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

Here is a first for an early morning. I got up around 2:45 a.m. and Ginger wasn't there. She was downstairs with Mary who let her out around 3:00 a.m. Of course, I was at my desk doing some things, so when Mary came up, Ginger had to drop in get one of the treats that I keep in my drawer. Then she joined Mary in the bedroom. She can be so predictable

We have a current temperature of 36° under cloudy-skies, that due to the 18 mph winds, feels like 26°! According the Windchill Chart supplied by the NWS, when our overnight low drops to an actual 26°, it will feel more like 11°! In addition, there is another Small Craft Warning in effect for the "Big Lake" until 5:00 p.m. today. Wind-speeds will be from 15 - 25 knots, and wave heights will be from 4 - 7 feet! The sun will rise this morning @ 7:43 and set later this evening @ 5:16 p.m. In between, the morning hours will be cloudy, while the afternoon hours will be sunny.

If you are the type of person who likes to look ahead, the NWS is predicting that the high temperature of 33° on Thanksgiving could be one of the lowest on record.

Once again, I am looking forward to Thanksgiving, as the day after may be Black Friday for merchants, you know, that day when they make a boatload of sales/profits. However for me, it is my first opportunity to start decorating for the Christmas season. I'd start sooner, but Mary has a rule about finishing one holiday before readying decorations for the next. So, I have to wait until Thanksgiving is over. Sigh.

Today, I am trying a new recipe for vegan pumpkin-pie. This requires my making and then pre-baking a pie crust before filling it with the pumpkin filling and finishing the pie. While I am doing that, Mary will be making vegetable broth of two types for her own Thanksgiving dressing and vegan roast. On Thanksgiving, I'll be available for assistance, but mostly to sit and watch her work before we consume our own dinner in the later afternoon. Since the Lions and the Bears are on TV from 12:00 p.m. until about 3:00 p.m. Thursday, I can't be expected to be on-call during that time period.

Yesterday was another visit to the orthopedist for my knees and a visit to the salad-bar in the hospital cafeteria for Mary and me. They had good old-fashioned Iceberg lettuce available, versus one of the kale blends that they sometimes favor. Along with the beets, peaches, and other toppings, we loved it.

Speaking of lettuce, the CDC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has issued a warning about E. coli in Romaine lettuce. They recommend that anyone who has this lettuce variety on hand should toss it out and save lives. The CDC is unable, as yet, to determine the source of the E. coli, so they are erring on the side of safety and asking consumers and restaurants to not serve Romaine lettuce. In fact, they are urging consumers and restaurants to properly clean refrigerator surfaces where the lettuce has been stored. If you don't know if your lettuce is safe, follow a "When in doubt, throw it out" philosophy.

We made a trip to the big-box nearly everything store yesterday, where we got nearly everything on our list. But, some of the things that Mary needs/wants for her dressing and roast were sold out. She plans to visit our regular grocery store today to see if they have any. Plus, she will be stopping by Health Hutt for some vegan eggnog for me. and while there, she also plans to get some dark-brown sugar for future my baking needs.

So, that's about it for today. We need to walk the fur-children, short walks most likely, and then settle in to do those cooking/baking things I referenced earlier. I still haven't read yesterday's edition of the Grand Haven Tribune nor worked the crossword and I'll be picking up today's edition while I am out with STWD. So, I will be busy all afternoon. Ciao.