Sunny Mornings Are Getting Boring

7:36

8:52

I shouldn't complain about the weather, I know, since it's been amazing the past week or two, but I would like to see some rain. I was up at 7:30, made the coffee, gathered my stuff, and went out for a paddle, down to the Power Boat Club and back, and was out for over an hour. The ospreys have migrated, the herons are still sticking around as are the turkey vultures.

Kayak Morning

Woodlawn Turkey Vultures

Heron On Joe's Boat Cover

Yesterday was another fine day, and I kept busy through lunch. The day began with the usual coffee, but by 7:50, I was off to breakfast in Bemus at the Lake Life Cafe. I ordered a protein shake for the first time because I am not supposed to eat when wearing my retainer. If I don't wear it, I can eat but look like a Halloween pumpkin. I was home by 9:10, finished up the blog, and by 9:40, Evie was off to kindergarten, and I was off to Yin Yoga. It was good to get back to yoga, but I have to admit, I left class sore, with a backache, making me wonder if I should drop the class, or if I just exercised some muscles that I haven't used in a couple of weeks. 

A Leisurely Afternoon Paddle

I was home just before noon, and the lake was so inviting that I went out and paddled for a half hour, down to Sandy Bottom and back, on a lovely, windy afternoon. It felt enervating to just be out there enjoying the water. I then made my lunch, the leftover haddock, on a bun with mayo and hot sauce, and watched my show. My book has lost its appeal because he's inserted another novel within the novel, and I don't much like it because it stereotypes black culture, intentionally, as a contrast to the type of books the main character writes. Confusing, right? So I easily napped and woke, came downstairs, and Evie was home from school.  We talked about her day, which was more hectic than usual because of a fire drill and one little guy who refuses to follow directions.

The rest of the afternoon I spent reading, either out on the dock or inside on the couch until wine time. We listened to the news, talked about school, our great-grandchildren, until Evie went in and heated up our dinner, chicken in gravy with stuffing and mashed potatoes. We ate watching our usual show, All Saints, until 8:30, our usual routine. Then, I watched some NFL but got bored and returned to my show, Spooks, and watched the last episode of Season Six, and was tempted to watch the first episode of Season Seven but went up to bed instead to read.

45º , Sunny With Partly Cloudy Skies

Rhys, Tommy, And The Grandparents

9:47

9:10

It's 7:35 and Evie and I have been up for ten minutes. I have to be on my way to breakfast in Bemus in 15 minutes so I won't be kayaking this morning.  Later, at 9:30, I will drive to yoga and Evie to her kindergarten, her second day with a new class. It's 9:15 and I am home from breakfast and finishing up the blog, trying to find a place to sit where the reflection of the sun is not blinding me.

Yesterday was the best because I kayaked for an hour the first time in ten days. I then had a leisurely coffee and breakfast with Evie before driving into Jamestown, to Riverwalk, to get my blood drawn for a PSA test. I thought I had the request with me, but I had to call my doctor's office to get them to fax it over, so it took longer than I thought, about a half hour, which is not bad. It's teaching me patience. I stopped at both Wegmans and Sav-A-Lot on the way home to pick up our dinners and was home just after noon. 

Lunch was easy, the last of the leftover shrimp stir fry and my show. I was anxious to get back to my book, Erasure, so I went upstairs and read and took a nice nap for at least half an hour. Evie was watching her show and doing laundry, so I read for a bit, then decided to get a few more things done. I put the buoys up in the attic and took my wheelbarrow out to the dock, bringing in our benches. All that's left on the dock are a couple of Adirondack chairs, and it's ready to be taken out. 

Evie prepared our dinner around 4:30, some nice Icelandic haddock filets, and we settled down with our wine at 5:00 and some sushi from Wegmans for an appetizer. We had the fish, with homemade tartar sauce, coleslaw, and baked potatoes, and watched a couple more episodes of our series, All Saints. I think we are on episode thirty-two, and we still enjoy it. Evie went up to bed at her usual time and I watched another episode of Spooks, and I am almost finished with the sixth of ten seasons. So I have a way to go to finish the series. It was a really good day.

What An Amazing Morning

6:47

It's 7:05 and I have been up for half an hour, enjoying a coffee, waiting for the sun to rise so I can kayak. How lucky we are to see the sun rise each morning, watch it move back and forth, depending on the season. Not a boat on the lake, a light wind, and it should be a perfect morning for me to get back out on the lake. It's just about 9:00, and Evie and I are sitting here as I finish up the blog. I was out on the water kayaking just as the sun rose at 7:15. It was a gorgeous morning, sun, clear skies, empty lake, and moi. I paddled for an hour down to Sandy Bottom, then back along Woodlawn, spotting a couple of herons and a fake owl. 

Kayaking As The Sun Rises

Autumn Colors

Northern Cloudless Sky

Into The Sun

Yesterday turned out to be an expensive but busy day. We were both up early because Evie was starting kindergarten and usually arrives at 10:00. I was also taking my car in to get the battery checked or to see why it loses its charge. So, after coffee and Evie showered and got dressed, I went out to jump-start my Outback. But, just for the heck of it, I thought I would try to start it, and it started —a miracle. I tried it twice on Monday and nothing happened. I told Evie the good or bad news and drove off to a new garage, Swansons, since my usual garage was closed for the week. The guys were great, checked my battery, said I needed a new one, and best of all, they could do it immediately, so Evie did not have to pick me up. The best part of my experience was their dog, a huge, black, Newfoundland dog, let free to roam, and he immediately came to me to be petted, rubbed, then lay on his back for more affection. 

Heron Among The Mallards

Fake Owl

Heron In Woodlawn Trees

After they put in my new battery (300 bucks), I needed a coffee, so I stopped at Ryder's Cup and talked with Bob, one of the regulars. I didn't feel like shopping, so I came home to an empty house. I soon was bored and decided to get to work, so I put on my bathing suit, took the kayak, and pulled seven buoys, attached to a cement block, out of the water, and brought them to shore. It took me maybe half an hour at the most, and it's something I have to do each fall. By the time I was done, I was ready for lunch and heated up the leftover stir-fry and watched my show, Spooks. It was 1:30 by the time I was finishing, so I went upstairs hoping to take a nap, but I slept for only a few minutes. I had finished my book, The Nickel Boys, about black kids living in a reform school in Florida, and it was hard to read, the way they were treated by the white, racist trustees. I started a new novel, the much-recommended Erasure by Percival Everett, and I like it. 

Around 3:00, I went back outside and cut the rope holding the cement blocks to the buoys and hid the blocks in the bushes. I then filled a wheelbarrow up with water, added some bleach, and spent a half an hour scrubbing the mold off of the buoys, then let them dry on a bench. Evie was relaxing on the front porch so I joined her, read some until she had her Zoom call with her sisters. By then, I was ready to do something else, so I fired up our Honda and raked and mulched leaves around our garage and road. By 5:45, I was sitting on the front porch with Evie and a glass of wine as the day began to ebb. Around 6:30, Evie made a salad and heated up the leftover Salisbury steak and potatoes for dinner. Like Sunday, we both loved it and watched a couple of episodes of All Saints, the last episode bringing us both to tears. Evie went up to bed at 8:30, and I watched some news, depressing, as it was all about Trump's talk to the military, so I switched to Spooks, then went up to bed to read and sleep.

Evie was home around 2:00 and regaled me with her first day, being welcomed back by her teacher as well as other teachers from last year. The kids are all new, although she did get hugs from her students from last year. It was a good start to the year. 

I don't much like to talk about politics on the blog, but Trump scared me. If anyone who voted for Trump watched his speech to the military yesterday and would still vote for him, they ought to ask why they support him. Not only does he ramble, often incoherently, but he also seems possibly insane, and certainly vindictive, but he basically called the Democrats the 'enemy within' and considered sending military troops into liberal cities to control them.  We should all be afraid.