Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just passing 2:30 a.m. in "The City." A current temperature of 24° that feels like 19°, will fall to an overnight low of 17° before we climb to today's high of 36°. Unfortunately, there is a winter weather advisory that goes into effect for today beginning at 7:00 a.m. We expect to get 1 - 3 inches of snow, but more importantly, a covering of ice that will make for hazardous driving. Our driveway is already a slippery mess, as Mary and I discovered when we tried to pull into the garage yesterday afternoon. We got stuck and had to get our neighbor's help to get the car to move. That's winter in MI.

Yesterday, I moved the snow out of the way of the garage, but I wasn't able to get down to the concrete, so the wheels just spun. That ice covering will not help. I did get the snow cleared off the front porch. I took a few before and after pictures to illustrate my efforts. I also managed to knock down some of the icicles that were hanging from the eaves. However, while I was inside, the sun helped in that effort and I had to clear some very large chunks of ice out of the driveway before we drove out. I didn't get pictures of those.

Today, I plan to stay indoors as much as possible. While I don't have any lingering aches and pains from all of yesterday's efforts at snow and ice removal, I have no desire to go out there and fight the battle any further. Pity poor Sugar the Weather Dog, as she wants desperately to go for a walk that neither Mary nor I plan to do, because of her tender paws and our fear of slip and fall.

I have to get to that music I need to edit further. I started the editing process while we were out of town, but it will take some time. I also have to start on my latest winter puzzle and a few other things that I have on my agenda. 

Both Mary and I are feeling a bit disoriented right now. Nearly two months away from home has made us unsure of what we are doing and where we are spatially in our own home. That should pass soon, we hope. 

In other news, the sun will rise today at 7:17 a.m., and set at 6:36 p.m. I am also getting closer to my daily sports reports too. As I like to say, "Baseball is life!" At this time of year, all of my teams have identical records and soon there will be new grass on the field.

As further proof of my personal disorientation, I almost forgot about my trainspotting report. But, a rumble in the ground and a whistle in the night remanded me. The northbound run just rumbled by at 2:26 a.m. EMD GP 38 locomotives #s 2019 and 2057, both sporting the latest livery, led a mix of 24 covered hopper cars, two box cars, and one tank car, that did not appear to be one of those dreaded black ones. 

Now for those pictures.

This is what I faced before I started

A wider view of the same

Post removal efforts

And the same, but another wider view

Thanks to the efforts of one of our neighbors with a snow plow, the end of the driveway was mostly clear. However, I had to open the gap a bit to make turning in easier. Too bad I wasn't as successful near the garage. Ciao.