One More Day

5:49

It's 6:14, a partly cloudy morning, a nice and cool 60.  No rain forecast so it should be a good day to prepare for our kid's arrival tomorrow. It's turned out to be a beautiful morning, perfect for a forty-five-minute paddle before I head off to breakfast in Bemus, then to Yoga in Lakewood. 

Kayak Morning

Northern Sky

Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Wednesday was a busy day as always but we also had lots of time to relax and do what we wanted. I got in a paddle early, for an hour, before breakfast, and the blog. Evie was able to sleep in some so she was full of energy. Around 10:00, I left for Mayville and a bike ride on Webb's Trail and along Sea Lion Drive. I also stopped at Tops, then at the Lighthouse to pick up a sub sandwich for our lunch, 

Lunch was my sub sandwich and another episode of Peaky Blinders. I finished my novel, Tracy Flick Can't Win, and started another John Lescroart novel. After my nap, we worked in the attic, getting rid of lots of stuff we don't need and I will be taking them to Salvation Army this morning.

6:44 PM

We were able to relax with a glass of wine and enjoy the late afternoon and earlier, Evie had breaded and fried up some chicken thighs, so that was our dinner, along with the leftover potatoes salad and cole slaw from the fourth. Waste not, want not. We watched Seaside Hotel, Jeopardy, and a HGTV show before bed, the end to a productive day. 

Another Full Day

6:25

6:48

I just returned from an hour-plus paddle, my usual route. The wind was unpredictable, making it choppy to cross the lake but then it settled down and was easy kayaking. It's 8:30, and I have been up since 6:00 and Evie since 8:00. The morning is overcast, looking like rain but it's not predicted. 

Kayak Morning

Satisfying An Itch

Yesterday was a busy day, like most days, as we are getting ready for our kid's arrival on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. While I think we are all set, Evie inevitably comes up with more things we need to do and that's what fills our day. I do get in my fun, however, a paddle early, and yoga class later. I was peeved (very un yoga-like) because someone had moved my yoga mat from its perch on the wall. It's about seven feet up a wall and few can reach that high but someone took my mat down and put theirs in its place. Not for long because I put my mat back.  And that was my hissy fit of the day.

I did not linger after class, stopping briefly at a hardware store to pick up some Japanese beetle spray because the beetles are devasting our hydrangea vine. When I returned home, Evie was going shopping, hitting a couple of stores, and making sure we have everything imaginable for the next week. Before she left, however, she made me tuna sandwiches with tomatoes, then put them under the broiler. I watched my show, read some, and even napped. She was off by1:00 and didn't return until 4:00, texting me that Wegman's was a zoo, the checkout lines taking forever. I am glad skipped it. I did get some things done, spraying the hydrangea with Sevin. l also gassed up the boat and went in the lake and cut weeds for a half-hour while Evie was on a Zoom call with her sisters.

Dinner was great, the leftover pork should, pork ribs, potato salad, coleslaw, baked beans, and lemon/lime pie, an after-July fourth feast. There seems to be a famine of good shows on TV so we are thankful that we are enjoying Seaside Hotel, especially since there are eight seasons and we are only on Season Three.  After a couple of episodes, we had enough, watched Jeopardy and some news before going to bed.

 

After The Fourth

Top Of The Morning

6:10

It's an overcast morning and we are expecting it to rain sometime in the next hour or two. I hope to squeeze a paddle in between showers. I was fortunate to be out for an hour paddle and just as I returned, I felt rain drops. 

Kayak Morning

A Slash Of Color

Yesterday did not seem like the fourth, not that I know exactly why that is. For us, it was an ordinary day until 6:00 when Linda and Ron arrived for dinner and to watch the fireworks. As usual, I got in a paddle and though we had lots to do,  I felt the need to get in a bike ride so off I went to Bemus and rode in Long Point State Parke to Sunset Bay as well and noticed people out in their front yards and wondered why until I reached the end of the road and discovered why. Their neighborhood was having a parade, led by a couple of fire engines. It was neat to see.

Sunset Bay Parade

Why I Love Riding In The Woods

I was home by 11:00 and helped get our house and yard ready for the evening, moving chairs around, cleaning the porch, things like that, and working up enough of a sweat that I took a dip before lunch. I had the leftover pork and rice watched my show, and tried to nap but couldn't. Evie had made both a pie and coleslaw in the morning, so she had most of our dinner ready. Around 2:00, we pulled out the ribs, covered them with a rub, wrapped them in tinfoil and put them in the oven to cook for four hours. Evie then mowed the yard while I relaxed and read, did a couple of things, like weed the path before dinner,

Ribs And Friends

Linda and Ronn arrived at 6:00 and we sat on the front porch because it seemed cooler than the yard. Linda brought over a nice organic white wine, so we enjoyed that along with popcorn and spicy cashews. For dinner, Linda made her famous potato salad to go along with the ribs, coleslaw, and beans. It was a feast and the ribs turned out pretty good. We were serenaded during dinner by our next-door neighbor, Dennis, and his band and they played on the porch of Pine Hill for the neighborhood. Just as it got dark, we enjoyed Evie's lime/lemon pie topped with whipped cream, lit the flares, and watched the fireworks until 10:30 when everything seemed to stop.  Linda and Evie had done up most of the dishes so we had it easy after they left, watching some TV before going up to bed. It turned out to be a fun day.

A Sunny Fourth Of July Morning

First Dahlia Of Summer

5:53

6:04

8:09

It's 8:10, and the sun is shining brightly, as we both sit in our living room, listening to the purple martins, having our second cup of coffee. I paddled for an hour, along Woodlawn, across to Long Point, then to Bootey Bay and home and was rewarded with photos of ospreys and a heron. I thought they might have been frightened off by the past two-night fireworks, but they hung in there.

Kayak Morning

An Osprey

Great Blue Heron

Osprey High In A Pine

Sunday was a strange day for us, mainly because the neighborhood was crowded with family picnics in contrast to the two of us. We spent the morning getting a few small projects done, like hanging some of our photos, and making sure the upstairs bedrooms were family ready. It's a relief for Evie to know most of the prep is done. It's nice to feel organized and not have to worry or hurry the last minute.

My lunch was the leftover sloppy joes, with pickles and chips. I watched another Peaky Blinders as Tommy gets thrown in prison briefly,  his wife is assassinated at a gala and Arthur struggles with his conscience and God. I am also enjoying my new book by Tom Perotta, Tracy Flick Can't Win. I napped as well, the windows open, with a nice breeze. Around 3:00, Evie mentioned she needed some heavy whipping cream and because I did not want to shop on the Fourth, I drove to Walmart and picked up a few things for tonight's Fourth of July bash with our friends, Linda and Ron. Shopping in Walmart is always a visual trip, albeit a sad one.

For dinner, Evie had pulled four pork shoulder steaks out of the freezer. I put on rub on them and let them marinate for an hour before grilling them around 7:00. Evie made rice and a salad and we were both pleasantly surprised at how good the pork steaks were. We watched CBS Sunday Morning, another episode or two of Sunset Hotel, as well as the fireworks before going up to bed. 

A Delightful Lake Morning

5:33

5:35

6:06

8:10

It's 8:20, the sun is filling the lake with its reflection and we are both up enjoying the morning. Evie just got up and I have been up since 5:30 and kayaked for over an hour, meeting up with Tina and Jim and their daughter, out early like me.

Kayak Morning

North

Saturday was a busy day on the lake because of the holiday but for us, it was a typical Saturday.  After kayaking and the blog, we got a few things done before gathering the trash and I drove off to the Transfer Station. I then drove over to the Bemus Point Grocery and picked up ziti pasta so Evie could finish making the baked ziti. So that gave her something to do the rest of the morning, one with regular pasta, one with gluten-free for some of our family. I was bored so I did what I usually do when bored if it's a sunny day, I jump in the lake and cut weeds for a half hour or more depending on my mood. So far, our swimming area seems fine and our kids will love it. 

I had another wrap on lavash with hummus, tomatoes, cucumbers, and hard-boiled egg, healthy and tasty. I watched my show and since I was up so early, I was looking forward to a nap and slept for over an hour, waking refreshed. I then helped out in the kitchen, as Evie was through with her cooking. She's the cook, I'm the bottle and pan washer up,

We relaxed most of the afternoon although I decided to get the mail and ended up walking up the hill for some exercise. It's just over a half a mile, half of it uphill so it's a good walk. Evie finished up working in the garden, transplanting the basket into a window box. It was 6:00 by the time we were on the porch, enjoying our weekly Manhattan and cheese and crackers. Lake traffic had slowed down and it was another fine early evening for enjoying a libation. Dinner was easy as we had cleaned out the freezer and found a container of sloppy joes. They would not be complete without pickles and potato chips and a Pepsi so both of us were happy. We watched our shows, ending the evening with another episode of Seaside Hotel. My book, Vladimir took a strange turn but quickly righted itself so I continue to enjoy it.

 

Gray On Dark Gray

5:46

It's 6:00 and I am sitting on our front porch because it's dark and overcast, the sun hidden behind the clouds.  Otherwise, it would be blinding to look out at the lake.  A few minutes ago, I just watched a couple of osprey dive in front of our dock, and fly off with a fish.  What amazing eyesight and claws they have.  It's now 7:54 and I just returned from an hour of kayaking on a gray lake, with a touch of light rain. I checked the rain gauge this morning and we received close to two and a half inches last night.

Kayak Morning

Amish Fishing

Heron At Long Point

Yesterday began with an early paddle and the arrival of a Spectrum technician before 8:00, to make sure our internet was working properly. They are very amenable and willing to come for free for almost any problem. Also, Evie called them recently and easily reduced our bill by fifty bucks.  We were thinking about just getting internet from them and then adding YouTube but this seems about the same price. After he left, Evie spent a good hour watering her garden, not realizing we would get a couple of inches overnight. 

I decided to cut weeds around our dock and I was out for around an hour. About 10:30, Chris came over and attached new brackets to our boat so that we can now use the bimini sunshade. He's been helping us with our boat and dock for at least the past ten years, a good guy. By the time we were done, it was time for lunch, a wrap with hummus, tomatoes, and cucumber, yum. I watched my show, tried to nap, and read while Evie spent a good part of the afternoon in the kitchen, making the sauce, and roasting the eggplant, for ziti until she discovered we were out of ziti noodles so she will finish it up today. Around 4:00, I drove to Lakewood, to gas up the car and fill a couple of five-gallon cans for the boat and spent $110. 00. Wowser (it's all Biden's fault of course). I also stopped to pick up a hanging basket for Evie at Brigiotti's Grocery but their computer wasn't working and seven or eight people were standing in line with their groceries, waiting for it to reboot. I left and drove to their Greenhouse and picked up a hanging basket where there were many more choices.

Raining At 6:17

When I returned home, Evie had had it with working in the kitchen and despite the weather report of thundershowers, we went for a half-hour boat ride, getting in just before the rain. I put the cover on the boat and went for a swim. When I came in, Evie had our dinner ready, a shrimp and scallop pasta along with a salad, a perfect way to end our day. We watched our shows, finishing with two more episodes of Seaside Hotel.

 

More Like Summer

Bald Eagle In A Victoria Pine

5:58

6:34

It's 6:01 and I start this, the sun just beginning to rise through the clouds and it's 64º already, the high in the 80s later in the day. I was up by 5:15 and a few boats were out fishing, no doubt scaring away the birds I hope to photograph when I start my paddle.  I was out for an hour, a beautiful morning, warming up as I paddled home,

Kayak Morning

Into The Sun

Paddling Along Tom's Point

Squawking Great BlueHeron

Strike The Pose

Kingfisher

Ready For Take-Off

Yesterday was a busy day for Evie. After a quick kayak and breakfast, we drove to Jamestown where Evie had a molar removed at 9:00. While she was in the dentist's chair, I shopped at Tops for our 4th of July dinner, picking up what we needed. Evie did fine and we were home by 11:00.  She iced her cheek for the next hour before driving off to Lakewood, to Jaret's, to get her hair cut and color.  That took a while but she managed it well enough to do a big shopping at Wegman's, again, stocking up on staples for our kids' arrival next weekend.

While she was out, I had soup and a bagel with cream cheese and tomato for lunch, then took it easy the rest of the day because I woke up with a sore lower back.  I must have slept on it wrong so I took a couple of Advil and did a few yoga poses on and off during the day and it feels much better today. Evie returned around 3:30 and we put away all the groceries, the relaxed until dinner time,

We had the leftover eggplant pasta and a salad for dinner and we finally finished it off.  We watched a couple of episodes on Netflix called Heartstopper, about two gay boys growing up in an English Prep School.  And finished the night as usual with Jeopardy and another couple of episodes of Seaside Hotel. I was happy to get back to my book, Vladimir by Julia May Jonas which I really like.

Finally, I am beginning to feel like an outlier in my own country.  I don't believe carrying or owning a gun is a constitutional right (unless you are in a militia).  I disagree with the court's decision to limit women's rights.  I believe religion should remain in the church, not in the political arena or on the football field.  If you want to send your child to a religious school, fine, just don't ask my tax dollars to subsidize it.  And finally, global warming is real and the court's limitations on climate fighting tools is absolute craziness, accelerating the death of life on our planet. 

The religious right has taken over our courts and political system, moving us closer to a theocracy.   A majority of Americans would disagree with most of the court's rulings over the past couple of weeks. And although many might disagree with my thinking, we might agree on the following: more access to guns, equal more deaths; limiting abortion access also means more deaths. There, I got it off my chest.