Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 10:00 p.m. in "The City." We have a current temperature on the deck of the manse of 40.5° with a wind out of the northwest blowing @ 10 mph according to the NWS. That wind makes it feel like 33°. The NWS has extended the Small Craft Advisory for areas along the shores of Lake Michigan from St. Joseph to Manistee until 12:00 a.m. tomorrow, but they anticipate that another one will be issued sometime tomorrow due to an incoming weather-front. Currently that Small Craft Advisory is in effect due to winds of 30 knots and wave heights up to seven feet.  

The sun will rise tomorrow morning @ 7:57 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:11 p.m.

As of now, my DTWS is showing a barometric pressure of 29.45" of Hg and falling, while the NWS is reporting 29.45" of Hg and rising. Go figure. Our overnight low is forecast to be 34° with tomorrow's high-temperature reaching 48° with an overnight low-temperature of 44°. We anticipate a few warmer days this week which would allow me to get to those outdoor Christmas decorations that I had planned for today. Instead, I did two crossword puzzles before I walked STWD. Then we traveled to the Kerstmarkt in Holland, where we purchased some new ornaments for our tree. Before we added those to our tree, I took some pix.

Kerstmarkt is Dutch for Christmas Market.

Looking west.

Same direction, different angle.

As I said, we purchased some additional ornaments for our tree.

The aforementioned Chicago Cubs, Covid-19, and Gnome ornaments

Since we were out and I had my camera, we stopped off at the City Beach of Grand Haven to get some shots of the setting sun and other sights to be seen there, including our Senior Staff Photographer.

Our Senior Staff Photographer contemplating the waves on the "Big Lake."

 

Our Senior Staff Photographer likes this one better. I think that any shot with her in it is a good shot.

The sunset was gorgeous!

The strong winds were an impediment to the flight of this lone gull. 

I especially like this sunset pic.

Once home, along with the pix of the new ornaments, I took some pix of our themed Christmas tree and the ornaments that are part of that theme. Here is one of those pix. 

As usual, our Christmas tree displays ornaments feature places we've visited, activities we've done, and other things that capture our whimsical way of thinking.

All in all, it was a great day. 

I hope to get to those outdoor decorations tomorrow along with some indoor chores, more music, some painting, and other sundry things. Maybe I've put too much on my agenda. We'll see.

Mary continues to listen to her latest book, Where the Deer and the Antelope Play, written and narrated by the author, Nick Offerman. She shared some of the book with me, and it is very interesting. I'll check it out at the library when it becomes available. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past  6:30 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is 32° under skies being reported by the NWS as foggy. However, a glance out the WW shows it to be clear and dark. Of course, once the sun rises today @ 7:55 a.m. and long before it sets @  5:11 p.m., I may get to see that fog. 

The NWS is reporting that the wind is out of the northwest @ five mph, which means that the "Real Feel" temperature is 25°. We have reached our overnight low-temperature of 31° before we rebound to today's forecast high-temperature of 43° with an above freezing low-temperature of 33° later tonight.

The NWS has extended that Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee until 12:00 a.m. tomorrow, with wind-speeds of 30 knots and waves up to seven feet.

I stayed home yesterday afternoon while Mary went out to drop off Ginger for a grooming appointment, a stop at the small-box grocery store, and a visit to one of Mary's favorite hiking places, Hofma Preserve. I have it on good authority that she got lost in the woods at Hofma. Maybe John Muir was right when he famously said, "Into the woods I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." While there, Mary used the camera in our Smart Phone to snap a picture of a woodpecker in a tree. We're not 100% sure of the type of woodpecker, but we think it was a Dryocopus or Pileated Woodpecker, which though rare, is native to Michigan.

Against the leaden sky as the snow moved in, it was hard to tell the species. 

Here is a color picture of that type of woodpecker, courtesy of Green Nature™ and Google Images.

At any rate, Mary came back to me after a little guidance from another couple hiking in those woods and a bit of luck. We watched the end of the fall leaf clean-up as the crew removed the last of the leaves that had blown in from Central Park. Mary had to go back out to pick up Ginger and on the way home, they detoured to our auxiliary garden plot to check to see if there had been any visitors digging up our garlic. None had.

Mary came home with Ginger and Mary then assisted in the final set-up of our Christmas tree. I had left the final arrangement and very decorative placement of the items on the nearby credenza that we like to display for the Christmas holiday, many of which were handmade by us. That was back in the before-times, when we could get out and go to Hemlock Crossing for their annual create your own ornament session. Once again, the Covid-19 pandemic that is raging here in Michigan got in the way. I don't have any pix of the tree, yet, as they will wait for the placing of our outdoor displays later today. See the next blog for those.

Earlier yesterday, I finished one novel, played my guitar, set-up the Christmas tree, and took STWD for a short walk. That was about the end of my energy reserves. Mary did make more of her world famous secret ingredient pasta sauce in the Crockpot™ which she started when she came home and which we enjoyed for dinner with some of my vegan Italian meatballs.

Today, all that awaits me are those outdoor decorations and more music and reading. Mary is still listening to a book and cross-stitching. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 11:00 p.m. in "The City", where my DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 37.8° on the deck of the manse. That parallels the reading being offered by the NWS from GR of 37°. The NWS notes that it feels like 31° with a wind out of the northwest @ seven mph. Tonight's low is forecast to drop to 31° under cloudy-skies. 

We had strong winds today, but they have tailed off this evening. Plus, the snow that was falling earlier has also ebbed. Tomorrow's high temperature is forecast to reach 42° with light winds and an overnight low-temperature of 34° and snow and rain in the evening. 

The NWS has continued that Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee until 7:00 a.m. tomorrow, with waves from three to six feet possible. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:53 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:11 p.m.

Great news yesterday, as the 8 - 1 in the Big10 West Wolverines of Michigan, hammered the also 8 - 1 in the Big10 West Buckeyes of Ohio State, 42 - 27. While the Wolverines and the Buckeyes have the same conference record, it is the two losses suffered by the Buckeyes overall versus the one loss of the Wolverines to the Spartans of MSU that allows the Wolverines to travel to Indianapolis for the Big10 championship game next Saturday night versus the 7 - 2 in the Big10 East Hawkeyes of Iowa. 

The MSU Spartans were victorious yesterday too, as they defeated the Nittany Lions of Penn State, by a close score of 30 - 27. The Spartans will get a bowl bid, so they have had a good season which included that win over the Wolverines. 

Mary and Ginger went walkabout in Duncan Woods earlier this afternoon before moving on to a stop at that Big-Box Nearly Everything store. More than ever, the term "Nearly Everything Store" applied, as their stock was depleted on several of the items that Mary was seeking. 

While they were gone, STWD and I made more vegan Italian burgers and meatballs. 

Tomorrow, I plan to set up our Christmas tree for the season followed up by our outdoor decorations on a warm 41° in the forecast, good for outdoor activity, day. 

Mary is working on yet another cross-stitch project along with the one she is stitching for the season. Her next project will be for spring.

That looks like 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 5:00 p.m. on a partly-cloudy day here in "The City." The sun will set shortly @ 5:13 p.m. and rise tomorrow @ 7:51 a.m., before setting once again @ 5:12 p.m. tomorrow night.

We do have a Small Craft Advisory in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee until 7:00 p.m. tonight, with winds of five to ten knots and small waves from two to five feet in height. 

Our current temperature, per my DTWS, is 35°, while the NWS is posting the temperature @ 31°. They also point out that the wind out of the northwest @ nine mph, makes it feel more like 23°. 

Tomorrow, the high-temperature will rise to 36° before falling to an overnight low of 31°.

Another Thanksgiving has come and gone. Here at the manse, we had a terrific dinner. Mary worked for hours in a steamy kitchen chopping, stirring, and baking, as she created our dinner. We had a tofu based faux turkey, dressing using Mary's homemade bread and her vegetable broth, green-bean casserole, one of my favorites. that utilized water-chestnuts, mushrooms, and more of her homemade vegetable broth, and her famous muchrooms gravy, which also used more broth and freshly sliced mushrooms. In addition, the meal also featured my personal favorite among all Thanksgiving sides, Oceanspray™ jellied cranberry sauce. 

Many more years ago than I care to remember, I said I liked cranberry sauce. So, Mary slaved over the creation of homemade cranberry sauce that utilized fresh cranberries and other things. Don't get me wrong, it was good, but I am very happy with her opening a can of Oceanspray™ and putting that on the table for my enjoyment. She is more than happy to accommodate me. 

At any rate, here is a picture of the meal taken with our Smart Phone.

No pun intended, but, "But eat your hearts out my fellow Americans.

We finished the indoor chores today so that tomorrow, my afternoon is open to allow me to watch the game between the 10 - 1 OSU Buckeyes, who are 8 - 0 in the Big-10 conference, and our own 10 - 1 team, the Wolverines of Michigan, who are 7 - 1 in the Big-10, following their lopsided loss to the Spartans of MSU. The winner of tomorrow's game @ The Big House in Ann Arbor, gets to play for the Big-10 championship. 

Speaking of the 9 - 2 Spartans, 6 - 2 in the Big-10 conference, they host the 7 - 4, 4 - 4 in the Big-10 Nittany Lions of Penn State tomorrow @ Spartan Stadium.

I finished another novel early this morning and I am not quite ready to start my next. Instead, I did some painting today along with finishing another crossword puzzle and assisting with the indoor chores. We also watched another episode of out latest Amazon Prime™ series, Chuck while eating lunch.

Mary has been hard at work on her cross-stitching and today she is ordering more floss, as if she doesn't already have every color ever conceived She is taking advantage of the Black Friday coupon she received from Everything Cross-Stitch. I say why not, as we are likely indoors for the winter between the cold, the snow, and the Covidiots. I too may have to take advantage of one of the myriad coupons I get for painting supplies. Like I already don't have every color of acrylic paint and brush type imaginable.

Tomorrow, I have no plans other than to watch football and perhaps a Hallmark Channel™ movie  in the evening. To paraphrase that old commercial, "It doesn't get any better than this." Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:30 a.m. in "The City." I thought that rather than my usual blog, I'll just report that it is currently 50° outside the WW. According to the NWS, today's high will reach that same temperature before we plunge to an overnight low of 28° with snow-showers possible this evening. It looks like there is also a Small Craft Advisory in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee, until tomorrow evening, with winds of 15 - 25 knots over water and gusts up to 30 knots, with waves building up to 11 feet this afternoon into tonight. It will be windy on land today too. It should be an interesting day today after the sun rises @ 7:56 a.m. and before and after it sets @ 5:13 p.m. 

None of the above is the reason that I am thankful for today. No, my thanks today and everyday go out to those people who provide the essential services in grocery stores and pharmacies. Also, the people who the deliver the goods and services and stock the shelves, and those who keep our homes and streets safer every day. 

In addition, I am thankful for the people who made a decision to go into the medical fields and who provide all of us with the care that makes our lives better each day. Let me also thank those among us who made the decision to get themselves vaccinated and boosted in order to protect themselves and others. 

However, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the Covidiots, the anti-vaxxers, the fools, who can and need to be vaccinated. You may know some of them, those fools who seem to revel in the myriad conspiracy theories as they listen to the misinformation provided by too many media outlets and politicians, the people who by their own actions, or to be charitable, their inactions, are landing in the hospitals, sick with a disease that could have been prevented or mitigated by another affirmative and informed decision, a decision to get three easy and FREE shots! 

I don't have a medical degree, nor am I a scientist, but I do know that without the vaccines that eradicated polio, diphtheria, and other childhood diseases, those vaccinations that our parents mandated that we get as children, our lives would be shorter and likely less fulfilling and productive.

Back to the other many things for which I am thankful. My wife of 48 years, Mary. She has managed to keep us healthy and safe throughout this pandemic. She has been able to navigate and overcome the supply-chain issues that seem to have vexed so many. 

I am thankful for my son and daughter in law too. They are part of what is making our lives a bit better each day. 

I am thankful for each day since I became a vegan. I believe that every animal deserves humane treatment that transcends the often horrific conditions under which they are often forced to live, as they provide humans with dairy products, meats, and other by-products. It took me a long time, but once I saw a truckload of pigs on their way to the afterlife and then looked at our own fur-children, I knew what I had to do. 

But, all of that is in no way intended to change anyone's mind. It is just my way of giving thanks to all of the people and other sentient beings who share this planet with us.

Have a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving everyone. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 11:00 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature on my DTWS and Also according to the report from the NWS, which both show 34° under partly-cloudy skies. Unfortunately, the "Real Feel" temperature is 25° with winds out of the northwest @ 12 mph. The overnight low-temperature forecast calls for 29° before we rebound to tomorrow's high-temperature of 43°, which is 11° warmer than today. There will be sunny skies to go along with that warmer temperature forecast too.

Also unfortunately, the NWS has reissued a Small Craft Advisory beginning @ 4:00 a.m. tomorrow and continuing until 4:00 a.m. Wednesday, from South Haven to Manistee. That Small Craft Advisory will be replaced by yet another Gale Warning, also from South Haven to Manistee, from 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night until 7:00 p.m. Wednesday. That Gale Warning calls for wind-speeds of 20 - 30 knots with gusts up to 40 knots and a wave-height of up to 12 feet!!! The surf will be up on the shores of Lake Michigan. I guess this is a good place to mention that the barometric pressure being displayed on my DTWS is 29.51" of Hg and steady, while the NWS is reporting 30.17" of Hg and rising. Oh, the sine will rise tomorro morning @ 7:46 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:15 p.m. 

We did some impromptu furniture rearranging earlier today. Mary decided that her desk needed to be under the window in her office without the second tier that has sat atop her desk since the desk's arrival. It looks good there and she likes the view over the view she had of the wall in her office. 

Good news, the topper went out to the curb and didn't stay long, It lasted until someone decided that they could repurpose it and it was whisked away to a new home. A win-win as they say. In addition, I thought about using that topper on my desk, but it wouldn't fit. But, in the process of trying it on for size, I got my own desktop cleared and reorganized so another win-win. 

I always like to think that when one door closes, another opens. Such has been the case with my photography hobby lately. As you may recall, the MMRR has been refurbishing their tracks in front of the manse. I previously added some pix of track work, but today, different machines were being employed to continue the process. 

One machine, called a switch-tamper, had what appeared to a sensing device deployed ahead of a larger machine that followed and which was using automatic pneumatic hammers to push the ballast under the rails and ties for stability. 

That machine was followed by another noisy machine called a ballast regulator, that was redistributing the remaining ballast and tamping it down still further. At any rate, here are some pictures taken from the front-porch of our manse using my wide-angle lens and various focal lengths. 

In addition, here are a some videos from YouTube of those machines at work if you are interested.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVaGy7ETteo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PAj8Y7zI93M

A sensor for the ballast-tamping machine.

The Mark IV ballast tamper that followed.

The KBR 860 ballast regulator.

Otherwise, not much was happening at the manse today. I have P/T tomorrow and I'll use the time there to get more stretching on my yak versus balancing skills. 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. in "The City", where my DTWS is displaying the current temperature as 37.6° which closely parallels that of the NWS which is showing the temperature reading as 38°. Both of those temperature readings will be the overnight/early-morning low. In addition, the current barometric pressures are 29.45" of Hg and falling per my DTWS and 30.09" of Hg and rising, courtesy of the NWS.

Of more import, is the Gale Warning that has been issued by the NWS that will go into effect @ 4:00 p.m. today and continue until 4:00 a.m. tomorrow from St. Joseph to Manistee. Gale force winds of 40 knots will propel waves up to 11 feet in height. Mariners are strongly urged to stay in port, or seek sheltered mooring. Mariners should assume that small craft may be be capsized if they are foolish enough to go out into the waters of Lake Michigan.  Naturally, no one should venture out on the piers. To paraphrase Gordon Lightfoot in The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald, the Gales of November need to be remembered.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:45 a.m. and set later @ 5:15 p.m.

In college football news, the 9 - 2 Spartans of MSU suffered a serious beat-down at the hands of the 10 - 1 Buckeyes of The Ohio State University, 7 - 56. The Spartans were never in the game and in fact they were down 0 - 49 @ halftime. The Spartans will still get a bowl bid, but they have no hope of winning the Big 10 crown. The Spartans host the 7 - 4 Nittany Lions of Penn State next Saturday @ 3:30 p.m.

The best chance for a Big 10 title for a Michigan-based university now rests with the overall 10 - 1 Wolverines of Michigan, who administered their own beat-down yesterday versus the 5 - 6 Terrapins of Maryland, 59 - 18. The 7 - 1 in the Big 10 Wolverines play host to the 8 - 0 in the Big 10 Buckeyes of OSU next weekend @ 12:00 p.m. in the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI for all the marbles.

We went walkabout with STWD and Ginger, yesterday afternoon and then returned the Weather Dog to the manse and went back downtown after sunset to see the lights of Christmas. We mistakenly thought that all the lights would be lit on the trees in Central Park and in front of the GH City Hall. But, we were wrong. Those Christmas trees won't be lit until after the Jingle Bell Parade on December 4, 2021. Oh well, we had a nice walkabout and I shot some interesting night pictures too. 

The fountain in Central Park with the Loutit Library and the community center in the background.

A long-range shot of Washington Ave. from near the Ottawa County Courthouse looking west.

We were crossing Washington Ave. when I stopped to shoot towards Dewey Hill. to the west.

The streets of GH were mostly devoid of pedestrians on a beautiful Saturday night in downtown.

Looking east in the downtown.

Adjacent to St. John's Episcopal Church @ 6th and Washington.

All in all, it was a great night to go walkabout and enjoy the crisp air and the scenery of our little city.  While we were out, I took this shot of one of the planets visible in the clear winter skies. There were others, but one bright planet looks like another.

Planets don't twinkle, as they reflect light, whereas stars do, as they are producing their own light.

We got all of our indoor chores done yesterday, I finished a book, Mary is still enjoying learning more about Lady Bird Johnson, First-Lady to our 36th POTUS, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Lady Bird was herself an avid outdoors-person and the first of the many First-Ladies to interact directly with Congress. She was a strong advocate for her husband, but also a very vocal advocate for the beautification of America. 

Today, I have another crossword to solve, some outdoor chores to do with Mary's help, I may bake some cookies and accomplish a few sundry other things. No Lions football for me today. Mary will continue her own craft experience and also continue her "Reading" of the Lady Bird Johnson Biography. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 10:30 p.m. in "The City", where my DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 36° with a barometric pressure of 29.74" of Hg and rising. The NWS agrees on the current temperature, but they show the barometric pressure as 30.37" of Hg and falling. I will hazard a guess and suggest that the NWS is using stats from GR.

The NWS has continued that Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee until midnight tomorrow night, with an expectation of 10 to 20 knot winds and possible gusts up to 25 knots propelling waves up to seven feet in height. That Small Craft Advisory  will be superseded by a Gale Watch scheduled to go into effect Sunday afternoon into Monday afternoon. Windspeeds of 20 to 30 knots with possible gusts up to 40 knots are forecast to propel waves as high as 12 feet!! The surf will most definitely be up!!!

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:42 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:17 p.m.

We didn't go to the annual Light Night tonight because we are not much into crowds these days and surprise, we aren't getting any younger. 

However, I did spend some time today working a crossword puzzle, making vegan Italian burgers and meatballs, and reading. Speaking of which, I had several more books on hold at the library, which Mary and Ginger picked up on their walkabout. Since I try to get my books in my preferred large-print format, three books proved to be quite a load, as one of the books is large and heavy. That cut down on the time that Mary and Ginger spent walking as Mary had to carry my books home in a sack.

Mary is still downstairs hard at work on her cross-stitch project. She loves it. 

The 8 - 3 NIU Huskies defeated the 4 - 7 Bulls of Buffalo U last Wednesday, 33 - 27, with former Spartans QB, Rocky Lombardi at the controls of the Huskies offense. The Huskies meet the 6 - 5 Broncos of W. MI next Tuesday night @ 7:00 p.m.

The 9 - 1 Spartans of MSU travel to Columbus, OH to meet the also 9 - 1 Buckeyes of OSU tomorrow @ 12:00 p.m. OSU's only loss was to the 9 - 1 Ducks of Oregon early in the 2021 season. The Spartans lone loss this season came at the hands of the 6 - 4 Boilermakers of Purdue. 

The 9 - 1 Wolverines of MI travel to Maryland to meet the 5 -5 Terrapins. The Wolverines only loss this season was to the Spartans.

Tomorrow I plan to watch as the Spartans try to upend the Buckeyes and also do some indoor chores. More reading, more puzzle solving are also on the itinerary. Mary will probably join me for part of the MSU game, but it is likely that she will repair to the upstairs where the sunlight should be conducive to cross-stitching. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 11:15 p.m. in "The City" which is windy and cold right now. That cold is being fostered by an 18 mph wind out of the west that makes it feel like 40° versus the actual temperature displayed on my DTWS of 47°.

The Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee remains in effect until 7:00 a.m. Friday. Windspeeds pf 30 knots will propel waves up to 10 feet in height! Our high-temperature tomorrow is forecast to only reach 38° with snow-showers in the forecast in the afternoon accompanied by winds of 22 mph! The overnight low is expected to drop to 33°. All of that happens after the sun rises @ 7:40 a.m., but before the sun sets @ 5:18 tomorrow evening. 

I stayed  home today while Mary went walkabout at Duncan Woods before she stopped at that big-box nearly everything store. She had to get a few grocery items, but mostly she was in search of a basket for our mud room to hold the sundry items  that are part and parcel to winter in Michigan.

While Mary was at Duncan Woods, she slipped into her role as our Senior Staff Photographer and took these pictures of her walkabout using only her Smart Phone camera. I think the pictures came out very nice in spite of the cloudy conditions and limited sunshine.

Earlier, I was again doing some work in my studio and watched the passage of MMRR locomotives 2170 and 2019 as they headed south. The passage of the train across our street and at every  grade-level crossing required that a flagger disembark the front of the lead locomotive and stop traffic. For whatever the reason, the railroad has et to reactivate the signal lights at the crossings here in GH. At 9:02 a.m., I saw those locomotives towing 11 DBTCs, two GTCs, and 15 CGCs. 

As I said, I stayed behind this afternoon and as I was once again working in my studio, I watched the northbound run of the MMRR locomotives as they towed nine DBTCs and one DWTC around 4:00 p.m. 

Tomorrow I have another P/T appointment after I let the fur-children out post-feeding. There is not much else on tap for me. Mary will be listening to her book and doing more cross-stitching. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 10:30 p.m. in "The City", where the display on my DTWS is showing a current temperature of 44° under skies described by the NWS as partly-cloudy. The overnight low will drop to a seasonal 46° before we rebound to tomorrow's high-temperature of 56°, which is forecast to be 11° warmer than today.

The NWS has continued that Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee until 7:00 a.m. Friday, with winds tomorrow expected to blow from the south @ 15 to 30 knots, changing to west winds of 15 - 30 knots later in the day.

Tonight, the waves will be four to seven feet, but they are going to subside tomorrow afternoon, before building once again to six to nine feet in height! The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:38 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:19 p.m.

Not much happened today. I had a great appointment at P/T today, while Mary stayed back and did most of the indoor chores while I was out. Lunch was some of my world-famous vegan Italian meatballs mixed with Mary's secret recipe pasta sauce over spaghetti noodles and a side salad.

Dinner was pan-fried tofu with Coleslaw that Mary made last night using the food processor. I usually do the grating, but since I was reading upstairs, she peeled and cored the apples, fed them and the cabbage into the food-processor, and mixed up the dressing. I liked it better than my efforts to date, so I think she should be in charge of the Coleslaw from this point forward. 

Late last night, I got my email program reinstalled and also got the fine folks at Yahoo to retrieve and send to my inbox the emails that were deleted in the process of uninstalling and reinstalling the software. I was then able to get the necessary links for two photography on-line sessions that I am scheduled to view tomorrow and Thursday.

Tomorrow, looks like a day of staying indoors and out of the rainy/windy weather. It will be warmer, but it will also be raining. A good day for music, reading, and crossword-puzzle solving. 

Speaking of those crossword puzzles, Tuesday is the day when the Grand Haven Tribune includes two puzzles in the comics section. Unfortunately, both puzzles were misprinted and could not  be worked. Sigh.

Mary continues to work on her cross-stitching and she is making excellent progress. That's enough for now. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:45 a.m. in "The City", where the display on my DTWS shows 37°, which matches the forecast from the NWS under rainy-skies which the NWS has forecast to continue throughout the day. Our current temperature is also our overnight low, with today's high predicted to reach 42° with an overnight low-temperature of 35°.

Well, it is that time of year when the forecasts begin to predict wintry weather for our little corner of the word. The NWS has added a Winter Weather Advisory to the forecast for Southwest and South Central Michigan until 4:00 p.m. today. Areas north of GR may see from one to three inches of heavy-wet snow.

In addition, the NWS has continued the Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow, with winds from 15 to 25 knots and gusts up to 30 knots. Those winds starting in the Southwest this morning and changing to Northwest winds this afternoon pushing waves up to eight feet in height! The sun rose into leaden skies this morning @ 7:36 a.m. and it will set tonight @ 5:21 p.m.

College football yesterday was boring in the early afternoon, as the 9 - 1 Wolverines of MI visited the 6 - 4 Nittany Lions of Penn State in Happy Valley, PA, where the Wolverines eked out a slim victory over the Nittany Lions, 21 - 17. Michigan did not look strong offensively and it was their defense that kept them in the game. I expect their national ranking to drop once again. 

On the other hand, the also 9 - 1 Spartans of MSU hosted the 5 - 5 Terrapins of Maryland and soundly defeated the Terrapins, 40 - 21. I expect that their national ranking will improve.

We took some abbreviated individual walks with the fur-children yesterday afternoon. Whereas STWD and I never stray far from the manse, Mary and Ginger like to go for longer sojourns. That was their plan, but the raindrops that were falling on our heads forced the return of Mary and Ginger about the same time that STWD and I were getting back to the manse. After that, we stayed indoors and out of the weather.

Mary made two of my favorite things for meals yesterday. Brunch was grilled tofu with tartar sauce and a salad, while tempeh bacon and lettuce sandwiches with a side of cheesy grits for dinner was dinner. In both cases, iceberg lettuce was one of the featured ingredients. What's not to like?

We completed the indoor chores too. 

Mary is making solid progress on her cross-stitching and I am being retired. We collectively watched another episode of Chuck and then I watched what seems to be another in an endless stream of Christmas Hallmark movies after dinner last night. I'm a sucker for a Christmas romance.

Today, we are scheduled to visit that aforementioned cell-phone provider in Holland to get a new SIM card and also get help with setting up my new phone. I admit to needing help, because the phone won't accept my email password. Maybe I don't need it anyway. We'll see.

Is that enough for one day? Yes! Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:45 a.m. in "The City", where my DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 43° with rain inthe vicinity. The NWS seems unable to take into account the effect that Lake Michigan has on the communities near her shoreline. 

What that means is that the NWS issued a Special Weather Statement for Ottawa, County until 9:00 a.m. today. They stated that one to four inches of heavy, wet snow fell on West Michigan overnight. I'll give them their due and mention their forecast for Ottawa, County centers on the areas immediately west of Kalamazoo, MI. What a perfect place to insert a YouTube clip from the Swing Era Big Band of Glenn Miller with Tex Benteke and Marion Hutton and the Modern Aires singing I've Got a Gal in Kalamazoo. If you look closely, you'll see Glenn Miller playing trombone in the scenes where the band is on camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVUI-0iqb5Q

Here in GH, we do have a little bit of ice clinging to many areas, but mostly water. The sun rose @ 7:35 this morning and it will set later @ 5:22 p.m.

However, the NWS has continued their Small Craft Advisory until 10:00 a.m. Monday from St. Joseph to Manistee. Wind-speeds of 10 - 20 knots with gusts possible up to 30 knots, may produce waves as high as nine feet in height!

I don't know about you, but it would seem to me that if my automobile needed to be updated several time in one week or its performance would noticeably slow, which mine did, is one of the least desirable aspects of life with computers. Just saying. 

Yesterday, part of the indoor chores were completed and I took time after we got back from an aborted run to get my cell-phone a new SIM card along with a stop at that big-box nearly everything store and a short walk with Ginger at Lake Forest Cemetery. I had walked STWD before we set out. I also took time to make more vegan Italian burgers and meatballs.

It seems that with the heavy traffic caused by that bridge reconstruction, which is stopped by the inclement weather, that we can go to an alternative location north of Holland more quickly. So, we set an appointment to do that tomorrow.

Otherwise, not much is happening here in GH. except for the continuation of our indoor chore day, more reading, and more cross-stitching. Mary is making excellent progress on her latest effort. She says she is a slow cross-stitcher, but so what, it's not like we have any pressing plans.

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", where the current temperature displayed on my DTWS is the same as that in the report from the NWS, 48°, under mostly-cloudy/windy skies. The "Real Feel" is 41° with that strong wind blowing out of the southwest @ 21 mph! That 48° will be our overnight/early-morning low temperature as we rise only a single degree to 49° for our daytime high-temperature today. The overnight low-temperature forecast by the NWS calls for the low-temperature tonight to drop to a very late fall-like 38°.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:33 a.m. and set tonight @ 5:23 p.m.. In between the NWS forecast calls for showers this morning to change to steady rain later this afternoon and into the evening. 

The NWS has rescinded that Gale Warning, but they have reinstated that Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee until 7:00 p.m. Sunday night. Wind-speeds of 20 to 30 knots and wave-heights from six to nine feet can be expected. Yes? Surf's Up!

Speaking of those high waves, they peaked last night when that Gale Warning was still in effect just before sunset, although I was too comfortable reading in my La-Z-Boy around that time to risk life, limb and camera, so no pix. I can say that on Facebook, some of the more intrepid photographers in one of my photo groups got some great shots of the waves crashing over the south pier and the outer lighthouse. 

Last Wednesday, the 5 - 1 in the MAC 10 West Huskies of NIU defeated the 3 - 3 in the MAC 10 West Cardinals of Ball State, 30 - 29. Their next game will be Wednesday, November 17, @ 7:00 p.m. versus the 2 - 4 Buffalo Bills of the University of Buffalo, NY, in a match-up between a MAC 10 West and a MAC 10 East team. 

The 8 - 1 Spartans of MSU have their next game tomorrow @ 4:00 p.m. when they play host to the 5 - 4 Terrapins of Maryland. 

The also 8 - 1 Wolverines of Michigan travel to Pennsylvania for a game tomorrow @ 12:00 p.m. versus the 6 - 3 Nittany Lions of Pen State University.

Recently, I received a notification from the large mobile-phone provider of my cellular service that my current cell-phone would stop working very soon due to it not being a 5G compatible phone. They sent me a "Free" replacement, which is great. Unfortunately, that "New" phone is not compatible with my current SIM card. So, I have to go to the nearby AT&T store for a new one. That would be fine, if that store wasn't hemmed in by the bridge reconstruction that is going on in front of that store's location. So, when we are out later today for a stop at that big-box nearly everything store, I'll have to prevail upon Mary to detour to the AT&T store first. Sigh.

No mail yesterday, so no newspaper and thus no crossword puzzle. although I did get more reading done after my podiatrist appointment. 

Mary made some great tacos for dinner last night. They were very similar those made by that large West-Coast chain, Jack in the... I liked them a lot.

Today. mostly time spent indoors reading, working a puzzle, making vegan Italian burgers and meatballs, and whatever comes our way, be that cross-stitching or playing music before we brave the elements and make those aforementioned stops. 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 "T he City." My DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 51°, which matches that of the NWS, which is also reporting a "Real Feel" temperature of 46° with a wind out of the southeast @ 13 mph. The sun rose this morning @ 7:32 a.m. and it will set later @ 5:24 p.m.

Perhaps that strong wind is part and parcel to why the NWS has issued a Gale Warning for the "Big Lake" from St. Joseph to Manistee. The forecast calls for wind-speeds from 35 to 40 knots and waves peaking at a height of 10' later this afternoon into the early evening hours, especially north of GH, before that Gale Warning is over @ 7:00 p.m. Mariners are strongly encouraged to stay in port or seek a sheltered place to anchor. The NWS has canceled the Small Craft Advisory. I don't even know why the former didn't automatically supersede the latter. Oh well, another of life's little mysteries.

Mary and I have appointments today that require us to be out, between 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., when the rain is expected to fall at its highest amounts of 53% to 100%. 

Other than that, there is the need for our fur-children to be fed and let out around that same time. STWD will probably be unwilling to go out except very quickly, while Ginger will be more than willing, with the caveat that she comes back a wet terrier. Not a pretty sight.

Speaking of our fur-children, I thought I should put in some pix of them in all their furry glory.

The "Cutest Dog on the Planet!"

A close second.

I did just the minimum number of outdoor chores yesterday and then I stopped. I had already been to P/T, so I was more than willing to rest the balance of my day. While I was in the back-forty, Mary took STWD and then Ginger for their own outdoor activities. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:00 a.m. in "The City", where the temperature display on my DTWS shows a brisk 33° that according to the NWS, feels like 32° with a wind out of the south @ one mph.

We have no current watches, advisories, nor warnings in effect right now, but that will change tomorrow morning @ 7:00 a.m. when the NWS has issued both a Small Craft Advisory and a  Gale Warning from St. Joseph to Manistee. until 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.

The Small Craft Advisory may deliver southeast wind-speeds up to 30 knots with wave heights up to five feet, while the Gale Warning portends wind-speeds up to 40 knots and wave heights up to10 feet north of GH! Plus, the weekend may bring additional Small Craft Advisories with a good chance for rain to accompany them. Mariners are encouraged to stay in port and off of Lake Michigan, lest they join the myriad shipwrecks that are part and parcel to life on the Inland Ocean. 

Our overnight low-temperature this early a.m. will be 33°, while today's high-temperature will rise to 56° with an overnight low-temperature of 46°. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:31 a.m. and set later @ 5:25 p.m.

I didn't have to travel far yesterday to get pix for this blog. I'm not posting these photos anywhere else, so enjoy. While I was at my P/T appointment, a mysterious source of new ballast dropped some stone, along the tracks. Mary asked if I had seen the stone when I was leaving just before noon yesterday, but I had not. Also while I was out, Mary saw a train pass by heading south, very slowly .

Later, we discovered the source of that stone drop. The train returned in reverse with what Mary believed were the exact same cars, this time being pushed by the regular locomotives from the MMRR, #s 2019 and 2170. I noticed that some of the cars were designed to drop stone as they rolled by. Mystery solved.

The logo of the MMRR pained on locomotive 2170.

One of those aforementioned stone-dropping hopper cars.

Here are those locomotives heading south with a flagman to stop traffic, since the signals have not been reactivated after the recent track work.

Not as freshly painted as #2170, this is MMRR locomotive #2019 passing by.

Whereas MMRR locomotive #2170 was repainted more recently.

On their return trip southward, the locomotives had picked up some additional cars north of GH.

A covered gondola car.

A DBTC (Dreaded Black Tank Car).

And a tagged hopper car.

Also while I was outside, I took a pic of a man who had stopped on his bike to watch the train pass slowly by.

 

A true train aficionado. 

I also got a shot of this front-end loader that belongs to the GH Department of Public Works, as the driver had to wait for the train to clear the crossing before she could return to the public works garage on the other side of Beacon Blvd.

Sometimes, good pictures are as near as your own front porch.

Today, I have another P/T appointment, lunch, and then some yardwork with a self-imposed end time. There is also more reading to do. Mary is still hard at work on her cross-stitching and she plans to make lunch while I am at P/T, as I don't like to eat before a P/T session. 

Here is a throw in for you movie buffs. Kudos and a genuine No Prize to those of you under the age of 60 who can name the star of the movie and the singer from that movie that gave us the song I've listed below. The title of the movie that gave us this "One-Hit Wonder" released in 1968, was Wild in the Streets. Of course, that's without looking at or listening to the clip from YouTube first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEqWCH_4srU

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:55 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature displayed on my DTWS is 50° under fair-skies. The NWS is showing that the "Real Feel" temperature is 46° with a wind out of the east @ five mph. 

Today's high temperature forecast from the NWS calls for a balmy 57° under partly-cloudy skies with an overnight low-temperature of 33°, a seeming anomaly given the overnight low on Monday night was/is 48°and Wednesday's forecast is calling for an overnight low of 48°. Go figure.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:30 a.m. and set later @ 5:26 p.m.

We took Ginger to her grooming appointment yesterday afternoon and then we stopped at our auxiliary garden plots to plant some garlic. We pulled some weeds, tilled the existing soil, placed the garlic cloves and then added more soil to complete our task. All in all, it was another in a long-line of gardening successes for the 2021 growing season @ our auxiliary vast-gardens. 

Not much to look @ now, but next spring, we should see garlic sprouts.

While we were there, Mary spoke to a Salvation Army Major who showed us where they are planning to install some concrete pads and place some picnic tables that will match the benches inside the playground.  

After we were done gardening, we had some spare time before we could pick up Ginger, so we detoured to Duncan woods in hopes of finding some acorns for an art project I want to try. Alas, the squirrels beat me to it and there were no acorns to be found. However, I did take some pictures while I was there using my wide-angle lens. 

Sunlight and shadows combined to make a great picture.

More shadows, less sun.

I always say, "Look down and see the world."

Dandelions never know when to quit.

Since we were unrequited in our acorn search at Duncan Woods, we traveled over to Harbor Island, Duck Pond, and Swan Lake for an additional photo-op.

A different location than our usual spot yielded this shot two of the large bank of swans on Swan Lake.

Duck Pond.

Verplank Dock with some dredging equipment in the foreground 

I was going for a total industrial look in this shot.

While I was snapping at one location, Mary went around the bend and found this great crane on a barge in the channel.

From that side of Swan Lake, the swans were much easier to photograph.

I thought I was done, but I liked the following pix too, also from Harbor Island.

Once again, an afternoon well spent. But, it was time to pick up Ginger who by the by, looks great now. As Mary said, "Ginger was looking scuzzy!" Now she looks like a princess.

Last night, against my better judgement, I watched as the 3 - 6 Chicago Bears almost topple the 5 - 3 Pittsburgh Steelers. But in what I'd call a badly refereed game, and following a great comeback by the Bears and their rookie QB Justin Fields, the Bears surrendered the lead to the Steelers. The Bears got the ball back with seconds to spare, but a 65 yard field-goal attempt clanked off the cross bar as the Bears fell to the Steelers, 27 - 29. I truly believe the Bears were "Jobbed by the Zebras" last night.

Today is another P/T visit and some reading for me. I should do some indoor chores, but since I'll be out at mid-day today, I don't want to leave those for Mary. However, since I also have a P/T appointment tomorrow around the same time, I will have to make a game-time decision.

Mary is still making progress on her cross-stitching project/passion. Plus, she finished one book, but I am not sure if she started another. 

Mary made a great dinner last night of vegan Italian sausages combined with her secret-recipe pasta sauce over whole-wheat thin spaghetti. As a side, she also made garlic bread using her recently baked homemade bread. A veritable bounty of home-cooking. 

That looks like enough for one day. Ciao.