Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

We have a current temperature of 73° under mostly cloudy skies. A quick and furtive look out the WW also shows that it is mostly dark with a strong indication of a local streetlight. Today's high is forecast to be 80° with 80% relative humidity. Here in late August, it has been hot and humid most of the summer. The sun will rise today @  7:05 a.m. and set @ 8:25 p.m.

My plans yesterday were upended by our need for a new mattress. My baking yak demanded one and so we set out to find one that like Goldilock's proverbial porridge, was "Just Right." We made three stops and finally found one in Muskegon at a store fortuitously next door to the big-box tool store there. We made the purchase and then I had a good reason to go next door. For a mere $2.53 I was out the door with my purchase and my "free" gift. We also stopped at the big-box pet store one more door to the east and got a bag of treats for STWD. Mary had to bail on that stop, as they were having a cat adoption day. She is very allergic to cat dander.

We followed our wanderlust and traveled to the beach in Muskegon, which is beautiful That beach is also fortuitously just down the road from one of Mary's favorite yarn and weaving emporiums, Apple Knits, and Purls™. Somewhere in all of the hustle and bustle, Adam had sent me an email regarding a NASCAR™ race @ Road America™ in Elkhart Lake, WI. We love the place and watching NASCAR™ drivers crashing and sliding off of the narrow road course there was worth the time.

Since we were now running late, it was essential that we stop on the way home to see that NASCAR™ race and enjoy dinner @ our favorite watering hole, the legendary and "World Famous", Tip a Few Tavern™.

Sports news yesterday was mostly not good, with one exception. The Cubs lost 2 - 3 to the Dodgers to move to a 1st place record of 82 - 46 in the NL Central. That leaves them precariously clinging to a 14 game lead over the Cardinals, who lost. The Cubs and the Dodgers play again today @ 4:10 p.m.

The Tigers fell by an identical score 2 - 3, to the Angels. That loss also leaves the Tigers still clinging tightly to their 2nd place position in the AL Central with a record of 69 - 60. Sadly, the Indians loss to the Rangers did not allow the Tigers to move up any higher and they are still 4.5 games behind the Indians. The Tigers and the Angels play again today @ 1:10 p.m.

My beloved Red Sox fared much better behind the solid pitching of David Price and their resurgent bats, especially the bat of Dustin Pedroia who went 4 - 5. His last at-bat resulted in an out, snapping an impressive streak of 11 plate appearances during which he got hits every time. Hanley Ramirez and Mookie Betts hit back-to-back homers in the win. Even with this 8 - 3 win over the Royals, the Sox are still in 2nd place, one game in back of the Blue Jays, who won.  The losing Orioles are two games behind the Sox. The Sox and the Royals play again tonight @ 8:08 p.m.

The Caps were crushed last night by a final score of 4 - 15. Successive middle innings in which Caps pitching gave up six and five runs, sealed the Caps fate. The Caps have fallen to 6th place in the MWL East with a record of 27 - 33 and appear to be limping into the playoffs against the South Bend Cubs. The division leading Bowling Green Hot Rods have a 13 games lead over the Caps. They and the Ft. Wayne TinCaps play again today @ 3:05 p.m. in Ft. Wayne.

Mary and I did watch two successive romance movies on the Hallmark Channel™ after we returned home.

Today Mary plans to do some of that trip planning that we didn't get to yesterday. I plan to get to that reading, playing with the girls and the R & R that I crave. STWD will be joining us on the morning safari too. Ciao.