Fog, Rain, Thunder And 60º

7:14

7:38

8:14

It's 8:10, and I've been up for an hour. No kayaking this morning — fog has rolled in, and an ice floe pushed in front of our house by southerly winds has made that impossible. Instead, I'm going to give pickleball another try.

Afternoon Fog

Tuesdays are always busy days for us. We were both up at 7:00, had our coffee, and then I got busy writing the blog after a great half hour on the water. By 9:10, the post was published, Evie was showered, and I was off to yoga. Tuesday classes always focus on a different aspect of the body, and yesterday's emphasis was stability. As usual, it was rigorous, and all of us were grateful for savasana. After class, I stopped at Ryder's Cup for a coffee, then made a quick run through Walmart — picking up a sub for lunch and a rotisserie chicken for dinner.

Mergansers Have Returned

A Pair

Malllards

I was home by noon, and since I'd only had a banana for breakfast, I settled into the TV room with half my sub and watched some television. I'm still struggling to find a series I like, though fortunately, I'm deep into James Salter's All That Is. I took a brief nap, and when I came back downstairs, Evie had returned from school. The rest of the afternoon was quiet — Evie had a snack, I read, and we charged the Kia, supposedly saving money with gas prices on the rise. Around 4:00, mergansers appeared on the lake in front of the house, and I managed some great photos of them cruising by. In the gray light, they looked like a black-and-white photo.

Long Point

Long Point

Long Point

Evie had her Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00. I read until 5:45 when the call wrapped up, and then we settled in with our wine. She regaled me with the usual kindergarten stories — always entertaining. Around 6:15, Evie pulled the chicken from the oven and filled our plates with a thigh and leg, roasted cauliflower, and salad. We watched Colbert and Landman before Evie headed up to bed. Still without a series to commit to, I stayed up for another NBA game — the Thunder versus the Celtics.

Tuesday Afternoon's Fog And Blue Skies

Kayak Morning

Kayaking Towards An Ice Floe

7:46

7:46

It's 7:30. We're both up, and the lake is open in front of our house, though it still appears frozen to the south, near the reeds. The ducks and other waterfowl are out, cruising the water in front of us. Spring is near. It's 8:50 as I finish this, and I was able to get in a half hour of paddling, south down to an ice floe and back along Woodlawn. Sorry for so many photos, but it was a spectacular lake morning.

Kayak Morning

Mallards

Southern Sky

Paddling To Ice Floe

Goose

Buffleheads Are Back

More Buffleheads

Into The Sun

What A Sky

Yesterday was a beautiful day — plenty of sun and warmth, with a high in the 60s. I woke later than usual, at 8:00, which was a pleasant surprise. After the blog and breakfast — waffles warmed in the air fryer — I wasn't sure what I was going to do, but by 10:30, I decided it was a good day for a bike ride. I pulled my bike out of my neighbor's garage, where it had been stored for the winter, attached the rack to my Outback, strapped on the bike, and drove to Mayville Park.

I then made the mistake of riding Webb's Trail. I'm obviously out of bike shape, because I struggled on the way out, stopping twice. It's slightly uphill and into the wind, after all. I knew, however, that once I reached the end, the return would be all downhill and easy — and it was. I cruised back, crossed the road, and biked down Sea Lion Drive to the end and back, struggling only when the wind picked up. I was out for just about an hour, and it felt good to be back on the bike.

Biking Webbs Ttrail

Looking South, From Sea Lion Drive

When I got home, I had the leftover pizza from Pace's. I'm still struggling to find something to watch, both at noon and in the evening. After lunch, I read for a while, then napped, and woke up ready to finish my yard work. I grabbed a bucket and rake and spent forty-five minutes clearing all the deadfall from the front yard and hauling it up the hill. It felt good to have it done — the yard clean and ready for today's rain, and perhaps snow later in the week.

We had our wine at 5:00 and were less than reassured to hear Trump describe the bombing of Iran as "an excursion, not a war." I feel so much better. For dinner, Evie reheated the leftover pot roast and made a salad, and it was even better than Saturday night's. We watched Hometown and Colbert before Evie went to bed. I ended up watching the Denver/Oklahoma City NBA game, having failed to find anything else worth watching. I finished my book, 19 Minutes, and liked it, then started a new one by James Salter called All That Is.

Sunny And 46º

Reflections On Open Waters

8:10

8:41

It's just after 9:00, and I've been up for an hour, having slept close to nine hours — a record. The lake ice is beginning to break up and move with the wind, and we've even spotted a few ducks flying over the lake, searching for open water.

Open Waters

Sunday was warm, sunny, and perfect for a hike or some yard work. Neither of us enjoys losing an hour to Daylight Saving Time — we wake at our usual time, only to find it's already 8:00. So we leaned into it, treating the day like a lazy Sunday and lingering over coffee for an hour or two. For some reason, I woke with waffles on my mind. While I headed out for our half-hour walk through the woods, Evie put together the batter. It was a lovely walk — I got a few photos of the lake, the open water, and the reflection of the trees that turned out beautifully. Since I'd had breakfast at 9:00, we held off until 12:30 for the waffles. Worth the wait — lots of butter and maple syrup, and I was a happy man.

Where's The Snow?

Path Through The Woods

Blue Skies

5:38

The afternoon drifted by pleasantly. We read, watched TV, and napped, with no pressure around dinner since we were heading out to Pace's Pizza in Jamestown. Around 3:30, tempted by the weather, I decided to tackle some yard work. I cleared a three-foot pile of deadfall I'd been gathering over the past three months and hauled it all up the hill to the woodpile. Then I showered and got ready for pizza.

Pizza Sunday

Ron and Linda picked us up at 5:45, and we drove into Jamestown, where we luckily found a parking spot on 3rd Street right in front of Pace Pizza. We found a table easily and ordered beers — and since we're creatures of habit, we didn't need menus. Evie and I ordered a large pepperoni pizza and two big salads; Ron got pizza, and Linda went with meatballs and a couple of salads. The beers were ice cold, the pizza arrived piping hot, and somehow everything tasted exactly right. On the drive home, we all remarked on how wonderful it was to leave in the light, the northern sky still glowing pink.

Dusk

When we got home,  I settled in to watch the final episode of my series, which ended abruptly, with no resolution and no killer caught. Strange. I then caught some of the Cavs' loss to the Celtics before giving up my search for a new series and calling it a night.

Yesterday, President Donald J. Trump was among the dignitaries who attended the dignified transfer returning the remains of the six U.S. soldiers killed in the military action against Iran to the United States for burial. At the transfer, Trump wore a white USA baseball cap for sale in his campaign store.

Recognizing that Americans would recoil from seeing Trump wear a baseball cap at a dignified transfer, the Fox News Channel declined to show how he had looked yesterday and aired old footage of Trump from his first term without the hat. Caught in their lie, the Fox News Channel admitted they had shown the wrong footage but claimed it was inadvertent. They did not, however, show the real footage from yesterday, showing Trump wearing his merch. HCR

A Gray Sunday Morning

 

8:24

9:15

It's 9:00 — technically 8:00 — and we're both up. I've been awake for an hour, working through the newspapers. It's 39° outside, though it should climb into the 50s later once the sun comes out.

Saturday was a decent day — some sun, a high of 70° around mid-afternoon. We still look forward to Saturdays as if they were the weekend, which is a little crazy when you think about it. The morning followed its usual rhythm, though I somehow forgot to eat breakfast. Neither of us was in any rush, but by 9:30 I was ready to move.

Tom's Point Trail

View From Tip Of Tom's Point

First, I filled the bird feeders. We'd put them away because of the squirrels, but I set one up in the front window and two off the kitchen window. The birds found the front window feeder around 3:00 and have yet to discover the ones in the kitchen. After that, I decided to hike out to Tom's Point, which turned out to be a good choice — a few puddles and snowdrifts aside. There's something about a blue sky that makes any hike feel worthwhile. Twenty minutes out, a few photos, twenty minutes back to the car.

Selfie

Trail

Bridge Over Chautauqua Lake

When I got home, the kitchen smelled of pot roast slow-cooking in the oven — we'd both been craving one, so Evie had put it together while I was out. She also had the trash ready, so I made a quick run to the Transfer Station at noon, which was mercifully uncrowded. 

Bald Eagles

Lunch was simple: leftover stir fry with rice and my show. The afternoon had no particular agenda — reading, television, napping, the large leisure of an unscheduled day. The highlight was spotting a pair of bald eagles just off Long Point, picking at a meal on the ice.

Wine at 5:00. Pot roast and mashed potatoes at 6:00. Then we settled in to watch Train Dreams — a film we'd been meaning to see and ended up loving. I'd read the novel about a month ago and was curious how it would translate. It's exactly the kind of film we're drawn to: quiet, unhurried, a moving portrait of a logger and his hardscrabble life — no sensationalism, no politics, no gratuitous violence, just a man and his world in the first half of the twentieth century. Afterward, Evie went up to bed and I watched another episode of my series, then read until I fell asleep.

 

According to a 2025 study by Microsoft Research, the 40 jobs least likely to be affected by current AI tools tend to involve hands-on physical work, human care, or operating machinery in real environments—things AI and robots still struggle to do.

40 Jobs Least Likely to Be Replaced by AI (for now)

1. Phlebotomists

2. Nursing assistants

3. Hazardous materials removal workers

4. Helpers—painters, plasterers

5. Embalmers

6. Plant and system operators

7. Oral and maxillofacial surgeons

8. Automotive glass installers and repairers

9. Ship engineers

10. Tire repairers and changers

11. Prosthodontists

12. Helpers—production workers

13. Highway maintenance workers

14. Medical equipment preparers

15. Packaging and filling machine operators

16. Machine feeders and offbearers

17. Dishwashers

18. Cement masons and concrete finishers

19. Supervisors of firefighters

20. Industrial truck and tractor operators

21. Ophthalmic medical technicians

22. Massage therapists

23. Surgical assistants

24. Tire builders

25. Helpers—roofers

26. Gas compressor and gas pumping station operators

27. Roofers

28. Roustabouts (oil and gas)

29. Maids and housekeeping cleaners

30. Paving, surfacing, and tamping equipment operators

31. Logging equipment operators

32. Motorboat operators

33. Orderlies

34. Floor sanders and finishers

35. Pile driver operators

36. Rail-track laying and maintenance equipment operators

37. Foundry mold and coremakers

38. Water treatment plant and system operators

39. Bridge and lock tenders

40. Dredge operators

The big takeaway

The study found a counter-intuitive pattern:

• White-collar “knowledge jobs” (writing, research, customer support, analysis) are more exposed to AI.

• Blue-collar and hands-on jobs are safer for now because they require physical skill, presence, and human interaction.

In other words, AI threatens office work sooner than plumbing, construction, or caregiving.

A Strange Lake Morning

7:50

8:34

It's 8:30, and I've been up for an hour watching the wind sweep fog across the lake's surface. The sun is out, and patches of blue sky hang over the water on a crisp 59° morning. When I walked out onto the porch to take a photo, there was something pleasantly disorienting about feeling the sun's warmth. I could get used to it. So far, no fishing tents have appeared on the lake — though at 8:45, two men just walked out from Long Point to try their luck. Good luck to them.

Friday turned out to be a humbling day. It began as usual: up early, reading the papers, writing the blog, having breakfast. My friend Ron had been trying to get me to play pickleball, and while I had played a couple of times two years ago, I'd been resisting. Yesterday, I finally gave in to his entreaties. We played in the old Mayville High School gym, and it was a disaster. I played like someone who had never touched a racquet — which is hard to explain, given that I played quite a bit of tennis and racquetball during my teaching years. The other players were gracious and kind, generous enough to overlook my whiffs and doddering attempts at a dink shot near the net. It was a lesson in humility, one I apparently needed. I'll probably go back — a glutton for punishment.

Pickle Ball

I was home by 11:30, and Evie got a good laugh out of my attempts to describe the debacle. She then left for a blood test in Westfield, leaving me alone for an hour to enjoy the last half of my Wegmans sub and watch a new series on TV — the name of which I've already forgotten. Evie was back by 1:30, having stopped at Tops to pick up a few things for dinner.

Cloudy at 1:45

Blue Skies At 4:30

A Fisherman And His Four Wheeler

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly, as it usually does. We fell into our familiar rhythms — reading in the living room, watching TV, and a nap for me. Around 4:00, I went out for a twenty-minute walk through the neighborhood, savoring the rare pleasure of warm weather. We had our wine at 5:00 and caught the news. Around 6:15, Evie made a tasty stir-fry with cabbage and ground beef and a salad. We watched an episode of The Pitt, then Landman, before Evie headed up to bed. I stayed up for the first half of my alma mater, Ohio University, playing undefeated Miami University. This morning I learned that Miami won their 31st straight — in overtime, 110–108.

 Here are the 40 jobs Microsoft found most likely to be diminished or heavily affected by AI:

1. Interpreters and translators

2. Historians

3. Passenger attendants

4. Sales representatives (services)

5. Writers and authors

6. Customer service representatives

7. CNC tool programmers

8. Telephone operators

9. Ticket agents and travel clerks

10. Broadcast announcers and radio DJs

11. Brokerage clerks

12. Farm and home management educators

13. Telemarketers

14. Concierges

15. Political scientists

16. News analysts, reporters, journalists

17. Mathematicians

18. Technical writers

19. Proofreaders and copy markers

20. Hosts and hostesses

21. Editors

22. Business teachers (postsecondary)

23. Public relations specialists

24. Demonstrators and product promoters

25. Advertising sales agents

26. New accounts clerks

27. Statistical assistants

28. Counter and rental clerks

29. Data scientists

30. Personal financial advisors

31. Archivists

32. Economics teachers (postsecondary)

33. Web developers

34. Management analysts

35. Geographers

36. Models

37. Market research analysts

38. Public safety telecommunicators

39. Switchboard operators

40. Library science teachers (postsecondary)

Important point

Microsoft emphasized that AI usually won’t eliminate entire jobs, but it can replace or automate many of the tasks within them—especially jobs involving:

• writing

• research

• summarizing information

• customer communication

• routine digital work.

By contrast, hands-on jobs requiring physical work or direct human care (like nursing aides, construction workers, and mechanics) were found to be much less vulnerable to AI right now.