Cold and Clear Skies On A Post Viking Club Morning

6:45

7:32

Another cold, 19º morning, and at the moment, 6:45, there's a pink glow off to the East and I can just make out some gray clouds, the lake shiny in parts, dark in others.  It looks like it will be a sunny day, high in the mid 30's, the kind of day we like, cold but sunny.

My buddy Stan and I went to yoga at 10:00, a really good class for Stan, as our teacher, Jen, is really good with new students, and is adapt at using props for those who cannot easily adjust to a position. Sometimes a chair is really helpful at some standing positions.  Anyways, it was a good class, and we both felt energized afterwards, as we did spent quite a bit of time on restorative positions, comfortable poses that we hold for as least ten minutes.

When I got home, Evie had made some leek and potato soup for lunches, pulled out some leftover pot roast for my lunch.  We have decided to get our upstairs bedrooms, bathrooms, and TV room painted, as it has been almost 20 years since we rebuilt our home.  We had a recommendation of a painter, Barb Johnson, a woman who lives in Bemus and she stopped by around 12:45 and spent a good 45 minutes with us, talking about options, colors, time, cost, etc.  We really liked her and she seems to have been a favorite of lots of contractors.  So, we now have the onerous task of picking out colors that complement each other.  We are thinking a different color for each bedroom, but the same neutral color for the ceilings and trim.  Does that make sense?  And what are good bathroom colors?   I have no idea.  So we have a challenge ahead of us, picking out colors we can live with for the next 20 years.

After she left, I had my lunch, watched Banshee as Evie went to work out at the YMCA, then do some shopping.  I read, took a nap around 5:00, since Evie was not yet home, I strapped on my snow shoes and went for a hike in the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  The snow had not melted much, just shrunk and is very crusty, so despite the fact that in some places it was a foot or more deep, I did not sink much  because of the crust, like walking on a new crispy baguette.  Evie was home when I returned, having worked up a sweat, and we both then got ready to go drive to the Viking Club because neither one of us felt like fussing with dinner.

Woodlawn Woods

Verticals of Winter

It was a crazy night at the Viking because of a boat club meeting.  We were lucky, however, to get a seat at the bar.   The woman next to me, Sherry Goupil, commented on my lapis lazuli ring, and that's all it took as we then talked for the next half hour.  She moved from Hamburg to Sherman five years ago, to a 30 acre farm on Putnam Road, with, I assume her partner.  She is a semi retired surgical nurse, working twice a week in Orchard Park, just outside of Buffalo.  She is upbeat and fun, in contrast to her husband, nicknamed grumpy Bob.  She also talked about having practically adopted a young boy with Asperger's, how he is so wonderful even though a challenge.  She also loves the Viking Club because everyone is so friendly.  We have to agree.  Quite a woman.  Evie, meanwhile, was talking with another couple, Linda Smith, with her friend, Ron Willow, both long time members of the Viking Club.   We also got to now Jean and Reggie, both in their 80's I would guess.  And our friends, Doug and Dawn were also there.  So it was like old/new friends night.  We ended up spending 15 bucks gambling on a 100 dollar ticket which, unfortunately, Bob Pickett won.  I had a Viking burger, Evie a pizza, both decent and did not get home until 8:30.  It was a really fun night, especially getting to meet new people, most our age or older.

Sherry and Me

When we got home, we watched another episode of The Americans before going up to bed tired but happy from our evening at the Viking Club.

It's now 7:15 and since I was up at 6:00 and it's an amazing morning sky, I have taken at least 10 pictures of dawn, and we still have 25 minutes before the sun actually appears above the horizon. And I have breakfast with the guys at 8:00, so its a busy morning.


NEW THINK:

I liked this quotation, from Andrew Solomon, author of the Pulitzer Prize Finalist THE NOONDAY DEMON: AN ATLAS OF DEPRESSION.  He explains the importance of language (and writing), its moral purpose, and, of course, why we must read to grow as a person, to enlarge our humanity.

"Despite every advancement, language remains the defining nexus of our humanity; it is where our knowledge and hope lie. It is the precondition of human tenderness, mightier than the sword but also infinitely more subtle and ultimately more urgent. Remember that writing things down makes them real; that it is nearly impossible to hate anyone whose story you know; and, most of all, that even in our post-postmodern era, writing has a moral purpose. With twenty-six shapes arranged in varying patterns, we can tell every story known to mankind, and make up all the new ones--indeed, we can do so in most of the world's known tongues. If you can give language to experiences previously starved for it, you can make the world a better place."