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

We have a current temperature of between 58° & 60°, depending on the source of the information, the NWS (National Weather Service), or the DWS (Desktop Weather Station) with its associated FPMS (Front Porch Mounted Sensor). In either case, the skies are clear and there is no precipitation on the horizon. So I'll be watering later this morning and then doing some additional gardening chores.

Great news, my winter hat is now complete. With a little help from a YouTube video on an easy way to make the PomPom for the top, Mary and I completed my hat yesterday afternoon. Actually, I couldn't complete the PomPom using the pattern that was referenced in Mary's pattern book, so Mary did the logical thing, she went to the Internet. Voila, the third time was the charm as they say. I guess my contribution will be limited to wearing the hat, although I did use my hands as the form for the PomPom winding.

I chose the picture below to illustrate that a man, his La-Z-Boy, and his dog are all that is really needed in life to accompany a great winter hat. With one project down and lots more to go, I can safely say, "That's one small project for Mary and one large hat for mankind."

Sports news yesterday was good unless you are a Cubs or Lions fan. The Cubs fell to the Brewers one more time by a final score of 1 - 3. The Cubs are still in 1st place and they are still division champions with an NL Central best record of  94 - 55, but they just can't seem to beat a team that is not as good as they are. Of course, I can justify the Brewers win by stating that lower ranked teams are gunning for the Cubs, but a loss is a loss. The Cubs travel to Cincinnati tonight to face the Reds @ 8:05 p.m.

The Tigers fared better, as they beat the AL Central-leading Indians by a score of 9 - 5. That win finds the Tigers still solidly in 2nd place, seven games in back of the Indians. The Tigers travel today to meet that other team from Chicago @ 8:10 p.m. tonight.

My beloved Red Sox topped the Yankees by a score of 5 - 4 last night. The Sox lead the AL East Division by three games over the 2nd place Orioles whom they beat and four games over the losing 3rd place Blue Jays. The Sox face those 2nd place Orioles @ the Ballpark at Camden Yards in Baltimore, MD @ 7:05 p.m.

Also in the bad news category, the Lions snatched defeat from the jaws of victory when the Tennessee Titans came from behind to claim a 16 - 15 victory over Matthew Stafford and the balance of the team coached by Jim Caldwell. The 1 - 1 Lions travel to Green Bay to face the 1 -1  Packers in an NFC Central game next Sunday.

The 0 - 1 Bears are home tonight to play the 1 - 0 Eagles @ 8:30 p.m.

We didn't waste time yesterday afternoon, as we traveled to the P. J. Hoffmaster State Park located on the shores of Lake Michigan, for a short walk to see the "Big Lake" and also to get in some practice steps for the Step It Up! program that begins today,

Here are a few pictures from that outing.

I just like how a path can be an unfocused focal point.

We didn't have the beach to ourselves, but the crowds are much thinner in the off-season.

Have bench, will sit.

I am going to to have to ride my bike in lieu of walking for few days until the blisters that I developed on my tootsies get better. Alas, that is one hazard of being of a certain age, at least for me. I'll be using the conversion chart that allows for conversion of other physical activities into steps for a few days.

Today, I'll be out in the gardens of the PE, riding my bike, and then indoors playing with the girls and reading after the morning safari. Mary and I will finally get to that final trip planning for our trip out East. in early November. A few other activities also await.

The sun will rise today @ 7:29 a.m. and set @ 7:46 p.m. Ciao.