Up And At 'Em At 5:50

Cardinal Among The Budding Lilac And Rhododendron

7:18

7:22

It's a partly cloudy morning, a cold 20º, with little wind.  When I came downstairs just before 6:00, a couple of lights were already out on the lake, fishermen ready to get the early worm or fish.  It looks like single digit weather will be arriving on Monday and stick around until Thursday or Friday. Evie was up at 7:00 and we both listened with disbelief to the listeners on C-Span explain why they still support Trump.  Some are reasonable but most parrot the worse of Trump and Fox News lies and hyperbole like Democrats want 'to kill babies'.  They drink the Trump kool-aid with little or no skepticism.  And many listeners dislike and contempt for anything Democratic is palpable.  Like most of us, they bend facts, believe the lies that support their beliefs.  Scary whether on the Republican or Democratic side.  How anyone could support Trump after watching his circus performance at CPAC yesterday is a marvel.  It was, however, Trump at his best or worse, depending on your view.

Saturday ended up being another good day, like most days really.  We enjoyed the leisure of an extended morning coffee because I had no yoga on Saturday or Sunday.  It feels like a luxury to not worry about getting ready for yoga.  My one chore, to get the trash together and drive to the Transfer Station can wait until I feel like it as it stays open until 3:00.  We talked about what to do about dinner, our usual morning talk.  For some reason, probably because we have been watching The Great English Baking show and their episodes on biscuits, I suggested chicken and biscuits.  It sounded good to Evie so she pulled the chicken out of the freezer and started putting together some of the dinner although the biscuits needed to be made last minute.

Friday evening Ron and I talked about going to a sectional basketball game at Jamestown Community College.  We decided to go and we were leaving at 1:00 to watch the local girls team, Chautauqua Lake was playing.  Because of this, I decided to get in a cross country skiing before lunch.

Cross Country Skiing In Gray

I was not sure of the condition of the lake but once I got out there, it was fine, a layer of snow with some ice, no mush.  I was out for forty-five minutes, skiing north down to Whitney Bay and back.  Despite the gray skies, I enjoyed it, especially the lack of wind.  When I returned, Evie had my lunch ready, soup and nachos, because I was leaving in forty-five minutes.

It Takes A Village

We left at 1:00 and couldn't park in the usual parking lot because it was so crowded.  We drove to the other side of campus and easily found a space.  Chautauqua Lake played after the previous game and were ready just after 2:00.  lt was not much of a game as they surged to an 18-2 lead, then held on to win by 20 points.  It always amazes me at how hard the girls play, how they play non stop for 32 to minutes.  I don't think I could have managed this pace back in the old days.  The girls have to be in great shape.

I was home by 4:00, in time for some TV and then a pleasant wine time.  Just before we sat down, Evie put together the biscuits and put them in the oven with the chicken.  We ate at 6:30 and I had found a film I thought we might like and new to Netflix called THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN. 

It's a decent coming of age movie, like Sixteen Candles or The Breakfast Club.  Life is not easy for Nadine, an awkward, shy 16 year old, with a poor self-image and few friends.  She feels alone, misunderstood by her mother and envious of her brother's cool.  At times it's hilarious, at others sad but overall, a frank, honest view of how hard high school can be for many girls.  It's worth watching, and we were surprised how much we enjoyed it.  By the way, Woody Harrelson is great as her one friend, her high school English teacher.  We ended the night with another home improvement show, not wanting to start a new series or film.