Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City."

Well, STWD and I survived day one in the ongoing adventure of Mary, OOT. That's Mary out of town, by way of edification.

Mary got off yesterday morning nearly as efficiently as she had planned. STWD was once again pinned to the back door in a futile effort to go along and not be forgotten. Once Sugar saw the suitcases heading for the back door, she was determined to be a part of whatever plans were happening. I assured her that Mary would be back and that she and I would be just fine in Mary's absence. We are and will continue to be.

Speaking of Mary's absence, I decided that it was time to try the recipe I had downloaded from the PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) web site. It's called the"No Bull" Beefaroni™ recipe, as it substitutes some form of vegetable based ground beef replacement for the usual beef in the ingredients list. I used some burgers by Field Roast™ for that ingredient, and I also used fresh onions from our gardens on the PE. I also omitted the sugar from the recipe, as I didn't' feel the need. Let's just say, that for a first time recipe, it was delicious. Nutritional? Maybe, maybe not, but that wasn't/isn't the point. This was/is comfort food to assuage me in Mary's absence.

Later in the day I made a stir-fry that also used a vegetable, a green pepper, from our gardens. The stir-fry too was delicious. Sugar couldn't have either menu option, as onions was one of the ingredients in both, and dogs cannot have onions. I did save some macaroni from my "No Bull" Beefaroni™ for the weather dog's breakfast.

Today, it is time to have toasted rice cereal with almond milk for breakfast, from which Sugar can have the dregs. In spite of the dire warnings from the dairy industry, almond trees do not use more water to grow almonds, than is used to grow a cow for milking. I always let Sugar feel as though she is getting something special when I am done eating. Yes, I spoil her terribly.

I also save some yogurt and fruit for her too. She likes yogurt which is good for her, and hasn't noticed that the yogurt is soy, not dairy based, in keeping with our vegan lifestyle. I am always reminded of the episode of the Simpsons© in which the owner of the Quik-E-Mart, Apu, tells Lisa the vegetarian after she has eaten a hot dog from his rotating grill that she need not worry. "We changed to veggie dogs six months ago, no one noticed." Sugar also loves the water from the veggie hot dog and tuna replacement cans, so she is fine with the soy yogurt too.

Speaking of STWD, she sensed a disturbance in the force yesterday afternoon and put herself away in her hide-e-hole. Nothing came of her fears, so I don't know what it is that set off her storm radar. She returned when I made my dinner to partake of some chopped carrots and green peppers.

I used some extra rice that Mary had made for her traveling menu, as well as some extra tofu that was left over from Sunday's breakfast. One thing I can make is a tasty, nutritional, stir-fry with lots of protein and vegetables.

In sports, I didn't go outside to practice my golf swings, as it was too windy. Today looks much better weather wise. The men in blue got a walk off home run from Kris Bryant in the bottom of the ninth to defeat the Indians, 2 - 1. Now they are off to San Francisco to face the Giants on a West Coast road trip. The Tigers are definitely in free fall, as they lost to the Reds, 5 - 12. My beloved Red Sox defeated that other team from Chicago 5 - 4. The Caps lost to the South Bend Cubs, 2 - 4.

In a segue from the sports report, the weather today will be partly sunny with a high of 67° after the sun rises at 7:01 a.m. That same glowing orb will set at 8:31 p.m.

I heard the southbound train run when I was out on my bike, at 10:45 a.m., but I didn't see it. However, at 3:00 p.m., I saw the northbound train roll by. Engine #2057 was rolling solo pulling nine CHCs, three DBTCs, one BC, that's a box car, and two white tank cars. All of the cars were unloaded, judging by the lack of ground vibrations. I wonder what happened to engine #2019.

I did get the front porch light repainted and resealed, so that was productive.

I don't have any specific plans for today, other than that golf practice, and walking with the intrepid weather dog. I'll read the newspaper and do the crossword when I get back from our safari. Then I'll red more of my novel. Ciao.