A Sunny Sunday Morning

Late Afternoon Lake

7:25 AM

Both of us are up later than usual, around 7:20, sunlight filling our bedroom and living room, when I walked downstairs.  The open sections of the lake have a thin skin of ice because of the 24º morning weather.  It looks like a wonderful spring day here in Chautauqua, sunny most of the day, the high perhaps 50º.

Yesterday was spent waiting for the NCAA games to begin.  The morning was taken up by a trip to the Transfer Station, the new guys starting to recognize me.  It was still cold, so I wore both a hat and gloves.  I also worked in the yard, filling up a garbage can with downed twigs and such from our two maples in front, the willow in the backyard, a result of heavy spring winds, the cheap way to keep our trees trimmed.  Around 11:30, Evie and I  traded gender roles, she worked out at the YMCA while I shopped till I dropped at the Mall.  Bon Ton was having its 'weekly once a year sale.'  I couldn't miss that.  So, off  I went as the good wife worked up a sweat in the gym.  As usual, I picked  out a couple of items that, if you read the fine print on the ad, were not part of the sale. So, I stuck to the 85% off of the sale price rack, picked up two shirts for four and five bucks, a zippered sweat for ten bucks and I was happy.  I got a great deal on something I did not need, probably did not want, but could not pass up because it was 'a deal.'  Sound familiar.

A couple of Common Mergansers and a Mallard

Common Male Merganser, Up Close, Often Called a Sawbill

When we got home, we decided on an easy dinner, of hot dogs, as we watched basketball and Evie had a hankering for German potato salad, the  kind with a sweet/sour sauce and bacon, so that was the only preparation for our dinner.  We listened to the pregame, with a glass of wine, some hummus and veggies, the sky having cleared up, the clouds an amazing mix of shapes.  Finally, a beautiful afternoon at the lake.

Late Afternoon Clouds

We had our dogs, Sahlen's finest, with Stadium mustard of course, but the potato salad was the hit.  I was not interested in the first game, but watched out of habit, as UConn beat Florida. I had some interest in the second game because I so dislike Kentucky and it's 'one and done philosophy,' making a travesty of the student/athlete ideal.  I had enough of the games, however, by 10:30,  halftime, and went up to read my new book, Americanah,  by Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche, a New York Times Top Ten Book.  It shows you how much I have lost interest in sports that I was not interested in the game enough to stay up, would rather read my book.  I must be growing up.  And by the way, I really am enjoying the book, wonderfully written, pulled me in immediately.