My, but it's buggy outside! Remind me of this in February when I'm complaining that the landscape is too bleak and monochromatic! There are no bugs here in February.
The garden is slowing down. Totally. We're dry again, but I agree with my gardening friend over in a neighboring state -- it's not worth watering anymore. I'll let the perennial beds go dormant. The lilies are mostly not rebloomers. The phlox peaked early -- I'd say it was at its best last week. The false sunflowers are fine, but they'll wither soon. The rest -- mostly everything looks tired. I'm not surprised. It's been a very tough growing season!
I do still clean up the lilies today and there are over 200 spent blooms. Why so many in a fading garden? Well, I have a few clumps of early autumn lilies and they are still producing flowers. And they are lovely and I want to keep them smiling and fresh!
(Ed points to this tree whenever I tell him our fruits and flowers need more sunshine. Peaches, in a mostly shady spot!)
Breakfast...
And then I wait. My e-bike is to be delivered today and Ed and I have a bike trip planned out. Am I impatient or what??
* * * *
The bike arrives at 1 and by 1:30 Ed and I head out!
We want to go to the village of Paoli -- a trip we had taken many times oh some 15 years back. In the more recent decade it seemed out of reach for me. It's only maybe 13 miles southwest of where we live (some on bike trails, some on the road, but with a bike strip), but the terrain is hilly and until this summer, I did believe my hilly riding days were over. Google has it at maybe at an hour and ten minutes each way. Ha ha ha. Even with an assist, it takes me (and therefore Ed) an hour and twenty minutes each way. True, there is road construction where we have to walk the bikes for a bit, but still, the hills aren't easy.
We pull in and exhale at the Creamery and Coffee Shop in Paoli. It's lovely here, along the banks of the Sugar River.
And then we turn around and bike home.
And I learned a lot from this virgin ride on Alpine Blue: I actually must use little assist because my battery level did not go down at all. Remarkable. And yet, the hills were made easier by that small boost. What an incredible invention!
It was exciting and exhilarating and enormously gratifying to be putting in that much of a physical effort once again. I had a wisp of nostalgia as we navigated the last stretch into Paoli. I did this same bit when Ed and I were "just starting out" together. We have learned so much about each other since then! And here we are, old people, biking often side by side, me in an orderly fashion, he -- a bit more boisterously on the roads and trails.
Needless to say, the couch was like a gift afterwards. Ed sliced up some watermelon -- a favorite way of his to quench that pounding thirst after a warm ride -- and then he dozed and I just smiled and smiled.
(evening light...)
