Overcast With Rain And Thunder Overnight

6:56

8:38

It's 8:42 as I start this, on a cloudy, overcast morning. I was able to paddle for forty minutes and avoid the predicted rain. It was not an exciting morning on the lake, with an easterly breeze and few waterfowl, no ospreys or eagles, alas, just a pair of common mergansers and me paddling along the shoreline to Sandy Bottom and home.

Kayak Morning

North To Long Point

Common Mergansers 

Yesterday was a bizarre day, starting, however, with a decent paddle. I then left at 9:00 to meet Ron and drive to Mayville where I played some pickleball for the first time. It looks like fun but I am certainly an amateur, whiffing the ball numerous times and not realizing the ball does not bounce as high as a tennis ball. I will keep with it to see if I improve. I then drove to Westfield for an X-ray requested by my gastroenterologist and was home by 11:30, not having to wait very long for the X-ray.

When I returned home, Evie was cutting the lawn for the first time, working up quite a sweat in the 75º spring morning. I decided to work on my purple Martin house. First, I had to get it set up and ready to launch. I then put on my waders and walked out into the lake and pounded an aluminum tube into the lake bottom with a sledgehammer. I then walked back to shore, put the houses on a pole and walked out and inserted the pole into the tube, and raised the house. Unfortunately, the houses are not balanced because a couple of the metal rods holding the houses are bent, So I had to take the whole thing down and head back to Tractor Supply to buy new and stronger rods. What a waste of time and sweat.

So that was my morning and by the time I got finished, I was exhausted physically and psychologically. Fortunately, Evie made me lunch, soup, and a cheese sandwich and I relaxed, watching my series. The rest of the afternoon was a waste as we waited for the thunderstorms and rain that never came. I am sticking with my book OHIO although it has its ups and downs. Evie finished up the lawn and around 3:00 (after many breaks), as it was starting to get dark and cool off, I trimmed our lilac tree with a hedge trimmer. Evie held the ladder. I am getting smarter. 

We relaxed with a libation late afternoon with appetizers until 7:00 when we had an easy and healthy dinner, baked potatoes, topped with veggies, sour cream, and eggs. We watched a couple more episodes of The Diplomat which we are starting to like more. We ended the night as usual, with Jeopardy and ER.