And on the seventh day, he flatted

October 10, 2010November 16, 2010 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 23 Comments

Autumn is on us with a vengeance, if you happen to be a plant. But midweek the temps should be in the low 60s/high 70s. — Autumn is on us with a vengeance, if you happen to be a plant or a penniless drunkard without a furnace. But midweek the temps should be in the low 60s to high 70s, which means I can dial the ethanol heater back a notch or two.

Screw the calendar — today was the first official day of fall. I know this to be a fact because when I set out for a quick 45 minutes of cyclo-cross after a morning of light labor I was wearing arm warmers, knee warmers and an undershirt in addition to the usual kit, and wishing I’d opted for long-fingered gloves.

I had planned to do a few go-rounds at a nearby school that has a gravel track, some short, sharp run-ups, a bit of asphalt and even a log to hop. But some anonymous teabagger has let the grounds go to hell, so after trying and failing to find a suitable path through the weeds I rolled off to my old standby, Monument Valley Park.

Unfortunately I apparently took a couple of goatheads with me, and just as the ’crossing was starting to feel good the front tire went soft. Oh, bugger. Out with the bad tube, in with the good tube. This mini-pump works about as well as the Senate. Look at the time. The sis and bro’-in-law are en route from Fort Fun, expecting lunch. Home wi’ ye, ye bald-pated tosspot.

And that was my Sunday in Bibleburg. How was yours?

Real wool socks and virtual ravioli

October 10, 2010 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 11 Comments

Thank Buddha for wool socks. The only way to get a gas flame around the DogHaus today is to light one’s own farts.

Happily, it is October, not February — which means it’s about 55 outside and 65 inside as we speak at 10 a.m. Bibleburg time. That ain’t bad, though I confess I miss our old Weirdcliffe wood stove. It, unlike our rooftop solar unit here, worked even on cloudy Sunday mornings like this one.

Meanwhile, Friend of Dogpatch Larry T. sends word of his raviolipalooza. Watch and weep as you nibble your shredded wheat.

Samue night fever

October 5, 2010November 16, 2010 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 17 Comments

Finally it feels like fall. We had a smidgen of rain late yesterday afternoon, and then the wind sprang up and the leaves began falling. This morning, the furnace clicked on.

I surrendered to the inevitable and skipped the shorts in favor of some cotton samue drawers. My sleeveless summertime wife-beater T bit the dust a couple days ago, but I’m not quite ready to go to the full-on sweatpants-and-socks combo. Not yet.

Steel-cut Irish oatmeal fortified with cinnamon, honey, nuts and fruit is back on the breakfast menu, as are eggs, especially when scrambled with green chile or hardboiled, sliced and served alongside a potato hash involving chopped chile and scallions, diced red bell pepper, minced garlic, Mexican oregano and some leftover protein from the previous night’s dinner (chicken, beef or pork).

Did I mention chile? I made a green chile stew using chicken thighs instead of pork last week and it was killer. Tonight I may whip up some buffalo enchiladas in a red sauce that has its red-hot roots in Chimayo, New Mexico. You can’t stop me.

Also back on the menu is running. I haven’t been doing much of that this summer, but since it’s no longer summer it’s time to suck it up and get back to the ground-pounding. It’s not as nifty as cycling, but it’s easier to do in the snow.

Snow? Did I say that or just think it? Where’d I leave those wool socks?

Cool today, chile tomorrow

September 10, 2010November 16, 2010 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 10 Comments

Summer is hitting the door running with its bike slung over one shoulder. The leaves are turning, we’re back to breakfasts like steel-cut Irish oatmeal with black tea, and dinners involving copious quantities of freshly roasted green chile and free-range pork are in our very near future.

I haven’t made the ultimate concession to cooler weather — pulling on the ratty old gray sweatpants — because I’m still a tad scabby and stiff from stacking it on the trail last week. But I may have to start adding socks to my usual T-shirt-and-shorts ensemble, if only in the early mornings.

Political signs have replaced roses in the yard — Hickenlooper, Bennet, Merrifield and Mowle — and a few more opposing three insane tax-slashing initiatives will be joining them soon. I don’t see that overfed, under-taught windbag Doug Bruce volunteering to underwrite a few streetlights, patch a couple potholes or water a park, and frankly some things are worth paying for.

Between you and me, I’ll be glad when the midterms are behind us if only so we won’t have to listen to the ceaseless drumbeat of an ass-whuppin’ a-comin’ from the mainstream media. I’d rather take three beatings than endlessly anticipate one.

Meanwhile, cyclo-cross season starts this weekend. Already? I can still walk, but I haven’t tried running lately, and I haven’t been on a bike since a week ago Monday. So don’t look for me at the Pikes Peak Velo Supercross on the 18th. On a bike, wearing a number, anyway.

Hot pussy

October 22, 2009November 16, 2010 ~ Patrick O'Grady ~ 6 Comments

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.