Overcast Skies And A Calm Lake

9:12

It's almost 9:00, and I have been up for an hour on my MacBook Air. Evie's up as well, and we are about to put on the radio and our morning show with Michael Smerconish. The lake looks perfect for a paddle, alas. I am finding it difficult to write my blog because I am not supposed to do much but sit around. 

11:46

12:39

12:40

Monday went quickly for some reason, maybe because of the change in the weather. My days have been the same recently, as I don't do much but sit around and read, get on my Mac, or watch TV. So by 10:00, I had finished my blog, had breakfast, and got back to my book, The Correspondent. It had yet to start raining, so I sat out in the side yard until it began to thunder. 

I have two things to look forward to...lunch and dinner. So about 12:30, I heated up  a bowl of potato and leek soup, compliments of Linda, and had a small portion of the pastitio. I watched an episode of Spooks and then couldn't wait to go upstairs and take a nap because Evie had changed the sheets. Nothing like a bed with newly washed sheets. For some reason, I have had a hard time getting to sleep, both at nap time and at night, maybe because of my lack of activity. 

4:32

It rained off and on most of the afternoon, and we received just about an inch, including overnight. I am lucky to have a book I really like, The Correspondent, so I can easily fill my afternoon with it. I did go for a walk to get the mail, and I felt fine, which is encouraging. We had our happy hour at 5:00, enjoying a glass or two of wine, listening to the thunder and drizzle. We had another Wegmans special for dinner, a pouch of Thai red curry chicken. Just put it in the oven for half hour and you have a pretty good chicken curry, served over rice, along with a salad. We watched an episode of The Great British Baking Show, then another episode of All Saints, before Evie went up to bed. I then watched the first half of Monday Night Football and then went up to bed to read. 

It's Raining!!!!

Clean Up Time For Our Great Grandson Rhys

7:50

Well, for the first time in weeks, we are getting rain —a half inch overnight — and at the moment, it's also raining, according to my weather app. The possibility of rain is forecast for the next six days. Right now it's 63 at 8:35, and both Evie and I are up after a restless night, enjoying our first cup of coffee.

Sunday Morning View From A Lawn Chair

Sunday was supposed to be football Sunday, but neither of us had much interest in the games on TV until the Chiefs game in the evening, so we spent little time watching the games. I had my usual kayak-free morning, alas, and sat around most of the morning in the yard either on my computer or reading, rueing my idleness. I did try to do some raking of dead grass, but immediately had trouble breathing, so I quit and went back to doing nothing.  Evie, however, is a busy beaver, cleaning, washing, and making sure I have something healthy to eat that won't bother my sore gums. 

For lunch, she made me avocado and tomato sandwiches on soft brioche buns, and I watched a bit of the first NFL game before returning to my series, Spooks, since I finished Season 8 of Shetland. I was happy to go upstairs and read and nap because I was tired and bored. I was hoping Chris would come over and take our boat out, but he wasn't able to make it. Maybe today if the weather cooperates. 

We were both looking forward to 5:00, when we could relax on the porch with a glass of wine. Evie was able to put together our dinner, a Greek dish called pastitsio, basically spiced beef, noodles, and tomato sauce. Since the bass tournament ended around 3:00, the lake calmed down, and by dinner time, hardly a boat was to be seen. I really liked our dinner, the pastitsio with a salad, and we watched a couple of more episodes of All Saints. We are on episode 22 of the first season, so we have lots of episodes to go. Evie went to bed just as the Chiefs' game was starting. I made it through the first half but was happy to get to my new book, The Correspondent, which I really like, thanks to my sister Ellen's recommendation. Finally, I found a book I am enjoying after trying a couple of thrillers. 

A Beginning Change In The Weather

 

8:17

It's 9:00 and both of us feel the change, a wind, partly cloudy skies, and a 60º morning. The bass boats and ducks litter the lake. I slept in until 8:00, which is unusual for me, and I feel about the same as I did yesterday. 

Yesterday was the same as Friday. I basically took it easy, had my breakfast, wrote the blog, and read for most of the morning, occasionally walking outside to check if my pulse had jumped. It did so I continued to sit around to my dismay. Evie had been great, making sure I didn't go crazy. I had coconut milk yogurt and blueberries for breakfast, then rinsed with a mouthwash, something i am supposed to do four times a day. Around 10:30, we made a list and Evie drove off to the Transfer Station, getting rid of our trash, then drove on to Wegmans and shopped. 

She was quick, no meandering around Wegmans, and was home by 12:30. Lunch was easy, heating up our friend Linda's leek and potato soup and hummus with pita crackers. I watched a bit of football but returned to Shetland. I helped Evie put away the groceries, then went upstairs and read until I fell asleep and napped. 

Using the iPhone Pro Telephoto from Our Dock

The rest of the afternoon I read, played with the camera on my new iPhone Pro, either in the side yard or out on the dock, since it was such a lovely afternoon, warm enough to enjoy the outdoors but not too hot. My sister Ellen called, which was fun, catching up on her grandchildren. Evie did the same, talking with our daughter Beth, enjoying the yard, and reading until wine time, when we sat on our front porch. Dinner was great, wild blue catfish filets from Wegmans, with tartar sauce, spinach, and scalloped potatoes from Wegmans. We watched a couple of episodes of All Saints until Evie went up to bed, and I watched the last two episodes of Shetland. I went up to read briefly at 10:00, then fell asleep.

Chautauqua Belle

Not Much To Say

7:35

8:52

It's 8:30 and Evie and I are on our devices, enjoying the morning, watching the leaves fall, and a blinding lake sun. Its reflection is so bright that I have moved twice to avoid it. I was up at 7:30 to a chilly 50º morning. No kayaking yet because of my elevated pulse, unfortunately, but I feel fine if I just sit and relax.

Yesterday was uneventful, mostly sitting around, checking my pulse, and wishing I could do something. On Thursday, I spent the day reading, waiting for lunch or dinner, and watching TV. The highlight of the day was the arrival of my new iPhone 17 Pro. I was able to get it through my son Tom's T-Mobile plan. Once we took it out of the case, we decided to transfer the info from my old phone to the new one, and it should have been simple, but it wasn't. I won't go in the angst and hysteries as one thing after another didn't work according to the directions, but eventually we got it done after maybe an hour, thanks to Evie. 

For lunch, I had the rest of the lentil soup and cheese sandwiches. Meals are the highlight of my day. I started an old series, Shetland.on Prime. Usually, it's available only on Britbox, but for some reason, Season 8 is now on Prime, with two women as lead detectives, replacing Jimmy Perez. After lunch and Shetland, I read and napped, then spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch, bored with reading and watching TV.

At 5:00, Ron and Linda arrived to celebrate Evie's birthday, bearing gifts, wine, a chocolate cake, earrings for Evie, and potato/leek soup for me. We talked about their trip East last week and, of course, analyzed my heart problem. They left around 6:30, and by 7:00, we were enjoying Greek spaghetti and a salad and watching a couple of more episodes of Old Saints. After Evie went to bed, I watched another episode of Shetland before joining her. It was not exactly the best of Evie's birthdays, but we made the most of it. 

A Long, Boring Day

Happy Birthday To Tommy And Evie
Hawaii, 1970

8:03

8:43

It's 8:23 and I have been up for an hour, on a surprisingly gray morning. No sun, no blue sky, and a brown lawn strewn with leaves, a result of a lack of rain. It's 60º and we should get some sun later in the day. Today is a special day because it's both Evie's and our son Tom's birthday. What a way to celebrate it, with me not feeling well. 

Yesterday was a long day for me because I couldn't do much other than sit around, read, nap, or watch TV. My HR is still higher than usual, and  I get winded easily. So Evie took care of me, making me breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and making sure I didn't do any strenuous activities. Lots of people inquired about my health, which was nice. And I measured my day by the four times I have to rinse my sore gums with a mouthwash.

Evie had a busy day, however,  making sure I was taken care of, although I don't need much help since all I have done is sit around and be bored. We have yet to hear from the cardiologist, but his nurse called and said she will call us sometime today with his instructions. My only chore is to rinse my sore mouth four times a day. Fortunately, I read and enjoyed my book for much of the day, The Storied Life Of  A. J. Fikry and finished it late afternoon while sitting in the yard. 

4:07 PM

We had an easy dinner, a Turkish omelet with tomatoes and feta cheese, and watched a couple of episodes of All Saints before switching to the Buffalo Bills game. I stayed up for the first half, then went to bed as did Evie. They won 31 - 21 in a close one. 

Not The Best Of Days

7:23

8:39

It's 8:15, and Evie has just come down to join me for coffee. It's another spectacular lake morning, and I once again did not go out for a paddle, and I will explain why below.

Yesterday morning, I was up at 7:00, grabbed a coffee and went out to kayak. I pulled my kayak off the launch, sat in it, and had a hard time breathing. I just sat there, next to the shoreline, checked my watch, and realized I was in AFIB and my heart rate was 200. I was scared of passing out, so I sat there, took deep breaths until my heart rate went down, got out of the boat, and sat down on the grass once again because I was having a hard time breathing. Once I felt a bit better, I walked to the house and lay down because my heart rate once again jumped. My heart rate dropped to 110, so I relaxed until Evie got up around 8:30. We debated what to do and wondered if my dental surgery might have had something to do with my heart problems, so we called the dentist, but they seemed to think it didn't have anything to do with my heart's rhythm. We didn't know what to do so I got up, walked around for a couple of minutes, and it was hard to breathe again and my HR shot up to 177. So we called 911, and the guys arrived in maybe 15 minutes and hooked me up for an EKG and tried to decide what to do. They called a local doctor, and he talked them out of a helicopter and thought driving me to UPMC Hamot in Erie was a better option, 10,000 dollars less. So we drove to Erie, and during the ride, the medic gave me an anti-arrhythmic drug, Cardizem, and it seemed to work because my HR fell to the low 100s. He was a good guy, from Lakewood, and had been doing this for 34 years.

The hospital took me right into a room, fortunately, because people were waiting in the hallways for a room. There was an initial flurry of nurses, drawing blood, getting me hooked up to machines, taking an EKG, and xray. From then on, I mostly lay around, waiting for Evie who arrived soon after. My heart rate stayed at around 100, and I was no longer in AFIB. After talking to a couple of doctors, they explained to me that, according to Medicare, they could not keep me because I was no longer in afib and my heart rate was acceptable. Every time I got up, however, I had difficulty breathing for 15 seconds and then was able to walk normally. So we left around 3:30, after signing at least three documents, with no attempt to find out what was causing my problems. And so it goes. 

When I got home, I felt fairly normal except when I tried to do something physical, and I had a hard time breathing. So I just lay around, napped, and read and watched some TV. I had lentil soup for dinner and baked potatoes, both of which tasted good. It's difficult to eat because I am missing front teeth and the post that was implanted was still bleeding a little. Lots of fun. We watched a couple of shows before Evie went up to bed and I watched my show before going up to bed.

When I woke this morning, I had alerts from my iWatch that my heart rate and breathing were above normal, higher than usual.  I could tell because I had a hard time sleeping and woke quite a bit. My cardiologist's nurse called yesterday, and I told her about my problems, and she is supposed to get back to me today after talking with the doctor. My heart rate is still in the 80s or 90s when it's normally in the 60s and 50s when I sleep. A change in my meds may be warranted. 

Partly Cloudy And Sunny

6:43

It's 8:30, and I skipped a paddle because I wasn't feeling well when I stepped into my kayak. It's probably from my dental work yesterday or something else.

Yesterday was not as bad as I thought, and I got in kayaking and a good breakfast before going to the dentist at 9:30. She had to cut out a bridge so that took at least a half hour, and I had trouble with the water used to cool the drill. It made it hard for me to breathe. Anyways, I was happy that was over and went straight home, relaxed and had lunch. I had to take four antibiotic pills an hour before my second visit to the oral surgeon. We arrived at 12:30, and Evie had to accompany me, but went shopping at Wegmans for half an hour, which was across the street from the dentist. 

The prep is always extraordinary at this office, with always a couple of technicians along with the dentist. He worked quickly, and I wasn't even sure what he was doing until I realized my front tooth was gone and he had implanted a post. It was easier than my morning visit. They gave me lots of instructions, and I am due back in six weeks. Until then, I have to eat soft foods and chew with my back teeth. They gave me a bridge, but I can't eat with it on. Without it, I look like a character from the movie Deliverance or a seven-year-old who just lost his baby teeth. 

When I returned home, I took a two-hour nap and woke refreshed. I also took Tylenol so the surgery did not bother me much, and I kept an ice pack on my jaw. I obviously didn't do much the rest of the afternoon except relax or read. Evie had made dinner in the morning, orzo and pasta, so it was easy for me to eat, and it tasted good. We watched our typical shows, Bargain Block and All Saints, and I went to bed early and felt pretty good. 

Lots Of Sun And Blue Skies

Our Great Grandson, Rhys, With His Dad, Nick
Inherited Their Granny's Genes

6:56

8:05

It's 8:10 and I was up early, before 7:00, and got in a forty-five-minute paddle, down to Booty Bay and back. Strangely, I did not see any herons or eagles, just Canadian Geese. I am sure that the ospreys have migrated, but not the herons. I will have to wait a few more weeks for the waterfowl that migrate to the South. I am not looking forward to today because I am having major dental work done, two appointments, one at 9:30, another at 12:30. 

After my paddle, I had breakfast, finished the blog, and then we planned our morning. I wanted to get a car wash and do some shopping. So first went to Dunn Tire to get them to check my tires to see if mine were worn out, and I am going to need four new ones. I got a quote, checked with other dealers and Walmart, and they all seem to charge about the same for each tire, just under two hundred a tire. Nothing is cheap anymore. I then stopped at the bank and cashed a small check, and went to Wegmans for a few things for our dinner and wine time, some sushi. I then got my car washed and checked to see if I might stop by and see a friend who is convalescing in his home. I was unable to connect with his wife in time, so I came home. 

When I returned home, Evie had been busy organizing and offered to make me a couple of tuna sandwiches for my lunch. Neither of us is very good in the afternoon, so we both watched some TV and read, and I napped, of course. Around 4:00, I felt like getting something done, so I cut down some branches and took the debris and leaves up to the wood pile at at the top of our road. 

We were looking forward to wine time because I picked up some sushi as an appetizer. It was another picturesque September afternoon, as we enjoyed our wine and sushi. And Evie didn't need to worry about dinner except for making a salad because we had pizza leftover from Sunday night. We watched the first episode of the new season of a series on Fox called Doc, which we enjoyed last year, and it looks to be pretty good this year as well. We then watched a home improvement show, Bargain Block, and then Evie went up to bed, and I watched some football and my series Spooks before going up to read. Another good day.

Morning Fog

7:25

9:00

I was up at 7:15, to a fogged-in lake, and now, at 8:00, the sun is beginning to burst through the fog so I may be able to kayak soon. It's 55º and the high today will be in the high 70's, another sunny day without a chance of rain. It's 8:10 as I finish writing this, and the fog has yet to lift. I suppose I will turn to the always disturbing and depressing news in The New York Times or The Washington Post. I managed to kayak for forty minutes, starting when I thought it was lifting, but I was wrong as it got more and more foggy as I paddled towards Long Point, then home.

Kayak Morning

Into The Fog

The Sun

Long Point, Man And His Dog

Fishing

Clearing Up

Bald Eagle

Heron On Victoria Dock

Same Heron

Sunday was a wasted day of football, although it started out well. I was up early at my sister's house on Lake Erie, wrote the blog, and had my coffee before anyone else was up. Mornings are great because my brother-in-law, Rich, loves to make a big breakfast. So once everyone was up, he and Linda made breakfast: scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, juice, toast, and jam. And all Evie and I had to do was wait to be served. It's always a great way to end our stay. We love coming to Euclid because Linda and Rich are such good hosts, and we get to see their lovely family. Like us, they are proud great-grandparents of three. 

We said our thank yous and were on our way home at 10:45. We decided to save some money and skipped our usual stop at Trader Joe's so we could get home in time to see the Bills game. We made it home by 15 minutes, at 12:45, and quickly saved the game so we could empty the car, put things away, and get things sorted out. And that was it for the next five or six hours, sitting in our TV room watching the Buffalo/New York Jets game, then the end of the Dallas game before watching the Chiefs lose their second game of the year to Baltimore. 

Around 5:30, I suggested having pizza for dinner, so I drove over to Bemus Point and picked up a large pizza with extra pepperoni and sauce for $25. When I returned, Evie had a salad made, and we watched the end of the Chiefs game while enjoying our pizza and salad. By 7:00, we were tired of football and cleansed our brains with an episode of The Great British Baking Show for an hour. Evie then went up to bed, and I watched a few minutes of Sunday Night Football before returning to my series, Spooks, and watched an episode before going up to bed to read my new book, The Storied Life Of A. J. Fikry. 

Lake Erie Clambake

B-Ballers In Their 80s

7:59

Morning On Lake Erie

7:21

It's 7:09 and I am sitting in my sister's living room, looking at a calm but wrinkled Lake Erie and gray sky. It's in the 50s and so far, I am the only one up. The vastness of Lake Erie compared to Chautauqua Lake is profound. At Chautauqua, we are always looking across the lake at the shoreline. On Lake Erie, it's like looking into nothingness. 

Saturday was a perfect day for a clambake on the lake, the high in the 70s, and lots of sun and blue skies. I woke at 7:00 and was able to get in a 50-minute paddle on Chautauqua Lake before coming in and finishing the blog with Evie. I had breakfast, then did what little packing I needed to do for our overnight in Euclid, then gathered the trash. By 10:15, I was off to the Transfer Station to get rid of the trash, then drove to Ashville General Store, where an Amish wagon was parked, overflowing with sweet corn. I bought three dozen ears, put twenty-one bucks in the wood box, and drove home.

Adding Clams 

And Chickens

Two Generations

We spent an hour getting the house organized and packing and left for Euclid around 12:40, hoping to stop at Azman's for Slovenian Sausage. It was closed, however, because of the Slovenian Sausage Festival in Kirtland, one that they usually win. We arrived at my sister's at 2:00, and Rich, her husband, was busy getting everything ready for the bake, the brick firepit, already burning, the tables, chairs, drinks, etc. I was able to help some, but most of the work was done. 

My Sister's Amazing Yard

Jim, Claire And The Gals

Aunts And Nieces And Girl Friends

Dads, Sons, And Friends

Claire And Harry

Their yard is a great place for a party because my sister Linda is an avid gardener, and their yard is filled with flowers, shrubs, trees, vines, various colors and lushness. In fact,  Linda was busy too, preparing the chicken for baking as well as other goodies. They have been doing this at their home on the lake since the 1970s; my parents started doing it in the 1950s. We did it at the lake once in the early 1980s.

Evie And Sophie

Vince And Colin, Cousins

Linda, Rich, And Son Pat

Family and friends started arriving at 4:00, and we put the clams in the bake at that time, followed by chicken, and both sweet and red potatoes. Later, we added crab legs and corn to finish it off. The beers, wine, and Manhattans were flowing as we feasted on appetizers, played bean bag, and enjoyed the afternoon. For us, it was fun to see our cousins and their kids, most of them out of college, beginning their careers. Rich started serving up the bagged clams around 5:30, and we filled out plates with chicken, crabmeat, potatoes, corn, and salad, topped by a dozen clams. We had five or six tables, and there were over 30 of us. Fortunately, it was a beautiful late afternoon. I had a couple of dozen clams, dipped in butter of course, along with corn, potatoes, and tomatoes, a feast. For dessert, the Mayor made her cheesecake, topped with either cherries or strawberries, always a feature when we get together.

Cousins At Sunset

Bonfire

The Old Smoothies

As it got dark, a couple of the young cousins went swimming, the lake calm and inviting. By 7:45, it was dark enough to build a fire, and the younger crew sat around the blaze, playing a game called Harmon Killebrew while the old smoothies, seven of us, sat around the table talking. In the corner of the yard, a 40-inch TV had the Ohio/Ohio State game on because most of us either graduated from OU or Ohio State. 

We went to bed around 10:00, feeling guilty about leaving my sister and brother-in-law to stay up until the night ended. OH, what a day. 

A Brief History Of Our Clambakes

Cleveland is the clambake capital of the US for some reason. 

My father started having clambakes in the 1950s. When he got older, Rich and Linda took over, probably in the 1980s, and had them most years in the fall. Yesterday, they served close to forty family and friends.

Clambake from Euclid Fish, in Mentor, Ohio,  and usually there is a line up of cars, waiting for the bake,  and they bring the bake out to you, and put it in your car. 

Clams: 10.85 a dozen, 542.50 for fifty dozen

Total cost: 700.00, for chowder, charcoal, pot, bags, paper bowls, cups for butter,