Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 6:45 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature of 33° feels more like 26° with a wind out of the east @ nine mph. There are no alerts in the forecast from the N WS at this time. 

The skies are currently cloudy as we drop to an overnight low temperature of 32° before we rebound to tomorrow's high temperature of 39° under mostly-cloudy skies with a 40% chance for showers in the evening. Just what the Covidiots and Maskholes will be experiencing when they are downtown at 12:00 p.m. to watch the ball drop from the GHDPS hook and ladder truck. 

New Year's Day will see a high temperature of only 33° with a very chilly overnight low of 20° predicted. In addition there is also a 70% chance for snow in the evening. The sun will rise @ 8:16 a.m. and set nine hours and three minutes later @ 5:19 p.m.

We watched a great movie today on Netflix™ starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence entitled Don't Look Up!. I recommend this movie if you care about our planet.

We didn't accomplish much today. Mary and Ginger went to the grocery store for a small pick up and I finished three crossword puzzles. 

Last night @ 7:00 p.m, the Spartans of MSU face the Panthers of Pittsburgh in the Peach Bowl. Update this early morning. In spite of some early-game jitters, the Spartans dispatched the Panthers, 31 - 21. 

Also an update. Tonight, the Wolverines of Michigan face the Bulldogs of Georgia @ 7:30 p.m in the Orange Bowl. I've reserved my seat in the media room and asked for a big bowl of popcorn so that I can hopefully root the Wolverines on to victory. 

Otherwise there are indoor chores to be done, we still have to get those pictures hung, the outdoor Christmas decorations have to be taken down and stored for another year and that should be enough for one day.

Mary will continue her cross-stitching and I'd like to get more paint on canvas, but the lighting is never conducive to painting when the skies are cloudy all day. 

I don't anticipate going out and about for New Year's Eve due to my advanced age, my worries over the Covid-19 pandemic, and the fact that I've seen a lot of New Year's celebrations in my 70 years of life. I think that Mary feels the same, albeit she is younger than I. Ciao. 

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 3:30 a.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is a chilly 33°. per my DTWS, or 32°, per the NWS. In either case, the indoors is a much better place to be right now. In fact, I just watched the snowplows from the city go by as they cleared the street in front of the manse. I anticipate that the snow removal service will be by today to clear our decks and our shared driveway. 

As I gaze out of the WW, the skies are cloudy as we head towards the overnight low temperature of 31° although it feels like 25° with a wind out of the east @ nine mph. Today's high temperature will be seven degrees warmer than yesterday @ 39° with an overnight low of 24°. In between, the skies will be partly to mostly cloudy and that seems to be the forecast for many more days to come. The sun will rise this morning @ 8:16 a.m. and set later @ 5:18 p.m. Yes, my loyal readers, the daylight hours will be increased by one minute.

I made it to my second of five knee treatments yesterday and so I have but three more to endure before I get a six-month reprieve. I can't complain, because the treatments I receive are a lot better than having my knees replaced. 

Once I was out, Mary set about making another batch of her secret recipe pasta sauce which we had for dinner last night along with some of my vegan Italian meatballs. She actually made enough for another meal or two.

Otherwise, I am enjoying reading our shared nonfiction book, At War With Government, written by Amy Fried and Douglas B. Harris. This is an accounting of the formation of our own U.S, government and where we are today. I have put reading the biography of Lady Bird Johnson on the back burner since we own this book. I have also begun to read Travels With George, a telling of the travels of our nation's first president before his initial inauguration, by Nathaniel Philbrick. In all cases, I am enjoying my reading.

I managed three crossword puzzles yesterday and also played some guitar too. 

Mary finished listening to one book and has started another while she is cross-stitching. All in all, we are settling into the winter months and getting ready for the third year of Covid-19. 

We have been watching The Quiet Man, a story set in Ireland starring John Wayne and directed by John Ford. I've seen it many times, but Mary has not. I think she enjoyed the film with the exception of the blatant misogyny of Ireland in the early 1950s. I guess that was true of the U.S during the post-war years too.

Today, we have an afternoon appointment for Ginger at her doctor's to get a checkup on a possible reaction to a bite of some type. She seems to be getting better, but being the worrywarts that both Mary and I are, we will err on the side of caution for both of our fur-children.

Otherwise, I hope to get to hanging those projects that I have meant to get to for a couple of days. Other than those two items, I have no plans. I anticipate that Mary will continue to read and stitch. Ciao. 

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", where it snowed about two inches overnight and then the snow was covered with a thin veneer of ice. 

Which leads me to the forecast from the NWS. We will have a Winter Weather Advsory in effect until 9:00 a.m this morning. The current temperature is 34°, coincidentally our overnight low, but it feels more like 24° with a brisk wind out of the west @ 16 mph! 

Continuing until tomorrow at 7:00 a.m., will be that Small Craft Advisory which will deliver winds of 20 - 30 knots and waves up to seven feet in height! Once again, why anyone would be out on Lake Michigan in a small boat is beyond me. 

Today's high temperature will reach 44°, under cloudy-skies, but the ice and snow should melt away by mid-day. However, the overnight low temperature of 29° tonight will refreeze the dregs and make walking hazardous for a while. The sun will rise today @ 8:15 a.m. and set this evening @ 5:16 p.m. Yes my loyal readers, the days are getting longer, albeit in tiny increments. 

Speaking of walking, Mary and Ginger took a walk to the waterfront on dry and non-slippery sidewalks, where Mary captured this picture of the channel before that Winter Weather Advisory. 

The calm before the storm.

The Bears won, the Lions lost. Nuff said, as neither team is going anywhere when the regular NFL season is over except to their respective couches. 

There are several college football bowl games on tap this week, but several have already been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Once again, regardless of your political persuasion or personal religious beliefs, if you haven't been vaccinated, what in the HE-double hockey sticks are you waiting for? It is not just about you! It is about the over seven-billion inhabitants on this planet who share the air with you.

Today looks like a good day to stay inside and read, play music, cross-stitch, and hang some art. Not a good day for painting though. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just passing 10:30 p.m. in "The City." A current temperature of 33° feels more like 26° with the wind directly out of the north @ nine mph. It was a bit cooler today than yesterday, but tomorrow will be a little warmer as we rise to the forecast high temperature of 38° before dropping to the overnight low temperature of 31° The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:15 a.m. and set later  5:15 p.m. There are no alerts in the forecast at this time. 

We had a great Christmas today. We didn't get up too early, and then we came down to find our stockings filled with goodies for ourselves and the fur-children. They each got a new toy to play with and a dental bone to chew. I got two new journals, and I also received an adult coloring book of flowers for my winter enjoyment. Plus, Mary cross-stitched a bookmark that depicts the various crew members of the Starship Enterprise. As you may know, you don't want to be one of the red shirt-wearing crew members who beam down with Captain Kirk. Mary got a dragon snow-globe for her desk. 

In case you feel a need to forget, the 2 - 11 - 1 Detroit Lions are in Atlanta tomorrow to play the 6 - 8 Falcons @ 1:00 p.m. The almost as terrible, 4 - 10 Chicago Bears visit Seattle tomorrow to play the 5 - 9 Seahawks @ 4:05 p.m. Is it any wonder that I like to watch Hallmark Channel™ movies versus watching the ineptitude that is passing for professional football? That doesn't even factor in the decimation being caused in all professional sports by the Covid-19 virus.

Speaking of football, the MI Wolverines will be playing in the Orange Bowl versus the Georgia Bulldogs on Friday, December 31, 2021, @ 7:30 p.m. The MSU Spartans are slotted into the Peach Bowl versus the Pitt Panthers the day before, December 30, 2021, @ 7:00 p.m.

But back to today here at the manse. We had a nice brunch of one of my favorites, vegan hot dog wraps with a side of cheezy broccoli, and then we each retired to our corners to take advantage of the sunlight for painting and cross-stitching. Mid-afternoon, we took the fur-children for a short walkabout. I came home to the manse and fell asleep as Mary once again repaired to her office for more cross stitching before she prepared our dinner repast of hammish with baked potatoes and for me, another of my personal faves, Ocean Spray™ jellied cranberry sauce. 

While we ate, we finished watching Love Actually. Then I came up to fall asleep in the media room before traveling to my own office for this blog. 

Tomorrow, we have no specific plans and that's fine with me. I may or may not do some indoor chores, I hope to paint more and play music too. Mary is nearly finished with the cross-stitch project she plans to frame. Otherwise, it looks like an average day here on the Palatial Estate. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is nearly 9:00 p.m. in "The City" where the current temperature per my DTWS and the NWS is 49°. However, with the 11 mph wind out of the south, it feels like 45° with fog returning to the area. Our overnight low tonight/early tomorrow morning will drop to 41° before we reach a high temperature tomorrow, Christmas Day, of 44°. But, the low-temperature tomorrow night will drop to a very chilly 29°.

The NWS has continued the Small Craft Advisory until 10:00 p.m. tonight from St. Joseph to Manistee, with winds blowing @ 10 - 20 knots and waves up to five feet.

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:14 a.m. and set later @ 5:14 p.m. We have crossed into the time of year when the days will continue to grow longer. 

We accomplished very little today. Mary and Ginger took a walk to the waterfront and STWD and I took a much shorter walk while they were gone. 

Once again, I didn't take any pictures, but Mary and Ginger had the Smart Phone camera along and took a few shots of the very calm channel.

The skies were overcast, but I think this shot turned out fine.

As did this pic.

A slightly different angle.

Mary has been happily stitching all day along with listening to her book. I am reading a new book that I am enjoying. 

Tomorrow, Mary will be hard at work in the vegan kitchen after the fur-children have had their morning out. Mary will once again be stitching along with her culinary efforts and I plan to continue my own reading.

We are watching one of our favorite movies, Love Actually, on the installment plan as we eat our meals. I'm not sure what I'll be doing tomorrow with the gray skies that make painting in my studio more difficult. I played my guitar early this morning and revised some music and I anticipate more of the same for tomorrow

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 11:00 p.m. in "The City." Our current temperature, per my DTWS, is 43°, while the NWS is broadcasting 39° under cloudy skies. In addition, the "Real Feel" temperature, per the NWS, is 36° with a wind out of the south @ four mph. There are no watches, advisories, alerts, or warnings in effect at this time. 

Tomorrow's high temperature is forecast by the NWS to be 49°, which is 11° warmer than today. For December 24, I'll take it! Unfortunately, the NWS is also forecasting a 59% chance for showers tomorrow too, so that will put the proverbial damper on the last shopping day before Christmas. In fact, the temperature on Christmas Day is forecast to reach only 42°, albeit with only a 39% chance for more showers. 

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:13 a.m. and set tomorrow evening @ 5:16 p.m. Can spring be far behind? Spring officially begins with the Spring Equinox on March 20, 2022. So, I guess that means that it is only about 7 1/2 weeks away. In addition, assuming that the Covid-19 pandemic and the lockout in baseball don't put an end to the 2022 baseball season, the pitchers and catchers will report to spring training beginning on or about February 15, 2022. Here's hoping, because, "Baseball is life!

Earlier this afternoon, Mary and Ginger went for a walkabout in Duncan Woods before going to the big-box nearly everything store. However, sometimes they don't have everything we want at the big-box nearly everything store, but that's a story for another day. 

At any rate, while Mary and Ginger were walking, I took STWD for a short sojourn, and then I came back to do very little. Also while Mary and Ginger were walking, they missed a turn on their chosen path and ended up in Lake Forest Cemetery, which is adjacent to Duncan Woods. Our Senior Staff Photographer took the following photo, the only photo available for this blog. 

Near the Columbarium at Lake Forest Cemetery.

About one hour ago, I finished watching one of my favorite old movies, It Happened on Fifth Avenue, a heartwarming story of a man who is money poor, but rich in his soul, who takes up residence in the Fifth Avenue mansion of a man who is money wealthy, but who has ost his soul along the way. The poor man helps the rich man find his way home to his estranged wife and the friends that the poor man has made en route to happiness. 

Mary received her delayed cross stitch floss today and she is happily stitching downstairs as I write.

I finished the indoor chores today. I didn't really accomplish much today, but I'm retired, so there is no rush to get anywhere or get anything done.

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve and we have no specific plans. If we do something, we do. Ciao.

Good morning or good evening, wherever you may be, across the nation and across the world. It is just past 9:15 p.m. in "The City", where the current temperature is a brisk 27° under cloudy skies that feels like 27° with only a two mph wind out of the south. 

The NWS is still including a Small Craft Advisory in their forecast from St. Joseph to Manistee until 10:00 p.m. tomorrow night. That forecast calls for winds out of the west @ 10 to 20 knots changing to southwest winds from 15 to 25 knots that will propel waves of two to four feet in height that will gradually build to four to seven feet. There is also a slight one percent chance of snow tonight too.   

The sun will rise tomorrow @ 8:12 a.m. and set later @ 5:15 p.m.

We had an average day today. We did a few things around the manse, but mostly we accomplished very little. I finished a crossword puzzle and that was about it until we set out for the library for a drop-off and pick up and then we traveled to Grand Haven State Park and Beach and the nearby Mulligan's Hollow ski area for a photo shoot. At the State Park, I took some pix of the sun as it dropped towards the lake. Here are a few that I like.

Prior to the Small Craft Advisory, the lake was relatively calm.

I'd have missed this gull against the cloudy sky if Mary hadn't pointed it out to me. 

The sun was mostly obscured at about 3:30 p.m. this afternoon.

The beach was deserted with the cold air temperatures. 

As I noted, we also made our way over to Mulligan's Hollow Ski Area near the YMCA where they were making artificial snow on a cold day. Tomorrow's high temperature of 43° will be 16° warmer than today, which may make their work short-lived. But, I did get some good pix.

The snowmaking machines were the only snowstorm in our area today.

There were two machines at work today.

How long will the snow last? 

After our stops, we took STWD to her doctor where she got a good report. For a 15-year-old dog, she is doing great, but she does have cataracts and she is nearly deaf.

Right now, Mary is getting a headstart on the indoor chores which I'll finish tomorrow. Mary is still waiting on the floss for her almost finished cross-stitch project. We know that it has arrived at our local USPS location and is just waiting for a new day to be delivered.

We did receive an order from the big-box etailer today that was supposed to be delivered yesterday. I quickly assembled our new end table and it should be a good fit for my needs. 

Tomorrow, the balance of those indoor cores, some painting, some music for me.

Mary wants to complete her cross-stitch project and get it into the frame she has planned to display it. 

I think that's enough for one day. Ciao.