Stuff and Nonsense

You pick which is which.Christmas stockings: a wedding gift and samples for the class I am supposed to teach.Oak leaf shaped meatloaf, because Wiz has decided it's fall, even though we're still hitting the upper 80s and lower 90s. (In his defense, it is chilly when we are walking to school.)A jack-o-lantern dishcloth, washed and ready to use.A skull and cross bones dishcloth, knit on talk like a pirate day. Aaaaarrrr!

I've also picked up a temporary part time job, logged 125 miles this month (I've been busy, and sick) and have about an hour or more of homework help/supervision for the Wiz.

It's only September. I hope it becomes easier!

Two Rides

This week I've gotten to ride twice. (Hopefully, I'll get to ride again tomorrow.) It's amazing how differently both rides were.

On Monday, I went for a ride with the Collar. Last week, I'd been sick with a fever for a few days, but thought I was better. It was not much fun. We rode to M-F, very, very slowly. The wind was fierce--I really felt as if I was going to be blown off my bicycle. It's very dry right now, so there was a lot of dust in the air. The mountains were blurry due to the dust, and M-F looked almost as if it were on fire. Dust + asthma meant it was a very exhausting ride for me. Add on the fact that I was still recovering, it was a miserable ride for me. (The Collar enjoyed it more.)

Today I rode down to CP. This was much nicer because the wind wasn't as ferocious. There wasn't dust in the air, so breathing was much better. I felt faster (and I was: 15.0 mph Monday, 15.7 mph today). The sky was bright blue and the wind was crisp (not gritty and warm). Some of the difference was feeling better today and some of it was the weather wasn't against me. I am probably more recovered from last week, too.

As I rode today, I thought about what I see as I ride. I ride past historical sites (Whitman Mission), vineyards, onion fields, and wheat fields. I can almost always see the mountains. I see other cyclists, runners, and farmers. The horses here do not freak out like the ones in Kentucky did. They just watch me go by. There's even a farm with a flock of goats.

There's a reason I've ridden over 1100 miles this year. I'm not afraid a dog is going to attack me and there are so many places to ride. My cell phone works every where, so I'm not afraid of breaking down either. (Of course, I had a lot of help with child care this year, too.)

I can't wait to see where I go next year.

Knitting

is what I do when I'm uploading things for class or I'm sick. This week was both. I did play tennis with Game Boy once (he beat me!) and run once and ride once (22.5 miles) but I was sick Thursday and Friday, and I did do a lot of tinkering with my classes. I promised my niece who has Raynaud's syndrome that I'd knit her a pair of fingerless mitts. Wiz was enamoured of the pair, and didn't like that I was making it for his cousin. (He wanted a pair to wear to school. He loves his pink and purple ones, but the kids at school make fun of them.) When I knitted the second mitt, I knit it too short. I think he used the force on me. Instead of ripping it out (I started this pair on Tuesday) I decided to knit two more so I'd have two pairs, one for Wiz and one for M. Both pairs are now finished. Wiz is currently wearing his. He loves them. Hopefully his cousin will love hers too.

Tan

If you want to know what a really, really fair skinned white chick looks like after riding over a thousand miles, here you go:Yes, my fingers are tan, but the back of my hand isn't as tan.
Wrist and back of hand.Shortest short tan line. Yes, I AM really that pale.

Summer is Over

We know this because this weekend is the fair. The public schools are out for the fair on Friday, and since Monday is Labor Day, we have a four day weekend.

Friday is Kid's Day at the Fair, so we went after lunch and stayed until it was dark. The Fair is always better after dark. We rode some rides, looked at animals and other exhibits, listened to music, ate some snacks and dinner, and rode more rides. Game Boy had four friends showing animals and we were able to see them do that. I'm always kind of surprised that the boys haven't asked to show animals too.

The view from the top of the Ferris Wheel during the day.Two boys, resting.The view from the Ferris Wheel by night.

The Ferris Wheel

This morning we went to the Farmer's Market. We're still getting warm weather food, but the cooler weather options are creeping in. We were able to buy zucchini and greens. Fall is definitely starting to show its face. (There's a chance of snow in the mountains--if that happens, I'll post pictures. We aren't anywhere close to that down here in the valley.)