Say What?

I've been mostly sidelined from outdoor riding and even some indoor activity since taking a nasty fall on our icy driveway nearly 3 weeks ago. I fell such that I landed on my left arm which pushed hard into my left ribcage. I have a history of rib injuries from cycling crashes so I knew what I was in for—sort of. I've never experienced a rib injury quite like this one, tho. I still can't take a full deep breath, nor can I cough or sneeze without significant pain. I was trying to push the effort on my indoor trainer last night but the muscles surrounding my injured rib area were tightening/spasming to the point where I had to stop pedaling several times. There's really no point in going to a medical doctor as there's nothing they can do for it. I saw my chiropractor for a routine appointment this morning and she was able to work on freeing up an area along my spine that was very tight. I have a pair of shoes by our front door now sporting Yaktrax . Ten years ago this...

42 years ago today marked the end of my enlistment in the United States Navy. I look back at how astonishingly fast the past 4 decades have gone by and I'm saddened a little because I know what that means for my future. There's no slowing this speeding train down. It only continues to press on even faster with each passing year—something I think about a fair amount as I contemplate the days that lie ahead and what exists beyond this life. Here's an entry  in my journal from the 10th of December, 1979, and the following day's entry written as I was flying back home to Minnesota, uncertain what my next move would be. I've been at this journaling/blogging thing for a while. I watched Brian Williams's final show last night on MSNBC. I liked his program, The 11th Hour with Brian Williams. He had a way of cutting through the nonsense and getting to the point, oftentimes with wit and humor to make it more palatable. His final words into the camera last night had some ...

On Sunday night, I received a text from a friend I've not seen in 44 years. Brian was coming into town the next day on business and wondered if we could get together for dinner. "Definitely!" I replied. Brian and I were stationed on the same ship during our time in the Navy in the mid to late '70s and we had lots of catching up to do. We met at Mall of America and settled into a booth at Cowboy Jacks for a few hours as we recalled stories from our Navy experience. We were so consumed in conversation that it was an hour before we took time to study the menu. I really enjoyed those few hours we shared. Thanks for reaching out, Brian! We're into December now and still enjoying daytime temps well above freezing. We topped out at around 50ºf (10ºc) a couple days ago which means I was riding in shorts on my river bottoms ride . This mild weather is making it nearly impossible for me to stay down in my stained glass studio for an extended period of time. My plan was to k...

Tammy and I have been methodically going through our upstairs bedrooms and moving their contents to the basement in preparation for some remodeling work we're having done to our upper level beginning later this month (new carpet, trim work, and master bathroom remodel). Rather than finding ourselves scrambling to ready the rooms in the last few days before work begins, we're getting it done ahead of time. The first job will be to remove the popcorn ceiling texture and replace it with a knockdown texture as we've already had done with the other two levels of our nearly 30-year-old home. That work will be done later this month. The main work (master bathroom) won't begin until the 3rd week in January and should take about a month.  We've been diligent about purchasing and ordering whatever fixtures and things we'll need to complete the job. With supply line issues still a problem due to the pandemic, we don't want to find the project halted for weeks or months...

Four-star Army General and former Secretary of State Colin Powell died yesterday from complications due (in part) to Covid-19. Fittingly, a post I made 13 years ago today, a post spurred by Colin Powell, came up in my Facebook memories this morning.  I had been struggling with my decision about who to support in the upcoming presidential election between Senator John McCain and Senator Barack Obama. I had just watched Meet the Press hosted by Tom Brokaw where Colin Powell appeared on the program to endorse Barack Obama . That, to me, was a powerful endorsement and one that tilted the table toward Obama. I went out on my bike for a few hours before my afternoon shift after watching the program and spent the ride mulling over who to vote for. By the time I arrived back home I had made my decision.  It was that Sunday in October of 2008 that I left the Republican party and I've never for a moment had second thoughts about my about-face. Colin Powell played a role in getting...

I stopped and chatted with some neighbors last night as Charlie and I were finishing our walk. They were in their driveway working on a craft project for their church. They said  the church  they attend is made up of mostly military families and is led by a former Army chaplain. They talked a little about their current sermon series and what they liked about their church. It was a bit of a sales pitch and while I could appreciate that, I had to tell them that even though I'm a very spiritual person, at this point in my life I simply have so little desire to be involved in a church again. I didn't tell them that my beliefs no longer align well with Christian orthodoxy. I'm leaning now toward a belief in reincarnation. I find that option an interesting one to contemplate. Nobody among us knows for sure what's on the other side but many will say they do, just as I used to think I did.  A snapshot of where I'm at at this point in my life.  I still feel that there's ...

Rachel and Drew were married last Sunday in the backyard of a Vrbo they rented along the shore of Lake Superior north of Lutsen, MN. It was such a nice and memorable wedding with Drew's brother Colton officiating the ceremony. It was mostly limited to immediate family—about 17 of us—as they were unsure what the status of the pandemic would be when they began making plans a year ago or so. With the rise of infections due to the Delta variant, it was a wise move on their part to keep it small. They plan to have a much larger reception at Drew's parent's home near Rochester next summer. Tammy used the  Rover app to find a couple in Apple Valley (a few miles away) to watch the pups for us. We had been to their home a month earlier to meet with them and to give the pups a feel for their temporary home. We left Charlie and Cotton with them the night before we left the cities. All seemed to be okay as we left for Lutsen late the next morning. More on this later.  Tammy arranged f...