Parly Cloudy And 40º

6:53

8:36

I woke to full sun sunshine at 6:45 but now, at 7:25, its hazy and the sun is behind veil of thin clouds. The lake has some ripples but it still looks like it will be fine to kayak.  It's 8:45, and Evie's showering and getting ready for school. I just returned from a 40-minute paddle, down to Sandy Bottom and back. My least favorite birds, turkey vultures, were hanging out on a neighbor's steps, about 20 of them. What ugly birds when compared to the striking beauty of the wood ducks, cruising next door.

Kayak Morning

Turkey Vultures

Mallard And Wood Duck

A Pair Of Wood Ducks

Yesterday was a glorious day for the most part, as I paddled down to Whitney Bay and back in bright sun and little if any wind, my kind of a morning. Mondays are wide open because I have no yoga and Evie had plans to make use of our day. We had an extended coffee which was pleasant and by 10:30, Evie was out mowing and I was cutting down the seven-foot Zebra grass from the side of our house, filling a couple of garbage pails with the grass. It always amazes me how tall it's gotten and how stiff it is when I cut it down in the Spring. Because Evie had a bad night, she took her time mowing, stopping every 15 minutes or so.

By noon, Cory, our plumber had arrived to fix the leak under our sink. He decided to put in an entirely new set of pipes since a couple more were rusting out. While he was working, I had lunch, tomato, cheddar, turkey and pickles on sourdough bread. Cory was in and out a couple of times, having to go back to the shop to pick up a few things. After lunch and my series, I took a brief nap, then went out and finished up mowing the lawn because Evie had had enough and just wanted to kick back and relax. Cory finished just as I was done mowing. After mowing, I picked up the mail and ironically, we got another bill from our plumber for fixing the leak in the dishwasher hose. I opened it and it knocked my socks off: $49.59! We thought as usual it would be at least a couple of hundred. Mid-afternoon, I noticed 20 or 30 buffleheads, mergansers and sea gulls, drifting in front of our house, still hanging out on the lake before heading north.

Hanging Out In The Afternoon Sun

It felt good to have gotten some yard things done and get back to my book, Tana French's The Searcher, set in Ireland. While we relaxed with wine, Evie prepped and baked our dinner, chicken, with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. We ate around 6:30 and dinner was great, chicken was nice and tender and juicy. When I walked into the kitchen, I noticed the moon was full in the southeastern sky and took a photo. 

8:10

We watched two episodes of a series on Netflix called Ripley, a remake of the novel and film, The Talented Mr. Ripley. So far, so good. We ended the night with a vow to start watching Curb Your Enthusiasm, all eleven seasons. So far, we have watched just two episodes. Evie went to bed and I stayed up, fortunately, to watch the Knicks beat the 76ers in the final 30 seconds when they were down five points and Philadelphia had the ball. Unbelievable. 

A Blinding Sunny Morning.

6:57

9:17

I knew it was sunny when I woke to a bedroom filled with light.  And when I walked downstairs, the living room was filled with sun as well. Surprisingly, it's 32º out and I had to bring my lake footies in because they were frozen. The lake is absolutely stunning, no ripples, just a sheet of glass, waiting for me to kayak. It's 7:55 as I finish this and Evie is still sleeping and I am going to go for a paddle. Hope my footies are not frozen. It's 9:30 and I was out kayaking for close to an hour, north to Whitney Bay and back to Victoria and home. What a gorgeous morning on the lake, sun, blue skies, and a light wind. 

Kayak Morning

Blue On Blue

Yesterday was our typical Sunday. We had a long coffee as we had no plans for the day. I did get in a forty-five-minute paddle before breakfast. Because the pipe underneath our sink is leaking, we have to be careful with water which is a pain. The plumber should be coming by today or tomorrow to fix it. Mid-morning, Evie showered and got ready for our walk around the Chautauqua Institution. We left around 11:30, later than usual and parked in Bestor Plaza instead of the south-end parking lot, a change of pace. We then walked the north end, marveling at some of the new homes going up, especially one at the north end of the lake. It must be in the millions. Contractors have until June 20th to get their work done and then they are banned until September. We walked for close to an hour, taking our time, enjoying the beginnings of Spring, a few wildflowers and trees and bushes beginning to bud. 

We were home having breakfast by 1:00. For me, a bagel with egg and avocado, for Evie the leftover eggplant parm from Friday night. We watched a CBS Sunday morning, always interesting because it rarely talks about politics. How refreshing. We then spent the afternoon as we usually do, with me reading or napping and Evie doing the same. It's not that we don't want to get outside but we do enjoy our leisure, especially as we get older. I watched some of the NBA playoffs on and off, just to see what was happening. By 5:30, we were back in our living room, enjoying the afternoon blue after a mostly cloudy morning. We are so fortunate to have this view of the lake, Long Point, the hills beyond, and the sky. 

By 6:30, Evie had grilled the salmon and made a salad, topped with the salmon, avocadoes and hard-boiled eggs, our favorite way to eat salmon. We decided to watch the much-ballyhooed series on Prime called Fallout, a post-apocalyptic world, based on a video game. We decided after the first episode it was not our kind of series and returned to the tried and true, an episode of Hometown. We watched some news then Evie went up to bed and I watched maybe a half hour of the NBA playoffs before joining her.

Slightly Gray And Cold

First Sighting Of A Great Blue Heron

7:01

9:21

It's 33º and I am not anxious to get out and paddle, wishing it were warmer. The sunrise is hidden behind a vast bank of a mixture of gray clouds. At the moment, the wind has died so I better get out on the lake quickly before it picks up as usual. It's 9:45 and I was out paddling for forty-five minutes, in a light sleet or snow flakes, a typical spring morning here on Chautauqua Lake. 

Kayak Morning

Paddling To Long Point

 Male Wood Duck

Female Wood Duck

Buffleheads

Yesterday was a surprisingly productive day for both of us. For Evie, especially, despite getting only six hours of sleep. So we were both up early and took our time getting started, enjoying the leisure of a Saturday morning. Once we got started, however, after my paddle, we worked on and off during the day. Evie decided to give the downstairs bathroom a deep cleaning, so that took a good part of the morning. She also wanted the living room done, so I volunteered and vacuumed while she did some dusting. I also cleaned up the kitchen although it's a mess because we have a leaky pipe underneath the sink so everything is out on the counter. I also swept and cleaned the back porch, and put away all the bird feeders because chipmunks were getting into them. Now we have birds returning, then flying away in confusion, wondering what happened to the feeders. By 11:30, we had gathered all the trash, cleaned out the refrigerator and I was on my way to the Transfer Station.

We had lots of mushrooms in the refrigerator so Evie suggested a mushroom omelet for lunch, a great idea along with some toast. I enjoyed my lunch and began watching the marathon of NBA games, the first, the Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Orlando. I watched it for maybe 20 minutes, then returned to my book, and took a nap. Once I woke, I admit to wasting the rest of the afternoon, letting Evie finish up with her chores while I read and watched basketball on and off. My book really grabbed me as I could not put it down, wondering how it would end, happily or with sadness. Mid-afternoon, Evie looked out the window and saw a heron on our lake wall and grabbed the camera, and took a couple of great shots of the heron.

A Prancing Heron

By 5:30, thank goodness, we were relaxing on the couch with guacamole and Aldis rip off of Fritos, much cheaper and darn tasty. It was Saturday night, so we enjoyed a Manhattan or two, listening to music from Evie's Manhattan list. We had no worries about dinner because we had more than enough leftovers from Friday night's Italian dinners. We devoured them and watched the usual shows. 

Some Sun, Clouds, And 41º

7:25

9:01

It's a beautiful morning despite the sun hiding behind the cloud banks. The lake is smooth and gray, a muskrat paddled by and its colder than I hoped. I was up at 6:45 and hoped to be out on the lake by 7:45.  It's now 9:00 and I paddled for  forty minutes and as usual, the wind picked up once I was out there and heading back. I had to fight 20-30 mile an hour gusts. 

Into The Sun

Northern Sky

Yesterday was not the best of days because we discovered a leak in the kitchen, under the sink so we will be having the plumber come by on Monday or Tuesday, always something. The day began well, although it was too wet and windy to kayak. I did get in a yoga session at 10:00, with four others which was great for our new teacher. I did stop briefly at Aldis to pick up a couple of things Evie needed then came home to a mess in the kitchen, as Evie had cleared our the cleaning products from under the sink to mop up some of the water. Before lunch, I scrambled in our crawl space to see if there was much-standing water and make sure the sump pump was working. Lunch was scrambled eggs and toast and I watched my show.

The afternoon went quickly because after reading some and napping and showering, it was already 3:15 and Linda and Ron were picking us up at 3:45 for a 4:15 showing of the film Civil War. It's worth watching although none came out of the theater excited about it. The US is in complete chaos with one group of patriots fighting another and nowhere is safe in the country. The President has supposedly assumed dictatorial powers, gotten rid of the FBI and various states have seceded. There's lots of violence, much like a video game so be prepared. Scenes of pastoral beauty and song contrast with the violence and death. It suggests this could happen if we continue down the road of division, polarity, and extremity in politics. 

After the film, we drove to Jamestown for dinner at La Cucina Della Nonna. Fortunately, the bar was free so we grabbed four seats and were happy. Evie ordered eggplant parm and I had chicken parm and both servings were big enough that we will have enough for tonight's dinner. It's a fun place and this is the third time we have been there. Their Italian food is the best around since Rocco's in Fredonia closed.  

Sunset

8:10

We were home by 8:30 and watched some news, then basketball once Evie went up to bed. 

Windy And Drizzling

6:55

7:53

8:37

I woke at 6:40 to a drizzle and a choppy lake. So I won't be kayaking this morning which is fine because I was not looking forward to it. It's 51º and should stay in the 50s and cloudy the rest of the day. 

Thursday was a good day, starting with breakfast in Bemus, always fun. My breakfast doesn't vary much except for the kind of bread I have on my sandwich, either an English muffin, bagel, or croissant. It's tough making that kind of decision so early in the morning. Yesterday was an everything bagel if anyone cares. I was home by 9:15 and Evie was showered and dressed, ready to head off to her morning with kindergarteners. I left for yoga at 10:00 with Danielle and it's always crowded so I had to find a spot in the front of the class, the least desirable place for your mat. Thursday's is Yin Yoga, easy and we never stand, just hold poses for three or four minutes. After class, I drove to a busy Walmart and picked up some goodies for a taco dinner, something we both wanted. I also went crazy and bought a package of three boxers as well as white socks. It was a whim because I certainly don't need either. 

When I got home, it was 12:30 and Evie had thoughtfully made my lunch, egg salad, before leaving for school. So I toasted some bread for the egg salad and heated up a bowl of veggie soup and watched my show, Godless, which I am starting to enjoy after four episodes. I do not enjoy my book as much as I would have liked because I know the main character will get killed, despite his innocence but the novelist is making us wait until the end.

Of course, I napped and when I woke, Evie was back from class.  She regaled me with the delightful kindergarteners and the teacher had to explain to them who was going to hold Grandma Evie's hand so they wouldn't fight over her. It's nice to be wanted. Late afternoon, I wanted to go for a walk in the Victoria woods and see where Pine Hill had begun selective cutting of the trees in the area behind their cabins. 

Spring Daffodils

Victoria Creek

Downed Trees

After my walk, we relaxed with a glass of wine and listened to the news, mostly about Trump. This morning I woke to the news that Israel retaliated against Iran so that will be the story of the day along with Trump of course. Around 6:15, Evie browned some ground beef, added the taco mix and heated up the taco shells. She then made us taco salads, with all the fixings, beef, taco shells, tomatoes, lettuce avocadoes and sour cream. Yum. We started a new series on Hulu based on a novel we loved, Shogun, but were not taken with the series although the setting and action, set in Japan in the 1600s, was striking. We ended up watching Colbert and Real Time With Bill Maher before bed. 

Gray, Gray, Gray

6:46

9:07

Well, I forgot to publish the blog Wednesday until after 12:00 like an idiot. Get used to it. This morning is overcast, the lake and sky are both gray, the lake nice and calm. I won't be out there kayaking because I have breakfast in Bemus, then yoga. It's 9:15 and I just returned from the Lake Life Cafe and had a delicious everything bagle with sausage and cheese, a good start to the morning. 

Yesterday was back to routine, to normal, to what I like to do each morning.  First, get up early and enjoy my coffee but early enough to get in a decent paddle. Then, come home and finish the blog and have breakfast, homemade granola, yogurt and blueberries. I usually make her a second cup of coffee if Evie's up, like this morning. That's my morning before I drive off to yoga in Lakweood at 10:00. Class is always small on Wednesday and there were just two of us but that's not a problem. After class, I stopped at Aldis and picked up some goodies for the rest of the week, especially a couple of packages of lamb chops which I had been craving. Yum.

When I returned home, Evie had been busy tearing the kitchen apart but had time to make me lunch, a turkey sandwich on toast along with her veggie soup. I was happy, enjoying lunch and watching my show. The afternoon was overcast although unseasonably warm but we stayed inside, doing what we usually do on winter and spring afternoons, reading, napping, watching TV, and occasionally getting something done which, for Evie, was washing and drying clothes.

By 6:00, we were walking down to our neighbors because seven of us were going over to the Viking for dinner. It was crowded because of a meeting so we had to wait in line at the bar for our beers, at the kitchen to order our dinners. It was a fun night as we don't usually have seven of us at the Viking so there was lots to talk about. 

Dining At The Viking Club With The Hood

We stayed until 8:30, among the last to leave. Evie was pooped when we got home and went up to bed. I stayed up and watched an NBA game before joining her. Before going to bed, I made the mistake of turning on Fox News and listening to Hannity talk about Biden's policy toward Israel. You would have thought he was the second coming of Adolph Hitler. Disgusting. You can have differences of opinion but not Hannity or Fox News. It has to be extreme, nonsensical, firing up the Maga base who seem to believe anything he says. 

Morning Drizzle

8:07

It's 52º at 8:00 and drizzling. I doubt if I will kayak but will check on the weather in a half hour to see if the drizzle has stopped. I admit to not being very interested in a paddle. A year ago I would already be out there. Well, I did it, not a wimp. I went out for just under 25 minutes, in an occasional drizzle but mostly it was fine. Glad I did it. 

Cold Feet

Kayak Morning

A Pair Of Migrating Greater Scaups

Yesterday was a good day, something I have not said recently. It began with a forty-five minute paddle with lots of sunshine, the best way to start my day. After the blog and breakfast, I was off to a good yoga class, with four gals, the regulars like me. After class, I drove into Jamestown, to my tax gal, and I may be getting a thousand-dollar return from the IRS from some mixups in 2022. I am not counting on it.  I then did a quick stop at both Wegmans and Evans Wine before driving home. While I was gone, Evie volunteered at Southwestern Schools, helping in their kindergarten class from 10:00 to 1:30. The kids loved it of course, all wanting to hold her hand, but sad when she had to leave at 1:30. She will be volunteering on Tuesdays and Thursdays. 

So, I had to make my lunch! What a bummer. Fortunately, Evie had a pot of veggie soup in the refrigerator which I heated up and I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I am watching my Western. Godless, and it's decent. I then took advantage of the quiet and napped, then read until Evie came home, having stopped at Wegmans after volunteering. It was fun listening to her describe the class, well mannered and darling for the most part, and enjoyed having her there to give them some extra attention. For some reason, I felt like doing something, so I changed the oil on the lawn mower, powered it up, and mowed the front yard which needed it because of all the rain the past couple of weeks.

We enjoyed happy hour, the beauty of a late, sunny afternoon, and the lake a brilliant lapis lazuli. Dinner was the leftover chicken kebabs, set on pita bread, topped with tomato sauce and yogurt. Yum. We started a film called A Beautiful Game but after 15 minutes we were bored, knew how it would end, and moved on to something else. I can't even remember what it was but it filled the evening along with the news until it was time for bed.