Minus Three Degrees

Evie's Photo Of A Male Cardinal

6:44

6:56

7:40

7:40

7:40

7:42

7:46

8:28

It's another early morning for me—up at 6:00 to utter darkness, though the sky began to lighten around 6:40 with hues of rose, orange, and yellow. We must have gotten a couple of inches of snow overnight, so I'll be out shoveling this morning. As I finish this at 8:20, the sun's out and Evie's still sleeping, so I'll wait for her to read the blog before publishing it. Since I woke, the temperature has only gone down, from -1º at 6:15 to -3º at 8:30. 

Tuesday was a good day, considering the weather. We were both up early at 7:00. I had yoga at 9:30, and Evie had school, so after the usual coffee, blog, and breakfast, I went outside to shovel, clear off the car, pull the Subaru out of the garage, and get it ready for Evie. I left at 9:10 for yoga.

When I walked into class, one of my friends called me over with bad news: my friend Paul, a buddy from Ryder's Cup who had been in hospice, had died on Monday. It was expected, but still devastating. Class was rigorous, and despite my mood, I hung in there and made it through. Afterward, I stopped at Ryder's Cup, where my friends were gathered along with Paul's brother from Las Vegas. I talked briefly with him, offered my condolences, and then sat down with my other friends for half an hour, all of whom were saddened by Paul's passing. Four of us have become friends over the past few years simply by having coffee at Ryder's Cup.

I didn't feel like shopping, but Evie had made a list, so I drove to Wegmans, picked up what we needed, and didn't get home until 12:30.

I had another bowl of kuru fasulye for lunch—I never seem to get tired of it. I continued with my series, The Night Manager, then finished my trifecta of a meal, reading, and a nap. What a nice way to enjoy the afternoon. Evie came home around 2:30, tired but happy from her class. The kids have been warned by their teacher not to get up and hug Evie when she walks in. Well, yesterday the teacher wasn't there, so the whole gang got up and hugged her when she arrived. How sweet.

After my nap, I had a long call with my financial advisor from Schwab. We're trying to figure out what's in our best interest as we look toward the future financially. He's a really good guy—so patient and helpful when I have trouble following his directions on the website as we switch funds around. As a teacher, I never had to worry about stocks, mutual funds, index funds, and ETFs because I never had much money. After the call, we scheduled a couple more conversations, and then I had time to read.

5:44 PM

By 5:00, Evie was on a Zoom call with her sisters, and I talked with my sister Ellen for a half hour; she is just recovering from an ablation and is doing well despite being snowed in. As always, we mostly discussed books and TV series we liked. 

After our calls, we had our wine and listened to the news until Evie got dinner ready—BLTs. Yum. Nothing like lots of bacon. We watched Hometown, caught some of the news, and then Evie went up to bed while I ended the night with The Night Manager. It was a busy day.

Getting Colder: 1º

7:24

7:53

It's 7:45, and we've both been up for 45 minutes. It's another white morning, light snow falling on the snow-covered lake and yard. Evie has school despite the temperature, and I'm hoping to make it to yoga. Once I finish this, I'll head out to shovel the driveway, clear the snow off the Kia, pull the Outback out of the garage, and get it ready for Evie.

Neighbors Cross Country Skiing The Lake

Yesterday was not your typical Monday because of the weather. For once, I slept in and had a relaxing coffee and breakfast since neither of us had anything pressing to do. Around 10:30, I finished breakfast and the blog, then went out to clear three or four inches of snow with the battery-powered snow shovel. It took a while, and I finished the job with a regular shovel. When I tried to open the garage door to get the Outback, one of the doors wouldn't budge—it was frozen shut. I attempted to heat the metal with a blowtorch, but to no avail. Finally, I called my neighbor Jim, who seems able to fix anything. He tried as well, then ended up using a tool to shave some wood off the door, and voila—it finally opened. It's great to have good friends and neighbors. I just wish I could help him out sometime; maybe I could proofread something for him. After all, I am an English teacher.

Yesterday At Noon

We weren't done until after noon, so when I came in, I had lunch—another bowl of kuru fasulye, what else—and watched something on TV, though I can't remember what. I then went upstairs to read and tried to nap, to no avail. So I came back downstairs to join Evie and read for the rest of the afternoon, usually on the couch. We were looking forward to wine time at 5:00 and listened to the nonstop news about the shooting in Minneapolis—nothing about Ukraine, Epstein, or healthcare.

Dinner was leftover chicken and rice with a broccoli, egg, and mayo salad. We watched the first episode of The Night Manager, then a Colbert before Evie went up to bed. I watched another episode of The Night Manager and some basketball before heading up around 10:00 to read.

Staying Cold

7:41

8:10

The Sun

I actually slept in until 7:30 this morning. My Apple Watch gave me a sleep score of 76—I'm usually in the 60s. Right now it's 8:33 and cloudy, with no snow but a chilly 5°. It looks as though this week will be much the same: cold with little, if any, major snowfall. By the way, my cold is much better—less coughing and just a stuffy nose. I may even venture out today for the first time since Wednesday. Our road was just plowed, and I gave Eric 30 bucks for helping clear the driveway yesterday. I'll still have to get out there this morning after breakfast and the blog, though, since we got at least four more inches overnight.

More Shoveling This Morning

It snowed most of the day on Sunday. I was up early, around 6:30, and it was already coming down. We had no plans for the day other than waiting for the NFL playoff games to begin midafternoon. We listened to the news most of the morning—the pundits debating the death of the ICU nurse in Minneapolis. It makes me wonder if there's such a thing as truth anymore. We wrote the blog, and I had my usual breakfast before heading out to shovel the driveway for the first time with my battery-powered shovel. Around 11:00, our plow guy came by, and I asked him to clear the parking area so that by noon, we'd be in good shape. While I was outside, Evie assembled our dinner of lemon chicken early, just in case we lost electricity.

I had kuru fasulye for lunch with rice around 12:30, then went outside and shoveled another two or three inches before coming back in to read and nap. After my nap, I shoveled again before settling in to watch the first playoff game. While I was napping, Evie made brownies for dessert and watched some tv. The Patriots/Broncos game was a bore, ending around 6:00 when I went out to shovel yet again. We had lemon chicken for dinner with rice—a good choice—and watched a Hometown episode before returning to the second playoff game between the Seahawks and Rams. Around 8:30, I went outside to shovel for what I hoped would be the last time. Evie had had enough football and went up to bed, leaving me to watch the Seahawks edge out a victory over the Rams. The game didn't end until close to 10:00, so I'd had enough myself and went upstairs to read and sleep. A day of too much shoveling and football.

Early Morning Whiteout

7:17

8:00

Sunday Morning

It's 8:05, and I've been up since 6:30. I actually slept well, waking only once, and my cold seems to be improving. The weather is ominous—I can barely see Long Point through the haze. The temperature, however, is 14º warmer than yesterday's 7 below zero. We're expecting 10 inches of snow or more, though it hasn't started falling yet. I'm sure I'll be outside shoveling two or three times during the day, and unfortunately, it's windy, making the task even more difficult.

Saturday Morning

Yesterday I woke feeling much the same as Friday, if not slightly worse. I was awake at 5:00, up at 6:00, and had a leisurely morning with a couple of cups of coffee, reading both the Times and the Post while waiting for Evie to proofread the blog. Once she was up, we published it, and I found myself growing restless despite my cold. When I looked outside, I noticed we'd gotten three or four inches of snow overnight. Despite the sub-zero temperature, I decided to shovel. I dressed in layers, wore a mask like an ice agent, and shoveled for maybe 15 minutes. I was surprisingly warm the entire time, probably because there was no wind.

Local Ice Agent Out Shoveling

Saturday Errands and Afternoon

Saturday, of course, means going to the Transfer Station. Evie didn't want me to go at first, and I agreed, but after being outside shoveling, I decided I felt well enough. We gathered the trash, and I was off around 11:15, joining a few other hardy souls who also wanted to dispose of their refuse. Once home, I was happy to settle on the couch with my book until lunch—the rest of the chicken noodle soup and a toasted cheese sandwich with jelly. Delicious. I found a new European crime series called Darkness: Those Who Kill. I don't love it, but it's worth watching during lunch. Strangely, I have little interest anymore in watching college basketball, which I used to love. Now I find it boring, much like the NBA.

Hearty Souls

Ice Fishermen And Child

After lunch, I read for a while and then took a long nap—maybe an hour—waking up groggy and disoriented about the time of day. By 3:00, I was back on the couch reading Theo of Golden, waiting for Evie to join me. Much of the afternoon was spent watching ice fishermen walk in and out of the lake, despite the cold. We sat around until 5:00, when we had our wine. Evie had already prepped dinner—breaded pork chops. Around 6:00, she fried them, then put them in the oven with baked potatoes, and we were enjoying a feast by 6:30.

Sitting On An Orange Bucket

Saturday Evening

We were somewhat at a loss for what to watch and decided on My Lottery Dream Home with David Bromsted. We watched three episodes, and the last one was particularly interesting. David's house in Orlando was destroyed by a hurricane in 2022, and the hour-long episode focused on rebuilding and renovating his new home. It gave insight into his passion for collecting, especially glass, and his distinctive taste—a pink Tudor, if you can imagine it. The show also touched on his serious depression and drug use following the loss of his home, and his decision to seek help—a real success story. After Evie went to bed, I watched my series, Darkness, then headed upstairs early myself.

Seven Below

7:12

8:30

8:43

Today is the coldest day we’ve experienced since retiring here in 2010. When I stepped onto the front porch to take a morning photo, I was surprised to see four ice-fishing tents set up off Long Point—hearty souls, indeed. We received another couple of inches of snow overnight, and if the weatherman is right, we may be in for a deluge tomorrow. Interestingly, our kids live in Virginia, Texas, and Missouri, and all three have Winter Storm Warnings like us. 

Ice Fishing This Morning

Yesterday wasn’t much fun because of my cold, and, alas, this morning isn’t much better. I can function as usual, but there are no hikes or drives off to Ryder’s Cup or Wegmans. I was up early, made my coffee, read for a bit, took a few morning photos, and wrote the blog—all before Evie got up. Once she was awake and ready, she read the blog and published it.

Around 10:00, I layered up and went outside to clear three inches of snow from the driveway and the car. It took longer than I expected, but there was little wind, so I wasn’t too cold.

For lunch, I had chicken soup and a cheese sandwich, compliments of Evie, and watched the end of Sinners. I’ve now seen two Oscar-nominated films, Sinners and One Battle After Another, and neither grabbed me; I was surprised by their nominations. I assume one of them will win Best Picture for 2025. After lunch, I napped for a good hour, worn out by itchy eyes, a cough, and a stuffy nose. Fortunately, I don’t seem to have a fever. While I slept, Evie stayed busy in the kitchen and later watched some TV. I spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing and reading.

Mid Afternoon Blue Skies

By 5:00, Evie had dinner ready—a recipe I had suggested, with ground chicken, sweet potatoes, coconut milk, and spinach. We sat down with a glass of wine around five, just as the internet went out. For the rest of the evening, we sat on the couch, bored and wondering when it would come back. Worst of all, 5G on our phones wasn’t working, so we were completely cut off from the media. Dinner, served over rice, was mediocre at best; we won’t be making it again.

Needless to say, we were at sixes and sevens without TV or cell phones, and Evie eventually went upstairs. I stayed downstairs, finished my novel Broken Country, and started a new book, Theo of Golden, before turning in. It’s remarkable how dependent we’ve become on the internet—and how lost we feel when it disappears.

Quotation Of The Day: 

“We’ve never needed them (NATO). We have never really asked anything of them. You know, they’ll say they sent some troops to Afghanistan, or this or that. And they did – they stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” Donald Trump

Winter Storm Advisory

7:12

8:04

It’s 7:43 as I start this, and I still feel miserable, with all the familiar symptoms of a cold. I was up at 6:20, made my coffee, took a Tylenol, and read some of the New York Times and Washington Post. We received a couple of inches of snow overnight, so I’ll be heading back out to shovel again. At the moment, it's 12º, and I'm more concerned about the strong winds than the snow over the next couple of days because of the risk of power loss. 

Thursday wasn’t much fun because of the cold. We were both up early, as usual, since Evie was going to school. Around 9:00, I bundled up, went outside, shoveled the parking area, and pulled the Outback out of the garage to make things easier for her when she left. The roads were snowy, but she took her time. Once she was gone, I hunkered down—reading, listening to Sirius radio, and making myself some chamomile tea, which Evie’s dad swears is a panacea for colds.

Spectacular Winter Sky At 11:41

I wasn’t very hungry, but I heated up a bowl of kuru fasulye and watched the first half hour of the Oscar-nominated film Sinners. After lunch, I showered, hoping it would clear my head, and then took a solid nap. Evie got home around 3:00, tired from school and a stop at Wegmans to stock up for the coming storm. I helped put everything away, then spent much of the afternoon on the couch, reading my new novel, Broken Country.

By 4:30, we had accumulated another couple of inches of snow, so I went back out for about half an hour to shovel again and clean off the car, trying to stay ahead of the snowfall. We relaxed around 5:30 after Evie put together dinner—eggplant, pasta sauce, and spaghetti. We both commented on how good it was; we must have been hungry. We watched Colbert and then started a new series, The Beast in Me, with Claire Danes. After two episodes, we’d had enough for the night, though we’ll probably keep watching. Once Evie went to bed, I watched a quarter of the Mavericks–Golden State game and ended the evening with another half hour of Sinners.

Quotations Of The Day:

"We are in the middle of at least four unravelings: The unraveling of the postwar international order. The unraveling of domestic tranquillity wherever Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents bring down their jackboots. The further unraveling of the democratic order, with attacks on Fed independence and — excuse the pun — trumped-up prosecutions of political opponents. Finally, the unraveling of President Trump’s mind." David Brooks

"No one has delivered more in one year than President Trump." Jim Jordan

Thursday Clouds And Blue Skies

7:29

7:58

8:10

8:30

It’s 8:15, and I’ve been up for about an hour. Unfortunately, I’ve come down with a cold—aching bones, a cough, chills—so I won’t be doing much today. No yoga, for sure. The sun briefly popped out at 8:10, forcing me to move my seat, but twenty minutes later it disappeared again. When I looked out the window at 8:30, the sky had turned cloudy once more, the wind had picked up, and snow was falling hard, adding to the three inches we got overnight. It was a complete whiteout.

Wednesday was an easy day for both of us, with nothing much we had to do. We lingered over a long coffee hour, listening to the news and finishing up the blog. I had my usual breakfast—yogurt with chia seeds, homemade granola, hemp hearts, and blueberries. Around 8:00, I put a pound of white beans into the pressure cooker for half an hour. While they cooked, I sautéed onions with tomato paste and Turkish spices, then added the beans and stock and let everything simmer for an hour. By 10:00, I had a pot of Turkish kuru fasulye ready.

After that, I headed out to hike Tom’s Point, a trail just five minutes from our house. The first couple hundred yards were easy, as someone had already been through, but then the tracks stopped and I had to bushwhack the rest of the way, cutting a path all the way to the tip of the Point. I walked partway back along the lake, then through the woods and an open field to reach my car. I was gone for about an hour and felt good about getting in a fairly rigorous hike.

Trail Leading Out To Tom's Point

Bridge

Looking North From Tom's Point

Lunch was a taco salad, courtesy of Evie, and I finished up TASK. After such a bad night’s sleep, I took a solid nap, having first dozed off while reading. Once I was up again, I read while Evie puttered until 6:00, when our neighbors, Barb and Jim, kindly picked us up and drove us to the Viking Club for dinner.

Happy To Back At The Viking Club

The club was surprisingly empty, though it was only the first Wednesday it had been open in 2026. We ordered beers and dinner and simply enjoyed being back. Every Wednesday there’s a drawing called the Queen of Hearts, and last night someone won the jackpot—nearly five thousand dollars. It was the second time we’d been there when someone won. Five years ago, the cook won a jackpot of more than twenty thousand dollars. Needless to say, she no longer works in the kitchen.

We were home by 8:30. Evie went straight to bed, and I watched a little TV, then headed upstairs and fell asleep reading.

Quotations Of The Day:

“We are watching one of the wildest things a nation-state has ever done,” journalist Garrett Graff wrote: “A superpower is [dying by] suicide because the [Republican] Congress is too cowardly to stand up to the Mad King. This is one of the wildest moments in all of geopolitics ever.”

"In just a year since his second inauguration, Trump has torn apart the work that took almost a century of struggle and painstaking negotiations from the world’s best diplomats to build. Since World War II, generations of world leaders, often led by the United States, created an international order designed to prevent future world wars. They worked out rules to defend people and nations from the aggressions of neighboring countries, and tried to guarantee that global trade, bolstered by freedom of the seas, would create a rising standard of living that would weaken the ability of demagogues to create loyal followings." Heather Cox Richardson