Some Sun, Some Clouds, Some Snow

7:46

8:32

This morning was shocking as the sun was out, in full bloom, and the yard was covered with a dusting of snow. It's a chilly 22º and may get up to 30º later in the day. I had a bad night, upset about what Trump and his Republican sycophants are doing in Ukraine and cozying up to Putin.

Friday was a boring day, mostly because I sat on my okole most of the day, We don't have yoga on Friday and I didn't have much interest in hiking. So we stretched out our coffee time, into the Michael Smerconish Show at 9:00. At 10:00, a guy arrived to give us an idea of how we might redo our downstairs bathroom and what it might cost. Of course, it was a shock when he said most bathroom renovations cost between 25,000 and 45,000. We talked about what we wanted and were willing to spend, and he is coming back with a quote. We could have saved money if we ordered a premade fiberglass shower but it wouldn't fit through our door and would have to be split in two pieces, and then glued together and we didn't like that idea. 

Friday Noon Sky

So we will have a big decision to make in the next week or two although they are so busy he probably won't get to the bathroom until the summer. I passed up breakfast so Evie made me an early lunch, at noon, salami, cheese and tomato sandwiches on brioche buns. I started the fourth season of the Cormorant Strike series. I have read all the books as well, written by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowlings). I am not crazy about it and I didn't much like this particular novel. We were expecting our plumber to stop by during the afternoon to give us a quotation on air conditioning our downstairs but he never showed up,  So I will call another company on Monday. Evie had another doctor's appointment in Westfield and came home with a couple new prescriptions which we hope will settle her BP and HR. We both did little the rest of the afternoon. Evie is into The Crown and I am struggling with finding a new novel to read. We both were looking forward to 5:00 and wine time.  Around 6:00, Evie roasted some red potatoes and we had a premade fish dinner from Wegmans which just needed to bake for 15 minutes. The fish was not bad. We watched another episode of The Pitt, then a couple of Colberts, and ended the night with Hometown. Evie went up to bed and I watched another episode of C.B. Strike before going up to bed. 

Partly Sunny And 26º

7:44

8:13

Sunny At 9:01

It's 8:18, the winds blowing, and we are sitting here, reading the news, bemoaning our fate. We have a busy day because we have someone coming over in the morning to give us an estimate for renovating our downstairs bathroom with a walk-in shower and in the afternoon, Cory, our plumber, is coming over to provide us with an estimate for air conditioning our downstairs with Mini Splits.

Where's The Open Water

Canadian Geese Nesting On Ice

Yesterday like most Tuesdays and Thursdays, was a good day because Evie had kindergarten and I usually have yoga. For me, Thursdays begin with breakfast in Bemus, always a fun way to start the day. I am usually home by 9:00, finish up the blog and get ready for yoga. Unfortunately, our road is a mess, with a couple of excavators digging trenches so we have to use the Pine Hill road rather than Park Way. The work has stopped just before our house so I am not sure what next week will bring. Yin yoga class was easy, just hold a pose for two or three minutes then move on. After class, I did not linger especially because of the weather, rain and sleet, and came straight home to the mess of our road. I talked briefly with the workers who suggested that they will drill underground in our area rather than dig a trench. 

Lunch was the leftover Hungarian goulash and I watched my show Deadwind. It's not quite as good as the first time I watched it because I remember the murderer. Evie didn't get home until 2:30 and I made sure she took the Pine Hil road because Park Way was still blocked with trucks, piles of dirt, and excavators. At least by the time they left, the road was passable though muddy and rutted.

Dusk

 A Nasty 6:06 PM

Our afternoons have been leisurely the past few weeks, reading, napping, and watching TV and Thursday was no exception. By 5:30, we were enjoying wine with an appetizer, nachos and edamame, a nice surprise. We feasted until 7:00 and had a light dinner, soup and sandwiches, just right. We watched the usual home improvement shows, some Colbert, and ended the night with a Cheers, just for laughs. 

It's Back...Winter

9:05

I woke to a dusting of snow, heavy winds and 24º as the weather gods cannot make up their minds. The lake's still frozen, 18 inches in some places, so the fishermen still trudge out. It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast. I had to park my car near the mailboxes because the road is closed with trucks and excavators as they continue to work on putting in sewer lines. 

Wednesday was a full morning for me. We had our coffee and breakfast early so I could be off to yoga at 9:30. It was a rigorous class and I worked up a sweat. Since Evie did a big shopping trip on Tuesday, I came home straight away. A pot of veggie soup was simmering on the stove and a couple of egg salad sandwiches were ready for my lunch. So I had a great lunch as I watched my series. 

Late Afternoon

4:59

Because of the weather and my lack of mojo, I didn't get in a walk or hike during the afternoon but read and napped, always getting them in. Evie, too, after a busy morning relaxed and neither of us accomplished much until 5:00 when we both showered and got ready to go out to dinner.

5:00

5:51

Our neighbors picked us up at 6:00 and drove over to the Viking Club for wings and things. It was busier than usual but we easily found a table in the bar. I ordered wings of course and Evie ordered a flatbread pizza with pepperoni. The wings are always great, but the pizza is just average. Midway through dinner, Evie noticed the little boy at the next table was Jacob, from her kindergarten class. He was excited to see her and they talked and Evie met his parents. The five of us talked and ate and drank beers until 8:30 when we drove home. Evie was tired and went up to bed so I watched the Cavs defeat the Heat in the last few minutes and some of my series before joining her. 

A Nasty Morning

8:15

Tundra Swans And Geese at Celeron

Rain, wind, gray skies, and a lake resembling an ice skating pond greeted me this morning. It's 44º and should stay in the 40s most of the day.

Winter Biking

Celeron White House

Tuesday was a surprisingly busy day for both of us. We were up as usual around 7:30, had our coffee, breakfast and listened to the news, then Michael Smerconish. It was warm enough out that I wanted to do something outside. The snow on the lake had thawed so it was like an ice skating rink so I couldn't ski. So I decided to bike. I pulled it out of storage in our neighbor's garage, pumped up the tires, hooked the bike rack to my car, and viola, I was ready to ride. I drove into Lakewood, parked my car and rode down to Celeron because they had open waters filled with waterfowl, geese, trumpeter swans, mallards, and mergansers. What a parade of migrating birds. I rode back to Lakewood, parked, and realized I had lost one of my earbuds. I looked everywhere around my car and in it but to no avail. I rode for close to an hour and didn't feel too bad, just tired. 

Chautauqua Harbor Hotel

Tundra Swans

I was home by 12:30 and Evie had made me a great sandwich, ham, cheese, and tomatoes on rye bread. I loved it. She had an appointment with a doctor in Jamestown, and then did a big shopping at Wegmans and didn't get home until 3:00.  I read and napped, what else, and helped her unload the car. I took a shower at 4:00 and then my friend, Ron, picked me up because we were attending a high school tournament game at JCC's gymnasium. Both teams featured outstanding players, both capable of 30-point games and they did not disappoint. 

Cheer Squad

Victory Rush

It was an exciting match, which went into two overtime with the 4th seed defeating the 1st seed. The cheer squads were great, over twenty of them, all sizes which was cool. It was also interesting to look around at the white crowd, with few if anyone on their phones. It reminded me of a tournament game in a small town in Ohio, the entire town at the game. 

2 Gingers Inn Irish Pub

After the game with stopped at an Irish pub, 2 Gingers Inn, a good choice. It was surprisingly busy for a Tuesday night but we found a seat at the bar. We had a couple of Harps and I had an order of potato pancakes with sour cream and apple sauce and Ron had a bowl of Guinness stew.  We left around 9:30 and I was home by 10:00. Evie was still up watching Drumpt speak but I had no interest so I went up to bed to read and sleep, a good choice.

A Busy Tuesday Night At 2 Gingers Inn

Partly Cloudy And Warming

7:44

8:22

It's 8:45 and my lucky wife just came down for coffee. I have been up since 7:30, having slept in some and it's been a depressing morning, reading the paper. The world, not just the USA, seems in flux and much of its chaos is attributable to Drumpt. 

Yesterday was a good day for both of us. Evie had kindergarten and I had a Melt class. So our day began early, at 7:00 so we had time to prepare. I didn't have class until 10:30 but wanted to meet friends at Ryders Cup for coffee at 9:45. So Evie was off at 9:30 and I followed. The regulars were at Ryders Cup so I caught up on their lives, leaving at 10:20 for class. I didn't realize that there was a class to follow, another Melt introduction, to hands and feet using therapy balls. Three balls cost 30 bucks so I am glad I skipped it. After class, I went to Auto Zone for new windshield wipers for my Subaru. They "only" cost fifty bucks but they gave me a free gallon of washer fluid! I then did a quick run through Aldi's which is next to Auto Zone and came home. I decided on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Unfortunately, we had Wegman's Natural peanut butter and it took me at least five minutes of stirring to make it edible. Give me Jiff.  I watched another episode of Deadwind then read and napped until Evie returned home, around 2:30.

Cross Country Skiing

North

West

By 4:00, I was ready to hit the lake and cross-country ski. It was spectacular out there, lots of sunshine, shoreline shadows began to touch the lake and no one on the lake except me and a few ice fishermen. I was out for forty minutes and was exhausted when I returned, having worked up quite a sweat. 

Victoria

West

Bridge

When I got home, Evie was making our dinner, American goulash. Last week she had a conversation with one of her kindergarteners and he mentioned his favorite food was goulash. So she looked up a recipe and made it for dinner last night, basically elbow macaroni, ground beef, tomato sauce and cheese. It was kind of a throwback to my youth because my Mom made something like this. We both enjoyed it and watched an episode of White Lotus, then a couple of episodes of an older medical series called The Resident. We are not sure about it but will stick with it for a couple more episodes. Evie went up to bed and I watched, what else, a bit of basketball and another episode of Deadwind. 

Ready To Fish, Late Afternoon

Mosly Cloudy And Cold

Neighbors, Jeff And Nancy

7:46

8:15

When I came downstairs at 7:30, the sun was out but now, at 8:15, it's cloudy and still cold, 17º. Looking ahead though, it's supposed to get up to 50º on Wednesday, the warmest it's been since November. 

Yesterday was a day of rest, as it should be, and not much different from the previous week.We were both up by 7:30, had our coffee, and decided we were not g going to do much, an easy decision. Around 10:30, after breakfast and the blog, I went outside and once again, shoveled and cleaned the snow off the car. Since I was out, I decided to go for a walk around the Woodlawn/Victoria woods. At times, it was difficult because I would sink six or seven inches into the snow, at others, I was able to stay on the surface of the icy snow. I came home via the lake, still frozen and safe. It felt good to be outside, despite the temperature in the teens and the wind. 

Woodlawn

Not Much Of A Path

Victoria

View Of Woodlawn

Around 12:30, Evie made me a Turkish omelet with feta cheese and tomatoes and I watched some basketball. The rest of the afternoon went quickly and if you read the blog, does not change much. I am into my book, Hostage Zero, a Jonathan Grave thriller and took a good nap of course. Evie's into The Crown and since there's at least three seasons, she will have full afternoons for the next week. 

We met at 5:00 for a glass of wine and to enjoy the waning of the day, as the sky turned dark blue, then black. Since there was still chicken and asparagus left over from Friday night's dinner, I suggested having that again since it was so tasty. Evie was game so along with a salad, we had an easy dinner. We watched an episode of The Pitt, then an episode of White Lotus before turning to the Oscars for a half hour. Evie then went up to bed and I watched a series I know I have watched before but I liked it enough to watch it again. It's called Deadwind and is set in Finland, a crime thriller. I then watched a few minutes of the NBA and went to bed.

 

10º Again

7:36

Well, the cold has not bothered the birds because they are happily enjoying the black sunflower seeds. Despite the cold, a few intrepid ice fishermen are already out.

It Takes A Village

Yesterday was not the best of days because we were under the weather, feeling tired and achy for some reason. So we sucked it up and got a few things done nevertheless. We enjoyed our coffee and then made a short grocery list. I then went out and shoveled the driveway, three or four inches and then I was off to the Transfer Station, then to Wegmans at 10:30. It was a busy place and I wondered if it was because we were supposed to avoid shopping on Friday to protest the malign influence of billionaires, big corporations, and political parties. I doubt it. I was home by 12:30 and Evie made me a great ham and cheese sandwich, with mayo and mustard. Yum. And, fortunately, I was starting to feel better and more energetic. While I was shopping, Evie made herself bake the rest of the cookies because she had the dough in the refrigerator. 

Saturday Afternoon

Snow And Adirondacks

The afternoon went as usual, with me napping, reading and Evie watching The Crown for the second time and it's just as good as the first time. Around 4:00, despite the wind and snow, I made myself go out and clear the driveway again and go for a walk in Woodlawn. I was out for a half hour and actually liked it, the snow hitting my face, the wind.

Neither of us had much energy by 5:00, so we relaxed with a glass of wine, happy to be home, and for dinner, we had the leftover chicken with asparagus, no fuss. We watched the last two episodes of The Are Murders and then Evie went up to bed early, exhausted from her day. I watched an episode of my show and also went up to bed early. 

Winter Returns

8:21

8:51

I woke to winds and blowing snow as we received a dusting overnight. It's chilly out there, 21º, and will slowly drop to the low teens by evening. As I look out my window, it's nasty out there.

Friday started out being a good day but by the time we witnessed  Trump bully Zelensky, "a lecture by a mendacious vulgarian and ungracious host," it ended up being a dreadful day. It started, however, as usual, with coffee and breakfast, the news, and listening to Michael Smerconish. Around 10:30, Evie suggested inviting Jim, our neighbor, over for dinner since Barb is in Colorado for a week. It sounded like a good idea and he was happy to come. I wanted to get in some exercise so I drove to the CI and walked for forty five minutes, on asphalt and ice, making it challenging to walk with my crampons. I was home by 12:00 and Evie suggested I have the leftover chili for lunch, a good idea. 

Thunder Bridge

I thought I had a doctor's appointment at 1:10 in Westfield so I left around 12:30 and only found out I was a month early. My appointment is on March 28th,, not February 28th. Idiot. At least I had a reason to be out because Evie needed me to pick up a few things. I was home by 1:45, tired from my travails, and decided to nap.

Best In Black

Meanwhile, Evie prepped our dinner, with chicken thighs, asparagus, and a cream sauce. She also made some oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. Once both were done, she was able to relax. I helped when I could, usually cleaning up the kitchen and straightening the back porch. I showered at 5:15 and everything was ready when Jim arrived at 6:00, with a nice bottle of red wine. We had cheese and pretzels for an appetizer and Mahanttans, before dinner. We sat around the dinner table, until 9:00, enjoying our chicken and asparagus dinner and salad, laughing, reminiscing about the old days in Woodlawn, our neighborhood, and how lucky we are to have always had good neighbors. Jim left around 9:15, with a bag of cookies, and I cleaned up the kitchen while Evie tried to relax while watching the depressing news. 

Bemus Point's Lenhart Hotel, Still Not Sold