Overcast And A Few Rain Drops

9:05

It was 72º when I woke at 7:45, quite a contrast to the previous day's 58º. I put on a T-shirt and life vest, made my coffee, grabbed my camera, binoculars, and phone, and jumped into my kayak for a 45-minute paddle. It was mostly overcast, although the sun and blue skies popped out for a few minutes. Rain was in the forecast, and on the way back, it drizzled for a minute or two. It's 9:17 as I begin this, later than usual, and we're both up, listening to Michael Smerconish.

Long Point Paddle

Kayak Morning

Hooded Merganser

An Ugly Turkey Vulture

Yesterday was another mostly sunny day, and the temperatures climbed into the low 80s, making us think about turning on the air conditioner. I got in a good paddle, came home and had breakfast — yogurt, granola, and blueberries — and finished writing the blog. Around 10:30, Evie left to get a blood test in Jamestown, and I drove to Lakewood, stopping at Harbor Freight and Walmart to check prices on PVC pipe. I stopped at the car wash on the way home, and when I got back, Evie was already on the front porch.

We always seemed to have leftover rice after dinner, kept it in the refrigerator for three or four days, and then threw it away. I was tired of wasting it, so I made fried rice, starting with mushrooms, ham, scrambled eggs, and tomatoes before adding the rice and soy sauce. It was decent — not great — but I'll make it again. After lunch, I was ready to get back to my book and take a nap, despite the heat and humidity. I managed a solid half hour.

Around 4:00, I trimmed the privets, giving them some shape, then went to work on the suckers — some growing six or seven feet up through the middle of the shrubs. It took a good half hour to clear them out, and because I'd accumulated such a large pile, I pulled the Outback into Pine Hill's right away, loaded the suckers into the back, and drove up the hill to dump them at the woodpile.

I was soaking wet when I returned, so I put on my bathing suit and went out for a swim. Amazingly, after a minute or two in the water, it actually felt warm and comfortable, and I was in no hurry to get out. At 5:00, I came in and showered, and while Evie was on a Zoom call with her sisters, I put on shorts and read on the front porch. 

Rowing Home

When the call ended, we had our wine and watched our neighbor Joe row his sailboat home — no wind to speak of. Dinner was the leftover pork, sauerkraut, and mashed potatoes, just as good as the day before. We finished the series Friends and Neighbors on Apple TV, then drifted into Hometown and Lottery Dream Home before Evie headed up to bed. I watched the last two episodes of The Witness on Netflix and then called it a night.