Good morning GH. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City," and the current temperature is 14° as we head for our daily high of 37°. The fact that we anticipate that 37°, is in and of itself a great thing. We are currently trending towards one of the coldest and snowiest winters in recent memory. I heard something on a morning news program yesterday that of the top five snowiest cities in the nation, with a population in excess of 100,000, GR is at number three. They have a spot that is ahead of Buffalo, NY. Here in the Weather Office, the temperature is 70°.

I did it! I spent all of yesterday in my scrubs. Mary went out to the store by herself. It was one of the big box stores, so she was already at a disadvantage. I stayed behind and fell asleep in my office chair. I don't know what it was, but I was sleepy for most of the day. In fact, I didn't awaken this morning until a short time ago. I went to bed about 10:00 p.m., so that is a lot of rack time for me after having taken a nap earlier in the day.

I was awake long enough to see the train go by heading south. Twin locomotives, eight longer covered hopper cars, six shorter covered hopper cars, one black tank car, and one gray tank car. An interesting configuration. Not long after, the lights came on signaling the approach of another train, but I didn't see one. I promptly fell asleep after that, so the train may have gone by heading north, but I missed it.

Today I have that P/T appointment at 1:00 p.m. I think I'll avoid the puzzle, because the excess chair time required by that activity makes my lower back ache; like I don't have enough achy parts. I haven't played my girls in several days and I haven't even done much with my home exercises. Although my shoulder is doing fine per the doctor, I think that the cold and winter is slowing my recovery.

Mary washed the pillows yesterday. They are now nice and fluffy and comfortable. I guess that when they labeled them as washable, they were right.

Not much else on tap for today. Sugar the Weather Dog has spent some time the last few days in the mud room chewing her tooth cleaning bone in the indoor "Bone Zone." She may get a chance again today. I am almost certain that she would prefer some time in the outdoor "Bone Zone," but the snow piles and cold currently preclude that.

Sunrise today will be at 7:09 a.m., shortly before...Tea time. Later, sunset will be at 6:40 pm. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "The City," and the current temperature is 11° according to two sources that I consulted. Indoors, the temperature is 69° on the digital readout in the Weather Office. Best of all, the view out the Weather Window is dark and clear. That means that no snow is in the forecast. Not to worry, we have enough. The current forecast from the Weather Channel™ is for temperatures to continue to rise to 40° by Friday. Then we drop down to 30° on Saturday and Sunday. However, we return back to 35° on Monday. Mary told me the other day, that in Muskegon, they have multiple inches of snow on the ground this late in March for the first time in recorded history.

As promised, I have some pictures that I'll share later. These pictures are from the winter snow chronology that I am keeping. While they don't look all that much different from earlier ones, they do show the piles that existed as of Tuesday and that are hopefully gone by April.

Wednesday, Mary decided to join me at the doctor's office and I am glad that she did. Like many people, when I go to the doctor, I don't ask the questions that I should. In this case, with her help, I got the answers that I needed, though not necessarily those I wanted. A true mixed bag. Yes, aches are normal for about a year. Yes, another month and I can slowly increase my lifting limit to fifteen pounds and then gradually increase it from there. Yes, I have been using my left arm to compensate for my weaker right arm, so it is not surprising that it too is aching. Yes, healing is progressing as expected. Be patient.

I had that P/T appointment scheduled for 4:00 p.m. too, but I rescheduled it for Friday, as we were done at the doctor's office earlier than expected. That gave us time to go to an antique store that we haven't visited for awhile. We got a few inexpensive things, one of which Mary spotted and which I'll share a picture of at the very end. Mary, as is often the case, got a small cookbook. I'll let her tell you about it in her blog.

Once done antiquing, we headed for home, with a stop at the Post to see the folks there. We watched a program on TV that told Mary what she already knew. It was about only buying organic vegetables, especially potatoes, using things that only come in glass jars, and avoiding dairy products that have hormones in them. If you need more information, maybe Mary will share with you in her blog.

Time to head for home where we ordered and ate delivered food. Then I was ready for bed. I'm up now because of that achy shoulder, but I'll be ready for bed again soon. Mary stayed up later than me, but when she came to bed, she slept like I usually don't. I should mention another question that we asked the doctor. Yes, it is normal for a shoulder to pull on healing ligaments when lying in bed, and that produces the ache. Surprise.

Sunrise will be at 7:11 a.m., and sunset at 6:35 p.m. Now for those promised pictures.

The piles in front are taller than the porch railing.

This is the cut out that our snow removal service made for the trash can.

New snow covers the old, but you can't hide the piles.

The deck pile that has resulted from the snow this year. 

So much snow, that the trees are buried.

The pile in the back continues to grow.

Nowhere else to pile the driveway snow.

That trinket that Mary spotted. Those who know me, know why.

Good early morning GH. It is fast closing on 5:00 a.m. in "The City," and the current indoor temperature is a very comfortable 70°. Outdoors, the temperature is 14° as we head for our anticipated high of 23°. The five day forecast from the National Weather Service, through the auspices of the Weather Channel™, is still showing the lower thirties by Friday, where it will remain until Sunday. Given the fact that the less than one inch of snow forecast for yesterday became nearly four, I don't know how much faith I'd place in their efforts.

Speaking of that snow, I feel like a fifth wheel. I have to watch another man take care of snow removal, something that I used to do. I know my shoulder precludes my doing it, but somehow, I feel less than productive. Sure I can take care of the laundry, and I can dust if I don't reach too high, but I could do that before. Mary works and I have to watch. I owe Mary an apology.

I was cranky last night after I had difficulty getting out of my chair in the "Media Room." I can't use my right arm, so I have to rely on my left and that means that like most chairs, if my knees are higher than my hips, I have to work at it. Mary was downstairs, so I had to make a choice. Stay in the chair, or to try to fall out and then figure a way to get up. It is not a pleasant set of options. I was cranky when I came downstairs and tried to do one of the few things I can, empty the dishwasher. Not Mary's fault, but I yelled at her. I'd rather try again. Maybe a hug each and every day.

Today, I have that doctor's appointment followed by a P/T appointment. I haven't been able to do much with my home exercises because my shoulder has been aching. I will ask the doctor what is normal and what isn't. I may just be trying too hard and expecting too much. Plus, since I have been overusing my left arm, that shoulder is aching now too. Right now I am up waiting for my OTC pain pill to work.

I did get some additional puzzle pieces in place on Tuesday. I have some pieces that should fit, but don't seem to have a place. Since they were part of the puzzle when we bought it, it is my problem, not that of the puzzle. I got the aforementioned laundry handled, including the couch cover that Sugar the Weather Dog lays on. I found a way to keep her occupied by giving her a tooth cleaning bone in the mud room. I got the cover cleaned, she got her teeth cleaned and we were both happy.

Sunrise will be in about two hours at 7:13 a.m., shortly before...Tea time. Sunset will occur at 6:36 p.m. I want Cheerios today with raisins. I never thought I'd say that, but I like cold cereal. I'm sure that Mary will cut up a navel orange and pour the morning juices, but I still want my Cheerios. I think I'll skip the breakfast drink today.

I heard the northbound train go by about 1:00 a.m. I didn't see it, but it seemed to be of medium length. The southbound train I slept through. I'll include some snow pictures in tomorrow's blog. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "The City," and the current outdoor temperature is 12°. That's a lot better than the 1° that we had at about the same time yesterday. Indoors it is 70°. After the sun rises at 7:16 a.m today, the temperature is forecast to rise to 23°. During the ensuing week, temperatures will continue to rise, culminating in a high of 36° on Friday. We still show a 70% chance of less than one inch of snow today. I hope we are on the downside of winter, at last. Right now, I see that no new snow has fallen, and that's the view I like to see out the Weather Window.

Monday I did spend the majority of my day in my scrubs, but by day's end, Mary was so frustrated at/with her computer, that we ended up going out. That meant that I had to change into street clothes. Oh well, you don't always get what you wish for. I enjoyed being out too, but that's a story for another day.

Otherwise yesterday, I spent a bit too long working on our puzzle. I made solid progress, but by the time I got up from the chair, I was experiencing lower back spasms. They went away, but as Mary pointed out, there is a reason that she gets up from her office chair and walks about. I have to remember that and avoid future bouts of pain.

Speaking of pain, when I got up yesterday, my shoulder was aching more than usual. I took a stronger prescription pain pill and that seemed to help. I don't like to overdo those, because that leads to insomnia. I am up now because I needed to take an OTC pain pill and wait for that to kick in. I'll be able to go back to bed soon. Not exactly pain free, but with the pain at a level that I can tolerate. I have to be sure to query the doctor tomorrow, during my visit, regarding whether pain is normal at this stage of my recovery. I don't need bad news. I also plan to ask about my left shoulder because if I can ameliorate the slight pain that I feel in that joint with P/T, that would be a good thing.

Today, I plan to do some light dusting, with my left arm. I am still eating with my left hand, and I am getting pretty good at it. I don't have to do it, but I like to stay in practice. Plus, I think the added concentration on my left hand has improved my guitar technique. If that's the case, I should have done the eating with my left hand thing years ago. I will work on our puzzle some too, but I'll be sure to take some breaks in the action.

Last night, the train came by heading south at about 9:45 p.m. Twin EMD GP 38 locomotives towing a short contingent of covered hopper cars. I haven't heard a train going north, but I may have missed it. Not much else to be reported. Sunset will be at 6:36 p.m. this evening. Someone reminded us that Daylight Savings Time starts early Sunday morning. It is hard to get in the mood for that with six foot plus piles of snow outside. Spring ahead, fall back as they say.

A short sports report. The boys in blue are still thinking about next year, and this year has barely begun. The Tigers are reporting that they are in the hunt again this year, and my beloved Red Sox are also ready in the American League. Two out of three isn't bad. The Caps ballpark is coming along after the fire, and the contractors are doing fine in spite of the snow. The Caps season opens on April 8 against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.  That's six days after their parent club, the Tigers, begin their season against the Kansas City Royals.

Ciao.

Good early morning GH. We have just passed 12:00 a.m., and the current temperature in "The City" is 1°. If you are keeping score, the indoor temperature is 70 degrees in the Weather Office. Our low later this morning will be -1°, as we await the forecast high of 15°. The only significant chance of snow is 50% on Tuesday. Good news, we have a chance at 32° on Friday of this week. It will feel like a heatwave. After that, we drop back into the upper 20s, so we aren't celebrating yet.

Sunday, Mary got in a little work and then we drove north to return something near the mall. We stopped at a local place near there and had lunch and a couple of PBRs. All good, including the Cole slaw that Mary pronounced the best she has had in the area. Then following a short drive back to GH, we stopped in at the Post. They are now open Sunday afternoons, and the crowds were there.

The young man who was tending bar usually comes in on Sundays to do the bills, and so he thought, "Why not be open." He had planned to sit at the end of the empty bar and get his work done. He was caught unawares by the number of people who came in. He makes a great "Bloody Mary," I think Adam would approve, and as always, the beer was cold. Good conversation and a convivial atmosphere. A good afternoon all in all.

Once home, I went upstairs to the Media Room to watch the balance of the NASCAR Race from Phoenix and when I finally journeyed downstairs, I found Mary engrossed in Angels and Demons, the movie, and so I joined her for the end. She had been contentedly knitting on my afghan that she gave me for Christmas. A few more of these wintry days, and she'll be done. Given the cold that we are experiencing, I will welcome it into my world.

She finished up downstairs and came up to bed. I came up too, but I had napped earlier in the evening, so I stayed up and I am still up now.

Earlier, I used my one and only clamp to repair my desk and its drawer. Mary estimates that I used to own 50 or 60 clamps, and she may be right. Now I own just one and it is sufficient for the tasks I need to do. I have so few tools, that Mary suggested that I may have to journey over to Steph and Adam's house to get my tinkering fix. That's okay with me. I don't really miss having a car of my own to tinker on. I sometimes get the urge, but that's a short lived feeling, so I think I can get my fix quickly.

Otherwise, not much on tap for today. More puzzle, more meals, and that's about it. My shoulder is aching a bit, so I didn't play the girls and it is hard to sleep. I have to remind myself that it is just three months since I had the surgery. I may be pressing too hard. I'll have to ask the therapist when I go there on Wednesday.

Sunrise today will be at 7:18 a.m. and sunset at 6:34 p.m. I'll get to work on the puzzle after...Tea time and take another crack at affixing the Velcro to the front of the dishwasher. The super glue didn't hold. Not so very super glue, I guess. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City," and the current temperature in the Weather Office is 69°. That's according to the digital readout of the scientific instruments located here. For the outdoor temperatures, I have the analog readout available in the Weather Window, when I look there. Right now that source agrees with the National Weather Service on 13°. The National Weather Service has graciously supplied their input through the auspices of the Weather Channel™. In addition, by looking out that aforementioned Weather Window, I can see that we have only had a light dusting of snow. Given the rains that they are experiencing out West, and the dire predictions that were on TV last night for snow in the Midwest and points east, we have dodged a bullet.

Right now, the National Weather Service is predicting a high of 33° on Friday of this week, and not much precipitation. I like their forecast. However, we have not had the thaw that usually comes to Michigan before now, so our piles continue to grow. Even Sugar the Weather Dog has had enough of the snow she loves. She longs for a good cleaning of her teeth by bone on the deck. I long to be able to join her there with one of the girls. I am glad that we got out there last fall before the snow fell. It was a bit cold, but we were out there reading, listening to the oldies radio station, and generally enjoying life. That seems like a distant memory now.

Today I have no plans. I didn't have any plans yesterday either, but Mary told me that she was taking the afternoon off, and so we were going to the fabric and craft store north of here for an embroidery hoop. I did get some puzzle glue for when I finish the puzzle. I should be able to find the bottle I had from last year now. I normally keep the location of things like that in my "Where I put things" file, but I had no listing for that item.

We got the tickets for the Tigers and my beloved Red Sox yesterday. We made a reservation for a hotel in Detroit too, but we may change it to reflect a different mode of travel. I opted to make the reservation so that we would at least have one day's lodging. I felt that we could always change it if we needed more time. Like the Irish Festival, if you don't get the reservations early, they are gone.

No trains last night/this morning. It is always thus on Saturday and usually Sunday nights. If I have my choice, I'll stay in my scrubs today and not my regular formal dress, which as most people know, is jeans and a shirt appropriate to the season. I switch out the jeans for jeans shorts and a T-shirt in the warmer weather.

Today, sunrise will be at 7:20 a.m., and sunset at 6:32 p.m. Tea time will follow the rising of the sun and then my day begins in earnest. I guess that Mary will have to get back to work today. Me too. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City," and the current temperature is 19°. As we near sunrise at 6:32 a.m., the temperature will begin to rise to its eventual high of 23°. That will take most of the day. There are snow showers in the forecast, but it should not amount to much.

Friday morning I worked on our puzzle, and I actually made significant progress. More today if I am feeling it. After that it was time to go to my P/T appointment where everything went well. I still need to build strength according to the therapist, but that will come. More exercises are on the horizon. I'm like that little engine that could, "Gotta make it, gotta make it, gotta make it."

I went to the grocery store after P/T, and got everything on my list. Having a list helps to remember and limit your purchases, so it is a good thing to have. On the way home, I stopped for gas in the car too. I was going to get some salt for the driveway, but there isn't any to be had in the city. I guess that salt is one of the casualties of our extended winter. I have a few pictures for the end of the blog, but they don't look all that much different.

Today, I hope to stay in and just work more on our puzzle. Mary is busy with work, so she isn't able to offer much outside of encouragement. That's okay, I have nowhere to go with the snow cover the way it is, and all month to get there.

Speaking of time, it is now March 1, and that means it is time to order those Tiger's tickets for their game against my beloved Red Sox. When I have two teams to root for, it is always a pleasure to go to a game. Now if the snow melts before June, it will be all good.

I may play the girls today, if my shoulder feels like it. Usually the day after therapy, it aches a bit more than usual, That's because the therapist has to stretch the muscles etc., in order to increase my range of motion.

Mary and I were discussing the snow pile blockage on our deck that somewhat limits our emergency egress. However as Mary pointed out, in an emergency, we can get out. The piles are not actually blocking the door, but they will make it more interesting.

This being Saturday morning, I usually don't see or hear any trains for two days. I miss their familiar sound and the rumbling of the earth. I know that I sound like I am complaining sometimes, but I actually like them as they pass. I just worry about their cargoes. However, I just watched a train with twin locomotives heading north towing a long, long string of covered hopper cars and a lone white tank car bringing up the rear. I must have missed the southbound train earlier. In any event, unless it derails and dumps a load of grain or other dry cargo, no problem.

Sunset today will be at 6:32 p.m. Time for those new/old pictures. Ciao.

This is the pile that is outside, but not blocking, our emergency exit.

The only difference in this picture is the height of the piles.

What you don't see in this picture is our missing snow shovel. We left it in the pile and someone snatched it.
This pile is nearly as tall as the railing and our roses are under there, somewhere.

Desolation.