Ten Degrees

7:05

8:47

It’s 8:00, and we’re both up, unsettled by the news of what’s being called “Epic Fury,” a seemingly all-out war unfolding in the Middle East. It’s not just Iran being struck, but much of the surrounding region as well. At the moment, Hegsseth is on television, rambling through what sounds like one questionable claim after another, all under the direction of our “brave” leader—bone-spurs Trump. “This is not an endless war,” he insists, without acknowledging the widespread damage across the region. His final words linger: “The war will end on Trump’s choosing, nobody else’s.” Scary. He ends his talk with no plans, just prayers. 

Sunday felt strange for another reason: the absence of ice fishing on the lake. On Saturday, it had been lively, not only with fishermen but with families simply enjoying being out on the ice. Yesterday, though, there was hardly a tent in sight.

Thunder Bridge

Our morning passed quickly, much of it spent listening to updates from the Middle East—what else? No mention of Epstein, nothing about Congress questioning Hillary and Bill Clinton.  Around 10:30, I headed out for my usual Sunday stroll around the Chautauqua Institution. Though the streets were snow-covered, they weren’t icy or slippery, thankfully. On my way out, I ran into our neighbors walking Ripley.

Walking The CI

Brick Walk

I was home by 11:30 and having lunch an hour later—two fried eggs with avocado and tomato on toast, simple and delicious. I looked for something to watch and sampled a couple of thrillers, but none held my attention, so I switched to some NBA basketball. The afternoon slipped by, and by 5:00 I was showered and ready to head out to dinner with our friends Linda and Ron.

I should mention I’ve given up on both Paper Girl—too repetitive—and The Hallmarked Man, which feels endless; I’m only 20 percent in with 80 percent left to go. Instead, I started Nineteen Minutes, a much-recommended thriller by Jodi Picoult.

3:32

5:38

We picked up Linda and Ron at 6:00 and drove a couple of miles to Pueblo Real, a fairly new restaurant in Mayville. It was busy for a Sunday evening. We ordered Mexican beers and studied the enormous menu. Evie and Linda chose Mexican salads; I went with enchiladas verdes, hoping for something memorable, but they were average—nothing special. We left around 8:00 and were home by 8:20. Evie was tired and headed to bed. I stayed up, searching again for something to watch, and finally settled on The Sandhamn Murders, set in Sweden, and watched the first two episodes.

Just a reminder, Putin is quoted in 2014 as saying, "We could take Kyiv in two weeks," and his military planners assumed, before invading Ukraine in February 2022, that they could take Ukraine in three or four weeks. Four plus years later, Russia still has not taken Kyiv and has lost 1.2 million military personnel. 

Winter Returns

7:26

8:45

I woke to a dusting of snow, 16°, and an overcast sky — quite a contrast to yesterday’s sun and warmth. It won’t last long, though; by Friday, temperatures are expected to climb into the 60s. Interestingly, no fishing tents hug Long Point this morning.

I am already weary of the blather about the invasion of Iran. I know it’s consequential, but I feel exhausted by the relentless news cycle this past year — by all of Trump’s words and actions, and by the media’s reaction to them. I find myself longing for the innocence of the 1950s, when life seemed simpler — though of course it wasn’t. It only felt that way because we weren’t bombarded around the clock by the media. There was the radio, three television channels, the 6:00 news, and a couple of newspapers that focused mostly on local events. Enough.

Yesterday, as I mentioned, was another glorious day of sun and blue skies. The lake was alive with activity — even what looked like family gatherings — at least from the vantage point of our porch. Saturday morning unfolded in its usual way. Saturdays still feel more leisurely, though in retirement, they are not truly different from weekdays. It is always the weekend.

Chautauqua Lake Family Fun

By 11:00, the blog was written, breakfast eaten, and the trash gathered, so I headed to the Transfer Station. From there, I drove to Wegmans, stopping briefly at Ryder’s Cup, but it was so crowded I quickly left. Wegmans is always busy on weekends, but I found what I needed and checked out without much delay. On the way home, I stopped for a car wash, optimistically assuming winter was over — poor planning, as it turns out.

Campground

I was home by noon and decided to take a walk before lunch. I chose the campground, cutting through the front yards of Woodlawn to get there. I followed my usual route, circling the campground, and passed a group of four people, each walking a small dog. The snow and ice had melted from the road, so I left my crampons on a bench and retrieved them on my way back.

Lunch was leftover mushroom and cream pasta, and I finished the series Dear Child. For such an unsettling story, the ending felt oddly anticlimactic. We have finally added Paramount+ and Peacock to our television repertoire — both free through Spectrum. It was an onerous process, but Evie persevered, and now we can watch Landman.

The rest of the afternoon slipped by: a nap, some reading, a bit of basketball, and watching the clusters of families and ice fishermen gathered on the lake. At five, we enjoyed sushi from Wegmans, Issa's pita chips and hummus, and a glass or two of wine. Dinner required little effort since I had picked up pizza and udon noodles earlier. After an episode of Paradise and The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Evie went to bed. I stayed up to watch more basketball and search — without much success — for a new series to begin. In the end, I was happy to return to my book.

Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, Iran: Why?

I woke to news of the attack on Iran. We are now at war.

The stated goal is regime change — not exactly a surprise. It feels like a bully going after a middle schooler while the high schoolers (Russia, China, North Korea) are too big and tough to confront. I pity the Iranian people living under such an oppressive theocracy, but that raises the question: what right do we have to intervene? I fear another quagmire, born of our leaders' ignorance of history and a desire to change the news cycle — to stop people from talking about Epstein. Ukraine deserves our support far more urgently. Russia remains the central obstacle to world peace in the 21st century, driven by its ambition to recreate the Soviet empire.

6:45

6:59

7:02

7:03

8:27

It's difficult to return to the mundane after news like that, but I'll try. It's a warm, 40º morning with lots of sun, a colorful and changing sky, although it will cool off during the day.  I hope to get in a good hike either this morning or afternoon, and, of course, I will take my weekly trip to the Transfer Station.

Friday brought another pleasant day of sun and warming temperatures. After my morning coffee, writing the blog, and breakfast, I decided to walk Long Point State Park, hoping the trails would be at least partly groomed. Around 10:45, I drove over to Bemus and down Lakeside Drive — mine was the only car at the entrance. The first hundred yards were tough going, through six to eight inches of snow. Then I picked up deer tracks and eventually found the main trail, which was somewhat packed down and easier to navigate. For whatever reason, the hike felt hard — I was winded at times, ready to be done. When I finally reached the road back to my car, I removed my crampons to walk the asphalt of Summit Park Drive. A mile and a half through the woods, in 53 minutes, according to my Apple Watch.

Deer Tracks

Hiking Long Point State Park

I was home just before noon. I relaxed on the couch and read until hunger struck, then heated up the leftover chili and put on my new series, Dear Child, on Netflix. It strikes me that most crime dramas revolve around women who have been kidnapped or murdered — men are almost always cast as perpetrators, rarely as victims. After lunch, I continued alternating between Paper Girl and The Hallmarked Man, and managed a decent nap, up by 2:45 and back to reading.

I charged the Kia for two hours while Evie was prepping dinner, a mushroom, shallot, and cream pasta.  It came together in about twenty minutes, then sat warming while we settled into the living room for the late afternoon. The sun is setting later and later — 6:52 yesterday — and there's something quietly satisfying about that. The pasta was delicious, and there's enough left over for today's lunch.

We watched Colbert, an episode of The Pitt, and another of Paradise before Evie headed up to bed. I caught some of the Cavs game, then returned to Dear Child.

Warming Up

7:08

8:08

The sun is up at 8:30, filling the yard and sky with light on a 26° morning. No ice fishermen's tents dot the lake. Today's high of 46° is either the third or fourth thaw of the winter.

Thursday, as always, was a busy day. We were both up early, by 7:00. After writing the blog, I headed to Bemus for breakfast. By 9:40, we had gone our separate ways — me to yoga, Evie to school. The studio was packed as usual, and I set up my mat in front of the class, next to Tara. The session ran 80 minutes, and I left feeling energized. I stopped for a coffee at Ryder's Cup, made a quick run through Aldi's, and was home by noon.

Blue Skies

It's still strange to walk into a quiet, empty house, even after three years of Evie helping out in kindergarten. I checked email, read for a bit, then had lunch around 12:45 — leftover chicken and orzo. I watched another episode of Land of Sin, then went upstairs to read and nap. When I came back down, Evie had just gotten home and briefly recounted some of the funny things that had happened in class.

Sun And Melting Snow

I settled in with my book, thought vaguely about a walk, and then said the heck with it. It had been a sun-filled afternoon — a real surprise — and by 5:00, we were ready for a glass of wine with no dinner pressure in sight. By 6:30, we were enjoying bowls of chili topped with sour cream, cheese, and avocado, and watching HGTV. At the same time, the distressing news broke that Paramount Skydance — backed by Trump supporter Larry Ellison — was acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN and HBO. The Ellisons already own CBS, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and a stake in TikTok. It's a modern monopoly, rivaling the great consolidations of the early 20th century that made Teddy Roosevelt famous as the Trust Buster. Brace yourself for another Fox News. Evie went upstairs to bed feeling depressed, and I turned on some basketball to clear my head before finishing Land of Sin.

Rain, Sleet, And Snow

6:46

7:36

As I look out at our front yard, the grass is beginning to reappear as the snow slowly melts away. It’s still cold — 15º at the moment — but it should climb into the high 20s this afternoon, much like yesterday. Evie is feeling better, so we’re both up enjoying our coffee. I have breakfast at 8:00, yoga at 10:00, and Evie leaves for kindergarten at 9:30. Back to our familiar Thursday routine.

Wednesday wasn’t much of a day for me, mainly because I didn’t get in much of a hike. I slept later than usual and wasn’t in any hurry without yoga on the schedule. Around 11:00, after doing some snow shoveling, I drove to Mayville to walk Webb’s Trail, assuming that since it’s used by snowmobiles, it would be groomed. I was wrong. The trail was covered with five to eight inches of untouched snow. I trudged through it for about ten minutes before giving up and turning back to the car, tired and not particularly pleased with the effort.

Webb's Trail

Heading Back

Since I was already in Mayville, I filled up the Outback and headed home, deciding to pass on a sub from the Lighthouse and save a few dollars.

Back home, I read until about 12:30, when Evie kindly offered to make me an avocado and tomato sandwich on toast. Paired with the last of the Wegmans chicken soup, it was heavenly — no exaggeration. I watched my show afterward and, somewhat surprisingly, managed a decent nap. I was up by 2:45 with a couple of hours to fill before wine time at 5:00. I briefly considered another walk but decided against it and spent most of the afternoon reading, moving back and forth between books.

Around 4:30, Evie prepared dinner — Greek chicken with orzo — and put it in the oven for an hour while we enjoyed our wine and Jake Tapper on CNN. The chicken was only average, so we likely won’t repeat it, though I’ll finish the leftovers for lunch. Later, we watched two episodes of Season 2 of Paradise on Disney+ and enjoyed them. After Evie went to bed, I watched some basketball and then another episode of the Swedish — not Dutch — thriller Land of Sin.

A Few Inches Of Snow Overnight

7:55

8:34

8:39

It’s 8:30, and the sky is a threatening gray, the lake a bright white. A couple of tents sit out on the ice on this 29º morning. We have no real plans for the day, though I’ll try to fit in a hike somewhere—perhaps through our woods. The sun briefly pushed through the clouds, and when I stepped onto the porch to take a photo, I heard a bird chirping for the first time this year.

This Morning

Tuesday turned out to be a good day, despite my waking at 6:30 and immediately worrying about shoveling the snow and clearing off both cars so Evie could get to school. As it happened, there was no need to worry—she had a "shaky" stomach, so she decided to stay home.  I had the blog written and the driveway cleared in plenty of time to make it to yoga at 9:10. The class was surprisingly rigorous and ran 70 minutes; Courtney always cheers us at the end for sticking it out. I’ll admit, there were moments when I wondered how much longer it would last.

On my way home, I stopped at Ryder's Cup for a coffee.  Just then, Evie texted to ask if I was there and, if so, could I pick up a few things. So off I went, navigating a busy Tuesday store, gathering what she needed.

12:30

I was home before lunch, and Evie was curled up on the couch reading. Around 12:30, I heated up Wegman's chicken soup and toasted a bagel with peanut butter. I watched an episode of The Golden Hour, then spent the afternoon reading and napping. When I woke, I didn’t quite have the mojo for a proper walk, so I read instead, moving back and forth between my two books until 4:30. By then, the afternoon felt refreshingly mild, and I went out to shovel the driveway once more and take a brief stroll down our street.

Evie had her Zoom call at 5:00 with her sisters. We put off having our wine until 5:45 and planned on having a rack of lamb with roasted potatoes for dinner. We followed the directions for the lamb carefully, but had to return it to the oven twice—it simply wasn’t done. A bit of a fiasco. We eventually ate, though much of the lamb was still underdone.

Still undecided about what to watch, we put on a couple of early episodes of ER before Evie headed upstairs to bed. I then watched the spectacle of lawmakers greeting Trump as he entered Congress—hugs, handshakes, broad smiles. Once he began speaking, I finished my series, The Golden Hour, and started a new one, Land of Sin, a Dutch thriller. 

"Ever since taking office a year ago, the President has shown no respect for the principles upon which this country is based—the Constitutional separation of powers, the rule of law, and the rights guaranteed to every person under the Constitution. His actions have done tremendous harm to the American people, to our standing among nations, and to our institutions of government,” Senator Angus King (I-ME) said in a statement. “For this reason, I cannot in good conscience participate in a function with this President at its center. To do so would require me to ignore all that has gone before and to pay him a measure of respect which he has not earned. I will not be attending the State of the Union address.”

More Snow, More Shoveling

6:33

7:01

Early Birds

Fresh snow blankets everything this morning. It’s 7:15, and I’ve already been up for an hour, calculating how long it will take to clear the driveway and car. The snowplow passed a few minutes ago, neatly clearing the road while leaving its customary foot-high berm across the end of the driveway.

Evie didn’t feel well last night, so she’s sleeping in. I’ll head out at 8:00 with the battery-powered shovel to clear the driveway and brush off the car before leaving for yoga at 9:10.

Mondays always feel slightly unmoored — no yoga, no school for Evie. Yesterday, though, I slept nearly eight hours, a rare luxury. The rhythm of the morning rarely changes. I photograph the lake each hour, drink my coffee while scrolling Facebook, then read The New York Times and The Washington Post. After that, I write the blog. If Evie is still asleep, I upload the photos and leave the final edit and publishing for her. Then breakfast, and the familiar question: what to do with the day?

Woodlawn Creek And Road

Mailboxes

Yesterday’s answer was obvious. Three to five inches of snow had fallen. I cleared the driveway with the battery-powered shovel, cleaned off the car, and finished with the regular shovel to neaten things up. Twenty-five minutes of work, followed by a 25-minute walk through the neighborhood — cold air, quiet streets, the muffled stillness that follows snowfall. It's 8:45, and I was out shoveling for 25 minutes, and now I have 25 minutes to eat my breakfast before I head to yoga. 

Perfectly Sculpted Evergreen

Woods

By 11:30, I was finally inside for good. After a short rest, we wrestled with the water filter — an awkward job requiring us to squeeze between the furnace and the washer and dryer. Success. Lunch was the last of the lentil soup, along with a toasted tomato-and-cheese sandwich Evie made for me.

In the afternoon, I started a Dutch series, The Golden Hour, which I’m enjoying. I also moved between two books — Paper Girl and The Hallmarked Man, the latest Cormoran Strike novel by J. K. Rowling. Despite the good night’s sleep, I drifted off for a solid nap.

6:15 PM

By midafternoon, we settled into the living room, reading or scrolling and listening to the news. At five, I poured us each a glass of wine. We’d planned on a rack of lamb with roasted potatoes, but Evie began feeling nauseous again, so we postponed it. Dinner became fried eggs over potatoes instead — simple and comforting.

We watched Hometown and Stephen Colbert before Evie went to bed. I caught a few minutes of the Kansas–Houston game, then returned to The Golden Hour, ending the day as it began — quietly.