Anxiously Awaiting The Visit of Marisa, Beth, And Cody (Pot O Gold Dairy)

With Marisa and Cody

6:55

It was 6:30 when I got up, a slice of pink off over to the East, an empty lake so far, and very cold once again, 3 below.  By Thursday, it's supposed to be in the 40's, typical Chautauqua fickleness. At the moment, the birds are attacking our feeder, rising upwards from the rhododendrons to the feeder, then dropping back down.  NPR had a brief discussion this morning about how birds keep warm in this weather.  Because they have a higher metabolism than humans, their average temperature is 105º.  First, their feathers provide remarkable insulation and they fluff them out to create air pockets for additional insulation.  They also often tuck their feathers, to shield their legs, which are covered with specialized scales which minimize heat loss. And they often gorge themselves in the fall, giving them an extra layer of fat which will keep them warm. Finally, shivering raises their metabolism rate and raises their body heat, all amazing adaptions to the winter environment.

The Best Milk For Miles

Yesterday was one of the busiest days I have seen around here, especially on the lake, most likely because of the good weather, lots of snow, and the Mayville Ice Festival.  The lake in front of our house, mostly out towards the middle was overrun with fishing shacks, guys on buckets, with the occasional group of snow mobiles, heading either up the lake to Mayville, down the lake to Bemus Point, a carnival like atmosphere.  I did get to yoga early, at 9:00, with Chris, a good class, about six of us. After class, I drove to Sugar Grove, just across the New York line, to get cheaper gas but mostly to pick up a couple of gallons of Pot O Gold milk, especially the chocolate milk, since our granddaughter Marisa is arriving today.  I also like the small grocery, Town and Country, with its butcher shop, so I picked up six brats and four smoked pork chops that looked good.  I was home by noon, in time to take our trash to the Transfer Station, then drive to the Smith Library to pick up a book, The Days of Anna Madrigal,  the last volume of Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City, a series I read in one fell swoop twenty five years ago during a Christmas vacation in Florida. The novels are set among the gay community in San Francisco during the 1970's and it was also made into a popular series for TV, with Olympia Dukakis starring as Mrs. Madrigal, the landlord.  Finally, I went to the Lighthouse to pick up some pea meal bacon, our daughter Beth's favorite, thought I would drive into Mayville but was told traffic was terrible, as there a water main break near the Chautauqua Suites, creating a mess.

The Chautauqua Estate, Winter, 2014

We then spent the rest of the day inside, getting the house, bedrooms, and food ready for the arrival the Albarrans later today.  They should have good weather, finally, for driving across the Southern  Tier from CT, just cold.  About 4:00 yesterday afternoon, I decided to join the cross country skiers on the lake, a couple of groups were skiing over to Long Point, across the lake in front of our house.  I went out to the fishing shacks, talked with numerous fishing guys, all happy to just be sitting out on the lake, enjoying the afternoon.  Skiing back was much colder, as there was a fairly stiff westerly wind blowing in my face.  It was the second or third time I have seen other cross country skiers on the lake.

The Ice Fishing Life

I cooked hamburgers outside for dinner, easy to do, as long as there are no spiders to clog the propane lines.  We watched a surprisingly fun romantic comedy from 2001 called the Sidewalks of New York, which follows the love lives, mostly the entanglements, of six people, all somehow connected.  None are seemingly happy with their present relationships, all seem to move on, for better or worse, as the film philosophizes on the relationship between love and sex.  Edward Burns, who we have liked from the film The Brothers Mc Mullen (1995), wrote, directed, and starred in this film.  Stanley Tucci was probably the most famous actor, who plays a husband obsessed with other women.