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

I'm going to apply the KISS formula to this edition of my blog. We arose. I took the fur-children out, and then we sat around until it was time for them to go to their grooming appointments. Ginger had to stay a tad longer to get bathed and groomed, while STWD only had to get her nails trimmed with a grinder. Oh, there was one other service that the intrepid weather dog needed, but I'll leave that unsaid at the time,.

We ran our errands and made a stop at our favorite watering hole on the other side of the bridge while we were waiting on Ginger to be ready. We also bought some replacement flowers for Mary's flower room, AKA the foyer, and then picked up Ginger and then came home to await the start of the SOTU speech. I have an opinion, but I'll keep that to myself.

We had a nice dinner of pasta and bean burgers and then I moved to the upstairs to get ready for the speech. I am up now because it is hard to fall asleep after something like that.

Later today, John will be by to do some work around the manse. I am taking Adam's advice and having work done instead of doing it myself. I'd rather spend my time reading and meditating and playing with the girls.

The sun will rise today @ 7:59 a.m. and it will set later @ nearly 5:58 p.m. Apparently, the sunrise and sunset times in January of 2018 are skewed for some reason. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 9:00 p.m. in "The City."

Today was a good day. I got my few remaining hairs trimmed, more on my beard than the top of my head, but all in all, I look great. I then walked to The Bookman and picked up today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune, which I proceeded to read to Mary in the kitchen directly before she placed her latest vegan creation of pasta and black bean, well actually small red beans, burgers into the oven. By the by, the results were excellent and I pronounce them a keeper.

She had been hard at work on those while I was out and as she often says, the kitchen looked as though she had made macaroni and cheese. I then repaired to my La-Z-Boy and completed the daily crossword puzzle and read more in the book we are reading for our book club, All Quiet on the Western Front. I finished that book earlier this evening. Somewhere in there, I took the fur-children out for their morning constitutional and then I proceeded to do as little as possible.

Dinner earlier tonight was a homemade pizza consisting of Mary's soon to be famous crust, modified pizza sauce ala John, and Hammish with pineapple and vegan cheese. The result was also excellent. I have included a picture that Mary took of the pizza, partially eaten.

No real need for a caption, it tasted as good as it looks.

Otherwise, not much is happening here in our little corner of the world. We have a current temperature of 23° according to my DTWS and the NWS is predicting a high tomorrow of only 29° before we move all the way up to 41° on Wednesday. We then slide back into the 20s for a few more days and according to the local meteorologists, the temperature will be bouncing all over the place for the foreseeable future. We did get some light snow here today. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:01 a.m. and set later @ 5:55 p.m. Ciao

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 8:00 p.m. in :The City."

What can I say about being retired, it feels great. We got up late today. watched AM Joy on MSNBC, and then had a nice brunch of salad and hammish sandwiches. I feel responsible for some of that brunch because I whipped up the hammish yesterday and forwarded the recipe for the ranch dressing to Mary this morning. Tonight, after we returned from our favorite watering hole, the Tip-a-Few
Tavern, Mary served up the remainder of the Coleslaw I had made yesterday along with more of the hammish with spicy mustard. We ate that dinner while watching still another Hallmark Channel romance. I am such a sucker for those.

That viewing reminded me of the fact that Mary and I are approaching our 45th wedding anniversary. While we've only lived in "The City" for six years, we feel more at home here than a lot of the places we have called home. The people are great, the area is friendly, and the activities are myriad and always enjoyable.

Yesterday, we traveled to Hemlock Crossing County Park for another in their continuing series of presentations about the native flora and fauna. In this case, the presentation was about the Snowy Owl, Bubo scandiacus, that while not native to our area, is a frequent visitor. We learned a great deal about this large raptor regarding its range, mating habits, and other salient facts. We are truly blessed to have such a wonderful county park system. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that the Ottawa, County Park system is one of the best we've ever seen for information and activities.

Today, we walked the fur-children and spent a lot of time reading while listening to jazz music after watching AM Joy and eating brunch.

We have a current temperature of 35° according to my DTWS. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 5:52 p.m.  In addition, the high temperature for tomorrow, according to the NWS, will be 28° with snow showers. That forecast is average for our fair city tomorrow. As of now, the NWS is forecasting a high on Wednesday of 40°! We shall see. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 8:00 a.m. in "The City."

My DTWS shows a current temperature of 41° with partly cloudy skies as I look out the WW (Weather Window).  Later today, we are expecting a high temperature of only 39°, so that it appears that we are there. Yesterday, we traveled to Coopersville with temperatures ranging from 51° to 53°! What's not to like about a January 26 day in Michigan with high temperatures like that?

The sun rose today @ 8:05 a.m. and it will be setting later this evening @ 5:51 p.m. This is the weekend for the GH Winterfest and so that high temperature and the lack of snow cover will make the annual Cardboard Sled Race @ Mulligan's Hollow very interesting. Fortunately, they have snow-making machinery there.

Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday and between 9:28 a.m. and 9:31 a.m., we saw a very slow moving train heading south on the RSTL. MMRR EMD GP 38-2 locomotive #2019 was moving very slowly as it towed 14 DBTCs, nine CHCs and three DWTCs, Later in the afternoon, @ 2:32 p.m., we spotted that same locomotive heading north, towing four CHCs, 13 DBTCs and nothing else.

Yesterday, I spent some time in the kitchen making another batch of my soon to be famous vegan meatballs. I sometimes wonder if the term meat should only be applied to animal flesh, or if it is just as appropriate to apply that term to plant-based products. There is a similar question regarding plant-based products that are non-dairy based but still considered milk. I guess I'll have to ruminate on that for a while. At any rate, the vegan balls turned out great and some became part of our dinner.

Today, I plan to once again get into the kitchen and whip up a vegan hammish. I like it and it makes excellent sandwiches. In fact, one of the things we got in Coopersville yesterday was a loaf of rye bread that is perfect for those sandwiches. We also got a huge can of sauerkraut that we can use for sandwiches too. All in all, a very fruitful trip to Coopersville.

I didn't last long after dinner last night and came up here to the upper level of the manse to watch some TV. After a few failed attempts to stay awake, I was off to bed where I stayed until just a short time ago. I am liking just lying in bed versus having to get up and sleep in the La-Z-Boy.

Worthy of note, is that single-game tickets went on sale today for the Detroit Tigers. I won't be buying any, but it is a sure sign that spring is almost here. However, there is nothing new to share with regard to reporting dates for pitchers and catchers.

We will be going out with the fur-children after we watch Mary's favorite sport, TV news, until noon. Then we'll be off to the grocery store and that should be it other than reading.

I made an executive decision yesterday that we will be getting a service to handle our spring cleanup this year. Why not? I'm too old to waste energy on something that I can get done by a younger person. That's the same logic that I am applying to snow removal in future winters. Ciao.

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

We show a current temperature of 38° under cloudy skies as we head for the overnight low of 33°. Later today, the temperature will rise to today's high of 35° with a 60% chance of rain/snow showers. The temperature will drop later in the day to Tuesday's overnight low of 24°. Wednesday, the temperature will rise again, to 29°, with cloudy conditions prevailing. Here's hoping that the trip we are making to Muskegon on Wednesday to see my yak doctor will be uneventful.

Yesterday, I tied hard to accomplish as little as possible. I took a short walk with STWD while Mary was out with Ginger on a longer sojourn. Speaking of both of our fur-children, Ginger was out @ 3:00 a.m., while STWD refused to go out at all. I took time to clear up the dishes and make the kitchen ready for a new day of activity.

The kitchen got a good workout yesterday. I made Coleslaw to accompany the vegan hot dogs that Mary made for lunch. My job was easy. We had our breakfast/lunch meal, sat around and then went out to run some errands after our walks with the fur-children. We stopped at the Restore™ store to drop off our old mailbox and then had a rather irritating trip to the local big-box home center. I attempted to return the empty water bottles that we had paid a deposit on earlier in the month. Sadly, the store and its ersatz manager had no way to take back empty bottles without buying replacement bottles that were filled. The only promise that I could elicit from that almost a manager was a future credit on another purchase. Sigh.

We followed that with a visit to the grocery store in Spring Lake and then a quick visit to Field's Fabrics in that fair city for some buttons for Mary's latest knitting project, before a stop at Stan's Bar and Grill, our favorite watering hole on the other side of the bridge. It was getting foggy as we returned home with the empty water bottles, the groceries, Mary's new buttons, and the rose spray that she purchased at the florist across from Stans. As usual, Mary has a vision for the arrangement that I can never achieve, but which I can always appreciate. Mary has given our amaryllis plant one more week to get its act together or find a new place to live.

Once home, I sat and read the day's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune that I had picked up on my earlier walk with STWD. I finished the crossword and then watched some TV with Ginger in my lap. While I was vegging out, Mary was hard at work in the kitchen, making a terrific dinner of pasta with a not so quick and dirty sauce and her vegan faux meatballs that she had made when I was at my jam session last Saturday. The entire dinner was great.

I retired to the media room, where I was joined by Ginger, and later Mary, where we watched a movie, London Has Fallen, starring Gerard Butler. When we were done, I let Ginger out for her late night activities and then I retired to our boudoir.

I have started a new novel, but I am only a few pages in. By the by, I returned a couple of books to the Loutit District Library to get credit towards my goal of getting a "Free" cup in their Cabin Fever Reliever reading activity, a companion to the spring, summer and fall activities that I try to do every year. Mary is also enrolled in that activity. Two down, eight to go for me.

Today, I hope to do some kitchen activity and some reading between wake up time and a walk with STWD to The Bookman, our local indie bookstore. Sadly, The Bookman is for sale, likely due to competition from that bigger than big online e-tailer. I don't know what we or STWD will do without The Bookman, as a source for Sugar's morning treat and our source for some specialty books that we apparently didn't purchase often enough to keep them afloat. Is this the future?

I had to use that bigger than big online e-tailer to buy the new light switch for the media room and I also used them to get a beginner's course in playing the bodhran, one of my goals for this winter and beyond. I may never be a virtuoso, but I will be able to play at our Irish Jam Sessions every Saturday if all goes according to plan.

I almost forgot to mention the nearly one-hour of my life that I'll never get back waiting for customer service from the manufacturer of our smoke.Co detector. That infernal device went off early yesterday morning as I was finishing my meditation. I think the placement that we had used was too near the outlet for our furnace. At any rate, Adam, I didn't wait on the phone because I'm cheap, I waited because the unit has a seven-year warranty on a device that retails for over $65.00 and it was only one-year-old.

I'm done, for now, I've typed too much and I need to get away from this chair, right after I complete this morning's meditation session. The sun will rise later this morning @ 8:09 a.m. and set later @ 5:45 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 9:30 p.m. in "The City."

I mostly stayed in today, except for a short walk with STWD. Mary had decided to take a long walk with Ginger and while she was on walkabout, she took some photos to commemorate her adventure. I decided to include those pictures here in no particular order, Suffice it to say that Mary and Ginger walked through Duncan Woods here in GH on a day that was more early springlike than wintry.

A downhill path in Duncan Woods

A tree limb that had to be removed and which caught Mary's eye. 

A small Hemlock tree. Hemlock's don't lose their leaves when they are young. 

It is very quiet in Duncan Woods at this time of year.

When Mary and Ginger returned, I was on the front porch changing the bulb in the porchlight and Mary assured me, as Ginger bounced around in the snow, that they had had a good time. However, she also assured me that Ginger was in serious need of a bath. So, I met them in the mudroom and had to hold Ginger in the sink to give her a good washing. She was indeed dirty. It took her hours to dry. I also washed Ginger's bling and her leash due to the mud and other detritus.

I then settled in to finish the novel I have been reading. I enjoyed it and it was nice to have an idea about the subject matter based on a book we had indexed. Even in large-print format, it was a lot of reading.

We went out to the favorite watering hole for our dinner and it was crowded due to the NFL playoff game. The Patriots dispatched the Jaguars and so they will be going to Superbowl LII. We came home where I watched the Eagles handily defeat the Vikings and earn their spot in Superbowl LII.

It was warmer out today, but it was damp and so it was hard to feel warm when we were out. The current temperature, according to the DTWS, is 40°. The NWS is still forecasting a high for tomorrow of 47° accompanied by a 100% chance of rain. With temperatures falling below freezing on Tuesday night, we may experience difficult driving conditions on Wednesday morning when we are supposed to travel to Muskegon to see the yak doctor.

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:19 a.m. and set later @ 5:44 p.m. Ciao

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

Had a great day yesterday. We had and are having a surprise visit from our children, Adam and Stephany. They arrived while I was at my Irish Jam Session. That's a nice way to segue into that session itself. A rather large group of players and audience members came, probably due in large measure to the fair weather that was part of the reason for the kids to come and visit too.

Also another great segue, this time to the weather here and in Chicago, where Stephany and Adam call home. We had a high temperature in the upper 30s yesterday and the current temperature, according to my DTWS, is 38°. The NWS is forecasting a high temperature for today of 39° so we won't have far to go. In addition, drizzle is part of that forecast. Monday's high has been reforecast, once again, to 44°, but still with a 100% chance of rain. We should see a great deal of the snow that has fallen over the last couple of weeks melt away.

Meanwhile, back at my Jam Session, I didn't sing this time, but some of the regulars that have been with us before returned to the fold, so to speak. In addition, there were players from several surrounding communities, including, Coopersville, Muskegon, Ravenna, Grand Rapids, and of course, right here in "The City" itself. Young and old and all skill levels were in the group. It felt/sounded good to have this many people.

Last evening, we were chauffeur driven to a restaurant just outside of Holland, called On The Border, which, as its name suggests, it what is referred to in the restaurant industry as "Fast Casual." specializes in Americanized Mexican foods. Mary and I had portabella and vegetable fajitas, and they were delicious. Accompanied by an endless supply of chips, salsa, Mexican rice, and beans, we and the kids enjoyed the meal and the time. It wasn't that long ago that I eschewed the ingestion of mushrooms of any variety and now I seem to find them very tasty. Go figure.

Today, we'll say goodbye to the kids as they begin their return trip to the Windy City, so named not because of the weather, but because of the politicians that are part and parcel to the city on the eastern shores of the "Big Lake." Here in GH, we too are on the shores of the "Big Lake", albeit, we are on the western shore.

Otherwise, Mary got the recent index back for some editing, but she says that the changes are minor and should not take too long.

No change in the dates for spring training, yet. I may or may not watch some of the NFL Playoffs later today.

Adam made a good point at dinner last night regarding the danger that is part of football at any level of play. Should we, Mary and I, as animal rights proponents, be supporting a sport that is by its very nature, harmful to the human animal? I'm not sure yet how I feel. In this case, the human animals make a choice, whereas the animals that are kept and "used" by humans for food and other products have no choice. Perhaps limiting the playing of a dangerous sport until later in life when a person can make a truly informed decision, or taking away the perception of safety conferred by some of the high tech equipment would help. A bit of a conundrum, I believe. I'll have to ruminate more on this.

So, that looks like enough for one day's activities and thinking. The sun will rise today @ 8:10 a.m. and set later @ 5:42 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 11:00 p.m. in "The City."

Where shall I begin, to tell the story of how great a...Oops, I was channeling Eric Segal again.  I was just downstairs with Ginger because she asked to go out and do her duty. She performed like the trouper that she is and we returned upstairs after I emptied the dishwasher and washed the stubborn residue from Mary's mushroom casserole. I had asked her to make her famous Spaghetti-Role Casserole for dinner tonight, and as always, it tasted great. I think if I had to choose, other than jellied cranberry sauce from a can that she serves so well, that this would be in my top five of her best recipes. Of course, this is the veganized version of that casserole, but the taste is the same and it is at least somewhat more healthy than the version that she used to make with meat and dairy products.

Otherwise, we didn't do much today. We took the fur-children for an extended walk around the block and then we settled in for a short time before we went out to try and buy a replacement switch for the media room. As it turns out, neither the big-box home center nor our usually can't fail stop at Ace Hardware™ produced any results. Fortunately, the fine folks at Ace™ were able to determine that the switch is still available, they just had no way to order one. Apparently, this switch is a rare breed that isn't readily used or available. So, I ended up ordering one online from the bigger-box sell you anything e-tailer. It should be here early next week.

No change in the status of the spring training dates.

Ginger and I did an unusual bit of trainspotting today. We haven't seen a train pass by on the RSTL on a Friday in a long time. At any rate, EMD GP 38-2 locomotive #2019 passed by heading south @ 9:54 a.m., towing 10 CHCs, 10 DBTCs, two GTCs, and one DWTC. Later, that same locomotive went breezing by at a fast clip towing only two DBTCs and one CHC. I think the engineer was in a hurry to get his weekend started.

It was a tad windy today, but it was not unpleasant. The temperature rose to the expected 38° before dropping to the current temperature of 37°. According to the forecast from the NWS, the high for tomorrow will be 38° under partly cloudy skies and no precipitation is expected. The original forecast for Sunday showed a 30% chance of showers. By Monday, the forecast calls for 100% chance of rain and a high of 39°, not the original 42° as predicted. The long-range forecast calls for the high-temperature next Friday to reach 45°. We shall see.

Tomorrow, I'll be jamming in the afternoon and then returning to my La-Z-Boy for more reading and more relaxing. I also know that she has selected a pattern for a knitting project to use some of the yarn that she discovered at our latest yarn store here in GH. This yarn is made from the wool of an alpaca that is raised locally here in West Olive, MI. When last she checked, the store was out of stock. She can attempt to purchase that yarn while I am jamming.

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:10 a.m. and set later @ 5:41 p.m. Ciao.

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

We show a current temperature of 34° as we drop towards the overnight low of 31° under clear skies. The NWS is forecasting a high for later today of 37° under partly cloudy skies with windy conditions that may yield winds of 20 mph. As the ensuing days progress, that forecast also calls for the temperatures to continue their upward trend, culminating in Monday's high of 42° with a 100% chance of rain. We should be able to get out on the sidewalks of our fair city with the fur-children.

In fact, we did get out yesterday afternoon as we journeyed to the promised land of the snow/ice-free sidewalks and the main street of downtown GH, Washington. We are certain that the girls appreciated our efforts on their behalf. I enjoyed getting out and feeling good while walking. Mary thinks that I have once again assumed my alter-ego of Comma Man, owing to my often bent-over posture when I walk. I don't feel as though that is true, at least not to a great extent, but I am not a disinterested observer.

We also went to the chiropractor and he helped me to work on my meditation activities. I was actually meditating just before I signed on to this blog and I feel as though it is helpful. The chiropractor would suggest that even if the effects of meditation cause a placebo effect, the results are just as real. Who am I to judge, as long as I feel better?

I was going to do some kitchen activities later today, but Mary has banned me from standing that long and as is most often the case, she is right. I can put those activities off until Sunday, as I will be jamming on Saturday. That's another activity that the chiropractor says is a way to enjoy life and do what I want rather than what I feel I should be doing or accomplishing. I have a couple of household chores that I could do, changing a light bulb outdoors and also replacing the mailbox, but I think I'll have Mary text John about the replacement of the light switch in the media room, so perhaps he can do those activities too and give me a chance to relax. I'll remind her later to call this morning.

We are still on track for the opening of spring-training for my beloved Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers. The Cubs still have not posted a firm date.

Given my kitchen banishment, I plan to work on a crossword puzzle and also play with the girls in my music room/office/weather center. I am reading a lengthy large-print novel by Scott Turow entitled Testimony, a story of the genocidal activities in Bosnia and the follow-up trials of the principals. I am liking it.

Otherwise, I don't have much on tap for today. The sun will rise later today @ 8:11 a.m. and set @ 5:40 p.m. Ciao.

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

Good news baseball fans, spring is nearly here. As you may recall, the pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training is the start of spring for yours truly. Yes, I know, the start of spring for most people and certainly for farmers here in W. MI, is March 20, 2018. the spring equinox. But for those of us who believe that "Baseball is Life!" the date when the pitchers and catchers report is the start of spring.

Certainly, there are some of the Johnny come lately types, the people who attend those baseball conventions that have sprung up around the country to showcase players and team staffs during the cold days of the off-season, but those are just window dressing for the fans, those who are not purists, they really have nothing to do with America's Pastime, Baseball.

Right now, many sports fans are focused on the Superbowl, in this case, Superbowl LII, or 52, but if your favorite team isn't playing what's the point? I don't believe in Superbowl parties that make money for food vendors and liquor distributors. No, my friends, this is the time of year when the chance to dream about the new grass on the field, in short, a Field of Dreams, is what makes living worthwhile.

That being said, don't forget that the pitchers and catchers for my beloved Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers, both teams with new managers this year, report on February 13, 2018. The Cubs are keeping us in suspense with a big TBA posted on the MLB spring training site. What the Hey, Hey, it's time once again for the Cub's song from that infamous 1969 season of dreams. This is just one of many videos that can be found on YouTube™https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3MsIyWutisc. In my view, the Cubs have many more NL pennants and World Series appearances in their future.

If like me, you are a two or three team baseball fan, although I came to the Tigers later in life, well after the Cubs and the Red Sox, then here is a clip from the movie, Fever Pitch, that starred Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKaldffU02c, Also included is the Detroit Tigers own fight song, Go Get Em Tigers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzmAuKXfhP4. 

Who can forget lazy summer afternoons, in front of the radio or TV with Jack Brickhouse, interviewing players or team officials, or anyone who walked by, during rain delays or shouting Hey! Hey, Whee! whenever a Cubs payer hit one out of the Friendly Confines. Plus there were Lloyd Pettit, Vince Lloyd, and Lou Boudreau. Sorry, there was a time before Harry Caray and his famous/infamous Holy Cow! and his awful version of the national anthem that should have been retired a long time ago.

The current temperature is 26° according to the NWS and my DTWS as we head towards today's sunrise @ 8:12 a.m. We are expecting a high today of 32° and by Monday, the high is forecast to reach a very unseasonable 42°, albeit with rain. Later tonight, the sun will set @ 5:39 p.m.

I don't have much else to say at this juncture, so I'll close now with my own version of a signature, Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. Since I decided to update this blog, I'll also update the time of creation. It is just before 5:30 a.m. in "The City."

We have a current temperature of 19° in our fair city, and with only a slight wind blowing, it feels like 23°. per the readout of my DTWS and its partner, the FPMS. According to the NWS (National Weather Service), today's high will reach 26°, but the winds will pick up and the wind-chill will feel much colder. In addition, the NWS has also forecast snow-showers for later this a.m. In fact, I was just downstairs to give the fur-children a late night or was that an early morning visit to the back-forty, and it was beginning to snow. Oh well, that's Michigan for you.

Sadly, we won't be escaping to the sunnier climes of Florida this year, as I went to the yak doctor yesterday and got news that I expected to hear, but that I didn't want to hear. The steroid injection that I got for my yak pain is losing its effectiveness and I have to return to the doctor for another try next week. Also, unfortunately, this appears to be the norm. If I don't have any long-term success with the steroids, I have a few alternatives. Surgery, which is never a sure thing, more injections, or, some OTC pain medications and meditation that can change how you live with the pain. If upon further review, the doctor can state with some degree of certainty, that I can't do any further damage, I may just go the non-invasive routes.

Like the late and some say legendary Ohio State football coach, Woody Hayes said of throwing a forward pass, there are three possible outcomes when you put the ball into the air, and two of them are bad. In my case, my yak could get worse, it could stay the same, or it could get better. Plus, there are other factors that mitigate against this being a simple procedure which I won't go into but suffice it to say that I am 66 years old with degenerative arthritis in my spine and that is not a good place to be. I am not depressed, but I am disappointed about the news. I'll continue to meditate, do my prescribed exercises and get on with my life.

In better news, the MLB season begins in earnest in a mere 28 days as the pitchers and catchers for both my beloved Boston Red Sox and the Detroit Tigers report to camp on February 13, 2018. Their position players report respectively on February 19 and February 18, 2018. The Cubs have changed their reporting dates to a TBA status as of now. Stay tuned to this space.

I was here to witness the southbound train run yesterday and I saw good old engine #2019 plying the rails of the RSTL heading south towing one CHC, three DBTCs, and one DWTC with a green non-corrosive stripe around its mid-section. By way of explanation, I use the term Dreaded Tank Car because of the checkered history of railroads and the all too common occurrence of derailments that cause damage to the environment and sometimes, death to humans. So, I live not in fear, but in amazement that there have been no derailments on the RSTL that passes just outside the boundaries of the PE (Palatial Estate).

I know for a fact, that just north of here, in Ferrysburg, MI, a derailment occurred about one year ago, and there was damage that closed a road for several days. No loss of life, a good thing, but the risk is always there.

Otherwise, I have to spend some time today undoing some things that I put into motion recently. I have to restart our trash service which I had placed on temporary seasonal stop since we hadn't planned to be here. I also have to arrange for someone to do the snow removal around the PE that I won't be doing this or any other future winter to give my yak all the rest it can get. My health is far more important than the money that we'd save by doing it ourselves. Mary has to deal with the place in Florida that we had planned to visit. We believe that that can be worked out, but it will take some doing.

Otherwise, more reading, more TV and it is time to take out my annual jigsaw puzzle and get to work after the sun rises @ 8:12 a.m. and before it sets @ 5:37 p.m. Plus, time for more meditation and more exercises. Ciao

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

Hey, this makes two nights in a row. I was tired and fell asleep in the media room and when I awoke, I went downstairs and let Ginger out and emptied the dishwasher and finished the dishes left over from Mary's delicious dinner repast. She had been working all day and so I made a great lunch of stir-fried tofu and vegetables over rice for lunch. Our breakfast had consisted of my slightly oversized breakfast sausages and English muffins with apple butter and orange marmalade.

I took the fur-children for separate walks earlier in the day and I learned what I already knew from the report from the NWS, it was cold outside. The temperature reached a high of 22°, but with the wind-chill, it felt like it was in the single digits. The current temperature, according to my DTWS, is 17°, while the NWS is showing 16° as we head for the overnight low of 14°. I wasn't outside, so I can't attest to whether the wind is a factor. Today's high is forecast to reach 17°. At least there isn't any snow in the immediate forecast.

Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday. At 9:28 a.m. MMRR (Mid-Michigan Railroad) EMD (Electromotive Division) GP (General Purpose) 38-2 locomotive # 2019 was passing by on the RSTL (Reality Scale Train Layout) towing nine CHCs (Covered Hopper Cars) two DBTs, (Dreaded Black Tank Cars), one DWTC, (Dreaded White Tank Car) and one GTC (Gray Tank Car) heading south.
Later in the afternoon, that same locomotive passed by heading northward towing six DBTCs, four CHCs, three DWTs, and two GTs.

In between my stint in the kitchen and my walks with the fur-children, I got some pleasure reading and crossword puzzle solving done yesterday and that felt good. I got bored watching the TV news and so I watched some car shows too.

Today, Mary has to get back to work on the index and I have to walk the fur-children too. The sun will rise @ 8:14 a.m. and set later today @ 5:32 p.m. Did I mention that my beloved Red Sox pitchers and catchers will be reporting to Dunedin, FL on February 14, 2018, while their position players will report on the 19th? The Cubs pitchers and catchers will report to Mesa, AZ, on February 15, 2018. No word on their position players nor on either date for the Tigers. By the by, this is the weekend for the annual Cubs' Convention in downtown Chicago. Oh, just to keep you warm, here's John Fogerty performing his song, Centerfield. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc. Ciao.

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

Yeah, I know, I've been away for a while. I like to think that that is a good sign, as I've been sleeping through the night and actually sleeping in my bed. Sometimes, I still get up, and sometimes, I don't have anything to say. But, that's okay too.

However, I'd be remiss if I didn't report on the weather conditions here in our little corner of the world/tri-cities area.

The current temperature according to the FPMS (Front Porch Mounted Sensor), which sends its information to my DTWS (Desk Top Weather Station), is 32° under partly cloudy skies. We had a high-temperature yesterday in the upper 40s and that caused a great deal of melting of the piles of snow that were beginning to overwhelm the environs of the PE (Palatial Estate). Now, we have puddles of water that have frozen into icy patches on the streets and sidewalks. Be careful what you wish for I guess.

At any rate, the sun will rise today @ 8:14 a.m. and set later this evening @ 5:31 p.m. In between the day will be cloudy and the high temperature will continue to fall throughout the early morning hours until we reach today's high, or is that a low, of 26°.

I am currently listening to CoasttoCoastAM with host George Noory, and he is talking to Ecological Biologist, David Blume. They are spreading what I consider disinformation regarding the energy needs/demands of this country. Mr. Blume is a believer that the petroleum industry is suppressing the development of alternative fuels such as alcohol-based fuels made from corn. He would make sense if we were able to move away from feeding cattle and making ethanol from that corn to the benefit of humans.

However, the amount of water used to grow that corn to feed cattle and make ethanol is more than offset by the farm equipment that is used to sow the seeds, spreading the petroleum-based fertilizers and pesticides, and harvesting the corn before it is sent to market in trucks. In my view, we'd be better off without those activities and chemicals. In addition, growing animals to produce meat for the protein we need is not good for the animals nor us.

Cow's milk is difficult for humans to digest and many people, if not all, become lactose intolerant as they age. That's why I recommend plant-based kinds of milk, such as almond milk. Yes, I know, there have been studies done that show that almonds need a great deal of water to grow and then be processed into milk, but the benefits far outweigh the negatives to animals and people. If you think about it, the idea behind any mammalian-based milk is to grow babies into adults. So, after that, the purported benefits are no longer a reality. Remember, that goes for cheese, sour cream, and other dairy-based products, including eggs. Plus, the conditions on factory-farms where too many animals spend their lives in confined quarters needs to be considered.

Mary and I have been vegan for several years now. For me, the sight of pigs on their way to market in the back of a truck was the final straw. If you have pets like dogs or cats, you probably do whatever it takes to make their lives better, ie, veterinarian visits and the like. Why should farm animals be treated less humanely? Chickens have been seen looking for their missing eggs. Dogs know how many puppies they have, and all animals show an ability to recognize their offspring. So, you judge for yourselves. Oh, did I mention that the same protein that comes from animal products can be found in legumes, ie, beans? Oh well, I've been on my soapbox long enough.

In other important news, the annual MLB spring-training dates are mostly available now. My beloved Red Sox are asking their pitchers and catchers to report to Florida on February 14. The Cubs have asked their pitchers and catchers to report to Mesa, AZ the next day, February 15, 2018. Yes, my friends, there is baseball on the horizon. In fact, to get everyone in the mood, I have included a link to the speech delivered by James Earl Jones from Field of Dreams that still gives me goosebumps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6U1p0hehtg.

Oh well, I've been ranting long enough. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 9:30 p.m. in "The City."

We've just finished watching the latest episode of NCIS and it was great. We believe that a new romantic match is beginning to happen between Nick Torres and Eleanore Bishop. We could be wrong, but time will tell.

I was sitting in my downstairs La-Z-Boy and what to my wondering eyes should appear, but STWD. As my loyal readers know, STWD and I fell in love about nine years ago in Huntley, IL at Animal House Shelter. Nothing has changed. I still try to do the best I can for her and she is always there for me. In short, she is the best.

Here is a picture of she and me in the La-Z-Boy that Mary graciously took when we returned from JWs. STWD is the only other girl in my life. Ginger and I are good friends, but STWD is my best girl.

I spotted the southbound train run on the RSTL @ 12:38 p.m. today. Locomotive # 2019 was towing once DWTC, seven DBTCs, and six CHCs, one of those painted either orange or red. The heavy snow cover made it difficult to tell. When we were @ JWs this afternoon, I heard the northbound run go by, but I have no additional information about that.

A nice segue into the weather here in Ottawa. County in general, and in GH specifically. We have been advised by the NWS that there is a Winter Weather Advisory in effect for Ottawa, County and surrounding areas along the shores of the "Big Lake" for lake effect snow that could total as much as one foot in localized areas. I truly have run out of places to pile the snow here on the PE. That Winter Weather Advisory is in effect from 1:00 a.m. tomorrow until 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. The NWS has forecast that the snow may fall at the rate of two inches per hour! Driving will, of course, be very hazardous. Fortunately, I have nowhere to go tomorrow and all the time in the world to get there. 

I do have a P/T appointment on Thursday, but I'll decide that morning whether I'll be calling in sick. Speaking of my P/T appointments, I had one earlier today and it went very well. My yak is feeling better and if I could just stop having to move the snow around, I am relatively certain that my recovery would go more quickly. Sigh.

Tomorrow, Mary and I plan to stay in, get more indexing work done, and go out only long enough to take care of the fur-children. I was moving along nicely on my highlighting when my boss dropped more pages on my desk. A highlighter's work is never done. 

The sun will rise tomorrow into snowy skies @ 8:16 a.m. and set later @ 5:22 p.m. In between, the winds are expected to gust to the m\id twenties! Ciao.