Windy And Gray Leap Day Morning

8:22

Up at 6:30, to the wind howling, the tree branches swaying, a frozen lake and a lawn green, devoid of winter's snow.  No one is out fishing, so the lake must be treacherous although we did see some guys out late Sunday afternoon.  Fortunately, it is supposed to clear up later in the day, so we should have some afternoon sunshine, a high in the low 40's.

Sunday Afternoon at 1:41

Yesterday was unseasonably warm around here, in the 50's during the afternoon, car washing weather I suppose but I was too lazy to get out the hose.  Instead, I got out a bucket, a squeegee, and some towels and washed our front windows for the first time in 2016, much to my wife's delight. Nothing like squeaky clean windows for keeping a house happy.  Because of the sunshine, we wanted to take a walk but decided against the Chautauqua Institution because some of the roads still might be icy. So we walked Lakeside Drive, from Bemus down to Long State Park and back, close to four miles.  It felt good to be outside again, despite the heady winds at times.  We stopped to talk with a resident who we have seen walking other days.  His name is Craig Butler and he's's an avid rower; he takes his shell out most mornings when the lake's calm although we have never noticed him.  In the village, Ellicottville Brewery has started to renovate the outside of the Surf Club, most likely covering up the brick with some kind of siding.  It should be ready for business in May, no doubt cutting into the Seezurh House's business alas.

Surf Club Renovation 

We had our usual great Sunday breakfast of fresh eggs, bacon and a bagel and watched CBS Sunday Mornings focus on last night's  Academy Awards, interviewing some of the actors.  The rest of the afternoon we took it easy as the Eagles might sing and though Evie felt guilty, she took another day off from the gym, the guilt a result of that good catholic school primary education.  I read and watched some basketball during the afternoon, and we both were looking forward to wine time and dinner before the Academy Awards although we did fit in a walk around the neighborhood.  We managed to stretch wine time out until 7:30 when Evie warmed up the pizza and made a salad and we adjourned to the TV room.

We then watched the Red Carpet interviews, DVRing the Awards so we could fast forward through the commercials.  Strangely, once we starting watching, we were quickly bored with it all and though we stuck with it for an hour, we were not unhappy to turn it off and watch something else.  Thus, we missed Leonardo winning the Best Actor and SPOTLIGHT, the best film.  I felt good this morning when I read that SPOTLIGHT won because it was the underdog and it was my favorite film of the year. And I was also happy to read that Mark Rylance, who Evie and I thought was just amazing in BRIDGE OF SPIES, won Best Supporting Actor over favored and sentimental favorite, Sylvester Stallone.  Sometimes the Academy does get things right.

Finally, Chris Rock's monologue made most of the white audience uncomfortable, his goal I suppose. His humor was funny and spot on as he welcomed the crowd to " The White People's Choice Awards." By 11:00, we were both tired and it sounded wonderful to go up to bed.  I read briefly before turning off the light to 'cop some z's.'

That Morning Sky

6:52

7:05

A restless night, kind of waiting for the clock to hit 6:00 so I could get up.  Fortunately, it's been fun watching the morning sky, at first festooned with jet streams, like sky writers in the sky and now, a full blooded sun rising, filling the sky and lake with its light.  And Evie's up now, at 6:45, also unable to sleep in, looking forward to the sunrise.  It looks like a sunny and warm Sunday, a harbinger of spring, a high of 55º.

Yesterday was sloppy Saturday, as the snow began to melt, yards began to appear and everyone needed some kind of rubber boots to walk.  I decided to go to Saturday's yoga, a popular class of twelve, more challenging than classes during the week, with some variety (at my request...I am good friends with the teacher!).  After class, I stopped at Ryder's for a cup of java and to pick up a dozen fresh eggs, as one of my fellow yoga students mentioned she had a dozen waiting for me.  Nothing like fresh, organic eggs.  Then, a quick trip to Wegman's to pick up a few things.   When I got home, Evie was trying to decide what to bring to the Cousins Christmas at the Kinney's at 5:30.  She finally decided on a cauliflower soup and home made potato chips, so the rest of the afternoon was mostly taken up with getting both of these dishes ready.  A good idea or two by the end takes up much more time than planned.  The results, however, were worth it.

My major task, as usual, was to drive to the Transfer Station to get rid of trash and this time, a couple of gallons of salad oil, leftover from our deep fryer.  Fun.  It's always a pleasure to get rid of trash, like tidying up your garage and kitchen.  The rest of the afternoon I helped out when necessary in the kitchen, kind of like a gofer and dishwasher.  And I watched a couple of basketball games, usually for ten or fifteen minutes before I got bored.  It's no fun when you no longer are familiar with the teams or the players.  All was finished in the kitchen by about 4:00, giving us time to relax some and get cleaned up before the gathering at 5:30.

With Julie, My Yoga Guru

The Master Of Ceremonies, Jim, With His Wife, Barb

Maggie, With Last Year's Gift Hat

The event, a Dirty Santa gift exchange, has been happening for years with our neighbors, at first the Fox's and Lauers, then Kinneys, later Bergen's, and now us.  It's basically a crazy gift exchange between various members of the families invited, some coming a distance to participate.  Everyone brought appetizers and beers, so we were extremely happy and full by the time we started opening the often outrageous and hilarious gifts.  Led by the maestro, Jim Fox, we either picked out a wrapped package out of the corner or better yet, took one that was sitting on a neighbor's lap.  It was fun watching people trying to decide by looking at the package, whether it was worth it or not.  At the end, there's a 30 second free for all where you can exchange or take a gift from a neighbor, quite wild.  We then spent another hour opening each gift, one person at a time, laughing at the silly and kitschy gifts, some re-gifted from previous years.  Evie got one of the best, a ceramic frog in a bikini with sunglasses, classy kitsch, which we hope to set on our septic tank although she fits perfectly on our kitchen windowsill.

Reclining Frog

Ethan and His Fiancee, Jen

Our Neighbors, Eileen and Flip 

We were done with the festivities around 9:30, hit the appetizer table and refrigerator again, and I am sure many stayed to the wee hours.  We went home around 10:15, as others were starting to leave as well.  It was needless to say a fun night.  Like I said, we have great neighbors.

An entry from Hal Borland's SUNDIAL OF THE SEASONS, for February 28th.  It describes perfectly, for me, the coming months of March and April here on Chautauqua Lake.

"Now come the watery days. The melt sets in, brooks flow, rivers run, even the upland pastures begin to ooze.  Not every day or all day even,  but with a persistence that only nature and the seasons know. The melt, and then the rain, and the frost deep down begins to leach out, upward by capillary action instead of downward by gravity.  And the sap, matching the frost, moves up the trunks and out into the furthest branchlets.  

In the big span, life began long ago in ahe water and the shoreline ooze.  An so it is today, and every year.  Spring  starts in the watery days, in the soggy soil.  Water, the life-giver, the prompter of root and bulb and seed and leaf.  Water, the solvent which carries nutrients by the ton for the plant life of this earth.  A waterless Spring is a dead Spring, as a waterless planet is a dead planet.

We come now to a time of more rain than snow, more melt than ice.  To longer days, which draw the fangs of the cold.  To change, slow and creeping change that leaves us impatient with its deliberation. Change that drips from the eaves, and flows singing in the brook, and oozes from the sod, and that, in its own ordered time, will come green across the hilltops."

Still Got Snow...For Now

7:53

Up at 6:30 despite a late night for us.  It's overcast and gray this morning, though sun is predicted later in the day along with heavy winds and warming temperatures.  It's a chilly 21º at the moment but will get up into the 40's later in the day as the snow will begin to melt, the lawn reappear. Rats.

I made it to yoga yesterday at 9:00, a basic class, mostly because I got up so early, at 5:30.  This class always has a couple of beginners, so class is slow because they are not sure about any of the positions and need more attention which is not a problem, usually, unless they really are clueless.  Ironically, class was moved to 9:00 about a month ago to accommodate a couple of Mom's who have not shown up since, so Julia has moved the class back to 9:30, which most regulars like, a good idea and a little about the politics of a yoga studio.  No coffee for me, as I just wanted to get home for some reason.  When I drove in, Evie had the parking areas and driveway shoveled as we had gotten around six inches of snow Thursday night and Friday morning.  I helped her for about 15 minutes before we both went in to get warm and think about lunch.

Evie of course wanted to go to the gym and because we were planning on going to a local basketball game at 4:30, she wanted  to leave early.  So she was gone by 12:30 and I made my lunch, vegetable soup and a sabich sandwich, sort of, which is an Israeli specialty on pita bread.  I, however, used a warmed tortilla for a wrap, smeared it with hummus, added, pickles, jalapenos, tomatoes and hard boiled eggs and made a wrap.   The real sabich would also have added grilled eggplant, onions, and tahini, hot sauce, along with anything else you might want to throw in the mix.  I made wraps and they were great.

Evie was back around 2:30 and had a quick bowl of soup.  I wanted to get some exercise in so I decided to see if the lake was cold enough, hard enough for cross country skiing.  I made it down to Sandy Bottom, occasionally skiing over wet spots or slush but it wasn't until I was a quarter of a mile from home that my skis collected ice and snow so that I could not slide. So I slogged home, discouraged by the slush and ice.

Iced Up Cross Country Skis

By the time I got home, it was time to take and shower and head off to the game at 4:30.  Well, about 4:15, our neighbors, the Kinney's called, to see if we wanted to come over for wine and appetizers and then go out to dinner.  It took us about 10 seconds to pass on the high school game and say yes.  So we went over to their house at 5:30, admired  their new kitchen, then sat in front of a fire, sipping wine and enjoying appetizers.

Debi and Bud's New Kitchen

Just before we left, the Foxes and Lauers called, also up for the weekend, and we all agreed to meet at our" country club," the restaurant at the Bemus Point Golf course, a 1950's bungalow, converted into a restaurant, like Rocco's in Fredonia.  It's has absolutely no ambiance  but great grilled wings, which most of us ordered.  The restaurant was not very busy for a Friday night and service was slow because our waitress was also the bar tender, a very busy woman.

Our Country Club, House of Grilled Wings

We were in no hurry, so we drank our beers, enjoyed our wings when they came, and had a fun time catching up with all the winter news because some of us had not seen each other since the fall or earlier.

A Night Out With Foxes, Lauers, and Kinneys

We left about 9:30 and we then went to the Kinney's for a night cap, and to see their three sons, all in their thirties, who were up for the weekend, with their wives, fiancees, or girl friends.  And one, Alex and Maggie, have a darling 9 month old named Arlo, who fortunately, was still up so we could get some baby time.

A Wide Awake Arlo 

We stayed with them, having another glass of wine before heading home around 10:30, the end of a really fun night.  We are so lucky to have great neighbors who love Chautauqua Lake as much as we do.

The Final Snow Fall Of Winter?

7:36

I was up way, way too early, at 5:30, reluctant to rise but anxious to hear the pundits discuss last night's battle royal between the Republican candidates.  It was like a fist fight with words and all three seemed to talk at once, Nimrod's building the Towel of Babel.  Weatherwise, we got five to six inches of snow over the past 12 hours, not enough to warrant a plowing.  It's a chilly 16º but in true Chautauqua fashion, it will be in the 50's by Sunday, those fickle weather gods.

Yesterday yoga was cancelled because Danielle, our leader, was vacationing in Dubrovnik and parts of Italy for the past two weeks.  I was happy to skip a day because I had breakfast with the guys at 8:00, then an appointment with the eye lab at 9:15, to get a new lens for my glasses.  Breakfast was back to the three of us because Jack was back from a 10 day vacation in Costa Rica.  It sounded amazing, of course, as Costa Rica is a country of a great interest, with many environments from a rain forest, to mountains, to great beaches.  I was home by 10:00, with little planned for the rest of the day which seemed strange, to have such a large leisure ahead.  It was not inviting outside, no snow for skiing,  and I did not feel like walking the campground.  So I just stretched out my usual routine, lots of reading, relaxing, lunch, a nap, a thought of a hike, easily put aside.

Yesterday's Snow Fall Begins

Meanwhile, Evie was being a good girl, driving to Mayville to get a blood test, then to Lakewood to the Y, staying with her routine.  I was the sloth for a day.  She was back by 3:00, with some time to relax before both of us showered and got ready to drive to the McClure's for a pizza dinner.  And, of course, about an hour before we were to leave, it started to snow, so by the time we left the roads were snow covered and visibility was limited but not scary as we drove to their house around 6:00.

Hot Pizza Girls

It felt good to go to their cosy, warm house for dinner on a night like that.  Linda's dinner, as usual was great, a nice hot, thick garlic soup, guaranteed to cure whatever ails us.  After soup and a couple of beers, we sat down to homemade pizza, crusty and delicious, one a Margherita with fresh basil, tomatoes and mozzarella, the other with feta and prosciutto. Yum.  We ended the evening watching some of the debate until all four of us had had enough and we drove home in a light snow, arriving back to our warm house at 10:00, just in time to watch a few snippets of the debate before going to bed.

A Couple of Happy Fellows

The Happy Wives?

It's now 7:45, Evie's still asleep, the sun has just peaked through the clouds, the lake and yard have returned to their winter white, and all seems right in the world.  Time for breakfast and getting ready for yoga class.

Overcast Morning As Winter Returns Later In The Day

7:15

I was up at 6:40, to a dreary morning of gray, freezing rain, 36º, with 1-3 inches of snow forecast for later in the day as temperatures fall.  This weekend, however, looks warm again, in the 40's, with lots of sun, as if the weather gods cannot make up their minds, or just a Chautauqua Lake winter.

Yesterday we had rain on and off during the day, discouraging most but not all of the fishermen.  Some don't mind the rain I guess.  Anyways, I had a good yoga class, though getting into the building in the pouring rain was a problem.  It's been awhile since we have had a heavy rain.  Four of my friends from Ryder's Cup were in class, two moms, their two daughters.  And a couple of guys, so it was a Chautauqua diverse class,  I had to stop at Ryder's for a coffee, said aloha to Joyce, the owner's parents, then drove home in more rain, wondering if I washed my car a day early.

When I got home, Evie was busy on the computer, scouring thousands of photos for our grandson, Nick's, graduation party.  Lunch was a western, on bread, along with vegetable soup and another episode of NARCOS.  Got to get my violence fix for the day.

Evie took off for the Y around 2:00 with a package to return to L. L. Bean, with free returns if we use their Visa card.  It makes buying something easy.  She also returned two of her bargain athletic shoes at the mall.  When Evie got home, I had already had my siesta, read, listened to the radio, so I wanted to get some exercise even though it was wet out.  So I took a forty minute walk through the dreary looking campground, with pods of snow, bare trees, empty trailers and a guy taking his two Labs out for a run, driving a golf cart.  I had to laugh as it looked like both he and dogs were having fun.

Late Afternoon Fog Arrives

When I got home, Evie had gotten dinner ready, breaded chicken thighs,  which were baking in the oven.  We sat down to wine time when I got phone call from a good high school, college, and teaching friend who lives on Maui.  He and his son have visited us a couple of times here at the lake, even in the winter, and he will be visiting again in mid March.  We talked for a good forty five minutes, before I had to say good bye because of dinner.  He's my age but has a son about ready to head off to college.

Wine Time

Dinner was great, fried chicken like even though it was baked, along with cole slaw and leftover noodles from our scallops and pasta .  And we watched a touching film called INFINITELY POLAR BEAR, about a bipolar father who struggles to take care of his daughters when his wife goes off to New York City for grad school.  The ebbs and flows of his moods, the way his daughters are embarrassed by him yet cope, understand and grow, makes for a truthful depiction of love, of a father and his daughters, as they struggle with his bipolarity.  I recommend it.  Afterwards, we watched some politics, what else is there these days.

Another Scary (The Donald Wins) Rainy Day Wednesday

7:15

Up just after 6:00, with three delicious hours of relaxation, sipping coffee, listening to the radio and writing my blog before I head off to yoga.  I don't like to be rushed in the mornings, take my time enjoy the sunrise.  Unfortunately, this morning's sunrise has been bleak, no sun, overcast, with rain, washing away what's left of the whiteness of winter.  At least it's not freezing rain as predicted last night with a Winter Weather Advisory.  No fishermen today, too wet, too cold.

John and Maryanne, Enjoying the Morning Skating

Skating Early Morning

We began yesterday morning with sunshine, then enjoyed seeing our neighbors, John and Mary Ann, skating off of Long Point around 8:30 in the morning.  We were envious, wishing we too could glide along the ice on a brilliant, sunny morning.  I immediately went upstairs and got my skates out, to make sure they were warm if I decided to give it a try after yoga.  They must have been out enjoying the morning for an hour.  I left for yoga just after 9:00, energized by the sun and blue skies, only the quiet and dark of a yoga studio.  I can see why I don't often go during the warmer months but in winter, it's a perfect panacea to the gray.  Class was a little slow, as there were a couple of beginners who needed extra time from Julie though it really does not bother me.  After all, I still consider myself a novice.  Afterwards, I drove to the car wash, got the deluxe, an under carriage wash and a wax for seven bucks, with a coupon.  Then, I headed home, wondering if I would give skating a try.

Evie was working on choosing pictures of our grandson, Nick, for Tom and Mary -- they are working on a shutterfly photo album his graduation, so I grabbed my skates, my poles, and a chair and walked out on the lake.  I set the chair squarely on the edge of the frozen lake, and laced up my skates and took off, sort of.  My skates dug into the ice, making it difficult for me to glide and I felt and looked like a 72 year old novice on skates.  After about ten minutes, I had enough.  It was not fun...I was afraid of falling and did not feel comfortable on skates.  Discretion is the better part of valor so I knew when to get off the ice.  I remained envious of our neighbors but I was not going to get back out there, at least today.  I won't say never because it's so inviting.

Evie was excited to head off to Lakewood because she had shopping to do at Wegmans (it was senior citizens discount day) and she wanted to continue her routine at the YMCA.  When she left, I put together my lunch, a healthy bowl of Evie's vegetable soup to go along with a couple of unhealthy egg salad sandwiches, a treat nonetheless.  I have started watching a Netflix series called NARCOS, about the rise of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar and it's both riveting and scary.  The drug dealers in Columbia have no conscience, especially Escobar, so there's lots of violence, murder, and intimidation.  And all this is fueled by the insatiable appetites of the US for cocaine.  After lunch, I read some, a new book that I picked up by mistake on a book shelf and so far, it's pretty good.

A Lovely Afternoon For Fishing

I then took a nice siesta and just as Evie returned, around 4:00, I had decided I need some exercise, so I drove off to Dobbins Woods, about a 15 minute drive.  It's a Preserve, one we have walked and skied and snowshoed many times.  Because of the warm weather, I wore my boots though I might have been able to ski in some areas.  It was a rough hike because of the uneven trail, with crunchy snow, areas of water, and lots of icy tracks, of both skis and boots.  It was, however, good to be in a woods of hemlocks, as the sun was setting off to the west.  My walk took about 45 minutes, slow going because of the mud and ice.

The Sky From Dobbins Woods

I was home at 5:00, in time to sit down with Evie and enjoy a glass of wine.  While I was gone, she had made some brownies so I was welcomed by their aroma when I walked in.  Brownies and vanilla ice cream for dessert...the best. Dinner was easy, some frozen cabbage rolls and mashed potatoes.  So all Evie had to do was heat it up and make a salad.  We watched the next BETTER CALL SAUL, a bit slow, then the most recent John Oliver's Last Week on HBO.  He is really good, as he pokes fun yet is often serious about the craziness of life in America, our often irrational attitudes and beliefs.  We ended the night listening to the pundits talk about the Donald phenomenon.  They, like most of us, have no explanation for the Republicans embracing of this fear mongering, mean spirited, often racist autocrat in the making.

A Morning For Ice Skating (If Only), A Night With A 'Snow Moon'

7:30

7:31

8:03

It's 7:30, the sky is partly cloudy though off towards the east, it's a beautiful blend of grays, blues, and creams.  And the lake is like one huge pond this morning, no snow, just ice, shiny and smooth.  If only I could skate, or rather, not fear falling, I would be out there like our neighbors, Jeff and Nancy, who were out skating yesterday, the entire lake to themselves, as the skated over to Long Point  and Tom's Point and home.  Wonderful.

Yesterday was another great day of sun and blue skies, surprisingly chilly, reminding me of a cold spring like day.  I did hit yoga at 9:30 with Julie, a good class of twelve women and me, lots of different asanas, which makes for a more interesting morning.  I left class in sunshine, amazing for a late February morning, to drive home thinking that I heard birds singing.  I did.  When I returned home, Evie pointed out the skaters on the lake.  This inspired us to get outside and do something so we decided to go for a walk around the Chautauqua Institution.   It was a  good idea, to be out in the crisp air, with blue skies, on familiar grounds, enjoying a walk we often take on Sundays.  They were taking down lots of trees around the Amphitheater and knocking down the waist high brick wall that surrounds it.  Thus, the beginning of a new era.  On the way out, Evie was chilled, regretting not having brought a jacket. But on her return, she was happy she didn't.

We were home around 1:30 and Evie had made chicken salad sandwiches for lunch, and I finished up the increasingly delicious cabbage, white bean and sausage stew.  I may make it again!  Because of our walk and the fact that she had a bad night, Evie decided to skip her workout and just enjoy the afternoon at home, no driving, no shopping.  So, we both wasted away our afternoon, feeling guilty because we could have been doing something.

I was tempted for go for another walk at 4:30 but was sore from the morning workouts, so I passed and we both enjoyed  glass of wine and listened to the political pundits, raging about the latest faux pas by a candidate.  Is there anything else going on in the world besides the Primaries?

Scallops With Pasta

I know I say this at least once a week but last night' dinner was one of our favorites, seared scallops, in a sauce of garlic, shallots, and dry vermouth, served over pasta.  Wow.  Nothing better on a Monday evening, with a good salad and roasted Brussel sprouts with a maple syrup and vinegar glaze. And as were putting together the dinner, we glanced out the window with amazement, as a huge 'snow moon' was rising over Bemus Bay.  I hurried out and took a couple of photos, hoping to get a great shot.

6:21

6:21

After dinner, we watched SHOWTIMES latest episode of BILLIONS, a show about the one percenters but it's hard to decide who is the good guy, the bad guy, the billionaire or the DA trying to take him down.  Right now the DA is more despicable.  And we finished the 1961 JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, a timely movie, relevant today, as it depicts what happens when a nation is bamboozled by the fires of hatred and fear aroused in them by Hitler.  Burt Lancaster is powerful as a judge who went along with the Nazi regime.  And Maximillian Schell, as the defense attorney, was great and won the Academy Award that year for the best actor.  Spencer Tracy is the judge from Maine, completely out of water, who nevertheless must come up with a verdict.  The question, to what extent are these judges, non combatants but respected leaders of the Reich who went along with Hitler's policies,  guilty of the atrocities of the Nazis even if they had no direct hand in them, the prison camps, the extermination of the Jews.  The larger question, to what extent was the German citizen responsible for these crimes against humanity.  A good question that makes me think about our own country, to what extent we are responsible for what is going on in the Middle East or is our meddling necessary to stop another Hitler.  Only time will tell and the lessons of history are often obscure and hard to read, like the Greek priests in the Temple At Delphi trying to make sense of smoke.

Bright, Shiny Winter Morning On A Frozen Chautauqua Lake (Red's Pancake House)

6:33

7:13

Spring Ready Kayaks

It's 7:30 and I have been up for an hour, waiting patiently for the sun to rise on a crisp clear morning sky.  By the way it did, about 15 minutes ago.  All's right with the world.  I have been listening to Morning Joe make sense of this past weekend's primaries.  It looks like Hilary and the Donald.  And so it goes.  If you don't want more of the same, vote for Donald...that's it, a simple explanation of why people vote for Donald.

Yesterday turned out to be another fine Sunday on the lake.  We dissed our usual morning routine of a walk at the Chautauqua Institution and then a big breakfast and instead, we were picked up by the Linda and Ron around 10:30 and we took the half hour drive to Red's Pancake House, where the Sherman/Clymer Road intersects with Bailey Hill.  Contrary to two weeks ago when we went, the parking lot was almost full and cars were parked along the road. Fortunately, lots of people were leaving as we walked in so we easily found a table in the back of the log cabin, away from the fireplace, with a view of the chicken coop and garden.  Within minutes of having sat down, we had orange juice, coffee, and three steamy pancakes a piece, with two sausage patties.  We drenched them with maple syrup so it was almost as if we had maple syrup with pancakes.

At Red's, AGAIN, with Mc Clures, AGAIN

For some reason, we all agree that they are about as good a pancake as we have ever had, rivaling Evie's sour cream pancakes, the top of the list.  They are made from the Good Hope Buckwheat pancake mix.  We quickly finished our first course, hesitated about 10 seconds before ordering seconds, and we even had thirds they were so good.  I had to finally stop myself even though I think I could have eaten more.  Ron was the clear winner, having downed eight, with mounds of butter. buckets of syrup.  Driving to Sherman, to Red's, was clearly a smart decision, a good way to start our day.  We left fat and happy, took a drive towards Clymer to see the Methodist Church, then drove home on the backroads, like the Sunday drives we used to take with our parents.  We enjoyed it.

Straight Outta Fargo

When we returned home, we had the entire afternoon ahead of us with nothing we had to do.  So we relaxed, watched some TV and read but both of us felt like we should be doing something.  A busy boy is a happy boy.  So Evie decided to drive to the YMCA, to workout, and go to the mall to return some ninety dollar Brooks running shoes which did not quite fit right.  She left around 2:00 and by 4:00 she was still not home.  So I went out for a great walk in the Woodlawn/Victoria woods, just as the sun was setting, crunching through six inch deep snow, taking lots of time to take photographs of whatever interested me, trees, creeks, the lake, the snow paths.  It was relaxing, interesting, and it's always enervating to be out in the woods, seemingly away from civilization.

Running Water, Rocks Snow, Deadfall

Dusk Along Woodlawn

When I got back at 5:00, Evie was driving in, with four boxes of shoes.  FOUR.  As she was checking out, both she and the cashier realized that the two pairs she was buying were only fourteen bucks apiece (originally $70 Reeboks).  So back she went to get two more pair, different sizes by a half in case the first two did not fit.  So she came home with four pair, which cost less than the one pair of shoes she returned.  What a bargain hunter.

We relaxed with wine, listened to music, as the lake darkened, and because there was not much to dinner.  About 6:30, Evie went into the kitchen, made a salad, browned a couple of Sahleen hot dogs and warmed up the mediocre cabbage and sausage stew and we had dinner.  And, surprisingly, we both really liked the stew, as Evie doctored it up some and I think letting it sit outside on our porch in the cold for a day brought out its the flavors. And we always like the Sahleen hot dogs, even though they are not particularly healthy, me with either Stadium mustard of Ray's Hot Sauce from Buffalo, and Evie's with ketchup.  We watched the first hour and a half of 1961's Oscar Nominated JUDGEMENT AT NUREMBERG, still riveting even in black and white, then some TV, waiting for The Good Wife, only a few episodes left as they are ending the series.  It's time.  And we went to bed at our usual time, at 11:00.

The Life Changing Lack Of Tidyness Of A Dying Winter (28 More Days)

7:50

Sunshine Mid Afternoon

Almost Full At 6:27 p.m.

It's 8:00 and both of us have been up since 7:00, to 30º temperatures and overcast skies.   The fishing guys are out, the snows have begun to melt, and the green lawn is beginning to peak through what's left over from last week's snow, alas.

Yesterday was unseasonably warm, making us wonder if spring will be far behind.  It got into the 60's mid afternoon, intensifying the melt.  Mud and dirt and grime appear, the virgin whiteness of winter fades.  Not that it mattered as we kept to our routines, me with yoga at 9:00, a good class of twelve and Evie went to the gym around 1:00 but struggled with her workout because she left her water in the car, the gym was hot and crowded because of basketball tournament, and her new shoes bothered her.  So she was not the usual happy camper when she returned home.

Before Evie left for the YMCA, however, she put together another huge pot of her famous veggie soup, a proven panacea for whatever ails you.  So I am set for lunch for the rest of the week.  And she tossed together an amazing salad for my lunch, perhaps my favorite, a salad with leftover salmon, hard boiled eggs, and lots of greens.  Wowser, not a bad mid day repast!  The rest of the afternoon was typical although I wanted to get outside for some exercise but it was too wet to cross country ski. So I decided around 3:30 to see if I could go for a walk on the ice but I found that the top three or four inches of the lake was slush.  So I slushed my way along the shoreline of Woodlawn, sinking to the top of my boots at the outlet.  That was enough for me, so I got out and walked home via the road.  It was bizarre being out in 60º weather, with a frozen lake, and five or six piles of melt snow scattered among the Woodlawn driveways.

Ice Fishing On A Sunny Afternoon

Spring Ready

We drove over to the McClure's at 6:15, picked them up and drove off to Westfield for dinner at the Parkview Cafe.  It has been closed since New Year's so it was great to see it open again during the winter.  When we arrived, there were three other couples and unfortunately, that was about it for the night.  The cafe is old fashioned, with black and white photos on the wall from the 1900's, which seems appropriate to this older building.  It reminded us of one of our favorite restaurants in Turkey, Rejans, run by two White Russian women, famous for their Chicken Kiev.  We all had good meals, though mine, for Seafood Lover's, which combined a lobster tail, with crab stuffed shrimp, mixed vegetables, roasted potatoes and a salad, looked to be the best.  We closed down the place around 9:00 when the waitress took down the OPEN flag.  She is not our favorite; in fact, when I  got the wrong beer, already poured, she brought me the right one and took the poured one away!  Nice.  It's the kind of place we want to like more than we do.

At The Parkview Cafe With Ron And Linda

Seafood Lover's Special

We got home to find the resounding triumph of The Donald, who easily won South Carolina as I predicted and, fortunately, Marco Rubio edged Cruz out for second.  Eight More Months...AND IT'S OVER.

It's almost 9:00 and we are going off to Sherman, to Red's Pancake House for breakfast, with the McClure's in a couple of hours, so we had better get moving, off the couch!