Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature is 71° as we wend our way towards the overnight low of 66°. Today promises to be sunny and clear with a high temperature of 73° and only a 10% chance of precipitation. Monday could go either way. just like Saturday did.

My birthday dinner went off without a hitch. The skies cleared in the afternoon, we got out and went walkabout, and all was good. Now that I am in my 64th year, all that is in store  for the future is the chance of another rough winter. But like all things weather wise in GH, who knows?

Sugar the Weather Dog spent only a short time in her hide-e-hole yesterday. By the time the afternoon arrived, Mary and I knew that all the precipitation was over. Sugar had returned to her couch and so we went out. A stop at a local garden or two that Mary wanted to visit and then the Post for a celebratory brew.

Once home, I employed the chimney that we were encouraged to buy for our grill, and once the coals were glowing, I just had to wait for everything to get properly cooked. Mary employed the microwave to speed up the process of cooking the vegetables, but the steak was left to its own devices. Everything was great. I had a wonderful birthday.

In sports, the boys in blue got clobbered by the Cardinals 2 - 13. Ouch. My beloved Red Sox also got hammered 0 - 7 by the Rays. The Tigers, fell to that other team from Chicago 4 - 8. It was left to the Caps to redeem the day and they did, 1 - 0, over the Great Lakes Loons.

Today I get to watch the grass grow on the palatial estate. No watering should be required. Our harvest time is nearly over, but we've had a good year. From now on, we'll have to harvest at the farmer's market. There may be a few more beans, a couple of tomatoes, and perhaps some peppers and cucumbers. But alas, their numbers are dwindling. Next year, we'll devote more acreage to beans and tomatoes and less to kale and chard. Speaking of the gardens on the palatial estate, Mary took some pictures of our latest flower children for a future blog. I'll link to her blog when it is time.

Right now, we have another book to highlight, index and get out. So that will probably take precedence. One thing is for certain, the Labor Day holiday signals the end of the official tourist season here in GH. That's probably true of most of the tourist towns around the "Big Lake." The stalwarts and true aficionados will still be around, but the state park will see fewer visitors until next year. Next up for GH is the annual Salmon Fest in September. For West Michigan in general, there is still the Michigan Irish Festival in Muskegon, which Mary and I will be attending. Plus, there are various apple festivals and the like throughout the area.

Today we should see the estate's final cleaning for the summer. I can keep it up when the big stuff is done.

When the sun sets at 8:21 p.m., the day will have been very comfortable. Tonight on the porch of the estate, Mary and I can watch the traffic go by. Ciao.