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.