Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

The ten miles out were brutal. Winds holding steady at 14 mph made the going tough, and since I haven't ridden since last Saturday's metric century, I was feeling it the first five miles or so. The legs, back, and arms settled in, so I slogged on, eyeing the grain bins I knew were the turn-around point. When I checked my stats, I wasn't surprised to see an 11.7 mph average. Turning around and heading back couldn't be done fast enough. The ride back was pure fun. Without the roar of the wind in my ears, the wind pushing against my every pedal, I put some effort into the return trip. I'd forgotten to put my bike computer on the bike before we left, but I did have my phone and was able to use the app I'd downloaded quite awhile back. Every mile I heard the voice from my phone tell me what mile I was at and how long each mile took to cover. On the trip out, I averaged right at 5 minute miles. On the way back, the average was just past three or just below three minut...

I love reading about people doing long rides for causes they truly believe in. This blog, Bamboo Samurai , showcases Takashi's ride around the world to raise awareness about bamboo and what an important product it is in our world. Unfortunately, Takashi was hit by a car in southern Illinois yesterday. No update has been offered at this point. I can only hope that he recovers and can continue his journey.

Is it wrong to use vegan mayo on a turkey sandwich? The mayo tasted like the real thing, what I've been eating for years, and I thought if most things vegan tasted this good, I just might give veganism a try. I see this lifestyle change as the next step in the journey towards the kind of life I truly want to live, but going all out vegan is a huge change. I was vegetarian about ten years ago, for about two years, then fell off the vegetarian wagon for a variety of reasons, none of which were really good reasons. I don't eat a lot of meat now, and haven't over the years, but I do enjoy a juicy burger every now and then. Giving up the burgers has been the toughest thing to do. The more I think about the kind of life I want to live, though, the more I think the burgers have to go once and for all. To get me started on this next step of lifestyle change, I went shopping today to purchase food items that meet the vegan standards. With four other people in the house that I need t...

Busted. After almost two years of me blogging, Hubby found my blog. He didn't seem terribly hurt that I've not clued him in about me writing for this long without telling him. Rather, he simply asked, "What else have you been doing for almost two years that I don't know about?" Well, . . . Nothing. I can honestly say this is the only secret I've been keeping. Up til today, no family or friends have known about my blog, and I enjoyed the fact that I've had something that's just mine. While I didn't dish about him, much anyway, it was liberating knowing I didn't have to worry about what I wrote since people I know had no idea I was writing in the first place. Now I have to worry about it. S**t.

I've found next summer's must do: a dream ride called Bike the US for MS . Completing a ride like this would be a dream come true. Hubby just laughed when I said I was going to sign up, which is what he usually does when I say I'm going to do something. I ran the idea by the kids to see what their reaction would be, and when they found out the ride is to raise awareness and money for MS, they all said, "Do it." The fact that the kids have grown up watching their grandmother, my mom, struggle with the progression of MS definitely swayed their opinion. I'm now applying the week "think about it" rule before making a final decision. So far, two days in, the ride is still very much a must do for next summer.

The winds whooped all night and on through today. Last I saw, the winds were 25-30 mph with 40 mph gusts. All day I watched from the classroom as heavy gray clouds moved across the sky, and the trees on the quad swayed back and forth. While I was glad to be inside out of the winds, I found myself sleepy most of the afternoon. The gloomy, gray day was just perfect for curling up with a good book and napping. Now all is calm, and I'm trying to read and respond to student papers. Not going so well. I'm finding myself in a fog these days. Work is okay, but the paper load is overwhelming. I know I'm the one to blame as I do these involved writing projects that mean quite a bit of reading and responding for me. I could cut out some of the steps I have the students go through, but the steps are crucial to the students understanding how to write a solid essay. Maybe I'm kidding myself in thinking the students actually get what it is I'm herding them towards. Since I don...