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.