Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City." I feel a bit like the character that Jim Carrey played in The Truman Show, when he greets his neighbors every morning. Since I mentioned it, I'll include a movie clip I found on YouTube™ when I thought about that idea. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdwuW8n3JYA. Why? No reason other than it is something I like to do.

I was thinking earlier about what being married provides to anyone. In my case, I was fortunate to find a very lovely young lady who could overlook my many oddities and faults and still agree to marry me. Why? I can only chalk it up to good fortune and perhaps the providence of being in the right place at the right time. I think that Humphrey Bogart said it well in Casablanca, when he intoned this famous line, "Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine." He says that in this clip, also courtesy of YouTube™ @ 1:38 of the clip. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvHUGOHdHhY

In Bogart's case, he says it in a fit of self-indulgent, drunken self-pity. In my case, I celebrate that moment. If Mary's car hadn't broken down and if I didn't work at the gas station on the corner near where she lived, my life would have been much emptier. Of course, it may have been a meant to be. But why ask why? Just enjoy the moment(s) when you realize how fortunate you were/are when the right person comes into your life. I do, every day, especially as I get older.

But enough melancholia. I did in fact get out and walk yesterday. I didn't go far, and I used my cane as Mary walked STWD to The Bookman to get the newspaper, but it felt good to get out and enjoy the simple, and all too often taken for granted, act of walking. Another seven weeks and I should be able to accompany Mary on many walks that are more extensive in nature, perhaps as far as our favorite watering hole.

We have a current temperature of 36° under clear skies. Later today, Mary plans to take an extended walk with Ginger, since the high temperature is forecast by the NWS to reach a mostly sunny 46°. I am going to accompany her part of the way, if she'll let me, and then turn back so that she can go a greater distance with Ginger. Or, I may just accompany her when she walks with STWD to get the newspaper @ The Bookman. I am not going to go farther than I can safely go.

I am about halfway through the last book I need to read for my Loutit Library Cabin Fever Reliever freebie, a glass mug that adds to my collection of items that I add to simply by doing one of many things I like to do, read. I may or may not get into the kitchen too, but that's a game day decision. Mary has many craft things to complete and a chat to participate on too.

The sun will rise @ 7:23 a.m. and set @ 6:32 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."

What a day we had yesterday. We watched some TV news and ate a breakfast of cottage tofu that Mary whipped up following a recipe that she had modified from an internet suggestion. She had her cottage tofu on pineapple slices, while I had mine on a slice of bread with maple syrup on top. Mine was reminiscent of a breakfast that my mother used to serve my brothers and me when we were very young.

I didn't go out, but I was able to finish the novel I started as few days ago while Mary was at the grocery store. I finished as I was making an extraordinary beest that became part of our dinner to go with the Coleslaw that I had made the day before.

I should mention that I have been taking an opioid based pain killer that was prescribed by my yak surgeon for pain. However, like all opioids, it had/has a set of side-effects that are not welcome, so I stopped taking them early yesterday. I can get by with some acetaminophen and still feel OK.

Speaking of which, my yak is feeling better, but I have to be vigilant for about seven more weeks so that I don't do damage to the repaired area. I am not by nature a patient person, so it will be hard. Plus, STWD wants to sit in my lap when I am in my La-Z-Boy downstairs and I have to tell her no. She doesn't understand. She waits outside the downstairs bedroom door because she wants to join me and take care of me like she has always done. She has always been my best girl and so she is loyal to me and attentive to my aches and pains.

I find that too much time lying in bed wreaks havoc on my yak, so I'll be spending a few more nights in the La-Z-Boy in the media room to allow myself more to time to heal. I will be available to STWD so that she won't feel a need to lie outside the bedroom door. 

The weather here in GH yesterday was sunny, but windy, with a temperature in the low 40s. We have a current temperature of 37° under mostly clear skies. Today's high is expected to reach 42° under sunny skies with 13 mph winds. The sun will rise @ 7:24 a.m. and set later @ 6:31 p.m.

We really have nothing on tap for today and that's fine with me. I plan to spend some time reading and I may do some walking as the doctor recommended. I won't go far at first, but I will build up my distance as the days and weeks progress. Mary has to get started on the latest index that came in yesterday, but she has nearly four weeks to have it completed, which should allow me time to highlight and her to get the book done. I nearly forgot to mention, that Ginger needs to go to the groomer for a bath and a trim. She is looking shaggy, as evidenced by this picture that Mary took a short time ago.

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 5:30 a.m. in "The City."

This is it, make no mistake where you are. This is it, the waiting is over. Oops, I was channeling again, this time Kenny Loggins from his hit, This Is It! In my case, this is the day of my yak surgery.

We/I got a call from the hospital last night that moved up our arrival time by 1/2 an hour, which complicated the plans we'd made for dropping Ginger at daycare. We have to be there @ 8:00 a.m. versus 8:30 a.m. That may not seem like much, but the daycare facility doesn't open until 7:30 a.m. and we have to make it to Muskegon. It will be cutting it close.

Yesterday was average. Adam called and I talked to him before he needed to go to lunch in Chicago, I finished my nonfiction book and enjoyed it. It was an interesting and enlightening read, to say the least.

Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday too. At 8:45 a.m., locomotive # 2019 rolled by on the RSTL towing one CHC and four DBTCs. At 2:00 p.m., that same locomotive was seen heading north, towing six CHCs, seven DBTCs, and two DWTCs. I don't anticipate another set of runs until Friday.

The current temperature is a brisk 31° when you consider that the 14mph winds are making it feel like 21°. That's quite a change from the balmy temperatures we experienced yesterday when the temperatures were in the lower 50s. Still, the temperatures are expected to rise as the days unfold and we'll once again be enjoying temperatures in the 30s on a regular basis. There is also no rain in today's forecast. 

Mary will be driving me to the hospital, I'll be staying overnight, and so she'll be returning to pick up Ginger and arrive back to greet STWD without me. The last time that happened, Sugar was quite upset because I was gone for several weeks. Sugar does not deal well with change.

The sun will rise @ 7:36 a.m. and set later @ 6:24 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 12:30 a.m. in "The City."

I was just downstairs with the fur-children, and the skies are cloudy with a temperature of 52° with strong winds blowing. However, no rain is falling at this time. That apparently will wait until later this morning, when the chances increase to 100% and the current temperature will be repeated as the high. Go figure.

The sun will rise later this morning @ 7:34 a.m. and set tonight @ 6:22 p.m. It looks as though we will be able to avoid the overnight snow tonight that was predicted as recently as yesterday by the NWS. Instead, the temperature will drop to a high of 33° on Wednesday, alobeit with only a 10% chance for additional precipitation. I/we should be able to make it to the hospital on Wednesday morning without a problem.

I made it to my barber's appointment yesterday and I look good, well as good as I can with my limited amount of hair. Mary made an executive decision that although I walked to the barber, she would pick me up and deposit me at the theater so that I could see the Black Panther before I couldn't drive myself. I'm glad that she made that decision, because I was not disappointed. All of the hype and positive reviews are well deserved. I won't spoil the movies for anyone, but I recommend it to all. Of course, I had my usual ginormous bucket of popcorn and a medium cherry-cola. Mary and I discovered that carrying in some nutritional yeast provides a great topping for the popcorn too.

During my absence, Mary made some vegan sausages that needed to marinate overnight. I found that she had once again made macaroni and cheese in the kitchen. As you may recall, that is her way of saying that she had used every utensil available to her to make those sausages. I emptied and reloaded the dishwasher as my part of the activities.

I was picked up at 3:30 p.m. and then we traveled across the bridge to donate our "old" clock to the resale store in Spring Lake and make a stop @ Stan's for adult beverages. Home again for a dinner of pita pockets with vegan tuno salad and some TV viewing. I then journeyed to the media room and watched some TV there and soon fell asleep. Age has its privileges.

Today, I hope to do as little as possible in preparation for my hospital visit before retiring to my chair for rest later tonight. I feel as though I am entitled. Mary will do what she has to do and I will read as she walks the fur-children. She did that yesterday and they came back a bit wet for the effort. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening. wherever you may be. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in The City."

Wow, it is approaching sunrise here in the Tri-Cities, and the current temperature is a balmy 39° under cloudy skies. The NWS is forecasting a high to day of 43° and a low tonight of 43°, so we will have plenty of melting snow to contend with here on the PE. Tomorrow, Tuesday, the NWS is forecasting a high of 51°, but a low of only 29°, both days with rain. That means that when it is time to head to Muskegon and my appointment at the hospital early Wednesday, the roads may be icy.

We/I spent much of yesterday watching the Dayton 500.

Popular driver, Danica Patrick, during the Star Spangled Banner of her final 500

What would a 500 be without crashes, one of which collected Danica

And lots of side by side racing

I had requested that Mary make vegan nachos as a meal and she outdid herself. Lettuce, TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) flavored with taco seasoning and tomato paste, jalapeno peppers for me, vegan cheese shreds, sour cream, and salsa made the entire meal delicious.

Sunday in February. No baseball yet, but soon I can enjoy nachos with the "Game of Life!"

 I am just starting a new nonfiction book entitled, So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo, an African American writer based in Washington state. I have just gotten started, but the book promises to be a fascinating read detailing things that are not part of my knowledge base as a 66 year-old white man.

I did some indoor chores while Mary walked the fur-children as the warmer temperatures allowed them to get out.

As previously noted, we may or may not get to the movies today to see Black Panther, which has gotten rave reviews. I was introduced to the character, T'Challa, in my youth as another in the pantheon of Marvel Comics super heroes that I awaited each month in my mailbox. The movie is receiving terrific reviews, but some are lashing out at a comic-book character from the fictional African country of Wakanda, a kingdom that is successful and wealthy, with a ruler who derived his powers from a plant that grows in Wakanda. I guess that some people can't deal with a nearly all black cast and a very successful and talented black director.

We have no real plans for today other than my brief stop at the barber shop. The sun will rise @ 7:36 a.m. and set later @ 6:21 p.m. Don't forget, as if I'd let you, that the position players reported to spring training yesterday. Baseball time is here again! 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 temperature of 23° under clear skies. Later today, after the sun rises at 7:39 and well before it sets at 6:19 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a high of 35° with an 80% chance for less than one-inch of snow in the afternoon/evening. Sounds good to me.

I tried a new recipe for vegan sausages yesterday. I followed the recipe and the sausages turned out as described, but the no chicken broth base I used is way to high in sodium and so the taste is very salty. I need to find a different base broth before I try again.

Ginger and I did some trainspotting yesterday along with my apprentice trainspotter, Mary. At 10:00 a.m., MMRR EMD GP 38-2 locomotive # 2019 rolled by on the RSTL towing one CHC, five DBTCs, one DWTC, and one GTC. Later in the early afternoon, I was on the phone with the hospital ans so I had to press Mary into service to observe the northbound run of that same locomotive. In tow it had three CHCs, and two DBTCs. Not much of a day for railroading in GH.

I did some reading too, and I am enjoying The Deceivers, by Alex Berenson. This book is another in his series featuring John Wells and the CIA.

The only time we went out yesterday was to travel to the library and go out to our favorite watering hole for dinner. I am not very mobile at this time. Mostly, I sat around and watched old and new TV shows. That is also my plan for today. No kitchen, no walking, no excess activity, no Irish Jam. Sunday, I hope to watch the Daytona 500 to add to the mix.

So, not much else to say. Oh wait, Mary took this great picture of Ginger in her pose as the resident guard terrier for the manse.

Always at the ready. If someone walks by or comes on the porch for a delivery, she's ready.

Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City." It has now passed 2:30 a.m. and I decided that this blog needs some additional information.

A very short blog today. I really don't have anything new to say.

Yesterday I tried a new recipe for hammish loaf. The taste was OK, but I didn't follow the cooking instructions exactly and so I think it was a bit underdone. 

The sun will rise today @ 7:40 a.m. and set later @ 6:17 p.m. In between, it is likely that Ginger and I will do some trainspotting and I'll do some reading and crossword solving. Mary will be doing what she does.

I've just been downstairs to let Ginger out and do the remaining dinner dishes. While I was there, I placed a tablet in the dishwasher to help clean out any residue that seems to be causing the glasses to get cloudy. I am hoping for the best. I'll have to place the glasses in for a wash session later today, without any other dishes.

Worthy of note, is that the cloudiness of the glassware happened once before, several years ago abut this time of the year. I believe it has to do with the water that is entering the manse from the "Big Lake" where our city draws its water. The cloudiness is very similar to what comes from hard water and since we do not have a water softener, that is very possible.

In spite of Mary's misgivings, the directions say that you can wash dishes with this product, so I am going to try to convince her that the machine doesn't need an additional rinse cycle. We'll see if that works out.

Baseball season is nearly in full swing, pardon the pun., because the pitchers and catchers have all reported along with some of the position players. Most of the position players are not required to be in camp until Sunday. Then the season really gets started. I'll be born again.

I just finished session 29 in my pain management meditation routine. While I am certain that the meditation is helping, it is not enough to overcome the strong pains in my yak, hence the surgery next Wednesday.

To give an idea of my level of pain, it is usually this time of each month when I am contemplating/planning for the next Irish Jam session at the library. I've been going to those since their inception over five years ago and I enjoy them immensely. But as of now, I don't have the stamina to sit in the chair long enough to make the two-hour session pleasurable. That is my goal, as Adam says, to get back to the best quality of life that I can.

That looks like enough for one blog, Ciao.