Heavy Winds, White Caps, And Gray

7:33

It's 8:30, and I've been up since 7:20, listening to the howling wind and watching the waves on the lake. It's 25°, and we didn't get the predicted snow — just wind and some deadfall in the front yard.

Friday felt like a long day, though I did get out of the house and play pickleball. I was up early, had my coffee, wrote the blog, talked with Evie, and was on my way to the courts by 9:30, having had bananas and oranges for breakfast. I didn't play much better — whiffing on a couple of overheads. The one redeeming moment was an instinctive behind-the-back shot I pulled off for a point. I should have quit right then. I can't say I'm enjoying the game, and I'm not sure I'll improve much if I keep at it.

I was home by 11:00, and Evie was enjoying a day off from school. We both settled into the living room with our books until I decided it was time for lunch — another bowl of leftover pasta. Evie had a chicken salad sandwich and gave me half when I admitted I was still hungry.

2:57

The afternoon passed quickly, as usual, between reading, napping, and some college basketball. The sky held our attention for much of it: clouds would roll in with gusts of wind, then give way to brilliant blue with sunshine and puffy clouds for a half hour, only for the gray — and even some fog — to creep back. That cycle repeated until wine time at 5:00. Our phones buzzed with dire warnings about heavy winds and snow. Dinner was chili, loaded with cheese and oyster crackers.

We watched The Pitt and still find it dull, especially compared to ER. I'm also growing tired of Noah Wyle's constant grimacing, and can't quite understand how he won both the Prime Time Emmy and Critics' Choice awards for Best Actor, though I know we're too critical. We ended the night with Landman and will leave our thoughts at this: we keep watching. After Evie went to bed, I was happy to catch the Arizona/Iowa State game.

Despite reports that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence that permits it to target U.S. forces in the Middle East, late last night the Trump administration lifted sanctions on shipments of Russian oil until April 11, permitting it to be sold to buyers around the world for the next month. The U.S., along with the rest of the Group of Seven (G7) nations with advanced economies, has maintained sanctions against Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the heads of the G7 had urged Trump not to ease the sanctions, saying “[t]here is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem.” He added that he “would like to know what additional motives led the US government to make this decision.” HCC

Winter Set To Return

7:20

7:24

7:32

7:42

It's 27°, and we have another winter and wind warning this morning. When I looked outside, the car windows were frozen, so I'd better dig out my winter gear. I'm going to give pickleball one more try today and see if I can play better and actually enjoy it.

Sun Risen

Yesterday was our typical busy Thursday. We were both up enjoying coffee by 7:00, I wrote the blog early, and left for breakfast in Bemus Point at 8:00. We usually spend an hour catching up and reminiscing about the good old days, and for once, we barely mentioned Trump or the "excursion" to Iran — it was a genuinely enjoyable morning. I was home by 9:10; Evie had already showered and was ready for school. We published the blog, then headed off in our separate directions — me to yoga, Evie to kindergarten.

Yin Yoga was packed. The class consisted of three or four poses held for three or four minutes on each side — all things that could easily be done at home, yet somehow we all need a class to actually do them. Afterward, I skipped the coffee stop, ran by the bank for some cash, and swung by Wegmans to pick up a couple of prescriptions and a few things for Evie. It was quiet enough that I was in and out in 20 minutes.

I was home around 12:15 and had lunch — leftover mushroom pasta — while watching the first episode of a new series called Scarpetta, based on Patricia Cornwell's novels featuring forensic pathologist Kay Scarpetta. I don't love it yet, but I'll give it a few more episodes. After lunch, I napped and read until Evie got home, later than usual at 4:00 due to a doctor's appointment in Jamestown after school. To my dismay, the Canadian geese are back, pooping on our lawn, so I  set up a fishing line across our neighbors' and our yard to discourage them from walking up onto our lawns. 

Amazing Clouds And Blue Skies At 5:45

We had our wine at 5:00, and Evie had plenty of great stories from her class, making for a fun happy hour with sushi, Dot's spicy pretzels, and dip. After all that, neither of us was very hungry, so Evie made chicken salad sandwiches with pickles, tomatoes, and chips for dinner. Simple and delicious. We watched another episode of Colbert and continued with Landman, which we're enjoying more and more. After Evie went to bed, I caught some of Scarpetta and a bit of basketball before heading up to read and sleep.

Our Grandson, Mitchell, Married Milena Yesterday in Santa Barbara

Windy And Cold

7:29

9:10

Winter has returned — a 27° morning with a heavy wind warning. After yesterday's wild mix of rain, wind, and sun, the lake appeared completely thawed, at least in front of our house and Bemus Bay. It's 9:15, and I just got back from breakfast in Bemus.

Yesterday was a bizarre weather day: heavy afternoon rain, dense fog, sunshine, a rainbow, and even thunder.  I was up around 7:15, Evie around 8:00. I'd planned to kayak if conditions allowed — they didn't — so after breakfast, I drove to Mayville for a second round of pickleball. I assumed I'd improved after Monday's lesson. I hadn't. Players were kind, encouraging me even when I whiffed an easy overhead. Never mind that I was the badminton champion of the Edgecliff Club back in 1956. The gym was warm and close, and we all worked up a sweat — surprising for this time of year.

I was home by 11:30, annoyed at my play and the weather, which had turned to more fog and rain. I retreated to my Kindle until hunger struck around 12:45. Fortunately, half a sub from Walmart remained, and I finished it off with some pita chips while starting a new series I've already forgotten the name of — and won't be continuing. The rest of the afternoon was spent watching the lake and sky transform. Rain rattled the roof, then fog rolled in until a break in the clouds brought a brief burst of sun and a partial rainbow over Long Point. There was even a lull that tempted me toward a paddle. Around 4:30, after the rain passed, I walked the neighborhood dodging puddles; our creek was rushing full bore, emptying into the lake.

Northern Threatening Sky At 4:26

Eastern Sky At 4:27

While I was out, Evie sautéed mushrooms, added some Rao's pasta sauce, and turned out a wonderful spaghetti dinner. While the noodles boiled, we had our wine and listened to Jake Tapper cover the latest news — Iran, of course. Dinner was excellent; I love that Rao's sauce. We watched an episode of Paradise, then got a FaceTime call from our grandson Mitchell, who had just been married at the Santa Barbara courthouse and was taking photos in a beautiful park. Exciting news for the young couple. They'll celebrate with a small gathering at our daughter Beth's house later this week, just the two families. After the call, Evie headed up to bed, and I stayed up to watch the Cavs lose to the Magic.

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.