Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:00 p.m. in "The City."

To paraphrase some movie character or another, "It's Back!" By it, I mean yet another Gale Warning which will be superseding the Small Craft Advisory that had been in effect until this evening. Instead, the aforementioned Gale Warning will go into effect @ 8:00 a.m. tomorrow and continue through to 9:00 p.m. tomorrow night from St. Joseph to Pentwater. Wind speeds will increase to 40 knots and waves will peak at 5 to 8 feet. The NWS is urging mariners to stay in port. Ya think?

We have a current temperature of 48° that feels like 44° under fair-skies with a wind out of the west @ seven mph. Tonight's low temperaqture forecast is calling for 39° before we rebound to tomorrow's high of 58° and an overnight low of 53°. A tiny glimmer of what is to come, at least temperature-wise, is the forecast high temperature for Sunday of 65°. Sadly. the temperatures will drop back into the 50s for several days thereafter. It is spring and this is Michigan, so nothing odd in that forecast. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:39 a.m. and set later @ 8:45 p.m.

After we completed a crossword puzzle earlier, Mary and Ginger went off to pick-up that order @ the big-box nearly everything store. I journeyed upstairs to do some polishing of the paneled walls and cabinets there. 

Once Mary returned, a decision was reached to go to Kirk Park, one of the Ottawa County Parks, for a photo opportunity. I took some great pix which I'll share now. 

My first inclination was to head up to the scenic overlook.

Fortunately for me, I listened to Mary and stayed on the path.to the beach. 

Where I got this great pic of the beach and Lake Michigan.

This is actually a set of steps that leads to the beach, but...

Another person was communing with the water and waves.

Mary went exploring into the park and noticed this hidden playground. 

I framed this shot through the large picnic shelter in the park

I was once again experimenting with settings for this shot. 

Tomorrow, the parks are officially open to visitors and they will soon fill the shelter. 

Back at the manse and in the vast gardens, I shot these azalea blooms.

I don't recall the name of this plant, but the flowers are lovely.

A quick recap in baseball last night. Cubs won, Red Sox lost, and the Tigers lost twice to that other team from Chicago.

The Cubs are bombing in Cincinnati tonight, the Tigers are tanking in NYC, but the Red Sox are outplaying the Rangers in TX right now. 

Tomorrow is another indoor chore day, more reading, more music, and more of whatever may need to be an immediate need around here. In other words, not much. Ciao. 

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."

I'm going to start, as always, with the weather report. The NWS issued a Special Weather Statement for most of lower Michigan effective until 8:45 p.m. tonight. Gusty winds, heavy rains and a line of showers were in that forecast, but a look out the Weather Window does not show any of those things happening here. So, I am discounting that forecast. 

I was right. As Mary pointed out, we live in Ottawa, County, MI which is huge, so the weather here is often very different than other places in the county.

However, the NWS has also issued yet another Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee that goes into effect @ 8:00 a.m. tomorrow until 4:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon. Winds from 10 to 20 knots with gusts up to 25 knots are possible and those winds may propel waves from two to four feet.

Our current temperature is 49°, but it feels like 44° with a wind out of the west @ nine mph. Tomorrow's high temperature may reach 50° with an overnight low of 39°. The next chance for the high temperature to move into the 60s is Sunday's 67° forecast. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6 :40 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 8:44 p.m.

Enough about the weather.

I was at the hospital today for my annual MRI to check on my 10 yo old brain surgery. Everything went well. 

While I was out, Mary took the fur-children for separate walks. STWD made it about five blocks, but Mary and Ginger made it to the waterfront and back with no problem. While they were out, Mary took along her camera and supplied my blog with the following pix.

Music this summer??

Empty marina.

Heading to the "Big Lake."

No splashing at the pad today.

Harbor Island picnic area.

GH Cycle-boat.

Fishing anyone?

Chinook Pier Sportfishing is open!

Done kayaking.

Some boats ready for the season.

Lots of baseball on tonight. 

The 8 - 17 Tigers and RHP Casey Mize have already lost game one to that other team from Chicago, 1 - 3. However, game two has now begin with LHP Matthew Boyd, 2 - 2, on the mound for the Tigers. No score as of yet. Tomorrow, the Tigers travel to NYC to face the 11 - 14 Yankees @ 7:05 p.m. with LHP Tarik Skubal, 0 - 3 on the mound for the Tigers. 

My beloved, 16 - 9 Red Sox are in a scoreless game now against the Texas Rangers with LHP Martin Perez on the hill for the Sox. Tomorrow night's game will feature RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 3 - 3 going for the beloved versus those same Rangers.

The 10 - 14 Cubs are also playing right now in Atlanta, with RHP Adbert Alzolay, 0 - 3, on the mound with a commanding 6 - 1 lead. tomorrow night's game in Cincinnati versus the 11 - 13 Reds will see RHP Jake Arrieta, 3 - 2 on the mound for the Cubs. I'll update all of the action in another blog.

After I returned from my MRI, I made some vegan bratwursts for tomorrow's dinner delight. While I was upstairs watching another photo webinar on Starry Night Photography, Mary had made some macaroni salad which was supposed to be part of tomorrow's dinner menu, but which a portion of became a side dish for tonight's dinner of vegan Italian burgers. I liked the macaroni salad a lot, so if it comes back again tomorrow night, I'm fine with that.

Tomorrow, I have nothing on the agenda. I plan to relax, kick back, read, and work a crossword puzzle.. I have no need to do any more. Mary and her wing gal, Ginger, will be doing a grocery run to that big-box nearly everything store and then Mary and I may go out for a photo shoot. And that, as Porky the Pig might have said best, "That's all folks!" Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 10:30 p.m. in "The City."

We have a current temperature of 68°, that feels like 68° with a slight wind out of the north @ 5 mph. It was very windy earlier today, but that passed as the day wore on. The high temperature today reached the mid 70° range. Tonight's low temperature will be 49° and we will only recover slightly from there and see 52° for tomorrow's high. 

In addition, the NWS is predicting showers off and on overnight and into tomorrow morning. However, those showers should be over by around 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. We have no advisories, watches, nor warnings in effect at this time. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:43 a.m. and set later @ 8:41 p.m.

I listened to the10 - 13 Cubs lose yet another game to the 11- 12 Braves 0 - 5, as Javier Baez and Kris Bryant were out of the lineup. It is a strong possibility that Baez may land on the IL with a leg injury, but Bryant is unlikely to do so. The only bright spot, sort of, is that Cubs' starter Trevor Williams brought the heat and struck out eight. However, he took the loss to drop to 2 - 2 as the Cubs finished the game by losing 0 - 5.

Tomorrow night's game against the Braves is scheduled to begin @ 7:20 p.m. EDT when RHP Kyle Hendricks, 1 - 2, takes the mound for the Cubs. 

The 7 - 16 Tigers defeated that 12 - 9 other team from Chicago. 5 - 2, with RHP Jose Urena, 1 - 3, getting his first 2021 win. One of many bright spots, Miggy got his first home run this season and he was ably assisted by utility player Niko Goodrum and 2nd baseman, Jonathan Schoop, who both went yard. Miggy's power seems to be returning. Tomorrow night's game begins @ 8:10 p.m. when RHP Casey Mize, 1 - 2, takes the ball.

My beloved 15 - 9 Red Sox got the win for RHP Garrett Richards, 1 - 2, winning the game over the 9 - 9 Mets, 2 - 1. Tomorrow night's game begins @ 6:40 p.m. when RHP Nick Pivetta. 2 - 0  goes for the beloved.

We made it to Muskegon earlier for my orthopedist's appointment and everything went fine. I should be good to go for several more months. But, as the doctor told me, there is no cure for arthritis. Sigh.

I was emailing back and forth with Adam earlier and he sent me a picture that is very interesting. The picture showed a 1941 Chicago, North Shore Electroliner sitting next to an International Harvester pickup truck, probably from the 1930s. The Electroliner was first built in 1941 and they were in service until 1978 in several cities in the US. According to information on found on the internet, the Electroliners were used for interurban transit and could purportedly reach top speeds of 110 mph! He asked what were the odds? I suggested that he buy a lottery ticket.

Elsewhere today, we finished the indoor chores before we went to Muskegon and I read more of  my latest novel, Mother, My I, by Josilyn Jackson. I wasn't sure at first, but I am liking it now. 

Tomorrow, I hope to play more music, do more painting, work a crossword puzzle or two, and stay dry. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is nearing 11:30 p.m. in "The City."

We had some rain early this morning and the day was mostly overcast until shortly before 4:00 p.m. Once the sun came out, the temperature rose to 62° before tonight's low temperature of 55°. The NWS is forecasting a high tomorrow of 65° under cloudy skies with an overnight low of 49°, but no rain is in the forecast. 

Of course, the NWS is showing a barometric pressure of 29.79" of Hg and falling, often an indicator of precipitation, while my own DTWS is showing 29.71" of HG and rising, which generally means fair weather. I'll have to take a wait and see attitude on that precipitation. We also still have a Small Craft Advisory in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee until 12:00 p.m. tomorrow, with wind speeds of 20 - 25 knots and waves from two to five feet in height. Oh, the sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:45 a.m.  and set later @ 8:40 p.m.

I just watched the passage of MMRR GP38-2 locomotives 2170 and 2019 as they headed south towing six CHCs, 9CGCs, six DBTCs, and one DWTC. All the cars must have been loaded. 

Update: I was awake and just lying there when the MMRR GP38-2 locomotives 2170 and 2019 rolled past dead heading back north.

We worked in the Vast Gardens again today. While the area we tilled was not very large, the back-forty is shaping up nicely. 

In baseball news, the 10 - 12 Cubs and losing pitcher, one of many, RHP Brandon Workman 0 - 2, lost to the 10 - 12 Braves in Atlanta, 7 - 8. Willson Contreras homered again and Kris Bryant got a Grand Slam in the loss. Tomorrow night, the Cubs and RHP Trevor Williams, 2 - 1, face the Braves @ 7:20 p.m. EDT.

My beloved 14 - 9 Red Sox had the day off today before they visit NYC and the 9 - 8 Mets @ 8:10 p.m. EDT. The Sox will send RHP Garrett Richards, 0 - 2 to the mound. 

Finally, the 7 - 16 Tigers failed once again to defeat the league leading 14 - 7 KC Royals as the Tigers and RHP Spencer Turnbull, 1 - 1, lost to the Royals, 2 - 3 as the Tigers were swept. Tomorrow night, the Tigers move on to play that other team from Chicago @ 8:10 p.m. when RHP Jose Urena, 0 - 3, makes his next start.

Tomorrow is also another indoor chore day and I have an appointment at the orthopedist's office in Muskegon @ 3:30 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past the sunrise of 6:46 a.m. and well before the sunset tonight @ 8:39 p.m. this evening. The actual time is just after 8:00 a.m. EDT

We have a current temperature of 36° under cloudy-skies that feels like 28° with a wind out of the north @ 12 mph. That wind is likely part of the  Small Craft Advisory that is in effect until 8:00 p.m. tonight from St. Joseph to Manistee. During the day today, windspeeds of 15 to 25 knots are possible, with wave heights from four to seven feet. As the day wears on, the winds will diminish slightly to 15 to 25 knots and the waves should decrease slightly too, as they may only be two to four feet in height.

Today's high temperature forecast from the NWS calls for only 46° with a low temperature of 37° overnight. Great news though, tomorrow's high temperature forecast calls for 64°, with 69° on Tuesday. No more 40s from now on!

A way too quick and sad report in baseball. My teams went 0 for 3 yesterday. But, today is another day. The 10 - 10 Cubs take the field @ 2:20 p.m. EDT this afternoon, as RHP Jake Arrieta, 3 - 1, goes for the boys in blue against their division rivals, the 12 - 8 Milwaukee Brewers. 

Cubs; middle-infielder, Nico Hoerner, after being called up late Thursday to replace the inured Joc Pederson, got a good start @ 2nd base on Friday and played a credible SS in yesterday's game in place of Javier Baez. Sadly a few mistakes with pitches led to the Cub's downfall and a no decision for starter Adbert Alzolay, 0 - 3. 

The 7 - 14 Tigers fell in a close game to the 12 - 7 Royals yesterday, 1 - 2, in spite of a stellar pitching performance by starting and losing LHP Matthew Boyd, who fell to 2 - 2 on the season. Today's game begins @ 1:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Michael Fulmer, 1 - 1 takes the mound for the Tigers. There is a possibility of Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera being activated today and making a start @ 1st base. But if the cold temperature weather forecast is correct, the cold may force Tigers' manager A. J. Hinch to hold off on that and spare the 37yo Cabrera the risk of further injury. 

My beloved 13 - 9 overall, but just 7 - 8 @ home Red Sox, had nothing going yesterday, as they lost big-time to the 13 - 8 Mariners, 2 - 8. What can I say? The Sox have the players, but they are not getting the job done as RHP Nathan Eovaldi saw his record drop to 2 - 2. Today's game, which also begins @ 1:10 p.m. EDT features RHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 3 - 0, on the mound for the beloved. 

We had a great day in the vast gardens yesterday. The mid 50s temperature allowed us and our fur-children to spend lots of time in the great outdoors. Mary helped me assemble her new planters, which true to the description, were easy to assemble with the right tools. She did some raking and weed removal. I removed some weeds too, but my main focus was those planters.

I moved a little dirt around, Mary directed the placement of those aforementioned planters and some other things, and we finished up our outdoor activities with some aches and pains, but also a sense of accomplishment. By the by, although our local deer population tried their best to decimate our tulips in the parkway garde, Mary saved a few flowers and brought them inside to open in front of my abstract painting.

Here is a pic of their new home taken by our Senior Staff Photographer with our Smart Phone.

As previously noted, to save them from future feedings, the bulbs will be moving. 

In between a nice lunch of salad with homemade ranch dressing and assorted toppings and our outdoors adventures, I completed Friday's crossword puzzle and did some reading. We watched another episode of Primeval while eating and then it was time to get out there and tame the gardens as our fur-children watched and chewed on their dental bones. Usually we offer those as treats, but they got them yesterday just for being cute.

We got a lot done yesterday before we came in and Mary crafted one of her taste-treat sensations, a homemade pizza topped with diced tomatoes, yellow sweet-peppers, vegan salami, black olives, oregano, banana peppers, and nutritional yeast. I like this style of pizza a lot. Here is a pic of the finished pizza fresh out of the oven.

Delish!

Later, I was upstairs in the media-room, doing what I like to do, watching car shows, a Hallmark Channel™ movie, and reading. while Mary was downstairs completing a needle-art project. I was summoned to assist in her next project. I needed to sand the rough edges of the frame that supports the project and also help with placing the tacks in the backing material for her project. See how easily I avoided having to choose the correct name for her activity by using the term "needlecraft" versus a more-specific description? Pretty good footwork if I do say so myself.

Today will be a good day to be retired. Cool outdoor temperatures, brisk winds, and our recognition that we aren't as young as we used to be, will make retirement and less strenuous activities very appealing. I'll work another crossword puzzle, probably watch and listen to baseball, and do more reading. 

The indoor chores are done, so there is nothing on the agenda for today that needs to be done. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:45 a.m. in "The City."

I got up from my "First Sleep", to paraphrase author Robert Harris, and decided I wanted to go to the kitchen for my regular rounds and also to sit down and chronicle yesterday's events. 

We have a current temperature of 44° under cloudy-skies that feels like 44° with a wee bit of a  breeze blowing out of the east @ one mph. That should last until later tonight @ 10:00 p.m., when the NWS has issued yet another Small Craft Advisory for the shores of Lake Michigan that will be in effect until 8:00 p.m. tomorrow night from St. Joseph to Manistee. Winds ranging from 20 to 30 knots and waves from four to seven feet in height are part of that forecast. 

That 44° looks to be our overnight low until the sun rises today @ 6:48 a.m. and well before it sets tonight @ 8:38 p.m. The NWS has also included a current barometric pressure of 29.94" of Hg and falling, while my own DTWS is showing 29.36" of Hg and rising ever so slightly. Today's high temperature forecast calls for 53° with a slight possibility of showers early this morning before we drop to an overnight low of 35°. 

We're almost there, but Sunday's temperatures will be similar to today's before Monday's high temperature forecast of 67° and Tuesday's high-temperature forecast of 70°! There are still some high 50°s in the extended forecast, but to borrow from that old song by by Barry Manilow, "Looks like we made it." Winter is moving on.

A side note, researchers are certain that the changes in the Earth's climate caused by Climate Change, which has caused glaciers to melt and dump huge amounts of ice into the ocean along with the pumping of groundwater, has contributed to a 13' shift in the position of the Earth's poles since 1980, which has changed our weather patterns. I don't know for certain myself, but the weather patterns here in GH have changed in recent memory, so... If you are the curious type, there is a short video, courtesy of the Weather Channel™ that explains this phenomena @ https://weather.com/news/climate/video/earths-axis-has-shifted-because-of-climate-change-says-study.

In sports yesterday, two out of three is still 66% good, but when the Tigers lose, that is not good news. 

The 7 - 13 Tigers and RHP Casey Mize, 1 - 2, faced the 11 - 7 royals yesterday and came up short, 2 - 6. Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera took BP yesterday and looked good according to Tigers' manager A. J. Hinch, and Miggy could be back at first base as early as Sunday. He will continue to alternate between DH and first base to take it easy on his 37 yo body. Today's game with LHP Matthew Boyd, 2 - 1 on the mound begins @ 1:10 p.m. EDT in Comerica Park.

My beloved, 13 - 8 Red Sox eked out a win over the 12 - 8 Mariners in Fenway yesterday, 6 - 5, as RHP Hiokazu Sawamara, 1 - 0 got the win in relief of ineffective starter, RHP Martin Perez. Once again, the X-Man, Xander Bogaerts, was a key part of that win. This time it was his slick fielding at SS versus his bat, but I'll take it. 

Meanwhile, J. D. Martinez got yet another solo home run, but  the Sox' DH wants to be recognized as a consistent hitter with great bat control, not just a power hitter who hits home runs. The Sox also ply again today @ 1:10 p.m., when RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 3 - 1 goes to the mound for the beloved.

Over in Chicago, the 10 - 9 Cubs drubbed the visiting 11 - 8 Brewers, 15 - 2, as the Cubs put on their hitting shoes and came out swinging. Pitcher Kyle Hendricks was the Hendricks of old, as he cruised to the win, which included a highlight-reel double-play that began with a terrific stop by SS Javier "El "Mago" Baez who flipped while prone to second-baseman Nico Hoerner, who then fired the ball to first-baseman, Anthony Rizzo to put an end to the Brewers hopes. At that point, the Cubs were up 10 - 0, but that stop proved to be a game-saver. 

Today's game will begin in Chicago @ 2:20 p.m. EDT, as RHP Adbert Alzolay, 0 - 2 gets the start. 

I forgot in yesterday's blog to mention that my trepidatious foray into the Dollar Tree™ on Thursday, allowed me to receive a 2020 Salt River Bay National Parks US Virgin Islands quarter in change that added to my National Parks collection. Since we hadn't been anywhere in over one year to receive any change, I have fallen behind in my collecting. Here's hoping for a better 2021.

I spent some time in the kitchen yesterday, making a vegan salami for tonight's dinner pizza ala Mary. I also made four vegan steaks too. A couple of those became part of last night's dinner, also ala Mary. 

While I worked in the kitchen and watched the Cubs' game, Mary took STWD for a short walk to the library, which was about all the old Weather Dog had in her, and then Mary and her wing-gal, Ginger walked to the waterfront to watch the water and read. I have it on good authority that Ginger behaved herself very well. 

I watched early yesterday morning as MMRR EMD GP38-2 locomotive #2019 motored by heading south @ 8:58 a.m., towing 10 CGCs, three CHCs, and five DBTCs. Later, @ 1:15 p.m., that same locomotive was espied heading north, towing 10 DBTCs, two DWTCs, on GTC, one boxcar, and four CGCs. In both cases, the cars seemed to be empty.

I finished reading my latest novel, One Perfect Lie, by best-selling author Lisa Scottoline late last night, which I had returned to after my reading of the Robert Harris novel, The Second Sleep, which was only so-so to me, but which was highly recommended by Mary. I'm now about to begin another oldie, Janet Evanovich's High Five, with her protagonist Stephanie Plum returning once again in her role as an erstwhile bounty-hunter. I know, I generally read books by male authors, but like my odd appreciation for Amish fiction, I like some female characters and authors too. 

I also have it on good authority, that late last night, a total of six deer were espied on the street in two groupings in front of the manse, foraging for food, likely our parkway garden tulips. Those bulbs will be getting moved to a safer, less conspicuous location and tempting for next years blooming. We may have to plant some floribunda roses in their place, which the deer don't bother. 

Today, more crossword solving, more reading, more painting, more music and indoor chores. 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."

We have no watches, advisories, warnings, nor weather alerts in effect at this time. The sun rose earlier @ 6:49 a.m. and it will set later this evening @ 8:37 p.m.  

Our current temperature of 45° is a slight recovery from our overnight low of 43°, but it feels like 39° with a wind out of the west @ 12 mph. Today's high is forecast to reach 53°, which is about 10° warmer than yesterday. Tonight's low will drop to a very seasonal 43° once again. 

In a short sports report, the now 9 - 9 Cubs swept the now 7 - 7 Mets en route to a 10 inning 4 - 3 victory. Today's game features RHP Kyle Hendricks, 0 - 2, taking the mound once again for the boys in blue for a 2:40 p.m. start.

The Cubs piled on the Mets on Wednesday night with a 16 - 4 win which included Javier Baez batting from the left side of the plate, but also hitting a grand-slam home run from his regular right-handed stance.

My beloved 12 - 7 Red Sox have now dropped two in a row. Wednesday nights loss to the Pirates' 3 - 6. and last night's loss to the 12 - 7 Mariners, their opponent again tonight @ 7:10 p.m. when LHP Martin Perez, 0 - 1, makes his next start. 

The 7 - 12 Tigers are struggling, having won over the 9 - 10 Pirates Wednesday night, 5 - 2, with Spencer Turnbull pitching a solid game in the second half of that double-header to get the win, but then they came to ground and lost to those same Pirates yesterday afternoon. 2 - 4, as RHP Jose Urena, 0 - 3 couldn't get the job done. Tonight's game @ 7:10 p.m. features rookie RHP Casey Mize, 1 - 1 on the hill for the Tigers versus the visiting 10 - 7 Royals. 

We got out without the fur-children yesterday to run several errands. I wasn't going to take along my camera, but I was encouraged to by Mary and that allowed me to take some pix that I might have otherwise missed.

Our first stop was only my second entry into a retail store in 2021. We have visited medical practitioners for checkups and also the hospital for our Covid-19 vaccinations, but those were a necessity. Yesterday's errands were only somewhat necessary. 

At any rate, it felt odd to encounter people in the retail-world after so many months of forced isolation. It will take getting used to.

Our next stop was a curbside pick up at the Village Baker in Spring Lake.

Not very dangerous, but an eclectic collection of admonitions and directions. 

Spring Lake, at the end of a the road. 

Duh!!

I'm not sure about the point of this, but interesting.

We also traveled to Lake Forest Cemetery where the first shot I took was this young deer.

One of Mary's favorite spots in the cemetery.

 I found this plaque on the wall there. I thought it was a great epitaph.

I was experimenting with aperture settings when I took this pic.

Same here. I had to close the aperture quite a bit to shoot directly into the sun through the trees. 

We finished our errands at The Bookman and Health Hutt and then home to our fur-children.

Late last night, I finished that novel I've been reading that had been suggested by Mary. While parts of it were fascinating, I was not overwhelmed. I had previously finished two crossword puzzles and we also watched another episode of Primeval before dinner. 

Today, back to more mundane and lighthearted prose for me. Mary is hoping that here orders from the big-warehouse computer-based retailer arrive today and perhaps the thread she needs for another project may come too from another source.

A possible safari with our fur-children should be in the mx for today too, as they are probably bored with doing nothing too. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:00 p.m. in "The City."

A current temperature of 38° feels more like 31° with a wind out of the northeast @ 9 mph. We still have a Freeze Warning in effect until 11:00 a.m. tomorrow. Portions of central, south-central and southwest Michigan may see temperatures drop low enough to freeze budding fruit trees etc. Fortunately, we have been spared that possibility. 

However, we did not escape the snow squalls that came in earlier today. Our Senior Staff  Photographer took a picture or two of the snow as it fell.

It was a magical feeling when I was out with our fur-children.

The snowflakes did not stick, but it was fun to experience. 

Tomorrow, the high temperature will a more pleasant 47° under sunny-skies with an overnight low of 42°. Our current barometric pressure is 30.08" of Hg and falling as reported by the NWS, while my own DTWS is showing 29.51" of Hg and steady. The sun will rise tomorrow morning @ 6:51 a.m. and set later @ 8:35 p.m.

In baseball, the 6- 11 Tigers fell to  he visiting 8 - 9 Pirates in the make-up game from yesterday, 2 - 3, with RHP Michael Fulmer, 1 - 1, taking the loss. The Tigers are currently playing game two of today's double header with RHP Spencer Turnbull on the mound. 

My beloved 12 - 6 Red Sox got off to a delayed start against the 7 - 10 Blue Jays tonight. Too bad they weren't canceled, as they are down 0 - 4. Oh well, tomorrow is another day when the Sox meet the visiting 11 - 7 Seattle Mariners at Fenway Park for a 7:10 p.m. EDT game with RHP Nick Pivetta, 2 - 0 going for the beloved.

The 7 - 9 Cubs are down 0 - 2 to the visiting 7 - 5 Mets as RHP Zach Davies, 1 - 2, surrendered a one-run home run and a run-scoring double in the same frame. The Cubs are trying to close the gap as Anthony Rizzo got a run-scoring single and now the bases are loaded with Cubs following a Mets' error allowing Javier Baez to reach base and load the bases for Matt Duffy. He was walked and that forced in the tying run. A base hit by David Bote pushed two additional runs across, giving the Cubs a 4 - 2 lead and causing the removal of the Mets' starting pitcher. His replacement fared no better, and the Cubs scored yet another run to make the score 5 - 2. Make that 6 - 2 as another run scored, making it six in the bottom of the 4th.

I finished one crossword puzzle today and read a lot of pages in the book that Mary bequeathed to me, The Second Sleep by Robert Harris. It took me a bit, but I am now enjoying the read. I also made some vegan Italian meatballs that will be part of tomorrow's dinner. Otherwise, I didn't accomplish much else  today. Mary spent some time upstairs doing something, but I'm not sure what. 

Tomorrow, no specific plans and that's okay by me. Hopefully, I'll be able to report at least one win by the Cubs, the Tigers, and the Red Sox. 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."

A current temperature of 29° is also our overnight low. However, with a wind out of the northeast @ 7 mph, it feels more like 23° under partly-cloudy skies. Today's high temperature forecast of 42° from the NWS calls for partly-cloudy skies and an overnight low of 34°. Portions of my blogging area are still under a Freeze Warning that will not effect the immediate area near Lake Michigan, i.e., us. 

We do have a reported barometric presure of 30.11" of Hg and rising per the NWS, while here at the PE, my own DTWS is showing 29.52" of Hg and falling, which may in part account for our lack of freezing conditions, I don't know.

The sun will rise later this morning @ 6:52 a.m. and set later this evening @ 8:34 p.m. There is one small bit of good news in the weather forecast. It looks as though the temperatures in the 40s will be done by next Monday with a high temperature of 62° and a high Tuesday of 69°! We'll see a couple of days next week in the upper 50s, but then it is finally spring-time on a permanent basis here in the Tri-Cities area with a possibility of only a couple of minor blips into the 50s.

The 7 - 9 Cubs still have a power outage in their bats, but last night, 3 - 1 RHP Jake Arrieta, the steadiest pitcher in the Cubs' rotation, held the 7 - 5 Mets to only one run en route to a 3 - 1 win. It took an edge of your seat save by Craig Kimbrel to nail down the win, but the "W" flag was hoisted over the Friendly Confines. 

Cubs' manager David Ross, plans to stick with the currently strike-out prone SS Javier Baez for now because of his slick fielding, but he is not the Baez of past years, so.. The Cubs and the Mets play again tonight @ 7:40 p.m. EDT when RHP Zach Davies 0 - 1, takes the hill.

The 6 - 10 Tigers were rained out last night in Detroit in a game that was scheduled to be against the 7 - 9 Pirates. That game will be played this afternoon as part of a split double-header beginning @ 2:40 p.m. EDT when RHP Michael Fulmer, 1 - 0, goes for the Tigers. The second game begins @ 6:40 p.m. EDT, when RHP Spencer Turnbull, 0 - 0, takes the ball for the Tigers.

My beloved 12 - 6 Red Sox came off of a bad weekend against that other team from Chicago and rebounded with a 4 - 2 win over the 7 - 10 Blue Jays last night. RHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 3 - 0 got the win for the Sox as the X-Man, Xander Bogaerts, got q 3-run home run, his first in 59 ABs this season, to spark the Red sox' offense and seal the win. The Sox and the Jays play tonight in Fenway @  7:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Garrett Richards, 0 - 1 takes the mound.

Otherwise, yesterday was rather pedestrian. I finished the indoor chores, Mary walked to Health Hutt, and I viewed a nice camera presentation from the Sigma lens people featuring Aaron Nordberg and sponsored by The Camera Shop of Muskegon. I learned some new things and reinforced others, so it was all good. We also started a crossword puzzle, did more reading, and that's about it.

Today, more of the same. Finish the crossword puzzle, read more, play more music, and perhaps paint more too. Ciao. 

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

I didn't get up last night/early this morning because I felt like sleeping in for a change. But that's okay, as I really didn't have a lot to blog about anyway.

We have a current temperature of 42° under cloudy skies that feels like 35° with a wind out of the west and off of Lake Michigan @ 13 mph. We do have a Small Craft Advisory in effect from South Haven to Manistee until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow morning, with winds blowing from 10 to 20 knots and waves of 3 to 5 feet a possibility. 

In addition, the NWS has issued a Freeze Warning for most areas of lower western Michigan beginning @ 8:00 a.m. tomorrow morning and continuing until 11:00 a.m. Thursday morning as temperatures may dip to the mid-20s. However, here on the shores of Lake Michigan, we will be spared the frosty conditions that pose a risk to fruit tress that are beginning to bud. 

Tomorrow's high temperature forecast calls for only 42° with a low temperature of 29°. However, there is a ray of hope on the weather horizon, as one week from tomorrow, Tuesday, the 27th, the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 64°. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:54 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 8:33 p.m.

A sad announcement was made over last weekend, as the Michigan Irish Festival that is usually held in mid-September has been canceled for a second year in a row. That's due to the Covid-19 pandemic that is raging here in Michigan. I miss my Irish Jam sessions and now I don't even have the festival to look forward to. We are hoping the Harbor Springs Festival of the Book doesn't get canceled too, as it is also held one week later than the Irish Music Festival. Sigh.

We did get out and about yesterday to take some pix and travel to locations that are further than our own back-forty.

We took a trip to nearby Nunica, MI, to snap a pic of a scaled down replica of Stonehenge that a family has built in their front yard. 

The Nunica Replica.

Our Vast Gardens Havenhenge.

""The" Stonehenge near Bath, England.

Since we were out, a barn picture was a must.

This is another barn very near to the other barn.

I have nothing good to say about baseball yesterday. The Red Sox, the Cubs, and the Tigers all lost.

Earlier, I made burgers and Coleslaw for dinner and started a new novel. I have put that one aside to focus on one that Mary found fascinating over her last two or three days of reading. So I'll read that to give her my perspective.

Otherwise, not much is happening here in GH. We are still avoiding person to person contact whenever possible in spite of our fully vaccinated status. 

Tomorrow is indoor chore day and that's about it. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:30 a.m., well after the sunrise which came @ 6:59 a.m. this morning and also well before the sun will set tonight @ 8:30 p.m. 

While we should be enjoying spring-like weather and temperatures here in the Tri-Cities area, in reality the current temperature is 34° under clear-skies, which is or was our overnight low. The wind is barely blowing @ 4 mph, so the "Real-Feel" is 30°. Today's high will reach all the way to 49° and our first/best chance for temperatures in the 60° range doesn't appear in the forecast until Saturday, May 01 and that is exactly 60° as currently forecast. However, there are no watches, advisories, alerts, nor warnings in the current forecast. 

A quick baseball report. 

The 5 - 8 Cubs lost to the 6 - 8 Braves, 2 - 5, as the Cubs still cannot generate any offensive thunder. The loss went to RHP Zach Davies, 0 - 2, but even with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, the Cubs bats were sound asleep. Today's game begins @ 2:20 p.m. EDT, when RHP Trevor Williams, 1 - 1, tries to right his own ship after taking a pounding by the Pirates in their earlier series. 

My beloved 9 - 4 Red Sox, were postponed by snow in their game yesterday against that other 6 - 7 team from Chicago in Chicago. That game will be made up as part of a double-header on Sunday, weather permitting. Today's game is scheduled to begin @ 4:05 p.m. EDT when RHP Nick Pivetta, 2 - 0 goes to the mound.

The 6 - 8 Tigers fell to earth last night in Oakland, when they dropped another game to the 7 - 7 - As, 0 - 3. RHP José Miguel Ureña Rodriguez was a star, with 8 Ks, but with no run support from his teammates, another loss was added to his 0 - 3 stats. This afternoon, the Tigers send RHP Casey Mize, 1 - 0 to the hill @ 4:07 p.m. EDT.

We got out yesterday and took some pictures at Grand Haven State Park, Duck Pond, and Swan Lake. I like so many of them, but I've chosen a few that are very eye-catching to me.

One of the ubiquitous gulls resting instead of flying @ GH State Park.

I like this shot every time I take it from various angles, also @ GH State Park.

Same shot, but more tightly focused.

I didn't move, I just shot southwet over Lake Michigan.

Mary walking heading south @ the GH State Park.

Overhead, this puffy cloud caught my eye. 

Native America Chief, Seattle, is the source for the quite, "Take only memories, leave nothing but your footprints." One reason Mary likes her new walking shoes.

This viewing deck is on the shores of Duck Pond.

This Canada Goose is nesting atop a reed pile in Duck Pond near the viewing deck. 

We had to wait, but this shot turned out great from the shores of Swan Lake!

Otherwise, not much was happening. I started another book, Mary needle pointed, and we collectively made dinner.

Today is indoor chores and more reading. I need to finish my spring painting before spring is gone, but with the weather forecast for the next several days or weeks, that may not be an issue. Ciao.