I finally got back on my bicycle, looking for some fresh air and exercise. It feels great, but have you ever noticed that having a break from activity for a few months means you lose ground? It has been too cold and wet and has only been seasonably warm in the past few weeks. That was enough to encourage me to go out. I know it will take some weeks to get back on track. But for the moment I’m timing my ride, taking fewer breaks each day, and feeling grateful for the chance to be out in the open. Luckily we live in a rural area where we can get out to bike or walk without being met by lockdown problems.
The daffodils are out in full force (above) and I came across a tulip tree (below). The blooms are gorgeous. I know that bush has another name.
What’s blooming in your neck of the woods? (Do people even say that anymore?) Drop me a note and let me know.
Nineteenth began his customary tour around the Banderos territory. Regular workers made their rounds, leaving from the various border stations to patrol the boundaries, but he liked to have a look himself to see what was working, what wasn’t, what had changed since his last tour. He was the nineteenth son of Gerwal Banderos, who had taken control of this unclaimed territory near the end of The Last War, when things were still in an uproar as the Old Empire disintegrated.
Although there had originally been twenty-six Banderos sons, the number was much less now. Each one of them had a job—Scribe, vegetable gardens, patrols, border station duty, bakery, militia. It was a well-organized system that had benefited the whole family.
As Nineteenth Banderos emerged from the forest on his way to the northern border station, he immediately reined his horse to a walk at the alarming sight that appeared in the valley below. His young brothers, Rascal and Runt, were riding behind, accompanying him on his rounds, and he heard the hooves of their mounts slow on the trail. “The Shafoneurs have done it again,” he said, as the herd dogs circled around him.
My book Lies He Told Me is being recommended in the Read Freely newsletter going out in a couple of days. You can sign up here to receive the newsletter – http://www.readfree.ly/newsletter.
With all the lockdowns around us, we try to get outside for a walk or bike ride whenever we can to allow some time out of our house. Usually our choices are limited by the amount of rain coming down.
So this morning, we were fortunate to decide on a bike ride. The forecast had indicated rain, but we woke to no rain, just pretty cold– -1 or -2. We headed out to ride around the airport.
One advantage to the airport circle is it’s all paved, which is a vast improvement over the railroad trails we often bike that are gravelled which means more hard pedalling to cover the distance. The disadvantage is there are more hills than you’d think going around the whole air field. We started out, dressed for the cold with wool scarves, lined gloves, toques under our helmets. For some reason I didn’t have any energy, or lung capacity. I had to stop to catch my breath often.
The sky had a huge dark grey cloud overhanging, which seemed to be following us as we started out. (the picture above was taken on a different day!) Right away it started to sprinkle. If you live on the west coast, you soon learn that a sprinkle is not rain, often you don’t even have to turn on your windshield wipers, but it’s still wet. The sprinkle ramped up until I was almost ready to admit it was raining. That’s when I said, “I think I’ll turn around.” My husband said, “No, we never turn around. Besides it’s the same distance to the truck if you go forward or turn back.” I sighed, admitting he was right.
However, by the time we started up the steepest hill to the copper feathers at the top, it wasn’t raining any more. It was hailing. The heavy grey cloud was low overhead and dumping chips of ice on us. No point in turning around, as we were 3/4 of the way through by then. We reached the top of the hill, coasted down, and roared along the bottom slope to the truck. By the time we reached it, the hail was finished, and there was even some sun showing through a gap in the clouds. Quite an adventure for a little bike ride.
What do you do to keep from isolating so much? Send me a note about how you are coping.
