Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

I lost my cool in my English 101 class. I try really hard to never let this happen, but . . .. I could tell my ire was rising when a student who missed class on Tuesday came in and said, "I wasn't here on Tuesday. What did I miss? And I don't know what you mean by annotated bibliography." In my head, my answer was, "Ummmmm, you missed the explanation for the two assignments that are due next week, one of which is the annotated bib. I spent an hour and fifteen minutes going over both assignments on Tuesday, making sure those who were in class understood what is being asked with the assignments. That's what you missed." Out of my mouth came, "I went over the two assigments. What exactly about the annotated bib don't you understand?" And for the next ten minutes, I stood by this student, explaining again what I explained on Tuesday. A few minutes later, another student asked for help. "I'm confused. I went to Google and typed in ...

Bacon wrapped chicken thighs, creamy mashed cauliflower, and fruit. The smokey spice blend on the bacon and chicken added some sass, and the herb spice blend mixed into the mashed cauliflower created the illusion that they were actually mashed potatoes (though Hubby kept asking what veggie I'd used as he wasn't convinced they were mashed potatoes). The fruit offered the sweetness to balance all the spices. Probably too many carbs with the fruit along with the cauliflower, but there wasn't any added sugar so I'm not going to stress over it. Definitely my kind of meal.

I know Hubby meant well in making the decisions he did for our dinner this evening, but the meal we just finished was probably the most disappointing one I've had in a long, long time. Because I try to eat sensibly for breakfast and lunch, I really look forward to topping off the day with a good, healthy meal that makes me feel like I've accomplished what I set before me in regards to food and my health. I admit, I veer off the healthy foods path far more often than I like, and that's why the last meal of the day is so important to me. Tonight, that still-bleeding, three inches thick hunk of meat with all that fat running through it, well, let's just say the dog enjoyed it. I felt immense sadness as I walked away from the table after only eating a sweet potato and a piece of birthday cake made for Angel Baby who turned 14 today, and now my mind is in anguish over not having eaten a healthy meal. This evening's dinner ended up being one of those moments that can'...

From the train, leaving Chicago. I should have sat on the right side of the aisle--the graffiti was much more colorful and artistic on the other side of the tracks.

This morning a fine dusting of snow lay on the streets, sidewalks, and trail. I couldn't wait to leave for work, riding the blue cruiser and leaving her tire tracks in the white powder. The temps had risen slightly overnight, and the wind blew from behind. I didn't have to double up my gloves or wear my scarf over my nose and mouth, and my heart didn't pound like the last few days because I had to push into the wind. No. This morning was quiet. This morning was still. This morning the daylight offered a glimpse of purity. And this beauty against the white sky.

The wind blew out of the north this morning as I rode to work. Smack into my face for most of the three miles. I thought what a great ride home I'd have this afternoon, with the wind at my back. The fickle Illinois wind, though, had other plans. When I walked out to my bike after work, I looked up at the wind turbine to see from which direction the wind was blowing. Southeast. Smack into my face for nearly the entire three miles home. The upside was the temperature had risen from the 7 degrees of this morning (real feel of -10 degrees) to 22 degrees (real feel of 12 degrees). At least the ride home was warmer. Another upside to my day was the response a student offered to my essay, the one I'd written over break to share with my colleagues at our beginning of the semester meeting. I shared my work with my students to show them how I enter into a writing project and how I weave in primary as well as secondary sources. During class, I noticed many of the students reading the es...

Mesmerizing bubbles

Today was the coldest day thus far for riding to work. When I started out at 7:30, it was 2 degrees with a -11 windchill. The wind was blowing out of the northwest. Brrrrrr, to say the least. To ward off the cold, I wore a pair of slacks I rarely wear as they are lined and make me too warm. I truly abhor sweating through my slacks. Not a good look. Today, though, the lined slacks were exactly what I needed to keep my legs warm. They along with knee socks (I love wearing knee socks; they make me feel 13 all over again), a heavy sweater with really wide sleeves that I found annoying when trying to write or type, my uber-soft wool scarf, my long wool coat, and my newest knit hat kept me toasty warm during my ride. The only spot on my body that cried a little because of the cold were the apples of my cheeks, but even they only shed a tear or two. As I rode home late this afternoon, my thoughts turned to how riding in the cold has become just something that I do now. Everyday, my collea...

The other day I walked around the block to check out some fresh curbside trash, hoping to find something, anything, that might be my next trash to treasure project. I returned home with nothing. Quite disappointing. Today, while I was making chocolate chip cookies to satisfy the craving for chocolate chip cookie dough that attacked me with a vengeance while I was sitting on the couch, watching the last episode in the latest season of Bedlam , I looked out the window over the kitchen sink and saw what seemed to be wooden chairs. Those weren't there earlier, I thought. I put the first batch of cookies into the oven, pulled on my coat, scarf, and gloves, then walked the two blocks to check out the chairs. Three wooden chairs. Jackpot! These would be the beginnings of my garden party table and chairs project I've been wanting to get started on. How lucky could I be? I stacked the two oak chairs and hoisted them up to carry home. A gentleman placing his trash out for tomorrow'...

New route today--new landscape to take in.

Crystals: the last of the ice from Saturday's overnight ice storm

Late afternoon golf course.

Icy morning

Yesterday, after cleaning up my work space in the garage and reading the first 5 or so pages in The Blue Book of Bicycle Repair (did you know the threads on bolts slope up depending on what side they're supposed to be on; bolts for the right side of the bike slope up to the right and bolts for the left side of the bike slope up to the left--that's so cool), I decided to take a break and enjoy a short ride. I didn't really have a destination in mind, but I did know I eventually wanted to go to the hardware store for some super glue. While I was cleaning my work space, I realized my super glue had dried up. It comes in handy for all sorts of things (though I tend to glue my fingers together each time I use it), so I wanted to have some on hand. Like usual, I rode in the streets. Call me hard-headed, but I truly believe the more cyclists are visible in the streets, the more motorists will begin expecting them and driving more carefully because of them. I also believe cyclis...

Heaven. In my garage.  With Old Faithful, my trusty blue cruiser. And tools. And the local bike shop dude teaching me bike maintenance. Two and a half hours, in heaven.

Today ended up being one of those days that took me by surprise. Even now, I still feel somewhat overwhelmed. Just before the end of the fall semester, my boss asked me if I would present at the Division "jamboree" that would kick off the spring semester. I agreed, thinking because I'd been wanting to write a new piece, having a deadline and honoring my agreement would be exactly what I needed to get the piece finished. In addition, since I teach creative nonfiction to my second semester composition students, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to write an essay about my mom and her battle with MS, that I could share with my students to show them what my process is when I write. I try to walk the talk I espouse in my writing classrooms, and working on a piece over break would fulfill this. So I wrote. During the process, I decided to ask my siblings for help in the way of offering their perspective on Mom, the MS, and her decline in health. I also asked my...

Finally able to get out and ride today. Granted it was a short ride--a mile to the bike shop to buy a rack for my cruiser--but just being able to hop on the bike, mosey along and enjoy the brisk air truly made me feel less stressed. Then, once I got home I pulled out the new Park Tools and put the rack on the bike. Come Monday, if the streets stay clear and dry, I'll be hanging my panniers on the cruiser for my ride to work. If the snow comes, I'll be walking. I'm hoping for clear, dry streets as I love riding my cruiser. So, though I only got two miles in today, I'm going to count today as day 1 of my 200 days of riding this year.

We've had some chilly, windy days this week. Thankfully, the sun has been shining some, too, enough to spur me to get out for a couple of walks. I tried to ride my bike on Wednesday, but our street is still so slick with ice from our New Year's Eve winter storm that I did one lap and called it quits. The front tire slipped to the left once, making my heart beat a little faster, so that's all I needed to park the bike back in the garage. The walks, though, have been good. I made the three-quarters of a mile walk to the grocery store yesterday to get dinner fixings. I used my pink backpack to carry my goods home, and since there wasn't anything terribly heavy, the three-quarters of a mile walk home went smoothly. While at the store, I decided to splurge on a $5 scratch-off lotto ticket. I don't play very often. I'm too uptight about spending money on nothing. Lately, though, the luck has been pretty good, ever since Hubby bought a $5 ticket on our way out of tow...

There's just something about the first day of a new year. Clean slate. Anything's possible. So much promise stretching out in front of me--365 days of promise. Promise. Potential. Possibilities. To get me started, I created my profile for my ride with Bike the US for MS this summer. I signed up to do the Indiana/Illinois segment of the Northern Tier, and I'm already excited about getting all my gear together for the ride. Because I'm only doing a segment, seven or eight days of cycling, I'm considering going as minimalist as possible. Instead of using my tent, I might invest in a hammock. If I do this, I won't need a sleeping bag. I'm sure with a little more thought, other areas can be pared down to just the essentials. I'd like to travel light, lighter than I ever have. I also began a new read, A Moveable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization . I had picked this book up at a used book store in Lincoln, NE while at a conference, mostly becaus...