Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. We've just passed 3:30 a.m. in "The City" where in the artificially heated weather office, it is 65 artificially heated degrees. Outside the Weather Window, it is 28° as we drop to a just before sunrise low (7:35 a.m.) of 26°. In addition, there is an alert that expires about one-half hour from now for additional snow. I don't see a thing, so I am guessing that the National Weather Service is wrong once again. Surprise! However, there is a 60% chance of additional snow this morning. Same National Weather Service, same results? Who knows? Saturday, the chance for snow showers drops to 10% with a high of 33°.

Earlier today, I took the morning constitutional with Sugar the Weather Dog while Mary waited for a phone call regarding her software download. It wasn't too bad, but in some areas, the sidewalks were snow covered and I reverted to my slowed winter gait to avoid falling in my winter shoes. Like the snow shovel I brought up from the man-cave, I had taken those winter shoes downstairs the day before. Prescient, kismet, or karma? You be the judge. I was able to use the snow shovel to clear a path on the deck for Sugar and me.

Mary got the request for her latest job assignment yesterday. It looks like an interesting book, for both of us. For me highlighting will be a two color effort of joy, while for Mary it will be an exercise in work, mostly.

I never got to the girls nor the book reading, as we didn't get up until 1:00 p.m. Such are the hazards of retirement. I did finish the laundry, well mostly, as it still needs to be put away. The crossword was an exceptionally tough one for a Thursday puzzle. We also got the call for Mary's glasses, so we journeyed across the bridge to retrieve them. While there, I borrowed a soup cookbook to try some recipes. I'll return it on our next trip to the store. Like I often say, if it's soup, I'm there.

Mary will need an additional adjustment on her glasses, not unlike the one I needed today to get mine fitting just right. Like me, she seems to be seeing better, but it takes a few days to get used to new glasses. In addition, we picked up the requisite rebate receipts to receive a $10.00 rebate for each pair of glasses. As always, if it's free, I'm there. Free being a relative term, given the cost of the glasses. I just put those rebate requests in the mail box.

I just watched the 3:30 a.m. train pass by heading north. Twin locomotives #s 2109 and 2057 in the new livery, were heading north towing 14 covered hopper cars. Judging by the lack of rumble, the cars were empty.

Today, I'll take another constitutional with the intrepid weather dog, pick up the newspaper and then settle in for some play time and reading. That's after I do today's crossword. That may not happen until the early afternoon, since I have no need to get up early. Once again, the hazards of retirement. That leisure time will vanish once the new project comes in, but I have a short respite.

Otherwise, not much is happening. The snow will fall, the walks will freeze, and I'll go to the Irish Jam session tomorrow. Tonight, the sun will set at 5:21 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City." I got up to look out the Weather Window, only to see the first significant snowfall of the season. Unfortunately, it is November 13. We have a little over 6/10 of an inch on the ground in anticipation of one to three inches of accumulation today. The snow is falling heavily now, and the first snow is always beautiful and refreshing. Especially if you don't have to drive to work or school. Not really enough to shovel or otherwise remove, but enough to make things slippery. As is all too often the case, people will have forgotten how to drive in the snow, and crash reports will become part of the news. We'll likely see the obligatory videos of salt trucks, cars in the ditch, wreckers, and people telling us it's cold out, drive carefully, etc. We plan to stay in today. The sun will rise at 7:33 this morning.

After walking with Sugar the Weather Dog, and doing some things at home, we ran several of our errands yesterday. My new glasses came in and so we picked those up after going to the inexpensive everything store. They had a sign up at the register that they will be open on Thanksgiving. That incensed both Mary and me. If you don't know two weeks before the holiday that you need an aluminum foil roasting pan, a can of green beans, or heaven forbid, a box of stuffing, a can of gravy, or whatever else people manage to forget, then you shouldn't be preparing a dinner that involves a hot stove and hot grease. Mary sent a missive to the corporation that operates those stores. It won't help, but at least they know how we feel. Just saying.

We followed that stop with a visit to the optometrist. My new glasses fit great, I can see better than I have in a long time, and while not in keeping with my usual status of the "World's Cheapest Man", they are worth it. Mary's glasses are not in yet, but should be soon. We won't get them today if they come in, because we won't drive in the snow. We also made it to the small grocery store on the other side of the bridge, where I got to return cans, some of which the machine wouldn't accept due to their lack of a Michigan return label. We got the beverage there, so that seems odd. I guess I'll have to avoid that particular brand of ale from now on.

We reversed the above procedure and went back across the bridge to visit with Sally. We decided that with the weather forecast, that it was the best day to do a visit. Sally had prepared a nice pasta salad which she shared with us. We then departed for home, where we had the salad for dinner as a side, and it was great. Then it was time for the evening news and also time for bed. Sugar had her final out and I went off to the media room and a bit of TV. Then I was ready for bed.

Today, the sun will set at 5:21 p.m. with the snow tapering off. Of course, there is always that chance of a rogue snow shower, but nothing I see on the radar indicates that that will be the case. A long way of saying that if Mary's glasses come in, we should be able to get them on Friday. I'll do some reading, playing with the girls, and walking with the intrepid weather dog. Plus, I'll finish the laundry. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City." We have a current outdoor temperature of 34°, before we hit our predawn low of 30° just before the sun rises at 7:33 a.m. Right now, we have a waning gibbous moon showing outside the Weather Window. Here in the indoor
Weather Office, not to be confused with the local television station that has an outdoor Weather Deck, it is 66 digitally reported degrees. Later today, we are anticipating a high temperature of 34° with a 70% chance of snow. Thursday, the chance of snow decreases to 60%, albeit with a possible accumulation of one to three inches.

Mary got her lettuce covered last night. She also wouldn't let me bring the snow shovel up from the man-cave. I guess that it is her belief in karma or kismet when it comes to keeping the snow at bay. I still have to get it out of storage, no karma or kismet for me. The snow will probably be short lived, but I'm not ready on November 12.

Elsewhere in our fair city, Mary, Sugar the Weather Dog, and I took the morning constitutional yesterday in the face of a hurricane west wind. Thanks to Gordon Lightfoot for that line. Sugar, in true dog fashion, needed to stop at every tree, bush, and pole to check her messages. She replied to the important ones.

I heard the southbound train earlier, about 12:15 a.m. The northbound train just passed at 2:57 a.m. Two locomotives sporting the new livery, #s 2057 and 2019 respectively, were towing nine covered hopper cars, one white tank car, then two additional covered hopper cars, as a white tank car brought up the rear. I could tell from the speed and the lack of the ground shaking that comes with many trains, that it was unladen.

Mary made pumpkin lasagna for dinner last night. She must have thought it could be better, judging by her comments, but I liked it. Plus, more pumpkin was being used up. I also had a piece of the pumpkin pie for dessert. I'll have to ask in the morning if she stored some of the apple sauce in the freezer. While I like homemade apple sauce, I asked to skip it as the side with yesterday's lunch sandwiches. I know it will be back. Sugar will continue to get pumpkin as part of her breakfast. She likes it and it's good for her delicate Corgi system.

I got in some time with the girls yesterday, and I plan more today. Saturday is the monthly Irish Jam session, and that means I need to be ready, thus the playtime.

I was listening to the national news at the top of the hour. One item caught my ear. Two GM plants here in Michigan will be laying off about 500 workers, due to the slowing demand for small cars. That slowing is due to falling gasoline prices. People are way too fickle. If you own a large car already, fine. But to buy one based on current gasoline prices seems like a bad idea.

Today, I'd like to get out with the intrepid weather dog. Mary will probably accompany us for that shortened sojourn. I'd also like to get out for a trip to a local store for some things that we'd like to get from the local inexpensive supply store. But that can wait. I do have to do the laundry.

The sun will set  at 5:24 p.m. and then we'll have a cold evening. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is 56°. We'll be dropping to the overnight low of 49°, which will also be today's high temperature after the sun rises at 7:30 a.m. A 90% chance of showers is forecast for today. By Wednesday, the forecast drops the chance of precipitation to 10%. Thursday, the temperature will not leave the mid 30s accompanied by snow showers. All three days will also have winds in the upper 20 mph range. Fall is definitely over. I did get the lawn mower exchanged for the snow blower too.

Mary and I continued our shared book yesterday, and it is interesting. I also began my own non-fiction book, The Bill of the Century, by Clay Risen. The shared book is about the founding fathers and their politics, their science, and their scientific approach to life in the colonies. My book is about the signing of the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the events and people who helped make it a reality. Both books are fascinating.

First thing in the morning yesterday, 11:00 a.m., I sat down with the girls, while Mary stayed in bed. One hour later, it was noon and it was finally time to get on with our day. Mary finished up her index editing and I read after we went walkabout with Sugar the Weather Dog. Later in the afternoon, we went walkabout again, this time sans the intrepid weather dog. We ended up at the favorite watering hole. We both decided that the weather wasn't going to get any better as the week wore on.

Home for some television watching and then it was my bedtime. That's when I had this weird dream about a stand-up comedian who was doing a bit about indexers. I was in the act, but I don't remember in what way, except that I know I assisted in getting everybody to hold up their index fingers and that's about it. What I do know is that the audience was composed of people who didn't have a clue what an indexer is or does. Very strange. Not that people didn't know what an indexer is or does, but that a comedian was doing a bit about about indexers.

Today, more play with the girls and more reading after trying to coax Sugar the Weather Dog out into the rain that is supposed to last all day. If she won't go, I won't force the issue. Who needs a wet and grumpy dog? I'll probably do some laundry before the sun sets at 5:24 p.m. Then more television viewing before the day ends. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 6:00 a.m. in "The City."

I'm going to start out with the Trainspotting Report, because the train that rolled through at 5:00 a.m., was the catalyst for my being up now. I had planned to stay snug in my bed, but the train whistle sang out and I couldn't resist it's siren song. Twin EMD GP 38 locomotives, #s 2057 and 2019, went by at a moderate rate of speed, towing a total of 35 mixed cars. One box car, then two covered hopper cars, followed by another box car, followed by 31 additional covered hopper cars. Not a long train. I was up late enough to have heard the southbound train and yet, I didn't. The covered hopper cars were showing their age. One still had New York Central livery and many were so rusty, that they should have been retired years ago.

On to the weather report. The sun will be rising at 7:30 a.m. today, to reveal the cloudy skies that are forecast to bring a 50% chance of showers this morning and a high temperature of 54°. Tomorrow, the precipitation forecast rises to 70%, with a high of 47°. Wednesday, the forecast for the descent of the Polar Vortex seems to be in our future, as the precipitation prediction changes to a mere 10%, but the temperature will not rise above 33°. Brrrr!

All that is my long winded way of saying that starting Wednesday, it may be time to limit the outdoor activities. Even though the wind will be blowing, Mary and I will  walk with Sugar the Weather Dog to get the morning newspaper. Mary suggested that our rain pants would make excellent wind-breakers for the walks on the windy days.

Speaking of Mary, I told her yesterday morning that it was time to use some of that pumpkin I baked on Saturday to make a pie. I said I could make the filling while she made the flaky crust. Our collective pie became mostly Mary's pie, while I became a spectator, as she took over most of the kitchen activities. Sugar filled her usual role as Sous Dog, but I became the second string Sous Chef, while Sugar fell to third string. I think Sugar did better than me. The resultant pie is not quite ready for prime time consumption. The crust is flaky and the filling has a nice taste, but I think that the pumpkin that I baked would be better suited to  being a side dish than a pie filling. The consistency is not quite up to expectations. Here is a picture of that pie as it cooled on the shelf in the mud room window.

As I said, good taste, but not yet ready for prime time consumption. I am not discouraged. Mary has surmised that we need to reduce the amount of additional liquid due to the higher water content of this particular variety of pumpkin. We can try it and see what happens. I also feel as though we should increase the amount of brown sugar to compensate for the lack of natural sugar. 

Today, we'll get that walk in with Sugar and then settle in to read more of our collective book as well as the non-fiction book that I am now starting, since I finished my latest pulp fiction novel yesterday. I have more fiction to read, but I am reading in the order in which I picked up the books. Mary has some editing to do on a previous index. I also hope to find time to play with the girls. That should be a full day. The sun will set at 5:26 p.m. and then it will be time to relax. Ciao. 

To borrow a line from the Wizard of OZ, come back tomorrow. My thought processes are out of whack. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City." Just outside the Weather Window, it's cold. Well not cold by the standards of next week, but cold. However, when the wind isn't blowing here in GH, the temperatures that have predominated for the last few days have been wonderful. Thursday night, when the winds were blowing at 20 mph, it felt cold to me. Today, we are expecting a high of 43° with an 80% chance of rain, and windy conditions. A good day to stay in and read. Tomorrow will be about the same. However on Monday, the National Weather Service has forecast that temperatures will stay the same, but the 60% chance of rain and snow does not sound inviting.

Friday I got all of the outdoor work done on the Palatial Estate. The patio furniture is covered and the deck is bereft of life, except for the lettuce that Mary is growing. She feels that it must be covered soon if it is to survive. I'd say that's not my problem, but somehow, her plans become my work. However, I made an executive decision to move the patio furniture and cover it myself, because it is sometimes easier to do that kind of thing solo.

Sugar the Weather Dog and I took the morning constitutional to pick up the newspaper, while Mary went to the library to pick up books. Mary then chopped vegetables to make broth from the vegetables that were in the drawer of the refrigerator, before they were too old to eat. That's one good thing about a slow cooker, you can make broth for the future and not have to waste vegetables.

Later in the afternoon, I got in a little playing with the girls and then we went to the Post to chat with Sally and enjoy some libations. Home to fee Sugar and then time for me to relax in the media room. I didn't last long, and I was off to bed.

Today, not much is planned and that's fine with me. Mary may go to the big-box grocery and all things store to replenish the vegetables, but that is something that I don't have to participate in today. I did my duty when we returned all the cans the other day, which is the only real function that I have in a grocery store. Fine with me. More time with the girls and more time to read.

So before the sun rises at 7:26 a.m. and well before it sets at 5:26 p.m., I'll be off to bed again. Ciao.