Cement Shoes

Feel like I've been submerged in work, home & family projects and obligations these past few months that a 55°F late-December day was too nice to pass up a ride. Like some sort of filthy cleanse. Made proper(t) use of late Grandpa Tony's leather conditioner. Ride, rinse, repeat.

Rudy and Me

What with all the trials and tribulations we're experiencing with our new pup, Huck, we saw that Marley & Me was on last night and decided to finally watch it. Ever since being a kid, dog movies seem to be the biggest tear-jerkers of all... Yeller, Red Fern, My Dog Skip... and now this one. We've put off watching it thinking it would remind us of Rudy Boy too much, but surprisingly, IT WAS LIKE WATCHING THE PAST 15 YEARS OF OUR LIVES on screen. Rudy wasn't quite the trouble-maker, but he was there through all those stages of a young couple's life - career decisions, starting a family, the emotional setback of miscarriage, starting a family again, kids, more career decisions, balancing it all while feeling life's opportunities might elsewhere be slipping away with age... When the dad carries an aging Marley out and into the back of the wagon, I lost it. I recall the same walk with Rudy just over a year ago. Telling him it's going to be ok. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst. Dogs truly do teach us true love and loyalty. Watching their lives play out at 78RPM is a gift - a lesson - so that we may learn to be good and do good and love and eat and play in the short time we have here on Earth. Take time to be still, but never stop chasing things. RIP, Rudy (1999-2012)

Dog Days of Winter

This pup is seriously cutting deep into my cycling/running fitness and ambitions. He's in the "Hound of Hell" 13-15wk stage right now but showing glimpses of discipline. I'm starting to wish snow would stay on the ground until April - mostly because I have an endless supply of snowball treats for him on our walks, but also because backyard poo contrasts nicely against the white and is easier to avoid. Santa got a new Uke for my daughter (ME). So easy to learn - esp already knowing guitar - despite chords being different. Kinda like our little brown puppy right now -- a beautiful little instrument that constantly needs tuning. Walk yer dog. Play yer uke. Ride your bike! (eventually)

Bike lights

While there's a ton of bicycle lighting options ranging from $15-$1500, but nothing beats shutting it all down and riding under a free, bare-ass moon.

Huckleberry @ 3 months

Almost 20 lbs - Same weight we brought old Rudy home at when he was only 9wks. Huck's a bit leaner - but a good chunk of muscle. So far, he sits, shakes, high fives, down, stays, begs, fetches (instinctual though) and bites. Getting better about the latter, and is becoming a great companion.

Tolerances

Back in August during our trip to Colorado, it got down to 38°F one morning ride. When the body is used to Summer temps, this comes as a shock to the system. It's usually 2-3 ~40° rides before I even want to think about getting outdoors once on a bike when it eventually gets below freezing. Then a couple of freeze-level rides before the body realizes it can handle a little bit more (less rather). Got in a good hour+ before the work week. 23° felt like a sweet spot. Two performance Tshirts, arm warmers, then a long sleeve wool jersey and I was fine and toasty. Toes are my worst problem, but they are expendable. Ride yer bike!

Fog Days of Autumn

Yes, technically still Fall out there. Snuck in one last MTB ride before the bottom drops out on the temps later this week. Warm wet air out there tonight. Here was my view for 1.5 hrs:

Phoenixes and other stupid birds.

Been off the bike for a couple weeks. The pup is cutting into my pre-dawn ride ambitions because I don't want to wake him up & have to deal w/the poo/pee time then breakfast. So I let him sleep. I let me sleep. I've put nearly as many miles RUNNING in as my last ride SINCE my last ride and it's actually been fun. My high arches have been corrected orthotically and I wish I'd have figured this out (foot pain) 4 years ago but I just thought daily foot aching was part of getting old. Now I don't wake up in the middle of the night wishing I could soak my feets in some salts or something. Hot wax. Gnaw them off. They hurt. Not acutely, just hurt. Just ran 4.5 miles (trail) yesterday and they feel like two warm buttery bowls of popcorn if the popcorn was softer like cotton and shaped like a foot. So, I'm back to running and it feels great not having fiery ashes under my feet. I'm also back to riding and snuck in 40+ mi of Cass Co gravel before the Chiefs kick some donkey butt.

Black Friday

I went for a run and it looks like I beat the crowds.

Two-month birthday

Been a rough first week breaking this little guy from his Momma. He's such a Loverboy... when he's not being a biter boy.

Powder Puff Pepperoni Nationals

Hannah's pizza delivery came in a respectable 7th/64, but she took home most creative award. The earlier 3rd grade group had a hot dog car that won most creative, so I'm thinking the judges might have just been hungry. Fun day! Less weight aft next year - that pizza was a bit squirrely heading down the track.

I'm your Huckleberry

Gentlemen, start your ovens

Powder Puff Derby tomorrow. This pizza delivery needs sauced and cheesed and into the oven at 475° asap. My shop tools consist of one Ryobi 4.5" angle grinder. Hot & Ready!

Coup de Grass

Between myself, my neighbor's dog and The Arcade Fire, my newly-seeded, greenest-m.f.g.-in-Princeton-Heights suburban lawn is destined for defeat.