Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:30 p.m. in "The City."

Once again, the best laid plans of mice and men, gang aft agley, which is Scottish for "Often go wrong." While I can't actually say that my plans went wrong, as I never really have any that are set in stone, I never got to my outdoor Christmas decorations, but I did get to the indoor chores. Some of my other nebulous plans also reached fruition, as I also practiced my harmonica and wrote some things for my novel. What can I say, when you are retired, time is finite in one sense, but also plentiful in another.

We did make it to the Lake Forest Cemetery for a walkabout with our fur-children this afternoon. While there and at the Grand Haven State Park, I took a lot of pix. Our walkabout at Lake Forest Cemetery was shortened by the nearby use of a tree chipper which made for a less than enjoyable time. Still, the fur-children loved it.

Here are some of the pix from Lake Forest Cemetery.

Dune sands are not a good base for a large tree's root system.

Unlike our last outing, STWD seemed more interested in smells than any noises. 

Mary helped me frame this shot. 

We were heading out when I decided that I had to get this pic.

This path leads to Duncan Woods.

When we left, we could hear the waves breaking on the beach at Grand Haven State Park. So, we headed over there, where many of the people in town for the holiday were also visiting on a sunny day in GH. There too, I took a lot of pix.

The "Big Lake" was very riled today, with more to come, which I'll explain later. 

The Outer Lighthouse at the end of the South Pier was being pummeled by the relentless waves. 

No one was foolhardy enough to brave walking on the South Pier today.

You don't need to be sailor to know that the winds of November were slashing.

Kite surfers didn't seem to mind.

Indeed!

We stopped watching the 1 - 5 Nittany Lions of Penn State take it to the 2 - 4 Wolverines of Michigan, but the final score says it all, as the Wolverines were dispatched by the Nittany Lions, 17 - 27.

We returned home in time to see the 2 - 3 Spartans of Michigan State, defeat the now 5 - 1 Wildcats of Northwestern, 20 - 29. The Wildcats were up by three, but the Spartans defense held on and finally won the game with a defensive gem.

In pro football news, the Detroit Lions fired Head Coach, Matt Patricia and GM Bob Quinn. Team owner, Sheila Ford Hamp said last December, that she wanted to see a major improvement from her football team this season. The double-digit loss on Thanksgiving by the 4 - 7 Lions to the also 4 - 7 Houston Texans, 25 - 41, was the final nail in the proverbial coffin for Patricia and for Quinn who hired him. The search is now on for a new head coach, with current Wolverines Head Coach, Jim Harbaugh high on the list. Harbaugh has a winning record in the NFL, and his days at Michigan are probably numbered. Only time will tell.  

Getting back to the wave action on the "Big Lake", there is currently a Small Craft Advisory in effect until 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night. Winds of 10 - 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots, are expected to produce waves from three to five feet. That  Small Craft Advisory will give way to a Gale Watch beginning Monday @ 1:00 a.m. and extending until Tuesday @ 1:00 a.m. Winds of 15 - 25 knots and gusts up to 35 knots have the potential to produce waves of five to eight feet. Both the Small Craft Advisory and the Gale Watch were issued for Lake Michigan from St. Joseph to Manistee.

We have a current temperature of 47° under clear skies, but it feels more like 40° with a 17 mph wind blowing out of the south. Tomorrow's high is forecast to reach that same 47° under mostly-cloudy skies, that's why I felt safe in postponing my outdoor decorating until tomorrow.

Since I have no desire to watch the Lions lose again, I will have plenty of time. Plus, since I played and practiced my music today, I gained even more free time. 

We had pizza for brunch and spaghetti and vegan Italian meatballs for dinner. Tomorrow, I think that the Thanksgiving repast will be revisited. I am okay with that, as it was delicious. But, cheesy grits sure have an appeal to me too. I still have to get to my indoor decorations, but those take time, so they will probably wait until Monday or Tuesday. 

Mary finished her latest book Circe, by Madeline Miller, and she has now moved on to another book. I'm still working my way through A Time For Mercy by John Grisham. I wish I could have gotten it in my preferred large-print format.

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:51 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:11 p.m. Ciao.