Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City."

A current temperature of 78° is just one degree cooler than the expected high for later today. When it is this warm at 3:00 a.m., it is a relief if and when the high temperature gets no higher than that which is forecast by the forecast NWS. All in all, that means that unless the T-storms that may or may not materialize at around 5:00 a.m. later this morning come to pass, I'll be out there watering.

I am disappointed by the results from the pole beans that Mary and I planted earlier this year. I have lots of vines and no beans. My potato crop will be small, but it will be a real harvest. As forecast by the meteorological staff at WOOD-TV/Radio, the peppers and tomatoes are doing great. Hot and humid carries the day for those crops every time. Cucumbers are OK, but they are nearing the end of their productive season.

I pulled the lettuce the other day and replaced it with some annual flowers that we picked up in Holland. The kale is still doing well, but the yield is far too low for the amount of water that I am pouring on it each day. Oh well, it is green and I made some soup with it. Next year, more tomatoes, more peppers, and more crops that require less watering and attention.

The other day, I took a picture of the soon to bloom rose bush in front of the PE. Yesterday evening, I took another picture of that same bush in all of its blooming glory. Sadly, the bush on the other side of the porch steps is faring poorly. Both were planted at the same time, so it may just be the luck of the draw. That bush would not be the first to require replacement.

We made it to the Post for the appearance by Uneven Ground yesterday afternoon. They sounded great. However, the audience was sparse as it often the case for an early act. We are relatively certain that the rock band that followed Uneven Ground drew a larger audience.

The Coast Guard Festival draws huge crowds for the carnival that seems to grow larger every year so that the chance of people coming in for entertainment in the early evening is probably one of the results. The rides and food varieties were just too tempting for the people.

This year, the food vendors were stretched from the downtown area on Washington Ave, to the parking lots north and west of Washington Ave. and several blocks to the south along the waterfront. Food and fun were the order of the day.

Sports news yesterday was interesting. The Cubs were off, but they gained an additional 1/2 game lead over the Cardinals in the N. L. Central  as they stayed @ 66 - 41. The Cardinals lost while the Cubs were off. The Cubs are in Oakland tonight @ 10:05 PDT tonight.

The Tigers fell back to earth, as they lost to that other team from Chicago 3 - 6. The Tigers are still in 2nd place with an A. L. Central record of 59 - 49, 3.0 games behind the division-leading Indians, who won. The Tigers welcome the Mets tonight @ 7:10 p.m. EDT.

My beloved Red Sox eked out a win over the Mariners 3 - 2 late last night. The Sox are still in 3rd place, 2.0 games behind the Orioles who lost. The Sox travel south to face the Dodgers tonight @ 10:10 p.m. PDT.

The Caps handily dispatched the Dayton Dragons last night 9 - 2. The Caps are now in 3rd place in the Midwest League East with a record of 20 -18. The Caps face the Dragons again tonight @ 7:00 p.m. EDT.

We finished the previous index yesterday and sent it on its way. Now Mary has to print out my next adventure in highlighting. I watered some and walked the intrepid weather dog as Mary did her part prior to my final edit.

I played with the girls earlier in the day, including some time with Bo. I have a lot to learn before I can call myself even remotely proficient on the Irish drum.

Today, I have no specific plans other than the morning safari, the ritual watering if the predicted T-storms fail to materialize, and a visit to the chiropractor with Mary. She has her regularly scheduled chat session this afternoon along with printing out the latest indexing project.

The sun will rise @ 6:39 a.m. into partly cloudy skies that may or may not have produced those aforementioned T-storms later this morning.

Our Coast Guard flag reappears every year for the duration of the Coast Guard Festival.

 The sun will set @ 9:01 p.m. Ciao.