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

Just so everyone is up to date on what's been going on here, I have been having some issues with my yak and that has made me reticent to sit in this chair for any length of time. The trains have been seen  coming and going, we have been eating the vegan foods we've been preparing, and the fur-children are doing well.

I will be having surgery on my shoulder next Thursday and then I will be unable to blog for a few weeks. Not to worry, to quote Arnold Schwarzenegger in his role as The Terminator, or perhaps the late General Douglas MacArthur, "I'll be back."

However for now, I am entertaining myself with Hallmark Movies and coloring or working crossword puzzles.

Mary and I want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Blog at you soon.  Ciao.

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

Many people ask what love is. I can say, with certainty, that love is having your back go out for the umpteenth time in your more than 45 years together and having your wife make plans to schlep you to the orthopedic walk-in clinic in Muskegon for treatment. She also planned ahead by being sure to pack something to eat during a long wait. Fortunately, we didn't have to make the trip, but just knowing that you have someone who puts your welfare first is the definition of love.

Now you ask yourself, "Self, what could make his back go out for the umpteenth time yesterday?"
The answer is spending one and one-half hours of your life sitting in your office chair, on hold, waiting for a Social Security representative to answer your call. All the while, the canned music is playing some tune akin to the theme from The X-Files, over and over, ad nauseam, as the recorded message tells you, also ad nauseam, to be understanding, they have 50 million people on Social Security to deal with, yada, yada, yada.

Finally, a live person comes on the line and succinctly tells you, in about two minutes, that there is nothing they can tell you about your problem, you must call the IRS!. So, after one and one-half hours of your life, that you will never get back, you are once again in a queue with yet another government agency, albeit one with better music. This hold lasts about 15 minutes and finally, another live person. Two additional five to seven minute holds and you are told that the problem is your tax accountant filled out Schedule "C" incorrectly and an amended form must be filed, yada, yada, yada.

By this point, you are certain that there is no future and your petty concerns are just a minor annoyance to an overworked series of government clerks who have, as you may recall, over 50 million people to deal with, yada, yada, yada.

But enough about my day yesterday. We may still have to visit the Social Security office in Muskegon, which by the way, is closed on Wednesday afternoons and weekends, to see if your problem is a problem after all, yada, yada, yada.

But I've digressed enough. We finally got out of the manse, mailed our holiday cards, made a stop at the bank, and then another stop at the nearby big-box home center for a can of spray paint. In spite of all the half empty cans you have on the shelf in the man-cave, you don't have the right color to paint your resale store table. Sigh. By the time that we made all of our stops, my back was feeling better. Less chair time equals a less painful back. So, for those of you who claim that 67 is the new 57, I've got a message for you, yada, yada, yada.

We have a current temperature of 41° under cloudy-skies. The sun will rise @ 8:12 a.m. and set later @ 5:12 p.m. In between, the latest Small Craft Advisory will expire @ 9:00 a.m. today only to be replaced by a Gale Warning starting @ 10:00 p.m. tonight and lasting until 5:00 a.m. Saturday. Those pesky 35 to 47 knot winds will propel waves on the "Big Lake" to heights that make sailing any vessel a challenge, even for the largest vessel and the most experienced sailors.

Oh, I nearly forgot. For the past several days, work crews have been installing new gas mains at the corner near the manse. Huge holes have been dug, air-hammers have pounded starting @ 8:01 a.m. every day. Last night they worked until after 10:00 p.m. as trucks sat parked across the street with their yellow lights flashing monotonously. You endure until you finally close the blinds and pretend that the workmen who have been on the job since 8:01 a.m. are still able to think cogent thoughts and do accurate and safe work @ 10:00 p.m.

At any rate, I originally got up to let the fur-children out for a 4:00 a.m. duty call. If I want to avoid further back spasms, I am gong to close out this lengthy blog and just say ciao, yada, yada, yada.

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

I had a busy day yesterday. I got up early due to the ache in my shoulder, but that allowed me time to accomplish several things around the manse before I was ready for the fur-children's arrival downstairs for their breakfast. I let the fur-children out for their morning constitutional afterwards.

By then, Mary had come down and she made a great breakfast/lunch of tuno casserole. I say breakfast/lunch, since it was now past 12:00 p.m. I think that this was her best effort to date. She believes her success was due to the inclusion of her homemade vegetable broth. Who am I to argue?

Before lunch, I had mixed up a loaf of English muffin toasting bread and set it aside to rise. Once the desired rise had been achieved, I popped the loaf into the 400° oven and 25 minutes later, I was finished. During the baking of the bread, I partially finished the indoor chores that Mary had started the night before. I finished the balance just before dinner last night. Our dinner was the leftover chickpea loaf from the day before, along with some mixed vegetables.

I was able to spot both runs of the train on the RST yesterday. The southbound run happened @ 8:40 a.m. when MMRR locomotive #2025 was seen heading towards Holland towing four DBTCs, one DWTC, and one GTC. This time, the train was moving at a good clip. Later in the afternoon, @ 3:00 p.m., I watched that same locomotive pass by heading north, towing eight CHCs, four DBTCs, two GTCs, and two DWTCs.

We made a mid-afternoon run to the grocery store in Spring Lake, followed by a stop at the resale store for a table for Mary's office and then and we finished our outing with a stop at Stan's. Home to feed the fur-children and then some TV news, followed by Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. By then, I was ready for some Hallmark movie time in our media room.

We have a current temperature of 38° that feels more like 29°. There is a Small Craft Advisory in effect until 9:00 a.m. Thursday for the "Big Lake." It is the winds driving that advisory that are causing that Wind-Chill Effect temperature of 29. The sun will rise today @ 8:12 a.m. and set later @ 5:11 p.m.

Today, we'll be making those stops that I mentioned in my previous blog. Since the magnifying glass that I want is only $1.99, no need for a discount coupon. We still have to get to the Social Security office in Muskegon on that leg of our trip north. I dread that visit for many reasons.

Otherwise, not much is on tap. 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 yesterday. We got up late, I raked up just enough leaves to clear the back forty for the fur-children and then I assisted Mary in preparing a new recipe for our lunch that I believe is called maple-glazed lentil loaf. Whatever name is correct, it was very tasty and is definitely a keeper.

Once we were done with lunch, we took a walk to the Grand Haven City Hall to play the winter installment of our real estate taxes. I waited outside with the fur-children while Mary got our bill stamped "Paid" by the city clerk.

A short walk through Central Park and then home to drop off the fur-children before we walked over to Health Hutt and then JWs. Our dinner was far more pedestrian than unique, vegan hot-dogs and vegan macaroni and cheese. Both good, although the mac and cheese needed some salt. Just one man's opinion.

After dinner, I came upstairs to watch a couple of Hallmark movies and some other sundry TV shows until it was time for bed. Mary stayed downstairs to let the fur-children out several times and also do the beginning of some indoor chores. She also ran the dishwasher which I'll empty later this morning. Plus, she decided to watch her version of a fun movie, The DaVinci Code. Go figure. I am also guessing that she was doing some crafty thing, like needle point or knitting.

The current temperature is 28° that feels like 28° under fair skies. Later today after the sun rises @ 8:11 a.m.and before it sets @ 5:11 p.m., the high temperature is forecast to reach 38° under mostly sunny skies. Wednesday and Thursday, the high temperatures are forecast to reach the low 40s.

Today, we have no specific plans. Maybe a grocery run and maybe a stop at the Social Security office in Muskegon. Plus, if we go that way, I'd like to stop at Harbor Freight Tools and pick up a new magnifying glass. No rush on either of this activities.

Otherwise, I'll finish the indoor chores and do some reading of the Grand Haven Tribune and my latest novel, We'll pick up the Trib on our sojourn with the fur-children. Ciao.

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

We had a great afternoon yesterday. We had a light lunch and then journeyed to Hemlock Crossing for that ornament making session I mentioned in my last blog. I created a birdhouse ornament from a small section of a tree branch, some twine, some cardboard and other assorted things, along with two amethyst ornaments. Mary applied her talents to painting the inside of some milkweed pods. I think she has been holding out on all of us, as her efforts look terrific. Mary took some pix and I'll let you be the judge.

Mary claims to have "Borrowed" an idea from another person, but it still took her individual skills to make them her own.

We then went outside to see what could be found to use our camera and Mary's macro lens to photograph. Mary found several interesting things, one of which was this Staghorn Sumac plant that is currently dormant right in front of the Hemlock Crossing Education Center.

Although dormant for the winter months, this plant is still beautiful.

Along with the Staghorn Sumac, Mary found some other plants of interest in the fields adjacent to the building.

We're not sure what this plant is called, but it made a great pic.

Same here.

This is the meadow that will be brimming with life when spring arrives in a few months.

A closeup of one of the meadow plants.

I especially like this pic of a nearby pine tree.

As we were heading towards our rendezvous with destiny, AKA, our late lunch or early dinner at our favorite watering hole, The Tip-a-Few Tavern in GH, we had to stop as we observed a huge number of wild turkeys crossing the road. Since we were curious as to what that many turkeys is called, Mary went to an internet site/blog provided by the National Wildlife Federation entitled Twelve Unusual and Fascinating Facts About Wild Turkeys, that gave us more information than we needed.

If you are interested in other facts, here is the website that gave us all of these fun facts.

https://blog.nwf.org/2011/11/twelve-unusual-and-fascinating-facts-about-wild-turkeys/

For example, while too often a large gathering of wild turkeys is often called a flock, or like geese, a gaggle, the proper name is actually one of of these, a “crop”, “dole”, “gang”, “posse”, or “raffle.” Why? darned if we know. However, thanks to a concerted effort by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, AKA the Michigan DNR, the wild turkey population was brought back from near extinction to today's "crop" of over 200,000!

There are five sub-species of wild turkeys in the US. They include: Eastern, Osceola, Rio Grande, Merriam’s and Gould’s subspecies. There are subtle plumage differences and different ranges that distinguish the birds. Further reading also yielded the fact the wild turkeys sleep in trees and though usually seen walking, the birds can fly for short distances and can reach speeds of 55 mph! Who knew?

The Detroit Lions looked as bad as they really are in today's game, as the now 5 - 9 lions fell to the now 5 - 9 Buffalo Bills, 13 - 14. Meanwhile, the Chicago Bears clinched the NFC North Division with a convincing 24 - 17 win over the Green Bay Packers. 2nd year Bears QB, Mitch Trubisky, looked better than the Packers QB, Aaron Rodgers, much better. This is the first time the Bears have won their division since 2010!

We have a current temperature of 40° that won't last. Monday's high will be only 34° with cloudy-skies in the a.m. and partly-sunny skies in the afternoon. By the by, there is no difference between partly-cloudy and partly-sunny skies, it is all a matter of semantics.

There is also that Small Craft Advisory in effect until 8:00 p.m. tonight, with wind speeds of 25 knots and wave heights of from five to seven feet. The sun will rise @ 8:10 a.m. and set later @ 5:11 p.m.

We have no specific plans for today. It should be a good day for a walk with the fur-children. We have our cleaning person coming in today, something that my aching shoulder will appreciate. Mary wants to make a recipe that looks interesting for vegan cacciatore.

Last night, she was working on some needlepoint project, nee cross-stitch. I am currently listening to Christmas music on iHeart, which I was also doing last night. Ciao.

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

This morning I was downstairs to let the fur-children out and the NWS is right. The current temperature of 29° actually feels like 29! In addition, there is something new in the forecast from the NWS, a Freezing Fog Advisory. That's a first for me in all my years of writing this blog. a Freezing Fog Advisory is issued when the temperatures are hovering just below freezing and there is fog that can cause poor visibility and slick-spots on the roads. That advisory is in effect until 9:00 a.m. this morning.

Plus, there is yet another of those Small Craft Advisories in effect for the shores of the "Big Lake" from Holland to Grand Haven, beginning tonight @ 8:00 p.m. and continuing until 8:00 p.m. Monday night. As the night wears on, the wind-speeds will increase up to 30 knots and wave heights will increase on Lake Michigan up to 7 feet!. The sun will rise this morning @ 8:10 a.m. and set later @ 5:10 p.m.

This is an interesting time of the year for weather predictions. As of now, the NWS is forecasting that a White Christmas, defined as one-inch or more of snow on the ground, is possible for the Rocky Mountains, Northern WI, the Arrowhead of MN, the U.P. of MI, and the upper New England states. As long as I don't have to shovel or blow it, I'm OK with that forecast.

Mary and I went to the library for my Irish Jam session yesterday. My funfetti cookies were a hit and I had a good time. However, my aching shoulder caused me to stop playing several times. Sigh, I guess the surgery can't be too soon. Mary spent part of her visit upstairs in the library reading a book that she was checking out and which she likes, a lot, according to her personal and emailed commentary.

We went downtown after the jam session to take advantage of the 25% off sale at the gift shop @ the Tri-Cities Historical Museum. We selected an ornament for our tree that represents the lighthouse on Grand Haven's North Pier. Mary used her Smart Phone camera function to take a couple of pix, one of the bag that held our new ornament, and one of the ornament itself. I am recommending that she keep the bag for storage of the ornament for future Christmases.

Yes, I am older than the museum, established in 1959!.

Mary placed the bright-red ornament strategically on our tree.

Today, we are off to Hemlock Crossing County Park for an afternoon session of Christmas ornament creation, from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. A couple of years ago we also participated in this activity and I made an owl and a reindeer out of various itmes from the forests of Ottawa County. Mary made an owl. We still have the owls to display on our tree, but the reindeer was here for Ginder's first Christmas at the manse and she felt a need to return it to its original form, sticks and pieces of pine cone. This year, though she is mostly all grown-up, we'll place the reindeer in/on the display that we keep on the table in the foyer to forestall a future catastrophe.

Otherwise, we plan to stop at our favorite watering hole on the way home, football fans permitting, to have a late lunch. If that fails, we don't have a back-up plan.

The Lions are in Buffalo @ 1:00 p.m. EST, while the Bears welcome the Packers to Soldier field, also @ 1:00 p.m. EST. Ciao.

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

And in "The City", we have a current temperature of 32° with the view out the WW partially obscured by the Dense Fog Advisory that is effect until 11:00 a.m. this morning. The sun will rise @ 8:09 a.m. and set later @ 5:10 p.m. By then, the skies will still be partly-cloudy.

In between, I'll be going to the monthly Irish Jam session at the library, my last until February due to my upcoming shoulder surgery. I decided that since it is the holiday season, that I'd bake those funfetti cookies that I referenced in a previous blog and take them to the jam this afternoon. I followed the recipe that I had previously downloaded from the Internet and they turned out very tasty.

I deviated slightly from the recipe by using my regular cookie scoop, which is one-tablespoon in size, versus the 1 1/2 tablespoon size referenced in the recipe. Thus, the cookies came out more flat than puffy. One benefit is that I have more than 40 cookies versus the 24 that are supposed to occur. We like them better and I am betting that the people at the jam session will like them too. I probably overdid the amount of sprinkles that are called for in the recipe too, but they look very festive.

They taste as good as they look!

Once Mary returned from the grocery store, I had a decision to make. Did I want pizza or vegan sausages for dinner? I opted for pizza and so Mary made the dough and set it aside to rise while we went out.

Mary had been looking at the internet earlier and found a reference to a shipwreck that had occurred in the late 1800s. The recent gale force winds had uncovered the bones of the ship for the first time since 1974. The same forces had uncovered the wreck in 1942! It turns out that the ship, which was located on a beach of the "Big Lake" and she was originally misidentified as the L.C. Woodruff, a vessel of 170 feet in length..

However, researchers from the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, went to the location of the wreck, took some measurements, and decided that the wreck was that of a smaller vessel, the Contest, which was grounded in 1882. We took some pix of our own, but I've also included a pic taken by the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, before the wreck was further obscured by the waves wind, and the tourists.

The pic taken by the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association.

As you can see, it has only been a few days since the first pic was taken and the wreck is now almost totally obscured. The spokesperson for the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association says it will be totally obscured sometime in early 2019.

Since we were at the beach, along with a lot of other people who saw the same info as Mary, she took some additional pix of the surroundings that I think turned out great.

Even though it was 42°, the ice was still stubbornly clinging to the rocks that lined the nearby channel.

Sadly, people were observed standing on the wreckage for "Selfies", that can cause the type of damages that the Michigan  Shipwreck Research Association spokesperson warned about.

This is a man-made breakwater near the beach.

A nice shot of the decommissioned lighthouse/maritime museum through the dune grasses.

No dune grasses.

Nothing but dune grasses.

Since it was definitely cooler near the lake, we skedaddled back to Renee and headed for Stan's in Spring Lake.

I should get back to that pizza that Mary made for our dinner. I think that this was her best effort to date. Of course I was hungry, but I really believe that the combination of vegetables, two sauces, and just the right amount of vegan cheese and nutritional yeast made this one especially great.

I did espy both trips of the train on the RSTL. At 9:13 a.m., I saw locomotive # 2025 heading south at an extremely slow rate of speed, towing 10 CHCs, eight DBTCs, and four DWTCs. Later, just after noon @ 12:10 p.m., I espied that same locomotive heading north, towing four DBTCs, and three CHCs.

Today, we have to collectively go to my jam session, since I have extra things to carry and my arm is not able to carry my usual traveling items, Abagael, my music stand, my music books, and those cookies I made. Mary will be driving me and staying for the jam.

That looks like enough for one day and one blog. Ciao.

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

We didn't do much yesterday. That's OK, because that was part of the plan. We got up late, fed the fur-children, and then ate a brunch of vegan hot dogs and Coleslaw.

Once brunch/lunch was over, I started the indoor chores and was recruited to go into the kitchen and make more vegan sausages and prepare for a new dish, roasted cauliflower with several other ingredients such as; whole cloves of garlic, sliced onions, thyme and nutritional yeast. That dish, which along with two of the sausages I'd made became our dinner. To say the least, the cauliflower was/is a keeper. Mary took pix using our Smartphone and I'll include them now.

Once I had separated the cauliflower into florets, Mary added the sliced onions, garlic I had prepared earlier and then added the thyme and nutritional yeast before roasting.

The finished product, which was terrific.

We went to our chiropractor appointment yesterday afternoon and then to The Bookman for a tear-off calendar for 2019. In addition, Mary picked out a book of Grand Haven scenes/landmarks for me to color while I am recovering from my shoulder surgery. A quick stop at JWs, and then home to the fur-children and dinner preparations. Before we left, the fur-children wanted to go for a walk, but we didn't have time, so they will wait until later today. However, even tough I got Ginger to go out around 3:30 a.m., STWD wouldn't go out on this rainy morning. We won't go for a walk with them in the rain either.

If we walk at all, their walk will wait until I am done baking the cookies I have planned for the final Irish Jam Session of 2018. I'll be baking funfetti cookies following one of two possible recipes. I've baked these before, but I can't find that recipe anymore. I anticipate that this batch will be good too.

We have a current temperature of 35° that feels like 30° with light rain falling. That's why
Ginger had to be dried off and also why STWD wouldn't go out/ Later this morning, the rains should clear and leave us with partly-cloudy skies and a high temperature of 42°. The su will rise this morning @ 8:08 a.m. and set later @ 5:10 p.m.

Other than ny baking and a trip to the grocers for Mary, nothing is on the agenda for today. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 7:00 a.m. in "The City."

I'm up because when you are, you are. Actually, once I awoke this morning, my shoulder was aching and I decided that discretion being the better part of valor, I'd get up and put away the dishes in the kitchen and then sit down and blog rather than try to grin and bear it. Wow, that's either a terrific long sentence, or a serious run-on problem. No matter, it is what it is. Once again wow, I am full of cliches this morning.

We have a current temperature this early morning of 34° under partly-cloudy skies. According to the forecast from the NWS, those skies will remain partly-cloudy then clear by early afternoon as our high reaches 38° under sunny skies. In fact, the forecast for the weekend has temperatures in the lower 40s with only a slight chance of precipitation in any form. The sun will rise @ 8:08 a.m. and set later @ 5:10 p.m.

We took a late road-trip to Newaygo yesterday afternoon to retrieve Mary's Christmas stocking from the The New Ewe, Mary's self-proclaimed favorite yarn store. I like going there because it is a nice ride in the wilds of Michigan and the store has a very comfortable chair that I can sit in while Mary browses. A win-win, at the risk of using that over-used phrase.

In this case, we also took along our camera and between us, we were able to take some pix of industrial buildings and other things of interest. I'll include those now. It may seem odd, but in a rural part of our adopted state, I like taking pix of industrial things.

A reminder of what was, a store that now houses an antique mall, but which was once the local purveyor of multiple mercantile goods.

This building probably dates to the 1800s. I had Mary take this pic for me. I think she captured the essence of the old and the new of Newaygo quite nicely. The original purpose of this building is unknown, unless you consult the local historical archives.

Trains can be heard/seen constantly criss-crossing through the town.

Oddly, along with the industry that is just behind the main street of Newaygo, stands this little chapel for travelers.

Renee parked behind The New Ewe.

I'm not sure of the activity of this facility that is obscured by leaves during the summer months.

Newaygo is a small town that still has a freight railroad and many manufacturing businesses that help to keep it viable. All too many small towns/cities in Michigan and across America, died with the coming of the highways, the rise of shopping malls, and the loss of automotive-related jobs. Ironically, those same shopping-malls are themselves dying with the rise of the internet. Progress I guess.

Mary had checked the weather before we left home and there was nothing in the way of precipitation in the forecast. However, as we were returning home, we had to drive through a serious snow/icy rain-squall before the skies cleared as we neared home. Much like other parts of the Midwest, Michigan's weather can be unpredictable.

We stopped in Spring Lake and then when we got home, the fur-children were eagerly awaiting our return, as their dinner was late by dog standards. Sure, they's had their breakfast around 12:00 p.m., but they still knew that their 5:00 p.m. dinner was delayed until 6:00 p.m.

Our dinner was more of that spinach/lentil/mushroom soup that I'd made the other day, accompanied by some warm dinner rolls. This soup is a definite keeper. 

I heard the morning train run heading south on the RSTL @ 9:30 a.m., but I was snug in my warm bed yesterday morning, so hearing was all I achieved. However, I actually espied the afternoon run before we left home. That run consisted of MMRR locomotive #2025 towing six DBTCs and seven DWTCs heading north.

I nearly forgot to mention that I am listening to Pandora and music of the season that includes artists such as the Dick Haymes, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Eartha Kitt. I, along with many others, consider Kitt the quintessential/greatest "Cat Woman" from the 60s TV series, Batman. After the first two seasons, Kitt replaced Julie Newmar, herself a 1960s heartthrob, in several appearances during the show's final season from 1967-68. In my humble opinion, Kitt made the role uniquely hers,. I think she set the standard for many more actresses to follow, some not so memorable.

Today, we have some kitchen activities and perhaps some indoor chores to accomplish along with an appointment @ the chiroipractor's office. I like having nothing pressing on the agenda. Ciao.

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

Our plans to eat lunch at the hospital were thwarted by too much Romaine lettuce on the salad bar and too little protein bearing foods. So, we ended @ "The Bell."

Then we were off to Duncan Woods where our other plan to take some pix was thwarted by too much ice on the paths. However, we did get in a few pix before our battery went dead. I'll add some of those here.

Too icy for our old bones.

The woods were nice to look at though.

Even the main road had ice on it.

Renee was parked and at the ready for our return, which didn't take too long.

We have a current temperature of 30°, which will be the overnight low. The Small Craft Advisory that is still in effect is forecst to end by 5:00 p.m. today. The sun will rise today in just under two hours @ 8:07 a.m. and set later @ 5:10 p.m.

I made it to my orthopedist appointment yesterday for my final knee injections. Then the doctor and I discussed my aching shoulder. As you may recall, I am scheduled for surgery on the 27th of this month. I got good news and bad news. If the surgery is completely successful, in about three to four months, including P/T, I should be good to go. However, if there is more damage to the joint that could't be seen on my recent MRI, that would mean that the surgery would be less successful.

The alternative would be a complete reconstruction of the shoulder joint and a permanent limitation on my range of motion in that shoulder. As a guitar player. that would limit my ability to play. I decided to tell the doctor to do the best that he could and I'll hope for the best result, as the second option is not one I wish to pursue.

We didn't accomplish much else yesterday. We picked up some water for our humidifier and some bread at the Village Baker and made a stop at Stan's in Spring Lake. Mary made dinner of that new hammish recipe which has good flavor and texture, but is it the best yet? No.

I watched NCIS and then went to bed after part of a car show. I was there until around 5:00 a.m. when I came here to blog and make an attempt to reset the calendar on my Citizen Eco-Drive watch. I was not successful. I am one-day behind. Maybe another try in the future, but as of now, the time is accurate so that's all I really need. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperate of 35° under cloudy-skies. Our overnight low is forecast by the NWS to fall to 31°, but with the skies becoming only partly-cloudy. Once the sun rises @ 8:06 a.m., the high should reach 33°, also under partly-cloudy skies. That's well before the sun sets @ 5:09 p.m. In addition, there is another of those Small Craft Advisories in effect until 1:00 p.m. today. Wave heights will reach 4' to 6' as they are pushed by wind gusts up to 25 knots! Later, the waves will be no higher than tan 1' to 3' as the winds subside.

We got all of our indoor chores done yesterday and then took the fur-children to the only big-box home center that allows them to roam the aisles. That's as long as they are on a leash. STWD, as all too often happens, was spooked by some noises and lots of people and she just wanted to leave. However, she was somewhat mollified by the treats that the staff offered to her and Ginger as we were leaving with our ice-melter.

Our lunch yesterday was more of those vegan Italian meatballs that Mary loves, along with the leftover mostaciolli from Sunday. Later, Mary used our leftover rice and made what she called a "Rice Concoction." I call it fried rice, as it included mushrooms, peas, some vegan bacon, and whatever leftover "bits" Mary found in the refrigerator. Here's a pic of her efforts.

Call it what you will, I liked it!

Otherwise, not much is happening now or later. I have my final injections for my knees later this morning and then we hope to have salad in the cafeteria. That's if kale is not the featured green. Then we'll journey to Duncan Woods to see what can be photographed as the snow melts away.

Speaking of the snow, there is another winter storm heading our way, but with the warmer temperatures that we're experiencing now, it is likely to be rain, not snow.

So, that looks like enough for one day, so I'll be heading out now. Ciao.

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

I awoke a while ago in my La-Z-Boy in the media room where I had journeyed to watch the game between the now 9 - 4 Chicago Bears, and the now 11 - 2 L.A. Rams. Neither team sparkled offensively, but the Rams were the worst. Before this game, they had been very good in the 2018 season. Rams' QB Jared Goff posted his lowest passer rating of the year with a 19.1, while Rams' star RB, Todd Gurley, normally a very prolific running back, was held to just 28 yards on 11 carries. To say that the Bears' defense dominated the Rams' offense is putting it mildly. Returning from an injury, Bears' QB. Mitch Trubisky, tossed three interceptions and didn't seem to bring his "A" game to Soldier Field. All in all, a satisfying Sunday Night Football win by the Bears over the Rams, 15 - 6.

We have a current temperature of 29° as we drop towards the overnight low of 27° under partly cloudy-skies. Today's high after the sun rises @ 8:05 a.m. will be 35°, also under partly-cloudy skies, well before the sun sets @ 5:09 p.m.

We bid a fond adieu to the human-children yesterday morning and then settled in for a bagel with a schmear, as my friend Ellen might say. While Mary went to the grocery store, I combined two soup recipes to make a delicious second-course of mushroom and lentil soup. When Mary returned, she had brought some spinach with her and that also found its way into the soup. This soup is a definite keeper. I wish I could say the same about the vegan seitan bacon that Mary cremated to go with those aforementioned bagels, I wish, but I can't. It was charcoal pretending to be vegan bacon. Sorry Mary, but that's the way the bacon crumbled.

In the mid-afternoon, we journeyed to the library for one of their Sunday Afternoon Concerts, featuring a singer/songwriter named Lee Murdoch. He is a superb guitarist and storyteller who entertained a large crowd for one-hour, with songs of the season and songs of the sailors who plied the Great Lakes and the oceans of the world. I have included a clip from YouTube™ of Murdoch performing at the 2005 Chicago Maritime Festival, singing a song that he wrote entitled My Mother's Eyes. This song is the story of a man and his family who owned a ship called Bridge Tender #10.

The ship had been refitted in Wisconsin after being purchased from a bridge building company and the father of the family was to bring her back across the "Big Lake" when she was done, hopefully bring her safely to port. Unfortunately, he never reached home and was lost at sea. The "Big Lake" has claimed her share of sailors throughout the years. To this day, many ship's skeletons are found and/or viewed when the waters of Lake Michigan drop low during the seasons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPo4aN3aBlo&index=2&list=PLE2F9CB659ADDED02

I have taken the liberty of including some pix of Murdoch performing that both Mary and yours truly took while at the library.

Actually, this isn't Murdoch, but Larry Halverson, the Loutit Library's Public Relations Director,  as he introduced Murdoch before he performed. Larry is also the coordinator of our monthly Irish Jam sessions and the principal whistle player with his own Irish band, Uneven Ground.

Murdoch played a six-string guitar that was hand, made along with a 12-string guitar of similar origins.

Here he is seen giving the background to one of his songs.

The aforementioned 12-string guitar.

A nice shot taken by Mary of the lobby area where Murdoch was performing.

Mary redeemed herself for dinner, with a baked mostaccioli that I had suggested earlier the day before. There is a story n that suggestion regarding the word mostaccioli, that I may tell more about in another blog. While her original conception didn't make it into the oven, her final product was superb and also a keeper.Very tasty.

Today, we have nothing specific on the agenda except for a walk with the fur-children and a large amount of indoor chores. Fortunately, we have our regular house cleaning happening today too. Speaking of the fur-children, since I was up, I let them out around 1:30 a.m.

I think that's enough for one blog. Ciao.

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

Some of you may be wondering why I didn't write a blog yesterday. My first inclination to explain that lapse away was this;

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

But that seemed too callous, so I'll explain it by saying that our human-children came for that aforementioned visit and that's what distracted me. That may or may not be true, but for now, it is the explanation I'm giving.

We have a current temperature of 27°on our way to today's high of 32° under cloudy-skies this early a.m.and sunny skies this afternoon. The sun rose this morning @ 8:04 a.m. and it will set later @ 5:09 p.m. The daylight hours will be getting shorter for another 11 days and then it will be the winter solstice on the 21st of this month. That's when the daylight hours will be at their shortest. Then we'll see more daylight hours each day as we approach the spring and summer solstices. Soon, SAD, that's the acronym for Seasonal Affective Disorder, will be a thing of the past and it will be all sunshine and light from then onward.

We'll be bidding a fond farewell to our children this morning as they head back to their home in The Windy City, Chicago, IL. As many may recall, that moniker, The Windy City, came not from the weather conditions there, but from the windy nature of the politicians who call that city home.

Today, we plan to hit the kitchen for some cooking and baking. Mary will be going to the grocery store while I am cooking and then she will reclaim her kitchen while I get back to reading and enjoying the holiday season. I finished my last novel, If Beale Street Could Talk, by James Baldwin and I was awed by Baldwin's ability to tell a story.

Later tonight, I'll once again torture myself, as the 8 - 4 Bears welcome/challenge the visiting 11 - 1 L.A. Rams. The Bears regular starting QB, Mitch Trubisky, will be returning to the lineup following an extended stay on the sidelines nursing an injured shoulder. I may be a transplanted Michigander, but I have too many years as a Chicagoan to be a complete Lions fan. That and the fact the the Lions suck this year, as in most years. You can take the Bears fan out of Chicago, but you can't take Chicago our of a Bears fan. That would be like asking me to give up on the Cubs. Not gonna happen!

Otherwise, not much is happening today. So with that, I'll say what I have to say, with this link.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9434BoGkNQ

Ciao.

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

Here's a surprise, it's cold out there. I went downstairs to let Ginger out and she was followed by STWD. Between the two of them, I can attest that it gets cold in the mudroom in the early morning hours.

Speaking of cold, it is currently 26°, but it feels like 19° due to the 13 mph winds under cloudy skies. A light snow is trying to fall and the NWS is forecasting a 50% chance for snow-showers this morning that will end by early afternoon. The sun will rise this morning @ 8:02 a.m. and set later @ 5:09 p.m. after the temperature peaks @ 29°.

We didn't stir until late yesterday morning because there was no pressing need. After our lunch of vegan hot dogs and vegan chili, we had to take the fur-children to their grooming appointments, but that wasn't until 2:00 p.m. By the by, they look terrific in their freshly groomed state, sporting the new collars that we bought for them. Same old bling though. We also washed the bedspread that they like to sleep on too. Later, Mary even washed their leashes and Ginger's harness so that all of their regalia is clean too.

We stopped in at the local strip-mall yesterday after we dropped the fur-children off at the groomer. We accomplished all that we'd hoped on our trip. We got those aforementioned collars, some minor things @ the dollar store and a soap-storage box at the chain drugstore, all in the same acreage. Not bad.

A couple more tasks awaited and then we picked up the fur-children and headed home. Dinner was a down and dirty pasta, as Mary calls it, along with some freshly-baked rolls and butter. All in all, a very productive day of errands and meals.

After dinner, I settled in to watch some TV upstairs and promptly fell asleep. I did manage to wake long enough to watch another of my seasonal favorites on the Hallmark Channel™. Mary was downstairs, possibly knitting, while watching the washing machine/dryer combo do their thing.

Speaking of appliances, I cleaned the filter on our new dishwasher yesterday. It was easy. In addition, I just got off of a chat session with the Tech Support staff at Samsung™ regarding an issue I was having with one of our Smart TVs. My problem was quickly diagnosed, the resolution clearly spelled out, and the problem resolved. Terrific support from the fine folks @ Samsung™. If you are considering buying a TV or other electronic device, I recommend Samsung™!

Today, we have a couple of errands to run and then later, our human-children will be checking in to the manse for a couple of days/nights, weather permitting. They do have a Jeep Renegade™, similar to ours, and an intrepid driver at the wheel, so I believe that the weather will not be an issue.Ciao.

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

I'm going to attempt to once again follow the KISS formula. Things were mostly quiet around here and so there isn't much to highlight.

We got up late and then had a terrific lunch of vegan BLT sandwiches. I'd found a recipe for vegan seitan bacon that Mary modified. The texture of the vegan bacon was great, the aroma and flavor were superb, and with a surprisingly tasty winter tomato, the sandwiches were excellent. I pronounce this vegan bacon and these sandwiches a keeper.

After lunch, we traveled to that big-box nearly everything store to buy some groceries. That visit went surprisingly well and we were in and out without too much difficulty. We got back in time for Mary to make her haircut appointment and then we met at JWs for adult libations.

Our dinner was another of Mary's homemade pizzas topped with portabello mushroom, spicy tvp, and vegan cheese.

My shoulder is wearing on my stamina, so I went upstairs and fell asleep in my La-Z-Boy after dinner. I attempted to watch a car show, but I kept falling asleep. I am in the process of reading a book by James Baldwin entitled If Beale Street Could Talk. I like the way that Baldwin was able to bring his characters to life. Baldwin is probably best known for his novel, Native Son.

Otherwise, there was no newspaper yesterday, so no crossword puzzle.

We have a current temperature of 37° that feels like 27° due to the 17 mph winds. Today's high will be four degrees lower after the sun rises @ 8:01 a.m. and before it sets @ 5:09 p.m. Ciao.

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

Where did that came from? By that, I mean the snow that greeted yours truly and the fur-children when I went downstairs around 4:00 a.m. to let them both out. Ginger didn't seem to care that it had snowed and surprisingly, neither did STWD.

I was taken back to a snow covered area in Huntley, IL, the day we adopted Sugar from Animal House Shelter. As a way to test our compatibility with Sugar, shelter personnel had us take her outside into the snow, which she seemingly loved. Of course, by then, I was totally smitten and the intrepid Weather Dog was coming home with us, no matter what. First shelter, first dog. What can I say, when you know, you know. Mary always said the if I ever looked at another woman the way I looked at Sugar...

But once again, I digress. We have a current temperature of 31° under snowy-skies. That snow-is expected to taper off and be down to about a 15% chance by 7:00 a.m. from the current 55%. In addition, there is another Small Craft Advisory in effect from 10:00 a.m. this morning until 7:00 a.m. Friday. In between, the waves heights will build from 4' to 7'! The sun will rise today @ 8:00 a.m. and set later today @ 5:10 p.m.

I got that restraining fence installed yesterday, just in time, and it seems to be working. The fur-children have gone out and done their duty and no "mishaps" have occurred. However, they can both be very ingenious, so we'll await further developments.

I also made it to my Coffee and Coloring session at the library, but as noted, I had to leave early to get to my orthopedic appointment. That went well and I also stopped in the lab for some required tests before my surgery later this month. No problems there either.

We finally did it. We got all of the credit-card information changed at the various vendors. It was a challenge, to say the least. I wanted to use the word obviously, but then an image of a professor that both Mary and I had a long time ago popped into my head. I remember Dr. Jack Dodds saying, "If it is obvious, you don't have to tell us, and it it isn't, telling us won't make it so." Perhaps saying "To say the least" is no different, but I'm going with that phrase anyway.  We won two out of three falls. Like the curse of that evil Tylenol Killer from decades ago, we hate these mythical 400 lb. hackers in a Russian basement hacking into computer systems and stealing people's information while eating Cheetos™.

Today, I plan to stay in unless Mary wants company at the grocery store. She has an appointment to get a haircut later today, so she'll be going out earlier rather than later. I will have to clear the snow off the deck and also put down more salt. Hmmm. I wonder if I should have Mary get more while she is out?

I was listening to local radio out of GR a few moments ago and they were describing a closed major road due to the slide-off of several semi-trailer trucks that were unable to slow down enough to stay in control. I guess it is a crap-shoot. If you make it, you make better time. If you slide off the road, well...

No newspaper today out of respect for the declared federal memorial day for former president, George H. W. Bush. The USPS facilities are closed here in GH and across the country, so there is no mail delivery for the Grand Haven Tribune. Ciao.

Weather update. At 5:25 a.m., I watched one of the trucks from the GH Public Works Dept. go by in front of the manse, heading west. As you may recall, this part of our street is one-way, heading east. Oh well, another snow-event and another regular response. 

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

Well, another day has come and gone. We have a current temperature of 30° that feels more like 22° due to the 9 mph winds. In addition the Small Craft Advisory will be ending @ 3:00 a.m. this morning as the winds on the "Big Lake" ebb. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:59 a.m. and set later @ 5:10 p.m.

We're getting there. We had a credit card breach recently that necessitated that we change our credit-card information with many vendors. Some, like a certain on-line retailer were easy, while others, have proven more difficult. More later today after I get back from some other activities.

I was able to espy both legs of the train run on the RSTL yesterday. At 9:00 a.m. locomotive # 2025 was seen heading south with its horn blaring. That's probably the reaction of the railroad to the collision of that same locomotive and a car across the street from the manse last Tuesday.

At any rate, in tow were 11 CHCs, four DBTCs, five DWTCs, and on GTC. Later, when I was at the barbershop @ 12:50 p.m., I saw that same locomotive heading north towing one CHC, one DBTC, and four DWTCs.

Once I got back, we took the fur-children for a walk to The Bookman to procure the newspaper and a treat for STWD. Then we headed home to work more on that aforementioned credit card problem before heading out on a few errands. We made a stop yesterday at that big-box home-center in an attempt to find a restraint for our wayward fur-children. I think we now have what we need and I'll get it installed late today.

We had an interesting and tasty dinner last night. Mary had me make my usual vegan Italian meatball mixture before we went out. However, instead of meatballs Mary fashioned the mixture into hamburgers. It took some extra steps that I never have to accomplish when I make the meatballs, but the result was terrific.

Once I get back from my visit to the library for an abbreviated session on colored-pencil shading, and my subsequent orthopedist appointment, I can get that restraint installed and perhaps more credit-card information changes before I settle in for some reading. That will be a full day in retirement for me. Ciao.

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

Yesterday was my little brother's 65th birthday. That's noteworthy as we once were kids looking to the future and now we are retired. Time flies.

Speaking of retired, the Detroit Lions should have retired after their loss to the Chicago Bears on Thanksgiving day. Alas, the Bears should have retired too, after they defeated the Lions. The 4 - 8 Lions were crushed by the 11 - 1 Rams, 16 - 30. The score doesn't begin to tell the whole story. The Rams outplayed the Lions on both sides of the ball.

As for the now 8 - 4 Bears, they made it into overtime with an onside kick and a desperation pass that tied the score @ 27 all, only to fall to the now 4 - 8 NY Giants, 27 - 30. The Bears needed yardage to get into field goal range. When they needed 12 yards, they threw for 3 and expected to get the other 9 on the ground. That turned out as it usually does for the Bears. I believe that they brought back the playbook from the George Halas days. By the by, the Packers, who are dreadful this year, fired their head coach. That will get them to the Super Bowl!

Collectively, Mary and I finished the crossword puzzle. We got a lot of those indoor chores done yesterday.

We have a current temperature of 36° that feels like 28°. In addition, another of the seemingly regular Small Craft Advisorys has been issued by the NWS for the "Big Lake." Inexperienced mariners, especially those in small boats, are advised to stay off the water. 35 knot winds are expected later this morning and wave heights of 6' to 10' are possible.

Later today, the high temperature will be about 10° colder than it was on Sunday, as the high reaches 35° under cloudy-skies. No significant precipitation is in the offing as of this writing. The sun will rise @ 7:58 a.m. and set later @ 5:10 p.m.

We had late brunch of leftover stir-fry. As anticipated, we didn't walk the fur-children yesterday due to the rainy conditions. Dinner was the remainder of the vegan Italian meatballs I'd made for Mary the other day accompanied by the Coleslaw I'd made earlier. I made my way upstairs and fell asleep before tuning in to one of my favorite activities of the season, a Hallmark Channel movie. Just as Mary once again predicted, the conflict was resolved and the characters lived/loved happily ever after. Mary stayed downstairs to watch  Silent Running, a break from her usual diet of apocalyptic fare.

Before I started blogging, I think I finished my coloring of that drawing I've been working on. I like how it looks, but I may want to add more details. We shall see.

Today, all we have on the agenda is my haircut and reading. If it stays dry this morning, we'll get a walk in with the fur-children too. As previously noted, they are not big fans of rainy weather. STWD was willing to go out before dinner, but it took some coaxing from her and some carrying by me to get Ginger out. She proceeded to get wrapped around one of the rose bushes making it even a worse experience. Ciao.

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

I decided that two blogs in one 24 hour period was OK. Why? Why not?

We have a current temperature of 36° with a light rain falling out of cloudy-skies. Today, the NWS is forecasting more rain showers with a 50% probability. That's after the sun rises @ 7:57 a.m. and before it sets @ 5:10 p.m. We also have a Small Craft Advisory in effect until 11:00 this morning. Wind and waves will make sailing in small boats difficult for sailors with or without experience.

Had a great day yesterday. I did some coloring on a Santa Claus pic that Mary got for me the other day at the USPS facility in Spring Lake. I'm not done, but I like my progress for far. I used some of  the new colored pencils that we picked up earlier this week. They came in a package of 100!

We did get out with the fur-children yesterday, before the rains came. Thefur-children don't much like being out in the rain and it has been a long time since I've liked it either. When Mary and I were first married, we used to go walking in the rain all the time. When you are young and not afraid of falling, all things seem like a good idea.

We had hot dogs, homemade applesauce and cucumber salad for lunch yesterday. That was after we cleared some of the leftovers out of the refrigerator. Later, Mary tried a new way of making lasagna that I really liked. I'm hoping that, unlike her mother, Mary doesn't forget the recipe. The flavor was great and the texture was, to use a Goldilocks phrase, "Just right."

I also worked the crossword from yesterday's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. With a little help from Mary, I was able to complete the puzzle. The weekend puzzle is always the hardest, as the puzzles get progressively more difficult as the week goes on.

I gave up on the Big 10 Championship game as the Wildcats of Northwestern  were thoroughly outplayed by the Buckeyes of Ohio State. Sadly, the Big 10 Championship dreams of the Wildcats ended in Indianapolis last night with a 24 - 45 loss to the Buckeyes.

Today is a day for more indoor chores. No walks with the fur-children as the sidewalks will be slick with water. Unlike many Michiganders, I won't waste time watching the woeful Lions. I used to save myself three hours on a Sunday afternoon not watching the Bears, so I am experienced avoider, Otherwise, not much is happening. Ciao.

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

Yesterday started early for us. The fur-children were restless and so I went downstairs to feed them and let them out. I returned upstairs, showered, and then went to work on another stir-fry in the kitchen. This version was much better than my last effort. Naturally, it is hard to cook for two and so we have a copious amount of leftovers. That's OK, because we are finally done with the Thanksgiving leftovers. However, Mary plans to dig into the refrigerator and decide what needs to be saved and what can be tossed to save our lives.

I'm always reminded of that old saw about leftovers. You feel good when you don't overeat, thus giving you leftovers. You feel good that you aren't throwing food away, thus being frugal. And, you feel good when you toss something out, thus saving yourself from food poisoning.

We got out yesterday to do some returns, one at the big-box home center. That turned out to be fortuitous, as the fur-children got to go along and walk the aisles of the store for a while and get some exercise and treats. We made our next stop at Cooks Kitchen and Pantry in downtown GH. We started out to buy a new funnel, but also ended up with some new measuring spoons and a small sieve. To both of us, going to a store that sells kitchen gadgets is the same as it used to be when I went to a tool store.

Our final stop for a return was the big-box nearly everything store. Since we didn't have a receipt, we ended up with a store credit. We tried to buy some new slippers for Mary, but ended up with some new toys for the fur-children. We got one for each of the girls, but STWD only enjoyed hers for a short time. Then, Ginger appropriated both toys as hers. As of now, one of the new toys has been nearly shredded and has joined many others in Ginger's toy stash under our bed. Mary tells me that Ginger is still working on one downstairs.

Our dinner last night was the last of those Thanksgiving leftovers with some of my homemade applesauce. After that, I journeyed to our media room where I watched the Woody Allen movie, Midnight in Paris. Each time I watch, I see or hear things that I'd not noticed before. One thing is for certain, the characters are played as caricatures, so over the top, as they exaggerate the historically known traits of the people that the actors were portraying.

Today, I/we have no plans. We may be able to take to the sidewalks with the fur-children, but there is a possible fly in the ointment, so to speak.

The NWS has forecast a 100% chance for rain showers later today, with the percentage increasing to 50% around 11:00 a.m. and continuing well into the late evening hours up to 100%. Sadly, as I mentioned previously, the annual Jingle Bell Parade is scheduled to step off in downtown GH @ 6:00 p.m. followed by the tree lighting and the arrival of Santa Claus. A few years ago, we went downtown and viewed the parade and then as we walked through Central Park on the way home, it began to rain in earnest. The festivities were cut short that night. Tonight, the rain will already be happening, so....

Otherwise, we/I have no plans except to watch the Wildcats of Northwestern take on the Buckeyes of Ohio State in the Big 10 Championship game. Mary has promised me a humongous bowl of popcorn for my viewing pleasure. I know where the fur-children will be at that time. The sun will rise today @ 7:56 a.m. ans eta later, before the parade steps off, @ 5:10 p.m. Ciao.