Good morning GH. It is just past 8:00 a.m. in the morning, and that means that sunrise, which happened at 7:54 a.m., is in my rear-view mirror. Sunset will be at 7:51 p.m. this evening. We are almost there, a full 12 hours of daylight. I'd like to say that spring can't be far behind, but the 9° temperature this morning tends to mitigate against that statement. Seasonally speaking, spring happens on Thursday, March 20, of this week. We will be topping out at 23° today, but then temperatures should stay above freezing. Here's hoping.

Saturday, I got up a bit later, and then Sugar the Weather Dog and I went for our morning walk. Sugar is excited to get out with her pawferred human, and I am glad to be able to accommodate her. We are still dodging ice covered sidewalks, but those should be gone with a few more days of thawing. We ran into a pet parent who didn't feel the need for a leash, so that meant that I had to restrain Sugar a bit more than I wanted when this human's dog came at Sugar. I suggested that next time that the human take responsibility for doing the right thing. Somehow, I doubt that that will be the last time this dog is unrestrained.

Once we returned, after buying the Saturday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune, Mary made French toast for breakfast. Then she went to work, I added pieces to our puzzle, and then got ready for my first Irish Jam in three months. I enjoyed myself as always, had only a little pain while I played, and stopped when I felt it was too intense. All good. Afterwards, Mary swung by in the car and we were off to the Post. Sally and the regular gang were there. I even won twice at the quarter drop. That was about the end of my luck, unless you count the chance to interact with people.

We stopped off at the local hot dog place and got dinner on the way home. Mary didn't feel like cooking, so that was fine with me. I wasn't in any hurry to cook myself. Once home, we ate, I watched some TV downstairs, and then I came upstairs to recline and watch more TV. I fell asleep in the Media Room, and then went off to bed. That's where I stayed until just before 8:00 a.m. For me that is unusual. I know that Mary who had been watching some movie downstairs came up after a while, but as to when, I have no idea.

Today, more puzzle for me, more work for Mary, and I'll be unpacking Bridget from our trip to the Irish Jam session. I am actually surprised that my shoulder doesn't ache more this morning. I'll take it. I may cook breakfast this morning, unless Mary has other plans. Once every few weeks I like to do that, but I haven't been able for an extended period. Somehow, I doubt that Mary will say no. I am thinking garbage potatoes, and toast. We have all of the ingredients.

Now that the snow has receded some, I discovered that the Buffalo box control for the water in the house is in the driveway. I want to have the plumber change the main water valve before we go out of town, so that I can turn it off when we go. I heard that suggestion on a radio home improvement show. I had never thought of it before, but that way any leaks can be stopped before they start.

I had heard that wash machine hoses should be changed periodically and that the valves leading to the washing machine should be closed before an extended out of town trip. However, that doesn't solve the problems that could crop up elsewhere in the house. Our old water valve is just that, old, and nearly impossible to turn. A simple idea that could save a flood.

That's it for today. Ciao.