Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:45 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature of 33° feels more like 26° with a wind out of the east @ nine mph. There are no alerts in the forecast from the N WS at this time. 

The skies are currently cloudy as we drop to an overnight low temperature of 32° before we rebound to tomorrow's high temperature of 39° under mostly-cloudy skies with a 40% chance for showers in the evening. Just what the Covidiots and Maskholes will be experiencing when they are downtown at 12:00 p.m. to watch the ball drop from the GHDPS hook and ladder truck. 

New Year's Day will see a high temperature of only 33° with a very chilly overnight low of 20° predicted. In addition there is also a 70% chance for snow in the evening. The sun will rise @ 8:16 a.m. and set nine hours and three minutes later @ 5:19 p.m.

We watched a great movie today on Netflix™ starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence entitled Don't Look Up!. I recommend this movie if you care about our planet.

We didn't accomplish much today. Mary and Ginger went to the grocery store for a small pick up and I finished three crossword puzzles. 

Last night @ 7:00 p.m, the Spartans of MSU face the Panthers of Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl. Update this early morning. In spite of some early-game jitters, the Spartans dispatched the Panthers, 31 - 21. 

Also an update. Tonight, the Wolverines of Michigan face the Bulldogs of Georgia @ 7:30 p.m in the Orange Bowl. I've reserved my seat in the media room and asked for a big bowl of popcorn so that I can hopefully root the Wolverines on to victory. 

Otherwise there are indoor chores to be done, we still have to get those pictures hung, the outdoor Christmas decorations have to be taken down and stored for another year and that should be enough for one day.

Mary will continue her cross-stitching and I'd like to get more paint on canvas, but the lighting is never conducive to painting when the skies are cloudy all day. 

I don't anticipate going out and about for New Year's Eve due to my advanced age, my worries over the Covid-19 pandemic, and the fact that I've seen a lot of New Year's celebrations in my 70 years of life. I think that Mary feels the same, albeit she is younger than I. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is a chilly 33°. per my DTWS, or 32°, per the NWS. In either case, the indoors is a much better place to be right now. In fact, I just watched the snowplows from the city go by as they cleared the street in front of the manse. I anticipate that the snow removal service will be by today to clear our decks and our shared driveway. 

As I gaze out of the WW, the skies are cloudy as we head towards the overnight low temperature of 31° although it feels like 25° with a wind out of the east @ nine mph. Today's high temperature will be seven degrees warmer than yesterday @ 39° with an overnight low of 24°. In between, the skies will be partly to mostly cloudy and that seems to be the forecast for many more days to come. The sun will rise this morning @ 8:16 a.m. and set later @ 5:18 p.m. Yes, my loyal readers, the daylight hours will be increased by one minute.

I made it to my second of five knee treatments yesterday and so I have but three more to endure before I get a six-month reprieve. I can't complain, because the treatments I receive are a lot better than having my knees replaced. 

Once I was out, Mary set about making another batch of her secret recipe pasta sauce which we had for dinner last night along with some of my vegan Italian meatballs. She actually made enough for another meal or two.

Otherwise, I am enjoying reading our shared nonfiction book, At War With Government, written by Amy Fried and Douglas B. Harris. This is an accounting of the formation of our own U.S, government and where we are today. I have put reading the biography of Lady Bird Johnson on the back burner since we own this book. I have also begun to read Travels With George, a telling of the travels of our nation's first president before his initial inauguration, by Nathaniel Philbrick. In all cases, I am enjoying my reading.

I managed three crossword puzzles yesterday and also played some guitar too. 

Mary finished listening to one book and has started another while she is cross-stitching. All in all, we are settling into the winter months and getting ready for the third year of Covid-19. 

We have been watching The Quiet Man, a story set in Ireland starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. I've seen it many times, but Mary has not. I think she enjoyed the film with the exception of the blatant misogyny of Ireland in the early 1950s. I guess that was true of the U.S during the post-war years too.

Today, we have an afternoon appointment for Ginger at her doctor's to get a checkup on a possible reaction to a bite of some type. She seems to be getting better, but being the worrywarts that both Mary and I are, we will err on the side of caution for both of our fur-children.

Otherwise, I hope to get to hanging those projects that I have meant to get to for a couple of days. Other than those two items, I have no plans. I anticipate that Mary will continue to read and stitch. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 8:30 a.m. in "The City", where it snowed about two inches overnight and then the snow was covered with a thin veneer of ice. 

Which leads me to the forecast from the NWS. We will have a Winter Weather Advsory in effect until 9:00 a.m this morning. The current temperature is 34°, coincidentally our overnight low, but it feels more like 24° with a brisk wind out of the west @ 16 mph! 

Continuing until tomorrow at 7:00 a.m., will be that Small Craft Advisory which will deliver winds of 20 - 30 knots and waves up to seven feet in height! Once again, why anyone would be out on Lake Michigan in a small boat is beyond me. 

Today's high temperature will reach 44°, under cloudy-skies, but the ice and snow should melt away by mid-day. However, the overnight low temperature of 29° tonight will refreeze the dregs and make walking hazardous for a while. The sun will rise today @ 8:15 a.m. and set this evening @ 5:16 p.m. Yes my loyal readers, the days are getting longer, albeit in tiny increments. 

Speaking of walking, Mary and Ginger took a walk to the waterfront on dry and non-slippery sidewalks, where Mary captured this picture of the channel before that Winter Weather Advisory. 

The calm before the storm.

The Bears won, the Lions lost. Nuff said, as neither team is going anywhere when the regular NFL season is over except to their respective couches. 

There are several college football bowl games on tap this week, but several have already been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Once again, regardless of your political persuasion or personal religious beliefs, if you haven't been vaccinated, what in the HE-double hockey sticks are you waiting for? It is not just about you! It is about the over seven-billion inhabitants on this planet who share the air with you.

Today looks like a good day to stay inside and read, play music, cross-stitch, and hang some art. Not a good day for painting though. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just passing 10:30 p.m. in "The City." A current temperature of 33° feels more like 26° with the wind directly out of the north @ nine mph. It was a bit cooler today than yesterday, but tomorrow will be a little warmer as we rise to the forecast high temperature of 38° before dropping to the overnight low temperature of 31° The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:15 a.m. and set later  5:15 p.m. There are no alerts in the forecast at this time. 

We had a great Christmas today. We didn't get up too early, and then we came down to find our stockings filled with goodies for ourselves and the fur-children. They each got a new toy to play with and a dental bone to chew. I got two new journals, and I also received an adult coloring book of flowers for my winter enjoyment. Plus, Mary cross-stitched a bookmark that depicts the various crew members of the Starship Enterprise. As you may know, you don't want to be one of the red shirt-wearing crew members who beam down with Captain Kirk. Mary got a dragon snow-globe for her desk. 

In case you feel a need to forget, the 2 - 11 - 1 Detroit Lions are in Atlanta tomorrow to play the 6 - 8 Falcons @ 1:00 p.m. The almost as terrible, 4 - 10 Chicago Bears visit Seattle tomorrow to play the 5 - 9 Seahawks @ 4:05 p.m. Is it any wonder that I like to watch Hallmark Channel™ movies versus watching the ineptitude that is passing for professional football? That doesn't even factor in the decimation being caused in all professional sports by the Covid-19 virus.

Speaking of football, the MI Wolverines will be playing in the Orange Bowl versus the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday, December 31, 2021, @ 7:30 p.m. The MSU Spartans are slotted into the Peach Bowl versus the Pitt Panthers the day before, December 30, 2021, @ 7:00 p.m.

But back to today here at the manse. We had a nice brunch of one of my favorites, vegan hot dog wraps with a side of cheezy broccoli, and then we each retired to our corners to take advantage of the sunlight for painting and cross-stitching. Mid-afternoon, we took the fur-children for a short walkabout. I came home to the manse and fell asleep as Mary once again repaired to her office for more cross stitching before she prepared our dinner repast of hammish with baked potatoes and for me, another of my personal faves, Ocean Spray™ jellied cranberry sauce. 

While we ate, we finished watching Love Actually. Then I came up to fall asleep in the media room before traveling to my own office for this blog. 

Tomorrow, we have no specific plans and that's fine with me. I may or may not do some indoor chores, I hope to paint more and play music too. Mary is nearly finished with the cross-stitch project she plans to frame. Otherwise, it looks like an average day here on the Palatial Estate. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is nearly 9:00 p.m. in "The City" where the current temperature per my DTWS and the NWS is 49°. However, with the 11 mph wind out of the south, it feels like 45° with fog returning to the area. Our overnight low tonight/early tomorrow morning will drop to 41° before we reach a high temperature tomorrow, Christmas Day, of 44°. But, the low-temperature tomorrow night will drop to a very chilly 29°.

The NWS has continued the Small Craft Advisory until 10:00 p.m. tonight from St. Joseph to Manistee, with winds blowing @ 10 - 20 knots and waves up to five feet.

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:14 a.m. and set later @ 5:14 p.m. We have crossed into the time of year when the days will continue to grow longer. 

We accomplished very little today. Mary and Ginger took a walk to the waterfront and STWD and I took a much shorter walk while they were gone. 

Once again, I didn't take any pictures, but Mary and Ginger had the Smart Phone camera along and took a few shots of the very calm channel.

The skies were overcast, but I think this shot turned out fine.

As did this pic.

A slightly different angle.

Mary has been happily stitching all day along with listening to her book. I am reading a new book that I am enjoying. 

Tomorrow, Mary will be hard at work in the vegan kitchen after the fur-children have had their morning out. Mary will once again be stitching along with her culinary efforts and I plan to continue my own reading.

We are watching one of our favorite movies, Love Actually, on the installment plan as we eat our meals. I'm not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow with the gray skies that make painting in my studio more difficult. I played my guitar early this morning and revised some music and I anticipate more of the same for tomorrow

That's all folks. 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." Our current temperature, per my DTWS, is 43°, while the NWS is broadcasting 39° under cloudy skies. In addition, the "Real Feel" temperature, per the NWS, is 36° with a wind out of the south @ four mph. There are no watches, advisories, alerts, or warnings in effect at this time. 

Tomorrow's high temperature is forecast by the NWS to be 49°, which is 11° warmer than today. For December 24, I'll take it! Unfortunately, the NWS is also forecasting a 59% chance for showers tomorrow too, so that will put the proverbial damper on the last shopping day before Christmas. In fact, the temperature on Christmas Day is forecast to reach only 42°, albeit with only a 39% chance for more showers. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:13 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:16 p.m. Can spring be far behind? Spring officially begins with the Spring Equinox on March 20, 2022. So, I guess that means that it is only about 7 1/2 weeks away. In addition, assuming that the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockout in baseball don't put an end to the 2022 baseball season, the pitchers and catchers will report to spring training beginning on or about February 15, 2022. Here's hoping, because, "Baseball is life!

Earlier this afternoon, Mary and Ginger went for a walkabout in Duncan Woods before going to the big-box nearly everything store. However, sometimes they don't have everything we want at the big-box nearly everything store, but that's a story for another day. 

At any rate, while Mary and Ginger were walking, I took STWD for a short sojourn, and then I came back to do very little. Also while Mary and Ginger were walking, they missed a turn on their chosen path and ended up in Lake Forest Cemetery, which is adjacent to Duncan Woods. Our Senior Staff Photographer took the following photo, the only photo available for this blog. 

Near the Columbarium at Lake Forest Cemetery.

About one hour ago, I finished watching one of my favorite old movies, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a heartwarming story of a man who is money poor, but rich in his soul, who takes up residence in the Fifth Avenue mansion of a man who is money wealthy, but who has ost his soul along the way. The poor man helps the rich man find his way home to his estranged wife and the friends that the poor man has made en route to happiness. 

Mary received her delayed cross stitch floss today and she is happily stitching downstairs as I write.

I finished the indoor chores today. I didn't really accomplish much today, but I'm retired, so there is no rush to get anywhere or get anything done.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we have no specific plans. If we do something, we do. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:15 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is a brisk 27° under cloudy skies that feels like 27° with only a two mph wind out of the south. 

The NWS is still including a Small Craft Advisory in their forecast from St. Joseph to Manistee until 10:00 p.m. tomorrow night. That forecast calls for winds out of the west @ 10 to 20 knots changing to southwest winds from 15 to 25 knots that will propel waves of two to four feet in height that will gradually build to four to seven feet. There is also a slight one percent chance of snow tonight too.   

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:12 a.m. and set later @ 5:15 p.m.

We had an average day today. We did a few things around the manse, but mostly we accomplished very little. I finished a crossword puzzle and that was about it until we set out for the library for a drop-off and pick up and then we traveled to Grand Haven State Park and Beach and the nearby Mulligan's Hollow ski area for a photo shoot. At the State Park, I took some pix of the sun as it dropped towards the lake. Here are a few that I like.

Prior to the Small Craft Advisory, the lake was relatively calm.

I'd have missed this gull against the cloudy sky if Mary hadn't pointed it out to me. 

The sun was mostly obscured at about 3:30 p.m. this afternoon.

The beach was deserted with the cold air temperatures. 

As I noted, we also made our way over to Mulligan's Hollow Ski Area near the YMCA where they were making artificial snow on a cold day. Tomorrow's high temperature of 43° will be 16° warmer than today, which may make their work short-lived. But, I did get some good pix.

The snowmaking machines were the only snowstorm in our area today.

There were two machines at work today.

How long will the snow last? 

After our stops, we took STWD to her doctor where she got a good report. For a 15-year-old dog, she is doing great, but she does have cataracts and she is nearly deaf.

Right now, Mary is getting a headstart on the indoor chores which I'll finish tomorrow. Mary is still waiting on the floss for her almost finished cross-stitch project. We know that it has arrived at our local USPS location and is just waiting for a new day to be delivered.

We did receive an order from the big-box etailer today that was supposed to be delivered yesterday. I quickly assembled our new end table and it should be a good fit for my needs. 

Tomorrow, the balance of those indoor cores, some painting, some music for me.

Mary wants to complete her cross-stitch project and get it into the frame she has planned to display it. 

I think that's enough for one day. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:15 a.m. in "The City." I'm going to keep this one short, just like the fuse that the woeful 4 - 10 Chicago Bears displayed last night versus the almost as bad 7 - 7 Minnesota Vikings in yet another loss for the Bears, 9 - 17. Were the Bears jobbed by the Zebras? Yes, but they probably could have been worse.

I should have watched more of the 2 - 11 - 1 Detroit Lions win over the 10 - 4 AZ Cardinals last Sunday, 30 - 12. Every Lions win diminishes the chance of a good position in the NFL draft, assuming there is a next season and a draft with the Covid-19 pandemic seemingly never-ending. 

We have a current temperature of 26° that feels like 22° under clear skies with a wind out of the west @ three mph. Today's high temperature after sunrise @ 8:11 a.m. and well before sunset @ 5:14 p.m. will be 41° with winds developing that may reach 20 - 30 mph!

That forecast goes hand in hand with the NWS forecast that includes a Small Craft Advisory from St. Joseph to Manistee from 1:00 p.m. this afternoon until 7:000 p.m. tomorrow night. Wind speeds of 15 - 25 knots with possible gusts up to 30 knots will propel waves up to eight feet.

I made more of my vegan Italian sausages yesterday afternoon after a short sojourn with STWD and Mary, who had just returned from dropping Ginger for her appointment @ the groomer. Ginger came back later looking beautiful and clean and mary went to the eye doctor to retrieve her new glasses, one pair of which had to be reordered due to fit and focus issues. Otherwise, I tried to be as inert as possible. 

I did more reading from our shared book with Mary who is awaiting her latest shipment of cross stitching floss which should arrive before the end of the week. 

In short, I didn't accomplish much and that's just fine with me.

I have my first of five knee treatments this afternoon and that is just a blip in what promises to be an uneventful day and week.  That's all folks. Ciao. 

Good moring ot good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just passing 9:20 p.m., in "The City." 

The NWS forecast calls for a Small Craft Advisory to continue overnight until 5:00 a.m. tomorrow from St. Joseph to Manistee. Windspeeds from 15 to 25 knots will produce small waves of three to five feet in height.

Our current temperature under cloudy-skies is 34°, but it feels like 25° with a wind out of the north @ 11 mph. Thhe overnight low will drop to an actual 26° before we rebound to tomorrow's high temperature of 37° with an overnight low of 35°.

We had a light dusting of snow last night that I easily swept off the deck when I had STWD out for her morning visit around 9:00 a.m. today. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:10 a.m. and set later @ 5:13 p.m. I heard from a reliable source that the daylight hours will now be getting longer as we head towards my favorite season, spring.

Tonight, the full moon will be the longest lasting full moon of the year. 

Tomorrow, the 1 - 11- 1 Lions host the 10 - 3 AZ Cardinals @ 1:00 p.m. unless the Covid-19 hits either team as it did the Eagles, the Washington football team etc.

The 4 - 9 Bears are scheduled to host the 6 - 7 Vikings tomorrow night, unless the Covid-19 hits either of those teams.

In either case, the loss of a chance to play equates to a win for two teams that are going nowhere.

We didn't accomplish much today. I read more, Mary listened to her book and cross stitched, and I finished two crosseord puzzles earlier, one from the Grand Haven Tribune, and the other from the USA Today. That puzzle was quite easy. 

We took a walk with the fur-children earlier and then we headed back to the manse and we collectively made a vegan doner kebab for tomorrow's enjoyment.

Right now, Mary is doing the whites and I'll be doing the balance of the indoor chores tomorrow. 

If the sun cooperates, I hope to put more paint on canvas. No matter, I plan to play more music. 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 passing 6:30 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is a San Diego like 59°! It was so warm today that the letter carrier from the USPS was wearing a summer uniform of shorts and a short-sleeved shirt as he made his rounds. 

Our high-temperature today reached 62° as the winds picked up and once again added to the detritus on the vast estate. It feels like 55° with a strong wind out of the south @ 24 mph!

The NWS is ending the Small Craft Advisory @ 7:00 p.m. tonight to be replaced by a High Wind Warning beginning @ 7:00 p.m. and ending tomorrow afternoon @ 4:00 p.m., for Central, Southwest, and West Central, MI. Winds will blow steadily @ 30 to 40 mph with gusts possible up to 65 mph! There are likely to be downed power lines and fallen trees. 

If that wasn't enough, there will also be a Storm Warning in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee, also from 7:00 p.m. tonight and continuing until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow. Southwest Gale Force Winds will blow @ 45 knots with gusts up to 55 knots! That means that waves may reach heights up to 15 feet!

But wait, there's more! There will also be a concomitant Lakeshore Flood Advisory in effect for Allegan, Mason, Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawas, and Van Buren counties. Some erosion of the shoreline is likely.

I guess that's a good thing that I took STWD for an afternoon walkabout before joining Mary and Ginger for a safari to Duck Pond and Swan Lake. I probably overdid it, but so far today, I've covered about four miles of walking! Not bad for an old man.

I took my camera along and took many pix as we walked.

I took this pic of a sculpture located near Linear Park on Harbor Island

Mary took this pic with her Smart Phone of the plaque that explains what the sculpture represents.

Since I had my 75 - 300 mm lens attached to my camera, I couldn't get a good shot of the plaque, but our Senior Staff Photographer bailed me out. 

I was pleasantly surprised to see so many ducks swimming on Duck Pond, and many more ducks and swans swimming on Swan Lake. Here are some pix of what I saw.

These swans must overwinter somewhere here in GH.

There was a huge bevy or flock of swans on the lake.

I shot this one because I was there and I could capture all of the waterfowl as they swam side by side.

The ducks on Duck Pond.

One of the trails we were following had a large branch across most of the path due to the recent high winds.

I was trying to capture a shot through the cattails along the shore of Duck Pond. I like how this one turned out.

As we walked back to the manse, I took this shot from a different angle.

But I wasn't done. As we walked, we espied The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, flat as the proverbial pancake. He doesn't look so mean, does he?

To paraphrase the Munchkins, "He's really most sincerely dead!"

But, it was time to get home with Ginger and set a spell as I worked a crossword puzzle before feeding the fur-children and taking out the trash. I also finished the indoor chores too. Mary had done much of that task earlier, so all I had to do was finish up the heavy items and put them away.

Tomorrow, I have that final P/T appointment and that's all that is pressing on my schedule. I won't be doing more walking tomorrow. With a bit of luck, I may get in more painting and music. Mary will continue her cross-stitching and listening to her latest book, entitled, Vanderbilt, narrated by the author, Anderson Cooper. He is the son of designer Gloria Vanderbilt and a fine journalist and writer in his own right.

Is that enough for one day? You bet! 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", where the NWS has issued three, count them, three, Watches and Alerts. These include a High-Wind Watch for portions of central southwest and west-central Michigan. The High-Wind Watch is scheduled to go into effect at 7:00 a.m. tomorrow and last until 1:00 p.m. 

There exists a possibility of strong winds of 20 to 30 mph with gusts possible up to 60 mph!

In addition, the NWS has issued a Storm Watch from St. Joseph to Manistee, with southwest winds of 30 to 40 knots and gusts possible to 50 knots, and waves as high as 13 feet are possible!

But, the NWS wasn't done yet. They have also added a Small Craft Advisory also for St. Joseph to Manistee from 7:00 p.m. tomorrow until sometime Thursday afternoon. For that, wind speeds of 15 - 20 knots and gusts up to 30 knots may propel waves from four to seven feet. I am at loss to explain why there are both a Storm-Watch and a Small Craft Advisory with such different factors, but there you have it. 

Our current temperature is 46° with rain, but a quick glance out the Weather Window indicates to this reporter that the rain has yet to begin here. It feels like 41° with a wind out of the west @ 12 mph. Tomorrow's high temperature will be 11° warmer than today with the high reaching 56° with an overnight low-temperature of 47°. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:07 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:12 p.m.

I had a great P/T appointment today and if all goes according to plan, I should be done with P/T after my appointment on Thursday. I don't ever expect to feel 100% pain-free, but my stamina is markedly improved, my balance is definitely better, and my lower yak doesn't fatigue as easily. So, all in all, I like it!

Lunch after my return was a garden salad with fried tofu and tartar sauce as the main dish as we watched another episode of Chuck.

After lunch, I went walkabout with STWD before Mary and Ginger went to the post office and then down to the beach at Grand Haven State Park. I returned home before they did and tried without luck to fix the lights on our Christmas tree. 

I had already decided to make more vegan Italian meatballs and burgers, but since it was getting late, I had to enlist the aid of my Sous Dog, Sugar. Her task is to eat the mushroom parts that don't find their way into the meatballs and burgers. 

Finally, Mary and Ginger returned and I sat down to read the newspaper and work the two crossword puzzles that come with Tuesday's Grand Haven Tribune, and then we had a nice dinner of spaghetti and meatballs. Mary had had her secret recipe pasta sauce simmering in the Crockpot™ all afternoon and it was great with my meatballs!

It always seems that when I have a 12:00 p.m. P/T appointment, I return to the manse a little after 1:00 p.m. and then the day just seems to slip away. 

Tomorrow, Mary and Ginger plan to walk over to Duck Pond and Swan Lake to vary their destinations. I'd like to paint and play music. That's enough for one day. ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:35 p.m. in "The City." 

There are no watches, alerts, nor warnings in the forecast from the NWS which is broadcasting a current temperature of 41° that feels like 38° with winds out of the south @ four mph, all of that under fair skies. Tonight's low-temperature is forecast to drop to 32° before we rebound to tomorrow's high-temperature of 47° with an overnight low-temperature tomorrow night of 43°. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:06 a.m. and set later @ 5:12 p.m.

Mary finished listening to her latest book last night while I was finishing reading one we'd picked up earlier yesterday at the library. A quick read that was just plain fun.

One thing about being retired is that you have more time and that no day is more important than another, with the only exception being days with medical and related appointments or seminars for photography. I find that having more time doesn't necessarily equate to getting more done.

I didn't accomplish much today. I did a little painting, read more of our shared book, and took STWD for a nice walkabout to the library and around the neighborhood. When we returned, I did a little cleanup around the vast-gardens of the manse, that included some raking, some picking up of fallen branches, and a lot of trash that had blown in during the high-winds over the last couple of days. 

While Sugar and I were out, Mary and Ginger walked over to, through, and back from Duncan Woods. While there, they took some great pix. Here they are in no particular order, but enjoy.

Duncan Woods is left to nature as much as possible.

Great shadows.

Ginger loves walking and sniffing in the woods.

I'm always amazed by the quality of the pix from a Smart Phone.

Every year, someone decorates several of  the trees in Duncan Woods.

Tomorrow, I have to go to a P/T appointment, hopefully, fix the lights on our Christmas tree, paint more, work some crossword puzzles, and play more music., I played some today, but my throat was scratchy, so I didn't go as long as I'd planned. Maybe tomorrow. 

That's all folks!. Ciao.

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." The NWS has continued a Gale Warning from St. Joseph to Whitehall until approximately 11:00 p.m. tonight with 35 knot winds propelling waves up to 13 feet! Those waves should subside to four to seven feet by early tomorrow morning. 

My DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 39°, which corresponds with that of the NWS.  The winds out of the west blowing @ 20 mph make it feel more like 29°. The NWS is forecasting an overnight low-temperature of 37° with a projected high-temperature tomorrow of 45° and an overnight low-temperature of 41°. It looks like the threat of further precipitation has ended for a few days. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:04 a.m. and set later @ 5 :11 p.m.

With the winds blowing strongly here in GH today, I opted to only go outside in short bursts with STWD, while Mary and Ginger walked a longer distance. While they were out, our Senior Staff Photographer used our Smart Phone camera to take some pix of a recently used horse-drawn carriage being loaded for a trip back to the barn.

It must have been a cold and short ride for the bride and groom. 

I like how this shot of the sky came out with the buildings in the foreground. 

Earlier this afternoon while Mary and Ginger went walkabout, I went outside with STWD and at Mary's urging, I grabbed my camera and took some pix of the sky overhead.

During that on-line photo seminar I watched the other day, I learned more about the importance of a frame for shots. Here is the result of my efforts earlier today. 

Same shot and distance, but with less telephoto effect.

By late today, the sky had mostly cleared.

But the winds quickly moved in more clouds.

Also earlier today, I forwarded to Mary a recipe for a spaghetti squash casserole. Since we had a spaghetti squash on hand, I sliced it in half and then Mary took over and made a tasty sauce and homemade vegan Ricotta cheese using tofu. The end result was delicious and it is a new keeper.

This casserole was very tasty and words cannot describe how good it was for dinner.

Otherwise, I mostly spent my day reading from the biography of Lady Bird Johnson I've previously referenced, doing a crossword puzzle, and reading from the Adam Schiff book, Midnight in Washington, which we are sharing. Mary continued to cross-stitch and listen to her book along with that great dinner preparation. She is back at the cross-stitching and book listening downstairs right now.

Tomorrow I hope to read more and get out for a walkabout with STWD. I have to do the indoor chores too. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 10:55 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature per my DTWS is 45°, while the NWS is offering 42° under cloudy-skies. The 10 mph wind out of the west makes it feel more like 36°. We'll be dropping to a low-temperature overnight of 33° before rebounding to tomorrow's high-temperature of  42°, which will be four degrees warmer than today.

My DTWS is showing a barometric pressure of 29.15" of Hg and falling, while the NWS is reporting 29.76" of Hg and rising. 

That bit of good news about tomorrow's warmer high-temperature is tempered by the forecast from the NWS of a High-Wind Watch from early Saturday morning until Saturday evening for Central, South-Central, Southwest and West-Central, MI. Steady winds of 20 - 30 mph with gusts up 60 mph are likely to cause downed trees, power outages, and make driving hazardous.

But, the NWS isn't done yet. In addition to that High-Wind Watch they have issued a concurrent Gale Watch from St. Joseph to Manistee from 5:00 a.m. Saturday until 7:00 p.m. Saturday night. As morning nears on Saturday, winds will increase to 45 knots and produce waves up to 14 feet in height! I expect that the surfers will be out.

I had a good visit to P/T today. I am making steady progress and thus my stamina and balance are markedly improved. I have two more appointments scheduled for next week and at that time, my therapist, Ben, will evaluate me and decide if more P/T is warranted.

Also earlier today, I spent about one-hour tuned into a photography seminar that covered Composition From the Ground Up, delivered by Graham Elliott, a wildlife photographer from England. I learned some new things, but I also learned that there are things that I've been doing that are good techniques. I may have to try my hand at shooting some black and white pix too, but something always seems to hold me back. 

Mary almost took her wing-gal, Ginger, for a walk in Duncan Woods. However, when she was going down the road into the parking area, she quickly discovered that although our Jeep Renegade has all-wheel drive and anti-lock brakes, it does not have the ability to steer on ice-covered roads that didn't get the ice melted beneath the tree canopy. So, she and Ginger turned around and went on to a pick-up at that big-box nearly everything store. Ginger was disappointed that they hadn't stopped at Duncan Woods, but discretion being the better part of valor, as the ubiquitous they say, not stopping was a more sound choice.  

By the by, the lights on the top of our Christmas tree stopped working. So, I have ordered a tool that is supposed to find the burned out bulb and help me solve the problem. We shall see.

Tomorrow, with the chance of showers in the morning, I may read more and play some music. Mary will continue to cross-stitch and listen to her book. That's all folks. 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."

A short time ago, I was outside with the fur-children and the forecast from the NWS that calls for rain is very accurate. The current temperature is 35°, but it feels like 25° with a wind out of the east @ 13 mph. Tonight, the low-temperature will drop to only 33° before reaching tomorrow's hi-temperature of 35°. Then, the bottom falls out for Tuesday, as the temperature plunges overnight Monday night into Tuesday morning to 19°. That seems to be an anomaly. However, there is also a 49% chance for snow-showers tomorrow.

As of now, there is a Gale Warning in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee until 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night, as winds build to 25 to 35 knots with gusts possible up to 45 knots and wave-heights may go up to 14 feet! The sun will rise tomorrow morning @ 8:02 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:11 p.m.

I have proof that there is a G-d that watches NFL football and laughs. The 1 - 10 - 1 Lions finally won a game, literally in the last seconds, over the 5 - 7 Vikings, 29 - 27. Of course, that same G-d was also watching the inept 4 - 8 Chicago Bears lose to the 10 - 2 AZ Cardinals, 22 - 33. 

Good news in college football. 

The #2 ranked 12 - 1 Wolverines of Michigan and the BIG10, will return to the gridiron on December 31, @ 7:30 p.m. to play the12 - 1 Bulldogs of Georgia, ranked #3 in the nation, in the Orange Bowl in Miami. The formerly #1 ranked Bulldogs were manhandled by the new #1 Crimson Tide of Alabama yesterday, 24 - 41. 

The 10 - 2 Spartans of MSU and the BIG10, will face the 11 - 2 Panthers of Pittsburgh and the ACC Coastal Conference in the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on December 30, @ 7:00 p.m.

Also on a positive note, the MAC10 West Champion Huskies of NIU, will be playing the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in the Cure Bowl in Orlando, FL on December 17, @ 6:00 p.m. 

Not much else was happening at the manse today. I am still reading the biography of Lady Bird Johnson and learning new things with every turn of the page. Mary is still stitching on her latest cross-stitch project as pictured in this photo courtesy of our Senior Staff Photographer. 

Note the intricate cross-stitch pattern and the use of myriad colors of floss.

We completed the indoor chores and I watched those aforementioned NFL games. I should know better, but like a moth drawn to a flame, I can't seem to help myself.

Tomorrow we have that appointment to get the car serviced and checked. However, that icy weather that is happening now may preclude that short trip to the nearby dealer. A game-time decision.

Tuesday is loaded for me, with a P/T appointment followed by an appointment for my twice a year knee injections at the orthopedist. Although it will be cold, the roads should be clear. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 4:45 a.m. in "The City", where my DTWS is displaying a current temperature reading of 37.8°, while the NWS is showing 35°. The six mph winds out of the east make it feel like 29° according to the NWS. 

This being winter and close enough to November, there is yet another Gale Warning being forecast by the NWS beginning @ 9:00 a.m. today and continuing until 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night from Holland to GH. 

Today, the southeast winds along the shores of Lake Michigan are expected to reach 35 knots, with waves of four to seven feet or more possible. However, the winds will increase as the day progresses, reaching 40 to 45 knots overnight, with waves possible from 12 to 15 feet in height on Monday!!! Surf will be up and a photo-op is imminent late today or tomorrow.  

The sun will rise today @ 8:01 a.m. and set later @ 5:09 p.m.

Speaking of sunsets, the sun set on the 10 - 3 Hawkeyes of Iowa last night in Indianapolis, as Head Coach Jim Harbaugh's 12 - 1 BIG 10 Champion Wolverines crushed the Hawkeyes, 42 - 3. The announcers valiantly tried to keep fans across many towns not in Michigan or Iowa, perhaps there too, from tuning out as the Wolverines rolled to victory. The Wolverine's next opponent has yet to be announced. 

The 9 - 4 Huskies of NIU dispatched the 7 - 6 Kent State Golden Flashes to win the MAC 10 conference title as the Huskies soundly defeated the Golden Flashes, 41 - 23. 

Yesterday, we took the fur-children for individual abbreviated walkabouts. I have it on good authority, that Ginger was being combative with the people that she and Mary met as they walked. Of course, Ginger is not big enough to get into much trouble, but she can be a literal handful, so Mary and Ginger returned to the manse after a brief sojourn. 

STWD and I walked several blocks. She had a lot of pep in her step yesterday, as she enjoyed the chance to smell newly uncovered things in the neighborhood.

Last night, I had a light dinner of soup and then repaired to the media room to watch the Michigan game and eat a huge bowl of popcorn while Mary worked on her cross-stitch project in her  office. She is making great progress. Her latest focus is a multi-colored shelf of books which requires a change of floss many times. 

Earlier yesterday, we transplanted the mums from their fall homes in pots near the front steps of the manse to new homes in the parkway garden and near the deck in the rear of the manse. As Mary said, "They'll either live, or die trying." Here's hoping.

Today, we have more reading and stitching to do along with more indoor chores. There also more Hallmark Channel™ movies to be viewed this evening too. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 3:20 a.m. in "The City", where my DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 41.2° versus the report from the NWS of 38°, under skies that are cloudy and which are also supposed to be delivering snow-showers. 

The NWS is also forecasting an overnight low-temperature of 37° with a current "Real Feel" temperature of 38° with a wind out of the northwest @ three mph. They are also forecasting a high-temperature today of 41° with an overnight low-temperature of a chillier 34°. In between, that forecast calls for rain and/or snow-showers this morning. What can I add except to state with certainty that the sun will rise later this ayem @ 7:59 and set this evening @ 5:10 p.m.

I was downstairs a short time ago, and I can report that Mary is making excellent progress on her cross-stitching. The square depicting a hearty stew is nearly complete. 

I finished the Christmas stockings for our fur-children yesterday with some assistance from Mary and her steam iron. I had already finished our own stockings earlier this year.

Tomorrow night, the 11- 1 overall, 8 - 1 in the Big10 East Michigan Wolverines, face the overall 10 - 2, 7 - 2 in the Big10 West, Hawkeyes of Iowa in the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, IN  @ 8:00 p.m. '

That will present only a slight conflict for the folks attending the annual Jingle Bell Parade here in GH which winds through downtown beginning @ 6:00 p.m. and then ends with speeches and the Christmas Tree Lighting in Central Park. We may make it this year, weather permitting. If we make it, I hope to get clearer pix in the relatively bright downtown, versus the darker Central Park. I'm up for the challenge. Maybe.

Otherwise, we have nothing specific on today's agenda. I'd like to go walkabout with our fur-children, but the 90% chance for those rain/snow-showers this morning may make me change my mind. Wet terriers are not very attractive in many ways. 

I would paint more, but the lack of natural light in my studio makes that problematic. I guess I may have to settle for music, reading and... 

By the by, I just started another book, one recommended by Mary. She purchased a hard cover copy, but she also listened to it in audio form too. This book is entitled Lady Bird Johnson: Hiding In Plain Sight, written by Julia Sweig. After only a few pages, I am hooked. Mary will likely continue listening to her latest book and adding to one of her cross-stitch projects. 

One further aside. I mentioned the other day that we'd had the crew come by and do a final fall clean-up of the leaves that had blown in from Central Park and other locations. Well, it was like shoveling excrement against the tide, because, "They're Back!" Ciao.