Good mornig or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:45 a.m. in "The City."

A good time to discuss the current weather conditions and the forecast from the NWS. and perhaps STWD for later today. A current temperature of 44° that feels like 42° prevails in the greater Tri-Cities area. According to the DTWS, the current temperature is 49°. In all cases, no precipitation is in the forecast. Later today, we anticipate a high of 71° under cloudy skies.

Last evening, I got called downstairs from the media room by Mary to resolve a problem in the indoor pantry. That's the inside of the door from the kitchen to the man-cave stairs. As I was coming down, the intrepid one took the lead, but Mary shooed her into the bathroom off the kitchen. When I arrived, I was surprised to see the neighbor's six toed cat, Phoebe, peeking around the corner on the stairs. After a bit of thinking, I realized that she must have gone down there on Wednesday afternoon when I had the outer doors to the man-cave open while I was working in the gardens of the PE.

Since Mary is allergic to cat dander, I tried to lure Phoebe out and take her home. Mary went next door to get Phoebe's owners to come to the kitty's rescue. Fortunately, my efforts were ultimately successful and I managed to lure Phoebe out, and then I picked her up and carried her outside. Mary learned later that the neighbors had been calling for Phoebe and got worried when she didn't come home. Phoebe is mostly an outdoor cat, but she always comes when called. Now I have the less than desirable task of checking the man-cave for any "gifts" that Phoebe likely left behind.

Speaking of STWD, she and I took another nice walk yesterday morning before Mary and I went to the hospital where everything went well. I'm all set for my thumb surgery next Monday. Lunch was at the hospital cafeteria's salad bar.

Then we were off to Jenison, MI and Grand River Park for our "Greenway Cruise" aboard the Grand Lady paddle wheeler. This trip was sponsored by the Friends of the Ottawas County Parks. I'll add some random pictures to give the flavor, but you had to be there to get the "real picture." To our surprise and delight, the Friends had arranged to have naturalists, wildlife experts, and representatives from the Ottawa County Parks aboard to add some detail and information. The weather was sunny and the skies clear as we cruised for nearly two hours up and down the Grand River. We learned about birds, fish, and the greater Grand River ecosystem, and its watershed.

This is the lake near the parking area at Grand River Park.

One of our first "sights" were these kayaks sharing the river. 

You'll have to take my word, but in these trees, was a large nest for one pair of Bald Eagles that call the Grand River Valley home.  One parent and one chick were in the nest. There are six known nests and nesting pairs of these magnificent national symbols on the river.

This covered bridge was at the Grand Ravines Park.

No need to comment.

Same here.

All in all, it was a great experience. We plan to return in the fall for some of the colors to be found along this vital inland waterway. 

Sports news was rather slim and in one case, not so good yesterday. The Cubs lost to the Brewers, 3 - 5. That leaves the them with a NL Central division leading record of 28 - 11. Once again, their bats were asleep. Hopefully when they get to San Francisco tonight they can reawaken their offense. The Giants have won eight in a row as the Cubs have been sleepwalking through their latest games. As manager Joe Maddon, opined, the boys were simply outplayed. 

The Tigers had the day off, so their record of 19 - 21 didn't change and neither did their 4th place ranking in the AL Central. They host the Rays tonight. My beloved Red Sox also had the day off before they host the Indians tonight. That also leaves the Sox' 25 - 16 record and their 2nd place standing in the AL East unchanged. The Caps thumped the Bowling Green Hot Rods 7 - 1 to once again move into 4th place in the MWL League East with a record of 20 - 17. 

While I was upstairs in the media room, Mary was busy in the kitchen crafting two vegan hams using the correct ingredients. They are wafting their aromas all over the interior of the PE right now.

Later today, I'll be going down to the man-cave for that aforementioned clean up. Plus, I will once again try to resurrect the spatula that I broke once before and that Mary broke again last evening while preparing her vegan hams. Once more into the breech to repair a handle that is becoming shorter with each repair. Mary actually likes the shorter handle length, but I believe that very soon it will be too short to use. 

Other than that we are open. A few phone calls to make and a short trip to the local garden center for some veggie and decorative plants after the morning safari with STWD. There was something else that I can't remember, but it might be a stop at the Restore Store to see if a new top for our cold frame is available. Then the chiropractor later in the day. Trainspotting is a possibility, but not a certainty. 

The sun will rise today at 6:15 and set at 9:07 p.m. Ciao.