An Ever Changing Sunrise

6:39

6:40

6:52

At the moment, the sun has just risen above or through the clouds, so that momentarily, the living room is filled with light.  It's 36º and it has been another changing morning sky.  It never fails to amaze me, one of the reasons I enjoy getting up early.

7:17

We were both up early yesterday, in a hurry to get the photos and blog ready because Evie had a hair appointment at 9:00 and had to be on the road by 8:30.  So it was a bit hassled as we tried to get organized earlier than usual.  After she left, I cleaned the snow off of my Honda Pilot and drove to Lakewood for my Yin yoga class, always crowded, always good.  I didn't get home until 11:30 and Evie was already home, after getting her hair trimmed and working out at the YMCA.

7:23

For some reason, neither of us felt like doing much so we took it easy the rest of the day, no walks or hiking, no excursions, no going out to dinner, just hanging out at home.  I had another bowl of cauliflower soup.  Evie had made some chicken salad so I had it on a bagel and watched some of the Oscars which I missed from the night before.  What a fiasco at the end.  Afterwards, I spent a good part of the afternoon finishing A LITTLE LIFE, a 700 page tomb that I ended up liking at times, hating or bored with at others.  It could have been shorter but it certainly drew me in at times.  More about it on a blog later.

Around 5:00, we both got busy, relaxing with a glass of wine after Evie put the leftover scalloped potatoes and ham in the oven and also roasted some brussel sprouts and cauliflower.  Evie made a salad when we finished our wine and we had a pretty good dinner, as the potatoes and ham were better than ever.  Leftovers tend to be better the next day or the next day!  We were not sure what to catch up on so we watched Homeland, then the first two episodes of this season's BILLIONS, both on Showtime.  Homeland is confusing but so far, I am interested and BILLIONS does not seem much different from last year.  Paul Giamatti and Damian Lewis continue their high stakes feud, neither one much of a boy scout.

A Red Sky Morning

6:38

6:44

7:18

7:19

I was up at 6:30, greeted by a pink horizon, as the sun has now risen, breaking through the clouds to illuminate the lake, mostly open but with a thin skin of ice near the shoreline. It's warming up after Saturday night's couple inches of snow, of course, getting in to the high 40's later in the day.

Sea Gulls Are Back

Yesterday started out with snowflakes, clouds, an early morning in the 20's.  We stayed warm and cozy in our living room, watching the sky change.  Once we were relaxed, sated with leisure, we decided to take our weekly walk at the Chautauqua Institution.  We took along our Yak Traks in case of ice but the roads were mostly melted snow, with little ice.  Despite the temperature, it was our kind of day, nippy but bearable with our layers and gloves and the sun came out half way through our walk.  We never seem to get tired of this walk, mostly because we see something new and interesting or different each time we go. We ran into only one gaggle of walkers, as we made our way around the snow covered CI.

Snow Covered Thunder Bridge

We then stopped to see the progress on Linda and Ron's house, texted them to see if they were home but they were out for breakfast, so we quickly drove home because both of us were looking forward to breakfast.  Evie had gotten out the breakfast sausage from the Lighthouse before we left, so she quickly browned it up, fried some eggs, toasted two bagels, and we were soon enjoying our great breakfast as we watched CBS Sunday Morning.  They spent the hour talking about the Oscars, past and present, with nary a mention of our president or of politics.  How refreshing and happy mood making.

A Sunny Afternoon

We then literally collapsed for the rest of the day, doing little but watching some TV, reading or enjoying the sunshine and blue lake the rest of the afternoon.  I am finally close to finishing my 700 page book, A LITTLE LIFE and I am really in to it, finally.

Blue Skies, Lake, Puffy Clouds

Because we had a late breakfast, Evie did not start dinner until 6:45.  She had gotten a couple of steaks out in the morning, so she seared them up on the cast iron skillet, baked some potatoes, made a salad, and sauteed mushrooms in the pan after the steaks were done.  We then ate, watching the Red Carpet, priming us for next couple of hours of the Oscars.  I finally went to bed around 11:15, not really caring much who won anything although I did predict MOONLIGHT would win the Oscar for best picture.  Evie came up later, having stayed up until the very end, and I was still awake, reading A LITTLE LIFE but I still have a few pages left, alas.

Winter...Down But Not Out

6:41

7:25

8:00

It's 7:15 and I have been up for a half hour as a light snow is falling.  Once again, our yard is covered with an inch of snow and the temperature has dropped precipitously to 21º, almost a 50º change from Friday's 70º.  The lake is still open, as a raft of bufflehead ducks have floated by and I doubt if it will freeze again this winter.  As I finish writing my blog, it's 9:15 and it has snowed on and off for the past couple of hours, a nice way to start the day.

Cruising Buffleheads 

9:15

Saturday began with rain and cloudy skies, a typical gray, spring like day.  Neither of us felt much like doing anything, matching the weather.  We started moving around 10:00, as we cleaned out the refrigerator, gathered the trash and off I went to the Transfer Station.  By the time I got home, we were both more together.  Evie decided she wanted to go to the gym in the early afternoon.  I was tempted but opted instead for an hour hike around the woods of Woodlawn and Victoria.

Woodlawn Creek

Fortunately, the rain has stopped, the wood brown and devoid of snow, so it was easy to bush whack wherever I wanted.  My only problem was figuring out how to ford the Woodlawn Creek without getting a soaker.  I managed to pile a few rocks in the middle of the current, so I could step over the water.  Even though it was overcast, I really enjoyed the hike, walking in areas usually covered by bushes and undergrowth.

Hiking Woodlawn Yesterday

Cross Country Skiing Woodlawn Two Weeks Earlier

When I got home, Evie was ready to head to the gym, so I made my lunch, a reheated hot dog from Friday's lunch and some cauliflower soup.  I watched basketball for a half hour, then turned to another episode of Wallander before heading to the couch, to read for 15 minutes before taking a nap.
Around 3:00, I began to notice snowflakes and was a little worried about Evie on icy roads but she had no problem and was home around 4:00.  

Dusk Begins To Hit Long Point

She had a good, long walk on the treadmill so she came home wanting to get something she dislikes to do done...like giving me a trim.  So we adjourned to the TV room (in warm weather, we go outside) and she cut my hair and trimmed my beard, reminding me how much money we have saved since she started cutting my hair in 1967.  I have been to a barber only once since then!  And that was a disaster as everyone laughed at me when I came home with a coiffed hair cut.

Evening Snow Through Our Window

It proved to be a nasty night, so we ended up having a Manhattan or two, with appetizers, hummus and pita, cheese and crackers, and watched the wind blow the snow almost horizontally at times.  The gusts were in the 50 mph range, or so the weather man suggested.  Before we sat down, Evie had put together a scalloped potato and ham casserole so dinner was easy after our relaxing cocktail hour. We watched Friday's Real Time with Bill Maher, then some of James Carden's Late Night show before heading up to bed.  It turned out to be a better day than we thought, with workouts, an easy dinner, and an enjoyable, snowy cocktail hour.

Kayaking Chautauqua Lake In February

February Kayaking

6:59

 A strange winter morning, as the lake opened yesterday afternoon, as we sat out on our porch with friends, watching the ice recede towards Long Point, then gradually disappear.  And I just rushed outside as two bald eagles flew by and swooped down into the open water, to gather their prey.  And the ducks are back, both mallard and buffleheads, as well as sea gulls and geese.  It's a wet morning, as I woke to raindrops drumming on the roof at 6:15.  And to my utter disbelief, snow is forecast for late tonight after yesterday's 70º afternoon.

Good Friends For 50+ Years

Yesterday, two long time friends from high school and college, were stopping by for lunch.  Dick Allen, our high school friend, flew in from Maui to see his Mom in Cleveland and Johnny D. came with him, a basketball coach and player I have known since we played on the playgrounds of Shaw field in the 1960's. Before their arrival, I was able to get in a yoga class and hurried home because they were expected around 11:30.  They called while I was at yoga to say they were behind schedule (no surprise) and did not get here until 12:30.

The End Of Lake Ice

Long Point

By that time, it had warmed up to the high 60's, the sun came out, so we sat outside on our front porch, enjoying the afternoon and catching up on our lives and reminiscing about the good old days playing basketball with Johnny and living in Hawaii and surfing with Dick.  Both have managed to come out and visit three of four times over the past few years which is great.  We had a man's lunch, hot dogs with Stadium Mustard and Evie's homemade Indian spiced cauliflower soup. The guys loved it. They stayed until 2:30 when they had to head home to Cleveland.  It's always fun to see them, to renew our friendship and talk about the good old days.  And by the way, neither of us ever mentioned our health or the pills.  Amazing for  guys in their 70's.

Selfie While Kayaking

Avoiding Icebergs

After they left, the lake was so tempting that I talked Evie in to winter kayaking, a good choice.  We got out our boots, paddles, and life jackets, and then paddled out kayaks into the cold water towards Bootey Bay.  It was strange to be on the water in February but it was sunny, the lake a brilliant blue and despite it being winter, we loved it.  We were out for about forty five minutes, sticking fairly close to shore to be safe and saw two fishing boats out as well.  Spring, for at least 24 hours, has started early.

Dusk On An Open Lake

We were both full from a late lunch so we did not eat until after 7:00, the leftover chicken with shallots and rice.  We did manage to have a glass of wine before dinner and enjoyed the sky darkening over an open lake, so different from the evening before when the lake was still frozen.  We watched a special, 90 Years of NBC programming which was pretty good.  And we watched the first episode of THE GOOD FIGHT, a sequel perhaps to THE GOOD WIFE.  It was pretty good and we are hopeful it may be better than THE GOOD WIFE, which we grew to be less fond of in its last couple of years.

Perhaps A 70º Winter Day

6:46

6:47

6:56

6:59

I was up just after 6:00 and the sky has been changing every 15 minutes or so it seems.  At the moment, fog has stepped in, obscuring Tom's and Long Point, as the temperature reads 50º.  I know we are not the only area experiencing unusually warm weather for this  time of the year.  Still, I cannot help but dislike it and as a result, both of us are out of sorts.

6:59

7:00

Yesterday was a typical day for me, a busy one for Evie.  I went to yoga, another good class and skipped coffee for some reason.  I stopped at the grocery to pick up a few items because we were having Linda and Ron over for dinner.  When I got home, Evie had been busy, wrecking the kitchen, as she was beginning to prep dinner.  I quickly got out the dish towels, did up the dishes and waited on and off during the day, for more to come.  I am chief bottle washer, not cook.  We were having a chicken dish with loads of shallots, Dijon mustard, white wine and tarragon.  So she was able to get most of it prepped before our guests arrived.  Both of us wanted a special dessert, so Evie decided on a banana cream pie, with a recipe from the New York Times, which tweaked it a bit by adding cinnamon and brown sugar.  That took a few steps and was finally baked by 4:00, with soft peaks of meringue.

I, of course, was little help other than as a dishwasher/dryer.  I had leftover pork chops, mashed potatoes and sauerkraut for lunch, just as good if not better than the night before.  And, unfortunately, I was unable to get Netflix as there was either a problem with our Internet or with Netflix.  Later in the day, it was fine.

Thursday, Mid Afternoon

For some reason, once Evie had the shrimp cocktails made, the chicken prepped, the pie made, she decided to spruce up the upstairs bedrooms.  So while I relaxed on the couch, enjoying the surprisingly sunshine, the blue sky with puffy, summer like clouds, reading and listening to Julie Mason, Evie cleaned and dusted and organized the otherwise clean, dusted and organized bedrooms. Women!

Fantastic Four

Linda and Ron arrive at 6:00, to a darkening sky.  All four of us sat down to a cold class of beer, talked some before Evie got out the individual shrimp cocktails, with sauce, just like the restaurants used to serve from our youth.  It was a big deal then and tasted just as good last night. I wonder why we don't have it more often.  The shrimp cocktails were complimented by Utz chips and dip, much to Linda's delight.  Like Evie, chips and dip are her Achille's heel.  We have none left for tonight's cocktail hour.  Dinner was  great of course, the chicken and shallots, salad with homemade blue cheese dressing, roasted brussel sprouts, rice and rolls.  And of course, banana cream pie for dessert as we watched MSNBC's coverage of the Ashville town hall from last Saturday, when I made my media debut. They left around 9:45 and Evie quickly cleaned up the kitchen with minor help from yours truly, worn out from cleaning up the kitchen during the day.

53º

7:22

It was unpleasantly warm when I stepped outside to get our paper.  I better get used to it because it may hit 70º tomorrow, then cool off a bit for a few days.  I don't like this change in weather patterns that seems to be wracking the entire United States, with tornadoes, torrential rains, heavy snows and unseasonably warm temperatures.  It's obviously not a result of global warming, right.

Yesterday turned out to be just one of those days although it started out well with a good yoga class with Jen.  A good part of class was restorative and we ended it with legs up the wall which everyone enjoys.  I stopped for coffee, mostly to support a local place, picked up some eggs and sat down and talked with one of the locals, Dave, and found out he's worked in just about every one of the States. People are interesting if you take the time to sit down and talk with them.  Duh! I then drove home, expecting Evie to be out getting her hair trimmed but the car was in the parking area.  And I noticed the spare tire was on the front wheel.  What the heck, I thought.  When I went in, Evie was in a kerfuffle, and explained that when she drove down our road, she heard a thumping noise and the steering was out of whack.  Our neighbor, Jeff, stopped her, showed her the flat tire and helped put on the spare so she could drive it home.

A Good Neighbor

So I called the Subaru dealer, made an appointment and had lunch.  Evie had a doctor's appointment for her blocked ear in Jamestown, so we drove two cars, dropping the Subaru off at the dealer then driving to her appointment.  Just before she was finished, the dealer called, said the tire seemed to be fine, that a small dent in the rim may have caused the tire to deflate but that they think it will be fine. Before Evie dropped me off at the dealer, however, we did a quick shopping at Tops and could not pass up the two for one deal on pork chops, dramatically modifying our dinner plans.  Evie then dropped me off at the dealer who explained that I should keep an eye on the tire but they think it should be fine.  A new rim would cost a couple of hundred dollars, so I am going to have to decide whether to get a new rim or go with the old.  Decisions.  The dealership did not charge me for their services which was a pleasant surprise.

Late Afternoon Fog

We got home around 4:30 and Evie quickly seared the pork chops, added sauerkraut and put them in the oven to bake until dinner.  We had a brief cocktail hour. This time I felt like a Southern Tier beer, one called Tangier, which I have come to enjoy.  I even had a second, a Buffalo One.  Perhaps I am becoming a micro beer fan.  Besides picking up pork chops,  I easily talked Evie into getting a side of Bob Evans mashed potatoes, to go along with the pork chops, saving her the effort of making them. Dinner was great as for some reason, both of us were ready for a pork chop, sauerkraut and mashed potato dinner.  It's Evie's favorite dinner from her childhood and had become mine in the first years of our marriage. There's just enough left for a lunch, maybe.  We then binge watched THIS IS US, finally getting caught up with the series.  This last episode, called MEMPHIS, was beautifully done and very moving, the performances by Sterling K. Brown and Ron Cephas Jones riveting and emotional.

I am sticking with my book, even though I don't much like it but I suffer from that disease called, 'if you start a book, you should finish it.'  Silly, I know and I am getting better at it but for now, I have not found something else to read.  So I stick with A LITTLE LIFE.

A Mild February Morning

6:35

7:28

7:55

It's now 8:00 and I have been listening to Morning Joe, on and off, for an hour and a half.  The sky began gray but there's been some color, mostly cream, over the last hour.  It's a spring like 44º outside and we may have a few April showers later in our February day.  I expect all of the piles of snow will be gone by this weekend.

Yesterday was mild and partly sunny but we decided to get back in our routine of yoga and going to the Y.  So I went to a small, individualized yoga class of four at 9:30.  We were able to get individual attention from Julie although having the others watch you practice downward facing dog is not a lot of fun.  Afterward, I drove to Sears where I got a much needed four wheel alignment (a result of all the potholes on our roads) and did some shopping at Bon Ton while I waited.  I walked away with two shirts for twenty five bucks, reduced by 80%.  I then got my car washed, which it needed and picked up some ground chuck for our taco dinner.

When I got home, Evie was ready for the gym.  So I heated up the shrimp and vodka pasta for lunch and watched Wallander.  Midway through, Evie called to say she had forgotten her wallet and wanted to shop at Wegman's.  So I gave her both our credit card numbers and Wegman's card numbers. She was not a happy gym rat.  I then finished the show, took a nap, and started a couple of books since I had finished the first LONGMIRE novel.  I ended up returning to MY LIFE, even though it is really depressing and I don't think it's going to change.  And I still have 300 pages to go!  Evie got home at 4:00 with a car full of groceries.  It turned out she did not need her card after all because she could pay with iWallet on her iPhone.  We quickly put away the groceries and Evie then prepped our dinner of tacos, easy enough, just brown the ground chuck, add the taco seasoning, and get out the toppings.

6:22 PM

We decided to have an extended wine time with cheese and crackers because neither of us were that hungry.  So we spent the first part listening to the news, then turned to music and ended up listening to contemporary groups like Twenty One Pilots, our favorites, then later, we took a trip down nostalgia road, listening to The Best Of Al Green, trying to figure out when we became Al Green fans, whether it was in Istanbul in the 1970's or when we came back to the States in 1977.  We listened to our favorites, "Tired of Being Alone, " "Call Me," "How Can You Mend A Broken Heart," and "I'm Still In Love With You." What great ballads, great memories, but when?  Istanbul or Hudson?  Too bad he got religion and became the Reverend Al Green.  We ended cocktail hour with Cat Steven's "If You Want To Sing Out," from the movie HAROLD AND MAUDE and other favorites.

We didn't get around to our tacos until 7:30 when we were hungry.  We watched a couple more episodes of THIS IS US  and both of us feel it's lost something in the last couple of episodes which, I suppose, is normal.  Some episodes have to be better than others.  We were in bed at our normal time, 11:00.

Raspberry Beret

6:50

6:53

6:54

6:55

I woke at 6:05, to a band of rose above the eastern shoreline.  Gradually, it enveloped much of the sky, a myriad of colors, like rainbow sherbet, until now, an hour later, it's gone and the grays of a cloud bank have swallowed the color.  It's already 39º as the temperature slowly climbs this week, with not even a hint of snow, just rain.

7:32

We were not sure what to do with our morning yesterday.  We vacillated to the extent that I missed my yoga class but we made up with a walk in Long Point State Park.  Before that, however, I had some mojo early, so I went out in the yard, picked up a garbage pail of twigs and took them up the road to the wood pile.  It's always a pleasure to clean up the yard, to keep up with the dead fall in our front yard.  We did not, then, get an early start on our hike, leaving at 11:30, and even though it was sunny and spring like, most of the woods and trails were still snow covered so it was another great walk.

Pausing To Enjoy The Snow Covered Woods

We took our time, enjoying the change in the woods, as some green was beginning to arise from the dormancy of winter.  We brought our walking poles along because there were a few slick spots but for the most part, it was an easy 3+ mile walk.  We did run into a few families with their kids, enjoying President's Day, climbing over the downed trees, laughing by the side of the lake.   It was fun to see kids outside, enjoying themselves.  On our walk back to the car, we met one of the neighbors, an elderly gentlemen, walking with a cane.  We have said hello to him before and we stopped to talk with him.   He reminded us of Evie's Dad a bit, telling us silly jokes, talking about his age, then mentioned his house was just up the street, next to his jackass liberal neighbor.  Seemed like a strange thing to say in casual conversation and so ended our conversation.

Me, Too

On the way home, we stopped at the Bemus Market to pick up some heavy cream for our dinner, vodka pasta with shrimp.  For lunch, Evie made me another quesadilla with guacamole and cheese and she heated up some mushroom barley soup from our freezer.  Yum, a great lunch.  And I watched half of a new BBC version of Wallander before trading places with Evie.  I got the couch in the living room, to read and nap and she went in the TV room to watch a show.

Evie started dinner prep around 5:00, got the vodka pasta and shrimp ready, then settled down in the living room with me for a glass of wine, as daylight disappeared.   Around 6:25, she boiled the pasta, combined it with the vodka pasta sauce and shrimp, made a salad and we had a gourmet dinner.  We were not sure what to watch, started on a British show, could not understand the accent, so we switched to a  couple more episodes of THIS IS US.  We are quickly getting caught up on that series. We are putting off some of the new shows like BILLIONS for awhile, so we watched another episode of Vice news and a Colbert Show before it was time to head up to bed to read, eventually fall asleep.