Can It Be March 1st?

7:14

Another quiet morning, what else this time of the year.  The lake is slowly melting, puddles forming yet it's still safe enough for ice fishermen. It's 34º, a sky and a lake of gray, with a light wind.  It is not an inviting morning and I am happy to just sit inside, cozy and listening to a podcast. It's also the first morning where no ice fishermen are out on the lake although Sunday was busy.  

We had a good Sunday although it was not much different from Saturday or Friday I guess.  We knew we had dinner made if we wanted, the white bean stew I made on Saturday and just add rice.  So there was no need to spend the day in the kitchen like Saturday.  We wanted to get outside, were not sure of the ice but decided to give the Chautauqua Institution a try.  We did wear clamp on's for icy roads but were able to take them off because the roads were mostly clear of ice.  We walked for over an hour, the only ones' in the seemingly empty CI.  It felt good to be out walking after weeks of skiing or snowshoeing and the temperature was fine, cool but not chilly.  

Chautauqua Institution's Art Deco Norton Hall, Built-in 1929

We returned home feeling righteous for having walked and were ready for a breakfast of eggs and a bagel.  We watched CBS Sunday Morning, what else, then went our ways.  I read much of the afternoon, with a break for a nap, and finished my Kristin Hannah novel, Four Winds, depressing but instructive about the hardscrabble life among the Oakies who fled the Dust Bowl to California in the 1930s, hoping to find work. While I read, Evie enjoyed her leisure, not having to make dinner.

We enjoyed a libation and a good cheese around 5:30 and looked forward to our simple peasant dinner, with a banana cream pie for dessert.  So we topped the rice with the Turkish bean stew, and Evie made a salad and that was dinner.  We were excited to watch the Golden Globes, hoping that Nomanland would win the best film, Chloe Zhao, and were happy when both won.  The only thing better than her winning was the banana cream pie.