Seven Below Zero

Good Morning Cardinal

7:39

7:42

It's almost 8:00 and I have been up for an hour.  Evie's stirring upstairs, most likely having smelled the coffee.  It's ridiculously cold although I am nice and toasty in our house since we turned the thermostat up to 65º.

Fishing On A -7º Morning

The first ice fisherman appeared at 7:30, just off the tip of Long Point and a few more tents appeared shortly after.  We have lots of clouds but also had an interesting sunrise for a few minutes before the clouds took over.

7:42

8:04

Yesterday the temperature hovered around zero, a few degrees above at times, six or seven degrees below late afternoon and early evening. I was not sure if the yoga studio would be open but only one early class was canceled so after coffee, breakfast, and the blog, I fired up the Outback and drove to class, the car nice an warm just about the time I arrived in Lakewood. There were two other hearty souls there and we had an interesting class.  Jen, our teacher, is working towards her 500-hour yoga certification on weekends.  This past weekend, she was taught how to teach yoga to paraplegics, an important part of her class.  So she taught us how she taught them how to meditate, by sitting in a chair, putting a block between your thighs, then tightening a strap around your thighs, giving the paraplegics the support so they could straighten their backs.  It was a neat way to meditate or just sit comfortably.  We then continued with traditional yoga, finishing up the class.

I was tempted to get a coffee but decided to just head home to a warm house.  I was ready for lunch so Evie sliced up the leftover turkey, got out the cheese and tomatoes and I made myself a sandwich and heated up a packaged Ramen, a new, spicy brand.  I watched FNL's, enjoyed my sandwiches and carefully ate my hot soup.  We spent the rest of the afternoon hunkered down in our house, either reading, Evie taking photos of a pair of cardinals or watching TV, the always 'breaking news.'  I am enjoying my book on the Great Lakes, learning about all the kill-offs of various species of fish, the problems with introducing fish that are not natural to the lakes.

We had planned a week ago to drive to either Rocco's or Ribs and Bones, two restaurants a good 20 miles away.  Well, the weather put the kibosh on that so at Linda and Ron's suggestion, we went to Bellini's Lounge, in the Chautauqua Suites, a popular place for local residents because of its daily specials.  It was 7 below both coming and going and the roads were practically empty.  We joined perhaps 15-20 other people.  We both ordered pizzas, Evie and I a Margarita, Ron and Linda a pepperoni, mushroom, and onion.  Ours was a faux version of a Margarita, basically tasteless and we left half of it.  Linda and Ron's was the much better choice.  Our server noticed we had eaten only half of our pizza and despite my protests, she took the pizza off of our bill.  Pretty nice.  We were home around 9:00, in time to watch a Colbert before heading up to read more about the Great Lakes and Gabriel Allon.  I have two books going at the moment.

The Big Chill

7:51

8:04

8:13

It's 7:45 and I have been awake since 7:00, wondering if anyone would be crazy enough to walk out on the lake and fish in this morning's 4º temperature.  So far, I haven't noticed anyone, just a black-capped chickadee at our feeder.  And some blue is beginning to fill the overcast sky.  As the fear of the cold weather continues, schools are closed for two days and a couple of restaurants announced last evening on Facebook that they would be closed today.  I think the coldest morning we have had since retiring here in 2010 was a minus 17º, so compared to then, today is toasty.

Red Tailed Hawk

Yesterday was cold, with snow flurries on and off during the day but it did not get in the way of our doing things.  I made it to yoga at 9:30, despite the snow flurries and wet roads, to a good yoga class.  Most of the regulars were there. I skipped savasana and came straight home because Evie had a PT class at 11:30. While I was gone, Evie spotted a huge red-tailed hawk in our backyard and spent 10 minutes trying to get good photographs of him.  We think he might be one of the reasons are bird feeders have not been busy lately.

Keeping Warm

After Evie left, I cleared the parking area of a couple of inches of snow then came in for lunch.  It was easy, just heat up the chili, add cheese and oyster crackers and I had a good lunch. I watch FNL of course, read some of my book on the Great Lakes and took a nap.  Evie returned home around 1:00, having had a good PT experience.  She may go back.  Neither one of us did much the rest of the afternoon but at 4:00, I decided to give the lake a try and got out my cross country skis.  It was the right choice because the lake was perfect for skiing, no slush and a few inches of fresh snow so I could glide easily.  I went as far as Wells Bay, as fishermen walked out on to the lake, joining me.  The wind was negligible so I was never cold unless there was a gust.  I was a happy guy.

Cross Country Skiing In White

When I returned, we had wine/beer time with appetizers, pretzels and dip  Dinner was the leftover turkey dinner.  Evie put together as a salad, filled the plates with turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing, put them in the microwave and we had dinner.  We watched some news and were happy to know we had another Colbert saved to watch.  We ended the night watching another episode of The Great British Baking Show.

Waiting For The Arctic Cold

8:04

I woke at 6:00 but didn't get up until 7:20, having fallen back to sleep, the best.  It's an overcast morning, a mostly gray sky with a hint of pink.  Surprisingly, the temperature is still in the 20's because tomorrow and Thursday it may get below zero and we could get quite a bit of snow.

Monday was a normal day for us, nothing exceptional, no spectacular hikes through the woods, just hanging out at home which felt good.  I did get to yoga at 9:30, a Yin class, with lots of emphasis on forward bends, not my favorites.  I had quite a few stops, first at the bank, then at Auto Zone to get new windshield wipers, then shopping at Wegman's finishing up at Evans Liquors.  On the way home, I stopped at the Town Office, to drop off my taxes, then filled the car up, getting ready for the Winter Advisory on Wednesday and Thursday.

When I returned home,  Evie told me that our friends, Sam and Donna, who were invited for dinner, couldn't come because of an illness, opening up, unfortunately, our day.  Evie already had our dinner planned and was making Hellriegel's famous cinnamon rolls (recipe from Vi),  so we decided to just go with it and have lots of leftovers.  Talk about leftovers, I had them once again for lunch, the ham, cauliflower and potato casserole from Friday night, still tasty.  And watched Friday Night Lights, finished up my Jack Reacher novel and took a nap.  That was it for the afternoon until 5:00.

The Lake at 4:45 In The Afternoon

We were having a honey brined turkey breast for dinner, the first time we roasted just a turkey breast.  Evie remembered that our friend, Mary Lou, mentioned years ago how much they enjoyed it rather than the whole bird so we thought we'd give it a try.  So Evie put it in the oven, having already baked the cinnamon rolls mid-afternoon. And she put on the potatoes, got to have mashed potatoes, and made gravy using homemade turkey stock from the freezer and put the dressing in the oven as well.  What a woman. We enjoyed a glass of wine while dinner baked.

Our faux Thanksgiving dinner was amazingly good.  I don't usually like white meat but it was moist and tasty, especially when complemented by mashed potatoes, stuffing, and gravy.  I cannot wait for tonight when we can have the same dinner again.  We watched a new series on Netflix called Sex Education, a British series, about an awkward teenager whose mother is a sex therapist.  It's extremely explicit, gross, perhaps pornographic but also funny at times.  My only advice: Don't watch it with your kids.  We ended the night with an HGTV home renovation show called Home Town, set in the quaint Mississippi town of Laurel.  Earlier in the afternoon, I started Dan Egan's THE DEATH AND LIFE OF THE GREAT LAKES and I went up to bed early to get back to it.

Sunny, Blue Skies And 4º

7:35

7:40

7:45

7:56

It's a spectacular morning even though the weather belongs at the poles.  I was up just after 7:00 and went outside to get the paper and because it was so spectacular out, I ended up spending a couple of minutes shoveling the berm created by the plow, despite the cold. And what was once a white lake is now and a combination of orange, pink and gold, as the sun continues to rise.

7:57

Yesterday was a really good day, the kind we felt good about by the end.  It started as usual with coffee and writing the blog but by 10:00, we had agreed we would go snowshoe/cross country ski a section of the 26 miles long Overland Trail.  We have walked the entire trail in sections over the years but have rarely hiked it in the winter.  So we drove in snowfall to the Panama parking area, about 11 miles away.  I carried my skis to the trailhead, avoiding a fall over the plowed berm and we were off in what I can only call a winter wonderland of pine trees frosted with snow.

Our Church Is Nature

Evie loved it and we were protected from the wind by the pines.  We were out only forty-five minutes, just enough for Evie but will go back, wondering why we haven't snowshoed it before.

The Good Life

Bliss

After our outing, we drove through a blizzard to Clymer, another nine miles south, to the Dutch Village Restuarant, a popular local hot spot for breakfast and lunch.  We sat at the counter, of course, had a great young waiter who explained all the breakfast specials,  I had French toast, sausage, and hash browns (done crispy) and Evie had fried eggs, sausage patties, and homemade bread.  We waddled out after a brief walk through their country store, filled with knick-knacks, candles, even furniture.  We then drove home through a blizzard, taking our time, driving 35 in a mostly 55-mile zone.

Roads Were Busy With Amish Buggies

Once we returned home, we dropped on the couches, ready to spend the rest of the afternoon like a couple of sloths.  Evie watched an old movie, Working Girl, and I read and napped, joining her for the Rocky-like, feel good ending.  I am a sucker for them.  We enjoyed a glass or two of wine as the sky darkened, the temperature dropped into single digits.  Dinner was the chili Evie had made Friday morning, no muss, no fuss.  We had oyster crackers, not this Cincinnati chili stuff and we both enjoyed it, just the right kind of dinner after an outing.  We watched a mediocre Saturday Night Live, with Steve Martin as Roger Stone. The other skits were boring except for the Weekly Update, our favorite part of the show. We finished with a great CBS Sunday Morning, as they celebrated forty years on TV.  It was another trip down nostalgia lane and really well done.

"Finger Lickin' Good"

7:51

8:36

It's 8:00 and Evie has just gotten up.  I have been up since 7:00, watching the lake slowly populate with fishing huts.  After all, it's Sunday, a day to fish.   It's overcast, no sunrise this morning, a chilly 21º with a bitter north wind.

Walking/Skiing Long Point State Park

Yesterday ended being a good day although we really had no plans when we woke.  We took our time waking up, enjoying our coffee, breakfast, and our devices, in no hurry to get things done.  Around 10:00, however, Evie was fed up with me looking like an old goat and gave me a major trim, making me look like a 'young boy' once again.  After a shower, I gathered our trash and drove off to the Transfer Station.  By the time I returned, Evie had showered and put on her winter togs so we drove off to hike the Long Point State park woods.  I decided to cross country ski, hoping the trails were good for it.  They were except for the beginning when I attempted to ski over a two-foot berm of ice and ended up on my 'okole', a Hawaiian word for derriere.

Old Man Falling

Evie, of course, got a kick out of it and I had to take off my skis so I could get up.  We did, however, have a good trip through the woods, the tree trunks frosted with snow.  We met only one couple, walking their dog, who has a home in the Point Chautauqua and are from Chagrin Falls.  Evie did really well despite the rutted trail and even though we were out over an hour, she felt great.

When we returned home, I pulled last night's dinner, the potato, cauliflower and ham casserole out of the refrigerator, cut myself a big piece and heated it up in the oven.  It was just as good if not better than the night before.  I watched some basketball, then read and took a nap.  By 3:30, we were both ready to drive to the Lakewood Mall to see the Academy Award Nominated film, GREEN BOOK.  We were happy to see the theater now had what seem to be Lazyboys, the kind that you can recline and the feet rise up.  Evie loved it.  The movie was a bit preachy and predictable, but worth seeing, both informative and feel good.  I'm not quite sure it's an Oscar movie although now they pick ten nominees, making it easier to be chosen.  It did take me back to my Ohio University days when we played basketball in a tournament in the South in 1963.  I had no idea there were still 'whites only' hotels and restaurants and our black players never mentioned it. 

After the movie, we decided to head to the Rod And Gun, one of our three clubs!  The bar is huge, seating at least fifty if not more but we had to wait a few minutes before a couple left so we could get a seat.  It was a crowded night and we knew we would have at least an hour wait.  So we enjoyed our beers although Evie watched the bartender make bloody marys and because they looked so good, she ordered one.  We ended up running into Tina and Jim, a couple who live on the lake about a half mile from us.  They like us, are up most mornings, especially on weekends, and kayak.  So we have had many conversations over our kayaks but never in a restaurant.  They are up from Pittsburgh for the weekend for a family get together.  We will see them once again in June, once the lake's ready for kayers.  It was fun talking with them. 

A Happy Coincidence, With A Couple of Neighbors/Kayakers

Finally, as we were sitting at the bar, we noticed a couple of women, both most likely in their 80's, were sipping Manhattans, our favorite drink.  When they ordered a second, Evie said we would like to pay for them, making them our friends for life.  They were both local residents of course, and were enjoying a night out.  Just about the time we would have been called to the dining room, we both began to think about an alternative, hitting Kentucky Fried chicken for a take out and driving home, settling in our cozy TV room and watching Bill Maher's Real Time.  Well, the urge overtook our good sense and we are probably the only couple in New York who passed up a prime rib dinner for 'finger-lickin' Kentucky Fried Chicken.

And I have to admit that we were both happy with our choice although we felt guilty at our decision to pass on the beef, preferring the Kentucky fried, just a couple of bourgeoise and proud of it!  Real Time was great as Bill had the 'she-devil' on, conservative writer Anne Coulter. She was outrageous as usual and happens to be a good, longtime friend of Maher which is interesting.  We ended the night with Colbert although Evie went up to bed midway through it, too tired to stay up.

9º On A Sunny Saturday Morning

7:33

8:15

I was up early, at 6:30 and was taken aback when I walked outside in the bitter cold to get the paper. I don't envy the ten to fifteen ice fishermen out there this morning at 7:30.  We have been under a winter storm watch for the last 48 hours but have received maybe three inches of snow if that.  I guess it must have hit the Lake Erie shore, especially the Buffalo area.  I am not complaining.  Finally, when I woke up the sky was overcast but by 7:45, we were blessed with some light, then the sunshine by 8:00, a beautiful morning finally.

Saturday Morning Ice Fishing

Friday was typical, waiting for the snowstorm that never materialized and debating whether to go to yoga.  I finally made up my mind to go at 9:00 and was glad because it was a small class, three of us with lots of personal attention.  Julie is good at that.  I stopped for coffee and ended up talking with Dave for a while.  Steve came in and we then talked about new hips, knees and shoulders, all operations Steve has had.  It made me see how fortunate I  am to still be mobile and mostly pain-free.  We ended up talking about comedians and podcasts by comedians, something I have never paid much attention to.  Both guys attend comedy clubs and listen to podcasts by comedians.  I did download one on my iPhone, a recommendation of the bookstore owner called The Local News.  It's nice getting to know some local residents at the coffee shop.

When I returned home, Evie had been out shoveling a couple of inches of snow so I did not have to do it and making a pot of chili for the weekend, a multi-talented gal.  She was in the TV room, waiting to hear Trump explain why he was ending the shutdown but ultimately getting his wall, winning of course.  What a comedian.  For lunch, I had one of my favorites recently, a leftover salmon salad; it's the best, the reason why we always buy more salmon then we need for a meal.

'The Best'

And I watched another episode of Friday Night Lights.  Season Four has taken an interesting turn.  In the first three seasons, we followed football in the upper class, predominately white Dillon High.  Season Four, however, moves to East Dillon, a predominately black high school in a poor district.  They literally have had no football so Coach Taylor has to build the program.  I can predict the rest of Season Four and Season Five, as the East Dillon Lions will eventually win a couple of games and upset Dillon, depriving them of a chance for State in Season Four.  And in Season Five, they will end up winning State.  We'll see if I am correct.

The Woods

I took my nap, as usual, woke up feeling refreshed and around 4:00, went out to cross country ski on the beautiful frozen white lake, with blue skies, puffy clouds.  It was terrible, however, as it was all slush beneath a layer of snow and my skis immediately froze, literally putting the brakes on my skis.  So I trudged off the lake and skied to the campground and back.  I was out a good forty-five minutes so it was worth the effort to get out there.

Afternoon Cross Country Skiing

We decided to have a Manhattan to celebrate the end of the week, with pita chips and hummus, a good choice, as we watched the late afternoon sky darken, the fishing guys eventually trudge into shore in the dark.  Late afternoon, Evie put together a scalloped potato casserole, with ham and cauliflower, so it was baking in the oven during our cocktail hour.

Heading Out At 4:45 PM

The casserole was amazingly good, so I had three helpings, just a hungry boy.  We watched two Colberts, having missed one on Wednesday when we had company over and ended the night with another episode of The Great English Baking show.  We are addicted.  And I finished my Gabriel Allon, a bit disappointing and predictable and started the latest Jack Reacher novel, PAST TENSE.  So far, I am not taken with it.

A Winter Comeback

7:30

I was up at 6:30, walked outside to get the paper and the moon was out, a dusting of snow on the car. Now, an hour later, it's cloudy up and snow has begun to fall, obscuring Long Point.  Five to eight inches may fall over the next 24 hours, a good day to hunker down with a good book, chili cooking on the stove.  Hint.  And the fickle Chautauqua weather has just changed, bringing us some sun and blue skies.

8:00

8:45

Yesterday was a good day for a layabout, as I woke with a mild tummy ache, canceling both breakfast in Bemus and yoga.  Maybe it was just in my head because I got through the day easily, even went out to dinner in Bemus.  But it bothered me enough to layabout most of the day, as Evie got her groove back.  While I watched another episode of FNL's, Evie did her PT exercises, made a shopping list, drove to the gym to walk on the treadmill, did her shopping at both Wegman's and Save A Lot, got her hair cut and came home around 4:00, only to find me on the couch, watching another episode of FNLs.  O, yea, I forgot to mention before heading to the store, Evie made her sick boy a great Turkish omelet, with feta and tomatoes, my first meal of the day.

Needless to say, I had gotten as much as I could out of a sort of being sick by late afternoon so that when Evie suggested we meet Linda and Ron at the Seezurh House, I jumped at the opportunity to get out of the house.  We met them at the Seezurh House at 6:30, with only a few patrons at the tables although the bar was busy.  I quickly ordered a sure panacea for my tummy, a Yuengling lager and for dinner, I had their 'world famous' beef on wick.  By the time we left, I was feeling great.  It was fun catching up with Linda and Ron, both are doing fine, Ron especially was excited because he was getting a new six-speed Volkswagen GTI this weekend, replacing his old one.  He's a German car man.

A Blast From The Past (2010)

We were home by 8:30, in time to watch some of our favorite shows, Colbert and Vice News before going up to bed.  I am almost finished with my David Silva novel.  Gabriel Allon has just been rescued from the evil Russian oligarch and I assume in the last few pages, he will wreak his revenge by putting a bullet in the bad guys head.  Predictable.

Finally, I want to send a thank you to two of our blog readers, Sam and Meg.  We just received a holiday card from them with a nice note.  By the way, we tried to get in touch with you at the end of the season but could not find your residence, perhaps you had already left for home.  We will get together for sure in Spring when you return to the lake.  Thanks again for the card.  We had just thought of you the day before we received the card, wondering how you were doing, a happy coincidence.  Have a healthy and easy winter,

Let It Snow Or Rain

8:11

First Tent Of The Morning

It's 7:45 as I start my blog and I have been up since 7:00.  Evie's up too, so we are drinking coffee, listening to the same story on the radio that we listen to each morning.  Outside, it's all gray and white, as most of the snow on the lake has melted except for what fell last night.  A couple of fishing huts are out but smartly they are hugging the shoreline.  It's 32º and we received may an inch of wet snow overnight with more to come tonight and tomorrow.

Yesterday we had another warming up, as temperatures ended up in the '40s, melting the snow, creating slush and ice, making it scary to walk anywhere.  I was one of two people that ventured out to yoga class because of the weather I assume.  Our teacher was a substitute but fine, the one who rubs an analgesic on your shoulders and back at the beginning of class, sprays you with rose water and gives you a foot rub during savasana.  I can't believe I like it, just a SNAG (sensitive new age guy), I guess.

I didn't linger in the village because I had teeth cleaning appointment at 1:00 in Jamestown, so I drove straight home and Evie had lunch ready, a ham and cheese sub and her wheatberry soup.  I had time to watch part of the last episode of Friday Night Lights and things seem to be falling apart for the Patriot football program.  I was in Jamestown at 1:00 and literally slid down their parking lot because it was so icy and dangerous. The hygienist is new and for the first time in memory, I received a compliment, that I was doing a fine job of flossing and brushing my teeth.  Usually, it's you should be doing this or that better.  I liked her needless to say.  I stopped at an always empty Tops grocery in Jamestown, picked up a few things for dinner, then stopped at Peterson's Farm store and picked up 50 pounds of sunflower seeds for the birds.  Because they have been so sparse lately, we were wondering if it was the sunflower seeds, so we are going to try the new bag.

Found A Sweet Spot, In Front Of Our House

This Guy, Too

The rest of the afternoon was spent either relaxing and reading for me, prepping for our dinner guests for Evie.  By the time our neighbors, John and Maryann arrived at 6:00, everything was ready, the salmon marinated and ready to be put in the oven with the green beans and bacon and salad made.  And like good neighbors, they came bearing gifts, a homemade cherry pie and cornbread to compliment our dinner. Yum.  The thought of cherry pie made it difficult for me to concentrate on my dinner.

Good Friends, Great Neighbors

We enjoyed Trader Joe's 'unexpected cheddar' for appetizers, then devoured the salmon, cooked perfectly (after a couple of tries), with cornbread and salad.  The cherry pie was exceptional, especially the homemade crust, John's specialty.  We ended up talking about our kids and their first grandchild, due in February.  They are excited.  Around 10:00, we were both full and tired, so they headed home and Evie gave a start to cleaning up the kitchen.  She stayed down and watched some TV but I was tired from doing nothing so I went up to get back to my Gabriel Allon thriller.  It was a fun evening.

Warming And Wet

A Beautiful Tuesday Afternoon On The Lake

7:50

Both of us slept in until just before 8:00, a minor miracle.  It's a dreary morning here on the lake as the single digit temps have disappeared and it's now in the 30's and will stay there until Friday when it jumps back down to cold weather again. Despite the drizzle, a few fishing huts are out, braving the rain, enjoying the warm weather.

Ready To Augur This Morning

We began yesterday with a drive to Westfield at 8:00  because Evie was having an ultrasound at the local hospital.  While she was there, I drove to Mickey D's and had a coffee and a breakfast sandwich rather than sitting in the waiting room.  She wasn't done until 9:30 and since she had to fast, we stopped for a coffee.

It was strange being home in the morning, no yoga, so I hardly knew what to do with myself.  I ended up trying to sync my ewallet, an app that saves passwords with my phone to no avail.  I finally ended up emailing the maker of the app for help.  It should be easy but nothing on a computer seems easy for me.  Lunch was easy, just heat up the leftover beef stew and mashed potatoes in the microwave and I had a tasty lunch.  I watched FNL's and Dillon lost the state championship in the closing seconds.  I guess you cannot win them all, even on a TV soap.

Fishing, Late Afternoon

We both did little the rest of the afternoon, reading, napping, watching TV and meditating on what to do about dinner.  At 4:00, I went out to cross country ski on the lake but the wind was bitter, the snow was too deep, making it hard to ski easily.  So I stayed on the groomed roads, went through the campground and home.  I was out for forty minutes but was surprised that the 22º weather was not bad. 

A Happy Gal

When I returned home, Evie was chanting beers, steak and fries so I guess we were going to Steener's for their Tuesday night special, two Delmonico steaks, and fries for twenty bucks.  It's becoming our go to place during the week.  We found our favorite seats, at the corner of the bar. We ended up talking with a couple of interesting guys, both locals and snowmobilers.  One told us about the good old days when he towed a kayak behind his snowmobile from Bemus to Mayville, a wild ride. Our steak dinners were the best, tasty and done to perfection so I guess we will keep coming back.  The fries were great as well.  We were home by 8:00, in time to watch some Colbert and start a new season of The Great British Baking Show

By the way, I forgot to mention that two guys fell through the lake while fishing, one off of the Chautauqua Institution's bell tower.  I guess the lake becomes dangerous when either geese or swans gather and settle for the night, weakening the lake.  Both were able to pull themselves out but it was scary.