Day 35 miles to/from work: 26.8
Total miles for S4S: 931.7
A great wind is blowing, and that gives you either imagination or a headache.
-Catherine the Great
As Silver Beauty and I departed this morning, we enjoyed all the benefits of: 43 degrees. Windchill 35 degrees. Winds 17 mph gusting to 35. In yesterday's post, I described the weather as not user friendly, further embellished with such adjectives as "gray, windy, bone-chilling". Today's forecast made me long to picnic in those idyllic conditions. I not so much rode as wrestled my way into that antagonistic, ice-bitch of a wind, yet with enormous gratitude that the earlier forecast of rain was not part of this scenario.
Even with the benefit of wearing stretchy "Magic gloves" yesterday, my fingers were numb, red Popsicles by the time I got to work. Today my Castelli neoprene gloves saw active duty. My hands still got cold, but not as cold, and not as early in the ride. But enough about the elements and the gear for staving off the elements. Check out what's new at Dane County Humane Society (DCHS).
Yesterday I received an update on the DCHS Four Lakes Wildlife Center (FLWC). If DCHS were "just" about saving dogs and cats, I would still consider it great work. They are indeed doing that, but their scope includes so much more. Two previous S4S posts detailed how DCHS is helping victims of domestic abuse through their SAAV program and facilitating transformation in both prison inmates and the dogs they train through the Second Chances program. As if that were not quite enough, they also rehabilitate injured wildlife through FLWC.
"A juvenile pelican was abandoned by her flock in northern Wisconsin. [Who knew we even had pelicans in Wisconsin? lz] She has an eye injury and will need to be monitored by FLWC for at least a month while her future placement is arranged. DCHS is hopeful to find transport to a warmer climate or to another wildlife rehabilitation center that is better equipped to care for her over the harsh winter months. The pelican eats approximately three pounds of fish daily, costing DCHS $50 a day." [Dear Lord, we could all eat at Lilliana's complete with wine for a week's worth of pelican fare.]
"An adult beaver was found by the Yahara River with a laceration on his side. Exceptional Care for Animals was able to repair the wound, and FLWC is now monitoring his recovery. Once stable, the beaver will need to be transferred to a facility [for further recovery]."
These are more examples that whatever comes through the doors of DCHS is taken in and cared for. Let me say yet again, thank you for being instrumental in the success of DCHS with your pledge to S4S. You can see all the good that you are doing in so many ways with your support.
The ride home had some sun and more blue skies than gray to accompany the tailwind—nice companions to have on a bike ride. When I got home, my lifetime companion was back from his business trip,making it a truly happy Thursday!
Day 34 miles to/from work: 29.3
Total miles for S4S: 904.9
I don't think Wisconsin should become known as a state where we shoot cats.
-Former Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle
User friendly: what this morning was not.
It wasn't a bad morning by any means. Although short on sleep—now the standard—I felt good. Getting ready for work went smoothly, Jazz and Oreo seemed marginally grateful to be fed (okay, not even a little, but at least they didn't act pissy), and all was well with the world.
However, the great outdoors presented a gray, windy, bone-chilling day determined to emanate hostility. Rather than focus on the hypothermia and frost bite (my fingers went numb even with gloves, but honestly, the ride wasn't that bad), I want to put the lens on Wisconsin and how I fell in love with my adopted and adoptive state.
If you live here, you're already livin' The Dream, and 'nuf said. If you're not a homey, I hope my pictures with every blog post have given you some idea of what a beautiful, diverse state this is—even though you've only seen one teeny 13-1/2 mile sampling of it.
In April 2002 I was preparing to move from Sacramento, California to Austin, Texas. "Uh, hello? Austin, Texas isn't exactly where you wound up." For a blonde with a bad sense of direction, landing in Madison was an easy mistake to make: state capital, university town, humid summer. (January demonstrated that the winters are the distinguishing characteristic between Austin and Madison.)
Before embarking on the intended move to Texas, I had sold my house and wrapped up my job in Sacramento. Free time and open road beckoned for me to take the big honkin' road trip of my dreams. For three months I drove all over the USofA and put 15,000 miles on my car. I came through Madison and spent five magical days, during which my feelings for this city and this state were like falling in love with a person. I could no longer imagine living anywhere else. Within six weeks I had a job and owned a house here. I later learned that both my grandmothers were born in Wisconsin, so probably some primal drumbeat was thrumming through my reptilian ganglion and brought me back. (Fade with Twilight Zone theme....)
As much as I loved my life in Madison, those first few years I often lamented, "if only I could find a man I love as much as I love this city". In 2006 I met Scott. So my life here now is about two great loves.
And one bicycle. Silver Beauty taxied me on a couple after-work errands and then home through a still somewhat unkind and cold wind. But I was bundled up in cozy layers, ear warmers were in place, and—of course—my bright night train light led the way. Happy to be home. Happy that home is in this place that I love.
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Day 33 miles to/from work: 26.8
Total miles for S4S: 875.6
Saving the life of one animal may not change the world, but the world will surely change for that one animal.
This is how my morning started—a gorgeous sunrise over the lake and cleaning the kitty litter box. I have spared you pictorial evidence of the latter. When Silver Beauty and I set out, it was 37 degrees and mostly clear skies.
For those of you who are regular readers here, you know that every Tuesday is "Last-chance Tuesday", when some of my Texas friends and I are wildly networking the Carrollton, Texas shelter animals that haven't been adopted or tagged by a rescue and face Wednesday morning euthanasia. This morning at 12:30 am, I was emailing a rescue (Casa de Perro or CDP) about Miss Piggy, a pitbull in need of rescuing. And she was heartworm-positive. And had kennel cough. (Just how sweet a deal is that, huh?) She also had $200 in pledges from networkers, plus a sponsor who said she would cover the heartworm treatment. Miss Piggy had her fan club. The fact that she was a dog was good enough for me; and with a name like Miss Piggy ("Never eat anything heavier than you can lift"), in my book that was a mandate to save her.
When I got up even before the sunrise and checked my email, there was no response to determine the Divine Miss P's future. I texted my buddies about the lack of rescue response with, "So what's wrong with this guy? He's not up after 12:30 and before 6?"
Silver Beauty and I were sailing along when my cell phone rang. I pulled off the path onto the edge of a field. It was Mike from CDP, saying he would take Miss Piggy as long as the person sponsoring the heartworm treatment would let him use his own veterinarian. In addition, he would take Knight, a black lab and also a Carrollton inmate. Woot! Double score! I called Joe at Carrollton animal shelter to let him know, then called my friend Leticia so she could get the heartworm sponsor in touch with Mike. Then I just laughed. I was on my way to work, standing off the bike path in a field in Wisconsin, shivering in 37 degree temps, spending 20 minutes talking to people in Texas I've never met about a dog I've never seen except in pictures.... I was thinking "This is both so funny and so cool! And we're saving lives!" All in all, a fantastic start to Last-Chance Tuesday.
It was a ride with a cold headwind, and I didn't care. Miss Piggy was safe. Knight got into the bonus round. Life is good. Life is life.
There is something about 50 degrees at the end of October that does not equal 50 degrees in early October. When I left work the temperature was in the mid-50s. It didn't matter. It was cold and raw. The harbinger of winter. But winter with a tailwind. That made for a quick and reasonably pleasant ride home, despite the rawness.
The rest of the evening was entirely predictable—I got sucked into the rescue operation. And it was a success. Five cats and one more dog, tagged by rescues. Once again, Wednesday morning the Carrollton Animal Services executioner will be sharing office space with the Maytag repairman.
Winning!
Day 32 miles to/from work: 28.8
Total miles for S4S: 848.8
She's a bright night train layin' brand new track.
~ Paul Cebar
You need background music for this post, so please, indulge me. Click the arrow on the video to the left and enjoy one of my favorite musical artists, Paul Cebar, as you read.
I mentioned in an earlier post that I got a 1000-lumen light for Silver Beauty last week and just charged and installed it this past weekend. The bike "headlight" I had been using was 300 lumens. If you have been driving your car at night while having someone run in front of you with a birthday candle to light the way, you have some idea of the challenge I faced on those evenings I came home in the dark. Although Silver Beauty and I left for work this morning in the light of a dazzling sun, I was almost giddy at what awaited me on the return trip.
My legs were far better than Friday, but not fully fresh. Saturday Scott had mercilessly prodded me on a ride (17-mile round-trip) in gale force winds with promises of good beer and great company. Not like that took a lot of lashes with the bull whip. First we biked to a bar (but not a biker bar) near campus and watched the Badgers going all Hannibal Lechter on Indiana's ass. Then we rode to our friends', the Wiesners', house for their annual Homecoming party. It was awesome, with all the fun, interesting people (including the host and hostess) and excellent beer anticipated.
Sunday I did nothing more active than what was required to haul my body out of bed and get it to places that provided food and drink.
The ride in this morning was a chilly 40 degrees, but I was dressed for it. The tiny bit of headwind was docile compared to the gale force wickedness of Friday and Saturday. The sun was bright, the sky was blue, and riding a bike once again felt like a child's gift rather than a grown-up duty. The going was a little slower than the norm, but completely enjoyable.
Now I know how locomotives and their conductors feel cutting through the black of the night in a luminous blaze. Ethereal. Liberated. On fire. I am eternally grateful for the great good fortune to even once experience being a bright night train. (Well, for great good fortune and free shipping from Amazon.com. They're not always easy to distinguish from one another.) I'm fired up at the very thought that I might very well experience that luminescence again tomorrow.
Day 31 miles to/from work: 26.6
Total miles for S4S: 820.0
You never have the wind with you—either it is against you or you're having a good day.
~ Daniel Behrman, The Man Who Loved Bicycles
It's Friday, and you know what that means! "Would you like cheese with that whine?" You have the formula down by now and could probably write this yourself, but let me give you the Reader's Digest condensed version first. "I'm tired. The ride was hard. Whaaa. Whaaa. Whaaa."
Okay, here's the novella-length version. I did not want to get out of bed this morning—even less than I want to get out of bed on any weekday morning. Falling lower on the chart of things I found desirable this morning was getting on Silver Beauty to ride. When I proposed S4S, I said I would do it—I didn't promise to always like it.
The temperatures were back down to the 40s, and the north wind came with a sharp bite. This was compounded by the fact that it was a head wind, creating a literal and figurative uphill battle for the entire ride. Of the 62 rides I've done since September 1, on the scale of best to worst, this one would definitely rate as #62.
The good news: the sun was shining. I am healthy and can ride. Even feeling like Grinch on a Bike, I felt grateful for the gift of freedom of movement.
The ride home was the polar opposite of this morning's foray. That north wind, blessedly, had not changed direction; so between the downhill grade and a tailwind, filing a flight plan might have been in order. It was great! Knowing we had reservations at Christy's Landing for a fish fry made it all the sweeter. Let the weekend begin! Laissez les bons temps rouler.
Day 30 miles to/from work: 26.8
Total miles for S4S: 793.4
According to Weather.com, the rain was supposed to stop by 7:00 am. By 7:30 it was still going strong. When Silver Beauty and I set out, we were fully geared up—I with my rain jacket, rain pants, and industrial goggles; Silver Beauty with her seat encased in a plastic grocery bag. Within two miles I was roasting, and the rain had mostly subsided. I pulled off to the side of the bike path, took off my helmet, removed the goggles, stripped off the rain jacket, took off each shoe followed by the corresponding pant leg one at a time, and stuffed everything into a pannier, then replaced the helmet—all while balancing SB. I wondered what this looked like from the office building I was facing.
I was happy to leave the office in the light of 5:30 instead of the dark of 6:00 and rain—the sun was shining, wind blowing, and temperatures had dropped. It was chillier than I had expected, but a bright ride home. No dark. No rain. Just easy ridin'...and home.
Day 29 miles to/from work: 27.3
Total miles for S4S: 766.6
The ride ahead held a damply depressing outlook, and I harbored dim hope for evading the threat of serious mildew action. Without much enthusiasm, I climbed on Silver Beauty and started pedaling.
Rote muscle memory pushed me through gray-toned landscape. Then a couple miles in, I realized that the temperature was politely non-intrusive. The breeze was soft and accommodating. A little sunshine would have been nice, but otherwise it was just damned pleasant. Midway to the office, I shed sleeves to bare arms (not to be confused with "to bear arms"—no munitions were involved). By the time I got to work, even El Sol had made an appearance.
From my office I watched the day follow an arc of progressive vivacious brilliance, then sullenly descend from its apex to dark skies and rainfall. Yuk. It was after 6:00 when I left the office, happy for my rain jacket and waterproof panniers; not so much for the rain. In another post I related the utterly failed experiment of using swim goggles as rain eyewear. Soon after, I ordered some clear, "splash-proof" safety goggles, advertised to be vented to avoid fogging. If they were good enough to protect one from the splashing of industrial chemicals, my theory was that they would do just fine in the rain. And they did.
In fact, I did just fine in the rain as well. After the initial resistance to the whole idea, I embraced the thought that it was just rain. Not cold. Not blowing. Certainly not dangerous. Just rain. That shoe-sloshing thing just leant an added dimension to the event. And wasn't I the intrepid adventuress to be biking in it?
When I got home, I eagerly sought the final immersion therapy of the day. Dorothy was right that there is no place like home—and after getting both sodden and grubby on a rainy ride, that haven was made even better with the comfort of a hot bath.
Even with the benefit of wearing stretchy "Magic gloves" yesterday, my fingers were numb, red Popsicles by the time I got to work. Today my Castelli neoprene gloves saw active duty. My hands still got cold, but not as cold, and not as early in the ride. But enough about the elements and the gear for staving off the elements. Check out what's new at Dane County Humane Society (DCHS).
"A juvenile pelican was abandoned by her flock in northern Wisconsin. [Who knew we even had pelicans in Wisconsin? lz] She has an eye injury and will need to be monitored by FLWC for at least a month while her future placement is arranged. DCHS is hopeful to find transport to a warmer climate or to another wildlife rehabilitation center that is better equipped to care for her over the harsh winter months. The pelican eats approximately three pounds of fish daily, costing DCHS $50 a day." [Dear Lord, we could all eat at Lilliana's complete with wine for a week's worth of pelican fare.]
"An adult beaver was found by the Yahara River with a laceration on his side. Exceptional Care for Animals was able to repair the wound, and FLWC is now monitoring his recovery. Once stable, the beaver will need to be transferred to a facility [for further recovery]."
The ride home had some sun and more blue skies than gray to accompany the tailwind—nice companions to have on a bike ride. When I got home, my lifetime companion was back from his business trip,making it a truly happy Thursday!
