Well, that was a year.

I normally do a Thanksgiving post to thank people for supporting my BikeMS fundraising, to reflect on my general good luck and strong support network, and to frame things optimistically for the next year. 

I couldn't really muster it this year, even though I am grateful and optimistic. I was going to do it, then, on my birthday in December as a "year in review" sort of post, but also had problems prioritizing it. 

This past year was hard. I am *so very* lucky to have weathered my job loss rather well (thanks to many of you!), but am still unmoored by the devastation unleashed by the current administration, which has affected my work, my colleagues, several of my friends and some of my extended family (personally and/or professionally), my community, and, well, the world at large. While I'm personally fine, I feel unsettled and drained and I have to work harder to really intentionally embrace the bright things and pause to recognize their value instead of cavalierly just living a privileged life. 

So, that said, here are some bright spots in 2025 for which I'm grateful. (Disclaimer: I'm typing this on my phone in the car. I'm the passenger, not the driver! Yet there likely are some typos and I can already tell that some of my photos will be weirdly oriented.)

January

My friend Molly and I walked around Lake Harriet. We didn't have much snow last year. (Molly still had her braces, and now her teeth are like something out of Hollywood!) Anyhow, Molly is a true unexpected gift in my life. She is positive, smart, magnetic, and active, and she walked me through how to start my own consulting business after the shit hit the fan. She is amazing and my wish for people is that they have their own version of Molly.

My former neighbor of 23(!) years/bestie Jen and I went to a class at a brewery with her sweet friend Heidi and made blankets. Mine is soft and I love to snuggle on the couch with it when the dog suggests that I get out of bed at absurdly early hours. 

February

About 60 of my colleagues and I were fired, effective immediately, at about 10:37 a.m. on Valentine's Day, about 2 hours before I was already planning on driving to WI to see my sister Molly. I guess the timing was fortuitous in that way! Special thanks to my friends, siblings, and cousins who reached out during that fraught time. My great friend Marcy - my very first MN friend, besides my dorm roommate (who I still talk to!) wrote me a note that I'm worth $300+$1 Billion, which still makes me laugh. I have a good support system. 

Given how dry the winter was, I got the special gift of taking my road bike out toward the end of the month.

March

My friend Kim not only gave me an amazing, free haircut, she also went for a ride with me on St. Patty's Day! She encourages me to express my true self. Haha.

April

My former division at CDC got eliminated as part of the HHS April Fool's Massacre. I already had plans to meet a public health colleague at the brewery in my neighborhood that night. I enjoyed the four-mile walk in the snow and appreciated being able to spend a couple of hours with someone who understood the implications and loss. My house looked cozy. 

Thanks to Christina at the MN Department of Health, Cathy at the American Cancer Society, Elisha at the CDC Foundation (a non-government non-profit), Annie at the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, Tamara at the National Association of Attorneys General, and Mark at the Public Health Law Center, I had work to do - for pay. I'm so grateful. The NAAG project took me to San Diego, where I got to see my long-time riding partner Matt (I miss our adventures, but am glad for him that he is on his own adventure!) and then got to head up to Orange County visit my sister Lori and BIL Shane. Hurrah!

May

In May, I began my biking season in earnest, starting with a pretty decently long ride with Laura and Carolyn, two core members of the group of women I ride with. We rode through Spring Lake Park to Hastings.

June

In addition to going to my niece's (CA) and nephew's (MN) graduations, we got to see Dan's brother, SIL, and one of their many kids at the beach in SC. This is the lovely view from their house. It was a great trip!

Also, one of m favorite people who worked at the CDC with me, Maeh, had an unexpected layover in MN. So we got to hang out for a little bit!

July

July is always great because of the TRAM. See my last blog post about that! The week before the ride, Dan, Haley, and I went camping. I can't rotate the photo on my phone. :) Her ears were in full bat mode here. I did a great bike ride, despite wildfire smoke, and Haley absolutely loved the waves and crayfish in Cass Lake.

August

I got to see lots of work colleagues, past and present, at the national tobacco control conference in Chicago (near the bean), which was really weird in many respects, given the cuts federally and related cuts to state health departments and non-profits. It was great to see the people I could, including Jennifer who came from Atlanta not to attend the conference, but to bring former CDC colleagues together for dinner. That's totally Jennifer, bringing people together. 

September 

I got to see current work colleagues and some other, former CDC favorites in Atlanta. I also did a really great long bike ride in Wisconsin. It was an organized ride, but did not have a ton of support, so I had no qualms about weaving together two routes to maximize my fun and see some of my favorite spots by my Mom and Terry's house. I enjoyed the free brat and beer at the end. Before heading to that area of the state, my dog Haley and I found a great Sniffspot by my stepmom's house. 

October 

October took me to my sister Molly's in the Bay Area. I got some quality time with my nieces and BIL and with Molly and her bestie Kate when we stayed by the ocean and hiked in the woods (we walked upright, even though the photo isn't). I also got to visit my friend Maeh (see June)! 

Also, I was able to get this great photo of two other super great friends of mine: Kristin and Susan. Steady positive strong forces in my life since 1994, when Kristin hired me, dared me to ask Dan out, and his good friend was dating Susan. 😀

Ah, shoot, it is sideways! 😀

November 

Well, here is a sideways photo my friend Jen (see Jan., which is funny because her IG name is "Jen not Jan") took the day after her amazingly wonderful wedding(!) in San Diego.

I'd share a photo from the wedding but I think they are not yet public. This was probably my favorite wedding ever (or at least tied for that honor?), and my favorite thing of 2025! 

December 

We did the Xmas family journeys we haven't attempted since 2019. Here's another sideways photo from by my Mom and Terry's. This is my exact favorite spot to be. We visited them after going to my stepmom Beth's, where Haley and I introduced Dan to the good Sniffspot, where we got Xmas cookies and raspberry jam!

So, typing this all out, slowly, on my phone as we head to my in-laws' house has made me feel even more grateful. 

Harvey, who I met on the BikeMS TRAM in 2024, came to Minneapolis this fall, and we went on a bike ride with Steve. Harvey bestowed on me the honor of being featured on his fake magazine cover related to optimism. He mined past blog posts (and still reminds me of them to this day). I'm sorry for the sideways photos. 

Harvey is a gem in this world, and I'm grateful to have met him. Surrounding yourself with optimistic and encouraging people like Harvey, Ian, Marcy, Molly, Susan, Kristin, etc., and, frankly, the whole lot of you, is helpful. I'm very lucky. 💜

So, what's in store for 2026? I'm still setting my biking goals. The BikeMS TRAM is in central Minnesota this year, near where I am at this moment, as our drive has ended. That's an event, but I will set bigger goals. I'm about due.

Thanks for helping me raise over $7800 for the MS Society last year. That's impressive! Here's my link for 2026, if you're ready to start the new year off with another donation! 

https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participants/Go-Maggie-Go

Another Great TRAM - Done!

 “The whole point of taking pictures is so that you don’t have to explain things with words.” — Elliott Erwitt

Not exactly, but photos definitely help! So, on this page, I will share photos from last week. 

But first, a word from our sponsors: I need to acknowledge all of the amazing people who donated to the MS Society in support of my fundraising efforts. You all very kindly donated $6,000+ in the months leading up to the ride. But then, just before the ride started, I saw that I dropped down to the 11th-highest fundraiser for the ride this year. Last year, I was #10. 

Sign in Willmar this year, proving that I was #10,
which ended up being the number on my luggage
tags and wrist band this year.  

Very generous and thoughtful people who were killing time on Facebook wanted to help me achieve my goal of staying on the top 10 list for the ride this year. They donated through my fundraising link and I got back to the top 10, have fallen to #11 a few times since, and people keep donating to get me up to #10 (or higher!). I'm at $7,640 and in the top 10 by a margin of about $100. It has been super fun to be on the receiving end of such support and for a great cause. I'm so grateful to all of you, thank you. And for those who could not donate but sent me such nice encouraging messages, those matter, too! They got me out of my tent and back on my bike when I wasn't exactly "feeling it." :)

The white band matches your luggage and your bike.
If you park your bike in the bike "corral," you need
to show this number to get it back out. The VIP
band is due to raising a lot of money this year.
As a result, I got some special snacks each
day of the ride (including a Coke Classic at
Rest Stop #3 on the days I wanted it), and 
priority biffies, although there were never
long enough lines to "pull rank."

Okay, those photos! 

We drove to Marshall, MN on Sunday,
checked in at the Red Baron arena,
and set up our tents.

My friend Steve and I at the brewery in Marshall,
 the night before the ride. We set up our tents and it was going to start raining.
We still had access to my car, so we went and ate dinner at 
the brewery. Two motorcycle guys sat with us and didn't understand
why people would do big bike rides, or live in the Twin Cities.
They told us that we just missed some flash flooding in Marshall.

Monday morning, they held those of us who hadn't left super early,
to wait out a storm and let the worst of it pass.
My rain pants zip off into rain shorts,
so I wore those when it was raining the most.
But as it warmed up and the rain turned into a drizzle
for the rest of the 51+ mile ride, I just wore my regular shorts and shirt.

Typical radar for the week!
The MS Society safety team did a *great* job of
telling us to wait to start, or starting
us early to beat the heat. We got rained
on a few times, but nothing like what
the radar was showing!

We rode from Marshall to Granite Falls on the first day. Steve and I set up camp and had some snacks by the river as we waited for Stacy to drive down and meet us. She rode with us Tues-Thurs.

Lots of pelicans by the dam in Granite Falls!

Across the street and down a small hill from
our campsite in Granite Falls. This all apparently was
under water not that long before we were there.
That's the Minnesota River.

Stacy knows I love these photo opportunities,
and humored me. That's friendship.

On Tuesday, Stacy, Steve, and I rode (with all the other riders, of course) to Willmar. It was a hot and humid day, and the route was about 63 miles. They had us leave early that day to try to beat the heat (also, to save their volunteers, including the beloved motorcycle safety crew decked out in super hot gear). We are looking fresh and perky in these photos that we took at rest stops. Near the end, we were very ready to be done.

Stacy and I don't see each other as much as we used
to, but I adore her.

During the week, you encounter people who ride who have MS, volunteers who have MS, and family members affected by MS. On Tuesday, I saw a man who has MS and was riding all week as he struggled to get into the biffy. Just as I was going to offer to help him get up into the thing, he made it. It is moments like these where you think "I cannot complain about being tired," "These people are amazing," and "We are doing something important here."

Doing the important task of taking a break.

We were hoping for a Lyft or an Uber in Willmar ("It's big enough, right???") to take us to Zorbaz on the lake for some Macho Nachos, as we didn't feel up for a 17-mile round trip bike ride for dinner, but had to settle for taking the shuttle set up by the kind people of Willmar to take us to a park for the "Rocking Robins" music festival. I thought it would be some oldies music with some burgers. It was a HUGE music festival that they do weekly with tons of food trucks, really fun bands, and things like bounce-houses for kids. It was great. We left before the better band was done to get back to where we were camping (Willmar Civic Center) to see our friends Kim and Brad. Kim did two days of riding this year (and stayed at a hotel) while Brad golfed. Win-win.

Steve drinking some coffee Wednesday morning as we slowly
got ready for the day. We stayed in Willmar for 2 nights in
a row, so we didn't have to pack everything up that morning!

Kim, Stacy, Steve, and I at rest stop #1 on Wednesday.

Steve and I doing the hard work of eating free
donuts and drinking coffee (donations to the MS Society accepted!)
provided by this very dedicated, nice man who
was a caregiver for his wife for 35 years
before she recently passed away. I've talked to
this man a few times over the years and he's a total inspiration.
He is the person who provided the funds for the fundraising match
(which prompted you all to give me $640
in donations this spring, which he matched!).

When I first started doing the 5-day ride in 2013, it wasn't a loop, but since 2015 it has been, to save on costs, I think, and to just make it easier logistically. At some point in there (was it 2015 or later?) they started adding a loop day, where you spend 2 nights at a city midway through and you just do a loop. Or, if you aren't feeling up to riding, you can take a rest day.

Our loop day was in Willmar on Wednesday (37 miles), with the beginning and end portion on a nice trail (Glacial Lakes, I think it is called?). Kim, Stacy, Steve, and I rode to rest stops 1 and 2 together. When we got to rest stop 2, the clouds were ominous and we heard that huge storms dumped tons of rain on people behind us who were still at rest stop 1. Kim and Stacy decided to wait and take the support vehicle back (with a lot of wise people). Other people waited in a church for the storm to pass. Steve and I decided to wing it and rode back to camp a bit ahead of the storm with a gigantically huge tail wind. We didn't get too wet and were glad our gamble paid off.

It is kind of hard to get a full appreciation of the clouds, but you can see things were churning, and the wind totally shifted from the south to the north, which is how Steve and I got an extra boost back to camp.

It was just a little sprinkly when we got back to camp but then was raining on and off. We showered, and Kim went back to the hotel to shower. Later she and Brad picked us up and we went to a brewery with really good food for a late lunch/early supper, and then we went to Zorbaz to have a beer by the lake.

I wasn't even tipsy!
Zorbaz.

Zorbaz, duh.

I tried so hard to get a photo
of me kissing the moose at Zorbaz.
Lots of trial and error, in reverse order.

R to L: Kim, Brad, Steve, Stacy, me.

We got back to camp in time to watch a band that was there. Then, we had the team contest night, which is super dorky, but I *LOVE* it. We had the team t-shirt/jersey contest and the team poem/song contest. It is a great way to connect with all the riders each year.

Team No MS'ing Around won the t-shirt competition (again). Team CycleOps won the best song competition. (They also had the only poem, and it was good, so I think they should have won twice.) You can see an excerpt of their song here (maybe??) - with choreography! This team was multi-generational, and international! 

On Thursday, we rode back to Granite Falls (57+ miles). This is something we have never done before - go to the 2-consecutive day loop city and then go back to the previous city. It ended up being a really good way for Stacy to ride back to her car and join us for 3 days with no extra driver. 

Steve, me, Kim, and endless supplies of corn.
There was also a lot of soybeans, plus sugar beets.

I think this is our Gen X movie pose. I can't remember
which rest stop this was that day. The last one?

I'm leading here, with Kim and Stacy behind me.
We passed this field, which had a pretty farmhouse
in the middle of it, and Kim pointed out that
"It looks like a painting you'd see in a cheap frame
at Goodwill." Yes, but it was prettier!

In Granite Falls, we said goodbye to Kim, her trusty companion Brad, and Stacy. Steve and I then went out to dinner with my friend that I met last year, Harvey, and some of his friends (Ann and Glen). Glen joined Steve, Harvey, and me for a beer afterwards. Harvey has ridden the TRAM forever (since I was starting college) and knows pretty much everyone. I really appreciate how positive Harvey is and the joy he expressed each morning at being privileged to do this ride and to be surrounded with such interesting people. 

Harvey (from the Fargo area), Glen (from Detroit Lakes),
Steve (who grew up near DL), and me (the MN transplant)

Friday was our last day riding, and it was a painful one for me, physically. My hip and back hurt, both from riding and from camping, and my shin was cramping up. My shin! It was an improvement over last year when camping was so painful from the get-go. (I'd say my PT is working - hooray! I should have done my exercises during the week - doh!!) I started off behind Steve in the fog because I have a nice blinky tail light. I only took one turn leading us (and trying to shelter him from the wind) after we got out of the river valley. He pulled me in to Marshall, for which I'm grateful. He kindly said I pulled him a lot earlier in the week, which is only partly true.

Leaving the campground in Granite Falls.

A foggy, but pretty start!

We did it! Go Team Stacy's Cyclers!

I spent the weekend unpacking, doing laundry, taking my tent poles in to get fixed, doing yard work, walking the dog, eating a lot, and going to a local massage school for a cheap (but good!) massage.

I wasn't happy with the last day, but am pleased to have done another Ride Across Minnesota, and am proud of what my donors and I have been able to contribute over the years. It is amazing to talk with volunteers and riders about how they're affected by MS and why they ride, and to continue to learn about how important these funds are for research, advocacy, and services. This is more important now than ever, with federal cuts to research and services. I'm glad to be able to play a small role. 

One Week (to go!)

In the olden days, I often would refer to song lyrics in my blog posts. So, when I typed the very creative title, "One Week," I thought, "Isn't there a song by that name?" I went through my 90s memory and dug up  "One Week" by Barenaked Ladies. So then I watched the video and read the lyrics and thought there's very little that relates to this blog post (but watching the X-Files sounds really quite enjoyable), so moving on...

Yeah, so, in a week I'll be crawling into my tent, hoping that whatever random city park we're at in Marshall, Minnesota doesn't have floodlights everywhere or teenage boys hot rodding through town at 1 a.m. It also hopefully won't be near a train track. Or the night sand volleyball league. These are all the types of things I've slept near in a tent in municipal parks throughout the state when doing the 5-day MS TRAM bike ride. 

Am I ready? I barely rode my bike in June. I was visiting my sister and her family in California one weekend; my stepmom, brother, and his family were here the next; then we went to visit my mom and stepdad in Wisconsin the next weekend; and then we went to visit Dan's brother and his wife in South Carolina for a long weekend. During the weeks it was raining a lot. I've been riding a lot since June 28, though, including a very nice catch-up ride with my old riding partner BBF Matt who was in town, a ride with a stop at my brother and sister-in-law's house as I explored routes to get to my bestie/neighbor for one more day Jen's new house, and some fun rides with the ladies (I am lucky to be part of a great group of women that ride on Thursdays but also other days, too). I got to introduce many of them to the amazing little path by the creek in Battle Creek Park, and it was fun to hear them behind me saying "ooooh." 

This weekend, Dan, Haley, and I went camping up by Cass Lake, and I rode along the Migizi and Heartland Trails. The Migizi Trail is part of the national forest, but the Heartland Trail is one of the rails-to-trails bike trails we have in Minnesota, which connects to the Paul Bunyan Trail. We are super lucky to have these great trails in Minnesota, due to Minnesota voters approving a small tax on the ballot in 2008 (the Clean Water, Land, and Legacy Amendment), which will continue for another nine years. This is in addition to the 1988 ballot measure that passed and dedicates lottery funds to preserve our state's environmental and natural resources.

This map shows the state trails. There are a bunch of very sizeable, paved regional trails not shown here, too, like the amazing Mesabi Bike Trail in the Iron Range. 

I had thought about riding on some county highways yesterday so that I didn't do a straight out-and-back, but decided that the shoulders were pretty narrow, the roads were pretty bumpy, and the trails were pretty empty (other than that young buck that almost collided with me - an actual deer, not some young man), so why not embrace the trail?

Our campsite on Friday night.

Steamboat River, along the trail. There was tons of 
wildfire smoke from Canada, so it is hard to see the actual river.

On the Migizi Trail.

The trail without me blocking the view.

Post-bike ride, post-shower hammock, book, beer and dog event.

It was just under 60 miles
round trip. The two trails
cross each other. You could do
100 one way on the Paul Bunyan Trail
between Bemidji and Brainerd
and another 50 one way between
Cass Lake and Park Rapids.

So, I haven't ridden as much this year as in other years before the TRAM, but I think I will be okay. I'm hoping the camping won't be too uncomfortable. Last year was pretty painful but my PT is going *GREAT* this year, so I'm really optimistic that I can muddle through!

Been meaning to donate? Here's the link! https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participant/GoMaggieGo

Weekend Warrioring

Well, I haven't ridden a ton since the last post, but I decided this weekend that it didn't really matter and I have enough of a base level of fitness, muscle memory, and stubbornness to do a 75-mile ride to Hastings and back. So, that's what I did. (I also felt like I had implicit permission due to some article I read on the Internet written by who-knows-who that it is okay to be a weekend warrior.)

It was a lovely ride with Carolyn and Laura, through town until we got SE enough to connect with the new trail that fully connects through, now, to Spring Lake Park and on to Hastings. And then we took the trail along the Mississippi River all the way back through St. Paul until we got close to home and took a road, rather than the trail.

Leaving my house at 8:30.

One of our breaks, in Spring Lake Park.

My goofy pose in Hastings.

Both of them remarked that they didn't think I was acting or looking tired at the end of the ride, but I was, and I definitely needed to do some stretching and my PT exercises for pain relief later that night. Dan made me a good dinner and bought my favorite snacks. After eating and having a beer, I laid down on the couch with my mystery novel and promptly fell asleep. 

I rallied though and went to bed at a normal time and felt fine the next day. I'm hoping that when I do the week-long Bike MS Ride Across Minnesota in July that my hip feels better sleeping on the ground than it did last year, even if it won't feel as good as it does after sleeping in my bed. (Thanks for all the support so far with respect to the July ride! https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participant/GoMaggieGo)

Carolyn went back to the trail today and took this video from Spring Lake Park, just north of Hastings. It is such a pretty place. It was fun to see so many people biking on the new trail to Hastings. When you had to ride on a crappy street, cross some horrible tracks, and take a gravel road, there weren't that many riders. If you build it, they will come! 

I've been enjoying riding with the assorted Thursday night crew - we go 20-25 miles and then end at the brewery. I led this past Thursday night's ride and I think doing some hills was a good reminder on Saturday that you just can just switch your gears and do what needs to be done.

Last Thurs' riders, minus Laura the photographer.

I have a lot of booked weekends coming up, so I'm not sure exactly when I'm going to get in some good consistent riding before the July ride, but I'm sure I'll figure it out, or just get 'er done. I wanted this year to be a year of lots of riding, so I should actually figure out how to do that.

Yesterday, we went to a memorial service, which really, truly was a celebration of life - in honor of my sister-in-law's dad/my brother's father-in-law, Michael Brodie. Michael and his wife, Jane, have been big supporters of my bike rides/fundraising, and he used to always ask how my training was going. He loved the outdoors, athletic activities, and people. He was a remarkably kind and warm man who shared some common traits with my own dad. When my brother and sister-in-law were dating, he was the first family member of hers that I met - as we both helped the two of them move. I thought he was world-class then, and after knowing him for over 20 years, my appreciation for him only grew. It was so special to be able to hear about how he touched the lives of so many people over his life. His was a life well-lived, and if the world were a place full of people like Michael Brodie, we'd be in a pretty great spot. I often bike near the Dodge Nature Center, which is close to where he lived for 38 years, where the celebration yesterday was held, and where they have a memorial bench in his honor. I look forward to visiting his bench in the future and taking time to think of him, my appreciation of his kindness, and my gratitude for the role he has played in the life of my sister-in-law, my brother, and my nephews. Seems like a great destination for some bike rides...

Some good ridin'

This was a good week of bike riding - consisting of riding to/from a pilates class Monday night, the Thurs night women's ride with some rolling hills, skipping out of work with my friend Molly on Friday (need to catch up on work for those people who kindly have given me contracts, though, whoops!) to ride from her house on the LRT trail to Victoria, and doing 55 miles on Saturday.

Saturday was the BikeMS Twin Cities Ride. I rode from my house to the ride, paid the minimum fundraising fee for that ride, and pieced together two route options that were the longer legs. A woman volunteering at the snack table told me that she has MS and her treatment options have really improved in recent years due to the funds raised during these rides.  (Please tell your elected officials how important government funding is, too.)

It was a great way to start getting ready for the summer. I did a lot of yard work, too. I am so lucky to be able to move so freely, even if I had to do more PT exercises to alleviate some aches! I had hoped to do even more biking but the dog needed some good long walks, too, and household obligations were calling. Regardless of those stymied plans, this would be a good week by any measure. 

Molly and me.  I didn't get permission to use her photo, so I altered it. Ha ha.

My loopy 55-mile ride. 

My crabapple tree in full bloom, with weird formatting. 

My bike ride is in July. Time to get cracking on riding and fundraising!

https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participant/GoMaggieGo

This crazy life

We are listening to a special preview of an album that comes out tomorrow and the song right now keeps on talking about "this crazy life."

It seems appropriate for 2025. 

It is MS Awareness Week and, in honor of the week, I thought people should know that federal cuts to funding to NIH and universities for research (including indirect expenses, which I'm happy to discuss with anyone who has questions about those) will have serious impact on important MS research. You're welcome to let your Congressional reps know how problematic that is. 

My CDC job was eliminated with many others on 2/14. (That's some love.) I have been on my bike on the nice warm days we've had between snow storms and chilly gross days. But mostly I've been working full days to find work (I'm doing consulting under my new LLC - need a tobacco policy thing done??), doing chores, and being diligent with my PT exercises. I have a great network and am optimistic. It was a very shocking event, though, even though I suspected it was coming eventually. 

I have a new PT person who is great, and *that* is great because the steroid pain shot I got in my hip in Feb lasted just a couple of weeks and things do not feel good, even when I ride my bike, which is a newerish development I'm addressing. This is supposed to be a year of big biking! I am optimistic about this, too.

My fundraising is off to a good start, and I'm so grateful for support there, too, and am optimistic about meeting my goal! (https://events.nationalmssociety.org/participant/GoMaggieGo)

To be honest, though, there is so much that I'm not optimistic about, concerning current events. I worry. About people I love and people I don't know. And I am very sad. And I am mad. So sad and mad.  Biking will help manage those feelings to some extent, and walking the dog helps too. I hope all my friends are taking time to care for themselves. 💜

Here is Haley, mad as SHE gets, about the fact that she couldn't swim. It was 50 degrees and there was still ice on other parts of the creek and our lakes still have ice on them. So, be patient, doggy! I'm not sure why this is showing up sideways on my screen all of a sudden. 

Here's a cute little kid that Haley and I saw on a walk. He shouted out "on your left" as he was passing, in his little kid voice. I heard his dad say that he just took the training wheels off. 

And this is from my first ride of the season. I haven't been riding far or fast, but I've been relishing each moment. Even today, being able to ride to get groceries. 

💜