I’m kind of into yard work type stuff and gardening.  It seems like there are a bunch of vegetables that I won’t eat much of unless I grow them myself.  Anyway, I’ve been messing around with the backyard on and off the last few years.  I’ve rototilled the whole thing at least twice and reseeded.  It is so cool when the new, fresh green grass sprouts and looks so perfect.  Then, the moles that hang out on the lower level and garden have a hay day.  But, eventually it comes to an equilibrium and seems pretty nice.  Then in the winter, after meals, the dogs go outside and play.  Bromont and Marti have trampled a huge bare spot.  I was watching them this morning for quite a while.  It is so entertaining.  I didn’t even notice the bare dirt until afterwards.  I figure, backyards are there for dogs to play if they want.  It’s not a beauty contest for me.  It applies to most things in life.  Materialistic stuff gets nicked and beat up when you use it.  My favorite clothing are things that I’ve worn until it is nearly threadless.  So, don’t be anal about your stuff.  There is too much fun to be had using it.

My favoite UGG boots.

Favorite jeans.

I was riding with Bill a few days ago.  It was cold and there was a bunch of sand and salt on the roads left over from the last snow.  We were out on county roads doing a 2 hour loop.  I came to a corner that I’ve went through a million times.  I saw there was a bunch of sand on the inside and then it looked pretty clear, like nearly swept.  Anyway, I went into the corner pretty “hot”, maybe 20 or so, riding over the sand upright, then leaning into the corner soon after.  I didn’t realize there was a bunch of sand in the middle of the road between the lanes.  I was leaning over pretty good when both my wheels broke loose.  My bike was going out from under me pretty fast, but I managed to unclip and tripod through the corner with my left leg down and then clip back in and go along as if nothing had happened.  I’ve done this alot in various situations, mainly MTB races or rainy criteriums.  I had nearly this same situation happen a few years back in a mountain bike race.  I got to the bottom of a steep descent that had a U-turn at the bottom and the course then went back up a steep climb.  When I hit the bottom of the descent my front tire washed out because it was flat.  My bike was sliding out from under me.  I had immediately unclipped my inside foot and put it on the ground.  What amazed me was that I was shifting both my front and rear derailluers simultaneously  preparing for the climb.  So, unconsciously I was unclipping and shiftings with both hands.  The only thing I consciously remember was that I had a flat and needed to get off and fix it.  I had no idea that I had those abilities until it happened. It truely never ceases to amaze me how fast your unconsciousness can react to get you out of immediate disasterous situations. Or maybe it is just luck.