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

I hadn't planned to get up and blog, but Ginger did when I got up, and so the rest is history. We were both outside in the back-forty under cloudy skies around 2:00 a.m. where the current temperature is 65°. Later today after the sun rises @ 6:50 a.m. and well before it sets @ 8:46 p.m., the NWS has forecast that the high-temperature today will be 80° under partly cloudy skies with 71% relative humidity. Our next chance for significant precipitation is Thursday when the NWS has issued a forecast for T-storms with a 90% probability.

I made vegan Italian-style meatballs before I left for my P/T appointment yesterday. Mary says they are fine, but I don't think they are my best effort. Too much water, not enough browning. The taste is fine, the texture, not so much. We did have some of them for dinner.

Speaking of my P/T appointment, I got pushed and pulled and rode the stationary recumbent bike for 10 minutes. My therapist says I should ride my personal bike for a similar 10 minutes today and then every day, or every other day, depending on how my hip feels. I'll see him again on Friday to get more therapy.

I made it to my haircut appointment yesterday after I got back from my solo safari with STWD. I was able to make it two blocks with only limited pain in my hip, so perhaps I'm improving. Riding my bike may be the way to find out.

I got a few pages read yesterday and that was about it. I also played with "Blue", my Ovation™ six-string guitar and my playing was good. My singing, only so-so. I still need more strength in my left hand though.

Mary is still slogging her way through the latest index. Many pages of tedium.

I was able to observe the latest passages of the train on the RSTL. Locomotive # 2057 was soloing on the morning 11:19 a.m. southbound run towing one CHC, one DWTC, two GTCs, and two DBTCs. Later, @ 4:00 p.m., I watched the northbound run as # 2057 once again soloed towing 14 DWTCs, three CHCs, and two DBTCs.

The sports news yesterday had only one bright spot. The Cubs clobbered the Reds last night, 15 - 5 in spite of a shaky start over the first few innings by starting pitcher Jose Quintana, who lasted until the sixth inning before being relieved by Mike Montgomery. Montgomery hit a double to help the cause and Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo both hit home runs. Jon Jay nearly hit for the cycle, just missing a late inning home run to cap his excellent performance last night.

The Cubs also announced that shortstop Addison Russell is improving but that there is no definitive date for his return. The 1st place in the NL Central Cubs have a record of 62 - 55, 1.5 games ahead of the idle 2nd place St. Louis Cardinals, who travel to Boston to face my beloved Red Sox tonight. The Cubs and the Reds play again tonight @ 8:05 p.m.

Since I have the perfect segue, let me note that the Red Sox are in 1st place in the AL East with a record of 67 - 51, good for a 4.5 game lead over the idle Yankees. The Sox open their series with the Cardinals tonight @ 7:10 p.m.

The Tigers are lower on my list because they are a bad baseball team. They lost to the sub-.500 TX Rangers yesterday, 3 - 7. to stay mired in 4th place in the AL Central. I wish that I could be like the announcers who seem to always be able to find something positive to say about the Tigers, but I can't. They are just marking time. I think that they should have started the trading of older, highly-paid veterans, two years ago, to get themselves ready for the future. Coulda, woulda, shoulda. Sigh. At any rate, the Tigers and the Rangers play again tonight @ 8:05 p.m.

The final piece of bad news concerns the 1st place in the MWL East, Caps, who dropped a game to the Dayton Dragons last night 4 - 7. That loss wouldn't so bad if the Dragons weren't a team with a 15 - 35 record in that same division. The Caps and the Dragons play tonight @ 7:00 p.m.

Otherwise, I have my last drawing class for the summer season tonight @ 6:00 p.m. I have to find something that I like to take along as a subject. I may take our branded milk bottle with some daisies from our garden. I like both so they would be a logical choice. I'll make a game time decision.

Mary has a chat and indexing on tap for today. I have to read and do a couple of crossword puzzles along with my bike ride and the morning safari with STWD. I may also get to that cooking I didn't have time for yesterday. So many zucchinis, cucumbers, green peppers, and tomatoes, so little time. Ciao.