Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 4:30 a.m. in "The City."

Wow, I awoke in my La-Z-Boy around 3:30 a.m. to discover that Mary is sleeping in the La-Z-Boy downstairs to alleviate the problems with her allergies/head cold. I guess you could say that's a twofer. At any rate, I had fallen asleep in my La-Z-Boy in the Media Room after we watched Independence Day in the dining room, because we couldn't take any more of the wall to wall. 24/7, non-stop coverage of the latest news out of DC. I suspect that Mary is back to it now, but I eschewed that for my favorite fare, old TV reruns. At any rate, I wasn't going downstairs to find out, I learned of her plans by email.

We have a current temperature of 25° that feels like 20° under clear skies. We are anticipating today's high to reach 38° under sunny skies. We won't see the upper 40s until Wednesday of next week. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:43 a.m. and set this evening @ 8:00 p.m.

In Mesa, AZ, the current temperature is 56° under clear skies and the high today is forecast to reach 77° under partly cloudy/partly sunny skies. Meanwhile, it looks as though relief pitcher, Pedro Strop has recovered from his hamstring injury, as has starting pitcher Yu Darvish recovered from the blister on his pitching hand. We need these two men to be healthy from the start of the season and beyond.

Over in Lakeland. FL, the Tigers are feeling the cool and clear temperature of 48° and the forecast calls for clear skies and 80°. Top Tigers' pitching prospect, Casey Mize, who was chosen in the draft last June, is having a phenomenal spring, but isn't trying to rush his way to the major leagues. We shall see what the absence of starting pitcher Micheal Fuller for 14 to 16 months as he undergoes surgery and rehab, does to those plans.

In Ft. Myers, FL, my beloved Red Sox are feeling good under clear skies with a current temperature of 58° as they await today's high of 70° under sunny skies. All in all, everywhere today, it will be a beautiful day for baseball!

In really outstanding news for Red Sox Nation, the Sox and left-handed starting pitcher, Chris Sale, have agreed to an contract extension for six years and $160 million! I guess that a front-line starting pitcher isn't as valuable as an everyday outfielder or infielder.

Ginger and I watched the train go both ways on the RSTL yesterday. At 9:41 a.m., we watched as MMRR locomotives 2019 and 2025 rolled past heading south, towing nine CHCs, 17 DBTCs, two DWTCs, and one GTC.

Later, we watched those same locomotives heading north as they towed three CHCs, 11 DBTCs, and one DWTC.

I was productive in the kitchen yesterday as I used the oven to make more tofu cubes in the old way, spicy chickpeas just the way I like them, and I turned the old ry bread into croutons. I never made it to the man-cave for my finishing of my acrylic painting, but that's okay, there is always today. I also never got that light switch replaced inthe upstairs bathroom. Likewise on today. or not.

Speaking of today, we may or may not go to Hemlock Crossing Nature Education Center for a presentation on the Equinox Expedition that is scheduled from 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. later today. Mary thinks this is an indoor program, but I'm afraid that this is a walking presentation to see what the Vernal Equinox has meant to spring in the Ottawa County Parks. I am not yet fully recovered from my surgery so I am not up to long hikes in the woods. A quick aside, my yak is feeling better, but I won't jinx it by saying more. So too is my shoulder.

Otherwise, no real plans for today other than more indoor chores and more reading. I am enjoying my latest read, Mission Critical, by Mark Greaney the latest book in his Gray Man series, but I have to get to 1984 for our book club meeting the first Wednesday in April. Ciao.