Windy, Snowing, And Wild

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Our Bird Feeder During This Mornings Blizzard

7:30

I woke literally to a blizzard and gusts of wind up to 40 mph. Long Point is invisible as we can hardly see beyond our wall because of the snow,  It's only supposed to last for another half hour but it was surprising to wake up to it.  And because of the blizzard, 27º does not seem so bad although the temperature is supposed to drop into the teens during the day.

Blizzard Walk

Yesterday was only one of those days retirees can relate to, spending a good part of a morning or afternoon at a doctor's office or getting blood drawn.  Such was ours as Evie had an appointment in Jamestown early,  then Wegmans for shopping before another test and blood drawn in Westfiled at 12:45.  I was her driver and had lunch in Westfield at Full Strength Coffee Company while waiting. Besides coffee, they have an interesting menu and I had the smoothie bowl with fresh fruit, granola, and shredded coconut flakes,  Yum. Next week, it will probably be my time. We were home by 1:45, happy to be in a warm, cozy house and there was enough snow for me to spend ten minutes clearing the parking area.

Wednesday, A Thawing Lake, Before The Snowfall

Since I already had lunch, I was ready to hit the couch and read, and hopefully fall asleep.  I did briefly but since I finished my book, The Paper Palace, I had a hard time finding something else to read, starting two or three novels, finally settling on another Stephen Hunter thriller.  The afternoon went quickly and we enjoyed not having anywhere to go, nothing on our plate.

Long Point, Mid Afternoon

By 5:30, we were relaxing in the living room, listening to the scary news about Ukraine, wondering why Biden seems to go on TV every day and tells us the invasion is imminent as if that will stall it. Fortunately, dinner was easy, a rotisserie chicken from Wegmans, baked red potatoes, roasted cauliflower, and a salad.  We decided to skip a film since we did not have much luck the past two evenings and watched a couple of Colbert, with both Daniel Craig and Doris Kearnes Goodwin as guests. At 79, she is amazing.  We ended the sight with another The Good Fight. 

Cold And Snowing At 6:30 In The Morning

6:33

6:30

7:33

It's way too early, 6:30,  as we are both up because Evie has a doctor's appointment in Jamestown at 8:15. It's actually spectacular out, with the snow flurries and spotlight on the yard.

Yesterday was a pretty good day, back to the new normal in a way I guess.  I had breakfast in Bemus at 8:00, was home by 9:00, and off to yoga by 9:40.  It was my first time in yoga since late October or early November so it felt good to be back with most of the same gang. Maybe 15 of us were in class with just a few of us still wearing masks.  The class was good and long, close to 80 minutes.  After class, I stopped for coffee at Ryders Cup, again, the first time in months and they were glad to see me back.  The regulars were there so I talked with them for maybe ten minutes before heading to Aldi's to pick up a few things for our dinner. My drive home was in sporadic fog zones before arriving home at my icy, very dangerous parking area.  

It was strange to walk in and see Evie in a robe. In fact, I have never seen her in a robe let alone at noontime.  I think she enjoyed wearing it, not worrying about getting dressed until she felt like it. She made my lunch, a couple of salami, pickle, and tomato sandwiches to go with vegetable soup.  After lunch and another episode of The Sopranos where Tony's mother dies, I returned to my book and napped.  Neither of us did much the rest of the afternoon although Evie did shower and get changed.  We relaxed before dinner, warmed up leftover Salisbury steak, mushroom gravy, and mashed potatoes, even better the second night. 

We watched a film on Prime which Evie insists we watched before which I have no recollection of watching but she was probably correct.  It was called MUD starring Matthew McConaughey from the year 2012.  I liked it, again I guess but Evie was not too impressed, probably because she remembered it.   We ended the night with another silly The Good Fight, as the idiot Blum is back, acting like a fool.  I suppose we are to think he's funny but he is not. After that, we were ready for bed and I was happy to get back to my book. 

Rain, Rain, Go Away

7:01

7:06

7:07

It's just 7:00 as I start this and for the first time in a while, I was awake at 6:15, could not get back to sleep so here I am, starting my blog at 7:00.  The lake is one big slick ice skating rink, the snow having melted, as the big melt continues. 

Wednesday was a bizarre winter day, weather-wise, as the single-digit temperatures gave way to weather in the 50s and heavy winds, just like this morning's 48. Evie had ambitious plans for the morning, Kondoizing our downstairs bathroom closet, filled with everything from pills, to towels, to bleach, to bandaids, etc.  So after breakfast and the blog, we pulled everything out of the medicine cabinet as well as closet, washed it down, threw out what we no longer needed or had not used in years, easily filled a trash bag. 

Dobbins Woods

By 10:30, the hard part was done so Evie suggested I go 'take a hike.' I decided to snowshoe Dobbins Woods, a preserve about ten minutes away.  We have not hiked it since it has been reconfigured so I thought I out to snowshoe, not cross country ski.  It was a good idea as the trail was partially frozen as well as melting, perfect for my snowshoes.  It's a mile and a quarter through woods and I worked up quite a sweat because the temperature was in the high 40s. I was the only one on the trail and enjoyed the solitude. 

Looking Up

Wild Turkeys

I was home by noon and Evie has just about finished with the bathroom and was taking time out.  She also doctored up her vegetable soup which needed some spicing up as it was too bland the night before.  I had it for lunch along with the rest of the hoagie from Tuesday and watched The Sopranos as one character after another gets whacked, usually a surprise. I really liked the beginning of my new novel, The Paper Palace but am beginning to have some doubts as it takes a dark turn.  I did of course get in a g good nap, watched some of the Olympics with Evie, shoveled some of the ice off our walk before Evie started preparing dinner around 5:00.  

4:45

Windy And Thawing

At my suggestion, we were having Salisbury steak again, with mushroom gravy, mashed potatoes, and a salad.  It was just as good as the last time we had it and enough is left over for another dinner. Yea.  We watched some of the Olympics, then a somewhat dated film from the 1970s called Three Days Of The Condor with Robert Redford and Faye Dunaway. I think we have been spoiled by more recent films which have constant action, films that no longer linger over scenes.  We ended the night with Jeopardy and a pretty good The Good Fight, as Mia gets fired and the firm erupts over complaints of racism, favoring white hires. 

Windy And Warming

7:14

7:24

7:54

It's 7:45 and 30º although later in the day it should get up to 50º and last for a day or two before the temperatures drop again. At least the ice in our parking area should melt, making it easier to get to the car. A few ice fishing tents are out but not as many as I would have thought given that it's in the 30s. 

Yesterday was very cold but the sun was out, the skies were blue so why complain.  We had our usual morning of deciding what to have for dinner, what if anything we had to do before I drove off to Jamestown at 9:30 for teeth cleaning at my dentist's office.  They are all vaccinated and careful during the cleaning which was reassuring. I was out of there by 10:50 and on my way to pick up a few vegetables and a sub at Brigotti's Grocery.  Because I was bored, I stopped at Runnings and walked the aisles to see if there was something I didn't need. 

I was home by 12:15 and for lunch, I had half of the Italian sub and Evie's vegetable soup. And that was it until 3:45 when I was finished with a good nap and lying around on the couch reading and went out to cross country ski. It was a good choice as the wind was bearable when I skied south to Wells Bay and at my back when I went north, making it easy and pleasant.  The sun was out, beginning to drop, leaving long shadows on the lake's surface.  I loved it and was out for close to an hour.  

Evie had a Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00 and by 6:00, we were enjoying a happy hour with appetizers and a glass or two wine.  It felt good to be back on our couches, enjoying the waning of the day. 

We knew we would not be very hungry after our appetizers, so Evie made us chicken salad sandwiches to go with another bowl of soup. We watched a couple of Jeopardy shows and a silly episode of The Good Fight before returning to some of the Olympics and HGTV before bed.  It turned out to be a good day. 

Snow Moon

Good Night Moon

More Than Cold: 3º

Long Point Photo From Our Dining Room

7:20

7:25

It's sunny on Chautauqua Lake, the sky clear, the sun high in the sky, filling our living room with light. I sit here with my baseball cap on, enjoying the papers online and writing this blog. Evie just came downstairs, made her coffee, and is on her device as she's not ready to talk. And surprisingly, despite the cold, I count seven tents out fishing this morning.  Hardy souls.

Yesterday was another boring day, as we spent much of the day waiting to go out for Valentine's Dinner at our friends, Linda and Ron's house.  We woke with little if anything on our agenda which was nice but also boring.  For Evie, however, there's always something she can do so she spent some of the morning making her vegetable soup. By 10:00, I was ansty and despite the cold, I ventured out on the lake, hoping to get in some cross country skiing but the wind chill must have been around 0º and it was unbearable skiing north into the wind.  I lasted 20 minutes before hanging it up and skiing home. Because I could not get in more than twenty minutes of skiing, I decided to spend forty-five minutes with Yoga With Adriene to get in my health fix.

Cross Country Skiing North

Sun And Clouds In Southern Sky

By 12:30, I  had enough exercise and was ready for lunch and Evie made me a quesadilla and heated up a bowl of her soup.  I watched The Sopranos and am about to end Season Two, as Tony's sister murders her fiancee for hitting her in the face in anger. At least Tony won't have to whack him now.  I then spent the afternoon finishing my book The Latinist, one of those books that have just enough meat in it to keep you going.  I was then at a loss as to what to read and went to a couple of libraries and downloaded two or three books to try. I ended up starting another 'gals book' called The Paper Palace and am into it.  

Ice Fishing On A Sunny Afternoon

Late Afternoon Blue

By 5:30, we were both ready to drive to Linda and Ron's, stopping first in Mayville to pick up a prescription for Evie. Linda welcomed us with a specialty cocktail called On Second Thought which all four of us loved, with cherry heering, calvados,  Benedictine, maple syrup, and lemon.  It tasted like a whiskey sour only better.  We had a great brie with blue cheese to go along with our cocktail and spent happy hour talking about our health.  How boring can we get?  

Valentine's Day Dinner

Dinner was restaurant quality, with filets with a mushroom and cream sauce, roasted potatoes, and a salad with blue cheese dressing. Yum. We left the table so full we could hardly make it to the couch for our dessert, Linda's homemade strawberries dipped in chocolate. It was a fun way to spend Valentine's Day and we did not miss going out to a restaurant.  We were home by 10:00, tired but happy after such a fun night.

A Dusting Of Snow and 5º

7:34

7:38

8:16

It's 7:48 and the sun is attempting to break through the clouds and light up the lake.  It's cold enough that it seems to have discouraged the ice fishermen because none are out as of the moment. The trees are lightly frosted with white, making for a beautiful lake morning. 

Finally, Cross Country Skiing On The Lake

Yesterday was a not-so-super bowl Sunday although we managed to enjoy the day.  Like most Americans, we planned the day around the Super Bowl game at 6:30. It meant thinking about what tasty appetizers to have and what if any dinner after gorging on the appetizers.  So once we figured out the evening, we had a leisurely morning, happy to not really have to do anything in prepping for dinner or the game. Around 10:30, we decided to brave it and go cross country skiing on the lake which had perhaps an inch or two of new snow.  Our parking area and road are still quite icy so it was a challenge to get safely out on the lake.  Once there, it was still not perfect as our skis would occasionally slip when we hit icy areas.  Still, it always refreshing to be out there despite the bitter wind when we turned around from Victoria and skied back into the wind. Evie had enough after twenty minutes but I stayed out for another fifteen minutes until the wind drove me in.  

Cold And Windy

Sun's Out

After our skiing, we were both famished so Evie fried up some eggs to go along with blueberry muffins for our breakfast and we watched CBS Sunday Morning, with its emphasis on Valentine's Day.  It felt good to be warm and happy to be enjoying our breakfast, watching TV after the cold wind while skiing. The rest of the afternoon was spent waiting for the Super Bowl to begin, filling our afternoon with wasting time, reading, watching TV, for napping in my case.  Around 4:30, I was fed up with sitting around so I walked out to our porch, put on my skis, and went out on the lake, hoping for a good ski.  Unfortunately, it was even colder than the morning and icy, so I packed it in after 20 minutes,

Late Afternoon Skiing

By 6:30, then, we had our drinks, Pepsi in Evie's case and a beer for me and Potato chips, Tostitos, dip, and salsa, nothing extravagant but just what we wanted. For Evie, chips or Tostitos are her weakness so she was happy. We were looking forward to a game like the previous weeks but were disappointed.  Neither of us was much into the game, perhaps because of the lack of drama or excitement.  Neither team seemed to play well offensively as the defenses were dominant. And neither the commercials nor the halftime show excited me much. We stayed up, however, to the bitter end, sad to see the Bengals lose. My final evaluation: neither team played well enough to deserve a win, just like life. 

Cold And Snowy

8:40

Once again, we received a couple of inches of snow overnight, turning the lake's crust white.  It's cold again, 10º, and should stay in the teens for the next couple of days but warm up late week.  

Saturday was a bit of a bore until the evening when we went to a friends' home in Lakewood for dinner. The boredom was a result of the weather, as the rain had turned to ice so it was dangerous to even walk out of our house a parking area was a sheet of ice. And the lake was icy as well so there would be no cross country skiing or snowshoeing.  So after a long coffee and breakfast and the blog, we gathered the trash and I gingerly went out to the garage, gathered the trash, and drove off to the Transfer Station.  Fortunately, it was fine, no ice, and I then drove to Wegman's to do some shopping and pick up some plants for our dinner out last night.  The mask mandate is off so at least half of the shoppers were maskless as Chautauqua County attempts to get back to normal although the hospitals are practically full as a result of unvaccinated Covid patients. 

And that was it for the day until we left for dinner.  Lunch was delicious, sandwiches made from the leftover Peruvian chicken on sourdough toasts with tomatoes, lettuce and pickles.  I watched my show, some basketball, read and nap and Evie more or less did the same, enjoying the fact that she did not have to prep dinner. 

We left early for Tom and Jane's because I bought the wrong plants and Evie wanted to get another kind, So like something out of the Marx Brothers, Evie bought new plants and I returned the old.  As we left Wegmans, however, she noticed a plant she liked better than the one she just bought, so we returned them and bought new ones,  Get it? 

We made it to dinner at 6:00 and the six of us quickly settled down for drinks and appetizers.  They invited their long-time neighbors, David, a Peace Corps volunteer and Vietnam Vet, and Betsy, a retired teacher. I was acquainted with Betsy from yoga. It felt great to go to a dinner party, to get to know new people and talk about our travels, grandkids, politics, films, books, and the lives.  Dinner was beef stroganoff, green beans, carrots, a salad Evie bought, and chocolate strawberries for dessert. It was a really fun evening, with great hosts, food, and conversation.  We stayed until 9:45 when we drove home on quiet streets. It was a perfect way to end a Saturday night. 

Feeling Nostalgic, Missing Family:

Summer, 2021

2000

2006

2008

1998