Standing at the Trailhead of Winter

 

Happy New Year!  While Christmas day was wonderful this year, and I will forever (at least I hope) remember sitting here with my three kiddoes and their partners talking the afternoon and evening away, I couldn't get the tree and other decorations down fast enough. I just wasn't feeling the whole keep the decorations up until New Year's this time around. So all the holiday accouterments were put away days ago, and some went into the thrift store box. I decided to do another deep cleaning, part of which is letting go of things that no longer give me joy. Yesterday, as a challenge to myself, I left the computer off all day. I didn't check in to anything on my phone, either. Instead, I spent time on the porch with the boys, listened to a couple of podcasts that really got me thinking, and I read, finishing up another excellent book: The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne by Brian Moore. Highly recommend it if you're looking for something to read. And today, because it st...

Yesterday we rode into Astoria, OR. Goonies territory. Sea lions barking down at the docks. Painted ladies gracing the hillsides. The morning started out very foggy, with a misting just enough to make wearing sunglasses annoying, but not wearing the sunglasses was even more annoying. When we reached the ferry at Cathlamet, the sun started making gains against the fog. The temperature went from the mid 50's to 80 in a blink. My hands could finally warm up. The final 26 miles to Astoria offered up some hills. Nothing that Sweetness couldn't handle, but I did hear a deep creaking coming from the crank. The front and back derailleurs need adjustment, too. No wonder after four days of 8% - 15% grades. A lot of mashing of the pedals going on. Hopefully, that'll ease up some. Hopefully. Today's a rest day. I slept in the church proper, in a back corner. Alone. No one else chose the church to settle in for the night or for today. The quiet is bliss. The days leading u...

I played hookey from work today. Well, technically, I didn't. I let all the proper people know I wasn't going to be in. I followed all the procedures for being sure my students knew not to show up since I wasn't going to be there. And I didn't feel one ounce of guilt for taking the day off. Years ago, if I had to cancel class because I was sick or one of the kids was sick, I felt guilty. I'd grown up with the work ethic of you go to work. Period. No excuses. I watched my dad go to work even when he would get one of his terrible headaches that made him sick to his stomach and barely able to keep his eyes open. The only relief he got was by sitting on the floor next to his bed and laying his head against the quilt. I saw my dad get into the car during a blizzard, determined to drive to work 30 miles away, only to get stuck a half mile down the road from the house and have to hike back, upset he wasn't going to be able to make it in that day. I don't have one...

I tried out a new route today. Rather than heading west then north to the lake, I rode southwest, out to a small farming community. The new route offered rolling hills and very lightly traveled rural roads. Having no traffic to worry about (well, for the majority of trip anyway) made for a truly relaxing ride. I started out early, not long after sun-up. I think Sunday's early morning run infected me with a desire to now get up and get out before the day really starts humming along. Today, the temps were in the low 70's when I clipped in and rolled down the street. By the time I got back 2 and a half hours later, the sun was beating down in the high 80's. A cool southwest breeze kept the ride from becoming unbearable. My rest stop to fuel up Going out to the small town, I knew I was on course as I could see quite a ways in the distance the large grain bins marking where the trains pass through during harvest, loading the cars with corn and soy beans. On the return rid...