Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City."
There is a gentle breeze coming in the WW of the weather office/music room/blog central that is producing an indoor temperature that is equal to that which is outside the WW of 68° under cloudy skies. Later today, after the sun rises @ 6:08 a.m. and well before it sets @ 9:28 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 76° with only a 20% chance of precipitation. The NWS is also forecasting a possibility of T-storms this evening, albeit with only a 50% probability.
I was right and wrong regarding my trainspotting activity on Wednesday. Yesterday, locomotive #2019 was observed heading north @ 10:47 a.m. at the head of the following cars: four CHCs, 12 DBTCs, two GTCs, and two DWTCs. I don't anticipate additional rail traffic today.
Sports news yesterday was the mirror image of Wednesday's results.
The Cubs defeated the Nats in the rubber game of their series by a slim margin of 5 - 4. That win gives the Cubs a record of 40 - 39 in the NL East and sole possession of 2nd place. The Cubs move on to Cincinnati to face the Reds tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
The Tigers were also victorious, defeating the Royals 7 - 3 @ Comerica Park in Detroit. That win moves the Tigers to an AL Central record of 35 - 43 and sole possession of 4th place. The Tigers welcome the Cleveland Indians to Comerica Park tonight, also @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox tripped the Twins, 6 - 3 last night to move into sole possession of 1st place by one game over the losing NY Yankees. The Sox hit the road for a game in Toronto tonight against the Bluejays @ an odd starting time of 7:07 p.m.
The Caps also won their game over the visiting Dayton Dragons, 3 - 0. That gives the Caps a first place tie with the Ft. Wayne TinCaps in the MWL East with identical records of 7 - 1. The Caps are home tonight @ the Fifth/Third Ballpark to take on the Great Lakes Loons @ 7:00 p.m.
We walked with the fur-children to the veterinarian's office for a weigh-in. Sadly, Sugar is not losing any weight and Ginger is holding her own, but needs to be watched. Later, we walked to the chiropractor and then downtown to our favorite watering hole for dinner. Altogether, we walked a shade more than four miles yesterday. Those totals are based on my pedometer, as Mary lost hers somewhere over the last few days and has ordered a new one that is due to arrive today.
We have plans today to make some hotel reservations for next year's Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix @ Belle Island to be held June 1 - 3, 2018. Hotel reservations are necessary this far in advance to ensure a room for this popular event.
Otherwise, I plan to read and Mary plans to do some cooking and crafty things. Ciao.
Friday, June 30, 2017
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 12:30 a.m. in "The City."
In case you were wondering, I won't have to water the lawns and gardens of the vast PE for several days. We are experiencing severe T-storms right now and have been for quite a while. Later today, the chance of additional rain drops to 50% and by Friday, we go back to an 80% chance of more T-storms. Fortunately, this is Michigan in the summer. It could be snow. We have a current temperature of 64° and our high today is forecast to reach 76° according to the NWS.
I/we spotted only one train yesterday. I/we witnessed the southbound run of MMRR EMD GP38-2 locomotive #2019 as it plied the rails of the RSTL between 11:03 - 11:05 a.m. Mary, Ginger, STWD, and I had nearly returned from the library when we heard that lonesome whistle blow as the single locomotive towed 29 CHCs, and five DWTCs. None of us saw nor heard a northbound run.
Sports news yesterday produced an O-fer. By that, I mean that all of my teams lost their games, some in spectacular fashion.
Let's start with the Cubs, about whom I am currently reading a non-fiction book entitled: The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building The Best Team In Baseball And Breaking The Curse. by Tom Verducci. I have only just begun, but so far, this is an entertaining trip.
But I digress, as is often my wont. The Cubs took it on the chin from the Washington Nationals last night, 4 - 8 in spite of a prodigious home-run off the bat of Anthony Rizzo in the top of the 8th. Unfortunately, John Lackey gave up another of his Major League leading 24 home runs as the Nationals put on their heavy-hitting shoes and came out swinging. In the aforementioned book, Cubs' President Theo Epstein is described as a baseball genius. Let's see if he can do something that is rare in Chicago sports and send Lackey and his home run allowing pitching packing in spite of Lackey's big dollar contract.
I almost forgot to mention that the Cubs did do one thing that might help, they designated highly paid backup catcher Miguel Montero for assignment and brought in a new backup catcher, after Montero placed the blame for the seven bases stolen by the Nats in the previous game on the shoulders of Jake Arrieta. While I am no fan of the way that Arrieta's velocity has dropped this year, this is not the way to ingratiate yourself with your teammates. Montero makes big money to work two days a week for six months. Like our librarian. Toni Runtz used to say. "Sit down, shut up, and wear beige."
In last night's game, Kris Bryant injured his ankle and is listed as day to day. The Cubs now have a 39 - 39 record in the NL Central and are still in 2nd place in spite of their best efforts to drop further. The Cubs and the Nats play again today @ 4:05 p.m.
The Tigers went back to their losing ways too, as they dropped a game to the Royals, 2 - 8, to fall to a full seven games behind the AL Central Division leading Cleveland Indians. The Tigers now have a record of 34 - 43 and looked like what they are, a bad baseball team.
I read a reprinted article yesterday in our local newspaper, The Grand Haven Tribune, in which the writer noted that it isn't Brad Ausmus' fault that the Tigers are bad, it is the fault of bloated, long-term contracts and aging players. Duh! Still, as I've noted before, the manager usually takes the blame. So, we'll see just how long the Tigers' GM allows this team to underachieve. He can always blame Ausmus and the previous GM. Oh, the Tigers will continue their losing ways today against those same Royals @ 1:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox lost to the Twins, 1 - 4. Fortunately, the Yankiees lost once again and so the Sox are still in 1st plce in the AL East by one-half game. The Sox have a record of 43 - 35 and play the Twins again today @ 7:10 p.m.
To complete my 0-fer day, the Caps finally lost one to their MWL East division rivals, the Dayton Dragons, which allowed the Ft. Wayne TinCaps to tie the Caps for 1st place, with identical 6 - 1 records in the 2nd half of the season. The Caps and the Dragons play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Let's move on to better news. My camera lives again, thanks to our IT guru's suggestion to reprogram the date in the camera. I can now download pictures to my photos file and easily find them. So, since Mary told me when I was in the man-cave doing some painting, that the waves were breaking huge on "The Big Lake" we needed to go and take some pictures, which we did. I'll share them without comment now.
In addition to us, Ginger went along for the ride and then came home to crash from all of the excitement.
On the way home, we detoured through Grand Haven's Lake Foret Cemetery and Mary took a picture of an interesting looking tree.
I was downstairs a few moments ago to assist in the closure of the downstairs, hard to close open and old windows in the manse. It takes two hands and some upper body strength.
I plan to complete my painting chore today and then replace the top to the storage cabinet in the mud room. Mary plans to do some batch bean cooking and also try some new recipes that use those beans. Yesterday, she used some rice and vegan chicken that she had made previously to make two meals, a delicious stir-fry, and some fried rice. I liked both of her efforts.
Otherwise, the fur-children will need to be walked if it isn't raining and I plan to read more and play more with the girls after the sun rises @ 6:07 a.m. and well before it sets @ 9:28 p.m. We also have an appointment at the chiropractor too. Ciao.
In case you were wondering, I won't have to water the lawns and gardens of the vast PE for several days. We are experiencing severe T-storms right now and have been for quite a while. Later today, the chance of additional rain drops to 50% and by Friday, we go back to an 80% chance of more T-storms. Fortunately, this is Michigan in the summer. It could be snow. We have a current temperature of 64° and our high today is forecast to reach 76° according to the NWS.
I/we spotted only one train yesterday. I/we witnessed the southbound run of MMRR EMD GP38-2 locomotive #2019 as it plied the rails of the RSTL between 11:03 - 11:05 a.m. Mary, Ginger, STWD, and I had nearly returned from the library when we heard that lonesome whistle blow as the single locomotive towed 29 CHCs, and five DWTCs. None of us saw nor heard a northbound run.
Sports news yesterday produced an O-fer. By that, I mean that all of my teams lost their games, some in spectacular fashion.
Let's start with the Cubs, about whom I am currently reading a non-fiction book entitled: The Cubs Way: The Zen of Building The Best Team In Baseball And Breaking The Curse. by Tom Verducci. I have only just begun, but so far, this is an entertaining trip.
But I digress, as is often my wont. The Cubs took it on the chin from the Washington Nationals last night, 4 - 8 in spite of a prodigious home-run off the bat of Anthony Rizzo in the top of the 8th. Unfortunately, John Lackey gave up another of his Major League leading 24 home runs as the Nationals put on their heavy-hitting shoes and came out swinging. In the aforementioned book, Cubs' President Theo Epstein is described as a baseball genius. Let's see if he can do something that is rare in Chicago sports and send Lackey and his home run allowing pitching packing in spite of Lackey's big dollar contract.
I almost forgot to mention that the Cubs did do one thing that might help, they designated highly paid backup catcher Miguel Montero for assignment and brought in a new backup catcher, after Montero placed the blame for the seven bases stolen by the Nats in the previous game on the shoulders of Jake Arrieta. While I am no fan of the way that Arrieta's velocity has dropped this year, this is not the way to ingratiate yourself with your teammates. Montero makes big money to work two days a week for six months. Like our librarian. Toni Runtz used to say. "Sit down, shut up, and wear beige."
In last night's game, Kris Bryant injured his ankle and is listed as day to day. The Cubs now have a 39 - 39 record in the NL Central and are still in 2nd place in spite of their best efforts to drop further. The Cubs and the Nats play again today @ 4:05 p.m.
The Tigers went back to their losing ways too, as they dropped a game to the Royals, 2 - 8, to fall to a full seven games behind the AL Central Division leading Cleveland Indians. The Tigers now have a record of 34 - 43 and looked like what they are, a bad baseball team.
I read a reprinted article yesterday in our local newspaper, The Grand Haven Tribune, in which the writer noted that it isn't Brad Ausmus' fault that the Tigers are bad, it is the fault of bloated, long-term contracts and aging players. Duh! Still, as I've noted before, the manager usually takes the blame. So, we'll see just how long the Tigers' GM allows this team to underachieve. He can always blame Ausmus and the previous GM. Oh, the Tigers will continue their losing ways today against those same Royals @ 1:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox lost to the Twins, 1 - 4. Fortunately, the Yankiees lost once again and so the Sox are still in 1st plce in the AL East by one-half game. The Sox have a record of 43 - 35 and play the Twins again today @ 7:10 p.m.
To complete my 0-fer day, the Caps finally lost one to their MWL East division rivals, the Dayton Dragons, which allowed the Ft. Wayne TinCaps to tie the Caps for 1st place, with identical 6 - 1 records in the 2nd half of the season. The Caps and the Dragons play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Let's move on to better news. My camera lives again, thanks to our IT guru's suggestion to reprogram the date in the camera. I can now download pictures to my photos file and easily find them. So, since Mary told me when I was in the man-cave doing some painting, that the waves were breaking huge on "The Big Lake" we needed to go and take some pictures, which we did. I'll share them without comment now.
 |
| The Red flag was flying to warn swimmers to stay out of the water, but a few for hearty souls were still wave boarding |
In addition to us, Ginger went along for the ride and then came home to crash from all of the excitement.
 |
| Riding in the car and walking on the pier can be so exhausting. |
On the way home, we detoured through Grand Haven's Lake Foret Cemetery and Mary took a picture of an interesting looking tree.
 |
| To quote from Yogi Bear of Jellystone Park, "Looks more, like a Sycamore, to me." |
I plan to complete my painting chore today and then replace the top to the storage cabinet in the mud room. Mary plans to do some batch bean cooking and also try some new recipes that use those beans. Yesterday, she used some rice and vegan chicken that she had made previously to make two meals, a delicious stir-fry, and some fried rice. I liked both of her efforts.
Otherwise, the fur-children will need to be walked if it isn't raining and I plan to read more and play more with the girls after the sun rises @ 6:07 a.m. and well before it sets @ 9:28 p.m. We also have an appointment at the chiropractor too. Ciao.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."
The view out the WW shows clear skies and the air is a cool 60°. Later today the sun rises @ 6:07 a.m. and sets later this evening @ 9:28 p.m. The forecast from the NWS shows a 90% chance of showers today, beginning shortly after the noon hour. If all goes according to plan, I may not have to water today, neither the new grass of the vast PE nor the gardens. In fact, the chance of rain/T-storms is between 70% and 90% through Friday which will delay my staining the deck, as it needs to be dry for two days prior to staining,
Speaking of the gardens, I transplanted some begonias yesterday after I finished the first half of my major summer outdoor chore, power washing the deck in preparation for staining. I used the pressure washer that was bequeathed to my growing collection of tools by Adam and Steph when they closed down their house in South Haven.
We got up late yesterday and walked the fur-children before I power washed the deck and before Mary made a new vegan recipe. We then set out on a short series of errands. Grocery shopping on Senior Citizen Discount Day at the market in Spring Lake, fabric shopping at the fabric store there, and a stop @ Stans for some adult libations. Traffic was not a problem as it had been on Monday.
Sports news was mostly good.
The Cubs fell back to 39 - 38 in the NL Central, still good enough for 2nd place as they lost to the Washington Nationals 1 - 6. As I've said before, the Cubs cannot keep winning two and losing two. Jake Arrieta looked like he might have turned the corner this season during his last outing. This game, not so much. He is looking for a contract based on his Cy Young numbers of 2015, but his current level of performance mitigates against that possibility. The Cubs once again face the Nationals tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Tigers fared better as they defeated the Royals 5 - 3 to move to an AL Central 4th place record of 34 - 42. The only team worse than the Tigers is that other team from Chicago. The Tigers and the Royals meet again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox moved into sole possession of 1st place in the AL East following a 9 - 2 drubbing of the Twins and a loss by the Yankees. The Sox now lead the Yankees by one full game. The Sox and the Twins play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
The 6 - 0, 1st place in the MWL East, West Michigan Whitecaps, have now won six straight in the second half of their season following their 3 - 2 win over the Dayton Dragons. The Caps lead the Ft. Wayne TinCaps and the Lake County Captains by one full game. The late Freddie Prinze would have said "Looking Good!" The Caps and the Dragons play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Which brings us back to today. I have no plans except to play with the girls, walk the fur-children before the rains begin and try to finish my latest novel. This being Wednesday, the trains are due once again too. Mary has plans to do something, but I don't know what. Ciao.
The view out the WW shows clear skies and the air is a cool 60°. Later today the sun rises @ 6:07 a.m. and sets later this evening @ 9:28 p.m. The forecast from the NWS shows a 90% chance of showers today, beginning shortly after the noon hour. If all goes according to plan, I may not have to water today, neither the new grass of the vast PE nor the gardens. In fact, the chance of rain/T-storms is between 70% and 90% through Friday which will delay my staining the deck, as it needs to be dry for two days prior to staining,
Speaking of the gardens, I transplanted some begonias yesterday after I finished the first half of my major summer outdoor chore, power washing the deck in preparation for staining. I used the pressure washer that was bequeathed to my growing collection of tools by Adam and Steph when they closed down their house in South Haven.
We got up late yesterday and walked the fur-children before I power washed the deck and before Mary made a new vegan recipe. We then set out on a short series of errands. Grocery shopping on Senior Citizen Discount Day at the market in Spring Lake, fabric shopping at the fabric store there, and a stop @ Stans for some adult libations. Traffic was not a problem as it had been on Monday.
Sports news was mostly good.
The Cubs fell back to 39 - 38 in the NL Central, still good enough for 2nd place as they lost to the Washington Nationals 1 - 6. As I've said before, the Cubs cannot keep winning two and losing two. Jake Arrieta looked like he might have turned the corner this season during his last outing. This game, not so much. He is looking for a contract based on his Cy Young numbers of 2015, but his current level of performance mitigates against that possibility. The Cubs once again face the Nationals tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Tigers fared better as they defeated the Royals 5 - 3 to move to an AL Central 4th place record of 34 - 42. The only team worse than the Tigers is that other team from Chicago. The Tigers and the Royals meet again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox moved into sole possession of 1st place in the AL East following a 9 - 2 drubbing of the Twins and a loss by the Yankees. The Sox now lead the Yankees by one full game. The Sox and the Twins play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
The 6 - 0, 1st place in the MWL East, West Michigan Whitecaps, have now won six straight in the second half of their season following their 3 - 2 win over the Dayton Dragons. The Caps lead the Ft. Wayne TinCaps and the Lake County Captains by one full game. The late Freddie Prinze would have said "Looking Good!" The Caps and the Dragons play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Which brings us back to today. I have no plans except to play with the girls, walk the fur-children before the rains begin and try to finish my latest novel. This being Wednesday, the trains are due once again too. Mary has plans to do something, but I don't know what. Ciao.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:45 a.m. in "The City."
I'm listening to Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. He and his guest, John Greenewald Jr., are discussing the life-work Greenewaldewald, who at the young age of 15 began to research all things kept "secret" by the CIA, FBI, and the NSA regarding UFOs, the JFK assassination, chemical, biological and nuclear weaponry, and top-secret aircraft. He claims that he has obtained interesting documents from the U.S. Forest Service and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
regarding those subjects. An intense discussion to say the least.
But I digress.
I was outside in the clear air in the 52° temperature air around 3:15 a.m. because once I got up, Ginger got up. In her case, it is always best to allow her to do her duty when she gets up.
The high temperature today is forecast by the NWS to be a perfect 72° under sunny skies once the sun rises @ 6:07 a.m. and well before it sets @ 9:28 p.m. There is a 60% chance of showers on Wednesday. We had a very brief sprinkle yesterday evening and the temperature never exceeded 66°. Mary was cold, but I was in my summer uniform of shorts and a T-shirt.
We traveled north to go to the mall so that Mary could get some new jeans. She normally eschews clothing that can't be bought at a repurposing store AKA a resale store, but in this case, she had to give up her quest and go full-on retail. Well, sort of, as the jeans were on sale for a BOGO offer of one pair @ full price and the second @ 50% off for a second pair. She found some that are perfect so I insisted that she buy four pairs.
That trip to the mall nearly became a very long trip. Much to our dismay, when we walked to Ginger's daycare place about 11:00 a.m. before our departure, the traffic on Beacon Blvd, AKA U.S.31, the traffic was extremely heavy heading south. But, that is often the case, so we paid scant attention. Even when we headed northbound abut one hour later, the traffic was still very heavy. As we traveled north towards the mall, we noticed that the cars were backed up north of Pontluna Rd., a distance of about four miles, and well into Spring Lake on Savidge St. as the cars attempted to enter Beacon on the other side of the drawbridge across the Grand River.
Since we were on the north side of the bridge, turning back was no longer an option, so we kept on going with no idea what was the problem. We tried to access the internet @ the mall and without any luck, we ducked into the Sprint telephone store after Mary's shopping spree and learned from the young man there that the traffic was still the leftovers from the weekend's Electric Forest Festival.
https://www.electricforestfestival.com/
There is also a second coming of the festival on June 29 - July 2. Apparently, the Electric Forest Festival is West Michigan's version of Lollapalooza or for people of a certain age, Woodstock. Art, music and huge crowds are the norms. Needless to say, the young man @ the Sprint store knew the details and advised us of an alternate route home to avoid the traffic jam. We will avoid that mistake next weekend.
I guess that I really did digress.
Trainspotting was spotty if you'll pardon the pun. At 10:52 a.m. locomotive # 2019 was soloing southward towing only one CHC and one DWTC. At 4:45 p.m., the same locomotive was heading north towing 10 CHCs, and 15 DBTCs.
Sports news from yesterday won't take long. All of my teams, with the exception of the Tigers, won their games. The Cubs eked out a win over the Washington Nationals, 5 - 4 to stay in 2nd place in the NL Central, with a record of 39 - 37. The Cubs and the Nats play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
The Tigers were off so they couldn't lose. They are still mired in 4th place in the AL Central with a record of 33 - 42. The Tigers welcome the Royals to Comerica Park tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox bested the Twins, 4 - 1, to maintain a tie with the Yankees for 1st place in the AL Central. The Sox and the Twins play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
The Caps are still a perfect 5 - 0 in the MWL East following their win over the Dayton Dragons by a slim 1 - 0 score. The Caps and the Dragons play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
I am going to stop my digressions by closing with a simple statement. Today, we'll do what we do. Ciao.
I'm listening to Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. He and his guest, John Greenewald Jr., are discussing the life-work Greenewaldewald, who at the young age of 15 began to research all things kept "secret" by the CIA, FBI, and the NSA regarding UFOs, the JFK assassination, chemical, biological and nuclear weaponry, and top-secret aircraft. He claims that he has obtained interesting documents from the U.S. Forest Service and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
regarding those subjects. An intense discussion to say the least.
But I digress.
I was outside in the clear air in the 52° temperature air around 3:15 a.m. because once I got up, Ginger got up. In her case, it is always best to allow her to do her duty when she gets up.
The high temperature today is forecast by the NWS to be a perfect 72° under sunny skies once the sun rises @ 6:07 a.m. and well before it sets @ 9:28 p.m. There is a 60% chance of showers on Wednesday. We had a very brief sprinkle yesterday evening and the temperature never exceeded 66°. Mary was cold, but I was in my summer uniform of shorts and a T-shirt.
We traveled north to go to the mall so that Mary could get some new jeans. She normally eschews clothing that can't be bought at a repurposing store AKA a resale store, but in this case, she had to give up her quest and go full-on retail. Well, sort of, as the jeans were on sale for a BOGO offer of one pair @ full price and the second @ 50% off for a second pair. She found some that are perfect so I insisted that she buy four pairs.
That trip to the mall nearly became a very long trip. Much to our dismay, when we walked to Ginger's daycare place about 11:00 a.m. before our departure, the traffic on Beacon Blvd, AKA U.S.31, the traffic was extremely heavy heading south. But, that is often the case, so we paid scant attention. Even when we headed northbound abut one hour later, the traffic was still very heavy. As we traveled north towards the mall, we noticed that the cars were backed up north of Pontluna Rd., a distance of about four miles, and well into Spring Lake on Savidge St. as the cars attempted to enter Beacon on the other side of the drawbridge across the Grand River.
Since we were on the north side of the bridge, turning back was no longer an option, so we kept on going with no idea what was the problem. We tried to access the internet @ the mall and without any luck, we ducked into the Sprint telephone store after Mary's shopping spree and learned from the young man there that the traffic was still the leftovers from the weekend's Electric Forest Festival.
https://www.electricforestfestival.com/
There is also a second coming of the festival on June 29 - July 2. Apparently, the Electric Forest Festival is West Michigan's version of Lollapalooza or for people of a certain age, Woodstock. Art, music and huge crowds are the norms. Needless to say, the young man @ the Sprint store knew the details and advised us of an alternate route home to avoid the traffic jam. We will avoid that mistake next weekend.
I guess that I really did digress.
Trainspotting was spotty if you'll pardon the pun. At 10:52 a.m. locomotive # 2019 was soloing southward towing only one CHC and one DWTC. At 4:45 p.m., the same locomotive was heading north towing 10 CHCs, and 15 DBTCs.
Sports news from yesterday won't take long. All of my teams, with the exception of the Tigers, won their games. The Cubs eked out a win over the Washington Nationals, 5 - 4 to stay in 2nd place in the NL Central, with a record of 39 - 37. The Cubs and the Nats play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
The Tigers were off so they couldn't lose. They are still mired in 4th place in the AL Central with a record of 33 - 42. The Tigers welcome the Royals to Comerica Park tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox bested the Twins, 4 - 1, to maintain a tie with the Yankees for 1st place in the AL Central. The Sox and the Twins play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
The Caps are still a perfect 5 - 0 in the MWL East following their win over the Dayton Dragons by a slim 1 - 0 score. The Caps and the Dragons play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
I am going to stop my digressions by closing with a simple statement. Today, we'll do what we do. Ciao.
Monday, June 26, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City."
We have a current temperature of 60° under mostly clear skies. I was outside with Ginger and STWD @ 2:15 a.m., but I didn't take my camera, so no sky pictures this morning. Maybe tomorrow. It certainly is quiet, as usual on an early Monday morning, in GH. I was up to blog and also waiting for a computer restart. Since I was waiting, I also updated some other programs. One thing is for certain, what I know about computers and how they work could be easily fit into a thimble with room to spare. That's why Mary and I have an IT guru to call on when in need.
Buy enough about computers and how they work. I spent the afternoon yesterday @ the Goodrich Quality Theater here in GH watching The Blues Brothers. It was everything I remembered and more. Mary was content to stay here with the fur-children and spent the afternoon reading in the La-Z-Boy. A win-win for both of us.
There are many possible scenes from the movie, but here is one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK33V7FGjd8
The Blues Brothers wore well for a movie that is approaching 38 years of age. Sadly, many of its cast members are now deceased, including John Belushi, Carrie Fisher, Ray Charles, John Candy, and probably many others. Seeing the scenes of cars crashing and chasing through the city and the countryside and hearing the music was once again a sight to see and hear. I love these old movies that are running each week in the Goodrich Flashback Cinema series.
Sports news yesterday was mixed, at best. The Cubs fell to the Marlins 2 - 4 to stay firmly mired in 2nd place in the NL Central. Like I've noted before, the Cubs seem to take one step forward and two steps back. They are now @ 38 - 37 and travel to Washington, D.C. to play the Nationals tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Tigers righted the ship for one day in San Diego in a win over the Padres, 7 - 5. That win vaulted the Tigers back into 4th place in the AL Central with a record of 33 - 42. The Tigers have the day off today before welcoming the Royals to Comerica Park @ 7:10 p.m. Tuesday.
My beloved Red Sox are still statistically tied for 1st with the Yankees in the AL East following a loss to the Angels, 2 - 4. Since the Yankees also lost, they remain tied atop the division. The Sox have a record of 41 - 34 and play the Twins tonight @ 7:00 p.m. @ Fenway.
The Caps continued their winning ways with a victory over the visiting Lansing Lug Nuts in an MWL East game, 5 - 2. That gives the Caps a perfect 2nd half record of 4 - 0. The Caps welcome the Dayton Dragons to the Fith/Third Ballpark tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Otherwise, fortunately with more than a little guidance from our IT guru, I discovered the cause of my picture snafu. It seems that I somehow managed to lose the date set in the camera and so, as our IT guru said, the dumb computer was doing what it could to file the pictures in the only date it could, December 2011. Hopefully, the problem is now resolved with the camera setting revised.
While I was at The Blues Brothers enjoying a huge bucket of popcorn and a ginormous cherry cola, Mary finished the indoor chores leaving us with nothing specific today. We are anticipating a telephone call from the carpet purveyor with a satisfactory explanation as to why, although the carpeting is in, the carpet will have to wait to be installed until the week of the Fourth of July holiday. That seems to be an excessive amount of time, at least to me.
We'll take the morning safari with the fur-children and then settle in for more reading and retirement, at least for me. Mary has accepted another indexing job, but it is not due in until later in July. She also has another job lined up, but that will come in in sections on a weekly basis. The job she just accepted causes me to have put my highlighter's hat on once again, but I have been resting, so no big deal.
The sun will rise today into sunny skies @ 6:07 a.m, and set @ 9:28 p.m. Ciao.
We have a current temperature of 60° under mostly clear skies. I was outside with Ginger and STWD @ 2:15 a.m., but I didn't take my camera, so no sky pictures this morning. Maybe tomorrow. It certainly is quiet, as usual on an early Monday morning, in GH. I was up to blog and also waiting for a computer restart. Since I was waiting, I also updated some other programs. One thing is for certain, what I know about computers and how they work could be easily fit into a thimble with room to spare. That's why Mary and I have an IT guru to call on when in need.
Buy enough about computers and how they work. I spent the afternoon yesterday @ the Goodrich Quality Theater here in GH watching The Blues Brothers. It was everything I remembered and more. Mary was content to stay here with the fur-children and spent the afternoon reading in the La-Z-Boy. A win-win for both of us.
There are many possible scenes from the movie, but here is one of my favorites.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jK33V7FGjd8
The Blues Brothers wore well for a movie that is approaching 38 years of age. Sadly, many of its cast members are now deceased, including John Belushi, Carrie Fisher, Ray Charles, John Candy, and probably many others. Seeing the scenes of cars crashing and chasing through the city and the countryside and hearing the music was once again a sight to see and hear. I love these old movies that are running each week in the Goodrich Flashback Cinema series.
Sports news yesterday was mixed, at best. The Cubs fell to the Marlins 2 - 4 to stay firmly mired in 2nd place in the NL Central. Like I've noted before, the Cubs seem to take one step forward and two steps back. They are now @ 38 - 37 and travel to Washington, D.C. to play the Nationals tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Tigers righted the ship for one day in San Diego in a win over the Padres, 7 - 5. That win vaulted the Tigers back into 4th place in the AL Central with a record of 33 - 42. The Tigers have the day off today before welcoming the Royals to Comerica Park @ 7:10 p.m. Tuesday.
My beloved Red Sox are still statistically tied for 1st with the Yankees in the AL East following a loss to the Angels, 2 - 4. Since the Yankees also lost, they remain tied atop the division. The Sox have a record of 41 - 34 and play the Twins tonight @ 7:00 p.m. @ Fenway.
The Caps continued their winning ways with a victory over the visiting Lansing Lug Nuts in an MWL East game, 5 - 2. That gives the Caps a perfect 2nd half record of 4 - 0. The Caps welcome the Dayton Dragons to the Fith/Third Ballpark tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Otherwise, fortunately with more than a little guidance from our IT guru, I discovered the cause of my picture snafu. It seems that I somehow managed to lose the date set in the camera and so, as our IT guru said, the dumb computer was doing what it could to file the pictures in the only date it could, December 2011. Hopefully, the problem is now resolved with the camera setting revised.
While I was at The Blues Brothers enjoying a huge bucket of popcorn and a ginormous cherry cola, Mary finished the indoor chores leaving us with nothing specific today. We are anticipating a telephone call from the carpet purveyor with a satisfactory explanation as to why, although the carpeting is in, the carpet will have to wait to be installed until the week of the Fourth of July holiday. That seems to be an excessive amount of time, at least to me.
We'll take the morning safari with the fur-children and then settle in for more reading and retirement, at least for me. Mary has accepted another indexing job, but it is not due in until later in July. She also has another job lined up, but that will come in in sections on a weekly basis. The job she just accepted causes me to have put my highlighter's hat on once again, but I have been resting, so no big deal.
The sun will rise today into sunny skies @ 6:07 a.m, and set @ 9:28 p.m. Ciao.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."
Well, it's done. We are now the proud owners of a new lawn sprinkler. That's because we are also the proud owners of a new lawn in the back-forty. John dug up the old weed-infested and dog killed grass and replaced it with weed-free grass. Now, we have to water the sod daily for the next two weeks. Plus, we have to be sure to have a watering can to use on the spots where the dogs do their duties to dilute the damaging fluids, so to speak.
We have a current temperature of 63° under fair skies. Later today, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 69° under sunny skies. No rain of note is in that forecast. The sun will rise @ 6:06 a.m. and set @ 9:28 p.m.
I had to go downstairs after Mary, with Ginger's assistance, injured herself taking Ginger out for her final visit to the back-forty. I had to employ my best triage knowledge and assist Mary in the application of first aid cream and a flexible bandage. As anyone who has worked on cars knows, auto mechanics are forever repairing/bandaging what they would refer to as boo-boos, but what others would call major injuries. Give us a rag and some water and we're good to go.
Yesterday, we walked downtown to see the annual Grand Haven Arts and Crafts show. We didn't buy anything, but we did manage to wear Ginger out enough so that she lay down and we had to carry her part of the way back to the PE. Sugar didn't go as she would have expired, not just lay down.
I should mention that our Cubs' corner is now complete. The "W" and other headlines are prominently displayed where I can see them anytime I am sitting in the La-Z-Boy in the living room. I am including a picture here but only because I accidentally found it in my photo album that has inexplicably begun to save the latest pictures in the December 2011 folder.
Speaking of the picture files, I have a query in to our IT guru to see if she can figure out what I did to cause this snafu. Here's hoping.
Speaking of sports, the Cubs moved to 38 - 36 in the NL Central with yesterday's win over the Marlins, 5 - 3. That's still only good enough for 2nd place. As I've noted previously, the Cubs need to string some wins together, not win two and then lose two etc. We need to get some consistent starting pitching and some relievers to support those pitchers. The Cubs and the Marlins play again today @ 1:10 p.m.
The 32 - 42, Tigers are out on the West Coast and just lost to the 31 - 44 Padres in San Diego. Naturally, the Tigers are in 5th place in the AL Central and the slightly better Padres are in 4th place, several games ahead of the woeful Giants in the NL West. The final score in the game was 3 - 7. The Tigers and the Padres play again today @ 4:40 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox fell to the Angels yesterday, 3 - 6. Fortunately for the Sox, the AL East-leading Yankees also lost, so the Sox and the Yankees are in a statistical tie for first place. The Yankees have a record of 40 - 32, while the Sox have a record of 41 - 33. The Sox and the Angels play again today @ 1:35 p.m.
The Caps are still winning, having defeated the Lansing Lug Nuts yesterday by the lopsided score of 16 - 1. That gives the Caps sole possession of 1st place in the MWL East. The Caps play the Lug Nuts again today @ 1:00 p.m. on a day devoted to a children's hospital and dog washes/races along with other activities.
Otherwise, we have nothing planned. I may or may not go to the local movie theater to see the flashback showing of The Blues Brothers @ 2:00 p.m. If I go, there is a huge bucket of popcorn in my future accompanied by a ginormous cherry cola. The movie also shows next Wednesday @ 2:00 p.m.
We do have to walk with the fur-children and set the sprinkler to stun to keep the new sod watered and healthy. Ciao.
Well, it's done. We are now the proud owners of a new lawn sprinkler. That's because we are also the proud owners of a new lawn in the back-forty. John dug up the old weed-infested and dog killed grass and replaced it with weed-free grass. Now, we have to water the sod daily for the next two weeks. Plus, we have to be sure to have a watering can to use on the spots where the dogs do their duties to dilute the damaging fluids, so to speak.
We have a current temperature of 63° under fair skies. Later today, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 69° under sunny skies. No rain of note is in that forecast. The sun will rise @ 6:06 a.m. and set @ 9:28 p.m.
I had to go downstairs after Mary, with Ginger's assistance, injured herself taking Ginger out for her final visit to the back-forty. I had to employ my best triage knowledge and assist Mary in the application of first aid cream and a flexible bandage. As anyone who has worked on cars knows, auto mechanics are forever repairing/bandaging what they would refer to as boo-boos, but what others would call major injuries. Give us a rag and some water and we're good to go.
Yesterday, we walked downtown to see the annual Grand Haven Arts and Crafts show. We didn't buy anything, but we did manage to wear Ginger out enough so that she lay down and we had to carry her part of the way back to the PE. Sugar didn't go as she would have expired, not just lay down.
I should mention that our Cubs' corner is now complete. The "W" and other headlines are prominently displayed where I can see them anytime I am sitting in the La-Z-Boy in the living room. I am including a picture here but only because I accidentally found it in my photo album that has inexplicably begun to save the latest pictures in the December 2011 folder.
 |
| I like it! |
Speaking of sports, the Cubs moved to 38 - 36 in the NL Central with yesterday's win over the Marlins, 5 - 3. That's still only good enough for 2nd place. As I've noted previously, the Cubs need to string some wins together, not win two and then lose two etc. We need to get some consistent starting pitching and some relievers to support those pitchers. The Cubs and the Marlins play again today @ 1:10 p.m.
The 32 - 42, Tigers are out on the West Coast and just lost to the 31 - 44 Padres in San Diego. Naturally, the Tigers are in 5th place in the AL Central and the slightly better Padres are in 4th place, several games ahead of the woeful Giants in the NL West. The final score in the game was 3 - 7. The Tigers and the Padres play again today @ 4:40 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox fell to the Angels yesterday, 3 - 6. Fortunately for the Sox, the AL East-leading Yankees also lost, so the Sox and the Yankees are in a statistical tie for first place. The Yankees have a record of 40 - 32, while the Sox have a record of 41 - 33. The Sox and the Angels play again today @ 1:35 p.m.
The Caps are still winning, having defeated the Lansing Lug Nuts yesterday by the lopsided score of 16 - 1. That gives the Caps sole possession of 1st place in the MWL East. The Caps play the Lug Nuts again today @ 1:00 p.m. on a day devoted to a children's hospital and dog washes/races along with other activities.
Otherwise, we have nothing planned. I may or may not go to the local movie theater to see the flashback showing of The Blues Brothers @ 2:00 p.m. If I go, there is a huge bucket of popcorn in my future accompanied by a ginormous cherry cola. The movie also shows next Wednesday @ 2:00 p.m.
We do have to walk with the fur-children and set the sprinkler to stun to keep the new sod watered and healthy. Ciao.
Friday, June 23, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City."
Good news my loyal readers, I won't have to water the vast gardens of the PE today. We had a goodly amount of rain overnight that should be ending about 8:00 a.m. this morning. Mary got the fur-children out just before the skies opened up around 11:00 p.m. last night. With the lightning and thunder that came with the rain, STWD would have refused to go out once those began. Ginger wouldn't care, but she does not do well when she becomes a wet dog. Unlike retriever breeds who shed water, Ginger gets wet and then smells like a wet dog before she gets curly.
At any rate, the T-storms were not overwhelmingly intense, so STWD wasn't bothered enough to head to one of her hide-e-holes. Right now, she is lying on my side of the bed awaiting my return. I wasn't going to get up, but the usual pattern of internet outages from our cable company continued, so I got up to check the modem. It was blinking green and it only came back to life shortly after 3:30 a.m.
Speaking of the weather, the current temperature is 71° with no rain falling under the prevailing cloudy skies. Later today, after the sun rises @ 6:06 a.m. and well before it sets at 9:28 p.m., the NWS has forecast a high temperature of 72° under cloudy/partly cloudy skies until about 3:00 p.m. when the skies will clear and the sun will shine.
Sports news yesterday was interesting, The Cubs made some roster moves, placing Jason Heyward on the 10-day DL and sending slumping Kyle Schwarber to the Cubs' Triple AAA affiliate in IA for some work to regain his hitting stroke. His ML manager, Joe Maddon, and teammates like Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant believe that Schwarber just needs some time out of the spotlight to regain his World Series hitting success from last year when he came back from that horrendous knee injury to spark the Cubs to their first championship in over 100 years.
But I digress, the Cubs downed the Marlins 11 - 1 behind solid, if unspectacular, pitching by Jake Arrieta and home runs by Russell, Contreras, and Bryant. Switch-hitting rookie Ian Happ went 4 - 4, showing power from the right side of the plate. The Cubs are still in 2nd place in the NL Central @ 37 - 35. They hope to continue their winning ways when the Cubs and the Marlins play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Last night, the Tigers looked like what they are, a bad baseball team. They once again fell hard to the Mariners, 6 - 9, to fall to 5th /last place in the AL Central @ 32 - 40. At this point, I expect that Tigers' manager Brad Ausmus will be lucky to survive the full season before getting the ax. Does he deserve that fate? Probably not, but that's what happens when a team doesn't achieve. The Tigers move on to San Diego to face the Padres tonight @ 10:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox had the day off before welcoming the LA Angels to Fenway Park tonight @7:00 p.m. to play the first game of a weekend series. The Angels defeated the Yankees yesterday to allow the Sox to once again share a statistical tie with the Yankees in the AL East. The Sox have a record of 40 - 32.
The Caps defeated the Lansing Lug Nuts last night in a squeaker, 5 - 4. That gives the Caps a three-way tie with the Ft. Wayne, IN TinCaps and the Lake, County, OH Captains in the MWL East as the second half of their season begins. The Caps and the Lug Nuts play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Mary tried out her new food steamer yesterday and the vegan sausages she made are fantastic, definitely a keeper! She also tried a new approach to making vegan jerky in our food dehydrator, one I suggested, that incorporated the liquid marinade ingredients in the seitan versus later in the process. The resulting jerky tastes great and is not sticky. I like it and so do the fur-children!
We had John give us a price for laying sod in the back forty to replace the dead and dying grass that is caused by Ginger's visits. I know how to do it, but my yak says No, No! Plus, he will take a look at the clogged vents in my office and the media room to see if they can be made functional. As of now, both rooms are cold in the winter and warm/hot the other three seasons. Here's hoping.
We hope to take it easy today. Mary hopes to do that aforementioned sewing along with her regular Friday chat session and we'll both walk with the fur-children. I have a few things still on my agenda, but those should not require too much time, I hope. I want to get in some time with the girls and do some reading. Ciao.
Good news my loyal readers, I won't have to water the vast gardens of the PE today. We had a goodly amount of rain overnight that should be ending about 8:00 a.m. this morning. Mary got the fur-children out just before the skies opened up around 11:00 p.m. last night. With the lightning and thunder that came with the rain, STWD would have refused to go out once those began. Ginger wouldn't care, but she does not do well when she becomes a wet dog. Unlike retriever breeds who shed water, Ginger gets wet and then smells like a wet dog before she gets curly.
At any rate, the T-storms were not overwhelmingly intense, so STWD wasn't bothered enough to head to one of her hide-e-holes. Right now, she is lying on my side of the bed awaiting my return. I wasn't going to get up, but the usual pattern of internet outages from our cable company continued, so I got up to check the modem. It was blinking green and it only came back to life shortly after 3:30 a.m.
Speaking of the weather, the current temperature is 71° with no rain falling under the prevailing cloudy skies. Later today, after the sun rises @ 6:06 a.m. and well before it sets at 9:28 p.m., the NWS has forecast a high temperature of 72° under cloudy/partly cloudy skies until about 3:00 p.m. when the skies will clear and the sun will shine.
Sports news yesterday was interesting, The Cubs made some roster moves, placing Jason Heyward on the 10-day DL and sending slumping Kyle Schwarber to the Cubs' Triple AAA affiliate in IA for some work to regain his hitting stroke. His ML manager, Joe Maddon, and teammates like Anthony Rizzo and Kris Bryant believe that Schwarber just needs some time out of the spotlight to regain his World Series hitting success from last year when he came back from that horrendous knee injury to spark the Cubs to their first championship in over 100 years.
But I digress, the Cubs downed the Marlins 11 - 1 behind solid, if unspectacular, pitching by Jake Arrieta and home runs by Russell, Contreras, and Bryant. Switch-hitting rookie Ian Happ went 4 - 4, showing power from the right side of the plate. The Cubs are still in 2nd place in the NL Central @ 37 - 35. They hope to continue their winning ways when the Cubs and the Marlins play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Last night, the Tigers looked like what they are, a bad baseball team. They once again fell hard to the Mariners, 6 - 9, to fall to 5th /last place in the AL Central @ 32 - 40. At this point, I expect that Tigers' manager Brad Ausmus will be lucky to survive the full season before getting the ax. Does he deserve that fate? Probably not, but that's what happens when a team doesn't achieve. The Tigers move on to San Diego to face the Padres tonight @ 10:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox had the day off before welcoming the LA Angels to Fenway Park tonight @7:00 p.m. to play the first game of a weekend series. The Angels defeated the Yankees yesterday to allow the Sox to once again share a statistical tie with the Yankees in the AL East. The Sox have a record of 40 - 32.
The Caps defeated the Lansing Lug Nuts last night in a squeaker, 5 - 4. That gives the Caps a three-way tie with the Ft. Wayne, IN TinCaps and the Lake, County, OH Captains in the MWL East as the second half of their season begins. The Caps and the Lug Nuts play again tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Mary tried out her new food steamer yesterday and the vegan sausages she made are fantastic, definitely a keeper! She also tried a new approach to making vegan jerky in our food dehydrator, one I suggested, that incorporated the liquid marinade ingredients in the seitan versus later in the process. The resulting jerky tastes great and is not sticky. I like it and so do the fur-children!
We had John give us a price for laying sod in the back forty to replace the dead and dying grass that is caused by Ginger's visits. I know how to do it, but my yak says No, No! Plus, he will take a look at the clogged vents in my office and the media room to see if they can be made functional. As of now, both rooms are cold in the winter and warm/hot the other three seasons. Here's hoping.
We hope to take it easy today. Mary hopes to do that aforementioned sewing along with her regular Friday chat session and we'll both walk with the fur-children. I have a few things still on my agenda, but those should not require too much time, I hope. I want to get in some time with the girls and do some reading. Ciao.
Thursday, June 22, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."
Amazingly, I am able to blog at this time because the fine folks at the cable company decided to allow the internet to return It took about 50 minutes this time. Reliability is not their middle name, Perhaps not even their third or fourth name. Oh well, it sure is a good thing that there is no such thing as a cable monopoly. Oops. I spoke too soon. The internet went out again @ 1:31 a.m. Wait, it's back, again @ 1:33 a.m. Will it last? Stay tuned to this space for further developments.
We had two train runs yesterday. The first @ 10:29 a.m. and the second @ 4:08 p.m. In both cases, there was a single locomotive, EMD GP 38 - 2 #2019. The morning southbound relatively short, with only seven CHCs, four, DBTCs. one GTC, and five DWTCs. The afternoon northbound train consisted of 10 DBTCs and three DWTCs. with one of those bringing up the end and girdled by a green corrosion resistant paint stripe.
Sports news yesterday was mostly bad. The Cubs took an early two-run lead but watched it slip away to result in a 2 - 3 loss to the Padres. That loss following two wins over the Padres left the Cubs with a record of 36 - 35 in the NL Central, still good enough for 2nd place. As I've said before, a long winning streak not followed by a long losing streak is an imperative. The Cubs travel to Miami to meet the Marlins tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
The Tigers dropped another one to the Mariners in a game that just finished on the West Coast. The final score was 5 - 7 and dropped the Tigers to 32 - 40 and kept them firmly in 4th place in the AL Central. The only bright spot, if it was a bright spot, was that Justin Verlander, JV, was sharp through four innings, but then gave up three runs on four hits in the 5th. The game took 10 innings to complete, but the outcome was not a positive one for the Tigers in spite of a lead-off home run by Ian Kinsler and a game-tying home run by J. D. Martinez in the 8th. Verlander's relief gave up the winning runs to the Mariners in the bottom of the 10th. The Tigers meet the Mariners again tonight @ 10:00 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox dropped one to the Royals, 4 - 6, following a rare collapse by the Sox' bullpen. The Sox are still in 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Yankees. The Sox welcome the Angels to Fenway tonight @ 7:10 p.m. One bright spot for the Sox is the play of left fielder Andrew Benintendi, whose 454 foot home run in last night's game was a sight to behold according to observers. The Sox still need a good hitting solid third baseman.
The Caps return to Fifth/Third Ballpark tonight @ 7:00 p.m. to face the Lansing Lug Nuts as the second half of the MWL East season opens. The Caps finished the first half with a record of 46 - 22 and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs at the end of this season.
We got some good news yesterday. Our carpet is finally in at the carpet store. Now, we have to await a scheduled installation time. In addition, I picked up the mirror that we had completed @ City Glass and Mirror here in GH. We picked up the frame on Monday and then dropped it off that afternoon. The mirror is a good fit and the polished brass frame is a perfect match with the other fixtures in the room.
The current weather conditions show a temperature of 64° per the NWS, under partly cloudy skies. This morning there is a 40% chance for T-storms as the temperature climbs to a forecast high of 86° with 17 mph winds and 66% humidity. We'll drop back into the low to mid-70s by Friday and stay there until July 3.
We are hoping to get some household things done today. Mary needs to do some sewing as soon as I get the machine changed over to a different color thread. I decided that since I am awake that I'd do it now. Done!
I am reading yet another Amish based romance novel in my favorite, large print, entitled The EBB TIDE, by Beverly Lewis. Amish based novels are one of my little vices that Mary turned me on to about two years ago, much like watching romances on the Hallmark Channel.
The sun will rise @6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:08 p.m. Ciao.
Amazingly, I am able to blog at this time because the fine folks at the cable company decided to allow the internet to return It took about 50 minutes this time. Reliability is not their middle name, Perhaps not even their third or fourth name. Oh well, it sure is a good thing that there is no such thing as a cable monopoly. Oops. I spoke too soon. The internet went out again @ 1:31 a.m. Wait, it's back, again @ 1:33 a.m. Will it last? Stay tuned to this space for further developments.
We had two train runs yesterday. The first @ 10:29 a.m. and the second @ 4:08 p.m. In both cases, there was a single locomotive, EMD GP 38 - 2 #2019. The morning southbound relatively short, with only seven CHCs, four, DBTCs. one GTC, and five DWTCs. The afternoon northbound train consisted of 10 DBTCs and three DWTCs. with one of those bringing up the end and girdled by a green corrosion resistant paint stripe.
Sports news yesterday was mostly bad. The Cubs took an early two-run lead but watched it slip away to result in a 2 - 3 loss to the Padres. That loss following two wins over the Padres left the Cubs with a record of 36 - 35 in the NL Central, still good enough for 2nd place. As I've said before, a long winning streak not followed by a long losing streak is an imperative. The Cubs travel to Miami to meet the Marlins tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
The Tigers dropped another one to the Mariners in a game that just finished on the West Coast. The final score was 5 - 7 and dropped the Tigers to 32 - 40 and kept them firmly in 4th place in the AL Central. The only bright spot, if it was a bright spot, was that Justin Verlander, JV, was sharp through four innings, but then gave up three runs on four hits in the 5th. The game took 10 innings to complete, but the outcome was not a positive one for the Tigers in spite of a lead-off home run by Ian Kinsler and a game-tying home run by J. D. Martinez in the 8th. Verlander's relief gave up the winning runs to the Mariners in the bottom of the 10th. The Tigers meet the Mariners again tonight @ 10:00 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox dropped one to the Royals, 4 - 6, following a rare collapse by the Sox' bullpen. The Sox are still in 2nd place, 1/2 game behind the Yankees. The Sox welcome the Angels to Fenway tonight @ 7:10 p.m. One bright spot for the Sox is the play of left fielder Andrew Benintendi, whose 454 foot home run in last night's game was a sight to behold according to observers. The Sox still need a good hitting solid third baseman.
The Caps return to Fifth/Third Ballpark tonight @ 7:00 p.m. to face the Lansing Lug Nuts as the second half of the MWL East season opens. The Caps finished the first half with a record of 46 - 22 and a guaranteed spot in the playoffs at the end of this season.
We got some good news yesterday. Our carpet is finally in at the carpet store. Now, we have to await a scheduled installation time. In addition, I picked up the mirror that we had completed @ City Glass and Mirror here in GH. We picked up the frame on Monday and then dropped it off that afternoon. The mirror is a good fit and the polished brass frame is a perfect match with the other fixtures in the room.
The current weather conditions show a temperature of 64° per the NWS, under partly cloudy skies. This morning there is a 40% chance for T-storms as the temperature climbs to a forecast high of 86° with 17 mph winds and 66% humidity. We'll drop back into the low to mid-70s by Friday and stay there until July 3.
We are hoping to get some household things done today. Mary needs to do some sewing as soon as I get the machine changed over to a different color thread. I decided that since I am awake that I'd do it now. Done!
I am reading yet another Amish based romance novel in my favorite, large print, entitled The EBB TIDE, by Beverly Lewis. Amish based novels are one of my little vices that Mary turned me on to about two years ago, much like watching romances on the Hallmark Channel.
The sun will rise @6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:08 p.m. Ciao.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City."
Of both desire and necessity. I'm going to try to keep this one short,. Will I make it? Stay tuned.
We have a current temperature of 62° under clear skies. Sorry Steph, I don't feel like going outside and trying to take sky shots with the sun about to rise. Maybe tomorrow. We are anticipating a high today of 70° with sunny skies in the morning and a 50% chance of showers and/or T-storms in the afternoon and evening, The Sun will rise in a short while @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:27 p.m.
Sports results yesterday were mostly tragic. Yes, the Cubs eked out a win over the Padres last night 3 - 2, to move to 35 - 34 in the NL Central, still good enough for 2nd place, but that doesn't mean that they are in good shape. Until they run off a string of wins in the seven to ten game range without a commensurate number of losses following, I won't pronounce them in good shape., The Cubs play the Padres again tonight @ 8:05 p.m.
The Tigers, what can I say? They fell to 32 - 37 in the AL Central following another loss, this time to the Mariners, 2 - 6. The Tigers are still mired in 4th place and going nowhere, except to their couches in the fall. In addition, manager Brad Ausmus will take the fall at season's end because that's what happens to managers when their teams don't win. The Tigers are once again in Seattle tonight @ 10:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox fell to the Royals last night by a score of 2 - 4 and also fell back into 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 39 - 31. They'll try again tonight in KC @ 8:15 p.m.
Six members of the Caps play will in the MWL All-Star game tonight.
We ran some errands yesterday before I retired to the front porch of the manse for some R & R.
I was on the porch yesterday afternoon reading and watching the clouds roll in when @ 5:15 p.m., locomotive 2019 passed slowly by heading north. In tow were five CHCs, two DBTCs and two DWTCs, I wasn't around for the southbound run. My apprentice trainspotter recorded the passage for me.
However, since I was there, I did snap some pictures of the clouds and our surroundings for posterity. Here they are with no particular significance nor order.
We plan to stay in today and do those indoor chores I need to get to. Otherwise, Mary will be chatting and something else that I forgot. Before that, we'll walk with the aforementioned fur-children and then... Ciao.
Of both desire and necessity. I'm going to try to keep this one short,. Will I make it? Stay tuned.
We have a current temperature of 62° under clear skies. Sorry Steph, I don't feel like going outside and trying to take sky shots with the sun about to rise. Maybe tomorrow. We are anticipating a high today of 70° with sunny skies in the morning and a 50% chance of showers and/or T-storms in the afternoon and evening, The Sun will rise in a short while @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:27 p.m.
Sports results yesterday were mostly tragic. Yes, the Cubs eked out a win over the Padres last night 3 - 2, to move to 35 - 34 in the NL Central, still good enough for 2nd place, but that doesn't mean that they are in good shape. Until they run off a string of wins in the seven to ten game range without a commensurate number of losses following, I won't pronounce them in good shape., The Cubs play the Padres again tonight @ 8:05 p.m.
The Tigers, what can I say? They fell to 32 - 37 in the AL Central following another loss, this time to the Mariners, 2 - 6. The Tigers are still mired in 4th place and going nowhere, except to their couches in the fall. In addition, manager Brad Ausmus will take the fall at season's end because that's what happens to managers when their teams don't win. The Tigers are once again in Seattle tonight @ 10:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox fell to the Royals last night by a score of 2 - 4 and also fell back into 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 39 - 31. They'll try again tonight in KC @ 8:15 p.m.
Six members of the Caps play will in the MWL All-Star game tonight.
We ran some errands yesterday before I retired to the front porch of the manse for some R & R.
I was on the porch yesterday afternoon reading and watching the clouds roll in when @ 5:15 p.m., locomotive 2019 passed slowly by heading north. In tow were five CHCs, two DBTCs and two DWTCs, I wasn't around for the southbound run. My apprentice trainspotter recorded the passage for me.
However, since I was there, I did snap some pictures of the clouds and our surroundings for posterity. Here they are with no particular significance nor order.
 |
| Blue skies shining on me. |
 |
| Nothing but blue skies did I see. |
 |
| Unless you count the fur-children staring out the window @ me. |
 |
| But then, the skies turned gloomy, as though a rain event was imminent. |
 |
| But no, nothing, as usual. |
Monday, June 19, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City."
I had a great Father's Day. Adam called before he and Steph headed out to the traditional Father's Day car show. He did send me some pictures of the cars there, so I felt bonded. I was happily in bed, listening to the morning news programs. A win-win for all.
The weather yesterday was very comfortable here in W. Michigan, as it should be in mid-June. We've had too many hot days already, so the respite was very welcome. We have a current temperature of 62° under partly cloudy skies. Today's high is forecast to be 71°, also under partly cloudy skies. The NWS is forecasting temperatures in the mid to upper 70s for the foreseeable future. Much better. The sun will rise today @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:27 p.m.
Part of my Father's Day was enjoying the latest vegan culinary creation from Mary's Kitchen. She tried a recipe for vegan meatless meatballs that turned out great. She served them with pasta and I pronounce them a keeper.
I have some indoor chores to do today, but they can wait as we may run some errands instead. My cuckoo clock needs some repairs and a tune-up. One of the hands is broken, so it needs a professional to provide some TLC. Fortunately, we have "The Clock Doctor" nearby in Spring Lake, so the repairs should be expedited.
The sports that I watched/checked into yesterday produced mostly solid results.
The Cubs once again reached the .500 mark in the NL Central with a mark of 34 - 34, following their 7 - 1 win over their division rivals, the Pirates. Sadly, while that gives the Cubs a 2nd place position in their division, that same record would put them in 5th in the AL East and 4th in the NL West. Most of the divisions in the Major Leagues are showing weak results this year. The Cubs are home tonight to face the Padres @ 8:05 p.m.
The Tigers continued their losing ways with a 1 - 9 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays. That loss gives the Tigers a 32 - 36 record in the AL Central and sole possession of 4th place. The Tigers play the Mariners tonight in Seattle @ 10:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox eked out a win over the Astros, 6 - 5 to move into a tie for 1st place with their record of 38 - 30, statistically tied with the Yankees, who lost yesterday, their 6th loss in a row. The Sox are in Kansas City tonight to play the Royals @ 8:05 p.m.
The Caps dispatched the Lansing Lug Nuts yesterday, 10 - 1. That gives the Caps a 1st half record in the MWL East of 45 - 24. The Caps are off today and will send several players to the All-Star game on Tuesday,
I have no specific plans for today other than to read and those aforementioned indoor chores. Mary may or may not have specific plans, but I don't know. I took GTTSD out @ 3:00 a.m. and then I put away the dishes that Mary had washed following her kitchen adventures yesterday. She showed remarkable creativity in the stacking of the dishes and utensils in the drainer, utilizing one utensil to hold another. I was impressed.
She also had a flash of brilliance while at the grocery store yesterday, snapping a picture of the navigational map attached to every shopping cart to assist her in organizing her future shopping trips. I have it on good authority that she had to make several trips back and forth in the store aisles yesterday to get all of the things that she wanted, so the picture should remove or reduce those back and forth trips in the future.
That looks like enough for one day. Ciao.
Sunday, June 18, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."
Well, another year has come and gone and it's once again Father's Day, a day set aside by the greeting card purveyors and retailers to sell cards and the myriad variations of "World's Greatest Father/Dad" merchandise. Does that mean that I don't appreciate the sentiment of the day? No, it means that I recognize the opportunity afforded children to reach out and say "Thanks, Dad" just for being you.
At any rate, the best thing that can come of this day for many fathers is the chance to play golf, watch TV, or just get up late and do nothing. I guess it's the Yang to the Yin of Mother's Day.
I had a nice time at our Irish Jam session yesterday. However, our number of players has diminished over the months and years, so we need to find a way to get fresh blood so to speak. We had a good audience, but.....
The current temperature, according to the NWS, is 68° under rainy skies. Saturday/early morning today has been rainy, something that we have been needing for many weeks now. As of late yesterday, areas north and west of "The City" had over 2 1/2 inches of rain while we had a scant, by comparison, 2/3 of an inch. Here's hoping that the additional rains that have fallen since have brought us up to near the one-inch range. The current view out the WW indicates that the rain is over and the skies are drying out, in spite of the usual Significant Weather Advisory issued for our area by the NWS. The rainfall amounts are certainly no record nor nearly enough, but welcome nonetheless. Today, the high temperature is forecast by the NWS to be 73° with cloudy skies. The sun will rise @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:27 p.m.
Sports news was not good yesterday. The Cubs, the Tigers, and my beloved Red Sox all lost and the Caps were rained out in Lansing. The Cubs have once again fallen below .500 in the NL Central @ 33 - 34, albeit still good for 2nd place. Jake Arrieta served up an early home run and in spite of tying the game later with his own home run, the Cubs fell to the Pirates, 3 - 4. The old saying was "What's the matter with Kansas?" Now it's"What's the matter with the Cubs?"
The answer isn't simple, but their once reliable pitching staff is now much like the fire department in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, where the fire department is charged with burning books in a dystopian future. While that story was set in the future, the Cubs are in my present and they are experiencing a "June Swoon" too much like the Cubs' teams of my youth and most of my adulthood. Weak pitching, weak hitting, and sloppy fielding are once again becoming the team's hallmark. Sigh. The Pirates and the Cubs meet again today @ 1:35 p.m.
The Tigers fell to the Rays 2 - 3 to fall to 32 - 35. They still find themselves in 3rd place in the AL Central, but they are going nowhere. The Tigers once again face the face the Rays @ 1:10 p.m. today.
My beloved Red Sox lost big time to the Astros, 1 - 7. The 38 - 30 Sox are one game behind the 1st place Yankees in the AL East. What will happen today? Find out @ 8:05 p.m. tonight when the Sox once again play the Astros.
The Caps were once again rained out. However, they are in 1st place in the MWL East with a record of 44 - 22. That mark gives the Caps a playoff position for the 4th year in a row. One more win and/or a loss by the Dayton Dragons, give the Caps the MWL East Divison title. A reminder that the MWL has two parts to their season.
Otherwise, today is a day of rest and relaxation. We'll take the morning safari with the fur-children after lazing in bed for the morning. That lazing and the safari will come after the fur-children have had their breakfast and their first out of the day.
Otherwise, I'd like to do some cooking, some reading, and some baseball watching. Mary will be knitting and cooking too. Ciao.
Well, another year has come and gone and it's once again Father's Day, a day set aside by the greeting card purveyors and retailers to sell cards and the myriad variations of "World's Greatest Father/Dad" merchandise. Does that mean that I don't appreciate the sentiment of the day? No, it means that I recognize the opportunity afforded children to reach out and say "Thanks, Dad" just for being you.
At any rate, the best thing that can come of this day for many fathers is the chance to play golf, watch TV, or just get up late and do nothing. I guess it's the Yang to the Yin of Mother's Day.
I had a nice time at our Irish Jam session yesterday. However, our number of players has diminished over the months and years, so we need to find a way to get fresh blood so to speak. We had a good audience, but.....
The current temperature, according to the NWS, is 68° under rainy skies. Saturday/early morning today has been rainy, something that we have been needing for many weeks now. As of late yesterday, areas north and west of "The City" had over 2 1/2 inches of rain while we had a scant, by comparison, 2/3 of an inch. Here's hoping that the additional rains that have fallen since have brought us up to near the one-inch range. The current view out the WW indicates that the rain is over and the skies are drying out, in spite of the usual Significant Weather Advisory issued for our area by the NWS. The rainfall amounts are certainly no record nor nearly enough, but welcome nonetheless. Today, the high temperature is forecast by the NWS to be 73° with cloudy skies. The sun will rise @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:27 p.m.
Sports news was not good yesterday. The Cubs, the Tigers, and my beloved Red Sox all lost and the Caps were rained out in Lansing. The Cubs have once again fallen below .500 in the NL Central @ 33 - 34, albeit still good for 2nd place. Jake Arrieta served up an early home run and in spite of tying the game later with his own home run, the Cubs fell to the Pirates, 3 - 4. The old saying was "What's the matter with Kansas?" Now it's"What's the matter with the Cubs?"
The answer isn't simple, but their once reliable pitching staff is now much like the fire department in Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, where the fire department is charged with burning books in a dystopian future. While that story was set in the future, the Cubs are in my present and they are experiencing a "June Swoon" too much like the Cubs' teams of my youth and most of my adulthood. Weak pitching, weak hitting, and sloppy fielding are once again becoming the team's hallmark. Sigh. The Pirates and the Cubs meet again today @ 1:35 p.m.
The Tigers fell to the Rays 2 - 3 to fall to 32 - 35. They still find themselves in 3rd place in the AL Central, but they are going nowhere. The Tigers once again face the face the Rays @ 1:10 p.m. today.
My beloved Red Sox lost big time to the Astros, 1 - 7. The 38 - 30 Sox are one game behind the 1st place Yankees in the AL East. What will happen today? Find out @ 8:05 p.m. tonight when the Sox once again play the Astros.
The Caps were once again rained out. However, they are in 1st place in the MWL East with a record of 44 - 22. That mark gives the Caps a playoff position for the 4th year in a row. One more win and/or a loss by the Dayton Dragons, give the Caps the MWL East Divison title. A reminder that the MWL has two parts to their season.
Otherwise, today is a day of rest and relaxation. We'll take the morning safari with the fur-children after lazing in bed for the morning. That lazing and the safari will come after the fur-children have had their breakfast and their first out of the day.
Otherwise, I'd like to do some cooking, some reading, and some baseball watching. Mary will be knitting and cooking too. Ciao.
Friday, June 16, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City."
The NWS is showing a current temperature of 68° under cloudy skies. My DTWS is showing 71°. Like always, the NWS and my own weather station do not agree, but they are close. Later today, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 76° with a 20% chance for showers/T-storms.
I finished mowing the vast lawns of the PE yesterday and then did some weeding. Today, I have to water, again, and then I have another appointment at the chiropractor to get yet another treatment on my yak. Otherwise, I don't have plans to do much of anything. I need to rest my yak and so I shall.
Sports news yesterday was mostly unchanged. The Cubs had the day off before visiting the Pirates tonight @ 7:05 p.m. The 32 - 33 in the NL Central, 2nd place Cubs, are in serious need of pitching help. One starting pitcher has tendonitis, another has a cut on his thumb, one is showing his age, serving up home runs like blue-plate specials @ the local diner, while still another has been consistently inconsistent. Alas, the Cubs starting pitchers and the relievers from their 2016 World Series Championship team are all too human. Time for an infusion of new blood in the bullpen and a real leadoff hitter. You know you are in trouble when Anthony Rizzo is leading off.
The Tigers eked out a win over the Rays, 5 - 3, but the Tigers are still in 3rd place in the AL Central @ 31 - 34. Another team in need of consistent pitching and consistent hitting? The Tigers play the Rays again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox dropped a squeaker to the Phillies, 0 - 1. They are fortunate that the 1st place in the AL East Yankees, also lost, so the Sox 2nd place position @ 2.0 games behind is unchanged. The 37 - 29 Sox are in Houston tonight @ 8:10 to face the AL West division leading Astros with their record of 45 - 22. If you peruse their respective records, you get an idea of how weak the NL Central is versus the AL East or West.
The Caps wee rained out in Bowling Green, so they remain in 1st place in the MWL East @ 43 - 22, a full 4.0 games ahead of the 2nd place Dayton Dragons. The Caps are in Lansing tonight to face the Lug Nuts @ 7:05 p.m.
Otherwise, we are off to a wedding this evening. Our neighbor is getting married. Ginger will have to be crated while we are out. I plan to do some reading after my chiropractor's appointment and also get in some additional play time with the girls in preparation for our Irish Jam session on Saturday afternoon. We will be taking July, August, and September off before resuming our sessions in October.
The sun will rise today @ 6:04 p.m. and set @ 9:26 p.m. Ciao.
The NWS is showing a current temperature of 68° under cloudy skies. My DTWS is showing 71°. Like always, the NWS and my own weather station do not agree, but they are close. Later today, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 76° with a 20% chance for showers/T-storms.
I finished mowing the vast lawns of the PE yesterday and then did some weeding. Today, I have to water, again, and then I have another appointment at the chiropractor to get yet another treatment on my yak. Otherwise, I don't have plans to do much of anything. I need to rest my yak and so I shall.
Sports news yesterday was mostly unchanged. The Cubs had the day off before visiting the Pirates tonight @ 7:05 p.m. The 32 - 33 in the NL Central, 2nd place Cubs, are in serious need of pitching help. One starting pitcher has tendonitis, another has a cut on his thumb, one is showing his age, serving up home runs like blue-plate specials @ the local diner, while still another has been consistently inconsistent. Alas, the Cubs starting pitchers and the relievers from their 2016 World Series Championship team are all too human. Time for an infusion of new blood in the bullpen and a real leadoff hitter. You know you are in trouble when Anthony Rizzo is leading off.
The Tigers eked out a win over the Rays, 5 - 3, but the Tigers are still in 3rd place in the AL Central @ 31 - 34. Another team in need of consistent pitching and consistent hitting? The Tigers play the Rays again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox dropped a squeaker to the Phillies, 0 - 1. They are fortunate that the 1st place in the AL East Yankees, also lost, so the Sox 2nd place position @ 2.0 games behind is unchanged. The 37 - 29 Sox are in Houston tonight @ 8:10 to face the AL West division leading Astros with their record of 45 - 22. If you peruse their respective records, you get an idea of how weak the NL Central is versus the AL East or West.
The Caps wee rained out in Bowling Green, so they remain in 1st place in the MWL East @ 43 - 22, a full 4.0 games ahead of the 2nd place Dayton Dragons. The Caps are in Lansing tonight to face the Lug Nuts @ 7:05 p.m.
Otherwise, we are off to a wedding this evening. Our neighbor is getting married. Ginger will have to be crated while we are out. I plan to do some reading after my chiropractor's appointment and also get in some additional play time with the girls in preparation for our Irish Jam session on Saturday afternoon. We will be taking July, August, and September off before resuming our sessions in October.
The sun will rise today @ 6:04 p.m. and set @ 9:26 p.m. Ciao.
Thursday, June 15, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City."
K.I.S.S. once again.
Current temperature, 66° to 68° under cloudy skies. Later today, high temperature, per the NWS = 74°. Sunrise, 6:04 a.m. Sunset, 9:26 p.m. 30% chance of isolated T-storms.
Last night I slept through high winds, drenching rain, and heavy thunder and lighting. I won't have to water but I do need to mow the lawns of the vast PE.
Sports news:
Cubs lose to Mets, 4 - 9, fall to 32 - 33 in NL Central, 2nd place. Off today, @ Pirates Friday @ 7:05 p.m.
Tigers lose to D'Backs, 1 - 2. Fall to 30 - 34. Still in 3rd place in the AL Central. Tonight's game @ Tampa Bay Ray 7:05 p.m.
Beloved Red Sox triumph over the Phillies, 7 - 3. Still in 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 37 - 28, two games behind the Yankees. The Sox play the Phillies again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
Caps win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 6 - 1, to increase their 1st place record to 43 - 22 in the MWL East to 3.5 games over the Dayton Dragons. Caps play again today in Bowling Green. KY against the Hot Rods @ 1:05 p.m.
Saw one train around 11:50 a.m. EMD GP-38-2 locomotive #2057 was soloing on the RSTL towing CHCs, DBTs, and DWTs heading south. We were out running errands and did not witness the northbound run.
Accomplished everything we set out to do. Ginger went to daycare and came back exhausted. Sugar stayed home.
Dinner and then bed time.
Today's plans, after the morning safari with the fur-children, a few phone calls, and a chiropractor's appointment. More reading, more playing with the girls. Mary's plans, unknown.
Ciao.
K.I.S.S. once again.
Current temperature, 66° to 68° under cloudy skies. Later today, high temperature, per the NWS = 74°. Sunrise, 6:04 a.m. Sunset, 9:26 p.m. 30% chance of isolated T-storms.
Last night I slept through high winds, drenching rain, and heavy thunder and lighting. I won't have to water but I do need to mow the lawns of the vast PE.
Cubs lose to Mets, 4 - 9, fall to 32 - 33 in NL Central, 2nd place. Off today, @ Pirates Friday @ 7:05 p.m.
Tigers lose to D'Backs, 1 - 2. Fall to 30 - 34. Still in 3rd place in the AL Central. Tonight's game @ Tampa Bay Ray 7:05 p.m.
Beloved Red Sox triumph over the Phillies, 7 - 3. Still in 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 37 - 28, two games behind the Yankees. The Sox play the Phillies again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
Caps win over the Bowling Green Hot Rods, 6 - 1, to increase their 1st place record to 43 - 22 in the MWL East to 3.5 games over the Dayton Dragons. Caps play again today in Bowling Green. KY against the Hot Rods @ 1:05 p.m.
Saw one train around 11:50 a.m. EMD GP-38-2 locomotive #2057 was soloing on the RSTL towing CHCs, DBTs, and DWTs heading south. We were out running errands and did not witness the northbound run.
Accomplished everything we set out to do. Ginger went to daycare and came back exhausted. Sugar stayed home.
Dinner and then bed time.
Today's plans, after the morning safari with the fur-children, a few phone calls, and a chiropractor's appointment. More reading, more playing with the girls. Mary's plans, unknown.
Ciao.
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "The City."
Ginger and I were outside @ 3:00 a.m. and the skies are indeed partly cloudy and the weather is as described by the NWS, fair. The current temperature is 69° to 72° per the NWS and my own DTWS. Today's high is forecast by the NWS to be 86° with a 30% chance of isolated T-storms. Thursday the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 76% with a 50% chance of a.m. T-storms that changes to 82°by Friday and a 60% chance for T-storms. I have little faith in the NWS. They warn of weather events that never come to pass and I end up watering. Sigh.
We accomplished very little yesterday. That's okay, as I had time to read and then go to my Tuesday evening art class. I may never achieve great things artistically, but I am enjoying my time and some of my efforts are good.
Sports news yesterday was mixed.
The Cubs blew out the Mets, 14 - 3 to move back to 32 - 32 and 2nd place in the NL Central. The NL Central is a weak division when compared to the AL East or West and the NL East or West. The Cubs need to feast on weaker teams within their own division. They also need to be more consistent in their pitching. Jon Lester dominated the Mets last night, but the night before, the Mets clobbered John Lackey. As for Jake Arrieta, well, he has been very inconsistent. He is not pitching like a man who wants/deserves a big Cy Young winner type of big-money contract. The Cubs and theMets play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
The Tigers got down early to the D'Backs and yet the Tigers managed to stage a comeback, as predicted by their announcers, only to fall in the end 6 - 7. That loss gives the Tigers a 30 - 33 record in the AL Central and sole possession of 3rd place. The Tigers host the D'Backs again tonight @ 7:10 p.m. Is Miggy slowing down? Are the Tigers pitchers being shelled early? Possibly both.
My beloved Red Sox topped the Phillies 4 - 3 to move to 36 - 28 in the AL East. They are three games behind the division-leading Yankees with a record of 38 - 24. The Sox and the Phillies play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Caps were rained out in Bowling Green yesterday for their game against the Hot Rods, Both teams attempt to play again tonight @ 5:35 p.m. The Caps have a three-game lead in the MWL East over the Dayton Dragons. The Caps are 41 - 22.
We had a visit from the cable company technician yesterday to resolve our slow internet speed. It is somewhat better, but around here, that's a relative plane of existence. Only time till tell.
Today we have nothing specific on our agenda except perhaps for a visit to the cell phone store for some questions regarding our replacement phone. Too many duplicates in the calendar etc. Oh, I have to mow the lawns of the vast PE.
Otherwise, I plan to read more, play with the girls more and that's about it. Mary, I don't know.
The sun will rise @ 6:04 a.m. and set @ 9:26 p.m. Ciao.
Ginger and I were outside @ 3:00 a.m. and the skies are indeed partly cloudy and the weather is as described by the NWS, fair. The current temperature is 69° to 72° per the NWS and my own DTWS. Today's high is forecast by the NWS to be 86° with a 30% chance of isolated T-storms. Thursday the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 76% with a 50% chance of a.m. T-storms that changes to 82°by Friday and a 60% chance for T-storms. I have little faith in the NWS. They warn of weather events that never come to pass and I end up watering. Sigh.
We accomplished very little yesterday. That's okay, as I had time to read and then go to my Tuesday evening art class. I may never achieve great things artistically, but I am enjoying my time and some of my efforts are good.
Sports news yesterday was mixed.
The Cubs blew out the Mets, 14 - 3 to move back to 32 - 32 and 2nd place in the NL Central. The NL Central is a weak division when compared to the AL East or West and the NL East or West. The Cubs need to feast on weaker teams within their own division. They also need to be more consistent in their pitching. Jon Lester dominated the Mets last night, but the night before, the Mets clobbered John Lackey. As for Jake Arrieta, well, he has been very inconsistent. He is not pitching like a man who wants/deserves a big Cy Young winner type of big-money contract. The Cubs and theMets play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
The Tigers got down early to the D'Backs and yet the Tigers managed to stage a comeback, as predicted by their announcers, only to fall in the end 6 - 7. That loss gives the Tigers a 30 - 33 record in the AL Central and sole possession of 3rd place. The Tigers host the D'Backs again tonight @ 7:10 p.m. Is Miggy slowing down? Are the Tigers pitchers being shelled early? Possibly both.
My beloved Red Sox topped the Phillies 4 - 3 to move to 36 - 28 in the AL East. They are three games behind the division-leading Yankees with a record of 38 - 24. The Sox and the Phillies play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Caps were rained out in Bowling Green yesterday for their game against the Hot Rods, Both teams attempt to play again tonight @ 5:35 p.m. The Caps have a three-game lead in the MWL East over the Dayton Dragons. The Caps are 41 - 22.
We had a visit from the cable company technician yesterday to resolve our slow internet speed. It is somewhat better, but around here, that's a relative plane of existence. Only time till tell.
Today we have nothing specific on our agenda except perhaps for a visit to the cell phone store for some questions regarding our replacement phone. Too many duplicates in the calendar etc. Oh, I have to mow the lawns of the vast PE.
Otherwise, I plan to read more, play with the girls more and that's about it. Mary, I don't know.
The sun will rise @ 6:04 a.m. and set @ 9:26 p.m. Ciao.
Monday, June 12, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 12:00 a.m. in "The City."
We have a current temperature of between 76° per the NWS and 80° per the DTWS. In either case, it is warm here in West Michigan with fair skies. There is also a Beach Hazard Statement for Ottawa, County issued by the NWS due to the windy conditions that are producing high waves on "The Big Lake."
Later today, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 81° under partly cloudy skies. Our next chance for significant precipitation is in the form of rain/T-storms @ 50% on Tuesday and 80% on Wednesday. We shall see.
I had to water yesterday so that the lawns and gardens of the PE didn't perish. Right now, our veggies are looking fine, but the lawns are looking parched and brown. I'm watering the backyard lawn in hopes that Ginger won't entirely kill it before fall.
Major announcement! Mary and I had a collective fail for dinner. My homemade sausage buns turned out inedible and Mary's Polish sausages turned out likewise. In addition, the Coleslaw that I made, while edible, was not up to my usual world-class standards. In the case of my sausage buns, the use of potato starch versus potato flour is the likely reason. Mary's sausages? We don't know. Mary has very few failures, but when she and I do, they are doozies.
Mary did redeem herself with the sloppy Joes that she finally made for our dinner and some tofu bacon she made for another purpose. Mary has assured me that dinner tonight, whatever it may be, will be a vast improvement. The sausages and the buns have now been consigned to the ash heap of history, to paraphrase Vladimir Lenin.
Sports news yesterday was mostly good, depending on your perspective.
The Cubs righted the ship and beat the Rockies 7 - 5 on the strength of four home runs and some solid RBI producing hits. Jake Arrieta, in his shortest outing this season, lasted 4 1/3 innings, surrendering five hits, and four earned runs while striking out three and walking three. One baseball pundit opined that Arrieta should pursue free-agency this winter and take the money from any other team willing to pay him. Brutal? Maybe, but right now, Arrieta is not a Cy Young caliber pitcher and should not be looking for the kind of money his agent will be expected to demand.
The Cubs are now @ 31 - 31 in the NL Central and one game behind the Brewers in a very weak division. The Cubs and the Mets meet tonight @ 7:10 p.m. in NYC.
The Tigers pounded my beloved Red Sox, 11 - 3 en route to a 29 - 32 record and 3rd place in the AL Central. The Tigers have the day off today before hosting the D'Backs @ Comerica Park Tuesday night @ 7:10 p.m.
Conversely, the Sox were pounded by the Tigers 3 - 11. That loss gives theSox an AL East record of 34 - 28 in a strong division. The Sox trail the 1st place Yankees by 3.5 games. The Sox don't have the day off as they host the Phillies tonight @ Fenway Park @ 7:10 p.m.
The Caps had a great day in front of the kids as they defeated the Dayton Dragons 9 - 2 to move to 42 - 21 and a solid hold in the MWL East division with a full four game lead over the Dragons. The Caps and the Dragons close out their series today @ 12:00 p.m.
We'll be taking the fur-children for an abbreviated walk later this morning. The warm temperature expected today is too much for STWD. Even Ginger slows down in the heat. I hope to try again soon on those sausage buns. I also need to powerwash the deck. I'd like to continue reading and get in some time with the girls too. Like yours truly, Mary has a need to redeem herself in the kitchen along with some crafty things.
I also have an appointment to have a few hairs cut today.
The sun will rise today @ 6:04 a.m. and set @ 9:25 p.m. Ciao.
We have a current temperature of between 76° per the NWS and 80° per the DTWS. In either case, it is warm here in West Michigan with fair skies. There is also a Beach Hazard Statement for Ottawa, County issued by the NWS due to the windy conditions that are producing high waves on "The Big Lake."
Later today, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 81° under partly cloudy skies. Our next chance for significant precipitation is in the form of rain/T-storms @ 50% on Tuesday and 80% on Wednesday. We shall see.
I had to water yesterday so that the lawns and gardens of the PE didn't perish. Right now, our veggies are looking fine, but the lawns are looking parched and brown. I'm watering the backyard lawn in hopes that Ginger won't entirely kill it before fall.
Major announcement! Mary and I had a collective fail for dinner. My homemade sausage buns turned out inedible and Mary's Polish sausages turned out likewise. In addition, the Coleslaw that I made, while edible, was not up to my usual world-class standards. In the case of my sausage buns, the use of potato starch versus potato flour is the likely reason. Mary's sausages? We don't know. Mary has very few failures, but when she and I do, they are doozies.
Mary did redeem herself with the sloppy Joes that she finally made for our dinner and some tofu bacon she made for another purpose. Mary has assured me that dinner tonight, whatever it may be, will be a vast improvement. The sausages and the buns have now been consigned to the ash heap of history, to paraphrase Vladimir Lenin.
Sports news yesterday was mostly good, depending on your perspective.
The Cubs righted the ship and beat the Rockies 7 - 5 on the strength of four home runs and some solid RBI producing hits. Jake Arrieta, in his shortest outing this season, lasted 4 1/3 innings, surrendering five hits, and four earned runs while striking out three and walking three. One baseball pundit opined that Arrieta should pursue free-agency this winter and take the money from any other team willing to pay him. Brutal? Maybe, but right now, Arrieta is not a Cy Young caliber pitcher and should not be looking for the kind of money his agent will be expected to demand.
The Cubs are now @ 31 - 31 in the NL Central and one game behind the Brewers in a very weak division. The Cubs and the Mets meet tonight @ 7:10 p.m. in NYC.
The Tigers pounded my beloved Red Sox, 11 - 3 en route to a 29 - 32 record and 3rd place in the AL Central. The Tigers have the day off today before hosting the D'Backs @ Comerica Park Tuesday night @ 7:10 p.m.
Conversely, the Sox were pounded by the Tigers 3 - 11. That loss gives theSox an AL East record of 34 - 28 in a strong division. The Sox trail the 1st place Yankees by 3.5 games. The Sox don't have the day off as they host the Phillies tonight @ Fenway Park @ 7:10 p.m.
The Caps had a great day in front of the kids as they defeated the Dayton Dragons 9 - 2 to move to 42 - 21 and a solid hold in the MWL East division with a full four game lead over the Dragons. The Caps and the Dragons close out their series today @ 12:00 p.m.
We'll be taking the fur-children for an abbreviated walk later this morning. The warm temperature expected today is too much for STWD. Even Ginger slows down in the heat. I hope to try again soon on those sausage buns. I also need to powerwash the deck. I'd like to continue reading and get in some time with the girls too. Like yours truly, Mary has a need to redeem herself in the kitchen along with some crafty things.
I also have an appointment to have a few hairs cut today.
The sun will rise today @ 6:04 a.m. and set @ 9:25 p.m. Ciao.
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Wow! I'm listening to CoasttoCoastAm on WOOD Radio with guest host Richard Syrett sitting in for regular host George Noory. Syrett's guest is Psychic Sloan Bella. Her specialty is being a conduit for otherworldly beings and deceased spirits. She was just asked to tell the listeners about John Lennon and his early demise and was asked about whether Lennon would have reunited with the Beatles. She said he would have, but that it would have been on a personal level, not as a band. In addition, she said that Lennon was taken early for a reason that we can't know, but that his work here was finished. Go figure and believe what you wish.
Yesterday, we took an early walk with the fur-children and then dropped off Ginger at doggie daycare for the afternoon. Since the weather was exceptionally pleasant, we did a few errands and then we were off to the Feast of the Strawberry Moon on Harbor Island. We can now take that activity off of our collective "Bucket Lists."
While we were there, Mary got the chance to buy some handspun, hand dyed yarn from a vendor with a booth there. The vendor, Apple Cart Creations, http://applecartcreations.com, raises their own "Wool on the Hoof", as we like to call sheep. While the proprietors of Apple Cart Creations do own a farm and raise sheep, they do not shear their own animals, preferring to leave that to professional shearers. However, they do spin the wool into yarn and dye it themselves. At any rate, Mary assures me that the cost for the yarn, $10.00 per skein, is great and may be a good enough reason to return again next year.
 |
| For those of us not color color-blind, the yarn is green in hue. |
 |
| "Wool on the Hoof" miniatures. |
Also worthy of note, was the presence of a Town Crier as he would have appeared in the colonies of that period.
 |
| Complete with bell and announcements to be read. |
Also, in addition, no recreation of the time period would have been complete without a few canoes and cannons.
 |
| One of several. |
 |
| Fortunately, the large cannons, when fired, had no projectiles. |
 |
| Nor, did the small ones. |
 |
| With clubs in front and behind her, she survived. |
You also can't have a festival without period-correct music.
 |
| I knew some of the players from other activities around "The City." |
Yesterday in sports was mostly good, except that he Cubs are finally experiencing their annual "June Swoon." Beginning June, 2, they won five in a row over the Cardinals and the Marlins before they began their swoon against the Marlins and now the Rockies. They have since lost four in a row including yesterday's 1 - 9 drubbing by the Rockies. The Cubs strong pitching of last year seems to have become much weaker this year. Along with sporadic hitting and run-scoring, the Cubs are floundering. They have a current sub .500 record in the NL Central of 30 - 31, still good enough for 2nd place. The Cubs hope to right the ship this afternoon against the Rockies @ 2:20 p.m.
The Tigers were drubbed by my beloved Red Sox yesterday by a score of 3 - 11. That leaves the Tigers still in 3rd place in the AL Central with a record of 29 - 31.
Conversely, my beloved Red Sox hammered the Tigers, 11 - 3 to move to an AL East record of 34 - 27, but they are still in 2nd place as the Yankees continue their winning ways and remain in 1st place in a strong division, by three games over the Sox.
The Caps defeated the Dayton Dragons last night by a score of 5 - 1. That gives the Caps an MWL East 1st place record of 40 - 21. The Caps and the Dragons play today @ 1:00 p.m. on "Kid's Day" at the Fifth/Third Ballpark.
We have a current temperature of 70° under clear skies with breezy/windy conditions. The winds in the backyard are not strong, but those in front of the manse are blowing @ 15 - 25 mph according to the NWS. Later today, we'll experience a high temperature of 82° under partly-cloudy skies. The sun will rise @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:24 p.m
Today, Mary plans to knit more and do some other crafty type things after our morning safari with the fur-children. I plan to read more after I water the lawns and gardens of the PE. I had other things planned, but they can wait for another day. I read last evening on the front porch of the manse as Mary made dinner, another pizza in a cast iron pan. It was great and still a keeper.
I also plan to do some indoor chores and some baking today too. I am planning to try a recipe for hot dog buns that I recently downloaded. Ciao.
Saturday, June 10, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City,"
Let's keep this one very short.
Current temperature, 59/61° under clear skies. Today's high 79° under sunny skies with windy conditions and a 5% chance or rain.
Cubs lost to the Rockies 3 - 5, fell to 30 - 30 and 2nd place in the NL Central, Next game @ 2:20 p.m. today.
The Tigers and Red Sox played last night. The Tigers fell to the Sox 3 - 5 while the Sox beat the Tigers 5 - 3. The Tigers are now in 3rd place with an AL Central record of 29 - 31. The Sox are in 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 33 - 27. Both teams play again tonight @ 7:15 p.m.
The Caps fell to the Dragons in an MWL East matchup by a score of 3 - 4. The Caps still have a 2 game lead over the Dragons with a record of 39 - 21. Next game tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
We got up late yesterday and then walked with the fur-children after lunch. Mary and I ran some errands and then ate a light snack at Double Deuce. Home to be greeted effusively by Ginger and then Mary sat down to knit while I went upstairs to read and watch car shows. I finished my latest book, Say Nothing by Brad Parks a short time ago. I liked it. The book was technically due Friday, so I'll have to pay a small fine, but it was worth it.
Today we may go to Harbor Island and see the reenactors at the Feast of the Strawberry Moon. We have had the opportunity for several years, but somehow we have never made it. Right now, we still don't know. Otherwise, nothing is on tap after the morning safari. I might do some baking after I water the vast lawns of the PE, but that's about it.
The sun will rise @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:24 p.m. Ciao.
Let's keep this one very short.
Current temperature, 59/61° under clear skies. Today's high 79° under sunny skies with windy conditions and a 5% chance or rain.
Cubs lost to the Rockies 3 - 5, fell to 30 - 30 and 2nd place in the NL Central, Next game @ 2:20 p.m. today.
The Tigers and Red Sox played last night. The Tigers fell to the Sox 3 - 5 while the Sox beat the Tigers 5 - 3. The Tigers are now in 3rd place with an AL Central record of 29 - 31. The Sox are in 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 33 - 27. Both teams play again tonight @ 7:15 p.m.
The Caps fell to the Dragons in an MWL East matchup by a score of 3 - 4. The Caps still have a 2 game lead over the Dragons with a record of 39 - 21. Next game tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
We got up late yesterday and then walked with the fur-children after lunch. Mary and I ran some errands and then ate a light snack at Double Deuce. Home to be greeted effusively by Ginger and then Mary sat down to knit while I went upstairs to read and watch car shows. I finished my latest book, Say Nothing by Brad Parks a short time ago. I liked it. The book was technically due Friday, so I'll have to pay a small fine, but it was worth it.
Today we may go to Harbor Island and see the reenactors at the Feast of the Strawberry Moon. We have had the opportunity for several years, but somehow we have never made it. Right now, we still don't know. Otherwise, nothing is on tap after the morning safari. I might do some baking after I water the vast lawns of the PE, but that's about it.
The sun will rise @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:24 p.m. Ciao.
Thursday, June 8, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."
It is only fair outside with a current temperature of 55° to 59° under partly cloudy skies. Later today after the sun rises @ 6:05 a.m. and well before it sets @ 9:22 p.m., the NWS has forecast a high temperature of 72° under sunny skies. There is no rain in the forecast, so I'll be watering the new grass seeds that I sowed yesterday in what may be a futile attempt to reverse the damage to the lawns of the vast PE caused by the fur-children.
GTTSD and I only observed the southbound passage of the train on the RSTL. Locomotive 2019 was soloing @ 11:45 a.m. and towing 16 CHCs and three DBTCs. We were out in the afternoon and I do not know if there was a northbound run.
We traveled to Muskegon to view that exhibit of photographs at the Muskegon Museum of Art. We learned that the museum is actually the owner of an extensive collection of these photographs by Edward Curtis, dating back to the early 1900s when the head librarian of the Hackley Library in Muskegon made the decision to purchase one of Curtis' 20 volume encyclopedic picture and information collection. The pictures were and are truly amazing. In addition, we made a quick stop at the Hackley Public Library next door to the museum. The library has tours of what is an amazing library/facility which we will try to attend at a later date.
Sports news yesterday was once again 50/50.
The Cubs fell to the Marlins 5 - 6, dropping to 2nd place in the NL Central with a record of 30 - 28. The Cubs meet the Colorado Rockies tonight 8:05 p.m.
The Tigers topped the Dodges 4 - 0 to move back to .500 and 3rd place in the AL Central with a record of 29 - 29. The Tigers and the Dodgers play this afternoon @ 1:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox were crushed by the Yankees 0 - 8 to fall to a 2nd place record of 32 - 26 in the AL East. The Sox play the Yankees again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Caps fared much better as they crushed the Great Lakes Loons 9 - 2 to stay atop the MWL East with a record of 39 - 19 The Caps meet the Loons again tonight @ 7:00 p.m. before welcoming the 2nd place Dayton Dragons on Friday.
Mary made a terrific vegan lasagna for dinner last night while I was on the front porch of the manse. She found a recipe for vegan ricotta cheese on the internet that was perfect as an accompaniment to her own vegan pepperoni. This one is a keeper.
After dinner, I was tired, so I walked the fur-children and then moved up to the bedroom to listen to the Cubs fall to the Marlins. I made it through the 1st inning and then I was gone. I awoke to the post-game interviews regarding the reasons for the Cubs' loss.
Today we hope to stay in. I'll be reading and Mary will do some batch cooking. I have several books to read that are due on Friday, so I'll be reading the most important one that I can't renew due to a hold and trying to renew the others at the library on Friday if there are no holds on those.
We will be walking with the fur-children and then Mary plans to watch the Senate hearings starting @ 10:00 a.m. I'll try to ignore those.
Ciao.
It is only fair outside with a current temperature of 55° to 59° under partly cloudy skies. Later today after the sun rises @ 6:05 a.m. and well before it sets @ 9:22 p.m., the NWS has forecast a high temperature of 72° under sunny skies. There is no rain in the forecast, so I'll be watering the new grass seeds that I sowed yesterday in what may be a futile attempt to reverse the damage to the lawns of the vast PE caused by the fur-children.
GTTSD and I only observed the southbound passage of the train on the RSTL. Locomotive 2019 was soloing @ 11:45 a.m. and towing 16 CHCs and three DBTCs. We were out in the afternoon and I do not know if there was a northbound run.
We traveled to Muskegon to view that exhibit of photographs at the Muskegon Museum of Art. We learned that the museum is actually the owner of an extensive collection of these photographs by Edward Curtis, dating back to the early 1900s when the head librarian of the Hackley Library in Muskegon made the decision to purchase one of Curtis' 20 volume encyclopedic picture and information collection. The pictures were and are truly amazing. In addition, we made a quick stop at the Hackley Public Library next door to the museum. The library has tours of what is an amazing library/facility which we will try to attend at a later date.
Sports news yesterday was once again 50/50.
The Cubs fell to the Marlins 5 - 6, dropping to 2nd place in the NL Central with a record of 30 - 28. The Cubs meet the Colorado Rockies tonight 8:05 p.m.
The Tigers topped the Dodges 4 - 0 to move back to .500 and 3rd place in the AL Central with a record of 29 - 29. The Tigers and the Dodgers play this afternoon @ 1:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox were crushed by the Yankees 0 - 8 to fall to a 2nd place record of 32 - 26 in the AL East. The Sox play the Yankees again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.
The Caps fared much better as they crushed the Great Lakes Loons 9 - 2 to stay atop the MWL East with a record of 39 - 19 The Caps meet the Loons again tonight @ 7:00 p.m. before welcoming the 2nd place Dayton Dragons on Friday.
Mary made a terrific vegan lasagna for dinner last night while I was on the front porch of the manse. She found a recipe for vegan ricotta cheese on the internet that was perfect as an accompaniment to her own vegan pepperoni. This one is a keeper.
After dinner, I was tired, so I walked the fur-children and then moved up to the bedroom to listen to the Cubs fall to the Marlins. I made it through the 1st inning and then I was gone. I awoke to the post-game interviews regarding the reasons for the Cubs' loss.
Today we hope to stay in. I'll be reading and Mary will do some batch cooking. I have several books to read that are due on Friday, so I'll be reading the most important one that I can't renew due to a hold and trying to renew the others at the library on Friday if there are no holds on those.
We will be walking with the fur-children and then Mary plans to watch the Senate hearings starting @ 10:00 a.m. I'll try to ignore those.
Ciao.
Wednesday, June 7, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."
This one will be short because I want it to be.
As of now, a current temperature of 52° under clear skies, will lead to a sunny 72° later today. There is no rain in the forecast from the NWS for the foreseeable future. That means that yours truly will be watering again today. Accompanying that lack of rain is the sad status of the grass of the PE. Ginger has had a negative effect, to say the least. Astroturf anyone?
Sports news yesterday was a 50/50 proposition.
The Cubs behind Jake Arrieta cruised to a 10 - 2 win over the Florida Marlins. Solid hitting by Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward allowed the Cubs to win their fifth straight and remain in a tie for 1st place in the NL Central with the Brewers. The Cubs have a record of 30 - 27 and they play the Marlins again tonight @ 8:05 p.m.
The Tigers once again fell below .500 @ 28 - 29 in the AL Central, with a 3 - 5 loss to the Dodgers @ Comerica Park. As I've noted before, the Tigers are not a good team. They are at best a mid-pack team destined for a spot on the couch @ home for the 2017 playoffs and World Series. Is the rotund lady singing Brad Ausmus' tune again? The Tigers and the Dodgers play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox nipped the Yankees 5 - 4 in an AL East matchup to pull within one game of the front-running Yankees. The Sox have a record of 32 - 25. The Sox and the Yankees play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m. A win by the Sox gives them a virtual tie for 1st place with the Yankees.
The Caps fell to the Great Lakes Loons yesterday afternoon by a 1 - 3 margin. The Caps still have a two game lead over the Dayton Dragons in the MWL East with a record of 38 - 19 The Dragons come to town for a four-game series starting Friday. The Caps and the Loons play tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Not much else happened yesterday. We walked the fur-children and I made some baked tofu nuggets. Mary watched her computer reboot itself from yet another software update and sent out an invoice for a recently completed index. I went to my drawing class too. We did not get into the car yesterday, but we will today as we travel to Muskegon and the Muskegon Museum of Art to join our book club for an exhibition of Edward Curtis' photos.
The sun will rise today @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:22 p.m. Ciao.
This one will be short because I want it to be.
As of now, a current temperature of 52° under clear skies, will lead to a sunny 72° later today. There is no rain in the forecast from the NWS for the foreseeable future. That means that yours truly will be watering again today. Accompanying that lack of rain is the sad status of the grass of the PE. Ginger has had a negative effect, to say the least. Astroturf anyone?
Sports news yesterday was a 50/50 proposition.
The Cubs behind Jake Arrieta cruised to a 10 - 2 win over the Florida Marlins. Solid hitting by Anthony Rizzo and Jason Heyward allowed the Cubs to win their fifth straight and remain in a tie for 1st place in the NL Central with the Brewers. The Cubs have a record of 30 - 27 and they play the Marlins again tonight @ 8:05 p.m.
The Tigers once again fell below .500 @ 28 - 29 in the AL Central, with a 3 - 5 loss to the Dodgers @ Comerica Park. As I've noted before, the Tigers are not a good team. They are at best a mid-pack team destined for a spot on the couch @ home for the 2017 playoffs and World Series. Is the rotund lady singing Brad Ausmus' tune again? The Tigers and the Dodgers play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox nipped the Yankees 5 - 4 in an AL East matchup to pull within one game of the front-running Yankees. The Sox have a record of 32 - 25. The Sox and the Yankees play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m. A win by the Sox gives them a virtual tie for 1st place with the Yankees.
The Caps fell to the Great Lakes Loons yesterday afternoon by a 1 - 3 margin. The Caps still have a two game lead over the Dayton Dragons in the MWL East with a record of 38 - 19 The Dragons come to town for a four-game series starting Friday. The Caps and the Loons play tonight @ 7:00 p.m.
Not much else happened yesterday. We walked the fur-children and I made some baked tofu nuggets. Mary watched her computer reboot itself from yet another software update and sent out an invoice for a recently completed index. I went to my drawing class too. We did not get into the car yesterday, but we will today as we travel to Muskegon and the Muskegon Museum of Art to join our book club for an exhibition of Edward Curtis' photos.
The sun will rise today @ 6:05 a.m. and set @ 9:22 p.m. Ciao.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."
Let's start with several pieces of good news.
John is done with the downstairs floors. Now we await the arrival of the carpet and its installation followed by the arrival of the new furniture for both up and downstairs.
Mary crafted her latest version of veg-a-roni and vegan Italian-style faux sausage. The latter she incorporated into a delicious pizza with vegan mozzarella cheese substitute Sunday night. This pizza, made in a cast-iron skillet and baked in the oven, is a keeper. Here are some pictures of the preparations and the finished product.
Sports news over the last couple of days was was generally good.
The Cubs swept the Cardinals over the weekend and then took game one from the Marlins last night by a score of 3 - 1 behind some excellent pitching by newly promoted pitcher Eddie Butler and his reliever, Mike Montgomery. The Cubs took over a share of 1st place with an overall record in the NL Central of 29 - 27, good for a tie with the 30 - 28 Brewers. The Cubs face the Marlins again tonight @ 8:05 p.m @ "The Friendly Confines." Looks like the dreaded "June Swoon" may not happen.
The Tigers were off yesterday and they travel to meet the Rockies in Colorado tonight @ 7:05 p.m. The Tigers are in 3rd place in the AL Central with a record of 28 - 28.
My beloved Red Sox were also off yesterday. They travel to NYC to meet the 32 - 22 AL East-leading Yankees tonight @ 7:05 p.m. The Sox are in 2nd place with an overall record in the AL East of 31 - 25.
The Caps likewise were off yesterday. They still hold a two-game lead in the MWL East with an overall record of 38 - 18. over the Dayton Dragons. The Caps are home today @ 11:00 a.m. to face the Great Lakes Loons.
We accomplished several tasks in Holland yesterday afternoon after dropping GTTSD at daycare. We made stops at The Seasoned Home for some spices, the KIA dealer for some touch-up paint, Bed, Bath and Beyond for a replacement canister of CO2 for my "Soda Stream™ and tried to buy a mirror frame. That last effort failed. We finished our day @ our favorite watering hole, picked up Ginger with minutes to spare and then home to collapse. I took the fur-children out and then I moved upstairs to watch some TV before heading off to bed.
Speaking of Trainspotting, I saw locomotive 2057 heading south @ 12:25 p.m. towing 11 DBTCs, and eight CHCs, Later on, our way home from Holland, I saw the same locomotive heading north @ about 4:40 p.m., but the number of cars is in question.
We have a current temperature of 54° under mostly clear skies. Sorry, Steph I didn't go outside, so I didn't get any pictures of the constellations. Maybe tomorrow. The sun is expected to rise in a little over one hour @ 6:06 a.m. and set later tonight @ 9:21 p.m.
Otherwise, I have another drawing class tonight @ 6:00 p.m. I am looking forward to improving my skills, but I haven't had a chance to practice this week due to the upheaval at the manse. Ciao.
Let's start with several pieces of good news.
John is done with the downstairs floors. Now we await the arrival of the carpet and its installation followed by the arrival of the new furniture for both up and downstairs.
Mary crafted her latest version of veg-a-roni and vegan Italian-style faux sausage. The latter she incorporated into a delicious pizza with vegan mozzarella cheese substitute Sunday night. This pizza, made in a cast-iron skillet and baked in the oven, is a keeper. Here are some pictures of the preparations and the finished product.
 |
| The freshly risen dough in the cast-iron skillet. |
 |
| Sauce and pepperoni in place. |
 |
| Cheese on! |
 |
| Just out of the oven. |
Sports news over the last couple of days was was generally good.
The Cubs swept the Cardinals over the weekend and then took game one from the Marlins last night by a score of 3 - 1 behind some excellent pitching by newly promoted pitcher Eddie Butler and his reliever, Mike Montgomery. The Cubs took over a share of 1st place with an overall record in the NL Central of 29 - 27, good for a tie with the 30 - 28 Brewers. The Cubs face the Marlins again tonight @ 8:05 p.m @ "The Friendly Confines." Looks like the dreaded "June Swoon" may not happen.
The Tigers were off yesterday and they travel to meet the Rockies in Colorado tonight @ 7:05 p.m. The Tigers are in 3rd place in the AL Central with a record of 28 - 28.
My beloved Red Sox were also off yesterday. They travel to NYC to meet the 32 - 22 AL East-leading Yankees tonight @ 7:05 p.m. The Sox are in 2nd place with an overall record in the AL East of 31 - 25.
The Caps likewise were off yesterday. They still hold a two-game lead in the MWL East with an overall record of 38 - 18. over the Dayton Dragons. The Caps are home today @ 11:00 a.m. to face the Great Lakes Loons.
We accomplished several tasks in Holland yesterday afternoon after dropping GTTSD at daycare. We made stops at The Seasoned Home for some spices, the KIA dealer for some touch-up paint, Bed, Bath and Beyond for a replacement canister of CO2 for my "Soda Stream™ and tried to buy a mirror frame. That last effort failed. We finished our day @ our favorite watering hole, picked up Ginger with minutes to spare and then home to collapse. I took the fur-children out and then I moved upstairs to watch some TV before heading off to bed.
Speaking of Trainspotting, I saw locomotive 2057 heading south @ 12:25 p.m. towing 11 DBTCs, and eight CHCs, Later on, our way home from Holland, I saw the same locomotive heading north @ about 4:40 p.m., but the number of cars is in question.
We have a current temperature of 54° under mostly clear skies. Sorry, Steph I didn't go outside, so I didn't get any pictures of the constellations. Maybe tomorrow. The sun is expected to rise in a little over one hour @ 6:06 a.m. and set later tonight @ 9:21 p.m.
Otherwise, I have another drawing class tonight @ 6:00 p.m. I am looking forward to improving my skills, but I haven't had a chance to practice this week due to the upheaval at the manse. Ciao.
Sunday, June 4, 2017
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:30 ayem in "The City."
I was outside with GTTSD @ 2:20 ayem and the T-storms that were in the forecast from the NWS for later today were not in evidence. In spite of that forecast, the skies were more clear than partly cloudy. I guess that the only hope I have is that the current forecast for T-storms between now and 6:00 ayem comes to fruition. I just heard the first rumblings of thunder @ 3:30 ayem, so maybe. The current temperature is a very comfortable 68° and the roads are quiet here in GH. That is always true at this hour of the morning. The only cars on the road are from late-night revelers or workers heading home. So, I may or may not be watering in the vast gardens of the PE.
Yesterday was a four-win day for my teams.
The Cubs defeated their NL Central rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, by a final score of 5 - 3. All of those runs came courtesy of home runs by Javier Baez, a solo shot, and Kyle Schwarber, a Grand Slam. Those homers put the Cubs over the top en route to their victory and a 27 - 27 record. One day earlier, a pundit had suggested that Schwarber should be sent down to the minors for some additional coaching. That may still be true, but perhaps being moved to the 9th spot in the batting order by manager Joe Maddon helped. It will be day to day. The Cubs and the Cardinals play again tonight @ 7:55 p.m.
The Tigers once again stuffed that other team from Chicago by a final score of 10 - 1. The Tigers are almost even up in the AL Central division with a 27 - 28 record, good enough for 3rd place. The Tigers and that other team play again today @ Comerica Park @ 1:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox once again defeated the Orioles @ Fenway Park, this time by a score of 5 - 2 in their AL Central matchup. The Sox have a record of 30 - 25, good enough for 2nd place. They play the Orioles again today @ 1:35 p.m.
The Caps had a nice game in the MWL East with a win over the Lansing Lug Nuts by a score of 7 - 3. The Caps now have an overall record of 38 - 17 and a three-game lead over the 2nd place Dayton Dragons. The Caps and the Lug Nuts play this afternoon @ 1:00 p.m.
Elsewhere, we walked the fur-children and then worked in the vast gardens of the PE. Mary directed and I planted her climbing vine, which I have subsequently learned is named Major Wheeler. The people at The City Farmer tell us that Major Wheeler should do well with minimal care and full sun.
I spent some time in the man-cave yesterday preparing the new shelves for the pantry and then installing them. I think that they turned out great, but Mary needs to study them for a day or so to decide on the best way to organize the pantry with appliances and foodstuffs. I also cleaned up in the man-cave and tossed out some things that I would have saved in days gone by. This is another attempt @ the minimalist approach that Adam will appreciate. My part is done.
Mary prepared an extraordinary beest and then a batch of barbecue sauce that she used as part of the marinade for her latest batch of vegan jerky made from that beest. I like the taste, but she thinks she used too much cayenne pepper. I think Adam would like this batch too.
John is having trouble with the fuel pump in his truck, so he never made it back yesterday to finish his floor work. I know that the pump is in the fuel tank and requires dropping an empty tank to replace that pump. I also know it is a difficult job from experience in another life. I don't often miss that part of my life. However, there is a 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo near here that is in apparently mint condition, which would make a great project car if I had the stamina of that other life too. Sigh.
Today, we have no plans to speak of and that is fine by me. A short walk with the fur-children, some playing with the girls, and some time in the kitchen.
I am hearing rain drops outside the WW and feeling the wind blowing through the WW too, so there is a front coming through. One can only hope. I haven't checked, but I'm betting that STWD is cowering in her upstairs hide-e-hole as she senses that change in the force.
The sun will rise in a few hours @ 6:06 ayem and set @ 9:20 p.m. Ciao.
I was outside with GTTSD @ 2:20 ayem and the T-storms that were in the forecast from the NWS for later today were not in evidence. In spite of that forecast, the skies were more clear than partly cloudy. I guess that the only hope I have is that the current forecast for T-storms between now and 6:00 ayem comes to fruition. I just heard the first rumblings of thunder @ 3:30 ayem, so maybe. The current temperature is a very comfortable 68° and the roads are quiet here in GH. That is always true at this hour of the morning. The only cars on the road are from late-night revelers or workers heading home. So, I may or may not be watering in the vast gardens of the PE.
Yesterday was a four-win day for my teams.
The Cubs defeated their NL Central rivals, the St. Louis Cardinals, by a final score of 5 - 3. All of those runs came courtesy of home runs by Javier Baez, a solo shot, and Kyle Schwarber, a Grand Slam. Those homers put the Cubs over the top en route to their victory and a 27 - 27 record. One day earlier, a pundit had suggested that Schwarber should be sent down to the minors for some additional coaching. That may still be true, but perhaps being moved to the 9th spot in the batting order by manager Joe Maddon helped. It will be day to day. The Cubs and the Cardinals play again tonight @ 7:55 p.m.
The Tigers once again stuffed that other team from Chicago by a final score of 10 - 1. The Tigers are almost even up in the AL Central division with a 27 - 28 record, good enough for 3rd place. The Tigers and that other team play again today @ Comerica Park @ 1:10 p.m.
My beloved Red Sox once again defeated the Orioles @ Fenway Park, this time by a score of 5 - 2 in their AL Central matchup. The Sox have a record of 30 - 25, good enough for 2nd place. They play the Orioles again today @ 1:35 p.m.
The Caps had a nice game in the MWL East with a win over the Lansing Lug Nuts by a score of 7 - 3. The Caps now have an overall record of 38 - 17 and a three-game lead over the 2nd place Dayton Dragons. The Caps and the Lug Nuts play this afternoon @ 1:00 p.m.
Elsewhere, we walked the fur-children and then worked in the vast gardens of the PE. Mary directed and I planted her climbing vine, which I have subsequently learned is named Major Wheeler. The people at The City Farmer tell us that Major Wheeler should do well with minimal care and full sun.
I spent some time in the man-cave yesterday preparing the new shelves for the pantry and then installing them. I think that they turned out great, but Mary needs to study them for a day or so to decide on the best way to organize the pantry with appliances and foodstuffs. I also cleaned up in the man-cave and tossed out some things that I would have saved in days gone by. This is another attempt @ the minimalist approach that Adam will appreciate. My part is done.
Mary prepared an extraordinary beest and then a batch of barbecue sauce that she used as part of the marinade for her latest batch of vegan jerky made from that beest. I like the taste, but she thinks she used too much cayenne pepper. I think Adam would like this batch too.
John is having trouble with the fuel pump in his truck, so he never made it back yesterday to finish his floor work. I know that the pump is in the fuel tank and requires dropping an empty tank to replace that pump. I also know it is a difficult job from experience in another life. I don't often miss that part of my life. However, there is a 1971 Chevrolet Monte Carlo near here that is in apparently mint condition, which would make a great project car if I had the stamina of that other life too. Sigh.
Today, we have no plans to speak of and that is fine by me. A short walk with the fur-children, some playing with the girls, and some time in the kitchen.
I am hearing rain drops outside the WW and feeling the wind blowing through the WW too, so there is a front coming through. One can only hope. I haven't checked, but I'm betting that STWD is cowering in her upstairs hide-e-hole as she senses that change in the force.
The sun will rise in a few hours @ 6:06 ayem and set @ 9:20 p.m. Ciao.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)