Good early morning GH. We have just passed 1:45 in the AM here in "The City." Our current temperature is 1° as we head for our daily high of 11°. We are still expecting an additional 2 - 4 inches of snowfall by later this morning. The National Weather Service gives that a 100% certainty through 4:00 in the AM. Then we drop all the way down to 90%, as we slowly taper off to 40% by 7:00 AM. The winter storm warning expires in our county by 8:00 AM. We also have a wind chill warning in effect until 7:00 PM this evening. With winds gusting into  the mid-twenties, that could drop temperatures to -30°. That has forced the closing of most school districts and many related activities.

I was noticing that many of the Bingo sessions and euchre games, usually held in the fraternal clubs and halls had been canceled. That means that the regulars will have to wait until next week. We have also seen the cancellation of many senior lunches for today. For many of these people, that may be the only nutritious meal that they get in a day. I hope that the prediction for temperatures in the 30's by the weekend are accurate.

I am up because my shoulder is aching a bit when I lie down. I took a pain-killer, and that should take effect in about an hour. One other factor may be that the cable high-definition television channels have gone out. While not really a big deal, when you get used to watching the television and drifting off to sleep, it changes things. Oh well, there is always the radio. That is unless the cable being out affects the Internet radio too. I was able to watch a band from Chicago that I had never heard perform before that I really liked. They were on one of the late-night shows that I was able to see by tuning into one of the non-high-definition channels.

Monday, the man who shovels our snow came and cleared things out, again. However, by earlier this evening, the drifts were forming in front of the palatial estate and in the shared driveway. It looks like he will have to return again today. I hope that the heaviest snows are over for awhile. Sugar the Weather Dog has lost her usual backyard walking area as a result of having to pile snow where she usually walks while on her tether. It was so cold on Monday morning, that Sugar went out, did her business, and came right back. So she didn't have her usual walk in the AM. Mary fed Sugar her breakfast, and then Sugar waited for her walker to come. I think the "Baby" was disappointed when her walker didn't come. We had arranged that the day before, as I mentioned.

Mary brought the laundry down and I managed to get it washed and folded. Mary learned later in the day, that Sugar may not like zucchini, but that she does like artichokes. She also doesn't like baby spinach leaves nor spring salad mix. Who says that dogs can't taste? Some dogs will eat anything, but not Sugar.

Yesterday, I managed to polish Ivy and clean the excess tape off her case. That's about the extent of my guitar interactions right now. One armed guitar pickers are in limited demand around here, or for that matter, anywhere. To borrow from the movies, as I've done before, "A man's got to know his limitations."

Today, my time will be consumed by more reading and television watching. I will also await my meals, just like in the hospital. You get your thrills where you can.

So, until the Sun rises at 8:16 AM and...Tea time occurs, I'll be saying ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 2:00 AM in "The City," and the current temperature is 18° under cloudy skies, as we head down to our high of 11°. We are also expecting more snowfall, one to three inches today, and an additional three to five inches on Tuesday. The piles just continue to grow. Additionally, just like many cities in the country, we are expecting wind gusts between 25 and 30 MPH. Those gusts will lead to wind chills of -20 to -30 below zero Fahrenheit. If  you convert those temperatures to the Celsius scale, you get -28.88888° to - 34.4444444°. In either system, that's cold!

Our local school district has closed the schools for today, and given the similar temperatures and winds on Tuesday, they may also do the same on that day too. People in the know in the Chicago area are experiencing similar conditions, and so the schools there are also closed. We also had many other activities canceled on Sunday.

A 4:00 AM update. The storm has moved in with a vengeance. I have never seen white-out conditions on the street in front of the palatial estate before. I can now put that on my to done list. Anyone who is driving had best be a doctor, an E.R. nurse, or a member of the public safety department. I have to amend that statement. The city truck just went by spreading sand or salt. However, when the temperature is below about 18°, salt is of little efficacy. If people are going to a fast food restaurant, a big box store, or some other non-essential activity, there is no excuse. The warnings have been up for hours, and since the MDOT has asked people to stay off the streets, and since the schools are closed, people have no reason to be driving, pure and simple. Even the trains aren't running this morning!

A further update, The trucks may have been spreading, but more importantly they were plowing and now a lot more snow is in our shared driveway. It seems as though our shoveler was never here. I think he should wait until later on Monday before shoveling more..

I was watching television earlier, and I am always amazed by the myriad services and inventions for sale in the wee hours of the morning. Best of all, many or all of them come with a special offer that allows you to get two for the price of one just by paying an additional fee for shipping and handling. If I needed two devices that allow me to chop, make tortilla or bacon bowls, seal up everything that leaks on the  palatial estate, etc., I'd be all set. The other offers are for various types of vitamins or health improvements. Is your back sore? You need one of these braces. How about your joints in general? Then get this or that product and never worry again. That doesn't count the various commercials for electric wheel chairs, canes, or other medical devices. In short, if it needs chopping, bracing, slicing, or dicing, then what you need can be found on late night television.

Of course, if you want to look 20 or 30 years younger, there is a procedure for that too. That set me to thinking about whether I would want to look as I did 20 or 30 years ago. I like my face just as it is. I think that the lines and creases give me an air of wisdom that I didn't have either in my imagination or in reality, 20 or 30 years ago. If they could erase all of the aches and pains that came with age, maybe, but that is highly unlikely. I paid for this wisdom, and I wouldn't want to change a thing.

Every time I visit the Post, I have to stop and look at the faces of the young men on the wall in the hallway. Every time I do, I hear the refrains of a song written by a singer/songwriter from Florida, Michael McCloud, who several years ago wrote a song to help commemorate the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C. The song is simply titled Memorial and the refrain goes something like this, "Sailors and soldiers, who never got any older..." They will never get any older because of their service.

My dad was fortunate to come back from that great war, seemingly intact. But, I always wonder, what was he like before that experience? Was my dad the same, or was he different? Was he like me? Was he like Adam? If he was different, how was he different? I doubt anyone comes back from any life-changing experience unchanged. Just a thought on my part.

Oh well, as we await more snow, I have to wonder what, if anything, is different this year? Have we had more snow, or is this really the norm? If you look at historical records, Chicago had huge storms during my short life. In my memory, we had big storms that closed schools and businesses  in: 1967, 1978, 1979, etc. So, the current storms are probably just more in a string. However, the overly warm temperatures we had here two years ago that savaged the fruit crops were not usual, according to the locals. If you live in the Midwest, it snows in the winter and it gets cold. The last two years were likely the anomalies rather than this year. Who knows? Everybody has stories from their youth about the bigger, brighter,colder, louder, etc. Just check out the Internet if you have any doubts.

So today, Mary and I will be staying in. Sugar's dog walker will call us to see if Sugar will be ready to go out later in the day. I don't want Sugar the Weather Dog nor her walker to be out in this brutal weather. Mary will work, and I'll read. Mary will make lunch as she uses up some leftovers and I will enjoy her efforts. Sugar will do her best to sleep away the day. The Sun will rise at 8:16 AM and set at 5: 26 PM. The Earth will continue to spin on its axis and each day will pass much the same.

Oh, I tuned Ivy to see how she sounds. I had forgotten how wonderful the sound of a 12 string guitar can be, especially, an Ovation. The sound of an Ovation is unique, almost like a symphony, whether in six or 12 string versions. I couldn't strum much, but I am dreaming. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 2:00 AM in "The City," and the current temperature is 32° as we head down to our high today of 25°. Saturday delivered more snow than was originally expected, as the front moved more northward. As the day/evening wore on, the snow continued to fall. We now are under a winter storm warning until 1:00 AM EST on Monday. That warning is in addition to a wind-chill watch from late today through late Tuesday afternoon.

The Chicago area got hit with an additional eight inches of snowfall to add to the 12 inches that had already fallen. This year, to date, we are seeing snowfalls all over the country that are well in excess of previous year's totals. I am glad that we don't have any where to go and all day to get there. Our next required trip is on Wednesday for another rehab session. Our snow shoveler will be by on Sunday to dig us out, yet again. The city plows have already gone down our street, dumping the usual extra at the entrance to our shared driveway.

In the local school district, the second half of the school year begins anew on Monday, January 6, 2014. The same is true of the district in Illinois from which I retired. The weather will have an impact on both, I am sure.

Yesterday, Mary and I received some sad news. A young lady who was quick to embrace us in our newly adopted hometown passed away suddenly. She always welcomed us warmly whenever we visited the Post. She was always ready to greet us and give us a hug, both upon arrival and as we departed. Sally, the bartender at the Post, called to give us the sad news early on Saturday. The young lady had had the flu and succumbed to its effects. We are having an outbreak here in Michigan. This young lady and her smile will be sorely missed. Things will not be the same without her. Some things should never change.

In happier news, the daughter of one of my former colleagues had successful hip replacement surgery on Thursday. She is already up and walking and now faces three months of rehab. Then, she gets to start all over on the opposite hip. I have faced my own share of rehab, so I  can both empathize and encourage.

On Saturday, Mary continued to work on her latest project. I did get in some reading, but I am still having trouble reading more than a few pages at a time. I'll just keep plugging. I have stayed within my usual mystery genre, but I am trying an author recommended by the librarians at our local library. So far, I like their suggestions. In the past, their recommendations on some non-fiction and fiction books have been solid.

Today looks like more of the same. I read and sleep; Mary works and makes the meals. I will continue to empty the dishwasher in my slow and plodding fashion. I won't try to wash Mary's china though. If nothing else, I can watch the ice-bowl play-off game from Green Bay. Speaking of sports, thanks for that reference Mr. Cosell, pitchers and catchers report in about 40 days. Then, spring will officially begin.

I have always believed that baseball is life. As one musical artist proclaimed in a song, "I'm born again, there's new grass on the field."  At our local Triple-A affiliated stadium they had that fire that means that they are also in rebuilding mode. Their rebuilding is on their stadium though. We had planned to get there the last two years, but we only saw the outside.

The Super Bowl this year will be played in the East in an outdoor stadium in the cold and snow. That's football weather. Baseball celebrates life, as it is played in a park, in the sunshine, not in a stadium in bad weather. Unfortunately, the boys in blue will probably make us wait yet another year. The Tigers will have a new manager and a revised roster, and a wounded Triple-A stadium/team, so they are an unknown. Likewise, my beloved Red Sox are also retooling, so I don't yet have a prediction.

That looks like about it for Saturday and early Sunday morning. Sunrise today will be at 8:16 AM and Sunset at 5:25 PM. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 1:00 AM in "The City." Our current temperature is 19° under partly cloudy skies. High winds are currently a part of the forecast. In addition, the National Weather Service is warning of wind chills from -20° to -30° from late Sunday night until early Tuesday morning. Blowing snow is a concern, especially near the lakefront. It will be dangerous to travel, and it is considered unsafe to be outdoors on Monday and Tuesday. Presciently, when we were out earlier for P/T, Mary said that she could see no reason to be going out for the next several days. I have to agree.

I am totally surprised. I hear a train a comin'. This one was just twin locomotives heading north. I bet we see/hear them going south around 3:00 AM; pulling box cars, covered hopper cars, and tank cars. Of course, I was wrong last might, so there is that.

Friday, as I noted earlier, we went to the P/T appointment. All went well, and the therapist said that it could go either way on the number of appointments. Since I am two weeks out from the doctor's appointment, I'll go to both each week if the weather cooperates. If not, then the once a week schedule sounds like a better choice. Plus, since the first few days of next week are expected to be cold, the Friday appointment should be on a warmer day. That may be the deciding factor. High 20's and lower 30's by then. The following week, the P/T appointment coincides with the day of the doctor's appointment, so that is a no-brainer.

We picked up some additional books at the library on Friday. I now have a huge stack to read. One good thing about a library, you don't have to sweat the cost, as there isn't any. Plus, if you don't finish on time, you can renew once, on-line. I confess that I haven't had the energy of late to read much. It shouldn't require energy, but it seems that it does. However with no college football games of note until the National Championship Game between Florida State and Auburn on Monday night, I should have time to read. I just have to work around the cleaning lady.

Today, Mary will continue working while I continue resting and hopefully reading. Sugar the Weather Dog's walker will be in this morning, as will the young lady who is helping with the cleaning of the palatial estate while I am convalescing. I hope to be able to resume my regular duties in a few weeks. I am now able to unload the dishwasher one piece at a time. I can't really cook, but I can microwave with the best of them. If you want it warmed, then I'm your guy.

So until the Sun rises at 8:16 this morning and then...Tea time happens, I'll be signing off. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 2:00 AM in "The City," and the current temperature is nine degrees Fahrenheit or -12.7778° Celsius. In either system, that's cold. We are heading for a high of 21° today and 32° on Saturday. Snow chances increase from 30% today to 50% on Saturday. By looking at the weather map, I am glad that I don't live in the Chicago area anymore. I'm also glad that I don't even live close to the St. Joseph/Benton Harbor, or South Haven, Michigan areas. Each of those may receive six to ten inches of additional snowfall. Unless you are totally into snow sports, what's to like?

Thursday was not all that different than what I had anticipated. Mary worked some, I slept some, and then we went out in search of supplies for our larder. That search went unrequited as the bread store is closed until later this month. Oh well, that's the breaks. Maybe I can learn how to bake bread and add that to my repertoire. I find that recuperating takes more out of  you than one might think. Healing is a tedious process.

I did get the Christmas tree packed away for another year. Mary placed the container on the side, near my sleeping quarters, but later she moved it to the living room in fear that I would fall over it during the night. She's probably right, given my history of walking mishaps, whether night or day.

Today, we have to go to the P/T appointment at 3:00 PM. The therapist will let us know what our schedule will be going forward. It may stay at two per week or go down to one per week for a couple of weeks. Either way, I have to go with the advice of the professional. Since I see the doctor in two weeks, I'll make it work either way. I just want to get back to semi-normal ASAP. Mary would probably say that semi-normal is the best I could hope for in any case and for any condition. Once again, she is probably right.

About 12:40 AM, the train rolled by heading south. I would give odds that it will be going north later this AM with a few less cars and likely the same horn happy driver.

A short sports report. The Crimson Tide lost to Oklahoma, just like they did to Auburn. The underdog, Oklahoma took it to the Tide 45 - 31. The Bears signed Jay Cutler to a new seven year contract. The boys in blue have more questions than answers. Questions like: What will happen in year three of the Theo Epstein regime? Will any of the prospects stop being prospects and become major league players? Will past performers regain their past form. Who's on third? Will various pitchers stay healthy. Too many questions, too few answers, in short, nothing's new. For those of you who remember the 1950's Cubs, Chuck Connors looked great in a uniform, but became an actor. Maybe he always was.

Sunrise today will be at 8:16 AM and Sunset at 5:23 PM. We may go to the store to resolve that bread deficiency in our larder after P/T. That's about the extent of my ambition for the day. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 1:00 AM in "The City," and the current temperature is 14° as we head for a high of 17°. The forecast for our area calls for no significant snowfall until Saturday, when the temperature is expected to be in the lower 30's and the precipitation chance, 50%. Sunday looks to be about 10° lower, but the precipitation is forecast to be the same. However, Monday the temperatures fall into the single digits and we can expect snow squalls. I wasn't sure what snow squalls were, but a quick Internet search tells me that they are periods of heavy snowfall. Same squalls for Tuesday, but the temperature rises to 14°. As the week progresses, snow showers are in the forecast.

New Year's Day was great. I started out with the Tournament of Roses Parade, which I watched for two hours. Breakfast was one of the last slices of banana nut bread. Lunch was a salad with vinaigrette dressing as a prelude to a grilled Swiss cheese sandwich. Each time, Mary had to either get to, or back to work. I watched the Wisconsin Badgers lose the Citrus Bowl after lunch to the South Carolina Gamecocks, 24 - 34. I fell asleep during the second half.

I was wide awake to watch the Rose Bowl at 5: 00 PM, as the MSU Spartans won over the Stanford Cardinal 24 - 20. By this time, Mary had joined me for the game. She had considered going out, but the snow and cold convinced her that we should stay in. No argument from me. That allowed her to try that recipe that I mentioned yesterday. Broccoli, garlic, tofu, and wild rice combined to make a keeper. Of course, no recipe is safe from Mary's manipulations. This one she added more garlic, and she felt that she could have added more broccoli and perhaps changed the amount of tofu. I liked it just the way it was. However, more broccoli wouldn't hurt, and since I like both, more broccoli and tofu would be better. The flavors were imbued into the tofu and broccoli and became as one. I liked it!

Today, Mary has more work to do. She tells me that she has the big chunks done, but that just means that she knows what she is doing and I don't. For me, chunks become an index that I have to edit. I guess I don't need to know how the process happens, just that it does. That's like making sausage. You don't have to know the process, just enjoy the outcome. Maybe that's like cooking in general.

Otherwise, no solid plans for today. I have to take down our Christmas tree and get it ready for storage in the coal room. I'd also like to clean up the case for my new to me 12 string, Ivy, and then put a coat of polish on her. If I don't get to it, she can wait, as I won't be able to play her for a few weeks. I have to be sure that I don't overdo. I am being diligent about my exercises so that I can recover as quickly as possible. I did eight reps yesterday. I hope to do the same today. Eight is supposed to be my limit.

So, that looks like about it for now. Sunrise today will be at 8:16 Am and Sunset at 5:22 PM. I doubt that trains are in the near future, this being the tail end of the holiday. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 2:00 AM in "The City," and the temperature is 14° as we head for today's high of 17°. This being New Year's Day, the light snow that fell earlier is mostly over, but there is a chance of additional snow in the forecast. We had to go to P/T again on Monday, so we had to get the driveway cleared, again. On New Year's Eves gone by, Mary and I would have been out on the town. But, with my recent surgery and my advancing age, we stayed in this year. Truth be told, with the snow covered streets, I don't mind having stayed in. In fact, we celebrated New Year's Day earlier, when it happened in Paris, France.

Speaking of P/T, the therapist says that my range of motion is good. He suggests that I may go down to once a week until my shoulder is more fully healed and then get more aggressive with isometric exercises and the like. It is not about the cost, just that he doesn't feel that coming twice per week is necessary until I am more healed. We will discuss that on Friday when I see him again.  I have to see the doctor again in two weeks, so the two things may coincide.

Monday was relatively quiet otherwise.  We had a piece of banana nut bread for breakfast and then ate lunch at the hospital cafe. That may sound odd, but as Mary discovered during my surgery session, the cafe has a terrific salad bar. Low cost, a large selection of items, with each item labeled as to its health qualities. What's not to like? We have tried in vain to find a good salad bar around here, yet it turns out that the hospital has the best we have found. Go figure.

Mary did some work earlier in the day while I watched television. Sugar the Weather Dog was in her regular spot on the couch. Mary was going to make dinner, but she opted to go out for an early supper. I am told that she will cook that recipe today, after she is done working. I found the recipe the other day and she liked how it sounded, so it should be good. The recipe involves some chopping and cooking to specification, so for Mary that is a good thing.

For Adam, I just watched the car show based in Las Vegas, during which they rebuilt a VW bus. The original 40 horsepower engine was replaced with an over 200 horsepower engine to go with the updated suspension, brakes, new paint and interior. The bus is now a hot rod and a real grocery-getter. A guy ponied up 40 grand for the privilege of owning her. What's not to like?

Today is my usual day; nowhere to go and all day to get there. Mary has to work on her latest project. Since she "goofed off" on Monday and Tuesday, she now has to put her nose to the grindstone. I will mostly be fending for myself today. It will be hard, but sometimes a man has to suck it up or perish.

No trains on a holiday, so nothing to report there

In sports, the Red Wings played outdoors at Comerica Park and defeated the Maple Leafs. Later today the MSU Spartans will be trying to defeat the Stanford Cardinal in the Rose Bowl. As a Spartan fan, you know where I will be at 5:00 PM. Before that, I may devote some of my precious time to watching the Rose Parade at 11:00 AM.

That's all folks. Tea time will happen later this morning after the Sun rises at 8:16 AM. That same Sun will set at 5:21 PM. Ciao.