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...

After months of anticipation, ta-da! It didn't go in without some hiccups, but in the end, all turned out well. It was absolutely wonderful being able to sit here last night with a fire going.  I'm still partial to a woodburning fireplace or woodburning stove, and maybe that might happen in a few years, but for now, this will do. This was the more financially feasible way to go since the firebox and chimney need quite a bit of repair in order to function without burning down the entire house. I certainly don't want that to happen. The vent free insert has a blower, so it heats the space very nicely, and it closes off the chimney that has no damper. Now the cold air of winter can't get into the house, and the cool air in the summer can't get out by way of the chimney. There is some clean-up to do around the surround. The old surround/doors had been caulked into place with the red caulk, and the brick underneath the old surround/doors is a different color than the res...

Another day off work. Still negative temps with serious wind chill. I was a bit surprised the college closed for a second day, but I do understand. I see students wearing shorts -- yes, they wear shorts in January. I would say something snarky here, but I'm truly trying to not think or say hurtful things about others. It's a struggle, let me tell you. Yesterday afternoon, once I learned I would be home today, I didn't read any student work like I should have. Instead, I worked on the piece I've been focused on for the last six months. I'm not ready to talk about it or share any of it yet. I simply want to keep making forward progress. That's not to say I don't share it with others. I do. Like with my friend who I meet every Monday for sharing and feedback. He has seen nearly all of it to date. I trust his judgment. He gives it to me straight, which I need. To see how others might react, others who don't know me, I decided to post a few pages on the c...

When I look at the calendar, I'm amazed that we're in week ten with the semester. In all my time teaching, I've not had a semester just seem to zoom by like this one is. I think a big part of why I feel like the weeks are slipping by so quickly is I'm teaching two hybrid sections, so I only see the students of each section once a week. After our once-a-week meeting, the students are sent on their way to complete the work online. I love this approach to teaching, and I hope to continue teaching the hybrid courses, but they definitely do make the semester go by in a blink. And with the weeks passing, the cooler weather seems to be here to stay. Which I am perfectly okay with. Though I do need to buy some long johns to wear under my clothes if I'm going to continue biking to work. And a good pair of winter boots, ones that are stylish yet practical and warm. I've been searching for the just-right pair of boots for a couple weeks now, and I think I've narrowed...

The weather improved enough during the last week, with temps reaching the upper 30's during the day, the sun shining on and off, melting most of the snow and ice, that the possibility of getting out for a ride became reality Friday and yesterday. I get all giddy thinking about riding, and once I'm on the bike, I revel in the wind against my cheeks, the warmth of the scarf around my neck, and the strength of my legs as I pedal. Even this morning, as I stood looking out over the back deck, watching the rain come down, my thoughts went to riding later today, in the rain. I want to feel the rain, listen to it splatter up, spit high into the air as the tires of my bike roll along the road. I was rolling along all happy Friday morning. I'd not ridden my commuter to work since reporting back three weeks ago, first because the temperatures were in the single digits and the real feel was in the negative double digits, then because we had a good snow that covered the roads, turned ...

Yesterday when I left the house to go to work, it was a balmy 30 degrees. I knew I had to ride my bike. I really had no choice as a pull to bring the blue cruiser down from it's spot in the bike barn propelled me off the sidewalk, across the short path to the barn. Today dawned sunny and even warmer, giving me day two of finally being able to ride without freezing. About half way to work, I realized just how much I had been missing the daily commute. A happiness I'd not been feeling for awhile washed over me as I watched the ROTC members undertaking a drill at the park alongside the bike path, as I saw robins flitting about the hedge apple trees, and as I heard the trill of the red-winged black birds near Birky pond. All last semester, I cycled to work. Each day I enjoyed the fresh air, the sunshine, sometimes the cold and snow. Being outside, even for just a short time before having to start work then for a short time on the way home afterwards, helped me find balance. When ...

Today the sun won out over the chill of the wind, and the temps climbed to 70. As soon as I walked outside this morning, I knew I could not let this day slip by without getting a longer ride in. So I planned to be out by noon, after delivering Hubby to the airport and after starting a new art piece just to see if what I was trying to do would work. It worked. I finished some of the new piece then turned my attention to getting the bike ready as well as myself ready. At noon, I was on the road. Less than a quarter mile down the street, I had the thought of turning back to put a long-sleeved shirt under my jersey. The slight breeze was just enough cool to make me wonder if I would be miserable the entire ride. I decided I would eventually warm up, so I kept going. Around mile 30 I was wiping sweat from my face and very glad I hadn't put on the long sleeves. About a mile into the ride I realized I'd not put on gloves. I guess after riding on the trainer during the colder months,...

This week has been just awesome! Though it's only mid March, the weather is making me feel like it's mid June. More sun than clouds. Upper 70's. All the ingredients needed to awaken all those things that sleep through the winter. Trees are leafing out. Daffodils are fully bloomed. And the bugs . . . I rode through a cloud of gnats, getting them in my mouth and ears. Ughh! I'm not complaining, though. I'll take the gnats any day I can get out and ride thirty or forty miles. Today, riding with a friend, we covered thirty miles. We took our time and simply enjoyed being out. Even the wind couldn't get us down today. We faced the wind head on for half the ride then rode with it pushing us from behind on the way back home. I think I heard my friend saying, "Weeeeeee, weeeeeee, weeeeee!" as we rode down a hill on the way back, not having to pedal, only having to feel the delight of speed and the freedom that comes with riding a bike.