Warming Up

7:08

8:08

The sun is up at 8:30, filling the yard and sky with light on a 26° morning. No ice fishermen's tents dot the lake. Today's high of 46° is either the third or fourth thaw of the winter.

Thursday, as always, was a busy day. We were both up early, by 7:00. After writing the blog, I headed to Bemus for breakfast. By 9:40, we had gone our separate ways — me to yoga, Evie to school. The studio was packed as usual, and I set up my mat in front of the class, next to Tara. The session ran 80 minutes, and I left feeling energized. I stopped for a coffee at Ryder's Cup, made a quick run through Aldi's, and was home by noon.

Blue Skies

It's still strange to walk into a quiet, empty house, even after three years of Evie helping out in kindergarten. I checked email, read for a bit, then had lunch around 12:45 — leftover chicken and orzo. I watched another episode of Land of Sin, then went upstairs to read and nap. When I came back down, Evie had just gotten home and briefly recounted some of the funny things that had happened in class.

Sun And Melting Snow

I settled in with my book, thought vaguely about a walk, and then said the heck with it. It had been a sun-filled afternoon — a real surprise — and by 5:00, we were ready for a glass of wine with no dinner pressure in sight. By 6:30, we were enjoying bowls of chili topped with sour cream, cheese, and avocado, and watching HGTV. At the same time, the distressing news broke that Paramount Skydance — backed by Trump supporter Larry Ellison — was acquiring Warner Bros. Discovery, including CNN and HBO. The Ellisons already own CBS, Paramount Pictures, Paramount+, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, and a stake in TikTok. It's a modern monopoly, rivaling the great consolidations of the early 20th century that made Teddy Roosevelt famous as the Trust Buster. Brace yourself for another Fox News. Evie went upstairs to bed feeling depressed, and I turned on some basketball to clear my head before finishing Land of Sin.