Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City." I feel a bit like the character that Jim Carrey played in The Truman Show, when he greets his neighbors every morning. Since I mentioned it, I'll include a movie clip I found on YouTube™ when I thought about that idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdwuW8n3JYA. Why? No reason other than it is something I like to do.
I was thinking earlier about what being married provides to anyone. In my case, I was fortunate to find a very lovely young lady who could overlook my many oddities and faults and still agree to marry me. Why? I can only chalk it up to good fortune and perhaps the providence of being in the right place at the right time. I think that Humphrey Bogart said it well in Casablanca, when he intoned this famous line, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." He says that in this clip, also courtesy of YouTube™ @ 1:38 of the clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvHUGOHdHhY
In Bogart's case, he says it in a fit of self-indulgent, drunken self-pity. In my case, I celebrate that moment. If Mary's car hadn't broken down and if I didn't work at the gas station on the corner near where she lived, my life would have been much emptier. Of course, it may have been a meant to be. But why ask why? Just enjoy the moment(s) when you realize how fortunate you were/are when the right person comes into your life. I do, every day, especially as I get older.
But enough melancholia. I did in fact get out and walk yesterday. I didn't go far, and I used my cane as Mary walked STWD to The Bookman to get the newspaper, but it felt good to get out and enjoy the simple, and all too often taken for granted, act of walking. Another seven weeks and I should be able to accompany Mary on many walks that are more extensive in nature, perhaps as far as our favorite watering hole.
We have a current temperature of 36° under clear skies. Later today, Mary plans to take an extended walk with Ginger, since the high temperature is forecast by the NWS to reach a mostly sunny 46°. I am going to accompany her part of the way, if she'll let me, and then turn back so that she can go a greater distance with Ginger. Or, I may just accompany her when she walks with STWD to get the newspaper @ The Bookman. I am not going to go farther than I can safely go.
I am about halfway through the last book I need to read for my Loutit Library Cabin Fever Reliever freebie, a glass mug that adds to my collection of items that I add to simply by doing one of many things I like to do, read. I may or may not get into the kitchen too, but that's a game day decision. Mary has many craft things to complete and a chat to participate on too.
The sun will rise @ 7:23 a.m. and set @ 6:32 p.m. Ciao.
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Monday, February 26, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."
What a day we had yesterday. We watched some TV news and ate a breakfast of cottage tofu that Mary whipped up following a recipe that she had modified from an internet suggestion. She had her cottage tofu on pineapple slices, while I had mine on a slice of bread with maple syrup on top. Mine was reminiscent of a breakfast that my mother used to serve my brothers and me when we were very young.
I didn't go out, but I was able to finish the novel I started as few days ago while Mary was at the grocery store. I finished as I was making an extraordinary beest that became part of our dinner to go with the Coleslaw that I had made the day before.
I should mention that I have been taking an opioid based pain killer that was prescribed by my yak surgeon for pain. However, like all opioids, it had/has a set of side-effects that are not welcome, so I stopped taking them early yesterday. I can get by with some acetaminophen and still feel OK.
Speaking of which, my yak is feeling better, but I have to be vigilant for about seven more weeks so that I don't do damage to the repaired area. I am not by nature a patient person, so it will be hard. Plus, STWD wants to sit in my lap when I am in my La-Z-Boy downstairs and I have to tell her no. She doesn't understand. She waits outside the downstairs bedroom door because she wants to join me and take care of me like she has always done. She has always been my best girl and so she is loyal to me and attentive to my aches and pains.
I find that too much time lying in bed wreaks havoc on my yak, so I'll be spending a few more nights in the La-Z-Boy in the media room to allow myself more to time to heal. I will be available to STWD so that she won't feel a need to lie outside the bedroom door.
The weather here in GH yesterday was sunny, but windy, with a temperature in the low 40s. We have a current temperature of 37° under mostly clear skies. Today's high is expected to reach 42° under sunny skies with 13 mph winds. The sun will rise @ 7:24 a.m. and set later @ 6:31 p.m.
We really have nothing on tap for today and that's fine with me. I plan to spend some time reading and I may do some walking as the doctor recommended. I won't go far at first, but I will build up my distance as the days and weeks progress. Mary has to get started on the latest index that came in yesterday, but she has nearly four weeks to have it completed, which should allow me time to highlight and her to get the book done. I nearly forgot to mention, that Ginger needs to go to the groomer for a bath and a trim. She is looking shaggy, as evidenced by this picture that Mary took a short time ago.
Ciao.
What a day we had yesterday. We watched some TV news and ate a breakfast of cottage tofu that Mary whipped up following a recipe that she had modified from an internet suggestion. She had her cottage tofu on pineapple slices, while I had mine on a slice of bread with maple syrup on top. Mine was reminiscent of a breakfast that my mother used to serve my brothers and me when we were very young.
I didn't go out, but I was able to finish the novel I started as few days ago while Mary was at the grocery store. I finished as I was making an extraordinary beest that became part of our dinner to go with the Coleslaw that I had made the day before.
I should mention that I have been taking an opioid based pain killer that was prescribed by my yak surgeon for pain. However, like all opioids, it had/has a set of side-effects that are not welcome, so I stopped taking them early yesterday. I can get by with some acetaminophen and still feel OK.
Speaking of which, my yak is feeling better, but I have to be vigilant for about seven more weeks so that I don't do damage to the repaired area. I am not by nature a patient person, so it will be hard. Plus, STWD wants to sit in my lap when I am in my La-Z-Boy downstairs and I have to tell her no. She doesn't understand. She waits outside the downstairs bedroom door because she wants to join me and take care of me like she has always done. She has always been my best girl and so she is loyal to me and attentive to my aches and pains.
I find that too much time lying in bed wreaks havoc on my yak, so I'll be spending a few more nights in the La-Z-Boy in the media room to allow myself more to time to heal. I will be available to STWD so that she won't feel a need to lie outside the bedroom door.
The weather here in GH yesterday was sunny, but windy, with a temperature in the low 40s. We have a current temperature of 37° under mostly clear skies. Today's high is expected to reach 42° under sunny skies with 13 mph winds. The sun will rise @ 7:24 a.m. and set later @ 6:31 p.m.
We really have nothing on tap for today and that's fine with me. I plan to spend some time reading and I may do some walking as the doctor recommended. I won't go far at first, but I will build up my distance as the days and weeks progress. Mary has to get started on the latest index that came in yesterday, but she has nearly four weeks to have it completed, which should allow me time to highlight and her to get the book done. I nearly forgot to mention, that Ginger needs to go to the groomer for a bath and a trim. She is looking shaggy, as evidenced by this picture that Mary took a short time ago.
Ciao.
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City."
This is it, make no mistake where you are. This is it, the waiting is over. Oops, I was channeling again, this time Kenny Loggins from his hit, This Is It! In my case, this is the day of my yak surgery.
We/I got a call from the hospital last night that moved up our arrival time by 1/2 an hour, which complicated the plans we'd made for dropping Ginger at daycare. We have to be there @ 8:00 a.m. versus 8:30 a.m. That may not seem like much, but the daycare facility doesn't open until 7:30 a.m. and we have to make it to Muskegon. It will be cutting it close.
Yesterday was average. Adam called and I talked to him before he needed to go to lunch in Chicago, I finished my nonfiction book and enjoyed it. It was an interesting and enlightening read, to say the least.
Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday too. At 8:45 a.m., locomotive # 2019 rolled by on the RSTL towing one CHC and four DBTCs. At 2:00 p.m., that same locomotive was seen heading north, towing six CHCs, seven DBTCs, and two DWTCs. I don't anticipate another set of runs until Friday.
The current temperature is a brisk 31° when you consider that the 14mph winds are making it feel like 21°. That's quite a change from the balmy temperatures we experienced yesterday when the temperatures were in the lower 50s. Still, the temperatures are expected to rise as the days unfold and we'll once again be enjoying temperatures in the 30s on a regular basis. There is also no rain in today's forecast.
Mary will be driving me to the hospital, I'll be staying overnight, and so she'll be returning to pick up Ginger and arrive back to greet STWD without me. The last time that happened, Sugar was quite upset because I was gone for several weeks. Sugar does not deal well with change.
The sun will rise @ 7:36 a.m. and set later @ 6:24 p.m. Ciao.
This is it, make no mistake where you are. This is it, the waiting is over. Oops, I was channeling again, this time Kenny Loggins from his hit, This Is It! In my case, this is the day of my yak surgery.
We/I got a call from the hospital last night that moved up our arrival time by 1/2 an hour, which complicated the plans we'd made for dropping Ginger at daycare. We have to be there @ 8:00 a.m. versus 8:30 a.m. That may not seem like much, but the daycare facility doesn't open until 7:30 a.m. and we have to make it to Muskegon. It will be cutting it close.
Yesterday was average. Adam called and I talked to him before he needed to go to lunch in Chicago, I finished my nonfiction book and enjoyed it. It was an interesting and enlightening read, to say the least.
Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday too. At 8:45 a.m., locomotive # 2019 rolled by on the RSTL towing one CHC and four DBTCs. At 2:00 p.m., that same locomotive was seen heading north, towing six CHCs, seven DBTCs, and two DWTCs. I don't anticipate another set of runs until Friday.
The current temperature is a brisk 31° when you consider that the 14mph winds are making it feel like 21°. That's quite a change from the balmy temperatures we experienced yesterday when the temperatures were in the lower 50s. Still, the temperatures are expected to rise as the days unfold and we'll once again be enjoying temperatures in the 30s on a regular basis. There is also no rain in today's forecast.
Mary will be driving me to the hospital, I'll be staying overnight, and so she'll be returning to pick up Ginger and arrive back to greet STWD without me. The last time that happened, Sugar was quite upset because I was gone for several weeks. Sugar does not deal well with change.
The sun will rise @ 7:36 a.m. and set later @ 6:24 p.m. Ciao.
Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 12:30 a.m. in "The City."
I was just downstairs with the fur-children, and the skies are cloudy with a temperature of 52° with strong winds blowing. However, no rain is falling at this time. That apparently will wait until later this morning, when the chances increase to 100% and the current temperature will be repeated as the high. Go figure.
The sun will rise later this morning @ 7:34 a.m. and set tonight @ 6:22 p.m. It looks as though we will be able to avoid the overnight snow tonight that was predicted as recently as yesterday by the NWS. Instead, the temperature will drop to a high of 33° on Wednesday, alobeit with only a 10% chance for additional precipitation. I/we should be able to make it to the hospital on Wednesday morning without a problem.
I made it to my barber's appointment yesterday and I look good, well as good as I can with my limited amount of hair. Mary made an executive decision that although I walked to the barber, she would pick me up and deposit me at the theater so that I could see the Black Panther before I couldn't drive myself. I'm glad that she made that decision, because I was not disappointed. All of the hype and positive reviews are well deserved. I won't spoil the movies for anyone, but I recommend it to all. Of course, I had my usual ginormous bucket of popcorn and a medium cherry-cola. Mary and I discovered that carrying in some nutritional yeast provides a great topping for the popcorn too.
During my absence, Mary made some vegan sausages that needed to marinate overnight. I found that she had once again made macaroni and cheese in the kitchen. As you may recall, that is her way of saying that she had used every utensil available to her to make those sausages. I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher as my part of the activities.
I was picked up at 3:30 p.m. and then we traveled across the bridge to donate our "old" clock to the resale store in Spring Lake and make a stop @ Stan's for adult beverages. Home again for a dinner of pita pockets with vegan tuno salad and some TV viewing. I then journeyed to the media room and watched some TV there and soon fell asleep. Age has its privileges.
Today, I hope to do as little as possible in preparation for my hospital visit before retiring to my chair for rest later tonight. I feel as though I am entitled. Mary will do what she has to do and I will read as she walks the fur-children. She did that yesterday and they came back a bit wet for the effort. Ciao.
I was just downstairs with the fur-children, and the skies are cloudy with a temperature of 52° with strong winds blowing. However, no rain is falling at this time. That apparently will wait until later this morning, when the chances increase to 100% and the current temperature will be repeated as the high. Go figure.
The sun will rise later this morning @ 7:34 a.m. and set tonight @ 6:22 p.m. It looks as though we will be able to avoid the overnight snow tonight that was predicted as recently as yesterday by the NWS. Instead, the temperature will drop to a high of 33° on Wednesday, alobeit with only a 10% chance for additional precipitation. I/we should be able to make it to the hospital on Wednesday morning without a problem.
I made it to my barber's appointment yesterday and I look good, well as good as I can with my limited amount of hair. Mary made an executive decision that although I walked to the barber, she would pick me up and deposit me at the theater so that I could see the Black Panther before I couldn't drive myself. I'm glad that she made that decision, because I was not disappointed. All of the hype and positive reviews are well deserved. I won't spoil the movies for anyone, but I recommend it to all. Of course, I had my usual ginormous bucket of popcorn and a medium cherry-cola. Mary and I discovered that carrying in some nutritional yeast provides a great topping for the popcorn too.
During my absence, Mary made some vegan sausages that needed to marinate overnight. I found that she had once again made macaroni and cheese in the kitchen. As you may recall, that is her way of saying that she had used every utensil available to her to make those sausages. I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher as my part of the activities.
I was picked up at 3:30 p.m. and then we traveled across the bridge to donate our "old" clock to the resale store in Spring Lake and make a stop @ Stan's for adult beverages. Home again for a dinner of pita pockets with vegan tuno salad and some TV viewing. I then journeyed to the media room and watched some TV there and soon fell asleep. Age has its privileges.
Today, I hope to do as little as possible in preparation for my hospital visit before retiring to my chair for rest later tonight. I feel as though I am entitled. Mary will do what she has to do and I will read as she walks the fur-children. She did that yesterday and they came back a bit wet for the effort. Ciao.
Monday, February 19, 2018
Good morning or good evening. wherever you may be. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in The City."
Wow, it is approaching sunrise here in the Tri-Cities, and the current temperature is a balmy 39° under cloudy skies. The NWS is forecasting a high to day of 43° and a low tonight of 43°, so we will have plenty of melting snow to contend with here on the PE. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the NWS is forecasting a high of 51°, but a low of only 29°, both days with rain. That means that when it is time to head to Muskegon and my appointment at the hospital early Wednesday, the roads may be icy.
We/I spent much of yesterday watching the Dayton 500.
I had requested that Mary make vegan nachos as a meal and she outdid herself. Lettuce, TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) flavored with taco seasoning and tomato paste, jalapeno peppers for me, vegan cheese shreds, sour cream, and salsa made the entire meal delicious.
I am just starting a new nonfiction book entitled, So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo, an African American writer based in Washington state. I have just gotten started, but the book promises to be a fascinating read detailing things that are not part of my knowledge base as a 66 year-old white man.
I did some indoor chores while Mary walked the fur-children as the warmer temperatures allowed them to get out.
As previously noted, we may or may not get to the movies today to see Black Panther, which has gotten rave reviews. I was introduced to the character, T'Challa, in my youth as another in the pantheon of Marvel Comics super heroes that I awaited each month in my mailbox. The movie is receiving terrific reviews, but some are lashing out at a comic-book character from the fictional African country of Wakanda, a kingdom that is successful and wealthy, with a ruler who derived his powers from a plant that grows in Wakanda. I guess that some people can't deal with a nearly all black cast and a very successful and talented black director.
We have no real plans for today other than my brief stop at the barber shop. The sun will rise @ 7:36 a.m. and set later @ 6:21 p.m. Don't forget, as if I'd let you, that the position players reported to spring training yesterday. Baseball time is here again! Ciao.
Wow, it is approaching sunrise here in the Tri-Cities, and the current temperature is a balmy 39° under cloudy skies. The NWS is forecasting a high to day of 43° and a low tonight of 43°, so we will have plenty of melting snow to contend with here on the PE. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the NWS is forecasting a high of 51°, but a low of only 29°, both days with rain. That means that when it is time to head to Muskegon and my appointment at the hospital early Wednesday, the roads may be icy.
We/I spent much of yesterday watching the Dayton 500.
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| Popular driver, Danica Patrick, during the Star Spangled Banner of her final 500 |
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| What would a 500 be without crashes, one of which collected Danica |
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| And lots of side by side racing |
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| Sunday in February. No baseball yet, but soon I can enjoy nachos with the "Game of Life!" |
I did some indoor chores while Mary walked the fur-children as the warmer temperatures allowed them to get out.
As previously noted, we may or may not get to the movies today to see Black Panther, which has gotten rave reviews. I was introduced to the character, T'Challa, in my youth as another in the pantheon of Marvel Comics super heroes that I awaited each month in my mailbox. The movie is receiving terrific reviews, but some are lashing out at a comic-book character from the fictional African country of Wakanda, a kingdom that is successful and wealthy, with a ruler who derived his powers from a plant that grows in Wakanda. I guess that some people can't deal with a nearly all black cast and a very successful and talented black director.
We have no real plans for today other than my brief stop at the barber shop. The sun will rise @ 7:36 a.m. and set later @ 6:21 p.m. Don't forget, as if I'd let you, that the position players reported to spring training yesterday. Baseball time is here again! Ciao.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
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 23° under clear skies. Later today, after the sun rises at 7:39 and well before it sets at 6:19 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a high of 35° with an 80% chance for less than one-inch of snow in the afternoon/evening. Sounds good to me.
I tried a new recipe for vegan sausages yesterday. I followed the recipe and the sausages turned out as described, but the no chicken broth base I used is way to high in sodium and so the taste is very salty. I need to find a different base broth before I try again.
Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday along with my apprentice trainspotter, Mary. At 10:00 a.m., MMRR EMD GP 38-2 locomotive # 2019 rolled by on the RSTL towing one CHC, five DBTCs, one DWTC, and one GTC. Later in the early afternoon, I was on the phone with the hospital ans so I had to press Mary into service to observe the northbound run of that same locomotive. In tow it had three CHCs, and two DBTCs. Not much of a day for railroading in GH.
I did some reading too, and I am enjoying The Deceivers, by Alex Berenson. This book is another in his series featuring John Wells and the CIA.
The only time we went out yesterday was to travel to the library and go out to our favorite watering hole for dinner. I am not very mobile at this time. Mostly, I sat around and watched old and new TV shows. That is also my plan for today. No kitchen, no walking, no excess activity, no Irish Jam. Sunday, I hope to watch the Daytona 500 to add to the mix.
So, not much else to say. Oh wait, Mary took this great picture of Ginger in her pose as the resident guard terrier for the manse.
Ciao.
We have a current temperature of 23° under clear skies. Later today, after the sun rises at 7:39 and well before it sets at 6:19 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a high of 35° with an 80% chance for less than one-inch of snow in the afternoon/evening. Sounds good to me.
I tried a new recipe for vegan sausages yesterday. I followed the recipe and the sausages turned out as described, but the no chicken broth base I used is way to high in sodium and so the taste is very salty. I need to find a different base broth before I try again.
Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday along with my apprentice trainspotter, Mary. At 10:00 a.m., MMRR EMD GP 38-2 locomotive # 2019 rolled by on the RSTL towing one CHC, five DBTCs, one DWTC, and one GTC. Later in the early afternoon, I was on the phone with the hospital ans so I had to press Mary into service to observe the northbound run of that same locomotive. In tow it had three CHCs, and two DBTCs. Not much of a day for railroading in GH.
I did some reading too, and I am enjoying The Deceivers, by Alex Berenson. This book is another in his series featuring John Wells and the CIA.
The only time we went out yesterday was to travel to the library and go out to our favorite watering hole for dinner. I am not very mobile at this time. Mostly, I sat around and watched old and new TV shows. That is also my plan for today. No kitchen, no walking, no excess activity, no Irish Jam. Sunday, I hope to watch the Daytona 500 to add to the mix.
So, not much else to say. Oh wait, Mary took this great picture of Ginger in her pose as the resident guard terrier for the manse.
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| Always at the ready. If someone walks by or comes on the porch for a delivery, she's ready. |
Friday, February 16, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City." It has now passed 2:30 a.m. and I decided that this blog needs some additional information.
A very short blog today. I really don't have anything new to say.
Yesterday I tried a new recipe for hammish loaf. The taste was OK, but I didn't follow the cooking instructions exactly and so I think it was a bit underdone.
The sun will rise today @ 7:40 a.m. and set later @ 6:17 p.m. In between, it is likely that Ginger and I will do some trainspotting and I'll do some reading and crossword solving. Mary will be doing what she does.
I've just been downstairs to let Ginger out and do the remaining dinner dishes. While I was there, I placed a tablet in the dishwasher to help clean out any residue that seems to be causing the glasses to get cloudy. I am hoping for the best. I'll have to place the glasses in for a wash session later today, without any other dishes.
Worthy of note, is that the cloudiness of the glassware happened once before, several years ago abut this time of the year. I believe it has to do with the water that is entering the manse from the "Big Lake" where our city draws its water. The cloudiness is very similar to what comes from hard water and since we do not have a water softener, that is very possible.
In spite of Mary's misgivings, the directions say that you can wash dishes with this product, so I am going to try to convince her that the machine doesn't need an additional rinse cycle. We'll see if that works out.
Baseball season is nearly in full swing, pardon the pun., because the pitchers and catchers have all reported along with some of the position players. Most of the position players are not required to be in camp until Sunday. Then the season really gets started. I'll be born again.
I just finished session 29 in my pain management meditation routine. While I am certain that the meditation is helping, it is not enough to overcome the strong pains in my yak, hence the surgery next Wednesday.
To give an idea of my level of pain, it is usually this time of each month when I am contemplating/planning for the next Irish Jam session at the library. I've been going to those since their inception over five years ago and I enjoy them immensely. But as of now, I don't have the stamina to sit in the chair long enough to make the two-hour session pleasurable. That is my goal, as Adam says, to get back to the best quality of life that I can.
That looks like enough for one blog, Ciao.
A very short blog today. I really don't have anything new to say.
Yesterday I tried a new recipe for hammish loaf. The taste was OK, but I didn't follow the cooking instructions exactly and so I think it was a bit underdone.
The sun will rise today @ 7:40 a.m. and set later @ 6:17 p.m. In between, it is likely that Ginger and I will do some trainspotting and I'll do some reading and crossword solving. Mary will be doing what she does.
I've just been downstairs to let Ginger out and do the remaining dinner dishes. While I was there, I placed a tablet in the dishwasher to help clean out any residue that seems to be causing the glasses to get cloudy. I am hoping for the best. I'll have to place the glasses in for a wash session later today, without any other dishes.
Worthy of note, is that the cloudiness of the glassware happened once before, several years ago abut this time of the year. I believe it has to do with the water that is entering the manse from the "Big Lake" where our city draws its water. The cloudiness is very similar to what comes from hard water and since we do not have a water softener, that is very possible.
In spite of Mary's misgivings, the directions say that you can wash dishes with this product, so I am going to try to convince her that the machine doesn't need an additional rinse cycle. We'll see if that works out.
Baseball season is nearly in full swing, pardon the pun., because the pitchers and catchers have all reported along with some of the position players. Most of the position players are not required to be in camp until Sunday. Then the season really gets started. I'll be born again.
I just finished session 29 in my pain management meditation routine. While I am certain that the meditation is helping, it is not enough to overcome the strong pains in my yak, hence the surgery next Wednesday.
To give an idea of my level of pain, it is usually this time of each month when I am contemplating/planning for the next Irish Jam session at the library. I've been going to those since their inception over five years ago and I enjoy them immensely. But as of now, I don't have the stamina to sit in the chair long enough to make the two-hour session pleasurable. That is my goal, as Adam says, to get back to the best quality of life that I can.
That looks like enough for one blog, Ciao.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in"The City."
We are having a tropical heatwave here in West Michigan this morning. I was just downstairs with the fur-children to let them out, STWD wouldn't go, but Ginger did, and the current temperature is a balmy 37° under partly cloudy skies. In fact, that temperature will be the high later today. Once the sun rises @ 7:42 a.m. and well before it sets @ 6:16 p.m., the day will start out with foggy conditions and then switch to more cloud cover. We'll see temperatures bouncing all around the mid-thirties for the foreseeable future.
John came by yesterday to install that smoke/CO detector that I decided was just too much for me to handle. I may not be quick on the uptakes and my learning curve may be steep, but I can be educated and learn to recognize my limitations, as Clint Eastwood intoned in his iconic role as Dirty Harry, . Here he is in a YouTube sourced video saying those famous words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrFV5r8cs0
But I digress. We made it to another famous movie yesterday afternoon while Ginger was at daycare. STWD had already demonstrated her limitations and so she stayed home. With a humongous popcorn and a ginormous cherry-cola within my reach, we spent nearly two hours watching Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains and a host of other actors in Casablanca. That being noted, here is one of the most iconic portions from that movie, also courtesy of YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEWaqUVac3M
Otherwise, the day was uneventful. I can't wait, well as much as anyone can't wait, for my surgical intervention next week. While I am not eager to have one more surgery, I am eager to have the pains in my yak be relieved. So, I'll be blissfully under sedation being repaired while Mary reads and knits and waits for me. I hope that this time I won't awaken in a totally disoriented fashion as I did following my brain surgery several years ago.
Today, we have nowhere to go and all day to get there. I have reading to do and Mary can find many things that need to be done in the way of crafts, including trying to repair the damage to my Afghan. She has to decide the best way to weave in the loose ends that I or Ginger created many months ago. I'll be needing that Afghan for a few days next week as I sleep in the La-Z-Boy until I am comfortable lying down in bed. Ciao.
We are having a tropical heatwave here in West Michigan this morning. I was just downstairs with the fur-children to let them out, STWD wouldn't go, but Ginger did, and the current temperature is a balmy 37° under partly cloudy skies. In fact, that temperature will be the high later today. Once the sun rises @ 7:42 a.m. and well before it sets @ 6:16 p.m., the day will start out with foggy conditions and then switch to more cloud cover. We'll see temperatures bouncing all around the mid-thirties for the foreseeable future.
John came by yesterday to install that smoke/CO detector that I decided was just too much for me to handle. I may not be quick on the uptakes and my learning curve may be steep, but I can be educated and learn to recognize my limitations, as Clint Eastwood intoned in his iconic role as Dirty Harry, . Here he is in a YouTube sourced video saying those famous words. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrFV5r8cs0
But I digress. We made it to another famous movie yesterday afternoon while Ginger was at daycare. STWD had already demonstrated her limitations and so she stayed home. With a humongous popcorn and a ginormous cherry-cola within my reach, we spent nearly two hours watching Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, Paul Henreid, and Claude Rains and a host of other actors in Casablanca. That being noted, here is one of the most iconic portions from that movie, also courtesy of YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEWaqUVac3M
Otherwise, the day was uneventful. I can't wait, well as much as anyone can't wait, for my surgical intervention next week. While I am not eager to have one more surgery, I am eager to have the pains in my yak be relieved. So, I'll be blissfully under sedation being repaired while Mary reads and knits and waits for me. I hope that this time I won't awaken in a totally disoriented fashion as I did following my brain surgery several years ago.
Today, we have nowhere to go and all day to get there. I have reading to do and Mary can find many things that need to be done in the way of crafts, including trying to repair the damage to my Afghan. She has to decide the best way to weave in the loose ends that I or Ginger created many months ago. I'll be needing that Afghan for a few days next week as I sleep in the La-Z-Boy until I am comfortable lying down in bed. Ciao.
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "The City."
Had a rather uneventful day yesterday. Mary made a nice breakfast of scrambled tofu on English muffins with a salad on the side, I think. If I'm wrong, she will correct me in a few hours. Later, before we set out to go to the hospital for my pre-surgery tests, she made a nice lunch to tide us over.
Somewhere in there, Ginger and I did some trainspotting. At 8:25 a.m., we heard that lonesome whistle blow. However, the trainspotting didn't take long because all we spotted was indeed the source of that lonesome whistle as locomotive #2019 was seen heading south with no cars in tow. Later at 11:57 a.m., that same locomotive headed north, towing four CHCs, on two DBTCs.
Everything went well at the hospital and the tests took less time than we anticipated.We then we picked up the newly repaired front hall carpet and finished up with a stop at the grocery store in Spring Lake and then our favorite watering hole on the other side of the bridge.
Home at last where the fur-children greeted us and we watched some TV news and then had a light dinner.
I've been watching car shows while Mary slept in the La-Z-Boy before she came up to bed and she and Ginger retired for the night.
Today, we plan to go to the Flashback Cinema at the Grand Haven 9 theater to see Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart, and Ingrid Bergman. It has been a long time since we've had the opportunity to see this film in its wide-screen format and it will be another revelation to see all of the things that are never seen on a TV screen. Of course, I'll be enjoying a humongous bucket of popcorn and a ginormous cherry cola. Mary will show restraint by drinking water and eating a small popcorn. Her loss, my gain.
We have a current temperature of 31° under clear skies. Later today, the temperature will rise to 37° under sunny skies and the overnight low will not go below freezing. The sun will rise today @ 7:43 a.m. and set later @ 6:15 p.m. Ciao.
Had a rather uneventful day yesterday. Mary made a nice breakfast of scrambled tofu on English muffins with a salad on the side, I think. If I'm wrong, she will correct me in a few hours. Later, before we set out to go to the hospital for my pre-surgery tests, she made a nice lunch to tide us over.
Somewhere in there, Ginger and I did some trainspotting. At 8:25 a.m., we heard that lonesome whistle blow. However, the trainspotting didn't take long because all we spotted was indeed the source of that lonesome whistle as locomotive #2019 was seen heading south with no cars in tow. Later at 11:57 a.m., that same locomotive headed north, towing four CHCs, on two DBTCs.
Everything went well at the hospital and the tests took less time than we anticipated.We then we picked up the newly repaired front hall carpet and finished up with a stop at the grocery store in Spring Lake and then our favorite watering hole on the other side of the bridge.
Home at last where the fur-children greeted us and we watched some TV news and then had a light dinner.
I've been watching car shows while Mary slept in the La-Z-Boy before she came up to bed and she and Ginger retired for the night.
Today, we plan to go to the Flashback Cinema at the Grand Haven 9 theater to see Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart, and Ingrid Bergman. It has been a long time since we've had the opportunity to see this film in its wide-screen format and it will be another revelation to see all of the things that are never seen on a TV screen. Of course, I'll be enjoying a humongous bucket of popcorn and a ginormous cherry cola. Mary will show restraint by drinking water and eating a small popcorn. Her loss, my gain.
We have a current temperature of 31° under clear skies. Later today, the temperature will rise to 37° under sunny skies and the overnight low will not go below freezing. The sun will rise today @ 7:43 a.m. and set later @ 6:15 p.m. Ciao.
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."
Of necessity, I am going to keep this blog short. That's because I don't want to aggravate my yak any more than I have to.
Speaking of my yak, we traveled to Muskegon to meet with the yak surgeon yesterday. The news was far better than I expected, albeit that assessment is based on a personal bias. The doctor confirmed what I already knew, that my yak pain is being caused by an impingement of the nerves in my spine. It seems that another of my disks has bulged or ruptured outside its normal domain and is pressing on the nerve. That is giving me pain in my lower yak and down my leg,
However, the fix is not as difficult as I would have expected. Not that any surgery on my yak is easy, especially since I have had previous surgery in that area, but the term the doctor used for the surgery is discectomy, a trimming of one of my lumbar discs and some of the bones of my spine. I would need about six to eight weeks of recovery time during which my activities would be restricted to very light lifting and lots of walking as the area heals. However, if all goes according to plan, I should be almost as good as new once those eight weeks have elapsed. I say almost as good as new because any surgical repair is a patch job. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train.
As a reminder of what I am missing, ie, snow-removal, I took some pictures yesterday of the snow that is piled around the PE (Palatial Estate) and the neighborhood. In no particular order, here they are.
Just a reminder, that today is the day that the pitchers and catchers report to spring training for the 2018 MLB™ season.
We have a current temperature of between 11 and 15 degrees, depending on the source consulted. The NWS has forecast that our overnight low will drop to 9°. However, later today, the high is forecast to reach 31° with no snow in that forecast. Tomorrow, the forecast calls for 38° and Thursday, the high will be 37° with showers in the afternoon. Today, the sun will rise @ 7:44 a.m. and set @ 6:13 p.m. In between, the train should be passing by both north and southbound as I read and relax. Ciao.
A personal aside. Many years ago, I was fortunate to meet Mary and I was also fortunate enough that she pushed me to be all that I can be. I am certain that I would not be where I am today without her love and guidance. She has a lot more chutzpah than she admits to or recognizes. I am far more reticent than she when it comes to new experiences and meeting new people. I guess that you could say that I am very shy by nature. At any rate, Mary, I love you.
Of necessity, I am going to keep this blog short. That's because I don't want to aggravate my yak any more than I have to.
Speaking of my yak, we traveled to Muskegon to meet with the yak surgeon yesterday. The news was far better than I expected, albeit that assessment is based on a personal bias. The doctor confirmed what I already knew, that my yak pain is being caused by an impingement of the nerves in my spine. It seems that another of my disks has bulged or ruptured outside its normal domain and is pressing on the nerve. That is giving me pain in my lower yak and down my leg,
However, the fix is not as difficult as I would have expected. Not that any surgery on my yak is easy, especially since I have had previous surgery in that area, but the term the doctor used for the surgery is discectomy, a trimming of one of my lumbar discs and some of the bones of my spine. I would need about six to eight weeks of recovery time during which my activities would be restricted to very light lifting and lots of walking as the area heals. However, if all goes according to plan, I should be almost as good as new once those eight weeks have elapsed. I say almost as good as new because any surgical repair is a patch job. There is light at the end of the tunnel and it is not a train.
As a reminder of what I am missing, ie, snow-removal, I took some pictures yesterday of the snow that is piled around the PE (Palatial Estate) and the neighborhood. In no particular order, here they are.
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| In spite of Mary's best efforts, the snow is starting to overwhelm the back forty. |
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| A telephoto view of our neighbor to the south that shows his "Menagerie" of snow-covered characters. |
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| A longer-range view of the same |
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| Our driveway entrance. |
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| The porch of the manse |
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| I just liked the shadows on the house across the street |
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| Same here |
We have a current temperature of between 11 and 15 degrees, depending on the source consulted. The NWS has forecast that our overnight low will drop to 9°. However, later today, the high is forecast to reach 31° with no snow in that forecast. Tomorrow, the forecast calls for 38° and Thursday, the high will be 37° with showers in the afternoon. Today, the sun will rise @ 7:44 a.m. and set @ 6:13 p.m. In between, the train should be passing by both north and southbound as I read and relax. Ciao.
A personal aside. Many years ago, I was fortunate to meet Mary and I was also fortunate enough that she pushed me to be all that I can be. I am certain that I would not be where I am today without her love and guidance. She has a lot more chutzpah than she admits to or recognizes. I am far more reticent than she when it comes to new experiences and meeting new people. I guess that you could say that I am very shy by nature. At any rate, Mary, I love you.
Monday, February 12, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."
Who knew? There is actually a one-hit wonder station on iHeart Radio. After listening for a short time, I know why most of these artists had only one hit. It is a no wonder to me, pun intended. I lasted through two songs and switched to the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band.
At any rate, in order to keep this short, I will mention that we have a current temperature of 25° under clear skies. The NWS is forecasting an overnight low of 16°! Later today, after the sun rises @ 7:46 a.m. and before it sets @ 6:12 p.m., the high temperature will only return to 23°. That's okay, as we will see warmer temperatures as February rolls along and maybe, just maybe. some of this snow will begin to melt away.
I made some vegan sausages earlier yesterday and we had some for dinner accompanied by Tater Tots™. Mostly I sat around and read a novel that I finished about one-hour ago. It was entitled The Rooster Bar, by John Grisham. Naturally, it was a legal-themed book. I read this one in the large-print format.
I have an appointment at the yak doctor in Muskegon later today to discuss my options for relief of my baking yak. I know there are only a few, but I hope to learn that the option that the doctor recommends will be the least invasive and require the least recovery time. Fingers crossed.
I got to thinking earlier that age may be just a number, but it comes with its own infirmities. I had to watch as Mary shoveled the snow off of the deck and part of the driveway. Our neighbor, Ron, helped out by clearing part of the driveway with his snowblower. He had some help from our neighbor who shares the driveway. I feel helpless, but I can't risk any further damage to my yak.
By the by, one more day until pitchers and catchers report. Then spring will have sprung. I can't wait to hear the crack of the bat and hear the pounding of baseballs into the pockets of gloves. One of my favorite baseball-themed songs is I Watched It All (On My Radio), by Lionel Cartwright. That being said, here is a YouTube™ link to that song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyKAJGyfKY. I hope you like it as much as I do. What can I say, baseball is life!
Not much on tap for later today. Doctor, reading and relaxing. Ciao.
Who knew? There is actually a one-hit wonder station on iHeart Radio. After listening for a short time, I know why most of these artists had only one hit. It is a no wonder to me, pun intended. I lasted through two songs and switched to the Glenn Miller Army Air Force Band.
At any rate, in order to keep this short, I will mention that we have a current temperature of 25° under clear skies. The NWS is forecasting an overnight low of 16°! Later today, after the sun rises @ 7:46 a.m. and before it sets @ 6:12 p.m., the high temperature will only return to 23°. That's okay, as we will see warmer temperatures as February rolls along and maybe, just maybe. some of this snow will begin to melt away.
I made some vegan sausages earlier yesterday and we had some for dinner accompanied by Tater Tots™. Mostly I sat around and read a novel that I finished about one-hour ago. It was entitled The Rooster Bar, by John Grisham. Naturally, it was a legal-themed book. I read this one in the large-print format.
I have an appointment at the yak doctor in Muskegon later today to discuss my options for relief of my baking yak. I know there are only a few, but I hope to learn that the option that the doctor recommends will be the least invasive and require the least recovery time. Fingers crossed.
I got to thinking earlier that age may be just a number, but it comes with its own infirmities. I had to watch as Mary shoveled the snow off of the deck and part of the driveway. Our neighbor, Ron, helped out by clearing part of the driveway with his snowblower. He had some help from our neighbor who shares the driveway. I feel helpless, but I can't risk any further damage to my yak.
By the by, one more day until pitchers and catchers report. Then spring will have sprung. I can't wait to hear the crack of the bat and hear the pounding of baseballs into the pockets of gloves. One of my favorite baseball-themed songs is I Watched It All (On My Radio), by Lionel Cartwright. That being said, here is a YouTube™ link to that song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUyKAJGyfKY. I hope you like it as much as I do. What can I say, baseball is life!
Not much on tap for later today. Doctor, reading and relaxing. Ciao.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City."
I was sleeping in the media room @ 3:15 a.m.when Ginger came in and did her cute whine versus the insistent shrill and extremely loud bark that she reserves for anyone who walks by or who dares to come on "her" front porch, like the UPS or USPS men and women. Fortunately for her, and I guess us too, I don't sleep as soundly as Mary and so I went downstairs and let her out. She was in a hurry so it must have been important. To borrow from the town criers of olde (sic), 'It's four a.m. and alls' well."
Yesterday, we got up late and I did some indoor chores. I baked a loaf of beer bread, that never rose, but which tastes just fine. I made some Coleslaw which is good, but not as good as it could be due to the mayo I used, and I did some laundry. In between, Adam called on the phone and I checked with the manufacturer of our smoke/CO detector about where the replacement was in the delivery queue. It turned out that their 7 - 10-day delivery schedule is based on "Business Days" not on any reality-based calendar. I got a tracking number and it should be arriving before the close of business on Monday.
Otherwise, I spent some time reading my latest issue of Rolling Stone from which I learned about the current medical condition of the artist currently known as Meat Loaf, and why he can no longer perform or tour. He is in serious pain due to a very bad yak and so he can't sing, he can't walk nor stand without a walker, and he needs assistance to do many of the activities of daily living that I can still do. So, in my case, I am relieved that I could have things much worse.
I also learned about a musical artist named Margo Price, who hails from Nashville, TN by way of her hometown of Aledo, Illinois. Her debut album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter, was recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN. For those of you in the know, Sun Studios was the studio that recorded Elvis, Johnny Cash, and many other artists. I was not familiar with her work, so I clicked on YouTube for a sample and I was pleasantly surprised. When Margo is touring, she is backed by her band, The Price Tags, and one of their members plays one of my favorite electric guitars, a Rickenbacher, made famous by bands like The Byrds and artists like George Harrison. Margo's influences include some of my favorite artists such as Janis Joplin, Willie Nelson, and Bonnie Raitt. Because I liked what I heard, I've included a YouTube link to a live performance of her song, All American Made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdEycv6A1FM. I hope you like it.
Mary made another attempt at her soon to be perfected vegan pasta/bean burgers, but she believes she got something wrong, because when she made them for dinner, she ended up with Sloppy Joes, not burgers. Her previous batch was terrific, so she'll figure out what went wrong.
We just "Had to get out", to borrow from Mary's mother, so we got in the car and traveled to The Bookman, where we got the Friday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune and then made a stop at JWs. In betwixt and between, Mary made a valiant effort at clearing the snow from our deck and the walking area nearby. As a snow removal specialist, she is a better knitter and cook.
Since I am on the topic of weather, we got about six to eight inches of snow Thursday into Friday. There is a Winter Weather Advisory issued by the NWS for this evening, with an 80% chance of one to three inches of further accumulation from late tonight into Sunday morning. Good news though, our trip to the yak doctor in Muskegon on Monday should be uneventful as the NWS is forecasting temperatures in the lower 20s with sunny skies. Later this week, their forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-30s Tuesday through Thursday. We have a current temperature of 21° as we rise towards today's high temperature of 25° after the sun rises @ 7:49 a.m. and well before it sets @ 6:09 p.m.
Yesterday, Ginger and I once again did some trainspotting too. At 10:51 a.m., MMRR EMD GP 38-2 locomotive #2019 was espied heading south towing eight CHCs, three DBTCs, one DWTC, and one tank car of an indeterminate color. White, gray, rust. all, or none of the above? Ginger and I can't say. At 2:05 p.m. that same locomotive passed by on the RSTL towing only two cars, one CHC, and one DBTC.
Today, we have nothing on the agenda other than Mary's favorite sport, TV news. I plan to read the newspaper and a novel and just laze about. Mary will attempt to resolve her cooking issues. Ciao.
I was sleeping in the media room @ 3:15 a.m.when Ginger came in and did her cute whine versus the insistent shrill and extremely loud bark that she reserves for anyone who walks by or who dares to come on "her" front porch, like the UPS or USPS men and women. Fortunately for her, and I guess us too, I don't sleep as soundly as Mary and so I went downstairs and let her out. She was in a hurry so it must have been important. To borrow from the town criers of olde (sic), 'It's four a.m. and alls' well."
Yesterday, we got up late and I did some indoor chores. I baked a loaf of beer bread, that never rose, but which tastes just fine. I made some Coleslaw which is good, but not as good as it could be due to the mayo I used, and I did some laundry. In between, Adam called on the phone and I checked with the manufacturer of our smoke/CO detector about where the replacement was in the delivery queue. It turned out that their 7 - 10-day delivery schedule is based on "Business Days" not on any reality-based calendar. I got a tracking number and it should be arriving before the close of business on Monday.
Otherwise, I spent some time reading my latest issue of Rolling Stone from which I learned about the current medical condition of the artist currently known as Meat Loaf, and why he can no longer perform or tour. He is in serious pain due to a very bad yak and so he can't sing, he can't walk nor stand without a walker, and he needs assistance to do many of the activities of daily living that I can still do. So, in my case, I am relieved that I could have things much worse.
I also learned about a musical artist named Margo Price, who hails from Nashville, TN by way of her hometown of Aledo, Illinois. Her debut album, Midwest Farmer's Daughter, was recorded at Sun Studios in Memphis, TN. For those of you in the know, Sun Studios was the studio that recorded Elvis, Johnny Cash, and many other artists. I was not familiar with her work, so I clicked on YouTube for a sample and I was pleasantly surprised. When Margo is touring, she is backed by her band, The Price Tags, and one of their members plays one of my favorite electric guitars, a Rickenbacher, made famous by bands like The Byrds and artists like George Harrison. Margo's influences include some of my favorite artists such as Janis Joplin, Willie Nelson, and Bonnie Raitt. Because I liked what I heard, I've included a YouTube link to a live performance of her song, All American Made. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdEycv6A1FM. I hope you like it.
Mary made another attempt at her soon to be perfected vegan pasta/bean burgers, but she believes she got something wrong, because when she made them for dinner, she ended up with Sloppy Joes, not burgers. Her previous batch was terrific, so she'll figure out what went wrong.
We just "Had to get out", to borrow from Mary's mother, so we got in the car and traveled to The Bookman, where we got the Friday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune and then made a stop at JWs. In betwixt and between, Mary made a valiant effort at clearing the snow from our deck and the walking area nearby. As a snow removal specialist, she is a better knitter and cook.
Since I am on the topic of weather, we got about six to eight inches of snow Thursday into Friday. There is a Winter Weather Advisory issued by the NWS for this evening, with an 80% chance of one to three inches of further accumulation from late tonight into Sunday morning. Good news though, our trip to the yak doctor in Muskegon on Monday should be uneventful as the NWS is forecasting temperatures in the lower 20s with sunny skies. Later this week, their forecast calls for temperatures in the mid-30s Tuesday through Thursday. We have a current temperature of 21° as we rise towards today's high temperature of 25° after the sun rises @ 7:49 a.m. and well before it sets @ 6:09 p.m.
Yesterday, Ginger and I once again did some trainspotting too. At 10:51 a.m., MMRR EMD GP 38-2 locomotive #2019 was espied heading south towing eight CHCs, three DBTCs, one DWTC, and one tank car of an indeterminate color. White, gray, rust. all, or none of the above? Ginger and I can't say. At 2:05 p.m. that same locomotive passed by on the RSTL towing only two cars, one CHC, and one DBTC.
Today, we have nothing on the agenda other than Mary's favorite sport, TV news. I plan to read the newspaper and a novel and just laze about. Mary will attempt to resolve her cooking issues. Ciao.
Friday, February 9, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."
As predicted by the NWS, it is snowing and the flakes are falling at a pretty good clip. In fact, the NWS is showing a Winter Weather Advisory for our area, and when interpreted by the Weather.Com website, that forecast calls for an additional three to six inches of snow on top of what we already have on the ground. The current temperature is 20° per the NWS, while my own DTWS is showing 23°. The overnight low is forecast by the NWS to be 16° before we climb back to 26° later today.
That forecast is one of the reasons that Mary and I traveled to Newaygo yesterday to visit what Mary has proclaimed as her favorite yarn store, The New Ewe. In spite of her substantial stash of yarn, that I believe holds enough yarn for several years of projects, she purchased more. Of course, to make me feel good about that purchase, she bought some yarn to make me a new winter hat too, so who am I to complain?
Of course, no mid-winter road trip is complete without a stop to buy flowers for our foyer, although I don't have a picture of those. While at that flower stop, Mary espied the "Perfect" clock for our living room. I was happily sitting in the car listening to the radio when she called me in to see it. I have to agree, it is perfect, but now I have to hang that clock as another chore.
However, I do have a picture of the apples from our third stop near Newaygo where we, well, actually where Mary, stopped at a farm stand and bought half a bushel of mostly Jonagold apples. A small portion of her purchase were Granny Smith apples too. In any case, the apples are good for pies and other things like sauces and Coleslaw. Oddly, those apples won't peel themselves nor turn themselves into a sauce, Coleslaw or a pie. That task falls to me.
We headed towards home, but before we got there, we stopped at JWs for some adult libations. We finally traveled to Sitting Pretty to pick up the fur-children from daycare, where it turns out, STWD really didn't want to be so she will be staying home from now on and Ginger will be soloing. That is always better for Ginger as she takes STWD coming along as a sign that she, Ginger, will be bathed and groomed. I suppose it is better for STWD too.
Once home, Mary took her culinary skills to the kitchen and made a terrific veggie pizza for dinner. She thinks it was her best effort to date, and I have to agree. What was different you ask? I don't know, but I liked it.
Given the wintry conditions, staying in today to read, bake, knit, and do whatever strikes our collective fancies, seems like a good way to while away the day after we get up from bed and chair in later this morning. My yak is feeling okay right now, but that isn't a long-lived state, I'm sure.
The sun will rise this morning @7:50 a.m. and set later @ 6:08 p.m. Ciao.
As predicted by the NWS, it is snowing and the flakes are falling at a pretty good clip. In fact, the NWS is showing a Winter Weather Advisory for our area, and when interpreted by the Weather.Com website, that forecast calls for an additional three to six inches of snow on top of what we already have on the ground. The current temperature is 20° per the NWS, while my own DTWS is showing 23°. The overnight low is forecast by the NWS to be 16° before we climb back to 26° later today.
That forecast is one of the reasons that Mary and I traveled to Newaygo yesterday to visit what Mary has proclaimed as her favorite yarn store, The New Ewe. In spite of her substantial stash of yarn, that I believe holds enough yarn for several years of projects, she purchased more. Of course, to make me feel good about that purchase, she bought some yarn to make me a new winter hat too, so who am I to complain?
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| Not all of this yarn will go into my hat, just the dark blue in the back. |
However, I do have a picture of the apples from our third stop near Newaygo where we, well, actually where Mary, stopped at a farm stand and bought half a bushel of mostly Jonagold apples. A small portion of her purchase were Granny Smith apples too. In any case, the apples are good for pies and other things like sauces and Coleslaw. Oddly, those apples won't peel themselves nor turn themselves into a sauce, Coleslaw or a pie. That task falls to me.
We headed towards home, but before we got there, we stopped at JWs for some adult libations. We finally traveled to Sitting Pretty to pick up the fur-children from daycare, where it turns out, STWD really didn't want to be so she will be staying home from now on and Ginger will be soloing. That is always better for Ginger as she takes STWD coming along as a sign that she, Ginger, will be bathed and groomed. I suppose it is better for STWD too.
Once home, Mary took her culinary skills to the kitchen and made a terrific veggie pizza for dinner. She thinks it was her best effort to date, and I have to agree. What was different you ask? I don't know, but I liked it.
 |
| Lots of Portabello mushrooms, heavy sauce, a great thick crust, a touch of vegan cheese, and one of my vegan sausages perhaps. |
Given the wintry conditions, staying in today to read, bake, knit, and do whatever strikes our collective fancies, seems like a good way to while away the day after we get up from bed and chair in later this morning. My yak is feeling okay right now, but that isn't a long-lived state, I'm sure.
The sun will rise this morning @7:50 a.m. and set later @ 6:08 p.m. Ciao.
Thursday, February 8, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."
This time for sure! I am going to follow the KISS formula. No trainspotting to report, no significant weather events, and I have not read enough of my latest book to have a comment on it, yet.
We have a current temperature of 21° according to my DTWS and the NWS is predicting an overnight low of 16°. Later today, the NWS is predicting a high of 21° with partly cloudy skies and only a 20% chance of more snowfall. The next chance of above freezing temperatures is Tuesday when that same NWS is predicting 35°! We shall see.
The sun will rise later this morning @ 7:51 a.m. and set later today @ 6:06 p.m.
We had a good meeting of our history book club, but the attendance was more sparse than hoped. Alas, @ 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon, the only people able to attend are retired people, like me, or almost retired people, like Mary.
Speaking of Mary, at this point, I am subjecting her to the worse part of the marriage vows with my yak problems. I can't do many of the things I used to do and I am not being very good company. Truth be told, I can't even sleep in our bed because the pain when I awake is too intense. I am surviving on acetaminophen and cold packs in my La-Z-Boy in the media room, often accompanied by Ginger, who is doing a great job of being a therapy dog. Hopefully, next Monday, when we meet with the yak surgeon, he'll have some answers for me.
Today will be one of those days when I sit around and read and do little else. I am watching car shows on the Velocity channel and other sundry television programs. Mary is surfing the internet and doing some crafty things.
Even the fur-children aren't getting out much due to the effects of the cold on their paws. Plus, I can't walk very far, so any walking that they would do would of necessity fall on Mary's shoulders.
So that looks like enough for one day. Don't forget, that the pitchers and catchers report to spring training on the 13th, just five days away. Put it on the board, Yes!
Ciao.
This time for sure! I am going to follow the KISS formula. No trainspotting to report, no significant weather events, and I have not read enough of my latest book to have a comment on it, yet.
We have a current temperature of 21° according to my DTWS and the NWS is predicting an overnight low of 16°. Later today, the NWS is predicting a high of 21° with partly cloudy skies and only a 20% chance of more snowfall. The next chance of above freezing temperatures is Tuesday when that same NWS is predicting 35°! We shall see.
The sun will rise later this morning @ 7:51 a.m. and set later today @ 6:06 p.m.
We had a good meeting of our history book club, but the attendance was more sparse than hoped. Alas, @ 3:00 p.m. in the afternoon, the only people able to attend are retired people, like me, or almost retired people, like Mary.
Speaking of Mary, at this point, I am subjecting her to the worse part of the marriage vows with my yak problems. I can't do many of the things I used to do and I am not being very good company. Truth be told, I can't even sleep in our bed because the pain when I awake is too intense. I am surviving on acetaminophen and cold packs in my La-Z-Boy in the media room, often accompanied by Ginger, who is doing a great job of being a therapy dog. Hopefully, next Monday, when we meet with the yak surgeon, he'll have some answers for me.
Today will be one of those days when I sit around and read and do little else. I am watching car shows on the Velocity channel and other sundry television programs. Mary is surfing the internet and doing some crafty things.
Even the fur-children aren't getting out much due to the effects of the cold on their paws. Plus, I can't walk very far, so any walking that they would do would of necessity fall on Mary's shoulders.
So that looks like enough for one day. Don't forget, that the pitchers and catchers report to spring training on the 13th, just five days away. Put it on the board, Yes!
Ciao.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."
I am going to endeavor to follow the KISS formula once again. It looks like that WWA, (Winter Weather Advisory) issued by the NWS in Grand Rapids is going to be like a memo from the Congress, a dud. We are still on track to get about one-inch of additional snowfall, but that's a far cry from the two to four inches in the original forecast. That's fine by me.
Yesterday we had plenty of snowfall that required the intervention of both of our neighbors. Fortunately, they came through and we were able to get out a run a few errands, several local and one in nearby Muskegon. I guess you could say we dodged the proverbial bullet.
We have a current temperature of 15° which should be our low for today. Later, we anticipate a high of 22° as we hopefully travel to our monthly history book club meeting. In anticipation of that meeting, I spent time in the kitchen yesterday baking cookies, which if I do say so myself, turned out great. I upped my game yesterday and baked both vegan chocolate-chip and sugar cookies with internal sprinkles.
Ginger was there to help, but due to the presence of the chocolate, she couldn't partake of the product. However, she is doing fine, so fine in fact that she and I were able to do some trainspotting yesterday.
At 9:04 a.m., we spotted the southbound run of locomotive #2019 at the head of eight CHCs, one DBT, and two DWTCs as they plowed through the freshly fallen snow. Later @ 1:47 p.m., we spotted the northbound run on the RSTL as it made its way towards Muskegon and points north at a much faster rate of speed. The same locomotive was towing five CHCs, five DBTCs, and three DWTCs.
Today, I hope to stay out of the kitchen and rest up for our 3:00 p.m. book club meeting. I finished our book for this meeting, All Quiet on the Western Front, last week, and having read it many years ago, I remembered why a book written 90 years ago was still important today. I don't think we have learned much in those ninety years.
I also finished my latest novel yesterday, Gunmetal Gray, by Mark Greaney, and I found it to be action-packed and very satisfying. I took it back as one of our errands and got my fifth signature for the annual winter reading activity. Five more to go.
I also learned that the Loutit Library's Outreach Coordinator, Larry Halvorsen, has finalized arrangements to bring several Irish musicians to the library in early June. Dave Curley, of the group Slide, Tadhg O Meachair of the Irish band Goitsee, pronounced Gwitcha, and Joanna Hyde, of The Hydes, for several hours of foot-stomping music and fun. Opening for those musicians will be Larry's own Irish band, Uneven Ground. The evening's activities are scheduled to run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
It looks like I failed in my KISS quest, but that's okay. It keeps my mind off of the pain in my yak. I also spent some time in meditation before this blog, which also helps.
The sun will rise today @ 7: 52.a.m. and set later this evening @ 6:05 p.m. Ciao.
I am going to endeavor to follow the KISS formula once again. It looks like that WWA, (Winter Weather Advisory) issued by the NWS in Grand Rapids is going to be like a memo from the Congress, a dud. We are still on track to get about one-inch of additional snowfall, but that's a far cry from the two to four inches in the original forecast. That's fine by me.
Yesterday we had plenty of snowfall that required the intervention of both of our neighbors. Fortunately, they came through and we were able to get out a run a few errands, several local and one in nearby Muskegon. I guess you could say we dodged the proverbial bullet.
We have a current temperature of 15° which should be our low for today. Later, we anticipate a high of 22° as we hopefully travel to our monthly history book club meeting. In anticipation of that meeting, I spent time in the kitchen yesterday baking cookies, which if I do say so myself, turned out great. I upped my game yesterday and baked both vegan chocolate-chip and sugar cookies with internal sprinkles.
Ginger was there to help, but due to the presence of the chocolate, she couldn't partake of the product. However, she is doing fine, so fine in fact that she and I were able to do some trainspotting yesterday.
At 9:04 a.m., we spotted the southbound run of locomotive #2019 at the head of eight CHCs, one DBT, and two DWTCs as they plowed through the freshly fallen snow. Later @ 1:47 p.m., we spotted the northbound run on the RSTL as it made its way towards Muskegon and points north at a much faster rate of speed. The same locomotive was towing five CHCs, five DBTCs, and three DWTCs.
Today, I hope to stay out of the kitchen and rest up for our 3:00 p.m. book club meeting. I finished our book for this meeting, All Quiet on the Western Front, last week, and having read it many years ago, I remembered why a book written 90 years ago was still important today. I don't think we have learned much in those ninety years.
I also finished my latest novel yesterday, Gunmetal Gray, by Mark Greaney, and I found it to be action-packed and very satisfying. I took it back as one of our errands and got my fifth signature for the annual winter reading activity. Five more to go.
I also learned that the Loutit Library's Outreach Coordinator, Larry Halvorsen, has finalized arrangements to bring several Irish musicians to the library in early June. Dave Curley, of the group Slide, Tadhg O Meachair of the Irish band Goitsee, pronounced Gwitcha, and Joanna Hyde, of The Hydes, for several hours of foot-stomping music and fun. Opening for those musicians will be Larry's own Irish band, Uneven Ground. The evening's activities are scheduled to run from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
It looks like I failed in my KISS quest, but that's okay. It keeps my mind off of the pain in my yak. I also spent some time in meditation before this blog, which also helps.
The sun will rise today @ 7: 52.a.m. and set later this evening @ 6:05 p.m. Ciao.
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."
Did you ever have one of those good news-bad news kind of days? I had one yesterday. I awoke with a major-league ache in my lower yak, indicating that the steroid injection I had less than two weeks ago was losing its effectiveness well before I'd hoped it would. I had been feeling good for about eight or nine days and then wham, the pain became difficult to bear. Not totally unbearable, not totally debilitating, but enough so that my activities of daily living stopped being enjoyable.
So, I did the only thing I could do, I called the yak doctor and made an appointment to see him yesterday afternoon. I'd already resigned myself to the fact that he would not be able to wave a magic wand over me and fix the problem and sadly, I was told the facts of life. He made a referral for me to a spinal surgeon as he had no more injections to offer that would make me feel better. I was no longer going to be able to be conservative. So, I have an appointment for next Monday to see that doctor for a consultation and to probably set a date for more surgery. I guess I'll know more then.
In other news, we made a stop at the grocery store and also at our favorite watering hole after the yak doctor's appointment, then home.
The NWS has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for our own Ottawa, County, which also includes the majority of the counties, cities, and towns along the shores of the "Big Lake" as far inland as Grand Rapids and as far south as Kalamazoo. Additional accumulations of two to four inches of additional snow are expected between now and 5:00 a.m. today. I'm hoping that my neighbor to the east will get out and do the snow removal in the shared driveway, as I can't and Mary is also limited in her ability to do a complete job. Fortunately, we have nowhere to go in a car today or for the next several days.
The sun will rise today @ 7:54 a.m. and set later today @ 6:04 p.m. In between, I have plenty of things to do in the kitchen and elsewhere in the manse as I have cookies to bake for our book club and other activities to keep me busy. Likewise for Mary, with the exception of an appointment that she has at her barber. Ciao.
Did you ever have one of those good news-bad news kind of days? I had one yesterday. I awoke with a major-league ache in my lower yak, indicating that the steroid injection I had less than two weeks ago was losing its effectiveness well before I'd hoped it would. I had been feeling good for about eight or nine days and then wham, the pain became difficult to bear. Not totally unbearable, not totally debilitating, but enough so that my activities of daily living stopped being enjoyable.
So, I did the only thing I could do, I called the yak doctor and made an appointment to see him yesterday afternoon. I'd already resigned myself to the fact that he would not be able to wave a magic wand over me and fix the problem and sadly, I was told the facts of life. He made a referral for me to a spinal surgeon as he had no more injections to offer that would make me feel better. I was no longer going to be able to be conservative. So, I have an appointment for next Monday to see that doctor for a consultation and to probably set a date for more surgery. I guess I'll know more then.
In other news, we made a stop at the grocery store and also at our favorite watering hole after the yak doctor's appointment, then home.
The NWS has issued a Winter Weather Advisory for our own Ottawa, County, which also includes the majority of the counties, cities, and towns along the shores of the "Big Lake" as far inland as Grand Rapids and as far south as Kalamazoo. Additional accumulations of two to four inches of additional snow are expected between now and 5:00 a.m. today. I'm hoping that my neighbor to the east will get out and do the snow removal in the shared driveway, as I can't and Mary is also limited in her ability to do a complete job. Fortunately, we have nowhere to go in a car today or for the next several days.
The sun will rise today @ 7:54 a.m. and set later today @ 6:04 p.m. In between, I have plenty of things to do in the kitchen and elsewhere in the manse as I have cookies to bake for our book club and other activities to keep me busy. Likewise for Mary, with the exception of an appointment that she has at her barber. Ciao.
Saturday, February 3, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 8:30 p.m. in "The City."
I've just come upstairs after several rousing games of Control, all of which I lost. I guess you could say that as a card player, I am a better musician. Prior to that, we were listening to Celtic Radio on Pandora, followed by 70s Easy Listening. I offer as proof, these two pictures taken by Mary with her phone.
Otherwise, not much was happening. My yak is feeling better now, but when I arose this morning, it was kind of achy. Not as good as it has been for the last several days. I did a lot of reading and looking at my tablet along with working a crossword puzzle from the Grand Haven Tribune Friday edition. We have yet to pick up the weekend edition, but maybe tomorrow if we go out.
Tomorrow, we may go to the Grand Haven 9 Cinema to watch the movie Gigi starring Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jordan, and many others. Of course, if we go, there is a humongous bucket of popcorn and a ginormous cherry cola with my name on them waiting for me. Those plans are weather dependent. We had quite a bit of snow the last two days, and more is expected overnight. We seem to be in a lull at the moment.We do have a current temperature of 30°. The low tonight will drop to 20° before we soar to tomorrow's high of 24°! The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:56 a.m. and set @ 6:01 p.m.
I refuse to go out and remove the snow due to my yak, but fortunately, our next door neighbor, Ron, has been kind enough to remove the snow from the front porch and sidewalk of the manse. I have to find a way to say thanks. Now, if our other next door neighbor clears the shared driveway, we'll be set to go.
If we don't go out, I/we have plenty to do here. Mary has a yarn stash that could last until next year and I have songs to play and new instruments to learn along with more reading.
I know the fur-children are getting antsy due to a lack of walks, but. in our opinion, it has been too cold for them to go out. I/we may watch part of Superbowl LII in hopes that I/we can see the Patriots lose. I suspect that I share that sentiment with many others.
Worthy of note is that the pitchers and catchers for my beloved Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the Cubs all report to camp on the 13th, just 10 days from today! I'll be born again as there will be baseball, and as John Fogerty intoned in his song, Centerfield, there will be new grass on the field. Oh what the hey, let me insert a YouTube link to that song now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc
That looks like enough for one day. Ciao.
I've just come upstairs after several rousing games of Control, all of which I lost. I guess you could say that as a card player, I am a better musician. Prior to that, we were listening to Celtic Radio on Pandora, followed by 70s Easy Listening. I offer as proof, these two pictures taken by Mary with her phone.
 |
| A new recipe from the internet, that actually turned out fine. |
 |
| As you can see, at the time this picture was taken, the band Chicago was being played |
Tomorrow, we may go to the Grand Haven 9 Cinema to watch the movie Gigi starring Leslie Caron, Maurice Chevalier, Louis Jordan, and many others. Of course, if we go, there is a humongous bucket of popcorn and a ginormous cherry cola with my name on them waiting for me. Those plans are weather dependent. We had quite a bit of snow the last two days, and more is expected overnight. We seem to be in a lull at the moment.We do have a current temperature of 30°. The low tonight will drop to 20° before we soar to tomorrow's high of 24°! The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:56 a.m. and set @ 6:01 p.m.
I refuse to go out and remove the snow due to my yak, but fortunately, our next door neighbor, Ron, has been kind enough to remove the snow from the front porch and sidewalk of the manse. I have to find a way to say thanks. Now, if our other next door neighbor clears the shared driveway, we'll be set to go.
If we don't go out, I/we have plenty to do here. Mary has a yarn stash that could last until next year and I have songs to play and new instruments to learn along with more reading.
I know the fur-children are getting antsy due to a lack of walks, but. in our opinion, it has been too cold for them to go out. I/we may watch part of Superbowl LII in hopes that I/we can see the Patriots lose. I suspect that I share that sentiment with many others.
Worthy of note is that the pitchers and catchers for my beloved Boston Red Sox, the Detroit Tigers, and the Cubs all report to camp on the 13th, just 10 days from today! I'll be born again as there will be baseball, and as John Fogerty intoned in his song, Centerfield, there will be new grass on the field. Oh what the hey, let me insert a YouTube link to that song now.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04KQydlJ-qc
That looks like enough for one day. Ciao.
Friday, February 2, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "The City."
The NWS was/is right, the snow arrived here in GH around 3:00 p.m. yesterday and at times, it was snowing so briskly that I actually looked out the window in the living room and thought it was foggy. Not that much snow has fallen, but it is hiding the ugly side of winter. Soon, the city plows will be by to bury the driveway and the sidewalks in front of the manse. Not my problem though, as I have nowhere to go and all day to get there.
I was sitting around yesterday afternoon and watching John do his thing. As I noted yesterday, it is a lot easier to watch someone do the work than it is to do it yourself. At any rate, he finished repainting and rehanging the lights on the garage and a few of those sundry things that needed doing. He still has more to do, but those will await the springtime of the year when the windows can be open and the fresh air can get in.
Mary made it to the store yesterday, while I availed myself of that big online etailer to order the bulbs for our ceiling fan in the media room. The local big-box home center has none in the store and none available on their website. I guess their Asian supplier is totally out of stock.
Today, I may still get into the kitchen and make those veggie balls and sausages I had planned to make yesterday. I am in no rush and so I may just make do with some other indoor chores. Plus, I have another edition of the Grand Haven Tribune to peruse and to work the crossword puzzle.
We did make it to the chiropractor yesterday afternoon and then made a short stop at JWs for libations and a snack. Sadly for the fur-children, we were unable to walk with them due to the icy and cold conditions that wreak havoc on their paws. Today is probably going to be the same.
We have a current temperature of 14° with light snow falling. If the NWS is correct, we won't see a great deal of accumulation, but it will be cold. Since it is February 2, Punxatawney Phil will be all over the news. Will he see his shadow or not? Will it make any difference?
The sun will rise today @ 7:57 a.m. and set later in the day @ 5:59 p.m. Ciao.
Just a reminder, the pitchers, and catchers will be reporting in just 11 days.
The NWS was/is right, the snow arrived here in GH around 3:00 p.m. yesterday and at times, it was snowing so briskly that I actually looked out the window in the living room and thought it was foggy. Not that much snow has fallen, but it is hiding the ugly side of winter. Soon, the city plows will be by to bury the driveway and the sidewalks in front of the manse. Not my problem though, as I have nowhere to go and all day to get there.
I was sitting around yesterday afternoon and watching John do his thing. As I noted yesterday, it is a lot easier to watch someone do the work than it is to do it yourself. At any rate, he finished repainting and rehanging the lights on the garage and a few of those sundry things that needed doing. He still has more to do, but those will await the springtime of the year when the windows can be open and the fresh air can get in.
Mary made it to the store yesterday, while I availed myself of that big online etailer to order the bulbs for our ceiling fan in the media room. The local big-box home center has none in the store and none available on their website. I guess their Asian supplier is totally out of stock.
Today, I may still get into the kitchen and make those veggie balls and sausages I had planned to make yesterday. I am in no rush and so I may just make do with some other indoor chores. Plus, I have another edition of the Grand Haven Tribune to peruse and to work the crossword puzzle.
We did make it to the chiropractor yesterday afternoon and then made a short stop at JWs for libations and a snack. Sadly for the fur-children, we were unable to walk with them due to the icy and cold conditions that wreak havoc on their paws. Today is probably going to be the same.
We have a current temperature of 14° with light snow falling. If the NWS is correct, we won't see a great deal of accumulation, but it will be cold. Since it is February 2, Punxatawney Phil will be all over the news. Will he see his shadow or not? Will it make any difference?
The sun will rise today @ 7:57 a.m. and set later in the day @ 5:59 p.m. Ciao.
Just a reminder, the pitchers, and catchers will be reporting in just 11 days.
Thursday, February 1, 2018
Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."
I probably wouldn't be up right now if it wasn't for Ginger's seemingly insatiable need to go out several times before she will settle in for the night. I did manage to get the small number of dishes washed that remained in the kitchen sink while I was downstairs, so the trip wasn't a total waste, but I could've lived without the trip. Oh well, I can use the exercise.
We had a rather mundane day yesterday. I got some reading done while I watched John and Dawn work. John was busy changing that pesky light switch in the media room, chopping the ice at the end of the driveway, and doing some wall patching along with other sundry home-repair type things, while Dawn did the heavy cleaning. John will be returning today, as our list of home maintenance things seems to grow exponentially. We'll see Dawn again next week. All of the above is my way of saying that I am going over to the Dark Side of the Force and letting others do what I used to do. It is a lot, and I do mean a lot, easier on my yak.
Since I am tangentially on the topic of weather, the reason we had John chop away some of that ice was the WWA (Winter Weather Advisory) issued by the NWS for the counties on the western shore of the "Big Lake." As of now, the forecast calls for that advisory to be in effect from 10:00 a.m. today through 1:00 p.m. Friday. Snow accumulations of from one to three inches are in the forecast, possibly more in localized areas. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 30°, just warm or cold enough to cause slippery driving conditions.
That means that we won't be driving. Instead, we'll walk to The Bookman with the fur-children and then hunker in for the next two days. Fortunately, we got those things that are on the must-do list accomplished yesterday afternoon. Since John will be doing the hard work, I'll get more time for reading, crossword solving, and whatever I feel like doing. Since the kitchen is now ready for further activities, I may, and I stress may make some vegan sausages.
As an aside, I like being able to use the word sausages to describe the results of my kitchen endeavors without having to use the word meat, as in meatball. I think I may have to come up with a word that better connotes the vegan Italian meatballs that I make that is more in keeping with what they are.
I'm also hoping to coax Mary towards her Craft Room and her sewing machine, to do some work on the projects that are in there. I know she wants to start with the sink curtain for the mud-room to be sure she is ready for the task of making the window valances for my office/music room/weather center. I can't say as I blame her, as the guitar-themed fabric that we got several years ago in Plymouth, WI is not available any longer. We were there on a side-trip during our Road America excursion during a trip to The Hawk, the annual vintage car races held at America's National Park for Speed, just outside of the city of Elkhart Lake, WI.
As another aside, we have purchased our tickets for the other vintage series to be held there later this year, the Ariens Art on Wheels races scheduled for the weekend of September 14 - 16, 2018. We've rented a home in Elkhart Lake for the trip that should provide an excellent place to view the vintage cars as they navigate the route that nearly replicates the way the cars raced on the streets in the early 1950s!
So that looks like enough for a couple of days.
I have some additional information regarding the soon to commence spring-training sessions in Florida and Arizona. My beloved Red Sox are still on target to have their pitchers and catchers report on February 13 as do the Tigers. The Red Sox begin full-squad workouts on February 17, while theTigers wait until the 18th. The Cubs also share those dates, albeit in AZ, with the Tigers. The Sox and the Tigers both have new managers this season.
The sun will rise today @ 7:59 a.m. and set later @ 5:57 p.m. We do have an appointment at the chiropractor for this afternoon, weather permitting, @ 3:30 p.m. Ciao.
I probably wouldn't be up right now if it wasn't for Ginger's seemingly insatiable need to go out several times before she will settle in for the night. I did manage to get the small number of dishes washed that remained in the kitchen sink while I was downstairs, so the trip wasn't a total waste, but I could've lived without the trip. Oh well, I can use the exercise.
We had a rather mundane day yesterday. I got some reading done while I watched John and Dawn work. John was busy changing that pesky light switch in the media room, chopping the ice at the end of the driveway, and doing some wall patching along with other sundry home-repair type things, while Dawn did the heavy cleaning. John will be returning today, as our list of home maintenance things seems to grow exponentially. We'll see Dawn again next week. All of the above is my way of saying that I am going over to the Dark Side of the Force and letting others do what I used to do. It is a lot, and I do mean a lot, easier on my yak.
Since I am tangentially on the topic of weather, the reason we had John chop away some of that ice was the WWA (Winter Weather Advisory) issued by the NWS for the counties on the western shore of the "Big Lake." As of now, the forecast calls for that advisory to be in effect from 10:00 a.m. today through 1:00 p.m. Friday. Snow accumulations of from one to three inches are in the forecast, possibly more in localized areas. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 30°, just warm or cold enough to cause slippery driving conditions.
That means that we won't be driving. Instead, we'll walk to The Bookman with the fur-children and then hunker in for the next two days. Fortunately, we got those things that are on the must-do list accomplished yesterday afternoon. Since John will be doing the hard work, I'll get more time for reading, crossword solving, and whatever I feel like doing. Since the kitchen is now ready for further activities, I may, and I stress may make some vegan sausages.
As an aside, I like being able to use the word sausages to describe the results of my kitchen endeavors without having to use the word meat, as in meatball. I think I may have to come up with a word that better connotes the vegan Italian meatballs that I make that is more in keeping with what they are.
I'm also hoping to coax Mary towards her Craft Room and her sewing machine, to do some work on the projects that are in there. I know she wants to start with the sink curtain for the mud-room to be sure she is ready for the task of making the window valances for my office/music room/weather center. I can't say as I blame her, as the guitar-themed fabric that we got several years ago in Plymouth, WI is not available any longer. We were there on a side-trip during our Road America excursion during a trip to The Hawk, the annual vintage car races held at America's National Park for Speed, just outside of the city of Elkhart Lake, WI.
As another aside, we have purchased our tickets for the other vintage series to be held there later this year, the Ariens Art on Wheels races scheduled for the weekend of September 14 - 16, 2018. We've rented a home in Elkhart Lake for the trip that should provide an excellent place to view the vintage cars as they navigate the route that nearly replicates the way the cars raced on the streets in the early 1950s!
So that looks like enough for a couple of days.
I have some additional information regarding the soon to commence spring-training sessions in Florida and Arizona. My beloved Red Sox are still on target to have their pitchers and catchers report on February 13 as do the Tigers. The Red Sox begin full-squad workouts on February 17, while theTigers wait until the 18th. The Cubs also share those dates, albeit in AZ, with the Tigers. The Sox and the Tigers both have new managers this season.
The sun will rise today @ 7:59 a.m. and set later @ 5:57 p.m. We do have an appointment at the chiropractor for this afternoon, weather permitting, @ 3:30 p.m. Ciao.
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