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

The snow, like Olympus, has finally fallen. I took a look out the Weather Window (WW) and sure enough, just as the NWS and their disciples have been predicting, the street in front of the Palatial Estate (PE) is snow covered. That means that when it comes time for Ginger the Wonder Dog (GTWD) to go out and do her business, I'm not going to like it as much as she does. Oh well, that's the love/hate thing we Michiganders have with the weather. The spring is almost always wet and the summers are generally comfortable, while fall can be unpredictable. The current fall, which doesn't actually end until midnight on December 20, has been mostly warmer and dry. While I will have to perform snow removal duties, that's the extent of my outdoor chores at this time of year.

We have a current temperature of 24° per the NWS, or 25.3° according to the DTWS and its FPMS. Oddly, the usual indicators on the display of the DTWS that indicate precipitation are not showing. Go figure. At any rate, there is a "Winter Weather Advisory" in effect for our county, Ottawa, along with many of the other counties along the shores of the "Big Lake." Snowfall amounts are forecast to exceed five inches and may be more than 10 inches, depending on local conditions. Since we live so close to the shores of the "Big Lake" our local conditions either allow us to dodge a storm or get slammed by one. It looks like we are going to be slammed. So much for the "Sweet Spot" that we have been enjoying

I guess that the chance to continue reading is upon me. I checked out a book from the library that is about Teddy Roosevelt, The Bully Pulpit, written by Doris Kears Goodwin. In the large-type format, this book is 1,264 pages in length. I know from looking @ Amazon, that this book is over 900 pages in paperback form and in regular size typeface, it must exceed 800 pages. I also know that in that format, it weighs in @ a hefty 1.6 pounds. This large-type format probably weighs more. I've decided to read specific chapters or I'll have to spend six years reading this book, not unlike the amount of time it took Goodwin to write it. I just don't have that much reading in me anymore.

I had a very productive day yesterday. I accomplished several indoor chores and also made lunch for Mary and yours truly. Mary was hard at work on the current indexing project which will continue today so I will be on my own for safaris and meals. Once the fur-children are walked and the snow has been removed, I'm in for the duration. The Lions are surging while the Bears are experiencing another year of futility.

Speaking of meals, I made a new recipe yesterday that required the chopping of sweet potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery, which when combined with chickpeas, tomato paste, fresh parsley, and several spices, yielded a savory stew. Since it was supposed to be a side-dish type of food with from one to three servings, when accompanied by a large slice of flatbread, Mary suggested that I double the recipe amounts as we were having it as a main meal. Seemingly a good idea, but we have copious amounts of leftovers. Oh well, once again the chief cook and vegetable chopper pronounced my efforts excellent.

Mary loves chopping vegetables and things while I love eating those vegetables. For her, a chance to chop is pure ecstasy, while for me it is work. Plus, the pot that she recommended was way too small and the one I ended up using, while large enough, literally boiled over on the stovetop requiring a lot of clean-up time. At least that gave me the chance to also do a lot of serious scrubbing of the various pots and pans used in preparation along with the stovetop itself. I have a renewed respect for what she loves. I retired to my music room afterward to play with the girls for about one hour.

I did get to enjoy one of my favorite activities while I was chopping/cooking, listening to Christmas music on the radio in the kitchen. I don't get the chance to listen to Christmas music 11 months of the year, so I enjoyed my time in the kitchen doing the chopping and listening. In fact, right now, I am listening to Christmas music on iHeart.

I have no plans for today other than snow removal and the morning and afternoon safaris with the fur-children. I'll probably spend some time watching football and listening to Christmas music while I read.

The sun will rise today @ 8:06 a.m. and set @ 5:09 p.m. as the snow continues to fall until early Monday morning. Ciao.