First Ride in a Long Time!

 Who would think of snow on April 24th?  Ah Missouri!

I have not ridden very much this spring.  I could attribute it to the cool weather and rain that we have had this spring.  I could attribute it to my wife getting a bike, and the shift to ridding with her rather than taking longer rides alone.  I really do not think that either of those excuses are really the cause, because I am not riding my rollers or spin bike either.  After close to 40 years of actively riding several times a week either on the road or in the house on rollers, I now go weeks between rides.  I think ultimately it probably relates to a change in medication that was indented to reduced my anxiety levels.  After a life in a high stress job, it finally started to take its toll on me.  The medication works, and that is good. Still I think it also reduced my obsessive compulsive tendencies or what ever it was that lead me to get up early to exercise even when staying in bed would have been easier.  Now that I have more time to sleep, and a lot less stressful a job I find I invent excuses or simply do not think of riding.  Whatever the reason in the end it is all my choice.  I hope I can start to make better choices and ride more.

I did have a nice ride today.  From snow yesterday to 60 degrees and beautiful sun today!

or

It is not often that you have dafodills.....

and dandelions are blooming at the same time!

and the requisite picture of cows!

I rode over ten miles during the middle of the afternoon on a variety of roads and met or was passed by only 3 cars!  I did get to meet a couple of new dogs....

They moved in last year and still do not know what to do with me.....I will also assert that our litter is better than other peoples litter..... that is an original painting.....of the quality associated to a school student.....

I suspect its existence in the ditch is related to either a bully that stole it from some poor child on the school bus, or a deceleration by a student in the ultimate lack of interest in his own art project.....It has been there for a while, through rain and snow.  I pick up other trash but feel it would be theft for me to pick this up.....

I am saddened by the many pine trees that have died.  I would have suspected that this tree had been killed by the power line crews if the other tree directly under the lines was still alive.  I have lost several on my property, and as I ride down the rode I see so many others that have succumbed.....It will be interesting to see how many deciduous trees do not leaf out this spring after the hard drought last summer.....