Gray, Gray, Gray

This Morning at 7:40

Yesterday Afternoon at 4:45

It's 7:50 and guess what, it's gray outside, a few snow flakes are falling,  and the birds are back at the feeder, mostly ravenous sparrows at the moment but we have also had lots of black capped chickadees, some cardinals, hairy woodpeckers, nuthatch, and tufted titmouse.  It's been windy for the past twenty four hours, and right now it's 30º out but according to NPR, it will clear up and be sunny later in the afternoon.  That's hard to believe, however, as it's, yes, gray, both sky and lake.

Yesterday was windy and much of the day, threatening dark clouds filled the sky, promising no good but it never did rain.  We worked outside in the morning, and it felt good to work outside despite the cloudy skies and wind.  My comment yesterday that cleaning up the yard of fallen branches was a bit optimistic.  It took both Evie and I an hour and a half of raking to clean up the mess, not a half hour. We filled at least five barrels with twigs and leaves but that should be about it for yard clean up until the spring.  I am sure Evie was disappointed that she did not need to fire up the lawn mower one last time but the grass did not need it.  

Evie Raking Leaves in Her New Hat

Around 11:30, I took off for Lakewood, as I wanted to get a coffee at Ryder's Cup and had a number of small errands I had to get done before our trip to Kansas City, the bank, post office, things like that.  I thought I might hang out at Ryder's but by the time I got there, the weather had deteriorated and all I wanted to do was to get home.  For lunch, I had black bean soup and a sandwich Evie used to make for me in Istanbul, left over schnitzel on good bread with mayo.  It took me back to our seven years Turkey.  

Before dinner, we were able to relax with cheese and wine, enjoying the raft of buffleheads paddle back and forth in front of our house, until they disappeared, veiled by darkness.  Earlier in the day, Evie had put together a pot roast dinner, sauteing whatever veggies she could find in the refrigerator, adding tomatoes and spices, then browning the roast before slow cooking it for three or four hours.  It turned out well and we may have enough for another meal.  I love slow cooked, stew like meals, partly because they fill the house with pleasing aromas.  We watched the next episodes of both Homeland and Masters of Sex, neither particularly good.   And, we have begun to enjoy Bill Mather's Real Time, often vulgar and 'politically incorrect' but we like his liberal politics, his wit and humor, and he has interesting guests like Anthony Weiner, Ann Coulter, John Heileman, and Oliver Stone.