Monday Chills (Viking Polar Plunge)

6:57

7:48

Well, another early morning, up at 6:00, as I felt my way around the kitchen to turn on the light, the coffee, and look outside to see if anyone was out fishing yet.   Too dark to tell but now, at 7:00, I can see at least four different fishermen out on this cold, 12º, and windy morning. Yesterday began with Evie making pancakes and bacon for the Purcells, Jim and his daughter, Shea, before they headed off to ski for the day at Holimont.  They hoped to leave by 7:30, ended up sleeping in, however, and not leaving until 9:00.  It should not have been a problem because the early morning was too cold to be out on the slopes.  We then cleaned up the kitchen, spent time on our devices, reading and surfing for something interesting before I went out, despite the cold, to shovel the parking area, again, of about four more inches of snow from overnight.  It was cold so I only stayed out for a short time. Sunny But Cold Morning Of Cross Country Skiing By noon, however, it had warmed up to around 15º and most importantly, there was little wind so we decided to give the lake a try, to see what the conditions were like for cross country skiing.  We started out towards Wells Bay but soon turned around because our skis were beginning to freeze up, the snow turning to water and ice.  Fortunately, we discovered if we kept close to the shoreline, there was ice, not water beneath the snow, probably because the wind had blown much of the snow off the surface.  So we were able to ski down to just past the campground, to Whitney Bay and back.  It was surprisingly comfortable because of the blue skies, bright sun and lack of wind.  On the way back, we realized that they were having the Polar Bear Swim at the Viking Club and Evie did not want to miss it, so we headed in around 1:15, to get dressed and drive over to the Viking Club. Intrepid Vikings Here He Goes Playful , Puppy Like, Vikings We got there just before the swim, so we along with six intrepid swimmers and a crowd of fifty went out to watch them jump in the lake.  Usually, everyone can walk out on the ice, to the swimming hole, and watch the fun but because the ice was so thin, probably around 4 inches, only the firemen and swimmers were allowed on the ice, a  good decision.  The group quickly jumped in and out, usually one at a time, and one of  the crazies even rolled in the snow before jumping in, to acclimate himself to the water.  They had a nice bonfire going on shore for them to keep warm.  It lasted about twenty minutes before everyone adjourned to the bar, to get back to the serious  business of the day, drinking and eating.  They were having a steak special if any one wanted, as well as raffles to support their scholarship funds, so it was a busy place. Barb Johnson With Daughter and Granddaughter We ran into Barb and Dana Johnson, who we got to know last spring when Barb helped Evie paint our bedrooms, so we spent a good hour talking with them and her kids, who were up from Florida for the weekend, a lucky grandmother.  They left around 4:00, to get some wings and thing at the golf course, so we continued to relax at the bar and talk with Dawn and Doug, other friends we have gotten to know at the Viking.  We stayed longer than we should have, had more beer than we should have, so by the time we got home we were both regretting our fun and I literally passed out on the couch and took a nice nap.  We are not very good when we have some beers in the afternoon but hey, it was great fun while it lasted. Warming Fire Here She Goes Leap Frogging On The Ice Fortunately, dinner was made, leftover spaghetti and meatballs, or I might not have gotten any.  Evie was in no mood to make anything, so we collapsed on the couches, ate dinner, and tried to stay awake as we watched LOVE AND MERCY, the biopic of troubled Beach Boy Brian Wilson. We then watched some junk TV and waited until we felt it was late enough to go up to bed.  Evie was up by 10:00 and I followed around 11:00, tired from our day of partying at the Viking Club. A Pieter Bruegel Like Afternoon On The Lake I had hoped to sleep in, no way, as I was up before the crack of dawn. Here's A Poem From Yesterday's Writer's Almanac: a nice, simple love poem, no frills, avoids sentimentality, just is.  Love it. Windchime by Tony Hoagland She goes out to hang the windchime in her nightie and her work boots. It’s six-thirty in the morning and she’s standing on the plastic ice chest tiptoe to reach the cross beam of the porch, windchime in her left hand, hammer in her right, the nail gripped tight between her teeth but nothing happens next because she’s trying to figure out how to switch #1 with #3. She must have been standing in the kitchen, coffee in her hand, asleep, when she heard it—the wind blowing through the sound the windchime wasn’t making because it wasn’t there. No one, including me, especially anymore believes till death do us part, but I can see what I would miss in leaving— the way her ankles go into the work boots as she stands on the ice chest; the problem scrunched into her forehead; the little kissable mouth with the nail in it.