Fog, Drizzle, And Gray

7:35

8:06

8:26

It's a warm New Year's Eve morning, a balmy 44º. The lake continues to melt,  the snow disappears as the yards turn green. It does not look like I will be kayaking for another day or two because vast ice floes still cover much of the lake, at least in front our house.

Friday was a perfect day although it started out as usual, with coffee, the blog, and breakfast, but nothing special. By 9:00, however, the guys were here to put in our new Bosch dishwasher and Evie was excited. They were good at it and couldn't believe how improperly the old one was installed. They also discovered that the dishwasher emptied into our crawl space, not a drain. By 10:15, all was fixed, Evie was happy and they were on their way. 

Bemus Bay From Lakeside Drive

Ducks

Sea Gulls A Flutter

Since it was a warmish, partly cloudy morning, we decided to walk Lakeside Drive, something we have yet to do much since we retired, preferring to hike Long Point State Park. It was a good choice, easy and scenic, with the partially frozen lake, vast pods of mallards in open waters, with seagulls filling the sky. We walked a couple of miles, warm going, and cool returning. I did a quick run through Skillmans 75% off sale but saw nothing I wanted.  

Milkweed Pods

Evie Joy

View From Aspen Home

We were home by 12:30 and I had two salami, cheese, tomato, and lettuce sandwiches and started a new Icelantic series called Trapped. It's set in snowbound Iceland so the series is literally in black and white. Once I was finished with lunch, I returned to my book, Demon Copperhead, and still am not sure if I will stick with it. I napped, of course, then relaxed with Evie until about 4:00 when we both found some mojo when we thought of carrot cake. Evie quickly pulled out the ingredients for the cake, and put them together while I grated three cups of carrots. By 4:30, the cakes were in the oven and Evie was prepping our dinner, Greek lemon/oregano chicken with rice. Once the cake was done and frosted, the chicken went in the oven, and by 6:30, we had enjoyed a glass of wine and were ready to enjoy our lemon chicken. I must be on an Icelandic kick because we watched a film on Netflix called And Breathe Normally, about the relationship between an Icelandic single Mom and an illegal immigrant from Africa. It was worth watching but a bit slow. We ended the night with Jeopardy and some news about the killings in Idaho, seemingly the only topic the anchors discussed. 

Interesting Think: "Football, beer, and above all gambling filled up the horizons of their minds. To keep them in control was not difficult." George Orwell, 1984

Another Big Thaw, Alas

8:00

Unfortunately, this morning seems to be typical Chautauqua weather. We get a great snowfall and the lake freezes, then it warms up and melts everything. Why can't it just stay white with snow and a frozen lake, rather than the debris left behind by the snowplows, trucks, and cars? It looks like it will get up to the 50s today and stay in the 40s and 50s through Wednesday or Thursday which means I will probably be able to kayak in a day or two.

Mallards This Morning

Today's an exciting day for Evie because we get our Bosch dishwasher replaced because of a dented dishwasher. The guys should be here this morning; let's hope so. Anyways, yesterday was a mostly gray day that started with breakfast in Bemus, then the blog. l wanted to get on a hike and since Evie had a mammogram appointment in the afternoon, she elected to stay home. I decided to walk Dobbins Woods, about a ten-minute drive from here. We have always liked the hike although they have changed the trail in the past couple of years which we don't like as well. Because of the thaw and the fact that others had been out on the trail, it was crusty, with divots and icy, especially on the boardwalks so I had to be careful. It's a good thing I had my poles. I was out for forty-five minutes and I ran into a Mom walking a dog with a baby on her back. I warned her about the ice and told her to be careful but still worried that she might trip or fall. I had to assure she was familiar with the trail and knew what she was doing.

Trail Of Many Hemlocks

12:05

When I returned home, Evie was getting ready to drive to Westfield for her x-ray but had time to make me an egg salad sandwich before she left. I ate my sandwich and finished watching the Jack Ryan series on Prime. I then relaxed for a couple of hours until Evie returned, either reading or taking a short nap. She was home by 3:00 and around 4:00 I went out to check the lake, to see how frozen it was and ended up filling another pail with deadfall. Snow and wind are good at trimming trees and cheap.

4:10

We had our usual glass of wine as the sky darkened and by 6:30, Evie had fried up some leftover potatoes, made a salad, a grilled a couple of pork chops in our air fryer. The pork chops were great, as was everything. We watched a decent movie called Tully, about the difficulties and postpartum blues a mother of two and a newborn faces. Because her life and family seemed to be falling apart, she gets a night nanny who ends up resurrecting her life and the family.  A powerful film about motherhood, it made me wonder how Evie was able to raise three kids under five in both Hawaii and Istanbul with a clueless husband who was often off surfing or playing basketball,...a wonder woman I guess. We then watched another Nate and Jerimiah episode, an HGTB show for an hour before bed.

On Thawing Ice

Breakfast At The Lake Life Cafe

7:11

7:21

7:51

9:13

Well, I am enjoying a breakfast sandwich at the Lake Life Cafe by myself as none of my friends were free, some were busy, and some in Florida. I was up at 6:30 and did not feel like sitting around and waiting for Evie to get up so I thought, hey, go get a sandwich, coffee, and write the blog. So here I am, on what seems to be a beautiful morning, with a great sunrise, and warming temperatures, in the high 40s later in the day.

Lisa, Lake Life's Great Cook

Wednesday was another cold day although it got up into the 30s late morning. We had our usual morning routine, as nothing changes much this time of the year. Coffee, the blog, and breakfast and that's about it unless we want to get something done. Around 10:30, we decided to go for a walk on Webbs Trail in Mayville, stopping at Rite Aid before starting. Neither of us wanted to go too far, so we were out for 35 minutes, just right, on a crunchy, much-used trail. It was invigorating, however, to be outside, on a trail bordered by trees. It was good enough that I should have cross-country skied rather than walked.

Hiking Under Blue Skies

Webb's Trail

We were home by 12:30 and for lunch, Evie heated up both the chicken and sweet potatoes and the pasta with shrimp, neither large enough for a lunch. I thought my Jack Ryan series ended after the sixth episode but the Russians do not give up easily so I have a few more episodes. Since we got in our walk, neither of us felt compelled to do much the rest of the afternoon other than keep track of the ice tents on the lake. I did notice that two guys dragged their sleds out around 1:00, checked the ice, then went back in so the ice may be precarious in some areas, especially this morning as it's getting warmer. When I left for breakfast, however, a number of ice fishermen were already out before 7:30.  Now, just after 9:00, they seem to have left. 

Checking The Ice

Our original plan for dinner was to drive to Steeners for wings night but around 4:00, Evie texted and wondered if we could just stay home which was fine with me. So we relaxed with a glass of wine and watched an amazing sky darken. It must have been amazing everywhere because our Facebook is filled with photos from yesterday's sunset. We decided to be original for dinner and had baked potatoes, topped with fried eggs and sour cream, healthy, easy, and delicious. We watched Jeopardy and some HGTV shows before bed. I finished my book, the third in The Thursday Murder Club series set in a retirement home. It's an often silly but fun read, with a cast of unlikely characters, all retired and in their 70s. It will make for a good film. I am ready to start Barbara Kingsolver's new novel, Demon Copperfield, a modern retelling of David Copperfield, and I hope I stick with its 700 pages. 

Sunshine And Snow And Warming

7:32

8:00

8:14

It's 8:30 as I start this Evie's still sleeping and I have been up for only an hour. It's a beautiful morning on the lake, the sun has just risen above the trees, and outside, all is white, the lake and yard. The ice fishermen are out early perhaps because the temperatures have risen this morning to 27º, toasty compared to the single digits this past weekend. It seemed strange having the sun out because I had to move around the living room so I could avoid its brightness, making it difficult to type on the computer. 

In The Deep

I enjoyed yesterday because I was able to get in some exercise both indoors and out. I miss kayaking in the morning but there's not much I  can do about it with the lake frozen. So I have an extra cup of coffee and stretch out my morning rituals, coffee, the blog, and a breakfast of homemade granola, chia seeds, hemp hearts, yogurt, and blueberries. Once Evie gets up, we finish the blog and I get moving because she still wants to relax with a second cup of coffee. By 10:30, Evie was happy to stay home and get some things done around the house but I wanted to go for a walk. So I drove to the end of Lakeside Drive in Bemus and walked Long Point State Park for forty-five minutes despite the 17º temperatures. It was a bit cold walking into the wind, but I loved it. And, as usual, I was the only one hiking although there were lots of fat tire tracks from bikers. 

Long Point Trail

The Woods

I was home by noon and by 12:30, I was enjoying the last of the leftover Salisbury steak and mashed potatoes. I am sticking with Jack Ryan and watched an episode before deciding to read some and see if I could nap.  I could. We were having shrimp and asparagus for dinner with sundried tomatoes and wine, so Evie prepped it before her Zoom call at 5:00. While she zoomed, I did some yoga for a half hour, something I needed to feel good.

We ate the shrimp and asparagus over ziti and along with a salad and naan, we were happy. We watched the rest of Inside Man with Stanley Tucci. Towards the end, it became intense but then just seemed to stop after the denouement. Strange. We then watched a documentary on HBOMax called Love, Lizzo, about her climb to the pop stardom of Lizzo. She's an amazing performer but also a proud spokesperson and example for Big Girls. 

A Frozen, Snow Covered Lake

8:23

It's 8:00 and the boiler has been working overtime the last few days. I hate to see my gas bill for the month. It's getting warmer each day, 14º when I woke but should get up to the mid-20s in the afternoon. And believe it or not, by Friday the temperatures will get up to the 50s. 

Monday was a bit of a bore, especially in the morning when the temperatures were still in the single digits. I slept in some, until 7:30, relaxed, and had my coffee until Evie got up, then we finished the blog and I had breakfast. We knew we did not have to do much except hang out which was nice. Around 10:00, we saw a couple of people walk out on the frozen lake and thought they were being careless. An hour or two later, our neighbors, John and Maryanne walked out and shoveled the snow, making a circular skating course.

Skating Rink

 Later, we saw them enjoying the rink, skating in circles, despite the cold, a hearty couple. It looked like fun. I wanted to mail a couple of bills so I drove to the Stow Post Office which was closed for some reason but I was able to put the bills in the mailbox. 

Ice Fishing

Lunch was simple and light, cauliflower soup, with pita and hummus. I decided to watch the new season of Jack Ryan on Prime, It's decent, watchable, and a bit silly but I couldn't think of anything else to watch during lunch. We both than either read or watched TV and even Evie tried to nap. Around 3:30, I noticed for the first time that ice fishermen were out, in their huts, just off the shore of Long Point. They were not out far but there were three or four tents. Since they were able to brave the cold, I put on my boots, and a couple of layers of shirts and walked out in the woods for thirty-five minutes. It felt amazing to be out in the cold, the woods snow covered and I even walked home on the ice, keeping close to shore just in case.

The Woods

Walking On A Frozen Lake

I was back by 5:00, in time to enjoy a glass of wine and Dots Pretzels, compliments of our neighbors who were able to buy some at Giant Eagle in Erie yesterday. We can't get them here in Jamestown. We then had the leftover Christmas dinner, sweet potatoes, spinach, chicken, and tomato sauce, and watched the usual on TV, Colbert, Jeopardy, and some football. We were both tired or bored and went to bed early.

Winter Grays And Blues

Red Shouldered Hawk

7:46

It's 8:30 as I start this on a 7º morning, the lake frozen and snow-covered although open towards the reeds because hundreds of ducks are there, huddled to keep warm. It's still windy and  I doubt if I can get in a hike although it's tempting to be out in the woods. 

Yesterday was not our favorite Christmas because we were not with family but we still had a good day, mostly of watching football and prepping dinner. It was actually nice to not have to do much because Evie had started to get dinner organized the day before. So she could relax, and enjoy the morning. After the blog and breakfast, I went out and cleared out the parking area of maybe six inches of snow. It felt good to be doing something physical. 

Scary Eyes

When I was done Evie made us breakfast, an omelet with tomato and feta cheese and a bagel. We enjoyed it while watching another great CBS Sunday Morning show. After breakfast, Evie was doing something in the kitchen and looked out the window and saw a hawk sitting on a wire, right next to our willow. I got out my camera, went outside, and was able to get some decent photos of him until he flew off. I took a photo of my photo, sent it to my new bird app, Merlin, from Cornell, and it identified it as a red-shouldered hawk, a rare sighting for us. 

Keeping Warm

The rest of the afternoon was reading, some football, a nap, and then getting ready for our neighbors, Barb and Jim, who were coming to our home for dinner at 5:00. I looked back and we had Christmas dinner at their house in 2019 because Jill and family were coming to visit after Christmas. 

Christmas, 2019

Anyways, once they arrived, I made Old Fashioneds and we sat in the living room, enjoying our drinks, appetizers and the warmth of the house. Around 6:30, we adjourned to the dinner table, had a bowl of cauliflower soup, then did some coloring on our new Christmas-themed tablecloth. Dinner was an Evie special, making use of whatever we had in the fridge. Basically, it was chicken thighs, on top of roasted sweet potatoes and spinach, topped with a tasty tomato sauce, Not quite a Christmas goose but we already had that once in Istanbul and it was one skinny bird. 

Jim And Barb

We then sat around talking until 9:15, enjoying a large piece of Evie's carrot cake, a perfect way to end the evening. They headed home in the dark and cold, just a short walk, fortunately, and we did up the dishes before watching some TV and going up to bed.

Fools On Thin Ice

At Least We Have A White Christmas

7:35

It's 7:45, still cold, 9º, windy and a good part of the lake is snow-covered.  We probably have eight or nine inches of snow, nothing like what's happened in Buffalo. We have electricity, and heat, so we are thankful for that this time of year. I will probably venture out sometime this morning to shovel, maybe in two stages because of the cold. Ironically, I looked at the temperatures in Kansas City and Bristow, VA where  Tom and Jill live, and it's warmer here at the lake. It's 9:30 as we finish the blog and it is snowing again outside. Time to do some shoveling. 

Yesterday was the coldest day probably in 2022, as the temperature dipped below zero. We were fortunate that I was able to do some shoveling and start the car so I could go to the Transfer Station despite the cold weather. Other than that brief excursion outside, we hunkered down inside. Evie was a busy gal, prepping a few things for our Christmas dinner. We had planned on going to a friend's open house this afternoon but it was canceled because of the weather. Since we were going with our neighbors, Barb and Jim, we decided to see if they wanted to come for dinner which they did. So Evie started prepping some things, the highlight, however, was a carrot cake, something we both have been wanting since I saw one at Wegman's for twenty-nine bucks. Yep. 

She took time out from cooking to make a tuna sandwich for me and I heated up the soup. We both then adjourned to the TV room to watch the Bills game. And that's how we spent much of the afternoon, either doing something in the kitchen or watching football. I did get in a nap, of course, but saved the Bills game so after the nap, I watched the second half of the game. We were pretty sick of football by the end of the game but watched a few minutes of the Cowboys/Eagles game before deciding to enjoy a glass of wine in the living room and listen to music as the day waned. 

Dinner was easy, just heat up the Salisbury steak and mushroom gravy that Evie had made the day before, fearing we might lose our power. With mashed potatoes and a salad, we had an unlikely Christmas Eve dinner but we liked it. Without family, I have to admit, it did not feel like Christmas Eve, but rather like a regular evening, eating dinner and watching TV. We tried a couple of movies but ended up going back to a series we had started called Inside Man. We had enough TV by 9:30 and went up to bed to read, the end of quiet Christmas Eve.

A Frozen Lake And -4º

Winter Hiking

7:36

8:07

9:35

It's a bit chilly this morning and the boiler seems to turn on every 15 minutes, trying to heat the house and hot water. I cannot believe winter literally started three days ago and we have this kind of cold weather and not just we, but much of the US. It may get up to double digits but I am doubtful.

Sun Rising This Morning

Yesterday started with temperatures in the 30s but by midafternoon, it was down to single digits, then in the evening, below zero. Lots of wind, of course, knocking a few branches down in our front yard. I neither kayaked nor went to yoga so I had a long morning or so it seemed. We were both up unfortunately by 7:00 and worried about the high winds creating a power outage but so far, so good. Around 10:00, I braved the cold and got in a half-hour hike up Kinney's Run, then across the open field down to Park Way and home, It was not yet that cold, in the teens, so I felt good with three layers of clothing. l even shoveled our parking area although there was only a few inches of snow.

Kinney's Run

Ukrainian Steppes Or Woodlawn Field

While I was gone, Evie decided to put together our Christmas Eve dinner,  Salisbury steak, easy and tasty, just in case we lost power but would have a dinner that could be heated up on our outdoor grill. Around 11:30, my buddy Rick, from Sacramento called, and we had lots of laughs. We taught together at Robert College in the 1970s and have been good friends ever since. Lunch was Evie's homemade soup and chicken, tomato, and lettuce sandwiches.  I am finally on the last episode of Season Three of Deadwind and I have had enough and am looking forward to a new series. I then read some, napped, and had no thoughts about going outside into the cold. We amused ourselves much of the afternoon watching the mallards, a least a hundred, feeding in front of our house and our neighbors. This morning, they are gone because of the frozen lake. 

Friday Night With Neighbors

We were excited about going to our neighbors, Pat and David's for dinner so at 5:30, we got bundled up, put on our tall boots, got out a flashlight, and walked probably 100 yards along the lakefront in swirling snow to their house. Ollie, their dog, greeted us as we took off our boots and walked into a nice warm house, with a fireplace going. Our other neighbors, John and Maryanne also came and we had appetizers and libations in their living room until dinner time. 

Happy Friday

Pat had made a delicious chicken and vegetable stew and with a salad and bread, we were a happy seven. For dessert, we had a peppermint ice cream cake, a perfect ending to our dinner. We trudged home in the snow and cold around 9:00, happy and full but it still was good to be home. We watched some TV but ended up going to bed by 10:00, a good day despite the cold and winds.