World Wide Knit in Public Day

It was World Wide Knit in Public Day, and I wasn't anywhere near my home turf... I was in Arizona visiting my mother for a few days. What to do? Get on the Internet and see who was hosting one of those gatherings in the general vicinity.

There wasn't anything listed for Prescott, where my mother lives but there were two events listed in Cottonwood, so I picked the one that was meeting at an espresso shop -- better known as Jerona Java Cafe and Gifts. Great choice! My mother and I both slurped down strawberry smoothies and chatted with the knitters (and crocheters), and I worked on a small project as well.

We've been playing Scrabble quite a bit while I've been here. This is her favorite pastime while I find it excruciatingly painful! The last time I was here, I did the unthinkable and beat her in every game we played (seven in all). It was almost embarassing, as this is the person that I could hardly ever even come close to in the points -- I was usually left WAY behind.

I figured that this time around things would go back to normal, but after the first three games we played on my first night here, I again had won all three. This just wasn't right... something was "wrong"!

Whatever caused the "Scrabble Curse", it lifted today. We started out with me winning two games, and then we took time out to go to dinner. When we came back... she won two games, and is in the process of taking her third. And my scores? She's been sinking me by almost 100 points in each game. Yes, things are back to "normal"!

Waiting for Weather...

The accompanying photo was taken almost a month ago outside of Stanley, Idaho -- a small high mountain town the very often gets the lowest temperatures for the state during the winter months (and sometimes the summer months as well). While I can't swear to it, I believe that there's even been some occasions where Stanley had the low temperature on a national scale too.

So why write about low temperatures? Perhaps because we're over a week into June now, and the weather is acting like we're in March. We've had a lot of wind, chilly temperatures and haven't had the bike out since this particular picture was taken. Today the high in Stanley is expected to be around 54 degrees and partly cloudy. This is JUNE... could we kick it up a notch or two just to keep up with the global warming hype???

I noticed that the weather at my mother's house in Prescott, Arizona is supposed to hit 80 degrees... and to think that I'll be down there starting next Thursday for a short visit until Monday. While it looks like Boise will be doing a roller coaster ride between the 60's and 70's with a good mix of clouds, I'll be contending with a few days that (so far) look to be right in the 80's with no clouds in sight. Poor me!

Another Lazy Sunday

The first Sunday is June, this year known as "June 1st", is upon us. After a week of moderate temperatures and sunshine, our day off comes crashing in with gray clouds, cooler temperatures and a big threat of rain. Any chance of actually getting a bike ride in today? At 8:00 AM in the morning, my answer is a definite "I don't know!"

I've been complaining for a long time that Valerie is a workaholic, and have felt bitter at times that she got stuck working every day off she had... leaving only Sunday as a catch-up-on-chores and rest-up-from-the-week day. Then a friend of mine (from the Post Office) wound up getting a ticket for "driving under the influence"... and lost his license for a month.

I wound up taking him to work daily (in his truck), splitting both of our mail routes up so we could work them together from my postal vehicle and then in the evenings we'd go mow lawns (hence driving his truck to work in the morning... complete with trailer for lawn equipment).

This wouldn't have been such a bad deal except that when we started doing this (which negated my days off in favor of mowing lawns), the Post Office decided that the "overtime" people would no longer be used on their scheduled days off. After all my whining about Valerie never being around to do things with, suddenly she was free and available on her day off -- and suddenly I wasn't! Think that's funny, don't you? Well, read this:

I have completed my "month of service" and am now looking forward to my time off again. The Post Office has now changed direction and has scheduled Valerie to work on our next day off! Irony? Misery? Whatever it is... it ain't fair!

A Little Secret Sees the Light!

Back in 1993 Valerie and I went to England for a vacation, and we took our tandem bike with us. We planned to tour the country during our stay, but wound up taking a side trip to Blackpool without the bike (there were a few roller coasters that needed to be ridden there).

During this trip we enjoyed the hospitality of many people who members of the [British] Tandem Club. We were perhaps a little rough around the edges for some of these folks, as we still smoked at the time (which doesn't really seem compatible with the "healthy" cycling lifestyle). There was one couple who befriended us that we've kept in touch with ever since... it pains me that the commute is so big as they're the kind of people you'd love to have over for dinner at least monthly.

After my last post ("It was Twenty Years Ago Today"), Graham sent the following e-mail... which is so priceless that I've got to share it!

We always love your blog! I've never really been a beer drinker and when you were about to visit us for the first time in England those many years ago (in fact half an hour before you and Valerie arrived) I rushed to the store and bought a box of 24 Budweiser - the only "American" beer I could name. And I hate the stuff! Imagine my shock/horror/gloom when I offered you a beer and you said "no thanks, we're reformed alcoholics"! I think that we still have some of the cans!

I don't think I ever told you this before, did I?

No... you didn't! But thank you for sharing it now -- it just shows an even deeper side to your kindness and hospitality!

As I seem to recall, this is the same guy who borrowed a friend's lorry and then went looking for us along a cycle path that ran between Bath and Bristol just in case we were tired and couldn't quite make it all the way to his home. He arrived just as we pedalled by, and tried to run after us calling, "Rich! Rich!" The wind was in our ears, and we thought we heard some lunatic yelling, "Bridge! Bridge!" I brought the bike to a stop just in case this person knew something about the trail ahead that I needed to find out about... like a bridge that out. Instead it was just Graham, making sure that we were okay and giving us his first welcome to the area!

Between Graham and his amazing wife "Ros", there couldn't be two nicer people on the planet. If more people were like them, this world would be far better off. My thanks to both of you for some marvelous memories!

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

Perhaps one of the most famous opening lines for a song, it was also twenty years ago today that I spent my first day doing something other than consuming alcohol... and the clock is still ticking! (Do you hear any honking in the background? It's probably just me tooting my own horn!)

The last twenty years have probably been my best, and the years before this period are those I wish I could go back and revisit. What a waste of time, potential and a burden on other people -- whether or not they even realized it.

Thank-you's are due to Jodi, who got my butt kick-started on the road to sobriety, Susan who has always been a good friend and mentor in sobriety, and Valerie who has made life with another person good enough that I have no desire to run off and hide in a bar or a bottle.

Today is going to be a gorgeous day... so I'm turning off the computer and going... outside!

Back From the Dead...

Last Sunday I suffered from premature brain-death and totally forgot to add a post to this blog. I'll cling to the excuse that I was feeling absolutely rotten, with either a chest and nasal cold going on... or the heavy onset of seasonal allergies. I don't know which it was, but I do know I didn't enjoy it at all! It wasn't until yesterday afternoon that I even thought about this blog and then started wondering if I had skipped right over the weekly post. And the answer is an embarrassing "yes".

The picture included today is from the trip to Idaho Falls for the convention mentioned is the previous post. I was driving with another letter carrier (and coincidentally the guy I work right next to in the mornings when we put our routes together). He was armed with field binoculars and was on the hunt for anything that moved, and we had several deer and elk sitings... and then up ahead crossing the road was a wolf. We had to stop and watch him, while trying to get the cameras out before he trotted up the side of the hill and out of range. (The picture isn't great, but it's all I could get.)

We also managed to see antelope on our return trip home, but the mountain sheep he was hoping to spot eluded us during our trip through their little niche in the wilderness.

I've been working with a friend (the carrier who works on the other side of me) mowing lawns after work for the past couple of weeks. Perhaps this is how the allergy and/or cold cycle got its start. He's been needing help, and I've been assisting... last year I filled in for a couple days a week and I was slated to do the same this year. But until the end of the month it looks like I'll be doing a Monday through Friday thing after delivering the mail, which means leaving the house at about 5:45 in the morning and generally not getting back home until 9:00 PM at the earliest, which makes for a long day.

We used to ride bikes together, but then he started doing his lawn service and things got a little out of hand for him, so bike riding became a thing of the past. I started mowing with him mainly as a way to spend a little time together being that he wasn't going to go biking... the sad part is that I've never liked yardwork of any kind and have always insisted that God's greatest gift to mankind was asphault! He loves yardwork, and keeps talking about when we're both retired from the USPS that we can make this a full time business! Please... somebody... shoot me NOW!

In Idaho Falls

I've been in Idaho Falls, Idaho since Thursday, April 24th. I drove here with a co-worker to attend the Idaho Association of Letter Carriers convention and we return home today in about 6 hours from now... which means I need to stop messing with the computer and hit the sack. Still I wanted to get in some kind of post, rather than miss my usual Sunday installment.

The picture included for today was taken from our motel balcony, and shows the Mormon Temple on the east side of the Snake River.

Heading Back Toward Winter...

Happy Sunday everybody! After last weekend's teaser that warm weather was here at last, the Boise area finds itself looking at a projected high of 45 degrees and 30% chance of precipitation. Yippee. Can you feel my elation?

This coming week will throw a change into my routine; on Thursday I'll drive to Idaho Falls (on the east side of the state) where I'll be attending the state convention for the National Association of Letter Carriers. I'll drive back on Sunday, and rejoin life's normal programming. The weather, of course, calls for highs in the 30's to 40's along the route traveled with at least a 30% chance of snow. I'll be stuck inside a meeting room at a hotel for most of the time so I guess it doesn't really matter what the weather is like outside as I won't be out in it anyway!

Valerie found a bicycle helmet she liked last week; it didn't mess with her hair (which she keeps in a pony tail when riding) and was far more comfortable (and less hassle to put on because of the pony tail). Of course they didn't have the color she wanted... but we managed to find one on-line through Bike Nashbar that was on a close-out price. What a deal! We can never find stuff for me on close-out because my sizes are much too common and are always sold out! But she found the same helmet locally in my size (and matching color) and then asked the store personnel if they could do better on the price... and they gave her a discount! Good for her!

Now we're awaiting the arrival of her helmet through the mail and the return of some decent weather once again. I'm betting that the helmet gets here first!

On the Bike at Last!

It certainly took longer that usual to get us out for the first bike ride of the year, but today we finally had all our ducks in a row and the weather was "go"! Boise was expecting temperatures between 75 and 80 today and we drove down there to take advantage of it. (I imagine that the weather in Garden Valley was pretty nice too, but the route options are severely limited.)

We had a breeze to contend with, but fortunately for us it was blowing "the wrong way" today, so we rode into the wind for the first half of the ride (at a slow pace in an easy gear) and then screamed back toward where we parked the truck, with the wind pushing us all of the way.

We rode 17.5 miles... which doesn't sound like much, but for the first time out it's not too bad either. There's a lot of muscles that need to be awakened and worked back into shape, and then there's the matter of being able to sit on the bike seat for any extended amount of time! Hopefully, if the weather stays decent we'll start to be able to do a little riding with a little more consistency. (We're going to have to ride regularly if there's any hope of getting back into shape like we were back in "the olden days"!)

We stopped at a couple of bike shops along the route and checked out some of the new helmets for Valerie, and then after the ride we made the BIG mistake of stopping off and grabbing some Mexican food for dinner. We wound up with chicken fajitas and both ate more than either one of us should have. We probably negated all of the good work we accomplished by riding, but what the hey -- it tasted great at the time!

Where's the Good Weather?

7:30 AM: This has been one of those weeks where the weather started out filling us with hope that when our day off came (today) that we would be able to get the tandem out and take our first ride of the year. But the sunny hope week's beginning has given way to the cloudy gloom of week's end.

Here's what today's forecast for Boise says, courtesy of the "Weather Underground": Cloudy with scattered rain showers. Chance of precipitation 30 percent. Highs 50 to 55. Southeast winds up to 10 mph in the morning...shifting to northwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.

At first glance, one would tend to think that 50 - 55 degrees at this time of year would be great riding weather. And, if the sun were out, you'd be right. And there are others who would say that all we need to do is dress for the weather and get out there and do it anyway. You would also have an arguement that would be hard to beat. Enter the "I don't want to" factor.

I don't want to ride in chilly weather. We both have to work outside for a good portion of the day delivering mail. We get to experience the sun, the rain, the wind and the snow whether we want to or not. This week was breezy, and the breeze was nothing like the ambient temperature -- it was bitter at times and cut right through the clothes we were wearing. We were hoping that the weather was on the upswing, rather that the direction it took.

I don't want to ride in the rain. Again, refer to the first few sentences in the paragraph above. Combine "wet" with the chilly wind, and you have even less of a chance for an enjoyable ride. It's not like we were stuck with an office job all week and are dying to get outside, no matter what.

I don't want to catch the flu. I know this sounds silly, but I've managed NOT to come down with a cold or flu this season while Valerie has. And it's cycled back around for her, so she's enjoying it a second time. This is the variety that hangs around for a couple of weeks, and then slowly backs away... but some of the symptoms seem to take a month or more to disappear completely. I've been fortunate this season in that I haven't come down with anything, and Valerie doesn't need to be out begging for pneumonia to come and visit.

I don't want to grow old. But it's happened. If I were young in age and/or spirit, I'd ignore all of the excuses in the above paragraphs and get off of my ever-expanding arse and just go do it. Instead I'll sit here at the computer, with the heater cranked up and a warm mocha in hand and wait until summer arrives. (Which, by the way, is always much too hot to engage in any kind of physical activity when one doesn't absolutely have to!)

10:30 AM: It's been snowing since about 8:30, so the bike ride seems like an even sillier idea to me now! But you know that there's always next weekend!