A Late Fall, Winter Like Day

8:31

This morning has the look of a winter day for some reason. Gray on gray with some wind and 60º,  much like yesterday. Well, somehow I found the mojo and went for a thirty-five-minute paddle. I was too far away from a bald eagle to get a good shot and on my paddle home, it started to drizzle. Still, it was good to be back out on the lake. 

Kayak Morning

Sandy Bottom

Hanging In Jim And Tina's Pine Tree

Tuesday was not the best of days, probably because I skipped kayaking because I lacked the energy to get out on the lake. I did make myself go to yoga, however, a class in which I couldn't wait for it to be over because our teacher was experimenting with different poses. I then stopped at Ryders Cup for coffee and talked with the guys for a half hour which was fun. I hadn't seen them in a couple of weeks. I then shopped at Wegman's because it's 5% Tuesday and crowded. I was happy to get out of there in 20 minutes of frenzied shopping, looking for that item on Aisle 15 but I couldn't find it.

Evie, of course, was at kindergarten when I got home but had made creamy broccoli soup for me and I saved half of a BLT from Monday night's dinner so I was happy, watching Justified introduce a new bad guy. I  couldn't wait to return to my book and fell asleep for forty-five minutes. Evie returned about 3:00, having done a quick run through TJ looking for goodies for the Treasure Box. We will be going to Euclid this Saturday for a clambake and Evie wants to bring the Treasure box for some cousins. 

We relaxed with a Manhattan finally, a first since we got over COVID-19, along with a good cheese and a bag of chips. Dinner was easy, fried potatoes with cheese and a couple of eggs and we watched the usual news, Colbert, and home improvement shows. No football thank god, just good old TV shows. 

Gray, Windy And Cool

6:59

8:09

It's the kind of morning that makes me want to skip a paddle so that's what I am going to do. The lake's choppy, gray, as is the sky and no boats are out so I am staying in. I will make up for it by going to yoga at 9:30 and then shopping for Evie. I just figured out it's a long morning of sitting around, waiting to go to yoga if I don't get in a paddle. 

Dahlia

Yesterday began with a paddle, for forty minutes and I was lucky to get it in in between drizzle. It was the kind of drizzle that hardly wets the ground, especially under our maple trees in the front yard. When I returned from my paddle, Evie had plans for me, helping her clean out and polish the kitchen cupboards and drawers. We took our time and by noon, we were finished with much of the kitchen though Evie spent a good part of the afternoon finishing up. Lunch was broccoli and cheese soup along with hummus, cucumber and tomato wraps. I watched the second half of the Chiefs game, then fell asleep reading my new William Kent Krueger novel, Spirit Crossing. 

Cosmos

The afternoon alternated between gray and a light drizzle so there was not much to do outside. I was bored but read quite a bit and helped Evie when needed in the kitchen. We relaxed with a glass of wine around 5:30 and had an easy dinner, BLT's. Sometimes nothing is better than a BLT sandwich, right. We watched a Colbert, waiting for Monday Night Football because the Buffalo Bills were playing. We watched the first half as they literally destroyed Tampa Bay, to the delight of 70,000 fans and the city of Buffalo. I switched to the Bengals game for a while before going up to bed. 

Cloudy With A Touch Of Rain Overnight

9:22

It's a quiet Monday, not a boat in sight, and 62º. We got maybe an eighth of an inch of rain and perhaps some later in the day but I am doubtful. It's 9:30 and I was a lonely kayaker, out for forty minutes, seemingly the only boat on the lake. 

Kayak Morning

Paddling Into Gray

Yesterday was another football Sunday as I spent way too much time in front of the boob tube but so did most guys in America. Before the games began, I got in a good paddle although I did not see much wildlife, just a merganser. When I got home, Evie edited the blog, published it, and I had breakfast. I decided to 'do something', to see if there were any side effects of Covid so I drove off to the Chautauqua Institution and rode my bike for forty-five minutes, feeling pretty good. Halfway around, I talked with a guy who had just finished riding his Flightboard. It is literally a small surfboard with a 40-pound battery to power it and it glides just above the water on what looks like a keel. It looks difficult but he said once you get the knack, it's easy, as long as it's not too windy.

A Flightboard

I was home by 12:30, and by 1:00, was ensconced in front of the TV watching the first game. While I was biking, Evie was busy in the kitchen, organizing a closet and making our dinner, cheesy broccoli to put over baked potatoes, and catching up on the washing. At half time of the first game, I had enough and went up and read some and took a nap. And that's how the afternoon went: reading some, mostly watching football, and writing postcards to potential voters for Evie. She has only 50 to go. 

Thunder Bridge

Brickwalk Still Green

We enjoyed a glass of wine while preparing dinner and watched CBS Sunday Morning before the Chiefs game. We watched the first half of the Chiefs eventually victory over Atlanta and then went to bed, having had enough football for the day.  I can't wait for tonight's Monday Night Football because the Buffalo Bills play and I will probably just watch the first half. 

Go Chiefs

Fog On Sunday Morning

 

10:21

7:24

It's 9:00 and I have been up since 7:30, waiting for the fog to lift so I could go kayaking. I can finally see some of Long Point and a few fishing boats but it's still mostly gray and chilly. It's later than usual because of the fog and a late start and I was out for fifty minutes, enjoying a gray Sunday morning. 

Kayak Morning

Morning Paddlers

North

Hooded Merganser

Saturday was another long, boring day. Both of us had little mojo still although we both are beginning to discard the effects of Covid. I got in a paddle, of course, and then finished the blog and had breakfast, the last of the peaches on my yogurt and granola. I did some watering of Evie's garden while she got the trash ready to take to the Transfer Station. I left at 10:30, dropped the trash off  and came home, tired from doing nothing really. My neighbor, Jim, stopped over and brought me a cooler full of  ten bags of sauerkraut. Because of Covid, I was not able to help the guys. 

So I went upstairs and read on my bed until it was time for lunch, the rest of the beef barley soup and an eggplant sandwich with tomatoes and mayo. I watched some football but couldn't wait to get upstairs and take a nap. Not much happened the rest of the afternoon until 4:00 when I drove off to Peterson's to get peaches but they sold their last basket in the morning. So I bought some tomatoes, then drove over to Paces' Pizza on 3rd street to pick up our dinner, pizza and their house salads. On the way home, I bought another dozen ears of corn before arriving home.

We had pizza and salad for dinner and both were disappointing, especially the pizza dough which had the texture of a cracker and the dressing lacked the usual zip. What a waste of thirty-four bucks. We watched a film recommended by our grandson, Nick, Hunt For the Wilderpeople, set in New Zealand and we loved it; It "read" like a fairy tale with a little Thelma and Louise thrown in.  We ended the night with laughs, watching Real Time With Bill Maher. I watched a few minutes of college football before going up to bed. 

A Quiet, Partly Cloudy Saturday Morning

Evie's Dahlias

7:47

9:35

It's a surprisingly quiet Saturday morning, with a light breeze, and a few boats on the lake, an auspicious start to the Fall season. I paddled for a half an hour and only came across Canadian geese, no herons or osprey, alas. 

Kayak Morning

Morning Clouds

Morning Sky

Friday was another quiet boring day, the only action, an early forty-minute paddle. Fortunately, Evie is beginning to feel better so we did get a few things done like cleaning up the kitchen and organizing our pills, always a pain. I did water Evie's garden which really needed it since we have not had rain in a couple of weeks. That took a good half hour so at least I did something productive in the morning.

Lunch was Linda's beef barley soup, and I watched another episode of Justified. I then read and took an hour's nap which is unusual for me. Usually, I struggle but not since I have had Covid. While I was napping, Evie prepped our dinner, seasoned eggplant slices ready to be sauteed for sandwiches. Evie was unable to nap so she spent most of the afternoon on the couch or writing postcards to potential Democratic voters, urging them to vote. 

Fifty Down, Fifty To Go

Dinner was great, eggplant sandwiches with mayo and tomatoes and a salad. We watched Stephen Colbert and some news before Evie went up to bed early, tired from Covid.  I made the mistake of watching a film called The Gray Man. I had just read a Gray Man novel so I thought I would see what it was like. Well, if you like non-stop action, hundreds of bad guys being mowed down, chase scenes, and cars crashing, then this film is for you. By 9:45, I had enough and went to bed. 

Almost Fall

Great Grandson Rhys Wishing Granny A Happy Birthday

7:47

A brilliant sunny Friday morning makes it difficult to look out toward the lake. All is quiet as we move toward late September, the beginning of fall. It's 61º and should get up to 80º later in the day. Now it's 9:55 and I got in a forty-five minute paddle and am starting to feel more energetic. 

7:47

Great Blue Posing

Yesterday began with both of us up by 7:30. I was on my way for a paddle by 8:30 and was out for forty minutes. Since it was Evie's 80th birthday, our son Tom put photos of Evie from various ages on Facebook which was fun because of the responses from friends. So we didn't do much, mostly because I still lacked mojo and Evie was still suffering from COVID-19 symptoms.  In fact, she went up to bed around 11:00 because she was not comfortable downstairs. Around 10:30, there was a knock on the door and two dozen roses were delivered for Evie from our son  Tommy, a nice surprise.  

From Tom And Mary

I then decided to take the boat out for a brief cruise, making sure the battery was charged. It felt good to be on the lake and the boat performed well. I left the cover off, wanting to let the sun dry it out. We laugh that every time I take the cover off it rains. So after the cruise, I came in the house and went upstairs to read and nap. When I came down an hour later, Evie told me it did actually rain for about five minutes. The weather gods are playing with me.

Around 1:00, I heated up a bowl of chicken soup and made a toasted cheese sandwich for lunch and watched my show. I then read and tried to nap but to no avail. We both spent the afternoon either upstairs in bed or downstairs on the couch. Evie had phone calls from our kids and around 3:00, our good friend Linda stopped by with a Happy Birthday Evie sign, cupcakes. and beef barley soup. Later, our neighbor Barb stopped by with zinnias and a neat serving dish from South Carolina. 

Tommy And Evie, Honolulu, 1969

Evie wasn't hungry at dinner time, so I had corn and a Greek feta/turkey burger from Wegmans with a cupcake for dessert. Around 7;30, Evie was tired and went up to bed. I spent the rest of the evening watching Caitlin Clark Fever lose by a point to the Mystics. Once it was over, I watched the first half of Thursday night football before going up to bed. What a day!

Moon At 8:50

Evie Joy Celebrates Her 80th Birthday With Covid 19 And Our Son Celebrates His 56th

Well, now there are two of us with COVID-19 as Evie's been suffering from aches and pains and a cough since yesterday morning. The irony is not lost on her as today is also her 80th birthday as well as our son Tommy's 56th. What a way to celebrate. It's after 10:00 and I just returned from a forty-minute paddle, talking with a couple neighbors, Roman from Chardon and Jane from Victoria. The weed cutters are out in front of our docks, cutting and clearing the dead weeds. 

7:50

8:25

Kayak Morning

Northern Clouds

Heron

Yesterday was more of the same, sitting around feeling sorry for myself until I discovered Evie also had Covid so I had someone else to feel sorry for. We debated whether she should get Paxlovid and decided to text her PA Michael to see what he says. He thought it was a good idea and called the drug into Wegmans.

So about 11:00, I drove to Wegman's, put on my mask, and waited in line for the prescription. The gal said this was a very popular drug recently so I assume many others have been suffering. I bought a few things and came straight home. Evie spent much of the morning in bed as her symptoms seemed to get worse during the day, especially an aching body. 

I had meatball sandwiches for lunch, leftover from Tuesday night's dinner, and watched my show but could not wait to nap. The afternoon went slowly because there was not much to do but read, nap, or watch some TV. I also went out for short walks but that was about it. 

By dinner, neither of us was hungry and Evie was so uncomfortable that she went to bed. I had a couple of ears of corn and a meatball and that was it. I watched a new film on Netflix called Rebel Ridge and it was pretty bad but I stuck with it for an hour before going to bed. Not much of a day.