Say What?

And just like that, summer is nearly over. It's been so dry, and the scattered rain showers fail to alleviate the severe drought we're experiencing. (I did check, and yes, they're referring to our area as being in a severe drought.) Normally, I'm the guy with a lush green lawn. I'm no longer that guy. According to online sources, four of our last five years have been abnormally dry. If this is going to be our new normal, I don't see the point in trying to keep up.  We made our annual July trip to Duluth toward the end of July for a quick getaway. We always enjoy our time up there. I especially love walking along the Lake Walk each morning before Tammy wakes up. The highlight of the trip for me was watching The Brothers Burn Mountain at Sir Benedict's Tavern on the Lake. I was captivated by their sound. Tammy also liked them, but not with the same enthusiasm. I've linked two videos of their songs below that I recorded.  We were in Babbitt for Tammy...

ICE/fascist thugs continue to terrorize immigrant communities, committing random acts of murder along the way.  For many conservatives, the reply to such a killing is to shrug their shoulders and claim the brown person shouldn't have been in the country illegally, as if murder is an acceptable punishment for a misdemeanor offense.  On Monday, ICE killed a young man in Maine ; they shot him numerous times, with his wife and his 3-year-old daughter in the car with him. They dragged his limp, lifeless body out of the car, carelessly allowing his head to strike the pavement, handcuffed him, and left his body in the sun for hours. This is all so sickening and maddening. And like with the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti here in Minneapolis, the government was quick to say that the ICE officers acted in self-defense, while at the same time choosing not to conduct a serious investigation of the officers' actions. I worry that many have become desensitized to these crimes. ...

Ever since my osteoporosis diagnosis more than four years ago, I've been a reluctant rider on the roads out of fear that a crash on pavement will lead to broken bones. Gravel roads are somewhat more forgiving, at least that's what I tell myself. I've recently dusted off my road bike and have been enjoying riding it again . In addition to enjoying road riding again, I'm also excited to see the improvements in my surgical knee. I'm watching my power meter numbers improve, all while experiencing none of the constant knee pain that used to accompany my rides and hold me back. My goal is to achieve 3 w/kg (watts per kilogram) over a few-hour ride. I'm making nice progress toward that goal. We had a railing added to our front porch a couple of weeks ago. It will be especially useful in winter, when conditions are slippery, and, if I'm honest, it's kinda handy when returning from get-togethers at neighbors' places when we're maybe a little tipsy. Plus...

Meet Jack! Rachel sent me this photo of him to add to my blog. He's so sweet and precious. We took the 75-minute drive to visit Rachel and her family a week ago. Tammy was in her happy place as she held Jack and rocked him. I love that for her. Cliff was at daycare, so we missed seeing him, but we video chatted with him a couple of nights ago. Hearing him say "Hi Gampa" makes my entire body smile.  My golf game has been in the dumps for the past few years. I'm not playing up to my potential, and it's become more frustrating than fun. I went in for a club fitting a few weeks ago, mostly to get away from the stiff shafts of the Callaway clubs I've been using. I no longer have the swing speed needed for their stiffness.  I bought some Ping G440s . I asked the fitter about senior flex, but he encouraged me to go with regular flex instead, and that it should suit me for at least the next 5-7 years. I've played with them a couple of times, and while I didn't...

We received a text from Rachel yesterday morning saying, "Jack Martin was born on May 11 at 2:59 a.m., 6 lbs 13 oz. We are resting and doing great!" It was the text we were expecting, as she had begun experiencing contractions more than 24 hours earlier.  We drove down to see them at the hospital in Rochester around noon. She and Drew were both tired, and it showed. It had been a long 36-hour period for them. Jenny was there to help with Cliff, who was being his busy little self. We're watching PJ at our home for the week to help lighten their load however we can.  And Jack! Like any newborn, he's so tiny, with slender little fingers and toes adorned with little nails, and a head of hair that's beginning to show. He was making little noises and cried a little as I held him. Rachel will spend two nights in the hospital before returning home tomorrow.  (As I've noted previously, Rachel prefers that I don't post photos of their children. I would love to show ...

I've been in a funk. While I'm managing to get to the gym most mornings for about an hour, walk Oscar and Rudy 20+ miles (32 km) per week, and get in a few rides (mostly on my indoor trainer this time of year), I'm struggling with motivation. I can admit to my fair share of doomscrolling.  I think back to when I was employed and living a more structured life where every hour of my day was spoken for. I was motivated to stay on task to tick off items on my to-do list before I had to leave for work. Or when I returned home from work, I tried to squeeze as much out of the remaining daylight as possible by taking a few-hour ride. Good or bad, it seemed I was always on the move, and I took pride in that.  These days, I'm more inclined to remind myself that there's a benefit to downtime—to allowing my body to more fully recover between workouts. My Garmin Epix Pro 2 is good at letting me know when I've been too active, and it's mostly right. Having said all that, ...