Wednesday, December 14, 2011

What a Difference a Day Makes.....

So HERE'S the cheery post I wanted to write yesterday.

I started out the day still congested and feeling yucky, but sometime in mid-afternoon, someone somewhere flipped a switch and I felt much better.

It could have been the realization that in a moment of bravery I had Hubby take me and my bike to school today, then he went to play golf on a course far, far away, and I knew the only way for me to get home was to ride my bike.

A year ago today we woke up to a low temperature of 14 degrees. IN GEORGIA!

Today the high was 70. IN DECEMBER!

That sounded a lot warmer than it turned out to be, at least on a bicycle. I debated about wearing my long-sleeved base layer under my riding jersey, and in the end decided it couldn't hurt. Excellent decision, as it cooled off quite quickly once the sun dipped below the tree line. I wasn't ever really COLD, but I was glad I had those sleeves. Hubby wore shorts to play golf, and he said it was fine. He's a lot tougher than I am.

It was a very nice ride home, especially considering it had been 17 days since I had been on my bike. I met the same school bus I often meet on that ride, and today for the second time I met it right at the entrance to a subdivision. It stopped to let the little kiddies off, and I stopped, just as I would if I were in a car. The drivers always look at me like I'm a little nuts, but I make every effort to follow the rules of the road even when I'm on my bike. (To be honest, I don't know if they're looking at me like I'm nuts because I stop for a school bus to unload, or if they look at me like I'm nuts because I'm on a bike in the first place.) Once when I was riding with a former co-worker, we also stopped for a school bus that had its red lights flashing. The driver leaned out the window and said in amazement, "I ain't never had nobody on a BIKE stop before." If I can just convince the occasional driver that all cyclists are not inconsiderate jerks, I will have done my duty.

Today's ride fulfilled 10% of this month's riding goal. I'd better get busy.


2 comments:

DJan said...

I thought everybody HAD to stop for a school bus, including bikes. You learn something every day. Congratulations on getting out there today. :-)

Evil Pixie said...

70 degrees in December? Yikes! That is something I don't think I could ever get used to. When I'm outside, I need to see my breath at Christmas time and feel the crunch of the frozen ground underneath my feet.