More Gusty Winds and Rain or Snow

Sun and Shadows Before Sunset

I was up later than usual, 7:15, and went out side to sleet or snow falling gently on the ground, as predicted though it melted quickly. The weather reports heavy winds again today, as the two fronts collide, with gusts up to 50 miles an hour.  Let's hope not.  Snow showers are forecast for the next few days or rain, thought it's  going to get up to the mid 40's later than the day.  It sounds like a good day to go to the gym and workout on the rowing machine, the stationary bike, and then the elliptical.  I like to vary my workout, spending 10-15 minutes on each machine rather than 30-45 minutes on just one.  And I like to shoot around for about 15 minutes before working out, stretch some, do a bit of yoga, some sit ups then hit the machines.  If I ever kept up with this, I would be in good shape but something always gets in the way, like painting last week, our travels West next week.  We watched a Wayne Wang film last night, A THOUSAND YEARS OF GOOD PRAYERS, the story of Chinese father, in his 70's, who comes to see his Americanized daughter, who has been living in the states for years.  They have had little to do with each other over the years and he senses his daughter's unhappiness, but because they have had so little to say to each other for years, their communication is stunted, a result of the past, her divorce, and his disgrace back in China.  The wall is eventually broken, though nothing is resolved, and the joy is watching the father slowly acclimate to the states, making friends with people at the condo, the pool, the park, the store, where ever he goes.  Not a lot happens, not much is said, as it's almost a silent movie when the two get together, which is why his meetings with others in parks is the real charm of this movie. I thought it might be more like my favorite Chinese movie, EAT, DRINK, MAN WOMAN, but it fell short.

Just got back from the gym, was able to shoot hoops, stretch, row, and ride a bike, then shower in the locker room, a delight because there's lots of hot water and a hard spray, just like the old days in locker rooms when I was in high school and college.  And, when we came out of the gym, the sun was out, the sky blue, with clouds in the distance, and the lake is still blue.  I wonder how long this will last before the clouds and rain return.  Eggs and bacon, with a simit (Turkish bagel with poppy seeds) for breakfast.  Evie made them a month or two ago, froze them, and we get them out when we want, defrost, pop in oven for 10 minutes and they are ready to go.  Lots of buffleheads on the lake today, whereas yesterday there were mallards and sea gulls, a few geese.  In the terrible winds yesterday, with white caps, we spotted four fishing boats anchored, near the Long Point Pavilion, protected, I suppose from the heavy southerly winds.  It was not a very nice day to fish.

Sitting here, listening to old time music, Frank Davis music we call it, sipping my Turkish tea, savoring one chocolate chip, like the old days in Istanbul, where we would share one Toblerone among the five of us, each getting two squares with a cup of tea.  No one wanted to eat theirs because it would be gone so it was a race to see who still had theirs left.  The good old days where because you didn't have much you enjoyed it all the more.  That's how I feel about my cookie today.  The wind is whipping the trees, turning the lake in swirls, like a mixer as it seems to be coming from different angles, even calling up the leaves from this past fall.