Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

Much needed rain graced us on and off the last couple of days. My lawn was beginning to show the suffering signs of drying out, but now it is vibrant green and lush again. Which means I'll have to mow tomorrow or the next day, most likely tomorrow.  The first time I mowed my shoulders and biceps burned from pushing the mower over the nearly one-third acre of yard. I don't have a self-propelled mower. I have a JP propelled mower. Now, my shoulders and arms feel strong when I mow. The burning and fatigue are a thing of the past. It feels so good to know I've gained strength in muscles that have always been on the weaker side for me.  I'm seeing the same strength and endurance improving with the cycling. I can comfortably complete 40 miles now. My last ride just a few evenings ago was just under 25 miles, but my average moving speed was 17.2. To say I was happy with this is an understatement. A few weeks ago my legs were tiring at the 20 mile mark, going 14.5 miles an hour...

I woke up early this morning, right at sunrise, and the first thought through my head was I'm so lucky to wake up to all of this.  I could hear the mourning doves cooing, the finches singing, and other birds joining in to welcome the morning. No car noise. No people noise. Just birds. After getting in my morning walk with Ado, and after feeding him, I jumped on the bike. The wind the first few days this week was awful. 20-30 mph with gusts to 40. Not much fun to cycle in, so this morning, with the wind out of the west at 9 mph, I decided a ride was in order. Thirty hot and sweaty miles later, I rolled into the driveway. I had to laugh when I looked at my stats. It took me an hour and fifteen minutes to go 15 miles out. It took me 45 minutes to go the fifteen miles back. The whole time I'm cycling into the wind I keep telling myself it'll be worth it when I turn around. And it is so worth it.  I'm averaging 30 miles each ride at this point. Not bad for only having a good...

We went straight from cool and rainy to hot, muggy, and sunny. Although, there have been a few days in between of perfect: low 70's and sunny. I'm finding that if I leave the front door closed from mid morning to late afternoon, and close off the back two bedrooms all afternoon, the house stays cooler. So far, the high inside the house without the air conditioner on has been 80, and that was just the other day when it was 90 degrees outside. That's not too bad, at least in my mind. I know others cringe when they hear I live in a house that I allow to get up to 80 degrees. The nice thing about this? It's my house. I can do what I want. Funny Delightful Son came for a visit last week. We had a great week together, and I surprised myself -- when he pulled out to go back to his place, the tears came. I'm so proud of him and what he has accomplished. He finished up his four-year degree in May, and now he's planning to enter into the Master's program in the fall...