the water hose earlier, and Sugar is still sound asleep.  Tomorrow is Mary's birthday.  We, I guess I could say I, have plans to stop downtown and view the car show tomorrow.  It seems that when her birthday is involved, so too are cars.  During many recent birthdays, we have been at Road America for the vintage car races, but this year we just decided to stay in town.  I hope Mary appreciates how lucky she is, to have a car show on her birthday.  Otherwise, Mary made a great lunch today.  A small salad and a new style of grilled cheese sandwich, that was delicious and very filling.  I liked it.  Tomorrow, I plan to make breakfast, albeit not in bed.  I am thinking hash brown potatoes, a couple of eggs and some toast.  I can do breakfast.  I will, of course, include Tea time in my plans.  Sugar will be impatient, as she has to wait for UP to be over.  I don't think that she understands having to wait.  Overall, it should be a good day.  So, until tomorrow, I'll just say later.

Good morning GH.  This truly is good morning; as I am here at the keyboard shortly after 8:00 AM and next to me is my intrepid sidekick, Sugar the Weather Dog.  Her posture is telling me that the day should be a calm one, and based on my look out the Weather Window, I have to agree.  The skies will not be cloudy all day (my apologies to "Home on the Range" for borrowing) and the desktop temperature is showing a current temperature of 68 degrees.  I expect a high near 90 degrees.  My anticipated amount of precipitation  is, hard to believe it I know, none.  I think this will be a good day for practicing knitting, guitar playing and music transcription, and of course, walking Sugar the Weather Dog through our fair city.  I anticipate at this time, that I would like to go hear some Irish music downtown tonight, but that is at 7:00 PM, so I may be too pooped to pop by then.  We shall see.  I want to get in a little bike riding today, maybe after I water our thirsty flora here on our palatial estate.  Otherwise,  later today, a little front porch setting just like Andy, Barney, Aunt Bee and Opie used to do.  So, until then, it is...Tea time.

Good afternoon GH.  Yes, I know, I'm late, again.  But, this time I have a good reason.  You see, this was the day of the farmer's market, and so, Mary, Sugar and I walked there and back, and then before you know it, it was lunch time.  Currently, the temperature on the desktop is showing 83 degrees.  Sugar the Weather Dog is lying about, and the view out the Weather Window is blue, cloud-free skies, and no precipitation in sight.  However, let me tell you about yesterday.  As I noted, Mary and I went to the city beach.  I had been hearing reports about how warm the waters of Lake Michigan were, so I planned a little swimming while Mary flew her kite.  Let me tell you, the kite flying went well, but the waters of the big lake were actually 48 chilly degrees.  Mary didn't believe me until she read it in the paper, even though the sign at the beach had already proclaimed the frigid temperatures.  As you can imagine, I dipped myself in for a short burst, and that was the end.  I have swum in the Atlantic Ocean off of Bermuda in December, and I can assure you that the ocean waters in December were warmer than Lake Michigan following a prolonged heat wave.  Go figure.  Otherwise, I spent the afternoon reading the balance of Engines of Change which I really liked.  Today, I finished the Kareem Abdul Jabbar children's book, What Color Is My World about the contributions made by African-American inventors.  I think this book should be sent to all of the schools that have limited numbers of African-American children, especially those located in the so called "Red States."  In addition, this message needs to be given to all children, if they  think they can't do it.  As the author pointed out, all inventions were created by inventors piggy-backing on the backs of other inventors.  So, having said all that, it is time to move on and get to doing all the things that I still need to do today.

Good morning GH.  Well. another day has come and gone, and here I am at the keyboard ready to report the view out the Weather Window.  The skies are clear, the sun is shining, but alas, there is no rain in sight.  Boy, we could sure use some.  I doubt that my lawn will ever grow again.  We may have to go for some of that Southwestern style landscaping that uses rocks and things. Sugar the weather Dog is reporting no storms on the horizon, but she has been weird about hiding in her dog cave at night, so who knows.  Current temperature on the desktop is 66 degrees, and the predictions for the end of the week are for the lower nineties, again.  Our plans for the day call for a trip out with Sugar this AM, and then a trip to the beach for some swimming by  yours truly, and some kite flying by Mary. Since Sugar can't be on the beach, she will be staying home. Otherwise, I have to water the basic plants, again, and then stay out of trouble.  Until then, it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Well. I have good news today.  The view out the Weather Window is clear and sunny; the difference is that it is only 67 degrees according to the desktop.  However, there is still no sign of rain in my view or in the forecast of the National Weather Service.  Sugar the Weather Dog is happy that no thunder storms are in the offing.  Yesterday afternoon, Mary and I returned from a trip downtown with my new Save the Lighthouse T-shirt.  We sat on the porch to watch the Grand Haven channel and Sugar the Weather Dog chewed contentedly on her bone.  In short, life doesn't get any better than this.  Sugar was interrupted a few times by various other dogs, but her bone called her back.  In addition, our neighbor was grilling something beefy, and so, that too interrupted her chewing.  However, the real reason for all of the above is my desire to tell the world that during our reason for another visit downtown was to get the T-shirt, with a the total price of $12.73. We passed across $13.00 and I said that I had to check the quarter that we received in change.  Luck was with me, because the quarter was from Alabama, and that completed my collection of the 50 states quarters, except for the Northern Mariana Islands and American Samoa.  So now, I have to work extra hard to find those.  Mary is going to put out the word to the people she knows on the West Coast, and see if they can help, since they are closer to those places.  As I said to Mary yesterday, it was a twofer.  Anyway, back to the front porch tale.  Mary went inside, and just after she left, a beautiful 1960s Dune Buggy drove by.  If that wasn't good enough, the moment I left myself, according to Mary, a beautiful 65 Mustang drove by.  Watching the Grand Haven channel is a car lovers dream.  Otherwise, not much is happening.  Our garden continues to do well, and my horseradish continues to grow strong.  So, that being said, it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Well. I have been away from the keyboard for a couple of days.  Do I have an excuse? Well, let's just blame it on the weather.  A quick glance out the Weather Window this AM shows the skies as cloud free and the day looks promising.  Currently on the desktop, the temperature is showing 68 degrees, so I think it is warmer indoors than out.  Sugar the Weather Dog has resumed her regular sleeping schedule, and that's because the fireworks are over.  She got weird for a few days, but that's because she doesn't like anything that goes boom in the night, day, or any other time.  I got my new frame the other day, and hung my guitar chord poster.  It looks great in my music room/office, and Mary says I don't have room for anything else in here.  I must agree; it is crowded, but this is like my own man-cave.  I don't have a need for the old kind of man-cave very often, so this is a nice substitute.  Adam can have the man-cave in the basement.  This AM, I plan to walk Sugar and see two new Arf Walk dogs, one by the Department of Public Safety,and the other by the Chamber of Commerce.  Mary will include pictures of both on her blog, so I don's have to.  Otherwise, I plan to read the NY Times, and some library books today.  Mary and I saw Spiderman yesterday afternoon, and she liked it.  She had originally planned to see the film about the vampires and the 16th president, but she opted for Spiderman.  Otherwise, I am doing very little today.  I like it that way.  So now it is...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  A quick glance out the Weather Window sums up the weather succinctly.  Sunny skies and few clouds.  Current temperature on the desk top is showing 76 degrees, and the next appearance of storm clouds is on Saturday.  So at best, we have a few more days of necessary watering.  Sugar the Weather Dog is exhausted from the activities of yesterday.  The last aerial explosion went off at 2:30 AM, just a few hours ago.  The city put on quite a show last night, at least my hearing and that of Sugar says it did.  I just didn't have the energy to fight the downtown crowds.  I guess when you have seen a lot of fireworks over the years, that one more display in less than ideal weather, is probably something you don't need to see.  Just one man's opinion, but as the immortal Walter Kronkite used to say, "And that's the way it is."  Today, we will be taking advantage of the post holiday sales.  Well, not really, but it sounds good.  There are a few things we need to get, but they shouldn't take long nor require much effort.  Otherwise, a little guitar playing, a little reading, and I will call it a day.  For now, it is.....Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Well, I had to pull the shades up for a quick look out the Weather Window this morning.  The sky is clear, no fireworks in sight, yet, and the chance of rain is next to nothing. Sugar the Weather Dog is downstairs right now, having endured a tough night of pre-fourth of July fireworks.  I feel sorry for her, because she doesn't understand why people are trying to blow her up, and why this is in some way important to human beings.  I confess that the founding of our nation is an  important event to all of us, but why people have a desire to attempt homicide, suicide, or whatever is beyond me.  I am content to stay away from the fireworks and keep Mary, Sugar, and myself safe.  There, I've said it, I think that the goal of the legislature in allowing mortars for home use, ostensibly to keep the money in our state; was nothing more than a way to thumb their nose at the powers that be and to put more money in the pockets of the fireworks lobby.  I forgot to mention, that the current temperature on the desktop is 82 sultry degrees, with another day in the 90s likely.  I have heard that there is a chance of rain today, but by this evening, that drops to a lower chance.  All of this fireworks craziness comes at a time of reduced fire readiness and on the heels of a church burning down in GR, which the fire marshal attributes to misused fireworks.  Who would have guessed?  Anyway, time to get ready to face the day.  My horseradish is looking great, our garden is growing well, and our newly seeded patio edge is staring to sprout.  So until tomorrow, (Tea time is already done), later much.  Oh Adam, by the way, like your blog.

Good morning GH.  At least this time it is morning.  I didn't look out the Weather Window this AM, I attempted to go outside with Sugar the Weather Dog.  Unfortunately, the only rain event we have had in weeks tried to start at that moment, so Sugar, in her unbounded fear of all things noisy, heard one clap of thunder, and she couldn't get back inside fast enough.  So, until the threat of severe weather passes, Sugar the Weather Dog will do her forecasting from the downstairs bathroom.  The current temperature on the desktop is showing 79 muggy degrees, and partly cloudy skies.  For now, that seems to be right on target.  Today, I plan to pick up some books at the library, since Sugar won't be going out for a while, I can stop in at my leisure.  I have to find out some information about the Taste of Grand Rapids this AM.  In addition, I need to find out about a downtown hotel in GR.   This is one of those times where an internet connection should be invaluable.  Yesterday, I read some books, did some crossroads, and then watched some TV.  This AM, I watched a piece on Morning Joe, that featured the writer of an article from Sunday's   NY Times, that dealt with the perception of busy that seems to pervade our lives.  The writer says that people talk on their phones so much, because they need to feel needed.  Is that what we have come to?  So, I have to pick up some books, check those dates and places, and then edit the index for Mary about 4:00 PM this afternoon.  I already had my...Tea time, so the rest of the day is not very important, unless I am elected the POTUS or I am appointed an Indian Chief.

Once again, Good morning GH.  I am late again, because Sugar the Weather Dog needed a walk and the gardens and beds needed watering, and the bushes needed trimming etc.  I can vouch for the outdoors being warm today, I don't need Sugar or the Weather Window to help.  The temperature on the desktop is currently showing 80 degrees and the skies are clear. Right now, I am fixing to get ready and make some alphabet cards for my evening activities as a tutor.  I have used this strategy before, so I think it may help.  In addition, I plan to do some additional reading and puzzle working today.  Of course, there is lunch to be eaten and another walk for Sugar, so I hope I don't let the day get away from me.  I'd  best get to work on those alphabet cards if I am going to get them done before lunch, because it is already 11:50 AM.  So, although I can't use my usual catch phrase, I think I'll try out a new one.   It is...Lunch time.

Good afternoon GH.  Yes, it is later than my usual post.  By the time Mary and I had watched UP on MSNBC and then walked Sugar the Weather Dog, the day just got away.  I did have my Tea time, of course, but then it was time to read the Sunday New York Times.  I have to report the weather, so I'll just say that Sugar the Weather Dog is resting comfortably, the view out the Weather Window is partly sunny, and having been outside, I can assure you that it is hot and humid.  The temperature on the the desktop is 86 degrees and it is partly cloudy.  Not much is happening here in town this weekend, although the Fourth of July is coming up and the city of GH is preparing for the fireworks that evening.  Just like in every town, there will be people staking out their spaces to view the fireworks.  Most will likely stake out a spot across from Dewey Hill where the Musical Fountain is staged in the evening and the location for the fireworks.  The city does have signs warning against staking out a spot before 12:01 AM on the fourth, but I bet by 12:02 you will be hard pressed to find a spare piece of ground.  At least, they don't allow the people to cover the grass with plastic, which should allow the grass to breathe a little.  Otherwise, not much to report.  I am going to request a few books from the library that I saw reviewed in the NY Times, and that will likely complete my day.  So until tomorrow, Buh Bye.