Rosy Fingered Dawn (thanks to Homer's Odyssey)

6:53

7:48

Catching Perch

Woodlawn

Why I Kayak

Up early, 5:45 but feeling groovy.  Turned on the coffee, walked outside to see what it was like and was startled by a star filled sky, crisp air, and darkness.  What a great way to start a morning, a clear, star filled sky.  It's twenty degrees, no snow, but they keep predicting it.

Evie still felt pretty awful yesterday, the first day of antibiotics, so they have not yet kicked in.  Today, we both hope will be the turning point, some energy and less coughing.  It makes you wonder what people did before antibiotics, easy access to a doctor and health care.  And what do people do who cannot afford it.

I went to eclectic yoga at 10:00 and it was good to see some of the women I had class with last year.  It's the kind of class that starts late because they are all talkers, and yesterday it was their dogs, so I felt left out.  One of their dogs was depressed because she had lost her brother and they had to give her drugs to settle her mood.  I will not comment on this other than to say I love other people's dogs.  As an aside, Malcolm Gladwell, the writer, was on John Stewart to push his book The New Yorker Book of Dogs.  Interestingly, he does not have a dog, yet put together a series of essays on dogs.  He did mention that dogs are the only animals bred to preen and live with humans, to adore us, pay attention, get excited when we come home. I certainly sense this when I enter my kids house, as their dogs get  excited that we are there.  Enough of dogs.

Yoga was good, though I am certainly rusty, losing my balance twice on a easy pose.  It does feel good to have a 'to do' in the morning, though it's not something I 'have to do,' which makes it more desirable.  I still, after a few years of retirement, don't want to commit myself to having to do something on a certain day.   Too selfish I guess.  I want to volunteer at the St. Susan Center, a center that feeds the poor a lunch each day, but  I am not yet ready to commit to a morning once a week.  We will see when the New Year begins.  Maybe it's because teaching was so demanding, that I was on call twenty four hours a day, seven days a week at Reserve, always had papers to grade, books to read, so that I never was completely at leisure, always something I should be doing.  Now I have the opposite and revel in my 'large leisure.'

It's now 6:48, a rosy glow has begun to appear above the shore line, a light blue above, as darkness begins to fade. This is the first clear morning since we have gotten back to the lake, and the sunrise at 7:38 AM should be spectacular.

After yoga, I went for coffee, then to Wegman's briefly to pick up some allergy medicine, then came home to lunch, and an afternoon of taking care of Evie (getting her water, making tea, she' easy) and reading.  I am loving Billy Lynn's Long Half Time Walk.  It's a great book.  I also got in a kayak paddle, as it was cold but sunny, heading down to Tom' Point and back, talking to the same fisherman we saw on Sunday afternoon.  He has been out in our bay the last three or four days, for at least two or three hours, either avoiding his wife or he just likes to fish.

Lots of buffle head ducks on the lake.  And though we have had our bird feeders up for almost a week, we have yet to see a single bird, even a sparrow.  Are they boycotting us because we took the summer and fall off?

At 5:00 I went off to a meeting of the Chautauqua Lake Association.  It was well attended, about fifty people.  The purpose was to comment on a plan to deal with the submerged nuisance vegetation and algae in the lake.  It was quite an impressive proposal, lots of work and support from state and local government.  Once it's finished, it will be sent to the DEA for acceptance. It will then allow various tools to be used to mitigate or eliminate nuisance weeds.  From what I have understood, the lake will be divided into zones; each zone will be analyzed, to see if a thresh hold has been met.  If so, the most efficient means of eradication will be used, whether cutting, dredging. biologic, chemical, whatever.  Lots of people had comments, mostly women, interestingly, two, Jane Conroe and Becky Nystrom, we have met on hikes.  They appeared to be the only two who read the proposal with care.  Most of the men just wanted to see 'something done,' as soon as possible, and avoid just another study that will sit on a shelf somewhere.  The only thing not mentioned was money, the most important thing.  How will this plan be financed?  A good question.

After the meeting, I went to Lakewood, picked up some won ton soup, a chicken and pork stir fry, and brought it home for dinner.  Evie was able to enjoy it, and we watched three episodes of Parenthood.  We are amazed at how both the child actors and their parents are so authentic, the story lines realistic and well written.  Very moving at times, avoiding most cliches.  I cannot believe more people we know do not watch this.  In fact, no one we know watches this program, nor did we till recently.  The family with the autistic child seem so real, loving yet tortured,  and it makes you have great empathy for any family with an autistic child.