How much cuteness would a woodchuck have?

The weekend after the MS150, I had planned to ride my bike when visiting my parents for what is turning out to be an annual Father's Day/Mom's birthday ritual. Alas, they got about 7 inches of rain that weekend, which meant that I played cribbage and Scrabble and ate brownies instead. I managed to get the dog out for a walk during a brief break in between downpours, which was lovely.

I haven't gotten out on my bike much during the week, these past few weeks, other than for errands and going to the coffee shop, a couple of restaurants, and a taproom. (All of which surely are great training for the MS Ride Across Minnesota). Instead, I've been devoting much of my time to something with a very low ROI - weeding and trying to get my grass to grow. My yard once was beautiful and bright. It's pretty sad at the moment. I don't even like grass, so this really is an exercise in patience.

I was able to get some endorphins in my system when I went for a ride with my friend Deb (who is doing the Ride Across Minnesota, too) this past weekend. In addition to getting away from my yard and getting a respite from current events, I saw some sort of raptor, a turtle, and a baby woodchuck. A baby woodchuck! It was the highlight of the ride. I think we all could use some more baby animals in our lives right now, yes?

I did not take this photo, which I found via Google images

 I hope I will see some equally cute critters when I ride next weekend!

http://main.nationalmssociety.org/goto/Maggie2018TourDeMN