The Bounding of the Pulses

From the NYT: Lillias Campbell Davidson, founder of the first women’s cycling organization, "championed 'the feeling of active movement, of the power of free locomotion, the thrill of healthful exertion, and the bounding of the pulses.' But bicycling also allowed middle-class women to escape their homes — 'the lives of women have been unnaturally cramped and contracted within doors,' she wrote — and travel to see new countryside sights and tour other towns alone."


Tonight - after work, thanks to the time change - I took Ol' Reliable, which I should probably now call Ol' Gunky, out for a spin along the Mississippi. I decided that I have been unnaturally cramped and contracted within doors, and should quit my whining and get out there.

If you zoom in you can see all the grime.
Poor bike.

I was going to stop and take a picture of a tree, surrounded by big, huge icicles, perched on the edge of the bluff, but I figured the light wasn't very good and I knew there would be a better picture to take further downstream. Well, I didn't count on the fact that that what I wanted to take a picture of was still covered in several feet of snow. Maybe next time.

Knowing that I probably missed the best spots for photos, I decided to take inventory of my ride. Here is my ride, in numbers:

30: Within the first 30 minutes of my ride, three cars passed me, reeking of pot. I don't care if you smoke pot. Don't smoke pot when you're driving, especially when I'm on my bike within a few feet of you. Dummies.

16: Roughly 16 years I've been riding this stretch with varying levels of frequency, and this was the very first time I smelled hops/mash/wort emanating from Summit Brewery. (If you're reading this, husband, I'm sorry that I do not know which part makes the smell. I just know these are words you use in beer-related sentences.)

15: I saw 15 boats of people fishing at the confluence of the Mississippi and Minnesota Rivers. Pretty impressive, Minnesotans, for a 40-degree Thursday evening with a nice breeze out of the northeast.

10: It only took 10 minutes on my first road biking adventure of 2018 to get yelled at by some dude in a conversion van - who wasn't even trying to pass me, he was going in the opposite direction - telling me to quit riding on the road and to ride on trails instead. Uhm, no. For several reasons. But thanks for the "suggestion," guy. Have you been waiting all winter to say this to someone??

6: At least 6 really deep, wide, long puddles, some with surprise frozen mud chunks at the bottom

2: I have a lot of pairs of things.

• 2 pieces of fruit: a whole banana, a whole pear

• 2 gigantic eagles' nests in Lilydale

• 2 very different sets of scenery, depending on whether you were looking at the northern bank of the river (very little snow) or the southern bank of the river (lots of snow!)

• 2 words that are inappropriate to say around children

1: Got a few of these, too.

• 1 pile of gravel that almost put me, well, ass over teakettle (see "2 words" above)

• 1 driver that reminds me that drivers have varying levels of courtesy (see "2 words" above)

• 1 daydreamer guy with headphones walking and weaving right in front of me 

• 1 happy Maggie

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Iora O'Sciuridae

While I think rabbits are cuter and more fun to watch - - despite the fact that they are destroying one of my shrubs in the front yard - - we all know that I have a kinship with the Sciuridae family. Well, kinship might be a strong word. Relationship. Bond.

Ever since I biked over a live, running squirrel and had that other one run through my spokes, I swear they are out to get me.

I was greatly relieved, when watching the Olympics, to learn that the squirrels are out to get others. It isn't just me. This seals the deal, though, that I will never try snowboarding.

WATCH OUT SQUIRREL. pic.twitter.com/rtQ94MQeDj

— NBC Olympics (@NBCOlympics) February 24, 2018

(This is my first attempt at embedding something from Twitter into a blog post. If it doesn't show up, you can go to the link to see the Squirrel at the Olympics.)

So, why am I all reflective about squirrels? I'm getting squirrely. I need this snow to melt. I need to get out on my road bike. I was looking through my notes from the past couple of years. On March 4, 2017, I did a 46-mile road bike ride to Stillwater. On March 13, 2016, I took my road bike 41 miles after going to yoga and had my second flat tire that week. On March 15, 2015, I rode 51 miles! Maybe this year will be like 2014, when my first real ride was on March 29.

On the bright side, since I haven't been on my bike, I've been able to practice my Irish dancing more to gear up for next weekend's festivities. Hopefully there won't be any squirrels at our shows.

Iora (Gaelic word for squirrel)

I'm planning a team meeting for our Bike MS team right after we dance on Sunday. Maybe I'll go in costume. That will make things a little more interesting!

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Well-brushed teeth

I read this article over the weekend about how middle age is not too late to start exercising to get a healthier heart. The author of one of the three studies discussed said that people should think about exercise as part of their regular routine, like brushing their teeth.

While I missed the opportunity to get my 💖 road bike 🚴 out this weekend in the short thaw/brief respite from winter, I apparently have been exercising nearly as much as I have been brushing my teeth - Irish dance practice/rehearsal Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, topped off by visits to the gym Saturday and Sunday, and some vigorous shoveling of deep, wet snow tonight. It will be interesting to see whether any of this translates into better biking outcomes. At this point, I think if I got on my bike, I would inadvertently ride in circles. I have a sore left calf, a sore right knee, a sore right glute, and a sore left shoulder. What is up with my body mechanics? Whatever is up likely would translate into weird riding form - either because I'm lopsided to begin with or because I'm lopsided now.

One thing I apparently haven't been exercising is my fundraising muscles! I'm a bit behind and will need to get creative. 

I am contemplating letting people view embarrassing videos of me trying to dance on St. Patrick's Day in exchange for a donation to the MS Society. Maybe people would pay to NOT see me dance?

March 2017 - will we be snow-free this year?

p.s. I often look for Google Images to spice up my blog. Don't search there for photos using terms about bikes and teeth, by the way. You won't be able to unsee nasty mouths.

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gEst BLOGer + trvYa aNdsurs

Hi THIS iz me riting.

MAGIE IZ SIK. SHe iz slepng.

i fownd ANDsurs 2 the tryva cweschuns. itz goot THAT I NO haw 2 kut aynd payst.

1.    Roger Taylor

2.    Boxing

3.    Cub

4.    Paraguay

5.    Honey

6.    Ottawa

7.    Buddhism

I HAV SUM tryva cweschuns 4 you

1. whut iz my name?
2. DO I LIK FOOD?
3. iz it tyme 4 supr?
4. do YOU hav treets?

Fun and Games (and Trivia Q&A)

I haven't gotten outside on my bike much due to the melt/freeze cycle, but am apparently making up for it by having some interesting dreams about cycling, at least. To keep myself busy, I hung out with my nephews this weekend - watching Early Man and, as is our tradition, playing (too) many games of Uno at the coffee shop. Apologies for the delay, but more trivia questions and answers follow. 

I don't think it is a spoiler alert to share that this hog gave
this dude a massage. I admit I was jealous.

My nephews take glee
in slapping this one down.

Round 2 Questions:

1.    What name (first and last) was shared by the drummers for Duran Duran and Queen

2.    What sport is featured in the movie Raging Bull?

3.    What’s the 3-letter name for a young cheetah?

4.    What South American country has a name meaning “water that goes to water”

5.    What is the main sweetening ingredient in baklava?

6.    What is the capital of Canada?

7.    What religion was introduced to Japan in the mid-6^th Century?

Round 1 Answers:

1.    Eminem

2.    Inflatable sheep

3.    His leg

4.    1955

5.    1922

6.    The Olympic flag

7.    7. Daisies

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Peace Offering - Round 1 of Questions

My peace offering for those who are sad about no trivia event this year will be three rounds of trivia, with answers provided in between each round.

Don't cheat, keep score, and let me know how you do. I may have a prize for you.

1. Which rapper's parents once fronted a cover group called Daddy Warbucks?

2. Karl Hasselhoff (great uncle of The Hoff) invented which of the following?
a. Electric fencing
b. Inflatable sheep
c. Scentless udder cream
d. Plastic roosters

3. Immediately after assassinating President Lincoln and landing on the stage of Ford's Theater, what did John Wilkes Booth break?
a. His hand
b. His collarbone
c. His ankle
d. His leg

4. In what year was Rosa Parks arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama?

5. In what year did Howard Carter discover King Tut's tomb?

6. What does an athlete from the home country traditionally hold in her/his left hand while taking the Olympic oath?

7. What kind of flowers did Mary Poppins wear in her hair?

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Maslenitsa Sunday

I am not religious, but I obviously had to dig in a bit when I saw that today is known as "Cheesefare Sunday" in the Eastern Orthodox Church. It's a Lenten thing about being allowed to eat cheese today, before dietary restrictions go into effect. I learned that these folks also refer to today as Maslenitsa Sunday. It is a day of forgiveness, fasting (despite the cheese, apparently), and the gathering of treasures in heaven.

I was thinking that if there is a heaven and treasures are being gathered there, my sister-in-law's mom - Jacky - who passed away on Friday, is one such treasure. Jacky's untimely departure due to cancer belongs on a list of Truly Unfair Things. She was young, vibrant, loving, smart, and really witty.

Several years ago, she got a road bike. We exchanged emails about it at the time, because she was considering joining me on the MS150 bike ride. A short time later, she posted this on Facebook.

It still makes me laugh today. She didn't know that you can buy padded undies for cycling. She ended up not using these cut-up shorts because they didn't stay in place. But this approach is how I think of Jacky - just diving in, with both feet. I will miss this.

The last time I saw Jacky, she commented on the fact that she never ended up riding the MS150. She'll be with me in spirit as I ride this June. 

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