Almost Fall

Great Grandson Rhys Wishing Granny A Happy Birthday

7:47

A brilliant sunny Friday morning makes it difficult to look out toward the lake. All is quiet as we move toward late September, the beginning of fall. It's 61º and should get up to 80º later in the day. Now it's 9:55 and I got in a forty-five minute paddle and am starting to feel more energetic. 

7:47

Great Blue Posing

Yesterday began with both of us up by 7:30. I was on my way for a paddle by 8:30 and was out for forty minutes. Since it was Evie's 80th birthday, our son Tom put photos of Evie from various ages on Facebook which was fun because of the responses from friends. So we didn't do much, mostly because I still lacked mojo and Evie was still suffering from COVID-19 symptoms.  In fact, she went up to bed around 11:00 because she was not comfortable downstairs. Around 10:30, there was a knock on the door and two dozen roses were delivered for Evie from our son  Tommy, a nice surprise.  

From Tom And Mary

I then decided to take the boat out for a brief cruise, making sure the battery was charged. It felt good to be on the lake and the boat performed well. I left the cover off, wanting to let the sun dry it out. We laugh that every time I take the cover off it rains. So after the cruise, I came in the house and went upstairs to read and nap. When I came down an hour later, Evie told me it did actually rain for about five minutes. The weather gods are playing with me.

Around 1:00, I heated up a bowl of chicken soup and made a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch and watched my show. I then read and tried to nap but to no avail. We both spent the afternoon either upstairs in bed or downstairs on the couch. Evie had phone calls from our kids and around 3:00, our good friend Linda stopped by with a Happy Birthday Evie sign, cupcakes. and beef barley soup. Later, our neighbor Barb stopped by with zinnias and a neat serving dish from South Carolina. 

Tommy And Evie, Honolulu, 1969

Evie wasn't hungry at dinner time, so I had corn and a Greek feta/turkey burger from Wegmans with a cupcake for dessert. Around 7;30, Evie was tired and went up to bed. I spent the rest of the evening watching Caitlin Clark Fever lose by a point to the Mystics. Once it was over, I watched the first half of Thursday night football before going up to bed. What a day!

Moon At 8:50

Evie Joy Celebrates Her 80th Birthday With Covid 19 And Our Son Celebrates His 56th

Well, now there are two of us with COVID-19 as Evie's been suffering from aches and pains and a cough since yesterday morning. The irony is not lost on her as today is also her 80th birthday as well as our son Tommy's 56th. What a way to celebrate. It's after 10:00 and I just returned from a forty-minute paddle, talking with a couple neighbors, Roman from Chardon and Jane from Victoria. The weed cutters are out in front of our docks, cutting and clearing the dead weeds. 

7:50

8:25

Kayak Morning

Northern Clouds

Heron

Yesterday was more of the same, sitting around feeling sorry for myself until I discovered Evie also had Covid so I had someone else to feel sorry for. We debated whether she should get Paxlovid and decided to text her PA Michael to see what he says. He thought it was a good idea and called the drug into Wegmans.

So about 11:00, I drove to Wegman's, put on my mask, and waited in line for the prescription. The gal said this was a very popular drug recently so I assume many others have been suffering. I bought a few things and came straight home. Evie spent much of the morning in bed as her symptoms seemed to get worse during the day, especially an aching body. 

I had meatball sandwiches for lunch, leftover from Tuesday night's dinner, and watched my show but could not wait to nap. The afternoon went slowly because there was not much to do but read, nap, or watch some TV. I also went out for short walks but that was about it. 

By dinner, neither of us was hungry and Evie was so uncomfortable that she went to bed. I had a couple of ears of corn and a meatball and that was it. I watched a new film on Netflix called Rebel Ridge and it was pretty bad but I stuck with it for an hour before going to bed. Not much of a day. 

Overcast And Gray

7:36

It's 8:00 and I have only been up since 7:30 so I slept in some. I am feeling better each day and hope by the weekend, I will be back to normal. I just returned from a 40-minute paddle, my usual, and shot an osprey and a couple of herons, still hanging around in September. 

Kayak Morning

Among The Reeds

Northern Sky

Yesterday was a carbon copy of the day before. I was up early and was able to kayak for a half hour. I finished the blog while Evie made me scrambled eggs sandwiches for lunch before driving off to school. I then spent the morning bored, mostly reading but also went out for a short walk around the neighborhood before lunch. 

Great Blue

Different Guy

Osprey

I was not that hungry so I had two egg sandwiches on brioche rolls and watched my show but was getting tired and couldn't wait to go upstairs and nap. Fatigue and tiredness, along with a couch, seem to be my major symptoms right now. Evie was home by 2:30 and had done some shopping at Wegmans before coming home. The afternoon went slowly because I was bored although I did take another short walk around the neighborhood, hoping it would be good for me.

Evie had her Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00 and I watched the end of the Eagles/Falcons game which I had saved. Dinner was the vodka pasta, noodles, meatballs, and sauce from Wegmans. It tasted good and I am getting my appetite back. We watched the first episode of True Detective and are not taken with it despite the fact it won some Emmys. Go figure. We then switched to Cheers and the news before going up to bed early, both of us tired from the day. 

8:15

Full Moon

Partly Cloudy And Breezy

 

7:38

It's 8:09 and I got up at 7:20, actually sleeping in. Evie was up at   7:00 and is taking a shower now to get ready for school. I am sitting here debating whether to go for a paddle. I woke feeling no way because it took every ounce of strength to get out of bed. Now, however, it's 9:10 and I felt pretty good, paddling for a half hour. Just do it! 

Kayak Morning

North

Hawk Or Immature Bald Eagle

Woodlawn Heron

Fishing

Monday was another long day for the COVID-19 kid. I am not complaining but I am not used to being housebound, lacking energy and mojo, fatigued from sitting around. So Evie drove to Erie and I had a memorable morning of finishing the blog after a paddle, then reading some and finally going back upstairs and taking a morning nap.

Evie was home by noon and suggested making French toast for lunch, which tasted good. I watched my show, then couldn't wait to go back upstairs, read, and fall asleep. The rest of the afternoon was either reading, walking around the yard, or watching TV. Evie put together a vodka pasta sauce and took it easy as well. We listened to the news, and it was all about the failed attempt on Trump's life. The right blames the Secret Service or Biden, the Maga crowd Harris/Walz for calling him threatening names. What irony: the ultimate flamethrower almost gets burned. No talk about gun control, just politics and blame. 

Dinner was great, the pasta and Steelhead Trout filets from our neighbor. We watched a couple of episodes of Season Two of Pachinko but wish we remembered more of Season One. We both went to bed early although I watched maybe a quarter of the Monday Night Football game. 

Another Stellar Lake Morning

7:21

It's 7:53, sunny, and we are sitting on our couches, with coffee, of course, thinking about our day. Mine is easy, take it easy because I still feel terrible from COVID-19. Evie, however, is driving into Erie for testing at St. Vincent, a forty-five-minute drive. I read that light exercise if you have Covid can be beneficial so I went out for a short, 20 minute paddle and was rewarded with shots of an eagle and heron. 

Kayak Morning

Victoria Bald Eagle

Woodlawn Heron

Yesterday was not much of a day. I will be brief. No kayaking, lying around reading and around 10:30 I went to bed and slept for a good hour.  When  I woke, Evie made me scrambled eggs and toast for lunch and I then watched some NFL games before going back upstairs to read and nap. I did finish my book, The Peacock And The Sparrow and started a new Will Trent thriller, Fallen. 

Around 3:00, I took another positive covid test, unlike the previous test on Saturday. Because it was at least a year or two old, Evie decided to drive to Mayville and buy more tests. When she returned, I tested positive again so we were now sure I have Covid 19.

We had dinner at 6:00, a salad for Evie and chicken soup, and a bagel with cream cheese and tomato for me. We watched Caitin Clark score 35 points in her final game of the season on  TV until 9:15, then both of us went up to bed.

Blinding Sun At The Moment

7:51

8:41

It's 8:30 and we are both up. I was up at 7;20, Evie at 8:00. I am still feeling bad, coughing, aching, and unable to sleep more than 4 to 5 hours the last two nights. I did take a covid test yesterday and it was negative but will take another today. I feel too tired to paddle, alas. 

Yesterday began with a paddle despite the lack of sleep and tiredness and coughing. When I came back, I had breakfast, wrote the blog, and took a Covid test that was negative. The rest of the morning  I spent trying to sleep, relaxing on the couch, reading or watching TV. My one accomplishment was to take the trash to the Transfer Station around 11:00, just to help Evie out. She left for Wegmans to pick up cough, pain, and allergy medicine for me, returning around 1:00. I was not very hungry so while she was gone, I made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I then tried again to take a nap but I just can't fall asleep for long. It's frustrating. Around 4:00, I talked with my daughter Beth who also was feeling some of the same symptoms as me and she just wrote this morning that she tested positive for COVID-19, no doubt a result of teaching 80+ sixth graders. 

The afternoon went fast and I sat outside in the yard reading, getting some sun which felt good. I skipped happy hour, no interest in wine, and by 6:00, we were having dinner, chicken soup from Wegmans, and toasted cheese sandwiches. I did finish the soup but ate only one of the sandwiches because I was not hungry, We watched Real Time With Bill Maher, which allowed me to take my mind off my pathetic self for a bit. We both went to bed early, around 9:15, hoping to get some sleep. 

Saturday Sun Day

7:41

9:31

It's later than usual, 8:30 because I got up late. I knew I had a bad night so I tried to stay in bed and get more sleep. Also, there must be a fishing tournament because the roar of the boats seemed to go on forever.  Since yesterday, I have been fighting an annoying cough, and fatigue but no fever. So it kept me up a good part of the night. I decided to get in a short 35-minute paddle, hoping it would make me feel better and photographing two herons did it.

Kayak Morning

Cloudless Northern Sky

Heron # 1

#2

Friday was typical, with my getting in a paddle, then off to yoga. It's obviously not a very popular day because I was the only one in class. I was tired but thought yoga would perk me up but I started coughing for the first time in class and it got worse during the day. After class, I stopped at TJ's because I needed a new wallet and picked one up for 13 bucks along with some Lucky Brandy undies and a shot glass, a productive stop. I also stopped at Sav A Lot and picked up pork ribs and milk before heading home.

When I returned our electric lawn mower was sitting in the yard and a disgruntled wife was in the house because the lawn mower kept stopping for no reason and has done so the past couple of weeks. So we will be taking it to Buffalo, an hour and forty-five minute drive, to the only Ryobi service station around. 

Evie made me quesadillas with cheese, hot sauce, and avocado, messy but delicious. After my show, I hoped to take a good long nap because I had a bad night but to no avail. So I spent most of the afternoon reading, enjoying the sun in our side yard, until it was wine time and Evie had finished cutting the lawn with our trusty Honda gas mower. 

Once again, we had walleye for dinner and tabbouleh; it was even sweeter and better than the night before. Interestingly, I talked with my barista yesterday, and she said her husband also brought walleye for dinner. The difference was the dinner cost them 250 bucks because of her husband's fishing charter. Pretty funny. We watched some junk TV until the Indiana Fever game on Ion. Once again, Catilin Clark struggled and the team lost by a few points.

Sunny and Getting Warmer

7:12

7:22

7:22

7:23

It's 7:47 and what was once an orange globe is now a bright, blinding sun, filling the lake with its light on a 57º morning. I was up at 6:45 and a few bass boats were already out, racing up the lake to get that early bass. It's 9:15 and I paddled for 40 minutes on another fine morning. 

Kayak Morning

Great Blue Heron

Thursday was a busy morning for both of us. Mine started with a good breakfast at the Ashville Country Store instead of kayaking. When I returned home around 9:15, we finished the blog and Grandma Evie was ready for kindergarten. I wasn't sure what I wanted to do but finally decided on a bike ride. So I drove to Mayville, parked my car in the park and rode two lengths of the Webb Trail, about four miles, then Sea Lion Drive and beyond before returning. It took me nearly an hour to ride 9 miles which doesn't seem like that much. On the way home, I stopped at the hardware store to pick up a few things, then drove home. 

Webb's Trail

Northern Tip Of Lake

I wasn't that hungry because of a big breakfast so I cut up local tomatoes into squares, added vineger and oil, and had my lunch. I watched the last episode of Season Four of Justified, then read and took a great nap, much needed since I was up at 5:30. While I was napping, Evie returned, exhausted but happy and was watching her afternoon fix, The View. I sat out in the sideyard and read on a 80º afternoon but surprisingly, because of the breeze, it was cool, almost cold enough to want a fleece. 

Bloody Mary Afternoon

Lake Time

We ended up on the porch with a glass of wine, debating what to do for dinner when our neighbor, Pat called, and wondered if we might enjoy fresh walleye. Her husband David went on a fishing excursion in Barcelona on Lake Erie and came home with lots of walleye fillets. Well, what could we say but bring it over. Pat stayed for a good half hour, enjoying a libation, before walking back home to make their walleye dinner. Evie coated the walleye with crushed Ritz crackers, sauteed it and with some baked potatoes and tartar sauce. The walleye, a local favorite, was sweet and delicious, one of the best edible fish. We watched Stephen Colbert discuss the Presidential Debate until it was time for the Bills game. I stayed up until the end of the first half and Evie went to bed after the first quarter. Happily, I discovered the Bills won 31-10 this morning on ESPN.