Sunny And 9º

7:50

7:23

7:17

It's 8:20, and Evie's been up since 7:00 because it's a school day. I slept in until 7:45, and because the lake is frozen, I won't be kayaking, probably for a while. I take my Kia in for a problem with the air flaps, again, and hope it can be solved. The first one hundred yards of the lake is frozen, beyond that it's open. 

Yesterday was a cold one, so neither of us wanted to do much outside. For Evie, it was a day to relax after a busy weekend. I had my typical morning: writing the blog, coffee, and breakfast. I found a recipe I wanted to make today so Evie did not have to worry about tonight's dinner. We made a quick Wegman's list, three things, and I was off by 10:30, stopping at Ryder's Cup. One of my coffee buddies was there, Neal, so we talked for half an hour, mostly about his grandson's hockey games, in Buffalo or Canada. Since I needed only three things at Wegman's, I was in and out in ten minutes. Since we have a new coffee maker, I stopped at Ollie's, a discount store, and bought some K-Cups by Caribou, hoping that we would like them.

I was ready for lunch when I returned and had the leftover chicken and noodles dish from a couple of days ago, still tasty. I continued with my series during lunch, then started a book, James Patterson's Along Came A Spider, one of his first popular novels. I napped of course, while Evie spent a good amount of time making Christmas bags for her kindergarten kids and getting Amazon returns ready for me to take to Michaels. Around 4:00, I decided to get in a short walk and did the Woodlawn circuit, which took 25 minutes. I put on new crampons on my boots and easily navigated the frozen, icy road. 

Afternoon Glow

The Woods

We had our wine at 5:00, and by 6:30, Evie had heated up the leftovers from Sunday night's dinner, lamb chops and scalloped potatoes, and made a salad. So we had a quick and easy dinner and watched three more episodes of All Saints. We have watched around 160 episodes so far and have over 300 more episodes to go. Only one of the characters is in all 493 episodes. I watched about 15 minutes of Monday Night Football and was happy to get back to my series. The TV series, based on the novels, is called Millennial is on Prime. 

10:16

From A New York Times article on "How To Resist"- It describes me and most of my friends. We don't know what we can do, so we do nothing. 

“It is strikingly easy to shrug off one’s responsibility for the country where one pays taxes, contributes to the public conversation, and at least nominally has the right to vote. If that country is the United States, it seems one can just say ‘Not in my name’ and continue to enjoy the wealth and the freedom of movement one’s citizenship confers.”

Lake Begins To Freeze

7:39

7:59

It's already 8:30, and I have been up for an hour. I hate to admit it, but I was glad to see the temperature was 12) and the lake was starting to freeze, so that I couldn't kayak. The lake is frozen in patches, mostly along the shoreline, extending out maybe 15 yards to open water where the ducks were frolicking. 

Frozen Shore And Open Water

Sunday was a stay-at-home day, watching football and prepping our Sunday night dinner. I did get in a 50-minute paddle, down to where Sandy Bottom was frozen and back home. We have a new coffee maker, so we've been experimenting with various features and blends to figure out what we like best. This is our third or fourth one so I hope we like it. So after the blog and breakfast, we were busy prepping dinner and giving the living room a quick cleaning and vacuuming. By 1:00, we were ready to relax and watch the Bills/Bengals game, and it was a thriller, right down to the final minutes, with the Bills winning 39-34. 

We both showered in the afternoon, then set the table, got out the wine glasses and were ready by 6:00 when Linda and Ron arrived. We enjoyed our wine and Asian shrimp cocktail in the living room for at least an hour. We caught up on Thanksgivings with family and started planning for Christmas and New Year's, depending on whether we travel or not. 

Friends For 16 Years

By 7:15, we were enjoying lamb chops, scalloped potatoes with gruyere cheese, salad, brussel sproutsand rolls, all delicious. For dessert, we had a lemon tres leche cake, a perfect ending to our dinner. They left around 9:15 to light flurries. Evie was exhausted because she only got six hours of sleep so she went straight up to bed, and I cleaned up the kitchen as usual and watched some of the Chiefs lose to the Texans, alas. It was a fun evening with good friends.

A Gray Winter Morning

9:16

It's 9:20, and we are both up. Evie's been busy, getting ready for our Sunday dinner, and I was out paddling for 45 minutes, down to the frozen in Sandy Bottom and back. It's a bit warmer today, 25º, and little if any wind so it was a pleasant paddle.

Kayak Morning

 Lake In Front Of Sandy Bottom Is Frozen 

North

Hunters Gathering Ducks

Saturday was typical, beginning with a great 50-minute paddle. We were in no hurry to get busy, so we listened to the radio, had a couple of cups of coffee, finished the blog, and then I had my breakfast. Evie was happy because I was in no hurry to get to the Transfer Station.  We needed a few more things from Wegman's, so Evie made up a list on the app. Once the fridge was cleaned out, the trash gathered, I pulled the Outback out of the garage, filled it with trash and Amazon boxes, and drove to the Transfer Station to drop off the trash. I then went straight to Wegman's on a busy Saturday. Despite the crowd, I used the self-checkout, which wasn't crowded. I then drove to Dunn Tire to get an estimate for new brakes on my Kia, then put 50 bucks worth of gas in my Subaru. 

Lakewood's Frozen Lake

While I was gone, Evie was busy in the kitchen. It was after 12:00, so I heated up the mushroom pasta for my lunch and watched my show. Neither of us had much planned for the afternoon so we either watched some TV, read, napped, or surfed on our devices. For some reason, I had no interest in a walk or hike, so it was a lazy day overall for me. I did finish my book, Buckeye, and started looking for something new to read. 

We had our wine at 5:00 and planned an easy dinner, Evie's tortilla soup and hot dogs. As usual we watched All Saints before Evie went to bed. I then watched the first half of the Ohio State/Indiana game before returning to Lisabeth Salander. I stayed up until 11:00 watching the fourth episode. 

A Waming 22º Morning

Heading Home In The Snow

Another Photo By Evie

7:43

It's just hit 9:00, and we are both up, about ready to listen to Michael Smerconish on CNN. I got in a great 45-minute paddle and just as I was returning, it started to snow, and I loved it. I tried to paddle down to Sandy Bottom, but just as I got beyond the reeds, the lake was frozen, so I had to turn around and paddle back along Woodlawn, where at the northern end, a hunter was standing in the water, next to a fallen tree, blasting away at ducks.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Goose On Thin Ice

Thin Ice

Victoria/Woodlawn

Mostly Woodlawn

Duck Hunter

Beginning To Snow

Hauling In My Snow-Covered Kayak

Finished Paddling, Looking South As It Snows

Friday was another leisurely day, during which neither of us had anything we had to do. I didn't get in a paddle because of the 8º morning. By 10:30, however, Evie had put together a Wegman's list, and I volunteered to go shopping. I skipped a coffee, had a quick trip through the store, and was home by 11:30, ready for lunch since I only had a banana for breakfast. While I was gone, Evie put together the fixings for a tortilla soup and left it in the slow cooker for eight hours. For lunch, I had the leftover stir fry and devoured it, even having second helpings. I finished up the part of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and then went up to read and nap. I am almost finished with my book, Buckeye, and am ready for something new. 

12:48 PM

When I got up, I read some while Evie was putting together our dinner, using leftovers and veggies and putting her own spin on the chicken, veggies, and cream sauce. I decided to go out for a short walk, but it turned into a 35-minute walk through our woods. I am glad I did it, but I am sore all over from walking in the foot-deep snow. 

Woods

Woodlawn In The Afternoon

Since Evie had dinner already made, we were able to have a leisurely wine time and listen to the depressing news. We loved the chicken-and-noodle concoction and watched three episodes of All Saints. We cannot seem to watch anything else -- it's a well-done soap opera. Once Evie went to bed, I went back to my series, following Lisbeth Salander. 

December Moon

8:54

I made the mistake of listening to a podcast featuring scholar Anne Applebaum. She explained that the Trump White House has basically ignored the diplomatic corps, putting in place his billionaire cronies or family. In the peace negotiations, Wittkotf and Kushenr, according to the Wall Street Journal, are throwing Ukraine under the bus and instead, making sure to benefit the US, especially Trump's billionaire friends and family. How upsetting. 

A Brilliant Sunrise and 8º (Spectacular Moon Light)

Moonlight At 7:00 PM

8:37 PM

Long Point This Morning

7:40 AM

What a chilly and freezing morning. Steam is rising above the lake, which has yet to freeze at least in the northern half. We were both up around 7:30, and it's now 8:30, and I smartly decided it was too cold to kayak. The birds are sitting in the branches of our rhododendron, occasionally popping up to eat at our feeder. 

8:18

Tundra Swans

Dunking For Weeds

Swans A Swimmin

Thursday turned out to be a good day. I skipped paddling because I had breakfast at the Ashville Country Store. After breakfast and the blog, I usually go to Yin Yoga, but I just didn't feel like driving three. So I got out my yoga mat and bolster, turned on some yoga music on Apple Music, and practiced in my living room for 35 minutes, feeling good afterward. I knew I wanted to get in a walk, so I drove to the Chautauqua Institution and walked the snowy grounds, with my crampons on my boots for forty minutes. I stopped, however, for half an hour at the cafe on the grounds, manned by volunteers. I have stopped a couple of times before, and they are so welcoming that I sat down with the group of about ten, had coffee and cake (it was two of the ladies' birthdays), shared my story, and it was a pleasant hiatus from my walk. Just as I was about to leave, our good friend Linda walked in because she volunteers on Thursdays. There's no charge, although most people leave a gratuity.

Snowy Chautauqua Instituion

Thunder Bridge

Brick Walk

Chautauqua Volunteers And Friends

I then drove to Tops and picked up a few things for Evie's tortilla soup, and then came home around 1:00. I then got out my new battery-powered snow shovel and cleared the driveway. It worked but there is going to be a learning curve for a while. I then had lunch, a quarter of a Wegmans sub. I started a new show, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. I watched it when it first came out, but I don't mind watching it again since I finished SSGB Wednesday night. I read and napped, of course, and Evie returned earlier than usual because the kids had gym. 

4:27 In The Afternoon

Our late afternoon went as usual, with listening to the news, Evie prepping our eggplant pasta dinner and wine time with hummus and pretzels. The pasta was great, and we watched our show. As Evie got up to go upstairs, she called me to look at the amazing winter sky at 8:45. I took numerous photos of the sky, the shadows of the trees on the snow. Wow. After she went to bed, I watched the first half of the Cowboys/Lions game, then my series before joining her. It was a good day.

December Moon

"You cannot follow both Christ and the cruelty of kings. A leader who mocks the weak, exalts himself, and preys on the innocent is not sent by God. He is sent to test you, and many are failing." — Pope Leo XIV

A Quiet Snowy Morning

7:18

It's 7:25, gray skies, gray lake, and a couple of inches of snow fell overnight. Evie's up already because of kindergarten, and I have breakfast in Ashville at 8:00. It's 9:20 and I just returned from breakfast at the Ashville Country Store. The roads were snowy but safe, and I made good time despite the flurries. 

Lakewood Waterfront Yesterday

Southern Lake Is Frozen Over

Yesterday was what will come to be a typical winter day. It began with a 50-minute paddle, down to Sandy Bottom and back. I then did a bit of shoveling, not much since it hardly snowed. After breakfast and the blog, we both left around 9:40, Evie to school, me to pick up my battery-powered snow shovel at Home Depot. They had sent me an early text to say it was in. I stopped for coffee, then at Aldis to pick up some items Evie wanted before picking up my shovel at Home Depot. I couldn't pass up Wegmans since I was next door and Evie had made out quite a list, so I filled a couple of shopping bags with groceries and headed home.

Surprise, Sun, And Blue Skies

I was home around 12:15, on a sunny afternoon, and since I had a light breakfast, coffee, and a banana, I had lunch, a hoagie from Wegmans as a treat for myself. I watched my show, then read and napped. I woke just as Evie was returning from school, with her usual stories about the bad boy. After changing into something more comfortable, she watched her show, and I made up my mind to 'just do something,' and put on my boots and walked the Victoria/Woodlawn woods for 35 minutes. It was rough going because of the deep snow, 9-12 inches, but it was worth it, the blanket of white, the sky, the lake. 

Victoria Woods

Heavy Snowfall

Our Lake Front

Willow In The Winter

When I returned, Evie was prepping our wok dinner, and I helped since she had lots of veggies.  I fried the chicken thigh pieces in the wok, then took time out for some wine and news, before going back and cooking the rest: mushrooms, cabbage, celery, onions, tomatoes, spinach, and bean sprouts. I added various sauces, hoisin and oyster, as well as sesame oil and soy sauce. We served it over rice and both of us went back for seconds. We watched three episodes of our show before Evie went to bed, tired from her day, and I watched the last episode of SSGB. 

Leaning Trees Of Up Yonder