That’s not a Wall. Not even the one from “Game of Thrones.” It’s the side patio, as photographed from the dining room, ’cause damme if I’m going outside today.
Don’t expect me to hit the bricks for the first ride of the New Year. We’ve already achieved the expected “high,” there’s a stiff wind out of the ENE, and the snow is coming in sideways.
Field Marshal Turkish von Turkenstein (commander, 1st Feline Home Defense Regiment), has enjoyed a brace of delicious breakfasts and retired to his quarters to map out the year’s strategy on the underside of his eyelids.
Cranking up the internal furnace.
His adjutant, Miss Mia Sopaipilla, has drawn guard duty in Tower One, but as there seem to be no White Walkers within the perimeter — just a few socialist finches hopping around at the base of the maple, looking for a handout — she too is at a reduced state of readiness.
The conditions compelled me to fry up a skillet of my famous two-pepper hash (red bell and Hatch green, with diced red spuds, minced onion and garlic, Mexican oregano and chopped cilantro). Herself topped it off with a couple eggs over easy, and a generous sprinkle of grated Cabot sharp cheddar with a fruit cup on the side helped douse the fire.
Now the question is: How do I sweat that off? There’s not enough snow to do anything with, just enough to do something to me, and I’m kind of over that. But setting up the stationary trainer strikes me as a poor way to kick off a new training log.
Incidentally, I managed 3,309.8 miles on the bike last year, which is probably about a third of what Friend of the Blog Sharon logged. Still, I make it my best year since 2011, when I rode 3,370.2 miles.
And now, Lightnin’ Hopkins and I would like to wish all you cool cats and kittens a rockin’ happy New Year (h/t to the M-dogg for serving up that hot Decca platter). Wear it out. Tear it up.
Tags: New Year's Day 2019
Mad Blog Media 
January 1, 2019 at 10:54 am |
That’s what our driveway looked like this morning, minus the 40 mph wind gusts that you had. I am so desperate to get through the day, I am cleaning toilets and making chicken chili, not simultaneously. I’m thinking the chili might get a few dashes of Valentina and El Yucateco Haberno to warm my ass up.
January 1, 2019 at 10:59 am |
Let’s see. A fella with muscles in his head that haven’t been used and a cold day. Happy new year.
January 1, 2019 at 11:08 am |
You cain’t go wrong with a John Prine tune. Just cain’t be done.
January 2, 2019 at 1:00 am |
I’m hoping my first ride of 2019 will be today after laying around most of New Year’s Day. We have started our packing up process for the transfer to Napoli next week – we’re still in the process of boiling these down to make ’em almost painless each time. We should have it all figured out when it’s just a transfer from here to Piedmont Cycling Resort each season..by then we might even have the rest of our stuff flown over with us from the US of A?
January 2, 2019 at 7:19 am |
Some friends here in ’Burque are making their move to France over the next couple months. All their stuff — downsized, of course, to accommodate the shift from big ol’ ‘Murkin house to itty-bitty Lyons apartment — is taking the slow route, via container ship, in mid-January.
I’m sure you’ll get your process dialed in until it’s a total no-brainer. It sounds like more fun than shoveling the driveway for the fifth time, a project that will commence once I’ve had my coffee and p’raps some hot cornbread with a couple eggs over easy.
January 2, 2019 at 6:14 am |
Well, we are once again in the middle of a snow event with accumulations of 2 to 4 inches, including on the roads. Should be a real bumper car commute this morning. We are not going anywhere unless it is an emergency. No, this is not normal. Our temperatures have been 20 degrees, day and night, below normal for over a week.
January 2, 2019 at 7:25 am |
Thirteen here at the moment, Paddy me boyo. Les flics have been busy during our little snow event, with nearly 100 auto crashes before presstime last night: 61 without injury and 26 with, plus 40 stuck and/or broken-down vehicles.
One of those days, to be sure. As I noted about, not enough snow to do something with, just enough to do something to us. And it looks like we might get a little bit more, too. Good times. Maybe not.
January 2, 2019 at 12:18 pm |
And Happy New year to you also! Pretty abysmal weather here over the last week but no blizzards. Lots of rain and fog. There was even some fungus growing on one of my mtb tires. I did manage to successfully ride all three of my bikes in their appropriate habitat.
January 2, 2019 at 2:07 pm |
Seems that both bomb factories stayed closed today. Having an unanticipated extra vacation day.