Gray Skies And Drizzle

7:39

9:19

This morning looks just like yesterday morning, with little color, mostly gray and some drizzle, And it's 54 like Sunday, but by tomorrow morning, it's supposed to drop to the low 30s.  Our bird feeder has been invaded by an aggressive blue jay, who chases off the finches. As I look out our front window, a pair of mallards is waddling up into our yard. It's 9:30 and I paddled for forty minutes, shooting some decent photos of mergansers, as the sun threatened to break through the clouds. 

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn

Sun Sunburst in Southern Sky

A Quartet Of Mergansers

Hair Blowing In The Wind

Sunday began with an early paddle in the rain, as I hoped to get out before it started to rain, but failed, alas, I was out for 25 minutes, came home soaked, changed my sweats and made myself another cup of coffee. Evie was up by then, and we asked our neighbors, Barb and Jim, over for a Sunday dinner, so we sat around making up a menu and a list of whatever we needed for dinner. By 11:00, we made our list and I drove off to Wegmans to shop. For some reason, Sunday shopping at Wegmans is always crowded but I was in and out quickly because we did not need much. 

I was home by 12:30, and Evie made me scrambled eggs and a bagel for breakfast and I watched some basketball, then my series. Around 1:30, I helped Evie clean up the kitchen after she was through prepping our dinner, then took a good nap. When I woke up, I showered and felt good, ready for company. Evie had everything ready for dinner by 4:00, and she showered as well.

Barb and Jim arrived at 5:30, with tulips for Evie and a bottle of wine for me. We enjoyed a glass of wine in our living room, and a shrimp cocktail, in mayo and lemon juice. They just returned from a ten-day trip to Arizona, and it was fun hearing about their trip. And we filled them in on our reunion weekend in Stroudsburg, PA. One of their favorite stops was in Jerome, Arizona, a place we also visited back in 2013 and liked. 

Sunday Dinner With Jim And Barb

Around 7:00 we sat down to dinner, a tasty chicken/spinach/orzo dish topped with parmesan cheese and a salad with lettuce, dressing and beets. We avoided talking about Drump most of the night, concentrating on our travels, family, and TV series we liked. We had cheesecake with raspberries for dessert, and they headed home around 9:00. Evie was worn out from the day, so she went up to bed and I cleaned up the kitchen, watched some TV, then went up to bed to read and sleep. a busy but fun Sunday.

Rain And Fog

8:54

It's 8:56 and I just returned from a 35-minute paddle in the rain. I left earlier than usual, hoping to avoid the rain but once I paddled out, it started to rain, and the fog began to rise, soaking me and the kayak.

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Into The Fog

Saturday was an unremarkable day. We had our usual coffee, blog writing and breakfast. I also got in a decent paddle, with a few photos of buffeheads and mergansers. We decided during coffee that we would go into Jamestown again and look for flooring samples for our bathroom. First, however, I drove to the Transfer Station with a huge bag full of clothes we no longer wanted and wouldn't be worth giving to Goodwill, things like my letter sweaters from high school and college. It was tough to throw them out after some 50 years. Our builder recommended Piazza's in Jamestown. We spent half an hour looking and left with no samples, just more questions about how the LVT was attached to the floor. 

After coming up with no real answers, we made the mistake of going to Home Depot and had a similar experience although the worker was really helpful, showing us various options. As we left the parking lot, we passed a Burger King and Evie suggested we assuage our disappointment with a couple of Whoppers. So we went through the drive-thru, quickly drove home, and enjoyed our Whoppers, coke, and onion rings in the TV room, watching the breaking news on CNN. After my Whopper, I read some, then napped, and when I came downstairs, Evie was on the couch with a stomach ache. She isn't used to enjoying a Whopper for lunch so she was taking Tums, hoping they would help. Fortunately,  she felt better after we spent twenty minutes FaceTiming our grandson Nick and his happy son, Rhys, our great-grandson. What fun to see him crawling around, almost walking. 

Woodlawn

Victoria And Woodlawn

Looking North

Peace And Love

Around 4:00, I went for a walk in the neighborhood on a pleasantly warm afternoon. I hardly needed a fleece. The lake was calm, the sky gray, and there was no wind. I should have stayed out longer. Around 5:30, we had a Manhattan, some appetizers, and watched the various waterfowl dance in front of our lake wall. For dinner, we put together fried rice with eggs, veggies, an Italian sausage, cut up, and soy, sesame, and hoisin sauce. It was a good use of leftover rice and tasted good. We then watched March Madness until 10:40, although Evie didn't last long, heading up to bed at 8:30. The Florida/Texas Tech game was heartbreaking for Texas Tech, having blown a nine point lead with four minutes to go. That's what makes March Madness so exciting. 

A Warm, Overcast Saturday Morning

7:28

I was shocked to wake to a 57º morning at 7:20. We must have gotten some rain overnight because the ground is wet. Today it's supposed to get up into the 60s with little if any sunshine and as I look out, it's started to rain. It's 9:40 and I was out in a gentle rain for 40 minutes, down to Sandy Bottom and home. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Clouds

North

Yesterday was not too exciting of a Friday. It started with a decent paddle and some decent photos of mergansers swimming. Since neither of us had yoga or school, we had a leisurely coffee, wondering what to do with our day. Finally, we decided on doing some decluttering. So we went through our attic, separating clothes for Goodwill and trash. I also have five or six pairs of old cross-country skies that I have never used so I called Jamestown Cycle and they said they would take them. So I loaded the Outback with them to take to Jamestown this weekend. We took a small bite of the downsizing elephant, getting rid of clutter, and then relaxed. 

Lunch was a couple of egg salad sandwiches, and I watched my show but by 12:40, I was on my way to Westfield for my Wellness Check Up with my PA. Most of the appointment was spent answering questions about my mood, and whether I felt safe. Since I see at least three other specialists, there's not much to talk about with my PA other than the results of a recent blood test, so we talked about things other than my health. I left at about 1:30 and was home by 2:00, in time to take a brief nap. At 3:00, we had a meeting with our builder and talked about the renovation of our bathroom. We are now much more aware of what we want and the various websites where we can make choices of shower walls and bathroom flooring.  We will, however,  run our decisions by him before ordering anything.

Buffleheads Enjoying Mid Afternoon Snack

He left about 3:45 and I read until wine time at 5:00. We miss Jake Tapper's voice on CNN since he is on vacation. Dinner was a sweet-sour Thai chicken from Wegmans. All it needed was to be heated up and served over rice, one of their many ready-to-eat dinners. We watched another boring episode of The Pitt, set in an emergency room. We also watched a Colbert before Evie went up to bed. I watched the second half of the Texas Tech/Michigan State game, a thriller down to the wire. And I ended the night with another episode of Secret City.

Mostly Gray Skies

7:51

It's 8:10 and I have been up since 7:30.  For some reason, the coffee machine won't work, so I had to experiment with a spoonful of espresso and hot water. It's too sweet but will have to do. I just finished a 40-minute paddle, shooting photos of lots of mergansers and buffleheads, a good morning.

Kayak Morning

Mergansers

A Male merganser

Female And Male Mergansers

Yesterday, neither of us went to yoga or school because we wanted to do some shopping for our bathroom renovation. So after the usual morning of coffee, blog, and breakfast, we left for Jamestown around 10:30, to a Henry James Carpet store on Foote Avenue. We didn't even know it existed until our builder suggested it. It was a good choice because just as we wanted, they had a gal who was good at suggesting both flooring and tiles, and after forty-five minutes of browsing, we left with some samples. Since we were in Jamestown, we stopped and shopped on the way home at Wegmans, picking up some goodies. 

We were home by 12:30 and I had lunch, a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches and chicken noodle soup from Wegman's. I finished the first season of Secret City and am looking forward to the next season. I then read, napped, as usual, and around 4:30, took a quick shower. My friend Ron and I were going to Shaggy's in Bemus Point for dinner and to watch the first round of March Madness, Alabama/BYU. I ordered the special, a hamburger steak with mashed potatoes, gravy, and roasted veggies. It was delicious. The game was decent, and with a couple of brews, we were both happy. We left with eight minutes left in the game with Alabama in control.  By 9:30, I was in my TV room, watching the end of the Florida game and waiting for the Duke/Arizona game to start at 10:00. I watched the first ten minutes and had enough basketball and went up to read and sleep, an eventful day. 

Morning Sun, A Calm Lake

Kayak Morning

7:16

10:00

It's a beautiful morning in the neighborhood. The sun rose just as I came downstairs and the ducks were feeding in front of our lake wall. It's chilly, 23º, but will get into the 40s later in the day, 50s and 60s this weekend. It's just 10:00 and I just finished paddling for forty minutes, a lovely cold morning after having breakfast in Bemus at 8:00, a busy boy.

Into The Sun

 

Blue On Blue

Yesterday was different for both of us. I skipped yoga because I was driving with Evie to Erie for her mammogram and ultrasound at St. Vincent. So the morning began as usual with coffee, then a brief attempt to kayak on a windy, snowy morning. I was out for only 15 minutes before I came in because of the wind and snow, a wimp, I guess.  At 10:00, I stopped a Klingingsmith's Plumbing and dropped a check off, then went for a short walk around the Chautauqua Institution. Again, it was cold and windy and not much fun so I lasted only half an hour. 

Thunder Bridge

Hemlocks And Bridge

Chautauqua Creek

When I returned home, Evie made me a couple of sandwiches for my lunch in Erie, and we left around 11:30 for her 12:30 appointment. We finally arrived after heading to the wrong imaging center at 12:30. I dropped Evie off and parked on the fifth floor of the parking garage, then went to the waiting room. It took over an hour, so I enjoyed my sandwiches and Fritos. She was finally done by 1:45 and we then drove to Lowe's on Peach Street to look at vanities, tiles, and flooring for our bathroom renovation. What a pain, trying to pick out some shower tiles, then matching them with flooring, I wish someone would just tell us this matches. We were there for at least forty-five minutes before getting fed up and driving home,

We were happy to get home and collapse on our couches and watch TV or read for an hour or so before it was wine time. Around 6:30, Evie cooked a couple of Italian sausages and eggs along with potatoes, made a salad and we had an easy dinner. We watched a Hometown, Colbert and the news before Evie went up to bed around 8:30 and I returned to my series, Secret City on Netflix. I watched a few minutes of NBA but got bored quickly and went back to my series. 

SNOW, YEP, MARCH SNOW

7:30

8:09

Snowing At 8:45

What a shock to wake up to a white morning, both front and back yards, white with an inch of snow. It's 27º and I saw a few flurries a couple of minutes ago so it's going to be fun kayaking. I just looked out and it's snowing again. It's 9:30 and I paddled for just 20 minutes, as the wind picked up, blowing snow in my face and making the lake choppy.

Kayak Towards Victoria

A Snowy Woodlawn

Woodlawn

Kayak Morning

Tuesday was a day off for both of us, no yoga for me, no school for Evie. I have to admit I am a bit lost when I don't have something planned for the morning, but by 9:45, I had paddled for 35 minutes, read the newspapers, wrote the blog and had breakfast, and was on my way to coffee at Ryders Cup. I met my friend Paul and his wife Ellen, and we chatted for close to an hour, along with other regulars who tend to gather in the morning. It's a fun group. By 11:00, I was off to Wegmans to shop on 5% Tuesdays, along with the other goldenagers. For some reason, I wanted to get done quickly, so I cruised around the other shoppers, following the grocery list that Evie had made for me on my Wegmans app. I am a rare bird, the only one who seems to use the Wegmans app. 

I was home by noon and Evie was taking it easy in the TV room, enjoying a leisurely morning. For lunch, I microwaved a decent noodles and meat sauce package from Aldi's. I started a new Australian series called Secret City and I am into it. It's about a reporter's attempts to unearth the government's corruption and lies, so it seems contemporary and scary. Around 1:45, I read some of my new novel, The Bayou Trilogy and took a decent nap, of course. Like most days recently, the afternoon passed quickly, although I did go for a short walk around the neighborhood, talked to the guys putting in the sewer lines and did a walk-through our neighbor's house that's being renovated, to check out their new bathrooms. By 5:00, we were enjoying a glass or two of wine and listening to the news. 

Leaf Strewn Path

Kinney's Run

Dinner was from Wegman's, breaded halibut and baked potatoes We watched a few different shows, enjoying them with a piece of blueberry pie which I picked up still warm at Wegmans. Yum. Evie went to bed around 8:30, and I was happy to watch a few minutes of the NBA and soon got bored, so I watched two more episodes of my show, Secret City, and then went to bed. 

A Gray Day

7:41

It's just after 8:00, and the lake and sky mirror each other. All is gray. It's 30º and will not get much warmer during the day. There's hardly any wind so I look forward to getting out on the lake. It's 9:20 and I just returned from a 35-minute paddle, in a few flurries. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Yesterday was a typical Monday, meaning I got in both a paddle and yoga, and that was it. I am getting up each morning between 7:15 and 7:30, get my coffee, write the blog and by 8:30,  I hope to be out on the lake. I bought some cheapo earbuds and was having trouble figuring out how to keep them from falling out. This morning will be the test. On Mondays, Melt yoga is not until 10:30 which is nice because I don't have to hurry. Class was as usual, the same five of us who are regulars. It's an easy class, just massage various body parts with a foam roller, right up my alley. 

I was home by 11:45 and thought about doing something but didn't, a mistake to not follow up on it. Lunch was the leftover steak sandwich from Sunday night's dinner and Evie finished off her spaghetti and meatballs, just as good as the night before. I have to wait a couple of days for a new Reacher so I watched my other series, Person of Interest. I finished my book, The Big Empty and started a new trilogy by a writer I used to like but forgot about, Daniel Woodrell. It's called The Bayou Trilogy and I am enjoying it so far. So I read some, napped, and read some more as the afternoon zipped by.

Mallards Stopped By For A Visit

Before we knew it, it was wine time, and we listened to the always depressing news until Evie had enough and turned it off. Ah quiet. Dinner was the leftover spaghetti and eggplant from Saturday night. What would we do without leftovers? We watched another episode of The Pitt. It was the worst of the ten episodes. After it, we watched The White Lotus, fast becoming another show we don't like, mostly because we don't like any of the characters. After that, Evie went up to bed, and I watched a couple of new crime shows, but none grabbed me so I went up to bed. 

Lots Of Clouds And Sun

7:30

7:54

It's 8:11 and I have been up for forty-five minutes, watching the sky change, from dark, to some sunshine, to clouds again. It's 40º and won't get much warmer during the day. It's 9:30 and I paddled down to Sandy Bottom and back, rousting geese and buffleheads as I paddled. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Clouds

Sunday was typical, with getting up late, and then enjoying coffee, while waiting for Evie to wake. I then kayaked down to Whitney Bay and back on a chilly morning. I am glad I wore a couple of layers and mittens while paddling. When I returned, Evie was up listening to CNN and I made myself another cup of coffee and breakfast,  Around 11:00, I felt myself losing my mojo so I put on my hiking boots and walked the Woodlawn/Victoria woods for the first time since the snow has melted. Leaves covered the paths and they were little wet areas. When I returned home, Evie was cleaning up the kitchen and I relaxed with my book until 1:00 when I had breakfast, brioche scrambled egg sandwiches and I began watching some of March Madness. I save most of the games so after a half hour, I got fed up with the seemingly neverending commercials, read, and napped instead, knowing I could watch the games later. 

After my nap, I took a shower,  then watched some of the games or read until 5:15, when we left to pick up Ron and Linda and drive to the White Inn in Fredonia for dinner, a half-hour drive. The Inn reopened a few months ago, and we have always liked it. We were hoping to sit at the bar but all ten stools were taken so we sat at a nice booth in the barroom. It was fun to catch up with them because like us, they took a trip last weekend to Washington for three nights. 

Sunday Dinner At White Inn

We decided on light dinners, so I ordered a bowl of clam chowder and a steak sandwich and Evie ordered spaghetti and meatballs. Both were tasty and just what we wanted. So with a couple of Chautauqua lager drafts, the four of us were happy. We skipped dessert as usual and left around 7:45, getting home around 8:30. Evie was tired and went up to bed and I watched some basketball until I had enough for a Sunday and went up to bed to read and sleep, a good day.