Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 8:30 a.m. in "The City." We have a current temperature of 70° that feels like 70° with a wind out of the southwest @ 15 mph. There was supposed to be a  Gale Watch in effect until 11:00 a.m. Thursday, from Holland to Manistee, but that has been canceled. 

However, there is a Small Craft Advisory in effect until tomorrow @ 8:00 a.m. for Allegan, Muskegon, Oceana, Ottawa, and Van Buren counties in MI that should keep small boats off of Lake Michigan. 

That Small Craft Advisory is accompanied by a Beach Hazard Statement for those same counties. High waves and strong currents will make swimming in the 71° waters and walking on the piers extremely dangerous. Windspeeds of 15 to 30 knots with gusts up to 35 knots may produce waves from four to seven feet and possibly up to 10 feet in height! The surf will definitely be up! The sun rose this morning @ 7:31 a.m. and it will set this evening @ 7:43 p.m.

What can I say? The 0 - 2 Lions will live up or down to expectations this season. They fell to the 1 - 1 Packers in Lambeau Field last night, 17 - 35. The Packers looked good, the Lions looked like, well, the Lions. 

Good news here in MI, as the Tigers displayed a glimpse of good things to come in baseball. Last night, they defeated that presumptive AL Central Champion other team from Chicago, 4 - 3. 

The Cubs were supposed to be a dynasty following their lone 2016 World Series Championship and look how that turned out. That other team from Chicago is expected to be a dynasty for the next several years too. However, with free agency and other factors, that will remain to be seen. 

Lots of teams should be good for many  years, but just look in Chicago at the Bears or NYC at the Yankees, or Houston and Astros or LA or San Diego or Seattle, or.. Well, you get the idea. Even the once high-flying Bulls in the NBA became at best mediocre when Michael Jordan left.

The Cubs play tonight @ 7:40 p.m. EDT versus the Twins, while the Red Sox go against the Mets @ 7:10 p.m. EDT.

My dental appointment went well yesterday and I have a follow-up today. Then I'm done for at least six months. I'm still doing P/T and home exercises for my yak.

I got into the kitchen yesterday to make two of my specialties, vegan Italian burgers and meatballs. However, Mary had already pressed some tofu, which we had as our dinner with a side of vegan noodles. I like that too, so it was not a tough call for me.

I am putting off the indoor chores until tomorrow to accommodate my dental appointment. 

Mary is making steady progress on her latest cross-stitch project, a pear, and it looks great as I pass it in the living room downstairs. 

So, that's enough for one day. Ciao.

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", where the current temperature per my DTWS is  71° and according to the NWS, it feels like 71°, with a wind out of the southeast @ nine mph. The sun will rise this morning @ 7:30 a.m. and set this evening @ 7:45 p.m.

Later this morning, the NWS is forecasting a chance for showers and isolated T-storms beginning around 10:00 a.m. with a 51% chance and peaking @ 70% by 1:00 p.m. when I am scheduled for a dental visit, ramping up to scattered T-storms @ 2:00 p.m. with a peak of 51%. We shall have to see what happens here in GH, because the NWS often gets our forecast wrong when it comes to precipitation. Tomorrow there is still a strong chance for additional showers and T-storms. 

Right now, the NWS has issued two weather alerts for W. MI. First, is a Gale Warning from Holland to Manistee beginning @ 8:00p.m. tonight and continuing until 8:00 a.m. Tuesday, with wind-gusts up to 40 knots. 

Naturally, that Gale Warning is accompanied by a Beach Hazard Statement for the counties of Allegan, Mason, Oceana, Ottawa, and Van Buren in MI from this afternoon until the morning hours on Thursday. 

As an aside, the State of Michigan is very close to issuing a rule that would prohibit swimming when  the Red Flag is flying @ the beaches. As I've noted before, that does not sit well with the surfers, as they like the big waves that come with those Red Flag Warnings here on the "Third Coast." Given all that we have experienced here in MI with the Covid-10 pandemic and the illnesses and deaths that have accompanied that, I think it is a good thing to err on the side of caution. Surfers are generally good swimmers, but even they can get into trouble and require assistance from the GHDPS at a cost to taxpayers and that means that surfing is not a singular safety concern. Just saying.

Earlier yesterday afternoon, Mary and Ginger took a short walk to get some exercise. As they passed Central Park, they espied the various flags surrounding the fountain in the park that represent the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month here in GH. Here is a pic of those flags taken with the camera on our Smart Phone.  

In baseball news, we had a 4 - 0 day for me.

The Cubs saw the return of newly installed SS Nico Hoerner to the lineup following another stay on the IL. Hoerner is a Gold Glove 2nd baseman, but the departure of Javier Baez and the acquisition of Nick Madrigal, a true 2nd baseman in a trade with that other team from Chicago, means that Hoerner, who can play all over the infield and some in Center Field, would be better suited to the SS role. If not, due to Hoerner's tendency to land on the IL, the Cubs would have to get into the Free Agent bidding for one of the available shortstops this winter. That crop includes former Cubs' SS Javier Baez.

The Cubs beat the Brewers in Milwaukee yesterday, 6 - 4, with 30 yo rookie Patrick Wisdom hitting his rookie record-breaking 27th home run. LHP Adam Morgan got the win,  6 - 4. The Cubs are off until Tuesday, when the Twins come to town for a 7:40 p.m. EDT game with RHP Alec Mills, 6 - 6, on the mound for the north-siders.

My beloved Red Sox defeated the Orioles yesterday, 8 - 6, to maintain their  hold on the AL Wild Card lead. The win went to RHP Hirokazu Sawamura in relief as he got his 5th win versus only one loss. The Sox are also off until Tuesday night, when the Mets visit Fenway Park for a 7:10 p.m. start, as LHP 
Eduardo Rodriguez, 11 - 8, toes the rubber for the Sox.

The Tigers too were victorious yesterday, taking a game from the Rays, 2 - 0. RHP Wily Peralta notched his fourth win versus three losses. The Tigers will send RHP Matt Manning to the hill in Comerica Park @ 6:40 p.m. tonight for a game against that other team from Chicago.  

The Caps closed out their season in dramatic fashion yesterday, with a 19 - 4 win over the Lansing Lug Nuts in Lansing. 

In NFL football, the 1 - 1 Bears eked out a win over the visiting 1 - 1 Cincinnati Bengals, 20 - 17. Rookie QB, Justin Steele took over for veteran QB Andy Dalton who went down with a knee injury early in the game. Dalton's injury does not appear serious at this time, but he will need to be reevaluated to see how seriously his knee was hurt. The Bears are in Cleveland next Sunday to face the 1 - 1 Browns @ 1:00 p.m. 

Tonight, the 0 - 1 Detroit Lions face the 0 - 1 Green Bay Packers in Green Bay @ 8:15 p.m. I fear that the Lions are not going to be very good this season. 

Today, I have that aforementioned dental appointment and a pick-up at the library. With no crossword puzzle to solve, I plan to read more, perhaps work in the kitchen, and play some music. Mary will do that voodoo that she do so well. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 11:00 p.m. in "The City."

My DTWS is showing a current temperature of 67° here at the manse, while the NWS is offering as its current temperature, 65° that feels like 65° with a wind our of the east @ five mph. Our overnight low-temperature forecast from the NWS calls for 57° before we reach tomorrow's high-temperature of 81° under sunny-skies. There is no precipitation in the forecast at this time. Once again, the water temperature of the "Big Lake" is 71°.

Tomorrow morning, the sun will rise @ 7:28 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 7:49 p.m.

We had an errand to run in Muskegon/Norton Shores this afternoon after the indoor chores were done, so Mary took STWD for a short walk and then we got Ginger ready to go for the trip north. I also took along my camera, as Mary told me that after our errand, we'd be going to P. J. Hoffmaster State Park so that we could take a hike and I could shoot some pix. 

The weather was perfect and the scenery was spectacular, as always. The naturalist, John Muir, was once quoted as saying, "And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul." After our little safari to P. J. Hoffmaster State Park today, I think I have a good idea what he meant. In fact, Mary stopped us on the trail we were on and pointed out how quiet it was. I believe that it was a great way to find our collective souls

At any rate, as I mentioned above, I took a lot of pix, so I'll just post some here that I think are the best.

Like many State Parks, Hoffmaster allows the trees to fall and decay where they fell. 

As long as they are not blocking a trail 

I find that pine cones make interesting subjects.

And sometimes, you get a shot of a shadow of one of the mysterious denizens of the forest.

With so many tree roots across the trails, all hikers need to look down and ahead with every step. 

The sun was very cooperative today when I took this pic.

Two more of those mysterious denizens of the forest. Not a clear shot, but definitely present.

So many trails, so little time. 

But, we walked nearly two miles through the woods. 

It was time to get home and feed our fur-children. Plus, I had to harvest dozens of cherry tomatoes from our vast gardens. Earlier in the day, Mary tossed a salad together that included some of the tomatoes from a previous harvest. 

Today's sports news was good, unless you are a fan of the NIU Huskies. They lost to the Wolverines of Michigan by a final score of 10 - 63. However, if you are a Wolverines fan, then you were ecstatic. 

If you are a fan of the MSU Spartans, as I am, the beat-down that the Spartans gave to the Hurricanes of Miami today in Miami was a sight to behold, as the Spartans crushed the Hurricanes, 38 - 17. 

In baseball news earlier today, the Tigers eked out a win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Miami, 4 - 3. Jeimer Candelario nailed a three-run homer in the top of the first inning to put the Tigers ahead, 3 - 0. But, the Tigers squandered that lead late in the game before the Tigers took the lead, 4 - 3, which led to the win for reliever and former starting RHP Jose Urena, 4 - 8, with the save going to Michael Fulmer in the closer's role. 

Sadly, the Tigers lost center-fielder Derek Hill to an injury. He was involved in a horrific collision at first base that led to an injury to his left knee. He will be evaluated further, but it is likely that he will be placed on the IL for the remainder of the 2021 season. The Tigers and the Rays close out their series tomorrow afternoon beginning @ 1:10 p.m. when RHP Wily Peralta, 3 - 3, starts for the Tigers. 

My beloved Red Sox are still in the hunt for a spot in the post-season Wild Card race, with a win over the Orioles today, 9 - 3. The X man, Xander Bogaerts, got four RBIs today en route to the win. Tomorrow's game with RHP Nathan Eovaldi, 10 - 8, on the mound for the Sox begins @ 1:10 p.m.

The Cubs fell to the Brewers in Milwaukee, 4 - 6 in a game that just ended. The Cubs and the Brewers play again tomorrow @ 2:20 p.m., when RHP Adrian Sampson, 1 - 2 goes for the Cubs. The Cubs are lacking an Ace pitcher and they are struggling to remain respectable following the departure of so many of their core players. 

The Caps dropped one earlier today to the Lansing Lug Nuts, 3 - 5. Tomorrow's game begins @ 1:05 p.m. in Lansing. 

From today's to do list, we got  the indoor chores done, the Friday crossword puzzle, that aforementioned watering, and the trip to the forest. Mary is still hard at work on her latest cross stitch project. I have no specific plans for tomorrow except to read more and relax following today's safari and errands. Perhaps that is the way it should be, a trip to the forest, music, painting, reading, and crafting. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:45 a.m. in "The City", where my DTWS is showing a current temperature of 64° under clear skies. That 64° will likely be our overnight-low temperature too. The NWS is forecasting a high-temperature for today of 78° under sunny-skies with an overnight low-temperature of 57°. The current water-temperature at the beaches here in GH is reported to be 71°.

The sun will rise this morning @ 7:28 a.m. and set later tonight @ 7:49 p.m.

Interestingly, Mary was out with the fur-children late last night and in her capacity as the Senior Staff Photographer for JaxMeanderings, she snapped this pic of the nearly full-moon and what is likely Venus or Jupiter too in the southwest sky, albeit with a bit more light-pollution than she would like to have. 

Amazing what the camera on a Smart Phone can do.

Earlier in the day, Mary took Ginger for a walk to the waterfront, a destination that she and Ginger had visited on Wednesday. Here is  pic from their Wednesday visit 

As I  noted earlier, it is amazing what the camera on a Smart Phone can do.

While they were out yesterday, I was busy in the kitchen making a blueberry pie. In keeping with the Smart Phone camera theme, here is a pic of my efforts as the pie cooled from the oven.

Yes, it is "My Pie!"

I finished that book I was reading, The Women of Lafayette Chateau written by Stephanie Dray. This book was recommended by the other member of our in-house book club, Mary. The story covers three  time periods, including the period surrounding the French Revolution, the WWI era, and the time of WWII, mostly in France and a bit in the US. I generally eschew books that have time-shifts as their theme, but in this case, while it was over 576 pages of fine type, I liked the characters and the storyline. So, I'll give it two-thumbs up. Now, on to some pulp-fiction. 

Sadly, baseball news yesterday was 3/4 not so good. 

The Cubs were in the lead for most of their game versus the Brewers, but they let the lead slip away and the game ended with a 5 - 8 loss for the Cubs. The Cubs and the Brewers meet again tonight @ 7:15 p.m. EDT when LHP Justin Steele, 3 - 3 goes for the Cubs. 

My beloved Red Sox handily dispatched the Orioles in Fenway Park last night, 7 - 1, as LHP Chris Sale was once again the Chris Sale of old in spite of having only one K. He was a craftsman as he shut down the Orioles to record his fourth win versus zero losses. The Sox and the Orioles play this afternoon @ 1:10 p.m. EDT

The Tigers were looking like they had their game versus the Rays well in hand last night in Tampa Bay until the ninth inning. That's when the Rays came roaring back from a 4 - 1 deficit to score the runs needed to tie the game The Rays went on to win the game by the final score of 7 - 4 in 11 innings. Today's game begins in Miami @ 4:10 p.m. EDT when LHP Tarik Skubal, 8 - 12 makes his next start for the Tigers. 

The Caps fell to the Lug Nuts 4 - 6 last night. Those two teams play again tonight @ 7:05 p.m.

In college football today, the NIU Huskies 1 - 1, visit the Big House in Ann Arbor, MI to play the 2 - 0  Wolverines of MI  @ 12:00 p.m.

The 2 - 0 Spartans of MSU, like the Tigers, visit Miami today too, as they play a game versus the 1 - 1 Hurricanes of Miami U, also @ 12:00 p.m.

I plan to do some indoor chores today along with more of my yak exercises to strengthen my core muscles. Mary is encouraging me by sharing the experience twice per day. Then I plan to sit and do  the crossword puzzle from the Grand Haven Tribune like I did yesterday, likely with more help from Mary. Otherwise, I need to water the outdoor plants today as it will be a warm one and the plants will need a drink as they head into their winter hibernation period. That's enough for one day. ciao. 

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."

My DTWS is showing a current temperature of 67° that matches what the NWS is reporting. In addition and also according to my DTWS, the current barometric pressure is 29.27" of Hg and rising, indicating fair weather ahead. The overnight low is likely to be that same, 67°. The water temperature in the "Big Lake" is 71° per the NWS.

Today's high temperature forecast from the NWS calls for 73° with an overnight low of 53°. The sun is slated to rise @ 7:25 a.m. and set late @ 7:54 p.m.

The only alert still in effect is a Beach Hazard Statement for Allegan, Ottawa, and Van Buren counties in MI until sometime tonight. 

Mary and I took a short safari yesterday afternoon that included a stopover at the beaches of GH. As forecast, the conditions were windy and Lake Michigan was roiling. I took along my camera and took some pix of the gulls, both sitting and in flight, along with the waves at the beach. All pictures were snapped with my wide-angle lens using varying settings.

The lighthouses on the south pier.

Gulls sitting and in flight.

A lone gull in flight against the cloudy sky.

One person could be seen enjoying a day at the beach, no swimming though.

Gulls in flight shooting east.

Shot looking east at the parking area.

This gull was landing on the picnic table.

While these gulls were just flying.

Of course, there is always baseball, at least for a few more games. a maximum of 17 for the Cubs and the Tigers. 

The Cubs were in Philadelphia last night where Adrian Sampson got his first win for the Cubs, 6 - 3. Patrick Wisdom, the 30 yo rookie 3rd baseman for the Cubs, got his 26th home run and tied the rookie HR record set by Kris Bryant in his first year with the Cubs, albeit Bryant was at the age of 23. Until this season, Wisdom had played short stints with three MLB teams and only signed with the Cubs shortly before spring training. Tonight, the Cubs send RHP Alec Mills, 6 - 6 to the mound @ 7:05 p.m. EDT.

The Tigers took 11 innings, which included a lengthy weather delay, to use a walk-off single to score the only run they needed to defeat the visiting Brewers, 1 - 0. The Tigers and the Brewers play this afternoon @ 1:10 p.m. EDT, when RHP Matt Manning, 3 - 6, tosses the first pitch. 

My beloved Red Sox needed a five-run eighth inning to overcome the Mariners in Seattle late last night, 8 - 4. Today's game begins @ 4:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Tanner Houck, 0 - 4, makes his next start. 

The Caps and the Lug Nuts were postponed last  night due to inclement weather.

We didn't get to everything we'd hoped to do yesterday, but I added to my latest painting effort, installed a shelf on my easel for canvas storage, played some music, assisted Mary with hanging her recently completed cross stitch effort in her craft room, helped Mary pick out the colors for her next project, and completed the indoor chores. So, while we didn't get everything accomplished that we'd planned, we got enough done to call it a good day. We also visited our auxiliary gardens for the final harvest.

Today's agenda includes more reading, more crossword puzzle solving, more cross stitching, and a visit to our new dentist for me. That should be enough for one day. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:30 a.m. in "The City."

Since I am way past my regular blog time,  I got distracted, I am going to truncate all of my information today.

Current temperature: 74°. Feels like 74° with a wind out of the south @ 17mph. Today's high temperature: 77°. Tonight's overnight low temperature: 61°. Current reported water temperature for Lake Michigan: 71° Sunrise today was @ 7:24 a.m. with sunset occurring @ 7:56 p.m.

Beach Hazard Statement in effect for most of the lakeshore counties due to high waves and strong currents. 

Small Craft Advisory in effect until tomorrow @ 5:00 a.m. from St. Joseph to Manistee. Wind speeds of 25 knots and waves up to seven feet are possible.

Cubs tonight in Pittsburgh @ 7:05 p.m. EDT

Red Sox in Seattle tonight @ 10:10 p.m.

Tigers home tonight @ 6:40 p.m. versus the Brewers.

Caps on the road @ Lansing Lug Nuts, 7:05 p.m.

Yesterday, made vegan pepperoni, came out very spicy. Topped Mary's pizza for dinner. Excellent on both counts. 

Read more of The Women of Chateau Lafayette, a book recommended by Mary. Liking it so far, but heavy on my arm.

Indoor chores today. 

That's all folks. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 7:45 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is 73° according to both my DTWS and the NWS, with a real feel of 73°. That's also our overnight low-temperature. with a light wind out of the south @ five mph. 

The current barometric pressure, also per my DTWS, is 29.27" of Hg and falling. That may indicate that the forecast for scattered T-storms/showers this morning @ 24% is accurate. The water temperature is 70°. The sun rose this morning @ 7:21 a.m. and it will set less than 12 hours later @ 7:59 p.m.

What happened to the Cubs yesterday? Once again, they played up to or down to expectations as they fell to the Giants, 4 - 15 as RHP Zack Davies saw his less than stellar 2021 record fall to 6 - 11. Cubs' manager, David Ross is expected to return to the dugout for today's game, which begins @ 2:20 p.m. EDT as LHP Justin Steele, 3 - 2 throws the first pitch. Wait until next century.

My beloved Red Sox took 10 innings, but they defeated that other team from Chicago, 9 - 8 to get the win for RHP Garrett Whitlock, who has a record of 8 - 3. Today's game versus that other team begins @ 2:10 p.m. EDT when RHP Nick Pivetta, 9 - 7, returns from the IL and tosses the first pitch. for the beloved.

The Tigers are still learning, as they lost to the visiting Tamp Bay Rays, 2 - 7. Starter and loser, RHP Casey Mize, 7 - 8, was pulled early after he proved to be ineffective. In addition, the Tigers are trying to limit the innings of their young pitchers following last season's shortened schedule, so it was not necessarily a bad thing that he got the hook from Tigers' manager A. J. Hinch. 

Today's starter, LHP Tarik Skubal, 8 - 12, is also likely to see fewer innings for the remainder of this season too, as he is also one of the young arms the Tigers' are counting on for several more years. Today's game begins in Detroit @ 12:10 p.m. EDT.

The Caps, took one from the Loons last night, 6 - 4. The Caps are almost even for the season, with a record of 56 - 57. Today's game on Fan Appreciation Day, begins @ 2:00 p.m. EDT.

The NIU Huskies were manhandled by the Cowboys of Wyoming, 43 - 50. I think I am safe in saying that this game was not a defensive gem for either team. The Huskies travel to "The Big House" in Ann Arbor, MI for next week's game against the 2 - 0 Wolverines of MI beginning @ 12:00 p.m. EDT. 

As long as I'm there, the Wolverines, 2 - 0, looked okay versus the Huskies of Washington, 0 - 2, last night in "The Big House." 108,345 rabid fans screamed at each other, daring the Covid-19 virus to strike them down in about two to three weeks if those fans were not vaccinated. While the Wolverines' defense played well, they also allowed some "garbage time" yardage for the Huskies QB too. But, the Wolverines did have two RBs get over 100 yards rushing, so...

The Spartans of MSU looked great against a team that they were expected to demolish, the Penguins of Youngstown State. The Spartans did their part in their 42 - 14 demolition of the Penguins. The Spartans play the Hurricanes of Miami next Saturday in Miami @ 12:00 p.m. EDT.

The 0 - 0 Detroit Lions are home today across the street from Comerica Park where the Tigers play, in a game versus the San Francisco Forty-Niners @ 1:00 p.m. EDT. It should be crazy in downtown Detroit today. Detroit's bars and restaurants will not be a good place to avoid the Covid-19 virus. Just  saying.

The 0 - 0 Chicago Bears are in L.A. tonight for a game versus the also 0 - 0 Rams @ 8:20 p.m. on national TV.

We were mostly homebodies yesterday. We did the indoor chores, I watered the vast gardens, and Mary made a delicious past sauce using many of the veggies we grew in out two plots this year. Dinner was excellent, as it was also accompanied by Mary's own garlic Bisquick™ biscuits.

We took a short walk to the Loutit Library yesterday for a book return and pick up. I took some pix while there and in Central Park on the way home. We had hoped to walk further, but my yak apparently needs more time and therapy, which begins next Thursday.

Loutit is a great library. 

Even their hydrangeas are still looking good. 

I wanted to try a shot through the tall grasses at Loutit.

In the southeast corner of the Loutit parking lot sits this fiberglass sculpture. I don't know if it is supposed to represent a boulder, a potato, or...

Several of the other flowers @ Loutit are still blooming in the sun too.

We followed the sidewalk to Central Park.

Where I got this picture of the late-afternoon sun streaming through the trees. 

Then we headed home towards the manse. 

Where Major Wheeler is still blooming.

But our new hydrangeas were in serious need of watering. They perked right back up with a little H2O.

Today, painting, I hope, reading the end of my latest novel, and cross-stitching along with reading the Grand Haven Tribune weekend edition and solving the crossword. Oh, I may watch part of the Lion's game and later, the Bears. We'll see. Ciao.