#SoCS: Overbudget

May isn’t halfway over yet and I’m a bit overbudget. I think it started in April, actually. I bought a new bike. The bike needed a different bike seat. I finally decided to buy a bike carrier and two-inch receiver so that biking buddy didn’t always have to bear that load on her vehicle. A good bike carrier is not cheap, but it should last the rest of my biking days. Then I bought new, longer bike shorts because lastRead more

#SoCS: Generally Speaking…

I hate technology at times. It’s Friday afternoon and the images I wanted to share are not cooperating. The android is not cooperating. Gmail is not cooperating. Gibbs tells me I’m not cooperating with his eating schedule. Whatever. The washer and dryer ARE cooperating, thank the Lord. Clean clothes are genuinely required. Anyhow, the photo of the bike is now my new bike, without the bike rack, odometer, front and rear lights and water bottle holder that was added atRead more

#SoCS: Profound and Pink

She steps out into the morning sun, a growing child of five, taking in the warmth of spring and new beginnings. The child heads to her love, a pink bike that sits in the corner of the yard, the one thing that brings adventure to her life as the tires spin across the grass and gravel. The sun beckons her down the block, across the cracks of sidewalk cement and slowly, across decades, she ages into her real self, theRead more

Beholden

Sitting here, wondering, what do I praise? In a week filled with stuffing and turkey Surrounding self, I fix a knowing gaze Faithful gratitude is never murky A bike, a home, gray and white purring cats Family, friends, community feels right I step on the earthen beholden mats And wipe away thanklessness with delight Upright and breathing is who I am now Fed with food and love and blue butterflies Embracing what matters like sacred cow Receiving life’s blessings isRead more

Capturing Life

“We travel not to escape life, but for life not to escape us.“ On Adrian’s Island, Jefferson City, MO, the pieces of the extra-large chessboard travel often, but not too far. There is no escape outside the square. Biking buddy and I returned from a nine-day vacation to Missouri. Our intent was to bike six days on the Katy Trail, but it ended up being only four days and 82.5 miles. The best laid plans… Actually, the heat prevented usRead more

#SoCS: Trails are the Easy Part

For this week’s Stream of Consciousness, Linda G. Hill has made it easy for me to post: “Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “trail/trial.” Use one, use both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use both. Have fun!” First and foremost, I will not be responding to trial. There’s a celebrity trial going on right now (haven’t watched a second of it) that is much in the media and seemingly never-ending. I think thisRead more

Gibbs Sends His Congratulations

Geez. I’m still wondering how retired life got so busy, but it’s not a complaint. I rather like it this way because it beats spending too much time on the couch, watching mindless TV, in the midst of winter. Speaking of winter, my brother sent me this photo on Saturday morning. It snowed in Colorado, up to a foot in some places. This was my chance to laugh at his predicament and enjoy the cool 64F (18C) day in Wisconsin.Read more

SoCS: How Ya Doin’?

How many times have you asked that question of family and friends? A hundred? A thousand? Too many times to count? When we don’t stay in touch with our people on a regular basis, it’s a fairly common first question to ask. Right? So, how are you doing my fellow blogging peeps? I’ve been a tad busy the last couple of weeks, which means I haven’t published a post or been reading many of your posts. I apologize. I’m notRead more

#SoCS: Bike Tripping

Biking buddy and I have been busy planning an end-of-June trip to Missouri. The Katy Trail, at 237 miles, is the longest “rail-to-trail” recreational delight in the United States. Spanning East to West from Machens to Clinton, it follows the path of the Missouri River for most of its length. We will be biking the western half of the trail, with visits to the Clydesdale ranch, breweries, wineries, and historic buildings thrown in. In preparation, biking buddy and I madeRead more

#SoCS: Explaining “Lid” to a Cat

“Are you okay today?” “Yes Gibbs, why do you ask?” “Because a few days ago, you didn’t seem okay.” “When was that?” “The day when you went out on that thing with two wheels. When you put on different clothes and left for a few hours.” “Oh, you mean when I went for a bike ride and came home with green paint down one arm and on most of my fingers?” “I guess. You seemed pretty mad.” “Yeah, I blewRead more

#SoCS: A Day Such as This

I aspire to a day such as this When blue meets blue and autumn is barely kicking When the geese aren’t sure if they’re supposed to stay or go When a summer-like breeze mixes with a waft of fallen leaves And Mother Nature spares us from her killing frost I am inspired on a day such as this To hop on a bicycle and ride ’til it hurts To follow a trail littered with leaves and invisible footprints To breatheRead more

Never Ever

“I could never in a hundred summers get tired of this.” ~Susan Branch~ One last summer hurrah That is all I need Til the season rolls around again And I am on my steed Summers tend to feel short in Wisconsin, but we northerners take advantage of the season as much as possible. Biking buddy and I had two wonderful days of wheeling in the sun over the past weekend, with unseasonably mild temps in the 70’s and 80’s F.Read more