Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 4:00 a.m. in The City."

The current temperature is 54° under mostly clear skies. Later today, after the sun rises @ 6:09 a.m. and long before it sets @ 9:16 p.m., we are expecting a high of 64° under partly cloudy skies. There is a 20% chance for a stray T-storm, but that forecast is good enough for John to continue outdoor work on the front porch of the manse.

Later this evening, I'll be off to the art gallery around the corner for another drawing lesson. I have been working on my own over the holiday weekend, and I feel I am doing well, but I am in need of additional guidance.

Mary has been hard at work in the kitchen creating additional batches of tofu jerky and other dishes. Her recent creation of hash for brunch is an example of using two recipes to make another recipe that turned out better than either individually. Two of her recent Reuben burgers became part of a hash recipe that was supposed to use tempeh, but which we both think turned out better using the Reuben burgers instead. We ate the balance of the burgers for dinner.

I spent some time watering in the gardens yesterday to ensure the continued survival of our new plantings and veggies.  So far, they are looking good. Today, we have a few errands to run and that means that Ginger will be @ daycare for part of the day. She seems to like it, so we feel better about it too. Sugar is fine with just being home alone.

Sports news yesterday was mostly bad. I said yesterday that the Tigers are a bad baseball team, but at this point in the MLB season, I have to apply that label to the Cubs too. A team that won 103 games last year en route to the World Championship, based largely on the strength of their pitching and solid hitting is floundering this year. They are struggling to stay @ the .500 mark. With 50 games already played, the Cubs have a record of 25 - 25 in the NL Central following their loss to the Padres yesterday, 2 - 5. I mistakenly named the Dodgers as the Cubs' opponents yesterday, but a change of scenery made no difference. A loss is a loss and mediocrity is mediocrity. The Cubs hope to change their ways tonight in San Diego @ 10:10 p.m. Not exactly a June Swoon in May, but cause for concern.

The Tigers had one bright spot in their dismal season yesterday. They defeated the 2015 World Champion Kansas City Royals, 10 - 7. The 21 - 29 Royals have lost many of the players from that 2015 team to free-agency and the Cubs may face similar prospects this year. Sigh. The Tigers are still in 4th place in the AL Central with their current record of 24 - 27. They once again get to play a team worse than themselves in Kansas City tonight @ 8:15 p.m.

My beloved Red Sox fell to that other team from Chicago yesterday, 4 - 5. The Sox are still in 2nd place in the AL East with a record of 27 - 23, but they need more consistent pitching in spite of the solid return of David Price from the DL for the first time this season yesterday. The Red Sox face that other team again tonight @ 8:10 p.m.

The Caps lost to the Dragons yesterday 2 - 4. The Caps still maintain a one-game lead over the Dragons in the MWL East with a 34 - 16 record. The Caps return to the playing field tonight against the 25 - 25 Great Lakes Loons in Midland, MI tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

Otherwise, there is little of consequence on tap for today. Errands, drawing class, playing with the girls and my bodhran and walking with the fur-children will consume much of our day. Ciao.