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

Yesterday was a lovely day, even nicer than last Sunday when Mary and I visited the Hemlock Crossing County Park for the presentation on wild turkeys. I finally managed to get the pictures to download and so I've included them below. 

Hemlock Crossing is a gem among gems in our Ottawa County Park System

Sometimes the lack of leaves on the trees reveals a different kind of beauty

Yes, brooks really do babble

The tree in the background appeared to have been felled by beavers

I accomplished a lot yesterday. I moved the furniture from the front porch of the PE into the man-cave, hung the outdoor decorative Christmas decorations, discovered that the green bulb was still in the porch light from last year, and finished the chalkboard for the mudroom. All in all a busy and productive day.

Later in the afternoon, Mary was at an impasse in her work schedule so we took a drive to Coopersville to visit the store there that sells overstock grocery type items. We only got a few things, but the drive in the country was worth the trip in and of itself.

We stopped @ Stans in Spring Lake on the way home and then went to Papa Murphy's™ to get a take and bake pizza for dinner. I probably overdid it a bit yesterday, as I am still not 100% following my recent bout with the unknown bug. I'll be better as time progresses. I will be doing as little as possible today.

The current temperature is 48° under mostly cloudy skies. Today's high will reach 49° under partly cloudy skies with a 20% chance of precipitation. The temperatures will continue to slide into the lower 40s as the weekend approaches and the chance of precipitation will increase to 50% tomorrow. The sun will rise in about 50 minutes @ 7:56 a.m. and set @ 5:11 p.m. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 47° under leaden skies with rain off and on. By 5:00 p.m., the NWS has forecast that the rains will begin again in earnest and continue off and on until about 3:00 a.m. tomorrow. That's okay because we've already done the daily safaris and the fur-children are all safe and out of harm's way. Both will be demanding their dinner soon, but that only requires that STWD goes out on her tether and GTWD be taken for a short sojourn by either yours truly or Mary.

Today has been slow since the morning safaris. I've been reading and napping. I picked up a bug of some sort early yesterday, so I've mostly been sleeping. I am on the mend and feeling better this afternoon. The sun rose this morning @ 7:53 a.m. and will set this evening @ 5:11 p.m.

The NWS has forecast tomorrow's high to be a balmy 54° under sunny skies. A good day for going walkabout. It has been warm enough that the grass seeds that I sowed about two weeks ago have begun to germinate. They will continue next spring along with the crocus bulbs that I scattered in the lawns of the vast PE to go with the ones we planted last year. They make a nice color splash in the spring after the snows melt.

Speaking of the snow, we had a slight flurry the other day, but nothing stuck and so here we are on November 28, with no snow on the ground. That's fine by me, Mary, and the fur-children because it makes walking much safer. For those of you who live in warmer climes, you don't know what you're missing.

I was awake this morning for the first trainspotting. At 10:28 a.m., as locomotives 2057 and 2019 passed by the manse as they headed south on the RSTL. In tow were two CHCs, three DWTCs, and three DBTCs with two of those at the end.

At 2:41 p.m. I was napping in the La-Z-Boy when I heard the sound of the same locomotives heading north. They were moving @ a relatively high rate of speed towing 27 CHCs, 18 DBTCs, five DWTCs, one GTC, and one BC. All of the cars were loaded, as the earth was shaking beneath the palatial estate.

I have applied the last coat of chalkboard paint to the newly created chalkboard for the mudroom. It used to be a laundry washboard, but when it fell the other day, I learned that the scrubber was made out of non-tempered glass. Fortunately, that happened before the trash pickup and so I consigned the broken glass to the landfill. Now it will be a reminder board and a key holder.

Since our new car doesn't actually use keys in the ignition and we get a discount on the auto insurance for the anti-theft systems, we all too often forget to take the keys out of the drawer where we've been keeping them. With the keys hanging in the mudroom, we should have a better chance @ remembering.

We will soon be off to the big-box everything store for some groceries and other sundries. I get to go along to return the cans for deposit.

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:54 a.m. and set @ 5:11 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just after 6:00 a.m. in "The City."

I'd like to start with some pictures of yesterday's activities, but as usual, they are on the Smart Phone and in my email, but I have no idea how to retrieve them. So, I can't/won't

We have a current temperature of 43° according to the display on the DTWS. I was just outside around 5:00 a.m. with GTWD and I can confirm that the temperature, while not warm, is comfortable when you dress appropriately, The NWS is reporting a current temperature of 42° under cloudy skies. That same forecast calls for a high today of 47° with clouds in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon. The sun will rise soon @ 7:52 a.m. and set later @ 5:12 p.m. Monday and Tuesday have a forecast for highs in the 50s, but there is a chance of rain tomorrow of 60%.

I am going to take the day off today and do some reading, music organization, and a bit of painting in the man-cave. I stayed home early yesterday afternoon to watch the beginning of what turned out to be a Michigan Wolverine's loss to the Buckeyes of "The Ohio State University" by a final score of 27 - 30. However, as a transplanted "Homer" I believe as do the announcers, that Michigan was jobbed by the zebras in that loss. Staying home meant that Mary and Ginger walked to the local big-box home center and picked up the chalkboard paint I'll be using later today in the man-cave. Apparently, Ginger was the hit of the day at the store as she rode in the basket.

The Spartans of MSU were drubbed by the Nittany Lions of Penn State 12 - 45. That means the Nittany Lions are now the #7 team overall with a 10 - 2 record and a record of 8 - 1 in the Big 10 that matches the Buckeyes #2 overall record. The Wolverines fell to 10 - 2 overall, but 7 - 2 in the Big 10 and #3 overall. Sadly, the Wolverines are likely to get a bowl bid, but not a shot at the national championship. Plus, once again, they lost to the Buckeyes. Sigh.

Later today, the 2 - 8 Chicago Bears face the 5 - 6 Tennessee Titans @ 1:00 p.m. That will not be a great game which is why I can devote my time to other pursuits. Also, sigh.

Mary and I went to a presentation @ Hemlock Crossing County Park yesterday regarding wild turkeys. We learned a great deal and took a short walk through the trials of the park. That was one reason why I wanted to include some pictures. If I had taken my camera, you'd be seeing them now, but alas, they are seemingly locked into the phone forever, or at least until I can figure out how to retrieve them. We also saw a very cute Corgi, Peanut, while walking the trails.

That looks like enough for now. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."

No pictures today. I didn't memorialize our morning safari nor the day to day activities of everyday life here on or in the PE. But that's okay because I had a great day anyway.

Since Friday was the day after Thanksgiving, traffic was surprisingly light on Rte. 31 and around "The City" in general. Thus we were able to walk to STWD's and GTWD's veterinarian's office on the other side of Rte. 31 to procure another bag of the food they will henceforth be sharing. This food is formulated to keep their teeth cleaner. Since neither I nor Mary are inclined to brush their teeth and since GTWD is prone to the problems that all small dogs are prone to, teeth that accumulate decay causing tartar, we will keep using this food.

There were no trains to generate a trainspotting report yesterday. I guess that I'll see another on Monday.

We were fortunate that the rains held off until later yesterday so that our walk to the vet's office was very comfortable. Mary wanted to go downtown later in the afternoon, but by then, the rains had returned and the trip turned out to be a much shorter one to JWs. No complaints from me.

I am nearly done with my highlighting chores on the current book. However, Mary discovered that another book was in her queue which came in yesterday, but which she had forgotten to place in her scheduling system. So I thought I was done, but instead, I have another book to work on. Sigh. Fortunately, the weather is poor and the outdoor chores are done, so I have time. What I don't have time for is personal reading nor time to read the book I had chosen for our book club @ the Tri-Cities History Museum. I'll think of something.

In sports news, the # 3 Wolverines travel to the #2 Buckeyes for a game @ 12:00 p.m. today. I'll set aside time for that activity. Mary will have to work to make up for the time she took off to prepare our still delicious Thanksgiving dinner which we are still enjoying. Like nearly any Thanksgiving dinner, ours generated copious amounts of leftovers that we enjoyed again late last night/earlier this morning. But I digress. The Wolverines and the Buckeyes have a long-standing rivalry and of late, the Buckeyes have been victorious more times than the Wolverines. I am hoping that that will change later today.

The unranked Spartans of MSU face the #8 Nittany Lions of Penn State @ 3:30 p.m. today. The Huskies of NIU finished their season on Friday with a 31 - 21 victory over the Golden Flashes of Kent State.

Today football, highlighting, safaris and more leftovers. What's not to like?

The current temperature is 41° under cloudy skies according to both sources available to me here in the Weather Office of the PE. Only a 10% chance of  rain is in the forecast from the NWS for today with a high temperature of 43°. The view out the Weather Window confirms the cloudy forecast, and a personal visit to the outdoors with GTWD just before midnight confirmed the current temperature. Sunday's high is forecast to be 49° under continuing cloudy skies. Monday, there is an 80% chance of showers in the forecast with the same high temperature.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:51 a.m. and set @ 5:12 p.m. Ciao.

Good evening Mr. and Mrs. America and all the ships @ sea. It is just past 9:00 p.m. in "The City."

What can I say? Thanksgiving was a complete success, from the pumpkin pie that turned out to be as delicious as it looked for an opening act, to the last morsel of the "Perfectly Extraordinary Beest" that capped off our holiday. In between, Mary sliced up some vegan cheese, chopped some carrots and celery, and served them with blue cheese dressing and crackers in the media room for a mid-afternoon snack. That snack came along with the creation of green bean casserole, dressing, garlic smashed potatoes and cauliflower, and gravy, all with chopped portobello mushrooms. Just for me, she served Ocean Spray™ jellied cranberry sauce. I assisted with retrieval of cooking and serving dishes, as well as smashing the potatoes. Mary says she was as happy as can be in her kitchen. I know I was delighted with the results.

We decided to chronicle our day's activities in pictures. I am including them in chronological
order below. However, I make no claim on the accuracy of the order.

Breakfast, post morning safari in a relatively quiet city.

The snacks were the perfect accompaniment 

As the Lions beat the Vikings in the first of three NFL games 

Large portobello mushrooms were reduced to small bits for the dressing, gravy, and green bean casserole

This is true multitasking as Mary prepared the mushrooms and onions

The start of the perfectly extraordinary beest

The beest in its cookpot

I was ready and I totally enjoyed our dinner

The kitchen has now returned to its pre-cooling condition, as seen here.

Naturally, both of the fur-children were in attendance for the holiday feast. However, since nearly everything had onions as one of the ingredients or was served in Mary's china, they didn't get anything other than a few crackers for behaving themselves.

We capped off our evening by watching two movies on the Hallmark Channel™. I love romances that always end well on Hallmark. Mary is still watching another movie, but since I was out with GTWD, I didn't have a clue as to the plot of this one, No matter, I am certain it will turn out well too.

The weather was mostly rainy all day. I took an afternoon walk with GTWD while Mary worked her magic in the kitchen. STWD only needs one walk per day now, but the wonder dog could go for several and still not be tired. 

We have a current temperature of 43° according to the DTWS, while the NWS is reporting 42°. In both cases, the rain is still part of the day/evening. We are forecast to get a break from the rain on Friday morning, then the rains will return Friday evening. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:50 a.m. and set @ 5:13 p.m. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 40° per the NWS, while the DTWS is showing 41° with somewhat foggy conditions and a 20% chance for additional precipitation of the liquid variety. Close enough for government work as they used to say. There are probably as many explanations of that phrase as there are hairs on my head, but the Urban Dictionary's version is as good as any. That definition states "Stopping work on a task without performing the extra steps necessary to complete it to a high standard of quality." I guess that I could say that that definition is close enough for government work. : - )

At any rate, the high for today is forecast to reach 45° with cloudy conditions and that same 20% chance of rain still in the mix. The sun will rise into that cloudy sky @ 7:48 a.m. and set later @ 5:13 p.m. Friday looks similar, while the chance for showers increases to 50%.

I baked the traditional pumpkin pie yesterday. Mary remembers that we did it before, but I have no recollection in my memory. Another sign of my advancing age perhaps. Here is a picture of my efforts on this entirely scratch-made pie. I cleaned and baked the pumpkins. I whipped up the puree for the filling. I made the pie crust. I even cleaned up after myself, with a little help from Mary. Well perhaps more than a little help. She came down from working on the catalog index to put some vegetables into the Crockpot™ for the broth that she'll be using later today. I believe that the veggies are still in the Crockpot™ in an attempt to extract every drop of goodness from them. Plus, the house smells like holidays as a side benefit. Oops, I almost forgot the picture.

Looking good, but the taste is still a mystery. Mary did get some filling on her fingers and says it will be great. STSD agrees.

I mentioned the other day that we took some pictures of the fur-children after GTWD's recent grooming. Mary sent them to me via email, so I'll place a few here. We never knew how great both of the fur-children could look in repose. GTWD has a face.

The only trainspotting yesterday was a lone work truck that was heading north while I was out with STWD. Will there be more on Friday? Stay tuned.

We did visit the chiropractor yesterday afternoon for our weekly tune-up. We'll see him again on Friday, 12/02/2016. That date sounds vaguely familiar. : - )

Today is a good day for me to watch the Lions on TV and then do some reading. I have two crosswords to work from the Grand Haven Tribune one from Tuesday and one from yesterday's paper, which was chock full of ads for the "Black Friday" sales tomorrow. You pay extra for the holiday paper and all you get are ads.

I don't have any chores to do today. I'll take the morning safari with STWD and then settle in for some TV with the Lions. I will have to wait until Saturday @ 12:00 p.m. for the matchup of the #3 Michigan Wolverines and the #2 Buckeyes of "The Ohio State University." I will have to assist in the kitchen. However, Mary has done some of her prep work already and she generally wants me out of the way when she is working in "Her Domain." That's OK with me, my work is done. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, whether in "The City" or in the greater Tri-Cities area, or anywhere in the Great Lakes Region as a whole for that matter. It is just past 1:00 a.m. and I have just finished highlighting slightly more than one-half of the latest indexing project.

That comes on the heels of nearly completing most of the indoor chores that were on my agenda for yesterday. Mary stopped me before I finished, and I have to thank her for the intercession on my behalf. As I've often noted, I don't know when to stop.

I was able to train spot both the north and southbound runs of the Mid-Michigan RR on the RSTL, as EMD GP 38-2 locomotives 2019 and 2057 led a long procession of assorted cars. At 10:16 a.m., those two locomotives passed by heading south with 14 CHCs, five DBTCs, and one DWTC that was bringing up the rear, all empty.

When I was on the morning/early afternoon safari with STWD, I watched the passage of a work truck towing a trailer up the tracks as it headed north @ 12:15 p.m. I'd not previously seen a trailer that was equipped with railroad wheels being towed behind a truck that had the ability to either drive on regular roads, or, by lowering its own railroad wheels, the ability to ride the rails. A great spot for me.

At 3:01 p.m., I spotted the same locomotives heading back north with 11 CHCs, 10 DBTCs and two DWTCs in tow, all loaded. In both cases, locomotive # 2057 was looking shiny and well groomed, while #2019 was looking like it had been well used and in need of a good wash and wax. Go figure.

Mary created sandwiches from her roast beest to go with the Coleslaw that I made while she was chatting. I don't think that this batch of Coleslaw was my best, as it lacked apples, my secret ingredient. Carrots do not give it the same pizazz. During that same kitchen time, I made croutons for our Thanksgiving feast, roasted the seeds from the pumpkins that I was also roasting for my pie baking later today, and also washed the dishes that I had created during my kitchen adventures.

Mary went to the library to pick up some books while I was working, and then she was off to the grocery store for some additional supplies for the holiday. Collectively, we were very busy. I sat and vegged out as Mary made tacos for dinner. She used more of her roast beest, some tomato sauce, lettuces, and her secret taco seasoning to make the best tacos I've had in a long time.

We collectively watched NCIS in the dining room and then I went up to the media room to watch some inane TV while she stayed downstairs. Later I watched NCIS New Orleans.

Today, I'll be baking a pumpkin pie after I make the homemade pie filling from my efforts of yesterday. I'll make my own crust and then add the filling. Since it has been a long time since I've baked a pumpkin pie, I'll have to watch to see how quickly it bakes @ 350°. I'm anticipating about one hour in the oven. I'll stick to a recipe that I know works.

Other than that, I have no specific plans. I'm nearly done with the outdoor chores for this year, which is a good thing because the forecast from the NWS is for rain to begin around 6:00 a.m. and continue throughout the day. That will make the morning safari a relatively short affair. The current temperature is 34° under cloudy skies. Theoretically, rain is possible now, but the view out the WW indicates no rain and none is showing on the  display of the DTWS. Later today, the forecast calls for a high temperature of 39° to accompany that rain. In short, a good day to stay inside until our chiropractor's appointment @ 3:30 p.m.

The sun will rise @ 7:47 a.m. and set @ 5:14 p.m. Ciao.

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

First, let me say that when it comes to transferring pictures from the Smart Phone to this computer, I am at a complete loss. The pictures are on the phone, I can see them, but this computer reports that there is nothing to import. I think it is a bad or incomplete connection between my brain and the two devices. That's too bad because there are some pictures of GTWD's new look and of both Mary and I holding our fur-children on our laps in the living room on that camera phone. Oh well, maybe someday I'll figure it out.

Right now, you'll have to take my word for how great Ginger looks following her visit to the local groomer, Sitting Pretty™. Believe it or not, Ginger has a face and she is much lighter in color than we knew. We plan to take her about once every four weeks so that she can always look her best. STWD goes there too, but she just comes back clean, no grooming required.

Mary walked the wonder dog over in the early afternoon while I stayed back to rake what I hope are the final bags of leaves from the lawns of the PE. Collectively, we walked over to Sitting Pretty™ later in the afternoon  to retrieve the wonder dog.

Speaking of the leaves, I created three more bags full. While that may not seem like much for people who have multiple bags @ every trash pickup, I have bagged about 10 total bags. Hopefully, these will be the last. When I went to my barber yesterday, I told her of my plans for yard work. She asked where all the leaves come from. I noted that while we lost our biggest contributor, the big maple tree in the parkway that was felled earlier in the spring, the leaves seem to blow down the street from nearby Central Park. They then end up on the lawns and gardens of the vast PE. My neighbor, Ron, agrees with me. We pay for bags and supply the labor so that "The City" can save my tax dollars for other activities.

Speaking of other activities, I replaced the light fixture in the upstairs bathroom yesterday. Mary and I selected a replacement fixture on Sunday @ the big-box home center in Norton Shores. This fixture uses LEDs instead of incandescent bulbs to produce daylight-like light. The lighting is brighter, uses much less energy, and brightened the room considerably. What a difference.

I finished another book yesterday. Now I have to get back to highlighting. I have some baking to do too, but I can do that during the day while Mary works on the indexing of the catalog that she had to put aside yesterday as she did some indoor chores of her own. However, she was able to multi-task and do some needlework as she waited for successive loads of laundry to be washed and dried. Plus, she made sandwiches for lunch and some tea for our mid-afternoon snack of my banana nut bread. Is this a new tradition? Maybe, but nonetheless, it was very tasty.

There were no trains to spot on the RSTL yesterday, only a lone work truck that rolled by in the early afternoon. Maybe the train crews are taking the week off for the Thanksgiving holiday. Maybe I'll know more as the week unfolds.

Today I'll get to the baking of the pumpkins for my pies along with some other indoor chores. Since Mary handled the laundry yesterday, I just have to dust the shelves and other furniture here in the manse of the PE. That's about two hours of work. I plan to do more highlighting and also some additional reading too. I want to get to playing with the girls and reorganizing my Irish Jam music folder too, but that is not a pressing concern.

I got a tentative spring training schedule from the Cubs in my email yesterday. The Cubs have not yet given a date for their pitchers and catchers to report, but the opening game of spring training against the As of Oakland is tentatively scheduled for February 25, 2017. As anyone who knows me can attest, I am born again each year when the pitchers and catchers report to AZ for spring training. The calendar has one date for the first day of spring, March 20, 2017, I have another.

The current temperature is 27° under cloudy skies. Later today after the sun rises @ 7:46 a.m., the high temperature is forecast by the NWS to reach a zenith of 41°, also under cloudy skies. The sun will set this afternoon @ 5:14 p.m. The NWS has forecast rain/freezing rain for early Wednesday with a high temperature of 39°. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "The City."

I am hoping to get on some regular schedule for blogging, but the truth is that I am less inclined to blog every day now that the Cubs have won the World Series. Be that as it may, I may or may or may not blog based solely on my willingness to get up and out of my nice warm bed. That and the schedule of GTWD.

Speaking of the wonder dog, she is now quietly sleeping in the bed with Mary while I blog. I know, I know, many people believe that your fur-children shouldn't sleep in your bed, but at least when Ginger does that, Mary and I know where she is. Recently not knowing where she was, led to her knocking down and opening the treat jar which we left on top of the nightstand and allowing Ginger to devour all of the treats in that jar. Normally, we keep that jar in the drawer of Mary's nightstand for the benefit of all fur-children in the family. STWD has us spoiled so we haven't worried about leaving that jar exposed. That little mistake led to the wonder dog requiring more trips outside than usual. I'll leave it at that. We have to remember that Ginger is like a toddler who is very active.

Saturday's college football games had s somewhat predictable outcome. The Spartans of MSU were narrowly defeated by the Buckeyes of "The Ohio State University" by a final score of 16 - 17. The Spartans gave the Buckeyes all that they could handle. The Wolverines of Michigan ha e moved up to 3rd place in the Big 10 with their 20 - 10 win over the Hoosiers of Indiana. The Buckeyes are still ranked #1 with an identical 10 - 1 record.

NFL football yesterday also was mostly predictable. The Bears started out solidly against the NY Giants, but once the Bears had scored 16 points, they were done for the day. The final score was Giants 22, Bears 16. The Detroit Lions fared better against the Jacksonville Jaguars, overcoming the Jags by a final score of 26 - 19. The Lions play in Thanksgiving Day @ 12:30 p.m. against the Vikings. The entire league missed a record 11 extra points yesterday. Whiffs caused by blocks and the wind caused the miscues.

Speaking of the weather, the current temperature is a brisk 31° under cloudy skies. The NWS is forecasting a high today of 40°, also under cloudy skies. The strong winds of Saturday are over and that makes the temperatures seem less biting. When I walked to the library on Saturday afternoon for my Irish Jam session, the strong winds against me and my guitar case brought me to a halt several times as I walked east into the teeth of the wind.

Our turnout for the jam was light, but we had a good time. Larry, the library public relations director and the organizer of the jams, had to leave early to save his fingers for a gig that he and his band, Uneven Ground, were playing in GR Saturday night. the balance of us stayed and played for the second hour and enjoyed singing and playing together. Our audience also seemed to enjoy our efforts.

Mary spent the afternoon on Saturday in her kitchen, happily chopping, baking and cooking. She seems to work better when she challenges herself with a self-imposed deadline on an indexing project. I don't work well that way. That's probably why I tend to overdo when I am doing just about anything when I should be spreading my workload out over several days. However, I do appreciate her efforts on the various meals. As an example, she made French toast with vegan sausages for yesterday's breakfast that tasted great. In addition, she tried a different way of making her vegan roast beest that also turned out well as a sandwich filler.

I finished reading one of the books that I had/have on the shelf Saturday night. It was good, but also a bit disappointing, as the author was setting up a possible sequel. I started another book yesterday and I am about 1/3 third of the way through. Both books were/are of my favorite variety, large-print.

Today, I have to get to the highlighting of the latest manuscript that came in the other day. It landed on my desk and Mary needs me to get it done so that she can index the book. It is only about 200 pages, so It should take only a few days to complete. Currently, Mary is working on a catalog from that old client, so I have a few days to spare. I have some indoor and outdoor chores to do too.

The sun will rise @ 7:45 a.m. and set @ 5:15 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."

Where shall I begin, to tell the story of how great a day can be? I guess that the beginning is always the best place. The last day of summerlike weather here in GH was yesterday. We had a high temperature that was near 70°, a vast difference from the current temperature of 46° with windy conditions. Later today the forecast from the NWS includes rain/snow/wind and a high temperature of 38°. The precipitation is not in the forecast for Sunday, but the cold temperatures certainly are.

At any rate, I rode my bike down to the waterfront/beach here in GH yesterday after my morning safari with STWD That's where I met Mary and Ginger on their morning safari. I was the only bike rider, but there were many people there, who like myself, appeared to be retired. I took some pictures of the waves breaking on the now closed north pier as they were also being recorded for the local news on WZZM, channel 13. There was no on-scene reporter, just the cameraman shooting what they call "B" roll for the newscasters to do a voice over in a later newscast. I am just going to add some random pictures that I took while I was there.

Mary took this picture of me sitting on the rocks near the pier. I think she captured the sun through the clouds very nicely. I hate to admit it, but Mary was right when she urged me to wear a long sleeve shirt on my ride, due to the high winds and cooler temperatures near the mouth of the Grand River where it enters "The Big Lake."

The pier is without our famous catwalk until late next year as the Army Corps of Engineers repairs the underpinnings of  the pier itself . The catwalk was removed for refurbishing and is being stored off-site until it can be repaired and then returned and replaced @ a cost of slightly over $1,000,000. Our pier looks naked without its catwalk which was installed by the U.S. Coastguard to assist in the maintenance of the lighthouses shown in this picture.

This gull or tern was using the strong winds over the pier to just hover in place.

My bike in the foreground, the WZZM cameraman in the background.

These life preservers are intended to help when people fall into the heavy surf.

Ironically, the life preservers for the pier are on the other side of  the locked gate that leads to the pier.

The beaches are deserted, and yet very beautiful without the people.

I returned home to hang the bicycles in the garage and then to do some yard work on the PE. I raked a bag of leaves just in time, as the rains began to fall very heavily around 2:00 p.m. The rains are gone now, but they came sporadically throughout the afternoon and evening yesterday. We took our umbrellas to the chiropractor # 3:30 p.m., but we didn't walk downtown as planned for "Light Night", opting instead for a stop @ JWs. While I was doing the yard work, I clipped what is the last rose of summer from the rosebush that we have named John, pictured in a vase near Mary's desk.

The rose looks and smells great.

When Mary returned from her morning safari, she made a salad for lunch. She graciously gave me the last of the tomatoes from our garden for mine. She then made the latest incarnation of her spicy vegan tomato loaf and placed it into the oven before she repaired to her office for her afternoon chat session. I was left to tend to the loaf in the oven as I prepared my banana nut bread with STSD's assistance. My bread looks great, as usual.

Mary took the day off from her work yesterday in order to savor the last great day here in GH. Since the weather will be less than wonderful today while I am @ the Irish Jam session, she felt that she could work today after having enjoyed being outside yesterday. 

The trainspotting report is about 55%. I witnessed the southbound passage of EMD GP-38-2 locomotives 2057 and 2019 @ 8:47 a.m. as they passed by on the RSTL towing 13 CHCs, six DBTCs, one GTC, and five DWTCs. I added the extra 5% because I only heard the northbound passage as I was riding home @ 12:30 p.m.

Today in sports, there is no baseball, sigh. However, the 9 - 1 Wolverines of Michigan hope to rebound from their loss to the 6 - 4 Hawkeyes of Iowa when they host the 5 - 5 Hoosiers of Indiana for a game @ 3:30 p.m. The 3 - 7 Spartans of MSU host the 9 - 1 Buckeyes of  "The Ohio State University" for a game @ 12:00 p.m. The 4 - 7 Huskies of NIU won their game on Tuesday over the 6 - 5 Eastern Michigan Eagles. The Huskies play again on November 25 when they visit the 3 - 8 Kent State Golden Flashes for their final game of the season. In a game that should be a win, the 10 - 0 Mustangs of Western Michigan host the 2 - 8 Bills of Buffalo @ 3:30 p.m.

The sun will rise today @ 7:42 a.m. and set @ 5:17 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."

I was just outside with GTWD for her final out before bedtime, which provides me with the perfect segue into the current weather conditions. The NWS is reporting a current temperature of 64°, while on the DTWS, the display shows 62° based on its FPMS. In either case, it is absolutely gorgeous, albeit on the windy side with clear skies. Those conditions are forecast to extend through the balance of today with the high reaching 65°. However, the winds will strengthen throughout the day in advance of the approaching front that will produce showers sometime this evening.

Sadly, those showers will lead to the very seasonable weather that is forecast to arrive on Saturday. The high temperature will not exceed 40° with a chance of rain and snow accompanied by windy conditions. In short, winter will announce its arrival with gusto. That is much the same for Sunday too.

Oh well, I may take my travelling guitar, Abigael, to the Irish Jam session on Saturday as she is the lightest to carry. Or, I may take my banjitar or ganjo, Susanna. A game day decision.

What a great day it was yesterday. The temperatures absolutely demanded that I ride my bike, and so I did. I rode all over "The City" travelling west, north, east and south. If the old bones allow, I will repeat again today while Mary works. I like the sound of that. If it is too windy, I may not go riding. In either case, I'll be hanging both of our bikes in the rafters of the garage as this will be the last chance for me to ride until spring. Sigh.

It should be noted that in spite of our big tree being gone from the parkway, the leaves are piling up in the front lawn of the PE. I believe, as does my neighbor, Ron, that the leaves are blowing down the street from Central Park. It is ironic that the leaves need to be raked and then placed into bags that cost money. The city fathers, in their infinite wisdom, decided about four years ago that it was too expensive to provide curbside leaf removal as the other cities in the Tri-Cities area do. So, we are now paying for bags, providing the labor through sweat equity, or through a lawn service which has an additional cost and then hauling the bags to the curb on trash day for pickup.  However, the city can avoid the tax burden that it costs for leaf removal and claim they are being fiscally responsible. Hmmmm? I'll have to query our council member about that savings.

Mary and GTWD soloed again yesterday while STWD and I traveled in the opposite direction. We ended up meeting at the corner anyway, as Mary and GTWD had stopped in @ JDubs wine/cheese, and other things of interest store for some trivets. JDubs is the new store located next to JWs restaurant. Since GTWD is small, Mary was able to carry her into the store, with the owner's permission. The trivets look very nice.

Speaking of Mary, for lunch, she used her food processor to make chickpea salad for sandwiches. She had some of my famous Coleslaw, which isn't as good with carrots substituting for apples in my recipe. I made a salad to go with my sandwich. Mary used turmeric instead of paprika when making the chickpea spread and I think it tastes better. Just an opinion.

When I returned from my bike ride, I assisted with the catalog index Mary is currently working on and then I assisted with the final winding of the yarn ball that we have been working on for several sittings. It is now done. Whew!

Dinner turned out to be a sandwich for me, while Mary had something later that she had nuked. When I took GTWD out @ 12:30 a.m., I only saw the empty bowl, so I don't know what was in it.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention one last bit of baseball news for 2016, @ least for now. The Boston Red Sox' ace pitcher, Rick Porcello, won the American League Cy Young award on Wednesday as the best pitcher in the American League. He narrowly beat the Tigers' own ace, Justin Verlander for that prestigious award. Kris Bryant, the Cub's multi-position player, won the MVP award yesterday based on the tremendous year that he had had in helping the Cubs win the pennant and the World Series. Do I dare? Sure! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A9XtDyDUjIU

Today, to bike ride or not to bike ride, that is the question. Time with the girls and reading are also in the mix after the morning safari with STWD. Mary reminded me that the bananas are ready for another loaf of my world famous banana nut bread. STWD will become STSD @ that time. She provides invaluable assistance in the kitchen for that activity. Mary also plans to try a new breakfast recipe for tofu scramble that requires chopping. The recipe looks good in pictures and in its description, so here's hoping. Mary loves to chop veggies and other things and experiment with recipes. I prefer to stay with what I know how to do.

The sun will rise today @ 7:41 a.m. and set @ 5:17 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City."

I'm going to endeavor to follow the K.I.S.S. formula for this blog, let's see how it goes.

I have one-half of a trainspotting report from yesterday. At 12:06 - 12:09 p.m., the southbound run of locomotives 2019 and 2057 passed through on the RSTL. #2057 was looking crisp and clean with or without caffeine, but #2019 looked like it had been ridden, but not put away not wet.  There were 12 CHCs, one GTC, and 32 DBTCs, with 28 of those bringing up the rear.

I had been out in the gardens and lawns of the PE raking up leaves when I heard that lonesome whistle blow, I repaired to the front porch after retrieving a pad and pencil to record the passage. I waved to the engineer and then sat down to record. I do know that the cars were empty as they all made a hollow booming sound when they passed over the joints in the tracks.

Since it was straight up noon, the usual lunch time traffic was on our street and since the train was moving slowly through GH as it passed the PE, the traffic on our street began to back up, nearly all the way to 5th. For the uninitiated, that's about one and one-half blocks. Once the train cleared, the frenzy began as people were trying to accomplish their various tasks before their lunch breaks expired. I got to watch. Retirement has its privileges.

We have a current temperature of 43° according to the DTWS. The NWS has forecast that we'll have a high of 67° under partly cloudy skies later today. That forecast has convinced me that I need to ride my bike today in spite of the accompanying forecast for 15 mph winds. Tomorrow's forecast looks similar with a bit more wind, so, we'll see what happens. Mary will be staying behind to work on one of the indexes.

She did get out to the grocery store yesterday while I was reading and doing some indoor and outdoor chores, so I think I had the better set of tasks.  Later in the afternoon, we both traveled to the big-box home center in Norton Shores and the fabric store in Spring Lake for some thread. On the way home, we stopped at our favorite watering hole for dinner, because while Mary and Ginger were on safari yesterday morning, Mary met the manager and daytime bartender, Rocker, at the door of that fine establishment and that put the idea into her mind. As always, I fought hard to prevent that from happening. : - )

Today, other than reading, playing with the girls, riding my bike, and watching the world go by, I have no plans. Mary will be working on the aforementioned index and perhaps she'll do some sewing in between the morning safari and making lunch.

The sun will rise @ 7:49 a.m. and set @ 5:18 p.m. There, not bad, 30 minutes from start to finish. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "The City."

Well, that didn't last long. My intent was to blog every other day, but here I am @ past 2:30 a.m. on the day following my last blog. Ahh, the best-laid plans and all that.

Yesterday was an interesting day. We took the morning safaris, solo, as previously described. STWD and yours truly strolled east towards the Book Man and Mary headed west towards the library to drop off some books and give Ginger a chance to take care of business. I did pass in front of a work truck on the tracks of the RSTL as the intrepid one and I headed home. Neither Mary nor I traveled far, as we had plans to do more walking later in the day. More on that in a bit.

I returned from my leg of the safari to finally harvest the kale crop. Is it the last harvest? That depends on the possibility of snow. If that snow holds off, then one more crop is possible, as kale is a cold weather crop. I followed the harvest with some washing and stem removal of the kale which I then stored in the refrigerator in order to make my world famous squash & kale soup later today.

Somewhere in there, well actually @ 10:12 a.m., I watched the southbound run of locomotives 2057 & 2019 as they headed down the RSTL tracks towing six CHCs, two DBTCs, and two DWTCs that were bringing up the rear. I only had to wait until 11:58 a.m. to witness the northbound passage of those same locomotives as they towed fully laden cars consisting of eight CHCs, five DWTCs, filled with hydrochloric acid, one GTC, and three DBTCs that were bringing up the rear.

It was soon time for the aforementioned afternoon walk. STWD was allowed to stay home while Mary and I headed out with Ginger. That little dog has more energy to burn than should be allowed by law. We had decided earlier in the day to walk to and through Duncan Woods. Along the way, I observed one of the rites of fall, the placement of lawn and leaf bags @ the curb for future pick-up. The picture below is representative of the many bags along the route to Duncan Woods.

We reached Duncan Woods, which was full of pure ecstasy for Ginger, with smells and leaves in abundance. 

Duncan Woods, or as some call it, Duncan Park, was bequeathed to the City of Grand Haven in 1913 to allow future generations to enjoy the beautiful scenery. It is located just north of  the hospital.

Even as the gifted photographer that I'm not, I still was able to take some terrific pictures of the woods in all their fall glory. 

Once past the only parking lot in the woods, the quiet and serenity are amazing, as is the foliage.

Though hard to see, this tree has the names and sentiments of many of the visitors over the years  carved into its bark.

As I said, Ginger loved exploring in the leaves.

Not a bad selfie of both Mary and me sitting with Ginger the Wonder Dog (GTWD) sitting on a bench along the path.

You'll have to take my word for it, but there was a deer in the woods that had been flushed out by some other dogs.

Unbeknownst to us, the trail does have an exit into GH's Lake Forest Cemetary. 

We made it out of the woods and walked back to town following a different route. As long as you contiue to head north, you ultimately get to where you are going, in our case, home.

It was about 4:00 p.m. when we arrived, so although it was early, we decided it was time to feed the fur-children and then walk to JWs for adult libations and something to put ketchup on. Both Mary and myself logged over five miles of walking during the day. It is amazing how long you have to walk to get to 10,000 plus steps. 2,000 steps are equal to approximately one mile on our pedometers. 

When combined with the earlier safaris and our regular activities of daily living, we got our recommended daily dose of exercise. 

Mary made a tasty late breakfast/early lunch of salad and vegan ham sandwiches on toasted rye bread. Since we had some French fries with ketchup @ JWs, dinner for me became snacks in the media room. I didn't share with Ginger, but as for STWD, I'm not saying. 

Earlier in the day, I sat down and played with the girls for nearly one-hour. I sounded good, at least to me.

Today, I am going to make that aforementioned squash and kale soup and do more reading. Mary has to sit down and work on one of the now accumulating indexing jobs that have recently come in. I am mostly done with the outdoor chores and activities in the lawns and gardens of the vast PE, so some indoor chores activities will be a nice change of pace.

We have a current temperature of 42° under partly cloudy skies. However, the moon is visible. Neither Mary nor I see anything special about the once every 70-year appearance. Later today, the high temperature is forecast to reach 55° under partly cloudy skies. As the week unfolds, temperatures are forecast to reach the mid-60° range before dropping into the 40s by Saturday, just in time for my Irish Jam session @ the library. 

The sun will rise @ 7:37 a.m. and set @ 5:20 p.m. Ciao.

Good evening GH, wherever you may be. It is just past 11:00 p.m. in "The City." I thought in keeping with my newest blogging plans, I'd sit down and combine two days worth of information into one blog tonight.

Yesterday was another in a long line of days where not much happened after the morning safari. Mary took Ginger for an extended walk while STWD and I took a shorter walk. We listened to the Pet Files program on WOOD radio yesterday morning and learned that some of Sugar's reticence regarding going out may be due to her age. Apparently, she knows her limitations better than we do. So rather than challenge and tax her with a combined walk with Ginger, who is young and full of energy, it made more sense to walk the intrepid one by herself. The same approach was taken today.

While they were out, Mary and Ginger snapped some pictures of the channel and the empty docks located there.

This picture was taken by the boat basin @ Coast Guard Station Grand Haven.

The channel was very choppy, according to Mary.

The empty docks await the charter boats that will return next year.

I turned out to be all too prescient regarding the football game between the Hawkeyes of Iowa and the Wolverines of Michigan last night. The game was low scoring and the Wolverines never got their offense untracked. As such, the Hawkeyes prevailed over the Wolverines by a score of 14 - 13, leaving the Wolverines @ 6 - 1 in the Big 10. The Wolverines were not alone in notching their first loss, as several other unbeaten teams were also beaten for the first time.

The Spartans of MSU crushed the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, 49 - 0. Sadly, the Spartans are not in the bowl mix this year. Their Big 10 record of 3 - 7 precludes that possibility. Their victory yesterday was an anomaly in a mostly dismal season. The loss for Rutgers was also not an anolmaly.

Not to be outdone, the Bears fell to the Buccaneers of Tampa Bay, 10 - 36. That gives the Bears a record of 2 - 7.

I did some work around the manse yesterday along with some reading. I finished my book this evening. Today after a breakfast of vegan breakfast sausages and blueberry pancakes that Mary whipped up in her kitchen, I worked in the gardens of the PE before we walked downtown. We ended up @ Double Deuce where we had a great bean and rice burrito with chips and red sauce. In keeping with our vegan lifestyle, we had a burrito made sans cheese and sour cream.

Tomorrow, we plan to take the morning safaris independently once again. The weather promises to be 55° under mostly cloudy skies. Right now the current temperature is 51°,  and the skies are mostly clear so the moon is very visible. I understand that it is a super moon of the type that has not been seen in nearly 70 years.

The sun will rise tomorrow morning @ 7:36 a.m. and set @ 5:21 p.m. I have no specific plans other than to start another book and spend some time with the girls. I have been neglecting them of late and that needs to change. Mary has a set of forms to return to her new/old client so that they can get her in their database for payment. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "The City."

I've decided that an every other day blog may be in order for the foreseeable future. Not that I don't have anything to say, I'm just enjoying the opportunity to sleep in a nice warm bed with my dogs and Mary on most nights. Like most things, that idea is subject to change at a moments notice, so be sure to check back to make sure I haven't changed my mind. Just saying.

The current temperature is 31° under clear skies. The temperature on the DTWS Desktop Weather Station) shows 34°. However, the DTWS received its input from the FPMS, (Front Porch Mounted Sensor), while the NWS in GR gets its input from other sources. Which is more accurate here in "The City?" I'd go with the DTWS.

I got good news on Thursday morning. Mary got info in her email that the GHBLP, that's the Grand Haven Board ofLightt and Power, offers an over 65 discount on electric billing. I followed up with the Board in an email inquiry and very quickly received a response that they have my birth date on file and our that next bill will reflect that discount. I didn't ask the percentage, but anything is better than nothing.

It looks like we are finally done with the painting here at the manse. The rooms look great, so now all that is left is the downstair's bedroom, and the entrance hallway/foyer. There is some outdoor painting scheduled for next spring, but that is out there, so to speak.

I refinished one of the bathroom cabinet fronts that I have been meaning to get to, literally for months. It turned out great, but it had been sanded to bare wood, so I have to try one of the drawer/cabinet front panels that has not been sanded all the way to bare wood to see what will happen. That's out there somewhere.

I did get some indoor work done yesterday, and so we are returning to normal in all areas of the manse. Mary has some sewing to do, and I have other chores, but we should be approaching our new normal very soon. Collectively we are nearing the end of the great yarn ball caper. Another hour or so and we will be done, I hope.

The morning safari yesterday was an event. I had already taken Ginger for her morning safari because Mary had a conference call with that old client that I mentioned the other day. She proposed an acceptable rate, and so she will be doing more work for them. Her call lasted a scant 10 - 15 minutes, so she decided to accompany me for the walk with Sugar rather than my soloing. I had to stop at the library for a few minutes on the way home, so Mary graciously offered to lead both of the fur-children the balance of the way home.

What neither of us knew, was that the rifle squad from the Post would be firing rounds in Central Park in honor of all of America's veterans for Veteran's Day. Of course, STWD has a fear of all things that go boom, so when she heard those volleys go off as they passed the park, she was off to the races, headed for home while Mary was being pulled helplessly along for the ride with Ginger on one hand and the intrepid one pulling hard on the other. Fortunately, an ice pack soon fixed Mary's aching thumb. Oops!

We did go to Spring Lake for a stop @ the Love Inc. resale store in the late afternoon that yielded some warm PJs for Mary and a basket for the mudroom that is now home to the numerous bags required for Ginger and Sugar's safaris @ all times of the day and/or night. We also stopped @ Stans while we were in Spring Lake.

Today there is much time but not much that that needs to be done. Mary and I plan to read and I'll be spending some time with the girls if all goes as planned. I'll tackle more of the indoor chores, but those are gong to be stretched out over several days, as there is college football to watch.

Speaking of college football, the 9 - 0 Wolverines of Michigan face the 5 - 4 Hawkeyes of Iowa tonight in Iowa City, IA @ 8:00 p.m. The Wolverines are looking good, but upsets can come from any team @ any time. The 2 - 7 Spartans of MSU host the  2 - 7 Scarlet Knights of Rutgers @ 12:00 p.m. Both teams are 0 - 6 in the Big 10. The 3 - 7 Huskies of Northern Illinois University played on Tuesday and lost to the 8 - 2 Toledo Rockets. 24 - 31. The Huskies play again on Tuesday against the 6 - 4 Eastern Michigan Eagles. Both teams are in the Mac 10 Conference.

We'll be taking the morning safari today, both of us and the fur-children, and then we can settle in for doing nothing, but doing it well.

The sun will rise today @ 7:34 a.m. and set @ 5:23 p.m.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City."

Yes, my loyal readers, I have been incognito for a day. Somehow after the late night that I had on Tuesday/Wednesday, I just didn't have the energy to write. I may have limited energy today too, but that remains to be seen.

Yesterday was a pleasant day here on the PE. I gathered some leaves as Mary worked indoors on some computer type things. I found time to do some small painting projects too, but that's another story.

We took the morning safari, but I didn't get very far because something spooked STWD and she turned tail, literally, and we headed home after her morning business was accomplished. She couldn't get home to her hide-e-hole fast enough to satisfy her needs. I'll never know what is going on with her some days.

Mary and Ginger continued blithely on their way to the newspaper box and returned home some time later with the latest edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. I was in the man-cave when the morning run of locomotives 2019 and 2057 rolled through on the RSTL, so I had to rely on my apprentice trainspotter for the needed spot information. She did her best, but she still has a lot to learn before she earns her journeyman's card.

At any rate, I was able to decipher her efforts to learn that locomotives 2019 and 2057 passed by heading south at about 10:45 a.m. In tow, they had five CHCs, 14 DBTCs, two brown tank cars, probably just rusty DBTCs, and three DWTCs. I don't know anything about the northbound run as we were in Holland to visit the cookware store and the spice store when that run likely occurred. Holland was a pleasant experience as the weather was nice and the sun was shining.

Speaking of the weather, the current temperature is 52° under clear skies. Later today our high temperature has been forecast to be anywhere between 59° to 62° under sunny skies. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:31 a.m. and set @ 5 25 p.m. Those temperatures are a marked contrast to San Diego, CA, where Adam and Steph are visiting for few days. Their high-temperature yesterday reached 95°! I'll skip that.

Today, I need some reading time after the morning safari. I want to play more with the girls and I have some painting in the man-cave that I need to finish too along with mounting some of the things that I've painted. I'll fit it all in somehow.

Mary has to do some index planning I believe, at least something that is index related. She made contact yesterday with an old client whom she hadn't heard from for several years.

Otherwise, no plans are in the offing. That's fine with me. Frankly, I'm tired of having to do things that are pre-planned. Ciao.

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

What was it that Agent 86, AKA Maxwell Smart from the 1960 TV series Get Smart used to say? Oh yeah, Sorryy bout that." I'm sorry that I didn't get to blogging yesterday, but I was just too tired from all of the craziness around the PE over the last couple of weeks. Painting, yard chores, and other sundry activities left me drained. I'm relatively certain that the late nights watching the Cubs Win!, Cubs Win!, Cubs Win! had something to do with it too. At least in that one case, I have to plead mea culpa and quote part of the lyrics from an old song by country singer Ronnie Milsap and say, "I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

It is also official, we have canceled our travel plans. Some of that was fostered by a desire to stay home with our newest fur-child, Ginger, and some of it was just a desire to want some down time from that aforementioned craziness here in and on the PE. At any rate, we'll plan something for early next year.

I have a partial trainspotting report from yesterday. We were out on the morning safari, and I heard that lonesome whistle blow on the RSTL. We were able to watch EMD GP 38-2 locomotive #2019 plying the rails all by itself as it traversed the tracks heading south @ 11:45 a.m. In tow were three CHCs, two DBTCs, and three DWTCs that were bringing up the rear. We were @ JWs for some adult beverages when we heard that lonesome whistle one again @ about 4:45 p.m. I didn't get up to look, so I can't report on the locomotive(s) nor the cars in tow. However, it is likely that the same locomotive was heading north, once again solo.

We are making progress on getting the manse back to normal. Mary has made good progress towards storing things in their previous or new homes and we are both in the process of placing/replacing some hat hooks and wall hangings. I am working on a repaint of a metal hook that used to be in the mudroom, but which will now be in Mary's kitchen to hold our aprons. With a bit of luck, I'll finish that up today and get it mounted.

Mary crafted a new Sloppy Joes recipe for lunch yesterday after we returned from the morning safari. Lots of chopping and some slight variations produced an excellent lunch which we both have dubbed a keeper. Dinner was tacos that utilized more of Mary's roast beest and some black beans that also tasted good.

I learned something yesterday. Like her sister, STWD, Ginger likes spicy chickpeas as a snack. Ginger eschews fruits and other vegetables, but she likes the chickpeas. Go figure.

Today is going to be a great day because it will bring an end to the seemingly endless political commercials here in Michigan. We live in what has been called a "Swing State" or "Battle Ground State" with no early voting. So, we are being bombarded with non-stop ads that either tout one candidate and their record or denigrate their opponent in several statewide and/or national races. We have been looking at cabins in the woods that don't have cable nor any other form of TV. When coupled with what seems to be a daily barrage of noise from machinery, leaf blowers, and other construction equipment, we need some R & R.

Today. we'll take the morning safari with the fur-children and then get back to the activities of daily living here @ the PE. I'll be finishing my painting and placing the remainder of those hat hooks in the mud room, while Mary will do some sort of cooking and craft things. Collectively, we'll finish making a ball out of the yarn tangle that it currently is. The yarn will allow Mary to knit a way-cool shawl but somehow, the skein of yarn became more like a bird's nest than a knitting project. We did more yesterday but stopped because I wanted to ride my bike on a beautiful day. Today will not be as beautiful, so it was a righteous decision. I had a nice ride of about five miles through "The City" and for me, that is always a pleasure.

Speaking of the weather, the current temperature is 50° under cloudy skies. Those cloudy skies may lead to showers later this morning with a 40% chance. The high later today is forecast by the NWS to be 57° with winds @ 15 mph. Not good bike riding weather, but good for indoor activities.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:28 a.m. and set @ 5:27 this evening. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. EST in "The City."

Wow, it sure is dark out. I guess moving the clocks back one-hour made a real difference. At any rate, I once again performed that semi-annual ritual of resetting my Citizen's™ watch to the correct time Fortunately, I have the time instructions on my bookmark's bar for handy reference. Now all I have to do is reset the myriad clocks that are located around the manse of the PE. None of those will be as challenging as my wristwatch.

An anonymous old Native American was quoted as saying, "Only a white man would believe that you could cut a foot off of the top of a blanket and sew it to the bottom of a blanket and have a longer blanket." I think he was right, at least when it comes to my wristwatch.

It looks like we are done with the painting, at least on the interior. There is one spot on the wall of the dining room that needs attention, but I may take care of that myself if Mary is amenable. It will require some spackling and additional paint. Since we paid for the repainting, we may just have John come by and take care of that spot.

We are finally done with the purchasing of paint, accessories, and sundry items to complete the makeover. In addition, we had to go to the mall to get new shoes for Mary and make a few other stops. We are both so done with traveling to stores, be they of the big, medium, or small box variety, to get those things. I know that I won't get into the car for any reason today that I can anticipate.

We took a walk to the big-box home center yesterday morning with the fur-children to pick up those aforementioned mouse traps and some other sundry things. By the time we returned, STWD was spent and ready for her nap. Ginger was still ready to go. The intrepid one is a septuagenarian in dog years, whereas Ginger is a teenager by that measure. I'm more like Sugar than Ginger.

Speaking of Mary, and all of the recent traveling about, I am fully supportive of her possible wishes to change our upcoming travel plans. She is concerned that our newest fur-child, Ginger, will be traumatized by our leaving so soon after Ginger's recent adoption. Adopting a fur-child can more difficult, rewarding, and challenging than adopting a human child. At any rate, we have to decide soon.

Did I mention that the Chicago Cubs are the 2016 World Champions? If I didn't, here is a quick reminder courtesy of Saturday Night Live . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og_oKpMfvoA. As a die-hard Cubs" fan, I couldn't resist including this video from You Tube™.

Yesterday's sports news only included college football, at least for me. The now 2 - 7 MSU Spartans fell to the now 3 - 6 University of Illinois Fighting Illini by a final score of 27 - 31. Sigh, I don't see a bowl bid in the future for the Spartans.

The 9 - 0 Wolverines of Michigan crushed the 5 - 4 Terrapins of Maryland by a final score of 59 - 3. I see a bowl bid in the Wolverines' future as they are undefeated in the Big-10, which no other team is as of this date.

The 3 - 6 Huskies of Northern Illinois last played on November 1 when they defeated the 1 - 8 Falcons of Bowling Green by a final score of 45 - 20. The Huskies return to action again on November 9, as they take on the 7 - 2 Rockets of Toledo.

Later today, the 4 - 4 Detroit Lions play the 5 - 2 Minnesota Vikings before the Lions head into their bye week. The 2 - 6 Chicago Bears are in their bye week after they defeated the Vikings by a 20 - 10 score last time out.

Today I have some work to do in or on the lawns and gardens of the vast PE. Leaves to rake and bag, kale to harvest and that should round out my outdoor activities. Mary is still trying to find the bottom of our topsy-turvy manse post painting. I have to mount the doors of the new cabinet in the mud/laundry room too. We will both take some time to read the Grand Haven Tribune that we picked up on the morning safari yesterday. Then Mary can repair to her kitchen and I'll get on to my other chores.

The current temperature is 43° with foggy conditions. Later today, after the sun rises @ 7:26 a.m. and before it sets @ 5:29 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a high of 63° under partly cloudy skies. No rain is in that forecast. Ciao.