BRRRRR---BIRD SHOWCASE

7:45

Downy Woodpecker

Tufted Titmouse

Hairy Woodpecker

Awake at 5:00, go back to sleep  till 6:25 and both Evie and I get up at the same time. It's dark but there's a moon in the west sky, lighting the yard somewhat when I look for the paper.  It's 6º outside and won't get much warmer for the next couple of days.  And now, at 7:37, gray skies have morphed from the darkness, the lake's surface white and smooth, untouched as of yet by fishing tents, too cold I suppose.

Downy Woodpecker

Nuthatch

Hairy Woodpecker

Yesterday morning was wet and icy early, not a good morning to be on the road, especially if you were late to yoga, which I was.  Fortunately, I took my time, thinking it would be 'unyoga like', to hurry to yoga since one of the mantras is to just 'let it go,' in this case, the fear of being late.  And it's a good thing because just as I headed towards Lakewood, I passed a police car, lights flashing, with a car perpendicular in a road side ditch.  The roads got better as I neared Lakewood, more traveled I suppose, but it still made sense to take my time.  The weather did not, however, deter the yoga class, as it was filled once again, as everyone seems to love Danielle's Yin Yoga, with emphasis on connective tissues, with long holds though not longer than five minutes.  After yoga, I felt energized, good, the object I suppose, stopped at Ryder's for a cup of java, then went shopping at Wegman's, to pick up some essentials for the week.  Evie tried printing out her Wegman's website shopping list but I was having printer problems (everyone has printer problems), so she had to hand write it.  Wegman's surprisingly, was not very busy so I whisked through the aisles, getting out in 15 minutes.

When I got home, Evie was heavy in to cleaning, this time the downstairs bathroom, which needed it and now looks new, sparkling clean and white.  This is something I don't much notice until it's cleaned, then I notice it needed it...a typical guy I suppose.  For lunch, I had some ravioli, a thoughtful birthday gift from the MeClures.  I had forgotten how bland and tasteless 1950's canned food was.   It is easy, however, just pop it in a pan and heat and eat.

A Retro Lunch

Around 2:30, I was sitting on the couch, reading the last few pages of Wolf Hall when I heard a thump on the window, got up and looked out, and sitting on the lawn, with it's prey, was a red tailed hawk. Paying no attention to me, watching him from my window, he systematically tore apart what appeared to be downy woodpecker, first feathers, than flesh, fleeing only went Evie walked outside.  An amazing spectacle of nature's dictum of 'survival of the fittest.'  Obviously, we have not had many birds at the feeder since.

Red Tailed Hawk

The Predator, Red Tailed Hawk

Red Tailed Hawk, Devouring a Downy Woodpecker

We both went skiing late afternoon, Evie first as we were expecting the plumber to stop by (he never did, surprise), so one of us stayed home.  When she got back, I went out, both of us in a mild snow storm, which we love though it was more windy than we thought and cold coming back towards the house from Wells Bay.  I tried skiing with my mini iPod, grooving to tunes as I skied, which was kind of fun.

For dinner, we had chili, from the freezer, and I made Cincinnati chili out of it by serving it on pasta with onions and cheddar cheese.  I really like it that way, a nice change from typical plain chili with soda crackers.  Evie also made a guacamole salad to go along with the chili so we had something healthy.  We watched the second episode of True Detective and both of us were not as thrilled with this episode. The narrative, the story, seems stalled and we get mostly more character development of the two detectives, which can be interesting but we would like to see the narrative move forward.  And Matthew Mc Connahey's character is becoming increasingly abstract in his lengthy dialogues, difficult to make sense of .  And as I mentioned we finished Top of the Lake Sunday night.  We both liked it well enough, a 3 1/2 star I suppose.  It definitely had a feminist flavor, with nary a guy to admire, a flawed boy friend perhaps, but lots of violent, macho guys. The rest were sad, lost, wounded women, living on a compound in the middle of nowhere called Paradise, with the charismatic leader, played by Holly Hunter, who leaves it all behind at the end of the series.  Good but not great.

WE REMEMBER LAURA LYNN

The Mullens, December, 2012, Leah, Sean, Laura, and Pat

ONE YEAR AGO TODAY, EVIE'S YOUNGEST SISTER, LAURA MULLEN, PASSED AWAY AT HER HOME IN LAS VEGAS.  SHE WAS A WONDERFUL WOMEN, STUBBORN AT TIMES, BUT CARING, TOUGH, AND PERSISTENT, A WONDERFUL MOM, LOVING WIFE, CARING SISTER, AND GREAT FRIEND.  WE MISS YOU.

Drizzle Early, Arctic Temperatures Later

8:30

Woke at 5:55, rolled over for a moment, woke again and it was 6:55.  Maybe if I did this more often when I awaken, just turn over, I could sleep later.  Walked outside at 7:00, to look for the paper, a feathery rain welcomed me, to my surprise.  It was 31º outside, the high for the day, the low tonight near zero.

Yesterday was our typical Sunday the last couple of weeks, lots of football, some exercise, a great breakfast and Sunday dinner.  We started the day with relaxing, in our living room, with coffee, watching the numbers of fishing shacks grow, as the tournament continued until Sunday noon. We decided to get a workout in, so we clamped on our cross country skis, and went out for close to an hour, skiing down to Whitney Bay and back, on a cold morning, easily in the teens, with an occasional wind.  We wondered why we don't do this more often as it's so easy, just walk out the door, cross the lawn, and start skiing.

Just in Front Of Our House

Around noon I drove off to the Smith Library, to pick up a book I had on reserve and stopped at the Prendergast Point boat launch, to check out the weighing in process for the ice fishing tournament. Lots of guys around, in trucks with four wheelers, a tent set up, just off the shoreline, with fisherman lined up outside, holding buckets, waiting to go in the tent to weigh their catch. While I was checking out the tournament, Evie was making our breakfast of eggs, bacon, hash browns, and toast from the bread I made.  We ate while watching Sunday Morning, our favorite morning show.  I know, I have lots of favorites but it's better than having lots of 'dislikes.'  I had mentioned to Evie that chicken and biscuits might be a great Sunday dinner, so she got out some chicken from the freezer, and by 6:00, after the first NFL game, we had a great dish of chicken, vegetables, creamy sauce, topped with buttermilk biscuits to eat as we watched the beginning of the 49er/Seahawks game.  Yum, just what we wanted on a cold, lazy Sunday afternoon.  We watched the game until 9:00, taped it on the DVR and then watched Downton Abbey, much more interesting and compelling this week.  Then at 10:00, we went back to the game to watch the last exciting quarter, as the Seahawks pulled it out in the last couple of minutes, an exciting game in contrast to the first game earlier in the day, which was a bore.

Fishing at Dusk

I just read an essay in the NYTimes I would highly recommend called the "Fifty States of Fear." The writer outlines how individuals, institutions, governments, use fear to control and limit our freedoms and that it is our job as citizens to resist this kind of conditioning or propaganda, see through it, whether it be fear of more attacks like 9/11 or Obamacare.  If we can resist this impulse to be afraid, we can identify the real dangers (global warming, childhood poverty, rising medical costs)  and look for solutions. As Peter Ludlwow says,  "We are conditioned to fear persons in caves in Pakistan but not fatal industrial accidents or the work-related deaths of thousands of Americans every year." He indicts both Bushes and Obama, for using fear to control and limit our freedoms, for abusing their powers as leaders of a democracy, rather than responding to the needs of the people.

Two quotations from Bertrand Russell stuck out: 'Neither a man, a crowd, or a nation can be trusted to act humanely or think sanely under the influence of great fear,' and 'to conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom.' No wonder I so dislike the Great Fear Monger, Fox News.  Obama's policies are not just flawed...he's a Muslim, or a Socialist, the Great Satan, waiting to take away your freedom to buy a gun and shoot somebody, an exaggeration but what the heck.  Might as well scare you.

http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/01/19/fifty-states-of-fear/

"Doors Open Jamestown", As Frigid Temperatures Creep Back In

7:15

Unfortunately, I awoke around 6:00, hot from the down comforter, and could not get back to sleep. Walking downstairs was eerie, as large shadows, from our leafless trees, stretched out on the white lawn, caused by a full moon in the west sky.  Around 6:30, the first fishermen appeared, as well as a couple of snow mobiles, sliding by Long Point, out early for some reason.

I started yesterday morning by going to classical yoga at 9:00, too early for a Saturday because it forces me to rush the leisure of my morning:  10:00 is the perfect time, for me.  A good class, a couple of guys, a total of 12, which makes Chris, our teacher, feel good.  I look forward more and more to his savasana,  as he does not rush it.  I returned home around 10:30, pulled out the bread dough I put together Friday, turned on the oven to 500º, put in the dutch oven, waited for it to get hot, and dropped in the dough.  It baked for close to 45 minutes, to an internal temperature of 205º, which seems to be just right.  And while the bread was baking, I drove off to the Transfer Station, now manned by a new company and crew.  I wonder what happened to the regulars, if North Harmony found a better deal. Anyways, it seems strange not to see the same two or three guys who have manned the truck for years. Change...don't like it.

Before lunch, we decided to cross country ski, to get in a workout since we were going to Jamestown, early afternoon.  It was the first time this year for Evie on skis and she did well, loved it, as we went as far at Wells Bay, then back.  For lunch, I had minestrone soup (we made a huge pot of it), sardines, and toast, and watched some basketball.

Cross Country Skiing On A Overcast Morning

Around 2:15, we went to Doors Open Jamestown, a day when all the various tourists attractions, the museums, train station, Robert Jackson Center, are open and free to the public. Friends we met on a hike recommended.  We started at the St. Susan Center, which is the local food pantry and feeds a couple hundred people a day.  We wanted to see how it worked, what it looked like though we felt uncomfortable walking in and looking around, as at least fifty people were there enjoying a meal.  All looked as though they needed it.  We then walked around other parts of this huge abandoned factory, now useful, housing not only St. Susan but Helping Hands, a religious organization with the goal of serving the needs of the poor, especially the young.  They have turned this empty factory space into a cafe, a couple of archery ranges, a pool room, a laser tag room, and a bike and skate board track. A very friendly young leader took us around and showed us all the facilities, how it served mostly the teenagers in the Jamestown area, though the archery range was for adults as well, and the Gateway sponsored archery leagues. The walls of much of the area are covered with murals, done by local teens, delinquents really, arrested for graffiti but were given the walls as an outlet for their art, with amazing results. Lots of intercity themes, as well as religious themes and mantras, like Jesus Saves and the likes. The indoor archery range was amazing, a huge room with rubber or stuffed animals, tigers, lions, deer, etc, set at various distances with numbers on them, signifying the degree of difficulty. After shooting, an archer adds up the numbers on the animals he's hit and gets a score.  We spent about a half hour touring the place.

Archery Range,  Gateway Center

Murals by Local Teens

Skate Park at Center

God and Archery

Biker Into The Air

Typical Wall in Gateway Center

Another Mural By Graffiti Artists

After the Gateway, we drove over to the Fenton Historic Center, the home of Rueben Eaton Fenton, industrialist, banker, and Governor of New York in the 1860's.  It's basically a home which attempts to give you a view of what Fenton's house, especially each room, would have looked like back in the late 19th century.  At this time, many of the rooms had a Christmas theme, showing how the family might have decorated the house during the holiday season.  We spent about forty five minutes, enjoying some of the exhibits that did not seem to fit in the theme, like a case displaying weapons from W.W. I, another of toys from the early part of the century, as well as Civil War paraphernalia and musical instruments.

Fenton Museum Accordion, Part of Jamestown Band, 1920's

Accordion, Made In Cleveland, Polka Capital of US

 We ended our visit with a beer at the Brazil Craft Beer and Wine Lounge on 4th.  Evie ordered a hard pear cider from Belgium, which she loved, and I had a imitation of a Czech Pilsener Urquell, from Colorado, which was quite good.  We struck up a conversation with a couple of guys from Jamestown, talked about their upcoming travel plans, to visit Prague, Budapest, and Vienna.  And we also liked the new bartender, a young women from Jamestown, who was friendly and knowledgeable about various beers.  Evie was excited about the beer flights, an invitation to taste four different  8 ounce beers for 12 bucks, 10 on Tuesdays.  The fun of this place is really beer tasting, reading the descriptions and trying to find one you might like.

A Flight of Beers

We got home around 5:30 and Evie got busy putting together a vegetarian stir fry, with the rice leftover from last nights dinner, with spinach, garlic, ginger, soy, and other vegetables.  She also put together a salmon salad, a dish which is becoming one of my favorites.   Once everything was done, we sat down to enjoy a glass of wine and our favorite cheese, Castello, a combination of blue cheese and and brie. We were happy to see Bill Maher's Real Time was back, so we watched it for an hour, with guests James Carville and his wife, Mary Matalin, both political operatives but from different parties who have been happily married for twenty years.  It was a good way to end a fun day.

An Early Morning Crisis

8:00

 Up at 6:15, already a light on the lake, perhaps because there's an ice fishing tournament today, the first that I can remember.  Registration is at the Ashville Fire Station, in Stow.  Not sure about where the weigh in will be, most likely at Long Point.  We hope to stop by. At the moment, I counted at least 35 different fishing guys out on the ice, as far north as Wells Bay, south as far as Tom's Point. Anyways, to the crisis! Evie had the coffee ready to brew, I flipped the switch on our at least ten year old coffee pot and nothing happened.  I tried another plug, still nothing.  Fussed with the dial, nothing. Panicked, no coffee!  Then remembered, Evie had liked this coffee pot so much that she had bought a second one a couple of years ago because it was on sale for half price.  Unfortunately, it was upstairs, somewhere in our packed attic.  Still panicked at the thought of no early morning coffee, I got out my trusty Surefire flashlight, the kind the Special Forces carry, went up to the the attic, quietly so as to not wake Evie, turned on my flashlight, searched the area and viola, found it stacked in a corner.  I took it downstairs, opened the carton, pulled out the maker, the pot, filled it with water, put the coffee in the pot, turned it on and by 6:30, I had a cup of cup. Whew!  Disaster averted.  Evie's motto: be prepared (for lack of coffee) paid dividends.

Friday was a yoga-less day so we decided to walk the trails at Long Point.  We assumed there would be a light layer of snow but did not anticipate the thick coating of ice under the snow.  After a lot of slipping and sliding, we stayed at the edge of the trail where our footing was more secure and luckily we had our walking poles.  We were out for two hours and Evie especially loved the fresh air and sun since it has been weeks since she's been outside for any length of time.

Trails at Tip of Long Point

New Signage

We came home to more minestrone soup, love the fennel in it; we had hummus with pita chips and veggies, a tasty accompaniment to soup.  We did not do much the rest of the afternoon, our usual, reading or watching some TV.  I did take time out to have a cup of hot chocolate and put together the dough for my no knead bread.  It's already risen at least twice this morning, ready for some shaping and baking this morning after yoga.

We had a great salmon filet for dinner, with garlic spinach and rice.  Evie covered the salmon with a mixture of mayo, mustard, orange marmalade, hot sauce and Turkish lemon salt.  She then wrapped it in tin foil and I baked it outside on a hot grill for 16 minutes, brought it in and let it sit for five minutes before serving.  We both felt the salmon was as good as we have ever had.  And I love it with garlic spinach, for contrast, and the blandness of the rice.

After dinner, we watched one of the top ten movies of 2013, Before Midnight, the third part of a trilogy about a relationship, begun in 1994, between Ethan Hawke and Julia Delpy as the major characters.  In this one, they have been living together for ten years, in Paris, raising twin daughters, where Hawke is a writer.  They have been spending six weeks at a famous writers home in Kalamata, Greece, in the Mani, the southern part of the Peloponnese's.  The movie begins with Ethan dropping his 14 year old son off at the airport, a son from his previous marriage.  Thus begins the conversation between Hawke and Delpy, which basically is the movie, a real dialogue between a husband and wife.  They talk on their way back to the Mani in the car, then in the house, at dinner with friends, then walk to a hotel, where friends have given them a night alone in a sea side hotel, a break from the kids.  They talk on the way, in the hotel room, then out on the pier in darkness.  Anyone who has been married will identify with some of the discussions, the conflicts, the misunderstandings, the hurt feelings, the uncertainties, doubts and insecurities, in any individual or marriage.  It  raises the questions as to how well we know ourselves, our partners, and it was a a relief to watch a movie that was more than sex and violence, a coupling and a gunshot.  I would recommend seeing the first two films first, Before Sunrise and Before Sunset but you don't have to.  We also finished Top of the Lake but  I will discuss it tomorrow.

A Bright Shiny Morning

7:30

8:00

Dusk Approaches at 4:35 Yesterday

Up around 7:00. fishermen already out on the lake, some clouds, 27º,  a tinge of blue skies.  It's now 8:20, the sun burns brightly on the lake, blue skies above, below, a vast whiteness, with what look like huge black birds( actually (fishermen) dotting the surface.  It looks like a fine day, and I cannot wait to get outside and either ski or hike some.

Yin yoga began my day yesterday, lots of ladies, one other guy, a good class, as always though I continue to be bothered  by either a pulled, strained, or torn groin muscle, something I did this past fall but it resurfaces occasionally, when I stretch too far, or ski to hard.  Evie was up early because she had an eye doctor's appointment at 9:00 in Lakewood.  Everything is fine though she might get some glasses, just to improve her sight slightly though the doctor said it's not really necessary.  She really likes the optometrist, one she visited perhaps ten years ago but he's retiring this year, alas.  Typical.

I got home around noon, made a lunch of leftover steak, mushrooms, and cheese, warmed it up, put it in a wrap, heated up the minestrone and I had a great, filling lunch.  Watched another episode of Banshee, a series that seems to alternate between violence and sex, a sure winner with the audiences. Evie did not get home till mid afternoon, spending a good part of the day shopping for glasses, then working out at the YMCA, then hitting Sam's Club before coming home.  I spent the afternoon reading, took a short nap, then decided I needed some exercise around 4:00 so I went out and cross country skied north on the lake, up to Whitney Bay and back, for about an hour.  I stayed within 15 yards of the shore line, no problems with the ice, and never came across an occupied lake front home on my journey out and back.

Cross Country Skiing to Whitney Bay

Empty Mc Mansions

Tip of Long Point (on the left)  From Magnolia

We decided to live it up and go out to the Seezurh House for dinner since we have not been there in at least a month.  It was quiet, typical for a Thursday night if the happy hour crowd has headed out, two or three tables filled in the bar.  Evie ordered her chicken sandwich platter, and I had the cheeseburger platter, both good.  It seemed strange to be there as a couple, without the McClure's, our usual partners in crime.  We were home by 7:45, in time to watch another episode of Top of the Lake, set in New Zealand by the way (two to go), and then some American Idol.  I am also becoming quite a fan of a bowl of ice cream in the evening, my current favorite, Panda Paws, edging out Bittersweet Sinphony.

A Cheese Burger Platter at Seezurh House

Breaking The Ice

8:00

Up at 6:15, Evie at 6:30, rare for her, so we sat on our couches, sipping coffee, not saying a word, immersed in our devices.  In the 1960's and 1970's it would have been newspapers; the 1990's Morning TV shows, from 2000 on, the Internet.  What's next for early morning.

Yesterday was a gray day, with light snow on and off, making it a lovely day to be outside, gentle flakes occasionally blurring your vision.  I went to yoga at ten, two other gents besides myself, a rare occurrence at morning yoga.  A good class, though we spent the first half of class doing standing asanas, some quite strenuous, thus it was great to move to the yoga mat.  A stop for a coffee, to support the locals, and home, for a lunch of left over moussaka and healthy minestrone soup.

Evie enjoyed her morning, doing her thing, deciding to work out in the afternoon and shop at Wegman's.  She was excited about the shopping because she had been playing around with the new Wegman's app on her iPad.  It allows her to make up a shopping list (and save it), by typing in a product, and it will tell her the aisle and price, and if there are other choices, it will list them as well. Click save and you have your Wegman's list.  It was quite helpful, worked well, especially since Wegmans, as I have mentioned, has redone it's aisles.  All she needed to do was connect to their WiFi and she was off, iPad perched on her cart.

Tom's Point

While she spent the afternoon at the YMCA and Wegman's, I ate lunch, watching another violent episode of Banshee, why I am not sure.  But the outdoors was so enticing, the light snow, the fishing guys heading out that I had to cross country ski.  There was a thin layer of snow on the ice, making it great from skiing so I went as far as the power boat club and when I started heading back, I skied around a wet spot but I could feel my skis starting to break through the ice and found myself in a couple of inches of water, on another layer of ice,  my front skis under the top layer.  Scary.  I had fallen forward, on my knees, but righted myself, stood up,  pulled my skis back, from under the ice, and started to ski away, but the ice kept breaking for the first two or three pulls with my ski poles.  Finally, I found solid ice and skied off, shaken, wet on my feet and knees, and quite a ways from home. Fortunately, I was not very wet, so I was warm most of the way back and I wisely stayed close to the shoreline.  I am not sure why my skis broke through the ice; guys are walking in and out on the lake, pulling sleds, all day long.  My only guess would be that I was too close to a wet spot, where for some reason the ice was thin, at least on the surface.  It certainly makes me think twice about skiing on the lake.  If I had fallen in deeper water, it would have been very difficult to extricate my skis.  My new mantra: avoid wet spots, stay close to the shoreline.

Woodlawn Taken From Tom's Point

We had the leftover stout,  pork, sweet potato, and white bean stew for dinner, even better than Monday, having sat out side for two nights in the cold.  We watched two more episodes of Top of the Lake, critical as usual of some of the seemingly gratuitous violence and sex.  They cannot make a show without both any more. And we ended the night watching the first episode of American Idol.  I admit I enjoyed it, much more upbeat and classy, less of the poor souls who have their dreams squashed.  It actually may be good this year.