Snow Fall Last Night

We went to the Viking Club last night for cubans and a beer and on the way home, it was already sleeting a bit.  We woke up this morning to a wet snow on the trees, some on the lawn, the temperature just about freezing.  We hadn't been to the Viking Club since last fall, so we thought we better make use of our dues.  We ended up sitting at the bar, talking with a couple who come their often; they live in Jamestown, he's a bus driver for CARTS and she works in the city offices, as well as moonlights at Bon Ton.  The entire time he (Tony) played the lottery game, one dollar a tickets and you can win up to 75.00 if you have the right ticket.  While we were there, he probably won about 150 though he must have spent close to that much to win his money.  It seems to be the thing at every private club we have been to, the Rod and Gun, Viking and the Vets.  People sure don't mind losing money for a good cause, I guess.

I went to breakfast with Charley Heinz this morning; he had stats he put together about each NCAA basketball team, their  graduation rate, how they  compare, which is interesting.  Needless to say, Kentucky and UConn seem to be at the bottom for graduation rates.  We then went to Westfield Hospital, for Evie's mammogram, much less people traffic then Jamestown and only five or ten minutes farther.  We then worked out at Turner for an hour and are now home, heating up the other half of my cuban from last night for lunch.  It's still gray outside, lots of fog on our drive north to Westfield, a bit over the lake as I write.

SAVAGES: DON WINSLOW

I had never heard of Don Winslow, though he has written a number of books, a couple even made into movies.  Supposedly, this novel is already in the makings.  It got pretty good reviews in the Times so I decided to try it and I admit to devouring it.  Who wouldn't with it's cool trio of protagonists, lots of violence and mucho sex.  It's current and hip, with language and setting.  Two guys, Ben and Chonny, one an idealist and follower of Buddha, the other, Chonny an ex Navy Seal have combined to grow and sell the best marijuana in Southern California.  Ben is the mellow giver, often off with his drug money to help the world, either in Africa or Asia.  Chonny thinks Ben is nuts and sees the world much differently: we are all savages.  Needless to say, conflicts arise when a Mexican drug cartel wants to take over their market.  How this is done involves the young, nubile, and sexually liberated Ophelia, O for short, who is both Chonny and Ben's lover.  They don't seem to mind nor does she.  Needless to say, Ben ends up having to see the world through the eyes of Chonny, that people are ultimately cruel and to survive you must be cruel and violent as well.  Lots of killings, violent and brutal, a kidnapping, innocent people being hurt, all combine to make this a quick read.  You do end up liking all three major characters, hating the evil Mexican drug cartel, it's cool San Diego lawyers, the various 'low lifes' that carry out the orders.  In the end, all seem to get what they deserve.

ROOM: EMMA DONOGHUE (spoiler alert)

ROOM has been highly praised and rightly so.  It's an original, a voice that one has never heard before, perhaps not as original as Huck Finn or Holden Caulfield but original still, like the Twins in THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS.  We see the world through the eyes of five year old Jack, a precocious and brave child, as you will find out from reading.  What makes him special is that for the first five years of his life, his total universe is a room, with no windows, just a skylight, a place that came to be his home, the inside and outside, his world.  The first third of the book describes his life in this enclosed space with his mother and occasionally, Old Nick.  Why they are there we discover in this part.  The second and third parts describe Jack's acclimation to life outside of the room, to his discovery of not only other people like family and friends, but to the natural world as well as the modern world of computers, TV, video games, cars and airplanes, all unknown to him in the first part.  His gradual acceptance of this world, it's difficulties and successes, with family and others, forms the rest of the book.  His point of view must accept change, turning from what he thought was the world (the room), to what he only assumed was make believe, the real world.  How he accomplishes this transformation forms the guts of the book.  It seems very real to me and Jack's thoughts, his questions, his difficulties adjusting all ring true.  The joy is seeing things that we take for granted from his point of view.  By the end, I was getting tired of this but for most of the book, I was transfixed, pulled in, unaware of the self, as she drew me in so well.

Pink Sky in March (Snow tonight)

Pink Sky in Morning

I am getting spoiled by the beautiful morning skies but the weather's changing, the clouds are coming in, it's warming up into the 40's today though snow is possible tonight.  We are going to clean up the yard in a few minutes while the ground is still frozen; later in the day, because of the high lake level and snow piles and rain, the lawn gets really soggy.  Today we hope to walk a trail in Mayville, one that actually is for snow mobilers,  I think, but it supposedly goes all the way to Westfield if you continue on it.

Walking in Lake View Cemetery

Yesterday, we went for a walk in Jamestown, in the Lake View Cemetery, where all of Jamestown's famous are buried.  It's reminds me of Cleveland's Lakeside Cemetery in Little Italy though not as grand.  It's wooded roads and trails make for an interesting walk, looking at trees, graves stones, some  dating back to 1820 I believe.  And the most famous, which I didn't realize, is Lucille Ball.  There's a pathway with a heart shaped stone, leading to a four foot monument with the name Ball on it.  I went to Wikipedia and found she was buried in Forest Hills, CA, but in 2002, her children had her grave interred and she was moved to her hometown of Jamestown, where she now rests.  She lived here on and off, at times were her  grandparents, some with her Mom and step dad, some with her step dad's severe parents, till she was around eighteen when she first went to New York city for acting lessons.  She would return for brief periods, then head back to New York and eventually Hollywood to make here name.


We were really excited yesterday over the photo album from Apple and it's spurred me to creating a couple more of them, two for our other good friends who treated us so well in Turkey, Hasan and Sami, as well as one that follows are stay, complete with my journal.

Another Boring Beautiful Morning

Cover for Besiktas photo album

Every day is exactly the same, at least for the past five days, sunny, clear blue skies, and cold, 18 degrees when I got up.  The lake still looks like a skating rink, shiny with the glare of the sun though snow/sleet is expected late Thursday, so who knows when the lake will unfreeze. We will have to take advantage of both today and tomorrow, enjoying the outdoors for a hike and save the gym for later in the week.

A few minutes ago Fed Ex dropped off the photo album I put together for Ates, a teammate with Besiktas, while at Beth's house, with Ramiro's help.  It's about our stay in Istanbul, especially the wonderful hospitality of my good friend Ates and his wife, Mine.  They basically took over our lives when we were there, set up 'programs,' where we were wined and dined by teammates, visited malls, restaurants, and he was responsible for my being honored by the Turkish Basketball Federation.  The book is amazing, mostly photographs from our trip, but some pictures from our early years together in Istanbul.  The cover is a shot of our team in 2009, obviously much older, but still happy and excited to be together again.  He is going to love it and we have decided to get one for ourselves.

Winter Weary

Another beautiful morning, cloudless sky, sun peaking over the Bemus hills, as I sit here, munching on Mrs. Snavely's kuchen(thanks for the recipe Patsi), thinking about what to do today.  I finished ROOM last night, so I want to be more disciplined about writing up a review of the books I have read, something I have not been very good at doing.  I think I will read something light, The Savages, a detective novel that has gotten good reviews.  Ron and Linda came for a dinner of teriyaki steak, asparagus and twice baked potatoes, with kuchen and Turkish tea for dessert.  We ended up watching our favorite movie with them, CINEMA PARADISO, a film I have probably seen at least ten times and still love.  I have to admit I did get a bit tired of the music being played over and over in dramatic scenes, as well as a few scenes that seemed drawn out.  But I have always loved the theme, don't give in to nostalgia, don't look back, move forward, don't get stuck in trying to revisit or recreate what was.  Alfredo refuses to see Toto if he ever comes back; he does want to talk to him, he wants to hear people talk about him.  And he does, as Toto eventually becomes famous as a film maker.  The last two minutes of the film are still the most romantic and most apt ending to any film.  Because the kissing scenes were censored from the movies when Toto was young, Alfredo kept the brief clips for Toto.  As the movie ends, the mature Toto sits down in a darkened theater, alone, and looks back at all these wonderful scenes of couple kissing, one after another, emphasizing what he has lost, what he longs for, what once was, 'young love,' never to be recaptured, at least for Toto.  A great film.

Back from our trek to Clymer, to once again decide on a carpet choice.  It's about a 40 minute ride through the back roads, which was fun since we travelled roads unknown, mostly farms, modest and large, many Amish, distinguished usually by the wash out on the line despite the cold temperatures.  We like the people we are working with, just hope they have a good final price.  We did find a great place to eat, one we had hard about from a bar tender/owner in Fredonia a couple of weeks ago.  It's called  Pine Junction, and their card says finding them is half the fun, since they are set way off a minor road near Findley Lake.  It's really quite neat, pine walls, floors, with a great deck for warm weather, a huge yard, with a pile of wood for a bonfire.  It appeals to snowmobiles in the winter, as their are trails everywhere and to bikers, I assume in the warmer months, though the clientele, I am sure, includes lots of yuppies, hot for a new experience, like us.  The owner came over, introduced himself, told us all about the place. They have bands on weekends occasionally, and once it gets warmer, he'll get out the grills and start doing  ribs, his specialty.  I got a pulled pork sandwich with slaw, Evie sweet potato fries,  both quite nice.  It has a nice feel, warm, walls filled with signs like "Who cut one", above a series of pine trees, with one downed; clearly, they have a sense of humor. We will be back.

Sunny Sunday

Long Point Trail

Up early, to a dark sky, though it's cleared up and the sun is shining, the blue sky filled with puffy white clouds off over Bemus Point. Evie has a kuchen in the oven, filling the house with good smells, as I sit here catching up on emails, reading the papers, and planning my day.  Not much going on, actually, finish ROOM, walk the Institute, watch Kansas play at 2:30, edit some of my Istanbul journal, and help Evie get things ready as Ron and Linda are coming over for dinner, as they head back to Pittsburgh tomorrow.

I have been thinking about all the home improvement projects that we might want to do, or must do, and it keeps adding up, to about 15,000 if we were to do everything: septic, rug, paint, auxiliary generator, and asphalt parking area.   The problem is we could get by without any of them, which makes me wonder why we want them?  Convenience? Up keep?  Probably both.  Right now, after going through another carpet store, I am ready to just say 'let's put it off till next year,'  Making a decision, deciding on a carpet and color, then deciding on a paint for the walls, and getting it done by mid June seems daunting but doable.  You just have to make some decisions and do it.

We are also planning on heading West the last couple of weeks of April, visiting Tommy and Ed and Dot in Phoenix, which truncates things a bit, making it more difficult to plan and get things done.  Or am I just rationalizing why I am losing interest in doing the carpet and painting?

We walked the CI this morning, another beautiful day, blue skies, cold and crisp in the low 20's but just right for walking though when going towards the wind, the chill was apparent; it was much nicer walking with the wind at our back, the sun in our faces.  We had the usual Sunday breakfast, three slices of bacon, toast and two fried eggs, my favorite meal of the week.  Then, Evie started getting things ready for dinner, I cleaned the porch, we made final arrangement for our tickets West, and I am now watching Virginia Commonwealth take it to Kansas in the tournament.  Tommy must be sick, shell shocked, watching this on TV.  Kansas is completely out of sync, not knowing what hit them.

Sunny Morning, With Dusting of Snow and Cold (15 degrees)

Wine Tasting at Webb's 

I stayed up late last night to watch Ohio State lose to Kentucky in the last seconds, a depressing lost for the Buckeyes because they did not play well.  They struggled the entire game, stymied by Kentucky's athleticism, and they shot poorly for them.  Now I don't care much about the tournament, perhaps Kansas is the only team worth rooting for.  I slept in till 8:00 a rarity for us both so it was bright and sunny in our bedroom when I got up, a change from the winter darkness I am used to coming down to each morning.  We went out with Linda and Ron to a wine tasting at Webb's, then back to their house for a cauliflower and gnocchi casserole and chicken thighs with apple cider, both quite nice.  Webb's was crowded around the bar, but we were the only one's standing.  We tasted about five different wines, liked the one from Italy the best, though the others from Spain and some local wines were decent, though I don't think I would buy them.  Charles Shaw is still my favorite.  Today is trash day and since Evie has been cleaning out some of our photos, we have lots to get rid of, always a good feeling.  We dropped some things off at Salvation Army yesterday as well.

As you can see, I am become fanatical about getting a picture for my blog each day, carrying my camera with me where ever I go.

We went over to Long Point for a hike in the park since it was such a nice day.  It's the first walk since going to Beth's and we loved it, a warming sun, blue skies, snowy paths, no wind, and crisp but not too cold.   The trees are still bare, the lake frozen, except for around the edges, the paths filled with snow except in sunny areas where they were covered with composted leaves, brown and soft and rich, ripe for planting.  We walked at least an hour and a half, were never cold, not hot, just the kind of weather we love, probably in the low 20's as we walked though warmer when in the sun.

I hope Walt and Julia have had this kind of weather today for their race in DC; if so, it could be a great day to run.

Hung out this afternoon and did something I rarely do, watched a documentary called INSIDE JOB, a upsetting, though educational look at how the banks, investments firms, savings and loans colluded with lobbyists and politicians to create the laws and lack of oversight which led to the huge housing bubble and near destruction of the world's economy.  It's amazing how all the power brokers in both Clinton and Bushs and Obama's government were the same people who lobbied for deregulation when they were the CEO's of various banks or investment firms.  No one comes off well in government or the banks; they all knew what was going on, that it was risky, but they were making so much money, at little risk to themselves, that they just didn't care.  And anyone who suggested that the trough be regulated was labeled a fool or commie or anti capitalists.  It's a movie every one should see because nothing, or very little has been done, to make sure that this does not happen again.  That's why it's so depressing...the same rules apply, the same mix of power brokers are in charge of government, after working for a firm, then return to the firm or bank after working in government, enriching themselves and those like them coming and going.

Sun Shine and Snow and 17 Degrees

Sunrise Through Snow Flakes

As I write, I can hardly read my computer screen as the sun shine, coming in the front window is so bright, that I have to turn my head towards the book shelves to continue.  When I got up, there were thick, heavy gentle snow flakes falling, as the sun fought it's way up above the cloud cover over Bemus Bay.  Now it's above it, lighting the lake and living room, with brilliant sunshine, sometime rare in the winter as well as summer because of the foliage on the trees.  We are off to the Honda dealer today to get new brakes for the Pilot; I am not optimistic about the cost.  I am sure it will be double what I expect.  Then off to the tax man, to Weggies, to the carpet store, perhaps, and Walmart, a busy morning.  Tonight, we are off to Webb's for a free wine tasting, then back to Linda and Ron's for dinner.

It's been cold but sunny today, as we got our errands done, pictures of Flat Stanley made for Marlena, our brakes fixed, and a stop at another carpet store, which just confused us more, as usual.  Every place has a deal, about the same as the others, with the best carpets, the same as the others.  So what to do.  Nothing.  It's supposed to get very cold tonight perhaps down to 10 degrees and, as I was listening to NPR, they were mentioning a heavy snowfall in Buffalo though it sunny and clear here at the lake. Tonight possible snow flurries but tomorrow should be nice.  Off to wine testing

The Sun! The Sun

Cloudy when I awoke, but within an hour the sun came out, no rain or snow or sleet in sight, and a shiny lake, the Chautauqua we love.  It's about 26 degrees outside, though it was supposed to go down in the teens over night.  The slush from last night is frozen and I heard the paper being delivered as I lay in bed because I could hear the crunch of the ice from the wheels of his car.  I could not figure out what that wound was but then realized it was his car.  We went to the VFW last night with Ron and Linda for our usual, an order of wings a piece and a triple order of sweet potato fries to share.  Yum.  There's not a healthy item on their menu though they do have a salad.

I went to check on the Honda that has been in the garage all winter and there's a flat tire, so I called Triple A and they should be over shortly.  I must be optimistic about spring coming if I have decided to start using the Accord.  Bring on the warm weather.  A farmer mentioned in the newspaper that it's usually in the 40's and 50's this time of year, not in the teens.  And every one is waiting anxiously for the lake to unfreeze.  They have a device set up in the water off of the Stow ferry crossing and people have been asked to make their best guess for five dollars, the winner gets a silly prize, the money goes to the Lake Association.  I guess this has been done in other areas and raised lots of money.

Shot hoops at the Turner Center with Ron Mc Clure, then rowed 3000 yards and took a shower there, to avoid using too much water here at home.  It felt great, reminded me of the old days, showering naked in a locker room with a bunch of guys, except I was the only one in the locker room.  It's now cocktail (red wine) hour, or time for a sun downer, what they call it in South Africa, and the sun is setting, though take is crusty white, the sky over Bemus still blue, what a great way to end the day rather than the gray we have been having.

I have also been transfixed by the well though of ROOM by British writer, Emma Donoghue.  I don't want to say too much about it, other than it's narrated by a five year old boy, a marvelous narrator, so rich and interesting, reminding me of the twins from Arundati Roy's THE GOD OF SMALL THINGS, one of my favorite books.  Both give you such insight into the world of children and make you think really hard about what you say and do around them.  There way of looking at and understanding the world, the words, the looks, the postures, is so different from that of their parents.  I highly recommend it and will write a review when I finish, probably tomorrow.

Spring Snow Cometh to the Lake

Spring Snow Brings Chautauqua Gray

Well, we are back at the lake, to a lake gray with ice, a bit of white snow, a yard partially white with snow, and trees drooping with wet snow, especially the Limber Pine by our back door.  We can expect between 6 and 12 inches over the next 24 hours, though it will be wet with the possibility of ice as well.  It could be no fun at all if it turns to ice, pulling down tree limbs and power lines, the worst scenario.  We are back to our routine, listening to NPR, taking a shot of the lake, reading the NYTimes on my computer (five more days till they make you pay for it), and planning the day...nothing scheduled except for wings with Ron and Linda the the VFW in Mayville.  We certainly seemed to have picked the right day to drive to the lake, yesterday, squeezed between two icy, snowy days.

Very little snow so far, though it's rained off and on most of the day, filling our side yard as well as the neighbors with water.  It looks like a pond out there and we are worried about our septic, as always, so we are using as little water as possible, throwing out most of it in buckets.  I read about it on line and in heavy rains or floods, septics just don't work because they cannot drain.  The only thing you can do is use it as little as possible to avoid a bigger problem.  It is always something to worry about, whether it's snow on the roof, septic, sump pump, whatever.  Get used to it Biff.

We are going out for wings, so we will shop in Mayville at Topps before heading to Linda and Rons, as the store is much better than what it used to be under Quality Markets though it's no Wegmanns.

Once More to the Lake

Mary Duffy and Marisa in Central Park

Skateboard Dude

We are off to the lake this morning, leaving Beth’s around 7:45 to overcast but brightening skies and a Marisa, practicing her tricks on her new Chinese jump rope.  Needless to say, she is excited about bringing it to school to show her friends.  We went the back way, up to Danbury, then on the Middleton, picking up 86/17 there, and it took an hour an a half, the same as coming in when we went through the city,  crossing the Tappensee Bridge, which was surprising, as I thought it was much quicker through the city. 

We are now in the Catskills as I write, with a gray sky, roads dry, but a light snow covers the woods and the side of the road.  Clearly, it would have been a bad drive if we had gone yesterday.  We expect to be home right around 3:00, a bit earlier than usual but we also have lots of ‘stuff’ to unload.  Let’s hope we avoid rain the rest of the trip; supposedly, we should have some sun but we have yet to see it.

We are back at the lake and it took us just about 7 hours and fifteen minutes, with two stops for food at Macs, so we didn't stay long.  The lake is still frozen, though not along the edges, and its very high, flooding some yards a bit.  Our side yard is filled with puddles as well, as our the neighbors because of the high water on the lake.  The ride was easy but gray and  boring the entire way, though not as bad as the way out when it was gray and boring and rainy.  It feels good to get back, though we had a great time with the Albarrans and we miss them already.  I could be on a walk with Mitch, Marisa, and Cody if we had stayed.  It did not take us long to unpack, always a chore we dislike, after having done it so many times on our trips back and forth to Hudson.  

THE IMPERFECTIONIST: Tom Rachman

I really enjoyed reading this book, though I was a bit uneasy when I discovered it seemed, at first, to be a series of short stories.  It is and it isn't, as they all revolve around a group of people who work at at English newspaper in Rome, a seemingly arbitrary setting for a series of short stories or novel.  But, each story glimpsed a short period in the life of one of those connected to the newspaper, whether the owner, Cyrus Ott, who founded the newspaper, or his grandson, Oliver Ott, who put it to death.  In between we meet the editor, the obituary writer, the CFO, the reader, the disgruntled foreign correspondent, among those depicted in the book. It was not much of an idea book, no earth shaking insights into the human condition other than the utter humanity, the frailties as well as compassion, of humankind.  Each story alluded to other characters, so you began to see the way each touched or influenced the others.  All had their problems and conflicts, some solved (very few), most not.  Life ultimately does not  satisfy if you live long enough...everything ends, one's job, relationships, lives, the way of all things, I suppose.  But each character seemed life like, real, genuine, and interesting in their own way, as each life IS if carefully looked at, as Rachmann does. He is the master of the understated, the otiose, the surprise ending, which seems just right, in retrospect.  I did not want it to end.  He reminds me of Jhumpa Lahiri, how I was overwhelmed by her stories, their sadness and tone, in the INTERPRETER OF MALADIES.  Both write so well, see wonder in the everyday, and love their characters despite their flaws.  I can see why it's gotten such good reviews.

Snow in Catskills, We Stay Another Day in Dairen

Marisa at Zoo

Riding with Granny

Well, after looking at the weather in the mountains, 2-4 inches of snow, sleet, rain and freezing roads, we decided to stay in Darien for another day. Tomorrow is supposed to be sunny most of the way, so it sounds like a good decision.  Why not stay, anyways, as we have nothing we MUST do as we are retired, footloose and fancy free, as they say.  So, today we do something fun and easy, work on my photo albums, get one ready to buy, the other, mostly work on my journals, making sure they are under  900 words.  Evie is relieved that we don't have the anxiety of a drive in bad weather, the kids are happy, Rami depressed (one more day with the father in law), and Beth is copacetic.  I like the idea of not having to do anything if I don't want.  My tendency is to tough it out, take off today, get back to the lake as planned but that's irrational, the old Biff, whereas the new Biff realizes that he needs to be more flexible, less goal driven. and enjoy the ride:  to travel is better than to arrive.  Believe it.

I think we made a good choice to stay as it's actually snowing here in Darien and I can imagine what our drive would be like if we had left at 8:00 as planned.  We made the right decision to stay on for another day.

It's snowed most of the day, wet and slushy outside.  We went to New Canaan, with Beth, to shop as she returned to the dentist to have her stitches removed.  We ended up buying almost nothing, just a little something for a special person.  We ate sushi for lunch, but couldn't even finish it, a first for all of us at a sushi place.  We picked up Marisa, and she is now working on math problems, cutting our paper kites, tying them together, and other busy work which is a waste of time, for the most part.

Sticky Buns Sunday

Taking a walk on St. Nicholas

Mitch Hangs a Hard Right

It's almost 8:00 and Evie and I and Marisa and Mitch are the only one's up on this beautiful Sunday morning.  Evie's in the kitchen with Marisa, getting the sticky buns put together, making piggies with the left over dough, and heating up the oil for deep fried dough, or churros of some sort or other.  Mitch, of course, is tethered to the couch, playing Call of Duty.  Tyler stayed up last night and watched, with me for the first hour, Sergio Leone's classic, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA.  I remember watching it 30 years ago, but it was cut to attract American audiences.  This is the uncut version and it's over 3 and a half hours.  We had take out Chinese last night from a local noodle house which was quite good. especially their dumplings.  The boys loved them, as Tyler's buddy Brian, also was over till about 9:00.  I watched lots of basketball yesterday, caught the end of Pitts loss to Gonzaga, an amazing final ten seconds.  Today, a day of leisure, with the kids, though Evie's making sticky buns, and we are having Turkish Iskender kebabs for dinner (lamb in grilled patties, on pita, with tomato sauce and yogurt), the favorite of many of our children and grandchildren.  

We all hung out around the house today, Evie cooking and playing with Marisa, Mitch with buddies, skateboarding and playing video games, Tyler doing his homework, and Rami and I working on my photo album and watching the various basketball games.  Dinner was iskender kebabs, which everyone loved, and now we are waiting for fresh, hot sticky buns. 

Weekend Saturday in Darien

A cooler day but sunny, as Evie and Marisa went off NYC to visit the Zoo in Central Park with Beth's neighbors, the Duffy's.  They left about 10:00 and I stayed back to work on my photo album on my computer.  I have been putting together a group of pictures to make a book for my Turkish friend, Ates, who took care of us when we were in Turkey.  Tyler's working on cleaning up the boat house, whose roof collapsed, the same thing he did last week.  At least it counts as credit towards his 20 hours of community service required of all sophomores.  Rami is off picking him up, about a 40 minute drive, as they are done for the day.  It seems like there is always someplace the kids must go.

Evie just returned from Central Park and they had a great time with the Duffy's.  The park was filled with people, walking, strolling, jogging, or just hanging out, and it was a nice day.  They went to the zoo as well as just enjoyed the park.  Beth and Rami have gone off to a mall, an early movie, and dinner.  Tyler and Brian went over to Niko's, a buddy from town, and I spent most of the day working on my photo books and watching the NCAA tournament, a very lazy day for me.  Dinner for us looks like Chinese take out as no one feels like cooking.  Marisa, after spending the morning and afternoon walking can hardly wait to get outside and jump rope again.  She loves it when Evie and I twirl the big rope and she can strut her stuff.

In the Seventies, For a Day

Marisa Jumping Her Way To School

An unusually warm day, so  they say, so we have to figure out something fun to do.  Beth is up and about for the first time, and hopes to  go to her art class today.  Everyone is off to school, except Marisa who doesn't leave till about 8:00.  Evie made breakfast sandwiches for all and as she says, she's starting to get used to go hard right from the get go; in other words, she doesn't need her coffee and silence for the first half hour.  That doesn't work with grandchildren around in the morning, heading off to school.

Everyone loved our juicy lucy's last night, with freshly made french fries, a lot of work for Evie but worth it all, according to the boys who devoured them all.  We watched some of the old OFFICE shows with Tyler, a nightly occasion since  Stewart and Colbert are on vacation.  Then, we switched to the sun room and watched Idol with Beth and Rami before heading off to bed.

We went off on errands and Beth went to her drawing class.  I ended up getting a new pair of running shoes, Evie picked up a hair dryer, and we got what we needed for Chautauqua and our dinner here tonight.  Both Mitchell and Marisa are home now, but Tyler is still at school, working out.  It's a bit overcast but still warm outside, in the low 70's.  It doesn't feel quite right yet, to have this weather, almost an unhealthy warmth.  I suppose when we get back to the lake, it will be the kind of cold we like at least for a few days.

Happy St. Patrick' Day

Flat Stanley on tramp

Flat Stanley cooks

Sitting here, watching Morning Joe, drinking my coffee, and munching on Mom's kuchen recipe.  Yum.  Unfortunately, we only put half the sour cream we were supposed to in the cake, but it's still good and the kids like it as well.  Mitch is eating breakfast, the rest are still upstairs, getting ready.  Tyler seems to appear with less than five minutes before he has to leave; in that time, he must eat, pack, get organized, and have Evie straighten his tie.  Boys!  It looks like we are having juicy lucy's tonight, burgers stuffed with cheese, as Mitch just brought out the new french writer cutter, which looks like something out of a space ship.  It's big enough, heavy enough, to crush a rock into french fries  I don't think it's from Ronco.

It looks like a nice day, warmer than usual, in the 60's to day, 70's tomorrow.  A good day to go for a walk along the ocean.

Evie and I went shopping, Evie to TJ's, me to Sport Authority and a bookstore; I actually got a pair of shoes I wanted, on sale, at Kohls for 7.00 bucks, regularly 70.00.  How bout them bananas.  Beth seems to be doing better; Tyler set a persona best on the rowing machine for 10,000 meters, and Mitch and I went for a long walk, me with Cody, he on his skate board.  Evie's making home made french fries, juicy lucy's, and it's a good night to cook out burgers.

Rainy and Miserable in Darien

Sunny Sunday

An ugly day here, gray, lots of rain, but Beth seems to be doing well enough with her surgery.  She slept the night, with help of pain killers, and now it's just a matter of managing the pain for the next four or five days until her gums heal enough to be back to normal.  I just dropped Marisa off at school; she's excited because she is getting donuts in music class.

The kids lives are very busy; Mitch has lacrosse tonight, Marisa had gymnastics on Tuesday and Thursdays, and Tyler has a work out each day.  It's a busy day for all, especially Rami who gets home about 7:00 and has to leave again at 7:00 in the morning, in time to drop Tyler off for his ride to Fairfield.  We had a stir fry last night; unfortunately, the kids did not like the veggies in it, just the pork, and we got out the naan, to fill them up.  Tonight, it's Cincinnati chili for all.  Let's hope they like it.

I am going to head to a bookstore today, toward Norwalk, as it's too rainy to walk.  Cody has been following me around, wanting to take our constitutional...not yet.

We are waiting for Marisa to come home, early again, at 12:55, then Evie and she are going to make Mrs. Snavely's coffee cake for dessert tonight or tomorrow mornings breakfast.  I had to go out and find  a devil's food cake pan so now we are ready.

Well, it actually cleared up this afternoon some, so it was nice enough for Mitch to practice and for me to take Cody for a walk.  Marisa and Evie made the kuchen, Grandma Gigi's recipe from Mrs. Snavely and the boys devoured it tonight, after a dinner of chili with cornbread.  Marisa's now in bed, the boys are doing homework, and Beth's reading.

Quiet Morning with Mitch

Mitch and Evie are the only two up.  She's already already made him an egg and cheese bagel and he's got his ubiquitous cookie monster hat on, which he loves, his father hates, because he wears it like a rapper, which he's not, just a skate boarder extraordinaire.  Beth's gum surgery is today, so we are off around 8:20 and the procedure will take around 3 hours total, so we won't be back till around 1:00.  I will probably hit the local mall during the procedure, take along my computer in case I find a Starbucks, and a book or two to read.  What a different world this is in just ten to fifteen years, my own computer, a coffee shop, wireless almost anywhere.

Last night the kids and all of us, in fact, devoured Evie's lemon chicken.  All three kids loved it, in fact, not a word was spoken for about ten minutes as they were so famished, Mitch from lacrosse practice, Marisa from jumping rope and riding her bike,  Tyler from crew practice.  Tyler and I then watched a few shows from the first year of The Office before heading off to bed.  Tyler's very organized about his studies, getting in done in a timely fashion and confident about having his work under control.  Marisa still loves to go to bed, decidedly tired by 6:30 or 7:00 and she's reading MRS. PIGGLE WIGGLE for school.  Mitch is more reluctant, wants to stay up like Tyler does, but last night, he was tired out and sore from a hard lacrosse practice. I guess a new coach for the day ran them ragged, kind of hot shot know it all, according to Mitch.

Beth's surgery seemed to go well; the doctors were very accommodating for her and she was done around noon, as expected. I spent the morning at the local mall, walking and looking mostly, bought nothing except for a cup of coffee and bagel at Panera.  Marisa is home early, so we are keeping her busy as well as keeping an eye on Beth, who is sleeping right now.   The fun begins when the boys get home.

A Crisp Partly Cloudy Morning in Darien

A typical Sunday with XBOX

Just  got back from my morning constitutional with Cody, though I had to drag him up the hill,  either because he's getting old or just not a morning dog.  The kids are off to school; Tyler's found out his train was cancelled when he arrived at the station but fortunately one of the mom's was there to take him to Fairfield.  Marisa was going to walk to the bus with me, but because it was cold, she opted for a ride.  It does feel surprising cold outside though it's 31 degrees.  Marisa gets home early today because of conferences, or something like that.  Boy, do teachers have it made! No doubt they are the reason why we are in such a hole financially.

Not much on the agenda this morning, other than trip to Costco, perhaps working on the rowing machine and taking another walk, maybe down by the ocean.  Beth and Rami had a great time in NY...they went to the Guggenheim and because Rami now works for Guggenheim Partners, they get in free...an interesting perk.  They did lots of walking, as it was a glorious day in NYC, and went to their favorite sushi restaurant, a Noodle Shop in Chinatown, and to Etaly, Lidia and Mario Batali's new shopping/restaurant complex.

I want to work on a photo album this week, to send to my good friend in Turkey, Ates, and start my travel book on our trip to Turkey, fall, 2009.  It's about time to do it.

We just got back from Costco, needing nothing except some groceries so I spent over 200.00 on non essential, never expecting to buy things, the trap of a good deal at Costco.  Avoid that store at all costs.

Spring Beginngs in Darien

Sunny and sounds of spring herald a breath of spring, we hope.  Tyler's still sleeping, having stayed up to watch ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST last night, while Mitch is getting tutored in math and Marisa is about ready to go up and take a shower, as it's about 10:00.  The youngest were up early, as usual, about 7:30 DLS time. None seemed very hungry, so Granny made popcorn for Marisa, Mitch ate a banana and we'll wait for Tyler for a big breakfast or early lunch.

We had tempura last night, the sweet potatoes and shrimp were the biggest hit, though the broccoli was really good as well.  It's a very filling meal, so we actually had some shrimp left over.  Today, we are heading to Stu Leonard's to stock up on some groceries for the week and get a dinner ready for tonight when Beth and Rami come home later in the day.  It's so nice to have the sun out even though we have not been outside yet.  I am sure Marisa will have us out soon, to jump rope, or Mitch to skate board.  Marisa seems to go non stop and is so exhausted that last night she was ready for bed around 6:30, was asleep by 7:00 and got at least 11 hours of sleep, the envy of her grandparents.

After walking Cody with Mitch and John with their skateboards, we headed to Stew Leonard's for groceries, our favorite store by far.  You can go in their with a list and come out with twice as much food as planned, not a good thing for the pocketbook.  The upside is they usually have so many free goodies that you can almost make your lunch there.  We brought back a pizza for the boys for lunch, as Mitch had a couple of buddies over for skate boarding and the XBox of course.  They devoured it, then Mitch took off for lacrosse practice, Tyler did his homework, Marisa jumped rope and I worked out on their rowing machine.  We had teriyaki pork chops for dinner; the grill ran out of gas just as I put the chops on but fortunately, I found a spare tank.  Beth and Rami got home around 7:00 from NYC, just as we had finished dinner, bringing home a box of cupcakes from the Magnolia Bakery, where else.  Marisa has been in rare form, just read me a bit of Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and now Evie's putting her to bed.

Grandkids Breakfast on Crepes in Darien

Mitchell playing XBox

A cloudy morning though the high is supposed to be in the 50's.  Mitch has been up since 6:00, checking out his new long board on the web; Marisa followed around 6:30 and Evie about 6:45.  At 7:00, Mitch hits Xbox, a game he never seems to tire of playing.  Tyler has to go off to clean his crew team's boathouse in Shelton, CT, about 40 minutes from here.  I guess the roof collapsed, creating quite a mess where they store their boats, so the team is supposed to be their this morning to help clean up.

Cody's ready for a walk

We had tacos for dinner last night, Evie went to Marisa's dance/magic show, and the boys and I hung out, watching Stewart and Colbert, then Stripes on Netflix, still pretty funny but with lots of naked women, as usual when we watch something with our grand kids.  We only seem to remember the movie was good, not that it had parts which might not be appropriate, although today's kids seem inured to these sort of things because of TV.

I am picking Tyler up in New Canaan in a bit.  Evie, Mitch, Marisa and I went for a walk up the street with Cody, Mitch on his skate board, Marisa using her jump rope much of the way.  We then played some four square, as the sun's out, though it's still cool when the sun decides to hide behind a cloud.

This afternoon I watched Ohio State defeat Michigan in b-ball, picked up Tyler; Evie and Marisa watched THE WIZARD OF OZ, the new version, and Mitch and his buddy John rode their skate boards till Mitch had to go to lacrosse practice.  Evie's making shrimp and veggie tempura for dinner so Tyler and I have to clean the shrimp, as it's starting to get darker and cooler out as we move closer to five.  No rain today, mostly sun, so we had fun outside.  I took Cody for a couple of walks, about his and my limit!

Rainy Day in Darien

Well, it's 7:30 in the morning, the boys have gone off to school, Cody's  gotten filthy by chasing a deer (through a deer fence) and a cat, and Evie and Marisa are playing war, as I sit here, in their family room, watching the horrible earthquake aftermath in Tokyo.  Beth heads off to the city for a couple of days with Rami and we get to take care of the 'kids from hell.'  Just kidding Beth.  We had Evie's favorite last night, strip steaks, and they were great, though I thought I had burned them on the grill since it was pouring rain and I didn't get outside in time.  An easy day, until the kids arrive starting with Mitch and Marisa at 3:00, Tyler later after his practice.  Then, the fun begins!  Marisa has a dance/magic show tonight at her school so Evie will likely take her and I will take care of the boys.  Sounds like a chili night which sounds good. Perhaps Evie and I will head off to Fairway, the new, amazing grocery store in Stamford, or the New Whole Foods in Darien.

Well, I just watched Ohio State defeat Northwestern in a tough game; lots of action this weekend to watch on Rami's big screen TV.  We did go to Fairway and Evie was wowed as I thought she would be.    What an amazing store, especially the produce, the olives oils, coffee, and cheeses and olives.  It's huge, with a great cafe though we didn't stay.  Beth took off for NYC about 1:30 so we have had a quiet morning and afternoon.  Marisa will be home soon, ready to jump rope, no doubt.

Flat Stanley Heads to Darien, Connecticut to Visit Marisa

Well, Flat Stanley seems very excited to hit the road again and visit Marlena's cousins in Darien.  He has been here at the lake for a couple of days, so he wants to hit the road again.  It's not a very nice day, lots of rain, and it looks like we will have rain for the next couple of days.  I wish he had a raincoat, so when we go to T. J. Maxx's, we will look for a coat.  The cars all packed, Flat Henry's in the back seat, up high so he will be able to see out the window when we travel.  We are all excited to get there.    Thanks Marlena for sending me to Baba's and Granny's so I can go on a trip and visit different states, different cities, and meet all your relatives, your cousins and aunts and uncles.  We hope to see you in a month.  By for now.

We arrived in Darien around 3:30, after 7 hours of rain, though we were lucky that the roads through the Catskills were just wet, not icy, fortunately.  It looks like rain here as well for he next few days, so Beth and Rami will not have a very nice weekend to hang out in New York.

INFIDEL: Ayaan Hirsi Ali

I was reluctant to try this book because it was such a hot topic when it was first published but I learned that she lives with Niail Ferguson, the historian, and he mentioned what an amazing women she was so I decided to try it. It is truly an amazing story of a young girl, born to devout Islamic parents in poverty in Somalia, who rises despite the violence, the excision, the prohibitions of Islam, and the lack of opportunities, to become a leader of women's rights in the Muslim world, a member of the Dutch government and eventually, because of her willingness to speak out against the sexism, violence, and lack of reason and discourse in Islam, must eventually go into hiding and emigrate to the US to avoid assassination attempts by radical Islamicists.

Her view is singular, in that it relates a terribly backward though traditional family, devout believers in Islam and the will of Allah.  As she mentions over and over, Islam means to submit, to Allah, with no questions, doubts or uncertainties.  His words are sacrosanct and the  good Muslim follows them without question.  This seems to be her main argument, that there is no questioning, no wondering why, no search for evidence, no worry about the consequences.  And the consequences, for women, as she makes clear, are abysmal, from lack of education, to excision, to violent treatment, to servility to men, to marriage (at almost any age), a form of slavery really if you follow the dictates of Allah, as her family did and as many families do, especially those who are Wahhabi(Saudi Arabian), the most conservative. She experiences first hand all of the aforementioned, one of the reasons why she flees to Holland, to avoid an arranged marriage.  When there, she begins to educate herself, courtesy of an amazing welfare state which seems to care about political refugees, not only giving them a pathway to citizenship, as in her case, but also housing and a living allowance.  It makes the meanness of the republicans all the more detestable.  Gradually, she becomes a democrat, a free thinker, a believer in the scientific method of asking questions, doubting, and skepticism, which leads her to abandon Islam, because of its finality, which ends up tearing her apart from her clan and family, and putting her in harms way.  The final straw, the making of a film called SUBMISSION, with Theo Van Gogh, a controversial film maker from Holland, led to his assassination and slitting of her  throat by a radical Muslim, and her being put in protective care for well over a year.  She argues that its all about belief, that if you follow the tenets of Islam as written, you are dangerous as the following quotations from the Koran suggest(if she is accurate)

-"When you meet the unbelievers, strike them in the neck."
- "If you do not go out and fight, God will punish you severely and put others in your place."
- " Wherever you find the polytheists, kill them, seize them besiege them, ambush them."
- "You who believe, do not take the Jews and Christians as friends; they are allies on to each other
Anyone who  takes them as an ally becomes one of them."
- " The hour of judgement will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews and kill them."

All of these quotations support why she is against multiculturalism, against Muslim schools, against allowing Muslims to segregate themselves, ignoring the Dutch culture of reason and tolerance, and allowing them to import their dangerous ideas, according to her.  It makes me think about the Gulen Movement, a Turkish imam, who has set up Muslim schools all over the world, including the US, supposedly espousing tolerance and reason though these two ideas would seem to contradict the tenets of Islam as she sees it.  I know my Turkish friends are very uncomfortable with the Gulen Movement, with what it represents and they see it also becoming powerful in Turkey, they fear as a precursor to an Islamic State.

I have to admit that none of the world she describes was my experience after having lived for seven years in Turkey.  I am sure honor killings happened in the East, perhaps occasionally in Istanbul, that women were treated as chattel in the backward villages, but in Istanbul, among the educated and the secular, this was unheard of.  This may be changing, as the face of Istanbul is changing, with more and more veils and headscarves.  What wonders if the women really understand what this might lead to, a world of seclusion, lack of freedom, of restriction, and no individuality.  No wonder some of the women we met are already planning ways to help their daughters leave Turkey if this trend ever materializes.

I did find the book interesting and thought provoking and its fun to watch someone learn, grow, and gain understanding of their world, of its strengths and weaknesses.  I am ready to start on the sequel, NOMAD,  which was published within the past year or so.

Windy and Wild Day

The wind has not stopped since I  got up and it's gusting at 45 miles as hour, according to NPR.  Gray and white, a typical Chautauqua day, as we get ready to travel tomorrow to Beth's in Darien, CT, for 10 days.  I have my list of things to do, crossed off most, so all I need to do is workout, visit the library, cancel the mail, and enjoy the day.  It's 36 degrees outside but not inviting for a hike or walk because of the wind and gray sky, alas.  And its only supposed to get colder and wetter, with the possibility of snow later in the day, a good day to sit back and read my book, THE IMPERFECTIONISTS by Tom Rachman, a series of vignettes set at an English speaking newsroom in Rome.  Each chapter reads like a short story and follows one of the journalists who work for the newspaper.  They intersect in various ways and we learn about their quirky but interesting lives.  I am getting more and more into it as it goes along.

It continues to be miserable outside, windy, wet, ice pellets, snow and rain, what else?  We worked out at the gym around lunch time, stopped at the CI library to pick up a couple of books I had on reserve, and came home for lunch, schnitzel sandwiches (just like at RC) and mercimek corba, yum.  Now it's getting the house and ourselves organized for our trip tomorrow.  I hope the weather cooperates.

Snowshoeing in Dobbins Woods

Another beautiful day, brilliant sunrise, icy and shimmery lake, and cold, about 16 degrees though it's supposed to get in the 40's by the end of the day.  We are heading to Beth and Rami's on Thursday because they are going off to Utah skiing for the weekend(if they can get plane tickets and accommodations at a late dates). So, we get an extra couple of days with the kids to ourselves, the best!  It's funny how I enjoy getting organized for a trip, gathering clothes, shoes, books, cameras, computers, cords, thinking ahead to what I might need. I get them altogether and throw them in the Extra Large Ikea bag and that's it.  I am ready to go.   I think I am catching Evie's 'organizing bug.'

I am working on putting together a couple of travel books, one for one of my friends in Turkey, the other which would combine my journal and photographs from our trip to Turkey.  I have been meaning to do this for the past year but have never  gotten around to doing it.  It will give a nice project to work on for the next month or so.

Another Monday, Just Like the Other Mondays

Our favorite hour is sunset, on those nights when the lake looks fluorescent, a result of light emanating from the snow on the lake, not the sky.  I tried to capture it last night in the above photo with partial success.  It's not as bright as it seems, perhaps I was a bit late in taking the picture.

We have lots to do this week before we head off to Beth's this weekend, not really, but we want to come to some conclusion about a carpet, perhaps a paint color, even though we won't  get to it until late March, early April, if then.  In other words, we would like everything done before June 1st so that gives us lots of time.

We hope to go snow shoeing this morning at Dobbins Woods, about 15 minutes away, as Evie's TMJ seems to be finally gone.  And we will probably go to the gym this afternoon, as we are enjoying that as well.  I enjoy shooting baskets before going on the rowing machine, then the treadmill or step, and Evie works hard usually on the Step machine.

Evie has decided to begin going through all our pictures, not only from our past 45 years but many from my parents as well.  It's fun to look at them.  She also came across many of the letters we sent to our parents from both Hawaii and Turkey.  We also found my attempt to describe each of our kids, in words, about a typed page, to give our parents some idea of what they work like since they were not able to see them.  They are  pretty funny and quite good surprisingly.  I must have put them together in 1971 and sent them home.  Nostalgia's a dangerous thing...it makes you long for the past, for the way things were, which can cripple the present, if you give it a chance, and ruin the future.  Beware of nostalgia...I am a sucker for it.

It's turned into a beautiful day, blue skies and sunny, perfect for snow shoeing at Dobbins Woods.  No one was there, as usual, no tracks even, beautiful blue skies through the trees, pines still covered with snow despite the sun, small puddles, a few gurgling streams, made it all a great hike in the woods.  I am surprised that no one's on the lake, but it may not be safe for fishermen or snow mobiles because of the thaw over the weekend.  Right now the lake is so brilliantly white from the sun that you almost need sun glasses to look at it.

Winter Returns

After yesterday's day of rains, I awoke this morning to a once again snow covered yard, as we have had at least two inches of wet snow overnight, with five more to come possibly.  The high today will be in the high 20's or low 30's, and the snow will either stay or melt accordingly.  Last night, we had pork schnitzel, spinach, and home fries, reminding me of our schnitzel dinners in Turkey, with a pad of butter and squeezed lemon on each piece.  We watched THE SOCIAL NETWORK for a second time and can't say it was a great movie but interesting and it made me think of David Brooks analysis, how it's an update version of Wall Street, the movie, with loyalty and friendship and integrity thrown out in the name of ambition and materialism.  Zuckerberg came off as more despicable this time, in a competition to show he's better than those who he deems his social superiors.  Money seems secondary to the motto on his business card: "I'm CEO, BITCH!" This characterizes him in a nutshell...Power...I'm Better Than You.

As for the weather, as the sun moves north and the daylight lengthens(11 and 1/2 hours of sun), the snow hasn't the staying power of January.  Thus, the mid day is warmer, stays light longer, the trickles of water appear in the woods, pools in the lawn, as the snow melts quicker.  A few facts about spring...it moves north about 17 miles a day; if it's cherry blossom time in Washington, two days later it will happen in Baltimore. And one of the reasons Chautauqua is so far behind Hudson in spring has to do with altitude.  Spring moves up a mountain or ridge about a 100 foot a day, so if you were on a mountain, you could literally watch spring flowers climb up the mountainside.  Chautauqua is about 1300 feet above sea level, the the later spring

Tea Bags and Cast Paper and Found Objects

First Wife

Vestments

We went off to Fredonia State, to the Rockfeller Art Center, to view the show by our friend from the CI, Judy Gregory.  It was a very successful show, with lots of students, and friends from the CI.  Here work is  very iconoclastic as she uses materials unlike what most of us think artists use.  There is little if any painting or sculpturing; rather she takes objects from the natural world and the world of products (tea bags) and puts them together to form her object d'arte.  Almost all of the objects were interesting to view, the colors and texture were what drew you in.  She makes her own cast paper, which enables her to shape it in anyway she wishes though it must be enormously time consuming.  When she starts out, she has no end in mind, just let's the object go in the direction her instinct and intuition takes her.  One wonders about what goes on in the creative mind, where their inspiration comes from, what they are trying to say or get us to see, and how it shapes our understanding.  We certainly see things that she didn't see and we don't get all of what you tries to communicate. There is a playfulness to her work, and a sense of humor which makes it fun to view.  Much of her work explore social issues and women's culture, making it very contemporary.  What installation was made with the help of the Fredonia art students; they took ashes, and using rubber bands, they splashed it upon a wall, then they stenciled the work MEMORY over the ash dust on the wall, leaving the rubber bands to fall on the ground.  She likens memory to a rubber band, how it expands and contracts like our memory, and eventually breaks.

My favorites were FIRST WIFE, made from what looks like hosta leaves, covered with cast paper and if you look carefully, you see arrows sticking out of the upper portion of the figure, with drops of blood on the wall.  And I also like GUILT,  what looks like an altarpiece from a church, covered in gold,  but on the edges one can see labels from various temptations: butter labels, a Godiva chocolate label, and truffles.  Finally, the VESTMENT object is made of tea bags, each dismantled, connected, and she uses the labels, like Lipton's, as well as the string as decoration.  It's all enormously times consuming and creative.

After the show, we went to DE John's Italian Spaghetti, a little Italian joint in town and we  really liked it.  The owners are third generation, and its been in the same place since the 1930's; the main part is an actual dining car from a railroad, surrounded by additions.  We got to talking with the owner, actually its his wife's family.  He was very outgoing, told us all about Fredonia and the surrounding areas, places to visit.  Interestingly, he's also from Fredonia, and his father has had a barber shop in town for quite a while and he works at it during the day, at the restaurant at night.  We had a beer at at the bar as we waited for our pizza, which we took home because we afraid of the weather turning icy.  It was a place worth stopping for.  I forgot to mention that as we talked about the menu, he went back and gave us two meatballs with sauce to try because it was homemade from the Grandma's recipe.  Evie said she would like to drink the sauce it was so good.

A miserable, rainy day so far, in the 40's already, and it's not supposed to get any better.  Tomorrow perhaps 3/5 inches of snow if it cools down.  Lots of flood watches around here today.

We went to the gym, worked out because of the terrible weather outside, hit the library, picked up three books on reserve, and came home for lunch, a salad with salmon and pita chips.  We ended up vegging out, watch a movie with De Niro and Franco called CITY BY THE SEA on Netflix.  It was a B-, the story of a cop whose son, because of his drug problems, gets in serious trouble.  Not much else to do today except wait for dinner, read some, surf the web, and wait for our movie, our second time watching  THE SOCIAL NETWORK.  I hope we like it more the second time than the first.

We just finished making oatmeal/raisin/nut/chocolate chip cookies. We had nothing sweet for after dinner tonight, so we whipped them up quickly, between the two of us.

Guilt