Monday, April 27, 2009



It was 96 degrees today-- it's like we went right from winter to summer. I hate summer! Well, I don't really hate summer, just hot weather. Ok, I guess that means I do hate summer.

Anyway, I only went for a short ride to the Mennonite church and back. I didn't stop to take pictures; it was just too hot and I wanted to get back home. So here are a few pictures that I took yesterday-- dried up stalks of daisies or coneflowers, I'm not exactly sure.


They look pretty much like I felt riding out there today: parched and dusty.

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 19

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Ok, let's try this again...


Last year I had the brilliant idea that I should try and ride my bike every day of the year-- even in the rain and the snow. It wasn't a particularly well thought out plan, but I had some success, riding my bike for about 50 days straight before I missed a day.

Now that the weather's turned pleasant again (Thanks, Jay!) I'm itching to try it again. So here we go...

I've been riding now for three days in a row. The first two days I went four miles each and today I went for seven. If you've read my blog before (or if you've seen me recently) you know that I'm out of shape and also kind of a whiny baby about feeling tired, sore or just plain crummy. Well, that hasn't changed! Still, these first rides have been relatively easy-- I definitely didn't expect to hold on to the small amount of stamina I built up last year, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how good I feel.

Now I have to remember how to upload and organize any pictures I take... I still have lots of flower and bug pictures from last year to be identified, and I've taken about 70 new pictures in the past three days. Lots to identify there! But here's a roadside daffodil-- it's a sweet little thing even though it's kind of wilting away here. It made me smile to see it, anyway.

The top picture speaks for itself, I think, even though it's grainy (I told you my camera was junky!). It was just luck that I was riding by as the horses and tractor were close enough to be in the same frame. The horses are obviously working the field with an Amish farmer, while the farmer on the tractor is Mennonite. How do I know he's Mennonite? I've seen him with his family and the women's clothes are a dead give away. Their farms are a little less than a mile from my house.

Well, here's to a successful year of bike riding!

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 15