Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City."

I hadn't planned to get up, but sometimes the best laid plans etc.

Since I got up, the fur-children had to get up too, so I took them down and they did their duty. so to speak. While I was downstairs, I emptied the dishwasher to get the kitchen ready for another day. I don't mind emptying it because I dislike filling it even more.

Speaking of the kitchen, we had a nice stir-fry lunch yesterday that was started before my haircut when I chopped everything and then completed with the actual cooking after I returned. I was quite pleased with the results. Dinner was vegan sausages with Mary's cottage tofu and my homemade applesauce.

After we went to the store and had dinner, I got tired and headed up to watch some TV in the media room before I retired early. Maybe that's why I got up now, I seem to be able to sleep for only about six to seven hours in one stretch.

I have an appointment at the orthopedist today for the first of my five knee injections. Mary assures me that she will stay in the waiting room as she doesn't much care for the actual procedure. I can't say that I do either, but it sure helps when I walk. I need to be sure to ask the doctor to check my sore knee more thoroughly because it is still not feeling right That may be because I am expecting a quicker recovery, as I always do. My yak is feeling better, but it is not where it will be in a few more weeks.

Speaking of the doctor's visit, since we'll be at the hospital, we'll be sure to enjoy a nice salad bar lunch in the hospital's cafeteria. We have determined that of the four hospitals that we have visited in the area, that our own NOCH (North Ottawa Community Hospital) has the best salad bar.

We were going to walk to the hospital, but my gimpy knee and the weather are likely to preclude that plan.

With regard to the weather, we have a current temperature of 31° under mostly clear skies. in fact, the sky is so clear that I saw several planets in the southern sky, most likely Mars, Venus, or Mercury. It's been a long time since I took astronomy in college, so I am working from a faded memory.

We anticipate that today's high temperature will be 41° under sunny skies. I'd like to think that the forecast of 58° this coming Friday is the harbinger of good things to come. However, the T-storms that will accompany that high will rain out any outdoor activities before we see temperatures plunge back into the 30s and 40s for about 10 more days. Enough already. The sun will rise today @ 7:11 a.m. and set later this evening @ 8:21 p.m.

Sports news yesterday was weather dependent too. The 5 - 4 Cubs were snowed out in what was supposed to be their home opener yesterday against the 7 - 2 Pirates. That opener has been rescheduled for today @ 2:20 p.m. EDT with newly acquired pitcher Tyler Chatwood on the mound. Here's hoping that this is another one of Theo Epstein's finds from the pitching scrap heap.

My beloved 8 - 1 Red Sox had the day off yesterday. Today, they face the 5 - 5 Yankees in Fenway Park without Xander Bogaerts who was placed on the 10 day disabled list following a freak injury over the weekend when he slid down the dugout steps chasing an errant throw. He can be replaced on defense, but he was swinging a hot bat that will be hard to replace.

The 4 - 5 Tigers didn't fare so well yesterday as they fell to the now 5 - 5 Cleveland Indians 0 - 2. The Tigers swept that other team from Chicago over the weekend, but that was a short-lived high. The Tigers and the Indians play tonight @ 6:30 p.m. EDT.

The 4 - 1 West Michigan WhiteCaps defeated the 2 - 3 Great Lakes Loons 7 - 3 last night. Those same teams play again today @ 12:00 p.m. EDT.

Still no news regarding the Grand River Loggers.

Today, a bit of kitchen magic along with that appointment at the orthopedist and more reading for Mary, hopefully of a book more to her liking. She has rejected two books in a row that didn't strike her fancy. Ciao.