A Windy Winter Morning

8:07

Snow squalls, heavy winds, and a frozen lake greet me this morning. It's 17º as the wind howls, blowing snow off the lake, as the boiler clicks on. 

Angry Birds

Monday was not much of a day. We had our coffee, wrote the blog, and had breakfast before we were off for Evie's appointment with her PA at 10:20. While she was at the appointment, I bought cheap gas in Westfield and waited for her at The Full Strength Coffee Company. She texted when done and we then drove to Mayville to pick up Evie's new BP prescription at Rite Aid and shop briefly at Tops. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

We were home around noon and I was enjoying the chicken parm for lunch and watching a new series called Whitechapel, a British series from 2009. The rest of the day was typical, as I read and napped and Evie took it easy, not wanting to do much but watch TV or work on her word games on her phone. I went for a short walk in the neighborhood at 4:30 after charging the Kia, picked up the mail and it was so windy I hurried home.  Neither of us wanted to fuss about dinner so Evie fried up a couple of hot dogs, heated up the last of the lentil soup for me, and made a salad for herself. 

Woodlawn Mailboxes

We watched Hometown and a couple other shows, keeping our vow to have a No News day. It felt good to not hear what-cha-macallit's name. I ended the night watching another episode of Whitechapel. 

And The Week Begins

Our Great Grandson, What A Cutie

7:59

It's 8:20 and for once, it did not snow overnight nor is it snowing this morning. The car is snowless and the driveway is still shoveled, a January miracle. The lake is completely frozen, at least it looks that way from my couch and the birds are hitting the feeder. 

Red-bellied Woodpecker

Cardinal

Fluffly Finch

Yesterday was a long day and I will explain later. It started as normal with coffee and a quick walk outside to check on the snow, another four or five inches. So after the coffee and blog, I spent 20 minutes clearing the driveway and car, then walked the Woodlawn roads, exercising. Evie was up and checked her BP which was alarmingly high again. So she relaxed, didn't do much and checked it again after a shower and it was lower. 

Our Side Yard

A Couple Of Feet Of Snow

Evie made me a great breakfast sausage and eggs on a brioche bun and we watched the Bills game for the first quarter but they were not playing their starters, so I decided to read and take a nap while Evie watched TV. We made the mistake in retrospect of checking Evie's BP and it was high again. We checked Doctor Google for the tenth time and he said any BP over 180 needs (hers was 204) to go immediately to an Emergency Room. So Evie gathered her stuff and we drove to the ER in Jamestown at 3:30 arriving at 4:00 and the roads were decent. We checked in and waited five and a half hours to see a doctor at 9:30. He ordered an X-ray, blood test, and EKG before deciding to give her another drug and sent us home, with instructions to see our doctor today.  We didn't get home until 11:00 and both of us were hungry. I had soup and Evie had cheerios with bananas and milk. 

I just called the doctor's office and we have an appointment this morning at 10:45 in Westfield. So that was our long day. 

A Few Snowflakes And 17º

8:03

9:55

9:55

It's 9:10 as I start this and Evie's still sleeping. The lake is partly frozen because I can see a few mallards floating fifty yards offshore. The birds are happy since I filled the feeder late yesterday and a red-bellied woodpecker just attacked the feeder, scaring off the finches

Hanging Out In The Lilac

Junco

Yesterday was cold with flurries on and off. We had our usual coffee together until deciding to get some things done. While I shoveled our driveway again and cleared the snow off the Kia, Evie gathered the trash so I could head to the Transfer Station. My Kia was frozen, so I had to warm it up and scrape the ice off the windows before heading to a quiet Transfer Station. I then drove to Wegmans to pick up a few things. The store was not very busy for a nice Saturday and the roads were fine with a few flurries on the way home.

Mostly Mallards Feeding

For lunch, I warmed up the lentil soup and Evie had toasted some croutons. So I enjoyed that along with a chicken sandwich on a brioche roll and watched some basketball for a few minutes. The rest of the afternoon we both hunkered down and enjoyed the snow and cold, safe and cozy in our home. It hardly snowed so I did not need to shovel again but read and napped. We watched a few minutes of football but enjoyed sitting in the living room more, watching the birds feed and the view of the lake.

Dunking For Weeds

We ate at 6:30,  the leftover chicken parmesan, and a salad, and decided to watch a series on Hulu called The Old Man, with Jeff Bridges. We may have watched the first episode a couple of months ago as bits seemed familiar. We stuck with it and watched three episodes before we had enough for the night and Evie went up to bed. I had recorded the Bengals/Steelers game so I watched the first half before going up to read and sleep. 

What A Day

8:05

8:59

It's 8:40 and I have been up for close to an hour and guess what, it's snowing again. The lake is soupy, ready to freeze and it's 17º and windy, a nasty morning. 

Blizzard

Freezing Lake And Ducks

Yesterday began as usual, with a relaxing coffee with Evie as we planned our day, to hunker down and stay in our cozy home. That, however, didn't last long when I looked outside at the mounting snow. So around 9:00, I shoveled our parking area and walk for the first time Friday. We did a few things around the house, and by 11:00, I was back outside, shoveling another four or five inches. 

Hungry Finches

Lunch was another bowl of mercimek corba(lentil soup) and Evie made me a veggie wrap, with hummus, cucumbers, radishes, and tomatoes, a nice change. I spent my lunch looking for a new show to watch on Netflix, Hulu, and Prime. The afternoon went quickly, as I napped, read, and watched some TV with Evie. We were not worried about dinner because we had lots of leftovers, the chicken parm and pork and sauerkraut. And I shoveled once again, around 4:30. 

Beauty Of Dusk

During the last couple of days, Evie was often feeling dizzy. So she checked her blood pressure and it was alarmingly high. In fact, the results are sent to a hospital and the nurse immediately sent a message to call EMS and go to the hospital. We were unsure what to do until she checked again and it was higher. So on probably the worst night of the year, with snow squalls and icy roads, we drove to the Jamestown Emergency Room. We were there for three hours and they checked her for a stroke, gave her an EKG, blood tests then another blood pressure pill, doubling what she usually takes, and sent us home. We arrived at the lake around 9:30. Evie was tired so she went up to bed but I shoveled the parking area once again in the dark, then watched some basketball before going up to bed. What a day. 

Shoveling Snow

 

Tufted Titmouse At Our Feeder

8:33

More Snow

It's almost 9:00 as I start this because I slept in again until 8:15. As I look out our window, it is snowing again, although it does not seem to bother the birds at our feeder. It's a chilly 21º, and I can still see movement on the lake, so it has not yet frozen. We must have gotten another five inches overnight, so I will be back out there after I write the blog. 

Thursday began with a breakfast in Bemus on another snowy morning. Fortunately, I took the Outback in the garage so I didn't have to clean it off. When I returned home, I came in and with Evie, finished the blog went outside and cleaned the driveway and car for a good half hour, at least 8 inches of snow. It felt good to relax for a while. By 11:00, I was hiking with our neighbors, through the spectacular Woodlawn/Victoria woods. We were out for a good forty-five minutes. It was quite arduous as the snow was at least a foot deep most of the way. When I returned, it had snowed enough so that I cleared the driveway and car once again. 

Hiking In The Woods

Kinney's Field

While I was gone, Evie was prepping our chicken parm dinner and making some turkey meatballs to freeze and bring out when needed. I had a bowl of lentil soup and another meatloaf sandwich for lunch. Since I finished my Kristin Hannah book, True Colors, I started another Shanghai by Joseph Kanon. It's set in the late 1930s as Jews flee Hitler's Germany for Shanghai which became a haven for over 20,000 Jews during the 1930's. I took a decent nap, then joined Evie and watched some TV as it snowed and snowed. By 4:00, we had another seven or eight inches so I went back out for the third time and shoveled the driveway and cleared the car. It took me close to a half hour.

Afternoon Snow

Silence

It felt good to come back in a warm house and have a glass of wine and, as I looked out the window, it had stopped snowing. We had dinner around 6:15, a delicious chicken parm and a salad and we decided to watch a much-ballyhooed film called Aftersun on Netflix. It follows an 11-year-old girl on a vacation in Turkey with her father. It was slow, with long, boring shots and not much happened. We were bored but stuck with it. We read numerous comments about how great it was, how it brought some filmgoers to tears so we must have missed its subtlety. After the film, Evie went up to bed and I watched some basketball before going upstairs to read and sleep.

Gray Skies And Snow

7:15

9:23

I was up early, 6:45, to six inches of freshly fallen snow and a cold 25º morning. It looks like I will have to shovel before driving over to Bemus for breakfast with friends at 8:00. 

Yesterday was a quiet but enjoyable January 1st for Evie and me. It was our usual routine despite the first day of the year. We both slept in some and had our coffee at 8:15, enjoying a second cup while listening to the news and having breakfast, my usual yogurt with granola and blueberries. It was snowing some, a wet snow but I decided to go for a walk around the Woodlawn/Victoria woods. It ended up being enjoyable, a good choice as the woods, the trees, were frosted with snow, making it a winter wonderland. I was out for a little over a half hour and returned home to shovel before coming in to warm up.

Hiking Path

Trees

Woods

Around 11:50, Evie received a text inviting us to our neighbors for a swim. Evie wrote back we would swim over. We watched five of them jump in from our house although Evie wanted to join them. Around 1:00, I had a couple of meatloaf sandwiches for lunch and watched the first quarter of the Texas/Arizona State bowl game, By 1:30, I had enough and decided to read and take a nap, waking up at 2:15, refreshed and ready to have a leisurely afternoon. Evie had been busy much of the morning, making lentil soup and putting together our dinner, what else on New Year's Day, pork and sauerkraut. 

Late Afternoon

It was a nasty afternoon, threatening, dark skies and wet snow and Evie loved it. We did little the rest of the afternoon other than play on our devices, read, or watch TV. At 5:00 we had wine time and listened to the horrible news about New Orleans for the fourth or fifth time. We had our dinner around 6:30, the pork and sauerkraut with mashed potatoes, and watched the first half hour of a highly recommended film called Lucky Logan. And as usual, we didn't like it and watched some HGTV and Cheers until Evie went to bed. I had recorded the Ohio State game so I watched quite a bit of their lopsided victory over Oregon and then some NBA before going up to bed. 

A Snowy New Year's Morning

7:39

9:10

---

A Winter’s Tale

At 8:30, the snow begins to fall,
A dusting first, then a thicker sprawl.
The lake lies wrinkled, stirred by the breeze,
Gray meets gray where sky and water freeze.

Tuesday unfolded in leisure’s embrace,
With paddles at dawn on the lake’s still face.
The morning was filled with a soft delight,
A blog to finish, a meal to write.

The freezer we sorted, a task now done,
Through treasures of ribs, lamb, and chicken won.
Books in my lap, the hours slipped past,
A sandwich at noon, the day held fast.

Evie ventured to Wegmans’ crowded store,
Returning as daylight began to pour.
Together we worked to set things right,
Groceries unpacked in the fading light.

At five, she prepared for an evening away,
While I watched football to pass the gray.
By six, with friends, we ventured to dine,
A restaurant warm with chatter and wine.

Exotic cocktails raised to the air,
Salmon, sea bass, and pasta to share.
The bar alive with laughter and cheer,
A bustling joy at the end of the year.

By nine-fifteen, we were back at our place,
Home’s quiet warmth, a welcome embrace.
Evie retired, her eyes heavy with sleep,
While I watched the Cavs in the silence deep.

Midnight’s chime, no longer our goal,
But comfort and peace filled up the soul.
A New Year’s Eve, unexciting to some,
Yet perfect in how the moments had come.

Ron And Linda

Happy New Year