Today is just that day, the 17th of March.  I couldn’t believe it, but I didn’t know whether it was the 10th or the 17th today when I looked at the calendar.  Shows you were my mind is.

I didn’t really know what Saint Patrick’s Day was all about, so I looked it up.  Wiki says-Saint Patrick’s Day, or the Feast of Saint Patrick (Irish: Lá Fhéile Pádraig, “the Day of the Festival of Patrick”), is a cultural and religious celebration held on 17 March, the traditional death date of Saint Patrick (c. AD 385–461), the foremost patron saint of Ireland.

Anyway, we’re driving Bromont back over to K-State to have another chest x-ray and maybe scope his throat.  He still coughs a ton and is not really eating much at all.  If he not going to be of this world very long, I want him to be as comfortable as possible.  I didn’t plan on taking him back and forth to the vet on a weekly basis, but it seems right as of now.

I’m going to be interested in seeing how much of the Flint Hills they have actually burned since I did the drive a couple weeks ago.  The air has seemed pretty smokey, but not smokey enough to make me think they are mostly done.  Everything they burn around Topeka and Lawrence seems to be ditches and fence lines, plus rural folks just burning their yards.  I’m pretty sure that isn’t what burning is all about, but people get burn happy this time of the year.

I’ve been doing the evening rides from our house at 5:30 when I’m  not sick.  Everyone seems to be going pretty good, plus I’m behind, so it makes the riding hard.  Yesterday we did 50 miles with a 21 mph average, with the wind blowing pretty constantly over 20mph.  I’m not sleeping enough to be recovering properly, but it is what it is.

Yesterday I dug up the compost pile and put it in the garden.  I haven’t been taking good enough care of the compost pile, so I pretty much started over from scratch, layering it again and watering it.

Since I’m feeling so shitty riding, I figure I should try to do some other things to get my body back to snuff.  The problem is that when I’m riding badly and have no energy, I am pretty pitiful doing any manual labors.  I only did it for a couple hours, but was pretty beat before the ride.  I didn’t actually feel all that bad riding, after the first hour.  I don’t know what my body does to get to that point, but I like it.  It must somehow have an ability to readjust itself and get performing as efficiently as possible.

I’m allergic to Kansas this time of the year.  I’m not sure if it is the constant shitty air or just spring allergies, but I wake up each day like I didn’t really sleep.  I haven’t been sleeping all that much, but you know what I mean.  Feeling rundown down isn’t motivating, but I’ve experienced it before, so I’ll just plod on.

I’ve been riding out to the races on the weekends, not racing, but riding there and back.  Both Saturday’s and Sunday’s races are about a 25 mile ride each way from my house, so I end up with just about 50 miles each day.  Adding the 50 miles for the evening rides, I am getting in enough miles to sustain, but not enough to be good.   I’m feeling behind already, not having really done any racing on the road.

Did you see the finish results of the MTB race in Bonelli Park, LA, last weekend.  Guess the MTB weather protocol kicked in and they had to cut a lap off the men’s race.  Racing over 1:30 hours on a MTB would have been too far.  Man, do things change.

Anyway, there were 27 men listed on the results and 38 women.  Todd Wells was the best US finisher, 12th.  Only two US guys in the top 15, out of 27.  I don’t have any idea what that is, but it shows how pitiful that sport is doing on the UCI level.  I’d like to see how many riders started.  You’d think they would put everyone’s name down that competed, like real results, but that might not of been the case.  Whatever the case, US MTB racing, on an international level, has a lot of catching up to do.

Okay, I need to get going.  We have an early appointment for Bromont at K-State.

Bromont usually sleeps all the way over to Manhattan.

The Saturday criteriums have been getting a pretty good turnout. They are points races, which is pretty hard for this time of the year.

The only seem to burn ditches around where I live.

Coming back in last night at sunset from the evening ride. It was all split up at the end.

At K-State this morning. He’s nervous.

It has been unseasonably nice here in the last couple weeks.  Hi temperatures in the 70’s, even 80’s, when the average is closer to 50.  Everyone has been out on the weekends, starting their spring routine yard work.  But, that was just a taste.

Today the high is supposed to be in the 40’s and rain all day.  Luckily for me, after we got back from K-State with Bromont, I had enough time to finish up putting compost into the garden and tilling it in.  Then I planted alot of early season vegetables-chard, spinach, lettuce, mesclun, etc.  It is nearly early spring here, close enough, so these should do alright.

Bromont had a great check-up yesterday.  His pneumonia is completely gone on the x-rays.  So, we cut back the antibiotics.  He seems to have more energy, but he’s only eating double cheeseburgers from McDonalds.  Hopefully he’ll get a hankering for dog food again, but I’ll feed him cheeseburgers if that what he wants to eat.  We don’t have to go back for three weeks.

I got in a “good” ride yesterday.  On Tuesdays, the local club sort of just blows off riding.  Well, they ride, but like 15 miles on the bike path, and then meet for $3 beer at PT’s.  I’ve never done the ride, but sometimes meet up after.

I was pretty beat after hauling compost all afternoon.  The weather had already switched and the wind was fairly brisk, around 20 mph, for the northeast.  I had ear buds in, and was planning on riding an hour and a half.  But I got in more, maybe 2:15.  I tried to ride pretty hard, but ended up sort of bonking the last 20 minutes or so.  I only ate a couple donuts for lunch, so guess I ran out of juice.

I don’t really feel sick now, but am really run down by allergies.  I can feel it.  First thing in the morning, the first step, I can tell.  I’ve got too much other stuff going on to be worrying about riding good or bad right now, so it is what it is.

Glad the NCAA tournament has started.  Always a good method to pass some time.  Plus, Milan-San Remo is on Sunday.  So, good sports viewing.

It is supposed to get nice again by the weekend.  Back into the 70’s, which seems normal now, but really is a treat.

I sometimes just dig in the compost, but got out the rototiller yesterday.

I re-did the compost pile, layering it, plus added water. It should be steaming soon.

Dr. Harkin, Bromont and I yesterday at K-State.

My brother, Kris, looking svelte, last night on the St. Patrick’s Day beer ride. The green beer looked pretty horrible.

The weekend offerings from the donut shop in Aggieville, K-State.

Two iffy days, then nice again.