Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 8:00 a.m. in "T he City." My DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 51°, which matches that of the NWS, which is also reporting a "Real Feel" temperature of 46° with a wind out of the southeast @ 13 mph. The sun rose this morning @ 7:32 a.m. and it will set later @ 5:24 p.m.

Perhaps that strong wind is part and parcel to why the NWS has issued a Gale Warning for the "Big Lake" from St. Joseph to Manistee. The forecast calls for wind-speeds from 35 to 40 knots and waves peaking at a height of 10' later this afternoon into the early evening hours, especially north of GH, before that Gale Warning is over @ 7:00 p.m. Mariners are strongly encouraged to stay in port or seek a sheltered place to anchor. The NWS has canceled the Small Craft Advisory. I don't even know why the former didn't automatically supersede the latter. Oh well, another of life's little mysteries.

Mary and I have appointments today that require us to be out, between 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m., when the rain is expected to fall at its highest amounts of 53% to 100%. 

Other than that, there is the need for our fur-children to be fed and let out around that same time. STWD will probably be unwilling to go out except very quickly, while Ginger will be more than willing, with the caveat that she comes back a wet terrier. Not a pretty sight.

Speaking of our fur-children, I thought I should put in some pix of them in all their furry glory.

The "Cutest Dog on the Planet!"

A close second.

I did just the minimum number of outdoor chores yesterday and then I stopped. I had already been to P/T, so I was more than willing to rest the balance of my day. While I was in the back-forty, Mary took STWD and then Ginger for their own outdoor activities. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:00 a.m. in "The City", where the temperature display on my DTWS shows a brisk 33° that according to the NWS, feels like 32° with a wind out of the south @ one mph.

We have no current watches, advisories, nor warnings in effect right now, but that will change tomorrow morning @ 7:00 a.m. when the NWS has issued both a Small Craft Advisory and a  Gale Warning from St. Joseph to Manistee. until 7:00 p.m. tomorrow night.

The Small Craft Advisory may deliver southeast wind-speeds up to 30 knots with wave heights up to five feet, while the Gale Warning portends wind-speeds up to 40 knots and wave heights up to10 feet north of GH! Plus, the weekend may bring additional Small Craft Advisories with a good chance for rain to accompany them. Mariners are encouraged to stay in port and off of Lake Michigan, lest they join the myriad shipwrecks that are part and parcel to life on the Inland Ocean. 

Our overnight low-temperature this early a.m. will be 33°, while today's high-temperature will rise to 56° with an overnight low-temperature of 46°. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:31 a.m. and set later @ 5:25 p.m.

I didn't have to travel far yesterday to get pix for this blog. I'm not posting these photos anywhere else, so enjoy. While I was at my P/T appointment, a mysterious source of new ballast dropped some stone, along the tracks. Mary asked if I had seen the stone when I was leaving just before noon yesterday, but I had not. Also while I was out, Mary saw a train pass by heading south, very slowly .

Later, we discovered the source of that stone drop. The train returned in reverse with what Mary believed were the exact same cars, this time being pushed by the regular locomotives from the MMRR, #s 2019 and 2170. I noticed that some of the cars were designed to drop stone as they rolled by. Mystery solved.

The logo of the MMRR pained on locomotive 2170.

One of those aforementioned stone-dropping hopper cars.

Here are those locomotives heading south with a flagman to stop traffic, since the signals have not been reactivated after the recent track work.

Not as freshly painted as #2170, this is MMRR locomotive #2019 passing by.

Whereas MMRR locomotive #2170 was repainted more recently.

On their return trip southward, the locomotives had picked up some additional cars north of GH.

A covered gondola car.

A DBTC (Dreaded Black Tank Car).

And a tagged hopper car.

Also while I was outside, I took a pic of a man who had stopped on his bike to watch the train pass slowly by.

 

A true train aficionado. 

I also got a shot of this front-end loader that belongs to the GH Department of Public Works, as the driver had to wait for the train to clear the crossing before she could return to the public works garage on the other side of Beacon Blvd.

Sometimes, good pictures are as near as your own front porch.

Today, I have another P/T appointment, lunch, and then some yardwork with a self-imposed end time. There is also more reading to do. Mary is still hard at work on her cross-stitching and she plans to make lunch while I am at P/T, as I don't like to eat before a P/T session. 

Here is a throw in for you movie buffs. Kudos and a genuine No Prize to those of you under the age of 60 who can name the star of the movie and the singer from that movie that gave us the song I've listed below. The title of the movie that gave us this "One-Hit Wonder" released in 1968, was Wild in the Streets. Of course, that's without looking at or listening to the clip from YouTube first.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEqWCH_4srU

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:55 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature displayed on my DTWS is 50° under fair-skies. The NWS is showing that the "Real Feel" temperature is 46° with a wind out of the east @ five mph. 

Today's high temperature forecast from the NWS calls for a balmy 57° under partly-cloudy skies with an overnight low-temperature of 33°, a seeming anomaly given the overnight low on Monday night was/is 48°and Wednesday's forecast is calling for an overnight low of 48°. Go figure.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:30 a.m. and set later @ 5:26 p.m.

We took Ginger to her grooming appointment yesterday afternoon and then we stopped at our auxiliary garden plots to plant some garlic. We pulled some weeds, tilled the existing soil, placed the garlic cloves and then added more soil to complete our task. All in all, it was another in a long-line of gardening successes for the 2021 growing season @ our auxiliary vast-gardens. 

Not much to look @ now, but next spring, we should see garlic sprouts.

While we were there, Mary spoke to a Salvation Army Major who showed us where they are planning to install some concrete pads and place some picnic tables that will match the benches inside the playground.  

After we were done gardening, we had some spare time before we could pick up Ginger, so we detoured to Duncan woods in hopes of finding some acorns for an art project I want to try. Alas, the squirrels beat me to it and there were no acorns to be found. However, I did take some pictures while I was there using my wide-angle lens. 

Sunlight and shadows combined to make a great picture.

More shadows, less sun.

I always say, "Look down and see the world."

Dandelions never know when to quit.

Since we were unrequited in our acorn search at Duncan Woods, we traveled over to Harbor Island, Duck Pond, and Swan Lake for an additional photo-op.

A different location than our usual spot yielded this shot two of the large bank of swans on Swan Lake.

Duck Pond.

Verplank Dock with some dredging equipment in the foreground 

I was going for a total industrial look in this shot.

While I was snapping at one location, Mary went around the bend and found this great crane on a barge in the channel.

From that side of Swan Lake, the swans were much easier to photograph.

I thought I was done, but I liked the following pix too, also from Harbor Island.

Once again, an afternoon well spent. But, it was time to pick up Ginger who by the by, looks great now. As Mary said, "Ginger was looking scuzzy!" Now she looks like a princess.

Last night, against my better judgement, I watched as the 3 - 6 Chicago Bears almost topple the 5 - 3 Pittsburgh Steelers. But in what I'd call a badly refereed game, and following a great comeback by the Bears and their rookie QB Justin Fields, the Bears surrendered the lead to the Steelers. The Bears got the ball back with seconds to spare, but a 65 yard field-goal attempt clanked off the cross bar as the Bears fell to the Steelers, 27 - 29. I truly believe the Bears were "Jobbed by the Zebras" last night.

Today is another P/T visit and some reading for me. I should do some indoor chores, but since I'll be out at mid-day today, I don't want to leave those for Mary. However, since I also have a P/T appointment tomorrow around the same time, I will have to make a game-time decision.

Mary is still making progress on her cross-stitching project/passion. Plus, she finished one book, but I am not sure if she started another. 

Mary made a great dinner last night of vegan Italian sausages combined with her secret-recipe pasta sauce over whole-wheat thin spaghetti. As a side, she also made garlic bread using her recently baked homemade bread. A veritable bounty of home-cooking. 

That looks like enough for one day. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:00 a.m. in "The City", where the sun will rise on the first day of Eastern Standard Time @ 7:27 a.m. and it will set at what will seem quite early tonight @ 5:28 p.m. 

In between, I have no specific plans. The Small Craft Advisory will end this morning @ 8:00 a.m.

Speaking of time, I got all of the cocks reset with the exception of the clock over my workbench in the man-cave. 

The current temperature being displayed on my DTWS and also in the forecast from the NWS is 51°. The NWS states that the "Real Feel" temperature is 49° with a slight wind out of the southwest @ seven mph.

Yesterday was not a good day for fans of the now 8 - 1 Spartans of MSU. The Spartans were outplayed by a scrappy squad of Boilermakers from Purdue who are now 6 - 3. The Spartans had too many stupid penalties and too little offense as they fall for the first time this season, 29 - 40. The Spartans have dropped to 5th place in the CFP standings. They did not look good, while the Boilermakers looked like a team on a mission. 

The Spartans are home next Saturday @ Spartan Stadium in East Lansing, MI for a 4:00 p.m. game versus the Terrapins of Maryland, who are 5 - 4. The Spartans should be able to beat Maryland, but after yesterday's fiasco, who knows.

On the other hand, the also 8 - 1 Wolverines of Michigan took command of their game against the 2 - 7 Hoosiers of Indiana right from the start and they never looked back en route to a 29 - 7 win. Last week, the Wolverines lost to MSU, but that was not indicative of the talent on Jim Harbaugh's squad. 

The Wolverines travel east to face the 6 - 3 Nittany Lions of Penn State at 12:00 p.m. next Saturday.

Let's not forget that the overall 6 - 3 Huskies of MIU host the overall 5 - 4 Cardinals of Ball State next Wednesday @ 7:00 p.m. in Huskies Stadium in a MAC 10 game. 

Otherwise, Mary is making great progress on her cross-stitching and I think she finished her latest book. I'm still working crossword puzzles, painting, reading, playing music, and walking with STWD for short distances. While her vision is limited by cataracts, and her hearing isn't what it used to be, she still enjoys getting out and about for some sniffs. 

We read and reread the directions for our new ultrasonic humidifier yesterday and finally got it set in its new home upstairs in the manse. It is now making the air in our bedroom a lot more breathable.  

Today we may, or may not, go to the auxiliary garden to plant our garlic, which will develop over the fall and winter months and be ready to harvest next summer in late June or July. We may have to plan our spring plantings around the bulbs, but it should all work out fine. We learned what to plant or not plant this year, so we should do much better. 

No Lions game today, phew, and the Bears play tomorrow night. That's all I have to say about that. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:15 a.m. in "The City." My DTWS is displaying a current temperature of 41° that according to the NWS feels like 35°, with a wind out of the southeast @ 11 mph. We are at the overnight low of 41° right now. The sun will rise today @ 8:26 a.m. and set tonight @ 6:30 p.m.

The NWS has continued that Small Craft Advisory from South Haven to Manistee until 7 :00 a.m. tomorrow. In between, winds will blow @ 15 - 25 knots with gusts up to 30 knots and wave heights up to eight feet included in that forecast. 

When we visited the GH State Park late yesterday, there was only one kite-surfer in the water near the south pier and the lighthouses. So, I took some pix of that surfer and the "Big Lake" herself. Here in the Midwest, Lake Michigan is known as the "Inland Ocean" so it seemed appropriate for me to add Jimmy Buffet's Mother Ocean courtesy of You Tube. Enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qm8z5_owqb4

Here are some of the pix I took while we were at GH State Park near the south pier and the beach.

The "Big Lake" was angry yesterday. 

"Look down and see the world." That's a quote from yours truly.

It was still early, so only a lone kite-surfer was enjoying the waves.

Here are he and his kite in the same shot. 

The waves may be bigger today as they were forecast to build overnight. 

Elsewhere in the news, the 8 - 0 overall, 2nd place in the Big 10 East conference Spartans of MSU, are visiting the 5 - 3, 3rd place in the Big 10 West conference, Boilermakers of Purdue for a game this afternoon @ 3:30 p.m.

The 7 - 1, overall, 3rd place  in the Big 10 East conference Wolverines of Michigan will be hosting the 2 - 6 overall, 8th place in the Big 10 West conference Hoosiers of Indiana at the "Big House" in Ann Arbor, MI for a game tonight @ 7:30 p.m.

The Huskies of NIU, 4 - , 1st place in the MAC 10 conference and 6 - 3 overall, will be off until Wednesday night @ 7:00 p.m. when they host the 3 - 2 Cardinals of Ball State.

Today, Mary wants to take it easy and just read and cross-stitch. I think given her level of organizing activity of late, she deserves some down time. 

I will be doing some indoor chores and possibly reading our latest shared reading book out-loud. We are reading Midnight in Washington, by Congressman Adam Schiff. It is good and a fascinating read. I also want to watch a Hallmark Channel  movie tonight @ 8:00 p.m. I am a Christmas movie junkie. That's all folks! Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 1:20 a.m. on Friday, November 5, 2021. 

The Current temperature is 43° under cloudy-skies, however it feels like 38° with a wind out of the southeast @ eight mph. The sun will rise this morning @ 8:24 a.m. and set later @ 6:31 p.m.  

Never let it be said the the weather conditions here on the eastern shores of Lake Michigan are not exciting. In fact, the NWS has issued yet another Small Craft Advisory  for the shores of Lake Michigan from South Haven, to Manistee from 9:00 a.m. today through 7:00 a.m. Sunday. During that time, southwest winds are expected to blow @ 30 knots, which is the equivalent of 34 mph! Those winds may produce waves as high as nine feet! Yes, the Surf will be Up, especially late tonight through Saturday for areas north of Holland!

I got into the kitchen yesterday to make more of my famous vegan Italian sausages and also to bake that aforementioned apple pie. Our Senior Staff Photographer used her Smart Phone camera to record the production process and the finished pie itself. I think that my crust was extra special this time around, perfectly moist, easy to roll out, and just perfect in every way. Yes, my arm hurts from patting myself on the back. Of course, I couldn't have done it without my apron, courtesy of Mary's cross-stitching. prowess.

My carefully fork-pinched edge in progress. 

Truly, an "Apple" pie.

Otherwise, I put down three books yesterday and today, rather than wasting my time on books I won't enjoy. Sometimes, you just have to decide that a book is not worth a limited amount of retirement time.

We finished part of the indoor chores today too after Mary had walked STWD. According to Mary, they had not gone very far, when my Dowager Corgi/Beagle Queen decided it was time to turn and head back to the manse. She gets more skittish as the years pass, but I love her anyway. 

Mary then took Ginger for an extended walk to the waterfront and back. Ginger has no qualms about being out and about as long as she is with Mary. 

Today, I hope to get out and walk with STWD myself, hang Mary's cross-stitched pear, in the kitchen, and also find time to play some music and do some painting, sunlight permitting. Oh, I also want to get to the Grand Haven State Park and the south pier and lighthouses to get some shots of the waves breaking there. Is that enough for one day? Yes. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:30 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is a brisk 38° with a "Real Feel" of 37° under cloudy-skies. That temperature reading is caused by a slight three-mph wind out of the northeast. The NWS is forecasting an overnight low tonight of 34°. There are no current advisories, watches, nor warnings in effect as of this writing. 

Also per the NWS, tomorrow's high-temperature will soar to 46° under partly-cloudy skies with an overnight low-temperature forecast of 42°. Tomorrow, the sun will rise @ 8:22 a.m. and set @ 6:33 p.m.

I am about one-half done reading my latest novel, Red Widow, by Alma Katsu and I like it very much. I also finished two crossword puzzles today. Earlier this morning I sat down and played and sang quite well. Later, I added more paint to my many canvases that are always on or near my easel.

This afternoon, Mary took STWD for a walk and then she, Ginger, and I set out for a stop at the Goodwill store and a hiking/photo-op session at the Hofma Preserve in Grand Haven Township. Hofma Preserve always provides great photo-ops and this time we took several new trails, one of which ended at an observation tower. As we walked, I took many pictures and then atop the observation tower, I took still more. Here are some that I particularly like. 

One of the many trails through the preserve.

This tree called out to me, saying, "Take my picture, please." So I did.

A boardwalk leads to the observation tower.

Which from this angle doesn't seem to be much of a tower.

But, it stands about fifteen-feet tall and seems to encourage people to wax philosophical. Some of you may recognize this truncated quote from George Gordon, AKA, George Lord Byron Gordon.

When you are up higher, the wetlands are a sight to behold. 

As are the blue and partly-cloudy skies.

Our return to the parking area followed yet another trail.

The sun added a nice warm feel to our hike.

We returned to our car via this wooden bridge.

All in all it was a great day for a walk in the woods, as my yak was once again cooperating. 

By the by, I pulled up the vast vegetable gardens earlier today. There were actually some new blooms and green tomatoes still on the vines, but they had no chance to become ripe fruit.

Tomorrow, we will be doing some cross-stitch picture hanging, some walking, some music, some painting, some pie-baking and and some retiring, not necessarily in that order. There are probably more things on our to-do list, than we can do in one day, but that's okay, they can wait.

Mary is making solid progress on her latest cross-stitch project. Earlier today while I was reading downstairs, she was upstairs finishing a square that depicts a crackling fire. It looks great. Right now, she is in the kitchen rearranging yet another area that we have allowed to languish as it was for far too long. Ciao.