A Gradual Warming Begins...Perhaps

7:00 AM

Dusk, 5:45

Up at 6:15, darkness, what else and now, at 7:00, it's the typical Chautauqua gray, sky, lake, darkened shoreline, a few twinkling lights.  It's a toast 18º outside, high in the 20's later in the day, perhaps a few snow flakes during the day, no accumulation.  The storm that has devastated the South, now the East Coast has missed us.

A Cosy Morning Fire

Yesterday was a busy day, for me in the morning, for Evie in the afternoon and we met in the middle of the day, for lunch.  I had yoga at 10:00, a  good class, two other guy (one if yoga pants), very crowded, as our teacher, Danielle, is off next week to Costa Rica, so no classes on Tuesday or Thursday.  I then stopped at Hollyloft to get some new shoes and bindings for my skis.  Unfortunately, they did not have my size so I drove to Jamestown Cycle and they had two size 13's, so  I left my skis with them, to put on the binding, and I will pick them up today with the new shoes, a fancy gray and white boot.  After that, I had a forty five minutes before my appointment with a dermatologist so I stopped at the Labyrinth Press Coffee shop, for a bowl of spicy lentil and bean chili.  My appointment was quick, as the doctor froze a couple of brown spots on my face, and I was out of there and home in a half hour. When I got home, Evie took off, to get her hair trimmed and do some shopping.  For her, it was one of those days where nothing is easy, from waiting forever for a ten minute trim, to shopping at TJ's and finally at Wegman's.  And, a new Chinese Buffet, much recommended by friends from Warren, opened in the Mall so Evie was hoping to bring some Chinese food home for dinner but the buffet looked so unappetizing that she ended up going to Pizza Hut, bringing home a pizza as well as a car full of food and staples, exhausted a long afternoon in Lakewood.

We quickly emptied the car, put away the food, and sat down, with our pizza and a salad, ready to relax for the evening, watching Stewart and Colbert, some Olympics, then we racing through Idol before going upstairs to read and sleep.  I finished James Lee Burke's latest, and I don't think I will read him again for awhile.

Mayville's Ice Castle

Tonight begins the Mayville Winter Festival and we finally have some winter like weather for it.  The Ice Castle is built, the snow mobiles will begin piling in from various states, the tents will go up, the festivities will continue through the weekend like a polar swim, a snow ball throwing contest, snow mobile rides, and lots of food and drink.  It should be fun.