Yesterday morning came a bit bitter if you don’t mind me saying. With the temperature at fifteen degrees (F) and the wind at twenty-five miles an hour, the net effect was, well, a tad unpleasant. Had I been dressed in woolies and Carhartt, I might not have noticed so much. I wasn’t and I did.

The situation had not improved noticeably when I ambled over for lunch at the college cafeteria. Inside, both the food and the seats were warm. The food was right tasty as well but I can’t speak to that particular standard regarding the chair in which I sat. There are some aspects that are simply not worth the investigation. I finished my meal and headed back over to the office, with one hand holding my hat in order to preclude the incidental entertainment of an old guy chasing a fedora down a brick street.

I spent the rest of my day chasing paper and going to meetings. At five, I suspended both opportunities and headed back out into the elements.

Much to my surprise, the elements had changed significantly! Wind calm, temperature right at forty degrees! My, my, this is a good change…

I’d hoped to take a long bike ride Sunday afternoon but opted not to tackle wind in the twenties and gusts in the thirties. Especially with me being in my sixties. But now, with the sun still a bit above the horizon and no breeze, I just had to take advantage of this, especially with tomorrow’s forecast for more wind and less heat. And so I changed clothes quickly and rolled my bike out of the garage.

It wasn’t a long ride but it was gorgeous. After pedaling northeast for a bit, I turned south on the bypass and crossed over the bridge above the railroad. After the long slow slope of the hill, I curved downward toward the river bottoms. Off to the right, a long narrow pond caught the silhouettes of tall reeds and taller trees beyond them. The setting sun spread ripples of red and orange across the western sky and into the face of reflecting waters.

I rode on south a bit, then turned west on Kansas avenue, headed into the fading of this good day. A winter day that ends warmer than its beginning and that offers both exercise and beauty… how do I not give thanks for that and a thousand other things as well?

H. Arnett
2/6/18