Wednesday, November 16, 2011

fa'nter

Now’s the time to reflect. The bursting at the seams with work weeks are rapidly coming to a close and though work will continue to dominate the waking hours for months on end, at least it’ll stop keeping me awake at nights.

Fall is slowly receding. Indeed, I think we’re in that period of overlap where it’s no longer fall...


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(on my way to work)


...and not yet winter.


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(ditto)

Call it fa’nter.

So I have emerging pockets of time. Early morning time, evening time – time to reflect. And I reflect best when I am on the move. For example biking.

But is biking compatible with fa’nter?

I tested it today. First, I thought about riding Rosie. But when I left the farmette, the official temperature was hovering near freezing and the wind was brutal.

I don’t like being cold. Zipping around on a motorbike would be cold.

Riding a bike is different. You work hard and you move with less speed. I put on a snug cap, bundle a scarf many times around my neck and set out on Mr. Red.

Whoaa! That is some gusty little wind! Straight in my face. The shortcut ride (of seven miles) stretches into a looooooooong ride. (An hour.)

Eyes tearing, cheeks burning, I push on, thinking -- this is crazy. It doesn't help to be mocked by holiday snowmen on the approach to the downtown.


DSC09613 - Version 2


Yeah, hi to you too!


In truth, I am immensely proud of my efforts, even though reflecting is not possible (for me) when I’m battling wind. I'm not like the black ducks (are they ducks?) on lake Monona. I don't have a coat of oil protecting my goose-bumpy skin.



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My older girl is at the farmhouse for dinner tonight. I want to tell her about the ride in, but the topic does not present itself.

2 comments:

  1. Those black duck-like birds floating on Lake Monona are called Coots, in the family of Rails. The Coots will leave before the lake ices over and return in the spring. I loved your depiction of not-quite winter.

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  2. As I am a newcomer to your blog, forgive me if I don't know your story yet. My friend, M, is also a newcomer and she said she might want to start from your beginning blog and read thru to the present. I see you've been here since 2004, so that is a big order. But I am recently retired and don't have work as an excuse anymore.

    But the reason I am writing today is to mention something and if you already know about it, sorry about that.

    Have you ever considered buying a PAL format DVD player? So you can watch DVD's of shows made in the UK and Europe? My husb. and I are Anglophiles, having ben to England 8 times, and we love the movies and television series from that country so much that we got our PAL DVD player quite a few years go and love it so much. We never lack for great shows. We watch one or two every single night after supper. It's just a thought if you hadn't thought of it already. They are not too expensive either, less than $100 and even lower nowadays, I think.

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