Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City," and our current temperature outdoors is 33°. Indoors the temperature is a more comfortable 71°. Today we are expecting a high of 40°, and then the only day with temperatures under 30° is Tuesday. Yee-Haw! Best of all, the precipitation predicted for next Wednesday is 40%, and that will be rain.

Thursday found me working on our puzzle, reading some, and playing "The Girls" some. What's not to like? I did some exercises too, but as is often the case, the day after my P/T, my shoulder is a bit sore. I think to day will be better. My feeling is that today will be much like yesterday, except that I may add in some laundry to stay ahead of it. For breakfast, I had my first apple in my Cheerios, shared by Sugar the Weather Dog, and I think we both enjoyed it.

After breakfast, Sugar and I took a walk to the local independent book seller and bought the newspaper before going on a more extended walkabout. Today, Mary tells me that if Sugar and I wait until it gets warmer, around midday, she will join us. Mary made a great salad for lunch, I even ate some mushrooms, and that was mostly fine with me. I wish I could like mushrooms, but I find that their texture is something that I can easily live without. Sugar, on the other hand, loves the stems that Mary would otherwise discard. Those, along with the dregs from the tuna fish can that Mary lets Sugar chase around. Sugar is fun to watch, and I truly believe that she thinks that with apples, mushroom stems, and that tuna can, she has hit the jackpot. As people have often observed, without thumbs, Sugar struggles a bit. But like they also say, the joy of the journey is a pursuit in itself. Did you ever wonder who the proverbial "They" is?

Otherwise, I like having nowhere to go, and all day to get there. Mary has to work, and I have to do the laundry. We both get to "Work from home," but I think my work is a lot easier. I also have a confession to make. Although my aching shoulder often makes me get up to allow the OTC pain pills to kick in, I find myself drawn to my blog like the proverbial moth to the flame. I'd say that I would be like lemmings to the sea, but that's a myth. Those small rodents have a periodic unexplained population explosion, but they have no desire to toss themselves into the sea. In fact, push come to shove, they are fully capable of swimming. There, I have now officially used enough proverbial sayings for one blog.

Today in GH, the sun will rise at 7:58 a.m., just before...Tea time. Sunset will occur nearly 12 hours later at 7:49 p.m. Our high temperature of 40° today, will happen about 1:00 p.m. That should work out just fine for our walking schedule. At 40°, it should feel almost balmy out there. As I, not the proverbial they, have been known to say, "What's not to like?"

I just watched the northbound train go by. This one was decidedly more fuel efficient than the one yesterday morning. The usual twin EMD GP 38 locomotives, one new and one older, towing a contingent of 55 covered hopper cars, one way older covered hopper car, one box car and two of those dreaded black tank cars. Maybe I should be more worried about those covered hopper cars. I like to believe that they are filled with cereal grains and the like. I somehow missed the southbound train.

So, that looks like about enough for today. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in "The City," and the current temperature is a chilly 10°. Our high later today is forecast to be 28°. On Friday, it will be a balmy 42°. Unfortunately, then the temperatures will plunge back to the lower 30s on Saturday, before they fall to the upper 20s on Sunday. It looks like we will stay in the 20s until Tuesday, when we return to the lower 30s. Here's hoping that those temperature forecasts are the harbinger of good things to come. We should be averaging in the low to mid 40s by now. The view out the Weather Window is dark with a side of cloudy. I base that on the fact that I can't see any stars this morning.

Once again, it looks like we dodged the storm bullet. According to the TV weather report, the snow hit hard in Chicago, South Bend, IN, and St. Joseph, MI, and surrounding counties, not to mention the East Coast. That's fine with me.

I have been waiting since just after 12:00 a.m. for the Internet service to come back. The cable television service has been working fine all along, but the Internet which feeds this computer and our radios, was out. Why? I don't know and I doubt that if I had called, whether anyone at the cable company would have done anything.

Actually, they would have gone through all of the standard fixes that they are supposed to recommend. Unplug your router. Let it rest for at least one minute, plug it in again and wait for it to reboot. Oh, be sure that you checked all of your connections too. If that didn't work, they would schedule a service call. Chances are that the box that is open on the pole may have something to do with it. Ever since the installer was here to add cable to my neighbors house a few days ago, that box has been open and a reel of coaxial cable has been sitting on the ground below. I guess I need to call the company. That shouldn't be my responsibility.

Wednesday afternoon, Mary went to the dentist. I mistakenly thought she was scheduled to go in the morning. While she was gone, I did the dishes and then worked on our puzzle. I am making significant progress. I went to my P/T appointment and the therapist stretched me some, taught me some new exercises, and then told me to keep on keeping on until next week.

Mary came along, and while there, she found an advertisement/listing for the same company that operates the center where I go. They offer a six session get ready for golf activity, that will improve your stroke, make sure that you don't hurt yourself, and teach you some additional stretches. I plan to give it a try. Even if I don't play much, I can uses the additional information. It is relatively inexpensive too.

The train went by heading south at around 12:30 a.m. Two locomotives towing one box car and 23 covered hopper cars. The same locomotives headed back north at about 3:15 a.m., towing nothing. I wonder what they are doing when they aren't going by. I also wonder how having an engineer and two locomotives "Deadheading" back to the other end of the line is an efficient use of fuel.

Today I have no real plans. Mary has to work, but I don't have anything specific in mind. Reading, exercising, playing "The Girls," and working on our puzzle. Oh, I have to take Sugar the Weather Dog for our second walk together this year. I had been unable to walk with her due to my shoulder surgery since early December. We have to walk in the streets because the sidewalks are still snow covered in most places, but if we are careful, we do fine.

Yesterday when I was getting ready to go out for that first walk, Mary took out two quarters to allow me to buy the the Grand Haven Tribune, at the local independent bookstore. Sugar picked up on that cue immediately when I placed the quarters in my pocket and she was ready to go, as though the months since my surgical incapacity had never happened. She didn't forget what the quarters in my pocket meant. When I got ready to go to P/T, she thought it was time for her second daily walk. That's something that we generally did before my surgery. Like I said, she never forgets the little details.

That looks like enough for this morning. Sunrise will be at 7:38 a.m., just before...Tea time and another bowl from that last box of Cheerios. Sunset will happen at 7:47 p.m. I tried to get Mary to buy more cereal the other day when we went to the store, but she told me to be patient, this box had a few more days in it. Ciao.

Good early morning GH, It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City," and the current temperature is 36° as we head down to today's high of 25°. We won't see the 40s again until Friday, and then only for one day. It looks like we may have dodged a bullet that is called Vulcan. The snowfall that is forecast to hit the East Coast and points south, won't hit us, for once. That means that Mary can make it to her dental appointment later this morning, and I can make it to my P/T appointment later this afternoon.

I am currently looking out the Weather Window and there is no sign of that snow. Indoors, our temperature is 72 digitally reported degrees. I am tempted to quote from that old song, What a Difference a Day Made, wherein the lyrics state that, "What a difference a day made, twenty-four little hours." I almost used that lyric yesterday. When the outdoor temperature goes up, the indoor temperature in this old house, (pardon my pun), goes up too. I can look forward to another change by tomorrow morning.

Yesterday, Mary and I journeyed to the medium-box grocery store to pick up those things that we didn't get at the larger store the day before. The experiences were 180° apart. Pleasant engaged people, we easily found all of the items we wanted, and we didn't have to walk for what seemed like miles in a store too hot for comfort. In short, everything that a store can be. There are only one or two items that we have to get at that big-box store that we can't get at the medium sized store. We may have to adapt. We also traded in that smaller bag of food that we had picked up for Sugar the Weather Dog while we were out. Instead we got the larger bag that did offer a significant economy of scale.

In the later afternoon yesterday, we made a decision to take the older bag of food to the local shelter. They are always in need of food for the shelter dogs, and both Mary and I have a soft spot for shelters and their dogs. Sugar couldn't understand why we were taking away her food, but she was okay when she found that a replacement was on hand. You'll find a picture at the end that helps to explain.

Last night at 9:55 p.m. to 10:05 p.m., the train went by heading south. In order for the train to move any slower, it would have to stop. 28 cars and two locomotives took 10 full minutes to cross the nearby railroad crossing. Several impatient drivers were held up by the slow train. Twin locomotives, and their tow, moved so slowly that the wheels on the rails sounded like a Chicago elevated train. What an eclectic collection of cars. One box car, 20 covered hopper cars, one older, graffiti covered hopper car, and then a mix of five black, one white and two black tank cars brought up the rear.

Earlier this morning, at 2:15 a.m., the same locomotives headed north pulling a long string of covered hopper cars. That train took only a couple of minutes to pass. That means that all of the train traffic should be over for the night/morning.

Today, I plan to work on our puzzle more before I go to that P/T appointment. Yesterday, Mary reminded me to get out of the chair and walk around a bit, lest my back start aching again. She was right. However, while she was using my computer to do her twice weekly chat with her work group, my little box of chips became infected with multiple pieces of spyware. I spent several tedious minutes trying to get this machine to respond before I gave up, rebooted, and ran the scanners. I often wonder why I have an Internet security service when the service never seems to secure anything.

I did take some pictures for my winter chronology just in case the storm hit us. I'll share a couple at the end.

That looks like enough for now. Sunrise will be at 8:01 and sunset at 7:45 p.m. Ciao

Why these dogs? Because they were lifesavers when I was in the hospital a few years back.

What Ragus can see from her spot on the porch

Here too. 

Our trees have taken a beating this winter, with branches pinned in the snow.

We were almost there by late yesterday afternoon, you can see the grass in the middle .

Our hose is peeking out from beneath the snow covering the outdoor entrance to the "Man-Cave."

By way of perspective,  man vs. snow.  Note the relatively cleaner driveway.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City." Currently our indoor temperature is 71°, due in large measure to the outdoor temperature of 37°. That means that although all I can see out the Weather Window is darkness, I know that the snow piles continue to melt. That's good for us, for Sugar the Weather Dog, and humankind in general.

Unfortunately, with the exception of a couple of days later this week, once the curtain falls on today, we go back into the twenties. That will effectively end the melting of the snow and make driving and walking more hazardous. Hopefully, the prediction for three more inches of snow over lower Michigan later this week, courtesy of Winter Storm Vulcan, is wrong. Given the way that winter has gone so far, I'm not counting on that. Mary talked to Sugar's walker, and promised to call if we need her. We may. Sigh.

Mary and I journeyed to the big box grocery/everything store mid-afternoon yesterday. I was lucky enough to get the can return duty, which as it turned out, was probably better. Mary was dressed for the outdoors, so the heat turned up too high inside that store for a warmer day, nearly caused her to pass out. I think that some people are veterans when it comes to big box shopping. Mary just wants the experience to be over.

Once that experience was over, we headed for the veterinarian to get some additional food for Sugar. This is her special kidney diet and it is expensive in a smaller amount. Although still expensive, next time I'll have to buy a larger quantity. There is a real savings in buying in bulk in this case. I just had a thought. Since I haven't opened the smaller bag, maybe I can take the smaller bag back and buy the larger one. I'll have to ask Mary. I don't want to drive. I have to do that on Wednesday afternoon while she works and I go to P/T.

Afterwards, we stopped in at our favorite watering hole for dinner. On the way there, we passed the Armory Building in GH. This building is 109 years old and has served as an armory, the YMCA, and is now offices and shops. As we passed, both coming and going, people were coming out and milling around. The Public Safety people were rolling up as we passed the first time. According to the Grand Haven Tribune, it turns out that one of the shop owners smelled or saw smoke coming from an unused area of the building.

Using sophisticated thermal imaging cameras, Public Safety determined that a faulty heating unit was the culprit. They turned control of the building over to a maintenance person who promised to call an HVAC repair person today. Since this building is of an historic nature, Public Safety was taking no chances.

That was about it for our day. We came home, watched the snow melt, and watched a little TV. I went upstairs to the "Media Room," while Mary remained downstairs. After a while I fell asleep in my chair, and Mary must have come up to bed, where I found her when I came to bed later. I am up now because of my aching shoulder. However, the OTC pain pill will handle that shortly and I can return to bed.

I got all of my housework done yesterday afternoon, which Mary will say contributed to my aches and pains. However, my shoulder feels about the same as it always does after lying in bed for a few hours. So it is just possible that the extra exertion didn't hurt me, and may have helped.

The train passed heading south at 9:47 p.m. last night. I haven't heard one going north yet, but that often happens about 4:00 a.m. The one I saw had twin EMD GP 38 locomotives pulling 21 covered hopper cars, three of those dreaded black tank cars, and four of the usually benign white tank cars. If the train heading north goes by before I go back to bed, I'll add it to this blog.

Today Mary will work, and I'll read and work on our puzzle. That's about enough for today. Having completed the housework, the laundry, and with Mary and I getting the shopping done yesterday, I don't have any further ambitions.

Sunrise will be at 8:03 a.m. and sunset at 7:45 p.m. Ciao

Good early morning GH. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City." It is amazing what a one degree difference in the indoor temperature feels like. It was 70° in the Weather Office yesterday morning around this time and only 69° this morning. I felt the need to put on my slippers and my fleece from the Wisconsin Dells, to ward off the chill. On this second morning of DST, the view out the Weather Window is dark, with a side of melting snow. It is 36° this morning. Those warmer outdoor temperatures are forecast to last through Tuesday, when we return to the twenties for several days. We should see some melting by then, but alas, certainly not all of the snow cover will be gone.

Sunday I almost got up the energy to go to the library to see a fiddle group from one of the area high schools. I have heard some of their members play with the Irish Jam sessions I like to play with, and they are quite proficient. However, since that would have required getting into the car to go one and one half blocks to the library, I chose not to go. I didn't want to run the car because the sidewalks were icy on March 9. For the same reason, Sugar the Weather Dog didn't get a walk. The forecast calls for our temperatures to remain low for the next couple of weeks.

Mary and I  collectively completed a collage style picture that we have been working on for two years. That collage shows the Castro Theater in both a printed format that we got in San Francisco and in two pictures that Mary took while we were there two years ago. That was the year that it was 70 - 80 beautiful degrees here, and in the 50s and rainy in San Francisco. Not just the usual drizzly rain that seems to be part of San Francisco weather, but a heavy Midwest type of rain. During our visit, on a whim, Mary and I rode the trolley out to "The Castro" as the area is known by the locals.

Like the legendary "Haight-Ashbury" district in San Francisco, "The Castro" has a character that is distinct and different. Instead of what are collectively known as hippies, both then and now, "The Castro" is now home to the LGBT community of San Francisco. In the halcyon days of San Francisco, "The Castro" was a vibrant, working class community with what has to be the coolest hardware store that I have ever been privy to see. Now it is home to a diverse population, many superb restaurants, and that hardware store.

Our collective collage efforts now have a prominent home in our Media Room. It used to hang in what is now home to a movie poster of the film Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. Since the theme of our collage is the Castro Theater, it is perfect in its final home on the north wall.

Today I plan to finish my housework, do the laundry, and work a little on our puzzle. I worked on the puzzle yesterday, just before dinner, but I stopped for the day as it was getting dark in the dining room. Plus, since I occupy part of the dining room table while I am working, I had to clear room for dinner. Dinner consisted of some leftovers from our favorite watering hole, and the remainder of a veggie meatloaf that we had had for lunch.

At lunch time, Mary made her now famous cauliflower gravy to use as a garnish for the veggie meatloaf. She critiqued her own efforts on the gravy, saying she forgot to put in the Worcestershire sauce. I liked it anyway, but I like most of the meals that Mary prepares. If I don't, I tell her. We had as a side with lunch, a salad recipe that Mary crafted from that cookbook she picked up when we were out the other day. Sauerkraut, chopped onions, carrots, sugar and vinegar, combined with olive oil to create what we both agreed is a wonderful taste treat. Mary didn't add quite as much sugar as the recipe called for, and maybe that is why it was so good. We both tend to like things a bit more tart than sweet. The salad requires some time in the refrigerator to let all of the ingredients blend and complement each other.

I also found time to exercise and play the girls too. However, since I haven't been actively finger picking for several weeks, my wrist hurt more than my shoulder. Go figure. Still, it felt good to play none the less. Given all that I have placed on my own plate today, I doubt that I'll get in much additional playing time. I will get to my exercises though.

Sunrise will be at 8:07 a.m., and sunset at 7:42 p.m. I've not heard any trains, so if they come, I'll be in bed by then. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 6:30 a.m. E.D.T. in "The City." Our current temperature right outside the Weather Window is 12°. Indoors, it is a much more comfortable 70°. Since we have now sprung forward, it should be darker in the A.M., but it will stay lighter in the P.M. Most opinions say that it makes driving safer in the evening, allows children to have more social time, and in general, allows farmers to work in the fields longer. When you are retired, most of those things don't matter.

Success, I managed to set my watch to match the current DST time for the Eastern Time Zone. I am feeling empowered. Score watch 0, Jack 1. My computer, just to mock me I believe, changed the time all by itself. I changed all of the clocks, including the ones downstairs. That is except for the clock radio in the the downstairs bedroom. It is supposed to take care of itself, but darned if I can figure it out. Maybe Adam or Steph knows.

Yesterday we got up late, and then had a light breakfast before journeying to the Post for Soup and Slider Fest. Five restaurants were represented, and each had their own offering, though some were similar. Sally says that Friday and Saturday were a particularly busy couple of days. I think that most of us were tired of winter and just ready to have some social time. We had a good time, Mary took some pictures, and then it was time to go home.

As is often the case, I got tired and then came upstairs for a nap. My nap lasted a bit longer than planned, but that's okay. One good thing, before I could spend too much time in my clothes, I changed into my scrubs for my nap. If you have noticed, I like being in my scrubs. Does that make me old?

Sugar the Weather Dog went out with Mary for a walk yesterday before we left, but according to Mary, Sugar seemed perfectly content to just walk and not get down to business, so to speak. Sugar is a sentient being, so she has a mind of her own. However, even she can't delay the call of nature forever.

Today more shoulder strengthening exercises, more puzzle, and perhaps a bit of fiction reading. Maybe some playing of the "Girls," but that is always determined by how my shoulder feels. I got the email from the coordinator of the Irish Jam at the library to remind us that the next session is on Saturday the 15th. I plan to go, but I will have to limit my playing time. That's okay with me, just being able to play is a plus.

Otherwise not much on tap for today. Laundry may rear its ugly head. While Mary and Sugar were out yesterday, I started the vacuuming, so that needs to be finished.

Sunrise will be at 8:07 a.m., and sunset at 7:42 p.m. That confirms the darker mornings and lighter evenings. Only AZ and HI do not observe DST. Indiana used to not change either, and some counties there still observe Central time and others some still don't change. Here in GH, we are about as far west as you can get, and not be in the Central Time Zone.

No trains this morning. Ciao

Good early morning GH. It is just past 2:30 a.m. in "The City," and the current temperature is 33°. It looks like we will be in the thirties for the next several days. On Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on the source consulted, we drop into the twenties for one day and then return to the thirties. Hopefully, we stay there or above for a long time. Indoors, 70° is the current temperature. The view out the Weather Window is dark, but at 2:00 a.m., that's to be expected.

I had to throw in a mention of an activity that I accomplished last Wednesday. I noticed that the striker plate was missing from one of the doors here in the estate. Since we have antique door hardware, I was afraid that I"d have to go shopping in various stores to locate a replacement. However, something jogged my memory, and I went to the bench in the man-cave. Lo and behold, I found a striker plate in one of the drawers. With a little help from my chisels, a hammer, and a drill motor, I successfully installed the plate. Mary didn't even notice that we had a plate missing, but I did, and therefore I just had to effect a replacement. A complete success.

I have to thank Adam for his rearrangement of the man-cave about two years ago. Since I sit at the bench periodically and open the drawers, I was able to remember that I had that plate. That was about my limit for woodworking this week. My shoulder is still aching, but when I am careful, I can do many things.

Speaking of that achy shoulder, that's why I am up right now, waiting for the pain pill to kick in. Writing this reminded me to get up and stretch my aching back. Mary says that I need to do that more often, and she is right. There are concessions that have to be made to age. Mary and I noted that we have been unable to walk much this year. Too much snow and ice.

Mary checked past entries in her blog en route to looking up something else, and found pictures that showed green grass in Central Park and hardly any snow in late winter last year. In a picture she took in Duncan Woods, near the hospital, one of her blogs shows no snow in January 2013. Along with the caption, her blog describes she and Sugar the Weather Dog walking with me to a doctor's appointment at the hospital. They turned off at Duncan Woods and I kept going. What a difference a year makes.

Speaking of the hospital, I went to my P/T appointment and all went well. However, there are somethings that I still can't do, so the therapist gave me some additional exercises and a different resistance band to help me at home. He said don't hurt yourself, but keep up the exercising. He stretched my shoulder before my personal efforts, and that helped a lot.

Yesterday, after my appointment, Mary and I journeyed to GR to see the Home and Garden show. Mary took some pictures and she will blog about our visit. A lot of walking, more than we have done in quite a spell. We did get some useful items, so the trip wasn't wasted. However, the potholes in the roads leading to and from GR, and in GR itself, were a challenge. I still wonder where the money that this state collects in a special gasoline tax to repair roads is going. I must mention, that I got my annual Shamrock Shake on the way home. One a year is fine with me.

Today is Soup and Slider Fest at the Post. Local restaurants will be purveying their efforts, and there will be live music. That will consume part of our morning and early afternoon. Since I need to stay out of my puzzle chair, that's all good. Speaking of getting up periodically, I am doing that right now. I also need to not overuse the phrase "Speaking of," any more in this blog. Oops, I just did.

When we got back to GH, we stopped in at our favorite watering hole. One of the wait staff, who has been on maternity leave, has returned. She shared pictures of her new baby. Cute and smiley, just as they should be.

One train this morning at 4:15 a.m., heading north. Twin locomotives, several covered hopper cars, three box cars, one lone black tank car, and what appeared to be hopper cars that are older and well used. I must have missed the southbound train earlier last night. That's okay, there is always another day.

Tomorrow morning, I'll share my semi-annual experiences with setting my wrist watch ahead for daylight savings time.. I checked my archives and found the setting instructions, and I think I've got it. At the risk of sounding trite, only time will tell.

Sunrise will be at 7:07 a.m., and sunset at 6:40 p.m. I brought in the last and final box of cheerios from the pantry on Friday. I still have to finish the box in the cabinet, but I need to add to the available amount. As I told Mary, I like cold cereal, but I need a change to something other than Cheerios. Hint, hint. Mary, next time you are at the store, buy some raisin bran, crisped rice, wheat flakes, corn flakes, anything other than Cheerios. There I've said it. Ciao.