Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 12:00 a.m. in "The City."

Another short blog to go with a short day. When you get up late, the day has a way of getting away from you. Still, that does not mean that we accomplished nothing. Mary took Ginger for a walk separate from the walk the STWD and I took to The Bookman to get yesterday's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune for me and a biscuit for Sugar. We both came away happy.

Afterwards, I was in the back-forty cutting back some of the plantings and installing some fencing to guide Sugar to the proper location in the backyard. Once again, Sugar had gotten caught in our six-foot tall hibiscus, Pink, and I had to rescue her. So, I cut Pink back for the winter and installed some additional fencing. I have more to go, but I limited myself.

Since I was now armed with the daily crossword puzzle, I completed that and then we set out to go to the bank to close out an account and make application for a new credit card for me, as mine has lost the ability to have either its chip or its magnetic strip read. While there, I also got three rolls of nickels in hopes that I might find at least one of the four coins that I still need.

We have a current temperature of 52° with rain falling. Earlier, STWD was in her hide-e-hole when she sensed and heard the thunder. She has since come out, so the worst of the storms are apparently over, at least for tonight. Later today, the NWS has issued yet another Small Craft Advisory for the "Big Lake" with a possibility of 15 to 25 knot winds and waves building from three to five feet. That advisory will be in effect from 5:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. today. As the day progresses, the high is forecast by the NWS to reach 53° with clouds in the morning and sun in the afternoon. The sun will rise @ 8:17 a.m. and set @ 6:37 p.m.

I have a short appointment at the podiatrist around noon today and that's the only thing on my agenda. Mary has something planned, but I don't remember what that is. Ciao.

Good mornig or good evening, wherever you may be It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

Yesterday was about as mundane as you can get. We got up late, lounged around, I talked to Mary's brother, Ed, about the Red Sox, the Bears and other sundry things. We had lunch, I made Cole slaw and then went to one of those big-box home centers. Finally, a stop @ Stans in Spring Lake and the home for a fine dinner of Tuno Casserole, with a side of TV news. I went upstiars and watched some TV before retiring early. Speaking of the TV, I changed the batteries in the downstairs remote. It works fine now.

We have a current temperature of 41° under cloudy skies. Those skies will stay cloudy as the temperature rises to 58° after the sun rises @ 8:16 a.m. and before it sets @ 6:39 p.m. In between, the NWS is forecasting a 70% chance for showers/T-storms in the later afternoon.

Speaking of time, I am actually ahead of time this fall. Now that I have three watches, I decided to reset my Citizen Eco-Drive™ watch for Eastern Standard Time last night. Since every change required for spring/fall requires a change either forward or backward, I am challenged twice per year. Steph helped me one year, but since she is not here, I had to do it myself. So, once I got the hands to move as necessary and make the change, I left it until next Saturday night when the change actually takes place. Phew!

You may have thought that I was done with baseball now that my beloved Red Sox have won the World Series™ and their parade in Boston is set for today @ 11:00 a.m.. But wait, there's more. The Cubs multi-position player, Javier Baez, won another Fielding Bible Award for his ability to field and save runs.  The Fielding Bible Award is not a Gold-Glove™ award, but it is still prestigious.

The Cubs have several players eligible for free-agency this off-season. Some players will be offered a new contract by the Cubs, while others should be let go. For example, starting pitcher Cole Hamels should be asked to stay, while reliever Justin Wilson should be allowed to leave. Given the need of every team for pitching, he should have no problem getting a job, as long as it is with another team.

The Cubs have a serious need for starting pitching, given the Yu Darvish question and the fact that Mike Montgomery is not a starting pitcher. So, the Cubs will target Hamels and may go for Red Sox pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi, or the Brewers Wade Miley. Eovaldi is only 28, while Miley is 31. Both men will also be on the list for their current teams.

As an aside, the Cubs, Kyle Schwarber is a possible trade. He has improved his fielding, but he is really a better DH fit in the American League. Oh, not that I am counting, but the first pitchers and catchers report to spring-training for the Orioles and the Brewer on February 19, 2019. As more news becomes available, I'll add it to my blog.

Today, since it will be raining in the afternoon, I plan to walk STWD in the morning and then read, play with the girls, and I may get to the man-cave for some triage on our Christmas tree lights. If I can't make any headway with that, it is possible that a new tree is in the offing.

Mary has no plans of which I am aware. She may get into her kitchen and try to arrange her spice cabinets further. That will require my help to empty the higher shelves and also to place those seldom used things on the upper shelves that she can't reach. The cabinets in our kitchen are almost too high for me and my 6'4" reach. Imagine what that means to Mary with her height being nearly one-foot shorter than yours truly. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 7:30 a.m. in "The City."

I can't say you read it here first, that would be presumptuous, but I believe that I can say that you read if first this side of the Mississippi. What seems like forever ago, I predicted that the Sox would go all the way. Actually, that was just last January when I started to get baseball fever, but that's the way the baseball bounces. But, my beloved Red Sox are the 2018 Champions of American Major League™ Baseball.

What can I say, the ball bounced the right way for the beloved as they traded for 2018 World Series™ MVP Steve Pearce in late June. He was just coming off the DL and had hoped to settle into Toronto with his family. The last words he heard from the Blue Jays GM were. "Go win a World Series™" With stellar numbers in the series, Pearce got the MVP award and the Sox were champions. What can they do for an encore? Win the American League Championship again next season, but lose to the Cubs in the World Series™ in game #7! For sure, rookie Sox manager, Alex Cora will be returning to the Sox.

A basic fact. The Red Sox waited 86 years to win the World Series for the first time in the 21st Century in 2004. They have since gone on to win the series again in 2007, 2013, and now, 2018! The Cubs waited 108 years and I waited 58 years for the first Cubs series win in the modern era. So....

But I digress. Well, that was a pleasant digression. We have a current temperature of 48° under cloudy-skies. The NWS is forecasting today's high to be 50° with a cloudy morning and a sunny afternoon. Tuesday, the NWS is forecasting T-storms in the afternoon hours with an 80% certainty at this time and a high temperature of 56°! STWD will not be happy in the afternoon. The sun will rise today @ 8:15 a.m. and set later @ 6:40 p.m.

Speaking of STWD, we bought some fencing yesterday to keep her from wrapping herself around the roses in Mary's rose garden. Sugar is not happy, but Mary is, as she and I have had to go out in the cold and rain several times to untangle Sugar from the bushes.

We also did something crazy yesterday, to paraphrase Adam. He once told us he did something crazy, he'd bought a goldfish. Mary asked him if he also bought a bowl? He had, and the fish was with us for many years. What did we do that was crazy? We bought ourselves a new dishwasher. It will be installed in about two weeks. In days of yore, we might have bought that dishwasher and I would have installed it myself. But that was before I got feeble in my dotage. : - )

Also speaking of Adam, thanks for the shout-out on my new watch. It looks even better in person. When you get to a certain age, you start to indulge your whims more often. So, you buy watches and dishwashers, not goldfish.

Yesterday, I got get a 2018 Pictured Rocks National Lake-Shore with a "D" for the Denver mint. I had previously received a "P" quarter for the Philadelphia mint. Both are now in my collection. I still have several 2017 quarters to get along with some from 2018 that have been released. It takes time, but I've got that in abundance.

My shoulder is not perfect, but it feels better today than it did yesterday. Maybe this bout of surgery will be less invasive and require less rehab time. Maybe.

Otherwise today is a dry chance to walk the fur-children and also to read more of my non-fiction book about PATCO, that's the Professional Air Traffic Control Organization, nee union, that was the bane of President Ronald Reagan's existence. They had some valid concerns, but Reagan took the non-strike idea of federal law and used it to fire all of the controllers for what Reagain termed an "Illegal Strike." Are we better off today? I don't know. I'll let you know more as I get deeper into the book.

Otherwise, not much is happening. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 6:30 a.m. in "The City."

Last night I didn't have to stay up so late to watch my beloved Red Sox come from behind in game four of the 2018 World Series™ and defeat the Dodgers, 9 - 6, to take a commanding lead in the series. It took until the top of the 7th inning,. When both the X Man, Xander Bogaerts, and Brock Holt were walked by Dodger pitching, it was up to pinch-hitter Mitch Moreland to put some runs on the board. He stroked the first-pitch he saw over the right-field wall to pull the Sox within one-run, 3 - 4.

Moving on to the top of the 8th, Dodgers manager, Dave Roberts, asked reliever Kenley Jensen to get six more outs, but the often homer-prone Jensen did it again, as he served up a home-run pitch to Steve Pearce who deposited Jensen's offering over the wall to tie the game @ 4 - 4.

By the top of the 9th, the Sox were ready to pounce and so they did, with walks and solid hitting loading the bases. Another chance for Steve Pearce to be a hero and he did not disappoint, stroking a bases clearing double to seal the deal. The Dodgers tried for a comeback in the bottom of the inning, but they couldn't overcome, and so the Sox won the game. Tonight, Sox manager Alex Cora, has opted to send lefty David Price to the mound @ 8:15 p.m. EDT to go for the win and the championship.

I hadn't planned to get into the kitchen yesterday, but the cooking muse struck me and I volunteered to make another of my famous stir-fry meals for brunch. Once again, it turned out well and I got to use some of our produce before it went south. We have left-overs, but that's okay.

Otherwise, we stopped in at the local pet food purveyor, Chow Hound™, to see if we could get a bowl that would slow Ginger's eating down a bit. While they didn't have the bowl we sought, one of the staff members there told us how to make a low-cost version of a dish that would slow Ginger down. A paper plate and a heavy can in the middle with the food spread around the can was the recommendation. Our experience proved him to be right, but we are opting to just spread the food on the floor in the kitchen and make Ginger work for her kibble to produce the same effect.

I got my new watch in the mail yesterday. No, I didn't really need another watch, but like vases, sometimes you just can't have enough. This watch features a guitar as the face. I think that the face looks remarkably like one of my girls, Abigael. I am betting that Adam would approve. Here is what it looks like on my wrist in this pic captured on our Smart Phone.

The sun will rise today @ 8:14 a.m. and set tonight @ 6:41 p.m. In between, the NWS is forecasting a 100% chance for showers and another Small Craft Advisory between 2:00 p.m. today and 11:00 a.m. Monday. Winds of 30 knots are likely on the "Big Lake", as are wave-heights of 4 - 6 feet early, building to as high as seven feet in the evening.

Otherwise, I am staying home today while Mary volunteers her time to the Congressional Campaign of Rob Davidson in an attempt to unseat the current congressman in our district. I'll also be watching part of the  Bears effort to defeat the visiting Jets.

I almost forgot to mention that the Spartans of MSU defeated the Boilermakers of Purdue in West Lafayette, IN yesterday afternoon, 23 - 13. Plus, the Huskies of NIU eked out a 7 - 6 win over the Cougars of BYU.

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 6:00 a.m. in "The City."

I guess that all of our activities yesterday took a toll on me. We made it to my MRI appointment and that went as well as could be expected. I won't know the results until my next orthopedic appointment in early November. However, having experienced similar pain in my now surgically repaired right-shoulder, I have a good idea what to expect. Sigh.

We had lunch at the hospital salad bar before my MRI, after which we were off to Duncan Woods, the local park that was donated to the City of Grand Haven in the early 1900s by Mrs Robert Duncan. The donation of the 50 acre area, now closer to 40 acres, came with the stipulation that it remain undeveloped and in its natural state to benefit the community. Duncan Woods is overseen by a three-member commission and the woods themselves are part of the GH Park System. All in all, a great place to walk and take pix with my new telephoto lens, which I did. I have included some here, in no particular order.

Duncan Woods is adjacent to the Lake Forest Cemetery. I took this pic because I liked the view through the trees.

I was quite a distance away when I took this shot.

Once we had walked enough in Duncan Woods, we traveled to Grand Haven State Park to see the empty beaches and our signature lighthouses. I took some pix of those too, and to give you some idea of the magnification of my telephoto lens, I also took this pic of the smokestack of a Consumers Energy™ power generation plant that is nearly 10 miles to the south. Yes, it was that overcast.

I included some pix of our excursion to Grand Haven State Park.

Very few people were on the beach on this late October day.

The only birds we saw were this crows and some seagulls.

The "Big Lake" was very calm yesterday.

Since I was shooting south, I took this pic of the cloudy and overcast skies .

Yes, the tourist traps are empty and vacancies abound.

Hmm, since I said that, I must include a cut from YouTube™ of Jimmy Buffett singing his song, When The Coast is Clear. It seemed appropriate to me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwemz-R_oGU

Once we were done at the state park, we traveled over the bridge to Stan's Bar and Grill in Spring Lake. As were were departing Spring Lake, Mary decided that she needed some flowers from Spring Lake Floral, so we pulled in to their lot and with help from Bill, the owner, we purchased a bouquet that is composed of flowers whose names I can no longer recall. However, since I was downstairs returning the camera to its case, I did take a pic of that bouquet in Mary's "Flower Room" AKA , our foyer. Oh, we picked up Ginger from daycare too.

A nice arrangement by our in-house arranger.

I woke up in my La-Z-Boy in our media room around 5:00 a.m., where I had fallen asleep hoping for a better outcome of the game between my beloved Red Sox and the Dodgers. When I fell asleep, around the 13th inning, I think, the score was tied, 2 - 2. When I woke up, I learned that the game had been won by the Dodgers in the bottom of the 18th inning on a walk-off home-run by the Dodger's Max Muncy off of relief pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi. This game is now on record as the longest postseason/World Series™ game in history. Oh well, we'll get em tonight @ 8:09 p.m. EDT.

We have a current temperature of 44° under cloudy skies. Once the sun rises today @ 8:13, about two hours from now, we will see a peak temperature of 52°. also under cloudy skies, with a 20% chance for showers in the late afternoon. Sunday's forecast from the NWS calls for a 100% chance of showers. The sun will set over GH tonight @ 6:43 p.m.

Trainspotting yesterday was limited. I heard MMRR locomotives 2025 and 2019 going by on the RSTL @ 7:30 a.m. and it sounded like they were "Deadheading." That is an early hour for them to be passing. Later, @ 11:05 a.m., Ginger and I spotted the same locomotives heading north towing four CHCs, five, DBTCs, and four DWTCs.

Today, we have nothing on the docket other than a walk with the fur-children and some reading. I am hoping to get to yesterday's crossword puzzle too. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."

It is a dark and cloudy night in GH. Sorry, I just had to start out that way. Actually, it really is a cloudy night and the current temperature is 42°. After the sun rises later this morning @ 8:11 a.m., the NWS is forecasting that today's high will reach 55°, also under cloudy skies. We'll motor slowly through the day until sunset @ 6:44 p.m. In between there is no precipitation in the forecast until later in the day. Then, there is another chance on Saturday.

Tonight, my beloved Red Sox are in La La Land to face the Dodgers @ 8:09 p.m., with Rick Porcello on the mound and the best outfield in baseball on the field. Since the Sox are in a National Leagues ballpark, there will be no designated hitter in tonight's game. The Sox are up 2 - 0 in the World Series™.

The MSU Spartans take the field on Saturday when they host the Purdue Boilermakers @ 12:00 p.m.

The Wolverines are off this week.

The Huskies of NIU are @ BYU to face the Cougars @ 3:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Bears will play on Sunday as they host the Jets @ 1:00 p.m. EDT.

We had vegan hammish and cheese sandwiches with corn as a side for lunch. I asked for and received a terrific vegan pizza for dinner. I liked them both, but now Mary is out of pizza dough.

Speaking of Mary, she traveled to the grocery store after lunch for a short visit to buy some spices and to redeem our coins that we have been collecting. What should have been a short, fast trip, became an extended visit due to a snafu with the coin redemption machine. For those of you who don't know or who don't remember, the term SNAFU is actually an acronym that stands for "Situation normal, all fouled up." She resolved the problem, but it took the better part of an hour. Ginger was getting nervous.

I did exactly as I planned yesterday. I read, I did the crossword, and I walked with STWD. I didn't get to play with the girls. Today, I have that MRI appointment @ 12:45 p.m. after I have once again walked the intrepid weather dog and we have dropped Ginger @ daycare. Our current plan after my appointment is to go down to the "Big Lake" and take some pix with my new telephoto lens. Other than that, nothing is happening. Ciao.

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

I had a good day yesterday. I made those aforementioned vegan Italian meatballs, eight of which became part of lunch, and I made vegan sausages following our tried and true recipe. All of that was enhanced by the beautiful fall weather which I got to enjoy for only a short time.

Speaking of the weather, we have a current temperature of 33° under partly-cloudy skies. Later today, after the sun rises @ 8:10 a.m. and before it sets @ 6:46 p.m., we'll hopefully see that forecast high temperature of 52°, also under partly-cloudy skies. In between, I'll take a walk with STWD and read more of my non-fiction book. No cooking for me today.

My beloved Red Sox held the visiting Dodgers to only 2 runs. as the Sox kept up their clutch fielding, timely hitting, and terrific base-running behind left-harder David Price's solid 6 inning pitching performance. Price got the win as did the Sox, 4 - 2. Today is a travel day as the Sox travel to La La Land to meet the Dodgers on Friday night @ 8:09 p.m. when Rick Porcello takes the mound.

Other than that, not much is happening nor planned. Mary signed up for a workshop on shooting pix with her macro lens in November and we made a visit to our favorite watering hole for some onion rings. I finished the crossword puzzle with a little assistance from Mary and that was about all I cared to do. Today, I plan to sit and contemplate the meaning of life while playing with the girls. Mary will do that voodoo that she do so well, whatever that is. Ciao.

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 be up, but Ginger had other plans. So, I went downstairs, made some of Mary's taco seasoning, determined that some spices need to be replenished, and tended to my medical needs.

Speaking of those need, I have a new appointment for an MRI, this one at the local hospital. Much closer to home and also at a more convenient time.

We have a current temperature of 30° under partly-cloudy skies. Today, those partly-cloudy skies will continue as our high temperature rises to 50°. This is the first time in a few days that we do not have a Small Craft Advisory, nor a Gale Force Wind warning. The sun will rise in a few hours @ 8:09 a.m. and set later @ 6:47 p.m.

My beloved Red Sox took it to the Dodgers in game one of the 2018 World Series™ last night, 8 - 4. Eduardo Nunez got a clutch 3-run homer, and Mookie Betts stole a base to lead the attack. Starting pitcher, Chris Sale pitched well, but it was his relief corps that got the win. Game 2 is tonight @ 8:09 p.m. in chilly Fenway Park in Boston.

I almost forgot to mention that I was upstairs watching the Red Sox and toggling back and forth to NCIS. It was another of those tear-jerking episodes for which they are famous.

I was busy in the kitchen yesterday making an apple pie and some applesauce. The actual pie and applesauce making is easy, what is hard is the peeling of the apples. While I was working, Mary and Ginger went downtown to get a second pie tin and also a replacement for the plastic apple corer that I broke while preparing the apples for the pie. I now have a bullet-proof corer that will never break, courtesy of Mary, Ginger, and the Cooks Store in downtown GH.

In order to memorialize my efforts, Mary took a pic with her Smart Phone. Four quarts and counting. I don't know why, but she didn't get a pic of my pie, which tastes great, but which I don't think is my best effort.

It was when I was downstairs with Ginger and STWD, that I noted that Mary's taco seasoning jar was empty, so I followed her recipe and made more. Unfortunately, that's why I had to add some spices to her grocery list. In addition, since I'll be making more of her favorite, vegan Italian Meatballs, I re-hydrated some onions for those and other sundry things that Mary likes to make using them as ingredient.

Today, we have nothing on the agenda. No appointments, no trips to the library, nothing. I will be in the kitchen, slaving over a hot food-processor, a hot cast-iron skillet, and a steamer, as I make those aforementioned Italian Meatballs and some vegan sausages, but that is something that I enjoy. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 6:00 a.m. in "The City."

What a great day I/we had yesterday. The weather was perfect for a walk with the fur-children to the library where we returned a book and picked up several more, including my latest non-fiction book, Collision Course: Ronald Reagan, the Air Traffic Controllers, and the Strike that Changed America. While I've only just begun, the book holds the promise of being a confirmation of some things that I already believed. But that's politics, and I try to avoid that subject in my blog unless, and until, I am unable to avoid my own Collision Course.

Yeah, I know there is a song lyric in that last paragraph, one from an old Carpenters song, but I don't always have to include a YouTube™ reference to that lyric. Wait, of course I've decided that I do, so here it is, from the Carpenters. The song is one that many people of our generation, and even some in the current generation, include in their wedding music.

I didn't realize that the song was originally part of a commercial song written by music composer, Roger Nichols, and sung by lyricist, Paul Williams, for a commercial for Crocker National Bank. That was before it was recorded by the Carpenters in 1970, becoming their biggest hit. This version includes Karen Carpenter on vocals and behind the drum kit that she loved to play.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kPD4LtA1vo

We have a current temperature of 47° under partly-cloudy skies. I thought about taking our camera, coupled with my new telephoto lens, out to take some pix of the moon through the trees earlier when I let Ginger out about 4:30 a.m. But until I am more comfortable with the extra weight of the camera and that lens, I did the most prudent thing I could do, I left the camera and the lens safely in the bag. Maybe tomorrow night.

Once the sun rises today @ 8:08 a.m., the NWS has forecast that today's high temperature will reach 49° under partly-cloudy skies before the sun sets tonight @ 6:49 p.m. It is not surprising, as it happens every year, but the days are drawing to a close earlier and earlier as we approach winter. Don't forget, that according to the NWS, there is still that strong chance of a mild, less snowy winter, due to that El Niño effect that I mentioned the other day. We shall see.

I'm hoping for that lower snow total mount, as it looks like I'll be having that rotator-cuff surgery on my left-shoulder. I won't know for sure until the doctor has had a chance to peruse the results of the MRI I'll be having next Monday, but I know what the last ache I had in my right-shoulder felt like, so...

Speaking of the camera and the missing tripod part, while I was outside doing some of those mundane but necessary chores, Mary found the missing piece. Turns out that she had to remember where she had had to stash some of the loose things from our china cabinet prior to the carpet installation a few weeks ago. Once she did that, she was able to go right to the hassock in the downstairs bedroom where she had stashed those loose items. I have now attached that part to the lens mount in our camera bag so it won't get misplaced again. I also filled five bags with yard-waste.

We did get to Ace hardware™ to take advantage of their sale on yard-waste bags. While I may now have more bags than I or John will need, they don't spoil sitting in the garage waiting to be filled. Yes, those bags are available everywhere this time of year, with prices varying from the sale price of $1.49 @ Ace Hardware™ for 5, to $3..99 for 5 at the grocery store. So, while I won't generally stand in line to give money, I will stand in line to take advantage of a sale, especially when that line was only myself and another woman who bought just enough bags and a new rake to match her evening ambition.

Today, I will finally get to that apple pie baking and applesauce making that has been on hold for a few days. Since I was outdoors yesterday doing some of those outdoor chores things, I had no chance to get to the baking. However, I did heed Mary's advice and I did not "Overdo" those chores. I am learning, albeit slowly.

For those of you who are into baseball, the first game of the 2018 World Series™ between the Dodgers and my beloved Red Sox is tonight @ 8:09 p.m. in historic Fenway Park in Boston. Game 2 is tomorrow night, "Same Bat time, same Bat Station", before the series moves to La La Land for game 3 on Friday also @ 8:09 p.m. Just because, here is another YouTube™ snippet, featuring TVs Adam West, dressed as a police officer, not Batman, intoning the famous words, "Same Bat Time, Same Bat Station", in an obvious send up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alQ0zUjLLmg

That looks like enough for today and yesterday and today. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 12:30 a.m. in "The City."

We had a great day at the ballet yesterday. The traffic got a little backed-up in GR due to the tail-end of a marathon of some sort, but once we worked our way around the closed streets, we arrived with time to spare.

What was supposed to have been five vignettes became four, due to an injury to one of the dancers. I can honestly say that Wild Sweet Love was a tour de force by the GR Ballet Company and their new Artistic Director, James Sofranko. There is not a bad seat in the Peter Martin Wege Theater, the home of the company. The dancing was wonderful and we came away delighted. We think that even Adam would have liked this ballet.

In another type of dance, the Chicago Bears fell to the New England Patriots, 31 - 38, to drop to 3 - 3 on the season. Mitch Trubisky, the Bears QB, tried to rally the team with a final Hail Mary pass, but while his receiver caught the ball, he was denied entry to the end-zone. Trubisky didn't sugar-coat the game, he said that he could have played better and it should not have come down to that Hail Mary pass. Oh well, the Bears host the Jets next week @ 1:00 p.m. EDT.

We have a current temperature of 50° under partly-cloudy skies. Today, the high is forecast to reach 53° under sunny skies. That is about eight degrees warmer than yesterday. I plan to do some yard work in the back-forty. Mary can't assist me because according to her allergist, she is allergic to nearly everything that grows in our back yard. Oh well, I can handle it as long as I take my time and don't overdo. The sun will rise this morning @ 8:06 a.m. and set later @ 6:50 p.m. In between, we'll walk with the fur-children to pick up a couple of books we have on hold at the library.

Otherwise, what I have planned to do today will actually be enough for two days, so I'll be busy. Mary plans to scour the house looking for a camera related item that went missing when the carpet was replaced. We do have to make a stop @ Ace Hardware™ in Spring Lake, but that shouldn't take too long. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 38° under cloudy-skies. According to the NWS, after the sun rises @ 8:05 a.m. and well before it sets @ 6:52 p.m., we'll see a high temperature of 47° with cloudy skies in the a.m. hours and sunny skies in the afternoon. I like it!

As I was perusing the weather lore from the NWS, I noticed something that warms, pun intended, the cockles of my heart.What's that you ask? It is the prediction of a mild El Niño in the coming months. That means that the south will be wetter, while the north and Great Lakes states will see less precipitation and warmer temperatures. When I have my rotator cuff surgery, I may not have to worry about snow-removal. Plus, walking the fur-children should be relatively easier. So, here's hoping.

Speaking of the weather, Mary and I did see those massive waves on the "Big Lake" after my jam session, but the heavy rains and T-storms never materialized here. However, before I went to my monthly Irish Jam session, the skies looked threatening at first, then cleared, then turned cloudy again. Go figure.

However, yesterday, the game between the Wolverines of Michigan and the Spartans of MSU was halted for about one-hour, as the stands were cleared in Spartan Stadium and the players were taken off the field until 1:52 p.m. Eventually the fans and the players returned and the game resumed. Sadly, the Spartans were unable to upset the Wolverines and win the Paul Bunyan Trophy, as much to the dismay of Spartan's fans, they lost to the Wolverines, 7 - 21. However, it was a joyful day for Wolverine's fans.

As long as I am on football, I'll mention that the Bears and their young head coach, Matt Nagy, and young QB, Mitch Trubisky, host the New England Patriots and their head coach, Bill Belichek and their veteran QB, Tom Brady today @ 1:00 p.m. EDT. Following last week's loss, the Bears should be hungry, but the Patriots are still the Patriots and the Bears are still, well, the Bears, so.....

I had a great time at my Irish Jam session yesterday. We had a larger turnout than anticipated and I got to sing a couple of my favorite tunes. A good time punctuated by the ache in my shoulder.

In other sports news, the final teams are now set for the 2018 World Series™. The Dodgers dispatched the Brewers last night, 5 - 1, to take the 7th and deciding game and return to the World Series™ again this year. The Dodgers defeated the Cubs last year in the NLCS, but they lost to the Astros in the World Series™. Of course, I'm hoping that the Dodgers will fail once again to win the series and fall to my beloved Red Sox starting Tuesday night in historic Fenway Park in Boston. Fortunately our current POTUS is not a fan of baseball, so it is likely that he won't want to throw out the first pitch.

Today, we'll be traveling to GR to see the GR Ballet company perform Wild Sweet Love, featuring an eclectic mix of music from performers like Queen, The Partridge Family, and Roberta flack among others. This ballet is in four acts and features works by the father of American ballet, George, Ballanchine, and music by Tchaikovsky as a counterpoint to the modern music. Plus, the company will perform a piece by in-house choreographer, Penny Saunders and anoher a piece created specifically for the GR Ballet, by new Artistic Director, James Sofranko. Yes Virginia, "Real Men" like ballet.

That should be enough for today. We'll walk the fur-children before we go, as they will be alone for nearly four-hours. That's a long time for Ginger to wait at the window for our return. Ciao.

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

Yes my loyal readers, you read that right right, 9:00 a.m. I went to bed around 8:30 last night and stayed there until about 7:30 this morning. If that isn't out of character for yours truly, I don't know what is.

We have a current temperature of 50° as we inch towards today's high of 52°. However, the NWS has issued a Gale Warning in effect until 11:00 p.m. tonight! As you may recall, that means that winds will reach a minimum of 34 knots and can exceed 47 knots! Plus, here in GH proper, the day will be windy with winds of 20 - 30 mph and gusts to 40 mph! The sun has already risen @ 8:04 a.m. and it will set tonight @ 6:53 p.m.

Those aforementioned Gale Force Winds on the "Big Lake" have the potential to drive wave heights to 11' or more. Mary and I may have a need to go down to the shore to take some pix after I get back from my Irish Jam Session.

Speaking of that Irish Jam Session, there is a good possibility that the attendance will be sparse today due to the preeminent sports event here in Michigan today, the annual game football between the Wolverines of Michigan and the Spartans of Michigan State. Currently, the Wolverines have a record of 5 - 1, good for #6 in the College Bowl Series and 4 - 0 in the Big 10, while the Spartans are ranked #24 following their loss last week to the Wildcats of Northwestern. That loss dropped the Spartans to 2 - 1 in the Big 10 East behind the Wolverines and the Buckeyes of The Ohio State University, both with 4 - 0 records in the Big 10.

Some pundits are warning that the game today @ noon could be an upset of the Wolverines of Michigan, as the Spartans have an ability to win against teams with more talent and better records. The Spartans pulled out a win @ Penn State last week and that is a motivator to win this HUGE intrastate match up. The game will be played in East Lansing, MI, so there is that "Home Field" factor for the Spartans. I'll be "Jamming", so I'll only see the first part of the game.

The Huskies of NIU are off today before they are scheduled to meet the Cougars of BYU next week in Utah @ 3:30 p.m.

Oh, the Bears are on the schedule against the Patriots tomorrow @ 1:00 p.m. We'll be traveling to GR to see the ballet, so I won't have to watch.

Baseball in the NLCS is down to one game in Milwaukee tonight where the series between the Dodgers and the Brewers is knotted up @ 3 - 3. That game is tonight @ 8:00 p.m.

We traveled to Saugatuck to meet our children for lunch yesterday and had a nice time. We decided to stop for gas on the way home at the station that accepts the discount coupons we receive at the grocery store of our choice. The winds yesterday nearly took off my hat, Mary saved it, and made pumping gas a challenge. Then it was off to Stan's Bar and Grill for adult libations before picking up Ginger from daycare.

Home at last. Mary's original plans for dinner were changed to something less challenging, i e, what Mary called "Tailgating Food." That meant vegan hot dogs in BBQ sauce, vegan cheeses, and potato chips with vegan French Onion dip. What's not to like?

Not a bad pic with a Smart Phone!

Today, jamming, reading, walking with the fur-children etc.and holding on to our hats in the high winds. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City."

I was not surprised to feel Ginger licking my elbow around 2:30 a.m. I hobbled down the stairs and she really had to go out and return quickly. I'll get to the hobbling part shortly.

We have a current temperature of 55° that feels like 51° under clear-skies. There is another Small Craft Advisory in effect until 8:00 a.m. Saturday. Southwest winds could gust to 30 knots tonight and there is the possibility of Gale Force gusts shifting to the northwest late Friday or early Saturday morning. Once again, wave heights could reach 5 - 8 feet!

Today, the high temperature will reach 56° with a 50% chance for showers in the evening on the heels of strong winds of 21 mph! All of that will occur after the sun rises @ 8:03 a.m. and before it sets @ 6:55 p.m.

Meanwhile, back in GH, we made it to my orthopedist appointment in Muskegon yesterday. Unfortunately, the doctor gave me news I didn't want to hear. His preliminary assessment of the pain and lack of strength in my left-shoulder indicates that I have a possible tear or tears in my rotator cuff, not unlike what I had in my right-shoulder several years ago. So, much like my right-shoulder, I will likely need corrective surgery to resolve the problem. The orthopedist will know more once I have an MRI done, sometime in the next two-weeks, pending scheduling.

In between that not-so-good news, we stopped at the Camera Shop, and checked out a new lens for our camera. Mary was rewarding me for all those years of service as her chief index editor. In the past, I was rewarded with beans. Here is s surprise for Adam. Instead of taking the lower priced option for the lens, I bought the one that I really liked/wanted. More expensive, but a superb telephoto-lens made by Panasonic.

Once we were done at the Camera Shop, we had lunch @ Taco Bell, and yes, I got my usual payment of a bean burrito there. We headed home to take care of the fur-children and then I was off to my podiatrist appointment. Unfortunately, that appointment is the reason for my aforementioned hobbling. I had to have corrective surgery on my toe and now I have to have Mary help me care for that until it heals, about 2 - 4 weeks. Which of course leads me to an aside.

I have been fortunate for 45 plus years to have Mary at my side through two back surgeries, one brain-surgery, one shoulder surgery, one thumb surgery and other maladies. Through all of those travails, she has been my rock, my North Star/guiding star. We've moved at least six times, Mary and I raised a fine son, and we've had many different companion pets. I don't say it often or well enough, but I love her for all that she is and does, including making our GH house, a home.

But at the risk of sounding maudlin, I'm going to move along and talk about life itself, BASEBALL!. As you have probably surmised by now, I love baseball. I've survived being a Die-Hard Cubs fan, and seen by beloved Red Sox  go to the World-Series several times, which has culminated in their latest trip to the 2018 World Series™. That appearance follows their convincing 4 - 1 ALCS win over last-years World Series™ champions, the Houston Astros, whom the Sox and their first-year manager, Alex Cora, defeated in five games, also 4 - 1. My beloved Red Sox are on to the 2018 World Series™ on Tuesday night against either the Dodgers or the Brewers. The Dodgers lead that NLCS series, 3 - 2.

Today, we'll be meeting with our human-children, Adam and Steph, in Saugatuck. MI for lunch. That's after we walk the fur-children and drop Ginger at daycare. STWD is self-sufficient for many hours, but Ginger has separation issues and does better in daycare during long separations from her humans. Ginger is a sweetie, but she needs her humans or suitable surrogates for long periods of separation.

That looks like enough for one day. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 30° according to the NWS in GR, or 34°, according to my DTWS (Desk Top Weather Station). Either way, it was cold when I let the fur-children out @ 4:30 a.m. If you go by the forecast from the NWS, there is also a freeze warning in effect too. All in all, fall has arrived. Still, today's high temperature forecast of 54° from the NWS under mostly sunny skies, should be pleasant once the sun rises @ 8:02 a.m. and long before it sets @ 6:57 p.m.

Never let it be said that the Cubs are far from this Die-Hard fan's mind. I was perusing their official MLB™ website and I learned that Anthony Lapoce, the current hitting coach from the Cubs' minor-league system, has been named to replace Chili Davis, the former hitting coach f the Major-League™ team. Lapoce says don't look for him to wave a magic wand and fix the team's second-half woes at the plate, but he was welcomed by several players on the roster of the Major League™ team.

In addition, according to the cubs' powers that be, there is still no need for surgery on Kris Bryant's left-shoulder, something that I can identify with. His revised grip on the bat should help after some rest and time-off. Yes, manager Joe Maddon moved his players around a lot, and yes, some felt frustrated by that, and yes, they understand the need to get all of the great players into the line-up, but...

Some pundits asked if the acquisition of pitcher Tyler Chatwood last December was a bust? According to the Cub's front-office, the jury is still out. He did walk a lot of hitters last year, but he struck out many right handed hitters and held those same hitters to a .150 average towards near the end of the season, so...I could go on, but clearly, there are many unanswered questions for next season. One answer I can give is that the Cubs need another reliable starting pitcher.

On to better news in baseball. My beloved Red Sox are just one-game away from the World-Series™, following their ALCS win over the Astros last night, 8 - 6. If you needed a hero from last night's game, it would be left-fielder Andrew Benintendi, whose spectacular catch in the bottom of the 9th in Houston sealed the win.

With the bases loaded, and two out, the Astros' Alex Bregman hit a sinking line-drive to left-field that, if it had dropped in, would have tied the game. However, Benintendi raced in and instead of letting the ball drop for a safe play, he made a "Five-Star Catch" and caught the ball as he slid towards the infield to make it a win. The Sox and the Astros next play tonight @ 8:09 p.m., when David Price once again takes the mound for the Sox.

Meanwhile, over in the NLCS series, the Brewers fell to the Dodgers, 2 - 5 to fall into a 2 - 3 deficit as they head home for game six tomorrow night @ 7:39 p.m. If I'm the TV people, I'd want the World Series™ to be between a West-Coast team, the Dodgers, and an East Coast team, my beloved Red Sox. Just saying.

Otherwise, we made a trip to the big-box almost everything store and refilled some of the holes in our larders. Plus, we made a stop @ Stan's Bar and Grill in Spring Lake. Inside Stan's, they were having a fund-raiser for a Sprig Lake man who had accrued huge medical bills for a rare blood disorder. He is now recovering at home, but the need for a fund-raiser to offset medical bills is a phenomenon that is flat-out wrong in a country as wealthy as the USA.

We can't MAGA until our spineless politicians confront the inequities in our health-care delivery system caused by the for-profit insurance industry and the for-profit pharmaceutical industry and their huge "donations" through their lobbyists to those same politicians. Can you say Medicare for everyone? Sure, I knew you could. If you don't like what's happening, get out and vote on November 6, 2018 for a candidate who will actually improve our health-care delivery system, not promise and deliver huge deficit producing tax cuts to the wealthy 1%. All that while watching the majority of our citizenry plunge into near or actual bankruptcy over medical bills. Plus, some of those same politicians say that that same deficit will necessitate a cut in our Medicare, Social-Security, and Medicaid systems, which aids older retired and poor families and their children.

I am off to see the orthopedist today regarding my still-ailing left-shoulder. My bill will be paid by Medicare and my supplemental insurance plan. Fortunately, I have satisfied the deductible for this year, but without that plan, we'd be in deep doo-doo. Plus, I have an appointment at the podiatrist this afternoon, also paid for by those plans.

That looks like about enough for one day. I've ranted and cheered, and now it is time to kick-back. Ciao.

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

Once again, Ginger would not be put off around 3:00 a.m., so I went downstairs to let her and STWD out. Then, I cleaned up the kitchen following an excellent vegan pizza that Mary made for dinner. around 7:00 p.m. Since we didn't get up until 12:30 p.m. yesterday, lunch wasn't until about 1:30 p.m.

Previously, Mary kicked me out of the kitchen so that she could work on a very tasty lunch of vegan mushroom Stroganoff served over my only contribution to the meal, rice. I pronounce this one a keeper too.

Yesterday was a great day in baseball, as my beloved Red Sox toppled the Astros, 8 - 2, to take a 2 - 1 lead over the 1 - 2 Astros in their ALCS series. The Sox' Steve Pearce clobbered a solo home-run in the top of the 6th to give the lead to the Sox, and they never looked back. The game was put away by Jackie Bradley Jr.'s grand-slam in the top of the 8th following two hit batsmen, Mitch Moreland and Brock Holt, who were hit by the Astros' closer, Roberto Osuna.

Starting and winning pitcher, Nathan Eovaldi, was on cruise control. His fastball had plenty of giddy-up on it as he threw pitches that topped out @ 101 mph! Next game is tonight in TX as the Sox meet the Asros @ 8:39 p.m.

Maybe the Brewers aren't for real, as they were unable to capitalize on several opportunities in their 13 inning loss to the Dodgers, 1 - 2. Their NLCS series is tied @ 2 - 2. The next game is today @ 4:05 p.m.

Ginger and I spotted two train runs on the RSTL yesterday. At 9:03 a.m., we espied MMRR locomotive #2019 heading south towing one DBTC, one DWTC, and one tank car that was so rusty that I couldn't identify its original paint scheme. Later @ 2:08 p.m., that same locomotive was seen heading north towing 14 CHCs, one DBTC, and six DWTCs.

We did get a major amount of indoor chores done before we both collapsed due to the lingering effects of our flu shots late last week. With a little will-power, we'll be getting up a bit earlier this morning and I might be able to make that pie and applesauce that I've been meaning to get to for two days. That's very dependent on my energy reserves.

We have a current temperature of 47° under partly-cloudy skies. Today's high is our current temperature of 47°. We do have another Small Craft Advisory in effect following yesterday's Gale Warnings. In addition, the NWS in GR has issued a Freeze Warning for parts of our area from 10:00 p.m. tonight until 10:00 a.m. Thursday. There is a good chance that areas along the shores of the "Big Lake" won't fall that low. The sun will rise today @ 8:00 a.m. and set later @ 6:58 p.m.

Otherwise, not much is planned for today other than walking the fur-children. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

I got up to let the fur-children out around 3:45 a.m., and do some kitchen duties that needed doing following Mary's latest dinner effort. Her culinary efforts produced what I'll describe as spicy blackened tofu over cous-cous. I liked it!

Today's weather forecast from the NWS calls for a Gale Warning on the "Big Lake." That means that waves may be 7 - 10 feet in height and the winds driving those waves may be as strong as 34 - 47 knots. If you'll remember, a knot is the equivalent of multiplying 1.150 mph X the number of knots. So, that means that the wind speeds would be from 39 - 54 mph!

We have a current temperature of 46°. The sun will rise later this morning @ 7:59 a.m. and set later tonight @ 7:00 p.m. In between, the NWS is forecasting that the high temperature will reach 55°. However, much like yesterday, the gale-force winds will make that high temperature feel much colder due to the effects of Wind-Chill Factor, which results from the passage of cooler air passing over exposed flesh.

There is a a fancy formula to calculate the Wind-Chill Factor effect, but suffice it to say that it will feel chilly. The net effect of any form of cooling, whether from air-conditioning, refrigeration, or being outdoors in cool weather, is to move warm to cold. So, that means that your body-heat will be moving from you to the cooler outside air.

Last night in baseball, the Brewers proved that they are for real, as they defeated the Dodgers, 4 - 0. That gives the Brewers a 2 - 1 lead in their NLCS series versus the Dodgers 1 - 2. Game four is tonight @ 8:09 p.m. Two more wins for the Brewers and they go on to the World Series™, while the Dodgers go home for the winter.

My beloved Red Sox are tied with the Astros in their best of seven ALCS series, 1 - 1. Game three is tonight @ 5:09 p.m. I guess that the powers that be in baseball have scheduled the games to generate the maximum interest.

We didn't do too much yesterday. We got up late, walked the fur-children, independently, and then didn't do much else. I am feeling better now, as the apparent side-effects of the over 65 flu shot gave me some light symptoms of the flu. Apparently, the over 65 vaccine has some live virus in it to make it more effective for us oldsters.

Today, it will be another get up late kind of day. Then we'll walk the fur-children, do some indoor chores, and I'll get to making that apple pie and applesauce. Mary will get around to some e-mails that need to be sent and hopefully also read some more of my work. I hope to be a famous novelist someday.

I mentioned in my last blog that Mary had purchased some interesting pumpkins and paired them with some gourds and a red mum. I asked if she had taken any pix, so she did that yesterday. I'll share one here along with some pix of the fur-children that she took candidly.

I didn't arrange the pumpkins, gourds nor the mum. Probably a good thing, because I work better with pillows than pumpkins.

What's a blog without STWD?

Or Ginger, ever on the alert.

In the media room, the fur-children had given me their full attention in hopes that I'd share my potato chips. I did!

As Warner Brothers cartoon character, Porky the Pig used to say, "That's all folks", so I'll give you a short clip from YouTube™ of him doing just that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gBzJGckMYO4

 Ciao.

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

Let's KISS this blog and minimize my tendency to ramble. See, I'm already doing it.

The Bears snatched defeat from the jaws of victory yesterday, losing by a field goal in OT, 28 - 31.

My beloved Red Sox tied up their ALCS series @ 1 - 1, with a 7 - 5 win over the Astros.

I made it to my volunteer session for the Rob Davidson for Congress campaign yesterday afternoon. Two hours of calling yielded few contacts, many disconnected numbers and several people telling me that they didn't want to talk about politics. You can't fix stupid.

Mary dropped me off at the session and then went pumpkin shopping for the front porch of the manse. I like her arrangement. Small gourds, different pumpkins, and a red mum combined to make an attractive holiday display.  I wonder if she took any pix?

We have a current temperature of 52° as we drop to the overnight low of 43° with a 90% chance for showers. Later this ayem, after the sun rises @ 7:58 and well before it sets @ 7:02 p.m., there is an 80% chance for light rain as the temperature climbs to today's high of 46°. Compared to yesterday, that is downright rigid.

There is good news on the weather front. According to a forecast from meteorologists, we are in a zone that will see warmer than average temperatures from November through January due to an El Niño winter that will make it warmer in the plains states and colder in the southern states. Awwww.

Today, we have little on the agenda. Yesterday, while I was making phone calls, Mary did a great job saving our lives by removing some things from the freezer that were dated 2015! I know that my parents used to have a freezer in the basement that held frozen foods that were probably decades old, but we tend to err on the safe side. My plan is to peel some of the Cortland apples that we bought on our trip north and turn some into apple pie and some into applesauce.

Otherwise, the fur-children will have to wait for their morning walk until the rain is over. Mary hopes to organize more of her cabinets too while I assist with the things on the top shelves.

By the by, I finished my last novel early this morning. I have to wait for more books that I have requested to come in at the Loutit District Library as I am now out of library books. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you  may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

I got up around 3:00 a.m.when a certain little dog whose initials spell Ginger, woke me by licking my elbow. That's her signal that she wants to go out. Since I was downstairs anyway, I did some dishes and once STWD joined the party, I made her go out too. A quick doggie-treat of a biscuit for each, and it was back here to my desk.

Unfortunately, my computer decided that it was time for a restart, so I had to wait through that routine. If you don't do a restart regularly, the performance of a computer, at least mine, slows noticeably. All better now.

I'll start with a quick weather update. We have a current temperature of 51° under partly-cloudy skies. Once the sun rises @ 7:57 a.m., today's high is forecast by the NWS to reach 56° before the sun settles slowly in the west @ 7:03 p.m. As of now, that Small Craft Advisory is still in effect until 4:00 p.m. this afternoon.

Speaking of this afternoon, I have a date to play political-operative for the Democratic congressional candidate who is running to take the seat of our long-time GOP Congressman. I won't mention his name, but it is time for him to find a new way to earn a living that my tax dollars aren't paying for.

In sports, the only bad outcome was the loss by my beloved Red Sox to the Astros, 2 - 7, in their best of seven ALCS game. Usually reliable starting pitcher, Chris Sale, was a "No Sale" as he seemingly couldn't get anyone out. He was replaced by fire-balling relief pitcher, Joe Kelly, but he wasn't all that sharp either. Suffice it to say that the Sox need to get behind today's starter, David Price, to stay on track to make it to the World Series™. However, Price is getting older and hasn't been all that effective of late.

College football was interesting. The Spartans of MSU traveled to Pennsylvania to meet the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Spartans were listed as underdogs, but they won the game, 21 - 17, to go to 4 - 2. which matches the record of the Nittany Lions.

In my last blog, I incorrectly had the Wolverines of Michigan traveling to WI to meet the Badgers. I should have noted that the Wolverines were in Ann Arbor to host the visiting Badgers. The Wolverines crushed the visitors, 38 - 13, to move to 6 - 1, while the Badgers dropped to 4 - 2.

Next Saturday, the Wolverines are scheduled to meet the Spartans in a noon game. Here in Michigan, that's a big deal and the bars will be jammed as will most of the fraternal clubs, like the Eagles, the Elks, the VFW and the American Legion.

The Huskies of Northern Illinois eked out a win over the Bobcats of Ohio, 24 - 21, to go to 4 - 3, while the Bobcats dropped to 3 - 3.

I have to toss in some news on the Cubs. Hitting coach, Chili Davis, will not be back next season. The Cubs got off to a good first-half start hitting-wise this year, but they trailed off badly in the 2nd half. Is it the Davis' fault? Who knows, but you can't fire the whole team, so...

In addition, the Cubs have several players eligible for free-agency this year, including infielder/outfielder, Daniel Murphy, a late season addition for the Cubs. I'd keep him, if possible. Also on the list is ineffective left-handed reliever, Justin Wilson. I don't think he could get himself out, so I'd lose him, even thought left-handed pitchers are hard to come by. 35 year-old reliever Jesse Chavez was solid, so he should be a keeper. 37 year-old reliever, Jorge De La Rosa should be allowed to retire. 35 year-old back-up catcher Bobby Wilson didn't get much playing time, but if he can be had at the right price, keep him.

The Cubs should also opt to keep pitcher Cole Hamels if they can get him under contract at a reasonable price. He is 34 years-old and had a good run with the Cubs after they traded for him, so he should be a keeper. Outfielder, Justin Heyward could opt out of his huge contract with the Cubs and I believe they should let him go. He is a Gold-Glove outfielder, but seemingly cannot hit in the clutch, nor apparently at any other time either.

I installed that hinge yesterday and collectively, Mary and I applied our waning math/measuring skills to get that new spice shelf installed. We often say that collectively, we are a wit. In the case of the shelf, we were barely that.

Today, as I mentioned, I am off to that play-date as a political-operative. Mary will be enjoying some time without me, I'm sure. Ciao.

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

I arrived back at my desk after letting Ginger and STWD out, just in time to hear George Noory intone his regular overnight greeting that is so similar to mine. Hey, maybe I should change to a new opening that pays homage to the late newspaper columnist/broadcaster, Walter Winchell, that goes like this “Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. America, from border to border and coast to coast and all the ships at sea. Let's go to press!” I'll let my faithful readers weigh in on that one.

We have a current temperature of 44°as we head towards our overnight low of 41° under partly cloudy skies. In addition,  that aforementioned Small Craft Advisory, has been extended until 4:00 p.m. Sunday afternoon. Windy conditions with gusts from 15 - 25 knots and wave heights of from 3 - 6 feet are possible on the "Big Lake."

Later today, we'll rebound to a high of 53°, also under partly-cloudy skies. The sun will rise @ 7:56 a.m. and set @ 7:05 p.m.

In sports news, I've already covered the college football games for today, but I'll note that the Brewers seem to be for real, as they defeated the Dodgers last night in game 1 of the NLCS, eking out a win, 6 - 5. I don't believe that the Brewers can generate the same excitement by going to the World Series™ that the Cubs did in 2016. We shall see. Don't forget that game 2 in the series between those two teams is today @ 4:09 p.m. this afternoon, while the first game and more important game in the ALCS between my beloved Red Sox and the Astros is later tonight @ 8:09 p.m.

We did get that hinge picked up yesterday. It is nearly identical to the old one, however, the manufacturer slightly changed the design, so I have to use part of the old hinge and part of the new to complete the installation.

I almost forgot to mention that MMRR EMD GP38-2 locomotive #2019, pictured below, copyright Jon Hall, passed by on the RSTL @ 9:16 a.m. yesterday heading south. In tow were 13 CHCs, 6 DBTCs, 3 DWTCs, and 3 GTCs. Later @ 1:14 p.m., that same locomotive passed by heading north towing only 3 DBTCs.

We still haven't installed that new shelf in the spice cabinet. Maybe today. However, I did make those vegan sausages following my old recipe and as always, they turned out great. In fact, Mary used one to make pasta for last night's dinner.

Today's plans call for a walk with the fur-children, installing that hinge, maybe installing that shelf, finishing yesterday's crossword puzzle, picking up today's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune at The Bookman and getting up late. Sounds like plenty of activity for one day. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

Wow, we had a windy day yesterday and a high temperature that was in the low 50s. With that wind blowing, it felt a lot colder. STWD and I walked to The Bookman for the newspaper and by the time we got home, both of us had had enough. Mary and Ginger walked separately, and didn't get as far as they'd hoped, due to those windy conditions.

We have a current temperature of 45° along the shores of the "Big Lake", while in GR, the temperatures are forecast by the NWS to fall into the 30s overnight! Here in GH, we'll make a recovery up to 47° later today under cloudy skies, albeit with a Small Craft Advisory from Holland to GH. A Small Craft Advisory means that winds may reach a peak of 35 knots and waves have the potential to be as high as 7 feet. That Small Craft Advisory calls for small boats and inexperienced mariners to stay off the water.

Sadly, the damage along the Atlantic Coast states, from Florida all the way up to the Carolinas caused by Hurricane Michael, have left more than 1,000,000 people in the dark with damages to homes and businesses that are reported to have caused "Unimaginable Destruction" and monetary losses never before seen. What should be a once in 1,000 year event comes on the heels of previous storms that caused severe and costly damages too.

Worthy of note, is that a prediction of a once in 1,000 year storm event does not mean that such a storm will only occur once every 1,000 years. Such a description actually means is that the chances of such an event occurring are 1 in 1,000. However, such labels may become meaningless with the rapidly changing climactic conditions being caused by global warming.

If you own property in or near any of the Atlantic Coast states, enjoy the regular weather, but be prepared for many more storms of the magnitude of Hurricane Michael, storms that can knock out the power grid for weeks or months and raise the cost of home-owners insurance to levels that may make them prohibitive, if you can get insurance at all.                              

Moving on to more mundane things, I tried a new recipe for vegan meatballs yesterday. With a little assistance from Mary, and some on the fly humidification to that recipe, I like the result. The texture is great and the flavor is satisfying. Mary may disagree, but I like them. I never got to the sausages yesterday, but I should make those today. I also finished my latest novel and the crossword puzzle.

We should also be able to finish that spice-cabinet shelf installation today too, since we have nothing on the agenda other than additional walks with the fur-children. We do have to get that cabinet hinge from the hardware store, but that should not take too much time. If we don't get it today, it will have to wait until Monday due to short Saturday store hours.

The MLB Championship Series begins tonight with a NLCS game between the Dodgers and the Brewers @ 8:00 p.m. My beloved Red Sox have their ALCS first game Saturday night @ 8:00 p.m.

In the event I elect to skip blogging tomorrow, I'll mention that the Spartans of MSU host the Nittany Lions of Penn State @ 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The Wolverines of Michigan travel to Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI, to meet the Badgers of Wisconsin @ 7:30 p.m. Saturday night, and the Huskies of NIU, travel to Ohio to face the Bobcats of Ohio University @ 3:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon.

The sun will rise this morning@ 7:55 a.m. and set later @ 7:07 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, it is just past 7:30 a.m. in "The City."

Let me depart from the usual weather format for my blog by admitting that I have very little to be concerned about when it comes to the weather, especially when you compare our weather to that of the Southeastern U.S. and their recent experience with Hurricane Michael.

We have a current temperature of 52° which is both the high and low temperature for today. There is only a 20% chance for additional precipitation for the nest several days. What is different about today, according to the NWS, is that there is a Gale Warning in effect until 4:00 p.m. today from Holland to Grand Haven.

A Gale Warning is issued by the NWS anytime that wind gusts along the shores or on the waters of the "Big Lake", Lake Michigan, or any body of water, will be between 34 - 37 knots. A knot is the nautical way of defining speed. If you want the mathematical conversion, one knot is 1.152 mph. So, gale force winds of 35 knots would convert to approx. 40 mph! Today, we are expecting steady wind speeds of 22 mph or 34 knots, with gusts reaching 35 knots!

However, when you compare those wind speeds to the wind speeds for Hurricane Michael, a Category 4 hurricane, 22 mph along the shores of the "Big Lake" is a light breeze. A category 4 hurricane is defined using the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale when sustained wind speeds are between 130 and 156 mph!

In Florida and Georgia, hundreds of thousands are without electrical power due to downed power lines caused by falling trees and also the high winds that felled them. Boats were washed ashore, trains were knocked off the tracks, roofs were ripped off and people's homes were badly damaged or destroyed. Electrical power could be off for weeks due to the extensive damage to the infrastructure.
We can all be thankful that so far, there have been few lives lost in spite of the damage.

We had a lot of rain yesterday that made getting the fur-children out a real challenge. STWD and I took our morning safari to The Bookman just before 11:00 a.m. and just before the skies opened up. Mary and Ginger walked downtown to the bank after 11:00 a.m. and they were out in heavy rain that soaked Ginger and made her hair curly, while STWD and I were safe and sound here at the manse.

Otherwise, not much was happening yesterday. I got the new shelf for the spice cabinet sealed and ready for installation and I started a new novel. Mary did some cooking and made a terrific lunch of spaghetti that incorporated the last of my vegan sausages in her sauce. I liked the sauce, as she didn't overuse the red-pepper flakes in her efforts. I use red-pepper flakes in my sausages, so the addition of additional flakes can make the sauce too spicy, even for me.

Today, I hope to make make more sausages and a variation on Mary's favorite, vegan meatballs, both using new recipes. I'm hoping that the results are good.

The sun will rise shortly @ 7:53 a.m. and set later @ 7:08 p.m. Ciao.