Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City." A current temperature of 37° will rise with the sun at 7:59 a.m. We should see 45°as a high today with partly cloudy skies. Sunday, we are expecting a high of 47° with sunny skies. The spring melting should continue.

Late yesterday afternoon, we traveled to the vacuum cleaner store to retrieve our vacuum following its annual tune-up. Just one more thing on a list of things that shortened our lives by hours that we don't have to waste. I'd already spent hours trying to get the computer network to work properly, which I never did.

At least in the morning, we had the chance to walk with Sugar the Weather Dog to the library and the newspaper office. While the sidewalks aren't completely clear, there is enough concrete showing to allow us to travel safely. Naturally, the intrepid one needed to smell everything along the way. As the snow and ice melt, old smells are revealed and new ones become available. For a dog, that's nirvana.

Our IT department was able to assist our efforts last evening, We were amazed at how little we know about IT. I guess that's why IT people get the big bucks.

Today, the cable technician is scheduled between 8:00 a.m. and 10:00 a.m. That's better than the window you sometimes get. I want the technician to do his/her thing on the outside of the palatial estate. Inside, everything is working fine. I noticed the other night, that as the train rumbled through, the cable feed seemed to get scratchy. That indicates to my untrained eyes and ears, that the connections outside are responding to the shaking that comes with the train passing. I think it has something to do with the harsh winters we've had the last two years.

Otherwise not much is on tap for today. I hope to get in a morning walk with Sugar, after she is put into solitary confinement to keep her from barking at and attacking the cable technician. Mary will have to stay behind, as the computer problems have thrown her work way behind schedule. While my highlighting efforts will help, I can't do the indexing thing that she does so well.

I may take some time to bake some cookies and make applesauce if I'm feeling in the mood. I want to try using bananas instead of eggs. I think it works using about 1/4 cup of bananas for each egg. Since I'll be making cookies, that should be a great substitute. Perhaps a bit of oil too.

The sun will set at 7:50 p.m. tonight and so will I. Mary will still be hard at work. Ciao.