Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City." In an initial memorial to the winter of 2015 I took some pictures of the falling sleet/snow/rain/??? We have a current temperature outside the WW (Weather Window) of 32.2°, while indoors, I finally broke down and got out the heater for the Weather Office (W O), which has raised the temperature to a comfortable 71°.

Unfortunately, in a house as old as the PE, (Palatial Estate), the heating and cooling in these front upstairs rooms is sketchy at best. This house dates to circa 1903, and it was originally heated by coal. The heat was generated by a furnace in the basement and gravity moved the heat throughout the house. It was converted to gas forced air at some point, but all that exists in the W O is a non-functional vent in the floor that used to function as a way to move warm air from the living room below, to what is now my office. This room also served as a bedroom in the past.

Enough waxing nostalgic, here are some pictures.

Early yesterday morning, I took the morning safari with STWD. The ground was not yet covered by snow at the base of the tree from which I chose several bark samples for Mary

The skies were threatening as I worked.

The sleet & snow & rain began to fall soon after I came inside the PE This is a view out the front window overlooking the front porch..

The snow covered gardens of the PE as viewed out the back window.

Looking west out the window of Mary's office.

While the oven was on and I was engrossed in my indoor chores, I was also hard at work on my jigsaw puzzle. Mary took this picture on Sunday.

I accomplished getting the spaghetti squash baked, taking down the Christmas decorations, and a few other things all before I sat down to "work" yesterday. As of now, my puzzle is about 75% complete. I placed a lot of pieces yesterday.

The trains rumbled through both before the storm, northbound at 10:30 a.m., and after, southbound, at 2:15 p.m. During the morning southbound run, locomotives 2057 and 2019 rumbled past towing one BC, and nine CHCs. When the northbound run took place, the same locomotives in the same running order rolled by. In tow were three BCs, five DBTCs, two DWTCs, one GTC, and 19 CHCs, with two of those bringing up the rear. It was interesting to note that unlike most runs, the locomotives had not reversed position, maintaining their same running order. Go figure. Incidentally, the northbound run felt heavily laden and the chessmen I had returned to their pre-holiday positions were moved by the vibrations or the passing northbound train. 

The DWTCs have their contents listed on their flanks, but the DBTCs do not, so there is no way to tell their contents without a manifest.

In sports, Meadowlark Lemon a former player for the Harlem Globetrotters passed away. He played in an era when African-American players had few opportunities to play in the NBA. The Globetrotters were founded on the south side of Chicago in 1926 or 1927, the dates are sketchy. George "Meadowlark" Lemon, the "Clown Prince of Basketball, played for the Globetrotters in the 1950s through the early 1970s, a total of 24 seasons. His ever present smile and his antics endeared he and his teammates to audiences all over the U.S. and the world, including playing in front of the Pope. Later in life, he played with a team of his own and also served as a minister for his church. I saw the Trotters play when I was much younger. 

Today, STWD may or may not get her morning walk. It depends on the condition of the sidewalks. I won't risk life and limb, even for my dog. She'll have to make do at the end of her backyard tether. In addition, I have an appointment at my new barber at 12:00 p.m. I won't risk life nor limb for that either, so that too is a game time decision.

I have no other plans for today, other than my jigsaw puzzle and some editing for Mary. 

A quick glance out the WW shows that the city's plows prowled the streets earlier, but the sidewalks are still snow and ice covered. The sun will rise at 8:16 a.m. and set at 5:17 p.m. Ciao.