Chillin On A Friday

8:36

It's 8:20 as I start this on another gray morning. A cold front is beginning, with this morning's 27º but the next three days will have temperatures in the low teens. We received a dusting of snow overnight, at least the cars have some white or frost on them. Neither of us have anything we must do today so Evie's sleeping in. 

Evie's Kingergarteners 

Thursday was another gray day, lots of ice on driveways, and parking lots, so we both had to be careful. My day began with breakfast in Bemus at 8:00 and Lake Life Cafe was practically empty again because students returned from vacation. I was home by 9:00, and worked on getting some of the ice off our walkway before arriving at Yin Yoga at 10:00. Class was not as well attended as usual but the three regulars from Monday and Wednesday were there. It's usually an easy class but I have been sore since. I forgot to mention our road is a mess as they are beginning to bring sewer lines to Woodlawn. So going and coming, we have wind our way around excavators, dump trucks, mud, and potholes.

Woodlawn Mess

Evie was at school so I was on my own for lunch so I heated up pizza in a frying pan and enjoyed it along with watching my show. I finished my book, Presumed Guilty, and have had enough of a legal thriller, too much repetition and detail for me. After I finished, I napped, and then read. Evie got home later than usual because they had a substitute teacher. The rest of the afternoon went as usual, with reading, TV, or on our devices until 5:00 when we listened to the news and had a glass of wine. 

Dinner was simple, chili from the freezer, crackers, and a salad. always easy and good,  We watched another episode of Doc, then the most recent episode of Paradise, and that was enough for Evie before going up to bed. I watched some basketball for a bit, then my show, and joined her around 10:00. 

The Big Melt

7:03

7:29

Yards and the lake have been thawing but dangerous ice remains in some areas and large drifts still around, a result of snowplows pushing the snow off the roads. It's 38º and we may have both rain and snow today. It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast in Bemus. It's been rain for the past half hour on an ugly Thursday morning. 

Drilling With A Augur

Happy On His Bucket

Yesterday was a good day although the weather did little to cooperate, as it was mostly gray all day. We were both up early and by 9:30, I was off to yoga class and Evie, feeling a bit better, headed to kindergarten class where they were celebrating their one-hundredth day of school. Yoga, as always, is rigorous on Wednesdays so I took numerous timeouts. After class, I dropped a few packages off at UPS, then stopped and had coffee with my friend Paul, at Ryders Cup.

I was home by 1:00 and heated up the last of the lentil soup and made myself a swiss cheese and ham sandwich on toast and watched my show. I read some, napped, and woke when as Evie came home from school. We decided to have pizza for dinner so around 4:15, I drove over to Bemus, ordered my pizza and then walked around Bemus for 20 minutes before picking up my pizza.

Bemus Point Bridge

Bemus Shore

When I returned, we enjoyed our wine time until we got hungry. Evie made a salad, heated the pizza up in the oven and we had an easy dinner. We watched the last three episodes of Zero Hour and would recommend it if you like politics, truth spinners, pundits, and malware cyber attacks. Once it was over, Evie went up to bed and I watched the usual stuff. 

Fog In The Winter

7:41

Late Monday Afternoon

It's 8:10 and 33º outside on a heavy fog morning. In fact, we cannot see Long Point, just beyond our lake wall. It looks like rain or snow today, probably rain because the highs will be in the 40s. Evie's hoping to go to school today for the kid's 100th day celebration and I have yoga so we are both up early.

Yesterday was warmer than usual, thus the big melt on the lake. By the afternoon, huge puddles littered the lake as it began to melt. However, it did not discourage the ice fishermen because they were still out there. I had a doctor's appointment in Jamestown at 10:00 so I was up and out by 9:30. Evie stayed home, hoping to feel better with her antibiotic and steroids. My appointment was quick and I ended up having my blood drawn to check on my vitals. After that, I stopped at the local weed store on Main Street in Jamestown and bought Evie a tin of gummies for sleep. Thirty-four bucks for ten gummies. I think I will invest. 

Blue Skies Mid Afternoon

I was home by 12:30 and Evie made me a great lunch, ham and Swiss sandwiches on brioche rolls and her soup. I watched my show and then relaxed with my novel until I started to doze so I took a good nap. The afternoon turned so that the sun came out, along with blue skies, highlighting the puddles on the lake. By 4:30, I had enough sitting around and knew Evie would have a Zoom call at 5:00, I put on my boots, strapped on my crampons, and walked for an hour around the icy campground. Once I hiked to the northern end, I went out on the lake and walked home on slush, ice, and puddles. Thankfully I had on my ice cleats. 

Lethal crampons

Big Melt

View Of Campground At 4:35

Sun And Blue Skies

Walking On The Lake

Heading Home

I was back by 5:45, just as Evie was ending her call so we had our usual glass of wine and listened to the news. By 6:15, Evie was frying up some pork chops and parsleyed potatoes for our dinner. Along with a salad, we feasted as we watched two more episodes of Zero Day on Netflix. We are finally into it. Once it was over, Evie went up to bed and I watched the Cavs game, an episode of Person Of Interest, and stayed up until 10:00 to watch Luka play against his former teammates, the Mavs. I only watched the first quarter but he ended up with a triple-double. No wonder he is so talented, like Evie, he's a Slovenian!

A Taste Of Spring

8:37

I was surprised when I woke because the temperature was 37º, the warmest morning since December? When I looked at the forecast for the week, however,  snow was forecast and on Thursday it might get back down to single digits.  

Bambi's In Woodlawn

Yesterday was a busy day for both of us, so we were up early, watching the birds, having our coffee planning our day. Evie called her PA and made an appointment for 11:10 because she's still not feeling well. I went to Melt Yoga at 10:30, a class that continues to grow in popularity. I was home by 11:45 and Evie arrived home at 12:15, having stopped at Tops after her doctor's appointment. She came home with both an antibiotic and steroids, for a sinus infection and pleurisy. No wonder she was not feeling energetic. 

I was off to the Kia dealer for an oil change, tire rotation, and recall for something or other at 1:00. I knew it would take a couple of hours so once I dropped my car off, I walked to Fifties Grill And Dairy and ordered a burger and milkshake. It was not very busy except for the drive-thru. I enjoyed my lunch, especially listening to fifties music like Earth Angel and Let The Good Times Roll. After lunch, I read some in the waiting room, then walked over to Tops and picked up a few things on sale. When I returned to the dealer, my car was ready and I drove home.

Fifties Grill And Dairy

I then decided to see if I could nap although it was 3:00, later than usual but it was a good idea. Around 4:00, I charged my Kia, then read until 5:00 when we had a glass of wine and listened to the news. We didn't eat until 7:00, the leftover chicken parm and a salad. We started a new series on Netflix called Zero Day with Robert Deniro. It's not great but something to watch. After the first episode, we decided we had enough and watched a new Home Town. By the time it was over, Evie was tired and ready for bed. I stayed up until 10:00, watching my show and a few minutes of the NBA.

Partly Cloudy With Highs In The 40s

7:10

7:11

8:04

Woke to a beautiful sunrise around 7:00 but now the clouds have moved in, hiding the sun. I made my coffee, filled the bird feeder, and read newspapers and ESPN. It looks like a sunny day actually, with sun forecast most of the afternoon. Surprise. 

Sunday was mostly cloudy and gray but it ended up being a decent day. After breakfast and the blog, I drove off to Lakewood, stopped for coffee, and then went to church, I mean Walmart, for a few things we needed. It was busy as usual but I got out fairly quickly. When I returned home, I read for a bit until breakfast, scrambled eggs and toast. I watched some basketball before deciding to get back to my book and take a nap. The afternoon was leisurely until 4:00 when I made myself put on my skis and go out on the lake for a half hour of cross-country skiing. Unlike yesterday's blue skies, all was gray but I still enjoyed being out there along with a few ice fishermen, off the tip of Long Point,

Chautauqua, Not Antarctic

Victoria

We both showered and were ready to leave for dinner at Guppys, across the lake at 5:45. We met Ron and Linda there and were able to sit in the bar and, unfortunately, the Men's Room so that every guy who had to pee, would stop and talk with us. We had not been there in quite a while and were surprised by the high prices but I guess it's that way in most places. Fortunately, both Evie and I ordered chicken parmesan and we loved it. Linda and Ron know the owner so he stopped at our table and regaled us with stories of his problems with the state of New York. We left around 8:15, and drove home on practically empty roads, happy to be home again. Evie was tired and went up to bed but I watched most of the Cav's victory over Memphis. I think they are real, with the best record in the NBA. 

Back To Gray And Warming

Virgin Snow

7:07

7:59

It's 8:18 and I have been up since 6:45, reading the newspapers, most of the articles on the front page about Trump. I filled our bird feeder an hour ago and the finches are going crazy, four or five frenetically feeding while a couple more attack and send them fleeing.  At the moment it's 23º and should get up into the low 30s later today. 

Yesterday was a spectacular winter day, with sun and blue skies most of the day, the Chautauqua gray being banished for twenty-four hours. Because it was a Saturday, we treated it like a weekend, relishing in the fact that it was a day off, from what, I am not sure. Weekends are still prominent even when we are retired. We had a leisurely morning of coffee and CNNs Michael Smerconish before we got going. Evie wanted to shower and I couldn't pass up getting out on the lake and cross-country skiing. It was a good choice. Cross-country skiing on the lake is often a bore, more like a workout than an aesthetic experience, like skiing in the woods. The scenery is monotonous, more snow, more white, with only the shoreline changing.  I was out for only forty-five minutes, working up a sweat. 

Loving The Blue Skies

Making Tracks

Looking South Towards The Rising Sun

Heading Home

When I returned, it was time to gather up the trash from the kitchen, bathrooms and refrigerator before I drove off to a busy Transfer Station. It always feels good to go there and get rid of the trash, like I finally have done something that has results. Maybe because as an English teacher, we rarely see any visible results. After the Transfer Station, I was not very hungry for some reason so I had lentil soup with pita bread and watched my usual dual, basketball and Person Of Interest. 

We were tempted to go shopping but since we didn't need anything, we vetoed it and stayed home the rest of the afternoon. I am into my book, Presumed Guilty, and looked forward to a good nap. After my nap, we spent our afternoon as usual, watching some TV, reading, or on our devices, and waiting for happy hour.

We were looking forward to dinner, BLTs and chips. So after Happy Hour,  around 6:30, Evie fried up the bacon and made us sandwiches. We decided to watch a new crime thriller on Netflix that's gotten good reviews, a Swedish series called The Are Murders. We watched four episodes and were pleasantly surprised. It kept our interest and we liked the characters. After the series, Evie went up to bed and I watched some basketball, a few minutes of Duke, and then the first quarter of the Lakers game. 

A Bright Sunny Day

7:32

8:37

8:40

What a surprise to wake up to sunshine and a partly cloudy sky. At 8:37, the sun is out in full force, the lake a dazzling white, and it's warming up later in the day to 30º. 

Ice Fishing Guys And Gear

Finch

Finches Turning Yellow

Friday was an open day for both of us, no yoga and no school. So we were not sure what to do with our day. The only thing for sure was I would be out shoveling, again, because we had gotten five or six inches of snow Thursday night. By 10:30, we were fortified with a couple cups of coffee, the blog was done and we had breakfast. So I ventured out and it took me a half hour to clean up the snow, off the driveway and cars. When I came in, Evie was ready to go for a walk at the Chautauqua Institution so we left around 11:15. We were out for just over a half hour, turning around early because of the wind. It felt good, however, to be out walking on a winter morning. 

Thunder Bridge Looking North

Looking South

Lunch was the leftover butter chicken, and we both spent 15 minutes trying to open the Reacher series in English to no avail. All series on Prime are in English except for Reacher. By the time I finished lunch, Evie was ready to head to Lakewood, to shop at Wegmans and return a few things. I, of course, read briefly, then took a nap, waking only after Evie returned home. As usual, the afternoon went quickly or slowly, depending on how busy we were. I read and Evie watched a movie until 5:00 when we enjoyed some sushi along with a glass of wine. Dinner was the rest of the butter chicken along with spinach and we were happy because a new episode on our favorite series, The Pitt, was on Max. We then watched Colbert interview Al Roker and Monica Lewinsky before Evie went up to bed and I watched some Cavs, then my show before returning to my new book, Presumed Guilty.

A Snowy Friday Morning

7:37

Well, it's 7:53 and snowing so I looked out the back door and our cars are covered with another four or five inches of snow overnight. Unbelievable. It's not as cold, 17º but we still have heavy wind gusts, blowing the snow and so far, no ice fishing huts are out on the lake. The finches have arrived at the bird feeder but it's covered with snow so they are having difficulty finding any seeds. They seem to have left in discouragement so I filled it up again and wonder if they will be back this morning. Well, the male cardinal just appeared. The word must have gotten out because the gang is back.

Thursday turned out to be a decent day despite the cold and snow. It started with a chilly morning drive to Bemus for breakfast with two friends, what's left of our group of five. We are usually the only ones there but because schools have this week off, it was busier than usual. I was home by 9:00, and shoveled some of the driveway before leaving for Yin Yoga at 9:40. Class was different because we mostly worked on our legs and hips so I liked it. I was home by noon and Evie already had prepped dinner, butter chicken, a pot of lentil, garbanzo bean, and hummus soup. I had the soup for lunch along with pita bread and was happy. 

Mid Afternoon

Afternoon Whiteout

I am happily into the latest Scott Turow novel, Presumed Guilty, and read for a half hour before taking a good nap, waking refreshed. Around 3:00, I made myself a pot of Turkish tea and had it along with some peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, compliments of Evie. Around 4:00, I went out and shoveled four or five inches of snow off the driveway and car, taking about 15 minutes. I then went for a half-hour walk in the neighborhood, so I was out for forty-five minutes. It felt good to walk and get something done despite the cold.

Woodlawn

Our Road

Mail Boxes

Since Evie had already prepped dinner, she was able to relax with a glass of wine until 6:30 when we had the butter chicken, warming in the oven, over rice. We watched another episode of Doc on Hulu, then some HGTV shows, with snippets of CNN. It's hard to watch the news without screaming out in anger. Evie went to bed around 9:00 and I tried to watch the third season of Jack Reacher on Prime. Unfortunately, it was in Spanish and no matter what I did, I couldn't change it. I tried other series and they were all in English. I turned the TV on and off and looked up how to fix it on Google but nothing worked. So I ended the night as usual with Person Of Interest. 

A Dusting Of Snow Overnight And 7º

 

7:01

9:08

It's 7:25 and I am up early because I have breakfast in Bemus Point at 8:00. The sky is a light gray, the lake white and no one is ice fishing yet. I filled the bird feeder and a single cardinal sat on the feeder, looking in at me for a few minutes. Strange. The finches have yet to discover the feeder is full or they don't wake until later, around 8:00.

Wednesday I had hoped to go to yoga but once again, class was cancelled. So neither of us were in any hurry to get moving. I read some of the NYTimes and Washington Post and discovered that Ukraine had started the war with Russia. By 10:30, I was fed, dressed, and ready to drive to Lakewood. I stopped for coffee and went to Wegmans, surprisingly empty for a Tuesday but the cold weather must have kept many shoppers away, It was good to get out and do something, even if it was only shopping.

Lunch was easy, as I popped a chicken pot pie in the microwave and in ten minutes I was enjoying it in front of the TV. Evie still suffers from a cold and now a sinus infection but she made us some peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies early afternoon. Yum.

We were going to the  Viking Club with Jim, Barb, and Newt for dinner but Evie came down with a splitting headache and had to back out. I met them at 6:00 and the three of us drove over to the Viking on a cold night. We easily found a table, blew ten bucks on King Of Hearts raffle, and had a couple of beers. It was fun to get out and enjoy their company. We only wished Evie was able to make it. We stayed until 8:30, then headed home, as the Viking began to empty. Evie was feeling somewhat better when I got home but was ready for bed by 9:00. I stayed up and watched some basketball and my show, of course, before going to be around 10:00.

Warming Up:4º

7:33

It's 8:40 and I have been up for over an hour. Evie joined me a few minutes ago on another cold, cold morning. The finches have been at the feeder, in fact, they emptied it so I will have to fill it up again. And I just saw a snowmobile towing out a tent so at least two guys are out ice fishing, 

Yesterday was another day to hunker down, stay inside, and get a few things done but we didn't. I skipped yoga because of the cold and practiced it for a half hour in our living room but it's not the same. I just want to get it over. Once it warmed up to 9º, I went outside and cleared the snow from the car, shoveled a few inches off the driveway, and came inside to warm up. I wanted to exercise so I put on my boots and crampons and walked the neighborhood for 20 minutes. It was bearable as long as the wind subsided. 

Blue Skies

Woodlawn Sky

We both had our lunch at 12:30, the last of Evie's veggie soup and I finished off my chicken salad sub from the Lighthouse. Not much happened the rest of the afternoon; we watched TV, read some, were on our devices and napped until 5:00 when Evie had a Zoom call. I decided to shower because I was feeling grubby and it felt great. Dinner was the leftover spaghetti and Italian sausage along with a great salad. We watched another episode of Paradise on Hulu, then the first episode of White Lotus on Max before Evie went up to bed. I watched some of Kansas's lopsided loss to Brigham Young, then watched another episode of Person Of Interest before going up to bed to read and sleep. 

Mid Afternoon Winds And Blowing Snow