Good morning GH.  I think since I have much to say and little time to say it, I will give a quick report of the weather and then go on.  It is 54 degrees on the desktop, and Sugar the Weather Dog is still fast asleep after enduring an evening of thunderstorms in her bathroom hide e hole.  A quick glance out the Weather Window and there is no evident precipitation and the folks at Weather.com are showing the temperature at 54 degrees and the chance of precipitation at about 15% up until 11:00 when it jumps to 70%.  Yesterday I had the delightful experience of seeing a performance by the ballet company in Grand Rapids entitled Black Swan-White Swan a contemporary take on the ballet Swan Lake.  It was wonderful and the venue for the production was perfect and intimate enough to allow all to see.  The dancers were athletic, graceful, and dare I say it, very good.  As Mary pointed out, the prices allowed us to also have lunch out.  It doesn't really get any better than that.  Plus, in spite of my initial misgivings, I thoroughly enjoyed the production.  The young man who danced the lead part of the Black Swan was incredible, as were all the dancers.  A second plus for the day was that our new GPS got us there with only some slight needs on our part to ignore its directions as it learned we didn't want to take turns that we knew weren't how we planned our own route.  In the future it should work great, now that it is learning.  Mary made a change in the voice because the one it came programmed with was on the annoying side.  It now has a soothing more masculine voice and an arrow has replaced the guide bird that it was using.  Overall a delightful day and an enjoyable evening as I finished my helicopter repairs.  Now it is on to...Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Current temperature on the desktop thermometer reading is 53 degrees.  Sugar the Weather Dog is still fast asleep, and the folks at Weather.com are expecting a high of 73 degrees, and no strong chance of precipitation until later this evening.  Mary will like those numbers, as will Sugar the Weather Dog.  Still looks like a gray day out the Weather Window, and that is at 7:15 AM.  The sun rose at 6:32 this morning, and so much of the day is expected to be shrouded in clouds based on my observations.  We had an exciting afternoon yesterday visiting the local emergency room so that I could get some additional meds to stop my allergy attack.  I am apparently allergic to sesame seeds and the oil that is part of their yield.  I never was before, but two recent incidents have convinced me that I am either allergic to sesame, (highly likely) or garbanzo beans/chickpeas, (highly unlikely).  I am planning a visit to the allergist that my internist refers me to in order to get a follow up and certain diagnosis.  I spent most of my life with no apparent allergies and I have eaten Falafel  and Hummus many times in the past with no apparent reaction.  So, one must conclude that age, brain surgery, or something has caused this new allergy to kick in.  Once, you say what the hey.  Twice, you pay attention and get tested.  There are ways to make Falafel and Hummus without the sesame based Tahini, so I have forwarded two recipes to Mary for her perusal.  Both use Tahini as a side rather than as ingredient.  Otherwise I am fine.  Congratulations to Steph on picking the right horse in the derby.  My horse, a favorite by the way, didn't even finish in the top five.   So much for the experts.  Steph reminded me that I had the winner last year, but I was just coming off of surgery, so I don't remember that.  I think Steph, Mary, or Adam must have made that pick. Today, we are off to the ballet.  When I was younger, I disdained the ballet as too high brow for me, but now I am open to new things; a positive thing for me.  For Adam, a notorious email evader, do we have any jeweler's screwdrivers in the man-cave or elsewhere?  If not, I will order some from the supply it all website.  Now, I will attempt to put the helicopter back together with the only driver I have.  Tea time.

Good morning GH.  Well, it is about 6:30 AM here in beautiful GH, and as I gaze out the Weather Window, the sun is just beginning its slow rise over the horizon.  The skies appear that they are and will be partly cloudy most of the day, and the current desktop temperature is 54 degrees.  Sugar the Weather Dog is not up yet, but I think she would concur on the outlook for the day.  The fine folks at Weather.com are showing similar temperatures to mine, but they also show a chance of showers throughout the day too.  So. if Sugar refuses to leave the yard due to her fear of storms, then I'll have a better idea about today's meteorological activity.  Yesterday, we had to wrestle her to get her to leave the immediate vicinity of the house, and the weather stayed nice all day.  Go figure.  Meteorologists are describing a trip by the moon closer to the earth for tonight's full moon, and on the radio, one scientist went out on a limb and said that there will be an earthquake somewhere in the world tonight.  I think I can safely predict a sunset later today too. I know, I know, that is extreme, but sometimes you have to take a flyer.   Got the replacement parts for my small helicopter yesterday when I got home.  Apparently, the main shaft has some small pins that can get broken, and when they do, the helicopter becomes unable to fly as the rotors crash into each other and the machine therefore crashes to earth.  But now, I can get it back into the air and drive Sugar crazy with that.  Hmmm, it may be a way to have her overcome her fear of leaving the house.  All I have to do now is to get the parts installed.  The dis-assembly and re-assembly should be an exciting activity.  That sounds like something that I need to sit at my desk and do in an undisturbed fashion.  Otherwise, not much on tap for the day, except for....Tea time.

Good morning GH.  It is now 7:00 AM and the sun has not quite risen,  Sugar the Weather Dog is lying near the side of the bed, so that means that although she moved back to her own bed in the middle of the night, we can expect more storms here.  My desktop temperature is showing a balmy  64 degrees, and that means that walking should not require a jacket or other outer garment this morning, except for a rain coat.  Mary may disagree, but that is her prerogative.  Weather.com is showing 63 degrees with light rain and thunder.  (Is there such a thing as light thunder?)  I could have told them that, having consulted with Sugar the Weather Dog just a few minutes ago.  A look out the Weather Window shows gray skies and dry streets at the moment, so the rain forecast is not for right now.  However, I'll trust Sugar's instincts every time, when it comes to predicting storm fronts.  I got out on my bike yesterday and enjoyed the beautiful weather like everyone else.  That was before the front came through yesterday afternoon.  Mary, Sugar and I were watching a live version of the GH channel from the front porch, and you could feel the temperature drop and the wind kick up.  I guess in that way, we also have a Weather Porch, but I doubt that I will consult that source on a regular basis.  We hope we have resolved the bottle return snafu at the local grocery store, because their machine doesn't recognize a product that they are selling.  The clerk had to override the inventory control system that was not able to read an individual bottle.  It was only able to read the entire carton..  What a country.  In answer to Adam's query about a local fish monger, it appears that the closest thing we have here in GH is our regular market.  He will have to try that, or go to Grand Rapids.  He might like the drive, but without a cooler, it will be a long ride for the fish which would likely spoil.  I suggest that the local place would be better.  He might even want a cooler for that excursion.  Of course, he and I have plans to take a fishing charter to try to catch some of our own, but that isn't a regular source, nor a necessarily reliable one.  Otherwise, not much on tap for today, so it is now...Tea time.

Good morning GH, and, based on my observations using my weather prediction tools, it is going to be a nice day.  The current temperature on the desktop is showing as 72 degrees, and that means when it comes time to walk Sugar the Weather Dog, no coat will be required.  Skies are somewhat overcast and the day is therefore somewhat gray in appearance, but as usual, the weather site on the internet contradicts itself if you compare current, to hourly, and today.  That's one of the reasons that I love being a weather forecaster; I can be as unpredictable as the other guys and still get it as right as they.  Went to the Y yesterday, and spent nearly an hour in the water,  Felt good, but I was a bit sore after exiting the pool.  However, it did seem to help my lower back, so I think it was worth it.  If I can, I want to try more bike riding today, I just don't want to get caught in the rain that all of us forecasters are predicting.  So far, Sugar the Weather Dog hasn't made her prediction.  But, after her morning run back to the safety of her hide e hole yesterday morning, during which she managed to give Mary a workout, I don't know what to expect for this AM.  Sugar is still abed, so I don't think she is predicting anything on the immediate horizon, but one never knows.  I cut the man-cave stool down yesterday by five inches, and it is much more usable now.  I plan to use it to assist me in painting Ragus, after carefully covering Adam's workbench with several layers of newsprint.  Guitar playing is improving each day and that's a good thing.  Otherwise, just a few things on the agenda for the day, and if they don't get done, well, there is always tomorrow.  Right now, it is....Tea time.

Good morning GH.  However, that comes with a caveat this AM, because the storms are just beginning.  In fact, Sugar the Weather Dog predicted the storms, just as I thought she might, right along side the predictions by the National Weather Service and the radio weather guy earlier this morning.  Sugar the Weather Dog was found beside the bed in our master bedroom when I got up, but by now I am certain she is in the bathroom, her favorite place of safety.  I feel so sorry for her, but there is little I can do for her in a storm.  I am just now starting to hear the raindrops hitting the outside of the house, so the chances of getting Sugar to go out until it stops are Slim to None, and Slim is out of town until the storm is over.  Although I can see a limited amount out the Weather Window, I can see enough and hear enough to know that I agree with her.  Current temperature on the Desktop is showing 57 degrees, so that says it will be a warm and wet day.  Gosh, I just love this weather forecasting stuff.  My plans may be altered by the weather, in that I won't be doing any yard work today, which Mary and I did some of yesterday.  Mary in her usual fine style mowed the lawn as I pulled dandelions, transplanted some Hostas, and planted the horseradish roots.  We both agreed that that was the limit of our desire for yard work on any given day.  Now that I can see ore out the Weather Window, I can confirm my earlier predictions, it is definitely raining.  We won't have to water the roots nor the transplanted Hostas.  Mary was going to the grocery store to return some cans and to buy some supplies, but that may also wait.  Time will tell, but I know she doesn't like to drive in the rain.  But then, neither do I anymore.  I have to rehang my dog collage this morning, because the hook that Steph and I chose to use wasn't quite strong enough.  You can only get so much from those hooks without holes.  Otherwise, not much on the agenda today, so it is.....Tea time.

Good morning GH.  I have the distinct pleasure of waking up in GH again this AM,  A look out the Weather Window shows a cloudy sky and Sugar the Weather Dog is still in her bed.  That leaves this intrepid forecaster to predict that the day will be partially cloudy and given the temperature in the house (slightly cool), the day will be pleasant and partially cloudy.  That is just one man's opinion based on months of observation and on the fact that Sugar the Weather Dog isn't predicting a storm, at least not yet.  Both the desktop and the National Weather Service, via the Weather.com site, show a current temperature in GH of 47 degrees,    Weather.com is expecting a high of 70 degrees and a 10% chance of rain until later this evening; which seems to correspond with the weather guy on the radio.  There's a first.  I got some of my things done on my list yesterday, so that's a good thing.  Gained three more quarters in my full contact coin collecting competition, and I also got the information for Steph regarding the Y which she wanted.  I'll send that to her in a separate email.  Otherwise, I plan to play the guitar some, do some painting, which I did partially on the chess pieces yesterday, thanks Adam, and just generally kick back.  Mary made some super stir fry yesterday for dinner, and today I'll find out if her skills at banana bread are as good as they ever were, when I have my breakfast.   Weather permitting, yeah I see the irony in that statement, I plan to ride my bike some today.  Meanwhile, it is.....Tea time.