26
Apr 21

My legs are so tired

On Saturday we rode indoors, because it was cold and rainy and just your average, underwhelming, gross Indiana April day. So we did about 26 miles in virtual northern France, instead where, according to Zwift, it is always sunny.

Yesterday we had a perfectly lovely day. So we rode outdoors for a few hours. Just after the big climb — which I’d dreaded the entire ride and before, finally, actually on the thing and tired of it, I rode a bit harder had my second best time ever on the thing — I took this photograph.

It should be noted that the climb isn’t long or especially hard. It’s the easiest real climb around here. But that doesn’t make it easy!

Somewhere after that I happened upon an opportunity to add to the Barns by Bike collection:

I don’t know why I do that, other than that barns are the right size and usually in the right kind of locale, and I move at just precisely the right speed to be able to retrieve my phone, get to the camera app and take a photo before I get by it.

Anyway, as I said, it was a beautiful afternoon yesterday. Here’s a bit of video proof.

And here’s one more shot of Lake Lemon, which we cruised by just before the “big climb.”

Now, today was a day for an easy ride. Another pleasant afternoon. I got in from campus, we sat on the lawn furniture for a few minutes and then headed out once more. Just before this photograph she said, “Where did my speed go?” And just after this photograph we turned left, and she caught some exclusive cosmic tailwind …

Bang, she dropped me. It took no longer than the time required for me to tuck my phone back into my jersey pocket.

The next part of our route offers a turnaround point and I saw her there, 4.6 miles later. By then she was riding so well I figured that would be it. But I worked hard on tired legs over the rest of the ride — managing an 18-second PR on a Strava segment and put in some ridiculous mile splits, besides — and caught her just before she turned into the neighborhood.

Tomorrow is a rest day, after three days where I asked a lot of my legs, who aren’t used to that right now. The next several days might be rest days, too.

It’s never a rest day for Phoebe. She’s doing some cat yoga here. I think this position is called “I forgot my other leg.”

And here’s a photo of a cat somewhere he shouldn’t be. Go figure.

It means a lot when we’re in one room and hear a sound from elsewhere in the house and the immediate reaction is “POSEIDON!”

It means something else when it wasn’t him and we don’t even feel bad about the verbal scolding. You figure he deserves it for something else he’s getting away with somewhere.

Which is what you should be doing, getting away with something, somewhere. But come back tomorrow for more stuff here. There will be more stuff here.

More. Stuff. Here.


23
Apr 21

New site look

There’s a new front page on the website. It looks similar to this, and if you click this image you can see it for yourself. So click this image. We’ll be here when you get back.

Here are some television programs I didn’t share in this space this week. Let’s get caught up.

The award-winning late show:

The award-winning morning show:

The award-winning pop culture show:

The award-winning news show:

The award-winning sports highlight show:

And a sports talk show that will be winning awards very soon:

Happy weekend! Make it an award-winning weekend, why don’t you?


22
Apr 21

Happy Earth Day

Some places we’ve been lucky enough to see. One day we’ll get to see beautiful places again. Make sure you keep your part beautiful.


21
Apr 21

Just … why?

Woke up to this site this morning.

It gets better.

And if I double-check the calendar …

Yep, April 21st. We’re all fools.

It melted off by afternoon and, hey, it’ll help make things greener. Which would be a nice thing to see at this date in the year.

At least the heartier wild flowers are making an appearance.

These were covered in snow just a few hours ago.

If you stay there long enough, and it is quiet enough, and you are still and listen enough, it’s obvious they are as bemused as we are.

Next week it’ll be … who knows what it’ll be.


20
Apr 21

Come on, honestly

I’d like to compare and contrast yesterday and today.

I’d also like to point out the date. We’re in the latter third of April. We’re accumulating snow. Who wants this? Who chooses this?

We were in the television studio tonight watching it fall. It didn’t drift down peacefully. It didn’t flutter in the air prompting a meditative mood. It looked like the snow was being flung to the ground. Someone up there was angry with the stuff, flinging it off a shoe, dusting it off a jacket with a vengeance. I’m pretty sure no one here is pleased with it either. But, I guess, you just concede to psychological response akin to brainwashing.

This was a car parked out back of the building. It belongs to one of the evening maintenance people, and I walked out just before 8 p.m. I also have an approximate sense of when those nice people show up, so I knew it was gathering pretty quickly.

Indeed, on the drive to the house it was collecting quickly enough on the roof of my car that it was sloshing out when I cautiously accelerated through intersections. It was that melting-turning-immediately-to-ice stuff. The stuff that’s gross any time of year, but incredibly laughable for … yep, it’s still April 20th.

It’s still snowing, late into the evening. Can’t wait to see what it looks like in the morning.