Caged Mouse

Tropical storm Debby is upon us and I am feeling caged and wanting to get out!  I have just spent 8 or so days keeping up with the hardest race on the planet and now the rain is upon us and I'm still locked in the house!  Yes, I have some things to do, but the plants are growing without me and the bees are making honey without me.  I want to bike, but high winds and rain would not make good bed fellows to my bike and would probably put me in a bed permanently if bad visibility put me in front of a driver that couldn't see properly.  Even my favorite suffer-fest, the Polk County TT was canceled for today due to the yuck.

I guess I'll have to take a chance and go for a run later and soak my shoes to the bone with muddy water and sweat.  While I've been running the past few months, I decided to go for it and sign up for that midnight run!  I placed third in my age group the last time I ran it years ago and it has always been a source of good memories for me; running over a metal bridge in the moonlight and only really seeing directly in front of you and only hearing footsteps and breathing...

Nothing a few more boards and a level can't fix right?

At least I managed to replace some of the front deck and steps before it rained so I don't fall on my arss on the old slick surface that was the old decking.  I still need to do the rest, but at least it's a start and inch by inch it's a cinch, right?  Some of the old loose tiles in the kitchen have also been replaced and I am looking forward to putting some grout on them before they loosen up again. 
So, after all these years, I'm learning that I need to be outside more than in and riding my bike makes the world go round more than being locked up like a mouse in a cage in the rain.

RAAM

The next couple of weeks, I may not be writing much on my blog as I have been happily wrangled into providing coverage of Team Bacchetta RAAM for their blog on their quest for a four man mixed record crossing of the great United States of America on their Bacchetta CA 2.0s.  This is a grueling race and we have a few amateur RAAM racers and a couple veterans.  The crew is great and hopefully will be able to keep up with these very fast riders.  So, follow along at the provided link and enjoy the race!

Pic of the X-day

I took this a while ago and a conversion yesterday brought it back to my memory. It was taken during the beginning of winter and yet it has been so hot these past two days as to make it feel like the rays were burning the leaves off the trees.

Wanna screw?

The private deck has been a thorn in my side for a long time. It's always been on the list of things to get done, but everyone knows how that goes...
So, when my dad came out to visit this week, we worked together and got it done.  The underside was still in good shape so luckily that didn't need to be done. Also, the back sealed in porch was built on part of the deck so we would have to patch the new deck into parts of the old.

The work went pretty fast when my dad and I weren't "discussing" how to do it right.
Jared even worked both full days as the nail puller and did a great job stacking lumber by the road.

And, the dogs even stepped in for little inspections once it started to become safe for them to walk on it.

It will still need the railing pressure washed and painted and the decking will have to be sealed. But, all in all, it went together pretty well. It was kinda fun to have it mostly done and just run the drills with dad and get it all screwed:-)  It will look great with some plants and furniture.
And, like all hard working days, there must be a reward at the end right?

My view...

     When I ride, this is the view I have.  This view has provided me the mental clarity to deal with many things.  This is one of the reasons for which I have always come back to biking as a form of constructive exercise.  There is something about it which sets my mind at ease and lets me focus on the road ahead.  

     If everyone had one of these views, whatever it may be, the world would be a much calmer and quieter place.  So...enjoy the pic of my view today.  I hope you can find the view that you need to sort out the things in life that are holding you back so you can go forward with a big giant smile!

    

What? Me busy?! A life?!!

     Yes, it's true!  I work, I ride, I run, I work, I work, I parent; I am constantly on the go anymore.  With this in mind, it was great to have a break from the madness the last two evenings.  My life or lack there of, depending on who is reading, comes with a price.  The price is that you never get to associate with many friends and speak to others as if you are a normal human so your ability to communicate goes somewhat downhill:-)
     So, when the offer to go out the last couple of days became available, I took it!  Friday:  Dinner and drinks, and then a late movie!  Saturday:  Movie on the cheap and dinner.  Hell, Friday I even managed to stay out until the vampires were running the streets.  They are a strange crew, let me tell you.  I didn't even arrive home until 3 hours before my normal up time (OK, maybe not. Insomnia is my latest incarnation).  Yesterday was a little different as it was just a matinee and dinner was at a friends so at least I didn't risk a bite.
     All this fun has me thinking that I have a normal life.  What's next?  I sit here at the computer in the wee hours of the morning contemplating my next life altering experience.  Maybe today I'll run before I ride.  Maybe I'll call a friend and go flying for the first time in months.  Maybe I'll take the dog to the dog park and watch the drool happen.  Or, maybe I'll take a chance at something new.  Maybe I'll register for the fourth of July midnight run I did a few years ago.  Whatever is decided, I at least know that I can still make and keep friends that somehow think I am still sane.  And, that my life is hard and fun and filled with whatever you can behold; in other words...normal:-)