Almost Half Over

According to my almanac, April is only nine weeks away, winter waning.  Looking out at the lake, it's hard to imagine this vast whiteness will gradually change, that the lawns will become green, the trees begin to leaf.  For now, I am happy with the this frozen tundra in my front yard, the cold mornings, the biting winter air, the snow flakes filling the windows, and the crunch of snow on cold mornings.  Both Evie and I enjoy winter, perhaps because we enjoy getting outside, walking, snow shoeing, or cross country skiing.  And we like the isolation of winter, bundled up in our house, few people around, just us and the winter.

This morning it's relatively warm, 26 degrees, though that maybe the high for the day. We have gotten little snow in the past few days, though the East seems to have been inundated with snow, getting as much as 16 inches in parts of CT and NY.  I know that in northern Virginia, where Jill lives, they were expecting up to 8 inches from this storm.  A strange year, weather wise, for the East coast.  We are used to 300 inches of snow around here; the East is not.

We have been watching Masterpiece Theater's Downton Abbey the last couple of weeks, a wonderful look at Great Britain in 1913, just before the war begins, before the modern world of class consciousness, feminism, and socialism change the way the aristocracy of Great Britain live.  A bit like the Upstairs/Downstairs series from the 70's, we see the struggles and conflicts of both the master and servant.  Wonderfully photographed and written.  And we continue to enjoy MEN OF A CERTAIN AGE.  We both love it, its writing, subtlety, and insight into the psyche of ageing men.  I wonder if it appeals only to a mature audience, say anyone over 40?  None of my kids watch it from what I know, only friends my age.

Another lazy day, mostly sitting around watching TV, reading on my computer, playing around with Iphoto, and reading.  Evie worked out at the gym, inspired by our talk with Dr. Berke, especially his emphasis on the rowing machine.  I think she wants to keep up with Tyler.  I did take a couple of walks today, in the snow, and it felt good to get outside and do something physical.  I was supposed to wait a week before getting back to doing some exercise, though I cannot ski for another week.  I really miss being outside the most, just sitting in here, like a fish in a fish bowl, wondering what it's like beyond the walls.