A Winter Sunday

Clevelanders Loving Chautauqua

7:34

It's 8:40 and I have been up since 7:30 watching the birds at our feeder, the ducks floating in the open water, beyond the ice. It's cold out there, 15º and a few snowflakes are falling. No paddling obviously as the shoreline is covered with the skin of ice. It seems like the migration of mergansers has begun as at least 50 or 60 are floating on the open waters near the reeds. 

Feeding Ducks

Yesterday actually seemed like winter. We woke up to four or five inches of snow, a welcome surprise. And the sky changed back and forth between overcast and gray or blue skies and some sun. We were in no hurry which was nice and the only thing we had to do was gather the trash and take it to the Transfer Station. Around 10:00, I spent 15 minutes cleaning the snow off the car and shoveling our parking area. Evie gathered the trash and I was off to the Transfer Station by 10:15. And that was my only chore for the day. For some reason, by the time I was home, I lost my mojo as did Evie and thoughts of walking Long Point were put off until today, maybe. 

Saturday Afternoon Blue

I was looking forward to a lazy afternoon so after lunch, soup and pita with tomatoes and cheese, I watched some basketball on and off during the afternoon, read some, and of course napped. Since we were going to a neighbor's for dinner, Evie put together a tasty appetizer, eggrolls with veggies, tofu, and an Asian sauce, then baked them before we left at 6:00. I am almost finished with my novel, Absolution, and will be looking for my next read. 

A Raclette Dinner With Woodlawn Neighbors

We walked down our street to Newt and Elizabeth's house, in crunching snow and a refreshing nighttime air. Jim and Barb, also neighbors, were also there so it was a Saturday night dinner party. Newt and Elizabeth have done lots of remodeling to their house and added an amazing front porch, with floor-to-ceiling windows looking out at the porch and lake. We sat around for an hour with wine and appetizers, then moved to the dining room for a Raclette dinner of potatoes, bread, various cheeses, chicken, shrimp, and scallops.  It's a relaxed and sociable way to enjoy eating and drinking, a perfect way to spend a Saturday night. We sat at the table the rest of the night, enjoying the cooking, eating, and conversation, with brownies and ice cream for dessert. We didn't leave until almost 10:00 and walked home happy on a cold, dark evening.