Good morning GH. It is fast closing on 3:30 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 52 degrees under cloudy skies. As the day progresses, the chance of precipitation increases from 10% til it peaks at 60 % at 2:00 this afternoon. Just enough to be annoying and to stop the raking of leaves. We anticipate that our high temperature will peak at 54 degrees as we fast forward the day.

Speaking of raking leaves and the rainy skies, I have four bags of leaves on the front porch. I didn't want to put them out last night because they tend to get wet and fall apart in the rain. So I am hoping that I will be up early enough to put them out this AM. If not, there is always next week.

On Wednesday, I finally got around to processing my horseradish crop. I replanted some of the roots, saved some for Adam and Steph, and processed the remaining amount. After thorough washing and sectioning, I put the roots into the blender and added some vinegar and salt.  A flip of the switch, a bit of stirring with a rubber spatula, and voila, ground horseradish. I used to spend hours with a grater and getting the effects of horseradish tear gas to produce what Mary's high powered blender did on minutes. She was right. If you buy a good blender in the beginning, you get what you pay for. We did, and it proved its value once again.

Speaking of the processed product, the resulting blend is nothing short of really hot. If like me, you like it hot, this is for you. When Adam was younger and his nose was stuffed up due to allergies or a cold, he'd grab the horseradish from the refrigerator and take a good long pull. Whatever was blocking his sinuses would clear right out. This stuff will have the same effect on him now, only faster.

For breakfast/lunch, brunch if you will, while I walked with Sugar the Weather Dog, Mary made veggie hot dogs with couscous. Chopped onions, mustard, sauerkraut, with celery seeds and we had a superb lunch. As they should be, our dogs had no ketchup/catsup just like in Chicago.

Mary worked all afternoon while I played music. When it was time for diner, she got out that deadly chef's knife that tried to kill her last time she used it. I told her she should be sure to get out her chain-mail gloves before starting. She assured me that she was going to be more careful this time. The resulting tuna casserole was once again excellent, even without the addition of her finger tip in the finished product. : - ). She felt there was a spice that she should have added, but I don't recall what it was. Tasted fine to me.

One needs to be careful when commenting on a recipe. As Mary has always says, "If you don't like something, tell me now or it will be back over and over." So I am pretty careful to tell the truth when something is lacking. I recall a friend of mine from childhood who once tried his mother's homemade bread. When asked, he told his mother, who had spent the entire afternoon sifting, stirring, rolling, kneading, and baking that it tasted almost as good as the store bought bread. Not a smooth move as I recall.

Today, I have no additional plans. I got those storm windows exchanged earlier on Wednesday after I had processed the horseradish, so I have nothing pressing. I don't know how much music I'll play as my shoulder is aching from all that strumming yesterday. Adam is right, I need to get it repaired now before I am too old. : - ). I'll get that opinion on the 24th. So I think that after Sugar takes me for a walk, I'll spend some time reading in my chair downstairs. Mary will work, maybe she'll cook, and I'll enjoy her efforts.

In sports, the Tigers defeated my beloved Red Sox handily, 7 - 3. Jake Peavy fell apart early for the Sox. The series is now tied at two games apiece. Game five is tonight at 8:00 PM. The Cardinals fell to the Dodgers 4 - 6, extending their series another game. By the by, I stand corrected. The League Championship Series games seven games, not five. So I still have a chance for the Dodgers to pull out the National League pennant. I also have at least two more games before I have to takes sides in the American League series. It can be tough to wear two rally caps in the same game.

Looks like that about it for Wednesday and Thursday. Tea time awaits as does more sleep. Ciao.