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

We have a current temperature of 61º under clear skies. A wind speed of 7 mph makes it feel like 61º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 78º will be under mostly sunny skies with a RHI of 74%.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:08 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:20 p.m. EDT.

Naturally, given the very limited amount of precipitation here in GH, I had to water again yesterday.

I had a terrific birthday! As I referenced in my previous blog, Mary completed my new apron for use when I am in the kitchen.

Here I am wearing my new apron and standing alongside my Kitchnaid™ stand mixer.

I love it!

In addition, my new apron looks right at home hanging on our apron rack in the kitchen.

My apron looks so nice, that I almost hate to get anything on it.

In honor of International Beatles Week and the reopening of the Cavern Club following a five-month closure of clubs in Europe, I wore my latest T-shirt.

Is it the shirt that makes the man or is it the man that makes the shirt?

We traveled to the Lakeforest Cemetery for a walkabout with the fur-children. I didn't take along my camera, but our Senior Staff Photographer had hers at the ready and took some great pix of the local fauna that call the cemetery and the adjacent Duncan Woods home.

The deer seemed to be unconcerned by our fur-children

The deer listened and stared, but they didn't cut and run.

One of the younger deer, probably one of this year's fawn, spent much of the time just laying in the grass.

We came home watched more of The Man in the High Castle, and Mary cooked my requested birthday dinner, Spaghettirole Casserole. Along with the cheezy garlic grits that she made for brunch, I was in ecstasy.
 

The recipe for Spaghettirole Casserole calls for a can of diced tomatoes, but since we have a bounty from our garden...

My baseball teams delivered a trifecta yesterday, as the Cubs, the Red Sox, and the Tigers all won their games.

The 20 - 14 Cubs handily defeated the 15 - 19 Reds, 10 - 1, on the strength of a never before seen feat, as all three Cubs' outfielders, Jason Heyward, Kyle Schwarber, and Ian Happ all hit two home runs each. That has never happened in baseball history.

The Cubs completed a trade for a DH, acquiring 1st baseman/OF/DH Jose Martinez from the Rays in exchange for two players to be named later. Unfortunately, the Cubs failed to get any bullpen help, another glaring need, along with their now filled need for a right-handed power hitter.

The Cubs are off until Tuesday's game against the 15 - 19 Pirates @ 7:05 p.m. EDT when LHP Jon Lester, 2 - 1, takes the mound.

My beloved, 12 - 22 Red Sox defeated the 12- 19 Nationals yesterday, 9 - 5. The Sox are still not going anywhere, but they acquired two young players in exchange for 1st baseman Mitch Moreland in a trade with the Padres. The Sox welcome the 10 - 14 Braves to Fenway tonight @ 7:30 p.m. when 0 - 2 RHP Colten Brewer gets the start.

The 16 - 16 Tigers swept the 20 - 15 Twins yesterday afternoon with a 3 - 2 win. Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera got his 2,000th hit as a Tiger. The Tigers travel to Milwaukee for a game Tuesday night versus the 15 - 18 Brewers, when 0 - 0 RHP Micheal Fulmer takes the bump.

Today should be a bit more laid back. More reading, more music, more crafting, more retirement. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and around the world. It is just past 1:55 a.m. in "The City."

I made it! I'm now officially in my 70th year of life. Given all that has transpired over the years, I just have to insert a Beatles™ song here from YouTube™

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

Oh, I don't plan to get up much before noon today. Just saying. 

We have a current temperature of 62º under fair skies. A wind speed of 6 mph makes it feel like 62º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 73º will be under sunny skies with a more comfortable RHI of 63%.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:06 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:23 p.m. EDT.

Naturally, given the very limited amount of precipitation here in GH, I have to water again today. No rest for me, even on my birthday. On the plus side, our tomato plants are still producing copious amounts of tomatoes. More on that later.

We still have a Beach Hazard Statement in the forecast for Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties in effect until 8:00 a.m. today. North winds from 15 to 25 mph will continue to make swimming extremely hazardous. In an all too typical occurrence, two people were swept off of the North Pier into Lake Michigan and so they had to be rescued by bystanders.

In addition, we still have a Small Craft Advisory in effect for the "Big Lake" from St Joseph to Manistee for that same time period.

We gave both of our fur-children a bath yesterday. They were alternately indignant, resigned, and grateful. In addition, we trimmed Ginger a bit too. They were both happy to accept their rewards for being "Good Girls."

As I mentioned earlier and in this blog many weeks ago, I have a volunteer cherry tomato plant in our vast gardens. Yesterday, I took a photo of that tomato plant before I plucked to the first very ripe tomato off the vine and ate it. Here is a pre-plucking photo taken with my Olympus DSLR camera and one of my telephoto lenses in close up mode.

Not only does it look good, but it was!

Mary made a great salad using homegrown tomatoes and cucumbers.

Our Senior Staff Photographer took this pic with her SmartPhone camera.

In baseball news, I could have saved some time by not watching the 19 - 14 Cubs split a doubleheader with the 15 - 18 Reds. RHP Yu Darvish put on quite a show during his six innings of work, to move his record to 6 - 1, as the Cubs won the game 3 - 0.

Sadly, the outcome of the second game of the doubleheader was not so good. RHP Alec Mills was less than impressive and the relief corps was no better. Just when Cubs' manager David Ross thought it was safe to give the ball to Craig Kimbrel, the end result was less than spectacular. A wild pitch in the final inning with the bases loaded allowed the Reds to score the winning run in the 5 - 6 Cu''s loss.

In addition, the Cubs and the Reds got into a serious dispute over a pitch that went over Anthony Rizzo's head. Managers were tossed, coaches were tossed, and the benches cleared. Today's game against the Red begins @ 1:10 p.m. EDT as RHP Tyler Chatwood tries to rebound from his last outing.

My beloved11 - 22 Red Sox took their game from the 12 - 18 Washington Nationals yesterday, 5 - 3, as the X-Man, Xavier Bogaerts nailed a three-run home run to assist winning RHP Ryan Brazier, a journeyman pitcher in relief of RHP Chris Mazza, who got the start due to Nathan Eovaldi being placed on the 10 day IL retroactive to August 26. For the beleaguered Sox, when it rains, it pours. Today's game @ 1:35 p.m. EDT features the stylings of RHP Zack Godley and his 0 - 3 record.

The 15 - 16 Tigers took two from the 20 - 14 Twins by the score of 8 - 2 in the opener with LHP Matthew Boyd, 1 - 4,  finally getting his first victory. In the nightcap, rookie LHP Tarik Skubal, 1 - 1,  baffled the Twins hitters and tossed a masterful game for the 4 - 2 victory. Today's game versus the Twins begins @ 1:10 p.m. EDT, as the Tigers' rookie phenom, RHP Casey Mize, 0 - 1 goes and tries for the series sweep and an even on the season for the Tigers.

I mentioned earlier that we bathed and groomed our fur-children. In order to keep them out of trouble until they dried, we "Jailed" them in the kitchen. We assume that they were not happy.

Since STWD likes to lie on the bed, and since we had just washed the bedding, she had to be held at bay.

We finished Dr. Thorne yesterday and we were totally satisfied with the outcome. We also watched another episode of The Man in the Hgh Castle too.

Today, I have requested that Mary make one of mine and Adam's favorites, Spaghettirole Casserole. I plan to read more, play with the girls and my harmonica in my studio more, and try to pretend that I am not as old as I am. I generally feel quite well, but sometimes, I feel my age.

Mary will be busy doing her own voodoo.

3:00 a.m. update!

My birthday gift from Mary is an apron for my kitchen activities that she has been diligently cross-stitching on for a while now. It is BEAUTIFUL! My new apron features a replica of my Kitchen Aid™ stand mixer, a box grater, some stirrers/spatulas, some measuring spoons, a teapot, a rolling pin, and a measuring cup! What more could a man ask?

Of course, it is a keeper!

Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 70º partly-under cloudy skies. A wind speed of 16 mph makes it feel like 70º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 75º will also be under partly-cloudy skies with a more comfortable RHI of 66 %.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:03 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:28 p.m. EDT.

As all too often happens, the predicted storms yesterday mostly split up over the "Big Lake" and went around our fair city. Today marks the beginning of 15 days of below 80º temperatures. The chance to walk with the fur-children has now been vastly improved with the lower temperatures and the lower RHI.

We have a Beach Hazard Statement in the forecast for Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties in effect until 2:00 a.m. tomorrow. Northwest winds from 20 to 30 mph will make swimming extremely hazardous. That means that swimmers are warned that they should not be going into the hazardous waters of Lake Michigan.

Swimming near the north piers will be especially dangerous due to strong currents near the pier. Swimmers are warned by the Red Flags on the beaches to remain out of the water to avoid hazardous swimming conditions and they should not venture out on piers. This includes the North Beach in South Haven, Holland State Park, Muskegon State Park, Mears State Park in Pentwater, and Stearns Park in Ludington. In addition, the possibility of strong Rip Currents and the very real possibility of swimmers being pulled farther into the lake are also indicated.

In addition, we have a Small Craft Advisory in effect for the "Big Lake" from St Joseph to Manistee for that same time period. While that warning poses no concern for the big ships that regularly visit GH, inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, should avoid navigating in those hazardous conditions.

Yesterday we got back to normal here at the manse.  We watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle and the third of four episodes of Dr. Thorne. We are enjoying both series.

I made more vegan Italian sausages, as planned, two of which became part of our dinner with Tater Tots™ on the side. Our brunch was Chickapea™ pasta with Daiya™ vegan cheese sauce.

Ginger and I actually witnessed both ends of the train runs past the manse yesterday. At 8:15 a.m., MMRR locomotives 2019 and 2025 were observed passing by on the RSTL heading south, towing 13 CHCs, and six DBTCs, all fully loaded.

Later, @ 12:24 p.m., we watched as those same locomotives passed by towing two DBTCs, and one DWTC.

We also read more of the Mary Trump book and I read my own novel too.

Since it was late by the time we arose, we didn't get much else accomplished. I found some time to practice my calligraphy, but that was about it.

Oh, Mary cleared out her sewing cabinet that had been replaced by our new shelving unit.

Mary chose this shelf because of its neutral black color and its size. My camera has a new home when not in use.

We placed the sewing cabinet at the curb in hopes that it would find a new home, which took about one hour before it was taken. Repurposing at its best!

Baseball news yesterday was not good.

The 18 - 13 Cubs returned to action and hit four home runs. Unfortunately, they also struck out 14 times! So their game versus the 14 - 17 Reds ended as a 5 - 6 loss for RHP Kyle Hendricks, 3 - 4, and the Cubs. Today's game @ 4:10 p.m. EDT features RHP Yu Darvish, 5 - 1, starting for the Cubs.

My beloved 10 - 22 Red Sox once again looked bad, this time versus the 12 - 17 Washington Nationals. The Sox lost the game, 2 - 10. Starting and losing Red Sox LHP Martin Perez, 2 - 4 vows this about the beloved. "We're going to keep fighting!" Tonight would be a good time to start, as tonight's game @ 7:30 p.m. EDT will see RHP Chris Mazza, 0 - 1, on the mound after his callup from the alternate training site in Toledo.

The 13 - 16 Tigers, fresh from their win over the Cubs, on Thursday, had the day off yesterday as bad weather postponed both ends of their doubleheader against the visiting 20 - 12 MN Twins. Today's first game @ 1:10 p.m. will see 0 - 4 LHP Matthew Boyd, while the second game will feature rookie LHP Tarik Skubal, 0 - 1 pitching for the Tigers. The missing game will be made up later in the season.

Today, we must give Ginger a bath and we must find time to work the crossword puzzle from Wednesday's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune. Days seem to get away from us in retirement and also during this pandemic. The fur-children are the only beings in the manse who seem to have a clear sense of what is going on around here.

We may do some indoor chores too. I want to read more, play more harmonica, play more guitar, and watch more TV. Mary wants to get her crafts organized now that some of them have been moved to new locations. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 74º under mostly-cloudy skies. A wind speed of 4 mph makes it feel like 74º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 80º will be under rainy skies, with an 80% chance for heavy T-storms and with an RHI for today of 84 %. There is a 90% chance for scattered T-storms later this early morning. We shall see, as I didn't water yesterday. Those predicted storms may still break up over "Big Lake" and go around GH. As of now, the view out the WW is dry.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:05 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:25 p.m. EDT.

All of my baseball teams were either off or they had their games postponed yesterday due to the issues in Kenosha, WI, and across the country. I love baseball, but I also love the fact that the players can agree to withhold their services in support of people's rights.

I finished two crossword puzzles yesterday. We watched more TV and mostly sat around and waited while our visitors completed their work around the manse. Hopefully, their efforts will prove successful. It will take at least one week to determine their level of success.

Mary made a quick trip to the Fast Lane™ grocery service after they left, while I stayed behind and changed the strings on Abigael. Now both she and Blue will require retuning daily until the strings are stretched into their desired length. Of course, with the constantly changing weather conditions, that is a regular activity.

Later today, I hope to spend more time with my girls, read more, work on my harmonica lessons, and just relax. Retirement takes a lot out of a person.

I was looking in the mirror the other day and I saw my dad looking back. Where did that old guy I was seeing in that mirror come from?

Otherwise, not much is on tap for today. I will likely hear the morning run of the trains as I lay in bed and perhaps see their afternoon passage. Mary will be doing some crafty thing or another and we may collectively watch more of The Man in the High Castle and another of the four episodes of Dr. Thorne, by the creator of Downton Abbey, Julian Fellowes. Dr. Thorne is a much shorter series, four episodes in all, but we like it. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 77º under clear skies. A wind speed of 15 mph makes it feel like 77º. I guess that wind-chills don't come into play until the winter months. Today's high-temperature forecast of 82º will be under partly-cloudy skies with an RHI for today of 73 %. As the day wears on, the chance for scattered T-storms increases to over 65% after midnight. We shall see.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:04 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:27 p.m. EDT.

As all too often happens, those predicted storms may still break up over "Big Lake" and go around GH. Perhaps, Friday's 60% chance for T-storms in Friday's forecast will come to pass. At least the forecast still calls for temperatures to moderate for several days.

We still  have a Beach Hazard Statement in the forecast for Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties in effect tonight @ 5:00 p.m. today. That means that swimmers should not be going into the hazardous waters of Lake Michigan and the curious should not be venturing out onto the piers.

That Small Craft Advisory also continues in effect for the shoreline counties from St Joseph to Manistee for that same time period. Wind speeds of 15 - 25 knots and wave heights of 3' to 5' are possible.

The Air Quality Alert that was in effect for Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent, Allegan, and Van Buren counties, has been canceled.

Baseball news yesterday was either good or not so good, depending upon which team you root for. The now 18 - 12 Cubs, who still lead the NL Central, were narrowly defeated by the 13 - 16 Tigers, 6 - 7, as Cubs' LHP Jon Lester struggled through multiple innings before giving way to a very porous relief corps. Once manager David Ross removed Lester from the game, the proverbial sky fell on the Cubs. The Cubs staged a late rally, but they came up short.


The Cubs are off today as they travel to Cincinnati to face the 11 - 17 Reds Friday night @ 7:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Kyle Hendricks, 3 - 3 takes the mound for the boys in blue.


The 13 - 16 Tigers scored six times in the 6th inning to take a serious lead over the Cubs last night. Starting Tigers' RHP, Michael Fulmer, 0 - 0, the AL Rookie of the year in 2016 and an All-Star selection in2017, struggled early before the Tigers also sent in the relief corps. They tried to give the game away, but through the efforts of their own reliever, Joe Alexander Jiménez, they hung on for the win.

In the category of no rest for the wicked or for that matter, the good people, the Tigers welcome the 20 - 12 Twins to Comerica Park for a game tonight @ 7:10 p.m. EDT. Hard-luck LHP Matthew Boyd, 0 - 4, takes the ball once again for the Tigers.

My beloved 10 - 21 Boston Red Sox were outplayed by the 16 - 14 Blue Jays last night, as the Sox' emergency starting pitcher, RHP Colten Brewer. 0 - 2, was victimized by the long ball and came away with the loss, 1 - 9.Tonight's game in Buffalo begins @ 6:37 p.m. EDT as another RHP, Chris Mazza, 0 - 1, tries to right the ship in yet another emergency start.

I made more vegan Italian meatballs that became part of our dinner last night along with more of Mary's secret recipe sauce that included some of our garden-fresh tomatoes. Since I asked that the tomatoes be included late in the cooking, the sauce was watery but still very tasty.

In my studio, I played more harmonica, played more with my girls, and I actually restrung Blue since today is trash pickup day here in GH and I could send the old strings to the dump. It takes me about 20 minutes to replace the strings, so it takes about twice as long for my 12-string guitar, Ivy. I plan to replace the strings on Abigael who is no longer my traveling 6-string guitar this week too when the muse strikes me. Ivy will have to wait for her 40 minutes of fame.

Ginger and I watched and listened to both ends of the train run on the RSTL yesterday. At 9:05 a.m., MMRR locomotives 2019 and 2025 passed by towing a contingent of fully-loaded cars that included 22 CHCs, one BC (Box Car), one DWTC, and eight DBTCs.

Later, @ 2:10 p.m., we watched as those same locomotives passed by, once again towing fully-laden cars that consisted of 18 CHCs, nine DBTCs, and one LC (Lumber Car). I failed to notify Mary of the passage of a rare visitor to the rails that pass by the manse. My bad.

Today, we have some visitors to the manse that will require an early wake-up call for us and the fur-children before they get restricted to the bathroom for howsoever long the visit takes. Hopefully, not too long. Mary and I will be knitting and reading during that time. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 70º partly-under cloudy skies. A wind speed of 6 mph makes it feel like 70º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 84º will also be under partly-cloudy skies with an RHI for today of 74 %. Not good weather for man nor beast to be outdoors. So, neither we nor the fur-children will be going out for an extended period today.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:03 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:28 p.m. EDT.

As all too often happens, the predicted storms yesterday split up over the "Big Lake" and went around GH. While a few drops fell, I ended up watering the vast gardens. While there is no significant precipitation in the forecast until Friday's 60% chance for T-storms, Friday's forecast also signals the last of our 80º plus days for the next 10 days or so. Phew!

That doesn't mean that the inclement weather has gone away.

In place of precipitation, we have a Beach Hazard Statement in the forecast for Mason, Oceana, Muskegon, Ottawa, Allegan, and Van Buren counties that goes into effect tonight @ 8:00 p.m. and continues through 5:00 p.m. tomorrow. That means that swimmers are warned that they should not be going into the hazardous waters of Lake Michigan.

In addition, we have a Small Craft Advisory in effect for shoreline counties from St Joseph to Manistee for that same time period. Wind speeds of 15 - 25 knots and wave heights of 3' to 5' are possible. While that warning poses no concern for the big ships that regularly visit GH, inexperienced mariners, especially those operating smaller vessels, should avoid navigating in hazardous conditions.

Plus, as proof of my earlier admonition about going outdoors today, there is an Air Quality Alert in effect for Muskegon, Ottawa, Kent, Allegan, and Van Buren counties until 9:15 p.m. tonight. I love the precision that that forecast confers upon this alert. Not 9:00 p.m., not 10:00 p.m., but 9:15 p.m. Ozone levels are expected to be elevated. thus, it is recommended that active children and adults and persons with respiratory diseases such as asthma limit prolonged outdoor exertion. Ya think?

In baseball news, last night, the now 18 - 11 Cubs were soundly defeated by the 12 - 16 Tigers, 1 - 7, as RHP Tyler Chatwood came off of the IL and threw for 1 1/3 innings, facing 12 batters, walking five of those, recording only four outs and allowing two runs. He was mercifully pulled by Cubs' manager David Ross, who called on a shaky relief corps for help. While the final score doesn't show it, the return to the active roster by RHP José "Q" Quintana in relief for three innings, was a hint of better things to come

Perhaps Chatwood was just rusty, but any hope for the return of a solid starting rotation was not in evidence last night. Quintana also just came off of the IL, so he may be moving out of the bullpen and back into the starting rotation very soon. The next game in the series is tonight @ 7:10 p.m. when LHP Jon Lester, 2 - 1, goes for the Cubbies @ Comerica Park against the Tigers and RHP Michael Fulmer, 0 - 0. The Cubs have tomorrow off before a big weekend series in Cincinnati.

My beloved 10 - 20 Boston Red Sox played the Blue Jays last night and came away with the win in the Blue Jays temporary home of Buffalo, NY. The "X Man", SS Xavier Bogaerts, went 3/5 as the Sox batted around in the sixth and loaded the bases that were cleared by a triple off of the bat of 3rd baseman Rafael Devers. Tonights' original starter for the beloved, Nathan Eovaldi, has been scratched to be replaced for a spot start by RHP Colten Brewer, 0 - 1 for a  6:37 p.m. EDT game.

We collectively did some indoor chores yesterday and also baked a loaf of what has instantly become a keeper, basil/vegan cheese beer bread. The taste is excellent and the preparation is easy, especially when we work together.

Ready for baking.

Fresh from the oven.

Slathered with vegan margarine.

All pictures courtesy of our Senior Staff Photographer.

Today, more reading, more music, more knitting, and more TV viewing. Sadly, we watched the final episode of Downton Abbey yesterday. We will miss this fine program. While the series ended in 2016, there are rumors of a Downton Abbey movie being in the works, but no timetable as of yet. We may have something new to watch in the rotation. I'll keep my loyal readers posted. We still have more of The Man in the High Castle to watch, but that is a much different type of series. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 73º under cloudy skies. A wind speed of 2 mph makes it feel like 73º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 78º will be under partly-cloudy skies with an RHI for today of 75 %.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:02 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:30 p.m. EDT.

I was watching the Weather.com™ website yesterday afternoon/evening. Once upon a time, there was a 60% chance for T-storms that even appeared on the radar. But, as all too often happens, the storm split up over the "Big Lake" and went around GH. So, that means that my hoped-for plan to avoid watering today was dashed upon the rocks of despair. Sigh.

In baseball news, last night the 18 - 10 Cubs defeated the 11 - 16 Tigers, 9 - 3, as RHP Alec Mills, 3 - 2 looked solid for the Cubs' win. Lately, the Cubs' offense has been asleep. But last night, the Cubs' bats came to life, as Javier Baelz, nailed two home runs and David Bote got 4 RBIs off of rookie starting and losing pitcher, RHP Casey Mize. who.looked good for a while, but then his cutter and split-finger fastball were too inviting for major-league level hitters and the Cubs won handily.

The next game will once again be @ Comerica Park against the 11 - 16 Tigers @ 7:10 p.m. EDT, as RHP Tyler Chatwood, fresh off the 10-day IR list goes for the Cubs versus RHP Spencer Turnbull, 2 - 2 for theTigers.

The Tigers? See the previous entry.

My beloved 9 - 20 Boston Red Sox play the Blue Jays tonight @ 6:37 p.m. EDT, when LHP Kyle Hart, 0 - 1, takes the mound for the beloved.

I finished another crossword yesterday and read more of my latest novel. We also made a few phone calls to set up some appointments, which resulted in an appointment for the fur-children at their doctor's office for some maintenance. That shouldn't take too long.

We did give ourselves and the fur-children an outing to Lakeforest Cemetery for a short visit late yesterday. STWD is getting too old to do well in the high humidity, so our visit was shortened. However, both she and Ginger appreciated the opportunity. Ginger and STWD know the word cemetery, so when Mary and I are discussing our plans, we have to use an alternate word so that the fur-children don't get excited and pin themselves against the back door.

Otherwise, not much is planned for today. We will be watching the final episode of Downton Abbey and perhaps another episode of The Man in the High Castle. Mary has a plan for lunch that corresponded well with my overnight snack. I was "Asked" to not have a sandwich of any kind. That was fine with me as I wanted non-dairy yogurt and applesauce anyway.

Mary is making progress on her latest knitting project, a hat, using, I believe, a garter stitch. If I'm wrong, as I usually am, I'll be corrected later this morning. I plan to get to more music, more reading, and of course, going along with the fur-children for their doctor's appointment. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 72º under clear skies. A wind speed of 2 mph makes it feel like 72º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 82º, will be under sunny skies with an RHI for today of 76 %.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:01 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:32 p.m. EDT.

In baseball news, the 17 - 12 Cubs finally defeated that other 17 -10 team from Chicago, 2 - 1, as RHP Yu Darvish ran his record to 5 - 1 by getting 10 Ks over his 7 innings of work. In spite of getting that win, the Cubs' offense was asleep throughout most of the game. The only runs the Cubs scored came off of a 2 run home run by Kyle Schwarber in the 6th inning. The next game will be @ Comerica Park against the 11 - 15 Tigers @ 7:10 p.m. EDT.


The 11 - 15 Tigers got a win against the 17 - 11 Indians yesterday, as starter LHP Tarik Skubal looked good, but it took LHP Dan Norris out of the pen to nail down the win for the Tigers. Tonight's game will feature the Tigers' rookie RHP Casey Mize versus the Cubs @ 7:10 p.m.

My beloved 9 - 20 Boston Red Sox lost again yesterday to the 14 - 14 Orioles in Camden Yards by a final score of 4 - 5. The Sox play the Blue Jays on Tuesday night @ 6:37 p.m. EDT , when LHP Kyle Hart, 0 - 1, takes the mound.


I was a busy guy yesterday. Early yesterday morning, I played Blue, my Ovation 6-string guitar and worked on another harmonica lesson after which I finished my novel. Later, I watered the vast gardens after doing some reshaping of the soil and then I came in to the kitchen and baked some soy curl jerky following a new recipe along with crafting some of my soon to be famous vegan Italian burgers. After that, I finished the crossword puzzle from Thursday's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune.

During our brunch of vegan Italian meatballs with cucumbers and tomatoes as a side dish, we watched another episode of The Man in the High Castle. Mary assures me that an alternate timeline like this one is following will work out, but it is odd for me. I did get to see a sports car in this episode that Adam identified as a Kaiser Darrin roadster.

Over our dinner of Mary's homemade pizza that she kept simple with just her secret recipe sauce, some of my vegan pepperoni, both topped with vegan cheese. As always, I liked it.

As Mary noted, oddly shaped, but the taste was great!

Today, I have a new novel to start, more playing with my girls, more harmonica, another crossword puzzle to solve, some dog grooming, and then I plan to sit down after dinner and watch the Cubs and the Tigers battle it out. If the Cubs offense doesn't wake up against Tigers' pitcher Casey Mize, it will be a long night.

Mary will likely continue her knitting, having finished her last project, a cowl tha looks great and will be nice and warm this winter, assuming that winter ever comes. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 69º under partly-cloudy skies. A wind speed of 3 mph makes it feel like 69º. Today's high-temperature forecast of 80º, under mostly sunny skies with an RHI for today of 70 %, it will be less comfortable. Tonight's low will be 68º. I am watering again today.

The sun rose this morning @ 7:00 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:33 p.m. EDT.

In baseball news, the 16 - 10 Cubs also saw the sun set on their season, as they lost another to that other 17 -11 team from Chicago, 4 - 7. The score was actually not as close as it first appears. The Cubs' offense was like me, asleep throughout most of the game. They never woke up. I woke up in time to hear announcers Pat Hughes and Ron Coomer describe the final moments of a game that was lost before the Cubs even stepped on the field. RHP Kyle Hendricks, 3 - 3, was the loser and only the latest pitcher for the Cubs to throw batting practice pitches to that homer-happy other team.

The next game will be @ Wrigley Field Today @ 2:20 p.m. EDT versus that other team from Chicago, when surprising new ace, RHP Yu Darvish, 4 - 1, takes the ball for the Cubs.

My beloved 9 - 19 Boston Red Sox lost last night to the 13 - 14 Orioles in Camden Yards. The Sox took the game into extra innings and scored the go-ahead run under this year's rule that puts a man on 2nd at the start of extra innings. But, the Sox newly appointed closing pitcher, RHP Matt Barnes, surrendered two runs to the Orioles in the bottom of the frame and the Sox lost, 4 - 5. The Sox play the Orioles in Baltimore today @ 1:05 p.m. EDT when RHP Zack Godley, 0 - 2, tries to win one for the Sox.

The 10 - 15 Tigers came up short again to the Indians as the starter, LHP Matthew Boyd, 0 - 4, looked better than he has in quite a while, but that didn't end the misery for the fading Tigers. The Indians sent the Tigers to yet another loss, 1 - 6 as the Tigers' bats were once again asleep. Today's game @ 1:10 p.m. EDT will feature rookie LHP Tarik Skubal for the Tigers. Skubal and Casey Mize are the future for the Tigers, but the present is not very pretty.

Yesterday was more of the same old, same old. We watched more of The Man in the High Castle and more of Downton Abbey to pass the time along with reading more. I played with my girls and worked on my lessons for my latest interest, learning the blues harmonica. I have a long way to go, but I signed up for some internet lessons that are fun, entertaining, and easy to follow. And, since I have nothing but time, I'll keep plugging away.

Mary made vegan hot dogs for brunch with cucumber salad. Later, she made her latest creation for dinner, tofu fried in olive oil with a coating of pepper and flour on rye bread with tartar sauce. Her recipe has evolved very quickly from no tartar sauce to what is now a keeper.

I made another pair of vegan pepperoni sausages in hopes that a homemade pizza can be tonight's dinner.

Somewhere in there, she spoke with the folks at The New Ewe in Newaygo, MI about her latest yarn order. With some internet looking and some thinking, she placed her order and that should arrive in a few days if the postal goddess is with Mary. Normally, we'd take a trip to Newaygo, but with the Covid-19 pandemic and the risk of exposure to the virus, if anything happened along the way, Mary opted for the safer mail delivery. Sigh.

Otherwise, more watering, more music, more reading, more of the same old, same old. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and the world. It is just past 6:30 a.m. in "The City."

By now, you've probably noticed that I didn't blog yesterday, as I was comfortable in bed, and so I stayed there.

We have a current temperature of 53º under clear skies. A wind speed of 2 mph makes it feel like 65º. When and if winter comes to GH, I'll be adding the wind-chill readings too. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 81º under mostly-sunny skies.and when coupled with an RHI for today of 69 %, it will be a little less comfortable. Tonight's low will be 69º. I watered yesterday, so I won't be watering again until tomorrow.  The sun rose this morning @ 6:58 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:35 p.m. EDT.

In baseball news, the currently 16 - 9 Cubs looked awful last night against that 16 - 11 other team from Chicago, as LHP Jon Lester, 2 - 2, yielded four of the six home runs that the Cubs pitching staff gave up en route to a 1 - 10 loss. Lester looked all too human and all of his 36 years of age as that other team lit him up before he gave way to the all too human bullpen, which gave up two more home runs. I never like reporting a Cubs' loss, especially to that other team, but as the late CBS newsman, Walter Cronkite used to intone, "That's the way it is." Tonight, the Cubs send  3 - 2 RHP Kyle Hendricks to the mound @ 8:15 p.m. EDT.

My beloved 8 - 18 Boston Red Sox defeated the12 - 14 Orioles last night, 8 - 5 as the Sox won their 3rd in a row. J.D. Martinez on his 33rd birthday got a two-run homer to pace the attack. The Sox traded two pitchers to the Phillies for two other pitchers in a sure sign that they have written off this season and that the beloved are planning for that infamous "Next Year." The Sox once again take to the field tonight in Camden Yards as LHP Martin Perez, 2 - 3 goes to the mound @ 7:35 p.m.



The 10 - 14 Tigers are on a roll, as they defeated the Indians last night to end an 0 - 20 streak against the Indians. RHP Michael Fulmer, 0 - 0, looked like he was going to get another loss, but a huge 4th an inning that included a Grand-Slam HR off the bat of rookie Isaac Peredes in only his 4th game in "The Show" and which was his first of what will hopefully be many more to come. Tonight's game against the Indians begins @ 7:10 p.m. when 0 - 3 LHP Matthew Boyd tries to extend that streak.

Yesterday, I watched as two trains passed by the manse heading south on the RSTL. The first, @ 9:30 a.m., saw MMRR locomotives 2019 and 2025 towing 11 CHCs, 16 DBTCS one DWTC, and one GTC.

Later, Ginger alerted me to the northbound passage of those same locomotives as they towed nine CHCs, 12 DBTCs, one GTC, and a rare Box Car (BC).

I made more vegan Italian meatballs yesterday too. 

Mary put her long-dormant barbering skills to work yesterday and cut my hair. Each day, I have less and less, so the task gets easier each time. While we were on the deck, our fur-children joined us and got rewarded for "good behavior" with an OraVet™ dental chew for each. As usual, Ginger scarfed hers down while STWD savored hers for a longer time.

Last night, Mary opened the mail and discovered that we received a small rebate for the A/C unit we had installed at the end of June. While not a huge amount, I filled out the paperwork and sent it in. I've always said that I'll stand in line to receive money, but never to give it. Filling out some paperwork is of a similar ilk.

Elsewhere, we talked to Adam and Steph for a while. Later, we watched two episodes from the final season of Downtown Abbey. We may have settled on a replacement for that show.

Otherwise, not much was happening. We read more of the Mary Trump nonfiction book about her uncle. After dinner, I listened to that painful loss by the Cubs as Mary stayed downstairs and watched an episode of Daria, an animated show about a brainy high school girl and her struggles to navigate through her time at the fictional Lawndale High School. A flight of fancy or?

Today? Indoor chores, some nail grinding for the fur-children, more music, more reading, and more?

Oh, in keeping with my love of good music, I am including this cut from YouTube™ of America the Beautiful, as recorded by the late Ray Charles in 1972. No matter what your political persuasion, I hope you can appreciate the sentiment.

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myBVejwZt8Q

Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 63º under fair skies. A wind speed of 6 mph makes it feel like 63º. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 78º under mostly-sunny skies.and when coupled with our RHI for today of 64 %, it will be very comfortable. Tonight's low will be 68º. I am seriously considering no watering today based upon our cooler temperatures. It will be a game-time decision.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:56 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:38 p.m. EDT.

In baseball news, the 16 - 8 Cubs split their doubleheader yesterday against the Cardinals. Their next game will be @ Wrigley Field Friday night @ 8:15 p.m. EDT versus that other team from Chicago.  when LHP Jon Lester, 2 - 1 takes the ball for the Cubs.

My beloved 7 - 18 Boston Red Sox defeated the 9 - 10 Phillies, 6 - 3 yesterday. Third-baseman, Rafael Devers, went out, had some fun, and went 3 - 4 in the win. The Sox play the 12 - 12 Orioles in Baltimore tonight @ 7:35 p.m. EDT when RHP Nathan Eovaldi 1 - 2, tries to go for two in a row. 

The 9 - 13 Tigers once again lost to that 14 - 11 other team from Chicago, 4 - 8., to record their 8th loss in a row. Starting RHP Casey Mize didn't get the decision, but he recorded 7 Ks and 0 walks, a feat never before achieved by a Tigers' rookie, as he looked like the future has arrived in Detroit. The Tigers complete their series versus that other team today @ 2:10 p.m. EDT.

We had a rather mundane day yesterday. I tried out our new carpet cleaner and it works fine.

Mary traveled to that big-box nearly everything store for a grocery and sundry pick up while I was completing a crossword puzzle from last Friday. We collectively read several more chapters in Mary Trump's tell-all book.

Later, we watched 1 1/2 episodes of Downton Abbey as we ate a dinner of my vegan Italian burgers alongside some leftovers.

After dinner, I came up to the media-room and promptly fell asleep in my Lazy Boy. I had wanted to watch the various speeches that were part of the virtual Democratic National Convention, but instead, I watched the major speeches by former President Obama and current V.P. nominee Kamala Harris on the internet.

I can't lay claim to being apolitical, but I can say that I am certain that if the GOP and the current resident of "The People's House" in Washington D.C., cannot be allowed to continue their usurpation of our democracy. No matter what your political persuasion, we cannot abdicate nor shirk our responsibilities as citizens in this nation. We must all get out and vote our consciences this coming November. If you think you are better off than you were four years ago, then vote for that guy and the GOP. But, if you think we deserve better and if you think we can do and be more, then vote for change. To quote Forrest Gump, "That’s all I have to say about that."

One more little sidetrack. This performance by Prince Royce of Stand By Me was used by the Democratic Party during their virtual national convention last night. This is what the GOP is afraid of? You be the judge. By the by, Mary turned me on to this terrific performance. I loved it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fh-oN_TJVc

Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 55º under clear skies. This being August, that 55º is a surprisingly low overnight temperature for W. MI. A wind speed of 2 mph makes it feel like 55º. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 76º under sunny skies. That's cooler than yesterday's high temperature and with our RHI for today of 58 %, it will be a very comfortable day. Tonight's low will go down to 63º. No watering today.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:55 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:40 p.m. EDT.

In baseball news, the 15 - 7 Cubs versus the 5 - 6 Cardinals game was a 6 - 3 victory for the Cubs powered by the bat of spot lead-off hitter Ian Happ, who went 4 - 4, including a home run. In short, he did it all. OF Kyle Schwarber also launched a home run that had an exit velocity of 113 mph (ca. 182 km/h)! RHP Yu Darvish, now 4 - 1, got the win for the Cubs. This afternoon's game at the Friendly Confines begins @ 2:20 p.m. EDT when RHP Alec Mills, 2 - 1 takes the ball for the Cubs and manager David Ross.

My beloved 6 - 18 Boston Red Sox once again fell, this time to the 9 - 9 Phillies, 6 - 13. Once again, the Sox' bullpen was victimized, but the lack of solid starting pitching was more at fault since the starting pitchers can't seem to get anybody out. The Sox play the Phillies in Fenway Park again today @ 1:30 p.m., as RHP LHP Kyle Hart,  0 - 1, takes the mound for the Red Sox.

The 9 - 12 Tigers once again lost to that 13 - 11 other team from Chicago, 4 - 8. Starting and losing LHP Tarik Skubal, 0 - 1, was shelled in his first major-league start and lasted only two innings. Hopefully, he has learned from his first outing jitters.

Tonight's game begins @ 8:10 p.m. EDT, when the Tiger's start their prized pitching prospect, rookie RHP Casey Mize, who makes his first start for the Tigers. He was drafted by the Tigers in 2018 and has had a meteoric rise through the minor-leagues.

We had two excellent meals yesterday. Brunch was my vegan Italian burgers with grilled onions, and mushrooms along with corn on the cob as a side dish.

The burgers were even better than I had hoped!

Dinner was our extraordinary beest with a baked potato topped by Mary's gravy. She says this gravy wasn't her best effort, but if you put gravy on anything, I think it tasted just fine, so you can't count my opinion. While I was out watering, Mary made the beest. Plus, what's not to like when a baked potato is the side dish covered in gravy?

I must mention that our tomato plants are bearing fruit at a prodigious rate. We have to find new ways to eat them or store them for future use. Either way, they are or will be terrific!

Four plants and voilà!

Today, I may get to that carpet cleaning I had planned for yesterday. Or not. We may get to a walkabout with the fur-children. Or not. I will get more reading accomplished too. We are still reading that book by Mary Trump, and we find it very readable, while it is confirming what we already knew/believed.

We are still watching Downton Abbey and The Man in the High Castle. I will get in more time with the girls in my studio too. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 61º under clear skies. Wind speeds of 7 mph (ca. 11 km/h) make it feel like 60º. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 76º under mostly sunny skies. That's a few degrees cooler than yesterday's high temperature and when paired with our RHI for today of 56% it will be a very comfortable day outdoors. Tonight's low will go down to 54º

There is only a 5% chance of rain in today's forecast, so I'll be watering.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:54 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:41 p.m. EDT.

The Weather Alerts are back.

There is a Beach Hazard Statement and a Small Craft Advisory in effect from 2:00 p.m. EDT today until 2:00 a.m. EDT tomorrow.

What do those statements and alerts mean?

That Beach Hazard Statement means that for the counties of Allegan, VanBuren, and Ottawa in MI, winds will increase this afternoon from15 to 25 knots, and they will produce waves from 3' to 5' feet in height on the "Big Lake." Swimming and walking on the north sides of piers will be dangerous for places such as Holland State Park and North Beach in South Haven, not to mention here in GH.

In addition, that Small Craft Advisory is due to those same conditions, and during that same time, from St. Joseph to Grand Haven, small craft operators are advised to stay in port.  

In baseball news, I could say that my teams went 0 - 3 again yesterday, but that would not be entirely accurate. The Cubs lost the first game of their doubleheader against the Cardinals but took the second game in dramatic fashion. Once again I'll reference the slate/schedule for today's games.

The 14 - 6 Cubs will play the 4 - 5 Cardinals again tonight when RHP Yu Darvish, 3 - 1, takes the mound for the Cubs @ 8:15 p.m. EDT.

However, my beloved 6 - 17 Boston Red Sox once again fell to the 16 - 6 Yankees. The Sox welcome the 8 - 9 Phillies to Fenway Park for a game tonight @ 7:30 p.m. as RHP Zack Godley, 0 - 2, takes the mound for the Red Sox.

The 9 - 11 Tigers once again lost last night to that 12 - 11 other team from Chicago. Tonight's game begins against that other team @ 8:10 p.m. when LHP Tarik Skubal, 0 - 0, takes the bump for the Tigers. Infielder Isaac Paredes was called up from the alternate training site and came out hitting. He is just 21 years old and has played for the Caps. He can hit, but it won't be long before Major League pitchers figure him out, and then he'll have to prove he is here to stay with the Tigers.

I spent some time in the kitchen yesterday making a variation on my famous vegan Italian meatballs. I used the same recipe, but instead of meatballs, I made patties. I'd done that before, but this time I made them smaller and browned them up nicely. They should be good once again.

Dinner was Mary's variation on pasta Aglio e oglio. For those of you who don't recognize those words, they are Italian for pasta with garlic and olive oil. In this case, Mary substituted green olives with pimentos for the garlic mixed with linguine made from chickpea flour instead of wheat flour. Much healthier, especially for those who are gluten intolerant.

Tasted even better than it looked!

Otherwise, today is just another day of watering, puzzle-solving, reading, playing music, and other activities I haven't foreseen. Mary has plans to work indoors on what was supposed to be our outdoor grilled meal of corn on the cob, portabello mushrooms, green peppers, and those aforementioned Italian patties.

We started another book yesterday, Mary Trump's Too Much and Never Enough, her chronicle of growing up in a dysfunctional family. So far, it is very interesting. I'm still reading my own novel too, John Sandford's Masked Prey. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and the world. It is just past 6:30 a.m. in "The City."

We have a current temperature of 63º under partly-cloudy skies. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 79º under mostly sunny skies. That's a few degrees cooler than yesterday's high temperature! Right now, the Relative Humidity Index is a sultry 90%, due in large measure to the small amount of rain that fell around midnight last night or early this morning, your decision.  Our RHI for today will be a less sultry 63%. All in all, it should be a much better day than we've had over the past week.

There is now only a 10% chance of rain in today's forecast. It still looks as though the best chance for additional precipitation is now August 27, over one-week away and then only @ 50%!. I'll be watering tomorrow and for many more days to come.

According to the NWS, the barometric pressure is 29.94" and falling.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:53 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:43 p.m. EDT.

Once again, I'll dispense with the baseball news except to say that my teams went 0 - 3 again yesterday, and once again I'll reference the slate/schedule for today's games.

Today's/tonight's games have the 13 - 6 Cubs @ 5:15 p.m. EDT versus the 4 - 4 Cardinals in game one of a doubleheader, followed by another game against those same Cardinals at a time to be determined by the end of the first game. RHP Kyle Hendricks, 3 - 1, will go for the Cubs in game one.

The Red Sox play tonight @ 7:05 p.m. EDT, once again versus those damn Yankees, as LHP Martin Perez, 2 - 2, pitches for the beloved.

The 9 - 10 Tigers play against that 11 - 11 other team from Chicago @ 8:10 p.m. EDT tonight. The Tigers have hopes that the visit to Chicago will yield better results than the last several games in Detroit versus the Indians, as LHP 0 - 2, Matthew Boyd hurls for the Tigers.

We enjoyed those nachos I strongly alluded to in yesterday's blog for lunch, while dinner was a nice chickpea salad with garden-fresh tomatoes topped by Mary's homemade French dressing. In between, we made a short visit to Lakeforest Cemetery with the fur-children for a walkabout. The temperature and humidity are now low enough to make that possible once again. Here's hoping for many more such visits.

Naturally, a visit to the cemetery and dinner necessitated some pix courtesy of our Senior Staff Photographer.

Julia lived to be 100 years of age!

Sadly, this child lived a very short time.

These two were sisters. Mary thought it interesting that of the two headstones, the one the right for Lena, was leaning.

Winnifred was also just a baby who died in infancy, with only this maker to commemorate her life.

At home, we had a visitor to our deck. With a lot of consternation, we took this pic of him/her. The consternation stemmed from the fact that we couldn't get the blind on the back door to go up. That's because we forgot that we had asked to have it secured at the bottom when it was installed. In this case, we were not even collectively a wit, much less a half-wit.

Our very tasty dinner with a side of cucumber salad.

Hard to read, but an interesting marker.

Today, we have nothing on the agenda. A few packages to open, some newspapers to read, more puzzles to solve, more Downton Abbey and The Man in the High Castle to watch and. Ciao

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

We have a current temperature of 71º under partly-cloudy skies. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 78º under partly-cloudy skies. That's 6º cooler than yesterday's high temperature! The Relative Humidity Index calls for the RHI to be 64%. All in all, a much better day than we've had over the past week.

There is a 10% chance of rain in today's forecast. It still looks as though the better chance for additional precipitation is still next Saturday. I'll be watering today and for many more days to come. Sigh.

According to the NWS, the barometric pressure is 29.91" and rising, while my DTWS shows 29.30" and steady. Neither reading is an indication that precipitation is in the offing.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:52 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:44 p.m. EDT. Yes, my loyal readers, the days are getting shorter as are the number of days until the very important, vital, and historical election day of November 3, 2020!

I'll dispense with the baseball news except to say that my teams went 0 - 3 yesterday.

Today's/tonight's games have the Cubs @ 6:15 p.m. EDT versus the Brewers, the Red Sox @ 7:08 p.m. EDT versus those damn Yankees, and the Tigers @ 1:10 p.m. EDT, versus the Indians. Here's hoping that today goes better.

I made it into the kitchen yesterday and did that aforementioned baking. I crafted one of my old stalwarts and another of Mary's favorites, garlic buttered rolls baked in a Bundt pan. I admit to liking them a lot too. We had some fresh out of the oven and then later with dinner. Mmm. Mmm. Good!

Today, not much is on tap. I gave up in the last book I was reading as, like the previous one I tried to read, it was boring and not my style. I've started another novel that is more to my liking, Masked Prey, by John Sandford. It is also in my preferred large-print format. One of the best things about borrowing books from the library is that you can give up on them and it doesn't cost you anything but time. Well that, and some tax dollars that go to a great cause, your local library, and all the services that are offered therein.

I didn't last long in the media-room last night after dinner and went to bed to watch baseball on my radio. Ever since I was a young lad, and I won't count the years, I've preferred to listen to gifted announcers describing the action and letting me fill in the blanks. In fact, what a perfect way to segue to another song from YouTube™ entitled, I Watched It All (On My Radio), by Lionel Cartwright.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yV5OFBPSQVU

I'll give you odds that those of you of a certain age will admit to having a transistor radio to listen to your favorite songs or listen to the World Series courtesy of MLB™, while at your locker in school. Today's announcers are not as exciting as the men of the past, like Jack Brickhouse, Vince Lloyd, Vin Scully, Mel Allen, Jack Buck, and yes, even Harry Caray. For me, his style was not a taste I ever acquired. Like Scotch Whiskey, Caray was an acquired taste, one that I never wanted or needed to acquire.

I hope to not put too much time into watering today and then I can sit and read and perhaps Mary and I can take the fur-children for a walkabout in the cemetery.

Our vast gardens continue to produce copious amounts of tomatoes and even the cucumber plants are still productive. What more could a man want, except a loving wife, a couple of great dogs, and several guitars? Yes, my friends, life doesn't get any better than that, to paraphrase an old beer commercial. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and the world. It is just past 3:45 a.m. in "The City."

We have a current temperature of 70º under clear skies. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 81º under partly-cloudy skies. That's 7º cooler than yesterday's high temperature! The Relative Humidity Index calls for the RHI to be 71%.

There is a 20% chance for rain in today's forecast, but that's for a stray shower or T-storm. It still looks as though the better chance for additional precipitation is still one week from today. I'll be watering tomorrow and for many more days to come. Sigh.

Good news, the high temperature is still forecast to fall into the upper 70s after today and the lows will be in the 50s.

According to the NWS, the barometric pressure is 29.94" and falling, while my DTWS shows 29.36" and steady. Neither reading is an indication that precipitation is, or is not in the offing.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:51 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:46 p.m. EDT.

The now 13 - 4 Cubs and last-minute substitute RHP Alec Mills, sounded good for about five innings last night, but a few mistakes cost both Mills and the Cubs as they were defeated 3 - 4 by the Brewers. The Cubs still have the best record in baseball. Mills was a last-minute substitute for RHP Tyler Chatwood who was experiencing tightness in his lower back. The Cubs and the Brewers continue this afternoon @ 3:20 p.m. EDT, a change from the original night starting time of 7:20 p.m. EDT, due to the chance of inclement weather. RHP Colin Rea takes the bump for the Cubs.


I won't go into detail, but the Cubs have a series of double-headers versus the Cardinals to make up for the games not played. I'll take a wait and see attitude on those games, given the Cardinals Covid-19 test results of late.

My beloved 6 - 14 Red Sox lost their 5th straight last night, this one to the  13 - 6 Yankees. The Sox and the Yankees go again tonight @ 7:07 p.m. EDT when RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 1 - 1 will pitch for the beloved.

The 9 - 8 Tigers were slammed by the visiting 11 - 9 Indians yesterday afternoon, 5 - 10. The Tigers did not look good. RHP Ivan Nova, 1 - 1, took the loss for the Tigers. Tonight's game against those same Indians begins in Comerica Park @ 7:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Spencer Turnbull, 2 - 0, goes for the Tigers.

We collectively traveled to the Fast Lane™ stop for that grocery order that seemed to grow exponentially. We traveled a circuitous route on the way there and also on the way home. I had taken my camera along, only to think that I had left it on and drained the battery. It turned out that my camera was smarter than me, so when I flicked the on/off switch, I learned that there was plenty of power still available. My bad.

At any rate, I took a lot of pix on Harbor Island and thereabouts before we returned home. Here are several.

Our usual Spot # 1 was already taken.

The rain in GH has been scant, but that doesn't mean that the lakes and ponds are not overflowing.

Sometimes, a partially obscured object can be of interest.

As I previously noted, overflowing and algae covered.

We were on Harbor Island, the site of the now-closed BLP Sims Generating Plant.

And also the site of Linear Park.

From which I shot several boats in the channel leading to the "Big Lake."

This fishing charter boat was returning from Lake Michigan.

Our Senior Staff Photographer suggested this vantage point.

I just like trains.

We had a nice brunch of leftovers while watching Dharma and Greg, and then we finished two crossword puzzles. We also opened several packages that had been awaiting the prerequisite amount of time before opening.

Dinner was vegan Italian meatballs, not my best effort in my opinion, along with a side of cucumber salad made with garden-fresh cucumbers. We watched 1 1/2 episodes of Downtown Abbey before I retired to the media room for a short stay. I decided that I wanted to listen to the Cubs' game on the radio like I used to do. I fell asleep partway through that game before Mary came in and changed the station and saved me from hearing the loss.

Today, I plan to do some baking, some reading, and we hope to finish that episode of Downton Abbey. We and the fur-children should be able to return to the cemetery for more ambulation tomorrow. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 67º under clear skies. Today's high temperature is forecast to reach 87º under sunny skies. The Relative Humidity Index calls for the RHI to be a little less sultry 59%.

Still no rain in the forecast and no indication of additional precipitation until at least one week from tomorrow. I'll be watering today and for many more days to come. Sigh.

Good news, the high temperature is still forecast to fall into the upper 70s after Saturday and the lows will be in the 50s.

According to the NWS, the barometric pressure is 30.04" and falling, while my DTWS shows 29.45" and steady. Neither reading is an indication that precipitation is in the offing.

The sun will rise this morning @ 6:50 a.m. EDT and it will set later this evening @ 8:47 p.m. EDT.

The now 13 - 3 Cubs and RHP Yu Darvish defeated the 7 - 10 Brewers last night, 4 - 2, to give the Cubs the best record in baseball. Darvish looked like the pitcher the Cubs gave that $126 million contract to three years ago, using a great mix of pitches and a fastball that hit 96 mph on the gun as he flirted with a no-hitter, before giving up a home run in the 7th. The Cubs and the Brewers continue their rivalry tonight @ 8:15 EDT, when RHP Tyler Chatwood, 2 - 1 takes the hill.

A side note, the Cubs bullpen still looks very suspect and erstwhile Craig Kimbrel, still isn't worth the money the Cubs paid to get him. Just one man's opinion, along with that of a million or so other Die Hard Cubs' fans.

My beloved 6 - 13 Red Sox lost their 4th straight last night, this one again to the 12 - 5 Tampa Bay Rays, 8 - 17. The Sox were unable to mount much of an offense as starting and losing pitcher, LHP Kyle Hart, made his first and perhaps last MLB™ start to now be 0 - 1. The Sox move on to NYC to face the 12 - 6 Yankees @ 7:05 p.m. EDT. No pitcher has been announced for the beloved.

Another side note, Red Sox OF Andrew Benintendi took some P/T yesterday, but then per the rules, he went home to watch the game. He is only 1 1/2 days since the rib injury he incurred tripping over 2nd base on a triple, so he has a long way to go.

The 9 - 7 Tigers were postponed for their double-header yesterday versus the 2 - 3 Cardinals, who now have 10 players and seven staff members who have tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. The Tigers welcome the 10 - 9 Indians to Comerica Park for tonight's game that begins @ 7:10p.m. EDT when RHP Ivan Nova, 1 - 0, takes the ball for tonight.

Our lunch was homemade pizza with store-bought sauce, slightly augmented, atop Mary's homemade crust, the last of my vegan Italian sausages, ground in our food processor, another home-grown tomato, and topped with vegan cheese as we watched another episode of Dharma and Greg.

We also spent some time wrestling with the fur-children giving each a pawdicure and then a Greenies™ dental treat.

We did a double watch of Downton Abbey last evening. Earlier, Mary had prepared the fixings for our taco dinner that included more garden-fresh tomatoes, lettuce, more vegan cheese, and a filling made from an internet recipe for spicy tofu. I liked the filling and pronounce it a keeper.

Courtesy of our Senior Staff Photographer and her Smartphone camera.

Today, I have to water, again. Sigh. Mary may go to the Fast Lane™ for a small grocery order. Otherwise, the day is ours to stay indoors and out of the heat and humidity. Ciao.