A Bright Shiny Morning

7:41

7:42

Getting Cloudy at 8:45

The sun's brightness this morning has forced me to wear a baseball cap as I begin this blog. It fills the room with its light and I can hardly look out at the lake. It does not feel like February, more like April. We prefer snow but will take the sun and blue skies instead of February's usual alternative, gray skies.

Blogging On A Sunny Monday Morning

Sunday was another beautiful day, sun and blue skies until dusk. We were up early and enjoyed the sunrise with our coffee. We knew we had a busy day ahead of us but wanted to get in a walk. So after prepping a few things for Sunday dinner with Linda and Ron, we drove over to the Chautauqua Institution at 11:30. We thought the streets would be busy with fellow walkers but ran into only a couple of people. It was chilly but by the time we returned to the car, we had worked up a sweat. We didn't walk the entire grounds and we were happy to get in a mile and a half. 

Thunder Bridge

Brick Walk

We were back by 12:45 and Evie made me eggs and cheese on brioche rolls for lunch. I watched a new Justify but am not taken with it. Meanwhile,  our neighbor's grandsons came over to play so Evie was happy and busy until at least 2:00. She loves playing with kids. I of course took a great nap and and read some. The rest of the afternoon we alternated relaxing in the living room with prepping our dinner, appetizers, and dessert, or rather Evie prepping and me cleaning up. 

The Boys

Everything was copacetic by 6:00 when Linda and Ron arrived. We were having a Japanese dinner, something new for us. So we relaxed in front of the fireplace with wine and appetizers, Japanese pancakes with a dipping sauce. They are pancakes with veggies inside and siracha and they were a big hit. We have made them before but not in a long time. Dinner was a recipe I picked out and wanted to make, Japanese Beef Curry, a staple in Japanese households. Basically, it's a beef stew with Japanese curry sauce added to the chuck roast pieces, carrots, and potatoes.  Evie did the cooking while I watched and it took at least three to four hours for the beef to get tender. 

Sunday Dinner With Our Chautauqua Family

Like the pancakes, it was really good, the meat tender, the taste just right, with a hint of curry but enough to make it different from a usual beef stew.  With coconut rice, the four of us were happy.  Fortunately, there's enough left so I can have it tonight. For dessert, Evie had made a carrot cake (Mary's recipe), not Japanese but a tasty ending to our meal. After they left, we did up the dishes and watched the Grammys until 11:00. Billie Eilish, Tracy Chapman/Luke Bryan, Olivia Roderigo, and Miley Cyrus were the highlights.