early january fifty-something

The Excellent Father-In-Law's health is a bit dodgy (he's 91, and has a number of health problems; sometimes it seems like he's just about to go, and sometimes it seems like a three-year magazine subscription might not be a bad idea); I had a misunderstanding (I hope that's all it is) with an acquaintance, to which I'm probably reacting all out-of-proportion; and my usual anxiety and its new friend, depression, haven't finished with their holiday festivities yet.

I needed this ride. It isn't all I need, but it was a good start.

Laura OLPH is recently back from abroad; she had a ride in the schedule for today, and she promised "something in the 40 mile neighborhood". Even though the thermometers were just about at freezing at the start time, it sounded like a good idea to me (and it did warm up to about 40°F by the end of the ride; much of the conversation was about winter gear and keeping warm). It sounded like a good idea to about a half-dozen other folks, too.

(Maybe they're as crazy as I am, and they just hide it better than I do.)

Laura allows a few of us to start at her house, which makes it about 50+ miles today (this route). We picked up a few more in Pennington:

John K, above and below, is sporting his new all-white diabetes/Novo Nordisk kit. It sure is visible, until the snow flies.

New waterproof camera; I don't think I've got the hang of it yet.

The route was mostly the usual roads, with the exception of Poor Farm, which I may have successfully avoided for all of 2015. I remember calling down an imprecation, in Latin, on Laura when she called for the right turn. (If I learned nothing else from the Harry Potter movies, I learned that magic words gotta have Latin roots). While I was trying to find my breath at the top of Poor Farm, I got a few pictures of my compatriots doing the same.

We potted around past Wheelfine Imports, and then up to Mt Airy. Laura and I got pictures of a cow eating the center out of a hay bale.

Then to Rojo's, which has become the usual stop. Snakehead now keeps a pannier on his bike (a good idea; one I'm thinking of stealing for the Krakow Monster, which has become my cold-weather bike), and brought home a couple pounds of coffee (one might have been Laura's). Outside:

Then back. Nothing special about the route or the day (although we did discuss alternate theories about the "Mechanic Haven" on Snydertown Road, one of which might be true. The owner has locked a bike pump to his mailbox. Isn't that a friendly thing to do?).

I needed this ride. As I said, it's not all I need, but I did need it. But I'm also getting roundly sick and tired of feeling this fragile. It's not that I'm not taking care of my responsibilities (at least, The Excellent Wife is certainly not complaining). It's more that I feel like everything's just difficult and fraught with meaning and importance, even when it's probably not. I wish I could wear my life more loosely.

Thanks to my friends for letting me rant. Hope your insides are less dramatic than mine (hey, youse-all certainly look good from here!)