What A Morning

Quite A Fisherman

7:00

9:40

Well, it’s 9:30 and I finally got in a paddle, leaving around 8:50 and kayaking for 50 minutes. I was up at 7:00, however, and was surprised by a toasty house. The thermostat said 65º, but I knew it was at least 75º, and I couldn’t turn it down. This also happened last week. On top of that, the kick heater in the kitchen wouldn’t turn off, so both rooms were hot. I tried turning off various breakers in the fuse box, to no avail, and I was worried about the kitchen heater overheating.

Around 7:45, I headed out to paddle, thinking I would call the plumber at 8:00, but the sound on my phone was so diminished that I couldn’t hear the plumber. So I went back in the house, and Evie was getting up, so we used her phone to call. They can’t come until the afternoon, so we’ll be sitting around in shorts and T-shirts until then. I did figure out why I couldn’t hear on my phone: I had my AirPods in my pocket, and the sound was being sent to them. That’s my morning!

Gulping It

Yup

Sunday was a wonderful day compared to this morning. I had a good paddle, published the blog, and had breakfast, all by 9:30 on a relaxing morning. Over the past day, Evie had gathered photos she wanted printed as 4x6s. She struggled to upload them to Walmart and wasn’t sure she’d succeeded, so I copied them onto a flash drive just in case. I was off to Walmart by 10:30 and checked in at Photos, but they had no photos from Evie. I gave them my flash drive, but for some reason they couldn’t open it. So I did some shopping, picked up a rotisserie chicken for our dinner, and was home by noon, ready for lunch.

Evie made me scrambled eggs with toast, and while I ate and watched some football, she uploaded her photos to Shutterfly and was successful, so they’ll arrive in a few days. I wasn’t very interested in the NFL games, so I took a good nap and read until 4:30, when the Bills/Las Vegas game came on. My neighbor texted that he was watching the game outside next to a fire, so I went over and joined him for the first half. It was a perfect late afternoon to sit out and enjoy a beer and the game. Dinner was chicken, mashed potatoes, and gravy, and we watched the last of the Bills’ victory, then some TV until 8:30, when Evie went to bed. Then I watched the final episode of my series, Unfamiliar, which had an ending that left everything up in the air. I was ready for bed by 10:00.

Brilliant Sun And Fog

7:51

It’s 9:15, and I just returned from my first paddle on the lake in a couple of days. The sun blazed through the heavy fog, making it hard to see, so I hugged the shoreline. It was 33º when I started out, and the car windows were frozen. I was out for 50 minutes, wearing three layers and gloves, paddling down to Sandy Bottom into the sun and fog, and back into blue sky and no fog.

Kayak Morning

Sun And Fog

Clouds, Not Mountains

Northern Blue

Woodlawn Heron

Fishing

Yesterday was another day of resting up, and we both started to feel a bit better, though Evie is still fighting her cough. I was up early again and didn’t miss kayaking because of the wind and waves. Our task that morning was to gather the trash and make a short list for Wegmans. I was energetic enough to consider driving to Wegmans after the Transfer Station, so around 10:00, I dropped off the trash, drove to Wegmans, bought a few things Evie needed, and came home exhausted from a simple shopping excursion. I guess I am still recovering from my cold.

For lunch, I had the leftover chicken curry in time to watch the Ohio State/Indiana game. At halftime, I’d had enough and was tired, so I went upstairs to read and nap, planning to watch the second half later in the afternoon. I napped for a half hour, then read my new book, a Jeffrey Archer thriller called A Prisoner of Birth. Around 4:00, I watched the second half of Ohio State’s fortunate victory over Indiana. 

Dusk

We had a glass of wine at 5:00 and enjoyed the beautiful late afternoon, as the wind had died down. Dinner was easy: pasta with meatballs, and both of us really enjoyed it. Our appetites seem to be coming back. We watched TV until 8:30, when Evie went to bed, and I then watched an episode of Unfamiliar. I have one left to finish.  It felt good to go to bed, read, and hopefully fall asleep easily.

A Harbinger Of Winter

7:10

7:43

8:28

8:46

I woke this morning to a hint of winter: 37º, strong winds, and a rough lake. I was up at 6:30, greeted by darkness and streaks of light on the horizon. When I stepped outside, I could hear the wind howling, with gusts reaching 26 mph. I’m glad I don’t feel up to kayaking anyway. Between our colds and coughing, Evie and I are both sad to be missing the annual clambake at my sister Linda and brother-in-law Rich’s house in Euclid, Ohio, on Lake Erie. It’s a family tradition that began back in the 1950s, and they have kept it going. It’s only 7:49 as I finish writing this. What am I going to do for the next fourteen hours?

Friday was another day of doing very little, hoping to feel better. It’s strange to look back on a day when I haven’t kayaked, ridden my bike, gone to yoga, or even gone shopping. What did I do with most of the day? I’m trying to remember.

I was up at 6:45 and spent an inordinate amount of time on my computer, reading the newspapers, surfing Reels, and listening to podcasts until Evie got up. We then finished the blog and published it. Having accomplished one thing, I didn’t feel like my usual breakfast of yogurt and granola, so I made toast with peanut butter and banana instead. A little variety, at least.

The rest of the morning, I read in the living room or sat at my computer while Evie puttered around the kitchen. But like me, she soon lost her mojo and returned to the couch. Around 12:30, I had lunch: the leftover ramen soup Evie had made and the sub sandwich I’d bought a couple of days earlier. When I finished, I was ready for a nap, so I went upstairs to read and doze off. Evie, unfortunately, is rarely able to nap, so she watched some TV and then began selecting photographs from my computer for a photo book for our great-grandson Rhys' visit.  She did the same for all our grandchildren, too.

The afternoon dragged for both of us. There isn’t much you can do when you feel tired and achy, so we waited until 5:00, when we could enjoy our usual glass of wine and listen to the news, most of it about the horrific shooting of children in Oregon.

Evie put together dinner: a curry with mushrooms, chicken, and tomatoes. We watched our usual evening television until she went up to bed. I started a series called Unfamiliar, only to realize before long that I’d watched it before. Still, I stuck with it until it was time to head upstairs to bed.

Overcast And Occasional Showers

Evie's Photo of Autumn On Chautauqua Lake

7:15

7:40

8:46 And Raining

It’s 8:19, and I’ve been up for about two hours, wasting time on my computer. I rarely watch Reels on Facebook, but for some reason I sat through “30 Facts About Alaska” and learned quite a bit. Right now I wish I had the mojo to go kayaking. Fortunately, it’s starting to rain, which quashes any hope of getting out on the water. I hate sitting around doing nothing. It's almost 9:00, Evie's up, and it's raining hard outside as leaves fall from our maples. 

Yesterday, Thursday, was exactly that. I skipped breakfast in Bemus, kayaking, and yoga, my usual Thursday routine. Instead, Evie and I sat around listening to Michael Smerconish, getting up only now and then for something to drink. I had slept just over four hours Wednesday night and woke with a cold, so by 10:30 I was tired enough to head upstairs, read, and try to nap. Evie, thankfully, is on the mend, with less coughing and aching.

I came downstairs around noon to find that Evie had made me chicken and ramen soup for lunch. It tasted wonderful. I watched something on TV, though I can’t remember what. By 2:00 I was back upstairs, still worn out, and actually napped for close to an hour while Evie did laundry and watched TV.

When I came back down, I finally accomplished something: I took out the trash and charged the car, which took all of five minutes. Then I read until 5:00, when Evie joined me, and we each had a glass of wine while listening to the terrible news that a teenager had shot his way through locked doors at an Oregon elementary school, killing three children and a teacher. According to ChatGPT, “There have been hundreds of school shootings in the United States — and potentially thousands, depending on how ‘school shooting’ is defined.”

Dusk

Around 7:00, we had dinner, BLTs and chips, and watched some TV until 8:00, when Evie went up to bed. I turned on Thursday Night Football on Prime and watched most of the first half before I’d had enough and switched to Berlin ER on Apple TV. All in all, a boring day.

Feeling Lousy

7:15

It’s just 6:00, and I’ve been up since 5:00, again. Yesterday I began to develop a cold, and I woke this morning with a sore throat, aching body, and a headache, though no fever. So I’ve joined Evie in the feeling-lousy club. It’s been a long time since I was sick, and I’m feeling sorry for myself. I even skipped breakfast in Bemus and kayaking. 

Leaf Strewn Trail

Wednesday turned out to be a pretty good day until dinner time. I got in a good paddle, out on the lake by 7:30 and back by 8:30, in time to write the blog and have breakfast. Evie slept in, lucky gal, and by 9:30 we had published the blog and talked about our day. Her cold had gotten worse, coughing so much her stomach muscles were sore. so all she wanted to do was hunker down on a couch or bed. I don’t blame her. I felt a little off but made myself “do something.” I tied my bike to the Outback and drove to Klingingsmith Plumbing first to talk about the heating system project they’ll be working on next week. Then I stopped at Chautauqua Ironworks to price a couple of aluminum horses for my dock. Finally, I parked in Mayville and rode two legs of Webb’s Trail, then down Sea Lion Drive and back to my car. I was out for around 50 minutes and felt good that I had done something. On my way home, I stopped at the Lighthouse and picked up a chicken salad sub with all the fixings. Just before lunch, I looked outside, and an osprey was either eating or catching a fish along our neighbor's shore. It was a surprise because I thought all the ospreys had migrated south, making me wonder if this one was injured. 

Grabbing A Fish

Alert And Ready To Fly

I've Never Seen An Osprey Floating

Taking Off

It was almost 1:00 when I got home, and I was hungry, and I ate half the sub with some chips and watched another episode of Neagley before going upstairs to read, hoping to nap.  Around 3:00, I moved my cars onto the new asphalt parking area after letting it sit for five days. Around 5:00, despite both feeling bad, we enjoyed a glass of wine and watched the leaves fall, covering the front yard once again. Why do I even mulch? Earlier, I had driven over to Bemus to pick up a pepperoni pizza, so that was our dinner, easy and decent. We watched a show until Evie went up to bed, leaving me to watch the final three episodes of Neagley before heading up to read and hopefully sleep.

A Reminder Of Summer

7:03

View As I Sit On My Front Porch, Writing The Blog

It’s 6:30, and I’ve been up for an hour, sitting outside on our front porch for some reason. It just started to rain a little, but I doubt it will last long. I want to be out on the lake by 7:30, so it had better stop by then. It’s 6:53 as I finish this, and it’s still raining. Well, the rain stopped by 7:30 and I was out paddling on a calm, empty lake for close to an hour. I paddled over to Long Point, across to Bootey Bay, and home, on an overcast, 58º paddle.

Long Point

Bootey Bay

Northern Sky

Mallards

Great Blue Heron

Yesterday was a bizarre day, with daytime temperatures rising to the 80s. It was an anomaly, because today’s high will be in the mid-60s, back to normal. I got in a good paddle before it warmed up, on a quiet, empty lake. I was back home by 8:30, in time to finish the blog, have breakfast, and head to yoga class by 9:10. It had been a week or two since I’d been to yoga, and yesterday’s class was fairly rigorous, but I hung in there. It felt good to push myself. After class, I stopped for coffee and talked with both Dave and Bob, friends and regulars.

When I returned, Evie was on the couch, coughing occasionally and feeling lousy from her cold. She had gotten a few things done but had no energy and wanted to go back upstairs to bed. I helped her get comfortable, then made my lunch: a couple of pork chop sandwiches on brioche rolls, with mayo and tomatoes. Yum. I’m into a new Prime series featuring Jack Reacher’s cohort, Neagley. She is one tough woman, a female Reacher. We both stayed inside, avoiding the sun and heat. I tried to nap, but it looks like those days are over, so I read a good part of the afternoon, watching the wind knock the leaves off the tree branches.

A Summer Afternoon In October

Ready To Mulch

I waited until 4:30 to mulch the leaves, and because it was so warm, I wore shorts and no shirt, taking a time-out after 20 minutes to have some water and check my phone. I finished up just after 5:00, in time to have a glass of wine with Evie and listen to the news. Evie mustered up enough energy to make home fries and eggs for dinner. We watched SNL for a while, but Evie was tired and uncomfortable and went up to bed around 7:30. I watched about ten minutes of the Cavs game on Peacock, then returned to my series, Neagley, watching two episodes until 10:00, when I went upstairs to read and sleep.

Fact:

A Picturesque Morning Sky

Zinnias!

7:06

7:13

8:24

It’s 7:05, and I was up at 6:30. The sky has some orange in it this morning, adding a little color to the gray. Today is going to be a warm one. It’s already 61º and should get up to 78º later in the day. It may be the last really warm day of the fall.

Kayak Morning

Eastern Sky

Bald Eagle

Prancing Heron

Monday began with a 50-minute paddle and a photo of one heron. I was up too early, of course, and waited until 7:30, sunrise, to kayak. When I returned, Evie was up, and we planned our day. She had to get a blood test in Jamestown, so she left around 10:30. We put together a short list, but basically I was returning five packages from Amazon at Michaels. T.J. Maxx is next door, so I stopped in and ended up buying a $65.00 shirt (right) for $17.00. Just what I need: another shirt.

Hiking Victoria/Woodlawn Woods

I returned home around 11:00 and wanted to get in some activity, so I walked our woods for a half hour just as the sun came out. I got back just as Evie drove in. She had stopped at Wegmans, so I helped her bring in the groceries.  For lunch, I had the last of the chicken enchiladas, and I started watching a new film called Animals with Ben Affleck. I watched it on and off during the day, after my nap and before my doctor’s appointment. Unfortunately, it became clear Evie was coming down with a cold or the flu. She had a bad cough and felt increasingly achy.

After my doctor’s appointment at 4:00 in Jamestown, I stopped at Tops on the way home  and picked up some goodies for dessert. Evie had managed to prep our dinner, pork chops and baked potatoes, and was able to talk with her sisters on a Zoom call at 5:00. We ate around 6:30 and watched some TV, but Evie felt worse and went up to bed earlier than usual, and without dinner.  I watched the lead-up to the Bills/Rams game, then the first half, before heading up myself. I woke this morning to a surprise: the Bills won a thriller in overtime, and I missed it all.