Freezing Rain, Now Snow, Tonight Record Setting Lows

7:30

Sunday Morning at 8:00

It's almost 7:00 and I have been up for forty five minutes, a miserable combination of snow, rain, and ice outside, the roads no doubt treacherous. I hoped to start yoga this morning but if the weather does not abate, I'll wait until Thursday.  At the moment, it's 25º, thus the snow rather than rain which we had much of the night.  It's windy as well, a good day to hunker up, read a book, sip tea and think about summer.  And it's not just cold here at Chautauqua; I checked on the weather in Kansas City where my son lives and it's sunny and clear but eight below zero.  We are supposed to get 3-5 inches of snow tonight, more tomorrow but not a blizzard.

Chautauqua Institution

Prendergast Point from Bell Tower

Yesterday was unseasonably warm, in the 30's but it did not deter the ice fishermen, as groups were on the lake most of the day, not like late January but still, at least ten or fifteen hardy souls, braving the melting ice.  Around 10:00, I decided to walk the CI though Evie still was not up to it.  It was a good time to walk, no rain and comfortable, with my ice stabilizers, so I won't slip, a great invention for old guys like me.  Action is slowing down at the CI, as many residents head to warmer climates after the holidays. After my walk, I drove to Mayville, to Tops, to pick up a few things so we are well prepared for the next two polar days.  And I washed my car at the power wash in Mayville, taking off much of the ice, dirt and grime though by the time I got home, it was dirty again because of the slush and wet snow. When I returned, Evie made a great breakfast, this time eggs with maple glazed bacon from Trader Joe's, a new favorite, thick and great tasting.  Next time we go, we are going to buy four or five packages and freeze it.

From Thunder Bridge

The rest of the day was a loss as I watched too much NFL football though the first game, the Bengals/Chargers, was a bore, so I  just listened to it on the radio as I read.  Around 5:00, I drove into Lakewood, to pick up some Chinese food, as Evie was hankering after some won ton soup and Chinese.  It was a pretty busy place for take out, and I ran into Ian again, a friend from yoga.  So, we sat in our TV room, happily eating our soup, egg rolls, pork and chicken dishes, fair to good I would say, not great.  We were, like much of PBS viewers, patiently waiting for Downton Abbey to begin at 9:00.  Unfortunately, it did not seem up to its past grandeur, as though it may have run its course.  The side stories seemed rather silly, rather forced, as the family struggles with the death of Matthew.  Rotten Tomatoes, the website for reviews of movies and TV usually gave Downton Abbey a 90% or higher...this season, a 60%, about right.  Sad.

Just saw two guys walking out on the lake to fish on this miserable morning...amazing.