Winter laid a bit of the nasty on us yesterday, but it lasted about as long as a horny Republican with a boy toy in a cheap motel. Today the temps hit the 50s and I got out for a quick ’cross spin through Palmer Park, trying very hard not to kill myself on the deteriorating single-track.
I’ve had a number of “Wild Kingdom” moments on rides lately. On Sunday, I interrupted a long-tailed weasel’s pursuit of a rabbit just north of Criterium Bike Shop; today, I saw a couple smallish mule deer tiptoeing through the trees east of the Goose Gossage ballparks.
And when I got home there was a white tiger lounging in the backyard. Turkish was in a particularly sour mood yesterday, as his notion of a good time does not involve being outdoors in subfreezing temps and stiff winds. But today he was a new cat, taking full advantage of the late-October sunshine.
Mad Blog Media 
I’m glad you got some sunshine as here in SUX, I’m thinking about building an ark or if the temps keep dropping, getting the XC skiis out! Grim, gray, nasty…makes me think we moved to Washington or Oregon by mistake. We had a reasonable summer with rarely a 90+ high humidity day so I guess we’re paying for it now? I’m getting cabin-fever enough I’d even ride outside on a carbon fiber bike if the sun would just shine!
I look longingly on my road bike as the cold rain continues, fourth day now. Today they’re calling for 5 inches of white slush in North Westconsin, so I may as well go shopping for some new ski poles to replace the ones I drove over in the garage last April.
“Hot Pussy” or “Fall Idyll”. Rousseau meets Renaissance – the exotic animal styled as a reclining Venus, the contours of the body mimicking the idealized landscape, lovingly rendered with great attention to detail. The shadows in the foreground contrast with the subject dramatically backlit – the public ‘face’ hidden, dreaming, ultimately unknowable…..
Oh, pardon my dreaming mind – borders on a Monty Python-ish skit.
Glad to read and see you are enjoying a wonderful ‘fall idyll’ in Bibleburg.
And now an excerpt from a poem by Sylvia Chidi (German) – 2006:
“There is a tiger in the woods
With such an attitude
There is a tiger in the woods
Do not stay out there in the nude
There is a tiger in the woods
Alternating between humble and rude…”
Hot pussy? Remember where you live, O’G. I see a crowd in Bibleburg headed for Patrick’s house, armed with torches and pitchforks.
The weather here in Bibleburg has been predictably unpredictable. I started today’s ride in shorts and short-sleeves, then pulled on the arm warmers about 10 minutes in and was wishing for knee warmers. Rolled down the arm warmers after a bit, then rolled ’em right back up when the sun went behind the clouds.
When I got home I had to wear jeans and a hoodie to ride my Vespa to the grog shop for a six-pack that I probably won’t get into ’cause it’s starting to look like red-wine weather out there. Sheesh.
And Libby, how literary of you. Turk’ is a pretty boy, isn’t he? Pure poetry in motion, unless he happens to be in an evil mood, in which case you want to handle him with oven mitts. We call him Hissy Pissy then. But he’s always a happy cat when the sun shines.
Interesting anti-cycling screed here: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2009/10/620000345/1