Morning Sun, Cloudy Afternoon

6:23

6:57

6:59

7:05

It's 8:00 and both Evie and I are up, listening to Sonos, as a few clouds blur the morning sunshine.  I was up at 6:15, a 34º morning, a mostly sunny dawn morning.  And hard to believe, there is a 'winter storm watch' for Thursday night and Friday, with the possibility of 5 to 10 inches of snow.  I will believe it when I see it.  Coincidentally, as I reading Borland's Sundial Of The Seasons for February 27th, he begins it with the following: "February may end with a snowstorm..." 

Yesterday was another crisp winter/spring day, temperatures in the 40's for most of the day.  I had a busy morning, as did Evie.  While she was breading and frying up the eggplant for our dinner of moussaka, I drove off to Jamestown, stopping first at Ryder's for a coffee, then at Evans for some wine and ended up at Dunn Tire for a free four wheel alignment on my Outback.  If you get an alignment, the second one is free if it's within six months.  So I took advantage of it, wondering if the potholes had compromised the alignment.  Not much according to the technician which is good to know.  I then drove to WCA hospital and picked up the results of Evie's MRI.  I was lucky to be able to get it because the patient is supposed to pick it up.  The nurse had to call Evie to get her permission for me to pick it up.  I ended up, where else, at Wegman's, to pick up a few things, seemingly part of my almost daily routine but get the 5% discount because Tuesday's are senior days.

When I got home, Evie had the eggplant breaded and ready to fry but first, she grilled me a couple of toasted cheese to go with my lentil soup.  I watched another Bloodline and stopped watching after 20 minutes because I dislike the brother so much that I can hardly stand to watch him.  Why I am not sure?  It was good to get back to Elvis Cole and Joe Pike in my Robert Crais novel.  The rest of the afternoon was spent relaxing or watching some TV or baking.  I had put together a no-knead bread Monday morning, so we baked it around 2:00, checking to see if it was done after forty minutes. 

Evie then made up a tomato sauce for the moussaka, layered the fried eggplant, sauce, bechamel and cheese, getting it ready to bake later in the afternoon.  I knew I should get a walk in but was too lazy to get up off my couch, to put down my book.  Around 5:30, Evie put the moussaka in the oven and we relaxed for the next hour with a glass or two of wine as the long day waned. The moussaka was really good, unlike the Greek moussaka, which was usually dripping in olive oil.  We wanted to watch a show or two on Netflix but it kept shutting down so we said the heck with it and watched a couple of programs we had saved.  We have been watching a couple of new series, Maine Cabin Masters,  the one last night was a crew that renovated cottage set on a lake.  They did an amazing job of renovating a cottage for supposedly twenty grand.  We both thought it should have cost forty or fifty grand.  It was fun to watch and another one we like is called Building Off The Grid.  Both are on the DIY channel.  We ended the night with laughs, compliments of Trump usually, on any of the night time talk shows.  What would they do without him? 

Another Morning Of Blue Skies And Sunshine

6:11

6:59

7:01

I was up at 6:05, a pink glow along the eastern shoreline, an azure sky, an awakening dawn.  It's a typically crispy morning, frost on the windshields, the grass frozen, and 30º outside.  Not for long, however, as it should get up to 50º later today.

Yesterday looked warmer than it was when we stepped outside, as the sunny day still demanded a fleece, even glove or a hat.  We really had nothing we had to do, no doctor's appointments, the bane of retirement, no shopping, no yoga or hiking.  So what did we do?  First, I put together the recipe for no knead bread, leaving it to rise until later this morning.  Then, we drove to the Chautauqua Institution after a leisurely morning, dropped off a library book and went for a walk around the grounds.  Bestor Plaza was crowded with parked cars but we saw hardly a person.

When we got home, I decided to do some clean up outside, as winter and the winds wreak havoc on the lawn.  So I got out a couple of barrels and picked up twigs and branches, then raked up the detritus in the backyard, partially filling two garbage pails with twigs and leaves.  Also, the snowplow usually spreads piles of gravel on our lawn, so I spent some time shovelling and raking it back on to our parking area.  By 12:30, when lunch was ready, I had made some headway so I  came in for lunch, a western with the leftover meatloaf.

Afternoon At Chautauqua Lake

Both Evie and I felt energized by just being outside in the sun and crisp February morning.  Nothing like the sun and fresh air to pick up one's mood.  Our afternoon seemed to go quickly, the usual reading, napping, and watching some TV.  Around 4:00, I went out again to finish the clean up of our yard, finally filling both pails and taking them up the hill.  It always feels good to empty the pails, to have a tidy backyard and parking area, the Marie Kondo in me.

Around 6:00, I poured us some wine and Evie quickly put together another one of our go to dinners, salmon glazed with a citrus glaze, garlic spinach and rice.  We were looking forward to dinner, and cherry pie a la mode and the last three episodes of Netflix's SEVEN SECONDS.  And we were not disappointed in the grim, depressing but tension-filled ending of the series. Verna Sud, the creator and writer, misses hardly a flash point or social issue like police brutality and corruption, white privilege, black stereotypes, homophobia, broken families, urban poverty and drug culture, opioid addiction, drug dealing, and religious doubts.  Sud also breaks the usual TV cop/lawyer stereotypes, like the film Black Panther does, by having African Americans as the major protagonists, the lawyer and family that lost a son.  Sud tries to include too much in this ten part series but its still riveting TV.

A Morning Of Sunshine

6:18

6:55

7:11

7:12

It's 7:20 and the sun just rose above a cloud cover to brighten the morning turn the gray lake to blue, matching the sky above.  It's 30º and it felt good to walk outside, the crisp morning air, sunshine, chirping of birds, the tapping of a woodpecker. 

Yesterday began with rain pelting our windows, a forecast of heavy wind much of the day, up to 60 miles an hour.  So we prepared some, for a loss of electricity, making sure we had lots of water (in case our well won't pump water), and we had small camp stoves available. And of course, there was hardly a heavy wind all day as the winds must have been north of us.  We did not do much then in the morning, wondering whether to hit Red's for pancakes but deciding it was too delicious to just stay home.  Around 11:30, however, I decided to get in a walk.  I wanted to hike the Long Point woods but because of the wind advisory, I walked Lakeside Drive instead for almost an hour. It's been awhile since I have made this walk so it's always interesting to see new houses popping up.  I stopped at the Bemus Grocery and picked up a cherry pie (shipped frozen from Maine) and some Clamato juice, as I am beginning to enjoy a Bloody Mary at cocktail time, with horseradish of course.

When I got home, we decided to skip a big breakfast but I wanted something for lunch so I heated up the leftovers from Saturday night's dinner, the Indian spice chicken and rice.  What would we do without leftovers?  Why do some refuse to eat leftovers?  The rest of the afternoon was a typical Sunday or weekday for that matter, watching some TV, reading, napping and waiting for wine time around 5:00.

Winter Vegetables

Dinner was already made Saturday morning by Evie, a tas kebab, Turkish stew, but I wanted to roast some winter vegetables so around 5:15, I peeled and chopped up parsnips, beets, sweet potatoes and turnips.  It was kind of fun, probably because I don't have to do it every day and I had a bloody mary to keep me company.  I spread them on a roasting pan, tossed them with olive oil and salt and pepper, then roasted them at 425º for around 35 to 40 minutes.  They went well with the tas kebab and eating them, especially the beets and sweet potatoes, was like eating candy.  Yum. 

Dusk

We watched a couple of more episodes of SEVEN SECONDS, not exactly a 'pick me upper', often dark, depressing and realistic, reminding me of American Crime.  We are hooked, however, and have three more episode to go.  We ended the night with Homeland, as Carrie's meds get in the way of whatever she is attempting to do.  It ain't clear.  Saul, however, is in a standoff with alt right Steve Bannon type of figure and it looks like it may end up like Waco.

More Gray, Fog, And Thaw

6:55

7:39

I am sitting here listening to a Doctor Radio podcast on back pain, how yoga and pilates 'may' help alleviate the pain.  Interesting but no seeming panacea.  It's already 50º out at 8:00 and the lake seem to have various sized small ponds of water sitting on the surface.

Hanging Out On A Budding Lilac Bush

Yesterday was like today weather wise just a bit cooler, the high around 40º.  We had an easy morning of coffee and reading the newspapers, either in hand or online.  It's one of the joys of retirement, having a leisurely morning, not having to rush off to school or work.  Around 10:30, we got busy as Evie decided to make some lentil soup.  I helped by cleaning almost a bag full of carrots, pulsing them to almost nothing in the food processor.  Using this and onions as a base, Evie finds, makes a really healthy and tasty lentil soup, mercimek chorba in Turkish.  Once that was begun, we made a list for Wegman's and I was going as well to the local Dunn Tire, to see if I could get two new tires for my good old Honda Accord, as I am tired of putting air in the tires every two or three days.

So around 11:00, I dropped off the trash at the Transfer Station, then stopped at Ryders for coffee and organic eggs, the bank, to pick up some cash at the ATM.  It's nice to be able to put checks in my account as well as get cash without getting out of the car.  I then drove to Dunn tires, talked with the specialist and decided on the cheapest yet decent tire, two for 180 bucks.  A deal?  It took about 30 minutes to get them mounted, as I ignored the Fox News on the tube,  as I read my book.  Afterwards, I drove away with a new feeling in my car, one of renewed stability and safety, all in my head I am sure.  I feel the same way after I go through a car wash.  I then drove to Wegman's, picked up enough veggies for the rest of the week if not more.  Earlier, I decided I wanted to roast some vegetable for Sunday's dinner, so I came home with turnips, squash, beets, parsnips, and sweet potatoes, enough for at least two if not three dinners.  Evie was not impressed (how about those two eggplants? ed. note).

Anyways, while I was shopping, Evie had put together another Turkish dinner favorite, tas kebab, basically a beef stew with allspice, cinnamon, red pepper and tomato paste, easy but tasty.  And by the time I got home, the lentil soup was done, so I had it for lunch along with a leftover meatloaf sandwich with ketchup for sure.  I watched half of the first episode of Season Three of Bloodline before getting bored and returned to reading my book and falling asleep, a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Around 4:30, despite the gray skies, I decided to walk the Chautauqua Institution, a walk we have not done in weeks.  Despite the weather, the absence of any action, the lack of color, it was a nice late afternoon to walk, cool enough for a rain jacket over a light fleece.  I was home by 5:30 and Evie was putting together our dinner, leftover chicken, with broccoli and an Indian marsala sauce from Trader Joe's.  We had our wine as we put together the dinner, or rather Evie did as I washed up the dishes.

We had dinner, the Indian chicken marsala, on rice, with a salad and were excited to return to the new Netflix series, SEVEN SECONDS.  Like all series, it has its and downs and just about the time we were getting bored with it, it turned interesting and pulled back our attention to the next episode. So we ended up watching three episodes, have six to go.  We ended the evening with Friday night's Vice News and some Winter Olympics.

A Chautauqua Gray Morning

6:56

7:43

I was up just about 7:00, the lake matching the sky with its gray.  I noticed a guy walking out to fish from Victoria and now, at 8:00, he's the only guy out on the lake, a lonely fisherman.  We should get some snow, rain, and heavy winds over the weekend.  Yet the last few mornings, I heard birds chirping when I walked outside to take a dawn photograph, sure signs of spring.  Now for the peepers and spring will actually arrive.

Yesterday we were both up early because Evie was getting an MRI on her spine because of sciatica which has been bothering her for a couple of weeks.  We were at WCA by 9:15 and left around 10:30.  We hope this is the first step towards recovery.  We stopped at Tops in Jamestown on the way home and Evie is beginning to think this is her favorite store, after Wegmans.  It's huge and has a whole section devoted to Goya products, most likely because of the Latino residents in Jamestown.  And they have all kinds of Latin American vegetables as well.  We bought a few things, tomatoes and feta cheese for sure because Evie was craving a Turkish tomato and cheese omelette for lunch.  On the way home, we stopped at B and H Supply, on Strunk Road and picked out a shingle because we are getting a new roof on our home this spring.  The salesman was great, knowledgeable and helpful.  What a difference that makes when shopping.  We are having Amish roofers shingle our house and they seemed professional and reasonable.  And they were the only roofers to return our call and stop by our house and give us a price.

3:56

We were home by noon, put the groceries away and Evie quickly got out the frying pan, sauteed the tomatoes, added the eggs and feta cheese and we had lunch, with a potato focaccia we bought at Tops.  We watched some tv and that was it for the both of us, as we relaxed and enjoyed the leisure of a rainy and foggy Friday afternoon.  Neither of us felt like cooking, baking, or going out for a walk, just watching the fog roll in, practically obscuring Long Point.

Around 5:30, however, we decided that going out for a fish fry would be easier and more fun than making a dinner at home.  So we drove off to Greenhurst, to Steener's Irish Pub, for their fish fry, pretzel breaded perch, with sweet potato fries, and fire roasted zucchini.  The place was packed when we got in, with only one seat open at the bar.  Evie took it and within five minutes, a seat opened up a couple of seats away.  We asked if a couple at the bar would mind moving down two and we both had seats.  We had the fish fry, loved the meal, along with a couple of beers.

We did not feel like lingering so within an hour, we were on our way home, ready for a night of Olympics and a new series on Netflix from Veena Sud, the creator of one of our favorite shows, The Killing.  We watched the two Russians skate on delay, both young amazing skaters.  We then watched the first two episodes of  Sud's SEVEN SECONDS and we both were quickly drawn into the series.  It will give us something fun and serious to watch over the next couple of days.  The story revolves around a police coverup of a hit and run accident of a young African American male, with echoes of Ferguson.

Windy And Dirty White

7:00

It's 7:15 on a gray, foggy, dirty white morning on the lake.  It's one of those winter days where you wish it were spring or 'really winter,' filled with snow instead of in between.  Like yesterday, the temperatures are in the 30's but will get up to the 50's later, so we will either a wet snow or  drizzle much of the day.

Yesterday at 11:30 AM

When we woke up yesterday, we had a couple of inches of wet snow on the ground.  It was nice to see some snow again even if it would not last long.  After coffee and breakfast, I decided to get in a short hike since I was not going to yoga.  So I put on my hiking boots and walked out Woodlawn/Victoria woods which as I mentioned was covered with a couple inches of wet snow.

Victoria Creek

As usual, it was good to be out in the woods even if it was only for a half hour.  I was tempted to try the lake but thought better of it as there was water along the shoreline.  When I got home, we experimented with some of the photographs that Evie had taken with her iPhone of old photos from the 1990's. We wondered what the quality would be like if we got them printed, so I went to the local Walmart Photo site and sent them an eight by ten.  Within twenty minutes, I had an email from them to say the photograph was ready to be picked up.  Ain't technology great.

Lunch was tuna salad sandwiches because Evie wanted to try out our new can opener.  It worked fine.  I watched the final episode of Season 2 of Bloodline.  It ended with another murder by the Rayburn family so next season will be filled with mega cover-ups.  I read and tried to nap but knew I had to be off to Jamestown by 1:30 so I just read.  So at 1:30, I drove the backroads to Walmart and picked up my photograph, fast and easy, as I was out in five minutes.  I then stopped for a couple of bottles of wine at Evans before driving to Farm Fresh Foods, in Jamestown, on 3rd, just north of the bridge.  They have a wonderful bakery and Evie had been thinking about doughnuts, so I bought two glazed and one cream filled, one custard filled for dessert after our dinner.  I then dropped my tax info off at the Westrum Tax agency on Main.  It took a few minutes to answer questions to see if anything had changed in my life, like a new source of income.  NO.  I then drove to the Subaru dealer where I was getting my brakes checked, making sure they were in good shape after 41,000 miles.  All was good so we will be ready for our trip West next week.  I did have to sit in a packed waiting room for an hour, occasionally having to talk with an old codger like me, who kept interrupting me and asking questions about the news on TV.  At least it was MSNBC, not FOX and no one really wanted to comment much on the topic, guns and schools.  By the time I finished, the sun had come out and it was blue sky ride home, as the gray of the morning had disappeared.

5:00 PM

I was home by 4:30, in time for us to share a half of a glazed doughnut as we could not resist.  We had planned on going out for wings but since I was gone much of the afternoon, we decided to just warm up the leftover roast chicken and have that for dinner.  So while it warmed up, I cleaned the brussel sprouts and Evie made a salad.  We then relaxed with wine, watching a wall of fog move in and out until the chicken was warm.

Fog Rising

Long Point At 5:04

We then had dinner, even better than the night before.  We watched the US team of two women win the cross country ski race.  It was so exciting that we both screamed when the US woman finished a half of ski length ahead of her opponent.  Pretty cool.  We also watched the women's individual skating but the last two Russians were cut off by the end of the coverage so we will have to watch it tonight.  We finished the night with a couple of Vice News before going up to bed.

RED SPARROW: JASON MATTHEWS

The first in a trilogy, set in Russia, much of Europe and some in the United States.  It begins with CIA agent Nate Nash, who works the most important spy in Russia, the Marble, the most important CIA source for years.  Nate, along with other CIA officers work Marble until Nate is sent to Helsinki for breaking the rules.  We then cut to the Russian version of the CIA, struggling to move into the 20th century.  Dominika, Egorova, a frustrated former ballerina, is chosen by her Uncle Vanya, to be a sparrow, a trained seductress. To get her to acquiesce, he intimates that Dominka's mother might just lose her apartment if Dominika does not cooperate.  She is sent to the Red Sparrow school where beautiful young women are trained to romance foreign nationals, eventually blackmailing them, so they cooperate with the Russians. These two are the major players, meet in Helsinki and both hope to turn the other.  It gets much more interesting in the last half of the book as they fall for each other.  Dominika ends up turning and becomes Marble's successor, at least that's what the CIA hopes.

Four Inches Of A Wintry Mix

7:35

9:15

It's awfully gray out at 7:00, with a forecast of snow this morning although so far, it's just a dusting.  It's 33º at the moment, quite a contrast to yesterday's spring like day.  I think this may be the prescription for the next month, as yesterday's temperature was a teaser, today more like winter should be. And the lake has lost its 'wet look' as the surface appears frozen although nobody is out fishing.

Yesterday was a strange day because of the change in temperature.  In the morning, the fog suddenly arose on the lake, a band of moisture that disappeared within an hour.  Evie needed me to pick up a prescription in Mayville, so I made a bit of a journey out of it.  I picked up the prescription, dropped a package off at the Post Office and decided since I was in Mayville, to drive up to Barcelona on Lake Erie to see if the lake was still frozen.  And I wanted to pick up a pie at Portage Pie but it was closed.  The road to Westfield,  however, was literally fog bound as I had to really slow down because visibility was poor.  Once I got down the ridge to Westfield, the fog cleared up.

Barcelona Beach

Barcelona was depressingly gray and wet, with a light rain, so it was not much fun getting out of the car, trudging to the beach to see a lake, a soup of ice and water, not Lake Erie at its most inviting.  I spent about a minute on the beach in the rain before hurrying back to my car.  Chautauqua Creek, which empties into Lake Erie, was a torrent, as full as I have ever seen it. 

Chautauqua Creek Bridge

The drive back to Woodlawn was better as the fog had abated although there were some major potholes to be avoided.  I was tempted to stop at the Lighthouse for a sub but resisted because I knew we had leftover meatloaf at home, much better than a sub.

Crazies Fishing In Mayville

When I got home, Evie was prepping a new chicken recipe, spatchcocking a chicken and marinating it for the afternoon in lemon juice before roasting it.  I decided against a meatloaf sandwich and instead put together a dinner of meatloaf, mashed potatoes and gravy before microwaving it.  I watched another Bloodline and have one episode to go in Season Two.  It's a series with no one to admire but interesting enough to keep watching.  We spent the afternoon listening to the student protests in Florida.  I am modestly optimistic; they may make a difference and force our lawmakers into making some changes.  I read some, thought about a walk, napped and waited for 5:00 so we could start wine time.

We had dinner around 6;30, the chicken basted with coca cola, along with a salad and asparagus for a change.  The chicken was good, not great so I doubt if Evie will make it again.  We watched some Vice News and waited for the Town Hall on CNN in Florida.  It was actually worth watching.  The kids, for the most part, asked good questions and put the three politicians on the spot.  Marco Rubio was an embarrassment (at least he showed up) as was Bill Nelson, the Senator, who used the podium to criticize the Governor, who will be his senatorial opponent next November.  These guys not only have no shame either using the format to campaign or repeat their same political talking points but they cannot answer a simple yes or no question with yes or no.  Infuriating.  The irony of all this is that something may be done because if Trump wants background checks and a ban on bump stocks,  the Republicans will support it.  If Obama suggested the same,  there's no way Republicans would have supported it.  I had enough of the Town Hall after the first hour and missed the second half when the NRA representative started to pander and explain why machine guns are necessary.

Spring For A Day

7:05

7:06

7:18

7:39

A mild morning, with lots of clouds and sunshine, as the lake continues to melt.  It's 62º at 7:45, may get up into the 70's like yesterday, then drop to the 20's overnight, ah fickle Chautauqua weather. We may even get some snow tomorrow.  It's now 9:00, the temperature has dropped 7º since I got up and a band of fog has almost obscured Long Point and Bemus Bay.

9:00

Creeping Fog

Yesterday was 'spring like', with temperatures reaching 70º in some of the surrounding towns.  When I drove into Lakewood, in my Honda which started right up when I pulled it out of the garage.  It seemed as if everyone was feeling the change as lots of people were out walking, jogging, even biking, taking advantage of the balmy day.  I stopped at Ryder's for a coffee, talked with Dave, a regular, before doing some shopping for dinner at Wegman's, the key, picking up their meatloaf mix of beef/pork/veal.  Despite the fact that it was discount Tuesday, it was not that crowded and I zipped right through the check out line.  The roads are still terrible so I went on the backroads to avoid the potholes.

Lakewood Dave

Evie was working on the photos when I got home and saving them on Google photo for, we hope, posterity.  Lunch was leftover potato/cauliflower soup, a bagel, and some cheese and sausage.  The rest of the afternoon we both wanted to get outside but we are both struggling some with strained backs so we stayed inside, listening to the interminable news, waiting for the 15 minute comedy time of lies and verbal diarrhoea with Sarah Sanders.  The reporters' patience of putting up with not answering their questions is remarkable.  I spent a good part of the afternoon reading after a nap of course and have started a new John Lescroart novel, THE VIG, the second in the Dismas Hardy series.  I like it.

Around 4:30, I walked along the lake of Woodlawn, marvelling at the now green lawns, snow disappearance, and the noisy, hard-charging Woodlawn creek. I talked briefly with our neighbors, Jeff and Nancy, who are contemplating the complete renovation of their older cottage, a difficult choice because the inside will lose some of its old cottage charms.

Evie had put together the meatloaf earlier in the day and scrubbed potatoes and trimmed the Brussel sprouts.  So the meatloaf baked during a nice wine time, and around 6:30, she went in to mash the potatoes and cook the Brussel sprouts.  Dinner was a throwback to the good old days and Mom's meatloaf dinner, with gravy and mashed potatoes.  I have come to love Brussel sprouts, probably my favorite vegetable yet when I was young, I disliked them.  I guess I have grown up.  We watched the second episode of Homeland, confusing as we are not sure who Claire Danes is working for.  And we ended the night watching the skate dancing.  All three of the medalists were outstanding but we were awed by the eventually Gold Medal winners, the Canadians.

A Balmy Tuesday Morning

6:57

7:25

8:08

A surprisingly mild morning here, the lake a vast skating rink, reflecting the colors of the clouds.  It's already 57º and will get up into the 60's this afternoon, spring like weather to tempt those weary of winter but not us!

7:48 

Yesterday began the warming trend, lots of melting snow and a seemingly endless afternoon and early evening rain.  Because I did not go to yoga, I decided to, nevertheless, drive into Lakewood for a coffee and enjoy Ryder's Cup for a half hour, so I brought my computer along.  After my coffee and talk with both Joyce, the barista and Dave, I drove to Save A Lot and picked up some things for our dinner, avoiding the potholes on the way home by taking a long cut.  When I got home Evie was busy scanning photos again, saving them on Google photos so we would have copies of old pictures.  It's time-consuming but worthwhile.

Evie made me a great lunch, linguini noodles fried in butter with a little romano cheese and hot sauce, topped with a couple of eggs.  Watched Bloodline and read some, tried to nap without much success and came downstairs to read as Evie spent most of the afternoon working on the photos.  She has the patience of Job, working on each photo until it's perfect.  This could keep her busy for the next three or four months as we have lots of old photographs, boxes of them.  I wanted to get in a walk but the rain seemed to never let up.  I did get out long enough to see if my Accord, which has been sitting in the garage since January, started and viola, it did!  So I will probably be pulling it out, putting some air in the tires and driving it the next couple of days because of the temperate weather.

4:30 PM

Fog Rising At 4:15 PM

We decided to have a real cocktail hour, with a Manhattan and some tasty appetizers, a couple of cheeses and crackers.  It was a good night to do it, nasty outside and cosy inside with a  fire going.  Evie began looking for music on Apple music and it was one of those nights where music just seemed so right, so amazing.  It started with one of my all-time favorites,  Neil Young's 'Southern Man,' a song which inspired Leonard Skinner to write, 'Sweet Home, Alabama."  We ended up listening to it, then talking about two great songwriters and songs from the movie PHILADELPHIA, one by Bruce Springsteen, 'The Streets of Philadelphia,' the other , Neil Young's 'Philadelphia.'  Great artists are also great songwriters, like Bruce, Neil, and of course, the Man In Black,  Johnny Cash.  Besides the duet between Johnny Cash  and Bob Dylan in the "Girl from North Country,' our next favorite, for now, is Leonard Cohen's 'Famous Blue Raincoat.'  Listen to them on Apple music and you will agree...they are dope!

Dinner was easy, ribs from Trader Joe's, baked potatoes, and coleslaw, perfect for watching another Real Time With Bill Maher, another episode of 'Divorce,' which made us wonder why the second season of most series are not as good as the first.  I finished my book, RED SPARROW.  It was good, making me want to read the second book in a trilogy.

A Morning Of Fleeting Color (Red's Pancake House)

Better Together

6:49

7:12

7:17

7:26

7:47

I was up at 6:40, to an awakening and colorful dawn.  Now, at 7:52 all is gray as a cloud cover and probably rain has moved into the area.  It's a chilly 34º, with some wind but should get up to 50º later in the day.

Yesterday was a busy and fun day for us, not our usual Sunday of a walk at the Chautauqua Institution although the weather is starting to cooperate.  We had a morning of 'large leisure', enjoying coffee, writing the blog, having some granola, listening to some of Sunday's news program, mostly, though, waiting for a lunch of pancakes and sausage.

Red's Pancake House

We were excited because Red's Pancake House, a 12-mile drive from our house, on Sherman/Clymer Road was opening for the next two months on weekends.  We try to have breakfast there every year and so we were happy to go there yesterday.  It was warm and cosy when we arrived, not too busy and because we have gone there many times, we have gotten to know the owner and the waitresses which is fun.

Pancake Happy

Yum

We love their buckwheat pancakes, served hot, with their own maple syrup and a couple of sausage patties.  It's all you can eat pancakes so I had five, Evie four although we probably could have eaten more.  By the time we left at 1:00, it was crowded, as church may have let out for some.

The Ride Home From Red's

We had an easy afternoon, no worrying about dinner because we were invited to Linda and Ron's.  So I watched some basketball, took a nap, read and Evie did much of the same, although she spent a couple of hours scanning old photos and adding them to Google albums.   The idea, of course, is to throw out the photo but she's finding that hard to do.  Most of the afternoon, the lake was busy and we marvelled at how lucky we are to have action (ice fishing) in front of our house but far enough away (along Long Point) to not be a bother.  It seems like there is always something to see, either fishing huts, four wheelers driving out to fish, snowmobiles, hikers, or cross-country skiers yet it's still quiet.

Happy Sunday On A Bucket

Auguring On A Sunny Sunday

We left for Linda and Ron's at 6:00 as dusk arrived.  They greeted us with the good news that they had sold their cottage next door.  So we had something to celebrate.  We relaxed in front of a nice fire, with appetizers and beers and talked about how much both of us enjoyed the film Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri among other things, like our mutual dislike for all that Trump stands for.  Dinner was a pork tenderloin wrapped in prosciutto, mashed sweet potatoes, creamed onions and peas, and a salad, all amazingly good of course.  We stayed till just after 10:00, enjoying a cheese and fruit plate for dessert.

Chicks In Black

It looks like no yoga this morning as I have strained my iliopsoas muscle, again, so I am going to take a couple of days off.  Depressing.