Another Good Sunday

Sunday Dinner

7:31

It's just 8:00 as I start this on a partly cloudy, 35º morning although I will be out kayaking in a few minutes. And it's now 9:22 and I have been out on the lake for 50 minutes and once again had to turn around at Wells Bay because of the ice.

Kayak Morning

Ice Chunks At Wells Bay

Mallard In The Morning

Yesterday was a full day, the way we like it. It began with a paddle, the first of the year which I loved. After the paddle, we finished the blog and I had my breakfast. We then got a few things done for our Sunday dinner with Ron and Linda. By 11:00, we were on our way to walk the Chautauqua Institution on a brisk morning. It was a good walk, just about two miles, just what we wanted. We were home by 12:30 and Evie made me a couple of avocado/egg bagels while I watched some college basketball.

Thunder Bridge

Outdoor Chapel

Victorian Home

By 2:00, everything was ready for our dinner except for my searing and roasting of a couple of racks of lamb. So we were able to relax much of the afternoon, reading and watching basketball, or TV and just filling the afternoon until 6:00 when Linda and Ron arrived. We sat in the living room with our wine or beer until Evie served our first course, a carrot/cashew soup for an appetizer. Once that was done, I got busy searing the lamb, then roasting it in the oven for about 20 minutes until it was done, about 130º. 

Dinner

While I was doing that, Evie heated up the ratatouille, tossed the salad, and made some couscous. Once the lamb was done, it sat for ten minutes and then I sliced it into chops. It was a great Middle Eastern dinner, lamb, couscous, and ratatouille. Only the dessert, a coconut cream pie didn't fit in but was delicious, a perfect ending to our meal. Linda and Ron left at about 9:45 and we spent 15 minutes cleaning up the kitchen before going up to bed, tired from our busy day. 

Long Point, Late Sunday Afternoon

First Paddle Of 2023

Kayak Morning

7:14

Obviously, the lake's open so I was out for close to 50 minutes, padding down to the ice in front of Wells Bay and back along Woodlawn. It was choppy and windy heading south, but just fine on the way back. I was up at 7:00, had my coffee then was on the lake by 8:00, in 34º weather, not bad.

Kayaking South, Into The Wind

The Sun

Chop And Ice

Chautauqua Sun

Yesterday was a busy day, especially for Evie as usual. We had a nice relaxing morning coffee but then got busy, working on some organizing and cleaning. That took up to 10:00 when I was off to the Transfer Station to get rid of our trash. When I returned, Evie had finished up the living room so I vacuumed it. By 11:30, we were off to Long Point State Park for a forty-five-minute walk, on mostly snow-covered trails. It felt great to be outside. 

Long Point

My Hiking Buddy

When we got home, Evie made me a veggie sandwich on naan to go along with a bowl of tasteless canned soup. I wonder how I survived and loved Campbell's soups during my youth. I watched some basketball and started a new book, Motherless Brooklyn Jonathan Lethem while Evie worked diligently in the kitchen, prepping a few things for Sunday dinner. I napped briefly, of course, read some and by 5:30, we were ready to head to Jamestown for a Mexican dinner. 

Buddha In The Winter Garden

We went to The Art Of Flavors, first, but we had at least a 15-minute wait and since there was no bar, they suggested we wait in our car. So we left there and we to La Cocina, next to Tim Horton's. We found a seat at the bar, a good start. We ordered drinks and made the mistake of not asking about the size so Evie ended up with a 26-ounce mug of Margaritas. Unfortunately, that was the only good part. Our dinners were mediocre at best and Evie basically didn't eat hers except for a few bites. The place was redeemed by a local couple who sat at the bar and we had fun talking with them. We left with a hefty bill, vowing never to go back. We played with the idea of going to the Mayville Ice Festival but went home instead, a good choice according to our neighbors who went there. We were happy to get into comfortable clothes, relax in our newly appointed TV room and watch some shows before going to bed earlier than usual, tired from the day and the 26-ounce Margarita. Ole!

18º And Sunny

7:09

7:21

7:48

It's 7:50 and I have been up for an hour and Evie has just joined me. It's a gorgeous morning on the lake, with an inch or two of white on the lawn, blue skies, and a lot of sunshine. The lake has a thin layer of ice in parts but it's open in other areas where ducks can float. So there will be no kayaking this morning.

Yesterday was a wasted day for me because I was feeling "off."  I got in no exercise, no yoga, and no walking. So it was a long morning after the blog and breakfast, broken up by hanging a few pictures in our TV room and helping clean up the kitchen. Evie, however, was busy prepping a few dishes for the weekend while I read or moped around. By 11:00, we were off to do some major shopping at Wegmans. I dropped Evie off because I needed to find a butane container for Evie. I then joined her and helped with the shopping. Few people were in the checkout lines so it was a good time to be shopping. 

We were home by 12:30 and I had a bowl of clam chowder soup and toasted rolls. I watched Mr. Robot but am about ready to give it up for good. The rest of the afternoon I mostly spent reading or on my computer or phone. I finished my book and started another set in Hong Kong by Lawrence Osbourne called On Java Road. I really liked his Beautiful Animals. So it was a long afternoon until 5:30 when we sat down and enjoyed a libation, read, and listened to the news. 

We had planned on going out for dinner but neither of us had the mojo so Evie made us egg and bacon sandwiches on slider brioche rolls which I really liked. We watched the next episode of Dear Edward, then Colbert and Jeopardy, finishing with another ER. And that was it for Friday.

Lake Open And A Dusting Of White

7:12

8:15

8:33

It's 7:30 and I woke at 6:30 to light snow covering our lawn. And I just looked outside at 7:30 and was shocked to see two mallards float by because I didn't realize the lake had thawed at least in front of our house. It's 32º and will drop down into the teens later in the day. Welcome back, Winter. It's 8:15 and I just finished writing the blog. It's still snowing and I am waiting for Evie to rise and shine. 

Mallards In The Morning

Yesterday, a Thursday did not change much. I skipped breakfast because we were having trouble with our Internet and a service person from Spectrum came by at 8:15 and changed our router which seemed to do the trick although it just went out this morning for a few minutes so I don't know what is going on. He left and I finished up the blog and drove off to yoga at 10:00 with Danielle, another crowded class compared to four guys on Wednesday. This seems to be a hip week because all three classes emphasized them. By the end of class, I had enough and was ready to do something else. 

I skipped coffee and drove straight home because it was already 11:30 when yoga ended. Evie had been busy getting the daily things done, like changing the bed sheets and doing laundry, always fun. She made me an avocado bagel for lunch before driving off to the Y for a workout. She is starting to get into it which is neat. I wasted the afternoon and should have gone out for a walk but our tree guy said he might be able to stop by late afternoon and get rid of the stump. He never made it, alas.

Evie was home by 3:00 and found me on the couch, reading my book. Interestingly, I was reading an interview with novelist Jojo Moyes this past week in the NYTimes and she mentioned the book I am reading,  Tomorrow And Tomorrow And Tomorrow and it brought her to tears. It made me wonder where in the book brought her to tears and now I know. 

We had our spritzers and listened to the news as the long day waned. Then, Evie got busy in the kitchen. Earlier, she had put potatoes in the oven. So once they were done, she made a cheese sauce, cooked broccoli and we had a tasty veggie dinner of cheesy broccoli over baked potatoes and, of course, a salad. We started Ted Lasso, the second season, but were not ready for his humor. We then watched the old standby, Jeopardy, and ER, a series we go to when we have nothing else. 

New Think:

How to stop time: kiss.

How to travel in time: read.

How to escape time: music.

How to feel time: write.

How to release time: breathe. ~Matt Haig

Getting Colder

7:23

It's later than usual, 8:30, and I have been up for over an hour. The Spectrum TV repairman arrived at 8:05 because we had trouble with our Internet. We were able to watch TV last night but were unable to stream any of the other channels like Netflix or Prime. He changed the modem and that seemed to fix things so at 8:300, we are both back on Wifi, a strange morning. Also, while the guy was here, I heard honking and looked out to see a couple of Canadian geese, floating in a small pond of water. 

Back Or Never Left?

Wednesday was the last of Spring days, with highs in the low 60s and lots of sun. We had our typical morning and after the blog and breakfast, I was off to yoga at 9:40. It was an unusual class in that it was all guys for the first time in eleven years of class. And for whatever reason, it was a hard class as Tara took us through some poses that none of the four of us was able to do but she did them easily. How depressing. I left class chastened but some retail therapy, shopping at Aldi's and Wegman's, perked me up. 

Sun Setting On Kinney's Run

When I returned home, Evie was ready to head to the gym so I heated up the leftover pot roast, mashed potatoes, and gravy, finishing it off. I watched another episode of Mr. Robot, finishing Season One, with a hardly satisfying ending and there is, of course, a Season Two. I then got back to my book and read for an hour, trying to nap to no avail. Evie was home by 3:30 and I made myself go out and take a walk in the woods, despite the heavy winds. I was out for only a half hour but it always picks me up.

Woodlawn Field

Sun Drenched Woods

The Sun

Beginning To Thaw

Dinner was easy, the leftover lemon chicken, rice, salad, and Brussels sprouts so we were able to relax and listen to the news until 6:30. While eating dinner, we realized we had no wifi, that we could only watch regular TV which was a bummer. We forget how much we depend on the Internet for our movies and programs. We managed, however, to watch our usual, Jeopardy and Colbert, and some HGTV shows with commercials. Yuck. We were happy to go up to bed.  

My Yoga Teacher posted this brief parable on Facebook and I thought readers might like it.

One day a farmer’s donkey fell into a well. The animal cried loudly for hours, while the farmer tried to find something to do to get him out.

Finally, the farmer decided that the donkey was old and the well was already dry and needed to be covered anyway; that it really wasn't worth pulling the donkey out of the well..

He invited all his neighbors to come help him. They each grabbed a shovel and began to throw dirt into the well.

The donkey realized what was happening and cried horribly loud. Then, to everyone's surprise, he quieted down after a few shovelfuls of dirt.

The farmer finally looked down into the well and was amazed at what he saw... with each shovelful of dirt, the donkey was doing something incredible: It was shaking off the dirt and stepping on top of the dirt.

Very soon everyone saw surprised at how the donkey reached the mouth of the well, went over the edge and trotted out...

Life is going to throw dirt at you, all kinds of dirt... the trick to getting out of the hole is to shake it off and use it to step up. Each of our problems is a step up. We can get out of the deepest holes if we don't give up...

Author Unknown

Spring For A Day

7:31

7:41

8:31

It's already 48º and breezy and may get up to 60º in the afternoon. It's a partly cloudy morning, with the occasional blinding sun, then clouds take over. No ice-fishing guys have been out this morning, but three or four come out each afternoon. 

I was up early yesterday for some reason but it felt good. I just wish I could kayak. I had yoga at 9:30 so I was on my way by 9:10 after clearing the ice off of the car. I enjoyed class since it had been five days since my last class. Two of us seem to be regulars, others more occasional. After class, I drove to Wegman's to pick up a couple of prescriptions that had been sitting there for a few days. 

Ready To Down

Timber

Hauling Away The Trunk

When I got home, Mahlan had just arrived to finish cutting down our stump of a tree and take away all of the cut-up tree trunks. It took him two trips to get rid of all of the wood and he was able to take down the 25-foot trunk in one swoop. He knows what he is doing. While he was working, I had my lunch, ramen, and a bagel with cream cheese. Evie left for a doctor's appointment in Jamestown and then did some shopping for the week at Wegmans. Once the guys were down clearing our willow, I did some raking of the parking area but they cleaned it up pretty well. 

Late Afternoon Ice Fishing

Evie returned around 3:30 and we both relaxed, reading or watching some TV. She had a Zoom call with her sisters at 5:00 and by 6:00, we were enjoying a good cheese and libations until dinner time. We heated up the leftover pot roast with mashed potatoes in the microwave and had a good dinner. We watched our usual shows, Jeopardy and Colbert, but have to wait for another episode of Dear Edward on AppleTV.

Another Bright, Shiny Winter Morning

7:10

7:44

Once again I am playing musical chairs this morning as the sun fills our living room with light. I was up at 6:45, in time to watch the sunrise at 7:21. It looks like another good day, with yoga in the morning, then Mahlan, our Amish tree guy, is arriving at noon to finish off the cutting down of our willow and taking away all of the branches and trunk.

Dueling Tree Trimmers

What They Left Behind

Yesterday we spent a good part of the morning just watching the tree guys from Niagara Mohawk take down most of our willow, piece by piece so as to avoid our garage and the electrical wires. They had two trucks with guys working together from their pods. They were skilled and knew what they were doing. They arrived at 9:00 and were on their way by 11:00, having left about 20 feet of trunk for Mahlan to take down. Because it was no longer a threat to the electrical wires, they left the rest of the trunk for the tree guys.

We then did some decorating of our newly appointed TV room although we cannot make up our mind as to the kind of table we want if we want one. I was hungry by noon and remembered we still had pizza leftover from Friday night so that was my lunch. I watched another episode of Mr, Robot, then adjourned to the couch and read my new novel, Tomorrow, And Tomorrow, And Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin, about two gamers struggling to make it in the game industry. I also was able to take another good nap and wondered when I woke, if it was morning or afternoon, a sign of a good nap. Around 4:00, Evie put together our dinner, Ina Garten's Lemon Chicken and I decided I needed to get in a walk, so I spent close to an hour in our woods, loving the contrast of the blue sky, the dark trees, the brown leaves on the ground. 

Winter Woods

Victoria/Woodlawn

A Willow

Once I returned, we relaxed in the living room, listening to the news and some music until we got hungry around 6:45. We loved the new chicken recipe, with rice, broccoli, and a salad. And we looked forward to getting back to our shows, Jeopardy, ER, and Dear Edward. We ended the night with the terrible news of a shooting on the Michigan State campus. And that was it for a Monday.