Heavy Winds, White Caps, And Gray

7:33

It's 8:30, and I've been up since 7:20, listening to the howling wind and watching the waves on the lake. It's 25°, and we didn't get the predicted snow — just wind and some deadfall in the front yard.

Friday felt like a long day, though I did get out of the house and play pickleball. I was up early, had my coffee, wrote the blog, talked with Evie, and was on my way to the courts by 9:30, having had bananas and oranges for breakfast. I didn't play much better — whiffing on a couple of overheads. The one redeeming moment was an instinctive behind-the-back shot I pulled off for a point. I should have quit right then. I can't say I'm enjoying the game, and I'm not sure I'll improve much if I keep at it.

I was home by 11:00, and Evie was enjoying a day off from school. We both settled into the living room with our books until I decided it was time for lunch — another bowl of leftover pasta. Evie had a chicken salad sandwich and gave me half when I admitted I was still hungry.

2:57

The afternoon passed quickly, as usual, between reading, napping, and some college basketball. The sky held our attention for much of it: clouds would roll in with gusts of wind, then give way to brilliant blue with sunshine and puffy clouds for a half hour, only for the gray — and even some fog — to creep back. That cycle repeated until wine time at 5:00. Our phones buzzed with dire warnings about heavy winds and snow. Dinner was chili, loaded with cheese and oyster crackers.

We watched The Pitt and still find it dull, especially compared to ER. I'm also growing tired of Noah Wyle's constant grimacing, and can't quite understand how he won both the Prime Time Emmy and Critics' Choice awards for Best Actor, though I know we're too critical. We ended the night with Landman and will leave our thoughts at this: we keep watching. After Evie went to bed, I was happy to catch the Arizona/Iowa State game.

Despite reports that Russia is providing Iran with intelligence that permits it to target U.S. forces in the Middle East, late last night the Trump administration lifted sanctions on shipments of Russian oil until April 11, permitting it to be sold to buyers around the world for the next month. The U.S., along with the rest of the Group of Seven (G7) nations with advanced economies, has maintained sanctions against Russia since it invaded Ukraine in 2022. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said the heads of the G7 had urged Trump not to ease the sanctions, saying “[t]here is currently a price problem, but not a supply problem.” He added that he “would like to know what additional motives led the US government to make this decision.” HCC