Dusting Of Snow, Windy, A Late Sunrise

6:26

6:44

7:04

7:07

7:18

It's 7:42 and I don't think I will be kayaking this morning.  It was cloudy and windy early although the sun has peaked above the clouds at the moment, making the lake more temping.  The wind, however, remains, mottling the lake's surface. So here I sit, listening to environmentalists Bill McKibben and Elizabeth Kolbert discuss the current epidemic and its relation to climate change.  They wonder if the coronavirus will change the way we look at the world, the way we live.  It's just after 8:00 as I finish this; Evie's still sleeping and I am tempted by the sunshine to kayak.  And I did because I was unable to resist the deep blue of the sky and lake.  I paddled mostly along Woodlawn and Victoria, looking up at the trees, mistaking snow on a limb for the white breast of an osprey until the snow fell to the ground.  The wind was heady when paddling north, just fine south and it was not as cold as yesterday. 

Kayak Morning

Mallards Along The Shoreline

Yesterday began with a picturesque sunrise, with many photographs but by early afternoon, the winter warnings were up and for the rest of the day, we received wet snow, gray skies, and cold temperatures.  I paddled early and despite the cold, enjoyed my morning.  We finished the blog and I then made a smoothie, a nice alternative to my usual homemade granola and yogurt and fruit.  It's made better with bananas which Evie cuts up and freezes so I can add them to my smoothie.  We knew that snow was coming so we decided to get in our walk before breakfast.  We drove over to the Chautauqua Institution and wanted to walk the narrow streets, rimmed with Victorian homes.

Road/Path Work On The Grounds

Unfortunately, a good number of streets in the older part of the CI were torn up so we had to readjust our course, avoiding the dirt and mud.  We walked for forty-five minutes, running into friends who live on the grounds.  After our walk, we picked up some pork chops and a sub which we had ordered earlier from the Lighthouse Grocery.  Everyone was wearing masks, wearing gloves behind the counter. 

We were home by noon and we shared the sub with some Cape Cod chips and I warmed up a can of Progresso's lentil and vegetable soup.  Not as good as Evie's but decent.  Fortunately, as I was enjoying lunch and the end of my film, Evie was making a chicken, sweet potato and vegetable soup.  It's rare that we run out of homemade soup, especially in these strange times.

3:39 PM

Afternoons are always a challenge for me as I get bored easily,  After reading some, perhaps taking a nap, I want to do something.  It was not tempting to walk because of the wet snow, so I read some, then decided to practice yoga for forty-five minutes, filling the vacuum.  Then, Evie had a great idea, to shear my golden locks, keeping her Samson in line.  So we watched the news as Evie cut and buzzed and I returned to a young boy.  I shook the hair off outside then took a shower, emerging happy and surprisingly good.  Time for wine and fortunately, Evie had put together chicken and black bean enchiladas while I was napping so all she had to do was pop them in the oven until they were done.  We topped our enchiladas with a salad and taco sauce and watched the Trump Reality Show until we had enough and switched to Colbert and his interview with Fleabag star Phoebe Waller-Bridge.  We then watched another depressing episode of Baptiste, about sex trafficking and Romanian gangs, before returned to a couple of episodes of Cheers.