Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It has just passed 4:00 a.m. in "The City." A current temperature of 32° that feels like 25° is the harbinger of better things to come. Later today, the forecast calls for a high of 37° under partly cloudy skies. Tomorrow, the temperature begins an inexorable rise through the upper 30s and into the mid 40s by week's end. I guess that means that Punxsutawney Phil was right on February 2, spring was six weeks away. At any rate, let the melting begin, the flooding start, and the annual ritual of emptying the dehumidifier recur. In addition, the daily walks with Sugar the Weather Dog can begin anew too.

Elsewhere, we had a a weird occurrence with our phone yesterday. Mary tried to turn it on and it wouldn't, turn on that is. She tried plugging it into the charger, nothing. We tried pushing various buttons, still nothing. We had no idea how the battery came out, or if it even did. So, off to the local store where we got it two months ago. Apparently, some sort of software glitch caused the phone to lock up and not recognize that it was actually on. A removal of the battery, and voila, the phone came back to life. The technician checked the battery for strength and it was fine. That means that one of those computer gremlins had visited the phone and no one knows why. At any rate, it works now, or at least I think it does, as I don't look at the phone during the early morning hours.

We also found time to visit the Post for a couple of hours. As always, the people there were very nice. Then it was time to pick up the Grand Haven Tribune and head home. I prepared a sandwich to go with what I determined was the best Cole Slaw Mary had ever crafted. I know the simple ingredients, but only Mary and the cooking goddess know the proportions. Ironically, the book I am highlighting makes reference to the Fanny Farmer Cookbook, and it's reliance/insistence on exact measurements when cooking. Mary always says that in cooking, recipes are just suggestions, while in baking, times, temperatures and amounts are far more critical.

Later today, I still don't have much planned. I'm going to try my hand at baking some cookies. I think I'll follow Fannie Farmer's methods. Fannie has never let me down. Mary will continue to knit or start her latest project. I'll finish setting the many clocks that seem to be a part of modern life.

That looks like enough for today. The sun will rise at 8:09 a.m., and set at 7:41 p.m. Ciao.