Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 4:25 p.m. in "The City."

Normally, this is the point where I insert all the facts and figures about the weather, what's going on in our lives here at the manse, etc. However, the only thing I have to say about that is that the sun will rise and set tomorrow. 

Instead, I am going to post some pictures I took earlier today while out on our deck.These pictures are of a bird that has found a home in our back forty, a Northern Cardinal, which is the state bird of seven states, but not this one, as Michigan's state bird is the Robin.

While male cardinals have the bright red coloration that is generally associated with the species, the female cardinal has more camouflaged plumage, perhaps to keep them secluded as they sit their nests. Both male and female cardinals can and do sing.

A fact I learned while looking up other facts, is that the appearance of a cardinal is a message from a departed loved one. Whenever you see a cardinal, it signifies that they, the loved one, are visiting you. Cardinals can also come during moments of joy and sorrow as a loved one lets you know that they will always be there for you. Plus, a cardinal can convey meanings such as; love, truthfulness, and good fortune.

I've chosen to use no captions in order to let the cardinal speak or is that sing for itself. I decided to include this YouTube™ video of a cardinal's vocal abilities.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KiaOZemwQ00

Enjoy your day everyone. 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" The current temperature of 34° under fair skies is also our overnight low as we head towards today's high temperature of 53°, which is 13° warmer than yesterday. The skies should be partly sunny today. Or, is that partly cloudy? In addition, it feels more like 28° with winds out of the east at eight mph. 

Tonight we'll drop to an overnight low temperature of 42°. The sun will rise shortly @ 6:42 a.m. and set later tonight @ 8:42 p.m.

Good news, tomorrow's high temperature is forecast by the NWS to reach 62° under cloudy skies in the morning giving way to sunny skies in the afternoon. 

Otherwise, there is a bit of good news on the baseball front, as the now 8 - 10 Cubs took 10 innings and a prodigious homerun by Patrick Wisdom to drop the 8 - 11 Braves, 6 - 3, as relief pitcher David Robertson got the win. Tonights game in Atlanta begins @ 7:20 p.m. EDT. LHP Wade Smyly, 1 - 1, takes the mound for the Cubs.

My beloved 8 - 11 Red Sox welcomed manager Alex Cora back to the dugout with a solid win over the 12 - 7 Bluejays, by a final score of 7 - 1, as RHP Michael Wacha notched his second win against no losses. Today's game begins in Toronto against the Jays @ 3:07 p.m. EDT as RHP Garrett Whitlock, 1 - 1, hurls for the beloved.

The 6 - 11 Tigers couldn't right their ship, as starting and losing LHP Michael Pineda, 1 - 1, proved ineffective as the Tigers' bats fell asleep versus RHP Twins starter Joe Ryan, 3 - 1, who surrendered only two hits as the Tigers fell to the 10 - 8 Twins, 0 - 5. Today's game begins @ 1:10 p.m. as 1 - 1 LHP Tarik skubal pitches for the Tigers.

The 7 - 10 Caps were once again ambushed by the also 7 - 10 Great Lakes Loons, 1 - 5. Tonights game begins @ 6:35 p.m.

Yesterday was a slow day here at the manse. Indoor chores, ear reading, crossword puzzle solving and retirement. 

Today, we have even less on our agenda. Ciao. 

          

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 4:35 a.m. in "The City".

The current temperature, which is also our overnight low temperature, is 36° under cloudy skies. There is a brisk wind once again blowing out of the northwest @ 13 mph which makes it feel more like a 28°. 

We still have a Small Craft Advisory in effect along the shores of Lake Michigan from St. Joseph to Manistee, with wind speeds from 15 to 25 knots and wave heights up to five feet. In short, an average sprinter day here in West Michigan. 

Today's high temperature will reach 42° with an overnight low of 31°. In between, the skies will be partly sunny with only a 5% chance of precipitation. Thursday looks like we'll once again touch the lower 50s, but we still have not seen a forecast from the NWS that is consistently predicting the 60s and above. Oh well, that's life in Michigan and since Mary and Ginger like to walk long distances, the cooler temperatures increase their range as long as it isn't raining. The NWS is reporting a current barometric pressure of 30.31" of Hg and rising, while my own DTWS is displaying 29.65: of Hg and falling. 

Today, the sun will rise @ 6:44 a.m. and set tonight @ 8:41 p.m.

I always say that "Baseball Is life!". It is, but right now, my teams are on life support. Yesterday was another 0 - for, as all four of my teams fell to their opponents. 

The 7 - 10 Cubs looked lifeless as they reported that starting RHP Marcus Stroman had a "Quality Start." What the heck does that mean, a "Quality Start?" To me, a "Quality Start" is one that ends up with a W, not one in which the Cubs lost. Of course, the Cubs get 21 runs in a game one day and then their bats fall asleep and they score only one run in support of their starting pitcher another day. I guess that Marcus Stroman would have to be the next coming of Cy Young, under those circumstances, to do much. But, these guys are being paid way too much to be at best mediocre. Either you can or you can't.

At any rate, the Cubs fell 1 - 3 to the 8 - 10 Braves last night. Tonight's game begins @ 7:20 p.m. EDT when RHP Mark Leiter jr., 0 - 1, takes the hill for the struggling Cubs.

My beloved 7 - 11 Red Sox took 10 innings, to fall to the 12 - 6 Bluejays, 5 - 6. At least the Sox had some life in their bats. Tonight's game versus those same Bluejays begins promptly @ 7:07 p.m. in Toronto as RHP Michael Wacha, 1 - 0, takes the mound for the beloved.

The 6 - 10 Tigers and field manager A. J. Hinch actually had the lead going into the bottom of the ninth, but the Tigers' defense imploded as errant throws and bone-headed moves by the fielders led to a 4 - 5 loss to the 9 - 8 Twins. Tonight's game will be played beginning @ 7:40 p.m. when RHP Michael Pineda, 1 - 0, throws for the Tigers.

The 7 - 9 Caps fell to the 6 - 10 Great Lakes Loons last night, 5 - 8. Today's game begins @ 12:05 p.m.

Mary tried out that recipe I gave her for the Amish white bread and I think it turned out great. Typical of all great chefs. she thought it could have been better, with a longer rise. To Mary, it was just basic white bread. But the taste is great, the texture is just fine, and so it made great sandwiches for dinner last evening. She plans to tinker with the recipe a bit and add some whole wheat flour. Fine with me, but I like it the way it is, so I hope she doesn't tinker too much. 

Today looks like another good day for walking with our fur children. I have some indoor chores to do and Mary will be stitching and ear reading. We are both still listening to The Lighthouse Keepers Daughter during meals. I like it a lot. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 8:45 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature under cloudy skies is 43°, but it feels like 36° with a brisk wind out of the west @ 12 mph. 

A Small Craft Advisory will go into effect at 2:00 a.m. tomorrow from St. Joseph to Grand haven and it will stay in effect until 6:00 p.m. tomorrow night.

Our overnight low temperature tonight will drop to 39° and we will only recover to a high temperature of 43° by mid-afternoon tomorrow. The morning will be cloudy while the afternoon will give way to sunny skies before we drop to a very chilly overnight low temperature of 30°. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:47 p.m. and set later @ 8:39 p.m.

I finally got out for some picture earlier today, but I only traveled as far as our own vast gardens located in the back forty of the palatial estate. However, with the daffodils in bloom along with our star of the snow perrenials, our irises, chives, and some plants for which I have no name, winter is slowly waning here on the shores of the "Big Lake." Without further ado, here are some of my favorites.

Green is good!

Our chives come back every spring.

A star of the snow flower with English ivy as a backdrop.

A white daffodil with a yellow center.

Our thanks to Debbie and John for this Cubs garden decoration. 

Last fall, our landscapers rescued this dogwood tree from between the garages and gave it a new home. It survived the transplantation and new buds are appearing.

Otherwise, we had an average day today. I took STWD to her doctor for a nail trim and later Mary and Ginger went to the big-box nearly everything store for a pick up. 

During our meals, we've been listening to The Lighthouse Keepers Daughter by Hazel Gaynor as narrated/acted by Imogen Church. We are both enjoying this story that is set in1838 Britain and in 1938 USA. Mary is more used to ear reading. I end to prefer printed books. But, this has opened my ears to another way of enjoying literature.

Tomorrow, we have very little planned. Mary will be trying a recipe for vegan Amish bread that I suggested was more in her wheelhouse, since it needs to be kneaded. Yeah, I know, a bad play on words.

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 8:45 p.m. in "TheCity", where the current temperature under skies that are foggy and with the wind blowing @ 21 mph out of the southwest, it feels like 50°. I'm sitting here waiting for my ukulele Zoom session to start, so I thought that it was a good time to write a blog. 

We still have that Small Craft Advisory in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee until 2:00 a.m. tomorrow morning with wind speeds from 145 to 24 knots and waves no more than five feet in height. 

The overnight low tonight will be 44°, just five degrees less than tomorrow's high temperature of 49° under partly cloudy skies. However, the sprinter weather is still with us, as tomorrow night's low will drop to a very brisk 37°. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:48 a.m. and set later @ 8:37 p.m.

We were supposed to have a "Trunk Show" this afternoon, literally where the artists sell their wares from the trunks of their cars. But, as is often the case here in West MI, the rains came and so the crowds were sparse.

I'd like to say that today, baseball had been very very good to me, but alas, I can't. My teams combined for a record of 0 - 4 today. The Cubs fell to the Pirates, 3 - 4 following yesterday's 21 - 0 rout. The Cubs are  @ Atlanta Tuesday night @ 7:20 p.m. EDT, when RHP Marcus Stroman, 0 - 1, takes the hill for the northsiders.

Sadly, my beloved Red Sox fared poorly too, as they were defeated by the Rays, 2 - 5. But wait, there is another game in Toronto tomorrow night versus the Blue Jays @ 7:07 p.m. EDT when RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 1 - 0, throws for the Sox

I'll just motor on, pun intended when I tell you that the Tigers fell in Detroit to the Rockies, 2 - 6 today. Tigers' manager A. J. Hinch isn't worried as he is sure that these players are professionals and they will begin to hit, soon. The Tigers are in Minnesota Tuesday night for a game against the Twins as LHP Nathan Eovaldi pitches for the Tigers in a game beginning @ 7:40 p.m. EDT.

The Caps are also off until Tuesday night @ 6:35 p.m. when they host the Great Lakes Loons.

I finally made that apple pie today. It looks and smells great! We won't know about the taste until it is cool enough to eat tomorrow.

Otherwise, not much is happening here. Tomorrow, a few phone calls to make and then we can sit back and relax. 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 current temperature under partly cloudy and windy skies is a balmy 65° and it feels like 65° even with a strong wind out of the south @ 22 mph! 

There is still a Small Craft Advisory in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee until 2:00 a.m. tomorrow, with wind speeds from 10 to 20 knots and gusts possible up to 30 knots that may produce waves as high as six feet. The surf is up!

The sun already rose this morning @ 6:48 a.m. and it will set later @ 8:37 p.m. In between, we'll see a 90% chance for showers this morning with a chance of hail! Hail? This wouldn't be a sprinter in Michigan if the weather didn't take twists and turns. 

It was so nice out yesterday, that Mary and Ginger took two walkabouts on what turned out to be a day that we've waited for and which will be reprised today. That is unless you count the strong, 90%, chance for showers, hail, and whatever else comes our way.

In the meantime, the citizens of Michigan enjoyed the weather that will take a downward turn tomorrow with a high temperature of 47° and an overnight low temperature of 37°. We'll have to wait until next Friday for a return to the 50s when our high is forecast by the NWS to reach a more seasonal 56°. 

Speaking of the citizens of Michigan, I promised that I'd try to take some pix yesterday, but I didn't. Instead, I'll add some pix taken by our Senior Staff Photographer during her recent walkabouts with Ginger. 

On one of her walkabouts, Mary discovered this path through the woods.

That leads to the railroad tracks.

The USCG was doing some training this past week and these officers were learning how to use signal flares.

Some local fauna, i.e. a duck, in the channel. 

This nice example of a "Tricked Out Truck" caught her eye.

As did Dewey Hill as seen from USCG Station Grand Haven.

Or as seen from the area north of the Lynn Sherwood Stadium.

Baseball was mostly a not-so-good day for my teams. The 7 - 8 Cubs and starting RHP Kyle Hendricks. 1 - 1, had a historic day yesterday, defeating the also 7 - 8 Pirates, 21 - 0. as Nico Hoerner had four hits and the balance of the team also had a great day at the plate. Let's hope that today's game @ 2:20 p.m. goes well when LHP Justin Steele, 1 - 1, makes his next start. 

My beloved 7 - 8 Red Sox saw bullpen stalwart Garrett Whitlock make his first career start, fanning seven and walking only one over four innings of work. He looked sharp. Unfortunately, the Sox bats were asleep as the Sox lost to the 8 - 7 Rays, 2 - 3. Today's game @ 1:10 p.m. EDT sees 0 - 1 LHP Rich Hill take the mound.

The 6 - 8 Tigers split a doubleheader with the 9 - 5 Rockies, winning the first game handily for 1 - 1 LHP Tarik Skubal, 13 - 0, as Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera became only the seventh player in MLB History to notch 3,000 hits and more than 500 home runs. Sadly, the Tigers' bats fell asleep in the nightcap and they lost to the Rockies, 2 - 3. Today's game begins @ 1:10 p.m. when LHP Tyler Alexander, 0 - 1, makes the start.

The 7 - 7 Caps hit four home runs yesterday, but they lost to the 10 - 4 Dayton Dragons, 9 - 10. Today's game begins @ 1:05 p.m.

Yesterday, saw Mary take those aforementioned walkabouts as I assisted with the indoor chores, did some reading, accomplished some music transcription, walked with STWD, and tried some painting. Mary also did some cross-stitching and ear reading too while sitting on the deck with Ginger. 

Today, I hope to miss the worst of the weather and just rest ad relax. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may, across the nation and across the world It is just past 10:45 p.m. EDT in "The City." 

The current temperature with a light rain falling is 47°, but it feels more like 40° with a strong wind out of the east @ 17 mph. Perhaps that wind is part of the Small Craft Advisory that is in effect from St. Joesph to Manistee until 6:00 p.m. Sunday night. Winds up to 30 knots will produce waves up to six feet in height.

Tomorrow, the high temperature will be at least 67°, which will be about 20° warmer than today and the rain will end for at least one day. However, the skies will be partly-cloudy. Let's just say that STWD was not happy when I took her for an abbreviated walkabout this afternoon. She has always been able to sense a disturbance in the force when it comes to stormy weather. Be that as it may, the warmth will last only through Sunday's high temperature of 60° wth a chance for scattered T-storms in the forecast. By Monday, we drop back into the 40s. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 6:51 a.m. and set later @ 8:35 p.m. 

The Tigers were rained out tonight versus the Colorado Rockies, so they'll attempt to play a double header tomorrow with the first game beginning 1:10 p.m. EDT followed by the second game sometime later.

My beloved Red Sox eked out a win tonight, finishing the game with a 4 - 3 victory over the Tampa Bay Rays. Tomorrow, their game begins @ 6:10 P.M. edt.

The Cubs were supposed to play this afternoon, but their game versus the Pirates was postponed until tonight. The Cubs fell 2 - 4. 

The Caps looked strong versus the Dragons today, winning their game handily, 10 - 3. Tomorrow's game versus those same Dragons is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. EDT.

I never got to that apple pie today, perhaps tomorrow. But, I have some pressing indoor chores to do, so the pie may have to wait until Sunday. Not to worry, you can always put off to tomorrow what you can  put off for another day. If the weather allows, I'll get out with my camera to get some pix for my next blog. Mary took several over her last couple of walkabouts with Ginger. If nothing else, I'll at least include some of her efforts. We previewed some earlier today and there are several excellent shots in her camera.

Otherwise, I finished another book by K. J. Kalis entitled Victim 14. She is a self-published author, but I like her style and I am looking forward to reading the next book in this series. 

I finished two crosswords today. Mary did more ear reading and cross-stitching too. Right now, she is getting a headstart on those aforementioned indoor chores along with ear reading. Never let it be said that she couldn't multitask. 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", which means that we are approaching today's sunrise time of 6:51 a.m., but well before tonight's sunset at 8:35 p.m.

Our current temperature is 40°, but it feels more like 35° with a wind out of the northeast @ 7 mph. Coincidentally, we have reached our overnight low with that 40° mark.

Today's weather is not looking so good. While our anticipated high temperature is forecast by the NWS to reach a zenith of 51°, they are also forecasting showers this morning becoming steadier rain by the early afternoon. That comes with an 80% chance. We have no alerts as of this time. While we'll likely see 67° or higher on Saturday with similar temperatures on Sunday, we will once again fall into the forties and fifties early next week until early May. But, this being sprinter here in West Michigan, we know that the cooler temperatures and rain will make for a better growing season this year.

I received an email from an old friend yesterday and he reminded me that I hadn't blogged since April 14, so I thought that since I was up and tending to some things around the manse this early morning, it was a good opportunity to sit down and do another blog. Thanks, Dennis.

On a more somber note, another old friend, and a one-time golfing partner for Mary, Jackie, passed away a couple of days ago. She and her husband had moved to Missouri many years ago, and then to Tennessee upon their retirement. Sadly, we have only had contact with Jackie and Greg through Christmas cards for many years.

I was reminded of the need to stay in touch with friends, both old and new, on a more regular basis before the chance is gone.

On a less somber note, the 6 - 6 West Michigan Whitecaps, AKA, The Caps, fell to Mary's sentimental favorites the 9 - 3 Dayton Dragons in Dayton, OH last night, 2 - 4. The Caps and the Dragons face each other again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

My beloved 6 - 7 Red Sox fell to the 7 - 6 Toronto Bluejays yesterday, 2 - 3, as RHP Tanner Houck took the loss and saw his 2022 record fall to 0 - 1. The beloved travel to Tampa Bay for a game tonight @ 7:10 p.m. as RHP Michael Wacha gets the start for the Sox.

The 6 - 7 Cubs sent young RHP Ethan Roberts to the mound last night versus the now 6 - 7 Pirates, but  Roberts soon fell apart and took the loss, to fall to 0 - 1. Today's game at The Friendly Confines begins @ 2:20 p.m. EDT as LHP Drew Smiley, 1 - 0, makes the start for the Cubs.

The 5 - 7 Tigers took one from the 8 - 4 Yankees last night, 3 - 0. Miguel "Miggy" Cabrera was thwarted in his quest to reach 3,000 hits for the Tigers and in fact, in his last at-bat, he was intentionally walked. The Tigers welcome another 8 - 4 team to Comerica Park tonight @ 7:10 p.m. when the Colorado Rockies come to town. LHP Tarik Skubal, 0 - 1 will take the hill for the Tigers.

Yesterday was a busy day for everyone here at the manse. Mary was not inclined to walk with Ginger, but we had a nice afternoon listening to the end of our Amish apocalyptic novel. We have not yet chosen a follow-up book. Mary also finished her latest ear read too while I worked on some crossword puzzles before I made vegan burgers which we enjoyed with our dinner.

Today, I plan to make another of my soon-to-be-famous apple pies and that's about it for me. Mary will continue her ear reading and also cross-stitching. 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", where the current temperature feels like 34° with a wind out of the southwest @ 16 mph! The skies are cloudy and that will continue through tomorrow as the high temperature only rises to a very chilly 42° under cloudy skies with windy conditions. 

We had a Gale Watch in effect until 8:00 p.m. this evening, but that has been replaced by yet another Small Craft Advisory from St. Joesph to Manistee as winds will blow from 15 - 25 knots with gusts possible to 30 knots and waves as high as eight feet.

The NWS is reporting a current barometric pressure of 29.84" of Hg and rising, while my own DTWS is displaying 29.21" of Hg and falling. I'm going with my DTWS.

Tomorrow, the sun will rise @ 7:02 a.m. and set later @ 8:27 p.m.

Earlier today, we finally got over to the Goodwill store for that dropoff along with a stop at the library for a return and a stop to fill up the Jeep with gas, currently priced @ $3.61 for unleaded regular. We don't drive all that much, having just passed 10,500 miles as we near four years of ownership, so the price of gas is not really a concern for us. 

While we were out, we stopped at Swan Lake and Linear Park for a photoshoot before returning to the manse for a few shots in the backyard. However, earlier this morning, Mary and Gunge walked over to our auxiliary gardens to check on our garlic. It appears all is well. 

Our garlic is the only growing thing as of now and it is doing well.

As I noted, we also stopped at Swan Lake, Linear Park, and Duck Pond for some shots too. 

Nesting in the reeds near the center of this picture, at Duck Pond, was a lone swan.

There were many swans on the waters of Swan Lake today.

And Canada geese in flight too.

Dewey Hill through the trees at Duck Pond.

New daffodil in bloom juxtaposed against a dried leaf.

Likewise, a dried leaf and the chilled late afternoon crocuses.

I started a new novel today and Mary and I are listening to a book on her tablet that is an Amish apocalyptic story. We decided to forego TV viewing and just listen to a book. Not a new experience for Mary, but new to me. 

Once again, I finished two newspapers and two crossword puzzles today. 

Right now, I am following the Cubs on my PC with the score 3 - 0 over the Rockies as Justin Steele throws for the Cubs.

My beloved 3 - 3 Red Sox have the night off before their home opener in Fenway Park tomorrow night against the 2 - 4 Minnesota Twins. 

The Tigers are in Kansas City to face the Royals. The game is tied 2 - 2 with Casey Mize on the bump.

The White Caps are leading the Lansing Lugnuts 5 - 0 in the 6th.

Otherwise, we have some light things to do around the manse tomorrow and that is fine with me. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:45 a.m. in "The City." The current temperature is a very comfortable 62° under cloudy/rainy skies although it feels more like 60° with a wind out of the southwest @ 14 mph. That strong wind is the reason for our current Small Craft Advisory that is in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee until tomorrow morning @ 8:00 a.m. when it will be superseded by a Gale Watch that will remain in effect until sometime tomorrow night. 

The Small Craft Advisory will see wind speeds of 15 - 20 knots with gusts possible up to 30 knots and waves from 3 - 6 feet in height. The Gale Watch will have wind speeds of 20 - 25 knots and possible gusts also up to 30 knots. However, those wind speeds may produce wave heights up to 8 feet in height! The surf on the Third Coast is up!

Our high-temperature today will peak @ 63° before we drop to a more sprinter-like 38° overnight. My DTWS is displaying a current barometric pressure of 29.06" of Hg and rising, while the NWS is reporting 29.42" of Hg and falling. The sun will rise in a couple of hours @ 7:06 a.m. before setting @ 8:25 tonight. IN between there is a strong chance for showers/T-storms after 11:00 a.m. today.

Yesterday provided proof of my boast about my most recent apple pie. It was indeed my best yet! Flaky crust, a solid and just the right sweetness filling of Granny Smith apples made sweet by brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mary says that she can keep the apples coming if I can repeat the success of this pie.

Did I mention that Baseball is life! Well, if I didn't let me state for the record that it is indeed life itself, as it truly may be the one constant in life that remains pure and good through wars, recessions, inflation, and pandemics.

As proof, I cite the two dingers hit in Pittsburgh yesterday by the newest Cubs outfielder, Seiya Suzuki, to go with his lone weekend home run for a total of three. He now has eight RBIs in this young season, as the 3 - 1 Cubs defeated the 1 - 3 Pirates in Pittsburgh, 2 - 1 yesterday. 32 yo LHP Drew Smyly notched his first win as a Cub. Today's game begins @ 12:35 p.m. when RHP Kyle Hendricks goes for the Boys in blue!

Both of my other teams, the 2 - 3 Boston Red Sox and the 2 - 3 Detroit Tigers played each other yesterday and will play again today @ 1:10 p.m. EDT as RHP Nathan Eovaldi hurls for the Sox and LHP Eduardo Rodriguez, a former Red Sox pitcher, throws for the Tigers. 

I only took that short walkabout with STWD yesterday as Mary and Ginger traveled farther. However, while the Dynamic duo was out and about, I did some yard work and I was assisted by Mary upon her return. We decided that some time on our back patio was in order and I took along my trusty Olympus DSLR camera to record the sights to be found in our own backyard. I got some shots of the local flora and fauna while I was out.

A lone flower from the local flora.

 A bouquet of these nearby flowers.

Our own Stars of the Snow near our deck.

These daffodils were opening as we watched. 

Unlike today's skies, the clouds were scattered and the sky was, wait for it, Sky Blue!

One of the local denizens in the back-forty. The cutest dog on the planet!

Havenhenge survived the long winter months and the heavy snow cover.

Today, we have a spa appointment for Ginger this afternoon and I have some indoor chores and kitchen work to do too. Mary is happily cross-stitching and ear reading. Since it will be rainy today, staying inside and doing some indoor activities is a good choice. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:30 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is 49° following our high temperature today of 54°. However, the wind blowing out of the southeast @ 9 mph makes it feel more like 45° under partly-cloudy skies. Tomorrow, the high temperature will reach a very balmy 64° after the sunrise @ 7:07 a.m. with an overnight low following sunset @ 8:24 p.m.

Sometimes you feel as though you need to get into the kitchen and do some full-contact baking. Today was one of those days for me, so I motored into the kitchen while Mary sat in the recliner I usually occupy in the living room and set about my work. Of course, I had the able assistance of not one but two sous dogs today, as both Sugar and Ginger were ready to lend a paw. What resulted after I made the crust, peeled the Granny Smith apples, rolled out the crust, and assembled my latest apple pie is pictured below. 

As always, I think this is my best effort yet!

Lest anyone think that Mary spent her day lounging, she put on her Senior Staff Photographer hat both yesterday and today and took some extended walkabouts with Ginger along with taking the picture of my finished pie today.

Yesterday, the Dynamic Duo walked over to Linear Park for some shots.

A duck swimming on Duck Pond.

Looking southwest towards Lake Michigan.

I like how the branches were added to this shot.

Today, they walked over to Duncan Woods, but these flowers were outside the park.

Inside Duncan Woods, this young Hemlock tree still had its leaves.

I would have taken this shot if I'd been there. Mary knows me so well.

Mary took this shot because she is enamored with Fairy Doors.

Yesterday, we were surprised to see a wild turkey crossing the street near the manse.

This turkey appeared to be a Tom.

I finished a book late last night after my now regular Sunday night ukulele sing-along. I enjoyed the ukulele session and I also enjoyed the book I finished. during this pandemic, I think I've read more books than I did during my time teaching reading in 6th grade. Those were Young Adult books versus the adult fiction I am now enjoying.

This morning while Mary and Ginger were out, I took a short stroll with STWD. She takes her time as befits her status as the dowager queen of the manse. I'm good with that.

After my pie was out of the oven, I once again spent some time reading as Mary listened to her book and cross-stitched. She finishes one project and starts another. 

Tomorrow, since it will be a rare warm sprinter day here in the Tri-Cities, I hope to get outside and enjoy another walk with STWD. I'm relatively certain that Mary and Ginger will be going out too. I should paint more or watercolor more, and play more music too. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 10:15 p.m in "The City", where the current temperature is 35° with a slight wind out of the east at 5 mph, cooling the actual temperature to 31° under partly cloudy skies. We have no alerts, watches, or warnings in effect at this time. The current barometric pressure per the NWS is 29.89" of Hg and rising, while my own DTWS is displaying 29.30" of Hg and falling. Ah, life on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Our actual overnight low temperature is forecast to drop to 32° before we rebound dramatically to tomorrow's high temperature of 56°, which will be about 17° warmer than today's high. The low tomorrow night will only fall to 46°. The sun will rise @ 7:13 a.m. and set later @  8:20 p.m.

I learned a couple of things this morning while listening to The Flowerland Show, a local program on WOOD radio, that features personnel from the local Flowerland shops. I learned that our soil temperature is only 44° this year versus 60° last year. I also learned that if you observe the blooming of a forsythia bush before planting seedlings, everything should do well.. 

Here in Michigan, as elsewhere in the colder parts of the US, the "Rule of Thumb" is to not plant anything before Mother's Day, which is May 8, 2022. However, as Rick and Doug, the program's hosts pointed out, the cooler temperatures and the gradual warmup this Sprinter are great for the plants even though we humans are not liking the slow warm-up this year. By the by, Mary and I heard the term Sprinter, a combination of winter and spring, for the first time this morning. 

That being said, I  was surprised when I went downstairs this morning to let our fur children out.  I saw that our porch, our parkway gardens, and our deck were covered with snow. Needless to say, that was a surprise I did not want to see. However, since I had my camera near at hand, I took some pix of the snow before it melted soon thereafter as the temperature rose.

I so want winter to be over.

Ginger didn't seem to mind. 

The concrete driveway had no snow cover.

Neither did the concrete sidewalk. But, the parkway garden was totally covered.

I spent much of my day reading the newspapers, doing the crosswords, and finishing my latest novel. I also watched the Tigers go 1 - 1 on this young season as they and starting RHP Casey Mize, fell to that other team from Chicago today, 2 - 5. The only solace is that the Tigers and that other team are tied in the AL Central at 1 - 1. Tomorrow's game will begin @ 1:10 p.m. EDT as LHP Tarik Skubal takes the mound.

I also kept track of the Chicago Cubs, as they moved to 2 - 0, defeating the Milwaukee Brewers for the second time this season, this time by a lopsided score of 9 - 0, with LHP Justin Steele getting the victory. Included in that game was a bench-clearing brawl over batters being hit by pitches and a scare as hot-hitting outfielder Ian Happ was hit in the knee by a Brewers pitcher. X-rays proved negative. Tomorrow's game begins @ 2:20 p.m. EDT as RHP Marcus Stroman throws for the cubs.

Sadly, my beloved Boston Red Sox fell for the second time this season to the Yankees, today going down 2 - 4, as RHP Nick Pivetta struggled and fell to 0 - 1. The beloved fell to 0 - 2 as the Yankees went up to 2 - 0 in the AL East. Tomorrow's game will be played at night beginning @ 7:10 p.m. when RHP Tanner Houck throws the first pitch for the Sox.

We did a bit of spring cleaning today too, and we have numerous items in the car waiting for a trip to the Goodwill store. We also placed our unneeded gardening table at the curb and it was quickly snatched up by someone and moved on to its new home.

Tomorrow, we are going to continue to cross-stitch, read, play music, go for some walks, and enjoy the spring-like 55° temperature. 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." I'm going to deviate or depart from my regular format and report, as Sergeant Joe Friday, the fictional Detective Sergeant of the radio and TV series, Dragnet would have said, "Just the facts ma'am, just the facts."

The current temperature is 40° with an overnight low of 36° expected before we rebound if you can call it a rebound, to tomorrow's high of 41° and an overnight low of 31° That will occur between the sunrise at 7:16 a.m. and well before the sunset @ 8:18 p.m.

I decided that it was safe to report that the Chicago Cubs and a cast of players with whom I am only slightly familiar, won their home opener in a chilly Wrigley Field, 5 - 4. That being said, I thought this was a good time to wax prosaically about the first time I saw a Cubs game, the in-between times, and the last time, which was many years ago.

My first Cubs game was when I was about eight years of age and I was Cub Scout. I cannot tell you the score, but I do know that that would have been around 1959. Much of the park was empty, like today. and the seats were very inexpensive. 

Later, I must have been 16 or 17, and my brother, Randy, Raig, as he came to be known, and I went to an opening day. It was cold and we moved around trying to find the warmth of the sun. Once again, I cannot remember the details. That was in the days of only the mechanical scoreboard, the Bleacher Bums, the Andy Frain ushers, a smaller number of seats, and often, a closed upper deck due to the woeful nature of the Cubs' teams. It wasn't until 1984 or later that Wrigley became the place to be and be seen by the entire worldwide population. 

Later in life, Mary, Adam, and I went to Wrigley Field for many games and the experience was just as I'd remembered it, cheering crowds, a sunny day, and a fun time. I know that we often took the El train from Wilmette to the park and that Adam enjoyed sitting up front to watch things as we traveled. 

I doubt that the experience of Wrigleyville would be the same today. Too many people, a changing neighborhood, and changes in the park itself. Alas, I am old enough to remember things that were and can never be again. 

But enough nostalgia. Now, I can bask in the glory of a win on Opening Day, a chance to see more baseball, and most of all, a chance to live vicariously through the young ballplayers of today. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:00 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature feels like 38° with a wind out of the west @ 4 mph. The actual temperature is 41° under mostly-cloudy skies. We have no alerts in effect at this time.

The NWS is reporting a barometric pressure reading of 29.83" of Hg and rising, while my DTWS is showing 29.24" of Hg and falling. 

Our overnight low temperature tonight will drop to a seasonal 34° before we rebound to tomorrow's high temperature of 55°, which will be 11° warmer than today. Our overnight low tomorrow will fall to 43°. However, the day tomorrow will be mostly overcast with only a 9% chance for additional precipitation. The sun will rise into those overcast skies @ 7:21 a.m. and set later @ 8:14 p.m.

Of late, not much has happened around here. Last night I joined in my Sunday night ukulele play along and between yesterday and today, I finished The Light Keepers Daughters by Jean E. Pendziwol, which turned out to be a terrific recommendation from Mary. Sadly, the author is a regular writer of children's books and this was the only adult novel she has written to date.

I've started reading another of Mary's recommended books, Time After Time, by Lisa Grunwald, this one in my preferred large-print format. At this rate, my personal stack of books will not be shrinking very much for several weeks. 

It was raining this morning, so Mary and Ginger didn't get out for their morning safari. However, they did get out yesterday and they took some pix using Mary's Olympus Tough TG-6 camera. They got some pix of the boardwalk, the channel, Ginger, and the south pier area. 

It took both of us to determine that this was part of a channel buoy.

Around GH, the city is using the old arches from the south pier for directional signage.

The channel was calm and the sky was partly cloudy.

Some dune grasses near the south pier.

Ginger enjoyed the outing and the views at the south pier.

Yesterday, I mostly stayed close to home, did some watercolor painting, and read. 

Mary did some cross-stitching and ear reading,

Today, I accomplished very little. Tomorrow, I hope for more. Ciao.