Good morning GH. It has just passed 3:00 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 61 under clear skies. We are heading for a high of 78 sunny degrees. That 40% chance of precipitation predicted for Sunday has become 20%. Not to worry, the growing season is essentially over.

On Friday, Mary finished her work-day in time for the early afternoon showing of Rush. Here is my review. SEE IT! Sugar and I took two walks before we left and that made the day complete. I think that fall may be my favorite season, especially in our adopted town and state. Sunny skies, moderate temperatures, and a few leaves crunching under our feet. I won't revisit that quote from Camelot again, but that's the one that seems most apropos.

When we returned from the movie, we stopped in at our favorite watering hole and then on to home for some television for both of us, and then bed for me. Mary watched that show about people trying to decide what would be the worst house that they could choose to buy, and then buying it. I have watched a few times and I have to agree with Mary. The people start out with high ideals, needs and wants, and then end up choosing a place to live that seems far afield from their original plan. Go figure.

Today, a bit more music, a bit more reading after walking with Sugar the Weather Dog. Mary has to get busy on her latest project. Her favorite morning radio show won't be on today, so that means that she will be getting up a wee bit earlier.

In sports, the boys in blue are wrapping up their season in St. Louis against the Cardinals, whom they lost to 0 - 7. They're on their way home. The Tigers are on their way to the playoffs, so that 2 - 3 loss to the Marlins isn't terribly important, unless you worry about that momentum thing. My beloved Red Sox hammered the Orioles 12 - 3. They got the "Big Mo" going for them. The Yankees are just an afterthought. Today is college football day, so I know where part of my day will be spent. I can't explain it, but there is something about the college game that seems more real. It may just be me, but I like it.

I can live without the pro game. High paid mercenaries who can't run more than 20 years without having to be given oxygen. Adam is right. Soccer games go from start to finish at high speeds and those players are on the field from start to finish. I know that Hemingway said that sport requires the chance to die in the pursuit of the game, but I like to think that real sports requires athletic people, well trained, and highly skilled.

So that's about it. Time to get on with my nap and then get up in time for Auto Talk and hear about 15 year old cars with 150,000 miles on the clock. I hear a train a'comin, so they are on a relatively regular schedule today. The other day they came by at 12:00 AM and then again at 5:00 AM. This sounds like that horn happy engineer again. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 4:00 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is 55 dark degrees. We are expecting a high today of 78 sunny degrees. No complaints here. None on behalf of Sugar the Weather Dog either. It looks like it will be Sunday before any precipitation appears.

On Thursday, Mary and I made the trek to the big box grocery/all things store. One thing, at least as I see it, is that the people who frequent these stores are like zombies. Unfortunately, that must by extension apply to Mary and me too. But that's the price that we pay for needing a lot of things that are not always available at the smaller medium box grocery store.

Yes the prices are lower, by a lot, but the experience is so unnerving that both of us came away frazzled. When the distance from one end of the store to the other is greater than that facing your typical football team on a touchdown drive, you have to ask, why? But that is probably Mary and I. Most of the people/zombies that we saw seemed quite content. To quote the comedian Yakov Smirnoff, "What a country!"

Fortunately for us, the morning walk with Sugar was about as pleasant as it can get here in GH. Perfect temperature, check. Sunny skies, check. Pleasant surroundings, check. When we got back from the bog-box store, it was nearly 2:00 PM. Mary made a "down and dirty" stir-fry for lunch and then went to work upstairs. I went to the laundry room. I did play some music, but my shoulder is getting worse. I suspect that the answer to the question I posed to the doctor six months ago about what I have to do may have been answered. I'd like to say that the pain is from an old football injury, but I think it is actually a result of falling off my bike many years ago. I just really don't want anymore hospital time. I know that Barb can identify with that. Plus, the rehab time will cut into my music practice. The pain doesn't keep my up at night, but it is becoming more annoying.

Today, we may get to the new Ron Howard movie, RUSH,  at the local cinema. That may depend on whether Mary can forego work for this afternoon. If she can't, it will wait until next week. The movie is showing at both our local theaters. The fan and critical reviews are excellent so far. This movie is not suitable for all ages. One of the blurbs for the movie says, "Parents: Common Sense Media says not for kids." Given the life and life styles of the characters, that is a wise recommendation. I don't have any other activities planned for today other than Sugar walks. What's not to like?

In sports, the boys in blue had the day off to prepare for their final series of the season against the Cardinals. I wish that they were getting ready for the playoffs and then the World Series, but wait until next year. The Tigers too had the day off. Fortunately they only need eleven more wins to get to the World Series. Let's not talk about last year when they were swept by the Giants. My beloved Red Sox likewise had the day off following their crushing of the Rockies the day before. The Red Sox stunk up the joint last year, so this is a great year.

So that's about it. After watching television last night, I am glad that I don't have a regular viewing schedule beyond NCIS. I still haven't heard from the results of my recent MRI, so I guess that I'll have to call today. But they may not tell me over the phone when I originate the call. That pesky privacy thing being what it is. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is 55 degrees in the "The City," as we head for a sunny high of  76. Some of you may recall that I began to use "The City" as an homage to an old radio and television show, Dragnet. That program was set in Los Angeles, California which the show's star, Jack Webb referred to in the opening as "The City." He said it in the following manner, "This is The City, Los Angeles, California. My name is Friday, I carry a badge."

For those of you with a good memory, you should be able to recall his rank and his badge number. He always referred to the commander of the unit that he and his partner, Frank Gannon, worked in this way. "The boss is Captain Smith." Joe Friday and his partner always wore the same clothes in the television series so that they could swap parts of various shows in and out for better continuity and cheaper production costs. In that regard, he was a pioneer.

Author's note: There seems to be no particular agreement on what makes a city a city nor a town or village what they are. Some say that a town is larger by population than a village and yet smaller than a city. However, if Chicago, IL is a city, and Cicero, IL is a town with a relatively large population how did our city get to be city given that our population is between ten and eleven thousand people in the off-season. Grand Rapids is a city, Holland is city, and yet we have many towns and villages in this state too. Go figure.

But I digress. On Wednesday, I actually did the lawn mowing on the palatial estate. Sugar the Weather Dog only got one longer walk today, but she also got to go to the "Bone Zone," so I doubt that she would complain. I did get in some music time and reading too. All in all, the day was great for walking and just being.

Today, more music, some additional reading, and of course more walking with Sugar. Sometimes she can be very insistent that we get some walk time in, and for that I have to thank her. If not for Sugar, I might not get out as much and that would be bad for me. Otherwise, not much is planned.

In sports, the boys in blue derailed the Pirates 4 - 2 in the team's final home game. The Tigers triumphed over the Twins, 1 - 0. My beloved Red Sox topped the Rockies, 15 - 5. That's about all that was important in sports. For those of you who are into Formula 1 racing, the new Ron Howard movie, Rush, comes out here on Friday. Personally I can't wait. The film has received great critical reviews.

So that's about it around here. Tea time awaits and that is always a great way to start the day. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 4:00 AM here in "The City" and our current temperature is 52 degrees under what will be sunny skies and 71 once we get past the current darkness. No real precipitation is expected until Sunday and that's only 20%. Tuesday was a beautiful day for walking and just being in our fair city.

In the AM, Mary and I walked with Sugar and then it was time for Mary to get to work. Later, Sugar and I got to chair after our long afternoon walk. I did some reading and a crossword from the local newspaper and that's about it. Oh, in the AM I also changed the way our cable television/internet service is billed and provided. In the afternoon, I also played my whistle some and I am occasionally getting better. Next thing I knew, Mary said it was time for a third walk, this time sans Sugar. We had a few brews, a bean burrito and then home for the season premier of NCIS, which is about the only show I watch these days. We did start watching a movie later, but only Mary finished it. I got tired and went off to bed.

I did put off the mowing of the lawns on the palatial estate and that's because there is one thing certain about grass, it will always be there tomorrow. I was in the man-cave for a while, where I got my new clock hung and pulled out some old telephone wiring that was in the way and long unused. Since everything is still working in the house, I didn't pull out anything that was vital.

Today more music, possibly lawn mowing, and certainly more walking with Sugar. In other words, a pretty typical day. That's the way I like them. Other things may crop up, but it it likely that there will be no emergencies.

In sports, the boys in blue fell hard to the Pirates, 2 - 8. At least my prediction for them to not lose 100 games is going to come true. The Tigers triumphed over the Twins, 4 - 2. That gave them a berth in the post-season for the third straight year. My beloved Red Sox won't be getting their 100th win this season. The Rockies defeated them 3 - 8. But they are still the AL East champions.

Looks like that's about it. If any emergencies arise, I hope to be here to report them. Ciao.

Good morning GH. It is just past 4:00 AM in "The City" and the current temperature is a chilly 48 degrees. We are heading for a high of 69 under sunny skies. No precipitation is due until Sunday. That 48 low and the 69 high are very fall-like indeed. If the Weather Channel app is to be believed, we might see a high of 77 later this week. All in all, it is very pleasant here in GH.

On Monday, we got up late and ate a quick breakfast. Mary and I had toast and Sugar had squash from last fall's crop along with some yogurt. Her delicate Corgi digestive system needs that yogurt to keep her from having problems.

Then, Mary and I walked with Sugar over to the groomer so that Sugar could get a bath and de-thatching. She has been itching lately and she was also looking a bit gray instead of  her usual bright white and tan color. While she came back looking much better, she was still itching a bit. Mary pointed out that she may be clean, but the bites don't go away with a bath. I know she doesn't have fleas or ticks as she has had her monthly treatment for those. I may give her her October treatment early just in case. She likes to lay in the ivy while she chews in the "Bone Zone," so that doesn't help her itching either.

After Mary and I came back, we set out for a natural food store in GR for some veggie frankfurters. That in itself was an adventure with the road construction and other factors at play. We got what we wanted, but the drive was a long one. However on the way back, we stopped at a restaurant supply store and picked up a coupe of things for the kitchen. We also stopped off at one of our alternate watering holes for lunch. We don't go there often because it is too far, but it has a nice biker-bar feel about it.

Once home, Mary tried out a recipe that used the frankfurters, beans, and macaroni to make a variation on beans and franks. I liked it, but I think a bit more spice would help. It is a keeper, but like most of Mary's cooking, it is a work in progress like those sauerkraut and Swiss sandwiches.

Post suppertime brought us some TV news viewing, but the local news here in Western Michigan is even more "If it bleeds, it leads," than in Chicago, if that is possible. We saw shootings, car accidents and the like. We also had to hear more about that tragic situation in Kenya as we switched to national news. Later I watched some sports, while Mary did some needle point on her new dragon that she got at the Irish Music Fest in Muskegon. Finally I'd had enough and went off to bed.

Mary made sure that I'd have on her favorite radio station when she was ready for bed, and I did. They are currently discussing talking to horses with a woman who in fact claims to talk to horses. In the "real world," she is a nano-scientist. Naturally there have been references to that old 60s television series Mr. Ed. Strangely, when I was falling asleep, the old time radio show from Chicago was playing a show starring Alan Young, the human star of that "Horse Opera." I was able to change the station setting to Mary's station before I fell asleep. Symmetry, coincidence? I don't know. Weird, yes!

That was yesterday and some of today. I hope to get in some music today and perhaps some "Bone Zone" with Sugar. I may mow the lawns on the palatial estate, but I feel like that will wait for tomorrow. I still have to get to the man-cave to hang that clock. One thing I can be sure of, the day will not go as expected. Fortunately, retirement usually brings another day without a set schedule.

In sports, the boys in blue fell to the Pirates 1 - 2. Some things never change, unless you count the fact that this will be the first trip to the post-season for the Pirates in 21 years. The Tigers fell to the Twins, 3 - 4. Verlander is still struggling with his control. My beloved Red Sox had the day off as they await their post-season opponent. While they have clinched a play-off spot, the Tigers are still waiting.

By way of enlightenment, I hear a train a'coming. That is about as routine as it gets. This one seems to be driven by that horn happy engineer of whom I have written.

So that's about it. With the exception of...Tea time, nothing is really pressing. What's not to like? Ciao.

Good very early morning GH. It has just passed 12:00 AM and the forecast is for continued dark followed by periods of more dark. The current temperature is 52 partly cloudy degrees as we head for a low in the low 40s. Later today we are expecting a high of 68 sunny degrees. Looks like a good day for living here in "The City."

On Sunday, Mary and I visited a local antiques dealer that was having a flea market. While we didn't get anything at the outdoor flea market, indoors I was able to get a Sears Craftsman clock just like the one I had before we moved. Mary got a really cool cookbook. I guess you could say we both came away happy.

Afterwards we went to the big box retailer and picked up some additional things. We started out for just some French dressing and came away with much more. That's the problem with a big box retailer. One of the things we got was a cucumber which became part of lunch along with the killer meatless Reuben sandwiches that Mary has perfected. Some great sourdough bread, some name brand Swiss cheese, and some really excellent sauerkraut combined to make the sandwiches perfect. Mary and I discovered that if you put on some mustard to go with the Thousand Island dressing, perfection happens.

Post lunch, I finished yesterday's newspaper and did some crosswords. I never got to my music, but I felt like doing very little yesterday. Mary, Sugar, and I did go walk-about and that pleased Sugar immensely. In the early evening, Mary tried out a new recipe for stuffed mushrooms and I have to admit that while they won't replace a great beefsteak, they were very good. Along with the mushrooms, Mary brought out the spinach dip and a tofu salad that she had made previously and it was a great dinner meal too.

Today, since I have already finished the highlighting that I had to do for Mary, I should be able to get to my music. I decided that the new book I tried out just wasn't working for me, so I'll be returning that to the library today when I walk with Sugar. I have several others to read, so I won't have to check any others out.

I have to find just the right place to hand my new to me clock in the man-cave, but that means that I get to spend some time down there. I don't spend the kind of time I used to, but an occasional visit is just fine with me.

In sports, the Bears beat the Steelers to go to 3 - 0 behind a 40 - 23 mauling. The Lions were winners too, with a 27 - 20 final score. The boys in blue fell to the Braves, 2 - 5. The Tigers also lost to that other team from Chicago, 3 - 6. My beloved Red Sox triumphed over the Blue Jays, making them the American League East Division champs. With the exception of another loss by the boys in blue and a meaningless loss by the Tigers, things went well in sports.

So that's about it for yesterday and today. Now it is time for bed and in the morning...Tea time. Ciao.

Good early morning GH. It is just past 6:00 AM here in "The City" and I originally got up to do this blog, but got side tracked by some highlighting. But I digress. It is currently 52 degrees under what are supposed to be cloudy skies. However since it is too dark to see, I'll have to accept that. We don't anticipate any precipitation until at least next Saturday. Sugar the Weather Dog will like that.

On Saturday, Mary and I got up early for that appointment in GR. Sugar needed to get up too, since she needed her morning constitutional. It was still dark out when we hit the mean streets. I stayed where it was light due to the conditions here in GH. Read that uneven sidewalks. Fortunately I didn't trip on anything and we made it back safely. Then Mary and I were off to GR.

Of course, the clouds to the East were pretty with the rising Sun behind them, at least until the Sun came over the top and we were "Blinded by the light." My apologies to Manfred Mann and the Earth Band. We made it safely, had to find a place to park and then check-in. Then we had to wait, and wait, and wait. The actual test took about 30 minutes. This was an unscheduled test to see what might be behind my recent spate of headaches. I am hoping for the best. Then home, with a stop at a local restaurant on the highway for a salad bar lunch.

Next came the Irish Jam and that too was a success. I am amazed that children as young as five or six can outplay me on the whistle. I think that's because they don't have any other distractions. Or, it could just be innate talent. In either case, I'll get better just as they did. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it.

While I jammed, Mary did the laundry, so that was all good as far as I was concerned. I still have to fold some of it today, but that's easy. After that, Mary and I went walk-about and viewed some of the artworks on display for our annual Artwalk. Mary can tell you more about that. We stopped in for a little sports viewing at our favorite watering hole and then home.

Today, not much on tap. I have to finish that highlighting, and then play some music and watch a little sports on TV. We overheard the manager at our watering hole discussing staff scheduling for the anticipated crowds that will possibly be generated by the Tigers and the Lions game this afternoon. I have no great desire to go out and so I hope to stay right here.

Speaking of sports, sorry Howard, the MSU Spartans fell to Notre Dame 13 - 17. The Wolverines of Michigan topped UConn 24 - 21. The boys in blue topped the Braves 3 - 1, and have a solid hold on last place. The Tigers slipped past that other team from Chicago, 7 - 6. Still not officially in the playoffs though. My beloved Red Sox were nipped by the Blue Jays, 2 - 4. Their quest for home-field advantage is still on hold.

So that's about it. I hope that Barb is feeling better soon. I can empathize with her current predicament, as I can relate to not being able to walk without assistance. It took me a long time to overcome my own set of infirmities. Here's hoping that she can do the same. Ciao.