Good early morning GH.  Well, it's happened again.  I woke up and I couldn't get right back to sleep.  I don't think that this is a long lived phenomenon, but sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.  Currently, my desktop and Weather Window weather stations are in agreement. The temperature is 30 degrees, and according to the view out the Weather Window, there is no precipitation.  We will have to wait until Monday to get above freezing, but then we are home free. By Saturday, the highs will be in the mid-forties and for those of us who are newly minted Michiganders, that is a heat wave. Plus, that means any precipitation will come in the form of rain, which will begin the process of melting the snow. I may even be able to find space for the trash can at the currently invisible curb.  One can only hope.

Mary and I went to the big box hardware store on Thursday for some replacement/additional towel bars for the upstairs bathroom.  Now I have the joy of installing them.  Since I don't have any additional snow to move, I have time and that is all good.  It will be a joy.

My plan for my book didn't work.  I owe 15 cents as a fine, and that isn't a technicality.  Dang. Still, they have been so good to me that I can't complain. I just wish that everything worked that smoothly. As I mentioned previously, there is joy in getting the replacement parts for the snowblower too.

On Thursday, I got the bulk material for my insoles.  Unfortunately, it isn't wide enough for my needs, so I put in a call to the supplier. They have promised to work with me, so I'll be returning what I got for some material that is wider. It will take a few additional days, but since I didn't have it before, I can wait.  The hazards of big feet that most people never face.

Otherwise, not much is happening. I got bad news at our local watering hole.  Apparently, our favorite Internet radio service will be charging for their services. We don't have official notification, yet, but if it isn't too expensive, Mary and I think we can afford it. Truth is, we spend more money than the anticipated $5.00 per month at that same watering hole, so it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

So, until it is...Tea time and time for Sugar the Weather Dog to take me for a morning walk, I'll be on my way. Ciao.

Time for an update on my reality scale railroad.  A twin locomotive train just went through.  One Mid-Michigan and one Grand Rapids Eastern locomotive, followed by 10 tank cars, 11 box cars, and 19 covered hopper cars.  I know that this is the most efficient and cost effective way to move freight, but did anyone ever wonder what is in those cars?  Occasionally I do, and I think that while it is very important to worry about what is in a pipeline, I think given the state of the rails and their associated beds, we should be thinking about those trains too. They are part of that infrastructure that we all say needs work.  That only comes through regulations, which are driven by public opinion, since the railroads are a private entity in this country. If I were the railroad, I'd weigh the cost of improvements against the costs of a cleanup for a spill and make my decision too. Just one man's opinion.  Once again, Ciao.