A Morning With Forty Ice Fishermen

7:39

Heading In At 8:30

It's after 8:00 and both of us are up, listening to Morning Joe, on an overcast 29º morning.  It may warm up into the '40s over the weekend, with either some snow or rain on Super Bowl Sunday, as fickle Chautauqua weather moves towards another warming up.

Yesterday was a strange day for me because yoga was canceled.  What to do? Evie certainly didn't want me around all morning so after the blog, breakfast, some cleaning up, organizing drawers, throwing out receipts, things like that, Evie got the bright idea for me to cross country ski Webb's Trail, groomed for snowmobiles but too warm for them right now. 

A Perfect Morning For Cross Country Skiing

So I drove to Mayville, put on my skis and skied on a slight incline to the end for close to a half-hour.  It's actually an old railroad track so it's raised above the ground often 10 to 15 feet.  It was perfect for skiing, a nice, crunchy base and the skiing back, again, a slight downhill went quickly.  I worked up a good sweat and took some photographs of the woods, the trail, covered with snow.

Webb's Trail

When I returned home, I was hungry and Evie volunteered to make me quesadillas but I decided to warm up the soup and have a Turkish breakfast, feta cheese on toast topped with jam.  Yum.   I watched another episode of Tin Star, some of the impeachment hearing, then got ready to drive to Jamestown for teeth cleaning. When I arrived, I found the dentist had gone home sick but the hygienist still was willing to clean my teeth.  We talked during the entire cleaning, mostly about her daughter who plays volleyball at the local junior college. Afterward, I drove to Lakewood, stopped at Aldi's to pick up a few things, the bank to cash a long-overdue check, and ended the day with paying my property tax bill and filling up the trusty old Honda with gas, quite a busy day actually despite not having yoga.

Beers And Pizza At Brazil's With Jim And Barb

We were going out to dinner with neighbors, Barb and Jim, to Brazil's in Jamestown, for a couple of beers and an appetizer, ending the evening at the benefit for our local soup kitchen, St. Susan's Center, which feeds the needy 365 days a year, an amazing organization which exists because of donations and volunteers.  Brazil was busy but not crowded and we, fortunately, found seats at the bar.  We shared a deluxe vegetarian pizza, just right because the soup and dessert at the St. Susan Center was average. 

Brazil's Colorful Beer Menu

We stayed at Brazil's for an hour, went to St Susan's, donated ten dollars when entering, had soup and listened to the music for forty-five minutes before deciding to go home.  The event drew perhaps over a hundred people, all mostly our age, many volunteers.  It's a good cause.

We were home by 8:00, in time to watch, guess what, the impeachment trial, some Cobert and ended the night with another Home Town which, after 15 minutes, we realized we had already watched.  Typical. 

14º On A Pink Sky Morning

7:20

Early Birds

7:25

It's 7:20 and I have been up for an hour.  I did not, however, beat the ice fishermen up as they were out when I looked out at the lake.  It must be a bit chilly out there but they look like they are having fun.

Yesterday was uneventful, beginning with an early rising, the blog and then yoga in Lakewood with the same four people each week, a good class.  I stopped at Sav A Lot and picked up some pork ribs for our pork and sauerkraut dinner on Super Bowl Sunday, easy and tasty.  When I got home, Evie was relaxing after a busy morning.  I warmed up the Greek soup and ate the rest of my sub from Walmart and watched my new series, Tin Star.  I am not crazy about it but will stick with it for another couple of episodes to see if I get pulled in.

3:50 PM

The impeachment hearings started at 1:00 and we watched them on and off during the afternoon.  I took a timeout to read and nap, then watched until I got bored and decided I needed to get some exercise.  I decided to walk our woods mostly because the sun had come out, the sky was blue after a couple of days of gray.  It was a good walk, following many animal tracks as well as footsteps and cross country ski tracks.  I was out for forty-five minutes, longer than usual because I took my time and took lots of photographs. 

Peter Rabbit

By 5:30, we were enjoying a glass of wine and had taken time off from watching the hearings. We had a good laugh as the pundits made fun of Alan Dershowitz's ridiculous defense of Trump, deservedly so. His histrionics and sophistry undercut his believability and reputation, already stained by having Jeffrey Epstein as a client. Dinner was a couple of burgers, with grilled onions and mushrooms as toppings along with a salad and a cheesy cauliflower bake. Yum. 

We watched a couple of Colberts in between some of the impeachment, a Home Town, then to bed, tired of watching TV, the arguing, the sameness, the posturing of the speakers.  To quote Macbeth: "It is a tale/ Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,/ Signifying nothing."

Winter Skies

7:50

It's 8:25 and I have been up for only an hour, having slept in until 7:30, a minor miracle.  Four or five guys are out fishing, a couple in the middle of the lake, a few along Long Point's shoreline.  It's 27º and should not get much warmer over the next couple of days.  Just cold enough to feel like winter.

Yesterday, a Tuesday, was a typical weather day, gray, cold, nothing to get excited about.  The lake is still too dangerous to ski on, the snow's too wet as well, so I didn't get outside although I might have been able to go for a hike but the weatber was not inviting enough to get out there.  So after I finished the blog, I drove to yoga, my one requirement of the day, for a beginning yoga class with Julie, always good because there are few beginners, most regulars.  After class, I stopped at the bank to get some cash, having spent it all on Monday's concert.  Since I was across the street from Walmart, Evie sent me in to get a few things for last night's dinner.

When I returned, Evie had a big pot of Greek lemon/chickpea/egg soup simmering on the stove, ready for my lunch.  Since I had stopped at Walmart, I picked up a sub to share with Evie.  The soup was great, the sandwich mediocre, and I started a new series, Tin Star, on Prime Video.  So far, it's fine, set in Calgary, as there's a new Sheriff in town, actor Tim Roth.  I then sat down and finished my book, DISAPPEARING EARTH, by Julia Phillips, which I highly recommend. It's set on the Kamchatka peninsula in Eastern Russia.  After finishing the book, I took a great nap, happy to be done with one book, ready to start a new one.

Late Afternoon Gray

Evie had been busy, putting together our dinner, a cold linguini dish with Asian flavors, like peanut, siracha, and soy sauce.  Vegetables were added to the noodles, to make it a main course.  We took it easy the rest of the afternoon, with the only big thing being the shearing of my beard and head, making me once again a 'young boy.'  After a shower, we enjoyed some wine and appetizers, pretzels with dip, healthier than chips as the sky and lake darkened. We enjoyed our dinner even though it was more like a summer dinner and watched Real Time With Bill Maher from Friday.  It was funny and depressing, as always, so that we were ready for something different when we finished.  We watched a new episode of Home Town, then some basketball before going to bed.  The days are going too quickly, as it's almost February.

Winter Resumes (sort of) - Rolling Hills Radio

A Night With Phoebe Legere

8:03

It's 7:40, the sun has risen somewhere behind the cloud cover, the lake and sky a whitish-gray.  It's 30º and perfect for a few wet snowflakes this morning when I walked out to get the Post Journal.  It should stay in the low 30's with the possibility of an inch or two snow.

We had an easy Monday, with not much happening until dinner time.  I was up early, wrote the blog, then drove off to yoga class, with a substitute teacher.  The class was different which I liked and went quickly.  I stopped for coffee, drove home and Evie was in Mayville for a doctor's appointment.  She had thoughtfully prepared my lunch, a plate of leftover rice and chicken piccata so all I had to do was pop it in the oven and then enjoy it.  Since my series, Peaky Blinders had ended, I needed to find a new series so I watched the first episode of a series called Hand Of God.  I am not sure I will stick with it, a bit silly as a judge is born again, hears voices that lead him to bad guys.

Evie was back by the time I finished lunch and we watched with great amusement as Ken Starr tried to suggest impeachment was a bad thing for the body politic after he had been the lead counsel in the impeachment of Clinton because of sex with Monica Lewinsky and lying about it, clearly a threat to America hegemony and world peace.  What a hypocrite.

The afternoon went quickly and by 5:15, we were showered and ready to be picked up by Ron and Linda and drive to Jamestown, for another concert at Shawbucks, part of the Rolling Hills Radio program.  For twenty-five bucks, we get a concert and a buffet, of soup/salad and beef stroganoff, a good deal.  We were there mainly to see the much-ballyhooed, fifty-seven-year-old Phoebe Legere, an old fashion dame, a combination 'of Edith Piaf and Lucille Ball.'

'O, Mama,'

From Wikipedia:

Phoebe Hemenway Legere is a multi-disciplinary artist.^[1][2] She is a Juilliard-educated composer,^[3] soprano, pianist and accordionist, painter,^[4] poet,^[5] and a filmmaker,  graduate of Vassar College^[6]

Tough Old Bird

Before she took the stage, a folk group from Buffalo called Tough Old Bird.  They were great good, singing original songs about Lake Erie and the Rust Belt cities like Buffalo.  Phoebe followed, backed up by a group called the Crawdaddies.  She was a hoot, belting out originals, playing either a guitar or accordion, loving the attention of being on stage.  She is definitely a performer, having been an opening act for David Bowie, a friend of Huner Thompson. The audience loved her and her band so it was another great night of music.

Finale

Phoebe With Another Tough Old Bird

We didn't get home until 9:30 and the roads were fine, no snow.  We had enough time to race through the Grammy's, watching a view of the acts we wanted until it was time for bed.

Gray And White

A Fun Evening

8:26

It's just about 8:00 and I have been up since 6:30, listening to the tributes of Kobe, politics, and whether John Bolton's reveal about Trump will make any difference.  No, it won't.  It's 30º and we had an inch or two of wet snow overnight. 

Yesterday was not a typical Sunday because we were having friends over for a Sunday dinner.  That meant we had to decide what to make not only for dinner but for dessert.  We finally settled on dinner, so around 10:30, after writing the blog and getting some things done around the house, I left for Wegman's to pick up whatever we needed for dinner and for the week.  The roads were fine despite the snow, just wet, and Wegman's was fairly crowded, with the church-going crowd.

When I returned home, Evie had already put together most of the dessert, a galaktoboureko, basically phyllo dough filled with custard, a Greek delight.  Once that was in the oven, it was time for our Sunday breakfast, a Turkish egg dish called a menemen, basically eggs, with tomatoes and feta cheese.  We watched a great CBS Sunday Morning, with stories so diverse it was mind-boggling. The range of the show, from arts to personal stories, to the environment, to whatever, is exceptional and makes it worth watching.  The best part, it ignores politics for the most part. 

Once breakfast was over, I cleaned up the kitchen and Evie prepared the rest of dinner, a salad and chicken piccata so that most was done when our guests arrived.  We could then relax for the rest of the afternoon and like anyone who was following the news, were shocked by the death of NBA great Kobe and his daughter.  What a tragedy for his family.

Wendy and Charlie arrived at 5:30 and it's always fun to see them.  They loved our new carpet and couch and loveseat, which made us feel good. We enjoyed appetizers, the buffalo wing eggrolls, and drinks for an hour, catching up on both of our families, especially their son who lives in Sweden.  It made us feel less bad about our kids living so far away from us, 

Dinner With Charlie And Wendy

Dinner was exceptional, the chicken piccata tender and perfectly seasoned with lemon,  Everyone cleaned their plate, no salad, rice, or creamed spinach left on their plates.  We had dessert in the living room to end the evening.  They left around 9:30, just as it was beginning to snow once again but the roads should have been fine.  We then washed and dried most of the dishes, ending the evening with watching some of the Grammy's until we were too tired to stay up. 

Barely White

8:46

It's later than usual as I start the blog, 9:20.  We are both up listening to NPR, looking out at a white lawn, gray lake, and sky.  It's 32º and we got an inch or two of wet snow last night.  And I was surprised by three Canadain geese, waddle out on the ice in front of our house,

Looking For Open Water

Yesterday was a miserable Saturday, with rain or sleet much of the day, the snow having melted, leaving only ice behind, making it dangerous to walk.  Because of the warming temperatures, no one was on the lake fishing, sensibly and surprising.  I left for the Transfer Station, gingerly walking to the garage to gather the trash.  As usual, the Transfer Station was busy, for me, the only action of the morning. 

I really dislike having to stay inside yet that was my Saturday, no yoga, no hiking or cross country skiing, no shopping,  So most of the day was spent either on my computer, reading or watching some TV.  Lunch was the leftover sub and sadly, I finished my series, Peaky Blinders. Fortunately, they are in the process of filming Season Six, with Seven to follow.  I will just have to be patient.  The rest of the day went slowly for both of us although we were looking forward to the evening because Linda and Ron had invited us to dinner.

A Beautiful Evening At The Best Restaurant In Town

We left at 6:00 for their house, just as it was beginning to snow.  It was good to be cozy and warm in their house, beers and appetizers waiting as we took off our boots and put on our slippers.  We sat in the kitchen, enjoying our beer and breaded artichoke appetizers, as dinner cooked.  Around 7:30, all three of us helped Linda plate the vegetarian lasagna, meatballs with tomato sauce, and salad with crumbled blue cheese.  It was a feast, with crusty bread and a bottle of nice red wine.  We finished the evening in their living room, sipping shot glass after shot glass of homemade lemoncello, delicious but lethal if we drank too much.  We drove home around 9:45 in light snow, on a surprisingly busy Rt. 394.  We ended the night watching TV for a half-hour before bed, happy to have had a good ending to an otherwise boring day.

Meltdown

7:36

8:04

No Fishing Huts This Morning

It's 9:00 as I start my blog and we are both up, looking out at the melting lake, where pools of water cover the ice.  It's another gray on gray morning, not a shard of sunlight, just gray skies and shoreline reflections on the ice.

Friday Afternoon Fishing

Friday was Friday, not much different from most Fridays in January.  The day started early, getting up at 5:00, listening to podcasts, shooting some morning photos, then writing the blog.  I made myself go to yoga, tired of it after a full week.  I am glad I did, as always, because I usually feel great after class.  I decided to drive to a local grocery/produce store in Celeron, Brigiotta's.  It's been serving the area forever.  I was there to get their feta cheese from Greece, some phyllo dough and I picked up a sub sandwich to go.

When I returned home, Evie had been working on the pantry, another never-ending job since we don't have enough space for all our goodies.  At least we can now find something if we want it.  We split the sub and I watched my show, read some, then took my nap.  My day does not change much.  We decided to finish the Anne With A E series on Netflix, watching the last two episodes midafternoon,.  We like it despite its attempts to bring in modern themes.  And as I said before, Anne is a delight.

Once again we were at six and sevens as to what to do for dinner,.  We thought driving to the Stockton Inn for a fish fry was a good idea but as we got closer to 6:00, the half hour drive in the dark and rain seemed to be too much.  So we went to our stand by the Rod and Gun club for dinner.  For once, we had to wait quite a while for a seat at the bar but we ran into a couple we had met previously from Falconer whom we really liked.  We talked with them for 20 minutes before finding a seat at the bar, then being called to dinner.  Evie had the fish fry and I had pork chops with a tasty Ceasar salad and fries,  It was a busy place and we always enjoy the ambiance.

We were home by 8:30, in time to watch Colbert, more of the Impeachment hearings, then some basketball before going up to be earlier than usual, at 10:00.  It seemed like a long day.

Fishing As Sun Rises

Fishing Before Sunrise

7:13

7:21

7:33

 It's 7:15 as I start this and I have been up since 5:45.  The first fishermen were walking out on the ice at 6:30 and I could hear them talking.  They had a lantern to lead the way but now it's light enough to see them clearly.  Like yesterday morning, a bright red streak hangs over Tom's Point, the southern shoreline. 

7:35 

7:50

We had another partly sunny day Thursday, perhaps a trend is starting here in Chautauqua County.  It was in the teens early, ending up in the high 30's by the end of the day.  I made it to breakfast at 8:00 at a crowded Bemus Point Inn.  It seems like Thursday morning is a good day for guys to gather, as there were at least four tables of men, all seeming retirees.  After breakfast, I finished up the blog and drove to Yin Yoga with Danielle.  It's a class of regulars for the most part, as Yin meets both on Mondays and Thursdays.  After class, I went to the bank and cashed two checks from medical facilities, as I overpaid for services.  I ought to do what my financial planner suggested; never pay for the first medical bill; always wait for the second, then pay.  I also stopped and got my car washed, waiting in line because of many locals at the same idea.  Finally, I did a quick run-through at Aldi's, picking up a few bargains, some staples for dinner. 

Lunch was ready when I returned home, the last of the chicken noodle soup and a couple of hard salami sandwiches.  I was ready to relax in front of the TV, enjoy my lunch and watch my show.  Evie was talking on the phone with our friend Vi so I waved and said I was going to read, then take a nap. Because of my nap, the afternoon went quickly and by 4:30, I was ready to do something outdoors despite the graying sky.  So I put on my skis and cross country skied for forty-five minutes through the Woodlawn/Victoria woods, following, for the most part, the trail set by our neighbor Jeff.  I was more cautious than usual so I took off my skis on one hill, lacking confidence that I would be able to stop at the bottom.  It was a good choice for a 77-year-old guy. 

Winter Dreary

Fishing at 5:40 PM

When I returned Evie had prepped dinner, marinating the salmon, making the garlic spinach and a salad so we could relax with a glass of wine before dinner.  We ate earlier than usual, at 6:00 because we were both hungry and the salmon with rice, garlic spinach, and salad filled the bill.  We were not sure what to watch so we went back to our usual, Colbert, then some home improvement shows, with sections of the impeachment hearings which dominated all three major channels.  Adam Schiff was most impressive, with his command of the facts, seemingly without notes.  I am not sure, however, if it will make any difference, whether any Republicans were listening.

That Morning Sky

7:11

7:20

7:21

7:52

It's 7:25 and I leave for breakfast in Bemus Point in a half hour.  I have been up since 6:00, a frosty 15º morning, a red, now pink horizon off towards the south, Tom's Point.  The lake is frozen and the fishermen were out yesterday afternoon and five this morning at 9:15.

They Are Back

Yesterday was another decent winter day, some sun, some clouds.  Our routine rarely changes so that we finished the blog before I left for a yoga class.  There were only four of us and our teacher, Jen, is thinking of no longer offering the class, alas.  She is really good.  After class, I stopped at Ryder's Cup, and it was Dave's birthday, one of the regulars.  It was a busy place.

I was home just afternoon and Evie had been busy although because of the ice, she stayed inside, not venturing out.  I stopped at Walmart after coffee to buy some deicer because our walk was a sheet of ice.  Lunch was leftovers, mac n cheese, and cauliflower soup. And I watched my show, read some and napped,  By 4:00, I was antsy and ventured out on my cross country skies and was surprised at how pleasant it was, the snow still dry enough for skiing.  I went down through the campground, around the boat lifts and home, about a half-hour and I worked up a sweat.

Cross Country Skiing Between The Boat Lifts

When I returned home, Evie was showering because we were going out to dinner at  Jack and Diane's house on Elm Flat Road.  They live on a 60-acre farm and it was a half-hour drive, taking our time because of poorly lit Amish buggies on the road.  They live in a cozy, many roomed farmhouse. We relaxed with chips, queso and beers, then enjoyed two great soups with bread and salad for dinner.  We then were treated to their photographs from their five-week trip to Australia, Tasmania, and New Zealand this past fall.  The trip, the photographs, everything about their journey was amazing.  We could not help but want to visit there some time, especially New Zealand, a spectacular and varied climate, the highlight being the viewing of penguins.  It was a great evening. 

Dinner With Jack And Diane

We didn't get home till late for us, 10:15, driving on quiet, still snow-covered roads.  We watched a bit of the news before going up to bed. 

Sometimes, The Sun Also Rises In Winter

6:59

7:15

7:47

It's 8:00 and the sun rests like a ball of fire over the Power Boat Club, the sky blue, the lake white, our living room filled with light.  Every morning like this is a gift to those who get up early like me, waiting for the sun to rise.  

7:50

8:00

8:34

Tuesday, unlike this morning and Monday morning, was a day of gray, making this morning all the more precious.  So, morning yesterday was unexciting, no kayaking or course because of the frozen lake, just finish the blog and drive off to Lakewood to yoga class.  After class, I stopped briefly at Wegman's to pick up some prescriptions but then drove to Hollyloft, our bike/ski store and got both our pairs of cross country skis hot waxed, something we do each year. The wax creates a lubricant on the base of our skis so it glides more smoothly over the snow and lasts us the rest of the winter.  It took 15 minutes so I waited and was home by noon, ready for lunch.  

Evie had teeth cleaning appointment in Jamestown, always scary, so she left around 12:30.  I heated up the last of the chicken soup, toasted a bagel and had lunch.  I watched another episode of the final season of Peaky Blinders.  Because I have only a few episodes to go, I am wondering what to watch next. While Evie was gone, I got in some reading and a nap of course and woke as Evie returned home, exclaiming no cavities.  The rest of the afternoon was a waste as I wanted to do something but was too lazy to strap on boots and hike or go skiing.  Late afternoon, we looked out at the lake and saw three crazies in the middle of the lake, fishing, probably on a couple inches of ice,  We couldn't watch them for long. 

Fishing Dangerously

We spent some time watching the boring impeachment hearings.  I can't imagine anyone watching it unless you were a reporter and it was your job.  We also could not make up or mind whether to stay home or go out for dinner.  Finally, I took the proverbial bull by the horns and said, let's go-to Steener's Irish Pub for the steak special.  We we left at 6:00, parked in the church parking lot because Steeners lot was packed and easily found a seat at the bar.  We struck up a conversation with a couple from Bemus Point and spent the next hour talking with them and Bill, the owner.  Our subject was dogs, the couple having two, Steener three, and us, four granddogs. Our conversation was fun, the steaks tender, the beer cold, so it was a good choice to go out.

We were home by 8:00 and watched our usual, Colbert, some news, Home Town, and another episode of Anne With And E which we both are starting to like, even recommend despite its pandering to 'wokeness.'