Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 3:00 a.m. in "The City."

It is officially Mary's birthday, 7/15. I'll omit the year, although she has no problem with being of a certain age. Her mother had her birth date confused. and for many years, Mary believed her birthday was 7/16, but it really is 7/15. Maybe I'll help her celebrate @ JWs later today.

We outsmarted our latest "Smart TV" yesterday. Yes, the one that was supposed to come on Wednesday or Thursday and then finally Saturday, arrived yesterday @ the "Big-Box" electronics store. Go figure. Mary, Ginger, and I picked it up and it set up quickly in our "Media Room." I had experience in the mechanical part of the installation and Mary was a "Pro" at the programming after setting up and resetting up the downstairs TV on Thursday. The TV looks great in the media room and it really is "Smart" and easy to use. someday, I may be able to do something other than turn it on and watch.

We have a current temperature of 60° in the back-forty of the PE, according to the NWS. I thought it felt cooler when I was out with Ginger @ 1:15 a.m. Later today, after the sun rises @ 6:19 a.m. and before it sets tonight @ 9:22 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a high-temperature of 73° under sunny skies with only a 10% chance of precipitation.

Speaking of precipitation, yesterday there was a similar forecast, but my plans for those outdoor chores. mowing the lawns of the vast PE and washing the front porch, were changed by the rain that fell most of the morning. Instead, I did the cooking that I had planned and another indoor chore. Not all bad. Weather permitting, I'll get to those outdoor chores today.

In sports news yesterday, the Cubs got the second half of the Major League season off to a good start with a 9 - 8 win over the Baltimore Orioles. The Cubs brought out their home run lumber and took an early eight run lead, only to see the Orioles chip away and tie the score @ eight all until the 9th inning, when Addison Russell popped the winning home run over the wall and closer Wade Davis held the Orioles scoreless in the bottom of the 9th to seal the win. The 44 - 45 in the NL Central Cubs attempt to get even with the league tonight against the Orioles @ 7:05 p.m. EDT. Here's hoping that they can run a string of wins together and be the Cubs we knew and cheered for last year.

The Tigers, well, they are the same, as they lost to the Bluejays 2 - 7 to drop to 39 - 49 and stay solidly in 4th place in the AL Central, just ahead of that other team from Chicago. The Tigers and the Bluejays play again today @ 6:10 p.m.

My beloved Red Sox also got the second half of the season off to a good start with a 5 - 4 win over their AL East rivals, the NY Yankees. The Sox are now a 51 - 39 team and 3.5 games ahead of the 2nd place Rays and 4.5 games ahead of the now 3rd place Yankees, whom they play later today @ 4:05 p.m.

The Caps continued their winning ways with a 3 - 0 win over the Cedar Rapids, IA Kernels. The Caps are now 16 - 5 in the MWL East and lead the Ft. Wayne, IN, TinCaps by 1.5 games. The Caps are home tonight to play the Quad City River Bandits @ 7:05 p.m.

The carpeting is complete, the manse looks great and things are back to what we call normal.

After the morning safari, I'll get to those outdoor chores, help Mary celebrate her birthday, and then sit down to read and relax. I'll also do more of my yak exercises too. I just did them about 30 minutes ago and they seem to be helping. Mary will get to her indexing and I'll get to relax. Ciao.