Sunny And A Dusting Of Snow

7:39

7:39

It's just after 8:00, and when I walked downstairs, I was surprised to see snow on our neighbor's garage roof. It's 31º, the lake is smooth, and I better get out there before the sun disappears behind the clouds. It's 9:40 and I kayaked for a good forty minutes on a delectable morning of sun and blue skies. I love it. 

Kayak Morning

Blue Northern Skies

What A Morning to Kayak

Buffleheads

Sunday was another surprising day. Usually, we don't do much. After all, it's a day of rest. And we did rest much of the morning, having our coffee, listening to the depressing news, having breakfast and finishing up the blog. Evie wanted to get some things done in the upstairs bedrooms, so while organized and cleaned, I vacuumed three of the four bedrooms. Once we were done upstairs, I talked to my neighbor Jim, out walking his dog, and we both agreed we would drive to the Big Inlet Brewery where they were honoring the part owner who was suffering from cancer. Before we went, however, Evie wanted to trim my hair. Once that was done, we both showered, had some toast, and walked down to our friends who were driving to Mayville. We got to the Big Inlet around 1:30 and it was already busy. We ordered our beers and were lucky to squeeze into a table upstairs, to the dismay of a couple, who had to move a bit to accommodate us. The Midnight Growlers were playing, made up of a bunch of old guys like me and they are popular in our area. It was difficult to hear when we talked because the music was so loud but we still enjoyed being there, sipping a couple of beers before leaving around 3:00. 

Beers And Music At Big Inlet Brewery

Once we returned home, I watched the finals of the Women's NCAA finals while Evie relaxed in the living room. UCON was clearly the better team and won by close to 30 points after a fairly close first half. We had our wine time at 5:00 and by 6:30, our dinner, roasted cauliflower, baked potatoes and fried pork steaks. We watched Hometown and Colbert and the news. Evie went up to bed around 8:30, after our dessert, vanilla ice cream with chocolate sauce. I watched a few minutes of the NBA and then returned to my series, The Girl From Oslo. Some of their plot decisions are ridiculous, like having the missing girl the daughter of the Prime Minister, something he didn't know until she was kidnapped. O, well, I will stick with it.

Overcast And Chilly Again

Beers And Wings At The Swamp

7:49

It's 8:20, and we have been up since 7:30 on a 32º Sunday morning.  The bird feeder is busy, with sparrows and finches, often chased away by a woodpecker or bluebird. So far, no rain and light winds, however, snowfall is forecast for the next hour!! It's 9:30 and I was out for less than 20 minutes because it started to sleet and the wind picked up, so it was a struggle to paddle home. 

Kayaking In Sleet

Yesterday ended up being a really memorable day although we did not plan on it. I didn't kayak because of the rain and wind so we had a leisurely coffee morning. Around 9:15, our neighbors mentioned they were going to the Hands Off rally in Jametown and wondered if we wanted to join them. We were talking about participating but because it was raining, we were about to stay home until they called. We just needed a little push. We met them at their house at 10:15 and drove to Jamestown, easily found a parking spot and joined the gathering crowd at Dow Park. One of the participants had made numerous signs and gave us each one to carry. The rally and speeches didn't start until after 11:00 and many of them were moving, bringing some to tears. Once the gathering was over, we lined the streets along the square with our signs, eliciting honks and thumbs up from passing cars. We left feeling inspired and with admiration for the caring people we joined.

On our way home, Jim took the back way and just happened to drive past the notorious Swamp, a bar and restaurant set literally in flood water from the Chadokoin River. How could we pass up a beer and their Award Winning wings. We walked into an empty bar, ordered our beers and wings and by the time we left, three or four tables were occupied. The wings were good, especially Jim and Barb's Swamp specials, blackened and hot. 

Swamp Special Wings

We left about 1:30, were home by 2:00 and all four of us were ready to relax or take a nap, I napped of course and woke groggy again, not wanting to do much. So I didn't. 

With Barb And Jim

The rest of the afternoon and evening was taken up with basketball, with an hour interlude to watch another episode of The Pitt on Apple TV. The rest of the time, we watched Virginia come from behind and defeat Auburn and Houston do the same thing to Duke. Neither of us felt much like dinner, so Evie had a salad and I had my Turkish white bean stew with rice and a couple of peanut butter sandwiches on Dave's Good Seed Organic Bread. I stayed up until almost midnight, watching Duke throw away an almost certain win, but Houston's pressure turned the momentum, and it was too much for Duke in the end. 

Rain And More Rain

8:37

It's 8:50, and I have been up for over an hour, listening to the rain and the wind on a gray, 52º morning. I won't be kayaking on this miserable, wet morning. At least it's not snowing. 

Yesterday we set aside to get some things done in the morning since neither of us had yoga or school. So we had a leisurely coffee and breakfast although I was able to get in a decent paddle for once as the weather cooperated. By 10:40, we were off to Spetrum Eyecare because I was getting a new pair of glasses, my old ones having fallen in the lake while kayaking. I found out my insurance only pays for new frames every other year and since I bought sunglasses in December, I am going to have to pay more than I thought. After looking at the stock market the last two days, I went for the cheapest frames I could find even though I probably will look like a dork. We then drove into Jamestown to return some vinyl tiles on Foote Avenue, then returned to another store on Murray Avenue to look at more vinyl tiles for our bathroom floor. Upon arriving at Woodlawn, our builder stopped us and gave us a box of Corian tiles for our shower walls. We are going crazy trying to make a decision, and he also mentioned another choice we had not thought of, which seemed cheaper and just a good as Corian. He had just put it in an apartment in the CI and said we could go take a look to see if we liked it. We will go on Monday to take a look.

By the time we returned home, I was hungry and Evie made me a couple of ham and cheese sandwiches to go along with a bowl of chicken noodle soup. I am watching a new series, The Girl From Oslo, and will probably stick with it. After lunch, I read, fell asleep for a good hour plus and woke feeling groggy. To change my mood, I went outside and cleaned the garage and took a chance by putting the snow shovels up in the garage attic. It felt good to be outside doing something. 

By 5:00, we were enjoying a Manhattan and crackers with cream cheese and red pepper jelly. We remember being introduced to it when we first arrived back in the States in 1977 by colleagues at Reserve.  Dinner was the kuru fasulye over rice with a salad, and we watched a Colbert and the good or bad news, depending on who was being interviewed. Evie went up to be around 8:30 and I watched some of the UCONN/UCLA game as well as my show, The Girl From Oslo. 

Parrly Clouds And Windy

8:15

It's 8:20, and I have been up for an hour, reading the depressing news about yesterday's Liberation Day, as Trump put it. As Thomas Friedman said, 'He bet the farm, and he better be right.' Trump depends on his gut, not on analysis and facts, so good luck to the US and the world.  It's 9:40, just back from a 35-minute paddle down to Sandy Bottom and back, and we are listening to Michael Smerconish. 

Kayak Morning

Blue Northern Sky

Turkey Vultures Are Back

Yesterday was a good day for both of us, although it was too windy to kayak once again. I woke to a 58º and windy morning and was off to breakfast by 7:45 in Ashville and home by 9:15. By 9:40, Evie was on her way to kindergarten and I was on my way to Yin Yoga. If you are wondering what Yin Yoga is like, imagine lying on your back and putting your hands over your head and moving them to the right as well as your legs, banana-like, and holding that pose for three or four minutes. That's Yin Yoga. After class, I went to Wegmans to pick up a prescription, but they were behind schedule and it wouldn't be ready until the afternoon so I just left. 

Returning home, I did a deep dive into the freezer and pulled out a chicken pot pie, popped it in the microwave for six and a half minutes, and had a decent, easy lunch. I watched a new show called Treason, and it's not bad so i think I will stick with it. I am struggling some with my Le Carré book, Little Drummer Girl because his prose is so much more dense than most of today's spy fiction. I also could say that about the Bayou Trilogy, both well written but dense. I also took a good nap, of course, and woke with some mojo. Evie was home from class, happy with her morning. I decided to make a Turkish favorite, Kuru Fasulye, or white bean stew. So I pressure-cooked the beans for 27 minutes and sauteed onions and pancetta, then added garlic, tomato paste, tomatoes, cumin and red pepper. Once the beans were done, I added them to the pot along with chicken stock and simmered it for close to an hour, until the beans were done. I let it sit out until evening and then put it in the refrigerator for lunch this week or dinner, usually over rice. 

We had our usual wine at 5:00 and listened to the hysteria about Trump's tariffs while he headed off to Florida (costing 3 million each trip) to hobnob with Saudi billionaires. At 6:30, we had our dinner, Sesame chicken from Wegmans, over rice along with broccoli. We debated whether to finish our series, Adoelscense and decided to watch the last two episodes. It was emotionally draining and we were both in tears at the end. Owen Cooper plays the thirteen-year-old, and Stephen Graham his father. Both performances were extraordinary, worthy of Emmys.

Windy And Wet

9:07

It's 7:30 and gray; vast rain clouds sit above the Bemus shore. It's warming up again, 58º with rain expected and heavy winds in the afternoon. It's 9:15 and I just returned from breakfast at the Ashville General Store, a nice change. 

Yesterday I was back in some routine. Because of the winds, I had to skip kayaking, but after coffee and the blog, I was off to yoga at 10:00. There were just three of us, two regulars and me. Our teacher, Tara, is working on videotaping classes so she can put it on line for friends. She had a camera and a microphone working, focused on her. The class was thorough, and we worked on all parts of the body. I left feeling better than I had in a few days. I stopped at Sav A Lot for milk, which I forgot when I was at Wegmans on Monday,

When I returned home, Evie continued to go through our closets and attic, gathering things to give to  Goodwill. I had the last of my sub from Wegmans for lunch and watched the first episode of a series I watched a few years ago called Banshee. I don't think I will stick with it. I then read, took a good nap and finished my book late afternoon, and started Le Carré's Little Drummer Girl, set in the Middle East so different from his spy novels. 

Dinner was easy as we walked down to our friend's house, and they drove us over to the Viking Club for King Of Hearts. We bought ten dollars' worth of tickets but didn't win the $4700 jackpot, so we will probably be here next week and lose ten more dollars. It was crowded, because of the size of the jackpot, I suppose. I ordered my usual, 10 medium wings and Evie had a cauliflower pizza with mushrooms and pepperoni, both good. We had a fun night with our neighbors and were home by 8:45. Evie went up to bed because she has school today and I stayed up and watched basketball before getting back to my book and sleep. 

Heavy Winds And Cold

7:16

7:52

8:02

I was up early, at 6:30 and was surprised at how windy it was, too windy in fact to kayak. It was cloudy when I got up but now the sun has popped up above the clouds, filling our living room with light. It's still chilly, 32º and may get up into the 50s later in the day when rain is expected. Winds are from the southeast at 11 mph, with gusts up to 26 mph, with a wind advisory of 35 to 40 mph late afternoon today. 

Tuesday was a lazy day for me, a school day for Evie. I tried to paddle, but because of the winds and waves, I was out for only 15-20 minutes.  So Evie was up early, getting ready for kindergarten and was on her way by 9:40. I had to go out and ask the guys working on our sewers to move their truck so she could get out of Woodlawn. I left for coffee after her and was at Ryder's Cup by 10:00. My friend Paul waited for me but had to leave at 10:15 for a doctor's appointment, so I ended up meeting a new friend, John, a retired art teacher from Smethport HS in PA. We sat around talking until 11:00, when I left for Wegmans. Interestingly, a couple of weeks ago, a friend's wife mentioned having trouble sleeping when we were at Ryder Cup. So I told her about gummies, and yesterday she gave me the thumbs up. They were working. 

It was 5% Tuesday at Wegmans so it was a busy place. Fortunately, I had a small list so I was in and out fairly quickly. I had a quarter of my sub for lunch and watched another episode of White Lotus, although I am not liking it much and it's getting buried by the critics. I was happy to get back to my book, the Bayou Trilogy, and nap. Evie returned home around 2:00, tired from her day, and was happy to relax in the TV room for an hour or two. I have lost my mojo recently so I stayed on the couch rather than go for a walk and read. By 5:00, we were both listening to CNN and having a glass of wine. 

Dinner was from Wegman's, a couple of filets of haddock that just needed to bake in the oven for 15 minutes.. And I bought some frozen French fries at Wegmans, and Evie heated them up in the air fryer and we had a delicious dinner. We decided to  go back to a series of Netflix called Adolescence and watched the first two episodes. It's hard to watch because a 13-year-old boy is accused of murder. And parts of it are set in a school which I hated because it seemed more like a prison, with obnoxious students, lazy teachers, and negative stereotypes of schools recently. We put up with two episodes before turning to something less disturbing, like politics in America. Once Evie went to bed, I finished my series, Secret City and Reacher, in Spanish, of course so now I will have to find something else to watch. 

Cloudy And Colder

7:27

Woke to a 28º morning, quite a contrast to yesterday's 58º. Maybe it's April Fool's. I lack the mojo to go for a paddle, so I will have to make myself do it. And I am skipping yoga, a bad boy. Well, I should have skipped kayaking because it was too windy and it was difficult to paddle into the north wind, so I was out for maybe 15 minutes. 

Kayak Morning

Windy And Rough Water

Yesterday was a different day for me. It started with a decent paddle, great photos of some ducks, and I was out for forty minutes. I then finished the blog, had breakfast, and discussed the day with Evie. There were a few things that needed to  get done so by 11:00, I was one my way. First, I returned some Amazon packages at Michaels; the clerks are getting to know me! Then, I stopped at Good Will to drop off some used clothes but they were closed until 11:00. It was 10:45  So I left, pissed, and drove into Jamestown to drop off my taxes at my tax guy. I was one of three waiting to get things done. I then stopped at Jamestown Cycle, and dropped off six pairs of cross-country skis and poles, which we never used. Nate from Hollyloft now works there. He was excited. And since I was in Jamestown, I stopped at Farm Fresh Foods, picked up four sour cream donuts and a 17 inch sub for lunch. Next, I stopped at the dry cleaners to see if they could clean my rain jacket. They couldn't. And finally, I stopped again at Good Will and they happily accepted our donations. So it was a busy morning.

Mallard Perching On Row Boat

I was home by 12:30, grabbed a quarter of the sub sandwich, and enjoyed it while watching my show. Evie couldn't pass up a donut, and that was her lunch. After my show, I read and napped as usual, then relaxed for most of the afternoon, occasionally checking on the progress of the sewer lines out our front door. They are making a mess of course, lots of mud. By 5:00, we were both ready for a glass of wine and were happy to hear that Jake Tapper was back on CNN. Dinner was the leftover chicken and spinach from Sunday night. We watched Hometown, the news, and The Resident while enjoying the last of the donuts. Once Evie went up to bed, I watched some women's basketball, then my series, Secret City before going up to bed.