More Snow And Cold

7:55

8:00

8:01

I woke to four or five more inches of snow and a chilly 12º. I guess the winter storm warning was accurate. A few fishing tents are out but not as many as the weekend. Evie goes to kindergarten this morning so I better get out there and clear the snow off the Kia and shovel the driveway. 

Yesterday was a busy day. It began as usual with coffee, the blog, and breakfast. By 9:30, I was ready to drive to yoga class. When I got there, I found out class didn't start until 10:30 and I was 35 minutes early. So I drove down to Ryders Cup, sat with my friends, and talked until 10:20 when I returned to the studio and class. It was a Melt class, so it was mostly a massage of the entire body with a foam four-foot roller. I felt pretty good after class meaning my back was none the worst from class.

When I returned home, I had soup and another ham and cheese for lunch, then took a brief nap because we were going to Jamestown for Evie's appointment with a urologist at 3:00. It went quickly and I was able to drop Evie off at T.J. Maxx and make my appointment with a podiatrist at 4:15, actually getting in to see the doctor early. I had to go in and grab Evie from TJ's, then we drove to Walmart where we did some more shopping and I picked up my new prescription sunglasses.

We were home by 5:00 and relaxed in the living room as the sky darkened and we listened to the depressing news in California. Dinner was easy, with leftover chicken chili over sweet potatoes and a salad with beets. We watched Hometown, Antique Roadshow, and another home improvement show before Evie went up to bed. I watched the first half of the Rams/Vikings game then went to bed. It was a busy day. 

Overcast amd 24º

 

7:44

8:46

It's 8:25 and I have been up for close to an hour. Evie's sleeping in, lucky gal. A few tents are out on the lake but nothing like the weekend. In fact, I am sure a couple of the tents are left on the ice for later in the day or tomorrow. 

Heading Home

Sunday was another football Sunday and I am glad to see the end of the playoffs are in sight. Evie was up early and I slept in, sort of, till 8:00. We listened to the news with our coffee and planned our day around the Bills game at 1:00. The other two didn't matter. I wanted to get some exercise so I walked the Woodlawn/Victoria woods for 35 minutes, running into my neighbors, Barb and Jim, again. Fortunately, they had blazed the trail through the snow with their snowshoes, making it easier for me to hike. I met some fishermen on the way home and they told me the lake was at least 5 inches thick so I walked home on its snow-covered surface. It was a beautiful late morning, with some blue skies and sun so I loved it. 

Hiking Woodlawn/Victoria

Frozen Lake

Shadow

Looking Southeast

When I returned, Evie was making a big pot of cabbage and vegetable soup. We decided to hold breakfast off until 1:00 when the Bills game started and by 1:00,  Evie made a couple of omelets with feta and tomatoes along with toast. By half-time, we were bored and needed a change. So I went upstairs and read and napped and Evie watched something else on TV. After my nap, we watched the second half that we had saved and the Bills won 31-7 although it was 10-7 at half-time.

Dusk

Once the game was over, we adjourned to the living room and enjoyed the waning of the day as the fishing guys slowly walked to shore. Earlier, Evie had marinated a couple of pork chops in teriyaki sauce so she fried them up and we had them along with broccoli and rice for dinner. We watched a bit of football then decided to watch the Westminister Kennel Club dog show from 2024. That was fun and after it was over, Evie went up to bed leaving me to watch some football and my show, Whitechapel before bed.

23º And Cloudy

8:49

9:06

It's 8:45 and both of us are up although Evie was up before me. The fishing guys have been out on the lake for a couple of hours and the ice must be thick because we saw a couple of snowmobiles on the lake yesterday.

This Morning

Saturday was typical, getting up around 8:00, having our coffee, writing the blog and having breakfast, in no hurry to get anything done. By 10:00, however, I had put together a white chicken chili recipe into the crock pot and Evie started a pot of vegetable soup. We cleaned up the mess in the kitchen and I then drove to the Transfer Station. Once I dropped off the trash, I drove over to the Long Point Marina and walked out to Long Point and back along with quite a few others, families, snowshoers, fishermen, and my neighbors, with their dog. It was a beautiful, short hike, trees trimmed in snow and a decent path so I did not need snowshoes,.

Trails At Long Point

Hemlocks

Photo From Long Point

Long Point

Barb and Jim With Ripley

I returned home around 12:30 and Evie had my lunch ready, soup and a toasted cheese and ham sandwich. I watched my show, of course, then started my new book, Death At The Sign Of A Rook, Kate Atkinson's seventh Jackson Brodie mystery. I read most of them so I am excited to have her latest. At 2:00, we put clean sheets on my bed and I then took advantage of them and napped for a half hour. At 5:00, I watched some of the Houston/LA game but soon got bored and joined Evie in the living room. By 6:30, our chili was plated, and topped with cilantro, cheese, and radishes. It was tasty but not something to rave about. We watched a new Swedish series on Netflix called The Breakthrough and watched all four episodes. I recommend it. Evie went to be at 9:15 and I watched the first half of the NFL game which I had saved before going up to bed. 

Bemus Bay Fishermen

A Beautiful Winter Sunrise

8:01

8:39

It's almost 9:00 and we are both up enjoying what was a sunny morning but is now an overcast sky. Lots of ice fishermen are out along Long Point as well as in the middle of the lake. I have yet to see any stats on the depth of the ice so I will stay off it for now. We also received two to three inches of snow overnight. Yippee, I get to shovel!

Morning Ice Fishing On Chautauqua Lake

Friday was a typical day for us lately. We both slept in, me till 8:00, Evie till 9:00 and were in no hurry to get moving. By 10:00, we were ready to do something so I was hot to make a white chili recipe in the slow cooker today so I drove off to Wegmans to pick up the ingredients I needed and stopped at Ryders Cup for coffee. On the way home, I bought a car wash since the Kia was dirty from the snow and ice.

When I  got home, Evie was busy cleaning the kitchen and stove, giving both a deep cleaning. We talked about dinner but couldn't decide whether to go out or stay home, leaving it up to our mood late afternoon. I had the leftover shrimp and rice for lunch and watched another episode of Whitechapel. As I mentioned yesterday, I am enjoying my novel, The Wife, so I spent a good part of the afternoon reading, napping and watching some TV. By 5:30, we decided to stay home for dinner so I drove over to Bemus Point and picked up a pizza. It was a good choice along with a salad and we watched two episodes of a new medical drama on Max called The Pitt, starring Noah Wiley from ER. It's not bad. We then watched the Ohio State game although Evie stayed for only the first quarter. I lasted until the fourth quarter and went to bed not sure if the Buckeyes would win. They did so all is well in Ohio. 

Getting Colder: 10º

Afternoon Tea

8:26

It's 8:50 and I have been up for an hour and Evie just came downstairs and made her coffee. It's a partly cloudy morning, not as dark and gray as usual. A couple of fishermen are out in the middle of the lake this morning, braving the cold morning.

Ice Fishing

Nothing Like Sitting On A Bucket

Thursday was a good day for both of us. We were up at 7:00 and enjoyed our coffee but by 7:50, I was off to Bemus for breakfast. When I returned at 9:00, Evie was showered and ready for kindergarten. We both left at 9:30, Evie for her class and me for Yin Yoga. The class was crowded as usual with mostly gals. It felt good to be back in routine. After class, I dropped some packages off at Michaels for Evie, returns to Amazon and then drove home. 

Lunch was easy, a bowl of tomato/barley soup and I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for a change, a reminder of school days when peanut butter and jelly sandwiches were a staple.  I am into my book The Wife and even had a short nap before Evie came home. The rest of the afternoon went quickly as I listened to snippets of the Jimmy Carter funeral and Evie watched it in its entirety. What a contrast between him and the new guy. 

Afternoon Blue Skies And Sun

By 5:00, we were relaxing and listening to CNN until 6:00, when we got busy making Ginger-Garlic Shrimp with Coconut Milk stir fry over rice. It was good, not great, lacking a punch but we will make it again adjusting the recipe. We watched another episode of Old Man on Hulu and some news until Evie went up to bed. I then watched some of the Notre Dame/Penn State playoff game before reading and sleeping. 

14º And A Dusting Of Snow

9:07

It's 7:30 and we both have been up for a half hour. It's just starting to get light and I am expecting ice fishermen to be out on the lake soon. It's 9;15 and I just returned from breakfast in Bemus and looked outside and I couldn't believe it. I saw some sunshine, blue skies, and guys out fishing on the ice off of Long Point. 

Tent Off Of Long Point

Looking For That Perfect Spot

Yesterday was another relaxing day for the most part. It started as usual, with both of us sleeping in some, me until 8:00, Evie to 9:00. We had our coffee and made a shopping list for Wegmans. By 10:30, I had shoveled a couple of inches and drove to Ryders Cup for coffee, meeting some friends. We kibbutz until 11:30 when I left for Wegmans. It was not too busy so I got through it fairly quickly and was home by 12:30. 

Lunch was great. Evie fried up the leftover mashed potatoes, added two eggs, and I was a happy camper with a bowl of tomato and barley soup. I watched another episode of Whitechapel, finishing season two. I then took an hour nap, watched some TV, read my book and showered. By 6:00, Linda and Ron arrived and I drove us to downtown Jamestown for dinner at Wicked Warrens, a fairly new bar/restaurant in Jamestown. We decided to sit at the bar, a good choice and the place was fairly busy for a snowy Wednesday night. We had beers, pizza, and Ceasar salads and enjoyed sitting at the bar, talking, and watching the Cavs game. It was an easy drive home, a few flurries and we were able to watch the last quarter of the Cavs win over OKC. Evie went to bed then, and I watched the terrible news about the wildfires in LA. Devastating. Fortunately, there seem to be few deaths but the destruction of structures is over two thousand. 

Another Three Or Four Inches Of Snow

Lake Erie, Tuesday Afternoon

8:03

Well, I went to bed with another winter storm warning and woke with more snow,  and more shoveling. The high today will be in the teens, a bit cooler than yesterday's high of 22º. Driving through Mayville yesterday I noticed their snow accumulation sign:  we have gotten 89 inches. 

Thunder Bridge

Path To Thunder Bridge

Thunder Bridge In October

Tuesday was another cold, white day, with flurries on and off much of the day. We had a long morning coffee, with breakfast and finished the blog. I wanted to get in a walk, so I drove over to the Chautauqua Institution and walked, stopping for coffee at the Colanade.  It's open each morning for coffee and goodies and it's free to anyone who walks by. I ran into a couple of friends, talked with a yoga teacher and was invited to their chair yoga on Fridays at 9:30.  It was fun talking with them. When I returned home, Evie had made a pot of tomato, mushroom, and barley soup. And she put together a leftover spaghetti, veggies and soy sauce lunch for me to enjoy. I watched another episode of Whitechapel and am enjoying it. 

Bestor Plaza

Brick Walk

We left for Evie's test in Westfield at 1:15 and I dropped her off at 1:45 for a 2:00 CTScan. I decided to see what Lake Erie looked like so I drove down to Barcelona and the lake was ferocious, the shoreline filled with mounds of snow and ice, and the lake was filled with white caps, It was an amazing sight. I then went for coffee, sat for a few minutes then got a text from Evie that she was done. I also filled the Outback up with cheap gas.

Barcelona Pier

Seagulls In The Air

Ice Mounds

We were home by 2:30 and I took a brief nap, then joined Evie as we did little the rest of the afternoon but wait for wine time. Once again, we listened to little news (it's too depressing), then had the soup for dinner with toasted cheese and ham sandwiches. We watched another couple of episodes of The Old Man and some Home Improvement show before Evie went up to bed and I watched some basketball but was soon bored and returned to my book called The Wife by Alafair Burke, the daughter of novelist James Lee Burke. 

Winter