A Dusting Of Snow Overnight And 7º

 

7:01

9:08

It's 7:25 and I am up early because I have breakfast in Bemus Point at 8:00. The sky is a light gray, the lake white and no one is ice fishing yet. I filled the bird feeder and a single cardinal sat on the feeder, looking in at me for a few minutes. Strange. The finches have yet to discover the feeder is full or they don't wake until later, around 8:00.

Wednesday I had hoped to go to yoga but once again, class was cancelled. So neither of us were in any hurry to get moving. I read some of the NYTimes and Washington Post and discovered that Ukraine had started the war with Russia. By 10:30, I was fed, dressed, and ready to drive to Lakewood. I stopped for coffee and went to Wegmans, surprisingly empty for a Tuesday but the cold weather must have kept many shoppers away, It was good to get out and do something, even if it was only shopping.

Lunch was easy, as I popped a chicken pot pie in the microwave and in ten minutes I was enjoying it in front of the TV. Evie still suffers from a cold and now a sinus infection but she made us some peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies early afternoon. Yum.

We were going to the  Viking Club with Jim, Barb, and Newt for dinner but Evie came down with a splitting headache and had to back out. I met them at 6:00 and the three of us drove over to the Viking on a cold night. We easily found a table, blew ten bucks on King Of Hearts raffle, and had a couple of beers. It was fun to get out and enjoy their company. We only wished Evie was able to make it. We stayed until 8:30, then headed home, as the Viking began to empty. Evie was feeling somewhat better when I got home but was ready for bed by 9:00. I stayed up and watched some basketball and my show, of course, before going to be around 10:00.

Warming Up:4º

7:33

It's 8:40 and I have been up for over an hour. Evie joined me a few minutes ago on another cold, cold morning. The finches have been at the feeder, in fact, they emptied it so I will have to fill it up again. And I just saw a snowmobile towing out a tent so at least two guys are out ice fishing, 

Yesterday was another day to hunker down, stay inside, and get a few things done but we didn't. I skipped yoga because of the cold and practiced it for a half hour in our living room but it's not the same. I just want to get it over. Once it warmed up to 9º, I went outside and cleared the snow from the car, shoveled a few inches off the driveway, and came inside to warm up. I wanted to exercise so I put on my boots and crampons and walked the neighborhood for 20 minutes. It was bearable as long as the wind subsided. 

Blue Skies

Woodlawn Sky

We both had our lunch at 12:30, the last of Evie's veggie soup and I finished off my chicken salad sub from the Lighthouse. Not much happened the rest of the afternoon; we watched TV, read some, were on our devices and napped until 5:00 when Evie had a Zoom call. I decided to shower because I was feeling grubby and it felt great. Dinner was the leftover spaghetti and Italian sausage along with a great salad. We watched another episode of Paradise on Hulu, then the first episode of White Lotus on Max before Evie went up to bed. I watched some of Kansas's lopsided loss to Brigham Young, then watched another episode of Person Of Interest before going up to bed to read and sleep. 

Mid Afternoon Winds And Blowing Snow

3º And Sunny

7:41

8:01

It's a blustery cold morning here on the lake. I was up at 7:30 and looked out my window to the sunshine, checked my watch and it was 3º. A single tent sits out in the middle of Bemus Bay but that's it for ice fishermen. 

Yesterday was not quite as cold as today, with a high in the teens. Yoga was cancelled so there was no hurry to get the day started. We sat on our couches, enjoying our coffee, watching the finches fight for black oil sunflower seeds. Occasionally they scatter as a woodpecker arrives. Once the blog was finished, I had my breakfast. Evie makes me a mixture of oats, cinnamon, and walnuts and I add chia seeds and hemp hearts to it, then top it with yogurt and blueberries. For someone who rarely ate breakfast during my 45 teaching years, it's strange to have breakfast every morning. Around 10:30, I got bundled up and spent half an hour clearing the six inches of snow off the cars and shoveling the driveway. I came in then to warm up before driving off to Mayville, to the post office, stopping to take photos of the ice castle. Since I was out, I stopped at the Lighthouse and picked up a chicken salad sub with all the fixings for my lunch.

Mayville Winter Festival Ice Castle

Around 12:30, I enjoyed half of my sub along with Evie's veggies soup, and watched my show. We had no plans for the afternoon, no projects and it was too cold to go outside. I read some and am liking my book more and took a nap. The afternoon went quickly as usual since we didn't do much. I am getting tired of sitting on the couch and reading and want to get outdoors although in early afternoon, we had a whiteout, by 3:00, the sun was out, 

1:25

3:05

Late afternoon, Evie put together our dinner, a mushroom and Italian sausage pasta sauce, and let it simmer while we had a glass of wine and listened to the news. Dinner was tasty and we decided to watch SNL's 50 Anniversary show. Fortunately, because it was saved, we were able to fast forward through some of the boring parts. We both would have enjoyed it more if they had shown more clips from the past rather than having live five to ten-minute episodes, We had enough after an hour or two and Evie went up to bed. I watched some Duke basketball for ten minutes, had enough and went back to another episode of my series. 

We Got More Snow

7:49

8:52

I woke to clouds and a touch of blue sky and winds but now, at 8:20, only the winds and gray skies remain. Today is the beginning of a week-long bout of single-digit temperatures. When I came downstairs, I looked outside and was shocked to see another six inches of snow. At least only heavy winds, not snow are forecast for today. Because of the weather, yoga has even been canceled. 

Sunday was another gray, windy day, with occasional snow, sleet or rain, not my favorite kind of day. I was tempted to drive to Lakewood, for coffee and pick up some goodies, but the weather and Evie talked me out of it. We had hot dogs for dinner! So it was our usual Sunday morning, listening to the news until we had enough of being depressed and got up and did something. I went out and cleared the snow off the cars and cleaned the driveway. Once that was done, it felt so good to be outside that I put my new crampons on my hiking boots and walked the Woodlawn/Victoria woods for half an hour. It was a rigorous walk because I stepped into six inches of snow most of the way and should have worn snowshoes. 

Hemlocks

Woods In Black And White

Mallards Next To Melting Lake Shoreline

Woodlawn

Lake Slush

When I got home, Evie had already made me lunch, cheese, eggs, and peameal bacon sandwiches, ready to heat up in the oven. The sandwiches hit the spot, pardon the cliche, and I watched my show and some college basketball. Around 1:30, I read for a few minutes before napping, perfect on such a gray, cold and windy day. Evie, meanwhile, after getting a few things done, watched a movie while I napped.

Wind And Snow At 7:30 PM

By 5:00, however, we were happily enjoying a Manhattan and appetizers, as the sky darkened and the ice fishing tents came in. We listened to the news but quickly changed to our oldie but goodie list. And we remembered the good old days when we listened every Saturday to Garrison Keillor's Prarie Home Companion. By 7:00, we were enjoying our Sahlen hot dogs, beet salad and macaroni and cheese, compliments of Bob Evans. We decided to save SNL 50th for today and instead, watched CBS Sunday Morning and Hometown before Evie went up to bed. I watched about 10 minutes of the NBA All Star game which was a joke, lacking competitiveness. No defense, little effort, just one dunk or three-pointer after another. Boring.

Sunday Rain, Snow, Sleet, Ice And Winds

8:09

8:56

Morning Light

Looking out my window at the lake, I can see some light over the eastern shoreline despite the gray sky. The weather at the moment does not look as bad as the forecast. Ice sickles are dripping because of the surprisingly warm 35º. Just wait twenty-four hours!

Yesterday was a disappointing day although it started out fine. We had our coffee, did the blog and then had breakfast. Evie wanted to get in a walk so we looked outside and it seemed decent. So I cleaned off the car, and we drove over to Bemus, to Long Point, hoping to walk out to the point and back, a bad idea. We walked a couple hundred yards, turned around, and returned to the car. The wind, the sleet, and the patches of ice where the wind had blown off the snow made it treacherous. Both of us slipped and almost fell. So good intentions resulted in a wasted late morning. 

We were discouraged but thought we might make up for it by going to the Mayville Winter Festival.  So I had my lunch, the leftover eggplant adobo and I made myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so I had something I liked. I watched, what else, some basketball and my show. Evie relaxed too, getting a few things done, then watching The Pelican Brief until she got fed up with the commercials and turned it off. I napped, started a a new novel by the Swedish crime writer Asa Larrson's The Blood Spilt. I am sticking with it but don't like her style unless it's the translation. 

By 5:00, we had to make a decision and because we are an old couple, we voted to stay home and not go to the Festival, sad but true. Staying home is more attractive than going out. In our defense, the weather was atrocious, rain, and sleet, making it miserable. So instead of the Festival, Evie sauteed some mushrooms, and grilled a couple of steaks and we were relatively happy, warm, and comfortable in our house, We watched Bill Maher, always good, then tried a new medical series on Netflix set on a Japanese Island. We stuck with the first episode but it's a bit overdramatic, overdone. Hopefully, it will get better. 

Warming And Another Winter Advisory

8:02

It is surprisingly warm this morning 26º, although a cold front is expected starting next week with temperatures in the single digits. A few ice fishing huts are out, and I filled the bird feeder.

Like the rest of the past month, Friday was another winter-like day. Neither of us had anything we had to do, no school, no yoga so it was nice to just sit back early, with no plans. So we dragged out coffee time, but by 10:30, Evie wanted to get in a walk for the first time in a week or two. It was icy, however, so we stuck to Woodlawn, not venturing out on the lake because of the snow. It felt good to her to be outside and enjoy the cold for once. Before I knew it, it was lunchtime, a couple of peameal bacon sandwiches with mayo, arugula, tomatoes and soup. 

Sun On Late Morning Walk

Our afternoons don't change much this time of the year. After my lunch and show, I read for a few minutes and then took a good nap, feeling refreshed and ready for bear. Evie was into a movie so she spent the afternoon watching TV. By 4:00, I had finished my book, Commencement and started a new short novel called Foster by Clair Keegan. Around 4:00, I took the advice of one of my gurus, Scott Galloway. He said, if you think of doing something, do it. Act. So I thought of cross-country skiing and before I could say no or keep reading, I got up and put on my skis and went for a half hour on the lake. It was bracing, with the wind and cold and not much fun, more like a workout and not wonderful skiing but I did it.

Virgin Snow Looking North

Victoria

When I came home, I did some prepping for dinner before we settled down for wine time. Dinner was a recipe I found online called Eggplant Adobo. So Evie made the rice, baked the eggplant and then I took over and made the dish, with a sauce of soy, vinegar, garlic, basil, and coconut milk. Sounds good right. Well, it wasn't, too salty and just not what I wanted. I tossed the recipe! We watched the last three episodes of Apple Cider Vinegar with a timeout for a brownie with vanilla ice cream. We didn't finish the series until 10:00 so it was time for bed. 

Sun And Snowfall On A Friday Morning In February

7:19

8:24

8:51

It's 8:26 and the sun just filled the lake and snow with its light. A few snowflakes are falling, and we received another three or four inches overnight. It is 14º and not going to get much warmer, especially next week with temperatures in the single digits. We are actually getting a real winter this year. 

Thursday was a good day for both of us. We were both up early, enjoying coffee and getting ready to begin our day. I was in Bemus Point by 8:00 having breakfast with my friends after having to cancel last week because of the weather.Yoga was at 10:00, so left around 9:30 and Evie followed me to her kindergarten class. It was extremely icy out so we both have been careful to pay attention to walking. Yoga drove me nuts because I had lost patience with our poses held for over a couple of minutes. It's normal for Yin Yoga but yesterday I was not with it. After class, I stopped at Wegmans to pick up a few things for tonight's Valentine's Dinner. I hope it's good because I have never made it before, an eggplant stir fry adobo with coconut milk. 

I was home by 12;30 and had an easy lunch, heating up the leftover cheesy cauliflower along with some of Evie's veggie soup. I watched my show, then read some until Evie came home from school, happy with her day though tired because she is still recovering from a cold. Once she was settled in the TV room, enjoying her show, I went up and napped briefly even though I was up early. Ir snowed much of the afternoon, discouraging me from getting out and going for a walk. We had our happy hour, at 5:00, listened to the depressing news for 20 minutes, wondering if this will be our sentence for the next four years?  At 6:30, we got dinner ready, fried potatoes, peameal bacon, and eggs. We decided to try a new series on Netflix, Apple Cider Vinegar and stuck with it for three episodes. The night ended for me as usual, with my show and some basketball.