A century in Jackson, Tennessee

This past weekend, I drove up to Cullman with Bev and David. They stayed with Tom and Amanda while I rode up to Jackson to do a Century ride with Mike Sherrill. It was a pretty good ride. We met up with his friend, Gordon, and did about 65 miles before lunch. Then we ate a buffet and rested during the heat of noon, then struck out again for a 36 mile finisher. The country was pretty. There were lots of low traffic roads. The dogs weren't too much of a problem. Mike showed me where a dog caused him to fall and break his pelvis and where another rider was brought down by a German Shepherd. The rider was hurt and his bike was damaged. He had to sue the folks to take care of the damages. Now they don't have a big dog anymore. There were lots of dogs on the route but none who really were a threat.

David had a great time with Paw Paw. They rode the Cub Tractor that Tom gave him. He was really proud to get to ride all over the farm. Amanda was talking about having to do something on their will. I don't know if she will leave the farm to Bev, or to the kids, or David, or someone else. It is entirely up to them. For my part, I am willing to work the farm and keep it toward the day when one or both kids see it for what it is and take it over. I couldn't see it as mine in any scenario. Amanda wants it to stay in the family. She may prefer to give it to Sonya or Krissy. I am reminded of a much lesser family momento my Grandfather owned. It was his grandfather's clock. I would have kept it and cherished it if he had left it to me. But he didn't. And since he didn't, it is of no value to me. I don't see Nikki being a farmer. Sara, maybe! Chris might love to come to Cullman and have a piece of the farm.

Next week if all works out, I will go to Cullman and help Tom with some painting. I need to make a time soon and go on one of those Mission trips with him. Maybe I could even get Kirk to come. We need to plan a trip to see Kirk in July. It would most likely be the 3rd week. I doubt we could have much fun July 4th week unless we stayed with them for that picnic.

Catching up

After my recovery period for Covid, I went to Cullman on Monday the 8th and started catching up on the mowing and farm stuff. Pretty much everything needed mowing. The big tractor made short work on the main north fields and David helped me with the field across from the pond. The grass had grown quite long and with the two week absence, I simply started and mowed all of them. There is always some mowing to do. At least no trees had fallen. There were some indoor projects pending. A couple of shower fixtures had to be replaced. The screen door latch didn't hold and had to be improved. The old JD mower needed a bit of tuning so it would climb better and the mowing deck replaced. And the garden needed to be disked and more corn and okra planted. David should have had a shot on the groundhog at the old house but forgot to check his ammo. The hammer fell on an empty chamber. I got the conibear traps out and caught one of the groundhogs that lived by the spring. David had ...

Spock

Spock is my favorite character in all fiction. A character who bridged the gap between two worlds and faced disdain from each. Who strove for excellence and exemplified strength, character, intelligence, and control. His nearly emotionless demeanor was a perfect foil for those who would attempt to intimidate or insult him. It was a style I would endeavor to imitate to thwart those attempting to insult, demean, or scare me in my own young life. I bought this little figure to remind me to guard against letting my defenses down and allowing emotional hurt to strike me.

Counting down to Florida Bike Safari...

Darn cold weather! I got up this morning to some cool north breezes. It made me decide to hike rather than bike. Next week I will do the pm rides for the bike club. In the mornings, if there is time, I will get in some climbing out toward Bull Gap. I need to do the climbs more than the long rides. I seem to be stronger on the hills than last year. Maybe it is the 35 lbs I have dropped. That is almost equal to 2 bikes. I also dropped about 7 or 8 from the new bike. Combined that puts me 42 pounds of weight saved which would be a substantial load to pull up the hill. Now I just need to train those leg muscles to pound out the climbs. The only way I see to do that is to just do hills! I need to remember some small but important things when I pack for the trip. I will need to be sure I have a wrench to change the tire with. I need to check the spare to make sure it holds air. I will need to pack the charger just in case. A long extension cord might be nice. Sunscreen and bug repel will be ...

diddlee

Search This Blog