Afternoon on a Hill

I will be the gladdest thing
     Under the sun!
I will touch a hundred flowers
     And not pick one.

I will look at cliffs and clouds
     With quiet eyes,
Watch the wind bow down the grass,
     and the grass rise.

And when the lights begin to show
     Up from the town,
I will mark which must be mine,
     And then start down!

                    Edna St. Vincent Millay

 

A Rainy Saturday

Today's rainy day toddler activities:

watching trains on tv
taking a bubble bath
re-planting basil
playing with cars
trying on flip flops and bicycle helmets
reading a train book
napping
vacuuming
playing with cars
a bit of hide and seek
emptying front hall chest
looking at pictures and videos of self in digital camera

pushing cart around grocery store and sampling food
working on bike (and getting dirty)

Still to do:  turn into super mom.

Fail!

I perennially have this problem, apparently, of setting goals a little too high.  I did bike to and from work yesterday, but not today.  I had set the goal to bike both days.  But I think I made a reasonable decision.  I am out of shape, and this work week I biked 18 miles.  Many of which were hilly.  The two mornings I biked in (only returned via bike the second day biking), I spent the rest of the day exhausted.  Barely got any work done.  It turns out that the ride in involves about 3 of 6 miles uphill.  I discovered that yesterday biking home--I found the return ride to be almost effortless.  Plus there was a headwind for just about every one of those 18 miles.  So, I'm pooped.  Also, on the way home yesterday, I discovered that the traffic conditions were not safe enough for me to feel comfortable.  So, I will be investigating an alternate route this weekend, purchasing new riding gloves as my 8 year old ones disintegrated this week, and hitting the road for work next Tuesday.  Monday I need to lug too many papers back to school after theoretically grading them this weekend.  But I will take the train.

On a separate note, it has bugged me for some time now that I always seem to need so much "gear" when I ride my bike.  Is it because I am commuting?  Taking work stuff with me?  It's cold, so...gloves, legwarmers...special bike shoes when going some distance...bag or pannier for books...chain, tool, tube sometimes, pump, work shoes (having long ago worked out it was simpler to ride in work clothes but work shoes would get destroyed) ...warm clothes: scarf, windbreaker....leg pant strappy thing, 2-4 lights, odometer (which I always forget to turn on)...seat cover for rain...Then I have to take off said lights and odometer upon arrival at destination, and put on seat cover...helmet...

Observe this Utopian vision of the bicycling life that I dream of one day enjoying:
"Two Mornings"

My morning on the bike involves an albeit streamlined "gearing up" process, long solitary rides past few convenient cafes (all of which would require the lengthy dismounting and locking up process), a bus, and being sweaty and tired.  Afternoons involve traffic, as everyone seems to go home at the same time I do. 

I love biking and commuting by bike, and I truly enjoy riding (and bussing) it in to work, but will I ever attain that vision of elegant simplicity in the video above?  Is it just me?

Perchance to dream...

Springtime Goal Setting!

I might as well engage in my favorite cycling motivational activity.

• Bike commute plan (ride, bus, ride), check
• Bus pass, check
• Reasonable means for transporting stuff, check

I have completed the morning commute twice:  6 miles of cycling and 35 minutes of bus riding.  This week, I'd like to do the round trip and I'd like to do it for both days of work that are left this week.  Still no rain gear.  Working on plan for rain.

Love Abides

Wish ur mom happy birthday

A simple reminder.  I had, in fact, forgotten to wish her a happy birthday recently, so absorbed in my own toddler-filled, teacher-busy life.  It came from my dad, someone who has taken to texting like Beckham took to goal scoring.  Still, after more than twenty, perhaps twenty-five years of divorce, many of the early ones bitterly spent, it is a message that love in its most decent and basic form endures.  I am sure I'm not the only child, married herself now, of divorced parents that has pondered philosophically what happend to that love, united in faith, that once brought life and goodness into the world.  Well, for those believers in the goodness of faith and the generosity, shall I say charity, of the human heart--we have been justified.

Family Ride to Northwestern and Back

A beautiful day to ride together as a family.  We rode north along the lake in Evanston through parks and residential areas, stopping to play in the grass on a hill overlooking Lake Michigan near Northwestern University's soccer field before returning home.

Clothes, clothes everywhere and not a piece to wear

Weight this morning: 150.0 lbs (probably due to discovery of new favorite wine yesterday, and being at home with dulce de leche wafers, and rocky road ice cream purchase by husband (all-natural ingredients)).

But, in the last 24 hours, I have taken some big steps towards another personal goal--fixing my mess of a wardrobe.  I apparently, according to my husband, had been wearing a couple of shirts that were in fact men's shirts. Got rid of those and then some.  Also made a cute skirt purchase, but have no shirt to wear it with. Got sidetracked at Kohls due to comprehensive sale and inadvertently purchased some blouses that I will now be returning today after husband's advice, but this is an opportunity to find some more clothing items I need, also on sale.

Am turning into married version of Bridget Jones.
Wardrobe has inspired husband to do research on women's fashion. sigh.