Gray and Overcast But No RAIN (Miller)

View From Our Bedroom

Courting Martins (the Male's purple)

6:30

I was up about 6:20, in time to hear some of Click and Clack, all of Only A Game.  I did not expect it to be overcast, however,  assuming today would be sunny and clear like yesterday, as forecast but Chautauqua weather rarely cooperates with the weatherman.  Perhaps it will clear up later in the day.  It's 54º at the moment, expected to be in upper 70's tomorrow.

Yesterday was a spectacular day, from dawn to dusk.  I should have stayed home an kayaked but habit is too strong, so I went off to yoga at 9:00.  Four of us were in class, one a new guy, the husband, I later discovered, of Becky Nystrom, a Biology teacher at JCC who we know because she often leads Chautauqua Watershed hikes, a neat women.  He has just retired and has decided to take up yoga.  We will have to see how long he lasts.  Yoga was different, a new teacher, Courtney, as we did eye exercises, as well as some mediation along with the usual asanas.  I stopped at Ryder's for coffee, picked up some purple wave petunias for Evie at Mikes (they turned out to be blue and we returned them before dinner) before returning home.

Both of us spent most of the day out side, it was so pleasant.  Evie has almost finished weeding the garden, edging the flower beds, turning the soil, getting everything neat and orderly.  The window boxes are also ready, full of wave petunias; we just hope there is no frost though we can bring them on to the porch easily.  I did some edging as well, set up the sump pump because it's so dry, and cleaned up the remaining twigs and leaves left over from the fall, taking two more barrels of brush up to the hill.  I also cut our neighbors yard, as it was getting high, so now both of our lawns look like golf courses.  We both relaxed in our yard for the first time, on chaise lounges, enjoying the warmth of the sun, reading and just enjoying the sun.  We had hoped to sit on the dock, but the wind picked up just as we walked out on it.  By the way, as you can see from the pictures, the martins have arrived in force, probably the females, as the males are all a flutter, hoping to find a mate and set up a house.  We could have as many as five or six families if the martins currently at our house move it.

House Hunting

For dinner, we took our neighbor, Mary Anne Miller, to the Rod and Gun about 6:00.  She had never been before so it was fun.  Unfortunately, we had a forty five minute wait for dinner, as it was so crowded but we were able to get seats at the bar, so we talked and gambled a bit, no winners.  Both Evie and I had fish,  me the typical battered haddock, Evie's a broiled haddock with lemon pepper, and Mary Ann, a salmon salad, all three quite good.  It was strange to finish dinner, walk out side to daylight, so we took the lake drive home, enjoying the foliage,  looking at all the homes along the lake.  We were home by 8:30, in time to catch up on Stewart and Colbert , read some, and then to bed.