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", where the current temperature is 57° and it feels like 57° with a slight breeze out of the northwest @ 1 mph. 

The temperature of the water @ the shore of Lake Michigan near Grand Haven State Park, is not bathtub warm, but a comfortable for swimming, 74°. We have a sunny day to look forward to today after the sunrise that occurred @ 6:50 a.m. and well before the sunset @ 8:46 p.m. The NWS is reporting a current barometric pressure of 30.24" of Hg and steady, while my own DTWS is showing 29.56" of Hg, also steady.

Our children arrived early yesterday afternoon and it felt great to welcome them to the manse here on the PE, something we have been unable to do for nearly two years. I was busy in the kitchen creating another batch of vegan Italian meatballs and burgers when they arrived. 

I got the watering done on our new and old plantings before they arrived. We have been blessed with rain lately, but the next best chance for more is Wednesday's paltry 24% chance, so it is likely that I have more watering in my future.

I wish I could say that the recent moves by the 4th place in the NL Central, 52 - 67 Cubs were looking like brilliant moves, but the Cubs are charging Major-League prices for minor-league baseball players and play. The Cubs fell to the 4th place in the NL East, 50 - 67 Marlins, due in large-measure to three Cubs' errors, 4 - 5. It was ugly. Today's starting pitcher will be RHP Alec Mills, 5 - 4, who hopes to stop the losing streak @ 1:10 p.m. EDT this afternoon. I think the Cubs management is rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic right now.

My beloved, 2nd place in the AL East @ 68 - 51 Red Sox, looked like a real Major-League baseball team yesterday when LHP Chris Sale took the mound for the Sox and tossed 89 pitches, issuing no walks and recording eight strikeouts en route to the 16 - 2 win over the hapless and seemingly minor-league 5th place in the AL East, @ 38 - 77 Orioles. The Sox and the Orioles take the field again today @ 1:10 p.m. when LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, 8 - 6 makes the start. 

The2nd place in the AL Central, 58 - 61 Tigers, looked more like the Tigers of the future when they used some faulty pitches by the relief  corp of the 3rd place in the AL East56 - 59 Indians in the bottom of the 8th inning to break a 4 - 4 tie and go on for the win when the Tigers own relief corp held the Indians to zero runs in the top of the 9th @ Comerica Park.

While the Tigers won't be winning their division this year, a division that has been dominated all year by that other team from Chicago. That team was the winner of that Field of Dreams game the other night versus the Yankees. The Tigers future looks brighter than that of the Cubs right now. The Tigers and the Indians play again this afternoon when the Tigers send some journeyman minor-league pitcher named Drew Hutchinson to the mound with a record of 0 - 0 this year for a game that begins @ 1:10 p.m.

A quick reminder that the West Michigan White Caps split two yesterday versus the Lake County, OH Captains, winning game one. 2 - 0, but dropping the nightcap, 3 - 4. The Caps and the Captains play this afternoon beginning @ 1:30 p.m.

I took some pix @ the PE yesterday of the emerging blooms on our giant Hibiscus, Pink, and of some of the other plantings, both new and old, as well as our latest banner.

The first bloom to open on Pink this year.

Pink overshadows the regular cast at this time of year.

But her blooms only last about two weeks every August.

Our parkway garden looks good.

As do our newest plantings.

And Mary's choice for our newest banner that adorns the manse.

Today will be a good day to fire up the Weber™ and grill some corn, some portabella mushrooms, some summer squash, and some of those aforementioned vegan Italian burgers and eat on our deck with our children. 

I will finish reading my latest novel, Lost Symbol today and get on to more of that pulp-fiction that I love after I finish another crossword puzzle. I have no need nor desire to do more. Ciao.