Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City." Our current temperature outside the Weather Window is 31 cloudy degrees. According to the National Weather Service, the temperature will not drop further under partly cloudy skies, however with a 10 mph wind, it feels like 21°. That's all before the sun rises at 7:50 a.m. We should be light on precipitation today, but on Thanksgiving that changes to an 80% chance of one to three inches of snow, and don't tell Mary, but that may be the same on Friday. Temperatures are expected to stay the same. at 31°. We have plans to travel on Friday, but neither of us is thrilled about driving in those conditions. Once again, a game-day decision.

I got bad news earlier on Tuesday. I got my few hairs cut, but my Barber, Joe, told me that December 18, will be his last day in his shop. He'll be moving his expertise across town for one to two months, and then he's off to Florida for a well earned retirement. That means I'll have to break in a new barber, close to home, and probably pay higher prices for my limited needs. Best wishes Joe.

Elsewhere on Tuesday, the floors got swept and washed in all the tiled rooms. Today, I have plans to finally get to that dusting and vacuuming that I have been putting off. Then I'll be done with my housework and I can get back to playing with the girls. Well, I generally find time for that activity everyday. I also have to get to work on some ornaments for our Christmas tree. That and work on my latest puzzle. Mary pointed out that for a retired guy and a work at home person we are certainly busy. I am beginning to understand why my late mother-in-law was always so busy. Work and other activities expand to fill your time in retirement.

On her part, Mary will be working on business activity while I am dusting and vacuuming around her. She spent about three hours the other night cleaning "her" kitchen Sunday or was that Mondays night. She professed that it was physically taxing. No doubt. But once I had changed the overhead light bulbs to some that are significantly brighter, the need for cleaning became all too apparent. As she says, she uses her kitchen, it is not a "Set" for a commercial or magazine. I am "allowed" to use it too. Naturally, it is also Sugar the Weather Dog's "mess hall" also. In addition, in Sugar's role as household Sous Dog, she spends nearly as much time there as Mary, certainly more than me.

Speaking of her kitchen, Mary made leftovers for lunch yesterday, and then using things that she had in her freezer and cabinets, she made a delicious spinach lasagna for dinner. This recipe is a definite keeper. Spices, tomato paste, and tomato juice were in there somewhere, along with the lasagna noodles, I believe. I just watched TV.

I'll be dong that vacuuming and dusting before the sun sets at 5:11 p. m. As I said, I'll get in some play time with the girls and then probably finish my novel. I am liking both the author's style and the subject matter. All of that will come after the morning constitutional with the intrepid weather dog. She didn't get a walk yesterday, and she wasn't happy about that. Both she and I will miss waving at Joe when we pass in the morning, and in the better weather, the afternoon. Ciao.