Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "This City."

It seems that the early morning just about anywhere in the world are mostly quiet. Essential personnel like police officers are on patrol. Other VIP type people are on duty in ERs, or in the wards of hospitals, nursing homes, or jails/prisons. Or, maybe they are the first responders serving in firehouses. Perhaps some of the people up and about at this hour are ready to plow the snow, deliver the goods, wait the tables, cook the food, or pick up the accumulated detritus of daily human existence. Maybe they are up to work on the farms or in the factories that are part and parcel to what we call civilization.

I'd be remiss if I didn't give mention to the people working all night in gas stations, convenience stores too. I suppose that some people have just gotten off of work at one of the many restaurants or bars that people enjoy. Both Mary and I once worked those overnight hours. There was a time when I was working 3:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. in a gas station, and she was working 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. in a nursing home.

We were young and still possessed of the energy of youth, but not the wisdom of age, so we'd meet at a restaurant in Wheeling, IL called Mr. Bs to talk and be together for a couple of hours. I guess at the time we didn't appreciate the personnel who were there to take care of our needs. We went home after a couple of hours, but I went home to sleep for a long time, while Mary went home to sleep too, but she had to get up after a few hours to go to work. I suppose that having children is like that too. You get up at all hours, care for their myriad needs and then go back to bed to get whatever sleep you could. Whatever, I am up now due to my own decision, not due to any requirement by a boss, a job, or a child.

In the early years of Adam's life, he and I only got to spend time together about this time of night. He would rise, as only babies can do, and we'd sit together in the rocking chair in the den. He'd drink a bottle and I'd listen to music. Of course in those day, I  was getting up at 4:30 a.m. to get ready for work where I'd be until late that evening. So our time together then was  precious to me. Mary told me later that the chance to get up and sit with me was a choice for Adam too, even if he didn't consciously know it at the time.

But I digress. We made it to Pensacola yesterday to pick up our new home decor pieces after a stop at the library. We stopped for lunch at Sluggos and then came home on a windy day for a pitcher at Shaggy's. It was so windy, that the door there was nearly ripped out of my hands, both when entering and exiting.

Once home we enjoyed a dinner  of ham salad sandwiches. Mary had chopped and mixed the ham salad before we left, and she chose to grill the bread for dinner. They were delicious.

Today, chores, chats, reading, and perhaps a chance to do whatever else comes up. The sun will rise at 6:35 and set at 5:32 a.m. Right now the temperature is 42°, although it feels like 34°. Later when the sun is up, it will be 52° in reality, but it will likely feel colder due to the windy conditions expected throughout the day. As the week unfolds, sunny skies and warmer temperatures are in the forecast. Ciao.