Good morning, good evening, wherever you may be in the "The City." It is just past 2:30 a.m., and our current temperature is 66° as we drop to our overnight low of 61° Of more import, is the lack of possible precipitation until at least Monday or maybe even Tuesday. Regular followers of this space know what that means. Once again, time to water the gardens on the palatial estate.

Speaking of the gardens, as the summer draws to a close, the tomatoes are beginning to play out their yields. The cucumbers are still producing. In fact, the first cucumber of the season came off the vine and was eaten two days ago. We have many more to be harvested as they mature. The green peppers are ripening and will soon be ready for harvest too. The two kinds of salsa peppers we planted are nearly ready for harvest and will need to be mixed with diced tomatoes to make them edible. That's due to their likely score on the Scoville index, Hot!. Our bean plants are still producing, albeit at a lesser volume. Sugar the Weather Dog enjoyed some for breakfast yesterday. Our kale is still there, as is the Swiss chard. Next year, more beans, more tomatoes, and no kale or chard.

I never heard the southbound train earlier, and it is unlikely I'll hear the northbound run either.

In sports, the boys in blue were victorious over the Rockies, 6 - 2. Four of those runs came off the bat of Javier Baez, as he hit two home runs and had four RBIs. The future seems to be arriving. Is next year now here? Stay tuned. The real proof of the pudding will come as the various teams around the league learn about Baez's weaknesses at the plate. Can he keep it up? My beloved Red Sox were once again victimized by the Cardinals, this time by a score of 2 - 5. Somehow free fall doesn't seem to be an adequate description. The Tigers lost by one run to the Yankees, 0 -1. Ouch. What was I saying about a winning streak? The Caps crushed the Lansing Lug Nuts, 14 - 6. It looks like they are learning.

Yesterday, my baking yak was feeling better. Mary was digging through her cedar chest to find some yarn that I could use to attach my guitar strap to Abaigeal. While searching, she pulled out the sling that kept my shoulder safe for many weeks last winter. As I was trying to decide what to do with that sling, Mary suggested a possible use. Turns out that one of the pads that came with that sling makes a perfect lumbar support. Who knew? In addition, she found a world map plaque that she had stashed in the chest three years ago. It looks great on the shelf as part of her map and globe display. At any rate, I got the yarn that I desired.

As a result, I was able to stand and play while in Central Park last evening, as our Irish Jam group rehearsed for the arrival of the pirates tonight. So while not pretty, the strap was solidly attached. Tonight I'll be ready to welcome the pirates to GH with a hearty Arrrr maties! I think that Abaigeal enjoyed getting out with the crowd.

In other news, the pirates arrive tonight between five and six. Our jam will be there to greet them. I'll be doing some additional highlighting today. I plan to rest my back for the majority of the day. Sugar will require me to walk with her, but that's generally a pleasure. I'll water when I return and then settle in at my desk.

That's about enough for one day's activity. The sun will rise at 6:40 a.m. and set at 8:57 p.m. tonight. Since Mary and I will be on the waterfront to meet and greet the pirates, we might even be there late enough to see the current incarnation of the Musical Fountain. Ciao.