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

A sad note to begin this blog. A longtime friend and colleague, Ellen, lost her father yesterday. He had a long life, but there is never enough time to do everything we plan or hope to do. My condolences to Ellen and her family.

Here in the Tri-Cities area, the current temperature is 47° under partly cloudy skies. Later today, the temperature will stay about the same with similar skies. The sun will rise @ 7:45 a.m. and set later @ 5:15 a.m.

Good news, I am walking better without a cane each and every day. While I am not where I'll be in another week or month, I am improving and that is the goal. I'm just not a patient man. I want my yak to be better, NOW!

We took a long ride to Pentwater, MI yesterday. While most of the attractions were/are closed at this time of year, it was nice to get out. We made a stop at the state park there and viewed the waves breaking against the shoreline. On the way home, we stopped in Hart, MI, to pick up some apples for making applesauce. A pleasant day was had by all. While we were traveling, Ginger was @ daycare and having her face trimmed. She seems to like it there, with the exception of that grooming thing.

I tried to let Ginger out @ 1:00 a.m., but she didn't want to go, so I emptied the dishwasher and hand-washed the other dishes. Now the kitchen is ready for anything Mary can throw at it. I plan to read and do some indoor chores. Mary got started on those last night, but there are more.

I spent some time in the bed yesterday and it was great. I am not able to lay in all positions, yet, but I did get in a couple of hours of bliss.

Right now, I am listening to Christmas music, shhhh, don't tell Mary,. I love it. I have a thing for the season, what can I say?

In sports news, I am awaiting the start of the most important time of the year, when pitchers and catchers report to spring training in early February. While the Tigers and the Cubs have not posted official dates, I was able to discern that the pitchers and catchers for my beloved Red Sox report on February 13, 2018, with their first workout the next day. The position players report on the 18th. with the first full workout the next day. As anyone who knows me can attest, I believe that the first day of spring will be February 13, 2018. I can't wait! A side note, the Red Sox, and the Tigers will have new managers and coaching staffs in place.

So, that looks like enough for one day. Ciao.