a welcome warming trend...

After two days of being unwilling to suffer in the cold and wind, it'll be nice to get outside for a change. I forgot how boring the trainer can be. And when it is in the 30's outside, it takes almost 40 minutes for me to warm-up on the trainer, even in the garage. So it isn't "just" the wind chill making it cold. It *is* cold out there! Sigh. I think it's just because I expect it to be Spring is all. When it is *really* winter, then it'll be more expected and I'll handle things appropriately. (I hope so at least).

Besides, last night over a beer before dinner, Mike started discussing our honeymoon plans. He could tell I was a bit "blue" both figuratively and literally, and so he said that we'll take our honeymoon next winter to someplace warm. He was looking at pictures in the travel section of the newspaper that had white sandy beaches and warm balmy temperatures. Sigh...

If you weren't so dead set on riding your bike outside all the time, the weather isn't such a problem really. The storms that blew in on Sunday were amazing really. There was a creative mix of "little ice balls" (as our now gone Belgian friend Hans used to call hail), big snowflakes, rain that turned to ice on your windshield, and moments of sun...short moments...but moments. The most unusual thing for me was the way that the all of the above doesn't just fall down from the sky, it falls down sideways. I can't explain it but it's like a tornado of stuff. Literally sideways. Weird.

All this outside weather stuff hardly bothers the small hound. We were inside doing laundry. This is surely one of Sydney's favorite "jobs". Give her a minute and she soon buries herself in the warm clean clothes before you can fold them. This makes keeping hound hair off of everything a real challenge, perhaps, but also makes for great photo opportunities, you think? I know Minnesota Mom will think twice before using a "clean" towel at our house! (Sorry about that!)

Anyway, it will be very good to get outside today and ride my bicycle and get some fresh air. The weather guy says that it will be 80F by Sunday. Weird. Last Sunday it was high 30'sF and one week later, magically and thankfully, 80F. I've been busy getting things arranged for the upcoming USPro and Nature Valley Stage Race, which is fun. I miss the racing. I do still marvel though on how much a person can get done in a day when you don't have to deal with traffic and people. We finally put gas in our car after 6 weeks. Not bad, huh?