First Light

7:30

7:31

It's 7:15 and I have been up for an hour, waiting for the morning light.  I can make out the glassy lake surface, as it begins to ice up,  the snow-covered lawn, the overcast sky.  It's a chilly 25º as the temperatures are like a pogo stick lately.  I also have been listening to a couple of shows on The Ringer podcast network which I highly recommend, sports and entertainment, movies and TV.  And as I sit here writing, I am tempted by the mirror-like surface of the lake but am unsure as to where the ice begins, the open water ends. 

A Tree Grows In Lakewood, NY

Yesterday I finally felt like I was back, to our lake life, our routine, probably because I started up with yoga for the first time in a couple of weeks. It felt good to be back in class, to get lost in the asanas, paying attention to my breathing, instead of what's next.  After a good yin class, I went to Ryder's Cup and talked with Dave and Joyce, the barista before driving off to Walmart to pick up a couple of things I don't need.  I rarely go to Walmart so I was surprised at how busy it was.  I tried to walk down three or four aisles in the pharmacy section but each aisle was crowded with shoppers. I ended up in the grocery section in search of the best pasta sauce for the price, picking up three different sauces, three different prices, with Rao's the most expensive at six bucks.

When I returned home, Evie had been her busy self and was relaxing reading on her phone.  I was hungry so she made me a couple of leftover pork schnitzel sandwiches, with tomatoes and mayo, the best, one of the reasons I like having schnitzel for dinner.  I am into Season Three of Peaky Blinders and Thomas was just married in a respectable church, with lots of pomp to assuage his gypsy upbringing.

Blue Skies In The Afternoon

After lunch, I kept to routine, reading and napping for a bit, not a very satisfactory one actually.  I then did some reading on my computer, catching up on the news on the NYTimes and Washington Post, mostly depressing, with fears of a rising conflict with Iran and the fires in Australia.  Strangely, the sun came out around 2:00, the skies turned blue and I could not resist the temptation to get out there on the lake,  It was in the high 30's so I was not cold except when the wind picked up, I paddled north, down to Magnolia, hugging the shoreline, past the campground, blinded at times by the sun beginning to drop below the treeline.  It felt good to be out there, enjoying the sun.

Kayaking Into Blue

Winter Blue

Dinner was the leftover chicken, with gravy, mashed potatoes, cheesy cauliflower, and a salad, and Evie had it prepped and ready by 5:00 so we could sit down and enjoy wine time except I had a bloody mary instead, a good choice.  We ate around 6:30 and it's my kind of dinner,  diner-like, with chicken and gravy over mashed potatoes.  Yum.  We decided to finish the Watchman series and were actually into the last two episodes, giving it overall 3 stars.  I know many critics gave it five stars but this kind of altered reality, superhero movie, is not our cup of tea, usually.