Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."

Ginger and I had a good time trainspotting yesterday. At 12:17 p.m., we watched as locomotives 2019 and 2057 passed by on the RSTL heading south, In tow, they had 15 CHCs, and eight DBTCs that were bringing up the rear. At 3:35 p.m., the same locomotives passed through once again, this time heading north. They were towing eight CHCs, and two DBTCs, all loaded. This train run was moving more quickly and the passage did not take long.

I was busy in the kitchen all day yesterday. I baked, I boiled, I washed a lot of pots, pans, and dishes, some of them more than once. Mary had made another pair of her famous vegan roast beests, and had left me in charge of watching and then finishing them. I did my part by flipping them halfway through the cooking process, but she had neglected to tell me that the beests needed to be removed from the pan when they were done. She had assumed knowledge on my part that I didn't possess, and so I just left them in the pan and they continued to soak up the broth that Mary had used to give them their distinct flavor. She discovered my faux pas when she came down from indexing and pulled them out. Oh well, I am still learning sensei.

By then, I had already baked a loaf of beer bread, baked some tofu cubes with spices, and made Italian style tempeh balls. Tempeh is a derivative of soy beans and can be used to make vegan bacon and other dishes along with the Italian style balls that I cooked. I used the food processor, many knives, measuring spoons and cups, bowls and baking pans. That's why I had so many things to wash and put away. I also did the laundry while I was downstairs. GTSD and STSD were with me the whole time, just in case. However, since I made the Italian style tempeh balls using onion, they couldn't assist with cleanup. Instead, they got to share some of the baked tofu cubes that I had prepared. I think that was satisfactory.

The weather yesterday was just warm enough to thaw the snow and ice that has been accumulating on the streets and sidewalks nearby as well as on the grounds around the Palatial Estate. Naturally, the fur-children required a bit of cleanup themselves when Mary took them for individual walks around the block.

The NWS has forecast that rain would be falling right now, but I was just outside with GTWD and no rain was in evidence. The current view out the WW confirms that none has fallen so far. We have a current temperature of 36° under cloudy skies and later today we are expecting a high temperature of 38°, also with cloudy skies.  The sun will rise later this morning @ 8:11 a.m. and set this evening @ 5:39 p.m.

I have an appointment @ my orthopedist later today for my second of five knee injections. So far, my knees are feeling better and the doctor is satisfied with the results and relief that I have achieved. I'll keep the treatments up, twice per year, as long as they can provide relief. I don't relish the idea of having my knees replaced since I have been in the surgical suite too many times over the last several years. So unless I have to, I won't be going down that road.

I got to thinking that the only problem with being of a certain age is that age isn't really just a number after all. Activities that used to be easily accomplished are now achieved more slowly if at all. Adam and I used to ride our bicycles from Palatine, IL where we used to live, to DeKalb, IL where Adam went to college. We dubbed our trips the "Tour de Kalb." I also rode my bicycle to Madison, WI one time when I was 47 years of age. Sometimes I think about purchasing an electric assist bicycle. I'm still a few years away from that, I hope.

One of the many good things about being retired, and there are many, is that Mary and I can take the time to travel by train rather than an airplane for vacations. We have the time to spare and so a train trip becomes feasible rather than having to fly. We actually get to see what other people never see as they fly over. Plus, the chance to talk to people in the observation car is another bonus. Leg room on trains is vastly superior to that which is available on an airplane for someone of my height.

I am still working on reading several books, playing with the girls, and whatever activities call out to me. I started another jigsaw puzzle, but I haven't made much progress. As my mother in law used to say, "I'm so busy."

Mary may or may not have to do a major revision on the recent index that we thought was done. The author has suggested that he wants an additional index that would require a lot of extra effort. Mary and I can do it. but it would necessitate additional costs that would nearly double the original price. It will depend on how much the author wants to give up out of his royalties.

I am off to bed now that I have finished my kitchen activities and taken GTWD out for her late night constitutional. Ciao.