Warmer, With Sleet. Rain, Ice Pellets, and Snow

Not a very exciting prediction for the day, though we could get 7 or 8 inches of snow if the storm stays far enough north, but the weather gurus are not sure yet what's to happen.  So what else is new.  Today, Chautauqua gray has taken over for the brilliant blue, clear skies from the past three days, as you can see from the pictures I have attached.  It was 21 degrees when I arose, though the temperature yesterday afternoon when I skied was in the low 30's.  I wonder what I would write about if I did not have the ever changing weather and view from my window of the lake.  I guess it would be the changing view of Leonard's house if I didn't have the vista presented by the lake and the far horizon off to the East.

We head into Erie today for Evie's appointment with the dentist; she gets her stitches out and he will make sure her gums are healing properly.  The roads should be fine as long as we don't linger into the afternoon, as some snow or ice is expected.  I have to admit I look forward to another snow storm tonight if it materializes, like it did this past Sunday night when we got 8-10 inches.  It does not bother us in the least, makes the outside wonderful to look at, a winter wonderland as it were, and we love to go out in it, either snow shoeing and skiing.

I just finished Gorky Park and had mixed reactions.  I was luke warm towards it, finding myself pushing to get it down, both pushed and pulled by the complications of the Russian/American fur trade, the commingling of the police/KGB/CIA/Russian police.  The main character, Arcady Renko, the one pure soul in the novel, as expected, triumphs in the end, remains wedded to his Russianess, and instead of staying with Irina, his love, in the States, heads back to Russia in the end, to a questionable future.  I am tempted to read one more, to see how he changes as Gladnost appears on the scene in Russia.  I have to admit to being tired of all the dishonesty, intrigues, and disloyalties inherent in all the institutions both American and Russian.  There seems to be only one good man: Arcady.  Depressing!

Back from Erie, where we hit TJ's, of course, for an hour as I sat and read at Starbucks, a good choice.  We then went to the Erie Wegman's for lunch and to pick up some goodies for dinner.  It's a great store, makes our Wegman's look like a corner store but then they have a much larger population to draw from, with more money, more sophisticated tastes, I assume.  We did not get anything exotic but it was just nice to have so many choices if one wished.  We  got home about 3:00 and I spent the rest of the afternoon waiting for it to snow (it hasn't yet) and reading PLUM ISLAND by Nelson Demille, at Patsi's recommendation.  We will have to see if I like it better than GORKY PARK.  We have to pick a movie out for tonight and I think I will give SALT  a try, with Angelina Jolie.  It received modest reviews but it was supposedly better than its reception suggested.  Stay tuned.