Overnight Thunder, Lightning, And Heavy Rains

Purple Martins Are Back

Goldfinches Return

It's 7:13 and I can hardly see beyond our lake wall because of the fog.  It's 47º, thus the fog, and we both had a bad night, awakened at midnight by the lightning, thunder, rain, and heavy winds.  Fortunately, there was no damage in our neighborhood and we have electricity and cable.

6:36

9:12

I was able to get in a paddle as the fog cleared enough so I could see my way down to Sandy Bottom and back.  Lots of waterfowl littered the lake's surface but would scurry away as I approached.  I was out for close to an hour in a surprisingly warm 47º morning.

Mergansers Among The Burgeoning Reeds

Hooded Mergansers

Loon

Yesterday was the best, at least till mid-afternoon when it began to cloud up and late last night when it began to thunder and rain.  I was out on the lake early, at 7:10 and paddled for 80 minutes, down to Tom's Point and home, a great morning constitutional.  And that was basically it or the day as neither of us had something we had to do, wanted to do other than wish my sister a happy birthday as she turns eighty. Wow.  Her kids and grandchildren celebrated by marching down her street and gathering in her yard with signs,  following the social distancing. Really cool...wish we could have been there to celebrate.

The Birthday Girl And Her Hubby

We are doing some work in the yard and also want to replenish our road with gravel.  So I drove off to where I get my stones and shoveled five buckets of #1 stone and took them back to our house.  I have yet to spread them but will in the next couple of days.  I was the only one at Tri James, in fact, the Stow yard was not open for customers but the driver allowed me to get a few buckets.  I do this each year, making five to ten trips, filling low spots in our road and parking area which is ravaged each winter by the snowplow.  It felt good to get out and do something for an hour or more,.

While I was gone, Evie made lunch, a new salad of cannellini beans, canned tuna, avocado, cucumber, and a lime dressing.  I had it for lunch with a bagel and really liked it, a refreshing and healthy salad, something we will make again.  After lunch, I tried to nap but spent most of the time reading my book, American Dirt, a novel I was reluctant to pick up but now I can hardly put it down.  It's a fictional account of the harrowing journey most migrants make on their way north to the States.  It will change the way any of us look at the migrants and their desire to come to the US.  While I read, Evie went out to enjoy the sun on the dock, the second day in a row, a Spring record.

The rest of the afternoon went quickly and before long, Evie was putting together our dinner, eggplant, tomatoes, and Turkish spices over pasta, one of our favorites that we first made in Turkey, home of hundreds of eggplant recipes.  It was great, a healthy dinner, salad, and the Trump Reality Show.  What more could we want on a shut-in? When we had enough entertainment, we made the mistake of watching a highly recommended movie on Rotten Tomatoes, Blue Valentine, with Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling, two big names.  It makes you wonder who would want to make a film like this, who would produce it?   There's nothing to like in it, neither the couple nor the demise of their doomed relationship.  We could not wait for it to end and get back to The Americans.