A Winter Sky

7:43

I was up at 6:15, to a cold, 45º morning, utter darkness and a howling wind.  Now, at 7:30, the lake and a cloudy, threatening sky are visible and I have to say, it does not look inviting for a paddle.  This week is special for us in that it marks the beginning of the ninth year of our blog.  We started it in October 2010 and have not missed a morning since, 3408 blog posts, 401 book reviews, and thousands of photographs of sunrises, wildlife, friends, and of course, family.  It's been fun for both of us and makes us pay more attention to our day, to the natural world, to how fortunate we are to live on Chautauqua Lake.  I did decide to kayak but cut it short because of heavy winds and a choppy lake, with two to three-foot waves.

A Brief Kayak Morning

We knew that yesterday might be the last warm day with some sun.  Unfortunately, I did not get in any kayaking because of breakfast in Bemus Point at 8:00 and I was not ready to paddle early.  When I returned home, I quickly left for yoga because I wanted to stop at my mechanics to see if he could check out a problem with my 2000 Accord.  Yoga was the usual, a crowded class, so different from my one on one the day before.  After class, I did a quick run through Save A Lot, picking up some ground chuck for dinner, dropped my car off at Keystone, and was picked up by Evie at 11:45. 

When we arrived home, it was still overcast and not very inviting to sit outside despite the temperatures in the 70's.  So we worked on putting up my blog on Facebook, something I do once a year to celebrate its start in 2010.  For lunch, Evie used up the leftover rotisserie chicken, making chicken, mayo and tomatoes sandwiches and I finished Season three of LUTHER.  After lunch, I read some, took a nap and did little, watched some of the devastation of Mexico Beach, FL, played over and over on TV.

At 4:00, we drove over to Bemus where Evie had scheduled a trim for her hair at a new salon,  on Main Street.  I walked for a half hour while she was in the salon and came out, happy with the hairdresser's work.  She will go back.

At home, it was time for a glass of wine and Evie started prepping dinner, making coleslaw, sauteing onions, and grilling some burgers for dinner.  The onions hit the spot and the burgers were better than any we could get at a restaurant.  We could actually taste the meat.  We watched three more episodes of THE AFFAIR and have one more to go before we finish the Season Four.  It was a bit long, talky but compelling at the same time.