Good morning or good evening, across the nation and across the world, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:00 a.m. in "The City."

I have to be sure to mention the excellent efforts that Mary made in the kitchen yesterday. She started some bread rising in one of her crockery bowls late Wednesday night. It took 18 hours for the first rise. There are no pictures of that part of the baking process, however, she chronicled all of the following steps in the baking process based on a recipe found in her book, Bread from the editors of Mother Earth News.

The balance of the pictures depict the bread during its second rise of two hours, as shown directly below.

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Along with the dough in her Dutch Oven, fresh from the 475° oven.

It tasted een better than it looks!

Dinner was the bread and the leftovers from the cauliflower/lentil loaf Mary prepared the day before.

According to the NWS, we have a current temperature of 3° as we drop to the overnight low of 1°. Fortunately, there are no Weather Warnings of any description in the forecast. However, the cold temperatures have forced the schools in West Michigan to remain closed again today and also to cause the USPS to cancel deliveries for a second day in a row yesterday.

Good news, today's high temperature is forecast to reach 19°. Saturday's high is expected to reach 37°, while Sunday and Monday, the temperature is expected to make it into the low 40° range. However, there is also a 50% chance for rain on Sunday and 80% on Monday. Those rains should go a long way towards melting the snow that has accumulated on our deck and front porch.

The sun will rise today @ 8:00 a.m. and set later @ 5:57 p.m. In between, I plan to read the last two day's editions of the Grand Haven Tribune that have been backing up at the post office along with today's edition and also to do some drawing and exercising of my recovering shoulder. With luck, I won't have to watch TV news. Too darn depressing for me.

Mary will be knitting and she may go to the grocery store. I have been inside for two days and I find that I don't mind at all. Mary did go out yesterday afternoon while I stayed home with the fur-children. Ciao.