So Far, So Good And Winter's Back

7:05

Sunday Night Snow And Wind

I am sitting here at 7:30, listening to the wind howl, the trees shake and watching the snow blow across the lake, practically obscuring Long Point.  We have had heavy winds for the last 15 hours, gusting up into the '40s or '50s but usually a steady 20 + MPH.  I cannot remember such sustained heavy winds.

Long Point This Morning

Yesterday morning was the calm before the windstorm, which we knew was coming.  So we continued with our preparation in case of loss of electricity.  Evie made up breakfast sandwiches in case we lost electricity, secured the kayaks,  and I brought the grill closer to the house in case we needed it.  And I moved the car to an area where it seemed safer than under our willow tree. 

Sunday Morning, Before The Snow And Winds

Because it did not start snowing or get windy until the afternoon, I went for a walk through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  It was a perfect temperature, the ground a bit frozen so I was able to avoid a soggy trail.  In other words, it was a good walk through the bare naked beauty of a leafless woods.

Woodlawn Creek

Woodlawn Sunday Morning

When I returned, we decided to have our breakfast sandwiches and watch CBS Sunday morning, back to normal for us.  Another good TV morning, with its emphasis on the Oscars.  We then whiled away the early afternoon, reading and for me, napping.

Around 3:00, however,  we decided to watch another film on Prime Video, LEAVE NO TRACE, which I heard mentioned as a film that should have been nominated for an Oscar and we both agree.  Critics may love BLACK PANTHER or ROMA or GREEN BOOK but for Evie and me, we enjoyed the quiet intensity of LEAVE NO TRACE much more than the Oscar nominees. 

A father, a vet of an unnamed war, lives off the grid with his daughter until authorities roust them out of their seemingly idyllic life in the woods of Oregon, forcing them to move into housing because they were deemed 'homeless.' The father, however, clearly psychologically damaged by war, cannot abet living within a society. This need ultimately leads to a conflict with his daughter who wants and needs a community. Mature beyond her years, she also understands her father's need to be alone.  The ending though satisfying brought both of us near tears.  WATCH IT.

After the film, Evie got busy in the kitchen, sauteing mushrooms and grilling some onions before frying us up a couple of diner-like burgers.  Along with microwaved Bob Evans Mac N Cheese, we had a dinner fit for a pre-Oscar party.  We watched some of the Red Carpet with Ryan Seachrist, then the Oscars until about 10:15 when we went to bed.  We can't say we missed having a host and the opening number by Queen was a fitting beginning to the celebration of film.  My one big surprise was that GREEN BOOK won the best picture, a film we liked but did not love and certainly did not think was Oscar-worthy.  Who can account for taste?

Sunday Night Blast