Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving to all you readers and safe travels to those hitting the road to visit family and friends.

I'm grateful we still have Tun-Tun here. I don't know what I'll do when he's gone. Over fourteen years old this last month. I repaired these basement stairs this spring. Not the best concrete work but the uneven risers made it dangerous.

My wife said; "You finally fixed those because Tun-Tun can't go up and down the stairs anymore and it's going to be hot in the summer (we don't have central air)."

One step was too tall for Tun-Tun to climb, but my wife never got me to admit my true motivation. Now they are all an even 7" riser with a 12" tread.

Tun-Tun spends most of his time in the basement or outdoors. He can't climb the steeper steps to the upper floors, though recently he has made it up to the first floor by himself a few times. We tried several ways of lifting him (in a crate or sling) but they all left him scared and extremely stressed. But we miss him when we are upstairs, and he barks when he's alone too long. So I started scooping him up in my arms, which he doesn't like but tolerates well. He wont nip at me but I wouldn't recommend anyone else trying. My wife brought home an old futon mattress to put in the basement for him. He likes it a lot; soft but firm. Sometimes he barks and just wants someone to come down and cover him with his blanket. Yes, he wants to be tucked in. He can have trouble staying warm.

The Dinovite has been a great help. Just over six months now, we've been giving it to him. Like I said he started climbing more steps and the tumor on his jowls has shrunk significantly. He still has problems breathing but not as bad as before.

We will have Thanksgiving dinner with most of my immediate family. All the yummy food.... I will be making my rice pudding (recipe in comments). And then...? I really have to get back to the gym. I thought you had to pay for the spinning classes but someone told me they are free.

Otherwise we would be home alone watching football, with plenty of popcorn salted and buttered. And perhaps some grilled cheese sandwiches rather than the fuss of preparing a Turkey. And rice pudding of course. And, no we didn't watch the second half of the Packers' game. We couldn't. It was too painful. Maybe if I made popcorn they would have won.

I received my copy of the WORS 2008 DVD. It is that much better and my wife enjoyed it as if she were watching it for the first time (I showed it to her on the web site). They have a short promo version. They went with 'Tom Petty' for the background music. Thank God they didn't go with 'Journey'.

Again...

Happy Thanksgiving and safe travels to all.

The Grilled Cheese Sandwich

I love the grilled cheese sandwich. And not only in the cooler months. Any time will do. My mother used Velveeta when we were children, but the classic and best is American cheese on white bread, and don't skimp on the butter. Goes great with a cold glass of milk. Where would we be without the cow. My wife stocks up on American cheese singles whenever there is a sale (no one cuts their own cheese any more). I've noticed others with biking blogs also favor the oozing goodness. Of course none of those blogs are nearly as entertaining as mine, nor do they provide the diverse and massive extent of knowledgeability a worldly individual such as myself can give.

But there is an alternative that delights the palette to a comparable degree. That would be cheddar cheese on rye bread. But then, as my insightful nature always leads me to do, I made it better. I added bacon to this design and ... straight to heaven. I thought of grilling it in the bacon drippings from the pan my wife fried the bacon in for breakfast but stuck with the butter. Mmmm! It's to die for.

My workouts have dropped way off with the cold and my wife and I having only one vehicle between us. Repaired the truck and after a couple of new tires we should be worry free for the winter. (12 degrees F tonight, can you believe it?) Haven't been on the scale much either though my weight certainly isn't moving much. The doctor last month... mostly marked improvement with one questionable development to keep an eye on.

Armstrong is still riding mountain bikes. I wonder why he hasn't raced mountain bikes here in Wisconsin. He's been in Wisconsin enough. WORS dominated the Ice Man regional championship again. Could it be fear that keeps Armstrong from our MTB circuit? Perhaps a nice toasty grilled cheese sandwich could entice him to compete.

First Real Snow

Yesterday we had the first real snow and traffic suffered for it. The dread hazard black ice forming on the bridges and overpasses. Big fluffy crystals that still linger on the ground. Not the icy pellets we had some weeks ago.

People don't appreciate the Winter as they did in the past. The key is simple. A good pair of long underwear. But people get up, step into their heated garages with their already remotely started and warmed up and then scurry into work. Nary a moment to embrace the cold, let alone dress for it.

The North Woods; Wisconsin Highlands. An areal photo of our property. I borrowed a surveying tool from a place I had previously worked and staked out the eastern border. Remarks from cousins and family, as well as neighbors suggested they thought I didn't know what I was doing or where my property really was. The beaver dam at the north end had been breached right at my property line and the pond that my neighbor to the east used for duck hunting drained, much to his ire. He didn't do it. I didn't do it. Obviously someone thought my property was theirs and did it because it is illegal to kill beavers that aren't on your own property without a trapping license. And why take out the dam? I was looking to do some duck hunting myself if I had the chance (as well as rabbit, woodcock, grouse, pheasant, all there). I had marked my corner markers along the access. Found them remarked my last trip. Obviously someone had the borders checked by a professional (and found I was nearly spot on). .... Priceless.

The gas prices have come way down but still can't afford to get up for the deer hunt starting this Saturday. The truck is in the shop and have no idea how much that will cost us. Actually have a naturally armored section of the stream through my property that would make a nice crossing for a mountain bike. If I could snag some more property I could create my own private trail. At the last Metro Mountain Bikers meeting they started talking about trips to "Ray's" for these Winter months. I had mentioned here that I could fit at least a half dozen bikes in our truck, and some may think I could facilitate a large group to "Ray's" since, with our salted Winter highways, it is not healthy for the bike to carry it on an exterior rack. No ... I don't like to spend the night in strange places with people I am not familiar with. In my mind, when I wrote that, those half dozen bikes were all MINE!

Found a new MTB race in the news. South Africa appears to be looking for the MTB tourist dollar. Where Winter is Summer.

No I didn't repair my camera or buy a new one to get that photo.

Stage Racing

Went to a trail building day last week. Got there late and went the wrong way so had a fresh brisk mile walk before I found the others. Overcast and drizzle all day. I enjoyed it. Started with a folding saw down one line of flagged trail. The Beer Man found me and told me it was time to quit. If they had left a few tools here and there I would have went til it got dark. I was enjoying myself so much working in the woods. So much for the Beer Man's HR management skills. Makes me miss the north woods. How I wish I had the money to get up for deer season. Just sitting alone in the cold and quiet.... waiting. Another trail day tomorrow. Planning to make it but you never know.

The Ice Man is over. Some asked why I didn't go to the Midwest Regional Championship to defend my State Title. I had another church event to attend in Chicago. I guess I could have tried to get in, considering I had the title, even with the registration closed since January. I found a new you/tuber that has a lot of video from the Ice Man.

And the monthly local WORBA meeting was this past Tuesday. They talked about an MTB stage race for Wisconsin like the Tour D' France. Talking about a combination of three different events. That's not a stage race as far as I'm concerned, and it's certainly nothing like the ... well ....what ever the French do (does anyone really care what the French do?). I suggested using the Ice Age Trail for a real stage race.

"You can't ride mountain bikes on the Ice Age Trail," I was told.

No Kidding! And you can't legally race on any streets without prior permission (even in France) and closing off the streets from other users. I mean, what they were talking about (Yeah, you Beer Man) wasn't a stage race. If you notice in my links farther down, under 'Racing for Real Men,' there are some real stage races. Excuse me for being the stickler. Some one has to get it right. They even have one in Britain. Stage racing is something I'd like to try someday. I only need wheels for my stage and I'll be all set.

Election

It is not easy to explain how I feel about this last election. Some were celebrating in the street in our neighborhood.

We were out last weekend and I was searching the air waves and settled on a certain radio station. My wife got into the van and started talking, then suddenly stopped....

"Oh my God!" She said; "It's Halloween!"

Yes, certain radio stations had already gone over to all Christmas music and were playing it on Halloween. Actually..... that's sort of exactly how I felt about the election but in some strange inverse. Like they were playing scary music on Christmas.

Caught a picture of a midget carrying around a lady on his shoulders. He does that every Halloween. Sorry for the quality we only have the cell phone.

Alois has posted again. He's really getting into the scene. Less than five months since his last post. A beautiful dog. Alois (and my mom) actually feel the same as I do about President Elect Obama.

The Ice Man Cometh Challenge is tomorrow. I can see why it is so popular. Beautiful remote and well amenitized location. In Germany you can actually get a prescription for a spa. It would be great to end a season with a great challenge as the Ice Man, pushing the limits, and then enjoying the luxury spa facilities. If I had a proper camera it would be worth going just to take pictures. Of course the more neanderthal among us would simply settle for a cold beer.

The Domes just had their grand reopening. Went to the site of the last place I worked and saw that they actually worked on the project. I'll be writing more about my experiences in the profession on my other forum, including the moral/ethical angle.

Still waiting for my hard copy of the WORS movie.

Es ist ein Hundeleben ...

Unser Hofhund geniesst sein Hundeleben und die wärmende Novembersonne ...