Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."

Yesterday was pedestrian. By that I mean that all of my plans came to fruition. I walked with STWD, I went to the Irish Jam session, I worked in the garden, and I watched some TV.

At the jam session, I played Leilani and with a bit of effort, I did OK. When you are new to an instrument, you have to think about the various chord forms. When I play the other girls, I'm on auto-pilot. I'll get better.

While I was at the jam, Mary went to Hemlock Crossing County Park to listen to a presentation about our national bird, the bald eagle. She came away qutie impressed and wants to go to next month's presentation about salamanders. Unfortunately, the date for that presentation coincides with my jam session ending time of 3:00 p.m. while her presentation rins from 3:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. However, I can leave earlier than the unofficial session ending time, so I can make it to the presentation. I'll have to ask how important it is to Mary. She related some interesting facts about the birds and also about one of our Founding Fathers, Benjamin Franklin, regarding his desire to have the wild turkey named as the national bird instead of the bald eagle.

The weather yesterday was cool here in GH. Windy in the morning, but sunny. By the afternoon, I was able to get out to the back forty and do some grading in the vast gardens of the Palatial Estate. I didn't overdo, which is always a risk. I am learning my age induced limitations.

While I was out there, the intrepid one was on her tether. However in her usual style, she was afraid of the shovels and rakes and so she stood on the deck and watched. Another good reason for not overdoing.

Mary came home and we went off to the big-box hardware store for some picture hangers. In spite of the fine collection that Adam left for me, I still need more. I should get to hanging those pictures later today. After the stop at the big-box store, we made a quick visit to Sporty's for some adult libations. Home for a dinner of salad and and freshly made vegan "ham." I think that this "ham" was/is her best to date.

In sports news, the boys in blue, AKA the Cubs, lost to the Indians 5 - 10, leaving them with a 5 - 12 record in the Cactus League, and a league standing of 14th, Ouch! I sure hope that Joe Maddon knows what he is doing. The Tigers game against the Marlins was canceled due to rain. My beloved Red Sox defeated the hated Cardinals, 3 - 1. For those who still care, the Bulls defeated the Jazz 92 - 85, the Red Wings topped the Panthers, 5 - 3, and the Pistons were also triumphant over the Nets, 115 - 103. Once MSU was eliminated from the NCAA tournament, I stopped paying attention.

Today, I will be reading, hanging those aforementioned pictures, and doing as little as possible. I'll be letting my fingers rest after yesterday's activities at the Irish Jam session.

The current temperature is 33°, but it feels like 25°. We are supposed to see a high today of 42°. That's almost a carbon copy of yesterday. Oddly, today is the first day of spring. However, the small flowering bulbs that Mary and I planted in the vast lawns of the Palatial Estate are bringing some much appreciated color to those lawns. We had forgotten that Mary had also planted tulip bulbs around the cold frame, and they too are doing well. No flowers yet though.

It is worthy of note, that the City of Holland is seeing their tulips coming up too. Three years ago, they had a Stem Fest in lieu of their regular Tulip Time™ which is held each year the second week of May. Their Executive Director is cheering cool temperatures that will delay the flowers. However, they have many different varietals, so they should be OK. The fruit farmers here in Western MI are also hoping that the buds on the trees don't get chilled by warmer temperatures, which also spelled doom for many of the apples, peaches, and cherries here.

The sun will rise at 7:48 a.m. and set at 7:57 p.m. Ciao.