Early Rising

6:21

9:15

It's just after 6:00 as I start this because Evie had an appointment at 7:15 in Jamestown so we have to be there by 7:00.  And I am up for one on Wednesday and we have to be there even earlier, at 6:00.  Yuck.   

Early Morning Drive At 6:45

Yesterday was a typical Sunday for us I guess, as we had little on our plate other than to get some exercise, weather permitting.   We were both up by 8:00, read or worked on the blog until 9:00, then listened to Dana Bash discuss the latest happenings in Ukraine.  Once the blog was done and I had breakfast, we decided it was safe enough to walk the streets of the Chautauqua Institution if we wore our clamp-ons.  

We didn't leave until 10:45 as we were in no hurry.  We walked for forty-five minutes and were surprised by the bitter wind whenever there was an open area. Nevertheless, we enjoyed it, the snow crunching under our shoes, the winter weather, the changing landscapes, and the gray sky.  As long as we had homes or buildings blocking the wind, we were fine.

Thunder Bridge

Bestor Plaza

We were home by noon, relaxed some, then Evie made a big breakfast, potatoes pancakes, bacon, eggs, and a bagel.  We watched CBS Sunday Morning which painted a much clearer picture of what's going on in Ukraine and why.  We watched the entire show before cleaning up and spending the rest of the afternoon as we usually do on a Sunday and any day of the week, reading, wasting time, getting a few things mdone. 

We thought about driving to the Pine Junction Restaurant, thinking it would be a nice drive but by 5:00, we were happy to stay home, enjoy the sunset and not worry about dinner because we were having the leftover Greek lemon chicken.  Once it was reheated, Evie served it with rice, lemon gravy and made a salad.  We finally found a Netflix film we liked called The Edge Of War, based on Robert Harris's novel Munich. The film is set in 1938 and focuses on Hitler's intent to invade Czechoslavakia.  Much of the film deals with the British bureaucracy as they attempt to avoid war.  The center of the film is Neville Chamberlain and his naive belief that he can talk Hitler out of the invasion, typical of his appeasement of fascists like Hitler. The film cannot help but remind viewers of what's going on in Ukraine today and the West's attempt to stop Putin. 

We ended the night with the Jeopardy Collegiate Championship, won convincingly by a young man from the University of Texas in Austin. 

A Dazzling Morning Sun

Snowshoeing

7:18

As we sit here at 8:20, the living room is filled with sunlight and we can hardly look out our windows its reflection on the lake is so bright. We have been up for an hour, reading the NYTimes, surfing the net, and drinking a couple of cups of coffee. 

This Morning

Yesterday was another cold day, the sky iced but not as bad as the day before.  After breakfast and the blog and getting a few things done, like gathering the trash, we decided it had snowed enough, a couple of inches, to make hiking Long Point would be safe. So I warmed up the car, gathered the trash as Evie put on her snowshoes and we drove first, to the Transfer Station then to the Long Point Marina for our walk. We were surprised by the bitter wind as we walked out but persevered to the tip before hiking back, just about a mile.  Despite the wind, it felt good to be out in the winter air, the frozen woods, as we walked.

Chillin On Long Point

Happy To Be Hiking

We stopped at the Bemus grocery on the way home and picked up some chicken thighs for dinner, then drove home.  By the time we returned, it was lunchtime so Evie thawed a couple of yogurt containers of her veggie soup and made two toasted cheese sandwiches.  Both tasted really good, especially after a walk.  I was looking forward to getting back to my book but quickly fell asleep for a good hour.  I must have needed it.  I watched the end of the Arkansas/Kentucky game, a thriller and I assume my granddaughter, Marlena, was there watching since she is a freshman at the University of Arkansas.  

Around 4:30, Evie had prepped our dinner, Greek lemon chicken, and put it in the oven, and made a couple of cups of rice.  It's another family favorite and Evie has been making it since our days in Istanbul, fifty-odd years ago. We loved it, of course, especially the buttery lemon gravy over both the chicken and rice,  We were looking forward to an Indie film called Sold Out but it was a poor imitation of ONCE, one of our favorite films, about a down and out singer who eventually makes it, with the help of strangers.  We ended the night watching a couple other forgettables before going up to bed. 

A Cold, White Morning

6:54

7:34

8:11

It's 7:50 and Evie has just come downstairs and grabbed a cup of coffee.  I have been up since 6:45, reading what the pundits have to say about Putin's invasion of Ukraine and none of its good at least in the short term. It's still a shock, to think that something like that could happen in the 21st century with all the nukes available. With all the misinformation out there, it's not hard to envision both sides coming up with 'their facts,' an impossibility when I was growing up. Walter Cronkite was the facts. 

Friday Morning's Ice

Yesterday was another bad day at Chautauqua Lake because of the mixture of rain and sleet and temperatures in the teens.  We woke up to a car encased in ice as well as a parking area like a skating rink. Fortunately, we did not have to go anywhere in the morning so we just kicked back and enjoyed a long coffee morning before getting a few things done in the kitchen and house.  I wanted to get some exercise so I spent 35 minutes doing Yoga With Adriene before lunch which made me feel a little better about myself.  

Lunch was the leftover eggplant pasta, tasty and filling and I watched another violent Soprano episode, as another female gets beat up and killed by her 'boyfriend.' It's hard to watch yet seemed normal for those days. I finally found a novel I like, a detective story set in Cleveland, Ohio, called Tonight I Said Goodbye, by Michael Koryta.

Around 2:00, I was tired of reading and decided to drive to Jamestown because I had a package that needed to be dropped off at UPS. So I went out and worked at deicing my car which took about 15 minutes. Evie and I then drove to Jamestown and I dropped her off to get a blood test, then went to UPS before returning to pick up Evie and driving home, the roads cleared and safe. 

We had decided on another easy dinner as neither of us wanted to cook so Evie got the leftover pizza out of the freezer to heat up.  We enjoyed a happy hour with good cheese and Ina Garten's cashews before heating up the pizza.  We then watched TV, some Colbert, and Jeopardy before another episode of The Good Fight which is getting so bizarre and silly we are ready to forget about it and watch something else. 

Sleet, Ice, And 31º

6:42

7:42

A winter advisory is in effect but we have hardly received enough snow to cover the yard, not that I am complaining.  I think it might be icy on the roads for the people who drive to work. We might get another inch or two during the day but that's it for the winter advisory.

Yesterday was a surprisingly busy day for me. After getting up early, at 6:30 and having my coffee, I was off to breakfast in Bemus at 8:00, once again we were the only ones in the cafe.  I was home by 9:15, in time to get organized and drive to yoga in Lakewood for an hour and fifteen minute Yin Yoga class, with 15 other practitioners. 

Jamestown's Riverwalk

Sections Still Snow Covered

Lunch was one of my favorites, potato pancakes from the leftover mashed potatoes and fried eggs. I finished lunch early because I had an appointment in Greenhurst with my Subaru dealer to fix my airbag and door.  While they fixed the airbag, I went out for a walk along the snow-covered Riverside walk which follows the Chadokoin River as it winds its way into Jamestown from Chautauqua Lake. Unfortunately, the motor for the back lift gate needs to be replaced and it may take a couple of weeks for them to get it. It seems as if there's always something, the car, the frig, the stove, the kitchen floor, the boiler, not that I am complaining. I did enjoy getting outside and walking however so not all was lost.

Frozen Creek

Winter Scene

Dock Along Chadokoin River

I was home by 3:30 and Evie had prepped our dinner, roasting eggplant and combining it with tomatoes for a pasta dish.  The rest of the afternoon was one of leisure although I was having trouble finding a book to read as it's getting harder and harder to find something I like.   

We had eggplant and tomatoes over pasta along with a salad and watched the latest breaking news, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which seemed an impossibility only a few years ago. Putin, like all strongmen, seems willing to threaten nuclear war to get his way, something any reasonable or sane leader would not do. So he's just another in the line of genocidal leaders, like Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Saddam, the scourges of history. We found relief in Jeopardy and The Good Fight although Season Four continues with the bizarre and silly,  the idiosyncratic judge or lawyer. How bout a Perry Mason instead of some ditz.   

The Lull Before The Storm

6:41

It's 7:15 and we are both up, enjoying our coffee, as the morning sky begins to lighten, a mottled gray with a barely snow-covered lake.  It's 17º and a winter storm goes into effect tonight and tomorrow, bringing 4-8 inches of new snow which will probably melt over the weekend.

Yesterday was not much of a day for us, mostly because of the weather, gray and wet, and the roads and paths still icy.  We didn't have much mojo either and we were going out to dinner so not much needed to be done in the kitchen.  Evie did some laundry and I drove off to Wegmans to pick up a few things, giving me something to do and I also stopped for a coffee, just to say aloha to Joyce.  

I was home by noon, relaxed some after putting away a few things, then heated up the last of the beef stew in the microwave for lunch, with a biscuit of course. I watched my show and am beginning to feel sorry for Tony Soprano because of all his worries and problems, most easily solved by whacking someone. Reminds me of Putin, a bully. Our afternoon went quickly, even though there was nothing we had to do. So we watched some TV, did a few things, read, napped, as our days lately have not changed especially since the weather has been so bad.

We were showered and dressed by 6:15 when Linda and Ron picked us up and we went to dinner at the Seezurh House in Bemus Point for the first time in close to two years.  Before Covid we would go there at least once every two weeks on a Thursday for their 12.95 steak special.  No more, as their steak special last night was twenty-eight bucks. I ordered the fish fry, the other three a burger or chicken sandwich with fries and all were good.  It was a quiet night at first but around 7:30, a couple of noisy groups arrived, making it hard to hear.  We had forgotten what it was like to be in a loud and busy place. We did not get home until 8:15, in time to watch our shows, Jeopardy and the last episode of Season Three of The Good Fight.  I hope they get rid of Blum in Season Four. 

A Dull, Drab Morning

6:47

8:57

Nothing special about this morning, just gray skies, a melting lake, a green lawn, and a windy 32º.  And yesterday's 50s will drop to the teens this evening and tomorrow morning, with maybe a few snowflakes. Surprisingly, a couple of ice fishermen just walked out onto the lake, just off of the Beach House.

In The Flower Box

Neither of us did much yesterday, mostly because it was a blah kind of day, with no sun, gray skies, occasional drizzle, and uncomfortable warmth.  And I had a doctor's appointment in Jamestown at 10:20, mostly to schedule another colonoscopy, as I follow the doctor's advice and get one every three years. So that ruined the morning although the weather was not conducive to cross country skiing or hiking. 

Chadokoin River

Jamestown's Riverwalk

By the time I got home, it was time for lunch, so I heated up the last of the soup and Evie made me a salad with the last of the salmon from Monday night's dinner. The rest of the afternoon went as usual, with some TV, reading, and napping as we waited for Evie's Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00. Around 4:30, however, I had the bright idea of making biscuits because we were having the leftover beef stew for dinner.  So I put all the dry ingredients together and waited for Evie to finish her Zoom call before adding the butter, mixing it, then the buttermilk, and kneading it, all under Evie's supervision and suggestions.  Once the dough was together, I rolled it out, cut out the biscuits, and baked them for 15 minutes as the beef stew was heating in the crockpot. 

We looked forward to another beef stew dinner, with biscuits and it was just as good as Sunday, if not better because I sort of made the biscuits.  We watched a talky. star-studded film on Netflix, The Meyerowitz Stories. Evie enjoyed it more than me although having a piece of Junior's cheesecake made it more bearable.  We ended the night with Jeopardy College Championship and really like the winner, a  kid from Kennesaw State in Georgia. 

Drizzle, Gray Skies, 44º

7:05

8:20

A drab, Spring-like morning on the lake except for the snow on our lawn, the frozen lake. Yesterday was in the 50s and it will continue today, and tomorrow, beginning another big melt only to get colder on Thursday and Friday.  Would love to have a couple more weeks of winter.

Lake Ice Melts

Monday turned out to be another fine lake day, with warm weather, some sunshine, and blue skies.  Since I knew it was going to warm up during the day, making it impossible to cross country ski, I drove to Bemus after breakfast and the blog.  I parked at the end of Lakeside Drive and skied Long Point State Park for forty-five minutes.  It was still decent, the snow just beginning to melt, the temperatures still in the 30s.  I ran into a couple of guys walking their dogs but that was it. The trails looked used, by fat-tire bikes, snowmobiles, skies, and snowshoe enthusiasts.  

Blue Skies

Much Used Trail

Evie had been busy while I was cross country skiing, of course, and had even put together a brothy vegetable soup for my lunch to go along with a salami sandwich, with mustard and tomatoes. After lunch, I cleaned up the inside of my car, took out the car mats, and left the doors open so the carpets, wet from the winter snow, would dry out.  Both of us relaxed most of the afternoon, with Evie occasionally throwing stuff in the washer or dryer while I read and napped on the couch. Despite the blue skies and sun, we stayed inside, still reluctant to walk anywhere because of the melting snow and ice.

For dinner, we decided that instead of having a salmon filet, Evie would bake it, then break the filet up into pieces and make one big salad for dinner.  I actually prefer my salmon that way so I was happy. And if you want to be depressed, make sure to watch August: Osage County, a film filled with big-name stars like Julia Roberts and Meryl Streep.  Whatever your family situation, this film will make it look like the 1950s TV series Father Knows Best.  We ended the night with Jeopardy and The Good Fight. 

The Warmth Of Winter Sun

6:37

6:48

7:15

7:39

It's 7:40, Evie just came downstairs and I have been up watching the sunrise and the living room and lake with light since 6:15. Fishing tents are out on the lake now, a chilly 33º although later in the day it should get up to 50º, as another big melt begins for a couple of days.

Bestor Plaza, Chautauqua Institution

Yesterday was the perfect winter day, snow-covered landscape, the woods, the streets, blue skies and lots of sunshine. Sunday morning was a day of leisure for the most part, as we enjoyed our coffee and were in no hurry to get up and go.  By 11:00, however, it was too beautiful out so we went for our usual Sunday constitutional, a walk on the snow-covered streets of the Chautauqua Institution, a good decision.  

Horse Drawn Carriage Rides

Snow Covered Brick Walk

We walked over a mile, often with the warming sun in our faces, in fact, I thought of getting out the lawn chairs and just sitting them in the snow and sunbathing. By the time we returned home, however, we were both hungry so Evie made our breakfast, fried potatoes, eggs, and cinnamon rolls.  We watched our Sunday show, CBS Sunday morning of course, then spent the rest of the afternoon like we usually do when we have company coming for dinner, prepping a few things, straightening up the house and either reading or watching TV in between getting ready.

Late Afternoon Rouge

Evie had made a beef stew on Saturday so the main course was done and all she really had to make was some buttermilk biscuits to go along with the stew. They were done by 3:00 so we could relax the rest of the afternoon until 6:00 when Linda and Ron arrived, bearing wine, grapefruit, and magazines.  We relaxed in the living room as the sky darkened, enjoying a beer and appetizers. Around 7:15, Evie served the stew with mashed potatoes, along with a salad and of course, the biscuits. It was a typical Sunday dinner and was just what the four of us wanted.  Nothing like dipping biscuits in gravy.  For dessert, we moved to the living room and each of us had a slice of Junior's Cheese Cake, a perfect end to a fun Sunday evening. They left around 9:30 and we cleaned up the kitchen before watching some TV and going up to bed.  What a great day at the lake with friends. 

February 21, 2010 - exactly 12 years ago

 

12º And Sunny

7:16

8:16

Early Birds

I was surprised to wake at 7:15 and find our bedroom filled with sunlight.  After yesterday's day of flurries, it was a welcome wake-up call.  Now, at 8:50, the clouds have obscured much of the sun and I can see four or five ice fishing tents on the lake  

Breakfast With Kathy And Medio

Saturday was a different day, a good one, as we braved the cold and snow.  We were up early because our neighbors' daughter and her husband were in the area, skiing at Holiday Valley, and we had invited them for breakfast at 10:00. Evie had prepped the yeast-raised cinnamon rolls the day before so by 9:00, they were in the oven and she was frying up some sausage links to go along with the fruit salad, orange juice, and scrambled eggs. It was great to see them and we caught up on their lives, newly married in September, and their parents, Bill and Joyce, who are adjusting to a new home in Pittsburgh.  It was nice to have a real old fashion breakfast, not the yogurt, granola, chia seeds, and blueberries that I have each morning.  

What To Do? Call AAA?

Pushing And Shoving

We talked until 11:30 when there was a knock on our door and Gina, our mail lady, asked if we could help her push her mail truck out of the snowbank. Thus began something out of the three stooges,  We pushed, put sand under the wheels, dug out the snow, and put boards down to no avail. So Medio decided he would drive his Honda truck around the mail truck and pull it out.  I was not sure that was a good idea and was correct.  His truck also got stuck.  Now we have two trucks stuck and two of us trying to get them out. Fortunately, two neighbors, Bill and Jim hustled over and we put Kathy behind the wheel of the truck and the four of us pushed it out.  Then we were able to do the same for the mail truck and Gina carefully backed it back down Woodlawn and drove away.  What a fun way to spend a morning.  

Who Needs AAA When You Have The Fabulous Five

After that fun, Kathy and Medio picked up a couple of things from their parent's house said their good-byes and drove home to Pittsburgh.  Once they were on their way, things were back to normal and we gathered the trash and I drove off to the Transfer Station and got rid of it.  And that was it for the day for me.  Since we had a late breakfast, I skipped lunch although I did avail myself to another cinnamon roll and watched some college basketball for a half-hour. I was soon bored basically because the teams and players are unfamiliar and I wanted to get back to my book and nap which I did.  When I woke, Evie was busy in the kitchen putting together a beef stew for dinner on Sunday when we were having Linda and Ron over for dinner.  Nothing like walking into a kitchen filled with the aroma of something good cooking.

Clouds, Wind, Some Blue Sky, And Snow

Wind Swept Lake

Earlier I had mentioned to Evie that I was hungry for a pizza at Pace's in Jamestown so around 5:45, we drove to Jamestown, easily found a spot to park in front of Pace's and it was practically empty so we took a booth in the back.  We had an unusually long wait for our pizza but once it arrived, it was worth the wait.  And by the time we left, most of the tables were busy, some with six to eight people, enjoying a night out.  We stopped at Wegmans on the way home and did some quick shopping, making sure we had everything we needed for Sunday dinner.  Surprisingly, it had snowed an inch or so while we were eating and snowed most of the way home despite the weather report that said the flurries would stop at 7:00.  Wrong again.  We were home after 8:00 and watched the usual, Jeopardy, college edition, and The Good Fight, ending the evening with an episode of Jack Reacher.  It was a good day.