Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 5:00 a.m. in "The City."

Let's start with the weather. So far, the NWS has been completely wrong. Well, maybe not completely, just 99 99/100% wrong. We had a little light rain late last night, but the forecast for heavy, wet snow has yet to come to pass. The street outside the manse, per my look out the WW, is totally dry. Nary a flake is to be seen. That's not to say that it won't happen, we still have that Winter Weather Advisory in effect until 8:00 a.m. today, but if that snow is coming, it needs to get here soon.

We have a current temperature of 34° under fair skies and that will give way to either that snow, or a high temperature today of 52° under mostly-sunny skies. Which? Danged if I know. The sun will this rise this morning @ 6:42, and set 14 hours later @ 8:42 p.m.

We had a great day yesterday. We got up, fed the fur-children, had them do their duty, and then dropped them off at their doctor's office for two days of fun and frolic. I say that, because the vet techs who care for our girls texted us pix and with an update and the fur-children looked quite contented and in fine fettle. It does a parent's heart good to see that their fur-children are happy. Still, we miss them.

We made it to the matinee showing of Annie yesterday afternoon with Mary's brother, Ed. The play was not the Annie I was accustomed to, Annie Jr., suitable for all audiences. Rather it was the full version of Annie, suitable for all audiences. The Webster Theater in the Frauenthal Theater complex in Muskegon was easily accessible for Mary's brother and for us.

The cast endured some early glitches in the lighting as they kept on singing through the blackouts. The sets were what I always wanted our Cooper Middle School directors to employ, minimalist. Be that as it may, I enjoyed seeing the cast of mostly young people, ages 10 - 18, with a few adults thrown in for the scenes with President Roosevelt. They were energetic, enthusiastic, and totally entertaining. The theater was packed with parents and relatives and interested parties. We loved it!

In sports, the game between the 12 - 13, 3rd place inthe AL Central Tigers and that 10 - 14, 4th place in the AL Central other team from Chicago, was postponed due to snow. They hope to play today @ 2:10 p.m. when Tigers LHP Matthew Boyd, 2 - 1, takes the hill against RHP Reynaldo Lopez, 1 - 2 for that other team. A battle of equals?

My beloved, 11 - 16, 4th place in the AL East Red Sox fell to the 17 - 9, 1st place in the AL East Tampa Bay Rays, 1 - 2. The lone bright spot for the beloved was a long home run off the bat of Mookie Betts. The Sox seem to be in a feast or famine mode on offense when they take the field. Sigh. Today @ 1:05 p.m., the Sox try again when LHP Chris Sale, the "Ace" of the Sox' staff
@ 0 - 4, goes against the Rays actual Ace, RHP Tyler Glasnow, 4 - 0.

The 13 - 12, 3rd place in the NL Central Cubs had an offensive outburst after their Cub's $126 man, Yu Darvish, used 57 pitches to get through the first two innings before he settled down. He can throw the ball in the upper 90s, but it was only when he eased up and threw his breaking pitches that he began to record outs consistently. He got out of those early innings by sheer luck.

The D'Backs couldn't score any runs, their lone run came on a home-run off the Cubs' relief corps. 3rd baseman, David Bote, clobbered two massive home runs, en route to 5 RBIs, to power the Cubs' attack to their 9 - 1 win! Every Cubs' player contributed to the win. Today, the Cubs and the D'Backs go again as Cubs' LHP Jose Quintana, 3 - 1, goes against the D'Backs RHP Luke Weaver, 2 - 1 @ 4:10 p.m. EDT.

Ed and I may see part or all of those games this afternoon in the media room if we aren't at the Grand Ravines County Park for a visit, weather permitting.

Otherwise, we are off to Spring Lake's Seven Steps Up, for an evening concert @ 7:00 p.m that features singer/songwriter/actress, Mary Fahl. She is the former lead-singer for the October Project, an East Coast folk-rock/adult alternative band. She lives in the U.S. and is currently a solo performer. She credits Judy Collins and Joni Mitchell among her influences. I think you'll hear some of those ladies in this YouTube™ selection I've chosen as an example of Fahl's body of work, one song written by Joni Mitchell, Both Sides Now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nprjAwB1ASw.

And in this Irish song, Dawning of the Day, as interpreted by Fahl.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRh3NL0lc68

Either way, I know we'll have a great time.

Mary will be in the kitchen making the meals today. We had a great dinner @ Don Luis last evening after the play. Otherwise, not much is on tap for today. Ciao.