BRRRRR---BIRD SHOWCASE

7:45

Downy Woodpecker

Tufted Titmouse

Hairy Woodpecker

Awake at 5:00, go back to sleep  till 6:25 and both Evie and I get up at the same time. It's dark but there's a moon in the west sky, lighting the yard somewhat when I look for the paper.  It's 6º outside and won't get much warmer for the next couple of days.  And now, at 7:37, gray skies have morphed from the darkness, the lake's surface white and smooth, untouched as of yet by fishing tents, too cold I suppose.

Downy Woodpecker

Nuthatch

Hairy Woodpecker

Yesterday morning was wet and icy early, not a good morning to be on the road, especially if you were late to yoga, which I was.  Fortunately, I took my time, thinking it would be 'unyoga like', to hurry to yoga since one of the mantras is to just 'let it go,' in this case, the fear of being late.  And it's a good thing because just as I headed towards Lakewood, I passed a police car, lights flashing, with a car perpendicular in a road side ditch.  The roads got better as I neared Lakewood, more traveled I suppose, but it still made sense to take my time.  The weather did not, however, deter the yoga class, as it was filled once again, as everyone seems to love Danielle's Yin Yoga, with emphasis on connective tissues, with long holds though not longer than five minutes.  After yoga, I felt energized, good, the object I suppose, stopped at Ryder's for a cup of java, then went shopping at Wegman's, to pick up some essentials for the week.  Evie tried printing out her Wegman's website shopping list but I was having printer problems (everyone has printer problems), so she had to hand write it.  Wegman's surprisingly, was not very busy so I whisked through the aisles, getting out in 15 minutes.

When I got home, Evie was heavy in to cleaning, this time the downstairs bathroom, which needed it and now looks new, sparkling clean and white.  This is something I don't much notice until it's cleaned, then I notice it needed it...a typical guy I suppose.  For lunch, I had some ravioli, a thoughtful birthday gift from the MeClures.  I had forgotten how bland and tasteless 1950's canned food was.   It is easy, however, just pop it in a pan and heat and eat.

A Retro Lunch

Around 2:30, I was sitting on the couch, reading the last few pages of Wolf Hall when I heard a thump on the window, got up and looked out, and sitting on the lawn, with it's prey, was a red tailed hawk. Paying no attention to me, watching him from my window, he systematically tore apart what appeared to be downy woodpecker, first feathers, than flesh, fleeing only went Evie walked outside.  An amazing spectacle of nature's dictum of 'survival of the fittest.'  Obviously, we have not had many birds at the feeder since.

Red Tailed Hawk

The Predator, Red Tailed Hawk

Red Tailed Hawk, Devouring a Downy Woodpecker

We both went skiing late afternoon, Evie first as we were expecting the plumber to stop by (he never did, surprise), so one of us stayed home.  When she got back, I went out, both of us in a mild snow storm, which we love though it was more windy than we thought and cold coming back towards the house from Wells Bay.  I tried skiing with my mini iPod, grooving to tunes as I skied, which was kind of fun.

For dinner, we had chili, from the freezer, and I made Cincinnati chili out of it by serving it on pasta with onions and cheddar cheese.  I really like it that way, a nice change from typical plain chili with soda crackers.  Evie also made a guacamole salad to go along with the chili so we had something healthy.  We watched the second episode of True Detective and both of us were not as thrilled with this episode. The narrative, the story, seems stalled and we get mostly more character development of the two detectives, which can be interesting but we would like to see the narrative move forward.  And Matthew Mc Connahey's character is becoming increasingly abstract in his lengthy dialogues, difficult to make sense of .  And as I mentioned we finished Top of the Lake Sunday night.  We both liked it well enough, a 3 1/2 star I suppose.  It definitely had a feminist flavor, with nary a guy to admire, a flawed boy friend perhaps, but lots of violent, macho guys. The rest were sad, lost, wounded women, living on a compound in the middle of nowhere called Paradise, with the charismatic leader, played by Holly Hunter, who leaves it all behind at the end of the series.  Good but not great.