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."

The current temperature is 73° under partly-cloudy skies. My DTWS is reporting  74.3º on the front porch and 74.3º on the deck. According to the NWS, light winds of 5 mph make it feel like 73°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 84º under partly-cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 68% and only a 20% chance for additional precipitation.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.33" and rising, while the NWS is reporting 29.94", and also rising. Generally, those readings indicate fair weather.

The sun rose this morning @ 6:09 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:28 p.m. That's a slight change here in the mid-summer.

At any rate, the local pyromaniacs are still tormenting STWD. Sigh.

Sadly, in GH and thus in our non-air conditioned manse, the outdoor temperature forecast for today of 84º, which is only the harbinger of things to come, as we'll see 88º on Wednesday. With a little luck, we'll have A/C by the and of Wednesday.

I spent a short amount of time in the kitchen preparing vegan Italian meatballs for the excellent dinner that we had last evening while watching another episode of Poldark. Dinner was pasta shells with Mary's secret sauce. The fur-children benefited twice yesterday, as they enjoyed the mushroom cuttings from my meatballs and then later, some of the pasta shells.

We can't decide if they would forgo red meat to have pasta. Nah, they are dogs, so they'd take both in no particular order. In fact, the day before when Mary made her soon to be famous fajitas, they were there for the green peppers too.

Today. I  have that appointment in GR @ noon and then I should be heading home no later than 3:00 p.m. I'd much prefer to have Mary chauffeur me, but since she would have to wait in the car for several hours due to the social distancing restrictions, that is not possible. This will be the longest solo drive I have taken for many years. The truth is that I am enjoying being a passenger in my later years.

I did end up watering the vast gardens yesterday evening so that they can survive the heat today. I might be able to hold off until Thursday for the next watering. Our tomatoes and cucumbers are thriving in the heat, but our sweet peppers don't seem to be liking it. Go figure.

I saw MMRR locomotives 2025 and 2019 pass by heading north yesterday @ 11:37 a.m. I guess they must have stayed south of GH over the weekend. In tow, there were 16 DBTCs and three DWTCs. The cargo labeled on the flanks of the DBTCs was sodium hydroxide, a chemical used in making drain and oven cleaners. It is also used in chemical manufacturing, oil refining, hydraulic fracturing, water treatment, and metal processing. It can also be used in the manufacture of fabric, plastic wrap, paper, and soap.

The DWTCs had as their cargo sulfuric acid which has as one of its main uses, the manufacture of fertilizers. A mix of sodium hydroxide and sulfuric acid can produce a safer compound of sodium sulfate used in the manufacture of detergent and paper pulp. At least there is little chance of a dangerous spill, unlike when the DBTCs carry crude oil.

Otherwise, not much is on tap for today. We are still waiting for a call from the homeowner's insurance representative regarding our A/C replacement. We are not holding out much hope, but the system needed replacement anyway, so....

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."

The current temperature is 66° under clear skies. My DTWS is reporting  68.0º on the front porch and 68.2º on the deck. According to the NWS, light winds of 2 mph make it feel like 66°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 85º under partly-cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of between 69% and 86% with only a 20% chance for additional precipitation.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.30" and steady, while the NWS is reporting 29.79", and rising. Generally, those readings indicate fair weather.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:08 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:28 p.m. No change.

Sadly, in GH and thus in our non-air conditioned manse, the outdoor temperature forecast for today of 85º is only the harbinger of things to come, as we see 88º and on Tuesday and Wednesday. With a little luck, we'll have A/C by Wednesday.

Mary went all out for brunch yesterday as she made fajitas with green peppers, onions, and soy curls mixed with her own blend of spices. My fajitas were served on flour tortillas, while she had hers on corn tortillas.

We had another adventure in dog grooming yesterday as we trimmed Ginger's ever-growing coat and then gave her a bath. She wasn't pleased by either activity. But, when she and STWD got to go for a walk in the Lake Forest Cemetary, she and the Weather Dog were happy.

That pleasure lasted for STWD only until the local pyromaniacs once again started their own fireworks show about two blocks over last night. Some of their efforts were eerily similar to those detonated by the professionals. The noise scared Sugar, as usual, and so I had to coax her from her hidey-hole and then escort her out last night for a final visit.

Since we had the chance while Ginger was off the bed, we washed all of the linens and that meant that STWD had to be kept off the bed too. That probably didn't help her mood much either.

Speaking of that walkabout in the cemetery, my research indicates Lake Forest Cemetery to be about 80 acres in size, composed of two sections acquired in 1872 and 1891 respectively. The grounds are maintained by the City of Grand Haven with plots dating from then until the present.

At any rate, the fur-children like being able to walk undisturbed and we enjoy the chance to learn more about the early residents of Grand Haven. One of the reasons for the acquisition of the cemetery grounds was the need to move remains from Grand Haven's Central Park which is located near to the center of GH. Some people believe that in spite of the inducements offered to people to move their relative's remains to the Lake Forest Cemetery, there are still some remains in the park.

We like to see the markers of various people who were and are the residents of GH. While I did not take my camera along for the ride yesterday, Mary did have her Smart Phone and that allowed her to put on her Senior Staff Photographer's hat and take some pix as we drove and walked.

One of our first sightings was of several deer feeding peacefully among the gravesites, unconcerned about the intrusion of the living on their feeding grounds. Naturally, we didn't park there and get the fur-children all excited.

Not sure of the age on this deer, but at least one year old.

A fawn in the background.

Along with those pix. Mary also took some shots of various trees, monuments, and headstones.

Among our city's famous residents, are the Verplank family, who own the Verplank Docks in Ferrysburg.

Just a tree that we liked.

Another famous family in GH is the Loutits, for whom our library is named.

Sometimes trees are just very photogenic.

It is amazing the quality of pix that can be taken with a Smart Phone. I am beginning to think that the recent sale of the Olympus camera division to a private investment firm may be due in part to the quality of those phone photos. Olympus has been in the camera business since 1936!

Today, we may get in another walk with the fur-children and also do some additional indoor chores. Much of that activity is dependent upon the temperature. I do anticipate more sedentary activities too, in order to keep physical exertion down to a minimum. I watered our vast gardens yesterday afternoon, but due to an appointment I have in GR on Tuesday, I may have to water again later tonight. 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."

The current temperature is 64° under fair skies. My DTWS shows 65.3º on the front porch and 65.5ºon the deck. According to the NWS, light winds of 1 mph make it feel like 64°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 82º under partly-cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 73% and a 20% chance for additional precipitation.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.24" and steady, while the NWS is reporting 29.79", also steady. Generally, those readings indicate fair weather.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:08 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:28 p.m.

Sadly, in GH and thus in our non-air conditioned manse, the outdoor temperature on Monday is forecast to be 86º, and on Tuesday and Wednesday, 88º. Therein lies a tale.

We finally got that visit from the A/C inspection service that had been contracted by our insurance company to do inspections of concerns at the homes of their policyholders. Sadly, it took several days for that service to make an appearance. When they finally came, with no announcement of their arrival, they did not drive a marked van, they did not provide any identification, they did not provide their names, they had no uniforms, and they were very, and I stress very, unprofessional and downright rude!

They wore facemasks only when they were strongly urged by us to do so. In short, we have no faith that the inspection that they performed met any minimum standard. At this point, we are in a quandary. When you contract with an insurance company it is with the expectation that they can help with unexpected expenses. We need to have our A/C system replaced due to the physical damage, but the recommendation by the inspection service did not provide us with any hope that the insurance company will assist us.

But enough on that sad experience.

We did some reading, some crossword solving, and some relaxing once the "inspectors" had left the area. Later, we drove over to the big-box nearly everything store and picked up an order. That was the best part of the day.

After dinner, we watched another episode of Poldark and then I moved upstairs to watch the Beatles in their first film, A Hard Day's Night. I stumbled upon the listing for that movie on one of the movie channels and it ran for almost two hours and featured many of the songs from the Fab Four's early days. I loved it. Here is a sample of their work, the song A Hard Day's Night courtesy of YouTube™, as performed by the Beatles.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yjyj8qnqkYI

But, the movie had so many great songs and scenes that it is hard to pinpoint just one, so here is another song, the Fab Four performing She Loves You. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S302kF8MJ-I

Oh what the hey, here is Paul performing And I Love Her https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_c2XZd9mMo

Oh my, what's one more, or three?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FV_PGs0m34U&list=RDFV_PGs0m34U&start_radio=1&t=0

What can I say, I love music.

Today, we hope to stay relaxed and in limited motion. The fur-children are hopeful of more walking, but that is a maybe. Last night, another pyromaniac set off a huge explosion nearby and that sent STWD into paroxysms of fright and into her hidey-hole. Ginger was merely curious. I had to go down and get Sugar to go out for her final visit, much earlier than expected. 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 68° under cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 69º on the front porch and 68ºon the deck. According to the NWS, light winds of 9 mph make it feel like 68°. Today's high temperature is forecast to be 73º under cloudy skies with a relative humidity index of 79% and a 10% chance for additional precipitation.

According to my DTWS, the barometric pressure is 29.10" and rising, while the NWS is reporting 29.77", also rising. Generally, those readings indicate clearing/fair weather. The current forecast indicates that the rain is over.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:07 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:28 p.m

There is a Flood Advisory in effect until 7:00 a.m. this morning.

I am certain that the rain was a result of my watering late Thursday. A scientific fact? No, but I still am certain.

We did get out for a walkabout with the fur-children yesterday to the Lake Forest Cemetery. Our Senior Staff Photographer took along her trusty Olympus TG camera, so she was in charge of memorializing our excursion. I think she got some great pix.

It is okay to visit but, "Do Not Disturb!"

A typical shot of STWD, as she is very camera shy.

A sad event for Christmas in 1923.

Also a pic of a baby's interment.

A nice pic of a tree.

Same here.

I decided that I wanted a homemade pizza for dinner last evening, so I made some vegan pepperoni and later, Mary made her soon to be famous pizza dough upon which she placed some of the pepperoni, some mushrooms, some vegan cheese, and her secret sauce. It was excellent!

Today is the day! The inspector for the insurance company is due out later this morning or early this afternoon. This is the last day for comfortable weather, as the temperatures will rise into the eighties for the foreseeable future. We need to get this A/C installation resolved ASAP, so we are scheduled for Wednesday of next week no matter what comes of the inspection. Sigh. Until then, we suffer.

Other than that, we hope to get to Ginger's grooming 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 3:00 a.m. in "The City."

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:07 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 62° under partly-cloudy skies. The forecast calls for a 5% chance for rain until about 2:00 p.m. today when that chance increases to 50% @ 3:00 p.m. and climbs to 90% as the afternoon turns into evening,

My DTWS shows the current temperature as 62º on both the front porch and the deck. According to the NWS, winds of 3 mph make it feel like, wait for it, 62°.
  .   
The NWS calls for today's high to be 76º, about 11º warmer than yesterday. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 61º. I watered yesterday, so naturally, the storms will move in tonight.

The barometric pressure is falling, so that indicates that a storm is moving in. Both the NWS and my own DTWS agree on that.

I did some kitchen activity after lunch and Mary took time to organize the cooking utensil drawer while I folded and put away the laundry.

At 3:30 p.m. I had made an appointment to pick up the books I had on hold utilizing the library's curbside pick up program. That went well.

After that, we took a ride past the waterfront and beaches. The Grand Haven State Park lots are now open, as is the campground, so the beaches will be crowded this weekend. Unfortunately, there were many bare faces in evidence.

I took many pix along our route and also a few in our own vast gardens. I'll share some now.

They are busing them in now!

A nice cabin cruiser heading out into the "Big Lake."

People on the boardwalk and the lighthouses.

A better shot of the lighthouses.

I was experimenting with a closeup on my tomatoes which are now budding.

The same.

Today we hope to take the fur-children for a walkabout in the cemetery, that is if we get out before the T-storms/rain event. STWD will not go if she senses that a storm is coming in. Otherwise, we have no plans. Ciao.

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

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:06 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 63° under cloudy skies. The forecast called for a 55% chance for rain until right about now. No rain is falling. We have a chance for additional showers this morning @ 40%.

My DTWS shows 65º on both the front porch and the deck. According to the NWS, winds of 3 mph make it feel like 63°.
  .   
The NWS calls for today's high to be 72º, about 6º warmer than yesterday. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 58º.

You've probably noticed by now that I missed a day of blogging. I just didn't have the get-up and go, so I didn't.

Yesterday, I managed to complete a few crosswords with Mary's assistance, but that has been the extent of m ambition.

Our A/C system is still not replaced as we are waiting for an inspection of the old system by an inspector unknown to us. It took the company that provides this service multiple tries to find someone in our area who could visit the manse. He is supposed to be here Saturday afternoon and then we may get our new A/C system installed next Wednesday. We shall see.

I had a couple of pix taken by our Senior Staff Photographer scheduled for my Monday night blog, but I'll include them here instead.

This is a portion of the vast gardens of the Palatiaql Estate.

Monday's night's dinner of a new Hamish recipe and a salad made from our own lettuce.

Yesterday. I watched both of the runs on the RSTL. At 8:37 a.m. I watched MMRR locomotive 2019 and H & E RR locomotive 2025 pass by heading south towing 21 CHCs, 17 DBTCs, 3 DWTCs, 1 Boxcar, and 1 GTC. Later @ 2:55 p.m., I espied those same locomotives heading north towing 24 CHCs, 19 DBTCs, 3 DWTCs, and 9 GTCs. While the southbound train cars were empty, the northbound cars were fully loaded.

Today, I have to do that watering that I put off in hopes of rain. I also have to do some indoor chores.

Otherwise, not much is on tap as we are done with our myriad phone calls about the A/C replacement. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation, and across the world. It is just before 3:0 a.m. in "The City."

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:06 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 67° under cloudy/rainy skies. The forecast calls for the rain to go away until about 5:00 a.m. and then we have a chance for additional showers this morning. At what percentage? I don't know!

My DTWS shows 68º on both the front porch and the deck. Also according to the NWS, winds of 1 mph make it feel like 67°.
  .   
The NWS calls for today's high to be 68º, about 10º cooler than yesterday. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 62º.
 
According to the NWS in GR, a Beach Hazard Statement will be in effect today from 11:00 a.m. until tonight @ 5:00 p.m. for the counties of Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren. Strong currents can pull swimmers into deeper water and high waves can sweep people off piers. The north side of north piers will be especially dangerous. This includes the piers at Holland State Park and Grand Haven State Park. and the north beach in South Haven. Strong currents will occur near those piers. People should remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions and should not venture out on piers.

 

Plus, there is yet another Small Craft Advisory for that same time period that will affect the shores of the "Big Lake" from St Joseph to Grand Haven.

 

The barometric pressure here at the manse is 29.12" and rising, while the NWS is reporting 30.12", remaining steady. So, who do I believe? STWD!

We had an average day yesterday. We spent some time on the phone with our insurance company trying to determine if our damaged A/C system is covered by our homeowner's insurance. We are expecting a representative from an inspection company this morning to make a final determination. However, no matter what that person decides, we are going to have the system replaced. 

In spite of the prediction for rain late yesterday into today, I watered our vast gardens. The rain that fell last night and into this early morning just added some badly needed moisture to the soil.

The rose from Mary's garden fully opened yesterday. It looks even better now and the aroma is still terrific!

Actually, there are three blooms on one stem.

The fur-children wanted to go walkabout, but we denied them that pleasure. Instead, we drove over to the Fast Lane™ and picked up our latest grocery order.

 

We did some additional reading and TV viewing too. With all of the phone calls and texts, we had very little free time. Today, who knows? Ciao.

 

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

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m. No change from yesterday.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 63° with no rain falling. According to the NWS, winds of 4 mph make it feel like 63°.

My DTWS shows 66º on the deck, but 67º on the front porch.
  .   
The NWS is forecasting today's high to be 75º, that's 8º warmer than yesterday. This evening, starting @ about 5:00 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a 45% chance for showers that will morph into T-storms around 6:00 p.m.with a 70% chance. However, their forecast was wrong about the T-storms in the late morning yesterday, so. If all goes well, we'll get the fur-children out before the rain begins to fall. The overnight low tonight/this morning is forecast to be 61º. I believe that STWD does a better job of forecasting than the NWS.

The barometric pressure of 29.33" and 29.88" respectively is rising. Generally, that indicates that we'll have fair weather, but the forecast belies that. Go figure.

We had a good day yesterday. I didn't have to water and if the forecast is correct, I may be able to avoid that task today.

I made another of my famous stirfry brunches with more than a little assistance from my sous chef, Mary. In between, we collaborated on those indoor chores.

I was coughing when Adam and Steph called from their balcony in Chicago for Father's Day. So after our brunch, I called them back and we had a great Father's Day conversation. In addition, they had sent me a terrific Father's Day card, but with our abundance of caution, we didn't open it until last evening. It depicts two fur-children on leashes and one of the fur-children is asking, "Are they still following us?" I often feel as though that's what our own fur-children think when we are out walking.

While I was out in the vast gardens pulling some invasives yesterday afternoon, I spotted some bright red roses in Mary's rose garden. I knew that they needed to be cut and relocated to a vase in our living room. Mary scoped them out, selected the right size vase and voila, instant beauty.

Their aroma is wonderful. Is the book next to them a coincidence? Hmmm.

Today, we have nothing special in our plans. But, since it will once again be warming up, we'll have to decide whether to take the fur-children for a stroll @ the Lake Forest Cemetary. Plus, we want to fit in a stop at the grocery store to pick up our latest order from Fast Lane™.

I think we can read the weekend edition of the Grand Haven Tribune that arrived in the mailbox on Saturday.

One part of the conversation that we had with Adam and Steph yesterday, was in regard to the inability to make spur of the moment decisions regarding destinations. I guess that until a vaccine is developed and made available for the COVID-19 virus, that's how it will be.

But all in all, we decided after watching two more episodes of Poldark, that when you are retired with generally no place to go and all day to get there, that life is good. However, I still feel like my mother in law, Eleanore, that I am too busy. Why? Maybe because we don't often get up before noon. Time for an Awwww. Ciao.

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

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m. Hmmm, no change from yesterday.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 67° with no more raindrops falling on my head, that is if I were outdoors. Instead, I am observing all of the actions by looking out my WW. According to the NWS, winds of 12 mph make it feel like 67°.

My DTWS shows 69º on the deck, but 70º on the front porch.
  .   
The NWS is forecasting today's high to be 71º under rain-filled skies that should give way to clearing skies by about 11:00 a.m. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 61º.

Today's high will be about 12° cooler than yesterday. That is a change from yesterday. Phew, that's a relief!

The barometric pressure of 29.27" and 29.84" respectively is falling, indicating that more rain is in the offing.

Otherwise, not much happened yesterday. The fur-children laid around and panted, but STWD still thought she should go for a walk. Ginger is more willing to do nothing. However, I have it on good authority that her latest late-night modus operandi is to go outside and just stand around. Mary has to go retrieve her and give her a good scolding. Ginger follows up her scoldings by being the lapdog she was adopted to be and climbing into Mary's lap and being cute. I think it works.

I made some vegan Italian meatballs yesterday afternoon to avoid using the oven and Mary used our microwave to "bake" an acorn squash for dinner that was served with some of my tried and true "meatballs."

We spent some time reading and solving a crossword puzzle along with watching two episodes of Poldark. The more episodes I watch, the more I like it.

Today, some indoor chores, more reading, but no watering. That is except for what is on the front porch and out of the rain under the roofline. Ciao.

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

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:28 p.m.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 67° under partly-cloudy skies. My DTWS shows 69º on both the front porch and the deck. Also according to the NWS, winds of 1 mph make it feel like 67°.
  .   
The NWS calls for today's high to be 81º, also under partly-cloudy skies. Currently, no rain is falling but there is a 20% chance of rain showers or a stray T-storm today. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 65º.


Rather than paraphrase the only alert we have in the forecast, I am going to reprint this one from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy below. It is a humdinger!

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has declared Saturday, June 20th, to be an Action Day for elevated levels of ozone. Pollutants are expected to be unhealthy for the sensitive group's range. The Action Day is in effect for the following Michigan counties: Van Buren, Kalamazoo, Allegan, Ottawa, Kent, Muskegon, Oceana, and Mason.

People and businesses are urged to avoid activities which lead to ozone formation. These activities include refueling vehicles or topping off when refueling, using gasoline-powered lawn equipment and using charcoal lighter fluid. Positive activities include: carpooling, biking to work, delaying or combining errands, and using water-based paints. It is recommended that active children and adults and persons with respiratory diseases such as asthma limit prolonged outdoor exertion.

At any rate, you can see why it was easier and more expedient to reprint this information than to paraphrase. In other words, no walks for the fur-children nor ourselves! 

Yesterday was not a great day due to the rising temperatures and humidity. I did get out and water, so that today I can just sit back and stay out of the worst of it. In addition, we took the time to return the very large pile of books that we had checked out of the library, books that have been accumulating with no way to return them until just recently. Now those books can rest in the library's program room for three days to be sure that the COVID-19 virus is no longer present.

Did I mention that I almost forgot, well I actually did forget, what day this is? It gets harder when you don't have any activities that delineate time and day.

We also took the time to go ride about in our Jeep™ Renegade after we left the library. A quick visit to Harbor Island yielded some nice pix.

The road is blocked by the high waters of the Grand River.

The water has nearly reached the road surface on Third St. near the BLP Sims Generating Plant.

The plant is in the process of being razed.

But, a great vantage point from which to take a pic of Grand Haven's coal tipple.

Of course, the rising water has given fishermen many new places to catch fish.

We also felt a need to look around the waterfront and the downtown area of our fair city too. Sadly, too many people feel as though the pandemic is over and so they are congregating, walking, and acting as if they have nothing to worry about.

The beaches are filling up in spite of the limited parking caused by the closure of the parking areas at the Grand Haven State Park.

The Boardwalk is getting a lot of foot traffic.

But, the weather is also now warm enough, well maybe a bit too warm, that our vast gardens are now doing very well.

In our parkway garden, the roses are in full bloom.

Our tomatoes in the back-forty are growing like, dare I say it, weeds!

Mary's rose bush in front is in full and aromatic bloom Also blooming are the various planters.

Oops, how did this car get in there? Oh well, all of the cars with "Drop Tops" are out and about.

Our own version of an English Garden is flourishing.

Indeed!

I heard the morning southbound run of the empty train pass by around 8:45 a.m. yesterday. Later, @ 2:40 p.m., I watched as MMRR locomotives 2025 and 2019 passed by heading north, with cars that were also empty. Those cars included one CHC, 24 DBTCs, 15 DWTCs, and one GTC. 

Dinner last night was a recipe that Mary got from the internet for a faux barbecue chicken pizza. It included chickpeas in lieu of chicken, onions, banana peppers, and light vegan cheese. It is definitely a keeper!

This pizza tasted even better than it looks!

We also watched episode 3 of Poldark. We are getting to know the characters better and so the storyline is more enjoyable.

Today will be a good day to get the fur-children out for a very limited time after meals. Too hot for them and too hot or us. After today, we should see more comfortable temperatures for a few days. We have our appendages crossed that our A/C will get replaced mid-week.

Otherwise, not much is planned nor will it be happening. 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 sun will rise this morning @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:27 p.m. Once again, the same as yesterday.

I have decided to dispense with my regular blog efforts and just do a truncated version today.

Yesterday, we watched episode #2 of season #1 of a new series entitled Poldark. Once again, a period piece set in England, this one set just after the American Revolution.

We had more salad from our deck garden. It tasted great. My tomatoes and peppers are doing well.

I have to water today.

I finished my novel earlier this morning.

I was reminiscing about life as a father since we are approaching Father's Day on Sunday.

Adam and I used to try to attend a car show somewhere. Once we went to a location, Maryville Academy in Des Plaines, IL. I think we also went to one near a Riverboat Casino, but I can't seem to recall the city. The hazards of age, or just the long span of elapsed time? I dunno, but I can't seem to recall.

I miss not being able to see my children, Adam and Steph on Father's day. I'm relatively certain that Mary missed seeing them on Mother's Day last May.

I miss the annual Coast Guard Festival and the arrival of the Coast Guard ships in late July.

I miss "The Season."

I miss the annual Coast Guard Car Show.

I miss being able to go out to a restaurant when we have no other plans.

I miss being able to take long walks with Mary and the fur-children.

I miss my monthly Irish Jam Sessions. The next one would have been tomorrow.

Here is a pic of Larry Halverson and Tim Staudacher of Uneven Ground as they jam and enjoy Larry's retirement from the Loutit District Library.

I miss my monthly Coffee and Coloring sessions at the library with Kerry Fitzgerald.

I miss the library.

I miss the way things will never be again.

I miss just being retired with no specific plans.

Life is good, so who am I to complain? In reality, I know that this too shall pass. However, it feels good to vent sometimes.

Oh well, with a bit of luck and a new POTUS in 2021, maybe next year.

Ciao.

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

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:27 p.m. Once again, the same as yesterday.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 65° under clear skies, while my DTWS shows 68º on both the front porch and the deck. Also according to the NWS, winds of 1 mph make it feel like 65°.
  .   
The NWS calls for today's high to be 78º under sunny skies. Currently, no rain is falling and there is only a 5% chance of rain today. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 59º.


The NWS has issued an Air Quality Alert for Van Buren, Allegan, Ottawa, Kent, Muskegon, Oceana, and Mason counties. People are urged to refrain from topping off gasoline tanks and/or other outdoor activities that may add to poor air quality conditions.

My DTWS shows a falling barometric pressure of 29.51". The NWS is reporting 30.08". Generally, those readings, indicate changeable weather ahead. However, there is no significant rain event on the horizon until Sunda's 60%. I watered yesterday and it looks like I"ll be watering again tomorrow.

We had the visit from the A/C estimator yesterday. We are awaiting the final cost estimate as well as whether the current furnace can be adapted to the newer A/C system. If not, Katie bar the door. Oh well, the system is over 20 years of age.

Otherwise, I made more vegan Italian meatballs which when combined with Mary's slow-simmered pasta sauce over spaghetti noodles, made for an excellent dinner.

Otherwise, not much happened yesterday. We combined some indoor chores and that was about the extent of our activities. We both did a lot of reading. Today should be the same as we await the estimate from the A/C estimator. Ciao.



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

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:05 a.m. and set later @ 9:27 p.m.

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 61° under clear skies, while my DTWS shows 63º on both the front porch and the deck. Also according to the NWS, winds of 2 mph make it feel like 61°.
  .   
The NWS calls for today's high to be 77º under sunny skies with a relative humidity index of 64%. Currently, no rain is falling and there is only a 10% chance of rain today. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 60º.

My DTWS shows a falling barometric pressure of 29.59". The NWS is reporting 30.20". Generally, those readings, indicate clear weather ahead. There is no significant rain event on the horizon. So, although I watered a little yesterday, it looks as though I'll be doing a full watering today.

I was in the kitchen yesterday playing sausage maker to the stars. By that, I mean myself and Mary. I found an old family recipe for kielbasa just like somebody's old grandmother uses to make. The end result was eight sausages that look great and taste just like the Polish sausage we remembered. However, just like all vegan sausages, there was no grease squirting out at every bite. Here are a pair of pix of my efforts.

Fresh from the steamer.

Plated with a side salad for dinner. Lettuce is from our own gardens!

Prior to dinner, we watched the final episode of Outlander from season five. While there is a sixth season planned, the COVID-19 pandemic has put that season's production schedule on hold for the foreseeable future. We both wanted more of the Claire and Jamie show. Now, we have to decide what to watch for our next long term viewing. Right now, we are both suffering from Outlander Withdrawal Syndrome.

This afternoon, the estimator is coming out to tell us the bad news regarding our central A/C system with regard to replacement cost and about when the installation of a new system can be put on their schedule. We know it won't be inexpensive, but the alternative is a summer and fall spent in a house better suited for growing flora than people and fur-children.

That being said, here are a couple of tunes from YouTube™ apropos to that theme. Enjoy.

Summer in the City by The Lovin' Spoonful


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7ofnHmxE-I

And, Heat Wave by Marth and the Vandellas.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k0GDQrK2jo

Otherwise, we have no specific plans. Perhaps some indoor chores and reading, but 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 4:00 a.m. in "The City."

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:04 a.m. and it will set later @ 9:26 p.m., just like yesterday. Boring!

According to the NWS, the current outdoor temperature is 56° under clear skies, while my DTWS shows 59º on both the front porch and the deck. Also according to the NWS, winds of 4 mph make it feel like 56°.
  .   
The forecast from the NWS calls for today's high to be 75º under sunny skies with a relative humidity index of 64%. That 75º mark is 6º warmer than yesterday's high temperature. Currently, no rain is falling and there is a 10% chance of rain today. The overnight low tonight is forecast to be 54º.

My DTWS shows a steady barometric pressure of 29.74". The NWS is reporting 30.33". Generally, those readings, indicate clear weather ahead. There is no significant rain event on the horizon. So, although I watered yesterday, it looks as though I'll be watering again on Wednesday.


Speaking of watering in a tangential way, yesterday we finally got the new begonias planted in the Mr. Stacky™ planter on the front porch. We had a few too many begonias, so we also planted some in the gardens near our deck. I like how they look in both locations. Here are some pix from our efforts.

It took a lot of dirt, but Mr. Stacky is now blossoming with begonias!

The topmost begonia in Mr. Stacky.

Impatiens in our lower level planters.

Near the street, our roses are in full bloom.

Oddly, this rose pic looks more like a painting.

Tucked in near the deck.

Although there is no baseball in Wrigley Field™, our ivy-covered walls are doing well.

I like to think that my old friend is waiting nearby for the MLB™ season.

A longer view of the begonias near the deck.

Out front, our columbines are thriving.

 Since I was out with my camera, I just had to take some additional pix.

More impatiens on my water pump.

And in another planter in the vast gardens.

And finally, in Mary's Green Man planter. I got his name right this time.

Never let it be said that we weren't fully sated when we went out to plant. We had a nice lunch of Chicago style vegan hot dogs and we were ready to go.

Later, we enjoyed a great dinner of chips and cheeze as seen below. My version was just chips, onions, jalapeno peppers, and cheeze, while Mary felt a need for beans.

What can I say, I  loved mine!

Early yesterday morning, I played with my girls, until it was time to go back to bed. I wish that I could sleep through the night, but alas, my internal clock is all messed up due to the COVID virus guidelines. When she was younger, Mary once slept through a tornado, so she and Ginger never even stirred.

Today, we have nothing on the agenda. Well, there is the final episode of Outlander that must be watched. I did a little sleuthing, and there will be a sixth season. However, with the COVID virus running rampant, no new episodes are in production and no firm dates have yet been announced.

Oh, Mary sent me bad news yesterday. A news source indicates that several MLB™ players have tested positive for the COVID virus and there may be no 2020 MLB™. I am not happy, but no season would be better than the danger posed by a season of infected players. Ciao.