Gray On Gray And 35º

7:00

8:00

It Takes A Village

It's 7:42, and I've been up since 6:00—awake since 5:00, worrying about things. I've been reading selected articles from both newspapers and Heather Cox Richardson's essay concerning the Trump Administration's attempts to save Western Civilization, meaning a White and Christian US. It's worth reading; both Vance and Rubio have hinted at this vision in their recent speeches in Europe. Despite the warm weather, a group is out fishing on the frozen lake.

Sunday was perhaps the last of our blue-sky, sunny winter days. This week promises much higher temperatures and rain—we're 33 days from spring. I was up early Sunday, of course, and had a good three hours before Evie came down for her coffee. By then, I'd done enough reading, written the blog, had breakfast, and was ready to do something. Unfortunately, my heel had been bothering me on my last hike, so I decided to take a day off, hoping that would help. Evie and I made a list for Wegmans, and I was off by 9:45, stopping at Ryder's Cup first. A couple of friends were there, sitting around talking, so I joined them for twenty minutes to catch up on the latest hockey news from their grandsons, which included a trip to Boston. Sound familiar, hockey parents?

I had to wait at Wegmans for a prescription, so I took my time shopping. When I went back to pick it up, they'd only filled half my prescriptions—I'll have to go back tomorrow. I was home by 11:30 and felt depressed about missing a walk on such a beautiful day. For lunch, I had Evie's leftovers from our Mexican dinner and watched the end of The Lincoln Lawyer. It's difficult to understand why it's so popular—the script is cheesy, the acting overly dramatic. Since I was up so early, I napped, then happily returned to my spy thriller for the rest of the afternoon.

We had our glass of wine or two at 5:00 before Evie put together dinner in 15 minutes: Salisbury steak, mushrooms, gravy, mashed potatoes, and a salad. It tasted good—I had two helpings. We watched a couple more episodes of DOC on Hulu, then some Olympics until Evie went up to bed. I then watched Unfamiliar, a German Cold War spy thriller on Netflix. It's worth watching. 

Another Big Thaw

6:56

7:02

7:03

8:05

I'm sitting in my living room at 7:35, having been up for over an hour, watching the morning sky transform. At first, it was overcast, then it bloomed into various shades of pink, and now it's settled back to mostly gray with hints of color where the sun rises. We're in for another unusual winter day in Chautauqua—full sun and blue skies. Whatever happened to those trademark gray Chautauqua winters? This week is teasing us with spring as temperatures climb into the 40s, only to plunge back into the 20s over the week—if you believe the forecasters. Right now it's 29º, and only a couple of fishermen brave the lake.

Winterfest Flags Of Sponsors

Fishing Huts

Ice Castle

Door

Inside The Ice Castle

Saturday was glorious, full of celebration and activity thanks to the Mayville Winterfest and its featured ice castle. I was up early as usual and wanted to finish my morning routine by 9:00—reading, writing the blog, eating breakfast—all before Evie woke. By 9:15, she was up and had read the blog, and I was off to Mayville to photograph the ice castle before Winterfest officially opened. It was a smart decision. I parked for free and wandered around the ice castle and lakefront for a good half hour, camera in hand. Satisfied with my shots, I drove to Tops for a glazed donut and a cake for Evie—she'd mentioned on Friday that she wished we had cake for Valentine's Day.

Fish Frozen In An Ice Block

Looking Out the Door Towards The Lake

The Southern Sky

Amish Fishermen

More Amish

Section Of Lake Where The Ice Blocks Were Cut

Path Out To Ice

I was home by 10:30 and wanted to squeeze in a hike before lunch. First, I doctored up the ham broth, sautéing onions and carrots before adding them along with a couple of cans of beans, then left it to simmer. I headed out for a half-hour hike through our woods, following the path our neighbors had broken while cross-country skiing. I finished by walking home across the lake, its surface still frozen but beginning to melt.

Path Through Woodlawn/Victoria Woods

Woodlawn

Selfie

Back home, it was time for lunch. I cut up some leftover ham, put it in the bottom of a bowl, and ladled the bean soup over it. Decent, but not great—it needed more seasoning or a richer broth. We'd planned to meet Linda and Ron at Winterfest at 2:30, so I watched some TV and read while Evie showered and got ready. 

Traffic Jam In Mayville

We left right on time, only to find traffic backed up at least a half mile from the ice castle. We inched along, passing one parking area after another, each with a FULL sign, until we'd passed the Winterfest entirely—and traffic was still crawling in both directions. Finally, we abandoned the idea and ended up on a 30-mile drive around the lake, crossing the bridge and heading into Jamestown to try a Mexican restaurant we'd been curious about: The Art of Flavors.

We assumed it would be empty at 3:30. We were wrong. The dining room was small—maybe 10 to 12 tables—and we were lucky to snag one. Despite having only one waitress, we didn't wait long for margaritas and dinner. She was remarkably adept, an attractive mother of four with tattoos running up and down her arms. We enjoyed our meals, left a generous tip, and took doggy bags home. By the time we left around 4:30, there was a line of people waiting to be seated.

Enjoying The Lake At 5:00 PM

We were home by 5:30 with nothing pressing to do. We'd already had margaritas, so wine didn't appeal. Evie relaxed upstairs for half an hour while I watched some basketball. We ended up streaming a couple of episodes of DOC on Hulu until 8:00, when Evie went up to bed. I stayed up to watch the first half of the Ohio State/Virginia game, then two episodes of The Lincoln Lawyer before calling it a night—the end of a busy day.

Russ Vought, Director of the Office of Management and Budget, didn’t just gut aid, he stole it for himself. Here is what happened, in plain English. Reuters reports that the White House is using $15 million from leftover USAID funds to pay for Vought’s U.S. Marshals Service security detail through the end of 2026.

That money was part of a system built to fight HIV, malaria, polio, and the kinds of outbreaks that quietly kill people who never make the evening news. Now it is buying armed protection for the guy who helped torch the agency.

Call it “reprogramming.” Call it “budget authority.” Call it “security needs.” Regular people have a simpler word for taking money meant to keep other people alive and using it on yourself: STEALING.

Maybe it is technically legal on some spreadsheet. Morally, it is looting.

And the worst part is the shamelessness.

A Toasty 29º Morning

7:00

Long Point At 7:00

7:28

7:34

Fog Rising At 7:34

A striking morning sky of blue-gray, rouge, and white fills my windows. It's seasonably warm, I suppose—29º—and will climb into the high 30s later in the day. I've been up since 6:00, scouring the newspapers for something hopeful. I guess David Brooks' words from the February 13th New York Times will have to do: "Today we have more talent in this country than ever before. The history of America is the history of convulsions and periods of rupture, followed by creativity and periods of repair. We've lived through the rupture; now, Times readers, let's do the repair."

Friday was another cold but blue-sky day. The morning was the usual routine: I was up early, read, and wrote the blog. Evie woke around 8:45 and came downstairs for coffee to edit the blog. I was interested in a hike and wrote my neighbor Jim, who said he'd love to, but couldn't get away until around noon. So I cleaned up the kitchen, pulled the hambone out of the refrigerator, and let it simmer in water for a couple of hours, hoping to finish the Senate Navy Bean soup today.

Hiking Bentley Nature Preserve

Open Creek

I walked down to Jim's at 11:45, jumped in his truck along with Ripley, his trusty dog, and we were off to the Bentley Nature Preserve near Strunk Road and Route 86. We parked and followed a trail made by hikers for the first couple of hundred yards, but then it stopped. From then on, we bushwhacked our way through a foot to a foot and a half of snow, hoping we were going in the right direction. It was quite a workout, especially since we weren't sure we were on the right track. We checked the maps on our phones numerous times, hoping we were heading toward the parking lot. We finally made it to a creek we remembered crossing the last time we were on the trail. Eventually, we emerged in someone's backyard and glimpsed Jim's truck in the distance. We'd walked only a rigorous mile, and it took us an hour. I'll wait for spring to hike it again and ask the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy to mark the trail, as they did for Dobbins Woods.

Making A Path

Bridge Over Frozen Creek

We didn't get home until 1:30, and Evie had my lunch ready: two chicken salad sandwiches. I watched my show, but exhausted from the hike, I went upstairs for a nap and read. By 3:30, I was back downstairs on the couch reading, while Evie was in the TV room watching her show after prepping our dinner. 

Happy Couple

Colorful Tents Off Long Point

We enjoyed a glass of wine or two and a striking dusk as fishermen enjoyed the late afternoon sun. Around 7:00, we had dinner: rotisserie chicken, baked potatoes, and salad. We watched a couple of Colberts, the Winter Olympics, and an HGTV show before Evie went to bed. I then watched the first half of my alma mater, Ohio University, play an undefeated Miami of Ohio. I was hoping the announcers would mention our 1964 NCAA-bound team, which beat Louisville and Kentucky to reach the Elite Eight, then lost to Michigan. If we'd won, we would have made it to the Final Four—the farthest a MAC team has ever gone. Oh well, that's history. I'd had enough after the first half and wanted to get back to my CIA thriller, The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey.

Last year, Josh Dawsey and Maxine Joselow of the Washington Post reported that at a campaign event at Mar-a-Lago in April 2024, then-candidate Trump told oil executives they should raise $1 billion for his campaign. In exchange, Trump promised he would get rid of Biden-era regulations and make sure no more such regulations went into effect, in addition to lowering taxes. Trump told them $1 billion would be a “deal,” considering how much money they would make if he were in the White House.

In a ceremony at the White House yesterday, surrounded by coal industry leaders, lawmakers, and miners, President Donald J. Trump was presented with a trophy that calls him “the undisputed champion of beautiful, clean coal.” At the event, Trump signed an executive order directing the Defense Department to buy billions of dollars of power produced by coal and decried “the Radical Left’s war on the industry.” Anna Betts of The Guardian noted that Trump also announced the Department of Energy will spend $175 million to “modernize, retrofit, and extend” the life of coal-fired power plants in West Virginia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Kentucky.

9º

7:01

8:01

8:16

8:16

It's 8:05, and I have been up since 6:50 on a 9º morning. Right now, the sun has just risen above the clouds, welcoming some blue skies. A guy is dragging his sled in right now—I saw him pulling it out around 6:50.

Out Early

Had Enough

Permanent Tent Along Long Point

Thursdays are always busy for us. We are both up by 7:00. I was in a hurry to have coffee and write the blog because I had to shovel the parking area, pull the Outback out for Evie, and drive to Bemus for breakfast at 8:00. I had my usual: an English muffin with egg, sausage, and cheese, and coffee. The three of us left at 9:00, and when I returned home, I finished the blog before Evie went over it and published it. I left for yoga at 9:35, followed by Evie at 9:40. Class was packed and, to my surprise, it was configured differently, with Jen, our teacher, at a different wall. Change is good? Class was the usual Yin Yoga, holding a pose for 3 or 4 minutes. She also cautioned us to avoid pushing too hard. If we begin to feel discomfort, stop and hold back a bit—good advice. Too many of us push too hard and think feeling pain is good. Not so in yoga. I was refreshed after class and stopped at Walmart to pick up our dinner, a rotisserie chicken, along with a few other things. It's always a trip to shop at Walmart.

I was home by 12:30 and had lunch, a half-price sub sandwich from Walmart. I watched another episode of The Lincoln Lawyer. Evie returned home from school around 2:00, happy with her day. I decided to take a nap since I only got 4.5 hours of sleep Wednesday night according to my Apple Watch. I read, then took an hour nap, waking groggy as usual if I nap that long. I had no interest in going for a walk, alas, and sat around the house feeling off until wine time at 5:00. We sat around talking about Evie's day at school and listening to the news. For some reason, neither of us was very hungry. The chicken didn't sound good to either of us, so Evie made me scrambled eggs and a bagel—just right. We are struggling to find something to watch and started a couple of series, none of which we liked, so we stuck with the Winter Olympics until Evie went to bed. I then watched a bit of the NBA before another episode of The Lincoln Lawyer and Unfamiliar, both on Netflix.

Trump: “We’re the only country in the world with mail-in ballots.” He’s right, except for Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Zimbabwe.

A LIAR OR STUPID

More Snow, More Shoveling

7:00

7:18

It's 7:05, and I've been up for over an hour. Evie just came downstairs and made her coffee, so we're both sitting here watching light snow fall through a whiteout. It's a chilly 22º and will stay in the low 20s most of the day.

Yesterday was a bizarre day. I woke as usual, skimmed the internet, and read depressing stories about Trump and Savannah Guthrie's mother—nothing about Ukraine, Gaza, or Venezuela. After the blog and breakfast, I finally worked up the courage to call Kia to see if the part they needed had arrived. It had, but they'd neglected to call me, claiming it didn't come in until late Tuesday. BS. So I drove there around 10:00 to finally get my car fixed. They said it would take 15 minutes to install. Doubting that timeline, I walked to Tops and picked up a few things for dinner. I arrived at the dealer at 10:30 and left at 12:30—with a loaner. Unbelievable. They needed one more part, which they were getting from a nearby dealer, and would call when it was done. Well, they never called, and now I'm driving a loaner to yoga today. I can't figure out if they're inept or just dumb.

I left with the loaner at 12:30 and stopped at Arby's for lunch—their roast beef meal with fries and a root beer. It was mediocre at best, though I liked the root beer. I was home by 1:30, tired and out of sorts, so I went upstairs, read a bit, then took a long nap. I didn't feel refreshed, just groggy, and felt off the rest of the afternoon. Evie had a hair appointment at 1:00 with Jaret and didn't get home until 3:00.

She was tired too, so we wasted the rest of the afternoon watching TV or reading on our couches. We had a glass of wine at 5:00 and listened to updates on the Guthrie kidnapping and Congress's questioning of an aggressive Pam Bondi. Big news. For dinner, Evie fried up some burgers and heated some baked beans, and we were happy—except for the fact that we couldn't find anything worth watching other than another episode of Colbert. Evie got so frustrated that she went to bed early. I ended up watching a silly episode of The Lincoln Lawyer and another episode of Unfamiliar on Netflix before heading upstairs.

Getting Ugly Out There

7:01

It’s 8:15 on a gray, 26º morning. It looks like sleet outside, snow is melting, and the walkways and parking area appear icy. I worry about the roads if the cold, sleet, or rain continues. I  read and tried to listen to my favorite podcast, Raging Moderates, on The Prof G Podcast with Scott Galloway and Jessica Tarlov on Fox Five.

Tuesday was a busy day for both of us—school for Evie, yoga for me. We were both up by 7:00. After writing the blog, having breakfast, and Evie showering and getting ready, I left for yoga at 9:10, and Evie headed to kindergarten around 9:30. There were 9 students in class, 3 regulars, including me. I left feeling pretty good—at least my back didn’t hurt. I stopped at Ryder’s Cup and talked with Dave, the honorary mayor, for about 20 minutes.

Walking Dogs On The Frozen Lake

I was home before noon, read until I got hungry, and then heated up the last of the ham and potatoes for lunch. I watched The Lincoln Lawyer, a series produced, directed, and written by a former student of mine, Ted Humphrey. Since I’d been up early, I was looking forward to reading and napping. Evie returned home just as I was heading upstairs. She was tired and a little down because she wasn’t feeling well, and class hadn’t been as fun as usual. All she wanted to do was lie on the couch and watch her show. I napped and read for the rest of the afternoon.

By 5:50, we were dressed and on our way to a French dinner at Andriaccio’s in Mayville. We had attended an Italian dinner there five or six years ago and enjoyed it. We met Ron and Linda, and about thirty people filled the dining room. There were five courses, each paired with a different wine. The owner, chef, and sommelier welcomed us and explained the courses and wines. The service was great, the tastings were fun, and the dessert—a crème brûlée—was the highlight of the meal. We left around 8:15, happy with the evening and eager to do it again.

Enjoying Our French Dinner

Evie was really tired and not feeling her best, so she went up to bed. I watched the Winter Olympics and was looking forward to Ilia Malinin's short program, the star of the ice. Just as he was about to begin, NBC cut to the latest “breaking” non-news about the alleged abduction of Savannah Guthrie’s mother. It went on and on. I finally got fed up and went upstairs to read and sleep, figuring I’d watch his performance on YouTube in the morning. How exasperating.

As the Gordie Howe bridge nears completion, Trump, in his latest salvo against Canada, suggested he would “not allow” it to open, saying Canada had treated the U.S. “very unfairly.” “I will not allow this bridge to open until the United States is fully compensated for everything we have given them, and also, importantly, Canada treats the United States with the Fairness and Respect that we deserve.” 

A Detroit billionaire (Matthew Moroun) met with Howard Lutnick, the commerce secretary, hours before President Trump said he would block the opening of a new bridge connecting Detroit to Canada, officials said. After that meeting, Mr. Lutnick spoke with Mr. Trump by phone about the matter, the officials said. 

The Moroun family, which owns and operates the bridge for profit, had previously called on Mr. Trump to halt the construction of the bridge, which, once opened, would compete with the Ambassador Bridge for the more than $300 million in daily cross-border trade.

Heat Wave

6:20

8:06

8:20

Well, it's warming up, 27º and by noon we should have temperatures in the 40s—47º warmer than yesterday morning's -7º. It's 7:40, and I've been up for an hour, Evie for 15 minutes. We're both busy this morning: Evie with school, me with yoga. I want to get back on track and make it to yoga at least twice a week, with hikes on the other days.

Monday Morning Sky

Monday was a wasted day for me, but a productive one for Evie. My morning followed the usual routine—reading, blog, and breakfast, all done by 9:00. Because of the frigid single-digit temperatures, I stayed inside and wallowed in self-pity. I read my book Stay, and something interesting happened. The main character, Aud, lives alone in the woods—a rugged individualist rebuilding his grandfather's cabin piece by piece, even hand-splitting shingles with an ax. He's been living in solitude since the shooting death of his love, Julie. In the aftermath, he killed the shooter but blames himself for her death. A former Atlanta police officer, he rescues a friend's girlfriend from a sexual predator in New York City at the friend's request. Later, he returns and beats the predator to a pulp, destroying all the sex videos. Halfway through the book, I had a startling realization: He is a She. How did I miss that? Bizarre.

Around 10:30, Evie took a break from laundry to give me a much-needed haircut. I showered, then had lunch—leftover potatoes and ham. I left for Jamestown at 1:00 for an appointment with my gastroenterologist's PA. We discussed various diets to alleviate my stomach pain, and she gave me a handout on the Low-FODMAP Diet, which I will not follow, of course. On the way home, I stopped at Michael's to return my air inflator to Amazon, then swung by Evans for some Blackbox wine.

I was home by 3:00, read for a while, then fell asleep on the couch until wine time at 5:00. At 6:00, Evie air-fried a couple of walleye filets, heated up the leftover potatoes, and made a salad—we had a great dinner. We watched the last two episodes of Hostage on Netflix and would give it a B-. I then watched the first half of the Kansas/Arizona game, but went to bed and missed the second half. Kansas ended up upsetting Arizona, the number one team in the nation.

Below is a clear, factual list of the publicly reported accusations of sexual assault or serious sexual misconduct against Donald Trump made by women (many of which he has denied). Some have been part of lawsuits or civil findings; others are individual allegations from news outlets or public statements. These are drawn from widely cited reporting and legal records.

🎯 Allegations of Sexual Assault / Serious Misconduct

1. E. Jean Carroll
   — Alleged Trump sexually assaulted (including rape) her in a Bergdorf Goodman dressing room in the mid-1990s. A civil jury found Trump liable for sexual abuse and defamation, awarding damages.

2. Jessica Leeds
   — Alleged in the 1970s on a flight Trump grabbed her breasts and tried to put his hand up her skirt without consent.

3. Kristin Anderson
   — Alleged that in the early 1990s Trump groped her vagina through her underwear at a Manhattan nightclub.

4. Jill Harth
   — In the early 1990s alleged Trump forcibly kissed her, groped her breasts, and grabbed her genitals; she described this as attempted rape in a civil complaint.

5. Stacey Williams
   — Said in 1993 Trump groped her breasts, waist, and buttocks at Trump Tower in the presence of Jeffrey Epstein.

6. Rachel Crooks
   — Alleged that around 2005 Trump kissed her on the mouth without consent while she worked as a receptionist.

7. Mindy McGillivray
   — Said in 2003 Trump groped her buttocks at Mar-a-Lago without consent.

8. Bridget Sullivan
   — Former Miss New Hampshire runner-up alleged around 2000 Trump would hug women low on their backs and walked through dressing rooms with contestants undressed.

9. Cassandra Searles
   — Former Miss Washington alleged in 2013 that Trump grabbed her buttocks repeatedly at the Miss USA pageant.

10. Natasha Stoynoff
    — Alleged that in 2005 at Mar-a-Lago Trump shoved her against a wall and kissed her forcibly during an interview.

11. Summer Zervos
    — Former Apprentice contestant alleged in 2007 that Trump forcefully kissed her and groped her breasts in both Trump Tower and a Beverly Hills hotel.

12. Karen Johnson
    — Reported Trump pulled her by her crotch into a tapestry at a New Year’s Eve party in the early 2000s.

13. Amy Dorris
    — Former model alleged at the 1997 US Open that Trump forcibly kissed her and groped her in his VIP box.

14. (Unidentified “Jane Doe”)
    — A woman once filed a lawsuit alleging Trump raped her when she was 13 alongside Jeffrey Epstein; the suit was dropped before trial.

15. Ivana Trump (former wife)
    — Alleged in a divorce deposition that Trump raped her (she later clarified she did not mean “rape” in a strict legal sense). 

16. Trump has denied all of the above allegations. In many cases, he labeled them false or politically motivated