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

As promised in a previous blog, I am now in possession of a better picture of our Christmas tree albeit, without yours truly in the picture. Instead, Mary was kind enough to take a picture of our tree and in my stead is STWD (Sugar the Weather Dog) along with Ginger in the foreground. This is actually a rare picture, as Sugar doesn't like to have her picture taken. 

We had a great day, even if our search for a sewing basket during our trip to Holland went unrequited. Ginger went to daycare and we were off. We did get some spices and some veggies to make more broth while there, but that was about it. We tried several antique shops on the way home, but none had what we were seeking. Oh well, when you want something, you never see it and when you don't, there seem to be more than you could ever want. Worthy of note is that my yak allowed me to walk through several stores with minimal pain. I liked that part of our trip most of all. 

We have a current temperature of 35° under partly cloudy skies. There is a forecast from the NWS for rain showers after midnight. Tomorrow's high is forecast to be 46°, also under partly cloudy skies.

We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon for STWD to see her doctor for her annual "Senior Wellness Exam" and some updates on her vaccinations. We also have to get her to take some antihistamines one-hour before she gets those vaccinations as she usually has a bad reaction to the shots. The last time, she got very sick and I had to rush her back to get additional treatment. I was probably being overly worried, but Sugar is my baby and I am like that with her.

Mary has some things she wants to sew and I have rethreaded her sewing machine for her activities. For some reason, she has difficulty with that process. And yet, she knits and cooks with great aplomb. Go figure. Maybe that is because threading the machine is mechanical and that is something that she prefers to avoid.

We also have an appointment with the chiropractor too.

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:55 a.m. and set once again @ 5:11 p.m. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."

In case you may have forgotten or if you never knew, I use the words "The City" as my homage to the late Jack Webb of Dragnet fame, both the radio and television versions, who intoned those words when he described the city in which he worked as a fictional police detective named Joe Friday. In this case, "The City" was Los Angeles, CA. So I say, why not use those words to introduce every one of my blogs?

At any rate, yesterday was a great day for me in my guise as a collector of National Park/America the Beautiful Quarters.We were out to pick up a few things at that nationally know drugstore chain and the cashier was low on singles. So, she offered Mary quarters in their stead. I/we received two promising coins, one a quarter that was for the Ozark National Scenic Railway in MO, and the other for Ellis Island in NJ.

Unfortunately, the Ozark quarter was a "D" which I already have represented in two books. The Ellis Island quarter was also a "D", but that meant that I had two possible places to use that coin. I chose the coin album I have for the National Park Quarters Collector's Map book over the other album I have for the America the Beautiful Quarters collection. In the case of the National Park Quarters Collector's Map book, I had an Ozark National Scenic Railway already in place and in the other album, I had the "D" quarter already in place. So, the Ellis Island coin looking bright and shiny became the representative of NJ therein. Choices, choices.

In other news, with some welcome assistance from our neighbor, Ron, I bagged up the excess leaves in the front of the manse. Actually, I raked some and Ron bagged all. My yak was not up to the task. Five bags and some nearby rosebushes later and the leaves were gone from the lawn.

As I noted earlier, we were out to get those things and to stop at an antique store in Spring Lake, to look for something that Mary wants to store her various yarn projects out of Ginger's sight. We were unrequited, so today we will be off to Holland to try stores there and to also check for some shoes in the bargain basement of a shoe store there and to pick up some needed spices for Mary's kitchen.

A nice way to segue into the fact that I made some vegan sausages yesterday after I had rested from the leaf activities. As usual, the sausages turned out great and we had some for dinner. That was/is enough for me for yesterday.

The current temperature in "The City" is 46° under clear skies. Laer today, after the sun rises @ 7:54 a.m. and well before it sets once again @ 5:11 p.m., the high-temperature forecast from the NWS is 43° under sunny skies. The NWS is also forecasting showers after midnight tomorrow. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."

I am writing this blog in defiance of the automatic settings of my virus checking program which came on @ 2:00 a.m. I like the program, but when I first set it up to turn on in my absence, I was, well, absent at this time. Lately, I seem to be here @ this time. Oh well, I can pause the program whenever I want to allow me to finish my work.

It is official, the Christmas season is here! Much like how I decide when spring actually springs, ie, the first day of spring training for baseball, I use the set-up of our Christmas tree as my barometer to signal when the Christmas/holiday season has begun. Mary prefers that I wait until the Thanksgiving Day holiday is over before I start my celebrations.

I mostly agree, but I get excited about the seasonal change that comes with this time of year. While gift-giving is mostly for the children, I still love the feeling that comes with the holiday and the decorations. I can do without the snow part though.

In fact, I waited several days past Thanksgiving this year to set up our tree and then Mary took a picture of yours truly and Ginger as we sat next to this year's finished product. I say this year's because our tree display changes every year to allow me to add the places we have visited in the year since the last season. That's something that we borrowed from Steph and Adam, and we like it.

In fact, this year, we added some things that actually belong to our children but which they store in our basement, a model of a Christmas store and a trolley. Sadly, the picture quality is not up to my usual standards. We'll try again later today.

Blurry, but you get the idea.

We have a current temperature of 53° under clear skies with windy conditions. Later today, after the sun rises @ 7:53 a.m. and not all that long before it sets @ 5:11 p.m., the NWS is forecasting a high temperature of 53°. So, using my vast knowledge of meteorology, I can safely say that there will be no change.

Today, I plan to bake some sugar cookies, make some vegan sausages, and perhaps grate and prepare some Cole slaw too. As Mary says, I need to recognize that I have my limitations and so I use the word perhaps for the Cole slaw. If I am not feeling up to it, the slaw can wait for another day. Maybe in that way, I can also fit in the applesauce that I also want to make.

I might mention that we had a vegan version of "Meatloaf" with green beans for lunch yesterday. Mary prepared the loaf using an internet recipe, but while the taste is perfect, the recipe needs a few tweaks to make it a keeper. Dinner last night was the balance of the Thanksgiving leftovers. Not to worry, there is more loaf for today.

Later today, Mary has an appointment at her beautician for a haircut. I'll be busy in the kitchen much of the day. We didn't get up until late yesterday, so the only thing I accomplished was to set up the Christmas display and to work the crossword puzzle. Mary would say that I need to pattern myself after our former neighbor, Marshall, who did just a limited number of things, often just one thing, each day and saved other things for another day. I think he was right.

When you get to a certain age, you have to conserve your limited physical resources. I do have to bag up some leaves on the vast PE so I may have to limit my activities still further. The fact that rain is in the forecast for tonight makes the leaves a necessity. Or, they can wait until Thursday. Yes, that sounds preferable.

Otherwise, not much is happening today. Mary still has to walk the fur-children since my yak will not allow me to go any distance without aches and pains. I can ameliorate the pain with a non-NSAID painkiller, so that's what I am doing. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 10:30 p.m. in "The City."

Let's get to the point, college football is nearly as good as baseball, which everyone knows is life. But the truth about football, in general, is that on any given day, good teams win and lose. Today, I watched the Wolverines of Michigan get thoroughly outplayed on both sides of the ball as they lost to the Buckeyes of Ohio State, 20 - 31.

The other side of a similar scenario is that the Spartans of MSU were victorious over the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, 40 - 7. In this case, the Spartans started out strong and never looked back en route to their thrashing of the Scarlet Knights.

In a stunning upset, the Crimson Tide of Alabama were upended by the Tigers of Auburn, 14 - 26. Now, the college championship series is in turmoil following the 12 - 0 Badgers of Wisconsin shutout of the Golden Gophers of Minnesota, 31 - 0 and setting up a huge Big 10 game against the Buckeyes next Saturday night. 

Speaking of anything being able to happen, the day was great for me. I finished the weekend crossword from the Grand Haven Tribune, without assistance, something that I am not always able to do. Mary successfully delivered a great English style breakfast of baked beans on toast and created a terrific dinner of leftovers from our Thanksgiving feast that tasted even better today than Thursday.

Mary is downstairs knitting and watching a movie. I am relatively certain that we will be able to watch the weekend news shows tomorrow during which Mary will craft another brunch of old and new taste sensations. She never ceases to amaze me.

When we got married over 44 years ago, her culinary repertoire was mostly simple pasta dishes and variations on those. However, as is the case with almost anything she puts her mind to, she has refined her kitchen abilities and become a very good cook. When we decided to go vegan about four years ago, she had to expand her thinking and abilities. I had only to be open to vegan variations on my favorite foods. As long as I am honest about the outcomes, she is more than happy to experiment.
I make good pie crusts and pies, but those are relatively pedestrian when compared to Mary's efforts.

Tomorrow, I'll subject myself to more pain as I watch the Bears try to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles. The Bears have a record of 3 - 7, while the Eagles have a record of 9 - 1. Nuff said.

Otherwise, my yak is feeling better each day and I am hopeful that the progress will continue. I can spend a few hours in bed each night and that's all good. I find that I am more optimistic than in the previous weeks.

We have a current temperature of  34° as we drop towards the overnight low of 32° under cloudy skies. Tomorrow's high is forecast by the NWS to be 46° under partly cloudy skies. Monday's forecast is calling for 50° under mostly sunny skies. The sun will rise tomorrow @ 7:51 a.m. and set @ 5:12 p.m. Ciao.

Good evening and welcome to a special Thursday night edition of Friday's blog from "The City." It is just past 6:30 p.m.

Here in our household, another Thanksgiving celebration has come and gone. Once again, Mary has outdone herself. We didn't have turkey, but we did have dressing, which is not to be confused with stuffing, accompanied by scalloped potatoes Provencal, green bean casserole, sage and onion seitan loaf and of course my personal favorite, jellied cranberry sauce. Mary always reserves that treat just for me.

I pitched in along the way by washing some of the dishes that were accumulating in Mary's kitchen. As she worked, and I use that term loosely, since Mary likes to spend time in the kitchen, she took pictures of the various items on her menu as they progressed, along with the end product. I will include those pictures next with short captions to help explain.

A portion of the dishes I helped to wash.

More of the same.

Sauteeing the mushrooms for the gravy.

Everything in the oven, a real balancing act of temperatures and space.

Everything on the table and yours truly at the ready.

While she was waiting, she took time to prepare some snack foods such as vegan cheese, sliced pickles, sliced carrots, celery, and crackers all accompanied by vegan blue cheese dressing and barbecue sauce. I was busy watching the Lions lose to the Vikings, 23 - 30.

Mary took the fur-children for individual walks, with Ginger going all the way to Harbor Drive and Sugar not so far. I am feeling better, but I still have a long way to go before I can walk with STWD.

Speaking of Sugar, she was not feeling well yesterday, but she seems fine now.

I am now able to listen to Christmas music and tomorrow I'll be putting up the Christmas tree in the foyer. I have to remember the two ornaments that are in my office that I place on the tree.

We have a current temperature of 40° under partly cloudy skies. Tomorrow, the NWS is still forecasting a high temperature of 53° with strong winds. The sun will rise @ 7:48 a.m. and set @ 5:13 p.m.

Somewhere along the way tomorrow, I will be reading, playing with the girls and staying retired. Mary may be receiving our latest indexing project. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 1:30 a.m. in "The City."

Like most fall nights/early mornings in GH, it is quiet outside. Of course, the fact that today is Thanksgiving makes it more likely that the majority of the people are all snug in their beds awaiting the annual ritual of gathering with friends and/or loved ones to celebrate this day of thanks.

That being said, I wanted to take a few lines to give my own version of thanks.

First, I am thankful for Mary. She puts up with a lot from me, especially when I am not feeling well, and that is part of her strength.  With her vision and perseverance, we have a comfortable house in which to live. We have been here for a shade over six years now and the house is coming into shape nicely. In fact, Mary finally found time to organize her kitchen spice cabinet in a fashion that should allow her and me to find what we need when we need it. She sent me a picture of the final result, but I can't seem to locate it.

Second, I am thankful for Adam and Stephany. As parents, we wished for a fine son who would make his mark in the world and I am thankful that Mary was able to raise Adam, who in turn, found Stephany and added her to our family. I know that I had a part in Adam's growth, but I think that Mary did the heavy lifting, so to speak.

Third, I am thankful that I have slowly begun to recover from my latest physical challenge, my aching yak. Each day and each step brings me closer to the desired outcome. Like I have often said, I don't do sick well and am not patient. In this case, I want the recovery to be more speedy. However, like most things of this nature, it will take time.

Fourth, I am thankful for the chance to enjoy the scrumptious meal that Mary will be preparing today. I plan to stay out of the way except when I am needed to reach something on an upper shelf.

Finally, I am thankful that I can enjoy this day by simply enjoying the day. Reading, crossword solving, and whatever else comes to mind. Oh yes, there is the annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and football games too. I wish it were baseball season, but that has to wait until next April.

But I have digressed long enough. The current temperature is 38° under partly cloudy skies. Once the sun rises @ 7:47 a.m. and well before it sets @ 5:14 p.m., the morning will be cloudy while the afternoon should see the sun come out from behind those clouds as the temperature rises to today's high of 42°. Friday, the high temperature is forecast to rise to 52° with windy conditions.

Otherwise, I have nothing else to say. Life is good. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be. It is just past 2:00 a.m. in "The City."

As the saying goes, not much was or is happening. It is not a dark and stormy night, nor is there even a hint of either on the horizon. We have a current temperature of 32° and the high later today is forecast by the NWS to reach 35° under cloudy skies. The sun will rise today @ 7:46 a.m. and set @ 5:15 p.m.

About the only thing I accomplished yesterday was to get the vegetable broth started for the dressing that Mary plans to make for Thanksgiving. Since we are vegan, we don't stuff a bird, but we do enjoy dressing. I should mention that Mary is also planning to make the dressing from the bread that we picked up downtown earlier yesterday. I also know that Mary plans to make a vegan roast of some type. Along with some scalloped potatoes and a dish made of the last of our kale crop, she'll have her hands busy. Plus, just for me, she will be opening a can of jellied cranberry sauce.

I have been up and down with regard to my yak. Sometimes, I feel like I have turned a corner, while other times I feel as though that corner is out in the distance. Sigh.

Later today, I plan to keep myself out of the way. I know that at the end of the day I will have done all I can to be retired.

I finished the book on Ali and I have started a new book, Stingray Afternoons,: A Memoir, by Steve Rushin. I have just begun the introduction but I am already hooked. Mr. Rushin is a writer for Sports Illustrated and has also written several other non-fiction books. In this book, he is chronicling growing up in the 1970s, coveting a Schwinn Sting-Ray bicycle and just enjoying what being a kid in the 1970s entailed. More about that book later.

Otherwise, we have no specific plans for today. I plan to complete yesterday's crossword puzzle from the Grand Haven Tribune and also read today's edition of that same publication. Being retired is hard work sometimes. Mary will be walking downtown with Ginger to give them both a chance to get some delayed exercise. I plan to continue recovering. Ciao.