1º

7:06

7:49

7:49

7:50

8:04

What a temperature to wake up to—1º! Unfortunately, I woke at 5:00 but didn't get up until 6:00. It's now after 7:00, and Evie is up and wants to go to school despite the cold. I'm not sure what I'm going to do. It's too cold to hike or cross-country ski. I could go to yoga, but that means I'd have to get going, and right now it feels good to just veg.

Yesterday was cold with intermittent snow. We were both home much of the morning, having our coffee, deciding what to have for dinner, and finishing up the blog. I took my time getting going, but by 11:00, I was ready to get outside and hike. I decided on the easy hike around our Victoria/Woodlawn woods. I wore my crampons just in case, but a couple of us had already made a path, as well as a cross-country skier. It made hiking much easier. I was out for forty minutes and finished my walk on the lake. I was surprised by the surface—it was no longer wet underneath the snow but solid ice. In other words, it was good to walk on and would be great for cross-country skiing if it weren't so cold. When I got back, I took fifteen minutes to clear the snow off the driveway and car.

Blue Skies

Shadows

Victoria Sreet

Self Portrait

Blowing Snow

Evie had a doctor's appointment in Jamestown, so I offered to drive her because of the icy roads and snow. I dropped her off at one and was going to go to a diner next to the office, but it was closed. So I drove to Burger King on Foote Avenue and ordered a Whopper meal. I drove back to the office, parked in the lot, and took a break to enjoy my lunch. Evie was out by 1:30, and we were home by 2:00.

2:28

Long Point

Blue Skies At 4:36

I was ready for a nap, and I must have slept at least half an hour because I woke not knowing whether it was morning or afternoon. I then read some—I'm into my book, The Crying Cave Killings. I went outside at 4:30 and shoveled once more, probably a couple of inches of snow. We then relaxed with a glass of wine until 6:15, when Evie heated up our dinner of stuffed shells and made a salad. We watched a couple of episodes of the much-awarded The Pitt. We're not that taken with it but will stick with it. After Evie went to bed, I watched three quarters of the Indiana-Miami game before going to bed, hoping Indiana would win. They did!

Quotation Of The Day: "Considering your Country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for having stopped 8 wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace, although it will always be predominant, but can now think about what is good and proper for the United States of America.” Donald Trump

Light Snow And 14º

7:23

It's 8:20, and I have been up for an hour, watching the frenetic birds as they attack the bird feeder. Long Point and the shoreline are a blur because of the light snow and overcast sky. Today will remain cold, and we may receive more snow this afternoon, adding to the inch or two of snow overnight.

Sunday was typical for us lately. It began with a long coffee hour, as we listened to the news on CNN and had our coffee. It was a fine, blue sky morning, but cold. We finished the blog by 9:15 and then talked about dinners for the rest of the week. I wanted to get in a walk despite the cold and the warning from ChatGPT about walking in cold weather. I decided to walk the streets of the Chautauqua Institution, and it was a good choice. I wore my crampons, just in case it was icy, and cut my walk short because of the westerly winds. So I was out for only half an hour, but that was enough to energize me. After the walk, I drove to Tops in Mayville and picked up a few things for our dinners this week. As usual, Tops was practically empty since the Chautauqua Institution closed for the season around Labor Day. During the summer, 7500 people are in residence on the grounds, but in the winter, three or four hundred.

Aboretum

Thunder Bridge

Typical Snowy Street

Walking Dogs On Brick Row

Greek Temple

Thunder Bridge From North Side

I was home by noon and relaxed on the couch. Evie then volunteered to make me breakfast, eggs on toast, so I enjoyed it and watched another episode of Task on HBO Max. Since I had a bad night, I went upstairs and napped for 45 minutes, a good one because I woke feeling refreshed. I then took my first shower in our new walk-in shower and liked it. Both of us will start using it because of the ease of getting in and out safely. By 3:00, I was ensconced in front of the TV, watching another NFL playoff game between the Texans and Patriots. Like the Bills game, it was a game marred by turnovers by both teams. The Patriots eventually won, 28-16. After the game, we got ready to drive over to Linda and Ron's for Sunday night dinner.

   

Ice Fishing In The Afternoon

A Blue Afternoon

It was chilly on our drive over, no seat warmers. We were greeted at the door, took off our boots, put on our slippers, and the four of us quickly sat down at their kitchen table. We had wine then, and Linda had made a spinach/artichoke dip with tasty Issa's pita chips (made in Buffalo). We hadn't seen them since our dinner at the Stockton Inn, ten days ago, so we had lots to catch up on. Linda's sister and brother-in-law, who are both in their mid-80s, recently talked with a gerontologist and have changed many of their habits as a result, and it was interesting to hear. Dinner was perfect, chicken meatballs and orzo in a cream sauce, and a salad. For dessert, Linda made a Middle Eastern flan with an orange sauce, a nice way to end our dinner. We were on our way home by 8:45. Evie was ready for bed when we returned but I watched the end of the Chicago//LA game before joining her. Another good winter day.

Blue Skies Before The Storm

7:15

7:59

6:50

7:59

The frigid temperatures have returned—15º—and will only worsen as the week progresses. It's 8:10, the sun is up and filling the living room with light, and I've been awake since 6:30.

Saturday ended up being a disappointing day because the Buffalo Bills lost in overtime, 33-30. There were some questionable calls, but a team with five turnovers usually deserves to lose. The day started normally enough: getting up early, reading the newspapers, blogging, having breakfast, and waiting for Evie to wake up. Unfortunately, the power went out around 9:00, so I was unable to post the blog. By 10:00, I was on my way to the Transfer Station and checking whether Hogan's Hut had electricity so I could get Evie a cup of coffee. It didn't. I stopped at Ryder's Cup for coffee, then hurried through a busy Wegmans, picking up a prescription and various items for our taco dinner. On the way home, I stopped at the Stedman coffee shop for another coffee for Evie. I returned home maybe ten minutes after the power was restored, and Evie already had her coffee—a good thing, because the Stedman coffee was terrible.

Woodlawn/Victoria Trail

Victoria

I was home by noon, but I wasn't hungry, so I decided to hike through the Victoria/Woodlawn woods, which are conveniently located and decently forested. The hike usually takes just over half an hour, and yesterday was typical: lots of snow on the trees and trail. I wore my crampons in case it was icy. When I returned, Evie had taken the first shower in our new walk-in and loved it. I was hungry by then, so I had another bowl of Penicillin soup and made myself a salami sandwich on Dave's Organic bread. I watched another episode of Task on HBO Max, then went upstairs to read my new thriller, The Crying Cave by Wes Markin. I don't love it, but so far I'm sticking with it.

Overcast Southern Sky

Bridge Over Calm Waters

Victoria/Woodlawn

After a brief nap, we both killed time waiting for the Bills game to begin at 4:30. It went on until 8:00, so we were planted in front of the TV much of the afternoon and early evening. Late in the game, Evie put together a taco bowl with taco shells, meat, lettuce, cheese, taco sauce, and sour cream. By the time the game was over, we were both wiped out. Evie and Tommy had been messaging back and forth during the exciting game. I then watched the first half of the next NFL playoff game between the 49ers and Seahawks. Evie, however, went up to bed, and I followed at halftime—too much football for one day.

Why We Spend Our Winters On Chautauqua Lake

8:12

Ice Fishing This Morning

Note: Our electricity went out early this morning and did not come back on until 11:15, thus the lateness of the Blog. 

It's 7:40, and I've been up since 6:00, sitting in the dark until recently when the gray sky appeared—no sun, no clouds, just overcast. Today is a bit warmer at 27º with highs in the low 30s, but by Tuesday, we're supposed to drop to single digits with snow. And today at 4:30, the Bills play Denver in an NFL playoff game. I just put our bird feeder back out our front window after a hiatus of a month because of a squirrels. Within a half hour, the sparrows and tufted titmice are feeding as well as an aggressive hairy woodpecker. 

Yesterday was another good day—in fact, a great day, especially in the morning. I was up at my computer when I received a message from my neighbor, wondering if I was interested in hiking Long Point State Park. Of course, I said yes, so after breakfast and the blog, I walked over to his house at 9:45, and we headed to the park accompanied by Ripley, his dog. The woods were spectacular, snow frosting every branch—a winter wonderland, and exactly why we love it here in the winter, if only for a couple of days. Ripley loved it too, running wild, darting left or right, sometimes disappearing but always returning. We were the only ones out hiking and had to blaze our own trail at times. What's interesting is I rarely hear or see any birds or animals when I hike—mostly silence or the wind blowing. We were out for forty-five minutes and home by 11:30.

Wow

Ripley

The Woods

Jim And Ripley

I then shoveled our parking areas, came in briefly, then decided to tackle a few errands and took off to Lakewood, then Jamestown. I stopped at Walmart to get a photo printed for Joyce at Ryder's Cup.  I then drove to Jamestown and picked up some sleep gummies for Evie. I was tempted to stop at Wegmans but got gas instead and was home by 1:15. Hungry, I heated up the leftover spaghetti and meatballs with naan and watched my show. I then went upstairs and finished my tear-jerker, Kristin Hannah's Night Road, and napped briefly.

The rest of the afternoon we wasted waiting for wine time and the news. I can hardly listen to Republican pundits applaud and justify Trump's daily lies and craziness. It's scary. Dinner was a Turkish favorite, Tas Kebab—basically stew meat braised with tomato paste and Turkish spices. It sounds simple, but I love the flavor, and with mashed potatoes, I was happy. We watched a couple more episodes of DOC, but Evie had enough of its soap opera storylines and went to bed. I watched some of the Cavs game, then switched to TASK on HBO, which is decent. I've been having trouble finding a book to read and have started a couple, but this morning I received an email from the library telling me I have two books on hold. I hope one of them grabs me.

Blue Skies, Whiteness, 12º

7:54

7:55

7:59

7:59

Coyote on the Ice

It’s 7:50, and I’ve been up since 6:30, watching the sky slowly change colors. What a surprise it was to eventually see blue skies and the sun rising just about now. No snow is predicted for today, though we must have gotten two or three inches overnight, so I’ll be out shoveling again. My neighbor just texted, and we’re planning to walk Long Point at 10:00. The sun has come out in full force, so I’ve had to move to another chair because it’s suddenly so bright.

Morning Sun On Couch

Thursday was an interesting day. I was up early at 6:30, woke Evie at 7:00, and we had our coffee, listened to the news, and wrote the blog. I planned to go to yoga, but first I had to shovel the driveway and then take the Outback out of the garage so Evie could drive it to school. I had parked the loaner car in our neighbors’ driveway about 100 yards from our house, so I walked down, brushed the snow off, and then came back to get ready for yoga.

I grabbed my yoga bolster and a blanket, went back down to the loaner, started it, scraped the ice off the windshield, and headed out. When I was within a mile of the yoga studio, I suddenly wondered where I’d put the fob for the keyless ignition. After searching my pockets, I realized I had left it at home. If I continued on to yoga, I wouldn’t be able to start the car afterward. So I turned around, drove home, grabbed the fob, and went back to yoga—about twenty minutes late. I’m still amazed the car started in our neighbors’ driveway at all, given that the fob was sitting in our house at least 100 yards away.

In any case, I got in forty-five minutes of yoga, apologized for being late, and then stopped by Ryder’s Cup for coffee, hoping to see my friend Paul. Unfortunately, his wife said he wasn’t up to seeing anyone that day, so I’ll try again another time.

When I got home, the house was quiet with Evie still at school. I heated up leftover spaghetti and meatballs and started a series I know I watched a couple of years ago. One advantage of aging is forgetting books and shows you’ve already read or watched—and getting to enjoy them all over again. Evie returned around 2:00, exhausted from her day at school because she had to help the kids get dressed to play outside, coats, gloves, hats, whatever. I was on the phone with my Schwab advisor about consolidating our retirement accounts. We eventually got it done, though not without some frustration—passwords continue to defeat us. Thankfully, Austin was incredibly patient and walked us through the process, which took at least an hour. It’s done now and should save us a fair amount of money.

After that hassle, I read for a while, and Evie watched her show. Around 4:30, I went outside and shoveled again—another two or three inches had fallen. It was so beautiful out, with snow coating the trees and blanketing the yards, that I went for a short walk around the neighborhood. This is the kind of day we both love.

Home

Snowy Woods

Woodlawn Evergreen

We had our wine at 5:00, and Evie fried up some potatoes and cooked steelhead trout from Aldi in the air fryer. The trout was great, the potatoes filling, and afterward we started a new series—or rather, the second season of Doc, another hospital-based show. After Evie went to bed, I watched some basketball, then returned to my series, Blue Lights. I read until 11:00 and then turned off the light.

Quotation Of The Day From Adam Frank:

“Give me a young star, and I can use the reductionist laws of physics to predict that star’s future: It will live a million years rather than a billion years; it will die as a black hole rather than as a white dwarf. But the components of a living organism yield something new and unexpected, a phenomenon called ‘emergence.’ Give me a simple cell from the early days of Earth’s history, and I could never predict that some four billion years later it would evolve into a giant rabbit that can punch you in the face. Kangaroos — like humans — are an unpredictable, emergent consequence of life’s evolution.”

Waiting For The Snow Storm

6:55

7:09

7:30

It’s 7:30, and I’ve been up since 6:15. It’s 13º outside, and we must have gotten three or four inches of snow overnight, with more expected today through Saturday. We’ve been under a winter advisory since yesterday, and the snow began falling just as we were heading to bed. I’ll be out shoveling the parking area shortly, since I have breakfast at 8:00 in Bemus, yoga at 10:00, and Evie has school as well.

7:59

Yesterday was a strange day. It began as usual—up early for coffee, blogging, and breakfast—while waiting for the guys to arrive to install the walk-in shower. They finally showed up around 7:50 in a huge truck that served as their workshop, tool shop, and storage unit for the shower system. They seemed like good guys and got right to work, cutting out the old bathtub and shower. Around 9:00, a plumber arrived to take care of the necessary plumbing.

Woodlawn

I spoke with one of the installers and asked whether he’d be willing to put safety bars in our upstairs bathroom. He was agreeable and showed me what to pick up at Home Depot, so I headed out around 10:30, picked up a couple of safety bars and toggle bolts, and stopped at Wegmans for a few items.

I was home by noon, and Evie had made me lunch—tuna salad on a bagel. She then drove to Westfield to pick up a CD from a test she had taken and, of course, filled the Outback with cheaper gas. Since I’d only had about four hours of sleep, I went upstairs to read and nap briefly before coming back down to read some more. While I was upstairs, the safety bars were installed in the upstairs bathroom, which I really appreciated. They’ll make bathing much safer for the old folks!

Evie was home by 2:00 and watched a couple more episodes of her show. We spent the rest of the afternoon as we usually do—watching TV, reading, napping, and checking in on the progress of the shower. We relaxed with our wine around 5:30, and the guys worked until about 7:00, when they finished up, reviewed the warranty, and I put the remaining balance on my credit card. They did a great job and will get our strong recommendation.

We had spaghetti and meatballs for dinner, along with naan, and watched the 220th episode of All Saints. We decided that was enough—the cast had changed quite a bit, and we were getting tired of the same old thing. After Evie went to bed, I finished my series, The Fall, watched some basketball, and turned in early, tired from the day.