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" under a Gibbous Moon, which means that the side of the moon that faces the earth, appears more than one-half lit by the sun. As December progresses, the moon will appear more full as we head through December and toward the new year.

But, I digress, as is often the case. 

We have a current temperature under clear skies of 30°, although it feels like 21° with a  brisk wind out of the southeast @ 12 mph. That wind is the vestige of the Gale Force Winds that propelled 18-foot waves on the "Big Lake" and totally inundated the piers and the lighthouses here in GH and swamped most structures up and down the shores of Lake Michigan Friday into Saturday.

Plus, we have a Small Craft Advisory in effect from St. Joseph to Manistee until early Monday morning, with winds of 15 to 25 knots and gusts up to 30 knots that will produce waves up to eight feet in height.

Fortunately, the high-temperature today will increase after sunrise @ 7:59 a.m. to 38°, with an overnight low temperature after sunset @ 5:10 p.m., of 37°. That 38° high temperature will make it five to six degrees warmer than yesterday. Tomorrow will be even warmer, with a 44° high temperature under cloudy skies. We're hoping for a final fall clean-up of the grounds of the Palatial Estate tomorrow.

We had a very productive day yesterday. 

Mary got a lot of cross-stitching accomplished, we read the newspapers, and I finished the crosswords and the Cryptoquote from the Grand Haven Tribune and the crossword puzzle from USA Today. I also decorated our Christmas tree. Collectively, we did more ear-reading. Mary also solo ear-read her novel, while I used my time to finish a novel recommended by Mary entitled The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, by Kim Michele Richardson. While this book was different than my usual reading genres, I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

This novel was based on the real-life exploits of the WPA-sponsored Kentucky Pack Horse librarians prior to WWII. Those brave librarians were part of President Roosevelt's New Deal Acts designed to bring books and jobs to the people of rural Kentucky and also based on the blue-skinned people of Kentucky, who suffer from a genetic affliction called Methemoglobinemia, which causes them to appear blue and to be shunned by most people. 

In Kentucky in the 1930s, blue-skinned people were considered "Colored" and were barred from using public facilities like restrooms, marrying people outside their own "race", and too often were hunted by zealots who meant them harm. 

While I was decorating our tree, Mary was cross-stitching upstairs, and then later, she walked with Ginger downtown where she witnessed the staging of the annual Jingle Bell Parade and the lighting of the community Christmas tree in Central Park. That parade and lighting always draw big crowds to GH and this year was no exception, judging by the traffic both pre and post-parade.

Later, I watched the 13 - 0 Big 10 Champion Wolverines of Michigan come to life in their usual second-half style and finish off the Big 10 West 8 - 5 Boilermakers of Purdue. As requested, Mary made popcorn for my viewing while she stayed downstairs and did more ear-reading and whatever else she chose to do.

Today, I hope to do less and relax more. Ciao.