on a mission....

Oh goodness. Have you ever decided to do one thing and then find out that you need to do several things to DO that one thing?

I wanted to put my mountain bike downstairs for the winter. Or at least for these subzero days. So the first thing I had to do was make sure I had a good spot. At first I just pushed a few things around in the little basement. Then it got serious.

I got out the shopvac along with a broom after rearranging things. I moved the fall and spring stuff to the bottom of the pile and moved the Christmas stuff to the top. I rearranged the gear hanging on the hooks. I made a mental note as to which items were no longer needed.

I vacuumed, I swept, and I went at it with a purpose.

Hubby stopped me as I came back upstairs and said, "I'm hungry. When's lunch?" I gave him the death stare and said, "I don't stop until the bike is downstairs."

He huffed and he puffed but...

knew better than to try and stop me.

When a woman is on a mission, no man can stand in her way! Or...he shouldn't!

In order to carry the bike safely down, I needed to take everything off the stairs that I'd dropped there because it was more convenient than putting it away. 

Now I took the time to put everything in its place and clean the shelves that I put it on. I took inventory of the items on the shelves and put the older canned goods in front and the newer ones in back.

I stacked put the distilled water on the bottom shelf in the order it should be used and faced the labels of other goods so a glance would be all I needed to grab something.

I eventually came back up to get the bike.

Hubby: "I'm hungry." 

Me. Another look. "Then you make lunch."

Big sigh. I explained that if I didn't get it done then, I'd put it off.

I wheeled the bike to the door and took it down. The storage area now looked nice and clean except for the cobwebs in between the rafters. I reached for the shopvac and stopped. I guess those webs could wait for my next burst of energy.

That was the start of my day. I was in that sort of mood to organize, clean up, and rearrange.

I even got the chair out its usual place and set it in the living room.

It is waiting for me too....

No one starved. Lunch was made.

Charlie begged...

...and life goes on.

Not defeated Yet!

Some days I just feel like I've accomplished nothing.

I know I have, but when I run into a dead end, I get frustrated rather easily.

So I called a guy who advertises that he trims and takes down trees! He is insured, yadda yadda. He came out and took a look around. I showed him what I would like done and he then said that he really was into logging and that he did this trimming and take down stuff on wet days when he couldn't log.

I was getting this vibe that said...he isn't even remotely interested.

Then he went on to motion at the trees and tell me if I wanted clean up he'd dump it all in the yard, tear up the yard, and it would be $1,800 a day and at least two days after cutting the trees down.

Full Service my a--.

"So I'd suggest looking around and IF you can't find anyone else, give me a call."
His parting words.
I hope he didn't look in his rear-view mirror as he left. I was giving him the finger.
I felt really defeated and down.


Fast forward to the next day. CrossFit workout. It was tough and hard. A few times I was ready to quit. The coach came up and kept saying quietly, *You can do this.*
Funny. Now when I get into a tough spot I hear his little mantra behind me. Well, probably in my head.

As I was leaving CrossFit yesterday I ran into one of the new gals. I really have liked her from day one. We started talking in the locker room and next thing I know I am asking for her to put her cell phone number on my phone and her husband's. He cuts trees for a living. Dang.
Serendipity strikes again.

I'll see where this leads.

I decided to take an afternoon just for me. I made a snack for Rich and made sure that he and Charlie were all set, then headed to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve to ride the old 131 trail. I wanted to ride to the north side and then all the way south.

And...I did. I took my converted camera.

And took my time.

Full spectrum allows me to use the camera as I normally would also...neat huh?

I took the following two shots with the same camera. I just used the 'hot mirror' for color and the 665nm filter for the infrared look.

I think I prefer the IR look in the super bright sunlight.

Anyway, it was a fun experiment.

As I drove home I stopped at my favorite sunrise spot to grab a shot of the cattle in Black Bottom Creek.

I really love how this turned out. It just goes to prove that clouds, sky, water, and greenery really make an IR shot.

I haven't heard back from the tree folks, but I've decided not to let it be an end all thing for me.
Rich told me to 'chill' out. I was trying too hard to do everything at once.

I received a couple of more phone numbers for guys who do trimming, I'll work on that next week. But for now?

*I got this.*

I got out!

I couldn't help myself but take some shots of the bike. After all, once I posed it...it stayed put!
Since my Infrared conversion didn't come, ... I decided to go anyway and take the little point and shoot IR camera.

The 'ponds' were stunning.
It was quite warm so I had shorts on and didn't dare cut through the weeds to the pond on the other side to take some shots of the dead trees reflecting in the still waters...

I cruised down Old 131 trail and admired the wildflowers, bee balm, brown eyed susans, and yellow coneflowers.
Oh I have some beautiful color photos of those on my other camera, but just haven't downloaded them yet.

I stopped at each bridge and took a few shots.

I had the Reserve to myself basically. I heard someone talking up on the Little Canada Trail. It had to be folks on horses getting in an early ride.

What a great morning to ride. Absolutely delightful.

This morning I got to the post office and was able to talk to our carrier. How funny, he is new...and so is his substitute. The reason they have never successfully made a delivery to my door? Apparently even with two fire numbers, they never made the connection that there are two
seperate
houses.

Um.
I drew the carrier a simple map.
Here are the mailboxes.
Here is the driveway.
Drive down it to my house.

I had to explain it more than once to the lady behind the counter, but I think the carrier got it.
Oh. Boy.

I'm not stating the obvious here. Would you not look for the second house?

Shrugging.

Well well now

After a week of very long doctor appointments along with many road miles put on the Subaru, I told Rich that I was going to go to the Kickapoo Valley Reserve on Friday or Saturday. Well, even perhaps on Sunday.

My first plan was to go on Friday and to borrow my neighbor's Roadmaster bike she has.

Yesterday afternoon on a whim, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door. I drove to town and did something I never do. I stopped at a bike shop.

Years ago ... probably 1982 maybe? My sister and I went to a bicycle shop and bought matching road bicycles, 10 speed bikes. We eventually went on a pretty epic sister sister road trip of two days and nearly 150 miles. Our bikes were not composite lightweights, but heavy and sturdy Ralieghs that weighed nearly 18 lbs a piece.

Bicycling has come a long way since then.
So have bicycle helmets.

The guy at the shop, Roger, came out and we started looking. And soon I was cruising the back streets of Viroqua on a Mountain/Road bike. At first I was hesitant, then...I felt the joy seeping back into my soul. The warm air caressed my face and hair through the helmet vents and I felt freedom creeping into my body in the form of childish joy.
That 10 minute ride gave me what I had been searching for.

Roger spent a long time adjusting the handle bars to suit me. The seat to suit me, ...and explaining the brake system, the gears, and how to take the wheels off.

We talked a bit about putting a rack on back for things like camera gear, tripods, and even a crate for Charlie. He said it wouldn't super easy, but it could be done.

So before dawn I crept out with my chore boots on and climbed aboard my Bliss 3. What a great name. Bliss. Yep, you figure that out.

The dawn suddenly belonged to me.
The cool damp air rushing past my face as the morning brightened around me.

I literally beat the sunrise to 3 different spots before the sun poked its face over the horizon.

And the morning was ...
incredible.

As I rode from favorite place to favorite place I began to feel more comfortable with being able to shift for the hills.
The feeling of being a kid again was still there, only now I had an incredible backdrop for my ride.

I felt free and resisted the urge to shout out in joy. Geeze, I could have because no one except the wildlife would have heard me.

Watch out trails and backroads.
I'm going to be a 'kid' again.

Oh yeah. I have the neatest bad ass helmet too.

It is a horrid bright green with a neat visor. It is called a Tremor Helmet. Roger said he thought of the movie Tremor when he saw it. I said "The Earth Shall Tremor as I ride!"
He thought that was perfect.

But hey, and old lady can be excited about riding bikes again, right?

Ride on.

The inner child awaits me.

[Yep, it fits nicely in the back of my Outback too!]