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

The view out the WW is cloudy and the current temperature is 25°. Later today, after the sun rises @ 7:29 a.m. and before it sets @ 8:09 p.m., we will see more of those clouds in the ayem hours and then the sun will poke its head out in the afternoon as the temperature rises to a sultry high of 33°!

We had a good day yesterday, unlike my favorite baseball teams. I used the kitchen after Mary was done making her famous pizza dough for last night's dinner. I cleaned up after both of us and then sat down to do some reading.

First, I made a very spicy batch of my vegan jerky. Oddly, or not, the fur-children are fine with the new, spicier version. But, they are dogs, so...

Next, I made another batch of my famous vegan sausages, one of which Mary incorporated into her dinner pizza. She took a pic, but forgot to send it to me. At any rate, the day/evening progressed nicely, at least for us here in GH.

However, the results for my baseball teams were less than stellar.

My beloved Red Sox fell to 1 - 2 and 5th place in the AL East, following a 5 - 6 loss to the Mariners last night in Seattle. The Sox hope to get back on track against the Mariners today @ 4:10 p.m.

The Tigers bats are still asleep, as they could produce no runs against the Blue Jays. The Tigers fell into 4th place in the AL Central following their own 0 - 3 loss, in this case to the Blue Jays. Those two teams play again today @ 1:07 p.m. By the bay, the results of X-rays on Miggy's hand were negative after he was hit by a pitch.

Alas, the Cubs are still waiting for Yu Darvish to get his old form back and earn that $126 million over six years salary. He started last night's game with two strikeouts and looked good. But then, the wheels came off and he ultimately yielded seven walks as his velocity continued to drop to 90 mph! He was relieved by Jose Quintana who stopped the Rangers, for a while.

However, when I fell asleep with the Cubs were ahead, 6 - 3 on the strength of a massive, soilo  home run by Kyle Schwarber. Catcher, Willson Contreras was great at throwing our Rangers and Javier Baez was his almost MVP self too. Alas, somewhere along the way, the Cubs pitching staff yielded to the Rangers bats and the sky fell in. The Cubs fell into 3rd place in the NL Central after they lost the game, 6 - 8. Ouch. The Cubs and the Rangers play again today @ 4:05 p.m. Maybe things will be better later today and then tomorrow in Atlanta against the Braves.


Today, more music, more reading, more retirement. Ciao.

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

I managed to sleep a solid seven hours, but then it was time to get up and give my yak some peace, or is it rest?. While my yak is feeling better, too much time in the bed can exacerbate the flare ups, so...

At any rate, our plans to visit Frederik Meijer Gardens in GR yesterday took a slight detour. We followed our Google Map™  directions through downtown GR, a mistake we won't make next time, and arrived at the gardens only to find that the place was packed. The parking lots were overflowing, the people were still pouring in.

Since we hadn't taken into account that yesterday was the first day of spring break for the schools of MI, we just weren't ready to get up close and personal with more people than butterflies. Discretion being the better part of valor, so to speak, we opted to delay our first visit. So, no pictures of the gardens and the butterflies will be forthcoming until another week or so has passed and things calm down in GR after the kids are back in school.

However, that does not mean that we didn't get any pictures. Rather, we took a circuitous route, well actually, we were lost more than not, and went way out of our way towards home. However, that allowed us to take some pix in a small village called Sparta and see parts of MI that we'd never before seen. So, that was good. I'll share some of our "Garden Party" pix now.

Proof that we were in Sparta across from a repurposed 5 and 10 cent store..

This one too, I guess, was repurposed.

Although you can't see the writing on the plaque, this is part of the "Depot Museum" in Sparta. It is a restored/repurposed train depot that once served the Toledo, Saginaw, and Muskegon Railroad. Once abandoned, it was given to the village historical society by the Grand Trunk Railroad, the successor to the Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon RR in the 1970s, and restored as a railroad museum. Like most of these small, museums, it is only open, sometimes.

What's a railroad museum without a caboose?

 As is often the case in small town America, Sparta had a small bank that too had been repurposed, in this case, into the village offices. So, here is what that old state chartered bank looks like now.

In small towns, they re-purpose old buildings on main street, they don't tear them down.

But on with our safari. We were traveling the back-roads of MI, meandering our way towards home, when we passed one of my favorite things, an industrial looking site, somewhere in MI. I rolled down the window after Mary pulled into the nearby parking lot for safety, and took this shot.

Probably a grain storage and transfer facility.

But, we weren't really lost, we just didn't know where we were on the map. Once we managed to reorient ourselves, we realized that we were heading west, towards GH. So we made our way to M104 and headed home past some familiar sights. One of them was this building/business of unknown purpose. So, I took a few shots of a very industrial looking facility.

Maybe it is part of "Area 81."

Who really knows?

Once back on familiar turf, we motored to our favorite watering hole for a light snack and passed our famous "Coal Tipple", another of those repurposed structures that in our case is a focal point for tourists.

Yes, no purpose in today's world, but a nice tourist attraction for our fair city.

Yesterday in baseball was a mixed day.

The 1 - 0 in the NL Central Cubs are still in first place, tied with the Reds, as they await tonight's game in TX against the Rangers, when Yu Darvish takes the ball.

The now 1 - 1 in the AL Central Tigers, couldn't get anything going in Toronto and fell to the Blue Jays, 0 - 6, and also into third place. Matthew Boyd pitched well while he was on the mound, but the Tigers' bats had "slumber in the lumber" and could generate no runs. The Tigers and the Blue Jays take the field again today @ 3:07 p.m.

My beloved Red Sox righted the ship in Seattle as they triumphed over the Mariners, 7 - 6, on a stunning home-run by Mitch Moreland. The win moves the Sox into a three-way second place tie, just behind the 1 - 0 Yankees in the AL East. The Sox and the Mariners play again tonight @ 9:10 p.m.

We have a current temperature of 38° following sunrise @ 7:31 a.m. The sun will set later @ 8:08 p.m. after a much lower high of 41° today.Is that an oxymoron, a lower high? There is also a light rain falling outside the WW. At any rate, that's nothing compared to tomorrow's high temperature forecast from the NWS of 33°! We'll have to wait until Sunday, April 7. before we return to the 50s. What's that the ephemeral "They" say about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb? I think it is going our more like a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Today, we had planned to put away our winter coats after their annual spring washing, but I think that may wait for a few more days. We've already put away our winter shoes.

I guess my outdoor plans will wait a few more days too, what with the rain and colder temperatures. That's fine with me and my yak. I'll do some drawing, some reading, some cooking, and play some music. Mary will do that voodoo that she do so well, whatever that is.

We had planned to take the fur-children for a walk, but if we do, it will be with our winter coats on and unwashed, and it will be more abbreviated. Ciao.

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

In the words of the immortal Meat Loaf, Two Out of Three Ain't Bad. Here he is from a YouTube™ video intoning those immortal words.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5hWWe-ts2s

I referenced that lyric due to the results of my three baseball teams, yesterday, Opening Day.

My beloved 0 - 1, 2nd to the hated Yankees in the AL East Red Sox, with LHP pitcher Chris Sale starting, fell to the Seattle Mariners, 4 - 12. Ouch! Mookie had a good day, but the Sox' bullpen also was no help and thus, the loss. The Sox play the Mariners again tonight @ 10:10 p.m. PDT.

Meanwhile, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the 1 - 0. AL Central leading Tigers and RHP pitcher Jordan Zimmerman, were victorious over the Blue Jays, 2 - 0. Zimmerman carried a no-hitter into the 7th inning. The Tigers and the Blue Jays reprise yesterday's action again tonight @ 7:07 p.m. EDT.

Good news from Arlington, TX, where the 1 - 0, 1st place in the NL Central Cubs, rode the 2 HR day of Javier Baez and the single HR off the bat of Kris Bryant, to a rout of the Rangers, 12 - 4. Starting LHP Jon Lester had a good game and got the win. The Cubs and the Rangers try again Saturday @ 7:05 p.m. CDT. Yu Darvish is feeling good and expects to start the game.

We have a current temperature of 43° under partly-cloudy skies. My DTWS, (Desktop Weather Station) is showing 44°, based on its reading taken from the FPMS (Front Porch Mounted Sensor). Today's high is forecast to reach 48°, also under partly-cloudy skies, with a slight chance for rain in the afternoon.

We are scheduled to travel to GR today while Ginger is @ daycare, and Sugar is enjoying the run of the manse, well actually a spot on the bed. The NWS is forecasting a high in GR today of 55°. We plan to go to the Frederik Meijer Gardens there to see the butterflies and the blooming plants. We also plan to take as many photos as possible, so fasten you seat-belts.

That trip caused us to travel to The Camera Store in Muskegon yesterday to add to our ever burgeoning cache of camera related gear. In this instance, Mary wanted a more portable case/backpack for our spare lenses. We were rewarded, with the assistance of Justin, with just what we wanted. In addition, Mary also picked up the external flash she learned about at her recent macro picture taking session. Justin also gave us the 411 on the conditions @ Meijer Gardens. He let us know that it will be quite warm and humid there. In other words, dress appropriately.

I learned something a while ago. GR is just far enough east to have a seven degree warmer 55° daytime temperature versus GH. Plus, while the sun will rise here @ 7:32 a.m. and set later @ 8:07 p.m., in GR, the sun will rise @ 7:30 a.m. and set later @ 8:05 p.m. I should have recognized that, but...

Otherwise, we accomplished more indoor chores and I did some light raking in the vast gardens of the PE. (Palatial Estate). I raked just enough to allow me to restore Havenhenge, our local homage to England's Stonehenge, to its pre-winter, pre-STWD condition, and also to reveal the irises that are starting to come up.

Since we can't seem to get anyone to call us back about a spring cleanup, Mary says I can do an impression of our old neighbor, Marshall Brooks. In other words, if I rake a small section of the estate each day until I am done, I won't strain any body parts and the PE will return to its pre-winter condition. However, she rightfully says we need to find someone to spread the mulch and I agree.

Is that enough for one day? Yes. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 8:30 a.m. in "The City."

I am going to once again depart from the regular format of this blog, albeit with one mention of baseball in honor of the fact that this is Opening Day, the first day of the 2019 Major League Baseball™ season. This is the day when the season opens, when all the teams have equal records and when all that is great about America can shine through and past all that isn't, but which can be again.

Of course, what would Opening Day be without John Fogerty and his homage to baseball, his song, Centerfield! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnWQd70br9g

The Tigers open first in Toronto against the Blue Jays @ 3:37 p.m. The Cubs open next in TX against the Rangers @ 4:05 p.m.. And finally, my beloved Red Sox open tonight in Seattle against the Mariners @ 7:10 p.m.. All times are EDT.

Oh, I can dispense with the weather in AZ and FL, and just get on with life here in "The City." We have a current temperature of 41° as we slowly climb towards today's high of 45°. The sun rose @ 7:34 a.m. and it will set later @ 8:06. The view out the WW tells me it will be a sun shiny day.

We had a great day yesterday by any measure. Our first tomato seedlings are sprouting and the sun was shining. We made it to the chiropractor in the afternoon and then later to see Beth Nielsen Chapman @ Seven Steps UP! Worthy of note, is that the building that houses Seven Steps Up is a renovated Masonic Hall built in 1919 at 116 S. Jackson St. in Spring Lake, MI. The owners, Gary and Michelle Hanks, purchased the vacant red brick building in 2001 with plans initially to renovate the entire building for their home. But when they were unable to obtain approval to rezone the two lower floors from commercial to residential, they opted to restore the building to its original character and open Seven Steps Up for small gatherings, such as wedding receptions, showers, reunions, corporate parties and special events.

The name "Seven Steps Up" comes from the seven steps leading to the front door where guests from a bygone era entered the Masonic Temple's Grand Ballroom. Makeovers included the removal of industrial grade carpeting covering original maple hardwood flooring and plaster hiding a fireplace and beautiful Chicago brick walls.I assure you, that a building that is now 100 years old is a terrific venue to hear artists perform in an acoustically perfect setting.

A real singer/songwriter who wanted to perform in smaller venues on this tour.

Like Spring Lake's Seen Steps Up.

Ms. Nielsen-Chapman was equally adept at guitar

And the keyboards.

Ms. Nielsen-Chapman sang her songs and told her life stories. Here are some links to songs we really liked.  The first is her song Deeper Still from her 2002 album of the same name.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vSzw2bpYa4

And, Life Holds On, from her album, Hearts of Glass.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KTox26vt_M

Since Ms. Nielsen-Chapman has written many songs and written for many artists, the choices were difficult. But, some of you may recognize this next song,  It was co-written by Ms. Nielsen-Chapman and became a hit in 1998 for country music artist Faith Hill. It is entitled: This Kiss.  The song was Grammy™ nominated as the best country song for that year.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dls_cBmUt7Q

Otherwise, today is just another day in paradise, AKA another P/T appointment and that's about it. I also have more indoor chores to do, more reading, perhaps some kitchen activities, and more retirement. What's not to like about that? Ciao.

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

Not unlike my last blog, this blog will take a few twists and turns en-route to my final destination. So, be sure that your tray tables are stowed and your seat is in the upright position.

We have a current temperature of 25° en-route to today's high of 46° under partly-cloudy skies. Sadly, we won't see a permanent temperature in the 50s until April 7! Plus, Saturday's high temperature of 38° will be accompanied by an 80% chance for rain/snow. Enough already! At least one thing is for certain, the sun will rise this morning @ 7:36 a.m. and set tonight @ 8:05 p.m.

A quick bit of news from the world of baseball for tomorrow. The Cubs will open against the Rangers in Arlington, TX @ 4:05 p.m. with Jon Lester taking the mound. My beloved Red Sox will open the season in Seattle against the Mariners @ 7:05 p.m. Finally, the Tigers will be in Toronto to face the Blue Jays @ 3:37 p.m. Yes my friends, I am born again, there's new grass on the field.

But on to life in the minor leagues of GH. I went to my P/T appointment yesterday where things went as expected. I'm still regaining strength and I have a ways to go, but I am making progress. Ben took some measurements of my mobility and sent those over to the doctor's office in time for my 1:00 p.m. appointment there. I am three months into what is a four to six month recovery schedule. So, while I am still weak, and while my rotator cuff will never be 100%, I can now lift 20lbs and use a shovel, as long as I don't throw dirt over my shoulder. Since I haven't done that in years anyway, I'm okay.

A side note, I was able to accumulate a shade over two miles of walking yesterday by the time Mary and I had completed our tour of Rosy Mound Natural Area, one of the many great parks in the Ottawa County Parks System. Naturally, we had to take many pix while on our tour and I'll include some now. By the by, I took all of these photos with my 150 mm telephoto lens/glass on our Olympus DSLR camera.

Although it is hard to see, this approach to the beach from which we'd hoped to see the "Big Lake" was ice covered and not safe for our passage.

Uphill would have been okay, but ice and our fear of falling precluded our following this trail.

However there were lots of trails, but as noted above, some were ice-covered and slippery, at least for people of a certain age.

Yes they were, and yes we did!

Although the temperature was 46 degrees, the forest primeval was cold enough to retain much ice and snow.

Still, the paths were walk-able and we enjoyed ourselves.

Mary espied this tree with a knothole that looked like a squirrel or bird was using it as a hme.

It was this view on Monday that caused us to go back to Rosy Mound yesterday.

 

Or, maybe it was this view.

On the way home, we stopped for this shot of a closed sand pit just outside of the city limits.

A shot of the dormant BLP power plant on Harbor Island.

Both lighthouses from the City Beach, or is it the State Park Beach? Who can tell one grain of sand from another?

The outer lighthouse.

And the inner lighthouse.

As we motored towards our final destination, Spring Lake, you can see the ice still on the beaches of the "Big Lake"

Later today, we have an appointment at the chiropractor and then tonight, we are returning to Spring Lake and our favorite local concert venue, Seven Steps Up! We will be seeing to an artist whom we have never seen/heard, named Beth Neilsen Chapman, a singer-songwriter who has written tunes for Willie Nelson, Alabama, Faith Hill, and many others. Like Carole King, Chapman is a fine vocalist and performer. I've included this track from YouTube™ of her singing her own song, Sand and Water. I think we are going to like her performance. I hope you do too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdcSNruapQk&start_radio=1&list=RDSdcSNruapQk&t=5

Ciao.

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

I am going to eschew my regular format with just a few exceptions, as we did a lot in one short day on Monday. We have a current temperature of 35° under clear skies. Tomorrow, Tuesday, our high is forecast to reach 39°, also under clear skies. That's after the sun rises @ 7:38 a.m. and before it sets @ 8:04 p.m.

Since I had a dental appointment in Holland, I asked Mary to drive while I enjoyed the scenery. Holland is home to many tourist attractions, but also home to many places that are not touristy in nature, but which are enticing to photographers. One of those tourist attractions is Holland's world famous Windmill Island Gardens, home to an original working Dutch windmill named "De Zwaan" (the Swan) brought over from the Netherlands in 1964.

Mary took this photo out the window of our Jeep™

The windmill, which reaches 125 feet from the ground to the top of the blades, towers over 36 acres of gardens, dikes, canals and picnic areas.  Since windmills are protected in the European Holland, it took three years of negotiations with the Dutch government to allow for the windmill to be disassembled and brought to Holland, MI for reassembly in 1964 to honor the many settlers of Dutch ancestry that called Holland, MI home. A side note, this windmill was used as a location to spot enemy aircraft as they flew over Holland and some of its original blades were bullet riddled.

We took many pictures of the windmill and its surroundings in spite of the fact that the park is currently closed for the season and won't reopen until April 29th.

Good perspective with people in the foreground of the 125' tall windmill in the background

A small bird just outside the windmill's entrance.

Many Canada Geese call Windmill Island home.

You must cross this bridge to get to the windmill.

As noted, Canada Geese feel right at home.

We actually began our photographic safari at Kollen Park, not too far from our dentist's office. We were able to get shots of the nearby power plant and other "Industrial" facilities nearby.

A power plant, I believe.

Nice to take pictures of this facility, but I don't know what its function actually is.

A better view, I think.

There is something about an unused  playground during the off-season that fascinates me.

Once we left Kollen Park, we managed to get just lost enough on the way home to get some great industrial shots of a recycling facility that has been in Holland for over 100 years! This facility is named for its founder, Louis Padnos, a Russian immigrant who came to Holland, MI in 1905 as a teenager and after a stint as a dry goods peddler, founded what is now the Louis Padnos Iron and Metal Co. and Recyclers.

I especially liked this shot of the facility because it shows how nature is reclaiming the building. The shadows add some nice qualities too.

.

From just across the street, you can see the yard in action as they recycle metals, plastics, paper and electronics.

Much the same.

Since Mary was driving, I was able to take several shots of the Consumers Power generating station and its cooling stack as we drove. Here are a few, including the one below that Mary shot when we parked alongside the road as we headed home.

A nice shot of the steam from the power plant's cooling tower.

Same here, but much closer.

In the summer and winter "peak power" periods, these railroad tracks are filled with what seems like miles of hopper cars carrying coal to the insatiable power plant.

As you can see, not many are present right now.

So, that is a chronicle of our day in words and pictures. We had often seen the signs for Windmill Gardens, but had never visited. We think that although the island was not open, yet, the lack of people on the island allowed us to get some pictures that did not have to wait for them to move. Ciao.

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

As you may have noticed, I didn't get around to blogging yesterday. I didn't have much to say and I wanted to give my yak a chance to rest. However, it looks like the yak situation is coming into focus. We took a walk with the fur-children to the bank downtown and my yak held up well. I'm not perfect, but hopefully the light I see at the end of the tunnel isn't a train.

We used the new leashes we got for the fur-children and the only drawback to their use is us. By that, I mean we don't quite have the adjustment right, especially for STWD, but we'll get it. I guess you can say that it is a failing on the part of the humans at the end of the leashes.

Speaking of the humans here in GH, we are currently experiencing a temperature of 39° that feels like 33° under partly-cloudy skies. Once the sun rises this morning @ 7:39 a.m. and well before it sets @ 8:02 p.m. we anticipate a high temperature of 41° under sunny skies. Sadly, the NWS has forecast that there may be T-storms on Thursday and the temperatures will not get out of the 40s until April 5!

Good news though, our pepper plants are doing well in their indoor greenhouse home and we should be able to get them outside around mid-April and into the ground around May 12. I am encouraging them everyday as Mary waters them. We are still awaiting the first sprouts from the tomatoes and the tomatillos that Mary planted a few days ago. Their germination time is around 12 to 14 days versus the nearly 28 days it takes for the peppers to sprout.

In other news, Mary once again demonstrated her skills in the kitchen as she completed her loaf of whole-wheat bread and also made a fabulous vegan root-vegetable stew. The recipe required EVOO, celery, minced garlic, vegetable broth, chickpea flour, carrots, turnips, potatoes, mushrooms, bay leaves, tomato paste, thyme, pepper and my personal favorite, a bottle of Guinness Stout beer. With some assistance from Mary's sous chef, me, and some time atop the stove for sauteing and cooking, dinner was terrific. The bread served as a sop for the extra juice that was generated in the making of the stew. I've included some pix that Mary took to chronicle her efforts.

No-Knead whole wheat bread.

Stew in the Dutch Oven, almost ready to serve.

Probably two more meals!

Back to the other things in life. Following our walk to the bank with the fur-children, we settled into do some reading and indoor chores. I finished the crossword with Mary's assistance and then we settled in to do what retired people do, whatever we choose.

By the by, the current temperature in Mesa, AZ is 67° under clear skies. Today's high is forecast to be 86° under sunny skies. The Cubs also made some roster moves today, as they signed 29 YO LHP, Tim Collins, to a Major-League contract, but sent him to Iowa for a while. The team also made room on the roster by designating 36 YO RHP, Brian Duensing for assignment and also sent outfielder/infielder Ian Happ to the the Iowa Cubs to get more at bats than he is likely to get sitting on the bench in the early part of the season in Chicago. He wasn't happy, but this is a business.

In Lakeland, FL, the current temperature is 65° under partly-cloudy skies. Today's high is forecast to be 82°, also under partly-cloudy skies. Tigers'  manager, Ron Gardenhire has named 32 YO RHP, Jordan Zimmerman, as the starter for the Tigers' opener on Thursday @ Toronto against the Bluejays. However, in Saturday's spring training 18 - 6 win over those same Bluejays, center fielder, JaCoby Jones, injured his shoulder. The Tigers are not ready to promote outfield prospect Daz Cameron to the big club yet, so they are scouring the wires for a fill in for Jones.

Meanwhile, my beloved Red Sox are enjoying 71° under partly-cloudy skies in Ft. Myers, FL. they have signed top RHP, Chris Sale, to a contract extension and they feel set in their infield The Sox hope to repeat last year's World Series win. As they close out their spring training, they will have a high today of 84° under partly-cloudy skies.

We have an appointment at the dentist in Holland today. Mary is still a bit under the weather, so her attendance is a game time decision. Otherwise, not much is happening. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City."

Wow, I awoke in my La-Z-Boy around 3:30 a.m. to discover that Mary is sleeping in the La-Z-Boy downstairs to alleviate the problems with her allergies/head cold. I guess you could say that's a twofer. At any rate, I had fallen asleep in my La-Z-Boy in the Media Room after we watched Independence Day in the dining room, because we couldn't take any more of the wall to wall. 24/7, non-stop coverage of the latest news out of DC. I suspect that Mary is back to it now, but I eschewed that for my favorite fare, old TV reruns. At any rate, I wasn't going downstairs to find out, I learned of her plans by email.

We have a current temperature of 25° that feels like 20° under clear skies. We are anticipating today's high to reach 38° under sunny skies. We won't see the upper 40s until Wednesday of next week. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:43 a.m. and set this evening @ 8:00 p.m.

In Mesa, AZ, the current temperature is 56° under clear skies and the high today is forecast to reach 77° under partly cloudy/partly sunny skies. Meanwhile, it looks as though relief pitcher, Pedro Strop has recovered from his hamstring injury, as has starting pitcher Yu Darvish recovered from the blister on his pitching hand. We need these two men to be healthy from the start of the season and beyond.

Over in Lakeland. FL, the Tigers are feeling the cool and clear temperature of 48° and the forecast calls for clear skies and 80°. Top Tigers' pitching prospect, Casey Mize, who was chosen in the draft last June, is having a phenomenal spring, but isn't trying to rush his way to the major leagues. We shall see what the absence of starting pitcher Micheal Fuller for 14 to 16 months as he undergoes surgery and rehab, does to those plans.

In Ft. Myers, FL, my beloved Red Sox are feeling good under clear skies with a current temperature of 58° as they await today's high of 70° under sunny skies. All in all, everywhere today, it will be a beautiful day for baseball!

In really outstanding news for Red Sox Nation, the Sox and left-handed starting pitcher, Chris Sale, have agreed to an contract extension for six years and $160 million! I guess that a front-line starting pitcher isn't as valuable as an everyday outfielder or infielder.

Ginger and I watched the train go both ways on the RSTL yesterday. At 9:41 a.m., we watched as MMRR locomotives 2019 and 2025 rolled past heading south, towing nine CHCs, 17 DBTCs, two DWTCs, and one GTC.

Later, we watched those same locomotives heading north as they towed three CHCs, 11 DBTCs, and one DWTC.

I was productive in the kitchen yesterday as I used the oven to make more tofu cubes in the old way, spicy chickpeas just the way I like them, and I turned the old ry bread into croutons. I never made it to the man-cave for my finishing of my acrylic painting, but that's okay, there is always today. I also never got that light switch replaced inthe upstairs bathroom. Likewise on today. or not.

Speaking of today, we may or may not go to Hemlock Crossing Nature Education Center for a presentation on the Equinox Expedition that is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. later today. Mary thinks this is an indoor program, but I'm afraid that this is a walking presentation to see what the Vernal Equinox has meant to spring in the Ottawa County Parks. I am not yet fully recovered from my surgery so I am not up to long hikes in the woods. A quick aside, my yak is feeling better, but I won't jinx it by saying more. So too is my shoulder.

Otherwise, no real plans for today other than more indoor chores and more reading. I am enjoying my latest read, Mission Critical, by Mark Greaney the latest book in his Gray Man series, but I have to get to 1984 for our book club meeting the first Wednesday in April. Ciao.

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

I've been out of the blog world for a few days due to my baking yak. Sooner or later it will be better, I hope, but until then, I am limiting my chair time to avoid unnecessary strain on my lower yak. Sigh.

When I was @ P/T yesterday, I picked Ben's therapist brain with regard to what types of exercises I might employ/enjoy to improve my condition. With those, the pain seems to come and go, so maybe I am making that hoped for progress. Even our chiropractor feels that it would be in my best interest to get some P/T on my yak. However, I have been there before and it is usually just some icing, some heating pad, and much stretching/exercising to get me closer to normal. I'm good as long as I am sitting or standing totally upright, it's that in between stage that is the most painful.

Moving right along, I am showing steady progress on my shoulder. My range of motion is improving and my strength is returning. As my orthopedist stated weeks ago, it takes about four to six months for a mostly complete recovery.

We have a current temperature of 33° that feels like 25° due to the prevailing winds off the "Big Lake." In fact, today's high temperature will only reach 36°as the winds continue to blow with speeds up to 22 mph! The sun will rise @ 7:45 a.m. and set later @ 7:59 p.m.

In Mesa, AZ, spring home to the Cubs for just another six days until the Cubs visit Arlington, TX and open their season against the Rangers, the Cubs are enjoying a current temperature of 53° under clear skies and they expect 72° under mostly sunny skies later today. Nico Hoerner, the Cubs' second-ranked prospect in their minor league system, continues to impress, but he is expected to open the season @ W. TN. Look for him soon at the major league level, as his skills are that exceptional.

It looks like the Cubs will have Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, and Javier Baez in the two thru four batting slots in the early part of the season. No lead-off hitter has yet been designated. Maybe Ben Zobrist or Albert Almora Jr., who have had solid springs. As always, the Cubs are stressing that all players be able to play multiple positions in the field.

My beloved Red Sox are currently experiencing 61° in Ft, Myers, FL, and today's high will reach 76° under sunny Florida skies. The Sox expect that they too will have their lineup set very soon. Third baseman, Rafael Devers, is hitting well.

Sox' outfielder, Mookie Betts, reportedly turned down a contract extension for $200 million, opting to wait for free agency that happens after next season to see what his value will be. That follows the huge deals signed my Mike Trout of the Angels, $426 million for 10 years, and that of Bryce Harper of the Phillies, @ 330 million for 12 years. The sky may be the limit for Mookie,.

In Lakeland, FL, the Tigers are feeling good with a current temperature of 52° as they expect today's high to reach 75° under sunny skies. The Tigers received bad news recently, as starting pitcher. Michael Fulmer, will need Tommy John surgery and he will be out for the next 14 to 16 months, recovering and rehabbing. While the Tigers don't anticipate rushing pitching prospect, Casey Mize, to the majors anytime soon, they are impressed with his talents and poise. Much of that timetable depends on how the Tigers see their next several seasons and playoff chances shaping up.

Today. I have no plans other than rest and reading. If all goes well, I will start to feel better in all of my physical areas very soon. As Ben said yesterday. as you get older, your time of recovery from any injury increases exponentially. Sigh.

John is done with the painting for a while and the dining room and foyer look terrific.

A side note, I finished reading an article Mary forwarded to me about Amtrak train travel. The article perfectly describes a typical cross-country trip on Amtrak. If you have a lot of time, just like taking an Amtrak trip, peruse the article from the NY Times Magazine, for which I have attached a link.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/03/20/magazine/train-across-america-amtrak.html Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 27° under clear skies that feels like 27°, as we rise to today's high temperature of 39° under partly-cloudy skies. Spring is coming. I've found a work around for my missing ° symbol. Not perfect, but until I can find a way to actually fix the problem caused by my errant typing, I've copied the symbol from an earlier blog and I'm pasting it in as needed. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:50 a.m. and set later @ 7:55 p.m. Yes Virginia, the days are getting longer.

In Mesa, AZ, the current temperature is 62° under clear skies. Today's high forecast calls for 85° under sunny skies.

However, in both Lakeland and Ft. Myers, FL, the skies are filled with rain with 54° and 59° respectively and the forecast from the NWS calls for a 100% chance for rain today and high temperatures of only 65°.

Today promises to be another day of P/T with the benefits outweighing the pain of the activity. I am improving, but it is a long, drawn out process. My yak is coming along, but that too is a long process. Sigh.

We accomplished the indoor chores yesterday while John was painting the dining room. I used to paint the ceilings and walls, but I was never as good as John. I just wanted the job to be done, whereas John is a perfectionist and he takes the time necessary to do the job right.

Mary was going to make her world-famous hammish yesterday, but that got pushed back until today. I worked a crossword and read the Grand Haven Tribune too. I finished reading my latest novel and it was a page turner.

Yesterday, I picked up a copy of 1984 by George Orwell @ Booked for the Season, one of our local bookstores that specializes in gently previously read books.while I was out in the morning. I now have that to read for our book club along with watching the movie adaptation. I also finished my coloring on an owl portrait that I've been working on for several days. I like how it turned out. I wish I could show it here.

However, I can share some pictures from The Atlantic that were posted as part of an article about the floods in the Midwest and Great Plains.

A BNSF train trapped in flood waters near Platte, NE.

Offutt Air Base near Omaha, NE.

Flooded Camp Ashland, an Army National Guard Base near Ashland, NE.

I could go on and on, but these photos depict the dire results of Climate Change and the impact that that change will have on commerce and military preparedness now and in the future. The rail line that the BNSF train uses is also used by Amtrak. The damage to the railroad track bed will take a long time to repair and the loss of revenue to businesses and the railroad will be huge. This is the result of pretending that Climate Change is a hoax!

Enough for one blog. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:00 a.m. in "The City", where the sun will rise today @ 7:54 a.m. and set later @ 7:53 p.m., after a partly-cloudy day and a high of 37 degrees That's after we move away from our current temperature of 22 degrees.

In Mesa, AZ, the Cubs are enjoying a current temperature of 60 degrees under clear skies, which will continue as they enjoy today's sunny skies and 80 degrees.

In Lakeland, the skies are partly-cloudy and the Tigers are anticipating a high today of 72 degrees under those same partly-cloudy skies.

In Ft. Myers, FL, my beloved Red Sox are also under cloudy-skies, as they expect a high today of 80 degrees with rain in the forecast for tonight.

By the by, I thought I had missed the afternoon train run on the RSTL Friday, after seeing MMRR locomotives 2019 and 2025 pass by towing 11 CHCs, three DBTCs, two DWTCs, and two GTCs @ 9:36 Friday morning.

However, there was no afternoon run and so I was awoken by the sound of those same locomotives passing by yesterday morning towing five CHCs, six DBTCs, and four DWTCs. I can't remember the last time I saw a Saturday morning train run.

Mary and I both had good times yesterday. I was  at my Irish Jam Session that was lightly attended due to the many gigs being performed by various players around the West Michigan area. In fact, Larry, our fearless leader, had to leave early to get to his band's gig in Hart, MI. However, my vegan Irish soda bread was well received and it does indeed taste great.

Meanwhile, Mary was in Muskegon @ The Camera Store, where she attended a very informative workshop on macro photography. All in all, she took over 250 pix! I've uploaded them all to the cloud, but you won't see them beyond those which I'll include here.

A great capture of water droplets on a feather.

A succulent garden.

A different shot of those water droplets.

I picked this one as a possible for my art corner, but there are many to choose from in the cloud.

Once of several shell-themed pix.

Same.

Here too.

The workshop presenter, Mike Amico of Olympus, had set up many different subjects to choose from.

One view of a fiber subject with more in the shot.

While this view has a different focal point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A jewel display.

We went out to dinner @ Don Luis Mexican Restaurant, after Mary picked me up from the jam session. The food was terrific, as always, and then it was time to head home to feed the fur-children and see what John had accomplished during his painting session in the manse. He got the ceiling done in the dining room and taped off the trim in preparation for completion on Monday and Tuesday of the entire project that includes the foyer.

But as usual, I digress. As we were leaving Don Luis, we espied out car in the lot parked next to another Jeep™ Renegade of the same color and similar equipment. We don't know where the owner(s) of that vehicle were, but we assume that they couldn't resist the chance to park next to our Jeep™. At any rate, Mary had her camera at the ready following our collective viewing of her day's photo efforts while we were at the restaurant. So, she shot several pix to memorialize "The Meeting."

Ours is the one on the right. Black trim, grill, and wheels versus chrome trim, grill, and wheel accents.

Today, we hope to stay in after finally being able to take the fur-children on a more extended walk after breakfast. We have been unable to walk with them for several weeks due to my shoulder surgery and the icy sidewalks. I won't be able to walk too far, as sleeping on one side has mis-aligned my yak, but I'll build up as time goes by and the chiropractor and physical therapist work their collective magic. We have some plans to do some reading too, but that is a very fluid plan. We must do some indoor chores too. Ciao.