Good afternoon GH. If it seems as though I am late reporting from "The City", that's because I am. I felt so snug and warm in my bed last night, that I stayed there until after 8:00 a.m. this morning. That was about one hour after the sun rose at 7:02 a.m. With Mary OOT, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want.

I took the bus to the golf course this morning, but instead of playing nine holes, my original plan, I hit a bag of balls from the driving range. That was due in large measure to the fact that it was cold and damp and I didn't want to stress my Yak too much. As it turns out, I am still not ready for prime time at the golf course, as I duffed, sliced, and drove some straight. Oh well, if I can ever get rid of my habit of lifting my head, I will be doing much better.

Yesterday, I harvested more beans, another zucchini, and dug up the beets. With regard to the beets, I read the cookbook and learned how to prepare them. In fact, I had some with my salad this morning. Preparing beets is a lot like blanching tomatoes and their kin. You just have to boil the beets for about 45 minutes and then dunk them in some ice water and the skins come right off. They sliced up nicely, and I have enough for several salads. I also prepared the beans, so they are ready for another meal.

I did hear the southbound train this morning while I was on the driving range, but I didn't see it. I saw the northbound run this afternoon, as it passed through at 1:29 p.m. Engine #2057 was alone as it pulled five CHCs, four DBTCs, and two gray TCs.

In sports yesterday, the men in blue handled the Giants very well. The Giants are seven games back of the men in blue for the wild card, following their loss and the Cubs win, 8 - 5. The Tigers fell to the Angels in Comerica Park, 7 - 8. My beloved Red Sox lost to that other team from Chicago, 4 - 5. The Caps were victorious over the South Bend Cubs, 7 - 2.

STWD and I took our regular morning safari to the newspaper office and when I got back from the golf course, I read the paper and did the crossword puzzle. I also spent time reworking some music for my traveling book. I plan to settle in and read more of my latest novel for the balance of the day.

The sun will set at 8:29 p.m. Ciao.