A Chilly Morning of Many Skies

6:38

6:39

7:08

8:20

We were both up by 6:30, just before the sunrise.  It's 41º outside, cloudy when we got up, now clearing to the south, overcast to the north.  A few ducks are floating by, the song birds are chirping now that it's light and are hitting the feeder.  Another fine morning on Chautauqua Lake.

Yesterday was back to routine, yoga, then coffee, then a stop at both Home Depot and Wegman's Yoga was crowded, 17 of us; we ended class with our mats perpendicular to the wall, so we were on our backs, feet against the way, like dominoes.  I quipped how it was "Cosy, like a sleepover,"getting lots of laughs, something yoga needs; we are often too serious, holding meditative poses though told to smile.  At Home Depot, I bought some plastic ties for my martin house, to fasten the owl guard, then on to Wegman's, for the usual basics for the week.  

I was home by noon, to a living room in disarray, as Evie was into deep cleaning, something she does each spring, taking each room apart, washing, polishing, then vacuuming, perhaps rearranging the furniture.  Once done, even though things don't look much different, they feel different, like your car after an oil change or car wash.  It just feels different, moves more smoothly, cleanly.  

Before lunch, I decided to disinfect our well, a process we try to do once a year; it's fairly easy, pouring a solution of a quart of bleach to five gallons of water, down your well.  Then, we turn on each faucet, both hot and cold, until we smell bleach.  We then let it sit until this morning, when we begin turning the water back on, emptying the lines and the well until we no longer smell chlorine; we will drink bottled water for the next couple of days just to make sure the chlorine is gone.

I helped Evie finish up the living room, then we had lunch, quesadillas with tomatoes, cheese and avocados, quite tasty.  We watched more of The Daily Show (three more months until Jon Stewart hangs it up, alas), and The Nightly Show.  The rest of the afternoon we took it easy, I napped, Evie read and made a few phone calls, to Dot, my step mother in law, who lives in Arizona, and Jill, our daughter.  

Storms A Coming

6:06 p.m.

Around 4:00, I went out and spent a half hour gathering the branches and twigs, a result of last night's 50 mile an hour winds.  More expected today, by the way.  And I got my martin house ready to set, putting on the owl guards, the doors and just as I finished the sky darkened and it started to pour.   I ran to get my camera because the sky was an amazing collage of black, gray, and streaks of white, threatening but beautiful in its own way.

6:07 p.m.

For dinner, we doctored up the Chinese from Saturday, adding snow peas, mushrooms, and more sauce, so we had an easy but good dinner with, of course, a glass of wine.  We had a few of our favorite shows saved, so it was a good night for viewing.  We watched Nurse Jackie, then Mad Men, both in their last year, a good thing as both our losing their panache.  And we watched another Rita, more sex for Rita, this time with her son's father in law, an old flame. But she's sometimes great with kids, just not her own.  Bizarre but interesting series.  I went upstairs to read my latest book, DAWN PATROL, only to realize, now that I am half way in it, that I read and even summarized it back in 2011.  Yikes.  Nothing wrong with rereading a book but I would like to know I am 'rereading it.'