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

The current temperature is 46° under clear skies. My DTWS shows 48º on both the front porch and on the deck. According to the NWS, light winds of 6 mph make it feel like 43°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 641º under sunny skies with a relative humidity index of 47% and a 0% chance for precipitation.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.68" and rising, while the NWS is reporting 30.11", also rising. Generally, those readings indicate fair weather.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:08 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:17 p.m

The River Flood Warning is still in effect until this afternoon.


We had quite the day yesterday. We collectively finished the crossword from the Thursday edition of the Grand Haven Tribune, which continues to grow thinner with each passing day. But, without local sports, not many people out and about, and much of the news the same old same old, that's to be expected.


Unfortunately, the number of people out and about is growing each day, many without face masks. Those of us who are trying to stay safe are doomed to staying indoors and away from stupid people.


Speaking of staying safe, although I don't have a huge following, Adam is a frequent reader. He read my description of our A/C woes and sent me an email that described a similar problem with an A/C unit in their last condo in Chicago. As it turned out, the refrigerant was low in their unit and needed to be recharged. So, I'll be calling a local A/C service contractor on Monday and asking if their service personnel wear masks. If they don't, I'll make calls until I find a contractor that does. Ar any rate, I'll be opening the outer doors to the man-cave, and the serviceman or woman can enter and exit that way.


I did make that stir-fry for dinner last evening with some assistance from Mary. We ate as we watched two episodes of Outlander. Both the show and the stir-fry were excellent.

We used some time to further groom young Ginger yesterday. She did well considering that we washed just her head and then proceeded to trim her thick coat. Today, more nail-grinding for Ginger. STWD has an appointment at the veterinarian on Monday to have her nails trimmed.


I spent a short time in the vast gardens yesterday watering and trimming the invasives. It was gratifying to see that the newest plantings are doing well. However, the ever-changing weather with the accompanying cool temperatures overnight is making that a daily concern.


We are starting to see the first sprouts of the flower plants that Mary seeded near the deck. I believe that the seeds took about eight or nine days to germinate.


I don't know about anyone else, but both Mary and I got a warm feeling watching the successful launch of the Space-X™ rocket Dragon, yesterday afternoon, the first such manned launch in nearly 10 years. I remember that the teachers at my junior-high-school, Miner Junior High School, used to push the black and white TV sets into the classroom in the days of the Mercury launches so that we could watch.


When I was teaching, I used to ask my students if given the call that a seat was available on the next launch of the Space Shuttle had become available, would they go? This came after the disastrous 1986 launch of the Challenger. I was surprised, or perhaps not, that around 50% said that they would not take the ride.


Long ago when I was in college working on my teaching certificate, one of my professors arranged to have an astronaut visit our honors astronomy class. The astronaut's name was Dr. Karl Gordon Henize, who had flown into space aboard the Challenger as a mission specialist in astronomy. He died in 1993 while on leave from NASA as he was climbing Mt. Everest testing equipment, with the results of his tests being shared with NASA. By profession, Dr. Henize was an astronomer who worked all over the world and as a mission specialist on a Challenger mission.


I clearly remember asking Dr. Henize this question. "If the chance comes up to fly again, will you go?" He replied, "In a heartbeat!" I had to agree. In spite of the danger, the opportunity to join a very small group of people who had been given the opportunity to see the earth from orbit would have been too great to pass up. Just one man's opinion, but I'd have answered that phone call, and I'd have been ready to go, "In a heartbeat!


Today, I hope to get some outdoor chores done and more reading. Mary is now reading two books. One is the size of an NYC telephone book, entitled The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon. The other is a small paperback, the first in the Anna Pigeon series of novels by Nevada Barr. Barr has written 18 books featuring Anna Pigeon, National Park Ranger. This book is entitled The Track of the Cat.

Today, a few outdoor chores and that's about it for me. Ciao.

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

The current temperature is 54° under partly-cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 68º on the front porch where the sun has already warmed the air, but 55º on the deck where the sun has not yet warmed the air. According to the NWS, light winds of 5 mph make it feel like 52°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 64º under partly-cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 75% and a 10% chance for precipitation.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.54" and rising, while the NWS is reporting 30.14", also rising. That generally indicates changing or fair weather. The NWS in GR gets different readings for the lakeshore communities because they are more inland. That's often true of precipitation and temperatures too.

The sun rose this morning @ 6:08 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:16 p.m

The River Flood Warning is still in effect until 2:00 p.m. today.

Mary and I got a lot accomplished yesterday. We planted all of our new vegetable plants, Mary filled the hanging planters for the front porch of the manse, I hung them, and I transplanted a tall flower from near the front of the vast gardens to an area in the rear where it will be fine in limited light conditions.

I also determined that my diagnosis for the A/C system was correct. The evaporator had become blocked by ice and so no air could flow through. I turned off the unit and waited for several hours for the ice to melt. It works fine now. Plus, I learned how the system removes the A/C condensate from a basement that has no floor drain. There is an ingenious little pump system with a float activated switch.

We unpacked my new colored pencils yesterday and Mary likes them so much, that she has ordered a set for herself.

I finished the latest complete edit of my novel and it is saved on my computer. The huge stack of paper is now gone from my office desk. Mary suggested that I give it about a week before another pass. It feels good to have finished something that I have been writing for many years. One thing I learned, is that when I write, I am just a conduit for the ideas. I don't always know where the ideas come from nor where they are going, but they do arrive, often without fanfare.

Today, I plan to make another of my world-famous stir fry meals. We have everything we need and so it should be easy.

I may get to washing the furniture on the front porch if I am feeling ambitious. Or, we may do more gardening. Whichever, I will not overexert myself and strain my yak. Like our late neighbor in Illinois, Marshall used to demonstrate, tomorrow is another day. Sooner or later, everything gets done. One of these days, I have to vacuum the car/green pantry and give it a wash. But like everything else, there is always another day.

Come to think of it, Ginger needs a bath too.

More reading, more crossword solving, and more music are in store. It should be a great day here in "The City." Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation, and across the world. It is just after 2:45 a.m. in "The City."

The current temperature is 61° under cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 64º on the front porch, but 63º on the deck. According to the NWS, light winds of 9 mph make it feel like 60°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 62º under cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 75% and an 80% chance for light rain showers early this morning.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.24" and rising, while the NWS is reporting 29.84", also rising. That generally indicates changing weather. But sometimes the NWS in GR gets it wrong for the lakeshore communities.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:09 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:15 p.m

The River Flood Warning is still in effect until Saturday @ 8:00 a.m.

As my loyal readers may recall, the train runs on Wednesday were odd. I had heard the southbound passage of the train @ 9:45 a.m. with MMRR locomotives 2025 and 2019 likely at the front. Later, I observed those same two locomotives heading north towing a long line of mixed cars. Shortly thereafter, I watched that entire train reverse its direction with that aforementioned young trainman riding the first or last car, using a walkie-talkie to guide the blind engineers who were running those locomotives now at the rear.

I can now report on the exact composition of that reverse run as I observed its third passage @ 8:25 a.m. yesterday morning. Locomotives 2015 and 2019 had resumed their rightful place heading north as they towed 39 CHCs three DBTCs, 31 OHCs, (Open Hopper Cars), one FC (Flatcar), configured to carry limber, and one GTC. I've added some pix that were available @ Google Images™ of the various types of cars and locomotives I generally observe.

MMRR locomotives

Open Hopper Cars.

Flatbed Lumber Car.

DWTC w/ anti-corrosive stripe.

Dreaded Black Tank Car.

Covered Hopper car.

However, I also have some pix of my own which I'll add here of the flora in our vast gardens.

Our South Haven bearded irises in full bloom.

A lone poppy blooms partially covered by rose leaves.

Horseradish Flowers.

Basil Sprouts.

Bush Bean Sprout.

I made more of my world-famous vegan Italian meatballs yesterday, some of which we enjoyed with dinner. I started the indoor chores and Mary finished it before I carried it upstairs.

We did not get to the planting of our new vegetables and flowers yesterday, but maybe later today after the rain has stopped.

I did more editing and entering of my manuscript too.

Somehow, the day can get away from you if you aren't careful. Ciao.

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

The current temperature is 68° under clear skies. My DTWS shows 70º. Light winds of 6 mph make it feel like 68°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 70º @ 10:00 a.m. under cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 83%.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.30" and falling, while the NWS is reporting 29.88", also falling. That generally indicates changing weather. We shall see.

The sun rose this morning @ 6:10 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:15 p.m

The River Flood Warning has been extended until Saturday @ 8:00 a.m.

As you may recall, I gave up on my seedlings. They were just not growing well and they certainly would not have gotten big enough to produce much, if any, fruit in the short growing season we have here in West MI. Their replacements were delivered yesterday, along with some additional annual flowers, potting soil, and mulch.

Maybe next year, but this wasn't the year for homegrown seedlings. Sigh.

 Speaking of flowers, I was once again able to get some pix of our own flora.

This South Haven iris is in full-bearded bloom.

Maybe today or tomorrow.

Nature has a way of reclaiming its territory from humans

So far, our one successful planting, lettuce, is growing well in two planters and a pot.

However, it is worthy of note that our basil, bush beans, and cucumbers that were directly sown in the pots and the garden are coming up nicely too. I'll try for some pix later this week..

I heard and spotted three train runs on the RSTL yesterday. I heard the southbound passage @ 9:45 a.m. and later, @ about 4:45 p.m., I observed the northbound passage of a very long line of railcars being towed by locomotives 2025 and 2019. However, once it had passed, that same line of cars and those same locomotives were seen heading south again @ around 5:10 p.m. A young trainman was clinging to the leading car which had previously been the last car. The locomotives were now pushing the cars and so the engineer needed eyes to 'see' where he was going. Thus, it was our supposition that the young man with a walkie-talkie provided those eyes. Why the reversal? We have no idea.

Today, I have some kitchen duties, some indoor chores and some editing to accomplish. Will we get to the outdoor plantings? Maybe. Ciao.

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

The current temperature is 71° under clear skies. My DTWS shows 73º. Light winds of 7 mph make it feel like 71°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 71º under mostly cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 73%. In spite of the forecast, I made a decision. I installed my window A/C unit yesterday. I am enjoying the fruits of my labor right now.

There is a 20% chance for a stray shower or T-storm in the forecast for today. Yesterday, I gave up on my seedlings. They were just not growing well and they certainly would not have gotten big enough to produce much, if any, fruit in the short growing season we have here in West MI. So, we ordered some healthy replacements which were supposed to be delivered yesterday, but which should be delivered today from a local garden center.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.36" and falling, while the NWS is reporting 29.96", also falling, That generally indicates changing weather. We shall see.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:10 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:14 p.m

There is only a River Flood Warning that remains in effect until Thursday @ 8:00 p.m.

T-Storms were in the forecast last evening @ 20%, but we didn't see much activity. STWD repaired to her hide e hole, just in case. We call her STWD, (Suger the Weather Dog) because if there is a change in the barometric pressure, she can sense it, and then she acts or reacts accordingly. 

Otherwise, I got in some time with my girls and did some additional editing on my manuscript. I need an editor to make any final changes because the writer rarely catches their own errors.

Today, we have very little on the agenda. I hope to keep it that way. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation, and across the world. It is just after 7:30 a.m. in "The City."

The current temperature is 65° under partly-cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 68º. Light winds of 4 mph make it feel like 65°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 78º under partly cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 87%. That humidity will be around for several days, as will temperatures in the upper 70s, so it may be time to make a decision on turning on the A/C for a few days. As has become the case in recent years. we've gone right from a cool spring into that used to be called the :'Dog Days" of summer.

For those who are curious, the phrase "Dog Days of Summer" originated with the ancient Romans, who called the hottest, most humid days of summer “diēs caniculārēs" or “dog days." The name came about because they associated the hottest days of summer with the star Sirius. Sirius was known as the “Dog Star" because it was the brightest star in the constellation Canis Major (Large Dog). A bit of interstellar and ancient folklore for you thanks once again to Wikipedia™.

There is a 20% chance for a stray shower or T-storm in the forecast for today. I may have to give up on my seedlings. They are not growing well and they certainly won't get big enough to produce any fruit in the short growing season we have here in West MI. As Adam pointed out yesterday, you have to get the plants that are ready to go and grow in this new climate reality.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.42" and rising, while the NWS is reporting 30.00" also rising, That generally indicates fair weather. That should last until Thursday's 60% chance for T-storms that will accompany a high temperature of 73º.

The sun rose this morning @ 6:11 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:13 p.m

We still have the River Flood Warning in effect, but it has now been extended until Thursday @ 2:00 p.m.

I snapped a lot of pix in the vast gardens yesterday, directly after I surrendered my hairstylist's license. I think that the Three Stooges™ would like it back. Here's a clip from YouTube™ of the Stooges as barbers to illustrate my point.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_IJT0MPnt0

As a hairstylist, I'm better at anything else. Mary says she is satisfied with my efforts, but when your stylist is follicly challenged, as I am, you can't be too choosy. There's never a hairstylist around when you need one.

At any rate, here are some pix that do look nice.

Our first poppy bloomed yesterday.

With a lot of assistance from Mary, I got my camera to take some great closeup pix. I was busy jamming one Saturday afternoon while she attended a macro class @ The Camera Shop in Muskegon.

All of our tulips are blooming late this year.

To some this is an invasive, a humble dandelion. To me, it is a bright yellow sign of spring and summer.

Not a dandelion, but a flower that blooms in our vast gardens.

The irises that we were bequeathed from Steph and Adam's house in South Haven, MI are starting to bloom.

Not sure what these flowers are, but they looked nice.

Same here in our parkway garden.

One of the potatoes that I planted behind the garage.

I love the way that the ferns know when to bloom in the gardens

Our own irises are blooming too.

This tulip is nearing the end of its blooming season.

I don't know, but I liked it.

Same here.

Today, I have a short appointment that takes me away from the manse in the early afternoon, and then that's about it for my day. Mary has some plans to organize more in the kitchen. or not. The fur-children will want a walk, so we may oblige them. Ciao.

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

According to the NWS, the current temperature is 67° under cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 69º. Also according to the NWS, light winds of 5 mph make it feel like 61°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 63º under partly cloudy skies. That high-temperature will be about 6º cooler than yesterday. Not to worry though, tomorrow's high-temperature will be 79º, also under partly-cloudy skies.

There is a 20% chance for a stray shower or T-storm in the forecast from the NWS for tonight. I took my seedlings outdoors yesterday morning and decided that they should have their first overnight alone in the big, bad world last night. They will either get busy living or get busy dying. I'm still concerned about my tomato seedlings. They are not looking very healthy. The sweet peppers look fine.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.33" and steady. My DTWS is still learning.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:12 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:12 p.m

We still have the River Flood Warning in effect until Wednesday evening.

Yesterday, we took the time to have Hannukah, Kwanza, or Christmas in May when we opened all of our recent deliveries. However, the packages continue to come as we utilize delivery services for nearly everything.

We applaud the efforts of the warehouse packers and the delivery drivers, who like the personnel at the grocery stores and other establishments, continue to provide a valuable lifeline for those of us who are observing the stay at home orders. However, Michigan has joined all of the other 49 states in partially reopening many stores, and other services.

We did not go out beyond our deck yesterday. Even that was a short-lived visit due to extraneous noise in the area. The fur-children, especially STWD, didn't like the noise very much.

We completed another crossword and I continued reading my novel. I got more editing done on my own manuscript too. I finally got around to installing the new door sweep on our rear storm door. We purchased it weeks ago, but the chilly spring weather had precluded my installation until yesterday. Mary finished the indoor chores that I had started.

Mary had already finished reading her last novel, What Rose Knew, by Nevada Barr. Mary was so delighted by this novel, that she has decided to read the author's other works featuring a character named Anna Pigeon. a law-enforcement ranger in the US National Parks, in a series of mystery novels set in national parks in the United States.

Barr was not named after her state of birth, NV, where she was born in Yerington 68 years ago, but she was named after a character in one of her father's favorite books likely written by Zane Grey. Barr grew up in Johnsonville CA and finished college at the Unversity of California, Irvine, with a master's degree in drama. She pursued a career in theater, TV, films, commercials, and voice work for almost two decades. She has also worked part-time as a law-enforcement ranger at several US national parks, ao it is not surprising that her character Anna Pigeon is loosely based on those experiences. 

As many of my loyal readers may remember, one of our favorite people is a young woman named Kelly, who works at both the Ottawa County Parks as a naturalist and as a ranger at many US National Parks too. Kelly always made our winters more enjoyable as she delivered her lectures about her travels to and activities in various national parks. 

Her lectures were accompanied by slide pictures she had taken at her various stops during her life as a US National Parks ranger in places like Isle Royale National Park and Grand Teton National Park. She was happily scheduled to work at Michigan's own Sleeping Bear Dunes National Seashore this summer. But, we know how that has gone so far. 

Today should be a bit more laid back. STWD will be happy that there are no fireworks today and we'll be happy we have only a couple of small chores to complete, and perhaps, more Outlander to watch. Ciao.

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

According to the NWS, the current temperature is 61° under cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 64º. Also according to the NWS, light winds of 5 mph make it feel like 61°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 63º under cloudy skies this morning and sunny skies this afternoon. That high-temperature will be about 11º cooler than yesterday. Not to worry though, tomorrow's high-temperature will be 71º under partly-cloudy skies.

As for those showers and T-showers in yesterday's forecast from the NWS, nada, zip, zero. We had made plans for today to keep the seedlings indoors and to allow the rain to water our newest plantings, Well? Speaking of those seedlings, I'm getting concerned about my tomato seedlings. They are not looking very healthy. The sweet peppers, look fine, albeit a bit small.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.27" and steady. My DTWS is still learning.

The sun rose this morning@ 6:12 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:11 p.m

Yesterday was a great day and evening to sit on the deck with the fur-children and so we did just that. In fact, it was so pleasant in the early evening hours, that after I went to the media room to watch part of Casablanca between naps, Mary and Ginger sat on the deck. Ginger was being a lap dog and Mary was reading.

As they used to say in that old beer ad, "It doesn't get any better than this!"

As previously mentioned, yesterday we did some gardening and reading. We also found time to watch two more episodes of Outlander. Mary made an interesting meal yesterday, that consisted of a dish called Indian fried cabbage and a main or side, depending on your point of view, of baked tofu with a very tasty coating. The cabbage dish should not be a keeper, while the baked tofu should stay.

Today, we have some indoor chores planned but those should not take too long. Mostly, I want to do more editing and play more music, and that's about it. We'll probably watch more Outlander too. Ciao.

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

According to the NWS, the current temperature is 60° under mostly cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 62º. Light winds of 1 mph make it feel like 60°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 75º under partly- cloudy skies. That high-temperature will be about 12º warmer than yesterday.


The NWS is forecasting a possibility for showers and T-showers this evening.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.39" and falling, while the NWS is reporting 30.01" and falling. Falling barometric pressure is an indicator of stormy weather. I think that my DTWS is still learning.

Gosh, did you really think I'd let a reference to stormy weather go by without a YouTube™ cut? Nah! Here's Etta James singing Stormy Weather from her album At Last recorded in 1960. Just wait for the advertisements to end, or you can skip them after a short time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9migdK-LnPU

That River Flood Warning is still in effect until 8:00 a.m. next Wednesday morning!.

The sunrise today will occur @ 6:13 a.m. and the sunset will occur @ 9:10 p.m.

It is official, the annual Fourth of July Fireworks show here in GH which attracts about 100,000 people to our fair city, has been canceled. Add that to the list of previous cancelations like Coast Guard Fest, the Coast Guard Fest Craft Fair, the GH Art Fair, etc, and the local bars and restaurants along with their service people are going to take a huge hit during what is their normally busy summer season.

Mary and I just finished coloring along on YouTube™ with a young artist from California, Rachel Reinert. She is a talented colorist and artist who always inspires both Mary and me. She has several art/coloring books to her credit too. I just wish she was closer to the Eastern Time Zone so that we didn't have to say up so late to participate.

Otherwise, I made another batch of my vegan Italian meatballs yesterday which became part of our dinner. Lunch was more of Mary's newest specialty, flatbread, AKA pita bread, stuffed with cucumbers and Extraordinary beest, slathered in sauce. I liked using the word slathered, as it has such a great feel to the word itself.

We never took the seedlings out for the day since it was cool and cloudy. I think today's weather should be ore conducive to their health and well-being, as long as we get them back to their home in the bathroom downstairs before that happens, although we did take the fur-children for a short walk. 

We made up for the internet outage on Thursday and watched two episodes of Outlander yesterday.

Sunday's high temperature is supposed to drop into the lower 60s once again with a 20% possibility of a stray shower or T-shower. After that, we should be good to go, albeit with high-temperatures in the 60s and lower 70s.

Today, not much will be happening. We'll unbox more of our recent shipments 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 after 6:00 a.m. in "The City."

According to the NWS, the current temperature is 58° under mostly cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 62º. Light winds of 2 mph make it feel like, wait for it, 58°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 64º under mostly cloudy skies. That high-temperature will be about 10º cooler than yesterday.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.45" and steady, while the NWS is reporting 30.07" and falling.

Both the NWS and I are forecasting that the daily high-temperatures will continue to be anywhere from the lower 60s into the lower 70s for the foreseeable future. We seem to have gone from a cool spring to summer temps and back to cool spring temperatures almost overnight. That's one of the reasons that I'm waiting on leaving my seedlings out overnight, as some of the nighttime temperatures may fall into the lower 50s. Mary read yesterday that tomatoes in pots might be damaged by any temperature lower than 60º. I've come too far to turn back now.

I tried taking some closeup pix yesterday, but I deleted all of them as they were blurry or way too dark. I have some learning to do, as I get about one out of a 1,000 that turn out okay. I got a great pic of Ginger the other day, but I can't seem to remember how I did it.

Speaking of Ginger, we once again tried our hands at grooming. We are improving, as is her appearance, but we are no threat to the professionals.

We had an internet/cable outage yesterday afternoon and evening. The only information available was that a fiber-optic cable had been severed. It all came back to life @ about 8:00 p.m. last night. We never got to watch another episode of Outlander. We wanted to see what happened to Claire when she returned to modern times. Today for sure!

I edited more of my manuscript, worked a couple of crosswords, and read more of my latest novel. Mary is nearing the end of her nonfiction book.

Our plans for today call for us to do nothing, Ciao.

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

According to the NWS, the current temperature is 58° under mostly cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 60º. Light winds of 5 mph make it feel like, wait for it, 58°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 72º under partly cloudy skies.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.56" and steady, while the NWS is reporting 30.18 and falling. The NWS in GR is 30 miles inland to the east and well away from the shores of Lake Michigan.

Both the NWS and I are forecasting that the high-temperatures will continue in the upper 60s and perhaps the lower 70s for the foreseeable future. We seem to have gone from a cool spring to summer temps almost overnight. But, if the NWS forecast is correct, the high-temperature will drop into the lower 60s on May 30.

We planted some seeds in the vast gardens yesterday, but we have more to go, some that are less tolerant of cool soil temperatures or excessive rainfall.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:15 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:08 p.m.

The River Flood Warning is still in the forecast, but that has now been extended until 8:00 a.m. next Wednesday morning!

Along with the dreadful death toll caused by the Corona Virus, there have been additional casualties.

The annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show that draws over 300,000 people to GH each year, the annual Coast Guard Festival and Parade with all of its attendant activities, I.e, the annual Cruise-In Car Show, concerts at the Lynn Sherwood Waterfront Stadium, and the Coast Guard Festival Craft Fair are all canceled. The annual Lighthouse Guild Quilt Show held at St. Mary's Catholic Church in GH, had already been canceled.

This file photo from the  Grand Haven Tribune shows a scene from a previous festival.

We are still using the Fast Lane™ grocery shopping service to purchase our groceries. Mary picked up our latest order yesterday.

I seem to run out of steam late in the evening, while Mary seems to get her second wind. I go up to the media room and then to bed, getting up in the early morning hours to blog, empty the dishwasher, and get the feeding area ready for the fur-children in the morning. I also try to do a light cleaning of the kitchen. Mary stays downstairs and organizes. The latest example of her efforts is the now well-organized wall in the mudroom, sans winter coats and hats, which have now all been put away for the summer months. All of my baseball caps are there as are Mary's summer hats. Sadly, there is still no MLB™ baseball.

 

 

Looking good!

Today is another day of dog grooming. We'll go two out of three falls with both of the fur-children.

I did my own grooming yesterday, but then how hard is it to do a buzz cut on a mostly bald head?

What a perfect opportunity to add a cut or two from YouTube™ featuring the stylings of singer/songwriter, Wayne Faust.  The first is his song, Bald Guys.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HlQ5G15Zfvw

While this second one, entitled The Banjo Wendt Down to Georgia, is from his last Livingroom Concert Show performed last Friday night. As usual, Wayne is accompanied by his friend, Sven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-shsJv6FJ0

Otherwise, not much is happening here at the manse. I'm still editing my manuscript and playing music along with my regular early morning duties in the kitchen. I've started reading another novel and Mary is still reading her nonfiction book.

Our seedlings are getting used to being outdoors and they seem to be appreciating the opportunity to grow. When they are not outdoors, they are living in our downstairs bathroom. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation, and perhaps, across the world. It is just after 2:00 a.m. in "The City."

The current temperature is 57° under clear skies. Winds of 9 mph make it feel like 55°. Today's high-temperature was supposed to be 70º, but that never came to pass. However,  today's high-temperature is once again forecast to reach 70º under sunny skies.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.51" and rising, indicating that fair-weather is on tap. The NWS in GR is reporting a barometric pressure of 30.13. GR is 30 miles inland and well away from the shores of Lake Michigan.

Both the NWS and I are forecasting that the high-temperatures will continue in the upper 60s and perhaps the lower 70s from now on.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:15 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:07 p.m.

A River Flood Warning is still in the forecast until 8:00 p.m. next Tuesday night!. The flooding has caused dams to be breached in Midland County, MI. Evacuations have been ordered for unincorporated Edenville and there is a chance that the downtown area of that city will be under nine feet of water by later this morning. More than 50 roads have been closed due to flooding.

A Lakeshore Flood Advisory remains in effect for Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties until 10:00 p.m.tonight. Parking lots and roads along the immediate lakeshore will experience minor flooding. In Spring Lake, just over the drawbridge that spans the Grand River, Mill Point Park hs been closed for the summer due to water covering the park and nearby roads.

It is not a pretty sight!

In addition to Spring Lake, parts of GH are also flooded or soon will be. Most lakeshore communities/tourist towns are experiencing high water levels.

According to our in-house weather department, we have received 200% more rain than normal in May.

I spent some time playing my baritone ukulele Lorelei early yesterday and I spent time in the kitchen making a pair of vegan extraordinary beests, one for our dinner. We sliced one of the two beests and Mary used some pita bread to make her own version of stuffed sandwiches with horsey sauce for me and a plain sauce for herself, accompanied by sliced cucumbers in the pitas. I liked mine a lot.

During the afternoon, we took a walk with the fur-children and then settled in to watch another episode of Outlander in the media room. We also removed the blanket from the bed and washed it in preparation for storage for the next several months.

Today, we'll do some indoor chores and once again take my seedlings out for some fresh air and sunshine. They look like they are happy in their larger pots. We didn't get any additional gardening done yesterday, as the windy conditions precluded our being outside beyond that walk with the fur-children.

We are still working on the crossword from the weekend edition of the Gand Haven Tribune.

I finished reading a novel around 1:30 this morning. 

Today, we'll also get to that gardening and plant some flowers, bush-beans, cucumbers, and some basil as the fur-children watch from the deck. Ciao.

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

The current temperature is 55° under cloudy/rainy, skies. Winds of 15 mph make it feel like 50°. Today's high-temperature of 70º is forecast to be about 12º warmer than yesterday. According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.27" and rising, indicating that fair-weather is coming after the rains this morning. The NWS in GR is reporting a barometric pressure of 29.89. That is 30 miles inland and well away from the shores of Lake Michigan.

Both the NWS and I are forecasting that the high-temperatures will continue in the upper 60s and perhaps the lower 70s from now on.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:16 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:06 p.m.

A River Flood Warning has been added to the forecast until 10:56 tonight!. The threat of flooding has increased from Minor to Moderate severity. The flood warning continues for the Grand River and the Muskegon River.

Two to four inches of rain has fallen across the bulk of West Michigan over the last 36 hours. Falling on wet soil, this has pushed many of our rivers above flood stage. Additional rainfall tonight will be mostly east of Grand Rapids. Even 6 inches of fast-moving flood water can knock you off your feet... and a depth of 2 feet will float your car. Never try to walk, swim, nor drive through such swift water. If you come upon flood waters, stop, turn around and go another way. This warning will be in effect until the river falls below its flood stage.

In addition, the River Flood Warning has caused closed roads, flooded basements, and viaducts, and has caused local officials to pump floodwaters off of flooded roads and into Coast Guard Park in nearby Ferrysburg!

In Cook County, IL, the rains have caused power outages at the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, in downtown Chicago, as electric transformer vaults became flooded. Flooding also occurred in the lower levels at the River City Apartments and Chicago's famous Riverwalk! Streets and viaducts were also flooded there too!

Courtesy of CBS TV Channel 2, Chicago.

 

Courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

Courtesy YouTube™.

I accomplished some kitchen work yesterday in spite of my plans to the contrary. We had accumulated many Granny Smith apples during our recent forays into grocery land via the Fast Lane™ grocery service, so it was time to break out my pie-baking skills which have atrophied over many months of unuse. However, this picture of what was and is a delicious apple pie says I've still got it!

MMM Good!

Mostly, we watched as the rain fell, got the fur-children out for a short walk during a lull in the storms, and did a lot of reading and crossword solving.

I am tired of watching the mayhem that is occurring in our local weather due in part to Global Warming and other factors.

I'm also tired of watching as people stupidly congregate in this state and elsewhere as the various states relax or rescind their closings of stores, bars, restaurants, and other personal service providers. Hee at the manse, we are being diligent, but too many people, our POTUS included, are pretending to be ostriches and burying their collective heads in the sand!

Experts with a lot more education and access to the data than yours truly, are warning that these gatherings and ignorance of the need to maintain safe distances from others while also wearing face coverings, could lead to a second and larger outbreak of the Covid-19 virus pandemic. You can't fix stupid!

Today, if the weather turns out as predicted this afternoon, I plan to wear my summer uniform, get my seedlings out for some sunshine and fresh air, and do more editing on my manuscript. I was hoping that Mary was willing to try an old family recipe for vegan mushroom stroganoff. However, I think she has other plans, as my cleanup session in the kitchen indicates that she does. Who am I to complain? As long as I can stay out of the kitchen, I'm good!

If all goes well, we'll get in another episode of Outlander too. Ciao.

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

The current temperature is 54° under rainy, skies. Winds of 16 mph make it feel like 48°. Today's high-temperature forecast calls for 59º under those rainy skies with a 70% probability. The high-temperature forecast is about 6º warmer than yesterday. According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.15" and rising, indicating that fair-weather should be coming as soon as tomorrow to go along with a high-temperature of 69º.

Both the NWS and I are forecasting that the high-temperatures will continue in the 60s and perhaps the 70s from now on.

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

A Lakeshore Flood Warning will be in effect until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, while a River Flood Warning, will be in effect from late tonight until next Sunday. Finally, a Flood Warning is in effect until 3:30 p.m. today.

Erosion of beaches and dunes, with possible significant inundation of low-lying areas along the lakeshore and in river mouths, and road closures are possible. Piers, breakwaters, and unprotected shoreline will see hazardous wave action, and areas near Lake Michigan will see flooded roads and parking lots. It's spring in MI.

We had a slow day yesterday. The fur-children were reluctant to go out and they were content to wait for their meals to provide a break in their routines.

We worked the crossword from Friday's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune, did some reading, and ordered some books from The Bookman along with doing some indoor chores.

Mary made a great tasting dinner of vegan pepperoni quesadillas based, I believe, upon something she had read on Twitter™. The source of her inspiration doesn't really matter. The outcome was terrific!

Today, we have no specific plans. Rain will preclude much outdoor activity if the NWS forecast is correct. More editing, more reading, more playing of music, and more kitchen magic. Ciao.

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

The current temperature is 54° under cloudy, but not yet rainy, skies. Winds of 15 mph make it feel like 50°. Today's high-temperature forecast calls for 57º under those rainy skies with a 70% probability. I'm excited because my DTWS concurs with the current temperature readings from the NWS. The rain will fall throughout the day, beginning in earnest @ 7:00 a.m.


By the by, today's high-temperature forecast will be about 8º cooler than yesterday, but we will return to the 60s by tomorrow, albeit with a 70% possibility of more rain. Both the NWS and I are forecasting that the high-temperatures will continue in the 60s from then on.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:18 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:04 p.m.

A Lakeshore Flood Warning will go into effect starting @ 5:00 p.m. today and continuing until 8:00 a.m. tomorrow for Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties. Erosion of beaches and dunes, with possible significant inundation of low-lying areas along the lakeshore and in river mouths, and road closures are possible. Piers, breakwaters and unprotected shoreline will see hazardous wave action and areas near Lake Michigan will see flooded roads and parking lots.  


A Small Craft Advisory goes into effect from 6:00 a.m. today until 2:00 a.m. tomorrow. East winds of 20 to 30 knots with waves 3 to 5 feet are expected. from St Joseph to Manistee. Conditions will be hazardous to small craft, so inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.

Not surprisingly, there will also be a  Flood Watch in effect from this morning through tomorrow morning for portions of central Michigan, south-central Michigan, Southwest Michigan, and west-central Michigan, including the following areas: Clare, Gratiot, Isabella, Mecosta, Montcalm, and Osceola. In south-central Michigan, Calhoun, Clinton, Eaton, Ingham, Ionia, and Jackson. In southwest Michigan, Allegan, Barry, Kalamazoo, Kent, Ottawa, and Van Buren. In west-central Michigan, Lake, Mason, Muskegon, Newaygo, and Oceana. Rain will be overspreading the watch area Sunday morning. It will then persist into Monday morning. The rain will be heavy at times. Most locations are forecasted to see 1 to 2 inches of rain. However...heavier bands of rain could result in more than 3 inches before it winds down. There is some uncertainty about the location of where this heaviest rain will fall. Small streams, poor drainage, and urban flooding will be possible. Water levels are already high in places from recent rainfall...especially along and south of a Muskegon to Grand Rapids to Lansing line.

Before we got our outdoor activities started, Mary used up several of our leftovers for brunch.

Vegan Italian meatballs, baked-beans with homemade barbecue sauce, English muffin bread toast, and pasta salad.

I'm glad that the rains held off until today. That gave us a chance to accomplish that repotting on the potting bench located on the deck as the fur-children frolicked in the back-forty and on the deck.

Ginger was excited, as I had brought up the cushion for the chaise lounge. STWD had to check her out.

On the left, are my seedlings before they were moved to their new homes. On the right, our small gardening tools in their bag.

Many, but not all, of the tomato and pepper seedlings, were transplanted and watered. They'll all be coming in at night.

After the transplantation, Ginger sat in my lap as I gazed upon the vast gardens, wearing my complete "summer uniform": for the first time this year!

Life is good!

All pictures are courtesy of or Senior Staff Photographer.

As my loyal readers may recall, there was a protest planned for yesterday afternoon @ the Grand Haven State Park. According to an article posted on Twitter™ by the local TV station WZZM TV 13, the protest dubbed the Beach Bash by organizer Brandon Hall, started around 3:30 p.m., and lasted just a few hours as anywhere between 80 and 100 people dropped by to protest the closing of the parking lots by the MI DNR.

Hall was quoted as saying, "Just like at the demonstration in front of Governor Whitmer's the taxpayer-funded mansion, the largest of its kind in Michigan history, we are committed to working with law enforcement to ensure a safe event for all." All grammatical errors are those of Mr. Hall.

Apparently, Hall and his followers don't believe in the need to avoid gathering in large groups nor in wearing face masks. Here is a video of the protest from WZZM TV 13.

https://wzzm13.com/embeds/video/69-57533e08-98c9-4b57-96f4-ae210925235a/iframe?jwsource=cl 

According to an article in the Grand Haven Tribune, elsewhere in the world and specifically here in GH, an event began streaming on Friday and will continue through today The event entitled Bookstock 2020, with the tagline “Peace, Indie Bookstores and Music". Bookstock 2020, was organized by Driftless Books and Music in Viroqua, Wisconsin. According to Alexa McGuinness, The Bookman in Grand Haven is participating. Their book buyer, Scott Lange, is their performer.

Here at the manse, we're doing our part to help keep The Bookman in business during these trying times.

Dinner last night was my vegan Italian meatball recipe converted into burgers and served with French Fries as a side dish. I had my fries with malt vinegar and ketchup.

With today's rain, comes an opportunity to do more reading, writing, music playing etcetera. I erroneously reported that Mary had finished her latest novel. I was wrong on two counts. Her book isn't a novel, it is a non-fiction book and she has about 20 more pages to go.

I won't be in the kitchen. My kitchen work is done for now. Ciao.

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

The current temperature is 51º under clear skies. Winds of 7 mph make it feel like 48°. Today's high-temperature forecast calls for 58º under skies with a 0% possibility for additional precipitation. under partly cloudy skies. The barometric pressure is 29.45 Mg and rising. Generally, rising barometric pressure indicates fair weather.

We had what has often termed a gully-washer Thursday night. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines a Gully Washer as an extremely heavy fall of rain usually of short duration: a cloudburst.

I found this image of a Gully Washer @ the Google Images™ website.

However, that fair weather will be short-lived, as there is a 100% possibility of rain tomorrow with one to two inches expected. That means that we can expect another Gully Washer tomorrow, which will be accompanied by a high-temperature of 59º.

The sun will rise today @ 6:19 a.m. and set later @ 9:03 p.m. Mary informed me that our sunsets will all be after 9:00 p.m. each night until August 3, 2020.  

We got out yesterday and made those aforementioned stops here in the Tri-Cities area. We also took a short trip over the bridge to one of the other Tri-Cities, Ferrysburg. I took some pix while we were out and about.

This pic is from Ferrysburg, one of my favorite subjects, an unused playground.

As we traveled through Ferrysburg, I took some shots of the overpass for the US 31 overpass that spans the Grand River and the local street below in Ferrysburg. I also took a pic of the truck traffic that was headed for the local dock in Ferrysburg that stores slag, gravel, sand, and cement after it is delivered by ship to GH. 

I liked the way this truck looked like in what was almost a silhouette.

In the foreground, one of those gravel piles. In the background, a storage tank for the fuel terminal that serves the area.

The nearly 100-year-old Pratt through truss bridge that is always open after the passage of a CSX freight train on the RSTL. The exact age of the bridge is unknown, but the riveted construction suggests that it was built in the early 1900s.

Speaking of that train passage, @ 9:22 a.m., I heard the southbound run pass by the manse. Later, I was in my studio and actually observed the northbound passage of locomotive #2025 as it towed 20 CHCs, two DBTCs, and five DWTCs, all empty. I believe that the morning run was that same locomotive, cars in tow unknown.

We spent some time on the deck with the fur-children, which included giving them both a pawdicure. If we keep at it, we'll get them done. Each of our girls got a dental treat bone as a reward for good behavior.

It got chilly, so we came in and May took the time to make a terrific pasta salad that utilized shell macaroni, her homemade vinegar and oil dressing, some leftover chickpeas, some leftover black olives, some parsley, and some of my vegan Pepperoni. 

Only a small amount of yet another leftover remains.

Today, we hope to ger to that transplantation and some direct seeding of flowers in the various beds and pots. We won't be putting my seedlings into the garden, yet, as it is still too cold overnight.

Otherwise, I plan to make some vegan burgers for a diner or lunch meal. 

Mary finished reading her latest novel last night, while I am still working on mine. I am also editing my own work too.

By the by, there is a protest of the MI governor's stay at home/social distancing order planned for the Grand Haven State Park today. The parking lots at the State Park have been closed at the state park since those recent huge crowds which have apparently upset people without a clue. Some of those protestors may be armed with semi-automatic assault weapons, as they were at the state capitol in Lansing a couple of weeks ago. We'll stay in our own back-forty which should be outside the range of those assault weapons. Ciao.