I Settle

View From the Farm

Went to another goat yoga event and, as usual, I didn't do much yoga since I was too distracted by the goats and pig. It was very windy so that was also a distraction but the event still made for a nice animal therapy session and it's looks mountainous in the farm area so it's beautiful.

Gertrude

Want to Frame This One of the Runner Ducks

Alison volunteered to drive. She said that her car is like her purse and she would probably forget something so I got a chance to look around and take pictures during the drive.

Rain Clouds

We also ended up going to the Crystal Festival which got rained on a lot. I joked that there were enough energy workers and crystals so we should have been able to make it stop raining. Alas, that didn't happen but several of the crystal folks said that they saw a hint of the sun. Is that a case of looking at the sky as half full?

From Alison's I went to pick up essential oils that were on sale. Later on I told Alison how I really wanted these expensive fragrances, like rose and jasmine, and she suggested that I could use my gift certificate for an herb shop toward the purchase of one. I had already used part of of my gift certificate for a "lesser" essential oil and hand cream. As I told Alison, I have a history of not getting exactly what I want. When I feel like I'm being decadent, I settle but, in this case, I had a gift certificate and enough money from my birthday to splurge.

Not going full throttle is something that I'm going to have to work on so that I can become the proper queen that the 'Fugee thinks I am.

Such and Such

Could not bear to finish reading What We Have Unleashed in Slate then Bill Maher, who's rubbed me the wrong way before, just casually used the n-word -- what an asshole.

First noose. Second noose. Deadly stabbings. I'm gobsmacked...

Alison pulled the friendship card, big time, as she wanted to go practice yoga amongst goats. Did I want to to go? No. But sometimes you have to do stuff that other people want to do. So we headed out to a farm an hour away. It took almost an hour to use the facilities but that's another story.

We headed to the area designated for yoga and then the goats were let out. Neither Alison nor I thought about getting goat feed and that was probably a smart move. The goats were pretty unobtrusive except for looking in the occasional bag, trying to sip out of water bottles and chewing one woman's hat. The goats pretty much roamed about and ate grass and leaves.

Didn't do much yoga as I was too busy taking pictures. It did feel like we were in a time bubble and that was nice. Think that I enjoyed the pigs wallowing in mud the most. And hats off to the peeps at the farm doing their thing.

Such and Such Farm

After goat yoga, we grabbed lunch then I picked up my car at Alison's then made five stops including one to pick up dinner. Worked in the yard for an hour and picked up four mosquito bites. I try to mix up the repellents and this time I had on a natural one which didn't work.

Washed the allergens and stank off me and, now, just trying to, internally, settle down plus get the word gobsmacked out of my head.

Wondering

When my mother and I left the repast on Saturday, she pointed out one of her childhood homes. We got our first phone there and we had a party line. Wow, we've come a long way -- maybe too long. I wonder how many homes my grandmother had to move in and out of raising seven children.

Although I haven't done much research on it, I've been thinking about StoryWorth -- heard about it while listening to a podcast. Wonder if my family members would participate.

I've also been thinking about how mother said that my aunt Girt has always had a mouth on her. No need to wait for old age; she's been saying what she has wanted to say since...

Alison and I were in negotiations on Saturday night about what activities we wanted to do and where we wanted to do them.  Knew that I didn't have much time to play with (a.k.a bicycling) so we decided to go to yoga and then breakfast after yoga.

Towards the end of class, I snapped this picture of Alison. Some people were doing headstands and because I don't do headstands, I watched. Alison said that she is trying to become accustomed to the idea of being upside down...

Guess I could have done downward-facing dog on the wall but I was ready for savasana and not wall play...

This woman that I used to work with moved back to St. Louis from California. She was hoarse and said that her voice has been that way since she moved back to St. Louis. She also said that she used to take allergy shots but doesn't have time to do that right now.

Got home from work, changed clothes, walked the yard to check for debris then mowed the lawn. Followed that up with pulling weeds for one hour. By the time I was finished, felt like I had little shards of glass in my skin.

I had been feeling better and less congested but I should have worn a mask because my stint outside has me nice and congested.

Another One

Had a weird dream last night. I was in a locker room and Michael Jordan was sitting next to me. A childhood friend was also in the locker room. I hardly ever see this friend unless there's a funeral and I'm thinking that she showed up because of the 100-year-old friend of the family who just transitioned because we used to play in front of her house. But Michael Jordan???

I was trying to take a selfie with Jordan but couldn't get my iPod to work and also couldn't find another device to take the picture...

Went to Zumba this morning then Alison asked if I wanted to go to an herb shop that I was trying to avoid because I'm having a love affair with essential oils. I somehow managed to walk away with just shampoo -- brownie point for me.

New Car Diffuser

Alison then wanted to go to lunch after our first stop and because I'd said "no" the last couple of times I said "yes" and we went to a nearby coffee shop then we ended up going to a new age store.

What's being served...

Got home and changed into yard work attire. Ended up being in the yard too long because I'd wanted to pick up my glasses in Illinois. Thought the place was open until five but they close earlier on Saturday. Oh well, guess you can't get everything done in one day.

On Friday, one of the contractors that I work with said that he had been swimming and I told him that I hadn't been swimming because of congestion and he said Welcome to the club; I take medicine all year for that. Ugh...

The Once-Over

At this point, this post is a week in review:

Patti and I changed our climbing schedule so that we could go to Ballpark Village's yoga series on Wednesday but guess what? Even though it's still a free event, tickets are required and it was sold out. I was bummed out but still had Zumba as an option.

Went to Gloria's on Thursday and we had a simple dinner of soy protein burgers from Aldi's but the toppings, caramelized onions...tomatoes...lettuce and condiments...took the simplicity to another level.

After dinner I attempted to make the whipped cream from one of the Thug Kitchen cookbooks but it was a bust. Supposedly, you take the cream from coconut milk, mix it with powdered sugar and vanilla flavoring but there wasn't enough creamed milk. There are other recipes with options and solutions but whatever -- it was an experiment...

Alison and I hit the Riverfront Trail for the first time yesterday. The ride out wasn't bad but we got pummeled by the wind on the way back and we dreamed of a sag wagon.

Alison caught me mid-selfie when we stopped to check out graffiti and, of course, I had to give my body the once-over or, more appropriately, scrutinize it when the picture landed in my message box.. I did think about that line in Sapphire's Push when Precious describes her mother and says that her arms look like animals; beavers, I think, but whatever. If I were to think in percentages, I'm about 89.9% satisfied with my body and enjoy when it's in motion and should be concentrating on the fact that my hands were able to hold onto handle bars and that my legs pumped for 16 miles...

Oh yeah, I was very congested after spending three hours (not all bicycling time) on the trail. Wonder what will be in store for this upcoming week?

Raymond, one of the riverfront turkeys....

Trail parking lot; car now covered in pollen.

Nth Degree

According to the Calm app, Wednesday was International Calm Day. Who designates these days?

At any rate, in honor of Calm Day, I had access to Calm Premium including a sleep story. I feel asleep on the sleep story so I guess it worked...

On Thursday I headed to Gloria's. She prepared everything since she was subbing for someone and wouldn't be home until around 7:30 p.m.

I'm thankful that Gloria has gone vegan and invited me over to witness the spectacle because I had really reached a point where I was stuck with cooking. If nothing else, I have new go-to recipes from the Thug Kitchen cookbook.

It's kind of like the woman at Zumba who told me that she doesn't go the bathroom closest to her at work -- makes perfect sense. Sometimes, you just need a reminder...

I don't go out of my way to eat celery but Gloria had it in our salad. For some reason, I thought that I didn't really care for celery but it was good -- especially with hummus on top. My taste buds have also matured and I didn't take that into account. Same thing with blackberries; remembered them as being too seedy but I didn't mind them on Thursday...

Alison and I have been totally out of synch of late. We were negotiating about which day to go biking and we really didn't reach an agreement. In the end, I woke up early then went back to sleep and when I thought about the mess in my trunk, I lost the desire to go biking so I went to  Zumba.

As I turned on the "Zumba Street" I saw this guy, who appeared to be homeless, giving drivers the middle finger salute. I laughed so hard. Just about everyone has been getting on my nerves lately. Oh, what I would give to salute a few... ;)

Later on Alison messaged me and asked me what I was doing. We decided to go biking so I guess everything does not need to be planned to the nth degree.

On our way out, a hawk landed nearby and several people stopped to watch him eat his snack. One bicyclist was not amused -- On your left, lady.

Hawk

Inside Of Me

I got caught selling drugs in an intense dream that I had last night.

I have been thinking about money but I also think it was a conversation that I had with a colleague about her ex-boss who got caught embezzling that set the stage for that dream.

When I got discovered selling drugs, I told myself -- You thought you had money problems; now you really have problems...

Before yoga on Monday, Alison handed me a necklace. I had forgotten all about the Shiva Lingams that we'd picked up at the Crystal Festival back in September.

When I saw the necklace, talisman popped into my head. Alison told me that she could adjust the placement of the charms and put them all at the bottom but I like them where they are...

I am finishing up Downtown Abbey, Do Your Om Thing and I just finished watching Minimalism: A Documentary About The Important Things. I have enjoyed them all.

Still thinking about Carrie Fischer and Debbie Reynolds. Am I surprised? No. My great aunt and her daughter died hours apart. Life is beautiful, very weird and hard etc.

I feel like there's a little minimalist inside of me. Now, I just need to unearth that little one so that no one needs to deal with my clutter when I'm gone.

A Night in Wonderland

Went to a pop-up yoga event at City Museum last night. We had a gentle and funny practice. Katie, who led the class, is like a comedian. I couldn't ask for a better approach to yoga.

Katie pointed out something that I didn't even think about. City Museum does not ask you to sign a waiver. Fancy that...

So, the price of yoga included the City Museum (minus roof access). Hadn't been to CM in ages and so much has changed. First of all, if you want an urban workout, take yourself to the City Museum. The word that kept popping into my head was wonderland. I see why it's open until midnight on the weekends. It's a great place to hang out.

Went with Alison and her son also accompanied us. The deal with kids, for the yoga portion of the program, is that the should be able to handle being in an hour long class and Alison's son is capable of that. Usually, he practices for a little bit then reads.

Because Alison has been to the City Museum way more than I have, she guided me through wonderland and told me little tidbits including info about the artist who made the outdoor birds...

Wisconsin Artist's Sculpture

One of Many Mosaics

I was having a case of nerves about the slide on the sixth floor and Alison's son was greatly amused but I did agree to end the night going down a slide instead of stairs. I had nothing to fear because I couldn't gain any momentum. Guess I had on the wrong pair of shorts. Either way, I had to scoot and use my feet in order to get to the bottom.

Photo Credit: Alison

And did I mention that navigating City Museum provided one hell of a workout?

Day Trip

View from Scenic Road

Not much feeling sweet lately...

Took the today off and Alison had time on her hands as well. We were both trying to maximize our time but managed to agree on hiking despite the promised high temp of 97. We went to Grafton, IL where most of the trails are marked as moderately difficult on the map in the visitors' center. Different story on website. We went up so many inclines that my Fitbit thought that I had climbed 52 flights of stairs. Felt like we hiked for 13 miles but it was more like three-ish. Not really sure.

During the middle of our hike, we heard thunder and the rain followed soon thereafter. Luckily, we were close to a shelter and hung out there for about 20 minutes. Unfortunately, the trail was muddy as hell after the rain and I'm not sure how I kept myself from falling but I managed to avoid a mud bath.

Alison and I got back to the Missouri side around 3-ish and had a late lunch then we parted and met back up again for yoga.

Tevas after brief puddle bath. 

Had a frustrating ride to yoga because of construction everywhere then a really slow driver in front of me. Joy talked about the moon being in Capricorn and emotions being high or something like that. Hope that explains some of the turbulence right now. I will say that the hike was satisfying. Maybe it was because I had to concentrate on getting up those hills and staying upright.

One Day

Went to visit my aunt Girt on Sunday and she asked me what I had been doing so I gave her the laundry list: yoga, grocery store, cooking, walking, mopping, laundering and I could feel her body language shift then she said You can't do everything in one day...

I was also in a bit of a blue funk on Sunday which Alison noticed after yoga. My funks tend to make Alison nervous but I usually tell her that there's a season for everything.

Went to yoga last night and it was a sweet class even though I felt banged up physically. It was also a good class because I was surrounded by familiars -- two to the right and two to the left. I like what Joy said about going to your edge and being with the pose...

Earlier in the day, Alison sent me a link to a blog post, The Yoga of Being Sad, that Elle of Yoga Buzz wrote. I swear, there's lots of synchronicity in the air...

Went swimming tonight and I usually greet the coaches of the youth swim team and, this time, the husband said that it had been two years since they'd met me and he asked me again about being a coach which just blows me away. Haven't they seen me swim?

I totally feel water competent but I don't feel like I'm a skilled enough swimmer to coach children. I also don't feel like I have the time. He was cracking me up, though, saying that he wanted someone mature because the young adults that he works with won't show up if, say, they've had an argument with their significant other.

Continuing The Ride

Faint Concrete Rash

Took Friday off because I needed a day off. Went to yoga with Alison then we went to have coffee. After coffee headed to the eye doctor and after the eye doctor, mowed the lawn.

Went bicycling this morning. Took my wheel off to get the bike in the car and even though I'd watched videos for quick release bicycle wheels, still didn't feel like I had it on right.

Got another lesson in paying attention to the present moment. As I attempted to change gears and look at the brake pads, I fell off my bike. Think it was because the chained suddenly slipped off while I was still trying to pedal. It's so disconcerting going from being upright to being on the ground and, of course, I had a flashback to when I sprained my ankle.

Several bicyclists stopped to see if I needed help and Alison offered to go back to the car to get bandages; she also offered to abort the ride. I told her that we could continue to ride and that I could get bandages from the visitor's center at mile three.

Didn't realize that the  Mary Meachum Festival was going on.  Two of the guys had already razzed me about my lack of a helmet. I pulled one away from the activities and asked him if he could give me bandages.

We continued to bicycle even though it was windy as hell. We stopped at various points and my bike must have hit the ground four times. During the crash, lost my bell and reflector light but, obviously, I could have lost way more than that.

Finally dislodge that little black piece of road...

I make a point of putting a flat repair kit in my satchel but I seldom carry any first aid items so I need to adjust my packing list.

Saw this woman who I hadn't seen in ages at the Meachum Festival. She's still taking pictures and I thought I recognized her as she turned her camera my way. I try not to worry about being photographed while chunky in public spaces but...

I asked the photographer what she'd been up to and she said Getting old; lucky me...

Also, I can barely keep my head above water. Can't even imagine what I'd do in 1866.

From Mary Meachum Festival

My grandmother had one...

Saturday-ing

Alison recently got into kombucha so, as a part of her birthday gift, I singed her up for a kombucha brewing class and I also reserved myself a spot because I know that adventures are sweeter with friends.

Until today, I had never tasted kombucha and didn't think that I would like it...

As Alison and I and two other women followed the Dabble sign, we were greeted in the hallway by a cat. Hilarious! I knew that we were at the instructor's apartment because she had given us the heads-up about her cats. When the last two students arrived, Gus heard them, headed out the apartment door and went to greet them.

Gus, the Host with the Most

The instructor, Mary, stays in downtown St. Louis and the view, alone, made the trip worth it.

When I smelled the SCOBY, I still didn't think that I would like kombucha and I was also a tad bit concerned by something that I'd read but I sipped anyway and loved the ginger kombucha that we sampled first. Also like the blackberry ginger and what Mary said about adding cinnamon sticks instead of cinnamon or actual ginger instead of powdered ginger. You have to stay away from processed foods when brewing and flavoring your kombucha.

One of the Mothers

The kombucha class was fun and I'd like to take another Dabble class. Just wish that most of them weren't during Zumba time...

When class ended, Alison and I headed across the street to Bailey's Range and had veggie burgers and shared a fig salad which consisted of spinach, figs, pears, fennel. roasted almonds, blue cheese and a strawberry vinaigrette. Yum -- all the way around. Even yummier was hitting the door before lots of kids wandered in from the Robotics Competition.

Mary did a Tedx talk and said that she did 30 minutes of yoga to calm her down beforehand.

A Good Story

Photo Credit: Alison

The weather has been stunning so it was only a matter of time before Alison and I decided to hit a bike trail. I agreed to bicycling yesterday but felt guilty when I told Alison that I didn't think that I'd be able to do yoga and bicycling. We've done that combo before but there's a lot of planning that goes into it and I also didn't think that I'd have the stamina or time budget.

It was my first bike outing since purchasing the Subaru and I made assumptions. At the last minute, I was looking for a way to secure the fifth door but there's nothing that you can hook a rope onto. Still, I tried to secure a telephone cord around the flimsy license plate housing as part of the bike was sticking out. As I strategized, I wanted to cancel but knew that it wouldn't be fair to Alison.

Headed out knowing that any serious bump in the road was going to snap the license plate cover and that's what happened.

I'd also bought a jump rope along so I pulled over to try to secure the fifth door and, minutes later, a fire truck pulled up. I thought that maybe I hadn't paid attention and parked in front of the fire station and, next, I saw a fireman walking towards me and I thought that he was going to reprimand me or give me a citation. Not once did it cross my mind that he might help me but that's exactly what he did.

The fireman was so calm and so cool. During "the class" that I took at Subaru, I was told how to pop out the house casing but I had forgotten. The fireman popped it out in two seconds and he also guessed that I had a quick release front wheel on my bike which I knew about but my apprehension about getting the wheel back on stopped me from even thinking about that as an option.

Even without taking the front wheel off, the fireman was able to maneuver the bike into the car which was such a relief. He made my day -- and a couple of more days. He was also pretty funny too. He likes to bicycle with his daughter but he doesn't think that he'll be able to get two bikes into his current car because it's not as big as the car that his daughter wrecked and, boy, does he miss his wrecked car.

I called Alison to let her know that I was running behind schedule. When we finally hit the trail, we were going at a nice pace and I think that it was total adrenaline.

Around the eight mile mark we took a closer look at Cementland. The area around the red, white and blue barrels is hilly and I tried not to think about the additional energy that I'd expended. However, I did feel grateful that my ankle is at a point that I can tackle hills and uneven terrain.

The bike ride back was windy and tough and even though I was knackered when I got home, I cooked but nixed the salt bath that I had planned to take. I didn't have the time since we spent three hours on the trail. Time well spent so I made adjustments to my agenda and moved on.

Outskirts of Cementland, Photo Credit: Alison

But the fireman, for real, I get emotional thinking about him. I was so moved by his act of kindness and it just made me resolve to continue my efforts to be steadfast in my kindness. The interaction with the fireman was also a lesson in staying calm and "feeling the fear and doing it anyway..."

P.S. I figured out how to take the wheel off which made getting the bike in the car so much easier. Not sure that it's on right but I'll take a look at it later.

Food Gauntlet

Before yoga class this morning, Alison gave me a basket with homemade chocolate. Seriously?Talented, timely and thoughtful...

As I usually do, talked myself into cooking knowing that my first days of the work week will go a lot more smoothly if I don't have to wonder about what I'm going to cook. 

My aunt Girt, who is the head cook in the family, made Easter dinner. It was more like Easter brunch but I didn't go for a number of reasons including the decadent macaroni and cheese. 

I'm heading over to visit family this evening and I'm pretty sure that there's sweet potato pie left. One of these days, I'm going to get my life in order again.

Locked It In

When I emerged from the locker room last night, I heard the youth swim team coach say I want you to lock it in and I thought Yeah, I'm going to lock it in. I don't know if I locked it in but I did get in 22 laps.

Saw this article on the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees' (UNHCR) Twitter feed and it made me go to the YMCA's website to see what intermediate classes they have available. The one closest to me only has a Saturday class but I will keep looking as I'd like to advance my swimming skills.

Took the day off from work as it is Alison's birthday and she wanted me to spend time with her. The request reminded me of what Gloria said recently -- If you don't ask, the answer is always no.

We planned to hit one yoga class but because of the weather, Alison's kid was out of school and we had to switch plans and go to the gym that has childcare.

There was plenty of room in the studio but this woman put her mat right in front of mine. Seriously? Alas, it didn't matter because the teacher didn't show up so we went to one of our favorite restaurants and chilled there.

Plenty of Space

After my time with Alison, I regrouped then ran errands including going to the library. I've had to abandon two books and I'm hoping that I will be able to relate to The House of Tomorrow.

Just Saying

Met Alison at 9:30 a.m. for yoga. Normally, I sleep in when I don't have to work but sometimes you just have to meet your friend where she wants to be met.

Wondered about going to my regular 7:30 p.m. class and when Joy asked me if I would be in attendance, I thought Why not? I probably won't be able to attend yoga for the rest of the week so doubling up seemed like a good idea.

Took care of chores including cooking then exercised for about 40 minutes. Thought about how I feel older because of the two months that I didn't exercise but the next few seconds brought feelings of gratitude when swimming popped into my mind.

I love that I'm water competent but I also love that I can have swimming as a go-to exercise when my feet need a break and don't get me started about swimming as a form of moving meditation.

So, I complained about a woman in yoga class who often asks questions and sometimes immediately after Namaste. Well, there's another newbie and she asks more questions than the first newbie and in a tone that's so caustic that it's startling. It would be nice if there was a yoga orientation class or brief tour (with brief orientation) or something. Just saying...

This article about Rachel Brathen made me chuckle. Have to say that the goat is super cute.

Like A Stranded Turtle

Started singing "Neither One Of Us" in the shower earlier in the day. Guess that I don't want to be the first to say goodbye to my little staycation...

This morning thought about how this woman walked up to the hoola hoop area last night at a yoga event and told me that I needed to stick my butt out and she calmly proceeded to hoop it up effortlessly.

Hadn't hoola hooped in a while and I guess it's not like riding a bicycle.

The yoga event at Union Station was special. It was a fundraiser (for veterans of war) and a yogapalooza of sorts.

Another Yoga Buddy, Tammy, Checking Our Surf Fitness

The Hoops

As I checked photos on Instagram, I spotted several photos of myself including one that had me cracking up.

There was live music -- a reggae band -- and once the music started, it was hard to hear Elle so the instructions kind of floated around which is why I'm going to say that I look, in Alison's word, like a stranded turtle.

The Leavers

Alison and I nixed bicycling (too hot) and went to Zumba instead. Had a bit of afro envy from the get-go. Not only was Alisha rocking her 'fro but another woman had a 'fro about Alisha's size.

So, Alisha is usually high energy but she was an energy bomb today.

I was fascinated, slightly nauseous and hot all at the same time. Alison was like Well, you do have a river flowing down your neck right now. Alison also pointed out that Alisha had been to a Zumba convention which had probably reignited her.

It was a nice way to start off the morning and it inspired me to rediscover passion for my favorite activities...

The 'Fugee told me how one of her family members is really into a horrid reality show. Didn't get the name of the show but it got me to thinking about how I was horrified when Survivor first came out -- the whole voting people off the tribe and whatnot. Now, it doesn't bother me at all and I often joke about workplace Survivor. Wouldn't you like to vote someone off the work tribe?

I'm also a big fan of Biggest Loser, The Amazing Race, Hoarders and I Shouldn't Be Alive.

Other reality shows that I've watched and like include Little People, Big World, Long Way Round and Intervention.

There are some shows that I haven't watched because I don't have cable and can't imagine that I would enjoy watching shows like Jersey Shore and Bachelor but I do understand that a lot of people participate in the shows for money and fame.

The 'Fugee has watched small segments of  Little People, Pit Boss and Long Island Medium with me. I know that she found Little People a bit sad to watch but... I'll have to get a clearer picture about what's objectionable about the Balkan reality shows...

There seems to be a spate of folks leaving their day jobs. Think my favorite story is the one about the BBC employee leaving to take care of his bees. Wish the leavers would let me in on their secrets...

I have another Zumba song that I cannot get out of head. It's Janelle's Monae's Yoga.



Monae also has another talked about song, Hell You Talmbout, dedicated  to Black Lives Matter.

I Can Stand The Rain

Alison At The Top of a Mini Hill

Alison and I had a 10:00 a.m. bicycling date. At about 9:15 got a message from Alison that it was drizzling heavily in her area.

The only thing that I'd noticed about the forecast was the mildness but, of course, there was a 90% chance of rain at 10:00 a.m. but a low possibility for the rest of the day.

We could have gone to Zumba but, being the stubborn person that I am, asked Alison to meet me at the riverfront anyway. We stayed in the car for about 10 minutes as it drizzled then headed out. Around mile 2.5 the sky got very interesting so we stopped at mile three where the visitor's center is at; it's the only shelter along the trail and we stayed there until the sky opened up.

Talked to the staff, listened to the rain and headed out when the rain subsided. Of course, it started drizzling again but we were already wet from the get-go because neither of us had towels to even wipe off our bike seats. We sang Singing in the Rain and Raindrops Keep Fallin' On My Head quite a bit.

We had mud on our bags, body and clothes but we had a fun time and I felt more energetic and happy after our bike ride even though the workout was cut short. Later on someone told me that the rain can be cleansing. It certainly felt that way. If I had been keeping track this week, today's bicycling outing would be a high note on the happiness graph for sure.

How To Add More Meaning...

Red Rocks???

The Mighty Mississippi River