Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."

The view out the WW confirms what the NWS has issued as its forecast. It is dark and cloudy outside. The current temperature is 38 degrees from both the NWS report @  Weather.com™ and according to my DTWS. Later today, after the sun has risen @ 7:16 a.m. and long before it sets @ 8:18 p.m., the high temperature will reach a forecast high of  46°. Gusty winds will still predominate, however, the skies are expected to be sunny. That's a far cry from the "Hair on fire!" forecast from the NWS and the majority of the local meteorologists here in W. MI. I'm actually OK with that news

We took a short walk with the fur-children yesterday to The Bookman. It was so windy, "How windy was it, Jack?" you ask. "It was so windy that we could lean into the wind and stay upright, that's how windy it was." That led us to put the fur-children in the car and take them to the groomer for a nail trim rather than walk them over as we usually do.

We followed that activity with a return visit to a big-box home center as I mentioned yesterday. We picked up a new toilet that will fit the space we have, and yes Adam, I did tell Mary that we would have to make that trip. Actually, the trip was uneventful and the transaction went smoothly. Unfortunately, we now have to return the other toilet that we purchased at another big-box home center last Monday.

We did make a stop @ our local pet supply purveyor, Chowhound™, after the big-box home center to pick up an additional tether for the personal use of Ginger. I should mention that we also stopped off @ The City Farmer™ prior to that big0box stop, getting a replacement toy for Ginger to chew on when she is bored, along with a replacement pad for her crate since the old one was looking rather "used."

With my bad yak, I had to have the toilet loaded @ the home center and also have John take it out of the car here @ the manse and load the other toilet back into the car. Naturally, I'll have to have someone take the toilet out of the car at the other end of our trip for its return. Oh well, another concession to my age I guess.

Our next to last stop was @ Stan's in Spring Lake and then a final stop @ Papa Murphy's™ "Take and Bake Pizza" pizza store, to pick up one of our signature vegetarian delight pizzas without cheese. Finally, home, where we met John for those other aforementioned activities.

GTTSD and I witnessed the passage of two trains yesterday. At 9:25 a.m., EMD GP 38-2 locomotives 2018 and 2057 passed by heading south. In tow, they had only seven DBTCs.

Later in the afternoon, @ 2:14 p.m., GTTSD and I witnessed the northbound run of those same locomotives. However, this time, there were many more cars in tow. Eight CHCs, two DWTCs 29 DBTCS, and one possibly DRTC, Dreaded Red Tank Car. I was unable to find any information as to why this car was painted red. Perhaps it was carrying fuel oil. I have no answer @ this time. Stay tuned.

There was mostly good news on the sports scene yesterday. The Cubs in a bizarre game in St. Louis, defeated the Cardinals by a final score of 6 - 4, to move to 2 - 1 in the NL Central on the young season. I say bizarre because the Cubs won due to a baseball that became stuck to the chest protector of Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina after it hit the dirt in front of home plate. How and why the ball became stuck no one seems to know or is willing to say. That oddity gave the Cubs new life and they went on to the win.

My beloved Red Sox were postponed in their game with the Pirates @ Fenway due to rain. The Pirates will have to return to Fenway next week for a makeup game. The Sox won their game on Wednesday night in 12 innings with a three-run homer off the bat of catcher Sandy Leon. Chris Sales, a former pitcher for that other team from Chicago, looked great in his Red Sox debut. The 2 - 0 in the AL East Sox are off to Detroit to face the Tigers @ 1:10 p.m. today for the Tiger's 2017 home opener. Now I am once again on the horns of a dilemma.

Speaking of the Tigers and that other team from Chicago, the Tigers fell hard to that other team with a loss on Thursday afternoon, 2 - 11. With the bad weather causing two rainouts in Chicago, the Tigers are now 0 - 1 in the AL Central.

In other sports news, The West Michigan White Caps, AKA The Caps, were rained out in their home opener on Thursday against the South Bend, IN cubs. They will attempt to play two today @ the Fifth Third Ballpark in Grand Rapids/Comstock Park, MI. The Caps have another series against the South Bend Cubs beginning on April 13 with a Sunday afternoon game @ 4:00 p.m. I'd like to go, but I'm not into cold weather baseball at this stage of my life. The long-range weather forecast calls for a high of 64° with showers a strong possibility.

Today, I will get busy refinishing the bathroom vanity after we take the morning safari with the fur-children. I would like to get some time in with the girls and do some additional reading in a book that is due on Saturday. Mary will decide on her own day's activities. I believe she is due to make a spicy tomato loaf or an extraordinary beest, which I prefer. Ciao