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

If I ever understand how to predict the trains that ply the rails of the RSTL, I'll be amazed. Yesterday, @ 4:55 a.m., the northbound run of the train passed through our fair city on the rails outside the manse. I must have missed the earlier southbound run when we were out. At any rate, locomotives 2057 and 2019 were moving up the rails, accepting that a northward direction is up, towing the following cars, all fully loaded: 33 DBTCs, one GTC, and four DWTCs.

We had gone to the grocery store to gather the supplies for our Christmas dinner and then traveled to the New Ewe Yarns and Quilt shop in Newaygo so that Mary could retrieve her Christmas stocking filled with craft type goodies.

We had planned to have lunch near there, but when we exited the store, snowflakes were beginning to fall, so we made an executive decision to head for home. We did make a stop at a kitchen supply store in Newaygo so that I could get an additional bread pan, an oil sprayer for my bread baking, and some bamboo stirrers. Then we skedaddled towards home. We did make some additional stops along the way in search of a hand mixer which we ended up getting at the Dollar General in Spring Lake. By the time we had gotten closer to home, the snow had stopped.

We stopped @ the Tip - A - Few Tavern for a late lunch and there I had a sample of a whiskey named Rebel Yell Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey distilled in Louisville, KY. Like all Kentucky bourbons, it had been distilled for 10 years. It had an amazing root beer taste/flavor that would be superb in an alcoholic root beer float. I may have to seek more.

I took GTWD and STWD outside @ 3:45 a.m. and the weather was windy but mild. The current temperature is 38° under partly cloudy skies. We have only a 10% chance for precipitation later today. However, that will increase to 50% by Friday with rain/snow showers in the evening. Christmas Day, the chance of showers increases to 30% as the temperature also stays the same. By Monday, Boxing Day, the high temperature is forecast by the NWS to reach a zenith of 47° before plunging back to a more wintry 27° on Tuesday. Much like Chicago, if you don't like the weather, wait an hour.

While we were out yesterday, I received a 2016 National Parks Quarter in change that depicts our 26th president, Teddy Roosevelt. As a driving force for creating our national parks, it is appropriate that he be on one of the quarters. However, it is ironic that his quarter is for N. Dakota, as this has been and continues to be, the site of the protests over the Dakota Access Pipeline that would threaten the water supply for millions of people if it leaks into the aquifer or the river that it would pass under.

The safety record for all oil pipelines and their owners is not good and the company that is building this one has a similar record. Despite studies, there is no such thing as a 100% leakproof pipeline. Clean up efforts/technology never remove all of the contamination after a spill/leak. Just ask the people who live along the Gulf of Mexico or near the Kalamazoo River here in Michigan and numerous other places. The pursuit of profits for the short term would risk the water supply for decades if a leak occurred. The Army Corps of Engineers has called a halt to the project, but what will happen in the future is unknown.

Today, I am planning on baking some of my world famous banana nut bread in our new bread pan. Both of our Sous Dogs will be at the ready, I'm sure. I'll get a chance to try out my new hand-held mixer on the bread ingredient mixing. Mary plans to get to work on the valences for my music room/weather office. She has the time right now, so I hope she can get them done. I do know that she has some kitchen activities in her plans too, but I get first dibs.

Otherwise, the fur-children will need their regular outdoor activities and the girls still await my caresses. I have a routine doctor's appointment this morning which will necessitate a stop at the hospital salad bar for lunch. I won't have to twist Mary's arm to accompany me to this appointment. Is it just me, or does time go faster as we get older? No matter what, the sun will rise today @ 8:14 a.m. and set @ 5:13 p.m. Ciao.