Winter Solstice, Finally

Woodlawn, Friday Afternoon

8:05

Well, it's been a long morning since I have been up since 5:00.  It's now 8:15 as I start this.  I have read both the NYTimes and Washington Post, listened to a podcast discussing The Morning
Show and wondered why someone was using a chainsaw at 5:30 in the morning over towards Tom's Point? The lake is frozen although not thick enough yet for any fishermen.  The geese are gone from in front of our house although I could hear them honking over towards Tom's Point.  It's still cold out there, 18º, with a gray-blue morning sky.

Yesterday was cold, mostly cloudy until mid-afternoon, with no snowfall.  I had a busy morning, with yoga at 9:30, a doctor's appointment in Jamestown at 11:00, then shopping at Aldi's on the way home.  I was in and out at doctor's office, the same at Aldi's, so I was home by 12:15 to a kitchen that looked like a disaster.  Evie had been busy making appetizers for the next week and had four or five trays out on the porch ready to freeze.  She is amazing, as I play, she bakes and cooks.

After helping some with the kitchen, I had lunch, the leftover rice, and stir fry and watched my show.   I was happy to get back to the newest Michael Connelly thriller, with Bosch, perfect for a pre-nap read.  By 2:30, Evie was ready to relax, the living room finished, the appetizers and soup made, all ready to freeze for next week.

Blue Skies Through The Trees

Around 4:00, I pushed myself off the couch and donned hiking boots and went for a forty-five-minute walk through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods.  Although I would have preferred to stay on the couch, I always feel better after my hike. The woods were filled with tracks, from deer, rabbits, squirrels, perhaps a coyote or fox.

 A Path Well Travelled

Victoria Creek At Dusk

By 6:00, we were showered, dressed and ready to drive for a fish fry at Rod And Gun Club in Lakewood.  We were lucky to find a parking spot and a place at the bar, a good omen.  We ended up talking with John from the Chautauqua Conservancy.  We were seated quickly because the club was not that busy.  We had Carol, our favorite waitress, ordered fish fries and both were hot and nicely battered.  Looking around, I realized why we like the club.  We feel young there with the average age of most diners would be in their 80s.

We were looking forward to getting home because the final episode of The Morning Show was on Apple TV.  It left the viewer with many questions, obviously, because there will be another season.  Yet is was satisfying too, making us want to go back and watch it again, like reliving a car crash.