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."

Things have died down a bit on Lake Michigan. The Gale Warning has expired only to be replaced by a Small Craft Advisory that is in effect until 8:00 p.m. tomorrow night. The NWS is forecasting winds from 15 to 25 knots and waves of three to five feet in height from St. Joseph to Manistee.

Our current temperature is 48°, but it feels like 44° with a wind out of the east @ eight mph. Tonight, the low temperature is expected to be 34° before we recover and reach tomorrow's high of 39° under mostly-sunny skies, well before the overnight low tomorrow, a brisk 25°. In fact, Thursday's high temperature is forecast to only reach 36°. We won't get back to the 50s until Saturday. That's okay, because we got the fur-children out for a walkabout at the Lake Forest Cemetery this afternoon. They really appreciated the chance to get out, as did we. Since we were at Lake Forest Cemetery for our inaugural walkabout, I took along my camera for some pix. Since we had nicer weather today than what tomorrow is forecast to bring. Of course, the fur-children were very eager to get out, as were we. We parked at one of our favorite spots in the cemetery, near the children's area. However, we were also near one of the adult interment areas too, so I got some shots at both.

This marker denotes the final resting place of Edward. P. Gibbs, who was interred before the 20th century had turned. He was apparently a chaplain and a veteran of the Civil War.

I took this shot because Mr. Henry T. Palmer was born near the end of the Civil war and he died near the end of WWII. A bookended life.

As I stated, we were parked near the children's section.

This path leads from an adult area up to the children's section.

No specific reason for this shot, just an interesting hole in a tree. 

Someone thought that placing this figurine of Marvel Comic's The Thing was in order.

This child still has many people who care.

This child has a smaller contingent of care givers.

Like Mr. Bishop, Mr. Palmer also bookended two wars.

I successfully experimented with the settings on my camera to capture this shot. 

Back at the manse, our daffodils are opening.

A nice splash of color.

On the other side of our shared driveway, are beautiful crocuses.

Behind our garage are these volunteer blooms.

While near our deck, are these blooms mixed in with other plants.

Also on the other side of our shared driveway this crocus was gorgeous.

No crossword puzzle today, but I got in some time with my girls and did the indoor chores. I also successfully reprogrammed out internet radio and installed our new doorbells too. I guess I accomplished quite a bit today. Mary started her latest craft project and served as the chauffeur for yours truly and the fur-children. We collectively made Coleslaw and that became the side dish to our dinner of vegan Italian meatballs. 

Tomorrow, we have a preventative maintenance visit from the sewer people and that's it. I plan to paint more and read more, and that's enough. When you are retired, time is yours to use as you see fit. So we will. Ciao. 

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

We are still under that Gale Warning until 2:00 p.m. this afternoon. The NWS is forecasting gale force winds out of the south @ 35 knots and wave heights south of GH up to 8 feet and 9 feet north of GH. 

Those gale force winds will also present themselves on land, as the 22 mph winds currently blowing out of the south are making the current 50° temperature feel like 44°. Our overnight low is that same 50°, Today's high-temperature is forecast to reach 54° with an overnight low of 34°. Wednesday's high temperature forecast is 39° and Thursday's high is forecast to only be 36° under partly to mostly-cloudy skies. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:30 a.m. and set this evening @ 8:09 p.m.

Mary finished my new artist's apron yesterday afternoon following a marathon cross-stitching effort. I was asked or was I tasked to model her efforts here in my studio. So, here is a picture of the artist in residence sporting my one-of-a kind apron. Over my left shoulder is one of my early efforts.

I look like I know what I am doing, but will it give me talent? 

At any rate, the picture was taken by our Senior Staff Photographer and Cross-Stitcher in Chief.

Today should be a bit more relaxed, although I'm not exactly sure why yesterday seemed so busy. Maybe it has to do with the fact that in retirement you don't have to budget your time and so it gets away from you more quickly. 

I will be doing indoor chores today and also taking time to play with my musical girls and read more. I've probably read more books over the last 12 months than at any time n the past, including when I had to read young-adult books for my classes in my former life. Will I paint more? Maybe, but the lack of a sunlit studio may preclude that. I'd like for us to get out with our fur-children, something we didn't find time for yesterday. 

Mary now has to find and work on a different craft activity. I think she has a small cross-stitching project already hooped up. Is that a phrase? I don't have to look farther than my studio. Ciao.

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

The NWS has issued yet another Gale Warning for Lake Michigan from St. Joseph to Manistee that begins @ 5:00 p.m. this evening and continues until 11:00 a.m. Tuesday. South winds will increase to 35 knots propelling waves up to 8 feet in height south of GH and 10 feet in height north of GH, with the highest waves either side of the Big Sable Lighthouse which is situated on the eastern shores of the "Big Lake" near Ludington, MI in Mason, County, much to the north of GH.

Locally, the current temperature is 29° under clear skies and it feels like 29° with only a 2 mph wind out of the north. Our overnight low will drop one more degree to 28°, before we reach today's high temperature of 55° under sunny skies. Today's high temperature will be 16° warmer than yesterday. The high temperatures will continue to bounce around this week, going from today's high of 57°, to later this week when the mercury won't get out of the upper 30s!

The sun will rise today @ 7:31 a.m. and set later @ 8:08 p.m.

That first Gale Warning expired earlier today, but not before we made a quick run to the library and then to the beach at Grand Haven State Park and on to Swan Lake and Duck Pond for a photo recon session. 

When we were down  at the beach area, the winds were so strong coming off of Lake Michigan, that I had all I could do to stay upright and on my feet. Anyone who knows me knows that it would take some seriously strong winds to accomplish knocking me down. Of course, I also have a much larger cross-section for the wind to act upon, so...

At any rate, I once again digress. We both got out at the State Park and experienced the exhilaration that only winds off of a large body of water can engender. I took a lot of pix to give everyone the flavor of our excursion at both of the locations that we visited.

Every man knew, as the Cap'n did did too, twas the witch of November, oops, March come stealing! But I won't offer one of my favorites, Gordon Lightfoot's The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Instead, I'll insert this traditional Irish sea shanty, What Shall We Do With a Drunken Sailor as performed by The Irish Rovers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1YSltK-10zk

The "Big Lake" was very angry yesterday and it will be again tonight. 

I was originally only trying to capture this shot over one of the dunes because I liked it.

But this photographer was more determined, as he carried his tripod to the shore on the other side of that dune. At the same time, I also got a great pic of a gull in flight trying to fight the strong winds.

While not the waves of the Atlantic Ocean, these waves were very daunting.

Even the swans had moved over to the more tranquil "Duck Pond" to forage.

I think that this swan's mate is nesting nearby. 

These ducks were willing to "share" with the much larger swan.

Even the much smaller "Duck Pond" was stirred by the strong winds off of Lake Michigan.

Mary pointed out this view of our coal tipple that I don't ordinarily get, but which was available from the viewing deck on the shores of "Duck Pond."

Today we may take the fur-children for a safari to the Lake Forest Cemetery because the winds won't pick up until later and the skies will be sunny. We don't venture out on the weekends to places where we might have to encounter people with their own canine friends and risk having a dog scrum. That would necessitate the need to interact with people who aren't observing the dual-concepts of social-distancing and mask wearing. I agree with Mary that we've come too far now for that, as we only two more days before our own Independence Day.

So, that's enough for one day. Ciao.

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

We have a current temperature of 49° under cloudy skies, but it feels like 44° with a wind out of the south @ 10 mph.

Today's high temperature of 41° will be 10° lower than the temperature yesterday and the low tonight will drop to 30°. The sun will rise today @ 7:35 a.m. and set this evening @ 8:05 p.m.

There is a Gale Warning in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee from 6:00 a.m. today until 7:00 p.m. tonight, with wind speeds of 15 to 25 knots and gusts to 49 knots that may produce waves from five to eight feet in height. The surf will definitely be up!

Sadly, the Loyola Chicago men's basketball team, the Ramblers, couldn't win another for the nun, Sister Jean, as the team was outplayed by the Beavers of Oregon State, ending in a final score of 58 - 65. So, the Beavers move on to the NCAA Elite Eight, while the Ramblers go home. 

I finished another crossword puzzle yesterday, read more of my latest novel, and completed the indoor chores. Then, I took my camera to the back-forty and took a series of pictures of the local flora to be found there using a close-up setting and one of my telephoto lenses.

I started near our deck.

Moved to the Vast Gardens for these soon to open daffodils..

This daffodil near our deck is nearly open.

I never can remember what these flowers are called.

I like this close-up of some nearby flowers. Crocus maybe?

This one too in a different color.

Shot almost straight down.

Back to the deck for a group photo.

Today, we have no specific plans, though we will be going to the library for a pick up. We have a recipe or two to try and more reading to do. Mary has been hard at work cross-stitching my artist's apron and I think she is nearly finished.

Otherwise, the cold weather will keep us mostly indoors and that's fine with me. If we get some sunlight in my studio, I  hope to add some paint to my canvases. Mary want's to experiment with some different sauces. She made a very tasty tofu dish for last night's dinner. 

I need to make another loaf of my never to be famous English Muffin toasting bread. That just requires some mixing, rise time, and baking for an hour or so. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the  nation and across the world. It is just past 10:45 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is 34°, but it feels like 31° with a wind out of the south @ four mph. Tonight's low will drop to an actual 33°.

Yesterday, I noted that the Gale Warning had been lifted. Well, it's been replaced by a Gale Watch, beginning early Sunday morning and continuing until Sunday night. Winds of 15 to 25 knots with possible gusts to 40 knots may produce waves of five to eight feet in height from St. Joseph to Manistee.

Tomorrow, the high temperature is forecast to reach 55° with an overnight low of 38°. The forecast from the NWS for tomorrow is replete with occasional showers throughout the day that may increase to steadier rains in the early evening hours with a total accumulation of one-quarter inch. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:37 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 8:04 p.m.

Earlier today, I watched as the southbound run of MMRR EMD GP38-2 locomotives 2019 and 2170 rolled past, on the RSTL heading south, towing 18 CHCs, six CGCs, and one LC (Lumber Car). Later this afternoon @ 1:59 p.m., I watched as those same locomotives passed by on that same RSTL heading north, towing 14 CHCs, and two DBTCs.

Late this afternoon, Mary and Ginger went to that big-box nearly everything store for a pick up and then they traveled over to Grand Haven State Park and beach, which I have on good authority was very busy, and then on to Swan Lake. While they were out, STWD and I got into the kitchen to make more vegan Italian meatballs.

I started a new to me novel this afternoon and I like this one much better than the last. It is in one of my regular genres and also printed in my preferred large-print format. I finished another crossword puzzle with some help from Mary as she was perusing her Smart Phone and the Twitter™ app. 

Today, I'll be sporting my "Win One For the Nun" Loyola long-sleeved T-shirt for the NCAA men's basketball game between the 6th ranked Ramblers of Loyola and the 12th ranked Beavers of Oregon State beginning @ 2:40 p.m. EDT. I am expecting some popcorn with my viewing.

I'm not sure if Mary has the ability to cross-stitch and watch the game simultaneously, but we shall see. 

Otherwise, it will be time for more indoor chores and more reading. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 8:00 a.m. in "The City", where the sun rose into very cloudy-skies @ 7:37 a.m. and long before it will set @ 8:04 p.m. this evening. 

The current temperature is 35° that feels more like 27° with a wind blowing from the north to the south @ 12 mph. Our high today is forecast to reach a chilly 42° and our low will drop to 33° overnight.

We were supposed to have a Gale Warning in effect for today and into his evening, but the NWS canceled that warning in favor of a more sedate, Small Craft Advisory that will be in effect until 8:00 p.m. tonight. In fact that Small Craft Advisory with wind-speeds to 30 knots and wave heights up to 10 feet will largely be over by midday as the winds will die down to 10 knots and wave heights will decrease to only one to three feet. 

I'd like to say that we accomplished a great deal yesterday, I'd like to say that, but I can't, as I was pretty much a lay about while Mary cross-stitched on my apron and I was a recliner potato. 

We did make it to STWD's doctor's appointment late yesterday, where her sutures were removed and a small cyst was drained. She was given a good prognosis by her doctor and she should be good to go for a few more years. 

We took Sugar's sister Ginger along for Sugar's visit and Ginger was visibly upset when her sister was out of sight in the doctor's office. We think that if  there is any messing around with STWD to be done, it is Ginger's belief and her personal prerogative to do it, not some doctor's. We did take them for a short walk at the Grand Haven State Park post-visit.

Sugar is now totally switched over to the special food prescribed by her doctor to care for her aging kidneys and she has accepted her new diet well, albeit begrudgingly. 

However, just so you don't think I was totally lazy lately, I did bake an apple pie Wednesday afternoon. Yesterday morning we sampled that pie and we both pronounce it delicious! Here is a pic taken by our Senior Staff Photographer with her Smart Phone camera post-baking.

I can't resist marking my apple pies with appropriate symbology.

I finished my latest novel last night and I was disappointed by the ending. Perhaps I am finally done with this author who is an avid anti-vaxxer and I can dispense with any further reading of his efforts. 

Today, I have no specific plans. Mary will likely continue her cross-stitch efforts and I will work crossword puzzles and read more. Once again, cloudy conditions make painting in my studio problematical. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the  nation and across the world. It is just past 9:45 p.m. in "The City."

The NWS has issued yet another Small Craft Advisory for the shores of Lake Michigan from St. Joseph to Manistee. Southwest winds of 10 to 20 knots with possible gusts to 30 knots may produce waves from three to six feet in height from 11:00 p.m. tonight until 5:00 a.m. Thursday. However, there is good news from the Army Corp of Engineers regarding low water levels for Lake Michigan. This year, the "Big Lake" will see a 10 inch drop in overall water levels from the previous year. That's good news for boaters, fishermen, and shipping in the entire Great Lakes Region. 

Our current barometric pressure reading from the NWS is 29.80" of Hg and steady, whereas my DTWS is showing 29.27" of Hg and rising. Neither of those readings indicates that the rain over the Tri-Cities area isn't real. I consulted with STWD and looked out the WW and it is not fair weather out there. 

Tomorrow's high temperature will only reach 53° after the sun rises @ 7:42 a.m. That's a huge drop from today's high temperature in the lower 70° range. We enjoyed the afternoon temperatures today, sitting on the deck and doing some additional yardwork. The sun will set tomorrow evening @ 8:01 p.m.

I took my camera outside when we were done with that aforementioned yardwork and took some pictures of the flora found in our own vast gardens, the partly-sunny skies, our yard art, and a couple of shots of Ginger too. 

I inadvertently blurred the flower and instead focused on the leaves. 

This is a much better shot.

I was trying my hand at macro images with this picture of a Star of the Snow flower.

This is Major Wheeler, a climbing plant near our deck.

Another angle of that Star of the Snow flower.

I backed away to get this shot.

Ginger on her chaise lounge. 

Mary's tree man is back in the vast gardens.

Now that we've pulled out that lavender, the tulips are thriving. 

This flower bud was much better focused.

It wouldn't be spring if the VW taxi wasn't out.

I was experimenting with various exposure settings for the sky and the sun to see what I'd get with various settings. For example:

The sun was quite bright, but I managed to get a good picture.

It was cloudier that it appears in this shot. 

Mary outdid herself for dinner tonight. she made cheesy nachos topped with vacuum-packed tofu crumbles perfectly baked in her own special blend of taco seasoning and all covered with vegan cheese sauce and chunky salsa. Oh, I added jalapeno peppers to mine too.

We accomplished out indoor chores and finished the weekend crossword puzzle too.

Tomorrow will be a rainy day, so it should be a good for baking an apple pie, doing some additional crossword solving, playing music, and reading. Mary will likely settle in to do some cross stitching too. I'd paint, but the lack of natural light in my studio makes that problematical at best. Ciao.

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

The "Big Lake" is quiet at the moment and there are no advisories, alerts, watches, nor warnings in effect at this time. The rain event previously scheduled for Tuesday, has been temporarily rescheduled for Wednesday with a 52% chance and a high temperature of 55°. However, Tuesday's high temperature forecast of 66° remains in the forecast from the NWS. The NWS is also offering a barometric pressure of 30.14" of Hg and slowly falling, while my DTWS is showing 29.51" of Hg and slowly rising. 

Generally, when the barometric pressure is slowly rising or slowly falling, that is an indication of fair-weather, a small lesson in meteorology for your enjoyment.

The current temperature is 47°, but it feels like 42° with a wind blowing from south to north @ 13 mph. We have reached our temperature nadir or low-point of 47° and now we are headed for today's temperature zenith, or high-point of 56° under partly-cloudy skies. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:44 a.m. DST and set this evening @ 8:00 p.m. DST. 

Have I mentioned before that the designation DST stands for Daylight Saving Time, not Daylight Savings Time? If not, there you have it. Many people assume, incorrectly, that the meaning of DST is the former rather than the latter, so I am offering this explanation that may allow you to amaze and astound your friends with meteorological and astronomical facts. Or, you can just win at any trivia game. Your choice.

STWD and I stayed behind yesterday when Mary and Ginger went to the library for a pick up and a driveabout/walkabout. Sugar is not supposed to get out for any exercise nor even any extended time outdoors in general until her sutures are removed this coming Thursday. She seems fine, but owing to my own overly concerned/cautious nature when it comes to the Cutest Dog on the Planet, I am fine with that. 

Mary, AKA our Senior Staff Photographer, picked up a lone book I had on hold at the library and then traveled over to what Mary has dubbed Swan Lake and Duck Pond near Harbor Island and the now demolished BLP Sims II power plant. While there were reportedly numerous people doing what Mary and Ginger were doing, enjoying the first really spring-like day of 2021, our Senior Staff Photographer captured some great pix with her Olympus TG-Tough camera. 

Looking towards Ferrysburg over Swan Lake and the oil storage tanks there. 

This swampy or fen-like area is near the power plant.

The gravel piles at the Verplank dock in Ferrysburg, taken from the path alongside Duck Pond.

This log blacks the path near Duck Pond, but Ginger and Mary easily stepped over it.

Duck Pond has an observation deck on its shores. 

I especially like how our Senior Staff Photographer captured this fallen tree.

The Olympus TG-G camera is designed to take microscopic shots of sand, snowflakes etc. These grains of sand were shot near where Mary and Ginger had parked. 

All in all, I read and Sugar sniffed, while Ginger and Mary had a great photographic walkabout. As I said, I was taking the day off yesterday.

Worthy of mention, is that the Ramblers of the Loyola Chicago men's basketball team and their record of 27 - 4, soundly defeated the 24 - 8 Fighting Illini men's basketball team 71 - 58, to allow the Ramblers to move on to an NCAA Sweet 16 tournament game next Saturday, March 27, @ 2:40 p.m. EDT versus the 20 - 12 Oregon State Beavers. That's two games in the win column for Sister Jean! 

The Ramblers were close three years ago in 2018, before losing a heartbreaker to the Wolverines of Michigan, 57 - 69. The Ramblers had defeated several top-ranked teams such as Miami, Tennessee, and Illinois to make it to that game. 1963 was the last time that the Ramblers had done so well.

Today, we don't have any specific plans. We'd like to get to some deep spring cleaning, room by room, so it is possible that we'll start small in our mud-room and work out from there. Otherwise, that is the extent of our plans. Ciao.