The Lake Loop....Finally!

My first outdoor ride today, so I had to capture the moment with a picture! The weather was decent....45 degrees with peaks of sunshine between the clouds. The winds were less than 5 mph so it made for a good ride. As soon as we got out on the highway, I was reminded that spinning bikes and real bikes are totally different in how they handle. I felt free....I was finally in control of my bike and my bike handling. Ted and I rode the "lake loop" which consists of riding around Tainter Lake into Colfax and coming back along the Red Cedar River (21 miles). It's my favorite route and I've memorized all the potholes and bad graveled corners!

Here's my Ruby Expert (Specialized) all decked out in pink! I love my bike and it's carbon frame. My former bike was a Trek 2300, which I also liked, but the frame was too heavy. I got the Ruby as a Mother's Day present last year. Now I just glide with the Ruby, plus hill climbs are enjoyable...really. (21/13.4/1:30)

Now, the rest of my day was really fun. Our son Chris has a friend from college that has a small business along with his brother. They make maple syrup. Chris is quickly learning the whole process of maple syrup making, so today he decided we should tap our one maple tree. As soon as he tapped the tree, wow, the sap just started flowing.

Chris tapped both sides of the tree....one side was flowing alittle faster than the other side. By night fall we had collected at least two gallons of sap from just one maple tree!

This picture was taken around noon today and the camp stove is still cooking tonight. Chris had about 14 gallons altogether to cook....his friend gave him sap to cook up, plus our sap from the one maple tree!

Later today we took a drive out to the Chris's friends place where he and his brother were cooking their sap. I took tons of pictures so I'll post them tomorrow. It was a good day and best of all I could spend my time outdoors, even if it was still cool.

What a Beautiful Sight

As soon as the sun came up this morning and the temperature started to warm up, the eagles appeared....immature eagles that is. I looked out the sliding glass door towards the lake, and discovered there were more than one eagle. There were actually four eagles to be exact, but no adult eagles.....weird!

I stood out on the deck trying to take pictures in the cool windy conditions. As I was shooting pictures, the eagles were talking to each other and soaring with the breezy conditions. Even though I've seen the eagles for years now, I always have to stop and admire their beauty. It's exciting to know there are four immature eagles in our area now and I'm sure the adult eagles are not too far away as well. I am so glad I was home this morning to see the eagles play....what a beautiful sight.

When Will It Warm Up?

This little mushroom is shinning in it's prime, but as soon as the hostas start to grow, we will no longer see this little blue fellow because he will be covered in layers of hosta leaves. It's hard to imagine that right now when it just snowed again today.

I taught my last Wednesday spin class later today. Starting next week, my classes will be Monday night and Friday only...yeeha! Now, if it would just warm up into the 50's I'd be motivated to take my riding outside. Guess I'm not a cold weather person when it comes to bike riding....my small body just doesn't tolerate extreme cold temperatures. Does that mean I'm a "fair-weather" rider?

Don't You Want a Kitty Cat?

I have a goofy cat. Every day is a new day with this feline. Apparently, she loves buckets....minnow buckets that is! One time, just one time, I lifted the lid and showed kitty the minnows inside the bucket, and that's all it took. That wasn't very smart on my part I know, I know. Several months ago she tipped the bucket over and yes, there were minnow swimming all over the carpet! I'm actually glad ice fishing is coming to an end and no more minnow buckets in the house.

Rain all day today with a little snow & sleet mixed in. The weather ahead looks cool and no warm up in sight. My bicycle plans are on hold for now, but I'm hopeful the temperatures will warm up soon and my bike wheels will be hitting real pavement. My thoughts right now are directed towards the Great Divide trail in 3 1/2 months.

Darn it!

Now that the snow is gone, I captured this sleeping gnome. Oh how I wish I could just kick back and enjoy myself like this little guy.

Speaking of relaxing, no such thing, darn it. The owner of the fitness center where I teach spinning just asked me tonight if I would consider teaching through the summer......grrrrrrr! I was really focused on commuting by bike this summer just like last summer. After thinking it over, I could maybe squeeze ONE spin class in this summer, but it will have to be convenient for me, and only ONE class a week. I'll have to think this over and come up with a biking plan for the summer months. Big rides will be left to the weekends only.

This was Mark's last night for teaching Monday spin class. He purposely made his class hard tonight....lots of hill climbs! Starting next week, I will take his Monday class and drop my Wednesday class, so I will be teaching Monday's and Friday's. I'm not sure at this point how my classes will continue, especially when the weather gets nice. Too many decisions.....I can't think. Maybe I'll just run away and join the circus (private joke)!!!!!!!!

Enchilada Sunday

The sun is shinning, but the air temperature is only 40 degrees this afternoon, so I still can't go outside and start any yard or garden projects. What's the next best thing? Cook your favorite food! My all-time favorite thing to make is green chili enchiladas, preferable hot or medium. Don't skimp on the enchilada sauce, or your enchiladas will turn out blah. My favorite sauce is Hatch. The green chili Hatch brand is a nice thicker sauce, while the Hatch red chili enchilada sauce is a little bit thinner. When I have a choice, I always go for the green chili...my favorite. Tonight I'm using chicken and white corn tortillas. I like to roll my enchiladas and place them in a pan and then bake. I find the enchiladas are easier to eat, rather than stacking the tortillas and meat filling.

When we visited New Mexico last March, I was in seventh heaven with all the fresh New Mexico chili peppers available at the grocery stores. I can't find that type of chili pepper here in the Midwest. Some day I hope to visit the Hatch, NM chili festival in the fall when they are roasting chili peppers around the clock. I've been told the smell of roasted peppers in and around the town of Hatch, NM is overwhelming. People go to the festival just to buy bags and bags of chili peppers.

I'm starting to learn the difference between levels of heat and varieties of peppers. The little red Thai peppers (otherwise known as Bird's eye chili peppers) are just plain HOT, while certain green chili peppers are hot, but also tangy in their hotness and flavor. Then red chili's are smoky hot, which I really like too.

Now you might find this odd, but I don't like the heat or hotness from black or white pepper. I don't like the pepper flavor....it's really hard to explain. Just felt compiled to tell you all about my pepper likes and dislikes.