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."

Uncharacteristically, I stayed in bed all night after falling asleep in my media room chair. The only time I got up was around 1:00 a.m. to go down and let the fur-children out early this morning. I found Mary downstairs trying desperately trying to finish a book she was reading. I let the fur-children out, and came back to bed. I think Mary came in around 3:00 a.m., but that's only a guess on my part.

Oh, apparently while I was sleeping, the City came by and striped the streets in front of the manse. Since I rarely sleep that soundly, it was a surprise to me that Mary didn't sleep through, since she was reading. In GH, the streets are deserted overnight into the early morning hours, so the best time for striping is during those early morning hours.

The sun already rose today @ 6:08 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:16 p.m. In between, the NWS has forecast a high temperature of 65°. about 14° warmer than our current temperature of 51° and about 6° warmer than yesterday. A glance out the WW indicates that we had some rain overnight, following the rain yesterday that soaked things nicely. Today, we anticipate only a partly-cloudy sky.

That partly-cloudy sky may once again preclude any serious drawing in my art studio, but it should allow us to get our new roses planted.

Since only the West Michigan White Caps played yesterday, I can report that the Cubs were off yesterday and that they are still in 1st place. They face the Cardinals in St. Louis tonight @ 8:15 p.m. EDT. My beloved and fading Red Sox were rained out in their game against the Yankees last night. They will try again tonight @ 7:05 p.m. The Tigers were also off. They open a weekend series against the Braves in Atlanta tonight @ 7:20 p.m.

Back to the West Michigan White Caps. They once again saw their bats go silent and they fell to the Tin Caps, 0 - 1. They are still languishing in 7th place in the MWL East with a record of 19 - 35. Fortunately, the MWL divides their season into halves, so the Caps have a chance to improve. The Caps are in OH tonight to play the Lake County Captains, with their record of 32 - 21, @ 6:30 p.m.

I made it to that lecture at the Tri-Cities History Museum last night on The Year the Music Died. It was good, but not great. I heard and saw some things that I had known and a few that I never knew, but the overall grade for the presentation would be a C+ to a B-, and I'm being generous.

I hadn't planned to get into the kitchen yesterday, but I did and made the requested vegan sausages while Mary went to the grocery store before her hair cut appointment. We both made it to our chiropractor's appointment @ 3:15 p.m.

While I was at the lecture, Mary took herself out to dinner and reading time. She reportedly had a nice time and so it was a good plan for both of us.

So today, maybe some drawing and coloring, more reading, more gardening and that's about it. 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."

Well, another day has come and gone here in GH. When you are retired, one day can be pretty much like the last. In short, enjoyable, because you don't have any place to be and all day to get there.

But I digress. The current temperature here in GH is 53° under cloudy skies. No rain is in the forecast, and it will be 60° later today. The sun will rise later @ 6:09 a.m. and set @ 9:16 p.m. Oddly, the furnace kicked on overnight due to the low temperatures here in the manse.

A Special Weather Statement was issued by the NWS @ 5:04 a.m. for Ottawa County, MI. The NWS is warning of scattered T-storms along a line in southern and lower Michigan from Muskegon to Lansing. Heavy downpours, cloud to ground lightning, and perhaps some small hail are possible until 7:15 a.m., with the storm moving @ 30 mph! We shall see.

As is often the case, we got up late, had a small luncheon and then walked the fur-children for several blocks. Ginger could have kept going, but STWD ran out of gas by the time we got back to the PE. Best of all, it was the second day in a row where the car stayed in the garage. Our carbon footprint is so tiny that we are not even a blip on the cosmic scale of such things.

Mary worked in the kitchen, with my able assistance, making a new vegan recipe for potato salad that we got from the PBS TV show, The Jazzy Vegetarian. I was up early yesterday, what's new, when I espied the listing for the show as I was moving from one channel to another. So, I watched and found this recipe which I forwarded to Mary from the The Jazzy Vegetarian website. For vegans and for that matter, anyone who desires to eat healthier, this is a great site.

The potato salad recipe required lots of chopping, lots of planning, and lots of careful measuring, all things that Mary loves in the kitchen. The main ingredient was of course, potatoes, but there was also celery, vegan mayo, spices, and garbanzo beans for protein. Me, I washed the potatoes, peeled the carrots, and washed the dishes afterwards. When served with vegan hot-dogs, dinner was terrific and I pronounce this recipe a keeper. Here is a pic of Mary's efforts, taken by our Senior Staff Photographer herself.

 

Tastes even better than it looks!

Earlier in the day, I was reading and Mary caught a glimpse of a squirrel on our deck, contentedly munching on some sort of nut. She took several pix, but here is one that I like.

Do not disturb!

When I was out with the fur-children, not early as I previously mentioned, I took some pix of the "Hobbit Forest" that came with our mulch this spring, along with several pix of various flowers that are blooming or getting ready to bloom in the Vast Gardens of the PE. In fact, I took some of the Irises that Steph and Adam gave us several years ago. This is the first time that any of them have formed buds. Along with industrial pix, I also like to take pix of natures bounty.

The Hobbit Forest.

First bloom on the Irises from Steph and Adam

A flower from the original Irises that came with the manse.

The first bloom in Mary's rose garden.

A bloom on one of the not yet planted roses.

 A bud on the poppies that grow in our garden. They too came with the manse.

This bud on the original Irises looked interesting.

Wow, that went on a lot longer than I had planned, so I think I'll abbreviate or truncate the balance of this blog for the sake of brevity.

Cubs win, over the Astros, 2 - 1. Cubs set Home Run record by hitting 50 in one-month, the first time the team has ever achieved that feat. Cubs off today, but travel to St. Louis to face the Cards for a three-game set beginning Friday night @ 8:15 p.m. EDT.

My beloved Red Sox are floundering, as they lost a slug-fest to the Indians, 9 - 14. The Sox are once again in action tonight in NYC, as the face the Yankees @ 7:05 p.m.

The Tigers are still not a good team, but they defeated an even worse team, the Orioles, 4 - 2 yesterday. The Tigers are off today too, before traveling to Atlanta to meet the Braves @ 7:20 p.m. Friday.

The West Michigan White Caps split a pair with the Tin Caps yesterday, 10 - 1, and 0 - 1 to remain in contention for one of the worst teams in memory. The Caps and the Tin Caps play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

I'll be going to a lecture @ the Tri-Cities History Museum tonight, entitled The Year the Music Died. Lecturer Jon VanderPloeg will discuss the music of 1959; Elvis was in the army, Little Richard brought his mojo to the ministry, Buddy Holly died in a plane crash, Chuck Berry went to prison, and Jerry Lee Lewis was found to have married his 13 year old cousin. Rock and Roll seemed dead, and the music industry soon invented teen idols like Fabian, Frankie Avalon, Annette Funicello, and Bobby Vee.

Ricky Nelson kept rockin’, maintaining the music’s faint heartbeat. We were saved in the 60’s by the second coming of rock and roll – The British Invasion, starting in 1960 with Johnny Kidd and the Pirates, who were “Shakin’ All Over.” The early British Invasion was merely a repackaging of American blues and R & B, with a British accent. Thank goodness for the Brits, whose last invasion had included the burning of the White House.

Otherwise, I plan to color, paint, play music, and read, not necessarily in any particular order, and I may not get to everything on my agenda. Ciao.

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

A current temperature of 56° is actually warmer than the high of yesterday, which was all of 52°! We are anticipating more rain during the early morning hours today @ 90%. However, personal observation out the WW indicates that while the rain may fall @ 90%, it is a very light rain which has allowed STWD to sleep comfortably next to the bed. Throughout the day today, the NWS has forecast that the rain will continue @ 50% with a high temperature reaching 60°. The sun will rise @ 6:09 a.m. and set later @ 9:15 p.m.

A relative calm has once again settled over our fair city, as the Memorial Day crowds all went home on Monday. Yesterday, Mary and I were out walking and a car was seen speeding down, or was it up, our portion of the street going down the wrong way. Just one of many we'll see this season, I'm certain.

I was busy in the kitchen yesterday, making vegan Italian meatballs and soy curl fajita/general purpose filling for enchiladas, which were our dinner last night. That filling should also be good for tacos and burritos too. Both the Italian meatballs and the soy curly filling turned out fine. Mary kept busy with the indoor chores and out of "my" kitchen. Below are some pix of my efforts in their almost ready for dinner form and those of Mary.

Inclusive of the green peppers, added later by Mary, my filling was great.

You can't make enchiladas without heating the tortillas.

Finished and ready to eat!

I wish I could say the same about baseball yesterday, being successful I mean. as three out of my four teams fell by the wayside.

The 30 - 23 Cubs and starting pitcher, Jon Lester, fell to the 37 - 19 Astros, 6 - 9, in spite of five home runs by the Cubs hitters. The Astros just played better, as befits a team that won the 2018 World Series! If the Cubs can't play better than they did the last two games, it will be a long season and another in a long line of seasons filled with futility. The Cubs and the Astros play again tonight when Kyle Hendricks faces the Astros' Wade Miley @ 8:10 p.m. EDT.

My beloved, 29 - 26, Red Sox fell to the 27 - 27 Indians last night, 5 - 7. David Price pitched well for the Sox, but the bullpen caved in on a rainy night and thus they took the loss. Tonight's game against the Indians features the Sox' Ryan Weber against the Indians' Shane Bieber @ 6:10 p.m.

The lone bright spot, if you can call one win in a dismal season a bright spot, was the 20 - 32 Tigers win over the 17 - 38 Orioles. Which team is trying to be the worst in the AL Central this year? We'll have to wait and see. The Tigers winning pitcher was Matthew Boyd over the Indians Dylan Bundy. Tonight's game @ 7:05 p.m. will feature the Tigers Ryan Carpenter versus the Orioles John Means.

The West Michigan White Caps continued their slide towards the bottom of the MWL East, with a 4 - 5 loss to the Ft. Wayne, IN Tin Caps, a Caps versus Caps contest, that left the White Caps in 7th place and the Tin Caps in 5th. Today's game is another in the School Kids Day series that begins @ 11:00 a.m.

I'm hoping to get in some time in my art studio today, sunlight permitting, and also more time reading. No kitchen time for me today. Mary too is hoping for sunlight, so that she can finish my valances. A room without sunlight is the bane of artists and tailors alike.

That looks like enough for one day. Ciao.

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

I'm going to keep the main portion of this blog brief, in order to make room for some pix of our outing yesterday to Grand Ravines County Park.

Cubs, 2, Reds, 10. Today @ Houston @ 2:20 p.m. EDT.

Beloved Red Sox 4,  Astros 0. Today, the Indians come to Fenway for a 1:05 p.m. game.

Tigers, 3, Mets, 4. Today @ Orioles @ 1:05 p.m.

White Caps, 10, South Bend Cubs, 11. Today also @ South Bend Cubs @ 2:05 p.m.

Simon Pagenaud wins the 103rd Indianapolis 500.

We have a current before sunrise @ 6:11 a.m. temperature of 53° under cloudy skies as we await today's high of 71° with a 70% chance for rain before the sun sets @ 9:13 p.m.

On to the important news from yesterday.

I opted to go on that birding walk at Grand Ravines. It was fantastic. Before the walk began, I took some great pix of a bald eagle sitting in a tree not far from the lodge. At the risk of sounding hackneyed, "It was a hot and sweltering day in a muddy forest setting."

Well not exactly, the weather was perfect for a walk in the woods, but the mosquitoes came armed to the teeth, so to speak and they easily found one of their favorite targets, Mary. I got bitten once, but like always, no lasting damage. I was reminded of the long ago Tour DeKalb, that Adam and I did when he was @ Northern Illinois University. I got a flat tire in the middle of nowhere and when we stopped to fix it, the mosquitoes came out of nowhere and made fixing that flat a harrowing experience. 

But as always, I digress.

The eagle just sat in that tree and allowed me to take many pix, some actually quite good. I've chosen this one as a representative of the eagle in profile.

A nice shot of this majestic raptor in all his/her glory.

Then with the camera slung around my neck, my 150 - 400 telephoto lens on the camera and a pair of binoculars there too, we were off after a short intro by Kristen.

Along the trail, we saw some birds, and heard many more, some of which Kristen easily identified by their distinctive calls/songs. I found the flora more fascinating and took a lot of pix of that.

A nice shot of the Grand River looking east.

The ubiquitous dandelion, in amongst the trees along the trail.

Phlox?

Pretty, yes. Name? Maybe Mary remembers.

A Jack in the Pulpit.

A nesting place for some of the bird species we encountered.

Again, not sure of the type of flower, but I liked the look.

The Grand Lady as seen from the lodge.

Just an interesting tree knot.

Wild cucumber, I believe.

Carvings in a fallen tree limb used to make the trail.

All in all, the outing was a success. The weather cooperated, even if the mosquitoes didn't. We had an enjoyable day, saw and heard many bird species, including Scarlet Tanagers, Robins, Baltimore Orioles, Song Sparrows, Grosbeaks, some type of Flycatcher, and an Owl. The trail got muddy in a few places, and it was indeed uphill both ways, but we had a great time!

Today, a stop at the big-box arts and craft store, a stop at the big-box drug store, and perhaps a stop at the nursery for some additional plants for the vast gardens. Ciao.

.

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

Newsflash, the skies may be cloudy, but there is no rain in the forecast for today, a welcome bit of news for the campers at Grand Haven State Park and elsewhere in the Tri-Cities area. We have a current temperature of 56° as we drop to our overnight low of 52° before rebounding to today's high of 65°. What's not to like? However, there are no 70 degree days in the forecast for at least one week. Sigh. While I like the cooler temperatures, our vegetables don't.

Baseball news yesterday had only one bright spot, that was the Cubs 8 - 6 win over the Reds. Yu Darvish pitched well, but did not get the decision. The win went to reliever Dillon Maples. The 1st place Cubs and the 5th place Reds renew their rivalry today @ 2:20 p.m. EDT.

The Red Sox fell to the Astros, again, 3 - 4. The 27 - 25, 3rd place Sox, are treading water, hoping against hope, that this season won't be a total loss. Meanwhile, the 35 - 18 1st place Astros, last year's World Series™ champions, are riding high and stand a good chance of going to the World Series™ again this year. Both teams meet again today @ 2:10 p.m.

A side note, the Sox erstwhile 2nd baseman, 35 year old Dustin Pedroia, was rehabbing his left knee with the Sox' AA farm team the Sea Dogs, in Portland, ME, but once again felt the pain that has allowed him to play only 9 games over the last two seasons for the parent club. Pedroia pulled himself out of the lineup and flew back to Boston to consult with the Sox' medical staff. I think it is time for Pedroia to call it a career and get on with his out of baseball life.

The Tigers tried in vain, once again, to win over the Mets, but they fell in 13 innings, 4 -  5. That loss still finds the Tigers in 4th place in the AL Central, versus the Mets, who are in 3rd in the NL East. The Tigers continue to slide, having lost their 9th out of 10 tries yesterday. The Tigers try again today to right the ship @ 1:10 p.m.

The West Michigan White Caps, fell hard to the South Bend Cubs, 7 - 10 yesterday. The 18 - 30 Caps, are still in 7th place in the MWL East, as compared to the 26 - 21 Cubs, who are in 4th. Both teams take the field again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

I did make more of my vegan soy curl jerky yesterday, my best to date, along with doing some indoor chores.

You'd think I would be staying home today to watch the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing, the 103rd running of the Indy 500, but that race is very iffy due to the rain that always seems to be in the forecast at this time of year in Indianapolis. If the Green Flag drops as hoped @ 12:45 p.m., it will be without me.

I opted to go to that Birding Talk @ Hemlock yesterday. It was very informative and made for a nice prelude to the walk we'll be attending today @ the Grand Ravines County Park. Both yesterday's talk and today's walk were and will be directed by park naturalist, Kristen Hintz. She took some of yesterday's attendees on a walk @ Hemlock yesterday after her presentation, but I opted to save my gimpy yak for today.

As I noted earlier, we had a great time @ Hemlock and hope to have a similar experience today @ Grand Ravines. I took a lot of pix of during a short walk that we made before the presentation and also during the presentation itself. I'll include some here.

A shot of one of the trees repairing itself in the woods @ Hemlock.

While not birding, this sign captures the way beavers are an integral part of life @ Hemlock.

The large tree on the right was felled by the resident beavers.

As were several smaller trees.

From the nearby river overlook, this picture can't really do justice to the splendor that is Hemlock

Same here.

Yes, a truly amazing odyssey for the birds who stay, migrate short distances, and those who migrate 1,000s of miles/kilometers in a single season.

This is a Scarlet Tanager who travels from Canada to South America, and back, during its migration.

An Indigo Bunting which can travel over 2,000 km during its migrations.

What would a birding presentation be without a baseball reference, this time to the Baltimore Oriole, which may also travel from Canada to South America and back during its migration.

When we got home, the vast gardens of the PE were covered by the "Snowfall" from the ornamental pear tree that is in our back forty.

Last night, Mary once again went to her refrigerator food stash and made a modified spaghetti role casserole that tasted great, I washed mine down later with a slice of apple pie as we watched the movie Independence Day.

So today, walking with the fur-children, something we had planned for yesterday, only to be stymied by the rain that had begun to fall, and that aforementioned bird walk and some reading. Monday, I plan to collapse. Ciao.

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

I've just finished updating the software on this computer and also uninstalling and reinstalling the anti spyware program that I use. That's an hour of my life I'll never get back. I won't know how successful I've been with the recommended repairs until I see the results of the next regularly scheduled scan this evening. Sigh.

We have a current temperature of 61° under cloudy skies. STWD was just settling down next to the bed last night when a crack of thunder sent her to the bathroom, where she is currently in residence. Her little sister, Ginger, is unafraid of the thunder and lightning, however, she doesn't much like the rain, so once she was done last night, she was done.

Today. the high temperature will rise to only 62° with scattered T-storms in the area. In addition, there is a Flood Advisory in effect until 11:45 a.m. today. According to the report from the NWS, we received anywhere from one to two inches of rain last night/early this morning. Campers at the Grand Haven State Park campground must have received quite a show and quite a blow on the shores of the "Big Lake." The sun will rise @ 6:12 today and set later @ 9:11 p.m.

I was up early yesterday, which allowed me to take some pix of the sunrise over GH. I think that they turned out very nicely.

Looking north from the front porch of the manse.

Same here

A reminder, if you want to view the full-size version, just click on the pic. Hmm, a nice bit of alliteration there.

Baseball news yesterday was a .250 hitter. The 29 - 20, 1st place in the NL Central Cubs, managed to once again snatch defeat from the jaws of victory, as they squandered an early lead when their bullpen imploded, leading to the 5 - 6 loss to the 23 - 27, 5th place Reds. The Cubs wasted home-runs by Schwarber, Bryant, and Rizzo en route to that dismal outcome. Today's game is once again an afternoon contest beginning @ 2:20 p.m. EDT, when Yu Darvish, 2 - 3, takes the hill trying for his first May win, against the Reds Tyler Mahle, 1 - 5.

My beloved, 27 - 24, 3rd place in the AL East Red Sox, also squandered a great pitching performance in their loss to the 34 - 18, 1st place in the AL West Astros, 3 - 4. Starting pitcher, Chris Sale, once again looked like the Chris Sale of old, but the Red Sox bullpen just couldn't hold the lead. The Sox and the Astros go again tonight @ 7:15 p.m., as David Price, 2 - 2, takes the ball against the Astros Brad Peacock, 5 - 2, @ 7:15 p.m.

The Tigers, 19 - 29, in the AL Central, were the lone bright spot, as they used a great day at the plate by JaCoby Jones, to win over the 24 - 26, 3rd place in the NL East Mets, 9 - 8. Today's game features the Tigers' Ryan Carpenter, 0 - 2, goes against the Mets' Jason Vargas, 1 - 2 @ 4:10 p.m. this afternoon.

Sadly, the 18 - 29, 7th in the MWL East West Michigan White Caps, dropped one in South Bend, IN to the 25 - 21, 4th place South Bend Cubs, 0 - 4. Sadly, the Caps do not seem to be developing any players on the A level for their parent club, the Tigers. The Caps and the South Bend Cubs play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

We made a nice trip to the New Ewe in Newaygo yesterday and made some purchases for my use and Mary's stash. She says she came for herself and I got all the rewards. I'd like remind her that the joy is in the journey, regardless of the recipient. We also stopped in at their local art/craft fair and purchased a small piece of yard art too. We made it back to GH jut before the rains came in last evening, where we stopped at our favorite watering hole and then came home. That's where Mary prepared my dinner request, vegan mac and cheese. I got tired after watching James Holzhauer win at Jeopardy, again. I came upstairs, fell asleep in my chair, woke up and then toddled off to bed with the fur-children.

Otherwise, today is a game-day decision for me regarding whether to go to Hemlock Crossing for a Bird Talk/Bird Walk this afternoon. One side of me wants to stay home and do some art, while the other wants to go and get some fresh air. Thus, the game-day decision. I love taking pix @ Hemlock, but I don't much savor the idea of facing the burgeoning tick population in the woods.

We do have to go to the grocery store too, but that is not something I need to do with Mary.

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City."

Why is it that I flash to those old Movietone™ newsreels that ran in the US from the late 1920s to the early 1960s. I guess it is because my blogs often take a nostalgic turn, especially when I am recalling events from bygone eras.

At any rate, we have a current temperature of 49° under cloudy-skies, as we fall to our overnight low of 47° before we return to those thrilling days of yesteryear and a high temperature of 67°. That comes with a 60% chance for rain later around 10:00 a.m., but well before those showers morph into the T-storms that are in the forecast from the NWS, anywhere between 4:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. with a chance of 40% to 90%. Those T-storms also bring the possibility of one-inch of rainfall. I guess it's a good thing we got our gardening done yesterday.

Like I've often noted, while the weather here in GH can often be unpredictable due to being on the shores of the "Big Lake", the severe weather conditions in the south of late are much worse.

I was out with the fur-children yesterday morning and I noticed that the mulch which had been spread earlier this spring, had brought with it some unexpected visitors, i e, mushrooms of some type/types. I doubt that they'd be edible, but they were/are photogenic, so naturally, I took some pix. In this case, I eschewed the macro lens that Mary learned to use and instead, employed by smaller telephoto lens in close-up fashion. I like the results. What say you?

If you know the type of mushroom, let me know.

Not sure on this one either.

A different point of view of one of the mushrooms lying on its side.

Great subject matter yields great pix!

Elsewhere in the news, Mary printed out a factoid of one of the many problems with baseball these days, and it is not that the game is too slow. In this case, the writer was addressing the issue of velocity of pitches. Baseball has been played professionally in the US for over 100 years. Since 1893, the pitcher's mound has been located 60' 6" inches from home plate. However, in the late 1800s and throughout much of the 20th century, baseball pitchers were not big men.

In fact, the immortal Cy Young, for whom the annual award given to baseball's top pitcher, is named, was only 6' 2" and 200 lbs. Today, there are numerous pitchers over 6' 3" with the capability to throw baseballs over 100 mph! One suggestion has been to move the pitcher's mound back to 62' 6" thus allowing batters more time to react. Taller pitchers reduce the time between the release of the ball and the time a pitch crosses the plate. That lowers the time a batter has to react to the pitch.

Past changes in the height of the mound in the late 1960s, did result in higher batting averages and fewer strikeouts. However, the players association is likely to resist any future changes. In addition, there are so many pitching changes in today's game, that the pace of the game has slowed as a result. One rule that is set to take effect in the 2020 season is to require pitchers to face a minimum of three hitters.

In the modern era, the reaction to mid 90s plus fastball velocity has been for batters to swing for the fences, which has resulted in lower batting averages and more home runs. If attendance continues to fall, MLB™ will have to do something or lose more fans each year.

But I digress, as usual.

The Cubs fell to the Phillies yesterday to split their series. They face the Reds today in  the "Friendly Confines" @ 2:20 p.m. EDT.

My beloved Red Sox fared better, as they defeated the Blue Jays yesterday. The Sox travel to Houston to face the Astros tonight @ 8:10 p.m.

The Tigers remain woeful, as they fell, again, to the lowly Marlins, the Tigers' 8th loss in a row. The Tigers travel to NYC to face the Mets tonight @ 7:10 p.m.

The West Michigan White Caps once again were outclassed by the Bowling Green Hot Rods yesterday. The Caps travel to South Bend, IN to face the South Bend Cubs tonight @ 7:35 p.m.

Yesterday it was sunny most of the day, so I was able to get more of the coloring done on Mary's dragon pic in my art studio. Of course, we also did the gardening later in the day after I made more of my soon to be famous vegan bratwurst sausages. While we gardened, I wore my yak brace, which helped a lot, and then we visited the chiropractor later for a tune-up, which also helped.

We have nothing set in stone on tap for today. The weather may dictate much of our activity. If that is the case, we will visit the grocery store and do more reading. Mary won't be able to get to my valances until the next sunny day. as the light in her craft/sewing room is only conducive to sewing when there is sunlight streaming through the nearby window. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:30 a.m., which means that the sun already rose @ 6:14 a.m. into cloudy-skies that will produce rain this morning with a 100% probability. Later, before the sun sets @ 9:08 p.m., the skies will clear somewhat. However that eventuality precludes our plans for gardening today, but does bring along a with a Small Craft Warning issued by the NWS. That means that inexperienced mariners, boats without instruments, and fools should stay off the waters of the "Big Lake" until tomorrow morning @ 8:00 a.m. One plus, the high temperature forecast is 70°.

Tomorrow, the high temperature forecast from that same NWS includes a high temperature of only 56° with only a 20% chance for additional showers. Friday and Saturday the forecast calls for more rain with T-storms possible and high temperatures in the upper 60s. The Memorial Day Weekend forecast does not look all that promising to start "The Season" here in the Tri-Cities, with temperatures not getting out of the 60s with the exception of Friday's 70°s. It could be worse, as the already rain-soaked south will be seeing record high temperatures.

Two trains came by yesterday. At 10:00 a.m., I espied MMRR locomotives 2015 and 2019 heading south towing 8 CHCs, 4 DBTCs, and 4 DWTCs.

Later @ 1:26 p.m., I allowed my apprentice train-spotter to record the northbound passage of those same locomotives towing 7 CHCs, 5 DWTCs, and 5 DBTCs.

Baseball news yesterday was once again split. The 28 - 18 Cubs and Javier Baez waited until the bottom of the ninth to get the walk-off win, 3 - 2. The Cubs were down by one run when Kris Bryant scored on an infield ground-out off the bat of Willson Contreras. Bryant kept on running from 2nd and showed off his own base-running skills to cross the plate and tie the game. With the bases loaded with Cubs, manager Joe Maddon called upon Javier Baez, who couldn't start due to an ankle injury, to deliver the game-winning single that allowed Anthony Rizzo to score the winning run following an intentional walk to Jason Heyward. A real thriller. The Cubs and the Phils play again tonight @ 8:05 p.m. EDT as Cole Hamels goes for the Cubs against Cole Irvin for the Phillies.

What was that I said about any Major-League™ team being able to beat any other team on any given day? Well, following the bruising the 25 - 23 Red Sox laid on the Blue Jays on Monday, the 20 - 28 Blue Jays returned the favor last night as they cruised past the Sox, 10 - 3. Eduardo Rodriguez took the loss for the Sox as Marcus Stroman recorded the win for the Blue Jays. Tonight's game features the Sox' Rick Porcello against the Blue Jays Aaron Sanchez @ 7:07 p.m.

In that same vein, the 18 - 27 Tigers lost their 7th straight as they were dropped by the 14 - 31 Marlins, 3 - 4. The Tigers just couldn't get it going and thus the loss. The Tigers and the Marlins play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m., as Dan Norris gets the call from Ron Gardenhire and Jose Urena is given the ball by Marlins manager Don Mattingly.

The 18 - 26, 7th place West Michigan White Caps, AKA The Caps, eked out their own walk-off win over the 25 - 20, 4th place Bowling Green Hot Rods, 4 - 3. The Caps return to the field today @ 11:00 a.m. to face those same Hot Rods on School Kids Day.

Elsewhere in our little world, I redeemed myself, as my latest apple pie was a decided improvement over my last one that tasted like chili more than apples. I had Mary double-check my spice selections to make sure I got them right. I taste-tested the pie after dinner last night and it is indeed good, albeit a bit juicier than I expected. While I was working in the kitchen, Mary was baking her Dutch Oven wheat bread, which became part of our dinner to go along with the pinto bean soup she had made in a previous kitchen stop.

Oven ready.

Perfection, almost!

Odd shaped, great taste!

I was in bed when the fur-children wanted their last out before the rain came in, so Ginger was at the ready.

As was STWD.

Sorry about the picture quality, our usually reliable Senior Staff Photographer seemed to be having trouble with her Smart-Phone camera late last night.

So, in lieu of gardening today, more coloring, more kitchen, and more reading. Ciao.

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

A current temperature of 42° will lead to today's high of 59°, which is about 13° warmer than yesterday. That's after the sun rises @ 6:16 a.m. and well before the sun sets @ 9:06 p.m.

It is just too bad that the sun set on the Cubs last night, as they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, 4 - 5, in a duel with the Phillies. Former Cubs pitcher, Jake Arrieta, and current Cubs pitcher, Yu, the $126 million man Darvish, were not the pitchers of record, although, according to Cubs' manager, Joe Maddon, Darvish had his best outing as a Cub. The game was played in  Chicago in less than ideal weather conditions. The Cubs 1st place lead is now down to one-game over the Brewers. Tonight's game @ 7:05 p.m. EDT will feature the Cubs Jose Quintana versus the Phillies Zach Eflin.

My beloved 3rd place Red Sox, handily trounced the woeful, 4th place Toronto Blue Jays yesterday afternoon, 12 - 2, as Sox' pitcher, David Price, returned from the DL and out-pitched the Jays Journeyman pitcher, Edwin Jackson. I don't place much stock in the results of a game that the Sox should win, albeit any big-league team can beat any other team on any given day. The Sox and the Jays go again tonight @ 7:07 p.m., when the Sox' Eduardo Rodriguez faces the Jays Marcus Stroman.

The Tigers were off yesterday. Today's game against the Marlins @ 7:10 p.m., features the Tigers Spencer Turnbull versus the Marlins Caleb Smith. The baseball pundits don't think the Tigers rebuilding is going all that well, so fans have a right to be concerned.

The West Michigan White Caps continue to look bad. As the Tigers A level farm-team, their results do not give hope to Tigers' fans for the future. The Caps fell to the Hot Rods last night, 4 - 5. The Caps and the Hot Rods play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

We ran a few errands yesterday, but avoided any big-box stores on our journey.

Today, I am planing on atoning for my epic-failure of an apple pie, with one that does not, and I repeat, does not use cayenne pepper as one of its ingredients. I'll double and triple check my ingredients and sequester the cayenne far from my sight. I'll also be wearing my recently replaced yak brace to ward off any yak issues.

Mary started a loaf of bread last night, which will be finished sometime later today or maybe even tomorrow. Unlike pies, bread has its own schedule as the yeast does its work.

We may get outside to the vast-gardens today, or not. I will not be overdoing, so... Otherwise, I will see if there is enough light in my art studio to continue my efforts on Mary's dragon picture. Good light is essential when trying to get good color mixes, matches, and contrasts.  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."

We show a current temperature of 46° under cloudy-skies as we head for sunrise @ 6:16 a.m. and well before sunset @ 9:06 p.m. In between, the high temperature is forecast to be 49°, and that Small Craft Warning remains in effect until 5:00 p.m. this evening.

The Cubs managed to eke out victory in D.C. last night, 6 - 5 to remain in 1st place in the NL Central by 1.5 games. The winning pitcher for the Cubs was Kyle Hendricks and the losing pitcher for the 4th place in the NL East Nats was Jeremy Hellickson. Tonight, the Cubs and Yu Darvish move on to Philadelphia to face former Cubs and Cy Young winner, Jake Arrietta @ 8:05 p.m. EDT.

My beloved Red Sox managed to salvage one game from the Astros with a hard scrabble win over those Astros, 4 - 3. The Astros are in 1st place in the AL West, while the beloved are in 3rd place in the AL East. Marcus Walden got the win for the Sox over the Astros Framber Valdez. Today, the Sox move on to Toronto to take on the 4th place Blue Jays @ 1:07 p.m. The Sox will send David Price to the mound to face the Blue Jays' much traveled and newly acquired pitcher, Edwin Jackson. Jackson has played for over one-dozen teams in both the National and American leagues, including the Cubs and that other team from Chicago.

The 4th place in the AL Central Tigers, were behind the last place in the AL West Oakland As, 3 - 5 yesterday, when the game was suspended by rain in the 7th. The game will be resumed on September 6. The Tigers welcome the 13 - 31, last place in the NL East Miami Marlins to Comerica Park tonight @ 7:10 p.m., as the Tigers use Spencer Turnbull to counter the Marlins Caleb Smith.

The 17 - 25, 7th place in the MWL East, White Caps, were outplayed by the 25 - 15, 1st place in the MWL East, Great Lakes Loons. Tonight, the 4th place in the MWL East, Bowling Green Hot Rods, come to town @ 7:05 p.m.

I went to see the movie, Avengers: End Game yesterday afternoon as planned. I liked it! Of course, the popcorn made it all the more enjoyable when washed down with that cherry-cola. Plus, as a "Senior Citizen", I got into the movie for only $5.75. My father-in-law, Frank, used to say that the lower rate he got on automobile license plates was the least he could get for being a POW! Concessions cost more than the movie.

Mary stayed home and finished the indoor chores and finally coaxed STWD to eat her breakfast in the early afternoon. Sugar was so discombobulated by the changing weather patterns yesterday, that she wouldn't eat first thing nor even want to go out. Ginger had no such compunctions. I'm sure that Mary also enjoyed her alone time to read. Later, we met @ our favorite watering hole for dinner before we headed home.

Today I have an appointment at the foot and ankle doctor for a regular tune-up and that's about it. Mary will be here to keep the fur-children out of trouble as Dawn comes in for her weekly visit. That looks like enough for one day. Ciao.

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

Let's dispense with baseball news right off. All of my teams went down yesterday. They were in baseball parlance, 0 for 4. Nuff said.

We have a current temperature of 58° as we anticipate overnight showers and a low of 57°. Later today, the NWS has forecast that we'll rebound to 64° under a threat of showers/T-storms @ 100%! Of course, what would life on the "Big Lake" be without a Small Craft Warning, in effect from 12:00 p.m. today until 5:00 p.m. Monday. Not good for the participants or the spectators of the 1st Annual Kite Festival @ Grand Haven. I think there's a song lyric in there somewhere. Big winds, big kites, small people. What could go wrong? And, there is that ever present danger of becoming a modern day Ben Franklin with the chance for T-storms and the lightning that goes with them.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:17 a.m. and set later tonight @ 9:05 p.m.

I had a great time at our monthly Irish Music Session/Jam yesterday. Many players, lots of spectators, and I got to debut a couple of songs I've been working on.

While I was out, Mary went to the grocery store and did some planting in our vegetable/vast gardens. The lettuce is in the pots and all that is left is everything else.

STWD was reluctant to go out yesterday as she was sensing a disturbance in the force, so to speak. She is a good weather predictor/forecaster, but that doesn't mitigate against the fact that she can be found cowering in one of the bathrooms most of the day.

We made a stop @ JWs before our dinner last night of pinto bean soup. Mary had procured the necessary ingredients a few days ago, and the result of her kitchen wizardry was terrific! In spite of my not being an impartial judge about anything soup, this is a keeper! Here is a picture of Mary using her old-fashioned, hand-cranked immersion blender, during the preparation.

Yes Virginia, there was a time before electrical appliances.

Otherwise, I plan to go to the movies today to see Avengers: Endgame and of course overindulge on popcorn and cherry-cola. Since this movie is 2 hours and 23 minutes in length, I will have to be jusicious in my drinking of that cherry-cola. The popcorn, not so much. After all, that's one of the reasons that I go to movies, to savor the flavor of theater popcorn.

I believe that Mary will continue to read her latest novel. She seems like she is on a reading jag of late. Fortunately, that causes her to listen to mood-music rather that watching apocalyptic movies.

So that looks like enough for one day. 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 NWS got it right this time, albeit I nor STWD ever heard the thunder. It is raining steadily and the skies are indeed overcast.

We have a current temperature of 52° with today's high expected to reach 70°, with a 40% chance for rain. I believe that the chance is ending as I write. However, although the forecast does call for the showers to end by early afternoon, tomorrow's  high temperature is forecast to be 64° with a 90% chance for showers in the morning and then a cloudy day in the afternoon. What is bad is that the forecast also calls for high temperatures to only reach the upper 50s on Monday and Tuesday. The sun rose @ 6:12 a.m. this morning and it will set later @ 9:04 p.m.

Baseball news yesterday had only one bright spot, the 1st place Cubs are now 1.5 games ahead of the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Central, following the Cubs romp over the Washington Nationals last night, 14 - 6. The score does not really tell you anything about the excellent plate appearances of Kris Bryant, three home runs, Alberto Almora Jr., who nailed an early home run along with a couple of base-hits, and the bat of Kyle Schwarber. who went through 14 pitches in one at-bat before he got his dinger.

The Cubs and Cole Hamels took advantage of some Nats miscues and romped in the later innings en route to that lopsided win. The Nats and the Cubs play again tonight as the Cubs LHP Jon Lester faces the Nats Stephen Strasburg. It should be a great game.

Otherwise, there was no joy in Bean town, nor anywhere else, as the Red Sox, the Tigers, and the White Caps all lost.

I did some coloring yesterday morning on the dragon for Mary's desk. I like my progress, so far. I also spent some time with the girls yesterday and that felt good. My singing sounded good too, at least to my ears.

We did some light gardening yesterday, but mostly, we didn't do anything that required brain power. A good luncheon of hammish sandwiches and left-over Guinness Irish stew along with pasta al aglio, Italian for spaghetti with garlic and olive oil, accompanied by the last of my vegan Italian meatballs with garlic bread for dinner was great.

We did get out in the afternoon to go to the nearby big-box home-center where we spent a lot of money to get replacement vegetables, small plants, hanging baskets, etc. When we are done, assuming that the weather ever warms up for an extended period, we should have two terrific gardens, one with flowers and one with vegetables.

Today I am off to my monthly Irish Jam session at the library and then after that, who knows. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 55° with an overnight low of 51° expected. Today's high will reach 59° under cloudy skies after the sun rises @ 6:19 a.m. and before it sets @ 9:03 p.m. Saturday's high is forecast by the NWS to reach 72° accompanied by a 50% chance for T-storms. Sunday's high is only forecast to reach 61° with a 100% chance for T-storms.

Baseball news yesterday was not good, as the 1st place Cubs fell to the last place Reds in a rain delayed game, 2 - 4. Wild pitches and lack of offense sealed the deal for the Cubs. Today's game in Washington against the Nationals begins @ 7:05 p.m. EDT, with Cole Hamels on the mound for the Cubs and Max Scherzer on the hill for the Nats.

The Tigers fell completely apart yesterday, as they lost to the As, 3 - 17. The Tigers ran out of pitchers and sent infielder/outfielder Brandon Dixon to the mound late in the game. A fastball "clocked" @ 65 mph wasn't enough to overcome the As hitters and Dixon hit a player too. Today is another day, as the Tigers and the As play again @ 7:10 p.m. when Dan Norris itches for the Tigers and Frankie Montas goes for the As.

My beloved Red Sox did not play. They welcome the Astros to Fenway tonight @ 7:10 p.m. when Sox pitcher Rick Porcello gets the ball from manager Alex Cora and goes against the Astros Gerrit Cole @ 7:10 p.m.

The Caps split a double-header yesterday, winning the first game, 11 - 3, but losing the make-up game last night, 1 - 6, both with the Great Lakes Loons. The Caps and the Loons play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

Otherwise, we only did some indoor chores and that's about it. Mary crafted a great luncheon of garlic/mushroom rice for lunch and nachos for dinner after we had our appointment at the chiropractor. I then traveled upstairs and promptly fell asleep. Just as well, given the Cubs lack of winning.

Today, we'll make it to the big-box home-center across the highway and pickup those things and plants we need for our flower and vegetable gardens. I still want to do some coloring and continue playing with the girls. Our fur-children should be able to get walked today after they digest breakfast, Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 50° under cloudy skies, which are forecast to morph into isolated T-storms later this a.m., with an 80% probability. Later, once the high temperature reaches its zenith of 61°, the skies will remain cloudy and those T-storms will become more widespread. The sun will rise into those cloudy skies @ 6:20 a.m. and depart those stormy skies @ 9:02 p.m.

We had a great day yesterday. I played chef in Mary's kitchen as I prepared my latest batch of vegan Italian meatballs and a hammish. Four of the meatballs became part of our luncheon meal along with some of the vegan Irish stew that was thawed after a short stay in our freezer. Both were excellent, if I do have to say so myself. Mary mostly stayed out of the way as I worked. She was busy listening to the latest bad news from our nation's capital.

Later, before we ran some errands and picked up the newly bound carpet for the mudroom. we rolled up the old carpet and Mary washed the floor. I like the look of the custom-made carpet in our newly painted mudroom.

John came by after we came home and had dinner of the hammish and Cole slaw to help Mary lay the new carpet. I was upstairs watching baseball. Surprise, as "Baseball is life!"

Speaking of baseball, the 25 - 15, 1st in the NL Central Cubs fell to the 19 - 24, last place in the NL Central Reds, 5 - 6 in 10 innings. Starting RHP Yu Darvish, threw what is probably his best game as a Cub, recording 11 Ks and no walks. Sadly, he didn't get the win, but fortunately he didn't get the loss, as that "honor" went to RHP Brad Brach in relief. The lone bright spot was the 2 run homer by Addison Russell. Tonight's game against the Reds will commence @ 6:40 p.m. EDT as LHP Jose Quintana takes the mound against the Reds RHP Luis Castillo. Backup catcher Victor Caratini may be activated from the DL today too.

My beloved 23 - 20, 3rd place in the AL East Red Sox fared better, as they slipped past the 20 - 22. 4th place in the NL West Rockies, 6 - 5 on the strength of rookie Michael Chavis' 1st walk-off game winner that plated the X man, Xavier Bogaerts, with the winning run. Chavis has been playing 2nd base while regular 2nd baseman, Dustin Pedroia, has been on the DL. When Pedroia returns, Chavis will be relegated to another role, but where? He is too hot at the plate since his call-up and that is going to make a decision for Sox manager, Alex Cora, very difficult.

The Sox got a great start from RHP Brandon Workman for the win and hung the loss on LHP Chad Bettis for the Rockies. The Sox and the Rockies play again tonight @ 7:10 p.m. as RHP Rick Porcello takes the hill for the Sox against the Rockies own RHP Gerritt Cole.

The 18 - 23, 4th place in the AL Central Tigers, are looking  like the team we expected, as they fell to the 29 - 15, 1st place in the AL West Astros, 1 - 5. RHP Justin Verlander, 7 - 1, was victorious over the Tigers rookie LHP, Gregory Soto, 0 - 2. How long will Soto last in the big-leagues? That depends on how well the Tigers other pitchers recover from their various injuries. The Tigers and the Astros play again tonight @ 7:10p.m., as RHP Spencer Turnbull, takes the ball against the Astros RHP Chris Bassitt.

The 16 - 21, 6th in the MWL East, Caps, just can't get it going, as they lost once again to the 17 - 21, 5th place Lansing Lugnuts, 6 - 7. The Caps are home @ the Fifth/Third Ballpark tonight to face the 21 - 14, 1st place in the MWL East, Great Lakes Loons @ 6:05 p.m.

Today our plans call for us to stay in until our chiropractic appointment this afternoon. I want to get in some time with the girls and also do some coloring and/or drawing. I will probably do some indoor chores too. We also have to make some hotel reservations for an upcoming trip. 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 interest of leaving room for our excursion pictures from yesterday, I am going to keep my weather and baseball reports brief.

We have a current temperature of 48° as we drop to the overnight low of 44° under mostly clear skies. The sun will rise @ 6:22 a.m. and set later @ 9:00 p.m.

Baseball news from yesterday finds the Cubs still in 1st place in the NL Central following their 3 - 1 win over the Reds. Kyle Hendricks sparkled on the mound and at the plate. Today's game against the Reds begins @ 6:40 p.m. EDT, with Yu Darvish trying for his 3d win against three losses.

My beloved Red Sox got an outstanding 17K performance from Chris Sale, but the Sox squandered his effort and lost to the Rockies, 4 - 5 in 11 innings. Tonight, the Sox and the Rockies go again @ 7:10 p.m.

The Tigers were never in the game as they lost to the Astros, 4 - 11. Tonight's game begins @ 7:10 p.m., when former Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander goes against the Tigers rookie pitcher Gregory Soto.

The Caps fell to the Lansing Lugnuts, 5 - 6. The Caps and the Lugnuts play today @ 10:35 a.m.

We had a terrific excursion aboard the Grand Lady Riverboat yesterday afternoon. The weather was great and the scenery provided many terrific photo ops. I'll add several now.

One riverside view of the Grand Ravines Lodge that Mary, Ed, and I visited a couple of weeks ago.

A great shot of one of the Bald Eagles that lives along the Grand river. We could not determine if this was the male or female of the pair, because although the female is larger, the size difference is so slight that you would need to see them side by side to tell.

One of many shots that I took heading upriver.

Another shot of the lodge.

The riverside aerie of the bald eagles we saw.

Where kayakers should be paddling, there were only these jet skiers.

Mary tells me that these flowers are Marsh Marigolds.

Turtles sunning themselves

Same.

Today we have some errands to run after I do some kitchen things. A trip to the carpet store for our new mud-room carpet, a stop at the big-box home center, a stop at the big-box nearly everything store and then a visit to the chiropractor.Ciao.