Good early morning GH. Wow, the current temperature is 67 or 68 degrees, depending on which source you consult. Of course one of  those same sources is saying that we may get to 79 or 81 for a high. That one can't even agree with itself. The precipitation that they predicted for Friday turned out to be a few drops and nothing more. Now it looks like Sunday, our 40th anniversary, before we have another chance of T-storms. Sugar the Weather Dog will be happy. It is nearly 5:00 AM.

Friday turned out to be a great day and I had a terrific birthday. Lots of well wishes from friends and family. Mary worked indoors, and I worked outdoors on the estate. I swept, I mowed, I watered and got the Weber ready for the barbecue. I had a great time. Then, that rain prediction made us change our plans and we ended up at our favorite watering hole for dinner. Not a bad option, but I would have just stayed home if I had known. Mary probably thought I was working too hard on my birthday, but I was in heaven. Oh well, what's that they say about the best laid plans etc? I got in some guitar playing and some crosswords before that, and then the day became a blur. What's not to like?

Today, I have plans for college football and that's about it. I may get in some snacks and more guitar playing and reading and then the postponed dinner plans should reach fruition. Better late than never. Before you know it, it will be Sunday and time for our 40th. Mary will continue to work.

When last I left you, I was describing the early days of our life together, among other things. Adam was now an integral part of our lives. He is a great person and best of all, his wife, Stephany, truly is his better half. We have now have been the proud caretakers for several different dogs, each with their own personality. Scrappy, a mix of a springer spaniel and a golden retriever was not the smartest dog, but he was probably the sweetest dog you could ever meet. If you wanted him to do it, he would, without question.

Stay-C was a typical lab mix, no trouble and about as even tempered as you could expect. Her dog sitter/walker felt guilty because Stay-C didn't need a leash and never needed a walk. She was content to just wander around the backyard during her one-half hour visit three time per day. When we first brought Stay-C home from the shelter, I took her out in the back for a get acquainted visit with her new yard. I was walking and she seemed to be digging in her heels. I thought she was being stubborn. But, she had decided to lay down and I was taking her for a drag, not a walk. She never needed a leash

And then there is Sugar the Weather Dog. She may well be the cutest and smartest dog we have ever had the privilege to care for. Maybe the most expensive too. When you mix a Corgi and a beagle, you get cute you get smart, and you get skittish. Oh, you also get very territorial too. She herds and she hunts, both at the same time. For me, it was love at first sight. As Mary said, "If you had ever looked at another woman the way you looked at her," etc.

Shortly after Stay-C passed, we took a trip to New Orleans over the holidays. We were looking at all the dogs in town and each of us knew for sure that we would be getting another dog in our lives when we got back to the Chicago area. In fact, unbeknownst to each other, we were perusing the various shelter sites on the sly. We made a plan to visit several shelters the Sunday after we got home from our trip, starting with the farthest away and coincidentally, the one that opened the earliest on a Sunday.

We got there just as the shelter opened and flipped through their book of guest dogs. Sugar caught our eye and we asked to meet her. Mary decided it was time to make a trip to the restroom when Sugar was to make her first appearance, so when Sugar came out to the day room, I was the first person Sugar saw. I knew right away and so apparently did she, and the rest is history. We "road tested" her outside the shelter and as she bounced around in the snow Mary asked, "Are you sure?" I was. There was a man there saying to his children, "Looks like Sugar is going home with someone else." First dog, first shelter.

I paid the fee and we were off. Our goal had been to get a smaller dog in our later years, one that we could pick up if necessary. Sugar is smaller than the others we've had, but she is very high maintenance. If she doesn't get to walk one or both of us at least twice per day, she is very impatient. She has her own peculiarities in many ways. She can't ever be off a leash, because she would chase every other dog in town. I couldn't bear if anything ever happened to her, so I am content to keep her on a leash.

When I had to go to hospital a few years ago, Sugar was lost. Even now, when I go out for a long day trip, she waits at the door expecting me to return at any moment. I like to think that she feels as though I am hard to protect when I'm not here. In short, no man ever had a better dog. I am sure others feel the same about their canine companions, but that's one man's opinion.

Oh well, I've rambled on long enough this time. So it must be time for sports.

The boys in blue, lost to Ryne Sandburg's Phillies 5 - 6. I heard a radio host suggesting that the boys in blue should trade their shortstop and move on in spite of his considerable skills. He is skilled, but he has too many mental lapses in the field etc. The Tigers crushed the Tribe 7 - 2, to open a 7.5 game lead over the Tribe. My beloved Red Sox beat that other team from Chicago 3 - 2, to open a 3.5 game lead  over the Rays. The Caps fell to the Fort Wayne TinCaps 1 - 5. I know that the TinCaps name looks weird, but that's how they spell it. Next time I'll be able to tell you how the Spartans and the Wolverines fared in college football.

I just have to mention, that at about 8:30 last night, a train rumbled through "The City." An odd time to say the least. The lead locomotive was sporting the newest livery of the line and it looked great. Mary and I stood and watched because it was such an odd time. I think it had to do with the upcoming holiday. Mary thinks that it was a needed load. Maybe the same thing, I dunno.

Ciao.