Wow-- I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I posted to my blog! I had a very busy end of the week last weekend, doing just over twenty massages in four days, so not a lot of biking was done. I was just too tired.

I did get a few rides in, though. Here are some pictures from some rides I took on the 14th and the 15th. The lilacs were so beautiful and sweet-smelling, despite the fact that they weren't quite in full bloom. They made me think how much I'd like to have some lilacs in my yard. I'm in the middle of redoing my front garden beds so there's a possibility that I could add some. Right now the only keepers I have are two Zepherine Drouhin climbing roses-- thornless and very fragrant-- and some mums. Everything else is going.

To that end, I joined the Lititz Garden Club! well, I kind of joined. I went to a meeting at the library last week and listened to a talk on trees. The talk was interesting but even more so was the fact that I rode my bike to the meeting, lol. Interesting to me anyway! I anticipated riding home at about eight, but the speaker went long and I didn't start until about ten minutes to nine. I've ridden many times in the dark, but this was the first time I was going to be riding in a more congested area with no real shoulder. Not that there's every really congestion in Lititz, but still. I got a horn blare from a driver who didn't appreciate my biking efforts, but other than that it was an uneventful trip.

Even though I haven't been riding as often these past two weeks, I have been riding farther. My average ride is now about fifteen to seventeen miles, with some longer distances thrown in on occasion. In the grand scheme of things or compared to the mileage of others they're not great feats at all, except when you consider that my overall physical condition isn't very good. It wasn't all that long ago when going four miles was a huge achievement. And I'm lazy, which makes any bike riding at all a big deal. Or maybe not lazy, but I do have a hard time feeling motivated to do things most days. Just the way life is right now. So fifteen miles on a regular basis is cause for celebration!

The sign above is representative of a common sight in Lancaster county-- religious admonitions posted where passers-by can see them. I see them often when driving, but haven't seen many while biking. Some of them are kind, like this one, but others are about repentance, sin, etc. As I encounter them I'll put them up here.

I'll wrap it up with a cow picture. These cows (and I think the one on the right with the black face is a bull-- his name was Tony) are on an Amish farm in Warwick Township. They are also the cleanest cows I've seen. I hate to say it, some of the farm animals I see around here are filthy. One farm in particular has the dirtiest cows I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure they're dairy cows, and it makes me never want drink milk or eat cheese again. But these cows were neat and tidy, as you can see.