"Monday, Monday, So Good To Me," (Mamas and Papas)

The Grace Of A Nuthatch

8:20

It strange to get up so late, 7:15, because of the time change.  It's a Chautauqua gray morning, no color just shades between white and black, white lake, dark shoreline, gray sky and 34º out.  It's warming up! A high today of 48º though the weatherman forecasts five to ten inches of snow on Wednesday.  That would be nice, hiding all the dirt and mud of the melting snow.

Snow Shoeing Long Point

Yesterday was mostly cloudy, not very inviting out but we decided, nevertheless, to hike Long Point Park, a good choice, as the sun came out during part of our walk and both of us were excited to be in the woods once again. And we had caught our second squirrel, so we let him go at the park.  It was icy in spots, especially when we walked out to Long Point, a result of the brisk westerly wind, no doubt.  We saw no one on the trails though there were both snowmobile and cross country ski tracks.  And the bay was peppered with fishermen, coming and going, enjoying the brief warming of the weather.  We were out for two hours, got home around 1:00, for our usual breakfast, our new favorite bacon, Trader Joe's Smoked Apple bacon, compliments of our daughter, Beth.  With two fried eggs and toasts it's heaven, a great way to end a hike.  After breakfast, we noticed that another squirrel was in our trap, the third in twenty hours, so I went off to Long Point and let him loose.

The Beauty of The Woods In Winter

Squirrel Hunter

Late afternoon, I did venture out for a brief cross country ski but I was not in it, so I stayed out for only about twenty minutes though it was good, easy going.  When I returned, Evie was putting together our dinner, sauteed chicken breasts in a sauce she just made up, of vermouth, mushrooms, spices, and of course some butter.  Once it was done, she popped it in the oven, and we were able to relax as the sun set, with cheese and crackers and a glass of wine.  Dinner was great, with rice and a salad, and we watched the new episode of The Good Wife, which is losing its panache.  We went to bed around 10:30, tired from I am not sure what, perhaps our hike but it felt good to climb into bed and read before sleep.