Good morning GH. I'll dispense with the early part, because it is now past 3:30 a.m. in "The City." The current temperature indoors is 76°. That's according to the digital readout available in the Weather Office. Outdoors and near the Weather Window, it is 63°. If the forecast is accurate, yeah right, the temperature will fall to a low of 55° later this morning as we near sunrise at 6:05 a.m. Today promises to be a sunny 72° and tomorrow about the same, albeit with a few more clouds. Monday we may see a 60% chance of T-storms. That means that I'll have to make a game time decision whether to water the gardens before then.

Speaking of watering, I accomplished that task after returning from our morning walk with Mary and Sugar the Weather Dog. We have been getting good temperatures for growing vegetables, so that means that the water is evaporating more quickly. The upside is that the weather is good for walking too. I discovered that my aching back doesn't like to walk great distances in my sandals. If I wear my walking shoes, I can go for more distance. Still, it isn't perfect yet. Everything that Mary read from the internet about how to treat my back are things that I already knew. Mostly it is just about rest and exercise.

Friday found me playing an extended amount of guitar in my music room/weather center/office. That may explain why my shoulder is a bit achy right now. However I was playing well, so I didn't want to stop. Mary had gone out shopping to the mall and the bog box store, so I had an uninterrupted time to just play. Once Mary got home, I helped unload the car and then did some reading. Sugar the Weather Dog wanted to go to the "Bone Zone", but that will happen today after we get back from the farmer's market trip this morning.

While in the "Bone Zone", I'll read and listen to the radio. Mary says that the radio distracts her, but I just put it into the background. There is an advantage to having a singular focus. Now that the weather is cooperating, we can spend time on the deck without a parka or other heavy clothing. I can even spend time shoe-less and in my summer uniform of shorts and a T-shirt. What's not to like?

I anticipate that Sunday will be about the same, except that our intrepid Weather Dog will not get a bone two days in a row. She'll be disappointed, but sometimes it's tough being a dog. She does like being able to lay in the sun, so she'll have to make do.

In sports, the boys in blue were down 0 - 5 to the Brew Crew when I tuned in. They eventually lost to the Brewers 5 - 11. The Tigers topped Seattle 6 - 3. My beloved Red Sox won their fifth in a row, this one over the Rays, by a score of 3 - 2. They Sox are on a roll. I hear that there is infighting in the clubhouse, but if that's what it takes to win, so be it. The Caps are now just 3.5 games back of South Bend, having beaten the Dayton Dragons 1 - 0. I also heard the Blackhawks defeated the Kings in L.A. 4 - 3, to tie their playoff series at three apiece, and force a seventh game in Chicago on Sunday. The Red Sox and the Tigers play again tonight, while the boys in blue play later this afternoon. The Caps play tonight in Ft. Wayne.

That looks like enough for today. The sun will set at 9:16 tonight. Ciao

Good early morning GH. It is just past 1:30 a.m.in "The City."  We have a current temperature of 65° that feels like 65°, because there is no wind. Our low is expected to get down to 56°. No precipitation is in the forecast until Monday's 70% chance of T-storms, so I'll be back in the gardens with my water hose today. That's it though. We expect that temperatures will be in the upper 60s or lower 70s for the next several days.

Our little family went for a morning walk yesterday. Sugar the Weather Dog always likes those and the temperature yesterday morning was nothing short of beautiful. I had thought about riding my bike, but my aching back told me not to. Instead, I did some home maintenance kinds of things. That probably wasn't good for my back either. Today nothing beyond a morning walk. I will not be tempted to walk further, no matter what, as I know that walking too much can also have a negative effect. I love to walk, but like those 95 mph fastball pitchers, I have to let my muscles rest and recover or suffer the consequences. Sorry Mary.

We walked down to see Sally at the Post in the afternoon. She is feeling well. Nothing to report there. The afternoon walk was also beautiful, but I have to stop for a rest today. Pulling the hose out will be enough for one day.

I did get the strings changed on Bridget. She sounds incredibly bright as compared to the old strings. While I was at it, I polished the areas that can't be reached when Bridget is strung. So she should be good to go for a while.

I heard the southbound train earlier, but I didn't get up. It was only a fleeting recognition of the passage. I hope to not be awake for the return trip.

In sports, the boys in blue had the day off to travel from San Francisco to Milwaukee for a night game. The Tigers pulled out what became a close game. They just beat the As in regulation play, 5 - 4.  My beloved Red Sox were on TV when I fell asleep. But I am here to report that they swept the Braves, 4 - 3, for the Sox' fourth win in a row. Now they await the coming of Tampa Bay on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday for night games. The Caps once again handled Dayton, 4 - 2 this time. Unfortunately, the South Bend Silverhawks are red hot right now, and lead the Caps by 4.5 games in their division.

We can tell that it is the "Season" once again. We don't really mind, except for the out of state drivers going the wrong way on one-way streets and driving like lost sheep. The city has placed one of those radar speed checking devices on the hill near our house. The speed limit is 25 MPH. It is fun to watch people hammer the brakes as they see how fast they are actually going, be they out of towners or locals.

Mary made a new fried rice recipe for dinner yesterday.She calls it down and dirty, but I call it perfect. A little garlic, some onions, corn and day old rice, and a dash of soy sauce mixed with tofu. No additional seasoning was required. Like I said, perfect as it is. In this case, Mary was concerned that if she didn't follow the recipe closely, it might not go right. Her only concession being using peanut oil versus the coconut oil that the recipe called for. I didn't even know there was oil in coconuts.

Like I said, not much on tap for today. The sun will rise at 6:09 a.m., and set at 9:14 p.m. For those of us who are getting up in years, sunset happens when we are sitting in our rockers or regular chairs. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City." Currently the analog thermometer in the Weather Window is showing a temperature of 60°. The National Weather Service is predicting that our low this morning will be 51°, or is it 50°. They are also predicting that our high today will be anywhere from 71° to 78°. Yesterday they predicted that it would rain, but it never did. Somehow I doubt that the predictions for the rest of the week will be any more accurate. I guess I'll have to skip the daily predictions for a while. Nonetheless, Sugar the Weather Dog will get a a morning walk in a few hours. That's after the sun rises at about 6:08 a.m. I say about, because the source for my times is that same National Weather Service site. That's also true for my sunset time of of 9:10 p.m.

Speaking of Sugar, we were sitting about the living room reading yesterday afternoon when something caused her to leap up and run to her hide-e-hole. No explanation seemed plausible to us. One thing about Sugar is that she is never at a loss for a surprise. Maybe it had something to do with our getting up at noon and her walk coming at about 1:00 p.m. Mary's system of having biscuits upstairs is apparently satisfying to Sugar. I got some fish oil for Sugar at the health food store the other day to help in her shedding. We apply it to her dinner food, and she seemed to really likes it. I think that Mary discovered why. This bottle of fish oil has a fruit flavoring to make it more palatable. Apparently Sugar finds it to be so.

Speaking of Mary, she detoured on our morning walk and went to the health food store and the local independent book seller near our home. She got a different brand of sauerkraut. At the bookstore, she got a copy of the N.Y. Times book review and a magazine of some type. She shared some info from that magazine that sounded interesting, so now I"ll want to read that too along with the book review. I came home and did a little weeding and watering. Then I settled in after walking to the guitar store around the corner for replacement strings for Blue and Ivy.

Since we didn't have any plans for the balance of our short day, Mary used what she had in the house for a tasty dinner of linguine with spinach and olive oil. Or maybe it was fettuccine. Either way, it tasted good. That was a follow up to her lunch meal of sandwiches of faux meat and cheese for me and Swiss cheese with mustard for her. Both sandwiches had fresh tomatoes for garnish. She also found a way to use the spinach dip she made the other day as a side. It tasted great.

I must have missed the southbound train earlier. The northbound train passed while I was still up, so here are the numbers. The usual twin EMD GP 38 locomotives towing 46 covered hopper cars, four of those dreaded black tank cars, and one lone white tank car.

Since I'm on the subject of transportation, and for those of you into ships/boats, I am going to add some information from Dick Fox's Grand Haven Tribune column, Ships Log. According to Mr. Fox, all four of our active local docks have now received visits from cargo ships, carrying coal or other aggregates. .

In sports, the boys in blue found another way to lose to the Giants, this time by a score of 0 - 5. The Tigers also fell, in their case to the As, 1 - 3. However, my beloved Red Sox are on a roll, as they once again defeated the Braves with a score of  4 - 0. That's three in a row for those like me who are counting. The Caps also were victorious over the Dayton Dragons by a score of 8 - 1.

Today a walk with Sugar whenever we get up, followed by reading. I have to finish changing the strings on Bridget too. I may change out the screen for the front storm door once I apply the tape to the Sugar proof Plexiglas™ panel. I've tried various fixatives that haven't held, so I am going for the tape that I believe will.

Mary is enjoying her time off before her next project. Me too. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is nearly 5:00 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature is 52° as we drop to our morning low of 51°. If we don't get any rain today, we won't get any for at least five days as the temperatures stay right around 70°. I suspect that Mary or I will be out watering the gardens on the palatial estate today, and probably Friday for sure.

Just to change things up a bit, the trains did go by this morning. One, traveling south, about 12:30 a.m., and the other going north, at about 3:45 a.m. The sound made by the southbound train told me that it was a long one, while the sound made by the northbound train was likely just the two locomotives. In both cases, I didn't feel like looking.

In sports, the boys in blue fell to the Giants, 0 - 4. The Tigers eked out a win over Oakland, 6 - 5. My beloved Red Sox are on a roll, having beaten the Braves for the second game in a row, 6 - 3. The Caps were once again hammered by Bowling Green, 2 - 10. The Blackhawks return home tonight, down 3 - 1 in their series against L.A. Can they repeat as Stanley Cup champions? We'll know more tonight.

Yesterday, Mary and I collectively placed the flag stones in the gardens of the palatial estate. They are a gorgeous shade of red, or pink, or? Mary will tell me later. Whatever they are, I like the look. Very random and rustic looking. Mary wants to put in mulch, but my back says it can wait. One of the reasons that we need to water today is that Mary had to move a few plants that would have been covered by the stones.

Afterwards, we went to the newly opened farmer's market in Muskegon. It has the potential to hold dozens of vendors, but on a Tuesday in late May, it was only about 1/3 occupied. We did get some eggs and peppers. Oh, we got chives to plant, which is another reason we have to water.

Since we were near to our favorite north of the bridge watering hole we stopped in, ate lunch, and then headed home. I discovered that the book I am reading is mostly accurate historically, as one of the characters referenced is now known to Mary and me. We both learned of this person and his organization and work during the completion of a recent project. As students of history, we were both surprised to learn how little we knew of his activities and their results.

Today we'll walk downtown with Sugar the Weather Dog for a loaf of bread, no jug of wine, and the newspaper. That should make for a complete day. I am going to read more from that book I just mentioned and change the strings on Bridget after which I will get in some playing time. I may also stop in at the local guitar store to get a back up set of strings. Like I often say, when possible, I try to buy locally in order to support the efforts and continuation of our local merchants. If we allow the big box stores or on-line e-tailers to put them out of business, we will regret it.

Otherwise not much is happening. Our intrepid weather dog got her first upstairs biscuit yesterday, so now she is sleeping next to the bed n anticipation of a repeat. As long as Mary and I don't have to go downstairs to complete the morning biscuit charade, I don't mind. Sunrise today will be at 6:08 a.m., and sunset at 9:12 p.m. Ciao

Good early morning GH. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City."  Our current temperature is 68° following a day when the skies were partly cloudy and the trip that Mary and I took to GR/Kentwood was both uneventful and fruitful. The high today was a beautiful 74°. The forecast for later this early morning is a 60% chance of isolated T-storms/rain. But I have yet to see or her them. Today calls for a 40% chance of the same. I know that forecasts are just that, forecasts, but some accuracy would be nice. After the mostly inaccurate snowfall forecasts of last winter, no one knows how to make plans for outdoor work or play anymore. That forecast for today was the main reason that Mary and I decided to make our GR trip Monday to avoid the rain and the extra traffic that seems to be on the roads in that area on a regular weekday. Once we get past today, the forecast shows clear skies through at least Saturday.

Our trip to GR netted us some flag stones for one of the gardens on the palatial estate. Mary has a vision, so all I need to do is supply the labor. I did that earlier today too, as I mowed the lawns and pulled the weeds. Everything that was on my to do list got done before we left. I even found a nail to repair the molding in the upstairs hallway. All I had to do was straighten it. My dad would have been proud of me for re-purposing a perfectly good nail. He was a child of the depression, so unless a nail was actually broken or bent beyond repair, he made it work. He might even have used it in a shorter version if that were possible.

Mostly good news in sports. The boys in blue got the first win for their hard-luck pitcher Jeff Samardzija, over the Giants, 8 - 4. My beloved Red Sox ended their losing streak at 10 games with an 8 - 6 win over the Braves. The Tigers didn't fare so well, as they lost another game, this time to the Oakland Athletics, 0 - 10. The Caps were hammered by the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 0 - 15. Ouch!

I heard the southbound train this morning at about 12:30 a.m. I failed to hear the northbound train, or it hasn't been by yet. Actually, it didn't come by until 5:15 a.m. I didn't get up to look, but by the sound of it and the vibrations that passed through the earth, it was long and loaded.

Today I don't have plans to do anything, other than take a walk with Sugar the Weather dog. She enjoyed her trip to the "Bone Zone" yesterday afternoon. I do have to finish the trimming left over from the lawn mowing, but that should take about 10 minutes. If the weather permits, I may have to place those flag stones for Mary too. Speaking of the intrepid Weather Dog, our neighbor went out and came back while Sugar was chewing, and she didn't even raise her head. Mary says that I am all too often singularly focused like that, so I know what Sugar was feeling.

So that looks like enough for today and yesterday. The sun will rise at 6:10 a.m., and set at 9: 12 p.m. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City", and the current temperature is 56 dark degrees. Outside the Weather Window, there are only a few vehicles on the move, probably those of the late workers at the local restaurants. Last evening, when I was trying to hear the TV, the motorcycles and their riders were proving that the only difference between most large and small motorcycles is the amount of noise they can produce. Unfortunately, the amount of noise makes them more or less noticeable, not more or less powerful. Here in GH, Mary and I believe that the muffler shops have to do other work, because nobody buys a replacement muffler for their car or truck.

Today, we anticipate a high of 71 cloudy degrees with a 30% chance of isolated T-storms. That should allow us plenty of time for a morning walk with Sugar the Weather Dog, as well as the other outside work we have scheduled for today. It's a good thing these holiday breaks are available so that we can get things done. As I've noted, when you are retired, work expands to fill your time. If our luck holds, the afternoon should be nice on the deck of the Palatial Estate, and Sugar will get a treat in the "Bone Zone." I'll listen to the radio and read one of the books I checked out of the library last Saturday. So far this book seems interesting, while two others seem less so upon further examination. Mary will probably putter around in the kitchen or knit more. Or, she may just join us on the deck. As I noted in yesterday's blog, she likes having a few down days.

In sports, the boys in blue were sailing along behind Jason Hammel until the bottom of the sixth. That's when anything that could go wrong, did. As usual, the boys rallied late, but still lost once again. Their attempt at a comeback fell short as they lost, 3 - 4. The Tigers lost another one to the Rangers, this time 4 - 12. They are still fine, but this has to stop. My beloved Red Sox lost to the Rays, 5 - 8, for their tenth loss in a row. They really are in free fall now with a record of 20 - 29, only slightly better than the boys in blue at 18 - 30. The Caps eked out a close win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods 3 - 2. They play again this afternoon against those same Hot Rods. The Blackhawks play again tonight in L.A. as they try to even their series against the L.A. Kings in L.A.

That looks like enough for today. I've already noted our plans for today and they will fill all of our time. The sun will rise at 6:10 a.m. and set at 9:10 p.m. Ciao.

Good mid-afternoon GH. It is just past 4:00 p.m. in "The City." The current temperature, both inside and outsides the Weather Center, is 75°. The forecast for the next to days is for the temperatures to be in the mid to upper 60s, with a 30-40% chance of isolated T-storms. As always, it will be cooler here on the shores of the "Big Lake", than it is in GR or points south.

Mary and I have just finished watching the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing", which was relatively accident free and which was ultimately won by Ryan Hunter-Reay. He held off Julio Castroneves and Marco Andretti after a red flag stop and restart. The average speeds were considerably higher than last year's race. The newer engines by Honda or Chevrolet Racing produce about 700 plus horsepower with twin turbos. It is the RPMs that make them what they are.  I have included some pictures here for your enjoyment.

Our Indy 500 feast

LeAnn Rimes sings the National Anthem at the Indy 500

A rare picture of Sugar the Weather Dog watching the Indy 500

83 year old Jim Nabors sings his last Back Home Again in Indiana

Yesterday, we did our morning walkabout with Sugar the Weather Dog and then made stops at the Farmer's Market and the library. Mary finished her latest project as I headed to the local health food store. Then we walked to the Post to partake of the food at Rib Fest 2014. We had a good time, but the winning ribs and sides will have to wait for a later blog.  After that, it was time for home and a bit of rest for me while Mary knitted more of my afghan. I got tired after all of the days activities, so I went off to bed.

This morning, we once again did our morning walk about and then came home, where I watered the vegetable gardens on the palatial estate, and Mary prepared the feast for the Indy 500, pictured above. Since I didn't feel like getting up earlier this morning, my blog waited until the race was over.

Tomorrow, yard and other outdoor work await and Mary won't have another project until June 10. I think she likes having a break in the action. June 10 is post the Red Sox and Tigers game we will attend on June 8.

Speaking of my beloved Red Sox and the Tigers, the Sox lost in extra innings 5 - 6. The Tigers were trounced 2 - 12 by Texas. However, they still lead their division by 5.5 games. The boys in blue beat San Diego 3 - 2. The Caps fell 3 - 5 to Dayton and play again tonight against that same team.

That looks like enough for today. Ciao

Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature is 48 chilly degrees, but it feels like 44°. The National Weather Service forecast for this morning is for an actual low of 45°. However there is hope, as today's high should reach 65 sunny degrees with a 0% chance of precipitation. Sunday, when they will be running the "Greatest Spectacle in Motor Racing" in Indianapolis, IN, well actually Speedway, IN, is supposed to be nearly perfect for automobile racing with a high of 79° under partly cloudy skies. They have had several rain delays over the last few years, so here's hoping.

Friday morning in GH found me walking with Sugar the Weather Dog. Unfortunately, Sugar was distracted by other dogs in "Her City", and so she wasn't able to complete her assigned tasks. It took a second walk later with Mary in order to facilitate those. When Sugar loses focus, she can't be persuaded to use her time efficiently. Today we'll stay in bed for the morning and then go to the farmer's market, the bakery, and the library. I like Saturday morning radio with the Autotalk show, the veterinarians show, and the Flowerland show. Later, if the spirit moves us, we'll return to the Post for the second day of the "Battle of the Bones." We spent some time there yesterday afternoon, and the samples we had were enticing. More vendors are expected today.

I managed to get the cracked board on the front porch glued together yesterday after I returned from my unrequited walk to the big box stores. Now all I have to do is re-affix it to the building, so I am half done. I got the gardens on the palatial estate watered and pulled a few weeds too, so I felt that I got a lot accomplished before I had to sit down and help Mary edit her project. That turned out to be a relatively short task, so that gave us time for that trip to the Post. Today Mary has to revisit a past project for some changes, but that shouldn't take too long.

There is supposed to be a meteor shower visible here and elsewhere in the U.S. during these early morning hours, but we have too much light pollution in our part of the city to allow it to be visible. Too bad, visible meteor showers aren't all that regular.

No trains this morning, due to it being Saturday morning and a holiday. They should return next Monday/Tuesday morning.

I located the paint for the porch deck and the railings, so when the spirit moves me again, I'll get those off of my to do list and move them to my to done list. No rush, because like my old neighbor Marshall painting his windows, I know that those jobs will get done sometime this summer.

In sports, the boys in blue, after a 5 - 1 win in San Diego on Thursday night, were hammered by the Padres 1 - 11. The Tigers righted the ship against Texas and won their game 7 - 2 after a loss the previous day. My beloved Red Sox were not helped by my wearing their colors on Friday, as they lost to the Rays, 0 - 1, that too after a loss of 2 - 7 the day before. The Sox appear to be in free fall. I can officially say that I am worried. The Caps are tied for second place in their division with the Dayton Dragons, whom they beat 1 - 0 yesterday.

That looks like enough for today. No watering, no additional tasks, no automobile trips, planned or unplanned. Having walked over to the big box stores yesterday and having to dodge the heavy traffic, it would take a trip to pick up my million dollar lottery prize to get me in a car, and even that could wait. That assumes that I ever won that million dollars. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 5:00 a.m in "The City," and the current temperature is 50°. Yes, that is inside my office/music room, and outside the Weather Window, but it only seems cool. According to the National Weather Service, it feels like 48°. Today we are expecting a high of only 58°, and a low of 47°. The balance of the weekend looks promising, with highs in the upper 60s or lower 70s. Does that mean that for at least today I"ll have to bring back my "Winter Wardrobe?" Maybe, as it is always "Cooler near the lake," and I don't like it. One bright spot is that no precipitation is in the forecast until Monday at 30%.

I didn't get up for any trains. I think I heard one around 12:00 a.m., but I can't say for certain. That's a good thing, because Mary left me an e-mail message about a news segment concerning rail tank car safety that I had planned to watch, but which I missed when I fell asleep in my chair. The internet is a wonderful thing, as I was able to look up the segment which I then proceeded to watch a few minutes ago. I'd like to say that all of my fears about those "Dreaded Black Tank Cars" were put to rest. I'd like to say that, but the report was prepared by the various industry lobbying groups. I wish that I could believe them, but they do have a horse in the race. So, I'll have to take a wait and see position on this one.

I got in my inaugural bike ride yesterday. I used to be more intense with my riding, but as I get older, I find that I wait for the conditions to be, what was it that Goldilocks said? Oh yes, "Just Right." Still, I took my "Back Way", while Mary wondered why I didn't cross US 31 and go the other "Back Way?" I don't know, it just felt right at the time. Today, I will cross US 31 and go the other "Back Way", because I want to go the local big-box office supply and big-box home center stores. I would go to local small box retailers if we had any, but alas, they were forced out of business by the "Big Boys" years ago.

I have to help Mary edit her project today. But I understand that I have a few hours to myself this morning after the sun rises at 6:12 a.m. I have to be sure to walk with our intrepid Weather Dog, Sugar, and drop off the book I just finished, The Wives of Los Alamos. This was a novel I read about in the N. Y. Times book review, concerning the lives of the wives who traveled with their husbands to the site where the first atomic bomb was developed. The style could best be described as a collective first person account. It took getting used to, but I liked it. Not the bomb itself, but the author's style.

Today I have to make those two short hops to those aforementioned stores. Yesterday I made it to the grocery store on the other side of GH. When I returned, my "Rack Pack" was full and I had to hang my lock on the handle bars. I may just walk today, because the weather may be too cool for riding. Sigh.

Otherwise it is the first day for the annual Battle of the Bones at the Post. However, if the weather predictions are correct, this will be the second year in a row that I'll have to wait for the improved Saturday temperatures to attend. Cold has a way of creeping into old bones. It is also the official opening of GH's newest Gastropub in the downtown. For those of you like me who didn't know, the word Gastropub is defined as a combination bar/restaurant that serves high end beers and food.

I changed that battery in my guitar, "Blue", and then proceeded to change the strings I had to remove to get to the battery. I had queried the manufacturer of the guitar about whether the guitar had battery and the way to change it if it did. I got a prompt reply that nicely explained the process and the "need" to do it annually to avoid corrosion. I don't recall changing that battery, ever, though it might have been changed 20 years ago when I had my "Axe" in for service. Either way, I was thankful that the battery had no corrosion showing due to it's premium quality. Lady luck was with me on this one.

In sports, the boys in blue had a travel day on their way to face the Padres tonight. The Tigers took a pounding from the Rangers 2 - 9. My beloved Red Sox took it on the chin, again, as the Blue Jays defeated them 2 -7. The Caps fell 2 1/2 games back in their division, as they too lost, this time to the Dayton Dragons, 4 - 8.

Once again, the sun will set at a later time, 9:08 p.m. By then, I'll be ready for bed. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:00 a.m. and the current temperature both inside and outside my music room/office is 53°. This really is great sleeping weather. Now all I have to do is get back to bed and enjoy it. Theoretically, that 53° is three degrees below the forecast for tonight. Go figure. The next several days promise sunny weather and temperatures in the low to mid sixties. That means that the annual "Battle of the Bones" this weekend should go well. Not as warm as past years, but those late-night bands will be "cool." The Post does have a new system for heating the outdoor part of the concert venue, AKA the tent, so that should help a lot. However, as much as I like music, I doubt that I'll be able to be awake for those later musicians.

I just watched the northbound run of the early morning train at 3:30 a.m. The same two locomotives, seven covered hopper cars of various vintages, and a one white tank car. I think they brought back the horn-happy engineer too, judging by his/her use of the horn as the train passed by. I did hear the southbound around 12:15 a.m., but I was still mostly asleep. That's okay, that's the idea at this hour.

Returning back to those aforementioned temperatures, I decided that it was time to break out the summer uniform of T-shirts and shorts and transfer the winter clothes to the back of the closet. Once that happens, there is no going back. I don't even keep a pair of long pants in the front. Here's hoping that I'm not wrong.

On Tuesday, when we were on walkabout downtown, we stopped in at the Harbourfront Mall so that Mary and her friend could look around. However, something at the hat store there drew me in, and I found an Irish style "flat hat" that I had been hoping to find. It fit and I liked it so much, that I bought it. Sometimes it pays to shop local. Well actually, it always pays to shop local. The big-box retailers get enough money, so it pays to shop local and keep the small, non-box stores in business. When you like life in a small city like Mary and I do, that's the way to go.

Mary tells me that her current project should be complete by later today. Therefore, ergo, final editing will take place on Friday morning. I have an entire day to myself. Well there is the morning walk with Sugar the Weather Dog, but that's a pleasure when the weather cooperates. Sugar and I spent that previously mentioned time in the "Bone Zone" yesterday afternoon. Once I had my radio in place and Sugar had her bone, all was good. I did make an additional "Natural" trellis for our clematis plants, but that didn't take long.

I also added some egg shells to the tomato plant to add some calcium. One of our guests suggested that, and I thought I'd try it. Most gardening forums don't place much stock in the egg shell addition, but none said that it hurt.  I have nothing to lose, considering the lack of a harvest last year.

The sports report for yesterday will be short. Every team of consequence lost, two in extra innings. Last year the manager of my beloved Red Sox was a genius, this year he could be managing the boys in blue. Sigh.

I had no luck with the light in the downstairs bathroom yesterday. There seems to be something wrong with the fixture. I still have to clear the drain in the upstairs bathroom, but that's just vinegar and baking soda. That sounds like an easy job for today. I also have some painting to do outdoors, but that's on my schedule. It's not likely that any painting will get done today. I'll finish the laundry and that will be that. Oh, I need to get in some time withe the "Girls" too.

The sun will be rising in about two hours, at 6:12 a.m. Sunset will happen as scheduled at 9:06 p.m. When I started this blog, it was just past 3:30 a.m. Mary says I type slow and I guess that she's right. But that's okay, I have the time that she doesn't. Ciao.

Good afternoon GH. It is just after 12:30 p.m. in "The City." Our current outdoor temperature, and also that of my office due to the window being open, is reportedly 68°. Let's just say that it is lovely both inside and out. If you consult several other sources, the temperature was not supposed to exceed 64° and is already 71°. We always said that in Chicago, if you didn't like the weather, just wait a minute. However here, none of the sources ever agree. I know we are "near the lake," but this is a bit too much variation for me.

Speaking of Chicago, in a tangential way, I had my dentist appointment at 10:00 a.m. this morning. I was in and out in 20 minutes. That meant that it was 10:25 a.m. when I hit the streets of downtown GH. None of the fast food restaurants were open yet, so I opted to walk over to the place that Adam said served a genuine Chicago beef sandwich, one dipped in juice. I ordered one and it was everything that I'd hoped for and desired, and more. Thanks Adam.

Our guests departed this morning about 9:00 a.m. We had a great couple of days and they got to see the sights and meet Sally. They also got to sample one of our truly unique GH foods, a hot dog on a stick with batter. Not a corn dog mind you, but better. Since one of our guests shares a birthday with me, they may return around that time to help celebrate a truly great day here in GH.

Now that I am back, I will be starting some laundry and retiring to the "Bone Zone" with Sugar the Weather Dog. I'll take a book and listen to the laundry machines run so that I can tend to them. I'll also take our "new" radio so that I can listen to the oldies. Sugar will only require that I don't bother her and her bone. That should be easy.

In sports, the boys in blue defeated the Yankees by a score of 6 - 1 in a gem that was being rained on. The Tigers fell to the Indians 2- 6 yesterday, but they are leading this afternoon's game 4 - 1 in the bottom of the first.  My beloved Red Sox fell to the Blue Jays 4 - 7. I am worried. The Caps eked out a win over the South Bend Silverhawks, 7 - 6 yesterday and are leading the game this afternoon against that same team, 2 - 0 in the bottom of the fifth.

I didn't hear the southbound train last night I did hear the northbound run, but I was too sleepy and didn't get up to look at 3:15 a.m.

The sun rose this morning at 6:14 a.m. and will set this evening at 9:06 p.m. No rain in the forecast through at least next Sunday, but as I noted earlier, the forecasts here are not reliable. I doubt that the temperature forecasts are any more accurate than the snow forecasts were last winter.

Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 9:00 a.m. in "The City." Yes, you read that right, 9:00 a.m. I worked so hard yesterday that I wore myself out. The sun has already risen at 6:14 this morning, and the current temperature is 59°, as we head for today's high of 62° with a 50% chance of showers. The balance of he week looks pleasant with highs in the upper 50s and low to mid 60s.

I didn't hear the trains last night, so no news on that front. Sugar the Weather Dog and I had a nice morning walk on a beautiful sunny morning. It looks like if we get out soon, we may have the same luck.

We have some guests for a couple of days, so they got the nickel tour of the Tri-cities area and Muskegon. There is a very large Harley shop in Muskegon that one of our guests wanted to visit. The we stopped in at a fabric store for the women and followed that with a tour of our own state park. Dinner at our favorite watering hole and then home. I was pooped, so I went upstairs and fell asleep.

Today we plan to walk downtown for a close-up tour of the things we saw by car yesterday. That should be enough for today too.

The sun will set at 9:04 tonight. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City." Our temperature is 58° as we head down to this morning's low of 45°. As I noted in my blog yesterday evening, today's high will be 63° with winds blowing at a modest 13 mph. Tuesday, the 30% chance of rain doesn't come until the evening, but the winds will pick up to 19 mph.

As I suggested in my previous blog, it was the passing of the train at 12:45 a.m. that caused me to awake. That train had the usual locomotive combination, towing a combination of 15 covered hopper cars, five white tank cars, five black tank cars, and one lone gray tanker. Of course, that train was heading south. I anticipate that the returning southbound train will pass by at about 3:15 a.m., give or take.

When I got up, Sugar the Weather Dog was lying next to the bed. I doubt that she sensed a disturbance in the force, so I suspect that she just wanted to be with one of her pawferred humans. Mary is still downstairs, so Sugar is dividing her time. I am nearly certain that Sugar will relocate to her post on the couch a bit later this morning. I would if the choice was lying on a carpeted floor or lying on a cushy couch.

Sunday was mostly a good day. We had that problem during the morning walk, but that was then and this is now. I found time to add to my collection of Irish session tunes through the judicious use of the internet. As I noted, I enjoy the monthly sessions, so each time I come home from one, I have to look up a song or two that I'd heard, but of which I didn't know the chords nor lyrics. That's one of the reasons why the sessions are so enjoyable. I also enjoy the people, so that's another good reason.

Later Sunday, Mary and I walked to the Post and that's when I had that aforementioned, or did I mention it, Bloody Mary. A quick stop at the alternative watering hole here in "The City," and then it was home for the night. When we got here, Mary took out the pasta sauce that she had removed from the freezer to make room for my mashed potatoes. Like most sauces, it had gotten better with age. She boiled up some angel hair pasta noodles, added the sauce, and we had a tasty dinner. As I waited, Sugar the Lap Dog shared my chair time with me. We listened to some radio, programmed in some additional stations, and then I was ready for TV time upstairs in the media room. Sugar was ready too. Or she was ready for the peanuts that were already there. She doesn't get many from the "Spoiler," but when you are a dog, anything is a plus.

I watched part of the Tigers and Red Sox game mixed in with the season finale of Family Guy. I also found time to watch a car show based at a shop in California. The protagonists were rehabbing a Chevy El Camino and a VW square back wagon that belonged to a pair of roller derby girls. When they were done with the VW, it looked nice with its flat blank paint job enhanced by pink flames. However, that VW was the bane of their existence, due to the short time span they had to work and the fire in the engine that ensued. I bet Adam could appreciate what that looked like.

In sports, the boys in blue were finally triumphant yesterday afternoon over the Brew Crew by a score of 4 - 2. The Tigers beat my beloved Red Sox by a score of 6 - 2 behind  the strong hitting of Victor Martinez and Miguel Cabrera. The Sox fell to 20 - 23, while the Tigers improved to 27 - 12. The Caps had already triumphed in the afternoon by a score of  9 - 3 over the Lake County, OH Captains. Now they and the Dayton, OH Dragons are one-half game behind the South Bend, IN Riverhawks. I heard that the Blackhawks won their game over the L.A. Kings 3 - 1.

Today I have a light to fix in the downstairs bathroom, chairs to wash on the front porch, and a walk with Sugar later this morning. Then our guests will be arriving. It should be a good day.

The sunrise will be at 6:16 a. m.and the sunset will occur at 9:04 p.m. Ciao.

Good evening GH. It is just past 8:40 p.m. What's that they say about better late than never? I went to bed last night and didn't get up until this morning. Ergo, no blog. I apologize to all my fans out there in the blogosphere. Sometimes a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. Our temperature in "The City" is a sultry for west Michigan 62°. I'll take that over the 40s and 50s we have been experiencing lately. Tomorrow, we expect that the temperatures will rise to the lower 60s once again, with a 0% chance of rain. That's all good. Tuesday is another matter. The temperatures will rise into the 60s once again, but the chance of rain will increase to 30% in the evening. The 19 mph winds will make it seem a lot cooler. Sugar the Weather Dog and I will be fine on Monday morning, but Monday night will be problematical.

My Saturday was great. I enjoyed my time at the Irish Jam session, as we played what felt good to us. Our audience was appreciative. I am improving each and every time. I never really learned to play well with others, being a mostly solo performer. So each time I do, I get better at collaborative playing. Plus, my shoulder ached a bit this morning, but by later in the day, it was fine. What's not to like.

Today I got the car ready for visitors and hopefully helped Adam solve a car puzzle long distance. I've done that before for him, once from San Francisco. He has been known to be a good sounding board for my mechanical conundrums too, so a fair trade I say. Otherwise, Mary, Sugar and I went for our morning walk. We encountered a bit of a problem, but it was resolved and all is now well. If Mary wants to share, she will. If not, consider the matter closed. Our intrepid weather dog is fine.

I should mention that Sugar the Sous Dog joined me in the kitchen on Friday, as I prepared mashed potatoes. She gladly helped me dispose of the unwanted skins. I like to think of her as a four legged disposal. She gets vegetable scraps and I don't have to waste things. A winner for all concerned. While it was Kite Fest weekend, Mary and I couldn't bring ourselves to face the hurricane west winds coming off the lake. I am sure that the winds made the kites fly well, but we weren't inclined to go see.

Oh well, the sun will be setting in a short while, at 9:04 p.m. under a Waning Gibbous moon, so I'll sign on again later if I am awakened by the trains. Ciao

Good early morning GH. Welcome to spring. It is just after 3:45 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature is 39°, and for the second day in a row, the garden is covered to ward off the frost. If we get lucky, we'll get to 52° today with only a 30% chance of showers in the afternoon. Sunday promises to be warmer at 57°, and no precipitation is predicted by the National Weather Service. Indoors we still have a climate controlled temperature of 68°. Sad to say, we still have the furnace in operation. This is the weekend of the annual Kite Fest at the state park, but the temperatures are likely to keep the crowds down and Mary and me at home. Kite Fest is normally second only to Coast Guard Fest in attendance here in GH.

Sugar the Weather Dog and I made it to her grooming appointment in East Town, and after I dropped her off, I got those items for our larders at the grocers there. Bones for the intrepid weather dog, Swiss cheese and a loaf of bread for Mary and myself, and a piece of horseradish cheese for me. Once I got home, Mary made her famous Swiss cheese and sauerkraut sandwiches with a side salad for lunch.

Three hours later, I returned to the groomer and Sugar came home to her new Michigan State necklace, with her tags now properly organized. She always looks and smells great after being groomed. Plus, she is so soft to the touch.

While Sugar was out, Mary and I cleaned the floors and washed Sugar's couch cover. When Sugar got home, she was so tired from the stress, that she promptly fell asleep on her newly washed and now dog hair free couch cover.

I'm up now because Mary was downstairs knitting and watching TV as I was upstairs in my bed, all snug and happy. Then she came in, "asked" to have Coast to Coast AM turned on, and just had to tell me that she had been knitting and crying over the movie The Stepmom, starring Julia Roberts and Susan Sarandon. When she isn't watching something apocalyptic or post-apocalyptic, Mary is a sucker for a sad, tear inducing movie. I prefer to leave my tear ducts on standby for a real emergency about children or people in real trouble, or a story about puppies or other animals. I've long since given up crying over the boys in blue.

Speaking of sports, thanks Howard, the boys in blue once again found another way to lose when Jeff Samardzija is on the mound. The boys always tease their fans late in a game with a home run, but then seem to fall short, rather than walk off with a victory. Both the Tigers and my beloved Red Sox were in action last night at Fenway Park in Boston, MA. The Tigers won over the now sub .500 Red Sox, by a score of 1 - 0 behind a superb pitching effort by Max Scherzer. Jon Lester pitched well for the Sox too, but that lone run that the Tigers scored in the first held up. Those same two teams play again tonight. The Caps dropped a heart-breaker 2 - 3 to the Lake County, OH Captains.

No trains tonight.

Later today, I have my monthly Irish Jam session at the library. I always look forward to getting to play, especially now that my shoulder can handle the effort. While not 100% pain free, my shoulder continues to improve and that was the idea when I had it repaired.

Otherwise, nothing else on tap other than listening to the auto talk show with the 200,000 mile 1991 Chevrolet Cavaliers being discussed, and a walk with Sugar to the newspaper box for the Saturday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. I'll read that as Mary works, and then off to the jam. The sun will rise at 6:18 a.m. and set at 9:01 p.m. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City," and the current climate controlled indoor temperature is 67°. I used the words "Climate Controlled" because we had to break down and turn on the furnace again. Why you ask?  Because the outdoor non-climate controlled temperature is currently 36°, which is supposed to be our low temperature this early morning, before climbing to today's high of 48°. It got cold enough to worry Mary regarding frost and her garden, so we covered her vegetable plants. The local weather forecast is calling for a possibility of three total nights of frost. Not a certainty, but the risk is great enough to take precautions.

Yesterday morning, Sugar the Weather Dog and I went for our morning constitutional. As we headed west, the winds blowing in our faces were strong enough to lay Sugar's ears back, both going and coming. I had to keep my head down as the gale-force winds blew the light rain into a stinging force.The intrepid weather dog and I got as far as the newspaper office and then it was time to get home. Today Sugar and I have an appointment at 11:00 a.m. at the groomer. We face a 40% chance of rain, but the winds will not be nearly as strong.

Speaking of Sugar the Weather Dog, Mary and I stopped in at the local pet supply store to get Sugar a new set of necklaces before her grooming appointment. Now when Sugar comes home, she will get clean necklaces to go with her clean self. All should be good.

I want to encourage everyone who reads my blog, to go to Mary's blog at:

http://marygoeswalking.blogspot.com/

There you can get the latest updates regarding her gardens and those within the greater Grand Haven area that she found interesting. In addition, other pertinent details on our lives in GH that I don't report on can be found there too.

It was about 12:30 a.m., when the southbound train went through. Two locomotives towing 27 covered hopper cars of varying ages. One car was old enough to have the old Seaboard Coast Line livery still painted on it's flanks. Since those cars don't generally carry hazardous materials, at least none that I know of, I don't' worry too much about them being older. However if they fall off the rails, they can cause a problem for the dreaded black tank cars that I often see rolling in their midst. The next train heading north is not due for about two hours.

Update:

It turns out that I was awake at 3:15 when the northbound train rolled through. The regular pair of EMD GP 38 locomotives towing eight covered hopper cars, and more importantly, three of the dreaded black tank cars separated by one of those covered hopper cars and one white with a black stripe tank car. Not a long train, but it only takes one derailment for disaster to strike.

In sports, the boys in blue found another way to lose to the Cardinals, this time 3 - 5. They travel to Milwaukee to face the division leading Brewers this afternoon. The Tigers once again whooped it on the Orioles by a score of 7 - 5. Now they are off to face my beloved Red Sox in Boston tonight. The Sox fell to the Twins 3 - 4 on Thursday afternoon. They just can't get on a roll. However, they are staying even with the league at 20 - 20. The Caps beat the Lake County, OH Captains by a score of 5 - 2. They remain tied for the division lead in the Midwest Division with the Dayton, OH Dragons.

Today I have to go for that appointment with Sugar the Weather Dog. That takes about two to three hours, so I will return home after I drop her off. While in that part of town, I'll go to the grocers there and get a fresh supply of bones for the "Bone Zone," along with some things for our personal larder. One of those things turns out to be bread, because the bread we had in the cabinet has penicillin growing on it. Oops.

Otherwise, that's about it for the day. I want to remain inert after all of the walking with Sugar. Mary will be working on her project, so she will remain home as Sugar and I travel. I finished my part of the project yesterday afternoon. It wasn't difficult and certainly not extended in length. I want to get in some additional playing time with the girls too, since I got sidetracked yesterday and didn't get to that activity.

So when the sun rises at 6:20 a.m., I hope to still be in my bed. When the sun sets at 8:59 tonight, I may once again be there. I fell asleep in my media room chair last night while watching TV, and that made my bed time about 9:00 p. m. then too. I have to remind Mary that I have that dentist appointment next Tuesday when our guests will be in town. That's at 10:00 a.m. Ciao

Good morning GH. It is just past 7:30 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature is 44°, which is our high for today. In addition, we will be having cloudy skies with a 70% chance of rain around 12:00 p.m. EST. In other words, yesterday was a better day for outdoor activities.

Mary and I used our yesterday for outdoor activities as we planted our new rose bush and transplanted some other things to new homes in the gardens of the palatial estate. Every time I hear or see the words rose bush, I am reminded of a customer I had when I was in the service station business. Rose had married a man named Bush and thus she became Rose Bush, That was also true of a lady named Pearl who married a man named White. Well, you get the idea.

But I am wandering off the reservation as Mary often says. Our morning walk with Sugar the Weather Dog was uneventful. We wore our sweatshirts as outer garments, which will not be enough today, and picked up the news paper. Before we left, Mary spun the blades on her trusty blender and created some smoothies. She has promised that today I can have cold cereal, but given that 44° temperature, I may want something warm. When we got back, we had veggie hot dogs with sauerkraut, mustard, and onions,

Now I know what you are thinking, Sounds like the beginnings of a pretty boring day. But wait, there's more! I had planned to go to the cinema and I did. I wanted to see Spiderman, since I have always been a fan of the "Wall Crawler." Stan Lee of Marvel Comics™, one of the original creators of Spiderman, was an executive producer and had a cameo in the movie itself. I enjoyed the movie, I enjoyed the oversize bucket of popcorn, and I had that aforementioned large cherry cola to wash it down. What's not to like?

Before you think that Mary sat back and relaxed, I"ll tell you that she took herself out to dinner and then to the Post to see Sally. Sugar the Hungry Dog was inside the house when I got here, acting as though she had missed dozens of meals and didn't know when the next one would be coming. Like all parents, I tried to tell her about the dogs that really are suffering on the streets with no parents, or at the shelters trying to recover from neglect and abuse. Those stories fell on deaf, pointy ears. I let her out, she raced  out and back in, and wolfed down her evening meal like it was her last. That girl can tell that she was overdue for her dinner time by forty-five minutes.

I never heard the trains last night or earlier this morning. Given that during a normal week they run on a regular schedule, I just wasn't tuned in. However, I do have a train story that I watched on one of the cable channels last night.

Since 1978, there been many derailments and subsequent explosions caused by those dreaded black tank cars which do not meet any sort of safety standards. The NHTSB has been pushing for upgrades to minimal standards since the 70s, but the railroad industry says it would cost too much to meet those minimal standards. So even the addition of safety caps or other minimal changes hasn't happened. What little change has come, was done to cars manufactured since 2011 under an agreement with the railroads. So, tens of thousands of sub-standard black tank cars, which were not designed to haul hazardous loads, continue to ply the rails carrying highly flammable loads. I'll refer you to some of the pictures I have posted in the past.

In sports, the boys in blue were rained out in St. Louis and will play this afternoon. The rain out will be made up as part of ta double header on August 30, to celebrate my birthday. The Tigers topped the Orioles by a score of 7 - 5 to bring their winning total to two times that of their losses, at 24 - 12. My Beloved Red Sox play this afternoon in their quest for a winning streak greater than one, after defeating the Twins Wednesday night on the strength of Big Poppy's two home runs. The Caps fell to the Loons, 2 - 6, but they are tied for the league lead with the Dayton Dragons.

Today, Mary may or may not work on her project, depending on receipt of additional input from her contacts. She got started on some of the necessary organization that we had to neglect ruing the winter. I will walk with Sugar the Weather Dog and finish the N. Y. Times and get started on one of my new books. I also have to try to remember to go to the man cave to get the tape she needs for some lamp cords. That was prompted by her reorganizing frenzy. The girls await my caresses too. The sun already rose at 6:20 a.m. and will set at 8:59 p.m. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. 4:00 A.M. has come and gone and the indoor temperature is 70 digitally reported degrees, while outdoors the temperature is 50 analog reported degrees. The view out the Weather Window is, get ready for it, dark. By the warm glow of the streetlights, I can tell that no precipitation of any type is falling. Our high today will reach all the way up to 54° and tonight's low will go down to 43°. Thursdays high is expected to be no higher than 47°, with a low of 39°.

It is likely that frost is possible in parts of Michigan on Thursday night. Mary is afraid for the health of her vegetables, especially the peppers and tomatoes, so she may feel the need to cover them. As the master gardener that I am, I have to concur. I've had such good luck in the past with those vegetables, that I think that they need additional assistance in their survival.

I heard the southbound train go by at 12:00 a.m. I was all snug in my bed, so I didn't' see it. I anticipate that the northbound run will be by soon. The round trip schedule usually takes about three to four hours. Hark, I feel the wheels rumbling neath the floor right now. The regular pair of EMD GP 38 locomotives followed by 42 covered hopper cars. Some of those cars were newer and sported the regular CSX livery, while some didn't. Some were older and had the appearance of being well used. One of those covered hopper cars even was old enough to have Seaboard System livery. Mixed in was one lone box car, while a single white tank car separated two of those dreaded black tank cars, that brought up the rear. My thanks to the late Steve Goodman for the paraphrase of the lyrics from his song, The City of New Orleans.

Monday was a drizzly kind of day here in W. Michigan. Sugar the Weather Dog and I got out for our "morning" safari while Mary "chatted" with her far-flung colleagues. Mary tells me that she learned something new about her software during the chat session. She seemed excited, so I guess it's good. I understand part of what she was saying, but like most people in any specialized line of work, the jargon can be overwhelming to non-regulars.

I should mention that her project is on hold as she awaits further directions. My part in this project is still nebulous and promises to be minimal until editing time. Thus we set out to get some stones for the garden, but came back with a sweet-smelling white rose instead. The entire trip was made possible by the aforementioned delay in Mary's project. The rose will take the place of one that died during our recent harsh winter under the pile on the right.

I may go to the movies this afternoon. Popcorn and cherry cola are a strong attraction. Oh yeah, there is a movie that I want to see too. Mary is welcome to come, but she tends to eschew the types of movies that I like. I guess that I am the same with many of her movies, at least the apocalyptic type. I do like the period pieces and some of the romances that she enjoys. She does like the idea that the popcorn will serve as my dinner. I can see me now, a giant bucket of popcorn, a large cherry cola, a good movie, and I"ll be in heaven. Dare I say it? Yes, "What's not to like?"

In sports, the boys in blue overcame their one game momentum and lost to the Cardinals 3 - 4. The Tigers were once again victorious as they defeated the Orioles 4 - 1. My beloved Red Sox weren't so lucky as they fell to the Twins, 6 - 8, to fall back even with the league. The Caps did right their ship and defeated the Great Lakes Loons, 4 - 2. For those of you who are hockey fans, the Blackhawks moved on to the Western Conference Finals with a 2 - 1 defeat of the Minnesota Wild.

Today will be a limited day of activity for me and likely Mary. Planting that rose, possibly that movie and the N.Y. Time, which still awaits further examination. When the weather gets cold here I am like the proverbial bear that hibernates someplace warm.

As is always the case, the sun will rise in the east at this morning at 6:20 a.m. Also as usual, the sun will set in the west tonight, this evening at 8:55 p.m. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City," so I am going to keep it short so that I can go back to the rack. Our current temperature is 64° as we head for today's high of 61° with a 70% chance of showers. Yesterday the National Weather Service issued an afternoon/evening severe storm watch for our area and nothing happened. In fact it was sunny when I shut off my computer in preparation for the big storm. A later perusal of the weather radar showed that although the storm approached, it split and went north and south of us. Now we will experience daytime temperatures in the lower 50s by week's end, and the chance of showers will peak at 80% on Thursday.

Speaking of the north, I must have slept through the northbound run of the train. I was awake for the southbound run, which consisted of the familiar locomotive combination, a lone box car, 31 covered hopper cars, three white tanker cars, which surrounded a single dreaded black tank car.

In sports, I was wrong. The boys in blue blew out the St. Louis Cardinals by a score of 17 - 5. Now the boys are sporting a 13 - 24 record. The Tigers easily handled the Orioles 4 - 1. My beloved Red Sox had the day off to travel to Minneapolis to meet the Twins. The Caps experienced their own blow out 1 - 17 at the hands of the Great Lakes Loons. The Caps have fallen to .5 games back of the Dayton Dragons.

Mary's suggestions for my music stand have all worked out. A heavier base, a piece of Plexiglas™ on the platform, not bolted to the stand, and all is well. All for far less than the cost of a bigger and unattractive stand. All I have to do now is get to that guitar stand welding and my room will once again be complete and fully functional.

Yesterday, Mary and I got out with Sugar the Weather Dog early to take advantage of the early break in the rain. We both wanted to stay in bed, but alas, if we hadn't gone out when we did, it would have required waiting until later in the afternoon. I also found a break in the rain to go to the local health food store, the newspaper office, and the library. As noted earlier, the weather dried up by late afternoon.

Today I will read more of the N. Y. Times and play more guitar. I also have two books that I picked up to read. The sun will once again rise in the east this morning at 6:22 a.m., too soon for me. Sunset will happen in the west at 8:57 p.m. In between, Mary will work, I'll goof off, and that is a good day in retirement, for me. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City." Our current indoor temperature is 75° as displayed on the digital readout of the Weather Center's instruments. Outdoors, I have to rely on the older analog instruments located in the Weather Window. Those less sophisticated devices have become harder to read over the years, but they are showing 62°. That temperature differential would have been nice last winter when I never could get warm.

Alas, that's one of the downsides of a 100 plus year old home. However, the charm that comes with an older home has its merits, so you have to take some slightly higher energy bills and slightly lower indoor temperatures in the winter to live here.

One of the charms that goes with living here is the pleasure of working in the gardens on the palatial estate. Mary and I used up some of our sweat equity yesterday as we planted Mary's indoor vegetable garden in their new outdoor home. The plants seemed relieved to have a home in which to let their roots roam. If all goes well, in about 60 - 70 days, we should have fresh peppers, tomatoes, beans, chard, and cucumbers.

I think that the cucumber seeds got planted too deep, so if I don't see any sprouts in the next few days, I'll have to replant. I haven't seen any signs of bean sprouts either, so it may be a function of the cold we've been experiencing or it may be the planting depth for those too. I'll have to ask Mary where the seed packets are for the beans and cucumbers to check their germination time and planting depth. I know that the soil is good, so other factors will have to be examined.

We also got the new hanging planters placed between the garages and in the eaves. They look great. However, that rain that was supposed to fall has yet to arrive. If it doesn't, I'll have to go back to my old watering ways.

All of the above gardening took place after we returned from our morning walk with Sugar the Weather Dog. I think Sugar is reaching middle age, as she is slowing down on the return leg of our morning walks. The outbound leg of the walks is still a tug of war between Sugar and whoever has the other end of the leash. The return route is a tug of war too, only Sugar is the one needing to be urged to make it home. One thing that hasn't changed is Sugar's willingness to run across a busy street to get to any dog that she notices in the Tri-cities area. Then as before, all bets are off. I'd say she is like a dog chasing a car; she wouldn't know what to do with it if she caught it. But she is a dog, and she would know what to do with another dog if she caught it. I've seen the evidence when she chases down bigger and faster dogs at the dog park. Like all parents of small dependents, whether they be human or four legged ones, you have to control their activities to keep them safe.

Before we returned home from our trip to the resale store, where we got a new to us radio, and the medium box grocery store, we stopped in at our favorite watering hole and had lunch. We got to watch the Tigers play just hard enough behind the newest member of their pitching staff to lose to the Twins 3 - 4. The Tigers still have a 21 - 12 record, but they need to get back on their regular roll. For the boys in blue at 12 - 24, nothing has changed. They were swept by the Braves in Atlanta, with the score of their last game 2 - 5. Now it's on to St. Louis tonight and we know what may happen there. My beloved Red Sox, at 19 - 18, finally topped the .500 mark with a 5 - 2 win over the Rangers. As mentioned before, the Caps had the day off.

Today, Mary has to get back to work, this time on her next project. She got two days off, so now she has to get busy again. I don't know how I fit into this project, but I'm sure my role will be spelled out soon enough. However, I still have my regular duties to perform. The laundry piles up, the dust settles, and Sugar still needs to be walked, as always. Plus there are a few things on the estate itself that need my attention. Mary may work from sun to sun and beyond, but my work seems to never be done. Like I've said before, retirement is a busy time of life.

I have a couple of books to pick up at the library, so I may stop in this morning if Mary goes with Sugar and me on our morning walk. Otherwise I'll return to the library later today. Plus I still have that N.Y. Times we picked up yesterday to read. Anyone who claims to read that paper in one day either has no life, or they don't read thoroughly. Just the magazine section can take a couple of hours.

The sun will still predictably rise today, this time at 6:22 a.m. It will also set at 8:55 p.m. The rain/T-storms, I'm not so sure. Just like the snow that fell last winter usually being more than predicted, this spring the rain has fallen in fits and starts. Ciao.

Addendum: The northbound train run just went by at 3:30 a.m. The timing was right, but the configuration was all wrong. The older red liveried EMD GP 38 locomotive was alone, towing 24 covered hopper cars and three of those dreaded black tank cars. Either the other locomotive is down for maintenance, they never really needed it, or it is being used on another run. Too many possibilities. Ciao again.

Good early morning GH. Welcome to Mother's Day in "The City." It is just past 2:00 a.m. Our current temperature is 48° as we head for today's high of 68 delightful degrees. Sugar the Weather Dog is sleeping soundly on the couch and I am blogging because I fell asleep at around 7:30 p.m. last night. I'll be heading back to bed soon, but right now I feel the need to blog. Is this an obsession? Probably, but that's the beauty of being retired, your time is pretty much your own.

Mary and I will get out to the gardens on the palatial estate today. We were going to do that yesterday. but our plans were abruptly changed. Sugar the Watch Dog alerted us to the presence of some workers on the estate at about 8:30 yesterday morning. We had recently made arrangements to have our shared driveway rebuilt, but we expected that would occur in about 10 days.

As it turned out, the contractor had an opening in the schedule due to the recent heavy rains, so they decided to do our work yesterday. Not a big deal, but it changed our plans on very short notice. We had a quick breakfast, walked Sugar the Weather Dog to the Farmer's Market, and then set out on our errands. The reconstruction of the driveway necessitated that our car and that of our neighbor had to be moved before they got trapped. Mission accomplished.

We had originally planned to go to the local garden center for some hanging baskets and seeds, and perhaps to the small box hardware store for some Plexiglass™. Luck was with us, because we started out at the small box hardware store and they had everything in a one-stop shop. Hanging baskets, seeds, Plexiglass™, small brass bolts, check. The hanging baskets were on sale as were the seeds. so the money that we spent on the Plexiglass™ was offset by the "savings" of 75% off  on the seeds and the lower cost hanging baskets. If you work at it, you can justify anything.

We returned home, parked the car in the street, and then departed for downtown after making sure that Sugar the Watch Dog was safely ensconced in the bedroom upstairs. We returned a few hours later as the contractor was finishing. We never got to the Post to see Sally.

Which brings me full circle to the weather for today and tomorrow. At about 4:00 p.m.today, the chance of showers increases to 30%. As the evening and early morning hours progress, the chance of precipitation increases to between 70% and 80% with scattered T-storms. We will find out if our driveway reconstruction made a difference.

In sports, the boys in blue and their hard luck, 0 - 4 pitcher Jeff Samardzija, were shut out 0 - 2 for their 23rd loss against only 12 wins. The Tigers righted the ship against the Twins, notching their 21st win against only 11 losses. My beloved Red Sox are back to even with the league at 18 - 18 after defeating the Rangers 8 - 3. The Caps lost to the Lansing Lugnuts 3 - 5, but still maintain a .5 game lead over the Dayton Dragons. The Caps have a record of 22 - 14, andhave Mother's Day off before visiting the Great Lakes Loons for a night game on Monday.

That looks like enough for today. Our schedule is: Breakfast, walk with Sugar the Weather Dog downtown, pick up a copy of the N.Y. Times for later perusal, return home to the gardening, rest. The sun will rise over West Michigan at 6:25 a.m. and set at 8:55 p.m. In between, we'll like get most things accomplished on our schedule. Ciao.

This is "The City," Grand Haven, Michigan. Our current temperature is 72° indoors and 54° outdoors. We have no precipitation in the forecast for tomorrow from the National Weather Service. It should be a perfect day for working in the vast gardens of the palatial estate, as we head for today's high of 60°. Sunday, Mother's Day, looks just as nice with only a 20% chance of showers and a high of 68°. Like I always say, "What's not to like?" However, Monday's forecast is for a high of 65° with a 90% chance of severe T-storms and gusty winds. I can say for sure, that's what is not to like. 

Mary made breakfast yesterday to which I contributed some Cole slaw of my own recipe. Then Mary had to scurry to her office and get to work on her project. Sugar the Weather Dog and I went for our morning walk while it was still raining. I knew that since Sugar had spent time in the "Bone Zone" yesterday that she wouldn't wait forever. If we could have waited about one more hour, we could have avoided the rain. But that was not in the plans. When she is willing to go out in the rain, she needs to go out. Fortunately before we left, I got her post-walk towel ready to dry her off upon our return.

When we returned, I emptied the dehumidifier bucket and then repaired to my chair for that news paper reading I had planned. I got both the Grand Haven Tribune and the New York Times read. Yes, the Times was nearly one week old, but it is the kind of paper that takes a while to read and which always has news that is good to peruse and enjoy. I spent some time transposing some music and playing my guitar in my music room/office. 

About 2:45 p.m., Mary suggested that lunch was in order. So I went downstairs and reheated the stir fry that I made yesterday. It was even better the second day. Best of all, I still have another meal left. I surprised myself with this effort. Some molasses, Tempeh, chopped carrots, peppers, water chestnuts, and celery were complemented by some ginger powder. I believe that I don't need take-out Chinese food anymore. 

It was about 7:00 p.m. when I sat down with Mary to look over her efforts, and then I got the index to edit. After some wrangling, we finished up at 11:30 p.m. last night. Nothing like finishing just before the deadline. That's why I'm up writing this blog at just past 1:00 a.m. I just can't fall asleep after an intense effort. 

No trains tonight, as it's Friday night/Saturday morning. No trains until early Monday morning. 

In sports, the boys in blue made their way down to Georgia looking for a game to steal. They fell behind, got in a bind and that made it hard to make a deal, to paraphrase the Charlie Daniels Band. The now 19 - 15 Braves beat the 12 - 22 boys, 2 - 3. The 20 - 11 Tigers lost their second game in a row to another sub .500 team, the Twins, who have a record of 16 - 18, however they beat the Tigers by a score of 1 - 2. My beloved Red Sox at 17 - 18 now, were blown out by the 19 - 17 Rangers down in Texas, 0 - 8. 

There is one bit of good baseball news though, the Caps with a winning record of 22 - 13, remain firmly in command of first place in their league, after beating the 16 - 18 Lansing Lugnuts, 7 - 3. I have a correction to make. I inadvertently assigned the Lake County Captains to the state of Indiana, when they are from Lake County, Ohio, near Cleveland. 

That looks like enough for this morning. Today Mary and I will work in the garden after our intrepid Weather Dog gets her morning walk. Mary and I plan to go to the local garden center to get a "deal" on some hanging baskets and some replacement seeds. It seems that the seeds we saved from two years ago didn't have anything left in them. Once the gardening is done, it will be time to rest. Id like to go to the small box hardware store for some plexiglass, but if we don't, that's okay. I'd like to stop at the post to see Sally if time permits. 

The sun will rise at 6:27 a.m. and set at 8:53 p.m. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature of 76° makes me look like a psychic in yesterday's blog. I remember suggesting that we might crack the 70° mark Well, we made it. In fact, we made it into the 80s on Thursday. Today it looks like the mid 60s with an 80% chance of T-storms in the a.m. Sugar the Weather Dog will not be happy.

She was very happy yesterday afternoon. Once I had completed my housework, she and I adjourned to the "Bone Zone" for some recreation. During a very brief period, I felt some raindrops falling on my head. My thanks to Burt Bacharach for putting those lyrics in my head. So the intrepid weather dog and I came indoors. She initially left her bone behind, but that made her long all the more for it. She is after all, a dog. So I retrieved the bone and confined her to the mud room for additional "Bone Zone" time. She finished her bone while I finished my book about Wrigley Field in the living room. We could have stayed outdoors as the rain that fell was brief and inconsequential. Oh well, better safe than sorry. I doubt that once she had her paws on that bone, that she cared where she was chewing.

We are expecting those aforementioned T-storms to begin around 5:00 a.m. So Sugar and I may not get that morning walk in today. That's okay with me, because all of my housecleaning yesterday left me with an aching back. I suppose that the long walk that Sugar and I took in the morning before I cleaned, and the long walk that Mary and I took later in the afternoon, may have contributed. That's one of the reasons that I'm up now. My shoulder feels fine, but my back hurts. Here's hoping that the OTC pain pills that I took will help. I also suspect that the amount of time I spent in my chair reading be a contributing factor too.

I don't know if I"ll hear or see a northbound train this morning. The southbound run is happening right now. The usual twin EMD GP 38 locomotives towing 24 covered hopper cars. With the Weather Window open for the first time this year, that train sounded much louder than usual. The squeals and squeaks were reminiscent of an L train in Chicago. I loved it.

In sports, the boys in blue moved on up to 12 - 21 as they defeated that other team from Chicago by a score of 12 - 5. The 20 - 10 Tigers finally came back to earth, losing to the 11- 24 Astros, 2 - 6. My beloved Red Sox had the day off, so their 17 - 17 record hasn't changed. They meet the 18 - 17 Rangers in Arlington tonight. The Caps have moved to 21 - 13 following their win, 7 - 6, over the Lake County, IN Captains. Here in West Michigan things are good, at least baseball wise. Well, there is that warm-up that happened on Thursday too. We are still going to bounce around with temperatures this year, but for at least one day, all was good.

Today, I plan to finish Thursday's Grand Haven Tribune, and then I have to help Mary again. She has finished her preliminary work on her project, so I have to become an editor once more. This retirement thing is a lot more strenuous than I anticipated. I also need to remind myself that I am not getting any younger. Something about crossing that 60 plus age line that causes a person to have more aches and pains than when they were 20 or even 50. If Mary wants to go out walking again this evening, I'll have to strongly suggest that the car be involved. I don't have another long walk in my back today. Sorry about that. Thanks to Maxwell Smart for that catch phrase.

Kudos to Mary for her suggestion about my music stand. I knew that it needed a heavier weight on the bottom, but I couldn't think of a way to do it. She suggested concrete and I tried it. Success!

So that looks like about it for today. It will be about three hours before the northbound train run happens. Sunrise will be at 6:27 a.m. and sunset at 8:53 p.m. It is a good thing that Sugar the Weather Dog, Mary, and I enjoyed the day on Thursday. Those T-storms are forecast to last until just after noon today. It will get dry and windy after that. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature is 55°, and we have a chance to break the 70° mark today. Mary told me that Sugar the Weather Dog and I are on our own for the morning walk. At this point, that looks like her loss and our gain. Mary is still hard at work on her project and hasn't the time to spare on a walk with the intrepid one and me. As today progresses, there is only a 20% chance of precipitation. On the other hand, as the week continues to unfold, the chance of precipitation increases on Friday and the temperature fluctuates wildly day to day.

I did hear a train go by earlier, but I didn't feel like getting up to look, so I can only say that I heard and felt it. The direction of travel and the composition of the train itself will remain a mystery. The only thing I can comment on for sure is the weather outside the Weather Window and the street traffic I can directly observe.

The Grand Haven Tribune reported yesterday that the local school referendums passed handily in the Tri-cities area. Like most people, I don't like to see money wasted, but when coupled with the excellent graduation and literacy rates here in the Tri-city area. I know that education is an essential ingredient for a vibrant community and the reports in our area are excellent. In addition, the national media reported yesterday that the rate of math and reading ability has been flat and too low since 2009. That's based on a sampling of more than 92,000 students in fourth, eighth and twelfth grades, per the Nation's Report Card. Like many things, we all like our own system better than that of the other people in the U.S., be that our congressman, our school system or what have you. Oh well, enough soap box talk for this blog.

Mary did accompany Sugar and I on our morning walk yesterday. Today, Sugar and I will walk alone. We have an unlimited world to explore and the weather in which to enjoy it. Mary will be stuck here in the house. When I get back, I'll tackle the house cleaning and then get back to reading,  A Nice Little Place on the North Side by George Will. I like sports related books and in this case, I like the book because of the subject matter, Wrigley Field and the Chicago Cubs.

Otherwise not much on the agenda for today. I'll continue to fend for myself meal wise. I think that I want to make some scrambled eggs for breakfast. However, I may get lazy and just have cold cereal with an apple. Sugar appreciates sharing the apple and I like cold cereal. Mary may want to put one or two of her bananas into a smoothie that she makes for breakfast. She hasn't had much luck with the oranges that she got the other day. They may be some from that batch that got harvested early in Florida when threatened with frost earlier this year. When harvested before their time, they came out without ripening.

In sports, the boys in blue found yet another way to lose to that other team from Chicago. The boys continue their annual slide towards the June Swoon, and it's only early May. The Tigers squeaked out another win over the Astros by a score of 3 - 2. Everything that the boys are not, the Tigers represent in their 20 - 9 record which gives them a full five game lead over that other team from Chicago. My beloved Red Sox are finally even with the league at 17 - 17. In their weak division, they are only one and one-half games back. The Caps took the lead in their division of the minor leagues with a convincing 4 - 1 win over the Lake County, IN Captains. They Caps are seven games over .500. What's not to like?

To borrow from the immortal Porky Pig, "That's all folks."

Good early morning GH. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City," and this is likely to be an abbreviated blog. That's because as I look out the Weather Window, I see a great deal of lightning to the north. I can hear occasional peals of thunder too. The National Weather Service is describing that as light rain with thunder. Sugar the Weather Dog will keep me posted. If the thunder and lightning get too close, she'll head towards her hide-e-hole and that will be warning enough for me to shut down. Right now, the lightning seems to be staying north of Whitehall or New Era.

It is raining lightly right now. Like the lightning and thunder, that wasn't in the forecast until later today. Our current temperature is 47°, coming off a high yesterday in the lower 60s. We are heading for today's forecast high of 65°. It's been a long time since I was able to write that; one 60° plus day followed by another, with still two more in the forecast. That won't last, but for now, what's not to like?

Speaking of Sugar the Weather Dog, she and I spent some time in the "Bone Zone" yesterday afternoon, as promised. She chewed as I worked in the back forty, a good division of labor. I moved some pots in the gardens, after I had put the snow blower away in the man-cave. Then I got out the lawnmower and the bicycles. I went so far as to put air in the tires of the bicycles. That's how good the warm temperatures felt. The temperatures felt so good, that I spent some time on the deck myself, next t Mary's garden plants as they get hardened off.

More about the north, I just watched as the nightly run of the train headed in that direction. The usual locomotive combination followed by a string of 32 covered hopper cars, interspersed with one box car, two white tank cars and five of those dreaded black tank cars. That's the train news for the early morning, as I missed the southbound run earlier.

In sports, the boys in blue once again found a way to lose to that other team from Chicago, this time 1 - 5. The Tigers continued their winning ways, as they pounded the Astro's pitchers for 11 runs, en-route to an 11 - 4 victory. The Tigers are a team on a genuine roll. I wish the topsy-turvy season of my beloved Red Sox was on that same trajectory. They beat the Reds yesterday, 4 - 3, but they haven't engendered much confidence in their fan base. The Caps continued their winning ways. They once again defeated the Lake County, IN Captains by a score of 3 - 1. The Dayton Dragons are keeping pace with the Caps, as both teams have identical 19 win records. However, the Caps have suffered one more loss to leave them one-half game back of the Dragons.

Today I plan to stay out of trouble as Mary continues her relentless pursuit of a finished project. Then I will have to put my editor's hat back on and help bring the project home. That's still a few days off. I also have to get my few strands of hair cut today too. Mostly I need the expert hands of the barber to clean up my beard and other wisps of errant hair. Sugar and I will stay in other than our morning walk if the rain continues.

My plans for my music stand were altered yesterday afternoon. I poured some concrete into the base to make it heavier. If all goes well, when I bring it up from the man-cave, it should be better able to hold the heavy music books on top. That being said, I can then play more. I'll also read more and finish the N. Y. Times crossword puzzle too.

I have been having to fend for myself at mealtime, as Mary has been busily working. I really can't complain, because Mary made my favorite meal, soup, earlier in the week. Nothing fancy, but Mary chopped some vegetables, added a bit of veggie sausage for protein, and all I had to do was reheat. I did that three times, interspersing a salad and sandwich to break up the menu. Now I am back to canned soups. Not as good as Mary's homemade, but adequate to the task for a soup lover like me. I should give mention to Tuesday's brunch menu. Mary made her famous Swiss cheese and sauerkraut sandwiches rather than stopping once she got down to work. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 3:30 a.m in "The City." We have a current temperature of 47° according to the analog weather instruments that I see in the Weather Window. According to the National Weather Service, today's high temperature will be 62° under sunny skies. Wednesday holds the promise of 64°, albeit with a 30% chance of T-storms and stiff winds. Thursday we may see 68°, but the chance of T-storms increases to 40%. Since we live near the "Big Lake," our temperatures will be cooler than those in GR, which is about 35 miles west.

According to one of the meteorologists at a pair of media stations in GR, the temperatures there will be several degrees warmer. For no particular reason, I want to point out that this particular meteorologist could star in the Hoss Cartwright Story, because he so closely resembles the late Dan Blocker Blocker starred as Hoss Cartwright on the sixties television series Bonanza. I am pretty certain that this man has heard that before.

It worked out well that Sugar the Weather Dog and I had our veterinarian's appointment on Monday morning. No rain fell on us and we got good news while at the veterinarians. Sugar's girlish figure is doing fine with a weight of 33.7 lbs. Our entire appointment took about 20 minutes. On the way over, Mary came along so that she could stop off at the local big box office supply store to get something for me.

For years, I have thought about reorganizing my printed music into a more manageable order. While lying in bed yesterday morning, I asked if organizing the music by artist, or alphabetically was a good idea. Naturally, Mary's indexer mind kicked in and she offered several options. Finally, when I asked about using dividers, she mentioned that alphabetical dividers were available. I could have ordered them from the national office/everything supply company. Instead, Mary offered that she wanted to get out for a walk to clear her mind and volunteered to walk part way with me and the intrepid Weather Dog.

At the appointed time we set out. Getting across a very busy Beacon Blvd. proved to be difficult, but we made it. Sugar and I went on to the veterinarian and Mary went to the office supply store. When Sugar and I got back, Mary had gone out again to drop off some library books that were due. The alphabetic dividers had been purchased and so I was set to work.

It took me several hours to sort the music and then set up the binders. I actually stopped part way through, at Mary's insistence. She knew I needed to get out of the chair I had been sitting in, and so Sugar and I took a walk to the local independent bookseller for a newspaper. Along the way, Sugar and I met the only aggressive Great Dane I have ever seen. Sugar, who never runs from a confrontation, was ready to mix it up with a dog five times her size and weight. I believe that the dog's human was no larger than the dog. I had to pull Sugar back and get the guy to move. Once we got underway again, the rest was easy.

I got back, finished my organizing task, and then printed out the labels for the covers of the binders. I no long need an index. Instead, I can now add new music just by placing it in the appropriate spot in the alphabetic system. Much simpler. My thanks to Mary for her assistance. She asked at one point how long I had been thinking abut doing this task. I told her for years, I just felt daunted by the job. Now it is on my "To done" list.

In sports, the boys in blue found another way to lose a game, this time 1 - 3, to that other team from Chicago. Now they are at 11 - 19. The Tigers continued their winning ways, going to 18 - 9, as they won their 7th in a row, this time over the Astros 2 - 0. My beloved Red Sox had the day off, so they couldn't fall any farther behind than two games, at 15 - 17. The Caps are doing great and their record is 18 - 13, just one-half game back of the league leading Dayton Dragons. The Caps won 4 - 3 over the Lake County, IN Captains.

No trains did I hear, but I was sound asleep. In spite of Mary's certainty, when I drink caffeine laden drinks before bed, I fall soundly asleep, and that's just what I did. There maybe a northbound run, but that remains to be seen/heard.

The sun will rise today at 6: 32 a.m. and set at 8:48 p.m. Sugar and I may get some additional time in the "Bone Zone" today. However, my recent success at music organization has spurred me to do some work on my music stand in the man cave. As a result, Sugar and I will wait to get to the "Bone Zone" until I'm done with that. Nothing fancy on the stand, but once you get on a roll, you just want to do those things that you have been putting off. Besides, the outdoor temperature won't be conducive to sitting outdoors until this afternoon.

Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "The City." Our temperature is, as usual for this time of year, 46°. We are expecting a high of 52° late this afternoon. Once we pass 8:00 a.m., a 30% chance of showers is also in the forecast. When I originally set the veterinarian appointment for Sugar the Weather Dog at 11:00 a.m., that rain was not in the forecast. Oh well, I don't mind the rain, but Sugar will not be happy.Tuesday now looks like a nice sunny day in the 60s, with a 0% chance of rain. In fact, the temperatures will be in the 60s for several days, with varying chances of rain.

Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day. It was still a bit cool in the lower 50s, but the wind died down in the late afternoon and walking was very pleasant. We walked downtown in the a.m. to get a N.Y Times to read as the week goes by.

Later, I got that mulch we purchased at the bog box home center laid down. Unfortunately my original estimate on the amount that I would need was a tad off, so I had to sally forth once again to that same store for an additional amount. For those in the know, the palatial estate is large enough to consume huge amounts of mulch in the gardens.

I was not surprised to find that one day later, the pile of bags at the home center had been reduced to one-half the amount that had been there Saturday morning. It was/is on sale, and Michiganders have been "Chomping at the bit," to get into their gardens. For those of you are strict grammarians, the phrase "Champing at the bit," is an archaic variation that has fallen out of use. "Chomping at the bit," is more readily accepted today. That's my contribution to education today.

Once I was done with the work in the garden, I came in and played some tunes on my guitars. In a sense, I was probably channeling our trip to the concert by Blackthorn, the Irish band from the Detroit area that I mentioned in my last blog. That concert was being held at one of our local churches. The concert was great, the music, while not strictly Irish in origin, was moving and delightful. It is not really amazing that the acoustics in the main hall of the church were great for music. Whether the type of music was appropriate is open to personal interpretation. Personally, I think that the very idea of fellowship represented in a church is much like that in a pub. From there, we journeyed to our own version of a pub and had dinner.

Home soon beckoned, and so we set forth on our walk. By the time the day was done, we had covered about 3 1/2 miles. I like to get in that much walking everyday when possible. Mary does too, when she isn't working. Sometimes the pressing need to meet a deadline necessitates that she skip our morning walk with the intrepid Weather Dog. Today will be a skip too, as Mary is not fond of the dander that comes with a trip to the veterinarian. I don't know why, but too much dander from pets in any one place makes her sneeze.

The balance of my day will be reading, music, and taking care of my own meals. Mary has that project she is working on and that will require her to focus. My part is done for now.

In sports, the boys in blue didn't get that sweep over the Cardinals. The boys fought back hard as they overcame an early three run deficit to tie the game at three. But once the Cards had loaded the bases in the top of the ninth, it took only a single to the outfield to score two. In spite of the boys scoring once in the bottom of the inning, that was the game. I'd like to let a certain highly paid first-baseman off the hook, but his strikeout when the boys had the bases loaded themselves earlier in the game, was not a good move. For that kind of money and hype, you have to produce, especially on a nationally televised game. Hopefully as the boys face that other team from Chicago this week, they won't get embarrassed again.

The Tigers at 17 - 9 on the season, continued their winning ways over the Royals, with a final score of 9 - 4. My beloved Red Sox couldn't make it over the hump as they fell to the team from Oakland 2 - 3. They are once again two games under .500. The Caps won over the Lansing Lugnuts 2 - 1. With a record of 17 - 14, the Caps are just one-half game back in their division. It looks as though they will be able to send some players into the AA pipeline and beyond, soon. The Blackhawks took a two games to none lead over the Wild in the Hawks post-season quest for Lord Stanley's Cup.

The trains were early yesterday/today. The southbound train with the usual twin EMD GP 38 locomotives towing 22 covered hopper cars, went by at 9:15 p.m. last night. The northbound run went by at about 12:15 a.m. this morning. I heard it, but I don't know it's composition beyond those two locomotives, which never changes. The line itself runs through GH and terminates on the southern end about half-way to Holland. The northern end goes to a yard near Muskegon. The railroad goes to other places in Michigan too.

The sun will rise at 6:31 a.m.and set at 8:49 p.m. Ciao