A Changing Morning Sky

It's 8:15 and the sky is once again mostly gray as the sunrise disappears behind clouds. The lake is choppy because of a northerly wind and it is 17º. The shoreline is littered with chunks of ice and the lake is open for a couple of hundred yards and then frozen off towards both Tom's Point and Long Point. I just walked into the kitchen to make another cup of coffee and the snowplow drove by, clearing our road because we got another four or five inches overnight.

Canadian Geese On Ice

Yesterday was not much of a day. For me, it was typical because after coffee and the blog, I drove to Lakewood and met up with my friend Paul for coffee at Ryders Cup. After coffee, I couldn't waste the fact that I was near Wegmans so I dropped in and picked up a few things Evie needed then on my way home I stopped at Michaels to pick up something Evie just found online. 

A Hungry Cardinal

I was home around noon and Evie was hunkered down in the TV room, under a blanket fighting a cough and cold. Earlier, she made an appetizer for Christmas but that was about it for the day. I had lunch, the leftover pumpkin/vodka/cream pasta, and watched my show. After lunch, I took a nap and read until 3:45 when I drove over to Dick's house for a couple of beers with him and Jack, my breakfast buddies. We wanted to get together at least once before Dick leaves for Florida on December 28th. 

Beers With Jack And Dick On A Warmer Day

I was home by 5:45 and we relaxed in the living room, listening to the great news that Congress averted a government shutdown. Wow, they did something. Dinner was another helping of pasta mostly because Evie was not very interested in eating. She stayed up until 8:45 before bed, hoping to feel better today. We watched a really interesting episode from the series,  Somebody Feed Phil, which took place in Dubai, an amazing city of immigrants from all over the world. We have watched at least five or six other episodes set in cities around the world, where he explores their cuisine and interviews the locals. 

More Snow And Winter Weather Advisory

7:56

Open Water

It's a beautiful morning, with three or four inches of snow covering the yard, car, parking areas and tree limbs. Looking at the lake, it's open in front of our house, but frozen down to the south and along the shoreline where I launch my kayak. It's a chilly chilly 29º with a few flurries. 

Vineyards, Lake Erie, And Sky

Yesterday was a big day for Evie, her last day in kindergarten before Christmas. For me, I had nothing I had to do but wanted to fill it with a walk or hike. So after Evie left, with a Ikea bag full of 18 bags of goodies, I had another cup of coffee and decided to drive to Westfield and walk along Chautauqua Creek. I went the back way, down Hardscrabble Road with view of the vineyards, Lake Erie, and the sky. I parked my car and walked along the creek's swollen waters, quite a difference from our walk in October when it was hardly a stream. 

Chautauqua Creek

Trail

Looking Toward Lake Erie

Lake Erie was rough, with a few birds, and its beaches filled with stones and driftwood. I was the only one there. It's a little over a third of a mile walk out, the same coming back along the creek. Afterward, I drove to Westfield, stopped at Portage Pie, picked up a cherry pie, Evie's favorite, and then stopped for a coffee at Full Strength Coffee Company. I ran into my former yoga teacher and surfer Jen which was fun.

Driftwood

Lake Erie

The Mouth Of Chautauqua Creek

I was home by 12:30, basically out of the house for two hours, and had lunch, the leftover ham and cabbage stir fry on rice and watched my show. After lunch, I read and napped much of the afternoon, waiting for Evie. She didn't get home until after 3:00 because, after school, she went to T.J's, then to Jaret's in Lakewood for a trim. Once she returned, I was regaled with stories during wine time and we listened to the news. Dinner was interesting, rigatoni with tomato paste, pumpkin, gochujang sauce, cream, onion, garlic, and vodka. Yum. We started a couple of series once again and stuck with Ted Danson in A Man On The Inside. We also watched a Colbert and after Evie went to bed, I watched the NCAA volleyball semifinals, as these amazing women athletes fought to get into the finals. 

Light Snow And Cloudy

7:15

9:08

It's a gray morning, what else, as the lake continues to melt. It's 27º and shouldn't get much warmer, although no snow is forecast. It's 9:15, and I was just in Bemus with Jack, having breakfast at Lake Life. He just returned from an 8-day trip visiting the markets in Europe, especially Budapest and Vienna. 

Mallards On Ice As It Snows

Yesterday was a day of rest for both of us. We had no plans other than to hang out and enjoy our leisure. So we had a long coffee hour or two, listening to the news, usually Michael Smerconish before getting up and doing something. Earlier, I had called our plumber because the sump pump in our crawl space would not turn off. So the plumber came over, said we needed a new pump, went back to the office and picked up one then came back and put it in. I hate to see my bill because we had a plumber over the day before to fix one of the valves that control the heating zones. Evie is putting together individual gifts for her kindergarten class so she asked me if I would go to Walmart and pick up small notebooks for the kids. So around 11:00, I left, stopping first at the bank and then and always-busy Walmart. The lines at checkouts were long but fortunately, I got through quickly. I was home by 12:30 and Evie already had lunch ready for me, egg salad sandwiches, and soup. 

A Dreary Wednesday

I spent the afternoon, as usual, reading and napping while Evie put together eighteen gift bags for the kids, filled with goodies. And that's how we spent much of the afternoon. By 4:00, we had a couple of inches of snow so I went out and shoveled it although it needed to be done.

Presents For Evie's Kindergarten Class

By 5:00, we enjoyed our wine and talked with our daughter Jill about Christmas Eve dinner, what to have, tenderloin or prime rib. Our dinner was a recipe I found in the Washington Post, a ham and cabbage stirfry with hoisin sauce. It ended up being surprisingly tasty. We started a couple of series although neither of them grabbed us, we are too impatient. Evie went up to bed around 9:00,  gearing up for her big day today with the last day of kindergarten and I watched some basketball, then The Lincoln Lawyer before going up to read.

Christmas At Robert College, in  Istanbul, 1972/73?

 

Gray Skies, Lake, And Snow Expected

8:46

Right now it's 9:20 because we both slept in. We are listening to Michael Smerconish as usual, enjoying our first cuppa and I'm writing the blog. Supposedly it's going to snow for the next three or four hours but it hasn't started yet. The lake is still frozen close to shore but open in the middle, filled with waterfowl this morning. 

Floating Hooded Mergansers, Seagulls, And Mallards

Yesterday was a long day for me because Evie was gone until 3:30, at school, then doing some shopping. It's strange to have a morning to myself with nothing I have to do. I am taking a few days off from yoga to see if it helps my sore back. I got antsy around 10:30 and decided to go for a hike but before going, I drove to Petersons Farm and picked up 50 pounds of black oil sunflower seed for the bird feeders. I then drove through Bemus to the end of Lakeside Drive and walked around Long Point State Park for forty minutes. It's lost its beauty, no leaves, four-wheeler tracks along the trails, and gray skies and woods. The trails were either mush or frozen so it was a good thing I was using my hiking poles. 

Long Point State Park Trail

Winter Woods. 

I was home at 12:35 and was hungry so I made a couple of ham sandwiches (what else) and heated up Evie's veggie soup. I decided to try the next season of The Lincoln Lawyer and will stick with it during lunch. I am reading Louis Erdrich's The Mighty Red and am not taken with it but I will stick with it for now. Around 2:30 the door opened up and our plumber walked in. thinking I was not at home, and changed one of the boxes that turn the zones on and off in our upstairs bedrooms. 

Evie was home by 3:30 and I helped with the groceries then set up the charger for our car. It was a wild day in kindergarten because the class had a substitute teacher so Evie was busy, trying to keep the class tamed. We had our wine time and she regaled me with kindergarten stories as well as the old men who tend to stop and talk with her at Wegman's. She's quite a dish! We had an easy dinner, Evie a salad and I heated up a couple of slices of ham and the heavenly hash browns. We were tired of House Of Cards so we watched the last episode, #73, and that was it for the series. We then watched one of our HGTV shows before Evie went up to bed and I watched the first half of the NBA Cup, boring as neither team played well. I was happy to go up to bed to read. 

Melting Lake Ice And Yard Snow

7:49

8:47

Well, it's 8:20, and Evie's up showering, getting ready for school and I have no plans for the day, just be spontaneous. I can't quite kayak this morning because of the floating ice unless I zigzagged back and forth in the open water. And, the grass is showing in some places, the two feet of snow having melted over the past three or four days.

Sea Gulls

Cardinal At Our Feeder

Monday was a bit different for us because we moved our Sunday dinner with Linda and Ron to Monday because of the football games. Other than that, it was a typical day for getting things ready for dinner with friends. We were both up late, enjoyed our coffee and by 10:15, I was off to a Melt yoga class, where we literally use a rubber roller to massage various parts of our body. It's an interesting and different type of class but it didn't seem to help my aching back.  After class, I did a quick run to Wegmans to pick up a few things for Evie.

Lunch was soup and a couple of chicken salad sandwiches and then I started a new book, Louise Erdrich's The Mighty Red having finished and loved Conclave. After my nap, both of us spent the rest of the afternoon tidying up the house and getting appetizers and dinner prepared, a ham and an old-time favorite, heavenly hash browns aka junky potatoes. 

Monday Night Dinner

Linda and Ron arrived at 6:00 and we settled into our usual chairs with wine or beer and enjoyed Evie's new appetizer, crab cakes. They were delicious and we will for sure make them again. Around 7:00, I sliced the ham, Evie pulled the heavenly hash browns out of the oven, and we helped ourselves, most of us to two helpings of both. We had chocolate creampuffs from Wegmans for dessert, which was a sweet way to end our dinner. They left around 9:00 and as usual, I cleaned up the kitchen while Evie went up to bed. After I was done, I watched some Monday Night Football. 

Another Thaw, Getting Ugly

7:33

As the lake and yard thaw, winter's worst begins. It's 36º, reaching a high of 48º later in the day, as the glory of snowfall melts. I may even be able to kayak tomorrow if the temperatures remain in the 40s. 

Sea Gulls On Ice

Yesterday was another football Sunday, as we watched the Browns lose to the Chiefs and the Bills defeat the Lions in an offensive slugfest. The day, began as usual, with our routine of coffee, blog, and breakfast and listening to the news. By 10:30, I was fed up with sitting around, and put on my shoes with crampons, and drove to the Chautauqua Institution for a walk. Most of the roads were snow-covered and beginning to melt so it was safe walking. I walked up and down a couple of streets, the porches of most houses covered with canvas, and was out for an hour, two and a half miles. When I returned home, I felt righteous since I hadn't walked in over a month. 

Thunder Bridge

Tiny Church

Bestor Plaza

Brick Walk

When I returned, I relaxed until 1;00 when we had breakfast, sausages, eggs, and an English muffin. We then watched the Brown's first quarter, a boring game, so I decided to read some and nap. After my nap, we watched the last quarter of the Browns, looking forward to the Bills game. We had the game saved so we could pause it to get some wine, or later, to make our dinner, pork chops, homemade applesauce and baked potatoes. By 7:30, the game was over, all was well in Western New York because the Bills had won. We then watched two more episodes of Season Six of House of Cards. Francis is dead and Claire is now President and it's boring without Kevin Spacey. We will stick with it to the end. 

Windy And Gray Skies

8:35

It's after 9:10, and we slept in until 8:15. The flag is flying high on a 29º morning, warm compared to yesterday's 6º. So far, no ice fishermen have ventured out, probably because of the warning from the Bemus Point fire department that the ice was not safe. 

Saturday was cold and windy, so going outside was unpleasant unless necessary. We spent the morning sitting around, making a shopping list because we were going to a party Saturday night and wanted to take a couple of appetizers and Monday we are having friends over for dinner. By 11:00, we had the trash gathered and I had a shopping list on my iPhone, ready to head off to Wegmans. It was not as crowded as I thought so I made good time although looking for items like tapioca flour was a pain. Thank god for Wegman's apps which tell the aisle of an item and where in that item it's found. I know Evie helps people when she shops, using the app. I breezed through check out and was home by 12:15, ready to kick back the rest of the afternoon. Lunch was a favorite, chicken salad sandwiches on brioche buns and veggie soup. I watched my show but am getting bored with it, tired of the prosecutor and Lincoln lawyer arguing their case, episode after episode.

A Solitary Seagull On Thin Ice

I was happy to get back to my book, Conclave, with its struggle for power, hypocrisy,  and malice. I napped of course, then helped Evie clean up the kitchen after making a couple of appetizers. We both relaxed until 5:00, when we showered and were ready to leave by 6:00 but our daughter Jill called so we left just after 6:00. We drove the 100 yards because of the ice and appetizers, wine, and slippers! We were greeted by Barb and Jim, our hosts, and two other couples who spend much of their winters here at the lake but are not permanent residents. We had a panoply of appetizers and lots of wine or beer and Jim made cranberry gin and tonics for anyone who wanted one. We are lucky to have such good neighbors, and fun to be with. We stayed until 9:15 and were the first to leave but both of us were tired, ready for bed like a couple of octogenarians, alas.

Moon Rising At Dusk

Sunny, Blue Skies, And 11º

8:18

8:19

Long Point

It's a beautiful morning, with lots of sun, a mostly frozen lake, and Arctic temperatures, 6º early morning. Neither of us is in a hurry to start our day so we are just sitting here, on our devices, enjoying our coffee, the silence, the sun, and the sky. 

Friday was a day of rest. We did not do much except hang out most of the day. I skipped yoga because I had no mojo and Evie had no school. We had a long coffee, listening to Michael Smerconish but by 10:45, I gathered up my mojo and went out and cleared the drive of four or five inches of glorious light snow, the kind that falls when it's frigid out. It took me only ten minutes before I was back in the house getting warm. 

I knew the mashed potatoes from a couple of nights ago were still in the refrigerator, so at my suggestion, Evie made potato pancakes and eggs for lunch. Yum. I still have an episode or two to go with The Lincoln Lawyer before I can start on the next season. I am into my book, Conclave, so I spent most of the afternoon on the couch reading it, occasionally falling asleep. Evie spent much of the afternoon looking at photos to make a photo book for our great-grandson, something she had done when our grandchildren were infants. 

Yesterday at Dusk

We both were looking forward to happy hour but before it, I volunteered to drive to Tops in Mayville to pick up some goodies for happy hour and our party tonight at a neighbor's house. Unfortunately, they did not have what Evie needed so I will be heading to Wegmans later today after dropping off the trash. We had our manhattans with chips and listened to both news and music, but mostly talked about Evie's kindergarten class, many of whom I am getting to know through her stories.  For dinner, we had the leftover stir fry from Thursday night and Evie had Cheerios. We watched a couple more episodes of House Of Cards, and Francis has finally resigned, rather than being impeached and Claire is now President. 

15º And More Snow

 

This Morning's Snow

8:55

9:40

It's 9:00 as I start this. The lake's starting to freeze, the sun's out, and we got another five inches overnight. It's a beautiful morning with the snow on the tree branches. The snow should stop sometime this morning and abate for a couple of days. From the news, it looks like the suburbs of Buffalo really got hit, although not much of the city, typical of lake-effect snowfall. 

Thursday we both had things to do in the morning but were worried about our road. Fortunately, the plow guys worked at it so we had no trouble getting in and out. Our early morning was typical, no hurry because we didn't have to leave until 9:30. So we had our coffee, read the paper online, wrote the blog and had breakfast before heading off, me to yoga, Evie to school. It was bitterly cold out, a surprise, but yoga class was nice and toasty and crowded with regulars. 

After class, I stopped at Aldis and picked up a couple of racks of lamb and some chops so we are ready for the holidays, either here or with our daughter Jill in Virginia. I was home by 12:15 and heated up the leftover pasta with mushrooms and veggies from Tuesday night and watched my show. I am getting into my novel, Conclave, by Robert Harris, about the politics of picking a Pope. I also napped for a bit, but spent most of the afternoon reading and waiting for Evie to return.  Much of the afternoon, seagulls, 800 to 1000, floated in the middle of the lake, a mass at least a half mile long, amazing. 

Seagulls

Floating By

Evie was later than usual because she stayed for the kindergarten Christmas show. She loved it of course and I have to mention another story. Their teacher let the class know that she had to go to the office for a few minutes and one of the kids, yelled, "Yeah, Grandma Evie is in charge", and the whole class stood up and cheered. Fun.

She got home around 3:30, exhausted from the day but happy and relaxed with her show, and talked with my sister Ellen until 5:30 when she put together our dinner, a chicken and broccoli curry over rice. We enjoyed it with our show, House Of Cards, and we watched three more episodes until we were thoroughly depressed with politics, its ugliness, lies, hypocrisy, and desire for power. Evie went up to bed and I watched the first half of the NFL game, then went up to bed to happily get immersed in the dirty politics of the church as it picks its Pope.